Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [228]

The Scalegorge Waterscape was far from tranquil. Swarms of Voidrangers patrolled every corner of the realm like tides, ready to surround anyone who let their guard down. Though it didn’t take much effort to dispatch them, dealing with them was time-consuming—especially when every second counted.

This was the infuriating aspect of the Antimatter Legion. No one ever knew when or where they might suddenly appear and wreak havoc.

The mysteries tied to the Aeons remained largely unexplored across the universe. Most were to be observed from a distance, revered but never approached or meddled with. Attempts to emulate Aeonic phenomena—like Herta’s experiments simulating the Cyberspace Aeon—were viewed by many factions as the pinnacle of hubris.

Without the support of the Genius Society’s vast network and resources, Herta’s research would likely have been shut down before it amounted to anything.

In the damp hallway, more than a dozen flying swords streaked through the air, slicing through the final few Voidrangers. Their bodies disintegrated as the antimatter energy within them began to detonate, only to be sucked into the void at the last moment. All that remained were the faint clinks of their weapons falling to the ground.

Snap!

Chen Lin snapped his fingers, and the flying swords returned to his dimensional storage. He glanced down at the bloodstained stone pathway and remarked, “That’s the last of them. The core is just ahead, right? This place feels eerie.”

The surroundings had a sense of isolation. Though there were plenty of flora and fauna typical of an underwater environment, none of it was familiar to Chen Lin. Some coral formations were as large as buildings, and spectral fish-like shadows swam nearby, untouchable to the hand.

About fifty meters ahead lay a platform, covered with seaweed, moss, and a mix of bioluminescent coral that glowed faintly. Vibrantly colored seashells were scattered across the surface, their radiant hues creating an otherworldly beauty.

Ordinary coral and shells didn’t typically emit light, but the bizarre scenery could only be attributed to the influence of the Xianzhou’s cybernetic innovations. Beyond being incomprehensible, it was oddly mesmerizing.

Looking up, one could still see the sky. However, the instruments from the Artisanship Commission seemed to have malfunctioned—what had been a bright blue sky minutes ago was now a dim, gray haze. Coupled with the underwater gloom, the light was muted, and the atmosphere was oppressively heavy.

Dan Heng stepped forward, his voice calm. “Yes, just ahead is the ‘Three Talons of Reverence,’ one of the three seals. I recall that touching the stone lanterns in a specific order will undo the seal here.”

“Well, that sounds like your area of expertise,” Chen Lin said, patting Dan Heng on the shoulder. He then wandered to the platform’s edge, observing their surroundings.

This was just a small section of the Scalegorge Waterscape. Beneath them, countless stone pillars supported the architecture above. Through the water, Chen Lin could faintly make out other buildings still submerged, their silhouettes hidden in the depths.

Above, waves crashed overhead. A salty sea breeze carried fine droplets of mist, lifting Chen Lin’s slightly damp hair. The cool moisture tickled his face.

“What are you looking at?”

A taller figure appeared beside Chen Lin—Jing Yuan, arms folded, a faint smile on his lips.

Chen Lin grinned. “I was just wondering… If this weren’t the site of the Ambrosial Arbor’s seal, do you think it could be turned into a tourist attraction? Like an underwater observation deck?”

“The towering waves would probably terrify most visitors,” Jing Yuan chuckled, pointing at the churning water overhead. “Besides, isn’t this what the ocean’s like everywhere?”

“To be honest, this is my first time being underwater,” Chen Lin admitted, scratching his head. “I’ve always been too busy to visit the sea. Every time I planned to, something else came up, and now I’m back to endless work again.”

“It’s fine,” Jing Yuan said, turning to face Chen Lin. “You’re still young—you’ll have plenty of opportunities to explore the world’s beauty. Unlike me… I’m getting old. Sometimes, I fall asleep at my desk while working.”

Chen Lin noticed a certain weight in Jing Yuan’s tone, as if he were hinting at something. From the moment they entered the Scalegorge Waterscape, Jing Yuan had carried an air of quiet resignation, as though he were leaving instructions for after his departure.

When Chen Lin didn’t respond, Jing Yuan scratched at his messy hair. “Chen Lin, I have a favor to ask.”

“No,” Chen Lin replied bluntly, feigning disdain. “If you’ve got something to do, do it yourself. Stop trying to boss me around. When we’re done here, I still need to drag a few of you Xianzhou folks over to the Empire’s research labs to study the effects of Abundance on your physiology. Imagine the great General of the Xianzhou being overshadowed by an outsider like me—how embarrassing would that be?”

“Oh? So you’ve already guessed what I was going to ask?”

Chen Lin looked Jing Yuan in the eye, then turned his head.

“You’re talking about the Mara, aren’t you?”

Jing Yuan’s bitter smile confirmed it. “Sometimes I wish you were a Xianzhou native… Then I could just hand my position over to you.”

“Becoming an emperor sounds more appealing than a general. You know that, right?”

“That’s what makes me sad…”

Chen Lin smirked. “Why not merge the Xianzhou with the Empire, then? That way, I could give myself a general’s title, too.”

“That’s not something I can decide,” Jing Yuan replied, shaking his head with a wry smile. Then his expression grew serious. “Chen Lin, I’ll do everything in my power to protect all of you on this mission. But if something goes wrong, I hope you’ll look after your elder sister for me…”

“Stop jinxing things. If I remember correctly, the Mara has five signs of decay. Anger is one of them. Relax a bit—who knows? Maybe Phantylia won’t be much of a fight.”

“You…”

Jing Yuan shook his head, a weary smile on his face. Following Chen Lin’s gaze, he looked out at the underwater city.

Though it was his second time here, the sights still felt fresh and intriguing.

Setting aside the heavy history of the Scalegorge Waterscape, the benefits and harms of the Ambrosial Arbor, the loathing of immortality, and the limited time left to the people of the Xianzhou…

If the light were just a little brighter, the scenery truly would be beautiful.

As the two brothers stood there, each lost in their thoughts, a sharp shout from Welt Yang snapped them back to reality.

“Who’s there?!”

Welt’s sharp gaze glinted behind his glasses. With a flick of his hand, gravity twisted the space ahead, scattering the surrounding mist. A group of figures, once shrouded in invisibility and sneaking away, was revealed. Each figure was fully cloaked and masked, their weapons gleaming coldly in the dim light.

These weren’t Voidrangers from the Legion, nor did their disguises match any tactics the Cloud Knights would employ. That left little doubt—they were up to no good.

March 7th reacted quickly, freezing the entire passageway in a thick wall of ice, sealing off their escape route.

Seeing their concealment broken and retreat cut off, the masked intruders exchanged brief glances. Resigned to their fate, they gripped their weapons tightly and charged forward.

Dan Heng was busy unraveling the seal and couldn’t lend a hand. Chen Lin, wary of any disruptions, immediately took charge.

“Stelle, protect Dan Heng!”

“Got it.”

Stelle moved to Dan Heng’s side, ready to defend him at a moment’s notice.

As for the others, they had already engaged the intruders in combat.

No one on their side was inexperienced, and as a result, the skirmish ended swiftly. Within less than thirty seconds, the masked assailants lay lifeless on the ground.

It wasn’t for lack of trying to capture them alive. When the intruders realized they were about to be taken, they bit down on poison capsules hidden in their mouths, choosing death over capture.

Jing Yuan stood over a corpse whose limbs had been severed by Chen Lin’s flying swords. Using the tip of his blade, he lifted the dead man’s hood. Underneath, the face was darkened with venom, pus, and foam spilling from the mouth—a grotesque and unnerving sight.

Pointed ears. A smooth tail concealed beneath the robes. There was no mistaking it. This was a Vidyadhara.

Jing Yuan’s expression grew heavier as he observed the body. The Vidyadhara assassin had bitten down on poison to end his life before capture.

“These people…” Welt approached, his tone uncertain as he glanced at the bodies.

Jing Yuan didn’t mince words. “Vidyadhara deathsworn. They must have infiltrated the Scalegorge Waterscape through another entrance as soon as the realm was unlocked. Hah, colluding with Phantylia to assassinate the General of the Xianzhou… how audacious.”

Though some of the bodies were Foxians and Xianzhou humans, the majority were Vidyadhara. Coupled with the evidence of the assassins’ use of Vidyadhara techniques, Jing Yuan wasted no time placing blame squarely on their faction.

Chen Lin understood Jing Yuan’s mood. It reminded him of his time on Jarilo-VI, when the prominent aristocratic families had secretly conspired against him. In the end, only the Landau family remained standing after his reckoning.

“Dead men tell no tales,” Chen Lin mused quietly to himself. “With just these corpses as evidence, I can already think of dozens of excuses to start a purge.”

Still, he couldn’t help but wonder why the Vidyadhara were involving themselves in such dangerous waters. Was Dan Heng hated enough to warrant such extreme measures?

Clack!

As Dan Heng lit the final stone lantern, two towering stone pillars near the dragon shadow erupted with green flames. The shadowy dragon’s form became visibly more transparent.

“Phew…”

Dan Heng exhaled deeply, stepping forward to join the others. He glanced at the corpses on the ground, the faces of his kin painfully familiar. Even more familiar was the lingering energy in the air.

“Vidyadhara techniques. They’re all Vidyadhara. But why are they here?”

To kill him?

It was obvious that their meager combat prowess wouldn’t have been enough to harm him, especially with his current companions by his side.

“…”

Jing Yuan crouched beside one of the bodies, flipping it over to reveal a bulge strapped to its back. Unwrapping the fabric, he uncovered a cylindrical object about the thickness of an arm. Its surface was intricately engraved, and a translucent blue-and-white orb was embedded in the center, swirling faintly with mist.

Jing Yuan hesitated for a moment, then looked at Dan Heng, whose expression had darkened.

“Old friend,” Jing Yuan said grimly, “I’m sure you recognize what this is.”

“The seal core… No, this one’s a fake,” Dan Heng replied, his voice steady but cold.

He examined the orb embedded in the device. Though it exuded a faint energy signature, it was devoid of the power necessary to sustain the seal.

March 7th tilted her head. “A fake seal core? What could they possibly use that for? It’s kind of pretty, though.”

“There are three cores in total,” Dan Heng explained. “The originals were forged by the Vidyadhara from ancient treasures to supply the seals with unending energy. One reason the Arbiter of the Dragons is tasked with guarding the Scalegorge Waterscape is to maintain the seals, which require constant infusions of energy to remain intact.”

Dan Heng pried the fake core open and extracted the orb. “If the energy supply falters—or if the core has been tampered with, like this one—the seal could malfunction. At best, it would collapse. At worst, it could backfire and harm the energy provider.”

March 7th sighed. “How can you talk about this so calmly? It’s all so complicated. My brain’s fried just thinking about all the drama on the Xianzhou.”

Chen Lin chuckled at her remark. “What’s the point of losing your cool? It’s not like we can storm out and settle the score with someone right now. Let’s focus on the task. We’ve still got two more seals to check. Dan Heng, do you have a way to verify whether the seals have been tampered with?”

“Yes,” Dan Heng replied with a nod, though his expression remained heavy. While he could confirm the seals’ condition, the fact that someone would tamper with something so critical to the survival of the Xianzhou left him with a lingering sense of unease—and disappointment.

Jing Yuan stepped forward. “I’ll personally ensure everyone responsible is held accountable. None of them will escape justice.”

He summoned the Cloud Knights to collect the bodies for further investigation, and the group pressed on toward the second seal.

This time, they were much closer to the dragon shadow. Many of the platforms nearby were entangled with the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor, the thick tendrils slowly creeping and growing. If one stared long enough, the roots seemed to writhe and stretch right before their eyes.

Dan Heng’s expression darkened. He, too, had noticed the Arbor’s alarming growth.

“The roots of the Ambrosial Arbor are spreading. At this rate, it won’t take long before the entire Scalegorge Waterscape is consumed,” he said grimly.

Jing Yuan nodded. “Phantylia must be behind this. We need to move quickly. Old friend, it’s up to you.”

Cautious after the earlier ambush, Dan Heng inspected the second seal carefully. As expected, the core had been replaced with a fake. If he had tried to deactivate the seal without noticing, it would have backfired on him, potentially injuring or even killing him.

Using an unknown method, Dan Heng replaced the core and restored the seal’s functionality. But the effort left him pale and unsteady.

He leaned against a wall, catching his breath, and muttered, “One more…”

From where he stood, Chen Lin could see the energy flowing from Dan Heng into the newly restored seal, his power tethered to the core. The steady transfer was draining him, bit by bit.

Chen Lin turned away, his expression unreadable. Beside him, Jing Yuan noticed it too, his hand tightening around the hilt of his blade.

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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!