Lorien, and even the two women at his side, were simply not people anyone could afford to provoke.
After a week had passed and everything had calmed down, that became the general consensus.
Some came openly looking for trouble, while others lurked around Lorien's clinic to observe, or pretended to seek treatment in hopes of stirring something up.
Naturally, none of them succeeded.
Lorien always greeted them with a pleasant smile, never showing impatience. On the contrary, their antics seemed to amuse him every time.
To him, they were nothing more than a joke.
Life in Gotham was lively and enjoyable for Lorien.
Diana had even become one of his regular patients, dropping by from time to time to talk about little things—her friends, her family.
No matter how much Lorien might complain inwardly, he always kept a smile on his face, never once showing displeasure.
This made Diana all the more delighted. Each time, she would leave some money on his desk just before closing and walk away happily.
A psychologist's office was supposed to be a place where people could relax, and Lorien didn't see anything wrong with her coming to him every day.
At the very least, Diana's beautiful face was pleasant enough to look at.
It was quite the contrast with her talkative personality, and sometimes Lorien even found himself looking forward to her visits.
Before long, Gwen and Wanda learned that Lorien had a new patient named Diana.
They had seen her several times themselves, and her beauty was so overwhelming that even they, as women, found themselves briefly dazed.
"I didn't think a woman this beautiful could exist."
"It's incredible—she looks like a goddess."
"The gods must truly favor her."
"..."
Even after returning home, Gwen and Wanda couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
A face like that could brighten every meal just by being there.
"You've been wandering around Gotham a lot lately. Have you gotten used to this city?"
"There are some really powerful people here, but none of them bother us. It's the overconfident ordinary folks who come after us instead."
Since they were going to be living in Gotham, Gwen and Wanda naturally had to learn more about the city.
"But Lorien, why did you choose Gotham? Was it because of Clark?"
Wanda sat down beside him and asked softly, though she doubted that was the real reason.
And indeed, Lorien's choice to stay here wasn't because of Clark. What he had realized was that this world wasn't just a warped timeline or a spatial distortion—it was the DC universe fully merged into one.
The fact that two Clark Kents existed was certainly strange, a clear anomaly in the timeline, but aside from that, there was nothing out of place.
"It's not because of Clark. But it was because of him that I noticed something I'd overlooked.
I'd gotten too lazy, too used to a quiet life. I wasn't paying attention to anything else. That's why it took me this long to realize this world is a fusion of DC into one."
"Gotham is a fascinating place. I'm sure, given enough time, you'll come to see that." Lorien smiled, though Wanda and Gwen, after spending some time here, still hadn't found much to enjoy.
"Faora has also come to this city."
Wanda shared her latest discovery with Lorien.
"I don't know why she's here. Is it because of Clark? Or did she learn we were here and decided to follow?"
As she spoke, she sneaked a glance at Lorien, wondering if he still had any feelings for Faora.
But when he heard Wanda mention her, his expression didn't change in the slightest. He listened as if it were about a stranger. It seemed he truly felt nothing for Faora anymore.
"So now that we're in Gotham, what should we do?"
Gwen asked from the side.
She didn't believe they had come here for no reason—there had to be some purpose.
"Wait. Even if we don't go looking for trouble, trouble will find us."
Lorien had no intention of actively seeking conflict.
Gwen and Wanda already knew well enough how laid-back he was.
Hearing his answer, they weren't surprised. They exchanged a look and shrugged.
...
During their time in Gotham, many things happened.
First, the protests.
Then, the online outcry against Gotham.
Ordinary citizens, frustrated and exhausted, grew increasingly dissatisfied.
They pleaded for the government to step in, urged the police to take action.
But the police acted as if nothing was happening, going about their days as usual, and the government remained silent.
To them, Gotham was already a lawless zone, and some even laughed it off.
"Gotham's the most dangerous place in the world. Everyone knows that already. If you can't survive there, just move out!"
"What a joke. If the government really wanted to control it, they would have by now. The truth is, they can't."
"What if the military got involved? Wouldn't they wipe out all the criminals in Gotham?"
"Haha, maybe!"
"Not maybe. Definitely. If that weren't the case, Gotham would've been under control ages ago!"
Since it wasn't their problem, online commentary ran rampant, mostly in mocking tones.
Lorien sometimes came across these discussions while reading the news or scrolling through his phone. At most, he raised an eyebrow, never giving them much thought.
Even Wanda and Gwen struggled to understand Gotham's strange existence.
"Why would the government—or anyone—allow such a dangerous city to exist?"
In their world, the police would have acted long ago, and the state would have taken control without hesitation.
But here, things were completely different from what they expected.
Even though this world had a country called the United States and operated in much the same way, the differences were still enormous.
"Living our own little lives is enough. Don't worry about the rest."
"Everything exists for a reason. You'll understand later."
With that, Lorien wrapped his arms around the two women and led them to rest. Compared to worrying about such things, getting more sleep was far more important.