In the Justice League's current circle, once the Flash quieted down, things truly settled into normal.
Everyone chatted with open delight, and the shy young man—Barry—merely responded to the group's conversation with the same introversion any ordinary young person might have.
They talked all the way past eight o'clock. Having drained over thirty bottles of Keshengdao, breakfast showed no sign of stopping.
Heisenberg had fully satisfied the little reporter Lois's curiosity, and her questions hadn't worn him out in the slightest.
As someone who'd won a Pulitzer Prize—the Nobel Prize of journalism—Lois was persistent, but she was no slouch when it came to connecting with people.
Under the girl's progressively layered inquiries, Heisenberg had practically laid out the entire Kryptonian system, his own past, and Kryptonian customs.
Much of what Heisenberg remembered, even Clark had never heard before, and it thoroughly satisfied everyone's curiosity.
If not for a sudden incident, this pleasant breakfast gathering might have lasted all the way until noon!
Around 8:30, just as Heisenberg was using force fields to manipulate light energy, showing everyone the form of Mjolnir and the handprint he'd left squeezed into the hammer's surface—
The ship's dome opened.
Since it was the hangar-side dome that opened, Heisenberg's group couldn't see that area from their quarters.
Heisenberg and Clark, though they could see it, didn't pay any mind. This place had been buzzing with comings and goings lately, right?
As for Victor, the other person who saw everything...
As the newcomer, he preferred to listen more and talk less.
On the hangar side, Bruce walked off the plane with a grim face, then, guided by the little robots, made his way toward where everyone was having breakfast, Arthur in tow.
As they walked, he introduced things to Arthur.
"This is our base—the original Kryptonian ship. It's still a bit barren right now, but we're renovating it.
You can take part, too. Building this place with our own hands will give us a stronger sense of belonging.
Now I'll take you to meet everyone. They're all serious people. Judging by the direction the robot is leading us, they should be working on the ship's Kryptonian planning area.
When you meet Heisenberg in a moment, keep that temper of yours in check.
In a straight-up brawl, I might not be your match, but my friends—whether it's Clark or Heisenberg—you can't beat either of them!"
At that, Bruce sighed and added,
"Still, I didn't expect them to be working so early today. I'm afraid Heisenberg's been so busy with work that he didn't have time to use the Bifröst to pick us up."
His words trailed off. Bruce and Arthur walked a little longer. When the last door before them slid open automatically, they saw the scene inside.
Staring at Heisenberg, who was clutching a beer bottle mid-chat, then at the members surrounding him, listening so intently...
Beneath his bushy beard, Arthur's lips twitched a couple of times.
He turned his head and asked Bruce softly,
"Is this your work, too?"
Bruce didn't answer him at all. He silently picked up his pace, making his way directly behind Heisenberg.
"We're back!"
"Good. Honestly, I was just wondering when you guys would get back!"
Heisenberg joked, then waved a hand and controlled particles to assemble a chair for Bruce.
As Bruce sat, Heisenberg gave a casual wave to Arthur in the distance.
"Arthur Curry?
If I remember correctly, isn't that your name?"
"Obviously!"
Arthur replied with a frown as he moved closer, tossing a question back at Heisenberg.
"And you—are you the so-called Sun God?"
"Who else? Did you think I'd be the Moon God?"
As Heisenberg spoke, he casually tossed a bottle of beer. The bottle drifted through the air toward Arthur, arriving in his hand in the blink of an eye.
Arthur wasn't shy. The moment he took the beer, his right hand gave a tiny twitch.
The liquid inside surged on its own, pushing the cap right off.
Then he settled onto the chair prepared for him, sat down securely next to Bruce, and raised his bottle to the group.
"If that bat had told me earlier this is how we work, I could've gotten here hours earlier!"
With that, he drained the bottle in one go and let out a satisfied burp.
He set the bottle down, grabbed a fresh one, and flashed a grin at Heisenberg.
"You're the boss here, right? So tell me—who do you want me, a guy like me you hired for three million, to fight?"
"Three million?!!!!"
The Flash cried out in shock. That number made him feel a bit inferior. After all, the price Heisenberg had recruited him for was just burgers and pizza that Eva had bought...
As for Victor—
He let out a disdainful chuckle.
As Cyborg, covered from head to toe in mysterious metals, a single one of his components cost more than three million. Heh...
Beside them, a grin of amusement crossed Heisenberg's face at Arthur's words.
He lifted his bottle, clinked it against Arthur's, and said lightly,
"With you added to the roster, from our projected first batch of members, only Mera and Diana are still missing!
Let's tidy up a bit first, then I'll summon the two of them over."
"So, are we convening our first meeting?"
Bruce asked quietly, then turned a serious look on Heisenberg.
"If so, I think we should first clear the food and drinks off the table."
"Exactly—time to clean up our breakfast!" Heisenberg affirmed.
...
A short while later, Heisenberg had cleaned up the room.
Once everyone had seated themselves again...
Bruce stared blankly at Heisenberg, his face a complete puzzle as he asked,
"Hold on—is this...?"
"It's a new dining table. We can't exactly have them eat our leftovers, right?"
As he spoke, Heisenberg patted the Flash on the shoulder.
"Barry, looks like we'll be depending on you for the drinks and dishes again. Pull together a full spread in one minute—any problem?"
"None at all!"
Barry chuckled happily. He cheerfully took the money Clark handed him and vanished in a flash.
For him, as long as he had something to do, he didn't have to keep standing around awkwardly in the middle of a group.
In the next instant, a full four crates of beer appeared beside Heisenberg.
As the Flash vanished again, Heisenberg and Arthur shared a high-five; the two boozehounds immediately began lining the table with bottles.
Clark, meanwhile, kept receiving the various foods the Flash brought back, sorting them onto the table by category.
Victor off to the side was recording the dishes. He wanted to figure out the flavor preferences of his three temporary roommates.
Currying favor was a skill even robots needed to master.
And Lois deftly grabbed a camera, preparing to do a simple recording for everyone...
Of course, her husband put a stop to that plan.
Clark finished arranging the dishes, found a moment to switch off the camera, and stuffed the thing back into Lois's bag, not forgetting to shake his head at his wife.
By the time the dazed Batman snapped out of it, the lavish party was once again fully prepared. Looking at the bustling scene before him, Bruce shook his head with extreme unease.
"You're sure this is a meeting?"
"Obviously. Discussing serious business anywhere but at the drinking table—isn't that just acting like a hooligan?"
Heisenberg joked, then closed his eyes. His consciousness spread outward along with his bio-field.
The field, which enveloped nearly the entire Earth, instantly located Mera and Diana.
On Themyscira, Diana was in the middle of bathing when Heisenberg's voice suddenly rang in her ears.
"Diana, the Justice League has gained quite a few new members. Why not come back and take a look?"
"Mhm, so you can find me and talk to me from this far away?"
Diana asked with a frown, gently turning over in the pool from lying on her back to lying on her stomach.
Hearing Diana's question, Heisenberg chuckled.
"Even farther than this. So if you ever run into trouble in the future, don't hesitate to call my name!"
After Heisenberg finished, Diana nodded and asked softly,
"Give me a moment. I'll get ready and then head over. Will you wait for me?"
"When you're ready, just call for me. I'll bring you here with the Bifröst!"
"Ooh, the Bifröst!"
Diana blinked curiously.
"I've never seen that kind of power. Is it a divine ability unique to you?"
"You can learn it, too. I'll teach you when I have time!"
"Wonderful, thank you!"
At that, Diana perked up, climbed to her feet, draped a silk scarf over herself from nearby, then went off to change into her battle armor.
...
Elsewhere, Mera was confined to her room by her own father.
After the light of the Bifröst had sent her back into the ocean, the surging energy signature immediately drew the attention of the Atlanteans.
And King Nereus of Xebel—Mera's father—had promptly placed his daughter, who'd fled to the surface, under house arrest.
Once upon a time, an Atlantean going to the surface wasn't considered some great crime. Who didn't have a past of sneaking away?
But all that changed after the former Princess Atlanna fled, and the various Atlantean kingdoms cracked down hard.
Once upon a time, who in all of Atlantis didn't treat Princess Atlanna's story as a cautionary lesson?
"If you keep running off to the surface, you'll end up just like Princess Atlanna—caught by a surface-dweller and forced to have children!!!"
Even Mera had heard plenty of talk like that when she was little...
So who was Princess Atlanna?
She was Arthur Curry's mother.
Thus, upon learning that her daughter had gone to the surface seeking some god—and had actually found one—
Upon learning that news, Mera was immediately imprisoned...
But she was hardly the type of girl to obediently accept being confined.
After just one night's sleep, Mera had already dreamed up an escape plan and set it into motion the moment she woke.
First, using her tray, she knocked out her handmaiden, then tossed her onto the bed and arranged her in the position she herself slept in.
Looking at the unconscious handmaiden sprawled out in a big starfish pose on the bed, Mera suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
She'd never noticed before that her sleeping posture was so awkward...
Ahem!!!
Mera straightened her expression, put on the handmaiden's clothes, picked up the tray, and planned to slip out of the room by blending in.
But she'd only just reached the guards by the door—right as they were about to expose her—when she froze.
"This is Mera, correct? The Justice League's first batch of members has assembled. If you're able, I'd like to transport you over!"
"Of course! Take me away right now!!!"
Mera was overjoyed. It looked like she didn't need to figure out how to escape after all.
Her words startled the guards at the door.
"Princess, return to your room at once! You are still under house arrest. King Nereus has yet to announce the lifting of your confinement!"
"Who are you talking to? Has someone intruded?"
"Alert, there's an intruder!"
"All units, attention!!!"
A group of guards warily surrounded Mera, though the expressions on their faces were still smiling. Who didn't know that this princess was the pearl of King Nereus's heart?
None of them would truly lay a hand on her.
But in the next instant, a rainbow light descended amidst the guards, and that light directly pulled Mera away, making her vanish.
/-\
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