Syd came to a realization.
It was likely that he had underestimated the Celestial Group...
The enormous head before him was several kilometers wide just from a glance. If the whole body were considered, it would be unimaginably massive.
Even without any supernatural powers, such a colossal body could crush anyone with sheer physical force! Moreover, moving such a gigantic form would require an incredibly sturdy and dense body; otherwise, it would collapse under its own weight after only a few steps.
Suddenly, Syd remembered a Celestial from the Eternals series, which was said to be 320,000 meters tall. Just the thought of it made him shudder.
Could a mere mortal truly deal with such a being?
"How did Odin fight such a thing?" Syd wondered, recalling that Odin, the King of Asgard, wore the Destroyer Armor and fought against the Celestials. Although he lost, he did manage to injure them.
It was clear that Odin's strength was likely more formidable than Syd had anticipated.
"Perhaps I am still quite far from reaching the level of a Celestial Father…"
Syd shook his head in resignation.
The more he learned, the more he realized the limitations of his own power.
At that moment, noticing Syd's muttering about the Celestials, Gamora and the others turned their gaze toward him.
"Celestial Group?"
"What is this Celestial Group?"
Star-Lord and the others looked at him with curiosity and confusion.
Syd glanced at them calmly and explained, "The head before us is from a Celestial."
"Are there really beings this enormous?" Star-Lord gasped in awe.
Just imagining it was frightening.
Under their watchful eyes, Syd nodded and elaborated, "They are true Celestials. Each Celestial possesses immense cosmic power with unknown limits—what we refer to as supernatural abilities. Each one has its own role."
"For instance, there is a Celestial called the Explorer, Eson. He has the ability to explore life forms and determine their potential for evolution. He is an explorer and traveler among the Celestials…"
"Of course, that doesn't mean that Eson is only effective in exploring life. In reality, every Celestial possesses immense strength."
Gamora noticed a key term.
"'They'? There is more than one of these beings?" She felt a sense of dread.
The others were astonished.
Star-Lord, shocked, asked, "Hey buddy, how do you know all this?"
"Have you seen these Celestials before?"
Suddenly, all eyes were on Syd, and Gamora and the others became even more intrigued by the mysterious figure before them.
He knew such secrets?
Syd gave them a sidelong glance but didn't pay much attention to their curiosity and did not answer Star-Lord's question.
At that moment, the Milano entered the eye socket of the Celestial head.
As soon as they entered, Star-Lord and the others were amazed.
Inside, it resembled a city, with various buildings scattered around. Small machines flew about, seemingly collecting something.
Gamora explained, "Several centuries ago, the Tivan Group sent laborers to extract organic materials from this skull."
"Bones, brain tissue, and spinal fluid are rare resources and high-priced items in the galactic black market…"
With her explanation, Star-Lord and the others gained some understanding of this desolate place.
Soon, they disembarked from the ship.
Syd floated silently behind the others as they walked.
Throughout their journey, they encountered various extraterrestrials and heard many gasps of amazement.
Star-Lord sighed, "Hey, buddy, can you stop floating? You're making it hard for us to walk."
Looking at the amazed crowd surrounding them, Star-Lord felt a mix of envy and frustration.
Syd, hearing this, remained silent, continuing to float without a care. After all, why walk when he could float?
As for the onlookers, he ignored them entirely.
Influenced by his presence, Star-Lord and the others found it difficult to explore properly and had to gather together and move on in a somewhat aimless manner.
Half an hour later, just as Star-Lord was growing bored and about to ask Gamora something, a person with pink skin approached them.
"Ms. Gamora, my master has sent me to escort you."
She made a gesture of invitation.
As she did, her peripheral vision caught Syd floating in the air, and her eyes were filled with surprise.
The group followed her to the Collector's location.
Soon, they arrived at their destination.
As they entered, Rocket Raccoon commented, "This place is really freaky!"
The floor and ceiling were lined with glass display cases, showcasing a variety of items, including animals and artifacts.
The pink-skinned woman guiding them explained, "We have the largest collection of artifacts in the entire galaxy here, including various animals, fossils, and species."
Syd glanced to the right.
In one case, there was a yellow golden retriever.
To the left was an alien with a bizarre appearance.
Syd twitched his lips.
Just as he was about to ignore these items and focus on meeting the Collector to access the Orb of Power, he suddenly felt something and looked ahead.
In one of the cases, there was a black stone.
Syd sensed that this object emanated a divine aura, but it was not the Asgardian divine power; it belonged to a different domain.
"An artifact?"
Instantly, Syd thought of items like the Eternal Spear or Thor's Hammer.
At that moment, the pink-skinned woman announced, "Let me introduce you to Taneleer Tivan, the Collector!"
In the center of the display cases, a middle-aged man with white hair turned around.
The Collector, Taneleer Tivan, was initially looking at Gamora but shifted his attention to the floating Syd. His face showed astonishment and admiration, as if he had found a perfect piece for his collection.
Syd's lips twitched.
"Dear Gamora, long time no see. And this is?" The Collector, Taneleer Tivan, looked at Syd.
Syd's mysterious voice echoed in the quiet space, "Some people like to call me the White Cloak. You may call me that too."
Upon hearing this voice, the Collector's expression changed slightly, and he gazed deeply at the figure before him.
At this moment, sensing that the White Cloak's gaze was fixed on one of his artifacts, Tivan followed his gaze.
Seeing the black stone, he began to explain.
(End of Chapter)