"Celestial Hook Enigma Mansion?" Buckingham's lips curled slightly, showing a dismissive expression.

"It's already reserved by the military, and it's too obscure, so it's left for students to test their skills."

"To get truly good stuff, you have to go to the Maiden Star Realm."

Maiden Star Realm? Qu Jianlei glanced at the other suspiciously, "Do you have a way to get in there?"

"What does it take to get in?" Buckingham scoffed, shaking his head, "Just money."

"Like the Customs Enforcement Division, the military is quite rotten, so if it continues like this, the Imperial is in big trouble."

Qu Jianlei spread his hands, "You're not the first to say so... Can you get me a spot in the Maiden Star Realm someday?"

"Of course, no problem," Buckingham answered casually, then laughed again.

"It's ironic, we all lament the flaws of the Imperial, yet when it comes to ourselves, we hope to be the sole exception."

Hearing this, Qu Jianlei couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. Is it really okay to self-deprecate like this?

Buckingham noticed his embarrassment and couldn't help but laugh out loud again.

"It's rare, you still have some childlike innocence, your mentor must be interesting to have trained someone like you."

Qu Jianlei didn't expect this person to speak so freely, so he raised an eyebrow, "My personality... is mostly innate."

"Alright, let's say it's innate," Buckingham wasn't very interested in the topic, "How much do you know about Divine Texts?"

Qu Jianlei shook his head, "Not much, I'm most interested in the cultivation technique of the Primordial Superpower Warriors."

"Everyone is interested," Buckingham replied without hesitation, "But we can exchange some knowledge."

Frankly, Qu Jianlei wasn't really interested in exchanging information with the other party.

But since he would rely on the other to enter the Maiden Star Realm in the future, outright rejecting communication wasn't the way to make friends.

"The military seems to have been studying this for a while, there's an opinion that... convergence isn't very important, and interoperability should be emphasized."

Buckingham nodded again, "I've heard that opinion, but I always felt it might not be correct, do you lean toward supporting it?"

"Does it matter which side I support?" Qu Jianlei helplessly spread his hands.

"The key is, the operability of this approach seems rather poor."

"Exactly," Buckingham nodded without hesitation, "Some of my friends have said the same thing,"

What's your friend's last name? Qu Jianlei's heart pounded twice before he nonchalantly asked, "Are they with the military?"

Buckingham first nodded, then shook his head, "The military has always held that view, but their motives aren't straightforward..."

"Currently, the vast majority of private research also supports that view, the military is really skilled at brainwashing."

Qu Jianlei blinked, wondering if this person had any ties with Yuanyuan's family.

"What I really want to figure out is how the Primordial Superpower Warriors were born."

Upon hearing this topic, Bai Siwen's spirit was also stirred, as this secret was something ordinary people couldn't access.

However, Buckingham shook his head without hesitation, "That can't be discussed, if you really want to know, go ask your own elders."

Qu Jianlei was silent for a moment before speaking, "The Cyan Blade Commerce Association seems to be quite skilled at cultivating mutated attributes."

"It's just the way it is," Buckingham answered without a second thought, "It's all just Blade people boasting."

He paused for a moment, then added, "If not for the Divine Text Association's appearance, they would've been expelled from the Hope Star Realm." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Qu Jianlei looked at him thoughtfully; now this topic seemed a bit lacking in allure, "What do you think about the Supreme Above?"

Damn... Buckingham was startled, then his eyes lit up, "You have any suggestions?"

Qu Jianlei pondered and replied, "I forgot who said it: seems like if you don't have the heart to die, don't take risks."

"To challenge the Supreme Above... do you have to have the heart to die?" Buckingham furrowed his brows, falling into thought.

Bai Siwen exchanged a glance with his niece, secretly noting the words while daring not to make a sound.

After a while, Buckingham slowly exhaled, raising his eyes to Qu Jianlei, "What do you want to achieve?"

"That's not what I meant," Qu Jianlei waved his hand, "Just said it casually, if it can help you a bit, that's good."

Are you teasing a naïve boy? Buckingham helplessly rubbed his brow with two fingers.

If you didn't have some exact thoughts, would you ask me what I think about the Supreme Above?

Buckingham had advanced to the Supreme level for seventy or eighty years now, and was in his prime; surely he had thoughts about the Supreme Above.

He was originally an arrogant person—well, almost every Supreme is like that.

But he was also good at research, with considerable confidence in his intelligence.

After waiting ten or eight seconds, he spoke gravely, "I've thought it over, your words are of great reference value..."

"Now I'd like to hear other relevant information, including your personal insights, and name your terms."

Qu Jianlei's expression became strange, he took a deep breath and answered slowly.

"Sir, cultivation requires bravery and diligence, but at the same time, one must consider not going too far!"

"I have already offered my humble opinion. Whatever you glean from it is your own gain."

"Cultivation is a personal matter, and I do not wish to say more. If it disrupts your thoughts, then my fault is great."

He tried very hard to make his words more tactful, yet regrettably, he truly was not skilled in speech.

Buckingham looked at him with a half-smile, letting out a leisurely sigh, "Are you educating me?"

"I wouldn't dare," Qu Jianlei hurriedly shook his head, "Sir, there is no universal standard for cultivation; what's suitable for oneself is best."

Upon hearing this, Buckingham fell silent, sitting there for a long time without speaking.

After about three minutes, he raised his palm and lightly clapped twice, "What's suitable is best... Thank you, young friend."

"You're too kind, sir," Qu Jianlei replied earnestly, "Every life can shine brilliantly, but their splendor is not the same."

Buckingham took a deep breath, "Siwen, bring the wine, I want to drink heartily with our young friend... What a splendid uniqueness!"

They drank for an entire day and night until the crew came to remind them to prepare for the upcoming jump.

Qu Jianlei excused himself and returned to his room; he didn't need to enter the life support pod, but needed to avoid suspicion.

According to unspoken rules, during the entire jump, those not in life support pods shouldn't move around casually.

This is when robbery incidents are most likely to occur, and that can sometimes escalate to murder.

The unspoken rules can't constrain desperadoes, but when circumstances allow, most people prefer to display their high quality.

Bai Siwen and his grandfather also entered their room, watching over the niece who had burrowed into the life support pod.

After pondering for a long while, he finally spoke, "Grandfather, is he really worth such regard from you?"

Buckingham looked at his grandson with great interest, "What do you think that sentence of his is worth?"

"I don't know," Bai Siwen shook his head frankly; facing his own grandfather, there was no need to feign ignorance, "Is it very valuable?"

"If it came from you, it wouldn't be worth a dime," Buckingham replied very straightforwardly.

"But since he said it, it's different, it at least deserves my serious consideration."

"And the key point is, what he said really makes sense... It feels like opening a new window."

Bai Siwen's expression changed, pitiably looking at his grandfather, "Grandfather, he is a good person."

He's well aware that his grandfather seems easygoing, but the blood on his hands is no less than other Supremes.

"What are you saying?" Buckingham helplessly shook his head with a smile, "You really think he's weak?"

"For him to say such things, there must be someone important behind him... and he has a killing aura; even I may not take him down easily."

"And one more thing, you may have misjudged; to you, he is a good person, but to others, perhaps not."

A day later, the jump ended, and Buckingham did not invite the other to drink again.

He intended to see what reaction the other might have—since you've said that to me, there should be some intentions behind it?

However, Qu Jianlei really hadn't thought that way. The reason he said that was simply because the other was rather amiable.

His encounters with Supremes were not many—it's not about killing Supremes, just pure daily interactions.

Besides Jia Shuqing, Buckingham was the second Supreme with whom he could interact normally.

And Granny Jia spoke in a roundabout way, even though she was a good person, she always saw him as a child.

Buckingham was frank and clear about everything, forthright in his dealings, and even acknowledged debts of gratitude.

Of course, Buckingham was somewhat utilitarian in his conduct—or rather, had a strong sense of purpose, but this was not an unacceptable flaw.

The truth is, as a mere A-level, wanting a Supreme to see him differently required demonstrating some value; did he really think others owed him?

So that sentence was truly offhand, as a way of thanking Buckingham for his care.

Of course, if the other could perceive the subtleties within, perhaps he'd provide a bit more care, which would be a pleasant surprise.

As for any sinister thoughts Buckingham might have, wanting to do something... well, he hadn't killed an Ice Attribute Supreme yet.

So after the jump ended, Qu Jianlei had no intention of mingling—once the starship landed, they would go their separate ways.

Buckingham, however, had thoughts simmering, waiting and waiting, until they reached the near orbit of the Celestial Handle Star.

In just about an hour, they would land, and he could hardly restrain himself.

So he knocked on Qu Jianlei's door, "Young friend, we've almost arrived."

"That was rather quick!" Qu Jianlei smiled, "Thank you, sir, for your care throughout the journey."

You just... won't say what I want to hear? Buckingham was indeed a bit helpless: Then why did you say those things to me?

As a Supreme, he was already accustomed to others' flattery and accustomed to others' ulterior motives.

Could it be that you really just said it casually? He found that possibility very small.

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