49. Gotham/Smallville: Cinderella
57.
Aria had wanted to ask Batman about Arkham Asylum and the legend of the owl, but when she turned around, he was gone. At the entrance to the sewer, only the bleak evening breeze carried light garbage tumbling past. The farmer stood there, a small question mark on his head.
If it weren't for the footprints of two people still left on the muddy ground in front of the pipe mouth, Aria would even suspect that everything that had just happened was an illusion.
Covering their footprints with dry sand like a small animal covering its tracks, Aria looked up at the time on the panel and decided to catch one more fish before going back.
Zuzu City was a port city with a much wider waterway than Kansas. Aria borrowed a gang member's motorcycle on the roadside and arrived at the port in a little over twenty minutes.
She loved visiting places like this in the game—the sound of the waves crashing repeatedly against the shore was nature's most peaceful white noise. Unfortunately, the waters of Zuzu City weren't the vibrant blue of the original game; they were a darker, more like inky black. In bad weather, the waters far from the harbor even felt like they were swallowing everything.
Aria didn't care about the horror of the sea. She searched along the harbor in the dark and finally found a beach.
After a period of observation, the farmer realized that Zuzu City had its own rules. Ordinary residents of this city usually did not go out at night, let alone stroll on the beach next to the port. Therefore, he was prepared to encounter hostile forces here.
But perhaps today was truly different. The escape of a mentally ill patient from Arkham Asylum had turned the city's attention elsewhere. The beach was incredibly quiet, and moonlight shimmered across the black sea, creating a shimmering ripple. As the clouds obscuring the moon dissipated, the light grew clearer, like a gathering of fluttering butterflies.
Under such beautiful scenery, the farmer rolled up his sleeves and walked into the tidal area, picking up some corals and sea urchins. Corals and sea urchins can be used as bait makers, and if there is a fish tank, sea urchins can also be raised in it. They are essential home decorations for every fishing player.
Of course, she hadn't forgotten her original intention of finding the beach to fish. After stuffing several collectibles of varying qualities into her backpack, Aria took out her fishing rod and cast her hook towards the ocean in front of her!
Today's good luck seemed to have run out with Batman. The farmer caught fish several times, but all she caught were either JOJA Cola or waste newspapers with gossip about Bruce Wayne. The several pieces she caught could even be pieced together to form a complete report - it can be seen that Wayne should indeed bear some joint responsibility for the environmental problems in Zuzu City.
However, the farmer did not have the time to read the gossip. She collected the garbage and prepared to take it back to throw it into the recycling machine, and made her last cast of the night under the cover of darkness.
The feeling of the water covering her ankles was amazing. Aria watched the float rise and fall, waiting for about a minute before a vibration came from the end of the fishing rod, and with the force of a living creature biting the hook and trying to break free, it crashed into the farmer's trap.
Aria perked up. She noticed there was another treasure chest, so she carefully balanced the progress of the chest and the fish. After a series of delicate adjustments, the farmer pulled in a powerful rod. A slender, snake-like creature leaped into the air, and she grabbed it!
It's an eel!
The farmer was even happier about catching the eel than seeing the treasure chest. He was happy thinking that he would no longer have to worry about spicy eels in the future. At the same time, he opened the treasure chest to see what he had caught this time.
A strange disc lay in a wooden box. It was shaped like a donut drizzled with chocolate sauce, and the irregular red stones on it were a sprinkle of chopped strawberries. Aria remembered being told that it was an ancient artifact used for sacrificial purposes after donating it to the museum, but she remembered the museum's description of the object even more.
...Hold it in your hand, and your fear will spread to your heart.
The farmer had nothing to fear. She scooped up the eel in her left hand and the antiquity in her right hand, preparing to return, but she suddenly recalled what Batman had said.
He said that everyone will die, without exception in this world.
…
Today is a rare peaceful night.
Superman had just solved a small kidnapping case on the other side of the earth. He should have taken advantage of this little free time to pack his luggage in the house he rented in Metropolis, but considering that he might not come back so often after going on a mission, he left the last night's opportunity to Smallville.
Even though she knew her little sun would be safe, Martha still showed some anxiety about the journey. She took out the red scarf she had knitted for Clark and shook it in the air like she was straightening a cloak.
Martha motioned him over: "...Come and try?"
Clark knew, of course, that this wasn't something he'd need this season. But the situation in a war zone was always complicated, and when he filled out the application, he knew that the reporter's recall would be affected by various practical factors. While he, as Superman, could continue to participate in the League's operations, Clark Kent, as a reporter, would have to stay in the war zone for a long time to come.
Martha made such thorough preparations that she even knitted a winter scarf. She must have accepted the fact that Clark Kent would be unable to return from the war zone for a long time.
The living room was warmly lit. Martha carefully tied the scarf for Kent, stepped back a few steps, and examined it for a moment before she said with satisfaction, "Very good, just as I expected."
"…Red suits you."
Clark Kent smiled shyly. When he smiled, the corners of his mouth were always gentle, making people feel like a warm spring breeze blowing towards them: "Mom, don't worry about me."
"Besides, it's not like you'll never see me again." Martha should have known that as long as she shouted to the sky, as long as he could hear her, her son would come back at any time.
Martha smiled but said nothing. As time passed, Clark had grown taller than the dead Jonathan. Kent always had to lower himself to talk to him, and she had to stand on tiptoe to touch him.
She patted Clark on the shoulder and said nothing more about taking care of yourself. She just said, "Do whatever you think is right."
"...and you must be back before Christmas."
Clark laughed along with her. "I will, Mom."
…
Martha was old, after all, and she went to bed earlier than the young. Sometimes Aria would rush to her at the right time in the evening to deliver something—after realizing Martha's normal sleep schedule, this behavior became less severe, but Martha would still think of this farmer who traveled all over the world from time to time at night.
"I heard from Susan that she recently built a barn for Xiaoya. Maybe we will be able to drink fresh milk soon." The townspeople are very enthusiastic about the crops produced by this emerging farm. Although some vegetables of the same type are tastier than others, even the farm's inferior agricultural products are much better than those bought on the market.
Martha looked out the window. She couldn't actually see the farm where Aria was, but she turned her head anyway, as if the torches at the farmhouse door were swaying right before her eyes. "When Xiaoya is free, I plan to go check out her farm and see if she needs any help."
"Or maybe when Old Jerry's dog has puppies, I can ask him if he can give one to Aria... I'm worried she'll get lonely living alone on such a remote farm for so long."
Loneliness...Kent laughed in silence. The farmer was probably the person in the world who was least afraid of loneliness.
But speaking of Aria, Clark's thoughts were drawn elsewhere. Scratching his head, he volunteered to take on the task. "But we still need to make sure Aria likes dogs, right?" After all, liking Krypton is one thing, raising one yourself is another.
If she likes puppies, he will help find one after work.
…
The air quality in Smallville has always been good. If the weather is good tomorrow, we will be able to see a sky full of stars tonight.
Clark Kent was still not sleepy after Martha fell asleep, so he simply flew to the roof and found a place to lie down.
Starlight flickers unsteadily when passing through unevenly hot and cold air layers. When he was a child, he thought it was the stars blinking, and told them many of his thoughts that he could not share with others - now thinking about it, he felt so stupid.
But now facing the stars again, although no longer writing in the starry sky as a diary like when he was a child, Clark still sighed softly, letting the loneliness that never dissipated blend into the air with his breathing and become part of the cycle again.
In elementary school, Clark Kent wrote many ideas in "My Future Career", and journalist was one of them. However, he did not feel the satisfaction of his dream coming true - if he wanted to do what he believed was right all his life, becoming a journalist was just the first step.
Boom——
The sound of stones flying in the air and the slight sound of stones falling on the windowsill broke Kent's thoughts. He stuck half of his head out from the roof, and his eyes happened to meet Aria who was standing in the yard.
The farmer stood under the windowsill with a slingshot in his hand and greeted him with a smile.
The stars were shining brightly tonight, which would have taken away the softness of the moonlight, but the moonlight covered Aria like a hazy veil, and Clark almost thought he was dreaming.
Seeing that Clark was not sleeping in the room but staying on the roof, she waved to him.
It was late at night and everyone was asleep. In order not to wake Martha, the farmer tried to lower his voice to express his meaning: "I have something for you."
Seeing Clark just smile, Aria was a little confused. She repeated her words again and added: "Hurry up, I have to go back before two o'clock."
"Clark?"
She seemed to have never seen Kent like this. Clark had completely shed his office worker air and was laughing as if the company was going to explode tomorrow, his blue eyes sparkling.
After laughing enough, Clark Kent stood up and pointed to the ladder in the yard.
"Want to come up, Cinderella?"
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