mtl008 Chapter 4120 When the Pumpkin Ripens (2)
Chapter 4120 When the Pumpkin Ripens (2)
Chapter 4120 When the Pumpkin Ripens (Part Two)
This community isn't entirely without amenities; it does have a basic community hospital and shops. Schiller's shop is the only community store in the area, and during the war it was responsible for distributing all daily necessities and food; now it's sold using points.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he found the place completely transformed: pumpkins were piled up by the entrance, bat decorations hung from the ceiling, and the mannequins were dressed in yellow and purple stripes, topped with wizard hats. Right inside the entrance was a long row of candy shelves.
“Good morning,” Schiller said. “I’ve come to buy candy.”
"So it's Professor Rodriguez," the shop assistant smiled at him and said, "I didn't expect you to still be here. When are you planning to move to the Otherworld?"
“I’m not going,” Schiller said. “I still have to work at Gotham University…”
“Isn’t that perfect? I heard there’s an entrance that leads directly to Gotham University,” the clerk said with a smile. “If it weren’t for the high housing prices there, I would also like to move there. I heard the commute is much more convenient than outside.”
“You’re right, housing prices are too high,” Schiller shook his head and said. “My current place is fine, I’m not planning to move. Any recommendations for candy?”
"The ones over there are all pretty good, but there aren't many people in our community, not many children, so probably no one will come asking for candy. If you don't like them yourself, you should buy less."
Schiller nodded and went to pick out candy. Although there weren't many children in his neighborhood, he was confident that many would travel across half the city to ask him for candy, just in hopes that he hadn't prepared any—and he wouldn't let them succeed.
Schiller took a lot of candy, some chocolate and some caramel. When he went to pay, he said, "Do you have carving knives? I'd like a set."
"Oh my goodness, are you planning to carve the pumpkin yourself?" the shop assistant said, somewhat surprised. "That's not an easy job."
"Yes, I grew some pumpkins myself..."
"You can actually grow pumpkins?!"
Schiller felt a little guilty. It couldn't really be considered that he planted them: aside from digging the hole himself and scattering the seeds, everything else was entirely up to the pumpkins. He hadn't even watered them. Yet, miraculously, three pumpkins had sprouted.
The shop assistant gave him a set of carving knives, which Schiller took and put into the bag of candy, then carried it home.
He put his things down and went to the backyard. It had rained all night and a strong wind had blown all morning, so the backyard looked a bit messy, but the three big pumpkins were still standing, golden yellow, round and plump, just like the ones in the textbook.
However, Schiller did not go directly to pick them. He first went to the tool shed and picked up a shovel and garden shears, holding the shovel in one hand and the shears in the other, before approaching the field.
Sure enough, as soon as he walked over, one of the pumpkins bounced high and was about to smash towards him. Schiller reacted quickly, shoveling the pumpkin back with his shovel, then cutting the vines on top of the pumpkin's head with his shears, and the pumpkin stayed still in the ground.
He knew why Pamela would be so kind as to suggest he plant pumpkins and even give him a bunch of seeds. Not watering them was the right thing to do—three of them survived without watering; if he had taken good care of them and watered them every day, this place would be a pumpkin paradise by now.
Schiller knocked off the remaining two pumpkins in the same way. He went up to check them and found that they were not plants that attacked people. They were not sentient either, just ordinary pumpkins. The jump was probably the power that Pamela had deliberately left in the vines.
Schiller shook his head, brought over a small cart, and placed the three large pumpkins on it. He would keep one; he planned to give the other two away, since pumpkins this big and perfectly sized were quite rare.
Then Schiller went back to the house and made a phone call, first to Victor. Victor was a very good carver and had also adopted a child; it was time to pass on the craft, and he had to be given a big pumpkin.
The other one is for Killer Crocodile, because he helped with the move, and Schiller often borrowed his car when he was buying furniture. Also, he has a company that recently reopened, and such a big pumpkin would look nice displayed at the company entrance.
“Hey, Victor? Are you free lately? I've grown three big pumpkins; you can take them back and carve them with Billy. What? They're growing pumpkins at Billy's school too? Okay, I'll be over in a bit…”
"Hello? Wellen? No, it's nothing. I planted a few pumpkins, maybe you can use them to carve. Harley already gave them to you? He planted some too? Okay, I got it, I'll come over another day."
Schiller sighed after hanging up the phone. He didn't know why these people had all become so fond of farming; everyone seemed to have pumpkins now. Perhaps Pamela had cast a wide net and caught many fish; with so many people farming, some were bound to get tricked.
Just as he turned to go back, the phone rang again.
"Hello? Doctor, I tried calling you but the line was busy. Is something wrong?"
“No, it’s nothing,” Schiller shook his head and said, “Have you booked a hotel?”
“Well, that’s what I was just about to say,” the main universe Batman said with a hint of embarrassment. “I didn’t know you’ve changed your currency here. What are these points and credits? Can’t I book a room with US dollars?”
Schiller paused, then said, "Which hotel did you book? Some hotels accept cash..."
Wayne Hotel.
"Oh, that won't work, you need points for that. You should be able to book with cash if you switch to another hotel. If you don't want to switch, I can lend you some points, I have quite a few."
"Well, thank you, Doctor. It seems there's still a lot I need to explore about your world."
“It’s okay if you don’t explore,” Schiller said sincerely. Such warnings against exploring a secret often stem from concern for the other person’s safety, but if one of them were Batman, the real concern would likely be the very thing being explored—in short, Schiller was more worried about Brainiac.
After hanging up the phone, Schiller thought for a moment, but he figured Brainiac must know that Batman from the main universe was coming. Since he didn't intend to disguise himself, he probably had a plan, so there was no need for Schiller to worry unnecessarily.
To be fair, Schiller is quite satisfied with his current life. Compared to the restrictions imposed by Brainiac, he has actually enjoyed more benefits, especially after many aspects of his life became more relaxed. Life is quite peaceful and almost uneventful. Although it is a bit boring, compared to the thrills and excitement he experienced in Gotham, this boredom can be considered a rare blessing.
Victor hadn't left work yet, so Schiller went back to his study and began working on the final exam questions. Except for his subject, all the final exams were set by Brainiac. The reason he set his own was because Brainiac had also discovered that what he taught in class was vastly different from what he hoped his students would master; it was more like psychic reading than learning. Brainiac himself couldn't understand it, so he let Schiller do it himself.
After thinking about a few problems, it was already noon. Victor didn't have classes in the afternoon and should be going home by now, so Schiller drove his car to Victor's house.
He and Victor arrived almost at the same time. Victor took out his key, opened the door, and as he pushed the door open and walked in, he said, "You have no idea what a huge pumpkin Billy brought back! My God, I've never seen such a big pumpkin in my life..."
Schiller initially thought he was exaggerating, but as soon as he entered the backyard, he saw a huge pumpkin, several times larger than the largest pumpkin he had ever grown.
"Is this a pumpkin?" Schiller couldn't help but ask. "It looks like a new Halloween model from the Volkswagen Beetle."
“It’s a shame, but that’s what a pumpkin is,” Victor said. “And Billy used Shazam’s powers to lift it back. Before it landed, Nora and I were trying to teach him not to move other people’s cars like that…”
"I guess Pamela gave the seeds to the school."
“I’m afraid so. No one but her could have researched such a big pumpkin,” Victor said after thinking for a moment. “I heard it was a project team run by Brainiac. Besides pumpkins, they also have potatoes and corn and stuff.”
"Are they all extra-large?"
"I'm not sure, but I imagine the yield should be pretty good. What do you think of the pumpkin?"
"You call yourself a science professor? Isn't it common sense that the bigger the pumpkin, the coarser the fibers and the less tasty it is?"
"But this is different from the pumpkins I've seen in competitions before. Those extra-large pumpkins had changed color, were hard to the touch, and didn't have much of a pumpkin aroma. This one is different; it looks edible."
The two looked at the enormous pumpkin together. Schiller thought for a moment and said, "Are you and Billy planning to carve it?"
"Don't joke around, this thing would probably require a chainsaw to carve, right? I can't take the kids to do something so dangerous, and Nora wouldn't agree either."
"I have one that's the right size, I'll bring it over tomorrow. We can split it open and see if it's edible, then we'll have lunch sorted out."
“Let’s give it a try,” Victor said, turning to look for tools, but after searching for a while, he only found an ice pick and a kitchen knife. The two of them scooped a piece off the huge pumpkin.
Despite the fact that it weighed more than ten pounds after being dug out, the pumpkin was actually only injured on the surface. From a distance, the wound was not visible, and the hollow inside had not even been dug out.
When they were halfway through digging, the two discovered that this thing actually seemed to be edible. It didn't have the woody texture of the big pumpkins they used to know. It looked more like a vegetable, and the pumpkin aroma was very strong. It even had juice in it, and it looked delicious.
Since it was just for tasting, we didn't do anything fancy: most of it was steamed, and the other half was mixed with sugar and butter in a blender to make pumpkin puree. We then used premixed flour to make a base and baked it in the oven to make pumpkin pie.
When it was finished, the whole house was filled with a rich pumpkin aroma. Schiller tasted a bite of the steamed pumpkin; it was alright, just a very natural pumpkin flavor, with a bit too much fiber, but not inedible. The pumpkin pie tasted much better because the fiber had been broken down, and it also had sugar and butter added, resulting in a smooth texture and quite delicious flavor.
“Pamela has finally done something good,” Schiller said.
“You should say Brainiac did a good thing. Pamela wouldn’t have given up her ’hitting plant’ project without him,” Victor said, clearly also enjoying the pumpkin pie, having devoured one in a few bites. “Or maybe not entirely. I’ve been listening to Billy for three days about how their planting team outsmarted the giant pumpkins—this is their trophy.”