In this invasion event, Homelander only obtained 88 Proofs of Glory.
Including what he had left from before, he only had 132.
At this rate, who knew how long it would take before he could afford it.
For now, Homelander could only look at it.
Then he continued scrolling down.
The rest were various universe coordinates.
The universe coordinates provided by Vera included Wonder Woman 1984, Pacific Rim, The Tomorrow War, Resident Evil, and others.
The price of all these coordinates was the same: 100 Proofs of Glory.
"Maybe I can buy a universe coordinate and try my luck."
Homelander closed the Glory Shop. Even if he wanted to buy one, that would be something to do after returning.
But he wasn't planning to leave so soon.
The three Mother Boxes were on Themyscira. Homelander had finally gotten his hands on them, and he figured he should get some benefit from them before leaving.
So after spending some more time with Helena and Hera, Homelander got out of bed feeling refreshed and went to find the Amazon Queen.
"You want to study the Mother Boxes?"
Hippolyta looked at Homelander, while Diana also turned toward him nervously.
Homelander nodded, "Don't worry. I won't unite the three of them."
"In fact, I only plan to study one."
He thought to himself that if Hippolyta refused, he would simply take them by force.
After all, he was the one who had brought the three Mother Boxes back. The only reason he was being so polite with Hippolyta now was because he saw value in maintaining a long-term alliance.
Hippolyta glanced at Diana before saying, "Apokolips retreated because of you, and you were the one who gathered the Mother Boxes. You naturally have the right to study them."
"Diana, take the Conqueror to the new temple."
Diana stood up, "Mother..."
It seemed she wanted to say something, but Hippolyta shook her head.
Diana could only say to Homelander, "Please follow me."
The so-called new temple was merely a stone building.
The Mother Boxes were housed inside and guarded by Amazon warriors.
The palace was currently being rebuilt, so there was no better place to keep the Mother Boxes for now.
When Diana arrived, she signaled to the Amazon warriors, and the female warriors left the building.
Homelander picked up one of the Mother Boxes and smiled at Diana.
"Want to study it together with me?"
Diana's brows drew together slightly, then she shook her head, "No. I'm not interested in these alien machines."
She stepped out of the stone building.
That left Homelander alone inside.
Homelander removed the Justice Cape and expanded his Bio-Force Field into a spherical space.
Holding a Mother Box, golden beams shot from his eyes and landed on it as he tried to activate it, just like before.
But this time, Homelander quickly realized something was wrong.
The Mother Box showed no response whatsoever. The metal cube was like a dead object, completely unresponsive.
"What's going on?", Homelander stopped.
He switched to another Mother Box and tried again.
The result was the same.
None of the Mother Boxes reacted to external stimulation anymore, leaving Homelander unable to understand why.
He spent the entire afternoon studying them.
By the time Diana knocked and entered in the evening, he still had no results.
In the end, he could only give up.
"I wonder what's wrong."
"Is it because Apokolips retreated?"
"Or after going through this event, did the Mother Boxes decide the moment for awakening had already passed and enter dormancy again?"
"Then why was I able to activate them before?"
Homelander shook his head.
He couldn't figure out the answer.
Since the Mother Boxes showed no reaction, Homelander didn't want to waste any more time staying in this universe.
So the next day, he chose to leave the DC universe.
After Homelander left, Aquaman Arthur also returned to his home by the sea.
He saw the familiar lighthouse once again, as well as the old man standing beneath it and watching the ocean.
Arthur looked at the old man and wondered how long it had been since he last came back.
During that battle in Russia, when he was killed by the Conqueror, the last image that flashed through his mind had been this lighthouse and the old man beneath it.
Fortunately, because of Barry Allen, he had come back to life.
So after leaving Russia, Arthur returned here.
"How long are you planning to stand there?", Arthur's father, Thomas Curry, turned around and smiled.
Arthur smiled back, strode forward, and hugged his father tightly.
"I missed you, son."
"I was afraid you'd be like your mother. Leave and never come back."
Thomas Curry repeatedly patted his son's broad, sturdy back.
Arthur laughed, "I couldn't bear to leave a lovable old guy like you."
"So, want to grab a drink together?"
"Sure. Let's see if your drinking capacity has improved," Thomas laughed loudly.
They left the lighthouse and headed toward Thomas's old pickup truck.
———
It wasn't until late at night that Arthur drove the pickup back home.
Thomas had already fallen asleep.
The old man was leaning against the leather seat, snoring.
Arthur smiled, carried his father into the house, and entered his bedroom.
He gently laid Thomas on the bed.
Then he removed his shoes and covered him with a blanket.
Only then did Arthur walk into the living room, take a bottle of beer from the refrigerator, and head beneath the lighthouse.
He sat on the dock, flicked the bottle cap away with his thumb, then tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of beer.
At that moment, the lighthouse beam swept across the sea, briefly lighting the water.
After the beam passed, the light on the sea remained.
And it was coming from beneath the water.
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly and stood up, looking into the distance.
There, a warship surfaced.
It looked like a stingray and moved silently but quickly toward the lighthouse.
The lights on the ship went out.
Two figures emerged from the bridge.
One had hair as red as fire, delicate and beautiful features, and wore green scale armor that showed off her figure.
It was Princess Mera.
The other was a white-haired old man.
Arthur's teacher, Atlanna's loyal subordinate, Vulko.
Arthur took another gulp of beer.
"What brings you two here?"
Mera said with a serious expression, "Arthur, you have to return to Atlantis. We need you."
Arthur set down the bottle and laughed, "Come on. What would I go back for? There's no place for me there."
Vulko said in a deep voice, "There is now."
"Your brother, King Orm of Atlantis, has fallen."
"Atlantis now needs a new king."
"That person is you, Arthur."
Arthur froze, "Orm is dead?"
"Why?"
"How did he die?"
Mera glanced at the old man beside her and sighed, "He was eager to expand his territory. He found an excuse to attack Themyscira."
"But he failed. Not only did he die, the army that attacked Themyscira was wiped out as well."
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly, "The Amazons?"
Vulko shook his head, "No."
"It was the Conqueror!"