Brand sighed softly, stood up and said, "I'm sorry about what happened to Little Zha's father, but I'm also struggling to survive myself. However, now that the Great Mage Alliance has completely vanished, perhaps many outcasts like me can return to a normal life."
Shiller frowned slightly. Noticing his expression, Brand realized something and added, "Oh, I forgot. You don't really engage with the traditional magic realm, so you might not be aware of Gotham's status there."
"Let me put it this way, during the prime time of the Great Mage Alliance, anyone who was wanted would be hunted by almost all the demons of Hell, regardless of the time, place, or what defense you had. That bunch of idiots kept granting benefits to the demons, driving them to kill you with all sorts of cruel methods."
"The only way to escape such a hunt is to go to a place where even demons wouldn't dare to show up, and Gotham was our only choice."
"You mean, there are many mages like you in Gotham seeking refuge?"
"More than you could possibly imagine, and besides those seeking refuge, there are many obsessed researchers who need this place's dark energy and rich research materials to realize their crazy ideas."
"No other city in the world has the strong Power of Death present in Gotham, which means it will become a haven for black magicians and necromancers. And you know, just how powerful a mage has to be to survive in this city."
Shiller looked at him without saying a word, but Brand knew what he meant. He walked over to a bookshelf, pulled out a book, and said, "Even though I long ago saw that the people in the Great Mage Alliance were doomed due to their foolishness and inappropriate ambition, over these years I have sought to gather enough power to exact my revenge on them. The method has been to unite with other mages who were also hunted by them."
Brand approached Shiller and handed him the book, adding, "Here you will find the information you need. You should be able to decipher it. If you contact them using the contact information in this book, they will be happy to help you."
Shiller raised an eyebrow slightly, and Brand added with a smile, "Just as the serial killers who are chasing your fame are willing to give me respect."
After leaving Brand, Shiller deciphered the puzzles in the book and found that the group had more members than he imagined, and most of them were experienced black magicians and necromancers.
Just then, Jim came to him asking about the hiring of teachers. Upon learning that it was almost done, he said with joy, "It seems that the magic realm is about to be revived in our hands. This is an unprecedented revolution, and a bright future is near."
Shiller looked down at the list of names in the book again, sighed in his heart, and thought, it's probably not going to be the bright future you're imagining. Where else would be as perfect for studying black magic as Gotham?
I'm afraid that by the time they graduate, all the students will be masters of dark magic, able to teach young demons a lesson.
Thus, after deciding on the selection of teachers and students, Shiller didn't have much choice regarding the school structure. There was no room for a college system here, because everyone was a black magician, which would make Azkaban heartbroken and Newmont Gard weep if evaluated by the standards of the wizarding world.
But Shiller still resolutely decided to open a class on bright Magic Defense, and let Zatanna curse the professor teaching this subject so that he would go to Heaven after death.
With his work on the Gotham Magic Academy finished, Shiller finally had some free time. This was when he realized that there was a recent letter in his room that he hadn't had time to read. It was from Batman of the Prime Universe.
"Dear Doctor, it has been a while since your last reply. The spring in Gotham has arrived.
On the eve of the previous letter, I made a rather important decision. But I'm glad this was one of the few right decisions I've made for the Robins. The Joker had already made the bait, intending to hook the Batman Family.
He laid traps targeting each member's weakness. Once caught, these fragile birds had no strength to escape. Fortunately, as the Joker put his dark and crazy malice into practice, the Robins were safely in the sun.
The farce about that equation ended in a ridiculous way I couldn't have imagined. The equation was not perfect, and Darkseid, the Universal Overlord, only discovered it after acquiring it.
I don't know why he held such high expectations for my wisdom, daring to directly use the experimental version of the equation. It destroyed a city on his planet, and he stubbornly thought I was fooling him.
The good news is, I was able to test the power of the equation through his hand and got more experimental data. However, the bad news is, even half of the equation contains power beyond my imagination, and I'm afraid the people who want to get it will constantly appear before me.
The ice on the Gotham River has melted. The kids missed the best time for ice skating, but I'm glad. The birds from your universe have come here. They always remind me of the Robins' childhood, but they're more cheerful and lively.
Thank you for your trust. I've heard that Bruce from another universe has graduated excellently and sent you a very good thank-you gift. I will take care of his child as you and Bruce have taken care of the Robins."
However, the evil in Gotham never ends. Recently, mob forces which haven't shown up in Gotham for several years are showing signs of making a comeback. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the Holiday killer. I'm looking into this matter.
I think, Doctor, your universe might be in a time when the mob is thriving. Perhaps you could provide me with some clues. If so, please include them in your reply.
Thank you for your generosity, Batman, written in a spring."
When Shiller recited the contents of the letter to Bruce, even before he asked, Bruce asserted,
"It seems, it must be the Holiday killer Alberto's doing! He may have never forgotten the glory of the Falcone family and wants to bring Gotham back to the era of the Twelve Families."
Shiller looked at him somewhat puzzled, and Bruce nodded emphatically, saying, "That's it. There's no doubt about it."
After additng what Bruce said to the reply, Shiller soon received another letter from Batman. The rest of the greetings were unimportant, he just wrote at the end,
"Thank you for your help, Doctor, I've received your clue. Next, I'll start investigating. No one can bring Gotham back under the shadow of the mob.
I know you've made significant contributions to child psychology, so I need your help with one more thing.
Recently, the Robins have been acting weird, elusive, and some of them have been deliberately distancing from me.
This makes me somewhat puzzled. Do you have any insights into this?"