"I'm sure there is some connection!" Robert turned to Carol and said, "Since these are extraordinary items of the universe, haven't you heard of anyone trying to collect them during your time in space? They clearly seem like a set designed to be collected, especially with their wish-fulfilling capabilities. Isn't that an open invitation for someone to gather them?"
Having traveled through the world of Dragon Ball, Robert was quite familiar with such plots. However, the stakes with the Infinity Stones were higher, set at a cosmic level, suggesting even greater dangers, possibly like the calamity Zamasu caused in one of the universes in Dragon Ball Super.
"I've never heard of it," Carol shook her head, not particularly moved by Robert's insight. "I've only encountered the Space Stone myself. As for the other Infinity Stones, I've only heard legends and there's no news of anyone trying to collect them." She continued softly, "And as Joel said, the universe is vast and boundless with only six stones in existence. Finding them is exceedingly difficult, especially when, for most, the Infinity Stones remain mere legends."
"Even if someone were as lucky as Earth to obtain one of the stones, tracking down the others across the entire universe would be next to impossible."
"Exactly, everyone thought the Dragon Balls and the Eternal Dragon were just myths until the ambitious sought them out. That's when real trouble began…" Robert mused upon hearing Carol's remarks, his thoughts racing, though he chose not to voice them.
Robert had already braced for potential crises in this world; the emergence of the Infinity Stones only solidified his belief that his predictions were not off base. If Carol did not see the threat now, she would understand once the stones became a target.
At that moment, a series of knocks interrupted their discussion, puzzling Robert, Carol, and even Clark. They were on the Savage Islands, surrounded by a base but not within any doors. Where could knocking possibly come from?
"Is anyone there? Robert, are you inside? I smell you, you smell tastier than before, and there seem to be two other tasty ones…" Before the trio could react, a hesitant voice reached their ears, "No, no, you all have the scent of Earth, I mustn't eat you, I have to resist. Robert, if you won't speak, shall I come in?"
As the voice fell, the sub-space around them seemed to strain under pressure, audibly cracking.
A moment later, an invisible force enveloped the area, followed by an apologetic voice, "Phew! Good thing I reacted quickly, or I might have torn your house down…"
"Is that her?" Hearing the voice, Robert recalled his only defeat in a food competition, at the hands of a girl who seemed to be a cosmic deity—voraciously hungry, even more so than Beerus.
"Who is this person?!" Carol's expression grew serious. As she turned to Robert with a frown for answers, she suddenly noticed someone standing beside them.
"You're really here! I'm…" Ganata waved at Robert, starting to introduce herself.
"You're Ganata, I remember you!" Robert smiled, cutting off her introduction. Ganata didn't seem upset; instead, she appeared even happier.
"You remember me, that's great! I came to play, have you prepared any delicacies for me?" Ganata, oblivious to Carol's defensive stance, jumped excitedly in front of Robert, looking at him expectantly.
"How about some dinosaurs? There are plenty on this island, and I usually enjoy eating them…" Robert thought for a moment, then suggested to Ganata.
The Savage Islands were teeming with dinosaurs, and despite Robert's eating habits, the dinosaur population remained stable. The island was large enough that even the addition of Robert to the food chain had not significantly impacted the ecological balance.
"Dinosaurs?" Ganata tilted her head, looked in the direction of the rest of the island, then nodded with a smile, "Sounds good, how's your cooking?"
"Everyone who's tried it says it's good!" Robert confidently patted his chest, leading Ganata towards their quarry. He felt that she was more amiable than Beerus, harboring no malice and not prone to destroying planets on a whim, just overly fond of eating—a problem that Robert, a fellow food enthusiast, found manageable.
For true food lovers, having delicious food is the purest form of happiness, allowing them to forget everything else and immerse themselves in the joy that good food brings.
As Robert prepared to cook with Ganata, Clark and Carol didn't follow but stood pondering.
"She was trying to influence my perception, but it didn't work…" Clark spoke quietly to Carol, looking in Ganata's direction, "She tried to make me forget someone was looking for Robert…"
"Hmm? Robert? What about him? Didn't he go out on
his own?" Carol turned to Clark, puzzled, her brows furrowing as if sensing something amiss.
Clark fell silent for a moment, then looked towards where Robert and Ganata were, seeing Ganata smiling at him.
"Don't get distracted while hunting!" Robert, noticing Ganata's gesture, waved his hand in reminder, "They're not interested in food, don't worry about them coming over..."
Understanding a foodie's protective behavior, Robert recalled an incident during a food competition when Clark had lost track of him and Kara. He suspected Ganata might have used her divine powers to prevent Clark and Carol from interrupting his and Ganata's meal. While unsure if this power had any side effects on Clark and Carol, Robert still cautioned Ganata.
"Really?" Ganata tilted her head seriously, then laughed sheepishly, asking hesitantly, "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Of course! I'm cooking, you can't just watch, help me with the ingredients. I'll do the grilling!" Robert nodded, instantly taking down a dinosaur and placing it before Ganata, "I'll fetch more; this one won't be enough for us..."
"Okay!" Ganata nodded happily, eagerly beginning to process the ingredients, anticipating the transformation into a delicious meal.
"Hmm? What's going on? My memory seems a bit fuzzy?" As Ganata began her preparations, Carol's vision cleared, though confusion still flickered in her eyes, "Where's Robert? He hasn't been taken away, has he?"
"No worries, he can handle it. Let's not disturb them and continue with the base," Clark reassured her, returning to their construction tasks.
"Is she influencing perception, or is it reality itself? If perception is influenced enough, does that mean reality is altered too?" Clark's thoughts churned, unsettled by the implications of their encounter with the cosmic deity.
"Facing such power, I can resist, but I can't help others break free. Is my strength not enough? What kind of power does a cosmic deity, as Robert mentioned, truly wield?"
Clark's questions remained unanswered as Robert and Ganata enjoyed their feast. Maybe because she had helped prepare it, Ganata seemed particularly delighted with the meal. Despite a slight lack of energy, there were no other flaws.
"Are you full?" After a while, Robert, already satiated, looked around at the devoured food, his expression twitching slightly—a feeling akin to ordinary people witnessing a Saiyan's appetite.
And as someone who loved to eat, seeing someone with an even greater appetite was a complex experience for Robert. However, remembering Ganata was a cosmic deity, he felt somewhat relieved.
"No, I'm not full, but we should stop. If we continue, we'll disrupt the balance here..." Ganata licked her lips regretfully, "Then I won't find such delicious food here again. I can't overfish the waters!"
"And besides, being perpetually hungry is normal for me. Even if I ate the entire Earth, I wouldn't be satisfied..."
"Hey! Don't talk about eating Earth with that unsatisfied look!" Robert chided her, finding the unreliability of cosmic deities, who seemed to treat planets as fireworks or food, troubling regardless of the universe. This behavior likely stemmed from their immortality or inability to communicate with life, leaving them somewhat immature in behavior.
"I told you I wouldn't eat Earth!" Ganata glared at Robert, clearly annoyed.
"I know, just a reminder!" Robert chuckled, then curiously asked, "Where did you go after you left last time? Did you return to your divine realm?"
In the Dragon Ball universe, realms like the Destroyer God's and the Kaioshin's exist, along with Heaven, which includes Hell. These are somewhat akin to the different dimensions in this universe. Curious, Robert wondered if Ganata had visited another dimension after leaving.
"A divine realm? I didn't go there; I just went to sleep..." Ganata paused, then shook her head, "Due to insufficient energy intake, I often have to sleep to pass the time until I'm awakened by hunger again..."
Hearing this, Robert sympathetically regarded Ganata. The discomfort of never being satiated, even for a deity, was undoubtedly unpleasant.
"Have you never thought about solving your hunger problem? As a deity, shouldn't that be within your power?" Robert asked, puzzled after regaining his composure.
"Deities aren't omnipotent. Both my father and I are manifestations of cosmic rules. These rules grant us power but also impose lesser-known weaknesses upon us that we can't resist..." Ganata wasn't surprised that Robert knew of her identity. She sighed softly, her voice tinged with resignation.
"Cosmic rules? The foundation of the universe?" Robert's thoughts returned to the Infinity Stones, and he ventured, "Ganata, do you know about the Infinity Stones?"
"Yes, I know them. My father saw all six
Infinity Stones at the dawn of the universe..." Ganata nodded, grateful for Robert's interest, "I know there are Space and Time Stones on Earth, but even two Infinity Stones can't solve my problem, especially since one of them is in the hands of the planet's guardian!"
"Two Infinity Stones? You don't mean Nick Fury's S.H.I.E.L.D., do you?" Robert paused, recalling Carol's statement that many civilizations had never seen a single stone, yet now Earth had two. He felt something was amiss.
"It's the Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj. The Time Stone is a treasure of their lineage..." Ganata, although mostly asleep, knew more than Robert.
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