Bulma rode the motorcycle at high speed. Its engine hummed low and steadily, far more refined and smooth than the farmer's rugged jeep from yesterday.
The cold wind rushed against Lin Fan's bare skin. Though it was still chilly, the faint True Qi circulating on its own inside him kept it from being as painfully cold as it had been last night.
He sat sideways on the back, doing his best to keep his balance and maintain his distance so he wouldn't touch the girl in front of him.
Even so, the embarrassment of riding with an unfamiliar girl while completely naked made his face grow warm. All he could do was keep his eyes lowered and his mind focused.
He silently practiced the basic method of the Great Dao Source Scripture to calm himself.
Before long, the view ahead opened up. At the end of the dirt road lay a modern highway, broad and fairly smooth.
Bulma turned onto it with practiced ease, and they sped up a little more.
"Hey, weird wild man,"
Bulma called over the wind without looking back. "That thing you mentioned earlier... the divination of heavenly secrets. Can it really help me find the Dragon Balls?"
She sounded more curious than doubtful, clearly still thinking about Lin Fan's startling words from earlier.
Lin Fan had already thought things through. At her question, he replied unhurriedly, "Heaven's secrets must not be revealed. The signs of a divination are ever-changing. How could a few words explain them? I only happened to see a thread of fate connecting you to this matter, so I offered a few words. Whether it succeeds or not depends on your own fortune."
His words carried a faintly mystical air. He neither fully confirmed nor outright denied anything, leaving himself plenty of room to maneuver.
Bulma pursed her lips, evidently unsatisfied with his vague answer, but she didn't press him any further.
After traveling a little farther, she suddenly pulled the motorcycle over to an open patch of ground beside the road.
"Wait here."
She hopped off, took a capsule marked with an "H" from the elegant capsule case at her waist, pressed the button expertly, and tossed it ahead.
Bang!
A soft pop sounded as a cloud of white smoke billowed up and quickly dispersed.
A sleek, high-tech red convertible had appeared on the previously empty patch of ground!
"Whoa!"
Bulma proudly patted the car and looked at Lin Fan as if showing off. "What do you think? Never seen anything like it, right? Hoi-Poi Capsules—the latest technology from my family's company! You can even fit an entire house inside a little box like this and carry it around!"
Her big eyes blinked expectantly, as though she were waiting to see the "wild man from the mountains" stare in stunned amazement.
Surprise flickered in Lin Fan's eyes. Though he, too, marveled inwardly at the astonishing technology of this world, so far beyond Earth in his previous life, he kept his expression composed. Instead, he looked as if he had come to a measured realization, tinged with just the right amount of appraisal.
He nodded slightly, his calm voice carrying a hint of understated judgment. "So that's how it works. Containing Mount Sumeru in a mustard seed, hiding the sun and moon inside a pot. Your magical artifact is much like the 'Pot-Heaven Technique' and 'Heaven and Earth in the Sleeve' described in ancient texts. I never imagined such methods could be achieved through clever mechanical devices. Truly remarkable."
"Pot-Heaven Technique? Heaven and Earth in the Sleeve?"
The smug look on Bulma's face froze, giving way to confusion and curiosity. "What are those? Are they kinds of technology, too? Are they even more powerful than my capsules?"
She had spent her whole life immersed in the world of science with her parents and knew nothing about those mysterious old terms. But from Lin Fan's tone, they seemed to describe something even more incredible, and she couldn't help but grow curious.
Seeing that he had successfully diverted her thoughts, Lin Fan felt a little relieved. He maintained the same serene, sage-like demeanor and shook his head slightly. "They're not technology, but otherworldly arts practiced by ancient adepts who cultivated Qi. Within a pot, another world of heaven and earth is hidden; within a sleeve, mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas can be contained. But they're all vague legends and shouldn't be taken as fact. By comparison, your capsule technique is visible and tangible, and far more practical."
His words were half explanation and half flattery. He praised her while making his own origins seem all the more mysterious, his knowledge all the more profound and unfathomable.
Bulma's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "A whole world in a pot? Rivers and mountains in a sleeve? Can that really be true...? It sounds even more amazing than the Dragon Balls..."
She looked at Lin Fan with even more curiosity and respect. Any trace of her earlier contempt for him as a "wild man" had vanished. The strange man with his mysterious background and abstruse words seemed to radiate an air of mystery.
"Get in!"
She shook her head as if trying to put aside the mystical questions she couldn't understand for now, then opened the car door and hopped into the driver's seat.
"Since I feel sorry for you, I'll be kind and take you to a nearby town. But we have a deal: you have to tell me where the Dragon Balls are!"
Lin Fan thanked her, opened the passenger-side door, and climbed in.
The interior was finely furnished, and the seats were comfortable. Compared to yesterday's desperate flight and today's ride while naked, it felt like a lifetime had passed.
The sports car's engine gave a deep, powerful roar, and it shot onto the highway like an arrow released from its bow, far faster than the motorcycle had been.
The scenery outside flew by. Bulma seemed to be in a good mood. As she drove, she chattered away, going from the various models of Hoi-Poi Capsules to the bustle of West City, then complaining about all the trouble she'd had searching for the Dragon Balls.
Lin Fan mostly listened in silence. Whenever she asked about ordinary things in the outside world, he pretended not to understand, reinforcing his image as a "hermit who cultivated in the mountains."
Now and then, when she mentioned some technological creation, he would casually offer a cryptic comparison, such as, "This thing is swift, almost as if it rides the wind," or, "That mirror surveys the sea of stars, nearly like the Heavenly Eye."
Bulma was repeatedly astonished, and the more he spoke, the more mysterious she found him.
The atmosphere in the car was rather pleasant.
Lin Fan leaned back in his seat as the faint True Qi within him continued to circulate on its own, constantly drawing in the sparse spiritual energy of the world outside.
Though it remained faint, it flowed without end, giving him a reassuring sense of security.
His gaze drifted across the otherworldly scenery rushing past the window before settling on the lively, clever, blue-haired girl beside him.
The Dragon Radar... Hoi-Poi Capsules... Bulma...
He knew that his dangerous, sudden transmigration to this world had finally taken a first step toward turning around when he met Bulma.
He had managed to latch onto the powerful leg of someone from the "main cast," at least for the time being.
The road ahead was still full of unknown dangers, and the label "weakling" still hung over him like a thorn at his back. But at least for now, he was no longer a naked wanderer fleeing for his life in the wilderness. He had a seemingly safe temporary place to stay, as well as a valuable channel for learning about this world.
The sports car roared onward, carrying two people with their own thoughts as it sped toward the nearest human town.
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