Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [243]

A planet that was once entirely blanketed in ice and snow—visible from space as nothing more than a vast, white sphere—was now a vibrant world of blue and green, rotating slowly at the edge of the Jarilo star system.

The moment Chen Lin’s vision blurred and refocused, he found himself back in Belobog’s Administrative Plaza.

Above him, massive shield generators released waves of invisible energy into the sky, forming an impenetrable barrier over the capital. This shield ensured that, in the event of an emergency, the administrative heart of the nation would remain protected from orbital military threats, allowing government operations to continue without disruption.

This level of security was closely tied to Belobog’s unique political structure. The city operated on a three-tiered system. At the base were countless local officials and autonomous councils. Above them, the planet was divided into seven vast sectors, each dedicated to a specific function—resources, transportation, industry, tourism, research, finance, and political administration.

Jarilo-VI itself had a land-to-ocean ratio of approximately 7:3, with three major continents separated by vast seas. Its total land area was a staggering 1.15 billion square kilometers. When Chen Lin constructed a city, it wasn’t just a small cluster of buildings—it was an entire fully developed metropolis, complete with infrastructure and even an auto-generated population.

As the homeworld, Jarilo-VI had a ridiculous number of development slots. Thanks to a special event chain, the planet’s construction capacity had been boosted far beyond normal limits, granting it a total of 36 building slots—meaning he could plop down 36 megacities at will.

To put that into perspective:

The expanded Belobog capital alone had grown from its original 2,000 square kilometers to a staggering 270,000. Every newly constructed city covered at least 100,000 square kilometers. And that wasn’t even the final form—both the capital and the settlements could still expand further over time.

With his absurd construction abilities and the rapid technological advancements at his disposal, Chen Lin had one clear goal:

No one on this planet should ever have to go hungry, be homeless, or struggle to afford basic necessities.

—

The work in the [Zroni Nexus] had long since been completed. Chen Lin had fulfilled his promise to Phantylia, paying her the agreed-upon reward. Over the past few days, she had already exhausted the combined energies of Abundance and Psionic energy she had been given.

Now that he was back in Belobog, he figured he might as well let her out.

The sudden change in surroundings startled Phantylia.

She found herself in an unfamiliar city, standing before a massive, humming machine. At first, she hesitated—then immediately dropped to her knees.

"...My lord, what are your orders?"

"This is Belobog," Chen Lin said, not even looking at her. "We’ll be staying here for a long time."

Then, he continued casually, "You were a stray foxian I rescued from a pirate ship. After a period of recovery, you regained your strength and demonstrated considerable abilities, so I took you in as my attendant. As for your birthplace… well, you have more experience than I do—so pick whatever sounds believable."

Phantylia understood instantly.

She was still incredibly tense.

After all, she had signed a binding contract with Chen Lin. While their interests were now aligned, her life was literally in his hands. One wrong move, and she might drop dead on the spot.

Logically speaking, if she wanted to *survive—and thrive—*her only option was to prove her worth. She had to make herself indispensable, ensuring that Chen Lin valued her enough to keep her alive.

Her reaction was understandable.

Not long ago, she had been a Lord Ravafer, commanding vast power. And now? A personal servant. The psychological gap was too massive to bridge overnight.

For now, she simply knelt, keeping her head bowed, not daring to say a word.

She didn’t even dare to think anything rebellious—because for all she knew, her master might be reading her mind.

Little did she know, Chen Lin could sense her endless stream of internal flattery and sycophantic thoughts, which left him half amused, half exasperated.

But that was fine.

In time, he would train her into a loyal servant—but only to him.

...

"Come on, let’s go for a walk," he said. "I’ll give you a tour of the city and this planet. And by the way—you’re acting way too nervous. As my bodyguard, you don’t need to be this terrified of me. Relax a little."

"Ah… Yes, my lord!"

...

Instead of heading straight back to his residence, Chen Lin took Phantylia on a detour.

Using a combination of spatial manipulation and the [Zroni Nexus] as a relay, he bypassed the heavily patrolled administrative district. Within minutes, they emerged in the heart of the commercial district—the busiest part of Belobog.

Originally, this area had been barely the size of a small county, with six or seven main streets lined with various merchants. It had been the go-to destination for Belobog’s citizens after work—a place to shop, dine, and vent about their daily frustrations over drinks.

Back then, however, one particular street had been off-limits to most residents.

Why?

Because that street only sold luxury goods—the kind only mega-corporate families and city builders could afford. The average Belobog citizen couldn’t even dream of buying half an item there, even if they saved their wages for years.

That was unacceptable to Chen Lin.

The last time he returned to Belobog, he had spoken with Bronya about the planet’s production of food, consumer goods, and entertainment products.

Unlike most economies, Belobog’s government directly controlled every industry.

But this wasn’t for profit—the government wasn’t hoarding wealth to maintain control.

Chen Lin had one goal in mind:

Absolute control over pricing.

He didn’t have to worry about resource depletion, supply chain failures, or economic crashes—because, based on his observations, every single resource generated through the Stellaris system was essentially infinite.

With full control over pricing, he instructed Bronya to set all prices at cost—ensuring that every single citizen could afford anything they needed.

The results?

• Minimum wage: 2,000 Winterhold Shields per month

• Food: So cheap you could eat eight-course meals daily without thinking

• Clothing: Affordable enough to buy a new outfit every day

• Housing: A luxury apartment only took two months of savings

Luxury goods?

They didn’t exist.

Every product was categorized by function, quality, and availability, not status or exclusivity. If you needed something, you could always buy it—and it was always affordable.

Of course, Chen Lin wasn’t blind to the potential dangers of such an idealistic system.

To maintain stability:

• Anyone willing to work was assigned a job.

• Workers had to meet a monthly quota to maintain access to ultra-low prices.

• Failure to meet quotas resulted in exponentially increasing costs.

Each citizen’s work compliance was tracked through psionic imprints—ensuring that only those who contributed enjoyed the benefits.

Cheating, scalping, hoarding, and smuggling?

All prevented at the systemic level.

Overconsumption?

Eliminated—because wastefulness wasn’t rewarded.

At the end of the day, Chen Lin had one core belief:

Governance wasn’t about strict laws—it was about making people genuinely happy.

If people felt fulfilled, prosperous, and secure, then they would fight to protect that way of life.

And he had already seen proof of this firsthand.

The last time dissidents tried to stir up trouble in the city, they didn’t even make it past the first street—because the furious citizens beat them to death before the guards even arrived.

When the people have something worth protecting, they don’t need orders to defend it.

The remnants of the Annihilation Gang had learned this lesson the hard way.

The Guards had responded fast—crossing half the planet in just thirty minutes—but by the time they arrived, there was nothing left to deal with.

The furious citizens had already beaten the troublemakers to death.

If you ever wondered why the public reacted even more aggressively than the government whenever someone disrupted the peace… well, the answer was simple:

Those troublemakers weren’t just causing chaos—they were actively harming the well-being of every single citizen.

Here, the rules were clear.

Follow the law. Work hard. And you could have anything you wanted.

Defy the system? Well…

At best, a telepath would forcibly reprogram your mind to correct your “misguided thoughts.”

At worst? Immediate execution.

As for corruption?

Useless.

The Winterhold Shield, the currency of the nation, was so abundant that the average citizen had more money than they could ever spend.

What could you possibly hope to gain by stealing something no one even valued?

It was all negative ROI.

Anyone trying to embezzle funds was basically an idiot.

And for those in positions of power?

All high-ranking officials underwent mandatory telepathic inspections at regular intervals.

This wasn’t some casual chat or simple lie detector test—it was a deep mental scan, conducted by a trained telepath who could see their true thoughts.

And once the inspection was complete?

The telepath’s memory of the session was erased, ensuring privacy while still keeping corruption in check.

...

As they strolled through the bustling commercial district, Chen Lin made a point to visit every shop.

He listened carefully, collecting feedback from citizens—both their praises and their complaints.

Every policy, from draft to execution, created tensions within society. And the best way to understand those tensions was to hear directly from the people.

By the end of his walk, he had gathered a wealth of useful insights—valuable information that would help fine-tune future policies.

After a long, exhausting day, Chen Lin, now uncomfortably warm, found a small cold drink shop and stepped inside with Phantylia.

Before leaving the Express, he had altered his appearance and physique using his psionic abilities. The gap in power between him and the local telepathic enforcers was so vast that they didn’t even notice the disguise.

Phantylia… or rather—

"Wow! That’s an old Winterhold Shield! These coins were minted decades ago, and lots of collectors love holding onto them. Kid, are you sure you wanna spend that? You might regret it later!"

The shopkeeper, a middle-aged woman, eyed the coin with nostalgic admiration before turning her gaze toward Phantylia.

The moment she saw the foreign-looking fox-eared girl, her expression shifted to one of pure envy.

"Young lady," she sighed dramatically, "you’re just letting your boyfriend spend that rare old coin? You should talk some sense into him! Once he spends it, it’s gone forever!"

The cold drink shop was one of many small businesses in Belobog.

These establishments received near-free raw materials from the city’s resource reserves. They were permitted to operate, but their salaries were set at modest levels.

Most of their income came from running their businesses—not wages.

And since their costs were nearly zero, they didn’t need high prices to make a living.

Even if business was bad, government subsidies ensured they still led comfortable lives.

As a result, most shop owners didn’t actually care about making money.

Many of them ran businesses simply out of personal passion—meaning that if they ever felt like taking a day off, they would just close shop and leave.

Only a handful of merchants—those obsessed with hoarding wealth—chose to run their shops daily.

Phantylia, who had been settling into her new role throughout the day, visibly stiffened at the shopkeeper’s words.

She began furiously shaking her head, ears twitching, tail bristling in alarm.

This woman has no idea what she’s saying!

Shut up! Do you want to make him mad and get me killed?!

She shot a nervous glance at Chen Lin, only relaxing when she realized he wasn’t angry.

Chen Lin, of course, noticed Phantylia’s reaction.

He patted her shoulder reassuringly, chuckling.

"It’s fine," he told the shopkeeper, smiling. "Money is meant to be spent. If you just hoard it, it has no value."

...

The commercial district was packed with people, as everyone had different work schedules and unique days off.

In the midst of the bustling crowd, one more person—Chen Lin—was just another face in the city.

The cold drink shop was modest in size, with seating for ten customers. Most of its business came from takeout orders.

Even while resting, Chen Lin made small talk with the shopkeeper, discussing everyday life.

Once Phantylia realized that Chen Lin wouldn’t get mad over small things, she gradually relaxed.

Her rich life experience and sharp social instincts soon came into play, and before long, she had charmed the shopkeeper into a lively conversation.

...

Seizing the moment, Chen Lin casually asked,

"Boss, my girlfriend and I just got transferred here from another city. The environment is still unfamiliar to us, and I noticed that prices seem almost identical everywhere.

If we’re going to settle in the capital, is there anything we should watch out for?

Or maybe… any tips on how things work around here?"

The shopkeeper, already fond of Phantylia, had naturally warmed up to Chen Lin as well.

But just as she was about to answer, a dissatisfied sigh came from the next table over.

"Hah…"

"Brace yourself for the coming economic collapse."

"Stockpile goods while you still can."

The speaker was a lone man, sitting at the table beside them.

His tone was unpleasant, his expression apathetic.

"This country’s economy looks stable on the surface—but it’s actually rotting from within."

"What you’re seeing is just a false prosperity—the illusion of stability before the inevitable crash."

"Prices have already fallen into the low-price warning threshold. Resources are being wasted. The government is obsessed with military expansion. It won’t be long before everything collapses in on itself—just like a flower that blooms for a moment… and then withers away."

---

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!