Chapter 2880: Joker and King (Part 1)

Contrary to Batman, the Joker's base was located on a tall mountain, specifically on a half-mountain waist with an exposed rocky platform housing a cave, backed by many towering trees.

This gave them a better start compared to others, at least they had a platform where they could stand and speak, and a natural roof that sheltered them from wind and rain; thus, building a house wasn't their most urgent task now, and they had plenty of time to waste.

Jack walked around this Joker, who shared his name, and said, "Perhaps no one would ever imagine that another madman would save this city. Compared to Batman, you seem neither extreme nor smart enough."

"But I am focused enough." Nepier gently raised his finger, adorned with two rings, noticed by the other Jokers. One ring was a common gold band, the other a family crest ring bearing a surname, neither marked with the desired Bat symbol.

"How insane," the Main Universe's Joker sneered. "Look, here's a freak who dares to wear decorations that don't belong to the bat, I guess you don't have a bat tattoo, you disgusting lowlife..."

However, Nepier was not at all angered by this abuse; he elegantly flipped his hand, looking at his fingertips and said, "You won't find any trace of the bat's influence on me. It has long been thoroughly expelled from my body along with the blood I shed for him, into the filthy gutters where Batman belongs."

"How dare you!" The Main Universe's Joker almost exploded with rage as he lunged forward, grabbed Nepier by the collar, and raised his fist, but suddenly burst out into a hesitant laugh.

"You don't belong here, madman." The pale, thin fingers of the Main Universe's Joker tightened like ghost claws as he said, "You vile little man..."

"Thank you for the description, Batman's vocabulary just got a few more choices," Nepier replied, lowering his hand but still holding his head high.

He was dressed in a white Prince's garment suit, perfectly tailored. Normally, such an old-fashioned pattern should be worn by someone older and taller, as it draws one's attention to the stripes and overwhelms the outfit itself.

Not to mention the golden decorations on his body—besides the golden badge on his chest and golden rings on his fingers, Nepier also wore a thin pocket gold chain, and even the buttons were made of metal engraved with intricate floral designs.

His entire demeanor resembled a white swan with wings gilded, his pale skin and deep-set eye sockets not showing frailty but a different kind of elegance, as if he were naturally the most dazzling of all dignitaries, exuding an inherent arrogance.

"I would advise you not to disparage Batman on this occasion," Jack said with a smile. "If you can't join their fan meet, then stay silent, lest you sound like a madman."

"Are you taking his side too?" the Main Universe's Joker said fiercely.

"I don't think you need to act," Jack observed the Main Universe's Joker, whose eyes were sunken with fine lines around them. He was no longer young, and years of exposure to the elements had marked his face more than others.

When the Main Universe's Joker saw Jack's eyes, he found it hard to describe them, as if they held endless time and space, sharp enough to see through everything yet mystically elusive.

The Main Universe's Joker subconsciously drowned in them until someone pulled him back. Heath Ugly's expression was still very grim, his shoulders relaxed but the muscles around his nose tensed, crowding his eyes with not much malice but a restrained vigilance.

"I was about to grasp the key!" shouted the Main Universe's Joker, but his angry expression soon vanished, realising that this tactic didn't really work in front of the other Jokers, at least not with these two tricky guys, as displaying madness did not exert any pressure.

So he chuckled softly again, leaning back against the rock wall, raised an eyebrow at Phoenix Joker, who still wore a striking red gown and floated around Nepier like a child, saying after a full circle, "I like your suit; I've seen such clothes on TV."

He jerked his head to one side, his neck remaining still, making his face look somewhat asymmetrical and comical, but he didn't care and tilted his head again, saying, "Worn by those bureaucrats, they don these clothes and then inquire about the whereabouts of children displaced by disasters on TV."

"They certainly should ask more, given their ability to merely stand properly dressed in front of the TV and speak a few words constitutes the greatest help for the matter," Nepier seriously responded.

Phoenix Joker couldn't help laughing uproariously, covering his neck as he said, "Sorry, I have this madness, the psychiatrist says it's a kind of neurosis. I don't want to take those pills, maybe there was a time I wanted to, but there was no medicine available, it doesn't matter, it's all in the past."

"I am truly sorry for your ordeal," Nepier said. "The healthcare in Gotham City has always been a massive issue, with healthcare groups and insurance companies in cahoots and too many maggots embezzling a substantial amount of funds. For this, I had to issue some small warnings, and should I be fortunate to go to your city, perhaps I could bring some improvements."

"Mad, utterly mad!" the Main Universe's Joker covered his ears, this time genuinely acting mad, gnashing his teeth and stamping his feet, "Send someone! Kick him out, we didn't come here to hear this!!"

Other Jokers had already covered their ears when Nepier first spoke, digging into the floor and peeling the wall, none following the instructions of the Main Universe's Joker.

Heath Ugly put one hand in his pocket, speaking a long sentence for the first time, "If you're facing a lunatic who saved Gotham, then you should know there's no point in talking to him; he defeated Batman, ended the game on his own terms, so how he did it doesn't really matter."

"That's what I was thinking too," the Ghost Clown huffed twice and said, "Maybe you could consider him as Batman and accept his high-minded talk of justice. But do you really plan to stay here and listen to his municipal governance advice?"

"Please don't misunderstand," Nepier clearly disapproved of the Ghost Clown's suggestion to consider him as Batman, stretching out one hand and saying, "I'm not like those who only know how to cowardly escape; I don't play games with him simply because he can't answer any of my questions."

"Did you really ask him?"

"Gotham City in my hands was the question I posed to him, but guess what he did?"

The other Jokers pricked up their ears.

"He accepted my argument and admitted that he was indeed the biggest villain in Gotham City."

Immediately, curses filled the air non-stop.

"Are you sure he's Batman? Or is all this just your fabrication?" The Main Universe's Joker seemed utterly unable to accept it, saying, "How could Batman admit that?"

"Because in my universe, that's the truth," Nepier waved his hand and said.

The other Jokers appeared greatly shocked, and the Main Universe's Joker was stunned before saying, "You think it's not the same in our universe?"

This time it was Nepier who was stunned, and Phoenix Joker, looking down with a smile, said, "We're not talking about his methods of law enforcement, but rather the interest groups represented by Batman's real identity — the behind-the-scenes manipulator plunging the whole city into darkness. It's the same in every universe; you are not special."

"It's just that the Batman in your universe is particularly weak," Heath Ugly said. "If someone used some chemical means to clear your madness factor, making you think you could converse with us in a rational state, then I can tell you that outside of your universe, no Batman would give us that chance."

"Because the biggest medical group is Wayne Enterprises," Phoenix Joker said. "I told you, there are times I crave those little pills that cure madness, but I got nothing."

"And if you were saved, it just shows their control over this city isn't deep enough, providing you with an opportunity. And for us... maybe we say we don't need it because we can't get it."

"We're not that pitiful," Heath Ugly said. "I also said, he proactively ended that game, and I never want to do that, because Batman has to pay too much for the people he can't save; saving people is his responsibility, not mine. If he can't do it, he should be punished."

"I actually agree with that view," Jack, who had been quiet for a long time, said as he looked at Nepier, "Every version of yourself standing here had moments of potential salvation. But if Batman didn't switch the train to another track, then facing the insane natural disaster is the price he had to pay."

"But it seems, you and I are similar," Nepier said, looking at Jack, "at that moment of possible salvation, you were saved."

"No, we are not the same," Jack said. "No one came to save me; someone saved themselves."

The Main Universe's Joker finally sensed the difference and stared intently at Jack saying, "The Batman in your universe isn't Batman anymore, he gave up the responsibility to save others, so naturally, you no longer need to mete out punishment."

"But if he gave up, isn't that just an escape?" Nepier immediately caught the loophole in the statement and said, "Some responsibilities can't be abandoned. If he chooses to escape, then he should face even harsher punishment."

"Because he hasn't given up nor is he escaping," Jack shook his head and said. "In a long dream, Batman fulfilled his responsibilities. He saved the city, and he saved himself."

"He finally realized that he was no longer the Batman burdened with those dark and heavy responsibilities, but a child of his parents, a friend's companion, a student of his teachers... a master of himself."