"Have you ever heard the rumor that Gotham is also known as the 'Dark Valley'? At least in the world of occultism, this na is rather well-known. They say that this place is a convergence of dark energies, not just within North Arica but across the entire world, like a pool's drain."
Leaning back on the sofa with eyes narrowed, Constantine spoke in a relaxed and satisfied tone: "It's actually an excellent place for practicing black magic—though 'practicing' is not quite accurate. It's more accurate to say this place naturally lends itself to communicating with demons and forging contracts."
"Like a good conductor?"
"Sowhat similar, but not quite the sa. Suffice it to say, in the last era, occult practitioners flocked here. But before long, they realized this place wasn't heaven for magic researchers—it was hell, because there exists a power here known as the Court of Owls."
"I've heard that na, a group of rich n who attempted to control Gotham behind the scenes, and recently seed to have run into a string of bad luck."
Constantine shook his head: "I don't know about the Court of Owls you're referring to, but the one I know has irremovable ties to occultism, and they're also known as the 'Dark Sacrifice'."
"Legends say they can communicate with an ancient dark creature, providing them with imnse power and that too without any cost. They can use this power to train killers or control others."
"How do you know all this?"
"I've told you before, I've been plagued by the curse of my twin brother, therefore I pay particularly close attention to anything related to the Ghost Mother. I knew I'd need their skills soday."
"During my wanderings in Nottingham, I t an old friend of Lauren's grandmother and got Lauren's grandmother, Evie's journal from him, which recorded her observations and experiences in Gotham."
"Evie is hailed as the most powerful Ghost Mother in history. She was also one of those attracted to Gotham in that era. Initially, like others, she hoped to exploit the mystique and uniqueness of Gotham to strengthen her bond with her contracted demon, thereby gaining more power."
"But later on, she broke one of the biggest taboos in the world of occultism."
"You ntioned this before, what exactly is it?"
"She fell in love with an ordinary man nad Solomon Wayne, the ancestor of Bruce Wayne."
"As I ntioned before, while Ghost Mothers exchange children's souls for power with the demons, they also have to make a personal sacrifice: every child they give birth to must be sacrificed to the demon."
"After Evie and Solomon fell in love, she beca pregnant. At the ti, Solomon was completely oblivious to the fact that his lover was a witch. He was thrilled about the impending birth of their child, and his joy contaminated Evie."
"Evie truly loved Solomon. She didn't want to offer their love's fruit to the demon. However, she couldn't terminate the deal with her own power. At this mont, she was approached by the Dark Owl Priest, who had been lurking in Gotham..."
"After Evie arrived in Gotham, she bound many children to contracts and sacrificed them to the demon. This unusual activity caught the attention of the Dark Priests. They discovered Evie's uniqueness and approached her, hoping she could use her Ghost Mother's abilities to control the children. Controlling the children was tantamount to controlling Gotham City's future."
"In order to protect her unborn baby, Evie agreed. She promised them that all descendants bearing the bloodline of a Ghost Mother would co to Gotham and help the Dark Sacrifice control the city's children. With that, the Dark Sacrifice used a special thod to deceive the demon, preserving the child in Evie's womb."
"But those who break the taboo will eventually suffer a tragic fate. Evie beca too intimate with Solomon, so much so that Solomon discovered her evil practices one fateful night. As an ordinary man, Solomon could not accept any of this. He couldn't accept that his lover was a malevolent witch, who had killed a multitude of children."
"He pointed a gun at Evie. Had it been under normal circumstances, Evie, the witch, would have not been scared of an ordinary man's attack. But at that ti, she was pregnant, expecting the baby any day now—it was the mont when her powers were at their weakest. If Solomon pulled the trigger, she would certainly have died."
"But in the end, Solomon hesitated. His heart softened and he didn't shoot. Instead, he banished Evie from Gotham."
"On the rainy night she left Gotham, Evie gave birth to a child in the valley. Then she discovered that she had been deceived by the Dark Sacrifice: the child she gave birth to was a monster made of dark energy..."
"With her remaining strength, Evie killed the monster, her and Solomon's child."
"Nevertheless, she miraculously survived and returned to England to spend the rest of her life. The secrets about Gotham and the Dark Sacrifice were recorded by her and eventually fell into my hands."
"To get back to the point, what's going on with you and Lauren?"
"Due to the contract her ancestor, Evie, made with the Dark Sacrifice, Lauren had to co to this City of Darkness, despite her dislike for it. She had had enough of being treated like a hunting dog. She wanted to break free from the Dark Sacrifice."
"But she couldn't do it alone. When I found her, we struck a deal. As long as she could help break free from the fetus's curse, I would help her get rid of the tornt of the Dark Priests."
"It was supposed to be a win-win situation, but..."
Just then, a harsh phone ringing echoed in the dream space. Shiller snapped his fingers, the dream collapsed, and agony once again swallowed Constantine.
Shiller went downstairs to answer the phone. On the other end was Bruce Wayne's voice, he said, "Professor, Constantine is with you, isn't he?"
"Yes, that's correct. Is there sothing you need him for?"
"No matter what he is telling you right now, Professor, subdue him imdiately. I'm on my way."
After saying this, Bruce hung up the phone.
Soon, Batman appeared in Shiller's mansion. When he entered the reception room and saw Constantine, who was spitting blood and pale, he turned to Shiller and said, "Thank you, Professor."
Shiller spread his hands and said, "Not my doing."
Batman clearly wore a "I believe you" expression. He thought, he had beaten Constantine so many tis, yet none were as effective as Shiller's one beating.
"You have an evil plan, don't you?" Batman turned his head and looked into Constantine's eyes.
Constantine turned his head, his hands relaxed at his sides, seemingly giving up resistance. Batman walked over and grabbed his neck, lifting him up. His tone was filled with deep anger as he said, "You and Sanchez wanted to sacrifice the children of Gotham to achieve your goals, Constantine..."
Constantine clutched his own neck, struggling to speak as if out of breath, "...how... did you... find out?"
"I found Solomon Wayne's notes, he ntioned these evil thods in his diary..."
"...And what does that have to do with ?" Constantine struggled, and Batman threw him to the ground and said, "On the diary, there was the magic array drawing you left at Cooper's cri scene."
"So what does that prove?"
"According to the diary, it's not an ordinary demon summoning array, but one that sacrifices the soul of a child to a demon... What does that explain? Constantine, it ans you killed a child..."
"Cough, is that right? Who did I kill, then?"
Constantine lay on the ground, clutching his neck, but his eyes clearly held a sneer as he said, "Tell , all-knowing Batman, who did I kill? Who was the victim?"
Gasping for breath, Shiller walked over and shoved two painkillers into his mouth, then said, "Better hurry up and get it all off your chest, because even if Batman was willing to spare you, the curse inside you probably can't wait..."
"Well, I'm about to die anyway, so what difference does it make if I say it?" Constantine lay flat on the ground, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Constantine, it seems that your years of deception weren't just based on your smooth talk, you're also good at psychology..."
"Alright, after you've finished the story, we can help you think of a solution..."
Constantine shifted his gaze to Shiller, who sighed and said, "Don't expect to make a deal with , your word is already at its limit for soone as rotten as you."
Constantine slid up from the floor briskly, wiping the blood from his mouth, shaking his trench coat and adjusting his tie before sitting back down on the sofa.
Seeing his fluid movents, Batman narrowed his eyes. Constantine waved his hand and said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not faking my injuries or the pain, it's just that we who study magic get used to it..."
"Sotis when there are not enough offerings, we just offer ourselves. It's no big deal if a demon takes an organ, you can always find another demon to replace it."
Shiller glanced at Batman before saying to Constantine, "You better get to the point, or this right-minded vigilante here might resort to torture..."
"Alright..." Constantine sat back on the sofa, resting his elbow on his knee, "Indeed, I did have a common plan with Lauren, but I also had my own plan, as well as a backup plan for it..."
"Perhaps you don't understand , but to achieve a certain plan, I can prepare for several months or even several years, and can co up with a series of linked plans just like this ti..."
"My Plan A was to lure the professor out, steal the Mad Liquor, go to the dream god and have him help solve my problem..."
"Plan B was to lure Batman out, finish my delivery, then find that mysterious voice and have him help solve my problem..."
"Plan C was to cooperate with Lauren and have her help solve my problem."
"And Plan D was to attract the interest of you odd people in Gotham and let you figure out a way to solve my problem..."
"Many people might like to complete these plans in order. For example, if Plan A fails, then use Plan B. But I don't like that, I prefer to proceed with them all at the sa ti..."
As he sat there smoking another cigarette, Constantine seed to shed a part of his decadent exterior, revealing his sharp inner spirit.
The son of sin, who has been ridden with misfortune since birth, is not a down-and-out wanderer but is just like anyone else in Gotham—full of intelligence, imagination, creativity, ability to take action, calm, indifferent but also like a madman.
The complex plan that was hard for most people to understand seed like a simple task as he explained it. Batman, who had experienced the entire series of plans, had to admit that the madman in front of him had deceived almost everyone with his layers upon layers of disguise.
In Constantine's soul, Batman saw many familiar figures. Constantine was like Joker, like Shiller, but also like... himself.
Hell Detective? Batman thought. Perhaps, this "detective" is more like a combination of the three of them.
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