Qu Jianlei saw the expression on the opponent's face and immediately guessed what had happened.

It was within his expectations; back then, he thought it wouldn't hurt to let the other party earn a bit as long as he could buy cheap goods.

But now, forget it. Just like Little Lake said, sustaining war through war might be a better idea.

So he shook his head expressionlessly, "I don't want cheap stuff anymore."

An employee from Sea of Thought became anxious and spoke in a deep voice, "Sir, the calculation unit group you procured will still require after-sales service."

"Hmm?" Qu Jianlei looked at him in surprise and asked expressionlessly, "Can you repeat that?"

Another Sea of Thought employee hurriedly pulled him back, glaring at him fiercely.

— Fool, we'd rather not provoke the Kitchen Maid, can we provoke this person?

He spoke with a smile, "Sorry, Sir, he's new here and doesn't know better."

After pausing, he sincerely remarked, "The equipment we found is high-quality and affordable, and it sells well in Lanyun."

Is that the truth? It's somewhat accurate, but finding a smooth-paying buyer isn't accomplished overnight.

Overall, weapons and ammunition are hard currency in the Asteroid Belt, but it's common for them to lie unsold for some time.

Just like the weapon system Qu Jianlei purchased earlier, the merchant who picked up that system sold it over a long period.

The Sea of Thought people contacted a military intermediary, who had higher expectations for the shipment's timeliness.

After all, it wasn't a legitimate transaction, and dragging it out for long could easily lead to trouble.

So when they heard he wasn't interested, someone across the way became anxious.

Qu Jianlei didn't continue staring at the man who spoke recklessly, he just calmly stated, "I look forward to your after-sales service."

The two Sea of Thought people felt the oppressive atmosphere, then took their leave.

Over the next period, others came over and inquired about the material list.

Due to his reputation for reliable payments, no one doubted his financial capability, so conducting proper business was definitely possible.

Especially with the mysterious disappearance of the Kitchen Maid team, many became alert and even regulated their quotes significantly.

Exorbitant profits still existed, but as long as the prices weren't outrageously high—it's not like anyone came here without planning to make money.

However, there were also more moderate prices since making a quick buck by earning a small margin was also feasible.

After the big gathering, Qu Jianlei's procurement was on track, and he expected to receive shipments throughout this cycle.

Some even asked him if he wanted to exchange for Energy Blocks, indicating there were indeed many interested parties.

However, what frustrated Qu Jianlei was the lack of interest in the Attack Ship.

Hard currency may be good, but it also needs to be salable.

Someone did inquire about the price, but only offered around ten million, which Qu Jianlei refused without hesitation.

This type of Attack Ship can sell for fifty million when brand new, but... these are strictly controlled resources.

Besides the military, only officially recognized entities are eligible to purchase; others need connections and pay extra for new ones.

But second-hand ones aren't subject to these restrictions; after all, it's the interstellar age of great voyages.

For interstellar navigation safety, even Armed Merchant Ships appeared, so it's normal for used Attack Ships to escort.

Thus, Qu Jianlei priced this Attack Ship around thirty million.

Despite being hit, it has been repaired; moreover, Little Lake optimized its performance a bit.

Though just minor tweaks, Big Head Butterfly believes it's worth thirty million.

Anyway, selling it doesn't matter, as Qu Jianlei was prepared to take the Attack Ship back.

The newly purchased calculation unit group occupied a significant space, and with incoming materials, the cargo hold might not be sufficient.

But it wasn't a big deal; grabbing a ride wouldn't be a problem—actually, accompanying the flight wasn't bad either.

The day after the gathering, a group of people approached, the ones he had rescued before.

Leading was still the Ice Attribute A-level woman, but among them, someone was different.

It was the Sea of Thought person—the one who spoke rudely to Qu Jianlei.

The first to speak was a middle-aged man with Stone Attribute, "Sir, I heard this person offended you, and he now genuinely regrets it."

Genuine or not is hard to say, but just by looking at his bruised face, it's definite he regrets it.

The middle-aged man glanced at him, sneering, "Why don't you speak?"

"It's my fault," that person fell to his knees with a thump.

A man's knees are beneath Gold, even the Imperial values it, but in the face of great fear, such things are naturally disregarded.

This person raised his hands and started slapping his face, back and forth.

It wasn't fake; the slaps resonated with cracking sounds and blood splattered.

Qu Jianlei remained silent, just casually watching, without any intention to stop it.

He didn't call to stop, so the person didn't dare to pause, slapping over two hundred times in just a little while.

"Alright," Qu Jianlei finally spoke, seeing the person's face swollen like a pig's head, and let out a light snort.

"Consider yourself lucky!"

This person's exertion was too great, to the point of rendering himself dazed and confused. After stopping, his eyes were vacant for quite a while.

"I hope you don't mind us intervening," the middle-aged man said with a smile as he lifted the person. "I'll take him back."

As he left with the person, Qu Jianlei turned to the woman, "Thank you all for your goodwill."

He could ignore that scoundrel just now, but those who lent a helping hand deserved proper courtesy.

He didn't intend to do anything drastic to that person; those who speak carelessly are usually insignificant. If they dare to play dirty, there would be time to act later.

However, he took note of the goodwill from these people opposite him.

Especially for a power like Sea of Thought Creation to come and apologize willingly, the group of people he saved indeed had some significance.

The woman replied calmly, "People who don't understand propriety always need to learn their lessons."

"Since you've come to Lanyun and haven't pressured us to settle the debt, we must show some sincerity."

This was a reasonable person; Qu Jianlei wasn't pressing them to repay, partly because of his confidence in his debt-collecting ability, but wasn't it also a gesture of goodwill?

She was able to state it outright, indicating a willingness to form friendly ties.

Upon hearing this, Qu Jianlei smiled nonchalantly, "With the strength of the Haiyin Clan, how could you be short of such a small amount of money?"

With the presence of networks at the marketplace, he was well-informed, and Little Lake was also quite curious about the origins of these people, so they naturally paid attention.

The Haiyin Clan were early settlers on the Celestial Hook, and the clan leader had the title of Earl.

However, the Imperial realm has been de-noblizing, so now the Haiyin Earl is merely a nominal title, with the fief long revoked.

The Haiyin Earl views this as a disgrace—an earl without a fief is no different from a lord.

He feels ashamed to face his ancestors and generally doesn't call himself an earl unless in especially formal occasions.

Yet, the strength of the Haiyin Clan remains quite formidable, currently holding three A-levels.

The Haiyin Family once produced Primordial Warriors—not just one, but two! They have also had individuals reach the Supreme level.

The woman before him is Rhine, the sixth daughter of the Haiyin Earl and the family member widely seen as having the greatest potential to breakthrough to Supreme.

As for why a clan with only three A-levels wields such influence, opinions diverge widely.

Firstly, it's certain that this is closely related to the two Primordial Warriors.

The legacy of Primordial Warriors is immense; whether it's cultivation knowledge or insights, they far surpass that of subsequent Awakened ones.

Even someone as proud as Qinghu still takes great effort to research the cultivation system of Primordial Warriors.

Look at the Luo Family, who produced only one Primordial, and yet they have so many followers.

Moreover, there's a saying in the Imperial realm that Primordial Warriors might be related to bloodlines, making their descendants highly sought after.

The Haiyin Clan having produced two Primordials and possessing an Earl—this is more fearsome than a clan with just one Supreme.

This is the information Little Lake collected on the Celestial Hook Star, which now correlates with Rhine.

There is also a discreet rumor that Rhine joined a certain faction and got the favor of a leader from that faction!

But such matters cannot be spoken lightly as they involve reputation.

Rhine wasn't surprised at how the other party obtained this information. Though her news was secretive, it wasn't absolutely confidential.

"I'm here to settle the Energy Blocks with you; there was a shortfall of three million before, and another three million now—what do you think?"

"Those medical supplies aren't worth that much money," Qu Jianlei waved his hand and spoke casually, "Five and a half million will suffice."

Deep down, he wasn't a penny-pinching person; those medical supplies were only worth seventy to eighty thousand, not necessary to count them together.

"Very well," Rhine nodded, "Then, spot delivery?"

Only a fool would play futures trading here, Qu Jianlei smiled, "That would be perfect."

During this transaction period, he had given up searching for Energy Blocks.

Showing too much eagerness would attract attention, wouldn't it? Just a few days ago, someone proactively approached him.

It was precisely because these people agreed to provide a batch of Energy Blocks that he had such confidence; otherwise, he would feel guilty.

Before long, someone brought the Energy Blocks over, and Lady Rhine didn't explain how she obtained them.

Instead, Qu Jianlei nodded and casually praised, "Truly worthy of the Haiyin Clan, you've got friends everywhere."

He wasn't skilled at flattery, especially now that he had reached the Supreme level, but not saying anything at this moment felt too unfriendly.

Five and a half million Energy Blocks loaded into the hold, this time's expenditure was recovered, with a surplus remaining.

Then Rhine spoke again, "May I boldly ask, are you still acquiring weapons and ammunition?"

Knowing this wasn't surprising; after all, consider that Sea of Thought's person had been taken by her, what couldn't be found out?

Qu Jianlei responded with a soft grunt, then nodded, "It's not something urgent, just intending to stockpile some conveniently."

Rhine glanced at him and asked directly, "Are you the captain?"

Qu Jianlei was taken aback, then shook his head slightly, "I wish I were, but I'm not truly the captain, more like the vice-captain."

This wasn't a lie; Little Lake was the legitimate captain, while he was at most a military commander.

As a vice-captain, piloting the attack ship isn't too much, is it?

But what did the woman mean by asking this?