Honkai Star Rail: I Became the World Tree — Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Who Doesn’t Know Barbatos Slacks Off?

Samuel sat across from Nahida, weaving the legendary tale of Senju Hashirama and detailing the intricacies of Wood Release Ninjutsu.

Listening to the sheer destructive and creative potential of the Wood Release, Nahida’s emerald eyes practically sparkled. As the Dendro Archon, her connection to nature was absolute; she felt an innate certainty that she could replicate these very techniques. She immediately made up her mind to return to Teyvat tonight and test the theories. While her wisdom was entirely unmatched across her home world, her actual combat proficiency left much to be desired. This foreign ninja magic provided exactly the inspiration she needed to bridge that gap.

Time slipped away like sand through an hourglass, and before long, the vibrant hues of sunset gave way to a starry night.

The Holy City Square was a sea of bustling noise and brilliant magical lights. Tonight, the Star Adventure Group had assembled in full force. Standing at the very vanguard of the formation were Herta, Stelle, Himeko, Welt, Screwllum, Bronya, Seele, and Lumine.

Directly in front of them stood the Herta Legion—a perfectly aligned, eerily synchronized grid of mechanical puppets, standing at absolute attention.

Off to the side, a familiar crowd from Teyvat had gathered to watch the spectacle. Venti, Zhongli, Neuvillette, and several others observed the grand assembly.

Venti leaned forward, his gaze catching on a familiar blonde braid standing right beside Stelle. He blinked, rubbing his eyes.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Venti muttered, tilting his head. “Why is Lumine standing over there with Stelle’s crew? Wait a minute, isn’t she from Teyvat? Why didn’t she join our Teyvat Adventurers Guild?”

Beside him, Furina was dressed in surprisingly casual streetwear, happily sipping an iced cola through a plastic straw. Upon hearing Venti’s complaint, she nearly choked on her drink.

“What?!” Furina gasped, clutching her chest dramatically. “You’re telling me Lumine is from Teyvat? Good grief! Someone is poaching our top talent right out from under our noses!”

Zhongli crossed his arms, his amber eyes fixed calmly on the distant formation. “Strictly speaking, Lumine is not originally from Teyvat. She is a traveler from beyond the skies. Which Adventurers Guild she chooses to align herself with is entirely up to her own discretion.”

He paused, shifting his gaze sideways to look down at the bard. “Speaking of which, Barbatos, why didn’t you invite Lumine to join the Justice Adventure Team when you had the chance? Those closest to the water catch the moon’s reflection first. Lumine clearly had a much deeper relationship with us at the very beginning. She even helped your Mondstadt citizens settle the Stormterror crisis.”

Venti flinched. A heavy, highly visible layer of guilt washed over his face.

Could he admit that he hadn’t actually invited her at all? He had only casually mentioned the Source Continent to her in passing. He naturally assumed Lumine would just follow Jean, Diluc, and the rest of the Mondstadt crew into the Justice Adventure Team without him having to do any actual paperwork. Who could have predicted she would run straight to Liyue, only to get scooped up by Stelle’s aggressive recruitment tactics?

Nahida stepped up beside them, her small hands clasped together. “There is a rather famous rumor going around,” she noted softly, her tone entirely innocent. “It says that the Anemo Archon, Barbatos, rarely ever does his actual job.”

The moment the words left the Dendro Archon’s lips, every single person from Teyvat slowly turned their heads to glare at Venti. Their collective expressions screamed for an explanation. If Teyvat really lost a top-tier powerhouse just because their resident wind god was slacking off at the tavern, he was going to pay for it.

Zhongli released a heavy, disappointed sigh. “It is not a rumor. He genuinely never does his job.”

Realizing he was being cornered and exposed by the Geo Archon, Venti panicked and chose the path of mutually assured destruction. He whipped his head around to look at the energetic funeral director standing nearby.

“Director Hu!” Venti shouted, pointing an accusatory finger. “Let me tell you a little secret! Your beloved parlor consultant isn’t actually just a—”

Before Venti could finish the sentence, Zhongli’s hand clamped down heavily onto the bard’s shoulder. The grip was like solid bedrock.

“Lord Anemo Archon,” Zhongli interrupted, his voice dropping an octave into a smooth, terrifyingly calm register. “Come. Let us have a brief chat over there.”

Venti tried to scramble backward, but Zhongli’s arm held him in a literal death grip. His feet dragged against the cobblestone.

‘Oh boy! I’m dead!’

Zhongli dragged the thrashing bard into a nearby dark alley. A few seconds later, a series of high-pitched, cartoonish shrieks echoed through the night air—the kind of flawless, agonizing wails that would have won a certain animated cat an award for voice acting.

A few minutes later, Zhongli strolled back into the Holy City Square, adjusting his cuffs. Venti trailed behind him, sporting a spectacular pair of black eyes and a bruised cheek, looking like he desperately wanted to cry but lacked the tears.

Hu Tao immediately bounced over to Zhongli, her plum-blossom eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Consultant! Tell me the truth, what else are you hiding from this Hall Master? What was Venti about to say you weren’t? Speak up, or I’m docking your salary for the next three months!”

Zhongli let out a measured sigh, his expression perfectly composed. “I am an Adeptus. However, I am not an ordinary one. Among the Adepti of Liyue, I belong to a significantly more powerful echelon.”

Hu Tao blinked, processing the information before a wide grin spread across her face. Her suspicion vanished entirely. “Oh~ so that’s how it is! I knew it! This Hall Master always felt you weren’t just some run-of-the-mill Adeptus. You know way too much about everything!”

Zhongli offered a slight, dignified nod. “Indeed. Now, let us continue watching the Star Adventure Group’s oath-taking rally.”

With the Teyvat interlude settled, attention shifted back to the center of the square.

Himeko rested a gentle hand on Stelle’s shoulder, offering a warm, encouraging smile. “Stelle, you are the leader of this group. You should say a few words to rally everyone before we depart.”

Stelle froze. Her golden eyes widened in sheer panic, staring blankly at the massive crowd of elite warriors and mechanical puppets waiting for her command.

“Huh? Me?” Stelle squeaked, her usual chaotic bravado evaporating. “Give a speech? I don’t know how to do that!”

March 7th pumped her fist in the air. “Yeah, yeah, Stelle! You’re the trailblazer! This is the very first time our whole group is heading out together. Say something cool to boost morale!”

A cold sweat broke out across Stelle’s forehead. She opened her mouth, closed it, stared at the dirt, and then finally squeezed out a single, strained sentence at the top of her lungs.

“Go, go, go! For the Star Adventure Group! Let’s do this!”

Silence fell over the square.

Herta crossed her arms, her lips pressing into a thin, highly judgmental line.

Screwllum adjusted his monocle, his mechanical voice carrying a tone of refined politeness. “It appears I will need to draft a manuscript for Miss Stelle prior to our next deployment. She possesses a very… unique talent for public speaking.”

High EQ: A unique talent for public speaking.

Low EQ: This girl has absolutely no idea what she’s doing.

Sensing the suffocating awkwardness, Himeko stepped forward and cleared her throat, her commanding presence instantly washing over the group. “Everyone, prepare to move out! This is our first full-scale deployment. Tonight, we will accept nothing less than total victory!”

Grateful for the lifeline, Stelle frantically opened her system interface and slammed her finger onto the holographic prompt.

[E-Rank Promotion Dungeon Challenge: Initiated]

Instantly, the air in the center of the Holy City Square warped and tore open. A massive teleportation gate, five meters high and three meters wide, materialized with a low, humming vibration.

Without hesitation, the entire Star Adventure Group surged forward, marching straight into the glowing rift.

The spatial distortion faded, and the environment violently shifted.

The cool night air of the city was instantly replaced by blistering heat and a howling gale. Yellow sand whipped through the air, completely obscuring the horizon. Stelle immediately choked, violently spitting out a mouthful of grit.

“Ptu! Ptu!” Stelle coughed, wiping her tongue with her sleeve. “Why does it have to be a desert? I ate a pound of sand the second I stepped through!”

March 7th shielded her face with both hands, groaning in pure misery. “Exactly! My hair is already completely coated in dust! It’s going to take me three hours to wash this out tonight!”

Herta ignored the complaints, taking a few steps forward into the howling wind. Her synthetic eyes locked onto the shifting dunes in the distance.

“Enough useless chatter,” Herta commanded, her voice cutting through the gale like a scalpel. “The enemy approaches. Herta Legion, assume combat formation!”

At her exact word, the fifty mechanical puppets snapped into action with terrifying, uniform precision.

The Warrior Squad locked their shields and formed an impenetrable wall at the very front. The Assassin Squad immediately fractured into highly mobile five-man units, melting into the flanks to secure the perimeter. Behind the shield wall, the Mage Squad raised their staves, arcane energy already flaring to life at the tips. Finally, the Archer Squad drew their bowstrings back to their cheeks, notching arrows and tracking the incoming threat.

Through the swirling dust, the dungeon’s welcoming committee revealed itself.

It was a massive, screeching horde. The system UI quickly highlighted the threat: three Level 10 Goblin Warriors, three Level 10 Goblin Boar Riders, twenty Level 5 Big Goblins, and a swarming sea of two hundred ordinary Goblins.

Leading the vanguard were the three Goblin Boar Riders. They spurred their massive, tusked mounts forward, kicking up a massive wake of sand as they initiated a brutal, thundering charge straight toward the defensive line. Behind them, the green tide of the main Goblin force shrieked and sprinted in their wake.

Standing safely behind the shield wall, Herta calculated the trajectory in a fraction of a second.

“Mage Squad, Archer Squad,” Herta ordered coldly. “Concentrate all fire on the Boar Riders. Erase them.”

The backline unleashed hell.

A dense volley of glowing magic bullets and armor-piercing arrows tore through the desert air, screaming toward the galloping vanguard.

The kinetic impact was immediate. One of the Goblin Boar Riders violently yanked its mount to the side, narrowly sliding under the barrage, but the other two were not nearly as lucky. The concentrated volley slammed directly into their chests, detonating in a blinding flash of arcane light and shattered armor.