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*****
"So it really was the planet that the Destroyer came from."
While healing the muscular man who had delivered the final blow to Ronan, George casually used a mind-reading spell and discovered that the man was none other than Drax the Destroyer.
No wonder the native inhabitants of this planet had looked so familiar to him earlier.
"Headmaster, the captain of the Nova Corps patrol unit wants to see you."
Just as George was using repair spells to restore the Sanctuary II, Dark Aster, and various combat ships, Gamora approached with a middle-aged man in a Nova Corps uniform.
After eliminating Thanos and Ronan, George had sent Gamora, Yondu, and the others to free the imprisoned Nova Corps members and half the local population, while he focused on restoring the warships.
After all, the warships and spacecraft from Thanos and Ronan's fleets were among the most advanced in the entire galaxy.
Whether sold for profit or taken back to strengthen his school, they were incredibly valuable assets.
"Store!"
George pulled out a magically expanded container, crafted with the Undetectable Extension Charm, and began storing all the repaired ships inside.
Then, turning to the patrol captain, he smiled and said:
"Hello, I'm George from Planet Terran. Sorry I arrived a bit late."
"No, no—on the contrary. If not for your arrival, we would never have been saved. I'm Farland, Captain of the 8th Fleet of the Nova Patrol. On behalf of the Nova Empire, I thank you."
The captain, still reeling from the miraculous sight of George restoring and collecting warships, quickly waved his hands, slightly flustered.
This man from Planet Terran had single-handedly taken down the entire fleets of Thanos and Ronan, even severing their heads. He was like one of the legendary Celestials—an existence of unimaginable power.
Even the Nova Empire's Supreme Leader would have to treat someone of such strength with the utmost caution.
"It was just something I did along the way. He's the one who placed a bounty and disturbed the peace of my planet."
George handed Farland a box containing the heads of Thanos and Ronan.
"I rarely leave my planet. This is my first time traveling, and I heard from Gamora that your Nova Empire is the largest in the galaxy—so think of this as my gift to your empire."
"A… a gift?"
Farland stared at the severed heads of Thanos and Ronan inside the box. Swallowing hard, he nervously accepted it with trembling hands.
Wasn't this "gift" a bit too terrifying?
"Mr. George, I've already reported the situation here to the Empire. Our Supreme would like to invite you to the capital, Xandar, as a guest. Might you have time?"
The deaths of Thanos and Ronan, along with the complete destruction of their fleets, would shake the entire galaxy.
Even the Nova Supreme had been stunned upon hearing the report.
But for the Nova Empire, this was excellent news.
Thanos had always been a cancer to the universe. His death would be celebrated by every galactic power.
And Ronan, a die-hard Kree warmonger who loathed the Nova Empire, was now out of the way—greatly improving the odds of finalizing a peace treaty between the Kree and Nova empires.
Thus, the Nova Supreme was deeply grateful to George and sincerely wished to thank him in person.
From a political standpoint as well, it was crucial to befriend someone of George's power. Should they ever become enemies, he could pose an enormous threat.
"Of course I have time. In fact, I have something I'd like to discuss with the Supreme as well."
George didn't hesitate for a second before agreeing to the invitation.
His reason for leaving Earth had always been twofold: the first was to eliminate the threat of Thanos—now accomplished. The second was to initiate cooperation with the Nova Empire, helping Earth step into the cosmic era and achieve interstellar migration.
Hearing George's agreement, Farland finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The Supreme had given him a direct order: he must bring George to the capital. But someone of George's level—if unwilling—wasn't someone you could just "invite" on a whim.
"Then please wait just one day, Mr. George. We'll depart for the capital immediately after."
Farland scheduled the departure time with George, then left to locate the surviving leaders of the planet, borrowing their communication equipment to send reports and take care of post-battle affairs.
When it came to planets attacked by Thanos, the Nova Empire had extensive experience. One day was enough to handle most urgent matters, and the rest could be taken over by incoming logistics and support teams.
After all, this planet still had half its population intact, and Thanos hadn't yet looted its resources—already a much better outcome than most other planets he attacked.
To put it bluntly, because of the population drop, the residents here might actually experience a temporary rise in living standards.
Though frankly, few would want to "enjoy" such a benefit if given a choice.
Just half an hour earlier, on Xandar—the capital of the Nova Empire—the Nova Supreme had received Farland's report and immediately summoned all high-ranking officials of the Empire for an emergency meeting.
"That's the situation. Now tell me—what do you think about this so-called god from Planet Terran?"
Someone who could single-handedly annihilate the entire fleets of both Thanos and Ronan, wielding a wide array of mysterious and powerful abilities—in her eyes, George could only be one thing: an ancient god from Terran.
Only an ancient god could possess such terrifying power.
Terran, after all, was a planet with an extremely primitive level of technology—not even reaching interstellar civilization. The Empire had never attempted contact with it.
Normally, upon discovering a technologically backward planet, Imperial policy dictated peaceful contact, dissemination of knowledge, and eventual integration into the Nova Empire's systems as a member planet.
However, according to the Empire's historical archives, Planet Terran lay within the divine realms' jurisdiction and was once home to many powerful ancient gods.
So upon hearing the report, it was only natural for her to assume that George was one of those ancient gods.
"I believe this is a good thing. Our peace treaty with the Kree Empire has been constantly delayed due to interference from Ronan's faction. Now that Ronan is dead, things should go much more smoothly."
One of the high-ranking officials offered his view.
Another official nodded in agreement:
"Supreme Leader, I think we should invite this ancient god to Xandar—partly to express our gratitude, and partly in hopes of gaining a new ally."
"That's exactly what I was thinking."
The Nova Supreme fully supported this suggestion.
The Kree Empire had long desired peace because they were struggling with wars on two fronts—against both the Nova Empire and the Skrulls.
The Nova Empire, while only dealing with the Kree, had suffered heavily due to the power gap. Years of prolonged war had brought them close to their limit. In fact, they likely wanted peace more than the Kree did, so they could recuperate and rebuild.
If they could win over an ancient god like George as an ally, not only would it help end the war more quickly, but it would also significantly enhance the Empire's long-term security.
(End of Chapter)