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Chapter 412: The Ingenious Collector
A terrifying pressure welled up, suffocating the various beings present.
Among the numerous items in the collection, a duck was quacking strangely, its long bill muttering something incomprehensible.
Howard the Duck, a very famous fellow, collected by the Collector.
The dog in the spacesuit also started barking.
With a darkened expression, Tony grabbed the Collector's neck and easily lifted him up. The Collector's terrified and horrified expression was reflected in Tony's eyes, which were filled with ill intent.
"You actually dared to add me to your collection? Are you looking to die?"
Tony said, enunciating each word.
If it were just a matter of being collected, he could let it go. Collecting all sorts of treasures was Collector Tivan's instinct.
But to be treated like some peculiar, rare animal and displayed by Tivan to numerous visitors—that was something Tony could not tolerate.
"Don't kill him, Exalted One of Earth! He is Tivan, an Elder of the Universe!" Sif shouted through clenched teeth, enduring the terrifying pressure emanating from Tony.
Her heart pounded with fear. She was both shocked and horrified by the changes that had occurred to Tony, and even more worried about his actions.
Killing Tivan wouldn't be difficult, but it was completely unnecessary.
As a member of the Elders of the Universe, Tivan, along with fourteen others, was known as a venerable Elder of the Universe. They were some of the few remaining ancient lifeforms in this universe.
Killing one of them rashly might provoke a retaliation from the entire Council of Elders.
At the very least, his reputation across the entire universe would be ruined.
Moreover, Tivan hadn't actually done anything to harm Tony. He had merely sealed him away carefully and showed him off to others—and while this action was humiliating for Tony, it hadn't caused him any actual physical harm.
In fact, the ugly cryo-chamber Tivan had built for him and the stable environment it provided had played a significant role, allowing Tony to safely gather his scattered information and barely manage to pull it back into his body.
Tony glanced at Sif, pondered for a moment, and then casually flung Tivan away. With an easy application of his newly surged power, the venerable Elder of the Universe smashed straight through a thick wall and fell a hundred meters to the ground.
With a cry of pain, Tivan's face contorted as he spat out a mouthful of blood. He struggled to clutch his neck, where a deep bruise had already formed.
If Tony had used just a little more force, he would have been strangled to death.
Gasping for breath like a broken bellows, Tivan looked up, his face expressionless. No emotion could be seen in his eyes; instead, they had grown even more profound.
Hearing the commotion, many people gathered around, whispering amongst themselves with looks of horror in their eyes.
"Isn't that the Collector?"
"Tivan, the master of Nowhere. His Tivan Group controls all of Nowhere."
"Tivan, the venerable Elder of the Universe..."
Furthermore, a few vicious-looking individuals' eyes glinted as they seriously considered taking this opportunity to pull a big heist and then flee for their lives.
Those who came to Nowhere were a ruthless bunch; engaging in life-or-death business was commonplace for them.
Robbing Tivan... that would surely be a huge score, right?
Tivan rolled his neck, the aura of death still seeming to linger around him. He stared expressionlessly at the hole in the wall above.
This building was his fortress, only recently rebuilt. The last time it was destroyed was when the Guardians of the Galaxy brought the Power Stone. His foolish maid, Carina, had tried to wield it and was blown apart, the resulting shockwave destroying his fortress.
A burly man rushed forward, his face greedy, about to say something. Tivan coldly shot out a hand, faster than lightning, and grabbed the man's neck. With a slight squeeze, he killed him on the spot.
Tivan casually tossed the body aside. From beginning to end, he hadn't even blinked, his white hair remaining perfectly immaculate.
A large number of guards rushed in and dispersed the crowd of onlookers.
The Grandmaster stepped out from the shadows, a strange expression on his face.
"You won the bet," the Grandmaster said.
The Grandmaster was on the best of terms with the Collector, and they visited each other often.
Only then did Collector Tivan show an expression of lingering fear. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, streaming down his face.
"Why were you so certain he wouldn't kill you?" The Grandmaster's expression was odd as he studied his old friend with a strange look, as if seeing him for the first time.
He truly was astonished, because Tivan had really been making a huge gamble—betting his own life.
These Elders of theirs sounded venerable, and to ninety percent of the factions and civilizations in the universe, they truly were. Their connections, the technology they controlled, were all top-tier in the universe. Coupled with their nearly endless lifespans, the weak were unwilling to offend them.
But in reality, to ruthless figures like Thanos, Mongul, or the Guardians of Oa, these old guys didn't amount to much.
Caution, and not easily offending others—even the very weak—was the survival principle these old guys lived by.
Because no one knew if a weakling today would advance to become a demigod or even a Celestial tomorrow. In the span of over ten billion years, such cases, though rare, did exist.
"Who could be certain of such a thing?"
The Collector's gaze was profound. Not only was there no trace of rage, but there was even a hint of... smugness?
"After all... he is a One-Above-All in the making..."
Tivan and the Grandmaster exchanged a look, and both fell silent.
They were Elders of the Universe, incredibly ancient lifeforms. How could they not know some information about the One-Above-All? Even through educated guesses, they could figure out the gist of it.
Therefore, the greater the risk, the greater the potential reward.
The Grandmaster loves to gamble, so Tivan made a bet with him.
And Tivan won.
After a moment of silence, the Grandmaster turned to leave, tossing back a final sentence: "You won. Perhaps, in the future, this will truly allow us to advance further."
At their level, they knew some things about the outer universe. The infinite multiverse was a huge problem. Before, there was Trigon; who knew if an even more terrifying being would arrive in the future?
Surviving in a single universe was not a safe bet.
It might not matter for beings with short lifespans, but for Elders like them with their immense longevity, encountering a world-ending crisis was, from the perspective of an infinitely long timeline, a high-probability event.
And what could be more effective than allying with a potential One-Above-All?
Although this One-Above-All was still far from complete, he at least possessed all the characteristics of the One-Above-All, aside from the requisite power.
All he lacked was time and strength.
Tivan glanced back one last time. The corner of his mouth twitched; he wanted to smile, but a face that hadn't smiled in tens of thousands of years only looked even more rigid.
Tony hadn't killed him. That was the best possible sign.
The set of technological items he had painstakingly crafted to help Tony suppress his scattered information aggregate was undoubtedly a great favor.
Well, even if the process wasn't exactly pleasant, the Collector's collecting instinct and ostentatious nature had simply flared up...
(end of chapter)
A terrifying pressure welled up, suffocating the various beings present.
Among the numerous items in the collection, a duck was quacking strangely, its long bill muttering something incomprehensible.
Howard the Duck, a very famous fellow, collected by the Collector.
The dog in the spacesuit also started barking.
With a darkened expression, Tony grabbed the Collector's neck and easily lifted him up. The Collector's terrified and horrified expression was reflected in Tony's eyes, which were filled with ill intent.
"You actually dared to add me to your collection? Are you looking to die?"
Tony said, enunciating each word.
If it were just a matter of being collected, he could let it go. Collecting all sorts of treasures was Collector Tivan's instinct.
But to be treated like some peculiar, rare animal and displayed by Tivan to numerous visitors—that was something Tony could not tolerate.
"Don't kill him, Exalted One of Earth! He is Tivan, an Elder of the Universe!" Sif shouted through clenched teeth, enduring the terrifying pressure emanating from Tony.
Her heart pounded with fear. She was both shocked and horrified by the changes that had occurred to Tony, and even more worried about his actions.
Killing Tivan wouldn't be difficult, but it was completely unnecessary.
As a member of the Elders of the Universe, Tivan, along with fourteen others, was known as a venerable Elder of the Universe. They were some of the few remaining ancient lifeforms in this universe.
Killing one of them rashly might provoke a retaliation from the entire Council of Elders.
At the very least, his reputation across the entire universe would be ruined.
Moreover, Tivan hadn't actually done anything to harm Tony. He had merely sealed him away carefully and showed him off to others—and while this action was humiliating for Tony, it hadn't caused him any actual physical harm.
In fact, the ugly cryo-chamber Tivan had built for him and the stable environment it provided had played a significant role, allowing Tony to safely gather his scattered information and barely manage to pull it back into his body.
Tony glanced at Sif, pondered for a moment, and then casually flung Tivan away. With an easy application of his newly surged power, the venerable Elder of the Universe smashed straight through a thick wall and fell a hundred meters to the ground.
With a cry of pain, Tivan's face contorted as he spat out a mouthful of blood. He struggled to clutch his neck, where a deep bruise had already formed.
If Tony had used just a little more force, he would have been strangled to death.
Gasping for breath like a broken bellows, Tivan looked up, his face expressionless. No emotion could be seen in his eyes; instead, they had grown even more profound.
Hearing the commotion, many people gathered around, whispering amongst themselves with looks of horror in their eyes.
"Isn't that the Collector?"
"Tivan, the master of Nowhere. His Tivan Group controls all of Nowhere."
"Tivan, the venerable Elder of the Universe..."
Furthermore, a few vicious-looking individuals' eyes glinted as they seriously considered taking this opportunity to pull a big heist and then flee for their lives.
Those who came to Nowhere were a ruthless bunch; engaging in life-or-death business was commonplace for them.
Robbing Tivan... that would surely be a huge score, right?
Tivan rolled his neck, the aura of death still seeming to linger around him. He stared expressionlessly at the hole in the wall above.
This building was his fortress, only recently rebuilt. The last time it was destroyed was when the Guardians of the Galaxy brought the Power Stone. His foolish maid, Carina, had tried to wield it and was blown apart, the resulting shockwave destroying his fortress.
A burly man rushed forward, his face greedy, about to say something. Tivan coldly shot out a hand, faster than lightning, and grabbed the man's neck. With a slight squeeze, he killed him on the spot.
Tivan casually tossed the body aside. From beginning to end, he hadn't even blinked, his white hair remaining perfectly immaculate.
A large number of guards rushed in and dispersed the crowd of onlookers.
The Grandmaster stepped out from the shadows, a strange expression on his face.
"You won the bet," the Grandmaster said.
The Grandmaster was on the best of terms with the Collector, and they visited each other often.
Only then did Collector Tivan show an expression of lingering fear. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, streaming down his face.
"Why were you so certain he wouldn't kill you?" The Grandmaster's expression was odd as he studied his old friend with a strange look, as if seeing him for the first time.
He truly was astonished, because Tivan had really been making a huge gamble—betting his own life.
These Elders of theirs sounded venerable, and to ninety percent of the factions and civilizations in the universe, they truly were. Their connections, the technology they controlled, were all top-tier in the universe. Coupled with their nearly endless lifespans, the weak were unwilling to offend them.
But in reality, to ruthless figures like Thanos, Mongul, or the Guardians of Oa, these old guys didn't amount to much.
Caution, and not easily offending others—even the very weak—was the survival principle these old guys lived by.
Because no one knew if a weakling today would advance to become a demigod or even a Celestial tomorrow. In the span of over ten billion years, such cases, though rare, did exist.
"Who could be certain of such a thing?"
The Collector's gaze was profound. Not only was there no trace of rage, but there was even a hint of... smugness?
"After all... he is a One-Above-All in the making..."
Tivan and the Grandmaster exchanged a look, and both fell silent.
They were Elders of the Universe, incredibly ancient lifeforms. How could they not know some information about the One-Above-All? Even through educated guesses, they could figure out the gist of it.
Therefore, the greater the risk, the greater the potential reward.
The Grandmaster loves to gamble, so Tivan made a bet with him.
And Tivan won.
After a moment of silence, the Grandmaster turned to leave, tossing back a final sentence: "You won. Perhaps, in the future, this will truly allow us to advance further."
At their level, they knew some things about the outer universe. The infinite multiverse was a huge problem. Before, there was Trigon; who knew if an even more terrifying being would arrive in the future?
Surviving in a single universe was not a safe bet.
It might not matter for beings with short lifespans, but for Elders like them with their immense longevity, encountering a world-ending crisis was, from the perspective of an infinitely long timeline, a high-probability event.
And what could be more effective than allying with a potential One-Above-All?
Although this One-Above-All was still far from complete, he at least possessed all the characteristics of the One-Above-All, aside from the requisite power.
All he lacked was time and strength.
Tivan glanced back one last time. The corner of his mouth twitched; he wanted to smile, but a face that hadn't smiled in tens of thousands of years only looked even more rigid.
Tony hadn't killed him. That was the best possible sign.
The set of technological items he had painstakingly crafted to help Tony suppress his scattered information aggregate was undoubtedly a great favor.
Well, even if the process wasn't exactly pleasant, the Collector's collecting instinct and ostentatious nature had simply flared up...
(end of chapter)
