Chapter 29: Do Not Joke
"How so? Of course, since he's already agreed to help you find the Dragon Balls to make a wish, whatever wish that may be is already determined, and who could stop it?"
"He can't, and even less can I, a weak woman."
Bulma rolled her eyes and then quickly changed the subject: "But I'm not worried about you making that kind of wish right now because if you really wanted to, you would just say it outright, and no one on Earth could stop you."
At that, Lin Chuan couldn't help but regard her with newfound respect.
Bulma was truly clever.
And she was right.
Whatever wish he wanted to make, no one could influence it from the start.
Unless, of course, the Dragon Balls themselves were destroyed.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Bulma, are you that certain? I feel like he's really thinking about it," Krillin interjected worriedly, his concern getting the better of him.
His comment elicited a resigned sigh from Bulma, clearly frustrated by Krillin's denseness.
In Bulma's eyes, Krillin was usually quite smart, so how could he not understand what she had made so clear? Their power was evident; why fuss over these things now?
"Bulma's right and I trust this Saiyan, Lin Chuan, won't make any outrageous wishes. So Krillin, you don't need to worry. Moreover, Goku has gone to train with King Kai, and you are now the face of Earth, so try not to be so petty," Master Roshi spoke up, signaling Krillin to be more magnanimous.
Master Roshi was concerned. He knew his disciple's straightforwardness could sometimes provoke others.
After all, Lin Chuan was a Saiyan who had not been on Earth for long and was incredibly powerful.
Although he seemed good-natured, only time could truly reveal his character.
Master Roshi understood Bulma's implicit message—that given Lin Chuan's strength, they could only rely on him, not oppose him.
At least not for now.
...
"Kami!"
Suddenly, just as Lin Chuan was about to praise Bulma, Popo called out.
The next second, everyone turned their attention.
Kami had reappeared where he had vanished before, the only difference being he was now sweating profusely and breathing heavily.
Clearly, the toll of shuttling between the realms of Yin and Yang was immense.
This was probably why Kami had mentioned he could only take two people with him.
Naturally, the King of the Underworld might look the other way once but certainly wouldn't allow the same thing to happen twice.
So, there were only two slots available that were settled.
"Kami, you're back. Have Goku and his brother Raditz arrived at King Kai's place?" Master Roshi stepped forward to ask, concerned about his disciple's situation, as it involved whether Goku could inherit King Kai's teachings.
"Don't worry! I've sent them to the Underworld, but whether they can meet King Kai depends on their passing a test! They must successfully navigate through the Serpent Road in the Underworld to reach King Kai's planet for training," Kami replied, finally catching his breath.
"I see, to meet a higher deity, one indeed has to pass a test... But I believe with Goku's talents and his brother's strength, passing the test shouldn't be a problem," Master Roshi said thoughtfully.
Kami nodded, then turned his gaze to Krillin and Yamcha.
"Now that Goku and Raditz have gone to undergo their trials..."
"It's your turn."
Hearing Kami's words, Krillin's expression grew serious, while Yamcha seemed somewhat reluctant to proceed.
"Please enlighten us, Kami," Krillin asked respectfully.
In his heart, Kami was still the supreme authority.
Kami nodded in satisfaction, thought for a moment, and then said, "Teaching you is inevitable, but as mentioned before, we need to find Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha first."
"Popo already has a general idea of where they might be, but we need to pinpoint their exact locations. After all, they've also been active around the world."
"I hope you can accompany Popo and explain the situation to them. Finally, bring them here to me."
"Though my guidance may not compare to King Kai's, it's still better than your aimless training."
With that, Kami paused.
"Okay, I'll go with Mr. Popo to find Tien and the others. Having them with me will give me more motivation," Krillin said, raising his wrist in a gesture of readiness.
To Lin Chuan, this scene was purely naive.
It's just the beginning of the cosmic era; everyone is transforming, and the desire to become stronger is particularly intense.
Krillin is like this now; in the future, it would be hard to see the same.
Suddenly
, an idea struck Lin Chuan, recalling that in the original story, they were able to quickly locate Tien and the others using Raditz's power detector, so he casually mentioned, "Although I don't know who you're looking for, they must be some of the more prominent fighters on Earth, right?"
"Seeing your faces, you don't know their exact locations, and it's not easy to find them quickly... I can help with that.
As he spoke, Lin Chuan's lips tightened.
The others were startled by Lin Chuan's offer.
They didn't know what he meant or what he planned to do.
Bulma, unafraid and without any guard up, proactively said, "I didn't expect you to be so kind-hearted."
"Don't get me wrong, I just hope you can finish your arrangements quickly. After all, I still need you to help me find the Dragon Balls."
"And, it's not a big deal, nor do I need to assist. I just need to retrieve a power detector from my spaceship."
"As long as the combat power meets the standard, within the range of Earth, it can easily mark the exact locations of those with strong combat capabilities."
Lin Chuan didn't take up Bulma's praise for being kind-hearted and spoke methodically.
Kind-hearted? Please, he just wants to finish up here quickly.
Moreover, he hopes to use alien technology to have Bulma help him manufacture the spaceship and gravity chamber he needs.
"A power detector? You mean the thing Raditz was wearing on his face?" Krillin suddenly remembered how his power level had been announced earlier, as well as Raditz's efficient actions on Earth, all enabled by the power detector.
This device could not only measure combat power levels, showing how strong a person is, but also lock onto targets and direct them to their location.
If they had this device, it would be much more convenient.
"So that's it. I'm really curious how your alien technology managed to achieve this," Bulma said in disbelief, eager to see the power detector.
And the spaceship.
Sure enough, as a genius scientist, her mind is truly world-class!
With just a little guidance, she could create anything.
Even a time machine in the future.