"Is this... a brain stone?"
After seeing this thing, Artoria Stark's cells produced a craving desire to devour it. Realizing that this thing was a bit off, and also being able to feel a trace of oppression from a high-dimensional creature, combined with what The Collector said about where this thing appeared, Artoria Stark began to use her imagination. A crystal in the head, isn't this just a brain stone? The one on the kidney is a kidney stone, so the one in the head must be a brain stone.
"Pfft! Cough! Cough~!"
The Collector, who was full of anticipation that Artoria Stark would be surprised, was directly choked by Artoria Stark's astonishing words. He almost couldn't catch his breath. After coughing several times, The Collector finally recovered. He frowned, looking at Artoria Stark's innocent face, feeling somewhat between laughter and tears.
"Fine! It is my fault, and what you said is not wrong, but I prefer to call it a Power Crystal. It is rich in powerful energy, capable of evaporating a star in an instant. I dug up three of them at the time. One was detonated by an unlucky fellow on some Planet, and another was taken by the people of Xandar, bringing them a constant source of energy. This is the last one."
"Furthermore, such crystals have not appeared even once in all these years. I can confirm that this is the last one. How about it, Miss Artoria? You can feel its immense energy, right!"
While speaking about the rarity of this item, The Collector observed Artoria's expression, hoping to see surprise or intense curiosity on her face, but he was destined to be disappointed. Artoria had been suppressing the urge of her cells to devour, which meant she hadn't focused her attention on this crystal at all.
"It seems Miss Artoria is also not interested in such rare items!"
Looking at Artoria, who remained "unmoved," The Collector felt unprecedented frustration. After a deep sigh, The Collector put away the crystal he had dug out of the head of a member of the Celestials. This made Artoria breathe a sigh of relief in secret; if more time had passed, she might have truly been unable to resist and wanted to snatch the item.
"It is not that I am uninterested, Mr. Tivan. In fact, I am very interested, but I just wanted to see more of Mr. Tivan's collection. I haven't seen more of Mr. Tivan's treasures yet, so how could I be so uncomposed."
By invisibly flattering The Collector with her words, she indicated that she was not uninterested, but rather that she had maintained her composure because she wanted to see more strange and peculiar things. This flattery made The Collector feel very good, and the depression he had felt from the previous tiring words dissipated by more than half. He smiled and rubbed his head, indicating that he still had many gadgets and wanted to let Artoria appreciate them together. Just as he was about to turn and go to the warehouse to get things, the pink-skinned maid walked over in a panic.
"Master, there is a group of people who want to see you. They said 'Cosmic Orb,' and this is something you will definitely be interested in."
Indeed, The Collector was quite interested. His eyes lit up when he heard the term 'Cosmic Orb.' He didn't even mind the maid's earlier loss of composure. However, he was currently entertaining a guest, especially one who suited his temperament well, so he did not intend to just drive the other party away. He was afraid that a conflict might break out between the two sides, which would be troublesome, but Artoria's next words dispelled his concerns.
"Mr. Tivan, if I am disturbing you, I will leave immediately. After all, this is Mr. Tivan's place."
Artoria indicated it didn't matter and prepared to stand up and leave. Although the Power Stone was quite good, it would require a specific time to take it. Now was not the time to make enemies with the Guardians of the Galaxy and annoy The Collector, so Artoria prepared to leave. It wasn't for any other reason; this point in time was not the right time to have a conflict with others.
"Miss Artoria, there is no need for that. Since the 'Cosmic Orb' is also a rare treasure in the Universe, why don't you stay and take a look together to see if this treasure is as powerful as the legends say."
Seeing that Artoria was really leaving, The Collector smiled and asked her to stay, inviting Artoria to appreciate the beauty of the Cosmic Orb together. Actually, this guy knew exactly how strong the Power Stone inside the Cosmic Orb was, but he didn't care about such things. Immortality had worn down his heart; collecting was just a hobby, and he did not want to compete for hegemony over the Universe.
"Since Mr. Tivan has said so, then I will not stand on ceremony."
Hearing The Collector's words, Artoria hesitated for a moment. Although it might be troublesome later, as it was possible that the powerhouse among the Kree, Ronan the Accuser, would come here, Artoria was not afraid of the other party; she was just afraid of trouble. Since she could take a look at the splendor of the Power Stone, Artoria sat back down.
"What very energetic visitors."
Led by the pink maid, the group from the Guardians of the Galaxy arrived here noisily. Before they even met, their voices could be heard. The Collector sighed and said this. Actually, he wanted to say what impolite fellows, but he glanced at Artoria, who was sitting there very quietly, and finally said, "How energetic."
"Master, the guests have arrived."
"Go get some drinks. I was so excited I forgot to entertain the guests. My apologies, Miss Artoria."
Looking at the empty table, The Collector patted his forehead with a bit of guilt and said to the pink maid. Only four people came in; Drax the Destroyer was not among them. Artoria thought about the plot; it must have been him who reported to the Kree, right! Otherwise, how would he avenge his wife and daughter?
Gamora and Star-Lord curiously sized up The Collector and Artoria, while Groot and Rocket were looking at the rare items displayed in glass cages all around. But Gamora soon recognized her; wasn't this the person who bumped into her on Xandar? Because of Artoria's striking appearance, Gamora hadn't forgotten this woman for a moment. After all, someone who looked as good as Artoria was quite rare.
"What a beautiful lady. Are you free to have a drink later?"
Compared to Gamora, who was somewhat vigilant, Star-Lord was overcome with lust. He took two steps forward, shook his hair conceitedly, looking like he thought he was very handsome. It was the first time he had seen such a beautiful girl. The girl he met at the bar last time was far worse than this one. He didn't even remember the other party's name, it seemed like just such a wonderful night had passed, and this time he wanted to properly enjoy the pleasure of picking up girls.
"This gentleman, if you are here to cause trouble, I will have to ask you to leave now."
Watching Star-Lord disturb his guest, The Collector's eye twitched, and he spoke to this guy very unhappily. Truth be told, if it weren't for the Cosmic Orb, he wouldn't even have met this group of people, let alone spoken so kindly. After threatening him verbally, he looked at Artoria and saw that she did not seem annoyed. The Collector was slightly relieved. What a 'broad-minded' girl; if only he had a daughter like this.
"We are here to do business, not to watch you pick up girls."
When Gamora, holding the Cosmic Orb, walked in front of The Collector, she said this fiercely in Star-Lord's ear, which irritated Star-Lord quite a bit.
"So this is the Cosmic Orb! It's my first time seeing the real thing."
Taking the Cosmic Orb from Gamora's hand, The Collector couldn't wait to study it. Two mechanical arms grew out of the table and began to rotate along the gaps on the Cosmic Orb. Unexpectedly, the Cosmic Orb was like the Tesseract; the patterns on it began to rotate, connect, and piece together. In less than ten seconds, the Cosmic Orb opened, and a dazzling purple light attracted everyone's attention.
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