Arthur ultimately relied on his resilient willpower and his always calm and rational mind to win this game against Bruce. As he watched Bruce vanish into thin air, he felt an immediate relief, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from his shoulders, leaving him feeling light.
He had finally managed to rid himself of the Joker's influence. At that moment, his mind was clearer than ever before. In a short amount of time, he was able to piece together every detail of the game. Even though he had emerged victorious, it had been a perilous endeavor. In fact, when Bruce revealed the truth, Arthur was dangerously close to losing his sanity.
If he had succumbed to madness, it would have been all over. His soul and consciousness would have been consumed by Bruce, becoming a part of it. At that point, the entity that would have exited this bizarre world wouldn't have been Arthur or the Joker, but something even more terrifying—the Batman who laughs himself.
With this realization, Arthur understood that he had inadvertently accomplished a heroic deed of saving the world. If Batman Who Laughs had been unleashed, the outside world would have suffered greatly. Through a peculiar connection, Arthur vaguely sensed the terrifying and formidable nature of Bruce, hinting at the existence of an even more powerful and malevolent force behind it.
"Batman... Bruce Wayne and I are kindred spirits. The darkness hidden in his heart also leads to the depths of hell!"
After this experience, Arthur could be considered one of the people who understood Batman the most. After all, he had portrayed Batman for so long, feeling a much stronger sense of immersion than when he merely played trivia games.
After resolving the Joker's issue, Arthur didn't rush to leave this bizarre world. This world was created by the Dream Star based on his consciousness and memories, much like Schrödinger's cat—both unreal and yet undeniably real.
Here, Arthur could choose another path in life and use this world as a testing ground to try various methods of reforming Gotham. Upon leaving this world, he would also gain the rich experience and abilities he had acquired.
Arthur had already fulfilled one of his two obsessions. Now, the remaining task was how to save and change the city of sin—Gotham. The path of the Batman, the Dark Knight, seemed impassable, and the Joker's chaotic and fair road was equally futile.
Arthur attempted to change Gotham from the top down, actively engaging in politics. Eventually, with the financial power of Wayne Enterprises and his eloquence, he was elected as Gotham's mayor.
At the beginning of his term, he intended to vigorously improve Gotham's security environment, reforming the police system. With logistical support and funding in place, the Gotham police became more proactive in combating criminals.
Initially, Gotham's security environment did improve somewhat. However, Arthur soon encountered difficulties. On one hand, his radical reforms faced significant resistance from various groups, from grassroots organizations to corresponding interest groups. Even within Wayne Enterprises, there were internal discordant voices.
The reason was simple—Arthur, as mayor, advocated for integrity, fairness, and justice, but did we not all need to eat? By upsetting the established order, he disrupted the interests of various groups, including both large and small. Even the common people, who benefited from the reforms, felt discontent with the turbulent environment.
Arthur found himself surrounded by supporters wherever he went, but at critical moments, he lacked reliable assistance. No matter how good his plans and measures were, they ultimately had to be executed by subordinates. If they didn't cooperate or undermine him, it would be tolerable, but what was even more frustrating were those who deliberately magnified the situation.
For example, when Arthur proposed in the council to suggest residents stay indoors after 8 PM for safety, it was meant to enhance security. However, by the time the order reached the grassroots level, it was enforced as a harsh curfew, causing residents to complain incessantly.
It wasn't until a week later that Arthur learned of this incident. When he confronted the person in charge, they feigned innocence, claiming to have strictly enforced Mayor Arthur's decree. Moreover, some influential figures were deliberately complicating matters, attempting to thwart Arthur's directives.
Several years later, although Gotham's security had indeed improved significantly compared to before, it remained the city with the highest crime rate in the country. It wasn't any better than when the bat signal illuminated the city skyline.
As a result, people began to yearn for the days when the bat flew through the city, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
In the new mayoral election, Arthur was defeated. He realized this path was also a dead end. He could choose to collude with politicians and financial conglomerates, as he was supposed to be one of the elites. However, what Arthur did was betray his own class, naturally losing the support of those elites.
"Perhaps this world needs a thorough reform, like the ones in Paris or Moscow back then?"
Arthur began to study some advanced theoretical knowledge that stood with the vast masses of people, especially the laborers, analyzing the predicament Gotham faced from the perspective of social classes, the laws of economic development, productivity, changes in modes of production, and the redistribution of wealth.
He eventually realized that Gotham was not an isolated case; in fact, the whole world had problems!
If the world were afflicted with cancer, Gotham was merely the most obvious and protruding tumor. Beneath the skin and flesh, a large number of cancer cells had long since spread throughout the body.
"But can this path be traversed?"
Arthur thought of the colossal red giant that collapsed overnight. After experiencing all this, he knew that there was never a panacea in the world, nor were there any perfect plans or policies.
Because even the most perfect plans and policies had to be implemented by people. Even if he could ensure that he remained a staunch idealist, he could not demand that the countless individuals below him never stray from their original intentions.
Unless...
Arthur found a way, or rather, the Dream Star provided him with a cheat. In the world created by the Dream Star, Arthur's will surpassed everything else. Although he couldn't command the winds and rain like a deity with divine decrees, he could unleash extraordinary power with his will.
He could infect the people around him, making them clear about their own thoughts, pursuits, and aspirations. Just as the Joker virus would spread and proliferate, Arthur regarded himself as a large signal tower. As long as he remained steadfast in his ideals, he could influence those around him at any time.
"I have found the right path—to create my Utopia!"
"A truly fair and just society, free from oppression and exploitation, where everyone is actively striving for progress!"