Chapter 133: Knowhere’s Secret (bonus)

Chapter 133: Chapter 133: Knowhere’s Secret (bonus)

"Please follow me."

Tivan, quickly caught up to Daniel and guided him.

The two left the building and arrived at a landing pad packed with various spacecraft.

"Please allow me to give you a tour of Knowhere."

Tivan couldn’t even remember how many years it had been since he had treated someone with such respect. He had spent too long sitting at the top, giving orders instead of taking them.

Yet somehow, those old instincts of flattering powerful figures came rushing back as if they had never left.

Daniel nodded, since he didn’t have anything better to do anyway, messing with Tivan sounded like a good pass-time.

"Let’s board a ship and take a lap around Knowhere. I am incredibly familiar with this place, because the entirety of Knowhere belongs to me."

Tivan’s voice carried an irrepressible pride. This was the empire he had built over millions of years, and reflecting on his past struggles and hard work, he couldn’t help but feel a deep wave of emotion.

’Once this is over, I absolutely have to write a book. I’ll title it My Struggle.’ he thought silently to himself.

Tivan wasn’t worried about sales at all. He had hundreds of thousands of employees. Each would receive a copy to serve as their mandatory ideological guide. Anyone who truly grasped the essence of his teachings would get a promotion and a raise.

"Forget it. I’m not riding in that toy."

According to the script Daniel had written for himself, he was currently portraying a domineering, arrogant Kryptonian.

"I can fly on my own."

"But the exterior is quite dangerous..." Tivan started to say, but the words caught in his throat as Daniel fixed him with a sharp glare.

"Are you underestimating us Kryptonians? Do you really believe we’re nothing more than weak and fragile creatures like you?"

"We don’t need spaceships. We can cross the universe with nothing but our own bodies. Only Kryptonian children need ships, and any adult caught riding one would become a laughingstock.

So, are you trying to make me a laughingstock among my people?"

"That is not what I meant at all," Tivan said, hurriedly waving his hands. "My apologies, I didn’t know..."

"Forget it. Let’s go."

Daniel took off into the air first, flying out ahead. Tivan hastily climbed into his ship and followed closely behind.

...

"Is it not beautiful?" Tivan asked.

"Not bad," Daniel replied.

The two were now floating in the deep space just outside Knowhere, a region bathed in a brilliant, multicolored tapestry of starlight.

"Back when I was young, I was an adventurer, and I traveled from planet to planet. I can’t even remember how many women from countless civilizations were captivated by my charm..."

"Get to the point."

Hearing Tivan attempting to flex in front of him, Daniel almost couldn’t resist blasting him with a beam of Heat Vision.

’Does this guy ever stop talking about himself?’

If it weren’t for the money, Daniel wouldn’t have bothered putting up with Tivan for another second.

"Ahem, right." His trip down memory lane cut short, Tivan initially felt a surge of anger, but he quickly remembered who he was talking to. He coughed twice and continued, "During one of my adventures, I discovered this place.

"You have no idea how shocked I was the first time I saw it. I was completely stunned. Though, naturally, I still looked incredible."

Thud.

Daniel delivered a swift kick that launched the spaceship several miles away. The ship immediately spun out of control. Inside, Tivan felt the entire world spinning violently upside down, nearly making him vomit.

A minute later, Tivan pilot-controlled the wobbling ship back to Daniel’s side.

"If you waste my time with any more nonsense, my next kick won’t be so gentle," Daniel warned coldly. This time, he wasn’t acting; he meant it.

Nothing annoyed him more than someone acting narcissistic in his face.

"I understand," Tivan agreed frantically.

"As I was saying, I discovered this place. The first time I saw it, I was completely stunned. What kind of creature could have been that enormous? Its body was beyond imagination; the head alone was the size of an asteroid."

"Eventually, I settled here and founded the Tivan Group."

Looking at the giant, severed skull of Knowhere, a new thought formed in Daniel’s mind.

"This creature looks a bit familiar. I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before."

Daniel began putting on an act again.

His strategy was simple: exaggerate the terrifying power of the Kryptonians until Tivan was completely intimidated.

After all, Daniel was an educated man with two doctorates. If possible, he preferred not to solve problems with violence. He would rather convince his enemies through reason.

To defeat someone through logic, to make them surrender willingly and completely, that was the true way.

’If I enlighten them, they will naturally offer me gifts out of their own free will,’ Daniel reasoned inwardly. ’And it would be rude to refuse, as it would break their hearts. I suppose I will just have to bear this kind of suffering all by myself. I really am a good person.’

After praising himself in his mind, Daniel resumed his performance.

"This entity... it seems they called themselves the Celestials," Daniel said, feigning a moment of hesitation.

"Correct." Tivan nodded. "According to the historical records I excavated, this is the severed head of an ancient Celestial."

"Him? A Celestial?"

"Back when we Kryptonians fought our great war against the Brainiacs, their kind was nothing more than a weak and insignificant race that only survived by staying out of the conflict."

"’Celestial’ is just a title they gave themselves to make their race sound greater than it really is. Do you honestly think he would dare call himself a Celestial in front of Kryptonians?"

"Even a Kryptonian child could defeat him."

Daniel’s tone was dripping with utter disdain, thoroughly looking down on the creature.

Hearing this left a sour taste in Tivan’s mouth. Why did it feel so incredibly uncomfortable to hear? So, the ultimate treasure I’ve spent millions of years guarding like a prized jewel is inferior to one of your newborns?

"This kind of creature is really just oversized, nothing more. It looks intimidating on the surface," Daniel remarked casually. "Though, its spinal marrow fluid does have some minor uses..."

Daniel trailed off deliberately, leaving the rest of the sentence for Tivan to finish.

He had just used his X-Ray and Super Hearing to observe the harvested brain tissue and spinal marrow being transported into the laboratory, and it looked highly valuable.

"Yes, the marrow fluid is indeed the most precious resource here, and our current reserves are running low. The Celestial marrow fluid can even be used to extend one’s lifespan."

Tivan didn’t bother hiding anything. After Daniel had already revealed such overwhelming, godlike power, there was no point in keeping secrets anymore.

Although he harbored doubts about Daniel’s claims, he still believed a good eighty percent of it.

The main reason was that even if Daniel was making things up, the raw, terrifying power he displayed was completely real. It was exactly as formidable as he claimed it to be.

The moment he heard it could extend lifespan, Daniel’s eyes lit up.

What an unexpected discovery. Daniel had originally only planned to squeeze a little more money out of the Collector, but he never expected to find something that could extend lifespan.

"Can I have that one?" Daniel asked with a smile.

Although Mary and John had previously said they didn’t want to live forever, Daniel couldn’t help feeling a pang of sadness as he watched his parents grow older day by day.

Now that he had discovered something capable of extending life, how could Daniel possibly leave without taking some with him?

He could quietly add it to his parents’ food, allowing them to remain by his side for many years to come.

Daniel had no idea how long his own lifespan would ultimately be, but he knew it would be far beyond that of an ordinary human, and he had no desire to spend the vast, unending stretch of his future life entirely alone.

His parents needed it, Susan needed it, and so did some of the people closest to him.

"Very well." Tivan agreed without a single moment of hesitation.

Though he was curious as to why a seemingly immortal being like Daniel would want such a thing, Tivan didn’t ask.

He immediately dispatched a message to his attendants. "Retrieve the stored Celestial marrow fluid from the vault. I have a use for it."

The marrow fluid was an incredibly rare and valuable substance, something even immense wealth couldn’t easily buy. But when it came down to his own survival, nothing else mattered more.

Tivan made his decision quickly. Even if he couldn’t confirm whether Daniel’s extraordinary claims were true, one thing was undeniable: Daniel’s overwhelming power was real.

No matter the circumstances, he couldn’t stop him, so the only logical course of action right now was to make him happy, give him what he wanted, and send him on his way from Knowhere as soon as possible.

’As for the bastard who sold him to me... you are a dead man.’

Thinking back on the deal, Tivan felt deeply frustrated. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had suffered a massive loss. This was a disaster he never saw coming.

"Achoo!" Aboard his spaceship, Quill suddenly let out a massive sneeze.

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