Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [302]

The purpose of this banquet was crystal clear.

The Empire had first used the military parade as a pretext to invite all neighboring civilizations. Then, during the pre-parade banquet, it had formally broadcast its first-ever diplomatic signal to the wider universe.

This signal conveyed two key messages:

• The Empire regarded this section of the cosmos as highly significant.

• It was deeply invested in the well-being of all civilizations and sought to unite as many of them as possible under a comprehensive, cooperative framework.

The Nano Plague had provided the perfect opportunity—allowing the Empire to introduce its vision at an ideal moment.

At present, the IPC were still helpless against the [Grey Tempest]. By unveiling this initiative now, the Empire could minimize the risk of provoking IPC forces while also leveraging the situation to further its negotiations with the IPC.

Given the importance of interstellar trade, and the fact that the IPC themselves had proposed many of the ongoing deals, there was no way they would antagonize the Empire outright.

On the contrary, the IPC would do their best to position themselves as equals to the Empire, ensuring their continued relevance in galactic affairs.

Few leaders in the room were naïve.

Most had already sensed the Empire’s emerging dominance. The decision to join or abstain from the Starborne Collective might very well determine the future trajectory of their civilizations.

After all, the Starborne Collective was explicitly open to ‘civilizations’—and the IPC did not possess the defining characteristics of a civilization. Even if they argued otherwise, the Empire held the final say.

If the Empire declared them a civilization, then they were one.
If the Empire declared they were not, then they simply weren’t.

Below the stage, the gathered leaders engaged in seemingly friendly, yet subtly calculating conversations.

Meanwhile, Fia rose from her seat, excitement evident in her posture, and once again performed her people's customary gesture of gratitude.

As she stepped away from the main table, Bronya turned toward Chen Lin and asked:

"Mentor, are you planning to help them?"

Chen Lin gave a slight nod. "I’m interested. After all, they’re our neighbors. If we can pull them into our fold, all the better. But our main focus still needs to be on the L-Gate—that’s what truly demands our attention."

By now, all available information on the L-Gate had been gathered.

Clara and her research team had been working around the clock, tirelessly deciphering its mysteries. The progress bar had already shrunk to less than four months—meaning that in just four months, the L-Gate would open, and whatever lay within would be unleashed upon the galaxy.

The first wave of destruction would undoubtedly strike the star system containing the L-Gate. One such system had already been completely consumed by the [Grey Tempest], and its resident civilization had vanished—the same one Chen Lin had referenced earlier in his speech.

So long as a crisis did not immediately threaten them, many interest groups would remain in observation mode—a reality of political self-preservation.

Even the Xianzhou Alliance was no exception.

Did anyone seriously believe that sentimentality alone would persuade Xianzhou to risk everything and charge into battle? Even during the War of Heaven, those old schemers had still resorted to bribery and coercion to achieve their goals!

At that moment, Seele, who had been quietly devouring her meal, finally looked up.

She set aside the bone in her hands, wiped her fingers, and cast a meaningful glance toward the gathering below.

"That’s the scent of psionics. Brother Lin, I’m not mistaken, am I?"

Bronya’s gaze also turned toward Chen Lin.

Fia had done an impressive job of concealing her psionic energy, but to seasoned psionicists, her efforts were far too amateurish.

What Seele had just asked was precisely what Bronya had been thinking.

Up until now, they had never heard of anyone outside the Empire possessing psionic abilities.

After all, psionics was a power cultivated from the depths of one's spirit—a force capable of directly altering objective reality.

It wasn’t something that could be learned in the conventional sense.

In addition to rigorous mental discipline, psionic potential was heavily dependent on innate talent.

For those without the necessary talent, no matter how long they trained, their upper limit would always remain frustratingly low.

Within the Empire, however, the situation was unique.

The Empire’s power structure had eliminated the need for a long-term accumulation process, instantly elevating all citizens to their psionic peak potential.

The deeper their understanding of psionics, the more shocking this phenomenon became.

It was akin to transforming an entire primitive tribe into PhD-level scholars at world-class universities—overnight!

So… in such a vast galaxy, was it possible for someone, somewhere to have spontaneously awakened psionic abilities?

The answer was yes.

Some individuals had enough patience to blindly cultivate their inner spirit, and through sheer luck, they eventually awakened to psionics.

But the number of people who could attain true reality-altering power in this way was exceedingly rare.

Psionic awakenings did not always grant the ability to reshape reality.

Many psionics had weak talents—their abilities amounted to eidetic memory or enhanced mental processing, nothing more.

These individuals often had so little psionic energy that even trained psionics struggled to detect them.

As for someone who possessed both natural talent and the drive to cultivate their psionic energy, and who—through sheer luck—managed to awaken powerful abilities…

Neither Bronya nor Seele had ever heard of such a case.

Chen Lin silently took a sip of wine before finally speaking.

"Yes, her power can be classified as psionics. But more importantly, it is an inheritable form of psionics."

Both Bronya and Seele spoke in unison.

"Inheritable?"

"Yes. It’s a psionic trait embedded within a refined bloodline. Just as a child's psionic strength is often influenced by their parents, Fia’s ancestors must have been exceptionally powerful psionicists. Moreover, they must have deliberately purified their lineage over generations."

In truth, Chen Lin had discovered this long ago.

Half a month prior, while reviewing Sterbe's diplomatic records, he had come across an unusually extensive list of positive and negative genetic traits associated with the reigning monarch—Fia’s mother.

Under normal circumstances, a species that hadn’t undergone genetic engineering could never accumulate such a large number of traits naturally—especially positive ones.

And among the dense list of genetic modifiers, Chen Lin had noticed one particularly striking, violet-colored trait—

[Heir of the Great Khan]

"This leader possesses the legendary bloodline of the Great Khan, allowing them to instinctively grasp advanced, unconventional guerilla warfare tactics. Their personal combat capabilities are also extraordinary."

(Ship Weapon Fire Rate +99%, Ship Weapon Range +50%, Evasion +50%, Daily Hull Regeneration +1.5, Daily Armor Regeneration +1.5, Population Growth Speed -95%)

When Chen Lin first saw this, he had almost dropped his communicator in shock.

His mind had gone blank for a full minute, the same thought repeating over and over—

"Did… did a nomadic empire just pop up in my backyard?!"

But as it turned out, his backyard troubles weren’t limited to nomadic invasions—there was also a full-blown racial supremacist movement brewing.

I really underestimated this place.

Despite Jarilo-VI being on the very fringes of the galaxy, its surrounding neighbors were all disturbingly unique—each possessing some kind of extreme ideology or talent.

If he hadn’t come here, things would have played out very differently.

Even if Jarilo-VI, with the Express’s help, had managed to resolve its Stellaron crisis, it would have immediately faced suffocating economic pressure from the IPC.

By the time it finally paid off its debts and set out to explore the stars, its first diplomatic interactions with its two closest, similarly debt-free neighbors would have gone something like this:

Jarilo-VI: Hello, fellow travelers!

Rilu-I: Shame upon you.

Sterbe-I: Please extend your hand—friendship donation required.

...Damn.

Just imagining that scene was already a headache.

Chen Lin took a slow sip of his drink and finally spoke.

"If my guess is correct, Miss Fia's lineage is also an heir to an ancient Great Khan. The Empire has records on this…"

Ever since his deep dive into Stellaris, Chen Lin had developed a habit of scouring interstellar forums—a pastime that often led him to some truly fascinating discoveries.

It was during one such browsing session that he had stumbled upon a thread discussing the so-called ‘Starsea Beggar King’—the Great Khan.

The original poster had asked a rather intriguing question:

"Isn't the Great Khan supposed to be an immortal, powerful psionic? Why did the Great Khan in my save file just… die of old age?"

Attached were several screenshots, which completely fried Chen Lin’s brain when he saw them.

Right…

The Great Khan possessed the Immortal trait.

They were also a powerful psionic, a devout follower of the so-called Void Mother, and a conqueror who unified countless raider clans into a single empire.

And yet—

This legendary being could be killed off by a scripted event.

One possible outcome: assassination, resulting in the raider empire fracturing.

The other? The Great Khan simply dies of old age.

At the time, Chen Lin had followed the thread for a while.

One particular reply stood out to him:

"You're not the Great Khan. The news of the Great Khan dying of old age was reported by others—not by the Great Khan personally. Who's to say they didn't eat something bad before they died? Or maybe they caught a disease?"

Regardless of how they met their end, the Great Khan’s vision had always been to unify the fractured Starsea—bringing prosperity and order to all sentient beings.

Granted, their methods of "unification" were… brutally forceful.

But despite the violence of their conquests, the Great Khan genuinely believed that one day, their dream would be realized—transforming the Raider Empire into a beacon of stability and prosperity, one that would guide all intelligent life and allow the light of peace to shine across the galaxy.

And if anyone dared to question this vision, the Great Khan would always respond with unwavering determination—

"I will make it happen."

Moreover, whenever the Great Khan engaged in diplomatic exchanges with other civilizations, they always emphasized their commitment to equality and respect for all races.

…With one very specific exception.

The Great Khan absolutely despised exterminator empires.

They were one of the few leaders who, upon encountering an extermination-based government, would immediately curse at them in their native tongue before attempting diplomacy.

For example:

"Hyi-ya-yi-yi-ye-ye!! You filthy barbarian! You are—ahem—I mean, you are speaking to the glorious and mighty Great Khan. State your business!"

From a once deeply religious civilization leader, the Great Khan had evolved into a figure prioritizing science and practical governance.

They sought to unify the galactic language, eradicate outdated superstitions, and promote reason over blind faith—a truly astounding ideological leap.

If Chen Lin had to sum up the Great Khan in a brief annotation, he’d probably write:

"An interesting barbarian."

There was no denying it—

The Great Khan was one of the most charismatic leaders Chen Lin had ever encountered in a strategy game.

Their arrogance was undeniable.

Their unyielding determination was impressive.

But in the end, everything they did was for the survival of their people—to carve out a future for the nomads and to pursue an everlasting peace.

The Great Khan had dedicated themselves to transforming the raider clans, striving to reshape their civilization from ‘primitive barbarians’ into a refined, sophisticated society.

Yet…

Their empire always ended up shattering apart—a fate that seemed all but inevitable.

Seele’s eyes widened in fascination.

Then, with barely contained excitement, she blurted out:

"Great Khan? That name alone sounds badass! Brother Lin, why don’t you claim the title of Great Khan too?"

Bronya, ever patient, calmly explained:

"What the mentor is referring to is simply a title—similar to a leadership designation. It holds no actual power, Seele."

Seele frowned. "But we have psionics too. And ours are even stronger! If Brother Lin takes the title, wouldn’t that give us a perfectly legitimate reason to conquer them?"

Chen Lin and Bronya both froze.

Slowly, their gazes met, an unspoken thought passing between them.

Wait… is she actually a genius?

Chen Lin cleared his throat.

In a carefully measured tone, he replied:

"Well… technically speaking, that’s not an unreasonable approach. At the very least, it gives us an additional option. If it proves useful, consider it a commendable contribution on your part."

"Heh!" Seele smirked, tilting her chin up proudly, thoroughly pleased with herself.

Of course, what she didn’t realize was—

The legitimacy of such a claim would be easily contested.

If Fia’s lineage truly carried the blood of a Great Khan, then they would undoubtedly possess means to discredit any false assertions.

That said…

Sometimes, a claim wasn’t meant for one’s own people or the targeted party—but rather, for everyone else watching.

In that sense, Seele’s idea actually had merit.

From a certain perspective, it was entirely feasible.

As time passed, the guests finished their meals, and many leaders rose from their seats, carrying their drinks as they mingled with representatives from other civilizations.

This was Chen Lin’s event, and everyone was on their best behavior.

Even if discussions turned tense, no one dared to cause a scene or disturb the mood of the banquet.

Several civilizations approached Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan, representatives of Xianzhou Luofu, to discuss trade agreements and inquire about future docking locations.

Even if deals weren’t finalized, building relationships and making introductions was always a smart move.

This sentiment was shared by many of the attending leaders.

Meanwhile, Topaz had also been invited over.

As a recently promoted IPC executive, she naturally attracted the attention of many civilizations operating under IPC rule.

Several of them cautiously tested the waters, trying to gauge her stance—and, more importantly, whether the IPC had any objections to the Empire establishing the Starborne Collective.

For many civilizations, the IPC controlled their entire economy.

Before making any political moves, they needed to ensure that their actions wouldn’t jeopardize their standing with the IPC.

As someone who had climbed the IPC ranks from the bottom up, Topaz was a practical and competent leader.

Having attended many similar banquets, she quickly became a focal point, drawing the interest of a significant number of representatives.

And when she was inevitably asked—albeit indirectly—about the IPC’s stance on the Empire’s new initiative, Topaz responded with perfect composure:

"The IPC and the Empire are strategic trade partners. Together, we can easily achieve results where 1+1 > 2. You can rest assured—the IPC fully supports stronger inter-civilizational ties. The Empire’s innovative initiatives help fill certain gaps in the IPC’s trade systems, creating new opportunities for all parties involved."

Upon hearing this, many civilizations breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

They had been on the fence—wanting to join the Starborne Collective but also fearing retaliation from the IPC, which still held their economic lifeline.

Now, they were reassured.

The Empire wasn’t demanding that they choose sides—this wasn’t a "with us or against us" scenario.

It was simply a political alliance, a multilateral partnership—one that did not require severing ties with the IPC.

And for those whose entire civilizations were entangled in IPC trade dependencies—

That made all the difference.

---

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!