🎊🎊DOTM: Chapter 493/497

Chapter 493: Unexpected Candidate

Since they were sure the Empire was too busy with the civil war to bother with them, Ethan and the others were no longer as wary of Betty as before.

As long as there were no immediate problems and they could get through this lull, encountering the Empire's forces in the future would not cause them much trouble. Once Ethan and his team had new starships, they would care even less about the Empire's threat.

As for finding Star-Lord, even if Ethan did not need Peter Quill's help, he still needed to find someone. Even if he managed to get a spaceship, he could not ignore one awkward problem.

The members of the Prinz Eugen, not counting Betty, including Ethan himself, did not know how to pilot a spaceship.

Maria Hill had received training in warship command and piloting courses at S.H.I.E.L.D., including large-scale aircraft, but S.H.I.E.L.D.'s technological level was not advanced enough to develop spaceships. Flying aircraft carriers were their limit.

This awkward situation came about because Ethan had not expected to venture into space so quickly, so he had not rushed to learn the relevant knowledge. Now that he needed it, he realized learning on the spot was too late.

Unless he stayed in a certain world for a long period to study, this was the most reliable option if he did not seek help from others.

"Looks like I need to find some time to properly catch up on some knowledge."

He could explain Betty's questions when he returned. Anyway, as far as they were concerned, it was as if he had not left.

"Catch up on what?"

Unsurprisingly, as soon as Ethan arrived in the Marvel world, the first person to seek him out was Tony.

Ever since Tony had learned magic and become a true mage apprentice, his sensitivity to magical fluctuations allowed him to detect Ethan's arrival immediately.

That was only if Ethan did not deliberately hide his magical fluctuations. With his strength, if he intentionally concealed himself, even the Ancient One would not be able to detect his arrival.

As it happened, the Sorcerer Supreme responsible for preventing Earth from being invaded by other dimensions was an acquaintance of Ethan's. He had already obtained permission for free entry and exit, so there was no need to deliberately conceal his whereabouts.

What's more, it also let Tony know he had arrived, so he did not need to notify him specifically.

"Back so soon?"

Only after asking did Tony remember that the flow of time was different on their respective sides. Only a little over a month had passed on his side since he last saw Ethan, and it was hard to judge how much time had actually passed on Ethan's side. "Has it been a long time, then?"

Tony noticed that Ethan had only brought Maria Hill this time, with no one else accompanying him. Having lived on the Prinz Eugen for a while, Tony knew that Ethan usually tried to bring his companions along, so there were always many people with him every time he traveled. This situation was very unusual.

"Not that long has passed. There have been some changes on my side, and I need Peter to help with a small favor."

"Peter? Peter Quill?"

"Yes, him."

Tony did not understand what finding Peter Quill could do. However, he was more interested in what trouble Ethan had encountered.

As for Maria Hill, after a brief greeting with Tony, she left Ethan's mansion alone, preparing to go talk to Nick Fury about some matters.

Ethan did not stop her, simply explaining, "I'll be resting here for two days, and then I'll set off to find Peter. If you want to go with me, then come back within two days. If not, I'll notify you before I leave this world."

Maria Hill thought about it and felt that two days would not be enough to finish her own matters. Plus, Ethan was just going to find someone, so it did not matter if she did not follow.

As for the cosmic civilizations of this world, Hill was not in a hurry to see them this time. Since Ethan was going into space, he would eventually bring out the relevant technology and equipment.

As a commander herself, she would inevitably come into contact with and learn the relevant knowledge, so she was not in a hurry at all.

Only after Hill left did Tony start asking what had happened after he left. Ethan did not hide anything and explained the situation thoroughly.

During the conversation, Tony occasionally made a few sarcastic remarks, interspersed with some updates on his own situation. By the time they had talked enough, both knew what the other had experienced during this period.

There was no need to discuss Ethan's side. After Tony returned to his own world, he lived a relatively peaceful life.

His usual life consisted of studying magic, conducting scientific experiments, and his parents' recovery was also going very well. They could already leave the lab and move around outside, and it would not be long before they could live freely like normal people.

Just thinking about his parents being resurrected filled Tony's heart with gratitude toward Ethan. However, saying thank you too much seemed overly sentimental, so he preferred to express it through actions.

"According to what you said, you need a spaceship now."

"Yes."

"Are you looking for Peter because you want to buy one through him?" Tony thought of a question. "Do you have money?"

Tony was a super-rich tycoon on Earth, but in the universe, he was a penniless pauper. Money from Earth was not recognized by the various advanced civilizations in the universe, and the mineral resources on Earth could not attract those civilizations either. To this day, he had not figured out what the common currency among the various cosmic civilizations was based on.

"If I want a spaceship, there are ready-made ships waiting for me to pick up. It's just that this time I need an experienced space adventurer to help out."

"So that's how it is."

When it came to space navigation, adventure, and other such matters, Peter was the most knowledgeable person they knew. The next was Thor, the new God-King of Asgard.

In terms of relationship, Thor and Ethan were closer, but Thor, having inherited the position of God-King, could not leave Asgard casually. Besides, according to Ethan's description, those tasks were not Thor's forte either.

"What kind of world is that good? There are spaceships just waiting to be picked up?"

"Interested? I can take you with me then."

Ethan was naturally talking about the world of Prometheus. Not only did that world have the Prometheus ship that he liked very much, but most importantly, obtaining this ship was no trouble at all.

Because everyone on that ship was actively seeking death, and finally succeeded in killing themselves off. Besides the heroine Elizabeth Shaw, who survived by the protagonist's halo, only the synthetic human David, who gradually grew into the main villain, survived to the end.

A bunch of dead people had no use for the ship. What Ethan needed to do was collect the Prometheus before it was destroyed, and then leave with the ship.

As of now, the Prometheus could already meet the needs of Ethan's team. By the time they had higher demands, Tony would have already built a new ship.

"Speaking of which, don't you have any requirements for your first starship?"

Ethan's destination for this teleportation was his manor in Los Angeles. Basically, he would choose this place as his landing point whenever he came to the Marvel world in the future.

After arriving here, Tony and Ethan went to the underground laboratory. Tony had added a lot of equipment here. Now Tony stood in front of a workbench, asking Ethan about his requirements for a spaceship, just like he had asked about the Prinz Eugen's requirements back then.

"No requirements for now, as long as it's big enough and sturdy."

If possible, Ethan really wanted Tony to directly build him an Infinity or a Macross, but he also knew that building such giant starships directly without any technological accumulation was unrealistic.

He chose the Prometheus not only because its appearance suited his aesthetic but also because the Prometheus was not considered a large spaceship. This size made it convenient for Tony to carry out various modifications, and it would not take too long to complete.

"What about the appearance? You have to let me know some of your preferences, right?"

"Appearance, huh..." Ethan did not give an answer. Instead, he asked Tony how big of a spaceship he planned to build. He was not sure about this point and did not know what kind of design he should ask for. "As long as it doesn't look too weird."

"Although I really want to build a big one right away, you know that's impossible."

Tony spread his hands. Considering the numerous technical problems that needed to be solved to send a massive object from Earth's surface into space, this also limited the size of the ship.

To build large spaceships, it was best to build them in orbit, but that would require building a space station or even a space base first.

Whenever this happened, Tony started thinking about his Dyson Sphere project. If there was a Dyson Sphere base, not only would the size of the spaceship no longer be an issue, but the materials for building warships would also be easy to obtain. There were enough materials in the vast universe for him to mine freely.

"Let's leave these problems for later. I'm going to find Peter right away."

Maria Hill was not going into space with him. Ethan realized there was no need to waste time resting for two days before setting off, so he decided to go find Star-Lord immediately.

Considering that he had not left any mark on Star-Lord, the most reliable way to find him was to go to Asgard and ask Heimdall for help. This meant Ethan had to make a trip to Asgard, and it would be impossible not to see Thor once he was there. If the new God-King got excited, he would very likely throw a grand banquet to welcome him.

The situation was pretty much as Ethan had predicted. After he arrived in Asgard and greeted Thor, Thor could not wait to have a banquet prepared.

Fortunately, Ethan promptly stated that he still had matters to attend to and the banquet could be held after he returned.

Besides the banquet, Thor also made a suggestion that surprised Ethan a little.

"Actually, Asgard happens to have someone who knows about spaceship piloting and space adventuring."

(To be continued.)

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Chapter 494: The Tall Smurf

Of course, the person Thor mentioned was not himself, nor was it his brother Loki.

After a period of adjustment and adaptation, Thor and Loki worked together to ensure a smooth transition of power in Asgard after the change in rulers.

During this time, the two also had some minor disagreements, due to certain differences in their philosophies.

But at the same time, they gained a clearer understanding of each other's capabilities and their own shortcomings.

Now, Asgard could not do without Loki, and even Thor had grown accustomed to consulting his brother on many matters. Under these circumstances, how could he possibly push Loki away?

Moreover, Loki himself would not be willing to go back to Ethan's place, he did not mind visiting occasionally for fun, though.

The person Thor mentioned was actually Thanos' adopted daughter, Nebula, who had come to Asgard with Ronan last time and unfortunately became a prisoner during the war.

After a period of imprisonment and interrogation, Thor discovered that although Nebula was Thanos' adopted daughter, she had no gratitude toward her adoptive father and was solely focused on killing Thanos.

Loki was initially skeptical about this, but after repeated tests, it seemed that Nebula's words were her genuine thoughts.

Considering the origins of Thanos' adopted daughters, it was not entirely unreasonable for them to have such feelings.

Furthermore, a large part of Nebula's body had been modified, which suggested her childhood was likely unhappy. It was not surprising that she harbored deep-seated hatred for Thanos.

After confirming this, Nebula's life in Asgard became much easier. No one deliberately made things difficult for her.

After imprisoning her for a while, and given her good behavior, Thor directly released Nebula from the cell.

She no longer had to live in a clean, tidy, well-equipped but small cell. Instead, she was given a house of her own in a somewhat remote area on the outskirts of the town, and she could move freely within the town, living like an ordinary Asgardian civilian.

This seemed like something worth celebrating, and even the surrounding guards were not strict, making it seem like she had many opportunities to escape Asgard.

However, she behaved very obediently, acting as if she intended to settle down in Asgard, which left Loki, who had been watching her and expecting her to make a move, unsure of what to do.

Ethan appeared at this time and said he needed help from an old hand who was skilled in spaceship piloting and had extensive experience in space adventures.

Loki thought he could hand this hot potato to Ethan. After all, Ethan needed such a talent, and Asgard did not want to bother with Nebula anymore. It was impossible for Nebula to settle down permanently. Asgard, in a sense, was a rather conservative realm. It did not welcome any race other than the Asgardians to settle. Even the few realms that had submitted to Asgard still lived on their original planets.

If Ethan had not come, Thor would have released Nebula after a while, letting her go wherever she pleased as long as she did not cause trouble for Asgard again. If there was a next time, Thor likely would not be so lenient and would most likely blast her with Stormbreaker.

"So that's how it is."

As Thor finished explaining Nebula's situation, the person in question was brought into the great hall by Asgardian guards.

Since Odin's abdication and increasing periods of sleep, this place had become Thor's domain. However, unlike Odin who always sat on the throne, Thor preferred to chat with friends on an equal footing.

But this did not mean that just anyone could enjoy such treatment. As an invader who had participated in the attack on Asgard and became a prisoner, Nebula could not enjoy this equal treatment. When Nebula was brought into the hall, Thor had already returned to his seat and, as the All-Father, reprimanded Nebula for her past crimes.

"However, given that you did not cause any real harm to Asgard and have behaved well during this time, Asgard will not pursue your crimes excessively."

Nebula looked up at Thor, who was seated high on the throne, then looked at Loki beside Thor, and finally at Ethan standing not far from her.

Especially Ethan, she had a very deep impression of this man because Ronan had died by his hand, along with countless of Ronan's subordinates and a massive Kree warship.

That was not a small warship, it was a behemoth. Yet such a huge warship could not even withstand a single blow from this person and was directly blasted into cosmic dust. How terrifying was that power? Could a single person truly do that?

She suspected this man possessed the power to contend with Thanos.

While these thoughts ran through her mind, she did not miss a single word Thor said. With almost her entire body modified, processing different information simultaneously was not difficult for Nebula.

She had not paid too much attention when she heard that Asgard was not planning to pursue her crimes further. Although it seemed her period of house arrest was ending, she had no plan whatsoever for what to do next.

When she heard the All-Father on the throne say that she was to follow this man named Ethan and work for him for a period, she suddenly felt that this might not be a punishment for her, but rather an opportunity.

So Thor asked if she agreed to the condition, work for Ethan for a period in exchange for freedom, or continue to serve her sentence in Asgard.

Nebula chose the former without hesitation.

She could vaguely guess that even if she chose to continue serving her sentence and remain imprisoned, Asgard would not keep her for too long and would soon release her.

Because she was useless to Asgard, she had already told the two people on the stage everything she knew about Thanos.

But she still chose to work for Ethan for a period. She wanted to observe Ethan up close and determine if he truly had the strength to oppose Thanos.

If not, she could leave after completing her work. If he did, perhaps she could use his power to deal with Thanos.

Ethan stood there quietly. When Nebula kept looking him over, he knew exactly what the blue-skinned girl was thinking.

The two daughters of Thanos who appeared in the movie universe, both Gamora and Nebula, harbored deep hatred for Thanos, though mixed with some complex emotions, as both were raised by him. They were single-mindedly focused on killing their father. However, compared to Gamora, who often acted like a good child, Nebula was constantly searching for a powerful individual who could stand against Thanos.

She had initially thought Ronan was quite capable and might be able to cause Thanos some trouble, but Ronan was killed by the Asgardians before he even had a chance to confront Thanos. She did not know Ethan's identity at the time.

However, the situation was not too bad. At least she had found an even stronger being.

"What kind of work?"

"Very simple work, with no life-threatening danger. The key is that I need an experienced hand familiar with this type of work."

Ethan did not say too much, simply describing that he needed someone skilled in piloting spaceships and who knew how to determine if a planet was habitable, ensuring there were no hidden dangers that were difficult to detect, and so on.

Nebula was puzzled why Ethan was looking for such a person. After all, the major civilizations in the galaxy had already divided up most of the habitable planets. Had the Asgardians discovered a shortcut to other galaxies and were preparing to explore new areas?

Of course, she would not have guessed that the planets Ethan wanted to explore were not in this world. However, these matters would be decided later based on how things developed.

Nebula was a good talent. She met all of Ethan's requirements, but she was not easy to control.

But Ethan still could not abandon his plan to find Star-Lord, because he needed to borrow Star-Lord's spaceship.

Even if Ethan knew where there was a spaceship waiting for him to pick up, he was not planning to suddenly bring together the Prometheus and Nebula, two completely unrelated entities, and immediately entrust them with important tasks. The result would definitely not be good.

He would first ask Star-Lord to help him explore and assess the situation of the planet next to the training ground, and even a few surrounding planets. Only then would he consider retrieving the Prometheus and having Nebula familiarize herself with this new ship while teaching him and Hill the most basic knowledge of space navigation.

It was foreseeable that learning space navigation and spaceship piloting would not be completed overnight. Nebula would also need time to figure out the Prometheus's various systems. These things would take a lot of time and could not form combat effectiveness in a short period, which was the fundamental reason why Ethan still needed to find Star-Lord.

"When do we start?"

"I need to find someone. We can start after I find him."

Nebula looked at Ethan, then at Thor on the throne and Loki beside him.

"I will go with you. That should be fine, right?"

"No problem at all."

The person who replied to her was Loki. Nebula leaving sooner was good for Asgard. At least he would not have to bother monitoring this person every day, which was not an easy job.

Ethan, of course, had no objection. He simply waved to Nebula, and then the blue-skinned alien girl, who was 1.8 meters tall, left the great hall with Ethan and headed to the Rainbow Bridge to find Heimdall.

With the help of Heimdall's eyes, he quickly found Star-Lord, Peter Quill. However, what Ethan did not expect was that Peter Quill was currently on a planet called Ego, which was the physical manifestation of Star-Lord's biological father.

(To be continued.)

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Chapter 495: Clearing the Huge Hidden Danger

According to Heimdall's description, Star-Lord was not alone. He was accompanied by a woman.

"A woman?"

Ethan suspected it might be Gamora. But how did those two end up together again?

Because of Ethan's meddling, there was no real plot left in this world. Many major events from the original story had not happened or had changed significantly. The Dark Elves were completely wiped out by an ambush from Asgard. Ronan did not go to Xandar but instead came to Asgard, only to be turned to dust by a single move from Ethan.

Star-Lord did not get the Power Stone, was not captured by the Nova Corps and sent to prison, did not save Xandar with a few companions, and certainly did not form the superhero group the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The current Star-Lord was wandering the galaxy, wanted by Yondu, and he was still alone when he last parted ways with Ethan.

Considering that Star-Lord did not have a team now, if he fell into Ego's hands, it was unlikely that Rocket Raccoon would rush to save him. Yondu was still searching for information about Star-Lord and had no idea he had gone to Ego.

This meant that if Ethan did not intervene, Star-Lord would likely be in serious trouble.

Was it Star-Lord's good luck? Or was this guy really blessed with a protagonist's halo? This incident just happened to occur precisely when Ethan needed his help. Ethan definitely would not stand by and let Star-Lord be used as a battery by Ego, especially since Ego's target also included Earth.

Earth in this world had long been designated by Ethan as his logistical base. How could he allow Ego to lay a hand on it?

Right in front of Heimdall, after asking for the location of Ego's planet, Ethan directly opened a portal and walked through with Nebula.

During this time, he even had a moment to think, "Perhaps the woman with Star-Lord is not Gamora. After all, Star-Lord has an excellent appetite. As long as there is a gender distinction in the galaxy and the gender is female, he is willing to go for it."

When Ethan arrived on Ego's planet and saw Star-Lord playing catch with his dad, he found that the green-skinned woman standing beside them really was Gamora. Those two had indeed ended up together.

"Gamora?"

"Nebula?"

Ethan just felt it was miraculous, while Nebula was much more shocked. She never expected to encounter Gamora here.

Compared to that, Ethan waving his hand and bringing her across who knew how far to this distant Ego's planet was hardly worth noting. After all, this man possessed powerful and terrifying strength, so having a few more special abilities was not strange.

"What are you doing here?"

The two women immediately became confrontational, completely confusing the father and son who had been happily playing.

Especially Nebula, who showed intense hostility upon appearing. If Ethan, whom he knew, had not been standing beside her, he definitely would have treated this suddenly appearing blue-skinned woman as an enemy of Gamora.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Peter."

"You're looking for me?"

"Of course, what else would I be doing here?" Ethan turned his head and glanced at Ego, who was standing not far away. The man's expression was not very pleasant.

Unlike Star-Lord and Gamora, Ego could sense the aura of a higher life form from Ethan. Coupled with the way Ethan appeared, it made him very wary. He was worried his plan might go awry.

If Ethan knew what Ego was thinking, he would definitely give him a thumbs-up and praise him as "You're so smart!", because Ethan certainly would not let his plan succeed.

"You need something from me?"

Star-Lord's question drew Ethan's attention back. While reaching out to shove Nebula, who was about to charge at Gamora, aside, Ethan greeted Star-Lord and also stated that he wanted to ask for his help again, with compensation, of course.

"So, you specifically came looking to hire me?"

He sounded very proud. Did not a returning customer coming to find him prove his skills were excellent? He even straightened his back and struck a smug pose, showing off to Gamora beside him, as if emphasizing that he was a very capable man.

"..."

Ethan felt his mouth twitching a bit. Aside from marveling at Star-Lord's unique taste, he really did not know how else to describe the scene before him.

Fortunately, Peter Quill did not just focus on pleasing the girl. He also knew to ask Ethan for some specific details and also chatted about his own situation during this time.

Since parting ways with Yondu and going solo, Peter Quill had mostly been alone. Gamora was also someone he had only recently met.

Even if this companion was initially his enemy, because she was originally coming after Star-Lord, specifically, after the Orb, or rather, the Power Stone, in his hands.

Speaking of the Power Stone, Star-Lord began to complain to Ethan.

"Man, you really screwed me over."

What frustrated him the most was that he did not even have the thing, but now everyone thought he had taken the Orb. People like Gamora were looking for him instead of the person who actually took the Power Stone, Ethan. Those people had no idea Ethan even existed.

"The Power Stone is not with me. You know I gave it to Thor, right?"

"But everyone thinks I took the thing."

"Actually, it is not that many people, is it?"

Those who wanted the Orb were none other than Thanos, Ronan, and Yondu, who did not know what it was but was extremely annoyed because Peter had taken it first, maybe also the black market merchant who originally offered a price for it, and some mercenaries they hired?

Looking at it that way, there really were quite a few people.

As Ethan pondered, he noticed the woman beside him and added Gamora to the list in his mind.

This woman knew what was hidden inside and also knew that Thanos wanted to obtain it, so she wanted to find it in advance and take it somewhere Thanos could not get it.

Her idea was to sell it to the Collector, as the Collector had a considerable reputation and strength in the galaxy. Perhaps with the Orb in such a person's hands, it could prevent Thanos from getting the Power Stone.

With this thought, Gamora spent a lot of effort and time finding clues, learning that the Orb had been taken by a former Ravager named Star-Lord, and then spent a lot of time investigating Star-Lord's whereabouts.

This led to the two of them meeting and traveling together later. She learned from Star-Lord that the Orb had not stayed with him but had been given to someone else.

She initially wanted Star-Lord to take her to find this person, but unexpectedly met the person who took the Orb at this place.

Gamora kept observing Ethan. She could not see anything special about him. She felt that Ethan probably could not stop Thanos from taking the Orb, and perhaps she should persuade him to give the item to a more powerful person for safekeeping.

Thinking this, she looked at Nebula beside her with a face full of questions. Compared to herself, Nebula had a much worse temper, and Ethan had just so casually pushed Nebula aside, yet her sister showed no sign of exploding at all. This was not normal.

With a lot on her mind, Gamora seemed a bit silent. Coupled with Ego, who was somewhat wary of Ethan, several people in the scene were quiet, with only Ethan and Peter Quill talking non-stop.

"You know what? I was even chased by a raccoon and a tree before. If I knew that accepting your request back then would cause so much trouble, I definitely would not have taken it."

"Even if I had not commissioned you, you would have taken that thing, and you would not have been able to avoid these troubles anyway."

Ethan spread his hands. He was not willing to take the blame for this. If it were not for him, the troubles Star-Lord would have faced would have been much greater, and he only got through the danger relying on his protagonist's halo.

After all, no one could guarantee that this world was the timeline where he could save the galaxy by dancing. Especially with Ethan influencing this world more and more, events had long deviated from the original plot. It was entirely possible that Ronan, seeing Star-Lord acting crazy, would not even ask questions and would just smash him with his hammer.

"Alright, I guess you have a point."

The two of them rambled for a while, having more or less finished their greetings. Star-Lord began to introduce his father to Ethan.

Ego smiled and greeted Ethan. He currently looked like a kind and amiable old man, showing no hint of the enormous ambition he harbored, to turn countless civilized planets in the galaxy into extensions of himself, slowly spreading to all planets and even the entire universe.

"Hello, Ego."

Ethan's first greeting was quite ordinary, but then his true nature was revealed.

"I am very curious, how many planets have you left extensions of yourself on?"

Ego was originally smiling and preparing to greet Ethan, but his expression changed dramatically when he heard this sentence. His entire demeanor became completely different, losing the previous amiable appearance.

At this moment, Ego looked full of killing intent, staring at Ethan with a cold face.

"Who exactly are you?"

"A passerby, temporarily living on Earth."

Ethan's answer seemed perfunctory, but this answer made Ego understand one thing. It seemed Ethan was not just here to find Peter Quill this time, but was also here for him.

"You want to stop me?"

From the previous conversation, it was clear that this person already knew his plan. He did not know how the other person knew, but he had no intention of hiding it.

This confidence stemmed from his own powerful strength. Moreover, the other party was in his territory. Even if this person might possess great power, he did not believe they could do anything to him.

"Stop?" Ethan wagged his finger. "Completely eliminate, you mean."

(To be continued.)

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Chapter 496: Let Me Tell You a Story First

Ego from the movie universe called himself a Celestial, not one of the Celestials, possessing immense power. He shaped his own body using energy manipulation, which is the planet where Ethan and the others are currently located.

Then, he reshaped the energy to create a human-like avatar.

In the original film, when Peter Quill learned his mother was killed by his father, the enraged Star-Lord pulled out his element gun and fired wildly. At that moment, it was clear that Ego's body was made of energy.

Ego left seeds of himself on multiple planets in the galaxy, which could be activated at any time to turn these planets into himself. The energy required for this was entirely borne by Ego and Star-Lord. From this, one can see how powerful this Celestial Ego is.

However, Ethan did not consider Ego a particularly difficult opponent, because besides his vast energy, Ego had almost no other advantages.

And this seemingly greatest advantage was non-existent when facing Ethan, who possessed and could use the Infinity Stones, having access to endless energy.

"Wait, is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

Star-Lord could not figure out why things had suddenly turned out this way. He could not understand how a simple greeting between two people could suddenly lead to a fight.

More importantly, he did not understand why these two were fighting. Had his intelligence dropped? He absolutely refused to admit that.

"Misunderstanding? There is no misunderstanding, Peter. If you knew what this father of yours has done, and what he is about to do, you would probably want to kill this guy more than I do."

Star-Lord looked at Ethan's serious expression and knew he was not joking. He turned his head and glanced at his father again, finding that the benevolent fatherly look on Ego's face was long gone. His face was cold, staring intently at Ethan. Only when their eyes met did he seem to show a slight hint of warmth?

"What exactly do you know?"

Star-Lord looked back and forth, finally choosing to ask Ethan.

For some reason, he had a strange feeling in his heart, as if hearing the answer from Ethan would be better than hearing it from his father.

Ethan originally did not want to waste too many words, but he remembered that he had come to ask Star-Lord for help. If he just killed the man's father without a word, even if he gave many reasons afterward, there would still be an indelible knot in the other person's heart.

If he explained things clearly first, and perhaps Star-Lord himself would want to act against Ego, then this problem would not exist.

"Your father, Ego, is a living planet. You should know this, right?"

Seeing Star-Lord nod, Ethan continued to explain some of Ego's plans. The plan was not difficult to explain. Ego had lived for a very long time, and the long passage of time had allowed him to do many things, such as creating his descendants on multiple civilized planets and leaving a seed of himself on the planet.

When the time was right, he would activate these seeds to assimilate the planets, turning the entire planet into a part of himself, or rather, a part of his being.

Whether this was his ambition to conquer the entire universe or an instinct for reproduction, Ego's purpose was straightforward. As for the fate of the civilized beings originally on these planets in his plan, no further description was needed.

The most important point was that the fundamental purpose of Ego creating countless descendants was not out of love, but to create a helper for himself, because with the power of one person, he could not activate so many seeds at once.

In simple terms, not enough power.

When mentioning this, Ethan did not go into too much detail because there was something he had not figured out.

In the original plot, Ego told Star-Lord that once he was killed, Star-Lord would become a normal person.

This made Ethan very confused.

Ego wanted to find a child who inherited his Celestial genes to become his helper. Only then could he complete his plan. This seemed to prove that the power he himself possessed was not enough to conquer the universe.

But if Star-Lord's abilities were merely on this planet, using some of Ego's power, then what was the meaning of Star-Lord's existence? What was the point of him going to such lengths to find this child?

In the original film, Ego also mentioned that if Star-Lord did not agree to help him, then he could serve as a battery to provide divine power for him.

This seemed to prove that Star-Lord himself possessed special power, but how did the power he possessed keep circling back to Ego himself?

Ethan's more plausible deduction was that although Ego had gathered immense energy, he himself could not fully utilize it.

Ethan did not know if this was the case. The official sources did not provide any clear explanation, so it was impossible to be certain. He could only assume that Star-Lord himself had special power, but he had not awakened this ability yet. Only on Ego's planet, due to his bloodline, did he have a higher affinity for the energy Ego had gathered, allowing him to control this energy well.

After Ego died, Star-Lord had not truly awakened his divine power and did not have energy with high affinity for him to use, so he was like a normal person. Even so, his physical constitution still exceeded that of most people, which was the main reason he could withstand the power within the Power Stone.

There was another possibility. The planet Ego they were currently on was actually a massive energy source. The energy Ego had gathered over countless years had exceeded the limit he could control. He could only use a portion of it by himself, but when another person with Celestial blood helped him, the two of them together could utilize all the energy.

This matter could be researched later. Currently, everyone's focus was not on Star-Lord's bloodline and power. The few people present were stunned by Ego's plan.

This plan was too crazy, and it was almost equivalent to wanting to exterminate the vast majority of civilized races in the galaxy. Gamora's gaze toward Ego now was practically like looking at another Thanos.

But these were not what Star-Lord was focused on. After Ethan revealed his plan, Ego unleashed the passion he had suppressed for who knows how many years. He enthusiastically explained his plan to everyone and even meticulously detailed it to Star-Lord, hoping to convince this only child who inherited his Celestial genes to help him complete the plan.

Watching Ego, who seemed to have fallen into a talkative state, Ethan knew this was another villain who talked too much.

From a psychological perspective, there is a reason why many villains talk excessively. During the process of conceiving, developing, and completing their plans, they have to suppress their enthusiasm and cannot release it. Especially since many plans require absolute secrecy during implementation, they cannot share what great things they have done until the plan is completed.

So, once they encounter a suitable opportunity, such as when the plan is nearing completion and there is no need to keep it a secret anymore, they cannot help but reveal everything, even explaining the details meticulously. The fundamental reason is to let people know what a magnificent feat they have accomplished.

Although Ego was a planet, his way of thinking was no different from most intelligent life forms. He had also said more than once that he was very lonely.

No one understood him, no one shared his joy. Finally having the chance to tell his plan, he could use this opportunity to enjoy feelings he had never experienced before. Whether it was shock, panic, disbelief, or even anger, any reaction would make him happy.

These were like responses to his actions. Everyone, no matter what they do, hopes to see a response.

When narrating with excessive excitement, Ego, under Star-Lord's questioning, also revealed the truth he should have kept hidden the most. Ego, to prevent himself from lingering on past beautiful romances, personally planted a tumor in Star-Lord's mother's head.

"You killed my mother!"

Star-Lord, whose eyes had been radiating intense energy light during Ego's description, instantly returned to his normal state at that moment, pulled out his element gun, and fired wildly at Ego.

Compared to a father who had never been around since childhood and suddenly appeared out of nowhere,

His mother held a higher, more irreplaceable place in Star-Lord's heart.

When he learned that his mother had actually been killed by the man in front of him, he did not care if this person was his biological father. He just wanted to blast this guy into pieces now.

Unfortunately, Ego in front of him was a pure energy body. Although the element gun riddled Ego with holes, he recovered to his original state in the blink of an eye.

"In that case, I'll just have to make you an obedient battery."

With a wave of his hand, Ego conjured a massive energy beam that shot up from the ground and directly pierced toward Star-Lord. In Ego's opinion, his attack was something Star-Lord could not withstand, but he had overlooked Ethan, who had been standing by the side.

With a gentle flick of his finger, Ethan's movement was like casually flicking away dust from his hand. Along with his movement, a remarkably solid ball of magical energy collided with the energy beam summoned by Ego, pushing it aside. The energy beam crashed heavily onto the ground, making a thunderous sound.

"Everything that needed to be said has been said, and everything that needed to be understood has been understood. Now it is time for the main act to begin."

Star-Lord already knew the truth. Killing Ego now would not leave a knot in his heart. The time to resolve the problem had arrived.

Ego remembered that Ethan was the biggest trouble here. From the energy blast he released just now, he knew this was a formidable opponent whose strength was not much weaker than his own.

Just as the two were about to start fighting, a Ravager ship suddenly shot out of the sky, heading straight toward the location where everyone was.

(To be continued.)

Special thanks to mikestarling101 for sponsoring this extra chapter 🎉🎉🎉
Chapter 497: Guardians of the Galaxy Assemble

Everyone looked up at the fighter jet streaking straight toward them in the sky. Star-Lord instantly guessed who it was.

"Yondu?"

Ethan also guessed. He did not even need to release his mental energy to scan the inside of the fighter.

Recalling the plot from his memory, the only person who would rush here in such a hurry and be connected to the Ravagers was Yondu, the old man who, despite not being Star-Lord's biological father, truly treated him like his own son.

As for how Yondu found them?

Star-Lord had previously mentioned encountering Rocket Raccoon and Groot, and when he said he was being hunted by the raccoon, he met his father, Ego. Ego helped Star-Lord get rid of the pursuer and brought him to this planet.

Rocket Raccoon was hunting Star-Lord for Yondu's bounty. Although his mission failed, he knew Star-Lord's whereabouts, and it did not seem strange for him to tell Yondu in exchange for some reward.

Yondu might have been angry before because Star-Lord's actions had made him look bad in front of his subordinates.

But compared to that, Peter Quill being found by his biological father, Ego, was something he cared about much more.

He knew clearly what happened to the children sent to Ego. As soon as Yondu thought of Star-Lord's life being in danger at any moment, he definitely would not care about losing face. Bringing his men here to save his son was what he wanted to do most.

However, for Yondu, the leader of a group of Ravagers, to come alone in just one fighter jet, it seemed his rescue operation had encountered some obstacles.

In the original plot, there was a mutiny among Yondu's crew. Perhaps a similar plot played out again, but it was unclear how Yondu handled it?

The Ravager fighter jet was already very close. With Ethan's current eyesight, he could already clearly see Rocket Raccoon in the pilot's seat and Yondu in the co-pilot's seat.

Under normal circumstances, to land properly at this distance and altitude, they should have been slowing down, otherwise they would crash straight into the ground. Even though the structure and materials of these spacecraft were very sturdy, and even a crash would not turn them into scattered scrap metal, and the pilots might only suffer minor injuries, no one wanted to experience the feeling of such an impact.

This fighter jet, however, showed no intention of slowing down and had even revealed its autocannons, constantly adjusting its firing angle, as if it could attack at any moment.

"Oh, shit!"

Star-Lord thought Yondu had come to hunt him down, so his first reaction was to find cover and hide.

He did not forget to shout a warning for everyone to dodge the attack, but before he could even move, Ethan, who was standing not far in front of him, grabbed him. "No need to panic."

With a slight raise of his hand, a blue energy circle immediately appeared in front of the Ravager fighter's flight path.

Yondu did not know what this thing was, but his instinct told him not to get close to it.

But the flying speed was too fast. Even though his reflexes were far beyond ordinary people, the fighter jet could not adjust direction in time.

The Ravager fighter jet plunged headfirst into the blue energy circle released by Ethan, then disappeared from the sky, as if it had never appeared. If he had not known Ethan's methods beforehand, Star-Lord would have even suspected he was hallucinating.

Immediately after, Ethan raised his other hand. In an open space not far behind him, the Ravager fighter jet that had disappeared into the energy circle reappeared and was placed there steadily. Even though the rear thrusters were frantically releasing thrust, the fighter showed no sign of moving.

In everyone's eyes, Ethan displayed miraculous abilities. Nebula and Gamora just felt this ability was very powerful, and they could not think of how to deal with it.

And Ego, who possessed vast energy and was skilled in controlling energy, had a more detailed understanding of the ability Ethan displayed.

"Space?"

"Yes."

"The Space Stone?"

As Ego, who had lived in this universe for countless years, he naturally knew about the Infinity Stones, but he had absolute confidence in his own strength and felt that he did not need such things.

"Very insightful."

Actually, Ethan had not used the Space Stone. It was just that he had studied and analyzed the nature of spatial energy through the Space Stone for a long time, and now when he used spatial magic, the energy fluctuations were quite similar to those contained within the Space Stone.

His answer was actually misleading Ego. If Ego thought he was just a nobody relying on external objects, he did not mind giving the guy a big surprise.

Sensing that the fighter jet he had controlled with a spatial lock had finally shut down its engine, Ethan also lifted the spell placed on the fighter, allowing it to truly land.

Yondu, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Yondu's first mate, Kraglin, stepped out of the fighter. They were fully armed, loaded with a large number of weapons except for Groot, looking as if they were about to participate in a fierce battle.

As soon as Yondu saw Star-Lord, he immediately roared at him.

He did not say how unhappy he was, but instead warned him to stay away from Ego, which left Star-Lord full of questions. Wasn't Yondu here to hunt him?

Before he could react, Yondu had rushed over to Star-Lord with his people, simultaneously pointing his weapon at Ego, who was not far in front of them.

Now it was certain, Yondu was indeed not here to kill him. Moreover, the first thing he said after rushing over was to ask if he was alright.

"I'm fine... Why are you here?"

"I heard Ego found you." Yondu saw that Star-Lord was alright, and a large part of his worry dissipated. The remaining worry was because they still had to face Ego, and he knew this one was not easy to deal with. "You have no idea how much trouble you're about to face."

"No, I do."

Yondu glanced at Star-Lord beside him and found that the kid was very different from the child he remembered.

"You know?"

"Yes."

"Alright." Yondu nodded. He saw Star-Lord's expression and knew what decision the guy had made. After all, he had raised Star-Lord, and he understood this son very well.

"It's not alright at all!" The raccoon, who had been standing by, expressed his dissatisfaction. "I have no idea what's going on. Could you please stop talking in riddles and let me know what's happening?"

"Once we deal with the trouble, I'll explain the specific situation to you properly." Yondu's gaze remained fixed on Ego. He was very puzzled as to why this guy was not doing anything. Just watching them chat here? "If we're still alive, that is."

"That does not sound reassuring at all..."

The only thing Rocket Raccoon was certain of was that there was going to be a life-and-death battle, and their chances of winning were not very high, even though it looked like everyone around them was on their side.

"Do not worry, you have time to slowly understand the situation."

Ethan glanced at Yondu and then at Rocket Raccoon. Adding the few people around, most of the Guardians of the Galaxy members were here, only missing Mantis, who should be somewhere on this planet, and Drax the Destroyer, who was locked up in Nova Corps prison.

These guys, after going around in circles, had gathered together again. If he had not shown up, this group would have been the ones to confront Ego. If they could successfully defeat Ego, then they would have saved the entire galaxy, and the Guardians of the Galaxy would be successfully reassembled?

"Is this the legendary will of the great universe?"

However, Ethan was too lazy to care if it was the will of the world. Right now, he had more important things to deal with.

Ego letting Yondu and the raccoon talk there for so long was not because he did not want to do anything. In fact, he had secretly launched attacks, but they had all been blocked by Ethan.

"The Space Stone, it is more powerful than I imagined."

Ego, who had been silent for a long time, spoke again. This time, he gave up on using subtle means and chose a frontal attack.

Two massive energy pillars shot out from the ground. One attacked Ethan, and the other drilled into Ego's body, causing the seemingly old Ego to erupt with fierce energy fluctuations. In just an instant, he rushed from where he was standing to in front of Ethan, even faster than the energy pillar, reaching Ethan first.

Crack.

With a punch, it was as if a sheet of glass shattered. The space in front of Ethan was blasted into fragments by Ego's punch. The stable spatial energy suddenly formed an energy storm as space shattered, indiscriminately causing terrifying destruction to everything around.

It was like a beautiful picture suddenly being splattered with black ink. The violent spatial storm also caused this ink to continuously expand until the energy subsided and space returned to stability before it disappeared.

Even Ego did not dare to touch this blackness, so when he detected the generation of the violent spatial turbulence, he decisively retreated, while that energy pillar plunged into the ink. No strange phenomena occurred, the energy pillar simply lost a section out of thin air.

Looking at Ethan opposite him, the young man was smiling at him and gently snapped his fingers with his right hand. He was becoming increasingly fond of this action.

Along with the crisp snap, Ego found himself suddenly surrounded by a boundless sea of fire. Fierce flames were surging wildly and wrapping around him.

"Very interesting method, but unfortunately, this trick is meaningless."

The temperature of the flames Ethan released was very high. Large areas of fire surrounded him from all directions, making it seem impossible for him to escape.

But even if this body was completely burned away, what then? This was just an energy clone of his. As long as his main body was not damaged, he could recover instantly.

"Main body?"

Ego thought of something, and his expression suddenly became very ugly.

(To be continued.)