260

In the headquarters command room of the Nova Corps, Nova Prime specially organized a commendation ceremony to express gratitude for the Guardians of the Galaxy's assistance and achievements in this great war.

The members of the Guardians of the Galaxy were warmly welcomed by the Nova Corps, and even Drax, the strong man, became graceful in such a festive atmosphere.

"Your wife and daughter can finally rest in peace. You have avenged them with your own hands."

Gamora congratulated Drax on his new appearance.

"Of course. However, their peace came not from Ronan's death, but because I let go of my obsession and found a harbor for my soul.

But Ronan was just a puppet. To prevent more tragedies like mine, we must deal with the mastermind behind it all, Thanos."

Hearing Drax say this, Gamora's face showed a pensive expression, and her eyes revealed a hint of complex emotions.

…

It is worth mentioning that Groot's supposed death, which left Rocket devastated, didn't actually happen. While scanning the battlefield for survivors, Baymax unexpectedly found a fragment of Groot with powerful life energy.

Based on Rocket's speculation and confirmation after communicating with Baymax, providing enough nutrients and water to the fragment would allow Groot to regenerate, which brought joy to Rocket and all the members for a long time.

Now, almost a month has passed since the great war. Under the careful care of Rocket and Baymax, little Groot finally took root, sprouted, and thrived.

During this period, Star-Lord handed over the Infinity Stones to Nova Prime, entrusting the Nova Corps to safeguard it.

Additionally, thanks to the information left by Mark in Baymax's database and a trade with the Nova corp, Baymax gained access to many of their unique technologies and theories.

The smooth completion of this trade was partly due to the Dark Aster crashing on the capital of the Nova corp, causing them to bear enormous post-war cleanup and infrastructure pressure, which Mark's invention, the micro-magnetic axial robot, happened to address.

Using this as an entry point, after several rounds of negotiations, Baymax and the Nova Corps exchanged many other useful technologies. Now, with more companions, Baymax firmly believes that one day it will return to Earth and reunite with its owner, Mark.

At that time, everything it has accumulated in the universe will be the best gift for this reunion.

…

"So, what are you telling me all this for?"

Amidst the lively celebration atmosphere of the commendation ceremony, Roman, an old acquaintance of Star-Lord in the Nova Corps, brought him to the holographic projection platform.

He said that he has important information to share with him concerning his own identity.

Gamora and Baymax, upon hearing this news, also felt curious and followed to learn the truth.

"When I arrested you before, I noticed abnormalities in your nervous system. So, when you underwent a medical examination upon entering prison, I had them perform a more detailed one, and the results showed that you may not be a human from Earth."

As Roman revealed this news, not only Star-Lord himself but also Gamora was greatly surprised.

"So, I'm not a human? Or you mean I'm not from Earth?" Star-Lord felt a bit puzzled. He had lived on Earth from birth until he was abducted by the Ravagers. How could he be an alien?

"Technically, you have some human bloodline from your mother, making you part-Earthling. However, your father... he is a very ancient cosmic being, to the extent that there is no relevant description of him even in the Nova Corps records."

Nova Prime explained clearly to Star-Lord.

"So that's why Quill could hold the Infinity Stone for so long. It's because he isn't a pure Earthling; he carries the blood of a powerful ancient creature."

Gamora suddenly understood why Quill could withstand the power of the Infinity Stone for so long until she and the others arrived to assist him.

They had thought it was a miraculous feat, but now they realized that everything had its reasons, and there were no such things as miracles and coincidences.

"That's right. When I first met the Captain, I also noticed that his physical structure was somewhat different from Earth humans. However, I thought he had undergone some kind of drug enhancement like Captain America or body modification like my master."

Baymax also recalled the doubts it had before, and now everything could be explained.

"Alright, let's not dwell on this matter for now. It's a question that won't be resolved in the short term. Now that everyone is here, we can begin today's commendation ceremony.

I, Nova Prime, on behalf of the Nova Corps and all the people of Xandar, express my deepest gratitude to all of you for joining forces to save our planet, Xandar."

"Our Executive Director, Roman, prepared a token of gratitude for you to express his thanks. Now, let him show you," Nova Prime said.

"Follow me!" Roman waved to the group.

The members didn't refuse Roman's warm gesture and followed him outside the command room.

"We tried our best to restore it to its original state, but this is the best result we could achieve," Roman said as he guided them to the sight of a fully repaired and refurbished Milano spacecraft, which brought expressions of pleasant surprise to their faces.

This ship was not only the starting point and witness of their camaraderie but also played a crucial role in saving them from various perils. It was an irreplaceable companion to all of them.

"I... Thank you. We really like it," Star-Lord didn't know how to properly express his gratitude for the gift. In the end, he settled for a brief statement, letting actions speak louder than words.

Roman understood what he meant and nodded slightly. "My family lives on Xandar, and it's because of your help that they were saved. Your criminal records in the Nova Corps archives have been cleared, but I must still remind you not to engage in illegal activities in the future."

Star-Lord patted Roman's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them and make sure they behave."

Roman replied, "Is that so? I hope you can live up to your words."

Star-Lord said confidently, "I'll do my best. Well then, goodbye, sir!"

"I hope our next meeting won't be under the circumstances where I need to arrest you again," Roman waved goodbye to them.

As they boarded the brand-new Milano, sitting in the pilot seat, Star-Lord was filled with excitement. He could embark on another adventurous journey full of freedom.

"Guys, what should we do next? Should we do some good deeds or cause some mischief? Or maybe a bit of both?"

"You're the captain, we'll follow your lead."

"Alright then, let's do a bit of both. Hold on tight, everyone! Our journey starts now!"