Chapter 113: The Delivery Man, Waiting for Takeout
"Didn't Whis tell you? This is just some garbage left behind by the Gods of destruction who were too lazy to clean up their mess across the universe..."
Quitela waved dismissively in disgust. "Destroy it! It's just taking up space and getting in the way of other plants!"
"Uh..." Lin Qi looked at the entire stretch of rocky mountain. Where were the plants supposed to be?
Still, purple light began to glow from his palm. Under the power of destruction, the Spiritual Tree disintegrated piece by piece.
Tiny fragments scattered across the God of Destruction Realm as Lin Qi landed on the ground. He looked up at Quitela, who gazed back at him with gentle, affectionate eyes.
After rummaging in his pocket for a while, Lin Qi pulled out a few lollipops. "Here... Take these. I know you like sweets."
"Hehe..." Quitela took them, expertly unwrapped one, and popped it into his mouth. "Having fun in Universe 7?"
"Not bad. There's a lot more interesting stuff going on over there." Lin Qi nodded and squatted on the half-slab of stone Quitela had made room for.
Truth be told, Lin Qi felt conflicted and a little guilty. Technically, he was a Saiyan born in Universe 7, and the main storyline of Dragon Ball all revolved around Earth...
Earth held a different significance in his mind.
But after being picked up by Quitela, who treated him really well—something Lin Qi was deeply aware of—it made things more complicated.
That's why when it came to the upcoming Tournament of Power, Lin Qi was torn. Between his homeland and the one who raised him... whose side should he take?
"Lin Qi, what are you thinking about? You're totally zoned out." Quitela patted Lin Qi's shoulder, raising his voice a few notches.
"Oh..." Lin Qi responded half-heartedly with a smile and stood up. "It's nothing... Lord Quitela, is there anything else you like to eat?"
"Anything's fine. I'm not picky!" Quitela said as he casually offered one of the lollipops to Cognac, who stood nearby. "Want one?"
"Thank you, Lord Quitela!" Cognac accepted the lollipop and turned to Lin Qi. "Lord Lin Qi, has your Ultra Instinct reached its peak?"
"Yeah... That's why I've decided to relax for a bit and do some traveling." Lin Qi grinned and waved at Quitela. "Catch you later!"
Whoosh.
"That guy... always comes and goes in a flash." Quitela laid back down, hands behind his head, looking up at the dark sky.
Sigh... "I could sense he was distracted just now. Is something bothering him? Why didn't he tell me? Is he growing distant from me?"
"Could it be..." Quitela suddenly sat up, glaring at Cognac with a sour expression. "Has he been getting too close to Whis?!"
Cognac unhurriedly peeled the wrapper off his lollipop and said helplessly, "Lord Quitela, you're overthinking again. If you're bored, why not go destroy a few planets?"
Sigh...
Universe 7, Earth.
May of Age 761, five months before Raditz's arrival.
Finding people on Earth was ridiculously easy for Lin Qi—he'd lost count of how many times he'd come here with Whis to collect food.
He landed in the courtyard of Bulma's house. The sky was slightly dim, but the yard itself was lit up like daylight with glowing lights.
He spotted Bulma's cheerful mother and that loser Yamcha chatting away happily, clearly enjoying themselves.
"Jaco... Let's head out tomorrow!" A spunky girl with short light yellow hair, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and overalls, appeared.
"Come on, Sis, you just got back!" Bulma shouted from around the corner, clearly displeased.
The blonde girl was Bulma's older sister, Tights. Wanting to become an SF writer, she'd abandoned her privileged life to work odd jobs and experience the world.
That's when she met Jaco—the guy who looked suspiciously like a weird knockoff Ultraman.
Jaco stood about 1.5 meters tall, stocky, wore a bizarre tight suit, and had a deadpan face with large, pupil-less eyes...
The two traveled the galaxy in a spaceship to gather material for her sci-fi adventure novels. Unfortunately, those starring Jaco never caught on.
And really, with a guy like that, it's no wonder only little kids liked the stories.
Jaco's biggest role was in the Moro arc.
But did the Galactic Patrol even show up this early in the timeline? He didn't really have much presence until Dragon Ball Super.
"Whatever..." Lin Qi didn't even glance in their direction and went straight to look for Dr. Brief.
That guy wasn't worth bothering with.
Ever since Lin Qi had met Bulma on Earth, she'd dragged him into long chats with her dad about life and science—talk about awkward.
If it weren't for Lin Qi whipping out some tech from other civilizations, Brief probably would've just written him off with a "never seen this guy before," leaving Lin Qi to die of embarrassment on the spot.
But from that day on, Brief had been relentlessly begging Lin Qi to bring back more tech from other worlds.
At this point, Lin Qi felt more like a galactic delivery guy—wherever there was demand, he delivered. Random schedule, no consistency.
"What goodies have you brought me this time?" As soon as Lin Qi entered the lab, Brief stubbed out the cigarette in his mouth.
Thump!
Lin Qi tossed out a capsule. A cloud of smoke revealed a large metal case. He walked over and popped the lid. "This is a quantum laser cannon. Strong enough to wipe out half the planet... Go nuts."
"OK! Go have fun, then!" Brief rushed over to the case and waved at Lin Qi before immediately burying himself in research.
"Tch." Lin Qi shot a scornful glance at Brief, the ultimate two-faced researcher, and left the lab.
"Hey, Bulma! Order me a bunch of takeout—I'm taking it to go!"
He quickly found Bulma, who was still chatting away, and stated his request. "Same as always—mild spice, no scallions!"
Originally, Lin Qi had figured they'd stick to the plot and have Whis ask Bulma for food himself. But then Whis, in his usual cryptic manner, said:
"The time is not yet ripe."
Screw your "not yet ripe"—he probably just didn't want to lower himself to that level.
"Ah, Lin Qi! When did you get here?" Bulma was repairing a spaceship. She jumped down and pointed to the two people beside her.
"Let me introduce you—this is my sister, the blonde one, you've probably heard of her. And this is a member of the Galactic Patrol!"
"'A member of the Galactic Patrol'? I am not just a member—I'm the Galactic Patrol's elite among elites! The one and only Jaco!"
Jaco leapt into the air, spun 360 degrees twice, and landed dramatically on a decorative boulder, striking what he clearly thought was a dazzling pose.
Lin Qi didn't even glance at him. Instead, he repeated to Bulma, "Thirty portions of spicy boiled fish. Mild heat, no scallions. Chop-chop!"
"Already ordered!" Bulma pulled out her phone and tapped away quickly.
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