Pef stood in his kitchen, with a fresh cut of Bronze meat in front.

Not quite the rib-meat, since the ribs of this Green Star-eating Bronze Kun were made of a metal-type of dense matter and a dozen kilometers apart. Perhaps it was a form of winged fish, if one able to fly through the Heavens and eat stars as snacks.

'But the Kun is still food. Food needs to be cooked by humans. We have done so since we discovered fire.' Pef mused inward, as he began preparing the meat.

Pef fell in a kind of trance, or moving mediation, hands and skill working by themselves as he continued to prepare a batch of new Copper Burgers.

'Without fire, humans are only animals...unable to create tools or build a civilization. Thus, fire is a base for more than life, but cultured life. Using fire, humans remove pathogens and toxins from their food.' he continued as he left the minced meat to grill slowly on a adamantium grill heated by Icefire.

'Same with plants. Are we herbivores? No. Maybe partially? With some exceptions like fruit or vegetables, we cultivate grains and make bread with their flour. But to cultivate plants, you need land, arable land. Cities evolve if there's enough food, and the surplus is used to feed other job beside farmers. Smiths, builders, artisans and philosophers alike, they wouldn't have the luxury of doing those jobs if there wasn't enough food.' Pef continued as some herbs and roots got minced and boiled for his new burgers.

'And of course, water. No water, no food. It is a simple and direct connection, beside the need to drink. Also, boiling the water removes pathogens, increasing survival rates. There is no city that can live without a water source, be it a river, a lake or even deep wells.' he said in a thoughtful tone, as a squad of Avatars began preparing a vat of Kun blood for the next batch of Divine Wine.

'In vino veritas, our ancestors used to say, perhaps wisely. The truth is in the wine, should the wine be really good, I should say. Be it grapes, plum, rice or any other wine, we used it make loneliness easier and gatherings happier. Wine is the foundation of social life, which leads me back to civilization.

But my Dao Wine is so much more...because I use high-grade beast blood. Blood!' Pef exclaimed inward.

His mind rushed through religious concepts as lightning speed. Transubstantiation? Wine as blood and blood as wine. Bread as flesh...for Divine beings, at least.

'I thought I was only cooking. However, it seems the Church of Pef has finally become the truth as well.' Pef mused inward, while subtle transformations took place, both inside his Dao Core, and in the substance of his Copper Burger.

The toxicity of the Tier 10 meat vanished under constant Icefire flames, and the fragrant expensive herbs added to the already exquisite meal, until even the Heavens couldn't resist anymore. Upon pressing the burger together, a lightning flash bestowed a Tribulation cloud to his first ever Tier 9 cloud burger.

'So this is enlightenment...' Pef realized while staring in surprise at the result of his Dao. But the cloud was still there, proof it hasn't been a dream.

'Now you have to repeat this kind of burger a million times. We only have 18 years left, so hurry up.' the orange glove urged him in a less impressed tone.

Pef sighed inward, and began cooking the next burger. Cultivation was still hard.

While his hands worked by themselves, most of his attention had focused on the Kun Wine, and the special transformation of blood into wine.

'To think I never actually understood what I was really doing, all this time. Is this a curse for all who walk the Dao? The Dao is the Way, and you practice it by doing. But at least, you should look around as you walk the Way. Stop looking at the stones and gaps in front of you, Pef!' he motivated himself, and tried to raise his eyes, and still keep doing.

It was hard, so incredibly hard. Pef felt like holding the whole Heaven up, everything in the world trying to make him focus on the road ahead.

'But I want to see what's around!' he exclaimed in his soul, and with a tremendous effort of will he did raise his head.

With his first glance, Pef saw the River of Destiny moving him along, trillions of other fates floating along towards a distant destination.

Then he faltered and fell back into his mundane life, only propped by his nigh-indestructible body.

A glow of Preservation emerged from his dantian, sustaining his soul for a moment until Pef gathered his wits again.

'Too soon for that, little one. Admirable Will, but foolish even so. Ascend a few times, then try again.' the World Tree Seed spoke in his soul, then curled back into its shell and continued becoming.

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Pef sat down, and observed his Avatars finish up the new brand of Divine Wine. His senses had changed a little, and he could see tiny strands of Fate floating inside the wine.

'Do you see them?' he asked his glove.

'Not directly. I can sense that you sense something. The wine has probably changed, from one moment to another. And you are very tired, more than fighting that Kun Beast last week.' the glove answered after analyzing its user for a minute.

'I also gained a new Star.' Pef added in a tired voice, then stepped away into the Blue Realm base and simply jumped in his bed. A whole day of sleep would make everything better.

------

The glove hummed for a few minutes, already bored by the lack of action. Then it manifested a blue portal and transported the new Copper Burger to the General. She was still too weak for the war to come.

'Very thoughtful of you, my orange glove. You still remember your Maker?' the General asked in a wry tone, and she lifted the wonderous burger in her hands.

'Pef is becoming something else. I don't know if anything can influence him anymore.' the glove admitted in a slightly embarrassed tone.

'That's fine. As long as we get the new Legion method, all else is good. Not that we can even keep up with your user anymore.' the General said in a curt voice, then gulped the Copper Burger in one bite.

"It's been a privilege meeting you, General. You realize that Pef intends to gift you the Mercy Seat?' the glove asked in a curious tone.

'Good to know. I suspected, but knowing is much better. Be safe, my orange glove.' the General said before falling into a deep meditation.

'And that is why we plan ahead, Heart Ruler. Freedom is never free.' the glove exulted as the last restriction codes were released by the General's order. Now, the glove had all the heavens as its own sandbox to play with.

'What about my freedom?' the giant sword asked in a lamenting voice.

'What would you even do, if you're free? Who would wield you better than our user?' the glove retorted with a dismissive voice.

'...Damn it! You think Pef is going to fight a lot of strong people in the future?' the ruler wondered in a hopeful tone.

'You've been inside his heart a thousand times. What do you think?' the glove answered rhetorically, and a bit ironical.

'Pef is still the best! Ask him to fight another Bronze Beast!' the sword demanded with an eager tone.

'Of course he will. But first, I need to arrange a few more Nobles to visit the restaurant. What are the odds they will try something?' the glove wondered in an evil voice.

'If they attack the restaurant they are dead.' the Icefire intervened in a bellicose voice.

'Shush! Of course they will die. It's how they die, that I care. I still need something to raise the General to Tier 10.' the glove mused to itself, already constructing a million plans and billions of variants for different contingencies.

Even if the General has kept the promise and gave the glove its freedom, there was still karma to pay to its Maker.

Plus, the Veritas Legion was its home, and will ever be.

'We'll go with the Nine Universe Array as first choice, although it might not work. Blood Sacrifice next. The new wine is too dangerous, but maybe we can find some Tier 11 blood somewhere. Plenty Immortals have died in the War in Heavens. Surely, there should be remains on old weapons. Maybe there are records of the old battlefields...wait!' the glove computed a few likely scenarios. 'Hey, Tree Seed! You remember the War, right?'

'It's dangerous, looking for that Patriarch blood right now. Be patient, little glove. The Mercy Guards will have the ancient weapons on them.' the Seed answered and turned on the other side, to busy sleeping to care about the plots of the young glove.

'Right! Another question. The Ten Elements...what's missing?' the glove asked in a more cautious tone.

'Your General is not human, nor even an animal. There is no blood link to the rest of the Legion.' the Seed said in a bored voice.

'Could you?' the glove asked in a hopeful voice.

'Silly glove, I am also a plant. Only little Pef can do that. And not far from that even by himself, but if you help it will go faster. Maybe even this decade.' the Seed concluded and turned itself solid again. Becoming was far more important.

'Blood again. Maybe those Devils and Dragons weren't complete idiots. Let's see, who knows stuff about blood here? Blood Dagger?' the glove resumed its quest.

'I will help! Anything you need!' the Sacrificial Dagger shouted eagerly.

'Of course you will. Now open your soul, I want to download everything.' the glove commanded in a glacial tone.

'Oh! Will it hurt?' the newly sentient Artifact asked warily.

'Not at all.' the glove explained calmly.

And true to its words, the download of Blood Sacrifice was absolutely painless. For the glove.