"Helen's situation is unique," Shiller said painstakingly, "She actually already existed, just not in the form we are familiar with. Then she merged with your genes, which could be considered as giving her a second life."
Loki narrowed his eyes, as if he saw through Shiller trying to bamboozle him, but after a long while, he averted his gaze and said while washing his hands, "Do you think it's possible that..."
"It's not possible, it's not your issue," Shiller shook his head.
"It is obvious that my mother was not a Frost Giant, and possibly not even from the God Clan," Loki said, looking down. "I fear Laufey deemed her unsuitable for presentation. If her lineage was noble and her status distinguished, even with my congenital shortcoming, I wouldn't have been abandoned there. My Frost Giant blood would've been diluted from the start."
"The Aesir Clan has resided on Earth for a long time, yet there's hardly any trace of their bloodline here on Earth because once the Aesir Clan's bloodline is diluted to a certain extent, the demigods with the bloodline cannot have offspring. This is a natural ability of the Aesir Clan to protect their bloodline," Shiller explained.
"I doubt that's the reason," Shiller shook his head again. "Your biological father is the king of the Frost Giants, and his strength comes from his noble bloodline. Even if you only inherited half, it's very possible that the concentration of your bloodline is even stronger than that of an ordinary Frost Giant. And the reason you were abandoned is because Laufey judged you with the criteria he would for his successor – not because you are weak, but because his standards were too high."
"To take a huge step back, being half-blooded doesn't count as being fully diluted. And if it was due to the reason you suggested, then there wouldn't be pregnancy symptoms followed by disappearance. That's the key point."
As Loki pondered, he dried his hands and slowly walked out of the bathroom. Shiller also wanted to step out, but he ran into Bruce.
"Hold on, don't leave yet, Doctor. I have something to ask you. How did you create Aisha in the first place?"
"Ah?"
Bruce let out a sigh and said, "Talya asked me how Selina and I had Aisha. But Aisha wasn't born from the two of us; she's your doing."
"To be precise, your Professor did it," Shiller immediately deflected the blame, "I was sound asleep in the tower then, completely oblivious."
Bruce looked at him skeptically, and Shiller shook his head saying, "I bet Arrogant didn't know either. There were a few coincidental factors. Aisha was already there; our actions were merely equivalent to giving her a second life."
Although Bruce felt Shiller was just making up excuses, he had to admit that there was some sense in what he said.
Aisha was actually Parallax. You can't deny that she has a soul and a life just because she does not conform to human aesthetics; Aisha, at most, is akin to a company going public by acquiring another shell.
Helen's situation was similar, she was essentially Doomsday, but an incident during her hatching granted her aspects of humanity.
The conditions of these two children are too special. The process of their birth is barely aligning with that of humans reproducing, hence, they cannot be taken as references.
But Shiller was also pondering what caused the inability for Loki and Talya to conceive.
The problem initially seemed like something that could only be investigated through the Exhaustion Method: first, rule out issues with each of them individually, then investigate the location and environment of the practice, and possibly even consider equipment malfunctions in the end.
However, if Wanda and Jarvis are used as a control group, then the problem becomes apparent. Wanda and Jarvis also have racial differences, but they were successful, which suggests that the issue likely lies with Loki and Talya not being from the same universe.
Shiller thought about the concept of soul compatibility that Professor X had mentioned to him. It might be due to subtle differences between souls from the two different universes.
Of course, it also concerns love, which is Professor X's viewpoint. Although it seems a bit idealistic, considering that no one in the world is more suitable for idealism than he is, it does make some sense.
Igniting a newborn's soul; this metaphor might hold truth. To kindle a flame, another flame is needed to light it. If there is neither passion nor love, the flame, even if kindled, will be feeble and easily extinguished.
When Shiller stepped out from the restroom, everyone was almost done with their meal, and it was evident that everyone was pleased. Most were leaning back in their chairs, sipping on the remaining beverages, chatting with others.
As Shiller returned to his seat, Jarvis lowered his voice and asked, "Doctor, any plans for tonight?"
"I usually don't have any. Why?"
"We're planning on going night fishing," Jason couldn't keep the secret for three seconds and said excitedly, "We brought up some everyday dishes from fishermen and then started wondering under what conditions they were cooked. Bruce happens to have a nice trawler yacht, and we plan to check it out tonight. Are you in?"
Jason's tone was laced with excitement, and his expression was livelier than usual. He had always wanted to go fishing, but unfortunately, in Gotham, fishing was a rather dangerous activity, even considered an extreme sport. Alfred did not approve of them participating without ample armed security, and to Alfred, there was never enough security, so Jason had never fished.
But now, Alfred wasn't around, and the adults at the table seemed very understanding. Bruce was almost persuaded by them.
What Jason didn't expect was that Shiller didn't immediately respond, but instead reached out, gently pulled him closer by touching his shoulder, then turned him around to adjust a slipped strap, and said, "Are you sure you want to go? The cold sea breeze, the rocking boat, the blinding lights from fishing lamps, the invisible sea at night, and staying up all through the night until sunrise, so tired you can't keep your eyes open, only to nap briefly on a hard bed."
"Oh, God," Jason sighed, "Don't be so realistic. I was really looking forward to it."
"I've been once; it wasn't much fun," Tim said, propped on the table with his arms beneath his chin, "I went with my dad and many uncles and aunts. I was too young, couldn't hold the rod, and couldn't catch big fish. I just stared blankly at the sea all night long."
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"So, let's not go with the trawler yacht." Victor suggested, "Let's just take a big boat; you can still fish on the deck, and the environment is way better than on a small yacht."
Lex pulled out his phone and said, "I have a yacht docked not far from Gotham Bay. The staff should still be at work; I'll have them bring it over."
Before Jason could respond, the table with Spider Man erupted in deafening cheers; then, they swarmed around the table, shouting about the yacht party night and twisting their bodies in party dance moves.
Jason showed a look of despair, and Shiller, smiling, patted his head and said, "The kind of quiet night fishing in 'The Old Man and the Sea' you're imagining probably has to wait until you're grown up, besides, if you want to wrestle with the big fish of Gotham, you've got to be at least 200 pounds."
Learning that Shiller was also going, Victor immediately wanted to take Shiller to play pool. He said, "I've always wanted to try playing pool on a yacht, with that beautiful combination of physics and probability."
"Don't count on him," Natasha spoke up. "It's almost time for his bedtime."
By 'almost,' you mean in four hours?"
"Are you kidding me?" Natasha raised an eyebrow and said, "In half an hour, he'll be sleeping like a log."
The people of Gotham looked at each other, amazed that there was an early-to-bed, early-to-rise Shiller in this world. Truly, there's nothing stranger under the sun.
However, there was a slight hiccup on their way to the dock. Police cars were chasing the luxury cars of the mob on the streets, resulting in a control car blocking the road.
A police officer explained to them that a severe fire had broken out in the North District, causing chaos throughout the area. What's worse, the Godfather had gone missing and was suspected to have been kidnapped or even dead. They were now pursuing the murderer.
Everyone could tell from Shiller's expression that this was no surprise to him and was an inevitable path to order for Gotham.
Waiting for the tow truck to remove the wrecked car took some time, and due to the similar traffic unrest ahead, they were jammed. When they finally reached the dock, it was almost 10 PM.
The passengers watched as Shiller closed his eyes and simply sat in the back seat and fell asleep. When the car arrived at the dock and Shiller got out, he was groggy, as if sleepwalking.
"Doctor? Doctor? Are you still there, Doctor?" Jason cautiously asked, "Are you awake?"
"Of course not," Peter said while playing on his phone, "but don't worry, all functions are normal."
Jason clearly didn't believe it. He stood in front of Shiller, waving his arms non-stop as if afraid he would trip over something while walking, but Shiller continued forward with a constant pace without any reaction.
Peter snapped his fingers and said, "You should ask like this, Doctor, Tony Stark's consultation fee..."
"Two million US dollars an hour."
"Bruce Wayne's..."
"Three million US dollars an hour."
"Wait," Jason said. "Look, I told you he's not lucid. They are both among the richest men in the world, and inflation would definitely be worse in Stark's era. Why does he charge two million?"
"No, this precisely shows the Doctor is lucid because Bruce is more seriously ill than Stark. Besides charging based on asset ratio, we must also consider the severity of the illness."
Jason had an epiphany but quickly added, "No, that's far too illogical. Batman is only one million US dollars sicker than Tony Stark?"
"It's Bruce Wayne, not Batman," Peter explained, spreading his hands. "If it were Batman, the Doctor would just say, 'I'm a doctor, not God.'"
Jason covered his forehead.
In the cool night breeze, a huge yacht was docked at the pier, its cabin lights illuminating the somewhat dark dock, and echoing the fierce gunfire from the North District.
Welcomed warmly by the yacht's staff, everyone boarded the yacht; the glittering cityscape receded in the distance, and the horizon turned into a faint line of light.
Just as everyone was heading inside the yacht, a bright figure descended on the front deck, Lucifer landing with shining wings, shook his head, and said, "Yacht night and no one invited me, I'm truly shocked and saddened..."
Natasha looked stunned, not because of Lucifer's wings, but because she suddenly realized that Shiller, being extremely tired and not yet asleep, was in a hazy state. In this condition, he had a severe tendency to be attracted to light.
"Hey, Shiller, I'm talking to you, how could you not... What's wrong with you... Ahhhhhhh!"
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