[You walked toward the Scarecrow.] [At your approach, greed gleamed in the Scarecrow's eyes: "A new night watchman! You must need some help, right? Don't be shy. Just pay me a tiny bit of lifespan, and you can ask me anything about this village. I promise to tell you everything I know!"]
The same three options appeared below: random information, specific information, and leave quietly.
Mu You selected "specific information," then entered "Werewolf" in the text box that popped up below.
["The Werewolf? You actually got on a Werewolf's bad side? Then you're in trouble! Werewolves are vicious, brutal creatures. Once they set their sights on you, your only fate is to be tortured to death! Information on the Werewolf doesn't come cheap. If you want to know, it'll cost at least this much!" The Scarecrow held up four fingers.] [Would you like to pay the Scarecrow forty years of lifespan for information on the Werewolf?]
The corner of Mu You's mouth twitched. The Scarecrow was as shamelessly greedy as ever. Forty years for one lousy piece of information? Why not just rob him?
"Pay."
[You chose to pay the greedy Scarecrow forty years of lifespan. Overjoyed, the Scarecrow upgraded its assessment of you from "easy mark" to "easy mark with more money than sense."]
"Heh."
This Scarecrow really deserves to have me mooch off it, Mu You thought. He had felt a little bad about coming over every day for free information, but now his conscience was completely clear.
The Scarecrow saw him as an easy mark, oblivious to the fact that Mu You already regarded it as a "regular information dispenser."
[The Scarecrow told you about the Werewolf: "Werewolves are half-human, half-wolf creatures belonging to the evil faction. They are ferocious, cunning, and immensely strong. During the day, Werewolves cannot enter human villages in their true forms, but they can disguise themselves as humans and mingle with the villagers, working and living alongside ordinary people. Once night falls, Werewolves can move freely through the village, hunting whichever targets they have chosen. The only thing in the entire village capable of dealing with a Werewolf is the Witch's poison. Witches are among the Werewolves' mortal enemies. The Werewolves poisoned to death by Witches each year could circle the Star Spirit World if laid end to end. If a Werewolf is after you, perhaps you could ask the Witch for help."]
"So this really is Werewolf in real life?"
Mu You was briefly at a loss for words as he read the information the Scarecrow provided.
The information looked elaborate, but it really boiled down to three points.
1. One of the villagers was a Werewolf in disguise.
2. The Werewolf only acted in its true form at night.
3. The Werewolf's weakness was the Witch's poison.
Since the Werewolf could only act at night, Mu You should theoretically never encounter it as long as he played during the day.
Unfortunately, the night watchman's Pumpkin Lantern only worked at night. That made things fucking awkward...
These thoughts flashed through his mind. Seeing that five seconds were almost up, Mu You decisively pressed the Pocket Watch.
[Time flowed backward. You returned to five seconds ago, and your lifespan was fully restored.] [The poor Scarecrow was still eagerly pitching its information to you: "Information on the Werewolf doesn't come cheap. If you want to know, it'll cost at least this much! Would you like to pay..."]
"No."
Scarecrow: ???
[You refused to pay any lifespan and chose to leave under the Scarecrow's astonished gaze.] [The Scarecrow waved desperately, trying to call you back. Unfortunately, you ignored it and quietly walked away from the village entrance.]
"Not bad. I can come to the village entrance every day to browse the shop and pick up some free information while I'm at it..."
Mu You was very satisfied with the village's current layout.
After leaving the village entrance, he opened his panel and glanced at his action points.
[Today's action points: 3/5.]
Mu You had deliberately kept an eye on his action points today. The two points he had just spent had been deducted at the Scarecrow and the Owl Shop respectively.
As for his earlier journey from the cabin back to the village entrance, that had cost no action points at all.
In other words, traveling back and forth along routes I've already explored doesn't cost action points, Mu You thought.
That made exploring the map as early as possible even more important!
Once he had explored the entire village map, he would be able to move freely through the village without worrying about using up all his action points on travel.
Leaving the village entrance, Mu You now had information on the Werewolf, as well as a weapon tailor-made to counter it-the Poison Apple. He was actually tempted to find the Werewolf and battle it, preferably avenging yesterday's death on the spot.
So Mu You began repeatedly bouncing between the four explored locations-the village entrance, the cabin, the blacksmith's shop, and the dining hall-hoping to run into the Werewolf.
Unfortunately, even after ten straight minutes of hopping back and forth, the Werewolf never appeared. Instead, the Pumpkin Lantern surprised him first.
[Pumpkin Lantern special effect activated!]
During one of Mu You's trips between the village entrance and the blacksmith's shop, a notification suddenly popped up in the game.
[The Pumpkin Lantern cast an eerie blue glow, revealing traces of blood on the snowy path ahead that were difficult to see with the naked eye.] [Judging by the distribution of the blood, a battle most likely took place here very recently! The bloodstains continued along the snow-covered path and into the darkness in the distance. Would you like to follow them?]
"Oho!"
The new text instantly perked Mu You up.
When he had received the information on the Werewolf earlier, he had wondered whether he should keep playing at night. Nighttime allowed him to trigger the Pumpkin Lantern's special effect, but also carried the risk of facing the Werewolf.
The Pumpkin Lantern's effect had never triggered before, so he wasn't sure whether it was worth it.
Before he could even reach a decision, the Pumpkin Lantern had surprised him by triggering an extra event!
Mu You hurriedly clicked "follow."
[You followed the bloodstains and arrived in front of the Abandoned Stone House.] [By the Pumpkin Lantern's faint light, you spotted a familiar figure curled up beneath the stone wall, barely alive.] [You approached to investigate and discovered that this was none other than the Long-Bearded Hunter you met two days ago! Someone had injured him, leaving his body covered in wounds from a beast's fangs. He was clearly on the verge of death.] [The hunter noticed you, but no longer had the strength to speak. Turning his head aggravated his injuries, and his body went limp as he passed out. You chose to...] [Approach, take his belongings, and leave.] [Find a way to revive him.] [Ignore him.]
Mu You blinked. This scene seemed awfully familiar!
He had saved this very hunter before, and today it was him again. Just how unlucky was this guy, ending up at death's door every day...?
Unfortunately, Mu You had no more bandages to treat his wounds today.
Of the three options, Mu You selected the second.
[You chose to approach the hunter, pick up the water gourd at his waist, and pour clean water over his face.] [The hunter awoke at the shock of the cold water. He looked at you gratefully and mumbled an account of what had happened...] [It turned out that the hunter had been pursuing the Werewolf in the village lately, matching wits and strength with it every night.] [In today's fierce battle, both the hunter and the Werewolf had been injured. The hunter was gravely wounded, but his hunting rifle had also hit the Werewolf, which had fled with serious injuries. If you continued following the bloodstains, you would be able to find the Werewolf!] [Because you saved the hunter two days ago, he was certain you were not the Werewolf in disguise. Trembling, he took a bloodstained badge from his person and placed it in your hand.] [You obtained the Bloodstained Police Badge.] [Bloodstained Police Badge: A police badge is a symbol of trust. Give the badge to any character in the village, and you can ask them to perform one task within their abilities for you. (Only usable within Peaceful Village.)]
Before you continue