Chapter 2968: Leisure Time (Part 2)

Aisha seemed more interested in shopping, so she decided to leave with Harley, and at this moment, a guest who had not shown his face finally came down from upstairs. Yes, it was Barry Allen.

He had dark circles under his eyes and clearly hadn't slept well. In fact, he hadn't wanted to join this trip because he had more important things to do.

Barry was among the best in his generation in terms of academic achievements, and as a result, he started college early. However, he didn't study at Gotham University but went to Metropolitan University instead, because the forensic science program there was better.

But his professor at Metropolitan University was a friend of Shiller's, who was also very demanding. Having found a diligent student, he rigorously squeezed every bit of effort out of Barry. As soon as he started college, Barry began working nights and days on his research, writing papers, doing fieldwork...

He hadn't wanted to participate in Battleworld, just that he thought since other Flashes from various universes were going, it wouldn't be good for him not to.

After entering Battleworld, he still didn't play the games but focused on his homework. He could have kept going on like this, but a few days ago, a Vampire Flash, who wasn't very likable, suddenly appeared at their base. Even though most Flashes were amiable, they ended up arguing all the time.

The base was too noisy, and Barry had no choice but to accept the invitation to travel, hoping to find somewhere else to catch up on his assignments.

Most people had already left, but fortunately, Shiller had saved some breakfast for Barry. Looking at Barry's exhausted expression, he said, "I think you should follow Pamela to S.H.I.E.L.D. The forensic analysis team there is quite famous, even stronger than the Federal Bureau of Investigation in some cases, and they deal with superpower-related cases all year round. I think you could find some material there."

Barry's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said, "I'm actually researching forensic evidence related to superpower crimes..."

Barry almost ran off in a flash. His Divine Speed could be used here, and then there was no place in the world that could stop him. Nick was going to have another Omnipotent errand runner.

After Barry left, Shiller made a phone call to Natasha.

"Hello? It's me. Pamela should have already left. You need to be careful; she is very determined to get you into bed... Yes, I know you're also very determined not to sleep with her, but it's not about who's more determined..."

"No, it's not that. A boy with super speed is on his way. Oh, he's already there. Then, distract him for a moment, I have something to tell you."

Shiller briefly explained Barry's situation and then said, "If possible, help him write his paper... Aren't you an agent? I trust your academic ability."

"These people just create problems for no reason," Shiller said as he opened his laptop and rolled his eyes. "Don't know why they can't just relax and enjoy themselves here."

"Don't worry, trust me. A few papers less, and the world won't end. Let him relax for a couple of days."

"...Then you misunderstand me. I'm not looking for trouble with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Jason is a very smart kid; I've actually sent them a great helper."

"Yes, Tony intends to take Pepper out to look around, indeed he forgot, it was I who reminded him. They plan to visit a maternity store. Do you need to deploy more people?"

"I don't think it's necessary, the child is worth special protection, but there are already enough people... However, if it's to appease Tony, sure, his anxiety has almost been cured by that redneck."

"Me? Same old, I've been studying the urban plans of Los Angeles, and honestly, it's much better than New York. I've identified a few locations, and I plan to have Ultron investigate first... "

"...That's a complete slander! I really don't understand how Nick could think of me that way, why would I intentionally cause accidents to lower the land prices? Such market-disrupting behavior should be strongly condemned! I would never do such a despicable thing!"

"No, it has nothing to do with that. I'm just concerned about the mental health of teenagers, that's why I invite them to come to New York to enjoy the sunshine. Okay, I promise not to let them go to the West Coast, but I still need to protest against your baseless suspicions..."

After hanging up the phone, Shiller continued to work on his computer, the screen displaying the urban planning map of Los Angeles, which he had marked up with many annotations and circled in several places.

The sanatorium in New York wasn't in the city center but in a community in the suburbs. Although this community was quiet with low foot traffic and high-quality residents, it was still not peaceful enough with the constant coming and going of vehicles.

The reason for choosing this location wasn't that Shiller really liked it so much. For one, the land for the sanatorium was almost given away, and secondly, at that time, the sanatorium didn't have much reputation. Even with the Eternal Life Factor as a draw, it couldn't be too far from people; otherwise, no one would want to come because of the high commuting costs.

However, Arkham Sanatorium now had a great reputation. Whether the Eternal Life Factor worked, Shiller as a psychologist was very effective. Some people came for the Eternal Life Factor, but after undergoing psychological treatment, their mental states improved, and naturally, they believed the Factor was effective.

This time, opening a branch on the West Coast was at the invitation of many influential friends. After all, the climate on the West Coast was more livable than on the East Coast, and the cultural atmosphere was more conducive to convalescence.

However, this time Shiller planned to open the sanatorium even more remotely, preferably in the mountains, so that it would be completely undisturbed.

Shiller marked several locations on the map that are all in the suburbs far from the Los Angeles city center, and just as Shiller said, Los Angeles' natural conditions and urban construction level are actually much better than New York.

Los Angeles is backed by mountains and faces the sea, with the city containing both the bustle of skyscrapers and the Western charm of its early development days. Most importantly, the Mediterranean climate is very mild, and there are national parks around the city. Shiller was most optimistic about a spot on the west side of the national park in Malibu, as well as a hill in a small village on the west side of Santa Monica.

However, the tricky part is that real estate in Los Angeles is very expensive, and the two places Shiller fancied are both part of a nature reserve. If the land in this area were easy to obtain, it would have already been filled with villas.

Los Angeles operates under a mayor-council government, also known as the strong-mayor system, essentially a self-governing city. To acquire land, one still needs to persuade the city council, and Shiller repeatedly annotated his preferred areas on the map, pondering for a long time.

When it was getting close to lunchtime, Stark suddenly made a call, sounding a bit anxious.

"Doctor, come over and help, Pepper and her sister went shopping, and Little Morgan is here with me, but she keeps crying..."

From the phone, Shiller could faintly hear the sound of a baby crying, but it wasn't the heart-wrenching kind of cry, more like some kind of alert tone. So, he said, "You take her to the nursing room, she probably needs her diaper changed."

Stark hurriedly hung up the phone and, after a while, called back to say, "You're a miracle worker, you can even read a baby's mind over the phone!"

Shiller helplessly replied, "You're a dad now, so you should learn to recognize your daughter's cries. This kind of non-shrill, intermittent crying is actually just her expressing discomfort."

"Hold on, I'm getting a pen to write this down..."

Shiller said a lot in bits and pieces. Infant psychology is also a compulsory part of psychology and a very important field. Though he seldom encountered such issues in his career, he still knew a thing or two about them. However, the person who knew best about these issues was still Professor X, who, after all, dealt with mutants—a group of oversized babies—all year round.

"Have you sorted out the property agreement with Pepper?" Shiller asked. "Last time you had me find an Eastern sorcerer to pick an auspicious day for you; it must be coming up soon, right?"

"Didn't you receive the invitation?" Stark asked, somewhat surprised. "We're getting our marriage certificate on the 2nd of next month, and the wedding is on the 5th. Could it be that Obadiah was too busy and forgot to send you your invitation?"

Shiller put the phone between his ear and shoulder and said, "Wait a second, let me check."

He walked out the door to the mailbox, because Arkham Sanatorium, after all, was a public facility, not his home, and there was a whole room full of mailboxes. He found his own amongst them, but there was nothing inside.

"You're at the sanatorium? Come on, who sends a wedding invitation to someone's workplace? Go check at your home!"

"Go home?" Shiller was a bit stunned. He'd been living mostly at his workplace since coming to Marvel; where was his home?

After Stark finished speaking, he too paused, realizing he didn't know where Shiller's home was either; he only knew the locations of the two clinics. So he texted Obadiah to confirm, then spoke again.

"Oh, he sent it to that apartment you had before, remember? The one with all the bottles of wine and medicine."

"But that was a rental, and the lease has long expired!"

As Shiller spoke, he hurried to change clothes. He had to retrieve the invitation from the new tenant before they threw it out with the garbage.

Then he thought, although living in a sanatorium wasn't bad, it was a bit troublesome when social issues like this arose, as it's hard not to be seen as a mental patient when the address you give out is a sanatorium, especially in high society.

Maybe buying a house wouldn't be a bad idea, Shiller thought, but purchasing a house also posed various problems. First, one had to view properties, then negotiate on the price, and deal with renovations, which couldn't be sorted out in less than a year or so.

And whether on the West Coast or East Coast, the prices of houses are exorbitantly high, especially those large villas. Even if you pay in full at purchase, the hefty property tax will make you feel like you're on a mortgage.

On the way to the apartment, Shiller considered whether to buy a house or not, whether to settle for a perfect one at once or to make do with a more modest one for now, and whether to buy just one or to buy one each in New York and Los Angeles.

As for other regions, Shiller didn't even think about it. Property prices in the central regions were indeed inexpensive, but everything else was inconvenient.

At that moment, Shiller had a sudden flash of insight. Buying a villa in the central region was indeed a foolish move, but nowadays, buying a farmhouse had become very popular. On one hand, using a farmhouse as a residence wouldn't be very out of place—many wealthy individuals built villas within farm lands—and on the other, a farmhouse carried great social attributes.

Though it was called a farmhouse, it wasn't the kind where one toils with the soil; it was rather a high-end social venue where one can fish at leisure, barbecue, horseback ride, and invite close friends and family.