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

At this moment, Goto Ichiri's clone took a step forward, taking the lead in following Li Xiaoxiao to investigate the danger.

The villagers' corpses also stepped forward and followed naturally into the abandoned village.

Let's go. We've come this far; there's no reason to turn back.

After confirming with Ichiri that her clone was not in danger, Kaguya made a decision first, took a deep breath, and took a step forward.

{Yes, that's true. There's no such thing as quitting the game midway.}

Chika nodded slightly and followed suit, stepping into the village area together.

The next moment, it seemed as if some kind of change was occurring around us.

The abandoned village remains dilapidated.

Under the dim sky, the land appeared no different from before in the girls' eyes.

But no, that's not how it is. At that moment, both of them clearly sensed that something had changed in this place.

Kaguya suddenly looked up at the dilapidated entrance to the village.

Then, she successfully found the source of the change, the wooden plaque that hadn't existed before but was now hanging on the gate, and the words on the plaque:

Yingti Village

Chapter 126: The Initial Promise of a Village Named "Oriole's Song" and the Visitors

I sensed something.

After confirming the name "Yingti Village", something seemed to appear in my perception.

Kaguya had difficulty clearly understanding what it was; her senses could only provide vague responses, allowing her to vaguely perceive some ambiguous things. However, as she officially stepped into the area where the abandoned village was located, the things she perceived began to become clearer.

She saw many villagers who were dressed in rags and looked pale and sickly.

These battered and bruised people struggled through the dense primeval forest to reach this valley, and decided to stay and live here.

Those were very difficult days. The villagers, who had already endured a long journey, were hungry and cold. Even when they united as families, it was difficult to withstand the harsh environment of the primeval forest.

Therefore, at that time, there was no Li family, no Liu family, and no Zhang family.

Although the three clans still existed, and there were indeed considerable estrangements between them, at least at this time, when they had just arrived and settled down to survive, they had not yet truly separated into three different villages, but were still in a harmonious state.

Regardless of any past conflicts, we are now one family, and we must overcome the challenges ahead together.

Having survived so many hardships and come this far, I believe there are no truly irreconcilable conflicts between us. As long as we cooperate and work together, one day we will build our new home here.

Therefore, I hereby promise you all that the Li family will never become an enemy of the Liu and Zhang families. Let us unite completely and become a true family!

Regardless of how things turned out afterward, at least at this moment, these people gathered together seem to be genuinely cooperating with each other.

After all, in the face of a severe survival crisis, there is no benefit in continuing to entangle themselves in internal strife. Every family could understand this, so even though there were indeed considerable conflicts between the three families, and even though many people still hated each other and could not let go of the past, they still united to form a common village.

In the valley, they built the first village, the first village where the three races lived together in this place that bordered the [Water Ghost Lake] and had the most fertile soil.

Now that we've decided to become one, it's really not right to continue using terms like "Li family," "Zhang family," and "Liu family" to distinguish ourselves.

We need a new name, a new name that represents all of us, a name that we can all accept.

I suggest we name this village "Yingti Village" (meaning "Singing Nightingale Village"). What do you think?

Some people were earnestly offering suggestions, while others smiled and nodded in agreement; everyone was so happy and harmonious.

Even though she could only see blurry images, Kaguya could clearly discern that the villagers were actually living very happily back then. Despite the many hardships and shortcomings in their lives, in the environment that everyone had worked together to create, they still retained a yearning for the future, and that vitality was never truly extinguished.

{Fujiwara-kun...}

{Yes, I saw it too. So the abandoned village in the valley had such a purpose...}

{Huh? Huh? Huh?}

Kaguya and Chika exchanged a knowing glance; though some words remained unspoken, they both understood what the other wanted to express.

Goto Ichiri, however, was unable to activate her spiritual vision because she was investigating using a clone, so she didn't see anything. Seeing that Kaguya and Chika had both reacted clearly, she became slightly flustered and unsure of what to say or do.

hum-

However, before the girls could take any action, some changes had already occurred.

Accompanied by a very strong fluctuation of supernatural power, the already dilapidated abandoned village became even more decayed at this moment, as if it had been there for tens or hundreds of thousands of years, and collapsed at an extremely fast speed.

This is how the same thing?

Unexpectedly witnessing this change, Kaguya let out a muffled groan. Her mind was subjected to an extremely severe shock in an instant, and blood immediately flowed from her nose.

{Ugh, Ah Hai, there's been unexpected mental pollution, and it's extremely intense!}

Chika also experienced a severe shock at that moment, but she was prepared and immediately called for Gao Hai's help through the mental link as soon as she sensed something was wrong.

Click——click——

The spiritual fragments provided by Chiyo Hachiya's blessing bought the two girls time, allowing them to withstand most of the first wave of attack.

Next, Takami's crimson domain was released directly from the two of them, creating a protective barrier for Kaguya and Chika. Goto Ichiri immediately manipulated his clone to cut open the blood vessels in his arm, dispersing some of the clone's blood into the domain to enhance its power.

With such multiple layers of protection, Kaguya and Chika were finally able to relieve their stress and continue to sense more ambiguous information.

The color of the sky changed.

No, that's not right, that's not the sky.

Kaguya knew very well that she had been pre-programmed with a cognitive blockade, so she shouldn't be able to discern the existence of the sky. But now, she clearly saw the changes in the sky's colors, saw the swirling, twisting storm that turned the clouds into fiery red vortexes, and clearly recognized that these were changes produced by the "sky." This was highly abnormal, and there must be some problem within it that she hadn't yet grasped.

Something has changed.

It's not this superficial change that appears in the "sky," but a deeper change that originates from outside the real world.

It is impossible to determine who started it or why it has developed to this point.

All that could be seen was the continuous torrential rain pouring down from the distorted sky.

The mud surged down the mountain and rushed into the valley, instantly submerging the entire village.

Many villagers were fleeing in a desperate state, floundering in the water, struggling to carry their families, or lifting their children above their heads into baskets to escape, while others carried the elderly on their backs as they swam through the turbulent, muddy water in search of a way to survive.

Many people died after that day.

The survivors split up again from their original grouped state, forming three groups of different sizes.

At this time, the villagers still identified themselves as "villagers of Yingti Village," but in reality, they had gradually become the Li family, the Liu family, and the Zhang family.

Thus, Yingti Village became something that existed in name only, and was gradually forgotten in the days that followed, with even the name itself failing to survive.

Why does this happen?

Everyone made promises and agreements, agreeing that they would no longer be hostile to each other or become enemies.

Didn't we say that we wanted to become a family, to put aside all suspicion and estrangement, and to become a family that truly helps each other and works together to overcome difficulties?

[What nonsense! These Li family members are nothing but bandits. Without our charity, they would all have starved to death or had their ears and heads cut off by the government troops. It's their good fortune that they found Little Black Mountain with our Liu family. Not to mention, these bastards have killed our people. The Li family owes the Liu family too much; they should repay them properly!]

A voice filled with contempt and disdain rang out, and one could almost see the disgust on the speaker's face.

[Ha, family? Do these Liu family brats even recognize that? They all seem so high and mighty, thinking they're so great. They've probably never respected the Li family, never even given us a second glance. When the village was being built, they said we were all one family, but now that it's finished and the harvest is starting, why are they bringing up land surveying and granary issues? Have they finally used us and are now turning their backs on us?]

A voice, suppressing anger, rang out; one could almost see the speaker clenching their fists and gritting their teeth.

"What? Your Li family attacked our Liu family back then, killing quite a few of our people! Are you going to deny that? And now that we've finally settled down here, you still won't settle down. You're either seizing our Liu family's land, harvesting our rice, or talking about going out to plunder again. You damned bandits, I think you thieves are incorrigible, just a bunch of wild dogs that can't live without shit!"

[Haha, your Liu family is really arrogant, huh? In chaotic times and years of famine, how can you survive without robbing and stealing? You dare say you've never done anything wrong? Our Li family has done it, and that's who we are. Even if we pass it on to our descendants, we will still teach them this way, still say this way: we will steal, rob, and kill, so what? But your Liu family, since the village was founded, has been ordering this person around all the time. Do you really think you're the village chiefs?]

Some opposing viewpoints become more pronounced after the most critical survival crisis is resolved.

Some feelings of hatred and contempt, even if suppressed at first, will eventually accumulate and erupt one day if not properly guided.

The so-called promises became a joke once basic needs were met.

The Liu and Li families were forced together by the chaos of war, and their relationship was fraught with estrangement and unable to coexist harmoniously. As the generation that once guided them to set aside everything and move forward hand in hand gradually aged, the new generation of clan leaders did not choose peace like their elders. Instead, they exposed the hidden dangers that had always existed and unleashed the accumulated conflicts.

As a result, some things that should have been noticed were overlooked in the midst of the fierce struggle.

Whether it was the wasteland exposed after excessive logging on the hillside or the significantly more rainfall than in previous years, these details that the villagers failed to notice led to the conflict turning into a tragedy. The painful casualties did not bring about reflection, but instead brought about more serious antagonism.

Li Family Village... Liu Family Village... Zhang Family Village...

The original Yingti Village has finally disappeared completely, leaving only three villages under the control of different families, which appear to be one entity but are actually divided into three different parts.

The power of the gods did not intervene in this process; all these changes were the result of the villagers' own choices.

Since then, this place has been nothing but ruins.

Whatever it once held, it is now nothing but ruins.

{So this is where something like this happened...}

Emerging from that hazy, blurry scene, Kaguya appeared somewhat dazed and bewildered, unsure how to assess what had transpired.

{Is the rift caused by desire? The Liu family aspires to rule the entire Yingti Village, issuing commands to the Li and Zhang families. The Li family, unwilling to accept a completely stable and peaceful life, is always restless, yearning to plunder and pillage again. For these two families, or rather, their clan hierarchy, the existence of Yingti Village is merely a reluctant choice born of necessity. Once they overcome the initial survival crisis, they will no longer care about their promises, nor about the things they once promised…}

Chika's expression was quite complicated. Although she had learned a lot about the two families from Gao Hai before, seeing how these people had once cooperated and lived in harmony, and thinking about their final fate, the girl couldn't help but sigh.

I really don't understand. They can clearly see a future where they can work together, so why do they have to fight to the death?

Having finally escaped the chaos of the world and gained a space where they could live in peace, they still had to continue fighting and indulging in twisted desires.

Does this really make any sense?

Miss Li, she has disappeared.

Kaguya looked around and, after confirming that Li Xiaoxiao was nowhere to be found, spoke through the mental link.

{Hmm, the villagers' corpses are nowhere to be found, but thankfully, Yili's clone and Ahai's summoned creature are still here. I think... we've probably entered a new space now. Hmm, this space was originally supposed to be very unstable and full of danger. But the return of Miss Li and the villagers' corpses has brought about some change; I think this place should be temporarily safe to explore.}

Chika also observed her surroundings, and only felt somewhat relieved after confirming that the clone that had been following her and Kaguya, as well as the "teacher," had been present. Then, recalling the initial distortion and strangeness of her spiritual vision and its gradual stabilization, she offered her own speculation.

So, does this mean we're going to explore this place next? However, according to the information from the spiritual vision, both the Li family and the Liu family ultimately chose to abandon this place, right?

Kaguya nodded slightly, then frowned and asked her question.

{That's right, so there's still one family that hasn't completely abandoned the village destroyed by the mudslide. This family consistently refuses to take sides in the conflict between the Liu and Li families, always maintaining a neutral stance, yet simultaneously worshipping both sides' gods, trying to please both. You could say they're a very contradictory and foolish family.}

Chika sighed softly again and took the lead, walking forward into the dilapidated and abandoned village.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this folly that only this family has never abandoned its initial promise, still fantasizing that one day the three families can reunite and recreate the [Yingti Village] where they once walked hand in hand.