Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [201]

While the fierce battle at the Alchemy Commission raged on, Fu Xuan was busy searching for Chen Lin.

How could my brother, who was just talking to me moments ago, suddenly vanish? Is this the work of you Disciple Sanctus members?!

Fu Xuan, who had been holding back, immediately leaped into action. The Cloud Knights, equipped with the Xianzhou’s most advanced personal gear and rigorously trained, were already a tough match for the likes of these power-hungry rogues. With Fu Xuan joining the fray, the Disciple Sanctus's gatekeepers and the Arbor monsters they controlled were swiftly defeated.

When Chen Lin returned from the Zroni Void Realm, the air was filled with Fu Xuan’s accusatory demands and the sharpening of Cloud Knights’ blades.

"Speak quickly! Where did you scoundrels take my dear brother?!"

"Daring to abduct Lord Chen amidst the chaos? Let’s see if you regenerate faster than we can cut you apart!"

"Exactly! Let’s dismember them again!"

A circle of furious commanders surrounded the captured members of the Disciple Sanctus, their rage palpable. Many among them had heard of Chen Lin’s contributions to the Xianzhou, from his careful planning to his selfless acts in steering them out of crises.

Some of them had even been saved by Chen Lin’s telekinetic abilities. To these soldiers, Chen Lin was not just a strategist but their literal savior. Now, with news of his sudden disappearance, the only explanation seemed to be foul play by the Disciple Sanctus.

Pinned to the ground, a member of the Secret Line, beaten to near unconsciousness, wailed in protest.

“I don’t even know who this so-called Lord Chen is! W-why are you blaming me for this?!”

“Still so stubborn? Cut him again!”

Just as the situation was spiraling, Chen Lin pushed through the crowd and called out, "Sis, I’m here!"

“Dear brother?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Fu Xuan’s tightly wound nerves relaxed instantly. She rushed over, confirming it was indeed Chen Lin. Once reassured, her expression returned to its usual calm, but there was a tinge of reproach in her tone.

“You have some explaining to do.”

Her words carried a faint edge of blame—Chen Lin’s sudden disappearance had genuinely scared her.

A person vanishing into thin air in the middle of a tense battle was no trivial matter. It could have meant a deadly ambush or an enemy’s secret weapon. Either way, such an occurrence was bound to raise concerns among allies, potentially unsettling their morale.

Meanwhile, the tortured Sanctus member, now half-dead, burst out in indignation: “Look! What does this have to do with us?! You people are just making things up!”

The gathered commanders exchanged glances. With a wordless consensus, the most senior officer gave a sharp order: “Kill him.”

“Huh?!”

The accused member flared his nostrils in disbelief, struggling to process why his life was suddenly forfeit. Yet before he could muster another insult, a blade silenced him. With one swift stroke, his head separated from his body, crimson blood spilling across the ground in a grisly end.

The Cloud Knights, true to their reputation, adhered to pre-planned strategies with precision. After securing the river crossing, they immediately began fortifying defenses and sweeping through nearby warehouses to clear out the Alchemy Commission’s stockpiles of herbs, ensuring no hidden enemies could sabotage their rear lines.

As the commanders dispersed to carry out their tasks, Fu Xuan turned back to Chen Lin, her piercing gaze demanding answers.

Faced with his sister’s formidable aura, Chen Lin hesitated.

He couldn’t exactly blurt out, “Oh, I was pulled into a void because I ordered colonists to dig up ancient graves, and they accidentally triggered a mechanism left by an ancient psionic civilization. Then I had a chat with their spiritual ancestors about godhood.”

Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and said seriously, “Sis, I apologize for causing you worry. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to explain, but the matter involves delicate interests. Let’s just say those who understand will understand, and those who don’t won’t, no matter how much I explain. This is a psionic matter—very complex and far-reaching. I’ll need to consult records later to fully grasp its implications.”

“Psionic?”

“Yes, it pertains to imperial secrets.” Pausing, Chen Lin scanned their surroundings as though wary of eavesdroppers. Satisfied it was safe, he reached out and made a clawing motion in the air.

The sight was startling—space before him twisted into a deep purple vortex. When Chen Lin withdrew his hand, he held a small handful of shimmering blue powder. The powder glowed faintly, exuding an unearthly energy.

Even without touching it, Fu Xuan could sense the overwhelming power within, an energy startlingly similar to Chen Lin’s psionic signature.

“This is…”

“Zroni Dust.”

After stowing the powder back into the Zroni Void Realm, Chen Lin explained, “Just now, both my mind and body were pulled into a dimension where I encountered a race recorded only in imperial archives. They were pioneers of psionic cultivation, essentially the forebears of our psionic theories."

“I learned about a god-making war from billions of years ago—a war that nearly destroyed the universe itself...”

While explaining, Chen Lin reviewed the new abilities and items he had obtained.

[Zroni Void Realm: A unique relic formed from energy remnants of the Zroni species’ last stand. Accessible only by Governor Chen Lin with the realm’s activation key. While its origins remain uncertain, the Zroni Void Realm absorbs any form of cosmic energy to develop itself.]

Passive Effects: -100% damage from energy weapons; enables combat warp commands for ships; removes warp engine preparation time.
Active Effect: Consumes 8,000 cohesion points; 90-day cooldown. Reduces warp engine cooldown by 100% for 45 days across all fleet vessels.]

[Psionic Origin Witness: This leader has witnessed the Zroni species’ god-making war. After undergoing the trial, they gain unparalleled knowledge and skills in unexpected situations. (Leader XP gain +333%; all learned skills convert into unique traits.)]

As Chen Lin inspected his traits, he noticed a flood of new ones filling his status bar, ranging from practical to downright bizarre:

• Culinary Expert: This leader excels at cooking, often creating delicious meals.

• Silver Tongue: This leader possesses exceptional charisma and persuasive logic to win trust.

• Qualified Politician: This leader can lie without physiological giveaways.

And so on.

It seemed that the skills Chen Lin had mastered were now displayed in his traits bar, no longer relying on experience or practice to determine proficiency.

From a technological perspective, [Zroni Distillation] was a method for extracting Zroni essence from other substances. The Zroni Void Realm was filled with such materials—grains of sand, rocks, even wood.

This technology ensured efficient refinement of Zroni-containing substances, though one caveat remained: consuming Zroni Dust could lead to addiction.

Chen Lin had previously found this point laughable when playing games. Byd... getting addicted to snorting ashes? Ridiculous.

[Zroni Generation Reaction Technology] was something entirely novel to him. This technology allowed psionics to use external mediums to trigger chain reactions, eventually generating Zroni. However, the dark side was clear—every unit of Zroni generated this way came at the cost of a psionic’s life, leaving neither body nor soul behind.

The third technology, [Harmless Psionic Conversion], was just as chilling. Chen Lin carefully read the description:

This technology enabled psionics of elite-level strength or higher to use specialized equipment to forcibly awaken psionic potential in individuals without natural talent. Those forcibly awakened would lack control over their psionic energy, thus deemed "harmless." When a psionic’s strength reached the level of a Psionic Master, they could even awaken others without relying on equipment.

It didn’t take much thought for Chen Lin to realize that these three technologies formed a sinister combo—a conveyor belt for capturing enemy soldiers, extracting value, and disposing of remains, all to produce Zroni Dust.

Even though Chen Lin hadn’t yet unlocked any specific policies around Zroni Dust, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t need this rare resource.

Zroni Dust wasn’t limited to research. With the looming threat of the L-Gate, the first apocalyptic enemy he was destined to face, he had no idea how the strength of these enemies would differ in this modded Stellaris universe. If Zroni Dust could allow him to rapidly produce a batch of psionics in a pinch, it might turn the tide of battle.

While in the Zroni Void Realm, Chen Lin had already tested consuming a tiny amount of Zroni Dust. Despite his vast psionic capacity, even a pinch had immediately replenished his energy and slightly enhanced its quality—it was, as some might say, "more durable."

As for the addiction risk... he believed there would be solutions. During peacetime, he could distribute minimal, non-addictive doses to the military to gradually enhance their strength.

Now, he was itching to return to Jarilo-VI and stop Seele from working those captured space pirates to death as slave labor. Why waste them? Keep them alive for now. Once I finalize the technology, convert them into harmless psionics and extract Zroni instead—it’s way more cost-effective.

Under his current harsh labor reform policy, the pirate slaves were likely dying at an alarming rate. That’s precious Zroni Dust being wasted every minute!

He felt an urgent need to act.

As Chen Lin recounted the god-making war to Fu Xuan, her expression grew solemn.

Despite her usual composure, the sheer weight of the tale was enough to stir her emotions.

Chen Lin’s knowledge of countless technological advancements, combined with his innate eloquence, allowed him to vividly recreate the harrowing war.

“Dear brother, don’t grieve,” Fu Xuan consoled him, mistaking his downcast expression for sorrow over the loss of the noble Zroni psionics. “The Gospel faction of the Zroni were truly admirable. Were the Xianzhou faced with such a dire situation, this seat would have joined the Gospel faction without hesitation. You should safeguard that dust—this might be a great opportunity for your people.”

She was unaware, of course, that Chen Lin was lamenting the wasted potential of the pirate-slaves on Jarilo-VI.

Still, Fu Xuan felt deeply moved. What began as a scolding for his sudden disappearance had turned into Chen Lin entrusting her with an enormous secret. To her, this was an extraordinary display of trust.

She silently vowed that this secret would never leave her lips and resolved to grant her brother the highest degree of faith going forward.

Chen Lin, oblivious to her thoughts, was already planning his next steps. Who should oversee Zroni Dust research? The Gospel faction failed to fully understand it before being forced to weaponize it against the Ascensionists. There’s more to Zroni Dust than meets the eye.

For instance, what happens if someone with no psionic potential consumes it? What negative effects might addiction bring?

Fu Xuan broke his train of thought. “Dear brother, stop standing around. Find a place to rest. Once the Cloud Knights finish their sweep, we’ll proceed. Once we control all the river crossings, there will be no escape for them.”

Neither Fu Xuan nor Chen Lin was concerned about the Disciple Sanctus avoiding battle. With all external routes monitored and the Cloud Knights advancing through the cave systems, there was no chance of escape.

Chen Lin finalized his plans for the development of Zroni Dust. Noticing Fu Xuan’s impatience, he replied, “There’s no need to rush. The Crafting Commission’s progress still seems uncertain...”

Before he could finish, a deafening explosion echoed from the distance.

Everyone turned toward the source, which came from the direction of the Crafting Commission. Even from afar, golden beams of light could be seen cutting through the branches of the Arbor, all converging toward the Commission’s domain.

Amid the explosions, a low, mournful cry pierced the skies, like the wail of a stag, reverberating through the heavens.

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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!