Adventure World Online (AWO)

Siegfried set up a cabin, that Chang Long had found and he had won in the raffle, which was similar in size to Chang Long's tent. It had two bedrooms, each with two bunk beds, two lounge chairs on the front porch, a long wicker sofa inside, a small dining table, and a safari-style bathroom. It was just enough to accommodate Chang Long's group comfortably.

As everyone settled in for the night, the fire flickered gently by the gentle wind, casting shadows that seemed larger and more menacing than they truly were. Among these shadows, one seemed more real—an animal-shaped silhouette with soft fur and round, glowing eyes were watching the visitors' tents.

The visitors would have to prove themselves, or they would never find the foxes' sanctuary or the shrine of Inari. To find the shrine, they needed a fox guide. But who would be the person who wins the trust of the foxes in this valley?

The next morning, everyone woke up early, ate quickly, and resumed their quest to find Inari shrine. Mysterious eyes followed them wherever they went. Chang Long, as always, carried the golden egg with orange markings, which also seemed to be under watch. She separated from the group, walking slowly and deliberately with the egg in hand, unnoticed by the others. Then, something unexpected happened.

"You!"

A voice called from the thick pine forest, where it was hard to see anything beyond the trees. Startled but not alarmed, Chang Long turned toward the source of the voice. A large, single-tailed fox, about the size of a Tibetan Mastiff, emerged from the trees. Its luxurious orange fur gleamed in the light, and its yellow eyes focused intensely on the egg in her hands before shifting to her with haughty air.

"Did you call me?"

Chang Long asked, pointing at herself, unsure if the fox was addressing her.

"You can understand me!"

The fox appeared shocked that Chang Long could talk to it, its interest in her growing before returning to its arrogant demeanor.

"You live here, right? Could you take me to Inari shrine? I need the god's help with this,"

Chang Long asked politely. The fox glanced between her and the egg, then furrowed its brows.

"What's inside that egg? I can sense a pure and powerful aura."

"My friend—a Flame Fox,"

Chang Long answered with a gentle smile. The fox seemed slightly taken aback by her response.

"The egg of a Flame Fox doesn't look like that. Tell me the truth!"

The fox growled, doubting her words and preparing to pounce if she gave the wrong answer.

"Well, originally, the egg didn't look like this. It was much uglier. But after drinking from the Sacred Water Pond, the egg transformed. When my friend hatched, he became a Sacred Beast. But then he died. I revived him using the Sacred Water again, and this is what the egg looks like now, waiting to be reborn,"

Chang Long explained succinctly.

The fox in front of her looked astonished by how much effort Chang Long had put into reviving her pet. What it had seen outside the Fox Valley during its hunts was how players usually treated their pets—either using them as shields or as fighting aids. Never had it witnessed someone who cared so deeply for their companion like the human before it.

"Tch... Fine. I'll lead you. Follow me, human," the fox finally agreed, turning its back to her and leading the way. It headed down a path that others had passed before, which seemed to lead to nothing but a vast, snow-covered plain stretching endlessly into the horizon.

As they walked, Chang Long noticed small stone pillars with ancient inscriptions that no one had paid much attention to before. The fox instructed her to read each one aloud, explaining that even with a fox guiding her, she would not be able to see Inari shrine without reading the inscriptions.

The first stone pillar she encountered read,

"The rice ripens."

Chang Long felt confused—what did ripened rice have to do with anything? But she refrained from asking the fox and simply continued. Soon, they came upon the second stone.

"The crops bloom,"

she read aloud once more, as instructed. The fox kept walking without pause, even as she stopped to read the inscriptions.

Chang Long had to quicken her pace to keep up, as the fox did not wait for her. Eventually, they reached the third stone, which bore more ancient writing,

"By divine blessing."

She read it aloud diligently, spotting the next stone several meters ahead.

"For ages untold."

The fox increased its speed, forcing Chang Long to almost jog to catch up, while still keeping an eye out for more stones. Finally, they arrived at the fifth stone.

"We are deeply grateful."

The sixth one was harder to find, hidden among a cluster of rocks.

"And so, we bow down."

The seventh stone was closer to the open, snow-covered plain.

"To the gods of..."

Chang Long had now read seven stones, but still, nothing seemed to happen. Before her lay a vast, empty expanse of white snow. It felt eerily desolate. Was the fox deceiving her? Had it tricked her into wasting time, making her tired and cold for no reason? The snow was falling more heavily now, making the temperature had dropped even lower. It was already cold for them to stand in the cold, but now it was even colder. Her breath turned into visible white clouds as she ran to keep up with the fox. Finally, she spotted what appeared to be the eighth and probably final stone pillar.

"Cultivation"

Chang Long read the final inscription aloud, just as she had done with the others, but nothing happened. The fox leading her stopped at the entrance to the wide, snowy clearing, waiting for her to approach. Feeling disheartened, her legs stiff from the cold, Chang Long dragged herself toward the fox, ready to question the cruel joke it had seemingly played on her. However, before she could speak, the fox beat her to it.

"Kneel, and say his name,"

it commanded, not repeating itself, even as Chang Long stood there in confusion. It did not even turn to face her. Eventually, Chang Long followed the fox's instructions. She turned to face the vast, empty snowfield, knelt down, and spoke the name of the deity that might be present in that sacred place.

"Inari God…"

The moment Chang Long spoke, a sense of warmth began to flow through her body, starting from her fingertips and spreading through her hands, arms, legs, and finally enveloping her entire being. The endless white snowfield before her gradually transformed into a golden rice field, with stalks of ripen rice swaying gently in the breeze. In the center of the field stood a large tree, beneath which was a shrine resembling traditional Japanese shrine. Sitting near the shrine was a kind-looking man with white skin and hair the color of golden rice. Surrounding him were foxes of various sizes and colors. The man glanced at Chang Long and smiled warmly.

The fox led Chang Long along a single path toward Inari, the god, who was waiting patiently. The scent of rice filled the air, accompanied by the cool breeze that swayed the golden stalks, and the setting sun cast a comforting warmth over the entire scene. As Chang Long walked after the fox, she marveled at the beauty of the place, barely believing her own eyes.

"She has come farther than I expected,"

Inari remarked with a gentle smile as warm as the sunlight, his eyes settling on the golden egg in Chang Long's arms.

"Hand it to me,"

he said softly, and without waiting for a response, the egg gently floated from Chang Long's hands into his.

"Do you know Kitsune?"

Chang Long asked, surprised that Inari seemed to recognize her pet.

"Oh, this little one is named Kitsune? Poor child, born with a blemish on its egg. His parents decided to abandon him to die, but the egg disappeared on that very day. I didn't think he would end up with you."

Inari looked into Chang Long's eyes.

"It seems this child has been well cared for."

"You want me to recognize this little one's status, don't you?"

Inari asked with a warm smile, his gaze seeming to pierce through to her very soul. Chang Long nodded and began recounting everything that had happened to Kitsune to Inari. Strangely, the surrounding foxes all gathered to listen as well, even though some of them yawned, stretched, or lazily rolled over while they listened.

Inari invited Chang Long to sit on the grass beside him, within the circle of foxes. He carefully examined the golden egg with its orange markings, holding it up to his ear with a smile, as if hearing something from within.

"This little one truly loves you. I've never seen such a deep bond between a master and their pet. This child was willing to die for you... Very well, I will help. But while we wait for this little one to hatch, you must stay and help me here,"

he added, looking at her.

"Is this a quest?"

Chang Long asked as she sipped the tea that the fox had served her.

"Yes, will you be able to do it?"

Inari replied with his usual warm smile.

"No problem!"

Chang Long responded without hesitation. Helping Inari with tasks could not be that difficult, especially if it meant Kitsune could fully become a pure-blooded Sacred Beast. Inari smiled with satisfaction at her quick agreement and then assigned her the first task.

Chang Long followed a narrow path that led from Inari shrine up a tall mountain. Her mission was to gather one hundred golden corn kernels. Without a second thought, she set off immediately, completely forgetting to inform her friends, who were still searching for Inari shrine.

The mountain path wound through rice fields, farms, and orchard all tended by foxes. She was amazed to see the foxes walking on two legs, carrying farming tools as they worked the land. None of them paid any attention to her. Eventually, she reached a cornfield, one section of which had been completely destroyed. A small white, fluffy fox sat there, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Hey,"

Chang Long called out, but the little fox did not respond. As she tried to walk past, its claws grabbed her, stopping her in her tracks. It looked at her with tear-filled eyes and pleaded,

"My cornfield… Please, help me find my lost corn."

Its pitiful gaze tugged at Chang Long's heart.

"B-but I'm looking for golden corn kernels for Inari..."

Chang Long replied hesitantly. If she helped the little fox, she might not make it back in time for Kitsune's rebirth.

"Yes! My corn is golden. If you help me recover all of it, I'll share some kernels with you to take to Lord Inari!"

The little fox said, hope gleaming in its eyes.

"Really? Alright then. Where's your corn?"

Chang Long asked, feeling a bit relieved. She had worried that she would have to hunt for the corn kernels one by one in the bushes.

"I think they've been hidden!"

The little fox said with sudden determination.

"The red-eyed rabbits and thieving field mice like to sneak in here. They've always stolen bits and pieces, but whenever my golden corn is almost ready for harvest, they steal all of it!"

The fox's voice grew more emotional, shifting from sadness to anger.

"Uh... So, where are they?"

Chang Long asked.

"In a big burrow deep in the forest."

The small fox pointed toward an open forest just a few dozen meters away from the fields.

"You need to hurry. Those creatures eat like there's no tomorrow. If you're too slow, there won't be a single corn cob left."

Chang Long's eyes widened in panic, and she quickly jumped up and sprinted toward the forest. The little fox cheered her on with various well-wishes as she disappeared from view. Once she was gone, the fox returned to its usual sobbing.

Inside the open forest, there were many low-level monsters, mostly red-eyed rabbits, thieving field mice, and large-headed sparrows. As for the frog princes, which Chang Long had yet to encounter, they were nowhere in sight. It was as if the creatures knew why she had entered the forest, so they were all on high alert, darting away swiftly.

Chang Long chased after them with little difficulty, except when they darted into dense thickets. She had followed a particular thieving field mouse all the way to a pond filled with lotus leaves, and the mouse hopped across the leaves to escape, leaving Chang Long frustrated.

"Miss!"

A chorus of voices called from behind her. Chang Long, already exasperated, turned to look, only to be so startled that she almost fell into the pond.

"Oh, nooooo. I'm gonna fall!"

Before her stood five frog princes with glossy light green skin, each wearing a small golden crown and a red velvet cape trimmed with white fur, looking quite luxurious.

"That's creepy!"

This was what Chang Long now faced—green frogs, no bigger than the palm of her hand, standing in a row on two legs, staring at her with large, round, yellow eyes, each with a black cross-shaped mark in the center. They were trying their best to look cute and charming. Chang Long's leg twitched as she attempted to back away. The system notified her that these creatures were Frog Princes, with a low level of only fifteen.

"Miss, you've come for us, haven't you?"

The first frog prince spoke, its eyes twinkling with delight.

"You've come to break the curse, right?"

The second frog prince quickly continued as if they were taking turns, playing on words.

"Help us return to our true forms!"

The third frog prince chimed in, bowing gracefully before standing tall with pride.

"To be handsome princes once again!"

The fourth frog prince added eagerly, his eyes gleaming at Chang Long. Though he was fourth in line, he, too, desired to claim her first kiss as much as the others.

"Mm!"

The fifth frog prince merely grunted seriously, not offering much more. The other four turned to look at him as though they did not recognize him anymore.

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