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"Is it really impossible?"
Not long after, Reid drove back onto Thomas Bridge.
The conversation with Falcone had ended, and the answer was clear.
Out of gratitude to Thomas Wayne, the Falcone family was willing to help Wayne Enterprises fend off external threats at this time. However, regarding the internal affairs of Wayne Enterprises, they refused to intervene—at least not until the dust had settled.
Reid couldn't discern what exactly the Falcone family knew. Perhaps it was due to pressure from other families in Gotham, or perhaps it was related to the Court of Owls, a shadowy entity that even Reid knew little about.
But the Falcone family had made their stance abundantly clear: they were powerless in this matter.
And with even the Falcone family unable to offer assistance, Reid found himself utterly alone in this Gotham he had summoned into existence.
'I've never seen a transmigrator start off this badly—even with a system in tow. Let's just head back to Wayne Manor for now.'
Reid had more or less anticipated the lack of support from Gotham.
In fact, the moment he realized he didn't hold any real power over Gotham, he knew he would have to take matters into his own hands.
How the real Alfred in the comics managed to safeguard the Wayne family's assets during Bruce Wayne's seven-year absence remained a mystery to Reid.
He wasn't a die-hard comic book fan who had read every issue, but after seeing the stances of Earle and Falcone, he had come up with his own plan—a high-stakes gamble. If he won, it would break the deadlock entirely. If he lost, he might as well kill himself and start over.
Calming himself, Reid began to channel the intelligence of Alfred—an intellect that rivaled both Batman and the Joker in its own way. The Alfred he portrayed was a blend of the classic guardian and the darker iteration who once played the Joker, joining his young master in a twisted Dark Knight game.
Summing up everything he had experienced since arriving in the Marvel universe, Reid realized that to break the stalemate, he needed two things: a guest and a transformation of his own.
"The guest should already be here."
When Reid drove back to Wayne Manor, he indeed found a visitor waiting at the manor gates.
A smile appeared on Reid's face.
Given the current situation, it was impossible for anyone within Gotham to visit Wayne Manor, especially when only a butler resided there. The only plausible visitor had to be someone from outside Gotham with a connection to Reid.
"Good day, sir. May I ask what brings you here?"
Without directly revealing his identity, Reid assumed the role of a butler and approached the visitor.
Opposite him, Tony Stark studied the elderly gentleman before him, comparing him to the photo in his hand. After confirming it was the person he was looking for, he smirked.
"Good day, Mr. Pennyworth. Have you ever considered changing jobs?"
"What?"
Tony's completely unconventional remark caught Reid off guard, shattering the previously enigmatic atmosphere into pieces.
Inside Wayne Manor, Tony let out a deep sigh.
"To think that Alfred would be so loyal to the Wayne family. But do you really believe that Bruce Wayne will return someday?"
It took Reid some time to convince Tony that he wouldn't leave the Wayne family—at least not as Alfred. Whether Reid himself might leave in the future was another matter entirely.
As for Tony's skepticism about Bruce Wayne's return, whether due to the role he was playing or his own confidence, Reid had only one response.
"Of course. I have always believed in Master Wayne."
Ding!
[Congratulations to the host for raising the role-play card's performance level to 40%. Reward: one direct system notification.]
The system's voice echoed in Reid's mind, but by now, he was used to it. At this point, even if the system claimed it had an upset stomach the previous night, Reid wouldn't bat an eye.
On the other hand, realizing that Alfred had no intention of becoming the Stark family's butler—and that money alone wasn't enough to win him over—Tony finally got down to business.
"....."