Wen Xishu frowned slightly.
How could this be happening?
He carefully recalled that his attitude towards the Academy Spirit had not changed.
"Could it be the sequence..."
Is it possible that the Realm of Only Me, even if not activated, has some passive effect?
Wen Xishu thought about it and said:
"It's just a sequence aura. I do consider you my friend."
"I hope you won't be affected by this aura."
The Academy Spirit shook its head:
"As long as you clarify things, that's enough. It's just that... I'm worried it will be difficult for you to make friends in the future."
"Strangers might be reluctant to approach you because of your aura?"
Wen Xishu thought about it; it really seemed to be the case. Even at the Deceit Tower, friendships can be formed.
If this sequence is obtained...
My survival is certainly ensured, especially now that I possess Profound Meaning.
But perhaps back then Jack, Jennifer, the An Family Brothers, Tang Rui, or at the recent Spooky Bar, I would have been more readily targeted? Maybe even harder to gain the favor of the NPCs?
This is indeed a problem.
"It would be great if there were some item or rune that could eliminate the negative effects."
Wen Xishu thought about it; he still needed to climb more towers.
...
...
After leaving the Deceit Tower Academy,
Wen Xishu immediately headed towards the Wen Family's Old Mansion on the fifth floor.
He moved from the eighth floor downwards; the downward elevator was scarcely populated.
The upward elevator in the distance was filled with people. After all, the marketplace had only been open a few days, and many hadn't visited the Three Towers Academy yet.
Many, too, were eager to obtain a sequence.
Wen Xishu enjoyed the leisurely solitude, wearing a cloak with the hood covering his head, appearing like an assassin.
He exuded an aura that warned off strangers.
His face under the shadow indeed resembled that of the Sect Hierarch of Xishu Divine Teaching.
Normally, people would approach and inquire, then be surprised to find they had the luck to meet the living Dean Wen.
But today, though there were some people in the elevator, no one dared to approach Wen Xishu.
Even if that face looked similar to Dean Wen.
...
...
The fifth floor's Wen Family Old Mansion was soon reached.
Currently, there were people from the Bunker Security Bureau guarding here to prevent others from entering.
When Wen Xishu approached, he was stopped by the guards because he carried an aura that strangers found repulsive.
But once Wen Xishu revealed his face and showed his identity, all the guards became extremely respectful, their faces immediately blossoming into smiles, allowing Wen Xishu inside.
Not long ago, Wen Xishu explored the Wen Family's Old Mansion, and when Albert heard Wen Xishu say he "obtained a ticket," he immediately realized there was indeed a secret hidden in the Wen Family's Old Mansion.
Of course, he wasn't concerned about the secret, but he knew Wen Xishu cared about it.
So the old principal quickly initiated an action, which was to dig through old records.
Simply put, he began having Liu Jinsen investigate which families were involved in dividing up the Wen Family's assets.
He granted Liu Jinsen special privileges, from the Civil Affairs Bureau to the Security Bureau, even the elders had to cooperate with Liu Jinsen, damaged items needed repairing, lost items needed recovering, transported items needed returning.
Simply put, it was to restore the Wen Family as close as possible to its original state.
The old principal did this secretly, without letting Wen Xishu know.
So when Wen Xishu saw many Wen Family items appearing, and even the Cupid statue in the courtyard wiped clean of dust...
He immediately understood that although the Wen Family had not been rehabilitated, the principal truly wished to help him uncover the Wen Family's secret.
There was a warmth in his heart.
Even the fool within him stirred emotionally.
Wen Xishu headed straight to Wen Chaohua's room. Passing the study, Wen Xishu noticed many items were already arranged.
But these items didn't trigger any special plot for him.
Nonetheless, he was grateful in his heart for everything the old principal had done.
Soon, Wen Xishu entered his brother's room.
He saw that photograph.
Last time, when he stared at the photograph, he heard three words, still not enough.
So he pondered that his Anti-Magic Value was yet insufficient.
This time when Wen Xishu explored the Old Mansion again, he finally heard a different sound.
The photograph began to show patterns like autumn water ripples.
Wen Xishu immediately approached.
But soon he stopped.
Something was off.
"This is..."
Wen Xishu could not believe what he saw; Wen Chaohua in the photograph was actually stepping out from the frame.
Those ripples seemed to disturb the space.
It's important to know this was within the Bunker, a conventional building, a residence not in the Three Towers Academy District.
This eerie energy fluctuation should logically only occur within the Academy District of the Three Towers.
Even though he realized this last time, witnessing the exaggerated scene of surrounding space distortion...
Wen Xishu was still utterly shocked.
"Little Tree, you've grown so much."
Wen Chaohua's figure was no longer blurry but incredibly realistic.
At this moment, Wen Xishu felt a tremendous emotional impact.
"Don't be silly, this is merely a trace your brother left behind..."
Wen Xishu immediately tried to make the fool understand, this wasn't the real Wen Chaohua.
Indeed, it's not the real Wen Chaohua.
It's merely a method of Wen Chaohua's.
Wen Chaohua smiled at Wen Xishu:
"I'm not currently in the Bunker, I am on the Three-Tower Battlefield. This photograph is my last resort. There're too many things to entrust to you, but back then, you probably hadn't been found yet by... another Little Tree from the Evil Land."
"So, you might not understand. But now, I can tell you part of the secret."
"Mainly your exploration isn't enough, Little Tree, next I'll tell you about some of my experiences."
"But you can only get part of it because a complete secret will attract causative markers; only when your Anti-Magic Value is high enough can I be confident you've explored many things."
"Firstly, I need to tell you, or tell you all... you are all my younger brothers; you are not the same person, yet you are indeed the same person."
A chain of words left Wen Xishu entirely stunned.
He actually somewhat felt it last time...
Wen Chaohua knew of his existence, knew he and the fool were a dual-soul entity.
But this time, it was truly confirmed.
Wen Xishu was shocked; did Wen Chaohua know he came from the Evil Land?
Was this crossing actually designed?
"I've always been curious about the meaning of the Three Towers."
"Come to think of it, it's weird, I've always felt… I seem not to belong to the Bunker."
"I seem to be born with memories of outside the Bunker."
"In dreams I've seen blue skies and oceans, even before I knew they existed."
"People cannot imagine things they haven't seen. But when textbooks described, before the Bunker era, humans lived in cities with skies and seas... my mind conjured images of the sky and sea."
"It's a secret that seems trivial but I've always kept to myself, afraid to speak it to anyone."
"I always felt it was an extremely important secret."
"I've been continually exploring this secret, exploring its origin."
"At the same time, I've been seeking an answer to a question."
"That is, why you, brother... are inherently deficient."
"Strangely, everyone doesn't quite like you, but I care greatly, feeling an enormous sense of owed responsibility towards you."
"I really wish for you to be like normal people... no, even surpass them."
"I believe that's the meaning of my exploration of the Three Towers, to rid you of mockery, to give you autonomous capability, that's my aim."
"Dad and Mom say it's your congenital defect, everyone has a fate, but I refuse to accept such fate."
"Each time I enter the Deceit Tower, it seems I can befriend the backstage monsters, and whenever I make friends, I ask if there's a way to make people smarter."
"It's a lengthy process."
"But after all, I found some clues, on the 31st floor of the Desire Tower, I met someone who told me maybe your brother… isn't complete."
"That we need to find a way to complete it. He also told me a method for completion."
Wen Xishu felt a thud inside; he guessed correctly, his arrival had a connection with Wen Chaohua!
Wen Xishu didn't know the specific method yet, but his greater curiosity was—
Who was the person telling Wen Chaohua the method?
(Feels like I'm sick again, damn it, I woke up at one o'clock, sorry, it's a bit late today!)