Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [54]

The sky was devoid of stars, dust scattered in the frigid air.

On a desolate mountain in Belobog's northern region, weathered stone steps bore the scars of time. On this moonless, wind-laden night, the gusts howled through the valley like mournful cries.

Crunch.

A frozen branch snapped beneath a footstep, the sharp sound echoing in the eerie silence. Several figures emerged on the mountainside, led by one who paused briefly before continuing forward.

At the forefront of the group, a slender figure stood out. Draped in a thin cloak that seemed ill-suited for the biting wind and cold, her posture remained upright, her steps light, and her gaze unwavering. Unlike the trembling guards behind her, she moved without hesitation.

To her, the snowstorm was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

“Supreme Guardian, traveling to this area at such a late hour is far too dangerous. Why not wait until morning and come with the army?”

One of the Silvermane Guards, his teeth chattering uncontrollably in the cold, voiced his concern.

These guards were part of Cocolia’s personal retinue, along with two patrolling officers. Normally tasked with guarding her chambers and fending off intruders, they were now being led into this remote, perilous wilderness riddled with Fragmentum cracks.

The pitch-black sky offered no light, and the barren surroundings held no signs of life.

It was only natural for fear to creep into their hearts.

The guard’s bold question mirrored the thoughts of the others, who anxiously looked to Cocolia for an answer.

Since Belobog’s decisive victory against the Fragmentum, hope for the city’s future had surged. Everyone believed the Fragmentum would eventually be eradicated, laying a foundation for future generations to thrive.

Chen Lin had once emphasized during a military meeting: The Silvermane Guards must preserve their strength and avoid needless sacrifices. Human lives are far more valuable than weapons.

These guards were unafraid of death, but they now feared dying without purpose.

With these thoughts weighing on him, the lead guard mustered his courage to question the Supreme Guardian’s intentions and suggest a safer course of action.

But a pair of icy eyes turned toward him.

“This is not for you to question.”

Her words were sharp, her tone precise. The weight of her authority pressed down like a towering mountain, and the questioning guard immediately dropped to his knees, trembling uncontrollably.

“Forgive me, my lady! I overstepped!”

“Follow me.”

Cocolia offered no further explanation and resumed walking.

No one dared to speak again. The guards gripped their weapons tightly and followed her in tense silence.

The atmosphere grew heavier with each step.

After rounding several bends, the guards behind Cocolia froze in place, their expressions twisting into panic.

“Enemies! We’re surrounded! Protect the Supreme Guardian!”

The lead guard realized too late that they had wandered into a Fragmentum beast ambush. Chilling auras closed in from all sides, and countless sinister eyes glinted in the darkness, sending shivers down their spines.

Yet despite their terror, the guards remained steadfast in their duty, forming a protective circle around Cocolia and bracing for battle against the encroaching beasts.

“Fools.”

“What... urgh…”

The captain of the guard barely had time to process the insult before he felt a piercing chill in his chest. A spear, radiating icy energy, had run him through.

It all happened so suddenly. None of the guards could comprehend why their revered Supreme Guardian had turned her weapon on them.

Collapsing to the ground, the captain stared at Cocolia in disbelief, gasping for breath.

“My lady… why…”

“Relics of the old world, traitors to the new! There is no place for you in this future!”

Cocolia wrenched the spear free, her gaze filled with disdain. “Let your blood rekindle my bond with them!”

She tossed the body into the swarm of beasts. The sickening crunch of flesh and bone being torn apart filled the air, followed by weak, short-lived screams. The sounds of feeding soon drowned out all else.

The remaining guards were paralyzed with horror, their wide eyes fixed on Cocolia.

“Become sustenance, relics of the old world!”

Cocolia stepped into the throng of Fragmentum beasts, yet not a single one attacked her. Even the dullest among the guards could now see the truth: their leader had betrayed them.

The beasts surged forward, overwhelming the guards in moments. Though they fought valiantly, they were no match for the onslaught.

In his final moments, one loyal guard’s anguished cry echoed through the valley.

“We were ready to fight to the death… Why, Supreme Guardian, why have you surrendered first?!”

The guards’ bodies were soon devoured, their physical forms and souls transformed into a dense energy that flowed toward Cocolia in response to her summons.

“Yes… The power! It’s coming back!” Cocolia spread her arms, laughing maniacally.

Days earlier, the Stellaron had spoken to her in fragmented messages. Though incomplete, its words had told her how to restore her Stellaron-enhanced strength and warned of an unprecedented crisis threatening their new world.

Cocolia didn’t yet understand the nature of this crisis, but for now, all that mattered was regaining her power.

By offering sacrifices, the energy would be absorbed into her body, making her strong once more. She would no longer feel weak or vulnerable.

Strength defined the Supreme Guardian. Strength deterred rivals and ensured the completion of her great mission.

Following the Stellaron’s instructions, she had offered her sacrifices. Now, she waited for the Stellaron’s power to return, convinced that everything would soon fall into place.

With power, she could assert her will. With power, she could prove her partnership with the Stellaron was justified. And with power, she could reveal that the Aeons—those indifferent to Belobog’s plight—were unworthy of their faith.

The old world was like a crumbling house, ready to collapse with a mere push from the Stellaron.

At that moment, a high-dimensional psionic entity tethered to Cocolia stirred. Its instincts, programmed by its creator, activated as if a hungry infant had suddenly discovered bottles of milk in abundance.

Nom! Burp!

“Hahaha… ha?”

Cocolia’s laughter abruptly stopped. She felt no surge of power flowing into her body. It was as if nothing had happened.

Opening her eyes, she found the Fragmentum beasts gone, retreating back to their realm. She was alone, her laughter echoing hollowly in the snow.

Where is my power?! What happened?!

An overwhelming tide of negative emotions surged through her, threatening to tear her apart. Fragmentum corruption spread across her skin as she collapsed, writhing in agony like an addict in withdrawal.

After what felt like an eternity, she struggled to her feet and staggered toward the mountain’s peak. There, she knelt before a pulsating energy cage, muttering incomprehensibly.

Moments later, energy erupted from the cage, enveloping her completely. Her body convulsed, and her skin cracked with countless eerie fissures.

Her screams of pain and despair reverberated through the night.

When the energy subsided, Cocolia stumbled down the mountain, only to collapse again after a few steps.

---

In a hotel miles away, Chen Lin sighed as he lay in bed, then closed his eyes once more.

Initially, he had been practicing psionic control, but when the entity tethered to Cocolia transmitted a "full and satisfied" signal, he shifted his focus to observe her.

Seeing her frenzied state in the snow left him utterly baffled.

Fortunately, the entity recorded everything it witnessed and relayed the scenes to Chen Lin’s mind. He quickly pieced together what had happened.

Uninterested in wasting more energy on Cocolia, he directed his psionic field toward the Silvermane Guard barracks, where Gepard and several officers were fast asleep.

Without a word, he injected the recorded memories into their minds.

According to his calculations, this transfer was feasible, though it required considerable effort due to his limited psionic strength. After several attempts, he managed to implant fragments of the visions into their dreams.

I’m not stirring trouble—just presenting the facts.

In the barracks, Gepard dreamed of leading his troops in a victorious battle against Fragmentum beasts. But his dream abruptly shifted. A familiar figure appeared among the monsters, accompanied by the cries of his fallen comrades.

“Become sustenance, relics of the old world!”

“We were ready to fight to the death… Why, Supreme Guardian, why have you surrendered first?!”

The voices were hauntingly vivid.

Gepard jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat. Around him, other officers stirred, waking in a similar panic.

Their shared dream left them shaken, each silently trying to rationalize what they had seen.

A betrayal by the Supreme Guardian? Impossible… surely not… haha…

But as they recalled years of puzzling decisions, doubt began to creep in.

The growing unease left them all wide awake.

Meanwhile, Chen Lin repeated the process with Bronya, delivering the same fragmented images into her mind…

---

T/N: damn,,, she went crazy

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!