Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Planning and New Normal

Cassia finished her plate and immediately reached for seconds. “Seriously, Orion. Where did you learn this?”

“I had good instructions.”

“From who?”

“A very talented teacher.”

Rene, speaking through the earbuds only Orion could hear, said: “I appreciate the compliment. Shall I design tomorrow’s dinner menu?”

“Maybe not tomorrow,” Orion thought back through the BCI. “But keep a recipe database ready. This might come in handy.”

Cassia was on her third helping now. “This is dangerous. I’m going to gain so much weight if you keep cooking like this.”

“Then I’ll only cook on special occasions.”

“Every day should be a special occasion if this is what you make.”

Orion laughed. “How did the mansion hunting go?”

“Found three good options. I’ll send you the listings later. But honestly, after this meal, I can’t focus on anything else.” She pointed her fork at him. “You’re not allowed to order takeout anymore. This has ruined me for normal food.”

“That’s probably an exaggeration.”

“It’s not. I’m serious. This is professional chef quality. How did you do this?”

Orion shrugged. “I followed a recipe very carefully.”

“No recipe I’ve ever seen produces this. What recipe?”

“A custom one.”

Cassia squinted at him. “You’re being evasive.”

“I’m being accurate. It was a custom recipe designed specifically for the ingredients I bought. Optimized for flavor and presentation.”

“Designed by who?”

“By… someone very good at optimization.”

Cassia set down her fork. Looked at him seriously. “Orion, you’ve been different since the hospital. Smarter, more focused, more capable. Now you’re apparently a master chef. What’s going on?”

Orion hesitated. He couldn’t exactly explain the system library, the enhanced brain, the cultivation technique, or Rene guiding him through holographic overlays.

“I’ve been learning a lot,” he said carefully. “Using really good educational resources. Getting better at things I was always interested in.”

“Educational resources that teach gourmet cooking?”

“Educational resources that teach everything.”

Cassia studied him for a long moment. “I’m not going to push. But I want you to know—if something strange is happening, if you need help with anything, you can tell me.”

“I know, Mom. And I’m fine. Really. Just… using the tools available to me to get better at things.”

“These tools must be incredible.”

“They are.”

She went back to eating. “Well, whatever they are, I approve. This is amazing.”

Orion watched his mother enjoy the meal. Felt warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with cultivation.

The system had given him power. Knowledge. Capabilities beyond normal humans.

But moments like this—making his mom happy with a simple meal—that was what made it all worthwhile.

“Rene,” he thought through the BCI. “Add ’robot chef’ to the development queue. Priority: medium. I want something that can replicate this experience.”

“Understood,” Rene replied. “Shall I begin preliminary designs?”

“Yeah. But focus on the fusion reactor first. Robot chefs can wait.”

“Acknowledged.”

Cassia finished her third plate and sat back, content. “I’m never eating anywhere else again. You’ve ruined restaurants for me.”

Orion smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It is. Definitely is.”

They sat together in comfortable silence while Cassia digested. Outside, the sun was setting over New Eden. The city lights were coming on.

Tomorrow, Nyla would be back. They’d have that talk. Figure out what they were to each other.

Tomorrow, the Innovatia research teams would start manufacturing fusion reactor components. The technology that would change civilization.

But tonight? Tonight was just dinner with his mom. And that was enough.

“I should clean up,” Orion said, standing.

“Absolutely not. You cooked. I’ll clean.”

“You sure?”

“Completely sure. Go rest. You must have had a long day.”

Orion didn’t argue. Headed upstairs to his room.

Put on the earbuds.

“Rene, status on the research teams?”

“All teams have confirmed receipt of reactor blueprints. Manufacturing schedules are being coordinated. Component production begins tomorrow morning. Progress tracking systems are online. AR BCI production has commenced—units for facility staff will be ready in two weeks.”

“Good. Once the researchers have the AR BCIs, productivity will increase dramatically. Assembly tasks that normally take hours will take minutes with holographic guidance.”

“Affirmative. The combination of Aether OS, the scientific module, and AR overlays will create an unprecedented research environment.”

“Perfect.”

Orion lay down on his bed. Practiced the breathing technique. Felt exotic energy circulating through his cells. Strengthening him bit by bit.

Six months to a working fusion reactor.

Two weeks until the research teams got AR BCIs.

And apparently, he could cook like a master chef with the right guidance.

The future was looking pretty good.

He closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

Tomorrow would be interesting.

Orion woke at 5:30 AM. His enhanced body didn’t need much sleep anymore—four hours was enough. The breathing technique kept his cells energized and refreshed.

He sat up, went through a cultivation session. Thirty minutes of focused breathing. Exotic energy circulating through his system. His body expelled more dark impurities—less than before. He was getting cleaner at the cellular level.

After a shower, he headed downstairs. 6:15 AM. The apartment was quiet.

“Rene,” Orion said, putting on the earbuds. “Breakfast time. Something quick but impressive. We have eggs, bread, vegetables, cheese, and some leftover ingredients from yesterday.”

“Analyzing available ingredients,” Rene said. “I recommend a fusion-style breakfast: Japanese-French hybrid. Tamagoyaki-inspired rolled omelets with herb-infused filling, artisan toast with compound butter, roasted vegetables with miso glaze, and a light soup.”

“Sounds good. Guide me through it.”

The holographic overlays appeared in his vision. Orion moved through the kitchen like a professional chef—because he had a professional guide literally showing him every movement.

Crack eggs here. Whisk with this motion. Heat pan to exactly 165°C. Pour egg mixture in this pattern. Roll at these intervals.

The tamagoyaki came out perfect. Layered, fluffy, golden. He plated three portions with precise garnishes.

Toast sliced at optimal thickness. Compound butter—herbs and garlic mixed into softened butter—spread in decorative patterns.

Vegetables roasted with miso glaze. The umami-rich coating caramelized beautifully.

Soup—a light miso-based broth with delicate vegetables. Served in elegant bowls with careful garnish placement.

By 7:00 AM, breakfast was ready. Three place settings at the table, each with a complete meal that looked like it came from a high-end restaurant.

Orion heard movement upstairs. Cassia’s alarm going off.

He sat down with his phone, scrolling through news while waiting.

Cassia appeared fifteen minutes later, already dressed for the day. She stopped when she saw the table.

“You did it again,” she said.

“Morning, Mom. I figured I’d practice.”

“Practice. Right.” She sat down and immediately took a bite of the tamagoyaki. Her eyes closed. “This is unfair. How am I supposed to go back to normal food after this?”

“You could learn to cook like this too.”

“No. Some of us have jobs. We don’t have time to become master chefs overnight.”

Orion smiled. If only she knew it took him less than an hour with Rene’s guidance.

They heard the front door open. Footsteps in the hallway.

Nyla appeared in the doorway, looking exhausted. Hair messy, eyes half-closed, probably wearing the same clothes from yesterday. She’d clearly pulled an all-nighter finishing her group project.

She stopped. Sniffed the air. Her eyes widened.

“Food,” she said. “Real food. Oh my god, I’m starving.”

She didn’t ask who it belonged to. Didn’t ask permission. Just grabbed the third plate and started eating.

The first bite hit her like a revelation.

Nyla’s eyes went wide. She froze mid-chew, processing what she was tasting.

Then she swallowed and immediately took another bite. And another.

“Oh my God,” she said through a mouthful of food. “This is so delicious. It feels like a heavenly meal. Who made this? Did you hire a chef? Did you order from that expensive place downtown?”

Orion and Cassia both started laughing.

Nyla looked between them, confused. “What? What’s funny?”

“Your brother made it,” Cassia said.

Nyla stopped eating. Looked at Orion. Looked at the food. Back to Orion.

“You made this.”

“Yeah.”

“You. Orion Starr. Who burned ramen last month. Made this.”

“That’s correct.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Believe it,” Cassia said. “I had the same reaction yesterday when he made dinner. Apparently our son is now a master chef.”

Nyla took another bite, slower this time, really analyzing the flavors. “This is… this is restaurant quality. No, better than restaurant quality. The flavor balance is perfect. The textures are ideal. The presentation is…” She gestured at the artfully arranged plate. “How?”

“Good instructions,” Orion said simply.

“From who?”

“A very talented teacher.”

Nyla squinted at him suspiciously but didn’t push. She was too busy eating.

They sat together, finishing breakfast. Nyla devoured everything on her plate and looked longingly at the kitchen, clearly considering getting more.

“There’s extra in the kitchen,” Orion said.

Nyla practically ran to get seconds.

Cassia sipped her tea, looking amused. “Your sister hasn’t had real food in three days. She’s been living on vending machine snacks and printed protein bars.”

“The group project was that bad?”

“Apparently. She texted me last night. They finally finished.”

Nyla returned with a heaping second plate. “I’m never doing group projects again. Three days. Three days of people arguing about methodology while I did all the actual work.”

“You get it done?” Orion asked.

“Yeah. Submitted this morning at 5 AM. Then I came straight home.” She took another bite. “And walked into whatever this miracle is. Seriously, Orion, where did you learn to cook like this?”

“He won’t tell me either,” Cassia said. “Just says he has good instructions.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only answer I’m giving.”

Nyla gave him a look but let it drop. She was too tired and too hungry to interrogate him properly.

While they ate, Cassia pulled out her tablet. “Speaking of mysterious developments, I should update you both on yesterday’s progress.”

“Progress?” Nyla asked.

“With the company.”

“What company?”

Cassia and Orion exchanged glances.

“Oh boy,” Orion said. “You really have been out of the loop.”

“What are you talking about?”

Cassia set down her tea. “Nyla, your brother is now a billionaire who owns a major technology company. Also I’m the CEO, and we’re looking at mansions to buy and I just even received a notice, the cars i bought have already been delivered to us, its currently outside.”

Nyla stopped chewing. Stared at her mother. Then at Orion.

Then she paused mid-bite. “Wait. I saw three brand new luxury cars parked outside on my way in. Like, really expensive ones. Are those actually ours?”

Cassia smiled. “Yes. I bought them yesterday. Two luxury autocars for daily use, one sporty manual-drive for fun.”

Nyla’s fork clattered onto her plate. “What.”

“It’s true,” Orion said. “I developed some advanced AI technology and made a lot of money from it. Started a company called Innovatia. Mom’s the CEO.”

“You’re joking.”

“Not joking.”

“Prove it.”

Orion pulled up his banking app. Turned the screen toward her.

Account Balance: 30,847,293,112 credits

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