Clover

During the day, the three of them did the following.

They investigated secret tales about treasure hunts from the past and familiarized themselves with the academy's layout.

By nightfall, both Nissen and Yue Yun had grown excited.

Legend had it that the treasure would only appear at night, when the enormous dome lights came on.

The three of them split up.

Before leaving, Wen Xishu said:

"If the three of us stick together, people will probably think we're treasure hunting. We're probably not the only dorm looking for treasure tonight."

"And there's no real point in moving as a group of three. When facing certain problems, we can think about them from three different angles..."

"But that also means we'll have three different opinions. I suggest we split up. We'll meet again in an hour and a half and share what we found."

Yue Yun found that reasonable. Nissen had wanted to stay with the other two, but he ultimately accepted going alone.

Thus, the three headed off in three different directions.

Three Towers Academy was lively at night. Though many lights remained on in the dormitories, plenty of freshmen outside were also forming teams to hunt for treasure.

It was practically a tradition.

The upperclassmen had long since given up, so they did not care much about it.

Wen Xishu headed straight toward the edge of Three Towers Academy.

The academy gates were shut.

As a place one could enter through Sequences, once the gates of Three Towers Academy closed, the outside world was completely cut off from within.

Wen Xishu had chosen to head for the boundary because he wanted to confirm a suspicion.

The suspicion was far-fetched. But Wen Xishu trusted his instincts.

At the edge of Three Towers Academy stood towering walls.

If one possessed the attributes of the Three Towers, walls like these naturally could not stop the students.

But the boundary lay beyond the department areas. Students could no longer use the attributes of the Three Towers there, and scaling a super-high wall over sixty meters tall was absolutely impossible.

Wen Xishu raised his head and looked around.

Dome was the term people used for the Bunker's ceiling.

The dome simulated day and night. During the day, it emitted brilliant light, illuminating the Bunker.

At night, it also simulated moonlight, though the Bunker as a whole became dim.

Just like the scene before Wen Xishu's eyes at that moment—dim and silent.

The other teams were all searching for treasure near the center, while Wen Xishu had come to the academy's very edge.

It was not because he thought there would be treasure here. In fact, he did not believe the treasure would be treasure in the traditional sense, hidden somewhere and waiting to be dug up.

Wen Xishu had come here mainly to test something.

"Just as I thought, my Sequence... has stopped working."

Over the past few days, Wen Xishu had spent most of his time in the department areas, carefully sensing the changes.

In the end, he discovered that as long as he was in a department area, he would feel a special sensation.

It was mystical, difficult to describe. But he knew it was a special state that came after activating a Sequence.

The greatest feature of the department areas was that one could use the attributes and Sequences of the Three Towers there.

But what Wen Xishu could not figure out was why he had been able to use his Sequence in the library as well.

"By all rights... that place belongs to the academy area. In the academy area, neither I nor anyone else can access the attributes of the Three Towers."

Mad Dice's effect targeted the Three Towers, not the Bunker. Wen Xishu did not believe his uniqueness came from Mad Dice.

At least, not this time.

Furthermore, the Sequences of the Eerie Sequence could function in both the Desire Tower Department Area and the Tower of Slaughter Department Area. Wen Xishu did not find that strange.

But for them to function in the academy area—that was unbelievable to Wen Xishu.

So he had kept wondering: could Eerie Sequences work everywhere in Three Towers Academy?

That was why Wen Xishu had come to the edge of the academy to verify it.

And what shocked Wen Xishu was—

His Sequence had stopped working. That mystical sensation had vanished.

This meant that at the edge of the academy, his Sequence was inactive.

It was as though he had returned to a normal part of the Bunker.

Thus, Wen Xishu reached a conclusion:

"The effective range of my Eerie Sequence does not cover the entire academy."

"The edge of the academy also belongs to the academy area. The attributes and panels of the Three Towers cannot be used in the academy area. That rule applies to the Eerie Sequence as well."

"Then when I was in the library, I saw Mental Barrages floating above people's heads... does that mean that place does not actually belong to the academy area?"

"But everyone in the library really was just like ordinary people. Only I could use my Sequence..."

"I think I understand."

Wen Xishu had already formed some guesses about the treasure of Three Towers Academy.

Now, he felt the truth drawing ever closer to his guess.

Late at night.

Yue Yun, Wen Xishu, and Nissen appeared outside the library in the academy area.

Nissen swayed his head from side to side.

"Yo~ Though I searched without rest, the treasure remained vague at best. What clues have you got? Let's share and compare."

Yue Yun shook his head.

"Three Towers Academy during the day is no different from Three Towers Academy at night. If I had to name a difference..."

"It's that all the buildings at night, especially those in the academy area, seem somewhat hazy."

Wen Xishu greatly admired Yue Yun's memory. No wonder he had scored full marks in cultural studies.

It would be a waste for someone like him not to solve puzzles in the Strange Tower.

Both Yue Yun and Nissen looked at Wen Xishu.

Wen Xishu said:

"The library is closed, but we can climb up its exterior. We need to take a look at the library's top floor."

Yue Yun did not understand.

"You want to break into the library? Are you planning to look up information now?"

Wen Xishu shook his head.

"No, I don't want to enter the library. I want to reach its rooftop. Don't you think... that thing looks a lot like Three Towers Academy?"

Wen Xishu pointed toward the enormous brass clover at the top of the library.

The clover had been spinning all along. To everyone, it looked like a gigantic fan.

It loomed over the library.

Yue Yun looked up. Nissen could not make much of it, but Yue Yun had an excellent memory, practically photographic.

After watching for a while, he immediately closed his eyes.

"The clover... indeed, the outlines of Tower of Desire Academy and Tower of Slaughter Academy are very similar to the leaves of that enormous brass clover."

"So... what does that prove? The Desire Tower Department Area, the Tower of Slaughter Department Area, and the academy area together form a clover?"

Wen Xishu shook his head.

"That isn't symmetrical. Let's assume that this gigantic brass clover, which looks like a fan, really symbolizes the structure of Three Towers Academy."

"Then connecting the central points of its three leaves forms an equilateral triangle."

Yue Yun nodded.

"Go on."

Wen Xishu said:

"Think carefully. Do the academy area, the Tower of Slaughter Department Area, and the Desire Tower Department Area form an equilateral triangle when connected?"

Nissen shook his head.

"No. The academy area looks more like it wraps around the two department areas. The academy area is huge."

Yue Yun seemed to understand.

"In other words, there is another area that can form an equilateral triangle with the Tower of Slaughter Department Area and the Desire Tower Department Area?"

Wen Xishu continued looking at the sky.

"Yes. Otherwise, don't you think the design of this brass clover is utterly baffling? The climate inside the Bunker is pleasant, and nobody even knows what this thing is for."

Yue Yun came to a realization, but then fell into doubt again.

"But as far as I know, looking at the academy from above, there isn't any area that can form a triangular structure with the two department areas..."

Wen Xishu gave a mysterious smile.

"There isn't one on the ground, but what about in the sky? Don't just look at the x-axis. Look at the z-axis too."

Combined with Wen Xishu's intention to climb the library, Yue Yun instantly understood what he meant.

He looked toward the sky.

He discovered that some eerie presence really did seem to be making the surrounding buildings hazy.

"Could it be... there's a massive department area in the sky? How, how could that be possible?"

Wen Xishu said:

"If you think the treasure is something hidden in a corner, something anyone can see as long as someone digs it out... then you're underestimating the upperclassmen of the past."

"The treasure is likely invisible. Perhaps only by approaching a certain area can one sense it."

Nissen let out a whoop.

There were many freshmen searching for treasure at that moment, but Nissen felt his two companions were the most reliable.

He said:

"Wen! I think you're right. Come on, let's climb up. I've been doing parkour in the lower levels since I was little. Compared to my leg strength, my arm strength is even more impressive!"

Little Black, like a happy monkey, bounced over and began climbing.

Wen Xishu noticed that Nissen's movements were so precise that he could do motion capture for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series.

Wen Xishu had loved parkour in his previous life, so his competitive spirit was roused as well.

Naturally, Yue Yun was unwilling to lag behind.

The three quickly found various footholds and began scaling the tower at high speed.

Without any safety measures, this sort of tower climbing generally only appeared in movies.

But Yue Yun, Nissen, and Wen Xishu were not afraid at all. Yue Yun was at the bottom, Wen Xishu was second, and Nissen was first.

Wen Xishu had never expected that he would lose to someone in something like parkour climbing.

Nissen truly possessed a terrifying talent.

Yue Yun trailed Wen Xishu by two body lengths, and he was even more astonished.

He knew Nissen must have a talent for athletics, but he had not expected Wen Xishu to be this outrageous as well.

In the darkness, the three entered racing mode and charged toward the library rooftop.

As he continued climbing, Wen Xishu felt it... that familiar aura he had only experienced after entering the Strange Tower.

Whatever it is... we're getting very close.

Wen Xishu silently calculated, anticipation rising in his heart.