"You don't have to turn Gotham into something it's not." Shiller put down his book, took a sip of water, and then said, "Harvey and I agree. No other city's standards apply to Gotham. Gotham City and its citizens are symbiotic."
"You can improve the greening rate because plants improve air quality or landscaping soothes the mood of citizens, but there's no need to meet any particular standard."
Shiller put down his glass and said, "If you plan on catching up to Metropolis, Gothamites might not only not appreciate it, they might think you're out of your mind. Metropolis has the highest greenery coverage on the East Coast, if you renovate based on that standard, you'll lose more than you gain."
Batman paused for a moment, then said: "You all figured it out already?"
"You practically have 'Metropolis' written all over your face, how could we not see it?" Shiller leaned back on the sofa, shook his head, and said, "You want every aspect of Gotham to catch up with Metropolis and then surpass it, but simply being identical to Metropolis doesn't necessarily mean it's better."
"But, we have to increase the greening rate. Gotham's greening rate is ranked last on the entire East Coast, and in the entirety of America as well. This situation must be improved," Batman insisted.
"Let me guess, you think improving the greenery rate will alleviate Gotham's rainwater problem, right?" Shiller turned to Batman, "You don't have to beat around the bush, you've always been bothered about me saying that 'Gotham is beyond redemption'."
"You think that Constantine and I are too arbitrary, you don't believe in all this 'destiny' talk we spout. You believe more in science and that Gotham's rainwater curse might just be a water circulation problem."
Batman shook his head, "No. After witnessing the Court of Owls, I know that there are indeed mysterious powers in this world."
"But what baffles me is, the Court of Owls has been erased from history, so all their deeds transforming Gotham Rainwater and cursing Gotham Citizens should have never occurred, so why is there still a problem with Gotham's rainwater?"
Shiller let out a sigh, "You still don't grasp the essence of the occult. After being erased, the influence created by the Court of Owls has not vanished. You perceive this as a paradox, but it is actually the means to maintain causality without producing paradoxes."
"The Court of Owls does not exist, but many things that happened and memories that were left due to its existence have not been thoroughly reversed. Therefore, the most straightforward solution is not about changing every small detail and memory, but to have other causes for all these consequences."
"So, you're saying that nothing has changed?" Batman asked.
"Indeed, nothing has changed," Shiller nodded, "You don't see Lucifer as a Savior, do you?"
"Nevermind that he has already become a fallen angel and is no longer the most illustrious and noble Morning Star of Heaven, even when he was an angel, he never intended to save anyone."
"He erased the existence of the Court of Owls simply because, he found the mosquito buzzing in his ear annoying. So, he slapped it dead. But that doesn't mean he was going to treat all the wounds caused by that mosquito. He doesn't have that kindness, nor that patience."
"So you're saying I have to figure out the cause of Gotham's rainwater curse again?" Batman asked.
Shiller shook his head, "Actually, some problems can be solved without knowing their cause. Your previous idea was quite good, if everyone lived in buildings, all activities took place indoors, then damage from the rain would be minimized."
"But that only solves part of the problem." Batman leaned on his elbow, both hands under his nose, and said, "Water circulation is a must-solve issue, domestic water, irrigation water, industrial water... water is crucial for a city."
"Actually, you can handle all these matters. Domestic water can be handled by building a large water purifier for front-end purification, the same goes for irrigation water, or desalination of seawater can be used. If you're concerned about plants getting rained on, then grow them indoors, industrial water can be recycled and filtered, it won't be too wasteful..."
Shiller saw through Batman's real intentions, he said: "It's just that if you can't find the real reason behind the curse, you won't feel at ease."
Before Batman could speak, Shiller continued: "But I understand your feelings. You've put in so much effort and paid such a high price to transform this city, yet there's a sinister hand lurking in the dark, watching everything."
"If he really destroys everything, the consequences might be more severe than if you didn't start the renovation in the first place. Once people have seen hope, they can't go back to their previously dark lives."
Shiller turned to look at the rainy night outside the window, saying, "If you were to force those kids back into the leaky basements now, shoveling water out all night with buckets and basins, sleeping on the damp floor and straw mats, they would absolutely not be able to bear it."
"After enjoying their current lives, if they were to once again fall into an abyss with no way back up, even without the rainwater inducing madness, you would still see the true face of madness in this city."
Batman also turned his gaze towards the window, seeing that as the night grew deeper and the wind and rain got stronger, the room remained warm due to the sturdy walls and airtight windows, devoid of any chilliness."
The heavier the rain outside the window, the warmer the room seemed. Jason, wrapped in a blanket, leaned against the cabinet, losing himself in the sound of rain.
At that moment, chubby Tire walked in, thrust a thermos into Jason's embrace, and said, "Here, my mom just made this hot milk. She said to thank you for helping us move during the day."
"If it weren't for you, we might've ended up like those folks on the backstreet, unable to finish moving today and having to spend another night in the old house."
Tire sat down beside Jason and said, "You have no idea how broken the old houses on that side are. Every stormy night, I worry that the house will collapse."
"But now, it's good." Tire put on a smile, "I've moved into a house from the second phase of the project. It's not far from here, it takes less than ten minutes."
"That's why I can come visit you in the middle of the night. Otherwise, Who dares to walk around at night in a storm?"