The scripts and diagrams on the wall described the process of activating the mechanism, channeling the crystal’s energy through the gears and rings, setting the entire Tower in motion.
The engravings pulsed with a residual energy, as if the Tower itself mourned the loss of its lifeforce, the shattered crystal.
This mechanism, though now silent and inert, exuded a sense of latent power and dark majesty.
It stood as a testament to an advanced and mysterious civilization, its craftsmanship both a marvel and an enigma, promising untold potential if only its source of energy could be restored.
And Northern now stood as the first sentient being to ever unravel those true meanings since the Tower’s appearance.
If the Tower could really move, then it was no mystery how they suddenly found it in this land after the rifts started appearing.
But this would mean that the Tower, at that time, had a pilot… it was highly improbable that the Tower had just happened to move on its own.
With the core of the gear—the crystal—broken, Northern suspected that something significant must have occurred here.
He admired the gear for a couple more seconds, wishing he could truly control the Tower’s mechanism and move it.
There’d be absolutely no need for him to search for some damn flying ship.
He took the shards of crystal, they were gray and lusterless, seeming lifeless.
Then he used [Soul Eyes] on it.
[Item]
Name: [Vae’ri]
Type: [Utility]
Rank: [Unknown]
Description: [This crystal is cut out from the tree of Ayuva’s citadel]
‘That’s all?’
That’s all.
Northern turned his eyes around, taking in the magnanimous entirety of the room.
The Tower could move, he knew that but right now, it was probably impossible to make it move.
Except one way was to cut out another crystal from this tree in Ayuva’s citadel.
Where is Ayuva’s citadel?
Who is Ayuva?
And how the hell could a crystal be cut out of a tree?
Northern had many questions but for now, decided that he would put them on hold.
After the description for the operation of the mechanism for the Tower’s motion, started a complex but amazing storytelling.
One that Northern had been searching for all the while.
Right at the entrance of the topmost room was where it started.
It was a personal chronicle.
One that the owner of the Tower must have carved… the purpose for now was still unknown.
However, Northern began to read.
The scripts were arranged vertically, from top to bottom, so he had to crane his neck for a little while.
For someone with ordinary eyesight, even if they could understand the language, reading it that far up was impossible.
But it wasn’t for Northern who now had Chaos Eyes. He could discern every letter, carefully reading along.
It took time but Northern was oblivious to the passage of time.
His legs moved slowly as his reading progressed.
At some point, a loud thunderstorm resounded outside the Tower, one that caused an incandescent reflection of light to blink.
But it quickly disappeared, chased away by the calm and peaceful darkness of this Sentinel Tower.
Northern meanwhile was not even aware of all this, he just continued to read.
Sometimes, his expression would pale, sometimes he would narrow his eyes to slits, other times his eyes would widen with realization.
There were even times when he chuckled.
A couple of hours later, the entire Tower began to tremble heavily, but Northern was not concerned.
Raven, who was buried in a pile of books, immediately shot her head up to discern what was going on.
She paused for a minute since the trembling seemed to have stopped.
And as she returned to her reading, it happened again.
She rose to her feet and walked out of the room she was in, crossing the bridge to the stairs and winding down to go to another bridge that now connected to the lower room before hers.
Where Helena was.
The Feral Sage, just like her too, was standing before a shelf of books, one particularly in her hand, her eyes briskly scanning its text.
She raised her head to look at Raven, who entered with her usual gentle composure.
“I think it’s the sandstorm,” Helena said, knowing very well the reason why Raven was here.
“I see… but how powerful is the sandstorm for it to make the Tower tremble?”
Helena put her finger in between the pages she was reading and lowered the book, giving Raven all her attention.
“The driving force of that sandstorm is a monster… don’t be shocked, it’s that powerful… enough to make a massive Tower like this one tremble.”
Both of them were silent for a while.
Then Helena inquired:
“What about flower boy?”
“I’m shocked as to how engrossed he is in those symbols. He didn’t even flinch when I came close to him. Right now, he’s on the third floor.”
Helena looked down for a moment.
“Seven more floors to go, huh.”
“Why?” Raven asked.
“Obviously, because we need to share information. Somehow, I have a feeling that whatever is on those walls are the most important thing in this Tower. There’s a lot of strange things happening here, but I believe your flower boy must be a crucial key to unlocking it.”
“Aren’t you placing too many expectations on him?” Raven asked with one raised brow.
Helena shrugged with both shoulders.
“I’m not the one that can read texts… but aye, aye, no expectations of any sort, all we need is information to get what we are looking for.”
Raven looked away for a second.
“There was no record of the Lord of Lotherliwan entering the Tower.”
“He probably didn’t,” Helena added.
Raven looked outside,
“Which makes Northern the first?”
“Exactly. Makes him quite special, doesn’t it… if only he would actually prove to be more.”
Raven turned back to her, but with a deep frown.
Her frown caused Helena to inquire arrogantly,
“What?”
“Don’t do that…” fiercely Raven intoned.
“Don’t do what?”
“Don’t project your thoughts on him like that. He is what he is and will be what he will be. You are not the moral compass of this group.”
Helena raised her chin a bit.
“It’s cute seeing you take his side like that. Moral compass?” She scoffed, “I wouldn’t even dream of being such a wretched thing. I just want to get this over with and leave this land as a Victor, not a Runner.”
Once more, the Tower trembled.