"For something."
Anton said, "The Orb, or rather, the Power Stone."
He didn't hide the truth because he had enough reasons to persuade Carol to agree.
"The Orb."
Carol was stunned, her expression turning serious in an instant.
Beside her, Nick Fury looked completely baffled.
"What is the Orb? And what do you mean by the Power Stone?"
Nick Fury had only recently left Earth. Compared to the vast universe, he was still just a country bumpkin.
He was unfamiliar with many of the legends and events circulating across the cosmos, so he had never heard of this ancient tale.
"The Infinity Stones are the most supreme artifacts in the entire universe, and the Power Stone is one of the six Infinity Stones—unique and unparalleled."
Carol lowered her voice and explained solemnly, "Many believe the Infinity Stones are just myths, but there are also many who know that they truly exist.
It is said that if one gathers all six Infinity Stones and forges the Infinity Gauntlet, they can achieve anything they desire."
"Wait… Infinity Stones…"
Something seemed to click in Nick Fury mind as he suddenly turned to the Superman-like figure before him, just as he was about to speak.
"That right, the Tesseract is one of the six Infinity Stones—the Space Stone."
Anton stated calmly.
"No, not just the Tesseract. There also Loki scepter."
Nick Fury had experienced the Battle of New York firsthand.
S.H.I.E.L.D. once obtained Loki scepter, and because of that, the Avengers fell into chaos. Except for Captain America, everyone else was manipulated by Loki.
It was a disgrace to S.H.I.E.L.D. and an even greater humiliation for Nick Fury.
"That was the Mind Stone."
Anton didn't hide anything and added with a smile, "Currently, both the Space Stone and the Mind Stone are under the control of the Justice League."
"You've already secured two Infinity Stones…"
Carol pupils contracted.
Having traveled across the universe for so many years, she understood better than anyone just how incredible it was to collect two Infinity Stones.
Even that cosmic warlord, who had publicly declared his intention and offered massive bounties to obtain the Infinity Stones—the Titan, Thanos—had never possessed two of them at once…
Moreover, Carol had recently received some information.
That immensely powerful cosmic warlord, the Titan Thanos, had struck a secret deal with Ronan the Accuser of the Kree Empire.
And that deal was specifically for the Power Stone.
There was no need to ask how Carol Danvers had learned of this.
As a sworn enemy of the Kree Empire, Carol always kept track of their movements.
Not to mention, when the Kree invaded Earth in the last century, the one leading the charge was none other than Ronan.
They were old foes.
There was no way Carol wouldn't be aware of Ronan actions.
"You're planning to collect all six Infinity Stones… just like Thanos?"
Carol widened her eyes at the Superman-like figure before her, her expression filled with disbelief.
"You could say that," Anton replied. "But above all, it about vengeance."
"Vengeance?"
Carol frowned. "What does collecting the Infinity Stones have to do with vengeance?"
"You've probably heard Nick Fury talk about the Battle of New York."
Anton said calmly, "You only know that the Battle of New York was caused by Loki from Asgard, but you don't know who ordered him to invade Earth…
Who was working with Loki? The Chitauri are quite well-known across the universe—you must know who they take orders from."
"The Chitauri…"
Carol was suddenly enlightened. She murmured, "Thanos. It was him… He worked with Loki to invade Earth—for the Tesseract, the Space Stone."
"That right."
Anton nodded. "This is vengeance. Taking the Power Stone from Thanos—whatever he plans to do, he won't succeed. This is my revenge. And Earth retaliation against him."
"Besides, Thanos recently made a deal with Ronan the Accuser, having him retrieve the Power Stone… I won't even mention your long-standing conflict with the Kree… But tell me, have you ever even considered making peace with them?"
Anton looked into Carol eyes, his gaze deep and piercing, as if he could see through her every thought.
"..."
Silence.
Once again, Carol fell into deep thought.
Without a doubt, the Superman-like figure before her had convinced her.
Her feud with the Kree had spanned over a decade, nearly twenty years. They were irreconcilable enemies.
Besides, Ronan was an extremely petty man.
If she could sabotage his plans and at the same time strike back at Thanos, who had once harmed Earth, it would be a win-win—killing two birds with one stone.
As for earning Ronan hatred and Thanos wrath…
That was irrelevant.
After years of roaming the cosmos, Carol had gained quite a reputation as an unyielding force, particularly among the Kree enemies. Many knew of her and feared her strength.
"I'll agree to your request, but I have one last question."
After a brief moment of contemplation, countless thoughts flashed through Carol mind. She agreed immediately but then asked,
"What makes you so sure you can beat the Kree and Thanos to the Power Stone? That you can get to it before them?"
"Because I know exactly where the Power Stone is."
Anton replied, "And as far as I know, no one else has discovered it yet. As long as we move first, the Power Stone will be ours."
"Where is it?"
Carol eyes widened.
"Morag."
Anton said, "However, while I know the Power Stone is there, I don't have the exact coordinates of Morag.
As you know, in this universe, no organization has a more detailed star map than the Ravagers."
The Ravagers were spread across the entire galaxy, with influence spanning multiple star systems.
Their internal communication and trust were unmatched by any other faction.
Just as Anton had said, no one possessed a more comprehensive cosmic map than the Ravagers.
Morag was a lost civilization.
Carol had never even heard of the planet, let alone its exact coordinates.
She immediately understood why Anton wanted to hire the Ravagers.
It was indeed the most efficient way.
"How much do you need? Would a hundred thousand credits be enough?"
Carol snapped back to reality, confirming that the plan was feasible. She nodded and said, "I know people in the Ravagers. I can make the arrangements."
"In that case, I'll leave it to you."
Anton shrugged. "I have no ties with the Ravagers, so it better if you make contact."
Pausing for a moment, he added, "Remember, the fact that the Power Stone is on Morag isn't a well-kept secret.
Ronan and Thanos could learn about it at any moment. We need to move fast—otherwise, things could get complicated."
"Understood."
Carol nodded. "I'll handle it."
With that, she immediately activated her communicator and contacted a nearby member of the Ravagers.
Within minutes, they were approached by a red-skinned alien woman who bore a striking resemblance to a human.
As she stepped into the bar, her eyes instantly landed on Carol. She smiled and greeted her.
"Carol, long time no see. I never thought I'd see the day when you'd need the Ravagers."
With that, the red-skinned woman casually sat down beside Anton, who had taken on the form of Superman.
Her eyes sparkled with interest as she leaned close to him, her seemingly delicate body pressing against his. She spoke in a teasing, flirtatious tone.
"Oh, you look so strong…"
"Cut the crap," Carol interrupted. "I have a job for you—one hundred thousand credits to find a location for me."
Carol spoke firmly, leaving no room for negotiation. "I don't have time to waste. Have your leader come speak with me directly."
"One hundred thousand credits?"
The red-skinned alien woman froze for a moment, staring at Carol with a look of surprise. "Since when were you this generous?"
In the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, after Star-Lord attempted to keep the Orb—the Power Stone—for himself, Yondu placed a bounty on his head worth forty thousand credits. That amount alone was enough to get the Ravagers full attention.
A hundred thousand credits? That was a fortune.
At the very least, spending that much just to find a single location…
That was definitely the kind of move only someone with serious money would make.
Unless, of course, the place in question was a death trap.
That said, for the Ravagers, even if it was a death trap, as long as the price was right, they'd find a way to haul out the dragons and tigers and let you waltz right in.
"Which Ravager crews are nearby?"
Suddenly, Anton spoke up. "List them for me."
"Uh…"
Sensing that this job was far from simple, the red-skinned woman dropped her playful demeanor. She slowly answered, "Charlie-27, Yondu, Stakar Ogord… Their teams are all stationed nearby."
"Yondu."
Hearing the name he was looking for, Anton kept his expression neutral and said calmly, "Tell Yondu crew to come see me."
"Yondu?"
The red-skinned woman smirked and nodded. "That easy. I happen to know one of his crew members pretty well…"
She paused mid-sentence, then glanced at the trio in front of her—
Superman. Carol Danvers. And Nick Fury.
"Speaking of which…"
She looked slightly surprised. "That guy looks a lot like you. You're not from the same species, are you?"
"Same species?"
Carol and Nick Fury exchanged surprised looks.
Anton raised an eyebrow, studying the red-skinned alien woman in front of him. He had just realized who she was.
At the same time, he also figured out who her so-called "acquaintance" was.
Star-Lord.
And this red-skinned alien woman, while merely a background character, was someone who had briefly appeared before.
Back when Star-Lord stole the Orb—the Power Stone—from Morag and escaped in his ship, she had been shown as one of his bedmates.
Even though she was just a minor character, the fact that she had slept with Star-Lord seemed to explain why he later found himself drawn to Gamora, who had green skin.
This peculiar preference had already been subtly hinted at in the opening scenes of the movie.
Details.
It all about the details.
…
A moment later.
The bar door swung open, and a tall, muscular man stepped inside. He wore the standard Ravager uniform, a blaster holstered at his waist.
His eyes immediately landed on his lover—
And then on the man beside her, who looked exactly like him.
"Shit!"
Star-Lord blurted out in shock.
His usual carefree posture straightened as his gaze swept past the red-skinned woman and locked onto Anton, Carol, and Nick Fury.
"You guys look exactly like me. Are you all from Earth? Are you humans?"
"Wait a minute—I've only been away from Earth for a little over a decade, and now you guys are out here traveling through space? Since when did Earth get this advanced?"
"You must be human! I've finally met people from home!"
Star-Lord excitement was evident. "Hey, I love Redbone music! That my favorite band! Do they still make new songs?"
"Well… most of them are probably enjoying their retirement by now. It been years since anyone heard anything new from them."
Nick Fury shrugged.
As a band that was active in the 1970s, both Nick Fury and Carol, who had regained her memories, were familiar with Redbone.
From Earth's perspective, they were no longer young.
As for Anton, he knew very little about Redbone. In his time, the band had long been outdated.
"Alright, let's get to business."
Anton said, "We have a job that requires the help of the Ravagers."
"Go on."
Star-Lord readily nodded. "Since we're fellow Earthlings, I can give you a discount. But don't expect too much—my discounts aren't that generous."
"One hundred thousand credits to help us locate a place."
Anton glanced at Carol and said flatly, "Of course, if you can retrieve something from that place for us, we're willing to pay you even more."
"Oh?"
Star-Lord raised an eyebrow. "You guys from Earth are this rich now?"
One hundred thousand credits was no small sum.
Even he was a little surprised by the deal.
"Tell me, what are you looking for?"
Star-Lord patted his chest. "Forget about our shared origin—just for that amount of money, I'll make sure the job gets done."
"Morag. We're looking for an artifact called the Orb."
Anton thought for a moment and held up his fist. "It about this size."
"You're asking me to find a fist-sized sphere on an entire planet?"
Star-Lord froze and stared suspiciously at Superman. "You're not joking, are you?"
"Of course not."
As he spoke, Anton pulled out a scanner that resembled a pointer. "Once you reach Morag, activate this scanner—it will help you locate the Orb."
"No problem, I'll take the job."
Star-Lord nodded, took the scanner from Anton, confirmed contact details with Carol, and then left the bar in a hurry.
One hundred thousand credits—enough for him to enjoy life for quite a while.
Of course, he had no intention of sharing this deal with Yondu and the others.
Morag...
Star-Lord could easily use his own connections to locate the planet and pocket the hundred thousand credits for himself.
As she watched him leave, Carol frowned slightly.
"Are you sure he can get the job done?"
She sounded doubtful. "That guy doesn't exactly seem reliable."
"Don't worry."
Anton smiled. "There's no one better suited for this job than him."