Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

In the midst of Wayne Manor, Shiller was playing chess with the pale knight. But playing chess was just a distraction; Shiller had come for serious business.

"I've been here for so long, and you haven't paid me a single penny, not even a formal position. Don't you think you are being a bit too stingy?" Shiller remarked.

The pale knight glanced at the towering pile of official documents beside him and sighed, saying, "You've shut down the city government, I don't even have an assistant, and I am busy dealing with these documents every day. Do you expect me to thank you for that?"

"That's not necessary. I don't place much value on verbal thank-yous. If you really want to thank me, give me a position," Shiller responded.

The pale knight had grown accustomed to Shiller not understanding propriety. He just sighed and said, "I am the mayor, not God. Position arrangements have to follow the law..."

"But I happen to be legal." Shiller handed over a stack of documents, then stated, "I am now applying to become the director of Arkham Asylum. You just need to sign this appointment notice."

The pale knight frowned at the documents. That was Shiller's identity information, but surely it was forged, because he wasn't even from this cosmos – how could he have an identity?

But he had to admit, it was an oversight on his part. Since this man has been bouncing around here for so many days, being undocumented isn't a solution; it was indeed time to register him officially.

The pale knight looked at Shiller's identity information and felt it wasn't excessive. Shiller was clearly a highly educated elite, and his educational qualifications seemed conservatively written.

However, what puzzled the pale knight was his career history. He glanced at the document, then at Shiller, and asked, "You have a psychiatrist's license?"

"Yes, I have any type of license you need. Plus, I have prescription rights, I can prescribe medication. I perfectly fit the conditions to be the director of Arkham Asylum," Shiller confidently answered.

The pale knight continued to read. Shiller had listed several employment experiences, most of which were in cities on the West Coast. The pale knight thought this might be because the city names differ in different universes, so he could only pick the matching city names to write.

The pale knight sighed and said, "Your resume indeed meets the requirements. But what reason do I have to kick Tuck out and place you there?"

"You do know that Tuck has been bribed by many, right?" Shiller countered.

"Of course. But as long as he hasn't broken the law, or to be precise, as long as I haven't found evidence of him breaking the law, I can't kick him out," the pale knight said helplessly.

"What I mean is, having too many masters isn't necessarily safe. He upset one of his masters, and got killed. He's likely been turned to ashes by now," Shiller explained.

The pale knight furrowed his brows. He squinted at Shiller and said, "Are you sure he was killed by his own master?"

"Absolutely, Little Fiers, have you heard of this person?" Shiller asked.

The expression on the pale knight's face indicated that his memories with this person named Little Fiers were not very pleasant.

"Yes, I remember him a bit. That guy is a regular at the Iceberg Restaurant. When Penguin Man was opposing the implementation of the Napier Act, he was also vocally supporting it. And his Fiers Family pretty much monopolizes the gambling industry in Gotham; he's the stinkiest bug there is," the pale knight recalled.

After a pause, the pale knight said with some confusion, "How did Tuck offend him?"

"That's a long story," Shiller said, "Unfortunately, Little Fiers came up with a brilliant idea to set up betting pools based on the escape times of criminals from Arkham Asylum. This thrilling idea attracted broad attention, and nearly the entire upper class took part."

"To prevent overreach, he felt he had to replace Tuck who had too many masters. He knew he couldn't bribe you, so he simply eliminated the man," Shiller explained.

"Then if I put you in his place, wouldn't he just kill you as well?" the pale knight asked suspiciously.

"Even more unfortunately, he had some conflicts with his brother. When he acted, there was a man planted by his brother at the scene who caught evidence of him committing murder and handed it to the police. It's irrefutable evidence. He definitely won't be out for a while, and if he's unlucky, he might spend his life in prison," Shiller said with a smirk.

The pale knight rubbed his forehead and said, "So, it's like he coincidentally took Tuck down with him, and the director position at Arkham Asylum happens to be vacant."

Shiller nodded emphatically.

With a "smack", the pale knight slammed the table, glaring at Shiller, "Do you think I'm stupid? Where in the world are there so many coincidences?!"

"Just talk, don't slam the table, you scared me," Shiller said as he fiddled with his ear, "I admit I've made some efforts to create job opportunities for myself. But I'm not the type to boast or to seek undue credit, especially not in front of you, Mr. Mayor. My principle is that humility leads to progress."

The pale knight couldn't help but cover his forehead.

"First tell me what you did," the pale knight said helplessly.

"The idea for the betting pool was mine," Shiller confessed.

"What else?" the pale knight pressed.

"I am the man of his brother," Shiller continued.

"And?" the pale knight pressed further.

"I delivered the evidence," Shiller answered.

"Anything else?" the pale knight persisted.

"That's it, really, just that," Shiller said sincerely, looking at the pale knight, "Two days were only enough for me to do that much, there's nothing else."

The Pale Knight felt somewhat suffocated as he spoke, "Forget the rest, what's the deal with that bet? Do you realize this could trigger a riot at Arkham Insane Asylum?!"

"I know." Shiller answered calmly.

"You know and you still went ahead?!" the Pale Knight angrily questioned.

"I made a mistake, I'm trying to make amends." Shiller pushed the document forward towards the Pale Knight, then said, "That's why I'm applying to become the warden of Arkham Insane Asylum. I'm taking actual steps to rectify my errors."

The Pale Knight was speechless.

He had already realized that pointing out Shiller's faults, be it on a moral or legal level, was useless. He wouldn't debate right or wrong with you, admitting his faults faster than anyone.

Shameless people admit their faults with humility but never learn. Shiller admits his faults humbly but then turns the tables on you.

Faced with this logic, what could the Pale Knight say? If he said no, wouldn't he be preventing Shiller from correcting his mistakes? Wouldn't that be hindering someone else's progress?

Damn it, he had been morally blackmailing others all their lives, and now it was his turn to be blackmailed. Where's the justice in that?

"As I say, you're being too picky." Shiller said, "If you publicize the bet situation, absolutely no one would dare to take the warden position at Arkham Insane Asylum. But without a leader, things would only get rowdier. Isn't this also me helping you out of a predicament?"

The Pale Knight really wanted to say "I don't need this", but upon reflection, he realized he indeed did.

If Tuck hadn't died, even if he wanted to desert, his masters wouldn't agree. Because as long as they could control him, they were guaranteed to win.

But Tuck was dead, and those involved in the bet didn't want to send a new person up, as no one would be willing to go. With the current situation, whoever went up would be signing their death warrant. No one would allow their rivals to occupy such an important position.

Even if they could find someone reckless enough to go, he'd likely be killed by others. Sending another person would just lead to the same fate.

Basically, it's like King Yan calling the roll; whoever goes will be hated by others and then have to face attacks from all sides. Unless Superman comes, anyone else is going to their death.

However, if this position remains vacant, they can only let the bet carry on, allowing the criminals to escape, trampling on the dignity of the order maintainers, and disappointing the citizens of Gotham once again.

To interfere in this matter, they must have their people in crucial positions. The police chief's position is important, but he must act in the broader perspective, maintaining stability is the highest priority. Expecting him to be able to do something extra is difficult.

Thus, securing the position of the warden, who could be in close contact with the criminals and control all the security systems of Arkham Asane Asylum, was the only way these good people could intervene.

But they also face the same dilemma as the elite, that putting anyone in that position might not last.

The Pale Knight was not afraid of dying, but his educational and career qualifications would bar him from entering. Batman's qualifications were sufficient, but as a masked hero, he couldn't disclose his personal information, so that was also out of the question.

Besides, anyone they could nominate either didn't meet the standards or might not fully be on their side. After all the choices, it really just left Shiller.

Realizing this, the Pale Knight knew that Shiller wasn't really counting on him being charitable, he was leaving him no choice.

The Pale Knight greatly disliked this feeling of being manipulated, but he was not an irrational person. So, he signed the document.

However, after approving the appointment document, the Pale Knight still asked, "What are you planning to do next?"

"Don't rush, this is just the first step," Shiller said, "We can't completely cut off their roots yet, but collecting some interest is feasible. This will also facilitate our next moves."

Knowing he wouldn't get the truth from Shiller, the Pale Knight tried a different question: "Can you assure me that no innocent people will be harmed?"

"Of course," Shiller quickly agreed, "Actually, aside from those elite individuals, no one will be harmed in this matter, including the criminals in Arkham Asane Asylum."

"Even if it concerns the elite, you'd better not cause any casualties. If they indeed have any illegal actions, then arrest them and bring them to court. That would be more effective than you killing them directly," the Pale Knight warned.

With a somewhat helpless expression, Shiller said, "I'm not a hangman; I wasn't planning to kill anyone. Do you really see me as so brutal and bloodthirsty?"

"That's not it," the Pale Knight shook his head, "Those words are too shallow to describe you."

"I'll take that as a compliment, then," Shiller stood up and said, "Enjoy your time handling affairs alone. It won't be long before city hall reopens."

This left the Pale Knight baffled. What did that have to do with anything? He was just about to ask what that meant when Shiller had already left.

Shiller, carrying the appointment document, headed to Arkham Asylum. Bruce was playing cards with a group of super villains.

When Shiller arrived, he was being shaken by Killer Croc, and playing cards were scattering from his person.

Just as Killer Croc opened his huge mouth to bite, Shiller shouted, "Spare his life!"

Bruce was put down and without any look of embarrassment, dusted himself off and left.

After leaving the recreational room, he looked at Shiller and asked, "What's up?"

Shiller, finding him increasingly irritating, said discontentedly, "Since you came to this cosmos, besides shopping, eating, and playing cards, what else have you done? Are you here on vacation?"

Bruce actually nodded in response.