Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [298]

"In the Empire’s classification, the Machine Emperor’s civilization during the Imperial Wars fell under the category of [Determined Exterminators], a type of exterminationist regime. It is ranked alongside [Xenophobic Purifiers]."

As Fu Xuan poured tea for her younger brother, she listened attentively.

The Imperial Wars had begun in the final years of the Border Trade Wars—one of the largest recorded extermination conflicts in the galaxy, lasting over ten Amber Eras.

Rupert, the Machine Emperor, had led his mechanical empire into war, triggering the anti-organic equation embedded within all synthetic lifeforms under his rule. This forced every machine intelligence within his dominion to involuntarily join the war against organic life.

Many Aeons and powerful factions became embroiled in this war, yet the outcome was undeniable—Rupert ultimately perished, and with his death, the anti-organic equation ceased functioning. The catastrophic war that had ravaged the stars for countless millennia finally came to an end.

"[Determined Exterminators] perceive all sapient organic life as an unacceptable threat to machine intelligence. While they may collaborate with other synthetic beings, they will never harbor goodwill toward organics."

"In contrast, [Xenophobic Purifiers] are even more extreme. They view all life outside their own species as a mistake, a flaw—something that must be cleansed whenever possible."

Chen Lin spoke of these horrors with a casual air, as if they were mere trivia of little consequence.

But both Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan could sense his undisguised contempt for such regimes. And as they listened further, they began to understand why.

"The Empire has encountered [Xenophobic Purifiers] before—alongside another exterminationist regime known as the [Devouring Swarm]. Back then, the Empire had just found its foothold and spent over two hundred years rebuilding before venturing into the cosmos once more. We hoped to reunite with our lost kin, the ones who had originally embarked on the journey with us.

"You may refer to them as… the [Terran Union.]"

What Chen Lin was describing was actually an experience from one of his Stellaris game saves.

He had started as the [United Nations of Earth], a faction well-known among every Stellaris player—one of the earliest default empires in the game’s lore.

Of course, by the time Chen Lin began playing Stellaris, the game already had over a dozen expansions. Drawn in by various gameplay videos, he had decided to try playing as the [Terran Union] from its early-game origins.

The [United Nations of Earth] and the [Terran Union] were, in essence, the same nation.

But in those early days, the [Terran Union]’s colonists had been filled with the unshakable optimism of pioneers—eager to explore the unknown and connect with alien civilizations.

Unfortunately, their hopeful vision didn’t last long.

One day, the Union detected a suspicious wormhole within its borders. In response, they launched an ambitious project known as [Project Ulysses].

The plan?

Construct six massive colony ships, each capable of carrying 250,000 people, and send them through the wormhole to explore new worlds.

These colony ships would later become the precursors to all future interstellar colony vessels.

But at the time, the [Terran Union]’s technology was still in its infancy.

They had only theoretical knowledge of how wormholes worked—completely unaware that, without stabilization, wormholes could collapse without warning.

And collapse it did.

The moment all six colony ships entered, the wormhole imploded—cutting them off from the [Terran Union] forever.

One of those lost ships was the [Chrysanthemum], the only one that successfully colonized a habitable world.

And it was upon this world that the [United Nations of Earth]—later known as the [Terran Federation]—was founded.

With only 250,000 people, they built cities, carefully preserved every piece of undamaged technology, and painstakingly reconstructed their civilization.

Yet through it all, they never stopped waiting—waiting for a message from their lost sister ship, the [Hyacinth].

Waiting for rescue.

But no one ever came.

After reclaiming the stars, the first mission of the newly reborn [Terran Federation] was to find their lost kin—the other five missing colony ships.

When they finally located the [Hyacinth], it was still orbiting a terrestrial planet, silent and lifeless.

Sensors picked up no energy signatures—indicating that its reactors had long since shut down.

A military expedition was sent to investigate, and the grim truth was soon uncovered—

All 250,000 people aboard the Hyacinth had perished.

Most had succumbed to starvation.

Others had died in violent conflicts over dwindling resources.

The [Hyacinth] was eventually towed back to the Federation’s homeworld. After clearing out the bodies, the vessel—identical to the one their ancestors had traveled on—was converted into a memorial museum.

A permanent reminder of the cruel, indifferent universe that had tried to extinguish them.

But the mourning period did not last long.

As the [Terran Federation] continued its exploration, they inadvertently stumbled into the territories of two unknown civilizations.

First contact with alien life should have been a moment of excitement and hope.

Instead, they had unknowingly encountered two of the worst possible enemies—

One was a [Xenophobic Purifier] regime.

The other was a [Devouring Swarm] hive mind.

What followed was decades of brutal war, during which the [Terran Federation] threw everything it had into the fight.

Victory was hard-won—but it came at a terrible cost.

This was Chen Lin’s early-game experience in that playthrough—

Endless wars. Constant struggle. Fortifying planets just to survive.

It had nearly driven him mad.

Those exterminationist regimes had stalled his civilization’s growth, forcing him into a brutal war of attrition.

And now, this fictional war had been reinterpreted as a part of the Empire’s history—a chapter in its long struggle to survive.

The only change?

Instead of merely crossing the galaxy, the six colony ships had somehow fallen into an entirely different universe—displaced in time and space, with no way back.

In the end, the so-called Imperial Wars had been a colossal failure for the exterminationists.

Had they been more patient, strategically weakening rival civilizations before striking, their threat could have far exceeded that of the Machine Emperor’s war.

Jing Yuan remained silent for a long time, absorbing the weight of what he had just heard.

"...If that’s the case," he finally murmured, rubbing his chin, "then exterminationist civilizations are truly a cancer to the galaxy."

"Any regime that follows in the footsteps of Rupert the Machine Emperor must be dealt with before it’s too late!"

Fu Xuan, who had been deep in thought, suddenly opened her third eye—a soft glow emanating from her forehead.

She was divining the fate of Rilu-I.

Moments later, she muttered, "The omens shift between Kan and Kun… they possess sufficient war potential and aggression. But whether they are truly another Rupert, I cannot say for certain."

"Brother, if you are not fully prepared, do not act rashly."

Foresight was an absurdly powerful tool.

Even with limited information, Fu Xuan could still divine the tides of fortune.

If war was coming—then luck would be on their side.

"I've had my intelligence operatives gather substantial information," Chen Lin said, his expression serious. "I'll have the reports sent to you both later, Brother, Sister. Once you’ve seen them, you’ll understand just how extreme they really are."

He continued, his tone grave.

"The evidence is undeniable. They are an exterminationist regime—one that advocates for the eradication of all other civilizations."

Seeing rare traces of solemnity and concern on Chen Lin’s face, Jing Yuan couldn't help but offer a few words of reassurance.

"Brother, there's no need to be so tense. While I don’t know much about Rilu-I, the fact that I have never even heard of them suggests their strength is mediocre at best. The Empire has no reason to fear them."

"No, Brother."

Chen Lin turned to look directly into Jing Yuan’s eyes, his gaze unwavering.

"Their fate is already sealed. The power gap is insurmountable, so I have no concerns about victory. What I’m thinking about is how to make their destruction serve a greater purpose."

He spoke with chilling clarity.

"The Empire’s outer footholds must be expanded without limit—we must consolidate alliances to prepare for all future threats.

"Any mistake we make in this process… will be an unforgivable sin."

The sheer weight behind those words made Fu Xuan feel strangely uneasy.

She wanted to say something, yet found herself at a loss.

In her eyes, Chen Lin wasn’t just an easygoing, sharp-witted younger brother. Nor was he simply an Imperial Governor who snuffed out entire bloodlines without hesitation.

No—his intentions were, in many ways, good. And the outcomes of his actions often benefited all parties.

But at this moment, Fu Xuan felt something shift.

For the first time, she could truly feel the immense weight of his position—the imperial mandate that rested upon his shoulders.

Back in Luofu, he had always joked with her, teasing her without a care in the world.

And she had, perhaps, indulged in the illusion that he was just like the younger clan brothers she had grown up with—siblings who bickered and quarreled, but whose bond was unbreakable.

Yet now, that image clashed violently with the reality before her—the uncompromising burden of empire.

Did the Empire—the unseen rulers watching from the shadows—truly understand how hard their Governor was fighting?

Would they be proud of him?

Most certainly.

Who wouldn’t want a governor who upholds the Empire’s ideals and the people’s aspirations—who never wavers in his duty?

The impending Nano-Plague Crisis felt like nothing more than a warning bell for the entire galaxy.

Yet based on Chen Lin’s words, and from what Kafka’s intelligence had uncovered, it seemed that even this crisis might be nothing more than a minor threat in the grand scheme of things…

As Fu Xuan drowned in her own thoughts, Jing Yuan sat deep in contemplation for a few seconds before finally offering a suggestion.

"Brother, I have an idea. The Empire's methods have been a bit too restrained."

"While all under the heavens have heard of the Empire’s name, few have witnessed its true might."

"Why not eliminate Rilu-I in a manner so overwhelming that it leaves no room for doubt? It could serve as a decisive step toward your greater strategic vision."

Chen Lin narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You’re suggesting… the bigger the spectacle, the better?"

Jing Yuan let out a light chuckle, his expression carrying a rare trace of amusement.

"Not necessarily. The scale of destruction need not be large—but the impact must be monumental."

"Let the surrounding civilizations witness the Empire’s stance firsthand. Who knows? Many of them may well welcome your forces with open arms."

Chen Lin massaged his temples.

Jing Yuan’s words hit exactly where they needed to.

This brilliant older brother understood his exact intentions—and Luofu’s stance seemed unwaveringly supportive of his expansionist ambitions.

Which, of course, made perfect sense.

Despite its peaceful façade, the Xianzhou was still, at its core, a militaristic authoritarian state.

While they traded and conducted business amicably, and while they helped suppress the Abundance’s influence when necessary—one must never forget what the Xianzhou truly was.

They had never once hidden their reverence for warfare.

At best, they merely redirected their aggression toward a target everyone else found acceptable—the Blessed of Abundance.

But beneath it all, they remained a civilization that venerated strength.

This had only become more apparent after the Golden People’s Rebellion, when the noble houses fell and the Six Chariots War Council formed a military government.

Luofu, despite its current commercial focus, had ingrained in every citizen the lesson that "without strength, one would be trampled underfoot."

Their military capabilities were nothing to scoff at, even among civilizations of the same level.

As a high-ranking general of this militaristic society, Jing Yuan had never waged a war of conquest before.

But the moment his strategic vision aligned with the Empire’s, his current stance was no surprise.

And Fu Xuan?

She saw things exactly the same way.

"This seat has something to add," Fu Xuan suddenly spoke.

"Brother, the Empire’s foresight surpasses all others. Luofu simply happens to have had the privilege of glimpsing a fraction of it.

"But other civilizations? They will not have the same chance."

"And I doubt the Empire has the patience to explain itself to each and every one of them."

She scoffed.

Some civilizations—those who coveted the Xianzhou—had never understood diplomatic words.

They only understood war.

The Xianzhou had soared across the stars for eight thousand years—who could be foolish enough to believe those years had been peaceful?

They had suffered countless invasions.

And they had struck preemptively whenever a threat arose.

How many civilizations had been erased before interstellar trade even began?

Back when Chen Lin had studied the Xianzhou’s history, he had marveled at it.

That a civilization with such a bloodstained past had not become an extremist, isolationist regime was nothing short of a miracle.

Peace had never erased the Xianzhou’s fighting spirit.

Nor had it blinded them to the cold, ruthless nature of the universe.

Fu Xuan’s heart stirred as she reflected on the Empire’s origins.

The Xianzhou had become lost in the stars, while the Empire had come through a wormhole, stranded in a new universe.

The Xianzhou’s chances of finding their homeworld were slim.

And for the Empire? Even slimmer.

The Imperial Road Home was one even a thousand generations had failed to cross.

And yet, their Governor had been sent forth to develop the frontier, to build footholds against oncoming threats, and to continue the dream of their ancestors—to find the road back.

Chen Lin had once said—

"The [Terran Federation] rose because its people believed—"

"A reed boat can cross even the deepest abyss."

Fu Xuan closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them with renewed determination.

"If we move, we move with the force of a thousand thunderclaps."

"We strike once—and the entire galaxy will tremble."

Just then, Phantylia’s voice echoed in Chen Lin’s mind.

"A message from the border base—Miss Asta and Lady Herta have arrived."

"Good. Now that everyone is here, send invitations to the other leaders—it's time to announce the formation of the Interstellar Rift Community."

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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!