"So you don't have anything important to do today, right?
Otherwise, why would I take guests from another world to see things they normally wouldn't? Do you think they haven't seen enough fighting and killing, or enough men and women tearing each other apart?"
Axel responded to Floyd with an approving look.
After all, if Floyd drove, Axel could sit comfortably in the back with Ciri.
Without hesitation, he opened the front passenger door and waved at Geralt.
"Come on, White Wolf. Your seat's up front."
"Oh?"
Geralt nodded.
"The view from here looks excellent."
He bent down to climb into the passenger seat, but halfway inside, he stopped and stepped back out.
The steel sword and silver sword strapped to his back made it impossible to sit comfortably.
Removing them, he held both swords under one arm and examined the seat.
"Excellent leather, excellent craftsmanship. Very comfortable."
He tapped the seat thoughtfully.
"But I can't sit here with swords on my back. In my world, whether we're riding horses or traveling by carriage, we keep our weapons where they can be drawn instantly.
Your world seems different. Do people rarely carry swords? Otherwise, nobody would design something this inconvenient."
As he spoke, he settled into the seat while holding the Toussaint steel sword and the Lady of the Lake's silver sword.
The Rolls-Royce was spacious by normal standards, but not for two longswords.
The weapons fit inside the vehicle, yet Geralt instinctively kept adjusting them into positions that would allow him to draw quickly.
The result was predictable.
The ends of the scabbards repeatedly poked Floyd's leg.
After watching Geralt reposition the swords countless times, Floyd finally rolled his eyes.
When Geralt adjusted them again, Floyd reached over and pressed both scabbards down.
"Geralt, those antiques aren't very practical in our world."
He grinned.
"Why not leave them at home? If you don't feel safe, I'll give you something we actually use."
Before Geralt could respond, Floyd snatched both swords away.
"We stopped relying on swords a long time ago."
He tossed them through the window to Axel.
"Boss, take these. I'll get Geralt a couple of real toys."
Then he opened the vehicle's gun compartment and handed over a Magnum revolver.
"You can study this for now."
Placing the weapon in Geralt's hand, Floyd continued,
"I'll explain how it works while we drive."
Then he pointed at the barrel.
"First lesson. Don't point that end at anyone."
He paused.
"Though even if you do, it's probably fine. Boss is here. Unless he wants someone dead, nobody's getting hit by a stray bullet."
Floyd laughed.
"Anyway, figure it out while I invite our honored guests into the car."
Axel casually accepted the two swords and used his telekinesis to send them back to his room.
Meanwhile, Ciri had already opened the rear passenger door herself.
Curiosity practically radiated from her as she climbed inside and looked around.
Everything was new.
Everything was fascinating.
Axel followed her into the back seat.
Opening the mini-fridge, he distributed bottles of alcohol.
"Wow, this wine is cold!"
"That's a beautiful bottle!"
"Strong stuff!"
Ciri excitedly examined everything around her.
"Axel, what is this called? Can I take one back with me?"
A moment later, her eyes widened.
"The window moved by itself!"
Then the car started moving.
"It's moving! We're actually moving!"
She pressed herself against the glass.
"This is so much more comfortable than a horse or carriage. It's not bumpy at all!"
"Wow, I..."
"Ciri!"
Geralt finally interrupted.
Holding the Magnum in one hand and whiskey in the other, he shook his bottle.
"Try not to sound so surprised. Look at Axel's expression."
"Wait."
Axel immediately cut in.
"What expression am I supposed to have?"
He pointed toward Gotham.
"I've been looking at the city this whole time. I'm not laughing at either of you."
As he spoke, he casually rested a hand on Ciri's thigh.
"Ciri, enjoy yourself today."
Patting her leg lightly, he smirked.
"Don't worry about your white-haired old father."
Then he added,
"Just kidding. This is my territory. His rules don't apply here."
Raising his bottle, he smiled.
"Cheers. Welcome to Gotham."
Their bottles clinked together.
Across from them, Geralt stared at Axel's hand with a complicated expression before taking a long drink.
After swallowing, he looked straight ahead and muttered,
"Try keeping your hands to yourself, Buddy."
He sighed.
"Even if you're a god, at least don't do that right in front of me."
After a brief pause, he added quietly,
"Maybe you were right. Maybe I really do think of her as my daughter."
"Haha!"
Ciri burst out laughing.
"Geralt, you finally admitted it."
She squeezed Axel's hand between her thighs playfully.
The truth was that her biological father had never occupied much space in her heart.
The years of running, hiding, and surviving had all stemmed from circumstances tied to her bloodline.
Yet those same circumstances had also led her to the people she treasured most.
Geralt.
Vesemir.
Yennefer.
Triss.
Leaning back comfortably, she grabbed Axel's wrist.
"Buddy, what's the point of just touching my leg?"
With a teasing smile, she tried pulling his hand higher.
"Why not try somewhere else?"
Axel laughed.
"That's a very generous offer."
Then he firmly withdrew his hand.
"But let's not traumatize the White Wolf."
He pointed toward the window.
"Replacing that glass would be expensive."
Geralt was already too busy studying the revolver to respond.
While examining the mechanism, he accidentally manipulated the hammer.
Bang!
The gun discharged.
A bullet shot toward the Rolls-Royce's window.
Fortunately, Axel stopped it in midair before it could do any damage.
Startled by the recoil, Geralt stared at the suspended bullet.
Then he picked it up carefully.
"So that's how it works."
Turning the hot projectile over in his fingers, he looked at Floyd.
"The design is surprisingly simple."
He thought for a moment.
"It uses an explosion to launch this small piece of metal, correct?"
Floyd nodded.
Geralt continued,
"If Axel hadn't stopped it, how far would it have traveled? And what kind of armor could it penetrate?"
Floyd immediately understood what he was really asking.
"You're sharp."
He adjusted the steering wheel.
"Yes. That's called a bullet."
He pointed at it.
"Without interference, it would travel hundreds of meters."
Then he grinned.
"And any ordinary armor from your world would be useless against it unless it had powerful magical protection."
Geralt's eyes narrowed.
"What about Quen?"
"Good question."
Floyd laughed.
"We can test that later."
He pointed ahead.
"I'll take you to a shooting range. You can try all kinds of firearms."
Then he added casually,
"We've got weapons that can kill from over two thousand meters away."
Geralt blinked.
"We also have bombs capable of leveling mountains from incredible distances."
Floyd shrugged.
"I won't demonstrate those, but the rifles are fair game."
Then he glanced into the rearview mirror.
"Boss, shooting range first or shopping first?"
"Shooting range."
Axel answered immediately.
"Geralt and Ciri are obviously more interested in weapons."
He casually rubbed Ciri's back.
She nodded eagerly.
"Of course."
A faint blush appeared on her face.
"I want to see what firearms can really do."
"Same here."
Geralt's expression grew serious.
The more he learned, the more unsettling the implications became.
He could already imagine armored knights being killed from hundreds of meters away without ever seeing their attackers.
Against weapons like that, armor became meaningless.
Perhaps that was why swords had vanished from warfare in this world.
Compared to firearms, knights were little more than targets.
As Geralt contemplated this reality, Floyd spoke again.
"Which range?"
He counted on his fingers.
"We've got one behind Roman Manor, one beneath the Iceberg Lounge, and others connected to Fish Mooney's Big Fish operations and Penguin's new Antarctic Club."
"The Iceberg Lounge."
Axel answered simply.
Floyd nodded and turned the car toward Gotham.
As they passed through an area still scarred by the Sky Rail disaster, Ciri looked out the window curiously.
"Something doesn't make sense."
She turned toward Axel.
"Isn't this your territory?"
He nodded.
"Then why is there still so much destruction?"
She gestured toward the damaged buildings.
"You're incredibly powerful. So is Clark."
Her expression became thoughtful.
"I've seen Clark's abilities, but I haven't actually seen much of yours besides catching that giant dragon."
"Wait."
Axel suddenly froze.
"What did you just say?"
Ciri blinked.
"The dragon?"
"Damn it!"
Axel shot upright.
"My dragon!"
His eyes widened.
"I left it in your world!"
A look of horror spread across his face.
"Please tell me it isn't rampaging through the Continent right now."
He groaned.
"Alcohol really does ruin everything."
A burst of fire erupted.
Axel vanished from the car.
Silence filled the cabin.
Ciri stared at the empty seat.
Then she slowly turned toward Floyd.
"Brother Floyd."
"Yes?"
"Is Axel always this impulsive?"
"Pretty much."
Floyd shrugged.
"He's the Boss. He does whatever he wants, whenever he wants."
Then he glanced at the ruined district outside.
"But I can answer your earlier question."
His expression became more serious.
"You're right. Even someone as powerful as Axel can't erase all the ugliness in the world."
He pointed toward the destruction.
"This happened during an attack a few weeks ago."
After a brief pause, he continued.
"Doctor Fate manipulated two young women and used them against the Boss."
"Although Axel resolved the situation quickly, the city still suffered."
The car rolled past damaged streets and reconstruction crews.
"Compared to some places, Gotham got off lightly."
Floyd sighed.
"Another conflict led to a disaster in Washington."
His voice lowered.
"Millions died."
The weight of those words lingered in the air.
Floyd looked out the window.
"Right or wrong doesn't really change the outcome."
He watched workers rebuilding damaged structures.
"A city was devastated."
As the Rolls-Royce continued through Gotham, reconstruction was visible everywhere.
Because Wayne Enterprises and Gotham's criminal organizations had both invested heavily in rebuilding efforts, progress was moving far faster than normal government projects.
Even now, crews worked throughout the city.
One particularly interesting fact had emerged.
When the gangs managed homeless workers by themselves, conditions became abusive and chaotic.
When Wayne Enterprises handled everything alone, many workers simply refused to meet the required standards despite the generous pay.
But when both sides worked together, Wayne Enterprises providing wages and oversight while Penguin's organization enforced discipline, the results were surprisingly effective.
The arrangement shouldn't have worked.
Yet under the combined leadership of Oswald Cobblepot and Lucius Fox, it functioned remarkably well.
Penguin provided authority.
Fox provided resources.
Together, they had formed an unexpectedly efficient partnership.
===
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