Chapter 952: Peril (Part 2)

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On the other side, aboard the Ship of the Underworld bearing Schiller, they pursued the scent of the Curse Spirit, eventually arriving at a palace constructed from entwining vines. The massive ship showed no intention of stopping until it was halted by the endless, thick vines.

"All Things Green, I haven't come to negotiate," Marvel Schiller declared as he leaped from the ship's bow. He continued, "You shouldn't have invaded Gotham in search of a representative, and more importantly, you shouldn't have intruded into Gotham University."

"Do you know that your control over plant mutations has wreaked havoc on my Manor and gardens? Due to the shortage of gardeners, the subsequent repairs will cost a fortune, and you must foot the bill," he stated.

A cold snort echoed in the air, and countless vines attacked him. However, within the limited perspective of the Queen of May, who was part of All Things Green, the ship suddenly disgorged numerous individuals.

Many Schillers leaped from the ship, employing various means of attack against the vines.

Queen of May was indeed a part of All Things Green, but only a part. She wasn't as formidable as the entire All Things Green. As she watched a horde of people disembark from the ship, she felt a growing sense of pressure.

Moreover, she found it exceedingly baffling. She couldn't understand why this madman had chosen to be her adversary. Throughout the encounter, she remained oblivious to what Schiller was talking about.

"Are you out of your mind?" Queen of May inquired with a perplexed tone. "Why are you relentlessly pursuing me?"

"Do you even realize what you've done?" Marvel Schiller retorted. "Just because your attempt to invade Gotham failed doesn't mean you won't face consequences. Otherwise, anyone could enter here at any time, and the buildings and gardens here would be destroyed. That's my property."

"But I didn't invade Gotham," Queen of May defended herself while using vines to fend off numerous Schiller's attacks. "I only came to find a representative."

"But you invaded Gotham in pursuit of a representative," Schiller argued.

Their argument spiraled into a deadlock. Queen of May was not human; she seemed more like a collective consciousness awakening to existence. Her thought process differed from that of humans, and she didn't comprehend the concept of explanation. From her perspective, based on her life level, she didn't need to explain herself to anyone.

The more she refused to explain and continued to deny her actions, the more it seemed like she was evading responsibility. As she persistently denied, Schiller became increasingly convinced that All Things Green had orchestrated a conspiracy to find a representative.

Just as it seemed they would engage in a fierce battle, a voice suddenly echoed within the green space. The dream god Morpheus had arrived, intervening and saying, "Stop, this might be a misunderstanding!"

"Morpheus, how did you come here?" Queen of May asked.

"I came to clarify the misunderstanding between you two," Morpheus replied, shaking his head. "Catwoman sought me out and explained the situation. I immediately realized that the two of you must have misunderstood each other."

"Schiller, put down your weapon. All Things Green is not like this," Morpheus addressed the Moonlight Schiller leading the charge. "Don't you remember? All Things Green is the advocate of plants, its mission is to protect them. It would never harm them or use a crazy virus to cause mutations."

Schiller hesitated for a moment and then said, "Maybe the plants didn't really mutate. Perhaps she's just pretending to make them seem like they did."

Morpheus shook his head once more. "Schiller, Queen of May, who controls the vines, is only a part of All Things Green. Even if she can make the vines appear mutated, she can't control the trees, flowers, and other elements that wouldn't agree with her."

"I didn't invade Gotham," Queen of May repeated as she continued to deflect Schiller's attacks with her vines. "I merely noticed anomalies among the Gotham plants and came to investigate. It's my job."

"What about Pamela then?" Schiller inquired.

"When I arrived in Gotham, I found her in danger. She's a candidate to be my representative, so I had to rescue her. During the rescue, I realized she's a perfect fit as my representative, so I hoped she would enter into a contract with me," Queen of May explained in an unwavering tone.

"Schiller, All Things Green had no reason to invade Gotham," Morpheus interjected as he landed on the ground. He looked at Schiller and continued, "By launching such an attack on All Things Green, you're not benefiting Gotham in its current state. It will only waste time."

"If he's not the mastermind, then he should at least know what's happening in Gotham now," Schiller retorted, turning to the vines. "Don't tell me she's unaware of even this. The plants are the first victims."

"Rain," Queen of May uttered a single word, then added, "The vines sensed something unusual within the rainwater. If someone is tampering with the natural cycle of rain, it could endanger all plants. All Things Green doesn't want that to happen. So, if you can stop this, I'll offer you compensation."

Such entities prioritized collective interest over personal pride, so when the collective interest was threatened, Queen of May was willing to take proactive measures to address the issue.

"All right, Schiller, you need to remove the curse you placed on Queen of May. Otherwise, if this continues, it may harm plants worldwide, causing a catastrophe," Morpheus urged.

"I can lift the curse, but before that, you must provide me with more information. I won't rush into something for a vague goal. The curse originated from water, so where does the rain come from?" Schiller demanded.

"The ocean," Queen of May replied. "If you want to investigate this matter, you must turn your attention to the vast ocean. The water cycle in nature, the water that sustains plants and animals, all of it is connected to the ocean. This time is no exception."

It seemed that Queen of May's straightforwardness had an impact. Schiller retracted the Curse Spirit and said, "Well, let's talk about the compensation now."

Under Morpheus's witness, the two reached an agreement. After Schiller and Morpheus left, Queen of May intended to depart as well. However, at that moment, she felt someone calling her.

Sensing the familiar aura, Queen of May thought of leaving but then heard Constantine's voice, "Queen of May, I'd like to make a deal with you..."

Queen of May hesitated for a moment. She thought that relying solely on Schiller to deal with a potential mastermind might not be entirely secure. Despite Constantine's poor reputation, his abilities were indeed formidable. So, she controlled the vines and responded to Constantine's summons.

To her surprise, what awaited her was not a trap. Constantine spoke sincerely, "Your Excellency, I have a matter that I must request your help with. In return, I'm willing to investigate the culprit behind the plant harm."

"What is it?" Queen of May inquired.

Constantine gave a wicked smile and whispered a few words to the vines Queen of May had sent.

After the vines departed, Constantine spoke cheerfully, "Ha! Payback for hitting me with an umbrella back then, huh..."

Marvel Schiller returned to the Temple of Thought aboard the Ship of the Underworld but found that no one was controlling the surface consciousness. He didn't know where DC Schiller had gone, so he had to go to his room to find him.

As soon as he reached DC Schiller's room, he discovered him lying still on the bed. Marvel Schiller glanced at his pale face and asked, "Is your allergy acting up?"

However, he quickly added with a hint of amusement, "No worries, you rest here, and I can cover for you..."

DC Schiller immediately jumped up from the bed and sighed, "No, there's no need. I'm going to work now."

With that, he left the room and headed for the elevator. Upon ascending to the surface consciousness, he found Pamela and Catwoman standing there, staring at him. When they noticed that Schiller had awakened, Catwoman jumped in surprise and then patted her chest, saying, "You scared me! You're finally awake."

The group was still in the laboratory of Gotham University's experimental building. Schiller waved his hand at them and then found the telephone in the laboratory. He called Batman, saying, "I've figured it out. The cause of Citizens going insane and plant mutations is the rain clouds over Gotham. Even if we can't capture the mastermind, temporarily dispersing or shielding the rainwater should help."

Upon hearing this, Batman furrowed his brow and asked, "Is this information reliable? Will simply blocking the rainwater solve the problem of Citizens going crazy and plant mutations?"

"No, blocking the rainwater will only prevent the condition from worsening. I'm planning to deal with the root cause, but you need to calm Gotham down first."

"Keep in mind that I just received a diagnosis of sleep deprivation from a highly professional doctor. It's best not to have those crazy people banging on my windows again."

After hanging up the telephone, Schiller turned to Pamela and said, "I've made a deal with All Things Green. Now, it's up to you. If you want to become their representative, they'll lend you their power, but they won't control your actions. All you need to do is protect the plants as much as possible and prevent anything that could cause harm to all the world's plants."

Pamela furrowed her brow and said, "Even without them, I would still protect the plants. My dream is to become a botanist and contribute to the survival and propagation of plants."

"Plants don't speak, they don't deceive, they simply strive to grow towards the sun. Humans believe that photosynthesis by plants saves them, but in reality, plants have no intention of saving anyone," she added.

"Rather, the shame lies with the collective consciousness of the plants that deceives me," Pamela stated coldly.

"Of course, no one will force you. If you just want to be a botanist, then study well and don't worry about anything else. It's not the time for you to deal with these problems," Schiller replied.

However, Pamela shook her head and said, "No, I want to accept their power. This incident made me realize that textbook knowledge alone may not be enough to protect my plants."

Pamela looked around and continued, "Look at the terrible state of this place. These events are beyond what ordinary people can handle."

Schiller thought she was going to give an environmental speech, but to his surprise, Pamela walked over to a plant, picked it up, and said with a heartbreaking tone, "These plant samples for the growth experiments, it took my mentor and me two whole months to prepare. We only needed three more days of observation to get results. Now, it's all gone..."

Instantly, Schiller felt the sadness in her tone, and he empathized with her.

After parting ways with Pamela and Catwoman, Schiller didn't linger for long. He intended to leave the experimental building, visit the Manor first, and then start tracking down the mastermind.

As he descended the stairs and pushed open the door, he was left stunned by the scene outside. With Zatanna's power depleted, the dense fog that had shrouded Gotham City dissipated, revealing a clearer landscape. Under the faint sunlight, Gotham had transformed into a lush green paradise.

This wasn't entirely surprising, given the influx of vines brought about by Queen of May. Countless vines had swept through Gotham City, immobilizing even the insane Citizens.

However, what left Schiller utterly flabbergasted was that when he looked around, all the vines, trees, and green plants in Gotham had turned into blue cabbages.

The entire city was submerged in blue cabbage.

Who would have thought? It was Schiller who was in danger now!

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 953: Schiller's Unlucky Turn (Part 1)