Rewards

On the third day after their five straight victories at the Dueling Arena, Fortuneteller Baba's letter finally arrived.

The messenger left a folded note on the steps outside Kame House and departed. Written on it in thick strokes were the words: "The rewards are ready. All three of you, come together." After Lin Chen finished reading it, he handed it to Krillin, who passed it on to Goku after reading it. The three ate breakfast and headed along the coastline toward the Dueling Arena. The morning breeze was light, the sea calm, and the water near the shore so clear that they could see the sand and rocks beneath it.

By the time they arrived at the Dueling Arena, Fortuneteller Baba was already waiting for them. A low table had been added in front of her, with several differently sized objects on top, each covered by cloth of a different color. She glanced at the three of them. "You cleared all five matches, so by the rules, each of you gets one reward."

She first lifted the gray cloth on the left. Beneath it was an old book, its cover worn and its corners curled, exposing traces of thread binding. Fortuneteller Baba pushed the book forward. "Advanced Basic Fist Techniques. It's suitable for supplementing the fundamentals you already have."

Krillin gave it a look, reached out to take it, opened the cover and read two lines before closing it again. He tucked it into his clothes, then stood nearby flipping through two more pages before closing it once more. He said nothing else. Master Roshi did have a few similar books, but this one used older paper, as though it had been passed down from an even earlier era.

She then lifted the dark cloth in the middle. Under it lay a palm-sized black stone shard, smooth as though it had been polished. It barely reflected any light on the table. "This is for you." She looked at Lin Chen. "I can tell it suits you. Don't ask what it does. You'll naturally find out later."

Lin Chen took the stone shard. It felt warm and smooth in his hand, lighter than it looked, like a stone that had been held for a long time. A brief warmth passed through his fingertips, like the system's automatic identification response upon coming into contact with a new item.

[Ding! Obtained Unknown Item ×1. Current analysis progress: 0%.]

The system panel displayed only a progress bar, with no further explanation. He turned the stone shard over to inspect its back, but it was equally smooth, without any inscription or pattern.

Fortuneteller Baba finally lifted the third cloth. Underneath was a small basket woven from straw rope, filled with several round fruits. They were somewhat green in color, with fine patterns on their surfaces, like some kind of dried fruit. "They're sweet," she said to Goku. "For you to eat on the road."

Goku picked one up, put it in his mouth, and chewed. "Very sweet."

Fortuneteller Baba nodded, gathered the cloths on the low table to one side, and leaned back in her chair. "The rewards have been given. If there's anything new in the future, I'll have someone inform you." After saying that, she closed her eyes as though she intended to rest.

By the time the three left the Dueling Arena, the sun was higher than when they had arrived. Lin Chen slipped the black stone shard into his pocket, and could still feel its cool touch through the cloth. Goku carried the basket of dried fruit at the front, occasionally taking one out and tossing it into his mouth, chewing twice before taking out another. Krillin walked beside them with the book in his hands, reading as he walked. The dry rustle of turning pages sounded in his hands.

When they returned to Kame House, Master Roshi was squatting in the backyard, watering a patch of freshly turned soil. Water sprayed from the hose in a bright arc beneath the sunlight, making a steady sound as it fell onto the ground. "You got your rewards?"

Krillin placed the book on the stone table. "Got a martial arts book."

Lin Chen took the black stone shard from his pocket and placed it at the edge of the stone table, its palm-facing side toward the light from the window. Even under the noon sunlight, the shard barely reflected anything, as though it absorbed the light. Master Roshi turned off the tap, walked over, picked up the shard, and studied it for a while before setting it back down. "This stone isn't local. Keep it."

After lunch, Lin Chen placed the black stone shard on a shelf in the tool room, on the same level as the stone slab and scrolls. He stood there for a moment and touched the surface of the shard. It was slightly warmer than it had been that morning.

[Ding! Unknown Item analysis progress: 1%.]

Warmth flowed from his fingertips and spread along the edge of his palm. When it reached the tool room wall, there was no clear boundary, as though it continued forward along the wall for some distance. His gaze fell on the old map. Slightly left of its center was a small circle painted in dark pigment, as if it had been drawn long ago. He shifted the stone shard farther inward, then left the tool room.

The afternoon training proceeded as usual. After completing a set in the Gravity Room, he felt that his arms had become more agile following the previous sets of connected exercises. When he left the Gravity Room, Goku was sitting in the yard, taking the last dried fruit from the basket and biting into it. "Are we still going to train near the temple tomorrow morning?"

Lin Chen rolled his shoulders. "If Son Gohan is still there."

"He said he'd stay there for a while." Goku placed the fruit pit on the edge of the platform. "I still need to practice what he taught me a few more times before I can remember it all."

The evening wind blew in from the sea, stirring the edge of the dried scroll outside the tool room door. The paper lifted slightly in the airflow before falling again. The sky was shifting from blue to pale purple, while several seabirds flew over the sea, their wings dark silhouettes against the light. The distant horizon was deepening in color, joining with the dark stretch of sea like a fine curtain slowly drawing shut.