Tarble's Plan

The moment Hoi finished speaking, Son Goku appeared right in front of him.

Without the slightest hesitation, he snatched the little silver box and examined it closely.

But he couldn't see anything special about it.

"Hey, old man, it won't matter if I break this box, right?"

Hoi looked hopeful. "It won't matter. If the box breaks, then the brave Tapion can be freed!

I'd be so grateful to you, there's no way I'd blame you!"

Hearing that, Son Goku immediately relaxed.

"That's good."

"If I had to pay for a replacement, I couldn't find a box this nice to give back to you."

"Hehe, then I'll see if I can open it!"

With that, he set about trying to force the silver box open.

He really wanted to know if the brave Tapion was sealed inside.

If he was called a hero, he had to be pretty strong, right?

Just then, Tarble called out, "Wait, Goku."

By now, he was completely certain that the old man before them was the Mage from the Hildegarn saga.

He couldn't remember the Mage's name, but the names "hero" and "Tapion" together did ring a bell.

This was the man who had given Trunks his sword—and the one who had sealed away half of the phantom demon Hildegarn. Naturally, Tarble remembered him.

Now that he'd confirmed the old man's identity, he couldn't let Son Goku and the others reveal their strength this early.

At the sound of his voice, Son Goku stopped and asked, puzzled, "Is something wrong, Tarble?"

Tarble pointed at the silver box in his hands. "Let me take a look at the box first."

"Tarble, can't I try first?" Son Goku wanted to give it a shot. "If I can't open it, I'll hand it over, okay?"

Tarble shook his head and repeated himself, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I said, let me take a look first."

Son Goku had never seen Tarble act or speak like this before. Though reluctant, he still tossed him the box.

Meanwhile, Vegeta watched Son Goku obediently hand over the box and felt a rush of satisfaction.

Once he had the box, Tarble showed no intention of opening it. Instead, he looked at Bulma and rubbed his stomach with his free hand.

"Big sis, we're starving. Could you get someone to prepare food for us soon?"

"Even if something earth-shattering is going on, it can wait until we've eaten!"

Son Goku immediately agreed.

"Ah!"

"I forgot all about that until Tarble mentioned it."

He cried out, rubbed his stomach, and looked pitifully at Bulma.

"Bulma, is there anything to eat?"

"I'm starving to death."

He acted as casually as if he were at home.

Seeing that neither of them seemed to be joking, Bulma stared at them in surprise. "What?"

"It's almost two in the afternoon, and you still haven't eaten?"

"My goodness, do you Saiyans forget everything else as soon as you start training?"

By the end, Bulma sounded exasperated and helpless.

"All right, I'll have someone prepare food for you right away. Honestly..."

"Ugh, I can't even be bothered to lecture you!"

Before leaving, she remembered to reassure Hoi. "Old man, once they've eaten and have some energy, they can try opening the box and rescuing the brave Tapion."

Hoi looked grateful. "Thank you, beautiful and kind Ms. Bulma."

His pink face quivered with excitement.

Bulma beamed at the compliment. "Old man, you can sit here for now. I'm going to help get food ready for my husband and the others."

"Vegeta, keep the old man company for me."

With that, she walked away in a wonderful mood.

The moment Bulma left, Hoi glanced inconspicuously at the silver box in Tarble's hands, but didn't ask for it back.

Instead, he looked worried, sighed, and sat down again.

Watching him, Tarble sneered inwardly.

Hmph!

The old geezer's quite the actor!

He gave Hoi a casual glance, then looked away and signaled to Vegeta and the others. "We've just finished training. We're all sweaty."

"Let's take a bath. By the time we're done, the food should be ready."

Vegeta and Licks both noticed the subtle look in his eyes. Confusion flickered across their faces, but neither said anything.

Simple-minded Son Goku, however, didn't understand hints. He kept his eyes fixed on the box in Tarble's hands.

"Hey, Tarble, if you're going to take a bath, can I try opening the box first?"

What an idiot!

Seeing that he hadn't caught the hint, Tarble cursed inwardly.

He was about to say something when Vegeta beat him to it. "Kakarot, if you're not going to take a bath, then get the hell back to your house and eat there!"

"Hmph!"

"You stink. You're ruining my appetite!"

After speaking, he turned around with a dark expression and headed into the house first.

Bulma's house was enormous. There was a bathroom on every floor, and more than one on each.

When Son Goku heard that he wouldn't be allowed to eat unless he bathed, he couldn't accept that!

He let out a loud cry and hurried after Vegeta. "Hey! Vegeta, wait for me!"

Vegeta really knew how to handle him!

Watching them disappear, Tarble couldn't help but think.

Then he turned to Mage Hoi, who was sitting on the sofa and pretending to be at ease, and flashed him a smile worthy of a top-class actor.

"Sir, we'll have to excuse ourselves for a bit."

"Oh, and here's your box back."

As he spoke, he tossed the box over without waiting for a reply. It landed squarely in front of Hoi.

Mage Hoi was startled by the move, but showed no sign of it. He replied politely, "Mr. Tarble, go ahead and take care of your business. I'll just sit here and have some tea."

Hah!

That old geezer's quite the actor!

Tarble silently sneered at him. Then, after telling a nearby servant to "take good care of him," he left with Licks.

Watching Tarble's retreating figure, Mage Hoi furrowed his brow without realizing it, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Once you've successfully rescued my precious treasure, that'll be the end of you all!

I'll let you live a little longer!

Elsewhere.

After following Vegeta through a maze of turns, Son Goku finally entered a room.

"Huh?"

"Vegeta, weren't we going to take a bath?"

Son Goku stepped into the room, saw how empty it was, and asked in confusion.

At that, Vegeta really wanted to punch him.

He'd never met anyone so dull!

And yet this idiot was an undisputed training genius!

At that moment, he couldn't help wondering if Son Goku had traded his brains for that incredible talent for training.

"Hmph!"

"If you want to know why, ask Tarble later."

Truth be told, he wanted to know what Tarble had discovered too, and why he was being so secretive about it.