After its renovation, Wayne Manor finally caught up with the times in the autumn of the millennium. It was equipped with many modern facilities that made life easier while still retaining the mysterious charm of an old estate.
As autumn set in, the entire estate exuded an especially ancient and desolate aura. The lawn turned a dull brownish-yellow, while gray-green vines climbed up the bricks, and warm light shone through the windows. Inside, it was a different scene altogether.
The fireplace was burning vigorously, illuminating the entire living room. After being redefined and refurbished, Wayne Manor, though slightly smaller than before, no longer appeared gloomy like a large Gothic castle. Instead, it gave off a cozy feeling. The old gray-purple and dark blue decorations had been removed, replaced with brown wool carpets and deep red plaid velvet drapes. The large Italian leather sofas were a warm orange, and a small dried daisy was placed inside a white vase. The elaborate vintage crystal chandeliers had also been replaced with more modern metal ones that retained the Gothic style.
Previously, in order to improve the per capita living space, part of Wayne Manor was sectioned off. The main hall, garden, and the side corridor with living rooms remained within the estate, while two independent buildings were sectioned off.
With Bruce's tireless efforts, the Justice League finally got approved by Brainiac, gaining legal status. Those two buildings were also used as a base for the Justice League—primarily Bruce's laboratory.
In the past, due to funding constraints, Bruce didn't have a proper Batcave, sometimes even having to borrow a lab from the Luther Group for his inventions. It wasn't that he didn't want to build one, but economic strength didn't allow it—most of his money was invested in Gotham's construction and renovation, leaving no budget for those expensive research facilities.
And let's not forget, with Brainiac's arrival, not only did the skies of Gotham clear up, but Wayne's good days also began. Brainiac sectioned off those two buildings from Wayne Manor along with Bruce's undeveloped basement into a comprehensive experimental site for Bruce's inventions and creations—it became this cosmos's Batcave.
Of course, such a large area couldn't be Bruce's alone. In addition to him, other research groups also used it. For instance, Pamela was a regular here, Victor occasionally dropped by because there was also a cryogenic lab constructed underground. Furthermore, the forensic analysis department of the Gotham Police Department sometimes borrowed the blood analysis equipment from here.
For Bruce, it was equivalent to working from home because these two buildings were originally study rooms, reception rooms, and storage areas. Doing research here was just like being at home.
This morning, Bruce received a weather warning about strong winds, so he canceled his plans to go out, intending to spend the day in the lab, completing the upgrades to the root vegetable harvesting machine.
While he was looking at data in the lab, a tall figure in a raincoat and boots walked in. Oliver, holding a string of large potatoes, took off his raincoat hood, grinned, and revealed two rows of white teeth.
"Look at this beautiful thing," Oliver placed the string of potatoes on the table and said, "I just dug these out, and this is the smallest bunch. Each one grew very standard."
Bruce went over and took a glance, and it was indeed as Oliver said. This string of potatoes was extraordinarily large, with each one the size of an adult's forearm, and each was perfectly standard, like the kind of potatoes you'd find in a cartoon.
Then, Oliver brought out a corn cob from somewhere. This corn was astonishingly large, nearly as long as a baseball bat, and it was fully grown from top to bottom, with plump kernels that looked both fragrant and tender.
"Is this feed corn?" Bruce asked in some surprise, "The feed corn I've seen at Clark's place was hard as rocks."
"Yes, it's the same feed corn variety, but it's been optimized for raw consumption." After saying that, Oliver took a bite, visibly juicy. Excitedly shaking the corn, he said, "The first batch is about to be produced in Mexico, and the villagers will definitely be thrilled."
"My goodness, what kind of crazy weather is this!" Pamela put away her umbrella. Sea King Arthur followed her with a somewhat helpless expression. He said, "I told you we should take the park's car here, but you insisted on walking and wearing an oversized raincoat, I was afraid you'd get blown away by the wind!"
"Don't worry, I've got vines anchoring me." Pamela breathed a sigh of relief, walked to the water dispenser, poured herself a cup of hot water, gulped it down, and said, "The seaweed growth is going well, now we just need the harvesting machine. What did the Magic Academy say?"
Bruce picked up a stack of data and said, "Underwater harvesting performance isn't an issue, but it certainly can't match the efficiency of land harvesting."
"They're slacking," Pamela insisted, "Don't tell me they need to consider water flow resistance in magic. Why are we going through all this trouble then?"
"You have to give them the chance to experiment and iterate," Bruce said with a bit of helplessness.
"Then let them go, the plantation area is open to them anyway. I think they just don't dare to go underwater," Pamela said with some annoyance.
"Don't be so fired up." Arthur poured himself a cup of water, too, and said, "The production corps of Atlantis can cope for a while. Although harvesting manually is laborious, the output is indeed good. Mera and I discussed it, and we plan to plant this large leaf algae in the deep sea and rely on manual harvesting to earn some points to purchase things from land."
"Rather than saying our research speed is slow, I'd say your cultivation speed is too fast," Bruce poured Pamela another cup of hot coffee, placed it in front of her, and with a smile said, "If we completely solve the human famine, you will deserve the most credit, ma'am."
"It's really nothing, initially my research on enlarging plants was just to give them bigger bodies so they'd be stronger in battles. Famine relief was Brainiac's idea, though I did make some adjustments to palatability…"
Pamela said modestly. Oliver also brought her some cookies, placed them in front of her, and said, "I must express sincere gratitude on behalf of the Mexican people and, of course, Siberia and Ireland."
"I really don't need more people thanking me." Pamela removed the scarf from her neck and said, "Brainiac set me up as an example without my consent, and if it weren't for today's wind, I would have to go to the TV station for a speech tonight."
"Isn't that perfect? All Things Green will also thank you, after all, you've garnered so many followers for it."
"He also played a significant role in the war," Arthur said, "I still remember the battle you fought, it was earth-shattering."
Then they began to talk about the events that happened during the war. That war was exceptionally thrilling, providing endless topics of discussion. As they were talking, Bruce's phone rang.
"I've arranged to meet a friend, so I'll head there first," Bruce said.
Then he left the lab, took an elevator underground, and then from another elevator underground to the main hall, so he didn't have to brave the strong winds through the garden.
Opening the front door, a figure in a long coat stood outside. Bruce opened the door to let him in, and after a brief hug, he said, "Long time no see, Alberto. How have you been?"
"Not bad actually," Alberto said, taking off his scarf, hanging up his coat, and adding, "How about you? How have you been?"
"The same as always." Bruce turned around, and they sat together by the fireplace. Alberto looked around at the furnishings, then said, "It's really quite different from before. The previous style was too somber, it's much better now."
"I think so too. Selina and I are getting married soon, and neither of us likes too serious of a home atmosphere, warmer and more cheerful is better. How is the Old Godfather's health?"
"Not bad. After staying in Rome for a while, he went to Sicily Island where the climate is warmer, with abundant sunshine and simple people, much better than the big city. I've been in Rome the whole time."
"Yes, I heard from Brainiac that you started an investment company, which later turned into a shipping company. How's business?"
"Brainiac has monopolized global shipping, I'm just assisting him, but life is still okay."
"So are you here for a nostalgic visit, or is there something else?"
"It's hard to say specifically, just consider it a vacation. After all, since I left, Gotham has changed quite a bit. How's the Professor? Is he doing well recently?"
"He's doing well. Since Brainiac started the university admission aptitude tests that have deterred many people from picking majors they're not suited for, he no longer has to teach lost causes, and his mood has improved quite a lot."
"I suppose that includes you in those lost causes?"
Bruce laughed, lowered his head, and said, "I wouldn't say I'm a lost cause, at most I'd classify as a gymnosperm."
"I'm planning to visit him; when's he free?"
"With the strong winds this afternoon, he probably won't go out, so if you go now, you might catch him for dinner. But it's a bit far from here to his place, do you have a car?"
Alberto shook his head and said, "I could have rented a car, but with such strong winds, the rental companies aren't open. Do you have time? Could you drive me there?"
"It's not impossible, but I have a few data sets to finish up, so you might have to wait for about half an hour."
"No problem, go do your thing. I have some reports to look over myself."
Bruce quickly returned to the lab, handled the tasks at hand, donned his coat, and set off with Alberto in the car.
As the car entered the community where Shiller lived, Alberto asked with some confusion, "The location here is pretty good, not far from the university town and industrial area. Why is it so sparsely populated? Is there something wrong with the houses?"
"No, it's Brainiac's doing. There are very few houses available for application here."
"Why? Is he creating a nature reserve?"
"No, it's because this place is a gathering spot for those with mental health issues. You could think of it as a scenic large psychiatric hospital, where only some individuals with dangerous mental problems can move in."
"What's the reasoning behind that?"
"You know, some people are inherently not quite normal. After societal conditioning, they might appear fine on the surface, but there's always a degree of risk. Mixing them with regular people might pose a danger to them, so Brainiac has designated multiple low-density special protected areas in the city to house these large 'beasts.'
"The Professor is one of them?"
"Sort of. Because he insisted on not moving, Brainiac had to declare this a nature reserve. Otherwise, with its beautiful natural scenery, it would be best used as a city park."
"Doesn't he mind?"
"Brainiac hasn't told him, but even if he knew, I doubt he'd move. He enjoys the peace and solitude."