I am the Entertainment Tycoon-Chapter 938: Gathering Clues I: The Hidden Picture

Ground Floor, Flower Bunny Inn.

Exactly 1 hour after Theo and his friends started searching throughout the inn for clues to solve the mystery, they gathered once again at the Layout Room to discuss what they found.

Theo, Max, Kin, and Shoko were responsible for searching the basement. Ayia, Aurora, Ryoko, and Gwen were responsible for searching the ground floor. Kaori, Sam, Lauren, and Sayuri were responsible for the inn's first floor. And finally, Shizuka, June, Kumiko, and Grandma Iko were responsible for searching through the second floor. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Theo and his team appeared to have emerged from clouds of dust. But they showed happy expressions with what they had found. Ayia and her team also showed satisfied expressions after searching through the ground floor; they seemed to be discussing something about numbers. Kaori and her team talked to each other between whispers as they pointed to their phones; it seemed they were looking at some pictures. And lastly, Shizuka's team was seen discussing something as well, but it seemed that their theme seemed to be constellations.

Theo, seeing this scene, was sure that each team had found something on their search.

"Okay, guys, let's start our discussion." Theo suddenly said loudly.

Everyone looked at him with expectation.

"How about we start with the basement team and then each subsequent floor team goes?" He proposed.

Everyone nodded, and soon it was Theo's turn to explain their findings.

"Just as Grandma Iko explained, the basement is divided into two sections. The Service Area serving the inn and the storage area." Theo started.

"Yeah, we started searching through the Service Area, but after going through every inch and nook of it, we didn't find anything related to our mystery." Max chimed in as he shook his head.

"After seeing we wouldn't find anything on the Service Area, we headed to the storage area," Theo said.

"I have to tell you guys. That place was hella creepy." Kin said with a chuckle.

The four of them described the storage area, and the girls who get scared easily were thankful that they were in the team responsible for searching through that place.

"We even had to use flashlights to search; otherwise, we wouldn't be able to see clearly down there," Max commented.

"Anyways, we searched through every wall and pillar in the basement. But we didn't find anything. The basement walls are basically bare of anything." Shoko commented.

"Seeing that, we decided to start searching through the things stored there, like the boxes, objects, furniture, and others," Kin said.

"There were so many things there!" Max commented, "We had searched for a good while without finding anything when Theo said he had found something."

Theo nodded as he picked up a box and placed it on the table.

The box was clearly old as the time had left marks on it.

"What is it?" Ayia asked curiously.

"Hmm, it could be nothing." Theo commented as he opened the box, "But I found it especially interesting."

Everyone's eyes, usually sharp and observant, now held a shared look of pure curiosity. They leaned in, a collective murmur of anticipation rising as they gazed at the object Theo held.

Inside the discovered container was a drawing, rendered on what was unmistakably ancient paper. The texture was brittle and yellowed with age, the ink faded in places, all testaments to its immense antiquity. However, as their initial surprise at its age subsided, their eyes focused on the image itself. It was a simple, mottled sketch, depicting what appeared to be a room. But at first glance, no one could see any connection, any hint whatsoever, to the complex mystery they were so desperately trying to unravel.

A voice, laced with bewilderment, broke the silence. "What is this?"

Another chimed in, their voice tinged with disbelief. "Am I the only one seeing a drawing of what looks like a perfectly ordinary room?"

A ripple of amusement passed through the group. "Theo must be losing his marbles," someone quipped, their tone light and playful.

The jest was met with laughter, and even Theo joined in, a wide grin on his face. "I had the exact same reaction as you guys," he admitted, his voice suddenly taking on a more serious, suspenseful tone. "But that was before..." He paused, letting the unspoken question hang in the air, drawing everyone closer.

"Before what?" a voice prompted, eager to hear the continuation.

"Before I read *this*," Theo declared, his hand moving with deliberate grace as he carefully flipped the ancient paper over.

On the reverse side, previously hidden from view, they could now see words meticulously inscribed. The script was archaic, clearly written in Old English, a language that, while challenging, was still decipherable by their learned minds. As they collectively pieced together the faded letters, a specific phrase emerged:

'The house of flower and hare.'

The moment those words were read aloud, an audible gasp swept through the group. The air crackled with a sudden, electrifying realization, and a wave of profound shock washed over them.

"No way!" one exclaimed, their voice a mixture of disbelief and awe.

"Those words... they're from the poem inscribed on the key we found!" another sputtered, their eyes wide with astonishment.

"That's incredible! Utterly incredible!" a third person breathed, the sheer improbability of the discovery dawning on them.

A surge of excitement erupted, and everyone instinctively crowded around Theo, their gazes darting between the drawing and the cryptic inscription, scrutinizing every detail with renewed intensity.

Once the initial fervor subsided and everyone had had a proper look, their faces transformed. The confusion and playful skepticism were replaced by expressions of pure, unadulterated excitement.

"This drawing... It's definitely from Woodwright!" a voice declared with absolute certainty, recognizing the distinctive artistic style.

"I agree! And this room he's drawn here," another added, pointing at the sketch, "might very well be the very place we've been searching for! The hidden location tied to our mystery!"

"It's absolutely brilliant! Without knowing the poem from the key, there's no way anyone would ever associate this simple drawing with our grand mystery," someone mused, marveling at the subtle brilliance of the clue. "Those words simply point to the inn itself, a seemingly innocuous detail!"

A renewed wave of enthusiastic analysis swept through the group. They began dissecting the drawing with fervent energy, theorizing about every line, every shadow, and every symbol, now armed with the knowledge that this ancient artifact held a direct and vital connection to their quest. The "house of flower and hare" was no longer just a poetic phrase; it was a tangible clue, brought to life by an ancient drawing.

Soon, it was Ayia's turn to explain their findings.

"It's our turn." Ayia said with a smile, "And I assure you guys, what we found is groundbreaking!"

Aurora, Ryoko, and Gwen, who had searched the ground floor as well, nodded in agreement.

Seeing their attitude, the whole group became curious about what they had found.

"The whole ground floor is enormous, so we decided to search first through the places we thought had the highest chances to hide clues." Ayia started explaining.

She explained how the group searched throughout the east garden every inch, but found nothing.

"It was then that Aurora noticed something interesting about the inn's layout," Ayia said as she looked at Aurora with a smile.

Aurora replied with a shy smile, "It's nothing amazing. I'm sure the sempais who searched the first and second floors noticed something as well. But this inn's original layout had a triangle for inspiration!"

As soon as Aurora said that, everyone turned their heads to the floor layouts plastered on the walls, and they showed enlightened expressions. Especially Kaori and Shizuka's team, who had searched the first and second floors.

"That's right!"

"I kind of suspected before, but after hearing Aurora, there is indeed a high amount of triangles everywhere throughout the inn!

Aurora nodded, her expression calm as if she had anticipated their reactions. "And there is more," she continued, her voice drawing everyone in. "It seems that Woodwright was searching for a kind of perfect, balanced harmony when he built this inn. He meticulously incorporated symmetry into every aspect of its design. Look here..."

She began to meticulously point out instances of symmetrical congruence and the recurring use of triangle shapes throughout the inn's architecture. As Aurora elaborated on the precise geometric principles at play – how one side of a hallway mirrored another, how the placement of windows created perfect reflections, how even the roof trusses formed repeating triangular patterns – the crowd's initial skepticism began to transform into a dawning realization. The sheer pervasiveness of these geometric motifs led them to believe that Woodwright wasn't merely building, but was perhaps intensely, even obsessively, focused on symmetry and triangles.

"At first, we had our suspicions, but we lacked concrete evidence to truly prove Aurora's theory about Woodwright's intentional construction methods," Ayia suddenly chimed in, her eyes gleaming with newfound excitement. "But just a few minutes ago, we discovered something that might serve as definitive proof that Aurora's hypothesis is indeed correct."

With a dramatic flourish, she pointed to a detailed illustration of the inn's grand main staircase, displayed alongside a blueprint of the inn's layout.

"Have you all observed the main staircase?" Ayia inquired, her gaze sweeping across the captivated faces.

A chorus of nods confirmed that the staircase was indeed familiar to most.

"The main staircase," Ayia explained, "is strategically positioned at a remarkably significant point within an equilateral triangle. This specific location is known by several names, including the incenter and the centroid. In essence, it represents a crucial nexus of geometric importance within an equilateral triangle. Now, if Woodwright, as Aurora suggests, deliberately built this entire inn incorporating these elaborate symmetries and triangular patterns, it stands to reason that he would mark or emphasize the most vital point of such a fundamental triangle, wouldn't he?"

"Yes!" the crowd responded in unison, their anticipation building.

"And Woodwright, it appears, has indeed left a clue right there!" Ayia exclaimed, her voice laced with unconcealed enthusiasm. "I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the concept of the Golden Triangle and its connection to the Fibonacci Spiral?"