Chapter 53: The Soul Merchant: My Heart Feels So Cold and Empty

“Surely it’s not him; the one wielding the evil merchant’s blade is still the Crow’s chosen knife,” Number 10 pondered deeply, for this was the soul merchant’s domain. He dreaded the soul merchant’s skill striking a werewolf. If he were to use poison now and inadvertently poison an innocent, the good team would be all but defeated. The werewolves could then openly wield their blades. After much consideration, Number 10 ultimately decided against using poison. He waved to the moderator.

[Please select your target for the potion]
[/]
[Confirm and close your eyes]

Seeing that he refrained from poisoning, Wang Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief. Good gracious! He had almost been scared out of his wits. Had Number 10 poisoned him earlier, and if the soul merchant’s chosen double-souled player was Number 12, a werewolf, the next day would reveal both divine roles simultaneously, including a guardian who could influence the rounds. That would render the game unplayable.

[Dawn has arrived]

The moderator’s resonant voice echoed through the chamber. All masks vanished from the players’ faces as the new phase commenced.

[The election for sheriff now begins. Players wishing to run, please raise your hands.]

The contestants adjusted their expressions, exchanging subtle performances, attempting to deceive one another with minute microexpressions. One by one, hands rose.

[This round features seven players running for sheriff: Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, and 10.]

Though holding a guardian card, Wang Changsheng had no intention of lurking suspiciously under the sheriff’s post. He intended to strike hard and fast on the sheriff’s stage, without any hesitation. Even if the werewolf team exposed his guardian identity, he didn’t care.

Because, if they wanted to target him, it would have to be after Number 10. Moreover, Number 10 had chosen not to poison, and he might not reveal his identity immediately, possibly waiting until the will phase to be open about it. But with Wang Changsheng present, Number 10 would never get the chance to leave a will.

[According to the current time, Player 4 will start speaking. Player 7, please prepare.]

Number 4, the battle spirit, had not expected to speak first. As a werewolf, speaking first was a disadvantage. In the brief moment of hesitation, he had already lost the chance to claim the seer role first. He could do little to aid his team now, only uttering some nondescript words to appear as an innocent.

“Player 4 speaking. I’m a good player, not the seer, just sharing my observations and reasons for running for sheriff.”

Though first to speak, after a short thought, Number 4 had a general direction. His goal was to clear his name and pave the way for Number 2’s bold claim.

“When the cards were revealed, I thought Number 10 was either a werewolf or a divine role. Since he speaks last, everyone can listen carefully to him.”

Number 4, the werewolf who had stabbed the witch, now spoke openly to the witch during the day, even urging everyone to pay close attention to his words. This tactic, instead of advancing, seemed to backfire, creating a sense of estrangement from Number 10.

“Besides, I’m running to help identify the seer and to point out Player 8, who I also suspect is either a werewolf or divine. After the reveal, she carefully observed the identities of those nearby. I don’t know what cards she holds, and she didn’t run for sheriff, so we couldn’t hear her speak. We can only watch her voting under the sheriff and then listen to her speech.”

“Since I’m the first to speak and have shared my observations, I have no further insights. I’ll pass.”

Number 4’s bold play was striking. He subtly implicated the witch and planted suspicion on Number 8 among the other innocents. Players 7, 9, and 10 were good. By claiming that Number 8, Xia Bobo, had scrutinized the identities of those beside her, whether true or not, 7, 9, and 10 would naturally view 8 with suspicion. This tinted their perceptions, setting the stage to pounce on 8 later, possibly swaying other good players’ votes to eliminate her.

Wang Changsheng watched with admiration. “This guy is really reckless,” he thought.

As Wang considered this, the atmosphere outside reached a fever pitch. Commentator Xiao Ming banged the table: “No wonder he’s the battle spirit of the Wolf Hunt! Such aggressive play, calling out two good players right away. Isn’t he afraid of incurring others’ resentment?”

Commentator Xiao Han shook his head and passionately added, “Sometimes the most dangerous places are the safest. The battle spirit just charges in boldly—that’s confidence! If he can fool the good players, he might as well die as a good player.”

“But since both Gale and Floating Life refuse to claim, the burden falls entirely on Number 2. Speaking last, after hearing so many cards, he has a lot to analyze if he wants to boldly claim a role!”

“Let’s look forward to this ace of the werewolf team’s performance!”

[Player 7, please begin speaking.]

It was Wang Changsheng’s turn. He glanced at Number 4, his eyes flicking swiftly as an idea formed. Calmly, he faced the group and returned their gazes.

“First, I don’t mind Number 4 calling out Number 10 as either werewolf or divine, because I feel the same. But you also mentioned Number 8, suspecting her to be the same. I don’t quite get that. If you really thought Number 8 was like Number 10, why didn’t you mention her when you talked about Number 10?”

“Why bring her up only after discussing Number 10’s observations and saying you ran for sheriff to find the seer, then suddenly mention Number 8?”

“I think you’re not actually here to find the seer. That sounds more like talking just to talk. So I suspect your identity—let’s mark it as slightly suspicious for now.”

Hey, you’re reckless?
Well, I’m going all in too!
You called out the witch and a civilian?
I’ll step on you first!

“Number 4’s play isn’t good. As for the others... honestly, I haven’t observed them much, so I won’t comment further. I think Number 8 looks like a good player, whether divine or civilian, and Number 10 does seem either divine or werewolf, but I lean toward him being good.”

Wang Changsheng waved his hand and passed the mic. His speech was brief. As the second speaker, his main task was to criticize Number 4 and support Number 8.

[Player 9, please begin speaking.]

Number 9 was the soul merchant. Seeing that the double-souled player he personally chose was still under sheriff’s post, his heart sank halfway. He felt certain he was about to die.

Double-souled players wouldn’t linger under sheriff’s post. If they were good, they would at least run for sheriff and verify information with the soul merchant. If a werewolf, they wouldn’t receive the soul merchant’s exchanged soul at all—the skill would fail entirely and give no hint to the werewolf.

This was something he had to say aloud.