Shane Freak
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Chapter 1149 Professor (Twenty-one)
🕑 Added 2024-04-10 05:25:32 +0000 UTCIn DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List
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After leaving Wayne Manor, Schiller went back to Rodriguez Manor to pick up some more luggage, and then came to the Gotham Police Station, where he was arranged by Gordon to stay in a guest room.
The Gotham Police Station is a comprehensive office space, just like Arkham Asylum. In addition to the office space, there are also accommodation facilities, and the renovated Gotham Police Station has luxurious accommodation standards.
The guest room Schiller is staying in is even more luxurious than a hotel suite. More importantly, unlike the Arkham Asylum by the seaside, the Gotham Police Station is closer to the city center, built on a hillside, with a beautiful view, and not as damp, which can be said to be an excellent choice for recuperation.
On the first day Schiller moved in, he felt that he had made the right choice, because it was really too safe here, with three layers of checkpoints and large-caliber weapons installed at all checkpoints, making all the gangs who wanted to approach tremble with fear, and he didn't even hear any gunshots all day.
Schiller slept well for a day, and around dusk, he left the police station, ready to find a job.
Don't misunderstand, he's not going to create jobs, he just wants to find a job that's more relaxed than being a professor and a doctor.
After all, going back to Gotham University as a professor, he inevitably has to face Bruce's thesis, and going to Arkham Asylum as a doctor, he is even busier.
As an ordinary person, Schiller needs a job, but at the same time, like all ordinary people, he hopes the job will be relaxed, with regular work hours, and the salary won't be too low.
In Gotham, such jobs are not easy to find, and most industries related to gangs have irregular work hours. Even if you become a criminal consultant, you have to endure 24-hour telephone harassment. It's really difficult to find a regular job.
However, Schiller knows where to consult to get job opportunities, and he came to a bar not far from the Gotham Police Station.
The bars near the center of Gotham are not chaotic, and most of the people who come here have regular jobs, because the consumption level is high, so the quality of the drinks and bartenders is also good.
Around dusk, it was the peak time of the bar, and Schiller had to wait in line for a while before going in. In front of him was a burly man covered in tattoos, and the bartender didn't even look at him when he went in.
But when Schiller, wearing a long coat, scarf, and glasses, walked in, the bartender looked a little wary and gave a signal to someone next to him.
After a while, a person came out of the bar's prep room, and when he saw Schiller, he enthusiastically greeted him, saying, "Professor Schiller? What brings you here?"
"You know me?" Schiller asked as he took off his scarf.
"Don't you remember me? I'm a graduate of Gotham Tech College." The young man showed a simple smile and said, "Now I'm doing the liquor import business with Boss Copperpot."
Schiller raised an eyebrow and looked him over, realizing that he was indeed very young and probably still a minor, so he smiled gently and said, "I guess your grades must have been good, especially in math, for you to be selected."
The young man immediately smiled widely, showing his teeth, obviously Schiller's words had hit the mark, and he enthusiastically asked, "Professor, what would you like to drink? A Gold Coast? Or a Godfather? Or a Negroni?"
"Any recommendations?" Schiller asked, "I'm quite busy with my work and don't have much time to come to bars, so give me one of your specialties."
"I think you should try the 'Sunrise', you'll really like it," a voice came from behind Schiller.
Schiller turned his head and was stunned for a moment, but then he realized it was Constantine's face, but the aura was completely different. He looked a bit melancholy and world-weary, but not decadent, lacking the rogue-like quality, and appearing more elegant.
The man in the coat sat down next to Schiller and said, "It's an honor to meet you, Professor Schiller."
Schiller paused for a moment, recalling a bit, and then said, "Thomas Constantine?"
Thomas nodded and took a business card out of his coat pocket, handing it to Schiller. Schiller looked at the card, which had Thomas Constantine's name written in cursive English, and a string of small words below - "Importer of Luxury and Collectible Books".
Schiller raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, and looked up at Thomas. Thomas seemed to read the message in Schiller's gaze, and he laughed a little awkwardly, saying, "I know, it's absurd for a bookseller to be in Gotham."
Thomas rubbed his hands and said, "Americans have a rather stereotypical impression of European literature, and other cities don't really accept a bookseller like me. But since Gotham people hardly have the habit of reading, I hope to develop this market."
"May I ask, where do your import channels come from..." Schiller hadn't forgotten that this Thomas was a persona created by John Constantine, so he hadn't realized all this time that he wasn't really a bookseller.
Thomas paused for a moment, then said, "It's a family business, I inherited some channels from my father. They're not high-end, but they can support a few bookstores."
Schiller suddenly became interested, and asked, "Are there any bookstores in Gotham?"
Thomas shook his head slightly and said, "As far as I know, there are no regular bookstores, but there are quite a few newsstands, but they only sell picture books and comics. I wanted to get them to start selling hardcover books, but they think it would definitely be a losing proposition, so no one is interested."
Schiller nodded and took the drink the bartender handed him, looking at Thomas and saying, "I've been wanting to find something to do lately. The schedules of being a professor and a doctor are too inflexible, and even the vacations depend on others' moods. But in Gotham, there's not much that's relaxed, so I've been thinking, maybe I should just open a store myself."
"I really don't have any cooking talent, and I can't manage a restaurant or a bakery either. I have no connection with the Gang, and hotels and nightclubs are also excluded."
As Schiller spoke, Thomas' eyes grew brighter, and Schiller continued to describe: "Everyone hopes their own store will do well, but if it's too busy, I'd rather go back to being a university professor. But if there's no business at all, the rent in Gotham is too expensive, and I've been headaching for several days."
Thomas immediately understood Schiller's meaning, so he also took a glass of wine from the bartender, clinked glasses with Schiller, and then said, "Of course, I can understand you. As a distinguished Scholar like you, if you were to enter the business world or engage in some sideline, you naturally wouldn't have to make profit the top priority..."
Schiller smiled and then talked to Thomas about some details about the bookstore, followed by topics such as the land prices in downtown Gotham, the consumption habits of the rich in the south and the gang bosses in the north.
After Thomas left, Schiller's wine was almost finished, and just as he was about to leave, a clear female voice came from behind him: "You actually plan to open a bookstore in this City? Are you so rich that you don't know what to do with your money?"
Schiller turned around and saw Zatanna's figure, and he said with some surprise, "Zatanna, why haven't you left yet?"
Zatanna, dressed as a magician, put her hands on her hips and said, "Why haven't I left yet? You'd better ask, how can I leave? Given Constantine's current situation, can I leave?"
"Are you following him here?" Schiller asked.
"Of course." Zatanna nodded and said, "Although he himself no longer remembers anything, he still has many enemies in the human world!"
"Although most of the Dark Sorcerers who came in last time have died, there are bound to be a few that slipped through the net. If I don't follow him, he would have been beaten to death long ago."
Schiller, however, gave a mocking smile and said, "Are you sure you're following him just to protect him, and not because of a rekindled romance?"
Zatanna rolled her eyes and said, "I don't even know the current Constantine, how can there be a rekindled romance?"
"Then you can also part ways."
Zatanna snorted and said, "I'm not one of those socialites who can't live without a man. But I was entrusted by someone, Bruce, to stay here and help him investigate the metal problem in Gotham's buildings, and I also want to investigate my father's matter, so naturally I've stayed until now."
After saying that, the magician lady turned around and waved to Schiller, saying, "Thank you for giving Thomas a job, otherwise I would have to support him."
After Zatanna left, Schiller shook his head helplessly, but then thought about it, Constantine's matter was not something he had caused, and the trouble didn't belong to him, so he immediately felt relieved.
The next morning, Schiller started looking for a house. He planned to open a bookstore in the center of Gotham or a little further away from the city center.
This kind of work is both leisurely and refined, perfectly matching Schiller's needs, but the premise is that he has to find a good location, otherwise those suckers won't be willing to pay three times the price for a hardcover book.
After wandering around for a day, Schiller really found a good location, right at the end of one of the eight commercial streets extending from the Central Roundabout, in the semi-circular building at the corner, where a gift shop was currently being sublet.
The geographical location here is quite good, in the center of Gotham's prosperous business district, and it is also one of the first commercial buildings in Gotham to be renovated by the Wayne Group, with a new building and good security.
More importantly, this gift shop at the corner has a very large arc-shaped floor-to-ceiling shop window, which perfectly suits Schiller's preference.
Schiller found Copperpot, and in less than two days, he completed the formalities. This gift shop itself also takes the high-end route, with a retro European-style decoration, which can be used directly, except that he needs to purchase some bookshelves to place the books.
Just as Schiller was directing the workers to move the large bookshelves into the house, a small figure appeared at the door and looked up at the sign that had just been hung outside, which was written in cursive English - "Flower and Blotts Bookstore".
Schiller, who walked out of the room, heard the movement at the door and turned around to find that it was Harley standing outside.
"What are you doing here?" the two said in unison when they saw each other.
"This is my store, why can't I be here?" Schiller bent down and looked at Harley, saying, "But you, not working at the hospital, how did you end up here?"
Harley also folded her arms, puffed out her cheeks, and pointed a finger at the ceiling above, saying, "Is it possible that the place you rented is my house?"
I forgot to mention, there's no brain-teasing deduction in this section, so feel free to read on, little dummies.
[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]
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