Chapter 156: Leaving Sakaar

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Leaving Sakaar

Daniel sighed in amazement after taking a look at Quill.

He wondered if Quill would end up scarred for life after going through an experience like that. But after giving it some thought, considering Quill’s psychological resilience, he figured... probably not.

Shaking his head to throw out the image he had just witnessed, Daniel returned to his hotel. He still needed to stay on Sakaar for a few more days to wait for something, a brand-new ship.

Daniel had already chosen a name for it: the Starforge.

The Starforge turned out to be an unexpected and pleasant surprise. Knowing Quill might not be able to hold out once he returned to Earth, Daniel reached out to the very "friends" who had once chased him down day after day. He convinced them to cancel the bounty on his own head and, while he was at it, quietly began phasing out Quill’s bounty as well.

After all, these were powerful figures with reputations to protect. They couldn’t just withdraw every bounty overnight without making it painfully obvious that Daniel had gotten the better of them.

But when they heard that Daniel was finally retiring from the galactic scene, they were secretly overjoyed.

Of course, they couldn’t exactly show it. Instead, they put on their best diplomatic smiles and gave him one heartfelt farewell after another, pretending they were devastated to see him go. They talked about how much he had contributed to the galaxy and how his departure would leave a void that would be difficult to fill.

Daniel, unfortunately, took them at their word. He was so touched by their sincerity that he actually started wondering if he should stick around for a few more years.

That was the last thing they wanted to hear. The moment Daniel hinted that he might reconsider, they panicked. They immediately started pressing farewell gifts into his hands, practically begging him to accept them.

The most valuable gift of all was the Starforge.

Aside from lacking weapons, everything else on this ship was the absolute best the universe had to offer. It was packed with cutting-edge technology and all sorts of lavish decorations. In short, it was designed to be as luxurious and comfortable as possible, all to keep Daniel satisfied so he would hurry up and leave the universe behind.

What a plague he was.

A few days later, Daniel received his spaceship with utmost satisfaction.

The Starforge had a sleek silver exterior, but its interior was spacious enough to rival a flagship. It was packed with all kinds of entertainment and luxury amenities.

One civilization even offered Daniel dozens of their latest custom-made pleasure androids, the kind they manufactured and sold throughout the galaxy.

Daniel politely turned them down, as there was no way he could take those things back to Earth. If Susan ever found out about them, there was absolutely no explaining his way out of that one.

It was just that when Daniel turned them down, he did so with extreme reluctance and an aching heart.

"Damn, this thing is huge," Valkyrie said when she first laid eyes on the Starforge.

Today, Daniel had managed to surprise Valkyrie yet again.

She had always known Daniel was powerful, but she had never imagined just how far beyond her expectations he really was. The fact that so many civilizations had gone out of their way to send him off was proof enough.

As Valkyrie explored the Starforge, she spotted gifts from various civilizations. Every item was of the highest quality, and some were enough to make even an alcoholic like her drool.

"Looks like you’re pretty popular around the galaxy," Valkyrie said, genuinely impressed.

Daniel gave an awkward smile. He knew the real reason well enough. The moment those guys heard he was leaving, they had probably started planning farewell celebrations behind his back.

"All right, all right," he said, waving it off.

"Ultron, bring this lady a bottle of wine. The one from Veltrix. I remember they gave me quite a bit of it."

The wine from Veltrix was famous throughout the universe.

"Very well, Sir." Having moved into a new home, Ultron’s voice sounded faintly pleasant.

Ultron had also received a new body, a micro-supercomputer, the most advanced computer in the known universe. With its new hardware, its intelligence had improved dramatically. At the very least, it was now far more advanced than the JARVIS Daniel remembered from Earth.

That actually gave Daniel an idea. Someday, he might just hack Stark’s JARVIS and give the guy a little surprise.

A service robot soon brought the wine over, and the moment Valkyrie saw the bottle, her eyes locked onto it.

"Veltrix Collector’s Edition..." She stared in disbelief. "This stuff is practically impossible to get. It’s supposed to be the most expensive wine in the entire galaxy. They say the flavor is so incredible that drinking it feels like experiencing pure bliss."

She hugged the bottle tightly, as if someone might try to take it from her. Her eyes practically sparkled with intoxication, and she was already drooling.

"Really? I had no idea," Daniel said with a smile. "They gave me quite a lot of it. Enough to fill several rooms, actually. If you like it, I can give you a few more bottles. I don’t know much about wine, but I remember there were several different varieties."

Valkyrie stared at him, and for perhaps the first time in her life, she felt genuinely jealous of someone.

The Collector’s Edition bottle in her hands was worth at least two million to start with, and that was just the official retail price, where it was completely out of stock. On the black market, the price had long been jacked up to five million, and demand still vastly exceeded supply.

And Daniel had just said he had enough to fill several rooms. Just how much wine did this guy have?

And the rooms on the Starforge weren’t exactly small.

This was a custom-built luxury vessel designed specifically for Daniel, so even its smallest rooms were over two hundred square meters. A flagship of comparable size could easily accommodate fifty thousand soldiers.

Apparently, Daniel had once casually mentioned that he liked having plenty of space, and someone had taken that comment very seriously.

"Let me take a sip of this bottle first, then we’ll go check out your wine cellar." Although she was tempted, Valkyrie couldn’t resist tasting the legendary Veltrix Collector’s Edition wine first. She had only heard rumors about it before and had never gotten to drink it.

Unlike her usual habit of chugging it down in one gulp, Valkyrie carefully took a small sip, then closed her eyes. After a long moment, she exhaled deeply.

"Damn. That’s good."

Then, she downed the rest of the bottle in a single gulp.

Lines of black frustration filled Daniel’s head.

Wasn’t this the same woman who had just called it priceless, nearly impossible to obtain, and the most precious wine in the galaxy? So, why was she chugging it like cheap beer?

After finishing the drink, Valkyrie licked her lips. Seeing Daniel looking at her with an odd expression, she said with a bit of embarrassment, "Force of habit, yeah just habit."

A faint blush spread across her cheeks. Whether it was from the alcohol or embarrassment, Daniel couldn’t tell.

"Come on. Take me to the rest of your wine."

After one bottle, Valkyrie was already hooked. One bottle wasn’t nearly enough anymore. Ten sounded about right.

She completely forgot about the rest of the Starforge. As far as she was concerned, the ship’s greatest feature was its wine collection.

It took them several attempts to find the storage area. The Starforge was simply enormous, and with all the gifts packed throughout the ship, even Daniel nearly lost his way.

The moment he opened the door, Valkyrie charged inside.

"Whoa..."

She grabbed one bottle after another, reading the labels under her breath, and every name was a premium brand.

After rummaging around for a while, Valkyrie finally turned to Daniel with an expression of absolute seriousness.

"Hire me. I’ll do anything you need: kill people, burn things, rob banks, whatever. Just give me food, a place to sleep, and unlimited drinks. I’ll take care of the rest."

"Get lost," Daniel said flatly.

Knowing Valkyrie, she’d move into these rooms and never leave. So, he’d end up supporting her, and there was no way he was agreeing to that.

"Pick ten bottles of each type and then get out."

He’d only brought Valkyrie along because he needed her to show him the way. Now that Ultron had the coordinates, he had no reason to keep her around. Besides, Daniel wasn’t stupid enough to bring her back to Earth, as he still had Susan back home.

"Can I take a little more?" Valkyrie asked, putting on her most pitiful expression.

"Didn’t I already give you enough?" Daniel asked, giving her an amused look.

"Just a little more."

Daniel sighed but eventually waved her off. "Fine, take what you want."

He figured Valkyrie would make good use of it anyway. He wasn’t much of a drinker himself, but he enjoyed a good bottle every now and then. Since he planned to spend several years back on Earth this time, having a decent selection on hand couldn’t hurt.

Besides, there was more wine than he could ever realistically drink. The various civilizations had given him far more than he needed, and Daniel had no reason to be reluctant about sharing it.

...

As the Starforge rose into the sky, Valkyrie watched it go with obvious reluctance.

She had managed to take dozens of bottles with her, but considering how much she could drink, even that probably wouldn’t last long.

There was nothing she could do about it now.

The Starforge had already entered the largest hyperspace jump corridor and disappeared from sight.

Daniel’s journey home had officially begun.

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