Chapter 47

An interesting fact about her is that her stomach seems bottomless; she can eat even more than a speedster like Wally.

Dio was not stupid enough to stand between her and her food.

Dio entered the elevator with the other boys, without Roy, and they went to Robin's little cave.

The cave is quite small, just a little room of fifteen square meters with five in width. The place is dark, except for the light from the huge monitors mounted on the wall.

There are four large screens arranged in the shape of a "C" facing downward and a leather armchair in front of a keyboard.

The only things other than the computer and the chair that keep the device on the other side of the wall in good shape are air conditioners.

Dick quickly sat in his chair and started typing on the keyboard while the rest of them took positions around him and looked at the information displayed on the computer screen.

"I found it!"

Dick exclaimed excitedly, and all four screens showed the same image.

The jewel has an oval shape, is the size of a palm, and is red like a ruby.

A valuable gem called a red stone is surrounded by gold metal that has small letters engraved into it in a language that no one can understand.

"Any additional information about it?"

Wally asked as Dio tried to decipher the writing.

"No, just that the jewel was recently found in a private excavation and was kept in the jewelry store's vault until it was scheduled to be transported for auction in five days."

"Can you zoom in on the inscriptions, please?"

Kaldur'ahm requested. Their vision isn't as sharp as Dio's, so they need a closer look.

Soon, the image is zoomed in to show the inscriptions on the ruby, but Dio still can't figure out what language it is.

Later, Dio can ask for Vanessa's help.

She isn't an expert like her mother, but she learned about ancient civilizations from the people around her, so she knows more about this topic than Dio does.

If she doesn't know, maybe this will be intriguing enough for Júlia to help him.

"The computer couldn't identify this language."

Dick continued, also intrigued by the inscriptions.

"That's because this is an ancient archaic language of Atlantica."

Kaldur'ahm spoke, which surprised them.

"Can you translate it?"

Wally asked, eagerly looking at him.

"I'm not an expert, but I believe it says 'The Amulet of Arion!'"

...

A lot of people want to visit Washington, D.C., but right now, the most popular spot is the Hall of Justice, which is where the Justice League's headquarters are located.

The structure of the huge building was a unique mix of Greek and modern styles, which makes sense since Wonder Woman and Green Lantern designed it and Superman built it from scratch in just a few minutes.

This building happened only a few months ago.

Since then, visitors could explore some of the building's rooms to learn about the history of past and current heroes.

Of course, there were areas not open to the public, like the League's meeting room, where four of its members are currently gathered.

"YOU DID WHAT?"

Green Arrow shouted as he rose from his chair and slammed his fist on the table.

"A test."

Batman replied while sitting on the opposite side of the three-meter by one-meter square table.

"You tested our proteges without telling us against a metahuman?"

Green Arrow shouted again.

"Despite my dislike of this, why don't we let Batman explain his reasons?"

Wonder Woman interjected, seated with her arms crossed, looking sternly at Batman.

Batman answered calmly, "I tested the new team to see if they could work together successfully against an enemy without one of us watching over them."

"Batman, we agreed together that the Titans wouldn't take any missions without a League of Justice member accompanying them."

Superman said while sitting on the other side and was faced with Wonder Woman.

Batman looked at him and responded with the same calm voice.

"We don't have enough time to do this task. Have any of you had enough time to stay with them since they began?"

Batman's question left everyone in silence.

"Due to our obligations, we were unable to fulfill the agreement. I checked if the task could proceed without our assistance."

Batman continued.

The other three members still didn't like it, but he was right. They didn't have time to do what was agreed upon.

"Still, testing the kids in this manner was wrong and dangerous."

Green Arrow shouted again.

"I was present the whole time; they just didn't know it."

Batman countered and ended Green Arrow's arguments.

"That's why J'onn didn't inform us that the kids weren't alone since you were there."

Superman guessed.

Then everyone fell silent, and Green Arrow calmed down a bit and said, "I still don't agree with this test, but what was the result?"

Batman took the opportunity and pressed a button on the table that caused several screens scattered around the room to light up and display the recording of the fight against Mammoth.

"Both the strategy, execution, and teamwork were acceptable. There were no major mistakes made by any of the members. In the end, I think they're ready to work alone when necessary."

Batman assessed everyone.

"Wow, Diana! You've certainly trained him well."

Green Arrow said while looking at the scene where Kirix plunged his sword into Mammoth's shoulder and froze him with his magic.

Diana saw this scene and also felt a sense of pride, demonstrating it with a broad smile.

"It's good to see that he hasn't stopped training both his magic and his sword since we parted ways."

Diana said.

"So, they passed your test. I thought it would be the opposite, given that the prisoner escaped.

Superman interjected.

"I can't blame them for something I couldn't even stop."

Batman replied. Then, the images shifted to the scene of the prisoner transport's explosion.

"Does this mean that when the explosion occurred, you intervened?"

Green Arrow asked.

"That's correct, but I couldn't find his trail in the sewers. This group is skilled enough to explode a car in front of me, recover the prisoner, and escape without leaving a trace."

"Group?"

Diana asked.

"As I mentioned, there isn't any hard evidence, but my gut tells me two people carried out the escape."

"What was the objective then?"

Superman asked.

"A jewel. I'm about to investigate..."

Beep!

A signal on Batman's wrist device stopped him.

He read the message on his wrist computer and then informed everyone, "The Titans have found some clues about the reason for the theft and are requesting one of us to go there. They've also asked for Aquaman's presence."

"It seems the kids want to do something about their defeat, and that's a good thing."

Diana commented.

There were nods of agreement from everyone except Batman.

"I'll send a message to Aquaman. Who's coming with me to talk to them?"

Batman asked.

"I'll go with you. I'd like to see my apprentice."

Diana volunteered.

...

https://www.patreon.com/Abyssuit

If you want to support me, you can find up to 25 advance chapters at my patreon 

👇DROP SOME STONES👇