Bruce walked without hesitation towards the ruins of the palace, striding briskly as if he were entering a deserted territory, boldly like he was returning home.
Beelzebub, hovering in mid-air, whipped his head towards Bruce and shouted, "Hey, where are you going? Stay away from my palace!"
"Your Majesty, do you have a library here?"
"What does that have to do with you?!"
"As your Pope, although I don't require the blessing of power, I assume there's no problem in accepting a baptism of knowledge?... I thought I saw some bookshelves just now?"
"Hey! Wait a minute! Don't touch my statues! They are made from Abyss Melt Gold!!!"
A few Robins standing on the fringes of the palace ruins watched as Batman, swift and agile, leaped over the entire palace ruins like wind, maneuvering speedily atop the residual structures.
A peculiar scene unfolded before the Mage Tower—a man flying ahead, a demon chasing from behind—and couldn't catch up.
As Bruce passed by the Robins, he shouted at them, "Hey! You lot, keep up!"
The three Robins, without time to question Batman's instruction to follow him, were spurred into action by the muscle memory of their many years of partnership with him.
Soon, Bruce and the Robins stopped near a large fragment of a spire. Standing atop the towering spire, Bruce overlooked the architectural ruins below and spoke.
"It seems that this would be Beelzebub's majesty's library. As His Highness's Pope, it is only fitting that I preserve the valuable scriptures accumulated in the palace over the years in the face of this catastrophe..."
Then, he waved at the Robins behind him, saying, "Come, Nightwing, you move this half. You two, go move the back part. Be careful not to damage the pages..."
At last, Beelzebub descended from mid-air. Slightly shrinking in size, he exclaimed incredulously, "You summoned my palace here just to raid my library??!!"
Unable to contain his anger, Beelzebub again roared, "Batman! Are you out of your mind?!!"
But Bruce, somewhat impatient, waved him off dismissively, "This doesn't concern you anymore. You can join Master Andrew over there in celebrating your joint occasion, and wish the princess a happy marriage."
With that, he hopped off the spire to join the Robins in the library. Watch Bruce leave, Beelzebub was left speechless.
You could call him a robber who, capable of devouring the Demon King, opted to rob a library instead. On the other hand, he deceived and ambushed Beelzebub, an old man of thousands of years, solely for his library.
If Beelzebub does not intercept, he might permanently lose his library, but then again, what if Batman changes his mind and decides to rob the Demon King himself?
The primary reason Beelzebub did not intervene is that Batman's actions are not as drastic to risk a war and potentially being eaten.
After all, what's a library? Even if he moves it all back, he won't be able to read it, and the human lifespan is short—surely he can reclaim it after Batman passes away. Beelzebub comforted himself with this thought.
Beelzebub, floating over the wreckage of his palace, his figure imbued with a sense of desolation, was reminded of a phrase Lucifer once said: "The evil of Hell pales in comparison to human madness."
Just then, Bruce, bustling away in the ruins of the library, felt it wasn't enough. He pulled out a Batman dart from his waist, activating the loudspeaker on it. Instantly, his voice echoed around the tower.
"Wayne Engineering Group is urgently hiring porters, Wayne Engineering Group is urgently hiring porters...".
At first, most people didn't understand what he was shouting or what these so-called porters were supposed to carry. But Bruce's next words had everyone seeing dollar signs.
"Collect all knowledge scrolls from the ruin and store them in the designated location, payment will be made per kilogram, one million dollars per kilogram, cash on delivery! Let me repeat...
Not many modern magicians can afford to live self-sufficiently in the middle of nowhere. Most of them enjoy the convenience of modern cities, invariably having to deal with groceries and other living expenses.
While borrowed magic doesn't cost human currency, purchasing casting materials does. Apart from a few materials that can only be collected in the magical world, most precious metals need to be purchased through ordinary social transactions.
Precious metals are expensive, and, from ancient times till now, magic, alchemy and pill refining have always been expensive hobbies. Most magicians who can maintain a stable power source are wealthy, but even they can't compete with the deep pockets of Wayne Enterprises. Who wouldn't want more money?
Watching the apprentices from the Mage Tower pour in from all directions, Bruce, standing on top of the spire, nodded in agreement with Shiller's theory that material things can motivate the human heart. The human pursuit of wealth knows no bounds.
"Boy, you never cease to surprise me." A voice echoed behind Bruce. Turning around, he saw the stunning Lady Shangdu standing on the other side of the spire, approaching him slowly.
"You flatter me, ma'am," said Bruce modestly, lowering his head. Then he looked up at Lady Shangdu and continued with sincere gratitude, "Thank you for your help. I have thoroughly communicated with Beelzebub's majesty. You are welcome to take any valuable items from his palace as a compensation for your power."
Lady Shangdu raised her eyebrows and finally flashed a genuine smile, "Dr. Shiller has indeed taken a good disciple."
She then turned to look at the destruction below, fluttered her eyes and curiously asked, "May I ask, why are you interested in the library within Beelzebub's palace?"
"I am only interested in knowledge itself."
"That's quite unusual," Lady Shangdu commented, glancing again into Bruce's eyes. After a moment's hesitation, she offered a word of caution.
"Bruce, I am a few years older than you, and I hope you'll forgive my interference. But the scriptures owned by the Demon King are primarily complex and denote darkness and evil. Just a glance at most of these knowledge pieces could drive a person mad. Even if you moved these scriptures back, you would hardly gain the power you seek."
"It's not power I seek, but knowledge itself." Bruce said, looking steadily into Lady Shangdu's eyes.
Unsettled, Lady Shangdu averted her gaze, lightly touching the amulet around her neck. She sighed, "The pursuits of humans vary and your purist nature astonishes me. I initially thought helping you would repay Dr. Shiller's kindness, but it seems, in the end, I was the one who benefitted."
If that is so, I am willing to help you in your fields of interest. If you encounter anything you do not understand, you need only ask."
"My honor, ma'am."