Chapter 1151 Professor (Twenty-three) (Patreon)

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In the spring of 1992, the snow had just melted, and the wounds of the previous disaster were healing. The streets and alleys of Gotham had finally regained some vitality, and the busiest and most prosperous commercial streets began to see a steady flow of pedestrians and vehicles.

The people who had returned to the streets were surprised to find that at the end of the busiest and most prosperous commercial street, a new store had opened - a bookstore.

Opening a bookstore in Gotham? This was like a not-so-funny joke, exuding absurdity everywhere.

Yet, this bookstore was located in such a prime location, and despite the lack of foot traffic, there were no apparent promotional measures.

Newly opened stores usually organize many welcoming activities. The bakery to the left of the bookstore had a plump lady offering free samples of bread on a plate to passersby, and the hair salon on the right had hired several children to distribute flyers.

But this bookstore's entrance was cold and empty, with nothing going on, making people wonder what kind of business genius would dare to rely on a bookstore to afford such high rents in the city center.

However, the curious onlookers on the streets soon realized that the bookstore did have customers, but they were quite mysterious.

The customers were often dressed in dark coats, with scarves covering half their faces and the brims of their hats pulled low. They neither drove nor rode bikes, but walked out of some alley and headed straight for the bookstore.

Yet, from certain details, one could tell that these customers were either wealthy or of high status, as their clothes were meticulously maintained, and some carried umbrellas or canes.

The customers rarely came alone, and a large, expressionless person would always follow behind them. After the person in front entered the store, the follower would stand guard at the door.

Many experienced locals on the streets warned their children not to mess with that bookstore, as they could tell where the customers came from.

"I didn't expect you to come so early," Schiller said warmly as he embraced Evans and lightly hugged Evans' wife, Isa, who had gotten married a few months ago and seemed to have a good relationship.

Evans flashed a bright smile and said, "Professor, of course I had to be the first to support your store. Isa and I got up early, so we should be the first ones, right?"

"Of course, the only ones earlier than you were the newspaper boys who brought me breakfast," Schiller said, pointing to the unfinished bread on his desk. Isa, who Evans called Isa, smiled and said, "Sorry, Professor, for interrupting your breakfast. I told Evans not to be so eager, but he wouldn't listen."

"No problem," Schiller shook his head and looked at her warmly. "I heard you're from Metropolis? You two met while rehearsing a play?"

Isa nodded shyly, "Yes, I'm a small-town girl from a dairy farm. I got into the Metropolis Art College, and I just graduated this year."

Evans also said excitedly, "The dance team from Gotham University wanted to perform a traditional play for the school anniversary, so they invited teachers and students from the Metropolis Art College to come and help with the rehearsals. That's how Isa and I met."

"That's quite a special connection," Schiller commented. "Not many girls dare to come to Gotham."

Isa smiled and said, "Actually, it's not that bad. My classmates are all very curious about this city. The rap culture here is amazing, and it's the most vibrant place for East Coast street culture. If it weren't for the high prices, they'd all want to come here for a visit."

Schiller raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked, "Aren't they worried about the safety?"

"Didn't you know? A Daily Planet intern published a Gotham travel guide, specifically pointing out a relatively safe tourist route. People have tried it, and as long as you follow the guide, not only is it safe, but you can also experience the city's unique features."

Evans couldn't hold back a snort of laughter, then coughed a couple of times before looking at Schiller and saying, "Professor, can you imagine? One of the featured tourist attractions is standing in the hotel window at night, waiting to see Batman!"

Schiller paused for a moment, then he and Isa burst out laughing. He covered his mouth and said between laughs, "You mean Batman has become one of Gotham's tourist attractions?"

"Of course! He's very attractive!" Isa said in a raised voice. "You won't find a man with such a perfect physique, wearing equipment worth millions of dollars, standing on a multi-billion-dollar rooftop and gazing into the distance, anywhere else in the world!"

"My classmates at the art college were all asking me which hotel room they should book to see him. They're practically swooning over his jawline!"

"But I heard his reputation wasn't that good before..." Schiller asked with some confusion. Isa paused for a moment and said, "His reputation wasn't good? How was it not good? And how does that matter to the tourists? They just want to see him because he's handsome."

Schiller nodded and said, "That's true."

Isa looked around the bookstore and said, "I think your bookstore will be very popular with them too. College students love pretentious European literature, especially hardcover editions. Even if they don't read them, they can collect them."

Schiller's eyes lit up, and he looked at Isa, saying, "I've been worried that my bookstore won't have any business. After all, you know Gotham people don't really like reading, let alone buying hardcover or collector's edition books. If I can expand my customer base to include those students, I'd be more than happy to chat with them..."

Evans gave Isa a meaningful look, but Isa had a conflicted expression. She looked at Schiller and said, "Evans said you've taken care of him a lot, and I'd be happy to help promote your store, but I'm just an art college student with no background. I don't have much influence..."

Isa thought for a moment, then had Evans tear off a slip of paper from the door. She picked up the pen on Schiller's desk and wrote a series of phone numbers, handing it to Schiller.

"This is the editor of the Daily Planet I know. You can call him and ask about the intern who wrote the travel guide. If you can get your bookstore included in the guide, the tourists who come here will be more than happy to visit."

Schiller took the note, carefully read it through, and pressed it between the books next to him. After the Evans couple left, Schiller walked to the telephone by the door and dialed the number written on the note.

At the same time, in Wayne Manor, Bruce was sitting on the sofa, looking tired. On the table in front of him was a half-empty bottle of wine.

Clearly, the journey into Dick's inner world was not going smoothly. Bruce had indeed found Dick in his Dream Realm, but that Dick just ran away from him, and very quickly, so Bruce couldn't catch him.

More importantly, that Dick clearly exhibited abnormalities. His face and physique hadn't changed much, but his ears had turned into pig ears, and Bruce noticed that the top of one of the pig ears was carved with a capital letter V.

This indicated that Dick had indeed been influenced by someone, and the one who did this was this mysterious V.

If it were in the world of other people, Bruce would have taken violent action long ago, but in Dick's inner world, Bruce couldn't do that, because once harm was done, it might be an irreversible psychological trauma.

In these past few days, Bruce had tried many times, but he couldn't capture Dick and remove the influence of the mysterious V without hurting him.

Just as Bruce was at a loss, Alfred came in and reported to him, "Sir, Mr. Kent is here. Do you want to see him?"

"Kent? Clark Kent?" Bruce reacted, hesitated for a moment, and then told Alfred, "Please let him in."

The Clark who walked in was the same as always, wearing a white shirt, carrying a shoulder bag, wearing black-framed glasses, and warmly shook hands with Bruce, then said, "I heard you've already started your postgraduate studies? That's a remarkable decision. I was also thinking about doing a master's degree, but I chose to work earlier to earn money..."

Bruce chatted with him a bit absentmindedly, and Clark, who was sensitive, noticed that Bruce was not in a good state. He glanced at the half-empty bottle of wine on the table and slowly furrowed his brows.

"Bruce, I really have to advise you, no matter what troubles you're facing, drowning your sorrows in alcohol is the most negative way! Being drunk will only prevent your brilliant mind from functioning at its full potential. You need to pull yourself together!"

"Are you an idiot? Can't you see that's not just ordinary wine?" Another slightly deeper voice sounded, and a small black head poked out from the gap in Clark's briefcase. Bat Cat's blue eyes looked at Clark and said, "It's obvious this guy is facing some trouble he can't deal with."

Clark opened the zipper of the briefcase and took Bat Cat out. When Bruce saw Bat Cat again, he instinctively said, "...Why are you so fat like a ball?"

Bat Cat bared his two small sharp teeth at him. Clark, holding Bat Cat, looked down and said, "Is he fat? No, right? For a cat, this should be just right, shouldn't it?"

Bat Cat looked down at the fat on his belly. He wasn't really that fat, he just went from having a sleek, muscular, and lean build as a wild cat to becoming a cute, chubby pet cat.

Clark scratched Bat Cat's chin, making him squint his eyes, then said, "After I graduated, I took him back to my family's farm. My dad and mom really like him, so they might have fed him a bit too much... But no relationship, just need to exercise more, and he'll slim down quickly."

Looking at Bat Cat, Bruce's eyes gradually lit up, but he didn't say it directly. Instead, he looked at Clark and asked, "Did you come to see me for something?"

Clark didn't expect him to change the topic so quickly, but then he showed a somewhat embarrassed expression, shifted his sitting position, rubbed his hands, and asked Bruce, "Have you been out on patrol lately?"

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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