I'm bad, but players love me

They are unable to carry anything with their hands or lift anything on their shoulders. They are not even as good as the flowers in the greenhouse. They will wither if exposed to a little sunlight.

There are even many people who have the title of "noble" and have the right to enter the temple freely, but they have lived to this day without even knowing what the God of Machinery Mani looks like.

What made Ella most angry was not just this, but the homes of those petty nobles who were not worthy of being seen in public still worshipped Yun Shuo's face!

This is blasphemy against the gods! An insult to faith! It can't be Yun Shuo's face, right? What are you after? Pretty face? You think the God of Machinery is too ugly, so you want to change her face, right?

God knows, to ensure that everything was flawless, Ella personally visited every noble's home, ensuring that nothing was missed, fearing that some noble qualified to receive the blessing of the God of Machinery had been quietly overlooked.

She even ordered that every household must offer a small statue so that when they actually went to worship the God of Machinery, they could better prove their piety and gain the favor of the God of Machinery.

Then those idiots whose brains were kicked by someone didn't take it seriously at all. They thought it was just a formality and there was no need to take it too seriously.

So they casually ordered their servants to go to the market and buy a random statue of god to deal with the matter.

These guys wondered what other options there were in this kingdom of machinery besides the statue of the God of Machinery? This way, they wouldn't have to bother searching for it, nor would they have to spend too much money.

But who knew that Yun Shuo, the ELO leader, was not doing his job! After monopolizing the weapons manufacturing factory, he also interfered with this industry.

As soon as Ella entered the room and saw those people still kneeling there pretending to worship, she suddenly felt as if she had suddenly gained enlightenment.

She must be blind, otherwise why would this statue look exactly like Yun Shuo? It was almost as if the head of the God of Mani was replaced with Yun Shuo's head.

Mani is a goddess, and Yun Shuo is very happy to wear women's clothes. He stands on the altar with a faint smile on his face!

Setash stared at Ella intently, and saw an inexplicable ferocity on the other's face, which made his heart tighten. His intuition told him that something seemed to be wrong.

He couldn't help but start to wonder, could it be that those nobles had already decided to give up and no longer intended to be enemies with ELO, not even wanting their homes anymore, and were planning to throw away all the glory and flee to other cities in a hurry?

This means that Ella is now getting something for nothing, so there is no need for Setash to get involved with her too much.

He raised his brows slightly, his eyes sharp as a torch, and asked bluntly, "Why does the Lord City Lord look so unhappy?"

"Lord Setash, don't you understand why I look unhappy?" Ella's words were full of questioning, and she seemed more righteous than Setash.

She did have the right to be so confident, after all, those idiots who provided Yun Shuo with the Mechanical God were the ones he had sent under his command.

Originally, she had intended to save some face for Setash, after all, they were in a period of cooperation and couldn't let things get tangled up. But Setash had gotten himself into trouble, and Ella no longer held back, speaking her mind.

"I didn't know that your vassal and Yun Shuo have become so close that they don't even want to worship the statue properly. They insist on replacing Yun Shuo's face with his before they will bow down and worship." Ella had never thought about this kind of thing. Maybe before Setash heard it, he thought he was pretending to be deaf and dumb.

Setash was speechless at the sudden news. He opened his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he was speechless. He could only lick his dry lips gently and suppress the confusion in his eyes.

The sheer amount of information in this incident had completely overwhelmed him. Who could have imagined that Yun Shuo could be connected to the statue?

I wanted to bring up Ella's matter, but ended up getting into trouble.

However, he quickly took two sips of red wine, easily dispelling the awkwardness that permeated the air. "If that's really the case, it's not so bad. I thought it was because the city lord wasn't strict enough in managing his subordinates, and couldn't get the nobles to stand up and fight for the city. But now it seems that it was just me, an insignificant little man, who made some mistakes in managing my subordinates."

"If there ever comes a day when things really develop to the point where they are irreversible, then we don't need to waste any more words on meaningless negotiations. We can just run away." Ella said with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

Setash's words were like a sharp thorn that pierced her heart. Now, any doubt about her ability was a naked offense that could easily provoke her anger.

She couldn't help but continue, "Lord Setash, perhaps you'd better drink less. Otherwise, you might lose control of yourself and say something you shouldn't. Don't blame me for not warning you then."

Setaishi tilted his head slightly, glancing at the clock in the corner. Only fifteen minutes remained. However, the figure who should have been there long ago—Yun Shuo—hadn't arrived yet.

Ella's mood seemed to fluctuate with the waiting time. Her nerves had been tense in recent days, making her mood a little changeable.

After a while, she, who was furious just now, regained her usual calmness in the blink of an eye, but there was still a trace of easily noticeable worry between her brows.

"If, I mean if," she said softly, with a hint of tentativeness and uneasiness in her tone, "What if Yun Shuo really refused?

Upon hearing this, Setaishi's expression remained calm, as if he had already expected such a question.

He said calmly, "Just follow our established negotiation strategy. Remember to start small and then move on to bigger things, so he thinks he's taking advantage. I'm sure he won't refuse easily. Of course, I'll also be there to assist you and persuade him together."

His voice was steady and powerful, like a shot of adrenaline in Ella.

She nodded slightly, her worries seemingly dissipated slightly by the slight movement, but then she couldn't help but continue, "We should at least have some backup plans. No one can guarantee what he will think."

Before the meeting, Setash had repeatedly warned her against any backroom arrangements and that the talks must remain strictly confidential. He emphasized that not only could no soldiers be stationed outside, but also that no covert arrangements of any kind were to be made.

"Who can say for sure that there are no ELO undercover agents among your servants?" Setash's words were filled with vigilance and worry.

This time, he was really scared because he had been bitten by a snake once. Yun Shuo's casual words "I also have a spy in your house" scared him a lot.

Saitaishi is now on high alert. After all, who knows how many spies are still hiding in the dark in his home.

Helpless, he had to become more low-key and cautious in his actions, fearing that any negligence would be noticed by Yun Shuo and ruin his good plan.

"Are we just going to sit back and do nothing? If he refuses to compromise, we can get rid of him quickly and efficiently. At least we can gain something." There was a hint of ruthlessness in Ella's voice, as if she was quite impatient with Setash's cowardly behavior.

"Don't worry," Setash said with a calm smile, "Do you know what I used to persuade him to come?"

Of course, although he said "persuasion", Sai Taishi still concealed some things, such as Yun Shuo's mysterious attitude - he seemed to have made up his mind to go from the beginning.

He couldn't figure it out. If Yun Shuo knew he was going to deal with him, why did he dare to come? This was simply courting death.

"What?" Ella Ella raised her eyebrows slightly, with a hint of surprise in her eyes. She was obviously very interested in what Setash said.

Setaishi raised his lips slightly and said slowly, "I told him that the real purpose of this peace talk is an assassination attempt on you under the guise of peace talks."

With the name of "assassination", he can look for snipers openly without worrying about arousing any unnecessary suspicion.

In this way, even if the spy saw his actions, he would only mistakenly think that he was working for the commander-in-chief.

After hearing this, Ella's eyes flashed with a complex emotion, and she whispered, "So, the so-called sniper who 'assassinated' me was actually carefully arranged by you, and the target was Yun Shuo?"

"That's right, but not entirely!" Saitaishi nodded, then shook his head. "The target is Yun Shuo, who is unwilling to accept our conditions."

At this point, his eyes suddenly became dim, as if shrouded in a thin layer of mist. Setais subconsciously raised his hand, gently removed the monocle from his nose, and blew on it.

Yun Shuo, you'd better accept it, otherwise...

I need you to stand with me, because I don't want to be your enemy yet, but the basic interests cannot be shaken.

From the very beginning, the relationship between Setash and Yunshuo was clear - without the "enemy", there would be no us.

And now that Ella, the enemy, has disappeared, "we" have naturally disappeared as well.

Setash happily stood up and saluted. He smiled at Ella and said, "Please allow me to show you where Yun Shuo will be buried."

Since Ella can ensure the safety of killing Yun Shuo, then Sai Taishi is not a stingy person, so why not let her see it?

So, at Setash's invitation, the two of them walked out of the hall, one in front and one behind.

The sun shone brightly outside, like a thousand golden rays pouring down from the sky, coating the entire world in a layer of dazzling golden light. The sky was a clear blue, without a single cloud blocking the view.

It’s a pity that the two of them were already tired of looking at this beautiful scenery. What they cared more about at the moment was whether the sniper could successfully kill Yun Shuo.

The sunlight shines through the treetops, scattering on the ground in patches of golden light, swaying gently with the breeze.

This made it harder for Ella to find the sniper's hiding place, but it actually made her laugh.

Under such scorching sun, it was difficult to even open one's eyes. Even Yun Shuo would find it difficult to fight back immediately, and would be at the mercy of others.

She said with great interest, "It's well hidden, but I don't know how good the marksmanship is."

After making a gesture, Setash casually pointed to a sparrow strolling leisurely on the ground in the distance.

At this moment, there was a "bang" of a gunshot, which shook the leaves slightly.

In a flash, a few brown feathers flew up, and the sparrow that was originally lively and energetic had fallen to the ground, torn into pieces, and the blood stained the ground red.

"This is not an ordinary bullet." Ella easily judged that the power was too great.

"Well," Setash said rather complacently, "this guy is actually a mechanical modification engineer. You've seen him before, the one who tried to assassinate you last time."

Ella asked in surprise, "He's not dead yet?"

He raised his eyebrows slightly, a playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said lightly: "Maybe you overestimate your marksmanship."

Chapter 102: I am here to negotiate, what are you here for?

Yun Shuo arrived as promised. His steps were neither hurried nor slow, and he arrived at the agreed time alone, entering the agreed place - Setaishi's manor.

After all, Saitaishi still holds the title of an ally, so he should pretend to be one. Naturally, he should be the first to stand up and go out to greet people.

As soon as he walked out of the hall, Setash's eyes immediately locked onto Yun Shuo. Yun Shuo was still wearing his signature old-fashioned outfit—a black robe that covered him from head to toe, with his entire face shrouded in shadow, revealing only a pair of deep eyes.

This outfit was all too familiar to Ella. It was the same outfit Yun Shuo had worn when they first met. That day, Ella's life hung by a thread. If the plot hadn't allowed it, she would have perished at the hands of Yun Shuo, the assassin.

Now that ELO and the Corey Army are at loggerheads, when Ella saw this outfit again, she probably could guess in her heart that Yun Shuo had ill intentions this time.

But what Setaishi cared more about was that there was no one behind Yun Shuo. This was not something Yun Shuo would do.

When did he become so confident in himself?

Saitaishi came forward and pointed to the sky implicitly, indicating to Yun Shuo that the "assassin" had been arranged.

The corners of Yun Shuo's mouth lifted slightly, outlining a hint of a smile, "Are you really planning to assassinate Ella?"

Although he didn't deliberately increase the volume, he also had no intention of lowering it. If Ella wanted, she would be able to catch every word of this conversation.

Setash's acting skills were fully demonstrated at this moment. He reacted quickly without any thinking.

He went up and covered Yun Shuo's mouth under the veil to prevent him from saying more words that might expose his plan.

At the same time, he let out a quick "Hush!" sound, as if reminding Yun Shuo to remain silent, and as if sending a false signal to any possible eavesdroppers.

Moreover, his eyes glanced subtly in the direction of the hall, suggesting that someone was waiting inside. He looked as if he was frightened by Yun Shuo's rash action.

"Ella has been here for a long time and is inside." Setash whispered in a low voice, revealing a suppressed sense of urgency. "Be quiet, be quiet."

Since Saitaishi wanted to act pretentiously, what else could Yun Shuo do? He naturally had to play along. Yun Shuo responded with the same whisper, "Still thinking about assassinating Ella? One, two, but not three, you know? With your luck, you'll never get into assassination again."

Setash was not happy to hear this. "Then why did you come? Didn't you come here because you believed I could kill Ella?"

But what he was thinking in his heart was: I can't kill Ella, but can't I kill you?

You have to know that this time the sniper was carrying a newly developed piece of equipment, and he was probably the only one in the entire city of Cori who had it. Otherwise, there would be no point in stuffing it up with a killer who had failed in an assassination before.

"Yes," Yun Shuo laughed dumbly, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "I'll believe you again."

Saitaish was finally satisfied. He turned his head and lowered his voice to a very low level, as if he was concerned for Yun Shuo's safety. He said softly, "Why did you come alone? Ella is very aggressive this time and doesn't look easy to mess with. In my opinion, you should bring a few people with you for self-defense."

Without waiting for Yun Shuo to reply, he changed the subject and asked secretly, "Could it be that you have planted some people in the dark?"

"Of course not," Yun Shuo responded with a smile, his demeanor calm, as if he was unaware of the impending crisis. "Since the city lord has condescended to come without bringing anyone, and you, Sai Taishi, didn't set up a single guard outside, how can I have the nerve to bring more people? Wouldn't that make me look like a coward? If you're afraid, then why not just not come?"

There seemed to be another meaning in the words, but before Setash could figure it out, Yun Shuo took the lead and walked straight to the hall. He seemed to be more familiar with this house than Setash, the owner.

Saitaishi had invited Yun Shuo to attend a peace negotiation, which was held at a luncheon. The table was a good place to talk, and after a few drinks, he naturally relaxed a bit.

Although Ella herself scoffed at this matter, I have raised Yun Shuo for so long, and I have always treated him well with food and drink every day, and I have never seen him say anything nice to anyone. I expect his attitude to soften with just this meal.

Only benefits can soften his attitude, and I will give him these benefits.

"Yun Shuo." Ella deliberately avoided the honorific. She wanted to communicate with the other party in a more intimate way, so she took the initiative to stand up and extended her hand gracefully, trying to close the distance between them.

However, Yun Shuo did not give her the response she expected.

He sat down, then slowly raised his head, his tone apologetic. "My apologies, Lord City Lord. The ELO jurisdiction is quite far from here, and I came here in a hurry, so I'm afraid it's inconvenient for me to shake your hand. My hands are dirty, so I'd like to avoid getting them dirty."

Ella knew this was a clear distinction. What was "dirty hands"? Wasn't it just saying that because she came from the slums, she wouldn't marry into the aristocracy?

Setaishi also noticed that there was a lot of tension between the two. After all, they were at war, so it was understandable. As a middleman, he was supposed to act as a mediator.

But just as Setash was about to speak and use his usual smooth words to ease the tense atmosphere, Yun Shuo interrupted him without hesitation.

Yun Shuo didn't hesitate at all and said directly, "Let's talk directly. Don't play these tricks around the bush."

With this opening, Yun Shuo took the initiative in the negotiation.

Setaishi's words were stuck in his throat, but he had no choice but to swallow them down.

Yun Shuo's straightforwardness caught Ella off guard. She subconsciously glanced at Sai Taishi, but found that the other party had already avoided her and there was no possibility of him looking at her.

"Of course. I believe that Lord Yun Shuo is also very sincere in this negotiation."

Although Ella was humiliated, in essence, she was the one who really wanted to negotiate between her and He Yunshuo, so it was inevitable that she would temporarily bow her head.

But even so, she still called him "Yun Shuo", the commander of ELO, and at most added the meaningless word "Sir", and was not willing to praise Yun Shuo, a pariah who crawled out of the slums.

After all, even when she was on good terms with Yun Shuo, Ella only regarded him as her subordinate. Although things are different now, if she lowers her head even a little bit, it would damage Ella's honor.

"Since the City Lord personally sent someone to invite me here, let's first discuss your proposal. It's been over half a month, so there should be a draft. Negotiations are a process, and peace is the goal."

Ella was suddenly shocked. She had never expected that Yun Shuo would be so generous as to hand the right to speak back to her.

But since Yun Shuo had already started it, Ella naturally had to take it over, with no intention of giving in to this so-called "guest".

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile. She said softly, "I hope that through this peace talk, we can completely end our dispute. Since it started with taxes, why don't we end it by reducing them?"

"That's all?" Yun Shuo laughed in anger upon hearing this. "Just to reduce taxes, we in ELO mobilized so many troops and fought for so long, and so many people died. This is truly our fault."