Aimou couldn’t eat or taste anything. When she cooked, she strictly followed the guidelines, adhering to each step. Despite her limited senses, Aimou still made delicious dishes, not to mention the birthday cake carrying her birthday wishes.
Wielding a knife, Aimou cut a piece for Bologue. After tasting it for a while, with Aimou’s expectant gaze upon him, Bologue said.
"Very nice," Bologue praised, giving a thumbs up, "If you open a bakery, you’ll definitely rake in the dough."
Bologue was sincere; the things Aimou made were truly delicious, far exceeding his own culinary skills.
It was evident that besides studying alchemy, Teda’s daily life was well cared for by Aimou. Having such a capable helper made life much easier.
Bologue ate two bites and paused, looking at Aimou, who was resting her chin on her hands, gazing expectantly at him.
Whenever Aimou brought food for him, she always wore this expression, which reminded Bologue of stray cats he often fed in the alley. He would stand nearby watching them devour the food he had laid out.
Being watched while eating didn’t make Bologue uncomfortable, but Aimou’s gaze was somewhat... intense, as if she was eagerly expecting him to finish everything.
Finish... everything...
Like Bologue’s healthy lifestyle, his diet was balanced—not overly greasy nor overly bland. Yet the sight of this entire large plate of birthday cake brought him a hint of pressure.
"You... you made all this, but can’t taste it. How do you feel about that?"
Bologue changed the subject, voicing his inner thoughts.
He pondered about his curiosity toward Aimou, and after careful contemplation, he realized it might be because Aimou viewed the world from a completely different perspective.
Bologue wanted to know what the world looked like through Aimou’s eyes and how she perceived these things.
Aimou thought for a moment and then replied to Bologue, "Having made something so good, yet I can’t eat it or taste anything."
She appeared slightly disappointed, and the glow in her eyes dimmed. But soon, the glow brightened again, and she fixed her gaze on Bologue, filled with anticipation.
"But... not entirely."
"What do you mean ’not entirely’?"
Bologue felt a bit uneasy under her gaze, sensing something unfavorable was about to happen.
Aimou seemed conflicted and hesitant, as if she found it difficult to reveal the next subject to Bologue.
After nearly a minute of internal struggle, Aimou finally mustered the courage to speak to Bologue.
"Do you know what my secret energy is?"
Bologue was utterly surprised by Aimou’s statement, yet he remained vigilant. Every time Belli made an excessive request of him, she’d always offer something as a prelude. Perhaps Aimou was doing the same now.
"Do you have secret energy?" Bologue asked.
"I’m not sure, but it should be considered secret energy, right?" Aimou replied uncertainly. "I’m between an alchemy armament and a condenser, carrying multiple alchemy matrices on me. Under their mutual influence, a certain ability has also emerged, which is why I can study alchemy efficiently."
"So what’s your secret energy?"
"According to secret energy school classifications, I should belong to the Elevation School or the Secret Initiation School, but it’s quite unique, so my mentor categorized me in the Deceitful Structure School."
"Deceitful Structure School?"
Hearing this, Bologue became intrigued. Having been a condenser for so long, he had yet to encounter the rare Deceitful Structure School.
This type of secret energy is complicated and difficult to classify, thus is grouped into the Deceitful Structure School. In condenser confrontations, this school is particularly challenging, as conventional judgment cannot bind it, making each battle a gamble with the unknown.
"Mm-hmm, I’ve named it ’Shared Chord Body.’
Aimou spoke mysteriously, and before Bologue could further inquire about the nature of her secret energy, she requested from him.
"Give me the Etherflow Monocle."
Bologue removed the modified Etherflow Monocle from his neck and handed it to Aimou. After accepting the item, she carefully examined it, and the glow in her eyes waned.
In her view, Bologue’s handiwork was almost ruining this piece of alchemy armament, but Bologue had little to say, as his modifications were minimal—merely using metal to attach two single scopes together.
Ether surged within the room, coiling around Aimou’s body. She extended her palm covered with iron-repelling paint, dense golden light trails spreading across her fingertips.
Secret Power·Shared Chord Body.
Under Bologue’s gaze, Aimou’s fingers actually penetrated the metal, as if upon contact with the substance, her body turned into a shadow of nothingness.
This was not the end. The blue glow in Aimou’s eyes transformed into a blazing gold, and although her fingers became illusory, they were outlined in a gold trajectory, entering the metal.
Accompanied by Ether’s roar, the alchemy matrix engraved on the Etherflow Monocle resonated with Ether. Aimou’s golden fingers easily touched those woven threads.