Comparing the findings against the large map, Chen Chuan noticed that the placement of these sacrifice sites followed a very deliberate pattern.
From Damonte State along the northern coast of the West Coast down to Sannoy State along the southern coast, sacrifice pits existed in nearly every state.
Some had a few more, while others had slightly fewer.
At times, sacrifices were conducted repeatedly in the exact same vicinity, as though that spot possessed some special significance.
According to the files, this process had persisted for a very long time, with the earliest instances dating back more than a century to before the founding of the Grand Alliance.
The documents noted that back then, the New Light Cult was merely an offshoot of the Secret Gate Cult, having fully split away from it only later on.
*So they branched off from the Secret Gate Cult...* A multitude of thoughts flashed through Chen Chuan's mind. Although the records did not elaborate much on that organization, he happened to know a little about it.
When he had previously studied the compendium of esoteric rituals, the Secret Gate Cult had been mentioned. It was an ancient, sinister cult that originated on the West Continent.
The cult believed that the world possessed a "Gate of Truth." By opening this gate, one could seek boundless power and knowledge beyond it. Yet none of this was free—it required the sacrifice of enough "precious offerings."
Sacrificing human lives was their standard method, as people were the easiest sacrificial material to procure. The upper echelons of the Secret Gate, however, required the sacrifice of kings, nobles, and the like—the higher their status, the better. As a result, it faced severe suppression from numerous cults and nations alike, yet it had somehow survived through the entire Old Era, only fading into obscurity after the dawn of the New Era.
If the New Light Cult was one of its offshoots, they must have inherited a substantial portion of its legacy. Sinister though the Secret Gate Cult was, their mastery of esoteric rituals was indisputable, and many of their methods were later adopted by other factions. Anyone studying the ritual texts of various nations could never entirely circumvent them.
Returning to the map before him, Chen Chuan noticed that despite sacrifice sites being scattered all over, there were actually two glaring blanks on the West Coast where not a single sacrifice had ever occurred: Veia State, and Arcana State to the north.
Veia State Center City made sense. As one of the Federation's five major states, the earliest gathering point of population, the crown jewel of the West Coast, and the City of Martial Artists, it was arguably the most orderly place on the West Coast. Cult activity there was heavily restricted.
Arcana State, on the other hand, was where Kawatua was located. Its most fertile lands were still held by the First Folk, its Center City was considered the smallest in the Federation, and its resources were scarce. It was essentially on the fringes of the Federation. Was that why the New Light Cult had never conducted sacrifices there?
Yet another possibility existed: it was not that the New Light Cult had no desire to operate there, but rather that whatever they wished to do had not yet been achieved.
Considering that the New Light Cult had constantly pushed for the eradication of the First Folk and acted as zealous instigators in attacking Kawatua, did this suggest they were actually preparing something there?
He picked up a pen and began marking the locations Skarson had uncovered onto the Federation map one by one. If Kawatua was included in the perimeter, those locations seemed to form a connected web, whose radiating center pointed straight toward Veia State Center City.
It looked like an enormous esoteric ritual, but the sheer scale was far too grand, bordering on the impractical.
Places like the Secret Vault and the Throat of the Star Spirit had already exhausted most of the resources a dynasty could muster, and those were confined to small patches of land within a single state. An esoteric ritual spanning an area this vast would require an astronomical amount of esoteric ritual materials alone, to say nothing of the necessary manpower, maintenance, and administrative apparatus.
Even if the Federation mobilized its highest authorities and poured the entire country's resources into such an endeavor, they could hardly expect to accomplish it in less than a decade or two.
Formidable though the New Light Cult might be, their power was negligible when measured against a state apparatus. Pulling off something of this scale was simply a pipedream.
Therefore, the most likely explanation was that the layout served some specific religious purpose. Of course, other possibilities existed as well. Still, there was no need to dwell on the motives for now; the priority was locating Skarson.
Chen Chuan examined the markings on the documents, scrutinizing them one by one. By gauging the freshness of the ink residue, he picked out the page drawn most recently.
The map depicted a region suspected of harboring a sacrifice site, located right along the border where Sannoy State met Serranocha State. Moreover, Skarson had drawn extra strokes in a few specific places—an uncommon detail. The lead Skarson spoke of was almost certainly there.
In that case, Chen Chuan would need to go take a look himself.
The location was not far from where he currently was. Heading over now by train would only take half a day.
However, as a member of the Great Shun delegation, traveling there required filing an application, which could take several days and result in unnecessary delay. The best solution was to secure a temporary assisting investigator credential from the International Investigation Delegation.
This went back to the regulations established during the Grand Alliance era. Whenever an investigation delegation identified an issue, all personnel in the vicinity—regardless of nationality or race—were obligated to participate and assist. With such a credential, he would not have to wait, granting him legitimate standing to investigate the matter.
Naturally, if anything went wrong, the investigation delegation would also bear responsibility, which was why international investigation delegations were generally extremely cautious about issuing these credentials.
Chen Chuan stepped out of the room and brought the matter up with the delegation chief at the station. The chief hurriedly replied, "Mr. Chen, we've already prepared this credential for you. If you are willing, you only need to sign your name."
He gestured, and a subordinate promptly handed over a paper document.
He had refrained from offering it earlier because he had been unsure of Chen Chuan's intentions. Though the man had come, he might not truly wish to see things through to the end. Pressing the document on him unprompted could easily have created awkward friction between both sides. Now that Chen Chuan had raised the matter himself, it was the perfect time to bring it out.
Chen Chuan took it, looked it over, and signed his name. At the same time, he asked, "When did Mr. Skarson apply for international intervention in the investigation?"
The chief answered, "The day right before the captain said he was going out to search for leads."
*Oh? Just one day apart?*
Chen Chuan grew thoughtful. He asked, "How many people did Mr. Skarson tell about applying for international intervention?"
"He told all of us," the chief said. "Something like this couldn't be decided by the captain alone; it required all of our signatures."
Chen Chuan's eyes shifted slightly. He asked again, "And when Mr. Skarson said he was going out to investigate, who did he tell?"
The chief hesitated briefly before replying, "Pretty much... every one of us knew."
Chen Chuan gave an acknowledging hum and looked down at the investigation assistance slip in his hand. Now he understood. Applying for international intervention had likely not been Skarson's primary objective.
Given how widely the information had spread, expecting the application to be submitted successfully was underestimating the Federation's intelligence network. And right after that, Skarson had set off to investigate a specific site, practically handing them an opportunity to eliminate him as a nuisance. Especially with the two events occurring merely a day apart, this was very likely a deliberate ploy on his part.
Skarson was probably using himself as bait—or perhaps even intending to use his own sacrifice to force the issue. That way, even if international intervention was not formally triggered, it would still draw serious attention from the investigation delegation and the international community. Great Shun, for instance, could then openly declare its interest in the matter.
In truth, that was entirely consistent with Skarson's character: for the sake of world peace, he would not hesitate to sacrifice himself.
Chen Chuan handed the slip back to the chief and said, "Will this suffice?"
The chief glanced at it and said, "Yes, Mr. Chen. That's all we need."
Chen Chuan said, "Then let us set out as soon as possible. We don't have much time."
Even with the authority of assisting in an investigation, he would still face strict limitations. While an investigator could conduct long-term inquiries in weaker regions and smaller nations, in countries like Great Shun and the Federation, one was granted at most three to four days of activity, during which entering the Center City was strictly forbidden.
Hence, he needed to depart without delay.
The chief asked, "Mr. Chen, where are we heading first?"
Chen Chuan brought the map over, pointed at a circled location, and said, "There first."
The chief looked at it, surprised. "Kashuo?"
In the language of the First Folk, that name meant "Black Marsh."
The chief did not know how Chen Chuan had determined the location, but at this stage, Chen Chuan was the only person they could rely on. He immediately booked train tickets, and the group boarded a midday train bound for the destination.
Given the urgency of the situation, traveling by airship—which ignored terrain—would have been ideal. However, within the Federation, martial artists were barred from high-altitude aerial transport for security reasons, even under the banner of an international investigation delegation. Thus, their only option was the train.
Fortunately, the distance was not particularly great. By dusk, the train pulled into the station.
To their delight, upon stepping off the train, the investigation delegation spotted a covert contact signal left behind by Skarson near the station.
This confirmed that he had indeed been here, and that their investigation was heading in the right direction. The group was instantly invigorated, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. Knowing that the sooner they found him the better, they skipped resting, rented five off-road vehicles locally, and headed straight toward the Black Marsh.
After another four hours of travel, they finally reached the periphery of the marshland. There were virtually no signs of human activity here. The road was excessively muddy, preventing the vehicles from advancing any further, which forced them to dismount and proceed on foot.
Visibility in the dead of night was exceptionally low. Each person ignited an algae oil lamp, treading forward with immense caution. After all, this was a marshland; even though they were all fighters, a momentary lapse in focus could still see someone sink into the mire.
Chen Chuan swept his gaze across the area, then lightly tapped his finger. Flakes of platinum light drifted from his fingertips and scattered outward, hovering above the heads of the group. In an instant, the vast expanse around them was illuminated as bright as day.
Seeing this spectacle, the group let out hushed gasps of admiration, thinking to themselves that he was truly worthy of being a martial artist.
Yet what they did not realize was that condensing the fire of spirituality into a single point and sustaining it for prolonged periods was not something every martial artist could achieve. Even martial artists of the Longevity View might not be able to pull it off.
This was a technique Chen Chuan had mastered only after gradually activating his mutated tissue, signifying that his control over it had ascended to a whole new level.
Noticing everyone looking at him, Chen Chuan said, "Let's move." With that, he grasped the Xuejun Saber and led the way forward.
Chapter 1126