"Do you want to plead for it?"
When Galacta found Gaea and Silver Surfer, Silver Surfer had already been subdued by Gaea and was struggling painfully in her right hand. It was being lifted in mid-air by its neck, held by Gaea. Gaea was not at all surprised by Galacta's arrival; instead, she asked Galacta quite calmly. She could release this person, but Galacta would have to plead for it. If Galacta pleaded, then she would demand that Galacta leave Artoria's side and never appear before Artoria again. She wanted to erase even the smallest threat. Even though their recent interactions had improved their impression of one another, she would not allow a predator to be near Artoria. Furthermore, every time she saw this girl kissing Artoria to absorb magic, she felt extremely displeased.
"I didn't come here for it. I just want to know how it found out I was here, and whether my father followed it. If I don't ask this, then after it dies and my father arrives, Artoria will be in danger."
But to Gaea's surprise, Galacta was not here to plead for Silver Surfer at all. She didn't like this emotionless, machine-like creature one bit. If Gaea could eliminate it without leaving a trace, Galacta would give her full support. However, now was not the time to kill the messenger. If this creature was here, her father likely knew about it too. She just didn't know how this creature had found her location.
"That's true, but do you think it will talk?"
After hearing Galacta's words, Gaea fell silent for a moment before throwing the nearly dead Silver Surfer onto the ground. From the beginning, Gaea had intended to interrogate it, but no matter how badly she beat it, it refused to talk. Gaea wasn't very proficient in mental-type magic, so she couldn't force it to speak. Since Galacta had come, perhaps the two of them could find a way! But Silver Surfer had already passed out; it had no idea what awaited it next?
"I think, given its loyalty, it won't say anything."
Although she had no affection for the creature before her, Galacta knew that it would absolutely never betray her father. At this point, Galacta couldn't help but glance at Silver Surfer. She herself understood that this creature was absolutely loyal to her father, without a hint of hesitation. But at this moment, Galacta couldn't bring herself to say it. If she thought this way, no one could be blamed as the culprit because everyone had a responsibility—her father's insatiable hunger, and Silver Surfer simply being loyal to her father. Thinking of this, Galacta looked at Silver Surfer with a very complex expression. In other words, she had been blaming everything on Silver Surfer, when in fact, her father was the source of it all. Galacta couldn't accept this, so she remained silent.
"Even you can't get anything out of it?"
Galacta's words surprised Gaea. To think such a creature existed; she had never encountered one before. She had heard that such creatures were always very tough, but this was her first time seeing one! Gaea curiously kicked Silver Surfer, which was at her feet. Having such a subordinate meant that Galan must have been doing quite well lately! Thinking of this, Gaea felt a bit unbalanced. Why should that creature get to live a carefree and dashing life while she had been sealed for so long? Gaea felt extremely resentful, as if she had eaten a lemon, leaving her heart sour.
"If it's useless, then let's just kill it."
After thinking it over carefully, Gaea reached out her hand directly toward Silver Surfer on the ground. Massive energy began to gather in Gaea's hand; it seemed Gaea intended to kill Silver Surfer outright. However, Galacta stepped forward to stop Gaea. Gaea was very puzzled by Galacta's actions, but she still dissipated the energy in her hand. She frowned as she looked at Galacta, who was stopping her, her eyes clearly demanding an explanation; otherwise, she would attack Galacta as well.
"It has my father's positioning coordinates on it. If we kill it here, my father will definitely know, and he will arrive here as quickly as possible."
After thinking carefully, Galacta realized that Silver Surfer must have her father Galan's special coordinates on it; otherwise, how could it find Planets for her father? It would find a Planet, place the coordinates, and continue searching for other Planets. Soon, her father would arrive at that Planet and devour it directly. She had seen this situation many times, and had even seen and heard the final wails of life on some Planets. That was why she had set a rule for herself to never eat Planets with living beings, no matter how hungry she was. Because of these reasons, she felt very repulsed by Silver Surfer.
"I'll leave it to you. Don't let Artoria know about any of this."
After thinking about it, Gaea turned to leave. She planned to hand Silver Surfer over to Galacta; after all, it was something that belonged to Galacta's family, so it was better to let Galacta handle it herself. Most importantly, it was best if Galan didn't come here. If she were to take action and cause Galan to come, even though she could fight him to the Death, she now had attachments—Artoria and the child inside the dragon egg who had yet to come into this world. Gaea reluctantly handed Silver Surfer over to Galacta; she had too many things to worry about now.
"I know. My autistic dad is really unlikable, but he is still my father."
Galacta glanced at Silver Surfer on the ground and then at the surfboard floating in mid-air, which looked like a lump of mercury. Galacta sighed, muttered something, and picked up Silver Surfer by one leg, dragging it like a sack. With a flash of purple light on her hand, the mercury-like surfboard obediently followed behind Galacta like a small pet. Galacta disappeared from the spot with Silver Surfer and the surfboard. After Gaea left, the spatial lock in this area was lifted.
"You're back. How did it go? What exactly happened?"
When Gaea returned to the kitchen, a table full of dishes had already been prepared. The 'unidentified objects' Gaea had made had already been disposed of by Artoria; it was simply too dangerous to leave such dangerous things around. Artoria had quickly had Saturday instruct the chefs to prepare the meal. At least with the food ready, Gaea's 'cuisine' was gone, and she shouldn't make it again. After finishing all this, Artoria activated her Dragon Eyes and stared quietly at the sky outside the window. If Galactus came at this time, Artoria would be the first to discover its tracks. After all, Galactus's massive size was right there, and with Artoria's eyesight being so powerful, how could she miss the Planet Eater who was larger than a star?
After waiting for a while, Gaea actually returned first. This meant that this attack might not have been Galactus. Thinking this, Artoria breathed a sigh of relief. Although she didn't know who the other party was, being able to make a big shot like Gaea mobilize meant that even if they weren't strong, they were likely a significant threat to Earth. Seeing Gaea return, Artoria stepped forward to greet her and felt fortunate that she had escaped another disaster; eating those unidentified objects would really kill someone.
"Don't worry! Everything is fine. No matter how difficult things are, I will block them."
After hearing Artoria's words, Gaea smiled and held Artoria's hand. Looking at Artoria's face, Gaea felt that everything she did was worth it. She would protect this child who brought her happiness and everything she loved. At this moment, the atmosphere between the two was so beautiful. Artoria received Gaea's cheesy pick-up line and felt the sincerity in Gaea's words, which moved Artoria deeply. Did this count as another kind of confession? Artoria thought to herself.
"Artoria, I'm so tired~! I ran all the way out of the solar system."
Just as Gaea was preparing to follow the atmosphere and confess to Artoria, Galacta suddenly appeared before them. She was scratching the back of her head with one hand, acting coquettishly toward Artoria. Because of Galacta's appearance, the ambiguous atmosphere between the two vanished. Seeing Galacta return, Gaea gritted her teeth, glared at Galacta, and turned to leave. That damn girl was truly her nemesis.
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