Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [313]

The massive city gates slowly creaked open.

Countless citizens lifted their heads, looking skyward—or toward the entrance—because they had just witnessed strange objects streaking across the sky and heard the deafening roar of engines beyond the walls.

"Hello, friend! You can call me Serval Landau. I'm one of the chief scientists from the Interstellar Rift Empire’s Jarilo Sector. We're here to conduct a simple scientific expedition and write up a report."

"Uh… hello?"

Standing at the gates of Sterbe’s imperial capital, a tall woman clad in a gray military uniform hesitated for a moment before shaking the hand extended by the mature-looking stranger before her.

Her blue, slit-pupiled eyes were full of confusion.

This woman in gray was Hela, supreme commander of the imperial guard and a fierce opponent of the Interastral Peace Corporation’s invasion.

Hela’s family was well known within Sterbian society.

Her ancestors had once been enslaved Rusha—a feline-like race—serving a minor warlord in a small, insignificant tribe. But during Empress Sylvia’s great unification, they had been freed.

Her great-grandfather had displayed exceptional military talent, becoming one of Sylvia’s most trusted generals.

To this day, the Hela family remained the most loyal allies of the Peris Royal Family, and Hela herself was the sworn confidante of Princess Fia.

Before leaving Sterbe, Fia had personally entrusted Hela with the safety of the royal family. And from the current state of the capital—calm and orderly, with rebels pushed back on multiple fronts—Hela had clearly upheld her duty.

Yet this morning, a scout had come running into the palace in a panic, shouting about what he had seen.

"A bunch of strange iron machines—some running on the ground, some flying in the sky—advancing toward the capital… And a group of very strange people leading them!"

Hela’s first thought was that the IPC had supplied the rebels with new weapons.

Somewhere on the front lines, their defenses must have collapsed, and the messengers had all been wiped out, leaving only this scout to report the disaster.

Damn it all!

Without hesitation, she had rallied the city’s forces and summoned the nearby provincial leaders.

Everyone had braced for a final battle against the rebels—

Only for more scouts to arrive, reporting that the approaching forces weren’t the rebels at all.

They were imperial forces.

After extensive reconnaissance and cross-checking intelligence, Hela finally realized—

This was all… a misunderstanding.

And so, here they were now.

Serval cast an exasperated glance at Gepard, who stood behind her as stiff as a block of wood, and motioned for him to step forward.

Gepard, face serious and posture rigid, introduced himself. "My name is Gepard Landau."

Hela blinked. "Landau?"

"Yes, Landau!" Serval grinned. "He's my little brother! He's the head of security at our research institute. He was worried about me coming alone for fieldwork, so he insisted on bringing a few friends along for protection. Apologies if it looks excessive!"

Hela’s eyelid twitched as she glanced at the "few friends" Serval had brought.

Outside the city gates stood rows of mechanized vehicles and troops clad in power armor, marching with perfect military discipline.

A few?

Miss Chief Scientist, do you have some peculiar understanding of the word few?

And are you really a team of scientific researchers?

Because this… this looks a hell of a lot more like an army.

Of course, Hela didn’t say any of this out loud. Instead, she forced out a stiff smile and clapped politely.

"…Welcome, welcome! I am Hela von Moebier, but please, just call me Hela.

"By the way… our princess… she’s still in your empire, isn’t she?"

"That’s right!" Serval beamed. "Her Highness is still in Belobog, engaged in political talks with Governor Chen Lin. We came at her invitation!"

As she spoke, Serval handed over a letter.

"This is Fia’s personal letter. The situation was urgent, so we didn’t have time to send a formal notice. We ask for your understanding."

Hela took the letter and scanned it carefully, searching for something.

It didn’t take long before she found the secret codes that she and Fia had agreed upon before the princess’s departure.

This letter was real.

Which meant… these people were indeed here at Fia’s request.

A scientific expedition team—

Sure.

Let’s go with that.

With the letter’s authenticity confirmed, Hela finally relaxed.

"Please, let us move to the palace," she said. "Too many prying eyes here—this is not the best place for discussion."

Sterbe did have transportation vehicles, though they were… quite old-fashioned.

Their primary mode of travel involved beasts of burden hitched to carts.

After issuing a few commands to the forces outside the city, Gepard boarded one such carriage alongside his sister.

Inside, Hela turned to them.

"Is there anything we can do to assist you? We will cooperate however we can."

"Ah, Hela, please! There's no need for such formalities," Serval said cheerfully, leaning forward. "We’re not superiors and subordinates, so don’t be so tense!"

Hela gave a small nod but remained serious. "Even so, if there is anything you need, please say so."

Scratching her head, Serval gave a sheepish smile.

"Well… actually, there is one thing we could use your help with."

"Please, go on."

"Some of our colleagues got off-course during the landing," Serval admitted. "Do you happen to have a global map?"

"We do," Hela confirmed immediately.

Due to the unstable warfront, maps had to be constantly updated. As a result, Hela always had her aides carry them at all times.

With a quick call, a nearby attendant retrieved a dozen folded maps from a wooden crate.

Unfortunately, the carriage was too cramped to fully unfold them, so they had to examine them in sections.

While Gepard focused on the terrain details, Serval continued chatting with Hela.

"I heard from Fia that things have been… unsettled in Sterbe lately. Is that true?"

"That would be an understatement."

Hela let out a dry chuckle. "Due to… unforeseen circumstances, our nation has been plagued by traitors. The Interastral Peace Corporation…"

She briefly summarized the IPC’s involvement in the crisis.

Fia had left on a mission—to seek aid from the Interstellar Rift Empire. Before her departure, she had worked out coded messages with Hela regarding what level of assistance to expect.

Now, after reading Serval’s letter, Hela had confirmed that the empire would indeed support the Peris monarchy.

The exact terms?

Fia hadn’t specified.

Only that they were "far better than IPC colonization"—which meant the offer was acceptable.

There was little explicit detail in the letter, but it contained one crucial piece of information—

The empire and the IPC were not allies.

At the very least, the empire wasn’t here to split Sterbe with the IPC and turn the entire planet into a corporate asset.

That was enough for Hela to let down her final guard.

The group soon arrived at the palace.

In the audience chamber, Gepard was still buried in map analysis, while Serval continued speaking with Hela.

"I see now," Serval said. "So these rebels trying to overthrow the monarchy—they’re not actually connected to the IPC?"

Hela blinked.

What?

"Er… no, actually, they are," she began, worried she had been too vague earlier. "They’re corporate-backed insur—"

"No, no!" Serval waved her off.

"They’re actually disguised as rebels—but in reality, they’re Antimatter Legion infiltrators!"

Hela stared blankly.

Excuse me?

Serval sighed dramatically.

"The Antimatter Legion is infamous for attacking innocent civilizations. Jarilo-VI was almost wiped out by them—we barely survived!

"These rebels? Same thing! They must be the Legion’s minions in disguise!"

She turned to the window, gazing out solemnly.

Hela was completely lost.

…Are we even talking about the same thing?

"When we return, I’ll report the situation in Sterbe to Governor Chen Lin and the Supreme Guardian. Rest assured—fighting against Legion remnants is the duty of all civilized people."

Serval sighed heavily. "But first, we have a more pressing issue—our missing colleagues. Their identities are… sensitive, and given their age, I’m really worried something might have happened to them."

Hela’s expression faltered.

She had been hoping that this well-armed expedition team had come to aid in fighting the rebels.

But it turned out… they really were just here for scientific research?

Disappointing, sure, but looking at how heavily armed even a small research team was…

Then surely the imperial reinforcements Fia had requested must be far, far more formidable.

Taking a deep breath, Hela asked, "Could you describe these scientists? We can help you sear—"

Before she could finish, Gepard, who had remained mostly silent until now, suddenly spoke in a stiff tone.

"Sis, shouldn’t we check the map? Didn’t you say they had tracking devices? Maybe we can locate their coordinates that way."

"But I don’t understand these maps!"

Serval threw up her hands helplessly. "I never studied this kind of cartography."

Gepard, in a completely monotone voice, recited like a news anchor, "Their map-drawing method is also very different from ours. To be honest, I don’t understand it either."

Then both siblings turned their heads toward Hela, eyes silently screaming: Teach us.

Hela sighed, stepping forward. "Our maps are actually quite simple. These lines here indicate—"

"Ohhh, now I get it!" Serval snapped her fingers. "That’s actually really simple!"

Gepard, still emotionless: "A very interesting mapping technique indeed."

Hela: "…"

For a brief moment, she got the strange feeling that these two were… rehearsing lines for a stage play.

Their tone and delivery just didn’t seem to match the context.

Still, whatever her suspicions, the empire was Sterbe’s last hope. So she suppressed her doubts and continued the lesson.

Did Gepard really not understand Sterbian maps?

At first, no, he genuinely couldn’t read them.

But while they were still in the carriage, it took him less than two minutes to figure out their cartographic system.

Flawed, imprecise, and far less advanced than even Belobog’s old mapping techniques.

Would the commander of the Jarilo Psionic Legion really be unable to read a military map?

Of course not.

Oh—wait.

Right now, he was just a security chief, and the "army" outside the city was just research facility security staff.

Right.

Hela pointed at the lines on the map. "These two blue dashed lines mark the frontline divisions. The space between them is contested no-man’s land—our forces and the rebels are constantly shifting the battle lines back and forth."

"Everything inside this area is under our current control. Everything beyond is occupied by the rebels."

"I’ve got it!" Serval suddenly jabbed her finger at a random spot outside the marked area.

Covering her face in mock despair, she gasped, "No… no! They’re trapped inside Legion-occupied territory! It’s too dangerous! Gepard, you have to go save them—!"

Hela glanced at the spot Serval had pointed to.

Her face froze.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gepard’s jaw twitch slightly.

Before she could speak, he quickly muttered under his breath, "Sis… that’s the ocean."

"Ahem! Miscalculation! I meant… this place!" Serval hastily shifted her finger to a border city within rebel-controlled territory.

This particular city was a critical strategic hub—a key point in supply routes for frontline reinforcements.

For two months, government forces had poured resources into capturing it, but the difficult terrain and fortified defenses made it nearly impossible to breach.

But…

If she could just borrow a little firepower from this imperial expedition team…

Then maybe, just maybe… they’d finally have a chance to break through.

If that city fell, the surrounding towns would follow—and it would be only a matter of time before the rebellion collapsed entirely.

Hela quickly weighed the risks in her mind.

But… something didn’t add up.

How exactly had Serval pinpointed their missing scientists so quickly?

She hadn’t used any tracking device. She hadn’t even performed a single calculation.

Did she have access to some kind of advanced imperial scanning technology that Hela hadn’t noticed?

Maybe that’s why Fia’s letter mentioned how imperial technology was so advanced—far beyond even the luxuries of the Peris royal family.

Yes…

The empire was indeed mysterious.

While Hela was lost in thought, Serval discreetly contacted an imperial officer stationed outside the city.

The message was simple:

"Begin the operation."

Moments later, one of Hela’s personal guards rushed into the chamber—accompanied by several Sterbian military officers in power armor, their faces grim.

Hela frowned. "What happened?"

One of the guards stepped forward. "These officers have an urgent report—meant for these two imperial representatives."

Serval’s smile faded. "What’s going on?"

One of the officers spoke hurriedly, "Lady Serval—bad news! Our tracking equipment just lost all bio-signs from your missing researchers!"

Hela felt her stomach drop.

Imperial scientists… dead on Sterbian soil?

If that were true, then everything Fia had worked for would be for nothing!

Bang!

Gepard slammed his palm onto the table, shattering it instantly.

"This is an act of provocation!" His expression was dark. "We need to report this to the governor immediately!"

"We… we already did!" one of the officers stammered, hurriedly presenting a recording device. "Governor Chen Lin and Princess Fia have been notified.

"Their orders are clear—Lady Serval and Commander Gepard are to coordinate with the royal army to avenge the fallen researchers!"

Hela felt like the sky had just fallen.

What the hell was happening?!

The rebels had killed imperial scientists—and now, the empire was declaring war on them?

How was this…

How was this actually good news?!

Serval turned away, grief-stricken, wiping away nonexistent tears.

"You heard them, Hela." Her voice trembled with dramatic sorrow.

"You understand the situation now."

"We have no choice but to act."

"So tell me—will you join us?"

Hela sat there in stunned silence for a few seconds.

Then she quickly straightened her back and replied, "Of course! No objections whatsoever!"

…Wait.

Something suddenly clicked in her mind.

Just now…

That officer had called Gepard "Commander."

What… what exactly did he mean by that?

---

T/N: THOSE DAMN REBELS!!

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!