The night was thick as ink, the stars completely hidden by the city’s dazzling yet somewhat hollow neon lights.
The entire city seemed like a startled giant beast; although the surface clamor had quieted due to the late hour, discussions about that mysterious golden-light powerhouse were boiling over in the shadows.
Whether it was the night owls still drinking beer and eating skewers on street corners or the keyboard warriors online, all focus converged on the miracle of kicking a Dragon-level Monster into the distance.
But all this noise seemed to be shut out of Sage’s studio, located in a high-end villa district.
The room was very quiet.
There was only the crisp, pleasant tapping of the mechanical keyboard, like dense raindrops hitting plantain leaves, continuous and rhythmic, playing a unique solo in the silence of the deep night.
The faint blue light from the screen reflected on Sage’s focused and resolute face.
At this moment, he was in a wondrous state.
The Glint-Glint Fruit he had just perfectly fused with didn’t seem to just strengthen his limbs and bones; even his brain’s processing speed had been brought to an inconceivable height by the photonic energy flowing in his veins.
His thoughts were like lightning.
In the past, when making a game, even writing a simple character action logic might take half a day of scratching his head and countless code revisions, all while worrying about bugs.
But now, those complex algorithms and massive data structures were like soldiers lined up in his mind.
With a slight movement of his fingers, they would obediently arrange themselves on the screen without any delay or error.
Is this what evolution feels like?
Sage’s fingers almost turned into a blur on the keyboard.
If someone were filming with a high-speed camera right now, they would be shocked to find that the letters on the keyboard seemed to be pressed at the exact same time.
The progress bar on the screen was growing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It was the final rendering and packaging of the content for Chapter One of Genshin Impact.
That virtual world, filled with elemental power, a grand narrative, and graphics sufficient to crush all existing games in this world, was about to be born from his hands.
“Click.” With the final heavy press of the Enter key, Sage let out a long breath.
He slumped into his ergonomic chair as if he had just finished a marathon.
However, this limpness wasn’t from exhaustion.
It was an indescribable sense of relief and satisfaction.
It was the joy of a creator god.
Just then, a faint sound of a door opening came from downstairs—the sound of a fingerprint lock motor turning, which was exceptionally clear in the silent night.
Following that was the sound of high heels hitting the floor, slightly heavy and no longer as light and arrogant as usual.
Sage glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of the computer screen.
2:30 AM.
His always overbearing ‘cheap wife’ Tatsumaki, who acted as if she could hold up the sky with her Psychokinesis even if it fell, was back.
She was likely exhausted from dealing with the mess in City A today and the questioning from those old fossils at the Association.
Sage hesitated for a moment.
He had originally intended to go straight to sleep.
But remembering that she was currently the head of the household and he was the one living off her, he needed to show some social awareness.
Besides, if he was going to play the part, he had to go all the way.
Favorability isn’t built with words; it’s built with actions.
He stood up, stretched until his joints popped like firecrackers, then pushed open the studio door and walked down the stairs.
The main lights in the first-floor living room were off.
Only a small, warm yellow wall lamp was left on at the entrance.
That petite figure was slumped on the leather sofa.
Her green curly hair, usually groomed meticulously, was now a bit messy, with a few strands hanging over her forehead, obscuring her eyes that were always filled with Evil Qi.
Her signature black high heels had been kicked aside.
She was curled into a ball, looking like a Persian cat that had been wronged outside and returned to its nest to lick its wounds alone.
Hearing the footsteps on the stairs, Tatsumaki’s body stiffened slightly.
The alertness unique to an S-Class Hero made her instantly want to sit up straight and maintain her dignity as a powerhouse.
But she was truly too tired.
Her body merely twitched before going limp again.
“Not asleep yet?” Her voice was a bit raspy and sounded weak, completely lacking the vigor she usually had when scolding people.
Sage walked over to the open kitchen, skillfully opened the refrigerator, and checked the ingredients inside.
“Just finished work.
I heard someone and came down to check.” He replied casually, taking out two eggs, a handful of fresh green onions, and a pack of handmade noodles that, while instant, had a decent texture.
“Hungry?” Tatsumaki didn’t answer.
She just buried her face in a throw pillow.
After several seconds, she let out a muffled “Mm.” The sound was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
The corners of Sage’s mouth curled up slightly.
This woman was indeed only a little bit cute when her battery was completely drained.
He didn’t waste any more words.
He started the stove, boiled water, and chopped the green onions.
His movements were fluid.
Although not at the superhuman speed he used for coding earlier, they possessed a unique sense of rhythm.
Before long, The aroma of noodle soup, rich with the scent of green onions and eggs, began to drift through the spacious mansion.
This was the simplest Plain Noodles.
No delicacies from land or sea.
But in the middle of the night, at a moment of utter exhaustion, a bowl of steaming noodles—one that felt warm just by smelling it—was no less powerful than a full imperial banquet.
Tatsumaki’s head, which had been buried in the pillow, peeked out slightly.
Her nose twitched twice.
A flicker of longing flashed in her green eyes.
It really smells good.
When did this guy learn to cook?
Didn’t he used to fail even at making instant noodles?
“Alright, come eat while it’s hot.” Sage set a bowl of noodles on the dining table, topped with a golden poached egg and sprinkled with green onions.
Tatsumaki sluggishly climbed off the sofa.
She walked over with heavy steps.
She pulled out a chair and sat down.
Looking at the excellent presentation of the noodles, she then looked up at Sage, who was standing nearby wiping his hands with a tissue.
“Don’t misunderstand.” Tatsumaki picked up the chopsticks, maintaining her last bit of stubbornness with a slight pout.
“I just don’t want to waste food.
Since you’ve already made it, it would be disrespectful to the food if I didn’t eat it.” Sage nodded with a smile, not exposing her.
“Yes, yes.
Then please do me the honor, Lady Tatsumaki, and don’t let it go to waste.” Tatsumaki huffed and took a mouthful of noodles.
In that instant, Her tense little face visibly relaxed.
The noodles were chewy and smooth, the broth was savory and rich, and the soft-boiled poached egg was cooked to perfection.
The moment she bit into it, the yolk coated the noodles—it was a feast for the taste buds.
Delicious.
So delicious.
She had been busy in the ruins all day today and hadn’t even had time for lunch; she was starving.
At this point, she didn’t care about her lady-like image and lowered her head to devour the food like a whirlwind.