Location: The divine realm above the firmament of the Gravo Great World.
The chief gods of every race gathered here to deliberate on the impending new wave of invasions in the lower world.
After discussion, the chief gods unanimously decided that this time, humanity should bear the burden.
The gods of humanity raised no objections—or rather, they dared not object at all.
After all, they were no longer the human gods of old.
In the mortal realm, they might still reign supreme, but in the divine realm, in the eyes of the gods of other races, they were nothing more than cowards who had ascended through betrayal.
Now, because of their cowardice, the humans on the continent were about to endure a cataclysm of annihilation.
The dream of humanity relying on gods as saviors would clearly never come true.
They could only hope that a true savior would emerge from within the human race.
But how could that be easy?
However, at this moment, existences from a higher dimension turned their gaze upon this world.
Dozens of streams of light were hurled into the world by these beings.
And none of this was detected by anyone—not even by those so-called omnipotent gods.
From this moment onward, the world turned a new page!
The page belonging to humanity!
The true page…
In the capital city of Silver Abundance in the Vorui Principality, it was already deep into the night, yet the palace remained brightly lit.
A guard approached the Grand Duke's chambers: "My lord, the child has been born—a son. Mother and child are safe!"
Upon hearing this news, Grand Duke Amir showed no excessive excitement.
After a long silence, Grand Duke Amir sighed: "Alas! This child was born at the wrong time. The principality is about to go to war. We do not yet know the outcome—whether his arrival in this world is a blessing or a curse, no one can say for certain."
The guard captain replied: "My lord, we will surely emerge victorious!"
"Let us hope so."
At this point, Grand Duke Amir suddenly changed the subject: "Jensen, how many years have you been with me?"
The guard captain answered without hesitation: "Ever since I can remember, I have followed you, my lord—twenty-eight years already!"
"Twenty-eight years! In the blink of an eye, so much time has passed. I still remember when we were young, studying in the Kingdom of Bilri—it feels like just yesterday!"
Hearing Grand Duke Amir say this, Guard Captain Jensen rarely showed a smile.
Grand Duke Amir continued: "Jensen, my dearest friend, can I trust you?"
The guard captain dropped to one knee: "Of course! My loyalty is witnessed by the gods!"
Grand Duke Amir stepped forward to help him up: "Enough! My witness is sufficient!"
At this moment, Grand Duke Amir's smile faded: "Jensen! Tonight, you must leave Silver Abundance City. I have already made arrangements. In a remote corner of the principality, there is a territory. It is not particularly fertile, but it will allow a comfortable life. From now on, you are a baron. Do not disdain the low rank of the title; only in this way will it avoid drawing attention."
Seeing that Guard Captain Jensen was about to speak, the duke raised a hand to stop him and whispered something in his ear.
Guard Captain Jensen appeared shocked, but after a moment, he nodded with difficulty.
The next day, a piece of news spread throughout Silver Abundance City.
Last night, the Grand Duke's youngest son had died in infancy.
Enraged, the Grand Duke executed the midwives and the queen's attendant maids.
He also banished his childhood companion, the commander of the palace guards, Jensen, from the royal city, granting him a mere baronial title and exiling him to a remote region.
After sighing over the perils of serving a lord, the people soon forgot the matter.
Now, with the principality's armies about to march forth, that was the great affair concerning everyone.
As for the unfortunate Jensen, no one cared.
And the infant who had died in infancy—no one cared about him either, for he did not even have a name.
At the same moment the Grand Duke's youngest son was born, tensions were rising in the neighboring Kingdom of Kai.
This was the target of a joint assault by the Vorui Principality, the Kingdom of Bilri, and the Kingdom of Ojiro.
Though the Kingdom of Kai had allies of its own, war was full of uncertainties—and for commoners, it was nothing short of a catastrophe, win or lose.
In one of the earldoms within the Kingdom of Kai, a household also welcomed the birth of a son.
Fortunately, this child did not die in infancy.
Unfortunately, the child's father glanced at his son only once before heading off to the battlefield.
Perhaps sensing the impending separation from his closest kin, or perhaps fearing that his father would never return, the boy cried with exceptional volume and exceptional misery.
The weakened mother cradled the child and gently rocked him: "From now on, you shall be called Henville! Little Henville, you must grow up quickly! When your father returns with military honors, perhaps we can even become a knightly family. Then, you will be able to inherit the family mill and shop!"
The child, who had just stopped crying, pouted again and let out another wail.
"I don't want to be a commoner! I don't want to inherit a mill! This starting point is wrong! Shouldn't I be a prince? "
"At the very least, I should be born noble! How did I end up a commoner? This isn't fair—I want to file a complaint!"
In his mind, the child ranted furiously, then drifted into deep sleep.
At this point, he ceased his crying and lay quietly in the cradle, sorting through his current situation.
His name was Qin Chao; his soul did not belong to this world.
Transmigration?
It did not quite seem like it!
It was more as if he had drunk expired Meng Po's soup and retained his memories from his previous life!
Of course, he had not entered the underworld, nor had he seen Meng Po.
He only remembered that he had struck incredible luck!
The kind of luck involving a fully loaded truck speeding out of control—the scene was utterly tragic!
The type where his rear end ended up hanging from a tree!
At that moment, Qin Chao confirmed two things: first, being severed at the waist did not cause instant death; second, being severed at the waist truly hurt like hell!
Nevertheless, Qin Chao dragged his halved body toward his phone, only to be held down by a kind passerby who urged him not to move, to breathe deeply, to stay awake, and to wait for rescue.
Thus, Qin Chao died with his eyes wide open!
Merely thinking about the premium study materials saved in his phone browser that he had not deleted.
Even across worlds, Qin Chao could almost hear his relatives and friends whispering at his memorial service.
Merely thinking that after his death, he would suffer social death, and the refined gentleman image he had meticulously built over thirty years would turn into one of depravity and shamelessness.
Qin Chao felt waves of shame; his little feet stubbornly curled up at that moment, attempting to carve a pattern on the cradle.
However, what Qin Chao thought about more was how his relatives and friends would fare after his death.
Would those few good brothers, as agreed, arrive in suits and sunglasses, wearing earpieces, holding black umbrellas, stepping out of sedans to watch his funeral from afar?
Would that girl, upon receiving the news, shed a single tear, proving that their past feelings were not false?
His parents who had raised him—white-haired elders sending off their black-haired child! What would become of them?
There should be compensation money; though it could not heal their pain, it might at least allow them to live comfortably!
How would that world change without him?
Better?
Or worse?
Or perhaps completely unaffected?
Indeed!
He was merely an insignificant little person; aside from his relatives and friends, what influence could he have on anyone?
Everything there, good or bad, was already unrelated to him!
From now on, he was no longer Qin Chao, but Henville!
Yet that was, after all, the place carried by his thirty years of memories!
Thinking of this, Qin Chao—or rather, Henville—could not help but sob.
Hearing the child's cries, Henville's mother entered the room and cradled him, soothing him.
The child's body was still very fragile; bearing an adult soul was extremely taxing.
Now, Henville, lulled by his mother's nameless lullaby, gradually grew sleepy.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, a thought suddenly arose in Henville's mind.
In my previous life, I was a nobody.
In this life, I must live spectacularly, and even in death, leave an impact on the world!
I can no longer be an unknown figure!
I refuse to be a commoner—I want to be a noble!