Chapter 171: The Four Envoys

Chapter 170: The Four Envoys

[Country B — The Arbitration Hall]

The Arbitration Hall stood in a neutral zone between the territories controlled by the Four Great Sects. It was a fortified complex of dark stone, protected by watchtowers, armed guards, and defensive formations.

It was not a sect or an ordinary government office. Mortal clerks and scribes handled village complaints and local disputes. Military officers and outer disciples dealt with monster reports, rogue cultivators, and border threats. Serious cases were recorded in the Joint Intelligence Ledger and sent to the Four Great Sects.

The village chief entered carrying a written report. He had barely slept. Mr. Bun was wrapped in cloth beneath his arm.

At the front desk, a tired clerk sorted through papers.

"Next."

"I need to report a missing child," the chief said. "Anthony. Five years old. He disappeared from Willow-Brook last night."

The clerk barely looked up. "Did he run away?"

"No."

"Was he taken by a beast?"

"We don’t know."

The clerk sighed. "Children run away all the time. Check the woods."

The chief stared at him.

"What?"

"Anthony didn’t run away." The chief placed the wrapped toy on the desk. "There were no footprints. No signs of a struggle. Nothing."

The clerk glanced at the rabbit. "A toy?"

"It belonged to Anthony." The chief leaned over the desk, anger breaking through his exhaustion. "He is a good boy. He never strays far from the village, and his mother would never let him wander alone."

He slammed both hands onto the desk. The ink bottle jumped.

"He disappeared while playing with other children. They were all nearby, but nobody saw him leave. We searched the whole village, the riverbank, and the woods. Our cultivators examined the area. They found nothing!"

His voice shook. "This was all we found."

The nearby clerks fell quiet.

A senior officer in dark-blue armor turned from a desk across the hall. A silver badge marked his rank. He had been reviewing reports when the chief began shouting. Now he stared at the plush rabbit.

"Bring me the report," he said.

The clerk stood. "Sir, this is only a local missing-person case—"

"Did I ask for your assessment?"

The clerk lowered his head. "No, sir."

The officer approached the desk and read the report. His expression tightened.

"Village Chief, how many people saw the children playing?"

"Several villagers. The children were in the square."

"Did anyone see Anthony leave?"

"No."

"Was there any spiritual disturbance?"

"Our village cultivator found nothing."

The officer took the chief to a small office and unlocked a reinforced cabinet. Inside lay several ledgers. He removed one bound in dark spiritual leather: THE JOINT INTELLIGENCE LEDGER.

"This records incidents that may threaten the stability of Country B," he explained. "Most cases are handled locally. Others are sent to the Four Great Sects."

He opened the ledger. Several pages bore recent entries.

"Three missing children near the northern border," he said. "Two from villages along the eastern trade route. One near the old mountain road."

The chief stared at him. "Other children have disappeared?"

"Seven confirmed reports before yours. Different villages, different nights. No tracks. No witnesses who saw the children leave."

The officer placed Anthony’s report beside the others.

"Under normal circumstances, a missing child would be recorded as a local matter. But this report shares the same details as the others. That makes it an anomaly."

He wrote a classification at the top of the page and pressed a red seal into the ink.

TIER ONE — ANOMALOUS INCIDENT.

The chief looked at the mark. "What does Tier One mean?"

"Tier Three cases include petty theft, village disputes, and stray beasts. Local guards handle those. Tier Two cases involve rogue cultivators, low-level demons, or smuggling. They’re usually assigned to outer disciples or bounty hunters."

He closed the ledger halfway. "Tier One is for unexplained or potentially catastrophic incidents. Mysterious disappearances, mass casualties, forbidden arts—anything whose cause and danger we cannot yet assess. Those cases go directly to the Four Great Sects."

"What happens now?"

"Your report will be reviewed by their envoys." The officer glanced toward the main hall. "You’re fortunate. They are arriving today."

"Okay" the chief said.

By midday, the envoys had arrived.

The first wore pale-blue robes embroidered with frost patterns. He was Julian, envoy of the Glacial Spirit Sect.

Beside him stood Serena, representing the Azure Wind Sect. Her azure robes moved lightly in the breeze that followed her.

The third, Gideon, wore dark robes and carried a sword at his waist. He represented the Myriad Sword Sect.

The fourth, Conrad, wore deep-purple robes with silver lightning marks at the sleeves. He was the envoy of the Heavenly Thunder Sect.

"Welcome my Lords" The senior officer bowed deeply and led them to the review chamber. The Joint Intelligence Ledger lay open on the table.

"Have the latest reports been compiled?" Julian asked.

"Yes, Lord Envoy."

He began reviewing them. Most were routine: disputes over resources, minor beast attacks, and reports of rogue cultivators. Then he reached the newest entry.

TIER ONE — ANOMALOUS INCIDENT.

CASE: MISSING CHILDREN.

Seven confirmed disappearances. Multiple settlements. No witnesses who saw the children leave. No footprints in several cases. No confirmed beast activity. No known rogue cultivators involved.

Then came the latest report: Anthony, five years old, from Willowbrook Village.

Julian stopped turning the page. "Why was this pattern not escalated earlier?"

The senior officer lowered his head. "The earlier reports came from different local authorities. Each was first treated as an independent case. The connection only became clear after more reports arrived."

"How many investigations have been conducted?"

"Local authorities and several outer disciples searched the affected villages. None found evidence of beasts, trafficking, or spatial techniques."

Serena leaned over the ledger. She read several entries, then her expression changed. "These children vanished while people were nearby?"

"In several cases, yes."

Gideon rested a hand on his sword. "Could a formation be hiding the traces?"

"Possibly," the officer replied. "But no spiritual fluctuation has been detected."

Conrad frowned. "Then we don’t know what we’re dealing with."

"That is why it’s Tier One," Julian said. "We cannot identify the method, the culprit, or the purpose. We also cannot tell whether the cases are connected."

He turned to the senior officer. "Prepare copies of all the reports, including witness statements and the results of every spiritual examination."

"Immediately."

"I’ll notify my sect," Serena said.

"So will I," Gideon added.

Conrade pressed two fingers against a communication jade. Silver sparks flickered across its surface. "The Heavenly Thunder Sect will send investigators."

Julian looked at Anthony’s report again. "Send the full record to the Joint Council. Also warn the villages in the affected region. Children should not be allowed to wander alone after sunset, and any similar disappearance must be reported at once."

The village chief waited by the doorway, clutching the cloth around the plush rabbit.

"Will you find them?" he asked.

Julian looked at him. "We will investigate. That is all I can promise."

The chief lowered his head. "Please bring them home."

The four envoys exchanged glances. Then they began sending messages to their sects.

A case that had started in a small village was now in the hands of the Four Great Sects.

But none of them knew the children were already in danger.

Country B — Unknown Location

Darkness.

Then—

THUMP.

Something pulsed beneath the earth.

A thin line of crimson light appeared across a stone surface. It followed a carved groove, then another, until the entire formation glowed.

Eight small lights appeared above it. Seven were dim.

The eighth flickered.

A sound echoed through the darkness.

CLICK.

The eighth light vanished. The crimson lines faded, and the formation fell silent.

Far away, Anthony’s mother clutched Mr. Bun to her chest.

At the Arbitration Hall, the envoys prepared to alert the Four Great Sects. None of them knew the investigation had already begun too late.?