I'm a little bit cute after transforming.

In the early morning, Diana stretched after waking up, feeling no discomfort even while sleeping sitting up.

'Youth is truly wonderful!'

Only then did I realize that my arms were warm and cozy. Looking down, I saw a white fluffy ball.

I poked it with my finger; it's quite soft.

The white fur ball trembled, and a small head peeked out from underneath—it was the fox from last night!

I stroked its white fur, and the little fox rolled around contentedly; it was quite fun!

I looked at the spot where the grilled fish was from yesterday; all that's left is a skeleton.

"You ate such a big fish? You're such a glutton!"

The little fox seemed somewhat dissatisfied, chattering and arguing.

"What? You're not happy about it?"

The human and the fox began to communicate in a 'harmonious' way.

Diana put down the little fox and prepared to leave.

"Go back! I'm leaving!"

The little fox remained unmoved.

After taking a few steps, I turned around and found it still following me, looking into its big, sparkling eyes.

"I can't take you with me!"

A whirlwind rose beneath her feet, and Diana soared into the sky.

The little fox watched Diana slowly ascend into the air, its eyes filled with disappointment.

······

Diana flew through the air on a whirlwind above a jungle.

At that moment, a small white head peeked out from Diana's neckline.

"Let me make this clear first, I only decided to bring you along because I felt sorry for you, not because I wanted to touch you!"

The little fox ignored Diana, engrossed in admiring the scenery below; it was clearly very excited about its first flight.

After flying for a while, a village appeared ahead.

Diana landed by the roadside, a little distance from the village, and decided to go to the village first to get some food.

I miscalculated! I didn't prepare any good food when I left home, only some dry rations that the director and the others had packed.

It was mostly bread and jerky. I ate a little last night and then lost my appetite!

Just then, the little fox crawled out of her clothes and perched on her shoulder.

The village is nestled at the foot of a high mountain. Once inside, it is very quiet, and all the doors of the houses are tightly closed.

'What's going on? There's not a single person outside this early in the morning.'

"Hello~ Is anyone there~"

Diana called out several times, but no one responded.

Arriving at a house, I knocked on the door.

Is anyone home?

After a long while, the door slowly opened a crack, and a bloodshot eye peered through the crack.

Diana was startled.

"Excuse me...what happened here?"

A trembling voice sounded from behind the door.

"Quickly...quickly get out of here! The mountain god is coming!"

Before Diana could ask any further questions...

With a bang, the door slammed shut.

Diana was completely confused.

'Mountain god? What's that?'

As we continued into the village, the doors and windows of the houses all around remained tightly shut.

Diana could sense that someone was peeping through the window.

When she arrived at the square in the center of the village, the scene before her eyes shocked her.

In the middle of the square is a round platform, made of wood, which has an eerie deep red color.

At this moment, a little girl of seven or eight years old was lying on it, her limbs were tied with red ropes and her mouth was stuffed with red cloth.

Diana rushed over and, seeing the girl's face covered in tears, quickly pulled the cloth out of her mouth. The little girl immediately burst into tears.

Diana quickly comforted her after untying the ropes binding her.

"It's okay, it's okay."

Diana was furious, and combined with what the family at the village entrance had said about the 'mountain god,' she could pretty much guess what had happened.

Just then, a woman ran out from the alleyway, came to the platform, knelt down, hugged the little girl, and cried bitterly.

Suddenly, a door opened at the edge of the square, and an old man walked in with four or five young men.

The old man said angrily:

"Who are you? Do you know what you're doing?! You're going to kill the whole village!"

The woman cried out, her voice choked with sobs:

"Village chief, let me sacrifice myself to the mountain god in place of my daughter! I can't just stand by and watch her go to her death!"

The village chief scolded:

"Nonsense! The mountain god only likes to eat children now. Until it gets its hands on a child, it will keep slaughtering the villagers!"

Diana interrupted them.

"I'll take her place!"

The group looked at her in astonishment.

"Little girl! Have you thought this through? This has nothing to do with you. You can still leave now!"

Diana ignored him.

"I want to see just who this mountain god really is!"

The woman immediately kowtowed repeatedly to Diana, until her head was bleeding.

Diana quickly stepped forward to stop her.

roar~

A deafening roar came from the distant mountains.

The group trembled, and the village chief quickly led everyone into the house.

Diana looked towards the deep mountains and stood quietly waiting.

After a while, muffled footsteps came from afar.

From afar, a dark figure could be seen walking straight towards them.

The little fox on my shoulder bared its teeth and snarled in that direction.

Diana patted its head.

"It's alright! It's nothing!"

This was a black bear that was four or five meters tall. Its fur was jet black and shiny, and its pair of crimson eyes were staring straight at Diana!

This black bear walks on two legs, which looks very strange.

When the black bear arrived in the square, it roared again.

Diana was getting annoyed and waved her hand dismissively.

A blade of wind swiftly swept past, abruptly silencing the black bear's roar.

Its body remained motionless in place, then its head slid off, black and red blood gushed out, and its huge body crashed to the ground!

The villagers who were secretly peeking from the surrounding houses were filled with disbelief; they couldn't believe that the 'mountain god' was dead!

A door slowly opened, and a middle-aged man with vacant eyes, messy hair, and a scruffy beard walked out, holding a kitchen knife.

He staggered to the black bear's head, raised the cleaver, and chopped down hard, one blow after another.

More and more people went out of their homes, taking all sorts of weapons and venting their anger on the corpses!

Diana felt terrible seeing what was happening before her.

Are black bears strong? Perhaps!

Resisting might result in many deaths, but it wouldn't mean living with guilt for the rest of one's life.

Some people may be alive, but their hearts are dead; they are just empty shells.

The village chief's decision may reduce more sacrifices, but some things, once bent, may never straighten up again!

Although Diana was terrified of death, she couldn't bring herself to sacrifice innocent lives for her own survival.

Diana declined the village chief's invitation to a banquet and continued on her journey.

The farther you go from the capital, the more chaos you'll encounter!

The number of ferocious beasts inhabiting the mountains and forests is increasing, and occasionally you can even encounter magical beasts!

It seems that the safe capital city is just an exception!