Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [84]

Deep within Rivet Town, inside a modest industrial workshop...

Clang!

The metallic sound echoed loudly as the wooden handle of Chen Lin’s hammer snapped in two, leaving him clutching the useless pieces. Meanwhile, the iron boiler he had been working on remained utterly unscathed.

“Ah, crap…!” Chen Lin winced, clutching his hand that throbbed with pain from the impact. He let out a pained hiss. “Who on Earth thought it was a good idea to weld the inside after bolting the damn thing down? What a nightmare.”

Frustrated, he slumped onto a nearby bench, shouting toward the staircase. “Seele, get up here!”

“Told you it wasn’t going to come loose like that,” Seele said as she ascended, her boots clicking against the worn steps. “Even though Rivet Town, Foundry Town, and Forge Town were the industrial hubs of the Underworld, most equipment in these workshops gets patched up endlessly instead of being replaced. The shopkeepers probably didn’t care about safety, just saving time and money.”

“Why don’t you try hacking at it with your scythe?” Chen Lin suggested half-seriously.

Seele shot him a glare. “That’s not happening. Unlike those flimsy robots, this thing is solid steel. My scythe would probably break before it even made a dent.”

“Figures. What a waste of good steel.”

Every few days, once the transport teams had carried away their scheduled loads, Chen Lin would personally visit Rivet Town—or one of the other industrial areas—to scout for salvageable materials and machinery.

Today was no exception.

After lunch, he had given his apprentices their instructions at the hydroponic farm before rushing over to Rivet Town. As his self-proclaimed bodyguard, Seele naturally tagged along.

That explained why the two of them were now deep in the heart of Rivet Town.

Once, the three industrial towns of the Underworld had been pillars of progress, each specializing in a specific field. Rivet Town focused on manufacturing mechanical components, Forge Town handled metal and alloy smelting, and Foundry Town was responsible for designing and building advanced machinery. All raw materials came from mining hubs like Boulder Town.

But when Forge Town and Foundry Town fell to Fragmentum corruption, many workers fled to Rivet Town, overcrowding its facilities. Eventually, Rivet Town met the same fate, succumbing to the Fragmentum’s spread. Many workers, designers, and researchers either perished or were severely injured. Survivors either ended up as miners in distant towns or became homeless wanderers.

Boulder Town, with its limited capacity, couldn’t take in everyone, forcing many to live as drifters.

This tragic series of events was one reason why Chen Lin had been able to recruit so many skilled workers with mechanical expertise in Boulder Town.

Seele idly spun her scythe in her hands, watching Chen Lin with mild amusement. “The monsters downstairs are taken care of. Feel free to poke around for anything useful. I’ll keep watch.”

She stretched, letting out a yawn. “Ugh… ate too much. Now I’m sleepy.”

“Well, maybe don’t eat double portions next time,” Chen Lin shot back with a pointed look. “You scarfed down two full meals and then grabbed some extra pancakes. Of course you’re feeling sluggish.”

“Heh, no regrets,” Seele said nonchalantly, climbing onto a high platform where she could oversee all possible entry points to their location. “Take your time. I’m just going to rest my eyes a bit.”

Although Seele was tall and lean, her frame was wiry from years of malnutrition. Her recent ravenous appetite didn’t bother Chen Lin; in fact, he thought it was a good thing. She needed the extra nourishment to recover from her years of deprivation.

Shaking his head, Chen Lin turned his attention back to the workshop, inspecting other machines and materials that might be worth salvaging.

“This hot-processing furnace still works. The parts are worn, but it’s salvageable… Oh? A cutting machine and a multi-axis rolling press? And this—wait, is this a vacuum pump? What the hell, Belobog, what kind of tech points did you lose?!”

The area appeared to have been a cluster of interconnected workshops, making it easy for Chen Lin to move from one building to the next as he cataloged machinery for transport.

From her perch, Seele propped her chin on one hand and watched with amusement as Chen Lin muttered and cursed his way through dismantling equipment. He meticulously recorded every detail, marking diagrams with notes on disassembly and reassembly.

In Seele’s eyes, Chen Lin didn’t resemble a seasoned fighter. What set him apart was his sheer physical strength, which far exceeded that of the average Belobog citizen.

If I had his strength and regenerative ability, Seele thought, I could take down the entire Silvermane Guards one by one in a fair fight.

It wasn’t arrogance—it was admiration. Chen Lin’s physical prowess was as extraordinary as it was rare.

She mentally compared their capabilities. He outmatched her in strength, reaction speed, and endurance. The only area where she held an edge was in combat technique.

Still, if I had his body, Seele mused, I’d be unstoppable. One enemy or a hundred, it wouldn’t make a difference.

“Ugh! Why is this thing leaking oil?!”

Seele’s thoughts were interrupted as Chen Lin suddenly leaped away from a machine, his hands now stained with black oil.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Called it. There’s a well nearby. I already drew some water—clean yourself up.”

When Seele had first met him, she thought he was a stereotypical intellectual: uptight, overly polite, and difficult to be around. But spending more time with him had revealed a down-to-earth personality.

Chen Lin cursed when angry, laughed loudly when amused, and never acted superior to anyone.

If anything, his practical side made him endearing. Seele often found herself thinking: How is someone like him still single?

She had even met his traveling companions. Despite their quirks, Chen Lin treated them like a long-suffering father figure. Seele had overheard March 7 once jokingly introduce herself as Chen Lin’s “bro.”

That, combined with his interactions with the others—like dragging a certain trash-diving girl out of bins—made it clear why he seemed perpetually exasperated.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Seele idly played with the new blue hairband she’d received earlier.

“Hey, Chen Lin,” she called out, “how about I teach you how to fight? You’re wasting that great body of yours by not using it!”

“Can we not go there again?” Chen Lin replied without looking up. “I’m a pacifist. I don’t fight.”

Instead of learning combat, Chen Lin preferred to rely on his companions. One shout of “March, Dan Heng, Stelle—help!” was usually enough to resolve any danger.

Besides, he had plenty of weapons stashed in his personal starship dock. Why bother with close combat?

Seele rolled her eyes at his dismissive tone, but before she could press the issue, a distant explosion shook the air.

Boom!

Rivet Town was her home. She had grown up in one of its more chaotic neighborhoods, and she knew the area far better than Chen Lin, who had only visited a handful of times.

Her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings until they locked onto the faint plume of dust rising in the air. It confirmed her suspicion.

“It’s coming from the commercial district near the mines!”

No sooner had she spoken than another explosion rocked the area.

Boom!

This was no random Fragmentum-triggered blast. Chen Lin was certain the noise came from something deliberate—an ongoing battle.

Clap!

Without hesitation, Seele leapt down from her vantage point and grabbed Chen Lin’s arm, preparing to flee.

“Wait, Seele!” Chen Lin called, struggling to keep up. “We need to check it out!”

“What? Are you crazy? It’s probably some Fragmentum monster setting things off. It’s too dangerous, and I’m not letting you get involved!”

She pulled harder, but Chen Lin dug his heels in, holding her hand in place.

“This isn’t a fuel explosion,” he explained, his brow furrowing. “It’s the sound of high-grade explosives. There’s no fire—just dust. Someone might be fighting Fragmentum monsters there.”

“That’s impossible!” Seele retorted with certainty. “The members of Wildfire are disciplined. Besides, their mission today isn’t even in Rivet Town—it’s over in Forge Town.”

After a pause, her eyes narrowed. “How can you even tell what caused the explosion just by hearing it?”

“I can make an educated guess.” Chen Lin’s tone was calm yet firm. “Carry me closer, and I’ll scout it out. If it’s nothing, we’ll leave. But if someone’s there, we have to help.”

Manpower was a precious resource in Belobog’s Underworld. Every life mattered. And anyone capable of causing such a commotion was bound to be a valuable asset.

Chen Lin was always on the lookout for talent.

Closing his eyes, Chen Lin concentrated as his consciousness detached and projected outward in the form of a psionic construct—an invisible energy form that could move freely without physical constraints.

The energy wisped away toward the explosion site, darting past buildings and obstacles with ease.

Seele watched as Chen Lin slumped lifelessly in her arms, his body temporarily inert. With a resigned sigh, she hoisted him over her shoulder and began making her way toward the source of the disturbance.

“Every time,” she muttered under her breath. “It’s always some weird new trick with this guy…”

Though she didn’t fully understand how Chen Lin’s abilities worked, she had learned to trust his uncanny accuracy. His “psionic scouting,” as he called it, had saved them more than once.

Still, it’s not like I have a choice, she thought, quickening her pace.

Meanwhile, Chen Lin’s psionic construct zipped through the air, gliding effortlessly toward the commercial district.

This could actually be a great way to send video messages, he mused briefly. I should try using this to contact Bronya later…

He pushed the thought aside as he approached the explosion site.

The scene came into focus: a dilapidated mine entrance loomed over a jagged, dark pit that descended into the depths of the Fragmentum. Scattered around the area were several massive robots, their frames battered and broken. The walls and ground were riddled with craters, as though the area had been caught in a relentless barrage.

Drifting closer, Chen Lin examined one of the ruined automatons. A pair of distinct openings on its frame caught his attention.

These are weapon ports, he realized, his pulse quickening.

Chen Lin’s mind raced back to the ancient military records he had pored over in Belobog’s archives. There were accounts of Belobog once producing fully autonomous combat mechs, highly advanced for their time.

Who built these? And who modified them?

The technology seemed light-years ahead of anything currently available in the Underworld. It was like stumbling across a relic from a lost age of progress.

With curiosity burning in his chest, Chen Lin directed his psionic construct deeper into the mine.

As he passed through layers of thick rock and metal, the scene at the heart of the commotion unfolded before him.

A group of six or seven similar automatons were engaged in a fierce battle against an enormous Fragmentum creature. Explosions erupted sporadically, filling the air with noise and smoke.

Behind the robots, huddled against the wall, was a small girl clutching a mysterious object to her chest. She was trembling, her wide eyes darting between the chaos and the advancing monstrosity.

She’s in danger, Chen Lin thought grimly. He quickly pulled his consciousness back, his psionic vision dissolving into blinding white as his senses returned to his physical body.

Still disoriented, he instinctively reached out and patted Seele, trying to get her attention.

“Seele, hurry—there’s a girl in the mine! She’s in serious danger!”

The atmosphere froze for a moment as Seele processed his words. Then her voice came, low and biting:

“…And did you really just slap my butt to get my attention?”

Chen Lin’s vision cleared just in time to see her glaring daggers at him.

Wait. Why was he draped over her shoulder like a sack of grain?

Before he could explain, his mouth betrayed him:

“Not my fault there’s hardly any meat back there. Honestly, it’s all bone. You should eat more—”

Thud!

Seele dumped him onto the ground without hesitation, her face a mixture of fury and disbelief.

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T/N: itz okay girlie i had the same problem, but now that you're eating normally (actually a lot) you'll start to get some meat on yo bones

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!