William waited silently for nearly an hour as Sunday continued reporting on the exploration of the crashed 100-meter-long Yautja ship.
The team had recovered intact Predator armor, wrist blades, extendable spears, weapon-grade whip blades, rotary flying blades, and shoulder cannons—over twenty complete sets in total.
But William was no longer impressed by such spoils. It wasn't until Sunday reported finding several single-occupant space escape pods that a smile finally crossed his face.
Escape pods, he mused, are indispensable, no matter how much you dislike them.
Through a portal, he directed robots to transport the retrieved items and the unconscious six-man team—including Barney—back to the Yellowstone base.
Soon after, the Predator mining transport ship arrived in orbit above X-17.
Using the communicator, William connected with the vessel and transmitted the recording of the Yautja leader's final message to the warriors aboard.
Two hours later, a massive 200-meter-long transport ship descended from orbit and landed nearby.
Three heavily armed Yautja warriors emerged, saluted William, and delivered their message:
"Respected Midgardian, our Elder has reviewed the events. He extends his highest regard to you. The agreement made with the fleet leader will be honored, and we propose that the first exchange of goods take place three days from now.
At that time, we will bring the complete specifications for a mid-sized ship and energy crystals to Earth."
Notably, they didn't mention the healing talismans, which likely meant they weren't aware of the details of the trade.
Even better, William thought. The fewer people who knew, the safer he was.
He nodded at the trio. "I'll be waiting on Earth in three days."
Leaving behind two of the wrist computers as evidence—just in case these Yautja were compromised or ambushed on their return journey—William watched the transport ship take off.
As it disappeared into the sky, a grin spread across his face. By tomorrow, the two Yautja factions will likely be at each other's throats.
No, wait, he thought, his smile fading slightly. The modified Yautja's theft of the Moven beasts is probably the gravest provocation imaginable to the traditional Yautja. This could escalate into an all-out war of annihilation.
And if that happened, William wondered, would it justify raising his prices?
Even if it wasn't good for his reputation to blatantly increase the cost, he could subtly imply that producing extra healing talismans was an immense strain.
He smirked at the idea. I could claim I'm enduring the pain of magical exhaustion to produce an additional ten talismans per day—for their sake. That's a reasonable price adjustment, isn't it?
The thought of the two Yautja factions battling furiously brought a chuckle to William's lips. If possible, I wouldn't mind the modified Yautja approaching me as well. That way, I could sell supplies to both sides.
If healing talismans are off the table, then perhaps I could sell ships, weapons, or even portable medical devices, he mused.
His mind lingered on a particular device—a modified medical instrument developed using a formula from the Assassin's Brotherhood. Originally intended for elite human athletes, it could potentially work on the modified Yautja.
If it does, then I'm in for a windfall, he thought. Trading Earth-made goods for universally valuable energy crystals is a deal no capitalist could resist.
Several hours later, after directing the transport of useful metals and tools from the crashed Yautja ship to the engineering robots excavating the mountain, William returned to the Yellowstone base.
He opened a portal to his London estate, where Barney and the team were sent back, still unconscious. A quick call to Kingsman ensured they would be picked up and safely handled.
Over the next ten days, William busied himself at the Yellowstone lab, observing as Sunday used Yautja metallurgical techniques to craft advanced melee weapons.
Mid-task, Sunday interrupted with a report.
"SIR, a man named Alexander Pierce is requesting to meet you at your London estate."
William's eyes narrowed as he examined the transmitted image. Alexander Pierce? Isn't he the leader of Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D.?
"Tell him I'm not interested," William said flatly. "Inform him that S.H.I.E.L.D. and his backers need to stay far away from me. Otherwise, I'll have Kingsman investigate the people supporting him."
Having now explored space and gained control of a planet and advanced ship technologies, William found Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. laughably insignificant.
While they might not accomplish much, such groups were adept at causing problems. After some thought, William added, "Deploy spider robots to monitor him."
"Understood, SIR."
Sunday's response left Alexander Pierce, standing outside William's estate, seething with anger and frustration.
For over a year, William had intentionally kept his technological achievements low-key. To outsiders, he seemed like a financial prodigy whose wealth stemmed primarily from the markets. Even his violent exploits targeted mercenaries and small-time criminals.
When the Mk. III armor emerged, Pierce and others began to take notice. However, before they could attempt recruitment, a single piece of news sent shockwaves through the intelligence community.
William Devonshire, at just 20 years old, was rumored to possess red mercury nuclear devices.
The realization that William had the means for mutually assured destruction—and his reputation for ruthless retribution—deterred most from considering direct confrontation.
However, the option of recruitment was equally vexing.
Young, wealthy, free from illness, and surrounded by beautiful women—including rumors of a vampire lover—William had no apparent needs. He owned two of the world's finest vineyards, private jets, yachts, estates, and castles.
While others played with sports cars, William bought entire car manufacturers or formed F1 teams.
At just 20, he had achieved unparalleled success. Yet, unlike other prodigies who craved recognition or flaunted their achievements, William had endured hardship before his rise.
Since childhood, he had deliberately hidden his true nature, pretending to be a bookworm. This deep-rooted vigilance made him nearly impossible to approach.
On top of that, his retaliatory nature and relentless methods made even the idea of contact fraught with risk.
Despite his arsenal of high-tech innovations, William primarily operated in finance. He had saved several world leaders and even the U.S. President, Arthur, more than once.
In England, his influence was unmatched. Virtually the entire upper class had benefitted from his actions, and as a hereditary Duke, he maintained close ties to the royal family and the nobility.
Money, power, fame—William had achieved it all on his own.
To Pierce, a man like William was utterly inscrutable and virtually impossible to sway.
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I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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