Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [304]

“Oh, alright, alright!”

Lost in thought, Fia snapped back to reality. She had never forgotten that she was now nothing more than a princess on the brink of losing her country.

As a leader representing the weak and fragile Sterbe, she had little voice or influence in the grand scheme of the stars.

It was all because of those scheming bastards who drove a wedge between the royal family and the aristocracy!

Fia still didn’t know what exactly the IPC had promised those power-hungry nobles, but one by one, they had turned their backs on the Peris family’s generosity. The moment the royal family let its guard down, they rose in rebellion.

Did those noble lords not realize what allowing the IPC in would lead to? They, too, would lose their freedom!

The world bustles for profit; the world clamors for gain.

It was a simple truth. Even someone like her—who preferred solving problems with her fists—understood that the IPC must have offered something more valuable than freedom. Otherwise, the nobles would never have turned their blades on their own people…

The deep-rooted ethnic divisions and geographic rivalries within Sterbe had always been a time bomb left behind by the IPC. Even though a formidable leader had once unified the land through sheer force, creating the first Sterbe Empire, its population remained scattered and isolated.

In truth, people identified more with their local lords than with the Peris Empire.

That’s right—Sterbe’s so-called absolute monarchy was, in reality, a feudal aristocracy.

The empire divided its lands into territorial domains, each governed by the most influential noble family of the region. The imperial court did little beyond collecting annual taxes and only intervened in the event of major disasters.

Each noble lord was responsible for their people’s livelihood, reporting to the capital on local affairs. When a noble passed or stepped down, their successor required official recognition from the imperial family—though this was largely a formality.

For centuries, the Peris bloodline—renowned for producing monsters in human form—had ensured absolute stability. Not a single rebellion had ever occurred.

Until the strategic investment department came crashing down from the sky.

The royal family was suddenly besieged on all fronts by traitorous nobles. At the outbreak of war, Fia and her mother had personally led the royal guard into battle against the aristocrats, who had armed themselves with advanced alien weaponry.

Through sheer physical might and mysterious abilities, any battlefield with a Peris royal at the helm could hold the line against the rebels. But the Peris family was small in number, and multiple fronts inevitably led to fatal weaknesses.

It wasn’t long before rebel forces began seizing fortresses and cities, cutting off critical supply lines and communication hubs.

But just as the war seemed lost, chaos erupted within the rebels’ ranks—they began butchering each other.

At first, the royal family assumed it was a simple power struggle, rebels fighting over spoils of war.

Then the same thing started happening within their own ranks.

Noble families loyal to the crown turned on each other overnight. Trusted allies vanished without a trace, and soon, the mastermind behind the carnage revealed itself.

Wherever this entity passed, death followed.

The rebels were slaughtered to the last man. The royalists suffered equally catastrophic losses—countless royal guards fell.

And the culprit called itself a Lord Ravager—a harbinger of destruction in the name of the Aeon of Destruction.

For days, Sterbe burned.

With both the royalists and the rebels crippled, the flames of war died down. The rebellion had ended—but so had the kingdom’s last hope for a counterattack.

Fia had seen it with her own eyes.

A shadow, wreathed in terrifying power.

With a single gesture, it had torn open the sky and shattered the earth.

The hundreds of thousands of soldiers behind her had vanished into thin air.

Had her mother not intervened in time, Fia wouldn’t have made it to Belobog—she wouldn’t have lasted a single day. She’d be nothing more than a corpse buried in the dirt.

Her mother had collapsed under the immense stress and fallen gravely ill.

And so, the burden of saving their kingdom fell entirely on her shoulders.

IPC. Rebels. A Lord Ravager.

Fia knew that the royal family alone could no longer withstand the nightmare that had engulfed them.

She needed another way to protect both the crown and the people.

At least… in my eyes, I’m saving Sterbe from the abyss.

So what if the IPC could make Sterbe prosper?

These invaders—who sought to control their civilization by force—would never honor their promises!

Seven hundred years ago, they had drained Sterbe’s mines dry.

They had kidnapped ninety percent of its population.

And now, they demanded repayment for debts they themselves had created.

They weren’t satisfied with that.

They wanted everything Sterbe had left.

Fia might not have been a merchant, but she wasn’t a fool.

The IPC claimed that Sterbe’s natural gas deposits could be used to pay off the debt.

Yet when they spoke, their eyes gleamed with pure greed.

Fia could sense it.

Their so-called fair pricing was nothing but a farce.

And then they had the audacity to claim that the gas reserves were minimal—that if Sterbe allowed them exclusive development rights, they’d generously clear ten billion credits from the debt.

But Fia had read the imperial archives.

Those gas fields had been venting into the atmosphere for centuries.

How could the reserves possibly be as meager as they claimed?

They’re lying to us.

Fia despised those deceitful, silver-tongued scoundrels.

At this point, her only hope was that the Empire would grant Sterbe a path to survival.

If the Empire was even slightly less exploitative than the IPC—if they so much as allowed Sterbe a scrap of dignity—Fia was willing to pay whatever price it took to save her homeland.

As she stepped onto the automated lift to Qlipoth Fort, Pela took note of the worry and tension etched into the young princess’s face.

From the moment Fia had arrived in Belobog, Pela had been given specific orders from Chen Lin—to pay close attention to both her and her entourage.

She knew exactly why.

Sterbe’s star domain was positioned right in the middle of Imperial territory.

And just a few months ago, Chen Lin had run a star chart simulation with Bronya, modeling Sterbe’s potential role in a worst-case scenario.

As someone who had followed Chen Lin and Bronya since the beginning, Pela knew exactly what that meant.

That kind of contingency planning was only used when no other options remained.

Right now, the situation hadn’t reached that point yet.

“Miss Fia, you don’t have to be so nervous,” Pela said with a teasing smile, snapping Fia out of her spiraling thoughts. “The Empire doesn’t eat people.”

She chuckled. “Sir Chen Lin is a kind man. Ever since I’ve known him, he has always cared for the people, always put them first—even when they don’t know it.”

Fia hesitated.

She had read Belobog’s history.

Two years ago, this city had been in a worse state than Sterbe.

Sterbe, at the very least, had a moment of peace after driving out the Legion.

Belobog had been on the verge of total collapse—its entire civilization reduced to a single city.

Fia was quiet for a moment before cautiously asking,

“…Why?”

"Because the Empire learns from history," Pela said with a smile. "Back then, Belobog was on the brink of collapse. When Sir Chen arrived, he didn’t look down on our outdated technology or the dangers of the Fragmentum. He helped us resist its spread, advanced our technology, and made sure that people in the Underworld—oh, back then it was called the Lower District—could finally have enough to eat."

In reality, Jarilo-VI had no shortage of historical records. Countless books and literary works had been inspired by its turbulent past. Having been in Belobog for over half a month, Fia had read plenty of them.

But as a leader herself, she always viewed history with skepticism.

There was no way these stories were completely accurate.

If even ten percent of what was written was true, she’d already consider that generous. After all, Sterbe’s empire had its fair share of scholars whose only job was to flatter those in power.

Yet as the lift slowly ascended, Pela—a firsthand witness—was telling her the exact same story as the history books. And her tone, her expression, even the faint shifts in her scent… all of it felt undeniably real.

Could a ruler like that really exist?

Based on everything Fia had been taught since childhood, the reality of Jarilo-VI sounded far more like science fiction than anything she had read in those books.

"At first, Sir Chen had planned to leave after helping Belobog recover. He was even willing to leave us with enough food to get through the transition period." Pela smiled bitterly. "But I pulled a little trick to make him stay… I personally requested that Belobog join the Empire. So, in a way, I’ve always felt guilty toward him."

"Miss Pela, are you saying… Governor Chen originally did all of this simply to help Belobog survive the Stellaron disaster?"

"No. Sir Chen wanted the people of Belobog to truly live. He wanted them to rebuild their home with their own hands and to witness, with their own eyes, the dawn that countless generations had longed for in the darkness."

Fia felt a surge of admiration—and a pang of guilt.

"It seems I was too narrow-minded."

Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. The Empire had managed to restore Belobog’s civilization across all of Jarilo-VI in less than two years. They had even begun expanding outward, settling uninhabited planets and extending their reach across the star domain.

Would a star-faring empire with such capabilities really concern itself with just a few planets if not for Belobog’s sincere plea?

For someone who could mobilize such vast resources, Governor Chen must hold significant influence within the Empire. And for him to stay, he had to be a man of deep loyalty and principle.

If Pela wasn’t lying, then at the very least, Governor Chen—no matter how ruthless—couldn’t possibly be worse than the IPC.

Realizing this, Fia felt a renewed sense of hope burning inside her.

Besides, based on how he had interacted with her at the banquet, Governor Chen likely didn’t realize that the person who had used a special ability to observe them earlier had been her. If he had, he probably wouldn’t have been so cordial.

This was her first diplomatic visit as a leader representing her civilization.

She had learned her lesson.

No more reckless behavior.

They were all civilized people. She had to act accordingly.

She decided to present herself with more grace and composure—at the very least, she had to stop cursing so casually. And before taking action, she needed to consider whether it was appropriate.

Pela sighed. "If Belobog hadn’t joined the Empire back then, I imagine the IPC’ debt collection would have torn the city apart."

"Those bast—" Fia caught herself just in time, clenching her fists in anger. "That damn IPC again! After we refused to use our natural resources to pay off their so-called debt, they suddenly flooded our market with free goods and circulating precious metals. It caused mass unrest—so many people died, and our entire monetary system collapsed!"

"Oh?"

Back at the banquet, Fia had expressed an interest in joining the Starborne Collective. She had briefly mentioned the rebellion and the Lord Ravager but had barely touched on the IPC.

They had no direct evidence linking the IPC to these events, so she had been careful.

She had left room for flexibility—after all, the Empire had massive projects in collaboration with the IPC. If she had accused them outright and it turned out the Empire and the IPC were working together, Sterbe would have been finished.

Not to mention, there had been a IPC executive present at the banquet…

If they weren’t standing on Imperial soil, she would have killed that IPC lackey on the spot just to vent her fury!

Before she could dwell on her anger any further, Fia realized they had arrived at an opulent palace. The intricate and luxurious decor momentarily pulled her out of her frustration, easing some of the tension in her heart.

She was about to meet the Governor of the Empire and the Supreme Guardian of Jarilo.

Stay calm. Stay composed.

Do not anger Governor Chen.

Pela turned back, about to inform Fia that they had reached Chen Lin’s study, when she froze.

Fia was furiously rubbing her own face—almost as if trying to scrub something off.

For a moment, Pela was completely speechless.

Pela: "…"

Fia: "…"

They stared at each other in silence.

Fia’s hands were still on her face. She cleared her throat, then quickly explained in a rapid, almost panicked voice, "This is… a royal custom of our family! Before meeting an important figure, we must… um, perform this ritual!"

"I see. Well, please carry on."

Pela had sent plenty of agents to gather intelligence in Sterbe, but this particular Peris family "custom" had never been documented. She made a mental note to add it to their records later.

"Just ahead is Sir Chen’s administrative office. He asked me to bring you here—he’s waiting inside. When you’re ready, you may enter."

"O-okay."

A deep sense of embarrassment washed over Fia.

She had told herself not to be nervous, yet now that she was standing here, she could feel the anxiety creeping in.

Perhaps…

This was the difference between leaders.

The difference between a ruler of a small nation and a ruler of a great empire.

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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!