Shiller walked over and flipped through the books, finding that most of the books on the bookshelf were about world history and economics, which was very much in line with Thomas's character.
Shiller didn't know much about Thomas in this universe, but he had come across another Thomas, the elder from the Flash Universe.
Simply put, Thomas Wayne was a product of the Wayne Family's elite education system. He had received an elite education but had not accepted it completely, for he was quite rebellious in his youth and never really liked studying, let alone a career in economics.
The Wayne Family had always intended him to be the successor of the corporate empire, but he preferred not to study finance and economic management and instead chose to study medicine. After completing medical school, he even went to the battlefield. It was only after he had his fill of wanderlust and grown older that he came back to marry and take over the family assets.
Shiller didn't find any medical-related books on the shelf, which suggested that Thomas in this universe might not have gone through medical training and instead completed the full set of elite educational courses before taking over Wayne Enterprises directly.
On the desk, Shiller found some annotated reports that seemed to concern the renovation of Gotham's underground water system. Because the water system had been long neglected and drainage was poor, several major families took the lead on a project intending to completely refurbish the sewers.
Thomas's opinion stated that it was okay to fix it, but the costs must be shared by all the major families to reap the benefits together. He certainly would not play the fool, footing all the bills and still be cursed for it.
Then there were some snippets of corporate affairs, various financial statements, most of which he had only glanced over with hardly any annotations left.
With nothing on the desk, Shiller started rummaging through the drawers. He remembered that Thomas had the habit of keeping a diary because he needed to keep inventory and record the recovery status of the wounded on the battlefield. This habit persisted even after his return, but it wasn't clear if Thomas in this universe maintained it.
In the bottom drawer, Shiller found a locked drawer, and upon prying it open, he indeed discovered a diary, but it only had a few pages written in it. It appeared that the diary hadn't been used for long, and the handwriting was somewhat sloppy, not quite matching Thomas's educational level.
"I had that dream again, I feel this is all God's punishment, He has abandoned me, or why else would He allow that monster to keep entering my dreams?"
"I swear, I didn't know it was real, I had no idea that the monster really had the power to do all this, if I had known, I definitely would not have agreed, I think I might not even have made a promise, I was nearly dead at that time, my thoughts mean nothing, just as no court would accept the testimony of a person who is mentally ill..."
"He says I promised him, yes, it's true, but I was about to die at that time, I just wanted to survive, I don't understand what is happening, it wasn't intentional, God, please save me."
"He came again today, he seems very disappointed with me, but I can't possibly do as he says, I cannot pledge fealty to the Evil God, that would cast my family into an abyss from which we could never return, even if he comes again today, I will still refuse him."
"He didn't come today, where did he go?"
"Almost 5 months have passed, he hasn't come anymore, I believe, it was just an illusion of my post-traumatic stress disorder, it must be so."
"Turns out he didn't stop coming..."
The last sentence made Shiller's heart skip a beat.
Thomas seemed very anxious, even panicked, as he wrote these words. They were disjointed, and the handwriting was sloppy, as though he was venting something.
From these words, Shiller could deduce that Thomas seemed to have made a deal with the Evil God, a deal that had allowed him to survive, but after living through it, he did not keep his promise. The Evil God came to him every night, but Thomas kept refusing.
In the middle, the Evil God disappeared for a while but then came back. However, the phrase "he didn't stop coming" written by Thomas was somewhat baffling to Shiller.
But if combined with Martha's situation, Shiller could guess something; these tricks of the Evil Gods were all too similar, like loan sharks enforcing debts. If you steadfastly refuse to pay, they harass your family members.
Perhaps the Evil God had returned, only not to Thomas but to Martha instead.
Of course, there was also a possibility, and Shiller was more inclined to believe this one based on his previous conjectures: Thomas might no longer be Thomas. The Evil God took away his soul and replaced him, only he himself was unaware of it.
And by the time he realized it, it was already too late.
This speculation was confirmed when Shiller reached the last page of the diary, where a few sentences were written very sloppily.
"Martha, if you see me, do not believe it is me, the resurrection is always a deception, the real me is already dead, do not believe... do not believe... do not believe..."
It seemed that the Thomas who wrote these words had realized that the so-called salvation and resurrection by the Evil God was nothing but a hoax, that the thing brought back to life wasn't really him, but rather a monster with his consciousness and memories.
Thus, the symptoms of Martha's mental illness had a possible explanation, much like those of Old Godfather Falcone, where the dearest person at one's side had been replaced, but there was no evidence to be found.
You just felt that he was becoming more and more uncanny, identical to the person you remember yet vastly different, which made you wonder whether it was you or the world that had gone mad.
There was no answer to all the questions about this person's identity, everyone thought you were overthinking, and their attitude was as good as always, leaving you no grounds for complaint. Yet in the silent solitude of your room, they stood by your bed, staring fixatedly at you.
With this, the timeline of events became clear.
Thomas Wayne might have had an accident, and in a semi-lucid state, he was lured by the Evil God, agreeing to its conditions to survive. But, in reality, it was all a scam, the survivor was not him at all, but a source of corruption that retained his memories, or at least a part of Nyarlathotep.
Thomas was gradually replaced until he completely turned into a monster. Martha realized this, but could not find any proof, until Martha Wayne got pregnant.
Martha might have sensed something wrong with the child, but in those times, it was difficult for her to escape Thomas's surveillance to seek an abortion. Perhaps she too harbored a sliver of hope, unwilling to kill her own child, and could only confirm and pray repeatedly.
Unfortunately, it wasn't her illusion; the presence of the Evil God was real. As Martha's sanity was on the brink of collapse, she saw Thomas's true form.
She couldn't accept any of it, so she went completely mad.
But still, the power of a mother is almost limitless. Martha very likely confronted that monster, and might even have communicated with it to strike a deal, buying herself a period of respite.
Using this time, Martha made arrangements. Utilizing the power she got from the Evil God, she contaminated the hotel and the estate, yet she also sealed this corruption temporarily.
Afterwards, Little Bruce was born, and by that time, Thomas and Martha had been entirely corrupted by the power of the Evil God. They were no longer his parents. Little Bruce had the Evil God's bloodline and was raised by it, which is why he became so eerie.
Shiller guessed that perhaps the Evil God did not anticipate being defeated by the powerful will of the DC Universe's cosmos. Batman's parents were destined to die, so these two puppets might have died when they were supposed to as well.
Upon the parents' death, the pollution in Little Bruce's body did not erupt on time, and Nyarlathotep's plans were almost entirely thwarted. But it was unlikely to just accept this, so it later haunted Little Bruce again.
Shiller also roughly conjectured what Martha's contingency plan was, his gaze falling on the files for the Gotham sewer renovation project.
Jerome and Peter found the door to the third sub-level, which wasn't really a puzzle; the door was hidden in the maintenance room of the second sub-level underground parking bathroom.
It was only after Peter, who didn't see any sewer maintenance facilities on an entire floor, suggested checking the bathroom, that they thought of looking there.
Peter's uncle was an electrician, and he was very familiar with these matters, knowing that a hotel of that size would need a separate room to maintain everything, like a main power distribution room, and the sewer was no different.
Typically, such a room would be located at the bottom, for easier access to check the sewer's condition. Indeed, the two found a passage that led downward in the bathroom's maintenance room.
However, the appearance of the third sub-level was beyond their expectations. To be accurate, there was no third sub-level, just a sewer system, which once descended into had the very typical look of the Gotham underground.
Peter felt enveloped by a chill, damp air, and the water beneath his feet didn't seem like water but more like some kind of mucus, stretching strings as he lifted his feet.
He rubbed his arms, feeling the cold, and Jerome, after looking around, said, "I think we should head this way, the wind is coming from here."
Peter glanced in that direction, saw nothing unusual, and to prevent getting lost, left a trail of Spider Silk on the walls as a marker. The two headed in the direction from which the wind blew.
Along the way, Peter noticed that the water in the sewers was constantly flowing towards the hotel. He recalled Doctor Sophocles's speculation that this water could be the source for the toilets.
So the toilet water was always trying to break through the hotel's defenses? But where did the sewer water get the power to become abnormal?
They continued forward, took a turn, and in front of them were densely packed waterways, looking like a maze with many twists and turns, but upon walking, they found most paths to be dead ends, with only one viable route, like a simplified version of a labyrinth.
The two of them kept walking until a strand of light appeared ahead, thinking they were about to reach the surface.
But after getting used to the light, what they found in front of them was not an exit but a tall, dark, ancient city.
Atop the gate of the ancient city was a lifelike Owl sculpture. Its shiny eyes vividly fixed on the long-lost visitors.
Indeed, Jerome's eyes shone brightly, but Peter was somewhat confused. He knew that the madman before him was hiding something, but the sudden appearance of such a vast ancient city still shocked him.
Jerome entered the ancient city without any hesitation, while Peter felt timid and apprehensive. Seeing this, Jerome no longer hid the truth and talked as he walked further inside.
"Although the Evil God is terrifying, the Gothamites are not completely helpless. As early as 20 years ago, someone had predicted today's events and left clues in Gotham Cathedral."
"About 20 years ago, the Four Families joined forces to renovate Gotham's Sewer System, and they discovered a secret site and countless hidden cultists inside the sewers."
"Could it be that they caused the city's mutation?" Peter asked.
"On the contrary, they delayed the city's mutation. The mutation was supposed to erupt 20 years ago. The Four Families made every effort to kill all the cultists and throw them into a special pool, and during the renovation of the sewers, they spread their special powers through the water system."
Peter immediately thought of the toilet water. No wonder the toilet water that splashed on him when he pressed the button earlier didn't turn him into a monster. This thing was not part of the same system as the current hotel's pollution.
"Does this power not pollute?" Peter asked.
"Actually, it does," Jerome sighed, "but the Gothamites aren't scared anymore because we've discovered that since the construction of this city, this pollution has been continuously eroding our bodies. A little more won't make a difference."
Peter was somewhat speechless, unsure if this could be considered fighting poison with poison.
Jerome continued.
"20 years ago, dedicated individuals worked together to accomplish this great feat, but unfortunately, it only delayed the advance of the Evil God, not completely solving the problem. Thus, they left information in Gotham Cathedral, hoping that future generations could finish the task."
"I don't understand," Peter shook his head, "How can we complete something that the entire city couldn't manage before?"
"Back then, the efforts of the Four Families were not enough, not because they lacked the ability, but because they lacked some things which needed 20 years to find."
"What were they missing?"
At this point, Jerome shook his head and remained silent as the two walked deeper into the ancient city. Jerome seemed to have a map in his mind, leading Peter through twists and turns without getting lost, and the paths became more spacious as they advanced.
Soon a light appeared ahead, and Peter thought they were about to leave, but after turning down a corridor, what appeared before him was a massive temple surrounded by owl statues, with a pool in the very center.
The pool wasn't filled with water, but a liquid emitting an alluring luminescent glow. In this damp, decaying underground, Peter detected a captivatingly sweet scent.
As if possessed, he walked over to the pool.
Like someone who had been thirsty for a long time, Peter could hardly resist the sweet aroma. He instinctively reached out to touch the mesmerizing liquid.
Jerome said behind him, "Drink it, and you'll no longer be thirsty."
Back in Wayne Manor, having left the study, Shiller sneaked down to the first floor. Not exactly sneaking, for Alfred turned his head to look for the doorknob wrapped in Martha's hair after discovering Shiller had disappeared.
But after grabbing the doorknob, he didn't stay there but headed to the fourth floor instead. Shiller guessed it was probably because the master bedroom was on the fourth floor, but he couldn't worry about that now; he had to get Gordon's head back.
Fairly speaking, Gordon was a good cop, chiefly because Shiller had also promised to help him find his comrade's body in the manor. Having bragged about it, he could not back out now. With the body still missing, he could only think of a way to retrieve Gordon first.
Indeed, Shiller found the headless body next to the dining table in the first-floor hall and followed the trail of blood to the stairs. Under the stair's twist, he found Gordon's head, which could still blink, evidently still alive.
Shiller felt it strange. There were previously some tentacles lodged in Gordon's neck, so switching bodies was not that weird, but after he picked up the head, he found nothing, with no signs of contamination, making it bizarre that Gordon's head could live on its own.
Shiller thought of examining it, but had no time to do so because two figures rushed through the front door—it was Jerome and Cobblepot.
"Something's happened," Jerome's face was pale. Shiller noticed his shirt was stained with blood; clearly, a desperate escape had reopened his wound.
Cobblepot's leg was also bleeding, making him limp even more severely, and his flesh seemed to hang loosely.
Shiller frowned slightly, but Jerome said, "Now, Jerome is in the past timeline, not 20 days ago, but 20 years ago."
Shiller's eyes widened in shock. Jerome shook his head, "He just managed to send me a message, telling me there's a passage beneath Wayne Manor. We can follow this passage to travel back to 20 years ago and meet up with them."
"I don't see the point of meeting now," Shiller shook his head, "I have to go to the fourth floor first, to see what Martha left in the bedroom."
Jerome and Cobblepot exchanged glances. Seeing that they didn't want to leave, Shiller didn't press them but said, "You can stay here, but I must go to the fourth floor; I need to understand what is actually going on."
"You'll have your answer," Jerome said to Shiller, "We'll lure that big head away, and if you survive and come back, use the underground passage behind the garden's large tree to find us in the basement."
Shiller nodded without saying much more. He made his way to the second floor, took out the doorknob, and hid himself in the study. Soon, the big head was lured to the first floor.
There were some noises outside, but Shiller did not rashly go out until all sounds had quieted down. Then, he cautiously cracked the door open.
But just as he peeked outside, Shiller froze because Alfred's face, covered in tentacles, was directly in front of him.
Those guys were indeed unreliable!
Shiller was about to chalk it all up to a trap, but he realized Alfred had not made a move to attack him with the tentacles. Shiller tiptoed out, only to discover that a gaping hole, oozing blood, had been hollowed out beneath the big head. Clearly, something had vanished.
Could it be that the monster residing in the big head had chased after them, but why had the tentacles been left behind?
Without pondering any further, Shiller was intent on uncovering answers on the fourth floor. He knew that in Martha's room, he might learn the truth.
Thus, he quickly sprinted up to the fourth floor. Indeed, Martha's bedroom was not among the keys he held, but rather at the very end of the hallway.
Shiller opened the door, and surprisingly, the room was not very dusty, as if someone had been keeping it clean. Shiller walked to the bedside and found a diary in the nightstand, which contained but a single entry.
"If you're reading this note, it means my plan is nearing success."
Seeing this sentence, Shiller frowned. Martha had indeed anticipated this. What exactly had she devised 20 years ago?
The next line gave Shiller quite a shock.
"I am preparing for the arrival of the Dark God."
"I know the deal Thomas made with the Evil God is inevitable. I don't blame him; everyone instinctively desires to survive between life and death. Rather, all of this is the scheming of the Evil God, who pushes us to sin and yet wants us to blame ourselves. But we refuse to do so."
"The only regret I have is that Thomas found out too late. If he had consulted with me earlier, perhaps there could have been a better solution, but for now, all we can do is gamble."
"Thomas agreed to a deal with the Evil God but did not fulfill it. He refused to disperse the pollution into Gotham, but for some reasons, the Evil God did not claim his life. We are not the slightest bit pleased by this; we just feel that the Evil God will seek retribution elsewhere."
"When I was pregnant, I understood everything, he wanted our child, anything but that."
"Fortunately, when there seemed to be no way out, Thomas told me that the plan to rebuild the sewer system encountered an obstacle; they discovered something incredible underneath. I visited it, and it was quite astonishing."
"The water from the pool in the ancient city improved my mental state. I believed it held secrets. I dared not drink it, but I figured out another way to interact with it."
"I secretly went to the hotel, mixed the mysterious pool water into the rooftop swimming pool, and then jumped in. Between suffocation and illusion, I glimpsed a terrifying secret from the blood of those cultists."
"Our city has been polluted all along, those cultists mixed some mysterious metal into the construction materials of Gotham, turning everyone vicious and mad. That is the true reason for the decay of Gotham's morals."
"This should have been bad news, but it felt like a lifeline for us because we knew these cultists weren't in league with the Evil God. They weren't as difficult to handle, a good bullet could kill them."
"But the powers they possessed were not to be underestimated. From their memories, I learned all of this was directed by a mighty Dark Being. We didn't care about his plans; we only cared that Gotham should have one ruler only."
"The Evil God forced us to corrupt the Four Families, the Dark Being also wanted to pollute the whole city, let them fight it out. If they could both suffer greatly, perhaps we could find a way to survive in the cracks."
"Even though my child might be tainted by both, at least I've given him a chance at choice, the most I could do."
"The Four Families agreed with my view. Clearly, the Evil God intended to repeat his tricks with them. In just a week, many of their younger members met with accidents, also entangled by that creature."
"What shocked me was that Falcone couldn't escape their clutches either. This old fox had ruled Gotham's underworld for half a lifetime, even young Thomas had suffered under him. We only realized then just how much more formidable the Evil God was than we had imagined."
"From the cultist's memories, I had learned how to usher the arrival of the Dark God, a demand too high, and we were running out of time. So, we thought of a method to buy time, hoping for another 20 years, enough for our successors to save the city."
"After some discussions, I confronted the Evil God, and negotiated a deal: Thomas and I would surrender our bodies for the Evil God to raise my son, but before Little Bruce truly converted, he could not harm any other person in Gotham."
"When I said this, that tall, dark figure kept staring at me. I couldn't see his eyes, but I could see the unpredictable expressions hidden beneath his hypocritical mask."
"It made me feel despair, and yet it also gave me strength, because he seemed to have guessed all along what I would say. We were entirely under his control, and he probably just enjoyed watching these weak ants struggle under his manipulation."
"I thought I would be panicked, but until the deal was done, I only felt calm. I'm unsure about the future, but I know my child will not disappoint me."