In the Nova Empire, within an asteroid belt, lies the Kyln Prison.
After several days of incarceration, those who were once at odds over the Orb of the Universe have united.
Their unity was, naturally, driven by money.
Gamora claimed to have found a buyer willing to pay four billion for the Orb of the Universe.
What does four billion signify?
It could buy a life-sustaining planet in a remote galaxy to rule as emperor, dozens of space warships to form a powerful fleet and dominate a region, or even hire the army of the Kree Empire to eliminate any adversary.
In short, with these four billion, they could live a carefree life, entering high society without the daily struggles and the constant threat of arrest.
Star-Lord and Rocket were motivated purely by money.
Gamora needed the money to break free from Thanos and Ronan's control.
As for Groot, he just joined without the money.
The last of them, Drax the Destroyer, whom they had just met, was slower on the uptake and joined for a more straightforward reason: he wanted to use Gamora to lure Ronan in and avenge his deceased family.
While the four weren't exactly conspiring, they certainly had different dreams under the same roof.
Under the influence of money and revenge, Rocket promptly proposed his 23rd prison break plan.
The first step involved the security armbands worn by the guards, controlling personnel access.
The second step required a disabled man's prosthetic limb.
The third step was the Cornix battery on the watchtower wall.
The fourth step involved entering the watchtower to leave the prison area and escape by spacecraft.
The escape plan went smoothly; at least, that was the plan.
While Rocket was explaining his plan, he failed to notice Groot. Upon hearing the command, he went straight to the central control room of the prison and pulled out the primary power source of the prison's core.
Ding-dong!
The Kyln prison alarms sounded, and the facility went on high alert.
"What now?"
Star-Lord was utterly dumbfounded; the plan had triggered the prison's alarms before it started.
"What else can we do? Change of plans!"
Both resigned and angry, Rocket admitted that Groot was naive and said, "Let's start from the fourth step. You guys go get what I just mentioned; Groot and I will hold off the guards here!"
"I'll take the device on the guard's arm," Gamora said without hesitation, taking on the secondary task.
"Uh... then I'll handle the metal limb," Star-Lord's mouth twitched before he turned to find the man from before.
Efficiency was surprisingly high among them.
Rocket, a professional at escaping, successfully broke the record of the Kyln prison, which had never seen an escape in hundreds of years.
Along with the escape, the group of four was added to the Nova Corps' most wanted list.
The group aboard Star-Lord's beloved ship, the Milano, hurried away from the Kyln prison.
"Rocket, why does this guy... carry two swords?" Star-Lord looked oddly at Groot, noting the style and appearance of the two swords, which strongly resembled weapons from his Earth homeland.
"Ah, you mean that thing?"
Rocket, busy tinkering with his bomb, responded, "Those two swords were stolen, along with millions worth of high-grade coins, though now only the swords remain. Groot seems to like them."
"I am... Groot!"
Groot, hugging the swords, affectionately rubbed them.
"You'd better be careful with it," Gamora warned, arms crossed, her gaze cold, "I don't know the origins of that sword, but I sense a disturbingly palpable scent of blood."
"She's right."
In his blunt manner, Drax pointed at one of the unusually curved swords, "I can feel an endless intent to kill emanating from this sword."
"Sss, no wonder I feel oddly cold when I get near it," Star-Lord unconsciously stepped back, distancing himself from Groot with the swords, and grimaced, "Anyone capable of carrying millions in coins isn't ordinary, right?"
"...I know."
Rocket paused momentarily, then continued his work, "But we've escaped now; how could anyone powerful enough find me?"
"That's true."
Star-Lord was unconcerned, changing the subject, "Gamora, it's time you told us where this buyer is, right?"
"Chaos Zone, Domain of the Unknown," Gamora replied tersely, "Head of the Levian Group, the Collector."
Drax: "Never heard of him. Where's Ronan?"
Star-Lord: "Is he famous?"
Rocket: "Sounds familiar."
Groot: "I am Groot!"
"...Oh my god, how have you guys survived this long?"
Gamora couldn't help but sigh, "I'm starting to regret teaming up with a bunch of idiots."
...
...
...
In a nebula as obscure as the chaos itself.
In this domain of the unknown, a gigantic skull floats.
The skull's owner, long deceased, still drifts here, its size rivaling that of a planet, an unbelievable sight, pondering what kind of being it must have been in life.
Everyone who saw it for the first time was stunned by the sight of that skull—what a spectacular scene!
"Be careful."
Gamora cautioned everyone, "This is the Domain of the Unknown; once you delve into those clouds, there's no coming back."
"Wait, whose head is this?" Rocket stared, shocked, "I've never seen such a big head, and this thing... it can't be that huge, can it?"
"They say... it belonged to an ancient celestial."
Gamora gazed at the skull, lamenting, "Sadly, no one knows why it died here."
The origins of this skull trace back to a fallen celestial.
What could kill a celestial creator of the cosmos, even beheading it and discarding it in this realm of chaos? The secrets behind this are perhaps only known to the 'Collector.'
The Collector is a somewhat mysterious figure.
No one knows his race or origins, only that he has lived for hundreds of thousands of years and likes collecting peculiar items, including but not limited to other intelligent species.
In the Collector's treasure trove are riches that surpass even Odin's, containing rarities and even extinct items from across the cosmos, and his knowledge is vast.
There's little in the universe that he doesn't know about.
The Collector doesn't possess significant combat abilities, but his longevity is partly due to this chaotic star region.
Few venture into this chaos, and without precise coordinates, those who enter often get lost, lucky to escape if not too deep, but once deep inside... no one returns alive.
In the Domain of the Unknown, no laws or rules apply, not even basic concepts like gravity, time, or space, which can change at any moment.
Rumors suggest that a monstrous entity lurks in the deepest parts of the domain that devours all light and life.
Only the celestial skull guarantees safety in this chaotic realm.
The mechanical planet, fashioned from the celestial's skull, can shift its position on the periphery of the chaotic star region at will, ensuring the Collector's survival amid many covetous eyes.
And the person Star-Lord was looking for was this Collector.
Known as one of the oldest beings in the cosmos, even a survivor from a previous universe in the comics, he surely knew something about the Twin Flowers.