Back to Gotham

"Thank you so much. I thought I'd be stuck living like a savage on that island for the rest of my life. That wouldn't have been much fun..."

Aboard the ship, the man sat wrapped in a blanket, his steel-blue eyes naturally melancholy and tender. Even with his hair a tangled mess and his face covered in stubble, nothing could conceal the elegance that radiated from within him.

Peter handed the man a cup of steaming coffee and received another thank-you.

He looks rich. How did he end up stranded on a deserted island?

Peter kept thinking the man looked familiar. He must have seen him somewhere before. He stared at him again and again, until it suddenly clicked. Pointing at the man, he cried out-

"I remember now! You're Bruce Wayne! The richest man in Gotham!"

An uproar broke out among the crew.

Bruce looked up, revealing his signature steel-blue eyes and the smile that belonged to Gotham's sweetheart alone. "Yes. You know me?"

Peter stammered, "My mother's from Gotham. And you're very famous."

Whether as Gotham's richest man with a passion for beautiful women and luxury cars, a reckless playboy who kept tempting fate through extreme sports, or a man whose face and physique rivaled any celebrity or supermodel, Bruce Wayne was an enduring fixture on the front pages of the tabloids.

The only people who could compare were his fellow richest men in New York and Star City, whose looks and personalities were equally "hard to beat."

But they were closer to Gotham here. Besides, the insularity ingrained in Gothamites meant they would always support their own, without exception.

"Well, it's wonderful that someone recognizes me. Saves me the trouble of explaining. Of course, I'm only joking. Who wouldn't recognize Bruce Wayne?"

Bruce leaned back against the cushion behind him, looking weary.

"You have a satellite phone, I assume? Call Wayne Manor and tell them to send a car to pick me up at Gotham Harbor."

"Gotham Harbor?" Peter hesitated. "But Mr. Wayne, our route is..."

"Wherever you were originally headed, you're going to Gotham Harbor now." Bruce's hair was still disheveled, but he exuded the irresistible allure of money. "Wayne Enterprises will cover your entire cargo, any contract penalties, and all other losses-five times over."

"It would be our honor!"

The captain had hurried over after hearing the news and arrived just in time to catch that last remark. He darted forward, nudging the young sailor aside, his face wreathed in smiles.

"I just contacted the Gotham police. They've already gotten in touch with Wayne Manor. Everything is ready."

"Excellent. Thank you very much, Captain." Bruce graciously extended his hand and shook the captain's. "You have a bright future ahead of you."

With Bruce Wayne's promise secured, the captain grinned so broadly that his eyes all but disappeared.

Whatever kind of vessel they sailed, mariners were obliged to rescue anyone they encountered in distress at sea. That was their code. After all, none of them knew whether they might be the next person in need of rescue.

This ship had rescued a few people here and there before. The captain had assumed this would be just another ordinary castaway. He had never expected to fish out a gold mine!

He traveled this route often, and even though he wasn't from Gotham, he had heard of Wayne's reputation for having more money than sense-scratch that-for being charitable and generous. His own ship was simply too small to attract Wayne Enterprises' attention, so he had never dared entertain any hopes in that direction.

Today, it was finally his turn to strike it rich!

What a windfall!

The captain remembered a gift an Eastern passenger had given him before this voyage-a statue of an Eastern goddess said to protect those who sailed the seas. According to that passenger, the goddess's name was something like... "Mama"?

She really is a goddess as generous and compassionate as a mother! Once he got back, he would ask around Chinatown about the proper way to worship her. From this day forward, his ship would follow this benevolent Eastern goddess!

With confirmation secured, Bruce said no more. He closed his eyes and leaned back, pretending to sleep.

He had no idea how Miaomiao had brought this ship to them. After boarding, he had made some discreet inquiries, but the crew only said they had suddenly encountered heavy fog during their voyage and strayed off course, winding up near Bruce's island by chance.

The crew remembered nothing else.

It seemed Miaomiao had hidden herself well and hadn't been discovered.

Miaomiao had only told him not to worry and to go home. She had left without explaining what would happen to her.

Bruce barely managed to suppress his worry for the girl and closed his hand around the blue-violet pearls in his palm.

Perhaps it was the power of money, but the ship's journey to Gotham went smoothly, with favorable winds and a remarkably swift pace.

By the time Bruce had enjoyed a good sleep aboard the ship, shaved, tidied his hair, and eaten a meal, Gotham Harbor was already in sight.

Having received the news, the elderly butler Alfred Pennyworth, Wayne Enterprises' current teenage CEO and the Wayne Family's third son, Timothy Drake, and Bruce's biological son and fourth son, Damian Wayne, had already arrived at Gotham Harbor and were eagerly awaiting him.

Gotham's major news outlets had also descended in droves, armed with cameras and lenses of every size.

Damian, the Wayne Family's fourth son, was only ten and had a fiery temper. The sight of the ever-intrusive media had already sent him into a rage, and the elderly butler had only barely managed to soothe him.

"Father should buy every newspaper in Gotham and fire every last one of these annoying idiots!"

"Actually, we can't." Severely sleep-deprived, the third son, Tim, looked pale beneath his refined, handsome features. He covered his mouth and nose as he yawned. Bruce's recent absence had been killing him. "Gotham can't become the Wayne Family's personal dictatorship."

"Tch." Damian rolled his eyes, unable to resist mocking this brother he'd been saddled with. "Drake, you should worry about yourself first. You look like a vampire that just crawled out of a coffin. I'm honestly afraid you'll transform any second and take a bite out of someone next to you."

Tim fired back without hesitation. "Thanks for your concern, Dami. Rest assured, if I ever bite someone and drink their blood, it definitely won't be you-I'd be afraid of poisoning myself."

"You jerk! Don't call me Dami..."

"That will do, young masters. Master Bruce's ship will be arriving shortly. Let us save these friendly exchanges between brothers until we are home. We are in public, so please mind your manners and uphold the Wayne Family's good image."

Alfred, the butler-knight and the true power behind the Wayne Family, spoke in a gentle voice that brooked no argument. The brothers exchanged a look, then turned their heads away with simultaneous huffs, but neither said anything more.

Before long, the ship arrived.