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

Under the cover of night, everything around was so dark that you could hardly see your hand in front of your face.

Aside from the footsteps and breathing of the few people walking by, there was no other sound. Even though the players had observed active animals more than once during the day, after nightfall, no one heard any sounds from them, let alone the chirping of insects or birds.

The paper figures found by Yili's clones can only be seen by crossing a low mountain. Their exact location is more than 30 kilometers away from [Li Family Village] in a straight line, requiring passage through many treacherous areas.

When they finally arrived at the location where the players, who were originally the paper figures and historians, clashed, and began to explore further in the direction where the paper figures disappeared, Gao Hai's brows furrowed slightly.

"Wow, there are places like this here."

Amidst sighs, Gao Hai silently gazed ahead at the village that looked almost exactly like [Li Family Village], a village seemingly built of paper.

Chapter 71: The Paper Village in the Dark and What Was Gained Through Listening

Not long ago, when the three players, all historians, first entered the village, a large number of paper figures followed them and attempted to attack. These hordes of paper figures seemed different from those Gao Hai had encountered before. Compared to strange creatures with peculiar abilities, they were more like simple monsters, not capable of pulling people into another dimension and replacing those around them at will. Therefore, Gao Hai easily transferred them to another dimension using the power of the land deed, without even expending much energy in the process.

Well, it's also possible that the historians used some kind of object that separated them from each other, and their ability to run away was so good that they were not approached by the paper dolls at all.

Gao Hai carefully recalled that during the spatial shifts in the previous two playthroughs, he, Kaguya, and the others were all quite close to the paper figures. He himself, in particular, had kicked one of them directly. According to Goto Ichiri's observation, the three historians never allowed the paper figures to get close, demonstrating exceptional self-preservation skills, which was likely why they were able to evade their power.

If that's the case, how should we account for the person who is now actively seeking out the paper doll?

While he was thinking, Gao Hai could already see the village ahead.

After crossing a low mountain and traversing a vast area of ​​dense forest covered by primeval trees, along this nearly abandoned, muddy dirt road, Gao Hai, Hayasaka, Tangyuan, and Cat Brother finally came to a village that resembled "Li Family Village," but upon closer inspection, they discovered it was a village made of paper.

Many paper figures wandered around the village, just like real villagers, either doing various farm chores or chatting and joking with each other, looking for ways to relieve boredom and amuse themselves. If it weren't for the fact that these villagers and buildings were all made of rough paper, and that after observing them for a while it became clear that they were simply mechanically repeating certain actions, Gao Hai might have even doubted what these things were all about.

"Can this be considered a figurine village?"

Cat Brother, who was standing to the side, clicked his tongue in amazement, looking at the village with a curious expression.

"The scenes that appear in the instance do not necessarily represent the real past. Memories and distorted minds can create places that do not exist in the real world. But such a scene is indeed quite strange. How is it possible to do that?"

Tangyuan took out a small camera and took a picture of the village not far away, while muttering to herself, analyzing and thinking.

Hayasaka didn't react much, simply standing beside Takami, silently keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. Although, to her, a village similar in size to [Li Family Village], but entirely made of paper, and the paper figures living within it, was still quite a shocking sight. Well, at least compared to the haunted scenes at Hayate Elementary School and the Bydos Research Institute, Hayasaka felt that the paper village before her at least had some artistic merit and wasn't creepy.

{Be careful, everyone. From now on, let's not speak. Let's communicate through our mental link to avoid anything overhearing our conversation.}

Even before setting off, the four present had established a temporary mental link using the power of their artifacts. For safety, the historian, Tang Yuan, was responsible for establishing the mental link. She used a Red Moon-level artifact phone that could remotely contact Gao Hai to construct the link, ensuring that even if a strange entity invaded the mental link, as long as the intruder's power level did not exceed the Red Moon Core level, they could react in advance and disconnect the link.

However, in Takahashi's view, even this mental link couldn't compare to the link provided by the black watch. Unfortunately, that link couldn't be used freely; so far, only Maki, Chika, and Miko had linked with Takahashi. Perhaps Kita could be considered one, but that was achieved by bypassing the rules and exploiting a bug; no one else could do what she did, so it was meaningless.

How can I get the rest of the people to connect with me as well?

As Gao Hai pondered this question, he couldn't help but glance at Hayasaka, who was on guard beside him. He then temporarily suppressed these thoughts and focused his attention on the current mission.

{First, I'll leave the initial reconnaissance to you.}

As Gao Hai said this, he turned his gaze to the clone created by Ichiri's Blessing Guitar, which was moving with the four of them.

In response to Gao Hai's instructions, the clone nodded slightly, stood up straight with a solemn expression, bowed, and then strode forward toward the village ahead.

The bustling village of paper figures didn't change at first; they continued their repetitive actions as if completely oblivious to the changes around them.

But when Goto Ichiri's clone approached the village entrance, about ten meters away from entering, all the paper figures stopped moving and looked up at the clone's location. Then, the clone, which had been running, was forced to stop. Ichiri, who was still in [Li Family Village], lost control of the clone and could no longer control it with her guitar.

Hello, guests from afar!

A paper figure greeted them with a smile.

Welcome, welcome! Come in and have a seat. You must be tired after traveling such a long way.

A paper figure took the clone's hand and led it into the village.

【Rest well here. This is the end of the road. You don't need to go any further. This is Yingti Village, this is your home.】

One paper figure after another surrounded the summoned clone from all directions, forcibly dragging it into a house in the village.

Yingti Village?

The words spoken by the paper figures startled Gao Hai slightly.

This paper doll village is the same Nightingale Village that the door-knocking ghost and the paper doll that appeared on the mountain road asked about.

Gao Hai lowered her head in thought. At the same time, because the control she had previously exerted had been severed by an unknown force, she was now unable to change the actions of that clone through the guitar, or to cancel its existence and delete it directly. Therefore, the people present could only continue to wait. Not long after, about ten minutes after the clone was pulled into the house, the paper figures began to emerge one after another, resuming their initial repetitive behavior.

Is that all? Has that clone been destroyed?

No, wait, there's an extra paper figure among the ones that appeared, and this extra paper figure looks quite similar to Ichiri's clone.

The people present quickly noticed the last paper doll clone to emerge from the house.

{This doesn't quite qualify as a life-size, posable figure of Pochi-chan? Maybe it could be used to develop a new product.}

Gao Hai thought to himself, "This is what I'm complaining about."

{The clone doesn't even look like Pochi-chan, so how can this count? Besides, this paper figure is hideous; the band would never sell such terrible merchandise!}

Kita, who shares a spiritual connection with Takami, immediately refuted this.

In any case, advancing into the village from the front is definitely not feasible.

Communication had come from Goto Ichiri's side; the newly created clone was already heading towards Takami at full speed and was expected to arrive soon. To avoid the problem of the clones losing connection and becoming uncontrollable again, Ichiri brought three clones with her. Before the clones arrived, for safety reasons, they refrained from making contact with the paper village ahead. Historian Tangyuan was slightly dissatisfied with this, feeling that this approach was a bit too cowardly. However, seeing that Takami and Cat Brother shared the same opinion, she accepted the decision.

While waiting for their clones to arrive, the group hid in the bushes by the roadside and continued to observe the situation in the paper village. This time, after observing more carefully for a while, Gao Hai frowned and noticed something unusual.

In the less visible area closer to the village, there seemed to be faint traces of children's activity.

Because of the poor viewing angle, Gao Hai wasn't sure if what he saw were children. He only confirmed from the fleeting blurry figures that the things not active on the outskirts of the village were probably not paper figures, and that they were much shorter than adults.

If you can't see it, try listening to it instead.

Through the blessing from Eriko Asamoto, which could reach a distance of up to five kilometers, Takahiro quickly heard the sounds from inside the village. For safety reasons, he didn't combine his spiritual power with the blessing to extend the distance this time, lest he be discovered by something. Then, he concentrated and began to carefully discern the content of the sounds.

Stay here... stay here...

This is your home forever... This is your home... Never leave again...

We love you... Mom and Dad love you... Everyone here loves you...

These seem to be the voices of paper figures. Are they repeating these words to someone?

[Hungry...hungry...painful...]

I feel so bad... so bad...

[Dad... Mom... Mom...]

These voices were very weak and didn't sound like adults; they seemed to be the voices of children around three or four to ten years old.

Is this the Nightingale Village that shelters the child monsters and their souls? It's located in the same space as the initial [Li Family Village], and within walking distance? Or is there some hidden condition that was met without my knowledge, allowing me to see and reach this place?

Although he hasn't officially entered the paper village to explore and investigate yet, Gao Hai has already obtained some information that is worth thinking about in depth.

"Won't they find out? These people all know sorcery."

[Impossible, we're so far away, and we're still hiding inside the house, these outsiders couldn't possibly have found us.]

[Alright, you lot, stop fooling around. We must seize this opportunity to get rid of these damned outsiders. The welcoming ceremony for the gods has been interrupted for a long time, and now the mountain god needs to be offered sacrifices as soon as possible.]

Then, Gao Hai suddenly heard other voices, some of which were somewhat familiar, the voices of the villagers he had encountered during his first playthrough.

Chapter 72: What's Hidden in the Village and Clearing Obstacles

What the hell is this?

Outsiders? A festival to welcome the gods? Could it be those villagers I drove away before?

It's one thing that Li Ziyong survived, but how did the ordinary villagers survive too? Tsk, does this mean that driving them into that desolate village actually didn't kill them? Or were there just a few stronger villagers who couldn't be dealt with so easily? These villagers are so resilient, are they some kind of reincarnated cockroaches?

Or is it the situation I'm thinking of?

Gao Hai frowned, quickly considering the possible scenarios.

From the memories of the "Treasure Hunter" member who had been arrested and disposed of by the police, Gao Hai confirmed some things. Although, like the fanatic organization, they also practiced information shielding among their members, he at least got the answers to the situation that Gao Hai had suspected several times. Although it seemed absurd upon closer inspection, it did make sense in the current context.

If that's the case, then it's understandable that there would be survivors among the villagers.

It's definitely a bit of a hassle to clean up all the trash in one go.

{Attention everyone, at least one member of the "Treasure Hunters" and more than three villagers from Li Family Village are hiding in Paper Doll Village. They are hiding there to ambush us. I heard their voices through a blessing that enhances hearing; it seems that these people are desperate because the mountain god ritual was interrupted.}

As Gao Hai spoke in the mental link, he looked behind him.

{Hmm, is that so? Does this mean the player and the dungeon NPC are colluding?}

Cat Brother was somewhat surprised. Although he had entered many dungeons so far, the idea of ​​players and villagers acting together, as Gao Hai described, was a completely new experience for him.

{...If that's really the case, it's a disgrace to the players. Choosing the wrong path and getting themselves into this mess, then having to cooperate with those obviously suspicious individuals in dangerous, high-difficulty dungeons—it really makes one question their competence.}

Tangyuan, on the other hand, was more disdainful. As a player who had voluntarily joined the dangerous organization of the "Historians," she had her own pride. Therefore, in this player's view, regardless of the background or history of the items within the dungeon, the player who was navigating it was of a higher status and could not be easily compromised. The fact that this "treasure hunter" chose to act with the villagers within the dungeon was quite shameful.

{Well, we haven't gotten any specific details yet, but we're certain they want our flesh and blood, so everyone be on guard. If these things catch you, you'll be in big trouble.}

As Gao Hai spoke in the mental link, he turned to look at the dirt road behind him that stretched into the primeval forest. At this moment, he could already see several small pink heads of his clones rapidly approaching from not far away.

They arrived very quickly.

Compared to the time it took Gao Hai and the others to walk from the village to here, these clones probably only took less than a tenth of that time to get here.

This speed is abnormal. Even if Gao Hai and his group needed to carefully explore the area and couldn't travel quickly, the time difference between the two sides is still too great. It seems there really is some kind of problem with the space between this paper doll village and [Li Family Village].

"You came way too fast, Pochi-chan! Is the journey you saw from this clone's perspective any different from before?"

Before Takahashi could even ask, Kita preemptively asked a question in the mental link.

{...Most of the time, it's about the same, but in some places the distance...hmm, it seems a bit shorter? The routes the two clones took do seem a little different? Hmm, I've already sent out a third set of clones; the third set will do another round of statistics.}

Soon, Yili gave the expected answer, which allowed Gao Hai to confirm some of his guesses.

There is some kind of anomaly in the spatial structure between the village full of paper dolls and [Li Family Village]. Whether it is the disordered distance or the paper doll village gradually approaching Li Family Village, it all indicates one thing: the two places should have been in different spaces originally. It was only because of Gao Hai's unintentional operation that a certain assimilation effect occurred between the two areas, connecting places that were not originally connected.

The paper figures originally residing in the [Li Family Village] space would lure those who tried to ignore them into [Liu Family Village]. Back then, these paper figures would disperse, wandering along various paths in the primeval forest outside the village. Now, however, these paper figures have gathered in a separate paper figure village, transforming anyone who actively intrudes. But unless a player triggers a special situation like the [Historian], these paper figures don't leave the village to pursue and attack. Furthermore, the knocking ghost triggered by the [Historian] seems to originate from someone known as "Old Taoist Ge Yuan," an outsider who once attempted to change the village.

Li Family Village… Liu Family Village… Old Taoist Priest… Fox Queen… Nightingale Village… Child… Paper Doll… These fragmented pieces of information gradually connected, piecing together a jigsaw puzzle that, while still far from perfect, at least had some semblance of order and structure. Therefore, the crucial next step lies in how to connect the clues more logically and to identify the remaining gaps.

To do that, we might still have to go into the village.

Avoiding these paper figures and entering the village... that's no easy task. However, luring out the paper figures isn't too difficult.