I don't want to conquer witches anymore.

Duke watched Alice's struggle with nervousness. He thought for a moment, then, before she could question him, he unleashed his ultimate move—he pulled out the Mute's Dagger, flashed a professional smile (exuding charm at 25!), and asked in a gentle, magnetic baritone voice:

"Friend, have you ever heard of people who are mute?"

Chapter 320 Her Hero, Her God

As is well known, Duke is not a believer in aphasia.

Although the mute himself is currently inside him, and although he knows many of the mute's followers, as a transmigrator who has been educated in materialism since childhood, Duke has never believed in this guardian of the floating city, nor has he coveted the mute's power.

But this doesn't stop him from using the guise of being aphasic to deceive people.

Back in the dream world of Sleeping Beauty, he had already tricked an old priest into becoming crippled and turning him into a messenger of the mute. And now, Duke was using the same words to fool Alice.

"Friend, have you ever heard of people who are mute?"

"what is that?"

Alice looked somewhat confused. Her memories of restarting the cycle more than three thousand times were awakening, which had already thrown her brain into chaos. At this moment, Duke's seemingly random words only added to her confusion.

Meanwhile, Ida, who was inside Duke's body, panicked. She shouted fiercely, "Duke, I told you to learn the Song of the Soul, what are you doing now?!"

Duke glanced at the bewildered Alice, then sensed Ida residing within his body, and silently thought, "I just suddenly realized that if I want to learn the Song of the Soul, I can learn it from you, can't I?"

Little Ida shook her head vigorously and said firmly, "I will not teach!"

"So, the Ida that the Death Knight was talking about is indeed you?" Duke laughed. "Then here's the question: last time you chose to abandon Alice, what about this time? After achieving success, do you want to make up for your regrets? Beg me, beg me to choose to save Alice."

“...Even if I didn’t beg you, you would still save her, wouldn’t you?” Little Ida was silent for a moment, then said somewhat irritably, “I advise you not to use Alice to negotiate with me. I know your personality.”

“But I don’t know your personality. If I have to keep you inside me, I’ll need some samples as a reference, won’t I?” Duke said, proving that he had begun to explore the personality of the mute. “Okay, seriously… Show yourself, Ida. Don’t try to pin the blame on me for the trouble you’ve caused.”

Ida shook her head helplessly, and then a thought left Duke's body and flowed into the Mute Dagger in his hand. She used it as her own body and appeared in the deep sea world. She did not turn into a mermaid, but she also did not seem to be drowning or injured by water pressure. After all, the body she was using was essentially a dagger, and a powerful item of at least gold quality, whose toughness and strength were beyond doubt.

She appeared before Alice, and before the three robot knights, Death, Plague, and Famine, plunging everyone present into a brief silence.

Then, the three Apocalypse Knights broke the silence. They all retreated rapidly, creating distance between themselves and Ida, and almost simultaneously activated the speakers on their chests, preparing to use the Soul Song to fight them to the death. Ida's response was simple: she merely turned and glared at the three of them, instantly intimidating the Apocalypse Knights and preventing any of them from daring to attack.

Alice was also startled by the actions of the Apocalypse Knights. She stared blankly at Ida, trembling as she asked, "Ida, is that you?"

The Ida in her hazy memory was completely different from the little girl before her. She wasn't very old then either, but she had already blossomed into a graceful young woman. However, Alice could still recognize Ida's appearance from the little girl's face—she couldn't possibly forget it. After regaining her memories, that restart of the cycle was the clearest memory she had.

At that time, Ida was not yet aphasic, but she was once Alice's hero.

She almost saved her from this endless cycle of reincarnation.

“No, my name is no longer Ida.” Little Ida smiled slightly, and her voice did not travel into the seawater, but rang directly in Alice’s heart, “It’s been a long time, Alice. Now… you can call me the Mute.”

"Aphasic?"

As Ida gazed at Alice before her, memories of the past began to flood back into her mind like a tidal wave.

She once tried to save the kind little mermaid, spending three whole years in this world and experiencing three cycles of reincarnation. She destroyed the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse twice and a half times, leaving them with only one memory. She learned the Song of the Soul from Alice and spent a year surpassing her teacher to become a master of the Song of the Soul. However, she gave up the power of the Song of the Soul and even her own voice to save Alice.

Even so, Ida still couldn't save Alice, nor could she unravel the secrets of this world.

This is the first step on her path to godhood. It is precisely because of the imperfections and regrets she experienced in this world that she embarked on the path of sublimation as a person who has lost her voice.

But now everything is different.

“Hmm.” Ida nodded, opened her arms to Alice, and tempted the mortal with the allure of a succubus from a bottomless abyss, “Alice, believe in me, let me become your god.”

Alice's eyes widened. She didn't understand what faith meant, but soon a natural understanding arose in her soul, telling her what the mute were like, and what they would gain and lose through faith.

But none of that matters anymore.

Because the hero who had once abandoned her has returned to her.

Because Ida quickly walked up to Alice and hugged the little mermaid with open arms.

"Okay."

The Little Mermaid sang happily.

The melody she hummed made her sway involuntarily, immersing all the creatures around her who could hear her song in the atmosphere she created. Behind her, radiance formed a pair of wings, and above her head, radiance condensed into a halo. Amidst the music and dance, the little mermaid became the messenger of the mute.

"In the cycle of reincarnation, you created the Four Movements in order to fight against the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

Ida, gently embracing Alice, whispered:

"Plagues and Health"

"War and Peace".

“Famine and Prosperity”.

"Death and Rebirth".

In those restarted cycles where Alice defeated the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, these four movements played an important role, but unfortunately, whether the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse defeated Alice or Alice defeated the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the tragic cycle of this world would not end.

“Children favored by the gods, take the gifts bestowed upon you by the gods.”

The four movements played simultaneously.

Chapter 321 Tone-Deaf

Although Duke just said he has never believed in the aphasic community, the question is, is it too late for him to regret it now?

If Duke's judgment is correct, the Quadrilogy that Alice is currently using, damn it, that thing is Legendary Destiny, isn't it?!

No wonder when Duke asked her about the quick way to become a Legendary, Ida said to just pray to her... So what she said was true? You can ascend instantly and receive a Legendary destiny tailor-made just by praying to her? Even though Alice has become a divine messenger now, this isn't just a quick way to become a Legendary; she's at least a near-Legendary.

Judging from Alice's previous feat of instantly defeating the Heavenly Punishment robot "War" with "War and Peace," this four-part melody was likely specially designed by Alice to counter the four Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse's special attack soul song. It might not be very effective against others (for example, after listening to "War and Peace," Duke didn't feel any effect at all, as if he had just listened to a normal song).

Normally, even if Alice goes the furthest in restarting her soul, her strength and realm will not reach the level of a near-legendary. Her level of the four movements is also far inferior to that of the legendary destiny. Even so, her "special attack weapon" is effective against those robots.

Compared to the Alice in the normal game, this Alice is practically a PROMAX super-enhanced version! Usually, only Easter egg characters included in bonus content have such an absurd boost. If we consider this world's reboot as a game, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as players, then the Alice appearing before them is simply not something that should exist in the main story! What is this?! A bug?! This bug is totally blocking me!

Their feelings are probably similar to those of the gods and humans in a certain isekai light novel adaptation when they look at the protagonist.

Duke shook his head, which was wandering off into thought, and looked away from Alice, who was beating up the Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He also ignored the bored Annie and Stephanie, who was being toyed with by her. Instead, he turned to Ida beside him and asked curiously, "Why did you say that you are not Ida but a mute?"

“Because the divinity of the mute is still dormant within you, if I wish to bestow power upon Alice, I can only do the work in His place.” Ida stuck out her tongue. For some reason, Duke felt that she was slightly older than he had seen her before. “Besides, giving power to Alice will buy you time, won’t it?”

"Why would you need to buy me time?" Duke looked at her strangely.

"You don't actually think that Alice can end the cycle by killing the Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse, do you? Do you think I haven't done something this simple before?" Ida rolled her eyes. "In fact, we can't let the remaining three horsemen die too quickly. Once they are all wiped out, the world will restart and return to the next cycle—that's right, the world will restart if either they or Alice are wiped out. If the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Alice fight to the very end, it will restart again after a year."

“This…” Duke frowned. Ida’s words made him reject several of his previous guesses. “What did you think the truth was back then?”

"I think the reason why the world keeps restarting this year, making the Mermaid Kingdom led by Alice oppose the Empire led by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, restarting the cycle but not ending because of the destruction of either side, is that neither the Kingdom nor the Empire is what the world's will wants."

Ida snapped her fingers and stated her judgment:

"The world's will wants both artificial intelligence and the Song of Souls to perish together within a year, to be completely destroyed!"

It must be said that Date's guess was very insightful, bold, and highly probable.

Therefore, Duke finally understood why she chose to abandon Alice back then—because Ida was faced with an unsolvable situation. She didn't want Alice to perish with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; she wanted to save the Little Mermaid. But even after she fought to the point of losing the newly acquired Song of Souls and obtaining a fragmented Divine Power, she still couldn't find any other way to complete the game.

Therefore, Date was forced to leave.

“I thought that after becoming a god, I would have a way to come back and save people, but I never expected that the late emperor would pass away before his great undertaking was even half completed. I died before I became a god!” Ida recited the poem she had learned from Duke in his mind. “And now I am not the mute person in my prime, and I can’t act without regard for the rules of the world… Alright, Duke, I’m counting on you. Didn’t you want to help me fulfill my last wish?”

"I don't think I said that." Duke pursed his lips, then pinched his chin and thought for a long time. After a while, when Annie and Stephanie were being directed by Ida to stop the rampaging Ellie, he suddenly thought of a plan: "Ida, Ida, come here."

"What's wrong? Have you come up with a solution, Doraemon?"

"How do you know everything? Can you read my memories?!"

"No way, these are all things you came up with on your own. I just peeked at them. Seriously, what is Doraemon anyway? Why do you subconsciously think that blue robot cat is omnipotent?"

"I don't think it's omnipotent; I just think the pouch on its belly is omnipotent." Duke coughed, then waved his hand. "Let me ask you a few questions. What did you rely on to abandon the Song of Souls back then? Was it also a Song of Souls?"

"Yes, an overloaded soul song destroyed my abilities and voice, but unexpectedly granted me divinity."

When Ida first entered the game, she was very weak. Her basic abilities were all accumulated from the three years she spent learning the Song of Souls. Therefore, she embarked on the path to godhood by accident.

"Then the solution is quite simple, isn't it?" Duke spread his hands at her. "You teach me how to sing the Soul Song, teach me your Overload Soul Song from back then, and then I spread the power to the whole world through the Soul Requiem, making everyone lose the ability to sing the Soul Song. Doesn't that solve half the problem?"

"The remaining half is easier to handle. Before executing the plan, we can take out the Empire's AIs, leaving only one as a last resort, right?"

Ida blinked, a look of shock on her face.

What a concise (and straightforward) plan! It sounds like an incredibly effective plan!

"The only problem with this plan... well, I doubt I can learn the Song of the Soul."

Duke scratched his head:

"Well, because I don't like singing, I haven't really revealed this fact... Actually, I'm a bit tone-deaf, haha."

Chapter 322 Friends of the Floating City

Joseph the Madman sneezed.

"Xiao Yue, you've caught a cold?" his fiancée, who was holding his arm, asked curiously. "It's gotten colder these past few days, wear more clothes!"

“I know.” Joseph rubbed his nose. “But I keep feeling like it’s because someone is calling my name… Maybe I’m just being paranoid. I haven’t been getting enough rest lately.”

Joseph replaced the wanted Duke on the list, but after a short time as the new king, he was removed from the list due to the time limit. At this point, he no longer had any honors and became an ordinary adventurer again. However, after being removed from the list, the reputation of Joseph the Madman in the floating city has been growing louder and louder recently.

The reason is quite simple—recently, he held a concert under the guise of being the Rookie King, inviting many ignorant adventurers, residents of the floating city, and even ignorant witches who were unaware of the origin of his nickname. Of course, the concert was small in scale, more like a livehouse than a concert, but its destructive power was astonishing.

It is said that the poor listeners who fled the livehouse almost blocked the street intersection and even caused a diplomatic incident, because there were several master craftsmen from the dwarf kingdom who had nothing better to do than come and listen to a free concert.

As it turns out, free things are always the most expensive.

Mr. Mad Song has been ordered by the floating city authorities not to sing in public places. Recently, he has been so worried about not being able to let people hear his "pleasant" singing voice that he has been unable to get a proper rest.

"How can this be? What if you ruin your health by not resting properly?" Joan punched Joseph unhappily, then glanced at the wall by the roadside and saw Duke's wanted poster. She pouted even more unhappily and said angrily, "Joseph, we finally found out that Duke is not dead, so why does the city lord still issue a wanted poster for him?"

Joseph didn't even glance at the wanted poster on the wall, because he had read it countless times before, and could practically recite its words by heart. He shook his head, held out his hand to Joan, and said, counting on his fingers, "There are many possibilities. For example, Duke killed some important person, Duke stole something very important from the city lord, Duke is involved in some very important event... Maybe he really did something terrible that the city lord denies, which is why Lord Carol is so angry?"

"It can't be that bad, I don't think Xiao Du is that kind of person..."

"If he heard that, he'd probably be moved to tears, and then say something like, 'Finally, someone believes I'm not a jerk, sob sob sob,'" Joseph's lips curled up slightly as he reminisced about his long-lost friend, but he quickly became nervous. "Joan, don't get too close to him! I'm afraid he'll even steal you away!"

"It can't be that bad," Joan shook her head. She and her fiancé both had a very high opinion of Duke, not only because he was a great friend, but also because he had led the campaign to capture Talia. For Joseph, Duke had helped him find his fiancée, and for Joan, Duke was a savior. "Hey, Joseph, do you think the city lord is after Talia? It's like she's taken over Duke's body, just like she's taken over mine?"

“No… If Lord Carol wanted to put a warrant for Talia’s arrest, she would have written Talia’s name directly on the warrant, instead of putting a warrant for Duke like this.” Joseph shook his head. He had a very accurate grasp of Carol’s personality. “Since she put a warrant for Duke’s arrest, it must be because of something he did. Perhaps, given Duke’s abilities, his being wanted is related to the most important event in the floating city.”

Joan made a sound she couldn't understand: