"Hey, lightbulb head, you keep staying close to Ignatius. You need to earn his trust and tell me everything about his every move, even if it's just a few tiny details.
In the sewer, the Penguin commanded Mr. Combustible one last time.
"Understood, boss."
Mr. Combustible nodded heavily.
Then, the two of them went their separate ways and distanced themselves from the sewer.
...
Cassandra's safe house is in the basement.
"No, no, you can't look at your hands when cutting the cards. You have to stare at the audience or any corner naturally. In short, just don't look at the hand when cutting the cards."
Dean instructed Cassandra, who was practicing card tricks.
"No, this is also wrong. You can't just shift your gaze casually; the focus is not there. It's about eye contact. You can't show any noticeable changes or reveal any nervousness or cunning. Be more confident, more natural..."
"And your thinking needs to be more flexible. Don't just mimic my movements exactly; that's meaningless. Do as I say, not as I do. Understand?"
Watching Dean's corrections and guidance, Cassandra scratched her head in confusion.
Dean helplessly raised his hand to his forehead; he felt like he might be setting the bar too high.
Since that night, when Dean convinced Cassandra to spend some time with him, he has been giving her some basic training.
After all, as an assistant to the Phantom Thief, it wouldn't be acceptable if she lacked the essential skills of the Phantom Thief.
However, the training situation was somewhat complicated.
Cassandra had exceptional body control and could learn any technique with ease because of her exceptional combat talent.
She even had no trouble performing extremely difficult magic tricks.
In just a few days, Cassandra's skills were already on par with those of a professional magician.
But in the world of magic, technique was only one component.
It was just the minimum standard to measure a magician's skill.
Acting, intelligence, observation, psychological games, innovative creativity—these abilities were the indicators distinguishing an ordinary magician from a top-tier one.
Of course, Dean couldn't apply such standards to Cassandra; her role wasn't that of a magician.
Dean only needed to train her performance skills and basic psychological strategies.
It didn't require exceptional mastery; just not being easily deciphered in a short time was sufficient.
This is where Cassandra's learning progress was very slow, even slower than that of a normal person with no experience.
'The lack of common knowledge and excessive reliance on reading body language make Cassandra only able to 'understand' some techniques that require misleading others psychologically, but she can't 'execute' them...'
Dean thought while pinching his chin.
'Come to think of it, given her past, what she's achieved so far is already remarkable. I shouldn't be too harsh on Cassandra.'
Watching Cassandra, who was still immersed in intense practice, Dean suddenly said, "Take a break, Cassandra."
Cassandra turned her head in confusion to look at Dean.
"It's almost 8:30 now, and we haven't had dinner yet."
Dean pointed to his watch.
"Cooking at this time would be too late, so let's go out to eat."
Cassandra was about to say she wasn't very hungry, but Dean didn't give her a chance to refuse.
He grabbed her hand and led her outside.
"Oh, before we go out, change into some casual clothes."
When Dean mentioned changing clothes, he meant putting on regular casual attire and not disguising themselves.
Dean often disguises himself before going out, but that was just to get ready for what he was going to do.
He didn't need to disguise himself just to go out for a meal.
Dean's true identity hadn't been exposed yet, and he didn't have to be cautious everywhere like other wanted criminals.
Moreover, if Dean's real self never appeared in the city, that would be more suspicious.
After all, who spends their entire life staying at home without going out or socializing?
An extremely isolated person would see the sun occasionally unless they had a psychological disorder.
Even if there's an extremely small chance that Dean and Cassandra happen to run into Dick, Barbara, or Bruce, it wouldn't be a problem.
After all, everyone already knows each other, and if they act friendly, they could even be considered friends.
Bruce is the only reason the Bat-Family is slightly concerned about Cassandra for some inexplicable reason, but it's not enough to be cautious.
The others wouldn't suspect anything unusual about Dean and Cassandra hanging out together.
So, Dean naturally took Cassandra to a restaurant not far from there, openly and without any worries.
...
Meanwhile, in the Old City of Gotham, at City Hall.
Today, after finishing the day's work, the unknown Gotham mayor got into his driver's car to return home.
Like every previous mayor, the current one is also a corrupt official who has accumulated wealth.
He not only bought a top-notch mansion in the Gotham suburbs but also collected a vast number of rare treasures, including world-class gemstones.
The most precious one, called the "Eye of the Sky," is an extremely rare blue stone with an exquisite appearance and extreme worth.
The current mayor has a slightly different approach compared to his predecessors. He's corrupt, but he doesn't want money.
It's not because he still holds a faint conscience; rather, it's because he fears Batman.
Batman uncovered evidence of the crimes of several former Gotham mayors, which led to their dismissal from office and imprisonment.
The current mayor doesn't want to make the same mistakes. He knows where Batman's bottom line is, so he tries to avoid touching that line.
Batman isn't someone who turns a blind eye. He never expected the Gotham government system to produce any good officials.
As long as one doesn't get too outrageous and directly associates with the mob or supervillains, Batman generally won't bother the mayor.
It is normal to want a little money.
"Master, no, this is bad!"
As the current mayor returned home and just stepped out of the car, he noticed that something was off in the atmosphere inside his house.
According to habit, the butler Rogers, who usually greets him at the door, should be there to welcome him.
At this moment, Rogers rushed over with a panicked expression on his face.
He was running while shouting that something big was happening.
"Calm down, Rogers. What's going on?"
The mayor was bewildered by the strange situation at home and quickly asked.
"Sir, your... your most beloved treasure has been targeted!"
Rogers pulled out a peculiar black card from his pocket with a worried expression on his face and handed it to the mayor.
The mayor looked puzzled, took the card, and suddenly changed his expression after scanning it briefly.
"At three thirty-three this morning, I will visit your mansion and take away the dazzling Eye of the Sky.
Yours sincerely,
Phantom Thief Black Crow"
...
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