Chapter 333: Pianni

The gambler pointed at the golden-haired doll resting on Betang’s shoulder, opened his palm, and lifted it slightly, signaling him to pass it over.

Betang’s lips twitched, his eyes lifting to meet Mei Lin’s across the table, exchanging a silent glance.

“So you want Pianni?” Betang said, removing the doll shaped like a little girl from his shoulder and placing it in the gambler’s hand: “Fine, she’s yours.”

This spirit doll’s name was “Pianni”? Ning Zhe frowned slightly, stealing a glance toward the gambler. The corpse-patched face remained pale as ever, yet for the first time, the gambler’s expressionless face showed a flicker of human emotion.

The emotion now visible on the gambler’s face was called: anger.

The gambler seemed angry.

Ning Zhe thought for a moment and understood why the gambler was angry—the spirit doll was a unique granted item exclusive to the European noble family “Dai Ke.” The Dai Ke family controlled the source spirit that powered these dolls, enabling them to continuously produce this special granted item. Every important Dai Ke family member carried at least one spirit doll for protection when traveling—it was a signature item and a symbol of status.

The rules governing spirit dolls were tied to their names; each doll had a unique name, and knowing that name meant gaining control over it.

“The moment Betang named this doll ‘Pianni,’ ownership of Pianni was equally divided among everyone in the room who heard it.”

Even if the gambler now used Pianni’s name to command her to kill everyone present, they could counter his command using their own share of control.

“But the real question is—why does Betang have a spirit doll?” Ning Zhe wondered.

Betang’s full name was “Betang Xierkeyasitaerdi ,” not Dai Ke. Fan Daike’s memories contained no such person—why did someone outside the Dai Ke family possess a granted item unique to them?

No, now was not the time to dwell on such trivial details. Ning Zhe wiped a tear from his eye, carefully raising his head to meet Mei Lin’s gaze, seeking help with his eyes.

From the beginning, Mei Lin had harbored an inexplicable hostility and suspicion toward Ning Zhe, this mysterious Chinese woman; now, that hostility had grown sharper and more concrete.

“This woman is lying.”

Mei Lin fixed her gaze on Ning Zhe, her tear-streaked face pitiful and delicate, her vigilance heightened tenfold: “She’s not some innocent bystander caught up in this strange event while searching for her husband—she came here specifically for the gambler! She’s a granted one!”

And perhaps… even a transcender.

Ning Zhe pulled a handkerchief from his bag and gently wiped the tears from his eyes. He noticed the wariness on Mei Lin’s face, confirming his suspicion even further.

“So far, in every gambling game the gambler has initiated, there has always been the concepts of ‘win’ and ‘loss,’ and of ‘stake.’”

“The rules vary depending on the situation—revolver? Play Russian roulette. Playing cards? Play Draw the Ghost. Only wine and cups? Play coin toss.”

“The setting of the ‘stake,’ however, follows another unspoken rule—fairness.”

“When the gambler played Russian roulette with Shalishali and others, the stake was one human life—the loser was shot dead.”

“When playing Draw the Ghost with Xia Yubing and the God of Wealth, the stake was one Soul-Rescue Coin; the rule-breaker Ah Lun died when the gambler confiscated his stake—one human life equaled one copper coin.”

The gambler despised cheaters. His games operated on fairness, and under this condition, every round’s stake shared two common traits:

1. Every player could afford the stake.

2. Every player’s stake held equal value.

After Betang lost, his stake was the spirit doll—or rather, a granted item.

“The stake for this round was ‘one granted item,’ meaning…”

Mei Lin’s hand clenched tightly, her gaze toward Ning Zhe growing even more wary: “Every participant in the gambling must be able to afford the stake—that’s the gambler’s rule. Which means this woman is currently carrying at least one granted item, valued equally to the spirit doll in the gambler’s eyes!”

Ning Zhe paid no attention to Mei Lin’s hostility—he was in good spirits. Just now, a long-standing mystery had been solved: he finally understood how the gambler had won He Nianjun’s almanac.

“When the gambler pulled He Nianjun into the game, he forced her to gamble with a stake of ‘one spirit.’ He Nianjun’s stake was the almanac—the Snake God’s Summoning. The gambler’s stake, unsurprisingly, was himself—the gambler.”

He Nianjun lost, so the Summoning was forfeited to the gambler. Had she won instead, none of what followed would have happened—the gambler’s ownership would have passed directly to the Snake God.

But there was no “what if.”

Ning Zhe dried his tears, neatly folded the handkerchief, and returned it to his bag. The gambler, holding the golden-haired doll named “Pianni,” slowly sat back in his seat and placed her gently in the center of the table.

Then, the gambler bent down, pulled out another crystal glass, placed it on the table, and pushed it forward—landing precisely on the empty seat beside Mei Lin.

After this, the gambler lifted his head slightly, gazing at the man who had suddenly appeared in the room. His cold expression seemed to say: “Please.”

“Come sit here,” Mei Lin patted the sofa beside her. “If you don’t want to die here.”

The man opened his mouth, his face filled with terror, muttering nonsense like “Xia Dan,” “Zang Bi,” and other unintelligible phrases. He wandered around the table, hesitantly sitting down beside Mei Lin.

“What are you doing here?” the man asked, pale-faced and tearful. “Why did that corpse move? What is this…?”

“Shh—”

Mei Lin raised a finger to her lips, signaling silence. “This is a devil’s game. When it begins or ends is not your choice. Cooperate—if you don’t want to die.”

“Yes… God above, I’ve never encountered anything more insane than this…” The man trembled as he made the sign of the cross over his chest. The gambler walked behind him, pouring wine into his glass until it overflowed.

Seeing this, Mei Lin exhaled in relief:

“This man is just an ordinary person—he’s not a transcender, and he has no granted item. The stake for the next round won’t be as expensive as before…”

(End of Chapter)