There was no office behind the door to the eleventh floor.
As soon as the door opened, cold wind poured out. It smelled of rust, paper ash, and a faint trace of damp wood. When Xu Zhihan and Lu Wenchuan walked in, they stepped onto a thin layer of dust. Beneath it were black stone tiles, each engraved with clock patterns.
Ahead lay an empty hall.
The Empty Hall was so tall that its ceiling was out of sight. There were no windows, only tiers of black wooden cabinets extending upward, like library archive shelves, or racks of coffins stacked one above another. Each cabinet held an old clock, its face turned outward, its hands stopped at a different time.
A huge Clock Core hung in the center of the hall.
The thing had no complete shape. Its outer layer was copper, its interior white bone fragments and black lines. As it slowly rotated, it made a faint scraping sound. Shen Yu stood directly beneath the Clock Core.
This time, his face was clear.
Ordinary, unremarkable, with no sharpness to his features. In a crowd, no one would have given him a second glance. But his eyes held two rings of clock patterns, one turning clockwise and the other counterclockwise, making tiny sounds as they crossed.
Lu Wenchuan looked at him, a short blade gripped in his left hand.
"Finally willing to show your face."
Shen Yu looked at him, his expression calm.
"I've been here all along."
Xu Zhihan walked to Lu Wenchuan's side, his gaze settling on the Clock Core.
"Is this the Tower Master's true body?"
Shen Yu shook his head slightly.
"I'm only its mouth."
Lu Wenchuan looked toward the clock cabinets.
"Then where's the true body?"
Shen Yu raised a hand and pointed around them.