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

Long, soft, white hair that trails to the ground.

Dark red, cat-like, undeniably striking vertical pupils with a touch of eeriness.

It also has a pair of tall, white animal ears and a fluffy tail that is almost twice the size of its body.

These characteristics combined form the woman that Gao Hai sees at this moment, sitting high on a rock throne.

Incidentally, aside from these unusual features that are immediately noticeable, this woman was about 1.7 meters tall, which was quite tall among the women Gao Hai had seen since his transmigration. Her appearance had a touch of alluring charm, yet at the same time, she possessed a very peculiar, sacred, and inviolable solemnity. How to describe the feeling she gave off... well, how should I put it... Gao Hai really didn't know how to describe this contradictory feeling of being both seductive and dignified.

In addition, she is very big, extremely big.

It's difficult to judge the exact size by sight, but it's certain to be above F-rank. It's a truly heavyweight size, roughly the same size as Gao Hai's head, or even larger. People like Fujiwara Chika would be easily crushed in its presence. All he could say was that it was simply too big. It wasn't a size that a human could grow to; shouldn't this be a super-sized creature found only in the world of Azur Lane?

And... this state, as expected, is completely O, right?

Although her hair almost completely covers her body, revealing no details that shouldn't be exposed, her posture, her appearance, and the glimpses of fair skin peeking through her hair... It's impossible to tell from this angle that she's completely naked! Isn't this kind of outfit a bit too modern art? A character with this style shouldn't appear in an ancient-themed dungeon, right? This thing makes the whole dungeon's art style go wrong!

"..."

In the silence, Gao Hai slowly took a step back, slightly increasing the distance between himself and the thing.

Despite the fact that the other woman had a beautiful face and a stunning figure, the kind that would immediately attract any normal man, Gao Hai was well aware of his current situation. He wasn't foolish enough to let his lower body control his brain at this moment, so he immediately went into alert mode and carefully observed the woman in front of him.

Based on initial observation and self-examination, this thing does not seem to have the kind of magical charm that distorts cognition like Alice; it is simply very good-looking.

While this so-called "very beautiful" is actually almost impossible to find in the real world, even in the world of anime and manga it's filled with an unbelievable dreamlike quality, making one wonder if it's actually a man-made object like a painting or sculpture brought to life. Only someone like Gao Hai, who has seriously discussed the philosophy of life with more than one anime girl and whose threshold for beauty has been raised considerably, would simply think this woman is pretty.

So, is this woman the Fox Queen?

Unlike the mountain god statue carved from black rock, is the so-called fox goddess actually in the form of a living person?

Gao Hai was already getting nervous.

Despite the blood flowers and vines constantly growing all over his body, sucking his blood and causing him intense pain, Gao Hai had no energy to pay attention to these problems. The fox girl in front of him, who seemed to possess reason and resembled a human, was putting considerable pressure on him. Even though this thing did not release any oppressive aura or some kind of corrupting power, its very existence made Gao Hai feel extremely uneasy.

【Hehehe, young man, are you afraid of me?】

The woman laughed, turned her head slightly to look at Gao Hai, and sat cross-legged on the stone-carved seat.

Her voice was very gentle, like that of an older sister next door.

Gao Hai couldn't face this person as easily as he would a neighbor. Even though none of his senses were giving him any warnings, he was already on high alert, focusing intently on the woman in front of him.

The police officers and teachers were still at Li Family Village. Even though Gao Hai's team had been wiped out, leaving only him, Gao Hai had no intention of giving up on the operation there. Therefore, the two rescue team members were still continuing their work. However, Gao Hai now only had Howard and Lao Guo as his teammates. Howard could summon a fire truck to help Gao Hai escape or divert attention, but Lao Guo, a fast-paced special agent with a one-hour cooldown, was someone Gao Hai didn't think would be of much use against the Fox Queen, a being seemingly on par with a mountain god.

Should we respond to the other person?

Looking at the smiling fox woman in front of him, Gao Hai silently pondered a suitable strategy.

With his life hanging by a thread, Gao Hai estimated that it would be a miracle if he could last an hour after the ten-minute invincibility of the Undying Blessing ended, given the rate at which these blood flowers were corroding him.

In theory, Gao Hai wouldn't need to hesitate at all in this situation and could act boldly. But now, facing this fox woman with a sexy figure and beautiful face, and without sensing any danger, Gao Hai inexplicably had a premonition that he should be more cautious and not act recklessly.

He could vaguely sense that if he dared to act recklessly, the price he would pay would be far more than just a simple rollback.

Are you planning to stand here in my temple without saying a word? This silence, this look of fear towards me, is quite boring. Or are you waiting for me to give you something? If so, then you are truly the most audacious person I have ever seen.

The woman laughed again.

She slightly parted her lips, revealing canines that were noticeably larger and sharper than those of a normal human, along with what looked like bits of meat stuck between them.

The feeling of familiarity grew stronger. At this moment, the woman seemed to Gao Hai like a friend he had known for years. Every move she made exuded warmth and intimacy, so much so that he couldn't help but smile.

We can't let her continue!

Gao Hai had this idea almost instantly.

This thing cannot be allowed to continue talking on its own. Whether Gao Hai likes it or not, he must try to communicate with it and have a dialogue with it. Otherwise, if he lets it continue talking on its own, he will also fall into an extremely dangerous situation.

But what should I say?

Gao Hai could feel his emotions becoming tense. Although he did not feel any oppression or deadly threat from this woman, he couldn't help but feel uneasy after she said something.

I couldn't figure out what the problem was, but no matter what, I couldn't let her continue talking. I had to respond, and respond cautiously and appropriately.

After all, no matter how gentle or kind it may seem on the surface, the essence of this thing is likely similar to the mountain god of Little Black Mountain, and it cannot be regarded as an ordinary monster.

Therefore, there must be some limits to his response to her. Although Gao Hai himself couldn't say exactly what those limits were, at this moment, from his inner instincts, he did have this thought and intuitively realized that he had to impose semantic restrictions on what he said.

"...I need help. I need to go to Liu Family Village now, to...the Liu Family Village area in this instance. What do I need to do to get there?"

After a brief moment of thought, Gao Hai slowly spoke, his tone somewhat hesitant.

The words he intended to say should have been subject to more restrictions, but for some reason, once he opened his mouth, the words that came out were somewhat beyond Gao Hai's control. He expended a great deal of energy to barely manage to utter a complete sentence.

I feel like something's not quite right with me.

Was there some force influencing my thinking?

Or is it your own body, the cells within you, that are spiraling out of control?

The blood-red flowers grew even more densely.

At this moment, the 10-minute invincibility provided by Hirano Sosuke's blessing was about to end, after which Takami would be fully recovered. However, due to her understanding of the [Crimson Flower], new blood flowers and vines would immediately grow on Takami's body after recovery, so in the end, the result would not change.

He could feel those things had taken root inside his body, deep within him, almost becoming one with him.

I don't know how this thing will change next. I have a feeling that the longer I hold on, the more gruesome my death will be. But anyway, I'm still alive for now, and I'm not going to die anytime soon, so that's enough.

Oh~

The woman with long white hair covered her mouth with her hand and laughed again.

[They didn't even ask who I was, didn't light incense, or bow to me; they just made demands of me so directly.]

People these days have really changed; they've become more rude and less polite.

However, this isn't exactly a mistake worth criticizing; after all, each generation has its own way of doing things. But, little one, you shouldn't have made conditions of me. The one making the wish and the one receiving payment for fulfilling it—that can't be confused. So, on this point, I still need to make my stance clear.

The woman continued to laugh.

She extended a hand to Gao Hai.

Click!

Gao Hai's hand was ripped off, and amidst the splattering blood, the woman opened her mouth and gently bit down, chewing away flesh and bone as if crushing tofu. In just a few seconds, she had easily finished eating Gao Hai's hand.

As the pain spread, Gao Hai simply stood silently in place, without uttering a sound.

This wasn't because he was completely indifferent to the pain; rather, his consciousness, his nerves, and his cells all felt that such a thing was nothing, that it was simply a matter of course.

The woman stuck out her tongue, gently licked her lips, and then looked at Gao Hai again, smiling at him once more.

So, the punishment is over, and now it's time for the reward of having your wish fulfilled.

This time, Gao Hai felt a fragrant breeze coming from the front.

When he realized it, he found himself being held in the arms of the fox woman, his head almost completely buried in her body, and he could no longer breathe.

The fox woman's voice rang out from above, overflowing with a gentle tone, as captivating as that of a close family member.

He heard the voice say:

【I am the Fox Goddess whom the Liu family has worshipped for generations, and I am offered incense and prayers by the Liu family village, protecting the Liu family forever.】

The Liu family has long since stopped accepting outsiders. As the protector of the Liu family, I shouldn't have let in someone as unsettling as you.

【But...but...you are, after all, just a dying man. Since you can see me, understand my words, and communicate with me, then I should listen to and fulfill your wishes...Heh, how long has it been since I did this...】

The Fox Queen, this strange creature that seemed to be the patron deity of Liu Family Village, suddenly changed her tone of voice at this moment.

Gao Hai almost immediately felt a strong chill, no less intense than that of the mountain god. The aura emanating from the thing embracing him at this moment almost froze Gao Hai's heart. Even though he was still under the invincible effect of the Undying Blessing, he inexplicably felt that this fox queen could kill him instantly.

The smell of blood continued to spread.

A malevolent aura continued to spread within the body.

Although the fox woman was merely reminiscing in a leisurely tone, her appearance in Gao Hai's perception underwent a complete reversal, suddenly transforming from a kind and trustworthy family member into an incomprehensible and terrifying monster.

However, this feeling disappeared immediately.

Because the fox woman had gently cupped Gao Hai's cheeks, and the words she uttered had returned to their original form.

【Then, I will grant your wish and receive my reward】

Open your mouth.

Gently bite Gao Hai's cheek.

tear.

From the side of the face, to the eyelids, to the forehead, and finally to a little bit of scalp.

The fox woman gently kissed Gao Hai's eyeballs, which had lost their eyelids, and then sucked on them with a little force.

Slurp——

Gao Hai had one of his eyes sucked away.

So, next up is Liu Family Village!

The Empress gently stroked Gao Hai's head one last time, hugged him again, and then reluctantly put him down, while also removing half of his ribs and lung.

Stumbling and staggering, Gao Hai reached the door of the house, pushed it open, fell to the ground and fell out, then got up again.

The door behind me was slowly closing.

And at this moment, the real Liu Family Village was revealed to Gao Hai.

This is a village... filled with blooming flowers.

Completely covered by countless blood-red flowers, from the ground to the walls to the forest, wherever the eye could reach, the dense red flowers and blood-red vines could be clearly seen.

The power of the blessing has swiftly repaired Gao Hai's body, restoring him to a normal state, including the recovery of his lost heart, arms, and eyes.

But almost immediately, the dark red color spread again, and blood-red flowers bloomed anew on Gao Hai's body.

Gao Hai didn't care about any of that.

What he cared about were the things that slowly emerged from the street corner.

It appeared to be a child, or something with a child-like form. Although it was essentially just a humanoid object entangled with blood-red vines and flowers, it seemed to move in a manner no different from a child.

Gao Hai could even hear them humming, hear these humanoid blood flowers singing something.

The Laughing Monk laughs at the deluded.

Every household burns incense, and laughter fills the air every day.