Ok guys starting from here, chapters are going to be 2-2.5k words long, so 10chaps a week from now on.
Chapter 70: Return
After talking with Bulma a while longer, Turles exited the laboratory.
Walking down the corridor, he spotted Nappa staring at a room with hateful eyes, fists clenched tight as if ready to kill someone.
Curious, Turles quietly approached and followed Nappa's line of sight to the room.
When Turles clearly saw what was inside, he felt somewhat surprised.
Only Raditz and Bela occupied the room. Currently, Raditz was holding Bela's hand with a serious expression, saying something, while Bela watched him with shining eyes.
Turles hadn't expected this thick-browed Raditz to have such skills. The two had just met, yet they'd already progressed to this point.
No wonder Nappa wore that expression. After all, who knew when they'd find other Saiyans? And the number of female Saiyans among the survivors was completely unknown.
Now a female Saiyan had finally appeared, only for Raditz to beat Nappa to the punch. Nappa hadn't immediately burst in to challenge Raditz only because Raditz was stronger.
Turles looked at Nappa sympathetically, patting his shoulder consolingly. "Nappa, look on the bright side. Maybe there's someone even better out there?"
Nappa jumped at Turles's sudden approach, nearly shouting. Seeing it was Turles, he suppressed his alarm.
But hearing Turles's comfort, Nappa's fierce face took on a pitiful, aggrieved expression as he looked at Turles resentfully.
Seeing this, Turles's eye twitched. He pushed Nappa's large face away irritably. "If you have something to say, say it. Don't make that pathetic face. Don't you know it doesn't suit you?"
Turles found it strange. In the original story, Nappa had been a vicious brute who'd kill at the slightest provocation. Yet under Turles's command, he kept making hurt puppy expressions. Truly bizarre.
Being rejected by Turles didn't anger Nappa. He just looked at Turles obsequiously, speaking ingratiatingly. "Boss, Raditz said he learned to control his aura under your training. Once we reach Red Stone Planet, could I train under you too? I promise I won't slack off like Raditz!"
Hearing Nappa's request surprised Turles. He'd apparently underestimated Nappa. His pursuit of strength far exceeded Raditz's. No wonder Nappa had become Vegeta's trusted confidant.
However, Turles had no time to train him. He'd only trained Raditz to experiment with Great Ape Power transformation. Training others didn't interest him—he wasn't Paragus.
Turles directly refused Nappa's request. Seeing his disappointed expression, Turles added, "Train with Paragus first. I've already taught him the ki control method. Just ask him when the time comes. Whether you learn it depends on you—remember, Paragus still hasn't mastered ki sensing."
Nappa, initially disappointed, looked at Turles in disbelief after hearing the rest. "Really, Boss?"
Seeing Turles nod, Nappa finally believed him. But he quickly asked in confusion, "Boss, why are you doing this? You don't gain anything from it."
"How do I gain nothing? When you all grow stronger, you can help me better."
Nappa didn't believe Turles's explanation at all. Turles's battle power already exceeded one million. Even if he and Raditz improved dramatically, Nappa had no confidence they'd reach a million. He didn't believe Turles would need help from small fry like them in combat.
Seeing Nappa's skepticism, Turles didn't explain further. He glanced at Raditz's room once more, shook his head helplessly, and prepared to leave.
After two steps, Turles remembered something. He turned back to Nappa. "By the way, Nappa—how's Vegeta doing?"
Mentioning Vegeta, hatred flashed in Nappa's eyes. He said gleefully, "Still half-dead, of course. He's been lying in the recovery chamber this whole time!"
Given Vegeta had tried to kill him, Nappa wished he could throw Vegeta off the ship right now.
Turles looked thoughtful but said nothing more, simply turning to leave.
The technique he'd used on Vegeta had been created after receiving Popo's guidance. Unlike directly attacking the body, that move targeted the mental world.
The inspiration came from the original story's scene of Frieza being banished to a heaven-like realm. Using it on Vegeta was Turles's first time.
So Turles wasn't sure of the exact effects. From the current situation, though, it seemed a bit too effective.
Currently, inside Vegeta's mental world.
After Turles's finger touched his forehead, Vegeta's mental form had appeared in this strange world.
Vegeta didn't understand what a "mental world" was. He only knew he'd been trapped here for a long time.
In this vast white expanse, Vegeta didn't need to eat or drink. All he could do was stare blankly at the whiteness before him.
Vegeta had tried to resist, but in this world he felt weaker than a newborn. He had zero battle power.
Vegeta had never felt so powerless. It was more unbearable than death itself. From cursing Turles to begging for mercy had taken Vegeta only "three days."
Vegeta deeply regretted his actions. If he'd known Turles possessed such bizarre abilities, nothing would have made him attack.
After spending another "day," Vegeta calmly closed his eyes, preparing to rest.
What Vegeta didn't know was that the moment he "closed" his eyes, a hair-thin black crack appeared in this endlessly white world.
Outside, after checking Vegeta's condition and seeing him still vegetative, Turles fell into thought.
Soon, footsteps approached, pulling Turles from his contemplation. Looking back, he saw Karl holding a tablet.
Taking the tablet Karl handed him, Turles reviewed the various data while listening to Karl's report.
"Sir, since Lord Nappa brought Vegeta here, all his vital signs have been normal. Only his mental activity shows some abnormality, but our equipment limitations prevent specific measurements."
"Mm." Turles nodded, continuing to examine the tablet's data.
After hesitating, Karl reported honestly, "Additionally, Lord Nappa has attempted to kill Vegeta multiple times. He nearly succeeded once. During that incident, Vegeta's mental activity showed significant fluctuations."
Hearing Nappa tried to kill Vegeta didn't surprise Turles—he'd do the same. But the second part interested him.
"Pull up that day's surveillance and Vegeta's data for me," Turles instructed Karl.
Karl didn't dare delay. He quickly operated the nearby machinery. Soon, Nappa's figure appeared on screen.
In the footage, Nappa skulked up to Vegeta's recovery chamber, staring at Vegeta with complex emotions for a long time before speaking:
"Vegeta, I served you for so long, and you still wanted to kill me. Look at you now—I'm standing here while you're stuck in this glass case, barely alive. Isn't that ironic?"
"You know, even if you wanted to rebel against Turles, you should've figured out his strength first! With your measly battle power trying to challenge Turles? Pathetic!"
"You know how much battle power Turles has now? A full million! And once he transforms, he instantly reaches over ten million! What were you going to fight him with? Huh?"
At this point, Turles noticed the adjacent screen showing Vegeta's mental activity changing—especially when Nappa mentioned tens of millions in battle power.
After venting, Nappa finally couldn't restrain himself. He formed a ping-pong ball-sized energy sphere in his hand, looking at Vegeta with killing intent.
Seemingly sensing Nappa's murderous intent, Vegeta's body instinctively warned him. The display's data fluctuated wildly, immediately triggering the alarm system.
Hearing the alarm, Nappa jumped in fright. Forgetting about attacking Vegeta, he fled the scene.
By the time Karl and others arrived, the alarm had deactivated and Vegeta's mental activity had returned to normal.
After watching the entire video, Turles crossed his left arm over his chest, supporting his right elbow while his right hand stroked his chin thoughtfully.
After contemplating briefly, Turles ordered Karl to continue monitoring Vegeta's condition before turning to leave.
Half a month passed in a flash. Turles's group left the North Galaxy and entered Galactic Center.
On Obsidian, at the arena entrance, Belus—having received advance notice—stood waiting as if expecting some important figure. This drew considerable speculation from nearby onlookers.
Belus paid no attention to the gossip. Seeing Turles approach, his face broke into a brilliant smile as he hurried forward.
"Mr. Turles! I'm absolutely delighted to see you again!"
"Is that so? I've made Master Belus worry. My apologies!" Turles produced a fake smile and exchanged pleasantries with Belus.
"Not at all! It's my fault entirely!" Belus maintained his smile, warmly welcoming Turles.
After a few courteous exchanges, the two walked into the arena together.
Once they'd left, the onlookers immediately began discussing.
"Who was that? Belus himself came out to greet them personally! That's some serious clout!"
"You don't know? That's Lord Turles—someone even Obsidian's Chairman treats with respect!"
"Which Turles? I don't know him. Looks like a Saiyan though!"
"Brother, what backwater did you crawl out of? You don't even know Lord Turles?"
"Big bro, here's a little token of my appreciation. I'm new here and genuinely don't know. Could you explain?"
"Kid, you've got potential! Since you're so respectful, I'll tell you. This Lord Turles..."
Naturally, Turles was unaware of the discussion behind him. He currently sat in the reception room, contentedly swirling his wine glass.
"Mr. Turles, you seem in excellent spirits. Did your trip yield great results?"
Belus poured himself wine while looking at Turles, his words full of flattery.
"Is it that obvious?" Turles responded casually to Belus before nodding. "I suppose so. The results were decent. By the way, didn't you say you were transferred to Mercenary Union headquarters? Why are you still on Obsidian?"
Hearing this question, Belus smiled bitterly and looked at Turles with some resentment before explaining helplessly, "Nothing special. Just some power struggles among the higher-ups. I happened to be the loser." He raised his glass and drained it in one gulp.
Turles's curiosity was piqued. Belus was quite capable, and the situation seemed related to him.
With nothing better to do, Turles joked, "Tell me about it! Let me have a laugh too!"
Belus felt annoyed at first, then quickly realized Turles was joking. He rolled his eyes at Turles good-naturedly, though his internal frustration eased considerably.
Since Turles wanted to hear, Belus explained his situation.
The matter truly was related to Turles.
After the Mercenary Union was exposed for colluding with space pirates to plunder species, under pressure from powerful races, headquarters had to discipline the involved executive. But this made them extremely dissatisfied with Belus.
When Belus later helped Turles secure use of a hyperspace ship, though they'd agreed due to Turles's influence, they'd also removed Belus from his position. If not for his friendship with Obsidian's Chairman, he'd have been shipped off to some remote planet by now.
After listening, Turles gave Belus an apologetic look before shrugging helplessly. He had no connections at Mercenary Union headquarters to help.
Though if Belus remained on Obsidian, since it wasn't too far from Red Stone Planet, perhaps they could collaborate on something.
Since Belus was right here, Turles didn't need to find anyone else. After transferring the hyperspace ship to Belus, he gathered everyone, rented an ordinary ship, and headed toward Red Stone Planet.
Returning to Red Stone Planet, Turles discovered it had transformed dramatically. Not only were there more exquisite buildings, but several unfamiliar energy signatures had appeared.
Turles had some suspicions and flew toward Paragus's location.
Finding Paragus, Turles arrived before a massive palace. Paragus currently sat on an enormous throne with three unfamiliar Saiyans standing behind him, looking down at Turles's group from on high.
Seeing this scene, Raditz immediately exploded with rage. He flew toward Paragus, shouting furiously, "Paragus! Who gave you permission to sit on that throne?"
Paragus ignored Raditz, merely watching Turles with an amused expression.
Turles showed no reaction to any of this. He simply walked toward Paragus step by step, climbing the stairs until he stood just a few paces away.
Turles silently watched Paragus, saying nothing.
Under Turles's gaze, Paragus's smile finally crumbled. His expression grew increasingly ugly.
Paragus tried to maintain what dignity remained. He didn't stand, merely forcing out a smile as he spoke to Turles. "Turles, you're back?"
Turles still didn't speak. He shifted his gaze from Paragus to the Saiyans behind him.
All three looked quite young, wearing the same new-model combat uniforms as Turles. Old-style scouters hung from their ears.
After carefully examining them, Turles discovered their battle power was decent—at least 1,000 each.
Being ignored made Paragus's smile completely vanish. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Turles cut him off.
"Mm, I'm back." Turles calmly responded to Paragus's earlier question before addressing the three Saiyans. "Could one of you bring me a chair?"
The Saiyans who'd survived to this point were no fools. Though Turles appeared around their age, Paragus's reaction revealed Turles's importance.
After exchanging glances, one immediately headed to the back. He soon returned carrying a throne identical to Paragus's.
After setting down the chair, the three looked at Paragus before tactfully withdrawing.
Sitting beside Paragus, Turles watched the three departing figures while speaking. "Paragus, seems you haven't wasted this time."
Turles spoke as if chatting with a friend, seemingly unconcerned about Paragus's earlier actions.
Paragus also watched the three retreating figures, continuing Turles's topic. "How could I? You gave me orders. How would I dare slack off?"
Hearing this, Turles's brow furrowed briefly before smoothing out. As if suddenly remembering something, he said casually, "Oh right—did you know? Raditz had incredible luck on this trip. An elder unlocked his potential. He's now at fifty thousand in battle power. The kid's gotten so arrogant. Why don't you go teach him a lesson? Help him learn some humility."
"What?"
Paragus shot to his feet, staring at Turles in disbelief.
Raditz had only possessed 8,000 battle power when he'd left. To think one trip out would yield such massive improvement!
Looking at Turles's still-calm expression, regret finally took root in Paragus's heart!
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