Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [252]

Belobog was never just a single city. As the surface district expanded, the Underworld followed suit at an unprecedented pace, its landscape transformed by a miraculous force—stone and soil vanishing into thin air, skyscrapers rising from the depths.

If the surface was defined by bustling commerce, then the Underworld was the heart of research and development. It was home to countless research institutes, laboratories, and classified military projects, turning it into a cutting-edge technological hub.

The only real downside? No blue sky. No pure sunlight.

Fortunately, Chen Lin had already considered this. During the technology exchange with the Luofu, he had secured blueprints for an artificial sky. His goal was to ensure that the Underworld’s brightest minds wouldn’t suffer from the psychological strain of their enclosed environment—after all, a depressed genius was hardly an efficient worker.

As for why these advanced research divisions weren’t moved to the surface?

The answer was simple.

If war ever broke out, these facilities would be prime targets for an enemy strike. The reinforced ground above them provided a natural layer of defense, safeguarding their most valuable personnel. Moreover, conducting research underground significantly reduced the risk of information leaks.

So, when Chen Lin heard that something had happened in the Underworld, he immediately summoned Gepard and Seele—heads of the Army and Air Force, respectively. After instructing Bronya to prepare countermeasures, he personally led a team to investigate the situation.

On the way, Serval filled him in.

In addition to overseeing several research institutes, she also managed the Underworld’s administrative affairs on behalf of Clara. While Clara remained devoted to her research, it was Serval who handled governance and reported to Chen Lin—who, as usual, was juggling half a dozen ministerial roles.

It all started with a project that Chen Lin had approved shortly after his return.

The simultaneous expansion of the surface and Underworld had significantly impacted the planet’s geology. Given his concerns about potential aerial bombardments and the need to protect the Underworld, researchers proposed exploring deeper into the earth’s crust to establish a subterranean sanctuary—one that could ensure the Underworld’s survival in the worst-case scenario.

At the same time, such a facility would further shield classified research from outside surveillance.

Chen Lin had no objections and approved the plan.

Thanks to the technological advancements he had introduced, Jarilo-VI had reached a level where deep-core drilling, magma redirection, and hydraulic fracturing were no longer just theoretical concepts. Entire mining cities had already begun piercing the earth’s crust, seeking out rich mineral deposits closer to the planet’s core. Advanced materials made underground structures more reliable than ever, making the project entirely feasible.

Beyond that, Chen Lin had long intended to establish underground sanctuaries in various cities—at the very least, a fully functional backup city deep within the earth. If disaster struck, it would serve as a last refuge, minimizing casualties.

At this stage, Belobog should still have been in the exploratory phase, drilling deeper into the earth to analyze its layers.

Yet, suddenly, there was news of a pre-existing subterranean space.

And inside it… were buildings.

Brother, when the hell did someone dig out an entire underground city beneath our capital? And why didn’t I know about it?

It wasn’t just Chen Lin who was clueless—none of the former citizens of Belobog had any idea why an enormous, compressed space existed beneath the planet’s crust.

By the time they arrived at the research site—designated as the New C-Zone—Chen Lin was immediately stunned by what he saw.

A massive pit yawned before him, its depths shrouded in darkness.

His best estimate?

A diameter of at least 300 meters.

Calling this a drill hole was laughable.

It looked more like a goddamn sinkhole.

“What the hell?” Seele stared in disbelief. “They drilled this?”

Chen Lin’s expression darkened. “Who the hell thought this was a good idea?”

He knew better than anyone that with Jarilo-VI’s advanced drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques, there was absolutely no need to excavate a hole this massive. A narrow shaft, just wide enough to insert instruments and extract samples, would have been sufficient—just like when the Underworld itself was first built.

At this stage, geological surveys usually required only a small borehole, about two to three meters wide.

So why the hell was he looking at a gaping abyss?

Serval, unfazed, provided an explanation.

“The original drill hole was 2.41 meters in diameter,” she began.

“The plan was to drill 75 kilometers down, reaching the deeper layers of the crust. Everything went smoothly, and the extracted geothermal materials were successfully relocated. So, we moved to the second phase—drilling even deeper.”

She paused before continuing.

“But when we hit the 80-kilometer mark… the drill suddenly broke.”

Chen Lin’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

“Something shredded the drill head.”

Serval’s voice turned grim.

“So we sent in probes. That’s when we found it—an enormous etheric barrier blocking the way.”

Chen Lin exhaled sharply. “And this giant crater?”

“Formed just a few hours ago,” she admitted. “A sudden surge of energy erupted from below. We still don’t know what caused it.”

She then pulled up footage captured during the incident.

As the recording played, Chen Lin’s frown deepened.

The image clearly showed a massive etheric shield—an intricate web of shimmering energy, embedded deep within the earth.

His mind reeled.

Since when does the planet’s crust have a damn forcefield?

Wasn’t the Earth supposed to be neatly divided into the crust, mantle, and core?

Since when did mystical energy barriers become part of planetary geology?!

Judging from the recorded footage, the mysterious etheric barrier beneath the earth had an incredibly stable energy structure—though its energy levels seemed somewhat depleted. The visuals beyond the barrier were blurry and difficult to decipher, but as Serval had claimed, the silhouettes inside did resemble artificial buildings.

This was not something to take lightly.

Chen Lin immediately ordered Serval to prepare a secured room and bring in all available reconnaissance data for analysis. He needed to figure out what the hell was going on.

...

Inside Serval’s office, Chen Lin flipped through the stacks of reports before him.

The problem was obvious—none of the scanning equipment had energy signatures strong enough to penetrate the underground etheric barrier. As a result, the collected data was almost useless. The only somewhat valuable intel came from the blurry footage they had recorded.

Analysis? With this garbage data? What was there to analyze?

Just as he was about to step out, something clicked in his mind.

Frowning, he turned back to the files, digging through the reports until he finally found what he was looking for.

According to the project logs, in order to optimize drilling efficiency, the research team had carefully selected the best possible drilling site—one that would minimize resource consumption and excavation time.

Their chosen location?

An abandoned mining zone—one riddled with sinkholes.

After extensive surveys, they had pinpointed the most structurally stable pit—a narrow, 8,425-meter-deep cavern.

Once their request was approved, they immediately began drilling.

Chen Lin quickly pulled up the intelligence logs.

There, buried among old records, was a project that had long been relegated to the archives—one that had originally been handled by Herta, the Belobog branch’s chief scientist.

[The Mystery of the Sinkholes: Exploration] (Chapter 87)

He vaguely recalled triggering this minor event back when he had been operating in the Underworld.

If he remembered correctly, the event involved discovering a strange, fractured metallic pipe. The description had hinted that Belobog’s numerous sinkholes concealed deep secrets about Jarilo-VI’s past.

At the time, Chen Lin had been intrigued.

But no matter how much he investigated, the event’s progress bar never moved.

He had no way to push it forward.

What was he supposed to do? Open a forum thread and ask for help? It wasn’t like he had a damn forum to consult.

Eventually, during his time in the Xianzhou, he had reassigned Herta to other projects and forgotten about this investigation entirely.

But now—

Now, a new requirement had appeared in the research log:

"Ground Forces Required: Deploy personnel alongside scientists for field investigation."

…How convenient.

And he just so happened to have someone perfect for the job.

Phantylia.

Unlike ordinary specialists, Phantylia was a wild card in his talent pool—she could be assigned as a ground forces commander, a fleet admiral, or even a political leader. The only thing she couldn’t be was a scientist.

On top of that, his communications panel had an entry labeled [Lord Ravager: Phantylia], where she could be contacted directly.

If he clicked on it, he would be given two options:

• Deploy as a "formidable" fleet flagship.

• Deploy as an "utterly terrifying" ground force.

Phantylia was more than willing to participate in these little experiments.

Unfortunately, despite multiple trials, Chen Lin had never been able to accurately gauge her full combat potential. Whether assigned to fleet or ground operations, her combat strength value always displayed as a giant "???".

Still, whatever her true strength was, it sure as hell wasn’t weak.

After some thought, he assigned both Phantylia and Serval to the research project.

Sure enough, the progress bar finally started moving—climbing rapidly until it hit 10%, then stalling again.

From experience, Chen Lin knew what that meant.

It was time for some hands-on work.

...

Seele, Serval, Gepard, and Phantylia were chatting when the door swung open.

Chen Lin stepped out, pointing directly at Phantylia.

She immediately stood up, smiling knowingly.

"Master."

"I need you to crack that barrier open," Chen Lin ordered. "Go down there and figure out what’s inside. If anything goes wrong, handle it as you see fit. Can you do that?"

Phantylia was many things.

Yes, she had once been the weakest of the Lord Ravagers.

Yes, she had been nothing more than a spiritual entity.

But she was still a Ravager.

A nightmare to countless civilizations.

A harbinger of destruction.

Even without a physical body, she had brought entire species to extinction.

And now?

Now, her body had been reforged by the power of Abundance, rendering her practically indestructible.

At this point, even if Jing Yuan personally led an army of Xianzhou generals against her, he’d probably have to grit his teeth and call for reinforcements.

Why was she so obsessed with obtaining a corporeal form in the first place?

Yes, it was partly out of fear of death.

But the real reason?

Because a physical body meant power.

And Phantylia wanted more.

"Understood!" She beamed. "If Master commands it, then I shall act accordingly. Rest assured, I will handle the situation."

The others, however, were not as convinced.

Gepard frowned.

"Governor, perhaps I should go instead," he suggested. "I can withstand temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees Celsius. I fear Lady Phantylia may not be suited for this mission."

From their perspective, Phantylia was merely a pitiful woman whom Chen Lin had taken in out of kindness.

At best, she was a personal attendant.

Even if she had some abilities, how could she possibly endure the scorching heat of the deep underground?

Not to mention, the excavation site had no oxygen supply systems yet.

How was she supposed to breathe down there?

Seele chimed in as well.

"Yeah, Lin, let me go instead. If anything happens to your chief bodyguard, it’s gonna be a disaster."

Phantylia giggled.

"Oh my~! You’re all misunderstanding the situation. I have many ways to complete my task. Besides, I treasure my life too much to throw it away carelessly."

She shot a playful glance at Chen Lin—who, in turn, glared at her.

Tone it down, his look warned.

Phantylia pouted before adding, "How about this? You can all watch from up here. If I run into trouble, I’ll send a distress signal. Sound fair?"

Chen Lin nodded. "She’ll be fine."

Then he turned to Serval.

"Serval, prep all recording equipment and protective suits. If the shield is breached and there’s no immediate danger, we’ll head down and investigate ourselves."

"Got it," she responded.

...

Soon, the team gathered at the edge of the massive pit.

Phantylia shot them a wink.

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, she jumped.

Straight down.

The assembled researchers gawked in stunned silence.

Then, hastily, they turned to their monitoring equipment—only to find that her vital signs were completely stable.

Heart rate? Normal.

Oxygen levels? Perfect.

…It meant one of two things.

• The monitoring equipment was broken.

• She was so used to doing this that she wasn’t even phased.

Gepard, still unconvinced, attempted to communicate through the psychic link.

"Phantylia, report your status."

A cheerful voice responded.

"Hmmm~ Still falling! Hold on just a little longer, will you? I’ll speed up!"

Gepard, Seele: "…"

...

Roughly ten minutes later, a massive boom echoed through the psychic link.

Then, Phantylia’s voice came through.

"Master, I’ve shattered the barrier!"

"The space inside is… strange. It looks like it’s been compressed—smaller from the outside, but massive once you step in."

She paused, then added in a tone of delight.

"Hmm… No signs of movement. Everything’s cold. Metal buildings everywhere—even the ground is metal. Master, I think… I think I just found an abandoned mechanical city~!"

---

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!