Turles stood up and dusted himself off.
He took steps, one after another, until he reached Frieza's side.
The Planet Namek landscape is crisscrossed by massive, bottomless rifts that have divided the planet into several pieces, with dark red magma slowly flowing deep within the fissures.
Frieza turned his head slightly to look at Turles, who had walked up to him, but said nothing.
He quickly turned his head back, his scarlet eyes calmly gazing at the apocalyptic scene he had helped create.
In the end, it was Turles who broke the silence first.
"Your Majesty has come here for the Dragon Ball, hasn't he?"
Upon hearing this, Frieza glanced at the chaotic ruins at his feet and let out a cold snort that was of unclear meaning.
"This place is now empty."
Before he arrived on Planet Namek, the Legion's fleet conducted a highly precise life scan of the entire planet.
The scan results showed that, apart from the battlefield area where the high-intensity energy reaction was concentrated—which was the ruins where they were now standing—the entire planet was completely devoid of any other life.
Not a single one.
At this point, Frieza shook his head, as if he had come to a realization.
"Hehehe..."
"If there really were such a magical bead that could grant any wish..."
"Then it seems that letting some insignificant fellows escape from the planet along with me shouldn't be a problem, right?"
The moment he finished speaking, Frieza turned his head.
An aura of cosmic emperor emanated from the air.
"Aren't you going to say something, my general?"
"That Namekian surviving over there, is he one of your subordinates?"
"You're not trying to say you know nothing about it, are you?"
Despite Frieza's relentless questioning, Turles showed no sign of panic.
He even shrugged indifferently.
His calm demeanor surprised even Frieza.
"I do know about the existence of the Dragon Ball."
Frieza narrowed his eyes slightly.
The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
He stared at Turles's composed face, and his tone finally carried a hint of dangerous probing and suppressed anger.
"So..."
Are you on guard against me?
This soul-searching question caused a rare, slightly embarrassed expression to appear on the usually composed Turles ' face.
He shook his head with a wry smile, not directly denying it.
I guess so.
Turles didn't give him a chance to retaliate and continued speaking.
"Your Majesty, you've seen for yourself what the consequences will be once news of this magical item that can grant any wish spreads."
"This kind of thing could easily cause a turmoil that would sweep across the entire universe."
At this point, Turles's eyes became serious and sharp.
He looked directly into Frieza's eyes without flinching.
What we need is stability! Development! A continuous stream of benefits!
"Any factor that could disrupt this stability must be eliminated in advance."
"But..."
Turles abruptly changed the subject, his voice falling into a somber tone.
"The former 'King'..."
He paused deliberately, giving Frieza enough time to react.
"It really makes me feel very dangerous..."
"Is it dangerous...?"
Frieza's eyes narrowed again, as if he were carefully savoring the deeper meaning contained in those two words.
The Planet Namek winds blew, stirring up dust, but they couldn't dispel the subtle atmosphere between the two.
He slightly raised his chin, his tone carrying an undeniable arrogance.
"So what now?"
This question is like an invisible blade, aimed directly at Turles.
Turles ' smile relaxed at that moment.
He calmly spread his hands and replied, "Now, Your Majesty is a renowned guardian of cosmic peace. No matter how you look at it, you can't compare at all!"
Frieza raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
He could certainly tell that there was a deceptive element to those words, but undeniably, the flattery made him feel very comfortable.
He just loves to hear compliments.
The prestigious title of "Guardian of Cosmic Peace" was also bestowed by Turles, and over the past two years, it has brought the Legion substantial and tangible benefits and prestige.
Seeing that Frieza's tense posture had eased slightly, Turles took the opportunity to throw out the bait.
"If Your Majesty has any wishes to fulfill now," he said sincerely, "Perhaps next time I could ask the Namekian to lend me the Dragon Ball, what do you say?"
"Next time?"
Frieza immediately seized on this key word and asked in return with a puzzled look.
"Yes."
Turles looked around at the devastated ruins and explained matter-of-factly, " Planet Namek in this state now... of course they're busy rebuilding their homes..."
He paused, then added.
"Furthermore, the Dragon Ball need time to replenish their energy after use."
Frieza nodded thoughtfully, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
He remained silent for a moment, as if weighing something.
In the end, he lowered his guard a bit and decided to get straight to the point.
"Then I'll just say it directly."
Frieza's voice lowered slightly, "This Dragon Ball... I am indeed quite interested in it."
I want to confirm a few things.
His scarlet eyes stared straight at Turles.
"Can this Dragon Ball really grant any wish? Like... immortality... or even resurrection..."
Seeing Frieza's gaze, Turles thought carefully for a moment before explaining.
"That's right, the Dragon Ball aren't a cure-all."
"It cannot fulfill desires beyond the capabilities of its creator."
Turles organized his thoughts, "So-called immortality can still be killed by even more powerful enemies!"
As for resurrection...
"While deaths excluding those caused by natural causes can be resurrected, in reality..."
Turles paused deliberately, observing Frieza's reaction.
"In comparison, kind people are more likely to be resurrected."
"Oh?" Frieza made a nasal sound that was hard to understand, signaling him to continue.
"Because..."
"After death, evil people are sentenced to a punishment for their souls. Once their souls are completely purified and cleansed, they lose their original consciousness and can no longer be resurrected."
After Turles embellished the story, using a mix of truth and deception, he...
Frieza's tail instinctively stopped wagging!
If I die... I won't even have the right to be resurrected?!
After a moment of distraction, he forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart.
He snorted coldly, turned his head away as if he didn't care, and used his signature arrogant tone to cover up his loss of composure.
"Hehehe, these boring restrictions..."
"This great king has no need for resurrection."
With his back to Turles, Frieza slowly raised his head and looked up at the dim sky of Planet Namek.
"As long as I'm alive, that's enough."