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

{I think the person who buried the body must have felt the contents were extremely important, so they layered the package multiple times to prevent it from decaying due to environmental changes. In other words, from the moment the grave was completed, it was prepared to be dug up. The person who buried the body may have even realized that the digger could be from decades or even centuries in the future, so they had to ensure the contents were properly placed to guarantee that future generations could actually receive them.}

Cat Brother frowned, realizing the potential hidden behind this seemingly comical multi-layered nesting doll-like wrapping.

While the three were still talking, Zhenfei, after checking to confirm that there was no contamination inside, opened the animal skin bag.

The next thing they saw was a somewhat tattered scroll of paper inside the bag, and a wooden sign with a style that Gao Hai was very familiar with.

{Is there more than one brand like this?}

This is the second sign that Gao Hai saw representing the ghost hunter.

In terms of style alone, it is not much different from the plaque that Gao Hai got in the underground space of the mountain god temple, but there seem to be some subtle differences in the details. In short, it is somewhat awkward when compared.

I didn't sense any strange aura, and I'm not sure if it has any special function, but it's probably useless right now.

Gao Hai decided to ignore this strange brand for the time being.

Then, he turned his gaze to the tattered scroll.

Yes, the paper used in the two strange creature investigation records written by the town's ghost hunter, as well as his report when he first arrived in the village, should be the same type.

However, this scroll is quite substantial. Even though it's torn to shreds, it still contains a considerable amount of material, and there are numerous signs of alteration. It's unclear how much useful information can be found within the identifiable details, but since it was deliberately left here, Gao Hai estimates there might still be something inside—perhaps some crucial intelligence that could improve the players' current situation.

{I'll read this. Get ready to transmit. If there's any dangerous information inside, you must leave immediately.}

After taking the paper out of the package, Gao Hai first walked to a place a little further away from the other players and gave them a warning before opening it to read.

My entire body has been corrupted by that substance; I can only remain conscious for half a day at most, after which my death will come.

[Regarding my last words, the information I gathered during my final investigation, and the things I was unwilling to let go of, I have placed them all here. Those of you who will eventually reach this place and find my cenotaph must have already delved into the secrets of this place and witnessed something extraordinary, something that cannot be described simply as a "strange object."]

Having come this far, I believe you can go even further than I have. But if you too are on the verge of collapse and unable to move forward, please leave behind what you know that I haven't been able to discover, and record it in a relatively safe way for those who come after you. I believe that someone better will eventually appear, someone who can truly accomplish what I failed to do, so I hope you can also believe that such a person will appear one day.

The earliest text is the most complete, with virtually no mess or corrections. Furthermore, comparing it to the later text, one can vaguely sense a subtle difference in the writing time, and the ink concentration may also differ. Perhaps the earlier text was written safely somewhere, while the later text was hastily written with ink ground on the spot, hence the many subtle differences between the two.

As a person who suppresses evil spirits, I do not believe in gods, at least not in the existence of benevolent gods who stand on the side of humanity.

[Because if there truly were benevolent gods who bring blessings to humankind, they would certainly not allow such twisted things as monsters to exist in the world.]

But after truly delving into the secrets behind this village and understanding what was sealed beneath the small black mountain, I realized my assumptions were likely wrong. Such gods do exist, but they faced those distortions far earlier than we did—distortions far more terrifying and unstoppable than those faced by the people who suppress evil spirits. They simply…died before we even had a chance to grow up. Some were completely dead, leaving only unconscious remains; others retained some traces, perhaps even appearing alive, capable of communication. But deeper contact reveals otherwise.

For these long-gone pioneers, I can only offer my respect, and I am prepared to follow in their footsteps. Rather, it was only after my family was destroyed by the monsters, after becoming a monster-suppressing person and experiencing one tragedy after another, and after realizing that there were others who walked this path before us, that we are not fighting alone, that I truly found redemption. Only then could I believe that someone would surely descend upon the world to complete our unfinished work and settle all this karma.

The next paragraph is clearly the last words of this ghost-suppressing person. The last words are not long. This ghost-suppressing person hastily summarized his thoughts and life, ending the part about himself in less than five hundred words.

Although Gao Hai didn't mind learning more about this predecessor from hundreds of years ago, all he could ultimately read were these brief words.

That blood-red color and vines came from beyond the earth beneath our feet, from above the starry sky.

His power is sufficient to be called divine, and far greater than those gods who were born into this world before us, even though His existence itself... is likely only a very, very small part of something much more powerful.

[I have developed an incredibly profound connection with [the source of the blood], so profound that even twenty times the dose of tainted blood cannot alleviate the symptoms. But I know I will not die. Even though my consciousness, my ego, will inevitably disintegrate and perish, my very existence will be preserved by [the source of the blood], becoming an eternal empty shell. No, it should be said that I will become a fetus returning to its mother's womb, becoming something that knows nothing, only passively receiving nourishment and feeling happiness.]

But this horrifying thing, for Him, was a form of salvation, a rescue for the beings He saw as destined to perish. I don't know why He had such thoughts, but through this connection, through this month of constant tug-of-war with the tainted blood and the corrosive influence, I realized that no matter how horrific His actions were, He harbored no hostility towards me in His subjective consciousness; He harbored no hostility towards His desire to devour all the beings on this earth.

This is truly incomprehensible, but I have no other choice now, so I try to forge a deeper connection with Him. Even though my will is weak and easily crushed by Him, I find that under the parasitic influence of these crimson vines, His power constantly acts upon me, preventing me from truly dying and piecing together my shattered consciousness. Furthermore, this protective power is becoming increasingly precise; It seems to gradually adapt to me and offer me more comprehensive protection, even though this protection will ultimately cost me my life.

[Then, I began to understand that the reason He attempted to devour everyone was because He believed that all living beings in this world had lost hope. He thought that if He could not protect us, we would suffer a fate worse than death! The ending... (This passage was repeatedly erased and contained a large number of strange, scrambled symbols. It seemed that these symbols did not appear to be written by a writer, but rather sprang up out of thin air, as if the writing itself had summoned some kind of power.)]

[I don't really understand some of the wording here, and I'm not sure if I've written all of this down smoothly. Some strange things happened while I was recording these clues. I hope that you, as someone who comes after me, can understand these things.]

Following this, various stains and marks began to appear. Most of these stains were minor, and even if the stained text was illegible, its meaning could be guessed from the context. However, the last paragraph was severely distorted. Gao Hai even had a feeling that the reason this text was unreadable was likely because when the ghost hunter wrote down this clue, he had attracted the attention of something, which caused the text to become twisted and disordered.

However, even though the text was completely illegible, Gao Hai could still understand its meaning.

After all, he had already experienced the same thing from the crimson flower. Moreover, compared to the demon-suppressing man who had experienced repeated shattering of consciousness, Gao Hai only experienced one mental breakdown before successfully obtaining that information.

However, this information also clarifies another point: what Gao Hai initially believed—that the Blood Flower would tear apart his spirit in the second playthrough—was not what he anticipated. Even if the black watch hadn't activated its rewind function and taken Gao Hai away, Gao Hai, whose soul had been crushed by the terrifying power, wouldn't actually have died. This is because the Blood Flower possesses the ability to reassemble shattered souls and restore them. In other words, it wouldn't have killed Gao Hai from the beginning. Even those killed by the Blood Flower's power at the moment Miko realized its existence, becoming a vessel for the contamination, weren't truly dead. It could compensate for these damages; it could restore them.

Without the interference of the black watch's power, the crimson flower could devour everything without harming anyone. Even if some people inevitably died during its adaptation to human bodies, it didn't matter. Even if their souls were shattered into dust, it could fully revive them and continue to adapt, gradually achieving complete adaptation of its released power to the captured individuals, and then creating a permanent prison.

Gao Hai didn't know whether he should fear the blood flower's unreasonable and terrifying power, or admire Jiang Zhongguang, the demon-suppressing man, for his repeated drinking of divine blood, his forced use of mental power to sense the blood flower, his deaths and resurrections, and his relentless pursuit of death. To be honest, after experiencing a mental breakdown once, Gao Hai never wanted to go through that again. Especially the feeling of accidentally soiling himself during the period of sensory disturbance—it was unbearable to recall anytime.

No... I'm in pain because I gradually condensed myself through my own willpower, while the Demon Suppressor was forcibly condensed by the power of the Blood Flower. Therefore, I need to spend several months to repair myself, while the Demon Suppressor only needs to close and open its eyes to regain its mind.

So, does that mean I brought this whole mess on myself?

Sigh, forget it, let's look at the intelligence, let's not think about this anymore.

[Through this connection, I gradually gained more information. I realized that as something completely different from humans and all life in this world, He doesn't possess a human perspective; His understanding is entirely different from ours. What we see as a horrific end—being eroded and devoured—is perfectly normal for Him (Yes, Mom loves you)].

The next section of information was undamaged and easy to decipher. However, Gao Hai quickly noticed some discordant elements in the text and realized that the reason the text could be read without interference was likely because the power of the Blood Flower had been activated.

Moreover, judging from the text, the Zhenguiren was no longer aware that the will of the Blood Flower was right beside him.

[Birth, creation, death, and absorption—this cycle of life is the power He possesses.]

Therefore, for Him, taking all of us into His body and absorbing us as a part of Him is perfectly normal, even something that could be considered...an act of honor? Because under normal circumstances, ordinary life wouldn't be worthy of Him doing this (Mommy loves you, be Mommy's children)

As I just wrote, He did this because He believed we had no hope left. He believed something would appear in our world and destroy it completely, leaving nothing behind. That thing shouldn't have appeared so soon; we should have had more time to understand and fight it. But for some unknown reason, things went wrong, leading to this outcome.

And He, this being, did not want to see us destroyed, so He took action (stop throwing yourself into a fight with no future, stop dying pointlessly, and be Mother's children forever)

The following information is very strange. Although I have tried to interpret it many times, I still can't quite understand it. I learned from Him that we are very similar to His children, but essentially we are children from other universes. And it is precisely because we are not actually His children that our existence is so novel and interesting to Him. It is also because we are not His children that He wants us to accept Him, wants us to become His children, and therefore is unwilling to accept our destruction, and thus takes the initiative to devour us.

This engulfing may not be the final end (Mom will always protect you)

If He truly accomplishes everything He desires, then we will truly become His children. Perhaps thousands or tens of thousands of years later, or even billions or trillions of years, we will be reborn by Him. At that time, we will truly become His children, a part of this deity. Just as His existence is also part of something far beyond our comprehension, at that point we will likely no longer be considered human, but something entirely different. (Mother will grant you eternal happiness.)

I wanted to stop all of this. I wanted to try to communicate with Him. Having no way to resist, communication was the only thing I could think of. But my communication was ineffective. He wouldn't respond; we couldn't have a real exchange. No matter what I shouted or said, He would only repeatedly express a mother's love for her child. However, if I wanted something, He could actually conjure it up for me—whether it was a royal meal reserved for emperors or a luxurious mansion, He could immediately make it real. In other words, He could understand my thoughts, but He wouldn't listen to my opinions, wouldn't accept my suggestions, and wouldn't even leave room for discussion on this matter (Come to Mommy's arms).

This is infuriating! It's not really my parents, so how can such an unreasonable and invincible thing exist? Even those terrifying monsters can at least be subdued by finding traceable rules about their origins. Why is it so unresponsive to reason? Don't hate Mommy, don't be afraid of Mommy, Mommy loves you, Mommy won't hurt you.

I considered many possibilities and tried to delve deeper into the secrets of this place. Those wretched villagers repeatedly tried to stop me. Even after I managed to contact others and bring back a large force of the demon-suppressing spirits, they still wouldn't give up, even considering a desperate attempt to undermine the seal. In all my years of investigation and exploration, this was the first time I'd encountered such ignorant, arrogant, and vicious people. However, thanks to them, I was able to discover some of the secrets they feared. By exploring further in the direction they desperately tried to block, I was able to discover that beneath the surface of this village, something else was hidden in another dimension. Mom won't let them harm you.

I won't go into detail about this part; having gotten this far, you've surely encountered those hidden secrets. What I want to share is my deduction, based on these secrets, of the true way to end everything. Those things born from chaos don't cherish the evolution of life, they can't see the beauty and happiness of love in life. Don't become their toys; let your mother protect you.

[Mommy won't let you die, Mommy won't let you die. Become Mommy's children, return to Mommy's embrace.]

"Mommy's right here, Mommy will always be with you~"

Mom will be here soon...

Gao Hai had to stop reading for a while.

The remaining power in the paper roll was so little that it was almost non-existent.

But even this subtle power was gradually awakened as Gao Hai read, and he began to try to connect with his spirit.

As Gao Hai read further, he even felt the words transform into voices, into something speaking to him beside him. If he hadn't stopped in time to shift his gaze, he suspected the power of the Blood Flower might have actually been drawn to him.

{Kai-kun, is everything alright?}

Upon noticing Gao Hai's change, Zhen Fei immediately prepared to forcibly wake him up or remove him from her care.

However, Gao Hai quickly shook off the faint influence of the power within the scroll and waved to Zhen Fei to indicate that he was fine. After a moment of calm, he spoke through the mental link and temporary mental link to prove that he was indeed still conscious and had not been affected by anything before continuing to read the contents of the scroll.

More than ten deities born into our world are buried here.

Is this such important information coming out so soon?

However, although this passage is still clearly legible, the power of the blood flowers is no longer palpable. Is it because the Demon Suppressor is writing about sealing His native deity, and that's why He's unhappy?

Gao Hai found his own idea absurd; he was actually speculating that a god from the universe would act like a woman and throw tantrums.

Most of these gods have completely vanished without a trace. Only the mountain god of Little Black Mountain, representing the land, and the mother fox, representing all things, remain, along with the remains of the water god, who is now a pure source of pollution, no longer resembling a deity—a truly pitiful and lamentable state.

I suspect these villagers have disturbed the seal before, and the water god is also within it, albeit at a shallow level. It's likely their repeated mishandling of the seal caused the water problem, a consequence of their own actions. While it might be inappropriate to say this, the water god's body being here is actually fortunate, as its core power remains in the lakes and rivers, unaffected by rainwater. Furthermore, these lakes and rivers are not connected to any other rivers or lakes. This means that even if the seal on the water god's body were to completely break down, the pollution wouldn't enter other rivers or lakes—a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune.

But what I noticed was that this God who treats us like children doesn't treat the gods like children. In His eyes, the gods born of this land are like strangers living in the next village, representing nothing to Him.

Even considering the disparity in power, He could easily treat these native gods the same way He treats us, yet He doesn't even entertain the thought. This puzzles me greatly. Since these native gods, like us, were born on this land, why can't He treat them equally as His own children? Instead, why does He engage in fierce conflict with them? And why does He even seem to hate these native gods?

Is it because these native gods, even if less powerful than Him, are at least close to Him in their life form and are more like His kind than we are?

Or is it because, to Him, these beings who already possess immense power no longer need to be protected like children? And is that why, when these native gods tried to stop Him from devouring us, and fought against Him to protect us, He was so enraged and killed them without hesitation?

Just how much did this guy investigate?

Or is it that in this state he is actually a chosen one protected by the Blood Flower, so he can do whatever he wants without caring?

However, regardless of the situation, one thing is certain: He and the native gods must have attempted to communicate. It was only when communication failed that the subsequent battle ensued, culminating in His suppression at the cost of the native gods' lives.

In other words, one must at least reach the level of those extinct indigenous gods, or at least be close to that level of existence, to be qualified to communicate with Him and not be unilaterally treated as a "child" whose fate is decided without any room for refusal.

This is the most crucial piece of information left behind from that battle that took place long ago!

Gao Hai's eyes widened.

He suddenly remembered what Chika had said to him before.

What exactly is the meaning behind the strange dungeon name, "Infant Cry Village"?

What exactly does the phrase "infant crying" mean?

After Qianhua raised this question, Gao Hai did indeed think about it repeatedly. However, he couldn't come up with an answer, nor could he come up with a convincing and plausible one.

But now, after seeing the words on the scroll, Gao Hai can finally be sure of the answer.

Then he immediately recalled the final scene of the campus ghost story, and the time when the clown led him to obtain the unfinished Root Form.

By obtaining the form of the origin, one gains the qualification to become a god.

If the first instance was a tutorial level—and compared to the later monsters and demons, Shirakawa Apartment was indeed a beginner's level—then in the second instance, he confirmed from the intelligence that this planet had once been inhabited by beings called "gods." And in the third instance, he gained the qualification to become a god, obtaining the stepping stone that no player had ever acquired before.

Then, in the fourth instance, which is a super combination of local and foreign gods, will there be the next step?

Gao Hai had considered this idea before, but at the time he didn't really believe it, because the leap was just too outrageous.

But now, after seeing the information summarized by the Town Ghost Man, he couldn't help but wonder if it was really true.

After a moment of silence, Gao Hai heard Zhenfei calling him through the mental link again, and then realized that he had been spacing out for a while. After checking and verifying once more to confirm that there were no problems, he suppressed his somewhat uneasy heart and looked at the last part of the scroll.

[After realizing this, I discovered during my investigation that some of the native gods who perished back then were actually aware of this.]

Although information related to it is very scarce, fortunately, the Fox Mother can still communicate to some extent. I went to great lengths and paid a high price to communicate with this remnant of the god in order to obtain the relevant information.

The mountain god of Little Black Mountain, the fox mother, and a few other local gods who support these two do indeed realize that confronting the mother will not bring good results, but will instead allow something else to reap the benefits. It's even highly likely that this conflict was instigated from the beginning, with the ultimate goal of depriving our world of its protectors.

Gao Hai's gaze paused slightly as he read.

Although there was no residual power in the text, and the text itself was perfectly normal and readable, Gao Hai subconsciously stopped reading because of the writer's change of name for something.

There are no traces of polluting forces remaining; this text is "clean."

After confirming several times, Gao Hai finally felt a little relieved.

In other words, by the time this passage was written, the ghost-suppressing man named Jiang Zhongguang was already nearing his limit and beginning to have his perception altered? If so, we need to be careful with the following text, as there might be something hidden within it.