Shiller followed the Spider Silk into the archive. Spider Silk searched around the bookshelves for a while, then frowned and said, "Be honest, are you sure there's no mistake? I can't find any application record…"
Shiller knitted his brows, too. Ideally speaking, this should be impossible. He thought his speculation was sound, but if they couldn't find the application record, things could get complicated.
Shiller obtained the application form from Spider Silk. After Nick took charge of the Time Management Bureau and Spider Totem, he numbered each universe meticulously.
Of course, this numbering was not the same as what Shiller had seen in the comics; it was an entirely different system, but it matched up all the same.
After examining for a while, Shiller pointed to a record and said, "Isn't this the transit record for the two universes I want?"
Spider Silk pointed at the name next to it and said, "But look, the applicant is Spider Man from your universe."
Shiller immediately took out his phone and started to communicate with Peter. He took a photo of the application record and sent it to Peter. Peter quickly replied.
This time, Peter's response was remarkably concise. Basically, there was indeed such a matter. At the time, the Amazing Spiderman thought that it would be difficult if he applied himself, so he asked Peter to inquire Spider Silk for him.
Being Spider Man of the Shiller Universe, it was easier for Peter to apply for others from different universes to come over. So he actually managed to secure a passage, with the record column stating "Granted, single person, non-Spider Man" which seems to suggest the one in the white can now.
Then Shiller asked Peter a key question: "When did the Amazing Spiderman contact you?"
Peter immediately sent Shiller a screenshot of their chat record. Shiller astutely noted that this happened the day before Bruce's arrival.
In other words, it is very likely the Amazing Spiderman lived until Bruce's arrival. Could it be a coincidence?
The Amazing Spiderman has survived so many years, enduring countless blows and challenges. But Bruce arrives, and suddenly he dies. How could this possibly be a coincidence?
Shiller knew that he had to conduct a ground investigation after his reasoning reached this point.
There was, however, one issue—Shiller was the only existence across thousands of timelines and universes.
Be it the Time Management Bureau or the headquarters of the Spider Legion under its jurisdiction, they are all beyond time. That's why they could sit here and see both the past and the future, sometimes even observe themselves.
The presence of anyone here does not affect their unique attribute on any timeline.
But it's a different story if Shiller leaves here.
If he goes to the Amazing Spiderman's timeline now, he has to deal with the white can and the Transcendent in his own universe at the same time. He doesn't know if the Marvel Universe can handle two of him appearing on the real timeline at the same time.
So it's best for Shiller to stay within the jurisdiction of the Time Management Bureau and maintain his uniqueness on the actual timeline. Otherwise, if a paradox happens, the consequences could be terrifying.
Having said that, Shiller really did not care about the terrifying consequences. He was even keen to have a try to see what would happen.
Except that he had a Strange breathing down his neck who warned and concluded that Shiller shouldn't leave the Time Management Bureau's jurisdiction and planned to enforce this theory.
Now, Shiller had only one option: to use his alternate self in Dreamworld, or the Skrull Shiller.
Although they were both Shiller now, they remained separate entities, and one was indigenous. Both being present in two universes should not pose a problem.
But this time, Shiller planned not to be Shiller.
A long time ago, he had thought about a question: being the puppet master was awesome, but he couldn't always be behind the scenes. The world was filled with fools, but also plenty of smart people. If he got too involved in affairs, he would inevitably be exposed.
For example, this time, there were always those in Battleworld who spread rumors, alleging that anything from cosmic destruction to the garbage can being knocked over in front of their houses was related to one Shiller Rodriguez, a psychiatrist. Wasn't this sheer slander?
But it is always easier to spread rumors than to refute them. According to the theory of rumor spreading, his notoriety had probably reached numerous universes.
One could imagine that even after the full establishment of Battleworld, no fantastic amusement project would be prepared for him because everyone was frightened at the sight of him, completely ruining the fun.
Shiller had considered creating a pseudonym for himself a while ago, of course, the 'Black Sun' in the Fog World was one, but it manifested in the form of a deity, hardly suitable to appear in daily life.
Even if it could, the impression it would leave would be too deep. In a matter of days, it would be "preventing fire, theft, and the Black Sun". This would make the pseudonym pointless, wouldn't it?
Therefore, Shiller planned to create a more low-profile pseudonym, and more importantly, it must not overlap with his current persona to ensure that nobody could tell who he was.
Originally, Shiller was in no hurry. He planned to contemplate how to prepare a new identity until the completion of Battleworld, giving him ample time to prepare.
However, the investigation into Spiderman's case was an urgent matter now. Luckily, Shiller had pretty much thought things through. Everything was ready, except for the move.
First off, psychology? Not my field at all! Mind Reading Technique? No idea!
He didn't know any of the disciplines related to his current occupation, such as medicine, psychology, behavioral science, sociology, philosophy, and so on.
But this posed a problem; he couldn't explain the basis of his judgments.
In the past, he could use his professional advantages to convince others, for instance: explaining their situation through psychological or sociological perspectives, and hence making certain suggestions.
Without these theories to rely on, it would be hard for him to persuade others with his strengths, because firstly, he wasn't a specialist, and secondly, he lacked any theoretical knowledge. People always trust experts more readily.
So, Shiller thought of a method: instead of completely changing his job, he would promote his sideline to his main occupation.
What then was his most famous sideline?
Some may guess "Professor", others may guess "Surgeon", but in reality, since coming here, the longest lasting side occupation Shiller took on was being a Pope.
That's right, Shiller planned to become a faith healer.
Don't ask me how I know what you're thinking, don't ask me why I know what your next move will be, and don't ask me where my advice came from. The answer is divine guidance, the answer is revelation.
Then the question arises, who is the God?
That's right, it's Shiller himself.
The previous façade of the Black Sun wasn't made in vain; combined with the world within the ring, wouldn't God and the Divine Realm be present?
Of course, now we have God, we have Divine Realm, we have the Pope, but a good denomination can't be without believers and a Divine Country.
But isn't this coincidental? Shiller has an entire High Tower; isn't this the Divine Country of the promised land of dreams?
Now, God himself is me, the Pope is me, and all the believers are me. Is there a more united denomination in the world?
It sounds absolutely absurd, but its feasibility is quite high. The key lies with the Skrull Shiller, whose body can shapeshift.
Skrulls do have limits to their shapeshifting capabilities; if they want to perfectly imitate someone, they won't be able to imitate anyone else for a long time. But the Skrull Shiller didn't perfectly imitate Shiller.
He was asked to imitate Shiller, but the moment he connected to Shiller's Tower of Thought, he was brainwashed and his consciousness accessed Shiller's memories through the Tower.
That means he didn't have to use his imitation ability; he simply used his mind to gain Shiller's capabilities. He then transformed his appearance to look like Shiller, but this was pure shapeshifting and didn't involve acquiring the other's memory like when imitating others.
So the Skrull Shiller didn't deeply imitate Shiller, thus avoiding the limitations of shapeshifting. He could become anyone he wished to be.
Other people would have encountered another dilemma at this point: what should their new appearance look like?
This isn't like switching characters in a game where you can model yourself tall, beautiful and handsome just to satisfy vanity. Most people, over the decades, have gotten accustomed to their bodies. Even if they're to grow taller or become shorter by a bit, they would feel very uncomfortable.
For instance, some people who have had cosmetic nose jobs end up suffering from a psychological disorder called "Dysmorphophobia". In simple terms, they can't get accustomed to their new noses and always feel unable to breathe properly. The cause of their condition is that their operating system and the physical hardware are incompatible.
So realistically speaking, plots involving soul-switching don't simply require a few minutes of readjustment, as portrayed in fictional novels or comics. It would take months or even years to adapt to different physical states.
But Shiller didn't have this problem.
Previously, Shiller questioned why he wasn't required to adjust to this new body after crossing over. Now, he had his answer: it's because this body was truly his and his soul naturally matched its "hardware".
Conversely, the original Shiller who crossed over later probably needed an adjustment period. Therefore, when Lucifer was pulled out of feather, it wasn't entirely unreasonable. The original Shiller might have simply been unable to control the child's body, and accidentally plucked a feather.
As for Shiller, he did not feel conflicted whatsoever about his new appearance - he could just become his previous self, right?
Based on Lucifer's account of the situation back then, Shiller guessed that God might have been lazy when sending him over, which led to his previous life appearance being mixed-race as well.
This was the main reason he was able to blend into the local community when he went to America for university education, convincingly posing as a devout Believer without arousing any suspicion. After all, in America, skin color is an insurmountable social barrier.
After deciding to take immediate action, Shiller began moving non-stop.
This was a massive undertaking. Although Shiller didn't plan to move the entire High Tower, he decided to move the few floors stacked by Ye Meng Jia De, plus the 20 or so layers he stacked on Ye Meng Jia De over the years.
Upon this decision, Mundane Python Ye Meng Jia De finally had the chance to spread its wings. It shifted from sleeping coiled up tightly to match the size of the High Tower to having a vast open space where it could coil as it pleased, determining the size of its own foundation.
Therefore, upon hearing about the move, Ye Meng Jia De was more enthusiastic than anyone. It couldn't wait to head off to new pioneering lands and build the world of its dreams.