【You have activated the Main Quest: City Construction System – Above Ground Edition, City Roads (1)】

【Gotham boasts one of the world’s leading road infrastructures, thanks to the efforts of the city’s founding families. With its sky rails, elevated trains, and airships, this is a modern city where skyscrapers intertwine with Gothic architecture. However, the road planning is outdated—】

【The city itself is spread across a series of islands connected by bridges. For years, whoever controls these bridges with sufficient force could physically block reinforcements from the central city, effectively isolating and taking control of islands like Blackgate Island, Arkham Island, Lower Gotham, and more.】

^[1]T/N: I will have Nai He island changed to Arkham Island in future updates.

【Your task is to optimize the design of roads connecting the city’s islands to facilitate better commuting and address crises that may arise.】

【Hint: Arkham Asylum is located on Arkham Island, which is connected by three bridges, one of which leads to Gotham County.】

【Hint: Blackgate Prison is located on Blackgate Island, with only one bridge, Sprang Bridge, leading to Gotham’s Old City.】

【Hint: South Hinckley Town is located on Lower Gotham Island, surrounded by three rivers and connected by only one road to Gotham’s Old Town.】

【Quest Reward: 0~900 Diamonds, 10 million gold coins.】

【This task can be completed in phases.】

“Arkham, Blackgate Prison, and South Hinckley Town…” Vivi muttered to herself as she read the hints. It was clear she needed to tackle Gotham’s bridges. “I can understand Arkham and Blackgate, since they house criminals, but why is South Hinckley included?”

She recalled researching South Hinckley—a backward, isolated town with poor transportation. Maybe addressing it was part of a targeted poverty alleviation effort?

Vivi glanced at her next main quest:

【You have activated the Main Quest: City Construction System – Green Spaces Edition, Gotham Green Spaces (1)】

【No one cares about Gotham’s green spaces. As Poison Ivy once said, merchants focus on business, and the lower class struggles to survive. Environmental organizations won’t step foot into this dangerous city. The only ones fighting for the green spaces… are criminals. But now, Gotham has a new mayor.】

【Ensure Poison Ivy follows the green space plans and improves the city’s greenery.】

【Hint: You may use any items to accelerate the progress of this quest.】

【Quest Reward: 0~300 Diamonds, 3 million gold coins.】

Three hours had passed since Vivi activated the alchemy item and completed the previous quest. Now, Poison Ivy was fully absorbed in her experiments, having requested a pot of roses from Vivi for her lab. Ivy had her own laboratory near the botanical garden, but now she wore a timed collar with a bomb, a device Vivi could detonate at any time if needed.

Ironically, after completing her quest, Vivi had 895 diamonds—just five shy of the 900 needed for a ten-pull in the Diamond Pool. She resolved to wait until she could afford it.

Though new main quests had appeared, the completion of the underground task left Vivi feeling strangely empty. She found herself outside Gotham’s botanical garden, hands in her pockets, staring into a nearby puddle.

The rain had stopped, but the city remained damp. On a whim, she lifted a manhole cover and descended into the sewers.

After receiving the blueprints, they had been refined and detailed. Now, designs for the 【Evil-Willed Flowers】 and 【Magic Pipelines】 have been incorporated underground.

The air was cool and fresh—there was no stench. Wastewater flowed through the center, and Vivi stepped onto the concrete walkways. Glancing at the pipes embedded in the walls, she noticed that they gleamed brightly and purified the air. She absentmindedly twirled her own pipe—unlike the standard pipes here, hers was etched with magical runes.

Every corner of the underground system was adorned with red ribbon flowers that swayed as if they were watching her. These were 【Evil-Willed Flowers】that could grow from the【Colorful Street Trees】. Vivi had purchased these from the Coin Store, and they bloomed by absorbing [Malice]. For now, they were mere buds, but once in full bloom, they would serve as surveillance tools, unnoticed by the city’s citizens.

Since there was no one in the new sewers yet, the flowers couldn’t absorb any malice for now.

For Vivi, ensuring the flowers bloomed was more crucial than their surveillance function. If they bloomed, it would narrow down areas of criminal activity by signaling where malicious intent lingered.

Her heels clicked rhythmically against the concrete as she strolled through the tunnels, as though she were taking a leisurely underground walk. The rats, which had been chased away during the construction, were now returning through the murky waters, squeaking in protest as they were swept away by the current.

Humans would die, the underground would improve, but the rats would always thrive, forever part of Gotham’s ecosystem.

As Vivi walked, she dragged one end of her pipe along the ground, drawing meaningless patterns. Yet, she knew that she was actually sketching the Magic Runes she had seen from Mr. C. She had drawn them so many times that she could now recreate them with ease—though, without the proper mercury to activate the runes, the chaotic designs were nothing more than childish scribbles.

She wandered underground for quite a while before circling back to the botanical garden. After briefly getting her bearings, she went to find Poison Ivy.

Ten minutes passed after Vivi had left—perhaps a few hours, though the stillness of the underground made time seem irrelevant—when a gust of wind, or perhaps an invisible hand, swept through the tunnels, lifting the dust ever so gently. The once-chaotic lines etched into the surface began to glow faintly, and the ribbon flowers wrapped around the pipes tightened their buds as if shying away from something unseen.

[Binding]

The underground construction, completed through alchemy, had become even tighter, stronger, and more cohesive. The materials fused together, unbreakable.

…

Just as Vivi climbed out from the underground, she received a call from Tim.

Tim Drake, aka the Wayne Enterprises young CEO, who also moonlights as Robin. Vivi wasn’t very familiar with the young CEO, but she and Robin had crossed paths many times. Their relationship had been a bit awkward during their earlier meeting in the afternoon, but now they had warmed up to each other—so much so that she had unblocked his number.

Tim got straight to the point: “Did you take Poison Ivy out of Blackgate Prison?”

“…Not even a ‘hello’?” Vivi quipped. “You used to be so polite.”

That had been during their early, cautious collaborations. Now that Bruce had laid all his cards on the table and their identities were exposed, there was no more need for pretense. Tim sighed in resignation. “What did you have for dinner?”

“That small talk isn’t necessary.” In truth, she hadn’t eaten anything, but she casually replied, “Ivy and I have reached a harmonious agreement regarding plant protection. We’ve decided to work together to improve Gotham’s green spaces.”

“Poison Ivy…” Tim’s voice, distorted by the phone, carried a note of concern. “She was transformed into what she is now after a malicious accident. She’s killed those who tried to harm her. Maybe she wasn’t inherently evil, but even before becoming ‘Ivy,’ her views were extreme… Anyway, you can work with her, but don’t sympathize. Remember, those vines are toxic.”

“I’m aware,” Vivi replied calmly. “It doesn’t seem like Gotham needs Robin for patrol tonight. Why aren’t you asleep?”

There was a suspicious pause before Tim, a notorious coffee addict, finally answered, “I’m investigating the assassin who infiltrated the East End and tried to kill members of the ‘Iceberg Construction Company.'”

He was referring to the Talon. The Talon had fought Batman and was later captured by the mayor’s people and stored in a freezer beneath City Hall, where he still remained.

“The assassin wasn’t after Batman. He has immortality and is extremely dangerous,” Tim warned, hinting, “It would be best to send him to the Batcave for dissection and study. We have the latest equipment there.”

Vivi: “…”

Technically, that made sense… but Vivi despaired as she thought of a crucial detail. She knew the Talons came from the Court of Owls, and one of them, who had lost his memory, was on the verge of becoming Gotham’s police chief. But Anna Alek, the mayor herself, was also connected to the Court of Owls. If Batman’s side investigated too deeply, it could spell the end of their fragile alliance.

For Vivi, Anna’s backstory was just a background plot device, or perhaps an interesting Easter egg planted by the developers—something the player could eventually discover, realizing they were part of the villainous faction.

But for Batman and his crew…

After some thought, Vivi said, “We’ve got a deal with Poison Ivy now, but Mayor Alek believes that as long as the goal is achieved, the method doesn’t matter. Do you have any candidates like Poison Ivy to recommend for this green space project?”

Tim sighed softly. “Has anyone ever told you that your way of changing the subject is painfully awkward?”

“Well, I don’t mind switching topics again.” Vivi chuckled. “The assassin incident was a while ago. You’ve already done all the investigating. You’re just unable to sleep, right? Having trouble adjusting to the new lifestyle?”

“I’m worried that if I do adjust to this ‘new lifestyle,’ one day I’ll show up to a crisis in pajamas instead of my Robin suit—and end up on the front page of the next day’s news,” Tim joked. “But I do have a few candidates to recommend. However, I’d also like to join this green space project myself—some of these individuals are extremely dangerous.”

“Tonight?”

“Sure,” Tim said, stretching his limbs in the Batcave with a faint smile. “I’ll meet you at the botanical garden.”

“Always spying on this city,” Vivi teased, “One day, a Gargoyle will catch you.”

Waiting outside the lab, Vivi made sure that Poison Ivy was in her line of sight—or rather, under her map’s surveillance. Soon, she noticed [Robin] approaching. It looked like Tim had flown in on the Batwing; his speed was impressive.

Just as she raised her head, Vivi saw a dark shadow overhead. A gargoyle swooped down like an arrow, its claws gripping the boy clad in Robin’s uniform.

Tim, captured by the Gargoyle: “…”

Vivi, utterly confused: “?”

Tim coughed awkwardly. “I think it’s because I stepped on someone’s roof and got mistaken for an intruder.”

Though the humans below hadn’t noticed Robin’s arrival, the skyward sentries had reacted swiftly. The gargoyle, ever so diligent, had caught Robin by his cape as it swooped down, its talons clutching a balloon string along with it.

…

Blackgate Prison – Psychiatric Ward.

After the Joker, that major headache, disappeared, and the environment in Blackgate Prison had improved significantly, especially on the mental health front. Even the number of guards who needed to see a psychiatrist after their shifts had noticeably decreased.

Without the Joker—who was despised even by the other inmates—things became much more peaceful.

However, after Poison Ivy left the prison and showed no signs of returning, the atmosphere inside started to grow peculiar.

At 4 a.m., the doors to the third level of the psychiatric ward opened one by one, though the guards remained outside. After a long pause, two people stepped in.

One of them, Tim, adjusted his domino mask and glanced over at Vivi, feeling a bit uneasy:

With Vivi glancing around like a shady business owner and himself playing the role of the foreman bringing her to inspect potential laborers, it felt as if Robin and the NIghtwatch—Gotham’s righteous vigilantes—weren’t such good guys after all!