"Although Enchantress's plan failed, Earth still has the three mother boxes left behind by Darkseid back then. They are a type of living computer that only pledges loyalty to their Master, Darkseid, and could actively send Earth's coordinates to Apokolips at any time."
Darian analyzed the situation based on the information he knew.
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned serious.
Clark asked, "Where are these three mother boxes located right now?"
Diana continued, "One is sealed in the most heavily guarded forbidden area on Paradise Island, guarded by the Amazon tribe for generations. As for the one in Atlantis, I don't know its specific location."
"As for the one in human hands... it's said that after the ancient war ended, the human leaders just found a random place to bury it, and later, even they couldn't remember where they had buried it."
Everyone: "..."
As expected of humans; they have been so abstract since ancient times.
Bruce's expression was solemn: "Regardless, we must make full preparations in advance. We cannot wait until Darkseid brings his army to attack before we react."
He was always in the habit of preparing for the worst, directly treating Darkseid's invasion of Earth as a settled fact for his planning.
"And relying on just the few of us is far from enough."
Bruce said in a deep voice, "We need to recruit more allies and form an alliance specifically to protect Earth, just like the Earth coalition that repelled Darkseid back then. By integrating all the forces that can be united, we will have the capital to confront Darkseid's army head-on."
"I agree."
Darian nodded, "If we can swarm them, we definitely shouldn't fight one-on-one. It would be best to round up a few hundred Superheroes and let Darkseid see what a righteous dogpile looks like."
"I've already thought of a name for the alliance. Since we are all fighting for justice, why not call it the Avengers? What do you all think?"
We don't think much of it.
The others decisively rejected this proposal.
After all, they didn't have the copyright. That so-called strongest legal department on Earth is not to be trifled with; even the legal team of Wayne Enterprises has to be wary of them.
Despite Darian arguing his case, the others acted as if they hadn't heard him and unanimously decided the alliance's name would be the Justice League.
Bruce would serve as the commander-in-chief of the alliance, fully responsible for strategic planning and operational coordination.
After spending this time together, everyone acknowledged Bruce's intelligence and his ability to maintain a calm judgment at all times.
Especially Clark; ever since he met Bruce, his super brain had basically entered standby mode.
Clark: Super brain, analyze the current optimal plan.
Super brain: Listen to Batman.
Clark: Received.
Darian had no objections to this.
After all, Bruce waved his hand and declared on the spot that all future expenses of the Justice League would be covered by him alone.
Even though the superpowers of those present had their own unique features and were hard to distinguish in terms of strength, when it came to the "money ability," Bruce was far ahead, and no one could compare to him.
Even Darian, who held the Penguin Company, currently had an asset scale that was far behind Bruce's.
Earth's Kryptonian, truly terrifying.
The primary task after the establishment of the Justice League was to scout for suitable allies.
Bruce, referencing the framework of the ancient Earth coalition, first locked his targets onto the Amazon tribe and the Atlantis tribe.
These two tribes not only participated in the war against Darkseid back then, but they also each guarded a mother box, making them natural cannon... allies.
There was no need to go to much trouble with the Amazon tribe; Diana could go and communicate with them personally.
She was originally a princess of the Amazon tribe, so returning to the Amazon territory of Paradise Island was equivalent to returning home, and she could visit relatives by the way.
Darian originally wanted to go along to see the legendary all-female Paradise Island and experience the treatment that one received when he accidentally entered the Women's Kingdom, but he was refused by Diana on the grounds that men were forbidden from entering Paradise Island.
After Darian stated that he was female in his heart, Diana immediately changed the rule to forbid those with "equipment" from entering Paradise Island.
Darian looked down and hesitated repeatedly, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to sacrifice his own brother to get an entry ticket.
Compared to the Amazon tribe, Atlantis was more troublesome.
Because they collectively went into the sea.
Hmm, literally going into the sea.
In ancient times, Atlantis was a highly developed civilization on land, mastering the World's top technology and knowledge.
But later, the Atlantis tribe ruined themselves.
They conducted an unprecedented energy experiment, which spiraled out of control and triggered a massive explosion. The entire continent was torn apart, earthquakes and tsunamis followed one after another, and the Atlantis civilization sank into the deep sea.
Speaking of which, it's absurd; these Atlanteans actually conducted nuclear fusion in the city center of their country. Their hearts were not just big; they were reckless.
But the disaster did not cause the extinction of the Atlanteans.
The surviving tribespeople were transformed by the aftermath of the experimental energy, their bodies underwent irreversible changes, and they gained the ability to breathe underwater and withstand deep-sea pressure.
They rebuilt their homes on the seabed, and the originally unified empire split apart, forming seven undersea kingdoms.
The leader was the Kingdom of Atlantis, which was also the strongest branch, retaining the purest Atlantis heritage.
Second was the Kingdom of Xebel, whose people were skilled at manipulating water currents in battle, with strength second only to Atlantis.
The remaining kingdoms had extremely different styles.
The people of the Kingdom of the Brine were covered in shells and revered force, starting a fight at the slightest disagreement; the Kingdom of the Fishermen were all gentle by nature, spending their days studying philosophy and having no interest in outside conflicts; the Trench tribe had devolved into bloodthirsty deep-sea Beasts, having long since lost their reason and being unable to communicate normally.
Besides these, there was the deserted Kingdom of the Deserters, and the Lost Kingdom that had long since disappeared into history.
In reality, there were only four kingdoms that could discuss matters normally.
According to the rules of the seabed, any major decision involving the entire race must be unanimously agreed upon by the four kings before it can be passed.
Unfortunately, these undersea nations had a very poor impression of land dwellers and even harbored a certain degree of hostility.
The root cause was that humans had been dumping all kinds of messy trash into the ocean for years, polluting their living environment.
It caused marine life in the nearby waters, and even quite a few Atlanteans, to suffer from radiation, mutating and growing several heads and limbs, just like Cthulhu, which made one's sanity drop just looking at it.
Bruce said, "Arthur is an Atlantean; it is most appropriate to leave the matter of negotiating with the Atlantis tribe to him."
Darian nodded in agreement, "Indeed, after all, he has the royal bloodline of Atlantis flowing in his veins."
"Arthur is the Crown Prince of Atlantis?"
Bruce raised his eyebrows.
He had tried to get information out of Arthur before, but he had never heard the other party mention his royal status.
Unexpectedly, this guy Arthur, who seemed honest and simple-minded, was actually so scheming and had hidden such important information.
Actually, Bruce just used the wrong method. If he had dragged Arthur out for a drink, after a few drinks, he could guarantee that Arthur would even voluntarily confess at what age he wet the bed.
Darian nodded, "He is half-human, half-Atlantean, and his biological mother is of the Atlantis royal family."
Barry immediately retorted, "Am I the only normal person in this team?"
Bruce is a "money ability" user, and Diana and Arthur are the crown princes of the Amazon tribe and the Atlantis tribe, respectively.
Although Clark is a small-town boy, his biological parents were high-ranking officials of Kryptonian, on equal footing with General Zod.
As for Darian, it goes without saying; on the surface, he is an ordinary police officer in Gotham, but in the shadows, he has countless identities, and even Bruce can't figure out how much he is hiding.
Bruce suddenly discovered a suspicious point: "Wait, if Arthur is of royal blood, how could he be so poor that he can't even afford to pay for his drinks?"
Arthur: "...."
You damn capitalist, I'm poor, did I eat your rice?
They didn't leave Arthur out of the meeting; they directly started a video chat in the group, broadcasting the meeting content for the whole process, so Arthur could naturally hear their conversation.
"Darian, how do you know so much about my affairs? I remember I never told you any of this."
Arthur felt a sense of being "doxxed" by a netizen over the video chat.
Darian looked mysterious, "I naturally have my own channels."
He certainly wouldn't say he had read the walkthrough book, which was DC comic books, and had long been familiar with the information of the members of The Seven.
Clark took over, "Since Arthur is the Crown Prince of Atlantis, then it's much easier to handle."
But Arthur shook his head, "Even if I go, it's useless. In the eyes of the Atlanteans, I'm just an outsider from the land, and they won't listen to me."
Clark frowned, "This concerns the safety of the entire Earth. If Darkseid really attacks, they won't be able to escape either."
Arthur looked helpless, "An alliance must be approved by all four kings. As far as I know, the King of Atlantis will absolutely not nod in agreement. He hates humans to the bone; even if Earth is destroyed, he won't cooperate with humans."
"What kind of person is this King of the Atlantis tribe?"
Bruce narrowed his eyes, his Bat-radar activated instantly, directly adding this person to his list of potential threats.
Arthur hesitated for a few seconds, "He is my younger brother from the same mother but different father, named Orm, and he grew up on the seabed."
Once these words were spoken, the people present instantly smelled the scent of gossip and rushed to ask for the cause and effect.
Arthur had no choice but to tell his background story.
Simply put, his mother was the Queen of Atlantis. Because she refused an arranged marriage, she fled to the land, met Arthur's father, and the two fell for each other's looks... ah no, fell in love at first sight, and soon gave birth to Arthur.
Unfortunately, good times didn't last long. Arthur's mother was soon found by her people. To save the lives of her husband and son, she chose to return to Atlantis and gave birth to another child with the then-King, who is Arthur's younger brother from the same mother but different father, Orm.
Orm's personality is arrogant and conceited, and he is also an extreme environmentalist. He believes that humans have destroyed the ocean's ecological environment and calls for the extermination of humans to protect the ocean.
"Why does this Orm sound like a madman?" Barry retorted.
Arthur was displeased, "Watch your language. Although I don't like him either, he is my brother after all."
Diana added, "Your brother wants to exterminate all of humanity."
Arthur was a bit embarrassed, "Actually, we aren't close; we've never met."
"Then that's even easier to handle."
Darian chuckled, "You are the eldest son of the Queen of Atlantis and the first in line for the throne. Your brother just took the throne while you were away. As long as you return to Atlantis and take back the position that belongs to you, you will be the King of Atlantis, and the matter of the alliance will be directly resolved."
"Good idea."
Bruce showed an approving look.
Compared to a king who extremely hates humans, he would rather have Arthur, who is close to humans, rule Atlantis.
Arthur shook his head, "Orm will never agree to hand over the throne to me, and I am just an illegitimate child; I have no qualification to compete with him for the throne."
Darian retorted on the spot, "Your mom and your dad were the true love, and they were still legally married. If we really want to argue about it, the former King of Atlantis was the one who was the homewrecker, and your brother is the illegitimate child. You are just taking back what should have been yours; it's perfectly legitimate."
Arthur was a bit shaken, "Is that so?"
"Of course!"
"But Orm has long since controlled the power of Atlantis. How can I fight him alone?"
"What are you afraid of? Don't you still have us?"
Darian waved his hand, "I'll have Clark go and provide escort for you, guaranteeing you can speed-run the Kingdom of Atlantis within a day and directly escort you to the throne of Atlantis."
With Clark's strength, single-handedly flattening the Kingdom of Atlantis was basically a piece of cake.
Arthur hurriedly said, "No, no! Even if I win the throne by force, the other undersea kingdoms won't be convinced. According to the rules, a change in the throne must be recognized by the four major kingdoms; otherwise, it is considered a usurpation, and the four major kingdoms will unite their troops to crusade."
"Funny, can they beat Clark if they unite?"
Arthur: "...."
Is that the point!?
Clark also spoke helplessly, "We can't do that; it goes against our principles of conduct."
He is a superhero, not a supervillain; this kind of violent suppression does not conform to core values.
Arthur hurriedly agreed, "Yeah, we are all Superheroes who follow principles; violence is wrong. Let's just drop this matter."
He was never interested in the Atlantis throne, and the former king ordered his mother's execution back then, so he never had any affection for this country.
Moreover, he was used to being free and easy; making him a ruler was no different from being in prison.
Darian sighed, "Since you are unwilling, I won't force you."
"It's good that you can understand..."
Arthur had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Darian slowly add, "It's just a pity for Atlantis. Orm hates land dwellers so much that he will sooner or later take action against the land. When that happens, in order to protect ourselves, we will have no choice but to take action and eliminate him along with Atlantis. From then on, Atlantis will probably only exist in legends."
Arthur: "..."
Are you trying to morally blackmail me here!
Arthur really wanted to be tough and say that this matter had nothing to do with him, but his moral bottom line was far less flexible than Darian's.
No matter how much he disliked Atlantis, it was still his mother's hometown, and he really couldn't bear to watch his half-brother lead the entire country to their deaths.
Yes, it was suicide.
He knew Darian and Clark's strength too well.
If Orm really dared to lead the Atlantis army to attack the shore, they wouldn't even need anyone else to intervene; these two alone could flatten the entire army.
Clark was kind-hearted and wouldn't kill, but Darian was different. He was a ruthless person who didn't blink when killing, and he would definitely not show mercy when attacking.
Arthur struggled for a long time before finally speaking, "Actually, there is another way to become the King of Atlantis without using force."
Darian asked curiously, "What way?"
Arthur said, "An Atlantean once told me that as long as you can obtain the legendary sacred trident of the first king, you can legitimately unify the entire Atlantis."
"Hey, why didn't you say so earlier."
Darian glanced at Arthur reproachfully, then waved his hand, "Forget it, let's not make things difficult for Arthur. Since he is unwilling, let me shoulder this heavy responsibility. To protect the peace of Earth, I am willing to sacrifice myself to become the King of Atlantis, and from now on, have many wives and concubines, and eat seafood every meal..."
Everyone: "..."