While Lin Rui and Peter had just fallen asleep on the couch, another set of footsteps echoed in the luxurious lounge. Someone else was coming. Tony turned to look at the source of the commotion and saw Star-Lord, accompanied by Gamora, briskly walking in.
Initially, after landing the heavily damaged Milano at SHIELD’s base in New York, Star-Lord and his crew had assumed that the people from the other Spaceship would be at this base. However, when they emerged from the Milano, there was no one to be seen.
Upon contacting J.A.R.V.I.S, Star-Lord and his crew learned that the individuals from the E Grade Spaceship had already left ahead of time, leaving only a few specially modified soldiers to conduct some checks and maintenance on the Spaceship. So, Star-Lord had no choice but to come to Stark Industries building to find them.
In reality, Star-Lord wasn’t here to find Tony or Captain Rogers; he was specifically looking for Lin Rui. Star-Lord’s return to Earth this time had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, prompted by the information Lin Rui had shared about his father. He needed to know more about it.
“Jackson…” Star-Lord began as he entered the lounge, but Tony raised a hand to stop him.
“Keep it down. They’ve just fallen asleep, they’re exhausted,” Tony whispered, raising his index finger to his lips, signaling for Star-Lord to be quiet.
Hearing Tony’s words and seeing Lin Rui and Peter sound asleep, Star-Lord reluctantly nodded. While they had been through quite an ordeal dealing with Dormammu, his mind had been preoccupied with thoughts about his father, so he hadn’t had a chance to relax.
“Let’s wait for them to wake up, and if you don’t mind, I’d love to hear more about what’s happening in the universe,” Tony suggested, guiding them to another area of the lounge after Star-Lord had hushed.
Tony and his team had encountered extraterrestrial beings before, such as the Dark Elves and the Asgardians, who belonged to the Nine Realms. However, in the vast universe, these realms were relatively insignificant.
To truly understand the universe, someone like Star-Lord, who had been exploring it for years after leaving Earth at a young age, was the ideal person to speak to. When Lin Rui decided to rescue Star-Lord, he introduced Star-Lord and his crew to Tony and his team, so Tony was quite interested in hearing more from Star-Lord.
In fact, it wasn’t just Tony who was intrigued by Star-Lord and his crew; SHIELD’s Captain Rogers, Dr. Banner, and others were also interested. Prior to this, the threat posed by Dormammu had kept them preoccupied, and there hadn’t been much opportunity for conversation.
Now that Dormammu’s threat had been neutralized, Star-Lord and his crew would undoubtedly receive a warm welcome, with Tony’s interaction being just the beginning.
Upon hearing Tony’s suggestion, Star-Lord, and Gamora didn’t offer any objections. It was clear they had anticipated the situation. When Lin Rui encountered Star-Lord and Rocket on that alien planet, he asked many questions about the universe.
For Tony and the others, who had never left Earth, the knowledge that there was such a vast civilization beyond their world had fueled their curiosity. Therefore, since their current abilities were insufficient to venture into the universe, getting information from Star-Lord seemed like a good start.
Star-Lord and Gamora settled into a slightly smaller lounge area under Tony’s guidance. Then, Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S provide some food and drinks for them. Furthermore, upon learning about Star-Lord’s hometown, Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S arrange for some specialties from his own home region. This seemed to evoke a sense of nostalgia in Star-Lord.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had these… Time really changes a lot of things, like the taste of these things. I wonder if it’s me who’s changed, or if the flavors have changed,” Star-Lord mused, his tone oddly reflective, after taking a few bites of the hometown specialties.
Gamora and Tony remained silent in response to Star-Lord’s reflection. As Star-Lord’s girlfriend, Gamora simply stood by his side, aware that his return to his home planet was sure to stir up complex emotions.
Now, with the added complexity of encountering someone who claimed to be his biological father, it was clear that Star-Lord’s mind was in turmoil.
After a moment of reflection, Star-Lord set aside the food he was holding and looked up at Tony, who was eager to hear more. “So, what do you want to know? I’m planning to stay for a while this time.”
Tony leaned forward, interested. “Well, I’m particularly curious about the level of technological advancement in the universe’s common civilizations. Maybe you can tell us more about that?”
As someone who had dominated Earth through technology, Tony was eager to learn about the most cutting-edge technology on Earth and how it compared to the rest of the universe.
However, in response to Tony’s inquiry, Star-Lord raised an eyebrow and his eyes displayed a hint of amusement. “If you’d asked me this question before my return, I would’ve said there’s a significant gap between Earth and the common civilizations of the universe, it’s almost incomparable. After all, I left Earth when I was only seven years old, and I didn’t know much about the world back then. But now, my perspective has changed,” Star-Lord replied earnestly.
In fact, nearly a year ago, when Star-Lord had met Lin Rui on that alien planet and learned about Earth’s current situation, he had been astonished.
Now that he had returned to Earth and witnessed the power of SHIELD, Stark, Lin Rui, the X-Men, and others firsthand, he couldn’t help but wonder if the Earth he had known for all those years had been a facade.
Based on what Star-Lord had seen, whether it was the E Grade Spaceship, Stark’s Iron Man suits, or the powers of Thor, Loki, Hulk, and Iceman, these individuals and technologies were more than capable of standing their ground on the cosmic stage.
“While Earth’s civilian technology may not have reached a particularly high level, the technologies you’ve already mastered aren’t inferior to those of common civilizations in the universe; in some aspects, you might even be stronger,” Star-Lord continued in response to Tony’s eager gaze.
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