"Quite bold, aren't they?"
The moment William spoke, the twenty-plus Ravagers surrounding him suddenly found they couldn't move. An invisible force gripped their necks, lifting them slowly off the ground.
"Yondu! S-save us!"
"Silence."
A mass silence spell erupted outward. William raised his hand and made a downward motion. Instantly, the group was pressed to their knees under the weight of his telekinesis.
Then, his eyes fell on a very human-looking figure. He gestured.
"You, human?"
"Y-yes! Yes, sir!" The man, who looked to be in his thirties, hurriedly dropped his energy weapon. "I know you, Mr. Devonshire—I'm also from Engla—"
"Quiet."
William had spared him for being human, but that didn't mean he was looking to befriend a petty space pirate—especially one without any real ability.
Hovering into the air, William floated up to Yondu's face.
"You'd better tell me that the Yaka metal I requested is ready. Otherwise, the fact your men pointed weapons at me will be the least of your problems."
Yondu wasn't surprised—he knew this was William forcing him to deliver the goods. "I got it. But if you want to forge a proper Yaka Arrow, you'd best see a dwarf… or one of the Hudari.
Otherwise, any arrow you make will fall far short of full power."
He turned and retrieved a small case from a safe in his quarters, handing it over.
William opened it and frowned. "This is supposed to be ten kilograms? It's barely the size of an apple."
"This metal's incredibly dense," Yondu replied. "And you didn't think my Yaka Arrow was pure Yaka metal, did you? It's a blend—mostly another alloy, with just one kilogram of Yaka."
William didn't bother arguing. Yondu, with no understanding of magic and no money to hire dwarves, had likely used the Hudari—just as he said.
"You'd better not be lying."
He retrieved Yondu's original Yaka Arrow from his storage, removed the psychic lock, and tossed it back.
Yondu whistled a few times, testing it, and when nothing seemed wrong, he grinned. "Relax. You paid—I'll deliver."
Yeah, right. If William weren't absurdly powerful, Yondu would never have behaved so "honorably."
"And where's Quill?"
Hearing that, Yondu's face fell. "Sigh… That brat took the ten healing charms you gave him, sold nine on the Xandar black market for 180,000 credits,
bought a tiny ship, and renamed himself Star-Lord. Said he's heading out to find cosmic treasures for you as a gift."
William chuckled inwardly. Turns out, whether it's Earth or the cosmos, intelligent life rarely resists the lure of money.
He didn't mind Quill being greedy—after all, one healing charm fetched 20,000 credits. Even if Quill asked for 2 million credits' worth, William could make that in a day.
And if that cash helped Quill locate the Orb—the Power Stone—then even 200 million would be worth it.
"If you can reach him, ask if he can track down magic-related artifacts or texts. Anything I don't know—anything I haven't seen—should net him a generous reward."
Yondu thought for a moment, then pulled out a communicator and called.
"Hey, Quill—how's being a space bum treating you?"
At first, Star-Lord was happy to see Yondu reaching out. But the insult triggered a snap-back. "Better than being your underpaid errand boy."
"You little—if it weren't for me, you'd be—!"
"Silence."
William, now understanding this was just a tense father-figure spat, silenced them both with a spell.
"Hey, Quill. Save the family drama until I finish the job offer."
Seeing William, Quill immediately looked nervous—but seeing Yondu standing safely nearby calmed him.
He flashed a grin. "Mr. Devonshire! What an honor! I was just heading to the coordinates Yondu gave me to find a legendary winged Pegasus from Earth myths as a gift for you.
Didn't expect you to think of me so soon—thank you, really!"
That cheeky remark made it clear: Quill was reminding William that Yondu had far more galactic knowledge than either of them.
"Relax," William said with a smirk. "As long as Yondu doesn't cause trouble, I won't do anything to him."
To seal the deal, William lifted the restraints from Yondu. "If your Ravagers are still open to paid missions, I've got one."
Turning back to Quill, he added, "You—start hunting down magical books and artifacts. Anything rare or unknown."
Relieved, Quill grinned. "Got it. Changing course to hit some deep-market traders. If I find anything good, I'll bring it to Earth personally. See you soon."
"Looking forward to it."
Ending the call, William pocketed Yondu's communicator. Then, without waiting for Yondu's reply, he described the situation on Cybertron.
He tossed down a pouch containing a hundred healing charms. "That's the down payment. Help the Autobots retake Cybertron, and I'll give you another two hundred. Deal?"
Yondu hesitated… but one look at his kneeling crew—now wide-eyed and drooling at the mention of 6 million credits—made him sigh and nod.
"Fine. That kind of cash is enough to make these broke bastards risk their lives."
William smirked. Apparently, Ravager lives weren't as valuable as he'd thought.
And since most of them were oddly shaped aliens… William didn't feel the slightest guilt.
He tapped the communicator. "Notify me when it's done."
"Heimdall!"
After a few seconds of shouting skyward, the Rainbow Bridge descended and whisked William away.
Back in Asgard, he was surprised to see Loki still waiting.
Grinning slyly, Loki said, "Perhaps I could escort you to Nidavellir? We could ask the Dwarf King if he has time to forge your new weapon."
William narrowed his eyes.
Just as he'd been planning how to slip Heimdall's constant surveillance, Loki offered the perfect excuse.
But instead of being pleased, William frowned.
"What do you want, Loki?"
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
• Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.• Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.