Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 4265 - 3364: Bloodbath in New City (76)

Shiller didn't have time to carefully research the issue before Brad cornered him at the office door. This Mr. Devil finally became impatient.

Shiller was actually quite interested in meeting him now, as his slightly anxious expression seemed to spell out, "I'm a fat lamb, come slaughter me."

Additionally, Shiller really needed to figure out what role he was playing in this sequence of historical events. It was impossible to say that it was completely unrelated to him, but his current wavering and peculiar attitude did not seem like that of someone who was a behind-the-scenes manipulator planning some grand conspiracy—there was always a hint of helplessness.

Shiller invited him to sit on the sofa by the window. Outside the large floor-to-ceiling window, Gotham still seemed like the same scene, yet something was different. The chaos between the lower city area and the upper city area was gradually spreading, something budding beneath the land, simply waiting for the final eruption.

"We really need to talk," said Brad. "I know you're not someone who likes to waste time, so I'll get straight to the point. You shouldn't get involved in the feud between the Vare family and the Wayne family—it only makes the situation worse."

"I'm not here to listen to your conclusions," Shiller said, looking at him. "Tell me everything you know, and then I will decide what to do."

It appeared Brad had no other choice, so he conceded, "I've always stayed here, guiding the descendants of the Vare family, in order to prevent a terrible prediction."

"Let's hear it."

"You should have already investigated what happened before. Bakar, the priest of the Order Sect, saved Edmund Wayne, who was almost imprisoned, and after coming to the New Continent together, they defeated General Alcam. Edmund Wayne, honoring a promise, co-ruled Gotham Village with Bakar."

"But you might not know what happened afterward. In short, Edmund allowed Bakar to spread the faith of the Order Sect in Gotham Village. Later, he realized that these cultists did not come all the way to the New Continent just for faith; they came because of an ancient prediction."

"About 4 billion years ago, when Earth was newly formed, an ancient deity came to the newborn Earth. The high temperatures and flames made him comfortable, making this his new home."

"But as Earth evolved, it began to cool down and life began to develop, eventually leading to the human race. The structure of Earth no longer suited the gods, so he left, but left behind a group of believers."

"These believers worshiped the form of the deity's presence, which was an incredibly hot, massive fireball, resembling the sun high in the sky. But they believed their god was greater than the bright sun, and that he would one day return to Earth to make them an eternal existence in flames."

"After humans left their primitive society, these believers traveled around the world spreading the fire faith, forming many religious groups associated with flames, including the Order Sect."

"The Vare family, founders of the Order Sect, also hold the most secrets. Rumor has it that they faced gods directly in ancient times and struck a deal with them."

"A deal? What kind of deal?"

"They gained the Flame Bloodline and also, they are to welcome their lord back at the right moment."

"By what means?"

"By making Earth hot again."

Shiller raised an eyebrow; he indeed hadn't expected such an answer. He looked at Brad and said, "So, you mean their god visited Earth back when it was still a big fireball, liked the living conditions here, was reluctant to leave, and so left a contact method for the native people to invite him over more often?"

"In layman's terms, yes," Brad nodded.

"I have a few questions," Shiller said. "Firstly, if it arrived on Earth so much earlier than humans, why didn't it try to change the environment here?"

"Because Earth is special," Brad replied. "I can't explain the specifics to you, but Earth plays an important role in the cosmos and isn't just anyone's to alter. In your words, he's merely a tenant and lacks the authority to renovate the house."

"Then how come his followers can?"

"Because his followers are human. Humans are special, too; they can reshape Earth in any way they want. In a sense, they are the landlords."

Shiller nodded, then asked, "What happens if that deity returns? Will Earth be destroyed?"

"No, but it will become a place suitable for him to live, which is the hot, high-temperature sphere from 4 billion years ago."

"So, Earth won't be destroyed, but the human race will perish."

"Exactly. And as far as I know, his followers have been striving for this. They truly believe it's human destiny."

"Creative," Shiller remarked. "But humans haven't been destroyed yet, which means their plan isn't successful."

"Not exactly. They need to wait for the right moment." Brad continued to explain, "They need the stars to align to summon their lord and embrace the eternal flames."

"What does this have to do with the Vare family?"

"The Vare family carries the Flame Bloodline; when the stars align and they recite the spell, the ancient flames will descend."

"When will the stars align?"

"I don't know; they seem to have their own criteria for this." Brad said, concluding, "It's completely different from ours."

"What role did you play in this?"

"I won't hide it from you," Brad said. "I am indeed a devil, but I also keep my promises. Contracts I sign must be fulfilled."

"Who did you sign a contract with?"

"Edmond Wayne," Brad sighed before he spoke, "He offered his soul to the devils, ensuring that this land would forever be under the rule of the Wayne Family."

This clue was incredibly important. Shiller immediately recalled the dealings between Edmond Wayne and the East India Company. So, his real trade partner wasn't the East India Company, but the devil Eitregan?

"What is your relationship with the East India Company?"

Brad shook his head and said, "I wasn't involved in their trade. My deal with Edmond came later, by the time Gotham City had already been built, and he was leading workers to construct a dam."

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Shiller's thoughts began to connect the dots.

He knew that the current Batman wasn't actually a descendant of Edmond Wayne. In the comic plot, Batman and the Death Angel were both descendants of the Vare family.

So, Brad the devil had already violated the deal, as nominally, Gotham is still ruled by the Wayne Family, but their bloodline had been replaced in reality.

So, was Brad unaware of this?

Shiller quickly realized that Bakar erased his own existence, allowing his descendants to inherit the Wayne Family and extensively promoting the Wayne Family, all to deceive the devil.

Back when he was reading the comics, Shiller found it strange that Edmond defeated the corrupt General Arkham, Bakar defeated the corrupt Edmond, and then let his descendants inherit the Wayne Family, continuing to live under the name of the Wayne Family.

So, where are the real descendants of the Wayne Family?

Edmond wasn't young, and even if he had a life of turmoil in the first half of his life with little opportunity to start a family, from the time he took over Gotham Valley to his death, there was enough time for him to marry and have children, right?

If Bakar really cared about the true Wayne Family, why didn't he just become a regent, nurturing the young bloodline of the Wayne Family until they grew up?

How did it turn out that the last person bearing the Wayne surname is still Bakar's descendant?

This proves that Bakar's descendants continuing under the name of the Wayne Family is not just out of respect for Edmond and to honor his legacy; there was another ulterior motive.

After Brad disclosed his trade with Edmond, Shiller understood that Bakar did this to deceive the devil.

As long as the family ruling the city still carries the Wayne surname, then Brad would not be considered as having violated the agreement, and he would not investigate further.

Bakar probably intentionally left two bloodlines, one to replace the descendants of the Wayne Family, and the other preserved under the Vare family name, also to mislead Brad.

After all, in that era, it was rare for someone to leave no descendants. As long as there was such a bloodline, Brad wouldn't suspect that the current Wayne Family was actually the descendants of the Vare family.

Brad raised Paul solely to monitor him, preventing him from discovering the truth and attempting to overthrow the Wayne Family's rule, which would lead to him violating the contract.

It must be said, Bakar and the Order Sect performed a breathtaking 'switching of the prince,' even deceiving the devil.

Then Shiller realized the ultimate purpose of their plot was to fulfill a prophecy.

Devils gain benefits from their deals with humans and absolutely don't want human destruction, so Brad will certainly prevent the prophecy.

Therefore, the key figure in the prophecy—the descendant of the Vare family with the Flame Bloodline—will be closely watched by Brad. Indeed, Brad did so, always lingering by Paul, ensuring he had no plans to actualize any prophecy.

Yet the Order Sect was a step ahead; the Vare family's descendants were not just one, and the real trump card was hidden in the most dangerous yet the safest place—within the Wayne Family.

While Brad was closely watching Paul, the Order Sect could utilize Batman to realize the prophecy.

This explains why the Order Sect's puppet, the Audion Company, always appeared at locations Brad showed up—they were also keeping an eye on Brad, ensuring the devil was truly deceived and wouldn't suddenly intervene and disrupt their plans.

Also, it explains why the upper-class relentlessly targeted Batman, continually killing his close people, making him alone, because they needed him to become a madman, so they could manipulate him to fulfill the prophecy.

Recalling Alfred's real cause of death, Shiller understood that the Order Sect, always watching Brad, discovered that Brad had contacted Alfred and given him a diary. They killed him fearing Alfred might discover Batman's true identity.

As for Jason, he likely found out the truth about Batman being manipulated by the upper class, and since Batman trusted him at that time, they planned to use Joker to eliminate him to not influence Batman.

What puzzled Shiller was Jason's survival. From the methods of the Order Sect, visible across their centuries-long schemes, they were astute and cautious, with almost no mistakes—except for Jason.

Why didn't Joker kill Jason, and who sent him to Brude Haven? Was this just a coincidence, or has someone always been secretly resisting the Order Sect?