A few minutes ago, Constantine and Shiller followed the short man into a lavish office, where they met the legendary High Lord. He was dressed in a golden robe, tall and slender, appearing very imposing, but the slightly narrow eyes and brows added a hint of menace to him.
"So it's Agent Rodriguez, I've heard so much about you." The High Lord stepped forward to shake hands with Shiller and then said, "Please send my regards to the Chief Administrator. How has he been lately?"
"Thanks to you, he is doing quite well." Shiller nodded at him and said, "Lord Salos specifically asked me to come here to remind you: the cosmos is amidst many wars recently, it's quite unsettled. The Cosmic Elders shouldn't get involved in anything they shouldn't. It's not beneficial for anyone."
The High Lord chuckled and said, "I'm afraid even if we don't want to participate, someone might insist on dragging us into the water. Should I just sit by and watch my brothers and sisters suffer?"
"If you're referring to the Collector, I've already visited him and sent him to the Interstellar Security Committee. Lord Thanos will thoroughly investigate the grand heist of the collection, so you don't need to worry."
The High Lord sat in a swivel chair, spun around, and sighed, "Recently, the two major empires have attacked Asgard, which has significantly affected the casino business. Some regular customers from their jurisdiction areas have also stopped coming."
"Of course, Lord Thanos and the gentlemen of the interstellar council have always been very understanding. This year's taxes can be reduced by one-tenth."
Hearing the reduction in taxes, the High Lord raised an eyebrow. He leaned back and said politely, "The interstellar council has entrusted such a large casino to me, clearly showing their trust. How can I refuse such a responsibility?"
Shiller paused for a moment, then continued, "Although you can pay less this year, this isn't a long-term solution. You know, the Intergalactic Alliance doesn't have much money. The construction of the casino and the initial promotional costs have spent a lot, and if the revenue continues to be affected, they might consider it a failed project."
"You mean..."
"When it comes to that point, it won't be the wise and mighty legislators who made the wrong decision. It will undoubtedly be that the people below failed in execution. As the casino's owner, you might also be held accountable, right?"
The High Lord squinted his eyes but didn't answer.
"So my personal suggestion to you is to take some action to boost the casino's revenue. Even if called to account, you can fully say you did your best, can't you?"
The High Lord was silent for a while, then said, "I was never really a businessman, only happened to like gambling. Initially, I just wanted to build a small casino for fun, to satisfy a personal hobby. If it wasn't for Thanos bringing in the Intergalactic Alliance's investment, I wouldn't have become a casino owner. I think I can't be blamed, right?"
"Indeed, the Intergalactic Alliance wouldn't openly trouble you. But if the business continues to decline, then this Supreme Amusement City may end up closing."
The High Lord frowned heavily and angrily thumped the table, saying, "Who knows what tricks Asgard is playing! Those war maniacs never have a peaceful day!"
Shiller lowered his gaze and continued, "The key isn't Asgard. The Milky Way is such a remote place, with no notable civilization. Even if the two major empires continue their siege, it won't affect much customer source. Perhaps another war is the real culprit for spreading unrest."
The High Lord looked up at him and said, "Are you referring to those Superheroes? Honestly, I don't even know what they're fighting for. That giant super planet, what's it called... Apocalypse Star? Where the hell did it come from?! I've lived since the cosmic dawn and never seen such a bizarre thing."
"Those are all visitors from another world," Shiller said. "The owner of Apocalypse Star is a New God named Darkseid. He has an endless Demon-like Army, with numbers even greater than the existing forces of the Skrull Empire and the Kree Empire. This war will be a tough one."
The High Lord widened his eyes and said, "More than the existing forces of the two major empires?! How is that possible?!"
"There's nothing impossible. Think about it, how many soldiers can such a massive planet store? Besides the endless armies, there are Superheroes, making it a very tough nut to crack."
The High Lord sighed deeply and said, "If they continue this way, the casino might be empty in a few days. These guys are such a nuisance!"
"That's why I said, if you can't exert some influence to end the war sooner, even if the Intergalactic Alliance doesn't hold you accountable, where will you find joy if the casino goes bankrupt?"
The High Lord's eyebrows never relaxed. Seeing a hint of ruthlessness pass through his eyes, Shiller knew he had made the right bet.
The Cosmic Elders indeed are a unique existence. They were born at the universe's inception, survivors of the first group of cosmic civilizations. Once they found each other, they began addressing each other as brothers and sisters.
Because of their wager with Death, they gained endless life. But life too far prolonged becomes boring, so they each decided to find a hobby to pass the time.
The Collector's hobby is collecting, finding strange and unique things across the cosmos to add to his collection; while the High Lord's hobby is gambling, a fervent gambling enthusiast.
At the time, the two Princes of Asgard were stranded on Sakaar, causing the original ruler, the Red King, to suffer a downfall, leading to the closure of the arena. Naturally, the High Lord lost his source of entertainment.
To continue the fun, he simply opened a small casino on the spot, initially just to play with his friends. But at that time, Thanos was eager to advance in the interstellar political scene, and lacking money was not an option. Coincidentally, his superiors also needed a way to amass wealth, so he approached the High Lord, and the two instantly hit it off.
The High Lord is responsible for managing the casino using his extensive gambling knowledge, certain high-ranking officials of the Intergalactic Alliance are in charge of investments, while Thanos acts as the middleman. After joining the Interstellar Security Committee, he also served as a protector, ensuring the casino's operations were undisturbed.
Overall, this casino is the result of a revolving door between politics and business. Officials got their money, Thanos gained status, and the High Lord satisfied his hobby, almost a win-win-win situation. Considering that only the gamblers were harmed, it could also be counted as a contribution to interstellar security—making it a quadruple win.
However, if you ask who values this casino the most, it would undoubtedly be the High Lord. Thanos has already become the director of the Cosmic Federation Bureau of Investigation; many are willing to pay him protection money. Without needing to please any superiors, the casino, apart from providing him with some money, doesn't do much else.
The high-ranking officials, although in need of money, don't rely solely on this source. Conversely, if the place operated poorly and required them to cover the losses, they would rather have it shut down.
Only the High Lord has a pure love for gambling. Such a large gambling city perfectly satisfied his hobby; every day, gamblers challenged him in different ways, and it was not far from the dream Heaven he dreamt of. If it were to close, he might never have the chance to run such a gambling city again.
It's important to know that the overwhelming amount of propaganda, both on the interstellar network and in offline entities, must have the support of the Intergalactic Alliance. Although the High Lord is immortal and powerful, he's a single person. Counting his brothers and sisters, they would still be drowned in the vast sea of civilizations. Only those with a certain level of grassroots governance capabilities can attract so many guests to the casino; he certainly can't manage it alone.
Moreover, with gambling, the stakes only get bigger, and addiction grows stronger. The High Lord has already tasted the thrill of gambling in a big interstellar casino, how could he be satisfied with small casinos in small circles?
The thought of possibly guarding a run-down casino lonely in the future made the High Lord's mind buzz. No! Absolutely not! The casino must not close!
He thought Shiller made some valid points. Although the two great empires, for some inexplicable reason, insisted on attacking Asgard, the Milky Way offers nothing like decent clientele.
Instead, near the Andromeda Galaxy, Centaurus Star System, Swan Star System, and Triangulum Galaxy, there is a considerable flow of customers. Yet those superheroes insist on blocking these areas with their battles. In the interstellar society, everyone knows the might of the human race, and upon hearing there's a human fight there, they all avoid it, or simply don't go out at all.
The other two mechanical empires are fine, but the nobles of the Shi'ar Empire are regular guests at the casino. But these star systems just happen to lie between the casino and the Shi'ar Empire. The High Lord clearly felt the reduction in the number of Feathers Feather Tribe people with feathers on their heads recently.
When those two princes of Asgard inexplicably went to Sakaar and blew up the arena, the High Lord was dumbfounded. Now the human race is fighting again in the cosmos, threatening his casino operations. Is it just one person for the Nine Major Kingdoms to bully? Is there no justice or law left in the world?
The High Lord suddenly stood up, paced behind his desk with his hands behind his back, and said, "You're right, the war needs to end quickly. But you know I can't get close while those humans are fighting. Even though I'm immortal, if those humans made up their mind to crush me to dust, I couldn't come off well either!"
"Even if that's not the case, it's best not to interfere directly. The grudges among those superheroes are not that simple. Moreover, no matter how the fight goes, it's an internal matter of the human race. If you inexplicably intervene, you might end up offending both sides."
"Doing nothing isn't an option, and interfering is also out of the question, so what do you suggest?!" The High Lord said irritably, waving his hand.
"Of course, you should act in the shadows." Shiller smiled and said, "What do you think Doctor Strange was after when he broke into the Collector's treasury?"
The High Lord thought carefully and said, "My brother usually likes to collect junk. Most of his treasures are not truly valuable. How would I know what Doctor Strange was after?"
"He was after the Infinity Gem."
"Infinity Gem?" The High Lord frowned, momentarily not understanding. After a while, he said, "What's the use of that worthless gem?"
"Isn't the one you have useless too?"
"It did work before, but I rarely used it. Eventually, it broke without my knowing, and I can't use it anymore." The High Lord thought for a bit and continued, "Even when it did work, it was just a flashy accessory. If you couldn't defeat an opponent with the gem, you still couldn't without it, and if you could, you didn't need the gem. It's completely superfluous."
"How did you come by the gem in the first place?"
"Uh, that's a secret, can't talk about it." The High Lord waved, "It involves certain higher-level mysterious entities; I promised not to tell."
"Have you ever thought about why those mysterious entities didn't give all the gems to one person when they handed them over to the Cosmic Elders, but instead gave one to each of you?"
"Well..." The High Lord paced quickly two more steps and said, "I only know a little about it. These things are part of the cosmic origin, and if put together, they could cause some disturbances... My heavens, is someone trying to bring them together?!"
"Exactly. From what I know, the collected Infinity Gems will have significant power, enough to turn the tide of battle."
"Oh, my heavens! Humans are willing to use cosmic origin weapons just to deal with their own kind. Such hatred, such resentment?!"
Shiller certainly knew about the matter of the dead returning to Battleworld, but he had no intention of informing the High Lord. He only said, "If humans weren't crazy, they wouldn't be humans. In any case, if you want the war to end quickly, you must use the Infinity Gems."