Professor X emitted a sharp burst. It was clear that Robert Reynolds had somehow emerged from the controller and had been out of contact for quite some time, possibly not even knowing where he exploded.
You should know that the nothingness within his body possesses the power of millions of stars and is extremely unstable. If it explodes, wouldn't half the cosmos be blown up? Professor X quickly mobilized the mutants to find him.
However, Shiller did not go to Marvel to search because he knew that if Anatoli was after the Constant Star Power, it was also for making cannonballs. But just having the cannonballs is useless; he needs the cannon to fire them. And that cannon is at Apollo's home.
So, he directly took Constantine with him to Mount Olympus to find Apollo and once again saw the Fusion Cannon in the Sun Domain.
It was Constantine's first time seeing the contraption, and he showed great curiosity, circling around to examine it before asking, "What's this thing supposed to shoot?"
"That's none of your concern," Shiller replied, "I reckon he'll want to fire it again and blast those stuck to the Origin Wall down."
"That can't be done, can it?" Constantine expressed in surprise, "Not to mention whether that wall can withstand it, people surely can't."
"That's not quite clear," Shiller thought for a moment and said, "If he thinks it's possible, then after meticulous calculations, maybe it can indeed shake people down without causing damage."
"Wouldn't that be great?"
"Of course, it would be great," Shiller thought, "If it works out, it would be a win-win situation. But the problem is, there are still a bunch of onlookers in the High Tower who won't be content until Anatoli goes to find Lucifer."
The agent shouldn't be in the dark; this task is said to be watching the fun, but isn't it really about creating a spectacle? In essence, it's about disrupting the Doctor, making it so that when all other paths are blocked, Anatoli must resort to finding Lucifer.
However, Shiller doing this isn't purely about amusement. The key lies in why Anatoli isn't telling Lucifer he's back. He must have his reasons for doing so. It's crucial to understand why Lucifer mustn't know and what would happen if he does. Otherwise, there could be severe consequences.
To put it bluntly, Lucifer, Anatoli, Shiller, Bruce, and the likes are birds of a feather. Peel back the layers, and stubborn ones only meet stubborn ones. Not a single one is sympathetic, letting the tug-of-war last for years. And it's precisely because they've been at odds for so many years that they understand just how stubborn the other is. If you don't hold them back early in their efforts, even nine oxen can't pull them back later.
"This plan is too risky," Shiller said, "If we're not careful, it could annihilate the Multiverse Batman. Do you think the Justice League would agree?"
Constantine shook his head, thoughtfully saying, "It indeed doesn't sound reliable. So are you going to take this thing away?"
"We can't do that; we can't go against him because we simply can't beat him. Even if we take this thing away, he can snatch it back anytime."
"Then what should we do? Break it?"
"No, that's out of the question. This thing is made by him, he can fix it anytime." Shiller shook his head and said, "We have to do the opposite. Not only not break it but make it even better."
"Make it better?"
About ten minutes later, the Fire God looked at his Furnace's cannon, then glanced at Shiller, and once more at the cannon.
"You mean to say you want me to make this cannon even stronger? May I ask what you plan to shoot with it?"
"Definitely not Zeus," Shiller said.
He paused, took out his revolver, and said, "I know you have the skills. You can forge an ordinary Colt Python to rival a tank's main gun. You're undoubtedly very skilled at enhancing weapons..."
"That's indeed my specialty," the Fire God admitted without hesitation, "but this cannon is already strong enough. It's no exaggeration to say that with the right cannonball, not even Zeus could withstand a shot."
"But I need it to be stronger." Shiller looked at him and said.
"You're not its owner," the Fire God said.
"I'm not; its owner has died, but I am the legal heir of his estate. If you don't believe me, go ask Diana and Apollo..."
Seeing Shiller's certainty, the Fire God hesitated a bit. He said, "In Diana's honor, I can help you. But if you break anything with it..."
"I'm enhancing it so that certain people can't use it. I assure you, it won't break anything."
Ultimately, the Fire God agreed. But it was clearly not out of Shiller's guarantee. Instead, it was because the cannon was indeed extraordinary, arguably the best he had seen. No craftsman could refuse the opportunity to study and enhance it.
Actually, it was the Fire God's proximity that made it convenient for him to handle it. If not him, Stark or Reed would have been just as excited to work on it.
The Fire God's skills are indeed impressive, and he is more adept at enhancing with magic, and this cannon itself possesses some Magic Attributes. After his enhancements, it seems that if the stars were to return, they'd suffer greatly.
After returning the cannon, Shiller dared not linger there. The two returned to Gotham in the Prime Universe. It wasn't long before the door was knocked. Outside came Anatoli's roar:
"Shiller! What did you do to my Fusion Cannon?!"
Shiller opened the door, Anatoli shouted at him, "How many times have I told you, don't mess with my stuff! You've messed everything up, how am I supposed to use it now!"
Shiller scratched his ear, "If you don't want me to touch something, you should keep it in a safe place, not just leave it lying around. If you don't secure it, you can't blame me for handling it."
Anatoli instantly deflated. Shiller subtly sized him up and realized that Anatoli entered the Sun Domain without Apollo's permission. He likely sneaked in. Otherwise, he would have learned from Apollo that he had just enhanced the cannon.
But listening to his words, he thought Shiller had broken the cannon long ago and didn't realize it was done intentionally to disrupt him. This proves that he didn't actually see Apollo or any of the gods on Mount Olympus.
To say it's a cold war with Lucifer, I don't want to bow to him, so it's inconvenient to meet. Then what about Apollo?
If Apollo can help him keep such a weapon, their relationship can't be bad. Last time in the Sun Domain, Apollo's attitude was also quite good. They are very likely friends, and there hasn't been any conflict. Then why doesn't Anatoli show up?
It's getting more and more suspicious. Shiller is now even somewhat agreeing to the disruption plan with other traits. He suspects the Doctor is going to pull something big again.
"What do you plan to do with that cannon?" Shiller asked.
"I want to knock off that pile of stuff on the Origin Wall," Anatoli said honestly, "According to my calculations, as long as the Origin Wall shakes a little, it should knock off the things on it..."
"You're really crazy," Shiller said, "That's the Origin Wall. If you smash it, how many things will come pouring in?"
"I told you to study more math, but you insisted on reading comics." Anatoli snorted coldly, "Cosmic Construction Science is a rigorous science. The results of the calculations cannot be wrong."
"Then let me ask you, who taught you your Cosmic Construction Science?"
Anatoli didn't speak.
Shiller turned back to look at Constantine, then pushed Anatoli out the door, closed the door, and took the necklace out of his pocket.
Anatoli was stunned for a moment, then grabbed the necklace with some shock, "How did it break?"
Shiller was also taken aback, as if he understood something. He said, "It's yours now."
Then, without caring what expression Anatoli had, he walked directly into the room and closed the door. For a long time, no one knocked on the door, and by the time it was opened again, Anatoli was gone.
Shiller turned back to ask Constantine, "Where did that necklace come from?"
"Do you really need to know?" Constantine hesitated slightly, "I'm not sure Satan would want me to tell."
"At worst I'll just get you a new lung, what's there to be afraid of?"
"True enough." Constantine sat down on the sofa, put a cigarette in his mouth, rested his hand on the armrest, and said, "That day he came to find me for a drink..."
"Wait, why would he come to you for a drink?"
"Probably because I'm the only Constantine who wouldn't try to get him into bed while he's drunk." Constantine shrugged.
Shiller was speechless. That reason was not unexpected. However, he still asked, "Then why would he look for Constantine for a drink?"
"It might surprise you, but Satan doesn't have many friends," Constantine shook his head and said, "You could even say, he's quite a solitary person, with very few acquaintances."
"Why?"
"Even if you don't read religious texts, you should have heard that Lucifer represents arrogance. He wouldn't interact with people he doesn't respect. Coincidentally, Constantine is someone he quite appreciates."
Shiller didn't know how to evaluate Lucifer's taste. But he could roughly understand. Constantine had tricked almost all the angels and demons, including Satan. In a sense, he had defeated Lucifer. No matter how he won, he won. It's normal for Lucifer to appreciate him.
But also because most of the Constantines are somewhat indescribable, Lucifer could only choose one that's slightly more normal, which is the Movie Universe's Constantine.
"And then?" Shiller continued to ask.
"That day we both drank a lot," Constantine fell into his memories and said, "I felt like I drank a whole bottle, he almost did too. Then we were both drunk."
If other Constantines said this, Shiller would absolutely not listen further. However, this Constantine was relatively normal and could still be listened to.
"He used his own cup when drinking," Constantine said, "That cup was quite beautiful, it was a short crystal goblet about this tall, with a circle of gold pattern on the rim. I asked him where the cup came from, but he didn't tell me."
"And then..."
"He accidentally dropped it and it shattered, then suddenly he became very manic, even spread his wings, scaring away all the half-angels and half-demons in the bar. All of a sudden he just disappeared. I wanted to pick up the fragments of the cup, but they disappeared too. However, a small piece of fragment fell into the crevice of the bar and I picked it up."
"For some reason, this fragment seemed to be imbued with Satan's rage. Ordinary angels would detour after feeling it. So I made it into a necklace to repel annoying angels."
"What did that goblet look like? Can you draw it?"
Constantine nodded. He conjured a piece of paper from who knows where, took a charcoal stick, and casually sketched a few strokes, mainly outlining the golden pattern on the rim of the goblet.
Shiller glanced at it, then covered his forehead.
"Quite unique, isn't it?" Constantine said, "It doesn't look like something from Hell."
"It's worse than that." Shiller sighed and said, "It's clearly something taken from the Kremlin's tea room."