The Joker's affair ended briefly. The Joker was captured in Arkham, and the leaderless admirers finally relented. Batman and the Gotham police teamed up to strike at the remaining maniacs on the streets, and the effect was remarkable. Within a week, peace had largely regained in the streets, and the Arkham Asylum had welcomed a new slew of mentally ill patients.

This was a dangerous thing, and the director of the madhouse, Quincy Sharp, personally intervened, emphasizing that the madmen should not be allowed to meet directly with their "idol" clowns, in order to prevent a riot.

For several days, Roy did not mention a single word about this series of cases. Sometimes Barbara brings it up, and Roy always avoids it, consciously or unconsciously. He didn't see the slightest hint of the excitement he usually felt when he solved a troublesome puzzle, but often meditated in the middle of the night, as if it were still an unsolved case.

Barbara knew that even though the Joker was caught, Roy always felt that the case was not over and that there was something left out.

It wasn't until a week later that another new case emerged that temporarily diverted Roy's attention.

This in turn had to do with an impressive encounter with a rather impressive woman, and this was the first time Roy and she had met. No one will deny that she is an incredible woman. Needless to say, her charm is more unforgettable, such as her personality and skills.

On this day, a black and shining Lamborghini limousine was parked under the apartment building of Roy and Barbara. A gentleman in a suit and leather shoes led him upstairs and went straight to their door.

A few minutes later, the gentleman and his secretary were already sitting directly across from Roy.

Roy looked at the visitor with a nonchalant gaze. This is a well-dressed gentleman, wearing a black suit without the slightest wrinkle, a mechanical watch with a golden dial on his wrist that looks conservatively estimated to be worth tens of thousands of dollars, shiny black leather shoes are also specially customized by well-known brands, and his hair also has traces of special care. All in all, this guy looks like he has money and an upper-class temperament from head to toe.

"First meeting, Mr. Green." The gentleman sat down in a very particular posture and introduced himself, "My name is Pete Smith, and this is my secretary. I think you've probably heard my name. ”

With that, he paused, as if to see how the two of them reacted in horror when they heard its proud name. Unfortunately, the beautiful girl in the wheelchair over there showed a "sudden realization but not unusual" expression, and the young man sitting opposite actually yawned lazily.

"I'm sorry, I had an all-nighter last night." Roy said apologetically, "I haven't heard of it either. ”

Mr. Smith's face was a little ugly, and he felt that this young man who did not know the height of the sky was deliberate.

Barbara explained: "The Smith family is also one of the most powerful families in Gotham, and they have quite a bit of foundation, and they can also be called powerful characters in Gotham City. I'm sorry, Mr. Smith, Roy hasn't been in Gotham for a long time, and he's not very familiar with local things. ”

Mr. Smith had just eased up a little, and was immediately re-enraged by Roy's next reaction. After this guy suddenly realized, he asked casually: "So compared to the Wayne family, which one is more powerful?" ”

Barbara smiled slightly, "Of course it's Wayne." ”

Smith's face was even more ugly, and he felt almost certain that the two were playing a trick on himself by singing double reeds. Gotham is one of the few most powerful families in the world, and Wayne is the first of them. Deliberately comparing them to himself, isn't that a clear attempt to disrupt his prestige?

Actually, he really blamed Roy. The reason why Roy asked this was purely because when he mentioned the powerful family in Gotham, the first thing that came to his mind could only be the Wayne family, who knew him best. And if Smith knew that the relationship between the two people in front of him and Bruce Wayne was unclear, I am afraid that he would not be angry that they were indifferent to Smith's reputation.

"Tell me then, why are you here?" Roy asked.

Smith snorted and said rather unceremoniously, "There was a recent theft in our company, a very rare and huge theft. The relevant departments of the Gotham police are already working hard to track it down, and Inspector Rayson, who is in charge, has made it clear that there is little hope. However, I have many friends in the police department, and they all recommend to me that you are the best at finding cases that others can't handle. If you can help me with this case, I can write you a check for $10 million. ”

Once again, he could stop and see what effect the 10 million check had on the two men, but unfortunately it didn't work at all. Barbara whistled as an expression of joy, and Roy simply asked as if he hadn't heard, "Then let's go straight to the point and tell the facts of the case." ”

Mr. Smith, who had tasted frustration again, had no choice but to continue: "Okay. As you can imagine, it's not easy for someone in my position to take a dozen minutes off my schedule to get here. Time is precious, so I'll try to be as concise as possible."

Unexpectedly, he had just said this when he was interrupted by Roy: "If this case is really as you said, this case is so important to you, then please don't simplify the case presumptuously." IMHO, you can't tell if many of the details are important, so I had to ask my client to recount the case in as much detail as possible so that I could investigate it in all its aspects. ”

Mr. Smith was displeased, "Okay. So have you heard of the Eye of Hevestos? ”

Roy raised his eyebrows: "Hevestos? It's the Greek god of fire, right? ”

"Not bad." Mr. Smith nodded triumphantly, "The Eye of Hevestos is a gem associated with this myth. It is said that when the third watch stares at it in the dark in the middle of the night, you seem to really feel the pupils of the god of fire staring, and there is a raging flame burning inside."

"To put it bluntly, it's the pearl of the night." Barbara Road.

"Yes, that's understandable." "And not only that," Mr. Smith said.

Roy waved his hand impatiently: "These can be omitted. I remember you just said you were busy? Then you might as well use this bragging time to tell the real facts of the case, so that you and I can save a lot of trouble. Tell me, when and where was this thing stolen? ”

Mr. Smith opened his mouth twice, but was embarrassed to say nothing. Barbara couldn't help but laugh out loud on the side.

Mr. Smith replied angrily but helplessly: "Just yesterday, in my company." ”