Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

The man stretched out his hand, smiling as he slowly waved, signaling Gao Hai and the others to follow him.

"Today happens to be the first day of the Welcoming the God Festival, the perfect time to welcome the Mountain God to the village. You've come at just the right time, you're very lucky."

The woman waved along with the man, smiling earnestly as she did so.

Yes, a genuine smile.

For some reason, Gao Hai came up with this description. He felt that the smiles on the man and woman's faces could only be described as "serious." It was as if they had made "smiling" a behavioral principle embedded in their instincts, and they were striving to implement it, to the point that every smile became as serious as work.

This feeling is very unpleasant.

In particular, Gao Hai felt even worse after confirming another matter.

He could feel the other person's heartbeat.

Using his auditory blessing, Gao Hai was able to clearly hear the heartbeats and breathing of the man and woman.

There was no trace of anything eerie about it.

Despite the fact that these two people have been strange in every way since they appeared, Gao Hai has been unable to sense the aura that a strange creature should have, no matter how hard he tries.

Can't go wrong.

Although I really didn't want to accept this answer, it seems that this is indeed the case now.

These two people are human.

At this moment, the two people who appeared in front of Gao Hai and his group, who were in the Red Moon-level high-difficulty dungeon world, were completely human.

How can this be?

Gao Hai's eyes widened slightly.

Two living, breathing people, without any strange aura, appeared in a Red Moon-level dungeon, and they looked like they had lived there for a long time.

To date, no living natives have ever been found in any instance world, not even if all players in the world were checked one instance at a time.

Moreover, even based on the previous investigations by the Red Society, the villagers in the village are not living people, but rather strange creatures.

What's wrong with this instance...?

"Oh dear, four guests, why aren't you leaving yet? Are you perhaps afraid of us?"

Gao Hai's group didn't move for a moment, so the two people who had only taken two steps stopped. Then the yellow-faced woman laughed again and spoke to the group in a teasing tone.

"Don't worry, don't worry. I, Li Eryang, have always been known in the village for my hospitality. Once we get to the village, just ask anyone. Our family's ability to entertain guests is absolutely second to none. Just follow us."

The man laughed again, and this time he said his name: Li Eryang.

Zhenfei and the others turned to look at Gao Hai. None of the girls made a move, clearly waiting to see what Gao Hai planned to do.

slam-la-

Another gust of wind blew by, and all the tall trees and low shrubs on both sides of the road swayed gently at this moment, as if one person after another stood on either side, urging them to move.

"...Let's go then."

As Gao Hai spoke, he used the mental link to signal his companions to slow down and make sure the team reunited first.

In Gao Hai's view, the invitation from these two strange living people was already a signal, a sign that this instance, this game, had officially begun.

No matter what happens next, all we can do now is move forward.

Thinking this, Gao Hai slowly started walking, with the girls following beside him. The two people in front of him also turned around and walked slowly forward.

chap——

Gao Hai felt his foot kick something.

He lowered his head and looked at the road paved with yellow earth and gravel.

He saw a face at his feet, raised to meet his gaze.

Chapter Three: The Village Affairs, the Unremarkable Villagers, and the Paper Figure Blocking the Road

It was a paper figure buried underground, with only its head sticking out.

It seems that because it had been repeatedly soaked and softened by rain and then dried and hardened by wind, the head of this paper figure had become very hard, so much so that when Gao Hai stepped on it, he subconsciously felt that he had stepped on a stone.

The paper figure's entire face was completely blurred into a mess, the white and yellow colors blended together like an overturned bucket of dye, making it impossible to discern its original appearance. Even so, Gao Hai could still vaguely make out the dents around the eyes and mouth.

Gao Hai couldn't tell how long this thing had been buried underground by sight, but he was certain that stepping on it right away was definitely not a good omen.

The rules on the notice mentioned "Eight Things to Ignore," meaning that as long as you ignore this paper figure, there won't be any major problems. Well, that's assuming you can completely trust that rule list, but that's probably unlikely.

"..."

Without showing any sign of anything amiss, Gao Hai raised his head and walked over the paper figure buried in the ground.

Zhenfei, standing to the side, slightly shifted her gaze, controlling the angle of her eyes to avoid directly seeing the paper figure, cautiously assessing whether anything else happened after Gao Hai stepped over it.

Following behind Takami, Goto Ichiri carefully bypassed the paper doll. She had originally planned to use her guitar to change the history of Takami stepping on the paper doll, but Takami noticed this through Kita and gestured to Ichiri that she didn't need to do so. Therefore, she was just carefully observing to make sure that nothing unusual would happen to Takami.

The paper figure didn't change; it seemed like as long as we ignored it, everything would be fine.

Kita Ikuyo boldly observed the paper figure using her own spiritual characteristics, confirming that it hadn't changed after Takami walked over, and then told Takami about it.

Feeling a little relieved, Gao Hai thanked them through the mental link, then exchanged a glance with Qian Hua beside him, and the two of them moved a little closer to Li Eryang and the old woman next to him.

One of the main reasons Chika was placed at the front of the group was that she had the highest social skills in Gao Hai's team. After encountering the dungeon invasion of the real world with Miko, Gao Hai had deduced that there might be something that could be communicated with within the dungeon, thus giving Chika, the social butterfly, a lot of room to shine.

"Ahem, could you two please tell us what specific activities are involved in this welcoming the gods festival? We're quite curious."

"That's right, that's right. I've never heard of a festival that lasts for a whole month. Can you tell us about Lijia Village and the Welcoming the Gods Festival?"

Gao Hai and Qian Hua started talking together, trying to engage in conversation with the two guides.

Upon hearing this, Li Eryang and the old woman beside him once again displayed their earnest smiles and began to speak very enthusiastically.

They were just like two living, breathing, genuinely hospitable villagers.

Although this sounds rather strange, since these two are indeed human in terms of their aura, the more Gao Hai interacts with them, the more strongly he can feel their characteristics as "humans," and sense the flexibility and sensitivity that monsters could never possess.

The man's name was Li Eryang, and the woman who looked at least ten years younger than him was his wife, Li Xiaoju.

According to them, the two men have lived in Lijia Village since birth and are both in their forties or fifties.

Everyone in Lijia Village, regardless of age or gender, shares the surname Li. There are over a thousand people in the village. They rely on the snowmelt from the Xiaohei Mountain to irrigate their rice paddies. They also send hunters into the mountains from time to time to hunt animals and gather wild fruits and medicinal herbs. They have lived off the land generation after generation.

The so-called Welcoming the God Festival is to express gratitude to the mountain god of Xiaoheishan Mountain who has bestowed this blessed land of Lijia Village. Therefore, His statue is moved down from the mountain god temple on the mountain and placed in the ancestral hall of the Li family clan. Various celebrations are held continuously for a whole month before the statue is sent back.

It was only then that Gao Hai realized that the so-called "Little Black Mountain" was actually a mountain with an altitude of over 6000 meters, so much so that there was frozen snow on the mountain that never melted, forming two rivers and two lakes at the foot of the mountain.

Then, Li Eryang and Li Xiaoju began to talk about the history of Lijia Village. According to them, the earliest Lijia Village was formed during a famine year when they were fleeing from heavy taxes and rampant warfare. They had to venture deep into the primeval forest to escape a group of bandits, and ended up finding this place by chance. They settled down here and continued to develop.

Because it was far from human habitation, Lijia Village was cut off from the outside world and became what is known as "Shangri-La". According to Li Eryang, the mountain god of Xiaoheishan appeared in front of the Li family who were fleeing disaster, pointing out where to build houses and where to plant crops, and also giving the Li family several oxen. Therefore, the people of Lijia Village have been grateful for generations and have held a welcoming festival for the god every year.

Deep in the mountains, Li Family Village continued its life generation after generation, never having any contact with the outside world. However, according to Li Eryang, the village wasn't entirely undiscovered. It's said that several decades, or perhaps over a hundred years ago, an official led a group of soldiers to take up their post, but they couldn't stay long and all ran away. As a result, the village hadn't seen the official again for many years.

The official in question spent his days traveling and sightseeing. Finding the small village unappealing, he built a pavilion at the foot of the mountain and, without consulting anyone, ordered the villagers to move to the valley below. Fortunately, he left after a short while; otherwise, when a mudslide caused by torrential rain later flooded the village below the valley, who knows how many people might have died.

At this point, Li Eryang revealed an indignant expression. Li Xiaoju also sighed and talked about how her great-grandparents had suffered the same fate. They were ordered by the officials to repair the pavilion, which caused them to fall ill and die young. She also said that her grandparents had talked about this for a long time and couldn't let go of it until their deaths.

"The name I saw on the notice board before was Li Ziyong. Is this the current head of the Li family? He must be a very capable person to be able to write so many words, right?"

After listening to the two of them ramble on and on, Gao Hai thought for a moment and tried to ask a question.

"Of course, without the clan chief, Li Family Village wouldn't be where it is today. Hehe, you outsiders don't know, but the Mountain God manifested himself before the clan chief's ancestors. If Li Family Village wants to speak with the Mountain God, we have to rely on the clan chief's family. The clan chief's family has been worshipping the Mountain God for generations. He is the Mountain God's representative in Li Family Village."

Li Eryang proudly puffed out his chest and said, while Li Xiaoju smiled, revealing her dark yellow teeth.

"That does sound quite remarkable. So, is the Li family the only surname in this entire village? Does that mean that only the Li family clan fled here back then?"

Chika, standing beside Takahashi, carefully praised him and together with Takahashi, continued to steer the conversation.

"That's right, that's right. It was the clan chief who brought us all to this auspicious place back then, which is why our Li Family Village is what it is today, hehe."

Li Xiaoju laughed even more heartily, her facial features scrunched up so much that she was almost unrecognizable; it was hard to imagine how a person could show such a smile.

Maki and Ichiri followed slowly behind, while Hayasaka and the others were also secretly and cautiously following further back.

Soon, the group passed through the lush vegetation and arrived at the edge of the deep lake.

Splash—splash—

The sound of the rushing river in the distance reached Gao Hai and his group clearly. But the lake was extremely still, so still that there was not a ripple on the surface, as if it were not a real lake, but a mirror.

felt it.

Although it wasn't very clear, at this moment, Gao Hai finally sensed the presence of the strange creature.

From this lake, which seemed like a stagnant pool, one could sense a sinister atmosphere that only the eerie could possess.

"Hey, this lake is called 'Water Ghost Lake.' Hehe, don't be afraid, there aren't any real water ghosts. It's just that many people have drowned in this lake. Those who died got tangled in the lake's underwater weeds and couldn't come up. Sometimes they would mysteriously float to the surface, which was quite scary, hence the name 'Water Ghost Lake.' Dear guests, don't be fooled by how calm and clear this lake looks; it's very deep inside, so please don't go swimming."

Li Eryang grinned and introduced the lake to the players behind him.

The smiles on the faces of these two villagers now seem to have a touch of sincerity to them.

Gao Hai didn't know where this feeling came from, but neither the blessing of good and evil perception nor the blessing of perceiving abnormal humans had any effect on these two villagers, nor did Goto Ichiri's perception blessing produce the corresponding effect. In other words, these two people truly had no ill intentions, and their own perceptions were not too far off from those of normal humans.

But is this possible?

In a Red Moon-level dungeon, two ordinary human villagers appear, and they actually have good intentions and take the initiative to approach the player... This kind of thing...

After much deliberation, Gao Hai finally decided not to act rashly.

It was at this moment that Gao Hai heard the warning message from Jianzi through the mental link.

{Yotsuya Miko: There's a problem, senpai, we saw that paper figure.}

{Yotsuya Miko: It wasn't completely buried in the ground as described by its predecessors, with only half of its head sticking out.}

{Yotsuya Miko: It's standing right in front of us, blocking our way, and... it's heading in my direction, changing direction as I move.}

{Yotsuya Miko: That thing has already discovered us.}

The girl's voice in the mental link was very calm.

But for the three people who were on the forest path, the situation was not good.

The temperature is dropping.

The paper figure, with its blurry body and mixed colors, barely maintaining a human shape, stood in the middle of the dirt road, slightly turned to face the three girls hiding in the grass.