Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [141]

When it came to the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, Bailu’s understanding of the organization was limited. All she knew was that it was a group of lunatics, relying on deceit and coercion to recruit members, even violating the laws of the Xianzhou in their obsessive pursuit of the Aeon of Abundance, Yaoshi.

She didn’t recognize the Mara-struck youth before her, but when he briefly reverted to his original form, Bailu noticed that he was wearing the uniform of the Alchemy Commission.

The uniforms of the Xianzhou’s Six Commissions were meticulously documented, with built-in methods to verify their authenticity. There had never been reports of people impersonating Commission staff for fraudulent activities or other crimes.

The punishment for impersonating Commission personnel was so severe that no one dared to cross that line—risking a lifetime in prison, or worse.

“Medicine King’s…”

“Keep your voice down,” Chen Lin interrupted. “Don’t make this public.”

“Oh.” Bailu lowered her voice and said, “The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus is like a maggot clinging to the Xianzhou. I often see reports in the Divination Commission archives of the Cloud Knights breaking up their groups and rescuing outworlders who came to the Xianzhou seeking immortality, preventing them from succumbing to Mara-struck.”

Seeking immortality on the Xianzhou was taboo. Most Xianzhou residents held deep resentment toward the concept, likely tied to the ship’s history.

For a Xianzhou native, attempting to obtain immortality often led not to eternal life, but to a shortened one—with the Cloud Knights inevitably arriving to intervene.

“They’re worse than you,” Bailu grumbled, her tail bristling with indignation. “Those hypocrites turn people into Mara-struck and have the audacity to call it ‘true immortality.’ I’ve treated many outworlders who consumed their so-called medicine. Most of them fell gravely ill after just one or two doses. Even if they survived, the aftereffects haunted them for the rest of their short lives.”

“I see.”

Chen Lin didn’t deny Bailu’s jab about him being a “bad guy.” Instead, he fell into thought.

The day before, during his discussion with Jing Yuan, the general had mentioned the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus several times. He hinted that the group was one of the Xianzhou’s internal threats, noting their recent surge in activity. The Cloud Knights had been actively hunting them down, driving them into disarray—but eradicating them completely seemed impossible.

A parasite embedded in the ship’s bones.

Chen Lin didn’t mind currying favor with Jing Yuan by sharing what he had extracted from the Mara-struck youth’s memories. As the leader of the Luofu, Jing Yuan was already juggling numerous crises, and the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus alone was enough to give him headaches.

The youth’s identity, in particular, was critical. If even a member of the Alchemy Commission—a branch of the Six Commissions—had been turned, the situation on the Xianzhou was far graver than Jing Yuan had implied.

How interesting.

Chen Lin wasn’t sure why the Stellaron Hunters had gone out of their way to maneuver him into coming here. What did they stand to gain? Regardless, the Xianzhou was full of opportunities for him to exploit, and that was enough.

He decided to use this information to strengthen his rapport with Jing Yuan, leveraging it to gain the upper hand. Strengthening their “brotherly bond” was an added bonus.

While Chen Lin’s thoughts raced, Bailu waved the small gourd in her hand.

“Are you really not going to treat him?”

“Dragon Maiden, if you think he’s worth saving, you’re welcome to try,” Chen Lin replied with a wry smile.

Bailu withdrew the gourd. “I hate traitors the most. He’s lucky if I don’t smack him so hard his parents wouldn’t recognize him. Treat him? Over my dead body!”

Chen Lin raised an eyebrow at her response. Not bad. The Vidyadhara really are something else—aggressive as ever.

She was far fiercer than many women he knew.

“Sure you don’t want to try? What if I’m tricking you?”

“Do I look stupid to you?” Bailu huffed. “I may not have met you before, but your name’s Chen Lin, right? Yesterday, my maids were talking about how Diviner Fu Xuan had formally invited an honored guest named Chen Lin to the Divination Commission. Unless you’re brainless, there’s no reason for you to lie to me.”

With that, Bailu turned her attention to the other injured people, distributing medicinal powders and carefully instructing them on how to use them.

She’s sharp. Much harder to fool than Fu Xuan.

Losing interest in teasing her, Chen Lin decided to call for Tingyun and head to the Divine Dignitary Hall to meet Jing Yuan.

Before he could speak, however, Bailu’s anxious voice cut through the air. Her childlike tone was laced with urgency.

“Not good! Someone, hold him down and get this medicine into him!”

“I’ll help, Dragon Maiden—ugh…”

One of the nearby Cloud Knights tried to assist but collapsed mid-run, convulsing violently.

“Alai, what’s wr—ugh…”

Another Cloud Knight rushed to help, only to crumple in the same way.

In a matter of moments, Bailu was surrounded by three Cloud Knights writhing on the ground, teetering on the verge of Mara-struck. Tears welled in her eyes as panic set in.

Are you here to help or to cause trouble?!

Despite her frustration, Bailu adhered to her healer’s duties, raising her voice to alert others to the situation.

“They’re showing signs of Mara-struck! Help me, quick!”

No sooner had she spoken than the transformation took hold. The three knights, who should have had days—or even weeks—before succumbing, fully mutated into grotesque half-human, half-demon forms. In a blur, they leapt to their feet, ready to attack.

Most onlookers were too stunned to react. In the chaos, Chen Lin moved first.

Unaffected by the fear that gripped others, Chen Lin used his psionic abilities to yank Bailu away while sprinting toward her.

Bailu felt an invisible hand grab her carefully maintained tail, lifting her off the ground as she tumbled backward and landed on Chen Lin’s shoulder.

The Mara-struck knights moved with terrifying speed, covering dozens of meters in a single bound. In an instant, they were airborne, their weapons raised to strike at Chen Lin.

Chen Lin didn’t flinch. He calmly reminded Bailu to hold on before summoning a discarded longsword to his hand. As the blade rose, he swung it with all his might.

Clang!

Crash!

The longsword in Chen Lin’s hand snapped cleanly in two as it swept toward the three Mara-struck soldiers, leaving only a broken hilt. His attempt to look cool had failed spectacularly.

“Damn it. Should’ve picked up a few moves from Seele,” Chen Lin thought with regret. If he had, he could’ve dispatched them with a flashier technique.

Truth be told, Chen Lin didn’t know how to use a sword—or any melee weapon, for that matter.

Snap!

With a single snap of his fingers, Chen Lin altered the spatial data around the Mara-struck soldiers. Their airborne forms abruptly dropped, slamming into the ground with a heavy thud.

Over time, Chen Lin had grown quite adept at handling Mara-struck individuals. Without hesitation, he grabbed the nearest blunt object, gave each of them a solid whack on the head, invaded their minds, and erased their memories. It was a seamless, almost rehearsed routine.

In mere moments, the terrifying Mara-struck forms reverted to their original human appearances. The surrounding Cloud Knights, who had been holding their breath, stared in stunned silence. Even Bailu, who had been complaining about being carried on Chen Lin’s shoulder, was left speechless.

A miracle healer, alive and in the flesh!

Bailu couldn’t help but reassess her impression of this strange, troublesome man.

He’s actually kind of… impressive?

“It’s done. They’ll be unconscious for a while and forget a few things, but they’ll wake up fine,” Chen Lin said, turning his head to address Bailu.

Still dazed, Bailu finally managed to speak. “Put me down, put me down! I need to check on them!”

Only then did Chen Lin remember he was still carrying her. He set her down by tucking her under his arm and gently placing her on the ground.

Examining the three soldiers, Bailu found that neither their pulse nor complexion showed any signs of the Mara-struck condition. It was as if their horrifying transformations had never happened.

“Incredible…” Bailu murmured, her eyes wide. “Does he have some secret medicine hidden in his hand?”

She recalled how Chen Lin had restored the Alchemy Commission youth earlier with just a touch. She couldn’t help but suspect he had slipped some miraculous medicine or exotic herb to these Mara-struck individuals—how else could they recover so completely and so suddenly?

“I deeply apologize, Dragon Maiden. I…” The Cloud Knight captain bowed his head in shame, blood still dripping from the bandage on his shoulder.

“Here, take this blood-staunching pill. The earlier chaos wasn’t your fault.” Bailu poured two pills from her gourd, then paused. “Wait—where’s that troublemaker?”

“You mean Governor Chen Lin?”

“Yes! Wasn’t he just here?”

“Governor Chen left with Miss Tingyun. I didn’t ask where they were going,” the captain admitted awkwardly. “Also, Dragon Maiden, shouldn’t you be returning to the Alchemy Commission?”

At that, Bailu suddenly remembered her original predicament. She’d been playing hide-and-seek with the Cloud Knights sent to find her. Her plan had been to stay hidden until nightfall, sneak out for some barbecue, and then return. However, seeing so many injured people had compelled her to come out and help.

Hearing the captain’s reminder, Bailu pouted.

“I don’t want to! Without me, you wouldn’t have found those injured soldiers. Is this how you treat your savior?”

“Er… Dragon Maiden, please understand. We’re under orders. If we see you but fail to bring you back, it’ll be hard for us to explain ourselves…”

Bailu turned her head in defiance. “Not my problem! I saved lives today. Without me, a lot more people would’ve died.”

The captain lowered his head in guilt, while Bailu’s eyes glinted mischievously.

“Unless… the gatekeeper at the Vidyadhara Domain falls asleep tonight!”

“Dragon Maiden, I’m tonight’s gatekeeper. If you’re willing, I could… take a short nap.”

The captain had no other choice. Most of his team was injured, and if Bailu decided to run, they couldn’t stop her without risking further harm to themselves.

Bailu’s face lit up. “Deal! But if you dare trick me, I’ll charge your team ten times the usual fee for medical treatments!”

In the Divine Dignitary Hall, Jing Yuan had dismissed everyone from the main hall ten minutes earlier after receiving Chen Lin’s message. Now, Chen Lin sat across from him, sipping tea as he recounted the day’s events.

When Jing Yuan heard that an Alchemy Commission member had ties to the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and had publicly transformed into an intelligent Mara-struck to attack Cloud Knights, his brows furrowed deeply.

“The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus has been on our radar for some time. They’ve become increasingly active recently. Despite our efforts, their decentralized structure makes it nearly impossible to eradicate them completely,” Jing Yuan said with a sigh. “Between the mundane affairs of the Xianzhou and the sudden resurgence of this group, my workload is endless.”

“Don’t be so hasty, Big Brother,” Chen Lin said, taking a sip of tea. “Organizations like this aren’t unique to the Xianzhou. When you’re overwhelmed, prioritize. Identify the biggest troublemakers and take them out first—that’ll send a clear message to the rest.”

“You’re right, as always,” Jing Yuan replied with a nod. “Many similar groups have emerged in the past, but none have been as persistent as the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. The fact that they managed to infiltrate the Alchemy Commission and manipulate its members is deeply troubling…”

“Then we’ll need to strike hard!” Both men declared in unison.

After a brief pause, Chen Lin asked with a sly smile, “How does Big Brother plan to strike?”

“I haven’t decided yet. What would you suggest?” Jing Yuan inquired.

Chen Lin’s grin widened. “Why not just kill them all? Root out every member, and while you’re at it, eliminate their families too. If someone dares to stab me in the back, I make sure to wipe out their entire lineage—down to the last chicken and dog.”

“…” Jing Yuan froze, sensing the jest in Chen Lin’s tone. He quickly waved his hand with a strained smile. “You jest, Brother. Only the guilty deserve punishment. While those involved should face death, their families are rarely implicated—unless the crimes are monstrous.”

“True, Big Brother.” Chen Lin chuckled. “But it seems like you don’t have the resources to handle the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus right now?”

“As you’ve guessed,” Jing Yuan admitted with a shake of his head. “The Cloud Knights are already stretched thin, and I didn’t expect the group to infiltrate this deeply.”

Chen Lin leaned forward. “While searching that Alchemy Commission youth’s memories, I saw images of a meeting in the alleys near Exalting Sanctum. He seemed to have met someone there…”

Chen Lin trailed off meaningfully, fixing Jing Yuan with a knowing look.

Jing Yuan immediately understood. Though he hadn’t intended to prioritize dealing with the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, their infiltration of the Six Commissions demanded immediate action. He couldn’t risk the potential fallout on the Six Commissions’ reputation—or his own authority.

After a moment’s deliberation, Jing Yuan nodded. “Brother, would you be willing to handle this matter for me? Whether you succeed or not, I’ll forever remember this favor. Whatever you need in the future, as long as it’s within my power—even if it bends the rules—I won’t refuse.”

“Hey!” Chen Lin feigned annoyance. “What’s with the formalities? Big Brother’s business is my business.”

He raised his cup and clinked it against Jing Yuan’s.

“Big Brother, before I go, let me give you some advice.” Chen Lin paused, then said, “When you find a rat hair in your food, it usually means the kitchen’s infested. These vermin breed quickly, so be vigilant.”

“Thank you for the warning, Brother.” Jing Yuan stood and bowed. “I’ll leave the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus to you. Here is a military token for Exalting Sanctum. It grants you authority to mobilize the local Cloud Knights as needed. If you encounter any issues, don’t hesitate to use it.”

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T/N: frig yea I don't know what the correct locations areee if you know please tell me

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!