The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 421, 758, and 759: You're doomed.
"If I lose... then I am willing to become your collection right now, and I promise I will never run away on my own initiative."

Karl swirled the wine in his glass, glanced at Tanlia Tivan across from him, and said confidently:
"But if you lose, you'll have to give me ownership of the [Embers of Creation] and the head of the god where the [Void Realm] is located."

……

[Reputation value +10086]

……

"what?"

Tanlia Tivan's eyes, which had been burning with desire, vanished instantly, replaced by a look of wariness. After scrutinizing Karl's face for a moment without gaining anything, he spoke again:

"Mr. Karl, I'd like to know how you knew that the last remaining embers of creation in this universe were in my possession?"

He slowly raised two fingers. "Looking across the entire universe, besides myself, there are definitely no more than two people who know this secret!"

Karl smiled mysteriously, though he really wanted to say: "That's because that's how it's portrayed in the Marvel movies!"
However, the tone of the other person's voice just now didn't sound like a question at all; rather, it sounded more like they were showing off.

Furthermore, it's clear that Tanlia Tivan doesn't seem to care much about the head of the celestial being compared to the [Embers of Creation].

It's understandable, considering that this place has been mined for hundreds or even thousands of years. Apart from a group of ruthless and desperate miners living there, there are very few truly valuable minerals left.

If Karl had simply offered the head of a god as the wager, Tanlia Tivan would likely have agreed without even questioning it.

"What, you don't dare?"

Karl seemed to have figured out Tanlia Tivan's personality long ago, and instead of answering his question, he asked in return with a half-smile.

"No, no, no, it's not that I'm afraid..."

Even though she knew the other party was deliberately trying to provoke her, those words still touched a nerve with Tanlia Tivan.

Because in the past few thousand years, he has never failed to obtain any of the 'collections' that he has set his sights on.

Besides being a collector, he is actually a seasoned gambler just like his brother, the Grandmaster!

Tanlia Tivan shook her index finger from side to side, her face regaining its previous composure and calmness. "I just feel that the stakes we've placed are extremely unequal..."

Before he could finish speaking, Karl across from him stood up with a disappointed look on his face. "If that's the case, then let's just forget about it."

After saying that, Karl snapped his fingers lightly, opening a bright blue portal in front of him, and made a gesture as if he was about to step away.

"Wait a minute, Mr. Carl, please wait."

Tanlia Tivan glanced greedily at the portal, then quickly stepped forward with a smile to stop him, saying, "I was just joking. It's my honor to be able to make a bet with a 'Guardian of Earth' like you!"

"Alright, then let's swear an oath on the sacred [First Heaven] and formally establish this bet!"

"【The First Sky】?"

A hint of doubt appeared in Karl's eyes, but he did not delve into it and immediately nodded in agreement.

For someone who knows the plot and has the ability to 'predict', even placing a huge bet is nothing.

After all, this was a game they were guaranteed to win!
"Mr. Carl, I'm sorry, but you're doomed to lose this time."

Tanlia Tivan, who thought he had gotten the better deal, grinned wickedly after the 'bet' was successfully concluded:

“Just minutes before you arrived, the ‘bounty hunters’ I commissioned contacted me. They will be here soon to sell me that [Cosmic Orb]... For this, I will pay them a staggering 40 billion bounty!”

"So, you're definitely going to lose this time!"

Having said that, he excitedly turned to look at the red-skinned alien maid standing bowing behind him and said:
"Karina, go and wipe the glass of that booth near the entrance clean again. I will not allow even a speck of dust on it... because that would be the greatest desecration of Mr. Karl's distinguished status!"

Clearly, this guy has already taken Carl as his 'collection'.

Furthermore, Tanlia Tivan was not worried at all that Karl, the so-called 'Guardian of Earth,' would deliberately cheat and break the agreement after losing.

Because in this universe, as long as you can afford the corresponding stakes, even if you want to kill a 'god,' there will be plenty of desperate people willing to do it for you!

Moreover, as one of the Elders of the Universe, Tanlia Tivan's own strength was already considerable.

Furthermore, since the two of them made a 'vow' to the [First Sky], there's even less to worry about!

Karl didn't care about what Tanlia Tivan had just said.

Because this guy is acting a bit smug now, he'll be just as frustrated later!

……

A few hours later.

Just like in the original story, Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Drax the Destroyer, forming the "Galactic Comedy Team," successfully arrived at the Void.

They then went straight to the Tanya Tivan exhibition hall.

"Oh, dear Gamora, it is truly an honor to meet you in person!"

Tanlia Tivan spoke in a slightly strange tone, then walked up to Gamora, took one of her green hands in his, and gently kissed the back of her hand.

"Damn it, she's never even let me kiss the back of her hand," Star-Lord muttered jealously from behind. "I just wanted to give her a quick kiss before, and she put a knife to my throat..."

"Isn't that because you're not rich enough?" Rocket Raccoon teased with a wicked grin. "I've said it before, poor people don't deserve to mate. It's an eternal law of the universe!"

"What?"

Star-Lord looked at them with an exaggerated expression. "Are you kidding me? I'm not a poor guy... Have you guys already forgotten whose ship we arrived on?"

"Your crappy spaceship isn't worth much at all, okay?" Rocket immediately exposed him.

Meanwhile, Drax the Destroyer silently delivered the fatal blow, "Give up, Quill. That old guy can come up with a 40 billion reward. You're no match for him!"

“Who…who said that?”

Star-Lord's expression immediately turned somewhat ugly, but he still stubbornly insisted, "At least I'm much younger than him, and I have Terran blood flowing through my veins, which is quite rare in the universe." "Huh?"

Just then, as if he had noticed something unusual, Star-Lord suddenly pointed to a figure sitting alone at a table not far from the group, drinking wine, and said:

"I think I've seen that person before on Xandar..."

"Tch, don't even try."

Rocket Raccoon gave Star-Lord the middle finger with a look of disdain, "Your attempt to change the subject is rather clumsy, isn't it?"

"No, I really have seen that man."

Star-Lord said with a wronged expression, "Besides, he was right in front of that middleman's shop, and I even complimented his outfit!"

The man Star-Lord was referring to was, of course, Carl.

“He’s right, we did meet there once before.”

Facing the wary glances from the group, Karl smiled politely and raised his glass, swirling it as a greeting to the members of the 'comedic guard' opposite him.

"See? I told you I wasn't lying, didn't I?" Star-Lord nodded gratefully to Karl.

Gamora ignored the whispers of the idiots behind her, and as she withdrew her hand, she glanced at Karl opposite her and asked the Collector:
"Those are your people?"

"No no no."

Tanlia Tivan shook her head, then introduced him mysteriously: "Mr. Karl is my distinguished guest; he is the 'Guardian of Earth'..."

As if sensing the wariness on Gamora's face, he quickly reassured her softly, "Don't worry, Gamora, Mr. Karl will absolutely not interfere with our transaction. We're just currently engaged in a very interesting gamble!"

Actually, Tanlia Tivan just wanted to say that this 'Guardian of the Earth' will soon become part of my collection.

Because in his view, victory was already assured!

"Tivan, I think we should just skip these useless steps?"

Gamora withdrew her gaze from Karl. Although the Collector had a somewhat eccentric personality, his reputation in the industry was impeccable. Otherwise, Gamora would never have risked being hunted down by both Thanos and Ronan to bring the Orb of the Universe over.

So she stopped hiding her intentions and said directly, "Just as we said in our previous call, we have what you want!"

"Please wait a moment?"

Tanlia Tivan, as if she had discovered something, suddenly interrupted Gamora, then looked intently at Groot behind her and said:
"What is that?"

"I am Groot!" the tree-like Groot introduced himself, somewhat annoyed.

"Wow, is today my lucky day? I've actually come across two collectible items that I really like in one day..."

Tanlia Tivan, with a greedy look on her face, stepped past Gamora and began to scrutinize Groot. "I never imagined that I would one day encounter a humanoid plant like this."

"Sir, please sell your body to me. If you agree, I can pay you now."

"What, are you going to use Groot to sit on a chair?" Rocket Raccoon mocked, somewhat annoyed.

Tanlia Tivan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then continued to Groot, "Is that low-level life form that underwent illegal genetic modification and mechanical experiments your pet?"

Clearly, Tanya Tivan recognized Rocket Raccoon at a glance, and his exhibition hall contained a collection of similar special creatures.

However, Tanya Tivan clearly did not value this collection, which had obvious personality flaws and was extremely prone to becoming irritable.

He wouldn't even include it in his collection if it weren't to fill a gap in his collection.

"You bastard, what did you just call me?"

Rocket Raccoon couldn't stand being looked down upon, and immediately prepared to pull out his blaster to shoot the white-haired bastard in front of him. Gamora, seeing this, quickly stepped forward to stop him:

"Tivan, stop wasting our time... We've traveled across half the galaxy to complete your mission and find the [Cosmic Orb], not to argue with you!"

"very good."

Tanlia Tivan smiled slightly, not taking the recent conflict to heart, and turned to Gamora, saying, "Then let me see if what you brought is what I want!"

Gamora then nodded to Star-Lord across from her, who took a silver-gray metal sphere from his bag and handed it to her.

"Wow, my new friends, the moment of witnessing a miracle is about to begin!"

Tanlia Tivan took the [Cosmic Orb] and placed it on a pre-prepared disassembly machine.

While waiting for the sphere to be disassembled, he didn't forget to use 3D projection technology to boast to the people in front of him about the legend of the Power Gem stored inside the Cosmic Sphere.

"Long before the formation of the universe, there were six singularities with infinite power... and then with the Big Bang, everything we can see today was created."

"The essence of those six singularities was refined into six gems containing infinite energy during this Big Bang... They are collectively known as the Infinity Stones!!"

"But these Infinity Stones are not something that just anyone can possess. Only those who possess extraordinary power can barely control their power."

"In the distant past, some people used the power of these gems to easily destroy entire civilizations. Destroying life and planets was as easy as harvesting wheat for the owners of these gems..."

As they were speaking, a huge illusion suddenly appeared in front of Star-Lord and the others. It was a colossal being nearly a thousand meters tall, whose entire body, including its head, was covered by a layer of unknown metallic armor.

He was clearly a member of the [Cosmic Celestial Race].

However, apart from Tanya Tivan and Karl, who were sitting not far away and had not yet been discovered by Star-Lord and the others, no one else at the scene knew about the existence of these top-level 'life forms'.

In the hands of that member of the [Cosmic Celestial Race] was a huge metal scepter that was almost as tall as him.

At the very top of that enormous scepter, a captivating purple light was flashing incessantly.

When the camera zoomed in, Star-Lord and the others realized that the light was actually emanating from a purple crystal-like gem embedded in the scepter.

(End of this chapter)