hotmtlnovel Chapter 3783 Negotiations (Part 1)
Chapter 3783 Negotiations (Part 1)
Chapter 3783 Negotiations (Part 1)
Because Schiller had gathered everyone on the bridge and then wiped them out in one fell swoop, the League of Assassins and the Court of Owls' forces on the East Coast were essentially wiped out. Talia and Dick may not be dead, but they won't be able to cause any more trouble for the time being.
The main universe Batman stays behind to restore order to this Gotham universe. The Arkham universe Batman, carrying the mind of the Silent Batman, goes to find a new body.
The situation in Gotham in this universe isn't as bad; it's clearly salvageable, so of course, the two Maniacs can't be allowed to duel here. Arkham Batman also took the two Maniacs with him and sent them to the Broken Bat's universe.
That Gotham in that universe is basically beyond saving; hardly anyone's left, making it a perfect dumping ground for dog poop. The Broken Bat, currently using the body of the Angel of Death, is busy exploring the Battle Realm and doesn't care about his own home. That's the perfect place for the two Laughing Ones.
Batman and the Jokers were quite interested to see what these two maniacal laughs would amount to. However, for now, it seems to be nothing more than a squabble between two disabled people.
The one using Elliott's body has received virtually no training, and his physical abilities are only slightly better than an average person. The one using the Silent Batman's body is even worse; his lumbar spine is severely damaged, and even the Batman Who Laughs's healing abilities might not be able to fix it, meaning he may be confined to a wheelchair for a long time.
Unfortunately, both of them are still alive, so it's impossible to resurrect another one for the time being. At their current level, even leaving the Earth's surface is difficult, let alone traversing the multiverse. By the time they gradually recover and develop, the multiverse will likely be a completely different place.
What intrigued Schiller was that if they both possessed the ability to predict, and could anticipate each other's actions—"I predicted your predictions, and your predictions were predicted"—wouldn't that allow them to predict forever? Wouldn't that effectively trap them both?
Indeed, the only thing that can deal with a predictive monster is another predictive monster. It's best for two people to have endless interactions, using all their skills on each other instead of bothering each other.
Coming to the Broken Bat universe for a mission was an unplanned part of the whole thing. Schiller was busy recruiting students for his newly built magic school and was supposed to talk to Batman in the main universe first, but he had to stay in the Silent Batman universe to restore order and couldn't get away for the time being. Schiller could only consider other universes.
Greed didn't understand this world very well, and he also found many of its universes absurd. Furthermore, through the events of these two universes, he discovered that the darker and more dangerous the universe, the more twisted Batman became. Such dangerous elements absolutely could not be brought into his own universe.
So it would be best to find a Batman who is safe in the universe, lives a happy life, and is mentally sound; it would be even better if he were sunny and cheerful. Otherwise, Schiller is afraid the Massachusetts sun will melt them.
While there are many dark Batmen, there are also plenty of sunny ones. Among them, the one who gets along best with Greed is the LEGO Batman.
The LEGO Batman holds a highly respected position among the Batmen, not just because he talks a lot, but also because his parents are permanent residents of the Battlegrounds, and they are a happy family of three. Other Batmen, though they don't say it, are quite envious.
The Batmen's birthplace is a cave, which has now been rebuilt to a considerable size. The Batmen frequently travel between various locations, bringing back a lot of materials and high-tech equipment, and engaging in various technological exchanges.
While this place serves as a transit point between instances, it's also a large research institute. Whenever their research in this universe encounters problems, many Batmen choose to come here to seek help from their counterparts. After all, who understands their research better than themselves?
The Batmen maintain a relatively distant relationship, and the honeycomb-like terrain of the caves effectively ensures their privacy. Aside from the shared high-tech labs, most Batmen are assigned a cave space to create their own Batcave.
The cave's terrain is so complex that only Batman can remember who's in which cave. Any outsider would quickly get lost.
However, the LEGO Batman's residence is quite conspicuous, as he only used a small portion of the very center of the enormous cave space. But for his size, it's already an incredibly luxurious castle.
Wearing red striped velvet pajamas, the LEGO Batman is reclining in a rocking chair, making a phone call. Though small in stature, his voice is quite loud:
“Oh, yes. I’ve always objected to him using cattail fluff for flower arranging; it really bothers my nose. But you know, I can’t object to my dear mother… Dick! Are you messing with that damn motorcycle engine again?!”
Lego Batman struggled to do a sit-up and yelled toward the door. Just as he was about to say something more, he saw a giant boot walk past the door.
"Hey, you bastard! I told you not to pass by here!" Lego Batman yelled, sticking his head out of the window.
“Uh, sorry.” This was a Batman who looked quite young. He said, “When I came out of the cave, I thought no one was here.”
He crouched down, peering curiously through the window. The Lego Batman punched him in the nose, raised his fists, bounced back and forth a couple of times, and said, "Get away from me, kid!"
Because of his small size, he didn't cause any harm. The young Batman rubbed his nose and said, "Okay. I'm sorry. I'll be going now."
“Oh, isn’t this our wise and mighty lord?” Dick skipped in, saying, “You’ve defended our territory once again! Batman! I admire you so much!”
Lego Batman coughed twice, lay back in the recliner, and picked up a book from the side to read. Suddenly, he heard two beeps on the Battle Realm interface, clearly indicating a new message. He quickly opened it and found a message from a name that was both strange and familiar:
"Mr. Batman: I am Schiller Rodriguez. My universe has established the Ilvermorny Academy of Magic, which is now open to students from all multiverses in both worlds. I hope you will come to discuss this further. Universe ID..."
Lego Batman glanced at the screen quickly, closed it, and said, "How come there are still people sending spam messages in the Fighting World these days... Wait, what academy?!"
He jumped up from the recliner in a flash, reopened the interface, read it carefully, and his eyes began to sparkle.
"A magic academy?! A place to study magic?!"
A beautiful scene appeared before LEGO Batman's eyes: he was wearing a magnificent wizard's robe, a tall wizard's hat, and with a casual wave of his staff, all those annoying passing Batmen fell flat on their faces.
The Lego Batman laughed, but hesitated a bit when it came time to reply. After thinking for a moment, he replied: "Read. How do I report in?"
The message was quickly replied to: "Please discuss this in detail in the following universe." This was followed by a universe number.
The LEGO Batman frowned slightly, as if considering whether it was a trap. Dick, however, curiously leaned closer and asked, "What's wrong, Your Excellency?"
“Uh, I don’t want to be so immodest.” Lego Batman flicked his cape and said with a mysterious air, “A super magic academy spanning two great worlds and countless multiverses sent me an invitation…”
"A magic academy?!?" Dick screamed. He immediately leaned in, pressed his head against the LEGO Batman's face, and looked at him sideways, saying, "You mean you got accepted into a magic academy, and you'll become a super cool wizard?!"
“Don’t say that, Dick.” The Lego Batman slowly walked to the sofa and sat down. He picked up his glass and said, “It’s not about being cool. It means a heavy responsibility. As Batman… no, not all Batmen can do it, but I can. I have to shoulder this responsibility. It’s a very heavy, serious, and inescapable responsibility…”
“If you’re not going, I will!” Dick shouted at him.
“No, Dick. You still don’t understand the essence of magic.” Lego Batman stood up, spun around on one leg, put one hand on his hip, and leaned back on the sofa. “Magic requires talent. Without talent, you can never become a magician. The fact that I received this invitation means I have unparalleled magical talent. And you… don’t be too sad. You can practice your motorcycle driving skills.”
Dick squinted, then stomped his foot in frustration. Lego Batman, however, hummed a tune as he went upstairs, muttering, "Wizards always wear robes. I need to see which color suits me best..."
Meanwhile, Batman from the *The Great Adventures of the Wayne Family* universe also received a message. However, his message was longer and more detailed. The beginning was similar to the message sent to LEGO Batman, but the latter part included some additional explanations:
"...Your universe boasts beautiful scenery and excellent security, making it an ideal location for our world's negotiations. I will be visiting you in three days. I sincerely hope you will grace us with your presence..."
"A magic school?" Batman narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "Could it be that magicians can really be mass-produced? But I've heard that Batman seems to have a hard time studying magic. Is this really plausible?"
Superman placed a drink in front of Batman and said, "What magic? You're researching magic again?"
Wonder Woman, standing nearby, perked up her ears. She pushed herself up in her office chair, moved closer to the desk, circled around it, and said, "I don't think you need to worry too much about not having magical talent. Wasting too much time on such a vague thing is pointless."
"Who says I don't have magical talent?!" Batman scoffed, then squinted at the message.
"Alright, alright. I just wanted to say that I've never heard of magicians being trained in schools. It probably won't be very effective anyway. Don't be too sad if this doesn't work out."
"It's a bit too early to comfort me," Batman said, raising his voice. "Maybe I have magical talent in another world?!"
Wonder Woman waved her hand dismissively, took a sip of her soda, and said, "The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment. I'm not trying to discourage you, but looking at the situation in another world, it might not be much better than here. Of course, if you want to go, we will definitely support you."
“But what will happen to Gotham if you go to school in another universe?” Superman asked a very practical question. “I’m not saying you can’t go to school, but if you could really give up Gotham and do something else, you wouldn’t be here as Batman now.”
"I didn't go there to fulfill some sorcerer dream," Batman said after thinking for a moment. "Magic is a very magical power, and it would be best to have it in one's own hands. You may not know, but the situation in the multiverse is becoming increasingly complex..."