Reading settings
Chapter 204: Same as Always
"Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?"
A crystal-like projection screen materialized, with rays of light constructing a physical form in front of Orin Vale. The exquisite face of the Kryptonian girl, Kara Zor-El, rendered by the holographic projection, was practically plastered to Orin Vale's face, forcing him to take two steps back.
"You're too close," Orin Vale reminded her. "A little further back."
"Oh, like this."
Kara took two steps back, and her short, stout figure—distorted like a funhouse mirror image from being too close to the capture device—returned to the girl's shapely and graceful form.
"Where did you say you were again?" Kara asked.
"Interstellar Sector One, Planet Odym," Orin Vale said.
Kara thought for a moment. "And which sector was Earth in again?"
"Interstellar Sector 2814," Orin Vale replied.
"So... that basically means the other side of the universe?"
"More or less."
"Aww, I want to go traveling, too." Kara collapsed backward, pouting. "Back when I was still on Krypton, I always said I wanted to go on an interstellar tour, but I never got the chance."
"I'm not here for fun," Orin Vale said with a smile. "I have some business to attend to. Has everything been quiet on Earth?"
By now, he had been away from Earth for over half a month. During this time, he had mostly stayed on Planet Odym, immersed in his research, forgetting to eat or sleep. He would only venture into nearby galaxies occasionally when he made progress in his research or had new ideas and abilities he wanted to test.
It had to be said, the Little Blue Men called themselves the Guardians of the Universe, and while they weren't great at many things, they hadn't lived for so long for nothing. Their research on the Emotional Spectrum was quite substantial; the Blue Lantern Light alone gave Orin Vale plenty to study.
But then again, that made sense. The Emotional Spectrum was, after all, one of the fundamental elements of Creation for the entire multiverse. The deeper one delved along this path, the closer one got to the underlying principles of the world, so its profundity was to be expected.
After more than half a month of hard work, Orin Vale felt he had stabilized his connection to the Blue Lantern Light. To say he was acting as a Central Power Battery would be an exaggeration, but at the very least, he was at the level of Krona's gauntlet.
Krona was a traitor among the Guardians, but he was also a genius of his race. The gauntlet he forged was the prototype for the later Green Lantern Ring. It could directly link to the Emotional Spectrum without needing a Power Battery or recharging, and a single gauntlet possessed the power output equivalent to a dozen Lantern Rings, making it an interstellar superweapon.
This was perhaps Orin Vale's biggest all-around enhancement since arriving in the DC Universe.
His research into the Speed Force helped him understand the rules of the current universe; it was about the technique and method of using his existing energy to achieve a super-enhancement of his speed attributes. But in essence, it was a matter of cognition and technique, not a fundamental increase in his attributes.
Acquiring the Blue Lantern Light's energy, however, was an upgrade to his energy level. The perfect compatibility between the Light of "Hope" and his own race, coupled with the abundant, satisfying, and super-fast charge from the Emotional Spectrum, made his current base state even more formidable than when he had drained Apollo dry.
"So, has everything been normal lately?"
Orin Vale made a point to communicate with Earth every few days to ensure no major incidents occurred in his absence.
From a human perspective, real-time communication across half the universe would be impossible with any known means, but for the technology of the Land of Light, whose jurisdiction spanned the multiverse, it was naturally a trivial matter.
"The usual, you know," Kara said.
"Has Kal said anything about Intergang recently?"
"Ever since you reminded him, Superman has started paying attention to that Intergang in Metropolis. He's busted a few of their hideouts, captured a couple of underbosses, and even exposed some high-level protection rackets and a series of shady businesses."
When Kara reported seriously, she looked quite a bit like a capable little special agent.
"He's digging deeper and deeper. Intergang's decades-long influence in Metropolis is being curtailed by Superman... but he hasn't found any evidence of the alien forces or technology you suspected. Kal said he'll keep an eye on it, though."
Kara thought for a moment and added, "Oh, right, there is something going on here in Gotham. It seems a madman has appeared recently, a pale-faced lunatic with lipstick who's always cackling foolishly on TV. I think he looks pretty silly and ridiculous, but a lot of people in Gotham seem to be afraid of him... Anyway, it seems Batman is fighting him nonstop every day. The news was full of it a few days ago, just stories about the two of them fighting every day."
Orin Vale understood. So, the Joker had started to appear.
"What about the shop?"
"Hmm, it's pretty normal, just like every other day."
Kara stepped aside, and the projected light reconstructed the scene from the coffee shop's back kitchen before him.
A red-orange afterimage flashed by, only to fly headfirst into a cloud of magical mist. The orange Kryptonian cat, who had been flying mid-air, was choked by the mist and became disoriented, tumbling to the ground.
A surprisingly spry old figure took the opportunity to pounce, swiftly catching the orange cat and holding it upside down in his hand.
"Meow!" Streaky protested, waving his fleshy paws.
"Uh... what's going on here?" Orin Vale asked, bewildered.
"Oh, the old man happened to pet Streaky one day and became obsessed with the texture. He said something about... it being soft and delicate, reminding him of some silk he'd seen ages ago, and that it could maximally inspire his genius brain. So now he's pestering Streaky to let him pet him..."
Orin Vale: "..."
Watching the holographic image of the once sage-like Old Wizard with his long white beard tussling with a Kryptonian cat, Orin Vale was momentarily speechless.
But to be fair, petting a Kryptonian cat did feel amazing. Orin Vale could attest to that. He guessed the superpower of invulnerability was a great help for fur maintenance.
In fact, by the same logic, he could infer that Kryptonian skin probably felt quite nice too, as was evident from Kara's flawless and delicate, snow-white face.
"Meow~"
Finally, Streaky seemed to give in to the old man. He twisted his head and gestured with his fleshy paws.
"What's it saying?" Orin Vale couldn't use Telepathy through the communication.
"Oh, it's negotiating. It says one Special Meow Meow Sandwich per minute."
Without a second thought, the Old Wizard said, "Deal!"
The deal was struck so decisively, without any haggling. Streaky let out a "meow," his brow furrowed, as if he suspected he had asked for too little and gotten a bad deal.
So, it waved its claws and added a couple more "meows."
Kara continued to translate: "It says it wants a beef patty in it, and a big one."
Orin Vale: "..."
The situation at the shop was as normal and harmonious as ever; it seemed there was nothing to worry about. After saying goodbye to Kara, Orin Vale ended the communication and resumed his daily research.
He had currently acquired a great deal of knowledge on Odym, and he could take his time digesting it after he returned. Orin Vale was planning to head back in a few days.
Just as he was preparing for his daily discussion with Ganthet, Saint Walker entered just as he sat down.
"Master Ganthet," Saint Walker said, bowing respectfully as he entered.
"There's no need for that, Walker," Ganthet said with a wave of his hand. "Is something the matter?"
Saint Walker hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I think I might need to go back today, Master," Saint Walker said. "My hometown, Astonia... they need me."
(end of chapter)
"Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?"
A crystal-like projection screen materialized, with rays of light constructing a physical form in front of Orin Vale. The exquisite face of the Kryptonian girl, Kara Zor-El, rendered by the holographic projection, was practically plastered to Orin Vale's face, forcing him to take two steps back.
"You're too close," Orin Vale reminded her. "A little further back."
"Oh, like this."
Kara took two steps back, and her short, stout figure—distorted like a funhouse mirror image from being too close to the capture device—returned to the girl's shapely and graceful form.
"Where did you say you were again?" Kara asked.
"Interstellar Sector One, Planet Odym," Orin Vale said.
Kara thought for a moment. "And which sector was Earth in again?"
"Interstellar Sector 2814," Orin Vale replied.
"So... that basically means the other side of the universe?"
"More or less."
"Aww, I want to go traveling, too." Kara collapsed backward, pouting. "Back when I was still on Krypton, I always said I wanted to go on an interstellar tour, but I never got the chance."
"I'm not here for fun," Orin Vale said with a smile. "I have some business to attend to. Has everything been quiet on Earth?"
By now, he had been away from Earth for over half a month. During this time, he had mostly stayed on Planet Odym, immersed in his research, forgetting to eat or sleep. He would only venture into nearby galaxies occasionally when he made progress in his research or had new ideas and abilities he wanted to test.
It had to be said, the Little Blue Men called themselves the Guardians of the Universe, and while they weren't great at many things, they hadn't lived for so long for nothing. Their research on the Emotional Spectrum was quite substantial; the Blue Lantern Light alone gave Orin Vale plenty to study.
But then again, that made sense. The Emotional Spectrum was, after all, one of the fundamental elements of Creation for the entire multiverse. The deeper one delved along this path, the closer one got to the underlying principles of the world, so its profundity was to be expected.
After more than half a month of hard work, Orin Vale felt he had stabilized his connection to the Blue Lantern Light. To say he was acting as a Central Power Battery would be an exaggeration, but at the very least, he was at the level of Krona's gauntlet.
Krona was a traitor among the Guardians, but he was also a genius of his race. The gauntlet he forged was the prototype for the later Green Lantern Ring. It could directly link to the Emotional Spectrum without needing a Power Battery or recharging, and a single gauntlet possessed the power output equivalent to a dozen Lantern Rings, making it an interstellar superweapon.
This was perhaps Orin Vale's biggest all-around enhancement since arriving in the DC Universe.
His research into the Speed Force helped him understand the rules of the current universe; it was about the technique and method of using his existing energy to achieve a super-enhancement of his speed attributes. But in essence, it was a matter of cognition and technique, not a fundamental increase in his attributes.
Acquiring the Blue Lantern Light's energy, however, was an upgrade to his energy level. The perfect compatibility between the Light of "Hope" and his own race, coupled with the abundant, satisfying, and super-fast charge from the Emotional Spectrum, made his current base state even more formidable than when he had drained Apollo dry.
"So, has everything been normal lately?"
Orin Vale made a point to communicate with Earth every few days to ensure no major incidents occurred in his absence.
From a human perspective, real-time communication across half the universe would be impossible with any known means, but for the technology of the Land of Light, whose jurisdiction spanned the multiverse, it was naturally a trivial matter.
"The usual, you know," Kara said.
"Has Kal said anything about Intergang recently?"
"Ever since you reminded him, Superman has started paying attention to that Intergang in Metropolis. He's busted a few of their hideouts, captured a couple of underbosses, and even exposed some high-level protection rackets and a series of shady businesses."
When Kara reported seriously, she looked quite a bit like a capable little special agent.
"He's digging deeper and deeper. Intergang's decades-long influence in Metropolis is being curtailed by Superman... but he hasn't found any evidence of the alien forces or technology you suspected. Kal said he'll keep an eye on it, though."
Kara thought for a moment and added, "Oh, right, there is something going on here in Gotham. It seems a madman has appeared recently, a pale-faced lunatic with lipstick who's always cackling foolishly on TV. I think he looks pretty silly and ridiculous, but a lot of people in Gotham seem to be afraid of him... Anyway, it seems Batman is fighting him nonstop every day. The news was full of it a few days ago, just stories about the two of them fighting every day."
Orin Vale understood. So, the Joker had started to appear.
"What about the shop?"
"Hmm, it's pretty normal, just like every other day."
Kara stepped aside, and the projected light reconstructed the scene from the coffee shop's back kitchen before him.
A red-orange afterimage flashed by, only to fly headfirst into a cloud of magical mist. The orange Kryptonian cat, who had been flying mid-air, was choked by the mist and became disoriented, tumbling to the ground.
A surprisingly spry old figure took the opportunity to pounce, swiftly catching the orange cat and holding it upside down in his hand.
"Meow!" Streaky protested, waving his fleshy paws.
"Uh... what's going on here?" Orin Vale asked, bewildered.
"Oh, the old man happened to pet Streaky one day and became obsessed with the texture. He said something about... it being soft and delicate, reminding him of some silk he'd seen ages ago, and that it could maximally inspire his genius brain. So now he's pestering Streaky to let him pet him..."
Orin Vale: "..."
Watching the holographic image of the once sage-like Old Wizard with his long white beard tussling with a Kryptonian cat, Orin Vale was momentarily speechless.
But to be fair, petting a Kryptonian cat did feel amazing. Orin Vale could attest to that. He guessed the superpower of invulnerability was a great help for fur maintenance.
In fact, by the same logic, he could infer that Kryptonian skin probably felt quite nice too, as was evident from Kara's flawless and delicate, snow-white face.
"Meow~"
Finally, Streaky seemed to give in to the old man. He twisted his head and gestured with his fleshy paws.
"What's it saying?" Orin Vale couldn't use Telepathy through the communication.
"Oh, it's negotiating. It says one Special Meow Meow Sandwich per minute."
Without a second thought, the Old Wizard said, "Deal!"
The deal was struck so decisively, without any haggling. Streaky let out a "meow," his brow furrowed, as if he suspected he had asked for too little and gotten a bad deal.
So, it waved its claws and added a couple more "meows."
Kara continued to translate: "It says it wants a beef patty in it, and a big one."
Orin Vale: "..."
The situation at the shop was as normal and harmonious as ever; it seemed there was nothing to worry about. After saying goodbye to Kara, Orin Vale ended the communication and resumed his daily research.
He had currently acquired a great deal of knowledge on Odym, and he could take his time digesting it after he returned. Orin Vale was planning to head back in a few days.
Just as he was preparing for his daily discussion with Ganthet, Saint Walker entered just as he sat down.
"Master Ganthet," Saint Walker said, bowing respectfully as he entered.
"There's no need for that, Walker," Ganthet said with a wave of his hand. "Is something the matter?"
Saint Walker hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I think I might need to go back today, Master," Saint Walker said. "My hometown, Astonia... they need me."
(end of chapter)
