Sitting in the spaceship's seat, Constantine felt a rare drowsiness. He didn't know whether it was because the medicine's effect had worn off, or if the devil named Mephisto had done something to him again, or perhaps he simply wasn't used to interstellar travel. In any case, he fell asleep and had a very chaotic dream.
He once again arrived in Hell, walking on the endless wasteland, watching everything around him burn. Until a giant black claw descended from the sky and grabbed him. He flew higher and higher, surrounded by clouds, and saw Satan's palace opening its doors for him, with that evil devil waiting at the entrance.
Constantine fell down, but just as he looked at Satan and was about to speak, he suddenly awoke with a start, feeling his body trembling. Instinctively, he turned his head to look outside the window, only to find a desolate place where they'd landed. Dust filled the air as the spaceship touched down.
In the cockpit, the agent was putting on a jacket. Constantine shook his head to clear his mind. He also put on his jacket, picked up his briefcase, and walked toward the hatch door.
"What's here?"
"One of the Infinity Gems." After a pause, Shiller said, "A certain Cosmic Elder resides here."
"How do you know?"
Shiller shook his head and did not continue to speak. The two of them walked out of the spaceship. As Shiller walked forward, he checked his weapons, and seeing his slightly serious expression, Constantine felt a bit nervous and said, "Is that guy hard to deal with?"
"It's not just him we have to deal with." Shiller shook his head.
He stopped on an open space and operated a communicator a few times. Suddenly, a teleportation portal appeared, and a short figure in a suit appeared in front of them.
"Honored officers, welcome. I am a waiter from the Supreme Amusement City, you can call me Linda. Your presence brings great honor to the amusement city. The High Lord is waiting for you on the top floor, please follow me."
The short figure bowed and then walked forward on his own. Constantine was a little puzzled, he almost thought this guy was talking nonsense—this planet was even more desolate than Hell, where could there be an amusement city?
But seeing that Shiller didn't say anything, he didn't ask, and instead, followed the short figure inside. Within just a few steps, the world transformed completely.
As they walked forward, countless buildings appeared on both sides of the road. Unlike human skyscrapers, most of the buildings weren't built on the ground but floated in the air, though their style was quite uniform, with gold and silver as the main colors, various greens interspersed among them, looking from a distance like a luxurious emerald city. The architectural styles were mainly Gothic, occasionally quirky, but they didn't disrupt the overall atmosphere; instead, they added a touch of grace.
However, if you looked closely, you'd see these buildings weren't some sort of temple. Nearby the road were some food stalls, but most offered ready-made fast food, some sold nutrient injectors, and many more sold drugs—various colored syringes were displayed in the shops, with many bizarre aliens choosing from the shelves.
Higher buildings had quite exaggerated flashing signs, all written in wavy text, though some signs' images showed they seemed to be some kind of casino.
And the buildings on higher levels were closer, connected by some semi-transparent green pipelines, almost covering the entire sky. Numerous alien creatures traveled through the transparent pipes, and servers weaved among them, with the lights from the windows revealing how lively the atmosphere inside the buildings was.
Taking advantage of this moment, Constantine also checked the old terminal for information about the Sakaar planet. The search was quite shocking—it turned out this place was a cosmos-renowned casino, akin to Earth's Las Vegas.
Promotional ads for Sakaar were abundant, drawing guests in, revealing that the place had only risen to prominence about a decade ago. Originally a backwater, after the native rulers retreated, the High Lord transformed it into a large gambling amusement park, gaining fame over that decade. Nowadays, dignitaries from all over the Interstellar Society have visited here, making the High Lord one of the most sought-after Cosmic Elders.
Introductions about the High Lord were full of praise, calling him a "God of Gambling," capable of winning every bet, undefeated through countless challengers over the years. Some even claim that defeating him in a game might even make resurrection possible.
These ads clearly were effective; as Constantine followed the short figure inside, he found it unbelievably crowded, different aliens filling up the vast hall alike.
Some were gathered around a giant machine, seemingly playing pinball; others gathered around tables, with heaps of chips, seemingly playing cards; some boasting or lying drunk at buffet tables.
"This really doesn't look different from human casinos," Constantine thought, "it seems gamblers are everywhere."
And among the crowd, Constantine seemed to catch a glimpse of a familiar figure before it merged into the crowd again. Unable to find them, he could only follow the short figure and Shiller into the elevator.
Star Lord emerged from behind a pinball machine, turning to the excitedly playing Rocket Raccoon and said, "Hey, Rocket, stop playing, we have business to deal with. We need to find a way to meet the High Lord, challenge him to a game, and win his gem."
"Yeah, yeah, got it." Rocket Raccoon used his small paws to grip the large control lever, staring intently at the pinball. With a rattle, a cascade of pinballs fell, Rocket Raccoon jerked the lever, but after a while only getting a few beeping sounds.
"Damn it!" Rocket Raccoon swore, "This machine's definitely been tampered with! This so-called Supreme Amusement City is just a marketing gimmick."
He grabbed his weapon and jumped off the table, walking with Star Lord to the next table. Gamora, Drax, and Groot were all sitting there drinking.
Star Lord remembered what Yondu had told him before:
"I have quite a few clues about the Infinity Stones, but even if you know some of them, you definitely won't be able to get them. Take the Collector, for example, that guy values his collection more than his life. If you try to snatch it by force, whether you can win is one thing, but even if you succeed, you'll become a wanted criminal, and that purple-headed guy from the Interstellar Security Committee, being new to the job, won't let you go."
"You can't just grab it; you'll have to be clever. I suggest you go to Sakaar and find the High Lord. This guy is an absolute gambler, there's nothing he wouldn't bet on. Plus, he's not only rich but also values face. If you actually manage to win against him, he'll be too embarrassed not to give it to you. Go and gamble with him, and naturally, you can win the gemstone."
Star Lord pondered for a while and agreed with Yondu. Although the Cosmic Elders don't seem significant in the eyes of the strongest, it's difficult for the Guardians of the Galaxy to gain any advantage in a fight with them. Though not the brightest, this group of people knows their place well, steering clear of those who shouldn't be provoked. They thrive by staying within their comfort zone.
Even though after this fight, they would pat themselves on the back and return to their own universe, the ongoing strife didn't seem like it would end soon. Offending the Cosmic Elders would not only mean being chased down but also facing consequences back at the base. So, Star Lord decided to visit Sakaar and try his luck with the High Lord.
"I just tried," Gamora spoke, her eyes darting left and right as she lowered her voice, "the place is heavily guarded, and the bodyguards are professionals. It might be hard to reach the top floor."
Star Lord sat across from her, leaned in, and lowered his voice too, saying, "Even though the casino's owner is the High Lord, everyone knows that there's certainly some influence from high-ranking officials in the Intergalactic Alliance behind the scenes. It's their money-making machine, and forcing our way in definitely won't work."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"In the past, we could cause a commotion on the lower floors to force the High Lord to check things out, but that might not work this time. For one, we might not be able to handle the bodyguards, and if things get too ugly, the High Lord may not want to gamble with us. So, we need to think of another way."
Rocket Raccoon suddenly joined them, saying, "There's something fishy with that pinball machine."
"What do you mean?"
Rocket Raccoon snorted, smoothing his whiskers, leaned back arrogantly in his chair with his arms crossed, and said, "When I played in the black market casino in Centaurus, this so-called amusement city wasn't even a blip. They think they can trick me? They're sorely mistaken."
"You mean there's something wrong with the machine?"
"Exactly. If I'm not mistaken, they've tampered with the magnetic springs in the pinball machine, causing the balls not to launch properly. It's purely a scam, and only those naive kids would throw money at it recklessly."
Star Lord's eyes darted around as he spoke, "You think if we expose this, the High Lord will have to step forward to resolve it?"
"Of course. This Supreme Amusement City's ads are everywhere, meant to attract people. If news of cheating goes public, their reputation would be completely ruined. Even to keep it quiet, the High Lord would have to come to us."
"Are you confident?" Star Lord looked at Rocket Raccoon.
"Just watch," Rocket Raccoon replied.
After saying this, Rocket Raccoon threw his gun on the table, downed a shot of liquor, pretended to be drunk, and staggered towards the pinball machine.
Being a raccoon, he was already short, and as he walked, he went on all fours. Some aliens were over two or three meters tall and hardly noticed him. Yet, pretending to be drunk, he crashed into their legs. Sure enough, a two-meter-tall guy tripped over him.
Coincidentally, this person was wearing full iron armor with a horned helmet. As he fell, he smashed into the pinball machine's panel with a loud bang, embedding his helmet right into the panel. The machine exploded in a shower of sparks and became unusable.
The guy stood up, yelling curses, and looking down, he realized it was a raccoon that had tripped him. Furious, he picked up Rocket Raccoon to hit him.
Star Lord realized it was his time to intervene. He quickly went over to smooth things over, "Sorry, sorry, this is my pet. He stole my drink and got drunk accidentally. I'm really sorry for tripping you."
Star Lord apologized profusely. Upon hearing it was just a pet, the big guy lost interest in arguing, glared at Star Lord fiercely, tossed Rocket Raccoon aside, removed his helmet, and walked away.
Conveniently, he happened to be next to the pinball machine with a hole in it. Star Lord walked over as if he was going to pick up Rocket Raccoon but suddenly exclaimed out loud:
"Oh my!!!"
His shout drew the attention of everyone around them. When he thought the time was right, Star Lord pointed at the thing inside the hole in the panel and said, "What is this?! Isn't this the magnet for attracting the magnetic springs?!! Manager! Manager!!"
A small figure hurried over. Before they could say anything, Star Lord punched him. "You bastards! How dare you tamper with the machine?! No wonder I can never win! So, you're running a crooked casino?!!"