Having sealed and frozen the Tsala's head, Tundra stepped out of his ship. There had been one thing catching his attention ever since he got near the planet. He had let Gavta lead him around, half-hoping it would satisfy his curiosity. Then he learned of the Mota and thought it could be what he was feeling, only for it to turn out to be wrong.
He spread his senses throughout the planet. Most of the surface was blind to him, though in comparison, the caves seemed as if they were shining like stars in the night sky.
Tundra didn't wait for Gavta to come back. He simply started moving toward the most expansive cave on the planet.
After a few minutes of flying and searching around the general area, he discovered the entrance, blocked by rubble that he easily pushed off.
Falling in, Tundra couldn't help but notice the walls were slowly fading into lush, glowing blue moss. To him, the moss felt unusually bright, its ki dozens of times greater than any blade of grass he'd ever seen.
After falling for half a minute, Tundra finally saw the end, choosing to speed up and stop admiring the walls. He plummeted down, stopping right before he hit the ground.
The tunnel opened up into a cavern so large it seemed as if it could hold entire cities.
Looking around, dozens of holes much like the one he came from lined the walls, and in the middle of the cavern was a gigantic, twisting mass.
Now that he saw what was making him so curious, he couldn't help but get even more curious. Just what was this being?
Tundra walked closer when suddenly an eye emerged from the mass, giant, blue, and glowing much like the moss all around them.
He stopped walking, feeling like he'd gone close enough to the being. It was strange; he'd seen quite a few beings in his time, and yet this didn't feel like sentient life.
Just then, he noticed something: eggs. Large ones lined the outside of the being.
Tundra stared at the creature for many moments. He felt the usual things—ki, mana... then there was something else. Something heavy. Unlike ki or mana, it felt like it was more than energy, more than an abstract power. It felt like it was ingrained into its body.
Upon feeling this energy, it was almost like his senses expanded, crossing over to feel something he had never once felt before. Almost instinctively, he could tell this was lifeforce.
Tundra paused for several long seconds, trying to adjust to the vibrancy of his senses suddenly expanding. In that time, the giant mass slowly expanded outwards, tendrils of glowing blue moss extending toward Tundra.
What it did next was something Tundra could've never expected.
It created a cup out of a hard blue rock, fluorescent cyan liquid dripping into the cup from another tendril.
It held the full cup out as if it were a peace offering, possibly sensing Tundra's power.
He stared at the cup, then at the mass. He wasn't going to drink it, not before knowing what it did, but he'd accept the gesture.
Taking the cup in his hand, Tundra glanced at the mass before turning around. He couldn't help but wonder what this thing was.
And for some odd reason, even though Greed was sulking like a child, it hadn't made a noise ever since it got onto the planet.
Feeling the surroundings with mana, he could see Greed. It was interesting how it didn't have any lifeforce, but it made sense. It didn't have a physical body.
"Why have you been so quiet?"
Greed was slow to respond, as if suffocating from some unknown pressure.
"...This thing in front of us is trying to drive me out. I can hardly hold out..."
Tundra glanced back at the mass before turning back to Greed, holding out the cup.
"Tell me what this fluid does."
Greed let out a sound before stopping.
"I can hardly keep myself here, and you want me to appraise an item?"
Greed let out a sigh before continuing.
"...I can't say anything about that. I would've done the same."
Greed started poking and prodding the liquid, though with the heavy toll on its mind, it was hard to get any information.
"It's something good for training. At least, that's all I can gather."
Tundra smiled. Useless. He'd have to visit Makura later to find out what this fluid was.
With that thought, Tundra went through the same passage he had entered through, using his ki to stop the fluid from spilling as he flew up.
Exiting the hole in the ground, everything felt so empty on the surface. Life was almost nonexistent aside from some stragglers and cities. You could almost mistake it for a dead world.
Tundra flew to Gavta to say his goodbyes. He should do at least that, no matter if it hid that luscious underground.
He saw Gavta standing at the entrance of one of the cities.
Landing next to Gavta, Tundra spoke.
"This planet was among the greatest I've ever seen, and regretfully, this is my goodbye. I have business to take care of... If you ever want to join the Empire, not as food processors, then you're all welcome to do so."
Gavta blinked, processing Tundra's goodbye, before nodding down after some time.
"We will consider the offer. I wish you the greatest life. May your greatness be spread far and wide."
Tundra nodded, heading back to his spaceship with the cup in hand.