The Collector

The next day

Just as expected, Stark Industries' stock price suffered a cliff-like plunge.

After the drop caused by Tony's kidnapping, the press conference had restored the confidence of United States investors with Tony's return.

After all, that was Tony Stark.

But—

What the people of the United States had not expected was that—

Tony announced at the press conference that Stark Industries would no longer manufacture or sell weapons.

Cries of despair rang across the United States, and rooftops everywhere were packed with people who had lost all hope.

Qin Yi rarely took a car to the Stark Industries Building, the old headquarters where the press conference had been held, which was not very tall.

When Qin Yi reached the door to Tony's office,

he heard Obadiah Stane and Tony arguing inside.

"Tony, if we don't sell weapons, what are we supposed to sell? Baby bottles?"

Tony shrugged and lounged indifferently in his office chair.

When Qin Yi pushed open the door and entered,

Stane immediately broke into a smile.

"Well, look who it is. My dear Qin, it's been far too long since I last saw you."

After exchanging greetings,

Stane solemnly said to Qin Yi again,

"Qin, talk some sense into Tony. Stark Industries' stock has already fallen by half today. If this keeps up, Howard's life's work will be gone."

Qin Yi patted Stane on the shoulder.

"Let him rest for a while. Maybe in a few days, he'll come around again."

Stane nodded, then smiled at Qin Yi again.

"Qin, when you have time, go see Zack. You and Tony never take him out to have fun. That brat spends every day in nightclubs now."

Qin Yi nodded and watched Obadiah Stane turn and leave.

That ambitious fellow was quite good at seizing opportunities.

When Uncle Howard was still around,

he had diligently assisted Howard, and the two of them had rapidly developed Stark Industries together.

After Uncle Howard retired,

he had not displayed much ambition either. Perhaps he understood what Howard meant to the shareholders of Stark Industries.

During the two years since Uncle Howard's death,

Obadiah Stane had swiftly gained the trust of some shareholders. It might also have had something to do with Tony not putting much effort into weapons development during this period.

As a Stark Industries shareholder himself, Stane had developed ambitions of replacing Tony.

After arranging weapons negotiations with the United States military at a base in Afghanistan, he contacted the bald minor leader of the Ten Rings, intending to have Tony killed in Afghanistan.

However, he had not expected Tony and Bucky to easily defeat the Ten Rings terrorists. If Wenwu of the Ten Rings had not intervened, they would never have been able to kidnap the two of them.

But Wenwu did not want to kill them.

After dragging things out for more than three months,

he learned from the bald minor leader that Tony had built an iron suit in a cave and escaped. Before heading to Afghanistan, he decided to try persuading Tony one more time.

"Qin, why did you suddenly come to my office? I remember the last time you came was when you took me to Kamar-Taj."

Tony sat in his chair, lost in memories.

Qin Yi casually reclined on the sofa.

As he was about to light a cigarette, he froze for a moment, then stuffed it back into his pocket.

Last night,

Qin Yi had wanted to bathe with Wanda, but Wanda refused because he smelled of smoke.

With a sigh, Qin Yi said to Tony,

"I'm planning to go into space to find someone, but I'm a little worried about you guys, so I came to take a look."

Tony took a moment to recover before asking in confusion,

"Humans have already gone into space?"

Qin Yi had wanted to tell Tony about the Death Goddess, but after hesitating, he decided against it.

"To be precise, someone named Quill was taken away by an alien spaceship many years ago."

"How long are you planning to be gone?"

Qin Yi thought about it.

"Probably not too long. If things go smoothly, I'll be back soon. If they don't, then I have no idea how long it'll take."

Qin Yi recalled mentioning this to Wanda that morning,

only for Wanda to bite him again.

After informing Tony, Qin Yi vanished from Tony's office along with spatial ripples.

Knowhere

From the outside, it resembled an enormous head. It was said to be the severed head of a Celestials member.

Qin Yi had no idea which unlucky bastard it had belonged to. Even after getting his head chopped off, people had turned that head into a planet.

The Collector, Taneleer Tivan, was one of the ancient beings of the universe in the comics, though the extent of his power was unknown.

After losing a bet with the Death Goddess, he had been cursed by her with eternal youth and immortality.

Qin Yi could not say whether eternal youth and immortality were a curse or a blessing.

At the very least,

Tivan's wife and children could not bear eternal youth and immortality, and they committed suicide.

From that moment on, he began to feel that he needed a hobby to distract himself.

Just as Qin Yi had once frantically eaten delicacies to hypnotize himself against the torment of Fairy Force's hunger.

Tivan began collecting all kinds of treasures and strange objects.

As a result, throughout his long life, he remained obsessed with collecting.

Later, he established a base on Knowhere dedicated to collecting all manner of unusual objects and lifeforms from across the universe.

When Qin Yi arrived on Knowhere through a spatial vortex,

Tivan acted as though he had known in advance and instructed the maid beside him, Carina,

"Go welcome our distinguished guest."

The red-skinned Carina nodded, came to Knowhere's plaza, and said to Qin Yi, who was standing still and looking around,

"Distinguished guest, this way, please."

Qin Yi followed the red-skinned maid to the palace at Knowhere's highest point.

On the palace throne sat a white-haired fellow who looked human, curiously staring at Qin Yi, who was likewise sizing him up.

How should he put it?

Back in his previous life, Qin Yi had always had trouble telling this guy apart from his brother on Sakaar, the Grandmaster.

White hair spiked high as if drenched in gel, smoky makeup, and a blue line beneath his mouth—Qin Yi had no idea whether it was natural or merely decoration.

After watching him for a while, Tivan asked,

"My dear partner, have you come from afar to trade something?"

Qin Yi nodded.

"I came to ask you about someone. More accurately, to ask about a god."

Tivan was immediately intrigued.

He could sense that the person before him, whom he could not see through, was absurdly powerful.

He was practically as strong as that enchantress he had met before.

But—

The goods such a powerful person might trade also interested him.

So he asked curiously,

"My dear partner, which god are you asking about? A Celestials member, or a god from beyond the realms?"

Qin Yi shook his head and glanced at the maid standing beside Tivan.

Tivan waved a hand and dismissed the maid from the hall. Though it was unclear whether he noticed, the red-skinned maid secretly hid by the entrance and pressed her ear against the side of the doorway.

Facing Tivan's curiosity, Qin Yi said,

"The Death Goddess."

Tivan froze for a moment, then smiled.

"Hela? At the moment, she should be sealed somewhere in Asgard by Odin. As long as you can provide goods of equivalent value that satisfy me, I'll tell you the exact location of the seal."

Qin Yi shook his head.

Tivan frowned and pondered for a while.

Then he looked at Qin Yi in horror, his mouth trembling as he failed to form any words.

Qin Yi nodded.

Tivan immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, shrinking back into his throne within the palace. After hesitating for a moment, he asked Qin Yi,

"Are you looking for her because of something?"

"I'm going to her to bring back two souls."