Searching for Magic

"Looking for a mage?"

Diana hovered in midair, the wind stirring her long hair.

"The magical domain runs deep. Most mages are reclusive by nature and dislike being disturbed by outsiders."

Shane gripped the pocket over his chest, his fingertips sensing the faint warmth from the Golden Apple—a sign that the magic had not yet fully settled.

"I know, but the Goddess of Discord ended up in my hands this time mostly due to luck—maybe also because most gods can't help but be arrogant when facing mortals. But that doesn't mean I can hold my ground every time."

His tone was firm. Someone who had survived the life-and-death trial of Viltrum never sat idly by.

Diana looked at the steadiness in his eyes and suddenly felt that this composed demeanor was more reliable than some of the impulsive members of the League.

"Alright, I'll contact Batman."

Diana didn't hesitate any longer. She raised her hand and activated the encrypted communicator on her wrist. A faint blue light rippled across the surface of the metal band. A few seconds later, Batman's low voice came through, carrying its usual cold, hard edge.

"What is it?"

"Shane's in trouble. He's been targeted by the Goddess of Discord Eris, and he's taken her divine artifact, the Golden Apple."

Diana summarized the situation concisely.

"We need to find some mages who can help us understand how to counter her resurrection and her revenge. I wanted to ask if you have any leads on that."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the communicator, followed by Batman's voice, tinged with a barely perceptible gravity.

"The Golden Apple? Eris's exclusive divine artifact?"

"Yes. Shane just had a direct confrontation with her and shattered her mortal vessel, but her true body is still in the Divine Realm. She could resurrect at any time."

Diana added.

"We want to discuss this face-to-face. Should we come to the Batcave?"

"No."

Batman's refusal was unequivocal.

"Don't bring him to the Batcave."

Shane raised an eyebrow, keenly catching the wariness in the other's tone.

Diana was also taken aback.

"Why? The Batcave's security level is high enough."

"During the time you encountered Eris, the monitoring system I deployed in Boston experienced a signal interruption—exactly four minutes and twenty-three seconds."

Batman's voice carried a chill.

He paused, his words directly targeting Shane.

"Then I heard your entire conversation. Shane, you showed me a side completely at odds with your apparent age."

Batman's meaning was clear.

His thinking ability, his foresight, and his grasp of the situation could perfectly qualify him as an alien operative.

Now, Shane's threat level on the watchlist had been raised once again.

"Are you going to say this in front of a child?"

Diana, clearly familiar with Batman's nature, couldn't help but chide him.

"Do you really think he's still a child? He's more mature than Green Lantern and Shazam combined."

Shane didn't seem bothered at all. He spoke calmly, his voice carrying through Diana's communicator.

"Right now, we share a common problem. Let's deal with the immediate threat first."

The voice on the other end paused. Batman seemed to be weighing his options.

After a moment, he offered a new plan.

"Meet at the Watchtower. Coordinates have been sent to your communicator."

"The Watchtower?"

Diana was stunned.

"Didn't you say the Watchtower was still under construction?"

"Bring him here."

Batman didn't explain. He ended the call directly.

Diana put away her communicator, a look of confusion on her face, but she nodded to Shane.

"Let's go. Can you operate in space?"

"...Teacher Prince, I come from a cosmic-level warrior race. Did you not read my file at all?"

Diana felt a bit drained. She even thought that sometimes Shane was a bit like Batman, and because of his youthful appearance, his interrogations were even more stifling than Batman's.

"I only knew someone needed help. So I came."

Both of them accelerated simultaneously, breaking through the clouds and flying toward outer space.

Before long, a massive space station suspended in geosynchronous orbit came into view.

The Watchtower was entirely silver-gray, its design brimming with technological sophistication. Huge solar panels gleamed with metallic luster under the sunlight, surrounded by several layers of energy shields that emitted a faint blue glow.

They passed through the energy shields and entered the Watchtower's interior.

Diana let out an admiring sigh at the "technology," but Shane didn't feel much of anything.

Viltrum had far more magnificent satellite fortresses.

The spacious corridors were lined with precision instruments on both sides, holographic projections flickering in midair. The entire space station operated in perfect order, showing no trace of being "still under construction."

Diana's brow furrowed even tighter amid her amazement. She followed the guide robot toward the conference room, muttering complaints under her breath.

"This guy actually kept us in the dark for so long."

Shane asked curiously.

"What's wrong?"

"Batman kept telling us the Watchtower was still being debugged and not officially operational, so the Justice League had to hold every meeting at the Hall of Justice in New York."

Diana's tone carried helplessness.

"But as you know, when a bunch of superpowered individuals gather in densely populated New York, the United Nations sends warning documents almost every time, saying it causes public panic and potential risks."

She sighed.

"The other members basically keep their identities hidden. I'm the only one with an official position as Themyscira's ambassador for external relations. Those warning emails always come directly to me, and all the pressure falls on my shoulders."

As they spoke, the two entered the conference room.

Batman was already seated at the head of the table, his black suit blending into the dim environment, only the bat emblem faintly visible under the light.

When he saw them enter, he merely tapped his fingers, signaling them to sit, with no intention of explaining the Watchtower.

Diana was about to speak up and question him, but Batman cut her off.

"Let's discuss business first. Is the Golden Apple on you?"

His gaze locked directly onto Shane's chest.

Shane nodded.

"It's on me. I learned about its dangers from Teacher Prince, so I don't plan to hand it over to anyone for safekeeping, to avoid unnecessary complications."

"You want to find a mage to decipher it, or find a way to deal with Eris?"

Batman asked.

"Yes."

Shane spoke bluntly.

"I need a list of magic users. Since you've been monitoring even a fourteen-year-old alien castaway, I assume only you in the Justice League are capable of providing such a list."

Batman's eyes darkened, but he didn't deny it.

He raised his hand and pressed a few buttons on the console in front of him. A holographic screen materialized out of thin air, displaying two files.

"I won't give you the full list."

Batman's voice was cold.

"Some mages are no less dangerous than Eris. Contacting them would only cause bigger problems."

In short, these two were relatively controllable and, in Batman's judgment, likely to be helpful.

Shane's gaze fell on the screen.

The title of the first file was "Doctor Fate."

Below it was marked a location: Salem City, Massachusetts, USA.

The file mentioned that Doctor Fate wielded powerful mystical forces but was elusive in his movements.

Salem City had experienced some spatial fluctuation events, so the file noted that Doctor Fate himself was difficult to track.

However, Doctor Fate had also appeared before the world several times, using magic to solve various problems, and was suspected to be associated with a hero organization that was no longer active.

Seeing this name, Shane's heart stirred.

His past-life memories contained impressions of Doctor Fate, knowing he was an extremely powerful being. He had originally planned to prioritize visiting him, but didn't know his specific address.

Now, with the precise information Batman provided, he silently committed Doctor Fate's name to memory, and Salem City's location instantly mapped itself in his mind.

He continued to look at the second file.

This file's information was relatively sparse, containing only a blurry surveillance screenshot of a thin, small figure in a grey robe, whose build suggested a possible female.

The file indicated that this person occasionally appeared in Gotham City at night, with no fixed pattern of activity, and was skilled at using magic to conceal her form.

"This Grey Robe—I've been tracking her for a long time."

Batman explained.

"She's not aggressive. She occasionally steals some food, but there are three records showing she helped homeless people on the verge of freezing or starving to death. Among all magic-related entities, her threat level is the lowest, relatively safe."

Shane stared at the blurry screenshot, lost in thought.

Gotham... that was Batman's turf. Even he couldn't catch this person—this Grey Robe's stealth abilities were clearly no joke.

"These two pieces of intel are enough for you to start."

Batman shut down the holographic screen.

"If you run into a problem you can't solve, contact me again. But remember, don't provoke other magic users casually. Earth's magical world is more complicated than you imagine."

Diana finally couldn't hold back.

"Are you really not going to explain the Watchtower situation?"

"We'll talk about the Watchtower later."

Batman cut her off again, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Right now, the priority is dealing with the Golden Apple and Eris. Meeting adjourned. You can leave."

Shane glanced at the two locked in a standoff, then stood up.

"I'll head to Salem City first to find Doctor Fate. Teacher Prince, thank you for bringing me here."

With that, he turned and walked toward the Watchtower's exit.

Diana shot Batman a helpless glare, then had no choice but to follow.

The meeting room fell back into silence, with only a single black-clad figure seated at the head—so still it was suffocating.