Quan Ke

Since this little cupcake hadn't harmed any plants and had unexpectedly amused her, Poison Ivy, Pamela, "kindly" stirred a plant she had found along the way, extending a vine to steady the girl. She waited with interest for her to scream.

Instead, she got a thank-you?

Interesting.

The girl didn't even recognize her vines. She definitely wasn't a Gotham local.

"Cutie, why are you covering your face?"

The girl answered obediently, "I saw everyone else covering their faces, so I thought it might help me fit in."

"Everyone?" Pamela couldn't help laughing.

If she remembered correctly, in a place like Gotham City, where all manner of monsters came out to play, only three kinds of people went out masked-ordinary criminals planning to steal, rob, smash, and loot; "supervillains" like herself who threatened ordinary people's lives; and the "bat vigilantes" whom the Gotham police both loved and hated.

Pamela gave the little cupcake another careful once-over.

She didn't look like any of them.

"All right, cutie. Maybe another time, we could sit down for a drink, but right now, I have to go."

Pamela waved a hand. She was in a hurry to get back to her territory while that Old Bat was tied up with Joker. Everything else could wait.

"Okay. Oh, miss, do you know the shortest way to the Gotham television station?"

"The Gotham television station?" Pamela narrowed her eyes.

If she remembered correctly, Joker was causing trouble at the Gotham television station tonight. By now, the Old Bat had probably arrived too.

So who was this cutie going to see?

Poison Ivy was Batman's opponent, and she couldn't stand that lunatic Joker either. However, she was very close friends with Joker's follower and girlfriend, Harley Quinn.

It would be even better if Harley were willing to leave that lunatic who didn't love her at all.

The thought gave Pamela a headache.

"Cutie, that's not a good place to be tonight."

Miaomiao tilted her head, radiating innocence and docility, yet what she said was, "I know things are a little chaotic there right now. Everyone has a lot to do, and I'm going to help."

"Help? You're one of the Old Bat's people?"

Pamela raised an eyebrow. That lunatic Joker couldn't possibly have such an innocent, sweet follower, but the Old Bat... Although he always had children helping him, someone with this disposition... was still hard to imagine.

"Old Bat" probably meant "Batman," and "Batman" was Bruce, which meant she was one of Bruce's people.

"Mhm. Yes." Miaomiao nodded in confirmation.

Pamela looked at the girl before her, who had revealed everything with a single sentence without Pamela even needing to use her plant toxins, and found her utterly amusing.

"Cutie, what's your name?"

Miaomiao was just about to answer when she remembered that everyone used a second name when they wore masks to "roam the world." She came up with a new name for herself on the spot. "Quan Ke."

Pearls gleamed in the water where merfolk appeared; stone mirrors hung on cliffs to ward off mountain spirits.

Quan Ke was an elegant name ancient land-dwelling humans had used for the Merfolk. Just as their mermaid silk was also called dragon gauze. The Elders said that, back then, a single bolt of dragon gauze had been worth a hundred gold pieces.

It was the perfect name to borrow.

"Quan Ke. What a strange name."

Pamela repeated it and reached out to stroke the girl's hair. The girl didn't dodge, letting her stroke it, and even looked blissfully pleased.

Pamela couldn't help laughing and pressed a kiss to the girl's cheek.

"All right, my cutie. It's a little far... Follow this road, then turn left. When you reach the intersection, turn right and keep going. At the end, turn left... When you see a very tall building with a television station sign on it, that's the place."

As for poor Miaomiao, the Little Merfolk who had always traveled straight through the sea, that string of left turns, right turns, and more left turns... nearly sent her eyes spinning.

One look at the confusion in the girl's eyes told Pamela that she hadn't understood any of it.

"Never mind. I'll help you out today and see this good deed through. I've been sick of Joker for ages anyway." If little Harley weren't so attached to him, Pamela would have loved to beat that lunatic senseless.

Pamela swept her beautiful eyes over the surroundings. A vine suddenly shot off in one direction, and when it returned, a loudly screaming man was bound to its tip.

"Please let me go! I didn't see anything! I was just riding past!"

"Shh, I know."

Pamela curled a finger, and the vine obediently delivered the man to its mistress like a well-trained puppy.

"Good child."

Pamela stroked the vine in encouragement. At the praise, it shyly twisted itself into a braid.

Looking at the trembling man, who didn't dare speak, Pamela took his chin between her fingers and gave him a seductive smile. "Don't worry. You won't die."

With that, Pamela kissed him on the lips.

Huh?

Miaomiao watched as the man, initially struggling in terror, quickly relaxed his limbs after the kiss. Then, when the pretty lady had the vine release him, he no longer tried to run. Instead, he stayed close beside her, his gaze brimming with love as he looked at her-practically worshipful.

Oh?

Miaomiao blinked. This... seemed like a kind of mind control?

So the pretty lady could not only control plants, but people too?

Amazing!

Pamela had been watching the girl's reactions all along. She wasn't frightened or angry, nor had she tried to interfere. If anything, Pamela could actually see a hint of... admiration in her eyes?

The little bird the Old Bat had found this time was really interesting. Pamela liked her more and more.

"All right, cutie." Pamela pushed the controlled man in front of the girl. "This guy has a vehicle. Let him take you."

Miaomiao's eyes lit up. I knew the pretty lady was a good person!

"Thank you, miss. You're so nice."

A good person? Pamela chuckled. How long had it been since she'd heard those words?

Pamela waved and continued toward the botanical garden.

Only after Miaomiao got into the man's vehicle did she remember that she had forgotten to ask the pretty lady's name. But that was fine. Someone so beautiful and powerful was bound to be famous. She could ask Bruce and the others when she saw them.

Hmm, the lady helped me today, so I should prepare a gift for her in return. What should I make?

Before Miaomiao could decide what gift to give the pretty lady, the controlled man had driven her to the vicinity of the Gotham television station.

Because of Joker's televised announcement, the Gotham police had surrounded the entire television station building and the surrounding area, strictly prohibiting unauthorized people from entering or leaving.

After all, everyone in Gotham knew that, aside from his madness, Joker was best known for his love of the "art" of explosions.