Chapter 1473

"Why are you feeling doubtful?" Bruce asks the voice in his heart.

"Because humans always hold groundless vigilance toward great power." The voice from the black diamond replies, "They refuse to believe that there is anger in their hearts that can drive everything. They are content with being weak and have no ambition to speak of."

"But I have all of these." Bruce issues an invitation in a subtle way and says, "Just glimpsing a corner of the anger in my heart is enough to make you understand that I am different from everyone else."

"It remains to be seen. Do you intend to let me in?"

"I feel very strange. Do you use such coaxing methods on every host?" Bruce focuses his gaze on the corpse of the man on the roadside and asks.

"Of course not. It's just that this group of stupid ordinary people went mad from fear when they heard my voice. I could only manipulate their bodies and couldn't communicate with them. You are the first person who can rationally answer my questions."

"Very good, it seems we are a natural match. What can you help me achieve?"

"What are you craving?"

"Knowledge, endless knowledge."

"Then I can give you what you want."

"On what grounds do you say that?"

"I come from a great existence you cannot imagine, from the beginning of creation, having listened to all the secrets in the course of the universe's evolution..."

"Say one for me to hear first."

The strange voice seems to be choked, emitting an "oh" sound. Bruce's tone remains light, sounding not like he is communicating with a mysterious voice invading his mind, but like he is haggling over groceries on the street.

"You say you have great power, but you might not, and even if you do, you might not give it to me. You have to show something to let me see your sincerity, right?"

"You damn humans!" The mysterious voice's tone contains anger, and he curses, "Selfish, cunning, short-sighted!"

"Yes, that's how we are. This is humanity. Welcome to human society."

The mysterious voice is choked again. After a long time, he asks somewhat sullenly, "Then, what do you want to know?"

"This place isn't suitable for talking. Let's go back to the room and talk slowly."

When Bruce returns to the Forgotten Bookstore clutching the black diamond, he sees Red Hood walking out of the kitchen with a glass of water. Bruce nods at him, walks quickly up the stairs, returns to the window of the previous study, and begins to torture another great existence with endless questions.

Red Hood puts the water glass on the table. Schiller, who is sitting at the table reading, looks up at him and says, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, I just feel I should do something for you."

"Come over, Jason, sit down." Schiller points to the chair opposite with his finger and says, "Look at this."

Schiller hands over a book. After Red Hood takes it, he frowns at the cover and reads the title on it: "Magical Psychology?"

He opens the pages and sees a maxim written on the first page—"Grasping the psychology of the god you have contracted with is the first step to learning magic well."

Red Hood tilts his head, somewhat unable to understand. Schiller puts down the book in his hand, looks into his eyes, and explains, "What do you think is the essence of magic?"

"I don't have much understanding of magic." Red Hood says very straightforwardly, then he thinks for a moment and answers, "But Constantine says the essence of magic is borrowing debt."

Schiller shakes his head and says, "The essence of magic is negotiation, and the essence of negotiation is psychology."

Schiller takes a sip of water, looks at the manuscript he placed beside him, and says, "Magicians obtain power by negotiating with powerful non-human existences. The strength of a magician depends only on the strength of the negotiation target and how much power is obtained from the negotiation target."

"Since this is the case, the essence of magic is actually choosing a suitable negotiation target and obtaining enough power from him."

Red Hood is attracted by what Schiller said. He had never thought about looking at magic from this angle. He recalls the members of the Justice League Dark he had seen before and says, "The magicians I know always seem very mysterious. They are tight-lipped about magic, and Batman doesn't let us touch this aspect of things either. He says magic isn't a good thing."

"For Batman, that is indeed the case." Schiller nods without refuting. Red Hood feels even more confused, so he says, "But you seem to have a different view from him. You don't see magic as something very mysterious, nor do you feel it has any harm."

"Jason, this is one thing. It is precisely because the essence of magic is like this that Batman is unwilling to let you touch it. Do you think if magic relied on your own cultivation and you could get results as long as you worked hard, Batman would still stop you from touching magic?"

"Batman always emphasizes the importance of cultivation to us."

"Yes, because he is that kind of person. He doesn't trust power that comes from other objects. He thinks that if you touch this kind of power, you are very likely to be manipulated."

Red Hood leans his body forward, listening carefully to Schiller speaking. He feels Schiller is too familiar with Batman, and his analysis of Batman is always unexpected but reasonable.

"Batman thinks magic will lead to your slackness. If you can borrow powerful strength from other existences at will, then what is the meaning of cultivation that lasts for years?"

Schiller looks into Red Hood's eyes and says, "Jason, can you guarantee that you won't be tempted at all and can restrain yourself in front of power that can be obtained easily?"

"I..." Red Hood pauses, but he remains honest, lowers his eyelids, and says, "I'm afraid it's very difficult. Perhaps I can hold back once, but it's hard not to be tempted if it happens many times."

"Yes, everyone in the Bat-family wants to win a special status in Batman's heart, and if there is powerful strength that can easily exceed everyone else, you will all be tempted. This is the reason why Batman has warned you several times to stay away from magic."

"But my view is slightly different from Batman's." Schiller's gaze falls on the manuscript paper again, and he continues, "I am not the kind of person who calls on the whole world to give up using credit cards because advance consumption has risks."

"Credit cards are indeed very dangerous, especially those where the procedures are very simple and the qualifications of the user are almost not reviewed. They are especially dangerous for young people because you are the kind of people most easily brainwashed by consumerism."

"But it must be admitted that certain advance consumption loan qualifications can save people from fire and water, and reasonable, legal, and compliant lending can also make social security conditions better. After all, when you are in urgent need of money, if the bank can lend it, you won't want to rob, right?"

Red Hood nods. This is a very simple logic, so he quickly thinks it through, and he draws inferences from one instance, saying, "In other words, although magic is borrowed from others, if it can be borrowed in a reasonable way and utilized well, it can prevent some people from using more dangerous things, right?"

Schiller nods, revealing a satisfied expression. He taps the table lightly with his fingertips and says, "Devils often deceive humans into signing unequal treaties, and angels aren't much better, but they can only deceive and cannot force, which proves they have scruples."

"But some more crazy existences don't have these scruples. They will seduce every human they meet, or even directly control them. Magicians at least have room for free thinking, and the behavior of squandering power can also be curbed by reason. But humans who are forcibly controlled are completely victims. Therefore, the existence of magic is reasonable."

Red Hood nods again, and then he looks at Schiller somewhat eagerly and says, "Will you teach me magic?"

"I will only teach you psychology." Schiller reveals a smile and says, "But this is the trump card of our school."

Schiller lets out a breath and explains, "The power of magic comes from another group of intelligent life, and as long as it is intelligent life, its psychology and behavior can be read, or even further, they can be seduced and guided. And if you master this method, you can be said to have mastered magic."

Red Hood's eyebrows gradually knit together. After he is silent for more than ten seconds, he says, "I think this is a bit abstract. Are there any more practical examples?"

Schiller puts down the manuscript, stands up, walks to the telephone stand under the stairs on the first floor, picks up the phone, dials a number, and says to the other side, "Hello, Lucifer? It's me. It's like this, can you make it rain where I am now?"

"Why? No reason... oh, is that so?" Schiller lowers his head to admire the pattern on the carpet and continues, "Then you go ahead and be busy. I'll call Gabriel and ask."

Only hearing a "whoosh," a strong wind blows at the entrance of the Forgotten Bookstore. Red Hood turns his head to look out the window.

Dark clouds gather above the bookstore, the brilliance of lightning flashes across the skyline, and the sounds of thunder and rain ring out almost at the same time. Within a short second, a torrential rain begins to fall over all of London.

Schiller puts down the phone and walks back to the table. Red Hood looks at him dumbfounded. He points at Schiller, then points at the phone, then points at himself, and then lowers his head to stare at the "Magical Psychology" book in front of him with glowing eyes.

Before he can open the book, Schiller also looks out the window and asks, "Where are Dick and Tim? Were they both sent out by Bruce?"

"Dick went to Diana's to help Bruce get something. Tim was just here." Red Hood looks around and says, "Constantine came back for a trip just now. Tim might have been called away by him."

Schiller widens his eyes slightly and says, "What did Constantine want with Tim?... Forget it, you look at the first chapter first. If you don't understand anything, come and ask me. After you finish learning the first three chapters, you go to Hell and find a demon to practice your hands."

Red Hood laughs brilliantly. He rubs his hands and says, "I'm already a bit impatient. I really want to know what kind of expression Batman will have when he sees me learn magic."

The sound of the rain pattering spreads through the dense pine forest, the deep green flowing out like thick ink, water vapor drifting on the surface of the cold land, and wave after wave of thick fog passing through the tangled vines, making the tombstones reflect eerie light between the water.

In front of the gravedigger's hut in the All-Souls Cemetery, several figures rush into the hut in a hurry. Red Robin puts down the cloak used to cover the rain, looks at Constantine, and says, "It hasn't rained for the few days we've been in London. It rained so heavily just after you called me out. I really don't know whether to say you are lucky or unlucky."

"Usually, it's the latter." Constantine has no guilt at all. He says, "For what we are about to do, it's also the same. Such heavy rain will completely wash away the traces of their actions here. We have to hurry."

"My reasoning doesn't need those obvious footprints. Isn't this the purpose of you calling me here?" Red Robin's tone has no arrogance, as if stating a fact.

"Then let's start quickly, great detective. We need to know now who took Kazi and where they went."

Red Robin doesn't speak, just takes the lantern from Constantine's hand and turns to carefully examine the situation in the gravedigger's hut.

In the detective's field of vision, the fine rain lines begin to rise, the cold fog sinks into the ground again, and the fire in the fireplace burns more and more vigorously.

Accompanied by a loud noise, an uninvited guest breaks into this dead-silent house. In the pupils of the necromancer Kazi, who is processing a corpse on the dissection table, the figure of a woman with blood-red eyes is reflected.