However, Lock didn't think too much about it. He nodded and said, "This name is very good. It will definitely be heard throughout the galaxy in the future."
Everyone was delighted and applauded.
The name Guardians of the Galaxy was officially confirmed.
With Lock's approval, it would be difficult for him to ignore anything that happened to the Guardians of the Galaxy in the future.
When Nova Prime and her ministers were discussing how to distribute Starcoins to Star-Lord and the others, one of the red-skinned maids bravely stepped forward and said:
"Nova Prime, I don't want Starcoins — may I make a request instead?"
Nova Prime looked at her. "What's your name?"
"My name is Karina, from the Matani tribe."
"Very well. What do you wish to request?"
Karina bowed deeply and said, "My tribe and I are weak, with low status in the galaxy. I wish to ask Nova Prime to accept us — to become a recognized tribe of the Nova Empire."
A minister beside Nova Prime leaned in and quietly explained the situation of the Matani tribe.
The Matani were a gentle, peaceful race, lacking both strength and advanced technology. Their women were known for their beauty, which made them targets for certain interstellar slavers who would raid their villages and sell them on the black market.
Ironically, because they had little special value, their market price was low, so most slavers didn't bother exterminating them entirely.
Karina and her sister had been bought by the Collector — one as a servant, the other kept in a display pod as a specimen.
If not for Lock, both would have perished.
Karina was clever enough to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Rather than take billions in Starcoins, she made the bolder request — to change her people's destiny forever.
Nova Prime thought for a moment. The Nova Empire's territory was vast. Accepting a peaceful, harmless race into their protection posed no problem at all.
Still, she turned to Lock respectfully. "Our Nova Empire can certainly do this. Mr. Lock, what do you think?"
She had to ask carefully — what if the Matani were under divine protection? She could not risk offending a god.
Lock smiled. "Of course. It would be best for them to be under the Nova Empire's protection. I have no objection."
Karina and her sister immediately knelt to the ground, bowing deeply first to Lock and then to Nova Prime.
With the blessing and the protection of the Nova Empire, their people no longer had to fear raids and slaughter from space pirates.
In fact, because Karina and her sister had been part of the mission to save Xandar — and had Lock's favor — their racial status was now higher than many ordinary races within Nova's domain.
The Matani could hardly believe it — two abducted sisters had done nothing more than follow a god for a time, and somehow their entire people had leapt several rungs up the galactic hierarchy.
From this day onward, the Matani would forever have a god to worship.
Finally, it was Lock's turn to receive his reward.
Starcoins were of no real importance to him. What he valued was the gift of a living planet — something that could prove useful for humanity's future.
Nova Prime asked, "Mr. Lock, what kind of planet would you like?"
"Among all habitable planets," she explained, "some are bustling trade worlds, some are rich resource worlds, and some are beautiful but remote tourist worlds."
Lock thought for a moment. "A resource world. Some of my people may move there in the future, so I'd like to see its planetary parameters first."
He needed a resource-rich planet — because one day, when Earth ventured into the stars, what humanity would need most would be raw materials. With resources secured, they could build, expand, and develop among the stars.
By "planetary parameters," he meant gravity, temperature, atmospheric composition, and even the star's radiation profile — ideally, he wanted a planet similar to Earth, so future human settlers wouldn't struggle to adapt.
The Nova Empire's territory was vast. Nova Prime personally screened dozens of planets for Lock.
In the end, he chose a slightly remote resource planet.
Neither Nova Prime nor her ministers felt any loss — in fact, they believed they had profited. As long as the people of this god lived within Nova territory, the Kree would think twice before starting another war.
It was as if they had traded a single planet for the protection of a god — an incredibly worthwhile bargain.
Lock then asked, "By the way, Nova Prime — does Nova's technology allow for the movement of a planet the size of a moon?"
Nova Prime nodded. "Of course. Some natural planets are too close or too far from their star — making them unsuitable for habitation — so we use planetary engines to adjust their orbits and create a stable, habitable environment."
She looked at him curiously. "Are you planning to move a planet? The one you just selected has already been repositioned. If you require further adjustment, we can do that."
Lock shook his head. "No, the resource planet is perfect as it is. I'm talking about Knowhere."
"Knowhere?" Nova Prime's ministers exchanged glances.
"Yes," Lock said calmly. "The Collector gave me Knowhere. I wish to move it into orbit around the resource world, to serve as its moon."
The ministers were stunned. The Collector was not known for generosity — giving away Knowhere was astonishing.
Then again, considering Lock's power, perhaps it wasn't so surprising.
Nova Prime said carefully, "Mr. Lock, moving a planet over such a great distance would take a very long time — over eight centuries. While orbit adjustment is quick, full-scale relocation is extremely slow."
She gestured in the air, and a holographic map appeared. Two points lit up: Knowhere and the chosen planet. A route formed automatically, and the computer calculated the duration — more than 800 years.
Lock was unfazed. "It doesn't matter. Eight hundred years is nothing. My people will live on that planet for millennia. This is not a long time."
Knowhere — the decapitated head of a celestial — continually generated rare resources from the void, making it a renewable treasure trove. Keeping it close ensured those resources were always available and under his protection.
After all, it would still be centuries before Earth was ready to colonize another planet. Even with his help accelerating Earth's progress, it would still take generations before humanity could build wormhole-capable starships.
Yes, he could use the Bifrost to transport some early settlers — but that was not a permanent solution. Humanity needed to take this step itself.
What Lock didn't consider was what the children born on that planet might think of their "moon" — a gigantic, severed head staring down at them with empty eye sockets.
Unlike Earth's bright, gentle moon, this moon would look terrifying in the night sky. Parents might struggle to explain to their children why a god's head hung above them every night — or why gods once cut off each other's heads.
Still, Nova Prime quickly agreed. Moving Knowhere would be troublesome, yes, but if it meant the people of a god would live within Nova territory, the cost was well worth it.
Once Lock's reward had been settled, Nova Prime turned to Star-Lord and said, "By the way, Mr. Star-Lord — your dance just now was truly inspired. It was full of… magic. It saved Xandar at the most critical moment. May I ask where you learned such a thing?"
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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