"Also, ten thousand battleships, in half a month."
Frieza extended a finger and waved it in front of Thanos's purple face.
"This requirement shouldn't be too excessive for our newly appointed Director of the Demolition Office, right?"
Thanos's deep eyes flickered slightly.
As the former overlord who commanded the Black Order, he knew military industrial capacity like the back of his hand.
Although Xandar's industrial foundation was strong, plus the Chitauri technology and tireless mechanical soldiers he brought...
However...
"Lord Frieza."
Thanos did not grovel like Loki.
He still kept his back straight, his voice low and magnetic, maintaining the last dignity of a former overlord.
"If you only need a pile of scrap metal that can fly, I can gather ten thousand for you in three days."
"But you just said."
Thanos paused, looking directly into Frieza's scarlet eyes.
"You want the strongest firepower, the hardest armor, and the most luxurious interiors."
"In half a month, even if I squeeze every ounce of production capacity from this planet without rest, I cannot guarantee that every battleship will meet your standards."
At this point, Thanos held up five thick fingers.
"Twenty days."
"Give me twenty days, and I will build you an invincible fleet capable of crushing the Kree Empire."
"This is to ensure the brand quality of the Frieza Group."
Listening to Thanos's reasonable, well-founded, and even slightly corporate-speak answer.
A playful smile curled Frieza's lips.
"Ohohoho..."
"As expected of someone who has done big things, your vision is different."
Frieza clapped his hands, seemingly quite satisfied with Thanos's attitude.
Look! This is called professional!
Unlike that Apocalypse, who only knows how to shout about killing and fighting; ask him to do a job, and he might tear the house down.
"Since it's for quality..."
Frieza waved his hand magnanimously, looking like a reasonable, good boss.
"Then this Emperor grants special approval."
"Twenty days later, I want to see my fleet filling this starry sky."
"If there is one ship missing by then, or the chairs aren't comfortable enough..."
Frieza leaned closer to Thanos, tapping his fingertip lightly on Thanos's golden chest plate, making a crisp sound.
"I will unscrew your purple head and hang it on the flagship's ram as a decoration."
"I think that would look quite dashing, don't you?"
Thanos's pupils contracted slightly, and he lowered his head.
"As you wish, My Lord."
---
After arranging the supervision task.
Frieza walked with a swagger back to Nova Prime's spacious and luxurious office.
Although that old woman was probably scrubbing toilets in some public restroom right now.
That didn't stop Frieza from commandeering her office.
"Natasha."
Frieza slumped into that comfortable executive chair and snapped his fingers casually.
"Pour me a glass of wine. I want that... whatever centuries-old vintage."
"Yes, Master."
Black Widow, dressed in a maid outfit, obediently walked over with the wine glass.
Frieza took a sip of the fine wine and waved his hand in a good mood to open the massive holographic star map in front of him.
Instantly, a dazzling projection of the galaxy appeared in the office.
Countless stars twinkled within it.
Every point of light represented a planet, an asset, and a large sum of Fear Points.
"Oh my, my. The territory of this Nova Empire is truly vast."
Frieza's finger slid across the star map, looking at the strings of data representing resources and population, greed undisguised in his eyes.
According to the Nova Corps database, there were hundreds of habitable planets under the jurisdiction of this star sector!
If all these were developed, that would be hundreds of real estate projects!
"I wonder how many Omni-Credits (Uni-Credits) these planets could fetch if packaged and sold?"
Frieza stroked his chin, starting to calculate his business strategy.
Although he now possessed Infinity Stones and terrifying power.
As a principled villain, the original intention of making money could not be forgotten.
After all, without money, how could he pay his subordinates? Without money, how could he maintain that magnificent golden palace?
"Who should I sell to?"
Frieza's gaze wandered over the star map.
"That Collector called Tivan? I hear that guy is filthy rich and likes collecting all sorts of weird things."
"If I package Xandar and sell it to him as a bonsai, he'd probably be happy to pay, right?"
"Or..."
A massive figure wearing a purple helmet appeared in Frieza's mind.
"Galactus?"
"That guy is a big eater; he must be interested in planets."
"I just don't know if that poor ghost can afford to pay. If he dares to try a dine-and-dash, this Emperor wouldn't mind treating him as a buffet."
Just as Frieza was imagining the future, his gaze suddenly stopped at the other end of the star map.
There was a red star sector there, marked as an extremely dangerous zone due to years of hostility with the Nova Empire.
Large Magellanic Cloud—The Kree Empire!
"Oh?"
Frieza's eyes lit up.
"The Kree..."
"This is an old rogue empire. I hear their Supreme Intelligence has a lot of good stuff in its brain, and..."
"Such a massive empire, the Omni-Credits in their treasury must be piled up like mountains, right?"
The smile on Frieza's lips gradually became dangerous.
Like a bandit eyeing a fat sheep.
"I wonder if they would be willing to spend money to buy peace."
"If they aren't willing..."
Frieza downed the wine in his glass.
"Then this Emperor wouldn't mind engaging in a 'Kree Empire Acquisition Case' and turning their territory into my backyard too."
"Anyway, conquering one is conquering; conquering two is just a matter of convenience."
"By then, the entire galaxy will be my rental property. Just collecting property fees every month will make my hands soft from counting money! Ohohoho..."
Thinking of this, Frieza's mood was simply excellent.
However, before going to collect rent, he had to go get something else first.
His gaze fell on the edge of the star map, on a planet that appeared somewhat desolate and eerie.
Vormir.
"Power Stone..."
Frieza looked at the coordinates of that planet, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Although this Emperor's power is already strong enough now, that purple stone is pleasing just to look at."
"Besides, if that fool called Star-Lord snatches it first to dance with, that would be too embarrassing."
"Now I have already collected two of the six Infinity Stones." (Note: Space Stone and presumably Mind Stone or Reality Stone based on context not fully shown here, usually Space is Tesseract).
"Although my current maximum combat power can reach 120 million. But there are still the Five Abstract Entities and the Living Tribunal in this universe."
"Without collecting all six Infinity Stones, I still feel a bit uneasy, heh heh heh..."