Inside the Yuangan branch company, at what had once been the summit of Molan Company's tower, Liao Donghai and Chen Chuan rode the elevator to the top. The area had been transformed into a massive domed glass structure.
Chen Chuan walked forward until he reached the very edge of the top floor and looked out. The entirety of Yangzhi City lay spread beneath his feet. This was the first time he had looked down upon the city where he had grown up from such a height.
Merely viewing some of the buildings from a different angle gave him an entirely fresh perspective.
Mr. Liao walked over carrying a boundary credential and handed it to Chen Chuan. Taking it and putting it on, Chen Chuan tapped it once, and a field screen unfolded before him, displaying images and text.
Liao Donghai said, "Director Chen, our laboratory analyzed and tested the tissue and clothing materials from both subjects. We can confirm that they lived between three hundred and fifty to four hundred years ago. Prior to that, they likely resided within the territory of what is now the Noros Theocracy, only later migrating to Haixi Dao, where they lived for an extended period."
As he spoke, maps showing the territories of the Eastern Continent and surrounding nations from three to four centuries ago appeared on the field screen.
"We combed through records from that era. During that window, quite a few tribes migrated from the West Continent to Haixi Dao. A widely recited epic poem circulated among them back then."
Liao Donghai tapped his boundary credential, bringing up fragments of murals and parchment scrolls bearing ancient script.
"The poem roughly recounts that in ancient times, a tribal hero returned from a hunt only to find his people devoured by the 'Agala Greater Demon.' Guided by an ancient deity, he pursued it toward the sun all the way to the seashore, where he finally tracked down the beast.
"In the words of the poem, they fought a grand battle that moved the gods to praise. Crimson wine of blood rained from the heavens, dyeing the sea and clouds red and turning the rivers scarlet. In the end, the hero plunged a god-given weapon into the great demon's chest, slaying it and dismembering it into twenty-eight pieces.
"These twenty-eight remnants subsequently transformed into smaller monsters known as the 'Sons of Agala.' A rumor spread thereafter: whoever hunted down a Son of Agala could obtain a portion of that god-given weapon's power from it."
Pausing there, Liao Donghai swiped the screen. "After the branch company excavated those two ancient martial artists, we managed to track down this poem of praise and consulted experts for textual research. The poem actually has origins spanning several versions, the earliest of which can be traced back more than a thousand years."
Chen Chuan asked, "So this story merely adopted an existing framework?"
"In terms of the poem itself, that is indeed the case," Liao Donghai replied. "It was said to have been modified to facilitate chanting, adapting the content to better fit the actual circumstances and a style comprehensible to the locals.
"Later, the company searched through archives from the previous imperial dynasty of the old era. That event was recorded there as well. Although the poem contains distortions, exaggerations, and even mythological embellishments, the underlying incident itself can be said to be true."
Chen Chuan asked, "How did you confirm it was authentic?"
Liao Donghai said solemnly, "Because the person who recorded it was the Xuan Religion's Celestial Master of that era, Celestial Master Huo."
Upon hearing that name, Chen Chuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded.
This had been a high-ranking figure of the Old State Religion, someone who had reached a considerably elevated realm himself. Records intentionally left behind by such a person were bound to be credible.
Liao Donghai added, "Aside from textual descriptions, we also found a sketch depicting the Agala monster." With a tap, a line-drawn illustration of an enormous creature appeared on the field screen. The thing seemed to stand as tall as the mountains intentionally drawn alongside it.
"What was called the Agala monster was known in our old era as a 'Pilü.' It was a massive creature that crawled up from an undersea fissure, something exceedingly rare even within the Confluence."
Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. "A creature from the Confluence came here?"
Creatures of such immense size generally remained deep within the Confluence, rarely venturing anywhere near this world, since there was seldom enough food here to sustain their activity. But then another possibility crossed his mind. Looking up, he asked, "Was it a relic?"
Liao Donghai nodded. "Precisely. Director Chen's guess is spot on. Based on the descriptions, we reconstructed the situation of that time. A relic of unknown origin must have emerged, drawing the Pilü ashore, where it clashed with those ancient tribal martial artists.
"Celestial Master Huo lived around eight hundred years ago, relatively close to that period. That was right after the Xuan Religion had bested the Zen Religion to become the state religion. The imperial court invited Celestial Master Huo to restore order in Haixi. It is said that with only one man, one sword, and one whisk, he cleansed the entire Haixi Dao within three years.
"This Celestial Master must have surveyed the traces left behind in person, confirming that the battle did take place. Based on the site's remnants, he believed that more than one ancient martial artist took part in the slaughter. However, only a single person survived in the end. The poem celebrated that survivor while simultaneously representing the others, effectively condensing everyone into a single heroic figure."
As he spoke, numerous scrolls and murals related to the event appeared on the field screen, followed once more by a territorial map.
"Three to four centuries ago, during the gradual collapse of the previous imperial dynasty, central control over Haixi Dao weakened drastically. Frequent wars plagued the West Continent at the same time, leading many tribes to migrate there. The two ancient martial artists we unearthed likely crossed over during that period.
"Ever since that poem was passed down, people from the West Continent constantly arrived seeking the god-given relic. Supposedly, fragments of it were hidden within each of the twenty-eight Sons of Agala, and slaying these creatures allowed one to assimilate those powers into their own body."
Having heard this much, Chen Chuan understood the general picture. "So the things hidden inside their bodies are those so-called 'god-given' items?"
"That should be it," Liao Donghai said. "They most likely succeeded in their hunts back then.
"In fact, it wasn't just them. Over the past several centuries, fueled by this legend and the possibility that others had obtained power from it, people from the West Continent kept entering Haixi Dao to hunt down these creatures. Sighting records of the monsters were passed down regularly, but by the time the final dynasty was founded, all mentions vanished completely. Many suspect they had essentially been hunted to extinction.
"And what those two hunted were quite possibly the last two 'Sons of Agala.' If someone holds the other portions of the god-given relic and extracts the parts obtained by those two, it might be possible to restore the relic in full."
Chen Chuan nodded. A relic capable of luring a creature as massive as a Pilü ashore was certainly nothing ordinary—it might well be a second-class relic. Such an item held immense significance for the nation, far beyond what any single company could handle on its own.
Had Yuangan Company known this background from the start, they would have reported it to the government immediately. That also explained why they were being so cooperative now.
After a moment of thought, he said, "The spy planted in your company moved very decisively. Did he know something beforehand?"
Liao Donghai nodded. "Headquarters investigated and confirmed that he was a commercial spy planted here by Tower Whale Company, a state-owned enterprise of the Noros Theocracy. Tracking his movements over the years, we believe one of his primary objectives in infiltrating our ranks was this very matter.
"As for Haixi Dao, we suspect someone likely intercepted an encrypted telegram he sent back to his company. Certain individuals or factions learned of this in advance and swiftly hired a martial artist to intercept the cargo."
At that point, he bowed slightly to Chen Chuan in gratitude. "Fortunately, Director Chen stopped it. Otherwise, our company would have had to bear far greater responsibility and face severe government penalties."
Chen Chuan thought of something else. "Mr. Liao should have read the branch company's report. At the site where I found the two of them, I saw an enormous footprint. I questioned one of them, but they didn't seem aware of it themselves. Does your company know anything about it?"
Liao Donghai replied, "I read that report. I consulted company experts and looked through several archives, but we couldn't confirm what attacked them. However, based on Celestial Master Huo's records, we arrived at a rather dangerous conclusion."
He paused, his expression turning solemn. "Back then, the Pilü was torn into twenty-eight pieces, and the relics resided inside those dispersed fragments, serving to keep the monster divided. If all the relics constraining it disappear, it is very possible that after a certain period, the original Pilü could coalesce and reform. Even if it might not retain its original strength, it would still pose a tremendous threat."
Chen Chuan considered this, then looked at Liao Donghai. "If that's the case, the reason it hasn't appeared yet is either because one or two of those 'Sons of Agala' are still alive, or because all the severed portions have broken free of the relics' restraint, but since this isn't the Confluence, it hasn't fully restored itself yet."
Liao Donghai said admiringly, "Indeed, Director Chen. Your assessment aligns closely with the analysis of our company researchers. However, another hypothesis was raised within the company: the prolonged separation may have created a profound connection between the creature and the relic. As long as the relic remains incomplete, the creature cannot fully reconstitute either. If so, that might not be a bad thing."
Chen Chuan nodded. After so many years, the relic was likely scattered across many places, making it exceedingly difficult to reassemble. He asked, "How do you plan to extract these relic fragments from the two subjects' bodies?"
Liao Donghai looked at Chen Chuan and said, "Director Chen, the simplest method is for a martial artist to kill them, which would transfer those relic fragments directly into that martial artist's body."
Chapter 857