The conversation continued, with Elias gradually learning the unwritten rules of Adept social interaction. Apparently, being direct was "refreshing" but should be balanced with "tactful understatement." Discussing cultivation was acceptable, but going into technical detail was "showing off." And complimenting someone's technique was good, but explaining how to improve it was "rude."

Inefficient social rules, but he'd adapt.

Two hours into the gathering, a ripple of excitement passed through the tea house. Conversations paused, and heads turned toward the entrance.

"What's happening?" Elias asked.

"Oh!" Lyria's eyes lit up. "It must be Celestial Epicure Amadeus. There were rumors she might attend today."

"Who?"

"The legendary chef," Vel'kora explained. "She's famous throughout the Infinity Realm for creating dishes that enhance Law comprehension. Her food is so good, Sovereigns have offered fortunes just to attend one of her dinners. She's also supposedly beautiful beyond measure, though I've never met her personally."

"A chef who enhances comprehension?" Elias's interest was piqued slightly. That suggested her cooking involved Law manipulation at a fundamental level.

"More than that," Aldric said. "Her dishes are said to taste different to everyone—perfectly matching their deepest food memories and preferences. Some say she's comprehended the Dao of Cooking to near-perfection."

"The Dao of Cooking?" Elias raised an eyebrow. "Is that an actual Law?"

"Everything can be a Dao if you pursue it deeply enough," Thalia said. "Cooking, painting, music—any art can become a path to understanding infinity."

The entrance parted, and a woman walked in accompanied by a small entourage carrying elegant containers.

She was striking—tall and graceful, with auburn hair bound in an elaborate style that incorporated small crystallized ingredients. Her robes were pristine white with gold embroidery depicting flames and dishes. A delicate veil of shimmering silk covered her face, a mark of her status as a master chef—tradition dictated that diners should taste her food before seeing her face, preventing bias. Her aura was carefully controlled but unmistakably Sovereign-level.

She moved through the tea house with easy confidence, greeting various Adepts and Masters who approached her. Several offered her resources or Essence in exchange for cooking, which she politely declined.

"She only cooks when she feels inspired," Mira whispered. "You can't buy her services—she has to choose to cook for you."

Elias observed the woman with his divine sense, noting the unusual structure of her cultivation. Her Infinity Law comprehension was integrated with something else—a secondary Law that he couldn't quite identify. It wasn't Reality Law or any variant he recognized.

"She's at 85% Infinity Law," Vel'kora said quietly. "Peak Sovereign. There are rumors she could breakthrough to The Infinite level if she wanted to, but she's said she wants to perfect her Dao first."

The chef—Celestial Epicure Amadeus—set up a small cooking station in one of the open areas. Her entourage arranged ingredients that Elias recognized as rare cultivation resources worth thousands of Essence.

Then she began cooking.

It wasn't normal cooking. Each movement was a technique, each ingredient addition a Law manipulation. She was incorporating Infinity Law directly into the food, creating something that existed in multiple states simultaneously—raw and cooked, simple and complex, physical and conceptual.

The gathering fell silent as everyone watched. Even the most powerful Adepts seemed mesmerized.

After twenty minutes, she completed three dishes and called out, "These are complimentary tastings for our new Adept guests. Please, enjoy."

Servers brought small portions to various tables, including Elias's group.

The dish placed before him was simple in appearance—a small arrangement that looked like perfectly prepared vegetables with some kind of sauce. Nothing extraordinary.

"You have to try this," Lyria said excitedly. "Her food is legendary for a reason."

Elias took a bite, expecting it to be good but nothing exceptional.

The taste hit him like a physical force.

It wasn't just delicious—though it was. It was impossibly familiar. The exact combination of flavors, the precise texture, the subtle spices arranged in perfect harmony. This was...

His mind raced. His Quantum Divine Processor activated automatically, analyzing the taste profile, comparing it to his perfect memory of every meal he'd ever consumed.

Match found.

This was the exact meal he'd been served every Thursday evening on his space station. The recipe his research assistant had perfected over years, claiming it helped him think better when he was working late. The dish that had been waiting for him, still warm, the day his brain had finally started failing.

The day before he'd used the Quantum Consciousness Upload Helmet.

Elias set down his utensils carefully, his expression controlled but his mind racing through impossible probabilities.

"Good, right?" Brennan said. "I told you she was—Elias? You okay?"

"The flavor profile is familiar," Elias said neutrally. "Interesting technique."

But internally, questions cascaded through his Quantum Divine Processor. The probability of someone in the Infinity Realm coincidentally recreating that exact meal was astronomically low. The probability of them doing so and being called a legendary chef was even lower.

Unless...

No. That was impossible. The odds were infinitesimal.

But he'd defied infinitesimal odds before.

He glanced across the tea house at Celestial Epicure Amadeus, who was receiving compliments from various Adepts. She hadn't looked his direction yet.

Elias forced himself to focus on the conversation at his table, but part of his mind kept returning to that taste. That impossibly familiar taste that shouldn't exist in this realm.

He'd put it aside for now. Probably just coincidence. The human brain—even one restructured as a quantum processor—was notorious for finding patterns where none existed.

But still...

He watched the chef work, creating more dishes for other guests, and couldn't shake the feeling that something significant had just happened.

Something he'd need to investigate later.

For now, he had social obligations to fulfill. But the taste lingered on his tongue, triggering memories of a life he'd left behind when he'd transmitted his consciousness into the cultivation multiverse.

Memories he thought he'd successfully compartmentalized.

"Elias?" Vel'kora was looking at him with concern. "You sure you're alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine," Elias replied, pulling his attention back to the present. "Just surprised by the quality of the cooking. It's... very good."

"Told you," Lyria said triumphantly. "Celestial Epicure Amadeus is legendary for a reason."

Elias nodded and returned to the conversation, but his Quantum Divine Processor continued running probability calculations in the background.

The odds that this was coincidence: 0.00000000043%

The odds that something impossible had happened: significantly higher than they should be.

He'd investigate after the gathering. Quietly. Carefully.

Because if his suspicions were correct—and his calculations were rarely wrong—then his past life had just walked into the tea house.

And that changed everything.

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