Chapter 1652: Bruce Wei En and the Sorcerer's Stone (Part 3)

"Uh, someone suddenly came to tell us there was danger, so my parents and I moved to another city. But not long ago, a giant bat flew to our house and nearly scared my mother to death."

"My father found something on the bat's leg, and then we received a letter, a bat doll, and a bat emblem. We thought it was just a prank by some bat enthusiast."

"But that person who came to warn me—well, maybe it wasn't him, but anyway, he said he was a future version of me. He said this was an acceptance letter to a magic academy and that I had to go, and I absolutely had to choose that... what was it called? The Rodriguez Academy?"

"He was absolutely right!" Harley slapped Barry on the back and said, "You really should listen to him. That academy is special!"

Barry looked at Harley with some suspicion. Harley hummed and said, "Let's put it this way: are you interested in tinkering with machinery, brewing potions, and sewing things up?"

"Tinkering with machinery? You mean like fixing cars? Honestly, I'm not very fond of it. I don't really like the smell of machine oil."

"Then you definitely shouldn't go to the Zatara Academy—the one with the purple flags hanging behind it. The smell of those potion ingredients will drive you crazy."

"Is that so?" Barry frowned immediately and said, "Actually, I don't really like purple either."

"Then do you like gold?"

"I do like that, actually."

"And do you like fighting people and throwing punches?"

"Uh, I'd rather not. Fighting is wrong. My mom and dad always told me that, to be considerate of others and not always get into conflicts."

"Then you can't go to the Strange Academy either. Even though their flags are gold and look quite nice, they're all a bunch of violent maniacs who go to the arena to fight every single day."

"Good heavens, that really doesn't suit me at all."

"Then do you have any political talent? Have you ever tried giving a speech in front of thousands of people?"

"Oh, I wouldn't dare!" Barry looked a bit nervous. He tugged at the corner of his shirt and said, "With so many people, how could I even open my mouth? Even with just a few people, I'm not very comfortable expressing my views. What if I'm wrong?"

"Then it looks like the Wei En Academy isn't for you either. You can tell just by the name that anyone who goes there is probably planning to do business or run for president."

"God, do I only have one choice left?" Barry looked disappointed, but Harley nudged him with her elbow and said, "Haven't you thought about why your future self suggested that academy? He must have chosen it and felt it was great, which is why he came to remind you. Maybe you have a special talent for it?"

"Hmm, that makes sense." Barry nodded, feeling that Harley's words had some merit.

Just then, Kane behind them coughed twice to remind them, "The freshman welcome ceremony is about to begin, Mr. Allen. You'd better head over."

Harley gave Barry a light push, and Barry walked forward nervously, soon merging into the crowd of younger-looking children moving toward the front rows.

Sitting in the back rows, Harley heard someone nearby whispering: "Look at that kid. My god, he's so cute! His profile looks just like a doll."

"Is he a freshman? Which academy will he go to? Wait, he's turning around. Move over, move over, we can see his face, maybe we can even take a picture of him."

"Oh, God, why are his eyes so blue?... Wait, don't you think he looks a bit like someone???"

"Hiss..."

Several gasps of cold air rose from behind Harley. Harley looked in the direction of their gaze, confused, and then saw a figure standing among the freshmen who seemed completely out of place.

First, he wasn't dressed like any of the other children. Since it was summer in the Northern Hemisphere, most kids were wearing t-shirts and shorts, or perhaps thin shirts and overalls if they were a bit more formal. But this boy was wearing a standard children's suit, and with Harley's discerning eye for luxury goods, she knew this outfit could buy an entire street in the East End.

Second, his hair color was rare—a cold, carbon black. Most black hair on Caucasians tended toward warmer or brownish tones. His hair was also styled perfectly, looking meticulous.

Finally, his expression was different from the other children. Most freshmen were either nervous or excited, but this boy looked expressionless and cold, completely indifferent to the reactions around him.

Harley felt curious, so she moved a few seats over to the side, where she could see the boy's face. The moment she did, she couldn't help but curse, "Holy shit!"

It wasn't that the boy's face was ugly; on the contrary, he was as cute as an angel.

The only problem was that he looked almost exactly like Bruce Wei En.

Harley looked up at the stage where the deans and professors were sitting, but she didn't see Bruce Wei En. However, on the way here, she had heard Kane say that the Dean of the Wei En Academy was on long-term leave for some business and wouldn't be back for a while.

This is truly strange, Harley thought. The resemblance between the black-haired boy below and Bruce Wei En didn't seem like a simple case of an illegitimate child. Harley speculated that this boy was likely Bruce Wei En himself, just from another universe.

Having visited other universes, Harley understood that there were infinite worlds, each at different points in time. It wasn't strange to have a younger version of Batman, even if he wasn't as young and trendy as the one in her universe.

But the question was, how did he get here, and why?

Sitting on the stage and staring at young Bruce's face, Selina was also pondering this question. Clearly, this little Bruce hadn't been brought here by her.

Selina recalled the flash of golden light she had seen outside the hall earlier and guessed which Flash might have done this. Currently, Barry Allen of the main universe was the prime suspect, but she couldn't rule out the possibility that the Flash from this little Bruce's universe had sent him here for some reason.

And there was another important question: which universe's Bruce was this?

It was indeed hard to tell, because even excluding universes where Batman wasn't human, there were thousands of universes where Batman looked the same, even in childhood.

However, judging by this little Bruce's expression, he was likely the childhood version of a bitter, brooding Batman from a newer universe, rather than the prankster version from the old comics.

But what happened next completely defied the expectations of everyone who knew Batman.

"Oh, sorry." Barry stumbled, looking up apologetically at the person beside him. "They bumped into me, I didn't mean to..."

When he saw the person's face, Barry froze completely—both because of his appearance and the expression on his face. The young Bruce Wei En possessed god-given beauty, but what made Barry stiffen even more was the undisguised disgust in his eyes.

"Apologize, and get out of the way," little Bruce said coldly.

Barry opened his eyes wide in shock, but remembering he had bumped into the boy first, he said, "I'm really very sorry. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bumped into you."

Little Bruce didn't even give him a glance, just kept staring straight ahead, nodded slightly, and then stood there expressionless.

Barry was curious about his appearance. After all, he had seen Bruce Wei En on TV; he had followed every episode of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" that Bruce had participated in.

"Sorry, but may I ask your name?"

Little Bruce paused for ten seconds before turning his eyes to glance slightly at Barry. "Why don't you understand what I'm saying? Stay away from me. You smell very stupid."

"Huh??? No... you, how can you call people names?"

"I'm just stating a fact." Little Bruce's head didn't move at all, his voice filled with impatience. "You want to choose the Rodriguez Academy, but you're not sure. You want to hear other people's opinions, and my opinion is that you'd better not choose it."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to choose this academy, and I don't want to attend class with a rude, unreasonable hick."

"You..." Barry opened his mouth, completely at a loss for words. He had never been scolded like this in his life. He could only defend himself quite aggrievedly, "I already told you I didn't bump into you on purpose. Someone bumped into me from over there."

"Fine, then I don't want to attend class with a weakling who can't even stand straight."

"I..."

Zatanna and Constantine, sitting on the stage, widened their eyes in unison, then turned their heads to look at Selina, who was watching the dialogue below with great interest, even wearing a slight smile.

Little Bruce turned his head slightly, scanned the surroundings, and then let out a sigh so faint it was almost imperceptible, his expression resembling, "How can one study well when surrounded by this bunch of vermin?"

"You're the one who's rude," Barry muttered softly, then added, "Any polite, well-bred person wouldn't call people names the first time they meet them."

"Yes, I am indeed rude, but I'm rich." Little Bruce glanced at Barry out of the corner of his eye. "I am the richest person in the world, so you'd better shut up and listen, otherwise your parents will lose their jobs and you'll starve to death, you pauper."

Barry took a deep breath, his face turning bright red. Just then, Zatanna, sitting on the stage, couldn't take it anymore. She tapped the table lightly and said, "Alright, everyone, please take your seats as soon as possible. The welcome ceremony is about to begin."

The freshmen sat in the front row. Jim, the Master of Darkness, was busy and not present, so Selina was the one giving the welcome speech this time. She straightened her tie, sat up straight, and began.

"Welcome to Cat Getan. On behalf of all the teachers and students, I thank you for choosing to come here after receiving your acceptance letters to the Cat Getan Magic Academy. You will spend a fulfilling period of study here."

"Shortly, you will be able to choose the academy you wish to enter. You will have a one-month trial period. If you are dissatisfied with your current academy, you may switch at any time..."

Selina was in the middle of her sentence when a voice suddenly came from below.

"Are you the Dean of the Rodriguez Academy?"

Selina cast her gaze downward and sure enough, saw little Bruce standing up. He raised a hand, completely indifferent to the surprised looks of those around him, and stared intently at Selina.

"Yes, I am. Is there a problem?"

"No problem. I intend to choose the Rodriguez Academy, and I don't intend to change. Can I leave now?"

"I still have many important notices to..."

"I have nothing to note. That's for this bunch of idiots and paupers to do."

"Very well, sir. You may go to the dormitory. Harley, take him to tour the academy's dorms and common room."

Selina nodded at Harley and watched little Bruce turn and leave, a smile of genuine interest playing on her lips.