Chapter 2243

In the meeting room, Schiller and Batman sat on two single sofas respectively. Schiller poured a glass of freshly opened whiskey for Batman. Batman looked at the golden liquor and said, "I didn't expect you to like drinking whiskey."

"Alberto sent it." Schiller held the wine glass and shook it, saying, "The ornamental value is greater than the taste. This wine is too strong."

"How have you been lately?"

"Not bad, but it seems you've encountered some problems, regarding family."

"You are still so professional, Doctor, but regarding the specific situation, I can't say anything. Everything is too noisy and chaotic."

"You know that's not the case. It's just that the Batcave is quiet all year round, so you're not used to the liveliness of Wei En Manor at this time."

"Perhaps so." Batman took a sip of wine. The ice melted very slowly, so it was almost raw pulp, which could even chisel away some of his expression that had remained unmoved for ten thousand years.

"I said this wine is very strong," Schiller said with a smile. He only shook the wine glass and didn't touch a drop.

"Why do you want to hold such a banquet?" Batman asked.

"It seems you don't have the energy to beat around the bush." Schiller first digressed. When Batman frowned slightly, he said, "Cat Getan here is going to hold a grand event recently, but it's not the traditional kind of celebration. For our generation, it's too noisy and chaotic."

"Let me guess, rock, rap, postmodern art exhibition, and nudism?"

Schiller laughed again at Batman's precise and metaphor-laden description. He put down the wine glass and continued, "Generally speaking, yes."

"Teenagers usually can't understand why we keep our distance from the revelry they are addicted to."

"Because we are all used to loneliness."

"It's quiet. There are always things in life that don't have to be changed. It's not that they are good from the perspective of law, morality, and emotion, so you must be fully committed to them."

"Even if this makes you deviate from the track more and more?"

"Society is the track, but life is not. If you are willing, you can jump out of it at any time, as long as you can afford the price. For you, is loneliness a true enjoyment, or a price you are willing to pay for certain things?"

"What about you?"

Schiller picked up the wine glass, pressed the rim against his lower lip, thought silently for a while, and then said, "In fact, I don't enjoy loneliness, but I need it. Being in a noisy environment for a long time will dull my senses. Now you know another weakness of mine."

"You want to be an ordinary person, but your talent makes you perceive too many things that others cannot perceive when you live in society, so naturally you feel noisier."

"So I will treat loneliness as a kind of adjustment. This is a rare quiet time."

"Then what about the other way around?"

"You hope to use liveliness as an adjustment. In this way, you truly enjoy loneliness. But if you pull yourself away for too long, perhaps one day you won't treat liveliness as a time for relaxation, but feel it's more of a burden and trouble."

"Be precise about the scale."

"Accept the test."

"Maintain balance."

The glass walls collided, making a crisp sound. Schiller retracted his hand and said, "I have no doubt that your willpower will never fall into the abyss of depression due to loneliness, but enjoyment and efficiency are often conflicting. You are destined to give up some things."

"If it were only for myself, I wouldn't give up anything. But if what I give up both makes me enjoy it and makes the children feel the same, then it can be considered."

"It seems you are not clear about whether the children need your company."

"They are all too big, each very strong, independent, and has their own ideas. They should have flown out long ago."

"But you can't kick them off the cliff when they aren't ready to spread their wings."

"I have never tried to do that."

"You took another extreme. You protect them in the nest. When they want to fly out due to rebellion and curiosity, they always realize the excessive danger through you."

"The outside world is indeed very dangerous."

"This makes them start looking for the cracks in your wings, sneaking out in a rebellious posture. In this case, the world is ten times more dangerous."

"I have fully practiced flying with them."

"But you don't let them participate in your flying."

"That's very dangerous."

"Leaving them in the nest, letting them sneak out, is ten times more dangerous."

Batman had to pick up the wine glass and take another sip, shaking his head and saying, "I'm afraid I can never defeat you in language, Doctor. This is not my specialty."

"It's not my specialty either. If they feel they have been defeated, it proves that my words pointed out their failures."

"Too sharp."

Schiller shook the wine glass, listening to the crisp sound of ice colliding with the glass wall, and said, "Perhaps you should start flight formation training, but don't fly high above them, but join their flight and become the lead goose guiding the team."

"There is no evidence that they no longer need my protection."

"But there is plenty of evidence that you need them to love you."

Batman was silent again.

"This is the only way. If they love you like they love a strict father, you will never be able to distinguish whether they fear you because of paternal authority or reciprocate because of paternal love."

Schiller put down the wine glass, leaned forward, looked into Batman's eyes, and said, "In this world, I only believe that Batman will not be the kind of person who gains the pleasure of control and manipulation through exercising paternal authority. Others have it more or less."

"I believe you are also in pain in this process, because you have controlled too many things you shouldn't have controlled in your life. You have gained more power than you should have borne, but you cannot refuse to take responsibility like an ordinary person."

"Therefore, adding another layer of power won't make you feel happy about being in power like an ordinary person. You are more numb, passively accepting the use of it, silently bearing all the consequences. You will never feel happy about this. All behaviors are driven by inertia."

"Do you think I should jump out?"

"You have already jumped out. This is the root of your discomfort. The one who manipulates your children and exercises power has become your parents. Losing power always makes people feel empty."

"But you said, I don't enjoy this power."

"But if you pull the nail out of the flesh, the wound will hurt for a while. You can only adapt as much as possible."

Schiller picked up the wine glass again and said, "You think the liveliness in Wei En Manor should be a beneficial adjustment for you, but you don't know how to join them without using certain powers. This is too novel for you, and you have no experience."

"Because your wisdom and strength naturally endowed you with power and corresponding responsibilities when you joined certain groups. You haven't learned how to be a person without responsibility. Simply put, you haven't learned how to enjoy."

"It seems you are proficient in this."

"Because I have no morality," Schiller shook his head with a smile and said, "I can want power more thoroughly than ordinary people and abandon responsibility."

"Is it the same for your students?"

Schiller was silent.

"You have your own morality," Batman said, "Although it is different from social morality, it is obviously highly overlapping in some aspects. I don't need more weaknesses of yours either."

Schiller took a sip of wine.

"You think I should try to teach them more," Batman said, "with a more equal attitude, and guide them in a closer way. But the problem is, Thomas and Martha hate Batman."

"Do you want to teach them to be Batman?"

"There will be one among them, but not all. I want to teach them some basic skills, which is necessary."

"Basic skills for you might be what ordinary people learn in their whole lives... Forget it. Then perhaps you can try to paralyze them."

Schiller thought and said, "In terms of knowledge reserve, academic level, and language ability, which teacher is better than you?"

"But I'm not good at teaching."

"There is no free lunch in the world. If you want to enjoy certain things, you must pay the price. This is what I said: enjoyment and efficiency must be conflicting."

"If you want to enjoy the liveliness in Wei En Manor to a certain extent, you must pay time and energy to learn how to be a good teacher they can accept."

Batman thought silently.

"Still the same question, will they need this?"

"The more, the better," Schiller said. "Emotion is like this. A person's life needs infinite security. No matter how much you give, there is no end."

"You may not be as important as you think, but no towering tree will not need an extra root in the process of growing."

Batman let out a long breath. He stood up and said, "Thank you, Doctor. I came in a hurry this time and didn't bring any decent gifts, but there is one thing I must tell you."

"What?"

"Several plant murders have occurred in the Cat Getan I am in. After investigation by Gordon and me, it was found that this is very likely a supernatural event. The victims have a common characteristic—they are all fanatical lovers of some kind of nocturnal bird."

Schiller revealed a knowing smile and said, "Since it's a supernatural event, it should naturally be handed over to the mysterious world to solve. Have you consulted Constantine?"

"Of course, he gave me a name."

"No need to say it. I think this is probably some internal contradiction in the divine world. You know how fierce the struggle between gods for believers is. Perhaps a plant god wants to divide Cat Getan into his territory."

Schiller sent Batman to the door. As Batman walked out, he turned his head and said, "Then I can only wish him good luck. I hope he can bring some green plants that don't hit people to the city."

"He will. Gods will always reward their most loyal believers. As long as you pray devoutly, miracles will always come."

Seeing Batman off, Schiller revealed a smile. He looked down at his watch; there were only five minutes left before the banquet officially started.

"Wait, why don't I understand what they are saying?" Pamela, who was poking her head at the stairs of the corridor, looked down at her head below and said, "What owl, what plant, what devout prayer?"

"This is their style of speaking," Bruce, the head at the top, said. "Don't pay attention to the communication style of mental patients."

Pamela rolled her eyes at him and said, "You actually have the nerve to say that. Who was it that dragged us over to eavesdrop on the conversation between two mental patients?"

"I was just bored. If I stayed by Selina's side, she would ask me to check if her clothes had any problems again and again, and would discuss the styles of jewelry on other guests with me."

"You don't even want to discuss it with her?"

"I'm afraid the focus of our discussion is not quite the same. She can always summarize how to get it faster."

"You two stop talking," Natasha interrupted them, looked at Clark at the bottom, and said, "Are you sure they didn't say anything else? What does that last sentence mean?"

"I don't know either," Clark shook his head, then frowned and looked at the three heads above, saying, "We can't eavesdrop here. This is immoral."

"We didn't really hear anything," Bruce said.

"What else do you want to hear? You simply don't think it's a big enough show... Wait a moment, I have a call."

Everyone looked at Pamela who made the sound. Pamela held her breath, and after a while, her face became more and more strange.

"What did you say? Let me go and do greening for Batman's Cat Getan?! Your brain..."

"What?! He prayed to you?!! But where did he get your honorable name... Well, because he is Batman, but I am very busy now!!!"

"What do you mean busy eavesdropping?! How many times have I told you not to peep at me!... Well, well, why did I think so poorly and become your believer? I'll find time to talk to him later."

After hanging up the phone, Pamela said irritably, "Batman made a wish to the Green to rebuild Cat Getan's plant ecosystem. He didn't know where he got the Green's honorable name and even got through his prayer phone. Now I have to go."

Natasha waved her hand at her and said, "You go."

She thought that Batman was so strong, he should be able to watch this overly excited super-powered teenager more easily than her.

As a result, when Pamela appeared on the balcony of Batman's guest bedroom, she happened to see Batman changing clothes—just changing to his pants.

"Ah!!!!!!!!!!!"