Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [90]

Morning arrived at the heart of the Robot Settlement, where a small building stood, illuminated by a faint, flickering light.

Clara was nestled in a corner on the first floor, a small campfire crackling in front of her. Exhausted from days of work, she had dozed off, her peaceful sleeping face radiating tranquility. Here, at least, she didn’t have to worry about danger.

Not far from her stood a towering, imposing robot. A soft, blue light flickered from the transparent dome on its head as it scanned the half-used jar of white ointment in its hand.

“Analyzing composition… Cross-referencing database entries… Partial match found. Unregistered substances detected. Initiating analysis and data storage for new material A5…”

Since the day Clara brought back the ointment and the transparent liquid, Svarog had been meticulously examining both substances.

Though it lacked human intuition and had limited data on pharmaceuticals, Svarog’s advanced systems allowed it to separate and identify the substances within the ointment. It could also determine whether the complex compounds posed any irreversible harm to the human body.

Only after confirming that the ointment effectively treated and prevented frostbite, and that the transparent liquid worked as a pain reliever, did Svarog allow Clara to use them.

In just a few days, Clara’s wounds had shown clear signs of healing. The areas treated with the ointment no longer suffered from frostbite, and her blood vessels were better protected from the cold. The medicine prevented red blood cells from leaking and causing inflammation, effectively shielding her from further harm.

Svarog glanced at the resting Clara. She had been especially busy these past days.

Aside from repairing damaged robots, she tirelessly introduced work opportunities in Boulder Town to the wanderers stationed near the settlement.

Most wanderers trusted her deeply. Many were willing to set aside past grievances and travel to Boulder Town for work. Teams left for Boulder Town in the morning and returned to their tents outside the settlement by nightfall. Clara would always smile warmly when she saw them earning wages and food.

She had even received a new gift—shoes, crafted by someone in Boulder Town. Not only did they protect her feet from the freezing ground, but they also prevented the ointment on her feet from rubbing off.

“Contact protocol update: Clara’s visitors—threat level: low. Affiliation: unknown. Classification: unaccounted variable. Plan: failed to integrate into calculation protocols, retrying… Recommendation: allow continued observation. Current task: firewood supply insufficient, heat levels dropping, fuel required.”

Svarog’s mechanical eye blinked as it updated its core data.

At that moment, Clara stirred from her nap, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She saw Svarog adding firewood to the flames.

“Wait, Mr. Svarog!” Clara suddenly called out. “Don’t add more wood—I’m about to head out.”

“Request acknowledged. Destination and purpose, Clara?”

“I want to go to Boulder Town,” Clara said, brushing off the ash from her clothes. “The settlement’s energy device is broken. I can’t fix it myself… but I think Big Brother can! He’s really good at fixing things!”

A few days ago, the settlement’s heating system had malfunctioned. With multiple energy devices out of service, the residents had resorted to burning low-efficiency fuel to stay warm. Many had fallen ill as a result.

Clara had tried to repair the devices, but her height limited her ability to reach and inspect certain parts. Realizing the danger, Svarog had forbidden her from attempting further repairs.

Looking toward a stash of intricate spare parts in the room, Clara added, “Big Brother is a kind person. He made all these parts for me without hesitation, even though I thought it might trouble him. Thanks to him, the smaller robots have been upgraded and now last much longer.”

“Data update: Clara has mentioned ‘Big Brother’ three additional times in the past four days, for a total of 1,002 mentions. Sentiment analysis: 99% positive. Classification: trusted individual. Permission to engage: granted.”

“Mr. Svarog!” Clara’s face turned red as she stomped her foot. “Stop recording everything I say!”

“This protocol assesses risks associated with Clara’s visitors. It is accessible only to Clara as the highest-priority individual. Data confidentiality ensured.”

“That doesn’t matter! It’s my privacy, and it’s embarrassing, like someone finding out you sleep in late…” Clara pouted, waving her hands. “Delete it, now!”

“Request to delete ‘Clara Visitor Risk Assessment’ acknowledged. Deletion failed. Cause unknown. Error investigation initiated… Error unresolved. Code: ERROR_PHC773. Suggestion: retry in 24 hours.”

“…”

Clara sighed. She knew Svarog had no intention of deleting it. By now, she was used to its quirks.

After a moment’s thought, she said, “If Big Brother agrees to help, could you make sure the robots guarding the energy devices don’t hurt him? I can tell he’s not very good at fighting… and he saved me before. I don’t want him to get hurt.”

“Understood. Permission granted.”

Svarog paused, then added, “Data update: Clara has mentioned…”

“I said stop storing that information!!”

---

About ten minutes later, Clara, her face still flushed, left the settlement and stepped onto the frost-covered ground surrounding it. The area was dotted with tents and campfires where wanderers were preparing breakfast.

Seeing Clara, many cheerfully invited her to join them, but she politely declined, unwilling to take food from those who already had so little.

However, a middle-aged man approached her with a group of men and women. Tears welled up in his eyes as he grabbed her hand.

“Miss Clara, we don’t know how to thank you enough. Because of you, we can finally fill our bellies. Our children no longer have to go hungry.”

“Yeah, and Mr. Chen isn’t just smart and talented—he’s also incredibly generous. He pays us on time, gives bonuses to the hardest workers, and has really changed our lives.”

“Back when I worked in the mines, no matter how hard I worked, it was barely enough to feed myself, let alone my family.”

“Mr. Chen even helped us exchange our wages for food. Without him, we wouldn’t have known where to go in Boulder Town. It’s like we were lost.”

Another man added, “I arrived wearing rags and got mocked for it. But Mr. Chen stood up for me, putting those jerks in their place. Later, those same guys were taken to the ‘House of the Fire’ or something and given a serious attitude adjustment. Now, they’re the ones apologizing and even standing up for us when others try to push us around. They say we’re equals and should help each other.”

“Mr. Chen is a saint compared to that Supreme Guardian who only knows how to oppress us. He deserves to live a long, happy life!”

“You’re cursing him with longevity? Don’t you know he’s not even from this world? I heard he’s hundreds of years old!”

“What? I heard he’s over a thousand years old!”

Hearing their chatter, Clara couldn’t help but be stunned.

Big Brother… is that old?

“Anyway, we’re all so grateful to you and Mr. Chen,” the man said. “Are you heading to Boulder Town?”

“Yes, the energy device is broken. I’m going to ask Big Brother to fix it.”

“Please deliver this to Mr. Chen for us.” The man handed Clara a bag filled with various items. “He’s always so busy. We don’t want to bother him, but this is a token of our gratitude.”

Clara peeked inside the bag, her eyes lighting up in surprise.

“My daughter made a little doll for him when she found out we could eat thanks to a kind big brother,” a woman said shyly. “It’s not very pretty, though.”

A young man added, “I made him a clock from my prized spare parts. It’s my life’s work!”

After hearing everyone’s heartfelt contributions, Clara smiled and said, “I’ll make sure Big Brother gets these. Thank you all so much!”

Carrying the bag, Clara trudged toward Boulder Town, still unaccustomed to her new shoes.

The town had grown visibly larger, nearly doubling in size as it absorbed nearby settlements. Everyone pitched in to help new arrivals build homes, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

When Clara reached the town’s outskirts, the Wildfire guards spotted her and hurried to help with her bag, greeting her warmly.

Learning she was looking for Chen Lin, they directed her to the hotel, saying he was likely still there.

It didn’t take long for Clara to reach the hotel and find his room. Familiar with the place, she approached his door and knocked lightly.

“Big Brother, are you there?”

The door opened, not by hand, but through the subtle force of psionics.

Peeking inside, Clara saw Chen Lin seated at the window, sketching something on a sheet of paper. His sharp, angular profile drew her attention like a magnet.

Why can’t I stop staring?

“Cough, cough!” Chen Lin cleared his throat, pointing to the neatly made bed. “Clara, have a seat. I need to finish something first.”

“Okay.” Clara nodded obediently, her gaze lingering as she settled in.

Chen Lin was preparing for what was to come. At this moment, he was drafting a textbook that he intended every school in Belobog to use for teaching students in the future, titled Psionic Theory.

The destroyer had already set course for Jarilo-VI and would likely enter orbit soon. Once it arrived, Chen Lin planned to initiate his final strategy to annex the planet.

He wasn’t going to take over Jarilo-VI unprepared. Drawing from his gaming experience, he knew that owning a planet involved construction, clearing obstacles, and planning for future developments. Among his considerations was the Great Psionic Awakening.

As likely the first psionic user in this world, Chen Lin understood better than anyone that mastering psionics wasn’t a passive process. Unlike in games where traits and abilities were granted automatically, psionics required continuous effort to understand, train, and utilize.

Questions such as how to comprehend psionics, how to train one’s abilities, and how to apply them were issues that his future "empire's" citizens would need to tackle proactively.

Thus, writing the Psionic Theory textbook had become Chen Lin’s personal responsibility.

At least it wasn’t a total loss for him. He hadn’t updated Herta on his psionic theories in quite some time—primarily because he couldn’t reach her.

In any case, the textbook encapsulated all the basics and core principles of psionics. When the time came, he could simply pass this completed work to Herta for her to study on her own.

After all, he had freeloaded off her for quite some time. He felt a tiny twinge of guilt about that.

Having finished revising the final section of the chapter, Chen Lin put down his pen. The first thing he said as he turned around was:

“Clara, did you remember to apply your ointment today?”

“Eh…? N-no, I didn’t,” Clara stammered. “I was in such a rush after waking up that I forgot…”

Pfft.

Chen Lin couldn’t help but chuckle internally.

---

T/N: CLARA I SS SOC UTE

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!