It wasn't that Moori had completely believed Raditz.
Keeping him occupied while someone went to inform the Grand Elder—that was the real purpose.
By then, the Grand Elder could tell with a single test whether this was truly a request from an old friend far away or a deceitful stranger with bad intentions.
"Your hospitality is my pleasure."
Raditz casually found a spot and sat cross-legged. His expression remained calm, but his thoughts had already wandered elsewhere.
The system's sign-in task had arrived!
A floating blue interface appeared in his mind.
[Current Planet: Namek]
[Sign-in Tasks: 2. Choose and complete one to receive the corresponding reward.]
[Evaluation: A lush green planet. Its inhabitants must have long lifespans, right?]
Raditz's mouth twitched.
The system's evaluations were getting more and more bizarre.
If he remembered correctly, in a few years, Namek would be destroyed at Frieza's hands, right?
It didn't have many years left.
He opened the task list.
[Task One: The Beginning of the Dragon Balls]
[Objective: Collect the seven Dragon Balls located on Namek.]
[Hint: The Namekians imitated the fragments of the wishing stars to create Porunga, the "God of Dreams" who could grant wishes.]
[Reward: Seed of Miracles]
[Difficulty: B]
[Task Two: Planet Destroyer]
[Objective: Destroy Namek.]
[Hint: Force can overcome any technique!]
[Reward: Seed of Embers]
[Difficulty: B]
Raditz's gaze moved back and forth between the two tasks several times, and his brow furrowed slightly.
He'd seen both of these tasks before.
One had been on Earth, the other on Planet Kabacha.
Even the rewards were unchanged.
Honestly, judging by the rewards alone, he was more inclined toward the second task.
Seed of Miracles sounded impressive, but its ability was most likely related to the Dragon Balls.
Could it let him create Dragon Balls?
But he couldn't use Dragon Balls he'd created himself to make wishes.
So what would he make them for? To help people's dreams come true?
Hmm... now that he thought about it, that did sound pretty exciting.
As for the Seed of Embers, judging by the Seed of Life he'd obtained before, it was probably an ability related to increasing damage.
After "careful consideration," Raditz ultimately decided to choose the first task.
Choosing the second would be game-breaking!
Besides, he wasn't some ruthless old demon who slaughtered innocents.
Even if it was useless, so be it.
After making his choice, Raditz felt refreshed. He got up and wandered around the village, which had no place to hide.
His gaze casually swept over one of the stone houses.
The Dragon Radar showed a Dragon Ball signal inside.
He didn't take another look. He'd wait until he met the Grand Elder.
By now, he'd sensed a powerful presence rapidly approaching. It was already close.
"About the same as Turles, around twenty thousand."
It was probably Nail, the combat-type Namekian who stayed by the Grand Elder's side.
His battle power was 42,000, though he might not have reached that level yet at this point in time.
Raditz had a strong impression of him, not because of anything special about Nail himself, but because Frieza's famous line, "My battle power is 530,000," had been spoken to him.
A moment later, a green figure raced over from the horizon and landed steadily nearby.
Nail looked past Moori and examined Raditz from head to toe.
"Sir," he said, neither servile nor overbearing. "Please come with me. The Grand Elder wishes to see you."
Raditz nodded. Without waiting for Nail to lead the way, he sprang into the air and flew straight off in one direction.
Nail froze, then hurriedly took off after him.
Then he realized something was wrong.
He flew as fast as he could, but Raditz was getting farther and farther ahead, soon shrinking into a speck on the horizon.
"Damn it!"
Nail gritted his teeth, squeezing every last bit of strength from his body as he desperately tried to speed up.
How could this strange fellow find the Grand Elder's location?
And how was he so fast? Was he some kind of speed-focused alien?
Meanwhile, Raditz had already left Nail far behind.
According to the Dragon Radar, the Dragon Ball in this direction was clearly separate from the others and much farther away. There was also a distinctive energy signature nearby.
The Grand Elder's home was probably there.
Before long, Raditz spotted a stone house perched atop a rocky cliff.
He landed and went inside.
A huge, portly Namekian appeared before him.
"Hello," Raditz greeted him.
The Grand Elder slowly raised his head. His cloudy eyes settled on the man before him, and a kindly smile appeared on his face.
"Welcome, traveler from afar. You're from Earth, aren't you? First, I'd like to thank you for bringing news of my people."
Even before Raditz arrived, the Grand Elder had learned the gist of things from Moori through telepathy.
"It's truly astonishing," the Grand Elder said with a hint of emotion. "Katas's child actually made it safely to Earth."
"That child really is a genius, able to create Dragon Balls at such a young age."
"Is he well?"
Raditz understood. Good—he wouldn't have to explain everything himself.
"Though Kami's body has run into some trouble, he's doing well overall. I came this time to—"
"Sorry, guest from Earth. Please come over here."
The Grand Elder beckoned him, interrupting Raditz.
Raditz: "..."
He knew the Namekian Grand Elder could read memories.
He'd always been uncomfortable with abilities like that.
Was that polite? He'd like to know.
Still, out of trust in the system, he walked over.
The Grand Elder covered his head with his enormous palm. It grew slightly warm.
"Hmm?"
The Grand Elder looked puzzled.
His ability, which usually worked every time without fail, seemed to have failed?
In his senses, the man's memories were surrounded by a thick fog, impossible to see through.
"This..." The Grand Elder withdrew his hand, somewhat embarrassed.
Raditz gave him a knowing look.
No need to be embarrassed. You weren't the first. The Cat Hermit would have something to say about that.
"Grand Elder, might I borrow the Dragon Balls here?" he asked, stating his purpose.
The Grand Elder fell silent for a moment, then said, "The Dragon Balls are a symbol of the Namekians' wisdom and strength. They are our hope."
"What wish do you intend to make with them?"
What wish? Honestly, he hadn't decided.
He'd been too focused on completing the task.
"To become stronger," he replied.
"I can sense that you're already very strong—much stronger than Nail. And..." The Grand Elder paused. "I also sensed a tremendous power lying dormant within you."
"I'm still not strong enough," Raditz said.
"In the future, I may have to face enemies ten or a hundred times stronger than me. They all want to destroy my home, so I have to become stronger!"
"Protecting your home..." The Grand Elder's gaze softened. "I'm glad your intentions are pure."
After the disasters that had befallen Namek in the past, his people had always wanted to rebuild their home rather than leave it.
"Your home must be beautiful."
"Yeah. It's a blue planet. Though there are differences among its inhabitants, it embraces them all."
It was the first time he'd been away from Earth for so long, and Raditz found himself missing it.
"All right, you've passed my test. I can give you the Dragon Ball on my head."
The Grand Elder removed the Dragon Ball and handed it to Raditz. "Your eyes don't lie. I trust that you won't use the Dragon Balls' power to do evil."
"Thank you very much."
"But you'll have to go to my six children for the other six Dragon Balls. Of course, they'll test you as well," the Grand Elder continued.
Raditz nodded readily. "Whatever the test is, I'm willing to try."
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside.
Nail arrived late and strode into the stone house. He looked at the Grand Elder, making sure he was unharmed, then breathed a sigh of relief.
"Grand Elder!"
"Nail. Thanks for your efforts."
Nail looked ashamed. "Grand Elder, I..."
He stopped halfway through his sentence, his gaze falling on Raditz.
The huge Dragon Ball in Raditz's hand gleamed brightly.
"How do you have a Dragon Ball?! What did you do?!"
This detestable fellow! Had he taken it while Nail was away...?
Raditz: I picked it up.
"All right, Nail." The Grand Elder raised a hand to stop Nail from questioning him further. "Our friend here has passed my test. He has the right to use the Dragon Balls."
Nail: "..."
"Nail, thanks for your efforts. Please make another trip and show our friend around the villages of my six children."
"Yes."
Though Nail still didn't believe it, he had no choice but to accept that this detestable fellow had truly earned the Grand Elder's approval.
He frowned and walked straight out of the stone house.
"Then, thank you," Raditz said, preparing to leave as well.
"By the way," the Grand Elder called from behind him, "if you manage to collect all seven Dragon Balls, come back here first. I'll give you a gift."
Raditz abruptly turned around.
A gift? Could it be...?