Starting Cultivation in Wasteland

The matter is simple to explain: Palamera gained fame in his youth and received sponsorship from many people.

He didn’t want this sponsorship because his family wasn’t short on money, and at least they were moderately wealthy.

But he had no choice but to accept it, because both the school and the Awakened Management Division hoped he would, in order not to provoke opposition.

This is how he came to know Patrice’s grandfather, and later they got along quite well.

Qu Jianlei was not interested in these gossips; he simply asked, "So what about the Marquis’s daughter, is her opinion really worth considering?"

You have four Supremes, do you really need to care about the feelings of an A-level?

As soon as he spoke, the expressions of the three Supremes opposite him were somewhat awkward.

After a while, Palamera replied solemnly, "She is the third in line for succession... The old Marquis is about to die."

Not only is Marquis Plato about to die, but the first and second in line for succession are also close to death.

To put it this way, the old Marquis’s life expectancy is almost at three hundred, having outlived countless heirs.

The current first and second in line are born to later wives and are also nearly a hundred and fifty.

He also has some much younger sons, but their cultivation aptitude is mediocre, so they rank much lower.

Patrice, however, despite her young age, is talented, having advanced to A-level, making her the third in line for succession.

The fourth and fifth positions belong to grandsons and great-grandsons, among whom one grandson is also a Supreme.

However, succession in the Imperial system is not solely based on cultivation level, and this has been a long-standing consensus.

Cultivation level only represents personal combat power, and a qualified noble must have sufficient capabilities in handling matters.

Whether dealing upwards with the Empire, downwards with common people, or laterally with peers, at least they shouldn’t fall short, right?

In short, the situation is very advantageous for Patrice, but the potential crisis is equally significant.

Her support within the family is limited, ultimately because her mother married too late, leaving no time for planning and cultivation.

The two nephews in the fourth and fifth positions are watching her closely and have won over many family members.

Thus, she can only seek external assistance, aiming to earn some merit from outside.

By then, even if she fails in succession, she would have established a domain outside, making it possible to set up an independent faction.

Fortunately, although her mother’s family is not noble, they are notably wealthy.

Despite her mother marrying the much older Marquis as his consort, it should be known that becoming a consort to a Marquis is a prestigious position rare even among a million people.

This time, the expedition Palamera and others took to the Maiden Star Realm was sponsored by Patrice.

Strictly speaking, Palamera and others are not short of money; the most important sponsorship from Patrice was the coordinates of several key areas.

Supremes, of course, also had related information, but Patrice’s information came from the Marquis’s most confidential core repository.

The point is, her mother’s foundation in the Marquis’s mansion is shallow, but money can compensate for it, right?

By spending large sums without aiming to buy people, but just for some information, it wasn’t very difficult.

The information from the Marquis’s mansion, still the "collector’s edition," is really something ordinary Supremes can’t obtain.

A mutation may produce a Supreme even in the poorest families.

But for a Marquis’s mansion, how many generations of inheritance does it go through?

A Supreme’s lineage may break, but the Marquis’s mansion will not; the depth of those accumulated years need not be stated.

The simplest example: the opportunities Palamera and his group’s harvest this time came precisely from the coordinates provided by Patrice.

As for killing to keep silence? That’s purely overthinking; Patrice dared to travel with them, naturally unafraid of that happening.

Palamera and others should ensure, by all means, that no harm befalls Patrice.

Even if an accident occurs, they must provide adequate evidence to show it wasn’t a man-made incident.

— And with one big premise, the other party must be willing to hear their explanation.

Speaking of this, Palamera sighed lightly, "Actually, the attackers are likely from the Marquis’s mansion."

Qu Jianlei pursed his lips; in fact, after hearing just a little, he had already guessed it was a possibility.

Flower Scorpion frowned, "Does she have any other choice now?"

Coming from the Garbage Star, she harbored some resentment towards people born with favorable conditions, so her words carried a bit of fire qi.

Qinghu spoke much more objectively, "The matter she caused herself, if she can’t handle it, would she keep you from dealing?"

Bentley was even more straightforward, "If she’s unwilling, leave her, and record audio-visual data that can explain the issue."

The group’s back-and-forth banter somewhat swayed the thoughts of the three Supremes.

In fact, Rusna had long held such an idea; she asked, "Can you leave her with some resources?"

"That’s your business," Qu Jianlei flatly refused, "The commission we received is to extract Palamera’s group."

He truly wasn’t short of resources, but he wouldn’t indulge others when it’s inappropriate to be generous.

The three Supremes exchanged glances, impressed with how firm these individuals were in their decisions.

Finally, the Genetic Vine spoke, "Then I’ll go and see if she has any other contingencies."

It can be seen that this Patrice indeed holds a unique status in their minds.

"I’ll go with you," Palamera stood up, "Things that need explaining should be explained clearly."

Seeing them leave, Rusna snorted lightly and shook her head indifferently, "Other backups..."

She didn’t believe that the girl would have any other backups, otherwise, she wouldn’t come out without bringing a single Supreme.

Soon, two Supremes arrived with the woman caring for the wounded.

Palamera straightforwardly stated, "Patrice would like to speak with you, is that alright?"

Qu Jianlei and his group remained silent, as they had already brought the person over, what was there to say about permission?

Yet ultimately, Qu Jianlei slightly raised his chin, indicating for the other party to sit.

The girl seemed a bit uneasy, and after sitting down, she composed herself before speaking, "Greetings, lords."

"Just speak plainly," Flower Scorpion interjected. The other party was merely A-level and not qualified to converse with their group of three Supremes.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then gathered the courage to speak, "Regarding the lords’ requests, my people are willing to comply."

Qu Jianlei and the others still remained silent, simply watching her quietly.

"But... I also have some doubts," Patrice continued, "What kind of price would it take to enlist the lords’ help?"

She had already confirmed that this group coming to assist was much stronger than Palamera’s group.

Qu Jianlei still didn’t speak, as the development of this situation... was just too expected.

But Flower Scorpion shook her head, firmly stating, "We came to repay a favor. The things we want, you probably can’t afford."

Patrice pondered for a moment and asked, "How about Divine Text Treasures?"

Flower Scorpion chuckled indifferently, "Do you have them? Or... can you actually make the call?"

Patrice’s expression turned troubled, as the other party was correct; she indeed didn’t possess such extraordinary treasures.

The Marquis’ estate might have some, but even if she successfully took over the title, she couldn’t rashly send out such items in the short term.

Divine Text Treasures... even kept at the Duke’s estate, were heirlooms, impossible to give to others.

She hesitantly spoke, "There are some Divine Text Materials at the Marquis’ estate, if someday I..."

Divine Text Materials were relatively less important, just like how Palamera could tolerate Qu Jianlei’s reproductions.

"No need for someday," Flower Scorpion shook her head, cutting her off, "We don’t accept deferred payments."

Patrice hesitated, then grit her teeth and spoke, "How about shares in the Energy Stone Ore?"

She was indeed resolute, for the Marquis’ estate, these ores were not just simple hard currency.

Controlling the Energy Stone Ore was key to influencing the market and policies for Energy Blocks.

The market for Energy Blocks was vast. The influence Marquis Plato could exert was limited, but having and not having was different.

If some shares were diluted, the Marquis’ estate’s influence would decrease.

It’s not a question of money; the key is the power to speak.

She had just heard that the other party had Energy Stone Ore stocks, hence she bit the bullet and decided to cater to their preference.

Yet, Flower Scorpion was clear about her side’s needs and didn’t bother considering influence.

She glanced at Qu Jianlei, then shook her head, "Mining is too troublesome, we’re not that interested."

"This is difficult," Patrice sighed in frustration.

If they found Energy Stone Ore troublesome, then the estate’s other lucrative industries couldn’t possibly be offered.

However, she suddenly remembered a legendary joke.

"Some people find even earnestly earning money bothersome; they only hope to have endless wealth to use."

Originally, this was a joke among the upper circles, mocking those presumptuous second-generation heirs, but admittedly, such people did exist.

Perhaps the Supremes, focused on advancing their Cultivation Level, also wouldn’t have time to earn money?

The possibility wasn’t high. Every Supreme represented more than just one person; there were plenty of sycophants surrounding them.

Among them, there were naturally those who could earn money, and even eager donors; just like how her grandfather could connect with Palamera.

So Supremes might truly lack money, and when they do, it’s big money they’re lacking.

She could only tentatively speak, "Then it might have to be money, I hope this isn’t too offensive?"

Offensive was an understatement! Hearing this, the three Supremes of Palamera could only look up to the sky in speechlessness — discussing money with Supremes?

Yet Flower Scorpion’s reaction was unexpectedly surprising; her eyebrows raised, "How much can you offer?"

Palamera felt the urge to cover his eyes: focusing solely on money, does the Supreme in your household agree?

Upon hearing this, Patrice cautiously glanced at Qu Jianlei and seeing no reaction, tentatively replied.

"This can be negotiated. If it’s insufficient, I can mortgage... say, two billion?"

She genuinely wanted to say "mortgage estate", but felt somewhat offensive — were they forcing her to do so?

So instead, she decisively offered a solid figure and, after hesitating, added, "...it’s negotiable."