Marvel: What If Thanos Adopted A Saiyan?-Chapter 123 - 124: Lothar’s Independence

"Cosmic... Auction House?"

Centaurian system. Black Quadrant base. Virtual projection chamber.

Having just ended a transmission with General Corvus Glaive, Thanos narrowed his eyes at the holographic feed of Lothar displayed before him.

"And what made you suddenly bring up the Cosmic Auction House?"

He'd merely sent the boy to the Chitauri homeworld—how had that turned into a trip to that den of extravagance?

"I found a way to bring The Other back, Father."

Standing within the Chitauri's genetic databank, Lothar relayed to his adoptive father the resurrection plan devised by Woz.

"A mechanical component capable of withstanding the power of the Infinity Stones?"

After hearing the details, Thanos rose to his feet. His expression remained unreadable, calm to the point of unnerving.

"Indeed, nothing within the Black Quadrant matches that level of durability."

"That's why, Father, I need to go to the Cosmic Auction House."

Lothar's respectful tone only deepened Thanos' silence.

It was a while before the Titan finally responded.

"It seems... you've truly grown up, Lothar."

A faint but unmistakable note of pride echoed in his words—subtle, elusive, but present.

Lothar had been by Thanos' side since infancy. From the very start, he'd been the perfect executor: powerful, disciplined, and ruthlessly efficient.

But to Thanos, that perfection was incomplete.

Lothar had no desires of his own. No personal goals. No inner drive that was truly his.

Every year of his life was split between missions and training. And while this regimen had propelled his power to meteoric heights, in Thanos' eyes, it had also kept him as little more than a child who simply followed orders.

An unthinking instrument.

But Thanos didn't want a puppet. He wanted a successor. A ruler.

Strength alone wasn't enough. A true heir needed his own thoughts, his own ambitions, independent of Thanos' will.

And today—for the first time in over two decades—Lothar had come forward with a plan of his own.

Thanos was pleased.

The boy had finally realized there was more to this universe than orders and missions.

Whether it was winning hearts or expanding influence, the Lothar who had chosen to act of his own accord was the one Thanos had been waiting to see.

Perhaps he owed Malekith a word of thanks... even if he had cleaved the man in half.

Had it not been for Malekith's meddling, Thanos might've had to stage a few trials himself to force Lothar into growth.

"When you return, go see Ebony Maw for the funds."

Unspoken but understood—Thanos was giving his full support.

After all, going to the Cosmic Auction House without sufficient resources would be suicide.

"...Is the auction really necessary?"

Lothar frowned.

According to Woz's intel, the next auction was still fifteen days away. He didn't want to wait that long.

If possible, he'd rather descend directly onto Gafa and take the mechanical component by force.

That was more his style.

"Lothar," Thanos said, his tone suddenly somber. "Do you remember what I once told you?"

"Never let pride blind your eyes. In this universe, there are more powerful beings than you can imagine."

"The Cosmic Auction House on Gafa is backed by an ancient entity—one that has existed since the dawn of creation itself. No one knows his true name. Across the cosmos, he's simply known as... the Collector."

"A being who gathers not just rare artifacts, but entire species."

"Unless you are absolutely certain of victory, do not bring unnecessary conflict to such a being."

It was rare to hear Thanos speak with such gravity.

He wasn't afraid of the Collector. Even if the Collector joined forces with his brother, the Grandmaster, Thanos would remain unshaken.

But Lothar was different.

He still had room—and need—for growth.

More importantly, Thanos didn't want his heir developing the habit of charging headfirst into every problem like a brainless brute.

A worthy king must know how to use the resources at his disposal to secure maximum benefit.

As his heir, Lothar had to learn this.

"...Understood, Father."

Lothar nodded and ended the transmission.

"Woz, begin a full scan on the Collector of Gafa."

Without hesitation, Lothar ordered Woz to begin the search for the mysterious entity said to have existed since the birth of the universe.

But what he got in return was nothing.

"Lord Lothar, I'm unable to retrieve any information on the Collector," Woz reported.

Even with full access to the Black Quadrant's intelligence network, it returned nothing.

"Forget it. Let's head back."

If the man was that deeply hidden—not even present in the Black Quadrant's archives—then there was no point obsessing.

With the Flerken in tow, Lothar exited the Chitauri genetic databank and boarded his warship, returning to the Black Quadrant.

He had promised Gaitz he would return in time for dinner.

But first—he had to visit Ebony Maw.

Universal resource planet access cards had to be collected in person.

That was the rule.

Ebony Maw, who oversaw all logistics in the Black Quadrant, was already waiting.

"If these aren't enough, you can take this card as well."

After storing a mountainous stack of planetary access cards into his wristband, Lothar took the final blue card Ebony Maw handed him.

"This card serves as Lord Thanos' identification within the Cosmic Auction House. With it, you will be given special privileges."

Ebony Maw spoke slowly, deliberately. The implication was left for Lothar alone to savor.

"I look forward to the day you bring The Other back, Lothar."

This time, Ebony Maw didn't make the same mistake twice. He said no more—but the look in his eyes as Lothar turned to leave was full of meaning.

"Still bitter, are you?"

"Interesting."

Lothar stored the identity card bearing Thanos' name in a separate compartment.

With a single leap, he was back before his own base.

Gaitz, seated on the steps with his chin in his hands and gloom written all over his face, perked up at the sound of rushing wind.

When he saw it was Lothar, his face broke into a wide smile.

"Welcome back, Lord Lothar!"

...

Meanwhile—on Asgard's Bifrost Bridge.

Hela sat astride her divine steed, saying farewell to her parents.

The path to Gafa had yet to be carved through the Bifrost. Even someone of Hela's power had no choice but to ride Asgard's mystical transport beast and cross dozens of star systems...

Over mountains and stars, through fatigue and distance—her journey had just begun.

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