Today, the Qlipoth Fort was livelier than ever. The Imperial Guards, who usually remained hidden within the phase rifts, had uncharacteristically emerged to stand guard.
Wherever the procession moved, several Imperial Guard soldiers would step forward from either side, creating an intense visual impact.
In truth, the palace staff—including maids and kitchen chefs—numbered as many as 2,000.
Each one of them had been carefully selected by Pela and Bronya from the ranks of the Psionic Guards—elite personnel who excelled in both obedience and loyalty. Thanks to their ideological conditioning, the possibility of betrayal had been entirely eliminated.
Despite their delicate, pampered appearance—like noble ladies unaccustomed to manual labor—these maids were no less capable than any active-duty Psionic Guard when it came down to a fight.
They embodied the principle: Unarmed, they serve as aides to the Leader; armed, they stand undaunted against an army.
Maids, yes, but also the closest protectors of the Inner Palace.
Riding the brightly lit escalator, Qingque nodded as she made calculations in her mind.
“To set up a full-scale divination jade array and carve the necessary formations, we’ll need a large enough space. As for time, I estimate about two months should be enough. I already worked out the relevant formations on the way here, and the artisans we brought along are highly experienced. We even have two Level 10 Formation Engravers with us—this is the first time I’ve seen one in person…”
“Level 10 Formation Engravers?”
“Yeah.”
Qingque nodded and sighed lightly. “The General is really generous. You know, Luofu only has three of them in total, and the entire Xianzhou Alliance has, what, seventeen? These people are top-tier experts in jade inscription and formation engraving.”
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but grumble, “I remember reading a book called The Grand Registry of Formation Masters in the Divination Commission. It said, ‘Among ten million, there is but one; and among ten million once more, there is another Level 10 Master.’ That’s the kind of rarity we’re talking about.”
Chen Lin nodded. “That truly is exceptional talent.”
Qingque’s words reminded him of a legend he’d once heard among machinists. It was said that such treasured individuals—protected like national treasures—could manually polish and refine parts with near-mechanical precision, functioning like living machine tools.
For ordinary people, achieving precision close to that of a machine was already godlike. Yet nowadays, you could likely grab any citizen with decent psionic control from the streets, and they could accomplish the same feat.
Some cases were even more extreme—like Clara, who could directly mold raw materials into flawless components and panels with sheer psionic manipulation. Given enough raw materials and practice, her ability to construct shipyards and equipment might even surpass the speed of an unbuffed player in a strategy game…
“I’ll set aside a prime location for you—a geomantic treasure ground. It’ll be on the outskirts. Just tell me whatever you need.”
Then, Chen Lin turned to Qingque. “As for space… would the Divination Commission’s area be enough?”
Qingque shook her head frantically.
“It’s not like I’m replicating the Matrix entirely—we don’t need that much space! Ugh, whatever. I’ll just check the area myself and let you know which spot I pick.”
“Alright.”
The Luofu delegation hadn’t come empty-handed. One of their primary objectives was to share the Xianzhou’s divination technology with the Empire. This was the most critical matter—it would allow the Empire to use divination for strategic assessments of society, warfare, and politics, providing crucial data for decision-making.
Compared to that, everything else paled in importance. Most of the other technological exchanges involved Xianzhou’s unique military equipment, artificial space construction, artificial weather manipulation… as well as various civilian-use scientific advancements.
The delegation’s procession passed through the high-altitude Administrative Hall, then through the courtyard and vast aerial gardens behind it, until they arrived before a towering clock tower.
This was once the Supreme Guardian’s observation deck, offering a panoramic view of Belobog.
Following the city’s reconstruction, the Administrative Plaza had expanded to several times its original size, and Qlipoth Fort had undergone dramatic transformations as well.
The entire palace had been extended upwards by several hundred meters. From a distance, it resembled a floating fortress, suspended high in the air. The towering clock tower stretched so high that its peak was barely visible, making it one of the most iconic structures in Belobog.
Pela walked alongside the delegation, providing meticulous explanations of each location’s name, function, and history as they passed.
Of course, the private quarters of the two leaders remained off-limits for discussion.
Beyond the clock tower, they toured the Treasury Hall, where various relics were displayed, then took in the grandeur of the Qlipoth Fort’s massive Grand Hall—spanning over 100,000 square meters…
Under Pela’s practiced guidance, the delegation made their way through the palace. Eventually, as they stepped onto a winding, descending escalator, they finally arrived at the venue for the evening banquet.
This was a square-shaped, ground-level building on the northern side of the Administrative Plaza.
From afar, it looked like a massive, rectangular structure. But up close, one could see that it was encircled by 240 colossal columns.
As the evening light dimmed, the building’s walls—constructed from Geomarrow and other materials—emitted a radiant golden glow. Embedded light strips further enhanced its opulent splendor.
At the very center of the structure, a massive national emblem was suspended high above, exuding an aura of solemn majesty.
From the moment they set foot on the ground, two rows of Psionic Guards—positioned about 20 meters apart—stood in formation along the length of the red carpet.
One row consisted of male soldiers, the other of female soldiers. Each soldier stood with impeccable posture, dressed in specialized military uniforms with white gloves, their expressions stern and disciplined.
Between each guard, an identical flower basket had been placed. The colors, numbers, and arrangement were so precisely symmetrical that if one were to slice through the red carpet, the two halves would align perfectly. The visual impact was striking.
Chen Lin couldn’t help but glance at Pela, who was still introducing the site to the delegation.
He had entrusted her with organizing these details, but he hadn’t expected this little miss to go this all out…
At that moment, Phantylia stepped forward quickly and whispered into Chen Lin’s ear, “My Lord, I’ve led the company’s representative into the procession. Only Director Topaz came.”
“Alright, I got it. Stay with her.”
“Yes.”
Phantylia slowed her pace and seamlessly melted back into the massive procession.
“This is the Imperial Grand Hotel, personally designed by the Governor and completed in just 134 days. It features banquet halls, conference rooms, restaurants, entertainment venues, offices, and a scenic lake. The hotel is exclusively used for hosting important foreign guests and serves as a key venue for the Governor and the Supreme Guardian’s diplomatic and governmental affairs. The architecture is a fusion of the Empire’s and Jarilo-VI’s design styles.”
“The main structure is adorned with 450 Imperial-style exterior columns…”
“All buildings face west to east, symbolizing the Empire standing directly before the rising sun, basking in its glory. The main building of the Imperial Grand Hotel stretches 500 meters from north to south, 700 meters from east to west, with a height of 142.5 meters. It covers an area of 350,000 square meters and has a total floor space of 467,000 square meters. The hotel consists of 46 independent buildings, 3,100 guest rooms, and can accommodate over 50,000 guests simultaneously. The hotel grounds span 4,300 meters, with the scenic lake located at…”
Pela had done her homework thoroughly—she recited complex figures with precise accuracy and seamless fluency, not missing a beat. It was impressive, almost to the point of being heartbreaking.
Beside her, Qingque blinked, thinking to herself: Old Chen really has both land and money to spare. An entire foreign affairs hotel on this scale? Its grounds are bigger than the entire main halls of the Divination Commission back in the Xianzhou! And more importantly—how the hell did they build something this massive and intricate in just four months?
—
She wasn’t the only one astonished—other members of the Xianzhou delegation were just as dumbfounded.
Even while waiting in the sky before landing, they had already been awed by the sheer size of Belobog. But nothing compared to the overwhelming grandeur of seeing it up close with their own eyes.
Among the 600-plus members of the delegation, over 30 were elite Cloud Knights from the Divine Strategy Division, assigned as military officers. Though their strength was nowhere near the level of Jing Yuan or Fu Xuan, each of them could easily take on a dozen Yanqing-level warriors. Every one of them was a seasoned veteran who had fought on the frontlines against the Abundance-worshippers.
Yet, even these battle-hardened soldiers had completely failed to detect the presence of the Psionic Guards until they stepped out of the phase space. If this had been the battlefield, they might not have even realized how they died.
And as they moved closer, an eerie sensation crawled up their spines.
There was no doubt—these Psionic Guards were a completely different breed from the regular military forces they had seen before. Their physical prowess might not be drastically different, but something about them radiated an unmistakable sense of danger.
The same unsettling feeling arose when they encountered the maids welcoming them at Qlipoth Fort. These delicate, seemingly gentle women set off warning alarms in the Cloud Knights’ instincts, as if they were far more dangerous than even the outer-ring guards.
Why? None of the officers could pinpoint a reason. They just knew.
The military officers exchanged uneasy glances, recalling how Jing Yuan had instructed them to interact with the Empire’s soldiers and generals, to exchange combat techniques and strategies, and to lay the groundwork for future military training exchanges between the two nations.
Now… they weren’t so sure they wanted to bring that up anymore.
—
At the rear of the delegation, two adjudicators stepped off the escalator.
Huohuo noticed something odd—every time someone stepped on the red carpet, footprints appeared but vanished the very next second.
“Huh? Huh?! Where did the dirt on the carpet go?”
“Hmm…” Hanya crouched down to examine it for a few seconds before standing up. “Nothing surprising. It seems like there’s some kind of self-cleaning mechanism embedded in the carpet. We’ve seen plenty of weird tech on our way here… Psionics? That’s what it’s called, right? Probably a psionic construct. I remember the Engineering Commission tried to make something similar before, but they abandoned it due to impractical costs.”
“Expensive?!”
Huohuo gasped, then quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, lowering her voice. “T-then… am I even allowed to step on it?”
At that moment, the tail that had been playing dead on the road finally snapped.
“Are you actually brain-dead, you walking spectacle?! It’s not even yours! Who cares if you step on it? Even if you ripped it apart, it’s none of your damn business!”
“The water that once filled my head has long since dried up in tears…”
“Hah?! You’re talking back now?! Move your ass! Do you not see all those people staring at us?”
Huohuo shrank back. “But I just… I don’t think I deserve… Ahh!! I stepped on it!!”
Hanya let out an exasperated sigh, grabbed Huohuo’s hand, and pulled her forward. They finally closed the gap with the rest of the delegation.
“You’re not as useless as you think you are,” Hanya said. “Look at yourself—you’ve had the tail with you for 50 years now. And then, you’ve served the Ten Lords Commission for over 38 years. You’ve subdued and sealed away over a hundred yokai, including a fragment of the Scorching Flame. As a judge, you should have more confidence in yourself.”
“But I never sealed away the tail. I guess… we’re kind of… friends?” Huohuo murmured. “And as for the other yokai… it wasn’t me. The other judges did that, not me…”
The tail spat, “Friends?! Who the hell befriends a walking snack that wouldn’t even fill my teeth?! Why don’t you just call me your daddy while you’re at it?! Quit spewing nonsense.”
Sniff…
Hearing the soft whimper, the tail paused before grumbling, “Fine. As a judge, you’re barely passable. But if you keep whining, every yokai out there is going to start targeting you.”
Sniff…
“…”
“…Fine, fine. If you cry and mess up this carpet your idol walked on, let’s see if they’ll still like you.”
Huohuo immediately stiffened. She sniffled, forcing herself to hold back any more tears.
The tail went silent for a moment, then scoffed. “Tch.”
—
The banquet hall was in the main hotel building.
Upon arriving at the entrance, the two adjudicators saw Qingque and Qingzu standing by the doors. Opposite them stood the hosts—Chen Lin and Bronya.
Earlier, Chen Lin had only briefly met the leaders of the various departments; he hadn’t gone out of his way to memorize everyone’s names and roles.
Inside, Phantylia and the others were arranging seating based on rank and status, ensuring that even specific placements followed protocol.
Chen Lin personally stood at the entrance, greeting each guest—clearly using this as an opportunity to memorize faces and names.
With interstellar diplomacy, embassies were no simple matter. Given the vast distance between the two nations, many of these diplomatic personnel would remain in their positions for years without change, making it crucial to establish recognition early on.
Qingque and Qingzu introduced each guest, and Chen Lin and Bronya exchanged pleasantries with them in turn.
Finally, at the end of the line, Qingque introduced, “These are Adjudicator Hanya and Adjudicator Huohuo from the Ten Lords Commission. The only two representatives from their division, tasked with overseeing the embassy’s penitentiary… I believe their role involves handling those who succumb to demonic possession.”
Chen Lin shook hands with Hanya first. “It’s been a while. I hope your time at the embassy will be smooth and pleasant.”
Hanya smiled slightly. “We of the Ten Lords Commission remain in the shadows, unseen. But still, I’ll take your kind words. And… thank you for last time.”
“A small matter.”
Then, Chen Lin turned to Huohuo—who was anxiously rubbing her hands against her dress.
Was this some kind of Foxian etiquette? But the other Foxian from earlier hadn’t done this…
Just as he was pondering, Huohuo suddenly grabbed his hand, trembling, and shoved a notebook at him.
“Y-Your Excellency Chen Lin! C-can you… sign this for me?”
She had originally prepared a whole speech in her head, but the moment she got nervous, everything just poof—gone.
So embarrassing…
During his last stay in Xianzhou, Chen Lin had been asked for autographs countless times. By now, he was used to it. Since these were the last two people in line, signing his name wouldn’t take much time anyway.
“Miss Huohuo, where would you like me to sign?”
“A-Anywhere is fine… Just wherever you want!”
Chen Lin lowered his head and was just about to sign when he suddenly noticed the large characters printed on the cover of the notebook:
— The Collected Sayings of Governor Chen
For a moment, he was completely stunned.
Chen Lin: “???”
Bronya, who had been exchanging pleasantries with Hanya, turned her head at the commotion. Thanks to the Synesthesia Beacon’s translation, the book title was immediately projected into her vision. At the same time, Qingzu’s lips twitched slightly, and Qingque, curious as ever, peeked over as well.
In the end, everyone held their breath, not even blinking, as they watched Chen Lin sign his name on the cover…
“Anything else you need?”
“No, no! This is more than enough! Thank you so much!”
Huohuo clutched the notebook like a treasured artifact. Then, she heard Hanya’s voice beside her.
“Ahem… Huohuo, we should head inside.”
It was only then that she realized—she had been gripping Chen Lin’s hand this entire time. And now, everyone was watching her.
In an instant, a tidal wave of shame and mortification surged over her. It felt as if the world itself had no place left for her to exist.
The world… can no longer contain me…
Sniff…
—
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!
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