C5 Rewards and Punishments

Darkness enveloped everything around him.

He could feel himself continuously sinking, as if he were a person drowning.

"Wuyou... Wuyou..."

Who is that? Who's calling out to me?

"Wuyou, congratulations on joining the Institute of Engineering."

Thank you, but... that happened many years ago.

"Academician Wuyou, your new perspective on controllable nuclear fusion has taken the academic world by storm. It could very well set the course for our future research."

Controllable nuclear fusion, the project I've dedicated my life to. If I succeed, I can solve the energy crisis once and for all. Just give me another twenty years, and I'm certain of success.

"You disobedient child! No one can confirm that the path of controllable nuclear fusion research is the right one! Are you willing to squander your life on this and doom our family line?"

Trust me, Father, I implore you, I will prove it! I just need a little more time!

"Wuyou... I've waited so many years for you. I'm sorry, but I can't wait any longer."

Please, just a bit more time, the final stretch, I beg you!

"Dr. Wuyou! No, there's a thunderstorm today. You can't go to the nuclear island; it's too dangerous!"

Just one last step, only one! With the final calculation, controllable nuclear fusion will be within reach! Just one more step!

Boom!!

Thunder rolled!

"Dr. Wuyou has been struck by lightning. Quick, call an ambulance..."

...

"Wuyou! Wuyou! Come on, wake up!"

"Wuyou!!!"

A deep, resonant voice pierced Shen Wuyou's consciousness, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Against the glow of the setting sun, he saw the silhouette of a towering man.

That man... was his father in this life, the King of Dawnward, whose renown shook all the clans of Auslathen.

Eighteen years ago, he had arrived in this world. The second person he laid eyes on after waking up was this man; the first had been his mother.

But three years after his birth, his mother died, and he became consumed with the equation from his past life, spending fifteen long years in its pursuit.

During those years, he faced derision, scorn, and ridicule, labeled a fool, an idiot, a mute.

As long as he could complete the research on controllable nuclear fusion, he remained indifferent to everything else.

Insults, curses, mockery?

He was impervious to such venom!

Yet, Shen Wuyou couldn't help but feel he had failed the man who had stood tall, defending his nation, only to be scorned for having a son considered a fool.

Despite this, the man continued to stand protectively before Shen Wuyou, unflinchingly shielding him from adversity.

Atop the viewing platform, the King of Mistward was seething with rage. He pointed at the King of Dawnward and bellowed, "You've disrupted the sacred proceedings! The King's Gauntlet is ruined, and the statue of the former emperor lies in ruins! Shen Yunyi, what an exemplary son you've raised!"

At that moment, King of Dawnward, Shen Yunyi, knelt before the emperor and pleaded, "Your Majesty, when Wuyou was born, the heavens unleashed a tempest of lightning! Ever since, his body has been riddled with chaotic storm clouds, preventing him from cultivating and causing him to unleash their power periodically. This is beyond his control. Disturbing Your Majesty and destroying the statue of the Ancestor Emperor was never Wuyou's intention!"

"Unintentional or not, is he free to wreak havoc?" King of Mistward shot a sidelong glance at the emperor before continuing his tirade, "Had we not all been present, can you imagine the casualties? Can you, Shen Yunyi, truly bear the weight of such responsibility?"

"Vile, shameless, deceitful, Shen Wuyou is a disgrace to our royal lineage! If we do not discipline Shen Wuyou today, how shall we answer to the people?"

The King of Mistward's fury was, of course, fueled by the fact that his own son, Shen Wushang, had been most severely injured in the incident.

With a grave expression, the King of Dawnward looked to the emperor and declared solemnly, "Regardless, Wuyou is my son. I will not allow him to be harmed. Should Your Majesty decree punishment, let it fall upon me in his stead!"

"Shen Yunyi, do not presume that your command over the Eastern Region will prevent His Majesty from administering justice..."

As everyone's attention was fixed on the heated dispute between the two influential princes, an abrupt burst of laughter echoed from the training field.

"Haha, hahaha, hahahaha!"

Shen Wuyou stood up, surveyed his surroundings, and then, with outstretched hands, proclaimed loudly, "So... it seems I've won, right? What about Shen Wushang? I've already released him... And by your accounts, Lei Yun was defeated by me, wasn't he? Haha, hahahaha! Victory is mine!"

Watching him jubilantly dance and cheer on the platform, everyone was convinced the man had lost his mind.

Was he oblivious to the gravity of the situation?

The issue wasn't about who won or lost; it was about the fact that, due to his foolishness, the entire House of Dawnward could be in serious jeopardy!

Shen Wuyou's laughter subsided as he approached his father, expressing his gratitude, "Father, thank you..."

Upon awakening and hearing those words, Shen Wuyou finally enshrined the man who had shielded him for eighteen years into the deepest recesses of his heart.

"However, we're not here to face punishment; we're here to claim our rewards."

Shen Wuyou advanced to the edge of the platform, the spot nearest to the Emperor.

He looked up, locking eyes with the man seated on the dragon throne—the sovereign who ruled over the entire Auslathen Dynasty and all of humanity!

No one had ever dared to gaze so intently at the Emperor.

But Shen Wuyou did more than just look; he bellowed, "Grandfather Emperor! I've won. Why haven't you declared my victory in the King's Gauntlet? What about the promised rewards? Where is my fief?"

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials were struck with a mix of emotions.

Insanity!

This man had completely lost his senses.

The old adage of the tiger father and the dog son seemed fitting; the lineage of the King of Dawnward appeared doomed to decline with Shen Wuyou.

The other princes, who had been covertly vying with the King of Dawnward, relaxed their vigilance a notch.

With such a son, what was the point in struggling for the throne?

Even if they succeeded, there would be no one to follow in their footsteps.

The Emperor, who had been sitting on the dragon throne with an impassive demeanor, neither pleased nor angered, and who had remained unmoved even as Shen Wuyou unleashed his controllable nuclear fusion, suddenly erupted into laughter.

"Haha, hahahahaha!"

Laughter resonated across the entire training field.

Upon hearing it, Shen Wuyou joined in, chuckling and guffawing under the open sky, "Hehe, hahaha, hahaha!"

Witnessing the grandfather and grandson reveling in such mirth, the onlookers were utterly perplexed.

Then, the Emperor's laughter ceased abruptly, and he declared, "Excellent! Truly worthy of being a scion of my empire, truly worthy of being Yunyi's son! Since you've claimed the top honor, the rewards and the fief are rightfully yours! The four regions, sixteen provinces, one hundred and twenty-eight prefectures, one thousand eight hundred cities! Which fief would you like?"

Everyone gazed at the Emperor, dumbfounded. There was no reprimand, only a lavish reward. Could it be that the Emperor was actually pleased with Shen Wuyou's performance?

In that moment, Shen Wuyou's heart surged with unparalleled excitement. With that fief, he would fulfill his past life's unachieved obsession—this time, he would succeed!

A controllable nuclear fusion power plant!

He was determined to create it, no matter the world.

"I'll take Redstone Bay in the Northern Wastes," Shen Wuyou declared.

The crowd erupted into a commotion.

"Idiot!"

"What a fool!"

"Does he have rocks for brains?!"