Starting the next day, the guild reorganization took effect and began operating more efficiently. As a result, new recruits joined, and the sales of spaceships and weapons gradually increased. Moreover, news came that Quill had also joined the guild and was active. Thanks to this, the backlog of requests definitely decreased compared to before. Plus, there was more good news.
"Finally, we've turned from deficit to profit."
Until now, we'd been spending a lot of money, but now funds were starting to come in gradually. Even though we were still making significant investments. With only the racetrack and residential areas under construction, we had some leeway. So, I thought about spending some time on Earth. I left supervision to the androids and returned to my home on Earth.
"Momo, any issues?"
"Yes. Natasha took Cosmo on a mission, and Russia filed a lawsuit demanding Cosmo's return."
"Sigh... seriously..."
Listening closely, Natasha had planned to go on a mission, but Cosmo insisted on coming along, so she took him since it was an easy task. Then, people started taking photos, and as Cosmo's popularity grew, Russia intervened. Natasha felt terribly sorry.
Anyway, we assembled a legal team and went to court. This time, Matt, the Daredevil, was our defense attorney.
"Cosmo is a dog raised by the Russian space agency... Therefore, we request that Cosmo, who is active with the Avengers, be returned."
After the Russian side finished their claim, the judge looked at us and spoke.
"Does the defense have any rebuttal?"
Matt stood up and said,
"The experiments conducted by the former Soviet Union were in 1966. It's now 2014. That would mean Cosmo is at least over 40 years old. Do you think that's realistically possible? A dog's lifespan is at most 20 years. This is Russia making absurd claims because Cosmo has become popular."
'Wow, go Matt!'
Matt's eloquence completely backed Russia into a corner. I also testified as a witness.
"Witness, where did you adopt Cosmo from?"
"It wasn't an adoption. I rescued him from a cruel breeder who had him locked up."
"Then why does that dog have the same name as Cosmo, the test subject from the former Soviet era?"
"Because he looks similar. So, I dressed him similarly. It's just cosplay."
"I see. That's all."
The trial ended like that. The Russian side couldn't prove Cosmo had lived for 40 years, so it concluded with our victory. I even gave Matt a bonus.
After that, Cosmo became the mascot of the Avengers. Thanks to that trial, Cosmo gained worldwide popularity, and toys, clothes, and accessories started selling like hotcakes. Interestingly, Cosmo's profits became comparable to Iron Man's. Moreover, fans from all over began sending dog supplies like crazy. As his popularity soared, many advertising offers came in, but I turned them all down, worried he might cause trouble.
Since things had turned out this way, and Natasha really liked him, I made a suit with a translator so they could work together. Wondering if the translator would work on other dogs, I tried it, but it only produced sounds like 'Food food food! Play play play!' It seemed to be due to intelligence differences.
A few days passed. I occasionally went to Nowhere to check on construction progress and handle paperwork, but now I mostly stayed on Earth, analyzing spaceships and the super-soldier serum for Project Zeronic, while repairing the Helicarriers. Then, 2015 arrived.
I first handed over one repaired Helicarrier to Mordo.
"Glad the repairs were quick."
"Don't get too excited—I removed all offensive weapons and installed active camouflage panels instead."
"I see."
Mordo didn't have any particular complaints about the modifications I made. He looked around the Helicarrier and said to me,
"I've found Hydra remnants in various places. It seems there are hidden bases too. Do you know anything?"
I passed on the materials I'd investigated earlier to Mordo. I only gave enough to not disrupt the original story, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
"I looked into it."
Mordo scanned the materials I gave him and was impressed.
"Impressive, as expected from the world's best in this field. But with all this knowledge, why not take action?"
"Too much on my plate."
At that, Mordo sighed and said,
"Hah... I assume that's confidential?"
"Yeah, and I run more than one or two companies, so I can't focus solely on this."
"I see. Thanks anyway, I'll put this to good use."
"Take care."
As Mordo was about to leave, he turned back and said,
"By any chance, could you spare a Talaria camper?"
"Seriously, hold on."
I remotely summoned one Talaria camper from Gundam Island. Since it was nearby, it arrived quickly.
"Register as the master following the AI instructions at the door, and you can use it. Take it."
"Thanks."
Mordo registered as the master following the AI instructions. Honestly, I hadn't planned to give him a Talaria camper. But seeing Mordo in a beanie and looking like a beggar—who knows what he'd been through—I felt sorry and just gave him one.
It's true that even standard Talaria technology is superior to Earth's science, but among those in the know, it's no longer particularly special. It just costs a lot to make due to the special minerals required.
"Well, see you next time."
"Yeah. See you."
After sending Mordo off, I returned home and rested for the day.
The next day, I went to headquarters to check if anything was up, but nothing major was happening, though Tony and Bruce were nowhere to be seen. So, I asked Jarvis, connected to the base, and he told me they were at Avengers Tower for research. Probably, Tony and Bruce were jointly researching the technology to scan brains obtained from SHIELD to create an AI.
'Hmm... If I leave it alone, it might become troublesome, but if I try to stop it, I don't have a good reason...'
After a brief consideration, I decided to let it be. Tony isn't the type to give up research just because I object, and Avengers 2 is tied to various events.
'Well, it'll work out.'
A few days later, I went to Avengers Tower to deliver the final batch of five Iron Vision drones. The Iron Vision drones were automatically delivered in batches of five as soon as they were completed, but this time I went in person.
Tony and Bruce welcomed me warmly.
"Oh~ Welcome, Cassian. So, this is the last batch?"
"Yeah, this is the final five Iron Visions. Deployment at the base is also complete."
"I see. How about a drink with Bruce?"
"Sure."
We had a drink in the living room set up at Avengers Tower.
"So, aliens keep invading Earth too often, and we need solid preparations. This can't go on."
Bruce, who had been listening to Tony, spoke up.
"But we're holding them off well, and we're preparing adequately."
"That's true, but if stronger aliens invade and we fail to stop them, Earth is done. That's why we need projects like Iron Vision."
I agreed with Tony.
"Definitely, alien invasions have increased lately. We do need contingency plans. We managed to stop the New York invasion and the Greenwich incident, but civilian casualties were high."
"Right? I plan to test-run the Iron Visions first. If it goes well, we'll order more... no, let's just build a production line."
Bruce, thinking Tony was being too hasty, tried to calm him down.
"Whoa... take it easy. You thinking of building an army of steel?"
"What's wrong with that?"
Tony's conviction was firm. Well, having experienced trauma from the New York incident, I understood to some extent, but I hoped Tony wouldn't go too extreme.
"Um... I think the same, but it should be a support, not the main force."
Bruce agreed with me and added his opinion.
"Cassian's right. Ultimately, humans should make the final decisions."
Tony thought for a moment and said,
"Hmm... that's true. Let's test-run the Iron Visions first and discuss again."
"Agreed."
Bruce and I had somewhat tempered Tony's radical thinking for now. Who knows how long it'll last.
From the next day, Tony began actively using Iron Visions in areas requiring rescue and control. People's reactions weren't bad because rescue times drastically improved, saving many lives.
Another month passed.
The drones lost during the Jandar incident were now replenished. Plus, all Helicarrier repairs were complete, and they were put into operation. I had a total of three Helicarriers: one used as a drone base, and the other two as supply bases deployed in the Pacific and Atlantic. Of course, I got the permits.
Meanwhile, something amusing happened: a Blizzard game company in the Marvel universe released a game based on Avengers members. The funny part was that Natasha's ultimate move was Cosmo. It was like the position of 'Galforce' in Samurai Shodown. Since they'd been active together a lot lately, that image had formed. Of course, my character was there too, with an ultimate move that involved slapping with money bundles in a combo; I considered protesting but let it slide.
Nowhere's racetrack was also completed. I installed large screens and many cameras at each section for spectators. Then, I discussed racing rules with Howard Duck. Naturally, firing weapons was prohibited. I referenced Star Wars' pod racing a lot in making it, though the difference was using small spaceships. The prize money was a whopping 1 billion units, and we started promoting heavily. Since gambling couldn't be left out, I decided to operate a casino alongside it, like a racetrack.
Howard Duck agreed to do the commentary, and I added some safety features. Things like this need to explode spectacularly for people to enjoy it, but minimal safety measures were necessary. We couldn't keep killing participants.
Many applicants started signing up. So, the tournament was set to run for three consecutive days. Participants came from other planets, and the Ravagers also joined.
"The tournament's in a week."
"Yeah, we put a lot into preparation, so I hope it's a hit."
"It'll succeed. Even I think it looks fun."
I was worried, but Howard Duck was confident it would succeed. Perhaps due to anticipation, tickets sold out incredibly fast, all gone in a day. Even with sold-out tickets, we were still in the red because the prize money was so large. But with gambling fees and food sales revenue, we'd likely turn a profit soon.
A week passed, and finally, the day of the race arrived. Crowds flocked to the racetrack. Interestingly, Rocket also participated as a contestant, and I worried if he might die. If that guy died, I didn't know how the future might change.
'This is unexpected. Should I rescue him if it gets dangerous?'
I decided to watch for now. As Howard Duck began introducing the contestants with his witty banter, the contestants waved or struck poses when their names were called, asserting their presence. Each time, the audience cheered and supported them.
After the introductions, the contestants boarded their spaceships. Since firing weapons was prohibited, most chose sturdy, streamlined ships for physical combat, but there were also crazies who covered their ships with spikes.
-The race is about to begin. Contestants, please complete your preparations.
As the announcement played, the contestants started their ships and prepared for launch.
The countdown began on the scoreboard, and finally, the race started. From the beginning, physical clashes caused one spaceship to explode, resulting in an immediate casualty. I worried if the audience might dislike it, but they went wild, loving it.
"This is something..."
Thus, the first race ended with ten participants, three ships exploded. At least one survived thanks to the emergency escape pod. Moreover, about three of the incoming ships weren't in good shape. It turned into a much harder race than expected.
That day, we held four races, resulting in ten casualties. The next day, two semi-finals had five casualties. This was becoming a problem. Accidents were fine, but casualties needed to be prevented, so I thought for the next tournament, emergency escape pods should be mandatory.
Finally, on the last day, the finals began. Rocket seemed to have made it to the finals somehow. But he picked so many fights that he made a lot of enemies. I started worrying more about Rocket surviving than about who won.
'This guy, he's not a fighter, why does he keep picking fights...'
And so, the finals started.
Right from the start, several spaceships engaged Rocket in physical combat. They weren't interested in winning but in knocking Rocket out. But Rocket didn't just take it. He used obstacles appropriately to fend off competitors and navigate the race. However, with so much interference, his ship got badly damaged, and he couldn't take first place.
In the end, the winner was a pink-haired woman from Urala Star, Haru, who seized victory by chance.
"Let's hear from the winner of the first Nowhere Space Race."
"I'm happy! Actually, our planet has a harsh environment and is very poor, so the prize money will be a big help. Thank you to everyone who cheered for me."
Wow!!
While people went wild watching the awards ceremony, behind the racetrack, Guardians of the Galaxy members and other racers were brawling. I called security to barely break it up. These guys are really unstoppable.
Anyway, the event wrapped up, and I had the Ravagers escort the winner, Haru, safely back to Urala Star. With the prize money being large, there might be those targeting her. Then, I posted a notice: from the next race, only spaceships equipped with emergency escape pods could participate.
Fortunately, the event was a success. For days, people only talked about the race. Moreover, we made a significant profit, with gambling fees bringing in substantial revenue. Not only that, but spaceship and parts sales also started to rise. So, I gave bonuses to the staff who helped prepare the race.