Chapter 174: Stelle: Damn it, they pushed a stealth update without us!
While Guinaifen was peacefully streaming her game, who was out there shouldering the burden for the universe?
Well, that would be the Astral Express crew.
After arriving at the IPC Engineering Department, the crew, led by Master Gongshu, began the arduous task of clearing out the so-called 'tree spirits' infesting the area.
"Hmm, not bad, not bad at all," Master Gongshu mused, stroking his beard as he watched them work. "As the saying goes, the master leads the way, but personal cultivation is up to the individual. You are all far more capable than those useless disciples of mine."
He nodded in satisfaction, but the very next second, the entire domain was rocked by a violent tremor.
"What's going on? Is this place collapsing?" March 7th yelped, stumbling to regain her footing.
Everyone quickly steadied themselves, their eyes darting around the shaking chamber.
"It's fine," Master Gongshu announced, a grin spreading across his face. "It seems my treasure was used in just the right place. That Wood Spirit must be in considerable pain and thoroughly displeased right now."
He gestured forward urgently. "Alright, we must act quickly! Take this chance to pass through the Illusion Screen and get to the other side. I'm worried that if we wait too long, the branches will simply grow back."
Led by the eager artisan, the group swiftly passed through the shimmering mirage and reached the core area where the Ambrosial Arbor's roots were entrenched.
"Whoa..." March 7th tilted her head all the way back, her voice filled with undisguised awe. "These are the Ambrosial Arbor's roots?"
Before them, thick, golden root veins, each as massive as a coiled dragon, were wrapped in layer upon suffocating layer. Right in the very center, they were constricting an ancient, magnificent giant furnace, squeezing it tight.
"What it's holding is the prized treasure of the IPC Engineering Department—the Creation Cauldron," Master Gongshu explained, his expression turning solemn. "Quickly, lend me a hand! We must work together to sever these roots. We absolutely cannot let them penetrate the Cauldron!"
"Got it!"
In an instant, the crew prepared for battle. March 7th drew her bow and notched an arrow of ice. Caelus summoned the fiery greatsword, the Judgement of Shamash. Stelle raised her formidable Flame Lance, and Serval's fingers brushed against her guitar strings, ready to unleash a storm of lightning. Everyone was poised to deliver a devastating blow to the Ambrosial Arbor.
"Huh?" March 7th suddenly noticed something. "Why aren't you guys using your baseball bats anymore?"
"The Ambrosial Arbor is made of wood, so of course, we have to use the Judgement of Shamash to chop it," Caelus replied, giving her a look that clearly said, 'Isn't it obvious?' "Fire conquers Wood, don't you know?"
"Exactly," Stelle agreed with a firm nod. "Trying to whack this thing with a baseball bat would be way too much trouble."
"B-but..." March 7th blinked, a confused frown on her face. "Don't you two have to hold the bat to use the power of Destruction? The Flame Lance and this greatsword are both from the Path of Preservation, right? Shouldn't you use Destruction against this Abundance-aligned Ambrosial Arbor?"
"Oh—!" Stelle's eyes widened in mock surprise, as if she were seeing March for the very first time. "March, you actually know about stuff like that?"
"Hey! What kind of reaction is that!" March 7th stomped her foot in annoyance, her cheeks puffed out.
"The power is within us, no matter what weapon we hold," Caelus clarified with a wry smile, raising an eyebrow. "It's just that... when you're chopping something down, a sword is a whole lot easier to handle."
"Be careful," Welt's deep voice cut through their banter. His gaze, sharp behind his glasses, was fixed on the tangled mass of roots ahead. "This Ambrosial Arbor... it's changing."
Almost as if in response to his words, another violent tremor shook the chamber. From the center of the roots coiled around the Creation Cauldron, a massive golden bud began to slowly bloom. Amidst a cascade of flowing light, a towering figure stepped out.
Its antlers seemed to scrape the heavens, its body was formed from gnarled branches, and its entire being pulsed with a life force so abundant it felt violent.
It was the Abundant Ebon Deer.
"W-what in the world is that monster?!" Master Gongshu gasped, taking an involuntary step back.
"Truly a Miracle, creating life so effortlessly. This power is incredible..." Tingyun murmured with a soft smile, though her voice carried an undetectable undercurrent of greed.
Welt frowned. Would someone from the Xianzhou Luofu really call the Ambrosial Arbor a Miracle?
In his understanding, the official Xianzhou narrative always painted the Arbor as the source of the Calamity of Immortality, a curse brought down by Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance. While it had granted the Xianzhou people their initial long life, it also led to endless disasters like the Denizens of Abundance wars and the Mara-Struck affliction.
Because of this, orthodox Xianzhou natives typically referred to it as the Ambrosial Arbor's deep Root, a remnant of a bygone era, or even just a monstrous entity. They emphasized its calamitous nature and would rarely, if ever, honor it with the title of 'Miracle' in a formal setting.
Conversely, the ones who would refer to it that way... were often the secret believers of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. They viewed the Arbor as a pure, divine grace, and longed for its rebirth to once again receive Yaoshi's blessing.
Tingyun, as a representative of the Whistling Flames merchant guild under the Sky-Faring Commission, was a genuinely established Xianzhou native. Her choice of words was truly abnormal.
Welt quietly raised his guard.
At that moment, however, the others clearly had no time to ponder the anomaly in her speech. The Ebon Deer had already stepped forward, its head held high. Golden light flowed between its antlers as an intimidating pressure swept over them all.
Battle was imminent.
The Abundant Ebon Deer, however, proved to be far more troublesome than they could have imagined. No matter what attack landed on its body, the wounds healed in the blink of an eye, as if it had never been harmed at all.
"It can instantly recover from any injury... that's ridiculous!"
March 7th loosed an arrow. The ice shards had barely bloomed across the deer's flank before they melted away without a trace, causing her to sigh in dismay.
"We really can't damage it. It's too tanky," Stelle grunted, she and Caelus taking turns launching powerful strikes to little effect.
"How about... we try this?" Stelle suddenly had an idea. She handed her baseball bat, which was glowing faintly with a dark red light, to March 7th.
"Huh? What for?" March asked, looking bewildered.
"I poured the power of Destruction into it," Stelle explained, her eyes shining with manic inspiration. "Try shooting it like an arrow!"
"..." March was speechless for a moment.
"Retreat for now," Welt decided instantly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Follow me. We're leaving this place."
Fighting and falling back, the group managed to pull away to a safe distance.
"Good heavens, no wonder the Xianzhou fears the monsters of Abundance so much... this recovery ability is utterly unreasonable," March 7th said, patting her chest, still shaken from the encounter. "Miss Tingyun, your Xianzhou long-life species... they aren't all like this, are they?"
"This Ebon Deer was likely birthed by the Ambrosial Arbor itself—a spiritual entity meant to guard it, closely connected to the root system," Tingyun replied, shaking her head. Her tone was once again calm and composed. "Most living beings on the Xianzhou do not possess such outrageous abilities."
The fervent admiration for the "Miracle" from a moment ago now felt like a complete illusion.
"Sigh, it looks like as long as that thing is here, we won't be able to move an inch," March 7th lamented.
"Not necessarily," Welt mused. "The Ebon Deer appears to heal its wounds instantly, but the truth might be different. Perhaps... it is continuously drawing sustenance from somewhere else."
"I get it!" Stelle clapped her hands. "Either we hit it hard enough to turn it into dust in one shot..."
"...Or we follow the roots, find its supply source... and destroy the supply!" Caelus finished her thought.
"Exactly! Cut the weeds at the root so it's sucking nothing but air," March 7th chimed in.
"Or we could just feed it until it bursts!" Stelle proposed a third, more chaotic possibility.
"What the heck does 'feed it until it bursts' even mean?" March couldn't help but complain. "If we could pull off the third one, the first one should be easy enough!"
"That monster only operates near the Ambrosial Arbor," Welt continued, steering the conversation back on track. "If we look around discreetly, we might be able to find something."
"How about we ask the all-knowing Brother Leon?" Stelle suggested, her expression turning serious as she pulled out her phone. "He should have an idea."
"What's wrong?" March 7th leaned closer, her curiosity piqued by the sudden change in Stelle's demeanor.
Stelle's eyes were wide, her jaw slack. "Oh no... Honkai: Star Rail just updated!"
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