It was eight o'clock at night in Greenwich.
The banquet's scheduled opening time had arrived.
Duke Reinhardt rose from his seat in the banquet hall and raised his glass.
"Everyone, history and heritage have bestowed upon us the glory we possess today.
"But precisely because of that, when we inherit those past glories, we must also shoulder the responsibilities of nobility.
"The disasters brought by ruins and the Abyss Border, and the changes to the world order caused by Extraordinary Power—
"No one can stay apart from them. We can only move forward."
The next second.
Just as he was about to announce the theme of the banquet.
Gunshots rang out.
The central fixture of the enormous crystal chandelier in the banquet hall began to shake violently, ready to come crashing down.
Danger had arrived!
Sophia was seated at Table Three, very close to where the danger had erupted.
She suppressed her fear and prepared to leave.
Just then.
The inconspicuous translator beside the table silently drew a gun and aimed it behind her.
Feeling the icy touch of that murderous weapon at her back.
Sophia recalled the disaster reports she had once seen in case files.
The fear of death instantly engulfed her.
Bang!
Sophia felt no pain.
Instead.
The gun pointed at her back slipped away limply.
The girl looked toward the source of the silenced gunshot.
A handsome gentleman stood there.
After taking care of the assassin beside Sophia.
He did not stop.
Instead, he smoothly raised his gun again and picked off another assassin in the distance, one disguised as a waiter.
Finally, just as an enemy was about to stab the Duke of Bavaria, the handsome stranger stepped in front of him without a moment's hesitation.
He finished off the last two assassins.
That scene.
Would later receive extensive coverage in a prominent section of The Times.
Sophia gradually calmed down from the terror of standing at death's edge.
She had never imagined that she would encounter an Extraordinary Power assassin beneath the heavily guarded Clock Tower.
Nor had she ever imagined that she would be saved like this.
As the heir to a ducal family, Sophia Reinhardt was no stranger to the ever-increasing number of extraordinary phenomena occurring in this world.
After all.
Among high society and in top research laboratories.
The active-state Dark Matter Stream caused by changes in Cosmic Background Radiation was no secret. Compared to the description of a weakly interacting massive particle field.
Perhaps the "magic" of Celtic legends, or the "psychic energy" of scientific research, was more accurate.
Sophia stood in a corner.
Watching the handsome young man standing before her father.
She silently remembered his name.
Night Watch.
Duke Miss stood at the edge of the banquet hall, watching the two converse calmly.
On one side was the handsome Night Watchman; on the other was her father, Duke Joseph, the Lion of Bavaria.
The topic that should have been discussed during the grand banquet.
Continued amid the burning banquet hall.
"You seek the justice stipulated by the Equality Act.
"Then do you believe the disaster here was not caused by extraordinary individuals?"
"Extraordinary individuals are not a single entity."
Su Wen answered with a smile.
"In other words, Your Grace, do you wish to turn this opposition into an identity war like 'racial discrimination'?"
Whether it was "privilege" or "discrimination," both would breed opposition.
Treating everyone equally under the law, with fair judgment as the standard—that was the greatest respect."
Elizabeth Tower, formerly known as the Clock Tower and commonly called Big Ben.
Located on the banks of the Thames River in London, England, it was the clock tower attached to the Palace of Westminster, the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and one of London's landmark buildings.
At the same time.
At the very moment the Equality Act was signed.
The heavy chimes marking a pivotal moment in civilization gradually began to ring.
They resounded along the Thames River and echoed throughout London.
And in that day's edition of The Times, an enormous headline was printed:
The Burning Banquet Hall, on the Eve of an Extraordinary Dawn
The article had been personally written by Mr. Ted, England's most authoritative editor-in-chief, and it declared the opening of the Origin Era.
Within it.
An unfamiliar Night Watch became a key figure second only to Duke Reinhardt.
His cold yet handsome profile as he executed the assassins was printed on the front page as the cover image.
"A burning dawn. Not a bad article."
Su Wen sat in the reception room of the Mental Review Bureau and smiled as he folded the newspaper.
"The Times. I picked it up by the roadside. As a researcher, I can't limit myself to what's right in front of me. I need a global perspective."
He was well aware of the Mental Review Bureau's extremely strict enforcement procedures.
That fire-breathing fellow had been thrown directly into the New City Law Enforcement Bureau's detention center.
And now.
Compared to the harsh procedural review.
He could probably spare some thought for which bookstore he would visit with Miss Jiang that afternoon.
"Mr. Su Wen, first of all, on behalf of the Coastal City Mental Review Bureau, I would like to thank you for your courageous actions."
"Officer Zhu Yu, I merely did what I could.
"You know, from humanity's discovery of fire, to fearing fire, and then using fire to survive the winter—do you know how many long years passed during that process?"
"I don't."
"The Xihoudu People, one million years ago.
"That was the earliest surviving record of a human civilization using fire.
"Of course, after the Origin Era, you may also imagine fire as the wisdom Prometheus stole.
"But it was not until 1805 that the famous French chemist Louis Jacques Thénard invented the safety match that extended modern civilization to where it stands today.
"It took humanity more than a million long years to accept fire as science.
"And do you know how long it took society to accept extraordinary individuals as ordinary?
"Until today.
"Five years and seven months."
Su Wen spoke calmly.
"This is the progress of civilization."
Across from him.
For some reason, the special operations captain from the bureau felt that the young man seated before him was not the lazy college student described in his background check.
He was even harder to read than certain criminals well versed in psychology.
"Mr. Su Wen, I invite you once again to join the Mental Review Bureau."
"I'm merely an ordinary person. I have no interest in joining the bureau.
"By the way, Officer Zhu Yu, the news also specifically mentioned the 'Night Watch' on the cover.
"To you, is the Night Watch organization an equal-ranking institution or a superior one?"
"The Night Watch Accord was jointly established by nations around the world. It is a high-functioning guardian organization with independent authority to make rulings. Generally speaking, it is indeed a superior organization."
"An interesting structure. I understand."
Half an hour later.
Shortly after Su Wen left.
A team member approached the special operations captain, who was still seated where he had been.
"Brother Zhu, Su Wen's examination results are out."
"What were the results? Was there a problem?"
"Why would you ask that? Did he display any abnormal mental symptoms during questioning?"
"No, quite the opposite.
"He was far too clear-headed."
Only then did Zhu Yu realize that his clothes had been soaked through with sweat at some unknown point.
He took the assessment sheet.
It clearly read:
Mental Clarity Value: Immaculate. Mental Pollution Deviation Index: 0.0001 (immeasurable)
After ignorance had been burned away in the flames of that night.
The Sublimation Lineage: Fair Knight left its mark.
As the world's sole arbiter.
Other than Su Wen himself.
There was likely no one else capable of judging the one who had carved a path forward for civilization.
Before you continue