I don't want to conquer witches anymore.

He hadn't felt this way in a long time since his parents passed away. For many years, he had lived like a walking corpse in the ground world of the floating city, eating, drinking, defecating, and sleeping without joy or sorrow, mechanically completing his work, numbly taking advantage of the entertainment provided by the three major forces of the floating city, and even gradually abandoning his emotions and forgetting his ideals and impulses.

At this moment, an impulse surged within him, an impulse called "I want to live," an impulse called "I want to leave the floating city and find what I truly want," and something called "hope."

Gazing at that flame, hope surged within Jack, forming the reason and motivation for his current actions. If it weren't for this sudden ignition of hope, Jack might have already lost himself in the malice and terror brought by the mini-planet, and even with the enemy right in front of him, he wouldn't have been able to make a move to escape, let alone resist.

"Roar—"

A deafening roar rang out not far away. Jack instinctively looked in that direction and saw a huge monster. It looked like a rabbit magnified more than ten times, but it was much fiercer and more ferocious than a cute rabbit. It spread its claws and tore open the walls of the house, scaring the mother and child who were hiding inside into huddling together in fear.

Although it bore no resemblance to the low-level magical beast mixed with a trace of dragon blood from back then, Jack felt that he saw its shadow in this rabbit beast... If it were any other time, even if he wasn't terrified and unable to fight by this suddenly appearing magical beast, he would have chosen to pretend not to see it and then turn around and run away as if it were none of his business.

But at this moment, Jack did not tremble or turn to run away. Instead, he reached out and grabbed the weapon at his waist, rushed towards the location of the rabbit beast, and stood in front of it before it could enter the house and kill the innocent mother and child.

When the stench of the monster's mouth hit him, Jack realized what he had done. A pang of regret flashed through his mind, but more than anything, he felt a surge of exhilaration at overcoming his psychological trauma.

"Damn it, this is our floating city! What do you think you are, you beast? Die!"

The rabbit-like beast's claws tore open Jack's shoulder, but at the same time, he plunged his longsword into its vital heart.

"puff--"

The monster's blood splattered out, soaking Jack's upper body. He reached out and wiped his face haphazardly, kicked the rabbit beast that had fallen to the ground, and then laughed heartily. He raised his head and looked once again at the flame that had brought him hope and courage.

It was like a star hanging in the sky, illuminating Jack's future.

"Thank you... Duke?"

Jack was slightly taken aback.

Whom did he thank?

The name seemed to suddenly jump out of his heart and inexplicably became associated with the flame in the sky, as if his soul had been affected by a mental spell... But Jack did not feel any discomfort from the mental spell. Instead, as if he had suddenly realized something, the gratitude that had been blocked in his heart found an outlet.

Duke...

Duke.

Duke!

"it's me."

A sudden voice echoed in Jack's mind, jolting him awake from his reverie of treating the name "Duke" as an object of worship. Simultaneously, an image appeared in Jack's mind: a man so beautiful he seemed almost superhuman. Standing in the mental image, he waved to Jack, a slight smile playing on his lips, greeting him.

Hello, Jack.

Jack was startled. Although the scene had been in his mind, it felt as if it were right before his eyes. Because of the strange phenomena he had witnessed earlier and the inhuman beauty of the man before him, Jack quickly came to an answer.

This is a deity!

He asked somewhat haltingly:

"You...who are you?"

You can call me Duke.

Duke chuckled, though his demeanor and tone lacked the solemnity and holiness expected of a deity. But in Jack's eyes, he… He was still a sacred being. Then, Jack heard Him continue introducing Himself:

"Or, you can call me 'the savior'."

"Savior?"

Jack blankly repeated Duke's words.

"That's right, the savior."

Duke snapped his fingers and smiled as he told his first believer his god's name.

"A torch that gives hope to all beings."

"The stars that guide the way to the future."

"The sword that shatters the doomed planet."

"And the god who saved the floating city."

"'Savior'."

Chapter 420 Amber, are you willing to share the rest of your life with me?

"A torch that gives hope to all beings."

"The stars that guide the way to the future."

"The sword that shatters the doomed planet."

"And the god who saved the floating city."

"'Savior'."

Duke recited the most cringeworthy lines imaginable, struck a few cool yet not-so-sacred poses, and then turned to Amber and Cecil with an excited look: "How was that? Was my introduction cool enough?"

Amber, Cecil: "?"

Although the girls all gave him a "Are you out of your mind?" look, Duke, who was burning with passion, did not give up. Instead, he struck several more cool poses, as if someone was taking pictures of him, always ready to face the camera.

"No, Duke, what exactly are you doing?" Cecil finally couldn't help but ask, somewhat strangely, "Especially that savior thing, isn't it a little awkward for you to call yourself the savior..."

“Not embarrassing at all. Hey.” Duke waved his hand. “When Ida became a god, she had to adopt a pseudonym with a god’s name and change it to ‘The Mute.’ Even after becoming a god, her real name became a forbidden word in the floating city until her humanity was revived. So if I also want to become a god, of course I must have a pseudonym with a god’s name, right? I think ‘Savior’ would be pretty good.”

Amber, standing to the side, twitched slightly at the corner of her mouth: "Is it really that good?"

"Couldn't they use more ordinary names for the gods?" Guangbao was particularly dissatisfied with Duke's aesthetic sense, muttering under his breath, "For example, God of War, God of Fire, God of Thunder, God King, and so on..."

Duke glanced at her, neither saying a word nor refuting, but he certainly wouldn't accept such an opinion—although he wasn't really willing to embark on the path to godhood, if he was going to become a god, he had to take responsibility for himself starting with his name. Choosing a unique name was definitely better than a name that sounded like cannon fodder.

Calling yourself the savior might be a little awkward, but it's still much better than being a war god or god-king, which sounds like a cannon fodder god who could be wiped out by a bald guy.

Amber's thoughts were clearly more complex than those of the simple-minded Guangbao, who was still debating whether the "savior" god was handsome or not. She asked curiously, "You said you want to become a god, but is becoming a god that easy?"

"It might be difficult for anyone on the floating city. For ordinary people, the basic requirements to become a god are insurmountable, and for a few top legends, the price and restrictions of becoming a god are unbearable. But for me, the difficulty is just right." Duke made an OK sign and explained with a grin, "I happen to meet all the basic requirements to become a god, and even if I don't, someone will find a way to help me meet them... And the price and restrictions of becoming a god are not unacceptable for a weakling like me who is not yet a legend."

Amber and Cecil nodded, seemingly understanding.

It's fair to say that it's a bit too difficult for the girls to understand Duke's plan. They didn't even understand why Duke struck those awkward poses and said those awkward lines.

Because someone will help him turn these poses and lines into tools for proselytizing, to establish faith in the hearts of the citizens of the floating city, and to help him become a god.

Duke didn't know what Ida's purpose was in helping him become a god, but he knew that even with the current division of the floating city into two opposing factions, Ida would still take the risk and forcefully help him establish faith in the hearts of the floating city's citizens, pushing him to the position of god.

It didn't matter. Since that was the case, he would just go with the flow and play along—after all, once his plan was successfully implemented, he wouldn't be the one to suffer.

"Amber, come here." Duke clicked his tongue at the thought, then beckoned Amber to come to him and took an item from his inventory, handing it to her. "Take this item carefully... it's related to whether I live or die, so please don't lose it."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Amber tensed up immediately and gripped the prop she had received from Duke tightly.

“Remember this,” Duke began, recounting his plan: “Amber, you will be the most crucial person in my plan, even more crucial than me…”

Amber listened quietly as Duke recounted his plan to resolve the issues of the mini-planet and the fate of this floating city, her eyes widening with each word. Meanwhile, Guangbao, listening to Duke's story (of course, they didn't shy away from mentioning Cecil, and Duke's plan involved many aspects that required Cecil's involvement), jumped up and down in surprise, his face filled with expressions like, "Really?" and "Are you crazy?!"

You have to understand, Cecil is no timid young lady; she's a top-tier tough woman who can single-handedly wreak havoc on the underground world of the floating city... but the sheer madness of this plan is enough to shock even Guangbao.

No wonder Duke is a madman!

"...That concludes my entire plan."

Duke quickly finished his explanation, while Amber clutched the prop tightly, a look of confusion and fear on her face: "Can I really do it? If I mess up, Duke, aren't you...?"

“I trust you,” Duke interrupted Amber. “I believe you can do it, Amber.”

Amber pursed her lips and looked at Duke in silence. The madness of the plan frightened her a little—she was a fierce person who dared to break into the Gate of Truth, but she still felt a sense of trepidation when faced with this plan.

"amber."

Duke seemed to sense Amber's hesitation and lack of confidence. She wasn't afraid to fight alongside him, but rather afraid of holding Duke back... Perhaps it was because she had to exert all her strength just to barely keep up with Duke that she had always been somewhat insecure. This insecurity was the driving force behind Amber's growth, but it also made her feel a deep sense of panic.

She doubted that she could protect Duke's fate.

So he reached out and took one of Amber's hands in his, pulling her slender, white hand towards him and gently kissing her fingers.

"Huh?"

Amber, who had been looking down, was slightly startled by his actions. She looked up and met Duke's smiling eyes, and at the same time heard him say softly:

"Amber, are you willing to share the rest of your life with me?"

Amber's feelings of inferiority, lack of confidence, fear, and confusion vanished like smoke dispelled by the light. Looking into Duke's pure eyes, she chuckled, then reached out her other hand and grasped Duke's hands in return, saying repeatedly:

"I do, of course I do!"

Chapter 421 Prayer

Panic gripped the streets of the floating city.

The battlefield between the evil god and the mini-planet also affected the floating city. A large number of the evil god's followers appeared on the streets. They looked like demons and devils from hell. Their crimson or dark green skin, bulging muscles, and murderous aura all proved that they were no benevolent beings.

In fact, after they appeared, they launched attacks on the innocent citizens of the floating city.

But at this time...

The flame that had previously been lit only on the top floor of the clock tower suddenly moved into the sky, and its size increased dramatically, allowing more people to see it, instead of just a few scattered individuals like Jack... Everyone forced to stay in the streets of the floating city, those forced to flee for their lives, and even those trembling in the buildings, all saw the flame at this moment.

all.

This may sound like an incredible word, as most people are likely to notice flames in the sky, but the absolute word "all" often implies a probability as low as almost zero.

but.

The voice of the mechanical deus ex machina still echoes in the fate of the floating city.

Then the flames went out, and everyone saw a man standing in the sky when the flames died down.

He had his hands in his pockets and his feet casually treading the air, as if stepping on some invisible staircase in the sky. Despite the distance, his face was clearly etched in the hearts of everyone who saw him. Everyone remembered this inhuman face that evoked a sense of holiness.

Then, his name appeared in the hearts of all living beings.

Savior Duke.

The surface city of the floating city now has many inhabitants of the underground world. They still remember Duke's face, remember that it was he who resolved the crystallization incident and saved the underground world. So, those whose lives were not in danger stopped and looked at Duke hopefully. But the many citizens whose lives were threatened by the evil god's kin only caught a fleeting glimpse before fleeing for their lives.

Although the fleeting flame ignited a spark of hope in them, it couldn't solve their actual problems.

But is that really the case?