C16 The Light of Science

The oil lamp flickered, casting a dim glow that lit up the entire room. Shen Wuyou was hunched over the desk, meticulously handling the colored glaze bottles in his hands. These bottles, thirty-six in total, were rare treasures gifted by the Oceanfolk to the King of Dawnward. Somehow, Shen Wuyou had managed to bring them all to Redrock Town.

Chiying was baffled by Shen Wuyou's actions. He had instructed her to use the Azure Frost Mantra to cool the air and extract a special crystal called nitrogen. He then placed these crystals into the transparent colored glaze bottles, along with charcoal strands made from bamboo and grass.

"Chiying, Chiying!" Shen Wuyou's gaze was fixed intently on the bottles, yet he continued to issue commands. "Where's the copper wire? The one I brought from the Imperial Capital? Bring it here."

Chiying approached the chest Shen Wuyou had brought with him, rummaging through a pile of odd and oddly shaped items until she found the copper wire. She recalled hearing that the Crown Prince of Dawnward enjoyed having artisans craft peculiar objects, like this copper wire. Chiying couldn't fathom the use of turning a metal, neither notably flexible nor hard, into fine threads.

Handing the copper wire to Shen Wuyou, she watched as he carefully attached the wires to the metal cap of the colored glaze bottle.

"Hehe, hehe..." A grin spread across Shen Wuyou's face, reminiscent of someone who had just found a delicious meat bun. He exclaimed with excitement, "Done! Chiying, put out the oil lamp."

Chiying had spent the entire evening following Shen Wuyou's seemingly nonsensical orders. By now, she had lost the desire to question their purpose. As she moved to extinguish the lamp, a sudden, massive explosion echoed from outside.

Boom!

Startled by the noise, Shen Wuyou and Chiying simultaneously turned their attention to the window.

"What happened?" Shen Wuyou asked, setting aside the copper wire.

"Over there... that's where they mix the gunpowder!" Chiying exclaimed.

Shen Wuyou's expression suddenly turned grim as he commanded, "Let's go! We need to see what's happened!"

They swiftly exited the room, with a group of guards quickly following suit.

As they burst through the courtyard gate, Shen Wuyou staggered, his steps faltering.

"My Lord Crown Prince, are you alright?" Chiying asked, rushing to his aid.

"I'm fine..." Shen Wuyou steadied himself and said, "We need to assess the situation."

It was a mere two or three miles from the Overlord's Keep to the gunpowder mixing site. In no time, they had arrived. Even before entering the courtyard, they could see flames reaching for the sky and hear the occasional secondary explosions from within. The already damaged courtyard was now completely devastated.

"What happened here? Why the explosion?" Shen Wuyou demanded loudly. "Wasn't anyone on watch?"

At that moment, Ergou and several others emerged from the courtyard, looking battered and carrying the wounded on their backs.

"Overlord, Overlord!" Ergou cried out upon seeing Shen Wuyou, as if he had seen a lifeline, "Big Niu and Little Qiang are still inside... they're all still in there!"

Shen Wuyou quickly approached and gestured to the guards, "Rescue them!"

The guards plunged into the blaze.

Meanwhile, alerted by the explosion, other townspeople began converging on the site.

The dark night was lit up by the fierce glow of the fire amidst the rubble.

Soon, hundreds of onlookers had gathered, speculating about the cause of the incident.

Shen Wuyou was examining the wounded. Clearly, they had suffered burns and blast injuries. The guards had managed to rescue everyone from inside—fourteen in total. The most severely injured had lost a hand, but thankfully, there were no fatalities.

"Elixir of Rebirth," Shen Wuyou instructed.

Chiying frowned, "Crown Prince, we don't have many Elixirs of Rebirth with us."

"Bring them all out!" Shen Wuyou insisted decisively.

With no other choice, Chiying distributed the Elixirs of Rebirth to all the wounded. After taking the elixirs, their conditions markedly improved, though full recovery would require time to heal. As for the one who had lost an arm in the blast, it seemed he would be left with a lifelong disability.

The fire had gradually been brought under control. Shen Wuyou had the injured taken away to rest and heal, yet the others did not leave. They remained, awaiting an explanation for the sudden explosion and its cause.

"What exactly happened, Ergou?" Shen Wuyou asked, looking down at Ergou who was collapsed on the ground.

Ergou was caked in soot, his hair mostly singed off. He abruptly knelt before Shen Wuyou, striking his own face repeatedly.

With each slap came his cries of remorse. "It's all my fault! I insisted Big Ox and the others work through the night! It's all on me!"

"I was afraid we wouldn't complete the seven hundred kilograms of gunpowder in seven days! I thought by using firewood for light after dark, we could produce more, but... but I never imagined that a single spark would set it off."

"Once it caught fire, we couldn't control it. I thought of running, but Big Ox and the others wanted to save the gunpowder. They tried to move it, but... then, out of nowhere, it exploded!"

"It's all my fault!!"

The gunpowder that exploded hadn't been packed into jars or mixed with metal fragments. The loose powder's blast was significantly weaker than a finished bomb, sparing those nearby from being torn apart—a small mercy amidst the tragedy.

Witnessing Ergou in such a state, Shen Wuyou couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness. His friend was injured because of his own actions, and the weight of that guilt was immense. Yet his intentions had been noble: to create gunpowder to defend Redrock and their homes. Shen Wuyou was not one to cast blame under such circumstances.

"Alright, stand up. Just remember this: there can be no open flames where gunpowder is made! Take this as a lesson and never repeat the same mistake," Shen Wuyou advised.

"And as for the injured, they acted in defense of Redrock. Their wounds are a badge of honor. The Overlord's Keep will cover all medical expenses."

Ergou, wiping away his tears, stood up and expressed his gratitude repeatedly, "Thank you, Overlord! Thank you, Overlord!"

Shen Wuyou surveyed the other townspeople gathered around. In the eyes of each one, he could discern a mix of worry and apprehension.

They feared for their lives and were anxious about the approaching devil tide.

Shen Wuyou declared with conviction, "The heavens may not have granted us sufficient light, but I can provide you with all the light you need."

With that, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a colored glaze bottle, and held it aloft.

Suspended from the sealed mouth of the bottle by two copper wires, it dangled in the air, swaying ceaselessly.

"Starting today, science will light up your nights! Henceforth, there shall be no more darkness!"