"You said there was food here and that you wanted to treat us, right?"
Uvogin plopped down on the floor. After confirming there was no danger, his tone became noticeably casual.
"Looking at this place of yours with nothing in it, you're saying there's food?"
"Or maybe~~~"
He raised his eyes toward Arvin Locke, baring a mouthful of pale white teeth.
"You're planning to serve yourself as the food?!"
"With that soft, tender body of yours, it wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between my teeth~!!"
Arvin Locke ignored Uvogin's intimidation and provocation and simply asked again:
"You're hungry, so you need me to treat you. Is that right?"
"Wasn't it you who said there was food and told us to come here?!"
Uvogin was starting to get impatient.
"Sure, you can put it that way. As long as you serve up the delicious stuff for me!!"
"Of course, if what you're bringing out is some moldy rotten bread~~~"
"Then don't blame me for tearing off your roof… roof open!!"
Uvogin had originally intended to say he'd flip the table, but then realized there wasn't even a proper table in the house, so he awkwardly changed his wording.
"Don't worry."
Arvin Locke said nothing more and simply sank his mind inward.
Uvogin and Machi also fell silent, staring straight at him.
Ten seconds passed…
Then a dozen…
"Um…"
Arvin Locke slowly opened his eyes and coughed lightly.
"Is there anything specific you want to eat?"
"Something specific?"
Uvogin scratched his body lazily.
"What, you're saying whatever I want, you can just magically produce it on the spot?"
"Well then, if I say I want to eat—"
"Sticky rice cake."
The previously silent Machi suddenly spoke, interrupting Uvogin's rambling.
This was the first time she had spoken.
She lifted her head and looked directly at Arvin Locke.
"Sticky rice cake, huh…"
Uvogin smacked his lips, remembering something.
Some time ago, they had seized that food from the motorcycle duo Feitan and Phinks.
And those two had taken it from another child who had received food from Father Aldren after praying devoutly in the church.
On the other side of the garbage ruins, there was a luxurious church building.
Inside was Father Aldren, who handled the burial of the dead in Meteor City—collecting their bodies, praying for them, and setting up gravestones.
People in Meteor City didn't want to suffer while alive, only to have their corpses tormented after death.
Because of this, almost no one disturbed the church.
The church also seemed to have connections with the outside world and frequently obtained food from outside.
Father Aldren would distribute it to the children who came to pray sincerely.
Sticky rice cake was one of those foods—soft, sticky, and chewy.
Although it wasn't as delicious as meat that others talked about, for people like them—who had barely eaten proper meals in their lives—it was already considered quite tasty.
"Sticky rice cake… got it~~~"
Arvin Locke nodded and closed his eyes again.
Just now, although he had received Uvogin's [Commission] for food, which technically satisfied the condition—
He had overlooked another crucial issue.
That was whether his aura and Nen reserves were enough to support the invention.
As everyone knew, anything created through Nen inevitably required the consumption of aura and Nen capacity.
Only if his aura and Nen reserves were strong enough could they support increasingly unreasonable or difficult requests.
For example—
If someone gave Arvin Locke a [Request] to destroy the world, then the amount of aura required to invent an item capable of doing that would be astronomical.
Just like right now.
Uvogin had issued a [Commission] asking for food.
But if Arvin Locke tried to invent something that could produce food out of thin air—
Like the famous [Gourmet Tablecloth] from Doraemon—
The aura required would be far beyond what Arvin Locke could currently sustain.
So he had no choice but to compromise and narrow the request down to a specific type of food.
"Still need more strength…"
Arvin Locke once again strengthened his determination to improve his power—especially his aura reserves and Nen capacity.
If only he were like certain transmigrators who possessed Doraemon's Four-Dimensional Pocket, able to just take out items directly—wouldn't that make things simple?
Arvin Locke sighed again.
"Maybe I could also try using Restrictions and Vows to reduce the cost of invention…"
As these thoughts moved through his mind, he didn't forget to proceed with inventing the sticky rice cake.
Soon—
Just as Uvogin's expression gradually turned bored and he began to suspect he had gotten carried away playing some weird staring game with this idiot kid—
Suddenly, a bright glow began to emanate from Arvin Locke's hands.
"Huh?!!"
Uvogin instantly raised his head, and Machi's gaze immediately snapped toward him as well.
Under their intense stares—
Their pupils suddenly shrank.
Right before their eyes, a strange purple machine gradually formed in the empty space before Arvin Locke—
As if appearing from nothing.
It had a chimney-like top.
Below it was a small opening that looked like it would dispense finished products.
On the side of the machine was a lever, seemingly used to activate it.
"What the hell is that thing?!!"
Uvogin's eyes widened as he jumped to his feet.
With the expression of a frog seeing the sky outside its well for the first time, he stared at the machine with shock and uncertainty.
Beside him, Machi said nothing—
But her eyes were also fixed tightly on the machine.