Diana was dead, reduced to nothing but sand.
This was the news Beckett received from Gates the next morning.
The robotic cat, wearing a yellow-spotted apron, informed Beckett of everything that had happened outside the base the previous night after preparing breakfast, even playing back the footage of Diana turning to sand for him.
It was playing on a loop on the holographic screen in the dining room.
When Astra, yawning, followed the scent, he saw the footage of Diana repeatedly turning to sand on the screen.
Astra's eyes widened, and his lingering sleepiness vanished instantly.
Watching Diana repeatedly turn to sand before his eyes, watching himself in the footage repeatedly bend down to pick up wine bottles buried by fine sand, the sadness that had been weighing on Astra's heart last night disappeared without a trace.
???
"Good morning, Lord Astra."
The robotic cat friendly raised its hand, tilted its head back, and grinned, greeting him with a smile.
"Good morning, little kitty." Stroking his messy beard, Astra glanced at the table laden with food, then turned and bent down, smiling in response.
After greeting Gates, Astra sat down with a flourish. Just as he was about to start eating, his gaze fell back on the table, and he suddenly realized the dishes were disappearing at an incredibly fast rate!
???
Under Astra's ghost-like stare, Beckett was devouring the dishes with a leisurely attitude and a whirlwind-like speed.
"This..."
"Apologies, Lord Astra, Gates did not prepare breakfast for you. These are all for His Highness Beckett. If you require sustenance, you can take a flyer to the adjacent military vessel docking star; there is a mess hall specifically for military catering."
"Alternatively, you can opt for Nutrient Fluid, though the taste isn't particularly good. Gates recommends you take a flyer to the adjacent military vessel docking point."
"..." Astra felt he must have misheard. This entire table full of food was for Beckett alone???
"Are you sure you're not lying to me?" Astra expressed his doubt.
"Lord Astra, Gates's programming does not include the option to lie." The robotic cat, wearing a yellow-spotted apron, scratched the back of its head and grinned, collecting the empty plates from the table and placing them on the serving cart in front of it.
"In fact, this isn't all. Gates's kitchen has thirty-seven more dishes. Well, I won't chat with you any longer; Gates needs to serve the next course."
Waving goodbye to the stunned Astra, the robotic cat Gates scurried towards the kitchen with its short legs, pushing the serving cart.
Thirty minutes later...
Astra, who hadn't even managed to get a spoonful of soup, gnawed ferociously on the nutrient bar, which had solidified into a block. The lurid green nutrient bar perfectly complemented his green helmet.
He just couldn't understand where Beckett got such a huge appetite from.
Was he not afraid of bursting?
Was this the saying, "The bold get rich, the timid starve"?
Or was it that everyone from Titan was this gluttonous?
Most importantly, couldn't he have at least spared him a mouthful of soup from all those dishes?!
The bland nutrient bar only fueled his anger as he ate, but despite his strong physique, he lacked the ability to snatch Beckett's food. Astra could only resign himself to fate.
"His Highness Beckett, Lord Thanos requires your presence." After finishing his meal, Gates finally relayed the message Thanos had sent him to Beckett.
"Understood."
Wiping his lips, Beckett glanced at Astra, who was still fiercely chewing on the nutrient bar, and got up to leave.
"Father?"
Leaving his palace, Beckett, familiar with the route, arrived at the base's main hall. After respectfully saluting, he found that two others, who were rarely in the Dark Order, were already there before him.
Two of the Black Order, Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight.
"This time, your mission is the Skrull Empire, specifically four individuals from the Skrull Empire: Baltan, Gesra, Augus, and Magma."
Beckett's arrival did not cause Thanos on the throne to pause his instructions to Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight.
"Magma has already been killed by Beckett, so your targets are only Baltan, Gesra, and Augus."
"But, Lord Thanos, didn't you say yesterday that we were going to attack the Kree Empire?"
Proxima Midnight asked, confused, looking at the virtual human image before her.
Hearing this, Thanos remained silent, merely tapping his index finger on the armrest of his throne. The look in his eyes made Proxima Midnight understand. She saluted and said, "I understand."
"Your armies are responsible for dragging the armies of these three into battle. Beckett will handle the rest."
This beheading operation was Beckett's specialty. Once Beckett completed the beheading plan, Thanos would have completed his transaction with Astra, and the coordinates of the mysterious power would be obtained.
"Father, why did you agree to this transaction? Couldn't you have just made him tell you the coordinates you wanted?"
After Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive took their orders and left, Beckett finally voiced the doubt that had been weighing on his mind.
Astra's strength was pitifully weak. Beckett could swear that if Thanos handed Astra over to him, he would have a hundred ways to make Astra wish he were dead in the Dark Order, thus forcing him to confess everything.
But Thanos didn't. Instead, he insisted on completing the transaction with Astra.
"You think Astra is very weak and poses no threat to us, correct?"
Looking at his most satisfactory son, Thanos smiled and stood up from his throne.
"You are mistaken."
"You believe he lacks the means to oppose you, but that is precisely the trap he has set for you. Do you recall what I once told you? Never let pride blind your eyes."
The unique physiology of the Eternal Titan race allowed Thanos to clearly sense the power within Astra, a power that operated entirely on a mental level.
Furthermore, the entity that granted Astra this power seemed to be searching for something through him. If force were to be used, it would undoubtedly alert the being behind Astra, which was not the outcome Thanos desired. At least, not the outcome the current Thanos desired.
"What seems to pose no threat is often the most deadly."
"I have seen a grain of sand, out of loneliness, summon countless companions to fill the sea of stars, and I have seen a blade of grass, in its anger, strike down a falling meteor."
"So, Beckett, I hope you remember this."
"This universe is vast and holds many wondrous powers. You must learn to use the strength within you to perceive everything in this universe."
"This is also the direction you will train in next, do you understand?"
Thanks to Erchuan Rong for the tip
Double update, please recommend~~~ whimper whimper whimper
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