Chapter 33: Clover

During the day, the trio engaged in a few activities: researching myths about past treasure hunts and familiarizing themselves with the academy's layout.

As night fell, Nisen and Yue Yun grew excited. Legend had it that the treasure would only appear at night, when the massive dome lights were illuminated. The three decided to split up. Before heading off, Wen Xishu remarked:

"If we walk around as a group of three, we’ll likely be pegged as treasure hunters. I suspect we aren't the only ones from our dormitory doing this tonight. Besides, staying together doesn't offer much advantage; while we can approach problems from three different angles, it also means we face three different points of disagreement. I suggest we split up and regroup in an hour and a half to share our findings."

Yue Yun agreed, and although Nisen was eager to stay with them, he eventually accepted the plan. The three then headed in different directions.

...

The Three Towers Academy was lively at night. Although the dormitories were lit, there were plenty of freshmen outside forming groups to search for treasure. This was nearly a tradition; the upperclassmen had long since given up, so they paid little mind to such activities.

Wen Xishu made his way toward the edge of the Three Towers Academy. The academy gates were closed. As an area where one could access the "Series" (powers), the academy was completely sealed off from the outside world once the gates were shut. Wen Xishu walked to the perimeter to verify a suspicion he held—a suspicion that seemed unreliable, yet he trusted his intuition.

The edge of the academy was defined by a towering wall. If one possessed the attributes of the Three Towers, such a wall would naturally pose no obstacle. But in the peripheral zones, far from the department areas, students could not utilize their tower attributes. Scaling a super-wall over sixty meters high was an impossible feat.

Wen Xishu looked up. "Dome" was what people called the ceiling of the bunker. It simulated day and night; during the day, it emitted a intense light to brighten the bunker, while at night, it simulated moonlight, leaving the bunker dim. The scene before Wen Xishu was exactly that—dim and silent. Other teams were searching for treasure near the center, but Wen Xishu had come to the very edge. It wasn't that he thought the treasure was there; in fact, he didn't believe the treasure was something hidden in a traditional sense, waiting to be dug up. He had come here primarily to test one thing.

"As I thought... my Series... has deactivated."

He had spent most of his days in the department areas, carefully observing himself. He discovered that as long as he was within a department area, he felt a special, indescribable sensation. He knew it was a special state triggered by his "Series." The defining characteristic of the department areas was the ability to use the attributes and Series of the Three Towers. What puzzled him, however, was why he could also use his Series while in the library.

"Logically, that place belongs to the academy zone. In the academy zone, I, like everyone else, should be unable to access the attributes of the Three Towers."

The effect of his "Crazy Dice" was tied to the Three Towers, not the bunker itself. Wen Xishu didn't believe his uniqueness stemmed from the dice—at least, not in this instance. Furthermore, the fact that his "Eerie-type" Series worked in both the Lust Tower and Slaughter Tower areas didn't strike him as strange. But the fact that it worked in the academy zone felt incredible.

...

He had been pondering if the Eerie-type Series functioned in all areas of the Three Towers Academy. To verify this, he had come to the school's edge. To his surprise, his Series had deactivated; that marvelous feeling was gone. This meant that at the school's edge, his Series was in an unactivated state, as if he had returned to a normal area of the bunker.

Wen Xishu concluded: "The effective range of my Eerie-type Series does not cover the entire academy. The edge of the school is part of the academy zone, where Three Towers attributes and panels cannot be used. This rule applies to the Eerie-type as well. So, when I saw those mental subtitles floating over people's heads in the library... does that mean that place doesn't actually belong to the academy zone? But in the library, everyone was just like an ordinary person, and only I could use my Series... I think I understand."

Wen Xishu had his own theories about the Three Towers Academy treasure. Now, he found the truth drawing closer to his hypothesis.

...

Late at night, Yue Yun, Wen Xishu, and Nisen met outside the academy library. Nisen shook his head, chanting, "Yo~ though I search and search, the treasure remains elusive. What clues have you found? Let's share and consult."

Yue Yun shook his head. "The Three Towers Academy by day is no different from the academy by night. If one must say there is a difference... it’s that at night, all the buildings, especially those in the academy zone, seem somewhat hazy."

Wen Xishu admired Yue Yun's memory; it was no wonder he could score full marks on academic tests. It was a pity such a person wasn't cracking codes in the Slaughter Tower. Both Yue Yun and Nisen looked at Wen Xishu.

"The library is closed," Wen Xishu said, "but we can climb the exterior. We need to reach the top floor."

Yue Yun was puzzled. "You want to break into the library? Planning to find documents now?"

Wen Xishu shook his head. "No, I don't mean to enter the library, but to reach its roof. Don't you think... that thing looks a lot like the Three Towers Academy?" He pointed to the massive brass clover atop the library. It was constantly rotating, looking like a giant fan to everyone else, looming over the building.

Yue Yun looked up. Nisen couldn't see the significance, but Yue Yun had an excellent, near-photographic memory. After watching for a moment, he closed his eyes. "A clover... indeed, the regional silhouettes of the Lust Tower Academy and the Slaughter Tower Academy are very similar to the petals of this giant brass clover. So... what does this prove? That the Lust Tower area, the Slaughter Tower area, and the academy zone form the clover?"

Wen Xishu shook his head. "That’s asymmetrical. Let’s assume this giant brass clover, which looks like a fan, truly metaphors the structure of the Three Towers Academy. If you connect the center points of the three petals, you get an equilateral triangle."

Yue Yun nodded. "Go on."

"Think carefully," Wen Xishu continued. "The academy zone, the Slaughter Tower area, and the Lust Tower area—do they form an equilateral triangle?"

Nisen shook his head. "No. The academy zone looks more like it wraps around the two department areas. The academy zone is quite large."

Yue Yun seemed to understand. "Meaning, there exists another area that could form an equilateral triangle with the Slaughter and Lust Tower areas?"

Wen Xishu kept his eyes on the sky. "Yes. Otherwise, don't you think the design of this brass clover is inexplicable? The bunker has a pleasant climate; there's no known purpose for this thing."

Yue Yun was struck by a realization, but then fell into doubt. "But as far as I know, from a plan view, there is no area in the entire academy that can form a triangle with the two department areas..."

Wen Xishu smiled mysteriously. "Not on the ground, but what about in the sky? Don't just look at the x-axis; look at the y-axis, too."

Connecting this to Wen Xishu's plan to climb the library, Yue Yun instantly understood. He looked up at the sky and sensed that there truly was some eerie energy making the surrounding buildings appear hazy. "Could it be... that there is a massive department area in the sky? How, how is this possible?"

Wen Xishu said, "If you think the treasure is hidden in some corner, waiting for anyone who digs it up to see it... that’s underestimating the upperclassmen who came before us. The treasure is likely invisible; perhaps one can only sense it by nearing a certain area."

Nisen gave a shout of excitement. There were many freshmen exploring for treasure, but Nisen felt his two companions were the most reliable. "Wen! I think you're right! Let's go, let's climb up. I've been doing parkour in the lower levels since I was a kid—my arm strength is even more impressive than my leg work!"

Nisen scurried up like a happy monkey. Wen Xishu noticed that Nisen's technique was so precise it could be used for motion capture in the *Assassin's Creed* series. Having loved parkour in his previous life, Wen Xishu's competitive spirit was piqued. Yue Yun, ever the prideful one, wasn't about to be left behind either.

The three quickly began scaling the tower, using whatever handholds they could find. There were no safety measures—the kind of climbing that usually only appeared in movies. Yet, none of them were afraid. Yue Yun trailed, Wen Xishu was second, and Nisen was in the lead. Wen Xishu hadn't expected to lose to anyone in parkour climbing; Nisen indeed possessed terrifying talent. Yue Yun, lagging two lengths behind Wen Xishu, was even more astonished. He knew Nisen was gifted in athletics, but he hadn't expected Wen Xishu to be so incredible as well.

In the dead of night, the three raced toward the top of the library. As he climbed, Wen Xishu felt it—that familiar aura he had only sensed after entering the Eerie Tower.

"Whatever it is..." Wen Xishu thought, his heart filled with anticipation, "it's getting very close."