"Are you really Shen?" an eldritch voice speaks.
"Yes, I am him," Shen calmly replies to the wrinkled old woman before him.
"Are you truly the Crane Hermit: Shen, disciple of Master Mutaito, same as my brother Roshi?"
"I said I am. What are you, jealous of my young and handsome looks? You should know about the legendary Dragon Balls. I made a wish from them."
"Hmph! Handsome, you say... if I were young right now, you would probably grovel at my feet to exchange letters with me..." Uranai Baba smugly remarks. (A/N - That's probably how old people had long-distance relationships back then. Idk though.)
The old woman states again, "And the legendary Dragon Balls, huh? They could be a great addition to my business of fulfilling people's wishes."
"Heh!" Shen sneers sarcastically.
Uranai Baba still seemed suspicious of the man before her. She properly scans him up and down while floating on top of her large crystal ball.
"Do I have to tear open my chest and write my name on my bloody heart for you to believe me?"
"Okay, okay! I believe you... So, why did you come to meet me?"
"Why else would I come here to your desert home in the middle of nowhere?"
"Are you here for Launch?"
"Her—and there's something else I need to ask you about."
"Come along." The two don't stay at the main entrance any longer as they both head inside the oasis-like desert mansion.
...
"Launch is learning under someone else right now. So, what's the other thing you wanted to ask about?"
Hearing this, Shen moves on to his other question for now. "Do you know a woman called Annin of Fry Mountain?" Shen is unsure whether this filler location, which only appears in the manga, is real or not.
"Fry Mountain?? You must mean Mount Five Elements... If it's that mountain, you came at just the right time. It's also the place where I sent Launch to train under Lady Annin."
"I must say that girl really has great talent, even better than me... She mentioned that she was once imprisoned by an evil organization but that you broke into the prison and saved her. Your actions successfully found me a good pupil—not to mention, a good source of income."
Shen pretends he didn't hear the last part. "Perfect! Then I'll just go there and meet them—Lady Annin and Launch."
Actually, there is no need for Shen to meet Lady Annin if he only intends to travel to the Other World. He is aware of another, much easier way.
Until a few days prior, he had almost forgotten about Kami's Kai Kai technique. It's a godly technique that lets Kami travel between the Other World and Earth.
Yet, even after remembering this crucial fact, Shen still chooses to go out of his way and travel the long route. He wants to explore this mysterious mountain as it may help him tremendously in the future. Who knows, maybe this place could allow him to travel to other unknown dimensions or even the elusive Demon Realm shown in Dragon Ball Daima...
...
Shen has arrived at the location where, according to Uranai Baba, he should be able to meet Lady Annin.
Right now, he stands in front of a demonic stone figure carved onto a rocky cave entrance, its maw wide open. Makes you wonder what lies beyond the cave. Shen is the first in thousands of years about to find out—not that he doesn't know already.
To reach this place, he had to pass through a massive door, followed by a narrow elevated path. He also easily dealt with the obstacles that were there along the way, like illusions and such.
Shen steps into the cave through the wide opening. A short while later, he exits from the opposite side.
"It's hot here..." he exclaims while fanning his neck. "Ohh, that must be the reason!" Before him lies what appears to be a burning stove, about the size of an above-average mountain, with a similarly humongous pot sitting atop it. Hot steam rises from its top.
Shen looks around and finds two ki signatures veiled by the foggy water vapors. "There they are!"
He flies to the back of the steam and encounters a giant woman, merrily stirring the boiling ingredients in the pot. "Who!" she asks, her voice loud, intrigued by her guest.
Shen introduces himself and his intentions for coming here.
"So, you are Shen, and yes, you are right—that girl has been receiving tutorage from me for the past six or so months. Look, there she is."
Shen looks up where the woman is pointing her finger.
There she is: a girl meditating peacefully, hovering in the sky, mystical radiance enveloping her whole being.
Shen can feel her aura and energy. "Amazing!" Shen did hear from others about Launch having a great deal of untapped potential. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, he can confidently confirm it.
He had thought he was by far the strongest human on Earth. Even Tao in his regular form had a huge disparity in power. Yet, Launch has completely shattered that notion. From what Shen can feel, although she is not quite at his level, she isn't too far off from him in terms of raw power.
Sensing his arrival, the blonde girl slowly opens her eyes.
"Shen!" she exclaims in astonishment. Shen is about to greet her when—
"You despicable bast—" The girl stops for a second, re-evaluating her choice of words. "Idiot! Why didn't you return after leaving me with that old witch? Do you know how bored I was?"
"Now, now... let's not get so angry and worked up over such a small matter. Am I not here to visit you today? You see, I had a plethora of work to do. Before coming here, I even saved Earth, defeating a heinous space pirate in the process."
"I saved all of humanity."
Launch struggles to retort, as the imaginary light behind the man is so blinding that she can't bear it.
"Don't give me that—"
Her words are cut short as suddenly her nose catches a whiff of something.
"Haaaaaa~"
"Haaaaaa~"
"Haa-choo!" The girl is compelled to sneeze.
"Ara~ Mmmm~ Who might you be?"
"Blue-haired Launch?!" Launch transforms, replacing the dangerous blondie with the sweet blue-haired girl, a literal physical change. This is Shen's first time witnessing Launch transform into her other personality, as for the large part after meeting Shen, the girl has been staying with far from him.
Blond hair Launch and Blue haired launch are two vastly contrasting personalities. In fact, both of them can't even be accurately described as the same person.
"It is strange no matter how many times I see it," Lady Annin exclaims. Shen agrees.
...
All of them sit around a table on wooden chairs, slurping hot noodles with their chopsticks. "You said you want to explore the Other World with my help?" Lady Annin speaks.
"Yes, I would like to do that. I heard this mysterious furnace helps souls pass on to the Other World. I want to experience this method."
"So, you just want to check it out?"
"Yes!"
"I'm fine with your request, but before that, let me brief you on the actual origin of the Furnace of Eight Divisions..."
Shen stops to listen closely.
"No one else other than me knows this history. It was created in ancient times by a race called Triclops. These people had all kinds of mystical power. They are responsible for most of the strange occurrences and extraordinary creations on this planet, like this furnace, the Ultra Divine Water, Korin Tower, and even the Lookout..."
Shen absorbs the information deeply. "Are there any Triclops that you know of?" he asks.
"Since the previous Kami, no notable Triclops blood has appeared. Members of this tribe have a distinct third eye on their forehead, so they are easy to recognize. But all the remaining ones likely have very diluted blood and won't have the talent to awaken their true abilities."
"Hmm... that could be a problem," Shen exclaims.
"Why are you so interested in them? They are practically an extinct race."
"Well, I happen to have a three-eyed disciple."
As the conversation is about to continue and their noodles are getting cold, a furious Launch stands up.
"Now!" She pouts. "Both of you should first finish your food... talking while eating is considered bad manners."