Age wasn't the problem

The Bat-family had certainly seen their share of strange things. Connecting their earlier discussion with the Little Merfolk's sudden attempt to "feed" Alfred pearl powder, they came up with a bold guess-

"Miaomiao, do your pearls have some special effect? Like restoring youth, keeping people young forever, making them immortal..."

Tim recalled a legend he had come across during his initial research. "In a legend recorded in Japan's Kokon Chomonju, a woman called Hachibyoe lived to eight hundred after eating mermaid flesh..."

Instantly, everyone's eyes zeroed in on Tim. Red Robin calmly continued, "The legend says mermaid flesh is highly poisonous. Only exceptionally gifted people can eat it without dying, and they might gain immortality, but they also become cursed monsters."

That was far too outrageous! If the legend were true, even if mermaids really existed, humanity's greed for immortality would drive them to hunt every last one down!

Just like the whales whose flesh, blood, and lives had fueled the founding of Gotham City.

"How could that be possible?" Miaomiao looked at him as though he were a madman indulging in wild fantasies. "Even Merfolk only have longer lifespans. I've never heard of anyone truly living forever."

"If a Merfolk's pearls come from tears of happiness, gratitude, or joy shed for someone, they naturally carry the Merfolk's spiritual energy. When that person consumes them, they won't regain their youth or become immortal, but the pearls can prolong their life and strengthen their body."

Miaomiao looked at Alfred. Her gaze, usually affectionate yet respectful, now held an indescribable trace of... sympathy? Pity?

"Alfred, you're so young, yet you already have white hair. Hurry up and drink this, then take better care of yourself."

Holding the teacup Miaomiao had practically shoved into his hands, Alfred felt as though something had lodged in his throat, refusing to go either up or down.

He, Alfred Pennyworth, had once been a top agent of Britain's MI5 and a member of the world's finest special operations unit, commended by the Queen of England herself. After retiring, he had intended to become an actor, but his father's dying wish had led him to become the Wayne Family's butler. After the Waynes were murdered, he had become Bruce Wayne's guardian, protecting the young Bruce and the Wayne Family fortune from the predators circling them.

He was the person Batman, Bruce Wayne, trusted most, known as "Batman's Batman."

Though he was now nearly sixty, with graying hair, and no longer looked as strong as a younger man, his hearing and eyesight remained sharp, as did his mind and movements. He could single-handedly manage all the Wayne Family's affairs, and when Batman and Superman unexpectedly lost control, he could roll up his sleeves and beat some sense into his ungrateful boy, punching Bruce back to his senses.

This was the first time Alfred had received such unmistakable concern about his age, and it came from Miaomiao, the Merfolk youngster he still regarded as a child.

Stranger still, Miaomiao apparently thought he was "young" but "looked old"?

The all-capable Butler Batman, Alfred, didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Come on, Alfred, drink it!"

Faced with the Little Merfolk's repeated urging, Alfred couldn't bear to refuse. Smiling, he once again chose to indulge her and drank the strange cup of tea.

Surprisingly, the tea mixed with pearl powder wasn't gritty or astringent at all. It was as though the two brilliantly colored pearls had merely been sugar cubes added for flavor, dissolving completely into the rich, fragrant tea. It actually tasted quite good.

Once he swallowed the tea, a warm current slowly rose from his abdomen, gently spread throughout his body, then vanished without a trace.

Everyone watched Alfred intently, eager to see exactly what miraculous magic these pearls from the Merfolk possessed.

Yet aside from the initial blue-violet glow of the pearls, Alfred seemed to show no particular changes after drinking the tea. At least, none were obvious in his appearance.

Noticing the eyes fixed on him, Alfred carefully assessed the changes in his body and considerately offered, "I feel as though I've had a very pleasant soak in a hot spring. Warm and relaxed. Both my body and mind feel as though I've had a good night's sleep. All my fatigue is gone."

"Let's go to the Batcave and run another examination."

Bruce made the final decision. It wasn't that he doubted Miaomiao; Batman's need for control simply meant he had to understand everything before he could feel at ease.

Miaomiao wasn't offended. They were human, after all. Curiosity and the urge to investigate were in their nature. It was perfectly normal.

Everyone went to the Batcave together again. The examinations with various instruments confirmed that an unknown energy was slowly circulating through Alfred's body, spontaneously nourishing his aging frame. The energy was extremely gentle and seemed capable of adjusting itself to what his body could currently tolerate, gradually improving it in a quiet, unobtrusive way.

Bruce used the Batcomputer to record the energy's fluctuations and saved them to the Little Merfolk's file.

Meanwhile, with nothing to do for the moment, Dick quickly adjusted his outlook and hovered around Miaomiao, peppering her with questions.

"Miaomiao, sweetheart, are all Merfolk tears this magical?"

"More or less. The stronger the Merfolk, the more spiritual power their pearls contain."

"Then..." Dick suddenly darted in front of Miaomiao's face, opened his mouth wide, and let out a yell in an attempt to scare the Little Merfolk. He paid no attention to the looks everyone gave him as though he were an idiot. "Aren't you afraid that bad people will find out, capture you, and torture you every day to force you to cry?"

Clearly, Dick hadn't yet heard the "story" Miaomiao had told Bruce a couple of days earlier.

So Miaomiao merely gave "baby Dick," who was only in his twenties, a calm, comforting pat. "Don't worry. We Merfolk aren't Little Mermaids who can only sing. If anyone dares lay a hand on us, we'll beat the crap out of them! Besides, Merfolk pearls aren't that easy to get."

"Uh..." Dick blinked, feeling that something was off but unable to put his finger on it. He set that odd feeling aside for now and leaned closer to ask, "What do you mean?"

"For Merfolk tears to prolong someone's life, they have to be shed willingly. If someone tries to obtain Merfolk tears through torture or coercion, they'll only get the opposite result."

Bruce, who had kept an ear on their conversation the whole time, narrowed his eyes. "What would happen?"

Miaomiao's expression turned serious. "Tears a Merfolk sheds in pain also contain spiritual power, but that power is tainted with violence and chaos. Those pearls carry a blood-red gleam. If a human consumes them, it's like being struck by a deadly poison. The rampaging spiritual power will tear through their body. Their body won't be able to withstand such powerful energy, and their organs will go from overactivity to rapid failure in a very short time. In the end, they'll die, beyond saving."

Anyone who dreamed of prolonging their life by harming Merfolk would only hasten their own destruction.