Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [258]

The sudden disappearance of a massive amount of psionic energy lasted no more than ten seconds. Even before it ended, Chen Lin had a hunch that the cause lay with the [Zroni Nexus] itself—after all, he hadn’t forgotten how it had once begged him for food.

However, when Chen Lin shifted his gaze back to the [Zroni Nexus], he found that all living beings within were now shrouded in a thick, milky-white mist, so dense it resembled liquid. He could only make out their rough silhouettes.

As he called out to the [Zroni Nexus], it responded by transmitting a pre-prepared emotional signal. When translated, its meaning was simple—

— Full. Want to sleep.

Chen Lin couldn’t help but laugh at that. Thinking back to when he had first acquired the [Zroni Nexus], this place had been nothing more than a barren expanse of desert with a few scattered specks of [Zro Dust]. The idea that it would one day develop enough to communicate emotions to him had never even crossed his mind.

It was only after he began producing [Zro Dust] and, whether intentionally or not, feeding the [Zroni Nexus] that life gradually took root here. Occasionally, he could even sense the faint emotions it conveyed.

At first, those emotions were incredibly simple—just joy and disappointment. If he had to translate them into actions, they would probably equate to nodding and shaking one’s head.

But now, after consuming the entire Phantylia, the [Zroni Nexus]’s consciousness had clearly become far more developed. Chen Lin didn’t quite understand why he could now interpret its emotions with such clarity, beyond just simple yes-or-no responses.

The whole thing felt oddly intimate—so much so that it was almost as if he were some kind of parasite living inside the [Zroni Nexus]’s stomach, understanding its every need with uncanny precision.

After verifying that the [Zroni Nexus]’s functions were still operational—aside from its inability to execute complex commands for the time being—Chen Lin confirmed that simple tasks like coordinate teleportation and opening portals remained unaffected. Satisfied, he decided to let it "rest" undisturbed and led the group toward the central area of the Mechanical City.

...

Crunch.

Crunch, crunch—

Gulp—

The crisp sound of chewing suddenly stopped. Seele, feeling a gaze fixed on her back, instinctively turned around—only to be met with a pair of pitiful, longing eyes.

She sighed, then reached into her phase space, rummaging around before silently handing over another dozen large, thick packs of biscuits—along with several bottles of water.

"Phan—"

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but after a brief pause, she decided against it.

Crunch, crunch—

The group walked on for another thirty seconds, accompanied by the sound of hurried chewing. The moment that noise ceased, however, Seele immediately understood—those frail, expectant eyes would be looking at her again in no time.

"Young Mistress…"

"Phantylia, you—aren’t you eating a bit too much? That much food can’t be good for you…" Seele’s gaze dropped to Phantylia’s noticeably bloated stomach. "You’ve already eaten what would normally sustain a soldier for ninety-five days. This definitely isn’t normal! I’m worried you’re going to overeat yourself to death! No! That’s it! I’m not giving you any more!"

Seele had seen far too many tragic cases before. Back when Brother Lin first arrived in the Underworld and revolutionized agriculture, bringing a massive surge in hydroponic crop production, he had ordered the Wildfire members to distribute food to all the townspeople.

Yet by the very next day, several wandering children—kids just like the one Seele had once been—had already eaten themselves to death.

They had starved for so long that they couldn’t stop themselves. No matter how much others tried to dissuade them, they devoured the entire portion of rice they were given in a single day. Then, after falling asleep with full bellies, they never woke up again…

When Seele learned of this, she had been so furious she nearly passed out. Both Chen Lin and Natasha had made it clear that people who had been starving for too long could not eat large amounts of food all at once. Those distributing rations had repeated these warnings over and over. But the Wildfire members were stretched too thin—they couldn’t possibly monitor every single person’s meals and rest.

And so, the tragedy had unfolded before her very eyes.

Psionic users, on the other hand, could replenish their energy through both food and cultivation. Since each person’s psionic attributes varied, their digestion and absorption rates differed as well. Some soldiers could rapidly generate psionic power through eating, with the record holder consuming nearly eight times the standard ration in one sitting—yet still remaining perfectly fine.

Phantylia, who could leap from tens of thousands of meters in the air without a scratch, probably wouldn’t be harmed by overeating either.

But as the sheer scale of her consumption spiraled out of control, Seele had to admit—it was starting to seriously freak her out.

After all, that so-called "big eater" in the military had taken over two hours to finish his eight portions.

Realizing this, Seele immediately ran ahead. "Brother Lin! You need to come take a look at your bodyguard!"

Chen Lin had been watching this unfold the entire time. At first, he had simply found it odd that Phantylia had suddenly developed an appetite. Given her physical body, she had absolutely no need to rely on such an inefficient method to replenish her energy.

At first, he had assumed that she was simply indulging in the sensation of eating after going so long without it—perhaps using it as a way to pass the time while they traveled, or as a means of blending in. So he hadn’t given it much thought.

But now, watching her consume food at an utterly absurd rate, he realized something was seriously off. If she were merely trying to maintain the facade of an organic being, this was going way beyond that.

This wasn’t just eating—this was completely breaking character.

Who the hell could consume three months’ worth of military rations in half an hour?!

Chen Lin frowned. "This isn’t right. Stop giving her food. Let me take a look at what’s going on."

"Master…"

She was certain that this insatiable hunger overwhelming her was caused by that mysterious projection. And yet, she couldn’t even put it into words. All she could do was vaguely hint at it.

"I know my stomach is full, but I’m still so hungry…"

This was baffling—utterly baffling.

At first, she could still rely on her psionic power to break down the food she consumed. But as she ate more and more, her attention kept drifting toward finding even more to eat, delaying her ability to catalyze digestion. Eventually, her rate of consumption far outpaced her ability to break down what she had already eaten.

Now, she could feel the discomfort setting in. After all, that was over a hundred pounds of high-calorie food, plus the water and drinks she had downed—her total intake had probably increased by another thirty percent. Even with her flawless physique, she was starting to feel unwell.

Phantylia knew exactly what would happen if she kept eating like this. But she simply couldn’t resist the urge to consume. The moment the thought of asking for help surfaced, it was immediately crushed beneath an overwhelming, bottomless hunger.

The three people behind her fell into stunned silence.

Was she playing some kind of contradiction game with them?

As she spoke, crystal-clear saliva began to drip from the corners of her mouth. She tried desperately to suppress it, but the sheer agony in her eyes was impossible to hide.

No one here—except Chen Lin—knew that this mischievous little fox spirit, always joking around yet ruthlessly efficient when it mattered, was actually one of the infamous Lord Ravagers.

And if even a Lord Ravager was barely able to suppress this consuming hunger… Just how terrifying was it?

If an ordinary person were affected by this same force, they would have already lost their minds and started devouring anything within reach.

"I’ll check you over." Chen Lin stepped beside Phantylia, who was trembling uncontrollably. Without turning his head, he ordered, "Seele, give her more food."

"Huh?"

"Huh, what? Just do it, now!"

"Got it!"

Hearing the urgency in his voice, Seele stopped hesitating. She didn’t ask why—she simply pulled out a massive stack of canned food, dry rations, water, and drinks, placing them directly into Phantylia’s hands.

She didn’t understand why Chen Lin was doing this, but experience—and her unwavering trust in him—told her that he must have a reason.

As Chen Lin focused his consciousness, delving into Phantylia’s body to examine her, he reassured her, "Eat. I’ll cover for you. You won’t be harmed."

With pinpoint accuracy, he created a small portal to the [Zroni Nexus] at the top of her stomach. Any food she swallowed would be transported away, preventing further buildup. After clearing out the massive chunks of food she had swallowed whole without even attempting to chew, he turned his attention toward her brain.

That was where her true essence resided. He had visited it many times before, and finding it should have been—

"Huh?"

Chen Lin froze.

Her core, the parasitic psionic flame that made up her very existence—was nowhere to be found.

His voice immediately rang through their mental link. "Where did you go?"

Phantylia continued mindlessly devouring food, cramming multiple large biscuits into her mouth at once and swallowing them whole. Even Seele, watching from the side, was utterly dumbfounded.

Hearing Chen Lin’s voice, Phantylia instinctively responded through their link, "I’m righ—"

Before she could finish, a thunderous realization struck her, halting even her frenzied eating for several seconds.

It was… oddly heartwarming.

She had no idea where she was.

Panicking, she stammered, "M-Master… where am I?!"

Chen Lin’s expression remained blank. "You’re asking me?"

Phantylia nearly lost her mind. Her core—her very life essence—was gone. If it had disappeared, that would mean she was already dead.

But if she was dead… who was she?

Who killed me?
Who did I kill?

Countless questions raced through her mind, colliding chaotically. For the first time, she stopped eating entirely. Compared to the endless hunger clawing at her insides, the fear of death was far more terrifying.

Chen Lin’s voice rang out again. "You’re still alive. Our contract remains intact."

"Oh… Oh, that’s right…"

Feeling the steady link of their contract reassured her. She had simply panicked too much to sense it.

With that, she immediately resumed her gluttonous feast.

Chen Lin scoured her body from within but still couldn’t locate her core. Instead, he found something else—an unfamiliar energy, spreading insidiously across portions of her brain. It had latched onto her proteins and cells, displaying an extremely aggressive expansion pattern.

This energy was undoubtedly psionic in nature. But what kind of psionic power was this?

Chen Lin had never encountered anything like it. He memorized its properties as best he could before preparing to purge it.

He had expected this process to be incredibly difficult.

But the moment he willed the energy to be gone—

It vanished. Completely.

Just like that.

With the interference gone, Chen Lin tried once more to locate Phantylia’s core…

And still, he found nothing.

Instead, he sensed traces of her essence within every single cell of her body.

"What…?"

Chen Lin was stunned. He had no idea what was happening.

Meanwhile, Phantylia, still devouring food in desperation, suddenly noticed something—

The hunger, that relentless torment gnawing at her very being, was disappearing. In mere moments, it was as if it had never been there at all.

"I’m not hungry! Not hungry anymore!" she cried out in joy.

Silently, Seele began collecting the untouched rations from the ground, thinking to herself, All that food could feed a hundred people for two days. If she were still hungry after that, then I’d be seeing ghosts…

But before Phantylia could enjoy her relief, a new fear set in.

"Wait… where am I?!"

"?"

Seele, Serval, and Gepard all tilted their heads, utterly baffled.

A literal question mark appeared above each of their heads—manifested using their own psionic abilities.

Serval hesitantly asked, "Phantylia… you’re right here."

Did she overeat and fry her brain? Why is she talking nonsense…?

Realizing her mistake, Phantylia quickly forced a laugh. "Oh, dear me! Your humble servant was merely joking to lighten the mood after narrowly escaping death, all thanks to Master’s aid!"

She seemed normal on the surface.

But deep inside, she was frantically trying to locate her missing core—and still coming up empty.

With a pitiful whimper, she sent a mental message to Chen Lin. "Master… I’m going to die…"

Chen Lin shot her a glance. "You’re not dying. I think your core merged with your physical body. Try sensing it yourself."

"Huh—"

A moment later, Phantylia’s shocked voice rang through his mind. "Wait… you’re right!"

Ignoring her bewilderment, Chen Lin turned to the group. "I found a strange psionic energy inside her. It was invasive—absolutely psionic in nature—but I’ve never seen anything like it before."

The people of Jarilo-VI weren’t ignorant. After a brief explanation, the others quickly grasped the situation.

Serval speculated, "Lin, are you saying Phantylia triggered some kind of trap left behind here?"

"That’s highly likely," Chen Lin warned. "Stay alert. If anything feels off, report to me immediately. Understood?"

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

Phantylia wanted to cry again—only this time, it was out of sheer panic.

She desperately wanted to tell Chen Lin that this was, in all likelihood, his doing. But no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn’t convey the thought in any way. Even her facial expressions were beyond her control, betraying no sign of distress.

All the suffering, all the exhaustion, and even the metaphorical teeth she had ground to dust—she had no choice but to swallow it all herself.

What kind of being could possibly reduce me, a Lord Ravager, to this pathetic state?
And why wasn’t it targeting anyone else? If only Master experienced it for himself, he’d surely figure it out…

The moment that thought surfaced, Phantylia felt it—countless eyes, gazing at her from another plane of existence. A silent warning. A threat.

A promise: If you don’t behave, you will be consumed.

It didn’t feel like a bluff.

No, this hunger—this devouring force—felt as though it could swallow the heavens themselves and still remain unsatisfied.

Phantylia immediately shut down the thought. The oppressive presence vanished just as swiftly.

She didn’t dare dwell on it any longer, afraid that another stray idea might bring another wave of inexplicable torment. If there were a corner to curl up in, she would gladly go squat there just to sulk in peace.

I only looked for a second. I only muttered a few things in my head… I didn’t even do anything…

Weak. Pitiful. But capable of eating an absurd amount.

---

T/N: :(

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!