"You didn't expect this, did you, Aha? I knew you were spying on me all along, which is why I threw out this delicacy that could lure even a god."
"You didn't expect this, did you, Chen Li? I knew that you knew I was spying on you, so when I came out to eat this delicacy, I had already swapped the mask I was wearing with one belonging to a certain Masked Fool."
"You didn't expect this, did you, Aha? I knew you would swap the mask for a fake one, but I can eat anything, so it doesn't matter."
"You didn't expect this, did you, Chen Li? I knew you could eat anything, so that fake mask was made from the sandals of that female Masked Fool you know!"
"???"
"Ahaha, just kidding. Was it funny? I thought it was hilarious."
"Give me back the sandals I wanted," Chen Li said, holding out his hand to Aha.
"???"
"Ahaha, just kidding. Was it funny? I thought it was hilarious," Chen Li said with a shrug.
"Somehow, that doesn't feel like a joke," Aha, the Aeon of Elation, muttered, stroking his chin.
"Of course it's a joke! Alright, let's drop it. We asked you to deliver a message to Nous, the Aeon of Erudition. Did you do it?" Chen Li changed the subject.
"Why do you want to see the Aeon of Erudition? To take a bite out of that pile of scrap metal like you did to me and the Aeon of Nihility? You're really not a picky eater, are you?" Aha said with a grin.
There he is! The random bystander from the stories who can casually reveal any incredible secret!
"After hearing what Aha just said, don't you two have anything to say?" Chen Li turned to look at Herta and Little Herta, who were hiding inside the golden protective罩 of the Friends Circle.
The Herta puppet possessed by Big Herta and Little Herta could only communicate normally in front of the Aeon of Elation when they were inside the Friends Circle. Screwllum had been able to communicate normally because he was present in his true form, whereas neither of the current Hertas were the real deal.
"So when you asked me earlier if I could observe the Aeon of Nihility, you meant that you had spent your short time away taking a bite out of it? Hah, you could have just said so," Herta waved her hand dismissively.
Big Herta was no longer surprised. After seeing Chen Li take a bite out of the Aeon of Elation's mask, she had already used up her entire quota of surprise for the day.
"It wasn't just 'a bite.' I was chewing on it for nearly a month," Chen Li retorted.
"Huh?"
"It's true, it's true! Chen Li just traveled over a hundred years into the past and chewed viciously on the Aeon of Nihility for a whole month. I saw it, I can vouch for him," Aha nodded repeatedly.
"He traveled a hundred years into the past, so how would you know?" Herta looked at Aha with suspicion.
"Ah, seems we didn't coordinate our stories on that one. How silly of me. But anyway, you can't go back on your promise of delicious food, okay?" Aha lamented, tapping his head with his fist.
"..." Chen Li could barely hold back his laughter. This Aha was even more unruly than the Monkey King.
And that was precisely why Chen Li had only taken a single bite of Aha's mask; he was afraid of being infected with his drama queen tendencies. The Gourmet Cells only required one bite. As for gaining Spirit attribute growth by devouring Aeons... Chen Li would rather bother his good brother IX. As everyone had seen, IX didn't object at all to Chen Li having his "meal."
The effect of [God of Cookery] was that [Your consumption can inflict irreversible damage on the devoured portion of a god]. Chen Li was pondering if he could choose not to cause damage, which would give him an endless buffet.
As for how Aha knew things so clearly, perhaps it was because he really had seen it all.
"Wait, did my trip to the past cause the timeline I altered to overwrite the current one, or have I always been in the timeline that I was destined to alter? Do you know the answer to that?" Chen Li suddenly thought of this question and looked at Aha.
"Heaven knows, I don't. So you should go ask Heaven," Aha said, staying true to his persona as a god of amusement.
"..." A Miracle Card appeared in Chen Li's hand.
"Oh, I hate that card. Chen Li, take my advice, if you know everything, life won't be fun anymore. So I'll be taking my leave now. Anyway, I've delivered your message. That pile of scrap metal didn't say anything. You two can try again tomorrow. If he doesn't accept the invitation, I'll personally express-deliver you to him." After speaking at lightning speed, Aha's figure slowly faded away, giving Chen Li no chance to ask his question.
"So you really went a hundred years into the past?" Once Aha was gone, Herta and Little Herta, who had been clinging to each other, finally let go and returned Chen Li's Friends Circle to him.
"Why would I lie? Here are the Miracle Cards," Chen Li said, tossing the two cards to them.
"If you had the Miracle Cards, why didn't you just show them to us from the start?"
"You don't get it. What I wanted to see was the look of shock and disbelief on your faces. Preferably the kind where you're sprawled on the floor."
"Your taste is truly unique... Indeed, I am still the only genius in the entire Genius Society with a sound personality," Herta quipped. Then, she and Little Herta began to examine the Miracle Cards.
---o---
"...You didn't bring back any souvenirs from inside the Aeon of Nihility?" This was Herta's first question after she finished viewing the cards.
"No wonder we're both members of the Genius Society; I was thinking the same thing. I actually did bring back a little something." As he spoke, Chen Li took out his Friends Circle and used it as a container for the century-egg-sized piece of the Aeon of Nihility's body.
The essence of this "Little Black Handsome" was similar to that of the Miraculous Amber. The difference was that the Miraculous Amber didn't actively affect the outside world, whereas Little Black Handsome did.
"It has research value. I love it! Sell it to me," Herta said, her hunter's instinct flared.
"Sure. One for each of you; I cut off a lot. My good brother IX was just too hospitable," Chen Li said. He had already forgotten how many times his good brother IX had turned him into stagnant water. In any case, the depths of IX were littered with traces of his presence. It was only reasonable for him to take some souvenirs.
"We can talk about the research later. I have a question," Herta said.
"Ask."
"If you really wanted to eat the Aeon of Nihility, why didn't you use the [Key of Fateful Invitation] to invite It? The Aeon of Nihility's life motto is to slack off, so It probably wouldn't strongly resist your invitation. Plus, you'd be forcibly sent back after eating for 30 minutes, so you wouldn't have to worry about getting stuck in the depths of Nihility."
"Because tasting the Aeon of Nihility in the invitation space might not have generated a Miracle Card," Chen Li explained. He had actually considered Herta's genius idea, but the possibility of not getting a Miracle Card had successfully deterred him.
But on the other hand, since he already had the Miracle Cards, he no longer needed Acheron to tie him to an arrow and shoot him into the depths of IX just to catch up with his good brother. He could just ask the Aeon of Nihility out on a date directly. A date with a side of eating.
"I see... so eating the gaze of the Aeon of Voracity was also premeditated?"
"That was an accident."
"Another question. Can your Miracle Card's effect take hold the instant the card is born?"
"Hmm?"
"I was thinking... if you ate the gaze of the Aeon of Voracity and made it irreversible, would that mean you severed the connection between the Path of Voracity and mortals, preventing the number of its Pathstriders from increasing? Because the essence of an 'Aeon's Gaze' is when a mortal's will overlaps with a Path, and if their will is strong enough, they gain the [Attention] of the Path, allowing them to draw a small amount of power from it. That's the birth process of a Pathstrider," Herta explained.
When a mortal's will overlaps with an Aeon's Path, they can be considered to be walking upon it. If their will is strong enough, they can draw a small amount of power from the Path and are thus called "Pathstriders." In Herta's view, the act of "eating an Aeon's Gaze" could have minor or major consequences, depending on the conceptual abilities involved.
"That... I don't know. The Miracle Card was born after I ate the gaze, so its effect wasn't active at the time," Chen Li said.
"Then I have another question."
"Why do you have so many questions?" Chen Li sighed.
"For geniuses like us, the biggest problem is having no problems. Having questions is a good thing," Herta said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Ask away."
"If, and I'm just saying if, you were to use the [Key of Fateful Invitation] while holding food that is fatally tempting to a god, could you trick them into the invitation space to be eaten?"
"???"
"After all, you said it yourself that the key can invite beings from different worlds, and as long as they don't resist, the probability of failure is very low."
"Hiss..."
"But before you get any wild ideas, Chen Li, you need to understand one thing: what groups does the term 'god' in [God of Cookery] refer to? If it broadly refers to powerful beings worshipped by countless people, then I would also count as a god. The researchers at the Herta Space Station worship me like one."
"Then can I take a bite of you to test it?"
"That's... fine."
"You actually agreed?"
"What's a little nibble between friends... How about you bite my fingernail? If it doesn't grow back, then it'll prove the effect works on me," Herta waved her hand.
"Deal."
"Then wait for my main body to come over personally after I'm done spending my three hours in the trash can," Herta said, a slight smile on her face. It was no wonder Big Herta wanted to smile... The thought of Chen Li, who dared to bite even an Aeon, surrendering beneath her, obediently and carefully kissing her fingers, was exhilarating.
"Hmm, wait, where did the Little Black Handsome I put on the side go?" Chen Li froze.
"Burp." Little Herta let out a timely burp, drawing the attention of both Chen Li and Herta.
"I figured since Chen Li can eat the big century egg, I can eat the little one," Little Herta said, tilting her head.
"Huh?"
"And I think this thing would be a perfect hidden backup energy source for a puppet! If the fusion is successful, I'll have hit the jackpot! By the way, main body, if I die, just consider it a sacrifice for science, and remember to watch the ads to revive me." Little Herta said, sprawling on the sofa in a classic slouch.
"Are you insane?"
"I'm not insane, I'm just too eager to improve! Machine Spirit, let me see your limits! ...Burp."
---o---