Tundra sat down on the floor in front of the table, crossing his legs and setting the hourglass to one hour for now. He waited for Neva to do the same and took a sip of tea when Neva spoke up, materializing a chair to sit on so he could be at eye level with Tundra.
"Tell me... why did you want to know how to create the Dragon Balls?"
"Because maybe they would be needed someday. You never know when civil wars could break out and ravage a good planet, no?"
Neva hummed in agreement before speaking again.
"When did you discover shinpi?" Seeing Tundra's confusion, Neva clarified. "...The energy you used to restore the Dragon Balls."
"Ah... a little over a month ago, though I haven't been using it all that much. I simply called it mystic mana since I didn't know any better."
"Haha... it's not too far off."
Tundra thought for a bit before asking a question.
"Why did you agree to having a private conversation with me, Neva?"
Neva smiled before responding.
"I needed to know your intentions with the creation of the Dragon Balls."
"That's fair. So, what is your assessment?"
"That you'll need guardians for the Dragon Balls."
Tundra thought for a moment. He had thought about that, and he had an idea, but it wasn't something he knew how to do.
"I agree. With the amount of mana I have, it would be disastrous for my Empire if anyone was motivated enough. And while I certainly have a model in my head, as much as it pains me to admit, I do lack the skills."
Neva sipped on his tea, thinking it over. An Empire? He would have to remember that for later, but for now, maybe he could give a few pointers.
"You have your own idea, eh? Go ahead and tell me. Maybe I could help."
"There was an experience not too long ago that left quite an impression on me, so I'm thinking of the guardians being powered by the evil energy gotten from a wish."
Neva hummed to himself. That was certainly possible.
"I wouldn't recommend it. Evil hardly obeys orders, much less sits still."
"I have many barren planets. I could rework some of them to be under the control of these guardians."
Neva was visibly thinking, likely having to force his old brain out of retirement.
"That... would not fix the underlying issue here." Neva summoned a sheet of paper, drawing simple humanoid designs with Dragon Balls in their chests. "Let's say evil energy inhabits these three guardians. Unless you force rules on them, there's nothing stopping them from simply giving the Dragon Ball away. That is, unless you give them all a bit of pride in their own Dragon Balls."
And so, hours stretched on with Tundra and Neva talking about how to create the guardians. Tundra had to set the hourglass to increasingly longer times, eventually just setting it to the limit of twelve hours so he wouldn't have to keep setting it higher and higher.
"Thank you for helping me improve my idea, Neva. If you ever need a favor, you can reach out."
"Oh, no need. Just tell whatever Namekians you know of that they can always return to the Demon Realm. Besides, your idea was ingenious. It only needed a few tweaks so that the evil energy wouldn't completely overtake them. Though now I'm curious about the dragon you wish to make."
Tundra nodded at Neva's response. He'd be sure to grant his wish.
"The dragon... I wish to make it a Dragon of the world, more specifically, my world, my Empire. I would only need a design for it. As for the name..." Tundra paused, thinking it over for a bit before eventually landing on a name by combining sekai, meaning "the world," and ryū, meaning "dragon." "The name will be Seryukai."
"Hmm... a fine name and a fine concept, and... thank you for listening to an old man's wishes." Neva looked at the hourglass, seeing one hour remaining.
"It is the least I could do for such a great man. Besides, we've seen many more Namekians wandering throughout my Empire's reaches these past few years. It seems like you'll have many visitors."
Neva smiled at that confirmation.
"I believe it is over now?" Neva reached for the hourglass, deliberately slowly in case Tundra had anything to say.
Tundra nodded, signaling Neva to end their time here.
In a flash of light, Tundra and Neva appeared back on the Lookout. Only barely more than three minutes had passed. The sight was strange; Piccolo was watching Gomah and Degesu with a glare in his eyes.
Looking back at Neva, Tundra noticed that he was concentrating heavily. Allowing him to do so, he saw a large book being produced in Neva's hands.
Eventually, the book was complete, and Neva held it out for Tundra to take.
"I believe this will be useful to you."
Tundra took the book and nodded before shaking hands with Neva.