Nobody can stop me from drawing cards in Gotham!

Chapter 30 The Court of Owls

Unknown identity card?

Jaeger stared at the strange card that practically screamed "I have a problem" on its face, thinking to himself, "Is this some kind of scam tailor-made for curious people? It's really caught my attention."

Identity cards – as the name suggests, are cards that represent different roles.

But what does the unknown identity card mean?

Jaeger tried to look up information about the card, but only got the following results:

【Name:? ? ? 】

【age:???】

【gender:???】

.....

In short, it's all question marks.

There were so many that Jaeger almost forgot what the question mark looked like.

Seeing that he couldn't get any information from the identity card this way, Jaeger naturally had an idea: Why don't I try using the identity card?

After all, once you switch identities, you'll naturally understand what this card is all about.

However, no matter how curious Jaeger was, he wouldn't dare to use such a suspicious card directly. So he deliberately emphasized the idea of ​​"I want to use this identity card" in his mind several times to see if the [Danger Perception] would react.

The fact that [Danger Perception] remained unresponsive indicates that using this card would at least not pose a danger to his life.

With that confidence, Jaeger reached out and carefully touched the card that was still twitching from time to time.

[Switching identity cards]

As this line of text appeared on the virtual card table, Jaeger's vision went black, and he could feel his consciousness rising little by little.

At the same time, a feeling of unease similar to that he had felt when he first used the [Wizard] ability rose in his heart, and the air surrounding him suddenly became cold, slippery, and heavy.

A familiar grayish-white mist drifted past my eyes, and the familiar cries of birds echoed in my ears.

Jaeger tried to capture these elements, but his consciousness seemed to rebel against his own thoughts, rising higher and higher until the clamor left him and everything around him fell into eternal silence.

Jaeger opened his eyes at that moment.

The scene before him had also undergone earth-shattering changes.

He was no longer standing in the apartment building in Gotham Crime Alley, but in a boundless, endless void.

Beneath his feet was scattered mist, and above his head was a vast Milky Way composed of countless stars.

"...Where is this?"

Jaeger never expected that using an unknown identity card would cause him to do something he didn't know where it came from.

Standing in this completely unfamiliar space, even sound was swallowed up by the immense emptiness surrounding it—what exactly is this place?

Jaeger looked around in vain, then tentatively took a step forward.

As he moved, the pervasive fog immediately receded, making way for Jaeger.

Seeing this, Jaeger stopped in his tracks and did not move forward—although the place he arrived at after switching identity cards was indeed strange, he could not forget his original purpose.

So before exploring this space further, Jaeger chose to look down and observe himself...

Damn it.

He didn't know until he saw it, and when he realized his current state, Jaeger almost jumped up on the spot—if he could do that right now.

Okay, imagine this scene: a wide, mottled, dark robe floats in the air, but the parts of the robe that are not covered are not human flesh and blood, but dark gray mist that keeps escaping, and within this mist, a dizzying, eerie blue light is faintly flowing...

This is Jaeger's current situation.

Jaeger: "..."

I never imagined that I wouldn't even be able to be a human being anymore.

What am I now? Just a wisp of fog?

It sounds like they could have a lot in common with the "messenger".

Ultimately choosing to face life with optimism, Jaeger, after confirming that his current strange state wouldn't actually have any impact, chose to move forward and begin exploring the space before him.

Soon, Jaeger encountered the first thing in this open space.

It was a table that looked quite out of place here.

This table is different from Jaeger's Void Table; it is much larger, and the tabletop is divided into many small squares.

Most of the blocks were black, except for one that lit up—and the thing embedded in that lit block looked somewhat familiar.

Jaeger's gaze swept over it and he was shocked to realize that this was the Gotham City map under the Void Table.

What are those other unlit squares on the table? Are they maps similar to Gotham?

Jaeger thought for a moment, then reached out and touched the Gotham map on the table.

...There was no response.

It seems that's not how it's used.

But Jaeger was in a good mood and examined the table again and again, including but not limited to touching the other unlit blocks, squatting under the table to see if there was anything he hadn't noticed, and so on.

However, Jaeger's efforts yielded no useful information about the true purpose of the table, so he had no choice but to abandon it temporarily and continue walking through the fog.

But what Jaeger didn't notice was that after he left, the Gotham City map on the table that he had touched suddenly flickered.

A pale blue light flowed across the map, then quickly dimmed, returning it to its original state.

It was as if nothing had happened.

……

……

……

Meanwhile, in the distant Gotham City underground.

Given that most people usually travel above ground in Gotham City, few people, except for experts who specialize in the subject, would know that Gotham's underground is actually riddled with huge cavities.

These winding, densely packed holes, like leaves devoured by giant insects, yet maintain a delicate balance. On one hand, this prevents Gotham from collapsing; on the other hand, it keeps countless secrets and darkness buried deep beneath Gotham's surface.

Sometimes, these hollows are bat caves left over from tens of thousands of years ago, home to large swarms of bats, or they may hide the bat demon that exists in urban legends.

Sometimes, these hollowed-out sections are actually abandoned sewers exploited by malicious individuals. A greedy underground king abducts homeless children from the streets, depriving them of sunlight from the moment they become conscious, reducing them to pathetic servants who only know how to serve him. (Note)

Sometimes, these hollows conceal labyrinths capable of driving anyone mad, and deep within those labyrinths stand white statues that have stood there since the city's founding.

The statue had folded wings, sharp claws, and a pointed beak; the statue was hidden in that nursery rhyme that circulated on the streets of Gotham:

Beware of the Court of Owls, which is always watching your every move.

Peeping at Gotham City from the shadows, hidden among low walls and attics.

He is with you in your home, and with you in your bed.

Never utter his name, or his claws will come for your head!

—That statue is an owl.

Behind it all are those silent members wearing white owl masks... or rather, the Court of Owls.

They have been behind the scenes in Gotham City for over a century, silently watching the city's development and changes.

If the Gotham Daily's weekly "Who is Gotham?" column were to accept submissions from the courts, then members of these organizations, mostly comprised of Gotham's old aristocracy, celebrities, and politicians, would tell you without hesitation—

Gotham is the city of owls.