Stellaris Tech Tree HSR

Space mining stations are divided into two categories.

The first type operates within the gravitational pull of asteroid belts, drawing on stellar energy to ensure the station can move slowly while surveying for mineral-rich asteroids. Once identified, various advanced space mining techniques are employed to extract and collect the resources hidden within these celestial bodies.

This is the most common type of mining station, often built within asteroid belts. The resources it can harvest are practically limitless, and its efficiency is remarkable!

The second type is constructed above planets. Using long-range surveying technology, it identifies areas rich in minerals. The station then extends a massive pipeline downward, equipped with fully automated mining and collection systems capable of extracting minerals deep within the planet's crust.

As Chen Lin had long suspected, the visual experience in the game couldn't compare to the real thing. Structures and tools spanning tens or even hundreds of meters were too large to be adequately represented in-game without causing proportional discrepancies in the models.

To resolve this, many less noticeable details were simply omitted from the game models—a practical decision.

Chen Lin first noticed the structural distinctions between mining stations while examining the UI. The thumbnail models displayed slight variations, which corresponded to specific conditions for their use.

In the Policies section, Chen Lin discovered a particularly useful option: the Pre-Construction Module Policy.

Activating this policy consumed a significant amount of resources but allowed for pre-assembled construction modules to be generated at a designated site. It was reminiscent of survival games where players could spawn building outlines with pre-arranged materials stacked nearby.

With this policy, players didn't need to gather or transport resources anew. They simply had to place the prepared modules onto the holographic outline.

However, the Pre-Construction Module Policy came with a trade-off: the resource cost was more than double the usual amount. Yet, it allowed for construction to be completed in mere hours.

To demonstrate the "Empire's" formidable construction capabilities and deliver a small technological shock to Belobog, Chen Lin gritted his teeth and spent a whopping 160 units of minerals to pre-prepare the mining station's materials and initiate construction.

Three hours—that would suffice!

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By noon, a group of twenty heavily armed Silvermane Guards escorted Bronya, her secretary Pela, and the now-renowned Chen Lin from the central administrative district.

The entrance to the underground railway lay beneath the administrative district. The Guards stationed there had already been briefed, and after a brief negotiation with Bronya, the group descended the stairs in grand procession.

The underground train, neglected for years, needed a thorough inspection. Thankfully, Bronya had the foresight to bring along several researchers to examine the train comprehensively.

Old parts were replaced, the geothermal engine was refurbished and restarted, and once the track inspection was declared safe, the long-dormant train roared to life!

Their destination—the depleted geothermal vein—wasn't far. It lay well before the true depths of the Underworld, requiring only a ten-minute journey by train.

In the frontmost carriage, Chen Lin and Pela could both tell that Bronya was in low spirits. Chen Lin had already heard the reason from Pela.

The division between the Overworld and Underworld had persisted for years, and Bronya remained a steadfast advocate for reopening the connection. She still couldn't accept her mother's orders to seal off the two regions. Their disagreements on this matter had sparked countless arguments.

"Mentor, do you think my mother's decision to seal off the Overworld and Underworld was the right one?"

In the heavy silence, Bronya's voice broke through. She gazed out the window at the fleeting concrete walls, her eyes clouded with confusion.

"We're all citizens of Belobog, working together for its survival. Yet we took away their means of survival, forcing them to scrape by in the Underworld…"

Chen Lin remained silent, merely watching her intently.

She was young, yet bore unimaginable pressure. With no one to confide in, she had only her mother's teachings and decisions to rely on before Chen Lin's arrival.

She was like a puppet, filled with content by its master.

"My mother says the surface is the line Belobog must defend at all costs to ensure its continued survival in the face of danger. But after thinking about it the way you taught me—to consider both sides—I wondered: If the Underworld stopped sending geothermal energy to the surface, would the surface really be such a critical defense line? Is this so-called 'necessary sacrifice' my mother speaks of truly justified?"

Realizing the gravity of the conversation, Pela quietly stood and moved to the door connecting the carriages. She knew these matters could be discussed among close allies but must never reach the ears of outsiders. The consequences could be catastrophic.

Though small in stature, Pela's sharp mind and reliability had earned her a place as Bronya's confidante.

Chen Lin, meanwhile, was mildly surprised. Under his guidance, Bronya seemed to have begun independently evaluating the appropriateness of decisions, rather than relying on simplistic moral judgments.

No wonder she's a candidate for the next Supreme Guardian. Her aptitude for accepting and understanding new perspectives is truly exceptional.

He asked, "Do you think it's wrong?"

"I don't know if it's wrong… but I do think it's inappropriate. It weakens our unity in the fight against the Fragmentum and its monsters."

In the adult world, morality isn't the metric by which decisions are made, and struggles aren't waged based on what's right or wrong.

Belobog was clawing its way along the edge of survival. Every step was uncharted territory, and every choice a new test.

A clear path meant luck was on their side. When none existed, retreat and recalibration were the only options.

Bronya's reasoning wasn't based on subjective denial or blind rebellion. Instead, it stemmed from a careful analysis of the drawbacks outweighing the benefits of Cocolia's policies.

Her studies under Chen Lin had been relentless. Things that once seemed reasonable in her ignorance now revealed their flaws under scrutiny. Even absurdities she'd once dismissed as "beyond her understanding" were now open to criticism.

Through her research, Bronya uncovered a deeper implication behind her mother's decisions:

Divide the people. Weaken their strength.

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