NOVEL NEXT Chapter 211: Payment
The Collector's expression, his turning posture, combined with his makeup, attire, and gaze, made him even more striking compared to his appearance in the movies.
Blake even thought that if this guy showed up on the Earth where he used to live, so-called "high-quality men" or "pretentious types" would be nothing compared to him.
He slowly turned around, slightly raising his chin, his gaze pretentious and expecting others to greet him first.
Gamora, seemingly familiar with the Collector's temperament, sighed slightly and was about to step forward to greet him.
Suddenly, an arm stretched out from behind and pulled Gamora back forcefully.
"What are you doing?"
Gamora looked at Blake in confusion.
Blake smiled and made a "calm down" gesture to Gamora, whether she understood or not, before walking directly up to the Collector.
He stared straight at the Collector with a playful look in his eyes.
"I don't know what you're planning, but I don't like the way you're looking at me. Gamora, you'd better take out the item for the deal, collect the money, and leave with your friends before your friends completely anger me."
The Collector looked past Blake and spoke to Gamora behind him.
As his words fell, the surrounding walls and floor panels slid open, revealing rows of gun barrels as thick as forearms.
After identifying their targets, the weapons avoided the Collector and his pink assistant, instead locking onto Blake and the others.
"Hey! We're here to do business! What's with this? Blake, come back here!"
Star-Lord's anxious voice rang out from behind Blake.
"I think you should listen to your friend's advice."
The Collector adjusted the sunglasses on his nose with a hint of threat in his tone as he addressed Blake.
"You're threatening me?"
The playful smile on Blake's face grew even more pronounced.
Having roamed the universe for years, the Collector had never encountered someone speaking to him like this.
Hearing Blake's words, his arrogant and pretentious gaze suddenly turned sharp.
Just as he was about to speak, Blake turned and slapped him.
*Slap!*
It was a light slap, with Blake barely using even one percent of his strength, yet it sent the Collector flying four or five meters, smashing a metal table fixed to the ground into pieces.
"Fire!"
The Collector, despite his injury, wasn't an ordinary person. Though his face was swollen from the slap, he seemed otherwise unharmed. Furious, he shouted, his voice cracking slightly, "Fire!"
At his command, at least a hundred gun barrels turned toward the group in unison.
Blake extended a hand toward his companions, and a surge of blue energy burst forth, forming a light blue energy shield that enveloped Tony and the others.
He even casually pushed the pink assistant into the shield.
As for himself, he stood his ground, unyielding.
*Pew pew pew!*
The energy weapons didn't make as much noise as gunpowder-based firearms. Hundreds of weapons, or perhaps small-caliber cannons, fired simultaneously, their sound merging into one.
More than half of the gunfire was directed at Blake.
The volley lasted for about ten seconds, likely emptying an energy clip, before ceasing automatically.
Blake's energy shield remained completely intact, and he himself, having taken most of the hits directly, didn't even have a single red mark on his skin.
"Is this what you're using to threaten me? Should I give you some time to gather more forces from outside?"
The Collector was the controller of the Tivan Group, and all the armed mining robots on the Celestial skull were under his command.
Against anyone else, the Collector would've retaliated no matter what. But when he saw the energy shield Blake conjured, all his anger turned into fear.
"That's… the Space Stone. You've mastered its full power? Then what about the Power Stone that Gamora and her group brought?"
The Collector, now trembling slightly, spoke to Blake in a hushed, fearful tone.
"Yes, that's also with me."
Blake said casually as he extended his right hand toward the Collector.
Blue, purple, and dark red hues—representing the energies of three different Infinity Stones—flickered faintly on Blake's palm.
"Impossible!"
The Collector exclaimed again, his voice trembling.
"No one can wield the power of the Infinity Stones, let alone control three of them!"
"Nothing is impossible. The proof is standing right in front of you, isn't it?"
Blake slowly stepped toward the Collector.
"Don't… don't come any closer! Esteemed guest, whatever you want, if I have it, it's yours—all of it!"
The Collector was visibly shaken. However, witnessing someone not only holding three Infinity Stones within their body unharmed but also being able to harness their power filled him with an inexplicable excitement.
"Relax. As long as you put away your inexplicable arrogance, I won't hurt you. But you'd better deactivate all these damn weapons around us—they've frightened my friends."
Blake reached the Collector in just a few strides, casually resting a seemingly friendly hand on his shoulder as he spoke.
The Collector was genuinely terrified. While his species wasn't particularly strong in combat, their lifespans were extraordinarily long. Over the years, he had encountered countless powerful individuals and galactic empires.
But he had never seen—let alone heard of—anyone capable of physically wielding the power of three Infinity Stones.
With trembling hands, the Collector deactivated the surrounding weapons. Moments ago, he had been so arrogant, but now he stood obediently at Blake's side.
Blake waved his hand, dismissing the energy shield. Rocket, ever eager for chaos, grabbed his weapon and cheered excitedly.
"So, are we gonna rob this guy or what? I've been wanting to do that since we got here. His collection looks incredible!"
"No, Rocket! We're here for a deal. We're not robbers—we're businessmen."
Blake, still keeping one hand on the Collector's shoulder, waved his other hand like a magician, conjuring a metallic sphere from thin air. This type of sphere was typically used to contain various energy sources.
The sphere was open, clearly empty, as Blake casually picked up a small fragment from the rubble of the broken table nearby and placed it inside. He then turned to the utterly baffled Collector and said,
"Alright, let's go. Pay up!"
Back on Xandar, the Nova Prime had helped him, Tony, and the others set up universal accounts and provided them with miniature wrist computers.
Blake activated the mini-computer on his wrist, projecting his account details in a 3D hologram. The glowing green numbers illuminated the Collector's pale face, giving it a faintly sickly hue.
"W-what payment?"
The Collector stammered, his voice quivering.
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