Ch.56 Gotham Night Bell (Top)

Silence echoes in the empty room. Finally, Batman speaks, "Everything I do, every trial I face since that day, is for revenge."

"The law and justice tell me that Joe Chill kills my parents. But I know it isn't true. I spend years training myself to question that verdict."

"...And now, the time for Batman's revenge comes."

As the dreary evening bell tolls from the bell tower of Gotham Cathedral, Batman's figure disappears.

The recent activities of the Edward family catch the vigilant eye of Batman, who watches over the entire city of Gotham. Before their rise to power,when they first came to Gotham, the Edward brothers hold control over the alley where Batman's parents are killed.

But now, the Edward brothers are dead, leaving only their nephew behind. Edward junior offends the Godfather. If Falcone is unwilling to let him go, the Edward family can't exist.

Batman first seeks out Edward junior. He doesn't need to send someone to fetch him like the Godfather would. He can appear directly in the shadow behind anyone.

The next day, Gotham is again shrouded in heavy fog. Later in the day, dusk casts a hazy mist over the city, painting it with more colors.

Schiller converses with the priest at the entrance of the church. Like a true Westerner, he regularly visits the church without seeming out of place.

The priest here is very knowledgeable and has a deep understanding of theology. Schiller enjoys discussing philosophical and theological questions with him, taking the opportunity to gather information as well.

Having lived a lifetime in Gotham, the old priest experiences all the eras and knows all the stories of this place.

The priest says, "Recently, the dock workers don't come as often. Perhaps their businesses improve. I hope so. God tells people that they need to work hard to atone for their sins."

"The number of merchant ships at the docks also increases, and the shipowners' businesses improve," Schiller mentions.

"I remember many years ago, there is a time when many workers like to come here to pray. The church has never been so bustling."

The old priest's voice carries the unique imprint of the times, like a faded track that runs through history.

"I can see they aren't busy during those times. Maybe business doesn't go well. Many people complain, and some even get into arguments. I do my best to dissuade them."

"You're a good person," Schiller says.

The old priest squints his eyes in recollection, "In those days, chaos is everywhere. I remember, at that time, a man named Lave rules the docks. No one dare to fight him; people call him Big Beard or Viking Pirate."

"He is well-built and strong, with a bushy beard and a dozen strong henchmen. They rule the docks, and no one dare to provoke them. They make a living by extorting protection fees from the workers."

"Then, who brings them down?" Schiller asks.

"It is Falcone. The godfather give him a thump."

The priest touches his weathered and aging fingers and adds, "Originally, it is supposed to the godfather take over the docks. But somehow, it ends up in the hands of the Edward family."

Shaking his head, the priest concludes, "I'm not saying the Edward family doesn't manage it well. But perhaps, if the Falcone family takes over the docks and unifies the entire East Side, they will be even stronger than they are now."

"I often hear people say..." Schiller begins, "that the godfather's control over the East End is some weak. He only controls certain parts in the northeast and southeast, while brushing the crucial docks aside."

The priest shakes his head and says, "Perhaps he has his own plans."

Schiller contemplates. What the priest shared with him isn't a secret. The reason it isn't widely known is that few people from that era are still alive.

Of course, Schiller speculates that there might be more complex reasons behind why the Godfather doesn't fully control the docks all at once.

After it grows dark, Schiller bids farewell to the priest and walks out of the church alone.

When the last rays of sunlight disappear below the horizon, he hears the heavy tolling of the church bell above his head, carrying an indescribable sense of decay.

The priest makes a sign of the cross over his chest in front of the church entrance and murmurs, "This is a death... May God bless you, may your soul find redemption..."

Schiller stands outside the door and looks back. In the midst of the deep gray mist, he sees a black and yellow figure standing tall on the bell tower.

On the other side, Edward junior collapses on the ground, facing the shadow with two pointed ears in front of him. He stutters, "I only... I only know that, originally... the Godfather ends the chaos in the eastern docks. My father and uncle want a share, even if it is just one dock..."

"But then, the Godfather suddenly doesn't want any of them... so our family gets all five docks. I don't know what happens... I am too young. You can only ask the Godfather. I really don't know anything..."

After the bat-shaped shadow leaves, Edward junior trembles as he struggles to get up from the ground. He mutters a curse under his breath. Suddenly, he sees another shadow appears in front of him.

He looks up and sees a huge umbrella facing him. Behind the umbrella, an insidious eye is staring right at him. Just as Edward is about to let out a scream of fear, his vocal cords are cut off, along with his throat.

After a slight sound, the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground accompanies the extinguishing of lights in Edward's mansion, and everything falls into silence.

Finally, Batman arrives at Falcone's mansion. It is pitch black and quiet, as if no one exists there.

Unlike Edward's one, which is brightly lit and guarded all night, this mansion of Gotham's Godfather seems to have no defense. Batman knows something is not right.

In the end, Batman finds him in Falcone's office. Still, there is nobody else around. Falcone seems to be waiting specifically for him, sitting alone in his office at dawn.

"I know you will come," Falcone says. "You aren't very careful enough when investigating Edward senior's background."

"That shows that his background must have something special that you care about," Batman voices.

"Yes, are you interested in hearing a story from many years ago?" Falcone asks.

Then, Batman learns from this Godfather who has ruled Gotham for forty years about the turbulent era he has never seen or heard of.

"...They gather followers and are ruthless, especially the Viking Pirate, Lave. He has the most influence."

"I know that if the Falcone family wants to truly establish themselves here, I have to take him down."

"That bearded man has made a fortune through years of extortion and controlling the ships. He isn't content and wants to resist me."

"So, in front of many people, I kill all his family members and then put him into a barrel of gunpowder."

"Of course, that scares many people and makes my plan go smoothly."

"I want to know about Park Street," Batman says.

"Don't rush, we're almost there."

Falcone turns his chair around and looks at Batman, saying, "You look like your father." He nods and adds, "Very much."

Before Batman can say anything, Falcone continues, "I wipe out all the major forces on the docks at that time. But instead of taking over the docks, I hand them over to the Edward family. It has something to do with your parents."

"Your mother was a good person, a kind lady. She sympathized with the workers on the docks, thinking that working over ten hours a day was too hard for them. Your father agreed too, they thought the poor people should be treated better."

"So, they forbid the gangs from oppressing the laborers and establish a more relaxed work system for them. You know, working for a few hours and then taking a break, having something to eat and drink."

"The Wayne family was determined to reform the entire order of the Gotham docks, but I know... I know."

"I know it wouldn't work, but I don't want to confront the Wayne family. So, I seceded and let them handle it their way."

"I allow the Edward family to control all the docks, and the Edward brothers are quite clever."

Falcone lights a cigar. The faint flame illuminates his face, casting a dark shadow under his sharp eyebrows, shrouding his eyes, faintly showing a glimpse of the Godfather when he is young who once dominates the era.

"So, Edward hired that thug named Joe and killed my parents ?"

The smoke from the cigar slowly rises. Falcone's speech begins to slow down, as if the memories are becoming more distant and unclear.

"The ones who really do it? No, it isn't them,not Edward."

"The person who really does it is a dock laborer named Louis."

"A laborer?" Batman feels absurdity, and he asks, "Why? How can a dock laborer?"

"I know you can't understand. The Wayne couple helps them. Yes, the laborers don't have to work such long hours every day, being oppressed by both the gangs and the ship owners. They find their Savior..."

Falcone shakes his head and continues, "But you don't understand. There are hierarchies among the laborers as well. The most exhausting tasks, such as carrying sandbags and heavy objects, are always assigned to the lowest level workers. The higher-ups only have to handle light tasks like manpower allocation and inventory counting."

"Your parents want everyone to have an easier time. But no one wants to do the dirty and tiring tasks. The ship owners waste too much time, resulting in lost cargo. So they would rather take a longer route than come to Gotham's docks again."

"I remember... that Louis is... the foreman of the third or fourth dock. He is closely monitored by the Wayne family and has to assign the same tasks to everyone. Only work for nine hours a day, with a two-hour break in between for meals."

"The cargo ships just wait there with no one to unload the goods. Fresh produce and fruits rot. The ship owners demand compensation from Louis, but he can't afford it. So they beat him up, breaking his leg."

"So, he hires that thug and kills the Wayne couple?" Batman's voice has a raspy tone, like falling into the abyss.

"He seeks help from Edward senior, and they together stage that murder on Park Alley."

"You must think it absurd, just like Judas betraying his master and causing his benefactor to suffer," Falcone says in a neutral tone of voice.

"...But this is Gotham, a place where even demons take a detour."

Batman closes his eyes. The truth is completely different from what he had imagined.

This is not a story of perpetrators and victims in a conflict. There is no justice that can be easily upheld at first glance.

Everything is not about white walls and black shadows, but rather an old, faded gray tape, covered in the thick dust of that era.

"The thug who carries out and the Edward brothers are dead, but Louis is still alive. If you still want revenge, go to the back alley of Grace Street, Church Eastside, number 7. That's where he lives."

After finishing his words, Falcone exhales his final puff of smoke and closes his eyes as well.

His fingers are well-preserved, with hardly any wrinkles. The cigar between his fingers has burned out. The flame gradually fades, silently putting an end to that boiling era, giving a conclusion to all the waves of turmoil.