Chapter 976: The Battle for the High Tower (Part Ten) (Patreon)

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"From the mouth of the Demon overseer, I understand that hell is divided into four main parts. The first part is the wasteland continent where we currently reside. Here, more than 80% of the Demon population in hell lives. Famous Demon lords like Belial, Astero, Beelzebub, and Azazel all hold territories on the wasteland continent."

"To the southeast of the wasteland continent, there's a lava river. The majority of Lava Demons are born there. Additionally, due to the harsh environment, many powerful Demons are born there as well. The elite forces of Astero, the Flying Thorn Army, originate from the lava river."

"At the bottom of the lava river, extending beneath the continental shelf of the wasteland continent, lies a place known as the Deep Hell or the Abyss. This is where shadow clans reside. Shadow demons, shadow monsters, shadow spirits, and other Demons who dislike the scorching environment are mostly born there, then travel up to the surface through the Cigarette Road beneath the wasteland continent."

"When the first fallen arrived in hell, he became the leader of all things here, the most powerful Satan. He caused the five central volcanoes of the wasteland continent to erupt, forming a stairway to heaven. Above this stairway is an empty island called Throne Island, where the throne of every Satan resides, and it serves as Satan's palace."

"After Lucifer Morningstar left, the key to the palace was handed over to his friend. But now, Beelzebub and Azazel cannot enter Satan's palace."

"Furthermore, I've heard that at the end of the lava river, there exists a group of God's traitors called the Dickins, led by Elias, a renowned demon king. However, they prefer not to engage with the Demons of hell, considering them dirty pests. But this time, Elias seems to be stirring, perhaps having his own plans for Satan's throne."

As Alfred finished speaking, Schiller nodded in understanding. However, Batman glanced at his old butler. In just two short days, Alfred had managed to grasp the general situation of hell. Initially surprised, Batman soon found it reasonable upon deeper thought.

When Batman first entered college at the age of 18, he hadn't had the chance to travel the world yet. Besides certain specialized skills that required professional instruction, forcing him to leave Gotham to seek education, all his insights and strategies came from Alfred.

At that time, Batman was still young and immersed in the burning desire for vengeance against his parents' murderers. Whatever Alfred taught, he learned without much deeper consideration, without questioning the origins of Alfred's knowledge.

Looking back now, what Batman had considered as not much knowledge during his time with Alfred had proven to be beyond the reach of ordinary individuals.

After experiencing various events throughout his college years, Batman didn't find Alfred's teachings weak. On the contrary, facing various madmen, villains, and bizarre incidents, Alfred's strength seemed to grow even more.

In a city like Gotham, an old butler could hold onto the Wayne family's industry and Wayne Manor after both the master and mistress's deaths, leaving behind only a young child, successfully raising Bruce, and teaching him almost all the skills needed for vengeance. The more Batman understood Gotham, the more incredible it seemed.

But in the past, no matter how much he asked, Alfred would only smile and shake his head, telling him, "It's not that difficult," as if pacifying a child.

For a long time, Alfred had shown an attitude of accomplishment, as if ready to retire back home. Batman had brought up topics related to the Soviet Union several times, but Alfred's interest was lacking. Batman thought he had lost his enthusiasm completely, no longer cherishing his ideals and career.

Batman wasn't unaware of the real abilities of this butler he had always respected; it's just that Alfred was unwilling to show them, and Batman couldn't force him to.

This time, however, Batman knew he had a good opportunity. Alfred was reigniting his passion for the first time, unusually eager to take some initiative.

Finally, he could witness the youthful brilliance of this ace agent and legendary butler, to see how his beloved father, who had come from the midst of heavy snow, had traversed that iron-blooded and romantic era.

After listening to Alfred's explanation, Schiller crouched down and picked up some sand from the side, scattering it on the desktop and smoothing it out with his finger. Then, he roughly sketched out the terrain as described by Alfred.

At this point, Alfred turned his head to Batman and said, "Batman, we have torches brought by me and Merkel. They are coated with a special oil that can burn for a long time."

"However, torches are not convenient for illumination. Could you help us make oil lamps?"

Before he could finish, Merkel stood up and said, "I'll go. I received emergency lighting training during my time at butler school."

He went to fetch the torches that had been hanging on the original wooden shelf, while Batman also stood up and extended his hand to him. Merkel hesitated for a moment but still handed the torches over to him.

Batman brought a piece of wood and two discarded iron pieces from beside the old minecart and sat back at the table. As he shaved the wood, he listened to Schiller explaining the current situation.

Schiller pointed to the wasteland continent on the sand table and said, "Currently, Astero has declared war on Beelzebub. Their territories border each other to the northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest of the wasteland continent's eastern side."

"Azazel and Belial's territories lie on the southeastern side of the wasteland continent, bordering each other to the north and south. Belial's territory, being more central, also borders Astero's territory to the east and west."

"Therefore, Belial's position is crucial in this war."

"If he chooses to participate, he can either ally with Beelzebub, who is furthest from him, to deal with Astero and Azazel closer to him, or he can join forces with Astero to distract Azazel, allowing Astero to attack Beelzebub with confidence."

Schiller sketched out four territories on the sand table and then pointed at Beelzebub's territory, saying, "According to the information I obtained from the overseer, our location is on the eastern side of the proportional territory, which means it's closer to Astero's territory."

"This area is the second-largest mine on Belial's territory, providing over 30% of the metal resources for Belial's army and equipment."

"The Demons working here can be divided into two categories. One is the indigenous population who lived between the Seven Mountains before becoming miners here. When Belial's army occupied this place, they naturally became miners under Belial's command."

"The other category consists of slaves captured by sandworms, just like us. Speaking of those huge sandworms, we must mention the owner of this mine, the ruthless general known as the 'Beast Tamer.'"

Alfred and Schiller exchanged a glance. At that moment, Batman finished making the frame for the oil lamp. He took the cloth soaked in the oil from the torch and placed it on the iron piece in the center of the frame. Then, he lit it again and placed the lamp in the middle of the table.

"It's quite unusual," Schiller began, "Batman hasn't offered any strategic opinions or provided any intelligence. Aren't you going to say something to participate in the discussion?"

Batman shook his head, his gaze fixed on the sand table. "Actually, I've always been curious about your so-called revolution. I haven't experienced that era and don't know how it all happened."

"When I was in the slums, pondering Gotham's future, I once thought about how the October Revolution, which led to the establishment of that country, happened."

"Why is it that Gotham has been rotten for so many years but still lacks the soil for such a revolution? And why, even though you clearly want to improve Gotham's condition and understand those theoretical knowledge better than I do, haven't you chosen to go down that path?" Batman looked at Schiller, questioning.

Schiller shook his head and said, "Perhaps you will soon find out."

Alfred glanced at Batman, seeming hesitant for a moment, but ultimately shook his head and remained silent.

"In that case, I want to see how it all happened," Batman said. "Although I'll help as much as possible, I won't express any opinions or use any abilities beyond what's humanly possible."

"You know, Batman..." Schiller looked into his eyes again. "If you had learned to shut up earlier, you would have been an outstanding graduate by now."

"If I had learned to shut up earlier, perhaps I would have become an outstanding graduate under some other professor," Batman shook his head, apparently recalling the scene when he first met Schiller.

Schiller also shook his head, apparently not wanting to dwell on the past. He redirected his attention to the sand table on the desktop. Illuminated by the oil lamp, he wiped away the map of hell and drew the map of the Seven Mountains mine again before speaking:

"Our first operational objective is to liberate the Seven Mountains mine. It may not seem difficult, but it might actually be the most challenging step in all our plans, as we have only four people... or rather, three and a half... or perhaps, two and a half people."

"Now, I'll announce the first operational task. Alfred and I have infiltrated among the overseers. Over the next two days, we'll continue to communicate with them to gather more intelligence, especially to understand the situation of the Beast Tamer, the ruthless general who controls all the sandworms."

"Meanwhile, Batman and Merkel, you two are responsible for delving into the lower levels. Start with your roommates and coworkers to understand the ecological situation of the slave population in the mine—what they have, what they lack, and what they desire most."

Schiller glanced at Batman and then at Merkel before saying, "I think this shouldn't be difficult for you, so there's an additional requirement."

"Because within hell, there are many different races, vastly different from humans, and some even have mutually beneficial or antagonistic relationships."

"Over the next two days, you should try to understand the situation of all the races within the mine— who has grudges with whom, who has good relationships with whom. Not only should you understand inter-tribal relationships, but also interpersonal relationships among those around you."

"I hope that two days from now, we'll all have completed our tasks and brought back the best news here."

As the light from the lamp on the table gradually dimmed, leaving only the faint glow of distant volcanic eruptions on the sand table, the entire mine fell silent, just like the sand table.

Batman stood at the entrance of the abandoned mine halfway up the mountain, overlooking the desolate land. The quieter and darker it was here, the more it reminded him of the bustle and prosperity of Gotham.

After Schiller and Merkel left, only Alfred walked over. This time, he didn't stand behind Batman but stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Do you find this absurd?" Alfred still spoke in that mild tone, but this time, Batman heard a kind of determination in his words.

"We're here in hell to uphold justice for the Demons, just as you do in Gotham," Alfred continued.

"In this world, there are no lives that shouldn't be saved. All the ugliness, chaos, and foolishness stem from a common enemy."

Batman turned his head to look at Alfred, his eyes reflecting the glow of the lava river in the distance.

"If we can save Demons in hell, then naturally, you can save the people of Gotham in Gotham, Batman..." Alfred looked at Batman with a firm tone.

"You're not alone in this fight."

Then, he took a deep breath, turned his head back, lowered his gaze, and said to himself, "Neither am I."

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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