Darkseid knew the value of these items, so they were placed separately from the flashy "junk," which was convenient for Bai Qi.
Magical artifacts, technological weapons, Bai Qi accepted them all, stuffing them into his storage. As for the items with indescribable auras, Bai Qi sealed them properly before storing them as well. He didn't even leave the remaining "junk," because what was junk to him was a treasure to many others, and could still fetch a price if sold later.
Bai Qi, in this sweep, had practically packed up Darkseid's entire treasure vault.
After completing this, Bai Qi met up with the Furies outside the palace and, with them laden with spoils, returned to Earth.
Back on Earth, looking at the war-torn land, Bai Qi's heart remained unmoved. He raised the Dragon Mark Lantern Ring he held, its dragon eyes lighting up, and a scarlet beam shot towards the sky.
Under the summons of the Mother Box, the lantern ring fragments, distributed globally by Bai Qi, converged rapidly towards him from all directions.
Bai Qi spread open the hand wearing the lantern ring, and piece by piece, the rings landed in his palm. Each had been energized in the battles against the Parademons. Now, returning to Bai Qi's hand, they were absorbed one by one by the Mother Box he wore.
Although this amount was less than a drop in the bucket compared to the Green Lantern energy Bai Qi had absorbed on OA, every little bit counted. He wouldn't pass up any opportunity.
Watching the absorbed Dragon Mark Lantern Ring fragments, Bai Qi raised an eyebrow. The numbers didn't seem right. One was missing?
Bai Qi extended his spiritual sense and quickly pinpointed the location of the lantern ring fragment that hadn't been recalled. It was in Lex Tower, the site of the most intense fighting.
Fast forward thirty minutes.
To ensure stable teleportation, Cyborg's Boom Tube had locked onto the teleporter in Lex Tower.
As Clark and the others passed through the Boom Tube back to Earth, Lois, who had been waiting, was the first to rush forward, throwing herself into Clark's arms.
Watching the two engrossed in their reunion, Luthor rubbed his shiny bald head, feeling somewhat displeased. Harley Quinn, standing nearby, couldn't resist a jab, "Don't worry, Edison, you'll find your match too."
Luthor shot a glare at the flippant Harley Quinn and, with a dark expression, strode forward, clapping his hands to unceremoniously interrupt the affectionate pair.
"Alright, this is my property after all. You two, and the rest of you, get out of here immediately before I lose my temper."
Facing Luthor, who had the words "embarrassed and furious" written all over his face, Clark and Lois, in his embrace, exchanged a look and couldn't help but smile.
In the past, Clark would have definitely flaunted his affection in front of Luthor. But now, considering Luthor's contribution, he'd let it slide.
Driven out by Luthor, everyone returning from Apokolips was quickly cleared out of Lex Tower.
Once everyone had left, Luthor returned to his office, locked the door from the inside, secured the windows, and drew the curtains.
With everything prepared, Luthor retrieved a glass container from under his desk. Inside was none other than Bai Qi's missing Dragon Mark Lantern Ring fragment.
Luthor knew about Green Lantern rings. However, they were always worn by Green Lanterns, and even upon the wearer's death, the ring would automatically seek a new wielder. Luthor's character wouldn't be recognized by the ring, and even if he wanted to study its structure and principles, he lacked the materials.
But now, he had obtained a Dragon Mark Lantern Ring, which was remarkably similar to a Green Lantern ring. Not only was its power comparable, but in some aspects, it even seemed to surpass it.
With such a useful artifact in his possession, Luthor wasn't about to return it before he had thoroughly studied it.
Little did Luthor know that his seemingly flawless plan had been entirely within Bai Qi's sight from the beginning.
Bai Qi was initially a bit annoyed by Luthor's "free ride." He was always the one freeloading, not the other way around. However, after a moment's thought, Bai Qi's annoyance vanished, replaced by a sinister smile.
"You like freeloading, do you? Fine, I'll gift you this lantern ring. Consider it an anchor I've left in this world. Given the usual DC trajectory, with such an event, most heroes and villains would be dead. At least ninety percent chance Barry Allen would create a Flashpoint to reset everything.
The existence of the Dragon Mark Lantern Ring fragment had already become a fact before the Flashpoint. So, even if Barry Allen reset this world, the fragment would continue to exist.
Bai Qi's arrival in this world was purely coincidental. Without the precise coordinates, it would be very difficult for Bai Qi to return after leaving.
But now, with Luthor keeping the fragment out of curiosity, and the fragment becoming an integral part of this world due to the Flashpoint, Bai Qi could use the connection between the Mother Box and the fragment to pinpoint this world, preparing for his eventual return.
After packing everything he needed to pack and bringing along everything he needed to bring, Bai Qi took out a red flip phone and casually dialed a few numbers.
After a few seconds of waiting, the call connected. Bai Qi put the phone to his ear, and a woman's voice responded.
"Hello, esteemed VIP guest. This is the Temporal Train Headquarters. How may I assist you?"
"I require the Temporal Train."
Upon hearing Bai Qi's request, there was a brief pause on the other end, as if the woman was considering something. Soon, her sweet voice returned, "Certainly, we will arrange it for you immediately. Would you prefer a private car or a standard class service?"
Bai Qi glanced at the twenty-five Furies behind him. After some thought, he replied, "Standard class, please."
The Furies, while valuable, weren't worth chartering a private train for. Besides, selling all of them wouldn't even cover the cost of a single private train ride.
Honestly, if not for the Furies' lack of a sufficiently resilient physique, Bai Qi wouldn't even have bothered with a standard train. Drawing a magic circle would have been much faster, more convenient, and cheaper.