Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [336]

Leaving the dungeon, Chen Lin headed straight for Qlipoth Fort.

In the few days he had been away, a mountain of important matters had piled up—so much so that even Bronya dared not handle them. Only Chen Lin, the true decision-maker operating behind the scenes, could make the final call.

Upon arriving at the administrative hall, he found that Bronya was not there. Instead, Pela sat at her workstation, diligently processing intelligence reports.

As soon as he entered, Pela stood up and greeted him, "Sir, you've returned? Then—"

Before she could finish, she noticed the illusionary blur behind Chen Lin, as well as a young girl unfamiliar to her. Realizing that the matter with Sampo had surely been resolved, she changed her wording and continued, "The Eldest Miss and Second Miss have gone to inspect the military. The documents on your desk are applications from various civilizations requesting to join the Community. The Eldest Miss has reviewed them and added her comments. Aside from a few civilizations with particularly bad reputations, she has approved most of them. Would you like to take a look, sir?"

"No need. Just follow Bronya's judgment. These are minor matters."

Chen Lin waved his hand dismissively, then pulled forward the somewhat nervous young girl behind him. "This is my disciple, Li Sushang, whom I mentioned before. From now on, Pela, you'll be responsible for teaching her psionic theory. She will be your student, and you'll be in charge of answering all her questions on the subject."

Caught off guard by the push, Li Sushang nervously bowed. She had been out of practice with such formalities for too long, making her posture somewhat awkward. Not that anyone in Belobog would particularly care.

"Ah... Ah! Sushang greets her teacher!"

Pela smiled warmly as she stepped forward and shook hands with her. "So you're Miss Sushang? Nice to meet you. I'm Pelageya Sergeyevna—just call me Pela."

After letting them get acquainted for a moment, Chen Lin turned back to business.

Schemes and conspiracies could wait. The antics of the Stellaron Hunters were not an immediate concern. The subordinates of the Aeon of Elation could be dealt with later. For now, he had real work to do.

"Also, later today, I will sign a Supreme Guardian's Order to enter Level Two War Readiness. Inform Gepard and Seele to make the necessary preparations for both ground and air forces. You'll also need to draft a speech. You'll be the one hosting the press conference when the time comes."

War readiness levels?

These were military preparedness measures a nation had to take before engaging in war. Under Chen Lin's design, Jarilo's war readiness was divided into five levels.

• Level Five War Readiness was declared when external unrest had the potential to destabilize domestic society. Troops would conduct weapons checks and reinforce border patrols.

• Level Four War Readiness was activated when unrest or unusual activity neared the nation and posed a direct military threat. Selective mobilization would begin, intelligence agencies would closely monitor enemy movements, and the military would recall personnel on leave for immediate training. Logistics and equipment support would ramp up accordingly.

• Level Three War Readiness meant the situation had severely deteriorated, and a direct threat to the nation was imminent. Partial mobilization would commence, all scattered military units would regroup, and large-scale deployment of war materials and military equipment would begin. Border outposts would set up defensive platforms, and all borders would be sealed off.

• Level Two War Readiness, which only Chen Lin or Bronya could authorize through a Governor’s Order or a Supreme Guardian’s Order, signified that the nation was on the brink of war—virtually an open declaration of hostilities. The entire military would remain in a constant state of combat readiness.

The highest level, Level One War Readiness, was a status only Chen Lin himself could declare.

This signaled the arrival of a "Calamity."

If activated, Jarilo would immediately set aside all internal disputes and introduce an emergency resolution within the Community designating the "Calamity" as an existential threat. The nation would unite with any civilization willing to cooperate, while those who refused would be deemed potential threats siding with the Calamity—and treated accordingly.

At that point, defeating the Calamity and surviving would become the sole common goal of all civilizations.

Those unwilling to unite would be considered enemies.

"Understood, sir." The smile on Pela’s face vanished in an instant. Her expression turned serious as she gave a firm nod. "Miss Clara has completed all final preparations. The report is in the file on your desk. Just give the order, and the Imperial Research Institute will activate the L-Gate."

"Good. I got it."

The reason Chen Lin was delegating the war readiness announcement to Bronya was not out of laziness—he had other matters to oversee.

So far, fifteen civilizations had formally established diplomatic relations with Jarilo. "Formal diplomatic relations" meant the mutual establishment of embassies and the signing of a significant number of national treaties, reaching the stage where both sides were expected to fulfill their obligations.

The activation of a high-level war readiness state meant that Bronya, as the nominal head of domestic affairs, would need to sign a Supreme Guardian’s Order, declare a state of emergency, and provide explanations. Meanwhile, Chen Lin would reach out to the leaders of various civilizations, notifying them of the situation and allowing them to decide whether to withdraw embassy personnel and expatriates.

Luofu, however, had no intention of withdrawing. Jing Yuan had made that clear when Chen Lin visited. Not only would they keep their personnel in place, but they would also declare their own war readiness status, mobilizing the Cloud Knights Expeditionary Force to support Jarilo's front lines. Additionally, their flagship would accelerate toward the Jarilo Sector to improve response efficiency.

The Interstellar Community Charter mandated continuous operation. Except in special circumstances, member civilizations could not withdraw their envoys. Therefore, while political and economic discussions might take a backseat, the agenda would shift toward military reforms, urging member states to increase defense budgets. Community data votes would also weigh military strength more heavily in their calculations.

All in all, Chen Lin’s preparations were nearing completion. Once the evacuation of foreign citizens was mostly done, they would activate the L-Gate!

The only uncertainty was whether activating this L-Gate would trigger all the scattered L-Gates across the galaxy to open simultaneously—just like in the game. If that happened…

Well, then all Chen Lin could do was wish the neighboring civilizations good luck.

After all, he couldn’t control everything. His mind was already preoccupied with the countless unknown dangers that could be lurking inside the L-Gate.

As Illusory Mist left to arrange accommodations for the newly arrived Sushang, Pela busied herself with the administrative workload. Chen Lin quickly reviewed and approved various government affairs, then gathered the leadership of multiple departments for a meeting, drafting a comprehensive stability plan before finally leaving the administrative hall.

Space warfare typically had little direct impact on planetary civilians, but war was still war. Casualties were never a trivial matter, and public panic could easily spiral out of control. That was why he needed a coordinated effort across all departments to mitigate public anxiety through media guidance and strategic messaging.

A war fought by fleets and ground forces was one thing, but a fractured society at home? That could be disastrous.

Ending the war without disrupting the normal lives of the people—that was the best possible outcome for everyone in Jarilo.

Returning to his study, Chen Lin summoned Topaz, instructing her to inform the company about the precise timing of the L-Gate activation. Then, he began notifying the leaders of the established diplomatic civilizations about the evacuation plans, offering limited transport assistance for their citizens.

Lastly, he checked in with Svarog’s team on their progress…

...

By the time he finished handling everything, Chen Lin looked up and realized that night had fallen.

Bronya and Pela wrapped up their work one after another and returned to report on the overall situation. After Pela finished her report, she went off to teach Psionic Theory to Sushang as per Chen Lin’s request.

"Since we had previously disclosed our plans, most civilizations haven’t reacted too strongly. The ones that did… well, they’re mostly civilizations that haven’t had much success in their development. We can completely ignore them."

Bronya pulled up the star map on her terminal and explained, "The colors range from red to green—the redder a civilization is, the more displeased they are with our decision to activate the L-Gate. The Interastral Peace Corporation remains neutral; they’ve issued a statement saying they won’t participate in any military actions related to this, but if we need it, they’re willing to provide limited assistance free of charge..."

Chen Lin studied the star map for a moment before withdrawing his gaze. "That’s good enough. In a dangerous and unknown region, the company never sets sail unless there’s a favorable wind. The investment risk is simply too high. It’s only natural that they wouldn’t want to get involved."

If it were any other civilization attempting this, the company would likely intervene—either delaying or outright disrupting the gate’s activation. As for their methods and motives… well, those would be open to interpretation.

Now that his Interstellar Rift Empire had signaled an intention to minimize future losses on their end, the executives at the Interastral Peace Corporation were probably grinning from ear to ear—especially given that, in their eyes, even if the Jarilo Sector couldn’t handle what was inside the gate, there was still a powerful and enigmatic empire backing them up.

Even if the sky were to collapse, it wouldn’t fall on them—so why should they care?

Of course, all of this was a result of him demonstrating his "abundant martial virtue." Otherwise, did anyone really think the company would remain neutral and just watch from the sidelines? If the ones opening the gate couldn’t handle the horrors inside, the company would inevitably be dragged into the war as well.

In an avalanche, no one remains untouched.

As if something had come to mind, Bronya hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up. "Mentor, um… about that…"

Chen Lin, casually scrolling through his phone, looked up at her. "What is it?"

Bronya pursed her lips before asking, "Why did you have me announce Level Two War Readiness, yet also instruct Sister Seele to halt all advances beyond the entry system once we step through the gate—remaining prepared to withdraw to the home system at any moment?"

Chen Lin chuckled. "Who said the ones setting up the stage have to be the first to step onto it?"

"Huh?"

Bronya was momentarily stunned. She tilted her head in confusion, unable to grasp his reasoning. "I don’t understand."

"Then let me explain…"

Chen Lin proceeded to relay the intelligence Sampo had brought back. After detailing everything, he concluded meaningfully, "Standing in the spotlight makes it too easy to be mistaken for the protagonist. And protagonists tend to have countless positive labels attached to them—whether they want them or not. That, in turn, forces them to take actions they should never have been responsible for, all while shouldering the costs."

After a brief pause, he added, "Never, ever let yourself be put in a position where your actions are taken for granted—where you become trapped in a passive role."

"Never, ever let yourself be put in a position where your actions are taken for granted…"

Bronya propped her chin on her hand and muttered the phrase again under her breath. After pondering it for a long while, she finally looked up at him with a complex expression. "Mentor, are you saying that we’re… faking vulnerability to lure out those who mean us harm?"

By feigning military weakness in their home system and using controlled media to shape public perception, they could bait ill-intentioned actors into revealing themselves—killing two birds with one stone!

So that was what Mentor had been planning all along!

Bronya understood now. She felt like she had grasped the essence of the strategy.

However…

"Fake vulnerability, my ass!"

Chen Lin flicked Bronya’s forehead, earning himself a wounded look from her. He sighed and explained, "I’m saying that as long as we have no morals, no one can use morals against us! Don’t they love sitting on the sidelines and watching? Well, besides us, no one knows what’s actually inside the gate. If we get the chance to open a few more gates elsewhere, even better—let them enjoy the show for once. We’ll see who panics first and comes crawling to surrender…"

Who was this "them" referring to?

Anyone scheming against them—that’s who. It wasn’t about any specific individual or faction, nor did it reflect any particular political stance on Chen Lin’s part.

His fleet might not be invincible, but with the fortifications they had built, they could hold the line for years if needed.

Worst case? He could just let Xiaochisha consume every single system that connected his side of the gate. That little glutton wasn’t picky—nano-robots were just as edible as anything else.

Then, when the time was right, he could secretly repair a gate somewhere else, let whatever was inside spill out and wreak havoc for a while, and use that chaos to observe enemy combat capabilities. That way, he could fine-tune his fleet’s weaponry and devise the most cost-effective combat strategy.

As for how much damage those creatures might inflict on other civilizations? How many innocent lives might be lost?

Chen Lin didn’t care in the slightest.

They weren’t his people.

They weren’t a part of the Galactic Community.

It had nothing to do with him.

Humanitarian military aid?

Spare me.

First of all, are you even part of the Galactic Community? Second, our frontline is winning battle after battle—those other L-Gates opening up? Not our problem for now.

But you? You’re out here spreading false rumors to slander the Empire? Trying to drag our reputation through the mud and shift the war’s balance in favor of the nano-machines?

You must’ve been compromised by the nano-machines! Luofu Cloud Knights, hit them—HARD!

Chen Lin had "done his best," after all.

If those masked clowns wanted entertainment, they could go look for it inside the L-Gate themselves. What did it have to do with him?

With that, the one who had built the stage was now stepping back, leaving the truly desperate to take center stage instead.

The balance of light and shadow was shifting.

The roles of offense and defense were reversing.

Opportunity was one of the few things that the initiator had the power to create.

Bronya’s jaw practically hit the floor.

No matter how hard she racked her brain, she never would’ve imagined such a flawlessly executed open conspiracy—one that turned Jarilo from a sitting target into a force that could strike at will.

---

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!