Stellaris Tech Tree HSR

The Simulated Universe—a project spearheaded by Herta and her fellow members of the Genius Society—was designed to unravel the mysteries of the Aeons.

Chen Lin didn't have much interest in the Aeons themselves. His curiosity was limited to mundane concerns: How many fleets do they command? Do they drop any special tech if you defeat them?

But since Herta had asked him for help, he decided to oblige. After all, he owed her a favor—especially since he had secretly "borrowed" a part of her brainpower for his own research, essentially making her work for free.

Not even unity points as wages.

Doing her a favor now might pay off in the future when he needed her assistance again.

"Alright, I get it. You want to figure out how Aeons come into being, right?"

Knowledge is power. Though Chen Lin didn't fully understand the principles behind the machine's construction, he grasped the gist of Herta's explanation.

Herta gave him a thumbs-up. "Exactly!"

The Stellaron's connection to the Aeons was undeniable. From what Chen Lin could glean, the cloud-computing logic of the Simulated Universe was simple: the closer someone was to an Aeon, the more valuable the data they generated during simulations.

But one thing puzzled him: Stelle had a Stellaron inside her, but he didn't. Why did Herta want him to participate in the test too?

When he voiced his confusion, Herta looked genuinely surprised.

"Wow! You actually managed to grasp a tiny bit of the Simulated Universe's logic. That's even more reason for you to participate!"

"Huh?"

"I trust my instincts. Maybe I should carve out a new simulated space just for you. Someone your age who's already mastered so much knowledge… you're not ordinary. Unfortunately, this project is still in its early stages, and the computational power isn't strong enough yet. Don't worry—it's perfectly safe. Plus, I'll pay you."

Herta thumped her chest confidently. She had full faith in the safety of her project. And besides, who didn't like money? If cash was what ordinary people wanted, her station had plenty of it!

Suddenly, Stelle raised her hand.

"1-1-1-1-1! Wait, we're actually getting paid?"

"..."

Chen Lin glanced at Stelle with suspicion. Is she another transmigrator like me? Why does she have so many random jokes?

Currently, Chen Lin's interface showed no stable income sources besides unity and research points. His existing resources wouldn't sustain long-term development.

Fortunately, he found a workaround. By opening the resources tab, he discovered a marketplace. Unlike in the game, where trades were conducted using energy credits, transactions here used "credit points."

Through some investigation, Chen Lin learned that credit points were essentially universal currency in this world, issued by an organization called the "Interstellar Peace Corporation" and widely accepted.

A galactic megacorp, huh? Figures.

"I'm not short on money," Herta said. "Just do the test. I'll pay you well, whether in resources or credits. Your choice."

"Can I take it all in credit points?" Chen Lin asked.

"Sure, no problem! Initial tests are crucial. How about 100,000 credit points?"

"Deal!"

With the agreement reached, Chen Lin and Stelle followed Herta's guidance to the central machine. Moments later, after a brief wave of dizziness, they found themselves inside the Simulated Universe.

Herta's voice echoed around them. "Try fighting a few enemies to test the waters. I'll let you know the next steps afterward. Stelle, since you have a Stellaron, you'll play the role of Akivili. Chen Lin… just do whatever you like."

The two had no objections and soon encountered several Antimatter Legion enemies. These foes were pathetically weak and fell after just a few blows.

Suddenly, Stelle felt her surroundings shift. She was alone, enveloped in the glow of a setting sun.

From the sky descended countless copper ores, amber stones, and opals. In the distance, a massive figure stretched its colossal form, clutching a hammer in its broad hands.

With a thunderous roar, it vanished just as abruptly.

Herta's voice rang out excitedly. "Yes, yes! The calculation worked! Preservation Aeon Qlipoth has manifested!"

"Where's Chen Lin?" Stelle asked, noticing her companion's absence.

"Chen Lin? Hmm?!"

Herta's voice wavered, a hint of panic seeping in.

"Oh no… I can't see what's happening on his side!"

---

Meanwhile, Chen Lin found himself back in the seat-filled expanse.

This time, the space wasn't as empty as before. Some of the chairs were now occupied by strange entities.

And he...

He was seated on the central throne?!

A commanding aura radiated from him, emanating an overwhelming sense of dominance. Below, the other entities cowered in fear.

What's behind me?

Sensing something unusual, Chen Lin turned around—and froze.

A massive screen loomed behind him, displaying countless galaxies, each one consumed by black holes that devoured every trace of light.

In the center of the screen was an enormous metallic sphere, radiating terrifying energy in all directions.

If I'm not mistaken, that's an Ether Phase Engine… a fully operational one.

What is this? Am I supposed to challenge the Fallen Empires or confront the four merchants of the Shroud?

Chen Lin didn't speak. He had no idea what was happening.

The beings seated below varied wildly in form. Some retained humanoid shapes, while others were entirely alien—resembling bizarre machine code, peculiar stones, or even miniature black holes.

One by one, these entities rose, approached the throne, and exploded into golden cards before him.

Chen Lin dared not speak, overwhelmed by the oppressive aura emanating from these beings. Every hair on his body stood on end, as if they could crush him with a mere thought.

Herta, where are you?! Help me out here!

---

Fortunately, the anomaly didn't last long. Chen Lin and Stelle were soon returned to their original location.

"Chen Lin, did you see anything?" Herta asked.

"Uh…" Chen Lin hesitated, then reached behind him, pulling out a pile of glowing cards. "I saw a bunch of weird things, and then they exploded into these."

Herta's eyes widened. "Wait a second! What's going on? Did the machine malfunction? Why do you have… let me see—Hunt blessings, Abundance blessings, Nihility blessings… How do you have a full set of blessings from every Aeon?! Even blessings from Fallen Aeons?!"

In that eerie, lifeless expanse, Chen Lin had been terrified out of his mind, too scared to speak. All he could do was watch as those terrifying entities exploded into cards before him.

The experience was so surreal he still hadn't recovered.

"Project lead," Chen Lin said dryly, "I think you should be asking yourself, not me, your test subject."

"...Fair point," Herta admitted.

---

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