Chapter 2573: Pouring Down (22)

The man who claimed to be Siwana had a stern look, with his eyes deeply set into their sockets. Dark circles under his eyes merged with the shadow cast by his brow bones, making his pupils seem like small boats floating on a black sea.

When he spoke, his lips were tightly pursed, and the sharp lines of his mouth corners and jaw intersected, creating an aura of unapproachability. Even though he was smiling as he talked, it still gave the impression that he was tough to deal with.

"Is the teaching going smoothly, Professor?" Siwana asked with concern, "Are you having any trouble adjusting to the new campus?"

Shiller shook his head and replied, "Everything's fine. How is the football team doing? Will our invitational tournament be able to take place as scheduled?"

"Of course, that's not a problem. The school's financial situation is indeed a bit tight, but I think the city government will provide us with sufficient support. Sports events have always been a calling card for the city..."

Siwana spoke at length about matters related to the football team, seemingly noticing Shiller's particular interest in the sports department. Then, he began discussing psychology course schedules, mentioning whether to change from a floating to a fixed course system, and so on.

Shiller was conservatively cautious with the new principal. Siwana wasn't exactly a common surname. The name Sedis Siwana indicated he was no ordinary person and likely a well-known character in comics.

However, because he was famous but not that well-known, Shiller couldn't immediately recall who he was, and he didn't have the time to sift through his memory bank, so he treated Siwana with the respect a professor should accord a new principal. But Siwana clearly wasn't satisfied with just that.

"I heard that you moved to a new house when I visited Professor Fries earlier. Is that so?"

Shiller furrowed his brows slightly. He didn't think Victor was a talkative person; it probably wasn't Victor who had told Siwana, but more likely that Siwana had indirectly inquired about it.

Why was he so interested in him?

"Oh, don't misunderstand, Professor. It's just that the several professors I visited before were complaining about the longer commute after moving to the new campus. I was wondering how it is for you?"

"It's fine, my new house isn't too far away." Shiller paused. He wasn't sure if Victor had mentioned the housewarming party to Siwana, but since the other party had brought it up, if he didn't tell him now and Siwana found out later, it might be taken as a snub.

"In fact, I haven't held my housewarming party yet because I've been quite busy recently, and the new house is still being set up. When I have news, I will send you an invitation, and I hope you can honor us with your presence, Principal."

Siwana seemed pleased, his previously tight lips relaxed, and he stood up to shake hands with Shiller, saying, "It would be my honor, Professor. As a matter of fact, I've always been very interested in psychology, but we're both quite busy now. Perhaps we could talk about it when we have the time."

Shiller wasn't sure if this was just polite small talk, but he took it as such. He now needed to find out who this Siwana was and speculate why he was so eagerly involved.

After seeing off Siwana, Shiller intended to go to the High Tower's memory bank to check on him. However, at that moment, he received a phone call from Zatanna.

"Hello? Professor? John is injured; could you come to the Central Hospital?" Zatanna's somewhat anxious voice came over the phone.

Shiller raised an eyebrow and asked, "He's injured? What happened to him?"

"You'll know when you get here." Zatanna's tone conveyed deep frustration, and it seemed as though Constantine was mumbling something in the background before Zatanna quickly hung up the phone.

When it rains, it pours, Shiller thought. This mustn't be another creditor knocking on the wrong door, right? After all, there's still a lot of space left in the freezer.

By the time Shiller drove to the Central Hospital, it was already late. He had been stuck in traffic for more than half an hour and took about fifteen minutes to find a parking spot nearby. The Central Hospital, located at the center of the roundabout area, was always packed with patients.

Shiller quickly gave his name at the front desk, then found Constantine in the hospital ward with his leg in a cast. Zatanna was beside him, pouring water. Shiller arrived with an umbrella but didn't spot the Demon.

"What happened?" Shiller inquired. He had only been there for a short while when Raven and Killer Croc also came in, evidently involved in the incident.

Constantine let out a long sigh, but Zatanna abruptly cut him off with a slap, causing him to curl up in pain, frown, and mutter a few words before pulling the blanket over his head and pretending to sleep.

"We went to help set up Waylon's new company. Other than that, there wasn't much issue, just some large furniture to move, including a counter for receiving guests, a registration desk in the back, and filing cabinets for storing documents."

"Waylon had these items delivered to the warehouse, and we moved them from there to the company's front door. I used magic to transfer them inside, and that's when John started causing trouble."

"I didn't cause any trouble!" Constantine's muffled voice emerged from under the blanket, "What were you thinking putting the counter sideways? Do you want to squash the customers into meat pies?"

"But the front room is limited in space. If I positioned it upright, where would the receptionist stand? Besides, you said that hanging a painting on that wall would look nice if the counter was placed horizontally. But we're talking about practical value right now!"

"I was stating a fact. Can the reception wall be without any decor? If you put it upright, nothing would fit on that wall!"

"Focus on the main point," Shiller lightly tapped the armrest of the hospital bed.

"Alright, John and I had a bit of an argument over how to arrange the furniture," Zatanna made a small gesture with her hands, but Shiller saw a galaxy between her fingers.

He knew that when girls and guys of this age dated, everything was perfect, but trouble was bound to arise when they started working together.

"I said to stand it up, but he insisted on laying it down. I suggested we just try it out, so I used magic to make the counter fly in. After it landed, I thought it looked fine, but he wasn't convinced and charged into the room gesturing how it should be arranged."

"I said I'd check out his way, so I made the counter fly up again, but he kept making minor adjustments, a little forward, a bit backward, now turn it to the left, then turn it to the right. It was so fussy, I got really annoyed. I lost control of the magic for a second, and the counter fell and hit his foot..."

Zatanna, with her head lowered, hammered the edge of the bed with her hand and said, "I didn't do it on purpose, you know. My medium of casting magic is speech, but he just had to argue with me while I was using magic..."

"Not so skilled in your craft, eh, Little Zha?" Constantine said, grinning and teasing Zatanna with a twinkle in his eyes.

Zatanna slapped him on the chest, clearly infuriated, and roared at Constantine, "Don't you know why Morpheus avoids you?! Because you're a troublemaker in bed too! I should really pray to God, and then have him tell Lucifer... "

Shiller coughed twice, interrupting Zatanna's choice of words. Zatanna, red-faced with anger, took several deep breaths before grabbing the top of the blanket and covering Constantine's head with it.

Shiller looked at the X-ray films that the others had gathered around. They discovered it was just a fractured foot bone, nothing too serious, but John would likely be unable to leave his bed for at least ten to fifteen days.

"Oh, no, there goes our moving plan," Zatanna wailed. "Now who's going to drive for me?"

"Don't you have a driver's license?"

"I do, but I just can't figure out this damn city's damn traffic," Zatanna sighed. "The transportation system is so peculiar here. I've gotten lost driving several times. If you ask me to drive, I'll probably end up living in the East District by the end of the year."

Killer Croc laughed, adding, "Of course, even Jack, the seasoned driver, can't figure out the New East District now. Can you believe it? He took a private gig last time and spent six hours trying to navigate through those buildings and corridors without finding a way out. In the end, he had to blow up one of the corridors to escape."

"He must have suspected it was Batman's trick," Shiller jested with a private joke that only he and Waylon understood. Waylon laughed heartily and nodded, saying, "Yes, he definitely suspected that. He must think this entire area is a prank Bruce prepared for him. Bruce would do something like that!"

"I know some local kids who have been planning to take part-time jobs to make money. Maybe they could also join in," Shiller suggested.

He was referring to the Robins of Wayne Manor, whom he had heard about from Alfred over the phone after Merkel had left.

Originally, the conversation was about Merkel's affair, but it ultimately turned to the kids. With Wayne out of the house, everything seemed fine. The kids spent their time meandering aimlessly around the estate besides attending school.

However, lately, they seemed to be planning to do something. Upon investigation, Alfred learned that the kids intended to take up part-time jobs to earn money.

In Gotham, the standard employment age for full-time workers is sixteen, since the city's educational resources in the past were not abundant. Many didn't attend high school, let alone college, so those over sixteen could work fifty hours a week.

Of course, those over fourteen could also work thirty hours a week, but only casual jobs, not full-time.

However, because the city had many lawbreakers, the management of this issue was somewhat lenient. It was better for teens and children to work and earn money than to rob and make trouble, so it wasn't uncommon for underage kids to work in shops without anyone interfering.

Speaking of which, the status of the Children's Gang needs to be mentioned. After the complete collapse of the mob, the closely-linked Children's Gang essentially disbanded.

After a few years of buffer time, most members of the gang had passed the most vulnerable age. The younger members were almost ten, and the older ones were approaching twenty.

Their whereabouts were not a mystery. During the previous music festival, most of them had been working various jobs. Some of the more street-smart had taken the lead in business ventures, earning a decent sum of money.

After that, their life trajectories were not much different from regular folk. With no education or qualifications, most found unskilled labor. Other than screwing bolts in factories, they worked odd jobs to make money.

Some clever ones went into business, accumulated some savings, and were now able to rent a venue for their small businesses. Some who were good with their hands attended vocational schools, picked up trades, and now worked as electricians, decorators, or mechanics.

As for the group of children who lacked self-care abilities at the time, most of them had grown into active teens. Many former members who were now adults took responsibility for their livelihoods, making them the first from the gang to attend school.

The younger generation of kids were mostly not orphans, as living conditions improved and family stability increased. In situations where they could support a family, fewer people would willingly abandon their children.

The East District also established a comprehensive welfare system. Any orphans went to welfare institutions instead of ending up on the streets, so the children younger than Jason represented the last generation of the Children's Gang.