Free Web NovelChapter 888: Chapter 758: The Price of Growth
Qinghu watched Rhodiola rosea communicating with another man, feeling a bit strange.
She could perceive that the unknown man exuded a dangerous aura and was probably a Supreme.
She even vaguely sensed that this man might be more dangerous than Rhodiola rosea.
But how could this Rhodiola rosea speak to the other party like that? And, what does "detached from society for a long time" mean?
At this moment, news came that Qingyu Supreme was coming for a visit, so the three of them simply continued to wait in the reception room.
Qu Jianlei, being the host, did not go out to greet him, purely out of resentment that the starship had just landed and was surrounded by the military.
Qinghu, as a guest, naturally did not see fit to welcome him, considering her high self-regard.
As for the Paranoid... in his eyes, Liu Qingyu was hardly noteworthy, so why would he lower himself to go out and greet him?
Liu Qingyu was led in by Xiang Xue, feeling slightly discontent.
I, the Qingyu Supreme, come by, and the only one you send to greet me is a newly advanced A-level?
Upon entering the reception room, none of the three inside stood up to exchange greetings, which was even more excessive.
However, among them was actually Qinghu Supreme? He was slightly surprised.
It was no secret that Qinghu was coming to Celestial Handle Star, but Liu Qingyu spent most of his time in the military region, focusing only on military news.
Qingyu Supreme knew that Qinghu was not only young but had promising prospects and formidable strength.
He was not surprised by Qinghu’s demeanor—since the other was also a guest, being more hospitable than the host could imply being overzealous.
However, the behavior of the other two really seemed to disregard him.
Qu Jianlei’s attitude also indicated this as he nodded lightly, "Qingyu Supreme has arrived? Please have a seat."
Liu Qingyu nodded slightly, then sat down by himself, "Greetings to Rhodiola rosea Supreme; apologies for coming uninvited."
Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned to the Paranoid, "I’ve heard you’re someone from my past. May I know how to address you?"
This action seemed a bit rash, indirectly expressing his dissatisfaction.
However, the Paranoid glanced at him and coldly spoke, "The term ’Your Excellency’ is not for you to use; call me Senior!"
"Huh?" Liu Qingyu was really taken aback, daring to call himself Senior in front of me?
However, at the supreme level, few would dare to boast falsely. Hearing this, he dared not neglect and respectfully lifted his hand.
"Then I’ve met the Senior; it’s just that your aura... I can’t quite recall it. Could you give me a hint?" ƒгeewebnovёl.com
The Paranoid glanced at him disdainfully, "You’re not worth me pretending to be Senior."
"I remember you advanced to B-level through a girl’s support. How is she now?"
When Liu Qingyu was at C-level, he was injured and took over twenty years to advance to B-level, mainly due to financial constraints.
This fact was known by some insiders, but the identity of the woman who supported him was known to very few.
Those informed individuals mostly fell at the threshold of one hundred and fifty years of age.
Hearing this, Qingyu Supreme was stunned, then after a long sigh, replied wearily, "She has passed away."
"Tsk," the Paranoid smacked his lips upon hearing this, "You once said you’d never let her down in this life; I don’t know if you managed that."
Shocked by these words, Liu Qingyu looked at the other incredulously, "Who exactly are you, Senior?"
"You just need to know that I’m not a pretender," the Paranoid said calmly, "Weren’t you planning to go to the Divine Text Association?"
At this point, how could Liu Qingyu dare to have any doubts? He respectfully answered, "A-Zhen hopes that I remain in the military."
"Ah, A-Zhen, that girl," the Paranoid nodded, "What brings you here today?"
"Curiosity," Liu Qingyu replied honestly, "I’ve always been wondering who the person from my past is and was waiting to meet you... My apologies."
"No matter," the Paranoid waved his hand dismissively, "By the way, what about your senior who aimed to reach the Supreme at eighty?"
"Oh, him," a hint of wistfulness passed through Liu Qingyu’s eyes, "He tried twice but failed and passed away over a century ago."
"Alright, you’ve confirmed I’m not a fake," the Paranoid nodded, "Farewell then."
This gesture gave Liu Qingyu a sense of déjà vu, but upon thinking carefully, he couldn’t recall why.
He pondered a moment and asked, "Senior, you’re probably over three hundred years old now, aren’t you?"
This remark made Qinghu’s eyes widen instantly—not possible, could this person actually be above the Supreme level?
"Go back to your military region honestly," the Paranoid said expressionlessly, "I’ve already told you, don’t inquire about me!" freēwebnovel.com
He spoke with an air of age, but he neither admitted nor denied being over three hundred years old, did he?
Liu Qingyu had some speculation in his mind but dared not speak it aloud.
He stood up, speaking respectfully, "I deeply apologize for the military’s rudeness this time, and I hope Senior will forgive us."
"If Senior has any instructions, please let me know, and I will certainly not disappoint you."
"There’s nothing really to say," the Paranoid glanced at Qu Jianlei, "Old Rhodiola, do you have anything to add?"
"Just handle a few military passes," Qu Jianlei replied casually, "the Customs Enforcement Division passes alone aren’t enough."
The Paranoid nodded upon hearing that, "This indeed is not difficult to handle, Liu Qingyu, no issue, right?"
"Well..." Qingyu Supreme heard that and hesitated for a moment.
His position in the military is very high, but that doesn’t mean everything he does is easy.
In fact, he doesn’t handle any basic affairs; it’s enough to stabilize situations at critical moments.
Without responsible domains, naturally, there is no leverage for a trade of interests, so he relies entirely on personal connections when handling affairs in the military.
If someone truly doesn’t play ball, he would need to find an excuse to deal with the offenders.
This applies to the permits that the other party wants now. He can handle it, but would have to use his connections.
Usually, the concerned people won’t refuse, given the rapport with the Supreme, but he hardly likes owing favors.
However, Liu Qingyu then nodded, "Alright, no problem. How many do you need?"
"Four or five would suffice," the Paranoid casually replied, "the kind that allows starships to skip inspection."
Allowing starships to skip inspections... Liu Qingyu pursed his lips, internally thinking this expressed dissatisfaction with the military’s compulsory checks.
The military does have such permits, but it’s foreseeable the attached responsibility wouldn’t be small.
Liu Qingyu didn’t care much for responsibility; at his level, it’s actually easy to shift blame.
Thinking of how others nearly passed the buck onto their grandchildren, he felt a bit of displeasure.
Solely because of that, he could justify orchestrating a scheme, let alone it was a request from the other party.
So, he hesitated a little and straightforwardly nodded, "Can do, but it will cost money."
The Paranoid didn’t realize he’d get such a response, more surprising than being declined.
"Cost money?"
"Yes, cost money," Liu Qingyu nodded calmly, "Not much money, twenty thousand per permit, but it does cost money."
Strictly speaking, this amount isn’t small; college teacher Bellini’s monthly salary is just two thousand, equivalent to ten months’ salary.
But acquiring such permits can effectively protect starships; a mere twenty thousand is just a matter of slightly accelerating the starship.
For the four Supremes and one A-level present, this amount really is a drop in the bucket.
Qinghu was a bit surprised upon hearing, "Then I’ll pay a hundred thousand, get me five permits too."
She might not necessarily use these, but they’re really too cheap, so she might as well catch the ride.
After all, just a hundred thousand, even if it goes down the drain, it’s no big deal.
However, Qu Jianlei noticed something was off, he thoughtfully looked at Liu Qingyu, "Then issue a hundred!"
A hundred would be two million, if there’s any issue, it might warrant a visit to Qingyu Supreme.
"Red Supreme, don’t joke around," Liu Qingyu smiled wryly upon hearing, "How could we possibly issue that many?"
He knew before arriving, Rhodiola rosea wasn’t someone easy to deal with, but he discovered post-arrival, truly difficult.
That inscrutable "senior" seemed to act according to Rhodiola rosea’s wishes, how could he dare act rashly?
Xiang Xue, however, figured something out, "If something happens, it’s someone illegally trading permits?"
Not surprising with an Earth Scholar dad, she truly was knowledgeable.
Though Liu Qingyu was quite senior, he was slightly embarrassed discussing this matter.
He coughed lightly twice, "Cough cough, I’m merely making a connection, otherwise I’d pay this money myself."
Whose kid is this? When the Supreme speaks, why butt in?
Upon hearing, the Paranoid frowned, displeasedly saying, "Planning not to follow through at any moment?"
To be fair, Liu Qingyu, as a seasoned Supreme, had weathered many storms, rarely taking others’ nonsense.
But somehow when this man spoke, it always left him feeling alarmed.
So he could only explain apprehensively, "If any uncertainties arise, it also allows for maneuvering... You know."
Uncertain when it started, "you know" became an unspoken reference within Imperial society.
The Paranoid eventually caught on, "So, the permits are still valid?"
"Of course, I can personally vouch for them," Liu Qingyu replied without hesitation.
"I can endorse the permits’ validity, but if any uncontrollable factors emerge, I too could be misled."
These words were somewhat openly shameless, yet also conveyed his sincerity.
Upon hearing, the Paranoid was surprised looking at him, "In your youth, you were so full of righteousness, didn’t expect..."
"People grow," Liu Qingyu unbothered replied, "In my youth, I bore others’ burdens many times."
"Now that I’ve made it, I have the authority to let others take the fall, why not do it?"
"Those taking the blame might be innocent, but that’s the cost of growth... when I was wronged back then, who spoke up for me?"
