83 Gotham: Voluntary Gift
91.
"Ms. Aria."
The farmer was so frightened by the sudden sound that she jumped three feet high on the spot. She looked around nervously as if she had accidentally entered a haunted manor.
"I'm Alfred, the butler of Wayne Manor." A polite greeting came from the mailbox of the manor - who would have thought that Wayne Manor had become so intelligent? "As you can see, I am speaking to you through the system installed on the mailbox."
Aria visibly relaxed. "Hello, Alfred. I hope I haven't triggered any of the manor's alarms..." It's truly worthy of being called Zuzu City. The protective measures are incredibly well-prepared.
"It's my fault for letting Mr. Wayne's friend wander around late at night." Alfred's voice remained calm and steady, and he extended an invitation with just the right amount of apology: "If you'd like, you might as well come in and have a cup of hot tea."
"It's inconvenient to travel so late. We still have guest rooms prepared for guests."
Alfred paused, as if someone had whispered something to him, prompting him to continue: "It just so happens that—"
The butler's British accent made this sentence particularly conspicuous, even with a hint of teasing: "Master Bruce Wayne hasn't fallen asleep yet. He heard that you came and he was very happy."
What normal NPC is still active at one in the morning?
Aria remembered that in the previous file and the current Smallville, everyone went to bed early. Although the farmer had very little sleep time a day - but she was a player after all, it only took four hours for her to be fully revived.
Why is Bruce Wayne able to maintain his hellish lifestyle and still be so alive and well?
In Miss Vicki Vale's writing, this situation might be described in extreme terms: a farm entrepreneur's four hours of sleep can't hide his decline, while the Gotham prince's reversed day and night life reveals his charm. Fortunately, the farmer and the famous Gotham journalist didn't develop a deeper friendship. She simply entered the gates of Wayne Manor, already open for her, filled with doubt.
Although Wayne Manor lit up its exterior night lights due to her arrival, Alfred still appeared in time to lead Aria through the quiet pedestrian path to the main hall of the manor.
Although she had been to Wayne Manor with Mayor Lewis last time, Aria couldn't help but be amazed again by the aesthetics represented by the Wayne surname: the dome was high, and the perfectly cut crystal chandeliers interpreted the light emitted into sparkling and dreamy colors. The wall lamps served as an additional supplement, adding a bit of sleep-inducing warmth to the interior of the manor at night.
The steam from the floor heating dispelled the chill of the night, and the faint fragrance washed away the smell of gunpowder on the farmer. Compared to the coldness of Wayne Manor from afar at night, Aria felt more of the breath of life inside - and the urge to empty the trash can.
Considering that it was really difficult to increase Bruce Wayne's favorability, and assuming that the same was true for Alfred, the farmer forced himself to move his eyes away from the equally expensive-looking trash can, passing by the dark brown antique furniture and freshly bloomed flower arrangements, and landed on the portrait above the stone fireplace.
In the painting, a man and a woman are holding the hands of a little boy. There is a similar tenderness and smile in the eyes of the three of them. It doesn't take much description to show that they are a happy family.
Thinking of the secret note, the farmer took a closer look at the woman's neck - sure enough, there was a pearl necklace of excellent quality lying around her neck. The jewelry that could be brought into the family portrait must be the lady's favorite.
When Alfred reappeared, the farmer retracted his gaze and smiled in time: "Bruce was so cute when he was a child."
"Next time you come, perhaps the master would be willing to share more wonderful photos." Ah Fu responded humorously: "Which do you prefer, milk or black tea? Or do you have other requests?"
"Just milk, thank you." The farmer's interest clearly brightened when the topic turned to agriculture: "Is this the cow raised on the farm?"
Alfon handed the rosewater-dripped milk to the farmer and said, "If it goes according to my previous retirement plan, it should be."
He restrained his self-mockery: "However, the current housekeeper of Wayne Manor is a lifetime employment system, so it seems that the cow will have to wait a while."
…
Before Wayne's reputation was about to become even more precarious, Bruce Wayne finally showed up, casually wearing a burgundy robe and appearing on the spiral staircase, with sleepy eyes and a half-open chest, looking like he had just woken up from a good dream.
The farmer now doubted the truth of what Alfred said about Bruce not sleeping yet. This guy really looked like he had just been dragged out of his warm goose down quilt to start business.
"Aria," Bruce put one hand on the wooden armrest. Even his voice became lazy in the night, as if he was reciting poetry: "Is it finally time for this travel-weary songbird to rest tonight?"
"After I deliver your things, yes." Aria looked up at the Gotham prince, showing the same concern as a sturdy farmer for the fragile Wayne. "Bruce, even though you have floor heating, it's still easy to catch a cold at night. You'd better put on your clothes."
"oh."
Bruce Wayne glanced down at his robe, casually adjusted his collar, and then looked at her calmly: "After protecting Gotham, you finally remembered that there is another Wayne who also needs protection?"
The atmosphere was strange, the farmer thought, even a little awkward. It reminded her of the night the mayor, Marnie, and herself had gone to bed—though there was no grass here, and there didn't seem to be any secret love affair to be discovered, so it was probably just her imagination.
"A lot happened today. They told me Batman was protecting you..." So Aria didn't ask any more questions, but now she noticed the unnatural movements of Bruce Wayne as he adjusted his robe. "But you still seem injured."
It seems that Batman's protection card is just at the minimum level of "keeping Bruce Wayne alive", and the Dark Guardian of Zuzu City is unexpectedly not good at protection.
"Oh, you're talking about this," Wayne shook his reattached hand slightly, looking unconcerned: "It's not Batman's fault - of course, he could have done better, but this time it was me who held him back."
"How can you be considered a laggard?" Even if Bruce Wayne was a laggard, he was still the shiniest disco laggard in Zuzu City, hanging from the ceiling of the ballroom and blinding everyone. Self-deprecation was unacceptable in the farmer's social circle: "Batman was too rude. I'll write to the mayor to complain about him!"
It didn't do much, but at least it made Bruce Wayne feel better. Of course, it also made things difficult for the mayor, so the farmer wins twice!
"Hmm," the Gotham prince chuckled. He stood on the spiral staircase in his plush slippers, with no intention of going down. Instead, he tilted his head and motioned for Aria to go up: "Let's talk in my study."
…
For a farmer who only sees bookshelves as decorative furniture, the cultural atmosphere of Wayne's study is too much.
As Aria glanced curiously at the row of books, Bruce explained, "Those are my grandfather's books—our family's collection has been here for generations."
"Wow." Her grandfather left her a farm, and Bruce Wayne's ancestors left him the ancestral home and books. Although the two are not of equal value, the blessings they contain are the same.
Aria was genuinely happy for him.
"It seems they all love you very much."
This explanation made Wayne stunned. This was not the topic he had originally prepared, but he subconsciously shook his head helplessly and self-deprecatingly: "I'm afraid I have disappointed them a long time ago." Bruce Wayne is almost synonymous with a series of titles such as playboy and playboy in Gotham. Although he deliberately let it go, he did use this impression to erase the family's original reputation for benevolence.
"I don't think so," the farmer looked up at the books neatly arranged to the ceiling. This was almost the accumulation of everyone's reading habits in this family for over a hundred years. "Because loving someone means you prepare a way out for them."
"My previous job was incredibly painful, and I felt like my life was completely meaningless," Aria said seriously, recalling the beginning of the game. "Because Grandpa loved me, he left me a way out. If things really didn't work out, I could go home and farm..."
At this point the farmer stuck out her tongue and said: "Although I inherited that place, I know that my grandfather didn't ask me to turn it into a really, really good farm." She felt that even if she woke up from sleeping for three years, her grandfather wouldn't say anything.
"If my family won't be disappointed in me, yours certainly won't be either!" Even the farmer, who can really see his grandfather's ghost, is not afraid, so what does Bruce Wayne need to be afraid of!
"Ha." Bruce Wayne laughed. He didn't say anything else. He just took out a stack of documents from the pile on the desk and handed it to Aria.
Aria glanced casually and nearly punched a hole in the ceiling of the Wayne family's study: "Hey, hey, hey?"
This was a voluntary gift document, in which the donor transferred the ownership of the thirteenth floor to her. Aria only needed to sign it.
After being caught secretly occupying land by the owner, the farmer was so embarrassed that he wanted to die on the spot: "You already know this?"
"Batman told me." Bruce Wayne spread his hands helplessly: "He found the old base of the Court of Owls, but it already has a new owner..."
Watching Aria's stealthy steps, Wayne chuckled twice more: "It doesn't matter. There's no use for that place anyway. Instead of leaving it for an owl to nest in, I might as well make some wine for you."
"That's why I came to see you today—after all, your whereabouts are so unpredictable, and I don't know when we'll meet again." Bruce Wayne picked up a pen from the pen holder and handed it to the farmer: "Why not today?"
"Because of what I just said?" Aria was a little confused.
"No," Bruce Wayne smiled sincerely this time, "because you saved Gotham today - and this way it's more legitimate, and you don't have to worry about someone..." kicking your brewing barrel.
Wayne shut up in time at this point, and never mentioned the dark history of his first contact with this thing and accidentally kicking up five or six small barrels - anyway, the farmer hadn't gone to see it yet, so he could just put all the blame on Batman.
To call it salvation was a bit too much, but Aria decided to accept this gift.
"I'll give you some wine when I finish brewing it!" Without looking at the contract carefully, Aria quickly signed the AAA agricultural and sideline products distributor on it.
"AAA Agricultural Products Distributor?" Bruce Wayne raised an eyebrow at the strange name: "So this is actually your real name?" He had looked up this terrible code name before, and it was hard to imagine what kind of mental state the government was in to allow this string of things to become a citizen's name - or was this the result of magical confusion?
"I guess so," the farmer nodded. "That's the name in the rules, but now I think it's more comfortable for everyone to call me Aria."
…
"It's almost two o'clock now," Bruce Wayne said casually after signing the contract. He glanced at the retro clock in his study, which was five minutes to the hour, and said, "It seems a bit too late to go back to your farm at this time? Wayne Manor has rooms reserved for guests. Although it's not as good as my own home, it can still accommodate me for one night..."
Oops, forgot to tell Bruce Wayne about this!
The farmer slapped his head and suddenly said seriously, "Bruce."
"Huh?" Time, place, people, all the conditions were met. Wayne couldn't think of any reason to refuse, so he cast a puzzled look at the farmer with his blue eyes.
"I'm going to tell you something, but don't be afraid."
"I didn't plan to walk back when I came here today..."
So that's how it is. Bruce Wayne sighed lightly: "If you want, I can drive you to where you need to go." Taking a car is always faster than walking back. Although it is troublesome, he respects Aria's decision.
"I'm going to faint right back."
"?" If Wayne had been trying to understand before, now things were gradually beyond his comprehension. The farmer seemed worried that he would be frightened, and tried to explain calmly, "For some special reason, I have to go to bed before two o'clock. If you don't understand, you can think of it as curfew time at my house."
To reassure him, Aria placed her hands on the armrests of the chair where Wayne sat. "If I haven't gone home by then, my dead grandfather will be very angry—"
Sorry, grandpa, but in order to make Wayne understand, you have to reluctantly be the bad guy for once!
"He will forcefully teleport me back to the farm!" Although she would lose a certain amount of money every time she fainted, the farmer remembered that the maximum loss was only one thousand - she was no longer the poor farmer. Aria was now a farmer who had just received a bounty. It was well worth it to exchange a thousand dollars for a few more words with Bruce Wayne!
Bruce Wayne looked shocked, but he still tried to understand: "Is this also part of the rules you mentioned?" No wonder the night patrol and surveillance couldn't see her, it turned out that someone was already lying in bed and fell asleep at that time.
For some reason, Wayne felt a little relieved. After all, Gotham at night was much more dangerous than during the day, and it was a good thing that she was not involved.
After explaining the rules, the farmer finally breathed a sigh of relief: "So there's no need to worry about me. I might pass out like I'm asleep—or maybe I'll be dead, but no matter what, I'll be full of life the next day!"
At this point, she couldn't help but give him a hug: "Thank you, Bruce! Now I don't have to worry about making wine!"
Aria's mind changed too quickly. After throwing out a lot of information, she suddenly gave him a hug. Bruce Wayne's muscles stiffened, and before he could react to "push away" or "hug back", she withdrew from his arms like a gust of wind.
The farmer said cheerfully, "I see the clock has turned red!" Then he counted down to himself with three fingers: "Three! Two! One! Good night, Bruce! In fact, I stayed a few seconds longer just to see how many more words I could say..."
"……Character."
As if pierced through the heart by a sniper, the ever-present gleam in Aria's dark eyes vanished, and her body fell backward uncontrollably. Even though he was prepared, Batman still rushed forward a few steps to grab Aria, letting her lie down against him in a more gentle position to prevent her from hitting her head.
More like dead than asleep. Batman analyzed calmly: no heartbeat, no pulse. If this was magic, he'd seen some secret methods of extracting souls from their bodies during his travels—but those were undoubtedly forbidden techniques—so, ultimately, it was still magic?
So when Alfred knocked on the door and asked the farmer if he wanted to stay overnight, he only saw Bruce Wayne sitting back in his chair.
"Master?" He looked around. "Where's Miss Aria?"
Wayne's fingers moved slightly, as if something had lingered here before: "... taken away by her grandfather."
Alfred:?
————————
*Mani and the village chief's secret love affair can be discovered by the farmer in a bush. The embarrassed Lewis can fly far away from the bush hhhhh
*In reality, the contract is very important and must be read
Bruce Wayne: (Drags time until sleepover)
Farmer: Sorry, my grandpa is here to pick me up (fainted) Ngi mua: @u_296245, 10/12/2024 22:22
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