Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

One foggy morning in Gotham City, Shiller yawned and sat up in bed. He had barely gotten settled in the Marvel universe and enjoyed a few days of leisure before noticing S.H.I.E.L.D. agents lurking near his psychological counseling clinic.

To the ordinary people, those agents are like stubborn bubble gum that won't peel off no matter how hard they try. Even the billionaire Stark of that world has no way of shaking them off, despite their constant annoyance.

But Shiller is different. After being bothered by the young Batman in Gotham, he can just leave and go to Marvel to lay low. Now that he is targeted by the agents in Marvel, he can choose to disappear and hide in Gotham again.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had no clue how Shiller vanished without a trace. There were no train or plane tickets left behind, and none of them spotted him at any highway junctions. This further reinforced Nick Fury's belief that Shiller was no ordinary man.

Upon returning to the DC world, his colleague, the future Scarecrow Jonathan, didn't notice that his fear toxin was stolen. That's because Shiller wasn't greedy. He only took a small test tube's worth.

After all, unlike Scarecrow, Shiller doesn't intend to use the fear gas for terror attacks. His targets are just a few low-level mobsters. He doesn't need high-tech equipment to dispense the gas. A small spray container will do. If sprayed towards an ordinary person's nose, the concentrated fear gas becomes a powerful weapon, especially since the mobsters don't have reaction times like Batman.

During his research on the gas, although Shiller didn't have organised chemical knowledge, he at least knew how to make good use of resources. Besides using it as a weapon, he discovered that the initial version of the fear toxin wasn't too pure, and besides inducing fear, it could also trigger other negative emotions. This was excellent news for a psychologist like him because treatment couldn't proceed if the patient was unwilling to confess their innermost feelings.

Shiller found that he could spray the fear toxin, diluted hundreds of times, like perfume on his body. For some reason, perhaps due to the system, the toxin had no effect on him, yet it could infect those near him with a small amount of negative emotion.

That's right, Shiller intends to use this strategy against the naïve Bruce, aka young Batman.

The current Batman is not the future wise old man. Bruce is still too young. After traveling the world, the eager Bruce wants to start his revenge plan. He puts on the first version of the bat suit, takes up Bat Dart, and intends to fight against crime. In his eyes, spending billions on equipment is a piece of cake, but he hasn't realised that it's his inner spirit, not these external objects, that makes him Batman.

Obviously, Batman still has a long way to go in his growth. Meanwhile, Shiller, for the sake of his personal safety and a stable life in Gotham, has no choice but to be a spiritual mentor to young Bruce.

On another ordinary morning, for Bruce, meeting Shiller on a rainy night was just something that happened yesterday. When Shiller called his real name, Bruce was not surprised; he knew this man must possess some extraordinary abilities.

Perhaps they are paranormal abilities, or perhaps magic. In his travels around the world, he has seen many people like that. He knows the world is far more complicated than what ordinary people can imagine, with many incredible forces observing everything.

Bruce knocks on the counselor's door again. A steady yet mellow "Come in" echoes from inside.

For some reason, Bruce feels fortunate because the reply came very quickly. The person inside clearly knew who he was and was more than happy to let him in.

Batman despises all mysteries and nihilism, and Bruce is no different. In his eyes, Shiller's attitude means that he may share what's going on instead of ducking and hiding, playing word games and beating around the bush.

Bruce sits opposite Shiller again. Bruce says, "Professor, you seem to be in a good mood today."

"Mr. Wayne, you don't seem to be in a good mood today," Shiller says. "I thought you would make me a cup of coffee like you did on the first day."

He spreads his hands, hinting at the empty table. "You know, I specifically didn't make coffee this morning, waiting for you."

Bruce falls silent for a moment, but still gets up to make Shiller a cup of coffee.

Shiller just thought it would be interesting to taste a cup of coffee made by Batman himself, but Bruce saw it as a test. Or rather, a technique of mental manipulation, making the other person comply with his orders through words. Well, thinking like this probably aligns more with Shiller's character – a mad doctor obsessed with psychological and spiritual research.

Shiller drinks a sip of hot coffee, it drives out the coldness from his body due to the cold weather in Gotham. Bruce starts the conversation:

"Why were you there last night?"