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At Penacony's Dream's Edge, on a quiet rooftop terrace.
Herta and Sol sat side by side. In front of them was a delicate, compact table, upon which food released an enticing aroma.
It wasn't any kind of high-end restaurant. They had already passed the awkward phase where cooperation had to be discussed in luxury dining halls.
Although it was still their first day meeting, they already felt like lifelong acquaintances—each of them carrying traces of the other on their body.
This tranquil place, where one could leisurely enjoy the scenery, suited their tastes far better.
Stelle ultimately did not come along. Having had her little secret exposed, even with her thick skin, she didn't want to immediately appear before the people involved—at the very least, she needed a day.
In any case, she already knew that Herta and Sol hadn't abandoned her. She had simply seen something she wasn't supposed to see. All in all, it made her want to lie on her bed and die for a bit—maybe even do it twice.
"We combine our twin blades."
Sol raised his small wine glass toward Herta.
"Our minds are in perfect sync."
Herta clinked her glass against his, casual and languid.
They smiled at each other, then drained their glasses in one go.
It was a strong, mellow fruit wine, produced in the famous Lyra Constellation—one of Herta's personal reserves.
"It's an excellent flavor. There's a unique fruity note with a long-lasting aftertaste. I'll remember it."
Sol savored the lingering aroma in his mouth, feeling relaxed and content.
Ever since gaining the ability of [Materialization of Imagination], he had become obsessed with collecting flavors he liked.
Having inherited the culinary mastery of the legendary Supreme Chef, his internal database was enormous—enough to manifest all eight major cuisines from before his transmigration, with extraordinary creativity on top of that.
Later, he also gained the cooking skills of Guoba… no, of the modern culinary school as well, filling in contemporary cuisines alongside them.
The wonder of the universe lay in its vast unknown. In every field, there were things that refreshed the senses—and food was no exception.
Even for a seasoned gourmand like Sol, surprises were endless. This fruit wine truly was exquisite.
In the future, he could manifest it as a regular drink. Perhaps when he returned to New Eridu, he could even let Burnice try it—that lively friend would definitely love it.
"You have good taste."
Herta gave Sol an approving look and said proudly, "Even among my collection, this is my favorite. While price doesn't represent everything, a bottle worth one hundred billion credits still says a lot."
That was right—this used to be her favorite wine. Knowing Sol liked it made her genuinely happy.
But she wasn't unfamiliar with liquids that tasted even better—and she had just experienced one earlier.
In terms of value, even a single drop would be worth trillions of credits.
A miraculous elixir capable of evolving life itself—its deliciousness came from the pleasure of life's evolution.
She knew very clearly that before her life level caught up to Sol's, that was the most delicious liquid in existence. And the closer her life level drew to his, the weaker that flavor would become. But for now, it was simply a soul-corroding poison.
"Why is your face red?"
Sol looked at Herta with some confusion.
They were just talking about wine—why did she suddenly look like a boiling teapot?
Although he was usually far from proper, right now he was being uncharacteristically serious.
"Mm, it's nothing."
Herta lightly pursed her lips, maintaining a calm expression as if nothing had happened.
Was she supposed to tell him that his 'milk' tasted even better, and ask if he wanted to try it himself?
Even with her free-spirited personality, that was something she simply couldn't say out loud.
Acting nonchalant, Herta reached out and picked up a piece of premium jerky. Her pale, slender fingers became lightly stained with red oil as she changed the subject. "The food is excellent. I didn't expect you to be a culinary genius as well. None of the top chefs on "The Blue" can compare to you."
"It seems this relationship we've established has benefits for me in this area too. Barely counts as not a loss."
She narrowed her eyes, letting the rich, savory flavor linger on her tongue.
As "The Blue's" calling card, she had enjoyed the highest quality of life since showing talent at a young age, tasting the pinnacle of countless cuisines.
Yet compared to the food Sol provided, there were subtle differences. They were minor—but the gap between perfection and imperfection was an unbridgeable chasm.
Still, this compensation only barely made it worthwhile for her. She truly hadn't expected Sol to be this capable.
"This food was manifested through imagination, of course it surpasses reality."
Sol smiled faintly and said calmly, "Even if I cooked it with my own hands, there would still be a gap compared to these."
Recipes were recipes. Skill was skill.
Even with the inheritance of multiple fantasy-tier chefs and a body strengthened to the extreme, his technique had already reached the pinnacle.
Yet food cooked by hand was still imperfect.
Ingredients always had flaws—it was impossible for them to be flawless in every aspect.
The [Materialization of Imagination] solved that problem, allowing everything to reach absolute perfection.
Rather than saying it produced dishes, it was more accurate to say it produced a sensation of "perfection" itself.
"Food manifested from imagination… so perfect."
Herta's expression immediately turned serious. She stared straight into Sol's eyes and said decisively, "This—this is the foundation of how you plan to realize your ideas, isn't it?"
"If the steps of cooking can be quantified, how is that any different from experimental procedures?"
"Tiny flaws in ingredients, minute deviations in technique—are they really any simpler than small variables in an experiment?"
"If you can produce perfect dishes, then you can also produce machines with absolutely zero error."
"As long as the theory is correct, you can manifest it directly!"
She realized she had seen through the truth—uncovered the crucial method Sol intended to use to climb the Path of an Aeon.
Previously, the three conditions Sol had proposed to her were each nearly impossible to fulfill.
But combined with his [Materialization of Imagination], which could directly output perfect results from correct theory, everything became possible.
Perfection was something even geniuses could only gaze at from afar.
And judging from how Sol casually created a small giant capable of wielding Emanator-level power, his energy also seemed to possess the trait of infinity.
Even if it wasn't true infinity—unlimited output and source—but merely a pseudo-infinity with an upper bound, it would still be enough to realize the vast majority of things once deemed "impossible."
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