The blue-tinted hologram of the Beggar Sage flickered slightly. Once again, he appeared as an old man, his projection hovering just above the table in the dimly lit room. He paused, sharp eyes narrowing as he studied the heavy, unyielding expression on Merun's face.
It seemed Iro wasn't kidding. Even he could tell something had changed. The usual easygoing, slightly sarcastic young man was completely gone, replaced by a quiet, oppressive seriousness.
The Sage's face scrunched up as he considered what to say next.
Eventually, he burst out, "What the hell is going on with you?" the Sage demanded, his jokingly disappointed tone dropping into genuine curiosity.
Merun exhaled slowly, fingers resting against his scouter. "It's nothing. I just realized I was getting too comfortable for my own good. That's all."
The Beggar Sage hummed, a sound that could somehow still be heard clearly through the holographic speaker. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked at Merun with a raised brow.
"If you say so," the old man murmured before leaning forward slightly and changing the subject. "Though... your progress with the Vajra Tyrant Style is quite impressive. You've beaten both your instructors in technique, not just raw strength. Honestly, it was supposed to be a long-term project. I was rather hoping you'd get thoroughly hooked on the Apprentice-level forms first."
The Sage offered a remarkably honest, entirely unrepentant grin.
Their original plan had been simple. Let Merun experience the sweetness of martial techniques, wait until he hit a wall, and then demand proper payment once he inevitably came begging for the Martial Squire and Martial Senior equivalents. Payment, naturally, in the form of information.
Instead, the boy turned out to be absurdly talented.
He absorbed the skills of his instructors like a sponge, practically reverse-engineering the Squire-level forms on his own.
What a complete scammer.
The hologram straightened, the old man's expression turning profoundly solemn.
"So, we will skip the games, since we're seeing eye-to-eye. The Beggar Sect needs you to explicitly acknowledge what we have done for you. The elite training, the resources, the food... and most importantly, the safety of the Furutsu family. Our hidden agents have kept their word, Merun. Your family is thriving."
The Sage's eyes sharpened.
"You received the latest intelligence packet, didn't you? Both of your older sisters have successfully broken through and become registered Martial Squires."
Merun remained silent, but a faint warmth eased some of the tightness in his chest. Knowing his sisters were growing stronger, protected from the shadows, lifted a massive weight from his shoulders.
But he already knew what was coming next.
Beneath the Sage's grandfatherly demeanor lay a deep, terrifying, completely insatiable greed for information.
For months, that greed had been forcibly restrained. The Beggar Sage had followed Psyker's advice carefully. The immortal sage of the mind had warned him not to pressure the Saiyan too aggressively or foster distrust. None of them truly understood what might trigger the alien, nor what he might become if cornered.
But after months of observing Merun, learning his habits, his discipline, his self-imposed morals and restrictions, and above all his self-control, the Sage had finally reached his limit.
In his own expert opinion, Merun was not a senseless destroyer. He was stable, rational, and governed by a powerful sense of personal fairness.
So eventually, the old man simply decided to say 'fuck it' to Psyker's caution.
Merun released a long sigh and crossed his arms. The Sage had a point. He hadn't been raised on Earth or here in Panama to become some ungrateful bastard. The sect had upheld their end of the bargain. They protected his family while giving him the tools to grow stronger.
It was time to repay that debt.
"Alright," Merun said quietly, his pitch-black eyes locking onto the hologram. "For payment... what exactly do you want to know?"
The Beggar Sage's eyes widened instantly. An electric spark ignited behind his pupils as though he had waited his entire life to hear those words.
Before Merun could even finish exhaling, the Sage leaned forward so aggressively the hologram blurred.
"How does space travel work?" the old man demanded, his voice trembling with almost childlike fascination. "The spaceship you arrived in, the very concept that an entirely separate civilization exists beyond Gaia's atmosphere... how do you traverse the void?"
Merun blinked, caught off guard by the question. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to recall whatever baseline knowledge a modern Earthling and a low-class Saiyan warrior might realistically know.
"Look, I can only tell you what I know, and I'm definitely not a scientist," Merun warned. "Space is mostly a vacuum. Cold, empty, no air. I don't know exactly how my pod moves, probably some kind of propulsion system? And for long-distance travel, we're usually placed in hibernation or stasis while nutrients are fed into the system automatically. The pod also has its own navigation system."
He shrugged.
"Hmmm... that's basically it. I don't know the engineering behind it, so it's probably not worth much to you."
The Sage didn't blink.
He swallowed hard, his mind visibly racing through the horrifying and awe-inspiring implications. A vessel crossing a lifeless void while its pilot slept?
"Incredible..." the Sage whispered.
Then his hunger sharpened further.
"What about communication?" he pressed urgently. "Do you think the information technology of your civilization could be reproduced here? How do the Saiyans communicate across such incomprehensible distances as a spacefaring civilization?"
Merun thought briefly about Frieza Force technology, then about Earth's own telecommunications systems.
"It relies on something called satellites," Merun explained, gesturing with his hands. This subject, at least, he vaguely understood. He'd seen a YouTube video about it once.
"They're basically highly advanced automated machines launched beyond the atmosphere and locked into permanent orbit around the planet. Because they're positioned high above the world, they maintain line-of-sight coverage over massive areas. You send a signal upward, and the satellite relays it across the planet almost instantly."
Merun leaned back slightly.
"It basically creates a globally connected world. Mountains, oceans, entire continents... none of it matters anymore."
The Beggar Sage froze.
His holographic form visibly trembled, eyes widening with something close to religious revelation.
To the leader of an information sect built upon millions of beggars carrying rumors across dusty roads, the idea of an orbital sky-network capable of transmitting information instantly across the world was nothing short of divine intervention.
It was the blueprint for omniscience itself.
"A network... in the heavens..." the Sage breathed weakly.
The moment those words left his mouth, Merun mentally cursed.
Shit.
Did he just reveal something way too valuable? He probably should've drip-fed that information over months instead of blurting it out all at once.
The Sage remained completely silent for several agonizing seconds, his mind clearly dissecting every scrap of knowledge he had just received. Each idea immediately branched into dozens more.
Merun coughed loudly.
"Alright, old man. That's definitely worth more than everything you've done for me already. Debt's paid."
"W-What?!" the Sage nearly shrieked, his composure utterly shattered. "No! No, you must tell me more! The satellites, how are they launched? How do they maintain connection? You cannot leave me standing at the threshold of the heavens, Merun! I beg of you, tell me more!"
"Next time!" Merun barked angrily, slamming his hand against the table hard enough to interrupt the old man's frantic rambling. "We're done with debts for today. Just give me the damn conditions for going to Gifu!"