…
Elsewhere.
Gran and Bulma were flying through the skies.
"Gran, what were you doing in Universe 6 earlier?" Bulma asked curiously.
"Uh..." Gran scratched his cheek. "I suppose there's no reason to keep it secret. Lord Beerus appointed me as the Candidate God of Destruction for Universe 6."
"What?!"
Bulma instantly became excited.
"Doesn't that mean you're now the Candidate God of Destruction for both Universe 6 and Universe 7?!"
"That's right."
"Oh my God! Gran, you're incredible!"
"Hahaha, it's not that impressive."
Gran thoroughly enjoyed the girl's enthusiastic flattery.
The two continued flying forward.
Then Bulma asked again,
"Gran, why are we going back to the Grand Elder's place?"
"It's nothing major. I just used the Grand Elder's Dragon Balls to help solve their crisis, and I feel a little guilty about it."
In the original timeline, Planet Namek would have exploded in the end.
But now, Namek had been preserved intact.
Moreover, Gran had never actually stepped into the battle himself. Whether he had been present or not, the outcome would likely have been the same.
"Uh..."
After hearing that, Bulma finally realized something.
Gran really had spent the entire crisis watching from the sidelines.
"So you're planning to compensate the Grand Elder?" she asked curiously.
"Exactly."
"How?"
"You'll see soon enough."
Gran neither used Instant Transmission nor Spatial Shift.
Instead, he leisurely admired Namek's scenery as he flew toward the Grand Elder's residence.
Before long, the two returned to the massive stone pillar.
Nail had already stepped out of the house and was standing guard at the entrance.
With the Namek crisis finally over, the tension on his face had eased considerably.
Upon seeing Gran, Nail immediately bowed respectfully.
Gran nodded and entered the house with Bulma.
"Grand Elder, the promise I made has been fulfilled."
With his hands behind his back, Gran's voice carried the dignity and authority of a divine being.
"Thank you, Lord Gran."
The Grand Elder was sincerely grateful.
In truth, he had been observing the battlefield from afar the entire time.
He knew that Frieza had ultimately been defeated by Son Goku.
This Lord Gran had seemingly never made a move from beginning to end.
However...
The Grand Elder didn't mind.
As long as the Namekian race survived this crisis safely, that was enough.
Besides, battles could change in an instant.
Take Son Goku, for example.
If he hadn't transformed into a Super Saiyan, he would never have been able to defeat Frieza.
Had things turned out differently, Gran would have been their final lifeline.
Simply having him there as insurance had been invaluable.
Gran remained silent.
The conversation suddenly came to an end.
Yet he didn't leave.
The room gradually fell into complete silence.
The Grand Elder felt somewhat puzzled.
Although Gran hadn't personally intervened, the favor he had requested had still been fulfilled.
So why wasn't he leaving?
Bulma, meanwhile, had a different reaction.
She was quietly wondering how Gran intended to compensate the Grand Elder.
"Grand Elder," Gran finally said, "the truth is, even without me, your people would have survived this crisis."
To be continued...
"No."
The Grand Elder shook his head.
"Lord Gran, you're only saying that because you've already seen the outcome of the battle. Before the fighting began, nobody could have known how things would end. I still needed you."
"..."
Gran fell silent.
In reality, the Grand Elder was mistaken.
Gran was only so certain because he had viewed everything from an omniscient perspective.
"No matter how you look at it, I didn't contribute directly during your crisis."
Gran shook his head.
"So I'd like to grant you one additional request."
"There's no need, Lord Gran."
The Grand Elder smiled calmly.
"The favor I requested was for you to help the Namekian race survive this disaster. That outcome has already been achieved, so there's no reason for this."
His expression remained completely natural.
It was obvious that he truly had no attachment to owing Gran a favor.
The Grand Elder's words echoed throughout the room.
Bulma was deeply shocked.
This was compensation from a Candidate God of Destruction!
Yet the Grand Elder genuinely didn't care.
"Very well."
Gran had expected this answer.
He didn't press the matter any further and turned to leave the house.
Bulma glanced back at the Grand Elder one last time.
After everything that had happened, the old Namekian looked even more aged than before.
If nothing changed, his death would likely come very soon.
"Gran, are you really not going to help him?" Bulma hurried after him.
Gran stepped outside.
Ignoring Bulma's question, he turned his gaze toward Nail, who was standing guard by the doorway.
"This is for you."
Gran tossed a Capsule to Nail and explained how to use it.
"Lord Gran, what's inside?" Nail asked in confusion.
Bulma was equally curious.
"Inside are one thousand fruits."
Gran pointed at the Capsule in Nail's hand.
"They're fruits consumed by divine beings. Altogether, they can extend a mortal's lifespan by approximately one hundred years."
These fruits were similar to Spirit Fruits.
Both were common foods among gods.
The difference was that one enhanced lifespan, while the other increased power and spiritual energy.
And, like the Spirit Fruit, this fruit had no effect on gods themselves.
It only worked on mortals.
"What?!"
Nail and Bulma both widened their eyes in disbelief.
Such fruits actually existed?
"Since my assistance wasn't needed during your crisis, consider this my additional compensation."
Gran spoke calmly.
"Give them to the Grand Elder. They can extend his life by another hundred years."
"Th-Thank you, Lord Gran!"
Nail's voice trembled with emotion.
The Grand Elder was the father of all Namekians.
Naturally, Nail didn't want to see him pass away.
However, the Grand Elder revered the natural order.
Using Porunga to artificially alter his lifespan was something he would never accept.
But these divine fruits were different.
While they also increased lifespan, they were naturally occurring products of creation itself.
Using them wouldn't violate nature's laws.
The Grand Elder would definitely accept them!
END OF CHAPTER
Disciple of Beerus - MrBehringer's Secret
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