Chapter 227: Starry Sea

Familiar hot tea to moisten the throat, a familiar hot towel to soothe the face.

After Wen Xishu returned, he was immediately greeted with enthusiasm. But it did not come from Jia Baer, but from the one the Principal called Zhen Baer—the Spirit.

As the Academy Spirit of the Tower of Mystery, he had been waiting for Wen Xishu’s return for a long time.

"Principal, you have worked hard. I presume your journey this time was once again quite fruitful." The Spirit’s tone was truly just like Jia Baer’s.

Wen Xishu smiled, it seemed...

Under the Principal’s instruction, Zhen Baer had gone to consult with Jia Baer.

Wen Xishu said:

"The Tower of Mystery Academy, nothing much has happened lately, right?"

The Academy Spirit wore a worried look:

"We have received quite a few complaints, many from people of the Tower of Desire Academy. They explored the Tower of Mystery Academy, and although they signed liability waivers, their disheveled appearances were projected by me onto the facilities of the Tower of Mystery Academy—"

Wen Xishu immediately interrupted the Academy Spirit:

"What do you mean?"

The Academy Spirit answered truthfully:

"You know, we are inverted. The Tower of Mystery Academy seems to enjoy a different kind of gravity."

"For those not in the Tower of Mystery Academy, such as in the campus area, students from the Tower of Slaughter Academy and the Tower of Desire Academy only need to look up to see the overlooking view of the Tower of Mystery Academy."

Wen Xishu nodded; that was how it was. The Tower of Mystery Academy was under a special force field, as if suspended upside down in the sky.

"And those who failed the challenge simulation facilities... that is, the various scenes of defeat of those who failed to challenge Ms. Tang Rui, including but not limited to, peeing themselves in fear, crying in fear, fainting in fear, talking nonsense..."

"I made them all into a highlight reel for outsiders to watch. They only need to look up to see the various scenes of challengers failing."

"But this has also led to—our academy is now being cursed at, and many people are complaining about us."

Wen Xishu rubbed his forehead:

"Who told you to take it upon yourself to do that?"

The Academy Spirit sighed:

"I may not be smart enough. I tried to guess your intentions; after all, you greeted Ms. Tang Rui and asked her to scare them into crying..."

"So I thought you wanted everyone to realize that climbing the Tower of Mystery is not easy, so I did that."

A good butler must worry before the master does.

But clearly, Zhen Baer had overdone it. After all, who would want to show their embarrassment and dishevelment to the whole school?

This group of people came aggressively, wanting to prove that the Tower of Mystery was nothing special, only to end up losing face, their dignity trampled upon.

Of course, Wen Xishu did not think this was much of a problem.

When exploring the Reverse Seven Apartment, people like Xiao Wu, A-Miao, and Wen Xinge had all experienced despair and distortion in specific rooms.

In the Psychiatric Hospital Museum, they even had to face the slaughter of monsters in a true sense.

Not to mention the sanity-draining Deer Island, and the malice-filled border of Yuncheng.

By comparison, Tang Rui’s mental intrusion was surely inferior to these places, and there was no danger to life whatsoever.

"Since it is already done, let it be. They only experienced embarrassment and dishevelment, but those who truly climb the Tower of Mystery are experiencing real danger."

"No need to pay it any mind. You did right, but next time, after guessing my intentions, you can consider a gentler approach that takes others' face into account."

Wen Xishu smiled and did not scold the Academy Spirit much.

The Academy Spirit was very grateful:

"The first batch of admissions is coming up soon. The current admission plan is as follows: first, transfer applications. That is, if any students from the Tower of Slaughter Academy and the Tower of Desire Academy are willing to come to the Tower of Mystery Academy—they can be exempt from the exam."

"Then, considering the limited capacity of the Tower of Mystery Academy, and considering that the positioning of the Tower of Mystery Academy is to cultivate elites capable of dealing with Tower of Mystery scenarios, we will conduct an exam recruitment for eighteen-year-olds."

"The exam will be arranged within a week. Currently, there are twelve students from the Tower of Slaughter who are willing to transfer to our Tower of Mystery."

"And from the Tower of Desire Academy, there is one who is willing to transfer to our Tower of Mystery."

Wen Xishu was amused by this lopsided ratio and the overall scarcity of numbers.

But Wen Xishu was not in a hurry:

"Good, just proceed as normal. We will cultivate however many we recruit."

The Academy Spirit nodded:

"Is there anything else you need me to do?"

Wen Xishu thought for a moment:

"Can you help me contact the Principal?"

The Academy Spirit bowed:

"Of course, I will contact him for you immediately. He actually just returned not long ago as well."

There were some things Wen Xishu still wanted to talk to the Principal about.

He was currently experiencing some confusion.

……

……

In the two days that Wen Xishu was away, the Tower of Mystery Academy had managed to withstand the invasion of the Tower of Desire Academy through hardcore terror.

But the resulting reputation was not very good.

After all, those unconvinced children from the Tower of Desire Academy, although each was badly frightened, some even left with psychological shadows.

Yet the Tower of Mystery Academy had actually displayed their dishevelment, making them lose face in school. This approach was morally wrong.

They could make a scene about this, they could put these matters on the scales.

But interestingly, soon after, these people realized that public opinion was not on their side.

Because—

Thanks to Wen Xishu, ninety-nine percent of the people in the bunker were no longer landlubbers.

[Based on the influence of bunker tower-climber Wen Xishu, all bunker people will gain "Iron Lungs"—the ability to hold their breath underwater for long periods.]

At first, people were a bit confused; would this ability be useful?

But soon, the Three Towers Academy, the Xishu Divine Sect, and various institutions in the bunker all began to heavily promote one thing.

Within half an hour, except for those who were still climbing the tower and had not returned, everyone still in the bunker received the news—

The ocean had arrived.

The bunker had changed from sixteen levels to seventeen levels.

And the bottom level of the bunker had become a sea area!

This scene was extremely shocking, and for a time, the elevators were full of people.

Everyone wanted to see what the sea was.

Humans cannot imagine things they have never seen out of thin air.

The sky and the ocean, for many who had not climbed the tower, were impossible to imagine.

People could only rely on illustrations in books to imagine them.

There was not a single person who did not want to see the sea, because they were people who had never seen the sea.

Even if some students had seen it in the Tower of Desire, that was only a brief glimpse.

At this moment, the scene at the bottom level was enough to shock people. The bunker’s ceiling simulated a clear blue, cloudless sky.

Thanks to people’s exploration, this sea area was vibrant with life.

There were even seabirds in the sky.

This scene was no different from a real sea area.

The students of the Tower of Desire Academy soon received the images, and the students who saw these images immediately lost all their dissatisfaction with Wen Xishu.

At least for the moment, they dared not mention it, because what Wen Xishu brought this time was too shocking.

"Iron Lungs, the ocean... we can finally play in the sea!"

"The bunker will get better and better! With Wen Xishu, maybe we... will see even more magnificent scenes?"

"I can't wait to go swimming!"

"I have to contact my dad, the swimwear industry needs to get started!"

"Yes, yes, I have to contact my dad too. I have to get on good terms with Principal Wen. If the land on the coastline can be obtained from Principal Wen, my dad’s ability will have no problem handling the Administrative Bureau! By then, I'll build a sea-view villa! Do I still need to study?"

"Well said, fishing, shipping, and angling industries all need to be set up!"

Many of the students at the Tower of Desire Academy were young masters. Although they were pampered and mostly spendthrifts, a portion of them truly had strong business acumen.

Often, these people had significant influence and good family backgrounds.

For example, the William family among the Six Great Families could almost be said to be the wealthiest family in the bunker.

The young master of the William family had already seen countless business opportunities at this moment.

Rely on the mountains, eat from the mountains; rely on the sea, eat from the sea.

The bunker relied on the Three Towers, so they could only climb the towers. But now, the bunker had a sea.

And the sea belonged to Wen Xishu, after all, it was Wen Xishu who brought it.

The young master of the William family, William Hawkner, immediately realized that Wen Xishu was truly the future of the bunker.

Originally, when the Miyamoto family, one of the Six Great Families, was bullied by Wen Xishu, he had felt some shared hatred.

But now, with interests at stake, William Hawkner had decided to properly suck up to Principal Wen.

All the plans of those students just now—had to be monopolized by the William family.

Of course, to please Wen Xishu, one had to show sincerity. A person like Wen Xishu, just like the old Principal, was very stubborn.

"Must show goodwill first."

This young master of the William family quickly made up his mind:

"I need to organize a party and invite all the students who have participated in the exploration of the Trick Tower Academy, as well as all the powerful and influential students in the Desire Tower Academy; I need to express my thoughts to them."

William Hawkner knew very well that this world originally had no roads; when many people walk, it becomes a road. And after many paths are opened up, only those who can widen the road can make that road the correct main thoroughfare.

"From today on, my William family will not allow anyone to insult Dean Wen."

……

……

The bottom level, the coastline.

There were already many people on the beach, and even quite a few in the sea.

Wen Xishu did not have that much yearning for the sea.

After all—

He had only been here for a few months, not long enough to forget what the sea was like.

Albert, on the other hand, was at the seaside, throwing punches like a little child, stirring up the waves.

This powerful strength left Wen Xishu stunned.

This was the Bunker, not the Three Towers.

Albert was simply a superman.

"Hahahaha... too interesting! Dean Wen, you have truly brought a surprise to everyone in the Bunker this time!"

Albert’s hearty laughter rang out.

Wen Xishu did not deny this.

"Principal, I have some questions I would like to ask you," Wen Xishu said.

Albert’s smile did not fade:

"It seems this experience has left you feeling lost?"

Wen Xishu decided to speak about some of his observations:

"As you know, in the Three Towers War, there are twelve powerful constellations."

Albert shrugged:

"Of course, they are a group of troublesome characters. Their existence allows me to understand, to some extent, why Old Jin refused to break through to the hundredth floor with me."

Wen Xishu said:

"They are actually enemies of each other; rumor has it that their fate is to slaughter one another, and only the one who survives to the end can become a true god."

Albert’s expression remained unchanged:

"Continue."

Wen Xishu nodded:

"As far as I know, besides the twelve constellations, there are also the Sirius constellation, Lyra, Hercules, Monoceros, and Phoenix."

"These five have very special abilities, but compared to the twelve constellations, they appear extremely weak."

"I was fortunate enough to come into contact with two of them, Phoenix and Sirius. And I have also gained their friendship."

Albert patted Wen Xishu on the shoulder and then gave a thumbs up:

"Remarkable."

At this moment, Wen Xishu also voiced his dilemma:

"I promised Phoenix that if I found the others—those five relatively weaker constellations—I would send a return letter through the guide."

"But I didn't do it. Because I also have a fairly good relationship with another constellation, Scorpio, one of the twelve."

"You might find it strange to hear... but I truly feel like Scorpio is my younger brother."

Albert was slightly moved, but he did not say much.

People at the seaside were laughing and playing, but no one dared to approach Albert and the others.

It seemed that a natural sense of oppression and aura isolated everyone.

Wen Xishu said:

"I saw the future, and the future me is doing quite well... I even helped Scorpio start to confront Leo."

"In fact, Scorpio has truly given me a lot of help."

"Scorpio longs to kill Sirius, and Phoenix longs to take Sirius in. And Sirius chose to leave me, seemingly accepting the fate arranged by Scorpio."

"So I am stuck at a node. I want Sirius to live..."

"But in the future, I will receive an invitation from Scorpio to confront Leo. I suspect that special battlefield was created by Sirius's ability."

Wen Xishu recalled that strange chessboard.

There were churches, prisons, and various other buildings. Combined with the Rune: Earth-Swamp Trapped Beast he had obtained... perhaps everything now was preparing for a future alliance with Scorpio.

"The future I saw... seems quite good. Although facing strong enemies, the future me is very composed. This future basically represents that Scorpio has obtained Sirius's ability."

"Sirius might die."

"But if I choose to send the return letter... Sirius will not die, but the future might undergo a huge change."

"I am not quite sure what I should do."

Albert gave an answer directly:

"Do not send the return letter. Respect Sirius's choice, or rather... in terms of interests, I am inclined to help Scorpio."

Wen Xishu asked:

"Why?"

Albert said:

"Phoenix is avoiding the battlefield, but we cannot avoid the battlefield."

"Look at this sea, is it beautiful? Of course it is beautiful, but if I were like you and saw the future... saw that one day people would sail in the Bunker, would marvel at the beauty of the sea in the Bunker..."

"I would not care too much about this future. It is beautiful, but it is not enough. I would rather see the future me die in cruel battle, slaughtering, than see the future me..."

"Immersed in the seascape of the Bunker."

Wen Xishu’s fingers trembled slightly; the old principal was truly a man like a sharp blade.

Albert looked at the sea:

"This sea is really good, but it is not vast enough, far from the boundless sea I have seen!"

"The ceiling above, the simulated sky is also great, but it is far inferior to the real firmament filled with stars!"

"Let Sirius die in the place where it should, let Scorpio and you defeat the enemies you truly should defeat; that is the future I want to see."

Albert was clearly smiling as he said these words, but to Wen Xishu, it felt so murderous.

This old man was never lost.

At this moment, Wen Xishu thought of Horn again.

He suddenly understood everything in an instant.

In Horn’s eyes, the Ark was not the correct answer; he longed to turn the Ark into the correct answer.

People in Longxia, the Freedom Federation, and even all over the world had their own correct answers.

By comparison, the Bunker seemed more correct than the Ark, and even more correct than all other answers. In terms of results, the Bunker was also more suitable for human habitation than the Ark.

But in Albert’s eyes, the correct answer was not the Bunker either, but the original world that belonged to humanity.

Wen Xishu’s gaze became firm:

"Alright, I know how to choose now. Thank you, old principal."

Albert laughed out loud:

"Hahahaha, Dean Wen, don't be so polite. No matter what the future holds, for now, at least for today, please enjoy this sea area."

Wen Xishu did not have much interest in the sea:

"By the way, you broke through to the ninety-seventh floor; do you have any interesting observations?"

Albert’s smile faded quite a bit. He thought for a moment:

"I actually do have some findings I want to tell you. As it happens, I should also take you... to meet my old friend."

Wen Xishu’s expression also became serious. It sounded like there was a lot of new information on the ninety-seventh floor.

(End of chapter)