The small Dragon Pearl was a fragment of the great Dragon Pearl. In theory, it had the ability to connect to the great one and share some of its functions. As for the great Dragon Pearl itself, Liu A'dou knew it could gather and store information, and even hold physical matter. But the small Dragon Pearl clearly hadn't inherited those features. As for what other powers the great Dragon Pearl might hold, Liu A'dou had no idea. Which meant he didn't know what the small Dragon Pearl could really do either.
So the flashing little Dragon Pearl became a puzzle for him.
"What are you trying to say?" Liu A'dou stared at the pearl, asking it again and again, but got nothing in return.
Right now, he was at home. He'd brewed coffee and was sitting there thinking.
Dong, dong. Dong, dong. A violent pounding on the door, then—boom! His front door flew straight into the entryway, snapped clean in two.
Liu A'dou's train of thought was shattered.
"I thought you'd already gotten used to your power." It wasn't an attack—it was Kara, Superman's cousin.
"What are you doing here?" Liu A'dou hadn't expected Kara to show up at his place.
"Diana gave me your address," Kara said, not apologizing at all as she walked straight into the living room.
She was wearing simple denim overalls and a white sweater. But since she was already a gorgeous blonde, the plain outfit still looked stunning on her.
"Oh." Liu A'dou looked sadly at his broken door. Why so violent? "Are you in a bad mood?" If she had her powers under control but was still bursting out like this, it could only mean her emotions were off.
"Kal wants me out of Metropolis." Kara had only been living with Superman a few days, and already things had gone sour.
"Clark doesn't earn much. You should be more considerate. Living in Metropolis isn't cheap for two people," Liu A'dou said.
"It's not about money. Kal just doesn't like me. He thinks I'm a burden."
"How could that be? You're his beloved cousin." Liu A'dou didn't believe Clark was that kind of person. "What happened between you two?"
It wasn't anything big. Kara was just a teenage girl in her rebellious phase, fed up with being told what to do. Even though she'd mastered her powers, she still hadn't gotten used to playing the role of an Earthling. With her strength, she didn't like hiding. That caused Clark plenty of trouble.
Clark had no choice but to think about sending Kara back to the family farm, to let their foster mother take care of her for a while. He knew Kara needed proper guidance, but he was Superman. Between work and saving the world, he barely even had time to chase after Lois. At best, he managed a few quick chats with her while saving the world. Adding Kara into the mix, he simply had no time to teach her.
Kara vented plenty of complaints, but at the core, it was just a girl's gripes against parental control. A little temper tantrum, nothing more. As for why she had come to Liu A'dou instead of Diana, she couldn't say. Maybe it was because of Nono.
"I see. Then stay here for now," Liu A'dou said politely, letting her stay.
"So you think there's no need for me to hide my powers?" Kara thought she'd finally found someone who agreed with her.
But Liu A'dou said, "When you use your powers, it's best to wear a uniform. Do you have one?"
"You mean like Kal's red cape?" Kara shook her head. "I don't have anything like that."
"Then let me design one for you," Liu A'dou said with a mischievous grin. "On Earth, there's a rule—you only use your powers when you've got your uniform on. Now that you're here, you should follow local customs."
"?" Kara seemed to get it. "So Earth really has such a rule? No wonder Kal acts that way." She was half convinced by Liu A'dou's twisted logic. "But Kal doesn't care about me. I'm not like him. I miss Krypton. For me, everything only happened a few months ago. But he's treated Earth as his home for so long. He doesn't understand me."
When Kara went into stasis, her memories froze at the moment she left Krypton. Waking up, she found the cousin she was supposed to protect had already grown older than her. Everything on Earth was strange. Even though Clark kept telling her she could make new friends here, Kara still missed her Kryptonian friends and her parents.
On that, Liu A'dou had no solution. Only time could help Kara adjust to Earth. "I'll make you a uniform first. Once you wear it, you can use your powers just like Clark."
He pulled out blue, gold, and red cloth. He didn't need a sketch. Following the principle of using as little fabric as possible, he crafted Kara's Supergirl outfit.
A blue skirt with a tight midriff top, a golden "S" on the chest, a red cape, and a pair of red boots—that was enough.
"How about it?" Kara didn't think the outfit was revealing at all. The Amazons on Themyscira wore far less. Once she put it on, a valiant Supergirl was born.
"Not bad, not bad!" Liu A'dou grinned. It was his first time making clothes for a girl.
"Now I can be just like Kal," Kara smiled, but soon her face fell again.
"What's wrong now?" Liu A'dou thought to himself, 'Girls really are women too. Their hearts are impossible to read. One second they're smiling, the next they look like they're about to cry.'
"It's nothing. I just worry Kal still won't let me use my powers."
So that was it. She was worried about Clark's attitude. A good girl indeed. Liu A'dou thought he'd better not corrupt her.
"Don't worry about Clark. Unc—no, I'll be the one to teach you how to use your power," Liu A'dou said. "Once you've learned to use that strength to punish evil and promote good, your cousin won't stop you anymore."
"Really?"
"Of course. In fact, I've got something to investigate soon. You can help me."
"No problem, I'd be happy to help." This was her chance. If she really used her powers for good, Kal would surely be proud. "What do you need me to do?"
"Uh, nothing just yet. But once I solve the mystery of the flashing Dragon Pearl, we'll have something to do." Liu A'dou took out the Dragon Pearl.
Kara looked at it curiously. The bead was beautiful, sparkling brightly. But wait—she saw something hidden in the flickering light.
It was something human eyes couldn't perceive. Liu A'dou's vision was sharp, but still not on Kryptonian level. The information was buried in the glow, visible only to eyes that surpassed normal limits.
Kryptonian super-vision let Kara see it clearly.
Interesting. Liu A'dou had been planning to go to the Justice League's space station to analyze it with Batman's equipment. But now there was no need. Kryptonian powers really were convenient. Super-vision, super-hearing, freeze breath, heat vision, skin immune to blades and bullets—every sense was a weapon. With gifts like these, it was no wonder Kryptonians had the right to guide humanity, this incomplete species.