Watching the shipgirls step through the spatial gates leading to their palaces and vanish, Roland Phils could only shake his head with a bitter smile.
Women would always be women. No matter which world they were from, castles and palaces carried a strange kind of fantasy for them.
For ordinary women, it could only remain a fantasy. But for Roland's shipgirls, it became reality. That was the difference.
Ten colossal palaces, each stretching hundreds of thousands of kilometers, had suddenly appeared in the universe. Compared to the cosmos, they were insignificant. But because they belonged to the Lord of Life, they glowed with divine brilliance. There was no way for them to remain low-profile.
Within just a few Earth days, news of the ten palaces spread across every world that had reached interstellar civilization.
Naturally, the rumor reached Star-Lord and his group, who were still on Xandar.
But their situation was far from good. Because of the ten-billion bounty, they had become everyone's target. Countless raiders wanted to capture Gamora and exchange her for riches.
"Damn it, those bastards still dare to come after us! They've got a death wish!" Rocket spat as he held an energy rifle, snarling.
"How many waves has it been now?" Drax asked, looking exhausted.
"I lost count. At least dozens of waves. There are too many. If it weren't for Carol, we'd be dead dozens of times already!" Star-Lord panted heavily.
Ever since they promised to take Carol to find the Lord of Life, the attacks had never stopped.
At first, they had been cautious. Later, they got used to it. Now, they were numb.
In only three Xandarian days, they had suffered dozens of ambushes.
As the saying went, people die for wealth, birds die for food. This was true anywhere in the universe.
Luckily, Carol was with them. Without her overwhelming strength, they would have been wiped out long ago. Even so, Carol herself was losing patience.
She was tired of swatting flies day after day. Three straight days of endless fighting. If this kept going, there would be countless more days like it.
And what annoyed her most was that Star-Lord had promised to take her to the Lord of Life, yet until now, she hadn't even glimpsed a shadow. She was beginning to suspect the smooth-talking man was just playing games with her.
"This won't work. We need a way to end this once and for all. Otherwise, even if the raiders can't kill us, they'll wear us down. I'm too tired to even talk anymore," Drax muttered in frustration.
"What do you suggest? March into Thanos' territory and chop off his head to sit on? You think we have that kind of strength?" Rocket snapped.
"I am Groot," Groot said with a firm nod.
"..."
"Groot, are you insane? That's suicide. Of course, I don't mean you, Carol," Rocket quickly added.
"It's lady, not aunt," Carol corrected calmly.
"Ok, ok, sorry! Forgot again!" Rocket waved his paw apologetically.
While the group argued, Gamora's eyes flickered with a complicated look.
"Wait, guess what I just saw on the cosmic channel?" Star-Lord suddenly said excitedly.
"Really? At a time like this? Let me guess. You saw a naked girl, you filthy bastard," Rocket cursed without holding back.
The others didn't even react. They were used to his foul mouth. If Rocket didn't swear, that would be strange.
"Shut up. Don't act like I don't know you sneak looks at animal documentaries," Star-Lord shot back.
"What?! You checked my browsing history?" Rocket roared.
"So you admit it?" Star-Lord smirked.
"When did I admit it? I didn't watch it!" Rocket denied stubbornly.
"Wait, what's this about? I don't understand," Carol asked, confused.
"It's simple. He likes looking at female raccoons. Same way men like looking at women," Drax explained casually.
"So… Rocket's into female raccoons?" Carol said with a teasing smile.
"Not just female raccoons. Fat-bottomed female raccoons!" Star-Lord burst into laughter.
"You bastard! I'll kill you!" Rocket raised his energy gun in fury.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down! I was joking. Lighten up, furball!" Star-Lord raised his hands quickly.
"I don't like your stupid jokes. Next time I hear one, I'll blast your balls off," Rocket grumbled.
"Enough, stop fooling around. Tell us what you saw," Gamora cut in coldly.
"Heh, this is big news. It'll help us a lot," Star-Lord said mysteriously.
"If you keep dragging this out, my knife will end up in your forehead," Gamora warned.
"The Lord of Life's whereabouts!"
"What?!"
"I found his location. Look at this, ten palaces!"
Star-Lord projected a holographic image from his communicator.
At once, everyone froze.
The sight before them was breathtaking.
Ten vast and holy palaces stood in the cosmic void, glowing with divine light. Golden and magnificent, they shone like beacons in the sea of stars.
They had no core, no rotation like normal planets, yet they possessed all the functions of a living world. Trees, rivers, mountains, even gardens filled the palaces, forming a paradise.
These were none other than the Ten Palaces Roland had built.
"Incredible. So this is the Lord of Life's power? Not bad at all," Carol said with interest.
"It's more than incredible. It's against the laws of nature. I've never seen anything like it. How did he do this?" Drax gasped.
"Who knows? Only the Lord of Life himself can explain," Star-Lord shrugged, but even he looked impressed.
There weren't many people Star-Lord admired, but the Lord of Life had earned the top spot.
Of course, if Roland ever knew that Star-Lord respected him, he'd probably just sneer and tell him to get lost.
"Why wait for him to show up? We know his location now. Let's just go to his palace directly," Carol suggested.
"She's right. If we go there, maybe we'll get his protection," Star-Lord said thoughtfully.
"But those palaces only appeared a few days ago. No one knows what's inside. What if it's dangerous? What if it's not safe?" Rocket asked with concern.
"You prefer waiting here to be hunted down?" Star-Lord retorted.
"…Fine. Forget I said anything," Rocket sighed. He knew Star-Lord was right. Staying on Xandar was just waiting for endless pursuers. Better to take the risk and find a new foothold.
Besides, it was part of their deal. Carol would protect them, and they would help her find the Lord of Life. Now that they had a solid lead, if they didn't move, Carol might kill them herself.
So they had no choice.
"Then what are we waiting for? Enter the coordinates. Strap in. Space jump, now!" Star-Lord shouted, tapping on the ship's console.
In a flash, their ship vanished from Xandar's orbit.
Not long after they left, a massive black mothership revealed itself from behind a small nearby planet.
Inside stood a strange man with monkey-like features and a thin, cruel mouth. He watched the hologram before him with cold eyes.
This was Ebony Maw, one of Thanos' Black Order, the one who had issued the ten-billion bounty for Gamora.
The hologram showed Star-Lord's ship initiating its space jump. When the ship disappeared, the projection ended.
"Only three days, and they already broke down? Pathetic," Ebony Maw sneered.
Beside him, a tall man in a black cloak holding a blade spoke with disdain. "I don't get it. Why not just send the entire fleet to crush Xandar? Just because of those seventy-two so-called statues? To me, they're nothing but tricks."
This cloaked warrior was none other than Corvus Glaive, another member of the Black Order.
"You question our King's decision? Or my judgment?" Ebony Maw turned cold.
"I'd never question our King. But your judgment isn't always flawless," Corvus shot back, showing no respect.
Though they all served Thanos and were called the Black Order, unity among them was an illusion. Each had their own ambitions. They worked together only because they shared the same master.
"Oh? So you have a better plan?" Ebony Maw asked lightly.
"Of course," Corvus said bluntly.
"Then the task of capturing Gamora is yours. Don't disappoint our King. You know how he treats failure," Ebony Maw smirked.
"Hmph, leave it to me. I'll bring him a result he'll be satisfied with," Corvus declared confidently, striding out.
His partner, Proxima Midnight, quickly followed.
Soon, Corvus and Proxima led a massive fleet of the Black Order toward the direction of Star-Lord's ship.
Watching them vanish, Ebony Maw let out a cold smile.
The Ten Palaces had shocked every interstellar civilization. Like magnets, they pulled in countless curious ships. Some came out of wonder, some out of greed, some like pilgrims seeking gods.
But the shipgirls, saints of Roland, paid no attention. At this moment, they were too busy decorating their new palaces.
Even if they heard about the incoming fleets, they wouldn't care.
Because to them, it didn't matter how many came. Anyone with ill intent would face only one end. Total annihilation.
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