"Now that we've introduced ourselves, it's time for the important part, the reason you climbed my tower, to receive my tutelage! But first, have you heard about the treasures kept here?" Karin asked that question with her eyes closed while rubbing her whiskers.
"Treasure? There's treasure here!?" Lazuli approached Karin, alarmed and excited by those words, because if there was one thing she loved more than anything else, it was money.
It wasn't for materialistic reasons, though; if it were, it's doubtful that Bulma would have teamed up with her. Rather, she had an innate appreciation for obtaining money, not using it. She enjoyed the process, not the reward. This is why she studied economics: to better understand the stock market.
Had she not been a martial artist, she would probably be a fairly successful stockbroker because she could discern the best market options and was brave enough to take risks.
The anticipation of waiting to see if she would win or lose was exciting to her. This interest extended to antique appraisal, real estate speculation, and ways to make money in general.
"I don't mean treasures made of gold and pearls, young lady. I meant treasures for any martial artist. Many people would fight for these things. First, we have this little bean, or pea, or even a seed.
Senzu beans! One of these will keep you from feeling hungry for a whole week. They also help you recover energy instantly and have a healing effect.
However, they can't regenerate lost body parts or cure diseases. Go ahead and take one; I have plenty more stored away. With a simple wave of his hand, Karin had four small green beans in his palm, which caught everyone's attention.
"It's not the treasure I thought it was. But if those things are half as useful as you said, they're certainly priceless," Lazuli murmured. She took one of the beans, swallowed it, and felt her hunger disappear.
"Wow, it works fast! I don't feel tired anymore, and the pain in my shoulders from climbing has disappeared," the blonde exclaimed, amazed by the changes the Senzu Bean had wrought on her body.
"I want to try them, too!" shouted Goku. He took one of the beans and quickly popped it into his mouth. He felt the same effects that Karin had described, except for the healing of wounds, of course.
"I'm not very hungry," Letty said. Although she took one of the beans, she didn't eat it. Instead, she carefully put it in her pocket as if worried it might fall out and get lost.
"A simple bean has so many special abilities..." Bulma murmured, examining the specimen she had taken with great care. She even brought it close to her face and sent a trace of her ki toward it, but it did not react.
"It can be considered a proto-divine fruit! I planted it in exclusive soil from the Other World and watered it with Sacred Water and Ultra Divine Water. If only you could delve into its secrets..." Karin stopped talking, opened her eyes for the second time that day, and stared in amazement at what Bulma was holding.
A small seedling! Except for its special origin, the little green sprout Bulma held looked exactly like the normal, newly germinated beans she had used in school projects as a child.
She only needed to channel a little of her Plant Version's power, and although she didn't have enough time to understand the Senzu Bean's vast complexity, she was able to make the seedling grow. This opened up a wide range of future possibilities.
"For centuries, I have been saving and striving to ensure that the few trees I have managed to grow bear proper fruit. However, you have achieved what could be considered an impossible feat.
It seems that my previous assessment of you was very superficial, Bulma. I must evaluate you more seriously! Will you allow me to do so?" Karin took several deep breaths to calm down before making that request in a solemn tone that reflected the seriousness of the situation.
"Go ahead. You will be my next teacher, and I doubt you will become my enemy. Only by getting to know you better will I be able to devise a plan to help you improve and become stronger." Bulma nodded in response before handing the Senzu Bean seedling to Karin. He made a gesture, causing it to disappear. This made quite an impression on the blue-haired girl.
'I didn't sense anything wrong. It's spatial manipulation. Very subtle. But he moved the plant to another place. The exploration of Ki in this place is severely limited. I don't know where he put it,' Bulma pondered. She couldn't sense the trace of energy she had deposited inside the sprout. But none of that mattered for now.
Karin was making special mudras with her free claw. Due to their proximity to the cat, the four young people could finally feel the exuberant ki emanating from it.
It was a dense energy with an ancient and ethereal feel! They could only perceive a little of its true depth, but it was enough to impress them because Karin's Ki was unusually heavy, or rather, quite compressed.
This gave her energy, a sense of heaviness, but also increased its quality and power. Many people had sought to do the same in the past, but except for a slight understanding, no one had made any further progress.
Karin showed them that it was possible to go far down this path and that it bore fruit. Was this a glimpse into the mysteries of being an Immortal? They did not know. However, excitement filled their hearts.
A more powerful Karin would mean better guidance to achieve similar or greater power, which suited them well. They strained to watch the Immortal cat's actions closely. She had drawn something in the air.
Initially, a two-dimensional design, the eye quickly took shape. Instead of looking grotesque, however, it had a cartoonish touch that made it more aesthetically pleasing, like a hieroglyph from ancient ruins, but now three-dimensional.
"Don't resist. Although it may be intrusive, it is not harmful. I will not see any of your secrets," Karin explained, revealing a bit about the effects of her technique. Bulma nodded, already mentally prepared for what was to come.
After receiving the blue-haired girl's response, Karin pointed at her. The eye he had materialized emitted a subtle glow that fell on the young woman's body. With his consciousness connected to this energy construct, the cat could see things he normally couldn't.
The normally invisible energy in the environment had a color that identified it, allowing him to better discern its behavior. However, he looked puzzled because although he knew Bulma had a good connection with the world, he did not expect what he observed.
The natural energies seemed to constantly embrace and rub against Bulma as if she were their mother or the most valuable thing they had. Of course, energy has no consciousness, but this type of action is an adequate explanation for the term 'Beloved by the World.'
He could also see a strange being with Bulma's face and body that was covered in white wings and had its eyes closed. He was already somewhat familiar with this being; not only had he seen the tournament, but also, Kami-sama had mentioned a few things about it to him.
However, it was one thing to hear about it or see it on a broadcast and quite another to experience it up close through his own special means. This was the first time he had ever encountered an interdimensional being!
As if sensing Karin's gaze, the being's eyelids fluttered slightly before opening slowly, revealing eyes that emitted an intense white glow with a hint of blue.
As if wanting her voice to be heard by the others present, a projection of Bulma's Plant version appeared behind the girl and uttered that single word with a subtle smile on her face.
"Yes... I am a cat. Sorry for interrupting your sleep," Karin answered after hesitating for a moment. The projection nodded before fading away.
The Immortal decided to cancel his technique, letting his ki dissipate while processing the information he had gathered. He not only saw a spectacle but also thoroughly examined the nature of Bulma's energy.
Understanding your student is the first step to educating them well! Although he could simply perceive it, some details would undoubtedly be lost. For this reason, he could not have guessed that Bulma would give him the pleasant surprise of germinating a Senzu Bean.
Other details, such as the hardness of her skin, the quality of her muscles and bones, and the condition of her internal organs, could be determined with a few taps of his staff. His technique was not geared toward that aspect, though.
Seeing people without skin didn't make him uncomfortable or ruin his appetite, not at all! However, thanks to his understanding of Bulma, he was able to reorganize the training he needed to give her in his mind.
While he meditated on his own affairs, Letty approached Bulma out of curiosity. Bulma lowered her head to pay attention to her little daughter and even crouched down to face her.
Perhaps because she was special, the Bio-Warrior's height had slowly shrunk since she was adopted. Now, her stature was even smaller than Goku's.
She had a 'stoic' air due to her expressionless face and the knowledge instilled in her at birth. However, because of her innocent mind, pacified Ki, and the world's recent acceptance of her existence, she was undoubtedly a child. Others paid attention to her and gave her a lot of care.
"Do you need anything?" Bulma asked, patting Letty's head and ruffling her purple hair.
"Can you make it grow, too?" The girl showed her the Senzu Bean she had taken earlier and offered it to her mother.
"Oh, okay, give me a moment." Bulma accepted the bean her daughter gave her. Then, her eyes emitted a white glow as she accessed some of the power of her Plant form.
Under Letty's enthusiastic gaze, Lazuli's curiosity, Goku's lack of interest, and Karin's full attention, the Senzu Bean trembled slightly before splitting open and producing a small green stem and roots.
"I don't know why you're all staring so much. Bulma always does that at home. She has a flower that dances and sometimes sings!" Goku muttered. He inevitably began whistling the song the sunflower had sung that had stuck with him.
"You're used to it, but I'm not. I've always found it interesting that Bulma can affect plants. Her garden is full of flowers that shouldn't grow in this area. They even bloom out of season," Lazuli replied to Goku, who shrugged. He was used to seeing Bulma's abilities, so they didn't impress him much.
"For me, it's a good thing. If I run out of Senzu Beans for some reason, Bulma can grow more, which is excellent news," said Karin with a smile, tapping the ground gently with his staff to express his happiness.
"Thank you!" Expressing more emotion, Letty took the sapling from her mother's hands. She seemed lost in thought, as if reviewing something in her memory. Then, she approached Bulma and gave her a rough, inexperienced hug.
"You don't have to thank me!" Bulma whispered, closing her eyes as she hugged Letty. She enjoyed the first hug her daughter was able to give on her own, without being hugged first by someone else.
It made her immensely happy!
"That's nice, but it's time to get serious. It's time to show you some of this place's other treasures. One of them is Kinton! From what I understand, Son Goku has a version of this special cloud. How about you call it?" Karin asked Goku, who jumped with excitement upon hearing the request.
"KINTON!" Goku shouted with all his might without hesitation, attracting the attention of a special object that flew through the sky at high speed, answering his call.