[Frog] Chapter 382: Hard Not to Be Tempted

"So… what exactly is going on?"

The scene before him was so bizarre that Alan hesitated, his left foot frozen mid-step before he could even walk into the garden to meet Ayesha and her people.

"How should I know?" Gwen shrugged. "Red Queen warned us about a spaceship intruding, and when we came out to check, the High Priestess and her people were just… marching toward us, rolling out a carpet as they walked."

Even Gwen was baffled.

It was like ever since they left Sovereign space, the Sovereigns had completely lost it, relentlessly sending drones to attack them.

And now?

They had personally come to Earth.

If a fight broke out here, innocent people would get caught in the crossfire, and that would be very bad.

"I think…."

Rocket Raccoon suddenly had a sinking realization.

His eyes darted nervously toward Emperor.

He couldn't see Alan’s expression under the helmet, but for the first time, he actually worried that the team might kick him out for this.

"Uh… this might have something to do with me accidentally taking one of their batteries."

"You what?!"

Gamora and Nebula stared at Rocket in disbelief.

"Oh, come on!" Rocket huffed. "Anyone would be tempted by those things! Do you know how much they're worth on the market?!"

He tried to defend himself but quickly drooped his ears, deciding it was best not to push his luck.

"Alan, I—"

Panic started creeping into Rocket's voice.

Alan had been standing there in complete silence, not even sparing him a glance.

While Rocket was freaking out, Alan finally raised his hand.

He hadn’t reacted earlier because he had been picturing Ayesha's overly dramatic entrance—

That insistence on walking only on a golden carpet.

Even just imagining it was secondhand embarrassment at its peak.

If he had to do something like that, he would rather die than be seen.

"Well, what’s done is done," Alan said calmly, already familiar with Rocket’s talent for getting into trouble. "The fact that the High Priestess came in person means she’s probably not just here to pick a fight."

Right now, Alan just wanted to deal with this as quickly as possible so he could finally relax for a few days.

With the Chitauri invasion of Asgard looming over them, he needed to conserve his energy.

And with Thor and Hela stuck together, who knew what kind of chaos they would stir up?

"I’ll go talk to her."

Alan exhaled deeply before finally stepping into the garden.

The Sovereigns were obsessed with bloodlines—

And incredibly petty.

And yet, despite that, they seemed to completely ignore the fact that the Guardians had helped them deal with that cosmic monster.

"Emperor, you’ve finally shown yourself."

Ayesha had been this close to giving up and returning to her ship.

Everything about Earth felt utterly incompatible with the Sovereigns, and for some reason, that gave her a strange sense of unease.

High Priestess, what brings you to Earth all of a sudden?" Alan asked, pausing mid-sentence.

Knowing how ridiculously sensitive the Sovereigns were, he decided against finishing his thought.

He had been about to say: And why the hell did you have to make such a big deal out of it?

"Don’t tell me you’re planning to attack Earth?"

Ayesha’s eyes widened in genuine shock.

"What?! No! I just wanted to capture— I mean—" She quickly corrected herself. I have no intention of harming Earthlings."

Her goal was clear—

She wanted Emperor.

If she could bring him back to Sovereign space, she would have the perfect opportunity to study his genes.

And beyond that…

She was deeply curious about what lay beneath that mask.

She had never seen Emperor’s true face.

And she wanted to.

"Then why are you here?" Gamora narrowed her eyes.

"We didn’t invite you."

"Invite me?"

Ayesha chuckled lightly.

"You stole the Sovereign’s exclusive energy batteries."

...