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She looked him over carefully from left to right, but soon shook her head.
"Never mind, that's not important. Your return is just in time. I have something to discuss with you." Chronoa's expression turned serious as she spoke.
Jiang Chen didn't interrupt, instead waiting quietly.
"Aspara, you need to accelerate the formation of your Time and Space Patrol Squad. These past few days, major fluctuations have been appearing in the flow of time. If this keeps up, the entire Zen'ō Universe System is going to experience a catastrophic collapse." Chronoa only spoke again when Jiang Chen remained silent.
"Fluctuations in the time stream? Collapse of the entire system?" Jiang Chen was momentarily stunned, instinctively looking at Chronoa.
"Yes. Those beings from the deep layers of the Demon Realm have started to emerge. I can't even lock onto the coordinates of the First Time and Space anymore. That guy made his move too fast…" Chronoa spoke, frustration clearly in her voice.
"First Time and Space?" Jiang Chen's heart stirred, and a strange expression crossed his face.
But Chronoa clearly hadn't noticed that.
"Yes, the First Time and Space. I don't even know what happened there, my powers over time have been completely severed from that zone." Chronoa said helplessly.
"Lady Chronoa, if it's the First Time and Space, then... I might have a way." Jiang Chen pondered briefly, but couldn't help voicing his thoughts.
"You have a way?" Chronoa was stunned at first, then her bright eyes widened in disbelief, her expression full of shock.
Even Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time herself, had no way of accessing the First Time and Space, and now Jiang Chen was telling her that he did?
How could that not astonish her?
"Yes," Jiang Chen nodded.
Then, without holding anything back, he recounted everything he had experienced in the First Time and Space once more.
"So it really was the work of those bastards from the deep-level Demon Realm! This time, it looks like we really have you to thank! If not, the collapse of the First Time and Space would've had a massive impact on the entire Zen'ō Universe." Chronoa nodded solemnly, her expression serious.
Though the Zen'ō Universe had evolved to spawn countless Time and Space branches, and even the known ones now exceeded over twenty distinct timelines, there was no denying that the First Time and Space was still the most crucial.
If it were to collapse, even if the other timelines didn't shatter along with it, the ripple effects would still be enormous, potentially even unraveling the order of time and space itself.
"Lady Chronoa, you're exaggerating a bit!" Jiang Chen smiled and shook his head.
"Alright then. I'll go take a look at the First Time and Space first. You start your preparations, we need to speed things up. Oh, and to make things easier, I'll entrust you with the Book of Time again." With a wave of her hand, Chronoa vanished in a flash, clearly in a rush.
As Jiang Chen watched her disappear, he wasn't too worried.
That mysterious black-cloaked figure might be powerful, but it was unlikely they were a match for Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time. After all, she was one of the most powerful divine beings in all of the universe and time-space continuum.
The authority she wielded was no joke.
"Time and Space Patrol, huh?" Jiang Chen murmured softly to himself, recalling Chronoa's reminder.
To be honest, he'd almost completely forgotten about that whole matter.
After spending centuries in the world of Saint Seiya, he'd pretty much lost track of the things he had left behind in the Dragon Ball universe.
One of those things was the Time and Space Patrol.
Back when he first logged in to this multiversal mission, Chronoa had told him that, to combat the Dark Demon Realm, she needed him to recruit powerful warriors from different timelines and universes to form the Time and Space Patrol Squad.
Their purpose is to crack down on timeline-related crimes and maintain or intervene in the flow of history where needed.
He had initially made some plans for that… But things got busy, and he'd more or less let it fall by the wayside.
Now that Chronoa had reminded him again, he finally snapped back to it.
"Looks like I need to actually get to work." Jiang Chen shook his head, his gaze drifting toward the distant Time Lookout.
Then, with a lift of his hand,
Whoosh---!
A surge of watery light swept out and the Book of Time appeared in his palm.
Then, the book began to flip open on its own. One frame after another appeared before his eyes.
These were the images of different timelines, interwoven, layered, and shifting constantly...
Very quickly, a variety of scenes began to form.
Jiang Chen even spotted familiar figures from the Third Time and Space, people he knew well. But he only glanced at them briefly, then shifted his gaze away.
Compared to them...
He was more focused now on the other Time and Spaces. After all, what he needed now were Time and Space Patrollers.
As for his own Time and Space… Honestly, he didn't feel that anyone there was truly suitable to become a patroller. Whether it was Son Goku, Vegeta, Raditz, or even the Bardock Squad's Seripa and Toma, none of them quite fit.
And it wasn't just a matter of strength, there were other qualities needed too.
Like the Goku and Vegeta of Dragon Ball Super, their power might qualify them, sure. But something about them still made them not quite fit as Time and Space Patrollers.
"Wait! Bardock!" As his thoughts churned, Jiang Chen suddenly remembered a figure, one he had almost completely forgotten about:
Bardock.
The father of Son Goku, and someone who had once looked after him back on Planet Vegeta more times than he could count. Due to his prior restrictions in time-traveling, Jiang Chen hadn't been able to consider Bardock before, even though he was deeply familiar with the Dragon Ball world; it had been nearly impossible to return to the past back then.
But now… things were different.
His eyes drifted down toward the Book of Time.
As a divine artifact of the Supreme Kai of Time, the Book of Time naturally possessed the power to travel across time.
Or to be more precise, the Book of Time was the true artifact for traversing Time and Space.
Even the Time Rings were said to be derived from it. He hadn't had a way before. But now, he did.
And compared to Son Goku, Vegeta, or Raditz, Bardock was much better suited, both in temperament and character, to become a Time and Space Patroller.
As for strength, given Bardock's natural talent, with proper training, he could catch up fast. In fact, theoretically, Bardock's potential might even be greater than Goku's.
That was no exaggeration.
In the original story, Bardock was able, through sheer grit and will, to break the limits of a low-class warrior and reach a power level over 10,000, surpassing even some Elite Warriors.
Not only that, he even managed to transform into a Super Saiyan on his own.
That's nearly unbelievable.
Goku needed years of training and countless battles to achieve that form.
Bardock?
He reached it through pure combat experience alone. Under those conditions, to reach that level, his talent was obvious. With that thought in mind, there was no more hesitation.
He was ready to act.
Closing his eyes, Jiang Chen began to carefully attune himself to the Book of Time,
Trying to sense how to activate its power to travel across Time and Space...
(End of this chapter)