Although the issues at Gotham University seemed urgent, Batman could still differentiate between priorities. He decided to first head over to the Wayne Enterprises building to check the surveillance near the police station. If he could directly trace Jonathan's whereabouts, many problems would be solved.
To be on the safe side, he brought Aisha along and instructed Superman to hold Aisha, not allowing her any freedom of movement.
This tactic was indeed effective in keeping Aisha in check. Leaning against Superman's solid chest, she sighed in dismay.
"I told you I'm not human..."
"But you are Bruce's daughter. If anything happens to you under my care, I couldn't bear the responsibility. Be good, sweetheart. Once this is over, I'll build you the largest slide castle in the world."
Aisha's eyes lit up immediately, and she said, "Really? Even bigger than the one at the hotel?"
Batman scoffed slightly, "You call that big? While driving over, I saw an amusement park to the east. I'll have them clear out a plot, and we'll build you a twenty-thousand-square-meter slide castle."
Aisha cheered, not minding the lack of freedom of movement, and started counting the attractions she wanted to add to the castle on her fingers.
Upon arriving at the Wayne building, Batman easily passed through the security checks. Pretending to not hear the Russian echoing in his ears, he went straight to the top floor.
He didn't expect to meet an unexpected person there.
"Constantine? What are you doing here?"
Constantine sized up the approaching Batman, seemingly at a loss for words for a moment. He said, "Weren't you the one who told me to use the teleportation portal? ...oh wait. You're not Bruce..."
"Come give a hand!" Zatanna shouted from behind a green glowing portal, "We need to set this frame up, otherwise the rod with runes engraved on it will shift..."
"What are you guys doing?" Batman asked, a bit curious.
"Stabilizing the teleportation portal," Constantine replied, "And setting up a concealment array to prevent anyone from attacking our teleportation passage."
"Teleportation portal? To Metropolis?"
"Exactly, but the portal on that side hasn't opened yet. If you intend to use it, you'll probably have to wait a couple of hours." Constantine said, while adjusting the frame, taking out his phone and speaking towards it, "Is it ready on your end, Hal?"
"What are you even doing? Four hours and that teleportation portal is still not ready... What? What Batman's fun?"
"My God. I'm here helping you with the teleportation portal, and you run off to see Batman's fun. You... have some fun, let me see it too..."
Encountering someone knowledgeable about magic, Batman couldn't help but ask, "Do you know about Gotham Magic Academy?"
While busy with his tasks, Constantine glanced over at Batman, then noticed Aisha behind him making animated facial expressions.
"Of course. I'm actually the headmaster there, what's up?"
"If someone wanted to attack the magic academy..."
"Impossible," Constantine said, "The magic academy isn't in the real world at all. How could they attack it? By missile?"
"What if they could enter The inner world?"
Constantine put down what he was doing, frowned at Batman, and said, "The inner world isn't a place just anyone can enter. It's supposed to be a secret. How would they even know?"
Batman didn't want to elaborate too much, simply saying, "I plan to go check out Gotham University later. Want to come with me?"
Constantine first glanced at Zatanna, and the two exchanged a look that Batman couldn't see, then said, "Alright, Little Zha. Hal will probably have the portal open shortly. You go ahead. I'll catch up once I finish up here."
Zatanna nodded, and Constantine approached Batman, about to reach for a cigarette but realized Aisha was present, so he extended his hand instead, "Pleasure to meet you, Batman."
Batman shook his hand. While Constantine was sizing him up, he was also sizing up this cosmos's Constantine.
Well, he seemed a tad too healthy. Still lean, yet you could see evident muscle definition. Ruddy complexion, looking vigorous, even better than his own after late-night experiments.
Where's the justice in that? Batman couldn't help but think. Isn't it said that magicians sacrifice their health and safety for forbidden spells? What's this universe's Constantine sacrificing?
Out of concern for Gotham University's safety, Batman put his curiosity aside and headed to the office to check the surveillance footage.
Since Jonathan's disappearance time was fixed, there was no need to watch too long—just pick the footage from that time point. Batman watched for a while but couldn't find anything abnormal.
The bustling police officers seemed normal, doing their duties in an orderly manner. Nothing caught Jonathan leaving at the disappearance time point. Batman suspected he was taken away another way, either by flight or teleportation.
However, it seemed like Constantine noticed something. He sighed while standing behind Batman.
Batman turned to look at him. Constantine pointed at the computer screen, "Fast forward to thirty-two minutes."
Batman was skeptical; he hadn't noticed anything amiss, could Constantine really?
He fast-forwarded to thirty-two minutes. The footage still showed no anomalies. Constantine pointed at a person on the screen, "He appeared several times in the footage but never collided with anyone."
Batman frowned slightly. He reviewed the footage again and found Constantine was right.
Due to a food poisoning incident involving staff, the police station was very busy. Gotham Police Department hadn't undergone renovations, with old buildings and narrow hallways. The officers often collided with each other passing by.
Yet, the officer with a big beard who Constantine pointed out, though burly, never bumped into anyone, not even his clothing touched anything.
While it's not impossible, in absence of any other irregularities, it seemed rather peculiar.
Batman enlarged the footage, but the officer's hat obscured half his face, showing only that he was robust with a big beard—nothing else was discernible.
But it was a significant lead. Batman immediately pulled up surveillance footage of streets around the police station and indeed spotted the man again on a road to the east.
He appeared to be intending to return a police car parked by the station to the garage. However, upon getting in the car, Batman noticed the direction was all wrong. The police station was to his west, yet he turned north.
Batman had reviewed the map of this universe's Gotham. The North District housed affluent neighborhoods and the highest concentration of islands in Gotham. Arkham Asylum, Gotham Prison, and Black Island were there.
Having a general direction, Batman developed a search plan. However, before that, he still needed to visit Gotham University. Even if entering The inner world was difficult, if the adversary found a loophole, the consequences would be severe.
Batman turned towards the elevator to get his car, but Constantine stopped him, "No need. This is also an entrance to The inner world. I'll take you there."
Batman halted. Though curious about this mysterious inner world, he certainly didn't trust Constantine.
"Don't worry," Aisha said to him, "If there's any danger, I'll protect you."
Batman patted her head and followed Constantine back to the office.
Constantine didn't perform any complex operations; he went to the water dispenser, filled a cup, and poured it onto the floor. On the marble tiles, a distinct water stain formed, glistening like a mirror.
He walked towards the stain, and in the next moment, he fell through, disappearing from the room.
Aisha tapped the bewildered Superman on the arm and said, "Let's go."
Batman hesitated when he came to the stain. He even suspected it was a prank by Constantine to make him fall. But hesitating to step even once seemed cowardly, so he gritted his teeth and walked toward the stain.
With a swoosh, he fell in too. Superman, holding Aisha, cautiously stepped on it, feeling a momentary sensation of weightlessness. Before them unfolded a dense fog, and they found themselves on the ground once it cleared.
Just as Batman stood up, it was apparent Constantine was mocking him. Superman had taken flight as soon as the weightlessness occurred, now gently landing while rolling his eyes at Constantine.
Batman began to observe the surroundings.
Years of development had made the inner world prosperous. It was no longer just a sparse fog-shrouded realm dotted with settlements, but nearly resembled a complete city.
Though not as bustling as the real-world Gotham, it replicated about sixty to seventy percent. They were situated in the Wayne building, and from its window, they could see the direction of Gotham University, where a floating spire hovered in the sky.
"That's Gotham Magic Academy," Constantine introduced.
"Incredible," Batman remarked. He wasn't only commenting on Gotham Magic Academy, but the entire city. Many buildings floated in the air, including the Wayne building beneath him. It seemed like quite the fantastical magical world.
In the center of the city, he saw a massive World Tree, its sturdy branches supporting numerous buildings. Some elf-like beings flitted about there.
"Over there is Maya's teleportation portal entrance," Constantine mentioned, "Many inhabitants from the magical world enjoy visiting here because their worlds rarely boast such modern cityscapes."
"Alright, let's not waste time," Superman stepped forward, "How do we proceed?"
"By car, obviously," Constantine said, "Even in The inner world, if you can't do magic, you can't fly. At least there's no traffic here."
The group descended the building. Constantine retrieved his car. Once everyone was in, they set off toward Gotham Magic Academy.
"Can you tell me about it?"
"About what?"
"This magic academy. How was it established? What's its structure like? How do you use it to establish the Earth's magic defense network?"
"It's complicated," Constantine commented, "I could talk for days. Are you planning to replicate it in your universe?"
Batman didn't outright deny it, only saying, "I hope my universe's Earth can achieve such a level of defense..."
"It's tough. First, you lack that amount of energy."
"Where does your energy come from?"
"Us? I..." Constantine began but stopped when Aisha gave him a toothy grin. Words at the tip of his tongue retreated.
"You'd have to ask Hal Jordan. He's now in charge of the Green Lantern Corps and naturally has ways to acquire green lantern energy."
Batman nodded, considering Constantine's point practical. He should consult his universe's Hal, to see if he could get any energy from the Green Lantern Corps.