amaotonovel Chapter 4195 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (2)
Chapter 4195 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (2)
Chapter 4195 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (Part Two)
After soaking in the hot springs under the World Tree, Schiller returned to the sanatorium as night was just falling. The New York night was a cool, blue hue, yet alluring. Exhaustion urged Schiller to go to sleep, but he decided to first arrange his schedule for tomorrow.
Schiller typed a few words on the computer, sent a message to the person he wanted to meet, and went back to sleep. The next morning, he was woken up early by a loud scream. A bright light shone through the half-closed curtains. Schiller covered his eyes with his hand.
He slowly walked to the window, squinted and looked down, and then saw a raccoon leaping and bounding in the garden, with a group of patients in hospital gowns chasing after him.
"Damn it, I'm not a raccoon! I mean, I am a raccoon, but not the kind that rummages through trash cans! Don't touch me with your filthy hands! Don't pull my tail! Get away!!!"
Although he was shouting like that, he was just jumping around, trying to evade capture. Finally, he made a double jump and landed on the biggest tree in the yard. Then a group of people walked in, and Star-Lord stood under the tree with a somewhat helpless expression and shouted, "Come down, Rocket, we're here on serious business."
“These humans are treating me like a pet! They've ruffled my fur. You go upstairs and talk to them, I'll just stay here.”
"Rocket! Rocket!" Schiller's voice came from behind. Rocket Raccoon turned around and saw Schiller sticking his head out of a window, so he quickly controlled his jetpack and flew to the balcony of the window where Schiller was.
"My God, Doctor, where did you find so many... so many... great adventurers?!"
Schiller hauled Rocket Raccoon in and said, “It’s impressive that you came up with such a word. But they’re not surprised to see a talking raccoon because they’re all mentally ill; everything they see can talk, including the flowers and plants in the yard and the hot dog they ate this morning.”
Rocket shook his head somewhat helplessly, crossed his arms, and said, "Okay. I heard you have a big order?"
Star-Lord arrived at that moment. He knocked on the door and came in. Gamora was supposed to come in too, but Drax and Groot were too big to fit, so she had to wait outside.
"The Interstellar Council is moving to the Milky Way."
"what?!"
"What???"
Several gasps rang out simultaneously. Schiller waved his hand, signaling them to calm down, and then said, "This is still inside information, but it won't be long before it's made public. The reasons are complicated, and you wouldn't understand even if I explained them. In short, we need someone to go to the Southern Cross to check the situation. Have any of you been there before?"
Rocket Raccoon and Star-Lord exchanged a glance. Star-Lord shook his head and said, "No. We don't go that way often. That used to belong to Centaurus, right? I mean, the Centaurus constellation."
Schiller knew that the Centaurus constellation Star-Lord mentioned was a constellation within the Milky Way galaxy, not too far from the solar system, about 18000 light-years away, but it wasn't the Centaurus where Yondu was located. That Centaurus was called the Centaurus Supercluster, about 150 million light-years from the Milky Way, and was considered a relatively prosperous region.
The reason these two names are the same is because they use Earth-based translations. In the common language of interstellar communication, the names of these two star systems are completely different, and they also indicate different levels.
Star-Lord mentioned that the Centaurus constellation is on par with the Solar System, while the Centaurus Supercluster, where Yondu resides, is two dimensions larger than the Milky Way. The order from smallest to largest is roughly: Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group - Virgo Supercluster. The Centaurus Supercluster and Virgo Supercluster are on par, both belonging to the Laniakea Supercluster. Of course, Laniakea isn't exactly the center; it's just that, relatively speaking, Centaurus and Pisces are more vibrant than Virgo.
Because Star-Lord speaks English and the two names are the same, they sometimes get confused. Even when answering the phone at the Sanctum Sanctorum, he sometimes gets it wrong, so he has to emphasize it.
“Yes, it was originally classified under Centaurus, but it has now become independent,” Schiller said. “No one usually goes there, and we don’t go there often either. If we were to go and explore in a big way, or send troops there directly, it might scare away any troublemakers. It would be better if you went and took a look quietly. If you find anyone wandering around there, come back and tell me.”
"Of course, no problem. But since we're going to catch the troublemaker, we'll probably have to keep an eye on him for a few days. Just don't think it's too slow."
"Don't worry, all travel and business expenses will be reimbursed, and I'll also give you 30,000 universal coins as a reward, how about that?"
"Thirty thousand?! My God, have you struck it rich lately?!" Rocket almost jumped up.
“I won’t hide it from you. Those cybernetic beings don’t want to move here. After all, it’s right under the nose of Asgard, one of the Nine Realms. Once construction starts, there’s no turning back. So this is their last chance to cause trouble.”
"You mean our adversary might be one of the three great empires?"
“If they’re not stupid, they shouldn’t cause too much of a commotion. If you can’t win and have to run away, they won’t dare to chase you. But even so, there’s still some danger involved. You know I’m always fair and reasonable with my prices. You’re just a small team of a few people with only one small spaceship. It’s definitely a bit risky for you to do this job, so I’m willing to pay a high price.”
His words made Star-Lord and Rocket hesitate. Rocket said somewhat tentatively, "You're right. We're just a small team of a few people. Although we're called the Guardians of the Galaxy, we don't know much about the galaxy. If it's really those people from the three great empires, we might not be easy to deal with."
Star-Lord was initially a bit timid, but then he remembered what Yondu had said: "This universe has been controlled by the three great empires for long enough. If the political center could be moved to the galaxy, maybe things would turn around."
“We can go, but we need equipment, and you’d better provide some skilled helpers.”
The Rockets tugged at him, as if to say: If they could provide great help, would they need to come to us?
"How about I give you two grams of vibranium?"
The two men gasped. Vibranium had recently skyrocketed in price; just a few days ago it was over 30,000, and today it had already risen to 50,000. Although it might not be that expensive on Earth, they could easily resell it for 70,000 or 80,000. That would be a huge windfall.
"We can also provide you with equipment. However, as you know, humanity's level of development is limited, and the standard weapons we produce might not be as good as those you buy on the black market. At most, we can provide you with two shields that Captain America discarded, but you must take them back intact, without removing the vibranium inside..."
Star-Lord and Rocket gritted their teeth. Star-Lord clenched his fist and said, "Get us two Wakanda laser spears, and we'll do it."
"No problem, I'll go talk to Black Panther. Is there anything else?"
"I want a slingshot," Rocket said.
Star-Lord was about to stop him when Schiller nodded and said, "Sure, we've recently developed a one-time-use portal ring. The portal back to town is permanently located on the moon and can only be used once. The advantage, however, is that even people without magic can activate it. I can give you one to try."
"That's perfect." Both were satisfied. They said, "Just watch, if those robots dare to come, we'll utterly crush them!"
After seeing off the Guardians of the Galaxy, Schiller welcomed another guest: the Grandmaster.
"Long time no see." Schiller stepped forward and shook hands with him, while the Grandmaster rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Don't tell me you're going to start another cosmic war," the Grandmaster said through gritted teeth. "This is my only hobby in my life, and I've never forced you humans to gamble. Do you really have to be so ruthless?!"
"Don't rush, Grandmaster. I'm here to discuss the casino issue. Did you know? The Interstellar Council is moving to the Milky Way."
"what?!"
"You know that humans have become the speaker, so our information can't be wrong. It won't be long before this place prospers. You know those officials love to gamble at the casino during their holidays. Besides, I heard you have experience in building a chain of entertainment complexes, and I think this idea is good. We can talk about it."
The Grandmaster rolled his eyes; he could tell Schiller wasn't lying. His casino business hadn't been good lately either. The increasingly tense situation in the universe was inevitably affecting everyone's enjoyment. Many high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen had rarely come recently, and the ordinary customers weren't generating much revenue, yet they were spending huge sums on advertising. The casino's behind-the-scenes sponsors were very dissatisfied.
"Let's open a branch in the Milky Way. We can designate a planet for you in Alpha Centauri. The natural conditions might not be great, but you're building a casino anyway, so a lot of greenery won't help. However, we can arrange for you to be located next to the Morning Star, so the customer traffic will definitely be amazing."
“It’s possible,” the Grandmaster said, feigning reluctance. “However, I don’t want those drunkards from Asgard causing trouble here.”
"Don't worry, they won't cause any trouble, and they'll even provide you with security personnel."
"What???"
"Asgard hasn't been fighting much lately, so those gods are just sitting around doing nothing. Let them keep watch for you. With the gods as your guarantors, who would dare cause trouble on your turf?"
“Good heavens,” said the Grandmaster, “is it a bit much to have the gods as bodyguards in my casino? I mean, there aren’t that many people causing trouble. And you know it’s not good to cause a death when you’re in business.”
"They'll definitely be trained before they go, and they're gods, not lunatics. They were so violent before because they were going to war, and you can't show mercy on the battlefield. But if they were just guarding a gate, they wouldn't be so ruthless. Doesn't killing require strength?"
The Celestial Master had to admit he was tempted. Just imagine, two Aesir gods standing at the entrance—even tigers had to lie down, dragons had to coil up. Not only would no one dare cause trouble, but the casino's prestige would instantly rise. Those were gods! Gods who had ravaged countless civilizations for millennia!
Despite being a divine race, the Shi'ar Empire's combat strength is actually quite weak. If it weren't for the unique fusion of their two gods, they would never have achieved their current power. When people in the universe talk about gods, they specifically refer to the Aesir, demonstrating their notoriety.
Even if they don't do any actual security work, they'd still look good just standing there as decorative objects.
“No problem.” Grandmaster Gao Dazun readily agreed. He said, “I can give you 12% of the water, which is already very high. I only gave them 8% in the previous place.”
"15%, otherwise forget it. Moreover, the Protoss won't ask you to pay their salaries; we'll cover all their expenses. Besides the gatekeepers, there will be patrol teams patrolling regularly to ensure your safety. This price isn't high."
"Okay, deal."
(End of this chapter)