At this thought, Peter hesitated no longer and immediately ordered:
"System, sacrifice the Power Stone!"
The moment the words fell, the Power Stone in Peter's hand vanished into thin air.
Not even a trace of energy ripples remained.
In its place, Peter's sacrifice points balance skyrocketed by a full $00,000!
This eerie scene once again caused an uproar among everyone present.
"Where's the stone?"
Irani's voice cracked with urgency.
"Mr. Peter, that is a dangerous item capable of destroying an entire galaxy!"
"We cannot afford even the slightest carelessness!"
Peter brushed off non-existent dust from his hands and then gave the Nova Prime a kind smile:
"Relax, Ms. Irani."
"I just felt that little thing was too dangerous, so I sent it to a place where no one can reach it."
"From now on, anyone wishing to get their hands on this stone is just daydreaming."
"Even if Thanos himself comes charging over, he won't find a single trace of the stone's whereabouts."
Hearing this solemn guarantee and recalling Peter's terrifying power in easily crushing Ronan earlier, Irani's tense nerves finally relaxed.
After all, since Peter could easily handle someone as terrifying as Ronan, they naturally had no right to question his decisions too much.
If they actually displeased this big shot, wouldn't Xandar face a second catastrophe?
"In that case, I won't ask any more questions!"
Irani let out a long sigh of relief and then excitedly stepped forward to take Peter's hand:
"Mr. Peter Parker, thank you for your outstanding contribution to Xandar."
"You have not only saved Xandar but the entire Milky Way Galaxy!"
"To show our respect, the Nova Corps will immediately host a top-tier victory banquet for you in the capital!"
"The doors to the treasury will also be opened to you; anything you need, we will present with both hands!"
Peter naturally wouldn't refuse such a generous reward.
However, he didn't follow Irani immediately. Instead, he approached Star-Lord, whose body was still covered in cracks:
"Looks like you need a little help, kid."
As he spoke, regardless of Star-Lord's reaction, he placed his hand directly on Star-Lord's shoulder.
In the next second, the power of the Horse Talisman was activated.
A gentle white light enveloped Star-Lord's entire body, instantly restoring his cracked physique to its original state.
"WTF!" Star-Lord couldn't help but curse.
"Are you really an Earthling? Why is it that we come from the same Planet, yet I've never seen such bizarre power before?"
"Kid, there are still many things in this World that you can't understand!"
Peter patted his shoulder gently and then spoke with a smile like a shady merchant:
"Now, let's get down to business. How do you plan to settle the fee for me healing you?"
Star-Lord: ???
"Wait, man, I thought..."
"Thought it was free healthcare?" Peter looked at him teasingly:
"You didn't really think I would do such a thing, do you?"
"Fine~" Star-Lord raised his hands in surrender:
"Tell me, what do you want? Since you saved my life, as long as I have it, I promise I'll give you anything!"
But in the next second, noticing Peter scanning him from head to toe, he felt a sudden tightening in his rear and couldn't help but shield his chest with both hands, saying nervously:
"But paying with my body is absolutely out of the question. I'm a man of principle."
Peter: ...
Before he could even think about how much force to use to avoid slapping his head off, Sif, standing nearby, had already drawn her twin swords.
How dare he insult her man—he's asking for death!
"Forget it, Sif."
Peter held Sif back and then looked at Star-Lord with a face full of black lines:
"I don't plan to take anything from you. I just need you to lead me to your biological father; that's enough."
"My... biological father?!" Star-Lord tilted his head, looking completely bewildered.
"Man, don't tell me we're actually half-brothers or something, and you were abandoned by our deadbeat dad just like I was."
"Though such stories are common in America..."
Peter wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and complained:
"But unfortunately, you're going to be disappointed. I know exactly who my parents are."
Saying this, he glanced at the solemn-faced Yondu nearby and said:
"As for the details, you can ask your adoptive father first. Come find me once you've thought it through."
After saying this, Peter took Sif's hand and said:
"Let's go, babe~"
"The game is over; it's time to enjoy the fine wine and food of Xandar."
"But before we go..."
Peter suddenly thought of something and reached out to press his hand against the wreckage of the dark aster beneath him.
It would be a waste not to fleece Ronan for all he's worth.
[Purple sacrificable item detected: Heavily damaged Advanced Starship]
[Sacrifice to obtain points: 20,000 points]
Swoosh~!
As Peter silently muttered "sacrifice" in his mind, the dark aster beneath Star-Lord and the others' feet instantly vanished.
The Guardians: Holy cow~!
...
Just as Peter finished fleecing Ronan's legacy and took Sif to attend Xandar's appreciation banquet,
on the other side of the Milky Way.
Earth, Cape Canaveral Space Base.
Under the dim lights, several figures clad in black robes sat around a circular metal table.
Their facial features constantly twisted and morphed in the shadows, eventually settling into hideous faces with green skin and pointed chins.
"That fellow Peter Parker has been away from Earth for more than three days!"
"Not only that, but our satellites haven't monitored any signals related to him, which means there's no way he'll be returning from space anytime soon!"
"Doesn't that make this our god-given opportunity?"
"But as for General Talos's side..."
Just as these words were spoken, a tall Skrull leading them suddenly slammed his hand on the table:
"There are no 'buts'!"
He stood up, his piercing gaze sweeping across everyone present:
"What? Do you actually think that old fossil, who was played like a fiddle by a one-eyed Earthling, can lead us to the true Promised Land?"
"Do you really think that Peter Parker will sincerely find a new Planet for us?"
The Skrulls looked at each other, and finally, a relatively elderly Skrull asked tentatively:
"Gravik, what do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean?" The tall Skrull called Gravik laughed, revealing a hideously grim smile as he spoke:
"I mean to immediately overthrow Talos's senile rule and then, while that monster Earthling is far away in space, completely bring Earth under our control!
We don't need anyone's charity. Earth is our Promised Land!"
***************************
Thoughts on where the plot is heading? Let me know in the comments! If you're enjoying the ride, please leave a quick review and toss a few Power Stones my way. Every bit of support means the world! 🙌
