Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [352]

The garden of Qlipoth Fort was bathed in the soft glow of the full moon.

Chen Lin sat at a stone table, eating a late-night meal while reviewing the latest report from the Imperial Research Institute.

Standing beside him, Pela wasn’t wearing her usual uniform. Instead, she had donned a light blue dress, her usual stern demeanor replaced with a gentler, more graceful air.

She quietly poured tea for Chen Lin, stealing occasional glances at him as he pondered over the report.

In the past, she had only ever served Bronya. It wasn’t until the Astral Express arrived at Jarilo-VI that a second name was added to her list of responsibilities.

But despite that, she hadn’t actually served Chen Lin very often. Partly because he was frequently occupied outside the palace, and partly because the newly appointed Chief Guard had taken over much of what used to be her duties.

As Chen Lin was halfway through his meal, Pela suddenly leaned in slightly, her expression focused as she spoke in a hushed voice.

“Sir, regarding the decrypted report… is there anything you need me to do?”

Chen Lin paused, looking up at her. After a moment of thought, he spoke.

“No need to intervene or accelerate the process. Let them continue decoding at the normal pace.”

Pela nodded. “Understood.”

Earlier this evening, the Imperial Research Institute had completed a preliminary decryption of the audio frequencies and spatial fluctuations detected at the front lines. As expected, the audio signals were indeed related to combat—more specifically, they were command transmissions.

However, there were some unexpected discrepancies. For instance, the so-called ‘audio’ in the recordings wasn’t produced through conventional vocal cords or speech mechanisms. Instead, it was some kind of specialized frequency signal.

Normal biological organisms couldn’t produce such signals to communicate. Even the L-Drakes, whose language had already been deciphered by the Institute, relied on dedicated vocal organs, much like other living creatures. The only real difference was that their vocalizations could bypass vacuum conditions.

L-Drakes, though operating on a nanoscopic scale, were still fundamentally biological. Their cells had merely been replaced or modified by nanomachines.

After reviewing the Institute’s report, Chen Lin was now certain—the L-Gate didn’t just contain L-Drakes. There was also an entire Nano Empire lurking inside.

That was not good news.

The strategic value of the L-Gate lay in its unique spatial properties and vast resources. These were the key reasons Chen Lin had chosen to open the gate in the first place—his vision was to transform it into an impregnable fortress and a hidden paradise.

If he could fight and win, he would expand outward. If the tides turned against him, he would simply retreat inside, where no one could touch him.

Ownership of the L-Gate wasn’t just an economic issue—it was a political and military asset of immense importance.

The more chaotic things became inside the gate, and the more troops were needed to secure it, the worse it would be for him.

If his suspicions were correct, deeper exploration would likely reveal nano-machine civilizations masquerading as the Dessanu race. And cooperation with them wasn’t particularly valuable to him—whatever resources they could offer weren’t enough to fill the gaps in his own supply chain.

When his own reserves were stable, he had no need to accept their offerings. And when he did have resource shortages, a few meager shipments a month wouldn’t be enough to patch the holes.

The Nano Empire had to be dealt with. But he needed a full grasp of their military capabilities before making a move—otherwise, wouldn’t that be like a fledgling interstellar newbie declaring war on an iron-fisted empire within five years of launch?

“By the way, sir.”

As she poured him another cup of tea, Pela hesitated before speaking.

“Luofu has contacted the young mistress. They intend to bring their main ship directly to the edge of our star system. Lady Bronya wishes to know if you have any additional arrangements in mind.”

Chen Lin thought for a moment before recalling his earlier agreement with Jing Yuan. He turned to Pela and said,

“That was something I arranged beforehand. I’ll discuss the details with Bronya later. We should allocate a suitable docking area for the Luofu, ensuring convenient transit.”

Pela hesitated briefly before cautiously asking,

“…A merger?”

Chen Lin’s eyes gleamed with approval, though he shook his head.

“Not yet. It’s still too early.”

After a brief pause, he continued,

“By choosing to cooperate with us, the Luofu has essentially cut ties with the Interastral Peace Corporation. Some of the other Xianzhou ships likely aren’t happy with their decision. That being the case, we need to ensure they have a viable fallback plan."

“For example, the Galactic Market—they should at least have access to its economic benefits.”

The Galactic Market—or GM, for short.

This was Chen Lin’s next major initiative: a pan-galactic trade network designed to facilitate the exchange of resources and even… slaves.

Naturally, the Interastral Peace Corporation had caught wind of this and had been constantly trying to establish communication with Qlipoth Fort. They knew that once the Galactic Market was established, it would supersede and replace the domestic markets of all participating civilizations.

There couldn’t be two competing trade systems. Any nation joining the Galactic Market would inevitably have to sever its ties with the IPC’s trade network.

Several civilizations had already begun secretly sending envoys to Belobog, engaging in discussions with Oleg, who was overseeing the market’s framework.

These were all civilizations that had applied to join the Galactic Community, but participation in the Galactic Market was optional for member states. They still had the freedom to choose.

But it seemed that certain hidden forces were already interfering.

Not long ago, Chen Lin had received reports of small-scale intelligent machine uprisings erupting within several of these civilizations. A suspiciously well-timed warning, perhaps.

As for who was pulling the strings behind the scenes…

Well, that was a matter of interpretation.

Some things, after all, were best left to the eyes of the wise and the insightful.

One thing was certain—Chen Lin had no intention of meddling in other civilizations’ internal affairs.

If they couldn’t even handle this level of hardship and were already considering compromise, it only proved their leadership lacked both vision and resolve.

Besides, the executives of the Interastral Peace Corporation were shrewd and calculating—if he acted recklessly, he might leave behind leverage they could use to retaliate.

So, there was no need to rush.

The IPC wasn’t in a hurry, and neither was Chen Lin. The only ones panicking would be the civilizations caught in the middle, squeezed between two interstellar giants.

According to intelligence gathered by Pela’s spies, the IPC had already begun rolling out welfare policies for its client civilizations—offering interest-free loans, free infrastructure projects, and other incentives.

Summed up in one sentence? Winning hearts and minds.

And it was working.

A growing number of netizens from those civilizations had started speaking positively about the Corporation online. Their leaders, too, were constantly holding press conferences, publicly praising the IPC in hopes of securing more benefits.

The IPC, of course, didn’t reject anyone—whoever asked, they provided.

When Chen Lin first saw these intelligence reports, he had a strange sense of déjà vu.

It’s like one of those billion-dollar subsidy campaigns… except the IPC has way more money to burn.

But everything came with a price.

Hopefully, when the time came to pay their dues, they wouldn’t be crying about it.

Seeing the deeper implications behind all this, Pela’s expression flickered with understanding before shifting to admiration.

“Luofu really has been a great help to us,” she said.

“Their Xianzhou workforce filled a huge number of vacancies on our planets. Not only that, they’re constantly volunteering for overtime—unbelievably diligent! And the Cloud Knights arriving at our borders soon… the numbers and quality are beyond generous.”

“Right?”

Chen Lin chuckled, giving her small nose a playful tweak.

“In both public and private matters, Luofu should be considered one of our own. That’s why the market transfer hub should be stationed directly on Luofu.”

“The 3% intermediary fee will be more than enough to keep them well-fed.”

The Galactic Market imposed a 10% transaction fee on all trades. Of that, Chen Lin had allocated 3% to Luofu, as they would be serving as the primary logistics hub and storage depot for the market.

It might not seem like much, but consider this:

1 unit of food equaled 10,000 tons.

For every unit of food traded, Luofu would automatically receive 300 tons as their cut.

And the Galactic Community already had over 70 member civilizations—meaning trade volumes wouldn’t just be large, but colossal.

By then, Luofu would escape the economic crisis caused by the collapse of the credit-based currency system, returning to the Xianzhou Alliance with vast financial resources.

This, in turn, would give Chen Lin even more leverage to draw additional Xianzhou ships to his side—each one effectively becoming a shareholder in his growing empire.

With political backing, military allies, and a share of Galactic Market profits…

How could the Abundance Alliance stand against him?

At that point, everything would be on his terms.

Fortunately, Jarilo wasn’t a corporate-run government, so making a profit through trade wasn’t frowned upon. There was no need to exploit others like a soulless megacorp.

In that regard, Jarilo’s political system was actually superior to the IPC’s.

“Sir…!”

Pela’s face flushed slightly as she stepped back, puffing out her cheeks.

“Are you treating me like a child again?”

“Of course not. I just treat everyone younger than me like a child.”

“Ugh…”

“Hahaha!”

Pela pouted but quickly shifted gears, remembering something.

She hesitated for a moment before casually asking,

“Sir… when did you and Miss Silver Wolf first meet?”

She had been meaning to ask for a while now.

The infamous top-tier hacker of the Stellaron Hunters—when Pela first heard the name Silver Wolf, she had pictured a cold, emotionless, high-tech specter.

But when she actually met her… that mental image completely shattered.

Chen Lin and Silver Wolf called each other friends, but Pela noticed something odd—Silver Wolf seemed strangely unfamiliar with him.

And even though he officially named her his assistant, many tasks were secretly handed off to Pela instead.

It was a clear sign that he wasn’t fully trusting Silver Wolf.

Taking advantage of the privacy Chen Lin had secured for their conversation, Pela finally decided to ask—even if it didn’t amount to anything, she still wanted to help him in any way she could.

Chen Lin blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to ask about that.

After a moment of thought, he replied,

“About three, almost four years ago. When I first arrived in this star system, I accidentally got transferred to Herta Space Station. That’s where I met her for the first time.”

Pela let out a soft “Oh.”

“That’s quite some time ago… even before the young mistress met you.”

“Yeah. We crossed paths more often when I was in Xianzhou. That’s when we got to know each other better."

“Actually, I even hacked her database once and grabbed a bunch of her account passwords. She probably wanted to kill me back then.”

“…You did that?” Pela’s expression was a mix of disbelief and amusement.

Chen Lin laughed.

“In any case, I have deep ties with the Stellaron Hunters. They possess something I need. That’s why I removed their name from the blacklist the IPC had copied over—to make it easier for them to enter Jarilo.”

“A little cooperation every now and then doesn’t hurt.”

As he finished his meal, Chen Lin started clearing away his dishes.

“You’re wondering, though—if I trust Silver Wolf enough to make her my assistant, then why do I keep hiding so many things from her?"

“Logically, if she’s my assistant, she should be handling all this work herself. Otherwise, it goes against my usual policy of trust.”

Pela froze.

She hadn’t even spoken her thoughts aloud, yet he had already seen through her.

She nodded firmly.

Chen Lin smiled slightly and then, with an air of casual certainty, dropped a bombshell that shook Pela to her core.

“I strongly suspect… that this Silver Wolf is not the real Silver Wolf.”

“If, at first, I was only 30% sure, then now… I’m 90% certain.”

“...What?”

Pela’s fingers tightened around the hem of her skirt, her breath hitching.

It felt as if the air itself had frozen.

She had considered many possibilities, but this was something she never expected.

“…Is it because Miss Silver Wolf seems unfamiliar with many details about you? Is that how you figured it out?”

“Oh, that…”

Chen Lin casually adjusted his sleeve, as if organizing his thoughts before speaking slowly.

“My relationship with Silver Wolf has always been more of an online acquaintanceship. It’s normal for her not to be familiar with the details of my affairs. But—she and I have a deep bond and an undeniable sense of mutual understanding!”

Pela hesitated. “Then why do you—”

Chen Lin’s expression turned serious. “What first made me suspicious… was how she played video games.”

Pela blinked, utterly baffled. “Video games?”

Could it be…?

Did this fake Silver Wolf lack the real one’s gaming skills? And Sir noticed the difference while playing with her?

Incredible! As expected of Sir, his observation skills are unparalleled!

As Pela was mentally worshipping his brilliance, Chen Lin suddenly revealed the real reason—one that completely shattered her expectations.

His face twisted in open disdain, his eyes filled with the purest form of disappointment, as if he had personally suffered because of it.

“Silver Wolf is a cheater. She’s absolute garbage at games—terrible at playing but loves them anyway. And whenever she starts losing, she just writes a cheat program, turns into a god, and wrecks the whole game balance. Only an idiot would play with her fairly!”

“!!”

Oh—

Ohhh—

Pela suddenly remembered.

One time, Sir had invited Ambassador Qingque over, and the two of them had rigged a game session together. Step by step, they lured Silver Wolf into a carefully crafted trap and utterly scammed her.

For days afterward, Silver Wolf had ranted to Pela about it—calling Chen Lin a scheming, underhanded, disgraceful governor who cheated at games like a shameless villain.

At the time, Pela had also felt that cheating in casual games between friends was a little excessive.

But now… now it all makes sense!

Chen Lin continued, his voice filled with certainty.

“From that moment, I was sure she wasn’t the real Silver Wolf. Silver Wolf does enjoy using underhanded tricks, but when she fails, she always finds a way to get revenge.”

“My first phone? She hacked it, changed all my apps’ icons and names. Completely wrecked it.”

A hint of pride crossed his face as he went on.

“Luckily, I outplayed her. I anonymously sent the data I pulled from her cheat program to the IPC. I bet their armed security forces chased her down for quite some time after that.”

“After that… she never hacked my stuff again.”

Pela: “…”

So that’s how your ‘deep bond’ was formed…?

After cleaning up, Chen Lin and Pela prepared to leave the garden. The rest could be left to the palace maids to return to the kitchen.

As they walked, they linked their minds through The Shroud to discuss the situation.

“If nothing unexpected happens, she’s probably the Masked Fool that Sampo mentioned.”

“Sir, isn’t luring her out like this too risky? Even the Chief Guard is away on deployment…”

“It’s fine. I can handle this myself. Worst case scenario… I’ll just let her see my Phase Two.”

Phase Two? Pela didn’t understand.

But since Sir said it was fine, then there was nothing to worry about.

...

By the time they reached the palace chambers, Chen Lin suddenly realized something.

Wait, why is Pela still following me?

She lived in the adjacent courtyard, didn’t she?

Standing at his door, Pela’s hands clenched into fists, her nails faintly pressing into her palms.

Her skirt swayed slightly as she struggled to maintain her composure.

Her cheeks flushed, and after a deep breath, she mustered her courage and whispered,

“Sir, would you like to bathe first?”

“The young mistress said she’d be back late tonight, so… she asked me to keep you company for a while.”

Chen Lin: “?”

---

T/N: ???

This is a fan translation of 在星穹铁道点群星科技树真的没问题吗? by 杏雨诗韵 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!