Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Hope Diamond
"You seek love. It's all any of us want."
- Thor (Thor: Love and Thunder)
...
"Trust me, Starfire, I really want to see you too. I've thought about you every moment for the past two months."
Dick said this to Starfire with deep affection on his face.
"If I could, I would fly the Batplane to Titan Tower to see you right now. But..."
"I can't leave Gotham right now because of what's going on there."
Dick shook his head helplessly.
"Batman went on a secret mission with the Justice League and hasn't been in touch for a few months. He might not even be on Earth anymore; no one knows when they will come back."
"In other words, the only ones protecting Gotham during this time are me and Batgirl. Batgirl is new to this line of work, she has great potential, but she doesn't have enough experience to deal with the dangerous supervillains in Gotham.
"Also, there's a new criminal who claims to be a Phantom Thief in Gotham recently, and I feel like he's hiding a lot of secrets."
"I'm sorry, but until Batman returns, I have to stay in Gotham."
After hearing Dick's words, Starfire lowered her head in sadness.
"Well, Robin, I heard that you're about to have a spring break, and I thought we could see each other more."
She stopped for a moment, and she suddenly looked up and asked, "Maybe I can bring the Titans to Gotham to help? If the situation in Gotham is so bad, wouldn't it be better to have more people to help?"
"What? Let the Titans come to Gotham? Absolutely not!"
Upon hearing this, Dick's emotions immediately became anxious.
"You don't understand Gotham. It would be a huge disaster if they messed around here. Trust me, the Titans aren't ready to face this city."
Dick's response startled Starfire, and as soon as he realized it, he quickly softened his tone.
"I sincerely appreciate your kindness, Starfire, but don't worry. I can handle everything here."
"I promise I'll go to Titan Tower to see you as soon as Batman returns."
Dick assured Starfire
"After living on Earth for so long, I still can't understand the thoughts of you humans."
Starfire sighed and said something in distress.
Yes, although Starfire's body and appearance are not much different from humans, she is not from Earth.
Her real name was Koriand'r, and she came from a planet called Tamaran in the Milky Way galaxy, where she used to be a princess of the Tamaraneans.
The reason she said "used to" is because the Tamaran civilization has been destroyed, and only a small number of survivors are scattered throughout the galaxy.
Starfire arrived on Earth as a refugee during those times.
On the day she arrived on Earth, she coincidentally encountered Dick patrolling with the Teen Titans, and they rescued her.
That's how she became a member of the Teen Titans.
It was also because of that incident that Starfire and Dick became friends for the first time, which slowly grew into a romantic relationship.
This is also Dick's longest-lasting relationship.
For Starfire, he had almost cut off contact with all his former girlfriends.
Although Starfire, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall, and Dick, who is just 5 feet 10 inches tall, might not seem like a compatible pair...
Anyway, after ending the call, Dick stared in the direction of New York and got lost in thought.
The Titans Tower is currently located on Manhattan Island in New York.
Dick wasn't lying to Starfire, and he really wanted to return to Titans Tower as soon as possible.
It wasn't just for Starfire; he enjoyed his time with the Teen Titans more than always fighting criminals in Gotham.
But Gotham was also a responsibility for Dick, and at this moment he had to stay for now.
"...I've wasted enough time. It's time to have a serious talk with Rupert Thorne."
Looking at the time, Dick's expression turned serious as he shifted back into his Robin persona.
The night was still young...
A few days later,
Gotham City, the Calculator's secret hideout
Ignatius came here for the second time.
Unlike before, this time he didn't knock on the door or take out a Rubik's cube. He simply stood at the entrance, and the door to the room automatically opened.
As for why he had come here again, it was naturally to collect the goods.
Felix left the Stone of Misfortune in Calculator's hands in the hope that Calculator would sell it on his behalf.
The Calculator himself wasn't in Gotham, so naturally the Stone of Misfortune wasn't in Gotham either.
So when Ignatius first came, he only negotiated the deal and paid a deposit. He hadn't officially paid for or received the goods yet.
"Is the 'Stone of Misfortune' inside that box?"
Ignatius walked inside and immediately spotted a sealed box on the table where the monitor was placed.
The box had a strange material, like wood but also like stone, and faintly had a metallic shine.
There were also mysterious symbols engraved on it that he couldn't figured it out.
At first glance, it had a strong, dark magic vibe.
"Yes, this is the 'Stone of Misfortune' that even Felix took seriously."
The Calculator was still communicating remotely through the monitor, as he wasn't physically there.
He wondered how the Calculator managed to transport the box inside here.
"Just a friendly reminder, if you don't want to die, don't open the box."
The Calculator warned
"That box is the containment vessel used by Felix to suppress the magic of the 'Stone of Misfortune'. Whoever opens the box and touches the stone will suffer from the deadly curse."
Ignatius had heard that the box could stop magic from working, but he was still afraid to pick it up.
"I have already received Penguin's payment, and you can take the Stone of Misfortune with you now."
After saying that, Calculator didn't care whether Ignatius took the box or not. He immediately disconnected from the server, and the monitor shut down automatically.
Ignatius looked at the box containing the Stone of Misfortune on the table, hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth, carefully picking up the box.
Nothing happened.
Ignatius breathed a sigh of relief and left Calculator's hideout.
The next day, a news article once again dominated the headlines of major newspapers.
A few days ago, the cancelled 'Hope Diamond' exhibition suddenly had plans to open up again!
As everyone knew, the 'Hope Diamond' was a world-famous "Cursed Diamond," with all its previous owners meeting mysterious deaths, and it wasn't until it was donated to the Smithsonian Museum in New York that the curse ended.
It had a history of nearly half a century.
Although the story of the curse and death may have been fabricated for publicity, it doesn't change the fact that it is one of the most famous diamonds in the world.
Interestingly, during this time, there is a mysterious thief named Phantom Thief who is obsessed with stealing valuable treasures in Gotham.
With the Hope Diamond being so famous, it's likely that this thief will probably want it.
The question is whether or not the famous curse on the 'Hope Diamond' will stop this thief.
...
A/N: If we reach 2,100 power stones today, I will release an additional chapter tomorrow.
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