After bidding farewell to Kame House, the plane led the way, followed closely by the Flying Nimbus. After a long journey, the four finally arrived in the evening at a desert oasis, where they saw a cluster of ancient-style palaces below.
"We finally found it!"
The plane made a sharp turn, spiraling down toward the palace.
Sitting cross-legged on the Nimbus with his feet pressed together, Goku shaded his eyes with his hand and peered downward. "Wow, looks like a lot of people."
Thanks to his Saiyan vision, he could clearly see, even from high above, that there was a line of people outside the palace, orderly entering and exiting its gates.
Some entered looking worried but left brimming with joy. Others entered with the same worried expressions and left looking just as defeated.
Goku grew excited. From what Master Roshi and Yamiru had said earlier, it sounded like there might be some fighting involved here. Who would his opponents be? The young Saiyan's body buzzed with anticipation. Unable to contain himself, he somersaulted off the Nimbus. "Woo-hoo!" he shouted, spinning 360 degrees mid-air before landing right next to the line outside the palace gate.
The queue stared in disbelief at the boy who had jumped from such a height and landed unscathed.
A small ghost tasked with maintaining order also witnessed the scene. "Was that the Flying Nimbus just now? Oh my, what a remarkable little hero. Looks like Baba will have a good show today."
Meanwhile, Yamiru's small plane descended steadily, landing nearby.
Tights, holding Bulma's hand, stepped out and muttered, "Was there really such a need to jump from that high?"
Bulma glanced up at the altitude. "Only a barbarian could survive that fall…"
Pop! The plane disappeared into its capsule. Yamiru tossed the capsule in his hand with a grin as he approached. Seeing Goku's eagerness, he chuckled knowingly. "Don't worry, there'll be plenty of strong opponents for you to fight."
"Hehe," Goku grinned, his excitement evident.
At that moment, the small ghost wearing a straw hat floated over with a friendly smile. "Welcome, new guests! Please line up over here."
Bulma stared at the very real ghost for a moment and asked, "Is this Fortuneteller Baba's place?"
"That's right," the straw-hatted ghost replied. "If you're here for a reading, you've come to the right place. Line up, and I'll call you when it's your turn."
With that, the ghost floated away.
"Did anyone else feel like the temperature just dropped?" Tights rubbed her arms and huddled closer to Yamiru.
"I thought you liked adventures?" Yamiru teased. "Now that a real ghost has shown up, what are you afraid of?"
"None of your business," Tights retorted, rolling her eyes at him.
The group waited near the large gate at the palace's outermost perimeter.
Goku, bored out of his mind, began wandering around. He walked on his hands, bounced from place to place, and even used his tail to mimic Tigger's jumping. His tail, which had been with him since he arrived on Earth, was still a source of endless fascination for him.
Yamiru and Tights leaned against a wall, chatting idly.
Bulma squatted nearby with a twig, counting ants. At the same time, she observed the people entering and exiting the palace. Most of the visitors were robust men. No wonder Master Roshi had warned Yamiru with a "don't die."
However, Bulma also noticed that some of the people leaving the palace weren't particularly strong-looking. And, based on her observations, those less muscular individuals didn't appear disappointed. Instead, they left in high spirits, driving off in expensive vehicles or flying off in high-end planes.
A closer look at their clothing, the brands they wore, and the models of their capsules revealed that these individuals were undoubtedly wealthy.
On the other hand, the downtrodden, bruised, and battered individuals leaving the palace were almost exclusively the strong, muscular men.
"So," Bulma mused, "to get a reading from this Fortuneteller Baba, you either have to be rich — which clearly works because the success rate is so high — or you need to be strong. But there's risk involved, and most seem to fail. Based on the customs of martial artists, it's probably some kind of duel or combat challenge?"
Bulma prodded at the ants on the ground with a twig, her mind already piecing together a rough analysis of the situation.
"That old turtle guy doesn't seem like a good person, but Yamiru's master is supposedly his disciple, which makes him Yamiru's grandmaster. If he's that high up in the martial arts world and still thought this could be deadly, then this Fortuneteller Baba must be someone really powerful. I wonder if Yamiru and Goku can handle it. Honestly, why not just pay? It's not like I'm short on money."
She tossed the twig aside.
Bulma figured that once they got inside, they'd likely be given two options: pay up or fight. She'd already made up her mind to fork over the money when the time came. After all, she wasn't stingy, though she did feel a bit apprehensive.
In the past, whenever she lent money to friends or invited them over to her house, their relationships always changed afterward. Either they became too intimidated to stay friends or started sucking up to her. Not that she minded much — she had no patience for those types of "friends" anyway.
"Yamiru didn't seem like the kind of guy who'd act that way."
While the other three were preoccupied — two chatting idly and one running wild — none of them could have guessed how much the young girl's mind was turning over these thoughts.
"Alright, thanks for waiting!"
The straw-hatted ghost floated back to the gate. "Apologies for the delay! Please follow me inside. Hehehe..."
Yamiru and Tights pushed off the wall. "Let's go. Where's Goku?"
"Here I am!" came a voice from above. Goku had somehow managed to hook his tail onto the eaves of the gate, hanging upside down and swinging back and forth. With a flip, he leapt straight into the palace corridor, following closely behind the straw-hatted ghost. Turning back, he waved at the group to hurry up.
Yamiru and Tights followed, while Bulma trailed behind.
After passing through several courtyards, they finally arrived at the main hall. The space was eerily empty, devoid of any furniture. The only thing in the room was an old woman with a face full of wrinkles, seated atop a floating crystal ball. She wore a pointed wizard's hat and was watching them closely as they entered.
The straw-hatted ghost floated to the forefront and grinned. "Baba, I've brought them for you! Hehehe..."
Fortuneteller Baba sat cross-legged on her crystal ball. "Hmm… I see. It's been a long time since I've come across such strong young people. This should be interesting."
"You're the Belly Baba?" Goku asked, tilting his head.
"It's Fortuneteller Baba!"
"That's a weird name…"
"It's a nickname, not my real name!" Baba snapped, clearly annoyed. "Kid, you have no manners."
Goku chuckled. "Baba, we're here to ask about the whereabouts of something."
Baba smiled slyly. "Very well. That'll be ten million zeni."
Goku immediately began counting on his fingers.
"What? You charge for this? And that much?" Tights gasped, turning to Yamiru. He made no move to pull out money. She hesitated before muttering, "If you're thinking of borrowing money, ask Bulma. I'm broke."
"..." Yamiru gave her a mock-wounded look.
Baba, meanwhile, directed her gaze straight at Bulma. She had clearly already figured out who in the group could afford her price.
Before Bulma could say anything, Yamiru spoke up. "Baba, we don't have that kind of money, but we do have a bit of strength to spare."
"Hmm, I see. Very well. You can also earn a free fortune-telling session by winning in combat."
"Paying would be simpler," Bulma said, glancing up at Yamiru.
"Money or combat, I personally prefer the latter." Yamiru smiled and patted Goku's head. "The opponents will be tough, Goku. Which will it be?"
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