CHAPTER 354: CHAPTER 353: "BLACK" HERTA

Chapter 353: "Black" Herta

...

"Gourmet Cells... they feel a bit like ’Voracity’."

Big Herta carefully observed the Gourmet Cells. It wasn’t that she hadn’t studied the ones Ruan Mei brought back, but perhaps due to the different worlds, they seemed "inert."

It was as if... there was nothing in her world "worth eating."

"Don’t compare Voracity to Gourmet Cells. Voracity has a limit," Kenji said, lifting his "little cotton jacket" (Anya-kun) high.

With the power Senior Uncle Ichiryu has now, he could pin an Aeon to the ground and rub them into the dirt.

"Please. Aeons are considered ’top-tier’ where we’re from," Big Herta said, exasperated. It was only these "monsters" from outside her universe who thought Aeons were nothing.

"But... Aeons are ’abstract.’ You can’t view them with common sense. Ever since Akivili of the Trailblaze returned, the ’Amber Eras’ have been changing much more frequently."

A strange smile appeared on Kenji’s face. He knew exactly why.

Are Hoshi-vili (Akivili) and Aha... ’proper’ Aeons?

"The ’Ghost-Fire Youth’ (Akivili) is back. He’s bound to bump into the ’wall’ (Qlipoth) a few times."

"If the Amber King’s wall gets broken, Qlipoth will definitely retaliate. But... who in the universe can outrun the Trailblaze?"

Of course, it wasn’t that Qlipoth couldn’t catch him... it was just... unnecessary.

"The Corporation issued a ’strong condemnation’ against the Nameless. And that’s all they did," Big Herta said, amused.

The overbearing Corporation... even they don’t dare kick the Astral Express "iron plate" now.

Back in the day, with the fleet of Expresses, they could "open a blind box" and gamble that Akivili wasn’t on that specific train.

But now... there’s only one Astral Express. The Aeon of Trailblaze is sitting right on it. ’Try it and you’ll die’.

"Akivili put the word out: If the Corporation keeps whining, he’ll just revoke their access to the ’Silver Rail’ and put them on the Trailblaze blacklist."

Kenji, hearing this, could already imagine the Corporation’s higher-ups... "furiously calming down."

If the Corporation couldn’t use the Silver Rail, the blow to their profits would be immense.

"The Corporation can’t ’call’ Qlipoth... but Akivili... can actually throw a punch," Kenji said.

"By the way... what are you reading?"

Kenji picked up the books next to Big Herta: "One Hundred Questions for Caring for a Pregnant Genius", "How to be a Child’s Godmother", "The Complete Guide to Baby Food Recipes"...

Hmm... this is weird. Big Herta is 99% "not right."

Ruan Mei is pregnant... why do you seem more invested than she is?

And where did you even buy these books? The titles are so strange.

"Ahem!" Big Herta’s face turned red, and she coughed. "I’m just... concerned about my good friend. No other reason."

I forgot to put them away! Ahhh! My ’Genius’ face is ruined!

"This... ’cooking’... you should probably... not," Kenji advised.

He remembered Herta’s cooking skills... weren’t good. She always liked to use "strange Curios" to "assist" her cooking... and then the kitchen would explode.

His world had plenty of delicious ingredients. Herta’s hands... were better off used for research.

"What do you mean? Are you looking down on my cooking?" Herta was displeased.

As a "pointy-headed"... no... a "supremely intelligent" genius, she could obviously do anything. That naturally included cooking.

She just... wasn’t "interested." It was a trivial "minor path." For her, it was simple.

"Fourth Mirror... I ask you..."

Big Herta needed a "witness" to prove her point.

"Magic mirror, magic mirror... tell me... how is my cooking?"

The "Fourth Mirror" replied without hesitation: "Ms. Herta... you are not suited for cooking. Please... spare the kitchen."

You could hear the... "grievance" in the Fourth Mirror’s voice.

Being Herta’s mirror... my life is hard.

When Herta ’cooks’... she just ’delegates’ it to the Curios, and makes me, the poor mirror, watch.

The result... heh... the food splatters... all over my mirror surface. It’s impossible to clean!

"Hmm?"

Big Herta was stunned. The Fourth Mirror... dared to talk back? It’s getting bold.

"Let me use the kitchen."

With that, Big Herta stormed into the kitchen.

Kenji sighed... and "banished" the kitchen into a space he created. Just in case.

"Herta is... cooking?"

Ruan Mei and the others were called over. They watched Herta on the "projection."

Ruan Mei, who knew Herta well, had an extremely strange expression.

This ’sister’ of mine... almost never cooks. Is this... really okay?

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A few moments later... explosions echoed from the kitchen.

"Wait...?"

"Is she putting... BB Corn... in the microwave?!"

Atashino’s eye twitched. You can microwave normal popcorn... but BB Corn... will pop and explode the microwave from the inside!

"The Jewel Meat... is charcoal!"

"You can’t boil a Bomb-Shark!"

...

Big Herta had no understanding of the ingredients’ properties. Her "operations"... made everyone’s skin crawl.

"I knew it," Ruan Mei covered her face, a headache coming on.

Big Herta, as a genius, "never dirtied her hands." How could she possibly know how to cook?

"Darling... you should probably... get her out of there."

Ruan Mei couldn’t watch anymore. It was "interesting"... but she’d seen enough.

"Mhm." Kenji’s smile couldn’t be suppressed. He released Big Herta.

"Pah..."

A puff of black smoke came out of Big Herta’s mouth. During her "cooking"... she’d taken a "top-tier lungful."

"Hahaha! Now you’re a literal ’Black’ Herta (黑塔)!" Kenji burst out laughing.

Big Herta’s fair face... was now... pitch black. Except for the whites of her eyes... there was no other color.

"Pfft... Herta... why is your face so black?" Ruan Mei giggled.

"..."

Big Herta’s face got even "blacker"... not that anyone could tell.

"It was an accident! I’m just... not familiar with this world’s ingredients!" Big Herta argued stubbornly.

So embarrassing! A genius... can’t not know how to cook! This was just... unfamiliarity! I’ll get it after a few more tries!

"I think... you’d better not try again."

Kenji stopped Herta’s attempt. Your idea... is too dangerous. It needs to be ’sealed’... no... ’stopped’.

"Are you looking down on ’this genius’?"

Big Herta glared.

"Pfft... You should go wash your face... ’Black’~ Herta~," Kenji smiled.

Even the ’Boss’ (Jailbird Jing) isn’t as ’black’ (unlucky/dark) as you are now.

"Just you wait!"

Big Herta lifted her ’arrogant’ head and huffed off to the bathroom. She would prove... she could do it!

"Herta... can sit at the same table as Raiden Ei now," Kenji muttered.

One after another... all "Kitchen Killers."

(Herta might be slightly better... but not by much.)

(Kitchen: It wasn’t easy... but someone finally ’spoke’ for me.)