Chapter 47: Selecting a New Mission

The night had deepened.

During dinner, Xavier extracted a heap of food from his dimensional space, all sourced from Earth.

The family faced the mountainous spread and feasted noisily; piles of food vanished swiftly, leaving only empty plates and scattered bones. All that fare had settled in the bellies of four Saiyans.

"Ah, that hit the spot, Xavier—your Earth delicacies are incomparable," Rebecca said, reclining in her chair in a rather ungraceful manner, now thoroughly disinterested in the cuisine of Planet Vegeta.

"Aunt Rebecca, I really don't have that much food left; you'll need to conserve it," Xavier replied with a wry smile. The supplies he had brought from Earth were meant to last years, yet a tenth had been devoured in just a few days.

The appetite of adult Saiyans was far greater than he had anticipated, and he regretted presenting so much food.

Will I have to return to Earth soon to restock? Xavier pondered, wondering if such a minor issue warranted another trip.

After dinner, Adriel approached with a stack of documents detailing missions near and on Planet Phydia.

"Xavier, here are the coordinates for Planet Phydia. The nearest mission site is only seven days away! These are some of the other nearby missions," Adriel explained, handing over a list published by the mission control authority.

Xavier briefly perused the list, compared the missions, and decided, "Hmm, let's take the mission on Planet Kulzu; it's just right for our squad."

Adriel nodded and handed over the details for the Planet Kulzu mission.

"It’s good to keep the Saiyan squad busy; prolonged inactivity might raise suspicions. This will also be a good test for the squad members—they could become part of your permanent team!"

Adriel knew that after some Saiyans eventually departed, Xavier would naturally lead. Firstly, only he possessed the Instant Transmission technique, having saved the lives of many Saiyans. Secondly, as the strongest among them, Saiyans naturally followed the most powerful, making Xavier the ideal leader.

Eventually, he wouldn't be able to manage everything alone and would need to establish his core team. Currently, his squad members were all mid-level fighters—excellent candidates if they proved themselves.

Indeed, Adriel's dedicated support for Xavier, apart from their familial ties, was significantly motivated by considerations for his own daughter, Celine. Both were among the elite Saiyan warriors, and conveniently, a male and a female.

In Adriel's heart, a union between Xavier and Celine would be perfect.

But of course, it was ultimately up to them.

Xavier nodded slightly in agreement.

He planned to do just that. Shakda and the others were among the first Saiyans he had encountered, and he found their personalities to be generally acceptable. Although they exhibited some of the Saiyan arrogance, these were minor issues.

As long as they met his standards, he was ready to invest fully in their development.

The next day dawned misty.

A thin fog draped over the residential area like a delicate veil, dreamlike.

Early in the morning, Xavier used his communicator to send out the new mission details to all squad members, asking them to assemble at the designated location as soon as possible.

Atasya was the first to arrive. She greeted Xavier and Celine warmly before engaging in a cheerful conversation with Celine on the side. Since it was girl talk, Xavier wasn't interested and instead found a rock to sit on while he waited for the others.

The next to arrive was Shakda, flying in wearing a new style of shoulderless battle armor, who politely greeted Xavier.

"Captain, sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's nothing, we just got here too!"

Xavier responded with a smile. Shakda, a very proud Saiyan, had a temperament similar to Belruk from Adriel's squad—both were defiant and once loyal, would serve with utmost dedication without complaint.

"Hahaha, off to execute another mission, I've been itching for a chance to show off, wait till you see what Belit can really do!"

Belit, a burly youngster with more bravado than skill, who often bickered with Rida, shouted loudly.

"Heh, just make sure you don't whine about being tired," Atasya ended her chat with Celine and walked over, unable to resist teasing Belit upon hearing his boisterous remarks.

"Uh, Atasya, why do you have to say that? I'm a man, I'll definitely be strong one day!" Belit's face fell immediately, and he didn't dare rebut her words.

Soon after, as they waited at the designated meeting point, Jelin and Rida arrived one after the other. After a brief exchange, they followed Xavier towards the spaceport.

They then embarked on their spacecraft, heading toward their target, Planet Kulzu.

Planet Kulzu was located in the southeastern part of the North Galaxy, very close to the eastern territories of the North Galaxy. The journey required over two months of travel. Because it was at the junction of two territories, Planet Phydia had not been overtaken by any other force.

The lengthy journey quickly passed, and the dark brown planet of their destination was now within reach, with Xavier and the others awakening from their dormant state.

Seven blazing fireballs pierced through the atmosphere and slammed into the ground, creating a massive shockwave that kicked up a vast cloud of dust. As the dust gradually settled, seven tiny figures emerged near the impact site.

Upon arriving at Planet Kulzu, Xavier turned to Celine and instructed, "Celine, the mission is in your hands now."

After receiving Celine's acknowledgment, he walked alone into the dense rainforest and quickly vanished from sight.

Watching Xavier disappear, Celine snapped back to the task at hand and addressed Shakda and the others, "The difficulty of this mission isn't high. It's mainly a test for you all, so neither Xavier nor I will intervene. You can show off your skills to the fullest!"

Celine effortlessly spun the narrative, framing the mission as a test for Shakda and his team—indeed, one of the key reasons Xavier had chosen Planet Kulzu.

The power structure on Planet Kulzu was not particularly high, making it ideal for Shakda and the others to hone their skills.

"So that's why the captain vanished, it's a test for us, then let's not hold back," Belit realized, clapping his hands. He guessed that Xavier might be secretly observing their performance from somewhere!

"Hahaha! Then I must perform even better, I want to fight to my heart's content!" Rida laughed boisterously, winking at Belit, who naturally grew furious, sparking another bout between them.

"You two, when will you ever take things seriously!" Atasya sighed in exasperation, "But since the captain chose Planet Kulzu as our test planet, we must not disappoint him."

"Indeed, we have a big gap to close with the captain, we need to work even harder," Shakda thought to himself, his eyes sparking with a renewed fighting spirit.

Jelin also made a resolution internally.

Shakda and the others harbored no suspicions because the combat abilities of Xavier and Celine far exceeded their own. It was entirely plausible that as members of the same squad, they would receive specialized training to improve.

If they didn't enhance their combat skills, it would be difficult to assign them to future missions effectively.

Celine, seeing their spirited expressions, smiled subtly and then found a comfortable spot to set up a hammock she crafted herself, where she lay down to relax.