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Chapter 210: I've Finally Found You
The newly captured prisoners of war were all provisionally thrown into the super battleship Orin Vale had previously confiscated from Brainiac. For a collector of civilizations, Old Bu's warship was quite impressive in scale and capacity, making it a perfect place to temporarily store junk.
With this, however, the capacity of Orin Vale's warship collection expanded once again, now including an Almerac warship. Although it wasn't intentional, Orin Vale inexplicably found that he seemed to have a constitution similar to a figure maniac; somehow, collectibles just kept finding their way to him one after another.
He couldn't get any more information from these people. Orin Vale figured they were probably just some minions carrying out a mission, and they didn't know anything more. Of course, the possibility that they were just very good actors and hiding something couldn't be ruled out, but it wasn't a big problem. He could always bring the Old Wizard over to cast a spell later, or borrow a certain rope from Wonder Woman, then ask them again.
Following that, it might be best to go to Almerac and see for himself.
With his current strength, as long as he didn't run into a few overpowered individuals, he could basically do whatever he wanted in the universe. Ordinary supervillain interstellar fleets and the like were no match for him at all. He could afford to be a bit bolder.
But he certainly hadn't forgotten that there was an Almeracian right here on Earth, and a high-ranking one at that. He had always found her annoying for sticking around, but now he could ask Maxima what was going on.
However, the matter of interstellar travel would have to be pushed back on his schedule. Although the Manhunters were unsettling, as villains, they were only so-so. And he now knew that Parallax could appear at any moment. The boom tube signal, which seemed to be connected to a super boss from Apokolips, was also a cause for concern. In comparison, the problems here had a higher priority.
Flying back to Gotham, Orin Vale landed as an orb of light, canceling his transformation to revert to his human form, and swept into the store like a gust of wind while still in superspeed mode.
The moment he entered, he saw the Old Wizard petting Stryker.
The Old Wizard was so happy his eyes narrowed into slits, his hand rubbing back and forth on the Kryptonian orange cat's forehead. He stroked from the cat's fluffy little head, down its neck, and then its back. The soft, delicate fur was like a warm blanket, and its little belly was like a soft bed.
The Old Wizard was happy, but Stryker wore a look of reluctance, its brows tightly furrowed as it let out a muffled "meow."
It probably had the look of someone selling their body because life was hard.
"Starting again?" Orin Vale leaned in.
"Yeah, the old man has to get his fix every day recently, he's getting a bit addicted," Kara answered casually, then suddenly realized something was off. She turned her head and her face lit up with surprise. "Ah, you're back!"
"Yep. Miss me?"
"Not at all."
Kara grinned, and with a swift whoosh of super speed, she expertly brewed a cup of coffee and handed it over.
"Here, a new item from the store!"
"Oh, something new."
Orin Vale was surprised. New products were being released even when he, the store manager, wasn't around. He took a sip, and the taste was surprisingly good. It was a mixture of roasted bread and buttery aromas, with a smooth, full-bodied texture. Bitterness and sweetness bloomed on the tip of his tongue, and a rich, mellow fragrance lingered in his mouth.
"Right? I developed it."
Kara puffed out her chest proudly, an expression on her face that screamed, "Praise me now."
It was unclear if it was due to getting enough sun or simply puberty, but after just a month, her figure seemed even more magnificent.
"Not bad, not bad, worthy of praise."
Orin Vale smiled. As he walked into the room, he also nonchalantly ruffled the head of the orange cat in the Old Wizard's arms, rubbing until Mao Mao's ears were misshapen.
Stryker's ears perked up. It suddenly opened its eyes, as if to see which blind fool dared to pet it.
But it took a closer look and saw it was Orin Vale.
So it pulled its head back, its cat ears drooped again, and it closed its eyes, letting him do as he pleased.
*Oh, it's my invincible, handsome, and sunny male owner who's back. In that case, never mind. Do as you please.*
"Have you been keeping up with your studies?" Orin Vale chatted while petting the cat.
"Of course, I've been working hard." Kara also reached out and casually pawed at Mao Mao a couple of times. "Oh, right, remember that Joker we talked about?"
"I remember. Did you catch him?"
"No, but he disappeared last week," Kara said. "Nobody knows why, but rumor is he left Gotham. He had someone cut his face off and left it at the Gotham City Police Department. A bloody, pale face. It's creepy, no idea what's going on."
As she spoke, she casually petted Stryker a couple more times.
"That is strange." Orin Vale nodded, his fingers also stroking down Stryker's back.
Stryker, being handled by three people in turn, frowned deeply but kept its eyes shut, not daring to make a sound.
"Some say Batman has disappeared too, I don't know if it's related..."
"Batman disappeared?" Orin Vale was surprised.
"I don't know, it's just a rumor. But it seems no one has seen a shadow of him for a whole week." Kara tilted her head. "It's really weird. He used to be out every night, no weekends or holidays. Now, a whole week and no one's seen him."
"Some say he's dead. Maybe the Joker killed him, got bored, and left Gotham."
"That does sound a bit eerie."
At this moment, the Old Wizard seemed to have tired of holding the cat. Muttering about going to study the culinary arts, he put Stryker down and went to the kitchen. Stryker felt a great sense of liberation, as if granted amnesty.
But the little monkey, Titano, hanging from the ceiling, had been secretly watching for a long time. Seeing that these three two-legged beasts, regardless of age or gender, all seemed to be addicted to petting the cat, it couldn't help but feel immense curiosity. It wondered if there was some profound mystery to it. Did it really feel that good to the touch?
Seeing that it finally had a chance, it scampered over eagerly and reached out its small hand, trying to stroke Stryker's back.
And what do you know, the texture was actually pretty good.
But Stryker immediately jumped as if electrocuted, letting out a loud "MEOW," its tail springing up as if it had been zapped with electricity. The orange cat slapped Titano away with one paw, its eyes flashing with a red glow as it glared furiously.
*The other three are either people I can't afford to offend or have a dirty sandwich deal with me, so I'll let them pet me. But who the hell are you to pet me too?*
Mao Mao was furious.
Titano shrank back, wronged, pouting as it hugged its teddy bear and retreated to a corner.
*If you don't want to be petted, just say so. Why be so fierce...*
As Orin Vale was catching up on recent events, a customer suddenly entered the store.
Kara, leaning over the counter, said out of habit, "Welcome~"
Orin Vale turned his head to look and couldn't help but freeze.
It was a group of three.
One was large with red hair, one was respectful and timid, and the last was burly and looked brainless.
It was Maxima and her two companions.
Maxima used super speed to flash right in front of Orin Vale, her emotions running high.
"I've finally found you, Your Majesty!"
Orin Vale: "..."
(end of chapter)
The newly captured prisoners of war were all provisionally thrown into the super battleship Orin Vale had previously confiscated from Brainiac. For a collector of civilizations, Old Bu's warship was quite impressive in scale and capacity, making it a perfect place to temporarily store junk.
With this, however, the capacity of Orin Vale's warship collection expanded once again, now including an Almerac warship. Although it wasn't intentional, Orin Vale inexplicably found that he seemed to have a constitution similar to a figure maniac; somehow, collectibles just kept finding their way to him one after another.
He couldn't get any more information from these people. Orin Vale figured they were probably just some minions carrying out a mission, and they didn't know anything more. Of course, the possibility that they were just very good actors and hiding something couldn't be ruled out, but it wasn't a big problem. He could always bring the Old Wizard over to cast a spell later, or borrow a certain rope from Wonder Woman, then ask them again.
Following that, it might be best to go to Almerac and see for himself.
With his current strength, as long as he didn't run into a few overpowered individuals, he could basically do whatever he wanted in the universe. Ordinary supervillain interstellar fleets and the like were no match for him at all. He could afford to be a bit bolder.
But he certainly hadn't forgotten that there was an Almeracian right here on Earth, and a high-ranking one at that. He had always found her annoying for sticking around, but now he could ask Maxima what was going on.
However, the matter of interstellar travel would have to be pushed back on his schedule. Although the Manhunters were unsettling, as villains, they were only so-so. And he now knew that Parallax could appear at any moment. The boom tube signal, which seemed to be connected to a super boss from Apokolips, was also a cause for concern. In comparison, the problems here had a higher priority.
Flying back to Gotham, Orin Vale landed as an orb of light, canceling his transformation to revert to his human form, and swept into the store like a gust of wind while still in superspeed mode.
The moment he entered, he saw the Old Wizard petting Stryker.
The Old Wizard was so happy his eyes narrowed into slits, his hand rubbing back and forth on the Kryptonian orange cat's forehead. He stroked from the cat's fluffy little head, down its neck, and then its back. The soft, delicate fur was like a warm blanket, and its little belly was like a soft bed.
The Old Wizard was happy, but Stryker wore a look of reluctance, its brows tightly furrowed as it let out a muffled "meow."
It probably had the look of someone selling their body because life was hard.
"Starting again?" Orin Vale leaned in.
"Yeah, the old man has to get his fix every day recently, he's getting a bit addicted," Kara answered casually, then suddenly realized something was off. She turned her head and her face lit up with surprise. "Ah, you're back!"
"Yep. Miss me?"
"Not at all."
Kara grinned, and with a swift whoosh of super speed, she expertly brewed a cup of coffee and handed it over.
"Here, a new item from the store!"
"Oh, something new."
Orin Vale was surprised. New products were being released even when he, the store manager, wasn't around. He took a sip, and the taste was surprisingly good. It was a mixture of roasted bread and buttery aromas, with a smooth, full-bodied texture. Bitterness and sweetness bloomed on the tip of his tongue, and a rich, mellow fragrance lingered in his mouth.
"Right? I developed it."
Kara puffed out her chest proudly, an expression on her face that screamed, "Praise me now."
It was unclear if it was due to getting enough sun or simply puberty, but after just a month, her figure seemed even more magnificent.
"Not bad, not bad, worthy of praise."
Orin Vale smiled. As he walked into the room, he also nonchalantly ruffled the head of the orange cat in the Old Wizard's arms, rubbing until Mao Mao's ears were misshapen.
Stryker's ears perked up. It suddenly opened its eyes, as if to see which blind fool dared to pet it.
But it took a closer look and saw it was Orin Vale.
So it pulled its head back, its cat ears drooped again, and it closed its eyes, letting him do as he pleased.
*Oh, it's my invincible, handsome, and sunny male owner who's back. In that case, never mind. Do as you please.*
"Have you been keeping up with your studies?" Orin Vale chatted while petting the cat.
"Of course, I've been working hard." Kara also reached out and casually pawed at Mao Mao a couple of times. "Oh, right, remember that Joker we talked about?"
"I remember. Did you catch him?"
"No, but he disappeared last week," Kara said. "Nobody knows why, but rumor is he left Gotham. He had someone cut his face off and left it at the Gotham City Police Department. A bloody, pale face. It's creepy, no idea what's going on."
As she spoke, she casually petted Stryker a couple more times.
"That is strange." Orin Vale nodded, his fingers also stroking down Stryker's back.
Stryker, being handled by three people in turn, frowned deeply but kept its eyes shut, not daring to make a sound.
"Some say Batman has disappeared too, I don't know if it's related..."
"Batman disappeared?" Orin Vale was surprised.
"I don't know, it's just a rumor. But it seems no one has seen a shadow of him for a whole week." Kara tilted her head. "It's really weird. He used to be out every night, no weekends or holidays. Now, a whole week and no one's seen him."
"Some say he's dead. Maybe the Joker killed him, got bored, and left Gotham."
"That does sound a bit eerie."
At this moment, the Old Wizard seemed to have tired of holding the cat. Muttering about going to study the culinary arts, he put Stryker down and went to the kitchen. Stryker felt a great sense of liberation, as if granted amnesty.
But the little monkey, Titano, hanging from the ceiling, had been secretly watching for a long time. Seeing that these three two-legged beasts, regardless of age or gender, all seemed to be addicted to petting the cat, it couldn't help but feel immense curiosity. It wondered if there was some profound mystery to it. Did it really feel that good to the touch?
Seeing that it finally had a chance, it scampered over eagerly and reached out its small hand, trying to stroke Stryker's back.
And what do you know, the texture was actually pretty good.
But Stryker immediately jumped as if electrocuted, letting out a loud "MEOW," its tail springing up as if it had been zapped with electricity. The orange cat slapped Titano away with one paw, its eyes flashing with a red glow as it glared furiously.
*The other three are either people I can't afford to offend or have a dirty sandwich deal with me, so I'll let them pet me. But who the hell are you to pet me too?*
Mao Mao was furious.
Titano shrank back, wronged, pouting as it hugged its teddy bear and retreated to a corner.
*If you don't want to be petted, just say so. Why be so fierce...*
As Orin Vale was catching up on recent events, a customer suddenly entered the store.
Kara, leaning over the counter, said out of habit, "Welcome~"
Orin Vale turned his head to look and couldn't help but freeze.
It was a group of three.
One was large with red hair, one was respectful and timid, and the last was burly and looked brainless.
It was Maxima and her two companions.
Maxima used super speed to flash right in front of Orin Vale, her emotions running high.
"I've finally found you, Your Majesty!"
Orin Vale: "..."
(end of chapter)
