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Cobblepot's emotions were predominantly filled with hatred, but they also concealed a fear that was etched deeply into his soul, pain that couldn't be easily erased—even a similar phrase could instinctively trigger his self-defense mechanism. It seems this Colin is even worse than Shiller had thought.
"It really does have to do with your leg injury," Jerome rolled his eyes and said, "That's really low class. When I play with my toys, I definitely don't rip their legs off."
"Yeah, at most you'd just draw a big smiley face on them," Shiller said with an implied meaning.
Jerome immediately started to change the subject. He knocked on his broken plate with a fork and said, "What we need to talk about now is this poor, lame little penguin. Colin is the one who hurt your leg."
"It was... an accident."
"Then it looks like it was him," Jerome stated with certainty, "Pretending it was an accident, that's even more despicable."
Shiller actually agreed with this statement, saying, "Disguising it as an accident means he wasn't sure that Cobblepot would still forgive him if he deliberately did such a thing and was discovered. This also means his manipulation skills are quite poor. Considering his comfortable living conditions, I'd guess he probably doesn't have any survival pressure."
"If it were me, I would tell the other person it was intentional." Jerome flashed a big smile, as if thinking about something delightful; the expression on his face could almost be described as heartwarming.
"I would tell him, this is a mark I leave on him. Every time he feels pain, he will remember me. That's the most unique gift in the world..."
As he spoke, Jerome's expression turned fierce, he was almost gnashing his teeth as he roared, "If he isn't thankful, I'll kill him... no, I would torment him properly. I'll make him live his life in agony! I would never let him go!"
Seeing that Jerome had also 'lost it,' Shiller had no choice but to clear his throat and tried his best to calm both of their emotions.
"Let's get back to the main topic. Colin manipulated you, harmed you, he is the root of your doubts about others' recognition, and he's the reason you can never be loyal or trust someone fully."
"His understanding for you surpassed anyone else's, making you intoxicated and unable to extricate yourself. The pain he brought you was greater than anyone else's, chilling you to the bone and making it unforgettable."
"Since then, whenever you encounter someone who expresses recognition of you, you wonder whether they're going to hurt you. If the mercy and generosity of those high-society people just wore your organs away, then it finally vanished because Colin had already struck it first."
Shiller then looked to Jerome and said, "What would your toy have to do to make you fly into a rage? Ignore your gift?"
Jerome was about to nod, but when he remembered the other person was a professional psychologist, he felt that the answer might be cliched. He even seriously considered for a moment before saying, "What truly enrages me is that he doesn't need my love at all."
"Don't look for recognition from anyone that should not come from them," Shiller looked up into his eyes and said, "Accept friendship from friends, affection from family, love from a lover, respect from an adversary, acknowledgement from those in high positions, and approval from those you admire, rather than seeking all these from one individual."
Cobblepot's eyes still held some confusion, but Jerome's eyes darkened again. He even asked with anger, "Why not? I gave him so much, he should give me the same, everything I want..."
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Although he was objecting, it seemed he was expecting Shiller to give him an answer, but Shiller just casually waved his hand and said, "You two are exceptions, you are completely free to seek familial love, romantic love, friendship, respect, recognition, and approval in him, and nobody else can intrude between you two, just like that."
Jerome was a bit stunned, but quickly appeared pleased, as if gratified, his eyes gleaming more than ever.
"It's too late to say anything now," Cobblepot said. "That guy is already dead, and his bones have probably turned to ash."
"No, you still have a chance to see him." Shiller's fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, and Cobblepot immediately turned to look at him.
"19th floor," Jerome cut in before Shiller could speak. "In room 1905, there's a creature that can create illusions almost identical to real people, those characters are completely real, even capable of conversing with you."
As if remembering something, he became excited again, "I'm sure the illusions it creates are very, very..."
Before he could describe any details, Shiller interrupted him, "I've experienced it too, I can assure you, the illusion is indeed real enough, as long as there's nothing wrong with your memory, it can recreate someone from your memories."
However, Cobblepot suddenly fell silent, and this time even Jerome could feel his panic; mocking him with narrowed eyes, he said, "Even if you know all the truth, are you still too afraid to face him? Have you gone mad?!"
"Jerome, you'd better be sympathetic," Shiller said. "In a place like Gotham, normally sane individuals who are left with psychological trauma are a rare breed, you can't even see them in a zoo, so you must maintain enough patience with him."
"I've learned a lot, Professor," Jerome said sarcastically.
"Cobblepot, you must be picturing a scene in your mind right now, to be precise, recalling a past event, those good old days, you think that if you see him again, he will feel guilty and then apologize, coming back to you, how about we make a bet?"
Cobblepot took a deep breath and asked, "What are you betting?"
"Betting on what he will do," Shiller replied.
"He will… He might say it's all a misunderstanding," Cobblepot said through gritted teeth. "I of course know he's making excuses, so I will definitely kill him."
"No, he won't say that, even if you want to kill him and put a gun to his head, he will only do his best to mock you, even if you torture him, an eye for an eye, he absolutely won't explain or apologize," Shiller countered.
"Impossible…" Cobblepot said. "I understand Colin; we've known each other for years, he's a bad man, but who isn't in Gotham? He hurt me, I will kill him, but no one isn't afraid of death, he will beg me for mercy."
"That's right, just like that, if I slit his throat, he will kneel down and beg for my forgiveness," Cobblepot got excited, showing off a smile that made his eagle hook nose more prominent, the muscles of his entire face trembling.
"Then let's see who is right," Shiller said. "My stake is simple, if I win, you'll help us figure out what is going on with this hotel."
"And if I win?"
"You can win Colin back," Shiller said. "If he really feels guilty for you, and if he's not supposed to die, I'll give you the Colin from my cosmos."
Cobblepot had no idea that even if he won, to get what he had won, he would have to help Shiller leave the hotel. He was a little excited and a bit nervous as he said,
"Then, what about your universe's Cobblepot?"
"He doesn't need Colin."
They began to prepare.
Cobblepot had packed away the chill from the back kitchen, finally giving Jerome a chance to set foot in there. Jerome had previously been unable to enter because it was too cold. As long as he remained human, he would be affected by the temperature, and staying here for more than a couple of minutes would result in hypothermia, so all attempts to explore the back kitchen had ended in failure.
Shiller and Jerome walked in. There wasn't much special about the place. Walking to the very back, the latter half of the kitchen was frozen into ice. Through the not-so-clear ice blocks, a blurry figure could be seen.
"Don't go any further," Cobblepot warned. "I'm contaminated, which might affect you. Don't touch the ice, the water is problematic."
It appeared that Cobblepot really was part of the Reckless Faction. He could control water just like that toilet could.
Shiller took a careful look. It seemed like the leg that Cobblepot had injured was beginning to mutate, but it wasn't too bad. An injury on top of another injury wasn't fatal. If a few tentacles grew out, it might even fix the limping problem.
"How long do you need to leave this place?" Shiller asked.
"Soon," Cobblepot took a deep breath and said, "Give me another 20 minutes, and I will have taken care of this restaurant."
"Can we still stay in the restaurant?"
"Yes, but you better stay away from the back kitchen. The temperature in the restaurant will drop. You can make those flames again, I can't affect the area around the flames. See you in 20 minutes."
Both Cobblepot and Jerome had a good point, in that although they were crazy, they were reliable when it came to serious matters.
Jerome and Shiller returned to the restaurant, this time choosing a table at the very end. Jerome continued to look at Shiller with a curious eye, as if trying to figure him out just by looking.
"Did you go to college? What major? How did you do?" Shiller came straight with the deathly trio of questions.
Jerome gave a rogue smile and said, "You really are a good professor."
"Better than you think," Shiller retorted.
"How good?"
"I failed Bruce Wayne for four years straight."
Jerome's eyes widened instantly, and in the end, could only express that Shiller was indeed stronger. To him, Bruce Wayne was a big shot, the richest man in all of Gotham, and taking trouble up with him was no small feat.
Then Jerome quickly shared, "I graduated from MIT with majors in Mechanical Engineering and Physics, worked at a research institute in Michigan for a while, came back to Gotham University to be a teaching assistant for a few months, then joined the labs at Wayne Enterprises."
Shiller sighed heavily.
Jerome, curious, started asking about the details of Bruce's failing grades. Shiller glanced at him irritably but still wrote down a section of Bruce's thesis for Jerome to see.
Jerome inspected the paper from all angles, turning it over and over, examining it as one would decode a cipher. In the end, he left with the comment, "He truly deserved to fail this subject."
"How did your brother do in school?" Shiller asked next.
Jerome sighed heavily.
"Well," he slapped his thigh and said, "Full marks for murder and arson."
Shiller laughed, and Jerome laughed along with him. Ultimately, Jerome was almost in stitches and then said, "You're much better than those professors I knew at the university."
The 20 minutes passed quickly, and a figure appeared at the door of the back kitchen. Cobblepot came hobbling over.
To both their surprise, his leg was not covered with pants or skin; the skin seemed to have completely dissolved away, leaving the clear outline of muscle tissue, and from the gaps in the muscles, numerous small buds of flesh extended, still wriggling incessantly.
"Sorry, but it looks like they don't take too well to pants," Cobblepot attempted to joke. "They rip clothes faster than a john."
The thing clearly hurt a great deal, so even though it made Cobblepot no longer limp, he still walked with a limp.
Shiller looked at the candle that had already burned down significantly, sighed, and suddenly had a black umbrella in his hand.
He turned the umbrella around, holding it by the middle, and handed the handle to Cobblepot, then said,
"Time is almost up, take the umbrella, and go."