The far north.
Icy winds howled across the frozen land, cutting straight through the aircraft as if it were paper.
Goku and Bulma were both shivering so hard their teeth were chattering.
"Goku… I'm freezing to death. It's so cold here…" Bulma hugged herself.
Goku trembled just as badly.
"I didn't expect it to be this cold either! Look at me—I'm shaking too! Are we close to the Dragon Ball yet?"
Bulma checked the radar.
"Almost. It should be somewhere around here."
"Then land already!" Goku said quickly. "Let's warm up in a village or something!"
"Okay!"
Bulma brought the plane down. The moment they landed, Goku felt faint energy signatures approaching.
"Bulma, someone's coming!"
Bulma's eyes lit up.
"Really?!"
"Yeah."
"Great! Go grab me a coat!"
Goku stared at her.
"…So you're just straight-up ordering me to steal now?"
Bulma's face darkened.
"If you don't hurry, I'm going to freeze to death."
"Alright, alright!"
Goku followed the direction of the approaching energy.
A red-haired little girl soon came into view. She stared at Goku, who was shivering nonstop.
"Hey… you're wearing so little. Aren't you going to freeze?"
A short while later, Goku and Bulma were sitting inside the girl's home.
Her name was Snow, a villager from this area.
They warmed themselves by the fireplace as she brought them each a bowl of hot porridge.
"Here. Drink this—it'll warm you up."
"Thank you!" Bulma said happily, taking the bowl.
Goku did the same, slurping loudly.
Once she recovered a little, Bulma looked around.
"Where is this place? It's unbelievably cold."
"This is Gurū Village," Snow replied. "Where are you two from?"
"I'm from West City."
"West City?" Snow tilted her head. "Never heard of it. But you're dressed so fancy, it must be a big city to the west, right?"
Bulma smiled smugly.
"Yep. West City is a huge western metropolis. You've never even heard of it? Don't tell me you don't have internet here."
Snow rested her chin in her hands, staring curiously.
"I… don't know."
Bulma sighed.
"Looks like I was right. If you don't even know West City, this place must be pretty behind the times."
Goku said gently, "Bulma, she's still a kid. It's normal if she doesn't know much…"
Bulma nodded.
"True. Not every girl can be as brilliant as me."
There she went again.
Snow asked curiously, "So what are you two doing here?"
"We're looking for Dragon Balls," Bulma said bluntly.
"Dragon Balls?!"
Snow jumped like a frightened rabbit and ran behind her mother. Her mother also looked alarmed.
"Y-You're not with the Red Ribbon Army, are you?" she asked warily.
Bulma finally understood.
"Oh, no, no! You've got it all wrong! We're not with the Red Ribbon Army. Actually, we've already clashed with them."
"We're collecting the Dragon Balls to wish them out of existence!"
Snow and her mother froze.
"Y-You're going to destroy the Red Ribbon Army?"
Both Goku and Bulma nodded.
Snow's mother laughed nervously.
"Don't joke like that… The Red Ribbon Army is terrifying. Just the two of you could never defeat them."
"That's why we're using the Dragon Balls!" Bulma insisted. "They grant any wish!"
Snow's eyes sparkled.
"What exactly are Dragon Balls?"
Bulma took out the one they had just found.
"This is one of them. Each one has a different number of stars. If you gather all seven, you can summon Shenron and make any wish come true."
Snow's mother finally understood.
"So that's it… That's why the Red Ribbon Army is forcing everyone to look for them."
"Exactly!" Bulma said. "They're threatening villages all over the place. We can't let them get their hands on these."
"There is a Dragon Ball near here," Snow said quietly. "My dad was forced to go look for it. The soldiers weren't enough, so they made all the men help."
Goku frowned.
"They took your dad?"
Snow nodded.
"They kidnapped the village chief too. They said if anyone resists, they'll kill him."
Goku looked out the window.
"So they're using him as a hostage…"
"He's a good chief," Snow said softly. "He helped our village get better over the years."
Goku smiled and gently patted her head.
"Don't worry. I'll deal with the Red Ribbon Army and bring your chief back."
Snow looked up at him in disbelief—and then her face turned red when she realized he was touching her head.
Goku quickly pulled his hand back, embarrassed.
Just then, a system message flashed through his mind.
[In your previous life, you saved Snow and her village. You became their hero.
Snow admired you deeply, but she was only a village girl and never dared to say anything.
You left and never returned, becoming an unforgettable memory in her life.
Your life has restarted.
You decide she should not be left with regrets.
Mission: Destroy Muscle Tower, rescue the village chief, and liberate the village.
Reward: You can survive in a vacuum without oxygen for 30 minutes.]
Goku's eyes gleamed.
Thirty minutes without oxygen…
That was an incredible reward—more than enough to change a Saiyan's greatest weakness.
He looked out toward the distant Red Ribbon base beyond the glass.
Looks like things are about to get interesting.
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