After the communication was established, Shiller had just arrived at the camp. He was eating with his teammates by the fireside when he noticed a screen popped up in the void, with Peter and Batman on it, causing Stark to instantly become alert.
"Hey, stay away from him." Stark glared at the Batman on the screen and said: "I know you like to keep a bunch of kids around you, even have them put on tight suits. I don't know how it is in your place, but we have a strict child protection law here..."
"Oh — Mr. Stark!" Peter dragged out with a bit of helplessness, saying: "I am already an adult, and I'm in graduate school. Have you forgotten the embarrassment you caused last time when you wanted to visit my high school to see me?"
"Listen, Peter, it's not that simple. I've always been dissatisfied with New Jersey's standards of adulthood. Just because you look like an adult doesn't mean you can handle many things on your own..."
"All right, Tony, do you realize how old-fashioned you sound?" Natasha looked at Tony and said: "I find you and Steve growing increasingly alike. Is that what happens when people get old?"
All the others turned to Natasha, their eyes basically saying "You have the guts to call others old?"
"Alright, Peter, don't tell me you seriously plan to go back with this weirdo. Are you aware of the last Spiderman who went to Batman's house? He wrote a hundred thousand words of 'Gotham Travel Notes' on the forum, and ninety thousand words were about the crimes he witnessed. It's very unsafe for you..."
"I'm not going to Gotham." Peter immediately responded: "And I also read it, his 'Gotham Travel Notes' is pretty good. Although the city's environment is not great, the crime rate is not high, it's even lower than where I live in Queens District, let alone the Bronx."
"Okay, Peter, let's get to the point, are you planning to go study abroad for a while?" Matt tapped the floor gently with his cane and asked: "Are you sure the mentor you found is trustworthy?"
"No problem." Peter quickly made an OK sign with his hand and said: "The Spiderman who has been to Gotham told me that Batman is a great hero."
Batman's fingertips twitched slightly upon hearing this, and then he heard Peter say: "Gotham may be a bit of a mess right now, but it's definitely not beyond saving. If I can, I'd like to go back with him and take a look."
Peter shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands saying: "We have so many Spidermen, we could certainly lend a hand. Saving one is better than saving none, right?"
"Of course." Matt nodded and didn't contest Peter's statement: "But I believe you still have a lot more to learn in theory and techniques before putting them into practice. I believe Batman is a formidable warrior, but are you sure that what he can teach you is suitable for you and that you can successfully absorb and understand it?"
Peter hesitated slightly before saying: "My main goal is to improve my combat skills on the ground, as well as my experience in dealing with all kinds of criminals. I think Batman is very suitable."
"I don't know if he's a good teacher, but I'm definitely a good student. Learning and understanding have never been a problem for me."
Matt nodded again, then said: "I think you have a clear understanding of yourself, Peter. As I've said before, it's nice to be doing research in a lab, but you can't always stay in your ivory tower. Apart from the various battles you're obligated to engage in, social skills are also a vital part, right?"
Peter touched his chin and said: "I heard Batman has a big family, full of his students, adopted sons, and assistants, mostly my age peers, I think I should get along with them quite well."
Matt turned his gaze to the others, indicating he doesn't have more questions. The others didn't particularly mind either; the Spidermans weren't fragile, especially the one from their universe, who had both wisdom and strength, great vision, strategy, and execution ability. It wouldn't be dangerous for him to go out and study for a while.
At that moment, Shiller suddenly knocked on the table, looked at the screen, and said: "This is not a study visit, it's an internship, an internship, you get it? What kind of internship compensation does our world's wealthiest man, the chief person in charge of Wayne Enterprises, Mr. Bruce Wayne, plan to offer?"
Batman sighed internally, he knew this would happen.
As Batman, he actually wasn't too concerned about whether Shiller is crazy or not; after all, he had seen too many crazies.
The Batman coming from the Arkham Knight is even more experienced. Although the main storyline of the Arkham Knight game is lengthy, it is completed in a very short time. If even Superman showed up, Batman would still have to say he's met with Superman.
What gave Batman the biggest headache was Peter's statement that Dr. Shiller asked for a high price.
If the two only knew each other generally, or only Peter knew Shiller, that would probably have been okay. But the first person that appeared when Peter made a call was Shiller, this showed their deep connection.
It wouldn't be easy to swindle Peter from Shiller, Batman must be prepared to lose a lot of money.
Truth be told, Batman wasn't very concerned about having an extra Spiderman. Gotham was such a mess that having one more or one less didn't really matter. His main intention was to get a peek into the other universe through Peter.
Without a doubt, Shiller's universe is very special, Batman had also noticed this, so he desperately needed intelligence on this universe, and now it was time to hike up the price.
"I need to know how much he's worth."
Batman, without any nonsense, was just like any unscrupulous boss. When it came to discussing salary, he was as stingy as old Scrooge, but he was quick to assign tons of work.
Shiller cleared his throat and said, "Peter, introduce yourself, with emphasis on your skills and work experience."
A bit taken aback, Peter began speaking, "Well, I graduated from New York University, as a top graduate. I ranked first in my class all through the four years of university. After graduation, I worked at Osborn Biological Engineering Laboratory, Stark Group Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Human Solar System Development High Energy Physics Lab, Chemistry and Chemical Technology Development Laboratory, United Research Institute of Magic Energy and Physical Energy, Kamar Taj Magic Technology Research Center, and other institutions."
"I have experience in high-energy physics, low-temperature physics, factor-oriented biology, chemistry and biological pharmaceutical technology, advanced materials science, magical energy, transmission technology, and so on."
"Umm, I was also responsible for all the energy and aerodynamic design of the third phase of the shuttle manufacturing project. I handled some of the energy collection technology for the Mercury Base, but it's confidential, so I can't go into details."
"In addition, during the construction of the mutant Andromeda Galaxy Base, I participated in developing some of Sky Island's gravity stabilization technology. Of course, I also researched security-grade weapon design and development, but due to security needs, I have to keep that confidential."
"Before coming here, I led the development of the security elements of the Pluto Star Harbor and, through Mr. Thanos' introduction, I am working on the software development of the Ring Region Material Connection System. My internship location is the Shi'ar Empire's Security and Defense Technology Development Headquarters in the Star Area…"
"Of course, the Shi'ar Empire is also interested in the miniaturization and ease-of-use technology of the portal I researched at Kamar Taj, but I haven't considered participating in that research project yet because I'm just too busy."
Peter rambled off a long list of experiences. Although Batman and the Robins in the room hadn't heard of the companies and empire he mentioned, just from the complex names of the projects and the terrifying terms revealed in his speech, it was clear that this young man, who looked about their age, seemed to be on a path to conquer the Earth and cosmos with science and technology.
"So, you're not a superhero?" Nightwing asked, puzzled. "Aren't you Spider Man? We've met Spider Man before. I thought your relationship with Iron Man was like ours with Batman."
At this, Peter looked a bit embarrassed. "I want to be a superhero," he said, "but I'm just too busy. I haven't been successful."
"So, you're a scientist." Red Robin said, interested. "It sounds like you have researched a lot of impressive projects."
"I'm not in charge of most of the projects. I'm just a researcher. But I have participated in quite a few projects, because everyone is short-staffed. I wish I could split myself in half. The project leaders wish they could split me into eight pieces."
Peter sighed and said, "As for my relationship with Mr. Stark... I never had the chance to be his assistant. There are several scientists, possibly older than my grandfather, who burst into the lab saying that it's a great waste of research talent not to have me there, and then they take me away. They have taken Spider Man away more than once like this."
"And you've hardly fought crime on the streets," Batman pointed out.
"I really don't have time... Alright, yes, that's true. But that presents a problem for me," Peter said, scratching his head. "I can't develop a fully-appropriate intelligent security system for criminals just based on hearsay. I have seen too few criminals and crime methods. I never studied modern forensic sciences systematically."
"So, when I saw the 'Gotham Travel Notes' written by a certain Spider Man, I thought it would be a good reference. But Batman didn't seem too welcoming of outsiders. I can't just rush in without saying hello, so I decided to do it in a more civilized way, such as asking a Batman to teach me."
"Internship. It's an internship," Shiller emphasized.
"No, it's only considered onboarding training," Batman immediately responded. "He has almost no experience in this area. Before he even goes to Gotham's streets for practice, he'll need to go through a period of training. The training will include combat skills in urban settings, close combat skills, modern forensic sciences, criminal psychology, and surveillance and counter-surveillance."
"And if you want to learn about the design of intelligent security systems, including but not limited to, designing a security and monitoring system for an entire city, then the training costs will be even higher."
Peter's eyes lit up at Batman's last few sentences. "Mr. Thanos and I are planning to design a multi-civilization, multi-terrain universal security system for the entire core of the Ring Region."
"And most importantly, the danger grading mechanism and disaster warning mechanism," Batman added. "And the corresponding manufacturing workshops, safe logistics, and safe storage."
Peter's eyes were shining ever brighter. Shiller, lowering his voice, cried out, "Peter! Peter!!"
Peter finally came back to his senses and, blushing, coughed a couple times before lowering his head and falling silent.
"Even so, you all know that Spider Man will definitely help you solve any problem. Besides his extensive experience in scientific research, he also has excellent physical agility."
Batman turned his gaze to take a second look at Peter's body structure, recalling his brief spar with Peter, and after a moment's thought, said, "Ten million US dollars. That's the final offer."
"No deal. It's a four-party contract. Besides paying Spider Man's internship salary, you also have to pay me, the headhunter, a talent referral fee, and S.H.I.E.L.D. for the labor dispatch fee given that Spider Man officially belongs to them. Ten million isn't enough."
"Eleven million, that's the base price. If you can help me lower the labor dispatch fee, I'll give you an additional 10% as a thank you gift."
With a mysterious smile, Shiller said, "If you sign a contract with a salary of one billion, you won't have to pay a penny for the labor dispatch fee!"