Raven settled onto the couch, beginning to excitedly explain to Shiller everything they had done that day.
Apart from a small hiccup at the beginning, the rest of the process went as smoothly as if by divine help, or rather, the Robins' professionalism was truly solid. Although Batman hadn't made them his assistants for more than a few days, their talents were evident. Going to school had endowed them with more common knowledge and sharpened their thinking, making them even more quick-witted.
They started by moving households according to the list Killer Croc provided. They soon discovered that when one household in the vicinity was moving, many others were too.
Because, as Shiller had encountered, when a community's environment changes due to new urban development projects, it's inevitable that not just one household will choose to leave.
And if the decline of the community's infrastructure was a given, then almost everyone would choose to sell their property and move to a new home at the same time, which meant that if one person was moving, many of their neighbors would be moving as well.
Now Killer Croc owned a small moving company, and the Robins drove small trucks, which couldn't compare with the large box trucks of the bigger moving companies.
The first move went well, with the small moving companies keeping to themselves. But on the second move, the larger moving companies parked their big trucks right across the doorway, ready to steal the order.
Jason, with his fiery temper, couldn't possibly agree to this, but there was nothing the other small moving companies could do. They couldn't get their trucks in with the big trucks blocking the way; they couldn't possibly carry the furniture that long of a distance. The big companies had banked on this fact to behave so brazenly.
But the Robins were not going to indulge them. They had Raven use telekinesis to lift their trucks over the larger vehicles, flying them into the community to move the household, and then flew out with both the trucks and furniture. Being able to use magic was truly incredible.
The large moving companies didn't dare to do anything to them. Indeed, the cost of breaking the law was very high at a time when money was to be made. If they got caught by the police, they would lose out big time, so they let them be, fearing they couldn't outfight these strange kids.
After all, since the Robins moved only one household at a time, it didn't affect the larger companies' business much, so they didn't bother to squabble over it.
But one of the most important traits that the Robins and Bruce had learned was to push their advantage. Seeing that the larger companies didn't mind them, they began to promote to the neighboring residents that they only charged half the price of the big companies, one-tenth of the time, and 200% of the safety. So why choose them over us?
Some residents thought this made sense. In those times, money didn't come easy. Why not move for cheaper if possible? And the ability to make furniture float indeed cut down on damage; it was a more cost-effective deal no matter how you sliced it.
So some residents cancelled their contracts with the big moving companies and asked the Robins to help them move.
This didn't sit well with the big moving companies; this was overt business-stealing. They demanded that residents who had signed contracts with them pay a penalty for breach of contract. But Dick had Raven time it perfectly, using telekinesis to carry away the residents' furniture, forcibly hanging it outside the truck, and forcefully moving it to the destination.
By the time the large moving companies and the rightful owners chased after the furniture to the destination, the furniture had already been neatly arranged in the yard of the new place.
At this point, Dick persuaded the residents to call the police, saying someone had stolen their furniture and forcibly placed it in their new home. When the police arrived for an investigation and the residents, after inspecting and finding no damage to their furniture, reconciled with the Robins.
Since many of the Robins were minors, any punishment could be very light. Even if it were robbery, as long as no one was hurt and there was no property loss, and they received forgiveness from the victims, the worst they could get was community service, which didn't have to be immediate and could accumulate over time.
Under strong demands from the residents, they didn't even receive community service, just a verbal warning.
And since the furniture had been stolen by the Robins, theoretically the residents were victims of robbery. Thus, they could not fulfill the contract, and the responsibility did not lie with them. Therefore, they were not obligated to pay the breach of contract fee to the large moving companies.
This left the heads of the large moving companies fuming with rage but powerless against these kids. They had only recently transitioned to legal businesses—if they caused a fatality, they couldn't continue operating.
After these incidents, the large moving companies had to acknowledge defeat and were forced to negotiate with the Robins.
And that's exactly what the Robins were waiting for, because continuing as before wasn't tenable. Their trucks were too small, and they could only fasten many of the pieces of furniture to the outside of the trucks, which was exhausting for Raven, limiting the number of moves they could do in a day.
If they had a larger truck, Raven would only have to move the furniture onboard, which would be much easier. But since they couldn't afford to buy or rent a truck, their only option was to take advantage of the large companies' trucks.
They signed a contract with the big moving companies that amounted to them being Mercenaries. They would follow a truck for one move and take one-third of the earnings, no longer having to take orders or drive themselves.
So, they frantically moved with the big companies' trucks for an afternoon. Raven moved so fast, and with telekinesis and magic, they could simply fly over any traffic jams without wasting any time.
Moreover, since the large moving companies' trucks were big and numerous, they could take on large moving projects. Some companies and factories paid hundreds of US dollars just for one move. Even taking only one-third of it, the income was considerable.
From one in the afternoon until nine at night, eight hours of work earned them a commission of over one thousand US dollars. Since Raven had exerted the most effort, they decided to give him half of the money, with Raven taking home 500 dollars alone.
After listening to the entire process, Shiller nodded and said, "I didn't expect you would choose to cooperate with them."
At first, they spoke very rudely to us, and we were quite angry," said Raven, pursing his lips. "But, there was no way to argue with money. Luckily, we made money in the end, otherwise I would have wanted to beat them all up."
"Learning to bow down for money is the first step of growing up," Shiller remarked somewhat thoughtfully. "At this time, except for the business district, most of the shops have closed. But I know there's a night market two streets away. Do you want to go check it out?"
Raven's eyes immediately brightened, and Shiller put the envelope away, put on his coat, took his umbrella, and said, "I've never been there either, I think we could go check it out together."
Once they were in the car, Raven fell eerily silent. Shiller asked while driving, "What's wrong?"
"Well, I was thinking, maybe I should pay the rent first," Raven said, clearly having calmed down. "After all, the house is yours now, I can't just live here for free."
"No rush," Shiller said. "I just found out the school has prepared a bonus for publishing papers, and I've saved up some articles I want to publish, so I should be able to make a good amount of money."
"Aren't you going to throw a party? Dick said throwing a party can be very expensive because you have to set up tables, buy food, and decorations."
"I'm actually planning to look at decorations," Shiller said. "The night market sells some party lights, and I think you could help me pick some out, something trendy."
"You mean fashionable, don't you? But I don't know what's in style," Raven said, shaking her head. "I've never been to any parties."
"Didn't they invite you?"
"They only have parties at school, and I'm not one of their classmates. But they showed me photos from their parties before, maybe I can give it a try."
The car quickly reached the vicinity of the night market. Shiller found a place to park, and as the two of them walked out, they discovered that the night market was bustling.
This was a comprehensive night market that combined stalls selling trinkets, snacks, and second-hand goods—a rather old market in Gotham's development history. In the early days, it served as a second-hand goods market for nearby communities. Later, some started selling food there, attracting more young customers and manual laborers, further propelling its prosperity, until a street was eventually designated specifically for the permanent night market.
The night market was a long street lit up not just by street lamps but also by strings of small bulbs hanging between each set of lamps, making the area brightly illuminated and full of local atmosphere.
"Have you had dinner?" Shiller asked.
"We were going to go out for a big meal to celebrate, but a friend of Jason's had some trouble, and they hurried over there. We've rescheduled for tomorrow."
So, Shiller began to look for snack stalls. The offerings were similar: either Mexican hot dogs, American burgers, Indian dishes, or sushi. The local cuisine of Gotham was mostly spicy seafood.
After some searching, Shiller finally found a Chinese wonton stall in the center of the night market that looked fairly light and suitable for late-night eating.
They had just sat down near the stall when Shiller spotted a familiar figure. He immediately grabbed Raven, who was looking at the menu, and said, "Control your power, and keep quiet for a while."
"Oh, Professor Shearer, what brings you here?" Xi Wana seemed very surprised, as if he had not anticipated this encounter at all, but Shiller knew he must have come prepared.
Shiller looked around and indeed saw many familiar faces; the neighborhood he lived in was just too close, with many neighbors choosing to dine here.
Xi Wana surely knew this, which is why he chose this crowded spot to try his luck in finding the person he was looking for.
Raven looked up at him and immediately understood why Shiller had asked her to be alert. The man's right eye was very off, emanating a very ominous power.
But Shiller wasn't nervous. He stood by the stall chatting with Xi Wana, discussing Xi Wana's experiences in Hong Kong, commenting on Chinese snacks, and quickly directed the conversation to the upcoming housewarming party.
Shiller casually mentioned that he was there to buy lights. Xi Wana immediately enthusiastically directed Shiller to a second-hand market nearby, mentioning he'd seen a lot of party supplies there.
Of course, Xi Wana noticed Raven as well, but her outfit was so plain—wearing a jacket, regular stone-washed jeans, sneakers, and with her red hair looking a bit tired—that she didn't look any different from the kids at the middle school, so he assumed she was a relative of Shiller's.
"Your daughter, Professor?"
"No, a distant niece of mine. Her mother passed away, and her father has a bad temper, so she came to stay with me. I'm currently looking for a school for her."
"Really? I'm actually planning to have lunch with the principal of Carmela Middle School tomorrow; maybe I could..."
"Actually, I already have a choice in mind. She's made friends with one of my students' kids, and she wants to go to the same school..."
Raven had already quickly grabbed her phone to look at the photos from previous parties, acting like a very ordinary middle school girl, which dispelled Xi Wana's suspicions. He soon left.
"He's here for me," Raven said, gripping Shiller. "His eyes are very evil, we must not let him get my power."
"Don't worry," Shiller said. "Let's eat first."