Chapter 924: Schiller's Garden (Part I) (Patreon)

In DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

One of Batman's equipment's greatest advantages was its exceptional quality, and his cape was no exception. In ordinary fabric, when pierced by a rain canopy and bearing the weight of a grown man, it should have torn into shreds. However, Batman's cape was of such high quality that the rain canopy's supports couldn't possibly penetrate it. Instead, they caught the fabric at a peculiar angle, along with Batman underneath.

Of course, Batman had a way to get down, but among the tactical options in his mind, the maneuver to escape and land had a somewhat undignified quality to it. And right in front of him was Schiller, wearing an amused expression.

Batman sighed while hanging in place. In the next moment, he exerted his muscles, pushing downwards with force. Leveraging the inertia from the bounce, he flipped over the top of the canopy's support and then landed on the ground.

The next second, his foot sank into the recently plowed land. Half of his boot found itself mired in the mud, while the other half was snagged by the exposed roots of plants.

Batman couldn't help but wonder if Aisha had informed Schiller of his presence, leading Professor Schiller to stay up all night setting these traps and waiting here.

After laboriously navigating the chaotic garden, Batman was about to enter the door when he saw Schiller approaching with a water gun in hand. He had a foreboding feeling, and in the next moment, Schiller aimed the water gun at him.

With a swift motion, a batarang flew, hitting the metal nozzle of the water gun and preventing Batman from being drenched.

Schiller didn't stubbornly cling to the water gun. Instead, he released it, allowing the water from the fallen gun to wash the mud off Batman's boots.

Schiller turned and walked towards the Manor. Batman followed closely behind. Just as he was about to enter the reception room, he took a deep breath and looked out of the French windows into the chaotic garden. He heard Schiller remark, "See, this is the consequence of not using the front entrance."

Batman was about to respond when Schiller's butler, Merkel, approached and said, "The gardeners are stretched thin. Many of them have already hired familiar gardeners to take care of the garden since it rained earlier tonight."

Merkel shook his head and continued, "Bigfoot dad told me that in our current situation, the gardeners may not be able to handle it. The best solution is to renovate the garden and transplant plants from local gardening stores."

Batman inquired, "What happened to your garden?"

Schiller retorted, "Do you really have to spend extra time on the canopy's support to figure out what's wrong with it?"

Schiller picked up the umbrella again and pushed open the door, gazing at the entire garden. Merkel stood by the French windows, while Batman followed outside. Schiller sighed as he surveyed the garden, which was in complete disarray.

The faint light from the garden lamps dimmed further through the mist, casting eerie shadows on the plant leaves ruffled by the storm, making them appear like some dreadful monsters.

The surface of the pond was no longer calm; the strong winds had caused water to splash from the pond's edge, resembling waves crashing against the shore when it hit the stacked stones.

The only large oak tree that appeared relatively stable had lost its dignity due to the relentless rain and wind. Many leaves had fallen prematurely, floating down to every corner of the garden, burdening the other plants even more.

From any angle, it was evident that Schiller's garden's problems couldn't be handled by a few gardeners trimming bushes. The entire garden needed a thorough renovation and redesign before anything else.

After a moment, Schiller closed the umbrella and returned inside. Turning his head towards Batman, he asked, "Does Gotham University have an art department? Do you know any students specializing in environmental art design?"

Batman replied, "If you're looking to redesign the garden, I suggest you contact Alfred. He knows some excellent garden designers from the UK. They designed the Wayne Manor garden."

"I know Wayne Manor's garden is fine; you don't need to emphasize that," Schiller said as he sat on the sofa, picking up the book again. He continued, "We already have a garden designer from the UK, but his methods aren't proving effective."

Schiller glanced at Merkel and added, "Any plants transplanted from outside Gotham have a very low survival rate here. The design plans provided by those garden designers include using over two hundred different European plants in a single flowerbed."

With a shake of his head, Schiller warned, "If you plan to keep entering my home this way, you better not recommend foreign designers to me. Otherwise, when you touch down, I might just be lurking in the gaps of my garden all night, ready to hoist you up with a gardening shovel."

"I came to talk to you about this matter," Batman said as he took a seat on the opposite sofa. He continued, "After the last heavy rain, many of Gotham's landscaping features were damaged. During the reconstruction process, I considered increasing Gotham's greenery, but I found it to be quite challenging."

"Gotham's own greenery is not very high, and apart from the private gardens in the Manor district, it's even scarcer. I wanted to expand public green spaces, but Mayor said Gotham residents don't care about greenery."

"You don't need to make Gotham normal," Schiller said as he put down his book, took a sip of water, and continued, "My opinion aligns with Harvey's; none of the standards from other cities apply to Gotham. Gotham City and its citizens adapt to each other."

"You can improve greenery for the sake of air quality or use landscaping to soothe the citizens' moods, but there's no need to chase some specific standard."

Schiller set aside his water glass and said, "If you intend to catch up with Metropolis, Gotham's residents may not only fail to appreciate you but might also consider you a lunatic. Metropolis has one of the highest greenery areas on the entire East Coast. If you try to follow that standard in your renovations, it might not be worth the trouble."

Batman paused and asked, "You both noticed it?"

"You might as well have the word 'Metropolis' written on your face; how could we not see it?" Schiller leaned back on the sofa, shaking his head. "You want every aspect of Gotham to catch up with Metropolis and then surpass it. But it doesn't have to be exactly like Metropolis to be good."

"But the greenery rate must be improved. Gotham's greenery rate ranks at the bottom on the entire East Coast and in the entire U.S. This situation must be improved," Batman emphasized.

"I guess you believe that increasing the greenery rate could improve Gotham's rainwater issues, right?" Schiller looked at Batman and continued, "You don't need to beat around the bush. You've always been concerned about what I said, that 'Gotham is beyond saving.'"

"You think that Constantine and I are too arbitrary, and you don't believe in our claims of things being 'predestined.' You lean more towards science and believe that Gotham's rainwater curse might be related to a problem in the water cycle."

Batman shook his head and said, "No. After I encountered the Court of Owls, I knew that there truly are mysterious powers in this world."

"But what puzzles me is that even after the Court of Owls has been erased from history, the effects they had and the memories they left behind haven't completely vanished. You might find it paradoxical, but in reality, it's a means to maintain causal relationships without contradictions."

"The Court of Owls no longer exists, but many things that happened because of their existence and the memories they left behind can't be completely reversed. So, the simplest way to deal with this issue is not to change every detail and memory but to provide alternative causes for all the outcomes."

"Doesn't that mean nothing has really changed?" Batman asked.

"Indeed, nothing has really changed," Schiller nodded. "Do you think Lucifer Morningstar is a savior?"

"Let's not forget, he's a Fallen Angel, no longer the shining and noble Morning Star of Heaven. Even when he was still an Angel, he never had any intention of saving anyone."

"He erased the existence of the Court of Owls simply because he found the mosquito buzzing around his ears annoying, so he swatted it. But that doesn't mean he wants to heal all the wounds caused by that mosquito, he doesn't have such benevolence or patience."

"So, you mean I need to find out the true cause of Gotham's rainwater curse?" Batman inquired.

Schiller shook his head and said, "Actually, some things don't need to be understood to be dealt with. Your previous approach was good: as long as everyone lives in buildings and all activities are conducted indoors with ceilings, the damage caused by rain is already minimized."

"But that only deals with part of the problem." Batman rested his elbows on his knees, hands under his chin, and said, "The water cycle is a problem that must be addressed: domestic water, irrigation water, industrial water... Water is a critical aspect of a city."

"In fact, you have ways to deal with these issues. Domestic water can be fully purified with a large-scale water treatment plant for pre-treatment, irrigation water as well, or you can use seawater desalination technology. If you're worried about plants getting rained on, you can cultivate them indoors. Industrial water can be recycled efficiently without significant waste..."

Schiller saw through Batman's true thoughts and said, "But the fact that you can't find the true cause of this curse makes you uneasy."

Batman was about to respond when Schiller continued, "However, I can understand your mindset. You've invested so much energy and resources into transforming this city. If there's a hidden hand lurking in the shadows, observing everything, and if they were to truly disrupt everything, the consequences might be more severe than if you had never begun the transformation, because once people see hope, they can't go back to their old dark lives."

Schiller turned his head to look out at the rainy night and said, "If now, those children were forced back into the leaky basement, scooping water out with buckets and pans all night, sleeping on wet ground and straw mats, they would absolutely not accept it."

"After having their current lives, if they were to fall into the abyss again, with no way to climb back up, even if the rainwater doesn't drive them insane, you would witness the true madness of this city."

Batman also turned his head to look outside and saw that as the night grew darker, the wind and rain intensified. However, because of the sturdy walls and tightly sealed windows, the room remained warm and devoid of any chill.

The heavier the rain outside, the warmer the room felt. Jason, wrapped in a blanket, leaned against a cabinet, listening to the sound of rain, lost in thought.

At that moment, the plump Tire walked in, handing a thermos to Jason. He said, "Here, my mom just made hot milk. She wanted me to thank you for helping us move during the daytime."

"If it weren't for you, we might have ended up like those people on the back streets, unable to finish moving today, and having to spend another night in the old house."

Tire sat down beside Jason and continued, "You don't know how rundown that old house is. Every stormy night, I worry that it might collapse."

"But now, it's different," Tire smiled and said, "I moved to the Phase Two building, not far from here, just a ten-minute walk."

"That's why I could come to find you in the middle of the night. Otherwise, who would dare to walk the streets on a stormy and rainy night?"

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

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Next Chapter>>Chapter 925: Schiller's Garden (Part 2)