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

Takami teased Kita.

{My head hurts so much… It feels like my thoughts are being torn apart. Hmm, have I encountered something far beyond my willpower's limits again? Mr. Gao… I always feel like you're easily targeted by dangerous things…}

It was obvious that Kita was seriously injured and it took him a while to recover. He then whispered with lingering fear.

Now, she would no longer say things like Gao Hai had cheat codes that would allow him to easily conquer dungeons; she simply genuinely felt that Gao Hai was having a tough time. This change made Gao Hai feel very gratified, and he would probably be even more gratified if she could avoid bringing up a certain topic.

{Speaking of which… although I lost consciousness earlier, I vaguely felt like I saw Nijigasaki-senpai, and she was wearing very indecent clothes, Mr. Gao… do you know what that meant?}

Kita asked, quite puzzled.

{I have absolutely no idea, maybe you were dreaming about something?}

Gao Hai quickly gave a denial.

{Is that so? Hmm, I don't quite understand, but it probably really was a dream. It's just that hearing Mr. Gao shout "Alice, help me!" in the dream felt really strange, like Mr. Gao was being coerced by something...}

Kita muttered a couple more words, and judging from her tone, she seemed genuinely unaware of what had happened before. She was probably still half-asleep when Takami embarrassed herself.

However, Red Moon-level players possess incredibly powerful memories, and Kita Ikuyo's spiritual power is fused with his own, meaning she retains her memories even after he reverts to a previous state. This gave Takami a subtle feeling; he couldn't help but worry that Kita might recall the specific circumstances, remember the embarrassing line Takami was forced to utter, and tell it to others. If that happened, it would be a major crisis for Takami, threatening his very survival.

[Hehe, isn't that great? Alice is really looking forward to hearing the teacher say that line again, and maybe Alice can even give the teacher a reward if she says it again!]

Alice, who had been quiet for a while, found a way to start the conversation and immediately began to chatter in Gao Hai's ear.

However, Gao Hai had gotten used to the thing by now, so he didn't react. He just carefully moved forward on the dirt road while keeping an eye out for anything unusual that might be around him.

Then, Takami and Hayasaka saw a lone sign hanging ahead on the road, with the words written on it:

Summary of Precautions During Years of War and Disaster

Chapter 78: New Notice Records and Two People Taking a Temporary Break

Summary of Precautions During Years of War and Disaster

[To everyone who can still see this notice: Please read this notice carefully. This matter concerns your life and property; please do not treat it lightly.]

The mutinous soldiers recruited by the former clan chief, Li Ziyong, have utterly destroyed our village. I have no intention of commenting further on him; the deed is done, and dwelling on the causes is pointless. The most important thing now is how to ensure the survival of the majority, how to even survive. As members of the Li family, our primary task now must be the survival of our clan; everything else can be dealt with after we survive this calamity.

Now, these rebel soldiers have completely ruined the preparations for the festival, and the mountain god has almost stopped responding to our prayers. As far as I know, some elderly villagers are already showing signs of aging again. I know this has panicked many, but there's no need to be afraid. At least for several months, the mountain god's power should still be able to sustain itself. The mountain god who has protected us for hundreds of years will never abandon us like this. All we need to do is avoid being killed and try our best to survive.

According to some clansmen who infiltrated the mutinous soldiers, these soldiers are all from other places. They don't know our local dialect and can't read our ancient characters. In fact, at most one or two of these soldiers are literate; the rest are uneducated idiots. Even so, these soldiers are still very dangerous, so it's best not to interfere until they bring about their own demise. This notice was deliberately posted in a place they are unlikely to notice. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that they might tear it down, so if you find a torn notice, please try to find other notices nearby.

In summary, there are some important situations that require vigilance and caution. I will list them all in this notice. Please check carefully to see if you have missed anything or failed to do your job properly.

Firstly, never forget your identity as a member of the Li family. As long as we are members of the Li family, we will always be members of the Li family. Having received the protection of the Mountain God for so many years, regardless of whether we live or die in the future, we must never abandon our faith in the Mountain God, and we must not lose face or dignity as members of the Li family. If you forget who you are, forget how you survived until now, even the Mountain God may not be able to save you.

Secondly, do not venture deep into the forest, nor come into contact with stagnant water, do not walk alone on roads, do not touch paper figures or other sacrificial offerings, and do not attempt to identify anything in the sky. The mountain god's power is no longer sufficient to protect us; what was once a threat has become more dangerous, and what was not a threat before is now uncertain. Please proceed with extreme caution; preserving your life is our most important task now.

Thirdly, avoid wedding and funeral processions. The rituals have spiraled out of control, and the mountain god will actively seek out offerings that it hasn't received. If you expose yourself in front of these things, you'll likely be begging for death. Don't even think about using them at this time.

Fourthly, if you hear opera singing at night, please cover your ears. If you really can't, you can poke your ears out. In short, you cannot listen to opera continuously. The opera troupe controlled by Li Ziyong has now escaped his control. You all know what would happen if that thing came after you, so don't think you can still listen to opera at this time.

Fifthly, the Black Immortal and his animals occasionally leave the forest and enter the road or houses. Do not confront them. The Mountain God's protection has not completely disappeared. As long as you observe basic etiquette and adopt a humble attitude, they will not harm you. If all else fails, simply kowtow. As long as you immediately and honestly kowtow, regardless of whether you are wrong or not, apologize first, and the Black Immortal will not do anything to you.

Sixth, do not confront those disorderly soldiers, not even lone ones. These soldiers have become abnormal since encountering the "Ghost Cry Cave." Even if you chop off their heads, they may not necessarily die; instead, it might bring trouble. We just need to observe and wait for these outsiders to bring about their own destruction. There are no benefits without a price in this world. These soldiers have taken the benefits but haven't reciprocated; sooner or later, they will be punished.

Seventhly, if any new Jiang clan offering tables or altars are discovered, they must be smashed, destroyed, and extinguished as soon as possible. These things, which should have been destroyed long ago, have recently reappeared for some unknown reason. For the safety of the clan, they must not be let go. We are the Li clan, who worship the Mountain God, and we are not allowed to worship any gods other than the Mountain God, let alone anything that is not a god at all. If any member of the Li family is found to truly believe in anything other than the Mountain God, they will be killed without exception. They must not be let off.

[That's all for now regarding the current issues. If any further problems arise, I will have new notices posted. Our Li family is facing another crisis of extermination, but if we could overcome it before, we can overcome it now. We must not lose heart at this time, and we must not forget how we won before. Time is ultimately on our side.]

[—Li Duosun]

The notice was quite complicated, and it took Gao Hai some time to read it all.

While the text itself is easy to understand at a glance, the implied meaning requires some time for careful thought and analysis. After all, this announcement doesn't seem to contain many riddles, but some unclear information, clearly omitted due to the presupposed reader identity, still needs to be pieced together by the players themselves.

Are they mutinous soldiers?

Gao Hai was recalling it carefully.

Among the players who had previously entered the [Infant Cry Village] instance, some did mention the strange phenomenon of dead people marching within the instance, which seemed to match the intelligence from the chaotic soldiers.

Furthermore, during the exile of the villagers of Li Family Village, they mentioned the issue of Li Ziyong attracting rebel soldiers, which corresponds to the signature on this notice. However, Gao Hai couldn't understand why a perfectly respectable clan leader would provoke soldiers during a time of chaos and disaster. Did he think a group of soldiers was suitable for sacrifice, so he deliberately provoked them? If so, Gao Hai could only say it was a good thing he died.

So, is the space we're in now a transformation of the history of Li Family Village being ravaged by rebel soldiers? When does the master think this historical period might have occurred? And speaking of which... there are quite a few different spaces within this instance...

Hayasaka, who was standing next to Takahashi, also read the announcement carefully. After thinking for a moment, he spoke to Takahashi through a temporary mental link, his tone tinged with emotion.

Having witnessed and heard about so many villages in different dimensions, Hayasaka had formed a preliminary impression of this instance—a rather terrible one. It was truly hard to imagine that a village that had access to genuine supernatural power hundreds of years ago would end up like this. In a sense, Hayasaka was beginning to fear the very concept of "villagers" among the villagers of Li Family Village.

Judging from the notice, these villagers likely possessed the ability to live forever when they came into contact with the rebel soldiers. However, this power of immortality probably had significant limitations at the time, so they still had to avoid being killed directly by the rebel soldiers, and they had no good way to deal with the rebel soldiers' strength...

Gao Hai frowned, analyzing and thinking in the mental link.

However, this can also be considered from the opposite perspective. Perhaps the mutinous soldiers at that time possessed some extraordinary power. After all, ordinary soldiers are unlikely to gain any advantage in Li Family Village, while this group of mutinous soldiers, who theoretically might have been defeated from the front lines, managed to break through and destroy the village. The difference is too great; there must be some key factor we don't know about.

However, if he wanted to find this key... should he actively contact the chaotic soldiers? No, that's not a good idea. Although he hasn't actually encountered them yet, Gao Hai instinctively sensed how troublesome these people were and secretly resisted such an action.

{Don't engage the rebels. Our priority now is survival. Avoid actively searching for or contacting them for the time being. Try to find a place to hide, preferably a house with a door. That way, we can try to see if the Blood Key can help us return to Li Family Village where everyone else is.}

After much deliberation, Gao Hai made his final decision.

His current condition wasn't good, and Alice's version of the mountain god had clearly stated that if Gao Hai wanted to receive its help again, he would have to perform some kind of sacrificial ritual. In addition, Hayasaka's condition was even worse and he needed more time to recover. It didn't seem like the right time to search for monsters of unknown strength. At this moment, Gao Hai felt that he should play it safe and prioritize ensuring his own survival. Thinking about how to get back to the base was the most important thing.

Hayasaka had no objections whatsoever. She didn't even speak in the mental link, but simply nodded to indicate that she had no opinion and would listen to Takahashi (her master) in everything.

Aside from Hayasaka, Kita Ikuyo expressed no objection, and Alice's opinion was unimportant. So the two of them moved through the dusty, scorched mountains, trying to find a place to rest temporarily while staying as far away as possible from the ruins of Li Family Village and the strange mountain camp.

Along the way, Gao Hai saw many figures walking back and forth on the dirt road, dressed in tattered clothes. Even while wandering aimlessly, these things seemed to have a certain awareness of group movement, and their clothes appeared to be of a uniform style, but were so badly damaged that no valuable written information could be found. Therefore, Gao Hai suspected that these people might be the so-called "random soldiers."

He saw very few animals, and certainly none of the so-called "Black Immortals." This was a stark contrast to the overly dense animal population he had seen in the forest when he first arrived at [Infant Cry Village]. However, from the few animals wandering among the ruins and weeds, Gao Hai could still sense a subtle aura, similar to what he had felt when encountering animals elsewhere. Therefore, he concluded that the [animal] group might be dormant to some extent in this space, but its intrinsic nature remained unchanged.

As for the rest, Gao Hai didn't see much. Including the paper figures, most of the strange creatures that appeared in [Infant Cry Village] could not be found or were not easily found in this space. He didn't know if they were hidden or if they were "non-existent" here.

Finally, after spending more than half an hour dodging numerous uncertain threats, the two entered a very simple hut in the woods, which seemed to be prepared for hunters to spend the night. The hut had been abandoned for a long time, and even the walls were full of cracks, looking like it could collapse at any moment. However, after Gao Hai tested and confirmed, he found that the hut's structural integrity was perfectly fine, and it was not a dangerous building that was uninhabitable. Moreover, there were no abnormal effects inside, and there were no hidden dangers, so they could rest for a while.

{There's so much dust here. How long has it been since this place was used?}

As soon as Gao Hai entered the room, he inhaled a mouthful of dust and couldn't help but frown and fan his nose with his hand.

{It would probably take years, but the hunter class probably won't be viable in this dungeon, since animals can't be hunted at will.}

Hayasaka didn't seem to notice anything amiss, and even quite naturally tidied up a small area where she could lie down or sit, while also managing to distract herself by talking to Takami through their mental link.

Outside the sealed windows, the village of ashes remained unchanged in the darkness, and nothing seemed to emerge from the stronghold; everything appeared peaceful. Although this space seemed to contain many unfamiliar and strange creatures and new rules, the overall level of danger was not very high; there were no creatures that could relentlessly pursue and kill others, whether they were flying or diving.

Gao Hai pondered for a moment before coming to Hayasaka's side to help her tidy up. Soon, after roughly clearing out a place to rest, the two, one tall and one short, sat together quietly, their shoulders leaning silently against each other.

Should we take this opportunity to think of a way to deepen our connection and unlock the spiritual link with the black watch?

After sitting idly in the dark room for a while, Gao Hai began to feel bored, and then subconsciously thought of this matter.

Whether it's kissing or any other type of intimate activity, Xiao Ai and I have already completed it, so there's definitely no problem with the basic exchange of bodily fluids. If there's any deficiency, what would it be?

With his thoughts drifting slightly, Takami looked down at the girl beside him. Then, suddenly, perhaps unintentionally, or perhaps sensing something, Hayasaka Ai looked up and met Takami's gaze.

Chapter 79: Rest Time and Spiritual Communication in the Dimly Lightned Room

very quiet.

Once inside and the door was closed, the surroundings became quiet.

However, that's not entirely true. Thinking back, there hadn't been any major disturbances before. After all, he and Hayasaka hadn't encountered anything dangerous since entering this new space. Of course, this was also because, aside from looking at the notice, they hadn't done anything else and immediately started looking for a safe zone.

This also suggests that within this space containing "chaotic soldiers," there shouldn't be any particularly well-hidden, difficult-to-detect ambush-type monsters, or those patrolling extensively that players would find hard to avoid. From this perspective, this space does seem to be a relatively safe area. However, Gao Hai has no idea how long this safety will last, nor does he know how to get Hayasaka back to Maki Chika's side.

call……

In the dimly lit cabin, only the gentle breathing of the two people could be heard for a moment.

Gao Hai could still feel dizzy; the mental damage from being pulled by the Fox Queen and the Blood Flower hadn't fully recovered. While he could still force himself to move, his condition was definitely not at its peak. Hayasaka wasn't in good shape either. Chen Qiucai's attacks included various vicious and corrosive techniques. If Hayasaka hadn't had low perception, a strong will, and the mental fragments Gao Hai had planted beforehand, he probably would have been killed in the previous confrontation.

call……

With soft breathing, both Takami and Hayasaka were relaxing, trying their best to recover their tired and damaged spirits.

Neither of them had slept or rested. Now in an unknown place, even if they did rest, they wouldn't dare to truly relax and sleep. In fact, if it weren't for Lao Guo standing outside the door as an alarm (having given orders in advance to restrict the view so that the rescue team would never look at the sky), Gao Hai probably wouldn't have even thought about resting and would have just stubbornly tried to escape from here.

call……

While thinking, Hayasaka raised his head again and looked at Takami.

She seemed to have something to say, but hesitated and wasn't sure whether to say it.

{What's wrong?}

So Gao Hai took the initiative to ask in the temporary mental link.

{Nothing... well, it just feels kind of nice when the two of us sit together like this. The last time was probably when I was in Hayate Elementary School, but the way my owner held me back then was a little different from how I am now.}

Hayasaka blinked, hesitated for a moment, and then finally spoke her mind.

It turned out to be the case.

Although the setting might not be the most suitable and there's not much romance to it, we have nothing else to do anyway, so there's nothing we can't do.

Gao Hai smiled silently, reached out and grabbed the girl's shoulder, pulling her into his arms.

Hayasaka was slightly surprised by this, but she immediately moved her body in a very cooperative manner and sat directly in Takami's lap, with the top of her head being touched by Takami's chin as she lowered her head.

{So, are you satisfied, my maid?}

Gao Hai asked with a smile in the temporary mental link.

{...Yes, thank you, Master. That makes me feel much better.}

The reply that followed carried a subtle sense of relief.

It was only at this moment that Takahashi noticed that Hayasaka had actually been on edge the whole time. Unlike Takahashi, she couldn't perceive much. To her sensory world, the [Infant Cry Village] instance was like a black hole, almost impossible to identify any threats within it. Even though many dangerous monsters and ghost stories couldn't affect Hayasaka because of this perception, the remaining ones were still terrifying and deadly enough. What Hayasaka found most unbearable was that she had difficulty recognizing and perceiving these things.

Just like back at the Baytos Research Institute, she and Miko Yotsuya moved forward together in the dark, carefully avoiding various dangers in the absence of any visibility. At that time, Miko repeatedly reminded Hayasaka how to act, how to avoid those threats that were fatal to the touch and that she could not even sense.

She didn't like this feeling.

While a normal player, when killed, would at least most of the time be aware of who killed them, her talent would mean that she might not even be able to see what threatens her life when in danger. This ignorant fear is actually unbearable for Hayasaka, but because she is strong enough, she has been enduring it well, until now, sitting in the dark with Takami, until she recalls again the torment she experienced at Hayate Elementary School in this gloomy little house.

Takami remained unaware of these emotional shifts until Hayasaka himself hesitated to speak.

{It's okay, I'm here.}