Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [271]

The two judges from the Ten Lords Commission knew they weren’t welcome, so they had kept their distance from the delegation from the start. After all, on the Xianzhou, no one ever wished to see a judge from the Ten Lords Commission in their lifetime.

Because of this, the commotion they caused went unnoticed by the rest of the envoy.

Huohuo’s tail, having come back to life, flicked with a look of utter disdain.

"You know what this looks like? It’s like those news stories on the forums—the ones with clickbait titles like ‘[XXX Idol's Scandal Serves as a Warning to the Entertainment Industry: Stop Overhyping Fandoms]’. A bunch of fools blindly worshipping their idols, only to get screwed over and still count money for them. I’m saving you here! Do you even have any self-awareness? It’s fine to admire someone from a distance on stage, but do you really think you can handle getting close?"

“Uuuh… Tail, don’t say it like that…”

“Hmph! If you really fall into that pit, you won’t even get a chance to turn back. Do you think everyone will put up with you the way I do? The real world isn't that nice…”

"Alright, alright, Lord Chen Lin isn’t as bad as you make him out to be. And the stories about him are true—every single person in Luofu really does owe him their lives. That’s an undeniable fact."

Hanya, rubbing her face, grabbed the tail that was zipping around in the air and smacked it back behind Huohuo. Her expression was a bit odd. "You never reacted this strongly before."

"B-b-bullshit! I just can’t stand this little coward mumbling about him all day, okay?"

“Well… you’re the one sealed inside me, so it’s not like I had a choice.”

"Sealed my ass. Sooner or later, I’ll make you rip that seal apart—ptuh!"

"You think I wanna be stuck with you? H-hey, wait! And I don’t mumble about him all the time…"

Huohuo trailed off mid-sentence, her voice growing smaller the moment her tail let out a sharp “Hmm?” She glanced at Hanya for help, looking pitiful.

Hanya had practically watched her young colleague grow up. At her core, Huohuo was too kind, a little too soft-hearted—mostly due to the hardships she’d endured as a child.

As for her tail, it was a fragment of the Aeon Ix, "The Blazing Sun," known as Liaoyuan. Due to various unexpected circumstances, it had ended up parasitically attached to Huohuo's tail. The one who had originally overseen its sealing had been none other than Hanya herself, and it was largely due to her maneuvering that Huohuo had ended up joining the Ten Lords Commission.

It was a complicated situation, but ultimately, all that mattered was that the tail wasn’t an outright evil presence. At worst, it was just a bit foul-mouthed. Even if it never said a word, anyone who spent time around it would realize—it actually took good care of Huohuo.

Hanya chose her words carefully before speaking. "Tail, the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations is a major event, one being closely watched by the Six Charioteers and even the Marshal. I’m sure you’ve heard about the debt Lord Chen Lin is owed by Luofu—every bit of it is true, without a shred of exaggeration.

"The people of both nations are just as invested in this alliance. For Luofu, the Empire’s resource and technological aid are invaluable. If we really break it down, Luofu has gained a tremendous advantage. Gratitude and reciprocity have always been virtues of the Xianzhou, and we must do everything we can to safeguard this friendship."

“Hold it right there! I don’t give a damn about your long-winded speeches. What does diplomacy have to do with you two judges? Don’t use it as an excuse to act all high and mighty,” the tail interrupted mercilessly.

It didn’t care about diplomacy. All it knew was that it had been perfectly fine in Luofu, only to be dragged across dozens of star systems to Jarilo-VI for no damn reason.

The wasted time was one thing, but what really grated on its nerves was having to listen to Huohuo gush about her idol nonstop throughout the trip. The more it heard, the more annoyed it became—like a guardian watching over someone for years, only to see them fawn over some outsider. It was infuriating.

At first, the tail had no particular opinion about this so-called Governor Chen Lin. It even thought he was a bit of a fool—one of those self-sacrificing types, so hopelessly naive that it was almost endearing.

But after hearing Huohuo go on and on, it started to dislike the guy. The endless rumors swirling around him only made it worse.

Supposedly, he had met Luofu’s general for the first time and immediately become sworn brothers with him. The very next day, he’d formed a sworn sibling bond with the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission. Within just a few days, he’d somehow mastered the Xianzhou’s revered arts of divination.

He had infiltrated the Alchemy Commission's secret faction and risen through the ranks as a leader, all while gathering crucial intelligence. He had given an impassioned speech to the Cloud Knights, inspiring legions of female soldiers—both young and… mature—to become his admirers.

While investigating the origins of a Stellaron, he had crossed paths with Jingliu, Luofu’s former Sword Champion, and not only had they fought to a standstill, but he had also stolen her swordsmanship. He was hailed as an unparalleled sword genius, unmatched for millennia.

And in the grand finale, he had single-handedly saved the gravely wounded general, then fought an apocalyptic being with the Ambrosial Amber of the Ambrosial Lord for ninety days straight. He had saved tens of billions of lives in Luofu, leaving countless young women swooning in his wake.

…Like hell any of that was real.

The tail had been mulling this over when it overheard Huohuo ranting about some online rumors—claims that Governor Chen Lin and the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission had a "special" relationship. The internet was full of unauthenticated accounts hyping it up, stirring controversy.

That was when the tail had an epiphany.

The Xianzhou’s political landscape had an unspoken rule: ever since the decline of the Alchemy Commission, the Divination Commission had become increasingly important. Generals ruled the fleet, commanding both military and administrative affairs, while the Diviners, who officially charted the Xianzhou’s path and future, actually wielded significant political influence. In many cases, a Diviner was considered the second-in-command of a ship.

And yet, the rumors dared to drag this "second-in-command" into gossip? What did that say about the other rumors?

It all makes sense now!

They were clearly fabricating a hero to push some political agenda!

Once that idea took root, the tail’s dislike for Chen Lin intensified. Hearing Huohuo fawn over him constantly only made it worse. And when it saw people online bragging about shaking hands with him—or worse, spinning wild tales about one-night stands—it was the last straw. Sure, those accounts got swiftly debunked and deleted, but still…

What kind of proper hero had this much scandal surrounding him?

Just like those overhyped idols from the past—pretty boys who led naive Xianzhou girls astray, leaving nothing but heartbreak behind.

And then, when the tail finally laid eyes on Chen Lin in person, it had to admit—he really was attractive, even by Aeon standards. The more it looked, the more it felt an inexplicable sense of approval.

That only made it more infuriated.

So, when Chen Lin went around greeting the embassy staff by name, the tail yanked hard on Huohuo—anything to keep this naive fool from getting completely bamboozled.

It worked. Huohuo yelped and immediately hid behind Hanya, thoroughly embarrassed. That suspicious-looking man no longer paid her any attention.

And yet, when Hanya finally asked, "Huohuo, why do you admire Lord Chen Lin so much? You’ve never even met him," the tail perked up.

Huohuo hesitated, then said shyly, "Because… what Lord Chen Lin has done is just… really amazing."

“…That’s it?”

Hanya couldn’t understand and instinctively asked again. She had a favorable impression of Chen Lin as well, but that feeling was admiration, not infatuation.

She believed that most people felt the same way, including her elder sister, Xueyi, who had briefly interacted with Chen Lin and given a similar evaluation:

"I cannot claim that I would act with such selflessness and righteousness in his place, but that does not stop me from offering him the respect he deserves. Should that lord ever require assistance, I would not hesitate to lend my aid."

But Huohuo had neither participated in handling the Stellaron crisis nor personally interacted with Chen Lin, making her level of devotion a bit baffling.

Huohuo hesitated slightly before murmuring, “Miss Hanya… do you also think I’m strange? Admiring someone I’ve never even met—it must seem ridiculous, right?”

“Not necessarily.”

“I-I just… I just remembered how things used to be. Back then, when they bullied me, no one helped me. My tail was completely sealed, so I had to endure all the gossip by myself… even from my parents…”

Tch! Now you think of me? If I hadn’t been locked down at the time, I would’ve taught those little brats a lesson!

The tail remained silent but was practically seething.

Hearing Huohuo’s trembling, aggrieved voice, Hanya’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Alright, no one’s blaming you. The past is—"

“A lot of people were sent to the Ten Lords Commission around that time. I heard they were all affected by the Stellaron… wasn’t that the case?”

Hanya fell silent for a few seconds before nodding. “Yes.”

Huohuo spoke even softer. “Then later, the officials said that the Aeon of Destruction’s Calamity King had infiltrated Luofu, and that it might cause an even greater disaster. But Luofu was completely locked down—no one could escape, right?”

Hanya nodded again. “Mm…”

“Then the Divination Commission sent word that the Lord Ravager had infiltrated Ambrosial Arbor, likely using it to construct a new body, making it far stronger than before. And then the General was seriously wounded… A lot of judges said that Luofu was doomed, that everyone was going to die there—just like how I once thought I’d be bullied to death. Isn’t that right?”

Huohuo pressed her lips together, then stubbornly lifted her head.

“But then… someone I didn’t even know saved me. Just like how, when I was little, I dreamed that some hero would come to save me. Lord Chen Lin fought with everything he had for a group of strangers. I—I think that lord is nothing like those performers on stage. Even mentioning them in the same breath as him is an insult! To me, he’s a truly great man—he’s a hero who descended from the heavens!!”

Hanya couldn’t deny these irrefutable facts. She could only sigh softly and ruffle Huohuo’s hair.

“I can’t say whether your feelings are appropriate or not, but your stance isn’t wrong. Just keep a level head.”

The tail clicked its tongue—tsk!—realizing it had nothing to refute.

"That said…” Hanya patiently reminded, “Huohuo, you shouldn’t put Lord Chen Lin on too high a pedestal. He said so himself in an interview on the Xianzhou—he only did what anyone trapped on the Xianzhou should have done. He even warned against deifying him as some flawless figure."

"I know," Huohuo replied seriously. "And Miss Hanya, you forgot something. After that, Lord Chen Lin also said, ‘I am not perfect. To say I am is to do me harm. A horse runs a thousand miles without stumbling only because it treads carefully. A person makes fewer mistakes in life by keeping constant vigilance.’"

“Huh?”

Hanya blinked in surprise. There was such a statement?

Chen Lin had been constantly busy before leaving—either in high-level meetings at the Divination Commission or being bombarded with interviews from countless reporters. Hanya had only seen that quote floating around online. She hadn’t known exactly which interview it came from; she had simply thought it fitting and repeated it just now.

“I’ve memorized every single interview!” Huohuo declared with pride. “There are so many incredible quotes!”

As she spoke, she reached into her coat, rummaged for a moment, and pulled out a small notebook, palm-sized. “I read it every night before bed. The more I read, the more amazing I think he is!”

The tail finally couldn’t hold back its complaint: “You’re not the only one! I’ve heard these damn lines so many times I could recite them in my sleep!”

Hanya glanced at the cover of the notebook. It was well-preserved, without a single crease or blemish.

In the center of the cover, someone had neatly written in calligraphy: "Governor Chen’s Quotations." The handwriting was precise, each stroke deliberate and even. Given her experience with official documents, Hanya instantly recognized it—it was Huohuo’s handwriting.

“…By the way, Lord Chen Lin even wrote a poem for the General! It describes his story as the last of the Five Gallant Warriors standing alone on the Xianzhou…”

Huohuo grew more animated as she spoke, her voice full of excitement:

Maple leaves drift on the floating Xianzhou,
Cold sands trace the shallow stream’s flow.
After a hundred and ten years, I return to the southern tower once more.
Even now, the mooring rope is yet unsteady—
And how many days before autumn falls again?

The oarless boat rests at the broken pier—
Does my old friend still remain?
The past rivers and mountains are now filled with new sorrows.
I wish to buy osmanthus wine and drink with you once more,
But it will never be the same… as a youthful journey.

Huohuo’s eyes sparkled. “They say that when the General received the poem, he was incredibly moved. Later, he even had it framed and hung in the Divination Commission, forbidding anyone from touching it! He treasures it so much—Lord Chen Lin is truly amazing…”

Hanya: “……”

Alright. This kid is beyond saving. Pack it up. Next one.

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T/N: only 6 chapters... that means uhhh 29 chapters left? but adding that onto todays updates 34 chapters...

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!