Reborn with Steve Stand

Chapter 277: Steve

Happiness, akin to a nocturnal emission, is a deeply personal and sometimes unexpected experience, fully comprehensible only to the individual experiencing it.

After Fang Mo reached adulthood, he hardly ever experienced it again.

He had already thought about how to explain to Nick Fury, believing that the latter would surely understand his dilemma. However, when he used the Space Stone to teleport to the Void, he found that things had unexpectedly gone awry.

"Master Mage."

Upon seeing Fang Mo appear, the Collector, Tivan, quickly put down the collectible he was cleaning and said with a smile, "Have you finally finished your tasks? Please forgive my rudeness; I almost forgot about you."

"Oh, it's fine."

Fang Mo waved his hand, as he wasn't there to see Tivan: "Where's Nick Fury?"

"Nick?"

The Collector seemed confused: "What's that?"

"The black man," Fang Mo said: "The guy who came here with me, don't tell me you've taken him as a collectible..."

"No, no, no, of course not."

The Collector quickly shook his head: "Such a cheap black-skinned Earth slave... uh, no, I mean, he's a friend of the Master Mage, an honored guest of the Void. As a member of the Universal Elders, I would never commit such a discourtesy."

"Oh, then call him over."

Hearing this, Fang Mo nodded: "I need to take him away."

"No problem." The Collector nodded, then turned and shouted: "Carina, please bring our esteemed guest, tell him the Master Mage has returned."

However, what neither of them expected happened.

After a short wait, this red-skinned girl ran over in fear and panic.

"Lord Tivan, something's wrong," said Carina, her face full of tension: "The black-skinned Earthling has disappeared!"

"What?"

The Collector was also stunned.

He glanced at Fang Mo, who started putting on the Infinity Gauntlet without changing his expression, and was clearly panicking.

"Wait... wait, Master Mage!" Seeing this, the Collector hurriedly spoke: "Let's discuss this, put down the Infinity Gauntlet first, there must be some misunderstanding here."

"In the time it took me to take a dump, you've lost my big black friend, and now you're telling me it's a misunderstanding?"

Fang Mo simply spread his hands and said, "The universe is so vast, how the hell would I know where he has been sold off to pick cotton on which planet. Right now, with a snap of my fingers, I can randomly scatter all your collections across the universe. Why don't you try looking for one yourself?"

"But you need six Infinity Stones to make a wish"

The Collector said quietly.

"Oh?"

Fang Mo looked at him, then pressed his hand on a collection that looked like a flower. The Space Stone was activated, and a deep blue, mysterious mist instantly swallowed the item.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

The Collector immediately panicked, "Ah my Arcana Rose, that's my Arcana Rose!"

Just like how a collector would feel if their original Gundam model was taken home and broken by a visiting relative's naughty child, Collector Tivan truly couldn't hold it in anymore. He turned his head and yelled at Carina, "Didn't I ask you to keep an eye on him? What the hell did you do? Do you believe I will chop off your head and turn it into a living flower pot?"

"I...I"

Carina was so frightened that she plopped down on the ground, completely dumbfounded.

"Are you mute now?" But the Collector had no intention of letting her off: "I'm asking you a question. You'd better give me a reasonable explanation, Carina. You wouldn't want me to use those ancient torture devices from my collection on you, would you?"

"Master"

Carina, terrified, immediately knelt down: "You said he was a distinguished guest, so I didn't dare to keep him locked in a room. At first, he often asked me when the Master Mage would return. Later, perhaps growing impatient, he started wandering around in the Void, trying to find ways to pass the time. After that I didn't see him anymore!"

"So you mean to say, he wandered off and lost himself?"

Hearing this, the Collector was truly infuriated: "I'll give you one last chance. If you can't think of anything, I'll have to hand you over to the Master Mage to vent his anger. You better pray he kills you instantly."

"I...this"

Carina was nearly in tears from fear, but in this silent terror, she suddenly thought of something and blurted out, "That's right! I thought of something, Lord Tivan!"

"Speak."

The Collector said with a grim face.

"That distinguished guest with dark skin, he seemed to have inquired about the civilization of the universe," Carina quickly said. "He seemed very interested in cosmic civilizations, asking me which ones were more powerful. I told him about Xandar and the Kree Empire."

"Is that so?"

The Collector nodded and then said to Fang Mo, "Master Mage, it seems the truth is clear now. Your friend might have grown too impatient from waiting, and so he went to see the sights of these cosmic worlds. After all, Xandar, as the capital of the Nova Corps... is quite beautiful."

"How long have I been away?"

After hearing the two people's statements, Fang Mo thoughtfully stroked his chin.

"According to Earth's time calculation..." The Collector thought for a moment, then said, "It's been over a year."

"Damn it, I only pulled him for a year and he couldn't hold back."

Upon hearing this, Fang Mo immediately said, "Back then, my Uncle Wolf waited for me for eighteen years. Did he say anything? He just made a small complaint..."

"..."

Both the Collector and Carina looked at Fang Mo at the same time, neither daring to speak.

"Could he have gone to the Kree Empire?"

Fang Mo, unconcerned about their gazes, frowned in thought. He knew about the Kree Empire; it was because of the alien threat from there that Nick Fury wanted to establish the Avengers. So, compared to Xandar, Fang Mo was more worried that he might have run off to the Kree.

"Probably not."

As Fang Mo was thinking, the Collector, having heard the conversation, explained: "The Kree Empire has very strict immigration controls. If your friend wants to take a spaceship from here to the Kree Empire... it's almost impossible."

"So you suspect he's on Xandar?"

Fang Mo looked at the Collector: "What if I can't find him on Xandar?"

"This..."

The Collector hesitated for a moment, then said, "If the Master Mage doesn't find your friend, I can mobilize all my contacts to help you search. Please trust me... my influence in the universe is still significant. And as an apology, I'll even hand over Carina, this foolish servant, for you to deal with."

"Alright then."

Fang Mo thought about it and finally nodded in agreement: "Give me the coordinates of Xandar."

This wasn't because Fang Mo was easygoing, but because he believed Nick Fury was no fool. Despite his lack of strength, having been with Fang Mo, a hellish joker, for so long, how could he not be smart? So, his disappearance was more likely him causing trouble, rather than being in trouble, especially since the Collector wouldn't dare deceive him about such a matter.

Considering the time, the Battle of New York happened in 2012. After traveling between the MC world and here several times, and after defeating the Dark Elves and subduing Surtur, about a year had passed.

Now, another year has gone by, aligning with the timeline of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

He must get the Power Stone, as its output is too addictive, and it can unlock certain mods. Who would pass it up? The Power Stone first appeared on Xandar, where Star-Lord, Rocket, and Groot from the Guardians of the Galaxy were located, so naturally, he had to visit Xandar.

Considering that Gamora was still on Earth, the plot of the Guardians of the Galaxy was bound to change, and Fang Mo had to personally keep an eye on it.

All thanks to Nick Fury.

Now, Fang Mo had to grab the Power Stone and also look for the cursed dark baldy.

Luckily, the Collector's family was efficient in their work, probably wanting Fang Mo to leave quickly. They almost instantly gave him the coordinates of Xandar.

Without delay, Fang Mo activated the Space Stone with a thought and vanished from the spot, surrounded by a misty blue fog.

When Fang Mo reappeared, he was already in another space and time.

Clearly, this was Xandar. He casually observed his surroundings, noting the advanced technological feel of the place.

Everywhere were private landing pads and staggered floating streets, with security patrol ships occasionally flying across the sky. The people seemed leisurely, and despite their diverse skin colors and shapes, they all appeared relaxed and cheerful.

"This place looks unexpectedly nice."

Fang Mo nodded and observed the passersby: "Hmm... red skin, white skin, yellow skin, green skin, purple skin... Damn, why no black skin, is there discrimination against my brothers!?"

"Decided then, tomorrow I'll move Wakanda to Xandar."

With a clap of his hands, Fang Mo began walking along a road, planning to familiarize himself with the local customs before searching for people.

Xandar's environment was truly impressive.

Despite being a high-tech planet, there were hardly any towering skyscrapers, and the clear sky was unobstructed, much better than the metropolises he'd visited before. After all, Fang Mo didn't like high-rise buildings, finding them oppressive.

Moreover, the planet's greenery was well-maintained, with fountains and plants everywhere, and the fragrance of flowers was refreshing.

Fang Mo even saw a tree bending over to drink water from a fountain.

"Amazing, this alien technology."

Seeing the scene in front of him, Fang Mo couldn't help but nod his head: "This tree knows to find a fountain to drink when it's thirsty, it's really humanized. Even an environmentalist girl would give it a thumbs up."

However, just as Fang Mo finished speaking, a system notification suddenly popped up in his mind.

[System Notification: New module feature detected, research it to gain download permissions.]