Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [330]

"What… How is this happening…?"

A Cloud Knight had just stepped into a towering structure when the floor beneath him suddenly shifted. The sensation of stepping into thin air startled him so much that he instinctively leaped back several meters.

He turned his gaze back to where he had just stepped—only to find that the once smooth floor was gone.

In its place was nothing more than a pit, about the size of his own footprint.

The metallic surface of the floor, once solid, now crumbled into a cloud of dust like scattered sand, sending a wave of shock through the surrounding soldiers. Some even wondered if they were hallucinating.

Fu Xuan remained silent for a moment, furrowing her brows as she carefully examined the anomaly. Then, she stepped forward and reached out to grab the edge of the building’s wall…

Her fingers sank into it like cotton, offering no resistance at all. A wall that should have been solid iron now felt as insubstantial as air, leaving a visible indentation where her fingers had pressed.

"An illusion?" Fu Xuan muttered, staring at the gaping hole in the wall, deep in thought.

Chen Lin shook his head.

"Not an illusion. This is likely the decayed remains of dead nanomachines—they disintegrate upon contact."

Throughout the galaxy, many unusual planets existed, and nanomachine worlds were among them.

In such places, various types of nanomachines continuously reshape the atmosphere and lithosphere, leading to dramatic shifts in air composition and unstable climate conditions across the planet.

However, before entering the city, Chen Lin had already tested destroying exposed natural rock formations on the planet’s surface. The results? The damaged areas remained unchanged—there was no sign of nanomachines repairing them.

Additionally, the engineering personnel who had landed at different coordinates had analyzed the local geology and found it exceptionally stable—far from what one would expect on a planet with active nanomachines.

Tamz Star hadn’t fallen into chaotic disarray like a true nanomachine world.

On the contrary, its environment was eerily stable—almost too stable.

Now, with buildings that shouldn’t exist on this planet suddenly crumbling into dust, Chen Lin had a new hypothesis—Tamz Star’s nanomachines had all died out.

Fu Xuan considered his explanation carefully, then gave a slight nod.

"That makes sense. But if we can’t touch anything, how are we supposed to investigate?"

Chen Lin glanced at the highly mechanized corpses lying scattered across the streets.

"We start with these—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.

A holographic interface popped up before him.

[Unforeseen Catastrophe: The Lifeless Tamz Star]

A sudden nanomachine disaster swept across multiple star systems, cutting off communication with affected civilizations through unknown signal interference. No one knew what had truly transpired within.

Now, the nanomachine cloud shrouding Tamz Star has mysteriously dissipated. Our friends from the Xianzhou Luofu discovered this anomaly and dispatched an expedition team to gather intelligence.

With war looming on the horizon, we must be thorough in our information gathering. Governor Chen Lin has arrived on-site and made a critical observation—not a single nanomachine remains alive on this planet. This discovery provides a vital clue:

—Why did they die?

[May this investigation bear fruit.] (Tamz Star Nanomachine Catastrophe Event Chain Unlocked)

(Shortcut: Shift)

…The hell do they mean, ‘shortcut’?!

Chen Lin’s eyebrow twitched.

The next moment, his gaze shifted to his Intelligence Log, which now displayed a brand-new research project.

[Investigate the Cause of the Nanomachine Extinction]

• Nanomachines don’t simply die without reason.

• For an entire planetary network to suddenly fail suggests an unknown force at work.

• Solving this mystery may unravel deeper secrets.

[Assigned Scientist: Chen Lin]

[Research Time: 2 Star Systems]

In the [Intelligence Log], most research projects required specific conditions to progress. Some required temporarily assigning a scientist to oversee them. Others required a science or engineering vessel to remain in orbit above the research site.

Some projects, however, had no prerequisites—simply selecting [Research] would start the process.

This time, the research required a scientist leader to be present on-site.

Since Chen Lin was already on Tamz Star, and since the event chain had explicitly named him, his portrait was automatically pre-selected in the leader slot.

Glancing at the selection screen, he noticed that other high-ranking individuals—including Bronya, Seele, Clara, Serval, and Herta—had their portraits grayed out, marked as [Not Eligible for Research].

So, it has to be me, huh…

Fine. Guess it’s me, then.

The moment Chen Lin clicked [Research],, he felt an all-too-familiar sensation—like a chunk of his brain had just been hollowed out.

Ever since the founding of the nation, it had been ages since he last conducted research himself.

Now that he was experiencing it again, he realized… well, at least compared to the utter exhaustion of the past, the discomfort this time was actually manageable.

Meanwhile, Fu Xuan had been patiently waiting for his response.

But after what felt like forever, she still hadn’t heard anything—only watching as Chen Lin kept tapping at thin air like some lunatic.

"From… these?"

Finally, unable to hold back, she elbowed him in the side, urging him to finish his sentence.

The sudden contact snapped Chen Lin back to reality.

He clenched his fist and smacked it into his palm.

"Oh! I actually figured out exactly how we’re going to investigate!"

"Huh? Junior Brother, you already understand everything? Then next—"

Chen Lin held up two fingers, his expression serious.

"Everyone, proceed with caution. Also, Sis, give me one hour before we move to the next step."

…Did he actually understand?

Not at all. He was completely clueless.

But the event chain claimed that he understood—so, for now, he’d just pretend he did.

"Cloud Knights, hear my command!"

"Sir!"

The Cloud Knights swiftly regrouped into formation.

Before Fu Xuan could speak, Chen Lin had already begun issuing orders. He instructed the Cloud Knights and accompanying engineers and scientists to explore freely within a designated safety perimeter, emphasizing that their own safety should be the top priority. He also summoned a few Cloud Knight commanders to help establish a base camp within the secure zone.

Since the event log clearly stated that there were no surviving nanomachines on Tamz Star, the planet—once presumed to be hazardous—was actually much safer than expected. Thus, a loosely organized exploration posed minimal risk.

More importantly, this kept the Cloud Knights busy—so that when they returned, they’d at least have some material for their reports. Plus, they’d be able to earn military merit for their service.

As for the engineers and scientists, Chen Lin assigned them to examine the cybernetic corpses scattered across the area. Using portable analysis equipment, they were to dissect the remains and study their internal composition.

This approach benefited everyone:

• Chen Lin needed intelligence.

• The Cloud Knights needed achievements.

• The scientists needed research experience.

A win-win-win situation—just basic social maneuvering.

Even Sushang, despite being his disciple, received no special treatment. She was assigned to an exploration unit, free to investigate anything that caught her interest.

If she found anything unusual, that would be great.
If she found nothing, that was fine too.

After all, the [Intelligence Log] would fill in the blanks for them.

As Chen Lin wrapped up his orders with calm efficiency, Fu Xuan found herself utterly baffled.

She glanced left, then right, completely lost as to what her junior brother was trying to do.

Their unit had barely entered the city, and the base camp was set up just outside the perimeter. Yet, after issuing his commands, Chen Lin simply turned around and started walking back toward the camp.

After a moment of hesitation, Fu Xuan quickly followed.

...

Inside the military tent, Fu Xuan sat on her knees before the table.

Meanwhile, Chen Lin casually pulled out some drinks and snacks, set them down, and then—without a care in the world—began scrolling through videos on his phone, browsing the virtual network.

From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like he was just relaxing at home.

Fu Xuan frowned.

"Junior Brother, what exactly are you doing?"

He had a lead—but instead of actively investigating, he was sitting in the back, drinking tea and watching videos.

This was blatant negligence.

If she didn’t already know Chen Lin’s character, she would have assumed he was slacking off and would have lectured him on the spot.

But since she knew he wasn’t the type to shirk responsibility…

"Ah, Sis, no need to rush." Chen Lin took a sip of his drink. "Tell me, on your way here, did you ever wonder why I personally had to set foot on this enigmatic land?"

Fu Xuan pondered for a moment.

"To gather intelligence on the nanomachine cloud… unless there’s another reason?"

"You’re partially correct." Chen Lin nodded, putting on an exaggeratedly serious and weary expression. "The real reason I came here personally was because I need to collect an immense amount of data in order to mathematically reconstruct what happened on Tamz Star. And that calculation… has already begun."

Fu Xuan was momentarily stunned.

"What kind of calculation method is capable of such a feat?"

"A psionic technique akin to divination."

With a completely straight face, Chen Lin handed Fu Xuan a dried plum—and then launched into a masterclass in bullshit.

Using a flood of complex psionic terminology, mixed with various definitions of theoretical psionic concepts, he backed up his claims with detailed diagrams and calculations, scribbling elaborate flowcharts and equations onto paper after paper.

Fu Xuan’s head started spinning.

Her mind buzzed from the sheer volume of technical jargon—none of which made any actual sense.

But her pride wouldn’t allow her to admit that she didn’t understand a single word of it.

So she just nodded.
And nodded.
And kept nodding.

...

A few moments later…

For the third time in her life, Fu Xuan found herself completely bamboozled by Chen Lin’s nonsense.

Somehow, she fully believed that he possessed a profound ability to mathematically reconstruct an entire planetary event using raw data.

And the worst part?

He looked so damn confident about it—as if he was certain this technique would yield results.

It was only then that Fu Xuan suddenly realized how close they had gotten during the explanation.

The moment she lifted her gaze, their eyes met at an uncomfortably short distance.

Her lashes trembled, and she subtly leaned back, quietly creating space between them.

Her thick eyebrows twitched slightly, and even her ears had turned red.

As Chen Lin continued to look at her, Fu Xuan’s normally sharp and unwavering gaze suddenly wavered.

Her heart pounded faster than she liked.

She abruptly turned away, cleared her throat, and murmured,

"Ahem… Well, that’s… good. Very good."

"This technique consumes an enormous amount of mental energy," Chen Lin added smoothly, "which is why I need a quiet place to rest while I wait for the results."

Fu Xuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, then widened in realization.

"I see…"

She immediately straightened her posture, her expression serious.

"Then, Junior Brother, rest well—I shall personally stand guard for you!"

"Much appreciated, Sis."

Chen Lin smiled.

He had spent years in the Xianzhou Luofu, but after so many rounds of celestial divinations, even the most intricate schemes started feeling mundane.

Most recreational activities didn’t interest him.

But teasing Fu Xuan?

That was always entertaining.

If Jing Yuan were here, he’d immediately see through the act.

Even so, Fu Xuan would still take it seriously.

...

As time passed, Fu Xuan remained in contact with the Cloud Knights exploring the cities, occasionally glancing back at Chen Lin to make sure he wasn’t overexerting himself.

And just like that—

One hour passed.

The moment the countdown hit zero, the event log popped up.

[A Ravaged Nanomachine Battlefield]

Through non-standard investigative methods, Governor Chen Lin has uncovered evidence of a large-scale, brutal nanomachine war that once took place on Tamz Star.

This microscopic war had far-reaching consequences—far beyond what one would expect.

Instead of fighting in the open, the battle raged within organic bodies, using high-functioning neuro-linked hosts as their primary warzones.

This may have been the decisive factor that led to Tamz Star’s complete depopulation.

All nanomachine-built structures have crumbled into dust, their integrity lost without ongoing maintenance.

The true cause of this war remains unknown.

Did this mean that the nanomachines were not governed by a single central processor?

Governor Chen Lin suggests: By cataloging the different types of nanomachines, we may determine if the warring factions were of the same origin. Understanding their operating principles may be the key to solving this mystery.

Thus, a large-scale scientific operation has begun—dedicated researchers are now feverishly collecting, reassembling, and analyzing the remnants of these fallen machines.

[1] Genius! I knew I was onto something. (Initiate Special Project: The Nanomachine War)
[2] Let's pay our hardworking scientists some overtime. (Spend 1000 Energy Credits to reduce research time by 40%; Initiate Special Project: The Nanomachine War)
[3] Ugh, gross. I’m not touching these corpses. (Gain Physics Research +114514; Obtain Rare Resource: Nanomachines x100; End Tamz Star Disaster Event Chain)

"A war?"

Without hesitation, Chen Lin chose the second option.

1000 Energy Credits? That was nothing.

The real question was…

Why the hell were the nanomachines fighting each other?

Through Chen Lin’s future vision, he could confirm that the majority of these nanomachines originated from nanomachine factories, while a small fraction were capable of self-replication by consuming planetary surface resources.

Logically, such mass-produced constructs should operate under a unified will—their directives aligned, their purpose singular.

So how the hell did they end up annihilating each other until not a single one remained...?

---

T/N: AHHH SORRY FOR THE QULAITUAFI OF THE LAST CHAPTERS

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!