Shiller's newly purchased farm is located in the southern part of California State, about a two-hour drive from the famous luxury housing area of Palm Beach. There are roughly 70 vacation farms in this area, most of which are owned by the wealthy residents of Palm Beach.
The farm that Shiller owned had been transformed from the former Love Farm.
After the incident with the Feifan Dragon, the entire region suffered some damage, and its safety had been questioned, causing the prices of the entire cluster of farms to plummet significantly.
It's not that the rich lacked confidence in their own security measures, but it all depended on who they were dealing with. If it were just ordinary armed criminals or even terrorists, they were confident they could have them brought to justice before they could pose a danger.
But clearly, dragons were not within their security capabilities.
Wealthy people all over the world did not want to get involved with troubles related to superpowers, not only because it could indeed threaten their lives, but also because it meant they had to entrust the safety of their fortunes to S.H.I.E.L.D., and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fees were always very high—Nick had a reputation for making a profit off even a stone.
With the funds to pay S.H.I.E.L.D. for security, it made more sense to simply sell the farm and be done with it, letting whatever happens afterward be someone else's problem.
This turned out to be to Shiller's advantage, as he acquired three farms for a bargain price and consolidated them into one.
Though they were three farms, they were by no means as large as the real big farms in the central part of America. Vacation farms were small to begin with, and many farmers built large buildings, dug artificial lakes, made golf courses, and even created nature reserves, leaving not much real farmland.
Combined, the farms' agricultural land was about one-tenth the size of the Kent family farm. However, one of the farms included a private beach with the characteristic California palm trees and white sand, and because it was seldom visited, it was even more natural than the well-known resort of Palm Beach.
Shiller retained the best building among the three farms, originally named the Stone House by its previous owner, as it was a genuine stone house with stones sourced from the Rocky Mountains. The roof material came from palm leaves, all cut and joined using ancient techniques, and all materials used in the house were processed as little as possible to retain a natural look, which Shiller liked very much.
Although it sounded like a log cabin, it was actually the largest residential building Shiller had ever owned, with over 50 rooms that could accommodate guests. It came equipped with modern electrical lighting and air conditioning systems, but these were thoughtfully designed to complement the natural materials and not stand out starkly.
Within the scope of the three farms, Shiller built a standard golf course, two tennis courts, a beach volleyball court, turned about 30 hectares of woods into a nature reserve, and introduced about 20 harmless animal species to later use as a camping site.
There was an artificial lake in one of the farms, but it had been abandoned and the water quality was poor. Shiller refurbished this artificial lake and added a stream flowing into the sea, introducing a good number of fish for fishing.
Moreover, he added helipads and runways for private planes and helicopters on the west side of the house entrance, as well as a special underground storage for Stark's Mecha.
Additionally, since Shiller Steve and Peter had the habit of early morning runs, he built a jogging track around the edge of the three farms, and flattened an area by the artificial lake to create a family park.
If all went as expected, their activity focus would shift from the East Coast to the West Coast for the coming period, and Shiller's home would become the new gathering place for The Avengers.
To ensure they would turn in their psychological evaluations on time, Shiller went to great lengths. He felt like he was propping a basket on a stick and tossing bait underneath—once a superhero arrived, he would pull the stick, trapping them until they completed the psychological inventory before allowing them to leave.
In terms of agriculture, the climate conditions in California were great, but Shiller still had no plan for large-scale planting, as it required too much labor and resources. If he couldn't manage it in time, the crops would spoil, and it was difficult for the superheroes and himself to ensure 24-hour surveillance of the farm—it just wasn't necessary.
Shiller planned to plant wheat for brewing, and of course, the subtropical climate was also very suitable for fruit cultivation. Perhaps because he had switched to a Caucasian body, Shiller had a mild allergy to pineapples, which would cut his mouth when he ate them, so he planned to hire Mexicans to help him plant mangoes and bananas and cultivate a smaller amount of avocados for salads.
Furthermore, he definitely wanted to plant vegetables. Shiller was tired of the myriad organic classifications Americans gave to vegetables—what could be more organic than growing his own?
The farm consultant he hired also suggested he raise some commercial fish species in the lake. Shiller indeed liked to eat fish but raising living creatures was quite troublesome, and he was still undecided whether to go through with it or not.
Once the farm was basically renovated, Shiller chartered a plane, bringing his Butler Ultron, Peter and Gwen, Eddie and Venom, Helen, Pikachu, Rocket Raccoon, and others directly to California.
Ultron had recently been busy becoming an internet celebrity, going wherever there was a hot topic. He had been promoted to network consultant for Stark's collective wedding, tasked with keeping an eye on online trends and assessing the public's feedback on the wedding plans he had organized.
Rocket Raccoon returned on his own, having apparently had a quarrel with the other members of the Guardians of the Galaxy. According to Pikachu, it seemed to be over an otter. Lately, they had all been staying with Helen, so Shiller just brought them along too.
The plane landed directly at the farm's airfield, where the tower control was staffed by a young Chinese man. As soon as Shiller disembarked, he walked over and shook hands with everyone, showing no surprise at the yellow-furred rodent and Rocket Raccoon.
California was different from the states on the East Coast, with much more liberal immigration policies. There were many Chinese and Mexicans, and there should have been many Japanese too, but certainly not now.
Shiller hired quite a few Chinese and Mexicans through a website, all of whom were legal immigrants with their green cards, not undocumented.
It wasn't that Shiller didn't want to hire white people, but the old Mexicans were just too capable. Even those with green cards were worth ten lazy white men, working efficiently and with good service. Supporting a whole family without resorting to drugs or causing trouble, Shiller felt he had to give these real workers some respect.
Also, Gonzalez, the Mexican guy Shiller had bought tacos from in Hell's Kitchen, had now moved to California State, still selling tacos on the streets of Santiago. Shiller had kept his phone number and decided the first thing they'd do upon arrival was to eat tacos.
Now air transportation within America had become very advanced, with a large network covering all of All America, featuring shuttle and train stations everywhere, making travel very convenient.
Gonzalez simply took the sky train to deliver their takeaway. Besides reimbursing him for the round-trip fare, Shiller also gave him a hefty tip.
They even agreed that when The Avengers members gathered here, Gonzalez would deliver again, especially when Stark showed up. He definitely had to make an appearance; after this deal, he wouldn't have to worry about money for the next three years.
How can it be said that every trade produces its masters? The tacos that the guy sold were top-notch, both in appearance and taste. Each taco was placed in a small white cardboard box, but the paper wrapping the taco was colorful Mexican striped style, which, along with the various colors of hot sauce drizzled on top, looked vibrant and appetizing.
And these tacos had been modified, ditching the offal favored by the locals in Mexico and replaced with chicken and beef to better suit American tastes. The vegetables were fresh and crispy. What was even more amazing was the secret corn tortilla recipe. During Shiller's days in Los Angeles, he had his fair share of tacos, but none could match the taste of these corn tortillas.
This time, the guy had wheeled his stand all the way over, making them fresh in the backyard of Stone House. Each time he flipped a tortilla, Helen Pikachu and Rocket Raccoon standing in front of the stall cheered.
His specialty was tortilla acrobatics. First, the tortilla would be tossed into the air, spinning once, caught by the spatula, which spun once in hand, circled behind his head, and then the tortilla was thrown back onto the hotplate, causing the audience to scream in excitement.
Sitting on dining chairs a little farther back, Shiller and Eddie were at Stone House's backyard, which was also dotted with many palm trees planted over white sandy beaches, offering abundant shade. The backyard dining table was set under the trees; Shiller used Gray Mist to crack open two coconuts, one for him and one for Eddie.
"Did Peter and Gwen go for a walk again?" Eddie asked while sipping from a coconut, "Should call them back, don't want them to miss lunch."
"Mind your own business when it comes to the young couple's affairs." Shiller shared a straw with Gray Mist sipping the coconut. A coconut was quickly emptied, with Gray Mist still eagerly poking at the coconut flesh.
Helen came running over with a freshly made taco, thumping down in front of Shiller, "Try this! Doctor!"
Shiller was touched. After all, Helen hadn't asked Stark to taste it first when they were eating together.
But as soon as he took a bite, he realized something was wrong.
"Cough cough cough... What did you put in this?"
"The hottest peppers from Gonzalez's hometown!"
"Cough cough cough cough cough!" Shiller choked, his face turning red, Eddie quickly brought over two coconuts they had just picked, but they wouldn't open with the coconut opener.
"Venom... Venom!" Shiller called out hoarsely.
With a whoosh, Venom's mask came online, and with a flick of his scarlet tongue, he said, "Leave it to me! Give it here!"
His huge black hand squeezed the coconut like it was a glass ball, and with a crack, it split apart.
Shiller quickly grabbed it and poured it into his mouth, but it didn't help. In the end, it was Ultron who gave him a glass of milk before he finally recovered.
Shiller pulled Helen over and rubbed her head vigorously, Helen struggling to get free, then said, "Aren't you good with spicy food, Doctor? I thought you'd like this..."
"I can handle American levels of spicy, not Mexican levels!" Shiller patted her back and said, "I remember Pikachu also likes spicy food, go get one and have him try."
"Alright!"
Seconds later, a yellow rocket shot into the sky, followed by a crack of thunder that struck right on Helen's head. Rocket Raccoon was about to laugh stealthily when he also got hit, and the three youngsters ended up in a tussle.
At this moment, Peter and Gwen returned, holding several different types of palm leaves, seemingly discussing their evolutionary process.