"I'm sorry about what happened to Dracula, but there was nothing I could have done about it. Even though we're friends, he never listens to me when it comes to personal matters!" After hearing Mar-Vell describe Dracula's amazing feats throughout the universe, Josh was shocked but could only respond helplessly.
To be honest, calling them friends was Josh flattering himself.
Back when Dracula stayed at Neuschwanstein Castle, their relationship was more like a partnership based on mutual benefit rather than true friendship.
If not for the Ancient One, there's no way the mighty Blood Ancestor would have treated Josh so kindly.
In fact, they actually had bad blood between them due to Nosferatu in the past.
But that was the old Josh.
Now, with the God-Slaying Sword in hand, Josh might not be stronger than Dracula, but he has the power to fight back. (TL/N: God-Slaying Sword = The One Tiamat made to do suicide)
Still, what benefit would there be for Josh to go against Dracula?
None at all.
He had nothing to do with the lives of aliens.
Josh would never stand against Dracula just because of something like this.
"Hmph, of course I know that. I'm just telling you so you understand that I had a reason to want to hit you! But I didn't expect that, after a few years, you and your wife would become so powerful. Did you take the Celestial Serum from the Tivan Group?" Mar-Vell grumbled, rubbing the spot where Margaret had hit her.
"Celestial Serum? Tivan Group?" Josh caught two words that interested him.
"Yeah, the Tivan Group is a powerful force in the universe. Their leader is an alien named Taneleer Tivan, also known as the Collector. Their company makes the best genetic drug in the universe, Celestial Serum. It's far superior to your so-called Super Soldier Serum. It gives people great strength and greatly extends their lifespan, but don't even think about it. This serum is extremely expensive. Only the top leaders of the most powerful cosmic forces can afford it. "I only saw a sample once at the Imperial Research Center on Hala," said Mar-Vell, rolling her eyes when she saw how interested the couple looked.
"Sounds amazing. I really hope I can see it one day," Josh said in admiration, though he didn't really care that much inside.
How could he not know the name 'Collector'?
What he didn't know was if this universe had the group known as the Elders of the Universe.
They're a group from the comics, not a specific race, but a unique group in the Marvel universe.
Originally, there were twelve members, each the last survivor of a civilization born at the start of the universe.
In the comics, the Collector and the Grandmaster were members of this group. Due to a bet between the Grandmaster and the Goddess of Death, most Elders became immortal, like Deadpool.
But that's in the comics.
In the MCU where Josh lived, Ego the Living Planet—Star-Lord's father—was also called an Elder of the Universe.
Still, since Ego's character in the movies was very different from the comics, Josh wasn't sure if the Elders of the Universe existed in this version.
Even if the Elders of the Universe don't exist, the Collector is definitely not someone to underestimate. In the movie, after Thanos obtained the Power Stone, he seemingly destroyed Knowhere with ease. However, aside from a brief illusion, the Collector never appeared, and no one mentioned what happened to him.
So, there's no solid proof that Thanos killed the Collector. It's more likely that he was defeated and escaped.
As for the Celestial Serum supposedly created by the Tivan Group, if Josh is right, its main ingredient comes from Knowhere—the giant severed head floating in space.
What is that head most likely from? Probably a Celestial, just like Tiamut.
Otherwise, why call the serum "Celestial Serum"?
With how long the Collector has been around, it's completely normal for him to know it's the head of a Celestial.
In fact, unless something unexpected happened, that head might even belong to the very first—and only—Celestial killed by Knull, the God of Symbiotes, using the All-Black, the Necrosword.
Even after billions of years, the body parts of a Celestial would still hold some remaining power, and that's definitely valuable.
But for Josh, while useful, this kind of thing wasn't anything special.
After all, he's currently relying on a living Celestial who is still growing stronger.
Any blessing from that being would be far better than something extracted from a long-dead fossil.
"So, your powers really didn't come from Dracula?" Mar-Vell asked again, unwilling to give up.
"No, they really didn't. Hmm, let me put it this way—do you know why Dracula is so powerful but never ruled Earth, and even left it?" Josh's eyes lit up with an idea.
"Why?" Mar-Vell was actually curious.
When she first came to Earth, she read a lot of its documents.
But none of them mentioned Dracula. Only fictional novels talked about the legendary vampire.
Compared to how arrogant Dracula was in the universe, this seemed strange.
"It's simple. Earth has beings even stronger than him. I'm talking about the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj. Dracula ran off into space to escape them!" Josh said mysteriously, making things up as he went along, praising Kamar-Taj and the Ancient One as if they were legends.
What he didn't expect, though, was that his random lie was actually close to the truth.
Josh knew the Ancient One was powerful and had great beings supporting her.
However, he didn't know anything about the history between her and Dracula.
Neither of them would bring it up unless Josh asked.
"I see… so your powers come from Kamar-Taj? Does that mean you can fight Dracula, too? Or maybe you can ask them to help deal with him?" After hearing Josh's story, Mar-Vell immediately believed him.
She had no reason not to, especially after seeing how much stronger Josh and Margaret had become.
From her point of view, the two of them had no reason to lie to her.
But her string of questions left Josh speechless.
Damn, what now? I've gone too far with the bluff…
"Ahem, what are you talking about? Don't forget, Dracula and I are friends. Kamar-Taj would never give their powers to Margaret and me. We joined a group that's just as powerful as Kamar-Taj. It's called the Kirin Tor. That's where we got our powers!" Josh coughed and casually brought up the Kirin Tor.
"Oh, right… you're friends with Dracula…" Mar-Vell realized she had asked a pretty dumb question.
"By the way, did Dracula cause serious damage to the Kree? You seem really eager to go after him." Josh frowned. He really didn't want to get dragged into anything involving Dracula.
"Uh, not really. His existence is just too dangerous to the universe's safety, and that makes me nervous. After all, it was my ship that brought him here from Earth. I guess I just feel responsible… sorry for putting you in a tough spot!" Mar-Vell said apologetically.
So it wasn't about a grudge.
Josh felt a bit relieved hearing that.
If Mar-Vell had a serious feud with Dracula, Josh would have had to consider eliminating future trouble, which would definitely have meant taking out Mar-Vell, not Dracula.
Josh wasn't particularly close to either Mar-Vell or Dracula.
So purely from a benefit standpoint, staying on good terms with Dracula was clearly more valuable—Even considering his connection with Peggy Carter, that still didn't tip the scales.
As a proper capitalist, Josh found it easy to make that kind of decision.
"Well, that's good, then. I was really worried the two of you had a fight. You're both my friends, after all!" Josh let out a fake sigh of relief.
Although he didn't care much about either of them, he always played his part well in front of others.
His attitude made Mar-Vell feel even more guilty.
How could she blame Josh for what Dracula did?
"So, you're saying you came to Earth this time not because of Dracula?" Josh asked.
"Of course not. Dracula was just a side matter. I completed several major missions for the Empire over the last few years and earned a six-month vacation. I came here mainly to visit you and Carter. If you're willing, I'd like to invite you both to visit the Kree Empire!" Mar-Vell said.
Her offer caught Josh and Margaret by surprise.
They both knew the invitation was really for Peggy Carter, and they were just tagging along.
Nevertheless, Mar-Vell's invitation aligned perfectly with Josh's previous plan to travel the galaxy, and compared to his aimless adventure idea, traveling with Mar-Vell—a high-ranking member of an advanced alien civilization—was clearly safer and more reliable.
"Is... is that really okay?" Margaret asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
After all, inviting outsiders to tour an alien civilization did sound a bit strange.
"Hahaha, what's inconvenient about that? The Kree aren't like Earth. As one of the most powerful empires in the universe, the Kree are incredibly inclusive. Our empire has dozens of primary races and hundreds of affiliated civilizations!" Mar-Vell laughed loudly, clearly proud.
Josh didn't doubt that. Even though they were both Kree, the difference in their appearances made it obvious that they couldn't be from the same race. As a vast galactic empire, it would be strange for the Kree not to have a significant number of affiliated civilizations.
In fact, Josh thought that having hundreds of affiliated civilizations was actually on the smaller side. The neighboring Nova Empire had even more races under its control.
Of course, not every civilization was so inclusive. The Skrulls, the Kree's long-time enemies, and the golden-skinned monarchs from the Guardians of the Galaxy were much more closed off, for example.
"To be honest, we're really tempted by this invitation. But it's a big decision. We need to think it over," Josh said, exchanging a glance with Margaret.
In reality, Josh had already made up his mind. As an elite warrior and senior researcher in the Kree Empire, Mar-Vell's status was undoubtedly high. This meant that their actions in many areas of the Kree Empire would be much easier.
Given this, Josh knew that if he didn't take this chance to learn more about the Kree, he'd be missing out.
Although it might seem sneaky to use someone's hospitality to gather information, there was no room for morality in the game of civilizations.
That said, the specifics still needed careful consideration.
"Of course. But you'll need to decide quickly. The Kree Empire is huge. Honestly, you wouldn't be able to see much in six months. The less you see, the more you'll miss out on!" Mar-Vell continued without thinking much about it. As one of the top civilizations in the universe, she never considered the possibility that a remote, primitive planet like Earth could threaten her empire.
Her invitation was also filled with an element of boasting. Like those proud "city nobles," who would never take "country bumpkins" seriously.
"We will decide. By the way, since you've come a long way, would you like to rest? I've had your old room prepared. You can go rest whenever you like. As for Carter, I'll send someone to remind her, but you know her—she won't stop until the job's done!" Josh shrugged.
Mar-Vell was curious about where Carter was carrying out her mission. However, as Josh said, given Carter's personality, she might not be happy with anyone offering help. More importantly, the spot where Margaret had hit her still hurt a little.
After some thought, Mar-Vell decided it was better to rest first.
Though she had a bit of a tough exterior, she wasn't an impatient person. She had waited for years, so waiting a day or two wouldn't be a big deal.
Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. The next morning, the sound of a helicopter echoed above the castle. Carter had returned.
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