That was a past Rhomann Dey and Nova Prime could never forget. A scar still remained on Nova Prime's shoulder, courtesy of Lothar from back then.
"I don't know."
"But it appears the news from Asgard was wrong; Odin couldn't kill that man."
The current Nova Prime of Xandar wore a complex expression. In her long reign, Lothar was the only one who could openly disregard the Nova Corps. At the time, she wasn't yet the Prime; she was merely a successor. When Lothar and Hela arrived, she was captured as a bargaining chip, and for that, a permanent scar was left on her shoulder. A scar left by Lothar.
"But our people and the Black Quadrant have had no contact. Even if that man isn't dead, what is he doing on Xandar?" Rhomann Dey, having composed himself, forced himself to calm down, pondering the reason for Lothar's reappearance after more than a thousand years.
"I don't know."
"However, there's a crucial point now, Rhomann."
"Should we let him in?"
Though much time had passed, Nova Prime still couldn't forget the terror of Lothar single-handedly destroying the elite fleets of both the Kree and Skrull Empires. While the Nova Corps had indeed made almost exponential progress since then, Nova Prime still dared not gamble. The impression Lothar had left on her over a millennium ago was simply too profound.
"I'm afraid we don't have much time to think, Nova Prime..."
On the large screen of the planet's defense center, the Lothar, marked with the "L" symbol, had already appeared. This meant that the man had reached the outskirts of Xandar...
...
"Now, how are we supposed to get in?"
Aboard the Lothar, Ronan looked towards Lothar in the captain's chair. As the employer, Ronan had also boarded this thousand-year-old ship. Though ancient, in Ronan's opinion, apart from some manufacturing materials, everything else remained remarkably current.
Nebula, boarding the Lothar ship for the first time, was equally stunned. Theoretically, she and Gamora were also Thanos's daughters, so why didn't they have such a ship? Did Thanos have a preference for sons? No, if he did, why would he have adopted her and Gamora in the first place?
"Your Highness Lothar, a communication signal from Xandar."
Woz, still comfortable on the Lothar, turned to inform the figure in the main seat. Lothar nodded, and Woz immediately connected. The image of the current Nova Prime appeared before them.
"Lothar..."
"It really is you..." Nova Prime, her eyes complex, didn't even notice Ronan standing in a subordinate position. Over a thousand years had passed; she had gone from a vibrant young heir to a Queen with wrinkles around her eyes, yet Lothar still possessed the same stern, youthful face.
"???!!!" Ronan's heart jolted, and he abruptly turned to look at Lothar in the main seat.
"Have you gotten so old already?" The words from the "chatting genius" Lothar made Nova Prime's face darken.
"If I'm not mistaken, Xandar and your Black Quadrant should have had no contact."
"Hand over the Power Stone." Lothar got straight to the point, causing Nova Prime to frown deeply. She had no idea that a cosmic treasure like the Power Stone was hidden on Xandar.
"The specifics are like this..." The Other, Lothar's most loyal subordinate, who had returned to his place, wisely recounted the events.
"Impossible. Not to mention the one who snatched the Power Stone, even your so-called Gamora is nowhere to be found on Xandar." Nova Prime had paid attention to Gamora when she rose to prominence in the universe under the moniker "Daughter of Thanos." If Gamora had truly pursued someone to Xandar, it was impossible for her not to know.
"Whether it's true or not, I'll judge for myself."
"Now, will you shut down the planetary defense system and cooperate with me, or will I do it myself?" Lothar, rising from the main seat, slowly raised his right index finger. His hair suddenly turning gold reawakened the memories Nova Prime wished to forget. In Lothar's eyes, a cold, fierce glint shone, just as it had back then.
Nova Prime yielded, yielding completely. She couldn't risk her planet's people. She knew Lothar was truly capable of planet-killing. There had been more than one known instance...
Ronan, who had struggled for a hundred years without being able to infiltrate Xandar, now found himself, filled with shock and confusion, stepping onto Xandarian soil behind Lothar.
Meanwhile, the aimless fool was still in a certain bar, trying to hawk the magazine he'd found in the ruins.
"Hey, buddy, wanna see some pictures?"
"Absolutely wild, the only one in the cosmos, a true unique edition."
Star-Lord winked, latching onto a burly man who looked very wealthy. The man's gaze, like he was looking at an idiot, made Star-Lord directly pull out a copied photo album with Ego's nude cover. The man's eyes immediately lit up.
"This person's name is Ego; he was a young artist who died in an accident."
"This photo album..."
Thirty minutes later, Star-Lord, emerging from thirteen different bars, was very pleased with his bulging wallet.
He'd hit the jackpot!
Having sold thirteen "unique edition" photo albums, Star-Lord had already earned enough to upgrade his ship's parts once.
"No wonder they say vice pays well..."
Star-Lord, who had fabricated thirteen different "deceased model," "deceased artist," and other identities, glanced down at the time, swung the bagged Orb in his hand, and hummed an Earth song from memory as he headed towards his destination.
...
Earth, Egypt.
This nation, once home to a glorious ancient civilization, now played merely the role of a punching bag on the world stage. And it was precisely for this reason that Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. could easily have his subordinates lead Thor into the country's most mysterious ruins.
The Egyptian Pyramids.
One of the world's unsolved mysteries.
"Are you sure this place has information about Lothar?" Thor, trudging through the desert, hands on his hips, looked up at the unfamiliar pyramid before him.
"If Mr. Thor's descriptions are correct, then yes, there is information here," said Phil Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s charming agent, whose receding hairline somehow added to his gentlemanly air, responding with a smile.
"How the ancient Egyptian pyramids were built has always been one of the world's unsolved mysteries."
"However, if what you say is true, then we might have to re-evaluate the danger posed by Lothar."
Natasha Romanoff, a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in a form-fitting black combat suit that highlighted her curves and with long, wavy auburn hair, followed Coulson into the pyramid. "After all, these are stone statues that existed in ancient Egyptian times."
The beautiful Natasha looked up, gazing at the two colossal statues before her, a sight akin to a miracle. The two statues, a man and a woman, stood at a height of 140 meters, their faces lifelike, their expressions stern. Not far from these statues stood an ancient stele. The writing on it remained undeciphered by S.H.I.E.L.D. to this day.
"Asgardian ancient script?!"
"How is that possible?!"
The moment he saw the inscription, Thor's pupils sharply constricted!
"The great Son of Titan, His Highness Lothar, revered Lord of the Chitauri..."
"The beautiful Daughter of Odin, Her Highness Hela, the savior who rescued the entire Upper Egyptian civilization..."
"????!!!!!"
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