Apart from gathering intel on the Dragon Balls, Zuke also asked Zuno a number of other questions he had been curious about.
For instance, he asked about certain characters and enhancement methods shown in Dragon Ball movies or TV animations, but Zuno made it clear that those things didn't exist.
This response put Zuke's mind to rest—at least it seemed that the dragon on Cereal Star wasn't misleading him when it claimed ignorance of the Tree of Might.
Of course, there was always the chance Zuno was lying, but considering that even in the original work, Zuno truthfully answered questions under pressure, he seemed to have professional integrity.
Whether forced or not, Zuno would answer truthfully as long as he had agreed to the questioning. Though initially annoyed, Zuno's expression grew numb as Zuke's questions kept coming.
Zuno eventually realized that if he answered Zuke's questions thoroughly, he wouldn't be troubled. Given this, cooperating obediently was the best option.
"Alright, that should be enough."
After asking numerous questions, Zuke closed his small notebook filled with notes, smirking as he noticed the relief on Zuno's face.
"What's this? Are you relieved that the questioning is over?"
"..."
Zuno didn't reply nor bother with pleasantries—wasn't it obvious to Zuke that he was relieved?
If he had any combat ability, he would've thrown Zuke out by now.
"One last question: where does your information-gathering ability come from? You've been stationed on Zuno Star for ages and hardly ever leave, right?"
Before leaving, Zuke had one last curiosity—Zuno's source of information.
Zuno never left Zuno Star, yet he knew a vast amount about the universe, even the details of people he'd never met.
Naturally, there were exceptions; for instance, Zuno couldn't discern that Zuke was a Stand user, nor could he see the black bird behind Zuke.
It was probably because powers from other worlds were beyond his comprehension.
"My ability is innate. To use a somewhat inadequate comparison, it's similar to the abilities of the Angel race and the Omni-King."
Given how many questions he'd already answered, Zuno didn't hesitate to clear up Zuke's doubts.
"So it's something you can't learn."
Zuno didn't doubt that Zuke knew about the Angels and Omni-King—this guy even knew about the Super Dragon Balls, so of course he'd know about them too.
Zuke understood now. Since Zuno's ability was akin to that of the Angels and Omni-King, that explained it.
This also meant the black bird couldn't gain Ultra Instinct by consuming the Angel race, nor could it gain universe-destroying abilities by consuming the Omni-King.
That was probably aiming too far. To accomplish such things, Zuke figured he'd need to work a lot harder.
"Are we done with the questions? If so, please leave. You're not welcome here."
Seeing that Zuke had finally exhausted his list of questions, Zuno's expression relaxed a bit.
"Of course, while your planet is indeed beautiful, there's nothing here that particularly interests me."
Zuke chuckled and waved his finger.
"Except for one thing—I noticed it on my way here. Zuno, you have a cube spaceship on your planet, don't you?"
Hearing this, Zuno's face changed instantly.
The cube spaceship was far from an ordinary spacecraft; it was divinely crafted and directly related to the Gods of Destruction and the Angels.
In the Tournament of Destroyers between Universes 6 and 7, Whis and Vados used cube spaceships to transport contestants and spectators from various universes.
These ships were incredibly fast, with Champa claiming they could reach any place in the universe, and they could even travel to other universes.
The cube ship appeared as an ordinary transparent cube, so most people, even if they saw it, would hardly imagine it was a spaceship.
But Zuno underestimated Zuke—Zuke had seen the original work and recognized the cube spaceship immediately.
It seemed Zuno wasn't exaggerating when he compared his abilities to those of the Angels and Omni-King. He likely did have some connection to these high-ranking deities.
However, his abilities were limited to information-gathering without the combat strength those gods possessed.
"I'm taking that cube spaceship. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
Zuke smiled at Zuno, his gaze hinting at a threat.
Although the cube spaceship appeared impressive, it was simple enough for one person to operate.
In Universe 6, Hit, the universe's top assassin, once asked Vados for the cube spaceship under the pretext of participating in a tournament, and she even agreed.
However, in the original story, Hit conceded during the tournament, so he never obtained the cube spaceship.
But the cube spaceship on Zuno Star was sitting idle on an open field and hadn't been used in a long time.
"Since it's just sitting there, why not let me make use of it?"
Seeing Zuno's conflicted expression, Zuke knew the spaceship was indeed genuine.
"That thing can travel between universes, right?"
"Yes, but inter-universe travel requires permission from a god, and that spaceship doesn't have it."
Seeing Zuke acting as if he already owned the cube spaceship, Zuno finally gave up resisting.
What could he do if Zuke was determined to take it? Zuno had no combat strength to match his abilities.
There were many unsavory characters who had visited Zuno Star in the past, but none, like Zuke, understood the cube spaceship's true value.
So, it had been sitting untouched on the field for years.
"It requires a god's permission, huh… Guess I'll have to find the Kai."
Zuke paused, surprised that traveling to other universes with the cube spaceship required divine permission.
This made sense—Champa wasn't lying; there was just a prerequisite condition.
It wasn't a big problem, though, since the Kai's strength was even slightly lower than Zuke's; he could persuade the Kai to grant him permission.
He was also prepared for his first destination—the Namekian planet, where the Elder could unlock his potential, possibly boosting his power several times over.
The North Kai's power level was 3,500, while his was 4,000.
Although a 4,000 power level threatening a 3,500 one wasn't out of the question, it still wasn't completely reliable.
"Go on then, but if you get caught by the Angels or the Gods of Destruction, don't expect me to protect you."
Seeing Zuke nod with satisfaction, Zuno, resigned, offered a kind of "after-sales service," instructing an attendant listlessly.
"Go show him how to operate the cube spaceship and make sure he leaves quickly."
To be continued…as
The Pokemon hunting of stands finally ends!
Just as Zuke exits the game an achievement pops up!
Exhilarated, Zuke decides to conclude the grail war in night!
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