At present, the Grand Elder could still fly.
But twenty-five years from now, as his life neared its end, he would become so frail that he couldn't even move from his chair.
Nail had accompanied the Grand Elder on this visit, and from the elder's own words, he had learned that all the negative energy on Namek had been completely eradicated.
Naturally, Nail was eager to know just what kind of person could have eliminated all of Namek's negative energy, saved the planet, and even healed every Namekian who had been seriously ill.
The two hovered high in the sky, gazing down from above.
"They're Saiyans?" Nail blinked and whispered to the Grand Elder.
"They're both just children," the Grand Elder replied kindly with a gentle smile. "Let's go down. It's impolite to keep guests waiting up here."
"Yes, Grand Elder," Nail answered respectfully.
The two slowly descended and landed in front of Ken and the others.
"Grand Elder!"
Moori and the other two Namekian elders immediately bowed.
"Rise," the Grand Elder said with a smile. Then he looked directly at Ken and asked warmly, "You must be Ken, yes? First, let me thank you for saving Namek and all Namekians."
"It was nothing, just a small gesture," Ken replied with a casual wave of his hand.
Vegeta: "???"
Vegeta's face was full of question marks.
What the hell was going on?
While I was unconscious… Ken saved this entire planet?
Did someone try to invade Namek?
Was it Frieza's men?
"Is that a Dragon Ball?" the Grand Elder quickly noticed the ball beside Ken and immediately caught on. "You two came here for the Dragon Balls, didn't you?"
"Yeah, that's right," Ken nodded.
"Tch, who are you calling a kid?" Vegeta huffed angrily.
"You are a benefactor of the Namekian people. We will offer up the Dragon Balls to you unconditionally and assist you in fulfilling your wish," the Grand Elder said sincerely to Ken.
After all, the Grand Elder could clearly sense that Ken didn't have the slightest trace of evil in his aura.
Of course he didn't—Ken was infused with Divine ki.
It was the aura of a god.
And in recent years, Ken had polished his mental state to near perfection.
However, when the Grand Elder looked toward Vegeta, his brow furrowed.
This one was full of evil. He didn't seem too friendly.
"Well, in that case, I won't stand on ceremony," Ken replied without hesitation.
The Grand Elder didn't mind. After all, wishes required speaking in the Namekian language. If someone made a truly unreasonable wish, they simply wouldn't help them fulfill it.
"As a token of our gratitude for traveling so far and saving our planet, please accept the finest water Namek has to offer," the Grand Elder said with a smile.
As he spoke, he raised his hand, and a bottle appeared, which he then handed to Ken.
Ken: "…"
Ken accepted the bottle, opened it, and took a sip.
Not bad. Refreshing and sweet.
Kind of tasted like bottled spring water from his previous life.
"Thanks," Ken said, then added a deadpan review: "Mountain spring, farmer's wife… has a hint of sweetness."
Grand Elder: "???"
What's that supposed to mean?
"This is Namek's best water?" Vegeta couldn't help chiming in. "We don't drink water! Got anything to eat?"
"My apologies, young one. We Namekians only drink water; we don't eat," the Grand Elder explained.
Vegeta was speechless.
The atmosphere went quiet for a moment.
"Hmph. Whose battle power was off the charts just now? That guy beside you?" Vegeta asked warily, eyeing Nail.
Nail looked at him calmly and didn't respond.
"No way. There's no way a Namekian's power level could surpass ours as Saiyans," Vegeta grumbled, clearly annoyed.
"Nail is the only warrior-type Namekian on our planet. I have to admit, he's very strong," the Grand Elder said with a chuckle.
Vegeta stayed silent.
That one really stung.
The proud warrior race of Saiyans… and he was being outclassed by a Namekian?
Utter humiliation.
"Well then, I'll have the elders bring over the remaining Dragon Balls now," the Grand Elder said with a smile. But then he suddenly patted his forehead and sighed. "Ah… I forgot to bring mine with me."
"Grand Elder, I'll go retrieve it," Nail said with a respectful bow.
"I'll leave it to you," the Grand Elder nodded.
But Nail wasn't entirely at ease.
After all, the evil aura on Vegeta was hard to ignore.
Nail felt uneasy leaving the Grand Elder alone here.
"Young one, would you come with me to retrieve the Dragon Ball?" Nail asked, turning to Vegeta.
"Hmph, why should I go with you?" Vegeta growled.
"Vegeta, my prince, what did I say earlier? Don't you want your wish granted?" Ken scolded, clearly annoyed.
Vegeta thought it over seriously, then finally nodded in agreement.
"Then follow me," Nail said, soaring into the sky.
Vegeta also shot into the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two of them turned into streaks of light and vanished into the distance, flying toward the Grand Elder's home.
Nail, having sensed Vegeta's evil intent from the start, began deliberately increasing his speed.
Vegeta gritted his teeth and pushed his power to the max, trying to catch up.
But the distance between them kept growing.
Before long, Vegeta realized with frustration that Nail had completely vanished from sight.
"Damn it!" Vegeta fumed.
After a brief moment of hesitation…
He raised his right hand solemnly.
Pop!
A glowing orb of light formed in his palm.
Huff… huff…
Vegeta panted heavily.
Clearly, creating this orb had drained a significant amount of his energy.
"Namekian… you think you can ditch me, the prince of Saiyans? Today I'll show you what a true Saiyan looks like!" Vegeta sneered and hurled the glowing orb into the sky.
Then he clenched his fists tightly.
"Shine, my moon!" Vegeta shouted, his young face brimming with anticipation.
(End of Chapter)