All that was missing was Capsule Corporation's GDP.
Every kind of business was thriving, and the food in particular was incredibly diverse.
Bulma said, "Goku, it'll be dark soon. Let's stay in East City tonight."
Son Goku sat on the cloud, already so sleepy he was nodding off.
"Sure, whatever you say!"
Bulma was a little surprised.
He'd had plenty of energy while running all that way.
Yet after sitting on the Flying Nimbus for half a day, he was nearly asleep.
Bulma said, "Goku, this neighborhood is pretty lively.
"Today, we not only got the Flying Nimbus,
"we also managed to get a Dragon Ball without any trouble.
"How about we celebrate?"
Goku asked curiously, "How?"
He didn't like the kind of entertainment where there were lots of people.
Bulma pondered for a moment.
She knew Goku too well. He didn't like any kind of entertainment.
Aside from fighting, his only other hobby was eating delicious food.
Bulma had an idea. "Goku, how about we go check out the night market food street?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Son Goku's listless expression changed instantly.
He sat up straight, looking full of energy.
"Really? With how much I eat, going to a food street is going to cost a lot."
Bulma laughed and said dismissively, "It's fine. Eat as much as you want.
"I'm not short on money. Get whatever you want, just don't waste it."
Goku eagerly threw his arms around Bulma's and looked up at her gratefully. "Bulma, you're really too good to me!!!"
Bulma: "..."
Chapter 12: Arrival at Gao Village
Aside from taking training seriously,
Goku was also very interested in eating.
That was mainly because he had such a huge appetite.
Eating was instinctive for him.
On top of that, he'd lived in the mountains for years,
where every day he ate roasted or boiled meat, seasoned with the same two cheap, commonly used spices.
Peppercorns, star anise, cumin, and chili—no fancy additives,
just the same ingredients and those same two seasonings. He'd long since grown tired of them.
His grandpa had taken him to eat in the city before,
but everyone knew how much Saiyans could eat.
A normal person's serving was barely enough to get stuck between his teeth. It couldn't fill him up at all.
His huge appetite gave him a lot of trouble.
He really craved all the delicious dishes in the city.
How wonderful it would be if he could eat all his favorite foods and still get full.
The moment Bulma said she'd take him to the food night market,
she saw Goku, who'd been drooping a moment ago, suddenly perk up,
and even try to butter her up.
Bulma couldn't help giggling.
Sure enough, even though he'd become much more sensible in this world,
he was still the same Goku!
She remembered one time at the Tournament of Power when he'd been hypnotized.
She'd woken him up by calling out that it was time to eat.
A little while later, the two of them landed in East City and arrived at a hotel.
Bulma and Goku walked inside side by side.
"Hello, we'd like a room!"
The receptionist took out two key cards and said politely,
"Hello. Could you show me both of your ID cards?"
Bulma took out her ID and handed it over.
"No need to go to all that trouble. Just give us one room!"
After saying that, Bulma swiped her ID, set down the money,
then took the key card and led Goku off to find their room.
The receptionist looked at Bulma,
then at the short Son Goku beside her,
who even had a tail behind him. It seemed to twitch when he spotted it.
The receptionist couldn't help muttering, "Those two are really strange.
"An older woman dating a younger guy is one thing, but they're even into that kind of prop.
"Do they really think it's fun?
"But that tail looks almost real.
"I wonder where they bought it. Is it an implant or an accessory?
"Good grief, young people sure know how to have fun..."
Once Bulma entered the hotel room, she went straight to the bathroom,
took a shower, then quietly washed and hung up her underwear to dry,
before heading out with Goku.
The food street offered a lot of variety,
but since the food was from street stalls, it wasn't expensive,
and the hygiene standards were about what you'd expect for the price.
Still, the food from the stalls really was delicious, especially at the ones with long lines.
Bulma glanced around and asked, "Goku, what do you want to eat first?"
To her surprise, Goku had already made his way to the jianbing guozi cart.
It was the only stall with a short line, and at that moment, nobody was waiting.
Bulma shrugged.
I said I'd treat you to celebrate and that you could eat whatever you wanted, and you go straight for jianbing guozi?
Do you think I can't afford more?
Bulma swallowed the words she'd been about to say.
Perhaps Son Gohan hadn't had much money, and with Goku's huge appetite,
that was why Goku had developed such a frugal personality.
She went straight to the stall and paid for Little Goku.
In no time, Goku had tried all sorts of food.
Stinky tofu, meat-stuffed flatbread, roast chicken, sizzling squid, grilled cold noodles, fried skewers, barbecue skewers, spicy hotpot, cold rice noodles...
The emphasis was on cheap, generous portions.
While buying food for Goku,
Bulma also bought plenty of prepared ingredients and packed them away.
That would be their food for the next few days on the road.
She also bought him a few sets of clothes that fit.
Yes, they were all trendy kids' athletic wear...
The next day.
The two of them set off again to search for the Dragon Balls.
Since Goku wanted to train as they traveled, Bulma wasn't moving very fast on the Flying Nimbus.
Three days later, close to noon,
the two of them arrived at the village where the fifth Dragon Ball was located.
There were plenty of houses in the village, but not a single person was on the road.
Bulma knew they'd reached Gao Village,
and that everyone in the village had been tricked by that rascal Oolong.
That didn't matter. What mattered was that someone might launch a surprise attack soon,
swinging an axe at Goku's head.
Bulma was a little nervous. If it hit her instead, someone could die.
She stayed close to Goku and warned him, "Goku, I'm going to knock on the door.
"Keep an eye out for me. If anyone tries to ambush us, make sure to stop them."
Son Goku nodded.
"Mm, got it."
With that, Bulma knocked on the door of the nearest house.
"Hello? Anyone home?"
"Is anyone there?"
A clear girl's voice rang out, seemingly without the slightest hint of menace.
The door in front of them slowly opened a crack,
revealing a pair of eyes filled with fear.
When the person saw Bulma, the eyes immediately became less wary.
The person let out a sigh of relief. "So it's a girl, not Oolong...
"You're not from this village, are you?"
Everyone in the same village knew one another.
So the moment the person saw Bulma, they knew she was an outsider.