The Grand Elder

It was not that Moori completely believed Raditz's words.

Stalling him while sending someone to report to the Grand Elder was the true objective.

When the time came, whether the other party was truly a guest from afar or a villain with malicious intent, the Grand Elder would know with a single test.

"I shall follow the host's lead."

Raditz found a spot at random and sat down cross-legged, his face composed while his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

The system's check-in mission had arrived!

A floating blue interface popped up in his mind.

[Current Planet: Namek]

[Check-in Missions: 2. Please select and complete one to obtain the corresponding reward.]

[Evaluation: A green planet, its lifespan must be quite long, right?]

Raditz's mouth twitched.

The system's evaluations were becoming increasingly abstract.

If he remembered correctly, in a few years, Namek would be destroyed at the hands of Frieza, right?

There wasn't much of a future to look forward to.

He opened the mission tab.

[Mission 1: Origin of the Dragon Balls]

[Objective: Collect the seven Dragon Balls located on Namek.]

[Hint: The Namekians used fragments of the Wishing Star to imitate the "God of Dreams"—Porunga—who can grant wishes.]

[Reward: Seed of Miracles]

[Difficulty: B]

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[Mission 2: Planet Destroyer]

[Objective: Destroy Namek.]

[Hint: Brute force overcomes all techniques!]

[Reward: Seed of Embers]

[Difficulty: B]

Raditz's gaze swept back and forth between the two missions, his brow furrowing slightly.

He had seen both of these missions before.

One on Earth, and one on Planet Kabacha.

Even the rewards hadn't changed.

To be honest, looking at the rewards alone, he leaned more toward the latter.

The Seed of Miracles sounded intimidating, but this ability was highly likely related to the Dragon Balls.

Could it be the ability to create Dragon Balls?

But he couldn't use Dragon Balls he created himself to grant his own wishes.

Then what was the point of making them? To be a dream-maker for others?

Hmm... come to think of it, that actually sounded kind of cool.

As for the Seed of Embers, comparing it to the Seed of Life he had obtained previously, it was highly likely an ability related to increasing damage.

After "careful consideration," Raditz ultimately decided to choose the first mission.

If he actually chose the second one, everything would fall apart!

Besides, he wasn't some heartless demon who slaughtered the innocent.

If it was useless, so be it.

After making his choice, Raditz felt refreshed and stood up to stroll around the village, which was visible at a single glance.

His gaze swept inadvertently over a certain stone house.

The Dragon Ball signal on his radar was right there.

He didn't look for long; he would wait until he met the Grand Elder to handle everything.

At this moment, he had already detected a powerful aura rapidly approaching from that direction, and it was no longer far away.

"About twenty thousand, similar to Turles."

It should be the combat-type Namekian named Nail who stayed by the Grand Elder's side.

With a combat power of forty-two thousand, at this point in time, he might not have reached that level yet.

Raditz had a deep impression of him, not because of the man himself, but because of Frieza's line, "My combat power is 530,000," which was said directly to him.

A moment later, a green blur streaked across the horizon and landed steadily to the side.

Nail's gaze swept past Moori and fixed directly on Raditz, looking him up and down.

"Sir," he said, his tone neither servile nor overbearing, "please come with me. The Grand Elder wishes to see you."

Raditz nodded. Without waiting for the other to lead the way, he launched himself into the air and flew straight in a specific direction.

Nail was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly took to the sky to follow.

That was when he realized something was wrong.

He pushed himself to his maximum flight speed, yet the Raditz ahead only grew more distant, quickly shrinking into a mere speck on the horizon.

"Damn it!"

Nail gritted his teeth, squeezing out every ounce of power within him as he desperately accelerated.

Why could this strange fellow find the Grand Elder's location?

And how was he so fast? Was he a speed-type alien?

On the other side, Raditz had already left Nail far behind, out of sight.

According to the radar, the Dragon Ball in this direction was clearly separated from the others; it was further away and possessed a distinct aura.

The Grand Elder's residence must be there.

Soon, Raditz spotted a stone house perched atop a rocky cliff.

He descended and walked inside.

A bloated, massive Namekian appeared before his eyes.

"Hello," Raditz greeted.

The Grand Elder slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes fixed on the man before him, a kind smile appearing on his face.

"Welcome, guest from afar. You are an Earthling, aren't you? First, I must thank you for bringing news of my people."

Long before Raditz arrived, the Grand Elder had already learned the gist of the situation from Moori through telepathy.

"It is truly astonishing," the Grand Elder said with a hint of emotion. "Katas's child actually reached Earth safely."

"That child was indeed a genius capable of creating Dragon Balls."

"Is he doing well?"

Raditz realized what was happening.

That was fine; it saved him the trouble of explaining.

"Although Kami is having some physical issues, he is generally alright. I came this time to..."

"I apologize, guest from Earth, please come over here."

The Grand Elder beckoned, cutting Raditz off.

Raditz: "..."

He knew that the Namekian Grand Elder possessed the ability to view memories.

He had always been resistant to such abilities.

Is that polite? I'm just asking.

However, out of trust in the system, he walked over anyway.

His head was covered by the Grand Elder's massive palm, and he felt a slight warmth.

"Hmm?"

The Grand Elder's face showed confusion.

His ability, which was always effective and infallible, seemed to have failed?

In his perception, this person's memories were surrounded by a thick fog, impossible to see through.

"This..." The Grand Elder retracted his hand, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Raditz wore a knowing expression.

Don't be embarrassed; you aren't the first. Cat Hermit has something to say about that.

"Grand Elder, I wonder if I might borrow the Dragon Balls here?" he stated his purpose.

The Grand Elder was silent for a moment before saying, "The Dragon Balls are the symbol of Namekian wisdom and power; they are our hope."

"I do not know what wish you intend to make with the Dragon Balls?"

What wish? To be honest, he hadn't thought about it.

He had been too focused on completing the mission.

"To become stronger," he replied.

"I can feel that you are already very strong. Stronger than Nail by quite a bit, and furthermore..." The Grand Elder paused, "I just sensed that there is a massive power hidden within your body."

"It is 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 must become stronger!"

"Protecting your home..." The Grand Elder's eyes were gentle. "I am glad your purpose is pure."

Their Namekian past had been struck by catastrophe, and they Namekians had always held onto the idea of rebuilding their home rather than abandoning it.

"Your home must be very beautiful, right?"

"Yes, it is a blue planet. Although there are differences upon it, it embraces everything."

Having left Earth for so long for the first time, Raditz actually felt a bit homesick.

"Very well, you have passed my test. You may have this Dragon Ball from atop my head."

The Grand Elder reached up, removed the Dragon Ball, and handed it to Raditz. "Your eyes cannot deceive; I trust that you will not use the power of the Dragon Balls for evil."

"Thank you very much."

"However, there are six more Dragon Balls you must obtain from my six children. Naturally, they will have their own tests as well," the Grand Elder continued.

Raditz nodded readily. "Whatever the test may be, I am willing to try."

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the house.

Nail arrived late, striding into the stone house. His gaze fell upon the Grand Elder, and only after confirming he was unharmed did he let out a sigh of relief.

"Grand Elder!"

"Nail. You've worked hard."

Nail looked somewhat ashamed. "Grand Elder, I..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his gaze catching sight of Raditz standing to the side.

The massive Dragon Ball in his hand was gleaming brightly.

"How do you have a Dragon Ball?! What did you do?!"

This detestable guy! Could he have taken advantage of his absence...

Raditz: I found it.

"That is enough, Nail." The Grand Elder raised a hand to stop Nail from questioning further. "This friend has already passed my test; he is qualified to use the Dragon Balls."

Nail: "..."

"Nail, I must trouble you to make another trip. Take this friend and guide him through the villages of the six elders."

"Yes."

No matter how much Nail doubted it, he had to accept that this detestable guy had truly gained the Grand Elder's approval.

He frowned and walked straight out of the stone house.

"Then I thank you." Raditz prepared to leave as well.

"Oh, right," the Grand Elder's voice came from behind him. "If you manage to collect all seven Dragon Balls in the end, you may come to me first. I will give you a gift."

Raditz turned his head abruptly.

A gift? Could it be...