บท 930: Chapter 632: Shiller's Leisurely Vacation (End)_1
"Professor Rodriguez, what brings you here?" Arthur turned to look at Shiller, asking with some surprise.
"I came out for a walk after dinner and heard you mention you're out to save someone. Who are you saving? And why not call the police?" Shiller asked.
But Arthur suddenly showed an awkward expression, he said, "I'm afraid calling the police might be useless because the person I need to save is quite far away..."
"How far?"
"Over 4500 kilometers away."
Shiller looked at Arthur in surprise, he asked, "Is the person you're trying to save on the West Coast??"
That's correct, the width between the east and west of America is about 4500 kilometers. If calculated in another direction, the data should not exactly be the width of the country.
"He's trapped on an island near California, and it seems he's been injured recently. I need to figure out how to help him."
"But how did you find out? Did he call you? If he did, why didn't he directly call the police?"
Shiller knew that, this must have been information that Arthur had obtained by communicating with the fishes, but he needed Arthur to admit it himself.
"I ..." Arthur seemed a bit unsure how to explain, he turned around and glanced at the group of fish waiting for him, he said, "You may think I'm crazy, but I can hear what fish say. I've had this ability since I was young."
"The schools of fish told me, someone's trapped on a small island near California, they keep bringing me this person's messages, I was preparing to rescue him, but I didn't expect him to get hurt today."
Before Shiller could say anything, Arthur waved his hand and said, "I know, you might want to call the police to arrest me, or send me to a mental hospital, but someone's done that before. The police won't arrest someone who claims they can hear fish talk, unless they've gone mad too."
Shiller shook his head and said, "You don't need to worry. I'm older than you. I've seen a lot of strange things. You're not special. What I'm more curious about is, how do you plan to save him?"
"I plan to take a boat there, actually I'm an excellent swimmer, but I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to..."
"You're not telling me that you plan to go south through the Panama Canal, or north through the Bering Strait, and then make your way to the west coast, are you? Let's not talk about whether you can hold on or not, are you sure that your boat can make it?" Shiller asked, looking at Arthur.
"But I've only ever dealt with the Ocean, I've never even taken a train before, so I don't know how to get to California State." Arthur appeared a bit lost, such a long journey, he's only seen in movies, and that too especially ones about road trips.
The protagonist in these kind of movies usually hitch a ride, but Arthur doesn't think he has such good persuasive skills, and looking the way he does, if he tried to hitch a ride, people might mistake him for a highway robber.
Shiller sighed, "If, as you said, the person you want to save is injured and might not hold on for much longer, this is a matter of life and death, I might be able to help."
Arthur looked at Shiller, his eyes full of hope, Shiller shook his head and said, "The fastest way to get to California State is by plane, but obviously, there's no airport in Brude Haven, and the nearest airport to us is Gotham Airport."
"If we leave now to drive to Gotham, by the time we arrive it would already be night time. You must have heard many legends about Gotham at night, are you sure you dare to go?"
Shiller actually guessed that the poor soul that Arthur was talking about, who was stranded on a small island near California, was most likely the Green Arrow. Among all of DC, only Oliver Queen has had the plot of being stranded on a deserted island and becoming Robinson.
"No, I must go, actually… actually a few weeks ago, I had already heard this news but, I thought he could…" Arthur sighed, "If only I knew, I should have tried to go earlier, I can't just stand by and watch him die, can I?"
"Every night, the schools of fish would bring me his latest news. He is a very strong and courageous man, he never gives up in the face of difficulties. After hearing his story of surviving harsh conditions on a deserted island, I can't just stand by and watch him die..."
Shiller turned around and walked towards Arthur's house, Arthur followed him.
When they got back to the house, before the anxious-looking Arthur could speak, Shiller said, "Mr. Curie, we're back."
Old Curie, who was adding wood to the fireplace, glanced at them and said, "Oh, it's getting late now. Professor, your guest room is upstairs, feel free to rest at any time."
"Perhaps, I haven't told you what subject I teach. I'm a psychology professor at Gotham University and also a psychologist."
"I saw Arthur standing outside looking at the sea, so I had a chat with him. I found that, he seems to long for the outside world."
Old Curie was stunned for a moment, before seeming to understand what Shiller meant. He got up, turned to Arthur whose face was no longer blank but appeared somewhat moved instead. Old Curie sighed, "I've been telling you to go out and explore, but you always say you love the sea and don't want to leave. You've got to broaden your horizons."
Old Curie sighed again before sitting down on the sofa. "Your mother perished at sea. I was too occupied with my duty as a Lighthouse Keeper to instruct you properly. You don't want to travel or study, you just want to stay here. Arthur, this is not a good way to live..."
Arthur's lips moved, "I don't know why, but I just have a deep fondness for the ocean. The thought of going to a place without the sea frightens me."
"That might be just because you're unfamiliar with those places. Maybe if you visit, you might feel differently?" Shiller looked at Arthur and said. He paused before continuing, "As it happens, I have an academic conference in California. As a thank you for the fish soup you made me, I can take you with me."
The mention of an academic conference made Old Curie's eyes sparkle. Having lived in this city his entire life, academia remained unexplored territory.
Or rather, it was a distant entity for everyone in this city - just a humble East Coast town where most people just took over the family business. Few even attended prestigious schools, let alone ventured into academia.
"You could consider what you like, and if you indeed have talent in that area, I could have a recommendation letter written for you. You might even have the chance to study at Metropolitan University or other East Coast universities." Once Shiller finished, Old Curie's eyes were practically glowing.
This simple and tender-hearted lighthouse keeper, full of innocuous thoughts, hoped that his child could study at a good school, get a good job, and lead a happy and contented life. Not spend his life trapped in this city to become a fisherman - a tough and dangerous occupation.
Shiller wasn't showing extraordinary favor to Arthur but was considering his future identity. In the future, Arthur would be the Lord of the Seven Seas, the master of Atlantis, leading all the marine life.
If he could live a life in the human world more akin to that of a normal person, he would become like Clark - extremely close to humans. This would be beneficial for both sides.
And attending college with the human-loving Clark wouldn't be a bad idea. At least they could hit it off better than Clark and Bruce, who wound up quarrelling most of the time when together.
Arthur seemed somewhat overwhelmed, and never thought he would be praised by a university professor. If he could receive a recommendation letter from a renowned university professor in high school, all his teachers would have deemed him as a prodigy.
"Of course, you can do that. Arthur, quickly... thank the professor!"
Before Arthur could respond, Shiller glanced at his watch and said, "We need to set off now, the conference is a last-minute arrangement to discuss a newly discovered research breakthrough. I have to drive to Gotham Airport to catch a flight. If you're coming, start packing."
Before Arthur had time to answer, Old Curie hurried him up the stairs, saying, "You must go! I wonder what the weather's like in California. Will it be hotter than here? Those t-shirts I got you will come in handy. Don't forget to bring your antiperspirant too..."
Soon, Arthur's luggage was packed. He didn't bring many items, just some clothes for changing and some daily necessities. Shiller then walked with him to where his car was parked, and after they got in, Arthur asked, "Can we still buy plane tickets at this time?"
Shiller checked his watch. It was past 9 o'clock. In the 21st century, booking a ticket late at night wouldn't be an issue, but the current year was 1989. Airlines still operated through on-the-spot or telephonic booking.
That meant that in order to book the closest flight, one would either have to go up to the counter or make a phone call. However, after 9:00 PM the counter services and phone services would be closed for the day. So it would be difficult to afford a ticket without resorting to certain privileges that the rich possessed.
"No problem," Shiller replied, "I happen to know a pilot who's on standby round the clock."
"A pilot? But where will we find a plane?" Arthur asked.
Half an hour later, standing at the square in Wayne Manor, Arthur gaped in shock at the Batplane in front of him, a vehicle that could barely be called a plane anymore.
"This is an old model I don't use anymore, or else I wouldn't lend it to you." Already dressed and prepared to step out in pursuit of justice, Batman turned to Shiller and said, "Especially since you found an unreliable pilot."
Having said that, he then turned to Hal standing beside Shiller, who was still groggy. Hal had literally been dragged out of bed by Shiller and was on the verge of falling back asleep.
Shiller gave Hal a hearty poke with his umbrella, "Stay sharp. You're the pilot after all."
Jolted awake by the poke, Hal sighed, "What were you thinking? Jetting across the country to California in the middle of the night?"
"Because I still have a lengthy vacation left, I figured I'd go somewhere new to enjoy the view."
Shiller was telling the truth. Initially, his vacation only had 18 days, more than half of which had already been used up limiting his trips to nearby cities. But now, with almost a whole month of vacation, he thought why not go further afield? He hasn't traveled around America yet.
At last, the black Batplane slowly lifted into the air before disappearing into the dark night sky like a shooting star.
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