Dragon Ball Roshi-Chapter 309: The Invisible Hand

Leaving aside the situation of the grandfather and grandson on Mount Paozu, after preparing Goku's essential items—like the Power Pole and Flying Nimbus—Taro took Hathaway and flew toward the Lookout.

The wind howled around them as the air grew thinner with altitude. Taking Hathaway's condition into account, Taro accelerated. In the blink of an eye, the dome-shaped temple suspended at extreme altitude came into view. Whoosh—a slender white trail of ki burst through the clouds, drawing a curved arc toward the edge of the temple.

Mr. Popo stood at the edge of the Lookout with Kami. After a moment, they sensed Taro and Hathaway's energy signatures briefly stop at Korin Tower before suddenly rocketing upward with unbelievable speed. Just seconds after they became aware of this, Taro and Hathaway suddenly appeared before them, suspended in midair. The gods and their servant stood at the edge of the temple, robes fluttering in the strong wind. Taro's garments billowed, and Hathaway's long hair danced behind her.

A moment later, the sound of rushing wind—like distant thunderclaps rolling up from below—finally arrived, catching up after the fact. Because they had come to a sudden halt in midair, faint white flames still lingered on Taro and Hathaway's bodies, a testament to their incredible speed.

Kami said in a deep voice, "What speed... You've come."

Taro descended gracefully with Hathaway. "Yes, I'm here."

Hathaway let out a breath of relief. The air here was actually much better than along the way. She figured there must be some kind of divine force preserving the environmental quality within the Lookout's local zone. She glanced at the plaza, noting the various flowers, trees, and plants growing in neat harmony.

"Hello, Kami, Mr. Popo. I've heard a lot about you from Taro..." Hathaway tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled gently. "We've met once before, Kami—but at the time, you were inhabiting a mortal's body."

Mr. Popo replied blankly, "Hello, Taro's wife."

Kami merely nodded. Since they hadn't interacted much during the previous World Martial Arts Tournament, he only gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgment before turning to Taro and saying, "I know why you're here... Come with me. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber is deep below the temple. The path is complicated."

"Thanks," Taro nodded.

Hathaway was curious. "Taro didn't explain much—what exactly is this Hyperbolic Time Chamber?"

Kami walked with his staff, explaining as he went: "It's a legacy from the previous Kami, one of the treasures of Earth's Lookout. Inside, time flows very differently—one year inside equals just one day outside. It was originally created by the previous Kami to test outstanding mortal martial artists."

"To be able to affect the flow of time in reality..." Hathaway's expression turned to shock. She could understand the idea of creating dimensional pocket spaces—after all, Capsule Corp had cutting-edge research into spatial technology—but time? That was beyond incredible. "I've heard Jarvis is developing a deep-sleep mode that simulates different time ratios, but that's only possible within the Virtual Earth Network... In real life? This is astonishing..."

Seeing her murmur in awe, Taro chuckled. "That's why we call it 'supernatural power.'"

He paused, then patted Hathaway's shoulder. "Compared to us 'mystics', science is undeniably more rational. People like us use spirit, will, and power to integrate ourselves into 'Truth'—we play in the ocean of cosmic laws. Scientists like you, though... you stand calmly on the shore with your tools, analyzing every secret hidden in that ocean."

"So in the end, both paths lead to the same goal, don't they?" Hathaway smiled.

"Exactly. Though clearly, the latter relies much more on intellect—just like you!"

Taro laughed and put his arm around Hathaway's slender waist as they followed behind Kami. Mr. Popo trailed behind, his expression as blank as ever, seemingly deaf to the couple's murmured exchange and not even focusing his gaze.

But Kami, walking a little ahead, twitched his ears. He seemed affected by what Taro had said, his expression growing contemplative.

To be honest, with the increasing development of Earth's society, Kami sometimes felt lost... This mortal world was becoming more and more alien compared to the one he once knew. One of the most direct impressions he had was that even ordinary mortals—those once as weak as ants—were growing more "powerful."

He had seen it with his own eyes: frail humans inventing countless terrifying weapons capable of destroying entire worlds.

Biological weapons...

Viral weapons...

Chemical weapons...

Nuclear weapons...

And all kinds of bizarre, terrifying black technologies that sent chills down one's spine just from looking at them.

Electromagnetic, thermal, sonic, optical... Modern humans had too many ways to kill. Even air itself could be turned into a weapon. Medicine could heal—but also kill. Although modern biology hadn't yet breached the forbidden domain of genetic manipulation, the number of ways it could be weaponized was staggering.

And these weapons didn't care how strong your ki or "energy" was. Against most of them, such things were meaningless—unless you replaced your entire body and became something non-human, a being of flesh no longer.

These weapons might not all be cutting-edge in tech, but their destructive power was horrifying—inhuman, even. What was worse... was that most martial artists, no matter how powerful, couldn't defend against them.

Earth had long since become a unified planetary federation, and major wars had nearly disappeared. But the development of such weapons was often carried out by rogue scientists or black-tech private firms tinkering away in secret.

Kami didn't fully grasp the true capabilities of these future weapons. But as Earth's guardian deity, he had an uncanny sense—like a divine premonition—that warned him of danger. And so, whenever he sensed the emergence of a weapon that could threaten the world—or even threaten elite martial artists—he would wield his divine authority, using some mysterious force from beyond to stop or destroy its creation.

As the self-proclaimed guardian and enforcer of Earth's order, Kami acted based on his own judgment.

But overhearing the exchange between Taro and Hathaway now gave him pause. He wondered:

"Could it be... that human science might really surpass the strength of warriors from ages past? Could it truly overturn the path of the sages passed down through generations? This thing they call science—could it really reach divinity?"

"No... no, that's too absurd..."

Kami shook his head.

Just then, after winding through a labyrinthine path deep into the temple, the group of four finally arrived outside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber at the bottom of the Lookout.