Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [315]

"This… this this this—"

Explosions roared. Flames engulfed the sky.

The once-impenetrable defenses, the countless fortifications—under the relentless aerial bombardment, they were nothing but a joke.

In mere moments, bunkers were reduced to dust, and the rebel frontline—once densely packed with soldiers—was now nothing but a field of hundred-meter-deep craters.

Hela had always believed in Sterbian principles of war—that strength determined everything.

She was a firm believer in this ideology, never one to back down from a fight. As a leader of a provincial warlord family, she had always fought to the last soldier, even in hopeless battles.

In her mind, war was a test of courage, strategy, and numbers.

Sure, powerful individuals could influence a battle, but in the end, victory was determined by trained soldiers, battle formations, good equipment, and superior numbers.

Yet today—

That fundamental belief had been completely shattered.

Who said ground warfare had to be fought face-to-face?

Who said an attacking army had to charge into fortified strongholds?

Why waste lives storming enemy defenses when you could erase those defenses from existence?

Why engage in hand-to-hand combat when you could annihilate the enemy without them even seeing you?

Riding in imperial transports, Hela and the Landau siblings crossed the entire front line in minutes.

A journey that would have taken days—if not longer—had been completed in a matter of minutes.

And with a single command, a few dozen metallic pods—no larger than an adult—descended from the sky.

And in less than thirty seconds, a fortress the royal army had spent months trying to breach was gone without a trace.

No wonder Hela could barely form words as she watched the sky burn.

If she hadn't personally witnessed it, she might have believed this was divine judgment—a punishment from the gods upon the traitors.

Serval casually scrolled through the surveillance drone feed, swiping through gruesome images with an impressed whistle.

"Wow! Direct hits all around. Other than a few lucky survivors, I don’t think we’ll be seeing much resistance down there."

Gepard sighed. "...Sister, please don’t say it like that."

"Aww, lighten up, little brother!" Serval grinned.

"Do you know how valuable this data is?"

"If Clara sees this, she might just pass out from excitement!"

Still scrolling through data, Serval continued absentmindedly:

"Back when Clara and I were researching the interaction between Quantum Decay Energy and ρ-Type Psionics, we practically tore our hair out trying to figure it out."

"This is our first real battlefield test, and—huh! The numbers actually match our projections!"

"The blast radius, quantum collapse intensity… everything is within our estimated parameters."

"With some tweaks, we might even be able to weaponize this for starships, not just ground forces."

Gepard remained neutral. "I can see the explosive yield is impressive."

Serval rolled her eyes.

"Who said it was just an explosion?"

"Quantum Collapse Bombs don’t just blow things up—they compress and collapse localized space."

"What you’re seeing is residual electromagnetic radiation and runaway ρ-type psionic feedback, which then ignites the surrounding air."

"The fireball? That’s just a side effect."

"Think of it as an automatic cleanup feature—so you don’t have to deal with corpses later."

Gepard opened his mouth.

Paused.

Then awkwardly muttered, "You really… thought this through."

Serval smirked. "Of course!

"Maximum efficiency!"

"Minimal effort!"

"And most importantly—"

"Better protection for a certain little brother of mine."

One sibling was a chatterbox, the other barely spoke.

Gepard wanted to protect his sister—so much so that when he learned she was heading to the frontlines, the high commander of the Ground Forces had personally accompanied her.

But Serval wanted to protect her brother, too.

Her research into psionic-based ground weaponry wasn’t just for scientific curiosity—

The data they collected today could lead to breakthroughs in planetary warfare, massively improving battlefield survival rates.

If the Landau siblings had one thing in common, it was their unyielding stubbornness.

Different careers. Different goals.

But in the end, they both worked toward the same future.

"Sigh… still too much EM radiation on detonation. The neutralization system is too slow."

Serval swiped through another report.

"Some of our cameras burned out before capturing full readings. Could’ve gotten even better data…"

She looked up at Hela, who was still staring into the distance, completely dazed.

"Commander Hela, you can begin mobilizing troops in half an hour."

"By then, the battlefield will be clear for cleanup operations."

"Ah—uh—oh…"

Hela's expression screamed shell-shocked.

She was genuinely shaken—

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have stood there like a ghost, completely out of it.

After a long pause, she finally muttered,

"Are you two… really just researchers?"

She wanted to say—

"How the hell can you casually talk about dropping something like that?!"

"That wasn’t a weapon! That was divine punishment!"

"And you’re telling me this was a… scaled-down version?!"

No wonder Gepard had insisted they pull back the frontline troops before the strike.

So this was why.

Serval chuckled and scratched her head.

"Well, I am the chief scientist at the Imperial Research Institute."

"I wasn’t lying about that!"

Then, she casually gestured toward her brother.

"But my dear little brother here?"

"He’s actually the Commander of the Ground Forces—serving directly under the Governor of Jarilo and the Supreme Guardian of Belobog."

Gepard gave a slight nod. "Apologies for not telling you earlier."

Hela blinked.

"...Commander?

"What… does that mean?"

Serval grinned.

She glanced between her ice-cold little brother and the fierce Sterbian warlord beside him.

Then, with a bright smile, she explained:

"It means he’s the supreme commander of all land-based forces on a planetary scale—directly appointed by either the Governor of the Sector or the Supreme Guardian of Belobog."

"So basically, he’s the highest-ranking general in charge of all planetary armies."

"Just like you, Hela!"

Hela hesitated for a moment.

Then shook her head.

"No…

"Commander Gepard is far greater than I am."

Gepard groaned. "Sister, please correct her."

Serval smirked.

"What, and lie?

"Tell me—what part of that was inaccurate?"

Serval, clearly exasperated, grabbed Gepard by the ear and gave it a firm tug. Then, turning back, she added, "Oh, right—Commander Hela, don’t be fooled by my brother’s cold and stiff demeanor. He’s actually a brilliant strategist! He’s fought plenty of battles where he led a smaller force to victory against overwhelming odds."

"But… he does lack experience in commanding large-scale armies."

"So, you two should exchange some insights about battlefield tactics—help each other out!"

"I won’t stick my nose into that stuff. After all, I’m no expert in land warfare."

"Now, what’s that saying again…?"

She snapped her fingers, grinning.

"Oh, right—learn from each other’s strengths!"

---

While the war in Sterbe raged on, the Jarilo Sector remained peaceful.

The only real activity was the continuous expansion of stellar bases and the round-the-clock operation of shipyards.

Other than that?

Everything was… serene.

Of course, peace was only meaningful if you had the strength to maintain it.

The wheel of history never stops for those who can’t keep up.

It grinds them into dust, regardless of their will.

Fia had signed the contract with the Empire.

And in return, Chen Lin would ensure that Sterbe received the ending it deserved.

As part of the agreement, the Peris royal family would relocate to Jarilo-VI.

They would retain their titles and privileges.

The only difference?

From now on, any major decisions would require approval from both the Governor’s Office and Qlipoth Fort.

Nothing more.

To Fia, this was the best possible outcome.

Her people would escape the fate of becoming commodified slaves.

They would receive equal rights and welfare—the same as imperial citizens.

Between the choices of citizenship and slavery, Fia could see the answer clearly.

If swearing loyalty to the Empire meant securing such immense benefits, then it was more than worth it.

Better this than being forcibly annexed by military conquest.

Because in that scenario?

The Sterbian people might not even be recognized as full citizens.

"I have something else to tell you," Chen Lin said.

This wasn’t just about Sterbe.

This was a blueprint for how he would integrate vassal states—not just Sterbe, but Xianzhou as well.

Fia placed her hands neatly on her lap, sitting attentively.

"Please, go ahead."

"Right now, Sterbe’s productivity levels are far from being able to support an imperial standard of living."

"Additionally, this generation has gone through too much upheaval."

"If they were suddenly forced to change national identities, the transition would be too abrupt."

"A gradual adaptation is always better than an instant shift."

When two very different cultures collided, conflict was inevitable.

Older generations had deeply ingrained beliefs—trying to make them accept change was incredibly difficult.

The key, therefore, was to focus on the younger generation.

Young people and children were far more adaptable.

They understood change faster.

They would be the first to recognize which way of life benefited them and their families the most.

"Sterbian citizens will temporarily be granted the status of 'Contract Citizens.'"

"I will send imperial personnel to develop your infrastructure and provide technological assistance."

"Your people will be given access to imperial machinery and trained to produce their own food and goods."

"Once Sterbe’s overall living standards reach those of a fully integrated imperial world,"

"Their status will be upgraded to 'Imperial Citizens.'"

If he simply gave them everything,

It would foster complacency.

It was far better to let them work for it themselves.

Chen Lin’s plan was straightforward:

He would provide technology and jobs.

But the Sterbians themselves would have to build their own future.

By gradually shaping their policies and way of life,

And integrating Jarilo explorers and specialists into their society,

It would be only a matter of time before they fully embraced imperial identity.

Self-made progress was far more meaningful and lasting.

Chen Lin even intended to encourage mixed marriages between Jarilo and Sterbian citizens.

Advanced genetic engineering would help bridge the gaps between species.

Within three years, Sterbians would be living like Jarilo citizens.

And once he installed a stable wormhole gateway between the two worlds,

The constant exchange of people, culture, and economy would make true integration inevitable.

As for Sterbe’s religious institutions?

That was even easier to deal with.

Chen Lin had a tried-and-true strategy for making religions disappear on their own.

In the Empire, being a citizen meant holding political rights.

But religious institutions were not part of the Empire.

So, if someone chose to be religious,

They would forfeit their imperial citizenship.

No citizenship meant:

• No imperial welfare benefits.

• No subsidized education or healthcare.

• No discounted consumer goods.

Religious followers would be treated like foreign tourists.

"You worship your god? Great!"

"Then you belong to your god’s nation, not ours."

"And as a non-citizen, you need to apply for temporary residence permits."

"If you don’t renew them?

"Then, naturally, you will be deported."

Where would they be sent?

There were plenty of uninhabited zones for them to live in exile.

Over time, as more and more religious believers vanished,

The odd cults and sects in Sterbe would fade into history.

Of course, some radicals would refuse to let go.

But honestly?

If, after multiple warnings, someone still chose their faith over their livelihood…

Then clearly, they weren’t smart enough to contribute to society anyway.

Natural selection would take care of the rest.

Chen Lin had to admit—he owed the IPC’s Linguistic Beacons a great deal.

A single technological advancement that standardized language and aesthetics across the galaxy…

Had just made his job infinitely easier.

Fia listened intently.

After a moment of contemplation, she understood the reasoning behind his plan.

After all, she had personally visited Belobog’s factories, farms, and mines.

The machinery seemed almost magical—

Especially the mining equipment and agriculture technologies.

What kind of food crop could yield an entire harvest in less than a month?

How could farms produce dozens of tons of food per acre?

It was insane.

And no wonder Jarilo citizens never had to worry about hunger.

If Sterbe had access to those technologies,

Then as long as people had jobs, their entire economy would flourish at breakneck speed.

Utopian prosperity was only a matter of when, not if.

"I have no objections!" Fia answered decisively.

"Good. That makes things much easier."

"For now, you just need to wait."

"Once we receive news of Sterbe’s victory, you’ll return home."

Chen Lin smiled.

But then, noticing Fia’s hesitation, he asked,

"You look like you have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Governor, I want to ask about the Rilu Civilization…"

"Their emperor wants to buy a frigate for personal use."

"I agreed."

"…What?" Fia was stunned.

She had a bad feeling about Rilu’s emperor.

She instinctively felt that he was dangerous.

Just then, Phantylia skipped into the room, blinking playfully at Chen Lin.

"Master," she grinned.

"I’ve finished drafting the Extermination Order for Rilu-I.

"Would you like to review it?"

---

T/N: 15 bonus still left...

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!