Facing the duke before him.
Su Wen decided that whenever he was unsure what to do, he would inspect first.
Inspection: Joseph Reinhardt, hereditary Duke of Bavaria, reformer of the Origin Era, twelfth seat of Northern Europa's Supreme Council, Origin Knowledge—(Knight)—(Glory), Civilization Chronicle—Character Profile—(Reinhardt)—(Lion Duke)
After inspecting him,
he came to a conclusion: this was a genuine big shot.
Game Prompt You successfully saved Duke Reinhardt and gained the friendship of the Duchy of Bavaria. World Reputation +50 The player is in a bleeding state. HP -0.1, HP -0.1...
Looking at his full 120 HP, which had only dropped by 5 after being stabbed, while the bleeding status barely seemed to affect it,
Su Wen had only two words.
Peace of mind.
But life had to go on.
He could only pretend to endure tremendous pain as he concernedly asked the burly, imposing middle-aged nobleman,
"Duke, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Medic, quickly bandage this gentleman's wound."
Joseph said in a deep voice, his gaze toward Su Wen gaining a little more approval.
Joseph Reinhardt, Personal Favorability +30
Just like that,
after the Cairns Hotel security department finished handling the aftermath,
the banquet was brought to an end. However, the Westminster House of Lords resolution scheduled for tomorrow was not postponed. On the contrary, this emergency had made it even more important.
An hour later,
with one hand wrapped in gauze, Su Wen successfully met Duke Reinhardt again through Heron Campbell's introduction.
"Duke Joseph, whatever happens next, please do not doubt me."
He spoke calmly.
Then, amid the astonished gazes of the nobles,
this "Night Watchman" raised his uninjured hand, lifted his gun, and aimed it at the nurse who had just finished bandaging him.
He pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The final assassin, completely unprepared, collapsed dead.
Game Progress: Eliminate three Zero-Sum Game assassins. Current progress (3/3)
It was you.
You were supposed to provide medical care, yet you nearly wrapped my hand like a mummy.
And not only had my bleeding effect not stopped,
I'd even lost another 8 HP.
Besides,
the inspection field in his vision had stated with absolute clarity:
Inspection: Elar Toran Bruselin (disguised identity), Zero-Sum Game Tier 1 assassin, Extraordinary Characteristics (Neurotoxin), Origin Knowledge (Alchemy)
"Duke, the bandages she used on me contained neurotoxin. She was also an assassin from Zero-Sum Game.
Now, every danger has been eliminated."
Su Wen smiled and tossed the gun onto the floor.
Achievement Unlocked: Grand Finale Achievement Comment: Thank you for your cooperation. It made the final act of this performance grand and dazzling. You have completed the game's One Star objective: Eliminate the assassins. You successfully changed Duke Reinhardt's fate of death. Sophia Reinhardt Favorability +50 Future Timeline altered. The time nodes of Inner Ring Explosion and The Transmitter have changed simultaneously. How will you choose next? Will you decide to push for the promulgation of the Transcendence Act while disguised as a Night Watchman?
Su Wen raised his only remaining hand.
Only after the real medical team examined the three Transcendent assassins he had eliminated did they believe his words.
As an old noble holding one of the twelve parliamentary seats and possessing the Knight—Glory extraordinary knowledge, Joseph Reinhardt did not remain overly guarded against Su Wen.
Instead, while adhering to the spirit of chivalry, he expressed his gratitude.
Then he had a servant bring Su Wen a pot of tea and said in a deep voice,
"You're saying that the people who tried to assassinate me came from Zero-Sum Game?
Those rats hiding in the shadows began plotting an assassination merely because two of their bases were taken out."
Su Wen nodded.
"I received urgent intelligence from my superior. I acted before all the distinguished guests only to protect your life, Duke."
"With my guarantee, you can rest assured.
Also, whatever reward you want, just say it. The Duke of Bavaria will not be stingy toward someone who came to his rescue."
Su Wen looked at the dialogue on the screen.
He forcefully suppressed the longing for money rising within him as a poor young man.
To avoid exposing his abilities and location, lest he attract the attention of the real Night Watchman by impersonating one too thoroughly,
he could not even ask for a new bicycle.
He could only cough twice and speak as if righteousness filled his heart,
"I seek no reward, but I know that tomorrow you will participate in the Westminster House of Lords' highest-level decision-making session across the Thames River."
"You want to make some suggestions?"
At the mention of government affairs, the tone of Duke Reinhardt, the lion of Bavaria, grew more serious from its earlier casualness.
"Tell me what you have in mind."
Su Wen nodded slightly.
He recalled Qin Mingyuan, who had stood firm until civilization's final moment. He also thought of Lin Yunwen, Old Man Lin, lazily resting in the shade, and Jiang Menghan, who hid herself behind an icy facade as she resisted the world's malice.
Warning: What you say next will alter the future process to a certain extent.
He knew what he wanted to say.
"The Origin Era is arriving. The impact caused by Transcendents will gradually alter the course of this society and civilization.
But I also have family, loved ones I need to protect and cherish. They may not possess such powerful abilities, but they stand beside us all the same.
I do not want the Transcendence Act you propose to create a deeper social divide between Transcendents and ordinary people.
Restrict abilities, but treat everyone equally in dignity.
That is my suggestion."
The next second,
the game froze.
Future time node for the Transcendence Act altered. Timeline Correction: 1. The original Night Watcher's reputation increased, and the Northern Europa Zero-Sum Game organization was designated the primary target for eradication. 2. The Transcendence Act was canceled. At Duke Reinhardt's proposal, the Equality Act was established. 3. Leisangton Company's Human Frontier Evolution project was obstructed, and its time node was pushed back. Due to future changes, the Transcendence Act game has ended.
The Death Countdown before Su Wen's eyes stopped counting once more.
He did not know why.
At the moment when he could alter the world's timeline, he had not thought of those fools from the Su family.
Instead, he had thought of Jiang Menghan and those Transcendents he had only met a few times.
He smiled freely and muttered as if speaking to himself,
"I traded the tens of millions of dollars that should have been mine for merely opening my mouth for a gentler future social environment for you all. Miss Jiang, shouldn't you treat me to lunch tomorrow?"
After that,
the computer display before Su Wen turned into an azure planet.
Against a backdrop adorned with countless stars,
the scene descended upon the parliament within the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
Joseph Reinhardt, dressed in formal noble attire, stood in the assembly hall and said,
"Everyone present may already know that I was assassinated by Zero-Sum Game."
The Duke of Westminster offered his apologies:
"The Danger Warning malfunctioned, and the Clock Tower's Tier 3 Transcendent was handling the Border Ruins at the time. Joseph, this was my responsibility."
"There is no need to dwell on assigning responsibility. Besides, there were five Tier 2 Transcendents in the banquet hall yesterday, but they were disrupted by the enemy's Cognitive Correction. What I wish to discuss is today's agenda."
Duke Reinhardt spoke calmly,
"Yesterday, that Night Watchman told me that laws must be established to restrict the abilities of Transcendents, but in terms of dignity, we are no different.
It is worth reflecting on.
I propose that the House of Lords sign the Equality Act starting today."
One year later,
beside the Seine River, a sculptural installation called Ending the Transcendence Act was exhibited for the first time.
It depicted a duke and a Night Watchman sitting together in the Burning Banquet hall, talking late into the night.
And in the corner of the exhibition,
a Transcendent performer dressed as a clown was performing acrobatics with ionized flames.
A circle of curious children surrounded him, continuously letting out delighted cheers.
His ability to control flames might never improve again.
But surrounded by the children,
he felt proud of himself.
"Not a bad ending."
Su Wen said.
Future Preview process complete. Entering game settlement phase.
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