I'm bad, but players love me

The butler smiled and said, "Since things have come to this, let's spread the news and have them go to Cori City first to test Willis's attitude. Let's see if he's still holding on to old grudges, or if he's still carrying that slum-dwelling air, wanting to kill all the nobles, or if he's truly changed his ways and realizes that everything he did was solely for power."

"Then should we stay here first? But if we, the ones who delivered the message first, don't leave, how could those nobles leave first?" Luo Lan sighed worriedly.

She scratched her head impatiently, took two bites of the snack, and suddenly an idea flashed through her mind: "Perhaps we can choose to take the initiative and go to a place far away from here to avoid the limelight. We can make plans after we receive definite news."

"Leaving ahead" could not only give the nobles the illusion that Luo Lan was eager to return to Cori City, but also take advantage of the time difference so that they would not know her true whereabouts.

It was not until after they arrived in Cori that the nobles discovered that she had not gone to Cori City.

Chapter 1: Floating

It was excruciating to feel the fuse slowly burning out at the side of your waist, and it was also excruciating to clearly feel your skin being singed.

Before being forced by the system to fall into the icy river, Yun Shuo only had time to vaguely think about the fact that his meat would actually smell quite delicious when roasted, and then he completely lost consciousness.

When he woke up again, Yun Shuo could feel himself being dragged away. He barely raised his eyelids, and after confirming that he was now on land, he drowsily closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion consume him.

He didn't even have time to think about who saved him before he fell into a semi-comatose state again.

Just when Yun Shuo was still not fully awake, he vaguely felt someone roughly dragging him up and then forcibly tying him to a wooden stake.

His body was limp, without the slightest resistance. The man tied him up very tightly, every inch of the hemp rope tightly wrapped around Yun Shuo's body, from neck to feet, circle after circle, as if he wanted to strangle him to death with the rope.

Yun Shuo wanted to struggle, but his limbs were out of control and he could only let the other party do whatever he wanted.

After finally tying it up, someone else tied a lot of flexible and slender things like rattan to himself.

At this point, Yun Shuo could still think calmly: It's not bad, as long as I don't die from being submerged in water, that's a victory! It doesn't matter if I'm tied up, as long as I can survive.

But before he could wake up from his half-asleep drowsiness, he heard a loud "Wow!" and several buckets of water poured down from above his head like a waterfall, soaking Yun Shuo's whole body in an instant.

Combined with the occasional cold wind blowing here, Yun Shuo immediately woke up.

He suddenly opened his eyes, water was still pouring down his head, but he hadn't regained consciousness yet. Out of survival instinct, he subconsciously took a breath, but instead of breathing in, he choked and coughed continuously, as if he was going to cough out his lungs.

At this moment, Yun Shuo's face turned red due to coughing, and tears and cold water mixed together in his eyes, making him look extremely embarrassed.

When the system says "can survive", it really means "can survive", without any exaggeration.

It felt like a hole had been blown out of his abdomen. Now, soaked in wet clothes, he didn't feel any pain, just a chill. The icy feeling penetrated his bones and went straight through his skin and flesh to his heart.

Fortunately, although he was definitely injured, he was not fatal. After all, he was still breathing and coughing after being tortured like this, so he didn't look like he was going to die soon.

Moreover, the system also said that as long as I fall into the water, I can survive. If that is the case, then my life should be fine.

However, although he knew that his life would not be in danger for the time being, he was injured so badly that if he was not treated in time, he might suffer from sequelae.

Yun Shuo quickly called the system in his head, anxiously asking, "Where have you come from? Is this still China?"

He tied himself up as soon as he came. Which country has such a brutal way of treating foreign guests?

[Sus Township in the Kingdom of Wind. We haven't even won the resurrection match against those idiots from Dichou yet, so we definitely can't go back to Cori City. So I'm just helping the host find a new place to stay.] The system's voice echoed in my mind, seeming quite satisfied with its own arrangements.

"what?"

Hearing this, the system seemed to be worried that Yun Shuo, who had never left Keli City in his entire life, would be afraid of going out for the first time. The system also kindly comforted him: "It's okay, it doesn't matter where you stay. This place might be better than Keli City!"

Yun Shuo looked down at the hemp rope that was at least two fingers thick and had dozens of circles around it tied around him. Then he looked up at the people in front of him holding torches in broad daylight, as well as the guys around them who were obviously there to watch the show. He couldn't help but feel an ominous premonition.

What's so good about it? Why didn't I see that? What kind of nice person would use such a big torch to entertain a stranger? This thing is obviously used to burn him to death!

"Everyone, let's talk it over nicely!" This was the first time Yun Shuo had encountered such a situation. For a moment, he could only soften his tone in an attempt to calm these people down.

He really doesn't understand anything now.

Although the Kingdom of Wind is geographically close to the Kingdom of Machinery, Yun Shuo, a commoner, has a hard time understanding the culture of his own country, let alone the culture of other countries.

But after Yun Shuo spoke, the anger of the people in front of him burned even more fiercely, like dry firewood that was lit and exploded all of a sudden.

The leaders held torches high, their faces distorted with anger. They roared in unison, "Burn him! Burn this heretic's body and his sinful soul to ashes!"

With these people taking the lead, the crowd gathered around them and shouted, "Disaster! Disaster! Why did it have to drift to us? He wants to bring disaster to us!"

"We must burn him to death, purify this catastrophic heretic with flames, and declare to the gods that our loyalty is unshakable!"

An old man with a loud voice waved his arms, and his words immediately made the people around him feel excited and extremely honored, as if as long as they could burn Yun Shuo to death they could prove their piety. Everyone felt proud and had no awareness that they were killing people.

"Burn him! Burn him! Burn him!" people shouted in unison.

The air around them seemed to be ignited by their anger, becoming scorching and oppressive. Everyone could feel the rage and fear welling up from the depths of their hearts, as if they were about to be consumed by this power.

Yun Shuo, who was called a "heretic", was tied tightly to a wooden stake with circles of hemp ropes around his body. The torches in the hands of the crowd were waving around him in a demonstrative manner, but there was no expression on his face, as if the person who was about to be burned to death was not him.

Yun Shuo calmly glanced at the people around him who were holding torches tightly, stamping their feet and cursing - even though these people were shouting slogans at the top of their lungs, their bodies stayed where they were from beginning to end, not taking a single step forward.

Yun Shuo immediately understood that the reason they had not taken action yet was that they were obviously waiting for something.

Whether he was waiting for the right time and place, or waiting for important people to appear, in short, from the current perspective, Yun Shuo knew that he was safe for the time being.

Since that was the case, he stopped beating around the bush and asked directly, "What did I do to become a heretic, to the point where you're all so eager to burn me alive? You have to give me a reason, right?"

The people holding torches were stunned by his sudden question. They subconsciously exchanged glances with each other, as if they had not expected that the person in front of them, whom they regarded as a "heretic", would dare to ask them: Why is he a "heretic"?

"If you're not a heretic, why did you float down the river here? Only heretics are thrown into the river to be purified! Also, if you're not a heretic, why are you so badly injured? This scar is proof that you're a heretic!"

At first, the man spoke haltingly and with some uncertainty.

But as she presented the so-called "conclusive evidence" one by one, and saw that Yun Shuo showed no signs of resistance or rebuttal, her courage gradually grew.

"If you're not a heretic, then how can you explain the black energy lingering from the wound in your abdomen? You don't need to make excuses; you're clearly a heretic!"

Her hand pointed directly at Yun Shuo, slashing down unquestionably like a sword of judgment. She turned back to the villagers with awe-inspiring righteousness and said, "For the peace of our village, to protect our faith, kill this heretic!"

Yun Shuo's heart trembled. He had now figured out that the rejection and fear of pagans in this place had reached an unprecedented level.

What's going on? Doesn't the Kingdom of Wind allow people to enter and exit? Logically speaking, even if its customs aren't exactly open, they shouldn't be this conservative.

From this perspective, only people from the Wind Country have the opportunity to set foot on the territory of other countries, while people from other countries have no chance of entering.

The little bit of divine power in his abdomen was probably the one he had inexplicably possessed before. It would automatically repair his wounds when he was injured, so he didn't have to worry about any sequelae.

If it weren't for them, relying on this unreliable system, I would have developed some illness; but with them, I would be burned to death now.

Yun Shuo sighed - why couldn't this thing be a little smarter and know how to avoid people?

He knew that simply shouting "I'm not a heretic" to these stubborn people and hoping to survive was undoubtedly a pipe dream. So, he chose another approach - using unreasonable tactics and deceiving others.

Yun Shuo had just asked the system for a lot of information about Sus Township.

Almost everyone in Sus Village believes in the "Old Religion of the Wind God." They are extremely hostile to outsiders, and their conservative beliefs can be described as "insane."

In order to prove their beliefs, they treat outsiders in cruel and extreme ways, generally "walking on a mountain of knives", "going into a sea of ​​fire" and "entering a deep river".

The so-called "walking on a mountain of knives" means that people are cut into thin slices of meat from bottom to top, like lambs to be slaughtered.

"Going into the sea of ​​fire" means tying a person to a wooden stake and using flammable vines to slowly roast him from the bottom up. At the same time, care must be taken not to let the thick smoke choke the person to death prematurely. The person must struggle in pain until the last moment of his life.

"Entering the Deep River" means tying a person's hands and feet together, attaching a heavy stone to them, and pushing them directly into the turbulent river. No matter how hard they struggle or shout, they will eventually drown in the cold water.

In addition, the biggest difference between the Kingdom of Wind and the Kingdom of Machinery is that their gods don't like to take charge of things, let alone bestow blessings. They are even so lazy that they force the nobles to open a window to a higher class for the common people.

If one can obtain the blessing of God, he can shed the skin of a "commoner", take on the surname of a noble, become a noble's retainer, and embark on the journey of power and glory.

But what is puzzling is that even though some retainers have surpassed their noble masters in strength, they have never had the slightest intention of betrayal.

For common people, gaining the favor of God is their only way to rise, so the people in Sus Township are so crazy.

But all along, the harder they tried, the more unlucky they became. In the beginning, there were still a few people favored by God, but in the end, there was not a single one.

Therefore, the less people are blessed, the more fanatical their faith must be. The more fanatical they are, the less people are blessed. The less people are blessed, the more fanatical their faith becomes. Over time, they have become the half-crazy state they are today.

"You can't target me who has divine power just because you don't have it!" Yun Shuo shouted at the top of his voice.

As soon as these words were spoken, the originally noisy crowd suddenly quieted down, followed by a burst of low discussions.

"He...he really has divine power?"

"It has divine powers, for sure, but the color isn't right."

"Exactly. The divine power bestowed by the God of Wind has always been a vibrant green. What the hell is that color? It's so black and disgusting."

Someone immediately objected, "Heretical divine power? Humph! We in Sus Village wouldn't be interested in it! Do you think we're garbage collectors? What divine power do you need?"

His words resonated with the crowd, and everyone echoed his words, with each wave of voice rising higher and higher.

"Exactly. Do you really think we've never seen divine power? The power of the God of Wind is green!"

"Oh! A bunch of idiots!" Yun Shuo shook off his wet hair that was sticking to his forehead, a disdainful arc appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he sneered coldly, "You really are surprised by the rare things you see. It seems that in this barren land of yours, there haven't been any gods-favored people for a long time, right?"

Kill with one strike! Kill with one blow!

These words were like sharp swords, piercing the depths of everyone's soul. They were instantly choked and speechless.

Indeed, Sus Township had been silent for far too long, and the figures of the gods' favored ones had long since become mere legends among the villagers. Those who had once left this land as retainers were now mostly dead, due to the short lifespan typical of retainers.

The claim of having seen "divine power" is actually just anecdotal reports from the village elders. Most people have never seen it.

Even if you heard someone in another village had become a divinely favored one, by the time you rushed over, they would have already been living a comfortable life with the nobles. They wouldn't wait for you to observe them like a protected animal.

"Haven't you ever seen divine power that's so green it's almost black? Open your eyes wide and take a good look. Is the color of this divine power black, or is it so green it's almost black?" Yun Shuo's voice echoed in the empty space, as if carrying some kind of magic that made people want to believe him involuntarily.

In fact, Yun Shuo was just relying on the fact that these were a group of civilians and he knew that they actually knew nothing, so he was fooling people there.

Anyway, those with divine powers have become retainers of the nobles, so they don't have the time to stay here and expose him.

Chapter 2: Good Mental State

"So green that it's almost black? Is this... possible?" Hearing Yun Shuo's confident words, some people in the crowd began to discuss the matter doubtfully.

"I don't think it's possible. If there really is a power of the God of Wind, it should be pure green," someone whispered. She looked at Yun Shuo, her eyes filled with suspicion and distrust. "It's not like we haven't seen tricks used to survive."

Another person softly retorted, his eyes filled with longing for the God of Wind. "What if? If he's a god, then nothing is impossible, right? Maybe the God of Wind just likes this color lately? Doesn't dark green stop being green?"

After saying this, she carefully examined the black energy on Yun Shuo's abdominal wound, trying to find some evidence to support her point of view, muttering to herself, "Why can't an overly rich green turn into black?"

"But... this thing is obviously black! If it's green to the point of being black, it should at least be green."

"It's already black, why is it green? Are you blind?"

Everyone chattered and discussed for a while, no one was convinced, and the argument even turned from "whether the power of this heretic was from another god" to "whether the God of Wind likes the dark green color", completely deviating from the original purpose of the discussion.

At the end of the argument, they all chose to focus their attention on the only old man in the village who had seen divine power.

Seeing that the noise of the crowd gradually died down, the old man slowly raised the cane in his hand and tapped the ground twice majestically.

After two crisp "da da" sounds, everyone's eyes and attention were focused on him. They all held their breath and waited for the old man to make the final decision.

The old man, leaning on his crutch, walked step by step towards Yun Shuo who was tied to a wooden stake.

As he got closer, Yun Shuo's heart tightened little by little.

He was secretly worried that the person in front of him would see through his lies at a glance and burn him without any explanation.

After all, what he said was basically nonsense, and the old man in front of him had really seen the God's favored one from the Kingdom of Wind, and he knew what the power of the God of Wind was like. It was not easy to fool him.

What's more, as of now, his divine power does not have any significant offensive capabilities, and at most has some achievements in healing.

But everything has to be looked at from two sides. Relatively speaking, this old man has great prestige in the village and enjoys a very high reputation.

If he could be made to believe that he possessed divine power, then his identity as one favored by God would be self-evident, and the others would naturally follow suit.

As for the future, whether he would be recruited by the nobles as a retainer and then exposed by other gods' favored ones, such things are all later stories.

If I can't make them believe that I am the one favored by the God of Wind, my life will be in danger.

With a dull thud, the old man stood in front of Yun Shuo, leaning on crutches.

He said nothing, just staring straight into Yun Shuo's eyes, as if he wanted to see through his soul.

"Speak!" After a long moment, the old man finally spoke, his voice imposing without anger: "Are you a person favored by the gods?"

Although the old man's voice was not loud, the pressure and momentum contained in it could not be ignored.

If it were ordinary people who had never seen the world, they might have been intimidated by this aura and confessed everything with a trembling voice.

But who is Yun Shuo? You're an old man, so I respect you. But if we're going to compete in momentum, I've never lost!

Kill if you want, or don’t kill if you want, just let him die!

In order to prevent heretics like Yun Shuo from having the energy to resist, Susi Township carefully prepared a special method of restraint.

They tied up Yun Shuo in a half-curled position, so that although he could barely stand, his body was twisted like a boiled shrimp and he could hardly stretch.

Therefore, even the old man whose height had shrunk severely looked taller than Yun Shuo when standing in front of him.