Blazing Paths to the Throat of the Star Spirit

It was not difficult for Delegation Leader Xie to see that Kawatua was being generous at someone else's expense. In truth, this was of little consequence. First of all, Great Shun was not particularly concerned about such details, as they could not take possession of it anytime soon anyway. Furthermore, Great Shun was well aware that the origins of certain things were dubious and might not belong to Kawatua at all. But if Kawatua treated them as its own to offer, Great Shun was more than happy to acknowledge it; in any case, securing nominal ownership came first. In diplomacy, when two powers dealt with each other, they sometimes looked to the long term rather than the gains and losses of the moment. In this matter, both sides took what they needed, and Great Shun had not gotten the short end of the stick. Now that the true masters of the holy land had appeared, however, he needed to give careful thought to how to handle the situation. After weighing the options swiftly, he made up his mind on the spot. Even before arriving, there had already been a plan concerning how to treat the First Folk of today. Now, the appearance of this key happened to fill in a crucial piece. Seeing that the First Folk below were still agitated and indignant, he soothed them before asking, "Have any of you been to the Throat of the Star Spirit?" Assuming Xie was worried about being unable to find the place, the one-eyed elder hastily said, "I have been there. When I was young, I went with our tribe's priest. But because the key was incomplete, we could only stay on the outermost perimeter to worship the myriad spirits. Still, I know the way. If Great Shun agrees to help us, I am willing to be your guide." Delegation Leader Xie knew the general location of the Throat of the Star Spirit; it was a well-known place. In fact, people from the Federation government had gone there several times based on ancient records, but because they lacked certain keys, they had never managed to find anything. When Kawatua had put this place up as collateral, they had provided an ancient map. Later, Great Shun secretly dispatched scouts to inspect it and indeed found traces of esoteric rituals. However, they were quite well concealed; without the map, one could never hope to find them. Yet without the proper method, activating an esoteric ritual would cause an immense commotion. Furthermore, without the cooperation of specialists and formidable martial artists, forcing an entry might not succeed, so the matter had been temporarily shelved. He considered the matter for a moment, glanced at the spearhead, and then looked at the First Folk watching him with apprehensive, tense gazes. With utmost seriousness, he said, "I am willing to believe you. I accept this item. The aid you require, I can provide." These simple, earnest First Folk instantly grew thrilled, while a surge of feeling trusted welled up within them. Had they not been in the consulate, they would have burst into cheers. "However..." That single word from Delegation Leader Xie made them tense again. "How to deliver the supplies to you—that is an issue." The one-eyed elder hurried to say, "We have considered that! There are small Federation companies willing to do business with us. We often buy supplies from them and can trust them. We can have them help transport the goods, or place them in designated locations beforehand, and we can use the river routes to ship them back—" He rattled off several plans in succession, and members of the neighboring tribes nodded repeatedly, clearly in agreement. Delegation Leader Xie smiled faintly. These First Folk were thinking far too simply. There were bound to be Federation informants within those transport companies. Selling ordinary daily necessities was one thing—the merchants made a profit—but when it came to firearms and implants, it was an entirely different story. Moreover, certain weapons and implants required an entire maintenance system, necessitating technical specialists to guide them. Yet these tribes were too widely scattered, which objectively inflated the cost of providing aid. Seeing that he did not seem to approve, the one-eyed elder cautiously asked for his counsel. Delegation Leader Xie said, "If I recall, your ancient texts record that the Throat of the Star Spirit is hidden among towering mountains and caverns, filled with countless caves connecting to every fertile land, capable of sheltering all living beings upon the earth?" A surge of pride welled within every First Folk present. "Yes! That is the sacred land of our Isutar people!" "Then what if your tribes were to migrate there?" Delegation Leader Xie asked. He spoke in an encouraging tone. "Since the Zayites could build a vast settlement in Kawatua, why can't you Isutars build a settlement centered around your sacred land?" He looked across the room at everyone present. "By gathering your strength together, you can utilize the terrain to defend against enemies, and it will also be far more convenient for us to provide aid." The First Folk looked at one another, their hearts stirring with temptation. If they could truly replicate Kawatua, they could become another sanctuary for the continent's First Folk. Someone could not help asking, "But how are we supposed to get there?" If it were only one or two people, it would be fine. But their entire tribes had already been forced from their ancestral lands. Tribes like Tahu's and Awan's had been driven all the way north. How could tribes numbering tens of thousands make their way back there? They would surely be intercepted by the Federation along the road. Delegation Leader Xie nodded and said, "I remember that you Isutars have a tradition of hewing ancient mountain paths and riverbed channels." The so-called ancient mountain paths were trails winding through mountains and forests, while the riverbed channels were sunken pathways running along river bottoms. Traditional Isutars believed that only by traveling through these secluded places could they commune with the spirits of their ancestors. During the dynasty's golden age, these paths were carved into nearly every corner of the south, extending toward the east and north. Many tribal men, upon coming of age, would find ways to travel back along these routes to worship their ancestors. Though many tribes no longer resided in their original lands, a considerable number of those paths remained intact. Recalling the glory of their ancestors, the one-eyed elder felt a brief stir of emotion, but his gaze soon dimmed again. Lowering his head, he said, "Many of our books and records have been lost. We only know a fraction of the ancient routes." "That doesn't matter," Delegation Leader Xie said. "I may be able to help." "Truly?" The one-eyed elder snapped his head up. Every First Folk turned to Xie with pleasant surprise and excitement. Delegation Leader Xie nodded. He knew for certain that such a map still existed. A faction of Isutar nobles had fled to Kawatua and brought it with them. A visiting scholar from Great Shun had been fortunate enough to view that collection. As long as they managed to obtain the map from Kawatua, this matter would become much simpler. The ancient paths held profound meaning for the Isutars. Walking them to commune with their ancestors was the yearning and hope of every single one of them. Thus, having received an affirmative reply, everyone—including the one-eyed elder—once again pledged that all ancient treasures within the sacred land could be given to Great Shun in exchange for aid to all their tribes. Delegation Leader Xie spoke with them a bit longer before having them escorted to their accommodations. Afterward, he continued attending to the remaining affairs until eleven o'clock, when he had to attend a midnight opera. Past four o'clock the next morning, he returned from the theater and took a dose of medicine. He instructed his driver, "Head outside the city. I need to meet with Section Chief Chen." The driver nodded, and the armed convoy set off toward the city outskirts. The Covert Operations Directorate personnel tailing them immediately contacted their operations office to report the situation, handing off surveillance to another team. Once outside the city, the convoy drove straight to the hotel and came to a stop. After heading upstairs, Xie knocked on the door. Chen Chuan had already received advance notice and was waiting inside. Inviting Xie in, Delegation Leader Xie said, "Section Chief Chen, I have a plan that may require your assistance and cooperation." Chen Chuan said, "Please, Delegation Leader Xie, go ahead." Delegation Leader Xie recounted the discussion with the First Folk visitors from the previous day, then added, "If we can foster another settlement of the First Folk at the Throat of the Star Spirit, it will be immensely valuable in pinning down the West Coast. It can buy us more time to consolidate our hold on the Outer Ocean, and incidentally relieve some pressure on Kawatua. I would like to ask for your cooperation in making a trip there, Section Chief Chen, to see whether the location meets the conditions we envision." He said solemnly, "Those First Folk have no professional training, and we cannot rule out the possibility that some have been bought off. There is a high probability this information will leak. Once the Federation's Covert Operations Directorate or even the Strategic Affairs Department learns of it, they are likely to take action. That is why only you can handle this, Section Chief Chen." Chen Chuan thought it over. If the Federation learned of this, they would definitely make a move. Perhaps the forces originally slated for Kawatua would even divert here instead. And that was likely precisely what Delegation Leader Xie aimed to achieve: opening a new theater of confrontation on the periphery while easing the pressure on Kawatua. This did not conflict with his own intentions. As a mission-bearing member of the delegation, it was understood that he could procure whatever materials he needed for himself. That being the case, if he entered the sacred valley, he might very well find some of the things he required inside. He nodded. "Delegation Leader Xie, I agree." "Good!" Delegation Leader Xie had immense confidence in Chen Chuan. With the latter's agreement, the matter was already half-won. He said, "Then I will file a report to the higher-ups immediately upon my return. But we cannot delay; we must make our moves now. That leaves perhaps only fifteen to twenty days of preparation time. Section Chief Chen, on your end—" Chen Chuan said, "No problem on my end." Delegation Leader Xie stood up delighted and shook his hand. "Section Chief Chen, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave this in your hands." Chen Chuan shook his hand. "Leave it to me." Delegation Leader Xie nodded and took his leave. After seeing him off, Chen Chuan returned to his room to continue his cultivation. Over the next ten days, he did not step outside the hotel once. In the eyes of the monitors watching him, he was simply a martial artist utterly indifferent to anything outside, doing nothing day in and day out but cultivating. Then, on the eleventh day after the delegation's arrival in the Federation, the shipment of resources from Great Shun crossed the ocean and was delivered to the hotel. Chen Chuan inspected them upon receipt. It was a batch of synthetic pharmaceuticals; while not of the highest quality, they were serviceable enough. Furthermore, all three required medicines were included, meaning he could now begin his cultivation. Still, according to the agreement, in just a few days, it would be about time to depart for the Throat of the Star Spirit.