If it comes to disaster relief, humankind in the cosmos is truly unique. After all, there aren't many civilizations in the universe with such poor physical resilience, let alone those who divide a tiny planet into hundreds of fragments, where any local disaster is met with collective bystander paralysis.
The physical strength of the Spartacus Star People surpasses that of humans by a vast degree. Leaving aside whether numbness to pain is a positive thing, their ability to leap several meters into the air and withstand corrosive liquids for minutes certainly makes their survival skills far superior to those of the bear-and-forbear humans.
Quill indeed has experience in this area, as he participated in many disaster drills during his school years and encountered a tornado when working at NASA. He mastered the art of evacuation.
His orderly handling of the disaster relief put Jason at ease. He couldn't leave now; after all, these giants could destroy the entire galaxy at any moment.
But he overlooked one thing. Any intelligent life form, if possessing emotions, would expect their leader to stand with them in a crisis, not disappear.
Even if their leader is powerless, even if he can only shout slogans, or serve as a spiritual flag, it is still a significant encouragement for those trapped in disaster.
On the other hand, if he doesn't even want to shout slogans, or not even show his face, it goes without saying how much resentment the people would harbor.
As it got closer to time, the group of Celestials all huddled together and shivered, looking like they've already been infected. On the other hand, the symptoms of the Collector are getting worse and worse. It won't be too long before he's gone. Finally, Shiller stepped forward.
"I wonder if any of you have heard of Battleworld?"
All eyes were drawn to him. Aside from those in the know about the plan, the Demon Gods were mostly bewildered. But an Inspector from the Heavenly Gods Group tentatively expressed his interest.
"Are you referring to that special universe that stands outside our known world?"
The Celestials haven't left the individual universe, but among the five main deities of their universe, Eternity and Death are always away, and Oblivion always disappears. Adam remains a mystery, so in their come and go, Celestials have heard some rumors.
These rumors mostly concern the greater world within their own universe. The most trending topic in the broader world right now is that a special universe outside of it is selecting souls to compete.
The topic is widespread amongst all five deities. They guess whether their superiors would react, given that pulling life's soul out of the universe is a sensitive act. Before the boss makes a clear statement, they dare not say whether it's right or wrong, only gossip privately.
"Yes, I do have some knowledge about Battleworld…"
Just as Shiller started speaking, the Iron Demon God next to him rolled his eyes. Morpheus, who once watched Shiller paint a rosy picture for Owen, rolled his eyes even more.
What does it mean when you say you have some knowledge? Do you mean the kind of understanding where you know everyone from the planners to the organizers to the competitors?
However, they both tacitly kept quiet. Clearly, Shiller was about to sweet talk another group of beings.
"It's a special universe that stretches between two worlds. Its existence is meant to enhance the exchange among different worlds."
Shiller's opening remarks caused the Heavenly Gods Group to mistakenly believe that this activity was tacitly approved by the gods of their universe. Then, they heard Shiller say,
"The participants who have gone to this universe are not only from our universe, but also from life in other universes in the larger world, and even from life forms in other worlds like ours."
"Perhaps in our universe, no one can save you who have been infected with the plague. However, the experience of others can be instructive; perhaps the people of other universes in our world, or the people of other worlds, may have a solution?"
"Moreover…" Shiller elongated his tone, looking at the clustered Celestials, "You've already been in contact with your brethren infected with the plague, and nobody can tell if the worm is already inside of you."
"Not considering what impact your collective deaths would have on the universe for the moment, your reactions prior to death would be a catastrophic disaster for a planet's life."
Having finished speaking, they observed the Collector, who was continuously retching and convulsing. Now, Odin and his son were propping up the giant; otherwise, he would have long fallen and crashed into the Sparta Star.
The Heavenly Gods Group seemed hesitant, so the Inspector stepped forward and said, "Although we intend to go to the different land to look for a glimmer of hope, will the owner of that universe really allow us to enter?"
"I can try to convince the owner of that universe, but I am not sure whether your entry as powerful beings will impact the participants or if a separate area would need to be designated for your recuperation. All of this would require individual negotiation."
The Inspector had no choice left. After all, they thought only the Analyst was infected with the worm, so confining him and then killing off the other worms should have solved the problem. But it appears now that they simply cannot stay in this universe any longer.
They had no clue as to how many ores the people of the Sparta Star had stolen from the Earth, nor did they know how many worms had adhered to those ores, let alone whether the cave on Earth had been opened and if worms may now be teeming over the entire Milky Way.
Furthermore, there was no telling if the Analyst trapped inside the Death Star would simply go quiet like the Celestials who expatriated to Earth, or if they had also been infected with the plague through the Collector, and might show symptoms the very next second.
Too many uncertainties led to more intense panic. The Heavenly Gods Group was clearly not an emotionless, rules-based life form. Even if they were devoid of the capacity to feel, all living creatures have a survival instinct. Facing life and death, they were left with but a single choice.
"Let us meet the master of that universe." The Inspector stepped forward and said, "We are willing to negotiate with him, as long as he allows us to select from another-world life forms that can help us."
"Negotiations could be possible, but you guys should be able to imagine that the one who could construct a universe between two worlds and gain consent from both sides, probably won't be easily swayed by normal conditions." Shiller expressed somewhat helplessly.
Those who understood the ins and outs of the situation started rolling their eyes again.
How to put it, Shiller's plan couldn't simply be classified as baiting anymore, it could be likened to electrocuting a fish pond and then telling the fish floating belly-up on the surface to seek treatment from the butcher at the fish stall.
A few members from the Heavenly Gods Group exchanged glances, had a quiet discussion, and the Adjudicator said: "If that truly is the case, I believe we can't provide resources that he'd find compelling. If that's the case, this trip is meaningless."
"Perhaps you should consider a different approach." Shiller continued, "The organizer of this competition must have a purpose, but undoubtedly, like all event organizers, they hope their activities will be a great success."
"If you can provide any help to this competition, perhaps they wouldn't mind helping with your treatment or recovery, what do you think?"
Very well, now the advice started encouraging the fish to lay themselves on the fish stall to sell themselves.
A few of the gods glanced at each other, feeling a bit stirred. They thought, since they belonged to the pinnacle of powerful life in this universe, then maybe they could also rank at the top in other universes.
A high level of life and powerful physical strength are resources in themselves. Basically, the success of the rich second generation depends on luck, engineers rely on effort, and security officers just need physical health, right?
Seeing a glimmer of hope, the Heavenly Gods Group quickly said, "Please help us contact the master of that universe. I believe we should be able to help, and I hope he might assist us as well."
As for the other spectators who were present, they all sighed in unison. This plan wasn't simple, a chef was cooking with all his might, and the fish in the pot hadn't been able to cause any waves before they were fully cooked. The dish wasn't being cooked for the fish, so why were they eagerly watching? It was time to disperse.
Before leaving, Mephisto complained to Shiller: "It's been a while since there was a decent member gift, can you put some thought into it?"
"The last couple were okay, but the first one who got sick probably can't be saved." After glancing around, Shiller lowered his voice, "You quietly bring him back. It's not like anyone would stop you. Surely the parasite wouldn't infect you?"
Mephisto immediately laughed, rubbing his hands together, he said, "I haven't eaten a god before. But I thought you had other plans for him, don't you humans want it?"
"There's already one on Earth, we plan on digging that one up. By the way, when are you planning to visit the Battleworld?"
"Can I get in?" Morpheus's eyes lit up.
"You have to wait, we'll send you an invitation when we've finalized the official rules... Stephen, Stephen, wait, wait for me! Take me to the Galactic Council Headquarters, we have a few friends waiting for us." Shiller quickly followed Steven Strange, and together they left through a transportation portal.
Their destination was indeed the Galactic Council Headquarters, located at the center of the Milky Way, not far from Centaurus and a tad east of a black hole on a giant planet.
This was also a bustling port with constant coming and going of ships. However, compared to the Star Area and the Giant Teleportation Gate of the Shi'ar Empire, the ships here were quite retro-looking, seemingly powered by chemical fuel. Which was a style considered retro by the Three Great Empires.
The Galactic Council indeed had regulations regarding teleportation gates, but it seemed that the Supreme Magician and the whole Kamar-Taj were the kind of people they couldn't stop. Strange opened a teleportation portal right above the Galactic Council Headquarters and both of them directly landed above the council chamber.
Looking down, all they saw was a chaotic fight.
Naturally, wherever the group of Rey, Finn, and Solo went, peace is unlikely. An interstellar scavenger, a member of the rebel army, and a ranger, none of them seem like the type to have a peaceful discussion.
The teleportation portal that brought them here was also located directly above the hall, blocking their view of the entire building. However, the thought of the clone army possibly waiting in some secret corner of the universe for an invasion made them want to rush in and confront the prime minister.
The universe setting of Star Wars also contains mostly humanoid beings, at most having a different number of fingers. And most of the attendees in the Galactic Council in the Marvel universe are humanoid, at most with different skin colors.
And most of the architectural style of universal administrative organizations appearing in such works are pretty similar, to put it simply, they are like the U.S. Congress building with some added technology elements. It's all about surrounding a round hall with people, the senior senators sleep while the junior senators fight.
So when the group went in, they didn't notice anything wrong and made a beeline to the Prime Minister's office, guided by instinct.
Solo felt that this time's infiltration operation might be potentially dangerous, so he asked Rey, who already had some perception of The Force, to advanced her explorations and gain control over it.
As expected, Rey's usage of The Force got out of control during the infiltration process. The outsiders, who were intentionally brought here, ended up stirring up the Galactic Council like a shit-stirring stick, just like the plan entailed.