"Hey, Professor, good morning. I bought you some coffee. Thank you for yesterday... My God, why are there so many chestnuts?!"
Barry looked in shock at the huge box of chestnuts placed in the middle of the living room. He put the coffee on the coffee table, then walked over, picked one up, peeled off the spiky shell, revealing the smooth chestnut inside.
"These are really big," Barry said, "They look completely ripe. They should be really delicious, right?"
Arrogant signaled with his eyes for him to roast them on the fireplace. Barry peeled a few chestnuts, placed them on the wire rack, and stuck them into the fireplace.
Then Barry also smelled a very fragrant scent, and he said, "Is this some special kind of chestnut? Why do I smell lemon oil?"
"Because that's not the smell of chestnuts," Greed said a bit helplessly, "I'm making lemon ganache."
"To go with the chestnuts?"
"Sort of," Greed said, "I'm making white chocolate balls, with lemon ganache and freshly baked crispy wafers inside. I'm also planning to add some chestnut paste. Want to taste it?"
Barry immediately walked over. Greed took a small spoonful of lemon ganache for him. After Barry put it in his mouth, he smacked his lips and said, "Not bad, I thought it would be really sour."
"I usually make the lemon ganache more aromatic, maybe with a bit of bitterness, primarily from the lemon zest, not very sour. Try this white chocolate crunchy shell."
Greed gave him half a white chocolate shell, which was a semi-circular crunchy shell with all the fillings inside. Barry took it and chewed it, saying, "Doesn't really taste like chocolate, just sweet."
"Of course, white chocolate isn't really chocolate. Alright, you've eaten my stuff, now get to work. Peel that box of chestnuts, roast them, and then blend them into a paste."
Barry instantly turned into a sourpuss, saying, "Isn't this supposed to be a friendly taste test? Why do I have to work?"
"I know you have Divine Speed, it shouldn't take you long to finish peeling the chestnuts, hurry up…"
Barry had no choice but to pitifully go to peel the chestnuts. Meanwhile, Arrogant was cutting cardstock with a wallpaper knife and asked, "There are still two criminals at large, how do you have time to hang out with us here?"
"Earlier, we worked continuously for several days. Now that we've rescued the hostages, the boss gave us half a day off. I still have to go over in the afternoon."
Arrogant nodded. He was about to say something else when his phone rang. He picked it up and heard Primary Universe Batman on the other end: "I'm planning to visit today. Doctor, do you have time?"
"I do have time, but if you come now, you might end up being really busy."
Primary Universe Batman apparently did not heed his warning, so about half an hour later, he was also sitting by the fireplace peeling chestnuts.
Primary Universe Batman sighed and said, "I thought it was just a chef inviting me for a friendly tasting…"
"Yes, so apart from helping me peel chestnuts, you also need to give me some advice. How's the bitterness of the lemon ganache? Is it too strong?"
"I think it's just right, but if it's for kids, they might not be able to handle that kind of taste, so it's better to add a bit more sugar." Primary Universe Batman said while peeling chestnuts, "Also, it could get really hot in the theater, so if your white chocolate crunchy shells aren't thick enough, they might melt."
"You've got a point." Greed thought for a moment, then went to adjust the temperature of the chocolate.
"How does it feel?" Arrogant looked at Primary Universe Batman and asked.
"What do you mean? If you're talking about the chestnuts, it's indeed my first time peeling them. I have to say, they're a bit prickly. Gloves would definitely be nice."
"I'm obviously talking about Brainiac."
Primary Universe Batman didn't show any signs of pondering, clearly having already thought a lot. He paused before saying, "It's a novel model of governance. If from the supreme ruler to the lowest levels they're all the same person, the efficiency would be unprecedentedly high."
"Don't you think that might be overly centralized?"
"There is no perfect system in this world. Every system has its pros and cons, and as long as the pros outweigh the cons, the system usually operates smoothly; even if the cons outweigh the pros, as long as the foundation is sturdy, it can last a long time."
"In my view, the pros of the Brainiac regime significantly outweigh the cons. Its efficiency is supremely high, its execution capability supremely strong, so much so that no drawback actually counts as a drawback. It's infinitely close to a perfect system."
"I thought you'd think he's an alien, so he might lead Earth to destruction."
"If that were the case, he wouldn't choose to rule Earth. Since he's chosen to govern and manage Earth, he might actually be the least eager for Earth's demise, given that he's invested more effort than anyone else on Earth."
Primary Universe Batman observed Arrogant's expression, then he smiled and said, "Does my reaction disappoint you, Doctor?"
"Not really, you're actually more open-minded than I thought."
"I admit I have some human supremacy tendencies, but I'm not an extreme human supremacist, otherwise, I wouldn't choose to be friends with an alien and a demigod. For me, whether it's Brainiac or Clark, they're the same. Their trustworthiness depends on their current actions, not on any preconceived notions of their future harm based on their racial stance. If that were the case, even real humans would have few you could trust."