"What level has your progress bar reached?" Angel asked.
"Still level zero," the Spirit of the Academy City said. "But after you arrived, Headmaster, the bar filled halfway. At this rate, I might reach the next stage soon."
In plain terms: level zero, 50% experience.
Angel asked more about what the progress bar looked like and how it appeared. The more he heard, the more it sounded like... the Text Panel.
Or rather, it was exactly the style of the Wonderland Authority.
Did that mean the Spirit of the Academy City really was what it claimed to be, and not a hidden threat like Sebas?
But if it wasn't, where was the hidden threat in the Fool's Academy City?
Angel was certain one existed. Why else would the Wonderland Authority have singled him out? Surely it was because no one else could solve the problem.
Yet since sending him in, the authority's power had barely shown itself. Why?
Angel couldn't work it out for now, so he turned his attention back to the Spirit of the Academy City.
After a moment's thought, he asked, "How many gates connect the Fool's Academy City to the outskirts?"
The spirit didn't understand the sudden question, but obediently answered, "There are six official gates. If you include unofficial routes, such as underground passages, there are more than thirty exits leading to the outskirts."
Angel asked, "Which gate has a spindle-shaped tower nearby?"
"The Gate of Free Thought, also known as the East Gate."
"If you walk about a thousand meters out from the Gate of Free Thought, you'll find several orange trees beside a canal. How many oranges are on the tree with the slightly crooked trunk?"
The spirit grew even more puzzled, but answered, "Let me count... One hundred and seven."
Angel's expression