So they chose Wayne Manor. After grabbing the terminal given by Brainiac, they walked into the fog. But there was no direction in the fog, just the light tower marked by Brainiac. Luckily, it wasn't far; after a short walk, they saw the iconic spire of Wayne Manor.
"Can you tell us the locations of other bases?" Red Robin never forgot to gather information while on the move.
"All bases are evenly distributed across Gotham. Currently, there are people in each area, including the East Dock, South District Villa, West District University, and North District Manor, already occupied by players."
"Is there anything particularly noteworthy?"
"The base at the center, Gotham Cathedral, has been selected."
"Gotham Cathedral can be chosen?" Red Hood frowned slightly, "There's probably no basic living facilities there."
"Each base has different locations and attributes," Brainiac said, "some bases are defensive, while others focus more on offense. Some are aimed at physical monsters, while others lean more towards spiritual defense."
Everyone understood. Gotham Cathedral clearly emphasizes spiritual defense. Choosing it as a base might come with faith bonuses. But it remains a very risky move, as Gotham Cathedral is the center of all Gotham and is bound to face the fiercest monster attacks. No one would dare choose it without strong abilities.
"Can player information be disclosed?" Nightwing cautiously asked.
"No," Brainiac said, "In situations where one might face spiritual attacks, communication between players should be as cautious and restrained as possible. If I were to publish the list, you may be misled."
Red Robin's hand paused, immediately realizing the key: "Can monsters disguise themselves as players?"
Brainiac didn't answer. But that was the best response, which made the atmosphere a bit tense.
If it's a game about exploring and building bases, going solo is almost inevitable. Even if you're not alone, if a duo team gets wiped and disguised, the base could be directly destroyed.
"Can you reselect a base if it falls?" Red Robin asked.
"No, once the game load is complete, bases not selected cannot be used by players. However, you can choose to cooperate with others and retreat to their base."
"That's good." Red Robin breathed a sigh of relief. Brainiac had previously stated there wouldn't be any attacks between players. Being able to watch each other's backs is truly wonderful.
"I think we should proactively contact other players," Red Hood said, "Our team's equipment is excellent, and we've brought enough firearms; dealing with physical monsters shouldn't be a big problem. But if we encounter spiritual attacks, we might be finished. I think we should actively seek players who are skilled at that."
Others agreed. They knew this cosmos wasn't simple, and everyone was fully armed before coming. Although only Red Hood had a gun, he brought six, along with an uncountable number of bullets. If it weren't for the magic storage items provided by Batman, they might not have been able to carry everything.
Everyone else also brought plenty of bat equipment, prepared for every possible situation, even including the latest magical shield.
Unfortunately, none of them were a truly skilled magician. They were less familiar with the mystical stuff like the Outer God. Their team was quite specialized. Therefore, they should most definitely ally with a strong magician.
"Do you think the Supreme Magician will come?" Nightwing asked as he walked, looking back, "I heard he's quite powerful."
"If he comes, we'll definitely know immediately. He's known for causing a commotion," Red Robin said, "If there's magical brilliance anywhere, we'll rush over instantly."
"I heard he has a bad temper." Red Hood chimed in.
"He's only sharp-tongued. But if we really get into trouble, he'll definitely help," Red Robin said, "He's the best choice. Otherwise, who can we rely on? Constantine?"
"Oh, my God, please no." Constantine is a name even Red Hood hesitates to mention. Not to mention he got them tricked and lost the last Multiverse War. This guy has been eyeing the Batman Family for ages, and Batman was the primary target. Every time he attempts to mess with Batman, only Batman can hold it together, while everyone else falls apart.
"If we spot commotion caused by a magician, let's go seek them out. If not, we can try moving towards Gotham Cathedral's direction. Anyone choosing that base would definitely have some understanding of mysticism." Nightwing suggested.
"Where's Damian? Why hasn't he arrived yet?" Red Hood said, "Wasn't he supposed to be here soon?"
"You believe his 'soon'?" Red Robin shook his head, "Maybe after the game load, he still hasn't arrived and is left outside fuming."
They arrived at Wayne Manor, surveyed the area, and found it hadn't changed much since their last visit. It has expanded slightly, and a new laboratory building had emerged on the other side. This was a pleasant surprise.
"Can all these things be used?" Red Robin asked.
"You dare to use them? Aren't you worried that the Nameless Bat's materials might be unreliable?" Red Hood couldn't help but say, "If you blow up this place, we'll become the Multiverse's laughing stock again."
"You can use it," Brainiac answered, "All the initial resources provided can be used with confidence, there will be no harm."
"I get that," Nightwing looked towards the Midgard garden, "But what's with that slide that looks like it got bitten by something?"
"That's Batman's daughter's doing," Red Robin said, "The little girl needs to chew. Batman from our universe even sent her a slide set."
"Can the base be edited?" Nightwing asked, "Like dismantling and constructing based on our usage habits?"
They were all young people, and they had all played video games. Although in the era of the Prime Universe, video games weren't particularly advanced, some of the most basic modes were already there. Moreover, Battleworld had various gameplay types decades ahead, which led to their high demands. The necessary basic functionalities had to be there.
"It can," Brainiac said, "The base system has been loaded. You can modify the base through your personal terminal. Just point the terminal at whatever you want to modify, and you'll see editable options."
Nightwing walked over to the slide, extended his wrist, and sure enough, a holographic screen popped up. The nibble-marked slide was labeled "junk" and showed as dismantlable. After Nightwing chose to dismantle it, the slide disappeared with a "bang," and the materials inventory gained "plastic" and "iron nails."
"Interesting," Nightwing commented, "Can anything be dismantled?"
He waved the terminal around and found that indeed, everything could be dismantled. Not only stones, trees, or fallen leaves in the garden but also the walls of Wayne Manor and various furniture and equipment could be dismantled. The materials recycled varied.
"There's a maximum building limit," Brainiac said, "Both scope and height are limited. And construction needs to adhere to physical laws. If you don't consider the load-bearing, the materials will be lost if it collapses."
"But I don't see a building menu," Nightwing looked at the holographic screen, "Where can I see what can be constructed?"
"Free construction," Brainiac said, "But a complete blueprint copying service is provided. That is to say, you only need to handcraft one and then scan it as a blueprint to enable quick construction. Existing buildings can also be copied as blueprints."
Nightwing suddenly understood. For instance, if they wanted to build a wall like the one at Wayne Manor, they just needed to scan the wall, save it as a blueprint, and then perform quick construction at any location. However, if they wanted to make other defense facilities, they needed to first handcraft one before scanning it as a blueprint.
"Chop down trees to seal the windows first," Red Robin started to assign tasks, "Then I'll make a wooden chevaux-de-frise, you guys scan it, and place it in a ring around the entire manor. If there's any extra wood and iron, make a few animal traps, always useful."
They all went about their tasks. Red Hood, walking along, asked, "If I scan magical things, can they be used too?"
"Yes," Brainiac said, "You can also go to others' bases to scan, using others' blueprints for quick construction."
"God," Nightwing exclaimed, "That sounds so fun. I've been eyeing the Supreme Magician's cauldron for a long time."
"So if I want, I can place ten statues of Jesus here?" Shiller looked at the cross in the center of the Gotham Cathedral pulpit, "And have ten times the protective power?"
"Sorry, but without sufficient materials, it can't be constructed," Brainiac said, "Statues that can provide protective power require special magical materials and consume faith to work."
Rather than building statues, our immediate task is to seal the windows. Black-haired Constantine was busy by the window. "You should be as straightforward as your counterpart. I should have teamed up with him."
"What do you mean by that?" Shiller looked at him and said, "You were the one who asked if there was a magic-using Shiller, that's why I'm here."
"If being magic-using means burying bodies in the church backyard, then it's better not to know magic," Constantine said, "Too bad Jesus doesn't have eyes in the back of his head. Or is that exactly your plan?"
"You saw through that," Shiller laughed, "Why else would I be a Bishop?"
"The cathedral is not a good choice." Constantine sighed, "We only have two people, too few, and it's too empty here. It's also too close to the center, and unfortunately, this universe's Gotham lacks a monastery."
"There's nothing to be regretted about that," Shiller said, "You must know that magic users are ultimately few. Plus, Brainiac has already informed others that there are candidates for the Gotham Cathedral. Everyone will know there are two magicians here. It's going to get lively soon."
"That's exactly what I mean," Constantine sighed again, "I don't think them looking for us is a good thing. I'm more used to working alone, supporting others has never been in my plans."
"Or maybe they are coming to support us?" Shiller stood at the podium thumbing through the Bible, "They must all lack mental and magic defense means. If they want us to help them, they'll have to offer something in return."
"Let's hope so," Constantine said. He looked at the first window they had nailed shut, saying, "Hope it can withstand the monsters."
"That teammate you wanted has also arrived." Shiller spoke again, "However, he's teamed up with someone else. They've probably chosen a more remote suburban location, not sure if they'll come over."
"Who did he team up with?" Constantine asked.
"The mercenary Deathstroke."