Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [177]

Noticing the tension on Clara’s face, Serval bent down and scooped up the petite engineer, her voice filled with reassurance:

“Don’t worry. I’m confident we’ll uncover the secrets of this gate. We won’t let Chen Lin and Bronya—no, our Governor-General and Supreme Guardian—down.”

“Mm…” Clara nodded lightly, her voice soft. “But I’m worried I made a mistake in the calculations…”

“It’s fine. If we fail, we can start over. Every failure gives us more experience and helps us avoid detours next time. Experiment reports and data are more valuable than anything else.”

This was their first attempt, a maiden voyage into applying newly acquired knowledge from foreign texts. As long as issues were identified and resolved in time, there was always a way forward.

Clara bit her lip. There was something she hadn’t told Serval. While Serval was primarily responsible for materials research in this project, Clara had taken on almost everything else—most critically, integrating Svarog’s data core into the scanner.

Although Svarog was a robot, it had been significantly influenced by psionics, undergoing extraordinary changes.

The other challenge was calculating the scanner’s operational speed. Clara had pored over mountains of data without rest, repeating her calculations over and over.

Her conclusion? From activation to processing the results, the scanner would take…

Two hours.

Even Clara found the number astonishing. She couldn’t shake the nagging doubt that she might have miscalculated somewhere.

By the time the two stepped out, Clara’s scanner had already been loaded onto the installation track. It moved slowly toward its designated position, where it would be secured in place.

Once the monitoring equipment confirmed all the data was correct, the team would await Svarog’s response from Jarilo-VI to determine if the installation was successful.

In the ship’s cabin, hundreds of scientists sat at their stations, eyes fixed on their screens, monitoring the data being transmitted to Svarog’s database. So far, there were no major issues.

Among the psionically enhanced Jarilo-VI residents, multitasking had become second nature. For psionics practitioners, it wasn’t unheard of to handle five tasks simultaneously with ease.

As Belobog’s saying went: A psionic is their own supercomputer.

With additional computing systems to support them, achieving synergy that surpassed 1+1=2 was effortless.

“Construction bay and installation chamber extension complete. No anomalies detected!”

“Cargo rails successfully aligned. Sealing installation passage!”

“Installation passage sealed. Connection integrity at 99.97%. Installation conditions met!”

“Installation components accounted for and delivered…”
“Engineering robots in position. Mission confirmed: Install Matter Scanner K3!”

Sitting at the central control station, Clara listened to the orderly reports from the monitoring team. Her eyes were glued to the glowing green L-gate outside the window, her expression dazed.

“Go on, this is our first step toward actively exploring the vast universe. As the chief engineer, it’s your responsibility to give the final command,” Serval encouraged, gently patting Clara’s head.

Since Jarilo-VI’s liberation and its integration into the Empire, Clara had been on a specialized nutritionist’s regimen. Her once brittle hair now glowed with vitality.

“Oh… oh!”

Clara picked up her headset and, with a timid voice, announced:

“C-confirmation complete. Begin project installation!”

Behind the research ship, the engineering vessel’s mechanical tracks roared to life. Despite the stabilizing engines, both ships shuddered as the operation commenced.

The AI system Clara had developed—leveraging the aid team’s wealth of materials—provided real-time progress updates on the installation.

The entire process was broadcast live to households across Jarilo-VI. Everyone watching held their breath, including the many idle members of the aid team.

Since arriving on Jarilo-VI, the aid team members—many of whom were seasoned scholars with centuries of experience—had been utterly floored. How could a civilization with only a rudimentary grasp of electricity develop such advanced aerospace capabilities in just over a month?

Who would believe that a nation previously ignorant of digital technology could now construct space stations and armed vessels?

Spacefaring materials, which had long stymied countless civilizations, were treated like child’s play here. As long as the data and reference materials were provided, Jarilo-VI scientists could produce results in a day—sometimes half a day—without understanding how they managed it.

Particularly baffling was the chief engineer, a petite girl often seen in a red coat. When questioned, her answers were always the same:

“Clara thought it might work, so… it just kind of happened.”

This casual response crushed the spirits of many self-proclaimed geniuses.

The scientists of Jarilo-VI exhibited a terrifying learning speed. Subjects that typically required years to master were absorbed in a fraction of the time—reduced by as much as 95%.

This left the aid team, employed by Asta to assist with the planet’s development, utterly speechless.

Jarilo-VI changed by the day. What was a rainforest yesterday might be a bustling metropolis by morning, teeming with people who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

At first, the aid team was involved in meaningful work. But soon, they found themselves caught in a perpetual cycle of having their understanding shattered and rebuilt.

Experienced scientists theorized that this staggering development speed was linked to psionics. With the Qlipoth Fort’s approval, many of them dove into studying the Psionic Theory Trilogy, hoping to bring back groundbreaking research.

Although they couldn’t match Belobogians’ ability to stay awake for ten days straight without fatigue, they worked tirelessly. Progress, however, remained elusive.

Psionic theory made sense, and Jarilo-VI’s people could prove its viability. But no one knew how to develop psionic potential—or why the Great Awakening had occurred.

They suspected it was linked to the Empire’s mysterious phenomenon that enveloped Jarilo-VI the day it was annexed.

It likely had something to do with the Empire.

But those questions could wait. What mattered now was the Empire’s gift to the galaxy: a new frontier of research into mental power!

Serval stood with arms crossed in front of the screen, her gaze unwavering as she watched the engineering robots maneuver the installation modules into place. Gently brushing a bead of sweat from her temple, she muttered, “The installation has begun.”

“……”

Clara clenched her fists tightly, resting them on her knees.

The breathtaking sights of outer space, once so novel and wondrous to her, no longer held any allure. At this moment, her only wish was for the scanner to function properly and for the installation process to proceed smoothly.

Chen Lin had told her that Jarilo-VI lagged far behind other planets, requiring several times—if not dozens of times—the effort just to catch up.

Although he didn’t say what might happen if they failed, Clara feared Chen Lin would be deeply disappointed.

After all the research data and materials he had provided from various fields, if they couldn’t make progress in studying the cosmos, Clara couldn’t imagine what kind of face she’d have to show to the brother who had once cared for her so attentively.

When the connection points were successfully locked into place, Clara knew the critical moment had arrived. During the scanner's operation, its internal fusion energy core would generate temperatures in the tens of millions of degrees. This issue had stumped Clara for some time until she found a solution in a book left behind by Chen Lin.

By altering the structure of atomic nuclei, it was possible to create a cooling layer. After tens of thousands of experiments, Clara had finally combined psionics with technology to craft a device capable of autonomously adjusting atomic structures.

In simulated environments, the device had worked flawlessly, but Clara couldn’t help but worry. Would her handmade solution perform reliably under the unpredictable variables of the universe?

Through her earpiece, the data monitoring team reported the latest readings. Each report was repeated only twice, yet Clara committed every single one of the hundreds of numbers to memory.

After verifying the calculations, Clara tightened her legs and focused, her determined gaze settling on the control panel. One by one, she began manipulating the controls in sequence.

However, due to her small stature, Clara had to stand on her chair to reach some of the levers.

Whirr—
Buzz—

The engineering robots returned to the engineering vessel, and the installation passage detached from the ship's hull. Watching Clara’s tense expression, Serval couldn’t help but feel as though she were dreaming.

It reminded her of the first time she ventured into space and realized the history books she’d studied weren’t just fiction—there truly was a boundless sky beyond the sky.

Serval loved this infinite expanse. Here, she could witness phenomena she had never seen before, each more extraordinary than the last.

Since her first space voyage, Serval had made up her mind about her future. Once Clara was capable of handling responsibilities on her own, Serval planned to formally apply to Bronya and Chen Lin to become a scientific explorer. She wanted to traverse this vast, uncharted expanse as part of Jarilo-VI’s exploratory mission.

At the very least… she wanted to fully explore the star system Jarilo-VI called home.

After Belobog’s regime change and the purging of the old Builders' families, her former treason charges had been cleared. Both High Guardian Bronya and Governor-General Chen Lin had personally exonerated her.

The leaders publicly released long-sealed records and investigative reports proving that not only was Serval innocent of treason, but she had spent nearly a decade researching the Stellaron to protect Belobog from its cold disaster. Her findings had conclusively linked the Stellaron to the perpetual freeze.

The treason accusation stemmed from the Stellaron's corruption of many within the Krippe Palace, reducing them to puppets bent on self-destruction.

Her estranged family members—parents, uncles, and aunts—had attempted to reconcile, apologizing earnestly for their past misjudgment. Yet, some wounds would take time to heal, and the only one who frequently visited her now was her younger sister, Lynx, who had recently returned from her adventures abroad.

Serval bore no resentment toward her spirited younger sibling. After all, during her darkest days, it was Lynx’s aid that had kept her afloat.

These days, Lynx often begged Serval to take her on planetary exploration missions—perhaps to one of the two habitable planets currently featured in Jarilo-VI’s news.

Serval didn’t mind indulging her sister’s adventurous spirit. If the timing was right, she wouldn’t hesitate to show Lynx the wonders beyond Jarilo-VI.

“You’ve got this, Clara. If Chen Lin learns about this, he’ll be so proud of you,” Serval encouraged the nervous girl in a soft voice. She added a gentle reminder: “Don’t forget to inform Seele of the next step so the fleet can respond accordingly.”

As a co-leader of the project, Serval fully understood the potential dangers of the fusion-powered device Clara had adapted from a warship’s engine. If something went wrong, the resulting explosion could wreak havoc on nearby ships.

Though Clara could undoubtedly repair any damaged vessels, it was best to avoid such risks altogether.

“Y-yes! I’ll do that!”

Snapping out of her daze, Clara hastily contacted Seele aboard the lead flagship.

A moment later, the projection of a stoic girl appeared, a blade of grass dangling lazily from her lips. Arms crossed, Seele paced back and forth, her sharp silhouette seeming to flicker like a mirage.

Her demeanor was inexplicably cool.

Clara froze for a second before blurting out, “Seele, we’re ready on our end. You can move to a safe distance now.”

Seele nodded, spitting the grass to the side. “Got it. Notify all units to prepare for phase-space entry in one minute! Oh… how long will this take again?”

“Two hours!”

“Two hours? No problem. I was worried it’d take several days.”

Relieved, Seele activated her newfound ability from her second awakening. She could now drag an entire fleet into quantum phase space, shielding them from external threats while maintaining normal movement. Moreover, phase-space allowed her fleet to launch one-sided attacks through temporary space apertures.

In other words, under Seele’s full power, her fleet could bombard enemies for days while remaining untouchable.

Exactly one minute later, the ships surrounding the L-gate vanished into thin air, leaving only the scanner mounted against the massive gate.

…

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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!