Shu and Mai's faces were full of fear. Tien took a second to realize what they were worried about.
"Relax, guys. I'm not here to kill you."
Shaking his head, Tien tried to calm the idiots.
"I promise I won't hurt Pilaf either. Now let's go, you two."
"Show me where your lord is hiding."
Tien flew forward while carrying the duo in his arms. Mai nodded and pointed the way.
It didn't take long before Tien spotted a mountain — one that, upon closer inspection, had been hollowed out.
Tien sensed a relatively normal power level inside. This had to be Pilaf.
"We're here," Mai confirmed.
Tien landed while still holding them both.
The moment he touched the ground, a heavy gate slammed down over the entrance, sealing off the path into the mountain.
Mai and Shu twitched their lips. No doubt Lord Pilaf had seen them coming — and didn't want Tien to get inside.
Tien eyed the shut doors and looked down silently. When he looked up, his eyes were sharp and ready.
"Pilaf, I'm here to talk."
"Open the door and we can talk like civilized people."
Tien gave Pilaf a chance and waited patiently for a full minute. But there was no answer.
Shu and Mai were starting to worry. If Pilaf didn't cooperate, this meeting wouldn't end well.
They called out to him, trying to convince their lord to open the door and at least listen.
But Pilaf stayed silent, refusing to communicate. He had locked himself inside the mountain.
"Haaah… I tried," Tien sighed, his muscles tensing as the air around him grew heavy.
"Stay out here, you two. I'll go in and 'talk' to Pilaf myself."
"Your lord Pilaf wants two things in life: a position of power — and his own life."
"I have an offer he won't be able to refuse. Unless he's tired of living."
Tien had decided to force entry. Given the situation, he had already formed a plan to tame Pilaf.
Pilaf loved being a leader, but he valued his life even more. That was clear from the original story.
In the future, when he grew old, all he wanted was to regain his youth — just to live longer.
For someone that afraid of death, Tien only needed to apply the right pressure. A good threat — plus a tempting offer.
'Join me, and you'll survive. You'll even get to be a respected leader.'
'I believe Pilaf's smart enough to understand the benefits of siding with me.'
Tien smiled with confidence. This was the advantage of knowing the plot.
Without waiting any longer, Tien bent low and dashed at the metal gates blocking the way.
BANG!
The gates snapped with a loud crash and fell down like paper, raising a thick cloud of dust.
Shu and Mai backed away in fear, staring at the wreckage. It looked like the door had been hit by a train.
Tien himself had already vanished inside, barely noticing the "sturdy" doors meant to keep him out.
The two looked at each other and gritted their teeth. Despite Tien's warning, they decided to follow.
They were loyal to Pilaf, not Tien. They had no reason to stay behind.
Just as they stepped forward, a loud boom rang out — and a massive robot was thrown from the cave, crashing to the ground.
"Isn't that Master Pilaf's strongest weapon? The Pilaf Robot?" Shu pointed.
The smoking wreck was broken beyond repair, twitching like a dead rat.
The duo silently gulped, turned around, and ran right back to their original positions — pretending they'd never moved.
If even the Pilaf Robot was wrecked that easily, it was smarter to stay put and let things play out.
Half an hour passed.
Finally, Tien and Pilaf emerged from the cave — laughing and talking like old friends.
Shu and Mai looked at each other in disbelief, then relief. Tien really had kept his word — Pilaf was unharmed.
"Shu, Mai! What are you two doing standing around? Come over here and bow to your new Emperor Tien!"
"He's our new leader! And I'm the head of science and technology under him! Hahahaha!"
"I have a whole continent to myself now — I can build anything I want!"
Pilaf laughed gleefully. He hadn't expected Tien to show up with such a great offer.
Tien had threatened him at first, but the deal was too good to refuse.
Pilaf gave up the base without hesitation and agreed to leave with Tien immediately.
To show loyalty — and secure his position — Pilaf publicly handed over his two minions to Tien.
Shu and Mai instantly understood: they had been sold.
Tien was their new boss.
They ran forward and bowed deeply.
"Hello, Emperor Tien!"
They'd worked under Pilaf before — but now Pilaf himself worked for Tien. By logic, Tien was the top of the chain.
Pilaf grinned slyly as he watched them submit.
'I hope he likes my gift. I present my minions as a peace offering.'
'They weren't much use to me anyway.'
He didn't care what Shu and Mai thought. He never had. To him, they were tools. Nothing more.
Giving them away didn't bother him at all.
Tien blinked, a little surprised by the gesture — but he wasn't about to complain.
Mai, at least, had potential. If trained in Ki, she might even be able to fly someday, like Videl.
"I accept you two," Tien said with a gentle smile.
"You'll help with odd jobs while we build the Triclops Empire."
"Our next stop is the edge of the world — the lands known as Yunzabit Heights."
Tien turned toward the horizon. That mysterious, distant land. Few ever visited it.
It was time to begin.
If things had gone well, his people would already be there: Yamcha, King Chappa, Nam, Launch, and Chiaotzu — all finishing their tasks.
And now, with Pilaf — a master engineer — at his side, everything was ready.
Advanced chapters ahead on patréon
www.patréon.com/ImagineMaker