Greed walked into the house, surveying the furnishings again. He put down the box and took off his coat. He was wearing a camel-colored cashmere turtleneck and casual trousers, with black-framed glasses.
"You look like you're off to a vineyard holiday," Arrogant remarked as he carried a box of ingredients into the house, "You arrived just in time. There's no firewood in the house, we might need to chop some in the forest."
"You're not joking, right? There's such a strong wind outside, and you plan to take an axe out to chop trees?"
"Not just me, it's us. Unless you plan not to go near the fireplace at all, we'll have to go together."
Greed sighed helplessly, "We barely get to be together in reality, and I had high expectations for this. But you arranged for us to go chop wood in the forest on a windy day for our first activity? Even in Gotham, that's a bit crazy, isn't it?"
Arrogant had already brought over the tools, handed one axe to Greed, and said, "Trust me. Precisely because Gotham has improved, we can chop wood in the weather like this without encountering any weird people or monsters crawling out of the lake mid-way."
Greed reluctantly put on his coat, took the axe, and said, "If you get arrested for illegal logging of Natural Forest, I won't be paying your bail money."
Thus, the two of them went out one after the other. The sparsely populated area had its benefits; at least no one seemed surprised to see two identical people appear simultaneously. They walked past the lake and came to the forest on the other side.
Arrogant began selecting trees, while Greed looked around and said, "Why did you choose to buy a house in such a remote place? I feel like there are wolves here."
"Not yet," Arrogant knocked on a nearby tree and said, "But there seems to be a pack of wolves connected to the mountains by this forest, maybe they'll migrate soon. This one seems good."
Bracing against the wind, Greed approached the tree Arrogant had chosen and quickly cut it down. Arrogant also went for another tree, managing to chop about four or five similar-sized small trees. Muttering to himself, "These should be enough for Halloween holidays. Let's go."
As Greed carried the axe out of the forest, he saw a light blink at the other end of the forest.
He immediately stopped, cautiously looking over in that direction. Arrogant stopped too. Greed mouthed the words, "Flashlight."
The light that just flickered was probably from a flashlight. Arrogant squinted but then said, "Now there's a shortage of firewood, they must be here chopping too. Let's go back."
They carried the firewood back to the house and took the logs to the backyard for chopping. Greed stood in the center of the living room, looking at the window. Outside, the wind roared, and raindrops began to appear on the glass. The chirping of birds could be heard through the wind.
"I'll split the wood, you make the meal?" Arrogant asked.
Greed nodded, then shifted his gaze to the boxes brought inside. He checked the ingredients inside and said, "In weather like this, we should have a hot stew. We can hang a pot over the fireplace for soup, prepare a seafood paella on the skillet, and heat some bread to go with the soup."
"There are pumpkins in the backyard," Arrogant said, "We can cut a piece and put it in the pot."
Greed walked out the back door and saw three perfectly shaped pumpkins. He couldn't help but sigh in admiration and then turned back to get a knife without hesitation. He was very experienced at cooking, and even though those pumpkins were large, judging by their color and firmness, they were perfect for stew.
He chose the smallest one, cut a piece, and diced it for later use. He then took out some red prawns from the box, cut off their heads, and sautéed them in the pot to release the prawn oil. He roasted tomatoes over the fire, peeled them, and diced them, before taking out some vegetables to chop.
He poured the prawn oil into the stew pot, added the diced tomatoes, and put it on the fireplace to stew until the tomatoes released their juice. He added a small piece of butter and a whole box of milk, then added the pumpkin, lettuce, zucchini, lettuce, mushroom, and shrimp to stew.
The pumpkin would quickly become tender and soft, melting thoroughly into the soup as if crushed, creating a creamy texture even without cream or blending. The vegetables would also become tender, breaking down until their fibers were dissolved, turning into a slightly mushy stew. It didn't look that appealing but tasted delicious.
He then blended various seafood juices to fry the rice in the pan. When done, he placed octopus legs and mussels on top. He cut the bread, placed it on a wire rack, and stuck it in the fireplace to heat.
The cold wind howled outside as the two of them sat around the fireplace eating. The wood was too damp, so it crackled as it burned, and the flames gradually grew smaller.
But the tools of Arrogance were quite complete. He put down the utensils in his hand and went to the toolbox in the backyard to fetch a flamethrower. As long as the flame is big enough, there's no wood that can't be burned.
The flames in the fireplace quickly became vigorous again. The aroma of the stew grew stronger. Both were busy eating and no one spoke.
The stew had a very rich umami flavor. The essence of the red shrimp was all fried out, and a layer of bright red shrimp oil floated on the milky broth. The fibers of the pumpkin and vegetables kept tumbling up; what would have been a coarse texture turned out just right in the soup, and the zucchini, mushrooms, and shrimp that were hard to stew soft had a distinctly different flavor.
Gotham, being by the sea, meant the seafood was relatively fresh. Only true locals knew that some small mixed fish, shellfish, and small oysters pried from rocks by fishermen, despite their poor appearance, had the richest umami, used for making broth, sauces, and soups, offering a flavor that no chemical seasoning could emulate. When such sauces replace water to steam or fry rice, each grain becomes a treasure of the ocean, tasting as if they had encompassed Atlantis in a single pot.
Europeans and Americans prefer mussels, which feature in many seafood dishes or seafood rice. These things, if too big or cooked too long, turn particularly hard, so you need to choose the small and tender ones. Slightly seared, they burst with juice in your mouth, paired with tomato sauce, dried dill, or Mexican hot sauce, they are irresistible to even the pickiest eaters.
The bread was just ordinary dry bread, hard enough to be used as a brick on normal days. Slightly toasting it makes it a bit softer, but the best way to eat it is to soak it in soup. In this manner, all its shortcomings become advantages; what was once dry and hard becomes fragrant and crispy, with a firm texture that absorbs soup completely, and its lack of taste perfectly highlights the dish's umami.
The two enjoyed a delightful meal, nearly finishing all the dishes. Then Arrogance baked a pumpkin pie as before. They leaned against the fireplace, cutting the pumpkin pie and chatting.
"Speaking of which, how's Batman doing?" Greed asked.
Arrogance paused, saying he seemed to have forgotten something, then shook his head and said, "I don't know. But he's an adult now; he should be able to find a hotel to stay in by himself. He's probably pitting his wits against Brainiac right now."
And the Primary Universe Batman he mentioned was just then facing the strong wind, dragging his suitcase off the bus. He took a deep breath, which made him cough twice. Seeing the "Wayne Hotel" in front of him really made him feel furious.
It wasn't that he didn't want to land in Gotham, but each universe's Battleworld entry point was chosen by locals, and the landing point in this universe, where Shiller was, had been changed to Metropolis, so he had to rush over from Metropolis.
Even more absurd, it seemed that Brainiac had invaded this universe's Earth. Although describing it as an invasion was inaccurate; it was more like Brainiac governed Earth, living in harmony with the human race.
The Primary Universe Batman, upon learning this, finally understood why Bruce seemed evasive and a little guilty earlier. He thought that was astonishing enough, but what could be even more unacceptable than Brainiac ruling Earth?
Lo and behold, there truly was. After Brainiac took over Earth, Bruce Wayne couldn't even enter the Wayne Hotel.
The Primary Universe Batman simply couldn't book a room in the Wayne Hotel. Although he had successfully registered an account and obtained legal identification, his identity was classified as "alien," limiting him to a few hotels, which did not include the Wayne Hotel, even with points, he couldn't book.
The Primary Universe Batman could already feel the unique, justified composure of this universe's Brainiac. He didn't consider himself an outsider, nor even a ruler, but was full of entrepreneurial spirit.
While emotionally unacceptable, rationally, it must be acknowledged that Brainiac seemed more concerned with Earth's fate than humans. As an alien, the Primary Universe Batman had no carbon emission quota, couldn't even hail a cab, and could only use public transportation.
Fortunately, using a series of technical means, he pitted his wits against Brainiac and managed to book the Wayne Hotel. Unfortunately, in this universe, the Wayne Hotel had no presidential suite, naturally lacking full service, so the Primary Universe Batman had to carry his own luggage.
Entering the lobby, completing registration, the Primary Universe Batman went upstairs to find his room, which turned out to be a decent standard room with a large floor-to-ceiling window, offering a view of the cityscape.
Standing in front of the window, the Primary Universe Batman was filled with emotion. He wondered what kind of vagabond journey could match this moment's great view. The city he should've been very familiar with now presented a distinctly different beauty.
Leaves fluttered in the wind over the entire city, Gotham was showered in a golden rain. A fine mist rose from the ground, high-rises hidden within left only silhouettes of the gabled houses, as if overnight they had returned to the 14th century's autumn, verdant gold flowing, life as fragile as grass.
The Primary Universe Batman took a short break, searched the room, and discovered there was no service bell, realizing he had to use that green-headed software for room service. Instinctively a bit uncomfortable, he picked up his jacket, preparing to seek out the laundry room to dry his clothes.
Just as he stepped out the door, he saw another figure in a long trench coat, putting on a hat, looking ready to go out.
This person turned around after closing the door, and upon lifting his head, he saw the Primary Universe Batman about to leave. Both froze when they saw each other's face at the same moment.