"Uh, this is indeed the most effective method. But Tohka, why do I feel like something's not quite right…" Watching Tohka counting money with a twitching mouth corner, Miku Izayoi really didn't know what to say. She'd broadened her horizons—she hadn't known money could be obtained like this.
"Mm, of course. Come on—this should be enough for you to buy a few souvenirs." Satisfied as she counted the money in her hand, Tohka knew it wasn't a huge sum, but it was enough for Miku to pick up a few things. As for those fools with no eyes, they were currently piled up in the corner. Since this wasn't the first time she'd done something like this, Tohka's technique was quite professional. Those unlucky bastards were left in a heap with nothing on but their underwear. As for their pants, they were now all in strips. In the spirit of wasting nothing, Tohka had made sure to scavenge every last cent. The rest of their belongings were piled in another corner.
"Alright, alright, stop thinking about such unlucky things." After that, Tohka tugged the thoroughly speechless Miku toward the street. "Alright, alright, don't mind those unimportant details. Let's go out and have fun. If you see anything you want, just say so. If it's not enough, we'll just rob a few more."
"..."
"Hey, Tohka, right? We're getting ready to go meet the buyer. Come over here now." While the two of them were wandering around, they received a message from Star-Lord. Clearly, he'd decided to go ahead and make the deal. After all, with no common enemy or goal, conflict was inevitable sooner or later—might as well just finish the transaction.
"That fast? Fine, there isn't much left to see anyway. Let's go." Glancing at Miku, who was still reluctantly eyeing the shops, Tohka quickly pulled her in the direction Star-Lord specified. But the journey wasn't exactly peaceful—more than a few people tried to take advantage of the crowd to grope them. Those guys were now rolling on the ground clutching their broken arms. Others were writhing with their hands over their ears—after all, Miku was way more sensitive than Tohka when it came to sound-based attacks.
"This is the buyer my employer found. Be careful—this guy is quite famous." Soon, they arrived at their destination. Tohka, who already knew what she was about to see, was ready to barge in, but Gamora stopped her.
"Relax—the Collector is basically a clown. I'm not sure about his strength, but he is one of the Elders of the Universe, that absurdly pompous bunch." Tohka didn't have much interest in the man himself, but she was intrigued by his collection. After all, his vault was basically the largest museum in the galaxy—bar none.
"You sound like you know him pretty well. Did you already guess this was who we'd be meeting?" Gamora looked at her suspiciously. Judging by Tohka's earlier behavior, she didn't seem to know who the buyer was.
"Mm, I heard that old scammer Odin mention him once." With a casual explanation, Tohka pulled Miku inside.
"Huh—is that a golden retriever? Wait, no—what's that dog wearing?" The moment they stepped in, Miku spotted a big yellow dog in a spacesuit. And she even recognized the insignia on its suit.
"Yeah, that guy?" Glancing over at the dog, Tohka's eyelid twitched before she continued, "That should be the dog the Soviet Union launched into space. Because of technical issues, they never recovered it, so it just drifted around out here. Looks like it ended up here. Come on—this place is huge. I've heard of it before, but this is my first time seeing it."
Saying that, Tohka didn't linger. She walked straight in—and her eyes went wide. The place was overflowing with exhibits: captured Chitauri and Dark Elves she'd fought before, and in the distance, a Korbinite. If she remembered correctly, one of them had even become Beta Ray Bill, a wielder of Thor's hammer. And that wasn't all—there was a duck, a bunch of strange plants, and much more...
"Everyone, please follow me." Just then, a red-skinned female attendant approached and guided them further inside. Soon, Tohka laid eyes on their host at last—a white-haired man in a long cloak with ridiculously flamboyant glasses. From him, Tohka sensed a deep, ancient presence—one she hadn't even felt from Odin. After all, this guy was among the oldest beings in the universe.
"You two…are you from Asgard?" But when he looked at Tohka and Miku in front, the Collector froze. He couldn't help it—the spiritual energy flowing from the two of them felt so similar to Asgard's. That was why, when they'd visited Asgard, no one had rejected them—in fact, they'd been welcomed. This aura was something even among Asgardians very few possessed.
"Mm. Is there a problem? Isn't this the item you wanted? Also—you just got the Reality Stone, and now you're adding the Power Stone. Are you sure you can keep these safe?" Hearing the Collector's question, Tohka casually pulled out the Orb and tossed it in her hand.
"How do you know I have the Reality Stone?" The Collector looked puzzled. He was already very old and had long since lost the urge to brag—he hadn't told anyone about it. Surely Asgard wouldn't have announced it either, since the matter was so sensitive.
"Because I took it from those Dark Elf idiots. As for the ones who delivered it to you—I sent them." She flung the Orb toward him without a care.
""Be careful! That's not a toy—it's the Power Stone!" The Collector leapt up in alarm. If this thing went out of control, even he couldn't contain it.
"Tch." Tohka just rolled her eyes and didn't bother responding.
"YES!" Clutching the Orb in his hands, the Collector let out an excited cry. He set it on a machine on his table, which immediately began to spin rapidly, unlocking it layer by layer. At the same time, several displays lit up around them—clearly, he was about to give them all a thorough explanation.