Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

"The woodland had actually been contaminated long ago because a chemical plant started to discharge pollutants illegally about five years ago."

Shiller flipped through a pile of documents, picked one out, and put it aside before saying,

"Does this land belong to that chemical plant?"

"No, but you've grasped the key point." Shiller said while flipping through the documents in his hand: "In a city like Gotham, the value of natural woodlands is self-evident. The owner of this land is a real estate developer who originally planned to build a park on this woodland and then develop a high-end community."

"But the woodland is contaminated."

"Yes, in fact, there were hardly any trees left there three years ago. Soil contamination caused most of the plants to die, and naturally, his dream of building a park collapsed. It was a completely failed investment."

"If it was already no good three years ago, why wait until now to sell?"

"Of course, it's because no one would buy it at that time, even at a very low price. People could buy better-located land at the same price. The developer also didn't want to sell because he had lost too much. If he also lost the land, it would be all for naught."

"So why is he willing to sell now?"

"Of course, it's because they found a common enemy." Shiller put down the documents and looked at Bruce saying: "The factory that illegally discharged waste doesn't want people to know about its violations, but the dead trees and the severe pollution in the woodland are evidence. If the land falls into the hands of someone with intentions, it's like having a grip on the factory owner's throat."

"The developer doesn't want to lose money, but for various reasons, he dares not trouble the factory owner and is left holding a piece of worthless land without knowing what to do with it."

"Some people do not want our new mayor and Batman to have an easy time, they relentlessly focus on the chemical plant leak incident in Area X15, hoping to force them to allocate more funds to deal with it, and the three parties hit it off."

"The people against the mayor buy the land, get the transaction approval terms right under the mayor's nose, and use the mayor's goodwill to have someone inspect the pollution levels of the land. As long as the mayor is involved, he can't possibly ignore it."

"Once he starts to take action to clean it up, they can blame the pollution of this land on the X15 area leak because if it wasn't caused by you, why would you clean it up?"

"This immediately provides the perfect reason to criticize the mayor, even the general public might not believe in the Pale Knight, because both lands are indeed very close and appeared to be contaminated around the same time."

"In this way, those against the mayor found leverage, the developer sold the land for a decent price, and the factory covered up its illegal discharges – three wins."

"And you, although you successfully drove down the prices of nearby land plots through the X15 incident, hoping to buy them cheaply and then clarify the pollution to drive the prices up for a profit, if the natural woodland situation is exposed, it will be hard for you to clear up the pollution."

"The key is that the Pale Knight wouldn't allow you to clear it up because the pollution in the woodland is real, and the two are close to each other. Misleading the uninformed public to buy houses here could endanger their lives and health."

Bruce just listened quietly, then he asked, "Do you think they've seen through my plan?"

"That's not necessarily the case, it could be more of a fluke. They don't believe the X15 area is completely unpolluted, as it's beyond their abilities to achieve that, and Batman doesn't need to do it. They won't expect a cash-strapped outsider like you."

"This is quite problematic." Bruce sat down, but he wasn't panicked. He said, "Actually, I had made some preparations, but I didn't expect such an important piece of natural woodland nearby. Once the woodland contamination is leaked, it would definitely cause public panic, and then it would be difficult to clarify the situation with X15."

"That's true, but at the end of the day, it's still an internal government problem." Shiller picked up the transaction approval document again and said, "If this document doesn't get to the mayor's desk, he won't pay attention to this matter. If he doesn't take care of it, the other party will have some difficulty pinning it on him."

"I've told you, it's the way the Pale Knight is." Bruce rubbed his temples and said: "If he sees it, even knowing it's a trap, he can't possibly ignore it."

"Being good is not a flaw." Shiller sat back at his desk and continued, "If it weren't for being framed and used, making it difficult to move forward, there would be no need for me to come here to clean up the mess for you, and in a way, it's like creating a job opportunity for me."

"Moreover, the Pale Knight is not someone who yields under weakness. Although he might suffer a loss in this matter, he would try to find a way to make up for it. And my job here is to ensure he doesn't have to take that loss."

"I see." Bruce suddenly said: "So you're suggesting we abandon the entire city government, because for the Pale Knight, it's like a massive trap, constantly at risk of being sabotaged."

"Exactly, all the documents sent to his desk could be traps set meticulously after layers of screening, using various methods to exploit his goodness for evil deeds. If he stays in such an environment, it will just deplete all of your limited resources."

"That's why goodness always has a hard time defeating evil. Once you set a noble vow, deciding to be responsible for everyone, there will be those who exploit this point."

"It sounds like an unsolvable dead-end." Bruce's brows never unfurled as he said, "If you must be responsible for everyone and your power stems from this, then you absolutely cannot ignore any one of them. Otherwise, the collapse of power would happen in just a moment."

Bruce realized where the Pale Knight's dilemma lied.

It's not that he has to be a perfect good guy, but his power comes from standing on the side of the general populace, declaring responsibility for them.

This means that as soon as it involves the livelihood of the general populace, he must step forward. Otherwise, people gave him power, and just as easily they can take it away.

The pale knight and the Upper Class are at a point of irreconcilable difference; if the support of the lower class is lost too, it would mean complete failure.

Therefore, whenever he sees news that is unfavorable to the lower class, he must address it, even if it means facing an insurmountable abyss, he still has to go, even if all he can do is to show an attitude, he must still do it.

Shiller, however, shook his head and said.

"It doesn't matter, this situation isn't unprecedented. What we need to do first is to 'start anew,' preventing others from using this method to sabotage him."

"But won't it happen anyway if he doesn't know about it?" Bruce asked: "They could also directly expose the news of the forest pollution. At that time, the pale knight will still have to respond, and he will be involved regardless."

"So why haven't they exposed it directly now?"

Bruce began to ponder, speculating: "Perhaps they worry about implicating factory owners and property developers? Maybe they will expose it, but the timing isn't right yet."

Shiller shook his head and said: "Neither, because politics is the art of compromise. What they want is for the pale knight to compromise, not for him to be destroyed."

"In their eyes, it doesn't matter who is the mayor as long as they get the money. They do this to make the pale knight agree to set up a special fund, using more tax money to resolve the issues of the X15 district, allowing them to pocket more money, rather than going down with the pale knight in mutual destruction."

Shiller picked up the document in hand and said: "This is their reminder. If the pale knight understands this, he will know what to do, and the issue will naturally dissipate."

"The pale knight's reputation won't be damaged, and they will get the money they want. In their eyes, it's a scenario where no one gets hurt. Why not?"

"Why not?!" Bruce raised his voice and said: "The precious natural forests are polluted, and no one is held accountable. How many forests have been polluted over the years? Hasn't Gotham deteriorated step by step into what it is today?"

"In their view, this is not a problem at all. Their mansions have the best ventilation systems, air purifiers, even greenhouses that simulate the natural environment. As for whether the lower class will be affected by air pollution – what does that have to do with them?"

Bruce hammered the table forcefully.

"Maintain your anger, but more importantly, maintain a clear head," Shiller said. "That's the way they are. They won't change just because you're angry, so anger alone is futile."

"We already know that the pale knight will not compromise. They will certainly use some so-called 'last resort' to teach him a lesson. Most people can't resist; that's how they've tamed one politician after another."

"In the process of taming, there will certainly be victims from the lower class, which is part of their coercion."

"I caused the government shutdown, and taking the pale knight out to another environment was more about considering his mental health because once members of the lower class suffer due to his unwillingness to compromise, he will begin to doubt and question whether his choices are correct."

"In my view, he isn't the type to sacrifice a few individuals for his own sake. Therefore, we shouldn't let him face such a choice."

"But you won't let them succeed," Bruce said, looking hopefully at Shiller. "You'll neutralize their final move, right?"

Shiller smiled and said: "You have quite a bit of faith in me."

"Of course," Bruce gave him a thumbs-up, then said: "Their methods are nothing in your eyes."

"That's right," Shiller nodded and said: "Because their thinking is too superficial; they only believe there are two types of people in the world, enemies or their dogs. Their approach to anyone is 'be my dog or get out.' Such a mindset doesn't even need to be defeated; it falls apart easily with just a gentle poke."

"Is that so? Then do you have any wiser insights?"

"Of course there are two kinds of people in this world – my enemies and my friends. What I need to do is to increase the number of my friends and decrease the number of my enemies."

Bruce nodded and said: "That's easily said, but we really don't have many allies."

"Then you're still thinking with their mindset, dividing everyone into enemies and friends."

"Isn't that what you just said?"

"What I said is indeed about dividing into enemies and friends, but by my standards, ninety percent of people are friends."

Bruce made a puzzled expression.

At this moment, his phone rang. The voice of the pale knight sounded on the other end, somewhat exhausted but also with a sense of relief.

"Batman has agreed, he will send a car for me tomorrow. Tonight, I need to pack up the important things."

Shiller's phone also rang, and he said to the person on the other line: "Yes, I'm Rodriguez. Alright, Director Gordon, I'll see you tomorrow morning."