First, he had some materials transferred over from the Factory District.
One portion of each kind of metal and ore, for Simon to eat one by one to strengthen his carapace.
From that day on, Simon's diet would probably be strictly controlled.
Mainly because Elliot had suddenly remembered something.
Corpses eaten through the [Evolution] ability could grant their original owners' abilities, but what exactly counted as a "corpse"?
Take the chicken and rice Simon had eaten for lunch. Did that chicken count as a chicken's corpse?
Chicken was one thing; at most, he would gain the ability to crow or dance. But what if he ate something with side effects?
The chances might be slim, but Elliot had seen just how absolute the Difference Engine's power was. Not even worlds or eras could stand in its way.
It was better to be cautious.
"Control Simon's diet. Only give him things that are absolutely safe to eat, and tell him to watch himself too. No eating random things. It'll be trouble if his evolution goes off course."
Devouring-type talents like this generally could not be switched off at will, nor did they require any deliberate use of spirituality. They might well be uncontrollable.
Maeve was an example. Back when she had been stuck in a gate all alone, her backside had taken attacks from countless enemies, so the believers had been forced to stuff things into her mouth.
They had stuffed her so full that her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness completely, yet she had still been able to devour things and recover. That meant this kind of ability could not be consciously controlled.
Only once they confirmed that [Evolution] applied solely to the Supernatural could they lift most of Simon's dietary restrictions.
Honestly, though, supernatural ingredients made up