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

{I can grant one of my clones a special status, making it easier for it to attract those strange creatures. Next, we'll take cover around the area and wait until most of the paper figures are drawn away before advancing into the village.}

As Gao Hai spoke, he turned his gaze to the guitar clone that was closest to him.

{OK}

{I have no objection}

Let's do it according to your idea, Mr. Gao.

Okay, there won't be any chain reaction between the clone and me, Mr. Hai, please go ahead and do it!

Cat Brother and Tangyuan responded in the mental link one after the other, and Xiduo, who was floating beside them, also replied. Finally, Ichiri, who was far away, gave a very serious answer. With the unanimous approval, Gao Hai first hid by the roadside, and to be on the safe side, he also activated a void state for himself, before focusing his attention on the clone standing in the middle of the road.

Blessing—Urian!

In an instant, intense malice invaded Gao Hai's senses.

Even though the clone was simply standing still, and even though Gao Hai knew perfectly well that the clone was still under Yi Li's control and nothing unusual had happened, after the power of the "blessing" was bestowed upon the clone, Gao Hai couldn't help but feel a strong hostility towards it, and a strong sense of its presence that he couldn't ignore even with his back to it.

slam-la-

The nearby village was already in an uproar.

One paper figure after another rushed out of the village, their only target being the clone that had already turned and run away.

And so, amidst the vast, sweeping footsteps, countless pale, flat figures chased after the clone and fled into the distance. Gao Hai and the others simply remained hidden in the bushes, watching these things recede one by one, seeing that not a single one of them stopped to observe its surroundings. It seemed that the perceived nature of that blessing was exceptionally strong, its control far exceeding Gao Hai's expectations.

The way these things run around is just like a cafeteria opening for lunch. Wouldn't it scare children to use something like this to guide the souls of tormented children?

"Now it's our turn."

Gathering the jumbled thoughts in his mind, Gao Hai stood up and took the lead in facing the empty paper doll village ahead.

Ok……

Then he thought for a moment, and then had Yili remotely control the remaining two hidden clones to go to the front, and then followed the clones to walk towards the Paper Village.

Regardless, there are still unknown enemies ahead, and now is not the time to be reckless.

With this in mind, Gao Hai activated his auditory blessing once again, trying to determine the enemy's location.

This time, he heard something unusual.

Chapter 73: An Inescapable Invitation from the Gods and What Kamimura Sensed

laughter.

A fleeting, almost imperceptible chuckle.

Unable to discern the source, it was impossible to immediately determine whether the laughter came from the blessing of hearing or from someone nearby.

It was as if, the moment one heard and became aware of the sound, a transformation occurred imperceptibly, causing the laughter to simultaneously exist beside Gao Hai and within the senses extended by the auditory blessing.

However, this is not the most pressing issue at the moment.

What's truly important is that Gao Hai identified whose voice it was.

He realized what he might be facing next.

Fox Queen.

That voice undoubtedly belonged to the Fox Queen.

How could it be here?

What's going on? !

Hehehe...hehe...

A clearer sound, as if amused by his reaction, drifted lightly from the paper doll village ahead.

Gao Hai looked around and, judging from the reactions of others, he was certain that he was the only one who had heard the sound.

In other words, he was the only one who established a connection with the Fox Queen.

He heard His voice.

He then sensed his presence.

No refunds.

The moment Gao Hai recalled that voice, he realized that he could no longer choose to back down.

He was already aware of the other person's presence, and therefore the other person was also aware of his presence.

If he chooses to turn away now, to retreat, it means he is showing an unwillingness to engage with the Fox Queen, even though he knows she exists. This would trigger a certain rule, potentially leading to unpredictable and terrible consequences.

Through Hirano Sosuke's sensory blessing, Takami realized that from the moment he confirmed the fox queen's voice, he had to take the initiative to find her and meet her; this was the only way to ensure his own safety.

What the heck is this... uh...

Gao Hai was taken aback by this turn of events. Then, a few thoughts subconsciously formed in his mind, but he abruptly stopped thinking and shifted his focus.

One must not have disrespectful thoughts, and one must not be disrespectful to God.

When you think about the "fox queen," you must put away all insulting thoughts, even if you are not consciously aware of them. As long as your thoughts contain any disrespect, it could lead to something bad happening.

This was a situation I'd never encountered before. Was it because I was parasitized by the Blood Flower back then, and I was too focused on the clues to think about anything else? No, it wasn't just that. This time, the Fox Queen was clearly displaying completely different characteristics than before. What was going on? Did this Paper Village hold some profound conceptual significance? Or was there something else I hadn't noticed? Could the Fox Queen, like the Mountain God, manifest different forms depending on the circumstances?

Gao Hai continued to stride towards the village ahead.

He, who should have been following behind the clone, was now almost walking alongside the clone at the very front.

This wasn't entirely Gao Hai's intention; rather, the connection with the Fox Queen was affecting his body, as if a force was pulling him forward. At this moment, Gao Hai had no way to resist this force and could only barely slow down his forward speed to maintain his balance, lest he be pulled directly to the ground and dragged along.

Click——click——

The hard ground beneath his feet cracked open with fissures, creating shallow pits with each step Gao Hai took.

Tsk, this force is actually a bit hard to resist, and yet I can't feel any force being applied to any part of my body. It's as if my body is working against me...

What's going on? Is something controlling you?

His unusual behavior was quickly noticed, and Cat Brother's voice rang out in the temporary mental link. He then took out his obsession object to try and help Gao Hai out of his predicament.

{Don't come near me, and don't try to save me. I'm in grave danger... I'm locked on, and you can't help me. Continue exploring the village. I'll mark the locations of the villagers hiding there. Please take care of the enemies. I'll join you as soon as possible.}

Gao Hai spoke calmly in the temporary mental link, using his auditory blessing to search once again for the location of the villagers and the possible location of the [treasure hunters]. He easily found the villagers' location and marked it for the others, but the [treasure hunters] he suspected remained undiscovered. Furthermore, even after the paper figures left, Gao Hai could still hear children crying and murmuring through his auditory blessing, making him realize that simply eliminating the paper figures' threat didn't guarantee absolute safety. For now, he could only hope his teammates would be capable enough.

"Understood, let's go!"

Without further ado, Cat Brother, after confirming that Gao Hai didn't intend to let anyone else interfere, immediately changed his strategy and entered the village through another route with the historian Tang Yuan. At this moment, the clones summoned by Goto Ichiri also dispersed. Two of the three clones followed Cat Brother and Tang Yuan away, while the clone beside Gao Hai stayed behind and kept pace with him, accompanying him on his journey.

Hayasaka did not leave with Cat Brother and Tangyuan. She stayed behind Gao Hai and showed no intention of leaving at all.

{My talent is better suited for dealing with special situations that require limiting perception than for combat and fighting. I'll help my master here.}

Before Gao Hai could say anything, the girl spoke first in the mental link, her attitude very firm.

{...Okay, I might be called into a room later, but I'm not sure what the situation will be like, so you can't come in with me. And if there's any problem with the mental link, you can't enter the room unless I personally let you in. This situation is different from before...}

Takami didn't say anything about Hayasaka's decision; he simply focused his attention on what lay ahead, on the unknown place he was about to reach.

tread--

With heavy footsteps, Gao Hai finally stepped into the territory of the paper doll village.

I was able to feel it more clearly.

The aura that belonged to the Fox Queen was neither human nor demon, and it inspired fear.

Her gaze, her attention... remained fixed on Gao Hai. Whether it was the clone of Ichiri walking beside Gao Hai or Hayasaka following behind him, they were completely out of the Fox Queen's sight and were not paid any attention to at all.

This feeling was really unbearable, but Gao Hai had no other choice but to try his best to endure it.

"call……"

Trying to steady his breathing, Gao Hai looked around, taking the opportunity to observe the village as much as possible.

The interior layout is very similar to that of [Lijia Village], but there seem to be some differences in the details.

Although it wasn't entirely clear how those crudely made paper houses were constructed and stood firm, initial observations suggested that the structure of this paper village, while superficially imitating [Li Family Village], had been subtly altered. Gao Hai couldn't pinpoint the exact nature of this change, but he vaguely sensed that this unusual alteration seemed to be a restrictive measure. Through this subtle manipulation of space, anything of low intelligence that strayed into the village was unable to escape and was trapped inside.

Like some kind of containment measure, this paper village uses paper figures to capture outsiders and uses the village's unique structure to trap them, making them forever lost inside the village.

Speaking of which, based on the results of the three players who questioned the knocking ghost, the "Singing Nightingale Village" seems to be the work of the old Taoist priest Ge Yuan, a means to appease the spirits of deceased children. And in this paper doll village, I myself heard the name "Singing Nightingale Village." Could it be said that the paper dolls and the paper village were all created by that Taoist priest named Ge Yuan? Regardless of how distorted the paper village and paper dolls have become now, at least in the beginning, the purpose of the paper dolls was to appease the children, wasn't that right?

Now that the paper figures have been temporarily drawn away, theoretically there shouldn't be anything left here. If there is, it would only be child-type spirits bound here. But Gao Hai can't see anything right now. His senses are also firmly held back by the Fox Queen, so he can't be distracted. Therefore, Gao Hai has almost lost his sight of the surrounding situation and can only make the most basic visual observation.

{Take the clapper away; I don't have the energy to use this object of my obsession right now.}

Faced with the current unusual situation, Gao Hai did not panic. Instead, he spoke to Hayasaka through a temporary mental link. Upon hearing the order, Hayasaka immediately stepped forward, and Gao Hai managed to free one hand to summon the night watchman's clapper from his black watch and handed it to Hayasaka.

Regarding this obsessive object with unclear effects, Gao Hai speculated that since the night watchman could carry it around at midnight, the clapper itself likely possessed a function similar to warding off evil spirits or emphasizing a special identity. However, the actual effect would depend on feedback during actual use.

"Huh...huh..."

With his breathing completely calmed, Gao Hai walked step by step deeper into the village.

Under a dark night sky, blurred by his actively altered perceptions, Gao Hai slowly approached his destination amidst buildings cobbled together from rough, low-quality paper.

You can hear the cries of children around you gradually becoming clearer.

The cries were painful, weak, as if the person was about to die but could not die immediately, until their voices became hoarse.

The sounds lingered in the darkness.

Again and again, in this endless cycle, I tried to find a way out, but I could never escape.

"Are they... or are they?" Gao Hai wasn't sure if these lingering sounds were just the mechanical repetition of the strange creatures, or the cries of those spirits that hadn't yet dissipated.

In any case, if we continue forward, we'll have to go through all of these things.

Under normal circumstances, Gao Hai wouldn't feel he needed to worry about these things, but right now his energy was severely constrained, and if something happened, he estimated he might actually capsize here.

when--

At that moment, the girl behind him struck the wooden clapper.

Gao Hai was slightly taken aback, and then realized that there had been a slight fluctuation at the edge of his mind. It was Kita Ikuyo, who was now living in his body, who mobilized a part of her mental power and communicated with Hayasaka behind her by temporarily calling the mental link. That was why the latter used the clapper.

【…】

The soft murmurs vanished in an instant.