I'm bad, but players love me

His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, staring straight at Yun Shuo, as if trying to see through his heart.

As he spoke, Knowles casually threw the rolled-up report in front of Yun Shuo. He smiled and glanced at Yun Shuo, who was still standing there with his head held high. "Sit down, sit down. Since you want to read it, then take a good look at it."

It really is an "old friend." Knowles's eyes were fixed on Yun Shuo who was standing opposite him.

I don’t know if all the people from Corry City have this kind of “rather break than bend” look of death, or if there are only a few of them and he just happened to run into them all.

No one was willing to hunch their backs even when they were at a disadvantage. This behavior had nothing to do with etiquette or anything like that. It was simply a kind of stubbornness that made people feel disgusted. It was like an untamed gale that left only a mess wherever it passed.

Yun Shuo flipped through it briefly. The words were large, but the content was not much. It also looked very familiar, and he could almost read it in just a few glances.

He raised his eyebrows. It was all about the ELO organization and the city of Cori. It seemed that it was mostly about him.

Although he was prepared for people to suspect that he was a member of the ELO organization, the appearance of this report was much faster than expected, which caught him off guard.

"I've finished reading it." Yun Shuo said lightly, without a trace of emotion in his tone.

He didn't say anything about his feelings, but just handed the report back to the empty space next to Knowles' teacup with both hands.

Knowles raised his eyebrows slightly, leisurely picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then took the initiative to push the process forward, "I've finished reading it. What are your thoughts? After all... you are from Corry City."

Yun Shuo's eyes were a little dazed. He stared at the dark brown tea in the cup in his hand, as if he could glimpse the past years through it.

After a light sigh, his voice was filled with a hint of helplessness and vicissitudes. "I have already escaped, so why should I have any thoughts? Everything is just the same as before. No matter how many times the city lord changes, he is still the city lord. How can a commoner like me have the right to comment on him?"

"Everything is the same as before?" Knowles was also staring at the cup, but he was staring at Yun Shuo's cup.

He denied it repeatedly, his tone carrying a hint of amusement and depth. "No, no, no, I'm not talking about your feelings about 'everything is the same as before,' but about your feelings about 'now is different from the past.'"

"Things are different now? Lord Knowles, you might as well explain it more clearly." Yun Shuo pretended to be stupid.

"ELO organization." Knowles saw this and stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "Just tell me, what do you think?"

Yun Shuo lightly tapped the wall of the cup with his fingertips, and the slight vibration caused ripples in the liquid in the cup.

He smiled, but his eyes held a hint of helplessness and self-mockery. "What a pity. Although I was once a member of Cori City, I really knew nothing about the ELO organization. I'd only heard of its reputation."

"Know nothing?" Knowles asked suspiciously, then tapped the table with his fingertips and said threateningly, "Know nothing, but that's not the attitude you'd show."

Yun Shuo laughed dumbly, and no longer tried to hide his true feelings. He asked directly, "Is it obvious?"

"I really admire you." Knowles felt more and more satisfied when he saw that Yun Shuo still had the leisure to smile and there was no fear in his eyes. A hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

He didn't say how to deal with Yun Shuo, a member of the ELO organization. Instead, he pointed out Yun Shuo's omissions one by one and gave a serious review. "First of all, your attitude is too casual. As a commoner, where do you get the courage to look a noble in the face?"

"Secondly, you didn't even salute me when you first arrived, which shows you have no concept of courtesy. I'm quite interested in the ELO organization. Although I don't have much information, I do know a little about your so-called 'equality' rules."

"You've been in the ELO organization for so long that you think everyone in the world is just like you, that everyone is equal, and that you don't have to kneel or kowtow to anyone you meet. So later on, even if you know you should do this, it's hard to remember to do it when you meet people. You can't change it."

"Finally, remember the carriage that picked you up? A person of a certain stature would have stepped on it as a matter of course to get off the carriage, while commoners would have stepped on it tremblingly. But you would rather go around it than step on its back. You treated it as a person, not a stool. That's the difference."

Knowles confidently concluded, "These three points alone are more than enough."

"Ah, then I really have a lot of loopholes." Yun Shuo smiled and covered his lips with his hands. "So, how will Lord Knowles deal with me, a member of the ELO organization?"

"That depends on your performance. After all..." Knowles smiled and took another sip of tea, "Your life is in my hands now."

It was still unclear whether Tianta's information was true or not. After all, not only had it been obtained so easily, but it was also impossible for him to easily verify its authenticity. Knowles was not stupid, so how could he believe it so easily?

He knew in his heart that someone had to test the waters for him first, and he had to have some leverage over someone before he could feel at ease.

What's more, Yun Shuo's value is not just as a useful "handle", he himself has a lot of value.

"We've been chatting for such a long time, and you're not thirsty at all. Why don't you have some tea?" After thinking for a while, Knowles spoke in a soft tone to ease the atmosphere.

"No rush." ​​Yun Shuo looked as if he was sitting on a rock. He waved his hand gently, not even touching the cup, and replied calmly, "Let me hear your thoughts first. Otherwise, I'm worried that I'll burst out."

Chapter 12: Don’t think too much

"No one favored by God has appeared in Sus Township for so many years. Now I think you can become the first one." Knowles's eyes fixed on Yun Shuo for a moment, and then he leisurely piled up the sugar cubes used to make tea, like building an exquisite castle in the sky, but the trembling structure seemed like it could collapse at any time.

Yun Shuo didn't think that his absurd theory could deceive a knowledgeable noble like Knowles.

Although they didn't know if the other party had supernatural powers, they knew that even if they hadn't seen pigs run, they had at least seen pork. It was impossible for them to believe their own "green to black" argument without seeing it.

Since you can't fool people, just be honest.

So he simply told the truth: "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Knowles, but to be honest, I really don't have any such thing as divine power."

Rather than letting Knowles think he had pagan divine powers, it would have been better to say from the beginning that he had no divine powers.

Yun Shuo knew Knowles was a member of the Old Church and was likely a conservative and stubborn person. He had just recently been labeled a "heretic" and nearly burned to death. If that happened again, he really couldn't bear it.

"You're truly gifted!" Knowles narrowed his eyes, as if he could see into people's hearts. "An entire village has been deceived and bewildered by a mere mortal without divine power like you. They've even forcibly sacrificed the life that should have belonged to the God of Wind to you."

There was a hint of sneer in his words. "Right now, that village is in a state of panic. The living are mad, and the dead are silent. That place is notorious for its stubbornness, and yet they fell at your hands, and they are now unable to recover. Such tactics are truly astonishing!"

After saying this, Knowles clapped his hands in a deliberately exaggerated manner, a mocking smile on his face. "With just a few words, countless people in my village of Sus were killed or injured. Do you think that Tianta can just bury the people and then let this matter go?"

"After all, Sus Township is also my territory. If I allow a guy like you who is only good at sweet talk to kill people here, where will my dignity be?" Knowles sneered and said righteously.

He looked at Yun Shuo, his eyes revealing a sense of majesty and oppression.

After saying so much, what Knowles wanted was for Yun Shuo to confess his identity on his own initiative.

After all, he will be his retainer in the future. If he cannot be loyal, he should at least be honest.

He stared at Yun Shuo teasingly, as if he could see through the other's inner struggle.

Knowles knew it very well, and Yun Shuo knew it too. The current situation had already forced him into a corner. Only by actively admitting that he was a person favored by God could he escape the impending punishment.

Yun Shuo gave a wry smile, spread his hands, and replied helplessly, "Since you already have something on me, why bother saying all this again and again? Continuously testing my feelings is only hurtful."

"Yes, or no." Knowles' voice was calm and firm. He continued to stack candies leisurely. After hearing Yun Shuo's ambiguous reply, he took a moment to glance at him and conveyed his meaning.

Yun Shuo will have to get used to it in the future, and can only get used to talking to Knowles like this.

Knowles smiled. After all, he was going to be his retainer, so it was better to teach him the rules early on.

"So what? I'm not a follower of the God of Wind..." Yun Shuo rubbed his eyes as he spoke, pretending to be exhausted and unbearable, as if even his eyelids were too heavy to support. Then he added weakly at the end of the sentence, "After all, this is also the power of another god..."

This was considered a polite statement. Before meeting Tianta, Yun Shuo thought that only players could change their beliefs at will.

After all, anything that can be called "belief" is something that is engraved into the bone marrow. If you want to change it, you must first tear your tendons and bones apart, tear your past self out of your body, and replace it with a new one, tearing it into a bloody mess and causing you excruciating pain.

It's not something that can be changed just by saying so.

But after hearing this, Knowles, a native of Sousse Township, smiled with ease and replied casually, "It's very simple, just change it."

His tone was very natural, as if changing faith was not a difficult thing.

Yun Shuo was a little surprised. Although he understood what Knowles was talking about, he still subconsciously asked, "Change what?"

Knowles casually added, "Faith."

This answer startled Yun Shuo, and he suddenly realized that this man was indeed not as pedantic and conservative as the common people in Sus Township, because he was simply the antonym of this word - bold to the point of being unscrupulous.

Yun Shuo couldn't help but laugh secretly. How could anyone say the three words "change faith" so casually? Isn't he afraid of being blamed by the gods?

Suddenly, his smile disappeared and he realized something was wrong: No, I am still a "faith subverter".

It seems that Lord Knowles and I are really evenly matched, and each one is more daring than the other.

"What if the Wind God doesn't want me?" Yun Shuo said with feigned worry, "After all, I only converted later, and the Wind God has always been picky. How could I expect him to favor me?"

Hearing this, Knowles raised his eyebrows slightly and said lightly: "It seems that Tianta told you a lot."

Since he even knew how selective the Wind God was, he probably also knew about Tianta's successful conversion. That was a good thing, as it saved me from having to waste time explaining it here.

Knowles smiled, stretched out his arm in an extremely inelegant manner, and tapped Yun Shuo's cup with the sugar spoon. "Then it depends on your sincerity and attitude."

My attitude? Yun Shuo looked at him puzzled.

Knowles' hand shook, and the highest piece of sugar tilted a little, causing the piece above it to roll down. The sugar tower that had been standing firmly on the table was shaken in an instant, and like a domino, the sugar tower collapsed quickly.

Those originally crystal clear sugar cubes scattered in the process of collapse, covering the entire table like a sudden avalanche.

However, Knowles did not seem to be affected by this scene. Instead, he laughed, and his laughter was filled with some indescribable confidence and calmness.

Then he looked at Yun Shuo and said in a calm but firm tone, "If Tianta can change, why can't you? Blood is thicker than water. When one prospers, all prosper; when one suffers, all suffer."

Knowles naturally had a way to help Yun Shuo successfully become a god's favorite. As long as he had divine power, no matter which god it was, Knowles would officially have his first retainer from then on.

As for this method, why hadn't he used it before? Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice, let alone him. Without divine power, everything is in vain.

But before that, he had to clarify the interests involved to this person. It was Yun Shuo's fault for pretending to be stupid until now.

"The Machine Nation has no rules for letting commoners into the temple, and Tianta is so familiar with you. Even more coincidentally, you're from ELO. These clues, when intertwined, form a clear clue. There's only one person connected to ELO who's also a noble. Therefore, your identity is naturally revealed."

An indescribable embarrassment flashed across Yun Shuo's face, as if a secret deep in his heart had been revealed.

Seeing this, Knowles immediately continued, "This identity isn't a big deal. I don't know how you were able to stay in Corry City even after the deportation order was issued, and why you only came to look for your sister now. But I know it must have been a tough journey for you."

"But," Knowles changed the subject, "precisely because you're siblings, you probably wouldn't want your sister to struggle to survive in the capital because of you, right? Therefore, your only way out is to stay in Sus Country. This will be your final destination."

The corners of his mouth curled up in a smug arc, his eyes full of determination. "Yun Shuo, if you want to stay in Sus Country, you have to obey me. After all, you are outsiders. Even if people from the Mechanical Country stay in the Wind Country for their entire lives, they will still be outsiders. Without anyone to protect you, what will happen if you are no longer useful in the future?"

Yun Shuo lowered his head, remaining silent. His back bent slightly, as if he had let go of all resistance, looking more submissive than before.

Hit the snake at its most vulnerable part. A brother who can make his sister care so much about him will never be a cold-hearted guy.

Sure enough, Yun Shuo nodded slightly in silence, his fingers rubbing nervously on the teacup, sometimes clenching, sometimes relaxing, as if trying to calm his inner fluctuations and uneasiness in this way.

Knowles was pleased with himself for using this touching "brother-sister love" to play with the two of them at his fingertips.

Beat him with a stick and give him a sweet date. The stick has already been smashed down on his head, so the date naturally needs to be prepared as well.

"Don't worry." He smiled gently, as if offering a gift, and condescendingly poured Yun Shuo a cup of tea. His tone was filled with a hint of superiority and humility as he said, "Since you are a retainer, I will naturally not treat you unfairly. After all, you are the only one favored by God in Susi Township, and I will have to rely on you to rise to higher levels in the future."

Knowles waved his hand with an air of dominance. "As for which god your divine power belongs to, that's not your concern. I'll take you to the temple in a few days. You'll just need to go through the formalities, and the God of Wind will naturally grant you the status of a believer."

He said this as if even the God of Wind had to obey his orders.

When Knowles thought of this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise, outlining a proud arc.

This was the first divinely favored person to appear in Susi Township in many years. Yun Shuo was not only a divinely favored person, but also a symbol. He naturally had to make good use of this opportunity and create momentum and show off his power.

Yun Shuo chose to remain silent again and just nodded slightly.

Silence is also a form of resistance. Knowles suddenly remembered this sentence.

But he was not annoyed. Instead, he was secretly delighted by Yun Shuo's reluctant obedience. He casually asked, "Does your divine power have the ability to heal?"

The reason why Knowles asked this was naturally because he had received the news, otherwise he would not have thought of asking Yun Shuo to meet Lumi.

In fact, he didn't believe it. How could Yun Shuo, a man from the Mechanical Kingdom, be favored by the God of Healing?

Not only are these two places thousands of miles apart, but they also have no connection in terms of travel. It is impossible for Yun Shuo to have been there, let alone receive the favor and blessing of the gods.

In addition, he also suspected that the divine power actually contained some kind of bewitching power.

Otherwise, how can we explain that there is not a single clear-headed young person in this village, so that in the end only an old man is left who is still relatively clear-headed?

Could it be that Yun Shuo really has such a good eloquence? That would be truly terrifying.

The old man described Yun Shuo as an evil ghost struggling out from a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

He committed self-harm and a bowl-sized wound appeared on his neck, and the movement of his internal organs was clearly visible. Then, it healed completely in just a few tens of minutes, without even a trace of scar left.

The old man was still saying something stupid like, "Actually, we just didn't succeed. All these failures have nothing to do with Yun Shuo. It's because we were timid. He clearly had supernatural powers before."

The conversation between Tianta and the others flashed through Yun Shuo's mind like lightning. He instantly understood and guessed that this person was planning to let him treat Lumi, so he quickly said, "Yes."

When Knowles asked for help before, he was half-testing and half-serious, so he didn't expect Yun Shuo to be able to really treat it. "What kind of injury can you cure?"

At this moment, his eyes were looking up and down at Yun Shuo, as if he was examining a rare treasure.

Yun Shuo said directly: "I can heal injuries that you can't."

Knowles was startled for a moment, then a playful smile curled his lips. Talking about divine power seemed to embolden the boy. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Okay, then I'll wait and see if you truly have what it takes."

Yun Shuo's figure gradually walked further and further away until he disappeared from sight. Knowles sat down alone, his eyes fixed on the cup of tea that had been sitting there for a long time - Yun Shuo had never taken a sip from it.

He slowly stood up and walked towards the cup of tea without haste. His fingers lightly touched the rim of the cup, but instead of picking it up, he spilled the tea directly onto the ground, splashing the water droplets and shattering the cup.

Knowles sneered, with a hint of biting mockery in his voice, "You're quite alert."

As he spoke, a hint of amusement and disdain flashed in his eyes, as if he had seen through Yun Shuo's little thoughts.

Chapter 13: Poison

Tianta felt guilty and wanted to protect Yun Shuo, just like Yun Shuo and his mother had protected her before. She was eager to prove to him how much she had grown over the years, so she was determined to keep Yun Shuo under her wings.

However, she was powerless to resist when Knowles handed her the invitation. She could only reluctantly agree to Yun Shuo's going and could only make empty promises about the future, saying empty words like she would not let Knowles's future plans succeed.