Chapter 4979

Soon, Shiler was no longer surprised by the markings, because he directly saw an Atlantean. He could tell because the person made no effort to hide it—skin was cool-toned, ears bore scales, and they even directly controlled water flow from one tank to another, casually grabbing a lobster in the process.

Shiler examined it closely—it was a clawed lobster, known in markets as Boston or Maine lobster, though Gothamites generally call it the "clawed lobster" mainly because lobsters near Gotham's coast have unusually large claws, making them harder to catch. Though this trait should make them more valuable and easier to sell, no one dares to eat them, so they're usually a local fisherman's delicacy, while high-end restaurants use Canadian lobsters instead.

That's why Gotham lobster cooking differs from most others—it's heavily flavored, never steamed plain, usually minced and simmered into soup with strong spices like fennel, nutmeg, and red chili.

After everyone sat down, the first seafood served was indeed lobster soup, though the meat wasn't minced—it looked more like roasted lobster steeped in broth—but there's no doubt it's an uncommon lobster preparation.

"Don't worry, all dishes have passed safety inspection," Carter said. "Please trust us—we worry more about accidents than you do."

"I'm not questioning safety," someone said. "But can lobster prepared this way actually taste good? I've only ever had it served in the shell."

Meanwhile, true Gothamites had already begun ladling the soup.

Gotham hasn't really developed high-end cuisine—its fame lies in street snacks, especially its seafood techniques, which aren't just about enhancing flavor but also sterilization, resulting in a distinctive taste.

Shiler took a sip of the lobster soup. It contained spices, but not heavily—broth had a rich buttery aroma. The lobster was clearly fresh, possibly still alive seconds after hitting the pot, and the meat texture was excellent. Though the heavy seasoning masked any original flavor, the umami fully infused the broth, making it a fine appetizer.

Main courses were king crab, vinegar-glazed sea bass, garlic-roasted shrimp with mushroom sauce, red wine-braised oxtail, and corned beef cheese sandwiches. Dessert featured the famous New York rich cheesecake, apple pie, and Manhattan milkshake.

The meal won everyone over. Fusion of universes is indeed good—though Gotham's prices aren't low, seafood is genuinely cheap. Possibly due to years of no fishing, sizes are consistently huge—even ordinary shrimp look rehydrated, yet the meat isn't tough, likely due to some mutant growth.

As New York is famed for high-end dining and attracts top chefs worldwide to cook its seafood, Progress York citizens are actually well-fed. They enjoy meticulously prepared giant seafood in fine restaurants, and even street eateries are generous with ingredients—even simple baked mussels or clam chowder come overflowing with seafood, rich in flavor.

What Shiler regretted most was the absence of Gotham seafood rice—a local specialty where small, low-value seafood are shelled and crushed with spices, simmered to extract essence, solids strained out leaving only broth, mixed with tomato juice to cook rice, then topped with mussels and clams and a dusting of chili powder—a Gotham signature dish.

However, the appetizer included a full seafood platter: smoked salmon slices arranged like a flower, surrounded by a ring of dried scallop pork leg sausage, then herb crab meat salad, and finally arugula on the outermost layer.

Shiler had seen similar dishes in Gotham—basically a pile of seafood on a plate, with sides depending on today's catch—and this was his favorite of the meal, packed with strong local flavor.

Among New York dishes, the most popular were the corned beef cheese sandwich and rich cheesecake; as for the Manhattan milkshake, few liked it.

The so-called Manhattan milkshake is simply the milkshake sold in that Manhattan area, with key traits: thick, smooth, sweet.

Given the meal's already rich flavors—umami, aroma, spice—adding this thick, sweet milkshake made most people reach for water halfway through, preferring ice water to finishing it.

This is mainly because drinking isn't allowed. The U. S. has no rule against pairing seafood with alcohol, but Carter worries someone might get drunk. If superheroes had no drinking problems, fights could be cut in half.

Fortunately, those who came today have mild tempers and no alcohol dependency—like Iron Man, certain universes' Natasha, and the famous drunkards—none showed up.

The only real hassle? Venom eats way too much. Basically, a symbiote empties the seafood tank—meaning the Atlantean nearby had to sprint, and now only fish bones remain if they were slow.

Right—Venom eats seafood shell-free, spits out fish bones, eats only crab meat, and even with celery, eats only the leaves, not the stalks, chewing then spitting them out. Shiler was about to study which universe this fussy ghost came from when he saw Movie Universe Eddie's face.

No wonder they were tugging at each other at the hotel door—Eddie wanted to take the elevator, Venom wouldn't let him.

Visibly, Eddie was still wrestling with Venom, faintly hearing: "Are you here for the eating contest? Stop eating!" "Nobody stopped me!" "That's because they don't know you!" "Apologize! Apologize now!" and similar lines.

After lunch, it was the hottest part of the day, so they stayed under the canopy chatting, waiting for the heat to pass before slowly walking along the beach.

By then, post-meal drowsiness had faded, the sun was lowering, sand was warm, seawater no longer reflected bright light but became a cradle for the sunset. Walking down the long beach, they saw a lighthouse standing in the distance.

Shiler had never seen Gotham's lighthouse so clearly—usually shrouded in sea fog, only visible as a faint outline in exceptionally clear weather. Today he learned it's red-and-white striped; he'd always thought it was pure red.

He recognized it as Gotham's lighthouse because New York has none here—New York's lighthouses are farther north and differently shaped.

After strolling on the beach awhile to digest, Carter went around chatting with everyone, asking about schedules and food opinions. Shiler also gave feedback, though from Carter's tone, it seemed this universe's Gotham lacks that seafood rice—though similar, it's more Spanish-style. Shiler shared the recipe; Carter decided to find a chef to try it.

But Shiler was also curious how they removed seafood contamination. Carter said: "When we first merged, tests showed some heavy metals exceeded limits, but we cleaned up the chemical plants and brought in Atlanteans for deep decontamination—now it's fine."

"Only heavy metal pollution?"

"Yes. We also had mages check—they said nothing's wrong. Do you feel something's off, Professor?"

Shiler shook his head. He thought it might be due to Earth-Zero's low gravity making Gotham's pollution less severe, or dilution after the merge letting seafood thrive.

But if so, why did the seafood grow so large? This is clearly mutant morphology. Shiler voiced his confusion. Carter said: "It's the Atlanteans' doing. Arthur and Namor somehow set up an ocean farm in the Atlantic—raising fish humans can't farm, and they grow fat and large."

"Yeah," Peter said, walking ahead and turning back, "today's salmon is unnaturally fatty—like they've barely swum since birth."

Shiler hadn't eaten the smoked salmon, but he recalled its color seemed pale, indicating high fat—wish he'd tried it.

"At first they sold it at a premium, but later the two somehow fell out, split into two companies. To compete, one grew bigger, the other cheaper—naturally benefiting humans."

Shiler understood—he said Arthur and Namor can't get along, mainly because Namor has a bad temperament and loves to betray. Co-ruling the Seven Seas, not fighting is already a miracle—how could they cooperate?

But their rivalry truly benefited humanity. This seafood isn't just large—it retains normal texture and undiminished umami, which is rare. If truly unpolluted, Progress York would be a paradise for seafood lovers worldwide—just the plump, tender lobster would draw countless gourmands.

Most interworld visitors gave high ratings, especially on food. Of course, some New Yorkers demanded more New York-style dishes—many classics missing, like various cured and smoked meats, and the classic American barbecue platter.

After walking along the beach awhile, they saw a yacht approach and dock beside the jetty at the endpoint. People boarded, began selecting their preferred fishing gear—this was for night sea fishing.

Shiler hesitated but picked the sturdiest-looking rod. Thor chuckled: "Professor, didn't expect you to like this violent—looks like you're after a big catch."

"You don't understand," Shiler said, slightly worried. "Not catching anything is fine, but if you do, you'd better have a thick rod."

"Afraid of line snap? Then pick a more flexible one—and increase line weight..." Thor said.

Shiler shook his head: "Did you bring Mjolnir?"

"What?" Thor asked. "What's that got to do with Mjolnir?"

Shiler gazed at the sea: "You'll find out soon."