"Golza… actually calmed down."
Eri watched the once-raging Golza gradually slow its movements. Then she looked at Ultraman Tiga, whose golden light was still radiating across the battlefield. Only then did she finally relax.
With Tiga here, a monster like Golza wasn't really a problem.
"Looks good,"
Charija muttered, eyes locked firmly on the now-still Golza as he nodded in satisfaction.
After all, what he cared about most was the monster he had bargained for.
Even if Golza hadn't calmed down, Charija had his own methods to make sure the monster obeyed.
As the golden light faded, Yu Zhou released his transformation. His giant form dissolved into countless particles of light, leaving him standing once more in human form.
Eri, her heart racing, hurried to his side.
At first, she had only suspected that Yu Zhou might be Tiga. But when they had returned to Ziggurat's time-space, he hadn't seemed like Tiga at all. And now, right in front of her eyes, Yu Zhou had transformed into Ultraman Tiga.
Her instincts had been right all along. She almost felt proud of herself.
"So, it's true… you really are Tiga."
Though excited, she tried to act calm as she spoke. To her, the Giant of Light was more than just a hero — thirty million years ago, when she was a child, he had been her idol. She still remembered vividly the time when the giant had saved her life.
Yu Zhou chuckled and shook his head.
"Didn't you just say Golza was Tiga?"
"Uh…" Eri's cheeks reddened with embarrassment. She had indeed suspected as much earlier — but only as a guess.
"Charija, capture Golza. Let's go."
Yu Zhou walked over to the monster trader and gave the order.
He trusted Charija enough. With his title as a "monster merchant," handling Golza should be no problem.
"No issue." Charija smirked. He approached the calm Golza, pulling a capsule from his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the capsule struck the monster.
In an instant, Golza dissolved into purple light, shrinking and being drawn inside.
The capsule landed on the ground, rolled once or twice, then stilled.
"Golza… is mine now!" Charija picked it up triumphantly, holding it aloft as if showing off a trophy.
Yu Zhou: "…"
Something about the scene felt out of place. This world's atmosphere wasn't supposed to feel this… comedic.
Still, with Golza taken care of, Yu Zhou simply turned and began heading back toward the Interstellar Grand Hotel.
The Earth-like planet they were on truly was remarkable. For the Ultra-Ancients to have discovered such a world in the vastness of space was no small feat.
Planets were countless in the universe, yet to find one that so closely mirrored Earth — in environment, atmosphere, even its distance from its star — was rare indeed.
While Dais had embraced futuristic technology, this world resembled the ancient civilization of R'lyeh.
During Yu Zhou's absence, Dack had wandered the planet himself and discovered that its technology even surpassed Dais by several generations.
"Dack, this is the shop you mentioned? The 'tech products emporium'?"
The two of them stood before a towering building. The place looked like a massive shopping mall, with crowds of people streaming in and out.
"That's the one," Dack confirmed. "I've browsed it before. Found plenty of useful tools I wanted to buy… but I didn't have money."
He spread his hands helplessly. The credit card was with Yu Zhou, leaving him penniless.
"Alright then. Let's go in." Yu Zhou smiled faintly. He'd completely forgotten about the expense card Eri had given them.
They stepped into the bustling commercial complex. Since Dack already knew his way around, he led Yu Zhou toward their destination.
Inside a shop filled with tools of every kind, Yu Zhou's eyes landed on what he'd come for.
"The excavation collector."
He had seen one before — a device capable of digging and collecting resources with incredible efficiency. Back on Earth, it would count as revolutionary technology. Here, it was just another product on the shelf.
"How much for this collector?" Yu Zhou asked the attendant.
The clerk blinked in surprise. This customer didn't haggle, didn't even ask about the specs, and just wanted to buy outright. He quickly packed the tool.
Yu Zhou strolled the shop as the purchase was prepared. There were all sorts of other marvels:
Auto-hammers that could seek out nails on their own and drive them in.Self-storing axes that chopped trees and absorbed the lumber into a dimensional storage.Insect-chasers, designed for researchers to catch and preserve specimens.
Yu Zhou picked out several other useful items, then continued browsing the complex with Dack.
Before long, they entered another shop — this one filled with medicines and supplements.
"These are miracle drugs," Dack explained. "I really wanted to buy some before, but… again, no money."
A clerk greeted them warmly. Yu Zhou and Dack gave polite nods and wandered the aisles.
On the front display sat a drug called Anti-Fatigue Essence.
"That name sounds strange…" Yu Zhou muttered, reading the label.
"What does it do?" Dack asked bluntly.
"This product restores mental energy and grants limitless stamina!" the clerk explained proudly.
Dack squinted. "Couldn't someone just… take a nap instead?"
Yu Zhou didn't hesitate — he snatched the box and said, "I'll take it."
The clerk beamed.
Dack groaned, but Yu Zhou shot him a warning glance.
Next, they found Quick-Action Tonic, promising greatly enhanced speed and efficiency in all tasks.
Yu Zhou scratched his chin. Something about the description felt oddly phrased.
Then came a box labelled Dragon-Tiger Vitality Pills — with nearly identical effects to the first Anti-Fatigue drug.
"I'll take this too." Yu Zhou waved generously.
The clerk's grin widened.
Dack muttered, "Why are you even buying this stuff?"
Yu Zhou smirked. "For Asuka… Ultraman Dyna."
He almost slipped and said "Shin" (Little Riku), but caught himself.
After all, Shin Asuka's stamina was… questionable. Unlike Yu Zhou, who could stay on Earth indefinitely, Ultras like Asuka could only fight for three minutes. The official reason was Earth's polluted environment — but Yu Zhou never believed that. He felt it was something deeper.
"Now I finally understand why Earth gets invaded so often," Yu Zhou mused.
Earth's weak defences made it an easy target. And it's beautiful, liveable environment made it irresistible. Of course, aliens wanted to claim it.
Other planets might resemble Earth, like this one or Dais. But their advanced tech made them far harder to conquer.
Earth, however… was vulnerable.
Yu Zhou's musings were cut short as he pointed to another shelf.
"What about this one?"
The clerk smiled. "Ah, that's our newest product — a digestive aid. Helps with… bowel movements."
Yu Zhou: "…"
"Say that again?"
"Er… it relieves constipation."
"…Forget it. Next!" Yu Zhou barked, moving on.
Another shelf had Rapid Hair Growth Solution.
"That's actually handy," Yu Zhou said, nodding. If a haircut turned disastrous, one could simply regrow fresh, healthy black hair.
He bought a bottle.
Dack, meanwhile, chose a different drug — one that temporarily boosted physical strength at the cost of side effects.
"For Dais, this could make a big difference," Dack said confidently.
And so, after filling their arms with high-tech gadgets and bizarre miracle drugs, Yu Zhou and Dack left the shops behind.