Other than the bar district, which was still bustling with noise, the night was silent.
The miners had long since returned to their quarters to rest.
The occasional spherical spacecraft flew past, mechanically transporting minerals.
"Bzz—"
Suddenly, a faint disturbance came from the bottom of the mining site.
The guard woke from his nap, feeling the vibrations in the air, his face filled with astonishment.
He instinctively looked at the lake surveillance feed.
"Splash!"
As he sprang to his feet, he knocked over the table in front of him, scattering leftovers across the floor.
Ignoring the mess, the guard stared fixedly at the changes on the lake's surface.
Something huge had happened!
Before his eyes, more than half of the previously calm, gleaming lake—the mineral deposit Knowhere took such pride in—had turned black.
The guard was panic-stricken. He wanted to report it immediately using the communicator, but in his flustered state, he could not pick up the receiver.
When he looked back at the lake, the guard froze in place.
This deadly change was still continuing.
The other sentry posts around the lake were facing the same shocking sight.
At last, one quick-witted guard successfully got through, stumbling over his words as he reported what had happened.
"My new friends, before all things came into being, there were six 'Singularities.'"
As he spoke, the Collector flipped a switch.
Two mechanical arms clamped onto either side of the Orb and began to rotate.
At the same time, several holographic projections appeared above everyone's heads, playing matching images as Tivan explained.
"After that, the Big Bang gave birth to the universe, and the remains of those Singularities were forged into several particles.
These are the Infinity Stones..."
The mechanical arms spun faster and faster, as though the Orb was about to