The Quinjet tore through the air above New York, speeding toward the Avengers' secret base.
Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was subtle.
Steve Rogers, Strange, and Black Bolt sat on one side, their gazes occasionally sweeping over the three relaxed "guests" opposite them.
Elysia, Erda, and Iglanias sat in comfortable seats, showing none of the nervousness one might expect from people being "escorted." They were not even remotely restrained.
In fact, they had not been subjected to any form of restraint. After seeing how utterly relaxed—and even faintly amused—the others were, Steve had wisely abandoned all coercive measures.
Maintaining a surface-level posture of "friendliness" was the safest choice for now.
Iglanias swung her little legs, a rainbow lollipop still in her mouth. Turning to Erda, she spoke in a crisp voice without lowering it at all. "That's why following the right boss is the key. We started out under Lady Pandora, so we were in the system from the beginning. We never had to worry about resource allocations. So many people outside are desperate to get into the Arbitration Mechanism, but they can't even find the door!"
Erda reclined in her seat, maintaining her usual elegance, though curiosity and a faint trace of longing flickered in her eyes.
The public information she could access through the Imperium network was limited. Her knowledge of the Imperium's upper ranks, especially those legendary "important figures," mostly stopped at their names and rough authorization levels.
Now that she had the chance to meet an "insider" senior at close range, she naturally wanted to learn more of the inside story.
"Lady Pandora... is an Imperium general, right?" Erda recalled the sparse descriptions in the network. "I heard she... is very powerful?"
"More than powerful!" Iglanias's eyes lit up with worship, and she even stopped eating