Having won over King Eitri with promises to rebuild Nidavellir and avenge his fallen kin, Sean continued on his long journey...
The man reclined in the bridge command chair, his mind swirling with thoughts. He admired the four gems on the Infinity Gauntlet, his eyes glazed with entranced awe. The Infinity Stones' radiant and mesmerizing glow nearly dazzled him.
The six gems were the tangible embodiments of the universe's aspects, which was why Thanos obsessively sought them. He intends to wield this ultimate power to erase half of all life in the universe at once, maintaining the order and stability of the cosmic balance.
That mad Titan claimed to have received divine revelations from Death herself, glimpsing the universe's end. The later destruction of his homeworld, Titan, only solidified his belief.
Thus, Thanos embarked on a path of slaughter and conquest. With the Eternal race's formidable strength and his innate talent for learning, he quickly gained immense renown, amassing power to become a dominant overlord.
Under Thanos's command, a vast fleet known as the 'Black Order' rampaged and caused massacres through civilized worlds. As their influence grew, even the three great empires were powerless to stop them, forced to turn a blind eye.
In the eyes of the rulers of those empires, Thanos was merely a bloodthirsty madman, a barbarian who conquered through brute force alone, not a threat that demanded immediate eradication.
When the costs outweighed the benefits, no one would voluntarily uphold justice, not even the Nova Corps.
"Knowhere..." Sean murmured, staring at the vast star map flickering with points of light.
From Odin, he had learned that the Orb had fallen into the hands of a Ravager named Peter Quill, an Earthling with a not-so-famous moniker: Star-Lord.
Following the original timeline, Sean figured that rather than scouring the entire universe like searching for a needle in a haystack for Star-Lord, it was better to head straight to Knowhere and wait like a hunter at the burrow. After all, that group would eventually seek out the Collector...
...
Swirling nebulae of vibrant, mottled colors rotated like an oil painting splashed with hues. The vertical, sword-like colossal warship cleaved through the waves like a massive blade, parting the magnificent and beautiful dust clouds.
Anchoring spatial coordinates and after several jumps, Sean soon spotted his destination: an enormous, bizarre skull, resembling a slightly smaller planet, silently suspended in the dark void.
Knowhere's true form was the massive head of an ancient Celestial. Centuries ago, it was discovered by the Tivan Group and gradually mined.
In the vast, boundless dark universe, these beings known as Celestials held immense value; specifically, only the dead ones. Their bones, brain tissue, and spinal fluid were all rare resources, fetching exorbitant prices on specialized underground black markets... prices often so high, they were practically priceless.
Under the Tivan Group's deliberate management and development, this chaotic region, which was previously beyond the jurisdiction of the three great empires and the Nova Corps' laws, gradually became a notorious lawless zone in the universe, highly favored by smugglers and space pirates.
The Tivan Group maintained order and balance in Knowhere, using it as a hub to control surrounding star domains. They transformed this Celestial head, akin to a small planet, into a legitimate underground black market.
Here, no one ever had to worry about being hunted or arrested by other forces. Even the three great empires would seek the Tivan Group's permission first. Thus, one could boldly sell and dispose of ill-gotten gains and wealth without fear.
Over time, not only smugglers and space pirates flocked here, but mercenaries and representatives of major powers also treated Knowhere as a secret private channel.
Sean's warship docked at Knowhere's spaceport. The massive, uniquely shaped vessel drew many prying and curious glances, but with bizarre occurrences happening daily in the universe, and upon seeing the Tivan Group's patrol teams arrive, the onlookers dispersed.
A large corporation capable of establishing order and rooting itself in a lawless zone must possess formidable private armed forces, much like the East India Company in the age of sail; playing the role of legitimate traders while occasionally moonlighting as space pirates. After the era of great cosmic exploration ended, with the expansion and conquests of the three great empires and the emergence of the Nova Corps, a colonial development movement was surging forth in full swing.
Those resource-rich uninhabited planets, the backward and remote weak civilizations... these were all mere insignificant droplets swept up in the flood.
"Good thing Nidavellir doesn't lack for this," Sean murmured as he paid the full amount in credits through his personal terminal and leisurely disembarked from the ship.
These credits were a universal currency certified by the three great empires. On Earth, he was a young billionaire with immense wealth, but stepping into the vast universe instantly turned him back into a pauper.
Sean didn't mind much. For a powerhouse like him, money was never a concern. From the spaceport, he gazed out, "This is Knowhere..."
This Celestial skull had transformed into an exceedingly prosperous trading hub. Large merchant fleets and pirate ships from various planets were visible, their crews exchanging warm greetings like old friends.
True to its lawless reputation, as soon as Sean entered the lower mining district, he felt several malicious stares upon him. Alien beings of different skin tones and forms lurked in dark corners, waiting for prey.
Knowhere did have patrol and enforcement teams, but they were the Tivan Group's private forces, serving only the big shots. The lower mining district was a slum, and as long as no major chaos erupted, they ignored it.
In the words of Taneleer Tivan, the Tivan Group's head, people died every minute in this universe. So lives that created no value were naturally worthless.
"Sir, I think you need a guide," a child with blue skin ran out.
From his features, the child was a Luphomoid, which was the same race as Nebula, one of Thanos's adopted daughters.
Glancing at the kid, Sean smiled faintly and said, "Will you be a good guide?"
Passing through the lower mining district led to Knowhere's residential area, and further on was the trading center built around the Tivan Group.
That was Knowhere's most bustling spot, where large merchant fleets came and went, buying or selling anything of value; rare ores, exotic creatures, even core secrets of certain civilizations, and more...
At Sean's words, the Luphomoid child blinked, then grabbed his hand, saying, "I'm the fairest guide here. Sir, let's leave this area first."
People died daily in the lower mining district, and the patrols never cared. They were cheap labor, worthless trash unable to create more value. Even if they died in droves, a single slave-hunting ship full of captives could instantly refill the mines.
In the grand cosmic backdrop of the colonial era, war and plunder were the most common of themes...