"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."
– Christian (Moulin Rouge)
...
Gotham, Diamond District, Iceberg Lounge
Penguin and Ignatius watched the news on television together.
"Do we know for sure that the Phantom Thief has the Stone of Misfortune?"
Penguin asked.
"Don't worry, boss. Our people have confirmed that the Phantom Thief took the Stone of Misfortune."
Ignatius replied confidently.
"That's for sure."
"So... is Phantom Thief cursed this time?"
"According to Calculator and Felix's information, if the Phantom Thief touches the Stone of Misfortune, he won't survive! Unless..."
Ignatius hesitated.
"Unless?"
Penguin narrowed his eyes.
"Unless the Phantom Thief avoids touching the Stone of Misfortune or he knows some magic that can protect him from its curse, Otherwise, the Stone of Misfortune would likely have a powerful effect on him."
Ignatius said this seriously.
"While we can't rule out these possibilities, considering the Phantom Thief's abilities and his routine of returning stolen items, I think the chances are very slim."
"Hmm,"
Penguin murmured in agreement and continued.
"Ignatius, there's something I can't figure out."
Upon hearing this, Ignatius immediately focused his attention.
"According to the information we've gathered, the Phantom Thief's entire crime process involved using a dummy with a glider to distract everyone's attention. He returned to steal the 'Stone of Misfortune' once the threat was gone. The diamond he used as bait was actually the real Hope Diamond."
Penguin explained slowly, "Except for a very few of us, no one in the outside world knows about the Stone of Misfortune's existence. From the beginning, the 'Hope Diamond' displayed at the exhibition was actually the 'Stone of Misfortune,' while the real 'Hope Diamond' was hidden by Henry Orpheus."
"I'm curious, where did the Phantom Thief get the real 'Hope Diamond'? Since he already had the real diamond and knew the 'Hope Diamond' on display was fake, why did he go back to take the Stone of Misfortune?"
Penguin looked deeply at Ignatius and asked, "Ignatius, can you explain this to me?"
Ignatius's expression changed, as he also had the same doubts as Penguin.
Apart from Ignatius and Penguin, along with a few trusted individuals, the only person who knew the complete story of the Stone of Misfortune was Henry Orpheus.
Furthermore, the details of where the 'Hope Diamond' was hidden were known only to Henry himself, as Ignatius didn't care about the Hope Blue Diamond at all.
Unfortunately, the Phantom Thief's crime happened last night, and since his crime was over, Henry went with Commissioner Gordon and the others to the GCPD for questioning and hasn't come out yet.
Ignatius didn't have a good opportunity to send someone to find out the whole details from Henry.
In fact, he only learned from the news that aside from the 'Stone of Misfortune', the Phantom Thief had also stolen the genuine Hope Blue Diamond.
If the Phantom Thief somehow knew that the true 'Hope Diamond' was with Henry and then stole it, why did he need to go back and get the Stone of Misfortune?
But in the end, the 'Stone of Misfortune' was stolen.
Why did the Phantom Thief do this?
Does he know the real story of the Stone of Misfortune?
If he did, then the Phantom Thief wouldn't willingly touch that stone. The plan to use the Stone of Misfortune to take down the Phantom Thief has undoubtedly failed.
Thinking about this, Ignatius's forehead started to bead with multiple tiny sweat droplets.
"Well... Phantom Thief might have... might have..."
Faced with Penguin's question, Ignatius struggled to find the right words.
"The Phantom Thief might have learned about the existence of the 'Stone of Misfortune' through something or someone, so he intentionally took it while leaving the 'Hope Diamond'. This would mean that he's telling us he's seen through our plan!"
Penguin sneered and answered his own question.
"More accurately, he saw through your plan! I wasted fifteen million dollars buying that worthless stone!"
"I'm sorry, boss, I... I was so stupid."
Ignatius lowered his head, looking panicked.
"The Phantom Thief usually returns the stolen items to their original places. Have you ever thought about what would happen if he secretly returned that cursed stone here? You and I would both end up dying in that damn misfortune!"
Penguin's voice suddenly grew louder, "Ignatius, your failure this time has greatly disappointed me!"
Ignatius widened his eyes, and his heart started beating faster in his chest.
'Does this old penguin intend to kill me out of anger?'
"Are you afraid that I'll kill you?"
Suddenly, Penguin's tone softened.
"I made a serious mistake this time. It's only right for the boss to punish me, and I'm willing to accept it."
Ignatius's expression turned serious as he raised his head, his face showing a martyr's expression.
"If this was in Gotham over a decade ago, when Falcone was still around, I might have killed you, but now?"
Penguin said it with a disdainful look in his eyes. He only said half of his sentence, but Ignatius understood what he meant.
"You're a rare talent, Ignatius. Not just because of your personal skills, but also because I see shadows of my former self in you."
"I won't hold your mistake against you this time, but I won't tolerate another one! "
With that, the Penguin gave orders, "Phantom Thief has the 'Stone of Misfortune'. He could seek revenge at any moment. Now, I'm going to talk to Calculator. You better spend this time thinking about how to deal with the Phantom Thief!"
"When I return, I want to hear your answer!"
...
Gotham Academy
On this day of school, Dick's mind was quite blurry as he sat in his seat, not knowing what he was thinking.
Because he was daydreaming during class too many times, several teachers called his name and made him stand as punishment.
If it wasn't for Dean in front of him reminding Dick, he might not even realize he was being called.
It's not hard to understand; after all, for Dick, Phantom Thief had not only disguised himself to deceive Dean but had also disguised himself as Dean to deceive him.
This means that Phantom Thief can use similar disguises in the future.
Dick worried that if Phantom Thief were to use this scheme often, it would be a big problem to figure out Phantom Thief's real identity.
Lost in these thoughts, the school day slowly came to an end.
Dick dragged himself back to Wayne Manor, exhausted both mentally and physically.
As soon as he entered, he was shocked to see someone other than Alfred at home...
...
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