As noon approached, the wind picked up outside again. This time, the strong wind couldn't scatter the gray mist, and soon a torrential rain arrived. However, the heavier the wind and rain outside, the warmer and cozier the house felt.
The preliminary preparations for the dessert were nearly complete: the white chocolate shells were placed in the freezer to keep cool, the sauces and wafers were ready, and the chestnut puree was made; all that was left was a quick assembly before leaving in the evening.
Then they started preparing lunch together. Primary Universe Batman and Barry went back to the woods to chop some more firewood, while Greed took out the farm-raised chicken he brought over from Marvel, placed it in a pot with chestnuts to stew, adding some potatoes and peppers. The whole house was filled with the rich aroma of meat.
As Greed was making the stew, Arrogant went to cut a piece of pumpkin. He found that this pumpkin, as others had said, was indeed easy to preserve—just left out in the yard, and though the cut from before had darkened, removing a small part revealed tender, fresh flesh inside, showing no signs of spoilage.
They simmered millet and rice porridge, scooped out the pumpkin flesh and added it in, mashing it in the pot until the whole pumpkin dissolved into the porridge, which slowly thickened. There was no need to add any sugar, as it carried a subtly sweet aroma on its own.
Then, they cut the pumpkin into triangular pieces, placing fish fillets, shrimp, and green peppers on top, drizzling with white sauce and hot sauce, sprinkling mozzarella cheese over it all, and baked it in the oven. This was a popular Gotham specialty snack often seen at dockside restaurants: pumpkin chunks that were filling, seafood that tasted fresh, and cheese that provided ample energy, much loved by those who did heavy physical labor.
Then there was the refreshing arugula, just tossed with some sauce, making for a palate-cleansing arugula salad.
Once the meal was ready, a few people gathered by the fireplace to eat. The main dish was a large pot of chestnut chicken stew, the staple was seafood-baked pumpkin and porridge, and the vegetable dish was arugula.
This time, a lot of peppers were added to the chestnut chicken stew. Though Greed couldn't really handle spicy food, causing him to drink the porridge heavily, the other three were all considered Gothamites, used to the strong flavors of local cuisine, so they handled it fine.
Don't see Batman barely eats spicy food, yet he can eat peppers without changing expression; whether he truly isn't afraid of spicy or just holding it in is unknown. But Barry could really handle the spice; clearly, he grew up eating those dockside snacks.
Owing to its coastal location and damp, cold climate, Gotham's cuisine is similar to the strong-flavored Spanish style, featuring various spicy sauces with seafood; and because of Italian immigrants, they have a fondness for tomatoes and cheese. Perhaps hardship fuels art, even a madman like Joker, after fighting Batman, goes home to cook. Compared to the East Coast, Gotham is considered a food paradise, especially around the former East Dock, truly a display of culinary diversity.
"As a kid, I loved running to the docks," Barry said as he ate, "At home, my parents didn't like me eating chili sauce, because it would make their faces flush red and they'd cough. They even said eating too many peppers would cause hair loss—how could that be!"
"In school, I would run to the docks with classmates, one of whose fathers worked in a warehouse there. After we were done with homework, we'd go to the food street nearby to eat. One barbecue place's grilled octopus was incredibly delicious, even Jason recommended it to me. The octopus wasn't dry at all, when bitten into, it felt like it was still alive, tender and wiggling. Their sauce was Mexican-style, and the first time I tried it, the spice almost made me jump into the sea, but later I fell in love with that flavor…"
Arrogant had also been to some dockside restaurants. These restaurants were generous and economical, with each having a signature dish, using a wide variety of ingredients; unlike the high-end restaurants in the West District or South District, where menus were much the same, either small ribs or various fish dishes, and even desserts followed formulaic patterns, usually layer by layer of different flavored cakes, leaving no surprises.
Among today's dishes, besides the chestnut chicken stew, the seafood-baked pumpkin was the most popular. Nobody knows who invented cheese, but it always tasted fragrant, paired well with anything; if it didn't taste good, just switch to another, there'd always be a good one.
Gotham didn't have much natural vegetation, let alone chestnut-bearing trees, so people here rarely ate chestnuts. Batman hadn't had much either—most of what he tried before were chestnut-based desserts where the puree was mashed finely, completely losing its original texture.
But the chestnuts in the chicken stew were shelled and tossed straight in; they tasted mealy yet had a slight chewiness. Primary Universe Batman seemed to love this texture, leaving with a bag of chestnuts. Barry also took some home, saying he'd like his parents to try them.
About half the big box of chestnuts was left. Arrogant calculated that he could distribute some to acquaintances, especially Pamela, hoping to enjoy fist-sized chestnuts next year.
Since a storm was raging outside, making it impossible to go out, Arrogant sorted the chestnuts, intending to bring them along when going to watch a performance in the evening.
When the theater was about to open, Arrogant and Greed started assembling the dessert. The dessert was essentially filling a white chocolate crispy shell with various sauces and fillings: starting with a chestnut puree base, then a layer of crispy wafer, drizzling some sauce, followed by another layer of crushed wafer, and finally a bit of lemon zest. To balance the sweetness, a tiny bit of lemon juice was squeezed in.
After assembly, the halves were joined, and chocolate was used to seal the gaps. The exterior was brushed with some chocolate sauce and sprinkled with shredded coconut, resembling a Ferrero but without the intense chocolate flavor—its main taste was a lemony sweetness, with chestnut puree adding a robust texture, and the crispy wafer providing an enjoyable crunch. Considering it was for the children, Greed even sprinkled some popping candy on the outside.
After finishing, place each one into the paper cups, then put them one by one in the cardboard, stack them up, and put them in the basket.
In this kind of weather, driving is a must. Arrogant went to get the car from the garage, Greed took everything and put it in the trunk, and the two drove to the theater together.
They thought the bad weather might affect the thank-you performance, but when they arrived, both large and small parking spaces were full. They had to settle for finding a spot further away.
The parking spot was quite far, and they had to walk a bit in the rain. Greed simply used gray mist to carry Arrogant, and they both went upstairs. Thanks to Arrogant's devotion—being a loyal theatergoer and having given much advice to the troupe—he had a box on the second floor.
Primary Universe Batman also arrived, and Arrogant gave him a ticket. He joined Arrogant in the box. Then came Bruce and Alberto, who went to the neighboring box with Oliver and Pamela.
Soon after, Gordon and the others arrived, but they didn't have a box and were in the downstairs hall. When it seemed about time, Arrogant went down to greet them.
The main task was handing out candy, of course. As Greed had anticipated, the schools were on Halloween break, so the kids came along. The first-floor audience was basically families, and Greed's sweets were a huge hit.
Every parent knows the time before the movie starts is the hardest—most kids don't understand why the movie can't start immediately, so they ask repeatedly, sometimes every few seconds. To quiet them, even the strictest parents might buy popcorn or fries.
Greed's candy saved many parents who didn't buy snacks. The theater isn't as casual as the cinema—you can't just bring popcorn and soda. But the small candies work well to distract the kids.
The chocolate balls Greed brought weren't big, looked elegant, suited for the theater environment, and most importantly, were more like toys than candy. When kids got these candies, they wouldn't eat them right away. They'd take a bite to see the inside structure or look for seams to split them in two and lick them, or perhaps pick off coconut flakes on their clothes. Two candies could last ten minutes, and by the time they finished, the show started.
All the candy Arrogant took down was quickly gone. As he came back, he said, "You were right, we should have made more, these weren't nearly enough. Two kids were about to cry."
"That's because you've never given them candy before, and it made them cry out of joy," Greed snorted. "You don't know how to make kids happy at all. It's different for me; even the kids at Arkham Sanatorium listen to me. I'm the King of Children."
"Why do you name your sanatorium that way?" Primary Universe Batman couldn't help asking, "Every time you mention that sanatorium..."
"Does it trigger many bad memories for you?"
"Not really. I always think it would be great if you could be the director of Arkham Asylum."
"Then the only mad one would be the Joker," Arrogant said as he sat down. "We've managed Arkham Sanatorium before, and it was chaotic with him in charge."
"That's slander. Under my management, Arkham Asylum was orderly..."
"Sure, all the mentally ill were discharged, and the gang bosses lived there. How could there be chaos?"
As they watched the play and chatted, the climax arrived. Selina walked and sang in a long dress, her powerful voice resonating throughout the theater. As the first high note fell, the theater erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
And Bruce took the chance to slip into Arrogant's box, flashing the shiny engagement ring on his middle finger. "Isn't she truly special? Even among countless Selinas across countless universes, my fiancée is the most remarkable. Not just for her beauty or her unique profession—you can imagine, right? Her confidence is innate, as if she were born to be in the spotlight. Everyone who sees her performance believes in destiny. They believe there are people in this world born to be stars..."