Chapter 245

At this moment, upon hearing Syd's words, everyone—including Star-Lord and the rest—looked baffled, overwhelmed with disbelief.

"What do you mean, 'before the universe'? Are you kidding? Who would believe something like that?" Star-Lord scoffed.

"I think he's just messing with us," Rocket chimed in.

"Destroy an entire civilization with this little thing?"

Rocket was entirely unconvinced.

Not only Rocket but Star-Lord and everyone else had a hard time believing Syd's words. It sounded way too far-fetched. To claim that this small object could obliterate an entire civilization? That was beyond their comprehension.

And if this was just one of the stones, where were the others?

They couldn't wrap their heads around it.

Syd raised an eyebrow at their reactions but didn't pay much attention to their disbelief. He continued studying the Orb in his hand.

After some attempts, he realized the Orb wouldn't easily open—it required a specific method. Of course, Syd knew he could forcibly break it open. The Infinity Stones themselves were practically indestructible, but the outer shell wasn't as tough.

However, breaking the shell wasn't the real problem. The issue was that the Power Stone inside was volatile and dangerous.

The Power Stone, unlike the other Infinity Stones, reacted violently to physical touch. Anyone without the proper strength or resistance would die instantly from its energy.

Syd was confident that his divine body could withstand the Power Stone's might, meaning he could potentially use it.

However, he hesitated. "But if I carry it around openly, could it trigger a chain reaction with the other Infinity Stones and cause an explosion?"

This thought made him reconsider breaking the Orb by force.

"It seems like I should stick with Star-Lord and the others when they visit the Collector."

Syd pondered his next move.

He recalled that later on, Star-Lord and his crew would go to the Collector, who would use technology to safely open the Orb.

Speaking of the Collector, Syd remembered that he was a being who collected rare and unique artifacts from across the universe. Furthermore, the Collector was considered one of the Elders of the Universe, a group of ancient, powerful beings.

The Living Planet, Ego, was also one of these Elders.

As Syd thought about this, he solidified his plan: follow Star-Lord and his team to meet the Collector and gain access to the Power Stone safely.

His attention then returned to the Power Stone itself.

He recalled a scene from the future when the Collector explained the origin of the Infinity Stones and even showed footage of a Celestial using the Power Stone.

In that footage, the Celestial known as Ison the Searcher had wielded the Power Stone and used it to annihilate an entire planet in mere moments.

"The power of the Infinity Stones truly depends on their wielder…" Syd shook his head.

When wielded by a Celestial, the Power Stone could destroy a planet in an instant. If he tried to use it, the result would be far less impressive. In fact, if Ronan or Star-Lord used it, it was doubtful they could even destroy a patch of land.

It was clear the Infinity Stones' potential depended on the strength and endurance of the user.

If Thanos had the power, he could have single-handedly taken down the Avengers with just the Power Stone.

Syd continued, "Each member of the Celestials is at least on the level of a Skyfather, most being single-universe level entities, towering hundreds of meters tall. It's hard to compete with that."

In terms of physicality, they were superior to most other life forms from the start.

Nevertheless, Syd was confident that, given enough time, he would eventually surpass these so-called Celestials.

With a flash of red light, Syd used his Chaos Magic to store the Orb back in his backpack. He then closed his eyes once more, waiting for time to pass.

Meanwhile, the prisoners who witnessed his display of power were left in shock and fear.

Even though Star-Lord and his companions were somewhat familiar with Syd's abilities by now, they couldn't help but glance curiously at the backpack he carried.

Star-Lord and Gamora, in particular, seemed most intrigued.

Aside from their curiosity about the Cosmic Orb, they couldn't help but wonder if this mysterious man's backpack held anything else of value.

Soon, it was time for lights out.

Suddenly, a scuffle broke out, causing Syd to open his eyes from his meditative state. He glanced over in the direction of the disturbance.

Several inmates had grabbed Gamora, pressing a knife to her throat.

He overheard their conversation.

"Take her to the shower room—it's easier to clean up the blood there…"

Hearing the commotion, Star-Lord woke up and immediately rushed out of his cell.

Rocket stirred awake and asked, "Quill, where are you going?"

"Quill?"

Meanwhile, in the shower room…

The inmates pinned Gamora against the wall.

"Gamora, you've committed countless atrocities across the universe. You are beyond redemption!"

"Now, you've been sentenced to death!"

As they were about to carry out their sentence, a towering figure with red markings across his body entered the scene. It was Drax the Destroyer.

Hidden nearby, Star-Lord and Rocket initially thought Drax was coming to rescue Gamora, but instead, they overheard him talking about how Ronan had killed his wife and daughter. Drax wanted to personally kill Gamora as revenge.

The other inmates, unwilling to cross Drax, handed him the knife.

Gamora seized the opportunity during their moment of distraction and fought back. However, despite her resistance, she was once again pinned to the wall, just moments away from death at Drax's hands.

It was then that Star-Lord intervened.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Look, I get that you want revenge on Ronan, but killing her now? That's not the smartest play…"

With some persuasive words, Star-Lord managed to convince Drax to join them in their mission to take down Ronan.

At this point, Gamora asked, "Why did you save me?"

"I'm not really interested in whether you live or die," Star-Lord admitted.

"Then why stop him from killing me?" Gamora pressed.

Star-Lord, still cheeky, replied, "It's simple. You know where to sell that orb."

Gamora frowned, "But we're all stuck in here. How do you plan on selling the orb?"

Star-Lord glanced at Rocket and grinned. "Our good friend Rocket here has broken out of twenty-two prisons."

Rocket , ever the braggart, boasted, "No prison can hold me. But once we're out, we're turning you in for that bounty with Yondu."

"Ugh…"

Changing the subject, Star-Lord asked Gamora, "So, how much is your buyer willing to pay for that orb?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Gamora finally answered, "Forty billion units."

"What?" Rocket's voice cracked in disbelief.

"My God," Star-Lord muttered, stunned.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he whispered, "Forty billion… could that mysterious guy's story about the stones actually be true?"

His face was filled with shock.

(End of Chapter)

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