Chapter 73: Arrogance

Inside the inn, the lights flickered.

Ren Ye sat at the door, his eyes scanning the front hall, already making a decision in his mind.

First of all, he had won the previous round and gained an advantage, which meant that in this phase, he was very likely to become the target of concentrated attacks. But there was nothing he could do about it.

In a small group, if someone stands out too much and has an advantage that others don’t possess, they are bound to become a target, especially in extreme environments.

This is human nature; it has nothing to do with character, factions, or even the fact that some extremely competitive teammates might not want you to be too strong.

Since it was inevitable that he would be targeted, he had to analyze how to avoid the risks.

Two ways of thinking:

The first was that if there were players who were more hesitant or indecisive, they might not easily vote against him. They would also be wary of him being on their team, and if they voted incorrectly, their newly gained advantage would be lost. Moreover, they would also consider that Ren Ye could rally too many votes, and their vote would be ineffective, essentially wasting an opportunity.

The second way of thinking was that since Ren Ye had recognized Li Yan and knew that the person carrying “The Chronicles of the Thatched Cottage” was from the opposing faction, other players might also have access to similar information, such as already having recognized teammates or determined who their opponents were.

There was an information gap among them, so Ren Ye couldn’t just think from his own perspective.

If players in the room had personal grudges, there could be a situation where votes were split and players attacked each other.

Therefore, what Ren Ye needed to do now was to try to rally those who were still watching from the sidelines, making them feel confident and thinking that voting for him would be useless.

This scene couldn’t be subtle; he had to play his cards openly.

Once Ren Ye had this thought in mind, he acted decisively. He lowered his head and wrote down a No. 4, the number of Zhang Meixuan.

After finishing, he didn’t show any signs of nervousness or hesitation. Instead, he casually sat back in his chair, folded the paper into a sharp triangle, and with a loud snap, threw it onto the table. With a smile on his face, he confidently scanned the other players.

This movement caught the attention of most of the players. Those who had already cast their votes and those whose seats gave them a clear view of Ren Ye saw that the pointed tip of the folded paper was directed at Zhang Meixuan, No. 4.

Only Zhang Meixuan herself had her back partially turned to Ren Ye. She had arrived late and sat in the central position of the room, facing east.

At this point, whether she noticed Ren Ye’s action didn’t matter. Even if she did, the Seven-Shot Warlord would still play his cards openly.

Not far away, the Princess, Tang Feng, and Li Yan had clearly been watching Ren Ye the entire time. But after seeing the signal on the paper, they didn’t immediately react.

It was a bit foolish for Ren Ye to finish writing and for the three of them to quickly fill in their numbers; it almost openly declaring, “We four are teammates.”

Fortunately, the three of them weren’t easily fooled and remained calm, still looking around as if waiting for something.

Guo Cai’er, No. 7, glanced around silently, her eyes showing some confusion.

Her mind raced as she thought, “Why is this No. 5 acting so confidently? There are only eleven players here. How can he be so sure that he can do whatever he wants? Look at his paper-throwing move; it’s as if he’s saying, ‘It’s all over.’ Why is he so certain… hmm, could he be Li Yan? Only Li Yan had the opportunity to host the ‘Sow Banquet’ tonight, possibly secretly pulling in a lot of teammates, and he even saved Imperial Inspector Liu. This might also be connected to the ‘Opportunists’ players.”

“If Li Yan has recruited members from the Opportunist Faction and two or three from the Court Faction, then he could have more than six votes in hand.”

“Of course, logically, No. 5 could also be a player from the Opportunist Faction, who got in touch with Li Yan through Imperial Inspector Liu and the other members of the Court Faction.”

With this thought in mind, Guo Cai’er sneaked another glance at Zhang Meixuan, No. 4: “… She has the The Chronicles of the Thatched Cottage and is a pawn of Prince Huai. This woman will have to be eliminated sooner or later, but there’s no need to do it in this phase. Prince Huai’s faction is small, and since she’s exposed herself, we can just let the Martial Artist find an opportunity in the tomb later, and that will be the end for her.”

“If No. 5 is Li Yan, that’s fine; though they’re not on good terms, at least they’re from the same faction. But if No. 5 is from the Opportunist Faction, and has such a strong ability to manipulate votes, then I have to be cautious. Different factions mean different interests, and that’s a threat.”

“Who should I vote for…?”

Guo Cai’er was very intelligent, and intelligent people always think more deeply. She had a vague sense that her vote, along with the Martial Artist’s, was crucial.

Time ticked away second by second, and the old lady’s voice rang out again: “The incense is almost burnt out; please make your choices quickly, or you’ll lose the opportunity to order.”

As the old lady spoke, everyone still didn’t rush to act. They patiently waited.

It wasn’t until the incense was about to burn out completely that everyone finally leaned forward and started “ordering.”

“Bang!”

The last bit of ash fell, and time was up.

“Swish!”

The old lady raised her arms, and eleven slips of paper fluttered into her hands.

At this moment, everyone felt tense, secretly glancing toward Zhang Meixuan, and toward Ren Ye. However, Ren Ye, though panicked inside, still wore an expression of confidence.

Moments later, after the old lady had read the eleven slips of paper, she smiled and said, “What a brilliant game of wits. It seems that those who stand out are bound to become the target of others’ criticism.”

With that, she turned her gaze toward Ren Ye.

Crap, it couldn’t be me, could it?!

Ren Ye’s pupils contracted, his heart suddenly twitched twice. He really wasn’t sure how strong the envy of these people was.

When Zhang Meixuan heard the old lady’s words, she couldn’t help but glance back at Ren Ye, a playful smile curling at the corners of her lips.

She was a top lawyer, very confident in herself and her observational skills. Before this round started, Zhang Meixuan didn’t cast her vote immediately but instead first observed the expressions of the others. She had clearly seen many people casting hostile looks toward Ren Ye.

She thought, a smart person, someone who had received a higher education, would surely understand one thing.

Whether in a company, a family, or society, one should never stand out too much.

Heh, it’s a shame this stupid man doesn’t understand.

“Tap, tap!”

Just as Zhang Meixuan was having this inner monologue, the old lady had already walked up to Ren Ye and suddenly said, “Just one vote short, and you’re the most disliked person here.”

“Ah?!”

Imperial Inspector Liu was instantly stunned.

The scholar looked confused as well, immediately turning his head to look toward Li Yan and Guo Cai’er’s side. If he remembered correctly, these were the ones who had voted last.

Who exactly is this No. 5 to command so many votes?!

The smart scholar was filled with shock.

“The emergence of a strong person is always accompanied by jealousy and controversy,” the old lady smiled as she looked at Ren Ye. “Congratulations, you’ve barely passed.”

When Ren Ye heard the words “passed,” he finally relaxed. He pretended to be nonchalant and asked, “What about the dish? My gift?”

“I already mentioned, the ingredients for the braised rabbit heads are ready, just waiting for the main ingredients,” the old lady replied with a smile, then suddenly stepped in front of Zhang Meixuan. “I’m sorry, but you’re the most foolish person tonight, and the one least liked.”

“???”

Zhang Meixuan’s smile froze, gradually turning into disbelief: “What… what did you say? Me?!”

“Correct.”

“How is that possible!” Zhang Meixuan suddenly stood up, clenched her fist, and shouted, “The logic in this round is so obvious! No. 5 received the reward, and no one has confirmed their teammates. In a desperate situation, the strong survive and the weak perish—how could it be me?”

“Wherever there are people, it’s never simple.” The old lady shook her head, her face gradually becoming serious. “Arrogance comes with a price.”

“No… it’s impossible.” Zhang Meixuan, seeing the way the old lady spoke, realized that she had truly lost.

Flustered, she looked around the room at everyone, glaring and shouting, “Oh my god, are you all idiots?! Didn’t you even attend elementary school? You don’t understand such simple logic? Why vote for me?! You won’t let us use supernatural powers or props, but you let him take the reward for free?!”

Everyone quietly stared at her, not responding or getting angry, some even with a look of schadenfreude.

For example, Imperial Inspector Liu spoke up: “If I knew you were this uncouth, I would’ve voted for you first! Can’t take a loss? It’s just a little punishment, what are you yelling for?! Oh, right, you don’t have balls!”

“This guest makes a good point. Losing means facing punishment.” The old lady suddenly spoke up, “Kitchen, bring the main dish!”

“Swish!”

As she finished speaking, the two-meter-tall curtain covering the kitchen door was suddenly thrown open, and the little dwarf stood at the doorway, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

The crowd turned to look and saw a huge iron pot placed on the stove, with hot oil bubbling inside, nearly a meter deep.

Beside it, the young boy and the young girl, one on each side, were squatting, filling the stove with firewood. A large steamer basket sat on the stove, emitting steam.

The sight stunned everyone.

Even Zhang Meixuan, who had been so arrogant earlier, felt her pupils contract, a bad premonition stirring within her.

“This braised rabbit head… needs to be deep-fried first,” the old lady said with a strange laugh, then turned to look at Ren Ye. “Guest, just watch carefully. She… is your ingredient.”

“?!”

Ren Ye froze, following the direction of the old lady’s finger, and his gaze landed on Zhang Meixuan.

“You’re going to… ?!”

“Whoosh!”

Zhang Meixuan screamed in fear, but before she could finish her sentence, the little dwarf suddenly vanished from his position.

“Swish!”

When he reappeared, the dwarf had transformed into a tall, muscular man, with a fierce expression. With a large hand, he grabbed Zhang Meixuan by the collar and lifted her up in an instant.

“Swish!”

Another teleportation, and the man was back in the kitchen, holding Zhang Meixuan’s body, staring at the pot of hot oil. He shouted, “Braised rabbit head, deep-fry first, then into the steamer. Cooks, let’s start!”

Everyone stood up at the sight.

“Ah, you tricked me, let go…!”

Zhang Meixuan’s terrified scream echoed through every inch of the inn.

“Splash!”

Her body fell, crashing into the pot, breaking the surface of the boiling oil as she sank deep.

“Pop! Crackle!”

A cloud of thick white smoke rose, and the oil exploded like fireworks, splashing and mixing with blood and flesh, splattering against the walls behind the pot.

Silence. Fear. Shock… infinite silence.

“Everyone has desires, to take something, you must offer something in return,” the old lady turned and looked at the crowd, cupping her hands in a bow. “Congratulations, everyone, you have passed the first trial for entering the tomb.”

At the same time, the panicked Guo Cai’er heard a cold voice ring in her ears.

[“Regrettably, one player from the Court Faction has died. Court Faction members -1.”]

This No. 4… she was a player from the Court Faction?!

Guo Cai’er stood frozen for a long time, before suddenly turning to look at the others, her instincts screaming, “The dark pawn in Prince Huai’s faction—their token isn’t The Chronicles of the Thatched Cottage, or rather, this dark pawn doesn’t have a token at all! Mr. He bought false information, and the letter I received was also fake. Someone deliberately made up a half-truth story to make me believe it.”

“At least one player, after the first act, started laying traps and setting bait.”

Not far away, blending into the crowd, Li Yan feigned surprise as he looked at Zhang Meixuan in the oil pot, secretly sighing, “I’ve always been walking on thin ice in my life. You think… with your act, you can make it to the other side?”