1987年2月23日,芝加哥,夜晚.
在芝加哥的大剧院里,刚刚结束了一场华丽而热闹的舞会的蒂娜小姐,轻轻地抚摸着她柔软的皮草披肩.她握着司机的手,上了一辆豪华车.当她回到她的豪华公寓时,一个蓝眼睛的英俊男人搂住了她的腰.蒂娜微笑着说:"我们的派对才刚刚开始,对吧,布鲁斯先生?
月光透过窗户照进来,那双美丽的蓝眼睛被眉弓遮住了.蒂娜被他帅气的身材所吸引,原来他就是布鲁斯·韦恩.
1987年2月20日一个普通的下午,席勒在法尔科内庄园的床上醒来.他记得在去漫威之前,他在教父庄园的客房里休息.
哥谭市的早晨从不阳光明媚,但清晨总是给席勒带来特殊的灵感.在与法尔科内父子一起享用早餐时,教授再次获得了一些灵感,并在脑海中迅速发展起来.
"你如何看待哥谭的未来?"席勒问法尔科内.
法尔科内摇了摇头,"如果你在40年前问我这个问题,我会告诉你,这个城市已经无药可救了.但现在,我想说她不需要任何人来拯救它.这就是她现在的样子,并将永远是这样的..."
"你认为哥谭需要一个新的秩序吗?"
"很多人都问过我这个问题.但我只能说,任何让这个城市变得更好的努力最终都将是徒劳的.无论它的开始多么高尚和热情,它最终都会消失在虚无中.
"为什么?"
"你触及了关键点,但我不知道答案."
教父点燃一支雪茄,烟雾缓缓飘荡在空气中.他提醒说:"在这40年里,我遇到了坚决的革命者和救世主,他们的道德标准与圣人一样高.这个世界上有那么多人,总有一两个好人或英雄决心拯救这座城市.
"他们带着这样的想法来到哥谭.你不得不承认,即使你知道他们不会成功,你仍然被他们的决心深深地打动.
"也许你会觉得这很荒谬,但这些人确实改变了我.许多人可能会想,如果是这样的话,我是怎么成为哥谭教父的?我是怎么成为这个犯罪城市最大的黑帮的?
"但确切地说,因为我亲眼目睹了这一切,亲身经历了那个时代,我知道,好人救不了哥谭,英雄也是一样."
"So now, where are they?"
"Most of them died, and some lucky ones managed to escape from here. Those who don't belong to Gotham will eventually leave. If there are any who stay, they must be the ones who originally belong to Gotham."
"Are there such people? Where are they?"
The Godfather seems lost in memories. After a while, he makes a cross on his chest and says, "I once swore to the Lord to keep this secret for him."
He doesn't give Schiller a clear answer, but Schiller already knows who he is referring to.
The next day, Bruce is called into Schiller's office. Schiller rarely calls him in, so Bruce is curious about what Schiller wants.
They sit on opposite sides of the desk, just like when they first meet. Schiller asks him,
"Have you ever had a second where you think about saving this city completely?"
"Well, of course..."
"I mean, after you are very aware of what this city is."
Bruce opens his mouth. Schiller takes off his glasses and looks directly at Bruce. "I think you must have realized this city doesn't need to be saved and cannot be saved."
"So?You are persuading me to give up?? Not being Batman?"
"Of course not. I don't care whether you continue being Batman or not. I just want to know if you truly want to save Gotham."
"What's the difference between the two?"
"Are you sure you became Batman because you want to save Gotham?"
Bruce falls silent.
"Let me ask a different question. If there is a possibility to bring a new order to Gotham, would you be willing to put in the effort?"
"While I have a guess now, I still can't be certain about the essence of this city. Why did it become like this? Can it really not be saved?"
"Falcone once told me, many people have tried to save this city, but they all failed. Most of them died here, but some stayed, became one of Gotham."
"Who is he?"
"The only priest in Gotham Cathedral. I think you should meet him, then come back with an answer for me."
Bruce shakes his head. He feels Schiller is being inexplicable.
But he is actually quite interested in Gotham's past stories. This city has too many mysteries to explore.
At first, his purpose is simple: to seek revenge on all the criminals. But as he learns more about Gotham, he feels the need to save the city. However, as he delves deeper into Gotham, he begins to feel that the city doesn't need being saved.
And now, he is relearning Gotham once again. He realizes, this city seems impossible to save.
As Schiller says, Gotham is like a never-ending book, with endless puzzles. Every time you read it, you gain new insights.
When Bruce arrives at Gotham Cathedral, the priest warmly welcomes him. The old priest looks like he is well into his seventies. To be honest, it is rare to see ordinary people in Gotham living to such old age.
No one in Gotham teaches children to help the elderly cross the street. There are no children being taught, and there are no elderly people to help.
In front of the pulpit, the priest jovially holds Bruce's arm and says, "I have heard the name of Mr. Wayne. Please pardon me for not having anything better to offer as hospitality. The church is too old, just like me."
"Look, these tables and chairs are falling apart. I wonder if there is any kind gentleman who can provide a new pulpit that doesn't need bricks to support its legs..."
Bruce is familiar with this kind of conversation. He makes a cross on his chest, "I don't deserve the Lord's grace. Wayne Construction will thoroughly renovate the interior of the church, making His kingdom clean and new, all for the glory of the Lord..."
The old priest seems very pleased. As Bruce talks to him about the past, he doesn't show any intention of hiding. Instead, he candidly shares his experiences.
"I come from a common family in Britain and serve in the church during my youth. In order to let more people hear the Lord's gospel, I came here."
"Originally, I settled in a small town on the East Coast. But I heard that Gotham was not bad, so I came here."
"You might find it unbelievable. But actually, Gotham was indeed not bad at that time. With docks, it was much prosperous, and many people and good life. Oh, by the way, at that time, the gangs were just in their early stages, and there were only a few of them."
"At that time, there were also ones with dreams here. They wanted to establish order and grew together with this city. Of course, so did I."
Then, the priest's voice begins to grow deeper, resonating in the empty church. The colorful light coming through the stained glass windows at the top of the church seems like a tunnel through time and space. The priest's voice seems to flow along these tunnels, back to that era.
"At that time, there were many such people, ambitious and thinking that this place was a golden coast, a new San Francisco. Although it was a bit chaotic , everyone regarded it as a usual pain in the town during the city's development stage."
"Young missionary, holding the Bible in his arms, set foot on this land with the fleet. The story of coming from a great distance was not as grand as others might have imagined, but there were still quite a few people interested in me."
"Of course, I spread faith and helped everyone as much as possible, regulating conflicts and disputes that are too intense among some gangs. Almost everyone was willing to care about my feelings."
Bruce hears this, and begins to have some new respect for the priest. This old man, who lives in the same era as Falcone, seems to have his own position in Gotham.
In this city ruled by gangs, you can eat freely, but words cannot be spoken carelessly.
No one dares to fabricate such a story, claiming all gangs respect him. Bruce knows the only person with such power is Falcone. If anyone else dared to boast like this, their body would be thrown into the sea the next day.
But the old priest seems to be talking about a small thing. Bruce notices the modesty in his tone. He thinks, perhaps this old man, who lives in the same era as Falcone, also has the same reputation as the Godfather.
But now they are very different. Falcone becomes the revered "Godfather" of Gotham, while this old priest guards a rundown church, possibly with no followers praying for days.
Bruce has always been curious about that era, which seems like a faded photograph, just as people always imagine the glory of their fathers.
The story Falcone once told him about the docks, reveals the rise of the gangs during that turbulent era.
But now, in this empty cathedral, the old priest is showing him a different side of the city during that era.
"When I came to Gotham, the war was far from over. Isolationism prevailed here, but more of the working class had a fear of war. They didn't understand why a distant corner of the earth suddenly turned into a boiling pot."
"I began spreading my teachings here. I believed that faith could bring inner peace to people's hearts. I started off quite well. You know, during that time, many British people had not yet left. They invited me to their estates to listen to my sermons. I spent almost every afternoon like this."
"At first, the small gangs lurked around the docks, and only a few of them could penetrate the inner streets. That's when I met Falcone. But at that time, there were no Falcone and the Twelve Families. Maybe you couldn't even find twelve gangs in all of Gotham."
"At that time, the economy here was mainly colonial. Because of an accident, I started dealing with the gangs. They saw the connections I had with wealthy British, and wanted me to be their middleman and help them expand their influence."
"I didn't want to get involved in these whirlpools, but I had no choice. And if I had to, I would choose the one with the most potential, that's Falcone."
"Later, people began to realize that Gotham wasn't as good as they had thought. The wealthy British gradually withdrew from this place and gathered in other more prosperous and promising areas."
"The main legacy they left to this city was the estate district and this grand cathedral. Under my persuasion, they collectively funded the construction here, and I became the only priest in this church."
"What happens next? What happens afterwards?"
"When the upper class, who maintained a stable order, suddenly left, the ones filling those vacancies became the ones with the most bullets in their guns. Falcone and his Twelve Families were those people. They fought for a while and then took over."
"Falcone used to be a good partner .I knew he was different from the others. He wanted to create a new order here. Even though it was a violent one, it was better than having no order at all."
"I did my best to help him. I thought, the gangs were just a temporary substitute for the emptied upper structure. I believed one day, Gotham would return to the right path."
"But I didn't expect that everything would spiral out of control. After Falcone and his twelve families took control of this city, it turned into a real city of crime. From the twelve gangs, 120 gangs spread out, and then 1,200 gangs. In the end, it became a city where everyone was a gangster and criminal."
"Evil spread here, but I couldn't do anything. I knew Falcone might feel the same way. Many people thought he was the chief culprit behind Gotham's fall. But I knew that wasn't the truth."
Finally, the priest looks around the church and sighs, "There aren't actually many buildings left from that era. I'm grateful that they leave me a place like this, where I can have a shelter."
"Why don't you leave? Even if you can't return to your homeland, you can at least go to the churches in Metropolis. There are still many clergy members there, and they live pretty well."
The priest stares at, "You don't understand. I have not only witnessed how evil gradually infects this city, but I have also been deeply entangled in it."
He makes a cross on his chest, whispers a few prayers, and then says, "The biggest lesson I learned is , this city will only accept those who truly belong here. The heroes who genuinely want to save this place will eventually leave because they don't belong here."
"But, why?"
"I don't know. But I always believe my choice is not wrong. Falcone and I, we are both guardians of this city, not destroyers."
"In your eyes, perhaps the Godfather is a success, ruling the underground of Gotham for 40 years. But I know, and Falcone knows, that we are both failures, only able to create a fragile order in the abysm of evil to protect ourselves."
The priest shakes his head and continues, "But unfortunately, I am just a mortal, who happens to have lived longer than others. What I know is even less than Falcone. Or perhaps, Falcone doesn't know the true answer either."
As the sun gradually sets, shadows of the tables and chairs in the church grow longer. The rays of light spreading from the stained glass begin to flow onto Bruce.
Finally, the old priest speaks, "I can only stay here, guarding a piece of His kingdom. And when I die, this sanctuary will dissipate, just like countless hopes that have disappeared from Gotham."
"Among the people from that era, only Falcone and I are left. We are both old. Perhaps when we go to meet our Lord, the remaining order of this city will vanish."
"You think is there a possibility of establishing a new order?"
"Countless people have tried, but they all failed. Falcone succeeded to a small part, but it only delayed the inevitable. Perhaps no one can stop it any longer."
As the voice of the old priest sighs, Bruce once again falls into deep thought.
Whenever he hears these historical stories about his hometown, Bruce can't feel the nostalgic sentiment like a returning wanderer.
Because the story of Gotham reveals absurdity and despair from start to finish. Everything happens here has no beginning and no ending, and even those who experience that era can't explain it clearly.
During his mysterious journey to explore Gotham's history, the parts of the time machine are always stuck in foggy fragments. Every time Bruce tries to repair the old projector and uncover the truth, various forces hinder him.
Stepping out of the church, Bruce begins to ponder the question Schiller had asked him. The priest's answer indicates there might not be a chance for this city to have a new order. After the older generation dies out, Gotham will be plunged into complete darkness.
He suddenly comes up with a strange metaphor that feels quite suitable.
All the evil generated in Gotham and all the criminals living here are like salt sprinkled from a salt shaker.
This is a salt shaker that will never be empty. The one holding the shaker casually pours out a few sparkling salt crystals, like a patient angler making his bait.
Bruce, who has just come of age, learns early from his professor, from Falcone, and from the old priest a fact.
Gotham has become what it is today not simply due to natural evolution. The goal of revenge he once held against criminals might never be accomplished, and saving Gotham completely will forever be achieved. Because the salt shaker hovering above Gotham will never be empty. The translucent salt crystals filled with guilt will drift in with the wind, just like the endless drizzle in the city of Gotham.
But it doesn't make Batman feel defeated; instead, it ignites an even greater ambition within him.
Batman doesn't want to keep flying around like the salt grains given in charity, like a dumb fish that swims around the bait, expecting some remnants to fill his belly.
What he wants to do, is to directly crush that salt shaker. Or, like he did to Louis, appear behind him like a bat, casting a shadow over the complacent person holding the salt shaker, making him tremble in fear of the bat.
And then, take possession of that salt shaker and all the salt inside.
If the world is destined to have a salt shaker that contains all the criminals, it would be best that it belongs to Batman.
It must belong to Batman.