In the filming room of the BBC Headquarters in London, England, Bruce Wayne took a cup of hot coffee from an assistant's hand and smiled at him.
A blonde female producer came over and shook hands with Bruce, saying, "Thank you so much, Mr. Wayne. Without you, this variety show plan might have taken another five or six years to meet the public."
"No need," He replied, "It's because I had a similar idea long ago that I set up the Black Diamond puzzle. To work with the BBC, to see talented people from around the world compete for the title of Millionaire, is a dream come true."
The female producer laughed, squeezed Bruce's hand, and said, "It was my honor to work with you. Oh, the script is ready. Let's get started."
Bruce nodded, made a final adjustment to his suit, and under the director's guide, looked into the camera lens, showing a standard smile.
"Hey, dear audience, I am Bruce Wayne.
"Yes, that 'wealthy bastard' you always talk about. I think no one wants to see me on such a beautiful morning - but what if you add the one million US dollars I have?"
"Good news, guys, I've been wanting to see you poor devils scrabble for money. So, a few years ago, I cut a precious Black Diamond into a thousand pieces and hid them around the world. In this show, you'll see all sorts of experts going all out for this one million dollars."
"The victory conditions are very simple, bring me the fragments, whoever brings back the most wins. But the premise is, out of a thousand fragments, not a single one can be missing."
Bruce stood up, walked to the front of the camera, lowered his voice and said,
"Based on the rumors I heard when I got the gem, this precious Black Diamond carries a terrifying curse. Only the most courageous adventurers can participate. But don't even think about faking it, I won't be fooled by your tricks."
"Yet, I can't be responsible for anyone being cursed, nor does anyone want to see you explode and die during the show, so anyone who touches the black diamond with their body—you're out."
"Cooperation, competition, or to put it plainly...fighting, it's up to you. Now, the game begins!"
With a "click," the TV turned off. The Red Hood sat at the table with his hand over his face, sighed deeply and said, "I always thought Batman was too rigid, but this guy... he's a bit too trendy!"
Then, he said with some confusion, "I remember the variety show 'Millionaire' didn't air until 1998, right? Well, it looks like he didn't hesitate to bribe network executives."
Shiller, sitting by the window, closed the book in his hand, pointed to the opposite seat, and asked, "You've been studying it for a few days now. How's your progress? Is there anything you don't understand?"
"As for the skills of managing conversations, I think I'm doing pretty well, but as for the big picture..." The Red Hood frowned and shook his head. He gestured with his hand and said, "Most of my life experience in the first half of my life came from practice. Although I also like to read miscellaneous books, I rarely learn techniques from books. If possible, Professor, I think I might need some practical guidance."
Shiller nodded satisfactorily, "One of the reasons Jason Todd is one of my favorite students is that he opens his mouth and asks questions when he doesn't understand something. If some people had half of your communication ability, they wouldn't have waited until now to graduate."
The Red Hood smiled brilliantly. At that moment, he showed some signs of youthful clumsiness, like a bird puffing its feathers trying to snuggle next to an eagle.
"Well, I'll take you to Hell and you can see how I communicate with the King of Hell, okay?"
The Red Hood nodded vigorously, but soon he asked tentatively, "I heard that you came here this time to teach Bruce magic?"
Shiller closed the book and stood up, glancing at the switched-off TV, "If he had half of your dedication to study, he wouldn't have waited until now to graduate."
Shiller walked to the side of the cabinet, took out a piece of paper with a string of numbers left by Constantine, dialed the numbers, and the phone emitted a glow.
Then Shiller called Constantine using the glowing phone, "John, open the gate to the Dreamworld, I'm taking Jason to Hell...Yes, right now, alright, goodbye."
After Shiller hung up the phone, he took a bottle of wine out of his liquor cabinet and said to the Red Hood, "In theory, we can go to Hell through a Magic Array, but that's a bit slow. I've left marks in many places in Hell during my previous visits, Constantine has the power to access Dreamworld granted by the Dream God, it's faster to traverse the Dreamworld."
"Come on, drink up, I'll take you to meet an old friend I met in Hell."
The Red Hood knew that when Shiller said "It would be faster to go through the Dream World," it would be surprisingly fast, but he didn't expect that right after he felt a little dizzy from the drink, he would immediately feel a terrifying loss of weight. When he looked down, he found himself free-falling above a Demon King Castle.