Looking at the Power Stone floating before him, emanating a soft purple glow, Richard displayed a satisfied expression. While he didn't currently need the gem to enhance his strength, that didn't diminish his interest in collecting Infinity Stones.
With the Power Stone's acquisition, he now possessed five Infinity Stones total: the Space Stone and Power Stone from this universe, plus the Space Stone, Time Stone, and Mind Stone from the zombie universe.
Once he obtained the Reality Stone and Soul Stone, he would have collected a complete set of Infinity Stones.
After admiring the floating Power Stone, Richard extended his right hand and grasped it directly. For ordinary beings, bare-handed contact with Infinity Stones carried enormous risks—insufficient physical constitution could result in being "burst" by the gem's energy.
However, this posed no problem for Richard. With his current physique, he could not only hold Infinity Stones bare-handed but could even swallow them without life-threatening consequences.
He held the Power Stone closely, observing it while using magic to channel a trace of its energy. After careful analysis, Richard stored the gem in his system space.
After securing the Power Stone, he continued controlling magic to close the "unlocked" cosmic orb and returned it to the basket.
Having completed these tasks, he left the room to find Nancy and the Nova Corps soldier waiting outside.
"Let's visit the cellblock observation tower," Richard instructed Nancy.
"Yes, sir," Nancy replied immediately.
Soon, they reached the observation tower overlooking the central prison hall. When the guard stationed there saw them approach, he immediately saluted.
Richard nodded and approached the tower's windows, scanning prisoners in the main hall and surrounding cells. Without much effort, he located Star-Lord's group.
Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot had been assigned to a collective cell, while Gamora occupied a private cell. Her solitary accommodation reflected both her gender and her reputation as Thanos's daughter.
Richard hadn't spotted Gamora at the shopping mall earlier. Using super vision to observe her in the private cell, he noted she appeared exactly as he remembered—green-skinned but possessing attractive features and an impressive figure, explaining Star-Lord's eventual romantic interest.
Star-Lord was a playboy, but his aesthetic preferences remained relatively normal by cosmic standards. From Earth's perspective, green-skinned Gamora would be considered quite exotic.
Richard's own aesthetic range had expanded considerably since his adventures began. He could now appreciate women much older than himself or beauties with non-human characteristics—like Kaguya with her third eye and horns. However, Gamora's green skin still didn't suit his personal taste.
After briefly observing Gamora, Richard's attention shifted to Drax the Destroyer. Like Star-Lord and the others, Drax possessed the same appearance as his movie counterpart.
Seeing this familiar appearance, Richard understood that this Drax was far less powerful than his comic book version.
In the comics, Drax the Destroyer wasn't alien-born but an Earthling named Arthur Sampson Douglas—a real estate agent from the United States. He became Drax because he and his wife encountered Thanos's spacecraft while driving through the Mojave Desert.
To avoid exposure, Thanos had ordered their vehicle destroyed, killing both Arthur and his wife instantly. However, Arthur's consciousness didn't perish but was transferred to an alien body. His daughter Heather Douglas was later adopted by Thanos's father "Mentor" and became the superhero "Moondragon."
In the movies, Drax the Destroyer appeared as a somewhat simple-minded individual with enhanced physical attributes. In the comics, he was an extraordinarily powerful superhero.
The comic version's body deserved special mention. Thanos's father "Mentor" had recognized that Thanos posed a massive threat to universal life. To stop him, Mentor sought help from his own father—Thanos's grandfather Kronos.
Kronos, the Titan Eternals' god of time, had created Drax's body. He transferred Arthur's consciousness into this new form and granted Drax power sufficient to battle Thanos.
Because Arthur became Drax specifically to stop Thanos, Kronos sealed his previous memories and implanted the directive to "kill Thanos."
Despite possessing a powerful body created by Kronos, Drax could never defeat Thanos alone. Only by joining forces with Captain Marvel and the Avengers did they finally destroy Thanos's physical form.
However, Death—one of the universe's five creation gods—soon resurrected Thanos. Following Thanos's resurrection, Kronos also revived Drax, who had been killed by his daughter Moondragon.
The comic version of Drax the Destroyer was not only much stronger than his movie counterpart but possessed numerous superpowers and experienced far more compelling storylines. He wasn't the simple-minded character who primarily provided comic relief in the films.
After observing Drax briefly, Richard calmly activated telepathy, simultaneously targeting Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, and Star-Lord to search their memories.
Soon, he extracted the desired information from all three prisoners.
As expected, their life experiences matched the movie universe versions perfectly.
Gamora's birth planet Zehoberi had been "visited" by Thanos, resulting in half the world's population dying, including her mother. She became an orphan, was adopted by Thanos, and trained as an exceptional assassin.
She was here to steal Star-Lord's cosmic orb on Thanos's orders. However, she didn't intend to return the orb to Thanos but planned to deliver it to the Collector, exchanging it for funds needed for her future independence from Thanos.
The Collector had offered an astronomical price of 4 billion Nova credits or Kree credits for the cosmic orb.
Star-Lord and Drax the Destroyer's backgrounds also matched their movie counterparts closely.
Star-Lord had been taken from Earth by Yondu after his mother's death, becoming a Ravager—essentially a space pirate.
Drax the Destroyer's family had been killed by Ronan the Accuser. He hated Gamora because Ronan had attacked his planet under Thanos's orders, leading to his family's massacre.
After extracting this information, Richard decisively ended his telepathy and told Nancy, "Let's return to Nova Prime."
"Certainly, sir," Nancy replied without hesitation.
Though Richard could use the Cosmic Cube to create a spatial gateway back to Nova Prime, he chose not to. Instead, he and Nancy returned via Nova Corps spacecraft—he wasn't in any hurry.
After reaching Nova Prime, Richard brought Nancy back to their hotel.
"During our stay on Xandar, Nancy will serve as my assistant," Richard announced to Kaguya upon entering their suite's living room. "If you need her help with anything, you can ask her directly."
Kaguya first examined Nancy, who wore a Nova Corps female officer's uniform, then slowly replied, "Understood."
Hearing Kaguya's response, Richard turned to Nancy. "Nothing else for now. You may return to your duties—I'll contact you when needed."
Nancy had assumed Richard brought her to the hotel because he planned for her to stay there as well. Apparently, she'd been mistaken.
Nancy was indeed an attractive woman, and her Nova Corps uniform certainly provided a appealing military aesthetic. However, Richard had no intention of having her cohabitate with them.
"Yes, sir," Nancy responded immediately, despite the outcome differing from her expectations.
She then departed the suite, gently closing the door behind her.
"If you wanted her to stay, you could have invited her directly. There's an empty bedroom available," Kaguya commented after Nancy's departure.
"That's unnecessary," Richard shook his head.
Three Days Later - Hotel Restaurant
Richard and Kaguya were enjoying lunch when Nancy approached their table directly.
"Sir, there was a riot at Kyln High Security Prison. Five prisoners successfully escaped—four of them being Peter Quill, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot," Nancy reported seriously.
"Do you know where they went after escaping?" Richard asked casually.
"Their current location remains unknown. Nova Prime Blanco asked me to inquire whether you require elite forces deployed for recapture," Nancy continued.
"No need for elite troops. Handle this according to standard prisoner escape protocols," Richard paused, suddenly remembering something. "My starship 'Fantasy' is currently in Xandar's orbital space. Notify Nova Prime spaceport personnel and arrange entry clearance for my vessel."
"Understood, sir. I'll contact the spaceport supervisor immediately," Nancy replied without hesitation.
Just as she prepared to make the call, Richard addressed her again. "Have you had lunch? If not, you're welcome to join us."
Nancy remained silent for several seconds before responding, "Thank you, sir, but I've already eaten."
While that's what she said, she actually hadn't had lunch yet. Even so, she didn't plan to dine with Richard and Kaguya.
More precisely, if it were only Richard, she wouldn't mind joining him for a meal. However, Kaguya's presence complicated matters.
Though Kaguya rarely contacted her—they'd barely exchanged words—as a woman, Nancy was highly sensitive to Kaguya's subtle "hostility" toward her.
"Since you've eaten, never mind. Handle your business—I'll call if needed."
Richard continued enjoying his lunch while Nancy departed to contact spaceport officials.
After finishing their meal, Richard and Kaguya didn't return to their suite but drove their rented flying sports car to a biological laboratory outside Nova Prime.
Despite only three days passing, the Worldmind had prepared the first batch of genetic information. According to the supercomputer, all Xandarian creature genetic data would be provided in ten installments over thirty days—one delivery every three days.
This efficiency wasn't particularly impressive but wasn't excessively slow either.
Additionally, Richard was curious about the format the Worldmind would use for the genetic information.
During their negotiations, he'd specified needing not digital genetic data but information that could be "consumed" directly.
While Richard hadn't explained why Kaguya required this genetic information, the Worldmind's intelligence made it easy to deduce that Kaguya intended using it for further evolution—he couldn't think of alternative explanations.
After nearly thirty minutes of flight, Richard and Kaguya reached the biological laboratory in Nova Prime's suburbs.
Superficially, this appeared to be an ordinary research facility. In reality, it was one of the Nova Corps' highest-security laboratories, conducting many of Xandar's most advanced biological experiments.
Using the Worldmind's granted permissions, Richard and Kaguya easily entered the laboratory building. A silver-haired scientist in a white coat led them to the building's most classified laboratory.
Upon reaching the facility, the elderly scientist retrieved a bottle of green liquid from a secure safe.
"This contains the genetic information you requested," he said respectfully to Richard and Kaguya. "The genetic data can be absorbed by drinking it directly."
He handed the glass bottle containing green liquid to Richard, then turned and left the laboratory without waiting for their response.