Collecting the Stones

"Blood God, don’t get cocky. On the Celestial Head, my Robot Army is the strongest."

The Collector hid behind the Defense Shield and shouted fiercely despite his inner weakness, "And don’t forget, I belong to the Council of Elders of the Universe. If you dare attack me, the Council of Elders of the Universe won’t let you go."

"The Council of Elders of the Universe?"

Hearing that name, Wang Bert could not help laughing. He said, "Leaving aside whether I fear the Council of Elders of the Universe, even if I did, so what? I’m not from this universe. I’ll grab what I want and run. What can you do to me?"

The Collector’s expression shifted slightly before he shouted, "You won’t be able to take anything."

At the Collector’s command, a large number of robots flew over and surrounded everyone. Wang Bert shook his head, took out something resembling a phone from his pocket, pressed it, and said, "Useless."

The command was sent, and all the robots simultaneously initiated their shutdown procedures. They lowered their heads and landed on the ground as the red glow in their eyes rapidly faded.

The Collector was dumbfounded. He shouted incredulously, "How do you have the highest authorization for these robots?"

Wang Bert smiled. "I told you, we’re good friends."

"Did you kill the me from that world?"

The Collector sucked in a cold breath. Good friends, my ass. Even a wife would not be given the highest authorization, much less a good friend.

"I have killed members of the Council of Elders of the Universe, but not you."

Wang Bert smiled. "After all, you’re very generous. Not only did you give me what I wanted, you even gave me all your collections."

"I’m not that generous."

The Collector understood what Wang Bert meant. He snorted. "The Reality Stone, plus my non-unique collectibles, in exchange for you letting me go. How about it?"

"A wise man submits to circumstances."

Wang Bert nodded in satisfaction. He said, "To prevent you from leaking the news, please seal yourself for seven days. After seven days, you’ll find that nothing happened, apart from having fewer collectibles."

Wang Bert had no intention of killing the Collector. This was a hen that laid golden eggs—once it had laid more eggs, he could come back and rob it again.

Besides, he was worried the Collector might fight desperately. After all, the Collector had the Reality Stone. If he truly went all out, it would be troublesome.

Fortunately, the Collector was famously afraid of death. He glared hatefully at Wang Bert and said, "Fine. I’d like to see whether you can collect all the Infinity Stones within seven days."

"Probably."

Wang Bert smiled and held out his hand. The Collector said nothing more, went into the room, took out a box, and handed it to Wang Bert.

Wang Bert opened the box. Inside was a gemstone that seemed to be made of blood. It was the Reality Stone.

"It’s a little different from Aether."

Wang Bert raised his right hand, and Nanoparticles automatically formed the Infinity Gauntlet. Then, controlled by his qi, the Reality Stone flew into the socket beneath the ring finger.

As soon as the Reality Stone settled into place, a massive amount of red energy surged into Wang Bert’s body. Wang Bert let out a low roar and forcibly endured it.

"Very good. The first Stone is mine."

Wang Bert nodded in satisfaction and said to the Collector, "Hand over the rest."

"It’s all here. Take it yourself. We’ll meet again in seven days."

The Collector snorted and stepped into a jar. Then, the jar sprayed out a great deal of icy vapor, freezing him inside.

"A technological seal?"

Wang Bert mocked him. As he looted the Collector’s collection, he considered which Stone to take next.

"According to the Collector’s information, the Middleman has been sealed away. I’ll find him first. He definitely won’t be running around."

After taking all the collectibles, Wang Bert teleported to the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy, then controlled his spaceship and flew toward the Middleman’s location.

"Hm?"

Phoenix, who was flying toward the Celestial Head, paused in surprise and irritably changed direction.

"Hm?"

The Avengers, who were tracking Phoenix, froze in surprise and hurriedly changed direction as well.

By the time Wang Bert found the Middleman, it was already the next day, Earth time. Looking at the chaos before him, he asked in surprise, "Could this be the edge of the universe?"

"You could say that, or you could say it isn’t."

A wave of mental energy came from a bubble at the edge of the chaos. Wang Bert turned and looked toward the Middleman inside the bubble.

That was right. The Middleman was sealed within the bubble, which lay at the boundary between chaos and reality. Even a powerhouse like the Middleman could not break it.

Furthermore, the Middleman had been sealed here by Lord of Eternity and Lord of Chaos.

Wang Bert looked at the Soul Stone on the Middleman’s forehead and asked, "Middleman?"

"You came specifically to find me?"

The Middleman asked, "What do you want?"

"The Soul Stone on your forehead."

Wang Bert said frankly, "Let’s make a deal. I’ll free you, and you’ll give me the Soul Stone."

The Middleman’s eyes lit up. "You dare free me? You really have guts. Do you know who sealed me here?"

"I know, but so what?"

Wang Bert casually lied. I’ll be gone in three days. What the hell does it have to do with me who sealed you here?

Honestly, the feeling of being able to act without restraint was quite nice. Fortunately, Wang Bert was ultimately on the side of justice and would not do anything too excessive.

If Wang Bert had been on the side of evil, this universe would surely have had countless lives devoured by him.

The Middleman laughed loudly. "Hahaha, young people these days really are arrogant. Fine, I agree. In a moment, we’ll strike together and shatter this bubble."

Wang Bert said, "No rush. I once made an agreement with Serpent God Set, but that shameless bastard actually broke it. To be safe, let’s sign a contract first."

"That was because you were foolish. Among the ancient gods, Serpent God Set is the least trustworthy. If you want someone to cooperate with, Eye Demon and Crimson God are your best choices."

The Middleman said, "Crimson God is a violent maniac, but he respects contracts greatly. As for Eye Demon, that fellow is on the side of chaos, but as long as he hasn’t lost his mind, he generally honors contracts."

"Thank you for the advice."

Wang Bert raised his right hand. The Reality Stone shone brightly, and red light formed a contract in the air.

"After gaining freedom, surrender the Soul Stone and guarantee that you will not tell anyone else about this matter for seven days. If you break the agreement, your soul will turn to ashes."

The Middleman glanced at the contract and asked, "You want to collect all the Infinity Stones?"

"Yes."

Wang Bert nodded. "Protecting the Infinity Stones may be the responsibility of you Elders of the Universe, but I assume it is less important than your freedom."

"Of course it is. At worst, I’ll take them back after seven days. I don’t think you can collect all the Infinity Stones within seven days."

The Middleman said, "I accept this contract."

As the Middleman spoke, the contract turned into a streak of red light and flew into his brow. Since he did not resist, the sacrifice required by the contract was not much.

"Let’s begin!"

Wang Bert stopped wasting words. His left hand transformed into a constantly spinning drill and bored into the bubble. The surrounding space was rapidly shredded, even faintly merging with chaos.

"This guy is formidable. When did such a young ancient god appear in the universe?"

The Middleman was somewhat surprised, but even more delighted. He drew upon the power of chaos and reality, striking together at the point where the drill bored into the bubble.

Before long, the bubble was drilled open with a small hole. The Middleman transformed into a ray of light and flew out. He laughed loudly. After being sealed for countless years, he had finally regained his freedom.

Then, the Middleman removed the Soul Stone from his forehead and threw it to Wang Bert. "See you in seven days. Then, I’ll take back the Soul Stone."

With that, the Middleman immediately fled. Seeing this, Wang Bert instantly opened a portal and ran as well—from the Middleman’s reaction, someone would likely arrive soon. Come to think of it, that guy was truly unkind. He had not even given a warning.

Just after Wang Bert and the Middleman left, two gigantic faces appeared out of thin air. They were Lord of Eternity and Lord of Chaos. After sensing the surroundings, they both chased in the direction the Middleman had fled.

At the Celestial Head, Wang Bert sat in the main hall of the collection museum and placed the Soul Stone into the socket beneath the Infinity Gauntlet’s little finger.

Once the Soul Stone settled into place, Wang Bert’s consciousness drifted into a mysterious space. Countless souls wandered inside, and a message entered Wang Bert’s mind: "I need more souls."

"You have a complete consciousness?"

Wang Bert narrowed his eyes. The other Infinity Stones could only be considered spiritually aware, akin to artifact spirits, but the Soul Stone possessed true consciousness.

The Soul Stone tempted him, "Yes. The more souls I have, the stronger my power becomes. I can even nourish you in return, allowing you to surpass the Creator God and the Living Tribunal."

"I’ll consider it."

Wang Bert said, though he sneered inwardly. A mere gemstone wanted to order him around? It truly did not know its place.

It seemed the next sacrificial target had been found.

"Could the Soul Stone be related to Nemesis?"

Thinking of something, Wang Bert’s eyes flickered. Then he shook his head and withdrew his consciousness from the mysterious space. He would find out later. No matter what, he had to collect all the Infinity Stones.

Wang Bert silently thought, Next is the Power Stone. It can amplify the energy of all the Stones. With it, plus the Soul Stone and Reality Stone, obtaining the other Stones will be as easy as turning over my hand.

As for whether getting the Power Stone would be difficult, Wang Bert felt it would not be difficult at all. Champion, who controlled the Power Stone, had a fatal weakness—the Collector had generously provided the intelligence.

Meanwhile, Phoenix cursed and changed direction again. Sensing Phoenix change course, Dr. Strange darkened his face and had everyone change direction after her.

"Can’t you just stay in one place?" Phoenix and Dr. Strange cursed at the same time.

Wang Bert had already secured two Infinity Stones, while Tony Stark and the others had just met the flamboyant Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster immediately saw that they were not locals and said in delight, "Friends from another universe, welcome to my arena."

Tony stepped forward and said, "Grandmaster, we came to make a bet with you."

The Grandmaster said excitedly, "I love betting. You are people from another universe, so you are qualified to bet with me. Tell me, what are we betting on?"

He really is an old gambling addict.

Tony had a clear understanding now. He said, "We came to this universe to collect the Infinity Stones. I bet that my companion can collect five Infinity Stones within seven days.

"If you lose, you will give us the Mind Stone."

The Grandmaster asked, "Collect all the Infinity Stones within seven days? How many companions do you have?"

Tony said, "Only one. His title is Blood God."

"Only one person? I like this bet."

The Grandmaster laughed loudly. "What is your stake? Although I like this bet, the stakes must be equal."

"Of course."

Tony pointed to Fat Thor and Hulk. "If we lose, those two will join your arena and become your fighters."

Hearing this, Fat Thor and Hulk simultaneously released powerful auras. The attendants and guards behind the Grandmaster were so frightened that they retreated again and again.

"I like these two stakes. It’s a bet."

The Grandmaster stepped forward, touched Hulk’s powerful muscles, and nodded in satisfaction. "One champion fighter plus a bonus. I’m very satisfied."

Fat Thor angrily said, "Bonus? Who are you calling a bonus? In another universe, I defeated your champion fighter."

The Grandmaster asked in astonishment, "Even you could win? The arena in that universe must have been terribly low-level."

Fat Thor was enraged and was about to say something when Future Tony grabbed him and whispered, "Learn from Hulk and endure it. Don’t ruin the big plan."

Fat Thor looked at the aggrieved Hulk and gritted his teeth. "Just this once."

Tony said, "Grandmaster, the bet is in effect. Oh, and during these seven days, you cannot notify the other Elders of the Universe about this. Otherwise, it will count as cheating. No problem?"

"No problem. I’m certain to win this one."

The Grandmaster laughed loudly. "We Elders of the Universe are very strong."

Fat Thor was somewhat doubtful. "Really? In our universe, you were just a comic relief character."

"Comic relief? Me? Hahaha, do you know that every few decades, the arena holds a Battle of Champions?"

The Grandmaster smiled. "The winner may make one request of me, and I will fulfill it unconditionally.

"Several hundred years ago, a champion requested that he rule the universe. I agreed. The next day, he ascended the throne as Lord of the Universe."

Everyone was shocked. "No way? You can even make someone rule the universe?"

"Then he died on the third day."

The Grandmaster smiled. "I only agreed to make him Lord of the Universe. I never agreed that he would not die."

This guy is so cunning.

Everyone thought to themselves. They exchanged glances and saw the gravity in each other’s eyes.

Could Wang Bert really obtain five Infinity Stones within three days? If he failed, this opportunistic bet—one that was practically getting something for free—would end in a disastrous loss.

"Trust Bert. He has never let us down, has he?"

Hulk said, "Grandmaster, since we have nothing better to do, arrange a few matches for us. Let us stretch our muscles."

"Big guy, I truly like you so much. You will be the next Champion."

The Grandmaster laughed loudly. "I’ll arrange the matches immediately. You can compete whenever you want. My arena fighters definitely will not disappoint you."

"Then let’s have some fun. Since we came all this way, we can’t just do nothing."

Everyone exchanged glances and nodded. They all wanted to see just how strong the powerhouses of the universe truly were.