The Centaurus Galaxy, the Dark Order.
After a series of continuous, uninterrupted space jumps, the spaceship that departed from Sakaar finally arrived at its destination.
The unfamiliar vessel was immediately warned by the guard force the moment it entered the Dark Order's airspace. Only after Woz presented Beckett's identification was it allowed to land smoothly.
"Crashed again, Beckett."
Proxima Midnight, who had also just returned from a mission, watched with amusement as Beckett emerged from the unfamiliar spaceship and teased him.
Within the entire Dark Order, only Proxima Midnight, as a fellow Black Order general, dared to speak to Beckett like this.
Everyone else was either of lower rank or, like Corvus Glaive, had a poor relationship with Beckett, barely managing three sentences after half a day together.
As for Ebony Maw, Beckett had once beaten him up, so they were definitely not on the same page.
"Shut up."
Unable to refute the truth of what Proxima Midnight said, Beckett could only maintain his cool, stoic image as he walked past her legion, receiving countless admiring glances and a roll of Proxima Midnight's eyes.
"Seriously, Beckett, how do you manage to crash your exclusive warship every single time you go out?"
The flagship for Black Order generals undertaking solo missions was a unique configuration within the entire Dark Order. Everyone else was fine; their exclusive warships were like old friends, repaired and maintained to last for years.
Even Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight, who were quite frugal, had never crashed or damaged a single one of their exclusive warships, let alone anyone else.
Originally, all four Black Order generals were thrifty, but after Beckett's sudden appearance, everything changed.
Although his debut was not long ago, the reputation of the Dark Order's number one spendthrift had already spread far and wide. Every deployment meant the crash of an exclusive warship.
Proxima Midnight had thought that Beckett's trip to the auction this time would break his hundred-percent crash record, but she didn't expect him to return piloting someone else's warship.
This meant she had lost to Corvus Glaive in a special bet again and would be at his mercy.
She felt down.
"How did you do it this time?"
"Did you rear-end someone?"
Proxima Midnight sidled up to Beckett, who was filling out handover procedures, and asked curiously.
She was truly unwilling to lose to Corvus Glaive like this.
She should have been the one in control of the bet.
She had been so confident about this gamble beforehand, but upon returning from a mission, she saw Beckett piloting someone else's warship again.
"Get lost!" Beckett's face darkened.
So what if he crashed?
Did he want to?
Besides, it wasn't like they couldn't afford it; the Dark Order certainly wasn't lacking in materials to build warships for him.
"Next time you use me for a bet, I'll make you both pay!" He shot Proxima Midnight a cold glare. After signing the handover procedures in the port office, Beckett walked directly towards the direction of the base.
Did they really think he knew nothing?
Honestly, those two fools.
Beckett couldn't understand why the usually stern and powerful Corvus Glaive would indulge Proxima Midnight's antics.
If it were him, he would have already thrown punches.
Like Hela—
Hmm? Wait, why did I think of her?
Shaking his head, Beckett cleared his scattered thoughts and stepped into the Dark Order base.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would likely not have any further interactions with Hela or Jennifer.
He would continue to strive to achieve his father's ideals as soon as possible.
"Ah, his personality seems a little cuter than before." Gazing at Beckett's receding back, Proxima Midnight's lips curved into a curious arc.
If it were the old Beckett, he wouldn't have said so much to her. Being able to get a "get lost" back was already a concession he made out of respect for Thanos.
She began to wonder what had happened to Beckett.
"Father."
Inside the Dark Order base, Beckett, dressed in a loose black combat suit, knelt on one knee and respectfully saluted the figure facing away from him on the throne.
"Welcome home, Beckett." Thanos, who was gazing at the star chart, turned around. His eyes were filled with a fatherly smile.
"I'm sorry, Father."
"I lost the Reality Stone."
After saluting, Beckett did not stand up as usual. Instead, he lowered his head and confessed his mistake during the mission to his adoptive father, Thanos.
Collecting the Infinity Stones had always been Thanos's goal, yet he had gone and lost the Reality Stone.
Therefore, facing Thanos, Beckett appeared very self-reproachful.
"Is that so?"
The vast royal palace fell silent for a moment, until Thanos himself broke the tranquil atmosphere.
Beckett heard his adoptive father's disappointment in him.
"Do you remember what I told you, Beckett?"
The smile at the corner of Thanos's eyes gradually disappeared. His calm words, however, carried an imposing aura that demanded respect.
"Don't let pride blind your eyes."
"But tell me, facing Ego, did you manage to do that?"
With his hands clasped behind his back, Thanos, standing before the throne, gazed down at Beckett, who was kneeling on one knee. Behind him, a holographic planetary map floated.
"Father, how did you know—" Upon hearing this, Beckett suddenly looked up, only to be interrupted by Thanos's angry voice.
"Tell me, Beckett!"
His deep voice boomed like thunder across the Dark Order. Beckett lowered his head. "No, I did not."
"But, Father, my strength—"
"Since you know, then report to the place of punishment yourself."
Beckett's words were again cut off by Thanos, whose face was cold.
This was the first time since Beckett had gone on a mission alone that his adoptive father, Thanos, had sent him to the place of punishment.
"Beckett, I'm not angry this time because of the Reality Stone, but because of the pride and ignorance in your bones!"
"I hope you understand that you won't always be lucky enough to escape danger."
"If it weren't for the Great Sage Gubo of Xandar, do you think you could have held on until your power broke through and grew?"
After his anger, Thanos's tone became calm.
Beckett remained silent.
"Your strength is great, and your growth speed is beyond my imagination. But it is precisely because of this that the arrogance brought by great power has begun to take root in your character."
"Perhaps I haven't criticized you in a long time. Once you enter the place of punishment, you are not allowed to leave without my permission."
"...I understand, Father."
Beckett nodded, turned, and left.
"Lord Thanos, why treat Beckett like this?" After Beckett left, Ebony Maw emerged from the shadows of the royal palace, not quite understanding Thanos's actions.
Beckett's expressionless departure indicated that he was only outwardly agreeing with what Thanos had said.
Ebony Maw believed that if Thanos had claimed to have already killed Ego and avenged him, Beckett would not have had that expression just now.
Thanos, seated on the throne, cast a cold glance at Ebony Maw. The latter immediately bowed in greeting, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"I'm sorry! Lord Thanos!"
"You may leave." After a long pause, Ebony Maw, having received Thanos's reply, finally breathed a sigh of relief and quietly exited the base, leaving Thanos alone on the throne, contemplating the star map before him.
"Pride will eventually be your downfall, Beckett..."
Thank you for the tip [Ye Zi Bo Tao]~
-----------
Translation by: randomtranslator.com
Read 2500+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: randomtranslator.com