Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 5545 - 4571: Blackest Night (60)

"Good evening, everyone. Of course, lately, it’s always good evening. Our Sun has been extinguished for quite a while now. For many, this is a disaster, but there’s no doubt that suffering breeds literature. Recently, many horror, mystery, and folklore novelists have been releasing new books, providing a variety of material for our book review program. We have invited the famous folklore horror novelist, John Constantine, to talk about his feelings on the first-day sales of his new book ’The Mystery of Ra’ breaking a million copies. Let’s welcome Mr. Constantine."

The black-haired Latino host stood up, shook hands with Constantine who walked onto the stage, and said, "Got used to finding joy in the midst of suffering, sir?"

"I wouldn’t say finding joy in suffering," Constantine smiled and said, "The night has given me ample inspiration. Brainiac doesn’t like me saying that. But if possible, a few more days of darkness wouldn’t hurt."

"Well, we will take your kind words. Please have a seat."

Both parties took their seats. The female host smiled and said, "Two successive works have been hugely successful, Mr. Constantine. Some say you are the rising star in the folklore horror and mystery novel world in recent years. What do you think of this?"

"That star is a bit old," Constantine crossed one leg over the other, looked at the host, and said, "Starting to write so late was not my wish. Although I don’t think I took detours before. But if I were younger, maybe there would be more exciting stories to write."

"I was going to bring that up." The host looked at him curiously and said, "You have always been unwilling to reveal your former profession. Can I assume it was in an investigation or enforcement industry with confidentiality requirements?"

Constantine shook his head and said, "The secrecy wasn’t for my well-being. Let’s not talk about this, let’s discuss the new book."

The host seemed a bit disappointed, but she smoothly shifted the topic and said, "The ’Mystery of Ra’ starts with Egyptian mythology. We all know Ra is the Sun God in Egyptian mythology. Was it the sudden black night that inspired your research on the Sun?"

"Sort of," Constantine said, "In fact, I’ve always been interested in Egyptian mythology. Combining them with the Old Day Dominator is a new attempt. So far, the effect seems good."

"Do you think the book’s success is related to the current situation?"

"Of course, it’s related, but I don’t think riding the wave is wrong. Scientists can try to explain from a scientific angle why the Sun extinguished, and mystics naturally have their say too."

"Do you truly believe that the Sun extinguished due to the arrival of the Old Day Dominator?"

"There must be a mysterious power involved, right?" Constantine spread his hands and said, "Brainiac can’t deny that either. But since we can’t figure out what power it is, don’t blame me for engaging in literary creation."

The two continued discussing the new book on the stage, with Constantine speaking eloquently. Soon, they talked about the new wave of books.

"As you mentioned, the night has given you inspiration. To be honest, I believe this is one of the main reasons for the recent emergence of great books. Have you read any of the recently published related literary works?"

"Of course, I’ve read quite a few." Constantine nodded.

"Which one is your favorite?"

"Definitely ’Gotham University Librarian’s Diary’."

"Oh my, I love this one too!" The female host became excited and said, "Compared to traditional literary writers who like to chew on words, this young writer named Jason Todd uses words in a much more concise and straightforward manner. Many parts are quite humorous. The reading experience is much better than those overwhelmingly tragic horror novels."

"He must be very popular among young people." Constantine said, "The use of diaries to record his adventures in the Gotham University Library is both interesting and easy to read, making it more popular."

"I really can’t wait to see the prequel, Mr. Constantine, if you know Mr. Todd, be sure to ask him to write more about his experiences when he first became a librarian. Just imagining it is interesting."

"I’ll convey that to him." Constantine nodded. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"But we must still bring up..."

"The ’Rodriguez Detective Collection,’ yes. I knew you would want to mention it."

"We can’t be blamed for that." The host clasped her hands together, "The book’s popularity rivals that of your new book. Despite this, Dr. Fries is writing a book for the first time and achieved a million sales on the first day with no prior fanbase, which is quite a breakthrough. What do you think of this?"

"Ha." Constantine sneered, waved his hand, and said, "Don’t get me wrong, I know Dr. Fries. I am not mocking his writing skills. It’s just..."

"It’s just what?"

"Rodriguez." Constantine touched his eyes with his hand.

The host became more interested. She leaned forward, rested her hands on the table, and stared at Constantine without blinking, saying, "You know the real-life model for Rodriguez quite well, don’t you? Hmm? You can’t fool me."

"I am quite familiar with the real-life model for detective Rodriguez, but the one in the book, I don’t know at all." Constantine shook his head and said, "This is entirely Dr. Fries’ imagination, at least eighty percent of it."

"I’m a bit intrigued by this." The female host rubbed her hands and said, "Do you know how popular this great detective is? Although we all know that ’Rodriguez Detective Collection’ is imitating ’The Complete Sherlock Holmes,’ the two are completely different.

"Detective Rodriguez is not interested in investigations at all. He doesn’t have that fiery passion. Instead, he appears cold and aloof. If it weren’t for his unique talent, he probably wouldn’t have entered the detective world. Such a detective is quite rare. And his popularity naturally has much to do with Dr. Fries’ depiction of him."

The female host picked up the book beside her, flipped through it, and then said, "In the writings of Dr. Fries, Mr. Rodriguez possesses a mystical aura, is somewhat arrogant, but also has a sense of humor, occasionally making sharp and startling remarks as a non-typical detective. Compared to detective stories, I prefer watching the banter between the detective and his assistant. I must say, compared to Holmes and Watson, the relationship between the detective and assistant in this book is far more complex."

"They seem like friends, yet they’re completely different. Mr. Fries is a PhD in physics and also a scientist. He habitually views problems with the rigor of scientific thinking, always pursuing logical accuracy, somewhat like Holmes, right?"

"But Mr. Rodriguez is different. To me, he’s practically a psychic. This point is also the most controversial aspect of this book. Rodriguez’s psychoanalysis method is just too mysterious. While the spirit communication ability that points directly to the answer seems satisfying, it also gives a hint of laziness..."

"I have to say," Constantine stretched out his hand and said, "Psychoanalysis is indeed real and can even achieve the effects seen in the book. But the prototypes of Rodriguez and Brainiac still asked me to implore everyone to treat this as the author’s fiction. Don’t be overly curious about psychoanalysis."

"Why is that?" The host asked somewhat puzzled.

"More than a discipline, it resembles a unique talent," Constantine looked at her and said, "Those who can do it, can do it. Those who can’t, can’t. Forcing oneself to learn will only create trouble."

The host understood and then said, "It’s that professor, isn’t it?"

"What?"

"Don’t pretend. We’ve all guessed it. That master of psychoanalysis, the professor at Gotham University..."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Constantine shrugged.

"What kind of person is he, really?" The host was not asking genuinely but more like mumbling to herself, "Whether exactly like in the book or completely different, he’s quite charismatic."

"Brainiac doesn’t allow you to focus too much on the real-life prototype of the book’s characters and has deleted all online information. Isn’t that a shame?" Constantine asked, then immediately answered himself, "Trust me, Brainiac is protecting you. Any attempts to explore this professor’s inner world are extremely dangerous."

"Of course, you can tell from the content of the book," the host said, cradling her chin with one hand in thought, "I don’t doubt that Dr. Fries must have met such a person in real life to write a character that is dangerous yet charismatic. In real life, he must have an even more intense personal trait to remain so captivating after being transcribed into words."

"I don’t deny he’s a very charismatic person. But appreciating him in text is enough," Constantine said, "Considering those application forms to Gotham University, even Brainiac can’t handle them all. I suggest you all calm down."

"Alright, so let’s talk about the Christmas book signing..."

"Professor! Professor!!!" Jenna shouted while chasing Shiller in front, panting as she said, "Christmas... Christmas performance..."

Shiller turned around, stared at Jenna for a while, then said, "Miss, although I’m your professor, I believe that at your age, you shouldn’t be too focused on studies. Why don’t you go and fall in love more?"

"No!" Jenna rejected immediately and then said, "I’m not in love with Barry. He’s just my dance partner. What I’m talking about is the Christmas play rehearsal..."

Shiller walked away without looking back. Jenna quickly followed behind him, jogging and saying: "We plan to rehearse the ’Cliff Duel’ act. The actors have all been found. We just need you to come over for some guidance. It really won’t take much time..."

"I’m not going." Shiller rejected flatly.

"Why?" Jenna wailed, "It’s not the first time, isn’t it every year they perform as you?"

"It’s exactly because they perform as me every year that I’m not going."

"But this time it’s different. We’re performing the most exciting part of the novel based on you. We can definitely do a great job!"

"Then why look for me?"

"Of course, because the actor playing you doesn’t look like you at all..."

"You want me to guide him on how to act like myself?" Shiller continued his pace, glancing back at Jenna, "Do you not find that absurd?"

Jenna was rather exasperated, her eyes shifted, then she said, "True, you’re not the one who wrote the novel. I’ll go find Professor Fries. He surely knows how to perform you well..."

Shiller’s steps halted. He could almost imagine what Victor would make him look like. The depiction in the book was already ludicrous enough. To stage it as a play, who knows how exaggerated it would be.

If the Broadway producers took an interest and demanded a film adaptation, he would have to single-handedly support the box office for Millennium-era Hollywood horror suspense films. The thought of Constantine and Victor profiting off his portrayal led Shiller to conclude he couldn’t let things continue developing this way.