Though Ronan was deeply displeased, he also knew he was no match for Thanos. Unaware that two members of the Black Order had already fallen, Ronan even felt that he might not necessarily win in a one-on-one fight against every member of the Black Order. At the very least, against powerful opponents like Corvus Glaive and Supergiant, Ronan had no certainty of victory.
And there was still a tremendous gap between the strength of the Black Order and Thanos. Since Ronan could not even defeat Thanos's Black Order, he naturally did not think he could stand against Thanos himself.
If Thanos had truly been that easy to deal with, he would never have carved out such a fearsome reputation across the universe, frightening numerous empires and interstellar civilizations into ceasefires and vigilance, and even prompting many civilizations to join forces in preparation to resist his inhuman slaughter.
So in the end, Ronan compromised. While searching for information about the Orb, he also began looking for a suitable planet to strike.
If possible, Ronan would have very much liked to slaughter every living being on a planet outright. That way, he would leave behind no handles or clues, and no one would come looking for trouble with him. They would only think that Thanos, who had temporarily stayed his hand before, had grown even more insane.
Unfortunately, Thanos would not let Ronan do that. Ronan understood what Thanos meant. That planet would be a pledge of allegiance, a pledge marking the complete cooperation between Thanos and Ronan.
"I'll just pick any planet. Preferably one that hasn't reached an interstellar level..." Ronan's eyes flickered slightly as he calculated inwardly. "Honestly, Earth seems like a decent choice. If I really attacked Earth, would that madwoman Carol fight Thanos? Hm... Forget it. Earth is