"Miss Zatanna, please tell me what actually happened, you don't need to explain those arcane terms, as I am capable of understanding them. You just need to tell me the cause, course, and the result of this incident." Alfred looked at Zatanna and said.
Zatanna was momentarily taken aback. She felt like something was off and looked at Alfred again, but she couldn't see any signs of magic usage on him. Seeing her puzzled look, Alfred explained,
"For a time, Lord Wayne was extremely obsessed with mysticism, and as his butler, I had to help him sort out the materials he wanted to research. From these, I gained quite a bit of knowledge."
"But... that's impossible, Bruce is unfamiliar with mysticism. In a society of ordinary people, it's almost impossible to find genuine occult knowledge," Zatanna reflexively retorted.
"Indeed, but the Pennyworth family of butlers always have to handle the employer's interest in magic. Identifying whether a magician is a charlatan is a compulsory lesson for a Pennyworth family butler."
Zatanna was taken aback again, she found herself unable to refute that because she had previously been hired by some wealthy or mysterious families, and it was always their butlers who handled such matters.
This phenomenon was particularly prevalent in medieval Europe. As a hereditary butler family that had once served the royal family, the Pennworth family's understanding of the mystic world might be stronger than that of some young magicians.
"Alright then, this makes explaining things easier." Zatanna took a few deep breaths, cast away extraneous thoughts, and then began recounting the incident from the beginning.
Alfred, true to his word, listened patiently to all of Zatanna's narration without interrupting her. When Zatanna finished, he looked at her and asked,
"Miss Zatara, according to what you said, now, both Bruce and Shiller's souls are in Hell, right?"
Zatanna nodded. Alfred let out a sigh and said, "Then, what kind of help do you hope to get from me?"
Zatanna frowned, "I contacted relatives from my family who have been to Hell before, he left a beacon there, which allows me to use teleportation to go to Hell."
"Previously, I mentioned that ordinary people usually go to Hell by passing through the Spirit Realm to the edge of Hell, and then journey to Hell from there."
"But by doing so, the ones going to Hell would be in a soul state, and humans in a soul state are extremely weak. Many spells cannot be cast, and if they meet a demon, they are likely to be torn apart."
"Just like in the human world, the situation in Hell is also complex. Ever since Hell's Master left, Hell has been divided among many factions. Going there in a soul state would definitely make you a demon's snack, even the most powerful magicians would not dare to take such a risk."
"Therefore, I need to use the beacon to enter Hell physically. Only in this way can I ensure that I can display my full strength."
"But, in Hell, the Spirit Vision can't be used. I need to utilize a medium item to track the direction of the soul." Zatanna sighed: "In order to find Bruce and Shiller in Hell, I must get one of their personal items to trace the scent of their souls."
Alfred nodded, and said, "However, Miss Zatara, you should also know that as a good butler, I can't just give away my master's personal items to others."
"I know that you had a good relationship with Lord Wayne, but that's in the past. Now, Mr. Wayne has his own family and children. If I randomly give you his personal possessions, it could cause unnecessary trouble for his future social interactions."
"But I...wait, family and children? Is Bruce married?" Zatanna asked surprised.
"No, not yet, but he already has two children, oh, by the way, Miss Elsa should be awake now. Merkel, please go and bring her over, she hasn't taken the vitamin pill that the doctor prescribed."
Merkel nodded and went upstairs. After a while, he brought a little girl downstairs. From the first glance at Elsa, Zatanna was certain she must be Bruce's daughter, as their resemblance was uncanny.
"My god!" Zatanna exclaimed. Then she stood still for some time, finally saying somberly, "I can't believe it's been so many years. I didn't expect him to be a father now."
Alfred held Elsa, feeding her the vitamin pill, then asked Merkel to take Elsa upstairs to play. He looked at Zatanna and said,
"I want to bring Lord Wayne back more than you do, but I am an old butler, I can't accomplish this. What I can do is to uphold the rules of a butler and protect this place for Mr. Wayne."
Just as Zatanna was about to speak, Alfred added, "Yet, I have seen Mr. Zatara's abilities. I believe that you are reliable and trustworthy magicians. But this matter is not to be underestimated. You must tell me the entire process and demonstrate your ability to go to Hell."
Alfred's patient tone made Zatanna feel guilty. She hurriedly explained,
"Here's the thing, Hell Beacons are in pairs, one of them is buried in the soil of Hell at a safe place."
"I hold another beacon. By opening a portal, I can directly land at the location of the Hell Beacon. After landing, I will activate the personal item infused with magic. It will show the direction of the soul scent. As long as I follow this direction, I can find them. As long as I bring them back to where the portal is, I can save them."
Zatanna described the process in detail, but Alfred was still somewhat confused. He said, "Miss Zatara, it's not that I don't trust you, but Hell sounds like a dangerous place. Even if you want to save them, I don't want you to take such a big risk."
Zatanna lowered her gaze with a touch of sentiment and said, "Thank you, but don't worry about me. Although I have not been to Hell, I have dealt with many demons from Hell, and they are not invincible."
"Hell is not as many people imagine, full of magma and scorching hot, and the inhabitants are not entirely goat-footed figures wreathed in flames. There are numerous types of demons; Shades, Lonely Souls, Magma demons, Superior Demons, Hunting Dogs, Sand Demons, and the like."
"Generally speaking, intangible demons are often afraid of fire, just like the human soul fears the burning of flames. They prefer darkness and coldness, detest heat and burning, hence expelling them with a ignited talisman would work better."
"For physical demons like Magma demons, they are not afraid of fire, they even enjoy bathing in magma, but they can also be disintegrated by a powerful impact. Meanwhile, it's also a good solution to bind them using an array."
"As for High-level demons, even Lord Demons, their power is unimaginable to the human race, hence there's no way to combat them with force, you can only negotiate terms with them."
"Fortunately, they are all highly intelligent and very willing to make contracts with the human race. As long as you pay a certain price, they would let you pass."
"Pay a price?" Alfred asked.
"Exactly, if you want them to help rescue someone, you might need to pay a substantial price, but if it's just for passage, anything will do. They will definitely inflate the price sky-high, but as long as you stand your ground and never yield, you won't end up paying too much in the end."
Alfred, deep in thought, nodded and then said, "How's this, Miss Zatanna? I can provide you with Lord Wayne's personal belongings, but you must perform the magic ritual to summon the portal right in front of me. Only then can I ensure that you will not misplace this item, thus resulting in unnecessary disputes."
"Coincidentally, that Mr Merkel is Mr Rodriguez's butler, and he possesses Mr Rodriguez's belongings. You do not need to run to their manor again."
"Of course, I can swear not to reveal to anyone what has happened today. You should trust the vow of the Pennyworth family, we are renowned for our credibility."
Zatanna hesitated for a moment, then said: "No, I'm not worried about any leak of information. Throughout history, too many people have seen magic, but without evidence, all are merely legends."
"But where should I cast the spell?" Zatanna scrutinised Wayne Manor's luxurious hall and said, "The portal to hell is a large one and could cause quite a disturbance. Surely not here, right?"
"No worries, we can go to the back garden. After all, the recent broccoli disaster has destroyed the entire garden, a rebuild is inevitable anyway. Performing your magic there, safety would even be more guaranteed."
Zatanna thought for a moment, nodded, and felt Alfred made a good point. After all, she hadn't decided where to cast the spell, and if the process was interrupted, she could be injured. Wayne Manor was safe and quiet, with someone watching over, indeed a good choice.
So, Zatanna went to the back garden, and began setting up the array for the summoning portal using the basic materials, while Alfred returned to the manor to fetch things for her.
After a while, the array was set up and only needed to be activated. Alfred brought a cloak, which was the kind hung behind the bat suit, and Merkel brought a pen, which Shiller had always used to write medical records when in the Manor.
Light radiated from Zatanna's fingertips and gently tapped on the two items. The items floated in midair and then fell, emitting a faint glow.
Then she activated the portal, a huge blood-red whirlpool appeared in the centre of Wayne Manor's garden. Holding the enchanted items, Zatanna took a deep breath and then quietly murmured to herself.
"Good, so far everything has been going smoothly, it's not that hard, right? Everything is up to you now, Zatanna..." she felt nervous, her heart pounding.
Zatanna was busy encouraging herself, and didn't notice Alfred gradually walking towards her. When she felt a dark shadow approaching from behind, she abruptly realised, and turned around.
"Bang!!!!!!!"
Before her vision turned pitch black due to pain and intense dizziness, she saw Alfred's indifferent expression.
Alfred threw the blood-stained gardening trowel to one side, then tidied his gloves, and said to Merkel, "Take this young and impolite lady to rest upstairs."
Merkel standing in place swallowed, and Alfred, expressionless, spoke.
"I did say, the butlers of Gotham do not welcome any visitors who do not send invitation cards or bring gifts."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Zatanna lying on the ground, and said in a particularly indifferent tone:
"Especially when what she brings is bad news."
After he finished saying this, he looked back at the portal. The blood-red whirlpool emitted an ominous aura. Just one glance would make one feel a sense of dread and instantly conjure up images of all sorts of terrifying beasts.
Unfortunately, the butler managing the Manor was least afraid of these monstrous beings.