Chapter 17: The Tower’s Grand Revelation

Lu Zhichuan harbored a strong suspicion that he was seeing things.

Before his nap, after dropping the children off at school, he was certain he had been in his own apartment. Or so it seemed.

So why, upon waking from his slumber, had Su Qingyao appeared in his living room?

Indeed, the young woman, clad in a seasonal, inexpensive shirt and a pleated skirt, sat gracefully on the sofa.

His clothes, which had been strewn haphazardly, were now neatly folded into stacks, leaving ample personal space for Su Qingyao.

“If I may ask,” Lu Zhichuan began, “Qingyao, how exactly did you get into my home?”

“Senior, you *should* be saying: ‘Thank you, Qingyao, for tidying up my living room.'”

Su Qingyao playfully crossed one leg over the other, explaining with a teasing lilt in her voice:

“And not asking me why this poor, abandoned set of keys happened to be on my bed, just waiting for me to find them, you see~”

“So my keys ended up with you,” Lu Zhichuan realized.

He finally understood. No wonder he had searched for ages upon returning home, ultimately resorting to climbing through a window.

Su Qingyao’s gently swaying leg stilled as she lowered it, her expression turning serious. “Senior Lu Zhichuan, I have some questions for you.”

“Ask away.”

Lu Zhichuan yawned, well aware that Su Qingyao’s words were merely a polite prelude.

Su Qingyao casually placed the keys on the coffee table.

“I’d like to ask specifically, what kind of organization is ‘The Tower’?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to ask Booboo about that?”

Lu Zhichuan was somewhat surprised.

He had expected a more sensitive topic.

“Senior Lu Zhichuan, have you forgotten? Booboo is constantly by Su Muxue’s side.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Aren’t mythical creatures supposed to view their contractors as subordinates?”

Su Qingyao pointed to herself, her face devoid of expression.

“Alright, never mind then.” Lu Zhichuan raised his hands in surrender.

The daughter of a rule-breaker was also a rule-breaker; that was probably the gist of it.

Lu Zhichuan cleared his throat.

“Ahem, let’s cut the small talk.”

“Theoretically speaking, ‘The Tower,’ ‘The Academy,’ and ‘The Museum’ are three distinct factions of super-powered organizations, all subordinate to the institution known as ‘The Council.'”

“Leaving the others aside for a moment, The Tower represents the spellcaster organization to which the Magical Girls belong.”

“However, I recall that the various branches within the same faction don’t seem to originate from the same type of calamity, do they?”

Su Qingyao tilted her head in confusion.

“Precisely. That’s why The Tower is a collective term,” Lu Zhichuan replied, a smile playing on his lips as if proudly introducing his own creation.

“In other words, each branch possesses its own ‘Tower,’ and the Magical Girls’ Tower is located right here in Dawn City.”

“What about Magical Girls in other cities, then?”

“Of course, they’ll have their own ways to reach The Tower, but ultimately, there is only one such Tower.”

“As for why I’m so certain—you’ll understand once you see it for yourself, Qingyao.”

“To symbolically demonstrate their subordination to The Council, the authority for ranking and assessing super-powered individuals was handed over to the Public Security Bureau, which is directly affiliated with The Council. In return, this granted a higher degree of freedom within each branch, allowing them to reorganize departments and establish subordinate units as they saw fit.”

“It sounds like the relationship between The Tower and The Council isn’t exactly amicable.”

“It’s not just The Tower; the other two factions also harbor a certain degree of resentment towards The Council in some aspects.”

“But what does it matter?”

“As long as they align on the major objectives, that’s sufficient.”

Leaning against the doorframe, Lu Zhichuan rubbed his hands together indifferently.

“After all, all those relics we accumulated are now in The Council’s hands. Just bringing them out would be enough to give these current kids a run for their money.”

‘Wow, it sounds like Senior Lu Zhichuan had a hand in the establishment of all these organizations.’

‘It seems Senior Lu Zhichuan wasn’t entirely idle after his retirement.’

Su Qingyao was secretly astonished.

‘This is practically the declaration of a mastermind operating from the shadows!’

“Oh, right, Qingyao.”

Lu Zhichuan suddenly remembered something. “Since you’re already here, why don’t you make me some lunch?”

“Huh?” ‘Does he think I’m some kind of housekeeper?’

“But I already ordered takeout for you, Senior.”

Su Qingyao refused with a poker face; she had a very busy day ahead.

“…I’ll help you organize the detailed information for the other departments as well,” Lu Zhichuan offered, sounding resigned.

“Oh, it seems the delivery rider has been captured by a monster,” Su Qingyao chirped.

She tilted her head, a sweet smile gracing her lips. “It appears I, your junior, will have to cook for Senior Lu Zhichuan after all.”

Today’s Magical Girl was quite mischievous indeed.

****

“Turn left, then go straight for one kilometer.”

Wanting to conceal her appearance, the young woman had hastily donned a baseball cap before heading out that afternoon.

Wearing headphones borrowed from Lu Zhichuan, Su Qingyao navigated the streets of Dawn City’s Southern District, following the GPS directions after disembarking the bus.

As the third district to be developed after the Eastern District, the Southern District’s most prominent characteristic was its “chaos.”

From this district onward, supernatural elements had almost entirely permeated urban planning. However, due to a lack of experience in such designs, even crossroads were often difficult to maintain. Various towering skyscrapers frequently stood out, interspersed among smaller, diverse buildings.

If one didn’t use navigation like Su Qingyao.

The most sensible method was actually to use specific tall buildings as landmarks and simply “fly” to one’s destination.

In fact, the young woman needed only to glance up slightly to spot super-powered individuals frequently traversing between rooftops and skyscrapers.

Sometimes, they were even engaged in lively chases.

It was the kind of spectacle that made Su Qingyao pay attention, even worrying if she might get caught up in the trouble herself.

It was in such an environment that a structure like “The Tower,” clearly designed with supernatural elements at its core, didn’t appear out of place.

Out of the corner of her eye, Su Qingyao caught sight of a faint stream of light, guiding her gaze upward toward the light’s destination.

At first glance, it was easy to mistake it for a hundred-meter-tall tree, yet upon closer inspection, it was entirely different.

A ring-shaped low-rise building formed its foundation, from which a thick central trunk gradually extended upward. Several diagonally protruding branches emerged from it, or perhaps a few small, balcony-like rooms jutted out.

Where a tree canopy should have been atop the main trunk, instead, countless steel cables and curved structures of an indiscernible material fanned out, anchored to the trunk and its branches. These ultimately supported a constantly glowing, multicolored “sun.”

The stream of light that had drawn the young woman’s gaze upward emanated from this sun.

Su Qingyao recognized it. Just like a Magical Girl’s signature attack, the laser cannon, this was a manifestation of an extreme concentration of magic.

“How utterly extravagant,” she murmured.

Amassing such a colossal amount of magic was a genuine miracle, something even she would find difficult to achieve. Even if it couldn’t be directly utilized, an immense quantity of natural magic would naturally dissipate from it.

From this perspective, Senior Lu Zhichuan’s pride was entirely justified.

The only question was this:

After Su Qingyao herself had died all those years ago, what method could possibly have been used to create such a massive source of magic?

Recalling Lu Zhichuan’s deliberate attempt to build suspense.

Su Qingyao’s lips curved into a dissatisfied pout, and her fingers traced the brim of her cap.

She was determined to find out what secret Senior Lu Zhichuan was so keen on keeping.

And so, with mischievous intent, Su Qingyao slowly stepped into The Tower, the sanctuary of the Magical Girls.

The moment she crossed the threshold and entered The Tower, a distinct and intense emotion blossomed within the young woman’s heart, radiating from the magic core nestled within her chest.

Su Qingyao’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Without a doubt, this was the most surprising moment since her awakening.

Atop The Tower, a fragmented piece was being pieced together.

A fragment of the destroyed homeland belonging to those “mythical creatures.”

No wonder it was said to be “the only” Tower.