In Manor, the elegantly patterned vintage tablecloth with swaying tassels hangs down, gently moving in the noon sunlight. The food on the desktop is even more appetizing, highlighted by the perfect lighting. rkel reaches out, adjusting the final dish on the table as Schiller descends from the upper floor.
He glances at the clock on the wall, and rkel also checks her watch, saying, "The guests will be here soon."
As Schiller descends the staircase, the doorbell rings. rkel walks over and opens the door. Mayor Luoyin enters, looking quite agitated, carrying a briefcase. He walks over to the sofa in the living room, throws the briefcase onto the sofa, places his hands on his hips, and stands in place with a sigh.
"What's wrong?" Schiller scrutinizes him, observing Luoyin still wearing his coat and hat, snowflakes clinging to his shoulders, his expression sowhat gloomy.
Luoyin takes a deep breath, adjusts his emotions, and then says, "It's nothing. I just had a telephone eting, and I haven't quite cald down."
"A telephone eting about what?"
"Do you rember the donations from the charity event earlier?" Luoyin places one hand on his hip, the other on the back of the sofa, getting more and more frustrated as he speaks. "Originally, the donations were supposed to go to the Foundation, which would then assess and allocate the funds to various cities."
"However, the people from the Foundation used Gotham's poor security as an excuse to refuse the assessnt. They only intend to give us the lowest level of donations. That money wouldn't even be enough to repair a road!"
"And this isn't the first ti. During the allocation of state council funds, so lawmakers suggested lowering Gotham's priority and reallocating so of the funds to tropolis..."
Luoyin covers his forehead, his chest heaving. Clearly, he's quite angry. He continues, "In addition to this, Gotham has suffered the worst among all major cities on the East Coast. Our temperatures have dropped significantly this year, leading to both snow and frost disasters. Several nearby farms and agricultural lands have been severely affected..."
"Furthermore, our newly developed Logistics System has suffered a significant blow. We need a lot of money for repairs. We can't rely solely on the Gang. They contribute very little and expect enormous gains. If we let them have too much control, it will lead to a major ss."
"You're quite clear-headed," Schiller remarks. Luoyin shakes his head, feeling a bit deflated. "It's only after becoming the damned mayor of this city that I realized Gotham has reached this state for a reason."
"The Foundation, state council, and even Congress, they have no intention of saving this place. They don't even allow us to save ourselves!"
"I proposed that we could lower the requested funding. We just need more snow removal equipnt and so devices to warm the seawater. But they all refused. It's not that they lack these devices, they simply don't want to help."
"They give the feeling that they're afraid this place might improve."
"They're not afraid of this place improving, but rather afraid that its improvent will have nothing to do with them. That would make them appear incapable, wouldn't it?"
Schiller walks to the dining table, pulls out a chair, and Luoyin, after standing in place for a mont, joins him at the table. Schiller says to him, "Wait a mont, we have two more guests coming."
Luoyin raises an eyebrow and asks, "You didn't ntion anyone else. Who are they?"
"Oh, here they are," Schiller looks towards the door. rkel walks over and opens it, revealing Victor and Bruce.
After exchanging greetings, Bruce and Victor take their seats. They look at Luoyin and the others with so confusion. Schiller hadn't ntioned that there would be additional guests at today's gathering.
"Now that everyone is here, let's start with the al," Schiller says, picking up his knife and fork, preparing to eat. The others begin to have their lunch as well. Schiller continues, "How is the snow disaster relief and city reconstruction going?"
"Not very well," Luoyin's mood is still sowhat gloomy. He says, "Everywhere needs money, everywhere needs manpower. But hiring people also requires money."
"The Gang mbers are willing to build quickly, but they're scattered, not organized. They're all doing their own thing, resulting in a chaotic repair process."
"Have you thought about organizing them?"
Because City Hall lacks funds, and Gotham isn't a strong mayor system, what I say doesn't carry much weight. Almost no one listens."
"Have you considered boosting City Hall's funds?"
Luoyin sighs deeply again. He feels that Schiller seems to be hitting on all the sore points today. While cutting his steak with determination, he says, "How do we boost the funds? Raise taxes? The Gang mbers would go crazy, and funding is unreliable. We can't touch the tax rate either..."
"Developing a new industry?"
"What new industry is there left to develop in Gotham? The logistics industry that was just starting to develop was completely disrupted by this year's snow disaster and the previous explosions. Very few companies dare to build factories here, and the natural environnt is also not favorable..."
Luoyin was finding it hard to eat any more, but at this mont, Schiller turned to Bruce and Victor and asked, "Have you co to any conclusions about the thing I asked you to research?"
Victor shook his head first and then said, "I don't know where you got that type of mineral from, but our existing machines can't analyze its composition at all. I used so reagents to experint with its properties, but I didn't get many results."
Bruce, in between sips of water, added, "Indeed, the researchers at Wayne Enterprises' laboratory ca to the sa conclusion."
Bruce emphasized the word "researchers," and Schiller understood his implication—the so-called researchers were actually Bruce himself.
"What are you talking about?" Luoyin asked with so confusion.
Schiller motioned to rkel, who understood and fetched a box from a nearby shelf. As soon as the box was opened, Luoyin's eyes were drawn to it. Inside was a brilliantly sparkling gemstone.
It had a semi-transparent appearance, with a hint of mist-like substance within the stone. It was incredibly radiant, seeming to emit its own light. Depending on the angle of light, the mist inside would change. Luoyin couldn't help but be captivated by its beauty, staring at it for quite a while.
"What is this?"
"I nad it Mist Crystal, but it's actually a peach pit regurgitated by a glutton after eating a peach. I cut it using the sa techniques as a diamond, and it turned out like this."...
Schiller took the gemstone out of the box and held it in his hand. This gemstone was, in fact, Kryptonite without radiation. Originally transparent, it had turned semi-transparent with a touch of mist after being regurgitated by The Grey Mist. Yet, this change made it incredibly beautiful, dazzling and captivating to the eye.
"This thing is quite beautiful. I'd be happy to consider it as a gift for soone, but what does it have to do with a new industry?"
"Do you think, as a new material, it has any economic value?"
"Economic value? That depends on what it can do. Does it have any special properties? Like..."
Luoyin struggled to co up with technical terms. He had a concept in mind, knowing that certain rare tals could be used as crucial components for specific devices, or they possessed irreplaceable properties. Due to their scarcity, they could command high prices.
"Its special property is that no one knows what its special property is."
Schiller said it like a tongue-twister. As he spoke, he pointed towards Bruce and Victor, saying, "A world-class chemist and cryogenic scientist, along with a top-tier researcher employed by Wayne Enterprises, have all failed to decipher the nature of this new unknown mineral..."
"But that ans it's useless," Luoyin interjected.
"However, this is only temporary. What if we eventually figure it out?" Schiller put down his utensils, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and continued, "Any unknown new material is like a blue ocean. Moreover, it has inherent ornantal value. Even if we discover that it doesn't have any special properties in the future, its rarity and aesthetic appeal give it so value."
"So, what are you suggesting?"
"Find a way to drive up its price. Wouldn't that provide the budget for disaster relief and reconstruction?"
"Where is this thing mined? Is the production stable?" Luoyin also had so understanding in this area.
Schiller's idea was quite understandable, essentially involving futures trading. When a new material appears that researchers can't decipher, there will surely be investors interested in it. This new mineral, called Mist Crystal, looks more like an ornantal gemstone, with visible value. So, there should be no shortage of potential investors.
The remaining issue is that potential investors would certainly inspect the mines and assess the stability of mineral production, then decide on investnt amounts and tifras.
"The problem is right here. This thing doesn't co from any mine, and there's no production to speak of. All the minerals are in my possession, so this is a spot market."
Bruce knew that Schiller's so-called new mineral was actually Kryptonite with its radiation removed. He also put down his utensils, wiped his mouth, and said, "That actually belongs to the art market. Ornantal value, mystery, uniqueness—all of these can be used for speculation."
"But..." Bruce glanced at Schiller and said, "Are you really planning to sell this thing? If you want to sell it, Wayne Enterprises can buy it at a high price."
"Why do you want it? It doesn't emit radiation anymore."
"I'm also quite interested in new materials. Consider it as an investnt."
Schiller sighed. Bruce had already discerned his true intentions, so he could only say, "Alright, to be honest, I hadn't actually planned on selling it."...
"Let's say this mineral had so kind of therapeutic effect based on an unknown principle, like prolonging life or sothing. After undergoing special processing, it could be made into dicine or health supplents..."
"You're thinking of using it to scam people?" Luoyin asked, once again hitting the nail on the head.
"Don't put it so bluntly. This is an entirely new mineral. Even the combined efforts of top experts from various fields couldn't decipher its composition."
"But it's useless."
"How can you prove it's useless?"
"Then how can you prove it's useful?"
"While I can't prove it's useful, you also can't prove it's not..."
"Although I can't prove it's not useful, you also..."
"Stop!" Schiller halted this pointless tongue-twisting. He said, "I just want to make so money. Are you in or not?"
Luoyin put down his utensils, extended his hand, and shook hands with Schiller, saying, "I believe this will beco a cornerstone industry for Gotham's future."
Two days later, in the corridors of Manor, rkel carried a stack of thick docunts in his arms, with a series of docunt cases hanging from one arm.
Standing at the door, he knocked and entered, placing the docunts down. He said, "Sir, these are today's 24th set of docunts. They were delivered to the mailbox by a guy emitting green light. It's... the logistical support plan for the Green Lantern industry, Part 302..."
"Furthermore..." rkel lifted the series of docunt cases, stacking them one by one on the edge of the table, counting as he went, "Mist Crystal industry developnt plan, Sections 102, 104, and 106..."
When he placed the last case on the table's edge, he surveyed the room. The entire study was inundated with docunts—on the floor, the table, the bookshelves, and even the windowsills—piled high with all sorts of docunts.
The majority were sent by people emitting green light, and the remainder were delivered by newsboys shuttling between the mayor's office.
In just two short days, Schiller had been inundated with an enormous workload from the two extensive plans he had developed.
Sitting in his chair, Schiller lowered his head and retrieved an abacus from a drawer. He placed it on the desktop with a resounding "snap."
Then, his eyes glazed over as he began to daydream.
Just as DC Schiller, who had recently recovered from his injuries and risen from his sickbed to take over, snapped back to reality, the stack of docunts that was towering overhead ca crashing down with a loud "thud," burying him beneath it.
Erging from the sea of docunts, Schiller lowered his head and saw an abacus along with a note. The handwriting on the note was very familiar, and it read:
"No need to thank . This is the abacus."
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