"I am rather curious myself, Master Bruce."
Alfred came downstairs, carrying a tray with several glasses of milk that were still steaming.
With all the young masters and the young lady present, Alfred felt reassured. When he heard Miaomiao say that Bruce seemed to have noticed something amiss with the illusion and might emerge soon, the ever-dutiful Butler Batman had hurried to the kitchen to heat several glasses of milk. He was determined to give Master Bruce and the children the warmest possible care on this snowy Christmas.
Looking at the warm milk, Bruce paused almost imperceptibly, then immediately picked up a glass with perfect composure, concealing his stiffness.
He reflected on what he had just experienced. After a long while, he looked up and slowly said:
"Extremely convincing."
Those two words alone piqued everyone's interest.
For Batman to offer such an assessment, Miaomiao's illusion clearly had to be more than ordinary hypnosis.
Bruce continued, "The buildings, the surroundings, people's voices, the feel of objects, even the subtle changes in the passage of time were all simulated perfectly. During my time inside, I noticed almost nothing out of place. Physically, it felt virtually no different from the real world."
"Wow!" Dick exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically. "Our little fish baby is amazing!"
Miaomiao stood to one side, listening to Bruce's assessment and Dick's exaggerated applause, feeling both excited and a little bashful. Her earlier apprehension vanished completely, replaced by the shy delight of a girl receiving encouragement and praise. The tips of her ears quietly flushed pink.
"I knew our little fish baby was a genius!" Dick wished he could make a medal right there and put it on the remarkable Little Merfolk.
Tim nodded in agreement. "The monitoring data showed that the energy used to construct the illusion remained extremely stable