Los Angeles, situated in the southwestern part of California, is often referred to as the City of Angels, sharing a similar history with Coastal City, both having developed during the Gold Rush era.
The Spanish settlers nad it "heaven," and it's not without reason. The climate and scenery here are vastly different from the East Coast, offering a romantic, soothing, and charming atmosphere.
With the beautiful beaches of San Pedro Bay and Santa Monica Bay, it's a popular tourist destination for countless West Coast residents. The streets and parks exude a xican flair, preserving the ethnic charm of the last century. The city parks and music halls add to the ambiance, not to ntion the world-famous Hollywood.
Not far from Disneyland, on a street in Los Angeles, a building with a distinct Spanish style stands proudly on the corner. Hanging from the building's first floor is a glittering sign that, although conflicting in style with the architecture, creates a sense of intertwined ti.
The na of this bar is simple, composed of just three letters: LUX, which can be understood as an abbreviation for Lucifer Morningstar's na.
Beneath the shining light of the sign, there are no ordinary bouncers in all-black attire with sunglasses, as one might expect in a typical bar. This bar seems unusually quiet, and even leaning against the building's walls, one cannot hear the music from inside.
With a creak, the slightly weathered wooden door is pushed open, revealing a sowhat dimly lit corridor. However, just a few steps further in, neon-like radiance cos into view.
The sound of high heels on the tal floor emits a faint tremor as the female bartender at the front desk montarily pauses, her eyes gleaming faintly.
She lightly taps her finger on the counter, and after a mont, a figure in a black suit appears on the bar's second-floor balcony. He holds a glass of red wine, surveying the n and won on the bar's ground floor.
"Delilah? Why have you co at this ti? Are you planning to surprise ?" Lucifer Morningstar smiles and embraces a beautiful woman.
The two of them walk over to a nearby sofa, and the woman nad Delilah chuckles. "Co on, that's all you know how to say. When I pursued you back then, you were as shy as a little boy."
"Hey, don't be like that. Show so respect in my own territory." Lucifer Morningstar leans back on the sofa, lights a cigarette, and waves his hand with a smile.
"Ti sure flies, doesn't it?" Delilah takes out a cigarette from her purse and says, "Back when I used to accompany you for drinks, it feels like it was just yesterday, and I owe everything I have today to you..."
"We're friends; there's no need for such talk." Lucifer Morningstar takes a drag from his cigarette and says, "When I first arrived here, you helped get acquainted with Los Angeles, showed the ropes in the bar scene, so I should naturally repay you..."
"You don't have to do so much." Delilah lightly touches Lucifer Morningstar's knee with her hand and says, "I know that a person like you could achieve anything even without ."
Lucifer Morningstar looks at Delilah's expression with so confusion and asks, "You seem a bit worn out. What's wrong? Are you tired from preparing your new album? You can relax here anyti; you're always welco."
Delilah shakes her head, a hint of perplexity between her brows. She says, "Actually, I feel a bit lost. I know my life is much better now than before, but..."
Just then, Lucifer Morningstar pauses and turns his head towards the entrance of the bar, as an unexpected figure walks in. This figure, likewise dressed in a suit, is holding an umbrella, which seems rather unusual on a mild Los Angeles night.
Inside the bar, the cold neon lights illuminate Schiller's face. He removes his glasses, walks over to Lucifer Morningstar, and taps the ground with the umbrella's tip, saying, "Looks like I've co at an inconvenient ti, interrupting your date with this lady..."
"My apologies, miss... You seem to be a singer, right? What was the na of your previous album? Red Hot, was it?"
"It's Blue Hot, sir," Delilah responds to Schiller with a nod. Schiller smiles and says, "Sorry, I'm not very into pop music."
Lucifer Morningstar gestures to a nearby single sofa, and after Schiller takes a seat, Lucifer Morningstar introduces him to Delilah. "This is my friend Schiller, a psychology professor, a fan of classical music, and a bit of an old-fashioned guy. Don't mind him; he doesn't really understand pop culture."
Delilah laughs and says, "Of course, most tasteful music enthusiasts and critics don't really like pop. Unfortunately, I haven't read many books, so I can't appreciate all those musicians. Otherwise, I'd like to enjoy so classical music too."
"I'm not particularly fond of certain classical music critics either. They tend to prioritize theoretical knowledge too much and forget the most important role of music, which is to make people happy," Schiller waves his hand dismissively.
"Is that so? Well, that piques my interest."
Delilah, well-versed in the bar scene, is an excellent conversationalist, always speaking with a cheerful deanor that brings joy to those around her.
The three of them engage in lively conversation, transitioning from music to psychology. Lucifer Morningstar leans back in his chair, smiling, and says, "Delilah, this is a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity. Do you know how expensive his counseling fees are?"
"If you open up a psychology textbook today, you'll find his na in there. If you want soone like him to counsel you, you probably can't afford it even with the earnings from a whole album..."
Delilah covers her mouth with gloved hands in surprise, looks at Schiller, then stands up and shakes his hand, saying, "Oh my goodness, I didn't realize you're a renowned psychologist."
"He tends to exaggerate. I'm just a regular university professor," Schiller shakes his head. At this mont, the bartender cos over with drinks, and after taking a sip of his cold drink, Schiller finally feels a sense of relaxation.
"May I ask where you work?" Delilah is sowhat curious.
"Gotham University."
Delilah showed great respect and said, "You truly are a renowned psychologist; you must be an excellent professor..."
Lucifer Morningstar burst into laughter. "Everyone who's heard of Gotham reacts this way... Hey, everyone! Look, we have soone from Gotham!"
Schiller stood up and covered his mouth. Luckily, the bar's music was quite loud, and no one heard Lucifer Morningstar's shout...
Schiller and Delilah chatted for a while, and he offered so guidance. When the drinks in their cups were finished, Delilah stood up, took a deep breath, patted her clothes, and then said, "Thank you so much, Professor. I feel much better now..."
"I still need to prepare for a signing event for my new album, so I won't disturb you any longer. We can chat another day." Saying this, Delilah turned back and winked at the two of them. However, at this mont, Schiller stopped her and said:
"By the way, you should leave through the back door. When I ca in through the front entrance, I saw several cars filling up the parking spaces in front of the door. I was wondering who they were, but now it seems they might be your fans. If you leave this way, you might get mobbed by them."
Delilah was taken aback for a mont, then thought for a mont and said, "You're right, I'm in a hurry. Which way should I go?"
Lucifer Morningstar pointed to the door nearby, and Delilah hurriedly left. Lucifer Morningstar returned to the bar counter, and Schiller followed suit, sitting in front of the bar. Schiller looked at Lucifer Morningstar and said:
"We haven't seen each other in so long, aren't you going to give your old friend a welcoming gesture? How about mixing a drink?"
"Didn't you say you had amnesia?" Lucifer Morningstar turned to organize the liquor cabinet while checking today's bills.
By now, it was approaching late night, and so young n and won who had been enjoying themselves started to leave. Even the waitstaff were preparing to close up. Schiller glanced at the crowd moving toward the main exit and then said:
"Aren't you the one who claims to be all-knowing? Can't you tell whether my amnesia is real or not?"
"I don't like to use my abilities on my friends," Lucifer Morningstar took a glass and wiped it while saying, "I only use special powers when necessary. If I enjoyed being all-knowing, I wouldn't be running a bar like this."
Schiller observed Lucifer Morningstar's actions, and he had to admit that this Son of God had a unique charm. To Schiller, the part of him that lay between divinity and humanity was the most charismatic.
The question of whether he was a god among mortals or a mortal among gods was one that every being with superpowers had to consider when living among humans.
Clark believed himself to be a human but did not deny his god-like powers. He intended to use those powers to help others.
But Lucifer Morningstar had chosen to give up using his abilities, to be a true human, behaving just like any other person. If it didn't concern him, he would simply stand by and watch.
Schiller found this psychology fascinating. Clearly, it would be a great subject for study, although it might not translate into a paper. Nevertheless, it could lay the groundwork for future research on Clark's psychology.
"So, you're just going to stand there wiping glasses and refuse to mix a drink?"
Many people could see that Schiller was employing his old tactics once again, just as he had used them on Bruce before, forcing him to do aningless things during their conversations to establish a basis for ntal control.
"Yes, this glass will bring in $8 in revenue tomorrow, but what about you? You can't even afford to buy yourself a drink," Lucifer Morningstar scoffed, not falling for the trick.
"So, you treat your Pope like this? You won't even pay a salary, and I can't even have a free drink?"
"Do you have any notable accomplishnts to speak of?" Lucifer Morningstar looked at Schiller and asked, "How many followers have you recruited?"
"Are you sure you want to recruit followers?" Schiller countered.
Lucifer Morningstar's hands paused for a mont, then he continued, "Never mind. What do I need followers for? So they can co bother with their trivial problems every day? Do you know why God left Heaven? Because humans were too botherso."
"They complain about their work every day, so God genuinely believed that work was hard and went on vacation. When you understand human thoughts all the ti, your thinking gets contaminated by theirs. That's also why I don't like using mind-reading abilities."
The conversation was diverted again by Lucifer Morningstar, but Schiller remained composed. He wiped his face and then showed a sad expression, saying:
"I have a student, very intelligent and gifted, but with a tragic background. His parents tragically passed away in his childhood. I ca here today to ask you, since you have the ability to resurrect humans..."
"Stop right there. What kind of drink do you want?"
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