"We are the taste buds of the universe." Lin Yue looked at the "Possibility Wine Glass" in her hand that gradually turned into rainbow colors, and finally understood the metaphor of the first generation diary, "Every time you taste the unknown, the universe has one more flavor." She poured the wine in the glass into the starry sky, and those unnamed emotions turned into meteor showers, falling to various universes in need of color, and drawing a crooked but vital taste map in the blank space left by the Administration.
The Entropy Scythe girl suddenly raised twelve dice, and in mid-air, they combined to form a matrix that read "Begin Tasting." When the first die landed, the sky above the undefined star field split open, a galactic waterfall of flavors unfolding. Within the waterfall were the mint of a first kiss, the caramel of reuniting with a close friend, the salty, astringent taste of watching the ocean alone, and countless new flavors waiting to be named.
Ah Fu caught a handful of water from the waterfall with his oracle-bone sword, and a new rune immediately appeared on the blade—the law of possibility written with taste. He tilted his head back to drink, and what rolled down his throat wasn't just the taste, but the thrill of countless firsts: the first time he trusted a stranger, the first time he faced failure, the first time he embraced the unknown future.
Amid the roar of a gustatory waterfall, the tavern at the transit station officially opened. The first table of guests were explorers from three different universes. They ordered a dish called "Paradox Stew"—a dish that evoked both memories and longings, loneliness and reunion. As they clinked their glasses, the wine splashed onto the ground, and storytelling moss grew. Its veins held the beginnings of countless "what ifs."
Xia Zichen stood on the bridge of emotion, watching the "vine of attachment" of Shiyi Island spread across the universe, laden with "fruits of remembrance" that allow people to weep for their lost memories. He knew that at this moment, in a universe ruled by data, a child was biting off a "dewdrop of homesickness," understanding for the first time what "nostalgia" meant. This taste would become the first key to breaking down the walls.
The wind swept past, carrying the bustle of the tavern and the roar of a waterfall. Suddenly, a strange seed appeared in Lin Yue's pocket of wind. The seed's surface shone with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. She buried it in the crystalline ground, and instantly, vines sprouted, adorned with countless small bells. Each bell held the next question of a cosmic explorer: "How many flavors are there in the distance?" "What will I encounter on my next adventure?" "What if I chose another path..."
The black cat, wagging its tail, crouched on the bell vine, its paw fiddling with the brightest bell. "The answer isn't in the bells, it's in the wind." As soon as it finished speaking, all the bells rang simultaneously, their sound converging into a new wind, pushing Xia Zichen and the others deeper into the starry sky. Behind them, the lights of the transfer station remained permanently lit, leaving a doorway open for every lost taste bud to return.
(End of Chapter 37)
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