"Find a magician?"

  Diana was floating in the air, with the wind blowing through her long hair.

  "The world of magic is very complicated, and most of them don't like to be disturbed by outsiders."

  Viktor held onto his pocket, his fingertips sensing the faint warmth coming from the golden apple. It was a sign that the magic hadn't completely subsided yet.

  "I know, but Eris only lost because she got unlucky—maybe also because most gods are inevitably arrogant when dealing with mortals, but that doesn't mean I'll always be able to keep control of myself."

  Viktor's tone was firm. A person who had gone through the life-and-death on Viltrum would never sit idly by.

  Diana looked at the calmness in his eyes and suddenly thought that this calm, steady attitude was even more reliable than some of the more impulsive members of the League.

  "Alright, I'll contact Batman."

  Diana stopped hesitating, raised her hand, and activated the encrypted communicator on her wrist. The metal band lit up with a faint blue glow.

  A few seconds ter, Batman's low voice came through, carrying his usual cold and hard tone.

  "What is it?"

  "Viktor is in trouble. He's been targeted by the Goddess of Strife, Eris, and he even got her magic golden apple."

  Diana expined the situation quickly.

  "We need to find some magicians to figure out how to deal with Eris's potential revenge after her resurrection. I wanted to ask if you have any leads on this."

  There was a brief silence on the other end of the communicator, followed by Batman's voice, sounding a little more serious than usual.

  "Golden apple? Eris's personal artifact?"

  "Yes, Viktor just fought her and destroyed her mortal form, but her true form is still in the divine realm and could come back at any time."

  Diana added.

  "We want to speak to you in person. Should we come to the Batcave?"

  "No."

  Batman's answer was firm.

  "Don't bring him to the Batcave."

  Viktor raised an eyebrow, quickly noticing the wariness in Batman's voice.

  Diana was also a bit surprised.

  "Why? The security level of the Batcave is high enough."

  "When you encountered Eris earlier, the surveilnce system I set up in Boston had a signal disruption. It sted exactly four minutes and twenty-three seconds."

  Batman's voice sounded cold. He paused, then spoke directly to Viktor.

  "Then I heard your entire conversation. Viktor, the way you think and talk doesn't match how young you look at all."

  It was clear what Batman meant.

  Viktor's thinking ability, forethought, and ability to handle the situation could easily make him a perfect fit for a spy from another pnet.Now, Viktor's threat level on the watch list had been raised again.

  "You're going to say this in front of a kid?"

  Diana clearly knew Batman well and couldn't help but give some advice.

  "Do you really think he's still a kid? He's way more mature than Green Lantern and Shazam put together."

  Viktor didn't seem upset at all. He stayed calm and spoke clearly so Batman could hear him through Diana's communicator

  "Now we have a common problem, we should solve the immediate danger first."

  The voice on the communicator paused, as if Batman was thinking, and after a moment, he devised a new pn.

  "We'll meet at the Watchtower. I've sent the coordinates to your communicator."

  "The Watchtower?"

  Diana sounded surprised.

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

  "Bring him over."

  Batman didn't expin anything and hung up the communicator directly. Diana put away the communicator, looking a bit confused, but still nodded at him.

  "Let's go, can you move around in space?"

  "…Ms. Prince, I come from a highly skilled race that dominates across the entire universe. Did you not look at my file at all?"

  "I only know that someone needed help, so I came."

  The two accelerated together, breaking through the clouds and flying toward outer space. Soon, a massive space station floating in orbit appeared in their view.

  The Watchtower was silver-gray, with a highly futuristic design, with huge sor panels that glowed under the sun, and there were several energy shields around it, glowing with a soft blue light.

  They passed through the energy shields and entered the Watchtower. Diana sighed, amazed by the "technology," but Viktor didn't seem all that impressed.

  Viltrum has even more magnificent satellites than this.

  The wide hallways were lined with advanced equipment, and holographic projections flickered in the air. The entire space station was running smoothly, showing no signs of still being "built."

  Diana's brow furrowed even tighter as she admired the sight. She followed the guide robot toward the conference room, compining softly as she walked.

  "This guy... he's been lying to us all this time."

  Viktor asked curiously.

  "What's wrong?"

  Diana expined with a sigh in her voice.

  "Batman kept telling everyone that the Watchtower is still being built and tested. He said it's not ready to use yet. That's why we always have to go to Justice Hall in New York every time the Justice League has a meeting."

  Diana's tone carried a hint of frustration.

  "You know, a group of superpowered beings gathered in the poputed New York, and the UN keeps sending warning letters saying it causes panic and potential risks for the people."

  She let out a big sigh.

  "Moreover, most of the other members keep their identities, but I'm the only one with an official role as the Ambassador for External Retions of Paradise Isnd. Those warning emails always come directly to me, and the pressure is all on me."

  As she spoke, they walked into the conference room.

  Batman was already seated at the head of the table, his bck suit blending into the dim surroundings, with only the bat symbol faintly visible under the light.

  After seeing them enter, Batman merely gave a small nod with his fingers, signaling them to sit down without saying anything about the Watchtower.

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

  "Let's talk about the important thing first. The Golden Apple is with you?"

  Batman's eyes were focused directly on Viktor's chest.

  Viktor nodded.

  "Yes, it's with me. I learned about its dangers from Ms. Prince, so I didn't pn to hand it over to anyone for safekeeping to avoid any complications."

  "You want to find a magician to break the magic or find a way to deal with Eris?"

  Batman asked.

  "Yes."

  Viktor answered directly.

  "I need a list of magic users. Since you're monitoring even a fourteen-year-old alien refugee, I'm sure you're the only one in the Justice Leagu have the capability to provide such a list."

  Batman's expression darkened, and he didn't deny it.

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

  "I won't give you the entire list."

  Batman's voice was cold.

  "Some magicians who are as dangerous as Eris. If you go talk to them, you'll only make much bigger problems."

  In short, these two files were the ones Batman deemed retively controlble and likely to be helpful.

  Viktor's gaze fell on the screen.

  The title of the first file was "Doctor Fate," showing the location, Salem City, Massachusetts, USA. The information mentioned that Doctor Fate possessed immense mystical power, but his whereabouts were unpredictable.

  Salem had experienced some spatial disturbances in the past, and the document noted that Doctor Fate was difficult to track.

  However, Doctor Fate has shown up in front of the public a few times before. He used his magic to resolve problems and was suspected of being connected to an old superhero team that's not active anymore.

  Seeing the name, Viktor's heart stirred.

  He remembered Doctor Fate from his past life and knew that this was a very powerful sorcerer. He originally pnned to prioritize visiting him, but he didn't know where to find him.

  Now that he had the exact information from Batman, Viktor quietly made a note of Doctor Fate's name in his mind and quickly pced Salem City in his memory.

  He continued to look at the second document.

  This one was shorter, with only a blurry surveilnce screenshot. It showed a small figure in a gray robe, who appeared to be a woman based on the shape of her body.

  The information showed that this person occasionally appeared at night in Gotham City, with no fixed patterns of activity, and was skilled at hiding her presence using magic.

  "I've been trying to track down this gray-robed person for a very long time."

  Batman expined.

  "She's not very aggressive, occasionally stealing food, but there are three recorded instances where she helped homeless people who were about to freeze or starve to death. Out of all the magicians I know about, she's the safest one and the least dangerous."

  He stared at the blurry screenshot, deep in thought.

  'Gotham City... That's Batman's territory. If even Batman can't catch her or find out who she really is, that means this person is really, really good at hiding with her magic.'

  "These two files should be enough for you to start with."

  Batman closed the holographic screen.

  "If you run into any problems you can't solve, contact me. But remember, don't mess with other magicians too carelessly. The magic community on Earth is more complicated than you think."

  At this point, Diana couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up.

  "Are you seriously not going to expin why the Watchtower is already finished and ready when you told us it was still being built?""We'll talk about the Watchtower ter."

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

  "Right now, the priority is on solving the problem with the golden apple and Eris. The meeting is over. You can leave now."

  Viktor gnced at the two of them, who were in a standoff, and stood up.

  "I'll go to Salem City to find Doctor Fate. Thank you, Ms. Prince, for bringing me here."

  After saying that, Viktor turned and headed toward the Watchtower's exit.

  Diana gave Batman a helpless gre, but had no choice but to follow him.

  The conference room fell silent again, with only the bck silhouette sitting in the main seat so quiet it was almost suffocating.