Chapitre 134: [133] : The Graveyard
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Perhaps out of interest in the "price" or simply a continued desire to add Roger to his collection, the Collector finally agreed to let Roger view the "Reality Stone."
Just like with the other treasures the Collector cherished, the Reality Stone, still in the form of the Aether, was stored in the deepest part of his collection room. So, while the Power Stone had destroyed much of the Collector's collection, the area housing the Reality Stone remained unscathed.
"Before I show you the Reality Stone, I'd like to know what price you're willing to pay for a look," the Collector said as he led Roger into the vault.
Roger thought for a moment, then replied, "How about the location of one of the other six Infinity Stones?"
"…Are you saying that, aside from the Aether, you know where another Stone is?" The Collector stopped in his tracks, looking back at Roger with wide eyes.
"I thought I made myself clear," Roger responded.
For someone who had seen the Marvel films, naming the location of the six Infinity Stones wasn't hard. Had he been interested in the Stones earlier, Roger might already have acquired all but the Soul Stone by now.
"A fair warning," the Collector suddenly said. "I already know the locations of three of the Stones, including the Reality Stone. If the information you offer is redundant, then…"
"Rest assured, I'm not foolish enough to trade information you already have," Roger replied. "The Space Stone is in the hands of the Asgardians, the Orb containing the Power Stone was recently stolen by Ronan, and the Reality Stone is in your possession. The three Stones I'm talking about are the others."
"Which one?" the Collector asked.
"The Soul Stone," Roger answered with a smile.
The Mind Stone embedded in Loki's scepter, which would later give life to Vision, was something Roger didn't intend to reveal. Nor would he disclose the Time Stone, protected by the Sorcerer Supreme to safeguard Earth's dimension.
Thus, the only one left to tell the Collector about was the Soul Stone, whose exact location was still unknown to most.
Hearing that Roger knew the location of the Soul Stone, the Collector looked genuinely excited and quickly asked, "Where is it!?"
Roger waved a finger. "Mr. Tivan, payment first, then the goods. I'm not saying anything about the Soul Stone until I see the Reality Stone."
"...Fine."
The Collector's initial enthusiasm dampened, and he turned around reluctantly, opening the door to another chamber and leading Roger inside.
As soon as they entered the chamber, Roger's gaze was drawn to the dazzling collection around him.
It was filled with countless wonders, objects from all corners of the universe, some known and some completely foreign to him, all carefully displayed in cases. Among these treasures were not only cosmic marvels but also the last remnants of numerous extinct intelligent species.
The vastness of the collection left Roger awestruck. Seeing Roger's gaze, the Collector proudly introduced his treasures: "These artifacts are the result of a lifetime of effort and a great deal of money. Unlike the displays outside, these are my most cherished items, including…"
He gestured, and a box flew toward them, stopping between him and Roger.
Placing both hands on the box, Tivan continued, "...the Reality Stone."
The Reality Stone was now within reach. Roger, inexplicably tense, had a sense that something monumental was about to occur as he finally saw the Reality Stone.
After a dramatic pause, the Collector slowly opened the box, revealing a device containing the Aether.
"Here it is, the Aether. So, how do you plan to examine it?" Tivan asked, holding the device with the Aether toward Roger.
Without being fitted into the Infinity Gauntlet, the Reality Stone remained in its amorphous Aether state, a cloud of particles. In this form, touching it directly was almost impossible.
Roger didn't respond immediately. Instead, he reached into his pocket and took out the Mind Stone, which he had been carrying with him for a long time.
"!!!!"
The Collector's eyes widened in astonishment at the sight of the Mind Stone. His empty hand clenched and released, as if he wanted to reach out but didn't dare. His voice trembled as he asked, "Is… is that…?"
"The Mind Stone. You should know it," Roger replied. "Now, release the Aether."
"?" The Collector, who had been trembling with excitement, suddenly regained his composure at Roger's request. Frowning, he said, "Once the Aether is released, it's not so easy to contain again."
"No problem. Just let it out."
Roger had already touched the device containing the Aether, yet nothing had happened. If he was to uncover what Andrea might have hidden here, he needed the Aether itself released.
The Collector, unaware of Roger's deeper motives, began to suspect that Roger intended to gather the Infinity Stones for himself, just as he did.
After all, Roger already had the Mind Stone, so the Collector's suspicions were not unreasonable. Consequently, he declined Roger's request and said, "Apologies. The deal was for you to view the Reality Stone. You've seen it, so the deal is done. Now, you can tell me where the Soul Stone is and be on your way."
"Sigh…"
Seeing that the Collector wasn't going to release the Reality Stone, Roger sighed. "Tivan, you do understand… that what I'm holding is the Mind Stone, right?"
"...So?"
"That means I don't really need your permission."
As he spoke, Roger placed his hand, clutching the Mind Stone, on Tivan's chest.
The Collector had no time to dodge. Even if he had tried, Roger's super speed made evasion virtually impossible. Roger's right hand pressed firmly against his chest.
In the next moment, the Collector's eyes turned black, only to quickly regain clarity, but now his irises glowed with the blue hue of someone under mind control.
This was the Mind Stone's power: forcibly bending someone's will to make them obey.
Roger hadn't planned on using this ability, as mind-controlling someone made him feel like a villain.
But he had no other choice. Since Tivan refused, Roger had to take a more forceful approach.
Under the control of the Mind Stone, Tivan complied without hesitation. He opened the device, releasing the Aether.
In its formless state, the Aether floated like a mist in the air, with red particles glimmering like cosmic stardust against the night sky.
Gazing at the red particles, the Collector, now controlled, spoke with admiration, "Look at it. Isn't it beautiful… just like the Mind Stone in your hand."
"Yes…" Roger replied.
While the Aether was beautiful, he hadn't come here to admire the Infinity Stones.
As the Aether floated freely, Roger extended his hand, holding the Mind Stone, which shimmered with a bright light.
Under normal circumstances, Infinity Stones conflicted with each other; the universe's rules generally prevented more than one from coexisting in close proximity. This is why Thanos needed the Infinity Gauntlet to harness their combined power.
Yet now, as the Mind Stone and the Reality Stone encountered each other, they displayed no sign of rejection, as if they were indifferent entities with no relation to one another.
Roger began to suspect he had made a mistake. But just as that doubt surfaced, the Aether suddenly began to move.
The mist-like Aether coalesced into a serpent-like shape, and with a speed that exceeded Roger's reaction time, it wrapped itself around the hand holding the Mind Stone.
In the next instant, all the Aether surged into Roger's body, covering him with a web of glowing red patterns.
"What… is… this…?"
The Reality Stone's power pulsed through Roger's body, seemingly reshaping it to better attune him to its energies.
Simultaneously, information from the intersection of the Reality Stone and Mind Stone flooded into Roger's mind.
He saw a scene.
Countless massive figures, larger than planets, lay dead in the void of space, with a red gem glowing in the midst of their colossal bodies.
Roger knew exactly what these corpses were.
They belonged to the Celestials, the same beings featured in the movie Eternals.
But now… they seemed devoid of life, their bodies orbiting around the red gem like planets.
The vision faded as Roger's awareness returned to the present.
Feeling the residual Aether in his body, Roger suddenly realized something.
Within the Aether lay a hidden coordinate, a marker pointing toward the Celestials' "graveyard."
At the same time…
Roger understood that this Aether was a decoy. The true Reality Stone was in the Celestials' graveyard.
Had Andrea slaughtered the Celestials and used the genuine Reality Stone to bind their graveyard?
Realizing this, Roger was struck by the terrifying scope of Andrea's power.
He didn't know exactly how strong the Celestials were, but each of their bodies was larger than Earth itself. A single swipe from one of them could destroy a planet.
Roger doubted he could defeat the Celestials if he ever faced them directly. And yet, somehow, Andrea had wiped out an entire species?
"No… I can't be certain Andrea did this…"
Roger didn't want to believe Andrea was responsible, because if she had the power to exterminate the Celestials, how could she have been so easily erased?
He suspected that not even the Five Cosmic Entities in the comics possessed that level of strength.
...
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