Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 513 - 383: The Supreme’s Curiosity

Tru Conglomerate? Qu Jianlei was startled upon hearing this, swearing it’s his first time hearing that name.

But he didn’t seem surprised, instead, he coughed softly first, "Thanks for your help with the Green Water Academy matter just now."

After expressing his gratitude, he finally answered the question, "This conglomerate you’re talking about, I’ve never heard of it."

"It’s nothing, no need to thank me," Granny Jia waved her hand dismissively.

Then she asked again, "So who are your enemies?"

Qu Jianlei furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, then responded solemnly, "My enemies... should all be dead."

People shouldn’t exaggerate, so he emphasized "should be."

"Huh?" Granny Jia hadn’t expected such an answer from him.

She gave him a deep look, slowly nodding, "Well, you’re quite ruthless indeed!"

Qu Jianlei was silent, then laughed helplessly, "There’s no other way, one must be ruthless to stand firm!"

Then he recalled something, "But I think Professor Zi Jiu Immortal... seems rather easy to talk to." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"That kid..." Granny Jia wrinkled her brow helplessly, but soon returned to her calm demeanor.

"Academics are all like that, I just hope she can live peacefully."

Qu Jianlei remained silent, once again admiring the iron-blooded nature of Imperial society—perhaps this is the true essence of life?

Granny Jia had shifted focus back, "Today someone came asking about you, they found Kadani."

Kadani is the director, a lady close to retirement, whom Qu Jianlei felt resembled a bureaucrat more than a B-level warrior.

Visitors in the daytime included one A-level and one B-level, both representing Tru Conglomerate.

Their conversation with Director Kadani was conducted behind closed doors.

Recently, Granny Jia had been immersed in researching improvements to cultivation techniques and originally had no intention of paying attention to library affairs.

But the arrival of an A-level was rare enough, not to mention the need to discuss matters privately.

The old lady truly wished to avoid involvement, but thinking about the mysterious Panda, she couldn’t resist perceiving the conversation contents.

She was stunned to discover they were looking for someone very similar to Panda, named Tian Hei or Black Heaven.

However, the visitors hinted that the person might be a B-level electromagnetic attribute.

Cultivation level and attribute... Granny Jia just wanted to sneer, as she well understood Panda’s disguise ability.

If it weren’t for Zheng Yan’s obstruction drawing her attention, she wouldn’t even realize such a person was hiding in the library.

The representatives from Tru Conglomerate also stated that they were merely entrusted to gather information.

But Granny Jia, having lived a long life, wasn’t going to easily believe being "entrusted by someone."

She roughly analyzed the situation, suspecting Panda is likely the person they are searching for.

Panda’s mysterious and low-profile nature alone suggests he is definitely a character with stories.

Moreover, Panda personally told her he’s killed multiple A-levels—he even vaguely had the confidence to deal with her.

The only thing Granny Jia didn’t quite understand was why Tru Conglomerate would dispatch an A-level to inquire—it’s too conspicuous.

Unbeknownst to her, it was out of necessity, having already learned that Black Heaven had killed at least two A-levels.

Slaying Su Dafeng among the Star Thieves is forgivable; wind attributes are typically fragile, and there’s always a chance with the right timing.

But Zheng Ziyang was from the earth attribute, renowned for toughness, yet being taken down was truly unexpected.

Tru Conglomerate wielded power widespread, able to send others to give Kadani a heads-up, though... they weren’t trying to alarm anyone.

Capital and government aren’t the same, sending just a B-level might not ensure cooperation from the library’s director.

However, when an A-level comes for engagement, it’s treated differently, likely taken seriously.

Unfortunately, Tru Conglomerate wouldn’t dream that the modest Old Town Library housed a Supreme!

In fact, Kadani had been the director for over a decade without knowing the old lady’s true identity.

Even more remarkably, this Supreme has recently befriended Qu Jianlei, sharing mutual admiration in research fields.

After hearing the old lady out, Qu Jianlei understood why she wanted him back to discuss the matter.

Watch communications... truthfully? The Imperial claimed to be secretive, not subject to eavesdropping.

But anyone with half a brain knows that’s nonsense.

If secret messages couldn’t be intercepted, how could Imperial governance maintain stability?

New technology, when uncontrolled, is something neither government nor capital would fully promote.

Yet, Qu Jianlei had his doubts, "Is this Tru Conglomerate... really powerful?"

"A relatively stable alliance," Granny Jia looked at him puzzled, "Are you truly unaware?"

"I don’t concern myself with such trivial matters," Qu Jianlei replied earnestly, "The sky and earth are vast, but cultivation is paramount."

Granny Jia was genuinely skeptical, considering the influence behind this guy, how could he not know about Tru Conglomerate?

But upon hearing the word "cultivation," she felt she had understood.

How old is Panda anyway? Already an A-level. Even for a genius, this kind of achievement can only be reached with relentless cultivation day and night.

As for Panda loving to read, it makes sense. Constantly burying oneself in cultivation... can lead to burnout. A balance between work and rest is the right way.

Having a small hobby is nothing abnormal, as long as it’s not gambling or drinking.

Which genius doesn’t have a personal quirk?

Understanding this, the old lady began to explain a bit, "Behind this Alliance, there are dozens of Supreme beings."

"Dozens?" Qu Jianlei was instantly taken aback, "Such a force... does the Imperial government allow their existence?"

From this question, it’s clear at least that he isn’t politically naive.

In the Empire, capital indeed holds vast influence, but military force is not in their hands. The most they can control might be a Pioneer Team.

And the establishment and approval of the Pioneer Team still need the Empire’s review.

Granny Jia wasn’t surprised by Qu Jianlei’s reaction, instead, she explained: the dozens of Supremes are just total numbers.

Some of them care about the Alliance, some are distantly related, and some are just in name only.

It means this number is theoretical strength; even if the conglomerate falls apart, some of the Supreme beings won’t intervene.

According to her analysis, those who might step in for Tru are only about ten or so.

Yet, ten or so is still plenty, Qu Jianlei’s mouth twitched, "Quite a grand formation."

Granny Jia seemed unimpressed by this, "Tru’s main layout is in the Empire’s core area..."

The biggest characteristic of capital is the pursuit of profit; the more prosperous a place, the stronger the presence of capital.

The Hope Star Realm... just hearing the name you know, it’s a newly developed Star Realm, in the Empire’s standing, it’s better not to mention.

However, because a new Star Realm holds unlimited potential, Tru Conglomerate stations two Supreme beings in this Star Realm.

These two Supremes aren’t always there, often there’s only one on duty while the other should be closed-door cultivation.

The stationed Supreme is usually at the Star of Hope, occasionally visiting Star No. 2, and that’s it.

Even so, Granny Jia doesn’t dare to underestimate Tru Conglomerate—truly, if something happens, they can easily dispatch three to five Supremes.

Yet she was curious, "What did you do to make them come looking for you?"

She didn’t ask if Panda was Black Heaven—should be no mistake, right?

Qu Jianlei also frowned deeply, "I haven’t provoked them... It’s really strange."

Granny Jia gave him a deep look, "So, are you really that person?"

Hearing this, Qu Jianlei gave a bitter smile, "I’d love to say no, but I think... I shouldn’t lie to you."

He indeed severely lacks a sense of security, but without basic responsibility, what’s the joy in being human?

If blaming is needed, blame it on the old lady... why insist on asking so clearly? Everyone pretending ignorance isn’t better?

Hearing this, Granny Jia also let out a sigh of relief, "Not in vain I specifically notified you."

She had secretly prepared some backup, just in case the other party went berserk, now discovering it’s unnecessary was also a relief.

Qu Jianlei shook his head, "I’m a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and enmity... Actually, I do have quite a few friends."

He only had a few friends on the Garbage Star, but on Zarif Star, he interacted with quite a lot of people.

Yet Granny Jia thought otherwise, "So, you really killed quite a few A-levels?"

"None that shouldn’t be killed," Qu Jianlei didn’t directly answer, but also showed his perspective, "I can confidently say I have a clear conscience."

So, he really did kill quite a few! Granny Jia nodded, "There really are many that ought to be killed."

Pausing for a moment, she spoke again, "By the way, they also said that someone would come to identify people after a while."

Not just a matter of "by the way," if they intended to silence him, she wouldn’t possibly speak this out.

"Identify people!" Qu Jianlei’s face immediately turned grim, "I know who it is!"

There are few who know him on the Garbage Star, and basically, they don’t have the capability to leave there.

So who the other party is, has already become evident.

Granny Jia became interested, surprisingly gossiping a bit, "Who is it?"

Your curiosity is quite strong, Qu Jianlei pursed his lips, "It should be the Pioneer Team on Zarif Star."

"Zarif... the one occupied by Star Thieves?" Granny Jia is also quite attentive to the news, and recently this matter has been spreading widely.

"It should be the four Celestial Level Teams, which one do you think it could be?"

Qu Jianlei replied calmly, "Definitely not Diamond, they’re currently overwhelmed... most likely Quantum."

"Quantum?" Granny Jia nodded thoughtfully, "I can help you investigate the relationship between Tru and Quantum."

This is the benefit of trusting friends—security is certainly important, but necessary trust can bring unexpected returns.

Qu Jianlei thought for a moment before speaking, "Then I thank Granny Jia... but you should also be careful, they can be quite ruthless."

"I know about the Pioneer Team," Granny Jia replied indifferently.

Then she eagerly gossiped, "So they’re after you because they want revenge?"