Chapter 743: Night Rain Lament (Part 1) _1

In the seaside city at dusk, the setting sun always seems rather dazzling. The streets in the manor district glow golden under the street lamps, adorned with intricate vine patterns. As the evening breeze blows, a piece of paper tacked to a lamp post begins to flutter, tracing a graceful arc in the air,

It flies past timeworn walls, glides under pointed roofs in the evening sun, then finally drifts down, following the patterned iron railings all the way into the mailbox at the manor gate, idly lying at the bottom of it.

A hand encased in a leather glove flicks the mail lock, opens the mailbox door, and takes out the paper from earlier. Reading its contents, Merkel exhales in excitement. Holding the paper in one hand, she pushes open the manor gate with the other and hands it to Shiller, who's having dinner.

Shiller sets down his newspaper, takes the paper, quickly scans it, raises his eyebrows, and says, "What's this? There's actually a theatre troupe willing to perform Shakespeare in Gotham? And it's 'Macbeth,' no less?"

"Yes, sir. I knew you'd be delighted. It's the famous Angelica Theatre Troupe from Metropolis. They're quite popular along the East Coast and they excel at Shakespearean drama..."

Shiller studies the paper, a simple playbill of the theatre troupe, listing the name of the troupe, the plays scheduled to be performed in town, the main play, and the names of other light comedies.

The simple playbill reflects the style of Gotham, the main attraction being Shakespeare's 'Macbeth,' one of the four great tragedies and a play that Shiller particularly enjoys.

Unfortunately, none of the theatre troupes that previously performed in Gotham had the ability to stage Shakespearean drama. Most of them stuck to post-dinner skits or light comedies, no serious plays. Since his arrival in Gotham, Shiller hasn't seen any proper theatre.

"Quick, Merkel, call this theatre troupe. Buy a ticket for me... no, two tickets... no, no, no, get one for Lawyer Harvey too, besides Victor. He should like this play. As for Chief Gordon... call him and see if he's free. And the Godfather... Although I suspect he might've acted faster than me?"

Merkel takes the simple playbill from Shiller, smiles, and goes, "By tomorrow, your love for Shakespearean drama will be known throughout Gotham City... Oh, no—it might happen tonight, even."

Shiller gets up from his seat and says, "I haven't been this thrilled in a long time since coming to this city. By the way, who's the lead actor? Do they allow backstage visits? Can I meet the lead?"

"I will check for you." Merkel returns the chair to its place and heads for the phone, then adds, "But as far as I know, the troupes from Metropolis generally do not accept backstage visits. They prefer to maintain the mystique of their actors."

"That's alright. Even though I'm well aware that the characters they play bear no relation to them, it should all stay on stage. However, I still enjoy interacting with these actors who play different roles. Their mindset when acting as a certain character could provide me with great material..."

Shiller walks briskly towards the gate and says, "If you get the detailed playbill tonight, make sure to check when 'Macbeth' is staged. Hopefully, it's after lunch. I don't want it to attract the same crowd that chuckles at post-lunch skits."

Merkel makes a reassuring gesture then watches as Shiller grabs an umbrella, walks out of the manor, hails his driver, and travels across the streets of Gotham, eventually arriving at the Iceberg Restaurant in the East District.

Upon entering the restaurant, he spots several children practicing tray-holding. Seeing him come in, they back away, startled. However, shortly after they recognize Shiller and recall that Shiller seems to be the boss's friend, they freeze in astonishment and dare not move.

The child in the lead carefully sets down the tray in his hand, then runs upstairs. After a while, Cobblepot comes down, looks at Shiller, and asks in surprise, "Professor, what brings you here?"

"I came to see the progress on your restaurant. How's it coming along?"

"It's almost ready. We should be able to open in a week." Cobblepot descends the spiral stairs, adjusts his tie, and says, "I was just thinking of having someone post notices and distribute flyers."

Cobblepot motions towards the table, and he and Shiller each sit on either side. Waitstaff bring them water, and the kids huddle in a corner, eyeing the two of them.

Nor Cobblepot neither Shiller pays attention to the children. They're discussing the opening of the Iceberg Restaurant.

"I think the newspaper boys and vendors should be quite helpful to you. Simply slip an advertisement into the newspaper or wrapping paper, and before you know it, the entire East District will be aware of your opening," says Shiller.

Cobblepot pauses and then says, "Slipping an ad into the newspaper? I planned on having them make a special delivery trip..."

"That might work in the East District, where most residents don't have individual mailboxes. But, if you're thinking of advertising in the West District, you absolutely cannot have them deliver flyers separately. That would be uncouth," Shiller points out the flaw in Cobblepot's advertising plan.