Gordon led Barbara in, him wearing a Police Chief's uniform and Barbara donning a bohemian-style maxi dress. When Merkel opened the door, the refreshing wind swept her hair and dress.
"You see, I told you we wouldn't really need an air conditioner." Gordon turned back to Barbara and said, "Nothing beats the natural sea breeze."
It was unusual to see Shiller in a summer-style outfit; a white shirt and a light grey khaki vest. He turned to lead Gordon inside, and Gordon adjusted his tie saying, "I've never seen you in light-colored clothes before, it's almost unrecognizable."
"It has indeed been hot this summer, and there's no AC in my mansion. My butler seems to think my tolerance for heat implies physically enduring it and not just putting on a brave face."
"That's fair," Gordon sat down at the dining table and said, "Your usual attire always seemed a bit stuffy."
"To ensure I'll still have friends after summer, I'm avoiding any association with that image as much as possible," Shiller sighed and sat down at the head of the table.
Gordon laughed and said, "It's clear you don't like this outfit, but it's really nice. It gives off an old-world, vacationing aristocrat vibe."
"Such associations should also be avoided."
Shiller lifted his glass towards Gordon. Gordon picked his up and peered inside, finding a mixed drink with ice cubes instead of the usual deep red wine.
"The base is gin, mixed with lemon juice and coconut water. It's a common flavor," After taking a sip, Shiller turned to Merkel and said, "Bring me some mint leaves."
Rather thirsty, Gordon took a large gulp. The woodsy aroma of the gin, combined with the sweetness of coconut water and the slight acidity of lemon juice, all made extra refreshing by the generous amount of ice, made him emit a long sigh of satisfaction.
"If you need something more cooling, try this," Shiller placed a dish of mint leaves on the table. While Gordon was busy downing his drink, Barbara used some tongs to add a few leaves to her cup. After a sip of her drink, she let out a satisfied sigh as well.
"I had no idea you could mix drinks." Gordon put down his glass and looked at Shiller, who shook his head and said, "I can't. My butler made these."
"He truly is a man of many talents."
"His greatest virtue is his ability to correct mistakes. If you aren't satisfied, he'll have to take responsibility for drowning half of my garden's flowers."
Merkel managed an embarrassed smile. Shiller and Gordon clinked their glasses just as another breeze swept the dining room. While many valuable shrubs died in the garden outside the French windows, most of the deep and light green plants were still lush, creating a visual effect of a cool, forest-like atmosphere under the sway of the breeze.
Shiller called for Barry and Halley, who were horsing around near the bar. When they finally settled down in their seats, a late-arriving Pamela, clad in a dark green silk strap dress, arrived. She gathered her red hair behind and wiped her sweat with a handkerchief from Merkel.
Shiller examined her clothing. It was an elegant silk dress that suited her personality well and accentuated her figure. The sheen of the silk was mellow. The only issue was that the dress being a bit too green, making her meld into the garden backdrop when sitting in front of the French windows.
Shiller stood up to pull out a chair for her. After Pamela sat down, she gave a nod to Shiller and offered him the usual cold smile. Without any delay, she said, "I have talked to Lex. This large-scale plant murder will soon cease. There should be a shower around 3 o'clock this afternoon and the cloud cover is expected to partially restore, it should lower the temperature by around three to four degrees tomorrow."
"Has he driven away all the clouds?" Asked Barbara, holding her glass, "Including clouds that carry water?"
"It's not like he wanted to. The machines from the last phase can't control the location accurately, it's either fully cloudy or no clouds at all."
"So, how did he solve it?" Shiller moved aside to let Merkel, who was serving dishes, through.
"Lex was initially unwilling to rectify this, but after I gifted him two pots of the newly-bred light purple daisies, he upgraded the entire system within a week."
As Shiller moved back to his seat, he said, "I guess these two pots of daisies are pretty eloquent, aren't they?"
"A very potent breed."
Pamela tasted the cocktail, let out a surprised gasp and looked down at her glass. Barbara explained the cocktail's formula to her, and placed the plate of mint leaves in front of her.
Not long after, all the dishes were served. The tablecloth was changed to a green and white checkered design and hemp table mats were added under the ceramic plates. The edge of the plates carried a naturalistic pattern, and all the dishes were cold: Iberian ham, pan con tomate, Manchego cheese, blueberry papaya with burrata cheese, Greek salad, caviar, olive oil, etc.
"Half of the renowned chefs in Gotham are down with sickness, luckily Alfred has introduced me to a chef newly arrived from Europe. He's Spanish. He would normally say hello, but he's kept too busy..."
"Of course, it's understandable. Any chef who can still walk is completely booked right now." Gordon shook his head, "Even the owner of our usual barbecue stall has come down with heatstroke."
"Hasn't Batman developed any special drugs?" Barbara picked up a slice of ham with her knife and fork, placed it on her plate, turned her head to Gordon and asked.
"He's been quite busy recently. I'm not sure what he's up to, but he's always popping up out of nowhere." Gordon shrugged, "Honestly, I quite liked the promotion gift he gave me. Since the Gotham Police Department got air conditioning, the number of applicants for the internship has increased tenfold."
"I don't understand, with his wealth, couldn't he install air conditioning in all major facilities in Gotham?" Harley dug into her cheese with her fork, chewing while she spoke.
"He has enough money to put air conditioners everywhere in Gotham, but the question is, where would you find the manpower to install them?" Gordon shook his head helplessly, "Gotham is in dire need of people with the necessary skills for it."
"Is installing air conditioning difficult?" Pamela paused her cutting and asked.
"Not difficult. What's challenging is convincing Gothamites that installing air conditioners under a sun of over 30 degrees wouldn't kill them from the heat. Times have changed."
Gordon showed a complicated expression. Recalling his past, he said, "Usually, there were always people who would do it if you were willing to pay a high price because Gothamites were always trying to fill their stomachs. However, now that everyone's economic situation has improved and they've stockpiled enough food, they can chose to stay at home and rest when the weather is harsh, right?"
"The constructions under the Gotham renovation project have air conditioning," Shiller interjected, "But running air conditioning costs electricity, and keeping it on all day adds significantly to the electricity bill. Once the bill arrives at the end of the month, people will have to find ways to go out and work."
"I can't tell if Bruce is foresighted or just a businessman." Gordon laughed, "We can't be supporting these lazy men. They always claim they have no strength to work, but they get into fights when they're in air-conditioned rooms more often than not."
"Anyway, congratulations to James Gordon for becoming the chief of the Gotham Police Department!" Shiller stood up, raising his glass, and everyone followed suit.
Shiller leaned over and clinked his glass with Gordon's, saying, "Your efforts have not been in vain, commissioner. Your smooth career will prove to all that evil cannot suppress righteousness."
"That's what I'm fighting for."
After they finished their meal, Harley was reluctant as she said goodbye to Gordon at the doorway, in particular to her air-conditioned room. But soon she quickly dragged Barry into the mansion's vast garden.
Regardless, they were still children. To them, a garden much larger than the house itself was a paradise for adventures, no matter how lush or otherwise it was. Everything here was entertaining.
"These plants are too close to the wall, they won't grow well, and the scenery in the background doesn't match. Merkel, I think we can transform this area into a small playground, what do you think?"
Shiller turned to Merkel, who of course had no objections. Less vegetation meant less work for him. He'd noticed that despite his inaccessible and solemn exterior, the professor was very patient with children, and the children weren't afraid of him.
"What about a tire swing?" Pamela stood in front of the bushes, arms crossed, peering in and saying, "I used to envy kids who could play on swings. We can build a wisteria walkway here, leading all the way to the big tree over there, then open a small door here. Going in, there would be the tire swing, vine chairs, sandpit and all."
"Take note of this, Merkel, we can have it ready before Halloween. Leave a small section of lawn next to it for the visiting children to have picnics."
Merkel quietly noted what Shiller said. Pamela walked along the path, looking left and right at the sickly plants. After a while, she stopped in front of the flower pavilion and said, "I'm afraid we'll have to replace all the plants. These ones from the cold regions of Northern Europe can handle the past low temperatures and poor sunlight in Gotham, but they also easily get scorched under Gotham's current sun."
Pamela spoke again, "Watering them is not the solution. However, given the reality, it would be less painful to drown them sooner rather than later. They'd die sooner or later anyway."
"The garden was previously set up in the style of a cold forest, and while it added some class to the mansion, I'd prefer a more vibrant temperate style with large flowers, thick leaves and layers of vines... I already have some ideas. Professor, I'll email you the design in about a week."
Shiller sighed and said, "Why does it have to be email? Can't you just show me a printed version?"
Pamela seemed confused, "Professor, you don't seem like the type who dislikes electronic devices. I heard from Bruce that you even proposed ideas for a miniaturized Bat-Tablet, which sounded quite advanced..."
"It's not that I don't like emails, I just don't have a computer. If I need to check your email, I would have to go to the multimedia classroom at Gotham University. There's absolutely no shade on my way there."
"Why wouldn't you just buy one?" Pamela asked curiously, "Although home computers do cost a bit, you live in such a big mansion, wouldn't it be simple for you to buy a computer?"
Stroking his chin, Shiller thought about it. The main reason he didn't want to buy a computer was because in his original era, a laptop costing around 10,000 RMB could smoothly run any high-config games. However, in the current era, a notebook costing nearly 10,000 USD was only a little better than a brick.
Don't even mention desktop computers; in this era, they were far heavier than real bricks.