Rodriguez Manor, also formerly known as Viscount Manor. Tim was watching a holographic projection set up by Brainiac, arms crossed, legs propped on the footstool in front of the sofa. Harley was absentmindedly stirring her coffee.
A figure pushed open the door, prompting a chorus of shrieks: "Close it, close it, it's soaking wet!"
Pamela turned around to shut the door, tossed a big bag of snacks onto the sofa, and then said, "The water outside hasn't receded yet. Why did you call me over so urgently?"
"How are the farmlands doing?" Tim was most concerned about people's livelihoods, "Isn't it that a few acres in the suburbs were flooded?"
"Nothing major," Pamela said, "It might cause a slight reduction in yield, but they're just experimental fields. Besides, some of them are still fine, so it's not too much of an issue."
"Where's Dick?" Pamela glanced around and asked, "Why are there only the two of you?"
"He's gone to pick someone up," Tim said, "We don't have enough people here. He's fetching the first batch of students from Mercury Academy, he should be back soon."
Pamela sighed, "There's never a day of peace."
She sat down on the sofa, vigorously stuffing logs into the fireplace, hoping to dry the omnipresent dampness. Unfortunately, the water vapor brought by the storm wasn't so easily dispelled, and the fog outside only grew thicker.
"Have you guys seen this?" Tim looked at the holographic projection and said, "Brainiac's game system is quite interesting."
Pamela raised an eyebrow and leaned in for a look.
"Fog Realm?" Pamela exclaimed the name and then said, "It sounds like it has some connection to Professor Shiller."
"It's inspired by the professor," Tim said, "The usual dungeon format is just so repetitive. Brainiac wanted to create something different, so he referenced Professor Shiller's gray mist and Gotham's inner world to craft a 'mounting system.'
"What does that mean?" Pamela asked, "How's it different from a dungeon?"
"Simply put, it's like making a dungeon replica of your city, just like Gotham's inner world. All game missions are completed in the inner world, where you can modify various parameters and change modes to achieve your desired effects."
"Sounds kind of interesting." Harley put a fry into her mouth, "The biggest problem with the Battleworld is that there are not many reality-based dungeons. Even if they exist, they vastly differ from the real world we live in. Either there's no magic, or even technology hasn't developed much. I've never seen a fully simulated realistic dungeon."
"Because it's a bit difficult to implement, and players may not be willing," Tim said, "In the later stages of Battleworld, there were few crossings into real universes because many players protested that it infringed on their privacy. Eventually, even reality-based dungeons weren't made anymore, and if they were, they had to include a ton of disclaimers."
"The main protester is Batman," Harley complained, "Keeps saying it might expose their tactical arrangements on Earth, allowing ill-intentioned people to understand Earth too well, which isn't a good thing."
"He has a point," Tim said, "If you move a real Gotham into a dungeon without limiting playtimes, it could indeed allow some people to conduct tactical drills there, making it easier to invade Gotham. This is also why the New Earth mode was shelved."
"So what's different about this mounting system now?" Pamela asked.
"Only those in this universe and invited ones can enter, similar to a private server set up for a specific player group. Plus, the data doesn't have to be uploaded to Brainiac's network and can be entirely localized."
"How does that benefit Brainiac?"
"There's no harm to him because the server setup is for players to handle themselves; Brainiac only provides the idea and technology. All practical implementation must be done by the players themselves."
"Isn't this too bold?" Pamela expressed some concern, "Can players really handle it? Won't it cause any trouble?"
"Players need to be screened, of course, and currently, it's only by internal invitation." Tim crossed one leg over the other and said, "And Brainiac has already set up our universe's Fog Realm system for them to experience the game. I've also invited some players."
"Weren't we supposed to find Dr. Manhattan?" Harley said, "I thought we were going to have fun at his amusement park."
"His amusement park hasn't opened yet, don't you know?" Pamela grabbed a bag of chips, munching as she spoke, "Last time we played there once, and it blew up, still hasn't been fixed."
"That's his lack of skill." Harley showed no self-awareness, "Should have expected someone like Lucifer would show up when you launch a server. Not being prepared, it's no surprise it blew up."
"Can Brainiac withstand Lucifer?"
"The Professor can definitely stop Lucifer." Tim smirked, "Besides, Lucifer surely has no interest in a fully simulated realism dungeon. Why would he come? To open a bar?"
Pamela nodded, thinking Tim made a fair point. In fact, she thought Lucifer wasn't very interested in such games. Last time, Anatoli simply dragged him along, and after playing, he might be even less interested.
"Doctor Manhattan's intention to target this universe is certainly not just for revenge; it's also to stop Brainiac from stealing his business. So, we need to promote Brainiac first," Tim said. "I've invited Robins from several universes, and they're enough."
"Batman also agreed?" Pamela was a bit surprised.
"There's no reason to disagree," Tim said. "In fact, Batman hopes for a training ground that replicates reality completely, which would help him test tactical arrangements. I've heard from Robins from other universes that Batman has been subtly probing Brainiac several times, asking what's going on in our inner world. Unfortunately, Brainiac arrived late, and he doesn't know either."
"The inner world can indeed play a greater role in Batman's hands, rather than just expanding residential areas like in our universe. If we manage to rebuild a Gotham City, it would serve as a mirrored redundancy, proving tremendously useful in times of crisis," Harley said.
"Little Bruce is still clever," Tim said. "He knows Batman is the highest net-worth consumer in the cosmos. If he's willing to pay for something or spend his energy on it, then the Batman Family, the Justice League, and all forces on Earth will have to follow his pace. There's absolutely no worry about players."
"This is just the first step, right?" Pamela asked, "If you're providing ideas and technology for free, it can only be said you're earning a reputation. What does he plan to focus on developing?"
"Of course, it's the Multiverse Communication System, which is the strength of Electronic Life," Tim said. "His goal is to put all Brainiacs from various universes under his control, forming a communication network across the multiverse, ultimately monopolizing the communications industry in the multiverse."
"Perhaps there's also a multiverse media network?" Harley said. "The Doujie communication system is actually good, but its social and entertainment attributes are still lacking, and there are too many requirements that are bothersome."
After the Battleworld became more official, the restrictions increased. For instance, teleportation portal landing spots had many prohibitions. New portals were very hard to approve, and old ones needed relocating. Many players also complained.
The restrictions on the communication system were also quite stringent. No images or videos could be sent, video calls couldn't be made in real-time, and voice calls had some delays. Basically, only the text message system was relatively smooth.
Those entertainment functions aren't impossible to create, but the current Doujie System is already quite bloated. To expand the communication part to perfection, more maintenance personnel are needed, yet it's challenging to hire new employees. Angels are almost running out.
Brainiac is precisely the most suitable candidate for this. As Electronic Life, he can maintain himself and is best at optimizing programs. Once he assimilates all the Brainiacs from the multiverse, the multiverse will come alive. All the individual universes will behave like they're operating within him.
The information they transmit will be electrical signals within Brainiac's body, and their collective will form Brainiac's brain. At that point, the multiverse will be Brainiac, and Brainiac will be the multiverse.
Of course, achieving such an ambition will take a very long time. The current small goal is to first perfect the Fog Realm to attract Batman, this big client.
The saying "to win over the parents, start with the children" applies here. Tim used his connections to call in some Robins. Letting Robin test the waters naturally shows Batman the value of this system.
"I'm more curious about how Brainiac achieved this," Harley said. "Building a world within an electronic system isn't difficult, but how do you mount it onto the real world? Is that possible?"
"Since it's called the Fog Realm, Professor Shearer's help is naturally needed," Tim said. "Professor Shearer has a Grey Ring, which conveniently has the ability to 'transform illusion into reality,' similar to turning ideas into reality. Brainiac has utilized the Gray Lamp Beast Mist Dragon to enable the construction and mounting of the Fog Realm."
"I see," Harley realized, sipping her coffee. "Professor Shearer is actually interested in this matter. Is this his plan?"
"You're overthinking it. The Professor never has any plans. Although he hasn't revealed his true purpose, both Brainiac and I feel that he couldn't stand the delay in Doujie communication any longer."
"That really sounds like him," Pamela commented, "He's the kind of person who could overhaul the entire Earth's power system just so he could watch TV better."
With a "slam," the door was opened again. Dick entered with a few people—Cassandra, Blue Beetle Ted, and Heavenly Sign Lilith. These were members of the first cohort of the Mercury Academy, and most are now working on Krypton.
"I've arrived," Dick said. Hastily, the others urged him to close the door. But just in such a short moment, the chips on the table visibly lost their crispness.
The group sat down. Blue Beetle looked at Tim and said, "Brainiac mentioned someone wants to frame me; how is the investigation going?"
"Probably Doctor Manhattan, but there's no evidence. The way your strengths manifest does resemble each other slightly."
"But I have evidence." Ted directly brought out the Blue Beetle. "The Blue Beetle is a technological creation; Brainiac can read its logs. With Brainiac's ability, he should be able to see we haven't used any disguise ability."
"No need," Tim waved and said. "There's no grievance between you and Cobblepot, no motive whatsoever, so you were never among my suspects. And when it comes to dealing with Doctor Manhattan, evidence is irrelevant."
Ted raised his eyebrow, surprised at Tim's attitude. Tim glanced at everyone, then said, "Factional struggles among the multiverse have no right or wrong. Doctor Manhattan may seem like a villain, but isn't Brainiac the same?"
"Moreover, Batman, who has to tighten control over each universe to prevent multiverse disasters, may also appear like that kind of interventionist tyrant, right? These matters are never about right or wrong, only about striking first and avoiding becoming the victim."