The slime girl named 'Nian Nian' walked in without speaking, only smiling as she looked at Hyuga Go.

"Um… can we start the ceremony now?"

After a brief silence, Hyuga Go tentatively asked.

He remembered that when Izaki Makoto opened the Marriage Room earlier, the fishman race took the initiative to speak, so why was it that when it was his turn, the other party didn’t say a word?

"…"

The slime girl, upon hearing him, still didn’t speak. She tilted her head and blinked innocently.

Seeing this, Hyuga Go swallowed nervously and a sudden impulse arose in his heart—‘hurry up and get it over with.’

"Since you’re not saying anything, I’ll take it as your consent, okay?"

He asked probingly.

"…"

The slime girl nodded lightly, then stretched out her hands.

"Do we hug first?"

Hyuga Go, now completely relaxed, spread his arms and embraced her.

Mmm…

Like jelly, cool and smooth. He wondered what it would feel like during the ceremony—probably very pleasant?

As he thought this, his hands began to wander.

But the next second, he sensed something was off.

Why did his hand go right through her body?

No, wait… why did his hand feel like it was burning?

His expression changed drastically. He tried to push the slime girl away, only to find in horror that she wouldn’t budge.

* * *

Meanwhile outside.

The people of Sakura Country, seeing everything proceeding smoothly, had already begun anticipating the national reward once Hyuga Go and the slime girl completed the ceremony.

"I hope it’s a reward to increase constitution, my health has never been great."

"Constitution is just extra, the most important thing is the two years of lifespan, though more would be even better."

"What a cute slime girl, she looks so gentle…"

"But why doesn’t she speak? Could it be that she can’t hear what Hyuga-kun is saying?"

"Don’t mind such trivial things!"

"That hug looks so loving, so warm."

"Super sweet!"

As it turns out, shipping couples exists everywhere, in any country.

At that moment, most people in Sakura Country had already started shipping Hyuga Go and the slime girl.

But just then.

One sharp-eyed viewer noticed something strange.

"Eh? Did you see that, Hyuga-kun’s hand went straight into the slime girl’s body!"

As soon as this was said, everyone turned their attention and noticed it too.

Before they could react.

Something even stranger occurred.

On screen.

The once dainty and cute slime girl, after embracing Hyuga Go, suddenly began swelling like a balloon, then slowly absorbed Hyuga Go into her body.

Yes, absorbed him into her body. The scene was like a stone sinking into water.

The only difference was the speed—it was slow enough for everyone to clearly see how Hyuga Go was swallowed into her.

"What… what is going on?"

The Sakura Country players were shocked.

"Don’t panic!"

"This must be the slime race’s way of holding the ceremony? Didn’t that Kyushu guy end up in the sea with the mermaid…"

"Ah, that makes sense."

"Yes, that should be it."

"Wait! Something seems wrong!"

"Why does Hyuga-kun look like he’s in pain?"

Indeed, as the slime fully enveloped Hyuga Go, his expression twisted in agony.

Then came an even more horrifying sight.

His skin turned red, then began to fester. Soon, crimson blood dyed the entire slime a bloody red.

Hyuga Go flailed desperately, but he couldn’t escape.

Within seconds, the once lively Hyuga Go fell still.

[Detected: Sakura Country player has died during the ceremony with their marriage partner…]

[In three minutes, a disaster will randomly occur within Sakura Country. After the disaster ends, another player will be chosen to enter the game.]

???

The Sakura players were dumbfounded.

On screen, the slime girl gradually returned to her cute form, then spat out a bone from Hyuga Go—no one could tell which part of his body it was from.

Chills ran through their hearts.

"What’s going on? Why did he die during the ceremony? Was this really a ceremony?"

"How is this a ceremony? That monster just ate him!"

"But why?"

"What do we do? Why did our country’s player die again?"

"Is Sakura Country doomed? The nuclear wastewater zombie crisis isn’t even solved and now another disaster?"

The Sakura players completely broke down, their mental states shattered.

Meanwhile, the Kyushu citizens, seeing Hyuga Go dissolve inside the slime girl, were also shocked.

"Damn, that’s terrifying."

"I mean, sure I’m glad that Sakura guy croaked, but why though?"

"No idea… could Ning Yi run into the same thing later?"

Then one comment drew everyone’s attention.

"I have a guess. That slime girl didn’t actually mean to kill Hyuga Go—she was just trying to complete the ceremony. The national fate game’s final prompts can’t be wrong."

"So why did he die so horribly? I think it’s because he was too weak!"

"Did you see the grass she passed by earlier? It withered instantly, like it had been splashed with sulfuric acid."

"In my opinion, ‘Strong Acid’ is just the slime girl’s natural trait."

"And to complete a ceremony with such a partner, the player must have an insanely strong acid resistance."

With those words, realization dawned on all the Kyushu viewers.

"Right, the national fate game said that once a player opens the Marriage Room, both sides are considered married—but that doesn’t mean there’s no danger."

"In real life, men sometimes get drained to death by women. Getting dissolved by one seems fair game—just means you’re too weak."

Someone else chimed in.

"My god, this is way too dangerous."

"Wait… didn’t that guy just say ‘drained to death’? Ning Yi has two wives now—can he handle it?"

"He should be fine… right? Ning Yi’s already been enhanced twice."

"At least physically he’s way beyond human. But if he runs into something tougher, like a dragon girl… yikes. After seeing this Sakura guy’s fate, could Ning Yi really manage?"

"Bro upstairs, I think you’re talking dirty."

The Kyushu citizens were left with mixed feelings and lingering fear.

Meanwhile, the Sakura players had no such energy left.

The three minutes passed in a flash.

[Disaster draw successful!]

[Disaster description: Each day, one random region in Sakura Country will experience ‘Strong Acid Rain’. This ‘Strong Acid Rain’ has intense corrosiveness and can easily melt flesh and bone.]

[This disaster will last for one year.]

[Current selected region: Tokyo!]

The moment the words appeared.

Tokyo’s skies turned pitch-black with thunder rumbling.

The next second.

Large, dark green raindrops fell from the sky like a torrential downpour.

Those Sakura players who didn’t manage to get indoors in time were instantly drenched.