A Mutant Collector Quest

Moving to the other side of the room, I notice compartments filled with shards of unusual metals and broken stones.

"These hold the more exotic materials," Carina explains, standing beside me. "Shards of rare crystals, unknown metals, and unidentifiable substances. It's always a gamble, really," she admits with a wry smile.

Multiple shelves line the area, each with compartments housing glowing stones in strange shapes and sizes. Some even contain mere specks of dust, which are faintly luminescent.

I don't bother examining them individually—my Clairvoyance and Mana Sight are already active. And almost immediately, two compartments catch my attention.

The first holds a dark compartment with a glowing green rock shard, roughly the size of my finger.

"This… can't be Kryptonite, can it?" I mutter, dumbfounded. Normally, such a thought wouldn't even cross my mind—this is the Marvel Universe, after all, with mostly no connection to DC. But after seeing a metal piece resembling a Batarang, I can't help but make the association.

I tap the holographic panel in front of the shard.

"Unknown mineral. Unknown composition," the robotic voice states. It then lists properties: low conductivity, not ductile or malleable, and weakly radioactive.

What drew me to this mineral, was my Clairvoyance which detected an unusual green aura surrounding it. It could simply be the radiation it is emitting—or, just maybe, this is Kryptonite after all.

Setting it aside for now, I turn to the second compartment. It contains a pink piece of rock, no larger than my pinky, glowing faintly. Both my Mana Sight and Clairvoyance had reacted strongly to it.

But now, as I observe it through both my Mana Sight and Clairvoyance, all I see is a void. My Mana Sight detects neither the glow nor the pink rock itself—only a blank, an absence in space. My Clairvoyance mirrors the sensation, feeling a void as if it's aura is actively avoiding any reading.

"This is… strange," I mutter, intrigued, as I tap on the holographic panel in front of it.

"A luminescent pink rock," the female robotic voice states concisely.

"Eh?… That can't be right," I mumble, surprised. "Where did you find these two pretty rocks, Carina?" I ask, keeping my observations to yourself.

"Which ones?" Carina asks back, looking up from her holographic screen on her arm as she steps closer to me, her body subtly brushing against mine. "Oh, these. They are from the same batch I bought the bat metal piece from," she says with a nod.

"… So the merchant was from the Shi'ar Empire," I mutter under my breath. If it's really from the Shi'ar, then the pink rock's identity could be something far beyond precious.

"So, what kind of currency do you work with?" I ask curiously, noticing that she hasn't stepped away and seems content standing close to me.

Carina grins, tilting her head slightly. "I usually trade in any of the accepted galactic currencies," she replies casually. "Nova Corps Credits, Kree Units, Skrull Shards—you name it. But sadly, I can't accept the currency from your home planet, sweetheart." She flashes me an apologetic smile, though there is a teasing glint in her eyes.

"That said," she continues, her tone turning thoughtful, "I deal in more than just money. Maybe you have got something valuable from your world—something unique. If you show me, we can figure out its worth."

Before I can respond, she leans in closer, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper as she lightly rests a hand on my chest. "And if that doesn't work…" she pauses, her lips curling into a playful smirk, "…we can always work something out more privately."

Her blue eyes glimmer mischievously as her fingers trace light patterns on my chest.

"Uh… let's focus on the price first," I reply, trying to keep it down in my pants."How much for the bat-shaped piece and these two rocks?" I ask her, pointing to the green and pink rocks, making sure to come across as only interested in them because they look intriguing.

Carina raises an eyebrow, her gaze flicking to the items I am eyeing. "Those? They are practically junk," she says dismissively. "But if you really want them, they are yours for… Hmm, normally I would say 300 units."

She looks up at me, her expression shifting as her hand slides up from my chest, fingers lightly tracing my face. "But since this is the first time we are doing business," she adds with a sly smile, "and especially since these probably wouldn't even sell, I will give them to you at half price—150 units."

"That does sound cheap," I reply, recalling how I had overheard her mention the prices of some of the rarer items in her collection—those that cost tens of thousands and even millions, of units or credits.

She steps even closer, her cleavage pressing lightly against me. "So, how would you like to pay?" she purrs, her voice low and inviting. "I can think of a way to make it completely free…"

Her teasing grows increasingly deliberate. I double-check that my Pheromones ability is off—it is. Still I can't help but glance at her alluring alien figure. It is undeniably tempting—especially for someone like me, who is far from a saint when it comes to self-restraint. Despite the distraction, I know I still have a few more options to try before really resorting to selling my body.

Reaching into my pocket, I use my Metal Constructs ability to extract a thinner piece from the Vibranium coin. Holding it up, I smirk. "How about we decide after you check this baby out?"

I am glad I had the foresight to take such a dense piece of Vibranium from the Savage Land. It is proving to be incredibly useful.

"What is this? Some metal coin from your home planet?" she asks, her tone bored.

"I got this from an exotic place I was teleported to before arriving here," I say, weaving a white lie. As technically, it's not far from the truth.

"Oh, exotic, you say?" She raises an eyebrow, suddenly more interested. "Let me see then."

She takes the thin coin and walks toward the side wall, where a holographic screen lights up. Typing something on it, the wall folds away to reveal a sophisticated machine.

I observe the sleek device, instantly recognizing its purpose—it's a scanner. The machine features a glass box at its center for placing objects to be analyzed. Carina opens the glass casing and carefully places the thin metal coin inside.

Typing commands on the machine's side panel, she activates it. The device glows blue, emitting various rays of light that sweep over the coin.

"This is an outdated scanner, but it should suffice," Carina remarks, noticing my curiosity as I watch the process.

Moments later, the glowing stops, and the holographic screen displays an array of numbers and charts in an alien language. Carina's expression shifts, becoming uncharacteristically serious as she reads the results.

"Luke, this… this metal stores kinetic energy? And even vibrational energy?" she murmurs, awe creeping into her voice. "The molecular structure is so stable—it's incredible. I have never seen anything like it. Where did you find this?" Her blue eyes lock onto mine, demanding answers as she double-checks the data on the screen.

"It was an exotic magical place," I say, keeping my tone calm and measured. "There were ferocious creatures everywhere, but I managed to find this shiny piece underneath a mountain. Unfortunately, I don't know the exact location, nor do I have any knowledge of star maps."

The white lie serves its purpose. I am determined not to let anyone suspect the metal originates from Earth. The last thing I need is a galactic-scale war erupting because some greedy aliens caught wind of Earth's Vibranium reserves.

"Is that so?" she mutters, disappointment flickering in her expression. She retrieves the coin from the scanner and approaches me, her hips swaying as if to distract me.

"Luke," she says, placing the coin back into my palm with gloved fingers, her innocent-looking eyes gazing up at me, "don't you have more of this metal? Or couldn't you teleport back to the place where you found it?"

"I just have this piece for now," I reply, maintaining my composure. "But when I gain mastery over the Mystic Arts and the use of portals, I should be able to return to that place." Offering her hope for future business seems the safest option.

Her eyes brighten slightly at my words.

"So, how much is this worth?" I ask curiously. "Judging by your reaction, it must be pretty valuable, right?"

"Yes, definitely. It's a very valuable metal, but sadly, you have only given me such a small piece," she says with a pout, which quickly turns into a smile. "But it's still enough to add to my exotic metal collection," she says happily. "So, for you, my darling… I will offer you a generous price of 10,000 units." She winks at me playfully.

"That does sound generous," I reply with a calm nod.

"It is," she says, pouting playfully. "Anyone else would have only offered you 5,000 at most for such a small piece. A piece this size only holds research value. But since it's not in my Collection yet, I can pay premium. And…" Her voice lowers getting, sultry, "For our future transactions, I don't mind suffering a little," she says with a generous expression.

"Alright, thanks for your consideration. 10,000 units it is, then," I say, handing the coin back to her without much concern over the price. After all, I still have a denser Vibranium coin in my pocket.

"Perfect!" she exclaims, beaming as she accepts it. "So, do you have a galactic account where I can transfer the units? Or would you like me to set one up for you?" she asks, smiling as she places the Vibranium coin in an empty display box on her shelf.

"Instead of units, how about I use that money to buy things from you?" I suggest. Illusory galactic currency, which I might not even have a chance to use any time soon, feels less practical than acquiring something tangible.

"Oh? What else do you want to buy from my Collection?" she asks, her curiosity piqued.

"Not necessarily from your collection," I clarify. "But do you have schematics for advanced technology—like faster-than-light (FTL) engines, spaceships, warp drives, space station construction, terraforming technologies? Oh, and star maps, especially ones with specific jump gates marked, would be incredibly helpful."

"Huh? You just want the schematics, not the actual items?" she asks, tilting her head in confusion. "Your planet has only just started exploring its moon, right? Even if you take these schematics back, it could take your people hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years to build anything from them," she says, shaking her head incredulously.

"Well, I figured schematics would be cheaper," I say with a wry grin. In fact I would have agreed with her assessment—logically, it makes sense—but Earth is special. It is home to some of the most brilliant minds in the Universe, like Reed and Toni… and now that I think about it, shouldn't I count myself among them too?

"Some of the schematics are cheaper, comparatively, yes," she admits. "Normally, I don't trade in information and schematics, but for you… we can work something out. Follow me," she says, waving her hand for me to follow.