Chapter 413: Everything Begins with Winter (Part 2) (Patreon)

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"Wine Pool... Gotham Cathedral..."

A well-defined hand skimmed through one book after another. Suddenly, it paused on a book titled "The Construction History of Gotham City," and the index finger hooked onto the spine, taking it down from the bookshelf.

Another hand gently brushed off the dust from the cover. After opening the book, following the table of contents, a voice sighed softly.

"Gotham Cathedral... found it."

Outside row after row of bookshelves, a meticulously dressed old butler carried a tray and walked over. He stood between two rows of bookshelves, looking at Bruce, who was engrossed in reading in front of the bookshelf, and said, "Sir, it's tea time. Shall I bring the tea over?"

"No... thank you, Alfred." Bruce didn't raise his head, still focused on reading about Gotham Cathedral in the book. After a pause, he said, "Just put it on the table over there, I'll come over later."

Bruce stood there for a while, feeling that the lighting in this area was dim, and some details of the drawings on the pictures were not clear. So he took the book and walked out of the bookshelf, coming to the nearby lounge area and sitting down on a chair.

Alfred stood at the table, took out the meal from a nearby trolley, and then took out a teapot to brew the tea. Bruce kept his head low, reading the book, and the sound of tea being poured into the cup accompanied Alfred's voice.

"Sir, it seems like you've been indulging in research related to magic and mysticism recently?"

"Mm." Bruce replied. In private, he spoke less, but when facing Alfred alone, his tone was more relaxed, and he was willing to explain some things.

"Constantine showed me another possibility of magic. The kind of projection he used looked more like a technology. I'm wondering if magic could be a form of energy that can be utilized, just like thermal energy and kinetic energy..."

When Alfred heard the name Constantine, his brows slightly furrowed. Bruce keenly noticed his expression and said, "I know there's nothing commendable about Constantine except his knowledge of magic."

"Curiosity and thirst for knowledge are good traits, sir." Alfred replied with a hint of ambiguity, and then he said, "But I'm not quite sure if he sees any value in you..."

This sentence used several weakening particles. Bruce understood that Alfred was tactfully reminding him that Constantine might have ulterior motives. As Batman, he was well aware that just by observing Constantine's past actions, it was enough to raise his vigilance.

Although this scumbag didn't have any good habits, there was no doubt that his mind was very sharp. He formulated several plans and executed them simultaneously, not only without interfering with each other but also progressing rapidly. If it weren't for a small accident at the end, every one of his objectives would have been achieved.

Bruce was facing someone like this for the first time, and he had to admit that besides magic, he was also interested in Constantine's way of doing things.

"And, sir, you should consider Aisha and Dick. They're still young and in need of the care of their elders." Alfred hinted, "Guidance and protection for children are crucial at this age. Once there's a loophole, it could lead to serious consequences."

Bruce nodded. He believed Alfred had a point, but he didn't pay much attention to it. Leaving aside the fact that Aisha and Dick were not ordinary children, the security system in Wayne Manor was enough to protect the two of them.

Bruce continued holding the book and pointed to a line of text, murmuring to himself, "It is recorded here that a certain Father conducted fundraising for the restoration of the cathedral. Not only did Falcone and his gangster family donate a large amount of wealth, the Wayne family also participated, as well as the major business families of Gotham..."

Frowning, he muttered, "What is so special about the cathedral? Could it be related to the underground Wine Pool?"

Apart from Constantine, the only thing he could get close to, which was somewhat related to magic, was the cathedral and the Wine Pool underneath it. Therefore, after being unable to continuously track Constantine due to daily routines, Bruce switched his perspective and started investigating locally in Gotham.

The Wayne family possessed a vast collection of books, including those documenting the history of Gotham's construction. Among these books, Bruce found many clues, but they couldn't be connected. So, he decided to conduct an on-site investigation.

After absentmindedly passing through tea time, Bruce hastily left, leaving the book on the table.

Alfred, who was tidying up the tea and tableware, glanced at the cover of the book.

The font on the book cover was a simple cursive style usually used for shop signs and names. At this moment, the curves of the strokes slowly transformed into a short name - "Hal Jordan."

As Schiller lifted the fountain pen after writing the last stroke, he capped the pen and put it back into the pen holder.

In the empty study, Schiller looked at the medical record he had just written and smiled.

The abnormality displayed by Aisha during the recent gathering should be enough to pique Hal's curiosity and concern.

He continued writing below Hal's name:

"...has a strong sense of identification with the Green Lantern Corps, transferring the anxiety from his unsuccessful dream of flying to his career as a Green Lantern. He wants to complete each mission as perfectly as possible, without repeating past mistakes..."

"It is speculated that the tasks the Green Lantern Corps may assign include investigating the situation with the Parallax, investigating the situation with Sinestro, investigating the situation in Gotham..."

Unbeknownst to Hal, who had just left Schiller's manor, his situation had been recorded in a medical record.

Having had some drinks, Hal felt a bit tipsy. He leaned against a tree trunk by the roadside and coughed twice, sniffing forcefully. Then he tightened his clothes and quickly crossed the street.

Images of Aisha's abnormal behavior during the recent dinner replayed in his mind, and Hal started to feel anxious. His rationality told him that what Victor said made sense. The current Aisha was a human girl, not the terrifying Parallax.

Although there were some abnormalities, she didn't show any signs of aggression. On the contrary, from her actions and expressions, Hal could see that she was continuously learning human communication, just like a true child.

However, another possibility lingered in his mind. If he let Aisha be and she caused trouble in the future, would the Green Lantern Corps hold him responsible? Would they revoke his Green Lantern ring, depriving him of this powerful ability?

Whenever he thought about this, Hal felt his emotions tangled. He hadn't succeeded in becoming the fighter pilot he dreamed of. The reasons for that were complex, but without a doubt, Hal was dissatisfied with his ordinary human life.

Now, the Green Lantern power brought him change, and through this change, he saw new hope. He didn't want his negligence to lead to failure in another profession.

If the Green Lantern Corps gave him a mission to kill Aisha, what would he do?

If he didn't address the issue concerning Aisha now and she unleashed havoc, endangering ordinary people, what would he do?

If... if... Hal had thought of too many "ifs." As a novice, he wasn't yet the greatest Green Lantern he would become in the future, although he already had the potential of indomitable willpower. However, he still felt conflicted and confused.

After pondering back and forth, Hal believed that the only solution was to talk to Aisha face to face. If the Parallax couldn't communicate and was destined to be an enemy of the Green Lantern, then the current Aisha, who had become a human girl, might be open to communication.

With this in mind, Hal changed his direction and found an empty alley. He activated his Green Lantern abilities and teleported near Wayne Manor.

When he reached the front gate of Wayne Manor, Hal hesitated. First, he thought that Bruce Wayne would definitely be difficult to deal with. He probably wouldn't let Hal in, and if the conversation didn't go well, they might even end up fighting, which was not the outcome Hal desired.

Second, he believed that matters between Lantern Corps should be resolved by Green Lanterns themselves. Issues between the Yellow Lantern and Green Lantern should be resolved by them.

In this way, Hal convinced himself not to use the front gate. However, he also didn't intend to use the side entrance. In simple terms, he decided not to use the door at all. Instead, he planned to determine Aisha's location and teleport directly in front of her.

The investigation into Aisha in the past few days had not been in vain. Based on the time Aisha returned home and the lights in Wayne Manor's rooms, Hal knew that Aisha's bedroom was most likely on the second floor.

After the sky darkened, Hal noticed that a room on the second floor had its lights on.

Although he was doing a good deed, for some reason, Hal felt a strange sense of guilt. He constantly convinced himself in his mind that it was for the safety of Earth and the citizens of Gotham.

He took a deep breath, and then the green light on his ring illuminated. The green glow spread from his finger to his entire body, and in an instant, Hal's figure disappeared.

With a soft thud, he landed on the wooden floor of the mansion. In front of him was a princess bed that looked like it belonged to a little girl. The sheets were slightly raised, and Aisha seemed to be sleeping soundly.

However, Hal didn't approach her. Instead, he took two steps back and called out in a low voice, "Aisha, are you there?"

"Parallax? Parallax?"

There was no response from the figure on the bed. Hal showed an extremely troubled expression, but he still didn't approach. He stood with his hands on his hips, seemingly unsure of what to do.

Just then, he suddenly felt a hard object pressing against his back.

Hal stiffened, slowly raised his arm, and in the shadow behind him, a figure with white hair appeared. No one had ever seen Alfred with such a cold expression before.

Nor had anyone seen the shotgun he was holding.

Following Alfred's gaze to the window, moonlight was shining through.

The moonlight fell on the broken spire of the old cathedral. A shadow with pointed ears landed on it, then jumped down along the eaves.

Passing through the corridors of the church, entering the worship room, taking a right turn, and entering the side corridor, passing the confessional room, Batman walked inward, recalling the architectural diagrams he had seen in the book.

Soon, he stopped in front of a door. The old padlock didn't stop this master locksmith. With a faint "click" sound, the old wooden door slowly opened, revealing Father's living room.

It seemed like no one had used this place for a long time. After the recent turmoil, the entire cathedral had been closed, and the old Father had moved elsewhere.

As Batman entered the room, the first thing he saw was a table facing the door. Moonlight streamed in through the window on the table, casting a hazy white light. Apart from many books and files, there was a small picture frame placed on it.

Covered by black gauntlets, Batman's hand picked up the picture frame, and his thumb gently wiped away the dust on it.

The photo depicted three young people, their attire suggesting they were from a different era.

Batman was familiar with the faces of two of them.

One wore a black suit, a bow tie, and a red poppy pinned to his pocket. It was Gotham's mob boss, Falcone. The other, wearing a black robe and having a kind and gentle appearance, was the Father of the cathedral.

And the last person, Batman was even more familiar with. Wearing a long coat and a fedora, holding an old-fashioned shotgun, it was Alfred Pennyworth.

It's time to speculate on the plot once again...

Many people have guessed the plot in the Marvel universe, but no one has guessed the big plot in the DC universe. What happened to the readers of detective comics?

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 414: Hal's Misfortune (Part 1)