Thanos's Gift

In the year 2233 of the Cosmic Calendar, Beckett, the youngest adopted son under Thanos—the Dark Order Lord and last survivor of the Titan race—formally took command of Chitauri Prime with Thanos's approval.

The current Chitauri King, The Other, cast aside the dignity of a king and willingly groveled at Beckett's feet, acknowledging him as his master and lavishing him with flattery. Under the tireless efforts of the Chitauri soldiers, a magnificent palace rose from the ground. In just three days, the supplies allocated by Thanos had moved the Chitauri, who had always been neglected and left to fend for themselves, beyond words.

When had they ever enjoyed basic resource provisions without having to fight a war?

With a mighty tree to lean on, life became easier. They had finally experienced the bitterness and hardship behind those words. Why had the previous Chitauri King painstakingly sought growth and progress? Wasn't it because Chitauri Prime was poor, indirectly preventing the Chitauri race from making great strides forward?

Chitauri Prime's climate had always been harsh. Its terrible geographical conditions and scarce energy resources had long weighed like a mountain upon the previous Chitauri King's chest. Yes, they were half-mechanical, half-biological beings, but that did not mean they could survive in the universe without any resources at all. Even the Eternals could not achieve that, much less the Chitauri, a race whose life form was comparatively inferior to that of the Titans.

For survival, for development, for resources, after leading his people through a period of miserable existence, the previous Chitauri King could no longer suppress his desperate desire to improve. He began provoking wars everywhere, using them to seize vast amounts of resources for his race's evolution.

Theoretically, the former Chitauri King's idea had been sound. Unfortunately, he had failed to recognize the immovable obstacle that was Thanos. In the end, not only did he die in the wilderness, but his entire race was also packaged up and handed over to Thanos by the traitor, The Other.

"Your Highness Beckett, this batch is the last of the supplies on the list." The delighted The Other was still directing Chitauri soldiers to carry supplies from the transport ships into the resource warehouses one item at a time. The instant he saw Beckett appear at the entrance, he set down the list and hurried over.

Beckett was not wearing his silver combat armor today. A simple black training outfit concealed his sharply defined muscles, while the beads of sweat dripping from his forehead clearly told The Other that he had just emerged from the temporary training grounds.

Beckett neither confirmed nor denied it. Without slowing in the slightest, he walked straight toward the resource transport ship.

"Your Highness Beckett—"

"Shut up." Beckett stopped and cast a cold sidelong glance at The Other, who had been following closely behind him. Startled, The Other forcibly swallowed the words that had reached his lips. He had no doubt that if he said one more word, the steel-hard tail behind Beckett would mercilessly pierce his chest.

Only after the annoying fly fell silent did Beckett resume walking and board the flagship of the transport fleet. The Other, determined to cling tightly to Beckett, followed him aboard. As he boarded, he also ordered the Chitauri soldiers inside to disappear at once and not get in His Highness Beckett's way.

Beckett saw it all, but his stern face showed no change whatsoever. He had learned this from his adoptive father, Thanos: as one in a position of power, keeping one's emotions hidden was the bare minimum. A qualified ruler had to grant favors to subordinates while also making them afraid. Combining grace and authority was the true path of a king.

Thanos had not taught Beckett how to strike that balance. He had merely told him to grasp it himself. In Thanos's eyes, this too was cultivation—a form of cultivation beneficial to Beckett.

Even the daughter of that warmonger from Asgard could independently lead an army to victory in war. As Thanos's most satisfactory adopted son, Beckett naturally could not fall too far behind. Though the two were usually in separate spheres and rarely crossed paths, Thanos, with a father's pride, did not believe his Beckett was inferior to that Hela in any way.

"Your Highness Beckett, what is this...?"

The Other followed Beckett into the main hold, raised his head to look at the colossal object filling his vision, and could not suppress his curiosity as he spoke.

The Other was no ignorant bumpkin, but this thing that looked like a cannon yet not quite like one truly baffled him. After all, he had never seen a gun emplacement capable of firing an artificial little moon.

More precisely, its muzzle first fired streams of light formed from a special substance, and those streams then intertwined in midair to create a full moon. Cool moonlight scattered in mottled patches across every corner of the transport ship. Then, The Other suddenly felt an energy fluctuation beside him that made his heart tremble. Turning around, he saw that the terrifying fluctuation was emanating from Beckett!

So it was artificial after all?

Feeling the surging energy within his body, Beckett opened his eyes. His gaze locked onto the little moon in the air as he struggled to suppress the impact of his violent emotions. Two seconds later, Beckett, whose body had already changed, reached out and shut off the machine. The artificial moon vanished with it.

Though its enhancement was not as strong as that of a real full moon, it was still acceptable. At the very least, it meant that whenever Beckett wanted, he could transform anytime and anywhere without any further restrictions.

This was Thanos's gift to Beckett, a gift to celebrate his formal assumption of command. It was highly practical.

"Just an item that amplifies strength." Beckett, whose body had returned to normal, glanced at The Other and replied. The Other had not expected Beckett to answer and was overjoyed.

His Highness Beckett had answered him. That meant he still held at least some status in His Highness Beckett's heart; he was not just an insignificant nobody.

"Congratulations, Your Highness Beckett." Unable to flatter Thanos due to his low rank, The Other had completely resolved to become the number one bootlicker under Beckett. He immediately bowed to Beckett, his delighted tone utterly sincere. After all, the stronger Beckett became, the more benefits and fewer drawbacks there would be for him.

This time, The Other, whose mouth was sweet as honey, did not chatter on endlessly. Having learned his lesson, he said nothing more after his brief congratulations.

"Have someone carry this machine onto my warship. Woz, take him to my warship."

"Yes, Your Highness Beckett." A blue Tanuki Robot projected itself before The Other, dragging its round body along. Its honest, adorable face left The Other deeply surprised.

I never expected His Highness Beckett to be so... childlike?

"Woz...?" After Beckett left, The Other looked down at the honest, adorable blue Tanuki Robot and carefully considered his words.

The belief that clinging to Beckett meant indirectly clinging to Thanos's thick thigh had become deeply ingrained in The Other's mind. Naturally, he paid particular attention to this robotic cat that was clearly trusted by Beckett.

Who knew what this cat even was?

"Lord The Other, may I ask if you have any questions?"

You there, the one who said I used public funds for erotic massages—come here and let me give you a buff!

Slander!

Someone as pure as me has grown up without even holding a young lady's hand! (◣д◢)

Wait?? Did Qidian bug out??? I updated, but it isn't showing up, and why are the clicks at -1?? Did the server crash?