Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [346]

The strongest land-based war god of Jarilo, the one who effortlessly defeated a Lord Ravager, the personal bodyguard of Governor Chen Lin—reluctantly departed from this land that had never nurtured her in the slightest. Holding the identification documents in her hand, she set off on her bittersweet journey as a fleet commander...

When news spread that the Third Fleet was officially preparing to enter the L-Gate, it caused an uproar both inside and outside Qlipoth Fort. Countless onlookers, unaware of the full picture, began speculating whether the Empire had encountered some terrifying enemy within the L-Gate—one so formidable that even the governor’s chief guard had to personally intervene.

However, until the war correspondents embedded with the fleet reported concrete details, any speculation remained just one of countless possibilities.

That said, the security at Qlipoth Fort visibly intensified severalfold. The number of psionic honor guards—both covert and overt—dramatically increased, and the Psionic Legion even dispatched a large contingent of ground troops to provide armed protection.

This was understandable. After all, their esteemed governor was not a professional soldier, and his personal safety was of paramount importance in these tense times.

Specialization had its place—while Governor Chen Lin was indeed a Psion, he was not particularly skilled in combat.

Decryption intelligence from Xianzhou Luofu indicated that the reason Governor Chen Lin was able to drive away Phantylia that had been wreaking havoc in Luofu was primarily due to some secret weapon he had brought from the Empire—one that was single-use at that!

Who knew how many enemies harbored resentment toward Jarilo? It was precisely for this reason that the governor had to be under constant protection, lest some ill-intentioned individuals seize the opportunity to attempt an assassination!

---

The bedchamber was silent.

A coffee-colored canopy was gently lifted and secured to the side. The girl lying on the large bed shrank slightly, barely managing to open her eyes to glance at the newcomer before promptly closing them again.

“……”

Pela cleared her throat and softly said, “Young Mistress, it’s already noon. You have a public meeting with Ambassador Qingque at four o’clock to determine a suitable port for the Cloud Knights’ warships to dock.”

“Just five more minutes…”

“And then another five after that?”

Pela sighed. To outsiders, the Supreme Guardian Bronya was strict and upright in all aspects—but she did have one small habit: occasionally staying in bed longer than she should. Pela had known this since childhood.

Of course, back then, circumstances did not allow Bronya to act in any way that contradicted the etiquette required of a Supreme Guardian heir. She wasn’t so much an individual as she was a machine, constantly being refined to meet the expectations placed upon her.

Having grown up serving Bronya, it wouldn’t be entirely accurate to call Pela a mere handmaiden assigned to her by Cocolia. In the past, the surname “Sergeyevna” had actually belonged to one of Belobog’s fortress-building noble families.

Now that Jarilo had established close ties with the Xianzhou Alliance, cultural exchanges were becoming more frequent. However, certain titles didn’t always translate cleanly.

In the ancient traditions of Xianzhou, Pela’s role might have been classified as that of a “handmaiden.” But before the calamities befell Jarilo, such “handmaidens” were in fact high-ranking nobles, entitled to land, noble ranks, and even official court positions. A more fitting translation would be “honor guard.”

This was evident in Pela’s former role as the Chief Intelligence Officer of the Silvermane Guard—an office that carried considerable authority.

And that authority hadn’t diminished one bit.

Bronya turned over, burying her face into another pillow as she mumbled, “Mmm… did Mentor leave any instructions today?”

“He’s waiting for the Third Fleet, led by the Chief Guard, to reach the designated position before making his next move.”

Pela answered methodically, but then quickly became puzzled. “Wait… didn’t he mention this last night?”

“I forgot to ask.”

Bronya sleepily sat up, placing Chen Lin’s pillow back in its spot before getting dressed and taking a seat at the vanity, letting Pela handle her hair.

As she began her work, Pela casually mentioned, “That Stellaron Hunter, Miss Silver Wolf, just asked me about him. She seemed to think his mood was off and tried to get some answers from me. I told her to ask him herself.”

Bronya nodded in approval. “Good call.”

Pela sighed. “Young Mistress, I mean… do you think she’ll end up like… no, like them? Those two? The way they’re practically throwing themselves at him?”

“That’s not important. What matters is that Mentor is happy.”

Bronya gazed at her reflection in the mirror, unable to suppress her smile. “He’s probably still influenced by the culture and environment of his past life in the Empire—he’s not entirely comfortable with this sort of thing. He overthinks my feelings too much. Even with Sister Seele, I had to push her to take action. Maybe Mentor just needs more time to get used to it.”

“That does seem to be the case.”

The two fell into a long silence. It wasn’t until Bronya’s hair ribbon was neatly tied that Pela finally heard her soft voice again.

“I never imagined Belobog would have a future like this… never imagined I would have a future like this. I thought I’d just follow the cycle, carrying the title of ‘Supreme Guardian’ and repeating my mother’s path over and over again. But I didn’t want that… Of course, without Mentor, I wouldn’t have even had the chance to be part of that cycle.”

“After all, no one expected Lady Cocolia to—”

“The Supreme Guardian… has always been alone.”

Pela pressed her lips together and nodded.

The ancient Supreme Guardian system had always demanded sacrifices, even at the level of bloodline purity, to ensure the Guardian’s undivided dedication to their role.

“Mentor opened a new chapter for Belobog, tearing apart the darkness that had loomed over it for more than 700 years. He gave new life to people who had known only hunger, disease, and oppression…”

As Bronya spoke, her expression turned slightly bitter. “Even when others question my character, call me a coward, I still believe that my mother was meant to be swept away by the tides of history. A Supreme Guardian who does not protect her people… is a cruel joke. I couldn’t accept a future where Belobog became that kind of place—or where I became that kind of person.”

“……”

“Mentor saw all of this long ago. He’s always felt like he owes me something. But in truth, it’s me who owes him.”

Perhaps sensing the heavy atmosphere, Bronya’s thoughts shifted. Suddenly, she turned her head and smiled. “Well, since it’s bound to happen eventually, why not start tonight? How about you move in here?”

“Huh?! Young Mistress, you—”

Pela’s head shot up, only to meet Bronya’s teasing gaze. Her ears instantly burned red, and she quickly averted her face, looking anywhere but at Bronya.

After an awkward silence, she finally stammered, “W-We can talk about that… after you and he are formally married! I—I’ll go get your breakfast!”

She bolted from the bedchamber, practically sprinting toward the kitchen. It took a long while before she finally calmed down, her mind replaying the contrast between the Bronya of the past and the Bronya of today.

The difference was obvious.

The Bronya standing here now was more like herself—not a symbol, not an institution, not a representation of something greater.

She was not anything else. She was simply herself.

And that was enough.

---

Chen Lin was mapping out the movement routes for both fleets on the star chart.

For ease of observation, the star chart typically displayed star systems as separate entities. In reality, however, when viewed with the naked eye, it was a vast expanse composed of stars, planets, and moons.

The reason there were large empty spaces between star systems was simply due to various physical factors. To traverse these gaps, one either had to rely on hyperspace travel or brute-force their way through the gravitational barriers of star systems—neither of which was a simple task.

Regardless of the method used, the fundamental nature of these star systems remained unchanged, as did the objective fact that chokepoints existed along the routes between them.

From his initial observations, the L-Cluster contained a total of 108 star systems—far more than what he had seen in the game.

This sheer number alone immediately ruled out Chen Lin’s initial F2A strategy of swift, decisive warfare. He simply didn’t have enough highly trained troops to execute a synchronized advance and encircle territories. Worse still, if he could perform hyperspace jumps, then whatever was inside that cluster could do the same.

He wasn’t about to abandon his home base just to push forward recklessly.

At the same time, he couldn’t afford the slow, methodical approach of constructing outposts step by step to claim territory. That would take too long, cost too much in station-building, and place an immense strain on fleet upkeep—entirely inefficient.

After much deliberation, Chen Lin finally devised a plan that balanced forward expansion while ensuring a secure retreat:

—The Chokepoint Leapfrog Strategy!

The core principle of this tactic was simple—attack only the most strategically vital locations. Every star system had at least one key transit point leading to a junction. Chen Lin’s plan was to construct defensive platforms at these junctions while leaving less critical systems with only minimal mining or research stations—or ignoring them altogether.

Phase one: establish a continuous chain of connected outposts from multiple starting points to key junctions.
Phase two: gradually absorb the star systems between these lines.
If any fleet encountered an insurmountable threat, another fleet—or even Phantylia’s forces—could instantly jump in to provide support.

This not only shortened defensive lines but also maximized territorial expansion, allowing him to feast on the cluster’s rich resources at an accelerated pace.

“Perfect!”

Chen Lin quickly finalized the advancement paths for both fleets. After tweaking some finer details, he was immensely satisfied with the result.

As long as he didn’t blindly jump into a nanomachine factory system, this aggressive yet controlled expansion was by far his best tactical choice!

Honestly, only Chen Lin could so quickly discern the number of star systems and hyperspace lanes within this entirely unfamiliar star cluster. Normal sensors couldn’t possibly detect such precise details…

Which was precisely why having a god’s-eye view of intelligence gathering could tilt the scales of war dramatically in his favor.

War wasn’t just about technology, manpower, and resources—it was about information.

Even the fog of war itself was a matter of intelligence.

Once he transmitted the operational routes via The Shroud to the front lines, the finer details of fleet movement were left to the fleet commanders. That wasn’t his job.

There was an order to learning, and expertise had its domains.

A true leader’s role was to put the right people in the right positions and ensure they carried out the right tasks.

As he watched his fleet, untouched by his own hand, slowly move across the star chart, Chen Lin couldn’t help but recall his early days on the Express—back when he was "pioneering" mining stations.

A strange urge welled up within him.

He wanted to be on the front lines himself.

After all, he was perfectly capable of serving as a fleet commander. The wonders of a fully unlocked tech tree, huh?

“Ah… but I don’t have the conditions for that.”

Bang!

The door was kicked open with a loud bang. Silver Wolf walked in, arms full, and asked curiously, “What do you mean by ‘don’t have the conditions’?”

“I’ve got the itch to command. Want to be on the front lines.”

“Heh, you’re really something… terminally ill, more like.” Silver Wolf stared at him expressionlessly. “Tired of living?”

Chen Lin’s face darkened. “What do you mean I’m sick? Jarilo’s army doctrines and fleet strategies were all taught by me, you know…”

If you really got down to it, he was the architect of Jarilo’s modern military across all domains. Commanding a fleet was well within his capabilities.

Silver Wolf immediately pouted and shot back, “Yeah, right. If you’re so capable, why don’t you go then? Face it, you’re all theory and no real experience. That’s like watching someone else beat a game and thinking you’ve cleared it too.”

Chen Lin’s eye twitched. He shook his head and sighed. “Belobog’s situation doesn’t allow me to leave—at least not right now.”

Silver Wolf looked at him, silent for a moment, then simply shrugged and flopped onto a chair, lazily pulling out her console to play. Meanwhile, Chen Lin turned back to processing applications for new Galactic Community member states.

Time passed.

Eventually, Silver Wolf put down her game console and looked up. “Why don’t you have the conditions?”

Chen Lin smirked mysteriously. “A reliable source once gave me some intel—said there are bad people in Belobog plotting against me…”

“Pfft—”

Silver Wolf couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. Then she shot him a look like he was a complete idiot. “So doesn’t that mean you’re in way more danger right now?”

His Chief Guard had already been sent off to lead a fleet, leaving him alone and defenseless.

There was an old saying in the Xianzhou—something like ‘A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall.’ This guy was really out here gambling his own life for the hell of it…

That thought crossed Silver Wolf’s mind, but Chen Lin simply shook his head dismissively.

“It’s not that serious. Jarilo’s outposts are airtight—no one can touch me under these circumstances.”

He paused, then turned his gaze toward the girl lying back in the chair, shamelessly slacking off.

“But—”

“Stop right there!”

Silver Wolf shot upright, cutting him off. She frowned. “You’re trying to make me do something again, aren’t you?”

Ever since she met this man, she’d developed a near-involuntary response to the words but and however.

Chen Lin furrowed his brows and replied sternly, “How is this ‘making you do something’? This is a leadership assessment of your attitude! Some things aren’t about whether you can do them, but whether you care, whether they matter, and whether you take them seriously.”

Silver Wolf rolled her eyes.

Great.

You climb up to the moral high ground, and now I have to follow orders and work for you. You’re the boss, your PUA skills are top-tier, and you win.

“…Fine. But I have a condition.”

“Alright, it’s settled then. I’ll seriously consider your condition.”

Noticing that Chen Lin had already adopted his I don’t care how hot the water is, I’m already dead inside attitude—about to start running political circles around her again—Silver Wolf hesitated. In the end, she scrapped her original condition, suddenly realizing a blind spot.

Instead, she stretched out her hand in front of him, palm up.

“Hand it over. That’s the payment I deserve.”

---

T/N: GAH IS THIS SPARKLE OR SILVER WOLF???? SOMEONEEEEE HELP MY CLAIRVOYANCE AND INSTINCT ISNT WORKING

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!