Of course, Isaac wouldn't get too caught up in baseless suspicions. However, he did plan to thoroughly investigate the Kukkula Village higher-ups. That investigation would begin when they interviewed the village head.
Anna brought the team to her residence in the middle of the village. She welcomed them into the spacious house, and they all sat down around her table. Anna didn't engage in any niceties such as offering them tea; she got straight to the point,
"So, what did you wish to ask me?"
"I understand that there is conflict between Kukkula Village and Kirk Village. Could you explain what caused it?"
The questioning was led by Johan, not Isaac. His inquiry seemed to surprise Anna, but she answered nonetheless,
"About a month ago, a Crystal of Pure Frost was discovered in the land between our two villages. Both us and Kirk Village sent people to claim it, and there was a dispute. Neither party would give up the crystal, and they feared the other group would steal it as soon as they left. Both teams stayed there and argued. Our group sent a letter back to the village, then formed a temporary camp near the cave the crystal was in. Kirk Village did the same.
"The next day, discussions continued. Both villages sent members of their village councils and they came to an agreement: we would sell the crystal to the sect and split the rewards between our two villages. Again, a letter was sent back to confirm what had happened."
Isaac interjected,
"Did Kirk Village steal the crystal?"
Anna was silent for a few seconds, then continued. She tried to conceal the hostility in her voice, but some anger still seeped through,
"The third day passed and we didn't receive a letter. The groups should've already left to deliver the crystal to the sect, so we simply assumed the messenger couldn't reach the village before nightfall. 'They'll make it back tomorrow', that's what we said."
She snorted, evidently displeased with her past naivety,
"Of course, no messenger arrived the next day either. We were starting to get worried, so we sent another team to track them down and find out what had happened.
"The team started by visiting the temporary camp near the crystal. As they approached the camp, they saw a group of figures standing around. They couldn't see the figures clearly, but they assumed it was the team we originally sent there. They shouted out to say hello, but then... the figures turned tail and fled. The new group ran up the hill towards the camp to see what had happened."
Anna paused again to compose herself.
"All 7 people in the camp were dead. Some of the new group went over to help; they tried to resuscitate them, but it was no use. Meanwhile, three or four people chased after the mysterious figures. However, they were already gone. Everybody had seen them fleeing towards the Kirk Village camp, so the group hurried there next.
"The camp was empty and everybody was gone. There wasn't a single person there, living or dead."
"So you believe your group was murdered by people from Kirk Village?"
"Yes. The team went to check afterwards, and the Crystal of Pure Frost was gone. They killed our people so they could take it."
Isaac asked a follow-up question,
"Do you know how they were killed?"
"The bodies were completely unmarked. There weren't any signs of stabbing, strangulation or even a struggle; I inspected one of the bodies myself. We're quite confident the group was poisoned to death."
Isaac pondered for a minute, then asked,
"Okay, let's say Kirk Village's party slipped some poison into your team's food. They would go to steal the crystal straight away and then return to their village. Why would they go back to the Kukkula Village camp."
Anna answered without hesitation,
"They were either going to cover up their crime or loot the camp. Then, when our team shouted at them, they panicked and ran without doing either."
Isaac nodded. That was a plausible explanation. However, the questioning wasn't over yet. Johan asked in an accusatory tone,
"Did you ever consider taking revenge? I doubt your village would stay silent after an event like that."
"The villagers were outraged – of course they were! Many people had lost friends or family members; even I lost one of my trusted village councillors. The village council did consider taking revenge, but we never took action. That would be defying the rules of the sect, so how could we? I only reported the incident to the sect member staying here."
This was something Isaac had heard about in Kirk Village as well. There was a sect disciple sent to watch over this area, and she supervised Kirk and Kukkula villages. She was staying in Kukkula Village right now.
Isaac suddenly asked,
"So the deaths that occurred in Kirk Village a month ago – those weren't caused by your people?"
"No, of course not!"
The charge seemed to shock Anna, and she promptly denied it. Then, a realisation hit her and she paused for a few moments before continuing,
"At least... it wasn't ordered by our village council. I don't know if somebody went alone to take revenge for their family."
Again, it was a reasonable answer. Anna couldn't keep track of everybody in the village, and she wouldn't want to even if she could. It was entirely possible that somebody took action independently.
However, Isaac couldn't help frowning. Anna's responses seemed too calculated; it was like she had prepared to answer these questions. Even the 'shock' she showed earlier might've been fake. Or maybe Isaac was just thinking too much into it.
He had to stay impartial to investigate properly so he cast his suspicions aside and decided to think rationally,
"Has anything unusual happened since this event?"
"No, not particularly."
"So you wouldn't class the attacks on Kirk Village as 'unusual'? Or were you not aware of them?"
"Kirk Village has been attacked? Why haven't I heard about this?"
Surprise and glee meshed together in Anna's expression. She quickly concealed the latter, then enquired again,
"It's strange that I don't know about such a major event. Are you sure?"
"Of course we're sure, village head." Isaac spoke icily, "We verified it ourselves."
Anna apologised for doubting their information, then spent a few moments contemplating the incompetence of her information network. Johan took this opportunity to press her,
"Have you seen any new faces in the village these last two months?"
"No – we're pretty isolated out here, so it's rare for us to see new people."
"Has there been anyone acting suspicious recently?"
"No; not so far as I know."
"And you haven't got reports about Winterfrost Ferns, Powder Moss or White Walker Herbs nearby?"
These were 3 common Qi herbs which could influence wild beasts; they could've been used to manipulate the Sarcevic Wolf. However, Anna seemed confused by the names,
"I've never heard of 'Winterfrost Ferns' or 'Powder Moss'... I remember a White Walker Herb being found here, but that was two decades ago. It's been years since I last saw a Qi herb."
Johan frowned at this answer. If – and only if – Anna was telling the truth, then the Sarcevic Wolf was probably manipulated by a cultivator. Qi herbs were the only way a commoner could influence a wild beast, but cultivators had a variety of other methods. They could use talismans, taming-style Anima, or make potions.
Then Johan thought about the skeletons around the wolf's den. Could demonic rituals grant people the power to control animals? Information on the subject was scarce, so Johan didn't know.
Isaac had similar thoughts to Johan. He realised that if Anna was being honest, a cultivator had to be guilty of manipulating the wolf. He asked,
"Are there any cultivators in Kukkula or Kirk Village?"
"I only know of one; the sect supervisor stationed here."
"You mean the disciple who's sent by the sect to watch over this area?"
"Precisely so."
It was an innocent enough answer, but it only fuelled Isaac's suspicions. It looked like a cultivator was responsible for the Sarcevic Wolf's behaviour, and there was only one cultivator in the area. However, that cultivator was a member of the sect and had no reason to target Kirk Village.
Maybe Anna was hiding something from them, perhaps she really didn't know, or maybe Isaac's assumptions were wrong: maybe it wasn't a cultivator after all.