2190 Side Story: Fantasy Journey
The group returned to the Justice Leagueâs new base. The joy of rescuing S.T.A.R. Labsâ people and escaping unscathed faded, and the atmosphere turned a little gloomy.
When they thought about it, Steppenwolf had lost some small fry, but had snatched mankindâs box; he absolutely gained big in exchange for a small loss.
Although they had rescued people, especially Victorâs father, they hadnât actually gained anything. They still had to deal with the Mother Boxes transforming Earth.
Thankfully, Luke had casually used Light of Life to treat Barryâs injury, and the kid was already jumping around again.
As soon as they entered the base, Barry went to the table and poured himself a cup of black tea to calm down.
The high-end thermos kept the black tea hot. Even Barry, who had lost more than 100 milliliters of blood, warmed up.
Still, he didnât forget to call his new teammates over to enjoy it as well.
In the end, Arthur snorted. âIs there wine? I like that.â
Barry was a good kid who never touched alcohol. Nobody had ever drunk alcohol in the base. Hearing that, he could only shake his head. âIâll look around.â
Swoosh! Swoosh!
A few seconds later, Barry returned with a bottle and gave it to Arthur. âHow about whiskey?â
Arthur raised an eyebrow in surprise. He accepted the alcohol and patted the kid on the shoulder. âHm, youâre not bad.â
Barry chuckled. Looking at Victor, he scratched his head. âYou probably donât drink tea?â
In fact, he wanted to ask if Victor wanted engine oil, but thanks to the corny joke routine which he and Luke had, he thought for a long while before he realized that it wasnât a polite question to ask.
Victor said calmly, âNo.â He then stood to the side with his arms crossed.
He wasnât in the mood to drink anything.
He had been accidentally transformed by the Mother Box kept by mankind. Once the Mother Boxes were combined together, he might end up under their control.
Furthermore, Steppenwolf was the original owner of the Mother Boxes. At the very least, he was the one who had brought the Mother Boxes to Earth.
The thought of becoming a Parademon and obeying Steppenwolf made Victor uncomfortable.
While the new teammates were chatting, the three veterans walked over.
Master Wayne took off his helmet and threw it to the side. He poured himself a cup of black tea.
He wasnât one to talk nonsense about the sour sting of being doused in cold water in the middle of Gothamâs winter.
Diana also took off her gear. She placed her sword and shield on the weapons rack on the side, and even tossed the Lasso of Truth onto the couch.
It was bad enough that they had been unable to take down Steppenwolf during the fight.
More importantly, she could sense that Steppenwolf was indeed stronger than she was.
Although it wasnât a crushing difference, it would be hard for her to get revenge on her own.
This guy had killed one of her sworn sisters and hundreds of her people on Paradise Island. How could she say that she was a princess of the Amazon if she didnât get revenge?
Luke was the calmest. The nanoarmor shrunk back into a necklace to reveal Mr. Bale in his suit.
He wasnât too wary of Steppenwolf.
As long as the other party wasnât the type who didnât stay dead after being taken down, it wouldnât be hard to kill him.
So, he coughed to draw everyoneâs attention, then said, âDonât think too much about whatâs already happened. The most important thing now is to find Steppenwolf. If he wants to use the Mother Boxes to transform Earth, he wonât go into outer space, right?â
As he spoke, he looked at Victor.
Victor opened his eyes. âIâm looking for the whereabouts of the Mother Boxes.â
Luke nodded. âIf you need any equipment or information, you can look for Alfred.â
Then, he looked at Master Wayne. âYou make the arrangements.â
After Lukeâs opening remarks, Master Wayne quickly got into character. He subconsciously coughed and said, âEverybody, get some rest and be on standby. Once Victor finds Steppenwolf, weâll set off.â
It was simple, straightforward and efficient.
A speech before battle? At the very least, they had to wait until they found Steppenwolf.
Arthur sat down with the bottle of whiskey and said lazily, âSteppenwolf is very strong. We might die.â
Everybody turned their heads.
Arthur, however, didnât seem to notice their expressions. He continued, âTo be honest, I donât mind. We have to stop him, but Superman isnât here. We donât know when heâll be back.â
Everybody was silent.
Arthur pointed the bottle at a certain person. âNo offense, but you donât have superpowersâŠâ
Master Wayne was expressionless. Iâm sorry I donât have superpowers.
Arthur pointed at a second person. ââŠAnd who knows, you might be a spy.â
Victorâs eye glowed red.
Arthur went around the group. âYouâre⊠too weak. Youâre fast, but youâre so small.â
Barry blinked. If I were as big as you, would I be able to run fast?
Arthur pointed at Luke. âYou look alright, but why are you imitating that dude with no powers?â
Luke smiled but didnât say anything. Master Wayne looked at the couch under Arthur.
Finally, Arthur looked at the battle goddess.
Diana had already lowered her head several times to hide the smile on her face.
Arthur sighed and shook his head. âGod, youâre so beautiful. Youâre also very strong and braveâŠâ
The three men and one robot looked at each other with subtle expressions. In the end, they all looked at the couch under Arthur, and tried to hold in their laughter.
...
Arthur said, âMy ancestors fought the Amazons, but I wasnât around back then.â
At that point, he looked nervous and forced a wry smile. âIâm still young. I havenât lived long enough, and I donât want to die yet. I donât think Iâve traveled the oceans and the lands of this world yet, but Iâve always been alone. Iâm happy to be able to do something big with youâŠâ
Diana lowered her head again and smiled.
Even Master Wayne smiled. This was a very normal mindset for a young man. He wanted to do big things, but he didnât have the confidence, and he didnât want to die.
Of course, no normal person wanted to die, let alone someone with mixed blood like Arthur, who could come and go as he pleased in the ocean and on land.
Although this guy talked trash, what youngster didnât go through that stage?
Even though Arthur had sloppy long hair and a scraggly beard, he was indeed a young man. At most⊠he looked a little anxious.
Master Wayne had a good attitude toward young people, especially those who could fight.
With a smile on his face, he pointed. âArthur, youâre sitting on something.â
Arthur finally stopped talking. He turned around and grabbed a rope that was glowing with a hazy golden light⊠the Lasso of Truth.
Luke had personally tested the lasso part on Doomsday.
...
But the truth part⊠was indeed better demonstrated by someone else.
Throwing the lasso aside, Arthur felt the urge to talk abruptly disappear, and the golden light on the lasso faded.
He vaguely guessed what was going on, and was embarrassed, but didnât know what to say to alleviate the humiliation from his earlier babbling.