The Grandmaster's Secret Laboratory

The meal with the Grandmaster was a pleasant one, with the Grandmaster showing great interest and appreciation for Xia Yu's almost rigidly crafted elegance.

However, neither of them mentioned the Infinity Stones at all.

After extending a friendly invitation to Xia Yu to reside in his palace, the Grandmaster personally escorted Xia Yu onto the spaceship.

What do you think of him?

Xia Yu left, the Grandmaster asked Topaz was standing beside him.

Do you want to hear the truth?

"Certainly!"

"His behavior disgusts me more than yours. It's so pretentious. How many pieces of meat to cut, what kind of knife to use, what kind of glass to use for different kinds of wine—if that's the case, I'd rather not eat."

The Grandmaster couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Topaz, you know what? Maybe I should consider adding something elegant, something related to art, like music, to your genetic sequence."

"What Xia Yu said is the true symbol of status. We can't eat like those scavengers, just stuffing food into our mouths and that's it. It's a symbol of status, that's right. I should learn from him."

"The Grandmaster said excitedly."

Xia Yu's behavior led him to discover a golden path and a new pursuit.

Every move he made exuded elegance and nobility; this was exactly what he should be doing.

Now it was Topaz's turn to roll his eyes.

"I have no interest in things that don't increase combat power, sir. If possible, I would like to have some Zerg genes added to my body, which would increase my defense by at least 50%."

Perhaps he had touched on something that interested him, because Topaz started gesturing wildly and even pinching his own skin.

"I don't want you to turn into a giant worm and stay by my side, or grow disgusting tentacles or something. That would ruin my appetite. That's not what I wanted to talk about. God, what I meant was, what do you think of Xia Yu? That person, his strength, something about him."

The Grandmaster Venerable finally got back to the point and asked the question again.

"I'm sorry, sir, he disgusted me, and I didn't pay much attention to him. However, he seems quite strong. Do you need him to participate in the Contest of Champions in the arena? I can go and bring him back right now."

Topaz said without hesitation.

No! No! No!

The Grandmaster waved his hands repeatedly.

"He's far more valuable than a Champion. I smell the Infinity Stones, and more than one. I need to observe him closely to see what makes him different from others, including, of course, his elegant demeanor."

The Grandmaster spoke in his usual tone, but a fleeting glint of fierce cunning in his eyes made Topaz take a step back.

Although he disliked Xia Yu's behavior, Topaz couldn't help but pray for Xia Yu.

The Grandmaster hadn't looked at anyone with that kind of gaze in countless years. Others might not know, but Topaz knew it—it was the Grandmaster's true nature.

Xia Yu was unaware that the Grandmaster had already begun plotting against him. The very next day, he moved into the Grandmaster's palace with Little Tate.

The Grandmaster Venerable held a grand welcome party for Xia Yu, including a sumptuous dinner and a Xia Yu contest inside the palace. However, the contest was clearly mainly for creating an atmosphere and for entertainment.

Neither side fought to the death.

Xia Yu didn't recognize either of the two fighters, and there were no Stone Man or Scissor Hands from the movies; they were probably just random passersby.

During the conversation, Xia Yu asked about the Contest of Champions.

Grandmaster stated that the previous Champion had served in his arena for over ten years, and out of gratitude for his contributions, he had released him.

He's been racking his brains lately because there haven't been any strong gladiators in the arena.

Hayden had previously told Xia Yu that once a gladiator came to Sakaar, he would be the private property of Grandmaster for life.

Xia Yu didn't believe that the Grandmaster would be so kind as to let people leave; it seemed there was something fishy going on.

Judging by the timeline, it's roughly the same time when Hulk arrives in Sakaar in the movie.

It seems that Hulk filled the Champion void, remaining undefeated in the arena until Thor's arrival, which finally led to an ultimate Contest of Champions.

However, Xia Yu had one question.

Logically, gladiatorial arenas are usually for profit.

Judging from the movies, Hulk held the Champion for several years in a row.

Xia Yu asked others, and they said that after the Champion is determined, the gladiatorial matches that follow do not accept bets; only tickets are sold.

Normally, the Grandmaster would only step in to manage the game when equally matched opponents were competing.

Although the movie portrays Hulk as Sakaar superstar, with tickets and merchandise everywhere.

However, Sakaar is entirely under the Grandmaster's control. If the goal is merely to amass wealth and attract more resources from outsiders, this shouldn't be the case.

If it wasn't to make money, what was his purpose?

Xia Yu felt that in the days leading up to Thor and his group's arrival, he should thoroughly investigate the Grandmaster's background.

As a dignified Elders of the Universe and a member of the Celestials, Xia Yu did not believe that the two brothers, the Grandmaster and the Collector, would behave as incompetently as they do in movies.

It would be best to contact the Valkyrie; after all, she has been in Sakaar for so many years and surely understands the situation better.

After the banquet, Xia Yu lay in bed pondering these questions.

Meanwhile, the Grandmaster, who was quite drunk, was being accompanied by Topaz to the secret laboratory beneath the palace.

This laboratory was built by the Grandmaster himself, and all the workers who participated in its creation were killed to silence them. Apart from the Grandmaster and Topaz, no one knew that there was a huge laboratory beneath this palace.

At this moment, a set of gene sequences is being displayed on the computer screen of the laboratory's main control console.

This is Xia Yu's genetic sequence.

Topaz watched coldly from the sidelines, completely unable to understand what this meant.

The Grandmaster, however, had eyes shining brightly, as if he wanted to kiss Xia Yu's genome on the screen.

"What perfect genes! This is the most perfect thing I've seen in years. All the previous Champions are just crap compared to him."

The Grandmaster gestured wildly as he spoke to Topaz.

"I'm sorry, I used the wrong words again. I meant Xia Yu's genes are even more perfect than those of Celestial. If he can be my test subject, Topaz, you will become even more powerful than Celestial."

"But the data is insufficient. This is only the result from the detector. Damn it, he didn't shed a single hair all night? Not even a dandruff dandruff?"

Topaz was quite interested in becoming stronger.

"Should I go and arrest him now, sir?"

"No! He's more powerful than we think. Don't alert him easily. Observe him closely. I can already smell the Infinity Stones on him, Topaz. Do you know what that means?"

As Grandmaster continued talking to himself, he couldn't help but stick out his tongue and lick Xia Yu's gene sequence on the screen.