126

Chapter 126: New Missions and New Encounters

As the sea returned to calm, silence descended upon the beach. All eyes were fixed on the unfolding scene. Reacting swiftly, the Amazons on the cliff aimed their arrows at Peter.

"Who are you? Why have you come to Paradise Island?" Queen Hippolyta demanded, her tone grave.

"Don't be alarmed. I'm simply helping you bypass unnecessary formalities," Peter replied, spreading his hands. "I assure you, I mean no harm."

"Assure?"

"Yes," Peter said with a gentle smile. "If you're pointing arrows at me, it's hard to tell."

The Amazons sensed Peter's sincerity and gradually lowered their weapons, extending to him their utmost hospitality. A dozen strong, athletic female warriors with chiseled physiques and impressive abs were assigned to attend to him.

However, Steve, another intruder, didn't fare as well. Perhaps due to his inability to convey kindness, he found himself bound and imprisoned, now a captive on the island.

Meanwhile, Queen Hippolyta summoned the Amazon high council.

Despite having a queen, Amazon governance leaned toward a democratic process. Major decisions, even those under the queen's purview, involved consultation with powerful officials or those in key positions, who then voted on matters of importance.

The sudden intrusion into Paradise Island, hidden from the outside world for millennia, presented a critical dilemma. One of the intruders exhibited power rivaling that of the gods.

Queen Hippolyta, having once been intimate with Zeus and bearing Diana, grasped the intruder's formidable aura. To her, he evoked memories of Zeus himself—a testament to his strength.

Among the Amazon officials, two distinct viewpoints emerged:

"The gods charged us with guarding this place, shielding it from the outside world. These intruders violate divine authority and must be expelled or eliminated," argued the conservatives.

"No, on the contrary. The barrier that isolates Paradise Island was established by the gods themselves. Its breach by intruders can only mean it's in accordance with divine will. We should heed this guidance," countered the radicals.

Peter's enhanced hearing captured every nuance of their debate. He wasn't eavesdropping out of interest in their discussion but to glean insights into this new world.

Unlike Marvel's relatively coherent timeline of major events, DC's history was convoluted. From the Golden and Silver Ages to the New 52 and the subsequent soft-reboot in "Rebirth," the continuity was a maze. Add in film and TV adaptations, and it became a jumble.

The Diana before him bore a resemblance to Gal Gadot but had the figure more akin to the iconic Lynda Carter from 75 years earlier.

The council deliberated, while Peter juggled three concerns, part of his attention fixed on the system panel.

The [Superman Talent Pack] and [Thor Power] had both reached level 4, costing Peter 1 million and 500 thousand points respectively. This elevated his strength to surpass Odin at his peak, wielding Gungnir and donning the Destroyer's Hard God Set.

Now, challenging the old Odin would be less about youthful vigor and more about a resounding defeat.

Simultaneously, the [Superman Talent Pack]'s points for the next upgrade climbed to 5 million, while [Thor Power] surged to 2.5 million.

New tasks populated the taskbar:

[Ding! New Mission Acquired: Return Home]

Having unexpectedly arrived in a new universe, Peter couldn't abandon ties to his previous world. He must find his way back to the Marvel Universe.

Mission Objective: Return to the Marvel Universe.

Mission Reward: 1 million points.

[Ding! New Mission Acquired: Anchor Point]

In this fresh universe, brimming with unknowns, Peter was to leave a significant mark and establish an anchor point in the DC Universe.

Mission Objective: Leave a significant mark in the new world.

Mission Reward: DC Universe anchor point + 500,000 points.

The system issued missions aligned with Peter's desires—returning to Marvel while exploring the mysteries of the DC Universe.

What would happen when Black Superman crossed paths with Superman? Especially considering Superman hadn't yet come into existence, adding intrigue.

Yet, the most intriguing aspect lay within the system store.

Peter squinted at new gadgets:

[Marvel Universe Anchor] for 1 million points.

[Cosmic Conceptual Entity]? ? ? ?

[???]? ? ? ?

The Marvel Universe Anchor, akin to the DC Anchor, facilitated cross-universe travel for the host. To activate it, Peter would need a substantial influence on the universe, even if his memory of existence were erased—the mark of Black Superman remained potent.

As for the [Cosmic Conceptual Entity], left behind by the giant god, it denoted entities embodying Marvel's universe rules—like Eternity or Death, fundamental to the universe's fabric, immortal as long as Marvel endured.

But the trailing "????" puzzled Peter.

"Is it unpurchasable? Does it require specific conditions or is the system malfunctioning?" pondered Peter, foreseeing future developments.

Meanwhile, a new ability, "???", caught Peter's attention, its enigmatic nature raising questions about its level and dimensions.

"A shady existence, perhaps?" Peter mused, his super brain engaged again.

But lacking clues, he quickly dismissed conjecture.

Super Brain: (_)

Peter multitasked—monitoring the council, system panel, and Diana, who suddenly approached.

He gazed at Diana. "Why have you come to me?"

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