Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [321]

In the evening, a delegation led by Qingque submitted a proposal to the Interstellar Rift Council on behalf of the Galactic Alliance. The proposal was so explosive that the council immediately convened an emergency meeting, classifying the matter raised by the Xianzhou as an urgent agenda item requiring the fastest possible resolution.

At present, only a few nations had officially joined the Galactic Alliance, though over a hundred civilizations had submitted applications for membership. However, Chen Lin temporarily put those applications on hold—these civilizations could only be admitted after the complete annihilation of the Rilu civilization.

While the members of the council deliberated inside the Galactic Alliance’s main hall, Chen Lin himself chose not to participate. Instead, he entrusted Oleg to represent the community as an ambassador.

Meanwhile, Chen Lin was squatting in The Shourd, playing around with his Little Devourer and, at the same time, opening his [Policies] menu. Gritting his teeth, he spent 50 units of [Zro Dust] to activate [Eater of Worlds] for the first time.

(First activation costs 50 units of Zro Dust; subsequent uses are free.)

[Eater of Worlds · Light Hunger]

• Cost: 1 unit of Zro Dust

• Effect: Select a civilization. One of its leaders will be randomly assigned the "Medium" trait and a "Devourer’s Mark." That leader will die immediately.

• Empire Buff (1 year):

  • Army Damage +20%

  • Ship Fire Rate +5%

  • Army and Fleet Upkeep +7.5%

• Cooldown: 60 days

[Eater of Worlds · Peaked Hunger]

• Cost: 5 units of Zro Dust

• Effect: Select a planet. The planet loses 1 unit of population, and planet happiness decreases by 20.

• Empire Buff (3 years):

  • Each Psionic Job produces +15 Naval Capacity.

• Cooldown: 60 days

[Eater of Worlds · Starving]

• Cost: 25 units of Zro Dust

• Effect: Select a civilization. One of its planets (with at least 12 districts and 5 population units) gains the "Shroud Abyss" planetary feature.

  • Effects:

    • Max Districts permanently -3

    • Stability permanently -25

  • Five population units on this planet will gain "Devourer’s Mark" and disappear within 3 days. (Planet loses 5 population, happiness cap locked at 20% for 10 years.)

• Unlocks Building: [Devourer’s Sanctum]

  • Each Sanctum grants:

    • Cohesion Output +2%

    • Ship Fire Rate +2%

    • Ship Range +2%

    • Ship Construction Cost -0.5%

    • Ship Upkeep -1%

  • Each planet can have up to 2 Sanctums. Effects stack.

• Cooldown: 60 days

[Eater of Worlds · Ravenous]

• Cost: 40 units of Zro Dust

• Effect: Select a planet with at least 10 population units. It gains the "Devourer’s Mark."

  • Within 3 days, the planet will transform into a Shroud planet. (A mysterious fog will permanently shroud the planet, making it impenetrable to any form of detection. Any ship entering this fog will never return.)

• Empire Buff (10 years):

  • Army Damage +100%

  • Ship Fire Rate +25%

  • Army and Fleet Upkeep +20%

• Additional Effect:

  • The decision-maker gains a "Power Mark"

  • Can designate one leader to receive the "Chosen One" trait. (The "Power Mark" is consumed upon selection.)

• Cooldown: 60 days

[Eater of Worlds · Starving Madness]

• Cost: 150 units of Zro Dust

• Effect: Select a star system. It gains the "Devourer’s Mark."

  • The system will immediately be engulfed by the Shroud Mist, becoming a "Shroud System."

  • Anything that enters this system will be instantly devoured.

• Permanent Empire Buff:

  • Orbital Bombardment Damage +20%

  • Army Damage +15%

  • Ship Range +10%

  • Ship Fire Rate +10%

  • Ship Construction Cost -2%

  • Ship Upkeep -5%

  • Buffs stack with repeated uses.

• Cooldown: 60 days

"Huh?"

At first, Chen Lin was heartbroken. He had only 90 units of [Zro Dust] to begin with, and in an instant, half of it was gone. But when he took a closer look at the resolutions granted by his Little Devourer, he immediately felt that this was the best way he could’ve ever spent his resources!

In the original game, [Eater of Worlds] was considered the weakest contract deity. The buffs it provided were pitifully small, barely worth mentioning. Worse, it constantly demanded population sacrifices, reduced stability, and tanked happiness levels, causing severe slowdowns in resource production.

If players weren’t careful, even their space stations might get consumed, making this deity one of the least chosen and weakest Shroud contracts.

But what was happening here?

The costs were paid by others, while he reaped all the benefits?

And the [Devourer’s Sanctum] only had a per-planet limit of two, without a global cap? If its stacking effects worked as described, then theoretically, as long as he built enough of them, shipbuilding and maintenance costs could be reduced to zero?!

And then there was [Starving Madness]—what a broken ability! If used cleverly during defense, it could create an artificial space fortress by devouring all useless surrounding star systems, leaving only a single path open for enemy fleets. This would force opponents into pre-set ambush zones.

Even if it wasn’t used defensively, it could completely cripple enemy civilizations. He could simply devour every star system surrounding his enemies, isolating them completely. Without [Jump Drives], they’d have no way to escape—because the moment they entered a system sacrificed to the World Eater, they’d be instantly destroyed!

At worst, he could spam the ability to stack empire-wide buffs. But at best, it could become the decisive weapon in interstellar warfare.

For example, if an enemy fleet was stationed in a critical system, continuously supplying reinforcements to the front lines, all he had to do was wait for a standoff—then erase the system right behind them.

Imagine the faces of those frontline soldiers when they suddenly realized… their only retreat route had just been eaten.

Forced into a last stand?

And just like that, the mere resolutions of the Little Devourer were far more terrifying than planet-killer weapons.

After all, conventional planet-killers—whether Chen Lin’s own technological marvels or even the "Imaginary Collapse Pulse" controlled by the Corporation—still operated within the bounds of physics.

Their use was limited by objective spatial constraints, and if the target was alert, the chances of success weren’t particularly high. Worse yet, a misstep could easily result in self-destruction.

But the Little Devourer’s resolutions?

They didn’t follow science.
They didn’t follow logic.

Feeling a bit peckish? Let’s snack on a few billion lives.
Getting hungry? Let’s take a bite out of a planet.
Starving? Guess I’ll just eat the whole planet.
Absolutely famished? The entire star system is now my meal.

Madaf—who the hell could defend against this?!

If there was a downside, it would be the massive consumption of [Zro Dust] and the two-month cooldown per resolution. In the heat of battle, he might not have the luxury of waiting for the Little Devourer to "digest" before devouring again.

"Papa…"

"Shh, don’t talk. Papa is thinking."

"But… but it’s ticklish!"

"Huh? Oh."

Silently, Chen Lin pulled his hand away from the Little Devourer’s waist, his gaze fixed in the distance as he pondered. Meanwhile, the Little Devourer clung to his neck, nuzzling against his back.

Time passed.

Before long, he heard the familiar sound of a "gurgle."

Lately, he’d been hearing the Little Devourer’s stomach growling more and more frequently. Yet, she never once told him she was hungry.

Setting her down, Chen Lin asked, "Are you very hungry?"

"Not hungry! Not hungry at all!" The Little Devourer shook her head like a rattle drum. "Not even a little bit!"

She was terrified that if she ate too much, Papa would abandon her again—just like before. So no matter how uncomfortable it got, she forced herself to endure.

But her humanoid mimicry wasn’t so easily fooled.

Her willpower couldn’t suppress her bodily instincts. If she was hungry, her stomach would growl. And if she starved for too long, the growling wouldn’t stop…

Chen Lin gently pinched her soft, squishy cheeks. "How about a little appetizer? Tomorrow, Papa will take you out for a feast."

"Appetizer?" The Little Devourer tilted her head. She couldn’t eat normal food. Chen Lin had tested that a long time ago.

"That’s right."

With that, Chen Lin casually spent 1 unit of [Zro Dust] and activated [Eater of Worlds · Light Hunger].

[Select a civilization.]

From the long list, Chen Lin found the name ‘Rilusia.’

[Confirm target: Devour the leader of the ‘Rilusia’ civilization?]

[1. I trust my decision.]
[2. No, I need to reconsider.]

The moment he confirmed the decision—a sudden anomaly occurred.

A blood-red glow flickered in the Little Devourer’s wine-red eyes—and this time, it was literal light.

Beside him, space twisted, forming a psionic mirror. Within the mirror, countless faces flashed by at increasingly slower speeds until it finally settled on a single bearded man.

In that instant, under Chen Lin’s stunned gaze, the Little Devourer vanished.

---

It was morning in Rilusia.

Emperor Morav XIX, who also served as Chief Minister of the Royal Court, had summoned his ministers and generals to plan the next phase of their great cosmic purification.

Seated high on his throne of stone, Morav XIX gazed down at his assembled council, finally fixing his eyes on a bearded man standing in the front row.

"Chancellor Saphiri, how goes the selection of our first group of Pioneer Heroes?"

"Your Majesty, the selection process is nearly complete. At most, in ten days, our Pioneer Heroes will set out, fully armed, in search of our new homeland. I will personally lead the armed escort."

"Excellent!" Morav XIX’s lips curled into a cold smile. "If no suitable planet is found, you may choose one from the list I gave you—a civilization with minimal corporate presence. Wipe them out. Leave no survivors. Our grand restoration depends on you."

It had been weeks since Morav XIX had returned to Rilusia.

Aside from secretly amassing down payments for the Imperial warships Chen Lin was selling him, his primary focus had been orchestrating their exodus from their homeworld.

They had devised several meticulously interwoven plans, each designed to exploit even the Interstellar Peace Corporation itself.

Once the Empire’s warships were delivered, Rilusia would commence armed colonization of impoverished, low-tier civilizations ignored by the Corporation. When they had seized enough planets, they would attempt to break out of the Yarilo Sector’s blockade and regroup with their colonization forces.

As for the remaining warship debt?

They’d pay it off through pillaging and war.

After all, no one dared default on a debt to the Empire. Others might complain, but if the Empire threatened military action, it would actually follow through.

And if they had to resort to other means to repay the warships? The Empire would turn a blind eye.

If they were lucky, the Empire might even help them conquer civilizations to settle their debt. By seizing civilizations, they could justify taking interstellar loans, using those loans to finance more warships, and expanding their military through perpetual warfare.

Why not?

And if that plan failed? They had backups.

One way or another, once the Imperial warships arrived, Rilusia would break into the wider galaxy and reclaim their place among the stars.

After all, no one but themselves knew the truth:

Rilusia was once an ancient, star-spanning empire.

Long ago, Rilusia had ruled half the known galaxy. But then, a hateful machine empire had rejected their "enlightened ideology."

Instead of submitting, those machines feigned diplomacy—and then launched a sneak attack, shattering their empire. They even deployed extermination weapons on Rilu-Ⅰ, their homeworld!

If not for a handful of survivors hiding in underground shelters, Rilusia would have been utterly wiped out.

For thousands of generations, through countless kings and emperors, they had endured, surviving under the poisoned skies of their devastated world. From a mere few hundred survivors, they had rebuilt to a population of over 3 billion.

But the Rilusians—especially the royal family and nobility—never forgot.

They loathed "lesser lifeforms" with every fiber of their being.

But they were too smart to reveal this hatred openly. No, they would bide their time, waiting for the perfect moment to cleanse the galaxy once more.

According to their ancient records, the empire that tried to exterminate them was called the "Kruz Watchers"—originally designated as XT-489 Extermination Units.

They would fulfill their ancestors’ will.

They would hunt down the descendants of those machines—and exterminate them.

Ministers took turns presenting their reports. Morav XIX answered each issue within seconds, his decisions swift and absolute. Every command he issued would be executed without question.

Chancellor Saphiri was second only to Emperor Morav XIX in authority. His loyalty was unwavering—both to Morav and the entire Rilusian civilization.

But just as he was about to present his next proposal…

A strange, mystical energy surged through his body.

Decades of age and exhaustion vanished.

His failing body healed.

His clouded mind became crystal clear.

His senses sharpened—his eyesight, hearing, and reflexes sharper than ever.

And above all—he felt overflowing power.

---

T/N: im mean so cliffhanger

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!