Chapter 6

“The essence of imaginary numbers and quantum phenomena? A Philosopher’s Stone forged by capturing a thread of the Breath of Truth?”

Upon hearing this, Ruan Mei’s eyes, originally as calm as a vast emerald ocean, sparkled with intense interest as she asked: “Then, with the Philosopher’s Stone’s power, could it exchange for something at the Envoy level?”

“Too small! Your vision is too narrow!”

Hermes smirked, a mysterious smile curling his lips, then pulled out a Philosopher’s Stone the size of a fist: “If it could only exchange for things at the Envoy level, how could the Omniscient Lord possibly certify it as 【capable of equivalent exchange of all things under heaven】?”

The moment the Philosopher’s Stone appeared, Hei Ta and the others simultaneously began rapid calculations.

One minute.

Ten minutes.

……

After one hour, Stephen Lloyd was the first to exit his extreme calculation state, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and admitted he had done his best.

After one hour and twenty minutes, Hei Ta stopped.

After one hour and forty-five minutes, Ruan Mei stopped.

Finally, Luosigum, the most skilled calculator among the androids, barely avoided a system crash at one hour and fifty minutes before halting as well.

“Can something like this truly be artificially created?”

After regaining his composure, Hei Ta stared at the Philosopher’s Stone before him in disbelief: “If there were enough of them, wouldn’t they allow us to glimpse the secrets of the Star Gods?”

“Itachi’re saying Itachi made this thing yourself?”

“The Philosopher’s Stone is not something that can be casually manufactured.”

Hermes shook his head: “Even I, to produce one of this fist-sized scale, must expend tremendous effort.”

“To glimpse the mysteries of the Star Gods, the amount of Philosopher’s Stone required would be astronomical!”

In the end, Hermes split the Philosopher’s Stone into four pieces and gifted them to Hei Ta and the others, concluding the gathering.

……

After the gathering ended, news of the Philosopher’s Stone—a cosmic treasure—began to spread.

Stephen Lloyd lived up to his title as a genius; what he treated as a toy was, to the outside world, an unsolvable mystery beyond current technology.

Hermes’s Philosopher’s Stone, however, nearly overturned the universe’s understanding of energy science!

The Omniscient Society.

A man wearing a plaster skull mask sat motionless, staring blankly at the message before him.

“Is this the gap between mediocrity and genius—like Ix’s black hole, endlessly unfathomable?”

Look at the information on these two new geniuses.

The Truth Doctor felt a crushing sense of suffocation and helplessness.

He had strived relentlessly to catch up—but now…

Even their casual creations were an unreachable, despairing chasm from his own achievements!

……

Interstellar Peace Corporation.

Without mentioning anything else, they gazed at the description of the Philosopher’s Stone with desperate longing—it was a radiant marvel of the universe, its value incalculable!

The universe trembled violently due to the emergence of these two geniuses!

……

After ending the gathering of geniuses, Hermes simultaneously organized and consolidated the two new Envoy Powers he had acquired, then checked his chat group.

Omniverse Big Female Lead: “Pity—I can’t use the Food Cell system here; the environment doesn’t allow it!”

Omniverse Big Female Lead: “Otherwise, though Food Cells are somewhat dangerous, their potential is among the highest, right?”

Omniverse Big Female Lead: “By the way, if I fused Food Cells, could I swallow a ghost whole? Could ghosts even count as ingredients?”

The Wisdom of the Expander: “From a dietary perspective, all things are edible—ghosts are no exception.”

The Wisdom of the Expander: “But your edible ingredients must specifically align with ghostly properties. Throughout the entire anime of Food Wars, not even a supporting character of this type has appeared.”

Omniverse Big Female Lead: “Makes sense ·jpg”

Omniverse Big Female Lead: “The odds are too slim. If I really fused Food Cells, starvation would be my most likely fate.”

Omniverse Big Female Lead: “Oh? Itachi’re online so soon? I thought your exchange with Hei Ta and the other geniuses would last much longer.”

When Luo Qianqiu saw Hermes come online, her eyes lit up.

After much deliberation, she ultimately decided the hope of breaking her deadlock still lay with her fellow countryman.

After all, the name 【Hermes】 carried undeniable weight—it was a mythic, epic-level figure in virtually any world.

And don’t Itachi understand the prestige of the Genius Club?

The Wisdom of the Expander: “It was just our first meeting—getting to know each other, exchanging research directions.”

The Wisdom of the Expander: “When the need arises in the future, deeper exchanges will naturally follow.”

Omniverse Big Female Lead: “The Star Rail, teeming with lunatics, is naturally a hellish world for ordinary people—but for Itachi, a former Unknown Guest and current Sage of Knowledge Envoy, isn’t it an incredibly romantic and thrilling world?”

Omniverse Big Female Lead: “I wish I could ride the Star Rail and explore the boundless star seas—I’m so envious.”

Omniverse Big Female Lead: “The Food Cells Flouze gave me—I still haven’t dared to fuse them, afraid I’ll starve to death!”

The chat group’s ability is unquestionable; any power gained through it is automatically optimized and adapted to the local world.

There is no issue of incompatibility.

But the key is: just because she can fuse them doesn’t mean she can satisfy the Food Cells’ endless appetite!

After briefly understanding the group owner’s 【Omniverse】 worldview, even Hermes felt deep sympathy.

Who knows how many worldviews this so-called 【Omniverse】 has been stitched together?

At the very least, 【The Girl Who Can Be Seen】 definitely exists.

Even more absurdly, the sun and moon in the sky appear to be projections of some demonic deity!

Hermes found this world intriguing—ghosts and demonic deities were within his research blind spots.

In the Bengtie world, similar entities were merely things like 【Suiyang】.

But those were purely energy-based lifeforms; though valuable for study, they were certainly not the same as ghosts or demonic deities.

If he could study them, he would gain immense insights.

Champion of Sinnoh: “Group owner, how about I pick Itachi a high-potential Ghost-type Pokémon as your starter? Or maybe a Dark-type or Fairy-type to counter Ghost-types?”

Omniverse Big Female Lead: “Ghost-type Pokémon? Hmm, I recall Ghost-types grow stronger by consuming souls, right?”

Omniverse Big Female Lead: “Nah, better not. If I got a Ghost-type Pokémon, I’m afraid it’d keep eating—and soon this world would spawn another unfathomable demonic deity…”

Recalling the traits of Ghost-type Pokémon, Luo Qianqiu tugged at her cheek—had the image in her mind become reality…

She felt like dying.