Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 481 - 353: Going Back to the Old Ways

Qu Jianlei’s question truly was naive; Superpower Rice and Crystals are indeed different.

The former is tightly controlled by the military and exclusively used by their warriors.

From cultivation to distribution, it never reaches society, save for a little welfare for high-ranking government officials.

But Crystals are different; as long as one can hunt Mutant Beasts, one can obtain Crystals.

Most Crystals are purchased by the government, but if someone obtains a Crystal and chooses to handle it themselves, it’s not a big deal.

Ultimately, since the government cannot control the source of the Mutant Beasts, they naturally cannot ban the trade of Crystals.

Of course, even so, the private trade of Crystals is still a gray area.

But trading Superpower Rice privately is a crime; if the government investigates, it’s a sure catch.

Otherwise, Qu Jianlei wouldn’t have only heard of Crystals and remained completely unaware of Superpower Rice.

After the receptionist finished explaining, Qu Jianlei nodded thoughtfully, this black market... is indeed brazen and duplicitous!

If they didn’t engage in a bit of illegal business, could they even call themselves a black market?

So he asked gravely, "Are you sure you really don’t sell any Superpower Rice? I don’t want that junk under the bridge."

"Well..." The receptionist hesitated for a rare moment.

Considering her status, she shouldn’t be discussing such topics. A slip could attract government spies.

But according to her observation, this person purchasing Crystals in bulk seemed natural, not someone sent with ulterior motives.

After a moment of hesitation, she quietly said, "If you really want to buy, I can recommend a supplier."

"But I must warn you, wanting to buy in bulk will be very expensive... at least double the price of the Superpower Rice under the bridge."

She knew the condition of the rice under the bridge well, but since the vendors pay market fees, she couldn’t say much.

But authentic Superpower Rice truly isn’t cheap, either.

And her definition of "buying in bulk" just meant an adequate amount, not too little.

Buying too little isn’t worth the risk, but wanting to buy a lot is impossible as no one has that much supply—even if they did, they wouldn’t dare admit it.

When it comes down to it, Superpower Rice is a commodity with a price but no market; being able to buy it at all means a stroke of luck, so there’s no need to fuss over money.

Qu Jianlei intended to have the receptionist introduce him, but she stated that the person wasn’t around, asking when he would come next.

This question made him shake his head slightly, indicating that he couldn’t determine the time.

Although he was a bit free-spirited, he hadn’t completely let down his guard.

He had just spent five hundred thousand at the black market, not worrying about being scammed, but that didn’t mean the place was truly safe.

Primarily, his purchase today was rather sudden, and the vendor, seeing the business, couldn’t reject it, so the transaction was completed.

If he dared to set a meeting time next, who knows what the other party might do?

While tens of thousands in Silver Notes might not move most experts, undoubtedly, some experts are down on their luck.

Especially here in Green Water City, where resources are concentrated and bustling, but the cost of living is high.

It’s normal for some A-level Warriors to not be doing too well, right?

Qu Jianlei didn’t want to test human nature, so after shaking his head, he left the bridge with Sofia.

Remarkably, the child was still waiting downstairs. Seeing them, he didn’t greet them but just stood watching from a distance.

Qu Jianlei hadn’t wanted to pay attention to him at first, but remembering the receptionist’s words, he couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated.

So, he ignored the child and left the black market with Sofia the same way they came.

Walking back to the brightly lit Riverside Park, Qu Jianlei was a bit wistful, "This black market is a chaotic mix, just too expensive."

"Even you think it’s expensive?" Sofia couldn’t help but mutter, "What you spent in one night is enough for me to buy a house."

Honestly, she was really shocked by Panda’s spending habits.

The sisters had been business guides for a while and had seen wealthy people.

But it was their first time seeing someone drop more than five hundred thousand overnight without batting an eye.

The key point was that it wasn’t used to buy fixed assets, not even daily goods, just consumables.

"Don’t randomly envy others," Qu Jianlei coughed lightly, "I actually yearn for the peaceful life you have."

"True that," Sofia nodded, well aware in her heart, "If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even dare come to the black market."

As she spoke, she looked back, feeling that tonight’s experience was thrilling and unsure of when she’d next visit the black market.

But immediately, she was stunned, "That child... that child is still following us from afar."

Qu Jianlei had noticed long ago, but hadn’t reacted—the kid’s stamina was too weak, getting left further and further behind.

Since Sofia mentioned it, he saw it as an opportunity, "Then let him come over."

He had no prejudice against the child, just thought the quantity was small, but after interacting on the second floor, he realized the child’s pricing was fair.

Upstairs, they charged eighty per kilo; the child offered sixty per kilo, which was truly reasonable.

The key issue is that the second floor has quite a few problems too; you can neither buy too much nor too little, creating a seller’s market that feels unfriendly to buyers.

The restriction on quantity is a minor issue, but the need for appointments poses a considerable risk.

Qu Jianlei isn’t necessarily afraid, but after struggling for twenty years, he finally found some stability, and truly doesn’t want to stir up trouble again.

On the other hand, the child’s issue is merely a lack of goods, with no other flaws.

Qu Jianlei considered changing his mind earlier, it’s just that he was in a bad mood and speaking then would not have been kind to the child.

They walked for a while and stopped, and the child following them hesitated and also slowed his pace.

But very quickly, he realized: even if he walked slower, the other party wasn’t moving.

So he simply resumed his speed, walking over step by step, with his eyelids drooping and not daring to look at the man and woman opposite.

Qu Jianlei found it a bit amusing, thinking it’s funny how the one who was persistently bothering him now dared not even lift his eyes.

Sofia was signaling to him: "How about I do the talking?"

Many people think business guides only have eyes for money, but that’s not always true; at least, Sofia was quite empathetic.

When the child reached a distance of seven or eight meters, Sofia waved him over, "Come here."

The child walked over cautiously, speaking timidly, "I didn’t bring Superpower Rice with me."

Sofia was momentarily stunned, then laughed, "We’re paying for it, not robbing you... we just spent half a million on the second floor!"

A beautiful woman can indeed make people drop their guard, even if the other party is just a child.

The child visibly relaxed and then spoke timidly, "You guys made a mess; I’m afraid you won’t return."

He was ultimately young, and before the others could ask, he proactively explained his reason for following them.

Sofia asked a few more questions, understanding that the mess was the one thrown into the river, and dismissively curled her lip.

"They dare to retaliate? We’ve been in the market the whole time and haven’t seen them call anyone over."

It wasn’t arrogance; a thug rampant in a small market couldn’t compare to an A-level Warrior.

Yet the child earnestly stated, "Their group is extremely vicious, have killed people... more than one!"

Sofia was a bit surprised, "They killed someone and still dare to stay at the black market?"

The child replied, "Not in the market, but anyway everyone knows they’ve killed someone."

The Imperial also has the saying "a life for a life," but this civilization tends to downplay life and has a high tolerance for killing.

So it’s not pursued unless someone reports it, and killing may not necessarily require repayment, especially for Superpower Warriors.

Sofia, although a woman, with an A-level heavyweight beside her, naturally didn’t regard a mere murderer.

Thus, she changed the subject on her own, "Do you know the fat guy selling medals?"

Qu Jianlei hearing this, looked at her with surprise, helplessly twitching his mouth.

Too much subjective initiative isn’t necessarily a good thing.

The child thought for a moment, shook his head, "That person isn’t familiar, doesn’t come often... I don’t come often either."

Sofia glanced at Qu Jianlei, found he didn’t react, and spoke again, "Will you take us to buy Superpower Rice now?"

The child also looked at Qu Jianlei, timidly shook his head, "I’ll go get it, you just wait here."

Sofia waved her hand, "It’s quite late, is it safe to take Superpower Rice? I’ll drive you there."

The child took off running, "I didn’t keep Superpower Rice at home, it’s hidden."

Despite looking quite sickly earlier, he ran at quite a speed and soon disappeared into the night.

Qu Jianlei shook his head; this half-grown child already knows to hide things everywhere; indeed, life is the best teacher.

The child didn’t run far, just a bit over a kilometer, then entered a thicket and dug out a package.

He thought he was being very cautious, yet didn’t know even though Qu Jianlei stood still, he could perceive his movements from afar.

Inside the package were two identical small bags; the child hesitated, but ended up taking only one bag out, and then buried the package again.

"Ah," Qu Jianlei shook his head; the little guy’s every move reminded him of his years struggling in Hong District.

Not long after, the child ran back panting and waved the bag in his hand, "Superpower... Superpower Rice."

Qu Jianlei handed Sofia a Card Coin, exactly fifty silver coins worth— since the little guy was wary of him, let the beauty handle it.

The child indeed was not resistant to interacting with Sofia; money and goods exchanged.

After receiving the Superpower Rice, Qu Jianlei opened the bag to perceive it, and indeed felt a gentle, faint energy fluctuation.

However, the next moment, he noticed something suspicious, so he frowned at the child, "This rice... seems a bit off?"

He was not trying to make it difficult, but he sensed a sign of energy loss in the rice.

This is the extraordinary nature of an A-level, although he had never seen Superpower Rice before, he still sensed something unusual.

The child’s face instantly turned pale, and despair flickered in his eyes, "You, you..."

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