Everyone in the Dragon Ball world went about their own business, and even Bulma's parents did not think much of it.
From their perspective, their daughter was simply going to visit her boyfriend's home. After all, even before she had a boyfriend, Bulma often disappeared for long periods.
As for whether Ethan, her boyfriend, would treat their daughter badly, they trusted that Bulma was not foolish. If he treated her poorly, would she not simply come back? And as for the matter of traveling between different worlds, Bulma would surely find a solution. She was a genius!
In short, the Briefs were simply easygoing and did not seriously consider such possibilities. They knew Ethan well and thought he was a good kid, so they were certain he would not mistreat Bulma. At most, they regretted that Ethan had not settled down there.
"Where is this?"
After leaving the Dragon Ball world, Ethan, Bulma, and Yoruichi once again arrived in the void.
It looked similar to outer space, but Bulma quickly noticed that it was different from the universe. The clusters of light around them looked like stars, but they were not any kind of celestial body she recognized.
When one of the light clusters passed by, she could vaguely see images flashing before her eyes. However, they were fragmented and chaotic, making it impossible for her to understand what they represented.
Ethan briefly explained it to her. Those clusters of light were different worlds, and the images she had just seen were fragments of events taking place within those worlds.
"So this is...?"
"The void between different worlds."
Ethan paused, then pointed to the largest cluster of light behind him.
"That's the world we just came from, the world you live in."
Bulma turned to look. Aside from being larger because it was closer, it looked no different from the other clusters of light, and she could no longer see any images.
"Why can't I see those fragmented images anymore?"
"With your current ordinary human body, that kind of information isn't something you can see whenever you want. You only saw it just now because you happened to receive some of the energy and information radiating from that world. Now that this world isn't releasing energy mixed with world information, of course you can't see anything."
"Alright, blame me for being an ordinary person!"
Bulma stood to the side with her arms crossed when another image suddenly flashed before her eyes.
"Huh? I saw it again... It looked like Goku, but he didn't quite look like him."
Ethan turned to look at Bulma and immediately understood what she had seen.
"That was Goku from one of the parallel worlds, in his Super Saiyan 4 form. However, that form only exists in a specific parallel world. The Goku from your timeline cannot transform like that."
"Is that so... Huh? You can see it?" Bulma then realized that Ethan had said she, as an ordinary person, could only passively receive scattered information. Ethan was not an ordinary person, so it was not strange that he could directly observe all kinds of information. "Alright, I've already figured out why. You don't need to answer."
Ethan nodded. He still had work to do.
He extended his hands forward, just as he had done with the Naruto world earlier. The seemingly enormous cluster of light suddenly became very small, and Ethan pinched it between his fingers. The faintly glowing glass bead seemed to appear directly in front of him, and Ethan held it in his hand.
Witnessing this incredible scene, Bulma felt that her entire worldview desperately needed to be updated. If she had not been afraid of accidentally damaging her own world, she would have snatched the glass bead away and studied it thoroughly.
"This is the world I live in?"
"Yes!"
Ethan opened his hand so Bulma could see it more clearly, but no matter how she looked at it, it was just an ordinary glass bead that gave off a faint glow. Inside it, she seemed to vaguely see countless stars.
Just as she tried to look more closely, Ethan suddenly closed his fist, blocking her view, and put the glass bead away.
"Don't lose yourself in it. A world, even a small one, contains more information than an ordinary person can withstand."
If Bulma truly became lost in it, her consciousness might wander aimlessly through the boundless universe and slowly lose itself. As for her body, an ordinary person's body would die within a few days if no one or nothing cared for it. If her body died, then even if her consciousness eventually found its way back, it would be meaningless.
After regaining her senses, Bulma suddenly felt a slight headache. Once he had put away the glass bead, Ethan flipped his hand and produced a bottle of liquid, handing it to her.
"Drink some of this. It'll make you feel better."
"What is it?"
"A potion that restores depleted mental energy. I added some flavoring, so it tastes like juice."
Bulma took a small sip and confirmed that it really did taste like juice before confidently drinking more. After only a few mouthfuls, her headache eased significantly, and her mind felt cool and refreshed.
"Ah, I haven't felt this comfortable in a long time."
No matter how hard she tried to take care of herself, she was no longer young, and the decline in her physical and mental strength was inevitable. Yet just a few sips of this "juice" made her feel as though she had returned to her twenties.
"Ah, not asking Shenron to restore my youth really was a mistake!"
"It's fine. Once we reach my place, I can help you undergo a basic enhancement first."
"What about me?"
Yoruichi had remained silent, quietly observing the surroundings.
Unlike Bulma, Yoruichi had already come into contact with the rules of the world because Ethan had made her the foundation of the Soul Society world. In that regard, she possessed an innate advantage.
"You still have plenty of untapped potential. We'll discuss it once you reach a bottleneck in your training."
Ethan felt that what Yoruichi lacked now was not potions. As long as she continued to fully unlock her potential, she could reach a level similar to Diana's. After that, she could enter the Tower of Babel to comprehend rules and integrate rule power into herself.
While explaining this to Yoruichi, Ethan guided the thin film they stood on, rapidly traveling through the void. They were like a shooting star cutting swiftly across the emptiness. The clusters of light around them stretched into long trails, and Bulma could no longer see their surroundings clearly. She only felt that everything around them had become colorful, dazzling, and blindingly bright.
"Where are we going?"
"To find your world."
Ethan patted Yoruichi on the shoulder, then gently pointed forward. A thread appeared on Yoruichi's body and extended into the distance, and they were currently flying rapidly in that direction.
"This is the connection between me and that world?"
"Yes!"
Yoruichi was the foundation of the Soul Society world, but unfortunately, the world had not followed her. Like the Dragon Ball world, it had remained within this universe. Ethan needed to find the Soul Society world, package it up, and take it out of this universe.
It did not take long, and Ethan did not enter the world to greet any acquaintances. He would have plenty of time to visit them later when he was free. For now, he had more important matters to handle.
In the blink of an eye, Ethan had acquired another glass bead. After putting it away, he gently pushed to the side as if opening a door, then directly pulled the two women out of the void.
He brought them straight to the Source Sea. Under the protection of Ethan's power, the immense energy and endless rule power within the Source Sea could not harm them, but the sudden change in surroundings still startled Bulma.
Where were they now?
Ethan then explained the situation to them. Both the Dragon Ball world and the Soul Society world were merely parts, or individual worldlines, of worlds contained within a Main God Space known as the Tower of Babel, which had been created by a powerful Main God in the Main God Universe.
After being claimed by Ethan, these worlds, including the Naruto world, all gained an opportunity to be upgraded. However, the benefits of this upgrade had little to do with most of the life forms living within them.
"Oh, I almost forgot!"
Just as he was about to leave with the two women, Ethan suddenly remembered that he had nearly forgotten something important.
He still wanted to take Eugene's Tower of Babel with him.
Reaching backward, he grabbed it. Fortunately, Eugene had stored his Main God Space within the Source Sea. If it had been like the Main God Spaces of ordinary Main Gods, then when Ethan killed Eugene, the Tower of Babel would have disappeared as well. In that case, he would only have been able to pull the people he had marked into his God Country, and those two worlds certainly could not have been saved.
This time, what he brought back was not a glass bead, but a model of a tall tower with a base about the size of his palm. This was not the Tower of Babel's original appearance, but merely the form Ethan had given it.
"Let's just call it the Tower of Babel."
Looking at the model in his hand, Ethan casually renamed it. After all, the Tower of Heaven and the Tower of Babel were essentially the same thing. The change in name was purely a matter of personal preference.
With these tasks completed, all the objectives of this trip to the Main God world had been accomplished.
"Let's go!"
Ethan put away the Tower of Babel. It could not be used yet and still needed to be modified after he returned.
However, he first needed to settle Yoruichi and Bulma, then release the worlds he had collected and establish connections between them and his God Country Universe.
"Why do more things keep coming up one after another?"
He had only just finished dealing with one pile of trivial matters, yet even more were waiting for him. It seemed he had no choice but to slowly handle them one at a time.
"First, I'll show you around the Venus!"
Helping them become familiar with the place was secondary. The main reason was that the God Country still lacked proper living facilities. He could not simply throw the two women into it and make them live like primitives.
Besides, Bulma still needed to undergo a basic enhancement, and all of that had to be done aboard the spaceship.
(To be continued.)