Time flickered, and three days passed.

Mason quickly adjusts to the new rhythm of life that is fleshing out to the point of exploding, and it seems that everything is on track, and good news follows one after another.

Two days ago, the first aid technique officially broke through Lv2.

And Mr. Falcone, another big man in Gotham City, is also a very "enthusiastic" person, and he "sent" four or five test subjects to Mason every night for three consecutive days, which greatly improved the efficiency of identifying unknown potions.

The renovation of the Iceberg Bar by the Kite Man is also on the agenda.

He intends to keep the name of Iceberg Bar but with a style of operation, intends to make his bar a gathering place for Gotham City's street heroes, and is very confident in his idea of operation.

Mason doesn't care about any of that.

After getting enough "Voluntary Pill Testers", he made much faster progress in specializing in alchemy techniques, and decided to officially "tackle" the production of the Elixir tomorrow night.

As for why not tonight?

The reason is simple, because Mason's shop is officially opening tonight.

It was a small shop on the street near Crime Alley, just across the street from Dr. Leslie's clinic. It was a grocery store with a dismal business, and the owner quickly completed the transfer procedures under the attack of the banknotes handled by the kite man himself.

By the way, taking advantage of the interior decoration of the glacier bar to allow the workers to clean up and renovate the small shop, Mason spent some time with Charles last night to ship some of his recent things to the store.

He didn't have any opening ceremonies.

Just after leaving the clinic at ten o'clock in the evening, the roller shutter called "Cooper Mystery Shop" is opened.

The shop is not big, it is a small shop on the street, and the second floor is where Mason rests, and there are beds, wardrobes and a few workbenches.

The first floor is the main body of the store.

There are no tables and chairs to receive guests, but instead a circular counter and five large display cases, where Mason's handmade "goods" are arranged according to the distinction between alchemical and engineering creations.

Only two showcases look a little shabby, but the remaining three showcases are to be reserved for future production branch creations.

Mason turned on the light that was not bright and let the light shine on the street outside along the door of the store, and the retro neon sign used outside the door, the colorful marquee lighting on the street side water stains also had a wonderful feeling.

He pulled out his chair and sat behind the counter, where something rather peculiar was placed.

A sewing machine.

He had to spend three hours a day, from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., to study his tailoring skills, and the importance of armor was self-evident to a Star Pioneer like him who was going to explore another world.

But the location of Mason's small shop is too bad.

Are there any serious guests near Crime Lane? In terms of the security situation in Gotham, the people who still walk around the streets at night are certainly not charity-loving guys.

There hasn't been a single customer for an hour since the store opened, and the only ones who came to visit were a group of well-dressed thugs, who seemed to be looking for some fun.

But after seeing Mason's shotgun and a cartridge box full of bullets on the counter, the thugs immediately came to their senses.

obediently put away the baseball bat in his hand, then nodded and retreated.

As for Mason himself, after an hour of trying to make the simplest of works on a slightly clumsy sewing machine, and then he made an apron that was crooked and twisted to be worn by a dog, and then he frowned and thought that perhaps he should start by tanning leather and preparing the raw materials for tailoring.

Or do you really not have the talent for it?

"Boss, these potions look bluffing, and why aren't they priced?"

Just as he was frowning and thinking about how the tailoring branch could improve its proficiency, a crisp voice sounded in the shop, and Mason, who was busy doubting his life, said casually:

"I'm exchanging these medicines, friend, not for sale. The exact terms of exchange will be seen for yourself next to the cabinet. ”

The questioning voice was a little confused by the boss's oblivious service attitude, and the small customer frowned and looked at a presentation next to a display case full of potions of various colors.

The first line of words on the letterhead is "All goods in this store are not sold, only used for material transactions, fake one pays ten, and Tong Su is not bullied." ”

At some point, the customer who entered the store frowned and continued to look down:

"Ten bottles of healing potions in exchange for five sheep stomach stones, which must be removed for goats aged 4-7 years old in the last month of summer.

The exchange is valid for a long time. ”

The next line is:

"Ten vials of vitality potions in exchange for five sets of dried nettles, grated snake teeth and porcupine spines, and slugs with tentacles. The exchange is valid for a long time. ”

"Five bottles of paralysis potions are exchanged for five of any of the sneezing grass, scorblood weeds, and living grass. Because the material is rare, the exchange must be inspected before being exchanged. ”

"One bottle of high-grade potion is exchanged for ten sets of narcissus root powder, wormwood infusion, valerian root, and sleepy bean materials. The production process of the drug is complex, and it is necessary to book and pay a deposit for four sets of materials one month in advance. ”

This shows that the materials and items required on the cardboard are varied, and the little guests who look at it frown.

He also believed that he was well-informed, but Mason listed a lot of strange herbs and names on the cardboard, and even he had heard of it for the first time.

This made the young customer, who was wearing a black coat and a baseball cap, think that this store might be some kind of "performance art" that he couldn't understand.

But the little guest frowned and looked at the various potions placed in front of him, relying on his instinct that these things did not look like fakes, well, the appearance of the least bottled was indeed somewhat similar to the real ones he had used.

So the little guest hesitated for a while, and then said:

"Your potion exchange conditions are so harsh, although you don't need money, it's much more expensive than asking for money."

Mason was thinking about how to get started with the tailoring branch, and how could he have time to play with the guests, so he replied with a straight face:

"You see, there is no real alchemist in Gotham City now? This potion of mine is unique, the materials are solid, the effect is first-class, you are too expensive or I am too expensive. ”

That's a bit of a rush.

The little guest sneered, and said in a long voice:

"I didn't say I wouldn't buy it, but are your potions real?"

"I'm a professional alchemist, can I sell you fake medicine?"

Mason finally looked up and glanced at the little guest.

He looked him up and down, watching the brim of his baseball cap pulled low to cover most of his face, but he could tell that he was a teenager at most, a child.

The young man's tone was a little softer, and he reminded with some helplessness:

"Kids, go home, don't wander around at night, it's dangerous around here. Come on, this bottle of soda is given to you by my brother. ”

"Who's going to have a soda?"

The little guest was blown up because of this kind gesture.

He stared at Mason, a fierce look on his face under the brim, as if he was furious that Mason had treated him like a child.

He said fiercely:

"I ask you if these potions are real!"

Mason would have tasted that something was not quite right, and he frowned, when did this kid enter the store? Why wasn't he impressed at all?

The young man stood up and grabbed the pistol in his hand, and lay on the counter looking at the fierce little boy in front of him.

He said:

"Are you here to find trouble? Who asked you to come? ”

"I'm not!"

The little boy snorted, took a bottle of healing potion from the display case, tossed it up and down in his hand, glanced at Mason obliquely, and said:

"If your medicine is real, I will definitely buy it, although the materials you want seem outrageous, it is not impossible to find them. At home... Well, it's a veterinarian.

There are many such things as sheep stones.

But what if the potion you gave me was fake?

Can I come back with my friends and smash your shop? ”

"You bear child!"

Mason laughed angrily.

This was obviously looking for trouble, but he didn't bother to say anything more to a bear child of unknown origin, just waved his hand and joked with him:

"You're the first customer in my shop, so I'll give you this bottle of medicine, take it back and play. If it's fake, welcome to come and smash my shop.

Don't look at the stuff over there.

It's all special accessories for firearms, not for kids like you.

Okay, I'm going to ask you to leave.

As you can see, I'm busy right now. ”

He pointed to the sewing machines on the counter and the various shapes of cloth that had just been cut.

"Just wait for me to debunk your tricks!"

The bear child snorted, picked up a bottle of potion and scurried out of Cooper's shop.

Mason watched him leave, squinted and thought about it, then sat back down at the counter and began to deal with his "needlework" again.

And the drugged bear child turned a corner along the dark street into the adjacent alley, where a low-key black sedan was parked.

Four bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses stood by the car like an iron tower, and the little boy approached the nearest bodyguard and reached out to take out a dagger from his arms and slashed it on the bodyguard's wrist.

Immediately blood poured out.

During the whole process, neither the bodyguard nor the boy had any change in expression, as if this was an ordinary thing.

"Drink it and tell me the effect in five minutes."

The boy tossed the potion in his hand to the bodyguard, then took off his baseball cap to reveal his short black hair.

He bent down and picked up an oriental-style black and white demon mask from the open car door and put it on his face, and opened the safety with a click of the black military pistol in his hand.

The other three bodyguards also opened the trunk and took out the long and short guys from inside.

The fierce bear kid said that if Mason gave fake medicine, he would go and smash his shop, which didn't seem to be a lie, and he had made all the preparations for the bloodbath of that little shop in advance.

Even something as outrageous as a bazooka is in the trunk.

It's outrageous to have this kind of thing in other cities, but in Gotham it seems like everything is going to be right.

"Young master, the phone number of the main mother."

Two minutes later, the bodyguard next to the bear child, who was sitting in the car with his eyes closed, handed over a specially encrypted satellite phone, and the little boy who was about to do a big job suddenly frowned and put the phone to his ear.

Then, a nice and magnetic but very indifferent voice rang on the phone:

"Damian, you should have left Gotham this afternoon, but you haven't left yet, and that will delay tomorrow's geography and history lessons. I need an explanation.

You'd better not lie to me. ”

"Mom, I'm just verifying something I'm interested in, you leave me alone, I've grown up."

The little boy was a little angry and a little helpless and said:

"I'll be on the plane at midnight, and I promise I'll be home on time."

"What the hell are you doing?"

The indifferent mother on the other side of the phone asked again, saying:

"Say!"

"I... I just wanted to see what was so peculiar about Mason Cooper, who was being given special attention by that man. ”

The bear child replied honestly:

"As you know, Mason escaped during the last chase I commanded. It was my first mission failure in three years, and I hate shameful failures! My grandfather taught me from a young age that the best way to face failure is to try again.

After you stopped me from killing Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, are you going to continue to stop me from facing defeat head-on? ”

The voice on the other side of the phone was silent for a few seconds and said:

"Give you an hour! And, Damian, don't think I don't know why you've been avoiding the arrangements of my handpicked PhDs to teach you.

If you're missing tomorrow's class...

Then the heads of your geography and history teachers will be on their tables tomorrow afternoon! ”

This sentence completely angered the little boy, and he screamed angrily:

"What's the difference? Even if they survive tomorrow's death, after I finish your coursework, the two Doctors who are considered useless will still be stuffed into the cement and sink into the sea!

From the time I was six years old to the present, there have been seventeen Ph.D. professors in various industries who have died just because of the 'study' program you set up for me!

I don't like that! Mom.

They are not puppies that I raised as a child and were forced to kill by your own hands when I was eight years old... They are people! Living people, it's good for us for them to stay in the organization, and it shouldn't be because of me..."

"You're too weak, Damien."

The boy's retort was interrupted by his mother's indifference, who said:

"How can you, who is so fragile, inherit the great legacy that your grandfather will leave you in the future? How can you, poor person, fulfill the mission you set out when you were born?

You saw that man in Gotham with your own eyes!

You know how powerful he is to the point of being almost invincible, indestructible, like the god of fear born in Gotham.

If you don't study hard now and don't arm yourself with knowledge, how can you defeat him with your own hands in the future? Damien, you have half of his blood in you.

But alas, I don't see in you the potential that he has that fascinates me and the entire Assassin League!

If you continue to indulge yourself in the mercy of boredom, you will not come back.

Stop calling me Mom!

I will not accept a weak failure to be my son.

That's it!

Remember, Damian, you have fifty-five minutes left. ”

"Doodoo"

The phone hung up, and the vibrating busy sound was quite ruthless, and it brought a trace of wordless gloom in the dark night.

But the little boy in the car seemed to have gotten used to all this, and he handed the phone in his hand to the bodyguard with a blank face, and clenched the gun in his hand again.

At the end of the five-minute countdown, the bodyguard who was testing the medicine came over and showed the back of his hand, which had completely healed and left only a shallow scar, to his young master.

Damien El Gul looked at the shallow scar in front of him.

That proved that Mason Cooper's healing potion did work, and that he had lost his justification for bloodbathing that little shop.

Of course, the little boy may have lost the interest in tonight's action before the reason was lost.

He threw his pistol aside, closed his eyes, and commanded:

"You go and prepare the materials and buy as much as you can from that store. At the same time, I apologized to Mr. Mason and said that I would visit his magical shop the next time I came to Gotham.

Let's drive, I'm tired.

It's time to go home to class. ”

The low-key black sedan, which can withstand rocket attacks at close range, starts silently and slowly slides into the night of Gotham.

At Cooper's magical shop, Mason hummed a song and pressed the glowing one-headed bullet into the magazine, while touching the gleaming Hell's Eye pin on his collar.

At his feet were eight Flying Bombs and six potions of Weak Petrification and a full row of paralyzing potions, a hand cannon at his waist, an armed umbrella of the Penguin at his lap, and an invisibility cloak folded in front of him.

This set of armaments is sufficient for any crisis that may arise tonight.

But as Mason waited expectantly, the attacker did not appear, and the glimmer on his pin quickly dimmed.

This made the young man blink in surprise.

"Huh? Damian Wayne: Is this giving up on the plan to kill me? That little devil who was raised by the King of Assassins was actually unusually merciful?

It's a shame I'm ready to tie up that little guy and send him to Wayne Manor, and extort a billion dollars by the way.

Alas, Lord Batman, it looks like your 'father-son reunion' is going to be postponed. ”