The gloomy Wayne Manor instantly became brightly lit, all the various holographic projections and eerie sound effects vanished, the wobbling chandelier returned to its original position.
Colt was pushed out from behind the curtain by Timothy, standing in front of Alfred and awkwardly trying to make small talk to buy time for everyone.
.. Alfred, you can prepare a little less food for tonight. The birthday gift Tim prepared for Dick is a Magic Gourmet Pot..
Colt tugged at the hem of his clothes. Before the melee began, he had sensed the situation was wrong and pulled his exposed clothing into the Ghost field; if he exposed his clothes again now, he would still be a clean and decent Ghost.
Alfred stopped in his tracks.
After Colt finished mentioning the Magic Gourmet Pot, he discussed cookie recipes and exchanged healthy recipes with Alfred, eventually reaching the conclusion: no matter how well one is fed, it is not as good as being fed on time.
Behind a curtain, Dick was busy using a duster to sweep the dust off the table, Jason was straightening the overturned sofa, Stephanie was dragging away the rug splattered with artificial blood, Cassandra was carrying the armor back to the hallway entrance, Damian was directing Jonathan to put the fallen vase back on the shelf, even Barbara, who hadn't participated in the melee, was handed two bedsheets to take to the trash bin. Duke had just arrived home and hadn't even stepped out of the car before a heavy rug was shoved into the backseat, followed by a stack of cash tossed into the cabin.
Send it to Red Hood's laundry shop for an express wash. Use the rest to buy burgers; there will be two Speedsters tonight.
..
Only when the commotion outside had died down did Alfred take out his phone and tap a button to open the curtains for the kitchen and dining room.
Dick was holding a large box of decorations to distribute to everyone, looking up with a bright smile to greet them: "Alfred, we want to have an electronic party. The carpet has been moved for now and will be put back once the party is over."
Alfred agreed readily, looking up at the large chandelier that had just been brushed by super speed and was still swaying, smiled. "This light doesn't quite suit an electronic party; let's change it. I remember there's a set of metal string lights in the Armory that are very sturdy. Who will come with me to get them?"
Alfred knew everything at the top of the Wayne hierarchy. But a mature parent understands that raising children is not about training soldiers; one must give children appropriate time and space to run wild.
The chandeliers in the hall had been replaced, the carpets re-laid, with everyone working together, the party decorations were finally completed.
Everyone slumped on the sofas.
Jason kicked Dick: "Dickhead, go get some Coke, I want a hot dog."
"No, today is my birthday, I want special privileges, you go get it." Dick wriggled on the carpet, moving out of Jason's striking range.
Stephanie murmured, "I can smell the scent of Cookies."
Cassandra sniffed: "And cake."
Everyone looked around: Barbara went to the study to talk with Bruce, Damian took Jonathan out to pet cats, walk dogs, let the birds fly, Timothy was huddling with Ghost, whispering.
Talking to clothes is so weird; he looks like a fetishist lunatic.
Taking another look, ugh—Timothy's smile is truly disgusting.
Everyone's eyes darted around.
Ahem," Timothy cleared his throat, "Dick, happy birthday. Colt and I both agree that our gift should be given to you in advance.
Dick sat up and replied listlessly, "I'm really looking forward to it."
Timothy reached out and pointed, a gift box wrapped in colored glass paper and tied with a blue ribbon appeared out of thin air on the carpet in front of the sofa, looking very carefully prepared.
Everyone applauded: "Great! Another one!"
Timothy pulled Colt up and bowed elegantly, "Thank you, thank you. If you would like to see more, please purchase tickets for 'A Walk Through the Night of Magic with Red Robin and Ghost'."
"What kind of shows are in the Night of Magic?" Duke asked, having taken him seriously.
"The performance depends on how much money you have. The basic version includes coins, playing cards, silk handkerchiefs, ropes, escapes, sponge balls—you can pick anything from making things, vanishing, transforming, or teleporting." The magician, Timothy, spoke with great authority.
Jason rolled his eyes. "Ha, once the company goes bankrupt and Young Wayne starts performing street magic, I'll tip him five dollars."
Dick remarked that five dollars was a week's worth of pocket money for the Wayne family, added that Jason was being quite generous. When Jason opened the gift and saw the Magic Gourmet Pot inside, his expression immediately became complicated.
“Tim, if someone tells you that giving US dollars as a gift is thoughtless, they are definitely lying. Cash is great; no one can refuse green bills, I still prefer cash.." Dick paused, "I mean, an electric rice cooker is also quite nice; I could use it to cook a pot of good rice and fill my stomach."
"No, this isn't a rice cooker, this is the Magic Gourmet Pot," Timothy answered seriously.
Everyone crowded around the Magic Gourmet Pot, each of them turning into a detective.
The outer shell is made of stainless steel.
The panel is tempered glass.
The switch should be this knob.
There are two layers to the lid, this part looks like a coin slot for a game machine.
Step aside, I'll do a demonstration." Timothy sat cross-legged in front of the Magic Gourmet Pot, pulled five dollars from his wallet, inserted them into the first layer of the lid where the Quantum Teleportation Device was hidden. Then, he twisted the switch and made a devout wish toward the illuminated panel: "Great God of Gourmet, please grant me a white chocolate cranberry muffin; thank you for your generosity.
Three seconds later, with a ding, the red light on the panel turned green.
Timothy opened the Magic Gourmet Pot, revealing a pot full of steaming hot Cookies, enthusiastically invited everyone to have a taste.
Just like the ones Alfred makes!
Dick no longer said he liked money, instead ordered Jason, who had kitchen access: "Go check the kitchen."
I guess this is just a little capitalist's way of scamming us for money." Jason said, biting into a cookie as he walked toward the kitchen, only to dash back a moment later with a look of surprise. "It's not a switcheroo! The cookies Alfred made are still here! Not a single one is missing!
Timothy poured the Cookies into a large plate, put the inner liner back into the Magic Gourmet Pot, closed the lid, letting the Magic Gourmet Pot clean and refresh itself.
Dick, you go first.
Does it have to be five dollars?" Dick opened his wallet and poured out a pile of coins, picking out the largest denomination, a quarter. "Can it be a little less?
Even though he was the only one in the family who had already graduated and started working, Dick was so poor that even Duke wanted to donate money to him.
Colt looked at Timothy with a reproachful gaze: Even Dick is that poor, you still have the nerve to scam him for money?
Timothy said shamelessly, "No limit, coins are fine too. The smallest denomination in my wallet is five dollars, so that's why I used it as a demonstration."
Everyone cast fierce looks, as if they wanted to rob a wealthy person.
Dick reverently dropped a coin, "Great God of Gourmet, please grant me the most delicious cereal in the world. Thank you for your generosity."
A pot of cereal emerged from the Magic Gourmet Pot.
“Delicious! This is my favorite flavor. A pot of this much would cost at least five dollars at the supermarket!” Dick hugged Timothy. “Timmy! I love you! I'll never have to worry about starving to death before payday again!”
Everyone's eyes instantly lit up.
Cereal isn't anything special, but tonight's meal will be delivered by a catering company in a bit; Alfred is only responsible for desserts and cakes, so there definitely isn't any ready-made cereal in the kitchen.
So the Magic Gourmet Pot is real.
“My turn! My turn! Cassandra, what do you want to eat?" Stephanie said, clutching 20 cents.
Cassandra thought for a moment, then said in Chinese, "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall."
Stephanie devoutly inserted a coin, made a wish, then opened the pot.
A domineering, rich meaty aroma exploded like a bomb, making one's mouth water uncontrollably.
Alfred brought over a stack of plates, distributed them to everyone, personally tasted the creations from the Magic Gourmet Pot, commenting, "They are like the craftsmanship of Mr. Zheng, the Min cuisine chef from Iceberg Restaurant."
“Yes, that's the taste.” The owner of the Iceberg Restaurant also began stuffing food into his mouth. Although his palate wasn't discerning enough to distinguish the Min cuisine or the chef, he still nodded in agreement and struck a deal with Dick: "Rent the pot to me, I'll open an Iceberg Restaurant branch in Port, responsible for your breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea, late-night snacks."
Dick's financial management skills weren't that bad: "I can hire people to open a restaurant myself."
Next, the Magic Gourmet Pot received another pile of 10-cent, 5-cent, 1-cent coins.
Colt sent a message to Timothy: "If we try to support a family with this, we'll starve to death."
A single Quantum Teleportation Device costs seven figures; saving a few cents at a time, it would take a hundred years to break even.
Timothy stated that the cost of the Quantum Teleportation Devices was recorded under Bruce's dating fund; since it was a business with no overhead, every cent earned was profit. Since he couldn't squeeze any money out of his siblings' wallets, he would have to find ways to increase revenue by making money from others.
Dick's friends were all over the world; the party wasn't set to start until six, but people began arriving one after another as early as five in the evening.
It was the first time Colt had seen so many Vigilantes gathered together.
Almost the entire Justice League was present. It was said that Aquaman and Martian Manhunter couldn't make it because they were on duty, so they asked Superman to deliver their birthday wishes. The young members of the Teen Titans and Young Justice were all present in full force.
Everyone decorated the venue together and set the long dining tables.
Only the cakes and some desserts were made by Alfred; the rest consisted of main courses from Iceberg Restaurant, fruit snacks from Wayne Catering, takeout fries, burgers, pizza, the Magic Gourmet Pot, which occupied its own separate table.
The Magic Gourmet Pot became the star of the show.
Unlike the stingy Wayne siblings, these people's minimum contribution was at least one dollar, Green Arrow even generously contributed a hundred-dollar bill.
Timothy gave Colt a triumphant wink.
'See? Once we say open source, we say open source; he'll definitely not let you starve to death.'
Colt found an opportunity to slip back home and took the receiver of the micro Quantum Teleportation Device out of the drawer, preventing the drawer from being crushed by the money. By the time Colt returned, Wayne Manor was already bustling with chaotic excitement.
Timothy was surrounded by his companions and denounced because he hadn't visited the Teen Titans for some time. They mainly accused the New Robin of causing them headaches, claimed Nightwing was biased toward the New Robin by actually calling the ferocious Damian cute, expressed how much they missed Red Robin.
Colt was also being stared at by the crowd.
From Superman to Flash, the Justice League members deliberately orchestrated chance encounters with him, demanding photos and even asking if he could sign them.
Colt discovered that they weren't just curious, but rather seemed to have some sort of mission to take a photo with him.
"Why do you want to take a photo with me?" Colt asked Flash directly, who was the best at fishing for information.
Flash quickly glanced left and right, noticing that Batman was not in the living room, then leaned closer to Colt to answer in a low voice, "Batman said you became a Ghost because of a lack of a sense of belonging to the world, he doesn't know how to make you feel more connected to us, but we really do accept you. Hey, Ghost, I'm Flash, let's be friends."
Colt looked at the hand extended before him and gently shook it.
Of course, it was through a glove.
Colt said, "Hello, Flash, I am Ghost, it's a pleasure to be your friend."
Timothy used a Polaroid to capture the image of them shaking hands.
Colt shook hands with many people. Some already knew him, some only knew him as Red Robin's boyfriend, some didn't know him at all but were just curious about Ghost's handfeel and deliberately sought him out to shake hands. Some people quietly started a betting pool to see who could crush Ghost's clothes, then even more people sought out Colt for hugs.
Timothy shooed away the friends who were trying to shove their heads into Colt's clothes to get a sneak peek, used a disapproving Red Robin glare to scare the kids until they were stumbling over their own feet.
Colt bumped Timothy's shoulder with a smile. "They're just curious."
"They should know how to respect personal space and stay away from other people's boyfriends," Timothy muttered.
"Beast Boy doesn't know anything," Colt argued on behalf of the poor kid.
You know everything," Timothy huffed. "He isn't a cat, yet you still want to pet his ears.
Red Robin looked adorable when he was acting jealous with a straight face.
The clothes hanging in the air suddenly vanished before everyone's eyes, Colt turned into a Ghost that only Timothy could see. He stroked Timothy's ear, leaned in to kiss his earlobe, gave it a quick nip.
Timothy's ears turned red.
The "bad boy" who had been secretly observing averted his gaze and sighed, "Youth is a wonderful thing."
"Where is Ghost?" Colt ran over.