What Noah and the others were talking about was clearly something only they understood.
Peter Quill, who had been standing there listening the entire time, was completely dumbfounded. After a brief pause, he looked at Noah with unconcealed disdain.
Connected to you?
Why not connect every treasure in the universe to you while you're at it, then you can steal everything legally?
Of course, Peter didn't dare say any of that out loud. Instead, he shrugged and repeated himself.
"I'm sorry. I really don't know about this Orb you're talking about. Maybe you should ask around with the underground merchants?"
"Stop pretending," Thor cut in before Noah could speak. "Your acting is worse than my brother's."
Thor had experience.
Being fooled by Loki over and over again had taught him how to tell lies from truth. He might play dumb around Loki, or even genuinely fall for it, but he had no patience for outsiders.
"You don't need to be nervous," Noah said calmly, spreading his hands toward Peter. "What I want to discuss with you is exactly this."
He would've preferred to move somewhere quieter, but Peter's body language made it clear he wouldn't agree. Standing in public, with guards nearby, probably made him feel safer.
"Just business?" Peter asked warily, already prepared to shout if things went wrong.
"Yes," Noah replied. "Otherwise I'd have knocked you out already and taken you away. Then I'd interrogate you properly. You don't look like someone who's good at keeping secrets."
"..."
Peter really wanted to turn around and leave.
That was insulting on a personal level.
But after thinking it through, he realized that if he tried to leave now, these people would probably act immediately.
As for calling the guards?
As an interstellar thief, Peter avoided guards by instinct. Getting them involved would only cause him trouble.
With a helpless sigh, he looked at Noah and the others.
"So... you want to buy the Orb from me?"
"Buy?" Noah paused. "More or less. But let me ask you something first. You just accepted this mission, didn't you?"
"Not just that," Peter blurted out. "I came here to buy supplies. Damn it, how did you know I took this mission?"
"I didn't," Noah said casually. "I just asked."
Peter felt like his brain was short-circuiting.
Unlucky.
Incredibly unlucky.
He came to Xandar to stock up, and somehow ran straight into people trying to intercept his mission target. For the first time, he seriously questioned whether the Orb was even worth it.
He shook his head hard.
Treasure or not, it wasn't his problem. He was just a Ravager. Holding onto something like that would only bring disaster. He had no interest in getting himself killed.
In fact, he was starting to wonder whether even going after it was a bad idea.
"...Can I ask," Peter said after a long pause, "what exactly is that thing?"
"A very special treasure," Noah replied, rubbing his chin. "If you haven't retrieved it yet, it'd be better if I went with you."
"Why?"
"You might run into trouble alone."
"Trouble?" Peter scoffed. "Have I ever lacked trouble?"
Noah tilted his head.
"It might be life-threatening."
Peter swallowed.
"Then... should I just give you the coordinates and intel?"
For all his courage in critical moments, Peter was still Peter. The words life-threatening flipped an internal switch.
He hadn't lived long enough yet.
"I don't pick locks," Noah said, patting his shoulder. "That's why I said we'll go together."
Between the Orb itself and Ronan's forces, either step could get Peter killed. Retrieval was dangerous. Opening it was worse.
Peter glanced at the group and suddenly felt this wasn't such a bad deal.
More people meant better odds.
And if Yondu showed up, he could always say he was forced.
His moral compass had never been stable.
Noah didn't care.
Ronan had once been driven off by Captain Marvel. Noah was far stronger now. Ronan wasn't worth worrying about.
Still, the thought of Carol crossed his mind. His physique came from her, after all. He wondered how strong she was now.
He shook his head and refocused.
"What do you think?" Noah asked.
"No problem," Peter said immediately. "But what's the price?"
"Price?" Noah froze.
He hadn't planned to pay.
Business didn't always mean money. Exchanging it for safety worked too, didn't it? Under his protection, Peter wouldn't get captured.
...Though that might change a few things down the line.
Before Noah could respond, Thor spoke up.
"Noah, are you sure your feeling is correct?"
"About the Orb?" Noah blinked, then nodded. "It won't be wrong. Unless something unexpected happens."
"That's enough," Thor said, smiling.
He turned to Peter.
"I am Thor. Thor of Asgard. You've likely heard my name."
Peter stiffened.
"I'll pay," Thor continued. "Name your price."
Noah hadn't expected that.
He suddenly felt a little self-conscious.
Tony was rich. Thor was apparently rich too. After all these years, he still couldn't keep up with these people.
What truly left him stunned was how easily Thor accepted Peter's price.
Four times less than the Collector's offer.
Still an absurd amount.
The deal for something involving the Power Stone was finalized on a random roadside on Xandar.
Peter was thrilled.
No underground buyers. No future visits. Get the Orb, get paid, run.
Much safer.
Noah was satisfied as well.
It wasn't his money.
Thor looked completely indifferent.
The only person still processing the situation was Wong.
Infinity Stones being sold?
Ten billion Universal Credits sounded impressive, but compared to an Infinity Stone, it was nothing.
Still, Wong understood.
This man didn't want to hold onto a ticking bomb. Recognizing danger over greed wasn't common.
"When do we leave?" Peter asked eagerly after signing.
"Anytime," Noah said. He glanced at Thor, who clearly wasn't concerned. "Also, we'll use your ship. Ours is too conspicuous."
"Conspicuous?" Peter asked. "How bad?"
"It has the Asgardian emblem," Noah replied calmly, "and this guy's currently patrolling the Nine Realms."
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