Zod was neither a fighter nor a freedom seeker.
He simply hated the weak who succumbed to fate and cowards.
A true soldier would never bow his head, much less be willingly imprisoned in a cage.
Therefore, when Luke called him over, Zod wanted to teach the Grandmaster a hard lesson.
Better yet, throw the other party into the gladiatorial arena and let the angry people who lost their freedom and were reduced to slavery tear the damn guy to pieces.
This was a logical ending.
It was only when the Kryptonian General heard Luke say that the Grandmaster was willing to offer three space fleets, as well as his willingness to help find habitable planets...
And was responsible for providing free labour, working for the reconstruction of Krypton...
Zod chose to remain silent.
He couldn't help it.
The Grandmaster gave too much.
His position was simple.
Everything for Krypton.
"Then it's a deal. Zod, why don't you thank the Grandmaster!"
Luke glanced at the Kryptonian General, coughed twice, and reminded him.
For the sake of the Grandmaster's selfless dedication, Zod, who was full of arrogance, reluctantly thanked him.
With that, the Kryptonian General secretly sighed.
He helplessly lamented that his dignity and integrity, which he was so proud of, were slowly being eroded.
This was probably the heavy price that must be paid for the rebirth of Krypton!
After talking about the deal, Luke refused a banquet from the Grandmaster.
He wasn't interested in those alien beauties, and he wasn't in the mood to socialise with the smooth-talking Elder of the Universe.
Luke considered himself someone very different from Star-Lord; he didn't have such a big appetite, being turned on by any female of any race.
Returning to the Kryptonian ship with Zod, he had just walked onto the bridge when he saw a group of Kryptonian warriors waiting with a lot of questions.
This scene made Luke inexplicably feel the odd feeling of trafficking people.
"What the hell is this place?"
Commander Faora stared at the young man, who was also a Kryptonian General.
"Sakaar."
The latter shrugged his shoulders and replied.
"What's Sakaar?"
Faora asked again.
"A barbaric planet in the Tayo system."
The corners of Luke's mouth hooked up, teasing the Kryptonian commander.
"I'm guessing that in your next question, you'll be asking 'what the hell is the Tayo system', right?"
Realising that she had been teased, Faora was furious, her eyebrows raised and her fists clenched.
"Don't talk in circles. This isn't the universe we know, isn't it?"
Zod interjected, narrowing his eyes at the smirking Luke.
If the other party weren't his nominal boss, this Kryptonian General wouldn't be so patient.
"That's right. This is another universe. There are no Guardians of the Universe, no Green Lantern Corps, and no Earth where Clark is located."
Luke nodded in acknowledgement, ignoring the angry-looking Zod and the Kryptonian warriors as he continued, "Fellow remnants of Krypton, ask yourselves, is there a difference to you between the original universe and the strange universe you're in now? Does it matter?"
"The people I listed are not going to help rebuild Krypton. They might even be a hindrance."
"You guys don't think that those little blue people, or any other civilisation, would like to see a whole new Krypton emerge, do you?"
Luke's several questions left Zod contemplating.
Reason told him that the other party was right.
When Krypton was reborn, other cosmic forces wouldn't necessarily sit idly by.
"An unfamiliar place often means a new beginning."
Luke smiled, leaving the room for Zod and the Kryptonian warriors.
...
...
A few days later, the Grandmaster was really efficient; without much delay, the three space fleets had been handed over to Luke.
The space pirates were still defiant at first, but after being persuaded by Zod through a physical persuasion, they all turned into obedient students.
The Kryptonian General was truly talented in disciplining new recruits.
Three space fleets flanked the Kryptonian ship as it left Sakaar and headed for the Collector, Taneleer Tivan's Knowhere.
Fortunately, the two sets of space technology operating systems were roughly the same, and the gap in technological power was minimal.
Without having to go through a long process of learning, Zod and the Kryptonian warriors had learned how to fly the battleships.
Under Luke's assignment, General Zod himself, Commander Faora, and Jax-Ur...
Piloted the three space warships from the Grandmaster's 'friendship gift'. With the strength of Kryptonians to suppress them, the group of space pirates that had no loyalty naturally would submit.
Even if they had some ideas, they had to hide them to avoid being used as an example for others.
Luke didn't have time to worry about those complicated problems. If Zod and the Kryptonian warriors couldn't even restrain space pirates, then the task of rebuilding Krypton might as well be given to someone else.
"Boss, we're approaching Knowhere's sector."
A one-eyed cyberpunk-like pirate with a mechanical prosthetic body respectfully said so.
Luke nodded his head, indicating that he was aware.
He didn't like being called Captain, Commander, and so on.
Therefore, the pirates chose to call him 'Boss' as the next best thing.
The interstellar voyage was a boring thing. Although in the beginning, the gorgeous and colourful vast space could deeply move people...
But, the monotonous and boring dark space would only create a depressing atmosphere.
"Let's start the next jump."
Luke leaned back in his chair and commanded the space pirates.
The Kryptonian ship pinpointed the space coordinates, and the engines spewed out ghostly blue flames.
It violently accelerated and broke into the grid-like transition point.
Luke closed his eyes and felt like he was walking through a long tunnel.
By the time the Kryptonian ship burst out from the other end of the spatial grid, the first thing that entered everyone's sight was a spectacularly beautiful dusty nebula.
"This is Knowhere."
The one-eyed pirate cautiously stated.
Luke was silent, staring at the huge weird skull.
Like a small planet, it floated quietly in the nebula.
"Sail into the Starport."
Luke waved his hand.
Knowhere was originally the head of a deceased Celestial's avatar, which was discovered by the Collector's Tivan Group a long time ago.
After occupying it, mining activities were gradually carried out.
In the vast and infinite dark expanse of the universe, the once immensely powerful Celestials were the driving force behind the origin of civilisations on various planets.
But right now, all they had left was a head for people to look at.
Bones, brain tissues, and spinal fluid were all sold as rare resources.
Luke lightly sighed. The Kryptonian spacecraft slowly sailed into the Starport and anchored on the dock.
For hundreds of years, under the intentional management and construction of the Tivan Group, this chaotic area, which wasn't under the jurisdiction of the three galactic empires, had gradually turned into a well-known illegal black-market area in the universe.
There were no laws here. So, long as you had enough wealth, you could buy anything.
The well-known Collector built this asteroid-like head of a Celestial into a huge trade centre.
Here, no one would ever have to worry about being hunted or arrested by other powers -- even the three empires would have to get prior permission from the Tivan Group.
Therefore, they could safely sell and deal with those who had obtained wealth and gains by illegal means.
Over time, not only smugglers and space pirates enjoyed trading here; even the mercenaries, who loved money even more than their own parents, and information brokers from various forces, had used Knowhere as a secret and convenient private channel.
The Kryptonian ship was docked in the spacious hanger, attracting many curious, speculative glances due to its massive size and the presence of clean-cut space pirates as its crew.
'Was this a new space pirate group?'
They were all speculating.