Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [205]

Throughout history, those with great talent have earned high positions.

Talent comes in two forms: one of intellect and one of strength.

As fate would have it, Fu Xuan was blessed with both. She wasn’t the type to flaunt her abilities arrogantly. Instead, she treated her subordinates with genuine care—though her methods could sometimes use some polishing.

Her dual gifts inevitably gave people the impression of unshakable confidence, as if she stood perpetually aloof from the mundane. Yet this wasn’t entirely accurate.

People often judge someone based on the force of their presence, imagining the past that shaped it. Even if their assumptions were close to the truth, they would still fall short of accuracy.

This phenomenon, born from what is seen and inferred, is the essence of reputation.

And where reputations form, so too do rumors.

As one of the Six Commissions’ leaders, Fu Xuan and her Divination Commission carried an air of mystique. Being the youngest Master Diviner in Xianzhou history only fueled the wildfire of speculation.

Some said she was a tactical prodigy, capable of commanding armies single-handedly.
Others claimed her personality was cold and distant, like an immortal out of legend, and that she could read the thoughts of anyone she spoke with—making her an intimidating figure to approach.

Then there were the bizarre rumors. One alleged that she drank ten cups of Immortal Bliss Tea daily and slept clutching a massive pillow, oblivious to the ridicule of onlookers.

These myths shaped how the people of Luofu saw her: a frosty, high-and-mighty figure whose mere words sent chills down spines.

In truth, Fu Xuan’s happiest moments came from the quiet solitude of her office. Peace in her office meant peace across Xianzhou—no looming disasters, no urgent crises.

But her prolonged isolation made her view the world differently. She often dismissed minor squabbles with a casual laugh, uninterested in the trivialities of others.

Over time, this distance left her with few peers. There weren’t many who could match her intellect, and even fewer she could meet within her lifetime.

And then she found one.

That man—the one who had resolved her predicament, rallied the wavering Cloud Knights, and bridged the gap between discipline and morale—stood before her now. His methods, though decisive and ruthless, still left room for leniency and strategy.

Could she have done the same?

Fu Xuan didn’t think so. Even if she had tried, she doubted she could have balanced both sides so elegantly.

Chen Lin, meanwhile, leapt gracefully from the roof of the main hall, his gaze following the Cloud Knights as they surged forward with renewed determination. His eyes lingered on the bodies of fallen soldiers being prepared for transport back to the Divine Strategy Office, and he let out a weary sigh.

The knights who had taken their own lives to avoid succumbing to shadow corruption—they deserved more than regret. To endure that level of pain while still having the resolve to end themselves to protect their comrades…

What remarkable soldiers they were.

Fu Xuan’s head suddenly appeared in his line of sight, her voice breaking his reverie.

“Your actions have helped me greatly, dear brother. If not for you, this matter would’ve been far more difficult for me to handle. The results are satisfactory—so why the sigh?”

Chen Lin offered a tired smile. “Just exhaling my frustrations… But what of you, sis? Do you not think my drastic methods might have unsettled the Cloud Knights?”

Fu Xuan tilted her head thoughtfully before shaking it.

“Not at all. Your actions disrupted nothing irreparable. If anything, suppressing their frustration would’ve caused more harm. I couldn’t find a proper way to balance it. If I had, I would’ve been the one standing atop the roof, not you.”

After a brief pause, she crossed her arms and added in an almost casual tone:

“And even if things had gone awry… so what? I spend my days reading the heavens and interpreting omens, but I’m still human—bound by worldly limitations. Besides…” Her voice softened, almost inaudibly. “You’re my brother. Of course, I’d be biased in your favor.”

The last part slipped out before she could stop herself, prompting her to clear her throat awkwardly.

“Ahem… How are things over at the Artisanship Commission?”

“Oh, right! I almost forgot about them!”

Chen Lin launched into a detailed explanation of the situation, omitting his conversation with Tingyun. As he described the enemy the Astral Express crew faced, Fu Xuan’s sharp intellect quickly pieced together its identity.

“A Vitality Spirit Deer—a guardian beast of the Abundance. It draws power from the Arbor’s roots, and wherever its hooves tread, new branches sprout. So long as the Arbor thrives, the deer cannot die. A truly vexing foe…”

Fu Xuan’s expression turned pensive as she continued.

“Such beasts do not appear without purpose. A Vitality Spirit Deer’s presence indicates that the Arbor has taken root in the Artisanship Commission. But for the Arbor’s branches to reach such a distance… hmm. Ah, now I understand.”

Her tone grew more certain. “Before the Xianzhou was sealed off, I foresaw misfortune befalling the Artisanship Commission. It seems the conspirators planted a piece of the Arbor infused with the Stellaron’s power well in advance, setting the stage for this calamity.”

She sighed. “I hadn’t anticipated that the Stellaron’s energy could revive the Arbor so effectively. It’s clear our external foes were meticulous in their preparations.”

She turned back to Chen Lin. “Relay this to the Astral Express team: wherever a Vitality Spirit Deer appears, an Arbor root must be nearby. Though its presence may seem daunting, it is merely a fragment of the Arbor—a single branch. The deer itself cannot grow overly powerful, and its root is its greatest weakness."

“If they locate and destroy the root, the Arbor will be forced to divert its energy to repair the damage, weakening the deer. That will be their chance to strike and destroy it. Without its protector, the branch will wither and die on its own. The Stellaron’s power is finite—it cannot summon another deer.”

Chen Lin marveled at her insight. With only a secondhand description of events, Fu Xuan had deduced not only the deer’s identity but also its weaknesses. Her reputation as a brilliant strategist was well-deserved.

“I’ll pass along your advice right away. Sister, please continue leading the troops. I’ll catch up shortly.”

Fu Xuan nodded, watching as Chen Lin vanished into the Zeru Void Realm.

Her heartbeat quickened unexpectedly. She couldn’t pinpoint why she felt so anxious, as though something unspoken lingered in her thoughts. She silently hoped her contributions would prove useful.

Only the advancing army broke her reverie, drawing her focus back to the task at hand. With steady resolve, Fu Xuan followed her troops deeper into the Arbor’s domain.

The Alchemy Commission’s spatial domain was vast—one of the largest among the Six Commissions. Even in its decline, it had inherited a wealth of resources that outshone most other divisions.

By dawn, the glow of the reviving Arbor no longer illuminated the night alone. The crisp morning light brought a new clarity to the Xianzhou Luofu, lending its battered streets and sky an unsettling sense of normalcy.

Across courtyards, alleys, and sprawling plazas, the Cloud Knights clashed with Disciple Sanctus members and beasts corrupted by the Abundance. From a vantage point above the battlefield, Chen Lin and Fu Xuan observed the unfolding chaos.

“Why did you leave an opening in the encirclement?” Fu Xuan asked, a trace of confusion in her tone. Her sharp eyes turned toward her younger brother. “We could’ve wiped them all out in one decisive strike.”

Chen Lin shrugged, gesturing at the scattered remnants of Disciple operatives fleeing in disarray. “We’ve crushed the Abundance beasts and driven off half their forces. But what of the other half that remains?”

“So you always fight like this?”

“Of course.” Chen Lin smiled patiently. “Sis, when a dog is cornered, it will bite. When a rabbit has no escape, it’ll turn and attack. But give them a path to flee, and their broken spirits will do more harm to them than we ever could. This tactic is called leaving a gap in the encirclement—to kill half and let the other half, bereft of courage, scatter.

“When those who fled realize their power was meaningless and that the survivors around them are just as demoralized, do you think they’ll find the will to fight again?

“When we corner them once more, we give them a sliver of hope—a chance to surrender. Now tell me, sis, do you think there’ll be more who surrender or those who choose to resist?”

The Disciple Sanctus was a ragtag group. Chen Lin knew their makeup intimately—many were ordinary people before joining. He didn’t expect them to have the unwavering morale of a trained army.

“They gain some fleeting power and arrogance,” Chen Lin continued, “but the moment their comrades are obliterated in front of them, that arrogance shatters. Fear creeps in, and soon enough, they’re running.”

Unlike ordinary soldiers, the Cloud Knights were elite, their discipline unmatched. Their sheer numbers overwhelmed the Disciple forces. It was a straightforward battle, but Chen Lin had taken care to leverage the psychological edge.

He chuckled. “Surrender isn’t just an option—it’s contagious. The more we press forward, the more they’ll hear of those who surrendered and survived. Add a little persuasion, and you’ll see them scrambling to give up their arms. And here we are now—look at how many are surrendering without a fight.”

Fu Xuan fell silent for a long moment. Finally, she muttered, “Brother, you and the General are truly cut from the same cloth. Both of you are full of schemes.”

Her voice carried a mix of exasperation and grudging admiration. She couldn’t deny the brilliance of manipulating the enemy’s expectations to engineer their surrender, even if it was undeniably ruthless.

Behind them, Qingzu, the chief strategist, stepped forward and interjected. “Master Diviner, Chen Lin’s approach is not without honor. This is a recognized strategy. Victory is victory, whether won through courage or cunning. After all, those who lose either have no voice to argue—or no lives left to argue with.”

Fu Xuan huffed. “I know that. Don’t think I don’t understand the logic. My brother’s tactics have been undeniably effective. Why would I criticize him for it?”

Qingzu’s keen eyes lingered on her expression. Interesting… She’s quick to defend him, even after calling him a schemer. Seems the Master Diviner’s bias isn’t subtle.

Then again, Chen Lin was the sibling of both the Master Diviner and the Arbiter General. Perhaps calling her attitude "biased" was putting it lightly.

“Chen Lin’s contributions to the Cloud Knights’ success can’t be overstated,” Qingzu added diplomatically. “I’ll admit, I’ve rarely seen someone so adaptable in both strategy and tactics. Your actions have saved countless lives, Chen Lin.”

“Alright, enough praise,” Chen Lin said with a wry smile, waving off the compliment. “If you keep this up, my ego’s going to explode. I can deal in schemes, but put me in a real fight, and you’d all have a good laugh at my expense.”

Fu Xuan scoffed, crossing her arms. “Who’d dare laugh at you? I’d personally make sure they regret it.”

Chen Lin shook his head. “I’m no god. Just a mortal with strengths and weaknesses. Against seasoned generals, I’d need underhanded tricks to stand a chance. Against someone like you, sis, you’d pin me to the ground in seconds. If my friends went all out, all I’d be good for is running—or maybe pulling off a desperate gambit or two.”

Fu Xuan frowned. “Nonsense. Your psionic abilities are profound, and I’ve seen what you can do. What you lack is experience. You’re still young for an immortal. Traveling with the Astral Express will give you plenty of opportunities to grow stronger. One day, your strength will match anyone’s.”

As they spoke, the battlefield below erupted in another decisive victory. The Cloud Knights pursued fleeing Disciple members with ruthless efficiency, cutting down stragglers while shouting surrender terms.

The result was as Chen Lin had predicted: more and more Disciple members dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender, unwilling to face certain death.

Soon, the lead general reported the battle’s outcome, excitement evident in his voice. Despite the scale of the conflict, casualties had been minimal.

The Cloud Knights had exploited psychological warfare to devastating effect. Rumors had been carefully planted that those who wielded tainted weapons to induce shadow corruption would face unthinkable torment if captured. Tales of gruesome punishments spread like wildfire, amplified by the sight of mutilated Disciple prisoners displayed at the army’s forefront.

It was a grisly spectacle. The regenerative abilities of the tainted had turned into their curse, keeping them alive as warnings to their comrades.

The psychological impact was staggering. Veterans who had witnessed these horrors firsthand fled at the mere sight of advancing knights, spreading their terror through their ranks.

By the time the Cloud Knights pushed into the Alchemy Commission’s core, the resistance had crumbled. Only a handful of corrupted knights had been created during the battle—a shocking turn given their earlier struggles.

Chen Lin watched the results with satisfaction, his earlier efforts paying off in full. The terror sown in the enemy’s ranks had borne fruit, leaving the Cloud Knights victorious with minimal bloodshed.

Fu Xuan exhaled, her sharp gaze softening as she surveyed the battlefield. “Victory was never in doubt, but this efficiency... it’s rare to see it achieved with such precision.”

Chen Lin smiled faintly. “Fear is a weapon, sis. But compassion can be, too. Knowing when to wield which is the key to winning without breaking your own forces.”

Fu Xuan nodded. “Perhaps I’ve underestimated you, little brother.”

The army regrouped, preparing to march deeper into the Arbor’s domain. For now, the path ahead seemed a little clearer.

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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!