Chapter 628: Cat Cakes

Pei Guang and Asta returned to the space station once more. Asta needed to get back to managing things: Duke Inferno's actions had already stirred unease within the station.

But because Pei Guang had taken action, his fans, previously disheartened by the missing staff incident, immediately rallied again.

Casual fan: "See? Trailblazer Pei Guang saved the station again! If it weren't for him, who knows how many people that Duke from the Annihilation Gang would've killed?"

Hater: "What's it got to do with him? My sources say it was all thanks to Dr. Ratio!"

Pei Guang anti-fan: "You can't even diss properly and still call yourself an anti? Listen up! According to what I've heard, this Trailblazer has huge ambitions. He's eyeing the position of Station Director to take over the whole space station. Doesn't he ever use that empty head of his and think whose station this even is?"

Pei Guang die-hard fan: "Obviously, it's Pei Guang-sama's station!"

In an anonymous group chat, anti-fans and Pei Guang supporters were tearing into each other. But compared to the previous bout of dominance from one side and silence from the other, this heated back-and-forth made the station seem a lot more normal.

Outside of research, the space station staff didn't have much to do. Gossiping and venting in the chat group was one of their rare ways to relax.

While Asta resumed her duties, Pei Guang went to find Stelle to let her know there was no need to keep looking for the Curio. From what he'd gathered, the Curio Stelle had been searching for had been used by Duke Inferno and ended up burned by him.

Now, the Curio had essentially "ripened" and could be used as crafting material, but it had lost all of its original effects.

Stelle was currently in the isolation section where they had once confined the Breeding Emanator, but what puzzled Pei Guang was why she was staying in one spot without moving. 

Was something wrong? Pei Guang was confident she hadn't encountered any danger—there was no system log indicating any attack.

Out of curiosity, and to let her know her task was stuck, Pei Guang went to the isolation block to find her. And the moment he did, he was stunned.

In a corner of the isolation chamber, Stelle was sitting in front of what looked like a "rice cooker," surrounded by a crowd of Cat Cakes, wearing a blissful expression.

These Cat Cakes were life forms Stelle had created using Ruan Mei's bio-synthesis machine. Depending on the genes inserted, the Cat Cakes could be produced with different colors and fillings.

Originally, Stelle had been searching for the Curio, but she stumbled across this fascinating synthesis device instead. It reminded her of that all-purpose pot they had used before that could synthesize anything.

After experimenting with it, she started producing Cat Cakes. 

At first, they were all fairly normal, but when she began tossing in unusual materials, she somehow ended up with one extremely special Cat Cake.

After dressing it up, this Cat Cake ended up looking suspiciously like herself. At first, Pei Guang thought she had just found a particularly cute one, but when he looked closely at the one she was snuggling, he got very interested.

Stelle was snuggling it so happily. 

The fact that it resembled her was probably a genetic coincidence? 

She didn't care either way. Just based on how similar the pattern distribution looked to her, she decided she was going to enjoy it thoroughly.

Cuddling it, lying on it, hugging it tightly, all while letting out a joyful little giggle… it was like she'd thought of something delightful. But right then, she faintly sensed someone approaching.

Normally, Stelle didn't care what others thought. She'd rummage through trash cans and even climb in them if she wanted. Why would she care about appearances? 

But when she caught a glimpse of who it was, her whole body froze.

Pei Guang: "That thing you're holding…"

Pei Guang saw the Cat Cake in her hands, which looked suspiciously like himself. And the moment he did, he instantly loved it. 

Pei Guang was delighted, but Stelle, upon hearing his voice, froze on the spot.

Pei Guang might be interested, but Stelle felt like she'd just died of embarrassment inside.

Stelle: "When did you get here?"

Pei Guang: "Hmm? Right around the time you were cuddling it, lying on it, and giggling 'hehe' with it in your mouth."

Stelle: "…"

Stelle felt like her image was already ruined. 

Wait a minute… she never had an image in front of Pei Guang in the first place, right?!

Thinking of that, she proudly placed her hands on her hips and triumphantly held up the Cat Cake she had synthesized.

"Look! I made this: it's called Trash Cake!"

Pei Guang looked closely and noticed that the outer shell of the Cat Cake really did resemble a trash can. "You know what? That name actually fits pretty well."

As he teased her, Pei Guang leaned in next to Stelle and looked at the Cat Cake. Feeling his gaze, the Trash Cake folded its little hands and said, "Rules... are meant to be broken..."

Seeing this, Stelle excitedly looked at Pei Guang. "See? Even its tone is exactly like mine! Ah Guang, come on, try to figure out what this little guy can do!"

Pei Guang replied sarcastically, "What do I look like, a green-skinned strategist? How would I just guess and get it right? But if you're asking what it might be for... Pet system, maybe?"

Looking at the Cat Cakes, Pei Guang started reminiscing about his lost youth—not the usual fancy pet systems, but pets from places like Aobi Island and Mole Manor.

Pei Guang said, "You know, these little guys really are pretty cute. Let me try making a few too."

Stelle responded, "Then let me show you! It's actually really simple. Do this, then this, and finally this—and then just toss in some weird materials. As far as I know, anything works.

That'll synthesize a Cat Cake! The resulting Cat Cake will inherit traits from the genes and materials used. Like this Trash Cake, I just used trash to make it."

Pei Guang listened carefully to Stelle's explanation and got to work. First, he followed the machine's prompts to choose the shell, then the filling, and finally, he needed to add special materials to alter the gene.

But when it came time to add the materials, Pei Guang suddenly had a bold idea. According to Stelle, anything could be used as material, and there were no restrictions.

Pei Guang took out the Light Cone [Tribunal of Life], a Light Cone he had acquired from a simulated Memory World. 

Its effect guaranteed critical hits on specific targets.

Technically, it was crazy to use such a valuable item as synthesis material, but Pei Guang was curious. 

He had to see what would happen if he threw a Light Cone into the mix.

After all, Stelle did say any material was fine. Not trying out a top-tier one would make him itch with curiosity.

It was just like those crafting systems in games that were designed to use junk—but players always wanted to throw in rare items just to see what might come out.

But this was a limited Light Cone. If it was gone and didn't produce anything useful, he'd definitely be heartbroken. 

After some hesitation, Pei Guang took out his phone.

"Hey! Quick question: about that Light Cone you gave me. If I break it, can you get me a new one?"

"You can? I need to do a mission? Only once? And only if it actually disappears? No problem!!!"

Pei Guang had contacted the Messenger from the Garden of Recollection. 

The Messenger's answer was simple: if the Light Cone truly disappeared, it could be remade. As for it actually vanishing? 

The Messenger thought it impossible: this was a Light Cone handcrafted by Fuli herself. Unless an Aeon showed up in person, even a Messenger or an Emanator couldn't destroy it.

In fact, if it could be destroyed, then getting Fuli to make another one wouldn't be an issue, especially since she had specifically said she wanted Pei Guang to owe more favors. 

Even if the favor was technically part of a mission, she'd count it.

That's why the Messenger offered the task as a way to let Pei Guang replace the Light Cone. But to make sure he understood how rare and valuable it was, she emphasized it could only be replaced once

Of course, if he somehow broke it a second time and wanted another, the Messenger would definitely have reasons to make him pay.

What the Messenger didn't know was that Pei Guang took the "only once" rule very seriously: he had already been burned by single-use limits before.

Getting the green light made Pei Guang happy. "Nice! There really is a recovery system. But what's up with this world? It's like everything is stitched together with my traits. I can only resurrect once, and the Light Cone can only be revived once? Whatever, doesn't matter, if I can bring it back, I'll try it! Worst case, I just won't use the Light Cone casually anymore."

Thinking that, Pei Guang stuffed the Light Cone into the machine. As the device sealed shut, it let out a thunderous roar.

As the roar died down, the machine's lid opened. 

At that moment, golden light pierced through Herta's space station. Bathed in that light, Pei Guang saw a Cat Cake that looked somewhat like the Aeon of Erudition.

The moment the Cat Cake appeared, the space station was once again enveloped by the power of a Path. 

The freshly born Cat Cake of Erudition received the gaze of Elation. It was blessed with Elation's power and became an Emanator of Elation.

Faced with this scene, Pei Guang was at a loss for words. 

It was wild enough that he had synthesized a Cat Cake resembling an Aeon, but now that Cat Cake had actually been blessed by Aha? Was Aha not worried about getting beaten up by Erudition?

Then again, maybe Aha really wasn't afraid, so it was fine. 

In fact, Pei Guang had no complaints about receiving the power of Elation. If anything, he was glad his Cat Cake turned out strong.

As for Nous? That Aeon showed no reaction at all. It was still busy calculating the future and had no time to bother with anything else.

While Erudition remained unaffected, someone else was on the verge of a breakdown. At that very moment, Ruan Mei was carrying out her plans on an uninhabited planet. 

But when she saw the message Pei Guang sent her, she went completely silent.

What had Pei Guang done? He had used the machine she left behind to synthesize something, and that something turned out to be a Cat Cake version of Erudition? 

And then that Cat Cake got blessed by Elation and became an Emanator of Elation? He had taken something she left behind, made a Cat Cake out of Erudition, and now it had become a Messenger of Elation?

Huh?! What just happened???