As the day just broke, a cool mist rose over the lake's surface. The morning light shone on the lake, as if scattering a handful of silver coins on soft silk.
After a night of wind and rain, the broadleaf plants were the best artists, using their leaves to paint the lawn and pavement in bright yellow. Two fallen leaves were blown onto the glass by the wind. Shiller pushed open the window, took the leaves down, and placed them on the small table in front of the fireplace to dry. Gotham's autumn had already given him dozens of bookmarks.
The fireplace had been burning vigorously all night and had just gone out not long ago. The entire living room was filled with the pleasant scent of dry wood, which collided with the moisture flowing in from outside the window. Shiller heard the chirping of birds again and, looking out of the side window of the living room, could faintly see a corner of the chestnut tree, with the Northern Cardinal seemingly flitting among the branches.
Shiller turned on his phone and first used points to order some basic ingredients to replenish the fridge, then bought some coffee beans, black tea, and sugar with cash. He started the cleaning robot to tidy up the house and then went out for class.
However, he didn't drive; gasoline, being a strategic resource, was still rationed and distributed based on population. Shiller, living alone, didn't get much gasoline, which wasn't enough to support him driving to work every day. So, when the weather was good, he'd walk to the bus stop.
A long pathway stretched out in front of his door; he just needed to follow the path, turn west, and about a mile away, there was a bus stop. The walk took dozens of minutes, but the scenery on the way was quite nice, quite suitable for someone like Shiller, who left for work late, to walk there.
Today, he only had one class at ten o'clock, and ever since those who lacked talent but insisted on learning the Psychoanalysis Method were taken away by Brainiac, the class had been relatively pleasant. Especially after Jenna, one of the twins, entered the psychology department, she could submit a fairly decent essay every week. Reading her essays was one of the few pleasures in Shiller's work.
Unfortunately, Barry graduated early and didn't choose to continue his studies; otherwise, he could see two fairly decent essays every week.
Thinking about the article topic he assigned last week, Shiller walked to the neighbor's yard entrance and saw the large chestnut tree. The American chestnut tree's scientific name is precisely "American chestnut tree," a unique subspecies widely distributed in the east. However, the native species had nearly gone extinct due to its lack of disease resistance; this one should be a hybrid variety with a certain chestnut tree from China.
Chestnut trees are a type of beech tree, which can grow as large as it takes four or five people to circle their trunks. However, this one wasn't that large, about two people could hug it, and it produced a lot of chestnuts—the ground was covered with chestnut shells cracked open from falling.
It's unclear whether the homeowner had moved away or just hadn't returned because no one had tidied up the chestnuts, turning this place into a haven for small animals. If nothing unexpected happens, this wave of aid could cause the nearby forest's rodent population to multiply several times.
Shiller went over to look at the house's doorplate but unfortunately found no contact information. If there were, he would have liked to buy some chestnuts from the owner to roast with pumpkin over the fireplace, which would likely taste quite good.
Since Brainiac relaxed the economic policy, although most living supplies could be bought with points or cash and easily ordered with delivery available, there were still many unavailable goods. If one wanted specific items, they would need to grow them themselves or purchase them from nearby communities.
Shiller didn't see any chestnuts for sale on the app, indicating there was no stock for the time being. However, he remembered that in northern Gotham, that is, Massachusetts, there was a chestnut plantation, although it might not yet be harvest time for large quantities, so they weren't available in the market.
Greed very much enjoyed cooking; perhaps he'd want to make chestnut chicken stew, so he wouldn't have to eat in the cafeteria.
Thinking while walking, he soon arrived at the bus stop. The passengers on this bus route were also pitifully few; only Shiller was a passenger when it reached here. However, the bus driver was very enthusiastic, he waved to Shiller and said, "Good morning, Professor. How have you been lately?"
"Not bad." Shiller sat down by the window and said, "The weather's gotten too cold recently, not enough firewood to burn. Perhaps I'll need to visit the community store to buy some firewood after work."
"Oh, don't bother making a trip." The driver shook his head and said, "This year, Gotham's temperature dropped too quickly, firewood sold out long ago, and on this route, the three community stores have no firewood left. Brainiac already plans to open some forest land, allowing residents of non-dense communities to cut their own firewood."
"What about the dense communities?"
"Well, they'll have to burn coal. There's still plenty of coal. What I envy most is the East District, which has central heating; I wonder when my home could have heating built."
"Perhaps soon," Shiller said.
Soon, the bus arrived. Shiller walked into Gotham University's entrance. The new campus of Gotham University was also very well landscaped, with various deciduous plants and evergreen shrubs, offering a less bleak view. Perhaps in places filled with young people, there was always more vitality.
"Good morning, Professor."
"Good morning, Professor."
"How have you been lately, Professor?"
"Coffee, Professor?"
The students, like a flock of chattering birds, flew into the empty classroom, carrying the lingering dampness with them. The way they dropped their backpacks and took off their coats was akin to shaking off feathers.
Gotham University also had centralized heating; the classroom was as warm as spring. Shiller removed his coat and scarf, flipped through the lesson plan beside him, cleared his throat, and said, "First, submit last week's homework. Jenna, you're in charge of collecting it."
The girl sitting at the edge stood up and said in a crisp voice, "No problem, Professor."
Jenna didn't seem to have changed much. For her kind of alien, growth and development seemed very slow; she still looked like a maiden. She had cut her hair very short, looking neat and crisp.
After collecting the homework, Shiller began to review them. Every time during class, he sincerely thanked Brainiac, at least now, the students in his classroom produced work that was still readable, with occasional surprises.
"Jenna, your analysis on the application of children's psychology in the field of criminal psychology is quite good. Can you tell us why you thought of writing this?" Shiller asked, looking up.
"Sure, Professor." Jenna stood up and said, "It's like this: not long after entering school, I found a part-time job at a kindergarten in the factory area, just playing games with kids and such. Back then, I discovered that it made a lot of sense for children's psychology to be listed as a separate discipline. Their thinking is completely different from adults, making the research quite interesting."
"Of course, children are vulnerable, and even a fall while running could lead to severe consequences. I get along well with the children, but sometimes I worry about what would happen if they encountered vicious criminals. So, I looked into some cases involving crimes against children and found that due to their physical frailty and low alertness, they were often targeted by criminals. To solve the psychological aspect of children's crime, I conducted a series of studies..."
Shiller nodded frequently while listening, then said, "This paper has several highlights. Although it's not yet ready for an academic journal, the analysis of many past cases might inspire relevant departments. If possible, I will submit it to the internal publication of the relevant departments, which should earn you a substantial points-based remuneration."
"That would be wonderful, Professor. I'm short on points." Jenna smiled and said, "The community we live in has run out of firewood, and buying it through the app costs a lot of points."
Shiller nodded and then began commenting on the papers of others. Most were well written, albeit without highlights. After giving some suggestions and assigning a new topic, today's class ended.
There was supposed to be another class in the afternoon, but Brainiac apparently made a last-minute schedule adjustment, and the afternoon class was canceled. Shiller initially planned to go to the stadium to watch football training, but the training was also canceled, leaving Shiller no choice but to prepare to go home.
On the way home, Shiller realized why the afternoon classes were canceled — the entire Gotham was struck by strong winds, sweeping leaves off the paths and into the air. The weather forecast indicated that the wind might continue all night. In such conditions, it's best to stay indoors and avoid any outdoor activities.
Fortunately, he had pre-ordered supplies. If he were to order through the app now, the delivery likely wouldn't arrive on time.
Shiller opened the gate to the front yard and saw that the supplies he ordered were neatly arranged by the door. He instinctively glanced around the porch but noticed that the delivery person's footprints seemed a bit disordered.
Opening the door, Shiller realized that someone had entered his home while he was at work.
There were no footprints inside, and everything was in its place. Shiller walked to the fireplace and found a bit of ash was lifted by air convection created by opening the door above the fireplace guard.
He's usually very careful to close the gap with his body when opening the door, so this kind of ash isn't typical. If there's furnace ash outside the fireplace, it indicates the door has been opened.
Shiller checked the house, finding no fingerprints or footprints, and nothing was rummaged through — it seemed the intruder merely looked around before leaving.
Shiller went to the backyard; three big pumpkins were still intact there. It's a pity they were picked too early; otherwise, they might have knocked the culprit out. The gardening tools and soil hadn't been disturbed either, suggesting the intruder didn't venture there.
After checking upstairs, he concluded it hadn't been disturbed either, suggesting the intruder had only roamed the first floor before leaving.
Shiller didn't know what the intruder wanted, but he was certain they would return. Halloween was approaching, and he'd be home all day. He would naturally find out who they were then.
Now, there was a more pressing problem: his firewood was running low. He initially planned to gather enough firewood in the afternoon, but with the wind outside, venturing into the forest to cut wood would be unwise.
He reopened the app, only to find that no nearby community stores had firewood in stock, and the ones slightly farther away didn't either. Purchasing from further afar would be exorbitantly expensive, with no certainty of delivery.
Shiller sighed. As he pondered whether to venture into the forest, the doorbell suddenly rang. Upon opening the door, he saw Greed standing outside with a box.
"My God, what kind of ghostly weather is this? I just arrived, and the wind started howling. I was stuck spinning in a pile of leaves for half an hour — it's unbearable!"