Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics Chapter 5802 - 4825: Kids Take Charge (5)

This year, the snowfall in New York has been particularly early. With a month still to go until Christmas, and temperatures not even fully dipping yet, a bout of sleet followed by a heavy snow has already occurred. The streets have become somewhat muddy, but precisely because of these two snowfalls, this year’s Christmas atmosphere is exceptionally strong.

Shop windows on the commercial streets were early to display Christmas decorations. Various winter clothes hit the shelves ahead of time, and Christmas-themed pop music echoed throughout the streets. Christmas pre-sale activities in many shopping malls have also already started.

Although the Christmas holiday hasn’t been brought forward, many people rushed to malls upon seeing the Christmas discount events, hoping to purchase clothes and gifts for the occasion in advance.

As Arrogance and Greed stepped out of the car, they heard a classic, Christmas-style pop song. Walking into the mall, Arrogance remarked, "Back where we’re from, they’re still playing hymns."

"Gotham’s religious atmosphere is much stronger than New York’s," Greed said. "I know over there, you guys eat holy bread and share holy blood during Christmas. Maybe we could celebrate a traditional Christmas as well?"

"I’d rather not," Arrogance shook his head. "I bet there are very few people here who know that prayer. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with the patience to listen to it all."

"True, especially when my signature dish is on the table," Greed said smugly. "I bet they would start tearing into the roast duck like hyenas before you even finished the first passage."

The two walked into the mall. Today’s main task was shopping for clothes. Apart from the early chill this year and Greed’s lack of preparation in winter wear, Arrogance’s attire was simply too much like a Gotham ambiance device. Wearing that out on the streets, even New York’s snow seemed gloomier by a third.

New York’s large shopping malls are designed to be spacious and bright, primarily in whites and golds, with a touch of elegant ancient Greek style. The hanging red and green Christmas decorations add a modern festive atmosphere. Walking in, Arrogance felt like he had been transported to another world.

Gotham is just too classical and melancholic. Even the large iceberg mall put up by Cobblepot isn’t done in this style; instead, it has a strong Gothic vibe. Dim lighting, mysterious atmosphere—Arrogance has been there several times, akin to visiting a church. Let alone places like universities and opera houses.

Suddenly coming to this 21st-century aesthetic mega mall indeed feels like a time slip. At this point, he heard Greed say, "This mall has investments from Stark Group and the Mutants. I buy most of my casual clothes here. A few of the shops are pretty good..."

"You personally come to buy?" Arrogance asked.

Greed shot him a questioning look, "Who else could I rely on if I don’t? Do you expect me to trust Stark’s fashion sense? Have you seen his armor?"

"What I meant was, don’t they get delivered to you?"

"Do you have to sound so much like a Bourbon Dynasty noble?" Greed couldn’t contain himself, "Do you also have three private tailors and a seasonal wardrobe budget of about twelve thousand francs?"

"By the way," Arrogance smiled, "I just watched ’Camille’ last week."

They entered a store. It wasn’t just a men’s clothing store, but a specific niche cashmere sweater store for men. But when they walked in, the staff seemed rushed, while others were restocking the shelves.

"Oh, Mr. Rodriguez." A manager in a suit came out and said, "Sorry, the seasonal changeover has been too hectic, and we’re a bit short-handed. This is..."

"My brother," Greed said calmly.

"Oh, didn’t realize you were twins. Sized according to yours?"

"Yes, not too heavy. Besides long-sleeve shirts, grab a few vests. Please show me the price list for the cashmere range..."

Arrogance, of course, also wore cashmere sweaters. After all, Gotham isn’t really warm and has gone through several harsh winters. The heating in Gotham University classrooms is still unreliable. To wear a suit or coat decently, cashmere apparel is a must.

However, after viewing the price list, Arrogance gained a whole new perspective on this clothing category. Gothic classic has its upsides, at least the purchasing power of US Dollars is rather classical. Unlike New York, where its value seems somewhat postmodern.

Nonetheless, Arrogance went to try on clothes. Apparently, the two of them had identical body sizes, and Greed’s clothes fit him well. Arrogance picked two turtleneck sweaters, two regular long-sleeve shirts, and three vests.

Greed himself also bought two pieces, recommended by the manager—a new item made from Chinese cashmere goat wool, said to be very good. One was off-white, and the other was a Christmas sweater.

"Honestly, you have to get this," Greed told Arrogance, "If you don’t wear it, you can’t appear at the Christmas party."

Arrogance frowned at the red and green Christmas sweater. The Christmas color scheme wasn’t ugly since the red and green weren’t too bright. But this sweater had the classic Christmas patterns, with red and green stripes as the base and a white reindeer pattern on the chest.

"I send one to Captain America every year," Greed said while checking the receipt, "He always likes it. So I think it might suit your taste as well."

"He and I aren’t from the same era."

"Yes, you’re much older than him, Camille."

In the end, Arrogance didn’t buy the Christmas-patterned sweater. But Greed didn’t mind; after all, they wore the same size, and Arrogance could easily wear it.

Arrogance bought Billy two cashmere sweaters, one of which matched Captain America’s uniform. Billy liked Captain America and could wear it when asking Steve for an autograph.

Then Greed led Arrogance to the coat store. They mostly had casual windbreaker coats, with some more formal woolen coats. Unsurprisingly, Arrogance chose two coats, one black and one gray, while Greed bought two camel-colored windbreaker coats.

"You kind of look like Constantine," Arrogance said bluntly, "He loves wearing these clothes, even the color’s the same."

"Two totally different things," Greed replied, "His kind of belted windbreaker coat is long outdated. These simple styles are what’s trending now."

After paying, Greed planned to head downstairs. Arrogance asked, "Not buying suits?"

Greed looked back as he walked to the elevator, "Your idea of a Christmas party isn’t just everyone sitting at a long table in suits and ties, offering toasts and speeches, right?"

"...Isn’t it?"

"Of course not," Greed said, a little speechless, "Last year’s Christmas party at Stark Mansion was considered quite classy and formal, but no one wore formal attire. Adults wore sweaters and casual pants, kids dressed a bit more flashy. We barbecued in the backyard of Stark Mansion, drinking and grilling while the kids played in the sunset..."

"I see," Arrogance said, "Sounds cozy."

"If you showed up in a suit, you’d look like a fool. More importantly, within two minutes, your clothes would be covered in little handprints from coal dust, mud, snack crumbs, and watercolor paint."

Arrogance seemed to think of something and chuckled, then said, "I should bring Aisha; she’d love this setting."

"So are they planning to spend Christmas at the Origin Wall?"

"Definitely not. Bruce and Selina should take Aisha to visit their grandparents and host a dinner in Battleworld."

"Another Bat Dinner?"

"Not really. The Batmen should be celebrating with their Robins."

"What about Bruce’s Robin?"

"Jason and Tim are studying abroad and probably won’t return for Christmas. Dick will go back to Brude Haven with his parents. The others will all be home."

As they chatted, they arrived at the gift shop. Greed had prepared extra gifts for his friends, mainly to buy things kids would like.

This gift shop was quite large, almost having every major IP’s figurines and merchandise toys. Especially Captain America; upon entering, you’d see a life-sized statue, a wall full of shields, and shelves packed with figurines and flashcards. A swarm of kids chattered away, selecting their favorite gifts.

It’s clear that among children, Captain America remained the absolute favorite. However, it might also be because other superheroes didn’t provide authorization, making him the sole dominator.

Spider Man might allow photos and image rights — as in, if you capture him in New York’s skyline, you can share it — but he hasn’t licensed his image to any company for product manufacturing. Iron Man’s the same; he doesn’t allow any company to produce toys resembling his armor and has already sued several.

There’s a reason for this. If their images become overly commercialized, the authorized companies might redefine them for business needs, which could lead to distortion. For instance, Captain America is often used as a mascot by certain parties. Some even print politically charged messages on Captain America cards to influence children who like the character.

Steve has tried to stop this, of course. But nowadays, it’s impossible for him to control the image entirely. Not to mention the military holds the rights and would never let them go. For years, the public’s understanding and deconstruction of this image have gone beyond his influence. He only warns against those seriously overstepping, leaving the rest to fate.

Nonetheless, Stark Group hasn’t been entirely inactive in the toy business. Howard’s hover cars, although lacking in the automotive field, have dominated the children’s toy market.

Given current technology, making a real car fly isn’t difficult, but the cost is too high. Humans never designed cars with flight in mind; their shape and structure aren’t suited for aircraft.

However, making a toy car fly is much simpler, even extremely feasible. You can play around with stunts cars, racing cars, and spectacle cars. Consequently, hover car toys have become hugely popular among children, and they recently partnered with FIFA for a children’s car race, boasting sky-high ratings, becoming one of the highest revenue departments for Stark Group.