"Wang Shen!"
Lazuli spoke first, her stunning face lighting up with a delighted smile from the bottom of her heart.
The man she'd set her sights on really was the best.
Wang Shen smiled and walked over to Lazuli, reaching out to stroke her head.
At the same time, a faint fragrance drifted over, and Wang Shen's smile deepened.
Beside them, Lapis watched the scene in surprise.
The way Lazuli's eyes curved into crescents and her smile softened gave him an unsettling sense of unreality.
His usually cold, short-tempered sister actually had a gentle, sweet side.
Her little brother was utterly shocked!
Just then, Son Gohan wriggled out of Bulma's embrace. Eyes brimming with tears, he ran up to Wang Shen at an entirely inappropriate moment and choked out,
"Uncle Wang Shen, you said you had a way to bring Uncle Piccolo back to life. Is that true?"
Looking at the aggrieved blond "delinquent" in front of him, Wang Shen lowered his hand.
Lazuli looked a little disappointed, but, mindful of Gohan's grief, quietly stepped aside.
She also shot Lapis a glance, giving him a silent warning!
Wang Shen nodded and answered directly,
"That's right. As long as we can restore the Dragon Balls, Piccolo can be revived."
Son Gohan lifted his head and said,
"But Kami has disappeared. No one can repair the Dragon Balls."
Wang Shen smiled mysteriously, unconcerned.
"Who says there can only be one Kami?"
"When one Kami falls, countless others will step forward."
Wang Shen turned to look at the adorably clueless Son Goku. The confident look in his eyes instantly shifted to one of disbelief.
He covered half his face with a hand, feeling utterly speechless, yet unable to help finding it amusing.
Whenever someone offered a suggestion, Son Goku never bothered to think it through. The gears of wisdom in his head were firmly stuck and wouldn't turn at all.
In the end, Wang Shen turned to the scholar of the future and asked,
"Gohan, do you remember your friend from Namek?"
"Dende?"
Gohan answered without hesitation.
Wang Shen nodded to himself. It seemed their friendship really was strong.
"We can ask him to become the new Kami. Then the Dragon Balls can be restored."
Gohan's eyes lit up, but he asked cautiously,
"Can we really do that?"
Mr. Popo, his face dark, thought for a moment before answering slowly,
"It should be possible."
"Yay! That's great!"
Gohan immediately cheered, going from sorrowful to smiling through his tears!
Wang Shen looked up. Children's emotions were always so obvious and intense.
"Then, Goku, I'll leave this to you."
"Huh! Why me? Wang Shen, can't you use Instant Transmission too?"
As if he'd expected the question, Wang Shen explained,
"I don't know the Namekians. If I go, they might not help me, but you're different. You're their hero, the one who saved their people!"
After all, it was easier to get things done when you knew someone.
If the Grand Elder of Namek were still around, Wang Shen wouldn't have minded accompanying Son Goku on the trip.
Hearing that, Son Goku scratched his head, then seemed to slump.
"That does make sense. All right, then."
"I'll be right back. Make sure you save some food for me."
In an instant, Son Goku vanished. His ki could no longer be sensed anywhere on Earth.
Bulma handed Little Trunks to Trunks to look after, then hurriedly rummaged through her belongings.
"Oh no, I don't think I brought enough food! I never expected there to be so many people here."
Vegeta, Trunks, Goku, Gohan, Wang Shen, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Lazuli, Lapis, Android 16, and Mr. Popo.
There definitely wasn't enough food!
"We androids don't need to eat."
Lazuli tucked a strand of golden hair that had fallen in front of her eyes behind her ear, revealing a fair, delicate ear and easing some of Bulma's urgent worries.
Seeing Lazuli speak up, Wang Shen didn't want to be outdone. He took two Senzu Beans from his pocket dimension and held them between his fingers, wearing an odd smile.
"I've got plenty of Senzu Beans too. Eat one, and you won't need food for ten days. I wonder who'll be lucky enough to enjoy one."
But everyone present looked down and silently tried to pass up the rare opportunity in favor of someone else.
Wang Shen's gaze wandered among them, whether deliberately or by accident.
In the end, Wang Shen let his ill-intentioned gaze linger on Vegeta, who had turned halfway away and was pretending not to care.
Noticing that teasing look, Vegeta gritted his teeth and said bitterly,
"Karotis, if you dare make me eat that thing, I'll never forgive you!"
Wang Shen gave an awkward smile and put the Senzu Beans away.
He'd only been joking.
By then, Bulma had taken out two Hoi-Poi Capsules. She pressed the buttons and tossed them to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, two hundred dishes and four huge buckets of rice appeared before them.
A rich aroma filled the air. At the sight of the delicious food, Vegeta, Trunks, and Gohan rushed over, practically drooling.
They grabbed buckets of rice and shoveled in plate after plate of food.
At that moment, their mouths seemed much bigger than usual.
Bulma picked up Little Trunks, who had wanted to rush over too. As the Dragon Ball team's logistics chief, she apologized,
"Sorry, everyone. We had to leave in a hurry, so this is all the food I brought."
Wang Shen smiled and shook his head, not minding at all.
Krillin and Tien Shinhan quickly waved their hands.
They hadn't helped with anything this time, so they couldn't very well compete for the food.
Mr. Popo's face was so dark that no one could read his expression or tell what he was thinking.
He had the makings of a spy or undercover agent.
Lazuli watched the three of them wolfing down food so ungracefully, furrowed her brows, then turned to the unbothered Wang Shen and asked with concern,
"Aren't you hungry?"
Looking down into Lazuli's earnest eyes, Wang Shen felt a warmth in his heart and gently ruffled her hair.
"No rush. I've got a surprise for you later."
Wang Shen leaned close to Lazuli's flushed ear and whispered,
His warm breath brushed against Lazuli's ear. In an instant, it grew even redder, as if it might drip blood.
Wang Shen's deliberate teasing sent Lazuli's imagination running wild!
Seeing that, Wang Shen withdrew with a faint smile, satisfied with his work.
All those flirting tricks I learned in my previous life weren't something you could withstand.
Wang Shen left Lazuli alone and instead went over to Lapis, who kept looking straight ahead or up at the sky, but never at Lazuli. He slung an arm around him.
"Hey, Lapis, what do you want to do next? Got a plan?"
"Of course I want to travel around the world!"
Whoosh!
Before long, Son Goku returned.
As expected, he'd brought back a little green friend with two antennae on his forehead.
Dende, also known as Dende, was a Namekian with healing abilities.
As soon as Dende arrived, he warmly greeted Gohan and Krillin.
He'd always wanted to come to Earth and reunite with his two best friends.
"Dende!"
"It really is Dende!"
Gohan forgot all about the food and ran over to Dende with Krillin.
The three of them clasped hands and gathered in a circle.
When Goku saw that most of the food had already been eaten, he immediately shouted in protest.
"Whaaat! You ate without waiting for me? That's so mean!"
But in fact, Bulma had only prepared enough for four people, and at least a quarter of the food was still untouched.
Wang Shen, who had been chatting and laughing with Lapis nearby, was drawn to the commotion.
He narrowed his eyes and gazed intently at Dende, his thoughts in turmoil.
Though he'd known it for a long time, it was still remarkable that such a young Namekian could create Dragon Balls all by himself.
The supposedly all-powerful Shenron!
Truly incredible!
According to some theories from his previous life, the Namekians were a people blessed by the gods.
They called themselves the descendants of the Dragon Clan.
He wondered if they really had some connection to Zalama.
Before you continue