American comics: Praising the sun, starting from Gotham!

When Strange saw the person in charge arrive, he thought his days of suffering were finally over. Perhaps he could get a spell to break the curse? Or at least a comforting "Oh, what an unfortunate accident. Let me help you remove it."

But he was facing Xiu En and Ivy.

"Don't look at me like that, Stephen, you're looking at someone responsible for a medical malpractice case."

Xiu En leisurely sipped the invigorating tea.

The golden finger tapped in the air, and the somewhat listless Peashooter perked up as if it had been injected with chicken blood, swaying and making a heart-shaped leaf gesture towards Xiu En.

"You should know that this mutated pea, a collaboration between Shaohao's Golden Qi and the Green of All Things, is extremely rare even in the world of plant collecting across the multiverse. The fact that it chose you means that your spiritual perception and magical power are top-notch."

Shuen even proudly pointed to Strange's increasingly dark face: "And this is a completely natural magic defense tower, no charging required! No maintenance needed! Except for being a little noisy occasionally, it's all advantages."

Seemingly to confirm Xiu En's words, or simply because her professional field was mentioned, Ivy's clone lifted her flower plate.

"Tsk, what a boorish person who doesn't know how to appreciate things."

Ivy mistook this magic apprentice for some kind of intern florist who hadn't yet figured it out.

"Listen carefully, apprentice. First of all, this pea plant is in its nascent stage, and it needs high-quality light and magical caresses."

"Your brainwaves are too anxious right now, which is hindering chlorophyll synthesis. I suggest humming Bach's fugue in C major for ten minutes every day; this will greatly help the roots' grip on the ground."

Strange stared dumbfounded at the sunflower gesturing at him, then glanced at the Ancient One across from him who was grinning like an spectator, and finally looked pleadingly at the only relatively normal Batman.

It turned out that the dark, ghostly entity was earnestly taking notes...

"Not only that!"

Ivy continued her grueling teaching methods.

"Never use biochemical shampoo, it will poison it. You need to water it with a mixture of Himalayan morning dew, two qian of angelica root, and some magic. Remember, not wash its hair, but water it."

"Also, it's still a child. If you even dare to have the slightest thought of cutting it off!"

Sunflower suddenly changed its tone, and several invisible vine shadows appeared behind Xiu En, baring their fangs and claws to frighten him.

"Its roots can connect directly to your brainstem! I can't guarantee what it will turn into; maybe it'll become a walking pea shooter?"

Before Strange could even faint from the thought of being connected directly to the brainstem, the Peashooter on his head, which had been soothed by Ivy, suddenly sensed something.

"Pop—!"

Another golden pea shot out, but this time it flew directly into a shadowy corner of the tea room.

A dimensional worm that feeds on magical remnants had somehow crawled in there.

With a cracking sound, the worm was purified into a wisp of green smoke.

"See that?"

Xiu En pointed with satisfaction at the wisp of smoke, and then at the pea, which was holding its head high as if seeking praise.

"A perfect close-in weapon system. You can sleep soundly next time; this little guy has built-in friend-or-foe identification."

Gu Yi put down her teacup, her smile deepening.

"Is this a specialty of Lord Shuen's world?"

The Sorcerer Supreme even tapped the pea leaves with the handle of his fan with great interest, and the little creature immediately rubbed against them obsequiously.

"Full of life, though a bit noisy."

Strange covered his face, but he didn't dare touch the big dad on his head again.

Because he discovered that, according to the sunflower, he was no longer even a simple mage apprentice.

He's a walking flowerpot, and the kind that's passively equipped with a defense system.

"Well then, thank you for your hospitality. Although the tea was a bit weak, I'll accept the new ring without hesitation."

Without any hesitation, Xiu En stuffed the new brass ring that the Ancient One had pushed towards him into his pocket.

Gu Yi maintained that warm and welcoming smile, and even kindly offered a reminder:

"If you accidentally open the wrong door and fall into the Dark Dimension, remember to mention my name, although Dormammu might want to kill you more."

Strange, who was completely speechless and trying to block the Peashooter's view with his hand, gave the two non-humans a big eye roll.

Xiu En hadn't forgotten to rub salt into his wounds.

"Keep it up, I believe in you. When you can make those peas only eat magic and not all of them, you'll be considered a master."

A few minutes later, Shum led Bruce to the balcony of the Sanctuary.

The sun is currently shining brightly among the skyscrapers of Manhattan, casting golden rays upon them.

In this city full of superheroes, the golden light emanating from Shu En makes him seem like a high-powered human signal tower.

He turned his head and looked at Bruce's spirit, who was still in data observation mode. A rare hint of feigned seriousness appeared on his usually smirking face.

"I'm serious, big bat."

Shuen pointed to the bustling streets of New York below, then to the howling wind high above.

"The physical laws of this world are similar to those of my hometown, but they're not friendly to stowaways like you. If we don't coat you with a divine layer, a slightly stronger gust of wind will blow you apart in no time."

Seemingly afraid that Bruce wouldn't believe him, Shum began to tell the story vividly:

"I'm not kidding. Last time... well, a friend of mine came here on vacation, and some guy who was on fire sneezed!"

Shum made an explosion gesture to scare Bruce.

"Whoosh, that guy's gone. He won't die, but you wouldn't want to die from a sneeze, would you?"

Bruce looked at him, his eyes narrowing slightly, as if assessing the credibility of the story. He then guessed that after leaving through Zatana's portal last time, Shuen probably left behind a clone that was wiped out by a sneeze.

But he didn't expose Xiu En, and finally nodded, indicating that Xiu En should operate the system while he recorded the data.

Xiu En shrugged and said no more.

He suddenly spread his arms wide, and the Great Sun Projection Technique instantly went into full power.

This time, he also drew over a portion of Shao Hao's original aura and forcibly created a miniature White Emperor Palace under the sky of this other world.

As if summoned, the golden sunlight, carrying a weighty feeling similar to the warm winter sun, wrapped around Bruce and Shuen's projections layer by layer.

"Bear with it, it might feel a bit like being poured with cement, but it's definitely sturdy."

As the golden light hardened, Batman, who was originally somewhat illusory and had a translucent, ethereal blue appearance, underwent a magnificent transformation in just a few seconds.

Bruce's armor still retained its black base color, but all the edges, seams, the cloak's frame, and even the bat emblem on his chest were coated with a layer of flowing dark gold divine patterns.

When the last ray of light faded, the figure standing there was no longer a spirit, but rather resembled a Gold Saint version of Batman who had just stepped out of the realm of gods.

Shum circled Bruce twice; he was still very satisfied with the work.

"That's it. Even if Hulk sneezes, or even hits you like a baseball, he'll only send you flying, not shatter you. This is a windproof coating I specially applied, with a lifetime warranty. Come on, I'll take you to meet a nice person."

The distance from the Sanctuary to Queens was just a few deep breaths for the two projections.

The school bell has just rung in Queens, New York.

"Look, over there is that kid with the yellow backpack who walks like he's tap dancing."

Shum put his arm around Bruce's shoulder and pointed to the curly-haired boy below who was playing around with his friends while wearing a backpack.

Although the two are currently in a state of superimposed spiritual projection, and are deliberately concealed, it is difficult for ordinary people to directly perceive their figures with the naked eye. However, the golden light that is still dazzling even when deliberately concealed still resembles a malfunctioning street lamp under the shade of the trees at Zhongcheng High School.

Bruce did not let his guard down just because the other party was just an ordinary-looking high school student.

"His muscle density is fifteen times that of an average person, and his nerve reaction speed? He only took 0.02 seconds to dodge that crumpled piece of paper."

The golden bat gave a professional assessment, his tone revealing surprise that it was actually a child.

"This is the promising talent you were talking about? He looks like he's still breastfeeding."

Peter Parker, who was about to discuss with his best friend Ned whether to go build the Lego set that cost them three months' allowance or go eat at the newly opened Thai restaurant, suddenly froze.

The spider-sense, sending chills down my spine, is screaming right now.

It was as if an extremely bright, even somewhat mocking presence had locked onto it.

He glanced in that direction almost instinctively.

Then he saw two humanoid silhouettes that were still dazzlingly bright even in broad daylight.

Good heavens, why didn't he notice just now?

A familiar-looking luminous figure was baring its teeth at him, while another creature in black and gold armor with pointed ears was scanning him with the look one would give a lab rat.

"Oh My God!"

Peter let out a silent groan, quickly averting his gaze and pretending that he was just having an itchy neck.

"Hey Peter? What are you looking at?"

Holding the Lego box, Ned looked in the direction Peter had been looking, but saw nothing but dappled shadows of trees.

"No! Nothing! I mean, I think that tree looks like something weird? No, I mean, I want to eat Thai food! Now! Right now! Immediately!"

Peter interrupted his best friend's curiosity with his rapid-fire speech, even pushing Ned's shoulder, trying to get his friend, who was twice his size, to move quickly.

"Let's take the back door, it's closer."

"But the alley behind the gate smells terrible, and we have to take a long detour."

"For Thai food! Ned! For Thai food!"

Peter practically shoved and shoved the bewildered Ned into the dark alley behind the school, an alley that was usually deserted.

Just when he thought he could get rid of the two glowing monsters as long as he passed through here, a golden light curtain suddenly lit up at the entrance of the alley.

Xiu En stood there as if he had always been there, leaning against the graffiti-covered brick wall, making a gesture of invitation with his hand.

The man in golden armor floated in mid-air with his arms crossed, his cloak moving without wind.

"For Thai food? Not a bad reason, little spider."

Xiu En's voice rang out, carrying a smile that made one's teeth itch.

"But I think you might need to explain to us two tourists why this New York sheriff is a high school student still doing algebra homework?"

Peter immediately raised his hands: "I don't know you! I'm just Peter Parker! An ordinary high school student who likes Lego and occasionally helps old ladies cross the street!"

Shuen leaned down slightly, bringing his face close to Peter's, his golden pupils reflecting the boy's panicked eyes.

"Come on, kid. The red bodysuit under your backpack and that chemical cobweb solvent smell that you can't wash off are very noticeable in the sun."

He extended a finger and gently tapped Peter's backpack. A ray of golden light emanated from his fingertip and pierced through the fabric, outlining the silhouette of the red and blue battle suit in the air.

"You can fool your teacher, you can fool your fat friend, you can even fool yourself. But in the eyes of the sun, shadows have nowhere to hide."

Peter Parker, who had been chattering away, immediately shut up.

He instinctively took a step back, his back pressed firmly against the wall, the feeling of being seen through leaving him somewhat at a loss.

Ned, standing to the side, gaped, his hands almost bursting with the weight of the Lego set he was holding.

"Hey! That's awesome! Is this some new holographic projection technology? Or magic? Peter, do you know these two people?"

Xiu En didn't turn around; he simply snapped his fingers.

A gentle golden light slid down Ned's back, accompanied by a hypnotic whisper.

"The Thai restaurant is having a sale right now. If you go too late, they'll miss out on the buy-one-get-one-free Tom Yum soup. Hurry up, don't let your friend go hungry."

Ned's eyes glazed over for a moment, then he snapped back to reality, as if he had suddenly remembered something important in his life.

"Yes! Thai food! On sale! Peter, you go first, I'm off!"

Peter Parker finally breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the chubby figure disappear into the alleyway with an agility that belied its size.

With no outsiders around, Xiu En's playful expression softened somewhat.

He wrinkled his nose.

"Besides the chemical smell, why do you smell so sour?"

At this moment, the Golden Batman spoke up.

"The sole of his left shoe is severely worn, clearly indicating that he has been walking instead of using transportation for a long time. There are signs of repeated repairs on the strap of his backpack. He has dark circles under his eyes and excessively high cortisol levels, which are signs of long-term sleep deprivation and malnutrition."

Bruce brushed Peter's fingers across his face.

"As a superhuman, you're severely under-consuming calories. You're anxious, boy. Not because of your identity being exposed, but because of money?"

This neighborhood hero, who used to swing between New York skyscrapers, now bowed his head in shame because of this most mundane trouble.

"Yes, Aunt Mei hasn't been feeling well lately, and her medication costs have gone up. Also, the landlady said that if we don't pay the rent next week, she'll throw our things out."

Peter's voice was soft and tinged with helplessness.

"I used all the money I earned from my part-time job to buy materials for cobweb cleaning solution; those chemicals are really expensive. I was thinking of selling this Lego set, but Ned..."

He didn't say anything more, but just gripped the backpack strap tightly.

Shum and Bruce exchanged a glance.

Xiu En loves children, and he is even more patient with little devils who are struggling because of their families.

"Tsk, what a cliché plot."

Shuen muttered something. Although he didn't have physical currency in this world, Bruce wasn't going to think about it either.

He looked at Bruce, and his expression was quite clear.

You're rich, you figure it out. Or should I just make him a gold ball?

Bruce shook his head slightly, stopping Shuen.