Saiyans respected strength above all else. Although many of them knew Frieza existed, only the nobles around King Vegeta had ever actually seen him.
Low-Class Warriors and even mid-class warriors had no chance to meet Frieza.
Some Low-Class Warriors spent their entire lives fighting far from home, but social standing was another factor. Without sufficient status, they would never get to see Frieza.
Yet the Saiyans were a proud people. Though they knew from their leaders how powerful Frieza was, they had never seen him with their own eyes, and had always looked down on him.
But the moment they learned Frieza's true battle power, they were all terrified.
Unlike the Saiyans around him, Kast hadn't used his Scouter to peek at Frieza. Having read the original story, he knew Frieza had a base battle power of 530,000.
At his current level, there was no way Kast could take on an opponent with that kind of power.
"I'd better go to Earth first."
Thinking of Earth's Dragon Balls and Senzu Beans, both of which could help him grow stronger quickly, Kast was itching to get going.
"Tonight..."
At the plaza, King Vegeta stood with the noble warriors, respectfully greeting Frieza.
"Welcome, King Frieza."
"Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho! There's no need to be so formal, King Vegeta. The birth of a prince is a momentous occasion, and I've brought a splendid gift!"
Covering his mouth with his raised right hand as he chuckled, Frieza pointed to an attendant, who opened a box. Inside was a new model of Scouter.
"This is the latest battle power Scouter. We've improved on the old model, making it lighter and easier to carry. It also has real-time calls and long-distance communication. I'll provide five thousand to start with. Just let me know if you need more."
As he spoke, he had an attendant hand the Scouter to King Vegeta.
"By the way, I hope to have Prince Vegeta come to me in a few years. I'll take good care of him. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he'll accomplish!"
"What?!"
"Well then, farewell, King Vegeta."
Without waiting for King Vegeta to reply, Frieza turned and flew toward his ship.
"Damn it!"
As the Frieza Army departed, King Vegeta's face twisted with fury. He crushed the Scouter in his hand to powder.
"Your Majesty, are you really going to send the prince to Frieza? He's clearly taking him hostage!"
One of the Saiyans beside him spoke anxiously.
"But we can't refuse to send him. Frieza's attitude just now made it clear he'll come for the prince sooner or later."
Another Saiyan picked up where the first had left off, voicing his own thoughts.
"But..."
"Enough!" King Vegeta roared, cutting off the argument. Through gritted teeth, he said, "The prince will join the Frieza Army when he turns five. It's settled."
With that, he turned and left the plaza.
"Damn Frieza! How dare he order me around and ignore me!"
King Vegeta clenched his fists. He wasn't angry about Frieza threatening to take his son. What enraged and humiliated him was the way Frieza had ignored him!
For the Saiyans, battle came first and dignity came second. That was especially true for King Vegeta, the king of the Saiyans...
"Frieza's gone." Watching Frieza's ship disappear, Kast narrowed his eyes and turned toward the ship parking area. He'd originally planned to leave that night, but Frieza's departure had changed his mind.
As a Low-Class Warrior, Kast could choose to keep going out to conquer planets, even though he was only five years old. Of course, he could also stay on Planet Vegeta and train.
But Kast had already worked out his plans.
For most Saiyans, Planet Vegeta was their homeworld, their home. But to Kast, it was merely a stopover, a midpoint on his journey.
Though Kast possessed the memories of a second life and had been sent to a remote planet at birth, he felt no attachment to the doomed Planet Vegeta.
Besides, his parents in this life had joined a campaign of conquest soon after he was born. They had already perished.
With nothing to hold him back on Planet Vegeta, this was the perfect chance to leave while Frieza was on his way back.
"Lord Kast, you're here. Didn't you attend the banquet?"
The one greeting him was an alien with red skin. Saiyans were a conquering people, but they still needed some species with technical expertise. After all, Saiyans were a warrior race, and fighting was their priority. They left the odd jobs to the aliens they had conquered.
As an allied species, they treated every Saiyan with respect, regardless of age.
"...Is the ship ready?"
Kast didn't answer. Maintaining the Saiyans' customary cold demeanor, he simply asked.
"It's ready. This is your ship."
The red-skinned alien pointed to a small, spherical spaceship and introduced it.
"We've installed an interstellar navigation map and emergency medical equipment inside, along with..." The red-skinned alien seemed to remember something and pulled a Scouter from a nearby tool bag.
"This is the new model of Scouter that was just issued from headquarters. It has all the same functions as the old model, plus real-time calls. It's very convenient. Would you like to switch to this one, sir?"
"A new model of Scouter?" Looking at the Scouter in the red-skinned alien's hand, Kast felt a cold smile rise within him.
It's probably not a Scouter at all, but a surveillance device! He sneered inwardly, his expression remaining impassive.
"No need. The old one is fine."
Without another word to the alien, he walked straight into the ship.
"Ah! Wait, Lord Kast! You haven't given me your launch permit!"
But it was already too late.
"Whoosh!"
With a piercing rush of air, Kast had already piloted the ship away from Planet Vegeta.
"Ah, these Saiyans are all the same! Sigh, I'm going to get punished again!"
Watching the ship dwindle until it looked like a star, the red-skinned alien broke down, cold sweat beading on his face.
Stars streamed past on either side as Kast's personal ship sped straight ahead, trailing a red beam of light.
"Beep, beep. One year until arrival at Earth. Recommend entering hibernation mode."
At the voice's prompt, Kast closed his eyes.
"Enter hibernation mode."
As soon as he spoke, Kast felt his consciousness begin to fade.
In the final second before he fell asleep, he thought:
I'm coming, Earth!
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