Chapter 1571: Chapter 1572: Tower of Mechanisms

“You actually didn’t go check out the situation?”

Veronia had just sent that group of stray Spirit Beasts back when she saw Feng Yuan, who was patrolling. The enormous tower in the direction of the academy could be seen from here, and she hadn’t expected that Feng Yuan didn’t go to join the commotion.

Glancing at Veronia, Feng Yuan immediately understood that she had just sent the stray Spirit Beasts back to the Stray Spirit Beast Paradise and rolled his eyes, saying in a disgruntled tone,

“Aren’t you the same? My patrol duty isn’t finished yet. Besides, that tower… I don’t sense any malice.”

Although it was just intuition, Feng Yuan felt that the tower seemed harmless; otherwise, he wouldn’t have just sent Agunas to check it out. Hearing Feng Yuan’s words, Veronia spun her parasol, thought for a moment, and said,

“Do you really think so?”

“Just a hunch. Besides, there’s no need for him to do that. It would only cause his ‘game’ to become chaotic.”

“Game?”

Suspiciously eying Feng Yuan, Veronia felt he seemed to know something, but unlike Agunas, she wouldn’t probe further. Spinning her parasol, she said,

“Since there’s nothing, I won’t go over.”

Saying this, Veronia turned and walked towards the Stray Spirit Beast Paradise. Feng Yuan wasn’t bothered by this; if nothing’s wrong, having Agunas take a look is enough. If there was really an issue, adding Veronia might not help much.

However, during the patrol, Qi Chen kept glancing at the tower now and then. Seeing this, Feng Yuan asked curiously,

“Qi Chen, what’s up? Do you want to go back and check it out?”

“I’m worried about Yanlan…”

“Tsk, Dou Yanlan isn’t the reckless type. She wouldn’t go in there alone, and as for getting involved like the Snake Woman, I don’t see that happening. Even if Agunas couldn’t get out, it would surely try to contact me.”

Glancing at Feng Yuan, Qi Chen couldn’t quite understand what he meant. Why would Agunas consult him if it couldn’t solve the issue? But soon, he stopped pondering this matter, as the tower’s appearance caused chaos even on the now sparsely populated streets.

Many people rushed out for unknown reasons, increasing Feng Yuan and the others’ workload. They barely completed their assignments before they drove towards the academy.

“Strange, there are so few cars on the road now. Did they really tighten the controls?”

Glancing around curiously, Feng Yuan remarked. Even if people weren’t going out much, there were still more cars on the road earlier that morning. Now, besides the patrolling vehicles, there were none.

“Not sure, maybe people just aren’t going out.”

Qi Chen observed the houses on both sides of the streets through the car window. Upon returning to the academy, just as Feng Yuan parked the car, Qi Chen suggested to Feng Yuan,

“Yanlan is waiting for us at the dining hall; how about we go together?”

“Dining hall? I wonder if there’s any food left at this hour.”

Rubbing his belly, Feng Yuan said with a bit of hesitation, noticing they had returned fairly late. If there was no food there, he’d have to make dinner back at the dormitory.

“Not sure, maybe there’s still some. It sounded quite noisy over the phone, but I couldn’t tell what was going on.”

Speaking this, Qi Chen also found it strange. Standing at the parking lot, he looked up at the gigantic tower visible not far away. This peculiar tower defied the laws of physics, appearing as if it could collapse at any moment, yet stood firm. Random platforms extended from its slender structure, making the tower’s profile erratically shift from wide to narrow.

Several meaningless large gears hung on the platform’s edges, turning slowly. Observing closely, bizarre mechanical platforms could be seen moving slowly through the air, resembling a scene from a video game.

“That thing can only be described as a bizarre rule-constructed object, different from those in the Data Domain. But what does he plan to do with this? Create another Crystal Tower?”

Following Qi Chen’s gaze, Feng Yuan remarked casually. He had long recognized what it was, yet he didn’t quite understand its purpose. Veronia assessed Feng Yuan with doubt, saying,

“Aren’t you worried this thing might attract new dangers? After all, didn’t the Crystal Tower bring the Snake Woman along? This thing, it doesn’t seem any simpler than the Crystal Tower.”

“Even if I’m worried, what can be done? Tear down the tower with force? If it really were necessary, just wiping out the castle would do the job. Besides, despite its appearance, there hasn’t been any anomaly around the academy, so likely it’s harmless. But where has Agunas gone?”

Looking at Veronia, Feng Yuan asked. Until now, he hadn’t seen Agunas show up. Yet earlier, he only tasked Agunas to investigate the sudden appearance of the gigantic tower.

Veronia shook her head slightly and said,

“I have no idea. Here, the Divine Beasts’ intelligence network is severely impacted, and for now, I can’t get in touch with it. Even so, do you think there’s no problem?”

“Hmm, let’s go find Dou Yanlan and the others first and ask if they know anything about the tower. Maybe they have some insight into that peculiar structure.”

Scratching his head, Feng Yuan said with a headache. If it was indeed due to the tower that Agunas went missing, it would be quite troublesome.

Upon arriving at the canteen, Feng Yuan sensed something odd. There were too many people here. He pulled out his phone to check the time and looked around at those students who had just entered like him. Their clothing and gear were suited for outdoor combat, which meant they weren’t on academy patrol duty.

Trying to recall the tasks he saw earlier, Feng Yuan was certain that today the academy had mostly offered patrol missions. The few exceptions rarely involved combat, given the current situation. The academy wasn’t likely issuing outdoor tasks.

“Could it be that tower?”

Feng Yuan muttered to himself. The lone candidate likely causing such an anomaly was that enigmatic emerging tower, yet he himself wasn’t clear on its nature.

While Feng Yuan was thinking, Qi Chen spotted Dou Yanlan waving at them and tapped Feng Yuan’s shoulder to indicate he should come over. Seeing Tan Xueluo, Wu Dingwu, and a few other classmates there, Feng Yuan asked in confusion,

“Are you having a meeting?”

Given the situation, it was unavoidable as those gathered here were the more active members of the class primarily responsible for organizing and coordinating class activities. Glancing at Feng Yuan, Dou Yanlan said,

“Sort of. We’re discussing the matter concerning the Tower of Mechanisms.”

“The Tower of Mechanisms? You’ve been inside there?”

Scratching his head, Feng Yuan expressed surprise. Wu Dingwu nodded and said,

“Of course. That place, how to put it, is akin to a kind of level-clearing game, but the downside there is unlike a game where you don’t really get hurt.”

“So, it’s exactly as I guessed, not under the Data Domain’s rules or protection. But what’s it all for?”

Rubbing his chin, Feng Yuan said. Initially, he anticipated this potential, as the Data Domain itself was a special space, making it unlikely for someone to draw the entire domain in to use.

“Material supplies, or rather, every successful level in the Tower of Mechanisms leads to increased resources and reduced difficulty on the battlefield seen in the sky. Furthermore, it’s stated outright that the celestial battlefield, Xuanching Heavenly Kingdom, is the final stage. If victorious, we would be safely sent back to where we originally belong.”

Dou Yanlan explained while glancing at the students who constantly entered through the door, saying,

“It’s precisely because of this that everyone continues to challenge the Tower of Mechanisms.”

“It’s a vile tactic, expanding combat originally confined to the few to involve everyone.”

Expressing dissatisfaction, Feng Yuan got up to fetch his meal. Hearing Feng Yuan’s remark, everyone was taken aback, and Wu Dingwu, watching Feng Yuan’s departing figure, asked perplexedly,

“But why call it vile? Isn’t it giving everyone a chance to participate?”

“Have you forgotten? They’re coercing us to act by their rules. Moreover, during tower challenges, injuries occur; yet, to ensure the final battlefield can be conquered, we must…”

Shaking her head, Dou Yanlan further refrained from speaking. Everyone understood her meaning, and after a long silence, Wu Dingwu said,

“Whatever! Currently, there seems to be a solution, and after all, it’s only injuries. We’ll treat it as combat practice!”