Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [238]

[Research Complete: 'Star Fortress']
These powerful space fortresses will provide a strategic stronghold for all military operations within a star system. Their presence alone is enough to deter even the most tenacious invaders.

[Research Acquired: 'Epigenetic Mechanisms']

[Research Acquired: 'Gene Editing']
The widespread application of genetic modification tools is sure to have a positive impact on our development.
—Ascension Perk Unlocked: 'Genetic Evolution'

[Research Complete: 'Large-Scale Spacetime Gravitational Analysis Array']

[...Research Complete...]

[Internal Crisis: Emergence of a Violent Organization]

Reports indicate that multiple criminal groups using psionics to disrupt social order have surfaced on Jarilo-VI. These groups identify themselves as factions of the so-called 'Annihilation Gang' and operate under that banner. Claiming that the local city government oppresses its citizens, they stormed the municipal building, kidnapped and executed the mayor and four officials, and have since been inciting rebellion and chaos across the city. The gang’s leader has requested direct negotiations with the Belobog government in an attempt to legitimize their organization...

(This incident has been handled by Administrator 'Bronya Rand' — Option 3: Conduct a deeper investigation.)

[Elimination of the External Criminal Syndicate]

As the 'Annihilation Gang' violently looted the city’s trade districts, Belobog swiftly deployed the Psionic Guard to investigate the situation. Within half an hour, Gepard Landau and his personally led squad of four Psionic Guards reported back—the criminals had been subdued by enraged citizens, suffering severe casualties. Through mind-reading interrogation, it was confirmed that the gang’s claims of government oppression were entirely fabricated, serving merely as a pretext to incite destruction. A total of 714 non-citizen participants were apprehended. Due to the excessive force used by the local populace during the capture, 624 of them perished. Awaiting the Supreme Guardian’s final directive...

[The Supreme Guardian has decided: All remaining criminals shall be executed, and their bodies shall be displayed at the space station for three years as a deterrent.]

(This incident has been handled by Administrator 'Bronya Rand' — Option 1: Our peace was hard-won; all enemies of the Empire must be eradicated.)

[Final Resolution: Annihilation]

The murder of the mayor and officials triggered large-scale public protests, demanding severe retribution against the criminals. After deliberation, the Qlipoth Palace issued a Vengeance Decree. The Psionic Guard extracted information through mind-reading and was ordered to infiltrate various star systems—systematically exterminating the families of all individuals involved in the rebellion, spanning ten generations…

(This incident has been handled by Administrator 'Bronya Rand' — Option 2: Just execute a few of them to appease public anger.)

Two months was a long time.

And the Xianzhou's self-imposed lockdown in response to the crisis had lasted even longer!

During this period—while the Xianzhou was isolating itself and Chen Lin was inside the [Zroni Nexus]—many events had unfolded beyond his reach. The only way he could monitor Jarilo-VI’s situation was by checking the galactic map to see if his planetary holdings had encountered any disturbances.

Now that the Xianzhou had reopened trade routes and he had emerged from the [Zroni Nexus], an avalanche of notifications bombarded him—so many that his vision nearly blurred.

There’s too much…

Way too much!

Incidents like the ones above had happened repeatedly.

It seemed that Bronya had learned quite a lot from him—particularly in handling national affairs—but when it came to dealing with external criminal elements, she was still a little too lenient. That was something she needed to work on.

Still, considering how recently she had taken power… If she learned at a slower pace, so be it. At least she was learning.

There were no major crises on Jarilo-VI.

From the filtered notifications that reached him, the only significant updates were:

• Two colonization spheres had nearly completed their settlement processes. Most of the colonization measures had already been implemented, and it wouldn’t be long before he could begin constructing infrastructure on these new worlds.

• Under Bronya’s leadership, Jarilo-VI had drafted a comprehensive Psionic Law Code. Additionally, civil law, criminal law, commercial law, and other legislative frameworks had been revised and officially enacted—gradually establishing a structured system of governance.

Apart from that, another matter caught his attention.

Unlike the previous incidents handled by Bronya, this one had been managed by Chief Scientist Serval Landau and Clara—and its implications left Chen Lin deeply intrigued.

[Special Uplift I: The Flaws of Organic Life]

With the full-scale awakening of psionic abilities, every citizen of Jarilo-VI had become accustomed to a life infused with psionic energy. One night, a research director at the Imperial Institute of Life Sciences had an unusual dream—one that inspired him to explore its concepts in real life. His studies led to an astonishing realization:

Organic beings were, in essence, enormous biological machines controlled by 'genes.'

Through extensive experimentation, he concluded that natural evolution was riddled with errors. If a method existed to observe and manipulate the genetic structure of living organisms, perhaps the people of our empire could overcome the limitations of evolution—transcending both body and mind to achieve true ascension!

The Imperial Institute of Life Sciences requests funding to pursue this research project.

(This incident has been handled by Administrator 'Serval Landau' — Option 1: Highly promising—approve full project funding.)

[Special Uplift II: Breakthrough]

With ample funding, the Imperial Institute of Life Sciences fully launched its genetic research project. Several researchers experienced sudden bursts of insight, leading to unprecedented success. At last, they had visualized the structure of genes, deciphered their composition, and even developed the means to manipulate them.

Their experiments on test animals proceeded exactly as predicted. As a result, additional manpower and funding are required to advance the research further.

(Technologies Acquired: 'Gene Editing,' 'Epigenetic Mechanisms')

(This incident has been handled by Administrators 'Serval Landau' & 'Bronya Rand' — Option 1: Allocate national resources to support this research.)

Upon reading these reports, Chen Lin realized something crucial—many technological advancements didn’t necessarily require him to manually select them.

If a research institution possessed sufficient expertise, it could independently develop technological breakthroughs!

In other words, his personal research tree and the scientific progress of his empire were functionally independent—yet remained strategically aligned.

This dramatically improves efficiency.

Then there was Clara’s report.

Unlike the others, this one directly concerned the L-Gate, and its implications left Chen Lin utterly shaken.

After numerous failures and recalibrations, Clara had successfully developed an 'Advanced Spacetime Gravitational Analysis Array' to monitor and analyze the L-Gate.

Barely half a month had passed since its installation, yet his L-Gate Knowledge had already increased by three points!

Adding that to the two points he had previously researched, it wouldn’t be long before Clara fully decoded the method to open the L-Gate.

Her intelligence was astonishing.

If she had been born in his pre-Isekai world, she would’ve been the type of legendary genius who earned multiple doctorates before turning twenty—a national treasure-level scientist.

Was he envious? Of course.

But jealous? Not in the slightest.

They occupied different positions and pursued different roles.

He was no longer merely a scientist—he was a national leader. His responsibilities had shifted.

Even if he wanted to lock himself in a lab all day, there was simply too much political work demanding his attention.

Such as…

Right now.

Chen Lin continued reading through the numerous reports detailing events on Jarilo-VI. Even though everything had already been properly handled, as a leader, he needed to be fully aware of every development.

Along the way, Fu Xuan had cycled through various emotions—starting with disbelief, then shifting to outrage, before gradually calming down. Once she had composed herself, she immediately began notifying all departments and the Astral Express Crew of Chen Lin’s return.

It was said that, upon hearing a nearby physician mention Chen Lin’s return, the previously comatose Jing Yuan had instantly regained consciousness in the Alchemy Commission’s infirmary. Now, he was reportedly rushing to the Divination Commission, eager to witness this monumental moment for himself.

Fu Xuan had no comment on the "miraculous" nature of Jing Yuan’s recovery.

She only wanted to keep her eyes firmly fixed on the younger brother standing before her—afraid that if she so much as blinked, he might disappear again.

Upon hearing that the Astral Express Crew was still in the Xianzhou, Chen Lin was momentarily stunned.

“Wait—shouldn’t the Express have left for its next stop by now?”

“According to Mr. Welt, there are two reasons,” Fu Xuan replied flatly, her amber eyes watching him carefully. “First, they were waiting for you. Second, something happened at their next destination—their route is currently impassable, so they’ve been forced to delay their departure.”

Silence stretched between them for a long moment.

Then, Fu Xuan spoke again.

“Tell me, little brother—why is a governor of an entire nation traveling on the Astral Express as an Anonymous Passenger instead of managing his own affairs?”

This was something she had never fully understood.

Chen Lin had never spoken to her about it before.

He smiled faintly. “I needed to find a place that was very well-hidden. I heard that the Express follows the path once traveled by the Aeon of Trailblaze, so I figured… maybe, if I was lucky, I could find the place I was looking for.”

“Oh? Then I wish you a smooth journey and—”

Before she could finish offering her blessing, Chen Lin cut her off with a chuckle.

“Unfortunately, that journey’s going to have to wait for a while.”

Fu Xuan blinked.

“…Huh?”

“I can’t afford to keep searching for that place right now,” he said. “Because in the near future, the star sector under my control is about to face a significant challenge.”

Chen Lin lifted his gaze to the artificial sky overhead, built by the Artisanship Commission.

Beyond that sky, there were threats—ones that took priority over his personal search.

Only I know about Stellaris.

As far as he was aware, no one else in this world possessed the ability to interact with the Stellaris UI—to alter reality through it. And yet, the Stellaron Hunters had foreseen endgame crises that only he should have knowledge of.

That couldn’t be a coincidence.

There was an extremely high probability that a galactic catastrophe was truly approaching.

And it would come like a devouring storm, annihilating everything in its path.

If he were being completely pragmatic, he sometimes regarded all other factions as AI-controlled empires—mere NPC nations in a Stellaris game.

Would these "AI civilizations" be able to defend against a mod-enhanced, apocalypse-tier crisis while following their default, organic development paths?

Probably not.

If he didn’t take preemptive action, if he failed to prepare, if the only "player-controlled faction" in the galaxy collapsed during a mid-to-late-game crisis…

Then he’d be dead.

And if he was dead—how the hell was he supposed to "go home"?

So what did he need to survive?

More advanced weaponry.
A stronger national infrastructure.
And most importantly—a united front.

That was why the L-Gate crisis would be his first true test in this world.

Success might not come with any tangible rewards.

Failure, on the other hand, would mean an unfathomable number of deaths.

But if he didn’t even try—if he simply sat back and waited—then opportunity would never come to him.

Chen Lin didn’t see himself as some kind of destined savior.

He had no grand ideals, no lofty mission to save the galaxy.

He simply wanted to stay alive—and ensure that the people who followed him also survived.

Only after securing that future would he continue his search.

Jarilo-VI needed war.

Not for the sake of destruction, but for a baptism by fire—a trial that would elevate its standing in the cosmos, granting it greater political leverage and deterrent power.

He needed alliances.

It didn’t matter whether a potential ally was strong or weak.

In the grand scheme of the galaxy, the security of the star systems was interlinked.

Anyone with even a shred of intelligence would eventually recognize this truth.

Whether or not the factions of this world could immediately come together and draft a formal contingency plan against existential threats was irrelevant for now.

The first step was to forge connections.

If they waited until the crisis was already upon them, then they would end up just like the incompetent AI in Stellaris—warring factions, too busy hoarding their own fleets to respond properly.

He refused to let that happen.

In Stellaris, when an endgame crisis struck, the AI-controlled nations would often sit on the sidelines, smugly watching their neighbors burn—only to be completely blindsided when the enemy finally reached their own capital.

But this wasn’t a game.

If he failed to act now, if he underestimated the scale of the coming threat…

Then he’d have no one to blame but himself when it was his homeworld that got glassed.

To say he wasn’t scared would be a lie.

If anything, he was terrified.

He had personally witnessed what happened when the galaxy was torn apart by an endgame crisis.

And now that it was happening in real life, what separated him from a complete newbie?

The only advantage he had was foreknowledge—his understanding of the game’s mechanics.

But unlike in the game, there were countless missing variables—details that had never been simulated.

This wasn’t a game.

The people standing before him were real.

And every move he made had real consequences.

“…Is this about the Stellaron Hunters' prophecy?”

A cold yet gentle hand suddenly took hold of his.

His mind, which had drifted into the distant future, was abruptly pulled back to the present.

Chen Lin turned, finding himself staring into Fu Xuan’s serious expression.

Her amber eyes were still a little red from earlier—tired and strained—but she had mostly regained her composure.

Now, her gaze was solemn.

"Regardless of whether their prophecy is true," she said, gripping his hand a little tighter, "the fact remains—you saved the lives of billions in Luofu."

She exhaled slowly, her tone steady.

"As Qingque’s anonymous verse so aptly described:

"He turned back the raging tides, and upheld a collapsing sky."

"You, my dear brother, have become a savior to ten billion people."

"The Interstellar Rift Empire remembers its debts. The Marshal and the Ten-Lords Commission have already issued their decree—"

"No matter the time, no matter the place—the Empire will stand with the Empire, unwavering, in your hour of need."

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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!