Clock Tower

"The first few hours in this tower can cause nausea, what with everything contracting and dilating at the same time."

The Clock Tower is a fifth level biome.

The clock tower rises above the Stilt Village, up into the clouds. The only thing it does not look down upon is the king's keep. It is a bit nauseating to climb, although bearable. Yet... There is something one will never get used to: Time. One can feel it looping, speeding up and slowing down at the same time. The purpose of this need for time adjustments is one known by few...

Loading Screen Quotes

 * "The Time Keeper hasn't been seen for a long time. Or else very recently... Uh, wait a minute... When is now?"
 * "The first few hours in this tower can cause nausea, what with everything contracting and dilating at the same time."
 * "Some villagers claim to have seen the hands of the clock turning backward. Of course, those are just rumors..."
 * "A long time ago the Time Keeper obtained the King's permision to build this gigantic tower. No one knows the terms of the agreement."

Lore Encounters

 * The Beheaded encounters a crossing area with a series of giant floating swords, with a few weird conditions and physics attached. It seems to be somewhat disturbed by them. Upon opening the door to a room, it feels "Like I'm floating, as if everything was speeding up and slowing down at the same time."
 * A letter left by the Time Keeper indicates that she is repeating the same day over and over, as if time was rewinding every day. Indeed, the Time Keeper keeps track of all the infected people and monsters she has executed, but all her entries are classified as "Day 1". It would appear that this task is quite taxing for her, as the number of people and monsters executed per day lowers.
 * A grimoire by The Alchemist reports he found a formulation (which likely includes the Sanctuary substance as base ingredient) that slows down the mutagenic effects of the Malaise.

Secret
There is a puzzle here involving the four background bells that grants the Bell Tower Key to the door leading to Punishment's blueprint.

To solve this puzzle, the four bells must be rang from lowest pitch to highest pitch. There is a subtle visual cue as well.