Chapter 829: The Charm of Education (Part 1)_1

Can DC indeed use the Politically Correct Halo?

Indeed, it is a question, and it should be viewed from several perspectives. In early DC comics, Political correctness was almost non-existent. Not only were there plots of children's deaths and abuse, but it also lacked certain traits associated with modern-day heroes.

Of course, the DC editorial department also compromised for commercialization. Later ethnic minorities gained privileges, the character setup and physical design of female heroes were adjusted to some extent, and the film universe deliberately introduced roles of other ethnicities to strengthen their presence.

Nevertheless, using the Politically Correct Halo in DC is generally more difficult than in Marvel. The overall tone of DC is darker, and some operations, like breaking the fourth wall like a comedic character, just don't get through.

However, there are other ways here to use the Politically Correct Halo, just like the assigned composition, it must be used following the worldview and style of DC comics.

Shiller knows that to combat the Laughing Bat, merely putting on a shell for the world and letting Batman laugh still wouldn't be enough.

There is another very real problem that Bruce is always an ordinary person. His physical fitness and skills do not exceed the average person that much; he has no terrifying Self-Healing Power or any great strength.

However, the Laughing Bat is different. After being infected by Joker, he also has the Dionysus Factor. He transformed Robin into a sharp-toothed Hunting Dog, and he is not alone when he appears. He has an entire Batman Team, each member possessing outstanding skills.

Of course, if it's the later old Batman, he would usually choose to avoid his sharp edge, then defeat him by wits. But Shiller is not sure whether the small Batman of his universe can tolerate such a disgusting character defecating on his head.

Even if it's Batman, the older they get, the more mature they become. Bruce is only 20 this year, who hasn't been hotheaded when young?

Setting aside the Laughing Bat issue, Barbados is also a significant problem. When Batman from other universes comes for help, will Bruce go or not?

Given his character, he surely will. However, the Batmen who had lived for forty to fifty years were hanged on trees. He has only lived for 20 years, has not finished many courses, has not obtained many degrees; his strength definitely cannot be compared to those cunning old Batmen.

As such, Shiller thinks that he can fully use the Politically Correct Halo to add a layer of insurance to him. Simply put, it's about equipping resurrection armor.

After becoming a formal angel on might of heaven, Shiller has not done nothing. In these few days, he turned the Bible and all the Gospels upside down, reaching a point where he sees the Halo on everyone.

After all, no matter how other politically correct factors are defined, in the environment of Europe and America, religion is always the big daddy. All actions and speeches must be cautious.

Contravening other politically correct factors, the worst-case scenario is to be criticized, but if religious factors are involved, it may lead to immediate disappearance.

Isn't that equivalent to putting the raid guide and the chicken handbook in front of you? Not meticulously studying it would be a waste of efforts by the authors of the Bible, right?

When Shiller met Bruce in the slum, Shiller found that Bruce's behavior actually coincided with the story of Jesus being born.

To atone for human sins, God sent his favorite son to the world. After experiencing suffering, he voluntarily got nailed to the Cross, and the blood all dried out for the human race.

Having suffered, Bruce has already done it, and what Shiller has to do next is to guide him to voluntarily get nailed to the Cross.

Shiller is not asking Bruce to donate all his assets immediately, become an absolute poor, and then using all the money to improve human society. The priority of this is not so up-front. After all, whether it be the entire human society or Gotham, the current situation can still be improved.

To keep this best-hand card, Shiller must first give Batman a Halo.

Therefore, he described the current serious conditions in Gotham much more solemnly, and sent Constantine to inform Batman of the dark cause of Gotham, which made him feel an imminent sense of urgency.

Eventually, Bruce made a decision only a deity would. After getting rid of his own negative emotions and shortcomings of human nature, he recovered most divinity.

In the same manner, when he decided to bring absolute fairness to mankind and ultimate happiness to each person, it meant that he was willing to sacrifice all he got to atone for the sins of the human race.

This coincides with the story where Jesus, the Saint Heir, got voluntarily nailed to the Cross, bled dry, and then died to redeem human sins.

Of course, this is not enough. After the death of Jesus, there must be angels to lead him and saints to preach about him. It's quite coincidental that Shiller is a true angel.

When he narrates the whole story in the church, it becomes a story that coincides with Jesus's actions in the Bible.

Suffering, baptism, enduring temptation, sacrificing oneself... Batman has, due to his actions, achieved the same brilliance as Jesus, the Saint Heir.

So in the upcoming dangerous events, this character will have a special significance. He once bled dry for mankind, and when he dies, he becomes the true Jesus, the Saint Heir.

Which means, Bruce in this universe won't be a background board that can easily die in any significant event. His death must be epic, with stories, and valiant; he must also resurrect after death.

Otherwise, if a character, symbolizing Jesus in a religious story, is portrayed as a small fry and casually abused to death by other characters, the editorial department is kind of asking for trouble.

As for God? The Lord doesn't care.

Standing in the church, Batman asked, "What was that glimmer just now?"

Having the sense of having completed all the plans, Shiller breathed a sigh of relief, casually threw the Bible aside and said, "It's nothing, okay, you can go back now. Just leave the thesis on my office desk."

He stood to leave, but Batman stopped him, asking, "What about the future transformation plans? How do I turn Wayne Enterprises and my fortune into the power to reshape the world?"

Shiller scrutinized him, "Are you in a rush to get something done? You think this can be accomplished in a day? You're not thinking about liquidating all of Wayne Enterprises' assets tomorrow to donate them, so that everyone can be happy right away?"

Batman silently stared at Shiller. The atmosphere was already so tense, he was prepared to be nailed to the cross. Yet Shiller was telling him that he still had to wait, to become a saint he had to wait at least a hundred to eighty years. What was all the earlier mental preparation for then?

Shiller chuckled, "That's what you get for not studying psychology properly. Didn't you know? My specialty is to create tense atmospheres, making people forget certain simple truths."

"But it's fine, you're not the first. The last fool I played was that genius who built the Ark Reactor."

Batman took a deep breath. He was indeed influenced by the atmosphere, thinking that starting tomorrow, he would no longer reside in that luxurious mansion, ride those luxurious cars, or have endless amounts of money. Starting from tomorrow, he would be penniless.

In fact, even if he has the most wealth and the most powerful scientific research capabilities in the world, to achieve what Shiller said, he may have already become old and immobile by the time all the transformations are completed.

At that point, with no more meaning in accumulating wealth – we bring nothing at birth, nor do we take anything at death.

"Okay, now, let's go back to the office and discuss where to begin with Gotham's transformation. If you want to see your ideals realized before your death, you'd better hurry…"

Batman's brain starts furiously calculating, trying to compute how much time he would need to achieve the results Shiller spoke of.

After a flurry of calculations, he found that, presuming he were to live till 80, there is very little time left, possibly not enough.

Thinking of this, he quickened his pace, deciding not to bother with Shiller's trick, but just as he took the lead, he heard a voice from behind:

"Now, you may act according to your own conscience, you do not need to fear injuries or death anymore. If you encounter a big trouble you can't solve, pray to God."

Batman stopped in his tracks and said, "....I don't believe in God."

'Ironically, God's favorite son, didn't believe in God either. Keep going like this, and you will become one of his favorites as well."

As they left the cathedral and strolled down the alleyway near Gotham Cathedral, it was now dusk. Trucks drove past them, stirring up a string of puddles; Newspaper boys raced each other on bicycles, the sound of bells ringing incessantly.

The smell of baked goods wafted from the bakery by the street, the plump proprietor was washing his oven mitts in the doorway. Mobsters in groups of threes and fives were huddled around the barbecue stand, their boasting and laughter reverberated in the air.

"Did you read the travelogue that I handed in?" Batman asked.

"Of course, I did." Shiller nodded.

"If I cannot complete all of the tasks I want to accomplish, should I find myself a successor?" Batman asked.

Shiller took a deep breath. The air was slightly damp after the rain and mingled with the smell of food, creating a complex aroma. He said,

"Batman, you honestly do not understand education. You see an excellent child and you think about making him your assistant. After bringing him home, you see the next one."

"There are countless geniuses in the world. If they are raised and educated, they may be able to be your assistants. But, the question is, do you love them? Do they love you?"

Shiller stopped at the end of the alleyway and looked at Batman. "I know, you think highly of Jason; you think he's smart and gifted. But isn't Dick the same?"

"The only difference between them is that I have been teaching Jason all along, while you simply dumped Dick into school and ignored him."

"If the death of the little girl hasn't shown you the importance of proper education, I can only say that the report I wrote wasn't wrong. Batman is indeed a child-devouring monster."

Batman squinted, looking at Shiller and said, "So it was you who wrote that report…"

"But am I wrong?" Shiller defended himself boldly. "You brought one child after another home without educating them, leading them on the wrong path. Isn't this far worse than what I wrote?"

"Batman…" Shiller sighed. "One day, you will understand how precious a child's love is. It is the purest feeling you can receive in this world..."

"If you waste all of that, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Watching Shiller's departing figure, Batman thought of Dick and Aisha.

He thought, improving Gotham's education would be a noble ideal, but before that, could he educate his own children well?