Chapter 1673: Death without Distraction (36)_1

"A few months ago – I can't exactly recall – I found that some of the magical arrays I was using, which dealt with divine powers, were having issues. I can't explain the specifics to you, but it seems that heaven unilaterally altered some rune applications. This caused the majority of my magic arrays linked to divine magic to stop working."

In a small alley next to the café, Constantine, sipping his hot coffee, elaborated, "I have no idea if those angels have their heads kicked off by a mule or something. They changed the runes that hadn't been altered for thousands of years after I used them for a few years. Now, my connection with heaven is entirely broken, and I still owe two debts that rely on heaven's power. Can't I be a tad anxious?"

"Who allowed you to make so many... Alright, let's not talk about that; what use does coming to Gotham have? There aren't any angels here."

Constantine opened his mouth as if he didn't know whether he should speak. But facing the interrogating looks of the two Robins, he sighed, "You guys can't always stay young, right? You can't forever believe what Batman tells you, that Gotham's current state is entirely due to a bunch of evil criminals."

Red Hood and Nightwing made eye contact, both reading an "I knew it" look in each other's eyes. But Red Hood still cleared his throat, tapped the ground with his toe and then said, "So then tell us, what has happened to Gotham and why do you need to be here?"

"To be frank, I need to come here to gather some power to pay back my debts. Or else, next time you see me, my liver probably won't be where it should be," sighed Constantine tiredly.

"You all know my magic power is like juggling credit cards to pay off debts. When one card is due, I borrow from another card to repay it. But then heaven suddenly cut ties. This is like suddenly losing half of my credit line. I tried my best to cover this hole but still fell a bit short, I had to resort to my backup plan."

"Honestly, who wants to come to Gotham if they aren't desperate?' Constantine squatted down against a wall. Holding his coffee cup, he complained without any composure, "In this horrible place, even demons have to spit, not to mention the Crazy Batman. I wouldn't be here if there wasn't an urgent need!"

"If you're here to borrow power, then why look for Lincoln March?"

"Err, didn't you guys know? I thought Batman had already dug up dirt on him." Constantine inhaled embarrassingly. Faced with the probing look from the two Robins, he could only mention, "Since you guys know that the darkness in Gotham isn't entirely due to crime, then you should be able to guess that there have always been might be some mysterious powers hidden in this city. I came here to negotiate with them."

Nightwing narrowed his eyes. He firmly stared at Constantine asking, "Mysterious power, what do you mean by that?"

Constantine blew on his coffee then turned out one word, "Owl."

"To be precise, the Court of Owls. Batman must have noticed something, but I can't let him know this time. Because he wouldn't allow me to take away any power from this city. I'm essentially trying to pull a tooth from a tiger's mouth."

"Honestly, I don't expect success and it was a bit unexpected that I was found out by you guys so early. I was going to ask, what's going on with Midtown? I was nearly blown away by a rocket launcher when I just teleported in."

Red Hood gave a "tssk" sound. Constantine looked at him with strange eyes. Red Hood tried extremely hard to suppress his laughter, then said, "It's pouring rain when the roof leaks. However, your good luck is here, sir. We might not tell Batman because we also are planning to deal with Lincoln March."

"Why do you want to deal with Lincoln March?"

In the following ten minutes or so, Red Hood detailed their plan to Constantine. After being told, Constantine did not move a muscle and became like a wooden carving.

After a long time, he finally said, "I feel like I should tell Batman right now. You guys are going a bit crazy, lads!"

"Manipulating elections, developing gangs, even getting involved in shipbuilding and smuggling business? If I didn't know this city is already beyond saving, I would feel obligated to be a hero for once and send you guys to the police station!"

"Stop the useless yakking. I'll just ask you one thing, are you in or not? If you dare to refuse, I'm going to call Wonder Woman right now, saying you stole her lingerie."

Constantine immediately sprayed out his coffee, he stood up and stared at Red Hood, saying, "We haven't seen each other just for a few months and it seems like you've been possessed by demons. Moreover, how do you know that I…"

"You really didn't contemplate it, did you?"

Red Hood and Nightwing immediately huddled together, looking at Constantine like he's a disgusting insect. Constantine waved his hand and said, "Don't insult me. I've never been so crude, but Diana is pretty attractive, right?"

"Alright lads, how do you guys plan to deal with Lincoln March? Perhaps I could lend a hand. By then, you guys have dealt with Penguin Man's competitor, and I can get my powers, this would be a win-win."

"It won't be that simple." Red Hood scornfully snorted, "Don't think you can deceive us. Your reward for helping us deal with Lincoln March is us hiding this from Batman, not helping you get the power. If you want us to join your scheme against the so-called Court of Owls, you better show some sincerity."