Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Jonah pointed into the distance, where Star-Lord was fighting with a green-skinned woman for the Orb of Destiny, while a treant and a raccoon joined in, and the four of them sat huddled together.

Laura glanced around; Xandar's new legion had already surrounded the four of them.

Laura patted Jonah on the shoulder and said with ill intent, "Xandar has strict laws, but we can ask the prison guards if we can get a batch of prisoners' personal belongings back..."

Jonah finished the last bite of his food, savoring the eerie scream, and said, "Laura, you've gone bad too! That demon must have seduced you!"

“No, this is what I learned when I inherited the title of Earl Crawford…”

Crime in Nova has reached an extremely low level, with crimes often originating from groups outside the Nova Empire.

To prevent them from causing even greater destruction, all outsiders will be exiled to the prison, Klin, in this asteroid belt.

It's called a highly secure prison, but that's only because it's remote. Without spaceships, a few small ships would be enough to kill everything here.

Star-Lord, along with Gamora who stole his belongings, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot, met at this time.

Gamora is the last survivor of the Zehoberni people destroyed by Thanos. Although she is Thanos's adopted daughter, she clearly remembers the moment her home was destroyed.

While serving Thanos, Gamora sought opportunities to weaken his power, and she thwarted anything Thanos desired.

Rocket Raccoon is a genetically modified alien raccoon with human-like intelligence. Agile and skilled with various weapons, he's a sharpshooter. After escaping the animal-modification hell with Carl, he found Groot, a tree spirit. From then on, he and Groot work as bounty hunters together.

Now, after a brief exchange, the three and one tree have reached a preliminary cooperation agreement, with Rocket Raccoon conducting the research project and the others cooperating in the operation.

Unexpectedly, Groot failed to understand that the plan meant to wait until everything was ready before taking action, and Groot completed his part first.

Star-Lord and his crew were thus forced to begin their escape plan from prison.

So when Lara arrived at Klin Prison, she saw Star-Lord Milano's tail flames disappearing into the warp tunnel.

Ross looked at the information on the screen and said, "Laura, they've gone to the Land of Unknowns, a notorious lawless zone. We shouldn't go there. We might as well just tell the Lothric Expeditionary Force this information..."

The repeated failures are not the problem; the problem is that this matter will eventually lead to a confrontation between the Kree and the Lothric.

In such a cosmic war, it would be best for the insignificant Jackdaw to dodge in advance.

"Perhaps we should prepare for both possibilities? Victory would be achieved if we obtained the Orb of the Universe and waited for the Lothric Expeditionary Force to arrive?"

Ross looked at Laura, who had already made her decision. He wasn't asking her anything; he was simply telling her his opinion.

"Yes, Captain! Destination: Unknown Land. Prepare for jump."

(End of this chapter)

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Chapter 433: The Ownership of the Gem

The Land of Ignorance is a lawless zone; it was originally the head of a god of death.

Hundreds of years ago, the Tivan Group discovered this place and began mining the organic matter inside the skull.

As a god, even in death, his bones, brain tissue, and spinal fluid are all non-renewable and excellent resources, which can fetch a good price on the black market no matter where you are.

So gradually, in pursuit of greater profits, this head also became a place for outlaws to catch their breath.

Gamora brought Star-Lord and the others to this dangerous place because the collector who offered four billion was located there.

Tanlia Tivan, also known as the Collector or The Collector, is one of the Elders of the Universe. He appears to be an ancient human, but is actually a powerful extraterrestrial being with abilities such as immortality, time travel, and the ability to foresee the future.

He felt he needed a hobby to keep his sanity, so he began collecting interesting artifacts and life forms from all over the universe.

Finally, his obsession with collecting reached a certain level, and he began to collect things he considered rare or precious for the sake of pure collecting.

The collector understood what was inside the Sphere of the Universe: the Infinity Stone, which could provide limitless power and destroy planets upon contact with inorganic matter.

For the Elders of the Universe, four billion is just a drop in the ocean; it's something that can be accomplished with a little money.

The Collector sensed Gamora's impending arrival and urged his maid, Karina, to tidy up his collection room in anticipation of the arrival of the Power Stone, a cosmic treasure.

When Gamora arrived, the Collector could not contain his excitement. He opened the Cosmic Orb and began telling everyone the story of the Infinity Stones.

"Oh, my new friends, before the Big Bang, there were six singularities. The Big Bang gave birth to all things in the world, and the remnants of those six singularities condensed into gems."

"The gem seems to be something only extraordinary people can wield, and the wielder can use it to easily destroy a civilization..."

This cosmic secret was already shocking enough for Star-Lord, Gamora, and the others.

Especially when collectors show them images of planets collapsing, it's beyond shock; it's downright terrifying.

Weapons or items capable of destroying planets are only found in the hands of the three great empires and a few exceptional individuals, and should not be used lightly.

The value of a habitable planet extends beyond the planet itself; it also involves jump points and resupply stations in the surrounding star system.

Once a planet collapses, it means that this star system has become a dead zone. This is equivalent to a train station in a desert being erased from the map, and ordinary people are unaware of this. Once they step into it, it's a one-way trip, and they can't even leave.

Therefore, no one would use such a planet-destroying weapon lightly. Like the balance of Earth, the strong may possess it, but when it is used, it will mean mutual destruction.

The collector gazed at the Power Gem's magnificent purple silhouette and exclaimed, "It's truly beautiful, unparalleled!"

"No, no, no, we're all hooked, but hurry up and give us the money, White Hair!"

Rocket Raccoon wasn't nearly as sentimental. Compared to Carl, the harshness of life in space and the prejudice against modified animals left him no time to cultivate his mental well-being; he just wanted the money.

The collector put away the display screen and asked indifferently, "How would you like to pay?"

"What do you think? Cash, of course!"

Rocket Raccoon's urging prompted the collector to start opening drawers and taking out items of equivalent value.

Just then, the collector suddenly stopped and turned around sharply to look at his maid, Karina.

"Karina, don't come near it! Don't touch that thing!"

While collectors possess the ability to foresee the future, this foresight only involves seeing certain images and hearing certain words. Who can guarantee 100% accuracy in their predictions? Even with the Time Stone, one cannot see the entire future.

The transaction was complete, and everyone was waiting for the collector to pay. No one noticed the maid's eager gaze at the Power Gem after hearing the collector's introduction.

When the collector issued a warning, his maid Karina was already standing next to the Power Gem.

"I will never be your slave again!"

Karina grabbed the gem, and instantly the power of the Power Stone poured into her body. Her overburdened body began to be eroded by the energy, and the power of the Infinity Stone began to erupt here.

The moment he saw Karina's movement, the collector draped his fur cloak over himself.

From the outside, it appeared that the museum of Tanlia Tivana, the ruler of the lawless zone and the controller of the Tivan Group, which housed most of the rare items in the universe, was destroyed in an instant by purple energy.

Having survived the ordeal, Gamora put the Power Stone back into the Orb and stormed out of the Collector's Museum with the Orb in her arms.

Gamora said angrily, "How could I believe that Tivan could control the things inside the Sphere!"

Rocket Raccoon stared at Gamora, his face contorted in disbelief as he stretched his arms wide, and said, "What are you going to do with that thing?!"

Star-Lord chimed in, "What else can we do but leave it there?"

Rocket Raccoon said, "I can't believe you actually put it in your bag!"

"Where else should we put it? Inside a chrysanthemum?"

Gamora stopped the two from arguing, looked at the ruined scene around her, and thought for a moment before saying, "We should hand it over to the Nova Corps. Maybe they have a way to control what's inside!"

Rocket Raccoon retorted loudly, "We're wanted by the Nova Corps! We might as well hand it over to Ronan!"

"And then help him destroy the entire galaxy?"

"Why are you suddenly acting like a saint?! I don't even know the Milky Way, why would I help it?"

"Because you live in the Milky Way!"

Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon inexplicably started arguing about what the galaxy actually was. Just as Gamora was about to stop them, a voice from the side offered them another option.

"Perhaps you can give it to Lothric. Lothric will pay two hundred million, along with a batch of wedge-shaped metal."

Star-Lord and the others looked at the person speaking beside them, a woman with a long braid, with a burly man and a lean, muscular man behind her.

When Lara arrived in the No Man's Land, the exploded museum gave her directions. She watched from outside as Gamora, Star-Lord, and the others began to argue about what to do with the Orb, and then offered her advice.

Two hundred million is indeed a bit low compared to the four billion offered by the collector, so Star-Lord is trying to raise his own price.

"That's a bit too little. Could that Los Angeles guy offer a little more? You know, collectors are willing to give four billion..."

Gamora held the Cosmic Orb in her hand, then looked at Laura, who was waiting for news, and said, "I know you, the newly appeared planetary scavenger. Do you know how to contact Lothric?"

Laura corrected Gamora, explaining, "I'm an archaeologist, not a scavenger!"

Rocket Raccoon used his equipment to search for Lara's identity, saying, "An archaeologist? I just found out that wherever she goes, she causes ley lines to shift, destroying everything that's been explored. What a powerful profession it is to be an archaeologist!"

"I... never mind... I've already notified Lothric. You can still discuss a reasonable price before they arrive..."

Lara was too lazy to explain to these aliens what an archaeologist was, but it was common knowledge that wherever she went, things would collapse.

Star-Lord, feeling neglected by the group's discussion, stepped in front of Gamora and said, "Guys, isn't anyone going to pay attention to me? Forty billion is really a bit low compared to two hundred million..."

Gamora pulled Star-Lord aside and said solemnly, "Quill, the point isn't the price. Lothric is willing to give us a batch of Wedge Stone metal. Do you know what that means?"

"Represents...a type of metal?"

Rocket Raccoon began to educate Star-Lord, saying, "That's one of the best-performing metals in the universe, and it's only known to the Lothric army. Just a small piece as a coating for your Mirano would protect it from small arms fire. If you really had enough to build the hull, you could even go to a black hole..."

"Weapons made of wedge-shaped metal can penetrate almost any defense; it's said they wouldn't be damaged even if thrown into a star. Furthermore, Lothric is one of the few forces that dares to directly issue a warrant for Ronan's arrest..."

Gamora's addition gave Star-Lord a new understanding of the reward offered by Lothric, and he no longer resisted it as before.

With such a treasure as wedge-shaped metal, expanding and strengthening our business and creating new glories will be a very simple matter.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find Narasrik. Didn't that girl say she'd already notified us? We might as well just wait here..."

The three of them reached an agreement instantly, but Star-Lord suddenly felt that something was missing.

Rocket Raccoon looked around and asked Groot, who was standing next to him, "Where did Drax go?"

"I am Groot."

Star-Lord escaped from Klin Prison thanks to Drax the Destroyer's help.

Drax is an avenger burdened with a blood feud. His family was massacred by Ronan, and he was the only survivor. Therefore, the meaning of his life lies in revenge, and he will take revenge at any cost.

He boarded Star-Lord's ship because Star-Lord told him that this would allow him to fight back against Ronan and confront him directly.

Drax then silently approached from a distance, this time holding two short swords in his hands. He opened his arms and looked at the starry sky.

Gamora instantly realized that for Drax, revenge was everything.

"Drax, did you tell Ronan the location of the Spirit Orb?"