The day we set out for Mercury was cloudless, and thankfully, as the days passed by, the unbearable summer heat finally ended. With the arrival of autumn and a slight drop in temperature, the most important change was the breeze, which made the heat feel less oppressive.
This might be Gotham's last scorching summer, because through the joint efforts of Pamela and the city government officials, many green plants were interplanted on the rooftops, balconies of various buildings, and open spaces of public facilities. Each plant thrived, addressing the issue of the heat island effect, ensuring that next summer would be much cooler.
Since there were quite a few people going to Mercury this time, they were divided into two departure points: Gotham and Metropolis. Shiller, Bruce, and Wonder Woman organized the group from Gotham, while the remaining members of the Justice League took charge of Metropolis.
Shiller arrived early in the morning, sitting in a coffee shop by the Gotham River, drinking coffee. Flash Barry had gone to Shiller's place the night before, and they came over together. Shiller was revising Barry's thesis, and the two of them were discussing the details of the paper.
After drinking half a cup of coffee, Shiller looked up from the computer and said, "I think it's almost ready. You do a final check within a week, make sure there are no errors in the symbols and separators. I'll talk to the editor-in-chief…"
Just then, a youthful and beautiful figure pushed open the door. Barry waved in that direction, and Dick and Raven, standing at the order counter, also waved to him.
Soon they both came over with their coffees. Raven took a big sip of iced coffee and said, somewhat embarrassed, "I said I would come by myself, but he insisted on coming with me…"
Shiller pushed his glasses up and, looking at Dick, asked, "You're not going this time?"
"No, I'm in the next group. I need to go back to Brude Haven. Tim plans to build a factory there, and I need to supervise…"
"Is it about cultivating the plant that's a potential cure for Alzheimer's?"
"Yes, the natural environment there is very suitable, and the residents are welcoming. However, there are too many details to confirm, so I'll probably go there two months later."
"What about Jason?"
"He's not going either. He's focusing on Battleworld. Someone has to explore that place."
Dick quickly took Raven to the next table. They whispered sweet nothings for a long time, and it was almost the end of breakfast time when a mist rose from the surface of the Gotham River, and the students from the Magic Academy arrived.
They did not wear their uniforms but were dressed in casual clothes, chattering as they poured into the nearby coffee shops and breakfast joints. By the expression on the face of the shop owner here, it was evident they often snuck out to buy things.
This street was mostly filled with food and gift shops, so it could be called Gotham's Hogsmeade, while for Diagon Alley, it would have to be a small town upstream of the Gotham River.
To prevent the comings and goings of mages from disrupting the world of ordinary people, the entrance to The inner world was set upstream of Gotham River, which is to the northwest of Gotham, close to the Canadian border.
Originally, there was nothing in that area but a few abandoned factories. However, more and more mages started to build houses there and gradually formed a small town. Most people living there dealt with magic, and it was also the place that students from the Gotham Magic Academy visited frequently.
This small town welcomed and accepted mages. Although it was quite remote and barren, if you wanted fun, of course, it had to be in Gotham. However, without the permission of a professor from the school, the students of the Magic Academy were not allowed to enter Gotham.
So they were all happy to be able to legitimately enter the city this time. Wonder Woman had to call for assembly by the river several times, as some were still lingering in the gift shop.
Shiller glanced at his watch, feeling it was about time, and got up with Barry. They boarded the last bus with several students from Rodriguez College.
The Teleportation Portal was in the basement of Wayne Enterprises. First, they had to take a bus to the Wayne building and go through a security check before they could use the Teleportation Portal to Mercury.
The security check before entering Mercury Base was very strict; no dangerous items were allowed, not even Shiller's umbrella because the life equation on the umbrella fabric was an uncertain risk factor. So Shiller only took a plain black umbrella.
The security officers indeed found quite a few prohibited items on the students, mostly small magical props for convenience, like cleaning rooms or fetching water. But because they emitted unusual energy fluctuations, they were all prohibited from being taken.
When it was Barry's turn to go through security, he himself was a large source of unusual energy fluctuations, with the machine's alarm nearly breaking with the noise it made. Of course, in the end, they let him pass.
Bruce and Wonder Woman didn't enter the security check because they still had to go back and pick up the Amazons from Paradise Island; the people from Paradise Island were also gathering in Gotham.
Shortly after, amid the curious glances of the students from the Magic Academy, a chirping of voices appeared outside the door.
But contrary to what they expected, it was not strong women in primitive tribal attire who walked in, but modern-dressed, youthful, and lively girls, much like the female students themselves.
Actually, Paradise Island's tourism is quite famous, and in recent years, under Diana's management, Paradise Island has become a world-renowned brand for sports equipment and apparel,
To expand and strengthen the Paradise Island brand, good employees are essential. Hiring from outside isn't out of the question, but it's also important to cultivate one's own business talent. Therefore, many young Amazon women have come to human society to study, and after graduating, they go on to work in the family business in an orderly fashion.
Due to their ancestral heritage, their physical fitness is much better than that of the human race, and their lifespans are longer. A single training session can last a career spanning several hundred years. And because they work under a family dividend model, their motivation is high, making them invaluable employees.
The group participating in the Mars Plan this time includes such individuals. While physically stronger warriors are continually trained within the tribe, for assignments such as agents within human society, these young women who have been living among humans for an extended period are preferred.
Once the two teams met, they quickly started chattering away. The open and forthright nature of the Paradise Island lineage was endearing, and the girls quickly won everyone's affection.
After completing the final security checks and preparations, the teleportation portal was opened. Bruce stood at the very front of the queue, with Diana at the rear. The security staff emphasized the space work code one last time before they began to enter the teleportation portal in an orderly procession.
Shiller was in the middle of the queue, and as he passed through the teleportation portal, all he felt was a flash before his eyes, followed by a change in texture beneath his feet.
It has to be said that DC's teleportation technology is a bit more advanced than the just-stay-alive type of portals used by Marvel mages. There was no noticeable sensation while passing through, no dizziness or nausea, making it much more convenient for all types of users.
Once his eyes had adjusted to the brightness, Shiller surveyed the hall. It was clearly a reception area built for this purpose, with an octagonal shape and a teleportation portal on each side, though only two were lit, corresponding to exits from Gotham and Metropolis. Perhaps in the future, portals would also be established in other locations such as Atlantis Amazons.
The ones from Gotham came through a bit quicker, with the others from Metropolis's portal yet to arrive. Bruce was originally organizing people to queue up to move to the living quarters but soon received a call from Clark; there was a hiccup with their reception work, and they needed help.
Thus, Bruce and Diana left, and Shiller took charge of maintaining order here, although he didn't really need to. With the formidable reputation he had at the Magic Academy, students were somewhat afraid of him and remained quiet.
However, the ladies from Paradise Island were very curious. They didn't understand why this seemingly genteel professor could quiet down the normally spirited students, and soon a few bold and inquisitive girls approached him.
"All right, ladies, quiet down and move back a bit," Shiller tried to get them to step back, but the boisterous Amazon women never understood the concept of retreat and kept crowding in front of Shiller, still questioning as they edged closer.
"Professor, why do you have vertical pupils? Do you have an ancestral bloodline?"
"Professor, what nationality are you? Are you a half-blood? What subject do you teach?"
"Professor, do you have MSN? Or could you give me your email?"
Shiller was overwhelmed by their noise, but fortunately, the people from Metropolis arrived in time. However, it was clear they were far from successful, as Arthur's loud scolding could be heard from afar.
"I've emphasized this to you several days in advance, legs! Transform into legs! Yet you insist on flopping around with those fish tails! Do you really want me to prepare aquariums for you?!"
"Alright, Arthur, they didn't mean to, so stop being angry. Didn't they fix it up already? It hasn't caused any delay..."
Clark and Arthur emerged one after the other from the teleportation portal, followed by a group of Atlanteans, then Oliver and a bunch of young Mexicans, with Bruce and Diana coming in last.
Oliver went up to Shiller and gave him a hug upon seeing him, and from Oliver, Shiller learned what chaos had ensued on the Metropolis side.
The young warriors from the Mexican Revolutionary Army and the Atlanteans both gathered in Metropolis. The former had no issues and entered the country smoothly with the help of the Luther Group. However, the Atlanteans were a different story.
Although the Atlanteans claim to be part of the Sea Clan, they are actually ancient humans who sank into the sea, descended from gods. While they can live in the ocean, they are still human-like with limbs and shouldn't be unaccustomed to land.
However, the ocean does have its indigenous inhabitants, such as the merfolk, snake-men, clam demons, and other true sea creatures living in Mera's Zeber. Many Atlanteans have intermarried with them, producing numerous Divine Blood Sea Clan offspring.
The half-bloods are somewhat similar to mutants in human society, and certain bloodline combinations make them incredibly powerful. Arthur specifically selected these powerful half-bloods for training on Mercury, hoping to give them the best preparation.
But, these half-bloods have some unusual forms and, because of their overly comfortable lives under the sea, lack organization and discipline. They were notified in advance to transform into human shape but didn't take it seriously, leading to chaos when coming ashore. Many stumbled awkwardly, frightening the young Mexican warriors.
Although it was their lack of preparation, they were still defiant. Facing the future Aquaman, they dared not speak out, but they were quite chatty facing the Revolutionary Army soldiers. Words were exchanged and it didn't take long for a fight to break out, which Clark failed to prevent.
Luckily, Bruce and Diana arrived just in time to defuse the situation and they were able to pass through the teleportation portal without further incident.