Pikachu also went back to pack his things. But he doesn't have much to pack, since buildings like breweries can't be moved, the most precious thing is that beer production line. It's actually not easy to get your hands on it, because it's a fully automated production line, and not many countries can produce this kind of line completely, and exports have restrictions. He had to work very hard to find himself an old one, which is the most valuable asset.
As for employees, he's not taking them along, since over there he can hire humans. Whether second-tier superheroes or young mutants, there are quite a few unemployed and financially strained individuals, and they're the best candidates.
Yondu packed up very quickly too, clearly he has rich experience in moving and escaping, it didn't take them even one afternoon to pack everything up. They even have a pretty decent medium-sized spaceship, loaded all their belongings onto it. Shiller gathered Pikachu and company and headed for the Milky Way.
Shiller gave Loki a heads-up in advance, so he brought some people to greet them, which quite scared the Ravagers. These guys have seen the elegance of Asgard warriors, but at that time, they weren't even considered opponents. Once a fight started, they could only silently squat in the corner, pretending to be bottles and jars.
"You really brought them along," Loki said. "The tavern culture of Asgard is long-standing, how come we can't keep watch over the place?"
"Tavern culture? You're talking about getting drunk and then going into the cosmos to duel, punching the opponent into a star and not able to pry them out?"
Loki touched his cheek and then said, "It's not that exaggerated, punching them into a star is a rarity."
"Let's not talk about that." He somewhat awkwardly changed the subject and then said, "The High Lord told me he's already chosen a planet, but the orbit may need adjustment. When is Magneto available?"
"He's over in the Andromeda Galaxy, but it's not urgent. Let the engineering team start construction first. Even if the orbit is adjusted, we can directly pack up the furniture and take it along without damage, adjusting later is all the same."
"Alright, let's head over to Centaurus first."
Centaurus is close to Crux, or rather formerly Crux was incorporated into Centaurus, they are in the same star zone, very close. From one side, you can see the other side with the naked eye.
The spaceship arrived at Centaurus, Loki gestured and then said, "The Mage says the best location for a teleportation portal is over there, they're planning to open a Great Teleportation Gate there. And that planet over there is the one the High Lord chose, but it's a bit too close to the teleportation portal, so he wants to move the orbit further away..."
Then they went to take a look at that planet. But unexpectedly, this planet is relatively barren, with some basic moss, but most areas are exposed rocky surfaces.
The High Lord was already there waiting for them, with the Collector too. Shiller went up to shake hands with them and then said, "Why didn't you pick that green one next to it?"
"Come on, we're opening a casino. Our goal is to keep everyone inside the casino and make them lose all their money, not let them run out for sightseeing. The more barren, the better. Why else would I stay on Sakaar for so long?"
The High Lord clearly has a knack for setting up casinos, when it comes to this topic, he speaks fluently. He said, "The crust of this planet has a special structure, I'm going to have my brother clear the underground structure and open the casino underground, so you can open other things on the surface. Once it's set underground, they won't distinguish day and night, and won't feel the passage of time, making them keep gambling..."
Shiller knew that the Cosmic Elders still had some skills, among them seems to be someone good at construction. Since the High Lord has his own way, Shiller didn't interfere. Besides, future teleportation portal vicinity is precious, not occupying surface area is even better.
Then the Collector brought out his drafted blueprints, Shiller took a look and found that he really incorporated some Earth elements. The overall structure looks like an Ancient Greek temple, but the decorative patterns have an Eastern style, altogether it looks quite harmonious, the only issue is it's a bit large.
"Are you sure you need such a large space?" Shiller said, "I can understand, since in the future you'll collect other items, but if you reserve too big a space, it might seem empty."
"No, no, this isn't reserved space." The Collector hurriedly shook his head and said, "This will be packed with collections, even a bit lacking. Some low-value or duplicate items, I haven't even accounted for them."
Shiller raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat surprised, he indeed underestimated the Collector's collection volume. The blueprints he provided are about the size of a small town, yet can't accommodate all the collections.
The Collector looked somewhat nervous, he said, "Of course, if it's too large, we can also shrink it a bit..."
"No need, just like this." Shiller said, "If it comes to it, expanding some aerial space is also feasible."
The Collector immediately got happy. Loki, however, elbowed Shiller and then said, "We might not have that much material."
"No need to use all magic materials." Shiller lowered his voice and said, "You mix some magic herb juice in the wall paint, isn't it still a magic wall? You've not been to Wall Street for too long, your skills have regressed."
Certainly! Here is the translated text from the Chinese novel:
"In the past, it was about tricking others, but now it's about building our own place. If you cut corners like this, what if something goes wrong?"
"Just fix it if it breaks, and then we can swindle some repair funds. Museums are considered interstellar material cultural heritage, so no amount of money is too much for renovations, right?"
"Well, if the exhibits get damaged... oh well, the exhibits aren't ours anyway."
The two secretly high-fived, then continued to listen to the High Lord describing his casino plan.
At this moment, Shiller introduced Yondu to the High Lord, although an introduction wasn't really necessary since they already knew each other. The High Lord squinted as he sized up Yondu, a bit reluctantly, but still stepped forward to shake his hand: "Long time no see, didn't expect you to still be alive today."
"Thanks to you, I'm doing pretty well." Yondu responded sarcastically, "But you, I heard your casino shut down again? Truly worthy of being the God of Gamblers."
The High Lord was somewhat infuriated. Shiller quickly coughed twice, then said, "Alright, we're all colleagues now, let's not dwell on past matters."
The High Lord rolled his eyes but didn't say anything more. He knew how formidable Yondu was, as he was one of the few who could stir things up under the rule of the Three Great Empires. With him watching over the casino, he wouldn't have to go through the hassle of dealing with those peculiar characters from different walks of life.
After visiting, they went to Crux to check the site selection for the interstellar council. The construction equipment had already arrived on site, though work had not officially started yet. Yondu clicked his tongue, unsure if he was envious or jealous, and said: "This Milky Way surely has something special, how do the plants grow so well here? Oh wow, there're small dinosaurs here too, I bet before long they could evolve civilization."
"This place is a treasure trove of Feng Shui." Loki was evidently proud as he said, "It's the most verdant place in the cosmos, practically a cosmic garden. No wonder every alien has their eyes on it."
"Good thing we have Asgard and the human race." The High Lord interjected, "Otherwise, those Electronic Lifeforms would have ruined it all."
The few of them exchanged glances, the meaning clear. They all couldn't stand Electronic Lifeforms and were frustrated by the increasing mechanization of the two major empires. Originally, the two empires weren't so mechanized, but it just so happened they fought a thousand-year war. Mechanical life had the upper hand in large-scale battles, and after a thousand years of arms race, they became increasingly mechanized.
"What's up with the Supreme Wisdom lately?" the High Lord asked, "Haven't heard anything from him recently."
Yondu shook his head and said, "The Kree Empire has been uncharacteristically quiet lately. You'd think they'd be the most opposed to the interstellar council moving here. Who knows what that big-brained one is scheming."
"He probably doesn't have the time to bother with us," Shiller suddenly said.
The few exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat gloating. The Supreme Wisdom must have encountered some trouble, otherwise he wouldn't stay hidden on such a critical occasion.
At this moment, Shiller received news that the Milky Way explorers had already set off. Thousands of small spaceships, along with some beings capable of flying physically, started heading out across the entire Milky Way.
"Let's go, we'll check where your tavern should open." Shiller patted Pikachu and said, "There's plenty of space here, you can open a super-sized tavern selling all kinds of Earth alcohol. How do you feel about opening a store selling Earth specialties here?"
"That's not a bad idea, but besides alcohol, what other specialties does Earth have? From what I've seen, aliens eat quite well too."
Shiller nodded, not denying it. Though there were two empires that didn't need to eat, carbon-based lifeforms inherently are like humans who need their meals. The Three Great Empires weren't so strict as to forbid eating, although some civilizations have foregone the flavor of food for the sake of efficiency. Yet, some have developed quite a decent culinary culture. As long as you have money, you can still eat good food.
The taste of Earth's food is good, but it's nothing too special, maybe just more vegetables. However, when it comes to the preparation of meat, compared to other civilizations, there isn't much special. After all, they have diverse ingredients and can catch all sorts of exotic beasts to eat, naturally it's hard to compete.
"But from what I know, humans are quite advanced in sweet creation." Loki said, "First of all, coffee and cocoa are extracted from plants, other civilizations have not developed plant spices as extensively as humans, so we can sell coffee and chocolate. Furthermore, although they have various ways to supplement sugars, I've rarely seen such diverse sweet-making methods like Earth's—bread, cakes, fruits, sauces..."
Pikachu nodded along and said, "When it comes to anything plant-related, their development level is rather lacking, especially fruit. There aren't many civilizations with planets having a tropical rainforest climate, their fruits tend to be quite dry and not very enjoyable to eat."
"However, figuring out how to deliver fresh fruits to such distant places is indeed a challenge." Shiller mused, "I'll need to consult a specialist before deciding whether to open a fruit shop."
The specialist he referred to was naturally Pamela. Although this universe doesn't have All Things Green, she is quite the expert when it comes to plant cultivation. Thus, Shiller arranged to meet her for an in-depth discussion at the café next to the sanatorium.