"So what are we waiting for?"
Clapping his hands, Star-Lord said, "Let's head to Earth now. We should be able to help."
He glanced at Thor, then deliberately puffed out his chest to show off his pecs.
Drax said, "This doesn't sound like you, Quill. Volunteering for something this dangerous when there's nothing to gain."
Star-Lord coughed awkwardly, "If Thanos gets all the Stones, we're finished. We might get wiped out too. So yeah, there's nothing in it for us, but we've got to do it."
"Right, Gamora?"
But Thor said, "No. We can't go to Earth."
"I need a weapon."
"Without one, we won't be able to beat Thanos even if we go."
"And I'm even more worried about the Conqueror."
Gamora spread her hands, "You've been talking about this 'Conqueror.' Who is he?"
Thor turned around and said seriously, "He's an extremely dangerous and incredibly powerful person."
"On my ship, he fought Thanos head-on and overpowered him."
Gamora immediately shook her head, "That's impossible."
"No one is stronger than Thanos. At least, not anyone I've ever met."
Loki smiled, "Maybe you just haven't met enough people."
"We don't have time for this."
Thor walked over to the ship's control panel, "How does this thing work? What's the password? Somebody's birthday?"
Star-Lord frowned, "What are you trying to do?"
"You want to steal our ship?"
He deliberately lowered his voice, "I'm not going to let you do that, buddy."
Rocket looked at him, "Quill, are you lowering your voice on purpose?"
"Are you copying him?"
"That's really creepy."
Star-Lord shot Rocket a glance, "No. Of course not."
He deliberately lowered his voice again, "My voice has always sounded like this."
"You're still doing it," Rocket called him out.
"Enough," Thor walked over.
"We don't have time to joke around. We need to go to Nidavellir."
Drax said, "You made that name up."
"No. It's a real place."
Rocket jumped onto the table, "Nidavellir actually exists? You're serious?"
Drax still couldn't believe it, "That place is just a legend."
Rocket said, "I've heard the divine weapons forged there are unbeatable. You have to take me there."
Thor pointed at Rocket, "The little rabbit isn't wrong. It's smarter than the rest of you."
Rocket looked unhappy, "Who are you calling a little rabbit?"
Thor didn't pursue it, "Only the dwarf king Eitri can forge the weapon I need."
He looked at Rocket, "I'd say you're the captain here, aren't you?"
"You've got a good eye," Rocket nodded with satisfaction.
"So, would you like to join me on a trip to Nidavellir?"
"I'd better ask the captain first. Just a moment."
Rocket shrugged, "Oh right, that's me."
"Then of course I'm going."
Thor clapped his hands, "Excellent."
"Excuse me," Star-Lord stepped forward.
"Listen up. This is my ship."
"I'm not going to Nidavellir."
"Wait. What kind of weapon did you say?"
Thor looked at him seriously, "A weapon capable of killing Thanos... and the Conqueror."
Star-Lord looked around at everyone else, "Shouldn't each of us get one of those?"
Loki let out a dry laugh, "No offense, but you don't have the power required to wield weapons like that."
"Your body would fall apart, or your mind would descend into madness."
"Even I couldn't do it."
"Only my muscle-headed brother can."
Thor pointed at Loki, "He's right."
Rocket said excitedly, "The more I hear, the more I want to go."
Gamora stepped forward, "But if we don't go to Earth, and Thanos gets the other Stones, he'll become unstoppable."
Thor said, "It won't be that easy for Thanos to get the Stones. The Conqueror isn't someone he can defeat so easily."
"So while they're tied up fighting each other, I need to get my weapon as soon as possible."
Rocket grinned, "Actually, this is easy to solve."
"We've got two ships and a whole bunch of idiots."
"So Groot, the noble beast, and I will go."
"The rest of you idiots can head to Earth."
Loki stepped forward, "Captain, if I may, I'd like to come with you to Nidavellir."
He winked at Thor, "The people on Earth probably won't be happy to see me."
"So you finally have some self-awareness, little brother."
Thor turned around, "Then what are we waiting for?"
"Let's go."
Rocket was just about to move when Star-Lord laughed, "Honestly, you want him to come along because you're trying to avoid Thanos, aren't you?"
"I think you need to reflect on your attitude toward your captain, Quill."
"Come on, Groot. Stop playing games already. You'll play yourself stupid sooner or later."
They boarded the ship. It had originally been built for three passengers, but with Loki joining them, it felt a little cramped.
"Sit tight."
Rocket launched the ship, and it departed.
———
[Earth]
[New York]
The moment Iron Man, Stark, stepped into the Sanctum, he saw a familiar red cape drift past him, and he immediately tensed up.
"Relax, Stark."
Alex turned around and looked at Stark, who had been "invited" over by Doctor Strange and Banner.
"This time, we're on the same side."
'At least until I get the other Infinity Stones.'
He silently added that to himself.
Stark looked at Banner skeptically, "This is the powerful ally you were talking about?"
Just moments ago, he had been on a date with Pepper when Doctor Strange suddenly opened a portal and arrived with Banner, saying there was something important they needed to discuss.
Banner had explained that a powerful enemy was on the way, but that they also had a powerful ally this time.
To persuade Doctor Strange to hand over the Time Stone willingly, Alex had temporarily abandoned the idea of using force to control him.
He had a plan.
For that plan to work, he needed to appear as an ally for the time being.
Banner nodded, "On the Asgardian refugee ship, the Conqueror fought Thanos. He took the Power Stone from him, though the Tesseract was taken back."
"No matter what, the Conqueror will be our trump card against Thanos."
Alex gave a slight bow, "The honor is mine."
"Now then, let's begin."
Wong walked over and asked.
Everyone nodded.
Wong began explaining, "Thanos has come for the Infinity Stones. At the beginning of the universe, everything was chaos. Then, with a bang, the Big Bang created six elemental crystals."
Wong went on and on, explaining the origins of the Infinity Stones to Stark and Banner.
Standing to the side, Alex yawned in boredom.
Then he sensed an unusual disturbance in the airflow and smiled slightly.
"They're here."