Ron's questions left everyone stunned.
Upgrading Shenron was something no one had ever thought of.
Although it sounded far-fetched and impractical, it didn't seem entirely impossible...
After all, the Dragon Balls and Shenron had both been created by someone. Wouldn't it be up to their creator?
Wasn't Earth's Shenron capable of what he was because the Guardian of Earth had designed him that way?
Then there was the matter of granting only two wishes instead of three, which would reduce the cooldown.
By that logic, wouldn't that save a third of the cooldown time?
It didn't seem unreasonable. That was how it should work.
Finally, there was the question of time.
That was the most unexpected part.
Was a year on Earth equivalent to a year on Namek?
"Ron, how does your brain work? How come I never thought of any of this?" Son Goku was the first to speak, visibly astonished.
Bulma rolled her eyes at him. "What do you mean, 'how does your brain work'? He's smart. He can think of things ordinary people wouldn't. You think everyone's as simple-minded as you, always taking things for granted?"
Bulma's words clearly carried a hint of protectiveness as she scolded Son Goku for being rude.
It wasn't necessary, but it certainly showed how much she cared about Ron.
What Bulma meant was that Son Goku spoke without thinking. Even when complimenting someone, there were better ways to put it.
At that moment, she looked at Ron as if he were a treasure.
She even made Ron feel a little embarrassed.
Honestly, when a woman took the initiative, she really took the initiative.
No wonder people said that pursuing a woman was like climbing a mountain, while pursuing a man was like slipping through a veil.
If Bulma had started touching him outright, Ron really wouldn't have been able to turn her down.
"Dende, you're a Namekian. You didn't create the Dragon Balls, but you should still be able to answer my questions, right?" Ron looked at Dende and asked him directly.
Everyone focused their attention on Dende, hoping he could give them some answers.
If it was possible, that would be ideal.
Dende didn't feel the slightest bit of resentment toward Ron.
For one thing, they had already been introduced and gotten to know each other. Dende knew that Ron had appeared, defeated Frieza, and saved Namek.
That was also why the Namekians had been brought back to life by Earth's Shenron, allowing things to reach this point.
Dende was filled with gratitude toward Ron.
Dende nodded and was about to speak when Porunga, the dragon hovering above them, spoke first.
Ron's questions had caught him off guard.
To be honest, they had struck a nerve. He couldn't keep his thoughts to himself.
"First of all, if my creator could upgrade me to a certain extent, I really could revive more people at once. If you can get my creator to modify me, I'd strongly recommend that you make your next wishes together.
"After all, if you make only two wishes and leave one unused, the Dragon Balls will only need two-thirds of their usual cooldown before they can be used again...
"Besides, you won't have to wait very long. It really makes me sigh with envy. Earth's Shenron is so fortunate. He gets to rest for so long between summonings.
"If we calculate a year on Earth as 365 days, then a year on Namek is 130 days...
"So you'll only need to wait about 90 days before you can summon me again."
Porunga's words made his envy plain to hear.
The others didn't understand, but Ron did.
For a dragon, being summoned meant getting put to work granting wishes. If he had to be summoned every year, that meant going on duty every 130 days.
Earth's Shenron, on the other hand, could rest for 365 days.
365 days! What did that mean?
Shenron got three times as much vacation, and only had to grant one wish.
And him?
He got only 130 days, and had to grant three wishes in one go...
Good grief.
Porunga wanted to spell it out more plainly, but he had his pride. All he could do was sigh to himself.
Everyone except Ron and Dende, who knew the truth, was stunned by what Porunga had said.
The most important part was undoubtedly the time.
"That's unbelievable! A year on Namek is only 130 days!" Krillin exclaimed, his voice trembling with excitement.
"So all we have to do is wait 90 days, and then we can make another wish!" Son Gohan shouted excitedly.
"As expected of the most authentic, genuine dragon. He's in a league of his own compared to that old geezer's creation," Piccolo couldn't help praising him.
"In that case, we don't need to use the third wish. Once the Grand Elder upgrades you, we can wait 90 days and then use a single wish to revive Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu." With the weight lifted from his heart, Son Goku breathed a sigh of relief.
Besides, they hadn't planned to leave Namek right away.
Since they were already there, he wanted to experience an alien world properly and see if he could get stronger by training on Namek.
Everyone was caught up in the excitement.
Bulma especially was thinking that if they only needed one wish to revive Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu in the future, did that mean she could make two wishes of her own?
Just as Porunga was about to confirm that they would make no more wishes and that he could leave, Bulma suddenly remembered something. Her expression changed, and she said, "Wait! Are we all overlooking something important? Have any of you considered that the Grand Elder is already on the verge of death? If he dies, the Dragon Balls will stop working, and..."
Her words immediately made the atmosphere tense and somber again.
"I almost forgot about that. In that case, we have to revive someone now," Son Goku said with a troubled look, scratching his head.
Krillin chimed in at once. "And it has to be Chiaotzu. Don't forget, Chiaotzu has already died once. He was revived by Earth's Shenron, so now only Porunga, Namek's dragon, can bring him back. As for Yamcha and Tien Shinhan, we can revive them by summoning Earth's Shenron a year from now."
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice from North King Kai's Planet came through.
It was clear that he agreed with this plan.
"Then that's the only way. Dende, I'll leave the wish to you," Son Goku said, looking at Dende once they had decided.
"Okay. Then I wish for Chiaotzu, who was killed by the Saiyans on Earth, to be revived." Dende nodded.
Just as he was about to make the wish, Dende suddenly froze. A sorrowful, troubled look first appeared on his face, then changed to one of joy.
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