The First Time Is Free

"You should just give up. There's no way you can take me out of here while surrounded by the Accuser Corps."

Outside the warship, Astra had an H91 Planet specialty dangling from his lips. He stretched lazily amid the swirling smoke, loosening his muscles as he watched the robotic cat install the warship's self-destruct program. He shook his head.

No one could escape the Kree Empire's vast net, not even Beckett, Thanos's son. Unless Thanos came in person—but that would mean the Dark Order had formally declared war on the Kree Empire.

Would the Dark Order really start an interstellar war with the Kree Empire because of him?

Astra did not think he was that important. He knew his own worth. The secrets he carried might be useful to Thanos, but they were certainly not worth Thanos launching an interstellar war against the Kree Empire.

The risks and rewards were completely disproportionate. The Kree Empire was no soft lump of dough for Thanos to knead as he pleased.

"Shut your mouth, Beardy. Do not compare His Highness Beckett to the worthless fools you have seen before." As Beckett's loyal subordinate, The Other shot Astra a vicious glare for his sarcasm. The glow atop the Azure Scepter had dimmed somewhat compared to before.

"Data purge complete. Self-destruct program concealed. Activate stealth mode immediately?"

"Activate it."

After pressing his fingerprint onto the holographic screen before him, Woz, having received authorization, immediately transformed into a silver-white bracelet around Beckett's right wrist. The enormous warship slowly vanished before Beckett and the others. Beckett had not deliberately erased the traces of his warship's crash landing here.

"Move."

Without the slightest hesitation, he abandoned the small battleship that had followed him through countless campaigns. His cold gaze turned toward the city in the distance, which had nearly become ruins. He summoned a holographic screen from the bracelet and began planning a route.

Now, he needed to find a brand-new warship—or another aircraft capable of space jumps.

In this unfamiliar place, Beckett chose to save time by setting his sights on Space Pirate Diana, one of the Seven Leaders who ruled this region.

As one of the seven most powerful figures on all of N52 Planet, Diana, who had risen from the ranks of space pirates, certainly possessed a vehicle capable of space jumps.

"Woz is planning a route for you..."

"Insufficient current road data..."

Unfortunately, Woz could not directly map out a specific route this time. The database established by Ebony Maw contained little detailed information about N52 Planet. The fact that it contained information on the Seven Leaders at all already showed how thorough Ebony Maw had been.

"His Highness Beckett, Woz needs to connect to N52 Planet's information network to obtain the latest traffic data."

The page on the holographic screen kept spinning and failed to load. Lacking detailed information, Woz provided a location where it could obtain what it needed—the information tower.

The information towers were landmark structures on N52 Planet and hubs for communication among the Seven Leaders. There was one in every leader's territory. They were said to have been made by Black Bolt, one of the Seven Leaders. As long as Woz could enter an information tower, it could obtain all the data it needed, including the precise locations of the Seven Leaders.

On the map, Woz had already scanned the location of an information tower and mapped out a route. The Other, holding the Azure Scepter and carrying the Casket of Ancient Winters on his back, hurried after Beckett. Astra, who had pulled another small bottle of Blue Dream from his waist pouch, burped and leisurely followed behind.

Since he could not escape, he might as well learn to enjoy the moment. Astra had always been good at keeping himself in high spirits.

"So this city really isn't a ruin..."

As The Other followed Beckett into the city, he stared at the various entertainment venues lining both sides of the street, his vicious face filled with curiosity. Female aliens of every kind displayed their unique charms beneath the hazy lights at the entrances, hoping to empty the wallets of those desperate criminals.

Every passerby received their calls—or rather, his or her calls.

The Other was a little unsure whether they were on the right road, but after glancing at Beckett, who remained unmoved by everything around him, he swallowed his question. Unlike the puzzled The Other, Astra, who had spent years frequenting places like this, was entirely at home here.

His messy beard, wild muscles, and ferocious gaze—everything about him made the burly man look like a wealthy patron out looking for fun.

"I'm telling you, back in the day, on Planet L77, I was also—"

Seeing that Astra was about to linger outside a shop and launch into a grand retelling of his glorious past, Beckett stopped. His icy gaze made Astra, who had been speaking endlessly, abruptly fall silent.

"Ahem. I'm just standing at the door. I'm not going in, not going in."

Astra coughed twice, though there was not the slightest hint of embarrassment on his face.

"You three must be visiting N52 Star for the first time, right?" The girl, long accustomed to such scenes, freely showed off her graceful figure before Beckett.

Even when she saw The Other's fearsome face, the female alien, who had spent who knew how long struggling in the world of business, showed no abnormal reaction.

"If it's your first time, why not come in and have some fun? The first time is free."

"Really?!" Astra's eyes widened. The female alien, with black hair, golden eyes, pale skin, and a fluffy tail behind her, smiled sweetly.

"I can't guarantee it elsewhere, but here, I can guarantee it with my hand on my chest. And if you need it, we can also provide three days of guide service to help you quickly adapt to this free, open, and chaotic planet."

"Of course, the guide service costs money. We have to make a living too. But trust me, if you hire us, you'll definitely get your money's worth."

The female alien smiled brightly. People like Beckett, who still needed to follow a map, had always been the favorite targets of girls like them. Especially since the silver armor Beckett wore was obviously valuable. If she closed this deal, she would make a small fortune at the very least.

"You know this planet well?"

The female alien beamed. Just as she had expected, newcomers arriving on N52 Star for the first time were always desperate for a guide.

"Of course. I've lived here for forty years."

"Where is Diana?"

"What?" The female alien froze.

"You're looking for me?"

Could it be that one of her enemies had finally come looking for her after a hundred and thirty years?