- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 324
“As long as I know it, Mr. Leo, feel free to ask,” Yondu replied.
Based on Leo’s words and the hefty deposit he had just presented, Yondu was almost certain—this guy was filthy rich, someone with immense wealth.
No one who wasn’t incredibly wealthy could afford to spend money so lavishly.
“I heard that you, Mr. Yondu, once took on a job for someone named Ego, helping him search for his children. Now, what I’d like to know is the interstellar coordinates of Ego’s planet. I have some unresolved issues with him and would like to pay him a visit,” Leo said, placing another fist-sized chunk of Uru metal on the table in front of Yondu.
Upon hearing the name Ego, Yondu’s face tightened, but seeing the piece of Uru metal, he forced a smile and responded, “That was definitely a job I don’t like remembering. I lost a lot because of that mission. But since you’re showing such sincerity, I’ll tell you.”
That mission had led to Yondu being kicked out of the Ravagers, and the deaths of those children weighed heavily on his conscience. However, for the right price, he could bring himself to recall it.
“Did you get the coordinates?” Leo asked, turning to Nebula after hearing Yondu reel off a string of numbers.
Nebula’s mechanical eye flickered with data, and she nodded. The coordinates matched the location of Ego’s planet, given that her semi-mechanical brain housed the most detailed map of the universe.
“Excellent. A pleasure doing business, Mr. Yondu!” Leo stood up, shaking hands with Yondu.
Now, as long as Yondu could locate Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Drax the Destroyer, Leo could proceed with extracting Mantis from Ego’s planet. This would complete the intermediate objective of his main mission.
And a month was just enough time to take Wanda to explore Xandar and maybe pick up some advanced alien tech to help his research team speed up the development of the Qi Converter.
After settling the terms with Yondu and exchanging contact information, they parted ways. However, before leaving, Leo discreetly created a shadow clone and used a Disguise Charm to have it follow Yondu.
He hadn’t spotted Star-Lord, Peter Quill, among Yondu’s crew, and sending a clone to tail Yondu was a way to pinpoint Quill’s exact location.
As for why he didn’t ask Yondu directly, it would have been too suspicious to inquire about Star-Lord—currently an unknown figure—right after asking about Ego’s coordinates. He still needed Yondu’s help finding Rocket and the others, so it was best not to raise any eyebrows.
Besides, Leo intended to “steal” Star-Lord away from Yondu for the Guardians of the Galaxy, and he couldn’t be too blatant about it.
“Let’s go exchange some money and then enjoy a nice tour of this Ravager paradise,” Leo said as they left Yondu, asking Kraglin to guide them to the town’s largest black market.
Leo himself didn’t have any money on hand, and someone like Kraglin—among the lowest ranks of the Ravagers—wouldn’t have much to spare either. Most Ravagers didn’t save much, preferring to spend their earnings on ship upgrades or blowing it all in town after each job, knowing they could die on any given mission.
Of course, Leo couldn’t go around paying for things with Uru metal all the time.
He had used Uru in front of Yondu to demonstrate his strength and connections, ensuring that Yondu would take the job seriously and not try any tricks. But letting too much Uru or Vibranium circulate could draw unwanted attention—and possibly trouble.
If someone were to fashion weapons out of the materials he sold and use them against him, that would be like giving his enemy the tools to beat him.
For this reason, when he and Wanda visited the black market, he avoided using Uru or Vibranium. Instead, Wanda identified valuable metals and rare goods, which she then transmuted through her magic and sold to the black market dealers for cash.
In essence, they were working with nothing but sleight of hand.
…
That night, after spending an exciting day exploring with Wanda, Leo returned alone to the town.
To be honest, Contraxia, which appeared to be a small, run-down town on the surface, was packed with all sorts of oddities. After just one day of exploring, he had already seen many strange things that didn’t exist on Earth.
For instance, some of the alien beings had bizarre appearances. They didn’t just have different skin colors; some had entirely peculiar forms—like a person with a head shaped like a carrot.
There were also a variety of unique foods and some very wild venues.
Of course, some places weren’t suitable to visit with Wanda.
“Miss, did you drop this precious Modala star necklace?”
Inside an establishment resembling a bar or entertainment venue, Star-Lord pulled out a necklace with an unusual gemstone and smiled at a voluptuous red-skinned alien woman in front of him.
The red-skinned beauty turned around and, seeing Star-Lord, smirked coldly and pointed to her neck.
“Oh, the Modala star necklace, the only one in the universe that symbolizes love. Funny thing is, I seem to already have one around my neck,” she said.
“You’re… Kallia?” Star-Lord hesitated for a moment before recognizing her face.
The woman slapped him hard across the face.
“I’m Pavla, the one who boarded your ship a year ago, you scumbag!” she fumed before storming off.
As the red-skinned woman left in a huff, Star-Lord rubbed his cheek and shrugged. “You all look the same to me. How am I supposed to tell?”
“It seems you’ve broken another heart,” a rich, magnetic voice suddenly said from beside him.
Turning to see who had spoken, Star-Lord found a stranger sitting nearby.
“Everyone gets what they want. There’s no real heartbreak in that,” Star-Lord said casually. Growing up with the Ravagers, he had long learned not to believe in love. For him, it was all about short-lived passions and fulfilling carnal desires.
Leo chuckled. “You must be the famous Star-Lord. How about a drink? My treat.”
During the day, Leo’s clone had followed Yondu’s ship and discovered Star-Lord sleeping onboard. It turned out Star-Lord wasn’t fond of androids, so the previous night he had ventured into the town and used his charm to pick up a woman.
Hearing Leo’s words, Star-Lord grinned proudly. “I didn’t know my name had spread so widely.”
The title “Star-Lord” was something Peter had given himself, and he dreamed of becoming a renowned space pirate. But at this point, he was still a relative nobody, unrecognized by most, or simply not taken seriously.
To the authorities across various planets, he was just a small-time crook.