amaotonovel Chapter 4183 is about the Supreme Sorcerer (23)
Chapter 4183 is about the Supreme Sorcerer (23)
Chapter 4183 is about the Supreme Mage (Part 23)
Star-Lord started thinking again, but his brain simply wasn't up to the task. After racking his brains for a long time without coming up with a solution, he could only look on helplessly at Nick.
Nick pursed his lips and said, "This much money can't be spent overnight. If it were all spent at once, it could even impact the currency market. It must have been accumulated little by little over many years..."
Star-Lord suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He said, "The other day Rocket bought a part on the black market. He told me it cost 300. But when I searched online, it only cost 180. Later he told me that he actually used the money to buy a gift for that otter! Honestly, I'm not that unreasonable. If he wants to buy a gift for his girlfriend, he should just say so. Would I refuse to give him the money?"
Then he rolled his eyes and said, "So it's also possible that the Interstellar Council bought a lot of things that were far beyond their actual value, and then charged them at that high price. They owed a lot of money, and when they couldn't pay it back, they said they used it to fund space pirates."
Nick sighed; Star-Lord's brain really wasn't up to par. He said, "What you described is indeed a method of embezzlement, but not this time. Fine, I'll just get straight to the point."
So he explained the Star Council's overspending and loan to Star-Lord. Star-Lord clearly didn't fully understand, but he grasped the key point: "They don't have the money to repay, and the three great empires don't want them to repay either. So why don't we just discuss it and wipe the debt clean?"
"Yes, that was their original plan. All they had to do was find the best accountant, the key was not to expose the matter, and then balance the books without involving any money transactions. But unfortunately, the person they found who was so good at accounting was Schiller."
Star-Lord couldn't help but cover his forehead and said, "Does the Supreme Intelligence not use the internet?"
“Everyone underestimates Schiller’s destructive power, doesn’t they?” Nick chuckled again. “With us interfering, they think they can settle things so easily? No way!”
"Oh, I see. They wanted to settle the accounts quietly, but you didn't want them to, so you exposed it and got us into trouble."
"I've said so much already, how come you still don't understand? I'm not trying to harm you, but to give you a chance to cooperate. We know that only by pinning this debt on you will you admit it, because you are our friends."
Star-Lord's brain visibly froze for a few seconds. Nick continued, "Yondu is a smart man. He's managed to withstand the attacks of the three great empires for so many years, enduring infamy to protect his homeland. He was never truly a bandit; he was simply waiting for an opportunity in a more cunning way."
"Opportunity? What opportunity?"
“A chance to deliver a fatal blow to the three great empires.” Nick’s expression turned serious. He said, “He understands very well that being a hero will never shake the rule of the three great empires. Even if humanity, even if we defeat the three great empires several times, even if we beat them to a pulp, the order of interstellar society will not collapse so easily. We need an opportunity, like a crack in the ground. As long as there is such a crack, insects can crawl into it. Do you understand?”
Star-Lord seemed to finally understand, and said, "So, we have common interests, right? We all want to deal with the three great empires."
“That’s right. The raiders, like humans, have had enough of the tyrannical rule of the three great empires. We want to overthrow the existing order and establish a new one. So, no matter how strong this wall is, we will chisel a hole in it, even if it means getting hurt and bleeding. Do you think someone who has been a space pirate for so many years would be afraid of bearing another infamy?”
“I understand. So the first thing Yondu did after receiving this message was not to clarify or explain, but to go to his friends in the council to find out what was going on. He probably sensed that this might be an opportunity.”
“This is an opportunity,” Nick said. “What I told you before, you were all thinking from the perspective of the raiders. But didn’t you realize that the biggest victims of the Interstellar Council’s funding of pirates are not the pirates themselves?”
These words struck Star-Lord like a thunderbolt. He realized he had indeed been too emotional, getting angry at the thought that the Raiders might be framed.
But actually, who was the most unlucky one after this news broke?
Space pirates are pirates by nature, and they don't have a good reputation. They're capable of anything, and nobody has any expectations of them. But the Interstellar Council is different from the three great empires.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the three great empires seem to be manipulating interstellar society from behind the scenes; they're still operating in the shadows. Politics is a game where everyone knows the answers, but no one dares to ask the wrong questions. They know the three great empires control interstellar society, but they won't ask because that represents stability. As beneficiaries, they won't disrupt that stability.
However, if this question is raised, or even put on the table for discussion, then the collapse of order is not far off.
A truly powerful giant will never allow others to discuss his strength, much less his righteousness. Once the discussion spreads, and everyone is asking questions and seeking answers, it means that the giant has already declined.
The three great empires are a case in point. After this news broke, there should have been a tacit silence, because everyone knew that the Interstellar Council was backed by the three great empires, and that their choice to fund space pirates was something no one could question.
But this time was different. Perhaps it was the repeated defeats in wars that shook the prestige of the three great empires, or perhaps someone was stirring things up behind the scenes; in any case, the moment the news broke, it sparked a nationwide discussion.
The three great empires have done a very good job with their propaganda; only positive information about them can be seen on the interstellar internet. This information blockade has lasted for a long time, and various species may have gone through several generations. Some people are born and live in such information cocoons. They believe that the three great empires are synonymous with power and justice, and they do not believe such news, or rather, most of them do not believe it.
However, every civilization has not only a populace who are controlled and fooled, but also an elite class who know the truth. This group is the most formidable when they turn against their masters.
Funding space pirates isn't a big deal; anyone with a brain knows this is the three great empires supporting pirates to enhance their own power. The key issue is the amount: where the Interstellar Council got 20 trillion?!
No one knows the answer to this question. And this group of elites with access to information did consider questioning it, thinking that the data was exaggerated or fabricated. But it was precisely because they had access to information that they knew it was said by the Minister of Propaganda himself, and even recorded in the system.
Jarvis was the one who hacked into the system and altered the data that day. The Supreme Intelligence failed to catch him at the time, and naturally, there was nothing they could do about it afterward, so the data remained unchanged. As mentioned before, this system was riddled with vulnerabilities to facilitate modification, and now it's reaping the consequences. The system is so leaky, anyone can just walk in and take a look. Anyone who sees that long string of numbers will be slapping their thigh in disbelief.
The focus of these elites shifted from funding space pirates to 'where did this money come from?' Or rather, they were more concerned with where the money actually went.
That's not just a few tens of millions or a hundred million; it's a full twenty trillion. If that amount of money really existed, even a tiny bit of it would be enough for them to live a life of luxury.
Even if the money had already been divided up, they should at least know who got it, right? They've already reached the core of the cosmic political circle, and they didn't even know about such a big thing. That's what terrifies them the most.
Whether I take it or not is not a big deal, but what if it falls into the hands of my political enemies? Or into the hands of an enemy civilization? Even if it falls into the hands of space pirates, that won't do either. Who knows what those lunatics will buy with that money?
Fear drove everyone to hastily begin investigating. However, it was obvious that the three great empires didn't want them to investigate, because the investigation itself was dangerous; who knew what they might uncover? And what if they did find something?
So the three empires quickly tried to stop their investigation. But as the old saying goes: what the government denies is the truth. If they hadn't stopped it, that would have been one thing, but by doing so, didn't their obstruction confirm that there really was 20 trillion?
If you're not afraid of people finding out, why are you trying to stop the investigation?
Even the shrewd among them had their doubts. Frankly, they didn't quite believe that other politicians or space pirates had received all the money. They were more inclined to believe that the three great empires had taken a sum of money for something else, but didn't want them to know, so they lied and claimed it was funding space pirates.
This is something we can't think about too much. If funding space pirates, something that could damage the reputation of the Interstellar Council and the three great empires, is just a smokescreen, then how big is the real operation going on?
Those who had long since infiltrated the core political circles were, of course, aware of the inhumane experiments the three great empires were conducting in the universe. They knew these experiments were merely small-scale operations; the three great empires had never given up their pursuit of laws and primordial power. Could it be that the money was being used for this?
Then someone suddenly remembered: the Sorcerer Supreme had been invited to be the Speaker. Keep in mind, the two sides had just finished a major battle, and you're already elevating him to the position of the strongest person in the galaxy? Don't the three great empires have any pride?
This matter cannot be thought about too deeply. For the three great empires to abandon all pretense of dignity in order to bring the Supreme Mage over, they must have much more to gain.
They're connected, all connected. These clever kids immediately realized that there were clues to the actions of the three great empires. The whereabouts of that large sum of money and the arrival of the Supreme Sorcerer were probably related, and this connection pointed in one direction: the mysterious primordial power.
Very well, so the three great empires, seeing that they can't defeat humans, are preparing to learn from human methods and use their superior techniques to subdue them, right?
Those with quick minds immediately thought: If you can learn it, why can't I? What's the point of throwing so much money at it? There's been no progress. Otherwise, we wouldn't have needed to invite the Sorcerer Supreme. This isn't about money, it's about talent. The Sorcerer Supreme is the Speaker now; if you can see him, so can I.
Your three great empires have maintained a technological blockade of the universe for so long, you've finally met your match. Now that we're all on the same starting line, why should I be inferior to you? The Kree and Skrull Empires are still mechanical civilizations, far removed from the true power of creation. Maybe if I learn more, I'll be stronger than them!
So, less than a day after the news was released, Strange completely ended his leisurely life of slacking off and plunged into a non-stop busy schedule.