Buying intelligence was nothing unusual in the galaxy.
The place was simply too vast. Without information, many things couldn't be done at all. That was precisely why the City Hall official quietly relaxed after hearing Noah's request.
Intelligence was fine.
Buying it from underworld merchants, though?
No matter how you looked at it, that didn't sound like something good.
Still, it wasn't their place to ask. This was an Asgardian matter, after all.
With the coordinates in hand, Noah had no intention of staying any longer. Wong and Thor, however, were clearly curious about what Noah planned to do with underworld merchants.
Was he about to stir up trouble again?
They couldn't really be blamed for thinking that.
Noah had a solid track record.
"Speaking of which," Thor asked as he walked ahead, "what intelligence are you planning to buy?"
Wong glanced over as well.
He already felt tricked, but since they were here, there wasn't much to do about it. Besides, Dennis had been managing the Sanctum for years now. Letting him handle things alone this time counted as training.
"Intelligence," Noah said calmly. "What else would it be?"
He shrugged.
He obviously couldn't say he wanted to ask whether someone had posted a bounty for an orb from Morag.
If he did, Thor would notice immediately.
That "orb" was nothing less than the Power Stone.
Over the past few years, four Infinity Stones had already fallen into Noah's or Asgard's hands. Three were on Earth-one technically still with Hydra, but that wasn't a problem. Asgard held the Reality Stone as well.
Purely in terms of Infinity Stones, very few forces in the galaxy could compare to Noah's side.
Infinity Stones were absurdly powerful. As long as the user met the threshold, they drastically amplified combat strength.
For Noah, that threshold wasn't an issue.
He had even begun absorbing their power into himself. While he was still stuck on the second step, that alone already made him an anomaly in the universe.
And more importantly-
Noah had no intention of letting Thanos get his hands on any of them.
As for the Power Stone, Noah had already considered giving it to Thor. The guy was a genuine warrior. It suited him.
The Power Stone wasn't on Xandar yet, but Noah remembered very clearly that a certain idiot would come here to submit a mission.
Noah's plan was simple.
Find out whether anyone had accepted the job.
If it was Star-Lord, even better.
And given Noah's constitution of "wherever I go, the plot starts," he strongly suspected he could intercept the Power Stone directly.
So he chose to ask an underworld merchant.
If Star-Lord had taken the mission long ago, Noah would just wait.
If it was recent, he would learn from Nebula and War Machine-
Intercept halfway.
Simple.
He was thinking this when-
An all-too-familiar idiot walked out of the underworld merchant's location.
Noah stopped.
"...What a coincidence."
He looked at the smug figure and suddenly found the situation amusing.
It seemed he didn't even need to go inside.
But turning back without explanation felt awkward.
That bothered him.
After watching the idiot walk farther and farther away, Noah finally sighed.
He couldn't sit still anymore.
"Let's go ask that guy," Noah said, pointing at the man's back. "He just came out. He must've taken a mission. Let's see what kind of work they usually do."
"Alright," Thor agreed immediately.
He looked the man up and down.
"Judging by his clothes, he's a Ravager. Their reputation isn't great, but their intelligence network is the widest. I'll admit, your foresight is solid."
To Thor, robbing a Ravager wasn't even worth mentioning.
No hostility.
No goodwill either.
Ravagers were everywhere in the galaxy.
Noah nodded and followed.
Wong hesitated, then followed as well, rubbing his head.
Something about this still felt wrong.
But this wasn't Earth.
Maybe Earth's standards didn't apply.
Wong had the distinct feeling he'd boarded a pirate ship. Unfortunately, it was too late to jump off.
By the time he realized it, Noah had already caught up.
Wong could only silently pray that the guy wouldn't panic, and that he'd be sensible enough not to provoke Noah.
"Hey," Noah called out. "Mind waiting a moment?"
Peter Quill didn't stop.
He kept walking.
It wasn't until Noah stepped directly into his path that he realized he was being addressed.
"Do we know each other?" Peter frowned, confused, but stopped anyway.
"No," Noah said calmly. "But I want to talk to you."
He looked Peter over from head to toe, even sweeping him with mental perception.
Nothing.
No Cosmic Orb.
No hidden container.
That made no sense.
Peter didn't seem capable of spatial storage magic. There were only so many places he could hide something.
So where was it?
"What do you want?" Peter asked cautiously.
But when he noticed Thor and Wong behind Noah, his expression changed.
Wong looked ordinary.
Thor did not.
That physique alone was enough to trigger alarms.
"Relax," Noah said, shrugging. "We're not here to hurt you."
"I just want to talk."
"I don't think-" Peter hesitated, then changed his mind. "Just say it."
He wasn't stupid.
Being raised by Ravagers made him cautious by default. These people were dangerous. Getting involved with them felt like a bad idea.
Then-
His gun flew out of its holster.
It landed neatly in Noah's hand.
A second later, it disassembled itself midair, piece by piece.
Peter froze.
He understood immediately.
Refusal was not an option.
His expression flipped into an awkward smile.
"Interested in making a buck?" Noah asked.
With another wave of magic, the gun reassembled itself and returned to Peter's hand, as if time had reversed.
"Making a buck?" Peter blinked.
Money was his life goal.
Break free from the Ravagers.
Make enough credits.
Live freely.
That alone made Noah's words tempting.
Still, he was confused. This guy clearly wasn't weak. Why look for him?
He didn't ask.
Everyone had secrets.
Knowing too much got people killed.
"Yes," Noah said. "But first, I need to confirm something."
Peter narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Have you completed the Cosmic Orb mission?"
Noah watched him carefully.
This situation was strange.
It was the first time Noah had arrived before something clearly happened.
But timing wasn't the issue.
Context was.
The most reasonable explanation was that Star-Lord had only just accepted the mission. Maybe he was here confirming details or payment.
That made sense.
Not every event had to unfold exactly as remembered.
If Noah recalled correctly, Yondu had negotiated the job. Star-Lord took it proactively, planning to grab the item first and run.
That was the starting point of everything.
Steal the Orb.
Sell it on Xandar.
Then-
Ronan happened.
The buyer backed out.
Gamora suggested Knowhere.
And things spiraled.
"Uh... what orb?" Peter's mouth twitched.
He pretended ignorance.
Poorly.
Even Thor and Wong could tell he was lying.
"What's the Cosmic Orb?" Wong asked curiously.
Noah thought for a moment.
"A small object with mysterious power," he said. "During one of my cosmic travels-you know which one-I sensed it had some connection to me."
"Connection?" Thor frowned. Wong did too.
"That thing wouldn't happen to be-"
"I don't know," Noah cut in, shaking his head. "That's exactly why I want to find it."
And that was the truth.
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