Chapter 989 Battle for the High Tower (23) (Patreon)

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Batman closed his eyes and felt himself falling, plunging into the vast sea of knowledge in his mind, as vast as the Cigarette Sea.

Schiller had a Temple of Thought that was like a high tower, and so did Batman. He stored all the knowledge he had learned in a huge library, and when he leaped from the top of the library, the essence of human knowledge surrounded him.

One historical scene after another flashed before his eyes—enlightenment, the Paris Commune, the October Revolution... The figures preaching in the crowd one after another made him feel dazzled.

Throughout history, in every great upheaval, the guidance of thought was indispensable. Those pioneers who exalted words and pointed the way could truly arouse people's resonance with their great ideals.

When Batman truly experienced the life of the lower class, he knew that saving Gotham was not about using his own money to support everyone, as he would inevitably face death one day.

He couldn't be a king who handed the dynasty over to the next generation, because the fate of the dynasty told Batman that this was a dead end. Perhaps the ambitions of the pioneers were grand, but after several generations, the dragon slayer would eventually become the dragon.

To save Gotham from the soul and spirit, and awaken people from numbness, there must be bright and grand ideals, like the Sun, and strong guiding thoughts.

Could he create such a thought? Batman didn't know. His wise brain allowed him to solve almost all technical problems in an instant, but when it came to philosophy, sociology, and psychology, he always felt inadequate.

If he had to describe it specifically, he understood reason and memorized theory, but when it came to empathizing with others, other classes, and groups, Batman could only adopt a cold and rigid bystander's perspective.

Since he began learning consciously, he had almost never truly put himself in others' shoes. There was always a thick wall between his emotions and those of others.

Batman didn't know if this was normal, but it seemed that Schiller had vaguely, hazily suggested that he was ill.

Batman had always thought that this was just a common fragment in Schiller's language style that broke down everyone's defenses equally. At least in Batman's own perception, his interactions with Schiller were divided into three parts: doubt, thesis, and Schiller's scolding.

Moreover, because Schiller was also one of the Jokers, Batman didn't know if every time Schiller scolded him for being ill, it was the vengeful act of the always-smiling madman.

He had never thought about whether Schiller, as a licensed psychologist, was seriously diagnosing him.

Thinking of this, Batman suddenly felt an urgent need to find Schiller, but just as he was about to put it into practice, two imps staggered to the bonfire and shouted, "Bad news! Merkel! There... there's a strange group of demons surrounding us!"

As Batman snapped out of his thoughts, Merkel's voice came from beside him, "It seems that after the collapse of the central mine, that group caught up to us. Well, we're almost ready anyway, so let's get ready to act!"

What surprised Batman was that the two imps didn't ask anything, just nodded, and then ran off like a streak of cigarettes. Batman hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Did you send them to convey orders? Are you sure they won't..."

Batman didn't finish his sentence, and Merkel understood what he meant. He said, "I know you're worried. These little guys have confused language and unclear minds, but they have no relationship. I've trained them specifically."

"The word 'act' means different things to different groups. I told them that as soon as I say this word, each group will do the specific work I assigned them before."

"They don't need to know what 'act' means, just remember the syllables of this word. When they hear it, they immediately do the corresponding task."

Merkel shrugged, stood up, and before Batman could speak, he said, "It sounds a bit like training dogs, doesn't it? But in fact, many times, agents convey orders in this way. Asking too many questions is not good for anyone."

Batman asked, "Didn't you say before that the agent training you conducted was not the kind of training that completely obeyed orders?"

Merkel smiled, turned around, and said, "Ideals are great, but on the road to realizing ideals, you have to consider the actual situation. Sometimes, work requires efficiency, so there's nothing wrong with doing reflex training."

Watching Merkel walk towards the mine, Batman realized that this butler, who was much younger than Alfred, had a similar quality to Alfred. It seemed that no matter what the problem was, they could always find a logically consistent answer.

Could it be that the theory they learned really could provide all the answers in the world? But if that were the case, why had Alfred never actively taught him?

Batman felt some negative emotions surfacing, and he didn't know if it was resentment, but he still didn't understand why Alfred could discuss those thoughts with Schiller and Merkel, but never brought them up with him.

Was he dumber than Schiller and Merkel?

Batman, of course, could not accept this speculation. Geniuses are always proud, and he decided that before finding Schiller, he would first go to his dear butler and ask him why, for so many years, he had always had an evasive attitude on this issue.

Batman quickened his pace and caught up with Merkel. At the same time, he saw the defensive fortifications built by the Demons here, which was unexpected. Merkel's defensive fortifications were not actually very clever, and there were quite a few omissions.

Batman didn't know if he did it on purpose. He hadn't planned to point it out, but unexpectedly, Merkel stood beside the mound, scratched his head, and said, "I've never won in my battlefield simulations before. This is also the first time I've set up such a big operation. I don't know if it will work..."

Batman hurriedly walked up and grabbed Merkel, saying, "Wait, don't let them come over yet. There are some problems with the positions of your traps..."

Batman pulled Merkel to the empty space nearby, scooped up a handful of sand from the mound, scattered it on the ground, outlined the general shape of the mine, and then began to explain, "The door of the Third Mountain mine is very small, and many heavy Demons can't get in. Some of the traps you set up need large, heavy prey to trigger them, which is a complete waste. So, the triggering mechanisms need to be improved..."

Merkel squatted down and listened carefully. After Batman finished speaking, he immediately arranged for people to make the changes. Then, he shook Batman's hand and said sincerely, "You really are more experienced, Comrade Wayne. Thank you so much. Without you, we would have suffered heavy losses this time."

Batman didn't have time for pleasantries. He hoped that the Demons he had brought with him could also participate in the defense, to improve their combat experience. When he proposed his idea, Merkel agreed. However, after they truly joined the battle, Batman found that there were significant problems.

Merkel's Demons were methodical, and Batman's Demons, because they were more experienced, also performed decently. However, as time went on, the differences became apparent.

Batman's Demons were very typical in that they wouldn't move unless pushed. When Batman told them where to go, they went there. When he told them what to do, they did it.

Batman had also tried to form smaller groups and select leaders, and then implement hierarchical leadership. However, on the one hand, the overall quality of these Demons was not very good. It was like trying to pick a tall person out of a group of short people. On the other hand, even if leaders were reluctantly selected, the orders were still chaotic.

It was one thing to convey orders, and another thing for them to be followed. Many of the Demons who became group members completely couldn't understand this leadership style. Batman explained a lot to them, such as grouping to improve efficiency and selecting leaders to convey orders.

After listening quietly for a while, the Demons started to discuss, and what they discussed made Batman's head ache.

"Oh, I see! So, Lord Batman has selected a new overseer! They give us orders, and we work. If only they had said so earlier, I would have known, right?"

"Forget it, let's just listen to what the overseer wants us to do. I hope this job isn't too tiring..."

"You see, I told you we should keep mining. Let's go, let's go..."

Batman took a deep breath. He felt genuinely powerless, not because these Demons were stupid. After all, Demons of the same race as these Demons, under Merkel's leadership, could understand what unity and division of labor meant.

After observing for a while, Batman found that the biggest difference between these two groups was that the Demons led by Merkel were very clear that they were working for themselves, to stop being bullied by overseers, to stop their families and friends from being harmed, and to stop their homes from being destroyed.

However, the Demons led by Batman always felt that they were being controlled by others, even if no one used violence to force them. They would consciously put the people controlling them in a higher position, and then imagine a forced employment relationship, and resigned themselves to working.

Batman thought that perhaps this was the difference between whether they had undergone ideological guidance. If he were to offer money to the lower-class people of Gotham to do this or that, he might achieve results in the short term, just like the victory he achieved in the central mine.

It seemed that this employment relationship was voluntary. They could choose to earn this money, or they could choose not to. However, in reality, they had no choice.

Even if in reality, they wouldn't starve if they didn't earn this money, the long-standing mental shackles made them feel that they didn't have the ability to bear the risk of not earning this money, so they would go and earn it.

Wayne Enterprises would indeed pay them, because the person leading this group was called Bruce Wayne, who was also Batman. However, if the person leading this group wasn't Batman, and didn't pay them, this group of people wouldn't have any sense of resistance. They could only blame their bad luck and resign themselves to fate.

Thinking of this, Batman felt a headache coming on. To divert his attention, he began to command his Demons with all his heart and soul, to help Third Mountain resist the Demon soldiers' attack, and to teach Merkel the successful land warfare tactics he had already implemented.

Merkel was very surprised by this, and his admiration for Batman's tactical mind increased. Just as the battle was heating up, Batman reminded Merkel, "The reason the central mine collapsed was because someone released magic in the magma layer underground, causing the magma to break through the mountain. We must be on guard against this..."

"Don't worry, I've already dug an underground escape route and conducted a retreat drill. If something happens, we can go directly to Second Mountain, where Alfred is, through the underground passage."

"Moreover, as far as I know, the Demon race that can use magic can't release powerful magic without cost. Releasing the magma requires a lot of power, and they can't do it again in a short time..."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

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

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 990: The Battle for High Tower (Twenty-four)