《A Hospital in Another World?》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Deputy Chief Wu Zhou from the Emergency Department woke up from unconsciousness, feeling someone patting him vigorously. "Garrett, Garrett..." The voice apanied the relentless patting. Wu Zhou struggled to open his eyes, met withplete darkness. The person calling him didn''t stop, patting in vain. Then, grabbing his shoulder, shaking him side to side: "Garrett, wake up! How are you!" Wu Zhou, pushed by the force, jerked his head, realizing he was facedown, his face seemingly buried in the ground. Taking a breath, he sensed the overwhelming smell of blood, earth, and some peculiar odor he couldn''t ce. "Cough, cough, cough..." He reflexively arched his back, coughing violently. Amidst the coughs, he raged inwardly: Who positioned him like this? Don''t they know an unconscious person shouldn''t lie face down? Inhaling vomit can suffocate a person! They need to rehearse emergency procedures ten times! No, make it twenty! Wu Zhou''s professional instincts kicked in, mentally reprimanding the unreliable nurses, interns, and resident doctors. After a tirade of thoughts, he coughed so hard, tears welled up, and he lifted his head, looking around, utterly stunned. Where''s the operating light? Where''s the surgical table? Where are the bustling doctors and nurses in their white gowns, rushing around the hospital? The hospital itself? The surgical building was gone, and theminar flow operating room vanished. In its ce stood a low, decrepit house with a stone wall, thatched roof, and mud-filled crevices. A low circr mound at the base of the wall held an empty patch of mud, with a few wilted weeds... What on earth is this? Wasn''t I in the emergency department saving lives?! Wu Zhou''s head buzzed, his body weakened, nearly copsing on the spot. He only remembered tirelessly working from 9 in the morning till 4 am, just afterpleting a major emergency surgery. Splenectomy, liver suturing, intestinal repairs - after finishing the hefty work with no signs of active bleeding, instructing the assistant to suture, the next thing he knew was darkness... "Garrett, are you feeling better?" Stiffly turning his head, Wu Zhou''s pupils slowly adjusted. The person shaking him was a robust redhead with a prominent nose and deep-set eyes, the epitome of a Westerner. d in a tattered linen vest, his muscr arms protruded, holding a bow. That vest, if you could call it clothing, seemed more like a rectangr piece of cloth folded and sewn with openings at the armpits, with loose threads all over, almost unrecognizable from dirt. The only discernible feature was its incredibly sparse fabric, even inferior to the medical gauze in the operating room. Wu Zhou nced down at himself. Same linen. Same vest. Same... well, his shoes seemed to expose more toes than the other guy''s? In an instant, Wu Zhou felt his head spin, almost fainting right there. Why am I dumped here? I revived the casualties I rescued earlier! At least until I passed out, the vital signs were stable, the surgery was sessful... Take me back! I need to join the major emergency rescue! Unfortunately, no deity seemed to hear his prayers. The major emergency rescue did arrive - a string of sharp cries erupted ten steps away: "Help" "CaptainCaptain" "BadIntestines are out!" Instantly, Wu Zhou forgot all hisints. Just like every time he heard a distress call, without a second thought, he sprinted towards the voices: "I''m here!" But someone outran himor rather, was closer. Wheezing, Wu Zhou halted halfway, seeing someone kneeling by the injured person, muttering something under their breath. Then, a white light shot out from the sped hands, directly onto the wounded person. In the white light, the gaping wound visibly began to heal. Wu Zhou mmed on the brakes! What did I just witness? "Timepse Photography Reveals How Wounds Heal?" "The Influence of High-Energy Particle Rays on Wound Healing?" What kind of healing urs instantly with a beam of light? Right, this thing is... It''s a healing spell! Two sets of memories surged simultaneously. One belonged to Wu Zhou, from countless novels, games, and animations he''d seen before; the other, to the original upant of this body. Nheless, both memories reached the same conclusion: A healing spell, calling upon divine power to heal. Even the lowest level of healing spell could immediately mend minor wounds, while at the highest level, it could even revive the dead... So, the one casting this healing spell is a priest? Wu Zhou nced quickly. Among them, the one praying on the ground was the best dressed: A light brown linen robe reaching the ground in front and covering the shins at the back. The neckline and cuffs neatly trimmed, a deep brown thread outlining the shape of a shield in the center. Hmmm... Looks like a higher rank of spellcaster... Wu Zhou silently quipped, shifting his focus to the injured. The wounded person was a sturdy man in his thirties or forties, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a scruffy beard. His gear seemed better, with at least a piece of leather armor, but it couldn''t protect him. The armor had a gaping hole in the abdomen, gushing fresh blood, with intestines spilling out. Comparatively, the bleeding on the arms and legs wasn''t as severe. The injured man leaned against a tree stump, half-conscious. A young man, somewhat resembling the injured person, knelt beside him, trembling, gazing at the wound with hopeful eyes That ghastly, unevenly torn, squirming, and retracting wound, seemingly ripped open by something, squirmed, shrank, closed, the blood flow gradually slowing... Wu Zhou''s eyes lit up. Healing spells in this world were indeed intriguing, with immediate effects! If only he had this healing spell assisting him during surgery... Before he finished the thought, the white light... disappeared. It only healed a small portion, leaving the abdominal wound with the intestines still exposed, now motionless. Wu Zhou: "..." Priest: "..." The young man by the injured person''s side instantly paled. Cupping the spilled intestines, he stared desperately at the priest for a moment, witnessing his efforts and chants, yet no light appeared from his hands. He couldn''t hold back his shout: "Keep going! Please, do it again! The captain''s injury is severe!" "I... I can''t!" The priest, not much older than fifteen or sixteen, flushed red, almost on the verge of tears. Shouted at, his freckled face seemed to swell: "I''m just an apprentice! I can''t save him..." The young man''s gaze turned swiftly despondent. He lowered his head, hands shaking, trying to push the injured person''s intestines back in "Don''t move!" Wu Zhou yelled. As the words escaped, he realized something was amiss: thenguage he spoke wasn''t Chinese, nor English, nor anynguage he''d ever learned. Yet inexplicably, he could speak it. Even the earliermotion, anguage unknown to him, was understood perfectly! What''s happening? Wu Zhou was bewildered. However, upon ncing at the injured person, he pushed his bewildered thoughts aside: someone was hurt, and that signaled the emergency doctor to spring into action. Even if the sky fell, the ground copsed, the sun exploded, or everyone crossed over, he had toplete the rescue and ensure the patient''s safety first! He continued to shout, "Don''t push it back in! Is there a clean bowl?No? Then hold it! Don''t move!" --------------- Chapter 2 Chapter 2 "Garrett...?" The young man nced up, his eyes meeting his. Ignoring him, Wu Zhou hurried to the injured person''s side, swiftly scanning the area No table. No stretcher. Not a single thing he could use as an operating table, not even a slightly elevated tform... Desperate times call for desperate measures! Wu Zhou gritted his teeth. For a surgeon, anything below the waist was akin to a contaminated zone, operating on the ground vited all sterile protocols. But in this dire setting, there was no room to fuss over sterility. Save the patient first, worry about the restter! As he observed, Wu Zhou began giving orders: "You! Come here, press here on his arm! Press firmly, don''t let go, that''s it! And here, on the leg, where I''m pressing. Good, keep it tight! More pressure! You! Hold this spot! You! Get his clothes off!" "I can''t get them off..." "Then tear them! Cut them!" The deputy chief physician of the emergency department exuded an aura of absolute authority. Around three or four people acted on his everymand, rushing about. Applying pressure to stop bleeding, removing clothes, boiling watereveryone was frantic, darting in and out of the small room without a moment to spare. Even the young priest was summoned by Wu Zhou to press on the patient''s brachial artery with his left hand and the posterior tibial artery with his right. The awkward positioning had him kneeling on the ground, contorted into a strange shape... There were doubts about whether he truly understood. But in moments of desperation, when one person confidently issuedmands, the others instinctively followed suit: it was like struggling in a flood, grasping at anything even a strawto survive! Wu Zhou''s eyes were fixed on the patient as he barked orders, kneeling down, his right hand feeling the patient''s neck. He regted his own breathing, counting the patient''s heartbeat: The heartbeat was okay. Less than 100... But it was getting faster, likely indicating significant bleeding! The pulsation of the carotid artery weakened, the face turned pale, sweating, breathing shallow and rapid... A series of information shed through his mind rapidly, each one a problem. Blood pressure? No idea. There wasn''t even a sphygmomanometer here! Guesstimation was the only option! Thankfully, after years in emergency medicine and countless scenes with the ambnce service, Wu Zhou''s intuition was sharp regarding the severity of the patient''s condition and possible injuries. The way this patient looked, the probability of hemorrhagic shock was significant! The patient''s leather armory scattered on the ground. The shirt torn open revealed a horrifying wound on the abdomen. A long gash, nearly 20cm, nting from the upper right abdomen diagonally down to the lower left! Blood gushed out in waves. Wu Zhou took just one look and felt his entire body shiver, his blood pressure skyrocketing. Damn! With this much bleeding, it''s either an arterial rupture or the liver, spleen, or kidney! He reached for his waist. A gleaming dagger appeared in his palm. Without hesitation, Wu Zhou focused on the patient''s abdomen, raising the de. Thankfully, the patient had visible abdominal musclessix-pack absindicating the underlying anatomy resembled what he knew: beneath the skiny the rectus abdominis, encased in its sheath. Cutting along the rectus abdominis sheath would minimize damage, avoiding nerves and blood vessels... In this world of magic, the anatomy of the patient had better be the same as what he knew! With utmost concentration, Wu Zhou, without assistance, made an incision alongside the patient''s abdominal wound, directly through the right rectus abdominis. Time was of the essence, there was no one to assist with retractors or ensure precise dissection. He opened a 10cm-long cut, and dark-red blood gushed out immediately. "What are you doing!" The young priest, kneeling opposite and ordered by Wu Zhou to apply pressure to stop bleeding, almost screamed, his voice cracking. Not only did he shout, but the young priest also lunged forward, arms outstretched, instinctively blocking above the patient''s abdomen. Every freckle on his face spoke of a readiness to sacrifice himself: "If you''re going to kill him, you''ll have to kill me first!" Wu Zhou: "..." "Ugh, this is why they don''t let family into the operating room. Seeing a doctor cutting and slicing a patient, wouldn''t anyone rush in to stop it?" Wu Zhou could only critique silently. He gripped the dagger in his right hand, giving a firm push to the young priest''s shoulder, making him stumble backward, yelling: "Who told you to let go! Hold him down! He''ll bleed out if you don''t! Move!" "But you" "I''m saving a life here! He''s bleeding internally! I have to stop it! Step aside!!!" "Oh..." The young priest sheepishly retreated, contorting back into ce, straining to see the patient''s abdomen. Wu Zhou nced, seeing his positioning was still somewhat correct, refocusing on the injured man''s belly. He turned the de, pushing aside the abdominal muscles slightly, inspecting "What''s this?" The young priest across asked. Wu Zhou didn''t lift his head, continuing to separate the abdominal wall: "Liver." "Oh, it''s the liver..." The young priest murmured, trying hard to observe. Wu Zhou didn''t feel like scolding him anymore: the sterile environment was alreadypromised, as long as he didn''t spew saliva into the wound, he could do as he pleased. The priority now was the patient''s liver! Wu Zhou spotted the liver right away. Thankfully, the organ''s position hadn''t shifted, and the anatomy remained unchanged. In this world of magic, humans hadn''t evolved to have bizarre features or organs specifically for spellcasting. Left lobe of the liver, right lobe... "Ah, so much blood!" "Shut up!" Wu Zhou frowned. In the center of the vivid red right lobe of the liver, there was a fissure, running downwards, continuously gushing bright arterial blood! His initial assessment was urate; there was massive internal bleeding in the abdomen, and it was from the liver! Liver parenchymaceration, depth... he didn''t dare to estimate precisely, but it seemed to be no less than 1 cm deep, coupled with substantial active bleeding This was definitely a Grade III injury! Not the worst, but... "Save him..." The young priest was now a bundle of nerves, stuttering and incoherent: "S-s-save him..." Of course, I have to save him! The issue is, in an emergency room, this injury would be manageable, but in the middle of nowhere, resources are scarce! Wu Zhou''s heart raced, nearly pounding his ribcage to bits. He bent over, left hand pulling the abdominal wall, right hand delving into the patient''s abdominal cavity. Lifting the liver, maneuvering the stomach, moving the intestines... "What are... you doing?" The trembling young priest inquired. Judging by his tone, he was close to passing outyet still observing. Acknowledging his admirable courage, Wu Zhou didn''t hesitate to exin a bit more: "Checking other organs for major bleeding. Hmm, no galldder, no spleen, kidneys... they''re further back, less likely to be damaged, but I still need to check... Hmm, no obvious active bleeding, that''s great!" "A-and then?" And then? And thenes the real challenge. Wu Zhou had been a doctor for over a decade, and only twice, out of sheer necessity, had he performed such a procedure. In their entire provincial hospital, you could count the number of doctors brave enough to attempt this on one hand. Buddha, Three Pure Ones, God and Mother Mary, any deity... please, let this patient''s anatomy stay predictable! He took a deep breath, gingerly grasping the hepatic portal veins and arteries. "Wow! The bleeding''s stopped! It''s slowing down!... Not bleeding anymore!" The young priest cheered. The gushing blood from the patient reduced instantly, from a torrent to a trickle, then to a slow seepage. The hemostasis effect was visible to the naked eye. --------------- Chapter 3 Chapter 3 As the young priest cheered, breaths of relief echoed around Wu Zhou. Kneeling beside the injured man''s intestines, Garrett immediately bowed his head. Holding his hands a little higher, he murmured softly, "War God above!" "War God above!" echoed the red-haired archer on the other side, pressing on the man''s arm. Then leaning over, sincerely praising, "Garrett, you''re amazing!" Yet, Wu Zhou felt no joy. Every ounce of his focusy in his fingertips: the liver''s portal vein was delicateif too gentle, the bleeding wouldn''t stop; a bit more force, and it would tear, causing fatal hemorrhaging. The precision required relied on the experience and intuition of a surgeon. And even if he managed to halt the bleeding temporarily, that was just the first step of a long journey ahead! Footsteps approached urgently from behind. A soldier dispatched by Wu Zhou to fetch water hurried past, muttering a prayer, "War God above," then hesitantly asked, "Garrett, will this be enough?" Enough? Not a chance! Wu Zhou furrowed his brow. Under normal conditions, interrupting liver blood flow couldn''t exceed 30 minutes, or the liver would inevitably die. Meaning, he had a 30-minute window to solve this! But he had nothing! No blood transfusions, no materials for packing woundsgauze, gtin sponges, styptic powderno sutures! He didn''t even have a pair of forceps! Tremendous anxiety and fear surged. It was Wu Zhou''s, belonging to the original inhabitant of this body. He raised his head, staring intensely at the young priest across from him, his eyes now bloodshot: "You!" he practically shouted, "Give me a healing spell! Direct it at this liver! Now!" The priest trembled at his outburst. His flushed face paled, freckles nearly transparent, an almost pitiful sight. In a voice on the verge of tears, he replied to Wu Zhou, "I-I can''t... I''ve used up my healing magic..." "Then what do you have left?" "Only a vial of potion for minor injuries..." What in the world?! A potion for minor injuries! That''s not what he needs! Wu Zhou felt a myriad of criticisms ready to burst forth. Even if it were the head of their hospital or the chief nurse in the operating room, they would have been lectured on the spot. Stitch up the liver properly, for heaven''s sake! Does this healing potion meet GMP certification? Is there an FDA approval, or is it expired? He wanted surgical instruments, sutures, lidocaine for anesthesiaat the very least, give him a bottle of iodine for disinfection! In this emergency, in the wilderness with scarce supplies, he hadn''t even washed his hands before reaching into the man''s belly! Why did he end up with a potion for minor injuries?! But a strange memory rushed in. A few rapid images shed before his eyes: a small ss vial in his hand, a faint golden liquid inside, rapidly healing and vanishing wounds... Wu Zhou took a deep breath. Clenching the liver with his right hand and spreading his left hand out, he spoke with determination: "Give it to me!" Perhaps it was his resolute tone, or maybe the others had no other option. The priest tentatively released the injured man''s arm, checked the wound, found the bleeding had stopped significantly, and nervously rummaged in his pockets. After a moment, he handed over a small vial of healing potion. The vial was only an inch and a half tall, as thick as a thumb, its ss body crystal clear. As Wu Zhou muttered, "Shouldn''t this be in a brown bottle?" he bit off the cork and poured it directly onto the ruptured liver''s surface. Then, the miraculous healing process unfolded once more. The torn liver gently undted. Tissue grew, fissures vanished, membranes crawled... Within a breath or two, lying in Wu Zhou''s sight was aplete, unblemished liver. Wu Zhou cautiously eased his grip. The veins beneath his fingertips gently pulsed, the liver''s surface visibly transitioning from pale to healthy red. Excellent! The blood vessels joined seamlessly, blood flowed normally! This liver was alive! "Wow..." A small gasp arose. Amidst his busyness, Wu Zhou nced up, seeing the young priest stretching his neck, eyes and mouth forming three round "O" shapes, staring in disbelief at the liver in his hands: "Can you really save someone like this?" "Nope..." Wu Zhouzily retorted. Faced with the priest''s half disappointment, half usation, he casually exined, drawing out thest syble: "I know, it''d take ten years to learn that." ...It wouldn''t take ten years. Five or seven years of study, residency, plus various internships and certifications. Wu Zhou fell silent. He redirected his attention to the patient: his life was secured, next was tending to the intestines and other external injuries! ncing at the healing potion in his hand, almost emptied save a few drops, about a quarter of its original volume, shimmering with a pale gold hue, pulsating as if breathing. The effect was undeniably remarkable. But relying on these few drops to heal the remaining injuries? That''s just wishful thinking. Let''s get to the real work of dealing with the intestines! Wu Zhou gingerly withdrew his right hand from the patient''s liver. Stepping back, surveying the area, he began issuing a series ofmands: "Do we have soap?What, only soapberries? Fine, give it, I''ll wash my hands!" "Do we have boiling water?... Only this bag? Not enough! Hurry up and heat more!Oh, and put the needles and thread in there to sterilize!" "Do we have strong alcohol?... We do? Great! Give it to me!" The red-haired archer, the yellow-haired soldier who was busy fetching water, scrambled at hismands. The young priest, with wide curious eyes, looked around and asked, "Why wash your hands again?" "Because just now was emergency hemostasis, brother! Any slower and the man would have died!" In a life-or-death situation, there''s no time for fussingyet even so, in a hospital setting, at the very least, he''d have grabbed some iodine. Now that the urgent bleeding had stopped, and it was time to deal with the intestines, Wu Zhou, as a surgeon, couldn''tpromise on cleanliness. He washed his hands with soapberries from the wooden bucket of water brought by the archer, trying not to look at the stains around the bucket. Calling it a "stain" was praise; from rim to brim, the bucket was ck. It was hard to tell how long it hadn''t been washedmaybe since it was made? As for how much dirtier this water waspared to tap water and how many microorganisms lurked within, Wu Zhou didn''t dare to think about it. --------------- Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Following the standards of surgical scrubbing, Wu Zhouthered his hands from fingertips to upper arms with clear water and soapberry, creating foam. Once finished, he cupped a strong liquor, meticulously rubbing his hands again. While scrubbing, he sighed inwardly: no running water, no antiseptic hand wash, no iodine or chlorhexidine. Cutting down three rounds of scrubbing to two was risky; in an emergency room, even the nurses in the operating room would criticize him if they saw. He wasn''t sure if this liquor was strong enoughby its smell, it probably wasn''t! Sterile gloves were out of the question; whether the patient would get an infection was left to fate... Oh, and no antibiotics! No sulfa, no penicillin, no various cephalosporins... Using these bare hands to manipte intestines, thinking about the risk of infection after closing the abdomen, sent shivers down Wu Zhou''s spine. This was an absolute gamble! But if the intestines were damaged, it would be a massive problem. Once intestinal contents leaked out, peritonitis, sepsis, variousplications, any of which could be fatal. In clinical practice, if the intestines weren''t repaired before closing the abdomen, it would result in a medical ident, bringing severe condemnation to the gastrointestinal surgery department. Choosing the lesser of two evils! Wu Zhou held his breath and started manipting the intestines from the duodenum, inch by inch. The bloody intestines slipped through his fingertips, and soon, a frantic vomiting sound echoed nearby: "Ugh" The red-haired archer knelt on the ground, nearly burying his face in his own vomit. The young priest, pale-faced, tried hard not to look into the abdomen, lips tightly sealed, cheeks bulging. Then, with a thud like a water bucket dropping, the person fetching water also began to vomit. Vomit all you want, get used to it. Wu Zhou silentlymented, but as he looked up and noticed the patient was awake, panic set in: "You''re awake!Hold him down! Quickly, hold him down!" Damn it, waking up mid-surgery!... No, there wasn''t even "mid-surgery"; there had been no anesthesia from start to finish! And now the patient was awake! Don''t move!!! Several soldiers, vomit at the corners of their mouths, rushed to restrain the person. Frightened, the patient exerted tremendous force, struggling against a loss of at least 500ml of blood. Three people almost couldn''t hold him down. Wu Zhou held a piece of empty intestine in his left hand, a piece of ileum in his right hand, drenched in cold sweat: "Don''t move! Don''t move" No anesthesia was truly terrifying... If only someone could knock the patient out... That''s a joke. If he were to cause an epidural hematoma, he wouldn''t know how to treat it! Even exining andforting, it was hard to calm the patient down. Wu Zhou focused, examining the intestines inch by inch. Nothing, nothing, no damage in the jejunum. Thank goodness! Next was the ileum, where it had slipped out earlier, the most dangerous part... A 5cm-longceration! Thankfully found. If it hadn''t been noticed and the intestine retracted directly... Wu Zhou had already imagined a series of consequences: leakage of intestinal contents, suppuration, peritonitis, sepsis, until death. That''s how it was in surgery; if something wasn''t found and sutured, even a minor overlook... ha. There were no conditions to suture the intestine now. Fortunately, he had something else. Carefully, Wu Zhou inverted the bottle of mild wound treatment solution, dripping it onto the wound. One drop, two drops... Focused, the narrow wound began visibly healing, almost like a timepse effect. One centimeter, two centimeters... Stopped. Wu Zhou uncorked and shook the bottle again. Another drop. For heaven''s sake, Buddha, and all the unknown gods who provide healing solutions in this world, this wound had to heal... No, the solution had to be enough! Another centimeter. Another drop... Healed! Perfect! Wu Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and continued the examination. Fortunately, the remaining part of the ileum, the cecum, and the colon further down showed no damage. As for the rectum, it probably wouldn''t be affected at such a low position, no need to manipte it. Rinse! Close the abdomen! Oh right, there''s no 37-degree Celsius saline solution here, he had to make it himself... "Is the water boiling?" "Not yet..." Look at this, it''s just so challenging. Helpless, he should be grateful for this ramshackle ce, having the means to boil water and find some salt, right? Wu Zhou took a deep breath, another, and a third. Holding both hands t in front of his chest in an awkward posture, he waited eagerly until the water in the pot boiled. Then, he began live instructions, guiding his teammates on how to prepare the saline solution: "Pour the boiling water into the cold water... Don''t pour too much! Taste it... No, don''t drink directly, pour some out, drink it when it''s the same temperature as your mouth, neither hot nor cold. Alright, now add the salt in! Not too much, a pile the size of the first joint of your thumb, crush it, throw it in, shake it!Taste it again, it should taste salty but not bitter,e, let me taste again..." "Why add salt?" Finally recovering from the vomiting, the young priest''s freckled face seemed a bit dimmer, but his eyes were still bright. Hearing him ask, Wu Zhou blurted out without thinking: "Saline solution doesn''t hurt when washing wounds." "What solution?... Why doesn''t it hurt?" Wu Zhou: "..." Oh no, he slipped up! People in this world don''t know what a saline solution is! And why it doesn''t hurt? Does he need to give a live physiology ss, from cell osmotic pressure to nerve conduction? "Cough, a saline solution is just salt water like the saltiness of your blood... When your blood flows over your own wound, does it hurt much?" "But salt is very expensive!" Seriously? Salt is expensive? Wu Zhou sweated profusely. In clinical practice, one of the most widely used items was saline solution. It was used for wound cleaning, flushing various catheters, and pre-closure rinses. Everyone simply poured it down without a second thought. And now, they''re saying salt is expensive... He turned and looked at the scattered stone walls, thatched roofs, the rickety house. Well, salt really was expensive here. "Even if it''s expensive, we have to use it! Using a diluted solution will lead to poor wound recovery!" If using fresh water, the osmotic pressure would be too low, causing cells to die, leading to ion imbnces or something else... These people haven''t heard of cells and ions, have they? The young priest seemed thoughtful. Suddenly, a loud cough sounded nearby: "Cough... Garrett, the saline is ready!" --------------- Chapter 5 Chapter 5 "Saline ready?" Wu Zhou turned, spotting a rough, calloused hand holding a wooden bowl out to him. The warrior''s hands were covered in old calluses, stubbornly harboring deep ck stains in the nail crevices, impossible to wash away even with deliberate effort. The ck-yellow thumb was still hooked on the rim of the bowl, nails deeply embedded in the water... Wu Zhou felt his stomach churn at just one nce. But in this ramshackle ce, finding something else to hold physiological saline? No chance! This thatched house, barrels so dirty you couldn''t see their original coloraside from wooden bowls, there probably wasn''t anything else! Wu Zhou took a sip of the saline, tasted it, and felt a river of sadness surge within. In the wilderness without ready-made physiological saline, it''s just pitiful. Boiling water, mixing it with cold boiled water, adding salt right there and then! Trying to calcte how much salt to add on the spot! He adjusted the concentration a bit, checked the temperature, thinking the concentration might be slightly off, but the temperature was more or less fine. As for the temperature being half a degree below 37 degrees, and the saline concentration deviating by 10%... Can''t worry about all that! Add salt, add more salt, keep adding salt. Careful, Wu Zhou made them add salt three times before adjusting it to the desired concentration. Then, directing these rough-handed men, he cleaned the mouth of the water bag with strong liquor, lifted it, and poured it in From the upper abdomen to the lower abdomen, meticulously rinsing step by step. After the first round, gently holding the intestines, he continued to shout: "Lift him up! One at the shoulders, one at the legs, one at the back!" The redhead archer supported the injured person''s shoulders. The young man who had knelt by the injured, holding the intestines, lifted the injured''s legs. In a very contorted posture, the young priestone hand on the brachial artery, the other on the posterior tibial arteryalso let go under Wu Zhou''s permission. Surgery, examination, cleansing, a series of procedures, and the bleeding on the injured''s left arm and left leg had basically stopped. The light freckled person''spressing work on the wounds was done, now supporting the injured''s spine. "One, two, three, lift! Towards my side!" Swoosh, the physiological saline used to rinse the abdominal cavity poured out. Wu Zhou continued to shed tears. No suction device, no drainage tube, nothing at all... Use a straw or a reed to suck and spit it out? Just the thought of those warriors withrge yellow teeth, and the risk of not sucking well and spitting back into the abdominal cavity, made Wu Zhou think better of it. Helpless, he could only resort to the simplest, most brutal method: after rinsing the abdominal cavity, lift the person and pour the water out. The water was mostly drained, and Wu Zhou carefully checked onest time. Luckily, there were no ces bleeding or, in Wu Zhou''s usual termsno active bleeding. Finally relieved, he straightened up slightly and reached out to the side: "Suture!" ...No response. No forceps, no needles, no smiling-eyed surgical nurse gently patting the instruments into his hand... Wu Zhou: "......" T_T He should''ve gotten used to it long ago. This isn''t a hospital, nor an operating room. There''s no assistant, second assistant, surgical nurse, circting nurse around. Shouting ''suture'', and not a single person around who understands what he means... "Give... me... the... needle... and... thread!" "Huh?... Oh!" The freckled young priest jumped up, rustling, starting to search his pockets. Wu Zhou''s eyes brightened. Originally, he thought, even though this thatched house was rundown, it should at least have a needle and thread. Who knew this freckled person actually had them? That''s nice, the priest''s status should have better things... No, wait! What''s this junk! A sewing needle, no, given its length and thickness, it''s more like a quilting needle! And it''s bent! Bent! Bent while sewing clothes! And this thread! This thread! Not asking for antibacterial thread or knotless thread, but this linen thread, so rough and bumpy, what''s the deal? Forget it... can''t expect too much from this rundown ce... Wu Zhou tried to console himself and swiftly stitched the abdominal wall with the needle, moving as fast as possible. Stitching without absorbable thread, without silk thread, only with the most inferior linen threadand the needle for sewing clothes! Straight! Without forceps, without a curved needle, jabbing into the flesh with a sewing needle he held, only those who sew would truly understand the feeling... He focused, held his breath, and patiently stitchedyer byyer. Peritoneum, superficial fascia, skin, and subcutaneous tissue... meticulouslypleting threeyers of suturing, tying the final knot, he copsed backward, utterly exhausted. "Bandage him up..." Not even someone helping wipe his sweat. Sadness. No one wiping his sweat during the surgery, but at least there were people to take care of him after it. As Wu Zhouy down, immediately five or six hands reached out to support him. The warriors, who had been made to hustle without a word, all rushed up, chattering: "Little Garrett, you''re amazing!" "Little Garrett, when did you learn this?" "Little Garrett..." Wu Zhou: ......?? His exhausted brain turned and turned, finally fitting a memory into his mind. Yes, those people were calling him; his name was Garrett, Garrett Nordmark, a new recruit in the city guard... Today, he was out of the city on patrol with the squad, escorting the priestJohn, the freckled oneback home to visit family. The injured person he just treated was their squad leader, Uncle Karen, who had been taking care of him. When Uncle Karen got injured, the one kneeling and holding the intestines was his nephew Raymond, the spearman; the red-haired archer, Tom; and the shield warrior, Vali, who had been sent off to boil water earlieraltogether, this formed the entire squad. So... I''ve crossed over? Sure enough, after working overtime like crazy in the emergency room, in the end, I''ve be a corpse... Ah, endured through internships, endured through residency, never thought that, at the stage of a deputy chief physician, I''d still fall! Wu Zhou silently wiped away a tear of bitterness. He nced around at the gently rolling hills in the distance, the lush green grasnd, the quaint thatched roof houses, his teammates with distinct Western features beside him. Finally, lowering his gaze, he mourned silently for himself for a second, murmuring to himself: "From now on, I am Garrett..." As Garrett lifted his gaze again, he saw a row of several warriors, oh, and a priest, all staring at him intently. Clearly, everyone was surprised and curious about how he suddenly became skilled at performing a surgery. Garrett: "......" How do I exin this? Can I tell them that I have this skill because of twelve years of primary and secondary education, seven years of undergrad and postgrad studies, and years of clinical practice from my previous life?! If I dare say that, I''ll... probably get burned at the stake...? There''s a priest on-site who witnessed everything and can report it to the church when he returns; I can''t hide it even if I wanted to! At the moment when he was envisioning the religious court and was about to imagine the ten tortures, a worried question interrupted his thoughts and saved him from the fire and water: "Little Garrett... Captain, will he survive?" --------------- Chapter 6 Chapter 6 "Will he survive?" Garrett Nordmark paused. Then, a rush of memories, belonging to his previous self, flooded his mind like a tidal wave: "His" younger self knelt before a man''s body, crying bitterly. Uncle Karen knelt beside, holding "him" tightly, reassuring, "Little Garrett, don''t be afraid! Uncle will take care of you, won''t let anyone bully you!" "His" hands gripped a short wooden sword, swinging it fiercely. Uncle Karen held a sword opposite, voice stern, "Your stance is wrong! Again!" "His" huddled in a small cabin, gnawing on hard-to-swallow ck bread. Uncle Karen pushed the door open, dragging "him" away, "Little Garrett! Come to Uncle''s house! Aunt Eileen has made stew!" ...that was Uncle Karen, who had cared for me after my father''s death... Garrett nced at Uncle Karen''s pale face, unable to speak for a moment. Subconsciously, he sped his hands in front of his chest, assuming a posture akin to prayer or the gesture one makes before surgery to avoid recontamination: "...I don''t know," he murmured softly. "I don''t know..." The surgery was indeedpleted. The patient, Uncle Karen, had temporarily escaped mortal danger. But this didn''t mean smooth sailing; there were too many troubles ahead for the patient. The wound was hastily stitched with nt fibers, no antibiotics, no blood transfusion. And without even washing his hands, he delved into the patient''s liver... Besides the healed liver, the entire operation, to Wu Zhou''s eyes, was merely child''s y. In their hospital, except for the most dangerous ruptured liver, the rest could be handled easily by a resident physician. The post-operative risks weren''t significant either. A few days of observation in the hospital, antibiotics to suppress infections, no need for an ICU to tidy up the aftermath. But now, with just infection and blood loss, the patient''s life hung by a thread. Even if they survived these hurdles, there were potentialplications like intestinal adhesions, intestinal obstructions, nausea, vomiting, hups, abdominal distension, urinary retention... a host of variousplications... Any of which, if luck wasn''t on their side, could im the patient''s life. And he... had no way. No antibiotics, no drainage tubes, no X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, nob tests, no targeted medications. If Uncle Karen really developed anyplications, as a healer, he was powerless. Seeing him hesitate, everyone present wore grim expressions. Raymond, Uncle Karen''s nephew, especially anxious, stepped forward, reaching for Wu Zhou''s shoulder: "Don''t you know? Little Garrett, can''t you do anything?" This pleading, anxious tone mirrored the rtives Wu Zhou often encountered in the emergency room. Garrett slowly shook his head: "If I could, I''d want him to get better quickly" Before he could finish speaking, a pure white light shot from Garrett''s sped palms, straight into the patient''s abdomen. Under the radiance of the white light, the wound, just freshly stitched and usually requiring at least ten days to heal, rapidly started closing up. "Wow" Gasps erupted. Freckled priest John shouted loudest, "Healing magic! It''s healing magic! Garrett, can you perform healing magic?!" Garrett: !!! No! Slow down a bit! Please, just a little slower! I haven''t removed the stitches yetttttt! He didn''t have time to be astonished or happy that the patient was saved; he was already diving into the white light of the healing magic. Brandishing a short dagger in his right hand, he began picking at the protruding nt fibers with his left Remove the stitches! Remove them quickly while the wound just healed and the white light hasn''t faded yet! Leaving them there could risk infection since the stitches are taking up space! Remove them, quickly, before the wound bes solid. Not only to ease the patient''s suffering, but the remnants of the healing magic might still offer some help... Garrett focused, his hands working at their fastest. The right de flicked, the left thumb and forefinger picked, hands coordinating so swiftly above the patient''s abdomen The emergency department was always a ce where one fought death. Stitching spleens, livers, blood vesselsall were rapid actions, wishing for an APM of 764. But he had never imagined that one day, removing stitches or the like, would demand such speed. The tenth thread! Stitching on the right side of the rectus abdominis muscle, removed! The eighteenth! Removed from the upper right abdomen! The twenty-seventh! Twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, thirtieth! Done! The white light gradually faded. Two wounds, one vertical and one oblique, disappearedpletely, as if they had never existed. Not only that, the patient slowly opened his eyes and began attempting to sit up "Captain!" "Captain, you''re better!" Several soldiers cheered and rushed forward. Garrett''s soul flew, immediately lunging forward, arms wide, blocking them: "Don''t touch him! Lie down! Lie down!" Damn it! The surface has healed, but who knows about the inside! I''ve sewn threeyers on the abdominal wall alone! The innermost fascia and the peritoneum inside who knows if they''ve healed! If this sudden movement tears the incision Not to mention the injured rectus abdominis, the torn omentum I haven''t sewn yet, everywhere is damaged. Whether they''ve healed, Wu Zhou had no clue, and in this wilderness, there''s no MRI to check Even if it wasn''t the wilderness, there''s nowhere to go! He''s traveled! He''s traveled! Pressing down, Uncle Karen, though entirely defenseless, copsed back with a thud. Hey down, but his head lifted forcibly, staring straight, eyes full of shock: "Little Garrett, you... you?" Garrett''s heart raced. Empathizing, anyone who suddenly sees a child they''ve watched grow up, suddenly slicing open flesh, sewing skin with a needle, would be shocked. But how could he exin?! Ignore it? Pretend ignorance? This was Uncle Karen, who had cared for his former self after his father''s death. Somehow, an exnation was necessary to reassure him! Garrett''s head buzzed as if embedded with a hard drive spinning at 7200 rotations per minute. Retrieving information, organizing data in haste, amidst the chaos, an abnormal piece of information, bold, highlighted, resolutely topped his mind: Right, the white light that just shot from his palm, elerating the healing process... Exactly the same as the healing magic released by the young priest earlier! Healing magic = divine magic = backed by a god = the god told him to do so! The logic was wless, perfect! Garrett blurted out: "Uncle Karen, don''t worry. II received divine guidance!" --------------- Chapter 7 Chapter 7 God''s Revtion? Captain Karen''s eyes lit up instantly. The earlier healing spell had really boosted his spirits. Coupled with the excitement from the good news, his pale face, drained from blood loss, even bloomed with faint shades of red: "God''s Revtion? That''s fantastic, young Garrett!" Garrett felt a warmth in his heart. He understood why Uncle Karen was so thrilled: bing a religious figure, even the most basic one, meant a leap in social standing for an ordinary soldier like his original self in the city guard. From amoner, directly stepping into the middle ss. The most evidentparison? Look at their rough linen capespared to the fine linen robes with small freckles. Not to mention, gaining God''s Revtion without going through the Church''s teachings Saint! Chosen one! Favored by God! A direct path to the skiesy right in front of them. For others'' good fortune, some in this world would be envious, some indifferent. But this Uncle Karen, genuinely happy for the owner of this body, the child he watched grow up... Garrett''s heart felt soft, warm, and he replied with a smile. However, his smile froze the next moment because, right after Uncle Karen''s joy, he immediately asked: "Which god?" Garrett: "" Right, which god? By rights, his healing abilities should belong to the healing god. So, Shennong, Bian Que, Hua Tuo? None of them seemed quite right; all these figures had Western faces. Bringing a Chinese god here would seem odd! Or Apollo? Asclepius?... Hippocrates? No, this is a different realm, and there are native gods here... Which god would be easier to approach, who wouldn''t strike me down if I invoke them without due reverence... Time is short, the demand is high, which god should be med? Waiting online, quite urgent... The new version of Garrett Nordmark swiftlybed through the original host''s memories. There were a few temples in Harnd City, a temple of the War God, a temple of the Spring Goddess, the god of nature... Wait, was there no temple for the god of nature? As for the roles these gods yed? Which god had a better temperament? What were the religious practitioners like? Darn it, why can''t I remember... The only thing he felt was a throbbing ache in his head. Garrett instinctively reached back, feeling a lump on the back of his head, a bit moist, like blood. His breath hitched suddenly, thumping wildly. Head injury! Amnesia! Right, before I passed out, what happened? Why can''t I remember? Is this retrograde amnesia caused by a concussion? Could there be bleeding in my brain? Will I pass out again after a day, three days, or maybe two weeks, experiencing headaches, nausea, vomiting, hemiplegia? There''s no CT scan in this darn ce... Calm down!!! Garrett forced himself to stop spiraling. Since I''ve crossed over, I can''t possibly be that unlucky. Not remembering is probably due to the memories not fully integrating, not a retrograde amnesia caused by head trauma! Whoever crosses over would not be floored by the original host''s injuries! Even if a bullet went through my skull, I''d heal, let alone a bump on my head! Garrett struggled to reassure himself. He tightly shut his eyes, rapidly searching through the fragmented, yet-to-be fully merged memories. He wracked his brain, only to find snippets No way. Worshiping gods is something only the wealthy and idle can afford. The original host, a poor person, barely went to worship a couple of times a year. Each time, standing in the bustling crowd outside the temple, trying to catch a glimpse of the priests'' robes. Whether witnessing divine arts or not, that was left to chance... No experiences like receiving healing or learning scriptures with religious figures from childhood to adulthood. Oh right, in the center of Harnd City, there was a magnificent and towering Bright Temple taller than even the lord''s mansion opposite. Now, the entire temple remained empty; its clergy was expelled three years ago... There don''t seem to be any other temples I recall. Alright, now it''s down to three choices. Let''s rule out the War God first. Garrett nced nervously to the side. Now he remembered, the young priest John was from the temple of the War God; the shield embroidered on his robes was a simplified emblem of the War God''s temple, specifically for junior priests. Lying in front of one''s subordinate felt like immense psychological pressure to Garrett. Moreover, the God of War, well, sounded like a god of fighting and aggression, even their religious practitioners seemed confrontational. Can''t afford to mess with them; if they find out I lied, the entire temple''s priests with their warriors might just shred me into pieces? Then, let''s give up on the Spring Goddess. It sounds like a weak deity, incapable of significant power and destined to stay stagnant. No future by associating with her. That leaves only the God of Nature! Great, it feels like the religious role is extensive and has a high ceiling. In many web novels Garrett read in Wu Continent, the God of Nature seemed to be a major deity... Garrett''s gaze was resolute, without hesitation: "The God of Nature!" "The God of Nature..." Captain Karen''s fiery gaze dimmed slightly. Around Wu Continent, Raymond, the archer Tom, the shield warrior Vali, along with the freckled young priest John, sighs of disappointment echoed one after another. Garrett''s heart skipped a beat. He knew this look all too well; in his past life, whenever he made a choice that wasn''t as good, yet was his current limit, he''d see simr looks from others. From mentors, mothers, ex-girlfriends... "Not continuing with your Ph.D.? Well, your family situation is indeed challenging... Then let it be like this!" "Emergency department?... Staying at Province One Hospital is indeed challenging; if it''s emergency, then emergency it is!" "Going to aid in Africa for a year? Just to quickly be an associate director?... Fine, it''s up to you!" It seems like the God of Nature isn''t the best choice... Can I still change and say it''s the God of War? Or maybe the Spring Goddess? He pondered for a moment and missed the opportunity to change his mind. After a moment of disappointment in Captain Karen''s eyes, he immediately sped his hands in front of his chest, murmuring in prayer: "Thank you for the grace of the God of Nature..." "Thank you for the grace of the God of Nature!" Around Garrett, a group of warriors, regardless of their beliefs, echoed in prayer. Even the freckled young priest bowed solemnly, showing respect to the God of Nature. Garrett fell silent. A word spoken is like a horse that''s hard to retrieve. I said it''s the God of Nature, and I can''t just switchswitch gods or people. Setting the trap is satisfying for a moment, but filling it turns into a funeral pyre. He''d better think about how to continue dealing with the God of Nature, reaping benefits without being found out... Just as he was thinking this, the group finished their prayers, lifting their heads, their gazes fixated on him. Captain Karen''s nephew, Raymond, took the lead in asking: "Garrett, what do we do next? Do we continue forward?" Garrett snapped out of it suddenly. He swiftly looked around. Apart from Captain Karen, weakened and resting, the freckled youth minding his own business with the group, the othersCaptain Karen''s nephew Raymond, the archer Tom, the shield warrior Valiall were eagerly waiting, hope evident in their eyes. It seemed that whether to proceed or halt, to move forward or return, depended on his word. This can''t be happening... This God''s Revtion of mine, it''s, it''s fake! --------------- Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Someone asked him what to do next. A group of people awaited his decision. Garrett nced left and right, finally realizing one thing: his status had changed. He was a healer, a spellcaster, one blessed by the god of nature. The position of a spellcaster had always been higher than that of a warrior, especially in the absence of the captain. It was natural for him to take the lead and make decisions for the group. What? He was still a youth, inexperienced, clueless? What was the blessing of the god of nature for? Couldn''t they just infuse wisdom into him? Garrett was at a loss. Not to mention that this "blessing" was false, a pretense. He had just crossed over, hadn''t even integrated the memories of the original ownerpletely. Ask him whether to move forward or retreat? He had no idea! Amidst the expectant gazes of his teammates, Garrett began doubting life. The three questions of a soul transmigrator: Who am I? Where am I? What happened? He had only resolved the first one. As for the second and third questions, having just saved someone, could they give him some time to organize his memories... Turns out, he didn''t need to sort them out himself. Big brother Raymond hurriedly asked: "Normally, we''re part of the city guard and shouldplete a patrol before returning. But the captain got injured, and there''s trouble here" His dark arm gestured outward. Garrett followed the arm''s direction, observing the chaotic mud, sttered blood, the clear remnants of the recent fight. He blurted out: "What just happened?" "You don''t know?!" Raymond was astonished. Garrett inwardly cursed, oh no, immediately clutching his head: "I... I have a headache..." He didn''t even need to feign this painful expression. Pressing slightly on the lump at the back of his head with his fingers, it immediately intensified, causing his facial features to scrunch up. Squatting down, he continued: "I hit my head just now... I can''t remember..." Raymond rushed over to assist him. Curled up on the ground, eyes shut tight, Garrett''s mind raced through fragmented memories, worsening his headache: Their patrol reached a farmhouse after a day and a half. Before getting close, they noticed chaos outside: two wild dogs tearing at something. Captain Karen led the charge to scare off the dogs and investigate inside. Almost immediately, sounds of struggle and screams erupted. In moments, a dark figure bolted out of the house. "Someone" attempted to intervene but was flung aside, hitting something, and cking out. "What... what injured the captain..." Garrett struggled through the pain to ask. Raymond attempted to help him up, but seeing it was futile, he crouched next to Garrett and replied to his ear: "We couldn''t see clearly. It was too fast. All we know is it was a four-legged beast, ck." "Is that so..." Garrett muttered. Others chimed in: "Yeah, huge and ferocious. It''s... this tall!" (gesturing) "Like a cat?" "Don''t joke, cats aren''t that big. Maybe a leopard? ck leopard?" "It looked like a cat!" "Yeah... that thing... scratched me..." Even Captain Karen weakly spoke. Garrett nodded, still crouched, contemting: Maybe it was indeed a feline. Reflecting on the diagonal gash across Captain Karen''s abdomen, he silently rejoiced. A feline would be better; the likelihood of rabies was smallerpared to the stray dogs they had driven away. There was no rabies vine in this otherworldly ce. If infected, they''d have to rely on fate. Moreover, since it was a wild animal, there was no need to pursue it. The priority was finding a ce for the injured to rest. Where to go? Looking around, Garrett struggled to stand and headed towards a nearby thatched hut, wanting to check the conditions inside. Pushing open the doora makeshift one with four sticks and a pile of twigs formed into a framehe bent down and peeked inside. One nce and an immediate retreat: Damn it! I shouldn''t have expected much from this kind of house! Garrett''s face scrunched up. The house was too short to enter standing upright, which he could overlook; it was narrow, less than 20 square feet, something he had mentally prepared for. But within this dpidated hut, there wasn''t even a bed! In the center of the room, a circr pit was lined with stones on the muddy floor, emitting smoke as a newly lit fire crackled. Puffs of smoke intermittently rose, assaulting their faces and causing tears. Amidst the flickering mes, on the left against the wall,y several hayforks, two sacks piled in a cornerone almost deted, the other bulging. On the right, a raised tform of earth cluttered with sheepskins and bup, presumably the owner''s sleeping area. This ce for nursing injuries? It might worsen rather than heal! We need to leave! Garrett retreated outside, taking a few deep breaths, calling out to hisrades: "Lift the captain, we''re leaving!" "No need! I can walk on my own!" Karen, the captain, wanted to struggle up upon hearing this. Garrett rushed over and held him down: "Uncle Karen, lie down! Don''t get up!" "Bring that spear over! Make a makeshift stretcher with a stick, we''ll carry him!" Everyone pitched in. Being warriors, they had some idea of making a stretcher. A readily avable spear was used, and a nearby small tree was cut down. Grass ropes were tied, creating a tform to carry the captain. His torn armor, ripped clothes hastily covered his body, and they started moving. Garrett also tried to join the stretcher team. But before he could reach out, a red-haired archer named Tom pushed him away, carrying a spear in one hand and a stick in the other, turning his head to grin at him: "Young Garrett, leave the heavy lifting to us; you just follow along!" Garrett:... I remember now! You were the one who knocked the original body down, causing them to hit a tree, and that''s when I crossed over. If I hadn''t reacted quickly and steadied myself, would I have transmigrated again! However, his retorts had to be swallowed. The surroundingradesughed heartily, approving of the archer''s actions: "That''s right, young Garrett, leave the heavy work to us!" "You''re a healer!" "Tsk tsk, in a few days, we''ll have to call you Lord Garrett!" The spearman Raymond patted his shoulder, snatching his waist knife; the archer Tom and spearman formed the front and back of the stretcher, lifting it; shield warrior Vali grabbed Garrett''s pack and slung it over his shoulder. By the time Garrett regained his senses, he was empty-handed, walking effortlessly in the center of the group. Without tasks or carrying anything, he just had to stay calm, following the team. Garrett even wondered if he twisted his ankle now or dered himself unable to walk, would these warriors fashion a sling and carry him... Is this how spellcasters are treated? --------------- Chapter 9 Chapter 9 They had been patrolling outside the city for a day and a half, and it didn''t seem appropriate to turn back now. Luckily, ording to Garrett Nordmark''s memories, there was arge farm about a dozen miles away. The group lifted the stretcher and continued forward. When they left the farmhouse, Garrett noticed something concerninga shallow grave with most of the body exposed, hastily buried and torn apart by wild dogs. They were ill-prepared and hurried, unable to address it then. After crossing a mountain ridge, they took a break to rest and drink water. Captain Karen propped himself up from the stretcher and asked, "Little Garrett, can I have some water?" Garrett knew it would be this way. If it were the past, before and after abdominal surgery, he''d educate the patient and family on various aspects. But here, all normal procedures were disrupted, and it was only him rolling up his sleeves: "No, you can''t eat now! You can''t drink either, even if you''re thirsty!" "When can I drink water then?" Garrett remained silent. ording to standard practice, after 2-3 days post-surgery, once the gastrointestinal tract resumes movement and gas is passed, one can start with liquids. However, the surgery just performed had not involved anesthesia throughout, and although the intestines were damaged, the healing potion applied had quickly rectified it. So, how long until the gut starts moving again? Surgery books, physiology, numerous academic papers. Guidelines from European and American societies for enteral and parenteral nutrition, each edition. Countless references flickered through Garrett''s mind. In front of him, Uncle Karen awaited with hopeful eyes, and the surrounding soldiers watched intently One second, two seconds, three seconds Under the midsummer afternoon sun, a drop of cold sweat quietly trickled down Garrett''s spine. In nearly a hundred years, nobody had performed a gut surgery without anesthesia. Without theories or experimental data, how could one judge the fasting period? Use intuition? He had to resort to the most primitive method! Gritting his teeth, Garrett knelt on one knee, hands on the ground, leaning in close: "Uncle Karen, just hold on a bit longer, let me listen!" He lifted the injured person''s armor and clothes, turned his head, and pressed his ear against Captain Karen''s abdomen. The pungent smell of sweat mixed with the metallic scent of blood hit Garrett''s nose, and he almost faintedoh, why didn''t he have a stethoscope! His 3M stethoscope he bought with a hefty sum! The hospital-provided Yuyue stethoscope! Even though its price was just a tenth of the 3M''s and its rity was a magnitude lower, it was better than having nothing! Yuyue,e to me! I won''t look down on you again! If not that, even a potato chip tube would do Can''t publish top-tier journals, but at least I could use it as a makeshift stethoscope! On the first day in this world, tears streamed down Garrett''s face countless times. The sorrow was immense. He had to suppress it while consoling the wounded: "Uncle Karen, don''t worry. When your gut gurgles, that''s when you can have some water" "What about food?" "No, that''s not possible! Really not possible! Hold on a bit more. Once you''re better, I''ll personally cook something tasty for you!" "Little Garrett, are you trying to poison me?" Captain Karen burst intoughter. Garrett remained silent. Don''t look down on me! Just because the previous host couldn''t cook doesn''t mean I can''t! I''ll find a chance to prove myself! However, that chance wouldn''te now. Garrett held his breath, trying to listen, but couldn''t hear the "gurgle gurgle" of the intestines. He stood up, panting heavily, and reassured the patient: "Uncle Karen, you still can''t drink water now. Hold on a bit longer, I reckon it''ll be two or three days at most. If you''re really thirsty, here, use this cloth to moisten your lips" After resting, they resumed their journey. Dyed by battle and healing, they arrived at the farm for the night, the sky already dark. Following the group out of the woods, they noticed the farmyard lit up brightly, an odditypared to the humble surroundings. "Strange, so many lights" Vali, the shield soldier leading, murmured. As they approached, they all realized the discrepancythe opulent carriage parked in the farm''s threshing ground, contrasting with the rustic environment. A dark walnut carriage, adorned with daffodil-shaped silver ornaments on the sides and rear. At the center of the petals, arge sapphire gleamed brightly in themplight. This was a carriage for the wealthynot just the rich; judging by the crest, it belonged to nobility, right? Garrett immediately steered the squad away. Young priest John, also ofmon birth, having just be a priest''s apprentice, didn''t want any unnecessary trouble with nobles. They followed the group, avoiding the main entrance, and remained silent. The farm was quite sizable,posed of several buildings forming a low and irregr structure. A fence surrounded the houses, made of pointed wooden stakes nted closely together, emphasizing defense. The squad circled around to the back gate along the outer edge of the fence. The owner came out and ushered them into the kitchen. The farm owner was once a captain in the city guard, familiar with Captain Karen. Seeing him injured, he was shocked and bombarded them with questions: "How did this happen?" "Oh, thank the heavens, he''s alive! That''s good! Eat something, we have guests today, and we''ve cooked mutton stew!" "What? Still can''t eat? Fine, the rest of you, eat more!" The kitchen bustled with preparations for dinner. Garrett stood outside the door leading to the hall, discreetly peeking inside. The hall was long and wide but surprisingly low-ceilinged, disproportionate in height and area. The ground waspacted, tinged with grayish-white, likely a mixture of local lime and y. About a quarter of the inner space was raised into a tform, one step higher than the rest, with a table draped in a natural tablecloth. Another longer but shorter table extended from the center of the raised tform to the entrance, forming a T-shaped configuration. The lower table was rough, with boards barely ned, apparently forborers and lower-ss individuals. This table arrangement was familiar to Garrett from past movies and documentaries: Oxford, Cambridge, those ancient colleges, and even in "Harry Potter"they were set up simrly. The main table had finished feasting. A young priest in his twenties leisurely sipped wine. There was an array of cutlery before the priest, and when Garrett peeked, he noticed the priest''s light blue silk robe shimmering. At the lower end, a knight sat, his armor gleaming, an unsheathed greatsword resting beside him. The table below was a mess, half of the escort soldiers had dispersed. A few youths wearing coarse hemp overcoats, resembling farmhands, were gobbling down their food. "What are you gawking at?" A hefty hand pped Garrett''s shoulder. He turned around, and Raymond, grinning mischievously, looked past him into the hall: "Oh, it''s a priest of the Spring Goddess. See, this is how respectable healers are treatedcarriages, silk robes, silver bowls and tes, wine Little Garrett, don''t worry, you''ll have that soon too!" --------------- Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Carriages, silk robes, silver bowls, and wine? Will I have that luxury soon too? Garrett Nordmark chuckled bitterly. Am I pursuing afortable life by being a doctor? Why did I root myself in the emergency department, starting as an intern, climbing to deputy director, working nights every three days, heart racing at the sound of an ambnce? And in one of the poorest departments in the entire hospital. Let''s not even talk about the meager sry that barely covers expenses. Why didn''t I pursue a better department? Or switch jobs? Isn''t orthopedics good? Or oncology? How about private hospitals? Not to mention now... What kind offort could this lousy otherworld offer? First-ss treatment? First-ss train seats? Air conditioning? Smartphones? Games, websites, tforms? This ce doesn''t even have a proper flushing toilet! He was about to make a joke to himself when he was interrupted. A piercing scream echoed in the hall as a peasant woman rushed in carrying a limp child, heading straight for the seat of the priest: "Save him! Please, save him!" A patient! Garrett dashed forward. He was fast, but the seasoned warriors were faster. Big brother Raymond, archer Tom, spearman Valithey dashed out ahead of him, one after the other, clearing the way. By the time Garrett arrived, a crowd had already formed. The young priest stood there, hands sped in front of his chest, chanting softly, as a pure white light descended silently over the child lying in the peasant woman''s arms. No response. The seven or eight-year-old boyy limp, showing no signs of improvement. As the white light descended, the child strained and gasped for air. The harsh, hollow wheezing, clearly audible even through the crowd, reached Garrett''s ears. In an instant, a chill ran down Garrett''s spine. Wheezing! It was a wheezing sound! The sound was so loud, audible even through the crowd. The patient''s condition must be dire! He pushed through the crowd. Just as he peered in, he saw the boy''s face turning purple, limbs iling. With the movement of the child gasping for air, the skin above and below the corbones and at the base of the neck concaved. Retraction of the sternocleidomastoid, suprasternal, and intercostal spacesall three signs were present! Soft tissue retraction during inhtion! Not to mention the unmistakable wheezing soundit was an airway blockage, at least third-degree, no, judging by the child''s condition, it was already a fourth-degree blockage! The child was already starting to suffocate. Without effective treatment, he would die fromck of oxygen in a few minutes! Healing magic had no effect, much to the surprise of the priest. He knelt down, carefully observing the struggling child, and began chanting again. This time, the divine magic was different from before. Within the sparkling white light, there was a faint hint of blue water-like ripples, washing over the child back and forth. From head to toe and back again. "It''s a detoxification spell..." Garrett heard someone nearby say. But even the detoxification spell remained ineffective. The boy''s struggles weakened, drenched in sweat. Even the wheezing sound grew fainter The child, whose airway was blocked, had lost the strength to breathe. Garrett couldn''t wait any longer. Healing magic, detoxification spells, various divine spellsthere were problems they couldn''t solve. Or perhaps, the divine magic wielded by the priest in front of him couldn''t solve these problems. In that case, it''s up to me! He snatched the child from the panicked peasant woman,id him t on his back on the ground, and quickly tore off his own shirt. Rolling it into a bundle, he stuffed it behind the child''s neck. Then, half-kneeling, he swiftly drew a dagger from the belt of the towering Raymond! "What are you doing!" "Little Garrett!" "Stop him! Stop him!" Shouts erupted from all directions. Without lifting his head, Garrett''s left handnded in the center of the boy''s neck, slightly below, gently feeling around. Ah, here''s the thyroid cartge, and here''s the cricoid cartge. Despite the child''s smaller size and shorter neck,cking an Adam''s apple, it was just a matter of locating them, nothing he couldn''t handle! After parting his index and middle fingers, stabilizing the skin on both sides of the cricothyroid membrane, his right hand gripped the dagger, aiming downward vertically, and pierced it in! "Ah" The peasant woman''s scream and the fresh blood gushing from the child''s neck erupted simultaneously. Don''t rush over, don''t rush overGarrett focused on the struggling child, feeling the sensation of the dagger prating. Don''t rush over at this critical moment, just give me a second, really, I just need a second! He exerted a little force. The dagger tip sank down, paused slightly, then a faint sense of emptiness spread to his handclearly, the dagger had pierced the cricothyroid membrane, reaching the airway. Without hesitation, Wu Zhou pulled out the dagger with a flick. A hissing airflow emerged. Garrett rxed his whole body: the cricothyrotomy was sessful, the airway was open, the emergency treatment was a sess! This child, teetering on the edge of suffocation and death, had been pulled back by him. As he rxed, a sh of white light suddenly crossed his vision. Before he could make sense of it, a sharp pain struck his chest, and he involuntarily flew backward. Rolling several times, he tumbled from the tform, all the way down to the ground below. It was an extremely embarrassing tumble. Not only were his shoulders, legs, elbows, and knees burning with pain, but he also lost one of his shoes. Garrett propped himself up, dazed, and saw the knight who had been sitting next to the priest, raising his sword, standing by the child, with one foot just withdrawn. Did he... kick me down...? About to inquire, Garrett nced sideways and saw the priest bending down, murmuring softly. The pale blue priestly robe rippled in the candlelight, his clear eyes fixed on the child, entirely focused. "Don''t move!" Garrett shouted. The priest paid no attention, his lips moving silently, a glimmer of white light ready to burst forth from his fingertips. Frantic, Garrett grabbed the shoe on the ground and hurled it with all his might. "Crack!" The shoe flew, missing the priest''s robe. But the priest was rmed, taking a step back, the white light at his fingertips fading out. The knight beside him wore a furious expression, lifting the sheathed sword again, aiming it straight at Garrett: "You!" The knight''s angry shout prompted the soldiers brought by the temple at the long table to jump up. These individuals were much stronger than city guards. With just a nce, Garrett found his arm twisted and forcefully pressed onto the ground. The knight approached slowly. Unfazed by him, Garrett strained to extend his neck, shouting loudly past the knight''s legs toward the priest: "Don''t heal! Do you want the child to suffocate!" "What did you say?" "What did you say!" Two voices, speaking differently. The priest was puzzled, the knight demanded angrily. Garrett strained to raise his head, shouting again: "His airway is blocked! Cut a hole in his neck to help him breathe! If you heal that hole, won''t he suffocate again!!!" The priest hesitated. Bending down, he carefully observed the struggling child on the high tform. Seeing the child''splexion return from purple to normal, he muttered softly: "That... makes sense. Release him!" Collection growth is so slow T_T Please bookmark, rmend, Be a Member... --------------- Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Judging by the seating arrangement in the hall, it was evident that among this group of people, the priest held the highest status. With a firmmand of "release," even the knights didn''t argue; they grimly stepped aside. The restraints on Garrett immediately loosened, and he stumbled to his feet, nodding toward the priest in acknowledgment. Then, he scrambled on all fours toward the child. "Hmph! How impolite..." The knight scoffed. The priest interrupted in a hushed tone, "Don''t speak, watch!" Garrett''s timing couldn''t have been better. Just a few steps away, the boy whose neck had been cut woke up as if from a dream, limbs thrashing as he burst into tears. Though fierce, his crying produced no sound, which only heightened the child''s panic. Tears streaming, body convulsing, he seemed on the brink of passing out again. At that moment, Garrett rushed in. He threw himself over the child, pressing down on the legs to immobilize them. He then grabbed the child''s arms, soothingly patting his face, repeatedly reassuring, "Don''t be afraid, you''re okay, you''re okay... Just take a breath, and you''ll be fine... Don''t be scared, follow my breath, inhale... exhale... inhale... exhale..." His voice transitioned from high to low, from fast to slow, filled with genuine concern. He managed to calm the child, who, with wide eyes, began to breathe along with him. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale... Soon, the convulsions subsided. Despite the lingering neck pain, the child whimpered pitifully but appeared much calmer. This wasn''t in surgical texts or treatment manuals. This move was something Garrett''s mentor in his previous life, an emergency department head, had taught himwhen performing a tracheotomy without anesthesia, always pacify the patient afterward! Suffocating and suddenly having their neck cut, the patient''s oxygen consumption skyrockets due to panic. Without proper reassurance, shock could set in any minute. ...And also, reassure the family and onlookers... Otherwise, while you put down the scalpel, you might end up beaten by a group of self-righteous citizens, or even handcuffed by the police. Better to anticipate these things. Garrett''s thoughts swirled, filled with myriad emotions. It wasn''t that he forgot his mentor''s advice; he simply didn''t get the chance before the knight sent him flying. Luckily, the knight showed mercy, refraining from killing him outright. Otherwise, he might have had to traverse once more. Thinking of the knight, Garrett overheard him speaking behind him. The voice was hushed, as if whispering to the nearby priest: "Can you save someone by cutting their neck?" "...I''ve never seen this kind of treatment before," the priest replied. Perhaps due to being practitioners of magic, the priest''s voice was serene and melodious, markedly different from the deep, gravelly tones of the knight. Even if Garrett had just met them today, he could easily distinguish their voices: "But, he''s quite confident. And the child isn''t suffocating anymore. Despite the neck cut, there was no immediate gush of blood..." Of course, not. I''ve been familiar with the anatomy of the neck since university. If, by some chance, he''d cut the carotid artery during the cricothyrotomy, I might as well have gone to meet my maker! Garrett silently grumbled. Afterforting the child in his arms, he sighed with relief and straightened up. The priest had been watching with interest. When Garrett stopped, the priest couldn''t help but ask: "Is it all right now?" "It''s better," Garrett replied, slightly out of breath. Looking around, not finding what he sought, he knelt and shouted to the crowd: "A tube! Sturdy and clean! Quick!" "Did you hear that? A sturdy tube! Clean! Hurry, find one!" A deep voice responded. Garrett nced and saw Uncle Edmund, the farmer who had weed them in, taking charge. With hismand, seven or eight people dashed off, clearly off to find something. Garrett felt a bit relieved. He turned to see the farmwoman, tear-streaked and hesitant, wanting to hold the child but afraid to. He sighed and gently asked her: "When did the child start feeling unwell?" "At dinner... then it got worse, and I..." About an hour since the symptoms began. Garrett mentally noted the timeline and continued, "What did he eat for dinner? Drink? Anything unusual?" "ck bread, beans... We all ate together, every day, never had issues before..." "Did he touch anything unusual? Any painting nearby? Picked any fruits? Touched any flowers?" Patiently, Garrett continued the questioning. He was used to investigating allergensfrom diet to surroundings, asking about anything strange, whether they touched, smelled, or encountered anything out of the ordinary. Every detail mattered. Once, when rescuing a severely allergic patient, they discovered the allergen was peach fuzz, brushed by as the patient walked past a fruit stall... Allergic to peach fuzz. Turning a doctor into a star detective. Speaking softly, asking question after question, the farmwoman shook her tear-filled head. While asking, Garrett also kept half his attention on the child and responded to the priest''s inquiry: "Why do you need a tube?" "To insert into the airway! Where''s the tube? Why isn''t it here yet?" "It''sing!" Someone dashed out from the kitchen. With the left hand gesturing outward, signaling for space, and the right hand holding something aloft. Panting, they thrust it into Garrett''s hand: "The tube''s here! Check if it''s usable! I cleaned it painstakingly!" Garrett lowered his gaze. In his palmy a chicken leg bone, cut at both ends to reveal the hollow interior. ncing at the bone, he saw the marrow nearly cleaned out from the center, allowing candlelight to filter through the other end. ...It''ll do, makeshift as it is. No sterile packaging, no disposable PVC tracheal tube, not even bambooprobably not grown in this regionjust a hollowed chicken bone. It would have to suffice for now. Garrett shrugged. With a swipe of his thumb on the bone''s edge, he furrowed his brow, then handed it back: "The edge is too sharp. Smooth it out." "This..." Uncle Edmund hesitated. Someone delicately extended a hand, the priest taking the chicken bone from Garrett''s palm and passing it over to the knight beside him: "Roman, lend a hand." The knight, Roman, frowned slightly. Without a word, he took the bone, using the pad of his thumb to rub the edge, then flipped it and did the same. Bone fragments fell, and the sharp cuts made by a kitchen knife visibly smoothed out. Wide-eyed, Garrett couldn''t help but exim softly. Directly using his hands for it! Thumb as a whetstone! Just a gentle rub! Are the knights in this world physically this powerful? Before he could close his gaping mouth, the priest handed back the smoothed bone. While passing it, he curiously inquired: "Insert into the airway? How? Why?" "Wow! It''s actually going in!" --------------- Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Tracheal intubation was something Garrett had done not just ten thousand times in his past life but around eight thousand times. In hospitals, only three departments did this often: anesthesia, otryngology, and the versatile emergency department. For scheduled surgeries, it was easyeither the anesthesiologist would do it or they''d call in help from otryngology. But in emergencies, it was different. If a patient was choking and needed that tube in seconds, there was no time to wait for specialists toe down. The poor souls in the emergency department had to roll up their sleeves and do it themselves. The issue was, Garrett had intubated in various ways: orally, nasally, through a cut in the trachea, and without cutting; using standard tubes, stainless steel reinforced ones, some even with an additional suction tube. But he had never used this. A chicken bone. Cut at both ends, slightly smoothed, with some suspect bone marrow, disinfection questionable... Garrett thought, if he had a choice, he wouldn''t use this thing instead of a tracheal tube. But well, when resources were scarce, a chicken bone as a substitute was better than nothing. As he worked, he had to awkwardly exin to the priest: "After the cricoidotomy... What''s the cricoid? It''s where I made the incision, not just anywhere on the neck, it''s the safest spot... After the incision, swiftly inserting a tube into the trachea to prevent the damaged cricoid cartge frompressing and causing narrowing of the airway. What''s the cricoid cartge? Why is it damaged, why the airway narrowing? I don''t have time to exin that now... A child''s airway is narrow, so the tube can''t go too deep, or it''ll end up in the esophagus, causing trouble..." h, h, h. If these were his students asking these basic questions, he''d surely kick them outhow did they even attend ss without knowing this? But these priests from another world were not expected to understand this. Plus, the situation demanded more attention. Garrett had to split his focus and try his best to exin. He exined while he worked. No operating lights, no bright bulbs, just dim candlelight and torchesno one even held a mirror for reflection. Edison knew to use a mirror when saving his mom, or so the story goes... Well, even if that waster imed to be fabricated... "Oh, then..." "Don''t speak! It''s starting!" The priest jumped at his stern tone, lips sealed tightly. Garrett lowered his head, aligning the chicken bone at the cricoid incision under the flickering light, stabilizing it, and gently pushing inward. A slight resistance followed by a familiar sense of emptiness at his fingertips indicated that the makeshift tubethe chicken bonehad breached the incision and entered the child''s throat. A faint whistling airflow, immediately passing through the chicken bone in the child''s throat, reached Garrett''s ears. Operationpleted! Next was... well, securing... Oh no! No adhesive! Nothing to stick the chicken bone and keep it fixed on the child''s neck, preventing movement! What on earth could he use in this emergency... On his first day in this alternate world, in his second emergency surgery, Garrett found himself in tears once again. As it turned out, a doctor''s imagination and creativity knew no bounds in saving lives. Garrett, facing the difficulty of having a chicken bone lodged in a child''s throat for less than a second, immediately took action. He grabbed the child''s hand and thrust it into the farm owner''s: "Uncle Edmond, hold onto him!" He urged, grabbing the farmer''s other hand, pressing it against the child''s shoulder: "Don''t let him move! Not even an inch! Especially this tube on his neck, absolutely no movement!" The bearded farmer tried his best, beckoning a few other men to hold the child down. The priest of the Spring Goddess, with bated breath, had been watching, only now daring to let out a sigh, hurriedly inquiring: "So, is this good enough?" "Not yet!" Garrett grimaced. He gestured towards the child''s throat, indicating the priest to look: "See, the throat is still swollen. The child can''t breathe properly yetwhen the swelling goes down, then it''s out of danger." "Is that so?" The priest bent down, trying hard to look, even coaxing the child to open his mouth. Unfortunately, the hall was too dim, and after staring for a while, he couldn''t make out anything. Frustrated, he snapped his fingers: A soft "pop" sound, and a flickering white light floated into the child''s mouth. "Ah!" Garrett nced over, immediately rmed: "Don''t treat him yet! He can''t be treated like this!" "But, this is just an illumination spell..." The priest shrank a bit under Garrett''s scolding, feeling a bit unjustified. Sir Roman, the knight, gripped his sword, ring at Garrett. Garrett hadn''t noticed the knight''s re, leaning in beside the priest, continuously exining: "Look inside his throat... deep inside, it''s all swollen, right? There''s supposed to be a dark hole, but you can''t see anything now. Even further down, it''s swollen too, can''t breathe in properly, almost choked just now. Hey, you''re the priest of the Spring Goddess, control water flows, can you reduce the swelling?" "What''s reducing swelling?" "Make these swollen areas release the water, don''t let it block the throat." "This..." The priest was stumped. He furrowed his brows, pondering for a while, then shook his head: "There''s an attack spell that''s close, high-level, drains the whole body''s moisture, I''m far from that level. To draw out moisture from such a small area... I don''t know, I''ll pray and see if I can summon divine favor..." He did just that. The young priest adjusted his posture, disregarding how his silk robe might gather dust on the ground, kneeling with both knees, hands sped in front of his chest. Whispering chants one after another, finally, he lifted his head, sighing in failure: "No. The Goddess didn''t respond to me. ...What about you? Do you have a way?" Eager eyes once again turned to Garrett. Silence. I wanted to skip the steps and go straight to the solution using divine magic. But, was it still not possible? The limitations of divine magic were just too strong. If there''s an existing solution, copy it directly; if there isn''t, not even a hint of a solving method... Fine, let modern medicine handle this! --------------- Chapter 13 Chapter 13 If it''s modern medicine handling this, it naturally follows modern medical thinking. Garrett focused, carefully examining the child once more: the previous observations were urate, facial swelling, visible rashes on the face and hands, likely allergies. He turned to the farmwoman holding the child, continuing his inquiries: "Did the child eat any strange fruits? Or pluck any flowers? Where did the child y this afternoon?" "How could he have yed! Little Remy is sensible, helping around the house for two years now!" Oops... My bad. Garrett wiped a bead of sweat. How did the original owner of this body spend their childhood? The current memories aren''t fully connected yet; he couldn''t recall immediately. But in his previous life, at seven or eight, he was surely in primary school! Carrying a little backpack, going to school every day, hadn''t even begun thinking about blowing up schools! However, Garrett knew well enough how mischievous seven or eight-year-olds could be. During his time in the emergency department, parents rushed in daily with children, injured or sick, reasons beyond human imagination sometimes. Sometimes adults couldn''t imagine what a child''spanions might know "Did any child work with him? Can we call them over to ask?" Garrett patiently inquired. Before the farmwoman could respond, the farmer holding the child, Uncle Edmund, jumped in: "Yes, yes! Two or three of them! What are you waiting for, go call them!" Someone dashed off immediately. Garrett furrowed his brow, continuing to ponder, calcting what other factors might contribute to the illness. Meanwhile, a priest who had finished inspecting the child''s throat, bored, chimed in: "Why are you asking all this?" Garrett: "......" Identifying the source of the allergy! Garrett bit his tongue, barely stopping the words at the tip of his tongue. Allergy, amon term in his previous life, even non-medical professionals knew what it meant. But speaking it out in this unfamiliar realm... Garrett was a hundred percent sure; this curious priest before him would dig deep. How would he exin if questioned? Hypersensitivity reaction, also known as an allergic reaction, refers to the abnormal adaptive immune response when the body is stimted by certain antigens, causing physiological dysfunction or tissue cell damage? Quite simple, very clear, just one sentence from the textbooks... Exining it properly could be deadly! Not just in this realm; even in Garrett''s previous life, asking a non-medical professional to exin "allergy," you could ce 53 medical textbooks in front of them, they''d struggle flipping through for half an hour and then yell: "Which book actually exins allergies?!" Exactly, half an hour, couldn''t even find which book covered allergies... Thankfully, Garrett''s previous life involved being an associate director in the emergency department, experienced inmunicating with patients and their families. He carefully worded his response: "I ask these questions to see if the child ate, drank, or touched something he couldn''t tolerate." "Poisoning?" "Not poisoning..." Brother, who just performed that detoxification spell? Wasn''t it you? After spending ages exining and sweating buckets, finally rifying the symptoms of "allergies." The ymates of the patient who yed during the day were called in, a total of three, one barely ten, the youngest appearing around four or five. Garrett asked the same questions again, and sure enough, something different came up this time: "It was salted fish! Hanging on the beam, I saw Remy took a piece!" "You''re lying! Our Remy is well-behaved, never steals food!" The farmwoman jumped up like a protective mother beast, sharp and loud. Mother screaming, child running, man trying to stop them, chaos erupted in the hall, the volume hitting 120 decibels again. Garrett was drenched in sweat. Amidst the noisy crowd, he shouted with all his might: "Stop it, everyone! Who will bring that salted fish here!" As much as they suspected the salted fish, in the field of modern medicine, no doctor dared to diagnose without conducting an experiment. With a salted fish in his left hand and a bowl of water in his right, he inspected "What fish is this?" Forgive him for knowing only how to eat, never buying or cooking. Cooked dishes presented before him, he could identify the fish, but a raw fish before him... Impossible to recognize, he stepped back. Thankfully, he didn''t recognize it, but someone else did. The priest of the Spring Goddess stuck his head out, studied it with interest for a moment, and confidently concluded: "It''s cod. Did this cause the trouble?" Cod it was. Garrett nodded inwardly: People in this ind area rarely eat sea fish, an asional indulgence leading to an allergy was ordinary. He smiled and nodded to the priest: "I reckon it''s quite probable. However, we need to confirm." "How do we confirm? Make the child eat it again?" "......" Garrett sweated profusely: "His throat is swollen like this, even if you make him eat, he won''t be able to swallow!" "What should we do then?" How to conduct the experiment, generations of doctors in his previous life had paved the way for future practitioners. Doctors didn''t need to worry; suspecting an allergy, sending for a skin test would suffice. The skin test, costing a few dors, involved pricking the skin with two needles, one with the antigen and the other with a control solution, with results in half an hour. But now, at this moment... For a skin test, you first needed the antigen! Sterile, without obvious toxic side effects, with measured protein contentrows and rows of them were avable in theb; seemingly easy to obtain. But if the ready-made antigen products were unavable, to extract from raw materials... Garrett''s previous life was in clinical practice, not pharmaceuticals. Yet, he had heard from pharmaceutical colleagues, conducting experiments for their projects, cutting fish meat, grinding it with liquid nitrogen, adding acetone to remove fat, stirring, settling, using a centrifuge... After this whole process, it''d take days and nights, looking disheveled. As for how many drugs and instruments were needed in this process, that''s another story. In his previous life, seemingly ordinary conditions were supported by a powerful industrial force in the country. But in this realm, the only thing Garrett could be certain of was: The only thing he could currently do was prepare the first step of the antigen preparation. Cut the fish meat, soak it in water... That''s it. Then, directly move to thest step of the skin test. "Get two needles! Bring another bowl of water!" A drop of water mixed with fish meat and in water on the child''s left and right forearms, then a gentle prick with two needles through the droplets, breaking the skin but no bleeding. Garrett held his wrist, silently counting to 60, wiped off the droplets on the child''s arms, then "What now?" "Wait." The nitpicking test in the skin test, Type I hypersensitivityseafood allergy, nut allergy, paint allergyobserving the results 20 to 30 minutes after the antigen stimulus. The patient was temporarily out of danger, the next steps in treatment awaited the test results, for now, all they could do... Was wait. Left, right, sitting there, doing nothing. Garrett: "......" Seriously, if this takes half an hour, will no one send me off to eat?! --------------- Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Twenty minutes felt neither short nor long. Especially when someone by your side kept bombarding you with questions, one after another, and you couldn''t just shoo them away... it felt like an eternity. Garrett focused one eye on the child''s throat and the other on the priest, gesturing and exining until his mouth went dry. Finally, someone shouted, "It''s turning red! A big red circle!" Peering in, the boy''s left forearm looked smooth and clear, no issues there. But on the right forearmwhere the fish meat was applieda big patch had turned red, swollen with a noticeable cluster in the middle. Surrounding the redness were faint, irregr red lines, resembling insect legs at a nce. Redness with pseudo-legs and a cluster... Exactly, it was an allergic reaction, and a pretty severe one! Of course, the reaction might also be intense because the fish meat concoction he prepared might not have been diluted at all... Feeling a bit guilty, Garrett kept up a confident facade while pping his hands. "Confirmed! It''s the codfish''s fault!" "What''s next?" "Next..." Garrett faltered. After the skin test, the cause of the child''s illness was identified as acute throat edema due to an allergy. He knew the emergency procedures like the back of his hand, could prescribe them with his eyes closed. Even before giving the instructions, the veteran emergency ward nurses had prepared the medications: 0.1% adrenaline hydrochloride subcutaneous injection; 10ml saline solution + 1mg adrenaline + 10mg dexamethasone, immediate oral rinsing for three to five minutes; Followed by 20-40ml saline solution, 1-2mg adrenaline, and 10mg dexamethasone for continuous nebulization. But now, what did he have in his hands? Absolutely nothing! No adrenaline injection, no dexamethasone injection, not even saline solutionwhatever they prepared on-site was definitely impure, with inurate concentration and far from sterile... Boom! This day was a disaster! Fortunately, Garrett had a n for this issue. Pretending to contemte for a moment, he calmly turned to the farmer: "I saw there''s mutton soup in the kitchen. Are the sheep''s innards still there?" "They are, they are!" Farmer Edmund vigorously nodded. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief: if they weren''t, he''d have to negotiate with the farmhands to ughter a sheep on the spot. He got up and headed for the kitchen: "Bring me the innards!" Through this rescue operation, Garrett had gained significant respect at the farm. With just a word, someone was already on their way to fetch the requested items. Soon, a bloody basin of innards was brought in and mmed onto Garrett''s table. And there, amidst the crowd, Garrett squatted down, paying no mind to being watched, and unabashedly rummaged through the wooden basin... Meanwhile, the priest, who had been following Garrett all along, crouched down curiously as well. After observing for a while, puzzled, he couldn''t help but ask, "What are you doing?" "Looking for a specific organ." "Which one?" The priest leaned in. Finally unable to hold back any longer, Sir Roman, who had been guarding them diligently, stepped forward, bowing: "Sir, your status is noble, you shouldn''t..." "Hey!" The priest impatiently waved his sleeve. Stretching his neck left and right, he unexpectedly caught a whiff of a mixed, pungent smell, nearly staggering backward if not for Sir Roman''s support. Yet, despite the difort, he continued his questioning: "What are you looking for exactly? It''s just innards; put them down, and they''ll find it for you!" "They don''t know." Garrett didn''t lift his head, focused on his search, muttering, "Kidney... Kidney... Found it! There''s one more..." "Oh, you''re looking for the sheep''s kidneys!" The priest''s head popped back in. Garrett raised his hand, stained with sheep''s blood, as if to push him away: "Stop bothering!" A cold hum came from the top left. Sir Roman unsheathed his sword, blocking Garrett''s hand. With a chilling gleam, Garrett was taken aback, and the priest''s head retreated, muttering: "If you won''t tell, fine... I was just trying to help..." Ignoring him, Garrett remained focused, painstakingly searching in the wooden basin. The butchered sheep''s anatomy was inplete disarray, finding one kidney didn''t guarantee finding the other. He continued for a while longer, eventually uncovering both kidneys. Breathing a sigh of relief, he carried the bowl with the kidneys to the table and began meticulously dissecting them. From the start, Garrett wasn''t after the kidneys but the adrenal nds. Adrenaline constricts blood vessels, while dexamethasone acts as an anti-inmmatory and suppresses allergies. Dexamethasone was a syntheticpound, out of the question now, but adrenaline... maybe there was a way. With this substance, at least the throat swelling could be alleviated, allowing the child to breathe normally. As for the chicken bone stuck in the airway, it could also be removed quickly. Theoretically, adrenaline belongs to the protein hormone category and can''t be taken orally because stomach enzymes break it down. However, history mentioned instances of oral adrenaline intake. Garrett recalled reading about it in a past life: In the autumn of 1893, British doctor George Oliver, who invented the sphygmomanometer, discovered that when a subject swallowed a substance extracted from goat adrenal nds, the sphygmomanometer could detect radial artery constriction. Inter years, this experiment became the earliest significant evidence of adrenal extracts elevating blood pressure. But for Garrett at this moment, it signified something more important: Adrenaline or adrenal extract taken orally did indeed work! Of course, the child couldn''t swallow right now. But Garrett had another hope: among the adrenaline family, adrenaline and noradrenaline couldn''t be taken sublingually, but isoprenaline could! Therefore... adrenal extract... or rather, crushed adrenal nd mixed with water... might have some effect... right? Garrett was too tense to speak, meticulously peeling the membrane off the sheep''s kidneys under the dim light. Snipping, pulling, bluntly separating... the rough iron scissors in his hand glimmered softly, almost exhibiting the dexterity of surgical shears. The adrenal nd was small, snugly situated at the top of the kidney, enveloped within the renal capsule. Human adrenal nds weighed merely 5-7 grams; goat adrenal nds wouldn''t differ much. He had to be extremely careful to extract the adrenal nd intact without damaging it. He didn''t know how much active substance was in these two adrenal nds or how much could be absorbed sublingually. He... better be careful and not waste any... Garrett was fully absorbed, his actions cautious and gentle. The atmosphere he exuded while working unknowingly affected everyone. Even the fussy priest stopped talking, leaning over the table, silent. The knight coughed beside him, attempting to say something, but Garrett waved his hand, silencing him. Only when Garrett sessfully extracted the two adrenal nds, chopped and ground them in a clean empty bowl, mixed them with water for the child to rinse, did the priest heave a sigh of relief, jumping up and asking: "Is this enough? Is it okay now?" "Let''s wait and see..." Garrett stared intently at the child''s neck, staying vignt in case the chicken bone shifted. Thankfully, after the child rinsed for one minute, two minutes, five minutes... the chicken bone remained intact, but the throat swelling gradually subsided, and the sound of air passing through the vocal cords became more pronounced. "Wow! It worked! It really worked!" "Yeah, it worked." Garrett wiped off a bead of sweat, pulled out the chicken bone, and smiled wearily at the priest, "Next, it''s your turn to heal his wound..." "No problem! Watch me!" The priest eagerly rushed over. After a night of turmoil with the child''s condition, he finally had a chance to contribute. His healing technique was particrly neat and precise. Once the wound was healed, he straightened his robe, held his head high, and extended his right hand to Garrett: "Hello, young healer." --------------- Chapter 15 Chapter 15 "Hello, young healer." The priest smiled, extending a hand. Garrett raised his gaze slightly, noting the priest appeared to be about twenty-four or twenty-five, with bright blue eyes reminiscent of the spring goddess''s clear springs. d in a light blue silk robe with a navy blue woven belt embroidered with three narcissus flowers in white threadthe insignia of a third-level priest, as per the previous owner''s memories. Unperturbed by Garrett''s bloodied appearance in rough linen and bloodstains, the priest''s demeanor remained warm and weing: "I am Noah Donald, servant of the Spring Goddess. It''s a pleasure to meet you." Garrett extended his hand in return but recoiled halfway upon realizing blood still stained his hand. Donald didn''t mind, smiling as Garrett rushed to clean and dry his hands before extending his hand again for a shake: "Hello, I''m Garrett Nordmark. Pleasure to meet you." As their hands met, Garrett noticed Donald''s hand was smooth and pristine, save for a few calluses where he gripped a pen, contrasting sharply with his own rough, calloused hands. Donald seemed to notice too, briefly lowering his gaze before resuming his smile: "My apologies for the misunderstanding earlier. And Sir Raymond Knight, please offer your apology as well." Following Donald''s gaze, Garrett saw the knight standing nearby, stoic, wearing a breastte adorned with a shimmering rose motif at the center. His hand, freed from an iron gauntlet, held a broadsword adorned with several round blue gems arranged in a straight line down the scabbard''s center. Wearing te armor, a distinctive emblem on his breastte different from the temple''s, and adorned with gemstones, even for a temple knight, it seemed improbable to have suchvish equipmentlikely a noble. Perhaps higher-ranked than Donalda fourth-level knight or possessing abat level surpassing the priest. No wonder he was aloof, ignoring the priest''s request for an apology. Garrett remainedposed. While Raymond maintained his stern expression, he nodded slightly towards Garrett: "My apologies." "No worries. It''s easy to be misunderstood based on what I did earlier," Garrett replied, smiling. Feeling lucky, Garrett thought. The knight had shown restraint, not breaking his ribs or worse. Heard stories of less fortunate colleagues: one performed an emergency tracheotomy on a choking patient outside, mistakenly reported to the police by unaware onlookers, leading to public arrest... Raymond''s demeanor might not have been amiable, but Donald paid no mind. As the two conversed, Donald casually turned towards the main table: "Mr. Nordmark, would you join me for dinner? Your healing just now was quite delightful, and I have much to discuss with you..." He nced around, noticing Garrett''s teammates, including the young freckled priest, John, and Captain Karen, who had just managed to rise with a cane. Donald smiled politely at the young priest, extending his hand: "And the priest from the Temple of the War God, would you care to join us too?" The young priest stood frozen in ce, unsure how to respond. Donald simply pulled him over, seating Garrett to his left, John to his right. Interestingly, Sir Raymond found himself seated below several healers. The farmer''s wife and a few other women hurriedly served dishes. The priest had brought his own utensilsa silver te, a silver dish, silver goblets, and a silver salt shaker adorned with gemstones. Garrett and John, however, had only a bowl ofmb stew and a basket of dark breadminimal fare. But there was a silver liningthe stew had visible meaty bones. Unfazed, Garrett dug in, unashamed. Strangely, after a moment''s pause, Donald recovered, smiling as he had two silver goblets brought over, pouring each of them a ss of wine. The wine, crimson and aromatic, though Garrett had never been much of a drinker even in his past life, unmistakably screamed quality. ...Quite somethingcarriages, silk robes, silverware may be absent, but the wine''s here? Garrett almost chuckled, fighting the urge. Sir Raymond, seated below, couldn''t contain himself. The priest, disregarding his status, mingling with those beneath him, then coercing apologies, now seating thosemoners at his table''s headit was one too many straws. He mmed the table, rising abruptly: "My Lord! How can you, of noble birth, sit with thesemoners!" The hall fell silent. Garrett was stunned, and across from him, young John put his bread down, his face flushing red. But Donald, after a brief pause, continued calmly, even as he countered: "Don''t say that. We are all healers, servants of the gods." "What kind of healer is he?" Raymond''s tone grew more agitated. Stepping closer, he towered over Garrett: "He''s never used any healing technique until now. And I''ve never seen anyone like him, an apprentice priest in the city!" Garrett wanted to speak up, but suddenly found himself at a loss for words. His status as a "healer" was questionable. His medical skills were real, but the healing techniques were made up, divine calling and a fabrication of his own. And now, here he was, being questioned. Moreover, he recalled from the previous owner''s memories that priests didn''t just appear out of thin air; they underwent extensive learning, umting knowledge and devoutness... He didn''t get a chance to exin. Raymond took a step forward, his armor clinking, drawing half his sword, its glint piercing Garrett''s eyes: "Speak! Whose servant are you?" "He''s a Chosen of the God of Nature!" From different corners, voices ovepped. Garrett''s heart skipped a beat. He nced at his team, wishing he could shove their words back. But it was toote. Raymond looked down, a cold smirk on his face: "A Chosen? A Chosen who can''t heal? A Chosen who can''t even heal his ownrades?!" Before he finished, sword out, he pointed at Captain Karen, leaning on her cane, supported by a teammate: "Prove your divine grace! Otherwise, you''re a sphemer!" --------------- Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Garrett felt a shiver down his spine. He''d witnessed medical chaos countless times beforearguments that raged for hours, wreaths being carried into the emergency hall to burn ghost money, fights breaking out over IV stands, even direct violence with knives. Oh, thatst onehe''d only seen the aftermath cleaned up by security. But never once had he felt death so close. sphemy! The religious court! The stake! On his very first day here, just after escaping one crisis, was he now about to be burned alive? Garrett''s forehead beaded with cold sweat; he wished he could bolt then and there. But faced with Roman''s knightly sword, gleaming and cold, and Captain Karen''s pale face, a surge of anger rose within him, drowning out his fear: "You''ve got something against me,e at me! Drawing a sword on a patient, what''s the meaning of this?!" Garrett stood upright suddenly. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest, blood rushing in his ears. Before he could speak, beside him, Priest Donald frowned and shouted: "Roman! Sheathe your sword!" When the local priest spoke, the knight Roman couldn''t refuse. He snorted coldly, slowly sheathing his sword but still defiant. Across from Garrett, young priest John also rose, leaning forward with a hand on the table, indignant in tone: "Garrett knows healing magic! I swear in the name of the War God, I saw it with my own eyes today! You say you don''t know him, you city nobles, how would you recognize a servant of the Nature God?" Garrett: "..." Really? Is the Church of the Nature God that poor? Several memories resurfaced in his mind. Garrett shuddered, finally remembering why he thought the Nature Godcked a temple Indeed, there wasn''t one. This church didn''t have temples like the War God or the Spring Goddess. They usually just found a small hill, encircling it with stones for worship. If even the stone circle was absent, they''d simply find an oak tree and pray under it... The priests of the Spring Goddess wore silk robes, rode in carriages; The War God''s temple was behind the city guards'' barracks, its senior priests d in shining armor, carrying shields and warhammers, looking more like soldiers than the soldiers themselves; Meanwhile, servants of the Nature God wandered in simple, drab hemp robes, carrying oak staffs, traversing streets andnes. One word: poor. Even the elders didn''t fare much better. Garrett recalled gossip about how during meetings of the high-level spellcasters convened by the Lord''s Manor, the elders of the Church of the Nature God walked there on two legs, d in hemp robes, carrying oak staffs... No wonder when he imed to have received the Nature God''s divine inspiration, his teammates weren''t surprised but rather disappointed. Wouldn''t parents feel disappointed if their child joined an utterly poor new workce, knowing that even a promotion wouldn''t bring much of a raise? Just like in his past life, when his mother knew he applied to the emergency department, feeling both distressed and unable to oppose... Garrett got lost in reminiscence. It felt tender, mncholic, until a furious shout shook him awake: "You saw him cast healing magic, you saw the Nature God bestow him with a divine revtion?Is that what you''re saying? Are you not afraid of sphemy?!" Roman''s knightly appearance loomed tall. Even Priest Donald seemed ufortable. A knight and a priest''s apprentice bickering wasn''t umon, but reaching usations of sphemy towards each other was beyond casual. Priest Donald coughed lightly, rose gracefully, and with a smile, addressed Garrett, slightly leaning forward: "Mr. Nordmark, truth be told, I''m quite interested in your healing magic. Also, yourpanion seems injured" He left his seat, taking Garrett by the arm, walking straight up to Captain Karen: "I''m sure you''re eager to heal him. Would you mind demonstrating your healing magic for us to observe?" "This..." Garrett hesitated. The young priest on the other side called out again: "He''s already used it today!It''ste; how could he possibly use it again?" "It''s fine if you can''t perform magic tonight." Donald smiled amiably, undeterred. "We could wait until tomorrow, but then, do make sure to call me to witness..." The two subtly shed. Garrett tuned them out, his gaze vacant, deep in thought: Healing magic... healing magic... How did I release it? Right, back then, I was thinking, if possible, I wish Uncle Karen''s injury would heal faster... Silence. Think again. Still nothing. Garrett adjusted his breathing, focusing. Recalling the interaction between the original host and Uncle Karen, stirring his emotions, he silently repeated in his mind, word by word: "If possible, I wish Uncle Karen''s injury would heal faster." Still nothing... This mystical stuff, I really am not good at it. Deeply introspecting, Garrett resolved to be rational. Don''t rush, he told himself, let''s analyze this. What could be the prerequisites for casting a healing spell? Goal, method, motivation? One, go strong desire. Likely fulfilled, but not released. It''s a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one; Two, methodunderstanding the spell''s model. When he cast healing magic the first time, there was no model in his mind, so maybe it''s not necessary, at least not for the basic healing spells...? Three, motivation. If a car''s power source is gasoline, and magic''s is mana, then divine magic''s source is... probably faith? What''s my faith? "All-powerful Nature God..." After silently praying, still nothing. The Nature God indeed paid no heed to me. Things like divine revtions were just my own boasting. "God of Medicine Apollo, Asclepius, and all the gods as witnesses, I solemnly swear..." Still nothing. In the dimly lit hall, only the torches on the walls crackled, seemingly mocking. Sweat beaded on Garrett''s forehead. Why nothing? Why couldn''t I cast the healing spell? Is it true what those Westerners saythat Chinese people have no faith...? Impossible! Chinese people do have faith! Ido have faith! Calm down! Think again! What exactly is my faith? Is it the mothend? The mothend is far away in another time and ce, unreachable, unable to be the driving force for him; Is it Marxism? He never joined the party, so his faith wasn''t that pure; Is it ancestors, history? Garrett didn''t believe his ancestors and history were what drove him forward... Then what is it? If I have faith, if I really do Then it''s healing and saving lives! Saving one life after another, healing one patient after another; Day shifts, night shifts, every time exhausted, upon hearing the ambnce, he''d muster the strength and rush to help; asional healing, frequent assistance, alwaysforting... That was the culmination of all the love and dedication he''d gathered since stepping into the realm of medicine. Seven years of continuous study, over a decade of clinical workevery ounce of passion and sincerity! Unconsciously, Garrett raised his right fist to his ear. His gaze fixed forward, as if a bright red g unfurled in the void before him: "Tied to health and life..." The familiar vow rolled off his tongue, word by word. Each syble weighed heavily, as if a thousand pounds. A pure, abundant white light silently descended. At that moment, tears welled in Garrett''s eyes. --------------- Chapter 17 Chapter 17 "Wowit''s a healing spell!" "They''ve really cast a healing spell!" "Garrett, you''re amazing!" The hall buzzed with excitement. Children of five, six, seven, eight years old, half-grown boys, farmers and their wives, all pushed eagerly to get inside. Garrett''s threerades, Raymond the spearman, Tom the archer, and Vali the shield warrior, had to link arms to form a half-circle, trying to keep the audience from crowding their captain. Young priest John''s face was lit up with excitement; his freckles seemed to sparkle. In contrast, the knight Roman''s expression grew darker Divine favor could be boasted about, but divine magic couldn''t be faked. When a real healing spell was cast, the teenager in coarse linen garb standing before them was truly blessed by the divine. Among the clergy, at least in name, everyone was equal. As the priest Donald had said earlier, "We are all servants of the gods." Especially among those serving different gods, no one had authority over another. The idea of temple knights overseeing priests was ludicrous. It was a shame; they couldn''t confront that disrespectfulmonerd anymore... He slowly lowered his hand from the sword hilt. Meanwhile, Garrett, with his back turned, remained oblivious,pletely absorbed in his thoughts: The Hippocratic Oath. From ancient Greece until today, passed down through generations for nearly 2500 years, tens of millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of doctors had sworn to uphold it. In the realm of health, entrusted with lives. Since 1991, generations of Chinese medical students had entered the gates of medicine reciting this oath. Healing became their duty; in times of great disaster, donning their white coats like warriors, they fearlessly marched forward. Year after year, this umted faith held immense power If possible, if feasible, if even a drop of that belief fell upon me here in this unfamiliar realm, it would be enough to establish my footing. Thanks to Hippocrates, thanks to the predecessors and mentors, thanks to the doctors who had fought in the past, present, and future... Garrett''s thoughts soared. In the next moment, he forcibly brought himself back, focusing his attention on the wounded: The healing spell he had finally cast must be directed precisely, not wasted in any way! Sterilize and disinfect the abdominal wound! Achieve the effect of an antibiotic wash! Prevent postoperative infections! Heal the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, peritoneum, and superficial fascia! If there''s any energy left, try to mend the other wounds as much as possible... Um... So, how do I make this healing spell work the way I want it to? Garrett was clueless. If he were an official priest or even a priest''s apprentice, he would have been taught the methods right from the start. How to guide with the mind, what crucial points to noteit wouldn''t have been just theoretical but also observed. Before releasing his first healing spell, he would have seen it demonstrated countless times. The issue was, Garrett was aplete novice in healing spells. His ims of being inspired by natural spirits were just empty boasts... No way around it, just imagine it! Garrett began to visualize. He strained to recall everything he had seen during the surgery and his understanding of human anatomy from years of clinical experience. Then, painstakingly, he began to outline it all in his mind... A divine light swept through the abdominal cavity. Wherever it reached, Staphylocus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa... all sorts of pathogens were eradicated (Garrett even mentally conjured up images of these bacteria); Under the white light, at every size of injury, telets gathered inrge numbers, blood coagted, sealing the wounds; Just like when pouring healing potion, the deep red rectus abdominis, the pale transverse abdominis, the loose greater omentum, the torn mesentery, whether he had stitched up or missed any abdominal wounds, they all rapidly healed,yer byyer; Grantion tissue formed, blood vessels grew, epithelial cells climbed; finally, the once-injured tissues were restored to perfect condition... Garrett had no idea how effective this visualization would be. He simply closed his eyes, entirely focused, using his solid knowledge and the ability to mentally paint, depicting everything that should or might ur inside the abdomen. Fortunately, every surgeon was an artist, or at least a spiritual artist, often drawing anatomical diagrams to exin to patients. For Garrett, sketching all this in his mind was effortless. He concentrated intensely on visualizing; to onlookers, it seemed as if he was diligently guiding the healing spell. The hall gradually quietened without anyone noticing. Warriors and farmers, previously engaged in hushed conversations, ceased even their breathing efforts. Only a few ignorant and fearless children were giggling and ying. But they were quickly pulled close by rough peasant hands, muffling theirughter forcefully. A hush fell. Garrett could only hear the crackling of torches and the intentionally suppressed, heavy breathing all around. In this silence, suddenly came a long: "Pff" The sound was loud, prolonged, unmistakably distinctive. In the hall, the warriors surrounding Captain Karen burst intoughter: "Hahaha! The captain farted!" "The captain actually farted!" The soldiersughed heartily. In the midst of theughter, Garrett opened his eyes excitedly and jumped up. It was akin to when he, as a resident doctor, heard a patient''s first fart after an appendectomy: "He''s passed gas!" He clenched his fists, raising them high, vigorously waving toward the sky. The surgery was sessful! Recovery was on its way! His visualizationlet''s call it thatseemed to work! "Uncle Karen, your intestines are healed!" Captain Karen seemed a bit dazed. It wasn''t until Garrett repeated it a second time that he seemed to snap out of it, still somewhat incredulous: "Really?" "It''s healed!" "It''s really healed?" "At least it''s started functioning! Passing gas means your intestines are moving again, Uncle Karen, you can eat now!" "That''s fantastic!" Captain Karen was thrilled, the soldiers were thrilled, and even more thrilled than them was Edmund, the formerrade of Captain Karen, now a farmer. The moment Garrett announced that eating was permissible, Edmund immediately turned around and shouted: "Kids! Bring out the food! Good wine, good food, big chunks of meat, bring it all out!" Uh...just a moment. Garrett hastily jumped up to stop him: "Wait! He can only have some milk! At most, thin porridge! He can''t eat anything else!" "What? Didn''t you say it''s already healed?" "The area that just healed can''t take much stress..." The calls to bring food, the attempts to stop, the exnationsit all turned into chaos. Amidst the uproar, the knight Roman crossed his arms, looking coldly at Garrett, his gaze icy. --------------- Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Sessfully casting the healing spell, Garrett returned to the dining table feeling particrly confident. He shared lunch with the priest, chatting away, also keeping an eye on the boy for an hour to ensure no allergic reactions resurfaced before he could finally rest. Before retiring for the night, he instructed sternly that if the child felt any difort, he should be woken up immediately. Perhaps because he was the healer or perhaps in gratitude for saving the child, Farmer Edmund didn''t make him and hisrades bunk together but instead arranged a separate room for Garrett. Linen sheets, a soft quiltGarretty down and sighed infort. ...The first day of crossing over had finally passed. From this day forward, he had to survive alone in this strange, otherworldly ce. His only reliance: his scientific knowledge, the newly learned healing spell, and... He touched his chest. A wax-coated hemp thread fastened a pendant, a memory that had never left his side since childhood. A translucent, leaf-shaped, pale green pendant. Neither gold nor jade, nor wood nor stone. "I wonder what this thing is... oh well, might as well keep wearing it..." Garrett murmured softly. With his eyes closed, he fell into darkness in less than a second. Garrett slept soundly. Arriving in this otherworldly ce, traversing who knows how many miles in one go, experiencing two emergency rescues, Garrett slept deeply. He didn''t wake up at all during the night, sleeping like a log. The only disturbance to his sleep was a dream that kept turning and rewriting his paper: "Patient, male, 37 years old... treated for injuries. Diagnosis... grade III liver rupture, one intestinal rupture, 5 cm in length... intestinal repair surgery without anesthesia, followed by healing potions, healing spells for recovery, and the inclusion of intestine. Patient passed gas six hours after intestinal surgery." Discussion: Post-intestinal surgery, due to anesthesia and surgical trauma, the patient''s intestinal recovery tends to be slow, generally requiring 48-72 hours. In this case, the patient recovered intestinal motility in just 6 hours, significantly shorter time. It can be considered that the use of healing spells post-surgery significantly contributed to the intestinal recovery function. Further clinical research is rmended based on this case... ...Cursed paper. Garrett groggily woke up, pped himself on the head, producing a crisp sound. "I''ve crossed over, no need to exhaust myself with thesis defense for tenure anymore, cut me some ck..." Because of this not-so-nightmare nightmare, when Garrett was getting ready in the morning, he felt a bit groggy. He dressed, had breakfast with sleepy eyes, and just as he was about to assemble with hisrades, he received news: They were requisitioned by the temple guards to participate in the uing search operation. "Us?" Garrett was puzzled. Beside him, young priest John panicked: "Garrett, you can''t go! That knight from yesterday, he really dislikes you; this requisition must be aimed at you! If you go, he''ll figure out how to deal with you!" "Oh, really?" Garrett scratched his head. "The priest seemed pretty reasonable, and his impression of me wasn''t bad either. But we''re city guards! We''re supposed to patrol!" "But that knight is the lord''s nephew..." Captain Karen sighed, full of helplessness. "The Temple of the Spring Goddess is considered a ''noble temple,'' with mostly nobility among its priests and knights. Requisitioning city guards like us without prior notice is just a formality. They said they''d provide evidence for our patrol tasks once we return. Little Garrett, just forget it." "But Captain Karen, your injury hasn''t fully healed yet! I''ll go find them!" "Little Garrett..." Ignoring the captain''s attempts to stop him, Garrett dashed into the hall. Knight Raymond blocked the entrance, patiently listened to his request, and smiled, "You''re a healer, so you have the privilege not to participate. As for Captain Karen, isn''t his injury already healed?" Garrett lowered his gaze slightly. Raymond''s words seemingly exempted him, providing ample reason not to join the action. He could indeed refuse to go, but what would happen to his teammates if he did? Raymond''s malicious intent was clear. A squad of city guards, alone and unable to resist requisition. If he didn''t go, the knight''s anger and malice would undoubtedly pour onto them. The search task would encounter various dangers; if they went, they might end up as sacrificial pawns in front of the temple guards! Not to mention theirradeship or Captain Karen''s care for his original self. As a doctor, he couldn''t abandon them when their lives might be in danger! What to do, what to do... He no longer argued, bowed slightly, turned, and walked away. After circling a few times, he slipped into a room across the barn, grabbed a temple guard: "Where is the priest? Can you inform them for me?!" "The esteemed priest is still in morning prayers." The temple guard looked at him with an odd gaze. A mix of disdain and suspicion, as if saying: Don''t you pray to the gods every morning? Garrett: "..." It seemed like he had read somewhere that priests prayed every morning to restore their healing abilities... Right, when he was washing his face earlier, young freckles were muttering something to the sun. Oh no, this morning, I was onlyining about the thesis,pletely forgetting about prayer. Also, even if I prayed, who would I pray to? The God of Nature? He couldn''t recall the nature god''s name, doctrine, or prayer words... I truly am a fake divine healer. Garrettmented. Even so, giving up wasn''t Garrett''s style. He calmed himself, turned, and found Farmer Edmund, requesting him to immediately send a message to the city. Then, he found Knight Raymond again, continuing to argue with him. Garrett pleaded and reasoned, but finally, he resorted to a threat: "Then let me go in Captain Karen''s ce! After all, I''m a healer, I have privileges, if you don''t agree, I won''t go!" "Fine! It''s settled!" Their palms met with a p. As they touched hands, Garrett''s left hand, hanging by his side, subtly clenched into a fist. This guy really means trouble. I have to be careful! With his backpack and water pouch, Garrett embarked on the journey once more. About to depart, young priest John, carrying luggage, rushed over and stood by his side without hesitation: "Garrett, I''m going with you!" "Why are you going?" "Since you all won''t send me back home, I''ll naturally go with you!" John winked at him, with a determined yet mischievous smile, his freckles shining brightly on his face: "No way you''re ditching me!" Garrett, helpless, reached out his hand and gave him a firm handshake. Although requisitioned into the search team, Garrett was utterly clueless about what they were looking for. He followed the group, trudging through mountains, crossing three peaks, wading through two streams. Finally, after camping for the night in an abandoned castle, he was rudely awakened by a scream: "Ahskeleton!" ng ng ng ng, the sharp sound of unsheathed swords. Though the castle was remote, it was quiterge, with a main castle, a hall, a watchtower, and multiple buildings. Unfortunately, most of it had copsed. Thankfully, the main hall was mostly intact, and some rooms in the buildings were still roofed, with only the two towers in the southeast and northeast corners appearing habitable. The temple guards upied the most intact main hall of the castle. Priest Donald and Knight Raymond didn''t stay with them but had arranged two rooms upstairs. The team''s horses settled in the buildings, and rather than squeezing in with them, Garrett''s group of five decided to set up camp in the southeast tower. And at that moment, from the northeast tower, came a noisy uproar, with shouts, footsteps, and the sound of swords striking bones. --------------- Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Knocking down two skeletal soldiers, breaking a magical seal with divine magic, Garrett hadn''t fully grasped the situation when he was whisked away into the northeast tower, descending into the underground chambers The underground held surprises. Garrett descended the spiraling stairs, spotting three piles of skeletons and two heaps of unidentified entities resembling zombies. He took a turn downwards and entered a hall, where a sharp wind suddenly rushed from above. "Watch out!" Someone shouted from behind. Garrett instinctively dodged right, and the person behind him rushed forward, tackling him to the ground, rolling together twice. Just as they stopped, there was a dull thud from above, another dark figure descending. "Ah" "Ouch!" "Vali, be careful!" Everything spun. Garrett shook his head, struggling to piece together what just happened: As they entered the hall, an enemy swooped down from above. Initially caught off guard, it was the archer, Tom, who pushed him away, while the shield warrior, Vali, attempted to block but failed, crashing down with his shield and body Amidst cries and pain, among the chaos, the voice of Priest Donald rang clear: "Roman!" "I know!" Knight Roman replied loudly, raising his sword, rushing back from the depths of the hall. His speed nearly left a blur; had Garrett not known it was a person, he might have mistaken him for a tyrannosaurus rex. Garrett rolled and crawled to the side. He huddled behind a shield, witnessing the knight wielding his sword, engaging with a winged, monstrous creature. The de shed against ws, sparking off in all directions. "What on earth is this thing?" Vali, the shield warrior in front of him, muttered. Garrett rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of the creature before him. He gasped when it matched the stone golems in the game identically! Observing the battlefield closely, Priest Donald was across the hall, guarded by a small group of soldiers while the outer circle was busy fighting smaller foes. Clearly, the battle had moved deep into the hall. How the stone golem got to the entrance and why Knight Roman charged from that direction Garrett decided the situation was more critical than individual capabilities for now, making a mental note. The knight''s prowess was remarkable; his sword danced, evenly matched against the stone golem. At the other end of the hall, temple guards rushed over. Shields parted, two spear bearers edged closer, seemingly aiming to pin the golem in between. "This thing''s done for!" Freckles peeked out from behind Garrett, chuckling. Garrett pushed the head back: "Don''t becent, stay hidden!" Before he finished, the stone golem bared its sharp teeth, emitting an ear-piercing, unpleasant scream. It was so shrill, like scraping nails on ss but amplified a hundredfold, or like a file scraping directly against eardrums. Garrett reflexively covered his ears, wincing: "Why scream so loud? You''re a stone golem, not a banshee..." As the scream echoed, soldiers advancing cautiously froze in agony. Seizing the moment, the golem spread its wings and leaped into the air! "Watch out!" "Stay alert!" "It''s trying to escape!" Shouts filled the hall. Not just the temple soldiers, raising swords and preparing to defend, even Garrett''s squad stood on high alert. Vali slightly bowed, holding the shield high in front of Garrett; Raymond, the spear bearer, adjusted his stance, pointing his spear diagonally upward; Archer Tom gripped his waist de, positioned beside Garrett as if ready to intercept the golem''s attack. Meanwhile, Garrett, grasping Freckles behind him, stood on tiptoes from behind the shield, fixated on the creature The golem reached its highest point, beating its wings. Before it could change direction, a bright white light shot from the other end of the hall, striking it hard! Though just a beam of light, it felt substantial. The golem froze mid-air, emitting smoke; the impact area charred ck. Seizing the opportunity, Knight Roman leaped forward, sword swinging. Garrett abruptly turned his head. Following the path of the light, at the other end of the hall stood Priest Donald, towering among the soldiers, his golden hair dancing in the firelight, illuminating him like a halo. The devotee of the Spring Goddess looked focused, hands forming a triangr shape. And the sharp beam emerged from the center of that triangle, piercing through space Was this an attack spell? So, this third-tier priest in this world could unleash such a powerful attack! Garrett was awestruck. Nearby, Knight Roman felled the golem, removing its wings. Soldiers swarmed, swords and spears raining down, reducing the golem to fragments. The knight sheathed his sword, heading toward the priest. Passing Garrett, Roman''s gaze flickered across his face, deliberate or casual. Garrett felt a chill, about to excuse himself when Priest Donald turned, smiling and waving at him. Reluctantly, Garrett begrudgingly approached them. As he reached the end of the hall, a temple guard reported to the priest: "Sir, there''s another door here" Before the sentence ended, a ck streak darted past! Garrett toppled to his left. Compared to being tackled earlier, this was faster, making him one hundred percent certain someone had dragged himpossibly to serve as a shield. The force dragging him didn''t brace him, causing Garrett to lose bnce and crash to the ground. Before he could get up, a cry rang out beside him, heart-wrenching: "Ah" It was Knight Roman! Garrett''s hairs stood on end. Despite suspicions about the knight''s intentions, Garrett had to acknowledge his strength among the group. Now, hearing Roman''s agonizing cry, the opponent, the opponent Using his elbows, Garrett forced himself up, struggling to see. Surprisingly, the enemy attacking Knight Roman wasn''t human; it was a beautiful,rge cat. Solid ck, with snow-white ws, its chest and belly pure white like a cor. The cat circled Roman, leaping gracefully. The knight roared, swinging his sword but only meeting air. Instead, each leap and w swipe from the cat sttered blood from various joints on the knight. Garrett watched closely. Each attack from the catnded on Roman''s wrists, ankles, shoulders, elbows, knees. After a few rounds, Roman copsed, bleeding from several wounds, unable to get up. The cat leaped. Its movement was too fast to track; all that was visible was a ck streak across the hall, heading straight for the priest. Priest Donald''s face paled. He sped his hands, murmuring a prayer, seemingly attempting divine magic for protection. However, at that moment, a chant sounded from the hall''s entrance, the final syble rising sharply. A ring of ck light erupted! The priest froze as the cat seized the opportunity, pouncing, biting his throat, growling low. As the ck light swept through, Garrett, who had begun to rise, felt a sudden chill and fell once more. In the hall, about twenty to thirty soldiers, including young priest John, fell like wheat before a scythe. --------------- Chapter 20 Chapter 20 A ck cat, the strongest knight among the wounded team, Roman. A ck light, knocking everyone down. Garrett''s heart sank. The neer was incredibly powerful, capable of wiping them all out effortlessly. What was more terrifying were the ck light, the ck cat, the skeleton soldiers, zombies, stone gargoyles... It sounded like a scene from a painting. If the owner returned and found their home smashed, the skeleton soldiers destroyed, even the guarding gargoyles taken down... The consequences couldn''t be worse. Garrett tried to subtly shift, attempting to shrink into a corner, putting on an "it wasn''t me, I had nothing to do with this" expression. Before he could move much, a chill swept over him, like a bucket of ice-cold water poured over his head. ncing around, all the faces of the fallen soldiers expressed shock Thump. Thump. Thump. Someone approached from behind. The footsteps were peculiar, sounding like they were clunking on the ground, yet also like some small ws scratching and scraping. Stiffening his spine, Garrett slowly turned his head with caution In his view was a long ck robe nearly touching the ground. The material seemed unknown, heavy and non-reflective. All light seemed to be absorbed into the robe; any fashion designer from a previous life would spare no effort to acquire such fabric. Garrett trembled and looked up. The ck-robed figure floated, concealing any human contours, appearing more like a skeleton draped in clothesa skeleton holding a bone-made staff. Before he could see the face, the fallen Roman knight on the ground screamed: "Necromancer!You''re a necromancer!" The figure in the ck robe paused. The long ck robe fluttered slightly and silently descended. The Roman knight shrieked, trembling as he raised an arm, pointing shakily at the necromancer, his arm quivering. In Garrett''s eyes, the knight''s wrist twisted unnaturally, and even the shape of his fingers seemed oddhis thumb couldn''t straighten, perhaps a tendon injury. Garrett silently spected, watching as the Roman knight shakily extended his index finger, pointing straight at the necromancer''s face: "You, an outsider necromancer, dare to harm the priest of the Spring Goddess! Aren''t you afraid of the Temple''s retribution!" "My apologies, I just arrived in the city this afternoon and went to report at the Mage Tower." The necromancer replied confidently. While speaking, he stepped forward, the ck robe billowing violently, akin to an angry roaring sea in a storm: "It''s you who barged into my Mage Tower, smashed my gargoyles. If I hadn''t returned early, even myboratory would''ve been destroyed. The Temple? If they dare not apologize andpensate, tomorrow, I''ll join the Magic Council to dismantle their temple too!" "You dare" The Roman knight roared. He pushed against the ground, struggling repeatedly but couldn''t get up. With determination, he arched on the ground, charging like a shrimp: "Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah" "Bang!" A streak of golden light shed. The Roman knight was sent flying and crashed into the wall. The wall rumbled, the knight slid down, motionless. Thump, thump, thump. Footsteps continued, the necromancer pointed at the priest, sneering: "What do you say?" "I..." Oh no, it''sing for the priest. Every wrongdoing has consequences. Take a left after leaving the house... that''s the Temple of the Spring Goddess. I''m just a minion, forcefully conscripted; I haven''t lifted a finger against these skeletons or zombies. The necromancer seems reasonable; maybe he won''t hold me ountable? Garrett breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling safe again, he craned his neck, pondering the Roman knight. Fractures. Probably unconscious considering the recent collision, likely a concussion. Not sure about internal bleeding. Unable to get up, judging by the scratches from the cat, maybe tendons in wrists and ankles ruptured. So many scratches, infections are certain, possible tetanus considering it''s a domestic pet... Garrett observed intently, mentally recording each symptom. Once finished, he shifted his gaze towards the necromancer and, whoa! Walking beside the necromancer, radiant and majestic, was a golden skeleton! And it was alive. No cartge between the joints, no ligaments connecting. Yet, it moved, it walked! It had just thrown the Roman knight! Garrett''s eyes gleamed, attention instantly captured. A skeleton that moves! The skeleton they had at the Life Sciences Institute couldn''t do that; it had to be ced in a ss case, surrounded by railings. It was treated like a treasure! Some parts could be touched, all in the Anatomy Building, but they were all in pieces, notplete... for a full-body touchable skeleton, only stic models were avable. But this one was real! Compared to the shattered skeleton soldier that he barely saw before it was broken, this golden skeleton was much more refined, much more agile. As Garrett inspected, those bones weren''t metallic; fractures on the left shinbone, grooves on the pelvis, they looked like normal human bones, emitting a brilliant golden glow. Wanted to look closer. Wanted to touch. Wanted to examine thoroughly. Garrett waspletely absorbed, forgetting the necromancer''s threat. Unbeknownst to him, he had sat up from the ground, leaning forward, desperately wanting to inspect the skeleton entirely. How does this skeleton move! No joints, no ligaments, loosely assembled, yet it moves! The necromancer negotiatedpensation with the priest Donald after flinging the Roman knight away, part extortion, part threat. When he turned around, he spotted a young man sitting among the fallen warriors, gazing upwards, fixated on his protective golden skeleton, as if wanting to delve into it. Necromancer: "...What are you looking at?" "This skeleton doesn''t add up!" Garrett replied casually without even turning his head. After responding, he jolted, twisting his head to find out who had spoken to him just now? Didn''t see anything. No, not that he didn''t see anything, he saw a pitch-ck... ck cloth... ck robe... a thin face. The necromancer was quite tall, especially from Garrett''s viewpoint while seated, resembling a post supporting a head. Not just tall but skinny, swathed in the ck robe, resembling a stick. When one''s that skinny, naturally, the face wouldn''t be any better; cheeks tightly pressed against cheekbones, sunken cheeks. It didn''t look much different from the golden skeleton nearby. Garrett was slightly surprised but not particrly afraid. A necromancer being thin was normal, even if it were a skeleton with two glowing phosphorescent points, it matched his recollection of the liches. It was the necromancer who was impatient, stepping forward, pressing urgently: "What''s wrong with this skeleton?" "The skull and pelvis, they belong to different individuals!" "Not the same person? How did you figure that out?" Well... asking me this, and I won''t be tired anymore. Garrett pushed himself up from the ground, standing with effort. He was a bit unsteady, and the considerate golden skeleton even lent him a hand: "The skull is male, the pelvis is female. Clearly, they''re two different people!" --------------- Chapter 21 Chapter 21 The hall fell into aplete silence. The temple guards looked bewildered. Dropping an entire room with one spe Necromancer was clearly not one to mess with. The temple was at fault here, and after reluctantly reaching an agreement with the mage forpensation, they were about to let the issue slide when this fellow just had to pick on the skull of the opposing party! Was he out of his mind?! Young priest John started to open his mouth, hands raised swiftly to cover it. A soft "woo-woo" sound escaped, freckles on his face distorting, almost protruding. Spearman Raymond gaped, shield-bearer Vali widened his eyes, and archer Tom, with his fiery red hair, seemed on the verge ofbusting... "Garrett, snap out of it! This is a Necromancer, a Necromancer! What are you fussing about the skull for? A perfectly fine child, raised by everyone, and how did a little enlightenment from the deity of nature turn you so peculiar?" Priest Donaldy face-up, pinned down by arge cat, not daring to move. The cat on him, however, lifted its head, its golden eyes swirling as it nced at Garrett, then the golden skull, its tail swishing, brimming with curiosity. Pets being like this, naturally, piqued the interest of the Necromancer. Taking a step forward, he lifted his gaze to the skull, then bent to inspect the pelvic bone. Left, right, couldn''t figure it out, turned to Garrett and asked: "...How do you even read this?" "It''s simple!" Garrett replied without hesitation: "See, this skull..." The golden skull was quite tall, making Garrett stretch a bit. The skull twisted to "look" at him, then suddenly lifted its own head, holding the skull and offering it to Garrett. mes flickered in its dark eye sockets, gazing eerily from within the skull''s palm, fixated on him. Garrett: "..." Please, not this way, this makes me feel like Alexander... He tried topose himself. As long as the skull couldn''t change its gender on its ownthere''s a point to be made. Of course, anatomical features in other worlds might differ, that''s a whole other issue. He refrained from reaching out and instead sidestepped, gesturing towards the skull as he spoke confidently: "Look at the frontal bone and the top. It''s curved here; in females, the forehead is vertical and the top is t. Also, the brow ridge, it''s pronounced and has several tiny holes, see? In females, the brow ridge isn''t pronounced, and there are hardly any holes. Then the nasal root..." Content from his Forensic Medicine course during his third year flowed fluently, without omission. Normally, he would have forgotten it long ago. Finished the exam, forgotten. After all, he studied clinical medicine, not forensicsa non-essential subject, not worth keeping in memory. But now, he recalled it vividly, every page, every line, the diagrams in the textbook. Garrett even remembered the silly face he drew in the corner of the page. It seems, along with the journey, there might be some unexpected benefits... Just a little bit delighted ^_^ With the hope of surviving smoothly after crossing, there''s a bit more, hey! Good news always lifts spirits. Garrett, unknowingly, curled his lips, his pace of exining to the Necromancer and the golden skull quickened, his tone growing gentler. Unconsciously, he adopted the demeanor of a senior physician teaching students in the medical school. With this increased pace, the skull remained expressionless (not that it could express), only the mes within it, previously shimmering, now absolute stillness. It seemed to havepletely given up, treating itself as an emotionless disy rack; Meanwhile, ripples appeared in the Necromancer''s eyes. Legs trembling, seemingly on the verge of copsing... "Ah, we''re done with the skull, let''s examine the pelvic bone..." Garrett poked the skull on its head, then again. It took the skull a moment to react, hastily readjusting itself. Satisfied, Garrett nodded, then bent to inspect the pelvic bone: "This is the hip bone. The pubic symphysis is this wide, this t, the angle definitely exceeds 90 degrees, absolutely female. Tsk, let''s turn it around and see if there are traces at the backaha, this woman has given birth!" He bent, the Necromancer followed suit. He bent further, the Necromancer followed. He twisted his neck to look up after bending, the Necromancer... The Necromancer straightened, raising his left hand and snapped his fingers. tter-tterjust a moment ago, the upright golden skull copsed in a heap right in front of Garrett. Garrett jumped back! Why did this thing copse? Lost its magic? But then again, it doesn''t have joints, ligaments, or muscles on those bones; it should copse, not stand... He spected, then saw the metacarpals, radius, vertebrae, ribs, like a slow-motion sequence from an animated demonstration, autonomously assembling. Vertebrae stacked up, ribs attached front and back, scaps on the sides, arms and fingers stretching out... Finally, a half-headed skully straight on the ground. One hand on the floor, the other groping around, finding its own pelvic bone, shakingly raising it. Garrett: "..." Is it because we were too tired from bending and looking, it disassembled itself to show us? But this height isn''t enough! He nced at the Necromancer, who looked back. After a moment of staring, the Necromancer snapped again; the toe bones, tibia, femur of the lower half of the skull began to connect... The lower half stood on the ground. The upper half, headless, extended a hand, grabbed the femur, yanked itself up, then dropped it. A skeletal hand held the pelvic bone, the other hand dug in the ground, finding the skull, and raised it identically... Then, the upper half, without the pelvic support, wobbled and fell to the side. Thud. "Meow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow" A loud cat''s cry. Garrett turned, seeing the ck cat with white boots leaping off the priest''s body. Its tail pped the ground, rolling around, paws in the air... Hey,ughing like this is going too far! You''re just a cat! The Necromancer couldn''t contain it anymore. He tapped his bone staff, restored the golden skull to its original state, then gestured forward, the deepest part of the hall revealing a passage. He twitched his facial muscles, managing a smile: "Shall we go in?" Garrett happily nodded. The Necromancer stepped forward, the ck cat swaying its tail, leading the way, the golden skull ttering behind. Just a few steps outside, the Necromancer abruptly stopped, coldly shouting: "You lot! None of you think of running!" --------------- Chapter 22 Chapter 22 The temple guards froze in their sneaky movements. The necromancer''s bone staff mmed onto the ground. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, dozens of white bone pirs shot up from the hall floor. Temple warriors, Priest Donald, Knight Roman, and a few soldiers from Garrett''s squady strewn across five or six separate enclosures, staring at each other from a distance. Garrett blinked. He''d heard of this but seeing it for the first timewas this the bone cage? He examined closely. Those bones were ghastly pale, each over a meter in length, some even longer. Garrett''s interest waned: not human bones, not intriguing. He wasn''t a forensic expert or a paleontologist to identify their exact origin... Better to use this time to plead for his team rather than delve into bone ssifications. "Um..." Garrett attempted to speak, but the necromancer cut in sharply, "Don''t worry, not killing them. Just don''t want them wreaking havoc. Tomorrow morning, I''ll release them." With a gesture and murmured incantations, dark wisps gathered inward. In moments, shattered stone ghouls reformed and began patrolling. Well, with stone ghouls around, it''s safer in these enclosures... and sleeping here has its perks, sheltered from wind and rain... Considering the recent mess in the hall, Garrett found no words to argue with the necromancer''s decision. His teammates, Priest John and Big Brother Raymond, gestured for silence. Feeling assured, Garrett took a couple of steps with the necromancer, then saw Priest Donald leap to the enclosure, yelling, "Wait! Let me heal him! Please, let me heal him! He''ll die otherwise!" Knight Romany unconscious in another bone cage, while two soldiers tried to revive him to no avail, only worsening his injuries. Garrett fell silent. Truth be told, seeing Knight Roman in that state gave him a slight sense of satisfaction. As for healing the knight... Ah, after that impact, wouldn''t he have severe bleeding inside his head or abdomen? Maybe he''s gone already? The necromancer nced at him. Seeing Garrett''sck of reaction or plea, the necromancer''s face hardened, "No!" The priest flinched. The necromancer didn''t hold much disdain for him. Pausing for a moment, the necromancer asked, "Got any healing potions?" "I do, I do!" The priest nodded vigorously, fetching three vials of healing potion. Extending his arm through the enclosure, he handed them over. The necromancer inspected them, pointing to one vial, "Pass this over." The ck cat agilely leaped, carrying the potion to Knight Roman''s enclosure. The soldiers, surprised and relieved, administered the potion. The healing elixir from the priest was far more potent than little John''s basic potion. As soon as it touched the knight''s lips, his breathing became heavy. He groaned, opening his eyes. "He''s awake, my lord!" The soldiers rejoiced. The knight, awakening, spotted the potion and eagerly grabbed it, pouring it onto his wrist. "Don''t!" Garrett blurted out. The knight''s hand trembled, almost dropping the vial, ring at Garrett, "What are you doing?" Garrett flinched at the reprimand. He hadn''t cared much about the knight''s situation and had been in a daze, disturbed by the city guards'' call. Shouting out was more of an instinctual response than anything. Since he had shouted, he had to face the knight''s anger, taking it in stride, "This wound can''t be healed like that... just external healing won''t work, the internal damage needs attention first..." "Who''s listening to your nonsense!" The knight snorted, tipping the vial. As the healing potion dripped onto his wrist, the wound healed instantly, leaving his skin wless, just like before. Only his right thumb still bent slightly, an unnatural posture. Garrett sighed and turned away. The necromancer observed their interaction with interest, smiled, and casually followed with the golden skull. The stone door behind them creaked shut, and with a snap of the necromancer''s fingers, the lights brightened. He chuckled at Garrett, "So? Want me to get rid of him for you?" "Um..." Garrett hesitated. While the offer was tempting, he knew who had called the city guards earlier and understood the appearance of the stone ghoul wasn''t without reason. But when it came down to actually eliminating the guy... "...No, thank you?" "Really don''t want?" The necromancer raised an eyebrow. His brown hair and blue eyes, along with his thin frame, made him resemble a walking skeleton. That wasn''t all, the ck cat on his shoulder interjected, "That guy isn''t nice to you. When I pounced, he used you as a shield!" "A cat... a talking cat!!!" Though this was a magical world where skeletons walked and conversed, it was astonishing that a cat could talk. Garrett involuntarily stepped back until his back chilled against the stone door. Truth be told, he had a bit of a fear of cats in his previous life. There were five or six stray cats in the hospital that nurses often fed, but Garrett never dared to touch them. Now here he was, encountering abat-savvy talking cat! Garrett braced himself against the stone. The ck cat jumped down,nding in front of him. Its tail flicked against the ground, taking a step forward, lifting its head high, baring its teeth. The cat''s semi-transparent whiskers twitched. Due to Garrett''s address, its mood seemed a bit off: "That''s so rude! I''m the great Mr. Troka! Don''t call me ck Cat! ck Cat!" Oh, a talkingnot just talking, a sentient being... Adrenaline surged through Garrett for a moment, but gradually, he calmed down. He didn''t fear talking cats; he fearedck of intelligence and strong fighting abilities. Silent, agile, and powerful, that''s what would really concern him... Well, this was a world with magic and mysticism. Skulls picked up their own heads, cats talkedwhat''s odd about that? Thanks to countless animations and various games from his past life, Garrett quickly epted the premise of "talking cats." He stepped forward, politely nodding at the ck cat: "Hello, esteemed Mr. Troka. I apologize for earlier." "No worries!" The cat graciously waved its paw. As it lifted its paw, the pink pads bunched up cutely, making Garrett''s fingers itch to pinch them. Sensing this ill-intent, the cat agilely leaped away, raising its head, grinning widely: "Seriously, don''t want me to get rid of him for you?" "No need." Garrett gradually rxed. He gazed into the cat''s golden eyes, exhaled slowly, and smiled confidently: "He''s already done for. If he won''t mend tendons before healing, who can me anyone?" --------------- Chapter 23 Chapter 23 *p, p, p.* Rhythmic apuse filled the room. Garrett turned to see the necromancer, who had leaned his staff aside, smiling and pping. After a few ps, he extended his hand toward Garrett, appearing more enthusiastic than before: "Thought you were just a good-hearted guy, never expected you to be a slicer too! Haha, dear friend, your insights are truly remarkable... -- Forgot to introduce myself earlier. I''m Andrew Lynn, a necromancer from the ck Crow Marsh. And you are? Oh, right, what would you like to drink? Mint water or honey water? Troka found a beehive the other day. I''ll tell you, he might have fought off that honey-stealing brown bear..." The pace of speech was rapid, topics swiftly transitioning, one after another, seemingly in a stream of consciousness. Seemingly erratic thoughts, this guy might need a visit to a mental health professional If such a thing existed in this world. Garrett made a mental note. His expression unchanged, he replied with a smile: "I''m Garrett, Garrett Nordmark, local guy. Can''t exactly pinpoint my profession yet. How about some mint water? Anything to eat? Waking up in the middle of the night makes me famished!" "Troka!" The necromancer Andrew called out loudly. The golden skull ttered away, while the necromancer finished washing his hands and turned warmly toward Garrett: "Hey, so, do you think it''d be easier to control skeleton soldiers if they used their own bones?" "I think your skeletons are already quite obedient," Garrett replied sincerely. He''d been observing that golden skull. It had been bustling about since it arrived, far from idling like the ck cat lying on the table waiting for food. It was fetching things, trays, tea sets, pouring water, and serving food... It even ttered to lift a b, mes igniting atop it, baking muffins. If it weren''t for the fact that it was a skeleton, he''d believe it to be a robot. Obviously, Andrew, the necromancer, wasn''t satisfied with that answer. He animatedly described how weak his skeletons were in battle (Garrett: They''re stronger than me), eagerly waiting for Garrett''s response. "...I''m not sure," Garrett struggled to force out. This question was just too tricky; you ask me, I''ll ask your skeleton? He attempted to squeeze out a smile: "I think the skeletons might not know which bone belongs to them?" "Exactly!" Andrew nodded vigorously. "These bones should belong to them, but it seems unreliable. So, how do we determine which bone is whose?" Garrett: "..." Should I have declined the invitation? This necromancer, although seemingly harmless, seems a bit off mentally... ncing around anxiously, Garrett was a bit flustered. How do you distinguish whose bone is whose? He had some methods, like performing DNA tests. Test each bone, ssify by resultsfast, urate, and cost-effective. But this was another realm. Even if he wanted to, he''d need conditions to conduct such tests. There were less precise methods too. For instance, based on bone fusion times to estimate the owner''s age. A bone''s growth could indicate the person''s age range. For example, one piece of radius bone, the epiphysis had fused between 15-17 years old, and the lower end between 16-18 years old. Considering both, the owner was likely between 16-17 years old. On the other hand, the fusion of a hip bone urred between 20-25 years old, fully fused indicating the person was at least 20 years old... These two bones definitely belonged to different people, no need to ask. However, observing bone fusions required X-rays. Which didn''t exist in this realm. Garrett, formerly an emergency room doctor, wanted to cry once more from the depths of his heart... Who could get me an X-ray machine! If not, get some radium ore; I''ll rub it myself! Andrew, the necromancer, was still eagerly watching him. Pallid face, greasy hair, clearly didn''t prioritize personal hygiene. As for his physique, he resembled a pole, needing no wind to sway. A bit thinner, and he''d match his skeletons perfectly. Oh right, the golden skeleton held a tray with a kettle, porcin te, ss, and a variety of items like mint water, bread, honey. Standing beside the counter, chest out, arms straight, posing rather conventionally but noting closer. Is this the pace where you get nothing substantial, not even dessert to eat? Garrett silently criticized the necromancer in front of him. In a situation where the circumstances outweighed the people, he could only search his memoryno, the forensic textbooks stored in his mindtrying to provide something substantial: "Actually... we can also identify bone age. For example, in the skull, the teeth are very telling signs..." Garrett paused, looking around, attempting to find a skull for practical teaching. Unfortunately, though it was the necromancer''s residence, bones weren''t scattered everywhere. At least, Garrett scanned around and only found one. The one on the golden skull''s head. So, the skull that had been eagerly stared at, ttered closer. First, it set the tray down, poured the mint water, arranged the pastry, and thenremoved its own head, cradling it with both hands and offered it to Garrett. Dark eye sockets tilted upward, two soulful fires within, confronting Garrett''s wide-eyed stare. Garrett: "..." What''s this? What are you implying? Am I supposed to hold a muffin in one hand, dip it in honey, and eat it while poking at your skull to give a lecture? Even if surgeons generally don''t sweat the small stuff, facing the gushing blood, confronting life''s harsh realities, they''re not this crude! He leaned back, avoiding the skull under his eyelids. Reaching across the table, he grabbed a fork from in front of the necromancer, then firmly tapped the skull: "Open up!" The golden skeleton''s upper and lower jaw obediently parted. Garrett lifted the necromancer''s fork, pointing at those ck, unevenly worn teeth, exining each one: "The older, the more worn. Look, the tips are worn off, the back mrs, significant wear, exposing the dentin... Tsk tsk, he must have suffered a lot when alive. If only a bit of wear on the crown or no t tips, it means the person is rtively younger..." While he spoke, Andrew, the necromancer, craned his neck, looking at each tooth. He leaned further, body leaning forward, head lowering, almost as if about to dive into the skull''s gaping mouth. Halfway through, he suddenly snapped out of it, gesturing randomly at the table: "Please, have" Garrett wasn''t shy either, disying the dinner-time speed of an emergency room doctor, snatching a muffin with his left hand, pouring honey with his right, sandwiching them together and stuffing it in his mouth. The first bite made his tongue flick the pte, unable to resist a soft click. Mm, the muffin was delicately full, honey sweet , and the mint water refreshing. Though the golden skeleton''s muffin-making skills couldn''t match those of a master chef from his past life, it was good enough forte-night hunger. This is what people should be eating! I don''t want to eat ck bread every day! In a cheerful mood, his lecture became even moreprehensive: "Oh, the wear on teeth not only rtes to age but also diet habits and economic status. People who eat a lot of ck bread will have more worn teethpared to those eating white bread. Apart from teeth, the pelvis can also be used to estimate age... the pelvis..." --------------- Chapter 24 Chapter 24 A necromancer and a former deputy chief physician of the emergency department found themselves deeply engrossed in discussing bones, as if they had found a long-lost friend. After chatting for half the night, the necromancer Andrew Lynn got carried away and, across the table, reached out and grabbed Garrett''s wrist: "Dear friend! You''re perfect to be a necromancer. How about joining us in the ck Marsh? I can introduce you" "Oh! I''ll request my mentor! He''s an 11th-level mage. Once he breaks through, he might help you be a lich!" Garrett: "" "Thank you, but I''m not very keen. I feel like I haven''t lived enough yet. But your suggestion, as a necromancer, does have its appeal." Garrett flipped his wrist and firmly shook the necromancer''s hand. "I''m more interested in elemental magic. Mr. Lynn, you mentioned the Mage Tower and the Council of Magic before. Could you introduce me?" "Ah, elemental magic!" The necromancer exaggeratedly spread his arms. With a grandiose tone and gestures, he proimed, "Everyone loves elemental magic, or at least they''d choose alchemy or summoning. But for the pitiful necromancers, whenever we invite someone, we always hear the same response: ''Respected Mr. Lynn, I prefer elemental magic'' ''Respected Mr. Lynn, I prefer alchemy'' Except for those with the deepest sorrow, yearning to resurrect loved ones, no adult chooses the grand necromantic arts!" Garrett felt perplexed. The theatrics from a distance were amusing, but up close, it was intense. Dodging the necromancer''s spittle, Garrett''s mind raced, pondering: Is this guy just theatrical? Or is he having a manic episode? I observed his erratic thinking earlier; are there other signs? Could necromancy affect hormonal secretion and thus influence mental state? But there''s nowhere in this realm for an EEG, or even standard biochemistry tests "Um if it''s inconvenient" "Inconvenient? Not at all!" With enthusiasm, Mage Lynn took a step forward. Before Garrett could evade, he seized his arms, spitting saliva: "Though the head of the Mage Tower is a fat, irritable drinker, he and I explored the Holsea Strait together and fought alongside the Ironshells of the Radiant Church! Dear friend, rest assured, with my rmendation, he''ll surely ept you!" The necromancer swiftly unrolled parchment on the desk and scribbled: "Take it!" "Um, thank you so much" "A trifle!" Lynn waved dramatically, then nced outside, suddenly smiling slyly, leaning closer to Garrett. "By the way, that knight''s hand, is it beyond repair? Can''t fix it?" "He didn''t sew the tendons." Garrett shrugged. "Can you fix it?" Garrett hesitated, neither nodding nor shaking. While he could handle tendon suturing, it was mainly hand surgerya meticulous process requiring microscopes. Hours under a microscope left one disoriented. Moreover, this cecked microscopes or specialized suturing equipment. Even if he treated it, the result wouldn''t be optimal. He wasn''t proficient at it. He vividly remembered in his past life, he could only suture four or five mouse tails in a ssmouse tails had simr blood vessels to human hands, making them ideal for practice. Yet, to the necromancer Lynn, Garrett''s non-denial seemed like affirmation. The necromancer''s eyes lit up. "So, how would you treat it? Or should I drag him in, and you treat him on the spot?" No anesthesia, no sterilization, no hemostasis, straight to surgery? That was too crude and absolutely uneptable! Garrett opened his mouth, unsure how to respond or where to begin critiquing. However, before he could react, the stone door separating the hall and inner chamber opened again. A ck cat leaped in, transforming mid-air. Garrett glimpsed a sh of ck. The cat, called Mr. Troka, started as a normal-sized cat when leaping butnded as a lynx, charging toward the door, almost asrge as a leopard. Amidst the beast''s low growls, a cacophony of bone-cracking followed. Then came the knight Roman''s anguished screams. "Let me golet me go!" The knight struggled, the sound drawing nearer. Panic erupted in the hall, Donald, the priest''s voice particrly loud: "Release him! Mage, please, release him! Garrett! Garrett!!!" Garrett froze. In just two days in this realm, he''d been pinned down, threatened with a sword at his throat, forcefully conscripted, attacked by monsters more dangers than in a month or even a year from his past. But never had any moment chilled him to the bone like this. Someone who, a few hours ago, could threaten his life was now being dragged inside by a magical creature, merely because a necromancer was curious to witness an umon surgery. Man is the master of his fate, the phrase echoed, but in a world like this, who could im certainty? "This isn''t right" Garrett''s head shook like a windmill. However, the necromancer assumed he had a feud with the knight, unwilling to heal, and attempted persuasion: "Just heal him for a look! If you don''t want to kill, then heal first and then sever his tendons?" Within moments, the transformed ck cat already dragged the knight to the stone door. At this critical juncture, the severely injured knight exerted his utmost, wing at the door''s edge. He looked up at Garrett with a mix of resentment and despair. Crack! The knight''s fingers snapped against the door''s edge. Garrett trembled: "No!" He turned, stepping forward, standing before the necromancer. Gazing directly into his eyes, firm: "I won''t do something like this. I''ve sworn never to use healing arts to harm people!" --------------- Chapter 25 Chapter 25 The anticipated smile of the Necromancer froze on his face. ncing at the struggling knight Roman, he shifted his focus back, silently staring at Garrett. Snow-white light surged from the ceiling, casting heavy shadows under his eye sockets and cheekbones, making his thin, skeletal face resemble a skull even more. Garrett''s heart skipped a beat. The other was a Necromancer, much stronger than him. One of his pets alone could easily overpower Garrett. If he refused the request, would he... end up bound and dissected? Tremors raced through Garrett''s mind. Despite beads of cold sweat forming on his back, he held the Necromancer''s gaze without flinching. Clenched fists, knees pressed together to keep his legs from trembling... The principles of a healer must be upheld! Indiscriminately cutting into a patient for personal reasons was absolutely uneptable! Garrett''s determination and clear gaze were too firm. The Necromancer, Lynn, locked eyes with him for a moment, shrugged, and waved a hand. The ck cat carried the knight back, tossing him once again into the bone-white prison. The stone door closed. All the curses, gasps, and sighs were shut out. Lynn nced at the stone door and then back at Garrett. "But what if he harms you?!" "I''ll fight back." Garrett replied firmly. Pausing for a moment, he added, "ButI absolutely won''t use medical skills to harm anyone." That was the vow he made on the day he started studying medicine in his previous life. Lynn fell silent. He looked at Garrett''s spirited young face, lost in thought for a moment, then sighed. "Once, I had a friend... who thought just like you." "And then?" "And then... after I became a Necromancer, I avenged him." "I''m sorry." Garrett apologized quickly. After a moment''s thought, he tried to add, "How about this? I''ll perform a tendon suture surgery for you to watch?I mean, using an animal, arger one will do!" "Ahaha!" Lynn chuckled. Half an hourter, Garrett was also ted. Tied to the tform in front of him was a live sheep, brought by Mr. Troka from who knows where, bleating softly. On a side tabley an array of surgical tools: knives of various sizes, scissors, hooks, and a bow drill... Despite the questionable sharpness of the des and the daunting thought of sterilization, they were surgical instruments! And he had his hands on a surgical knife again! Happiness +1, +1, +1... "Can these be used?" Lynn watched eagerly. Garrett touched each instrument, nced at the ceiling, and sighed. "Something''s missing." "What''s missing, you say?" "A curved needle, an electric knife... forget it, heat up an iron for cauterization, skip the needle holder, sigh, not quite used to this. And get me two pairs of fine-nosed pliers, if there aren''t any, tweezers will do!" Prepare, clean. Garrett held the sheep''s leg skin with the forceps in his left hand, gripping the surgical knife''s handle between his thumb, middle, ring, and pinkie fingers, index finger pressing on the back of the de, and started to exin in detail: "This grip is called the bow technique. Why''s it called that?"Oh no, are there violins in this world? Garrett''s mind raced. Well, even if there aren''t violins, there might be morin khuur, and if there''s no morin khuur, there might be erhu. In any case, various cultures have stringed instruments. Garrett swiftly made a gesture: "It''s like holding a bow for a string instrument. This grip allows for more force in cutting, usually used for skin and muscle incisions..." "Is that so? Let me take a closer look..." Lynn''s furry head leaned in. A shadow fell immediately on the sheep''s leg under Garrett''s knife, obscuring his view. "Hey, step back a bit... sigh, still can''t see, your lighting''s not good! Can''t you get a shadowlessmp?" "What? There aremps without shadows?!" Garrett had to put down the surgical knife to satisfy Lynn''s curiosity. After some drawing and tinkering, an hour''s worth of effort, the most peculiar shadowlessmp Garrett had ever seen was erected above the operating table: Four bone arms crossed at the spine''s center, forming a cross. Each hand held two ribs, creating a circle the size of an embrace between two people. Dozens of bone hands hung from this circle, each holding an enchanted glow stick. Garrett: "..." Well, at least the light source meets the requirements, right? And the bone hands holding the glow sticks can be adjusted easily... He performed surgeries joyfully under the shadowlessmp all night. Cutting tendons, using forceps to pull them from deep within the muscles, stretching, reshaping, and aiding in healing. Continuing dissection, suturing, and finally, ughtering the poor sheep. The three of themtwo people and a catenjoyed a pot of sheep soup heartily. The next morning, Garrett carried two suitcases, reluctantly bid farewell by the Necromancer. One case contained used surgical instruments, but the other was much more precious. Each item was ced inpartments lined with red velvet, all made of ss, sparkling and clear. Beakers, sks, crucibles, stirrers, bnces... It was a set of basic alchemical equipment. There were no herbs or powders in the box, yet this set of alchemical tools alone was of considerable value. Garrett felt uneasy: "This is too precious." "No, it''s nothing. My friend" The Necromancer vehemently shook his head: "Among mages, there''s a saying: no knowledge is without value. Last night, you generously shared so much knowledge with me. Allow me to share something with you. These trinkets" He gestured above the box: "Every mage should have a set! Every one of them! Dear friend, believe me, once you join our faction, the equipment you''ll receive will be much finer than this!" Much finer? Are there microscopes? Are there centrifuges? Are there UV spectrophotometers? If not, even a pipette would do! Garrett silentlymented. If they didn''t have anything, he might as well figure it out on his own. Joining the faction he was interested in seemed far more important. My sterilization cab, my culture dishes, my devices for separating, purifying, analyzing, and synthesizing various medicines, my X-rays, ultrasound machines, MRI... Elemental faction, alchemical faction, I''m counting on you! Garrett immersed himself in hopeful anticipation. Necromancer Lynn walked beside him, persistently persuading. He kept eyeing Garrett and the boxes, almost wanting to snatch them back to ck Marsh: "Dear friend, are you really not considering joining our faction? Truly, just nod and I''ll immediately take you to meet my mentor. I guarantee you''ll enjoy the privileges of a formal mage! You must know, even if you carry my rmendation letter, in the city''s mage tower, you''ll only start as an apprentice..." "But I''m really interested in bing an elemental mage..." --------------- Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Garrett hurried towards the Mage Tower with his letter of rmendation in hand. The temple''s search team returned in disarray, battered and bruised. Before reaching their destination, they had provoked a powerful necromancer, resulting in their strongest member getting severely injured. Seeing no gooding from pressing forward, they had to retreat to the temple for recovery. As for what woulde nextexploration, retaliation, or something elsethat was a matter for another time. Even Donald, the priest who had intended to chat a bit more with Garrett, could only regretfully nce his way before boarding a carriage without looking back, swiftly departing. With the temple guards withdrawing, they wouldn''t concern themselves with the city guards. Garrett and his teammates deliberated briefly before deciding to return to Uncle Edmund''s farm and rendezvous with Captain Karen. They borrowed a few mounts from Uncle Edmund, took shortcuts, and made their way straight back to the city. Having suffered such losses, the temple guards might seek retribution. If they were to pin the me for their failure on the lowest-ranking soldiers, they wouldn''t stand a chance. The immediate n was to rush back and report. Even John, the young priest from the War God''s temple, canceled his ns to visit home and turned back towards the temple. As Garrett approached the city, he split from hispanions and headed for the Mage Tower. Harnd City boasted only one Mage Tower, situated not within the city but atop a hill on its outskirts. The hill was densely wooded, obscuring much of the tower''s spire from view. "Is this the hidden temple in the mountains? It does have a certain charm to it..." Garrett murmured, adjusting the reins. The chestnut mare beneath him snorted and obediently turned, ascending the mountain path. The main road out of the city split into a narrower path leading directly to the mountaintop. This path was wide and well-trodden, evident from the deep wheel ruts, indicating frequent use by carriages. Garrett found the ascent manageable, reaching the mountaintop and arriving in front of the Mage Tower in less than a quarter of an hour. Despite being called a tower, it was more akin to a castle, enclosed within a significant outer wall. Garrett dismounted outside the wall, took a few steps back, and gazed up: "This tower is impressively tall... Three, no, four levels..." Boom! A tremendous noise startled the birds into flight, the horses whinnied, and the sturdy Mage Tower swayed slightly. Thick smoke billowed from a fourth-floor window, followed by a swooshing sound as someone was propelled in an arc out of it... Garrett: !!! That height! That speed! If they hit the ground and were lucky, they''d break bones. If unlucky, it''d be a snapped neck, and it''d be game over! He dashed towards thending spot. If it was just broken legs, he wouldn''t need to assist; if it was a broken neck, there would be no use trying to help; but if it was something like sudden cardiac arrest, airway obstruction, or severe bleeding from fractures, the faster he ran, the higher the chance he could save a life! Run faster! Run even faster! Gasping for breath, Garrett sprinted, almost reaching the speed of rushing a critically ill patient to the operating room. But as he ran, each step slowed more than thest until, supporting himself on his knees, he stood still, panting heavily. It wasn''t that he couldn''t run anymore. Garrett, after all, was at least a Level 1 warrior as a new recruit in the city guard. The issue was that the person ejected from the window made him feel his haste was entirely unnecessary... That person was gesturing wildly, yelling at the top of their lungs, flying in a parabolic trajectory. As they reached the apex, they suddenly produced something from their pocket and tossed it out. Following that, their high-speed trajectory abruptly halted, and they seemed to float down like they had a parachute, slowly descending towards the ground. Garrett held the reins, mouth agape, rooted to the spot. That person drifted leisurely, descending from three fathoms to two, then from two to one. When they looked down and spotted Garrett, they even smiled. "Elliott!!!" A roar thundered from above the smoking window. The person hovering in the air shuddered, somehow unable to maintain their floatation and thudded straight down "Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" "Um, can you still walk?" The soot-covered man, the perpetrator of the Mage Tower''s explosion, the person whostnded on a twisted ankle after descending from the sky, finally returned to the Mage Tower riding Garrett''s mare. With his rmendation, Garrett effortlessly met the master of the Mage Tower, the Level 5 mage Gelman us, handing over the letter for the necromancer. "Garrett Nordmark?" Gelman, the pr opposite of a necromancer, was a hefty man, his crimson mage robes snug around his bulging belly. His deep brown hair was neatlybed back, and a thick beard extended from his ears to his chin, swaying loosely and covering his Adam''s apple. ncing at him, Garrett nearly thought he had time-traveled, witnessing someone right out of a political science textbook. Standing by, Garrett lowered his hand. Mage Gelman briskly read through the letter, then looked up and scanned Garrett from head to toe: "Andrew mentioned you wish to learn elemental magic?" "Yes." "How''s your foundation? Can you cast spells of any level? Level 1 spells? Level 0 spells?" "Um... I can''t cast any..." "Have you studied the principles of spells? ''Basic Incantations''? ''Runic Constructs''? ''Elementary Understanding of Elements''? ''Alchemy''? You do recognize magical script, don''t you?" "I... I don''t..." Garrett''s head sank lower. Sure, he knew a few Latin phrases, memorized some medicine names during his medical studies; he even had a minor in German and was fluent in English from reading journals and literature. But magical scripts? Where would he have learned those? Not recognizing magical script meant not being able to understand most, if not all, magical books. Could it be? After studying so hard for years, did I be illiterate after crossing into this otherworld? Seeing hisck of knowledge, Mage Gelman furrowed his thick eyebrows more and more. Even with a friend''s rmendation, he was growing impatient: "...You do recognizemonnguage, right?!" "I do!" Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, quickly replying. Thanks to the previous owner''s father, even though he had passed away early, he had at least taught the previous owner how to read. There was even a small box of books left at home, and it was with that box that the previous ownerpleted the most basic reading education "Moreover, I can perform healing spells!" "Um..." Mage Gelman''s expression softened slightly. Knowing healing spells indicated at least a basic qualification as a casteradequate mental and sensory abilities. As for the rest, well, considering the rmendation from his friend Lynn... "Since it''s Andrew''s rmendation, you can attend the tower''s lectures first. The fee is 10 gold coins per month, but I''ll waive it for Andrew''s sake" Thank goodness! Garrett inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, hastily nodding. He didn''t have a single silver coin on him right now, let alone a gold one. The city guard''s sry seemed to be five silver coins per month? Thankfully, it was waived. Otherwise, would he have had to turn back to the necromancer to borrow money? "Well, you cane to the Mage Tower every day, read the books in the first level''s collection freely, but no copying or taking them out. You can attend my sses, and if my apprenticeslike Elliottare willing, you can seek guidance from them. For copying spells, you''ll need your own materials and my permission, and the alchemyb is off-limits without my authorization. Let''s discuss the rest once you be an apprentice mage!" --------------- Chapter 27 Chapter 27 "How did it go?" Garrett had just descended from the mountain when hispanions swarmed around him, eagerly asking. Garrett hung his head, feeling somewhat disheartened. "Gelman, the mage, said I should start by observing..." He recounted the negotiation process to his friends. Unexpectedly, each of them was thrilled, especially Captain Karen and the young priest, John. Karen, with her extensive experience, was the first to reassure him: "This treatment is already quite good. Little Garrett, you don''t know how many noble children in the city aren''t even eligible to observe at the Mage Tower!" "And it''s tuition-free!" The young priest valued this aspect even more. He even brought up experiences from hispanions tofort Garrett: "Even in our temple, there are many noble descendants and knights who, unable to afford magic education, can onlye to the temple for training!" Unable to afford... magic? Garrett forced a smile. While the tuition for observers was waived, he had to provide his own materials for transcribing spells. Attending Gelman''s lectures didn''t require extra payment, but whether Gelman''s disciples would help him without payment was uncertain. He could tighten his belt and survive on in ck bread, shuttle back and forth between the city and the mage tower daily, but could he rely on just his two legs? Everything required money. His original sry was only 5 silver coins. After filling his stomach, he could barely afford coarse cloth for clothing. Worried and without showing it, Garrett didn''t want Uncle Karen and the others to worry too. Riding along with the team towards the city, he observed the streets inside, growing increasingly concerned. The barracks of the city guards were near the north gate, but they entered through the west gate, passing streets that weren''t the busiest, but still quite troubled. Yet, as far as Garrett could see, both sides of the street were lined with dpidated wooden houses, windows and doors askew, leaking air. Patches upon patches adorned women''s skirts. Garrett spotted a little girl of six or seven peeking shyly from a doorframe; as soon as she saw him looking, she shrank back, then timidly peeped out again. Her dress was in tatters, barely covering her thighs, and a younger boy was ying half-naked in a corner... At the bakery around the corner, almost all that was disyed were loaves of dark bread. No cobblestones on the streets, no drainage on the sides, no public sanitation facilities. Trash piled up, sewage flowed, and with every horse hoof, there was a mud puddle. Muddy sshes of ck and yellow dotted the streets incessantly. Garrett didn''t want to contemte whaty within those mud patches. One word: poverty. In such a destitute city, how much could he possibly earn to support himself? Garrett had no idea. He hoped the barracks would be a bit more supportive... No, even if they were, what did it matter to him? Could it lead to a promotion and a raise? Just being able to stay in the Mage Tower every day without being dismissed by the city guard was enough. Full of apprehension, Garrett followed Captain Karen into the barracks. The appearance of the barracks was still somewhat in his memory from the original owner, but upon entering, he was slightly shocked: The city guard in Harnd City wasn''t thatrge; only about two hundred people, not evenparable to a county police station from his previous life. Of course, whether the poption of this small city could even match that of a county in his previous life was also anyone''s guess. Small as it was, with about two hundred people constantly gathering, training, and fighting on this ground. As for how skilled the knights were, Garrett had already seen it with Roman, the knight. In such a small ce, they truly didn''t have much to do... Like now. On the training ground nearly a sizerger than a schoolyard, two knights were in a fierce battle, the thunderous sh of weapons audible even from half the training ground away. Captain Karen immediately halted: "The Captain and Sir Westlow are sparring! Our Lieutenant is there too, let''s go over..." With a total of 200 city guards, there was one Captain, Stephen Nn, a 7th-level knight, and four Lieutenants, all with knight-level strength, roughly 5th level or above in terms of warrior ranks. Garrett vaguely remembered that his original father was also a Lieutenant in the city guard. As for individuals like Uncle Karen, who couldn''t break through to be a knight, aging and starting to decline in health, they could only remain Lieutenants indefinitely... The Lieutenant in charge of Karen''s team, Lieutenant Flynn, looked to be around thirty-five or six, at the peak of his physical prowess. Upon hearing Captain Karen''s report, he nced in the direction of the Spring Goddess''s temple and sneered: "They think whatever they say goes? Do they think the city guard is here to be bullied?" Garrett felt a wave of relief. Lieutenant Flynn motioned for him toe closer, smiling as he asked: "You''ve mastered healing arts? nning to study magic too? How many times a month?" "Master Gelman allows me to go every day," Garrett replied honestly. After speaking, he hesitated for a moment, looking embarrassed: "Captain Flynn, could I... could I ask you to...?" "What?" Captain Flynn asked with interest. Garrett struggled not to blush: "It''s just, these days I need to study at the Mage Tower and can''t join the patrols. Could you... not deduct my sry temporarily...?" Not working for an extended period without pay while expecting to receive wages was something Garrett had never experienced in his previous life. Feeling awkward, he finally managed to get the words out, only to hear Captain Flynn burst intoughter: "You, Garrett... you!" Garrett was puzzled. Captain Flynn burst into heartyughter, tears streaming down his face, as he wiped them away: "You''re worrying about your sry! You, you... hahaha!" Theughter echoed loudly. Even the two knights fighting on the field momentarily paused, and Sir Westlow, unable to block properly, was sent flying with a thud! "Ah!!!" Soldiers watching nearby screamed in shock. A group of them dashed inside, and Garrett had only taken a few steps when he heard someone urgently shout: "Priest! Get the priest quickly!" Urgent and mournful in tone. It sounded just like families shouting "doctor" in an emergency room in his previous life. Garrett quickened his pace even more. He dashed into the crowd, peering through the gaps, and his breath caught. The injured person was curled up on the ground, lips turning blue, hands desperately reaching toward his chest. His eyes bulged like goldfish, gasping for air as if on the verge of suffocation. The veins on his neck bulged like earthworms, drenched in sweat, struggling hard. This was... "Take off his clothes! Quickly!" Even without him saying anything, the nearby soldiers were already tearing off the man''s clothes. For an injured person, the consensus among soldiers was to remove clothing promptly to facilitate the priest''s treatment. As the clothes were removed, the wound came into view, and Garrett immediately furrowed his brow. The man''s chest was unnaturally contorted. Ribs were broken, the chest wall copsed, and jagged bone edges pressed against the skin. What was more dangerous was the abnormal fullness on the right side of the chest cavity. The distance between several ribs was noticeably wider. With each breath, the part of the right chest that had sunken would suddenly copse or rise. Combined with the earlier signs of blue lips, bulging neck veins, and difficulty breathing, Garrett immediately thought of one term: Tension pneumothorax! --------------- Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Tension pneumothorax refers to the rupture of arger pulmonary air sac or a significant and deep lungceration or bronchial rupture. The fissuremunicates with the pleural cavity, forming a one-way valve, also known as high-pressure pneumothorax. After tension pneumothorax forms, during inhtion, the pressure in the pleural cavity decreases, the valve opens, and gas enters the pleural cavity; during exhtion, the pressure in the pleural cavity increases, the valve closes, and gas cannot escape from the pleural cavity. The more one breathes, the higher the pressure inside the pleural cavity, firmlypressing the lungs. Eventually, the lungs copse entirely, unable to expand... No matter how hard the patient struggles to breathe, they can''t get a breath in. This is one of the most life-threatening emergencies. Except for shing the carotid artery or if the aorta in the chest or abdomen ruptures, other internal bleedings are fatal but not as rapid. Death by suffocation urs in an instant. "Priest?" The Temple of the War God is indeed adjacent to the military camp. Dashing there and back would take at most five minutes. But the patient lying on the ground couldn''t wait for five minutes! "50ml syringe!" Garrett shouted. No response. No one handed him anything. No syringe, no needle, no drainage tube... No one knew what he needed, why he was doing this, or even what the patient''s condition implied. This is a different realm, not their hospital, not the emergency department he''d worked in for over a decade. Garrett looked around. Anxious faces surrounded him, staring at the patient, gazing toward the temple nearby, hoping for the priest toe rushing in. Some even gestured to remove door panels, grab shields, wanting to lift the patient toward the temple... By the time you lift the person, they''ll be dead! Garrett panicked. He forcefully stood in front of the patient, one arm outstretched, the other grabbing Sir Flynn: "I''m a healer! I can save him! Captain, help me!" "You can save him?" Sir Flynn immediately halted his steps. Garrett nodded vigorously: "He''s dying! I can save him! I''m missing something, Captain, help me!" Sir Flynn hesitated. Garrett had learned healing techniques, something he''d just heard from Captain Karen; no matter how much he trusted Karen, hearsay wasn''t the same as witnessing it firsthand. Moreover, the healing techniques of the Temple of the War God, they had been consistent for decades. "You..." "Look at his face! Turning purple, struggling to breathe, he''s dying! I can buy time until the priest arrives!" His tone grew more urgent. Sir Flynn halted, staring at the injured person on the ground, then fixed his gaze on Garrett. This youth was speaking the truth. That was the gut feeling Sir Flynn had. But just grasping healing techniques and the mention of a ''5050 what-the-heck''was it effective? "Captain, trust him!" Karen squeezed through the crowd. Meanwhile, the patient''s struggle became increasingly desperate and feeble. Sir Flynn made a snap decision. "What do you need?" "A needle! A thick, hollow needle!" Garrett answered without hesitation. It was his mistake earlier; clearly, no one understood the ''50ml syringe'' in this ce. Maybe they didn''t even have a concept of milliliters. A needle would suffice, right? A thick, hollow needle! He received nk stares. Garrett didn''t lose hope: "Then a thin metal pipe! None? Iron? Copper? Any damn hard pipe will do! As thick as a pinky!" "We have it!" Finally, someone reacted, dashed off, and swiftly returned. What they handed Garrett was something he''d used just the day before A chicken leg bone. Garrett: "..." Have I been stuck with chicken bones these past few days? The key was, the day before was a pleural membrane incision surgery, and with a chicken bone in hand, he could directly puncture it. But today, a chest dpression without a syringe, without a needle, trying to stick a chicken bone dozens of times thicker than a needle into the chest? Do they think I''m Superman? Garrett roared in his mind. Asking for things that didn''t exist; this surgery was turning out to be a series of impossible tasks. He hoped the temple''s priests would arrive sooner; otherwise, he wouldn''t even be able to contain the infection "Give me a dagger! Quick!" Along the right vicr midline, second intercostal space, Garrett decisively made a stab. Stab... stab... it wouldn''t prate! Are the warriors or knights in this world so physically robust! "Who''ll help me!" Garrett shouted. He measured with his pinky: "Just... this deep! Stab it! Pull it out, then insert the chicken leg bone!" "I''ll do it!" Sir Flynn decisively took the dagger. The knife went in, came out, and the chicken bone followed. A massive pressure released with a hiss, instantly spurting from the bone''s center. Sess! Garrett rxed entirely. Kneeling beside the patient, he monitored his breathing, listening intently to the airflow in the chicken bone. His thumb rested on the chicken leg bone''s tip, asionally pressing, asionally releasing. Post chest dpression, an external one-way valve device should be applied to facilitate the expulsion of high-pressure gas from the chest cavity while preventing external gas from entering. In emergencies, experienced doctors had used surgical gloves, soft stic bags, or balloons, cut a small hole, and fitted it onto the needle handle, substituting for a valve. Garrett had no surgical gloves, so he used his thumb, managing the situation on the spot... With his movements, the bulge on the right side of the patient''s chest gradually ttened, and hisplexion subtly eased. Anyone could tell that this life had been snatched back from the jaws of death. "Saved?" "Saved!" "It seems like he''s really saved!" "I remember Old Shieko died like this, ribs crushed, and he choked to death in no time. The priest hadn''t arrived yet..." The surrounding soldiers discussed fervently. Sir Flynn''s gaze toward Garrett softened, and he proactively asked: "Little Garrett, what should we do next?" Next? Insert a drainage tube, perform closed chest drainage, take X-rays, reset the ribs, and if unlucky, open the chest to repair the lungs... But now, asking for things that didn''t exist, I can''t do any of these tasks... Garrett rolled his eyes internally. Fine, if it were in modern times and the emergency department was overwhelmed, they''d pass it to cardiothoracic surgery; but now, in this otherworldly ce... ask the priest? A flurry of footsteps finally echoed. Garrett nced sideways, the surroundings had already quieted down, everyone saluting, heads bowed: "Your Grace." "Your Grace" Curious, Garrett turned his head to observe. As for saluting, he was already half-kneeling beside the injured, there was no need to repeat the gesture. Surrounded in the center was a robust middle-aged man, broad-shouldered, and with a shining bald head. If you ignored the distinct Western features of a high nose and deep-set eyes, with just this bald head, some might believe it was Lu Zhishen. A shield was embroidered on the white robe''s chest, not in deep brown but outlined in brilliant silver thread. Above the shield, a war hammer and a scepter intersected in a cross. No other embellishments, just a fist-sized hand holding a scepter, embedded with several gemstones, signifying the esteemed status of the Archbishop. Around him, seven or eight priests, all muscr men, looked more like warriors than clergy. Among them was the young priest John that Garrett knew, the youngest and thinnest, seemingly only fit to be a priest''s apprentice. The group surrounded the injured. The bald Archbishop nced at the patient first, then turned to Garrett, eyeing the chicken bone in Garrett''s hand. After observing for a moment, he smiled faintly: "Child, I''m here now. You and your" He gestured toward the chicken bone, "responsibility cane to an end." Garrett returned the smile. He was respectful and courteous but alsoposed, firm, without hesitation: "Please, proceed with the treatment first. When appropriate, I''ll remove it." --------------- Chapter 29 Chapter 29 "Garrett!" Captain Karen hissed under her breath. Captain Flynn stepped forward, seemingly aiming to shield Garrett. Around them, the city guards whispered in surprise. Priest John murmured softly, hands covering his mouth, his eyes wide as he nced between Garrett and the bald-headed bishop. Every freckle on his face seemed etched with worry. The bishop was thoroughly taken aback. He scrutinized Garrett from head to toe, from the coarse linen tunic like everyone else''s to the hand wrapped around a chicken bone and the hand sping the pulse of the injured person. After a moment''s contemtion, he asked cautiously: "Child, do you know what you''re doing?" "I do." "Do you know the extent of this person''s injury and what treatment is needed?" "A severe chest injury, multiple broken ribs in various ces, some piercing the lungs," Garrett answered without hesitation. "They need rib realignment, repair, and restoring the damaged lung and pleura. My healing spell isn''t strong enough for this; I beg your help." And adjusting blood pressure, resetting the mediastinum, relocating the lung... of course, once the healing spell is cast, the lungs should heal, and the mediastinum and lung should adjust themselves. I won''t go into that with you. "Why are you holding onto this thing?" To maintain chest cavity pressure bnce, Garrett thought. But exining that might require a dissected diagram and ten minutes of rification on what pressure meant. It could lead to a Heidelberg experiment if they didn''t understand, which would be quite a hassle. Come on! Someone needs saving here! "Uh... well, it''s a bitplicated..." Garrett blinked desperately. How about you heal him first, and then I''ll exin slowly? Don''t worry, I''m not going anywhere! "Ah... alright. I''ll listen to your exnationter," the bald-headed bishop chuckled. He didn''t press further, instead sping his hands together and murmuring with a smile. This prayer took far longer than Priest John''s healing spell; Garrett estimated at least ten minutes. While monitoring the patient''s breathing and maintaining pressure on the chicken bone, he thought: Thank goodness I didn''t let go. If you guys had taken over with your healing spell, this person would''ve suffocated by now! The bishop''s healing was indeed extraordinary. When the chanting ended, it wasn''t a beam of white light that descended but a gentle milky light rain, oddly soothing. As the light rain fell, the patient''s chest swelled, muscles stretched, ribs realigned, as if invisible hands were pulling and adjusting. Breathing became smoother, and after a moment, a sudden intake of breath, followed by forcefully coughing up bloody phlegm. Garrett hurriedly removed the chicken bone. The light rain dripped gently, and the wound, stabbed just moments ago with a dagger, disappeared in the blink of an eye. - Healing spells are truly convenient. Garrett couldn''t help but admire. If he had this in his past life, he wouldn''t have needed patients to hold an oxygen tube in their mouths, or hang drainage bags on themselves, checking every now and then. If something went wrong, he''d have to... Three to five patients like this in a night meant staying up, no chance for rest. The healing spell''s effect was immediate. As the bishop ceased, Sir Westlow, previously severely injured, pushed himself up from the ground. Taking two deep breaths, savoring the sweetness of the air, he immediately bowed: "Thanks to the great War God." "Thanks to the great War God!" The city guards, the War God''s priests, all echoed in unison. Garrett reflexively bowed his head, palms together. He was about to join in the prayer when he suddenly remembered his supposed persona, someone guided by the Goddess of Nature... thanking the War God didn''t seem quite right? He felt like an odd one out. Garrett''s mind raced, trying to figure out how to avoid being burned alive. Meanwhile, the bald-headed bishop finished epting Sir Westlow''s gratitude, smiling as he stepped forward, pulling Garrett towards the knight: "In fact, you should thank this young man more. If it weren''t for him, by the time we arrived, it might have been toote." Sir Westlow breathed a sigh of relief. He had difficulty breathing before, not unconscious, so he knew what was happening around him. Garrett''s shouts, arguments, calling for help, he heard it all. After being stabbed in the chest, the immediate improvement in his breathing was evident. But... thanking a new city guard in front of the War God''s temple, was it because he didn''t want to mix up his own reputation or didn''t want the kid to mess up his? Luckily, the bishop intervened. Sir Westlow turned, grabbing Garrett: "I was just about to say that! Garrett, thank you so much!" "It''s nothing. It''s what I should do." Garrett replied adeptly. Calm in tone and demeanor, just like the numerous times in his past life when he saved patients'' lives and received thanks from them and their families. Sir Westlow, however, blinked slightly, scrutinizing Garrett, and when he spoke again, his tone had shifted to a more equal one, from address to expression: "Thank you so much, Garrett. Uh, please do visit my home tonight. I must express my gratitude properly!" "Uh, that''s really not necessary... I mean, these are things I should do..." Garrett tried to decline, but Sir Westlow persisted, repeatedly thanking and inviting him. The bald-headed bishop, observing with a smile, suddenly turned serious and nced towards Priest John at the rear of the group: "John, is this the young healer you mentioned?" Garrett froze, swiftly looking at John. The freckled youngster vigorously nodded, beaming brightly with a big grin on his face. Then, he made a funny face, puckering his lips towards the Spring Goddess''s temple. It warmed Garrett''s heart. That wounded knight Roman, returning heavily injured, had clearly left a mark. His body might be damaged, but his connections at home weren''t. Who knew if he harbored grudges against Garrett or if he''d seek revenge. Of course, letting Garrett be the instrument to kill him, to let the necromancer finish him, was something he couldn''t bring himself to do... He was, after all, aw-abiding citizen in his past life... So, Captain Karen promptly escorted him back to the barracks to report upwards. It seemed that young John had also reported this incident to the War God''s temple, seeking some form of shelter and protection for himself. Garrett gratefully nodded towards young John. The bald-headed bishop observed their interaction but didn''t delve into it immediately. Instead, he extended an invitation: "Hello, young healer. What you did just now was fascinating. We''ve encountered many warriors we couldn''t save in time. Could you exin your method to us in detail?" "Of course!" Garrett replied without hesitation. --------------- Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Since this was a lecture, it couldn''t just take ce out in the field. Captain Leon raised his hand courteously, inviting the bald-headed bishop, who smiled in agreement, and they made their way towards the council chamber in the military camp. The priests hurriedly followed suit. Garrett fell back a few steps, lingering behind, joining the young priest John. John leaned in immediately, speaking urgently in a hushed tone: "I told the bishop!" "About the knight?" "Yeah!" The young priest nodded quickly. Garrett smiled, patting his shoulder: "Thank you!" The council chamber of the city guards wasn''t huge but wasn''t small either. A long table upied the center, clearly made from a tree trunk split down the middle, rough-hewn and unpainted. Arge map adorned the wall opposite the entrance, and it could seat about twenty people if they squeezed in. The bald-headed bishop and the captain of the city guards entered first. Seven or eight priests flooded in, quickly filling half the room. Garrett slipped in among the four squadron leaders naturally. Those in the rear, the lower-ranking officers and soldiers, tried to squeeze in as well. Thest squadron leader gave a stern look and was about to close the door. "Wait!" Sir Flynn intervened. He nced at Garrett, who was constantly looking back, and couldn''t help but smile, waving to Captain Karen: "Karen,e join us too!" A minormotion stirred among the crowd. Soldiers who hadn''t received permission jostled, semi-jokinglyining: "Captain, that''s not fair!" "Captain, we want to listen too!" "Captain, this could save lives!" Captain Karen made her way forward amid herrades'' envy. Garrett looked left and right, seeing Raymond and the others far back in the crowd at the hall''s entrance, unable to push through. He thought for a moment, then turned to the captain: "Captain, what I''m about to share is beneficial for everyone, helping in times of injury to preserve lives as much as possible. Do you think, perhaps..." He gestured outward: "We could find arger space?" Of course, that had to be possible! The captain readily agreed, and the bald-headed bishop had no objections either. The group exited the council chamber, heading to the hall. Before they reached it, the tantalizing scent of hot food wafted from the direction of the hall. Garrett''s stomach betrayed him with a couple of grumbles. ...How could he forget? Thergest room in the city guard''s quarters was the hall, used for ceremonies but serving as a dining room otherwise... The soldiers and priests settled down to listen in the hall, and Garrett confidently took the tform. With no ckboard or chalk, he improvised, gesturing on himself to exin: "Our breathing uses our lungs. When our lungs work, it''s like a bellows stoking a fire. Expanding it is inhaling,pressing is exhaling. If the lung gets damaged, sometimes it creates a one-way valve. Air gets in but can''t get out during exhtion..." He exined as simply as possible how tension pneumothorax urs and how to manage it during emergencies. Before the bald-headed bishop could pose more questions, he hastened and picked up pace: "On the battlefield, there are many reasons for death. But, apart from immediate fatalities, many happen due to severe injuries that weren''t promptly treated by a priest. Now, let me talk about how to administer emergency aid for different types of injuries." The spirits of the soldiers lifted! The junior officers and ordinary soldiers were especially excited. The captain and squadron leaders, being noble knights, usually found it easier to receive treatment on the battlefield. But for them, asmoners, it wasn''t the same. Sometimes, a scratch on a noble''s hand was deemed more important than their severed limbs... They could have survived! Somerades, if given timely treatment, could have survived! "Young Garrett is impressive!" Beside Captain Karen, a junior officer nudged his arm, whispering. "Like his father," another junior officer added. "Yes, the captain back then was just like this, always finding ways to take care of us..." A group of middle-aged men murmured quietly, gazing at Garrett with appreciation and nostalgia. Garrett nodded to them, continuing without pause: "There are many reasons for death on the battlefield, but mainly, they fall into three categories. First, excessive bleeding; second, cardiac arrest; third, inability to breathe. Let''s first discuss how to swiftly stop bleeding on the battlefield..." The hall buzzed with excitement. Cardiac arrest and inability to breathe were, in the soldiers'' eyes, mostly ssified as fatal injuriesor could generally be considered already dead. If such situations arose, most people''s first reaction would be to give up. Except for bleeding. How many people watched helplessly as theirrades bled out, unable to stop it? The more they tried to staunch the flow, the weaker and more powerless they became, until they closed their eyes forever... Young Garrett was going to talk about how to stop bleeding? Fantastic! "Wait!" Suddenly, two or three voices shouted simultaneously. Everyone looked towards a couple of squadron leaders sitting in the second row, two of them urgently jumping up: "Young Garrett, slow down a bit! We want to jot it down with pen and paper!" The hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted intoughter. Even Garrett couldn''t help but chuckle. He gestured to Sir Flynn, who had stood up, trying to hold back hisughter: "Uncle Flynn, could you get a couple ofrge papers and a board for me? What I''m about to exin needs some diagrams to be clearer" He drew diagrams with his hands, exining verbally, asionally asking someone toe up and demonstrate bandaging techniques. Everyone was engrossed. As dinner time approached, bread and cured meat were brought in from the kitchen, and they paired it with vegetable soup for a meal, continuing the lecture. Just as he finished discussing ways to stop bleeding from the head and arms, a distantmotion arose. It grew louder and closer. Garrett nced up at the hall''s entrance, and simultaneously, several knights stood up, gripping their swords. "Who?!" "Who goes there?!" "Captain, captain, captain!" Footsteps echoed relentlessly. A city guard soldier rushed in recklessly, propping himself against the door, panting heavily: "Captain, the Lord''s Mansion is here to arrest someone!" "What?!" "What''s happening?!" "The Lord''s Mansion is arresting people, why are theying for the city guard?!" The hall erupted into a cacophony of discussion. Over a hundred city guard soldiers exchanged whispers, shocked, angry, or bewildered. Someone even blurted out in confusion: "Don''t we usually do the arrests around here?" Huff... Garrett stood steady on the podium. At this moment, with the Lord''s Mansioning to arrest someone, he could guess roughly why, and indeed The doors burst open. A well-dressed messenger apanied by two guards strode arrogantly into the hall. "On the order of the temple, Garrett Nordmark is summoned to answer questions" I hope that helps! --------------- Chapter 31 Chapter 31 The warriors stirred slightly. "A temple?" The War God''s temple was next door. Everyone from the bishop to the priests were seated here; it couldn''t suddenly have peopleing in. The Nature God had no temple at all. Besides, the followers of the Nature God were a bunch of gentle folks, not this proud. So, the only possibility for someoneing to apprehend someone was... The Temple of the Spring Goddess! Ugh, the most detestable one. The most aloof, demanding the most donations, reluctant to help when needed for healing, only seeing the faces of those noble lords... Sigh, as much as they''re disliked, can''t afford to offend them. Waiting for others to save lives on the battlefield, offending them now might cost a life if luck runs out. About a hundred soldiers collectively turned their heads, then collectively turned their gazes back. Captain Karen and Knight Flynn looked worriedly at Garrett, yet he stood firm on the tform, showing no signs of nervousness. Garrett indeed breathed a sigh of relief. They''d rushed fast enough; not too far behind the temple''s folks. They''d made it back to the city guards before Sir Roman reported and before the temple decided to capture someone. Luck was on his side; coincidentally saving Sir Westlow and gaining the attention of the War God''s temple. What favored him more was with the Spring Goddess''s templeing for someone, both the city guards and the bigwigs from the War God''s temple were present. With these two around, they wouldn''t just stand and watch him suffer a loss, right? Garrett calmly walked off the tform. Before Knight Flynn and Captain Nn could speak, he faced the temple messenger and calmly said, "Are you looking for Garrett Nordmark? That''s me." His demeanor was tooposed, causing the messenger to pause, eyeing him closely. A teenager in his teens, ck-haired, dark-eyed. Wearing a dark brown rough linen cloak, dusty, the look of the lowest-ranking soldier in the city guard. From appearance to attire, it matched Roman''s description perfectly. Though it was odd for him to stand on the tform, well, a soldier is a soldier... "Very well." He raised the staff in his hand and gestured forcefully. Two tall guards immediately stepped forward from behind, "Come with us!" Garrett neitherplied nor resisted, staying put, looking to Captain Nn Knight with an inquiring gaze. As expected, Knight Nn rose with his sword, eyebrows furrowed, questioning the neer, "Garrett? What does the temple want with him?" "Just a few questions." The messenger replied indifferently. After answering, he immediately fixed his gaze on Garrett, urging again, "Let''s go!" "Uh, wait... I''m not done here yet... Can''t it wait for a bit?" "The priest is waiting! Move!" Garrett dragged his feet, unwilling to step forward. Taking this chance, Captain Flynn sidled over, swiftly whispering to Knight Nn about what had transpired earlier: how their squad was called up, how Sir Roman made a false report, got seriously injured, and how Garrett got the attention of a Necromancer with his blue eyes... Knight Nn listened and pondered. After hearing the whole story, he nodded, "Understood. Garrett,e, I''ll go with you." "Sir Knight" The temple messenger was about to intervene, but Knight Nn didn''t give him a chance, waving a hand, "Young Garrett is under mymand, and I have always had a good eye on him. Since the temple is calling, it''s only right that I apany him." "This... " Originally thought to summon a mere soldier, it stirred the city guard''s big shot, a level seven knight stepping in personally. The messenger was quite surprised. Before he could refuse, the bald bishop from the War God''s temple smiled and stood up, walking over to Garrett: "This kid''s interesting. If the Temple of the Spring Goddess wants to ask him something, I''d like to see too. Your temple wouldn''t mind, right?" Whether they mind or not, it''s not for a messenger like him to decide! Besides, if the War God''s temple''s bishop visits the Temple of the Spring Goddess, even the high priest has toe out to wee him. What could he say? What would he dare to say? With a wry face, the messenger bowed and gestured. The bald bishop chuckled as he walked by Garrett, extending his arm and giving his neck a firm pat This bishop was burly, with arms almost as thick as Garrett''s waist. Just that pat, that press, nearly made Garrett choke. The group rumbled out of the military camp. The Temple of the Spring Goddessy behind the Lord''s Manor, not far or near from the city guard''s camp. Walking there was a bit far, and using horses or carriages felt like an excessive show of force. The bald bishop tookrge strides, heading straight ahead. The few from the Temple of the Spring Goddess hade on horseback, so they had no choice but to trail behind, holding their reins, panting. Goodness... why is this guy so informal... The messenger grumbled inwardly. Helplessly, the city knows the bald bishop''s style: fond of fighting, arm-wrestling people in taverns. Once, in a physical contest, he beat a level five knight using sheer strength. Now that the old man wanted to walk, what could they do? Everyone had to walk along. The messengerined silently. As they walked, a figure suddenly dashed past from behind, one of the temple guards he brought along. With a few steps, he caught up to Knight Nn, keeping pace, quietly reporting: "It''s Sir Roman whoined at the temple..." The messenger shivered. He looked left, four city guard captains nked Garrett from both sides, shooting angry res asionally; He looked right, behind the bald bishop, seven to eight priests followed closely, seeming like an overwhelming force being deployed. Just by numbers, the one he was supposed to capture didn''t look like a city guard but more like a priest from the War God''s temple; ncing back, a long line of city guard soldiers followed, craning their necks, appearing worried... The messenger''s head suddenly cleared. I''m just a messenger! I have no grudges against the city guard, this youth I''m supposed to capture! I haven''t even reaped any benefits from Sir Roman''s usation! What good does my cooperation do for me? He hurried forward, passing Garrett, and whispered to Knight Nn, crossing him, "Sir Roman used your city guard''s Garrett of colluding with a Necromancer, causing his severe injury. Priest Donald testified for Garrett, saying that before the Necromancer appeared, Garrett was already in the hall below and was knocked down together... Now, due to the failed search and significant losses incurred, Priest Donald has been asked to reflect. Sir Roman''s injuries aren''t improving, even after the high priest''s treatment, and there''s some leniency towards him now. The high priest says the knight''s slow recovery is due to a night''s dy in timely treatmentst night..." Behind Knight Nn, Garrett''s eyes flickered slightly, a silent smirk ying at his lips. Not following medical advice! That''s it! --------------- Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Sir Roman was irritated. He was not just irritated; he was also terrified. Last night, after that young city guard was taken in by the necromancer, Roman discovered something wrong with his hand. His right thumb couldn''t fully extend, nor could it bend properly. Not being able to bend was one thing, but the inability to apply force was a devastating blow for him! He couldn''t grip a sword anymore! Roman clenched his right hand repeatedly, then released it in despair. He had hoped that after his release this morning, Priest Donald would perform healing magic for him But it was futile. Absolutely futile. Pure, sanctified light descended time and time again. Blood surged, warm energy flowed from his arm to his wrist. Yet when he clenched his hand, his right thumb remained utterly powerless. At his most fearful moment, Roman remembered the youth''s plea just before pouring the healing potion, "You can''t heal this wound like that... external healing won''t work, it needs to be fixed from the inside..." Why did he say that? What did he know? Was it... intentional? It''s all that peasant''s fault! It''s all because of him! Roman roared softly. He turned to the apprentice knight standing nearby, his eyes so red they seemed about to bleed: "Have they caught him?" "I-I don''t know..." "Then go and find out!" The apprentice knight bolted out. How many times had it been now? From the temple sending people out until now, how many times had they sent him running! He was just a soldier; could the temple not capture him? Sending him out to check time after time, his legs were bing thin The young apprentice knight sidled up to the side door, peered out, nothing. As he ran halfway back, a familiar guard, seeing him drenched in sweat, grabbed him: "Still asking about this? They came in through the main gate!" "Huh?" The youth was dumbfounded. Temple captures, especially of powerlessmoners, never happened through the main gate. They were brought in through side entrances, thrown into dungeons, and when they saw daylight again depended on how quickly their families could pay the ransom or when some big shot remembered them. But this time, Garrett was escorted by the city guard''s captain and the bishop of the War God''s temple. Why would these two take the side entrance? The temple emissary imed he wasn''t tired of living yet to undertake such a death-defying task... Besides, it wasn''t his call. The bald bishop strode ahead, Nn Knight following without hesitation. Garrett trailed behind these two, feeling like a fox parading in a lion''s skin. No, he should be a resident physician doing rounds with the head doctor! The Spring Goddess''s temple wasn''t grand. Compared to the War God''s temple and the empty Radiant Church, it was rather small. In early summer, vines covered the temple''s outer walls, cloaking it in lush greenery, giving it a delicate and serene appearance. At the temple''s main entrance, on a small square, stood a pristine white stone sculpture: a graceful woman holding up a stone jug, standing in a pool of spring water continuously pouring from the jug''s mouth. Around the statue was a pool made of white stones, wheremoners woulde to worship, scoop water from the pool, and carefully carry it away. ...Was this an artificial fountain? What powered it? A water tower, a pump, or a magic circle? Surely it couldn''t just be a divine gift? Garrett observed curiously. Even if it was a water tower or pump, it was quite impressive, ensuring an endless water supply. But he wondered if the water went through sedimentation, filtration, precipitation, post-filtration disinfection... Hm, they probably didn''t have bleach; perhaps they used divine light for that? After all, even on the streets, it was either dusty in good weather or muddy in rain. There were no sewers; the daily water quality was highly suspicious. If a cholera outbreak urred... Ifrge numbers of people died, it would happen in minutes. As a former emergency surgeon, just thinking about it made Garrett feel crazed for his former colleagues in emergency medicine. He stopped his wild thoughts there. Two rows of guards hurriedly rushed out of the temple''s entrance, split left and right, forming a queue. Following them, the temple officials of the Spring Goddess emerged in an orderly fashion. Garrett''s eyes lit up. The leader wore a silver crown, a light blue silk robe adorned with silver-thread embroidered daffodils on the belt, indicating his status as a seventh-level priest. He wore round-framed sses on his nose, shimmering in the firelightsses! sses! In this era, they could make sses now! With sses came lenses, the foundation for medical observation! Microscope, here Ie! E. coli, Staphylocus aureus, antibiotics, here Ie! He stared at them intensely; there was no one on their side doing the same. The high priest of the Spring Goddess hurried down the steps, took two quick strides, then gracefully stood still. Raising his hands in a praying gesture, he smiled at the War God''s bishop ten paces away: "May the Spring Goddess bless you." Greeting, descending the steps, standing, and bowinga sequence of actions flowed smoothly and elegantly. This process seemed meticulously practiced; every detail wless. To Garrett, it was akin to when their hospital dean weed higher-ups during inspections... "May the War God bless you." The bald bishop smiled in return. The two clerics finished their greetings, and the priest nced at Nn Knight beside them. Garrett distinctly saw the priest''s gaze pass over him, then nced at the temple emissary and two guards who hade to apprehend him. Yet they acted as though they knew nothing, smiling politely, and again bowed courteously: "May the Spring Goddess bless you." "Thanks for the goddess''s grace!" In front, to the left, to the right, soldiers chorused in response. Garrett mimicked their posture, bowing his head along with them, murmuring the response. Pretending to be just an ordinary soldier, utterly inconspicuous. But he failed. Half the group were War God priests, all dressed in robes; from Captain Nn down, though the knights didn''t wear robes, their armor''s exquisite craftsmanship put Garrett in apletely different league. Even the temple guards of the Spring Goddess, who came to capture someone, at least wore decent uniforms to save face outside... With a single nce, amidst them in his rough linen cloak and knee-length shorts, he was the most strikingly different. Not only that, after entering the temple, Captain Nn pulled him over and pushed him in front of the high priest: "Thisd is our new recruit from the city guard. He recently awakened healing magic, and I have high hopes for him. I heard your esteemed temple wanted to ask him a few questions, so I apanied him to listen. You wouldn''t mind, would you?" Garrett: ... I''m not a kid! Ranked 25th in the new light novel list, only got 98 rmendations yesterday, breaking 100 for the first time... Do you all not love me anymore, sniffle sniffle... Seeking, rmendations, reviews... Feedback --------------- Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Without the City Guards stepping in, Garrett''s fate would likely have been a toss into the dungeon, perhaps with a side of bamboo shoot stir-fry or some otherbo meal. As for when he might see the light of day again, it all depended on Captain Karen''s clout and when she could convince the City Guards to bail him out. Without the War God''s temple intervening, Garrett''s fate would probably involve some remote chamber and a barrage of interrogation from a priest. If he were lucky, Sir Roman might have a word or two with him. Traditionally, among equals, spellcasters held a higher position than warriors. The High Priest of the Spring Goddess''s temple could sit on par with Harnd City''s Lord, while the City Guards were merely under the Lord''smand. Even though Captain Nn, a Level 7 Knight, matched the High Priest''s rank, he did indeed fall short in status. But now, the bald Bishop was smiling and strolling beside the High Priest. Regardless of rank orbat prowess, the leaders of different temples held ostensibly equal positions. The bald Bishop wanted to observe, so the High Priest reluctantly escorted them to the main hall, arranging seats while pinching his nose. The High Priest stood tall on the pulpit, lower-ranked priests fanned out behind him. Knight Nn settled on the right side of the main hall, and despite the bald Bishop''s repeated attempts to decline, he sat among the audience in the believers'' section. As for Garrett''s position, a nce to his left and right revealedoh boy, the defendant''s seat. The defendant''s seat in a criminal trial. Is this some kind ofck of respect? Can''t I demand a defense attorney? Unfortunately, no attorney. Knight Nn took the defense''s position, looking intimidating but with an unknown level of legal finesse. What really irked Garrett was Sir Roman''s seat on the left side of the temple, facing his own Captain Nn from afar. That''s the prosecutor''s spot! He''s sitting as the prosecutor, so why am I at the defendant''s stand?! I haven''tmitted any crime! I really haven''t! Garrett felt dismayed as Sir Roman, summoned from a side hall, was practically shooting fire from his eyes. Looking at Garrett, cool and collected, showing no signs of fear, made Sir Roman tremble, wanting to pounce on him and tear him apart: "You! It''s you! You''re the one! My hand, my hand!" Garrett was taken aback. A day''s absence, and Sir Roman seemedpletely altered. Hisplexion was ashen, cheeks hollowed, and a scruffy beard had sprouted on his once chiseled jawline. His once neat short hair now looked lifeless, disheveled on top of his head. Garrett sighed inwardly. This change was all too familiar to him. In the hospital of his past life, those who received dire diagnoses, their families upon hearing bad news, those who couldn''t afford treatment for themselves or their loved ones... In just one night, or sometimes within an hour or two, one''s entire spirit could copse. Comparatively, Sir Roman still had some spirit left. However, even that spirit faded quickly: he nced around, seeing Captain Nn of the City Guards opposite him, and the Bishop of the War God''s temple below, his expression shifted rapidly. Pain, resentment, disbeliefvarious emotions shed through him, causing his whole body to tremble lightly. After a moment''s pause, he sat down slowly, inching his back into a slouch. Garrett discreetly observed him. Upon closer inspection, Sir Roman''s right thumb was as he''d seen it yesterdayunable to fully extend or bend. A seasoned medic could easily spot the unnatural form. It seemed even high-level healing potions weren''t a cure-all... Garrett lowered his eyes slightly. The High Priest sighed at Sir Roman''s appearance, turned his head, and nodded. Behind him, a Level 5 Priest stepped forward and spoke loudly: "Garrett Nordmark?" "That''s me." "Sir Roman uses you of colluding with a necromancer, severely injuring him. What do you have to say?" Garrett was surprised. He nced at the Priest asking the question and then at Sir Roman, who seemed copsed, as if his backbone had been extracted. Slowly, he opened his mouth: "Brother, your credibility is that low?" With the bigwigs present, and the interrogating Priest asking such questions, it''s not about me facing death, it''s about you! After a moment of contemtion, Garrett remained calmly rooted in ce. He lifted his gaze, facing the High Priest directly, and dered loudly: "I didn''t do it!" "Garrett Nordmark!" The Level 5 Priest, standing in for the High Priest, shouted sternly: "Be honest! Sir Roman is a noble temple knight, would he falsely use you?" What''s so impressive about false usations? Plenty of patients, after being discharged, lodgeints against their doctors. Garrett rolled his eyes inwardly and calmly countered: "What does Priest Donald say?" "Priest Donald is in self-reflection.Don''t drag others, speak for yourself!" Garrett sighed as he looked at Sir Roman. To have Priest Donald in self-reflection beforehand, it seemed Sir Roman had used some significant connections to retaliate against himwhy bother? Why go through all this trouble when he was already done for? Why not use these connections to arrange the rest of his life? Besides, if you''re going to use connections, at least use them effectively! Look, in a crucial moment, someone''s stabbed you in the back, haven''t they? His response was more casual: "My team and I were on a routine patrol and were conscripted by the temple guards to join a search operation. Last night, after going to bed, temple guards found skeleton soldiers. We assembled and stormed the castle basement. After Sir Roman defeated the stone gargoyle and was about to open the inner door, the necromancer appeared and incapacitated everyone presentincluding me." Garrett paused, shrugging. When I went down, the necromancer hadn''t appeared yet; by the time the necromancer showed up, I was already incapacitated. using me of collusion? I would''ve needed time to collude, wouldn''t I? He nced around, the High Priest stroked his beard, nodding in silence. Captain Nn gave him a faint smile, a gesture of encouragement, as if saying, "Don''t be afraid, no one can falsely use you." As for the Bishop... He couldn''t see the bald Bishop''s face, but he could hear his voice. Still as resonant as ever, filling the entire hall: "I''ve heard both sides from John. Oh, John is a newly-appointed apprentice priest who also participated in this search. What Garrett said matches his report from this afternoon." Garrett heaved a long sigh. Thanks, Your Grace! Thanks for supporting me and proving my innocence! Thanks to John for reporting promptly! With the War God''s temple backing me, my statement''s credibility has shot up. No more fear of them nitpicking my words! Hmm, the field emergency treatment ss I left hangingst nightI''ll write a full text for youter! --------------- Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Sir Roman''s face was ashen. Sending someone to apprehend Garrett hadn''t seemed like a big deal to himjust a grunt, a stint in the temple, a few days locked up. What could be so hard about it? But why, for the sake of this insignificant person, would the City Guards march in with such force? Who knew they would actually show upmore than that, a captain and two lieutenants? Not only the City Guards, but even the Bishop from the Temple of the War God appeared, willing to vouch for thatd! Why? Why! Sir Roman gritted his teeth audibly, his frustration mounting. His hand clenched into a fist involuntarily, only to realize that he couldn''t muster any strength in his thumb. Instantly, a surge of anger erupted from within. He was done for. Falsely using an innocent, viting the code of chivalry, and getting caught red-handed in front of esteemed guestsknights who engaged in such deeds were best suited to start from the bottom on battlefields, cleansing their sins with the blood of enemies. And he was finished. He couldn''t even make it to the battlefield. If that''s how it was going to be If that''s how it was going to be! "It was him who caused my harm!" Sir Roman abruptly raised his head, ring fiercely at Garrett, his eyes red as if they were bleeding. "When I needed healing, he stopped me from drinking the healing potion! And after he and the necromancer went in, they sent that ck cat out, trying to drag me in! If it weren''t for meif it weren''t for me holding onto the doorframe" Garrett let out a sigh. He truly missed Director Yu from the medical office. A stout man who could argue, m desks, withstand the Health Commission, and handle medical disputes. Basically, with him at the forefront, any unreasonableints usually turned into trivial matters for the doctors. But now, he was on his own. He had to face the storms outside on his own. Garrett raised his gaze. Like any youngd who had just begun to grasp the world''splexities, witnessing human malevolence for the first time, he looked at the captain of the City Guards with clear eyes, his voice slightly trembling: "Captain, if Sir Roman''s usations prove true, what will happen to me?" What will happen? Amond colluding with enemies, causing serious harm to a knight. Whether it was the temple or the lord''s manor investigating, Garrett being beaten on the spot or worse was entirely normal. But Garrett was innocent! Knight Nn had been simmering with anger. Raiding someone''s ce, baseless usationseven if the other party was a temple knight, the City Guards couldn''t just bully them around. Not to mention, young Garrett''s father had been a lieutenant in the City Guards, and he himself had just saved Sir Westlow Knight Nn furrowed his brow. Just as he was about to speak, the high priest from the Temple of the Spring Goddess sighed and spoke first: "Child, you needn''t worry." The high priest''s voice was gentle, his demeanor noble. Even if their temple knight hadmitted a wrong, it didn''t shake the aura of authority he projected: "The clear gaze of the Spring Goddess can see through everything. She won''t let an innocent suffer unjustly." "Praise be to the Spring Goddess." "Praise be to the Spring Goddess." The priests and knights bowed together. Garrett mimicked the gesture, silently muttering as if he''d already paid his respects. When he spoke again, his tone was firm, his words sharp: "So, do you find it credible for someone who previously falsely used me to do so again?" Like a sharp de unsheathed from a thick cloak. Like a grazing sheep suddenly baring its teeth. Knight Nn slightly widened his eyes, somewhat astonished, as if he were seeing Garrett for the first time. Soon after, he smiled with relief, while the expression on the high priest''s face darkened slightly. Sir Roman sharply shouted: "You''re lying! It was you" "Enough!" The high priest suddenly erupted in anger. He pointed his staff, and a watery radiance burst forth, silencing Sir Roman instantly. With a slight tilt of his staff, he gestured in his direction: "Take him to the most secluded chamber in the temple for penance. No breakthroughs, no release!" ...Penance? Garrett was a bit displeased. But with the decision made by someone of that stature, as himself, protesting wouldn''t do much. Garrett nced at Knight Nn, who subtly shook his head. He didn''t say a word, lowering his head in apparent respect, but his mind was elsewhere, pondering the intricacies of the floor. Hmm, the floor was remarkably smooth, not marble but close to terrazzo. Properly disinfected, it would make a suitable surgical room floor... He detached himself, engrossed in the floor, while Sir Roman struggled in every way possible. However, under the high priest''s magic, a knight''s physical strength amounted to little, and he was swiftly escorted away. The high priest then eased his expression, exchanged a few courteous words with Knight Nn, and saw them off. "Captain, what is the most secluded chamber in the temple?" Once the temple''s lights disappeared, Garrett was eager to inquire. Knight Nn chuckled softly, tapping his forehead lightly: "Still not convinced? Lad, I''ve never seen the high priest be so severe!That ce I''ve only heard about. They say it''s without light or sound, where even the meal deliverers don''t speak. It''s meant for high-ranking knights'' solitary meditation. Even if that Roman were a fifth-level knight, to break through, it would take at least a year and a half." "Uh..." "What''s...?" Knight Nn raised an eyebrow. Garrett hesitated: "Then, he probably won''t evere out..." "What?" Knight Nn was surprised. "I sensed something amiss, especially with his right hand..." He turned to the bald bishop: "Can''t you heal him?" In the night, the bald bishop looked grave. Frowning in recollection for a while, he shook his head and then nodded: "I haven''t examined him closely enough to draw conclusions. But, the old man''s healing abilities are simr to mine. If he couldn''t cure it personally, I probably couldn''t either. Hmm... with a higher-level blessing, say from our archbishop, perhaps..." However, whether a bishop of level 11 or above would intervene for a fifth-level knight was another issue altogether. Garrett nced left and right, his mind racing. Higher-level divine magic might facilitate things like limb reattachment or regenerationhe needed to remember this. If he got the chance, he''d study the principles! He silently set a long-term goal for himself. Meanwhile, Knight Nn fell silent for a moment, pulling Garrett closer and advising cautiously: "If Roman is truly incapacitated, the temple won''t keep him locked up indefinitely. In a few months, or if his family pleads, they might release him. This guy holds grudges, he might seek revenge even aftering out. Is your ce safe? Just to be sure, do you want to stay in the barracks?" Under the moonlight, Garrett tilted his head slightly and smiled. "A few months? I only need a few months too. I''ll soon be an apprentice mage, don''t worry!" --------------- Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Emerging from the Temple of the Spring Goddess, it was already deep into the night. The group gradually dispersed, each heading home. Sir Nn purposely took a longer route, walking Garrett Nordmark to a street not far from his own home before parting ways. Garrett walked alone down the small street. He nced around, the houses on both sides were pitch ck, devoid of any light. It seemed like everyone inside had already retired for the night. asionally, a dogs bark would break the silence, sporadic and dreamlike. In this sea of darkness, Garrett tried to match his memories, struggling to recognize his own house. Unfortunately, the surroundings were too dark, and the houses all seemed simrlow, narrow, with eaves almost within arm''s reach. ncing around, he hadn''t spotted a house resembling his own after a while, and a sense of impatience crept over him: "How reliable are my past memories, really?" To add to his troubles, his stomach chose that moment to loudly grumble. Garrett: "" He had dinner earlier, but clearly, it wasn''t enough. At this hour, where could he find something to eat? Did the previous owner store any dry food before going on patrol? Even if there was, after a couple of days, would the ck bread still be edible? Maybe he should have stayed at the barracks tonight? Could he still make it back and knock on the door? Garretts mind swirled with various thoughts as he turned a corner, suddenly met with brightness. Thirty or so steps away, light seeped out of a window, not bright but quite noticeable in the pitch-ck night. Instinctively, Garrett walked toward that house. After a few steps, the door creaked open, and a slender woman holding an oilmp cautiously stepped out. Spotting Garrett not far away, she brightened up, vigorously waving at him: "Little Garrett! You''re back! Had dinner?Karen! Edward! Little Garrett''s back!" Rushing out of the house led by Uncle Karen, a group of people surged forward. Garrett stood rooted to the spot. For some reason, his heart felt a pang, his eyes already welling up. Since childhood, his parents had divorced, and his mother had worked tirelessly, selling noodles in the morning and thin porridge at night, struggling to raise him. Studying medicine, practicing it, every end of semester during school felt like taking entrance exams. After starting to work, it was continuous overtime, never enough time with his mother. Just as he was promoted to deputy director, hoping for some ease, life took a turn, leaving him yearning but unattended in the sea of lights. Until today. "Aunt Irene" He murmured. The woman had already rushed over, grabbing him and looking around: "Little Garrett, you''re back! Are you okay? I knew that it wasn''t a good thing! This time, thanks to you, even Uncle Karen mentioned it, fortunately, you saved him" As she spoke, she pulled him into the house, leading him to a table. With a thud, a bowl of hearty meat soupnded in front of him, the bone sticking out, aroma wafting, tantalizing. "Aunt Irene, I''ve already had dinner!" Garrett attempted to decline. Before he finished speaking, his stomach grumbled again. Embarrassment flushed his face; Aunt Irene chuckled, ruffling his hair: "Don''t be polite with Aunt. You''ve had so many meals at Aunt''s ce since you were little, never seen you shy away.Besides, you saved Uncle Karen''s life. If you''re polite to Aunt, should Aunt pay you for treatment?" As she spoke, she busied herself around the house. Slicing a few pieces of bread, she then took down some cured meat hanging from the roof, cutting two slices. Swiftly cing them by Garretts right hand: "Youngd, being able to eat is a blessing. Eat!" Garrett grinned awkwardly. He stopped declining, grabbing bread in one hand, soup in the other, and eating with gusto. Aunt Irene watched him eat with a smile, then turned around, shooing her sons like chicks: "Go, go, go, go! What are you looking at, go to bed! Kids wont grow if they dont sleep!" Uncle Karen''s two sons were younger than Garrett, Edward was thirteen, and David was ten. The two boys eyed Garrett longingly, wanting a bite but not daring to struggle against their mother, as she grabbed them and tossed them into their bedroom. Garrett felt a bit embarrassed. Just as he was about to speak, he felt someone tugging at his clothes: "Big brother Garrett" Garrett turned. Standing beside him was a five or six-year-old girl, dressed lightly, looking frail. Under themplight, she gazed up at Garrett shyly, her face somewhat pale, extending something toward his mouth: "Brother, eat" Garrett searched his memories and remembered her as Uncle Karen''s younger daughter, Avi, six and a half years old. Garrett gently lifted her up, letting her sit on a nearby stool: "Little Avi, why did youe down? Its cold at night" As he spoke, he held her raised arm gently, trying to lower it. But the little girl twisted, unwilling: "Brother, eat!" "If brother doesn''t eat, you eat" "Brother saved Dad! Brother eat!" Avi persisted with her raised arm. Despite his attempts to avoid it, Garrett always lost against the determination of the little girl. He remembered the girl being fragile, her face turning pale at the slightest exertion. Garrett didnt want Avi to strain herself. Helplessly, he turned to Aunt Irene,ining: "Aunt, why tell Avi these things?" "Of course, I''ll tell her." Aunt Irene stood by, smilingly observing, even raising her chin, signaling Garrett not to refuse. Garrett had no choice but to open his mouth, letting Avi feed him. As soon as the tip touched his tongue, a faint sweetness spread. It was a malt candy. In his previous life, such a trivial sweet, but here, a rare treat for children, often treasured for a month or two. "Thank you" Garrett gently patted Avi''s hair. The little girl responded with a smile but suddenly burst into a fit of coughing, pressing her chest, her face turning crimson. Garrett hesitated, reaching out to pat her back, halfway through, his heart skipped a beat. Early summer, the weather was warming up. The girl had dashed out in slippers. Her tiny toes peeked out, and her toenails, supposed to be a light pink, seemed to darken under themplight. Cyanosis?! rm bells rang in Garrett''s mind. He rubbed his eyes, not daring to believe, afraid he had seen wrong. He reached out, moving the oilmp closer to illuminate Avi''s feet, scrutinizing No mistake, Avi''s toenails indeed had a hint of purple, cyanosis! Aunt Irene rushed over by then, embracing her daughter, gently patting her back. As sheforted Avi, she responded to Garrett''s query: "It''s alright. Avi just doesn''t like to move, weak in health, prone to coughs during seasonal changes." Garrett shuddered. Fragments of memories resurfaced; Avi had always been frail since childhood, prone to fatigue, coughing during changes of season, smaller than her peers... For a while, Avi''s cough subsided, her flushed face gradually fading. Garrett took the chance to observe closely. Her lips were rosy, slightly pale, but no signs of cyanosis. He took her hand, checking her fingernails, which showed a delicate pink color. Lower body more affected than upper. Differential cyanosis. Garretts heart sank uncontrobly. All signs pointed to an illness he hesitated to suspect but had to consider. "Don''t rush, don''t rush, it might not be." Garrett desperately reassured himself, forcing a smile, "Aunt Irene, as you know, I''ve recently be a healer. Avi''s cough sounds severe. Could you get me a tube, let me listen to her breath?" --------------- Chapter 36 Chapter 36 "Tube?" Aunt Irene looked puzzled. Garrett gestured the length of his forearm and then brought his thumb and forefinger together to gauge the thickness. "This thick, this long... and it needs to be hollow." "Just listen to it directly!" Aunt Irene waved her hand dismissively. "Avi is so small. Besides, you''ve seen her grow up!" Garrett was sweating. He never wanted to listen to a heartbeat again, especially not so intimately. If possible, never again! Seeing his persistence, Aunt Irene rummaged in the kitchen, eventually retrieving a pitch-ck hollow tube, handing it over after cleaning. Garrett held it in his hand, realizing it was longer than his entire arm, darkened and bearing burn marks, undoubtedly a blowpipe. Well, it would have to do for now. Perhaps he''d craft a stethoscope when he got the chance. Keeping hisposure, Garrett aimed one end of the blowpipe at his ear and pressed the other end against Avi. Despite the purpose being to listen to her breathing, the blowpipe''s end moved slowly until it reached the strongest heartbeat. Holding it firmly, he listened attentively, asionally adjusting, his expression growing more serious. There was a murmur at the heart apex. Moving to the left edge of the sternum at the second intercostal space, the murmur during diastole became clearer, a distinct mechanical murmur. Shifting towards the aortic area, the murmur faded. The murmur near the tricuspid area was almost inaudible. Having circled the heart, he moved to the left vicle, and there, the distinct mechanical murmur resurfaced... At the left edge of the sternum, second intercostal space, and beneath the left vicle, a continuous mechanical murmur was heard during diastole. It had a wide conduction range. Combined with earlier symptomscyanosis, weakness, fatigue, and seasonal coughthere was a strong suspicion... Patent ductus arteriosus. One of the ssifications of congenital heart disease. Mild cases might exhibit no significant symptoms throughout life, while severe cases could lead to pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, and eventual death. Garrett closed his eyes firmly. He patiently listened to Avi''s lungs once more, ensuring there were no irregr breath sounds, then set the blowpipe down. With a glimmer of hope, he turned to Aunt Irene. "Aunt, about Avi''s condition... has she seen a priest? What did they say?" His serious demeanor visibly startled the others. Under the oilmp''s light, Aunt Irene hesitated, then forced a smile, sending Avi off to bed. After that, she sighed deeply. "Bishop said Avi is just physically weak. Rest more and be cautious not to catch a cold... To reach normalcy would require highly advanced divine magic beyond his capabilities..." They think it''s merely physical weakness? Garrett felt a pang of sadness but also a bit of relief. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss... Knowing it''s a congenital heart condition, what else could he do? Heart diseases had been fatal for a long time. Cardiac surgery remained a taboo in medicine for years. Theodore Billroth, hailed as the "father of surgery" inter ages, once cast a "curse" on heart surgery: "Surgery on the heart is a sacrilege against surgical art. Anyone attempting such surgery will face ruin." Without life support, cardiopulmonary bypass, basic hemostasis, disinfection, or anesthesia, attempting heart surgery under current conditions would equate to murdering the patient. Perhaps it''s better to let Uncle Karen, Aunt Irene, and others remain unaware and continue living this way. Garrett reluctantly convinced himself, turning his attention back to Avi. Her cough had stopped, and herplexion improved. The faint purple hue on her toes had faded, turning pink again. That faint pink, to Garrett''s eyes, was the most beautiful color in the world. Thank goodness! Cyanosis only appears during severe coughing or oxygen deprivation. Otherwise, there''s no discoloration! With this level of patent ductus arteriosus, even if it progresses to pulmonary hypertension and severe heart failure, with luck, there''s still over a decade! Garrett breathed a sigh of relief. He tried to suppress his anxiety, gentlyforting little Avi, exchanging a few words with Uncle Karen and Aunt Irene, then bidding them farewell. As the door closed behind him and he disappeared into the darkness, Garrett closed his eyes, clenching his fists tightly. Patent ductus arteriosus is treatable. In his past life, he''d seen countless patients like this and had referred such patients to cardiology colleagues. This disease wasn''t a death sentence, not even requiring significant financial sacrifice for treatment. For kids like little Avi, in his past life, they''d simply perform an intervention surgery. Plugging the duct between the aorta and pulmonary artery with a device, the entire procedure took just ny minutes. Heart sounds would return to normal that day, and within a few days, the child would be bouncing around again. But that surgery was far from easy It required an ECG to identify heart defects, X-rays to rule out other conditions, echocardiography to diagnose the illness, cardiac catheterization to understand pulmonary vascr resistance and shunting, confirming the suitability for surgery; It needed guide wires with diameters ranging from 0.88 mm to 0.45 mm, guided by X-ray, inserted through the patient''s femoral artery, all the way to the heart; It demanded a plug made of superstic nitinol alloy with a high polymer bipatible membrane, guided by the wire to the ductus arteriosus defect, then controlled to open and block the gap; Of course, it required contrast agents with high purity, injected into the blood vessels to show blood flow under X-ray, confirming the sess of the surgery... Each step, each detail, was a testament to modern medicine and industrial prowess, the epitome of cutting-edge technology from the Industrial Revolution to the Electrical Age, the result of years of development in science, industry, and medicine, bridging the gap of life-threatening diseases. But now, here, Garrett Nordmark had nothing. This was a different world. No devices, wires, or plugs, no echo-X-rays, no anesthesia, no blood transfusions, no contrast agents... How could he snatch Avi''s life from the hands of death? Divine magic had proven unreliable. The Bishop had indicated the inability to treat, evidently lower-level divine magic couldn''t handle congenital diseases. Magic, magic... Could magic emit ultrasounds? Could magic generate electrocardiograms? Could magic summon fine wires to enter the human heart and treat defects? Could magic... allow him to see the mysteries inside the human body? Garrett didn''t know. But he knew that starting tomorrow, he would push open the doors of magic. If he worked hard enough, if his imagination was strong enough, everything was possible! Within ten years, he had to aplish all of this! Uncle Karen, Aunt Irene, little Avi Wait for me! --------------- Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Garrett''s own home was actually close to Uncle Karen''s ce. After returning, he couldn''t sleep for a long time, tossing and turning in bed. Eventually, he gave up, lit amp, and decided to organize the things he''d need for learning magic tomorrow. This small house was Garrett''s own, the only property left by his father. It wasn''t big, just one room, around 20 square meters. In the dim light of themp, Garrett looked around and took it all in. Despite its small size, the house was surprisingly well-built. The windows were wooden shutters, quite old with numerous gaps. A faint draft seeped through, chilling Garrett as it brushed against his skin. The furniture in the room covered the basics. A double bed, a wardrobe, and a basin atop a cab by the bed. There was a table near the window, likely for dining, with two chairs, one of which had a broken leg, propped against the wall with bricks to bnce it. On the other side of the room, against the wall, stood a wooden rack with a set of fine leather armor, adorned with several copper pieces. Next to the armor was arge sword that Garrett attempted to lift but found it too heavy, likely a weapon used by the previous owner, his father. Bending down, Garrett noticed a wooden box wedged under the bed, the same box of books left by his father. He wouldn''t need these books at the mage tower. Garrett pondered for a moment, pulling out the box, and found a half-used feather pen and a nearly dried-up small bottle of ink. Among the books, he retrieved a small, rough piece of linen paper, spread it out, finding only five or six sheets. Is this all that remains from the former studies, learning to read and write? If he could only take notes and not transcribe, these papers and pen would suffice for the first day... barely enough, right? Garrett sighed deeply. He stowed the papers and pen in his backpack, pushed the box back under the bed, blew out themp, and sprawled across the bed. Sleep almost immediately enveloped him. In the darkness, half-dreaming, Garrett thought: "Oh... I''ve be a homeowner now..." In his previous life, he hadn''t married, his sry was low, and he only decided to buy a house when wages had increased linearly while housing prices had soared. It waste when he finally made up his mind to purchase a house. Just paid the down payment, hadn''t even received the keys yet, and then he transmigrated. Utterly unfortunate. Fortunately, upon transmigration, he already had a house. No matter how shabby it was, it was still a ce. Still made of bricks and wood, far better than the dpidated wooden hut he saw yesterday. "Your residence surpasses 85% of the city''s dwellings. Please continue to maintain it." If he had brought a system with him during the transmigration, it might have given him such a prompt by now, right? He slept soundly until the loud crowing of a rooster sliced through the dawn light, causing Garrett to sit up abruptly. Mage apprentice! I''m going to learn magic! Oh, I''m so tired... I spent the whole night performing surgery with the necromancer, rushed back to the city in the morning, went to the mage tower to study, then back to the military camp, saving people, lecturing, and fussing over the Spring Goddess''s temple. This intensity rivals overtime in my previous life! Oh well, forget it. Let''s ssh some cold water on my face. Garrett jumped out of bed, humming a tune, and began freshening up. There wasn''t a proper washroom in the small house, and the basin at home was empty. After rummaging through his memory, Garrett remembered the well was half a street away... He stepped out to attend to personal matters, grabbing a bucket of water on his way back. He washed his face, brushed his teeth, tidied himself up, and retrieved two of his only remaining shirts from the wardrobe forparison. Both were long-sleeved, one dark and one light. The light one was already too small, clinging tightly to his body, making it hard to bend his elbows. The dark one was the right size, but it had several patches on the elbows and cuffs... Garrett held one in each hand, hesitating. The only other clothes in the wardrobe were vests. Remembering that the mage Gelman wore a robe when they went to the mage tower, Elliot, who was blown away, also wore a robe, even the servants at the entrance wore a shirt with a vest... After all, it''s for learning, and it''s visibly the lowest level of the mage tower. It''s better to dress more solemnly. There are enough difficulties already; no need to create more. So... which one should I wear? After much contemtion, he finally gritted his teeth and put on the old, dark shirt. Just as he was about to put on his shoes, there was a rapid knocking on the door outside the small house: "Little Garrett, little Garrett!" "I''ming, Aunt Irene!" Garrett jumped up and loudly responded. He didn''t bother with his shoes and went barefoot to open the door. As soon as he opened it, Aunt Irene''s slender handnded with a pat on his shoulder: "Little Garrett, you''re going to the mage tower today, right? Why are you dressed like this? Here, change into this outfit. Your elder brother Raymond made it for you, it''s brand new, and I''ve adjusted it for you. Have you had breakfast yet? Aunt has prepared lunch for you, make sure to take it with you!" "Aunt Irene!" Garrett blurted out. A warm surge washed over his chest, he heaved a couple of breaths, and finally spoke softly: "Aunt, this is what Raymond elder brother wanted to wear for Midsummer..." "Never mind that kid!" Aunt Irene shoved the clothes into his hands. Without further ado, she pushed him in a circle, and with another forceful pat, urged him to change clothes: "That kid, even if he wears good clothes, he won''t find a girlfriend on Midsummer. Put it on, little Garrett, you''re going to learn magic, of course, you should wear something nice!" As her palmnded, Garrett couldn''t dodge, immediately feeling a sting on his shoulder. Garrett''s face twisted in difort, reflexively letting out a miserable cry: "Ouch" This isn''t logical! This body was at least a first-level warrior! Turns out, even legendary warriors, when faced with a p from their aunt who had watched them grow up, had a 100% hit rate. Garrett was smacked and swayed, so he hurriedly dashed to a corner, swiftly changing into the new clothes. Aunt Irene inspected him, growing more pleased with every nce. "Oh my, little Garrett, this outfit looks good on you! Aunt has always known you''d amount to something..." Garrett reached out and took her hand. Rough to the touch, with pits and scars on the fingertips, faint traces of blood, obviously from working through the night multiple times, poking her fingers. Garrett sighed softly, cupping her rough and warm hands in his, closing his eyes. "For health and safety" He silently recited. Between his palms, a faint white light gently glowed, sweeping over the woman''s fingertips, knuckles, palms, and wrists, soothing the cracks, healing the cuts. On those hands that soaked in cold water, pounded, and cleansed every day, a warm flow dissipated the lingering cold in the joints. "Little Garrett, you don''t need to..." The woman''s voice trembled slightly. Garrett opened his eyes, looking down at her hands now smooth and soft, smiling genuinely: "Aunt Irene, you''ve worked hard." --------------- Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Garrett''s journey as a mage began in a tranquil setting. All those conflicts, face-offs, and noble oppression ofmoners from the web novels of his past lifenowhere to be seen. From Harnd City to the Mage Tower, Garrett couldn''t help but mentally concoct numerousmon plotlines along the way, yet not a single one unfolded. It wasn''t that his ssmates were morally upright, following a set of ethical rules; rather, there simply was nobody around. Mage Gelman was nowhere to be found. Nor could he spot the mage Elliot who''d been sted out of the tower thest time. The silence outside the Mage Tower was such that birdsong was audible. Garrett spected that either the experiments were going smoothly, or the mage had switched to a different experimentone less likely to explode for the time being. Several low-ranking mages or mage apprenticeswhen Garrett arrived yesterday, Mage Gelman had mentioned "disciples," implying there were more than onewere also nowhere in sight. Considering yesterday''s explosion urred on the fourth floor, and Gelman only allowed him ess to the first-floor books, Garrett suspected there might be a library upstairs exclusively for mages and apprentices. These novices who had crossed into the realm of magic most likely operated from the second floor and above, seeing no need to descend. As for sses... perhaps today wasn''t a teaching day? The library on the first floor of the Mage Tower was empty, with Garrett the sole upant. The servant who showed him to the library simply stated, "No going upstairs," and left. Before Garrett could inquire about the location of the restroom, the person had vanished... Not even a pitcher of water. Ah, well, the school library back in the day didn''t supply water either. A habit, indeed. Garrett dropped his backpack, walked up to the shelves, and upon entering the library, his eyes immediately fell upon the bookshelvestall, sturdy, made of dark chestnut wood. The tops of the columns and the bookshelf''s edges bore exquisite carvings, suggesting the value of the books they supported. ...Just this one bookshelf could equal a year''s sry, huh? Garrett estimated silently, swiftly scanning the books on the shelves. The library wasn''trge, just two bookshelves in total. The books on the shelves were thick and substantial, as long as from his elbow to his fingertips, and nearly a fist thick. To amodate theserge books, each shelf only had fouryers. The midsection of the shelves, made of solid wood, was over five centimeters thick and slightly bent due to the weight. Due to the sheer size of the books, even with both bookshelvesbined, they didn''t exceed a hundred books... Garrett quickly did mental arithmetic. Thankfully, it wasn''t much different from the quantity of textbooks they''d used during their seven-year undergraduate and postgraduate study... purely in terms of quantity, it was about the same. After all, besides textbooks in medicine, there were plenty of workbooks, references, clinical guidelines, and such materials to memorize. We''re professionals when ites to studying. No fear. Garrett silently encouraged himself. So, the next step was to pick out the books he needed to read! The titles reported by Mage Gelman! "Fundamentals of Spells!" "Structure of Magic Patterns!" "Introduction to Elemental Magic!" "Study of Magical Remedies!" And the most fundamentalMagic Script! As for the other books on the shelf, perhaps they weren''t unimportant, but starting with the basics seemed prudent! Garrett tilted his head, trying to read the spines of the books, but couldn''t make out a thing. He tilted left, then right, trying to discern whether they were written vertically or horizontally, but it was futile. No matter how he twisted his head... Back and forth, performing cervical exercises several times, Garrett finally epted a harsh realityhe couldn''t recognize any of the text on the book spines. No choice, let''s look inside! He tiptoed and took down a book from the shelf. As soon as he lifted it, his arms sank down, requiring extra effort to stabilize it. ...So heavy! Being a librarian these days is a physical job, huh! Garrett marveled. He gingerly ced the book on the table, adjusting it, and examined the cover closely. The deep blue leather cover felt thick and soft, adorned with silver calligraphy that spiraled and twisted like vines. Despite scrutinizing it for a while, Garrett couldn''t make sense of it and had to flip open the first page. No recognition. Still none. Even flipping through to the main content, he couldn''t understand what the book was about, let alone recognize the text on it. The only advantage was that this massive book was handwritten, and the text was ten timesrger than that ofter printed versions. The content of the entire book, therefore, might just be around one-tenth. No, not even one-tenth. The paper used here was thicker than in his previous life, yellowed, bearing distinct fiber marks. Thicker paper meant fewer pages, which naturally meant lesser information recorded. Garrett sighed with relief, but then a thought struck him, and he tensed. Papermaking techniques in this era were quite rudimentary, indicating that only basic knowledge could be recorded. It''s foreseeable that in the future, transcribing spells and the like would require paper or parchment made from materials like sheepskin or monster hides, which would start at a price several times higher than this paper. If the material was too inferior, it simply wouldn''t withstand magical power, and there was a high probability it would burn up after being written on... In the future, he''d have to provide his own materials for transcribing spells! Paper, ink, quillsall had to be bought! I need to check the pricester... oh, I feel so broke... Garrett sighed, reluctantly closed the book cover, ced it back on the shelf, and went to retrieve the second book. The second book. No recognition. The third book. No recognition. ...The tenth book. No recognition... A thinyer of sweat had formed on his body, partly from fatigue and partly from frustration. He arrived early, not feeling hungry yet, but his muscles were weary, and his body felt empty, perturbed by this futile effort... No wonder being a librarian is a hidden profession. In this line of work, achieving mastery sure is something! He wiped his brow, continuing to move books. The seventeenth book finally had a title written in themonnguage, "The Miraculous Journey of a Great Mage." Just from the title, Garrett had a foreboding feeling, and as he flipped through, he found it to be a novel... A low-quality adventure novel at that. Not the kind that could even secure a publishing deal on a beginner tform. ...So, I''ve sweated through all this to haul these things, and how much of it is just fiction? Oh no... Garrett pounded his chest. The bad news was he''d have to battle through these novels for who knew how long. The good news? He''d need to read (memorize) fewer textbooks... "You can''t do it like this." A voice suddenly sounded behind him. Garrett''s hand froze mid-reach for a book. --------------- Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Who''s Speaking Behind? Garrett dared not turn around, fearing he might drop the book he held. He steadied the book on the shelf, then turned to look at the person by the door. Who was this? The neer was a young man, around twenty, with sandy hair and dressed in a ck mage robe. Seeing Garrett turn, he grinned widely, his white teeth shining brightly: "Hey there, kiddo!" "Mage, sir." Garrett bowed, puzzled: Who was this overly familiar guy? As he bowed, he noticed the man leaning against the door frame, his right foot barely touching the ground, seeming hesitant to put weight on it. Suddenly, it clicked for Garrett: No wonder he couldn''t recognize himyesterday''s explosion in the mage tower left his face ckened. The only thing familiar was that set of big white teeth... "Mr. Elliot! Is your foot not healed yet?" "How could it be so quick?" The man''s face fell as he gingerly moved to sit at the table, obviously not handling yesterday''s twist lightly. Garrett approached and inspected, asking, "Didn''t you get it healed?" "Are you kidding? Healing potions are too expensive!" Elliot eximed. But then, realizing his outburst wasn''t suitable in front of a neer, he awkwardly chuckled. Garrett had moved over to him by then: "May I take a look?" "Ohright, you''re a healer. Go ahead!" Garrett crouched by his foot. Upon careful observation, he noticed Elliot''s right ankle swollen like a bun on the outside, not so bad on the inside, but the top was visibly swollen. Garrett gripped Elliot''s ankle with his left hand and pressed firmly on the outer ligament with his right thumb "Ow!" Elliot cried out, jerking away. He hopped on his right foot, his left foot in the air, trying to escape: "You''re a healer! Where''s the healing spell!" "If I''m a healer, I need to check!" Garrett retorted, not looking up, focused on Elliot''s right foot: It can still take some pressure, good sign, likely no fracture. As for the ligament, just a bit of pressure and it hurts this much, probably a tear in theteral ligament "Let go of my foot!" Elliot tried to escape with a limp, unable to run fast with one leg. Wanting to cast a spell, he was repeatedly disrupted by pain. Garrett grabbed him, crouched down, pressed along the outer edge of the ankle bone, poking and rotating: "Does it hurt here? What about here? How about this rotation?" "Ah... it''s okay here, it''s okay... Ah! Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! Let go!" Great, pain with inversion stress, indicating significant pain while inverting the foot. There''s tenderness at a specific point, suggesting the anterior talofibr ligament is probably torn, the posterior talofibr ligament seems okay, and the calcaneofibr ligament is likely fine. Now, it''s about soft tissue contusion and swellingGarrett focused, envisioning foot anatomy in his mind, and his fingertips started glowing. Repair ligament damage, speed up local tissue metabolism, quickly absorb swelling, heal injured soft tissues The swelling on Elliot''s right ankle gradually subsided. He breathed a sigh of relief: "Ah... it doesn''t hurt anymore..." He immediately wanted to pull his foot away. Garrett grabbed it: "Wait! Let me double-check!" Pressing, rotating, making him hop. After this routine, Garrett finally confirmed that Elliot''s ankle injury was treated. He sighed in relief, supporting himself up from the floor with the chair. Elliot enthusiastically hopped over, grabbing Garrett''s hand, shaking it vigorously: "Oh, thank you so much!" His attitude had changed drastically. No longer condescending as when he first came in, now treating Garrett as an equal. Garrett nodded along, thinking: In the world of mages, no knowledge is free. So, obviously, healing spells aren''t either. Since Elliot found healing potions expensive, it would be best to ask for something that''s important to oneself, yet easy for the other "Mr. Elliot, you said what I did was wrong?" "Ohright!" Elliot smacked his forehead loudly. After the checking and treatment, he had forgotten why he came. He pointed at the bookshelf: "I said what you''re doing is wrong! Flipping through aimlessly, wasting timeyesterday you said you hadn''t even learned magic scripts?" "Yes, Mr. Elliot." Garrett breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, the savior had arrived; he didn''t have to waste energy on novels anymore! That book was especially heavy, covered in copper! He earnestly asked for guidance: "I indeedck basic magic education. Mr. Elliot, could you please advise me on the order to read these books?" In any discipline, the order of learning is crucial. Like in his previous life studying medicine, first anatomy, then physiology; then onto pathology, pathophysiology. Once those basics were clear, moving onto diagnosis, then surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, pediatrics, infectious diseases, dermatology, and all the other specialties. Trying to learn advanced without mastering the basics was akin to building a tower on sand. Without wind or waves, given a bit more time, it copses. So, what about magic? This power resides within oneself. Without a clear order, just picking up a book, was it a death wish? Garrett had considered gathering books he knew and finding an apprentice or, better yet, a mage to ask the proper sequence. Before he could figure that out, Elliot had appeared at his doorperfect! "The reading order?" Elliot''s eyes lit up. Healing potions were expensive, so surely, the healing spell wasn''t free either. Asking for advice on book reading order? Perfect. He silently recited a phrase and waved his hand. Whooshing sounds followed, and all the books flew off the shelves, hovering in the air, forming semi-circles around Elliot. He nced around, then pointed: "You, you, you!" Swoosh, about ten booksnded on the table, piled up. Elliot waved again, and the remaining books scattered, each grouping returning neatly to the shelves, as if they were never touched. Pointing to the table, Elliot said: "Start with these few. ''Magic Script Studies,'' ''Basic Meditation,'' start with these two. Magic symbols, spells, elements, and potions, it doesn''t matter. If you get tired, ''History of Magic,'' ''Alchemy Basics,'' ''Illustrated Guide to Magical Creatures'' can be leisurely reads..." Garrett''s journey into magic studies had finally begun! Though... not very smoothly, it seems... --------------- Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Around a dozen books. All needed to be read or, rather, memorized. With a farewell to Elliot, the mage who had already done his favor, Garrett stood by the table, gazing at the stack of thick textbooks before him. He breathed out softly. He measured them with his hand: around a dozen books,rger than the standard 16-k format of his previous life, piled up from the sturdy oak table to his neck. Leaning forward, his head lowered until his chin rested on the pages. This thickness... Well, just a minor thing. Medical students'' textbooks, exercise collections, picture albumsthey wouldn''t even stack up to a person''s height. Following Elliot''s instructions, Garrett flipped through the pile. The first book, unreadable. The second book, unreadable. The third book, still unreadable... Boom! All written in magical script? So, to learn magic, I have to learn a wholenguage first? And it''s a mutenguage... Hoping against hope, Garrett went through all the books except for "Study of Magical Script." Disheartened, he returned them to the shelf, opened thest book, and reluctantly began wrestling with the magical script. 4500 words in Level Four Vocabry. Back then, memorized in a month. 5500 words in Level Six Vocabry. Can''t remember how long it took. Under the pressure of major courses, cramming was the norm, and passing Level Six seemed rtively easy. Magical script... How many words does this dictionary contain? Garrett never counted, nor did he want to. The only certainty he had was that "Study of Magical Script" was the thickest among nearly a hundred books on the shelfothers were at most the width of a fist, while this one could be two fists thick. The text was small too. If the font size in other books was around Times New Roman or slightlyrger, the font in this book was only about Arial 12. The content almost rivals aprehensive dictionary... Garrett mourned silently. He gritted his teeth, flipping to the first page, and felt like he''d been hit on the head again. The organization of this book was incredibly random, wherever the author thought of something, it was written there, or arranged ording to what the author considered important. The first page started with the four major elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth. Turning another page. Magic, Dragons, Spirit, Primeval, Mars, Venus, Sun, Saturn. Third page. Macrocosm, Microcosm, Birth, Death, Sage, Devil... Garrett:... I need a dictionary! At least give me the words arranged in alphabetical order! English alphabet of 26 letters, Japanese hiragana, German''s 30-letter alphabet, and even the International Phic Alphabet, pleasee back... I''ll never find you too basic again... Yet, nobody responded. No dictionary, no phic symbols, no instant understanding of thenguage of magic, no mind-scan to store the unfamiliarnguage in his database. Garrett concluded his internalment, forced to pull out a pen and paper from his bag, and began the arduous struggle Firstly, to catalogue all the encountered letters... After roughly half an hour, flipping through dozens of pages, he covered a sizable area on the paper. Confirming no new letters appeared, Garrett took a deep breath and started arranging them. Luckily, this magical script somewhat resembled the Latin script. Garrett judged purely by appearance, cing those resembling ''a'' first, ''b'' next, and for those unlike English letters, he followed German letters, then Roman letters, in sequence. What? This letter looks entirely unique and unlike anything? Put it at the very end! After this round, he realized the script wasn''t excessivelyplex; there were about sixty lettersconsidering some appeared only at the beginning of words, he roughly estimated upper and lower cases existed, making around thirty letters in total. Garrett flipped his scraps of paper, writing each new letter at intervals. Then, staring at the sprawled "Study of Magical Script," he steeled himself and rubbed his wrist... I have to reorganize this entire book! Too difficult,piling a dictionary is just too difficult... No wonder "Dictionary Publishing House" takes a decade to update theirprehensive dictionary, just revising this book could employ half thepany. The workload is enormous... And now, all this workload is solely mine T_T Oh well, in online novels, some predecessors had to decrypt magicalnguages themselves. Comparatively, having ready-made books to copy from is quite fortunate... Page by page, Garrett copied the words and their correspondingmonnguage meanings beneath their respective starting letters. Surprisingly, copying aided in memory retention. At least after a page, Garrett realized he had memorized what he copied. Garrett toiled away for half a day, his eyes sore, wrists aching, suspecting the onset of tendonitis. Just as he thought about using a healing spell to soothe his wrists, he encountered his first hurdle: He ran out of paper. He had brought five or six sheets, filled both sides densely, and now had no space left... Where could he get a nk page? Garrett felt he couldn''t do such a thing. Ask someone for paper? He didn''t dare. Gelman had strictly prohibited copying, and seeking help now would be akin to walking into trouble! Seek help or plead with Gelman? Garrett felt he hadnt lived enough and didn''t want to be turned into charcoal by a fireball... After a quick deliberation, he stowed his paper, pen, and ink in his bag and hurried off. The reference books could still be essed tomorrow; if he didn''t return to the city now, the shops would be closed, and there''d be nowhere to buy paper~~~ He dashed back to the city, bursting into his home. Locking the door, he went to the table, moved aside the chair with a broken leg, and shifted the brick supporting its foot, digging a few shovels underneath. Neatly nestled in the earthy a small money pouch. Garrett took it out and emptied it into his palm, coins clinking. Two silver coins, seven copper coins. At the other end of the street, Uncle Simon''s bakery sold ck bread at one copper coin per loaf. He could manage a day if he ate sparingly. One silver coin could exchange for ten copper coins. This little pouch was his monthly expenses in his original form. His sry in the city guard was five silver coins a month. Patrolling in the city meant he could get a meal in the military camp. Calcting, he could save two silver coins a month for other daily expenses. But for buying paper... this amount might not be enough. Productivity in this foreign world wasn''t much better than the Middle Ages; in his impression, during this era, paper and pen were outrageously expensive... Garrett hesitated, climbed under the bed, pushed aside the book box, and dug out a small box. --------------- Chapter 41 Chapter 41 When Garrett opened the box beneath the bookshelf, a dim light spilled out, illuminating a thinyer of coins. He carefully poured them out, sorting them by color, and meticulously counted each oneonce, twice. Ten gold coins. Eight silver coins. Among the gold, there was one that stood out. Garrett picked it up, examining it closely. Nine of the ten gold coins featured a beautiful woman''s face wearing a crown on the obverse side, with intertwined roses on the reversea familiar sight, likely from their own country''s currency. It seemed to be a depiction of a queen on the front and presumably the royal emblem on the back. But thest one had a different mark. The obverse disyed a bearded man with a crown, while the reverse showed a double-headed eagle with outspread wings. Different emblem, different face. Considering the rose pattern on the reverse of the other silver coins, this distinctive one might be from a foreignnd? As for how it was left there, its value, or whether it could be spent directly, Garrett searched his memory but found no answers. Regardless, these ten gold and eight silver coins constituted the final savings left by his predecessor''s father. Buried under the bed and stowed beneath the bookshelf, he was instructed not to touch them unless absolutely necessary. The reason for the distinction between gold and silver was the concern that a young child, weak in strength, might recklessly spend gold coins and attract trouble. ... How much should he take out this time? After careful consideration, Garrett put back eight gold coins into the boxincluding the one with the double-headed eagleand returned three silver coins. He meticulously reset the box, cleared the traces on the floor, pocketed the money pouch, and darted out of the house towards the paper and pen store. In Harnd City, Garrett only remembered one shop that sold paper and pens. The store was near the city lord''s mansion square, about two hundred meters south along the main street, a prime location within the entire city. Carriages with family emblems adorned the bustling streets, gentlemen anddies passing by now and then. On each side of the store entrance hung twonterns, illuminating half of the street. Surprisingly, there was even a doorman under thenternswhite shirt, suspenders, holding a board about a foot wide and over two meters tall,boring to put it up for the shop. When Garrett arrived, the doorman nced at him with surprise. His eyes swept over Garrett, who wore a visibly altered linen shirt, pants sttered with mud, and a patched backpack. His lips moved slightly, and he ced the board down, then approached to open the door for Garrett. Stepping into the shop, a waist-high wooden counter divided the entire storefront into two sections. Inside the counterzily sat a young attendantwhite shirt, ck waistcoat, a ck bow tie neatly secured under his neck, wearing a face that said, "Don''t bother me, I''m about to finish my shift." Apart from the counter, there was nothing else on the outside. Inside, behind the attendant, cabs disyed various scrolls, quill pens, ink bottles, and stationery boxes, a wall adorned with a myriad of items. Garrett craned his neck to look at the scrolls. The attendant raised his head for a swift nce,zily asking, "What do you want to buy?" "Paper," Garrett managed to say one word before being interrupted. The attendant didn''t even lift an eyelid but continued, "Parchment paper, two silver coins each, in paper, four silver coins each. How many do you need?" "So expensive?!" Garrett was astonished. Two silver coins for parchment paper could be understood since it''s made from animal skin, but four silver coins for in paper? Was this some sort of high-quality paper? This couldn''t be parchment from the Sanctum, could it? No, that wasn''t the main point. If regr in paper cost twice as much as parchment, how did the paper-making industry survive without going bankrupt? The young attendant rolled his eyes impatiently. Rather than answering, he crossed his arms and arrogantly added, "Minimum purchase of ten sheets." "One sheet for two silver coins, ten sheets for twenty silver coins, or two gold coins... How many sheets would it take to copy an entire book? Would a thousand be enough?" If calcted, just for this purpose, it would cost two hundred gold coins... Apart from the alchemical apparatus and surgical tools in that box, selling off the house, furniture, everything in the house wouldn''t likely be enough. Garrett calcted with the little hope he had and asked tentatively, "Anything cheaper?" "Cheaper?" The attendant raised an eyebrow. Just as he was about to say something, a swift elderly man rushed out from the inner part of the shop. "We have plenty! What kind do you need?" The elderly man appeared more extravagantly dressed than the young attendant. His coat was adorned with a velvety border, and the buttons on his rotund belly shimmered, almost ready to pop off. He red at the attendant and then instantly put on a smiling face. "We have all kinds of goods in this little shop. The cheapest one is paper from Valwick, four silver coins per sheet. Slightly whiter, smoother ones from Norumbria, official documents'' paper, one gold coin per sheet. "The paper you heard before is regrly ordered by the Magic Tower outside the city. It''s said to improve the sess rate of copying scrolls, even better than parchment. Only four silver coins per sheet. Quite a bargain!" So, it was specialized paper for copying magical scrolls. Garrett suddenly realizedthough paper-making had bemon, high-quality paper wasn''t easy to produce. Not to mention magical paper representing tangible power; in his previous life, even top-notch papers could cost a hefty sum, selling thousands for just one or two gold coins. "How many sheets for a gold coin?" The young attendant sneered. But the elderly man didn''t find the question too mundane. He continued with a smile, "25 sheets, absolutely no discount!" Hmm... Garrett swiftly calcted. Twenty-five sheets for one gold coin, four silver coins. A thousand sheets would cost 160 gold coinsor 16 gold coins. He had ten gold coins, eight silver coins, and seven copper coins. But would a thousand sheets be enough for a child learning to read and write? Definitely not enough, right? These days, reading and writing seemed to be the privileges of the upper ss... Garrett sighed. After the moment of reflection, he resumed negotiating the price, "Would buying more get me a discount?" "For one tael, that''s twenty pieces, seven gold coins and five silver coins! And we deliver right to your door!" "Pens? Ink?" "Quill pens, two silver coins for a goose feather pen that can be sharpened at least twenty times! Refined goose feather pen for four silver coins, can be sharpened at least fifty times,es with a sharpening knife! Regr writing ink, two silver coins for an ounce, five ounces for arge bottle at eight silver coins!" They were really good at doing business. Garrett chuckled wryly. This pricing strategy and attracting customers reminded him of household packs, wholesale, andbination deals in supermarkets from his past life. He considered his needs and took out his wallet, "I''ll take four sheets of regr writing paper and one refined goose feather pen. I only have two gold coins and five silver coins, could I get another bottle of therge ink?" The paper, pen, and ink totaled two gold coins and eight silver coins. As soon as Garrett made his request, demanding a ten percent discount, the young attendant, watching from the side, couldn''t help but scoff and sneer, "If you can''t afford it, then don''t buy! Do you even have gold coins?" --------------- Chapter 42 Chapter 42 "Henry!" The old man frowned. While scolding, he couldn''t help but shift his gaze, covertly sizing up Garrett. Garrett''s hand paused while undoing the wallet strap. It seemed the old man was suspicious of him... It wasn''t surprising, considering his attireneither noble nor servant-like, not quite fitting any known role. It seemed like he was spending his own money for himself. The mismatch between his status and ie would naturally raise eyebrows anywhere. Though he could withstand scrutiny, there was no need to invite unnecessary trouble. Garrett stayed silent, continuing to dig coins from his wallet. One gold coin, two gold coins... The old man''s eyes widened, immediately trying to dissuade him: "Sir, you''re joking. A small business like mine, selling so cheap might mean running at a loss... If it''s inconvenient for you, how about buying two small bottles first?" He picked up a gold coin, inspecting it left and right, blowing on it and even biting it. Garrett was surprised: Even at this age, still biting coins! Aren''t you afraid of damaging your teeth? Moreover, these coins were buried in a box underground for so many years. After touching them, I wouldn''t dare handle food without washing my hands, and here you are putting it straight into your mouth! Intestinal infections, diarrhea, vomiting, fever... Garrett''s mind raced, staring at the coins with increasing incredulity. The old man''s expression also turned peculiar, body leaning forward, arms spread out, unconsciously assuming a defensive stance. In the midst of this tension, with a sudden exertion, and inexplicably gasping for air, the entire coin went down his throat! The old man''s face contorted instantly. He gasped, grabbing his throat, his eyes bulging like a frog. Stuck? The coin got stuck? Choking?! Garrett was shocked. The young assistant beside him froze, flustered, rushing to pat the old man''s back: "Sir! Mr. Hogan!" The patting was ineffective. The plump old man rocked back and forth, bent forward, coughed a few times, quickly turning purple. The young assistant held onto him, attempting to open his mouth, clearing his throat. Meanwhile, he shouted outside: "Quick! Get the apothecary!" "Understood!" Outside the shop door, the boy replied, darting off. Normally, when someone fell ill or got hurt, they should summon a priest, but... wasn''t the apothecary next door? When unable to afford a priest or when the priest was too busy, they''d manage by calling the apothecary. The treatment might be slower, involving administering medicine or something simr... The young assistant yelled and continued trying to save the old man. Unexpectedly, Garrett leapt over the counter! "What are you doing?" The young assistant shouted. He wanted to help the old man but also wanted to drive Garrett away, causing chaos. He couldn''t free up his hands, only shouting loudly: "What are you doing! Get out! Get out!" Ignoring him, Garrett rushed forward, shoving the young assistant aside, enveloping the old man from behind. At least he was a first-level warrior. Compared to knights, picking on shop staff was his strong suit. Thrown by him, the young assistant mmed into the cab behind, curled up, shouting: "Thief! Someone''s stealing!" "Who?!" "Who?!" Footsteps echoed. A middle-aged man stormed in, a ss bottle in one hand, a wooden spoon in the otherGarrett presumed he was the apothecary. Right after, the boy rushed in, searching for sticks on the floor, simultaneously yelling at Garrett: "What are you doing! Release Mr. Hogan!" Garrett didn''t pay them any mind. With one leg in front and the other behind, he locked his hands around the plump old man, exerting a sudden downward force. The plump body slid, directly sitting on Garrett''s right thigh, pressed forward. "What are you doing!" The apothecary yelled. He wasn''t young and couldn''t leap over the counter like Garrett. He could only rush, desperately trying to feed the old man. Running and panting, he shouted, "Let go of him! Why are you squeezing his waist when he''s choking!" As Garrett was making preparations, the coin slipped! It''s the worst dealing with overweight people! Needing an extra person to lift them off a bed, it''s difficult to perform chestpressions, and during abdominal surgery, when others make an incision, they''d see organs, but with him, it''s justyers of fat! Even for anesthesia, the dosage needs aplete reassessment, an anesthetist has to be extra careful! Look at this now, the Heimlich maneuver just slipped off! The store clerk and apothecary continued shouting. Garrett, frustrated, roared, "Shut up!" "You,e out!" The boy nced around, finally grabbing a doortch, ducking under the counter barrier. Garrett shouted, "I''m saving him!" His left fist moved up, the right hand following suit, pressing against the plump man''s sternum. Taking a deep breath, he exerted force again! Once! Twice! Bang! The doortch hit hard. Garrett couldn''t dodge in time, so he slightly leaned his head aside, taking the hit on his left shoulder. In pain, his arms suddenly surged with strength, fiercely thrusting the old man''s chestthird time! "Cough!... Cough cough cough!" The old man suddenly started coughing violently. A thunderous bout of coughs, then suddenly, he opened his mouth and spat something out. With a ng, itnded on the table, spinning under themp''s light, sparkling gold. Garrett rxed all over. Releasing his arms, he raised his right hand to massage his left shoulder, simultaneously glowering at the boy. The second stick wielded by the boy froze halfway, his right hand held high, stunned. "Can it work like this?!" The apothecary froze in ce. Dropping the ss bottle, it shattered with a crack. "Cough cough cough... Huff, huff, huff..." The old man coughed for a while, finally catching his breath, turning his head. As he nced over, seeing the frozen boy holding the stick and Garrett massaging his shoulder, his gaze froze on the spot. The apothecary disregarded everything: "Why did this work? When someone''s choking, can you save them by hugging their chest? Please, tell me! I''ll pay you! I''ll give you everything!" He began frantically searching his pockets. Money pouches, gold chains, even trying to tear off buttons from his coatbut one pull and nothing budged. Garrett sweated. Busy with casting a healing spell on his left shoulder, he could only stretch his left hand, trying to pull the apothecary: "You don''t have to... It''s just a small technique, very simple..." Damn it! I pressed the diaphragm, who told you to hug the chest! This isn''t clear, it''s harmful! The pain in his shoulder finally subsided. Garrett freed up his hand, starting to exin to the apothecary. Under themp, he watched as the middle-aged apothecary nodded repeatedly, bending from a five-degree lean to ten degrees, then gradually to fifteen. The plump old man opened his mouth. Sweat beaded on his chubby forehead. Why did he doubt the other''s money earlier? Why suspect the origin of that coin? Now, he had offended a legitimate healer! Even the neighboring apothecary would listen respectfully to their lessons! Now, the other party, not even sparing a nce at him, was busy chatting with the apothecary... The old man reacted quickly. As Garrett paused in his exnation, he immediately bowed deeply, showing respect. The fat on his belly creased deeply: "Respected healer! Thank you for saving my life, and please forgive the rudeness of my little shop..." Garrett quickly stopped teaching to assist. The old man followed his lead, rising with his support, hand on his waist, loudlymanding the young shop assistant: "Roger! Bring what the healer needs! Frank! Get a dozen of the finest paper, no, make it two! And fetch ten quill pens, tworge bottles of ink! Hurry!" A doorkeeper and a shop assistant, shouted by him, rushed back and forth, not touching the ground. This time, the one causing chaos by blocking was Garrett: "No need... I can''t afford these..." "How can I let you pay!" The old manughed heartily, thumping his chest, making a "bang bang" sound. "Respected healer, you''re my savior, how can I not pay for your treatment fees?" "But..." For applying the Heimlich maneuver, the treatment fee... Well, in such cases, it doesn''t take much, maybe a few dozen coins at most for such a simple operation? "No buts! This shop is mine. If I owe this old man''s life, isn''t it worth a few pieces of paper?" "At least exchange it for normal paper... Magic paper is too expensive..." "Then add two more batches of normal paper! Roger! Pack everything and deliver it to the healer''s home!" One doorkeeper and one shop assistant, directed by him, ran back and forth, as Garrett sighed: "Please don''t trouble yourself... It''s just a simple technique..." Damn it! I pressed the diaphragm, who told you to hug the chest! This isn''t clear, it''s harmful! Finally, the pain in his shoulder subsided. Garrett freed up his hand, starting to exin to the apothecary. Under themp, he watched as the middle-aged apothecary nodded repeatedly, bending from a five-degree lean to ten degrees, then gradually to fifteen. The plump old man opened his mouth. Sweat beaded on his chubby forehead. He doubted the other''s money earlier? Why suspect the origin of that coin? Now, he had offended a legitimate healer! Even the neighboring apothecary would listen respectfully to their lessons! Now, the other party, not even sparing a nce at him, was busy chatting with the apothecary... The old man reacted quickly. As Garrett paused in his exnation, he immediately bowed deeply, showing respect. The fat on his belly creased deeply: "Respected healer! Thank you for saving my life, and please forgive the rudeness of my little shop..." Garrett quickly stopped teaching to assist. The old man followed his lead, rising with his support, hand on his waist, loudlymanding the young shop assistant: "Roger! Bring what the healer needs! Frank! Get a dozen of the finest paper, no, make it two! And fetch ten quill pens, tworge bottles of ink! Hurry!" A doorkeeper and a shop assistant, shouted by him, rushed back and forth, not touching the ground. This time, the one causing chaos by blocking was Garrett: "No need... I can''t afford these..." "How can I let you pay!" The old manughed heartily, thumping his chest, making a "bang bang" sound. "Respected healer, you''re my savior, how can I not pay for your treatment fees?" "But..." For applying the Heimlich maneuver, the treatment fee... Well, in such cases, it doesn''t take much, maybe a few dozen coins at most for such a simple operation? "No buts! This shop is mine. If I owe this old man''s life, isn''t it worth a few pieces of paper?" "At least exchange it for normal paper... Magic paper is too expensive..." "Then add two more batches of normal paper! Roger! Pack everything and deliver it to the healer''s home!" One doorkeeper and one shop assistant, directed by him, ran back and forth, as Garrett sighed: "Please don''t trouble yourself... It''s just a simple technique..." --------------- Chapter 43 Chapter 43 A heap of goodsy before Garrett. His square table at home was brimming with items, leaving almost no space. Two reams of paperofficial documents, perhaps. Without a reference, Garrett couldn''t distinguish between them, but he could tell the quality was much better than the hemp paper he had brought with him that day. Two rolls of magical parchment paper. Soft, pristine, and smooth. Though it didn''t match the A4 paper from his previous life,pared to the pages he had seen during the day, it was quite impressive. Ten feather quills, finely sharpened at the tip, with straight and long shafts. Apanied by a small penknife, Garrett tested its edge and found it quite sharp. Two bottles of ink. Each a five-ounce bottle, about three times the size of the hero''s ink from his past life. They seemed like they''dst for at least half a year. Garrett took stock of his haul. If the cheaper paper was the official one, priced at one gold coin per sheet, that would be 20 gold coins. The two rolls of magical paper, one at 20 dors and the other at 25 dors for 25 sheets, totaling... 400 gold coins. Refined goose quills at 4 silver coins each, therge ink bottles at 8 silver coins each, together totaling 5 gold coins and 6 silver coins. Adding it all up, the cost of this treatment came to 425 gold coins... He wondered about the profit margin of that stationery shop. Even if it was cost-price, the old man had just spent over two hundred gold coins. ...But then again, how much would a spell like "healing lethal wounds" be priced at in this world? Scratching his head, Garrett pondered. He wasn''t entirely clear on the answer to this question, but in the web novels he''d read before, "healing lethal wounds" seemed to be a fourth, fifth, or sixth-level divine magic? Anyway, it definitely started at over a thousand gold coins. Commoners, even the ordinary middle ss, couldn''t afford it... He realized it was much the same in his previous life. If throwing money could save a life, most people would go all out. When faced with life-threatening illnesses, a family spending hundreds of thousands in the ICU wasn''t umon If one choked on gold coins, luck might let them swallow them; if not, an esophageal obstruction could lead to instant death. Previously, his immediate aid might not have saved an entire life, but it certainly salvaged half of one. So, a shopkeeper thanking him with a few items from their shop was... eptable, right? After much mental reassurance, Garrett finally felt at ease. He looked at the stacks of white paper on the table, his smile growing wider bit by bit, and suddenly, he clenched his fists up high: "Yahoo!" Money, no, paper and quills! No worries about transcribing books anymore! No, not just books, even scrolls won''t be a problem from now on! "Garrett, Garrett!" Someone was knocking outside. The voice sounded familiar. Garrett got up and opened the door, finding two familiar faces: one was his immediate superior''s superior, Knight Flynn of their unit, and the other was Sir Westlow, who had saved a life yesterday afternoon at the military camp. Garrett invited them in. Knight Flynn nced at the table and couldn''t help but exim, "Young Garrett, you struck it rich! So many writing tools?" Garrett had to exin his earlier stroke of luck. Before he could finish, he noticed both Knight Flynn and Sir Westlow exchanging looks, their expressions somewhat odd. After a moment, Knight Flynn forced a smile and handed over a small money pouch: "Your sry for the month, a little extra. Captain said your pay will be based on your immediate leader for now, and a raise will be applied once your rank goes up. No need for duty, juste by the camp when you have time." Garrett nodded vigorously. No duty meant he didn''t have to work as promised by Knight Nn yesterday. And a pay raise? Unexpectedly delightful~~~ ncing at the table, Garrett thought he''d better hurry and write the battlefield first-aid manual. If that spread through the camp, it could save many lives He took the money pouch, Knight Flynn stepped back, and Sir Westlow followed suit. His embarrassment visibly apparent, he scratched his head and struggled for several seconds before producing a silk money pouch: "Um, thanks for yesterday. I should''ve given this to you yesterday, but it gotte, and you left early..." "No need!" Garrett reflexively stepped back, ncing around. Offering something, especially something he needed, was one thing. But handing over money was too shocking! Especially after treating him yesterday and today, suddenly giving him money! It felt like receiving a patient''s red packet... Would the medical departmente after him?! Garrett''s heart raced. It took him a while to realizethis was a different world, no hospitals, no medical departments. Oddly, that realization saddened him. Seeing his troubled expression, Knight Flynn took the money pouch and stuffed it into Garrett''s hands, insisting: "Don''t refuse. Sir Westlow''s family is burdened, with two daughters married this year and donations owed to the temple. These 10 gold coins are his all-out effort. The rest, he can only give bit by bitter..." 10 gold coins?! That much?! Seemed like the savings left by the original owner were about this much... Wasn''t the original owner''s father also a captain? Garrett slowly opened his mouth, thought for a moment, then quickly shut it. From his memory, the original owner''s father came from elsewhere, with no roots in Harnd City. Houses, armor, weaponseverything cost money. Even this box of books was exorbitantly priced, enough to drain someone''s savings for years... In any case, ten gold coins was a lot! A whole lot! He shook his head repeatedly, pushing back hard, "Healing the sick and saving lives is just something one should do! Besides, yesterday, the temple called me for questioning, and Uncle Westlow, you went along?That was worth much more than any money!" The two knights exchanged nces and smiled. Finally, Knight Flynn stepped forward, thrusting the money pouch into Garrett''s hand, grasping his fist tightly. While squeezing it, he said: "If you don''t take it, we won''t dare toe to you for treatment in the future, no matter what happens." "Patients?" Garrett''s spirits lifted. Knight Flynn pondered for a moment: "You mentioned yesterday, that treatment for Sir Roman''s wrist shouldn''t have been that way... Following your method, can it be healed?" Garrett''s face fell instantly. Knight Flynn shook his head vigorously, "Not him, not him. Do you remember Sir Barren? The city''s best archer, three years ago, got a cut on his wrist here..." Knight Flynn gestured at his wrist: "During a fierce battle, he could only bandage his wrist and fight with a sword. The next day, he couldn''t exert force or draw his bow. Could... that kind of injury be healed with your method?" It sounded like a tendon injury... but not necessarily , maybe a nerve or vascr injury. Garrett pondered: "I need to examine it. If it''s what I think, it might require a bunch of equipment." "No problem! I''ll have hime see you tomorrow!" --------------- Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Two knights hastily bid their farewells and departed. Garrett spent another day poring over books and,e evening, as soon as he reached home, he spotted Sir Flynn and Sir Westlow, who had visited the day before, along with a scruffy middle-aged man waiting at the door. Besides these three, an unexpected visitor persisted at the doorway, insisting on staying put with a persistent and cheerful demeanor. Before Garrett could approach, he noticed a person with an unusuallyrge, shiny bald head that stood out conspicuously. "The Bishop?" "Oh, Garrett, you''re back!" The bald-headed Bishop greeted casually, waving his hand without any sense of formality. He then casually grabbed and pulled someone out from between the two knights. "Do you want to heal him?" Garrett: ...Could you maybe tell me who this person is first? He stepped forward to greet them while silently seeking rification from the two knights. As he got closer, he caught a very familiar scent emanating from the middle-aged man. This scent... feels familiar. Garrett sniffed, suddenly taken aback. "Do you smoke?" Is there tobo in this world? Has the age of exploration begun? Rubber, quinine, coffee, cocoa, and even the coca nt beloved and despised by doctors, have all made their way here? As well as the bountiful trio: corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, have they too arrived? Garrett made a concerted effort to refocus. He opened the door and invited them inside. The bald-headed Bishop didn''t hesitate to step in, while the three knights followed reluctantly, asking as they walked: "Bishop, what brings you here..." "Has he treated this injury before? Now that Garrett says he might be able to, I naturally have to see!" "Do you really believe he can heal it?" "Ah, Garrett''s methods are different from others. If he says he can, then I''lle and see!" Back when Sir Bn injured his wrist, he had sought medical aid everywhere and even made substantial donations to the War God''s temple, but despite numerous treatments, the bald-headed Bishop could only inform him that the tendons were severed and there was nothing more to be done. Seeing that knight leave, unable to wield his bow again, was difficult for the bald-headed Bishop. So, upon hearing the possibility of a cure, even if prying into someone else''s secrets was frowned upon, he shamelessly inserted himself into the situation. Five people crowded inthree of them knights, and one who was as knightly as a knightin a small room of about twenty square meters, making it feel like it was about to burst. To make matters worse, there were only two chairs, one of which had a broken leg... ncing left and right, Garrett knew he needed the patient to sit on the intact chair for the examination. He gingerly sat on the broken one himself, while the others had to make do however they could. Garrett gathered his focus and began his inquiries: "Sir Bn?" "That''s me." "You... injured your wrist three years ago? What''s the current situation?" "Yes... injured my right wrist..." As Garrett questioned, he discreetly observed the man. Judging by appearance alone, Bn seemed a good seven or eight years older than the other knights, weathered and rugged, with a scruffy beard and a weary countenance. Hisplexion was dull, his eyes tired, but when Garrett mentioned his name, there was a faint glimmer in his eyes. ncing at Bn''s torso, despite the three-year-old injury, he still had a sturdy physique; his belly hadn''t bulged. His left arm boasted a well-built bicep, while the muscles in his right arm visibly sagged. Hmm... the patient had kept up with exercise, a strong desire to recover. Garrett Nordmark, former emergency room physician, silently noted this in his mind, then extended his hand: "Let me see your right hand." Bn obediently extended his hand, palm up, resting it t on the table. Garrett leaned in under themp''s light to examine a scar on the wrist, a reddish wound that protruded like an earthworm on the skin. The bald-headed Bishop''s paw immediately reached out, about to point out the wound, but Garrett breathed a sigh of relief: "How does the wrist feel? Can''t bend it inwards? But you can extend it outwards, right?" "How did you know?" Bn instinctively nced to his side. Sir Flynn on his left and Sir Westlow on his right vehemently denied, "We didn''t tell him!" Garrett pursed his lips. He had wanted to ask further, but the bald-headed Bishop intervened, cing his hand between Garrett and the patient, with an air of determination to get answers: "How did you know?!" Rolling his eyes, Garrett attempted to cut through the bald-headed Bishop''s tirade, but unfortunately, he couldn''t overpower him. He sighed and pointed at Bn''s wrist to exin: "It''s quite evident! He injured the inner side of the wrist, not the outer. The tendons on the inside control bending, so if the outside isn''t hurt, of course he can extend it outwards!" "Ah... Oh." The bald-headed Bishop withdrew, deted. Bn cautiously asked, looking at his wrist, "Can it be treated?" --------------- Chapter 45 Chapter 45 The gaze was all too familiar. Patients, family, no distinction of gender or age, status or rankso many looked at him this way. Garrett almost blurted out "I can heal" reflexively, but it transformed on the tip of his tongue into: "There''s a possibility of healing." After stating the conclusion, Garrett immediately shifted back. Even though he sat in a chair against the wall, his back against the wall, there was no escape, yet he instinctively tried to retreat further. In his previous life, when you said "possibility," patients and families weren''t satisfied. There''d likely be an inquisition: how likely is healing, how long will it take, how much will it cost... Eventually, it would end inints about the doctor''s reluctance to give a definite answer. And if the temper wasn''t good, it''d lead to a round ofints. Even if these knights had good temperaments and didn''t cause trouble, even if they shook him by the shoulders, he couldn''t handle it! Garrett cautiously looked across. Contrary to his expectations, after a brief stupor, Knights Flynn and Sir Westlow immediately rejoiced. One of them reached out, grabbing Sir Balen''s shoulder, shaking him vigorously: "It can be healed! It can be healed!" "Old Balen, did you hear that? It can be healed!" "You''ve consulted so many... So many... It''s been three years, three years..." The two men shouted passionately. Their voices gradually lowered, bing hoarse, almost like howls in the dark night. Sir Balen sat like a puppet, unresponsive, despite their attempts to shake him. After a while, with a sudden jolt, he stood up, shrugged off the two, and slightly bowed to Garrett: "Then please, heal him quickly!" "Yes, quickly!" Knights Flynn and Sir Westlow immediately understood. The three formed a half-circle, leaning forward, staring down at Garrett, almost as if they wanted to swallow him whole. Under their intense gazes, Garrett shrank back a bit more: "Not possible right now..." "Why not? Didn''t you say it can be healed?" Sir Balen''s voice heightened instantly. Garrett sought help in a nce toward Knight Flynn, arguing softly: "I can''t do it now... I''m missing something..." Amidst the mor inside and outside the room, Garrett''s figure was engulfed. Sir Balen, Knight Flynn, Sir Westlow, everyone was moring. The bald bishop''s voice was louder than anyone''s: "Young Garrett, can you truly heal this injury? What''s missing? Is itcking the material for casting? If your healing art isn''t strong enough, tell me how to do it, I''ll take over!" Expectant eyes once again focused on Garrett. Seeing no troublemakers oriners, Garrett rxed. He took a step forward, looked into the bishop''s eyes, and answered loudly: "I''m seventy percent sure of healing alone. But to ensure afterward that the wrist remains flexible, capable of exerting force without harming elsewhere, I need to check my tools to know the certainty." "Can''t you heal it now?" The bald bishop and Sir Balen seemed somewhat disappointed. Garrett pondered for a moment, grasped Sir Balen''s arm, gesturing and exining: "It''s like this. Your arm has many muscles, each reliant on tendonswhat you call tendonsthat attach to bones. I reckon the tendon you broke is the radial flexorright here, to here," He moved his fingers along Sir Balen''s arm, pressed near the elbow on the forearm, slid downward, and then tapped the base of the palm. Then, he drew a line across the scar on the right wrist: "That''s where it snapped. Tendon strength is significant; when it snaps, the entire muscle contracts. What I need to do is cut the skin, pull out the contracted muscle, stretch it back to its original position, and let the tendon heal." He tried to keep his exnation simple. As soon as he finished speaking, Sir Balen immediately stood up, eximing: "Why wait? Heal it now!" ng! A daggernded on the table, gleaming coldly. Garrett: "..." I need forceps! Hemostats! Sutures! This surgery might need to be done under a microscope. No microscope? Give me a magnifying ss at least! He choked on his words, caught between disbelief and disbelief. Before he could recover, the bald bishop questioned: "I''ve tried this method before. But it didn''t heal! " Tried this method too? Garrett looked at him with new respect. Big guy, you''re gutsy! Studied medicine for a few years? Dissected a few cadavers? Know how to cut without severing blood vessels, how to avoid cutting nerves? Hmm... how do I exin this? Garrett fetched paper and pen, quickly sketching on the desk. Momentster, the ulna, radius, metacarpals were vividly depicted, with over a dozen muscle fibers attached to the bones. An illustration of the forearm muscles and bones was now on the paper. This was something he''d done countless times in his previous lifemaking it not just detailed but clear was routine. One person drawing, four heads leaning in, the bald bishop found the room too dim and casually cast a spell, illuminating the entire room. Garrett: "...Your mind''s already bright enough." Not even two minutes passed, and a rough sketch wasplete. Garrett murmured, "Even those without medical knowledge do it like this," slowing down his speech, beginning his exnation: "See this on your arm? Besides muscles, there are veins and nerves... I''ll exin nervester! Anyway, injuring any of these makes the arm dysfunctional. You think cutting and pulling it out will heal it?" The bald bishop nodded vigorously. Garrett turned to Sir Balen, frustrated: "What good is just a knife? You think this is ughtering a pig? Skinning a sheep? You cut, reach in, pull out the tendon, sew a few stitches, and that''s it? I''m asking, if I cut your wrist, will it hurt? Will it move?" "We''ll hold him down!" both Knight Flynn and Sir Westlow replied simultaneously. Garrett snorted. Holding down? This is tendon surgery, not bone-setting! "I can endure without moving!" Sir Balen shouted loudly. Garrett retorted: "What use is your endurance? If you hold it too tight, I can''t stretch the muscle! Each of you, one by one," He pointed to Flynn, Balen, and finally the outermost, Sir Westlow. The other day, during Sir Westlow''s chest dpression, a knife barely pierced the chest, only with the help of Flynn''s quick action: "Each one of you is a knight, me! Use a knife! None of you can even pierce!" Sir Balen was speechless. Just then, a sh of light caught Garrett''s eye. He turned to see the bald bishop swiftly snatch the sketch and stuff it into his robes... As Garrett looked over, the bishop winked at him openly, with a mischievous smile. --------------- Chapter 46 Chapter 46 "What''s this sketch for?" "Is it not considered theft if it''s just a sketch? Or is it an outright theft?" Garrett opened his mouth but decided not to argue with the bishop. He continued to roar at the Baron Knights, "And even if I cut it open, how do I sew your muscles back together? With my hands?!" "Why can''t you use your hands?" Garrett was speechless. He plopped back into his seat, took a few deep breaths, and couldn''t help but question his life choices. "Have I lost my ability to educate patients? In my past life, anyone would''ve understood at this point! And the bald bishop seemed to get it... Why are these knights still..." Forget it. A roughneck''sprehension shouldn''t bepared to a spellcaster''s. How do I exin this... Should I perform surgery on the spot? Great idea! Garrett''s eyes lit up. Heposed himself, stood up calmly, and smiled at the Baron Knight, "How about this? I''ll find a pig''s legor amb''s legand cut it here. Then you''ll understand how the treatment is done. Your Grace, could you wait for me a moment?" "Where will you find a pig''s leg at this hour?" The bald bishop furrowed his brow. After a brief thought, he took charge and grabbed Garrett, saying, "Never mind,e with me!" "Wait! My surgical knife! Knife!" The bald bishop strode ahead swiftly. Garrett was dragged along, panting and breathless. He swung the surgical instruments in one hand, and finally, Sir Flynn Knight, unable to stand it, rushed forward and took the surgery kit from him. As they followed the bishop, the surroundings grew brighter and livelier. Eventually, they arrived at a brightly lit, smoke-filled tavern with dozens of menughing and shouting inside. The bald bishop barged in and shouted, "Old man, do you have a pig''s leg?" "There''s half a leg left!" a distant voice replied from behind the counter. "Roast it for you?" "I want it raw! Take me to the kitchen!" The bishop bellowed. He marched through the crowd, followed by the three knights, and the drinkers in the bar parted like the Red Sea. Garrett, a youngd, found himself smoothly mingling in, not stopped at the kitchen door. The kitchen was bustling. A head chef and a few assistants were rushing around like they had speed boosts. The bald bishop made a beeline for the meat counter, grabbed a pig''s leg, inspected it, then turned to Garrett, asking, "Can we use this?" "Put down my leg!" A furious roar came from the other side. The head chef lunged forward with a knife but stopped just in time, "Y-Your Grace!" The bald bishop nodded absentmindedly, still staring at Garrett. Garrett extended his neck to examine the pig''s leg and found both ends of the big bone joints already cut off. He shook his head immediately. The bald bishop promptly put down the pig''s leg, "Do you have amb''s leg?" "No..." The bald bishop frowned. The head chef peeked, then snatched the pig''s leg and dashed away as if afraid it would be snatched. The bald bishop, ignoring themotion, pondered for a moment, "Can we use a live one?" "Will a live one do?" Garrett hadn''t caught on yet and instinctively replied. The bald bishop nodded, stood up, and within moments, to Garrett''s astonished gaze, he brought in a bleating livemb and tossed it onto the counter. "Can we use this?" Your Grace! You''re really getting it live! Garrett was dumbfounded. Seeing hisck of response, the bald bishop coughed and asked again, "Can we use this?" "Yeah, yeah!" Garrett snapped back to reality and hurriedly answered, "But..." "But what?" Garrett reached out, and the panickedmb almost kicked his hand. He immediately pulled back, turned to the bishop, and shrugged helplessly. That''s it. You bring in a live thing, don''t even sedate it, how am I supposed to operate? Even local anesthesia would do! The bald bishop chuckled. He bowed his head in a prayer for a moment and snapped his fingers. In an instant, white beams of light bound the livemb to the counter. Its legs were up, clearly in distress but unable to make a sound. Ah... Operating like this feels morefortable... Garrett sighed contentedly, positioned in front of the counter. Looking around, he said, "Uncle Flynn, please pass me the box. Uncle Silo, you stand on the left for a clearer view, no need to tiptoe... Your Grace, it''s a bit dark here, could you please cast an illuminating spell?" At this point, the tavern owner sneaked in with the head chef, both peeking at the bald bishop and themb he brought. However, to their surprise, the bald bishop merely stood aside, and it was Garrett who stood steadily at the counter, opening a wooden box and picking up the surgical knife. As soon as the knife was in hand, Garrett exuded an air of decisiveness. Just like the hundreds of surgeries he''d performed and supervised as a doctor in his past life, he swiftly began, giving orders, "Before the treatment, shave the surrounding fur... Baron, don''tugh, when the timees, if we need to shave, you''d better find a razor yourself... Then, make an incision on the skin, not too deep..." As he spoke, the tip of the knife had already pierced the skin of themb''s leg, effortlessly making a cut. The skin parted, the blood seemed to freeze for a moment, and only a thin line of blood appeared. "Wow..." A low murmur echoed in the kitchen. The bar owner and the assisting chef, mouths agape, watched as the bald bishopmanded every action, tying themb and casting spells. The bar owner even nudged the chef, "Hey, who''s this young guy?" "Don''t speak!" The chef snapped back without hesitation, fixated on Garrett''s knife movements, "His knife skills are amazing... He cuts without harming the flesh, and there''s hardly any bleeding. Impressive!" Garrett, however, wasn''t entirely satisfied. Truthfully, he was more familiar with human skin. A single cut, in his expertise, would only graze the skin without injuring the underlying tissue. He''d dissected rats and rabbits in his past, not much experience withmbs. He looked at the bloodstains on the knife and sighed softly, "This knife isn''t fast enough... Baron, if the knife were a bit faster, when I cut your wrist, the bleeding could''ve been halved..." "I''ll go find a knife!" Baron Knight replied promptly. Garrett sighed, "Not just any knife will do, it needs to be the shape I want... Next, pull the skin to the sides to minimize damage. Your Grace, could you please hold this hook?" He gave the order, and the bald bishop obediently took the hook and pulled backward. Garrett kept his eyes partly on the hook, never stopping his hands, "Pull back, pull back a bit more, put some more strength into it... Good, just like that, hold steady!" The head chef and the bar owner were speechless. The bald bishop remained silent, focusing on pulling the hook... --------------- Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Amidst all eyes, the bald bishop strained to hook onto something. His body arched backward, head stretching forward just to get a clearer view of Garrett''s every move, contorting into a peculiar "C" shape. Sir Westlow couldn''t bear it, stepping forward to grab the hook and hearing Garrett shout: "Get me some thin needles! Toothpicks will do!" Garrett meticulously separated each muscle section on the leg of a sheep, cing toothpicks between them as markers. Then he called everyone over, pointing at the leg. "Baron, look here. There are numerous muscles. The one on your armthis is one of them" He turned the de and made a quick flick. With a snap, the tendon broke, the muscle recoiling upwards as the silvery tendon disappeared within the muscle mass. "Now, we have to find it again..." Garrett tilted his head, gestured at the sheep''s leg. That gesture was quite clear: "Dig it out." Baron Knight: "..." Flynn Knight and Sir Westlow: "..." The bald bishop leaned in, looked up and down, sleeves rolled up, and forcibly dug into the separated muscles. After much struggle, his hands bloody, he actually found the retracted tendon, gripping it with his fingernails and pulling "Oops!" It slipped! "Oops!" Slipped again! The third time, the bald bishop, learning from his mistake, grabbed the muscle with both fingernails, veins on his wrist bulging, and with a tug He made a hole in the perfectly good leg ofmb. "Hey hey hey, stop stop!" Garrett couldn''t watch anymore. "Your Eminence, we can''t use brute force here. We need proper tools... Someone, get a set of forceps... No, no forceps? Fine, bring two narrow t iron rods and more hooks!" "Go fetch!" The bald bishop and several knights issued orders simultaneously. The kitchen immediately bustled, and after half a cup of tea''s time, the items Garrett requested were brought in. Despite the unevenness of the long iron rods and the crude bent hooks made by the knights, Garrett had to resign himself: "This will have to do..." He carefully parted the muscle, hooked onto it, and signaled the two knights to pull in opposite directions. From the depths, they found the torn tendon, squeezing it tight with two narrow t iron rods, and calling Baron Knight: "Pull! Pull backward!" "Heave" Baron Knight strained, pulling themb''s leg with a squeaky sound, inch by inch, preventing the muscle from tearing open again. As the torn tendon met its other end, Garrett immediatelymanded: "Alright! Right here, hold it steady, don''t move!Your Eminence, please cast a healing spell to join the tendon ends!" White light descended. A group of people crowded around, witnessing the tendon that had been cut by a surgical de miraculously fuse back together! "So this is how it''s done!" "So much clearer this way! Old Baron, see, your tendons could be joined like this too!" "Little Garrett, you''re amazing!" The knights eximed in awe. The bald bishop, seizing the opportunity, healed the sheeppletely, releasing its divine hold, and the animal dashed away. ...With a slight limp. "Garrett, why''s it still limping?" "That''s why I said we need proper tools!" "What do you need?" The bald bishop asked solemnly. Garrett''s eyes lit up. The surgical instruments Lynn, the necromancer, had given him were better than nothing. The des were wavy, the scissors could barely trim flowers, there was only one hook, and what about hemostatic forceps? What were those? In terms of variety and precision, Garrett, drawing from his experiences in the 21st century, couldn''t quite ept it. But if he had to get someone to craft them, Garrett, upon considering his wallet, felt apprehensive. Initially, he nned to save up bit by bit, but lo and behold, the temple took the initiative The temple was loaded! Had a strong backing! Take from the rich to equip the surgery! Don''t be polite with the wealthy! "A few words won''t exin it." He looked expectantly at the bald bishop. "How about I go home and draw it for you?" After about a meal''s worth of time, the bald bishop, astonished, stared at arge sheet of paper covered with various surgical instruments, densely annotated. "What''s this?" "The handle of a surgical knife." "This?" "A circr de. This is a curved de, a triangr de, various sizes" "And this?" "Hemostatic forceps." "Why are two of them drawn the same?" "Oh, that''s not hemostatic forceps; it''s a needle holder. These are fine tissue forceps,rge and small t-nosed forceps. This is a mosquito forceps, this is a pointed mosquito forceps. This is a serrated scissors, a curved nting scissors, a straight nting scissors, these arerge, medium, and small curves... By the way, mosquito forceps, pointed mosquito forceps, fine tissue forceps, and hemostatic forceps are quite small; it''s best to have a jeweler make them." "This, this many?!" The bald bishop was speechless. Garrett sighed, "These are just what''s urgently needed. To have aplete set, there''s still a long way to go..." Not a single surgical procedure arrived without a cart brimming with dozens of instruments, making it impossible to start. Absolutely no sense of security. Baron Knight nced at the patterns on the paper, then at his own wrist injury, gradually bowing his head. His expression shifted from bright to dull, and finally, he clenched his fist tightly. "I..." Garrett had been watching his expressions. This conflicted, wavering, and finally determined look was something he''d seen countless times in his past life: Families in financial straits, deciding whether to make sacrifices, sell everything they had, hoping for a chance at healing. They always hesitated like this, pacing in emergency rooms, at payment counters, constantly in turmoil in the waiting halls. Back then, he couldn''t do much. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, dozens or hundreds of patients a day, among them were always a few in economic distress. But this time, finally, he could do something. Garrett promptlyid a hand on Baron Knight''s shoulder. Tilting his head up, he confidently addressed the bald bishop: "Your Eminence, could you trouble yourself to make this set of instruments? Once it''s done, I''ll take Baron Knight to the temple toplete the treatment. I can also write up detailed notes on these diagrams and the entire treatment process" The bald bishop''s furrowed brow gradually rxed. He shook his head deliberately: "Just this much?" "Isn''t this enough?" Garrett was brimming with confidence. "Your Eminence, among the followers of the War God''s temple, there are many warriors, right? How many have old injuries that couldn''t be healed? I don''t know, but you surely do, right?" The bald bishop nodded lightly. Indeed, among those he knew, there were about a dozen higher-level retired warriors due to old injuries "These warriors, quite a few of them have money, right? Imagine, if they knew old injuries could be treated, that they could return to the battlefield, what would they be willing to do for the temple?Other temples can''t heal them, only the War God''s temple can!" "Are you saying, only the War God''s temple?" The bald bishop was moved. Garrett shrugged: "I, for one, have no intention of teaching at the Spring Goddess''s temple..." As for the Church of the God of Nature, cough, his identity as a prophet there was a sham, and he couldn''t run away from it fast enough. The bald bishop pondered. The more he thought, the more feasible this proposition seemed. He looked at Garrett and burst intoughter: "You rascal! Teach us how to heal, and you''re already nning to earn a set of knives for free?" "Can you say no?" Garrett chuckled. The bald bishop pped his shoulder: "Can I even say no?" "Ohdon''t hit me, if you break something, no one''s going to operate!" --------------- Chapter 48 Chapter 48 The knight, Baron Chevalier, left with profuse thanks. Even though Garrett hadn''t cured him, hadn''t even started the treatment, the effort he''d put in was genuinely appreciated. Garrett didn''t pay much heed to the gratitude. Before the knight left, he held his hand, repeatedly cautioning: "Stop smoking! When you go back, please, no more smoking! Smoking makes it harder for wounds to heal!" "Why?" "Just trust me!" Garrett pushed him out. Tobo, nicotine, they caused blood vessel spasms, making wounds hard to heal. Especially post-limb reattachment, fingers were prone to necrosis. Even though what the knight needed was a wrist tendon operation, minimizing any impact was still beneficial. But do you really want me to exin what nicotine is? Thanks, but no, just listen to me! Seeing off the guest, Garrett returned to his desk, starting his drafts. Making a fortune was indeed delightful. With two thousand sheets of paper at home, he could write whatever he wanted without worry, tearing one sheet after another, no more cramped writing! He organized his thoughts, writing the medical history first, then dipped his pen in ink and continued: Anesthesia, Hemostasis, Disinfection, Surgery. Anesthesia: Inquire at the Temple of the God of War for avable divine magic; if none, consult the apothecary. Yew, Mandrake, Aconitum, Thornapple; Check for corresponding magic. Hemostasis: Tourniquet, Hemostatic forceps, Divine magic for hemostasis. Disinfection: Hand washing, prepare strong alcohol, preheat and disinfect all instruments and clothes. Garrett questioned the term "instruments." Swearing to Hippocrates, he really hadn''t exaggerated. He only had two hemostatic forceps prepared and just three tissue forceps. What if there was an ident and the instruments got contaminated? How to proceed? Divine light for disinfection? me disinfection? If only mage hands could rece tissue forceps... but that wasn''t tangible, contamination might not be an issue... Well, time to buckle down and learn more magic! He reviewed the vocabry he''d transcribed yesterday and today, thenid down to sleep. The next morning, he went to the City Guards'' barracks, fetched his horse, mounted up, and rode straight to the Mage Tower. The horse was borrowed from the City Guardsor rather, Captain Flynn did him a favor and allocated it for his use. He''d leave it at the stable while at the Mage Tower, paying the gatekeeper five silver coins per month, and retrieve it when back in the city. This saved him time to copy an extra 20 pages of words every day! Money wasing in! He could afford to keep a horse! And his living standard was rising! His monthly sry increased from 5 silver coins to 15 silver coins, with a lump sum of 10 gold coins, so he didn''t have to worry about copying books in the short term! Garrett took a bite of cheese-filled bread, then savored some cured meat, feeling content. After this lunch, he needed to continue copying the dictionary! Finish copying it, then trante the magic book, see what kind of magic might be useful for surgeries! Just when he was thinking about it joyfully, the door behind him creaked open. Garrett turned and saw a young boy bounding inside. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be from a wealthy familycored shirt, riding breeches, leather boots, velvet coat adorned with shiny silver buttons. When the boy noticed Garrett looking, he slowed down, put on a serious face, and crossed his arms. Despite being barely ten years old, he exuded an unexpectedly mature demeanor that almost made Garrettugh. A neer? Uh-oh, no book copying today! Not sure how long this kid''s staying; if he''s around here for a while, I''ll have to find another way to copy books... Thankfully, I''ve put away everything during lunch... Garrett quickly thought and casually greeted, "Hello." As he finished, he looked at the person following the boy and immediately stood up: "Master Elliot." Master Elliot nodded at Garrett and turned to leave. The boy watched him depart and suddenly dashed towards Garrett, making a funny face at him: "Who are you?" "I''m" The boy clearly didn''t wait for Garrett''s response. After pulling a face, he darted into a corner, rummaging through Garrett''s bag. After a few flips, he pulled out a stack of papers, rustling through them: "What are you doing? Wow, you''re copying books!" "Shh!" Garrett hurriedly hushed him. He wanted to reach out but feared tearing the papers, so he hesitated. Suddenly, he turned around, and outside the library, Master Elliot happened to nce over, exchanging a look with Garrett, then casually walked away. Garrett felt a bit relieved. Back in the room, the boy had already started giggling, shaking a few papers vigorously. At times holding them up, at times hiding them behind his back, he ran around the room: "You''re copying books? You''re in trouble! Mister Elliot said you''re only allowed to read, not copy!" The papers weren''t that sturdy to begin with, and with the boy shaking them back and forth, one tore apart. Garrett got anxious: "Hey, give that back!" He moved to grab it, but the boy dodged left and right, giggling, then swiftly slid under the table. Before Garrett could bend down, the child shouted: "You dare try and take it back! Someone''s secretly copying books! Mister Elliot! Mister Elliot!" The child''s voice was sharp and loud, echoing throughout the lower levels of the Mage Tower. Garrett couldn''t stop it in time. Just as he was about to cover the boy''s mouth, outside the library, a dignified voice spoke up: "What''s going on?" Garrett stopped, turning around. Outside, Elliot had bowed respectfully: "Master." Oh no... caught red-handed by the head honcho. Garrett inwardly sighed in distress, but all he could do was also bow: "Respected Master." "What''s themotion?" Magician Gelman stepped in. Still d in that tight red robe, his eyes glistening, with just a nce, several scattered papers floated up and flew into his hand. Can''t escape... I was nning to show some results, then ask for help from someone, but it''s only been two and a half days! Can he tell what I''ve been doing in just two and a half days? Can I impress this magician? Or perhaps, is it still possible for me to seek refuge with a necromancer? Might I be hit by a fireball spell? No, probably not, this is a library after all, fire hazards... Garrett''s mind raced chaotically. His heart pounded, breaths quickened one after another, and he felt a cold sweat forming on his back. He was surprised he had the time to think about these things. Stepping forward, he stood tall, meeting Magician Gelman''s gaze squarely. Speaking calmly to defend himself: "I''m not just copying from the book. I''m, organizing and summarizing for easier memorization." "But you''re still copying!" The boy shouted. Magician Gelman, however, raised a hand to stop his argument. With a furrowed brow, he nced over a few papers, then suddenly said: "What about the rest? Bring them out." --------------- Chapter 49 Chapter 49 "He''s secretly copying!" The boy shouted loudly. Seeing Magician Gelman ignoring him, he jumped forcefully, his face flushed with anger: "Fine! You don''t care about this! I''ll tell my grandpa! Do you folks at the Magic Tower even want to pass this year''s assessment?" Who''s this cheeky kid? Such an attitude! Could he be a second-generation mage, no, maybe even third? Garrett quickly bent down, took out all the papers from his backpack, and tidied them a bit before handing them over. Magician Gelman flipped through them one by one, then suddenly snorted and mmed the papers down in front of Garrett: "I asked you to organize, and this is how you organize?" "Oh... huh?" When did you ask me to copy? Garrett was taken aback. But the magician''s words clearly absolved him of the responsibility of secretly copying books, which was hugely advantageous. Garrett wasn''t stupid, so he immediately apologized: "It was my carelessness." "You haven''t even sorted uppercase and lowercase letters! The alphabet is a mess! Redo it!" "Oh... okay!" Garrett was ecstatic, hastily agreeing. The magician paid him no more attention, walking away with hands behind his back. After a couple of steps, he threw down a secondmand: "Copy two books, keep one for yourself. Hand them in within half a month!" "Yes!" Garrett loudly responded. He could copy books now, openly! Fantastic! Dictionaries are indeed useful! I''ve always said, anyone learning a newnguage can''t resist the charm of a dictionary! You''ve learned the magical script, but don''t need to study Elvish or Dragonnguage? Wait, are thosenguages even present in this world? He gathered his thoughts, quickly catching up and respectfully following the magician. Gelman suddenly stopped after a few steps and told his apprentice: "Keep an eye on him!" His tone had a slight edge. Elliott hurriedly agreed. Gelman shook his head and left on the elevator without another word. Elliott kept up his respectful stance until his teacher''s figure disappeared, then turned to look at Garrett. "Sorry for causing you trouble," Garrett apologized quickly. When the kid was yelling earlier, Elliott pretended not to notice, walking away on his own, though Garrett had seen it all clearly in the library. Now, upon reflection, Elliott''s deliberate leniency was clearly noticed by Magician Gelman. Garrett felt a bit sorry for him. With Garrett''s apology, Elliott''s demeanor softened a bit. He picked up the papers and flipped through them, then suddenly raised his hand and patted Garrett on the back: "You''ve got some luck!" "Yeah," Garrett rxed and smiled, still a bit shaken. Elliott nced at the boy beside him and shook his head: "You''ve hit the right time, you know? The Magic Council assesses all the magic towers every year, counting how many mage apprentices are trained and if there are any improvements in new magic. If the scores are low, the funding is reduced, and the next year bes a tight one. With the assessmenting up in June and the research not going well... you, this little thing, is actually quite interesting and might be able to scrape through..." Thank goodness! Copying from the dictionary was indeed useful! Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping immediately. Magician Elliott flipped through two more pages of the papers, then suddenly sighed heavily: "The teacher told me to watch over you... sigh, teaching someone who doesn''t even know the alphabet is such a hassle. I''m rushing off to do an experiment, so here''s the deal" He muttered a few words, then suddenly raised his hand, pointing at Garrett''s forehead. A chilly light shed, and Garrett felt his head swelling as if it had been stuffed with countless things all at once. Elliott waved: "You study on your own, I''m outta here!" Garrett suddenly turned around. The pages spread out on the table, the magical script he hadn''t memorized or learned at all, every word''s meaning was crystal clear at that moment. Level one magic: Language Proficiency? Garrett shed this phrase in his mind. In his past life, he''d seen this spell in web novels and games, seeming to have a time limit, depending on the mage''s level for its duration. So, when the time''s up, does it all vanish instantly? Without time to express gratitude, Garrett hurriedly transcribed all the letters in order onto a sheet of paper. By the time he turned around, Elliott was already far away, walking hurriedly. "Thank you!" Garrett shouted against the door frame. He lunged at the bookshelf, quickly pulling out "Basic Meditation." Meditation is a fundamental for mages! The sooner, the better! While thenguage proficiency is still effective, memorizing this book now and being able to practice it properly at home is the right thing to do! He flipped through the first few pages and rxed a bit. "Meditation is a lifelong pursuit for mages. H Yuril, Magic History, Year 382." Thank goodness, I can understand it. This book is written in magical script, not some strange characters I''d need to decipher. I know every single word on these pages; the author of this book is really kind... Garrett focused, reading through the text. Whether it was written for new entrants or the author''s naturally friendly demeanor, "Basic Meditation" was extremely simple and easy to understand. It started by defining the purpose of meditation: Meditation is a method for mages to refine their mental power, to then observe the world through their mental power, a way to reflect the world. Ummm... Every word is recognizable. Every phrase is understandable. But put together... what is mental power? My focus? Ability to think? The activity level of brainwaves? Invisible, intangible. Would getting an EEG help? Or maybe Musk''s brain-machine interface can extend mental power beyond the body? Or perhaps it''s not brainwaves but a neural maic field? Shaking off these thoughts, Garrett calmly started reading. Time was limited, and he didn''t know if he''d have time to copy, so he had to read and memorize simultaneously. After going through it once, then a second time, halfway through the book, his mind suddenly blurred, and then... The text in the book turned into distorted patterns, asionally interspersed with a few familiar words. The spell''s duration ended. OVER. Immediately erased, not a speck of memory left. Garrett sighed in frustration. He spread out a new nk sheet, turned back to the first page of "Basic Meditation," and with the help of illustrations and a few scattered words on the page, he began to write from memory. The meaning of meditation. What meditation is. How to start meditation, calming one''s mind, entering a state between sleep and wakefulness, focusing first and then expanding. How to use mental power to touch the world, what one might feel during initial meditation, and what taboos exist... Line by line, page by page, unconsciously, a pile of papers filled with words umted on Garrett''s left side. An unexpected gain! Tonight, I''ll attempt meditation for the first time! The world of magic, here Ie! --------------- Chapter 50 Chapter 50 On his way home, excitement enveloped Garrett. He even braved the night to fetch a few buckets of water, split firewood, took a proper hot bath, using up half of the stored wood at home. Ancient life was quite a hassle. If only there was running water, a water heater, or heck, if he knew magic, he could just use it to heat bathing water directly... Sigh, even to elevate his living standards, he needed to be a mage apprentice quickly! Garrett sighed while soaking in the tub. Regardless of the hassle, bathing was necessary. To enhance the sess rate of meditation, bathing and changing were essential processes. He cleaned himself up, climbed into bed, and sat cross-legged. This body''s flexibility is an issue! At just 16, he couldn''t manage to cross his left leg over his right, right leg over left, the proper lotus position! Though... even though ''Basic Meditation'' doesn''t mention sitting in the lotus position, as a Chinese person, not trying this posture before starting meditation always felt unsettling, like a -5, -5, -5 in sess rate... Garrett tried crossing his left leg over his right, struggling repeatedly, but to no avail. He attempted rxing his feet, forming a loose quadrteral shape, but he couldn''t maintain bnce. Trying to straighten his legs into a triangr shape resulted in him tipping backward. With no other choice, he copsed onto the bed, rolled against the wall, propped himself up, legs extended. Ah,fortable. Now, closing his eyes, clearing his mind. Inhale... exhale... imagine being in total darkness, shutting off sight, sound, smell... Following the steps outlined in ''Basic Meditation,'' Garrett mentally prepared himself. Quiet down... be still... rxed... serene... Perhaps due to self-hypnosis or maybe a result of crossing into this world, he seemed to have gained some boost for learning magic. When he focused his mind, much like casting a healing spell, there seemed to be an actual light in the darkness. What''s this? Neither above nor below, left nor right, inside nor outsidethis is... me?! Garrett trembled violently, nearly losing the current state of rity. He shut his eyes, struggling to calm himself for a while before finally steadying his mind once more. Into meditation, and then the next step! ording to ''Basic Meditation,'' to train mental power, one needed to construct a virtual ''self.'' Then, draw in external forces, steadily solidifying this ''self.'' After reaching a certain strength, mental power could be emitted, starting to influence the external world... At this thought, the pinpoint of light in the darkness began to change, following the illustrations in ''Basic Meditation.'' A small figure with limbs, a head, facial features, muscles, and flowing blood depicted by points of light and lines, silently stood in the void. In the next moment, like a stone dropped in water, concentric ripples emanated from the light figure, spreading into the darkness and quietly reverberating back. With each feedback, the light-formed figure became a bit more solid. Is this me? Is this illusory light figure my mental power? Garrett felt a bit bewildered. As if some connection informed him: Yes, this is you, this is your mental power. It condenses based on your physical form, fluctuates with your will, and when it bes strong enough, it can nurture the physical body and intervene in the present world! But, this light figure, the details are off! Muscles are off! Blood flow isn''t right! No separation between arteries and veins, no depiction of left atrium, left ventricle, right atrium, right ventricle, or blood ejection direction! Nerves! Lymphatic system! Capiries! None of these are depicted! Garrett grew irritated. The illustrations in ''Basic Meditation'' were too crude, missing many details, and depicting many things inuratelystake his honor as a medical student, he could easily find seven or eight, even a dozen errors! This won''t do! Garrett focused his energy, starting to recall anatomical diagrams from his previous life. Unknowingly, the light-formed figure began to change with his recollections: 206 bones, linked from bottom to top via over 300 joints, firmly and flexibly connected; 640 muscles, attaching to bones via tendons or directly connected to other muscles; The heart beat powerfully, pumping blood into arteries, recovering it through capiries, then returning it to the heart through veins; Nervous system, respiratory system, digestive, urinary, endocrine, lymphatic immune, reproductive... In the end, the skin covered everything, hair grew, nails emerged... Every detail, even if he hadn''t personally dissected or treated, he had studied, drawn, and memorized countless times. At this moment, these memories were crystal clear. It''s just like this, even in an alternate world, the structure of human beings must be like this. Garrett thought firmly. He had healed patients himself, opened abdomens, stopped bleeding at the liver, cut into the trachea, pierced the chest cavity. Every sessful treatment assured him that his understanding was not wrong! When he snapped out of it, the light-formed figure in the void had be infinitely more refined than the illustrations. Upon closer inspection, it was exactly like the human anatomy he had studied in his previous life. The heart made of white light beat strongly. Thump, thump, thump, one after the other. With each beat, an intangible halo emanatedyet this newly constructed figure, its emitted halo was more than twice as powerful as before! Is that so? Does mental power need to closely align with the body to resonate maximally, receive support, and simultaneously provide feedback to the body? Garrett wasn''t sure. But he had an inexplicable feeling: his mental power was significantly stronger than when he first constructed it. So, the next thing to attempt would be to perceive this world with mental power... How would the world appear to his mental power? Following ''Basic Meditation''s'' instructions, Garrett actively controlled the ripples emitted by the light-formed figure, extending them outward. Then, under the perception of mental power, the entire world... changed. Steady, solid power, bearing this world; Light, ethereal power, free and joyful, never resting for a moment; Fiery, restless power, unconstrained yet bringing the greatest force; Gentle, dense power, quiet and nourishing, silently spreading vitality... "Earth, water, fire, wind? The four major elements?" Garrett was extremely surprised. With his fluctuating emotions, the light-formed figure in his meditation environment shook violently again, almost dissipating: "This... is the world perceived by my mental power?" After the initial shock, Garrett was ecstatic: "ording to ''Basic Meditation,'' being able to faintly sense the four major elements means my mental power has reached the level of a mage apprentice?" "From today onwards, can I start deciphering magic!" --------------- Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Garrett wasn''t particrly surprised to reach the mental level required for a mage apprentice. After all, he had managed to cast a healing spell, which by priest standards, at the very least, would ssify him as an apprentice. Though the powers differed, the mental strength required to cast spells should be somewhat simr. But the world perceived through mental powerearth, water, fire, and airwas that his own perception, or was it the world as understood by the mages ording to the "Basic Meditation"? Born in modern China and raised under its g, Garrett found it hard to ept that this world wasposed of earth, water, fire, and air. He had at least studied "Medical Physics"! The four fundamental forces, strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, electromaic force, gravitational force... unifying the first three into one interaction... geometric optics, wave optics, special rtivity, quantum mechanics... He had scored 93 on that, at least! Even though he promptly forgot everything after the exam... But now, thanks to crossing over, he could remember it all again! As the memories of textbooks from his previous life came flooding back, definitions, theorems, forms, hypotheses... surged forth, leaving Garrett feeling dizzy, nauseated, and almost ready to throw up. The meditation environment shook intensely! Quickly dispersing the textbooks, he regained hisposure. When he once again dispersed his mental strength to observe the surroundings, Garrett was astonished to find that the world his mental strength perceived had changed! Above him stretched a pitch-ck starry sky, stars shining brilliantly, somehow linked to the ground beneath his feet. While the four primary elements seemed to remain, they were no longer as distinct as before. The boundaries between fire and wind, fire and water, had blurred slightly... So, was this meditation environment the world he perceived or the world he understood? Garrett felt perplexed. Fortunately, these changes didn''t affect him. The enhancement feedback to his mental strength within the meditation environment remained unaffected by these alterations. So, for now, he decided to let it be! Setting aside his doubts, Garrett calmed his mind and began exercising his mental strength. Following the methods outlined in the "Basic Meditation," he meditated until his head slightly throbbed before copsing on the bed, closing his eyes. He had no intentions of reviewing the vocabry list he had copied during the day. "Lack of sleep affects cerebrospinal fluid flow, causing the umtion of -amyloid proteins produced by brain cells, increasing the risk of Alzheimer''s!" Not something he wanted! Who knew if an increase in mental strength could rece the function of brain cells? What if it couldn''t?! Upon waking from his slumber, Garrett''s eyes lit up as he flipped through the notes he had made yesterday. He remembered everything he copied! Not a single word forgotten! Learning meditation had improved his mental strength, and there was this advantage?! His pace in memorizing vocabry could pick up again! He could learn magic sooner! Filled with such joy, Garrett copied books in the mage tower with a slightly lighter demeanor. However, increasing his writing speed wasn''t that simple. Despite his efforts, he managed only 5% progress in a day. Oh, Gellman the mage had given him a task to copy two books. Calcting this, the progress halved instantly to just 2.5%! No sense of aplishment. Carrying his backpack, rubbing his wrists, he staggered out. After a few steps, he suddenly halted. Elliott the mage leaned against the upward stairs, tossing and catching a small bag in his hand, grinning as he looked at Garrett. "How''s the copying going?" "Too slow," Garrett replied truthfully. Honestly, his current writing speed seriously hindered his mental pace. If it were only memorization, he might havepleted the vocabry in ten days. However, copying it all down, he couldn''t finish in 20 days! "You''ve got to push harder! The teachers are waiting!" Elliott encouraged seriously before turning to leave. Though he looked serious, for some reason, Garrett felt like the guy was enjoying his predicament. It struck him suddenly: "Mr. Elliott, do the mages urgently need this?" "What do you mean?" Elliott halted in his tracks. His response was as quick as if he had been waiting for that question. Garrett immediately caught up: "If it''s urgent, I have a way that might speed up the copying. But I need your help." He intentionally paused here, gazing expectantly at Elliott, who remained silent. Elliott finally raised an eyebrow: "What are you nning? - Get more people to copy?" "No, not that." "Are you nning to stay here, copying day and night? - Let me tell you, that won''t work. You''re not a mage apprentice; you''re not allowed to stay in the tower indefinitely." "Not that either." "What then? Stop beating around the bush, spit it out!" Garrett struggled to suppress a smile. This Mr. Elliott was quitepetitive. He seemed to enjoy guessing things on his own. Maybe all mages were like this, exceedingly confident in their intellect? He lowered his head, adopting a respectful expression, seeking advice: "Mr. Elliott, do you know a spell for duplicating books?" "There is. Why? What do you n to do?" Good, there was one. Garrett looked directly at Elliott and exined confidently: "I''d like to ask for your help to duplicate ''Studies in Magical Script.'' Then, I''ll cut the pages, arrange them alphabetically, stick them back in order, and once that''s done, you can duplicate it again. That should fulfill Gellman''s request." "..." "..." Elliott fell silent for a moment, then another. Suddenly, he burst intoughter, reaching out: "Great idea. That''ll cost you ten gold coins." "Huh?" Garrett was dumbfounded. He wanted me to pay? Elliott looked at Garrett, amused by his stunned expression: "Employing a spell requirespensation, didn''t you know? - The material cost for the copying spell, paper and ink, I''ll waive that considering you''re copying for the mage tower. Oh, and I''ll waive the consultation fee for your earlier question too. Two casting of copying spells, I''ll give you a discount, ten gold coins total. Pay up, and I''ll cast it immediately." Garrett couldn''t find the words. Yesterday, when Elliott cast thenguageprehension spell, he did it out of his ownziness without asking for payment. But now that Garrett was asking for assistance, it was perfectly natural to pay In games, speeding up construction also requires spending money! The problem was, ten gold coins were half of his current wealth. Trading it for ten days to half a month''s time seemed like a terrible deal in terms of cost-effectiveness... "Kid, you''re trying to save time, aren''t you? Don''t rush, slowly copy, learn ''Studies in Magical Script'' thoroughly, it''ll benefit you!" Elliott the mage departed,ughing heartily. --------------- Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Garrett couldn''t take shortcuts this time. He had to patiently spend two days diligently copying books. On the third day, as he made his way to the Mage Tower again, before he could even rein in his horse in front of it, he heard a familiar sound. "Boom!" It was still on the fourth floor of the Mage Tower, the same window, the figure in robes dancing, flying out in a parabolic arc. Garrett: "..." This time, he rode much slower. Arriving at thending spot, sure enough, it was Elliott, wobbling and descending, grumbling all the while: "You little rascal, resorting to sting when words fail... Aren''t you afraid of blowing yourself up... Oh, why are you here?" "Mr. Elliott..." Garrett looked at him helplessly. "I came to see if you needed help..." Elliott wanted to tell him to scram. Last time he flew out of the Mage Tower, it was only with Garrett''s help that he returned, otherwise, who knows how long he would have had to hop on one foot. At this moment, unable to voice harsh words, he grumbled as he struggled to get up and walked away. He didn''t cause trouble, but trouble didn''t spare him. A ng from the fourth floor of the Mage Tower, a window pushed open, a youngd popped his head out, golden hair shining, shouting in a peculiar tone: "If you''ve got guts,e up here!" Elliott nced up, remained silent, and kept walking with his head down. Garrett apanied him, circling a quarter of the way around. As the golden hair of the youth disappeared from sight, Garrett asked softly: "Couldn''t win?" "Who said I couldn''t!" Elliott''s voice rose suddenly. "That brat and I are on the same level! How could I not win!" Garrett remained silent. Elliott walked a few more steps, slumped his shoulders, sighed: "Just a little bit more!... Humph, that kides from a prestigious family, had the best meditation methods since childhood, stronger mental power than me. Just a bit more, and I could cast four spells like him!" "Meditation methods?" Garrett''s heart skipped a beat. He seized the chance to ask, "What kind of meditation methods are better?" "Kid, trying to gain an advantage again?" Elliott raised an eyebrow at him. Without waiting for Garrett to lower his head in repentance, he sighed: "Since you bothered toe and get me, I''ll tell you... it''s not really a secret anyway. With your mental power, bing a mage is just a matter of time; these things aren''t hard to know." Garrett immediately perked up his ears. The mage Elliott slowly exined: "Listen, kid. Meditation has three parts: ''core,'' ''shell,'' and ''threads.'' The core is shaping a mental core, the more it resembles yourself, the better, that way, it can support your physical body; the shell is forming an exterior shell, the better its shape, the more it can attract and filter useful forces for you, while also resisting outside impacts; threads teach you how to extend your mental power, perceive the world, and influence it. Good meditation techniques have unique skills in these three aspects. Ordinary mages either use the book ''Basic Meditation'' or learn from a teacher, exchange with the Magic Council." It sounded like fundamental theoretical knowledge. Garrett was fully focused. But just as he wanted to listen more, Elliott''s voice paused, and he stopped talking. Was that it? Or was the next part for a fee? Garrett hurriedly asked, "Mr. Elliott, about shaping the mental core to resemble oneself, does it mean every detail should be as simr as possible?" "Yeah..." Elliott sighed. "But who can do that? Features, limbs, a few bones, where are the organs ced, it''s tough to get those right. Even the detailed parts, I''m not sure... Why do you ask?" In the morning light, in front of the Mage Tower, Garrett stood straight, holding the horse''s reins, a confident smile ying on his lips. "I think I might know... how the details of shaping the mental core should be." "You?!" Elliott''s eyebrows shot up. He grabbed Garrett, rushing outside, dragging him until they were near the stable before letting go: "What do you know? You don''t even know how to meditate!" "I meditatedst night," Garrett insisted. He shrugged off Elliott''s pull, sidestepping a pile of horse dung: "Yesterday afternoon, you cast ''Language Proficiency'' for me. I used that time to memorize the ''Basic Meditation'' from the bookshelf. I tried it when I got home. I first built the mental core ording to the human body framework in the book, then adjusted the details ording to my own understanding. After the adjustments, I felt my mental power became much more solid." Elliott frowned. He stared fixedly at Garrett, leaning forward unconsciously, fists clenched. He looked as if his eyes could shoot knives to dissect Garrett and see his mental core. Garrett stood firm, letting him look. One minute, two minutes... Suddenly, Elliott jolted, eyes as if waking from a dream. He stepped back, staring at Garrett with a new gaze, exhaling deeply: "Yes, yes, you''re a healer... You already know what the human body looks like... You know..." Elliott murmured, stuttering, a myriad of thoughts churning in his mind. Ordering, coercing, enticingany means, really. After all, Garrett had just started learning magic, didn''t understand anything, and couldn''t even produce ten gold coins Give him a little benefit, or as he requested, help him cast the copying spell a few times, he''d surely spill the beans... If afraid of being exposed, just tell the teacher about the meditation, everyone benefits, surely they could keep the secret together... No knowledgees without a price. And meditation, something so foundational to a mage''s power, its value even exceeded many spells. In the Mage Tower, spells from levels one to three were all openly avable to the mages inside. However, regarding meditation, except for the introductory ''Basic Meditation'' book, not a single word about the other techniques could be found. That was a price he couldn''t afford. He stared at Garrett, torn between conflicting thoughts. Trying to obtain the meditation technique through some means would be easy, but... But aside from the fact that the other was a healer, someone who had just stepped into the realm of magic like him, it wasn''t right to take advantage in such a way. Elliott''s sense of morality and adherence to principles didn''t allow him to do such a thing. After hesitating for a while, gritting his teeth, Elliott turned and left. Observing the human body in the way healers do, then adjusting the mental core based on those observations. Just this single approach, a unterally proimed effective approach, was worth him giving up everything he had. Even if Garrett was willing to tell him more, he couldn''t offer something equivalent in exchange. The young mage hurried away, his ck robe billowing, almost creating a wave. Garrett stood behind, smiling slightly, watching the ck-robed mage who had always looked after him hurriedly leave. When the mage was three to five steps away, Garrett called out loudly: "Hey!" "No time!" The person ahead rudely replied, not even turning back, as if afraid of regretting it. Garrett chuckled even more: "Don''t try it yourself, I''ll tell you how!" With a thud, Elliott tripped and fell t on the ground. --------------- Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Elliott, the mage, scrambled to his feet. Looking disheveled, a trickle of blood stained his face, and his mage robe was smeared with a hefty lump of horse dung. Oblivious to his condition, he locked eyes with Garrett, took a deep sigh after a while, and said, "Garrett, thank you. But... I can''t learn." "Can''t learn? Why?" Garrett was surprised. "Afraid you won''t understand? I can simplify it for you!" I''m the best at exining things! When ites to patients and their families, exining medical conditions, surgical procedures, I''ve always made it understandable for them! He took a step forward. Elliott immediately stepped back, his gaze reluctant yet regretful. "I can''t learn. ording to the mage''s rules, any knowledge and servicee at a price. And I can''t afford the cost of this meditation technique." "But you helped me so much before" "What you''ve told me is already enough." Elliott softened his gaze, staring deeply into Garrett''s eyes. Then, as if fearing a change of heart, he gritted his teeth and turned away. "I''ll cast the copying spell for you. Understandingnguages, if you need it, is also fine. But don''t tell me anything moreI can''t afford it." Garrett stood there stunned. Earlier, if Elliott hadn''t spoken, Garrett would have understood. As a mage, there''s always some pride, some arrogance, about certain things. But after persuading and persuading, he still adhered firmly to the principle of fair exchange, refusing to waver... You could at least offer ayaway n! Feeling regretful, Garrett wanted to smash something. The more Elliott declined, the more Garrett felt inclined to shareafter all, it wasn''t anything particrly special; in his previous life, even medical students could learn it. Caught in a dilemma, he suddenly had an idea: "Um... the price I need isn''t what you''re thinking." "What?" "When I was learning this knowledge, I once made a vow." As Garrett began to speak, his words flowed more smoothly. After all, the existence of an oath is real, the process of making it is real. Maybe he had revised it numerous times during his oath-taking, but it wasn''t the earliest original version: "I swore to teach everything I learned without reservation to my teacher''s children, my own children, and any disciples willing to take the same oath. So, as long as you''re willing to swear" Come on, agree already! I won''t teach you these things just because you helped me a lot before! Garrett felt a bit impatient. Yet, after pondering for a while, Elliott''s first words were, "What kind of oath?" Uh... okay. In the magical world, taking oaths seriously is necessary, or else you won''t even know how you died. Garrett took a deep breath and began to recount a revised version, or rather, one adapted to the specifics of this world, of the Hippocratic Oath: "...I swear to the best of my ability and judgment, to act for the benefit of the sick and do no harm... I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise on such a n; and simrly, I will not give a woman a destructive remedy... I will keep secret what I see or hear, in the practice or even outside of the practice..." Elliott listened intently, growing increasingly surprised. By the end, he seemed lost in thought for a long while before sighing deeply. "The predecessor who established these rules must have been a sage..." Of course, it''s Hippocrates. Not just him, but Bian Que, Hua Tuo, Zhang Zhongjing, Sun Simiao, Li Shizhen, even the great doctors of modern China, each of them deserves to be revered as a sage alongside the God of Agriculture. Following Garrett''s guidance, the young mage solemnly made the oatha revised version of the Hippocratic Oath. Subsequently, the two of them sneaked into a small room opposite the library, where Garrett unfolded arge piece of paper and started drawing a schematic of the human body. Bones... Muscles... Blood vessels... the heart... The flow of blood, the aorta, pulmonary arteries, pulmonary veins, superior vena cava, inferior vena cava... Garrett hunched over the table, drawing for an hour straight. As he drew and exined, his wrist ached, his mouth grew dry. He went through sheet after sheet, covering the entire tabletop from left to right. This time, hepletely exhausted his artistic skills as a doctor. Previously, it was just rough sketches to exin things, no need for correctness in shapes or proportional uracy. Normally, drawing a few organs or bones sufficed for the patients and their families to understand. If they couldn''t understand... If they couldn''t understand, he would deepen their understanding during treatment. But this time, it was for sale, no, an exchange of knowledge and information, requiring quality assurance. Oh, my poor back Straightening up, Garrett rubbed his lower back. On his left, Elliott was in the same position, hunched over the table, eyes squinting at the drawings. If he hadn''t stood up just now, the upper bodies of the two would have formed a right angle. Hey, if you bend down a bit more, you''ll dive into the drawing... Garrett felt likeughing. Out of habit, or perhaps from countless times of asking patients and their families in his past life, he inquired of Elliott: "Is there anything you don''t understand?" ...No response. Elliotty engrossed on thetest sketch of the human body, as if captivated, as if his soul had been captured. After patiently waiting for a minute, then another, Garrett finally gave up waiting and began to roll up his sleeves to copy the vocabry list. After copying about half a page, Elliott suddenly jumped up like a startled rabbit and darted out. Garrett: "..." Hey! Hey! The body diagrams! Don''t just leave them! Elliott quickly returned. Gripping an ink bottle in his left hand and arge scroll in his right, he pped it onto the table. Without a word, he snatched "Magic Linguistics" from Garrett''s hand, ced one hand on the book, and murmured an incantation. A glow shimmered, and the nk scroll instantly transformed into a stack of copies. Copying spell, done! Wow, that''s impressive! Garrett''s eyes brightened. He smiled and nodded at Elliottbut only caught a glimpse of his back. The young mage swiftly snatched the sketches from the table, once again dashing out. This time, he was faster, running while tightly clutching the papers, as if afraid of being seen. Ah... I hope he remembers everything. Back then, he studied systemic anatomy for a full 120 hours. Even though he condensed it and condensed it again, memorizing this stack of papers in one go was quite a challenge. With a smile, Garrett got to work. Scissors in his left hand, paste in his right, he cut the copies made from the copying spell into strips and pasted them in order onto nk sheets. He worked tirelessly for an entire day. As he walked out of the mage tower in the evening, there was a sudden loud noise above Garrett reflexively looked up. From the fourth-floor window where Elliott had been hurled earlier in the morning, a young boy flew out, gesticting wildly and swearing: "Elliott! You''re breaking the rules!" Standing at the mage tower''s entrance, Garrett tilted his head back, his mouth slowly gaping. ...No way, did this meditation spell work so quickly? --------------- Chapter 54 Chapter 54 With the mental boost from meditation and the aid of transcription magic, Garrett''s progress surged forward. He finished piecing together the dictionary in just two days. Eagerly, he fetched "Fundamentals of Spells," ready to see which magic he could learn. The answer? All level-zero spells. The book stated clearly: as long as a novice had enough mental strength, they could learn all level-zero spells. Sounds generous, right? But even before turning the page, Garrett spotted a note scrawled in red on the margin: "Level-zero spells, also known as parlor tricks. Congrattions, you can now be a street performer." Garrett: "..." He took a deep breath, another one, then shut his eyes. Adjusting his emotions, he repeated silently: "There''s no useless magic, only inept mages... There''s no useless magic, only inept mages..." Continuing until he regainedposure, he opened his eyes to continue reading. ording to the "Fundamentals of Spells," based on a mage apprentice''s mental strength, they could cast between 1 to 5 level-zero spells a day. Beginners could manage one, while those about to advance to official mage apprentices could cast up to five spells daily, provided they had potions to supplement their energy. Generally, mastering three or more level-zero spells and being able to cast spells five times a day could propel one towards bing a first-rank mage. The author of the "Fundamentals of Spells" sternly pointed out: "As mental strength increases significantly after advancement, it''s more efficient to learn lower-level magic. Typically, qualified mages are advised not to learn too many parlor tricks during their apprenticeship." ...So, he could only pick three for now? Thinking like this, Garrett didn''t believe he belonged to the inept category. Being a traveler, breaking through obstacles and swiftly advancing to top-tier mage status, mastering 9th-level magic effortlessly, even inventing new spells, that was the expected treatment. Moreover, didn''t heprehend Healing on his first day here and immediately be a cleric apprentice? Filled with confidence, Garrett sifted through the "Fundamentals of Spells," picking and choosing. The book didn''t list many level-zero spells, maybe around eight or nine. Yet, Garrett found it a bit overwhelming: Reading Magic, used to interpret magical text on objectsbooks, scrolls, weapons, etc. This spell seemed like the first weapon for learning magic, but it required a transparent crystal or prism as a casting material. Garrett patted himself down and had to set it aside for now. Light Dance, creating a light source; Radiance, making an object glow like a torch; Spark, igniting an extremely small mmable object; Frost Beam, shooting a cold beam causing damageor maybe making an ice pop? Seemingly, these were essential practical magics for everyday use... Mage Hand, moving a lightweight object with telekinesis at close range; Secret Mark, Magic Tricksboth mentioned in the "Fundamentals of Spells" asmon parlor tricks for apprentice mages. There was even a note in red ink: If you can''t learn these, give up; you''re not cut out to be a mage! Garrett went through the pages one by one. Suddenly, his hand, flipping through the dictionary, trembled, freezing in ce, as if struck by lightning, a faint shiver ran through him. Level-zero spell: Magic Detection. Detect magical auras on objects or specific areas. The name and function seemed ordinary. However, as Garrett read through each line, he stumbled upon a sentence that set his heart racing: This spell can prate barriers. However, 1 foot of stone, 1 inch ofmon metal, a thin sheet of lead, 3 feet of wood or earth can block the detection. This is... this is... Garrett''s heart pounded. A spell with pration ability, blocked to varying degrees by lead and other substancesseeing this, his knowledge, intuition, every neuron in his brain shouted loudly: X-Ray! X-Ray!!! The divine tool for surgical examination, X-Ray, ultrasound, CT scans, maic resonanceamong these, the cheapest and earliest to appear, I found it! Without hesitation, Garrett grabbed a piece of paper and prioritized "Magic Detection" for interpretation. Learning level-zero magic wasn''t difficult. Garrett focused, sensing the wondrous world he touched during meditation. Once his entire being entered a lucid state, elementsearth, water, fire, wind, and the cosmosfaintly emerged. Following the instructions in the "Fundamentals of Spells," he made the casting gestures, reciting the incantation word by word. As the incantation ended, Garrett felt a gentle wave in his mental energy, resonating with the sound waves. The unnamed force he encountered during meditation was disturbed, gradually changing under the pull of his mental strength. Garrett concentrated, using mental energy to guide the meditative world, outlining runic symbols as described in the book. One stroke, two strokes... Damn it! It''s crooked!!! The runes in the meditative vision trembled, weakly dispersing. He felt a slight fatigue in his mental energy, and Garrett sighed softly. Learning magic wasn''t that easy. Apprentice mage beginners could only cast one spell a day. Meaning, without spending extra, he only had one chance to try per day... How many attempts would it take to master a new spell? Three times? Five times? Ten times? Ten times would mean ten days... bing proficient would take even longer, and just like that, one or two months could pass in an instant. No wonder the "Fundamentals of Spells" didn''t rmend learning too many spells for apprentice mages. Garrett felt a bit unwilling. He closed his eyes for a moment, carefully sensing... Huh? Can I try a few more times with my mental strength? If his intuition was correct, maybe two or three more times... So, does that mean I''m starting as a high-rank apprentice mage or at least a mid-rank one? Is this a perk of being a traveler or a cleric apprentice? Whatever, if it''s usable, it''s good! Excitedly, Garrett clenched his fist, thenposed himself again, starting another attempt. This time, there was progress; he continued outlining the runes until the ninth stroke, just one step away frompleting the symbol. He gritted his teeth; one more try! This time, in the enhanced vision of meditation, a faint magical aura shimmered. Sess! Suppressing his excitement, Garrett approached the bookshelf emitting the magical aura. It was quite dim, barely brighter than a householdmp, likely just useful for repelling bugs or moisture. Garrett controlled his excitement, extending his right hand towards the glow... As if he could see through it and also as if he couldn''t? Is the aura too faint? Garrett thought for a moment, then dashed out of the library. Rushing upstairs, just as he turned at thending of the stairs, someone abruptly yelled at him: "Oh, so you''vee up here!" --------------- Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Garrett halted,ing to his senses. Looking at the one speaking. ...But there was no one there. He lowered his gaze again. 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees... On the floor ahead, that mischievous kid from a few days ago was there, his face flushed with anger, bouncing around, stretching his arm and waving in front of Garrett''s eyes: "Over here! Who are you looking at?!" That rascal again. Garrett felt a bit of a headache, mumbled a vague response, and continued walking up. The kid tagged along, constantly yelling: "Why are you going up there? Hey, why are you going up there! That''s where official mages stay! You''re not even an apprentice!" Second floor and above of the mage tower, in the past, Garrett wouldn''t have had the qualification to go up there. The mage tower had a hall and a library on the first floor. Mage apprenticeslike the mischievous kid, who was only ten but had already stepped into the world of magicstayed on the second floor, while the official mages resided on the third. The fourth floor was for alchemy and experimenting with spells, the fifth floor was the residence of Mage Gelman, the overseer of the mage tower, and the hub of the mage tower was also located there. From the second floor and above, no matter how wealthy or influential someone might be, entry was strictly by invitation only. Garrett wasn''t qualified to go up. But now, just now, he sessfully cast his first spell! He was now a mage apprentice! Going up to the second floor was only natural! Climbing to the third floor, finding a familiar mage to ask a question, that shouldn''t be a big problem, ha ha ha... The young boy chased after him, ranting and raving all the way, causing the stairs to resonate. Garrett wished he could make the noise physically disappear. Just as he paused, a loud voice came from the third floor: "Absolutely not!" "What''s not possible?!" Another familiar voice retorted even louder. "I''m on the verge of sess! Why should my research be halted just for you to buy alchemical materials!" It''s Mage Elliott, arguing with someone? Garrett immediately perked up his ears. A pnded on a table: "And what about you? Improving spells without materials? Without scrolls? I''ve at least made something, what about you? How many scrolls have you copied these days?When the Magic Counciles for evaluation, let''s see how you exin yourself!" "I''ll be fine!" "Oh, no problems now? Just relying on that little kid''s copied book? Don''t joke, the words are still the same as the original, just rearranged, do you think the Magic Council will appreciate such minimal results?" Huh... are they talking about my spellbook? Garrett paused, cautiously stepping back a couple of paces to avoid an awkward encounter with the mages. Unexpectedly, the stairwell door burst open, and the golden-haired boy who had been sted out of the window a few days ago stormed out, immediately furious upon seeing them: "Why are youing up here? Is this where you belong?!" "He insisted oning up!" Without waiting for Garrett''s reply, the boy jumped in, his voice shrill. "Mr. Karen, this guy isn''t even a mage apprentice, he''s not qualified to be here at all!" "You?" Mage Karen''s furious gaze immediately turned towards Garrett. He pointed a finger at Garrett, a glow shimmering at his fingertip, clearly intending to vent his anger on Garrett. As for whether this magic was ice, fire, wind, or earth, Garrett, with his limited experience, couldn''t tell at a nce. Uh-oh! The staircase was narrow, nowhere to hide! Garrett didn''t want to be the focus of their frustration. Before the spell could be cast, he shouted from deep within his core: "Mr. Elliott! I''ve learned my first spell, I have a question for you!" Learned a spell? The glow on Mage Karen''s fingertip flickered and then extinguished. Learning a spell meant being a mage apprentice; asionally going to the third floor of the mage tower was not out of the question. Moreover, he was looking for Elliott He snorted and was about to go upstairs, minding his own business to continue his alchemical experiments. However, as soon as he took a step, he heard the young boy yelling: "You learned magic? Impossible! Just a few days ago, you couldn''t even read!" Huh? Mage Karen stopped in his tracks. In the room, Mage Elliott had already raised his voice: "Garrett,e in!" Couldn''t read a few days ago, and now he''s learned magic? Mage Karen''s curiosity was piqued, and he followed along. Elliott was tidying scattered papers, still somewhat angry. Seeing Garrett, his expression softened a bit, a hint of joy in his eyes: "You''ve cast a spell sessfully? What was the first one you learned? Any questions you have for me?" "He''s definitely lying!" The young boy tattled to Mage Karen beside him. "He came up here, got caught by you, and imed to be a mage apprentice! Lies! I saw it with my own eyes; just a few days ago, he didn''t even know all the magic words!" Is that so? The golden-haired boy looked to Elliott in inquiry. Elliott felt somewhat awkward. The boy was the grandson of Mage Gelman, the mentor of the Great Mage himself representing the Magic Council in inspecting nearby mage towers. Despite being official mages themselves, they couldn''t easily reprimand this child given his status. Elliott pretended not to have heard and coughed lightly, turning to Garrett: "What magic did you learn? Cast it again, let me see!" "It''s... magic detection," Garrett replied. As soon as he spoke, the young boy "hmphed" disdainfully, mocking even louder: "Magic detection? Whether this spell seeds or not, it''s up to you?You''re not just trying to deceive us with that, are you!" "George!" Mage Karen rebuked him softly. Then, turning to Garrett, he ordered: "Alright, cast it here, see how many magical items are in the hall. If you can correctly identify three or even point out the strongest one, it''ll count as a sessful casting." Garrett nodded slightly in agreement. He took two steps back, his back against the wall, trying to widen his field of vision as much as possible, focusing to cast the spell. The hall was no more than 30 square meters, with six wooden chairs surrounding a rectangr table, upying most of the space. There were chandeliers overhead, tapestries on the walls, and a firece at the end of the hall. At first nce, it looked much like the setup in the library downstairs. Garrett softly recited the incantation. With his voice, faint magical auras lit up during his meditationdazzling white, pale yellow, light azure, and more. As he shifted his gaze, amazing! That mischievous kid, his robe, the headband, and the neall three items shimmered with more brilliance than the furnishings in the room! The third-gen mage was really something... Garrett silently swallowed his resentment towards the kid, moving his gaze, one by one, mentioning those magical items: "Chandelier, the tapestry on the left, the firece..." Although the magical auras were dim and the enchantment levels were low, probably simr to the bookshelf downstairs, but three items! With each item he listed, the boy''s eyes and mouth widened, forming three perfect O shapes: "It can''t be... you actually..." "How''s that? Someone learning faster than you?" The golden-haired youth teased, leaning down, deliberately asking near the young boy''s ear. After a moment of confusion, the boy shouted: "I don''t believe it!" He turned and ran out of the hall, mming the staircase door shut. With a bang, even the vase on the table trembled. Vase? The vase! Garrett''s heart skipped a beat. He hurried forward, pulled out the flowers from the vase, and turned it upside down. Rolling out from the vase was a gemstone that shone brightly in the magic detection''s sight. Garrett reached out and captured that light. What he saw was still a hazy vision. --------------- Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Garrett received a summons within half an hour. Magic research wasmon, but apprenticeships were not. In a mage tower, only a handful of apprentices were trained each year. If luck wasn''t on your side, you might go years without sess. Mage Gellman, stuck in his research, was d for the chance to meet the new apprentice Garrett. At least it offered a change of pace. After confirmation, Garrett''s status was immediately elevated to that of an apprentice. - A new set of magical robes. - A single room within the mage tower. - Paper, ink, candles, and all necessary personal items. Even the servant guarding the gate, with a worried expression, held five silver coins, wanting to return them to Garrett. The reason being that a mage''s mount could be stored in the tower, so there was no need for payment... Though he didn''t take the money, Garrett remained in good spirits throughout. As he entered the city, returned the horse at the military camp, and made his way back home, people kept greeting him: "Garrett, you''re back!" "Garrett, that robe... Are you a mage now?" "Congrattions, Garrett!" Garrett happily responded along the way. By this time, the sky had darkened, and the cottages along the road were starting to light up with scattered stars. Arriving at his doorstep, just about to pull out his keys, someone dashed out from a side alley. Their shoulders collided, causing Garrett to step back with an "Ouch." The person who dashed at him also eximed, "Ouch." He stumbled back more, almost tripping. Then, with a re and a raised dark fist: "You" Suddenly, he froze, gazing fixedly at the staff emblem on Garrett''s robe''s cuff. Without a word, he turned and ran away. Garrett silently looked at his cuff. So, bing an apprentice had its perks. Not bad at all. Humming a tune, Garrett entered his house. The person who collided with him ran quite a distance away, only stopping at the tavern. A man, reeking of alcohol, was waiting by the back door and asked upon his arrival: "How did it go? Did you get him?" "You almost killed me! That kid, he''s an apprentice mage!" "An apprentice mage?" The man at the tavern was astonished. "Are you sure? He only went to the mage tower a few days ago!" "How could I be mistaken? That kid was wearing a robe, with a staff embroidered on the cuff. I saw it clearly!" The man at the tavern pondered. Meanwhile, the one who collided had extended his hand, fingers syed out, pointing near his eyes: "Money!" "No business, yet asking for money? Come on!" "You didn''t mention he was an apprentice mage! If you ask for more money, I''ll report to the city guard, saying you hired someone to murder!" "You!" The two began a scuffle. Garrett was oblivious to all this, first heading to the military camp to report his apprentice status and future residency at the mage tower. Then, he went to the Temple of the God of War to inquire about the progress in crafting surgical instruments. ...Still not finished. And it seemed it would take another ten days or so... "It''s going to take thislongstill?" Garrett sighed so deeply that it felt like his lungs might burst. "But I''m supposed to start staying at the mage tower from tomorrow..." "Yeah, yeah, congrattions on your mage robes," the bald bishop chuckled: "Since you''re going to reside in the mage tower, let''s practice the healing process you mentioned again!" "No, I want to go home" "Tonight, you''re staying at the temple! Tomorrow morning, I''ll send a carriage to take you to the mage tower!" Garrett''s objections were in vain. The bald bishop extended his big hand, lifting him along with his mage robes, like grabbing a chick, and took him to the back hall. Garrett was busy in the temple for the whole night. The next morning, when the Temple of War''s carriage was sent to take him out of the city, he waspletely asleep inside, not even willing to open his eyes for a moment. And so, he didn''t see two people not far from the city gates, pointing and speaking with grim faces towards the carriage. He was also unaware that on that same night, a middle-aged woman entered the lord''s mansion, tear-streaked face, wailing: "Roman is also your son! The temple has put him in confinement, saying they can''t help. A scoundrel like that harmed him, and you say you can''t do anything! Are you still the lord of Harnd City? Do you still care about him in your heart?" "Don''t shout so loudly. It doesn''t sound good if Roman''s identity is yelled about." Lord Joanne, with drooping eye bags, slowly replied: "That kid... he''s be an apprentice mage." "He''s harmed Roman! My Roman! His hands are ruined!" The middle-aged woman grew more agitated, her once graceful face contorting with rage: "You said he''s a city guard, then you say the Temple of War values him, so I can''t seek revenge. Dragging it out like this, and now he''s an apprentice mage! I finally found someone to teach him a lesson, and they won''ty a finger on him!" "You got someone to attack him?" Lord Joanne suddenly lifted his eyelids: "Fool! Do you know why the city guard protects him? Why the Temple of War values him? He healed an injury the bishop couldn''t! When you''re a healer, you avoid making enemies if you can!" "But my Roman..." The woman cried bitterly. Lord Joanne sighed, patting her arm gently, soothing her softly: "If it''s for Roman, you shouldn''t trouble that kid even more. Do you know what that kid has been doingtely? He''s working on something, saying it can heal Barren''s hand." "Barren''s hand?" The woman immediately stopped crying. Barron''s skills with the bow and arrow were among the best in Harnd City, but he couldn''t shoot properly after injuring his hand three years ago. "That scoundrel says he can heal it?" "The Temple of War''s information ims he can," Lord Joanne sighed: "So, for now, endure a bit longer. Don''t go after that kid. If Barren''s hand can really be healed, I''ll approach the Spring Temple and have them release Roman to treat his injury. Even if the temple is strict, they wouldn''t deny treatment, right?" The woman gradually stopped crying. But then, she became anxious: "What if he refuses to treat him? Before, I mean..." Recalling the conscriptions, dragging people to the temple, each thing added up to antagonizing someone. If that scoundrel held a grudge, refusing to help, what then? That''s why, why did you try to get someone to attack him... Lord Joanne wanted to sigh again. However, the woman was his lover, and Roman, although a bastard, was still his. He was the only knight among his illegitimate children, usually quite amiable and cared for. He had to care for him at least a bit. "It''s okay, I''m here." He softly reassured: "If Barren''s hand can''t be healed, then so be it. But if it can, I''ll ask for help from the Temple of War. With the temple and the lord''s mansion behind it, that kid wouldn''t dare to refuse treatment." --------------- Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Garrett''s days settled into a temporary calm. He nestled quietly in the Mage Tower, reading, memorizing incantations, and studying magic. Two dayster, he mastered the Spark spell, and another two days after that, he sessfully executed the Mage Hand. The following days consisted of mental exercises through meditation and refining his control of the Mage Hand. But most importantly Every day, he sought opportunities to cast the detection spell three times, trying to see if he could find that magical glint capable of revealing bones through the human body. In a blink, half a month had passed. Garrett was once again summoned to the Temple of the God of War. This time, with the cooperation of priests and knights, hepleted a surgery unprecedented in this world. The suturing of the flexor tendons on the radial side of the right wrist. He wore a makeshift surgical gown that had been steamed for half an hour and recently dried, along with gloves fashioned from intestines. Assistants stood across from him, and someone passed instruments from the side. Overhead, within a meter-wide disc, scattered white lights shone down. Upon closer inspection, they were all illumination spells conjured on-site by the priests... This was what surgery looked like! Compared to those crude abdominal surgeries in the wilderness, the difference was vast! It''s really better to be in the right ce at the right time. Garrett breathed in the air of the temple happily. Well, the scent wasn''t particrly pleasant, and there were too many people around, with rather strong body odors... Priests from the Temple of the God of War, priest apprentices, knights with enough experience and curiosity, besides assisting him, all crowded into the hall. They brought chairs, tables, and piled up stools. They encircled the operating table in three concentric rings, from the inside out and from low to high. Seeing them huddling and straining to get a glimpse of the surgery, Garrett wanted to say: "Please don''t fall! And if you do, please don''tnd on the operating table and disrupt my surgery..." But not everyone was allowed in. Sir Flynn, Sir Westlow, and other friends of Barron were pushed outside the hall, craning their necks to catch a glimpse. Sir Flynn even shouted: "Little Garrett, please!" "I got it!" Garrett shouted back. Preparing the skin, disinfecting with strong alcohol, applying a tourniquethe did it all himself, nodding to the bald Bishop across. With sped hands, the Bishop murmured a prayer: "All-powerful God of War, please be merciful to your faithful, and spare them from feeling pain..." As soon as he finished speaking, attice of white light fixed the Knight Barron to the operating table. The knight''s head tilted, almost immediately drifting off to sleep. Garrett: "..." Even though it wasn''t the first time he had seen it, he genuinely wanted to ask: Is this a numbing spell, hypnosis, or some kind of magical confinement? It didn''t matter what method was used. They had previously experimented on live pigs. During the surgery, the pig remainedpletely still, not struggling at all, not even tensing its muscles. Perfect. While Garrett was still a little worried and hesitant to voice his concerns, the bald Bishop called over ten or more healthy volunteers, devout believers willing to be test subjects... With divine anesthesia as a base, the sess rate of the surgery increased by at least 30 percent. Garrett nodded happily to both sides and, lowering his gaze, made the incision. Luck was on his side. Whether it was the newly sharpened scalpel or the divine anesthesia reducing skin resistance, the skin on the Barron''s wrist split smoothly under the knife. Garrett sighed in relief. Thank goodness, at least it didn''t reach a point where the skin couldn''t be cut at all... If it hade to that, where would his dignity as the lead surgeon go? Although, the temple knights who were assisting him were already prepared on the sidelines... With minimal bleeding from the incision, a few exmations echoed around: "Wow!" "So little bleeding!" "How did he manage that?" "Hey, tell us more," urged the bald Bishop. His voice sounded muffled under the mask, like thunder. Considering his influential position, Garrett lectured the onlookers while continuing his work: "Pay attention to the depth of the incision. If you only cut the skin without reaching the muscles and blood vessels beneath, of course, there won''t be much bleeding. Hook." Two unfamiliar priests rushed forward, each holding a hook, pulling the incised skin outward. Freckled priest John stood at the patient''s feet and, without waiting for Garrett''s cue, handed over a pair of forceps. Their coordination was good. It paid off to have trained them for several days. Garrett took the forceps satisfiedly, avoiding the blood vessels and nerves on the patient''s arm, systematically searching through the crimson muscle. Simultaneously, he silently counted in his mind, one, two, three... "Ugh" See, someone vomited. Come on, guys, you''re from the Temple of the God of War! If you can''t even handle watching a surgery, how will you save people? ...Thinking this, Garrettpletely forgot about his own first-time experience in a human dissection ss, where he ended up looking ghastly while throwing up... Rolling his eyes at the other side, Garrett realized there was no reaction. Looking again, the bald Bishop''s head turned aside, cheeks bulging beneath the thin mask... "Hey!" Garrett called softly. The Bishop''s Adam''s apple moved several times, his chest heaving as if he had swallowed something. Finally, he raised his head and thundered: "Go out and puke!" A thunderous boom. Garrett didn''t turn back. It sounded like the guy who threw up was thrown out of the circle directly from the table... Seriously, isn''t your Temple of the God of War quite violent? He continued his careful operation. Avoiding blood vessels and nerves, he hooked each muscle. Then, murmuring incantations, he employed the Mage Hand to pull sideways. But it wouldn''t budge. ording to the "Basics of Spells," the Mage Hand magic could move objects weighing no more than five pounds. But now, it seemed the force required to pull the hook was exceeding that limit... Garrett inwardly broke into a cold sweat. He handed the hooks to the assistants, instructing them to pull. Meanwhile, he continued to search, finding the contracted radial side wrist flexor deep within the muscle. He mped the tendon''s end with tissue forceps. Everything went smoothly until Garrett encountered his first obstacle. I pull I pull I can''t pull it! Damn it, just likest time with the chest dpression, I couldn''t puncture the chest, and now, when stretching the tendon, I can''t stretch the muscle? Are the knights in this world really so physically powerful! Rxation, I need rxation! However, in this otherworldly ce devoid of pharmaceuticals, there was no ce even if he had money to buy muscle rxants... Garrett subconsciously nced backward. In his ustomed direction from his past life, where an anesthetist should be, there were onlyyers of tables, chairs, and priests in white robes standing on them. As for the one who actually assumed the responsibility of the anesthetist... Garrett had an idea. He clenched the middle of the forceps with his right hand, released the left, and pointed the forceps handle towards the bald Bishop: "Hold onto this and pull back! I''ll say stop when to stop! One, two, three! Hey, stop stop stop stop stop!" I''ve ended up with this Bishop doubling as a knight! The radial side wrist flexor that I couldn''t budge, he straightened in an instant! Garrett wiped off a bead of sweat discreetly. Thankfully, with the Bishop''s everymand corresponding to an action, he stopped as soon as Garrett signaled, without pulling a millimeter more. His robust arms stabilized and meticulously aligned the other end of the severed tendon, adjusting its shape, and joined both ends together. Then, with both hands raised in front of his chest, palms facing outward, assuming the preparatory posture of a surgeon, concentrating his mind, he silently recited: "The well-being of one depends on the trust of another" --------------- Chapter 58 Chapter 58 A white light fell from his fingertips. The severed tendons wriggled a bit, almost reaching out to connect again. Garrett stared intently, quietly thrilled. Suturing had always been one of the trickiest parts of tendon surgery. Every needle cement, every tug of the thread, influenced the healing oue. Let alone using 4-0 or 5-0 threads, sewing down to 10-0, they had to possess sufficient tensile strength. A curved needle with a 100 diameter required a precise 23-degree angle, no more, no less. The needle''s body had to curve perfectly but maintain a square cross-section for easy handling. With the world''s industrial level, Garrett doubted they''d achieve this in the next decade. But now, there was healing magic! No need for stitches! No more squinting through microscopes to sew six or eight stitches on a 1-millimeter blood vessel! Though he''d practiced stitching on oranges and grapes since university, it seemed all for naught. But it felt good! Under the white light, the tendons gradually began to fuse. Strand by strand... Stopped. Was the healing insufficient? During simtions, whether it was pigs or sheep, tendon healing had been a breeze! Garrett paused to think, surmising that the knight''s vitality demanded more energy for tendon healing. Alright, let''s try again! Another burst of white light, tendons growing... Stopped again. Trying to push more healing, he started feeling dizzy, temples throbbing. Familiar from his days as a mage apprentice: mental exhaustion, unable to cast spells... Low levels were truly a bummer. Even for a small tendon suture, alone, he couldn''t finish it all... Garrett signaled decisively. The lead physician, havingpleted the critical part, handed over the rest to the assistants. Bald Bishop! Time for your entrance! The Bishop''s move was impressive indeed. A fine, dense white light descended, and in an instant, the severed tendons were restored to their original state, not a trace of damage. Garrett tugged, muscles stretched, tendons firmly connecting muscle to bone, no sign of any rupture. "How is it?" Several voices chimed. Garrett inspected once more, then looked up, smiling: "It should be fine. Pour holy water! Rinse from top to bottom!" Ah... althoughcking saline rinses, antibiotic washes, or heparinized saline, holy water was something. Better than nothing, right? Thanks to the coboration with the temple, they had plenty of holy water. Gallons poured down, sshing to the ground. After a final check, confirming no bleeding from any tiny vessels, Garrett straightened up: "Very good, sessful surgery! Everyone got it?" "No," a chorus of clear, confident voices. Around the surgical table, the onlookers, priests, and knights, chosen as assistants, all hung their heads, avoiding Garrett''s gaze. "Can''t do it..." Garrett caught a mumble from someone behind. He rolled his eyes. So proud of being able to sew, huh? Feeling superior? Someday, I''ll make you hold onto a threaded iron rod inside a patient and wait till the fire brigade brings the saw! And no moving! Opposite him, the bald Bishop, ying his part as an assistant, red sternly. His eyes, resembling both famous characters, conveyed: "Can''t do it!" in the left and "You promised to teach!" in the right. Garrett couldn''t help but smile. He shot back a "keep calm" look and continued with instructions: "Release the hooks! Let go! You too, let go, let go, let go! Good, healing magic, skin restoration!" Once again, the white light descended. This time, what everyone saw was wless skin,pletely devoid of any wounds. Apart from removing all hair follicles, making it cleaner than the other hand, no signs of surgery were visible. Garrett nodded in satisfaction. Having healing magic was indeed good; post-op infections, poor healing,promised blood supply, all seemed unnecessary to worry about. He personally loosened the tourniquet, observed blood flow, and... no, this wasn''t the anesthetist''s job! "Release the confinement spell!" Garrett''s clear voice echoed. The white light vanished swiftly, and Sir Barron, the knight, sat up and hopped off the operating table. Wow... that was way quicker than anesthesia recovery! Wonder if it hurt when they cut his wrist, or if he felt anything else... Remind myself to askter. Volunteers brought in by the bald Bishop always made Garrett wary. Too devout, what if they felt pain but didn''t admit it? That could be a serious problem! Garrett pondered swiftly. Meanwhile, Sir Barron, having descended from the table, immediately flexed his wrist. It moved! It worked! "I''m all better!" Sir Barron roared. In that moment, Garrett felt the temple shake, the roof tremble, dust lightly falling... Even more terrifying, right after that roar, Sir Barron turned to embrace him. Garrett instinctively stepped back: "Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Let me check if your hand can exert force! Let''s do a... muscle... strength... test..." Garrett''s voice tapered off, gradually fading. Sir Barron looked left and right, gripped the table''s edge with his right hand, muscles taut, and exerted force! ...Nothing moved. That operating table was firmly fixed to the ground... Garrett felt a tad embarrassed. Sir Barron, however, remainedposed, grabbing a curved hook, clutching it in his left hand, holding the bent part with his right, and pulled with all his might! "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!" The metallic creaking sounds, Garrett''s carefully drawn diagram, the specially crafted hook, all got straightened by Sir Barron... "Don''t, that''s mine..." He stared at Sir Barron, Sir Barron stared back, utterly innocent. After a moment, the knight dropped the hook, rushed forward, and hugged Garrett tightly, tears streaming: "I''m healed! My hand''s healed! It''s healed, ahhh" Garrett struggled to turn away from themotion. Suddenly, he felt himself lifted high into the air. Sir Barron, Sir Flynn, Sir Westlow, and the other familiar temple knights, all joined in, catching him, tossing him, catching again, and tossing once more... "Put me down! Put me down! Don''t toss me around here! There are scalpelshelp!" In the temple, Garrett''s cries of distress echoed, lingering in the halls. --------------- Chapter 59 Chapter 59 "Have you heard? Baron Knight''s hand has healed!" "Did you hear? That knight who injured his hand three years ago and couldn''t draw a bow again, his hand''s healed!" "Is it true that it was healed at the Temple of the War God?" "It seems the Bishop healed him..." "Oh, your sources are terribly out of touch! I heard it was done by a littled. Even the Bishop takes orders from him, does whatever he says..." The news of Baron Knight''s old injury healing spread through Harnd City like wildfire. Those who were injured themselves, or had loved ones suffering, even those whose treatments hadn''t worked well, regardless of whether they were warriors or not, everyone was intrigued. Even Lord Joane, the city lord, summoned Baron Knight once and thoroughly inquired about his healing process. Three dayster, Bald Bishop sent a letter asking Garrett if he could heal Roman Knight''s hand. The answer was a firm no. Without a doubt. "He refuses to heal? He outright refuses!" Roman Knight roared in his room. He was only put in the penance chamber as a formality, got gifts in just a couple of days, and the High Priestess of the Spring Goddess released him. Those ces, silent and lightless, where knights below Level 10 spent half a month, drove anyone crazy. Yet, even then, he wasn''t allowed to step outside the temple, not even the rear temple, confined to a small room for self-reflection. If not for his mother''s letters that frequently arrived, he might have gone mad long ago. "I''ll kill himI swear I''ll kill him! Yes, I''ll write a letter now, tell my mother to send someone to kill him!" Mother and son were in sync. The middle-aged woman, Roman Knight''s mother, was currently raging in the city lord''s mansion. This time, she didn''t bother with pretenses, pacing in the mansion''s small guest room, knocking down ornaments in frustration: "Thesemoners are just thamon! I''ve been patient enough. I said if he heals Roman, I won''t pursue it, but this despicable fellow dares to refuse! I''ll kill him! I will definitely kill him!" "He didn''t do it on purpose..." Lord Joane sighed. He spread out a stack of papers, a letter Garrett wrote to the War God''s Bishop, densely packed with words and intricate drawings. Apart from making one dizzy with the drawings, it was sincere and informative. How many tendons on the palm, how much finer than those on the wrist, requiring delicate instruments to prevent worsening. In that letter, it was all described vividly. The Bald Bishop probably had thoughts of helping Garrett out of this mess, sending the letter to the lord without withholding a page. Even if Lord Joane couldn''t fully understand, he could read between the lines: they genuinely couldn''t do it, not out of spite towards Roman, deliberately doing nothing. The mistress, or rather, the aging mistress, was still making a fuss. Lord Joane, tiredly supporting his forehead, said: "What would you do to him? He never leaves the Mage Tower!" The middle-aged woman choked. Even if she was unreasonable, she knew the Mage Tower wasn''t something to tamper with. Even if she controlled the knights under her son''smand and could muster hundreds of militia, it was a joke in front of the Mage Tower''s power. "II don''t believe he''ll nevere out in his lifetime!" "Noying hands on him!" Lord Joane pped the table. After yelling, he quickly calmed himself, trying to persuade his mistress: "Thatd is a healer! A healer! The Bishop couldn''t heal Baron Knight''s injury, but thisd could! Do you know how many people are counting on him for treatment? Do you know how many, if they get injured in the future, would wish for someone like him? If you get someone to kill him, and it''s exposed, I can''t even save you!" "But" "No ''buts''! There''s no ''but''! For Roman''s injury, let''s find another healer, find the Archbishop, find the High Priest! Under no circumstance are you toy a finger on him!" The middle-aged woman cried bitterly and left. Once on the carriage, she wiped her tears and gritted her teeth at the steward outside: "Investigate! Find me something on thatmoner! I refuse to believe there''s no way to get at him!" When thedy of the house spoke, the steward dared not dy, immediately hiring people to investigate. But after extensive searches, they couldn''t find a way: Garrett was alone, his father deceased long ago, his mother vanished many years before. Among those familiar in the city, there were only his father''s oldrades; however, trying to use them to harm Garrett would be madness! "Madam... this..." The steward bent lower. Creaking, it felt like his bones were audible. Oh, my old waist... I should visit the temple another day. Can''t afford healing but catching some divine light during prayers would soothe me for a few days! The middle-aged woman''s expression grew darker. She gently waved her fan, opening and closing the feathered fan. The crimson rouge was deeply embedded among the feathers, as if throttling an enemy''s neck. "Click," the fan bone snapped, and suddenly, the woman said: "Thatmoner, is he a healer?" "Yes." "The Divine Emissary of the Nature God?" "Well... he said that himself... but it must be true! Both the city guards and the temple guards have heard of it!" "Then why has he never gone to worship?" The steward was at a loss for words. The middle-aged woman suddenly stood up, pacing in the room, her tone growing more urgent: "That''s it! He either stays in the Mage Tower or hangs around the Temple of the War God. All this time, he''s never worshipped the Nature God! He never speaks like those priests, always talking about ''Nature God''he never says such things! This Divine Emissary of his is definitely a sham!" "But, the Nature God... doesn''t have a temple..." "No temple doesn''t mean no followers! The worshippers of the Nature God roam the streets. It''s hard in the upper city, but in the slums, wouldn''t it be easier to find them! If not, just find a random hill outside the city, as long as there''s a ring of stones, you''ll definitely stumble upon them! Thatmoner relied on his healing arts, first got in with the Temple of the War God, then pleased the city guards, but never once sought out the followers of the Nature God. His Divine Emissary status is a sham, he''s guilty!" Snap, crackle, a few consecutive crisp sounds. The fan''s bones shattered, and even the feathers were torn off in pieces, filling the room with emerald and gold, fluttering everywhere. The woman stamped the floor, her voice excited, eyes gleaming: "Find the worshippers of the Nature God! Ry this message to them! No church tolerates a false Divine Emissary; it''s disrespectful, sphemous! Pass the message on, the worshippers of the Nature God will definitely take down thatd!" --------------- Chapter 60 Chapter 60 God of Nature? Garrett had long forgotten about that. These days, he was cooped up in the Mage Tower, diving into magic studies with fervor. Meditation, memorizing incantations, perusing basic texts, learning magic Magic was so much fun! Ah, this Dance of Lights creates four light sources that float around. With a few more, couldn''t one create a handheldmp without shadows? Oh, this Frost Beam, perfect for making ice in summer. If only it could drop the temperature a bit more, I could make some exquisite ice cream! Hmm, this Spark spell is good too, producing strong light. But using fireflies as the casting material harms the ecosystem. I need to research if there''s an alternative... Garrett was immersed in his studies. But there were two slight concerns: Firstly, his mental capacity had hit a teau. After casting spells five times a day, he hit a wall; no progress. Secondly, his research into magical detection, or X-ray spells, hadn''t budged. He scoured every inch of the Mage Tower except the core. Despite the search, he couldn''t find a spell capable of revealing bones. Every day, he questioned life itself: Do thews of physics in this world differ from my previous life''s? Or do I need radioactive materials? But if I find them, can my frail body handle it? Every day was spent eating, sleeping, and researching in the Mage Tower. There wasn''t a line but a single point. If he checked his daily trajectory with a mobile, he''d only see a solitary dot... Comfortable, dreamy, a life of contentment! But this time, Garrett was kicked out of the Mage Tower to patrol the nearby Tarl Vige. It fell under the Mage Tower''s jurisdiction, or more urately, the Magic Council''s ownership. Although rent collection didn''t require personal intervention, monthly patrols were necessary to assert the vige''s affiliation. At least the Mage needed to make an appearance... Naturally, this mundane task, useless for magical research, fell onto Garrett, the lowest-ranked and newest mage apprentice. Riding an old horse, swaying gently, he followed the gatekeeper towards Tarl Vige. The horse was docile, requiring no effort from Garrett. Lost in thought, he meandered along the path. Suddenly, a loud scream echoed from nearby! Garrett: !!! Someone''s injured? Where? Is it severe? He sprinted towards the sound. Arriving, he found a middle-aged man lying under a small cliff, pale-faced, with a twisted left leg. A woven baskety five or six steps away, its rope dangling loosely. One end was tied around his waist, now just a meter long, roughly cut. The other end hung from the cliff, seemingly snapped while he was working there. A fall from a height. Left leg fracture. Possibly apanied by other fractures or internal injuries. Garrett nced and swiftly concluded. He crouched beside the man, pressing his right wrist: "You fell from up there? Anyone else nearby? Do you live nearby?" The man nodded vigorously. Struggling, he tugged at Garrett''s sleeve: "Save mesave me" Great, the patient''s conscious, strong pulse, smooth breathing, stable vital signs for now. Garrett nced and saw the bone jutting out from the man''s lower left leg, blood oozing steadily. Open fracture, significant bleeding! First, stop the bleeding! Instinctively, Garrett lunged forward, extending his right hand, firmly pressing the man''s femoral artery. Turning, he shouted to the Mage Tower''s attendant: "Any long bandages?" "No!" "Yes yes yes yes yes!" A chaotic series of footsteps, several farmers carrying baskets and spades, stumbled down the cliffside. Obviously, the injured man''spanions. One of them, yelling as he slid down: "Old Six is hurt! Go fetch the master! Quick!" One farmer dashed off. Another, hearing Garrett''s request for a bandage, frantically tore off a long strip from his clothes. Garrett took it, assessing its thickness and strength. It was barely adequate. He handed it back: "Get a wooden stick! Finger-thick, as long as my hand! ce it on his leg, where my fingers are, and tighten the bandage!Is it tight? Good! Turn the stick!" The hemp rope creaked. The injured man cried out in agony, held down by hispanions: "Don''t move! Don''t move! Your leghey, the bleeding''s reduced!" "Young sir, impressive!" "What young sir, he''s a mage!" A farmer with sharp eyes spotted the wand at Garrett''s sleeve, correcting hispanions. As one of the farmers, tightening the stick, trembled and nearly fell into the mud: "M-m-mage, sir!" "Don''t move! Hold it tight!" Garrett yelled at him. When the manplied, Garrett knelt, felt the far end of the artery to confirm no pulse, then instructed the stick-holder: "Grip tightly! Don''t move! Loosen the bandage and alert me!" Damn it! Without a tourniquet, this makeshift solution would have to do for now! The farmer nodded shakily. Garrett ignored him, directing others toy the patient t and remove his clothes. He squatted nearby, questioning the injured man and hispanions: "How did he fall? Did hee down vertically or roll down horizontally?" "Which part hit the ground first? Hands, legs, or back?" "Did he fall face down or face up?" The injured man and hispanions answered one by one. Garrett got the information he needed, and as the man''s clothes were nearly off, he began a thorough examination: No other visible injuries on the body''s surface. Abdominal pressing, no significant pain in the upper left abdomen... upper midsection... upper right abdomen... Just as he finished checking, footsteps echoed from the nearby mountain path. Garrett nced and saw an elderly man, one hand holding a staff, the other leading the farmer who had gone to call for help earlier. The elder sprinted so swiftly that even his deep brown robe billowed behind, easily carrying a hefty man of 180 pounds as if he were weightless. This old guy''s impressive! Garrett silently praised. Around him, the farmers bowed unevenly: "Elder!" "Elder!" "Elder, save me! Save me!" The injured man struggled. Garrett shouted at him, pressing him down and continuing his examination. "Who are you?" The old man arrived, cing the farmer beside Garrett, leaning over to check the injured man. Without lifting his head, Garrett replied: "Garrett Nordmark." "You''re Garrett?" The elder''s voice fluctuated slightly. Before Garrett could answer, the elder crouched, checking the area around the patient''s tourniquet: "You set this up? Clever thinking! Alright, step aside now, I''ll fix this leg!" He can heal a fracture with a single healing spell? He''s way better than me! Garrett nced aside. Yet, when he saw the elder reaching out, he instinctively dodged, yelling: "Don''t move him!" The elder paused. Garrett''s rebuttal came out in rapid session: "I haven''t finished examining! Do you know if he has any internal injuries?" The elder hesitated. After a moment of silence, he asked: "I''ve treated people with broken legs. Sometimes, the leg heals, but a few dayster, they die. Could it be internal injuries?" "It''s possible..." Garrett murmured. There were many reasons for deaths from falls. Internal ruptures, brain damage, or, if luck wasn''t on your side, a ruptured aorta. Without seeing the patient, who knew what situation you''d encounter? "How do we check?" --------------- Chapter 61 Chapter 61 How do you examine a ruptured organ? It''s a question that, explored in detail, could fill an entire book. X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, abdominal puncturesif applicable, exploratoryparotomy... In clinical practice, there are countless methods and tools avable to aid doctors in diagnosis. However, here in this otherworldly realm, facing this elderly healer, Garrett could only respond, "Physical examination!" "How do you examine?" the healer inquired. "Pay attention. For abdominal examination, basic palpation is crucial. Different positions correspond to different internal organs... Upper left abdomen..." Garrett borated at length. The white-haired elder leaned in, listening intently, almost eager to jot down notes. Garrett deliberately slowed his pace, ensuring rity in demonstration while exining, "When palpating the liver, your right hand''s three fingers should be together, palm t, index and middle fingers parallel to the rib margin on the right side of the navel... Breathe... Hmm, no obvious signs of pain... Let''s continue to check the spleen..." The elder nodded, his gaze focused, lips moving slightly, as if reciting a lecture. Garrett continued the examination in one go, "Preliminary judgment: no apparent ruptured organs; spine shape normal, no significant curvature or deformity; no obvious head trauma, no hematoma, left arm... right arm..." Excellent, excellent! Aside from temporarily being unable to inspect and wait for the impending organ damage, the only issue to address was the open fracture in the left leg! Garrett was greatly excited. Shifting slightly on the ground, he felt around the skin at both ends of the fracture, then stood up, saying, "Alright, only the left leg needs treatment now" He nced at the elder. Seeing the elderly man with flowing white hair, vitality in his eyes, arms sturdy enough to knock out a bear, something clicked in Garrett''s mind, and he cast a detection spell casually, "Oh" Garrett eximed. It was so bright! Especially the stick in the old man''s hand, shining in his meditation vision like a 500-watt high-pressure sodiummp! Instinctively, Garrett raised his hand to shield his eyes. As he did so, he suddenly froze, reaching towards the wooden staff and trembling as he covered it with his palm: He could see it! Through the magical radiance emitted by the wooden staff, the bones in his palm and fingers were vividly visible, section by section! Finally, he found it! A variant of the detection magic, an X-ray techniquehe had finally found it! Garrett stared in astonishment at his palm. In a previous life, if he had seen this visual effect, he would have dashed away as fast as possiblenobody wanted to y with X-rays for no reason. But now, seeing the magical radiance prating his palm, he felt as if he''d found the most precious treasure! In this world with a hodgepodge of elements, for a surgeon, X-rays were priceless! The white-haired elder looked at Garrett with a smile. He took a step back, and Garrett stepped forward; he turned the wooden staff, and Garrett followed suitstill mindful not to step on the injured person lying beneath them. Until the detection magic''s effect expired, the magical radiance vanished, and Garrett jolted, snapping back to reality, "I..." "You''re the youngd who cured Knight Barron?" The elder waved the wooden staff, interrupting Garrett, "I heard your healing methods are rather unique?" It''s your healing methods that are unique, Garrett thought to himself. Yet, on the surface, he had to put on a smile, "Sir, I''d like to seek your advice on treating this fracture..." Garrett lowered his head, pointing to the pale-faced injured person on the ground, "Would it be challenging to align the bones? And after healing, will they be able to walk?" The elder was moved. After a moment of contemtion, he said, "It''s indeed challenging. Experienced healers manage well, but neers often heal the wound but misalign the bones. Do you have a solution?" "I have a way!" Garrett''s eyes gleamed. They returned to the vige with the injured person. Coincidentally, the injured person was from the Tar Vige, so Garrett apanied the patient while touring the vige, making good use of their time. As they reached the vige entrance, children and elderly who hadn''t gone to the fields andborers who rushed back upon hearing the news crowded around, all greeting the elder enthusiastically: "Elder!" "Elder, you''vee!" "Elder, thanks to you, Lorin is saved!" The mage''s servants apanying Garrett looked at him frequently. Garrett pretended not to notice, feeling at ease, staying in the background. Instead, it was the white-haired elder who reached out and pulled him forward: "You''re mistaken this time. It''s thisd who saved the person. You should thank him!" Several hands, stained with dirt, immediately reached out to Garrett, wanting to express their gratitude. Garrett swiftly dodged behind the elder, thinking, I still have a surgery to performter! Keep those dirty hands away! He held onto the elder''s back firmly, "Let''s hurry and save the person! Find a clean, spacious house, carry the patient inside! Boil water! Strong spirits! Soap! Knife! Hook!" The cleanest andrgest house in the vige naturally belonged to the vige chief. After arranging everything, Garrett, having learned his lesson, chased all the onlookers away to prevent anyone from making a fuss nearby. After washing his hands and taking the knife and hook, he casually cast a spell. "What''s this..." The elder''s eyes lit up, "Magic trick?" "Yeah, used as a cleansing spell." Garrett''s eyes sparkled. This skill was genuinely usefusting an hour, every second, it could clean a cubic foot of objects. Perfect for washing sks, test tubes, or sterilizing surgical instrumentsit was an unparalleled tool! Just not sure about its sterilization effects... Might do a bacterial culture test another day... Observing the sharp knife for a moment, Garrett made a cut. Before the white-haired elder could express astonishment, Garrett''s knife moved swiftly, exposing the blood vessels. With a swift movement, semi-transparent forceps with a faint shimmer appeared in the air, swiftly mping the slightly shriveled blood vessels. "Mage Hand?" The elder was astonished for the second time, "Using Mage Hand like this? What are you doing?" "mping the blood vessels... Alright, the tourniquet on the leg wound can be loosened now..." Garrett replied matter-of-factly. He set down the knife, cleaned the area with a damp cloth as best as he could, then smiled at the elder, "Next, I''ll need your help." "What do you want me to do?" The elder generously patted his chest. Garrett nodded in gratitude, "ce your wooden staff behind the leg. Find two people to hold both sides of the injured leg. When I say ''pull,'' pull to each side. When I say ''stop,'' please follow my instructions to realign the bone!" "You... won''t dislocate it?" "Absolutely not!" Garrett was confident, "Yes, I have a spell that allows me to see how the bone is inside the flesh!" "One, two, three, pull!" Creaking and groaning, the muscles were forcibly stretched, emitting extremely unpleasant sounds. Garrett wasted no time in activating the detection magic. In his meditative sight, radiant white light pierced through the muscles, revealing the bent, ruptured, and broken bones. Garrett fixed his gaze on the fracture: "Keep pulling, keep pulling, alright, stop!" He rushed forward, gripping each end of the fracture, striving to push it back into its rightful position. Oh, it''s so heavy! I''m not an orthopedic surgeon! --------------- Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Bone-setting? Garrett decided not to exert this much effort. Actually, if he really gritted his teeth, he might be able to push it. After all, his original body was a first-level warrior. Whether it was strength orbat power, it was much stronger than amoner. But why? I''m a mage! I''m an elegant mage! I''ve already changed my profession; I''m not a warrior or a physical upation anymore! I should just wave my wand and chant spells. Anything over five pounds that a mage''s hands can''t lift should be left for someone else to carry! He stepped back, making room, gesturing for the white-haired old man to grip both broken ends. With someone as strong as him, who could lift a person with just one hand and run as fast as the wind, why should Garrett exert himself? Magic shone brightly. Garrett ced his hands on the old man''s hands, gently pushing and pulling, guiding the old man''s strength while constantly givingmands: "Move forward a bit, a bit more, good, retract your right hand, no, move back a bit, good! Aim! Slowly bring it closer, closer! Stop! Wait!" The muscles on the old man''s arm tensed silently. He turned his head, looking strangely at Garrett. Garrett awkwardly smiled at him. The duration of the magic detection ended... This thing is too short. For every spell cast, depending on the mage''s level, it onlysts 1 minute per level. Garrett was currently an apprentice mage, considered 0.5 level. When he cast a detection spell, it onlysted for 30 seconds... Garrett took a few breaths, closed his eyes, and focused again. The magical light shone once more, revealing the fractured bones in his meditation vision, guiding the direction of the bone-setting. Garrett pushed and pulled with his hands,manded incessantly, while the white-haired old man cooperated well. Before another 30 seconds psed, they managed to realign the fractured tibia and fib that had jutted out. "Done..." Garrett let go, plopping down to the ground. The consequences of casting four spells in a short time finally emerged: a throbbing headache, buzzing in his head, and aching temples. Garrett closed his eyes, resting on his own, only to hear the old man''s astonishment: "Perfect! How did you do it?" "I can see... with magic..." Garrett weakly replied. He immediately heard the next question: "What''s next? What should we do?" Garrett really wanted to say, "Toss a healing spell and leave me alone." But with the patient lying there, finer treatment would yield better oues. He couldn''t help but struggle to sit up and direct. Garrett opened his eyes, struggled to sit up straight, and leaned forward to look: "Wait a moment..." Luckily, the duration of the mage''s hand hadn''t ended yet. Garrett strained to focus and continued manipting the spell. In a moment, the two main blood vessels were slowly pulled out and brought together. Garrett turned to the old man and gestured with his mouth: "Then, connect these two blood vessels." "Huh, what are you..." The old man looked surprised. He leaned down to look carefully, even reaching out to touch: "...Mage''s hand? Used like this?" "Yes." Garrett smiled slightly, showing some humility. "It''s convenient this way, and clean." Carrying forceps around and pre-sterilizing them! The old man repeated softly, "Convenient, clean," a few times, pointing his finger. A white light shot out from his fingertip, and the millimeter-wide blood vessels instantly healed. Garrett released the mage''s hand, and soon enough, bright red blood flowed through. That''s it... I can''t handle the nerves anymore... Garrett sighed inwardly. He continued to direct: "Connect the bones inside... yes, precise healing, start with the bones. Let me check... no issues, so, wait, let me arrange the muscles..." Mage''s hand! Up! Transparent, intangible hands were raised again, meticulously sorting through the muscles. The damaged, pierced muscles were individuallybed through. Garrett and the white-haired old man coordinated well. He''d separate one, and the old man would cast a spell. After all were sorted, Garrett closed his eyes, and his spine sagged again: "Done... everythinpleted!" Without him needing to say it, the old man threw another white light, healing the damaged skin. As he touched and pressed on the injured leg, he became more and more surprised: "The consumption of healing spells has halved! How did you do it?" "Manually setting bones, disassembling tasks..." Garrett''s voice grew fainter, his speech slurred, looking like he could fall asleep at any moment. Amidst his wobbling, he still managed to advise: "Remember to cast some healing spells on his chest and abdomen. Falling from such a height, I''m worried about internal injuries... a lot of things can''t be seen just by examination..." The old man acted ordingly. After a few healing spells, the patient revived, sitting up without assistance. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he immediately screamed: "Ah!!!" Garrett was startled awake! With the strength of just a first-level warrior, he somehow managed to snatch the inspection before the old man and grabbed the patient to check up and down. In a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief: "It''s nothing serious, just an injury on the foot. Most likely a fracture... one more healing spell should do." Another fracture? The old man''s hand releasing the healing spell paused: "You can still see where it''s broken?" Garrett looked bitter. He tilted his head up weakly, looking at the old man: "I''ve run out of spells..." Currently, Garrett''s mental strength allowed him to cast five zero-level spells in a day. He had already used them all: three variations of detection spells simr to X-rays, one mage''s hand, and one magic trick. If he wanted to cast another one, his only option was: to wait until tomorrow. Oh, and he still needed a good eight hours of sleep that night. ...So, mages really aren''t meant for pulling all-nighters. Thank goodness, no need for 996. Finished? A hint of a smile flickered in the old man''s eyes. From the information received earlier, this young man was still an apprentice mage, and had just be one. Seeing five consecutive magic fluctuations after they met, it was indeed that he''d run out of spells and couldn''t cast any more... He took out a small bottle from his belt. After some thought, he put it back and reached for another one, handing it to Garrett: "Just drink a drop." A thin bottle, as long as a fingertip and as thick as a thumb. Garrett took it and looked inside: the mouth was sealed with a wooden stopper, and the liquid inside shimmered with a green glow, very pleasing to the eye. But this is green! Life potions are red, magic potions are blue, what''s with this green? It couldn''t be poison, could it?! He looked to the old man for help but got no answer. Removing the stopper, he first waved the bottle''s opening in the air with his palm, then cautiously sniffed it. A cool breath surged in, making Garrett''s nose tingle; he almost sneezed. ...Seems like it''s not poison? And, my mind feels a bit fresher! Garrett''s eyes brightened. Following the old man''s instructions, he carefully tilted the bottle and tried to take only a drop... Couldn''t you provide a dropper for such a small dose? It''s so easy to identally drink it all! A drop of coolness exploded on his tongue, rapidly spreading. Filling his mouth, rushing up his nasal cavity, and spreading into his brain. Garrett shivered, the exhaustion and dizziness from casting spells disappearing instantly. "I''m good again!" He jumped up. "Hold his foot, get ready, I''ll cast the spell!" In the meditative environment, the bright magical light shed once more. Garrett and the old man coborated to reset the patient''s bone,pleting the treatment. While the patient and family expressed immense gratitude, the old man seemed indifferent, grabbing Garrett and slipping away from the crowd. Seeing Garrett following him very cooperatively, the old man patted his shoulder contentedly, smiling as he asked: "You''re the one who received the divine inspiration from the God of Nature, right?" Received the message, next week''s trial run ising. --------------- Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Garrett''s smile froze immediately. Oh no, oh no, darn it! Lies have their moment, but the truthes to light! Why did I even tell that lie? Why did I me it on the cult of the Nature God? He carefully examined the old man''s attire. Deep brown robe, oak staff, robust physique, and a kind demeanor. In every aspect, he looked like a devotee of the God of Nature. The vigers even called him the elder... He''s the leader of the cult! He stumbled into the hands of their big boss! What should he do? Would he be considered sphemous? Would he be burned? Or worse, not by fire but by bears, wild boars, leopards, or something, buried under an oak tree? Garrett opened his mouth, trying to defend himself, but not a word came out. The old man still looked at him with a smile, like a bear observing a beehive from a distance, seemingly harmless at first ncebut appearances could be deceiving. Garrett broke into a cold sweat. Run away, justify, denycountless thoughts swirled in his mind, but finally, gritting his teeth, he decided to tell the truth outright: "I was just boasting at the time..." He honestly recounted the situation. Uncle Karen was severely injured, and miraculously, he grasped a healing spell. To prevent hisrades from worrying, he pretended it was a divine revtion... "I just... thought the God of Nature was more noble, and the cult was amodating..." The old man''s eyes widened more and more as he looked at Garrett, as if witnessing something incredibly bizarreapparently, he hadn''t expected someone''s imagination to stretch that far. Suddenly, he threw his head back and burst into heartyughter. Hey, is it that funny? My tongue''s almost visible! Garrett nervously shifted his feet. Oh no, even though the elder seemed to be in a good mood and might not necessarily pursue this to the end, it seemed he was going to be part of their dark history... The old man was still looking down at him,ughing like a bear that had just had a bellyful of honey and heard that the bee colony was willing to provide regr offerings. Sunlight streamed from behind him, casting a huge shadow over Garrett, rivaling the shadow of the nearby oak tree. Garrett quietly took a step back, then another. Crack! He identally stepped on an acorn, crushing it... "A few days ago, I heard about a young mage who imed to have received a divine revtion." The old man suddenly spoke. Garrett''s heart skipped a beat, listening as the elder slowly continued: "The way the news was spread seemed peculiar, as if it was meant for me to hear but without letting me know who spread it. I inquired for a few days, intending toe to the Mage Tower to ask Gelman." They''re directly going to Gelman the mage... Well, indeed, the elder of the local branch of the Cult of Nature had the authority to directly approach the head of the Mage Tower. Garrett shuddered and asked softly: "Then..." A hand pressed on his shoulder, interrupting him. The elder stared into Garrett''s eyes as if trying to peer into his soul, speaking in a deep voice: "I saw you on the road. I saw your willingness to help the injured poor, giving your all without seeking fame or profit. Such character aligns with the teachings of our God. So, I ask you" "Would you be willing to learn the doctrines of the God of Nature, to understand His grace?" This... Garrett was stunned. He stared wide-eyed at the old man opposite him, almost unable to believe his ears. Was this even possible? Instead of punishing or burning him, they wanted to wee him into their cult? What about faith? Reverence for the gods? Could this be a trick? Instinctively, he responded, "I don''t even know who you are..." "Oh, haha, I forgot to introduce myself." The elder chuckled and raised his oak staff from the muddy ground. Garrett''s eyelid twitched as he seemed to see a de of grass nearby grow a little taller "I am Elwin Wilkinson, the elder of the local Cult of the God of Nature. You can call me Elwin. So, young man, would you like to learn from me?" "ButBut why?" "Because you''re a good healer. You have the ability and the will to help the poor." Elder Elwin answered seriously, "Your actions align with the cult''s purpose. In that sense, you''re naturally our ally." The elder spoke slowly and sincerely, every word seeming toe from his heart. Garrett still felt unsure and couldn''t help but dig deeper: "But what about faith?" "Faith" Elder Elwin couldn''t help but smile. He uttered these two unusually serious and weighty words, scrutinizing Garrett up and down, growing more satisfied with each nce. After a moment of thought, he turned and walked a few steps, beckoning Garrett: "Come." Garrett hurried to catch up. Elder Elwin walked up the hill, gazing at the vige''s smoke not far away. Suddenly, he asked Garrett: "What is your belief?" "..." "What gives you the power to concentrate your will and cast healing spells?" Garrett fell silent for a moment. Standing beside Elder Elwin, he gazed at the children running around the vige, the elderly bent over working, and the bustling life below, murmuring softly: "Health is crucial, entrusted lives" "What?" "Those who taught us medicine told us." Garrett recounted slowly. In this distant realm, when all mentors and colleagues were separated by different nes, recalling the teachings and vows from years ago filled him with immense emotion: "They said our mission is to save lives and care for their health. Patients entrust their lives to us, their health depends on us. So, we must never fail this mission, no matter what..." These teachings and vows were too solemn and serious. Elder Elwin carefully pondered them, a bit absentmindedly, silent for a long while: What kind of people would make such vows and teach disciples with such principles? After a long while, he came back to himself and spoke softly: "So, would you im to have received a divine revtion from our God, to convey His prophecy?" Convey a prophecy?! Garrett shuddered. In his mind shed an image: acting like a possessed individual, convulsing on the ground, speaking in a weird voice, iming to be possessed by some divine entity, speaking gibberish... Absolutely not! Garrett vehemently shook his head: "I wouldn''t! Absolutely not!" Elder Elwin chuckled. Although he didn''t know what Garrett was thinking, this kind of hair-raising reaction, aside from being resolute, was quite endearing. He extended a hand to pat Garrett gently, calming him down, and spoke seriously: "Your beliefs and principles don''t conflict with the cult''s. So, if you''re willing to understand the teachings and blessings of the God of Nature, and if you find them eptable, would you join us, and let us also learn your healing methods?" "I would love to!" --------------- Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Garrett found his way intoor rather, joinedthe congregation of the God of Nature and became a disciple of Elder Elwin. Of course, being a disciple was merely a verbal change in address, devoid of any ceremony or grand invitations for guests to witness. Garrett wasn''t one to boast, and Elder Elwin was astute enough to sense something amiss from the news about the Prophet. So, he let Garrett go that day and visited Mage Gelman alone at the Mage Tower the next day to express his intentions. "What? You want to take Garrett as your disciple?" Mage Gelman was so astonished his eyes nearly popped out. Leaning forward, his crimson robe ballooned into a lifebuoy. Fortunately, there were no buttons on his robe; otherwise, a few might have popped off immediately. "I know he''s a healer, but..." But does that warrant you personally taking him as your disciple? "Hey, this kid is quite interesting," Elder Elwin chuckled, his white eyebrows twitching. "He''se up with some new twists on two tricks. Haven''t you seen them? Surprisingly, these two new tricks are quite useful in healing..." Mage Gelman: ??? Are you learning magic just for healing? How much do you love healing magic? If you fancy it so much, why not be a priest instead? What''s your motive in studying at the Mage Tower? Despite saying that, Mage Gelman became curious and asked Garrett to demonstrate. The Mage Hand didn''t pique the interest of the esteemed mage much; he deemed it as "just a finer control," but the Detect Magic spell caught his attention. In his meditation sight, Garrett''s hand covered the oak staff, bone by bone, joint by joint, vividly clear. "It''s really useful!" Mage Gelman rose and approached the oak staff, casting a spell himself. Bright magical light unfolded in his meditation sight as he reached out, covered, and observed... "I can''t see clearly!" Mage Gelman frowned. In his meditation sight, the magical light couldn''t prate his skin, barely illuminating the edges of his fingertips. The visual effect was akin to cing a palm under the scorching sun and attempting to nce at it. "I can''t see clearly either." Elder Elwin stood shoulder to shoulder with him, extending his hand in the same manner. "I tried this magic hastilyst night, on myself and others from the congregation. The conclusion is, for those five levels lower than me, I can see with this staff." "Five levels..." Mage Gelman was moved. Elder Elwin had carried this oak staff through thick and thin for decades, nurturing it with his own energy. The God of Nature''s teachings had a distinctive feature in nurturing extraordinary items. This personal staff could almost be assumed to be on par with the elder himself. He said it takes being five levels lower to see clearly. Did that mean, for items of five levels or more above, the magical light could only prate the bones ofmoners or at most apprentice mages? But not to mentionmoners, even apprentice mages wouldn''t encounter high-level magical items more than a few times in their lifetime! "Such magic... do you find it useful?" "Very much so!" Elder Elwin nodded, his white beard fluttering as heughed jovially. "It can help many people! Ah, after all this talk, you haven''t said whether you agree or not!" Mage Gelman: "..." As if I''d refuse your apprenticeship when it''s genuinely useful... Though he felt that way, given Elder Elwin''s prowess and the good rtionship between the God of Nature''s congregation and the Mage Council, Mage Gelman couldn''t find a reason to refuse. Not only did he agree, but he also intended to make it look good, perhaps by casually offering a gift: "Garrett!" He called with seriousness. "Since you''ve developed this new application of magic, summarize it into a paper. The Grand Mage of the Mage Council will be visiting soon, and it would be best if this paper could be published. Even if it doesn''t pass, it could earn you some points in front of the Grand Mage." Garrett: "..." A paper? There are papers in this world? Where do I submit my paper? Are there journals, SCI indexes, impact factor evaluations... Garrett opened his mouth slightly, then swallowed hard. Mage Gelman thought he didn''t know what a paper was. After some thought, he realized: "Oh, forgot you haven''t finished reading the foundational books. They''re in the second-floor lounge; when you return, go through them yourself. If you can''t write, ask Elliott for help, or you can directly consult me." Garrett: "..." No need, it''s just a paper! I can write, I''ve written plenty in my past life! Also, why did I toil away writing papers in my previous life, and now, in another world, I have to squeeze out time to write papers... He silently bowed his head, shedding a tear of sympathy for himself. Meanwhile, Elder Elwin was already delighted: "Apprentice mages writing papers? Little Garrett, the esteemed mage values you greatly! Come,e, let me tell you about a few attempts we''ve made; we''ll write something impressive together! Gelman, I''m staying with the little guy here!" "Elder Elwin!" Mage Gelman jumped up. "You are a guest" The amodation in the Mage Tower follows certain rules! Apprentices stay on the second floor, official mages on the third, while the tower''s controllers and esteemed guests stay on the fifth! If you go down to the second floor, others won''t say you''re disregarding protocol; they''ll say the Mage Towercks manners and doesn''t understand the rules of hosting guests! "Shhkeep it secret," Elder Elwin chuckled mischievously, hooking his arm around Mage Gelman''s neck. "You don''t know, this little one... someone''s out to get him! The less known about my visit, the better!" Whispering and rustling, Mage Gelman''s expression grew more solemn. As for Elder Elwin, after dropping the bombshell news, he casually took Garrett downstairs. "Write, write, write! I''ll watch you!" "Uh... Elder, I haven''t seen what a paper looks like yet..." Five minutester, Garrett sat in the lounge on the second floor of the Mage Tower, his eyes widening. Title... Author''s name... Abstract... Keywords... This was the format he was used to for papers! Why does the papers here look the same way? Have there been any transmigrants in this world? If there have been transmigrants, why does everything still seem so primitive and ignorant, advancing only from sparks to me orbs and fireball spells? Garrett''s mind wandered limitlessly. Elder Elwin tapped the table impatiently: "Quickly, quickly! Grab a pen and write down what I said!" "Got it!" Garrett jumped up and dashed to get one. Case studies! Fresh case studies! Fresh clinical cases! When ites to writing papers, aside from theoretical basis and data deduction, the mostcking aspect is detailed case studies! And he didn''t have to go around looking for people, attempting hard with his pitiful five daily attempts at spellcasting! This was great! Garrett looked up: "Elder, should I add you as a co-author?... Ah! Don''t hit me if you don''t agree!" Elder Elwin stayed in the Mage Tower''s second-floor single rooms for several days. During this time, the old man stuffed Garrett''s mind with all the teachings of the God of Nature, prayers, the methods of divine magic, and all the knowledge an aspiring priest should know. Garrett learned as if his life depended on it. However, the old man wasn''t any better off: when Garrett was dizzy from memorizing teachings, history, and prayers of the God of Nature, every time he turned around, the old man was there, staring at his anatomical drawings, with disheveled white hair, eyebrows furrowed, eyes fixed: "The left ventricle connects to the aorta, the right ventricle connects to the pulmonary artery, the left atrium connects to the pulmonary vein, the right atrium connects to the superior and inferior vena cava... the left ventricle..." Garrett watched him repeat it three times in a row, then extended his hand, ced it on the paper, and spread his five fingers: "Where does the left atrium connect?" The old man looked at him dumbfounded, like a bear waking up from hibernation and not realizing the beehive next door was gone. Garrett silently recited the words in his mind for him: "...Marshmallow?" Hang in there! Let''s both endure this! The stuff you''re teaching me could be memorized in half a month, but what you''re trying to memorize? Heh, I spent seven years learning it in my past life! --------------- Chapter 65 Chapter 65 After three days of intense study in the Mage Tower, the old man quietly slipped away, holding onto the materials Garrett had given him. Nearly half a month passed before he reappeared, tested Garrett once, confirmed his progress, and then briskly dragged him out. "Hey, where are we going?" Garrett struggled while walking. "It''s getting dark!" "To the congregation of the guild!" The old man eased his grip, shifting to a supportive hold under Garrett''s arm. Almost lifting him off the ground, they moved forward. "The guild gathers monthly, always on the night of the new moon. Did you study the book I gave you? Today happens to be a new moon, so I''ll introduce you to them. It''ll be helpful for everyone to assist each other in the future." Meetings of the Nature God''s congregation mostly took ce on moderately elevated hills. Guided by Elder Elwin, Garrett arrived at sunset, just as the new moon ascended. Elwin finally said, "We''re here!" Releasing his hold, Garrett staggered, feetnding on the ground. He found himself halfway up the hill, surrounded by dense oak trees. Birds returned to their nests, chirping intermittently, their species unknown. The ground wasyered with fallen leaves and delicate grass, as though no one had been here for centuries... "Hey!" Garrett was anxious. "Where is here? There isn''t even a proper path!" "Up to the mountaintop! You walk by yourself!" Elder Elwin had already started climbing, agile and steady, without even needing his oak staff. Garrett had no choice but to follow, stumbling and struggling. Amidst his efforts, he conjured a few light spells to illuminate the way, finally reaching the mountaintop. A clear space atop the hill was enclosed by waist-high stones in arge circle, about ten meters in diameter. Inside the circle, a pile of campfires burned, while several men and women in long robes leaned on oak staffs outside. As Garrett panted, following the Elder, everyone''s curiosity was piqued, all eyes fixed on him. However, Elder Elwin didn''t introduce Garrett. He ced him at one end of the circle and entered it himself. In the firelight, the old man, with a flowing white beard and his staff firmly nted, spoke solemnly: "Today, we gather here to worship the great Nature God..." "Praise be to our God..." Everyone bowed their heads respectfully, echoing the Elder''s words, praying together: "You are the protector of nature, the guardian of forests and animals... You bestow life upon all things, enriching the world..." Garrett had managed to memorize these prayers. Though hecked an oak staff, he followed suit, murmuring the prayers. He recited them fairly well, with asional stumbles but not enough to break the immersion. ncing around during the prayer, he noticed the closer individuals were younger, with fewer embroidered green leaves on their robes. Conversely, the more distant ones were older, their robes adorned with three, four, and even five leaves. Oh, so I''m the youngest here... Garrett lowered his head, mechanically reciting the prayers, ncing at his own robe. ...I rushed out today without changing, still wearing my mage robes. Perfect. Not only the youngest, maybe a husky who slipped into a pack of wolves... Lost in these thoughts as the prayers concluded, the crowd had quieted. Elder Elwin lifted his oak staff, pointed decisively, and a green light fell upon Garrett. "Today, our congregation gains another brother. - He is Garrett Nordmark, son of Frederick, an apprentice mage, and the proponent of innovative healing techniques. The charts I gave you half a month ago came from his hand." "What?" "It''s him!" "This little guy!" The crowd buzzed with excitement. A sturdy man surged forward, almost spitting in Garrett''s face: "Hey, I''m Alvin! - After the arterial blood leaves, how does it return through the veins?" His momentum was staggering. Garrett dodged left, nearly colliding with a red-haired beauty. Tall and fit, with three markings on her face resembling makeup or tattoos, mysterious yet attractive. As Garrett stumbled, she gracefully caught him, smiling softly. Garrett felt a waft of fragrance: "Hello, I''m Joanna. Handsomed, earlier you said our thoughts rely on our brains, not our hearts? But... when I''m upset... my heart really aches..." Seemingly to emphasize, she raised her hand, pressing it against her chest. Her ample bosom rose and fell, drawing wide-eyed attention from five or six men, mouths slightly agape, one even swallowing audibly. Unfortunately, the battle-hardened emergency doctor showed no reaction. Garrett just nced briefly before casually shifting his gaze, swiftly thinking. Upset? Heartache? You''re bouncing around so vivaciously, your proportions are perfect, no signs of high cholesterol or heart issues. As long as there''s no organic damage or broken heart syndrome, a little difort shouldn''t be a big problem... Besides, more significant problems than a prettydy... "Hello, I''m Anthony! - Hey, why do they say thoughts are conveyed by nerves? I''ve fallen asleep, but why does my heart still beat?" "I''m William! - Garrett, how do we practice setting bones?" A dozen healers, pent up with questions for half a month, surged like a flood. Garrett shielded his head, darting three steps behind Elder Elwin. Those people kept eyeing him, some pushing forward as if wanting to devour Garrett. The Elder could stop those in front but not those behind. Helplessly, he tapped his oak staff once again, loudlymanding: "Order! One at a time! - Garrett, you first!" With a slight pause, Garrett took the chance, darting through the crowd, climbing atop a stone, and shouted: "To practice bone setting? ... Practice on animals! Sheep! Dogs! Rabbits! Anything works!" "But there aren''t that many injured animals!" "You won''t break their bones, will you!" Garrett responded matter-of-factly. The followers of the Nature God fell silent simultaneously, the Elder''s oak staff deeply embedded in the earth. Inside and outside the stone circle, there was only heavy breathing and the rustle of wind through the oak trees. After a while, the previously inquisitive beauty spoke up: "Harming innocent animals?... But that contradicts our beliefs!" What? Beliefs? What are your beliefs exactly? You worship the Nature God, not Buddhism prohibiting killing, so why can''t you even conduct animal experiments? Does that mean no dissecting either? With so many "can''ts," how do you gain surgical proficiency? Did I choose the wrong affiliation? Perhaps joining the Temple of the War God would''ve been better... Garrett Nordmark, the naturalist priest apprentice who stumbled in with rote memorization, was utterly baffled... --------------- Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Garrett stared at the priests. The priests stared back at him. About a dozen people stood below, voices ovepping, creating a ruckus; one person stood above, clenching fists and waving arms. Ignoring numbers and focusing on intensity, it was like a leopard perched on a tree while a pack of wolves below howled, as if wanting to tear the leopard apart. ...Ah, still just a young leopard. Absolutely no match. Garrettpared his own strength to the others'', sadly reaching a conclusion. "Cough, everyone, please calm down." Elder Elwin Wilkinson observed themotion until now and finally paused his oak staff, speaking up. Given his age and highest rank among the priests, everyone respected him and quieted down, stepping aside. Elder Elwin beckoned Garrett with a friendly gesture, saying, "Young Garrett, I''ve only taught you for a few days, and there are some details I haven''t had the chance to tell you. We are servants of the natural gods, honoring and protecting nature, befriending trees, animals, and nts. Harming innocent animals goes against our beliefs." Oh? There''s this rule too? The nature gods didn''t tell me this? ...Oh right, I''m just a fake prophet... Garrett wiped a bead of sweat. Pondering for a moment, he cautiously raised a finger, suggesting, "So... if we don''t catch wild rabbits, would you prefer raising them yourselves?" "Garrett!!!" Elder Elwin reprimanded sharply. This kid never stops! If you want to dissect animals so badly, go to the necromancers! He tried to look stern, but Garrett shrugged, unperturbed, and continued, "If catching wild ones is out and raising them isn''t allowed... there''s only one way left. Elder, if you could arrange for a few hundred corpses, I''ll dissect dozens on my own and probably get proficient..." "Gar-ret!" Why did I take him as my disciple! His enthusiasm for dissecting corpses clearly indicates he''d make a top-notch necromancer! Elder Elwin inwardly gritted his teeth. However, in this back and forth, Garrett had already understood the entire theory and fearlessly looked at him, "You protect nature, right? The natural ecosystem? On the grasnds, more sheep eat up the grass, more wolves eat up more sheep, when the sheep decrease and the wolves starve, new grass grows, fostering more sheep. It''s this kind of bnce, isn''t it?" That reasoning... isn''t wrong. Ecological bnce and such, sinctly and urately summarizing what they revere and want to protect. But there feels like a trap ahead... Elder Elwin frowned, "What are you trying to say?" "Domesticated sheep and rabbits humans raise barely affect the natural ecosystem!" Garrett justified confidently, "Even if we breed a few more or kill a few, the impact on nature is much less than with wild animals. How does practicing healing arts by sacrificing a few animals vite the principle of protecting nature or your beliefs?" "But..." Most were still hesitant. William, the priest who previously inquired about practicing bone-setting, loudly asked, "Does that mean we can harm animals freely?" "Of course not!" Garrett answered assuredly. Without waiting for William''s rebuttal, he continued, "Can the servants of the nature gods kill animals?" "They can," Elder Elwin took over. Leaning on his oak staff, he stepped forward, his silver beard shining in the firelight, "For our own consumption, for obtaining fur, for protecting the people, eliminating threats, we can kill animals; such actions are justified. But for disying power, for pleasure, for all non-essential reasons, killing animals, fellingrge trees or shrubs, damaging nature, such people will lose the power bestowed by the nature gods." He paused lightly. Garrett immediately followed up, "So, do you think harming animals for practicing healing skills is necessary?" The elder hesitated slightly. Without giving him a chance, Garrett continued, "I believe it is necessary. Firstly, healers need this kind of practice to hone their skills. Secondly, we''re not doing this for our own gain. Lastly, our harm to these animals is not unrestrained; it follows strict guidelines" He took a step forward, standing on the edge of a stone, raising a hand high. With all eyes on him, he bent the first finger, "First rule, substitution. Use a rabbit''s leg instead of the live rabbit, a rabbit instead of a sheep, a sheep instead of a monkeysimply put, use inanimate material instead of living animals, use small animals instead ofrge ones." In the glow of the fire, Garrett was animated, discussing fervently, "The second rule, reduction. Try to use fewer animals for the same amount of practice, or use the same number of animals for more practice sessions. This way, although we can''t reduce the total number of harms, we can at least harm fewer animals." "It sounds reasonable..." the servants of the nature gods murmured. Some wanted to refute, but faced with such a rigorous and systematic principle, they couldn''t find words. Garrett looked serious, bending thest finger, "The third principle, optimization. Treat them as well as possible, minimize or alleviate their pain. For example, before breaking bones, administer anesthesia as much as possibleor provide suitable living conditions for animals, let them live asfortably as possible." "After all that, you''re still causing them harm!" Priestess Joanna stepped forward, countering loudly. With a hawk''s cry, she lifted her arm, and a hawk flew to perch on it. Joanna stroked the hawk''s feathers, her expression momentarily softening, immediately turning stern again, "So many reasons, so many rules, just to make yourself feel a little better!" "You''re right," Garrett nodded solemnly. He stared straight into Joanna''s fiery eyes, slowly admitting, "We break their bones, dissect them, extract their spinal cordsnot to torture or kill. We''re well aware that these animals are suffering for us humans, substituting the suffering we would face, substituting the suffering of the patients we must heal. We appreciate their sacrifice, remember their kindness" Joanna''s expression gradually softened. On her arm, the hawk let out a soft cry, gently brushing her cheek with its beak. Garrett lowered his arm. He stood firm, bowing deeply to the audience below and to the animals about to be dissected, "Lastly, to avoid wastage. After the dissection, we can consume every part of them, leaving nothing wasted." Joanna paused. Laughter rippled through the crowd, even the hawk on her arm seemed amused, pping its wings. A youngd straightened up from a nearby rock, raising his voice: "Your questions are all tooplicated! It''ste today, let''s talk about some simple life-saving tricks!" Best wrap it up in an hour! I don''t want to be stuck here for seven years, teaching you all every day! --------------- Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Hemlick Emergency Method. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. When these two emergency methods were employed, the scene nearly spiraled out of control. The religious figures, or rather, healers, as Garrett described doctors in his previous life, often held the fate of lives in their hands. Watching a patient gasp theirst breath without revival would be etched in anyone''s memory forever, haunting them for decades: "If only I had done this or that, perhaps I could have saved them..." Garrett was immediately surrounded. Anthony, William, even the beautiful Joanna who questioned Garrett, everyone''s eyes sparkled, eager to move forward. Elder Elwin, relying on his high rank and strongbat skills, secured a ce at the front but was almost pushed over by those behind. Helpless, he brandished his staff "Ah! Elder, you''re cheating!" Vines as thick as bowls slithered out of the ground. Every healer present was ensnared around the waist by the vines, dangling in mid-air like little dolls. Thanks to that lecture, Garrett''s reputation within the council soared, narrowly avoiding immediate punishment. Only because the councilcked a fixed temple, he managed to escape and was escorted back to the Mage Tower by Elder Elwin. Shaken, Garrett refused to leave, burying himself in the Mage Tower, remaining secluded until Midsummer. Studying magic, studying divine arts; reading journals, writing papers. It wasn''t until the day of Midsummer that he emerged from the Mage Tower to join Uncle Karen''s family. Celebrating the festival! Having a st! Assisting big brother Raymond in wooing girls during Midsummer! Garrett always remembered the first day he went to the Mage Tower, how Aunt Eileen stayed up all night altering Raymond''s new clothes to fit herself. Those clothes were originally meant for Raymond to wear during Midsummer... Garrett wasn''t good with sizes and dared not buy clothes randomly. He could only purchase a piece of fine cotton, quickly returning it to Aunt Eileen''s family, etching her kindness deep into his heart. So, he had to go! He had to perform well and help Raymond win over a girl! Walking behind Aunt Eileen, holding Avril''s hand, Garrett nced around. The streets during Midsummer were a hundred times livelier and a hundred times more colorful than usual, filled with vibrant reds, soft yellows, deep blues, and an array of colorful dresses. Women adorned themselves in bright long skirtssolid colors, stripes, floral prints. Even the boys who usually only wore rough hemp jackets or worked with bare arms now donned shirts made of fine linen or even cotton. The colors saved up throughout the year seemed to burst forth on Midsummer Day. Merchants didn''t miss the chance either. Especially the small vendors who disyed their goods, hoisting bright gs and showcasing various items. Garrett, holding Avril''s hand, bought along the way: a fried fish, a flower headband, a slice of sweet melon... All small things that cost a copper or two, held by Avril as she walked, eating happily along the way, herughter forming crescent moons. Aunt Eileen had to intervene, "That''s too much..." "I bought them for my sister," Garrett replied with a smile. Turning around, he bought a string of fried meatballs, cing them in Avril''s hands, softly asking, "Avril, are you tired?" Midsummer was a traditional festival of the kingdom, usually held within ten days after the end of May, following the summer harvest, provided it was a sunny day. The lord''s manor would typically host grand celebrations, inviting local nobles, temples, and mages to join in the festivities. On the square in front of the lord''s manor, there might even be specially invited circuses and performers. Of course, only the prominent figures qualified to attend the lord''s manor banquet. Apprentices like Garrett were better off enjoying themselves elsewhere. So, Garrett went to have fun. He apanied Avril, buying and eating along the way until the little girl showed signs of fatigue and he carefully escorted her back. As soon as he turned, Raymond grabbed him, dragging him into the crowd dancing. Everyone on the street was dancing. This kind of dance belonged to themon folk and was quite simple: men, women, men, women, standing in a circle, holding hands. Amidst the lively music, they''d step in, lift hands, step back, lower hands, kick, release hands, then spin in a circle... Then the women stayed put while the men moved one position counterclockwise, exchanging partners and starting again... Garrett felt dizzy from all the spinning. All around were dresses blooming like flowers, girls'' braids flying about, asionally brushing against his face, tickling his cheeks. Exiting one circle, joining another. Soon, Garrett saw Raymond grabbing a girl''s hand, the two twirling around. The girl wore a fiery red dress, tall and athletic, her red hair zing like mes. Her fair skin and emerald eyes sparkled. Garrett noticed how Raymond subtly squeezed her hand as they spun, making her blush when she turned back... Things were getting interesting! The mischievous side of Garrett emerged. As this round finished and it was time to switch positions, Raymond moved from the girl''s left to her right, and Garrett ended up standing to her left. Just as he settled in, Raymond introduced him: "He''s Garrett..." "Oh, he''s Garrett?" The girl was surprised. She looked him up and down, her eyes shining, and suddenly giggled, "Quite handsome!" "Of course! Little Garrett is already a mage!" Garrett: "..." What did being a mage have to do with being handsome... After this short conversation, the music resumed. Garrett had to join in the dance againmoving forward, stepping back, raising arms, kicking legs,pleting a circle and switching partners. This time, Raymond stayed put and refused to move. "Wow~~~" Laughter filled the circle. Raymond blushed but kept holding the girl''s hand tightly, and she showed no sign of pulling away. Whistles echoed, people around pped and cheered: "One more! One more!" The group dance was turning into a paired dance. The apanying musicians got into the spirit, the music gaining extra liveliness. With his right hand linked with the girl''s, left hand around her waist, Raymond swiftly spun her around. Cheering erupted. The flute yed with more vigor, the drums became more cheerful. Men and women, all in pairs, danced along to the music. It seemed Raymond had seeded... Garrett didn''t need to linger as a third wheel and potentially be a buzzkill... ncing around, Garrett stealthily retreated. After dancing for so long, he realized the food he had eaten earlier was nowhere to be found. He needed to grab a bite again. Ah, he''d only explored half of the stalls on the street earlier... Roaming and eating alone offered him more choices than being with Avril. Garrett wasn''t afraid of upsetting his stomach, holding a skewer of grilled meat in one hand and a skewer of roasted bird in the other, lips greasy. But as he indulged, he heard amotion up ahead, followed by a cry for help: "Help!" Garrett dashed forward. --------------- Chapter 68 Chapter 68 From high above, a riot of colorful people converged ahead not far away. Some tried to rush in, others attempted to flee, while many stood bewildered, stuck in ce, a jostling, unyielding mass. Amidst the crowd, cries of anguish rose and fell continuously. Garrett was frantic. He spread his arms, pushing and shouting vigorously as he edged forward, yelling, "I''m a doctor! I''m a healer! Let me through!!!" Finally, some started making way for him. One, two, three people. Garrett expressed gratitude as he squeezed through, all the while hearing questions shouted by onlookers: "What''s happening?" "The tform copsed!" "How could it copse like that?" "They were throwing candies down, a huge scramble, and then..." The situation was dire! In events of this scale, the worst fear was idents like copses and stampedes! Garrett''s heart raced. Squeezing into the inner circle, his gaze surveyed the scene, even worse than he''d imagined. At the center of the crowd, a wooden tform was half-copsed, tilting precariously. Steps around the tform''s edge had crumbled, littered with fallen individuals. There were loud screams, moans of pain, some struggling to climb out, while othersy motionless on the ground. Some were desperately trying to help, while others moved aimlessly, unsure of what to do... Garrett even spotted a young woman with her right leg bent unnaturally, blood oozing. Yet she paid no attention to her own injury, using her hands to crawl towards the shattered tform: "Little LLittle L" A child?! A child was hurt?! Garrett''s hairs stood on end. Suddenly, a figure dashed past him, recognizedYoung John, the first priest he had met since arriving here. Young John had rushed to the side of the young woman, his palm emitting a soft white light, reaching for her bleeding leg. But she resisted his treatment, grasping his wrist firmly, dragging him towards the debris of the stage: "My child! Save my child" Young John froze. From all directions, several hands instantly clutched at him, grabbing his ankles, tugging at the hem of his priestly robe: "Save me..." "Save me..." "Priest, save me... please" "I''ll give you money, I''ll give you moneythere are five silver coins in this pouch, all for you, I have more at home" Young John was at a loss. He turned abruptly, seeing Garrett standing nearby, yelling at him with a trembling voice: "What do we do! I can''t save so many people! III can save only one at most!" "You''re too slow in saving people! Listen to me!" Garrett stepped forward beside him. Grabbing Young John, he raised his other hand high, fingertips shimmering with a white light: "I''m a healer! Listen to mymands! Step back! Step back! Spread out!" After repeating several times, the surrounding mor finally subsided. Garrett surveyed the scene and pointed out a clever-looking youngd and a somewhat familiar burly man: "You! Go find the city guards! You! Go to the Temple of the War God, tell them I''m Garrett Nordmark! Ask them toe and help, there are many injured here! The rest, don''t panic. Elders and children step back, others pair up, carry the injured out one by one, ce them in a clean area!" In such chaos, someone stepping up to takemand made others graduallyply. The youngd and burly man dashed off, while the adult men and women, some looking at Young John, formed groups and began carrying people. A shopkeeper even emerged, shouting: "My shop''s nearby, bring them there!" Perfect! Garrett nodded at him, gesturing. Then he rushed to the injured, inspecting each one, simultaneously employing some magician''s tricks with this basic magic: "This leg is broken! Two people, each support one side, and lift! Be careful with the leg!" Snap! A wave of bright yellow marked his right shoulder, distinct. Severe injury, but conscious, no immediate danger to lifeuse yellow marking to indicate dyed treatment! Ah, these magician''s tricks were really handylevel 0 magic,sting up to an hour, coloring within a one-cubic-foot range every 6 seconds. If it weren''t for magic, in this haste, where could he find a bunch of four-colored tags? "Alright!" Two strong men lifted the person and started walking. Garrett hurriedly stopped them: "Wait!" He stood still, bowing his head, focusing, taking deep breathsin, outin, out. After counting six seconds, he raised his hand again, drawing a bright yellow line near the fracture of the patient''s leg. "Find a sturdy bandage, tie it where I marked! If possible, insert a wooden stick, twist it tight! Stop the bleeding!" "Got it!" The men carrying nodded vigorously. The young priest, almost as loud as them, shouted, "Aren''t you going to treat him first?" "Prioritize the severity!" Garrett shouted back, "Save those in critical condition first, then treat severe injuries, minor ones can wait! Hurryguide them in carrying the injured,e by after they''re brought in, I''ll mark them!" "Okay!" Young John sprinted off. Even though he was out enjoying the Midsummer Festival, he wore his priestly robes. People might not recognize him, but they recognized the robe. Seeing him following orders, everyone naturally followed Garrett''s lead. Soon, another injured person was uncovered. Garrett half-knelt, swiftly checking: "This... unconscious. Checking pulse and heartbeat, be cautious! Another oneing! Three people together, one supports the head and shoulders, one holds the hips, and one the legs, keep a straight line, on threelift!" Snap! A ssh of bright red marked the person. Unresponsive, unconscious, with a pulse and breathingthis was the top priority for urgent care! They needed immediate transport to a hospital, but now there was no hospital... Once the sorting was done, they had to hurry and check, ready for CPR or if a priest arrived, prioritize letting them handle it! "Red marks in one area, ce the yellows together, greens and ckseach in their own area! Leave someone with each patient, wait to assist me!" Garrett loudly instructed the volunteers helping carry people. After shouting, he lowered his head, immediately examining the next injured person: "This one... no breathing, no heartbeat, no time to attend to you now, my condolences..." Snap! A ck mark was smudged on. Too busy at the moment; after sorting the injured, if there''s free hands, then decide if there''s still any value in trying to save them. "This one... can get up by themselves, go on, go aside and wait!" Snap! A green mark was delivered. These were thest priority, after the other injured were attended to, or when the on-site treatment resources became avable, these minor injuries could be looked into. Of course, it was necessary to keep an eye on the injuries, who knew if there were hidden physiological changes, like hypoxemia, metabolic acidosis, if left unattended, they might suddenly deteriorate ... Garrett dashed back and forth, shouting ceaselessly. For a moment, the area around the stage was in constant motion, easily several dozen people bustling about under hismand. Maintaining order, moving and transporting the injured, carrying the copsed stage... Many hands make light work; what was a scene of hellish idents moments ago was soon half-cleared. --------------- Chapter 69 Chapter 69 "Garrett, we''re here!" Shouts echoed. A squad of city guards thundered through. The captain yelled from a distance: "What do you need us to do?" Garrett turned around, thrilled. The questioning squad leader, Horn, a close friend of Uncle Karen, was familiar to Garrett. He answered loudly: "Maintain order! Report! Get the priest over here! Go to the barracks, fetch my surgical kit! The rest of you, see any injured? Don''t touch others, but for those I''ve marked in yellow, apply pressure to stop bleeding!" Damn it! Something''s not right! I''m a city guard albeit just a nominal one for now, and Big Brother Raymond is too! During such major festivities, shouldn''t everyone be on duty, maintaining order? Why is everyone out ying on the streets? "How many priests do we need?!" "As many as we can find!" "@#$%!" Captain Horn cursed, leaving with a final, "You all follow Garrett''s orders," and dashed out. He sprinted, grabbing the first colleague he saw, yelling: "To the Temple of the War God! To the Spring Goddess''s temple! Get people! The North Street stage copsed, dozens injured or dead!" Actually, it''s the followers of the Nature God who are most reliable... Captain Horn regretted inwardly. The adherents of the Nature God were warm and caring, never denying treatment to the poor forck of money. But they didn''t have fixed temples! At this moment, finding people all over the streets was incredibly difficult! "What about you, Horn?" "I''m off to the Lord''s mansion!" Inside the Lord''s mansion, festivities were in full swing. Lord Joane, the city''s noble figures, mostly graced the celebration of the Midsummer Festival. The high priestess of the Spring Goddess''s temple, the bishop of the Temple of the War God, even the usually elusive elder of the Nature God''s faith, none were exceptions. It was about showing respect while active in Harnd City, honoring the Lord''s presence. Amidst the merriment, Captain Horn burst in, heading straight for several knights: "Captain! Trouble in North Street, dozens injured or dead!" "What?!" Several knights, including Captain Nn, were rmed simultaneously. North Street was one of Harnd City''s liveliest areas; none of these knights dared assume their families weren''t there. Dozens injured or dead... even at the Lord''s feast, two knights almost bolted. Lord Joane frowned, gesturing: "No more singing! What happened?" "The stage copsed... the crowd was dense, trampling each other..." Horn swiftly recounted the incident. Elder Elwin had risen after the first sentence, heading down briskly. As the second sentence ended, the bald bishop stood up, asking as he walked: "Who''s in charge there?" "Garrett..." Horn blurted, then halted abruptly. While Garrett had good ties with the Temple of the War God privately, in this crowded Lord''s mansion, saying more might cause trouble if someone disliked Garrett. "Garrett Nordmark?" As expected, the high priestess of the Spring Goddess temple frowned. Before Horn could respond, he exined to the Lord, "I know thisd. He''s barely grasped healing for a month. He''s in charge at the scene" Implicitly doubtful. What use was an apprentice priest for twenty to thirty injured? "Thed who treated Knight Barron?" Lord Joane furrowed his brow. "How does he end up everywhere?" Garrett Nordmark? Mage Gelman raised an eyebrow, keeping silent. Instead, an elderly man with a salt-and-pepper beard at the head of the table chuckled and asked him: "Thatd? The newly minted apprentice to the elder of the Nature God''s faith?" "..." "Fascinating. Let''s have a look!" A throng of dignitaries flooded out of the Lord''s mansion. In the rear, Captain Nn faced his knights, serious: "Flynn, take your team, cut through the alleys to North Street! Garrett can''t handle this alone; he needs backup!" "Yes!" "Westlow, stay here, guard the Lord''s mansion! Others, gather all avable hands! Tell them there''s trouble; no more games, patrol the streets! North Street''s a mess; we can''t afford chaos elsewhere!" "Yes!" "Be cautious! If there''s trouble on the main streets, we guards will be the first in line when the Lord inquires! If fewer people die, our responsibility lessens somewhatGarrett''s helping us out! Those going to North Street, all follow Garrett''s lead. Whatever he asks for, provide it! People, money, insufficient? Cover it for now, ask meter!" "Yes!!!" The city guards rushed out. Meanwhile, on North Street, Garrett swiftly sorted the injured, categorizing them, marking them. Until thest was carried away, he turned, without pause, into a store turned makeshift shelter. The zing sunlight turned to shadows. Garrett abruptly halted. Twenty-nine injured. He, a doctor, with limited help from an apprentice priest who knew barely more than nothing about healing. The people around were allmoners. Not to mention CPR, they needed instruction on how to apply a bandage. If this were his previous life, the entire emergency department would have sprung into action. Internal medicine, surgery, orthopedics, and supportive departments like bloodbs and diagnostics would''ve hurried down to assist. But now, at this moment, with so many lives He had only himself to rely on. Garrett lifted his head, granting himself a second to reminisce about the hospital where he once worked. He missed the pervasive scent of disinfectant. Strong, sometimes choking, yetforting, indicating a hospital''s sterile environment; He missed the ring rms of the cardiac monitors. Despite the spike in a doctor''s blood pressure each time they rang, having these devices monitoring patients was reassuring; He even missed the sharp-tongued head nurse. From scolding junior nurses to the deputy director, shemanded the chaotic emergency room, never missing a beat during critical moments... He even missed the X-ray machine. Yes, he devised a substitute, but so what? Something that could provide enough light source; to date, he had only found Elder Elwin''s oak staff... But now. Left, Little John looked at him expectantly; right, two guards stood at attention, waiting for hismand. To make split-second decisions, issue orders, performplex medical proceduresonly he was capable. One person. Twenty-nine lives! --------------- Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Alone, facing 29 wounded. Among them, two marked in ck had lost their breath and heartbeat. Three marked in red, with heartbeats but unconscious, needing immediate rescue. Five marked in yellow, not in immediate danger but requiring swift treatment... He needed help! Not the kind of temporary aid gathered for surgery at the Temple of the War God! He needed internal medicine, surgery, anesthesia, diagnostics, imaging, nursesbasically, a fully educated medical team! Garrett wished he could cast a wide healing spell immediately. A shower of light, and everyone would be healed, bouncing back to life. But, setting aside the fact that he''d only seen this stuff in online stories, even if it did exist in this world, he wasn''t at the right level to release it. So, what to do? What could he do to honor the profession of a doctor and save as many patients as possible? Garrett took a deep breath, then another. Years of experience in emergency care helped him quickly calm down and survey the scene. His gaze shifted from the red zone of unconscious patients to the groaning and moaning in the yellow zone, then to the perhaps salvageable, or maybe already beyond saving, ck zone. For a moment, he felt like he split in two: One half was caring andpassionate, willing to do anything to rescue all patients; The other half was calm and detached, assessing the order of rescue and the probability of sess. Who to rescue first? Who to give up on? Save lives first, then treat ailments. Emergency doctors never worked alone, never acted as lone heroes. Sustaining lives, preserving vital signs, dying, dying, until the reinforcements arrivedcolleagues in the hospital, here, priests from various temples Of the 29 casualties, who was in the most danger? Who would die immediately if left unattended, and who could be dyed for at least an hour? Garrett made a swift decision. Striding forward, he directed his attention to the injured in the green zone: "Give each of them a cup of hot water, add some sugar, add some salt, have them sit over there and drink. Tell them the priests will arrive soon." "I''m here!" Before the words finished, a priest burst in. Garrett recognized him, an apprentice from the Temple of the War God, nearly on par with John, who had previously assisted Garrett. The young priest looked around and hurried over: "Garrett, what can I do?" "You and John, head to the yellow zone!" Garrett shouted back. "Look after the patients with uncontrolled bleeding, stop it if you can. I''ve taught you how!" "Alright!" The young priest turned and left. Garrett called after him, "What about the others?" "Don''t know! Met them on the street!" Who knew how long until the main force arrived at the battlefield. Garrett shrugged, hastening through the yellow zone, checking the status of the bleeding. Luck was on his side. The city guards,cking medical expertise, followed orders well; wherever he''d marked, they applied tourniquets. More fortunate yet, the ce where the wounded were being sheltered happened to be a restaurant, and the owner was bustling in the kitchen, preparing hot water. Hmm... in that case, if surgery was neededter, at least the instruments could be sterilized... Garrett thought as he kept moving, heading straight for the red zone. There were only three patients in the red zone. A young man with a bleeding head wound that seemed to have stopped, no apparent visible injuries; a middle-aged woman, pale-faced, curled up, with multiple bruises, especially on the chest and abdomen; an old man, legs fractured in multiple ces, lying in a pool of blood, barely breathing. With just one nce, the former Deputy Director of the Emergency Department had already made corresponding judgments. The young man, highly suspected of a head injury, attention on maintaining an open airway, monitoring vital signs; The middle-aged woman, highly suspected of severe internal injuries, suggested abdominal puncture, ultrasound, CT scans, maybe even exploratoryparotomyoh, none of these conditions were avable, disrupted ns; The elderly man, highly suspected of fractures causing major blood vessel ruptures, suggested immediate hemorrhage control. Garrett''s quick assessment immediately categorized the urgency. Head and abdominal injuries were beyond the scope of current medical abilities, requiring stronger priests perhaps; however, severe bleeding from major arteries was precisely his area of expertise "You!" He first looked at the volunteer beside the young man. "Have him turn his head to the side, tilt it sideways. If he vomits, clear it immediately, don''t let it choke him. If necessary, open his mouth to clear it. Understood?" The volunteer nodded. Garrett then moved his gaze to the middle-aged woman without speaking. Finally, he hurried toward the elderly man, simultaneously raising his voice: "Bring a sharp knife! Thinner and faster!" "Here!" A city guard immediately handed him a knife. Garrett, not bothering with sterilization, made an incision at the site of the fracture "Ah!!!" The old man screamed. Garrett frowned. Intense pain would trigger adrenaline, rapidly raising blood pressure, leading to cardiac arrest, cerebral hemorrhage, a series ofplicationscould it be this unfortunate? It didn''t matter how unfortunate it was! Without anesthesia, without spells or divine arts for anesthesia, this was the only way! Garrett gritted his teeth, hastening to cut the blood vessel''s severed end. Then, he hurled a healing spellwithout the means to suture, he didn''t have the time to watch. Only the treatment was thrown. Let the blood vessel close on its own; deal with the rest when setting the bones! From the perspective of a surgeon or a priest, this method was quite unconventional. But Garrett couldn''t afford to consider that anymore: nothing was more important than saving lives. His knife swiftly moved, dealing with several major blood vessels in session. A thunderous noise outside, and two more priests rushed in. "Garrett! Anything we can assist with!" One wore a vertically striped long skirt of red and yellow, the other a light brown shirt, both adorned with floral wreaths on their headsdevotees of the gods of nature. Garrett''s eyes lit up: "Joanna! Anthony! You''ve arrived just in time!" He had met these two at a gathering on the night of the new moon. The man was level three, the woman level four, both surpassing him by more than a tier. Garrett shouted loudly: "Joanna! Where''s your hawk! Can you send it out to call for help! We need priests! Many priests!Once you''re done, check the two marked in ck! If they''re gone,e and help!" "Alright!" Joanna turned and left. As she walked, she tore off a piece of red cloth from her skirt. In moments, there was a hawk cry outside; Joanna tied the red cloth to the hawk''s w, caressing the eagle feathers: "Good child, fly lower! Circle in the air, let everyone see, then guide them! It''s up to you to bring everyone over!" She earnestly instructed herpanion. Anthony had already rushed to the ck zone, inspecting the wounded. Shortly after, he shouted, "The young girl is still alive!" Not long after, he added, "The other one still has a breath!" "Sustain their lives! I''ll be right there!" Garrett shouted back. He elerated the handling of the old man''s injuries, footsteps hurried outside, and three more priests rushed in: "Where are the injured? What do you need us to do?" --------------- Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Someone else arrived! Garrett turned around, pleasantly surprised. "Elder Donald!" It was another familiar face, Elder Donald from the Temple of the Spring Goddess, the only person Garrett had managed to gain favor with in the temple, given his past blunders with the exploration team. It seemed like he was finally allowed to participate again after being reprimanded. "Elder Donald, is your temple here to help too?" "I happened to pass by," Elder Donald strode in briskly. ncing around and seeing the various marks on the wounded, his eyes brightened. "This is a good idea! - Young Garrett, where do you need my assistance the most?" "This woman!" Garrett pointed at a middle-aged woman clutching her abdomen. Elder Donald lowered his gaze, his brows furrowing immediately. "This kind of injury... I''m afraid I can''t..." "Do what you can! Wait for the elders to arrive!" "They wille?" "Of course!" Elder Donald fell silent. He and the two lower-ranked priests he brought with him stood side by side, murmuring prayers. Beams of white light poured onto the wounded. Garrett hurried over to observe closely. The middle-aged woman''s condition gradually stabilized under the healing spell. Even so, Garrett couldn''t help but worry: Internal injuries worsen quickly. When will the higher-ups arrive? They were indeed on their way. Bald Bishop dashed out of the lord''s mansion, scanning the crowd gathered in the courtyard. - With such a dense crowd, there were no faster means than using their own legs. As he rushed out, a gust of wind blew, Elder Elwin''s robe billowing as he caught up. They exchanged a nce and without a word, sprinted forward - determined not to be slower than the old man or the bald bishop! The High Priest from the Temple of the Spring Goddess, however, was less hurried. Rising leisurely, he apanied Lord Joane out, taking their time to queue up for the carriage. The lord, the High Priest, the mages, and curious nobles, all orderly formed lines and departed. Mage Elliott, amidst the crowd, overheard a woman at the back of the line incessantly speaking: "Thatd is just a priest''s apprentice! If they let him handle this, those who might''ve survived won''t make it out alive!" If Garrett heard thismentary, he''d surely say: Even if it''s just one person, I wouldn''t want to see them perish! He entrusted the middle-aged woman to Elder Donald and dashed towards the dark zone. The red and yellow zones were already taken care of. If there was any chance to save those two at the back, he must! In the dark zone, there were only two casualties: an adult male and a young girl. The two priests from the Nature God''s sect, Anthony and Joanna, were treating them, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. Garrett quickened his pace. Just a few steps away from the dark zone, Joanna cried out, "She''s not breathing!" "Lmy L" A piercing wail echoed. Garrett''s heart squeezed; he almost halted, contemting a nce backward. This girl... was she the daughter of the woman he saw at the ident site, the one the mother, with a broken leg, desperately tried to save? The child he''d marked as ''ck,'' indicating no breathing or heartbeat, only to be rescuedter? If only I''d been quicker... If I''d prioritized her... Her heartbeat and breath had returned before. If she''d been treated promptly, maybe... just maybe... Was I wrong? No, I wasn''t! Garrett gritted his teeth, hastening his steps. In times of great cmity, the principles of sorting the wounded and prioritizing treatment were derived from countless experiences and sacrificesa rule to be followed, not crossed! "Continue the healing spells!" he shouted, rushing over. "Let me see her!Was she not breathing just now?" "She wasn''t!" Joanna hurriedly replied. She managed just that sentence before bowing her head in prayer. Garrett''s question followed: "And her heartbeat?" Joanna shook her head vigorously. She couldn''t spare a moment to speak, her face marked with three red streaks, as if stickers had lost their shine. She chanted rapidly while Garrett pressed his fingers against the girl''s pulse, then checked her neck. His heart tightened, then rxed. Heartbeat stopped abruptly. But the pulsation beneath his fingertips indicated the girl hadn''t bled out yet. There was hope! Hope of saving her remained! "Maintain the healing spells! I''ll take over from here!" The little girly on the tavern''s long table, pale and motionless, her nostrils unmoving. Garrett took in the table''s height at a nce, propped himself up, and knelt on either side of the girl: "Cardiopulmonary resuscitation! You handle the breaths!" Thank heavens for the CPR training he''d given them before. They wouldn''t need to perform chestpressions, just focus on breathing. Hopefully, they wouldn''t falter! One, two, three... twenty-nine, thirty! "Breath!" Garrett roared. Joanna swiftly leaned over, tilting the girl''s head back, pinching her nose shut. She took a deep breath and sealed her lips over the girl''s, exhaling forcefully! Garrett stared intently at the girl''s chest. Once, twice, continue chestpressions! Thirty chestpressions, two breaths, another thirtypressions, two breaths! On and on without pause! The table was hard, and within a minute or two, Garrett''s knees felt like they''d been stabbed. Hepleted five cycles in one breath, arms aching, sweat pouring, yet he didn''t dare stopchecking for pulse, checking for breath, confirming no revival, and continuing! ording to guidelines, in CPR, it''s rmended to switch the person performing chestpressions every 2 minutes or after five cycles. But Garrett dared not let others take overeven certified doctors might make mistakes during their first rescue attempt, let alone these priests who had only attended lectures! Persist, keep going, little L''s life is in your hands! Keep going, Garrett! You can do this, you surely can! Seasoned healers have persisted alone for over an hour, pulling people back from the brink of death! When will the reinforcementse! Gritting his teeth, Garrett pressed down with all his might. Down, up, down, up. Beads of sweat from his forehead dripped onto the little girl. Joanna nced at him, too preupied to speak, chanting her prayers even faster. "I''m here!" A shout from the doorway. Elder Elwin rushed in, followed closely by Bald Bishop. They assessed the situation and hurried to Garrett''s side, a gentle, abundant light raining down. Ignoring them, Garrett, gritting his teeth, continued thepressions. After this round of CPR, checking once more, cing his fingers under L''s neck, an overwhelming surge of joy enveloped Garrett. Under his fingertips, there was vitality, pulsating steadily. The girl''s heartbeat had returned! She''s saved... She''s saved! Garrett sighed, struggling to get off the table. But as soon as he moved, excruciating pain shot through his knees, and his body slumped sideways, falling to the ground beside the table. --------------- Chapter 72 Chapter 72 With two big shots around, Garrett Nordmark wouldn''te to harm. As he tumbled down, Elder Elwin Wilkinson didn''t even nce his way but quietly extended a vine from his foot. It wound around Garrett''s waist, lifting him high and gently cing him down. Garrett sat on the ground, drenched in sweat, rubbing his knees and panting, feeling lucky: Having big shots as teachers is great! Finally shifting the me, Garrett rested on the ground for half a minute before limping to survey other wards. Elder Elwin and the bald Archbishop were busy while Lord Joane, the city master, was leisurely chatting away in his carriage. Apanying him was an aged mage, the one who sat beside Mage Gelman earlier. The old mage nced left and right and suddenly eximed, "That hawk?" A hawk incessantly circled above the shop. Its cries echoed, the red cloth on its talons fluttering like a g. Lord Joane gazed up and eximed right there. As a city lord, revelry and dalliances were fine, a few mistresses didn''t matter much, even if his martial prowess didn''t measure up. But one thing had to be remembered: What extraordinary organizations existed in the city, how strong they were, and what their distinctive traits were when they acted! "Animalpanion..." Lord Joane murmured, "This... This is a distress signal from the Radiant Church!" Sending out an animalpanion for help... How bad was the situation over there? Lord Joane gripped the window frame tightly. The carriage moved on, and soon, reports from the North Main Street streamed in waves: "10 injured!" "17 injured!" "29 injured! All transferred to nearby shops, no deaths for now!" "10 severely injured, 19 lightly injured! Five are unconscious!" This is troublesome... Lord Joane frowned deeply. Meanwhile, the nobles in the convoy, with each new piece of information, grew increasingly agitated: "Oh no, my niece was on North Main Street!" "My grandson said he was going out to y today!" "My mother-inw was taking my little sister-inw out shopping, could they have run into this?" "Baroness Lona! My son is injured!" "Franz! Hurry to North Main Street, find that young priestwhat was his name?and tell him to treat my nephew first! If he heals him well, he''ll be rewarded; if not, I''ll break his legs!" The convoy sped up and surged forward. The crowds surged too, making it difficult to navigate through the city celebrating the midsummer festival. Knight Nn led the way, clearing the crowds, while two squad leaders shouted incessantly: "Make way! Make way for the City Lord!" "If they don''t move, whip them!" shouted a knight guard beside Lord Joane''s carriage. Knight Nn nced over but said nothing; the two squad leaders didn''t crack their whips either, just kept shouting: "Move aside! Quickly, move aside!" Joking aside, young Garrett was already overwhelmed with work; adding a bunch of whip wounds wouldn''t let him live! The convoy raced and jolted, sttering mud and unknown substances from under the wheels, finally arriving at the shop''s entrance. Agile guards dismounted, rushing to assist Lord Joane out of the carriage. Once the city lord stood firm and turned around, he immediately grabbed someone to inquire, "What''s the situation? How many casualties?" "Reporting to the City Lord!" At the shop entrance, the city guards maintaining order stood upright, sounding infinitely proud, "Up until now, no one has died!" "Thank goodness, thank goodness..." Lord Joane immediately rxed. He hurried into the shop, where Elder Elwin and the bald Archbishop were each chanting healing spells. He approached them, expressing gratitude repeatedly, "Thank you both! It''s all thanks to you two that thesemoners'' lives were saved!" Elder Elwin nodded in acknowledgment without speaking. The bald Archbishop chuckled, "It''s not our doing. When we arrived, young Garrett had already organized everything. Young Garrett!" "Here!" A person rushed over from the red zone. Lord Joane squinted and saw a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth. His linen shirt was soaked, blood stains adorned various ces on his sleeves. Wet ck hair clung to his forehead, sweat trickling down his cheeks. - He''s just an ordinaryd from amon family. But if the Archbishop of the War God''s Temple would mentor him, he couldn''t be overlooked. Thinking so, Lord Joane solemnly nodded,plimenting the youth''s eyes, "You''re Garrett Nordmark? Well done!" Originally, there would have been a handshake, a pat on the shoulder, and then a reward, but seeing thed in this state, let''s skip to the third step. Lord Joane reached for his purse. Suddenly, the Grand Priestess of the Spring Goddess, who had entered with him, interjected in surprise, "Him? But isn''t he a mage?" A mage? Wasn''t he a healer? Lord Joane paused. He had heard about Garrett Nordmark before; the bald Archbishop had spoken for him regarding healing Roman Knight''s wrist. But what was this about being a mage? Had there been a mistake? Lord Joane turned to look back. Just as he was about to inquire of the Grand Priestess, the old mage who had traveled with him staggered into the shop. ncing around, he was immediately taken aback: "Oh, a real mage indeed!" To the old mage''s eyes, the injured were marked with red, yellow, green, and ck, clear signs of magical intervention. A city guard stood by the door holding a signboard with rows ofrge characters in red, yellow, green, and ck, unmistakably written with magic: "Level 3 and 4 priests to the red zone! Level 1 and 2 priests to the yellow zone! Priest apprentices to the green zone, clean wounds, stop bleeding and bandage! Please adhere to the arrangement, treat ording to the markings, that''s the way to save the most lives!" Quite interesting! The old mage couldn''t help butugh. Categorizing the patients with priestly methods and then marking them with magical tricks, the apprentice in charge was an interesting kid... "A real mage?" Lord Joane furrowed his brow. The old mage grinned and nodded, "Yes, indeed, a real mage, a new apprentice of the Mage Tower..." A mage can also oversee healing? Andmand a group of healers? Didn''t the bald Archbishop give him credit? Lord Joane hesitated, uncertain whether to question it. The Grand Priestess had already spoken, "Are you saying Garrett did all this?He''s just a mage''s apprentice!" In a few short sentences, the nobles had disembarked one after another, crowding outside the shop. The shop was narrow, reeking of blood, deterring most from entering, only peeking heads remained outside. Upon hearing the Grand Priestess''s words, they whispered amongst themselves: "Mage''s apprentice?" "A mage''s apprentice doing a priest''s job?" "Can it be real?" "Didn''t the Archbishop say this apprentice was in charge?" "Oh, the temperament of the Archbishop, you all know..." "A mage doubling as a healer? Who would believe it? The temple must be mad..." "Yeah, teaching knowledge and fostering faith, it''s been so hard all these years! Teaching someone and then they leave for another ce, which temple would agree!" The discussions grew louder, and Lord Joane''s suspicion deepened. His hand that held the purse withdrew: A few coins didn''t matter, but rewarding the wrong person would be embarrassing. What''s going on with thisd? An apprentice causing so much trouble! "Are you truly a mage''s apprentice? Or a healer?" Lord Joane asked with a furrowed brow. Garrett was about to respond when Elder Elwin finished casting a healing spell and interjected with a smile: "Yes, indeed, Garrett here is my disciple!" --------------- Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Disciple of the Elders of the Radiant Church? Viscount Joane rxed. Whether Garrett Nordmark rotted in the pot or not, he was still one of his subjects. As long as his identity was sound, how to cultivate him wasn''t his concern. But the High Priest of the Spring Goddess Temple arched an eyebrow, "Your disciple?" Naturists always had issues! A good priest wasted on those mages! Priests sought devout faith, yet those mages, each one morewless than the next, even their belief in deities seemed feigned! "Your disciple, and you let him go learn magic?" He couldn''t help but question. Elder Elwin''s bushy brows raised, a glint of healing magic in y, the old man bared a toothy grin, innocent yet cunning: "Oh my... You''re aware of our ways. Powers bestowed by the gods of naturee from nature itself. What''s odd about dabbling in a bit of magic? If the child wants to learn, let him." "You!" The High Priest seethed. Naturists were all lunatics! They''d regret coddling this littled! He stormed forward, entering the depths of the shop. A quick nce led him to the most finely dressed wounded person, and he casually cast a healing spell. "Great Priest!" "Thank you, Great Priest!" "Save me, please, I beg you! Tomorrow, no, tonight, I''lle and donate to the temple!" The green zone erupted into cries. These conscious, mobile wounded, all categorized by Garrett as minor, had only a few priest apprentices tending to them. Despite their wealth, the previous arrivals were predominantly War God priests and naturist priests, allplying with Garrett''s orders. Even the wealthiest screamed their lungs out but didn''t see higher-ranked priests hurrying over. Now, with the High Priest intervening, the rich, minorly injured saw hope, and chaos ensued in the green zone. Two more priests rushed in, unaware of the situation, bewildered, standing and looking around, unsure where to assist. Garrett observed from afar, contemting maintaining order, opening his mouth but reconsidering. He aimed to uphold medical principles but wasn''t foolish; what authority did he, a mere priest apprentice, have to meddle when faced with nobles and temple officials? In this society of nobility and clergy, even in his previous modern world, with a supervisor leading a team, would a doctor dare make them queue? He averted his gaze, pretending not to see. Beside him, the bald bishop smirked, bellowing in a loud voice: "First and second-rank priests to the yellow zhird and fourth-rank to the red zoneapprentices, assist in the green zone" The entire building reverberated. Garrett resisted the urge to cover his ears, finding humor in it all: This volume... this bishop could''ve reversed the flow of a river in ancient times without a hitch! The High Priest strained, pretending not to hear, solely focused onforting the faithful and administering healing. The other priests quieted down, following the bald bishop''s instructions. Viscount Joane looked around, deciding to ignore the quarreling leaders of the church. He pulled out a money pouch, smiling as he tossed it around in his hand: "You''re good. Here, take thisit''s your reward!" Wow, money as a reward! There''s a bonus! The jingle in the pouch sounded like it could be several dozen coins, even if they were silver, that''d be a few months'' wagesunless they''re not silver! Coming from the lord, there should at least be some gold coins! Garrett brightened. Yet, another thought instantly surfaced: a rare opportunity to face the lord, rather than ask for money, why not seize the chance to aplish something more important? He didn''t reach out for the money pouch. Stepping back, he met Viscount Joane''s gaze, bowing slightly: "Thank you for your reward. Healing and saving lives are the duties of a healer. If I may seek your approval, I''d like to exchange the reward for something else" "What?" The Viscount was taken aback. Did thisdck sense? Bargaining for a reward? His displeasure showed a bit, naturally prompting someone to intervene. A knight guarding the Viscount stepped forward, hand on his sword, barking, "Bold!" Garrett stood tall, showing no intention of changing his words. Elder Elwin and the bald bishop looked over, while on the other side, an old mage quietly approached. Suddenly, Viscount Joane smiled, waved his hand, dismissing the guardian knight: "Oh, it''s nothing. Kid, what reward do you want?" One red-faced, one white-facedpretending to be magnanimous? Garrett pretended not to notice the knight''s expression, calmly speaking: "I implore you to issue an order prohibiting defecation in the streets and relocating all excrement outside the city. Sewage flows breed diseases, causing gues. For the well-being of the city residents, I beseech you to issue this order as a reward for my service." "Nonsense!" A voice interjected. The High Priest from the Spring Goddess Temple strode forward, his face dark: "The Goddess will protect her people! The Goddess grants pure water sources, gues aren''t possible!" "But" Garrett attempted to argue. Elder Elwin and the bald bishop cut in unison, "Garrett!" Oh... Stepping into someone else''s territory? Temples were truly bothersome... Garrett silently bowed his head, inwardly grumbling. Viscount Joane, on the other hand, chuckled: "Priest, don''t take thed too seriously. Well, kid, do you know how much money is in this pouch? If I issue that order, how much money would I spend?" I don''t know how much money is in the pouch, but I can calcte how much it would cost. Garrett swiftly calcted, already speaking as figures streamed out: "The poption of Harnd City, as far as I know, is around twenty thousand. The daily excrement is about a hundred loads. If sold outside for a copper per load, that''s one gold coin per day, 365 gold coins per year. As for cleaning the current excrement on the streets..." He paused, about to shrug or gesture as if he didn''t know. Before he could, Viscount Joane said: "You saved 29 people today. Originally, I nned to reward you with 29 gold coins. So,d, why would I give you over 300 gold coins or even more as a reward?" "But" People''s health matters more! If cholera strikes, it won''t be a matter of a few hundred gold coins! Besides, properly used, excrement can fertilize fields, significantly boosting crop yields! This investment is trivial! Garrett wanted to argue further, but Viscount Joane already raised his hand, tossing the money pouch to him. Amidst the jingle of coins, the lord turned and departed --------------- Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Leaving already? Garrett frowned in disappointment. His money pouch felt heavy in his hand, jingling faintly, yet it did little to lift his spirits. In this city environment without running water and minimal ess to clean water, diseases were practically imminent, with people relieving themselves anywhere they pleased. Cholera! Viral hepatitis! Typhoid fever! Dysentery! A slew of infectious diseases, each capable of causing widespread devastation, all easily transmitted through contaminated water sources! Damn it! This was infuriating! Which goddess protected the people? Which goddess bestowed clean water? That tiny fountain at the temple gates couldn''t possibly suffice! A sense of responsibility as a healer ignited within Garrett. When he first arrived, just surviving was a challenge, and he couldn''t afford to be concerned about this. But now, with resources and influence, able to reach out to influential figures directly, to stand idly by would contradict his duties as a doctor! "Teacher" Garrett lifted his head, seeking help. Elder Elwin Wilkinson waved a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence. "The matters of the streets can wait. For now, tend to these injured!" "Exactly!" The current injured took precedence over future patients! Garrett clenched his fists and dashed forward once more. With the city lord inspecting personally and the heads of the three major temples present, the priests quickly assembled. Guided by a circling hawk in the sky, the servants of the god of nature arrived the fastest. Soon enough, with a rush, even the priests from the temple of the war god, who had been guarding their temple, arrived in full force. After a while, those war god priests who had been strolling around gradually rushed into shops, each taking on their respective roles. Garrett realized there wasn''t much for him to do. Severely injured patients were being tended to by high-ranking priests. As for the lightly injured, it seemed they didn''t need his assistance for minor treatments?? Medical resources were overflowing... He stood aside, trying not to interfere with the priests'' work. Unconsciously inching closer to the wall, he was suddenly tugged by his sleeve: "Sir... please, a healing spell... just one..." Garrett snapped back to attention. Right, a healing spell! Apart from clinical medical methods that required checks, infusions, or surgery, he had the healing spell! Although it was the lowest level, with weak effects, it was still a healing spell! "Just wait! I''ll do it now!" Garrett focused, channeling his intent to heal, guiding a white light to shoot from his fingertips. As the light descended, the wound before him slowly began to close, an inch, two inches... No change. His current healing ability could only mend superficial wounds less than 10 centimeters long. Tsk... following the usual upgrade process won''t cut it; a person from another world needs to cheat! Without cheating, with only five minor healing spells a day, what could he possibly heal! Garrett let his hand fall. The injured and the nearby assistant had been watching intently, sighing simultaneously at this point. The assistant asked in a hushed voice: "Sir, what can we do?" What could they do? He had no idea what they could do... boil water? Give the injured sugar and salt water? Bring a basin over for washing wounds? It seemed like these tasks had already been taken care of... Garrett didn''t know the answer himself. Seeing everyone looking at him expectantly, he casually said, "Pray..." He uttered those words offhandedly, but everyone took it seriously. The assistant immediately bowed their head, sping their hands together, murmuring softly. The injured also made an effort, raising their hands in a gesture of prayer: "Great god of nature, I beseech your mercy..." "Great goddess of the springs, I pray for your grace, please bless your people..." In times of disaster and illness, people were most inclined to seek the divine. One telling another, and soon, within moments, both inside and outside the small shop, there was a chorus of intertwining prayers, buzzing like a unified hum. Each sought their respective gods, the congregation jumbled together, yet their prayers became solemn and dignified surprisingly quickly. "John! Go outside, gather the faithful, lead them in prayer!" The bald bishop turned and shouted loudly. Another war god priest looked over, envious: leading the faithful in prayer was one of the fastest ways for a priest to connect with their faith and ascend, usually not given to novice priests. But the bishop directly called out John''s name... having a powerful friend was really nice. John nodded firmly and turned to leave. On the other side, Elder Elwin was instructing the junior priests he had brought: "You, go outside, gather the faithful, lead them in prayer..." The area outside the shop quickly became chaotic. Soon, the sounds of prayers began from both left and right: "Great god of nature..." "Great war god..." The prayers expanded in circles. From dozens to hundreds, and even a few hundred people. More importantly, the faithful were guided into orderly lines, their voices praying to the god of nature, praying to the war god, all in unison,ing from both sides. As one side increased in volume, the other quickly followed suit, the momentum akin to chanting at a military training ground. People here... Garrett shrugged, brushing off the word "ignorance" silently, and cast the healing spell again. Soon, he widened his eyes in astonishment: This time, the healing spell''s effect was more than twice as strong as before, mending wounds over 15 centimeters long! Unbelievable... This worked too? Prayer had this effect?! Garrett finished his prayer and slipped away quietly. Looking left and right, he couldn''t make sense of it he wasn''t familiar with the effects of higher-level healing spells. He grabbed a novice priest who had just finished praying and wiped sweat from his brow: "Uh... does prayer really work?" "It does!" The other looked at him as if he were clueless. After a moment, he pulled Garrett into a corner: "Why else would we build temples? Why bring them here for treatment? Why sing hymns together? Why, during major festivals, start with a prayer before disying miracles? With others'' help, how much effort do we save!" Wow... it really seems to work! If that''s the case, when he treats in the future, he''ll gather a group to pray, and the effect will immediately double! No... that''s foolish! Garrett pped his forehead. Why gather people! He was supposed to train assistants! All those priests were supposed to learn medical skills from him! Set up a hospital, train a batch of doctors, gather together for prayers, perform surgeries in groups! Even involve the patients and their families! Those who are ill or have family members ill, when they pray, they''d surely be the most devout! Patients pay for treatment and contribute their healing power for free... This idea was fantastic! Absolutely perfect! --------------- Chapter 75 Chapter 75 The stampede incident kept Garrett busy until evening. The injured, one by one, healed instantly under the treatment spell, either leaving on their own or being picked up by their families. Outside the shop, a priest stood, reminding each departing person, "The treatment spell exerts a significant toll on the body. When you return, try not to overexert yourself. Remember to eat well..." And then what? Just like that, they''re released? Garrett watched as one patient after another left, gaping slowly. No follow-up cases, no revisits, not even a need to organize medical recordsoh, in this world where everything is achieved through healing spells, patients just bounce back and leave on their own, no need for records... A world without medical records! It''s heaven! After a night of rescuing, having to squint at dozens of medical records, each needing to be perfectly organized ording to regtionswhat a nightmare! Front page, medical history, examination sheets, images, surgeries, consent forms, all in order; Examination sheets arranged by blood, urine, stool tests, liver and kidney functions, blood clotting, hepatitis; Each sheet aligned, the next one pressed under the serial number of the previous examination. Doctor''s signature, patient''s signature, nurse''s signature, not a single one could be missed... The medical department even conducts random checks! A single improper medical record could mean fines starting in the hundreds! But without records, how can you summarize experiences and lessons learned? Garrett agonized over whether, if he were to establish a hospital, he should promote a system of medical records... Oh, at least there''s still a discharge fee. The injured and their families thanked profusely upon leaving, some immediately pulling out money pouches, while others promised repeatedly to donate to the temple. Garrett nced left and right, slipping quietly next to Elder Elwin Wilkinson, tugging at his sleeve: "We don''t have a temple in our guild, do we?" Where will they donate then? Will they find us? "Shh!" Elder Elwin hushed him. Meanwhile, Mage Gelman strode over briskly, standing beside them: "Elder, is the treatment over? I need to take him back today; the Council''s master mage has arrived, and the evaluation is set to begin in two days!" Enough! A mage apprentice, neglecting his duties, most of his energy focused on healing spells! Learning a bunch of tricks but not considering how to enhance their power, only how to use them for healing and curing! Even if it''s his mentor evaluating, it''s not guaranteed that he''ll endure! Garrett was dragged back to the Mage Tower three steps at a time. No medical records written, no treatment fees collected, unable to find a bigwig to persuade about clearing the streets and preventing epidemics. Ah, everywhere feels so unsettling... By the way, who''s in charge of the evaluation? This question quickly found an answer. As the carriage halted in front of the Mage Tower, the moment the people inside got out, a human cannonball dashed out, heading straight for the old mage who shared a ride with Mage Gelman: "Grandpa, grandpa! You''re finally here! I''ve been so bored these past few months~~~" Garrett took a closer lookoh, that mischievous kid. Just like him, also a mage apprentice, but this one didn''t live on the second floor; he lived on the fifth floor, reserved for masters and esteemed guests, together with Mage Gelman. The books the mage apprentices needed to read were carried upstairs by this mischievous kid most of the time. Whenever he wanted to read, he had to go upstairs andpensate with a lot of ttery, and not every time would he seed, such a hassle... Garrett rolled his eyes inwardly. The old mage seemed quite fond of his grandson. Seeing the grandson charge over like a cannonball, a glimmer flickered in the old mage''s hand, casting some kind of spell, and then, he caught his grandson steadily, lifting him and spinning around: "Grandpa''s little George~~~ How have these few months been? Learned a few spells? Made any breakthroughs?" "None!" The chubby-faced kid wrinkled his face. He wriggled in the old man''s arms, breaking free, shouting loudly, "All you care about is breakthroughs! Breakthrough, breakthrough, breakthrough! You promised thating out for a stroll would lead to a breakthrough, dragged me out forcibly, then just left me here! Can''t eat well, can''t rest well, how can I ever make a breakthrough!" Garrett: "..." Seriously, I think the conditions at the Mage Tower are quite good? Moreover, what''s the excuse for not eating or resting well? Other big shots face hardships during adventures and break through at critical moments! Garrett lowered his head, pretending he didn''t exist, listening in on the old man scolding and the kid raging. Sneaking a nce left and right, Mage Elliott and Mage Karen, one on each side, stared ahead as if their eyes and ears had suddenly malfunctioned. Even Mage Gelman didn''t intervene. He silently observed for a while, and when the grandfather-grandson duo was about to calm down, he stepped forward to advise: "Master, breakthroughs are all about seizing opportunities... George is still young. Bing a mage apprentice at ten is already quite exceptional. Besides, he''s been really diligent these past few months..." "I don''t know him!" The old mage snorted heavily. "In just a few months, others start from scratch, not even recognizing magical script, yet they breakthrough to the peak of bing mage apprentices, even learning healing arts! But him, when I left, and when I returned, he''s the same!" Garrett: "!!!" No way! Old man, you can scold your grandson all you want, but don''t make me the target! I don''t want to be the "someone else''s child" you''reparing him to! The mischievous kid red fiercely at Garrett, rolled his eyes, stuck out his tongue, made faces. After making faces, he lifted his right hand to his cheek, aiming towards Garrett, scratching the air repeatedly. From his expression, if magical swords could extend from his fingertips, he''d ensnare Garrett on the spot. Garrett lowered his head, pretending not to see. Unable to vent his anger, the kid stamped his feet and yelled: "All you do ispare me with others! Serena made a breakthrough, and you say I''m not working hard! Alexander learned a new magic, and you say I''m naughty! I''m only ten! Only ten! By the time I''m 16, I''ll be a Level Two Mage!" The old mage sighed. He pinched his grandson''s chubby cheeks, turned him away: "Don''tpare yourself to others! What are their conditions? What are yours? Others could only start learning magical scripts two months ago; when you were a little child, you tore magical books just for fun! You''re progressing slower than others, and you have the nerve toin!" George, with teary eyes from the twist, didn''t know if it was from pain or anger. He pushed the old mage away forcefully, shouted, "I hate grandpa the most!" Changed direction and stormed into the Mage Tower. The old mage shook his head helplessly. Turning to Gelman, he sighed and shrugged: "These past months, this child has caused you trouble, hasn''t he? Well, let''s pick up the pace and finish this year''s evaluation. Once we''re done today, I''ll take George away tomorrow." "This... Master, it''s alreadyte today. Why not rest and start fresh tomorrow?" "It''s notte. It''s not your first evaluation; you know the projects. We''ll take them one by one, alright?" --------------- Chapter 76 Chapter 76 The annual assessment of the Mage Tower wasn''t surprising for Garrett Nordmark. In this day and age, the Health Bureau evaluated hospitals, departments assessed sections, and sections reviewed doctors. Everyone carried Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), striving for their metrics. He''d spent over a decade in his past job, undergoing evaluations year after yearhe was ustomed to it. The custodians of the Mage Tower, residing in the tower built by the Magic Council, drawing their sry and funds from the Council, underwent an annual review. Wasn''t that just par for the course? He calmly followed the others up to the fifth floor. Watching the elder mage pull out arge leather-bound book, flipping through pages filled with tables at least the size of A4 paper. Reviewing left and right, he began ticking off each item one by one: "First item: Maintenance of the Mage Tower. Just came up here, I took a look, timely repairs to the Mage Tower, and the magic circuits are smoothly functioning. No new facilities, but added a new set of alchemical tools. Let''s give you a 90 on this." Mage Gelman nodded, unfazed. Clearly, he''d anticipated this evaluation. The elder mage lowered his head, scribbled a few lines, and continued: "Second item: Maintaining the Mage Tower''s status. During the midsummer feast in daylight, your seating remained unchanged, the Lord''s reception remained the same, and at least five nobles around expressed interest in sending their children for learning. However, you maintained the status quo without elevating the Mage Tower''s position, so this item only scores an 82." "Teacher!" Mage Gelman called out, a mix of protest and appeal. The elder mage shook his head: "The Magic Council''s regtions are precise. Gelman, considering the teacher-student rtionship, I''ll push it to an 85 at most, no more." Huh? What kind of scoring system was this? It sounded oddly familiar! Garrett tiptoed, craning his neck, trying to peek at the table. The elder mage caught sight and waved, gathering the lower-ranked mages around, spreading the table among them: "Haven''t seen this before? Come,e, have a look. You''re all mages, possibly future Mage Tower custodians. It''s good to see this early, no harm!" Mage Elliott nced sorrowfully at Garrett and slowly inched forward. Who wanted to see this stuff? It''s not like they hadn''t seen it before. Last year, when their assessment score wasn''t high, Mage Gelman mmed the assessment form in front of them and ranted for a good hour! Forget the Magic Council''s assessment forms, anything resembling a table made them queasy until now! Garrett had no negative feelings. He eagerly moved forward, bowed slightly, and lowered his head to look at the table. And then... He froze. Project names, definitions, calction methods, weightage, project scores, overall scores... And at the bottom, two lines of small text. The first line stated the assessment criteria: 95 or above, Grade A (Excellent); 94-90, Grade B (Good); 89-80, Grade C (Average); 79-60, Grade D (Needs improvement); Below 60, Grade E (Suggested resignation). The second line was more frightening, detailing rewards and penalties for each grade. Just a nce and Garrett''s mind conjured the image of the HR head at the hospital owing everyone fifty thousand bucks and looking embarrassed. Grade A: Big rewards; Grade B: Rewards, tilted research resources; Grade C: No rewards or penalties; Grade D: Resource deduction, sry deduction, two consecutive recements; Grade E: Stripping custodial qualifications, recing the custodial mage. This... promotions, performance bonuses, pay deductions, job changes, encouraged resignations... What a well-structured KPI table! Who made this? Why would the Magic Council have this! It''s like a ckout in front of my eyes! Why can''t I escape this even after crossing over! ...Right, this Magic Council even has journals, papers, and the format is the one he''s familiar with... There must have been another transmigrator! In this world, another transmigrator must have appeared to transform the Magic Council like this! And most likely, it''s someone from the humanities... considering the mages'' worldview is solely based on elements and not advancing into the periodic table, that predecessor transmigrator probably couldn''t apply scientific research methods, so they just followed the existing path... Right. Judging by the professionalism of this KPI table, they might have been an HR professional. Suppressing all curiosity andints, Garrett continued listening to the assessment process. As he listened, he couldn''t help but admire that predecessor HR person: their sess wasn''t without reason, at least within this scope, he wouldn''t have thought of it. For instance, the Mage Tower industry was detailed down to viges, workshops, stores, mineral resources, and flora-fauna resources as separate items. Under the vige category, it was further divided into poption,nd area, irrigation, seasonal harvest, each with different scores. More terrifyingly, the table the elder mage brought also recorded the values and scores of the past three years... It was impossible to cheat. Fortunately, Mage Gelman had been managing the Mage Tower for several years. Though not exceptionally skilled in management, he hadn''t made any major mistakes. Following the previous two years'' rules, he managed an 85 score. Not too high, but it didn''t drag down the average. Next came the training and progress of the mages. This was a crucial assessment as, after all, within the Magic Council, power held greater importance than anything else. This section held a 30% weightage, and the elder mage didn''t go easy, having everyone at the Mage Tower cast spells for individual evaluations. "Hmm, at your level, Gelman, progress is already challenging. But I can''t give points if they''re not deserved; Karen? Learned three new spells, and there''s a boost in mental strength, not bad! But, not yet at level three, can''t give higher marks; Elliott? Substantial growth in mental strength! Very good, almost on the brink of a breakthrough, your score can be higher... Oh, also taught a mage apprentice. By the way, young one, how many spells can you cast in a day now?" "Five," Garrett calmly replied. Before the elder mage could inquire further, he seized the opportunity and added: "It''s been over a month, but I can''t break through. Your Magehood, could you spare a moment to look into my situation?" "Over a month?" The elder mage raised an eyebrow. Counting on his fingers, it had been just over a month since this youngster began studying magical scripts. That meant, from the moment this young boy became a mage apprentice, he could cast five spells a day With such talent, it was truly worth his guidance. "First, meditate. Then, casually cast a spell, let me assess the situation." Following the instructions, Garrettplied. The elder mage also immersed himself in a meditation environment, carefully sensing the surroundings. After a while,ing out of meditation, frowning deeply: "Weird. Your mental strength, manipting the surrounding magic, feels like... it''s as if there''s ayer of gauze in between. The utilization isn''t too high. At this rate, aiming for a breakthrough... well, take your time..." --------------- Chapter 77 Chapter 77 After all, evaluating the entire Mage Tower and dedicating such a long time to guide Garrett was quite unusual. The old mage realized that Garrett''s issues couldn''t be solved overnight, so he redirected his attention. With a forceful cough, he turned to Mage Gelman, his expression serious: "The cultivation and progress of a mage, in this regard, theprehensive score" The old mage deliberately drew out the suspense. When the people around were impatient, and the mischievous kid was about to roll his eyes, he reluctantly uttered a number: "81." "So low..." Two low-level magesined softly. If the score remained low, and they couldn''t pass, the Mage Tower would lose research resources next year. At this stage, nobody would benefit. The old mage had heard theseints countless times. Considering Gelman was his own disciple, he nced around, speaking earnestly: "This is the responsibility of the supervisors. Either focus entirely on breakthroughs or allocate resources to train new mages. Every Mage Tower is a significant resource, and whoever the Magic Council entrusts it to, must make returns." "This, you all must remember." The mages nodded silently. Garrett swiftly calcted his current score. Not too bad, thankfully. As long as he scored 70 on thest item, he could pass this year. However, the final task was magical research. There seemed to have been some issues between Elliott and Karen before... It appeared the progress wasn''t smooth? Garrett silently worried about next year''s research funds. The old mage had closed the document in his hands and spoke seriously: "I''ve checked before I arrived. Before my arrival, none of you had published anything in the journals or submitted any spell models to the council. So, does anyone have any submissions pending or unpublished? Show them to me." Huh? The Magic Council evaluated research by the number of papers published? How many journals did you all create, really? Could it be fluffed up? This senior who traveled through time, were you from a university''s academic affairs office? Garrett mused, not feeling that "papers" or "research" had anything to do with him, a mage apprentice. To his right, a few official mages exchanged nces, wearing uneasy expressions. After a moment of silence, Mage Karen took a step forward and spoke softly: "I''ve made some progress in alchemy..." Unfortunately, Karen''s efforts in alchemy were ultimately deemed inadequate. The young mage felt frustrated, facing examples brought up by the old mage but unable to retort. Next, Elliott tried to present his spell model, but it wasn''tpleted before and had resources cut off. In the end, it received an "inadequate" evaluation. A moment of silence fell. The old mage looked around and urged: "Any other achievements? If not, your progress so far can only merit a 50!" "Wait!" Mage Gelman''s expression darkened. Caught between embarrassment and failing the assessment, he struggled for a second, then gritted his teeth: "Elliott! Bring that dictionary!" A dictionary? Garrett''s eyes shed, looking down at the floor, pretending he hadn''t heard anything. In a Mage Tower, with one Archmage and two secondary mages, being forced to rely on a dictionary for the assessment was already pitiful. If it were known this result came from a mage apprentice, not only would Gelman look bad, but the entire Mage Tower''s reputation might suffer. The KPI sheet read: Resource deduction, sry deduction. Maybe his sry wouldn''t be affected he hadn''t received anything from the Mage Tower but if resources were cut, next year''s development would be challenging. Elliott hurried downstairs and, after a while, rushed back holding a book resembling an encyclopedia. The old mage flipped through it, silent. Page after page, eyebrow raised. When he reached the end, he turned to Elliott: "Your idea?" "Not mine." Elliott stated solemnly. Taking a step aside, he pushed Garrett in front of the old mage: "It''s his idea, and he organized it. I only followed the instructions to write an introduction, exining the approach taken." "An interesting little thing." The old mage smiled, stroking his beard. Beside him, the mischievous kid George wrinkled his nose as soon as he heard "dictionary" mentioned. When Garrett was pushed forward, he craned his neck to take a look, feeling a sudden surge of animosity. Despite holding back, he couldn''t resist, stomping his foot and yelling: "It''s this book! Grandpa, you don''t know, I caught this guy secretly copying books. But instead of kicking him out of the Mage Tower, Gelman not only let him stay but also said he instructed someone to organize it!" "George!" The old mage frowned. "Say one more word, and you''re out!" "Hmph!" The kid huffed heavily. Under his grandfather''s gaze, he dared not speak further. The old mage turned back, smoothed his gray beard, and smiled at Garrett: "This little thing is interesting, but it doesn''t really qualify as a spell model or a creation of magic you understand, right? Just for this, I can only add five points. Do you have any other aplishments?" That would be fifty-five points... still ten points shy of passing. Mage Gelman was speechless. Elliott was speechless, and Karen remained silent, her vibrant blonde hair falling limp on her face, appearing dispirited. Apprentice mages required fewer resources, and this additional five points wouldn''t help Garrett next year. Garrett looked left and right, steeling himself, and raised a hand: "Your Excellency, could I... submit the paper you asked me to write?" Oh? A paper? The old mage couldn''t help but smile. He epted it and, scanning through, immediately nodded approvingly: "Well written. Not a single formatting erroryour teacher has put in quite some effort." I already knew that! Garrett silently grumbled. From graduating in postgraduate studies to bing a senior resident, and from there to bing an associate director, which step didn''t require a paper! This formatting abstract keywords, I could do this blindfolded! The correct formatting, coherent sentences, for a novice, this level was enough to earn the old mage''s favor. He skimmed through it, nodding asionally, shaking his head at times, and midway through, cast a spell, reaching out. "...Can''t see properly!" "Magic items have certain requirements." Garrett stood straight before him, chin up, assuming a posture as if defending his thesis: "Please look from the second paragraph on the third page to the fifth paragraph on the fourth page, summarizing seven cases. The conclusion is that the observed subjects should be five levels lower than the grade of the magical item." "...That''s not useful, then!" As expected, the old mage promptly concluded: "In that case, I can''t give you a high score..." Not high? How much? At least bump it up to 70! --------------- Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Garrett stared earnestly at the elder mage, hoping to sway him with sincerity for a good score. Just a little boost, adding 15 points would do! If they reach 70 points collectively, they''d secure next year''s research funds! The elder mage had seen countless such expressions during his years inspecting various ces. If the person were a formal mage who understood the Magic Council''s assessment rules, he would''ve just given a score. However, this was a neer, a talented one at that. With a heart inclined towards recruiting talent for the council, the elder mage decided to exin a bit more: "When ites to grading magical innovation, the council has a fixed set of standards. It''s not about arbitrary scoring. Let''s take a look at your paper and see how much it''s worth." With a wave of his hand, a colorful light projected onto the wall. Garrett looked up to see the clear criteria for grading magical innovation disyed there. The organized grid, the neatyout, it almost seemed like a projection from aputer, though Garrett, having traversed here months ago, had gained some understanding of magic. He could tell it wasn''t a projection but a magical trick, meticulously crafted. He couldn''t help but admire the finesse. Looking at the content on the wall, Garrett felt a jolt as if his mind had been struck. The grading form for magical innovation: 10 * Magic Level * Novelty * Creativity * Practicality What on earth was this! Novelty, creativity, practicalitythese three criteria mirrored the assessments for their research paper topics! That person who had traversed here must have dealt with patents... No, they should have been a humanities student, maybe partly involved in HR functions. Patent agents require a background in science or engineering. So, that predecessor might not have been directly involved in patents but could handle rted matters in their daily work? Summing it up, the predecessor might have been from a humanities research department at an academic institution, involved in assessing educational research topics... perhaps... Garrett internally mocked, eyes slightly lowered, scanning the table below the form. The magic level was straightforwardlevel 1 magic multiplied by 1, level 2 by 2, and so on. Regarding creativity and practicality, Garrett scrutinized the table, estimating his potential scores: CreativityCreating a new spell: 10 points, which mine isn''t; Increasing magic intensity: 5-9 points, which mine doesn''t qualify for; Reducing material quantity, price, or scarcity: 2-7 points, which mine also doesn''t match; Pioneering new usage methodsAh, that''s my case! What? Only 1-2 points? So low? However, arguing with the system was futile. Garrett sighed and nced at the practicality form. Another surge of frustration welled up in him, making him want to vent right there. Practicality score: (1+N*1), N=(extremely practical, 7-9; reasonably practical: 4-6; somewhat practical: 1-3; impractical: 0) This miraculous form, only someone who had traversed could write, only a mage could handle! If you were a bit weaker in math, it''d drive you insane! As for my own score... Garrett recalled the elder mage''s remark, "That''s not useful." A bad feeling crept in. As expected, the elder mage smiled and said: "Your new method does have some utility, but high-level mages rarely suffer fractures, and even if they do, finding magical items five levels higher than their own is extremely difficult. Formoners and mage apprentices to encounter items above level 5 magic is also very unlikely. So, as for the practicality of this innovation, I can only judge it as" With another wave, a red light marked the "impractical" column. "But sir!" Garrett hurriedly argued. "This magic is very useful in healing! And it serves an irreceable role in current healing practices! As for its cost" Isn''t it just expensive? Aren''t magical items generally costly? Build a hospital! essible to all patients! CT scanners, MRI machines, even X-ray machines, weren''t they expensive when they first came out? A single MRI costs tens of millions, a substantial part of a hospital''s surplus funds for half a year! Yet, everyone grits their teeth and buys them! As long as the volume of treatments is high enough, the costs can be spread out; to a point where every patient can afford it. What''s more important than life itself! Moreover, magical items aren''t like equipment; they don''t depreciate even when kept idle! Garrett wanted to continue arguing, but the elder mage waved his hand, silencing him: "No need to say more. The council won''t approve something that involves massive investment but is of no use to high-level mages. Even if I were to give you a high score, it would still be rejected. Why bother?" Garrett tried to re, but his efforts were futile; he couldn''t make a sound. The elder mage continued with a smile: "So, you see, the score is out. Base score 10 points; magic trick is a level 0 spell, conventionally multiplied by 0.5; for creativity, giving you the benefit of the doubt, multiplying by 2; as for practicality, it can only be multiplied by 1. 10 * 0.5 * 2 * 1, the final score is 10 points." "Ah..." Sighs filled the mage tower. Gelman, Elliott, Karen, and the other low-level mages were disappointed, helpless. To argue further seemed impossible; they''d already presented the achievements of mage apprentices. How could they dare push for more points? "Innovation in magic, 65 points. The total score..." The elder mage projected the entire table, showing each section, weight, and the individual scores. Finally, he impartially provided the result: "78.55 points." Didn''t make it to 80. A ''D,'' the overseer''s sry deduction, and deductions in resources for the entire mage tower. Next year would be tough... A wave of gloom swept through the mage tower. After concluding, the elder mage''s demeanor changed again, smiling tofort everyone present: "It''s alright, don''t worry too much. Resource deductions by the council are also ording to scores. You all are just a bit shy of the passing line; it won''t be too many resources deducted. As for your concerns about recements next year" He turned to his own disciples: "I see many here in the mage tower are on the verge of a breakthrough. If one or two people upgrade next year, the scores will immediately rise." Gelman nodded reluctantly. The elder mage rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a gem-like object, and beckoned Garrett: "Come, take this. Gelman is my disciple, and considering your lineage, you''re part of our line too. A small token, take it" --------------- Chapter 79 Chapter 79 "What''s this?" Garrett nced at the palm of the old mage. Unfortunately, he had no idea. It was a spindle-shaped stone, tiny, less than half a finger''s breadth. Pale yellow, translucent, not shining like a gem. He looked at Gelman, wanting an exnationor at least permission to take it. But before he could speak, two voices erupted simultaneously: "The Aen Stone? Master, that''s too valuable!" "This is mine! Mine!" Gelman, the mage, and the old mage''s grandson, the brat George, were the voices. Garrett''s gaze shifted, catching the brat lunging and snatching the stone. "Grandpa said it''s mine! He promised!" "Who said it''s for you!" The old mage roared, giving chase. The brat wailed as he zigzagged from east to west, then west to east. Despite his age, the old mage struggled to catch up. After a couple of rounds, he stopped, panting heavily, shouting, "I said I''d give it to you once you reached level 1 as a mage! You haven''t, so it''s not yours! Stop! Hand it over!" "I won''t!" "You!" Then came a string of spells. Garrett couldn''t discern what they were, only seeing the brat stumble and fall. The old mage lunged, but the brat, agitated, shoved the object into his mouth: "I won''t give it to you! Uh, uh... cough, cough, cough!" Angry shouts and chaos filled the air. Garrett didn''t intervene, silently watching from the sidelines. If they didn''t want to give him the Aen Stone, so be it. His upbringing taught him that what he earned was his, no matter how good someone else''s stuff might beit was theirs. Besides, he had no clue what this stone even was... So, what exactly was it? Garrett wracked his brain. In his past life, in novels and games, it seemed, vaguely, that he''d heard this name. It was something that flew around a mage''s head? An equipment that added attributes to a mage? Seemed quite shy... Just thinking about it made Garrett grimace. The old mage and the brat, one escaping, the other chasing and yellingit meant nothing to him, merely entertainment. If only he had a phone or inte, he''d have loved to record it and post a video titled: "The Brat and His Bearish Grandpa"... But then, a cough sounded, and Garrett''s expression changed. That cough was severe! The brat was rolling on the ground moments ago, shoving the stone into his mouthwhat if he''d swallowed it? Choking! Foreign object in the windpipe! Foreign object in the esophagus! A series of bold, highlighted dangerous symptoms flooded his mind. Garrett spread his stride, rushing over, shouting as he ran: "Don''t fight! Be careful! Don''t choke on it!" Midway, his feet slipped. The ground was perfectly even, yet Garrett slipped, falling t on his back. "..." Ouch, that hurts! Garrett propped himself up with one hand, massaging his tailbone with the other, wincing in pain. Only then did he hear Elliot''s warning nearby: "Watch out for the Grease Spell!" Next time, could you warn me sooner, big brother? Garrett thought, frustrated. He groaned as he got up. Not far away, the old mage was also helping the brat up, both looking grim. "Where''s the Aen Stone? Spit it out!" "He swallowed it..." The ten-year-old boy sobbed. The old man furrowed his brow, and Gelman, the mage, hurriedly tried tofort them: "He swallowed it, so be it. As long as the child''s fine. The Aen Stone isn''t big, it''lle out intact in a few days, still usable." Hopefully, he did swallow it. The Aen Stone wasn''trge, its tip not sharp. The probability of it scratching the esophagus was low. As long as it went down the esophagus and luck was on his side, it''d most likelye out normally in a few days. The old mage looked displeased. He wanted to scold but couldn''t bring himself to. He pressed the kid''s forehead fiercely: "Really swallowed it? You... you!" The boy bowed his head, not daring to fuss anymore. The old mage intended to exin to Garrett but found himself speechless. After a moment''s hesitation, he muttered, "Made you witness a farce," then pulled the kid and left. "Garrett, you''ve had a tough day," Gelman, the mage, sighed, watching the old man disappear. He reassured Garrett: "We''ve seen your efforts. Don''t worry, for the whole next year, your contributions won''t go unnoticed in the Mage Tower." "Thank you, Master... Then, may I take my leave?" Gelman nodded, preupied. Garrett seized the chance to slip away. Back in his second-floor dorm, he couldn''t sleep. Tossing and turning, he eventually got up, lit amp, and began writing and drawing. The n to clean up the city during the day was shut down midway, and he couldn''t swallow that He''d write the n clearly, in detail, outlining the operations and profit models, and discuss it with the teacher! And the Mage Tower, only today did he realize it also had profit demandsbet they were interested! Hmph! Garrett wrote untilte into the night before finally dozing off. In his dreams, a diamond-shaped stone kept swirling around him, uncatchable. Twice he attempted to grab it, nearly startling himself awake... The next morning, after his early meditation, Garrett was heading upstairs for breakfast. As he opened the door, he saw a servant outside, wiping away. Upon seeing him, the servant hurriedly approached, offering a small basket of dew-covered berries. Garrett nced at him oddly. This servant usually took care of the daily needs of the mages, disappearing after tidying up the living room or setting down a pitcher of water. If Garrett ever wanted ate-night snack, he had to forage in the kitchen himself... What was happening now? Heard about the old mage praising himst night? Word spreads fast! He took the basket absentmindedly, nning to snack on it during his morning reading break. The servant immediately bent down, half-smiling, half-worried: "Master Mage, I heard... our Mage Tower''s assessment... isn''t going smoothly?" Whether it went smoothly or not, what did that have to do with him? Garrett nodded vaguely and proceeded towards the stairs. The servant followed suit, stooping lower: "I heard the Mage Tower might cut resources? Cut sries? Will they lower our pay? Will they kick us out?" "...Is that really necessary?" Garrett paused, finding it a bit funny. "Even if they cut resources, would it affect your pay that much?" He waved it off, climbing the stairs. Halfway up, he pped his forehead in realization: Why would they worry about a few coins? These Mage Tower servants, although they bowed and scraped in the tower, representing it outside, at least they were vige heads of sorts. Their demeanor and ie put them in the middle ss. What they truly feared was a change in leadership at the Mage Tower, losing their secure jobs, right? Even a mere servant seemed more anxious than him... --------------- Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Garrett pondered his own sense of detachment. So far, he hadn''t received a single allowance or used any materials from the Mage Tower. Even if they deducted his sry and resources next year, his room, books, and the paper he used for copying were probably exempt... He chuckled to himself, continuing to climb the stairs with effort. The dining area was on the fifth floor, the residence of Mage Gelman. It was decent, just a bit too high; he had to climb these stairs thrice daily. Well, as a doctor, he was used to climbing around the hospital, so this wasn''t much of a difference. Actually, this was quite a favor. Garrett had heard from the young priest John that in their temple, apprentice priests weren''t allowed to dine with the official priests; they had to eat in a separate hall. But maybe Gelman was more lenient, or perhaps, with only four mages in the tower, since Garrett became an apprentice, he had meals with the official mages every day. High dining standards aside, he could asionally catch Gelman for a few questions or pick up some insights by overhearing others'' conversations. Just as Garrett reached the third floor, the stairway door opened, and two official mages with grim faces joined the line. The moment they entered, Garrett felt the atmosphere grow unusually heavy, as if the pressure dropped by a hundred pascals. Elliott, in a low voice,ined, "It''s all because of you! If you hadn''t diverted all the resources, would my spell model have beenpleted by now?" "Now it''s entirely up to you!" Karen retorted with a stern face. "Improving a spell model is no easy task, you know! ...Sigh, with fewer resources next year, it''ll be even harder to achieve anything..." Garrett nced left and right, lowering his head to focus on climbing the stairs. They filed into the dining hall, and after a while, Mage Gelman also emerged from his room, silent and somber. The group waited, nearly fifteen minutes passed before the old wizard hurriedly came out. His face was dull, eye bags almost touching his cheekbones. Without sitting down, he addressed Gelman, "Gelman, please send a few people to bring over the leaders of the temple. George coughed for most ofst night, having trouble breathing now and running a fever. It''s been chaotic, and he hasn''t even had breakfast." Coughing? Most of the night? And running a fever? Garrett''s breath hitched. So, the Aen Stone fromst night hadn''t been swallowed but instead got lodged in the airway, causing inmmation? That was a big problemforeign objects in the airway could lead to suffocation and hypoxia. If it was a nt-based object like peanuts or beans, it could cause acute bronchitis with symptoms like high fever, coughing, and coughing up pus. What type of object was the Aen Stone? What kind of inmmation could it cause? There was no mention of this in medical textbooks or journals from his past life! Anyway, if the Aen Stone was in the lungs, it was a trouble he couldn''t handle with the existing tools and medicines! Garrett immediately jumped up: "I''ll go! I''m familiar with the Temple of the War God and the Natural God over there!" "Thank you for that." The old wizard had witnessed the previous rescue and had already inferred the situation, despite Garrett avoiding mentioning the other temple. He nodded in thanks and turned to Mage Gelman, "Then, should we send someone to the Spring Goddess''s temple as well?" "Elliott, you go." Gelman decisively assigned. "Say it''s the teacher''s grandson who''s seriously ill. I have to maintain the magic circle and can''t leave, request them toe over." The two of them mounted horses and dashed off. From the Mage Tower to the city''s interior, with horses, the distance wasn''t too far. As Elliott entered the city, requested an audience, and exined the situation, the group arrived at the city gate and saw Garrett and the bald bishop standing there. In the distance, a rider approached, a knight with arge box on the saddle, handing it over to Garrett. Garrett epted with thanks, then turned to the bishop, saying, "I suspect something got stuck in the airway..." "Kid, with something stuck in your airway, you''re carrying such a big box?" Garrett smiled, dodging the topic. The group returned to the Mage Tower and, halfway there, met Elder Elwin, entering together. Elliott followed behind, climbing upstairs with them and was shocked upon seeing George. The poor kid was curled up in bed, his face flushed, asionally erupting into coughs. His chubby cheeks seemed drained, strands of pale gold hair clinging weakly to his forehead. Several experienced healers surrounded him, checking his temperature, listening to his cough, going over the details of what had happened. Finally, the bald bishop drew a conclusion, "Since the Aen Stone is missing and he''s coughing like this, most likely, it''s lodged in his lungs." "...It''s possible." The grand priest nodded in agreement. He lowered his head in prayer, then a faint blue light brushed over the boy. It was the sessful healing technique from the Spring Goddess''s temple, curing diseases and restoring health. While slightly inferior in healing injuries, it excelled in curing ailments. As the light dissipated, the boy''s forehead beaded with sweat, his flushed face calming down instantly. The old wizard grasped the grand priest''s hands, expressing gratitude, then asked, "So... if the Aen Stone isn''t removed, will he continue to fall ill?" Certainly! The grand priest didn''t speak, but his expression said it all. Unable to resist, the old wizard pressed on, "Can you find a way to deal with that Aen Stone?" "Well..." The grand priest hesitated, reluctant to intervene. He nced at Elder Elwin, who pondered for a moment before softly saying, "Judging by the cause and effect, I can only guess it''s stuck in his lungs. - Garrett, what''s your opinion?" - Watson, what do you think? Garrett silently supplied the voiceover for Elder Elwin. Seeing everyone''s attention focused on him, he stepped forward, serious, "I also suspect it''s stuck in the lungs. To confirm if it is and precisely where it is, I need to perform an examination." "An examination?" The old wizard raised his eyebrows. All three temple leaders had seen his grandson, but not one had mentioned an "examination." And now, this youngd casually mentions an "examination"... "How do you n to examine?" "Please wait a moment." Garrett slightly bowed, retreating to a corner, opening the box the knight had brought him all the way from the horse. Seven to eight people''s gazes fixed on him as he lifted a copper tube from the ck velvet padding inside the box. With one hand habitually covering the tube''s far end, he approached the boy''s bedside, calmly instructing, "Come on, sit up, undo your shirt... pull it aside, expose your entire chest." "I won''t! Go away!" The boy screamed, attempting to kick. Garrett didn''t argue, calmly taking two steps back, turning to the old wizard. Hey, can''t you control your kid? --------------- Chapter 81 Chapter 81 The old mage looked at Garrett Nordmark, half-believing. If he hadn''t witnessed Garrett leading the rescue yesterday, with both major healers iming it was orchestrated by this young man, he wouldn''t have bothered with him now. But at present, with Elder Elwin Wilkinson taking the initiative to inquire and the bald Archbishop smiling, he hesitated for a moment, then personally unbuttoned the child''s clothes: "George, listen, take off your shirt." The boy squirmed, looking defiant. The old mage coaxed and threatened, even saying things like "If the Aen Stone rots in your lungs, you''ll die." Eventually, he managed to quiet the child down, who then took off his shirt. Garrett knelt half-bowed in front of the child, the copper tube pressed against the boy''s left shoulder, tilting his head, the other end on the right ear. "No wonder he''s covering that copper tube. I guessed for half a day, turns out he''s afraid of chilling the child." At the foot of the bed, the bald Archbishop leaned towards Elder Elwin Wilkinson, praising in a low voice. The elder nodded: "Young Garrett is quite careful with patients." The old mage nced at them, staying silent, merely storing these words in his mind. Looking back at Garrett, the youth was focused, listening intently to the sounds inside the copper tube. His right hand asionally moved the other end of the tube, not too fast or too slow, stopping evenly for one or two breaths at each position. From left to right, from top to bottom. The copper tube in the youth''s hands moved back and forth, with all the points symmetrically ced. Although the old mage couldn''t figure out why he was doing this, he could be certain that Garrett must have a n. Above the vicle, front chest, left armpit, right armpit. Garrett moved around the boy, even turning to the back for a while, finally putting down the copper tube. Raising his head, he looked at the old mage and the three temple leaders, calm and confident: "It is indeed stuck in the lungs. Right here" he pointed to the right side of the boy''s chest, fingertipnding just below the vicle, close to the inner side: "How do you know?" Elder Elwin Wilkinson and the bald Archbishop asked simultaneously. The high priest hesitated for a moment, lips moving, emitting a vague sound. Garrett answered confidently: "Listening to the sound! The breath sounds in this part of the right lung are noticeably lower than elsewhere!Come, listen..." The bald Archbishop was the first to approach. Elder Elwin Wilkinson hesitated for a moment, but was pushed behind by him, shaking his head in resignation. Garrett handed over the copper tube, letting the bald Archbishop listen with his ear pressed to it. "Come, just like this, aim at your own ear, press one end against the patient... stop!" "What?" The Archbishop looked at him in bewilderment. The big bald head seemed to be disying a line of text: I don''t understand, I don''t get it... "First, warm the distant end of the stethoscope with your hands to avoid difort for the patient." Garrett directed as a matter of course. The Archbishop opened his mouth but didn''t speak. It was Elder Elwin Wilkinson who couldn''t stand it, interrupting: "Hey, isn''t this too demanding!" "Yeah, yeah..." The old mage nodded along. The high priest of the temple, tasked with seeing a child by his grandson, even had to pay attention to whether the stethoscope needed to be warmed up... This was too much, even for the child''s grandfather, it was a bit embarrassing. Garrett: "..." Oops! This isn''t a hospital! Not teaching students here! Whether it''s the Archbishop or the teacher, their status is higher than mine! At this critical moment, he could only persevere and exin calmly, "We are doctors. He is a patient.This has nothing to do with status. Doctors treating patients should be like this." "Do you... all do this?" Elder Elwin Wilkinson blurted out. The youth''s tone was too natural, and his expression too calm, making him think of the oath he heard when they first met: "In the name of health, entrusting life..." Those who took such an oath would indeed be so meticulous in treating patients. Garrett nodded without hesitation. There was a moment of silence in the room, the bald Archbishop shrugged, reached out to touch the distant end of the copper tube, and replied softly, "Not cold." Garrett nodded. He let the bald Archbishop press his ear to the near end while holding the distant end himself, moving it around and pointing out: "Start from the apex of the lung... auscultate along the midvicr and midaxiry lines,pare inside and outside, left and right... Auscultation is generally from top to bottom, from outside to inside, from left to right, and every intercostal space should be heard... Are the volumes different on both sides of the front chest?" The old mage widened his eyes in surprise. He didn''t quite understand what Garrett was sayingthe tragedy of being an outsider but the tone and attitude of speech were too familiar to him. Based on his many years of experience, only when a teacher instructs a disciple would they be so firm and proficient! "... It''s really lower on the right side." Following Garrett''s instructions, the bald Archbishop nodded in amazement after listening around the front and back. He stood up and stepped back, handing the copper tube to Elder Elwin Wilkinson: "You also listen!" Garrett had to exin it again. This time, Elder Elwin Wilkinson had more and finer questions: "Why is the sound different on the left lung and right lung? Why does the right lung sound like snoring? Why..." Garrett: "..." Do I have to exin to you about dry rales and wet rales, wheezing and rhonchi? The patient is still waiting here! Theoretically speaking, it would take three days and nights to exin! In short, after the two big shots personally listened and agreed with Garrett''s judgment, it was confirmed that the Aen Stone was indeed stuck in the lungs. As for how to solve it, Garrett spread his hands, looking at the senior healers with an expression that said, "I can''t do it, you guys do it." "If it''s trauma or disease, with the blessing of the Goddess, it canpletely heal him." The high priest of the Spring Goddess''s temple spoke first, frowning with a hint of helplessness: "But the Aen Stone is stuck in the lungs... I''m sorry, the church has no corresponding divine magic, and I don''t know how to treat it." The bald Archbishop shook his head too. "I can only think of cutting open the chest and taking it out..." Before he finished speaking, the unruly child screamed desperately: "I don''t want it! I don''t want it! Grandpa! He wants to kill me" ...I said not to discuss treatment ns in front of the patient. Especially the version of directly opening the chest, see, scared the patient. Fortunately, it''s a child. If it were a patient with hypertension or a critically ill patient, a sudden shock might cause a stroke or even worse... Tsk, without systematic medical training, it''s easy to make mistakes. Like us, when doing rounds in front of cancer patients, we just say "CA," guaranteeing not to reveal anything. Garrett silentlyined behind the big shots. The bald Archbishop turned back to reassure a few words, to no avail, only ensuring "I won''t do anything, I absolutely won''t do anything," and stepped back. Elder Elwin Wilkinson had been pondering with his head down, until the two in front finished speaking, he hesitated and raised his head: "With the blessing of the God of Nature, I can stimte vines to prate into the lungs and remove the object. However, I don''t know where the object is stuck in the lungs, and I don''t know how the vines should go." He paused and turned to Garrett, eyes full of anticipation. Garrett thought for a moment, under the puzzled gaze of the old mage, took a step forward: "I have a solution to this problem." Garrett looked calm, his tone firm. Without waiting for the old mage to ask, he stared into the other''s eyes and continued in one breath: "I can see where the Aen Stone is. Just use" he gestured with his hand: "Detection magic, as mentioned in yesterday''s paper. If you can see it, you can guide the vines to remove it." --------------- Chapter 82 Chapter 82 "Can the Aen Stone be seen too?" The old mage looked puzzled. He had read the paper yesterday and personally verified it. The meditation field was blurry, and magical light couldn''t prate it. Even though Garrett had mentioned yesterday that a five-level difference could make things visible, how could a level 1 magical item like the Aen Stone be seen? "Teacher, may I borrow your staff?" Garrett turned to Elder Elwin. The elder raised the staff, lifted the boy with one hand, ced him on the chair, and leaned the oak wand against his back. Garrett quickly cast a spell, and the elder circled around,ing to Garrett''s side with surprise. "Ah! Indeed, it can be seen!" Huh? It actually appeared directly? Garrett was pleasantly surprised. He didn''t expect the object to emit light directly or show shadows. Regardless of the longitudinal oscition, transverse shift, increased transparency, and many other indicators in radiology that help doctors locate foreign objects... "What are you and your disciple doing behind my back?" The bald bishopughed and scolded, joining them. He widened his eyes, looking around, "Where is it? Where is it?" "It''s not seen like this. You have to use meditation vision..." Elder Elwin pointed it out to him. The bald bishop closed his eyes and focused. After a closer look, he eximed, "Ah! I can see it too!" Five levels... right. The old mage recalled the statements in the paper. A five-level difference between magical items and the observer would make things visible. He looked at his grandson - an apprentice mage; then at Elder Elwin - the deep brown hemp robe embroidered with silver thread on the cuffs, clearly an eighth-level priest. He had heard about the characteristics of the Nature God Cult. The elder''s oak wand was probably also eighth level. More than enough. The old mage hurriedly approached. As an eleventh-level mage, his meditation was faster, and he focused slightly - nothing. Turning his head, Garrett stood aside, looking embarrassed. "The duration is over..." Oh, this boy is still an apprentice. Detecting magic doesn''tst long, only 30 seconds in total. Elder Elwin and the bald bishop had just finished looking when he walked over. Alright, just a trick; who wouldn''t know it? The old mage didn''t even need to chant a spell. In the meditation vision, a burst of magical light immediately came through. The light emitted by the oak wand was extremely bright. With a spell from the old mage, his grandson''s sternum and ribs became clear. A small rhombus-shaped stone was embedded in arge area of shadow, illuminated by the activation of the detection magic. "It really can be seen clearly..." The old mage mumbled. He took a deep breath, feeling relieved for the first time sincest night. He turned to Garrett and nodded in approval. "This magic is indeed useful. You did well." Don''t just say ''well''! Give us some points! Garrett really wanted to shout this out. However, he knew it wasn''t the time to argue about points. He bowed slightly to express his thanks. The old mage turned to Elder Elwin. "Since you can see it, please go ahead and heal him?" "I''ll give it a try." The elder murmured, approaching the boy and raising his right hand. Between the spread fingers, a thin vine quietly emerged. "Don''t! Help!!!" The unruly kid screamed hoarsely, tilting his body backward, avoiding the vine that reached his face. Dodging while kicking wildly, if Elder Elwin hadn''t pulled him in time, he would have rolled off the chair. "George! Behave!" "Don''t...!" Two voices shouted simultaneously. The old mage scolded his grandson sternly, and Garrett also rushed forward, grabbing Elder Elwin''s hand. "You can''t do it so directly!" "How should it be done, then?" "Uh... Shall we discuss this outside?" Garrett looked at the crying kid and lowered his voice. With everyone''s attention focused, the old mage looked embarrassed and muttered a few words before pointing casually. The unruly kid opened his mouth, looking terrified, but his whole body froze. The old mage raised his hand and threw him onto the bed. "Let''s discuss it here." Uh... okay... Garrett looked around, confirming that the kid was under control and wouldn''t roll on the floor. He sighed in relief. "Teacher, what you saw is a t image! The lungs are three-dimensional. How can the vine navigate inside without just guessing?" "Just let it grow in by itself." "Teacher! Inside the lungs is bifurcated. What if it takes the wrong path?" "...Do you know the right way?" "Of course, I do! Uh, I''ll draw it for you..." Without waiting for him to find paper and pen, Elliott had already run out voluntarily. Garrett raised and lowered his foot, standing in ce, feeling a bit happy. After two months of crossing over, I finally got to the point where someone helps me run errands just by asking ^_^ Mage Elliott ran down and up, holding a particrlyrge roll of paper, spreading it out diligently. Garrett smiled wryly, "It doesn''t have to be this big..." Turning his head to assess the kid''s size, he made dots and lines on the paper. Based on the size of a ten-year-old child''s torso, he outlined the entire chest cavity, the position of the vicle, and each rib. Then he drew two lung lobes. Next, he switched to a red pen and drew from the nasopharynx, trachea, all the way down to the bronchi: "These two are the lungs. Inside the lungs, there is the trachea. Teacher, you see, only the trachea is where the vine can go... Below the trachea, it divides into left and right main bronchi. The right bronchus is thicker and steeper, branching like this downwards..." Swish, swish, swish. Under his pen, the right bronchus divided into three branches, and each branch further split into ten twig-like structures. Elder Elwin supported the tabletop, stretching his neck beside, feeling dizzy. "Wait a moment, let me note this downwhy are there so many branches!" Indeed, it''s quite a lot. Garrett sighed: "So, the blood vessels inside the lungs follow the bronchi. Therefore, we divide the lungs into different bronchial segments ording to the bronchus... The right lung has 10 bronchial segments..." "Isn''t this a tongue twister?" The bald bishop blurted out. Well said. When I learned this part, I thought the same. Garrettzily shrugged. The bald bishop continuedining, "So, the left lung also has 10?" "...No, the left lung has 8 bronchial segments." Garrett rolled his eyes at him. Surprised or not? Expected or unexpected? When we learned about lobes, the teacher teased us like this... The two of them bantered a bit, while Elder Elwin still furrowed his brow, memorizing. Mumbling, "It''s so hard to remember..." It indeed was difficult. Garrett empathized; the anatomy textbook he used was full of t drawings, not easy to understand. He almost died trying to memorize it... If it weren''t for a ssmate sharing the "Netter''s As of Human Anatomy" with colored illustrations, he would have struggled to memorize it for who knows how long. "By the way, you just mentioned that the lungs are three-dimensionalso are these airways you drew pointing inwards or outwards? How should my vine go?" --------------- Chapter 83 Chapter 83 This... From 2D to 3D, Garrett Nordmark had studied everything thoroughly in the past, but exining it to these novices... If only there were a model of the lungs... Garrett nostalgically thought about it. He didn''t even hope for a specimen; he just wanted a model. In his previous life, you could buy that on Taobao! A simted human body with proportional lungs divided into three lobes each, colored trachea, bronchi, arteries, and veins, all detachable! For just a few bucks, shipping included! Garrett deeply missed his previous life. Back then, things he could easily get, now, where could he possibly buy them? Even if there was a ce to order, there was no convenient delivery like back then! Right! He could make it himself! Garrett jumped up. Magical tricks could create small objects! Rough or fake, as long as it works! He waved his hands, carefully shaping the model in the void. Under his fingertips, a model connecting from the nasopharynx to the lungs, including the trachea and bronchi, gradually appeared. As soon as it solidified, Elder Elwin Wilkinson''s vine couldn''t wait to reach in. "Don''t! Teacher, usually, the bronchoscope goes through the nasal cavity!" One had to admit, the expert was an expert. Garrett watched helplessly as Elder Elwin Wilkinson held a seed in his hand, walking to the model. No gestures, no incantationsdelicate vines grew in the wind, exploring the model''s nasal cavity. Growing, growing. Without moving his fingertips, the vine had already retracted. Elder Wilkinson lifted his face, looking at the anxious old mage: "Very smooth. Throw something inside, and let''s try again?" This works too?! Garrett remembered the times in his previous life when his colleagues in respiratory medicine carefully inserted throat mirrors and bronchoscopes, gingerly maneuvering inside. It made him shed a sympathetic tear for them. Although the visibility was much better thereOlympus'' electronic bronchoscope had arge screen, providing a clear view of the airway''s condition, unlike here, which was essentially blind maniption. But threading a tube was troublesome! Such a thin trachea and bronchi, the bronchoscope had to navigate carefully in the middle, avoiding contact with the tracheal wall. Otherwise, the airway could spasm, the patient might feel a choking sensation, and if it identally pierced a tumor or something, massive bleeding could ur... Oh well. That was all about testing the doctor''s skills! Nothing like now, where the vine was alive, living... it could grow on its own, and the master didn''t need to exert any force... Garrett squatted, drawing circles. When the old mage heard everything was going smoothly, his face brightened, and from his pocket, he took out an Aen Stone, casually handing it to Elder Wilkinson: "Watch and throw!" Elder Wilkinson took a look, threw it into the model, and shook the model a couple of times. When the rattling inside calmed down, he urged the vine again, carefully probing inside. In less than two minutes, the slender green vine tip curled around a small stone, leisurely retracting... "Is it okay?" "Better to have a guide." Elder Wilkinson thought for a moment. "When my vine went in, it went back and forth, probing several routes. When you really start, it''s better not to backtrack, sess in one go. Young Garrett?" Actually, Garrett had been thinking about the navigation problem all along. Ordinary bronchoscopes with electronic screens, he could direct; even without screens, there was an eyepiece to see inside, and he could at least direct. But this one, with no field of view at all, purely relying on the operator''s feel... "Teacher, I can''t see your vine." He first pointed out his difficulty. Before the elder could be troubled, he confidently added: "Could you mp a thin metal wire in the vine? Not too thick, just as fine as a hair. I can then see where the vine is and guide you." "This... I''ll give it a try..." As it turned out, Elder Wilkinson''s control was still quite strong. The vine slightly deformed, almost adhering to a delicate metal wire, growing in the wind. Garrett quietly cast a detection spell. In his meditative vision, dark lines gently swayed, rising like a snake. "It works. I can see." Garrett rxed. The old mage sighed in relief: "That''s good. Can we start now? Is there anything else needed?" This question was directed at Garrett. By now, the old mage had figured out that this young apprentice, also a priest apprentice, was evidently the one leading this treatment. If not him, then who? Though Garrett was young and had a low level, there were many things he couldn''t do, but when others were still in confusion, he seemed to have aplete n in mind. The old mage even felt that if there were suitable materials, Garrett could probablyplete the treatment on his own. He quickly felt fortunate for asking this question. Elder Wilkinson remained silent, and the bald bishop also stayed quiet. Apparently, to them, Garrett overseeing everything was only natural. Garrett stood in ce, thought for a moment, and began asking questions one by one: "Did George have breakfast this morning?" "No. He said he felt ufortable and couldn''t eat." "What about drinking? Even a drop of water counts, milk, juice, anything?" "No." The old mage raised worries about his grandson again, frowning. "He''s so young and refuses to eat or drink, how can he endure this..." In the middle of his sigh, Garrett''s expression slightly eased, eyes narrowing. "Not eating or drinking is good. Your Excellency, the non-painful divine magic you used earlier, can it numb the throat so he won''t feel anything when something is inserted?" "Ah... uh..." The bald bishop was tongue-tied. His head tilted left and then right, pondering for a while, shaking his head: "I don''t know. Is that important?" "Very important. If the throat isn''t numb, the vine can''t go in; it could be fatal!" Garrett earnestly warned. In his past life, who dared to perform a bronchoscopy without anesthesia? Coughing, choking, in severe cases, people could die! The bald bishop was in a dilemma. Scratching his head for a long time, thankfully, he was bald; otherwise, he might have pulled out a handful of hair. Finally, he arrived at an inconclusive conclusion: "Divine magic mainly depends on the guidance of the caster. I can concentrate the power mainly on the throat, but whether it works, I''m really not sure... Otherwise, shall we find someone to try it?" "If you''re willing to try, that''s great." Mage Gelman, who had been listening on the side, finally saw a glimmer of hope and heaved a sigh of relief. "Wait a moment; I''ll go call a servant. ke!" "Mage, what are your orders?" A youngd immediately pushed the door and entered, bowing respectfully. Garrett recognized him as the servant from the mage tower, responsible for running errands on the fifth floor and attending to Mage Gelman''s daily life. While reading on the first floor, Garrett asionally saw him among the servants, bragging about things like "the mage turned me into a frog" with an animated crowd around, marveling. But now, hearing what Mage Gelman instructed him to do, the youngd''s face turned pale, changing from ke to White: "Ma...Mage, I''ve been faithfully serving you... faithfully... faithfully..." tter, tter, tter. The young servant''s legs trembled, shaking like ying a pipa, echoing on the floor. --------------- Chapter 84 Chapter 84 "Don''t waste time, do it quickly!" ke nervously opened his mouth, his legs trembling like cotton. Seeing that it wouldn''t work this way, Mage Gelman flicked his fingers, and a chair flew over to cushion his bottom. Elder Elwin Wilkinson lowered his head and muttered a prayer, and the light barrier descended. ke immediately froze in ce, eyes wide open in shock. Only his mouth was moving, but no sound came out. Elder Elwin frowned slightly and, unable to bear it, reached out his hand. Verdant vines snaked up, quickly entering ke''s nostrils. In no time, ke''s eyes bulged out, and his face was covered in tears and snot, struggling desperately. "Quiet! Quiet! Hold back the coughing, breathe shallowly..." Garrett tried tofort him, but it had no effect. Seeing the young man''s eyes growingrger, with the whites turning red from the blood vessels, Garrett finally sighed and raised his hand to stop them. "Alright, let me try." "You''re insane! You''re a mage!" Both the bald bishop and Elder Elwin shouted simultaneously. Garrett smiled brightly at them and shook his head. "It''s okay, teacher. I know what will happen; I won''t be as nervous as him. At times like this, the more rxed you are, the less likely you''ll get hurt. Besides, teacher''s vines won''t harm me, right?" Elder Elwin still had a dark expression. Garrett sighed again. "I need to try it myself to know if this will work and what to pay attention to. Come on, it''s okay; after all, I am a doctor." "What?" "I am a doctor." Garrett repeated it, his expression gradually firm. In this world where everyone only knew healers and not doctors, his words might not be understood. But at this moment, no words could better reflect his feelings than the two words, "I''m a doctor." In the past, senior doctors had experimented with hepatitis vines on themselves when there were no goris avable. Some had pioneered interventional surgeries by inserting tubes into veins. Others had tested polio vines on their own sons... So, what''s wrong with me trying magical anesthesia on myself? It''s just a bronchoscopy. As long as I''m careful, I won''t suffer any harm! He raised his left hand, touching his throat, his expression determined. "Bishop, remember, only make the lower part of my chin to the chest numb. Teacher, look at my gestures, continue if I point down, and withdraw if I point up. Alright, let''s do it!" As the white light rxed, ke scrambled out of the room. After a brief pause, the same white light descended on Garrett again. Is the magical anesthesiaplete? Garrett reached out to touch his throat, giving it a firm squeeze. It felt dull, really no pain at all, simr to the sensation under local anesthesia. Not bad, non-toxic, no side effects, and it doesn''t seem to burden the liver and kidneys. I wonder if I can learn this in the future... Garrett eased his worries. Wanting to speak, he felt his tongue numb - the level of anesthesia seemed a bit high. He tried to smile, raising his hand in a thumbs-up gesture, then pointed to his nostrils:e! Elder Elwin stepped forward, still with a worried expression, frowning at him. Seeing Garrett nodding firmly, he could only raise his hand and guide the vines into his nostrils. The vines were extremely thin. Garrett estimated their diameter to be less than 2 millimeters, simr to newly grown grapevines. When observing from the side, it didn''t seem much, but now, as it approached him, Garrett felt a slight nervousness before calming down. This is much thinner than the bronchoscopes used in their hospital. The adult fiberoptic bronchoscope they used was still 4.8-4.9mm in outer diameter, more than twice as thick as this! In his past life, he had heard a respiratory medicine friend praise thetest ultra-thin bronchoscopes with an outer diameter of only 2.2mm. Patients experienced almost no pain. Unexpectedly, after transmigrating, he could enjoy this in another world, and it was even thinner... Garrett tried to reassure himself not to be nervous. As the vine entered his nasal cavity, he hardly felt anything until it passed the uv, making Garrett frown slightly, feeling a bit ufortable. This is a challenging point, Garrett thought. Passing the vocal cords had always been a challenging part of bronchoscopy. Counting his breaths one by one, flipping his wrist, he suddenly pointed downwards. It became even more ufortable. It felt a bit stuffy, and he wanted to cough... If it weren''t for the vine being exceptionally thin, using the standard bronchoscope from his past life, by this time, the sense of suffocation would be strong, and many patients would have tears and snot all over their faces... Even with mental preparation, Garrett reflexively furrowed his brows. He tried to control himself, inhaling and exhaling, inhaling again, and then exhaling. After half a minute, his expression gradually rxed. He raised his finger and gave themand to "withdraw." Not long after, a green shadow shed in the corner of his eye, and the vine withdrew without any problems. Elder Elwin rushed up to support him. "Garrett! How was it?" "Cough, cough, cough..." Garrett bent over, coughing for a while. After stopping, he took a deep breath and raised a smiling face. "It should be fine. The vine is thin; the child should be able to endure it. Bishop, increase the numbness in the throat. Teacher, when the vine passes the vocal cords" he pointed to his throat, "at this point, don''t force it. Follow the person''s breathing. When the vocal cords naturally open, let the vine slide in..." The preparations were finallypleted. The kid was forcibly lifted, shivering, and ced on a chair. The old mage unconsciously became nervous, clenching his fists and standing by his grandson''s side, his voice trembling. "Is he okay... nothing will happen, right..." "He''ll be fine; you can rx." Elder Elwin held the old mage''s hands,forting him softly. Garrett lowered his head beside him, looking strange. The old mage nced at him and instantly focused on him. "What''s wrong? Do you have something to say?" "Nothing..." "Really?" The old mage raised an eyebrow. "This is important. Please tell me the truth; don''t hide anything from me..." Garrett opened his mouth. Originally, he didn''t want to say it, but for some reason, it just came out: "Don''t worry; bronchoscopy is generally safe, but it may cause difort and nausea in the throat. In some cases, it may cause the followingplications: 1. Bleeding during or after the procedure, severe bleeding can lead to suffocation and death; 2. Infection; 3. Postoperative fever; 4. Damage to surrounding tissues or organs, pneumothorax; 5. Cardiovascr idents; 6. Edema of therynx, asthma, spasms of the trachea and bronchi leading to hypoxemia and suffocation; 7. Reflux or hypoxemia leading to death; 8. Anesthetic allergy (let''s ignore this, divine magic anesthesia has no allergies). If any of these conditions ur, we will actively address them, and I believe the treatment skills of you esteemed masters can definitely bring the person back What kind of magic did you use on me!!!" Garrett suddenly realized. At the same time, the old mage had already blurted out: "Why so many things happened!!!" He was just worried about his grandson, casually casting an enchantment to tease the little guy. The result was this endless string of horrifying information, each one scarier than thest Just getting an Aen Stone, how could there be such terrifying consequences! --------------- Chapter 85 Chapter 85 The old mage''s face turned as dark as an impending storm. Garrett opened his mouth but was momentarily unsure whether to defend himself, flip the table, or argue his case... Honestly, I''ve seen all sorts of medical disputes in my past life. Unauthorized recordings, videos, signing consent forms with fading ink, signing and then denying it, shouting that we don''t understand. Human nature, always innovating. With over a decade of clinical experience, working in the explosive environment of the emergency department, he considered himself seasoned, adept at handling all kinds of confrontations. Yet, no defense could withstand this magical maniption of words! Moreover, did I express thisplication just a bit too bluntly? I knew people from other realms weren''t bombarded with consent forms; they might find it difficult to adapt... But now, there''s no time for regrets. Besides, this isn''t a matter of regret. He''s the victim here, having fallen under someone else''s magic spell controlling his speech. Garrett hadn''t figured out how to defend himself when Elder Elwin Wilkinson pulled him behind, his face turning iron blue. "What are you doing?! Treat him if you can, or we''ll leave!" Great, back when dealing with medical disputes, we couldn''t just shout, "Treat or leave!" Garrett felt a touch of sadness and huddled behind his teacher, looking as if the sky was falling and someone influential was holding it up. Elder Elwin Wilkinson mmed his oak staff on the ground, pointing it at the old mage, shouting with authority, causing the mountains to tremble: "Who wants to harm your grandson?! Who would take such a risk?! If young Garrett doesn''t step forward, if he doesn''t say he has a solution, can you me him? The method has been exined, how to do it has been taught, he allowed us to try it on him, and now, just because he says ''such cases are rare,'' you want to interrogate him?!" Teacher, you''re amazing. It''s great to have traveled through time T_T. If I shouted like this in a hospital in my past life, with just one patientint, the hospital administration would havee knocking... Garrett sighed inwardly. Elder Elwin''s scolding had the desired effect, and the old mage kept apologizing, promising not to cause trouble even if anything went wrong. After much fuss, the elder finally calmed down and waved his hand: "Alright, let''s begin the treatment..." "I don''t want to" The boy screamed. The ten-year-old boy''s voice was sharp and bright, almost reaching a dolphin-like pitch, just a little short. Garrett''s hand trembled, and halfway through casting the detection spell, it dissipated. A swooshing sound, Elder Elwin''s vines retracted, transforming back into a seed. "George! Behave!" The old mage scolded. Unfortunately, he was previously busy apologizing to Elder Elwin and, in a moment of distraction, let the restraining spell expire. The naughty child, tied up and forced to listen all this while, was already trembling with fear. Now, with a chance to escape, he rolled on the floor: "I don''t wantI don''t wantcough, cough, coughGrandpa, save me, I''ll behavecough, cough, coughI don''t want vines poking into my lungscough, cough, cough, cough" In his terror, the mischievous child disyed astonishing mobility, pouncing onto the old mage. Tears and snot smeared over the mage''s robe as the old man lifted him up, dropped him heavily onto a chair, and bellowed: "Don''t move!" Another magic spell shot out. The boy froze on the chair, wide-eyed, unable to make a sound. Constrained by magic, even the tip of his little finger couldn''t move, forced to stare with wide eyes, tears streaming, his face pleading. This pitiful sight garnered no sympathy. The old mage''s face darkened, he pulled at his beard, ring: "Crying, crying, why cry! I told you to behave! I told you not to roll on the floor! I told you not to put the Aen Stone in your mouth! Will you dare do it again in the future?!" The little guy cried even harder. Garrett sighed silently and intervened, "Wait a moment." The plea turned into a hopeful expression. Garrett, ignoring him, looked at Gelman us: "We need someone to wipe his nose. With it like this, the vines might have difficulty entering." "Makes sense. - ke!" With amand, the young servant who had just escaped appeared again, holding a basin of water and a towel... The expression on the naughty child''s face changed from joy to resentment, but helpless, he was covered with a towel, wiping his face vigorously. Then, suddenly, his vision went ck, as Garrettmanded: "Cover his eyes." The bald bishop cast a divine spell, Elder Elwin manipted the vines, and the old mage activated the detection spell. Garrett stood beside the mischievous child, sometimes moving to the front, sometimes circling to the side, monitoring the vine''s position in his meditative vision, giving constant instructions: "Downward." "Downward." "Continue downward." "Wait a moment, we''re at the vocal cords. Don''t rush forward. When he breathes, the vocal cords will naturally open, then proceed downward..." "Left! A slight diagonal downward, good, that angle is just right! Continue forward, stop! Turn left, pause a moment, let me check from the side..." "Move it inward a bit, a bit more, good, the position is right. Don''t rush, let the vine slowly grow, naturally extending inside..." "Very good, we''re there! Wrap around that stone! Once it''s secure, slowly pull it back, don''t rush, the upper airway is thicker than the lower one..." With onemand from him and one action from Elder Elwin, it didn''t take long for the dim glow of the Aen Stone to retract from the throat in Garrett''s meditative vision. Without Garrett''s orders, a vine separated, pushed open the boy''s teeth, and gracefully sent the pale yellow stone out. "It''s done..." Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, took two steps back, and almost sat on the bed edge. Finally, it''s over. All those risks andplications he worried about won''t happen now! He spoke softly, giving orders: "It''s fine now... Bishop, dispel the divine spell, let him cough... Try to cough up the phlegm as much as possible. Then, proceed with the treatment. You all understand better than me..." While givingmands, he stared fixedly at the Aen Stone. To be fair, he had seen quite a few foreign bodies in the airways, thanks to a respiratory medicine friend with a collecting obsession, gathering all sorts of foreign bodies in a cabbut certainly not including this thing! I wish I could send it to him... A unique existence in the world, enough material for an excellent case report! "Symptoms and Subsequent Treatment of Aen Stone Entering the Airway" - Hmm, with an article like that, I wonder if The Lancet would publish it... Sighs of relief echoed. With the lifting of the restraining magic and the dissipation of the divine spell, the naughty child jumped down, his high-pitched cries ringing out: "Wowcough, cough, cough, coughwow" "Shut up!" The old mage moved swiftly, grabbing his grandson''s ears. With a forceful pull, he brought him in front of Elder Elwin: "Bow! Thank him!" "Wow...sniff...thank you, thank you for the treatment..." The mischievous child, sniffling, bowed in session. After thanking Elder Elwin, the bald bishop, and the high priest, he was then brought by his grandfather in front of Garrett. Crying and sniffing, he bowed deeply: "Thank you for the treatment...sniff..." "Anything else?" The old mage urged. The naughty child was pulled by the ears again, sobbing, and bowed deeply once more: "Sorry... I shouldn''t have snatched your Aen Stone... I won''t dare again..." Ah, it would be so good if all children were taught this way. Garrett sighed quietly and reached out to support him: "It''s okay..." He suddenly froze, his expression strange. Elder Elwin, who had just finished casting his spell, saw him standing there dumbfounded and couldn''t help asking: "What''s wrong, young Garrett?" "Teacher..." Garrett raised a trembling hand: "I seem to be... having a breakthrough..." --------------- Chapter 86 Chapter 86 "Are you about to break through?" "Little Garrett, are you really going to break through? That''s fantastic!" "How did it happen?" Questions, congrattions, footsteps the fifth floor of the Mage Tower buzzed with noise. Garrett kept his eyes closed, not answering, focusing entirely on sensing his own condition. A breakthrough was imminent. An upgrade was on the horizon. The sensation was subtle and challenging to describe, like catching a whiff of flowers in a windless nightno evidence, but undeniably present. Garrett first felt it when he stepped forward, saying, "I can see, I have a solution," proposing a n to extract foreign objects from the airway using vines guided by X-rays. As he drew diagrams and models, instructing Elder Elwin on the operation, it felt like a gentle spring rain in the dark, filling the pond. And when the surgery waspleted, and the Aen Stone was extracted, the ripples silently overflowed the banks. "Breakthrough? Little Garrett, are you bing an official mage?" Elliott blurted out. Mage Gelman us, though silent, watched him anxiously. Garrett was just a hair away from passing the Mage Tower assessment; a breakthrough at this moment would fill that score gap! Garrett remained silent. He stood up in a trance, as if meditating or sleepwalking. His palm lifted, extended forward, flipped, and pressed against his chest. In front of everyone, between the closed fingers, a faint but warm white light emerged! "Healing Spell!" Elder Elwin''s eyes lit up. At the same time, the old mage sighed softly, full of disappointment: "It''s a breakthrough to the Priest level..." The gentle healing power seeped into his chest like a fine rain, soothing the faint burning and difort. Garrett let out a long sigh; without this healing spell, the difort in his throat and the persistent cough would have been unavoidable. Part-time priest, not bad. Curing oneself of any ailment at a moment''s noticequite convenient! Vibrant energy surged at his fingertips. Garrett smiled, opening his eyes. Mage Elliott rushed over, grabbing his hand. "This is amazing! Garrett, it''s truly amazing!" He was overflowing with joy. While he didn''t understand the types of priestly magic, the intensity of the magical fluctuations was palpable. Garrett''s Healing Spell was indeed of a first-level priest''s strength. Seeing his happiness, Garrett was also in high spirits. For some reason, he felt like cracking a joke to tease his friends. "But I broke through to the Priest level. Not the Mage level, hmm..." "So what!" Elliott held onto his hand: "When you first came, you were a priest apprentice. In just a few days, you learned meditation and immediately became a mage apprentice. Now you''ve broken through to the Priest level, bing a full-fledged magejust a matter of days!" "But it''s toote..." Garrett pretended to sigh: "The Mage Tower assessment..." "No problem with the assessment." The old mage smiled, watching them celebrate. Hearing this, he interjected: "Garrett Nordmark, I admit, I underestimated your thesis. The use of detection magic in healing is more extensive, and the effect is more powerful than I imagined. Even if it requires advanced magical items, in terms of practicality, it can at least score a solid five." "Yeah!" "Passed!" Cheers soared high. Garrett blinked in ce, only then realizing that his score had changed, and his magic rating had directly jumped to 60 points Correspondingly, the Mage Tower''s total score in magical creation overflowed to 115 points. And when the Mage Tower''s assessment results were calcted, it skyrocketed to 93.55 points! Grade B! With rewards! Resource incentives! Elliott and Kn, two young mages, raised their hands high,ughing and jumping. After a while, one of them grabbed Garrett Nordmark''s hand and shook it vigorously,ughing. If they had enough people and strength, they might have lifted him up and thrown him into the sky: "We passed!" "Excellent results!" "No more tough days next year!" "All thanks to you!!!" Gelman us, as the master of the Mage Tower, didn''t behave as recklessly as them but showed an approving smile, nodding slightly to Garrett. The surprises from the old mage were yet toe: "Modify this paper, and with today''s achievement, I''ll personally rmend it. If it gets published in a good journal with a high rating, the Magic Council will even reward you." "Thank you so much..." Garrett whispered his thanks. Having a renowned figure endorse a paper makes a huge difference; if he were to submit it himself, the best oue would be a review period of over six months. The old mage waved his hand with a smile and earnestly advised him: "Don''t mention it. You are a mage of our lineage, and it''s my duty. Go ahead, study magic diligently. Mages who can discover new spells often have a bright future, and they face fewer obstacles during promotionspared to others. Oh, and take this mana pearl for your advancement, use it wisely!" A shiny white pearl was tossed over. Garrett quickly caught it, and upon closer inspection, the pearl was the size of a little finger, perfectly round and slightly glowing. Before he could express his gratitude, Gelman us interjected: "Don''t forget to thank the teacher! It''s a level-two mana pearl. It can replicate one of your level-two spells every day. Noteworthy because it can be used by both mages and priests. Once you level up, it''lle in handy!" "Is this... swapping the Aen Stone for a mana pearl?" Garrett hurriedly expressed his thanks. Thankfully, he''d rather have this pearl than the Aen Stone he had pulled from his lungs. And regarding the one the old mage had taken out yesterday, if it were this pearl... Given its size, it might have not only lodged in the bronchus but perhaps even blocked the airway entirely. Garrett kept imagining, his thoughts flowing rapidly. Beside him, Elder Elwin Wilkinson chuckled and pointed to the old mage: "Trying to make things difficult for me, aren''t you? Since you''ve given such a valuable gift, I can''t be light-handed with my own disciple''s advancement. Garrett, go out with the teacher tomorrow; he''ll prepare a healing wand for you!" As this statement was made, several influential figures showed subtle reactions, indicating the considerable value of the healing wand. Just as Garrett was expressing his gratitude, the bald bishop chuckled and pulled something out of his pocket: "Since everyone is so generous, I can''t be stingy. Little Garrett, take this!" A heavy metal badgended in Garrett''s palm. When he looked down, it was a shield-shaped silver badge, with an ancient and slightly dim hue. The bald bishop continued to chat away: "It has a protective spell attached. Once a day, it can withstand a full-force strike from a level-one warrior. Just wear it on your body. If you don''t want it to be conspicuous, you can keep it in your pocket." "Bishop, this is too valuable!" "What''s valuable about it! Those drawings you did today, give them to me!" Two consecutive people gave gifts, and the high priest of the Fountain of Springs Temple also had to join in, taking out a bottle of healing potion and stuffing it into Garrett''s hand. Garrett didn''t care what level the potion was; he thanked them nheless. Whatever level it was, he''d figure it out once he had it in his hands! Left hand holding the mana pearl, right hand with the protective badge, and a bottle of healing potion tucked between his fingers. Garrett couldn''t even hold them all, feeling like singing on the spot, "A chicken in the left hand, a duck in the right hand." Lucky for him, leveling up on the spot, what a huge profit! Laughter and joy filled the scene, and Gelman us, on behalf of the Mage Tower, presented consultation fees to the leaders of several church factions. After the banquet, he escorted them quite a distance. Upon returning to the Mage Tower, just as Garrett sat down to conduct an experiment, a servant reported: "The Elder of the Nature Cult and the Bishop of the Temple of the God of War have returned together." --------------- Chapter 87 Chapter 87 "Elders? Bishops? What are they here for?" Mage Gelman us was puzzled. A thought naturally crossed his mind: Could it be that these two are not looking for him but for young Garrett instead? "Call... Garrett, and wee our guests!" With amand given, Garrett hastily received the message and rushed downstairs. As soon as he entered the hall, he heardughtering from the reception room, where two individuals were teasing each other. The bald bishop exuded confidence, while Elder Elwin Wilkinson spoke with a moderate tone. Their banter was clear and struck right to the heart: "Why are you here?" "Aren''t you here too?" "I came to find my disciple! What about you?" "Need to run to the vige to find your disciple and then sneak back?" "You did the same, entering the city with the High Priest and then sneaking back!" "If not, how can I outpace that old man?" "You''re not trying to outpace that old man but me! Forget it, Garrett is my disciple!" Garrett nced at Mage Gelman us and silently lowered his head. Teachers, bishops, can''t you stop arguing in the mage tower? It''s embarrassing in front of Mage Gelman us! Mage Gelman us was also somewhat surprised. They really came for Garrett? This young man, a newly promoted level one priest and a mage apprentice, was actually being treated differently by the two leaders of the church. It even seemed like they considered him a coborator! In that case, the treatment he received in the mage tower shouldn''t be too low... He discreetly took two steps back, coughed, and then led Garrett inside. The reception room immediately fell silent, and the two healers sat opposite each other with cheerful smiles. It seemed like they hadn''t been arguing at all. "Mage, I apologize for disturbing you again," the bald bishop said, though his face showed no signs of remorse as he boldly took a seat on the sofa. His legs stretched out, upying the space for two people. "We''vee to discuss the matter from yesterday... Garrett, about the n for cleaning up the city, continue!" Garrett''s eyes lit up. He had indeed stayed up all night toplete the n, but he hadn''t figured out when to approach his teacher and how to convince him. Who would have thought that the opportunity would present itself without him actively seeking it! "Bishop, Elder," he stopped in his tracks, slightly bowing, "please wait a moment, and I''ll fetch the n for you to review." "You''ve actually written it down? Hurry up!" Garrett hurriedly ascended the stairs, then descended with a rolled-up parchment in his hand. He handed it forward, left, right, front three hands simultaneously grabbed the corners of the paper. Garrett: "..." Oh no, who do I give this to? There''s no copier in this darn realm. Mage Gelman us immediately relieved him of his embarrassment. The mage squeezed the paper, gave Garrett a stern look, then gestured outside. "Go get two more sheets! Copying spell!" Oh, right, the copying spell... or you can call it the duplication spell. How could I forget about this magic! Mage, you''re really something, willingly serving as a human copier! Garrett ran off, and in a moment, he returned with a stack of papers from the nearby library. Mage Gelman us waved his hand, and the n sheet multiplied one became two, two became four, instantly providing everyone in the not-sorge reception room with a copy. Mage Gelman us took care to ensure Garrett didn''t miss out on his copy. Each of the big shots focused on reading, and Garrett sat upright, adopting a posture ready to defend his thesis, prepared to answer questions at any moment. "Huh?" The first to exim in surprise was the bald bishop. "You can make money doing this?" "You''re only thinking about spending money, aren''t you?" Elder Elwin Wilkinson mocked him. Then he turned to Garrett and exined, "When this guy was a child, his whole family died in a gue, leaving only him adopted by the temple. When ites to cleaning the streets and preventing gues, others may not care, but he cares the most." Garrett nodded in agreement. Beside the elder, Mage Gelman us turned another page of the n, contemting: "Composting? Dposition? You have to handle it like this before fertilizing? No wonder they said not to use manure before... So, how big should theposting pit be? Venttion is also needed below, how do you do that? And when to fertilize, how much per acre? Garrett, why did you write this so ambiguously?" "Because I only knew this much..." Garrett felt helpless. He studied medicine, not agriculture, and this stuff was only from novels. Seniors, historians, why didn''t you write more details? "Alright, let''s give these things a try," Elder Elwin Wilkinson chimed in. The priests of the Radiant Church regrly roamed the countryside, often teaching farmers how to cultivate. Now, they had an additional subject. Even if the input and output just bnced, the power of faith gained in the process was a gain for the church. "Regardless, the logic of increasing yields with manure is correct. This business can make money," he continued. "Then let''s do it together!" Bishop Lord Joane and Mage Gelman us eximed simultaneously. They exchanged smiles, about to discuss specific shares, when an inharmonious voice hastily interrupted. "We can''t be in such a rush!" Garrett Nordmark leaned forward, hands on his knees, speaking with urgency. "How to dig the pits, how topost, when to fertilize, and how much fertilizer to apply for the best yield increase all of these need to be experimented with to find the best methods to teach the farmers. Otherwise, they won''t listen, and forcing them might lead to trouble!" As he spoke, his expression darkened slightly, and he seemed a bit uneasy. Elder Wilkinson nodded, "That''s right. It''ll take at least a year to figure out the best methods." "But cleaning the streets sooner would be better..." Garrett''s speech sped up again. His right hand, firmly clutching a money pouch at his waist, was moist: "Teachers, Mage Excellency, Bishop, can''t we find a way to start the cleanup work first?" The more Garrett spoke, the more uneasy he became. A project requiring several hundred gold coins to start, probably exceeding a thousand, with returns visible only after a year, and who knows how many years to recover costs, or if they could recover at all pitching such a project to investors would likely be a tough sell. The sincerity he could offer and the upfront investment he could provide were only "If you need money..." Garrett extended his right hand forward. With a ng, the money pouch gifted by Viscount Joane yesterdaynded on the table. "Heyhow can we use your kid''s money?" Mage Gelman immediately objected. Elder Wilkinson, however, raised a hand to stop him: "No, let him contribute." "What?" "This business counts as his share." Bishop Lord Joane also caught on and interjected without hesitation. He took the money pouch and casually ced it on the table: "Besides young Garrett, the three of us will contribute equally, and profits will be divided equally." "Equal distribution isn''t suitable," Elder Wilkinson shook his head. "Experimenting withposting methods and teaching farmers is something only we can do, and those farmers only trust us." "We''ll handle convincing the Lord!" Bishop Joane asserted without showing weakness. "As for the street cleaning, I''ll contact the City Guards to handle it, and they should get their share too!" "The Mage Tower can providend," Mage Gelman quickly added. Bishop Joane snorted, "Land? Tenant farmers? We have those too!" "We can also convince the Lord!" "Just the City Guards, who can''t we handle?" "The Mage Tower gets thirty percent!" "At most, twenty-five percent! Otherwise, look for someone else!" The harmonious and friendly academic discussion turned into a bickering marketce scene in the blink of an eye. Moreover, itcked any technical content, resembling the bargaining of street vendors. Garrett was dumbfounded. --------------- Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Perhaps the elders felt that quarreling in front of apprentices was beneath their dignity, as Garrett Nordmark was quickly dismissed. It wasn''t until the next day, when Elder Elwin Wilkinson took him to get the oak wand, that he was informed of his share: "Consider it half. Little one, don''tin. The Guild''s money is ten times yours, and you only get thirty percent!" Oh, the technology I provided is also included in the shares. The elders are quite generous! "Just that you won''t see the money until next year. Little Garrett, if you ever need funds for magical research, let me know!" "Teacher, the money isn''t urgent" Garrett lived and ate in the Mage Tower, with no immediate expenses. Sir Westlow thanked him with ten gold coins, and after healing Baron''s wrist, he received another fifteen gold coins. With a hefty sum in hand, Garrett felt no financial strain and showed no sense of urgency: "The important thing is to start the cleanup quickly. Teacher, if you''re slow, the danger of the gue increases. Please be cautious!" "Got it! Child, you don''t need to worry about this matter!" Elder Elwin responded impatiently, lifting Garrett and leaping onto the treetops. Garrett tried to speak but was met with a gust of strong wind, leaving him no choice but to remain silent. The ce Elder Elwin brought him to was the hill where worshippers of the god of nature gathered on every new moon night. From the foot to the summit of the mountain, countless oak trees covered the sky densely. Elder Elwin carried him halfway up the mountain and then dropped him off: "Find a tree." "What?" Garrett was bewildered. On such arge mountain with oak trees everywhere, you want me to find a tree without any specific guidance? Teacher, at least give me a target! "Each of us uses an oak wand that we cultivate ourselves, starting from an acorn when we receive education," Elder Elwin exined without providing any hints. Instead, he stood aside, mmed the wand into the ground, and slowly began to narrate: "Children starting their education will nt an acorn in an open space, wait for it to take root and sprout, growing into a sapling. On the day they be apprentices, with the help of their teachers, they turn the sapling into a wand." From then on, this wand grows with them, fighting alongside them, experiencing decades or even centuries of storms. Until the end, it returns to the forest with its owner... "And what about me...?" Garrett couldn''t help but ask. Growing an acorn into a sapling takes several years. Forget about apprentices trained from childhood. Did you bring me here just to give me an acorn for an oak wand? "Your situation is special. However, in the thousands of years of the teachings of the god of nature, there are methods to deal with it. Find an oak tree, and then I''ll tell you what to do next." "How do I find one?" "Search with your heart. Release your mind, feel, listen. You will discover the oak tree that resonates with you the most." Is it really that metaphysical? Garrett was astonished. Leaving aside whether this feeling is reliable, even if it is, should I just follow my feelings Teacher, this is a slope! Are you sure I won''t step into thin air and roll down the mountain? He looked at Elder Elwin anxiously. Elder Elwin''s face was calm but resolute. After a brief standoff, Garrett turned his head and sighed, climbing towards the mountaintop. Feeling, sitting at the top and feeling downward, maybe the coverage is a bitrger? He climbed to the top, wiped off the sweat, and sat in the middle of a stone circle to meditate. One minute, two minutes... The effect was quite good. The elements around him seemed to be active, but regarding which tree is more reliable... Sorry, in his meditative state, he couldn''t even see the trees. Garrett struggled, then struggled again, and struggled once more. Calmly meditating for a minute after another, suddenly, a shimmering green dot appeared in his meditative vision. Bright and dim, like breathing. Garrett stood up as if sleepwalking. Following the direction of the green dot, stepping deep, stepping shallow. He didn''t know how long he had walked or whether he had trippedprobably not, at least he hadn''t fallen out of the meditative statefinally, he pounced forward and hit the tree bark with his mouth. "Spit, spit, spit!" Garrett tasted bitterness in his mouth, turned his head, and spat out in confusion. After spitting, he looked ahead, and there stood towering trees, blocking out the sky. Garrett extended his arms as far as possible, wanting to embrace the trunk, only to find that his arms were stretched to the maximum, forming an angle, much like leaning against a wall. ... How big is this tree? How many years has it grown! "This is the oldest tree in the forest." A voice suddenly sounded from behind. Garrett jumped in surprise and saw Elder Elwin holding an oak wand, looking at him with aplicated expression: "Legend has it that the first elder of the local Nature God''s teachings, before his death, nted his oak wand in the ground, and then, it grew into this oak tree." ... How many years is that? A thousand years? Two thousand years? The life of an oak tree is about four hundred years, right? Forget it, in a world with divine magic and magic, don''t apply knowledge from my past life... Garrett silently turned his head and looked at the big tree. Elder Elwin patted his shoulder: "Pray." Pray... Pray for what? Pray to whom? To this tree? Garrett looked at the big tree with a belly full of doubts, lowered his head pretendingly, sping his hands in front of his chest. The chanting around him started softly, and after a while, he was suddenly touched, reflexively reaching out With a "plunk," a dark brown acorn fell into his hands. "Teacher" Garrett turned back in amazement. However, just as he was about to react, Elder Elwin leaped up, his robe fluttering, and went straight up the tree trunk. After a moment of silence, he handed Garrett a bundle of verdant: "Mistletoe. Take it." Garrett hurriedly epted it. Elder Elwin lifted him again, arrived at the middle of the stone circle at the summit, and with a ng, threw a dagger at him: "Soak the acorn in your blood. Then, wrap it with mistletoe, bury it in the soil, and think about making it grow quickly." Garrett did it without saying a word. He crouched in the center of the circle, pressed the loose soil on the ground with his hands, concentrated, and visualizedor imaginedthe appearance of the oak tree rising from the ground. Silence surrounded him, only the rustling of leaves in the summer breeze. Unconsciously, there was a great pressure umting in the air, even the chirping of birds around disappeared. Suddenly, everything went dark in front of Garrett. His body weakened, limbs powerless, as if something was extracting his strengthjust then, a slight movement under his fingertips, a trace of green breaking through the soil, a stem, a raised head, leaves unfolding... Not enough! I want more! I want to grow! Give me power A greedy thought came from that green. Garrett''s head spun, his brain dizzy, he knelt down with a thud. Not enough, even if you suck me dry... you''ve only grown two leaves... He silently spoke to the green shoot. A hand suddenly rested on the back of his neck, a warm and vast power surged down, turned in a circle, and gushed out from his fingertips. The green shoot responded with a wave of joy, rustling, rapidly growing. Garrett knelt on the ground, watching it grow taller than his head, the main stem from translucent to the thickness of chopsticks, to the thickness of a pen, to the thickness of a cup''s mouth. Finally, seven or eight main roots pulled themselves out of the soil, carrying a y of light, silently shrinking into the trunk "Take it." Elder Elwin lifted him up, grabbed the just-grown sapling, and handed it to him: "This is your oak wand!" --------------- Chapter 89 Chapter 89 Garrett Nordmark stared nkly at the oak staff in his hand. He turned it sideways, weighed it, then held it upright and gave it a poke on the ground. The staff felt heavy in his hand, and the smooth, verdant trunk he grasped felt like a young tree, untouched by wind and rain. From the trunk to the treetop, there were no visible branches, only two tightly closed green leaves at the top. At first nce, it looked more like a decorative item carved out than a functional staff. Is this... my oak staff? Garrett turned to ask, but when his gaze fell on Elder Elwin Wilkinson, he was immediately shocked. "Teacher!" The old man seemed like he had just emerged from water. The color drained from his face, wrinkles deepened, and sweat covered his beard. Using the oak staff as support, he stood unsteadily in ce, as if a gust of wind could blow him away. How much did Elder Elwin sacrifice for his oak staff during the process of inducing the sprouts earlier? "Teacher..." Garrett rushed to support the old man. His fingers were brushed away when he tried to help, but Elder Elwin Wilkinson burst intoughter, grabbing Garrett''s wrist in return. Though exhausted, he was exuberant, proud to the extreme: "You don''t know! Little Garrett, you don''t know! Only the most outstanding apprentices can use this spell! Old Hiss boasted for so long after using it once! Now it''s finally my turn!Come, try it!" His fingers were as hard as iron hoops. Garrett struggled for a moment but couldn''t break free, nor did he dare to force his way out. Following the teacher''s guidance, he silently focused his mental power into the oak staff, releasing a healing spell. A faint white light emanated from the green leaves at the staff''s tip. Garrett carefully felt it and reported softly: "Casting is smoother... and the consumption is lower... It feels like at least a ten percent reduction..." "Anything else?" The elder urged. Garrett frowned, allowing his mental power to circte within the oak staff, and suddenly he was surprised: "This is alive?!" "Yes! It''s alive!" Elder Elwin Wilkinson stroked his beard and smiled. Turning to gaze at the wooden staff in his hand, he looked gentle, as if he was looking at a trustedrade: "This is a method unique to our Natural Sect! One of a kind! Little Garrett, although it looks like an ordinary wooden staff, it''s alive! It will grow! Carry it with you, meditate with it, cast spells with it, and its abilities will grow with you, never falling behind!" A ten percent reduction in casting consumption at the basic level and the potential for growththese two attributes alone already made it a solid orange-grade item. Garrett was amazed, holding the oak staff and deeply bowing to Elder Elwin Wilkinson: "Teacher, rest assured, I won''t let you down!" "Teacher believes you won''t." Elder Elwin Wilkinson lifted him up, patted his shoulder, and said with emotion: "Health is connected, lives entrustedthis is one of the greatest oaths I''ve heard. As long as you continue to practice diligently, this oak staff is not entrusted to the wrong person. Well, since you''ve leveled up and got the staff, it''s time to teach you some new spells..." The old man walked down the mountain with him, talking slowly and leisurely. The Natural Sect reveres and worships nature, and a significant part of their divine arts is connected to nature Communicating with nts and animals, nurturing nts, soothing animals, manipting elemental forces in nature... If they didn''t chant "Great God of Nature" at every corner, Garrett would almost think these people had collectively switched from being druids. ...Anyway, it''s not my concern. I don''t worship nature or the God of Nature. And the teacher approves, as long as I don''t expose them in public, whether they are priests or druids doesn''t matter to me. The only impact is that there are a few more spells to learnor should I say, can learn. Uh, seems like too many... Elder Elwin Wilkinson led Garrett, talking and walking, even though he had consumed a lot earlier, he could still walk until Garrett''s legs were weak and exhausted. Suspecting he had walked at least thirty thousand steps today, Elder Elwin Wilkinson finally slowed down and pointed ahead: "These are themon level 1 divine arts. Let''s rest and eat something ahead." Garrett followed his finger. On the side of the mountain path ahead, there was a small t space with a smooth surface and a stream below. The space was filled with various tree stumps, and some pedestrians had upied most of them. When Elder Elwin Wilkinson and Garrett approached, someone immediately stood up to offer their seat. The elder waved them off, sat down at the edge of the open space with Garrett, and handed him a barley cake and a bag of clear water. Garrett quickly drank a few sips of water, handed the water bag back to the teacher, and started his overdue lunch. The barley cake was rough and hard, probably without a drop of oil, but at least it had a bit of salt. Garrett chewed hard, swallowed a few bites, and was choked, contorting his face. Heaven pity him; it had been a long time since he had eaten such rough food since bing a wizard''s apprentice! Garrett swallowed a bite of the barley cake with his head held high, ready for the second bite. Suddenly, he turned his head and saw a three or four-year-old girl standing beside him, sucking on her fingers, eagerly eyeing the barley cake in his hand. The little girl, dressed in rags, with the hem of a coarse linen cape hanging down, revealing her bare legs. She looked pale and thin, her arms as skinny as a twig, but her little belly protruded upwards, a clear sign of prolonged hunger. Garrett''s heart softened, tearing off a piece of barley cake for her: "Little sister, are you hungry?" The little girl''s eyes lit up instantly, swaying back and forth, reaching out. Before she could take it, a voice came from behind: "Eva! No, you can''t!" Eva immediately pulled her hand back. Garrett turned to look and saw a woman in her thirties sitting not far away. She was thin, covered in dust, and her clothes were patched everywhere. Little Eva nced at her, then reluctantly looked back at the barley cake in Garrett''s hand and turned to run back. Garrett quickly grabbed her. With his left hand pulling Eva, and his right hand raising the oak staff next to him, he shouted, "It''s okay, ma''am. The little sister is hungry, and I''m just sharing some food with her!" The woman carefully examined Garrett, her gaze shifting between him and Elder Elwin Wilkinson''s oak staff. Finally, she lowered her head, folded her hands, and made a somewhat awkward praying gesture: "Thanks to the grace of the God of Nature." "Thanks to the God of Nature." On the open space, seven or eight men and women responded unevenly. Garrett took advantage of the situation and stuffed the barley cake into Eva''s hand. Watching her take small bites, her eyes curved into a smile, he felt that the barley cake in his hand also tasted much better. Well, fortunately, he was wearing the Natural Sect''s priest robe today. If he were in a wizard''s robe, he probably couldn''t give away the barley cake. After Eva cherished every bite of the barley cake, she looked left and right, then hopped to the other side of the mountain path. Standing on tiptoe, she strenuously plucked a wildflower, turned around, and raised it toward Garrett: "Big brother!" Garrett responded with a smile. He smiled as he watched Little Eva run towards him happily, the white flower in her hand swaying. However, as he watched her running joyfully, the smile suddenly turned into a look of shock: "Be careful!" In the distance, a carriage rushed towards them at an rming speed. --------------- Chapter 90 Chapter 90 The girl''s smile was radiant. A carriage raced towards her, about to collide. Gasps from bystanders, screams from the child''s mother, and the swirling dust from the rolling wheels... In Garrett''s perception, everything unfolded in slow motion, frame by frame. Instinctively, Garrett lunged forward. The carriage rumbled, approaching closer, and the kicked-up dust already reached his faceyet, he reached out his hands towards the bewildered girl, who was now just one and a half meters away, one meter, half a meter Swish! A figure swiftly appeared from behind, rushing past. Garrett was pulled back by that person, changing from a forward charge to a backward fall,nding heavily! "Ah!" Garrett cried out in pain. His back mmed into the ground, sliding backward tly. Amidst the hustle, Garrett struggled to lift his head and saw a grey figure sweeping past, bending down to pick up the girl. The person''s movements were extremely agile. With the left arm cradling the girl, the right arm extended, already embracing the galloping horse. A somersault, and they directly mounted the horse, pulling on the reins: "Whoagood child, stop! Stop!" The spirited horse neighed loudly, graduallying to a halt. Garrett, with a wry smile, said: "Teacher..." He managed to prop himself up, rubbing his back with one hand. Surprisingly, the fall didn''t hurt. It seemed Elder Elwin deliberately threw him out? Perhaps finding him troublesome? "Just... stay on the sidelines like a level one newbie, don''t cause trouble?" Garrett murmured softly. Just as he sighed in relief, a crack of a whip echoed in front: "Get down!" The carriage driver swung the horsewhip, iling it forward. With an extra person on the horse, the carriage shook violently before stopping. Thedy inside the carriage screamedwhat was this? This was messing with his livelihood! Moreover, the person holding the carriage had a dusty appearance, not exactly a silk-d noble. Suchmoners, relying on a bit of skill, causing troubledeserved a good whipping! The leather whip cracked with a violent sound. Elder Elwin didn''t even turn back; he just reached back and, with a pull and a shake: "Get down!" "Ah" In the long cry, the insolent servant had no choice but to tumble off the carriage. The carriage shook again. Garrett, sitting on the ground, could only hear another cry from inside the carriage, followed by the sharp questioning voice of thedy: "What''s happening? Robbie!" "Lady!Someone is trying to rob the carriage!" The servant shouted on the ground. Inside the carriage: "What!" A fair hand pushed aside the curtain. The gemstone ring on the hand twinkled in the sunlight, dazzling Garrett''s eyes, causing him to reflexively close them. Thedy eximed sharply: "What robbers? Where are the guards? Guards!" The sound of hooves was approaching rapidly. Two guards on horseback had rushed over, but upon hearing thedy''s shouts, they dared not move. In front of the carriage, Elder Elwin dismounted, gently holding the little girl and patting her head: "It''s okay now. Go to your mother. Be careful next time!" "Thank you, Grandpa!" The girl bowed and ran away. Elder Elwin stood up straight, seemingly smiling, and turned his head. He met the stiff gazes of the guards who had no ce to put their hands and feet. "E- Elder Elwin..." "Do you recognize me?" The elder raised his thick eyebrows slightly. "Right, you should recognize me. In the alley behind mest time, gossiping about how Little Garrett is this and that, that was you, wasn''t it?" "Not me!" The guard shouted, looking like he had seen a ghost, and fled on his horse. The elder didn''t chase him. Instead, he looked at thedy''s face in the carriage, watching her face gradually pale, then chuckled and asked: "Your guards?" "No!" Thedy instinctively denied. The elder looked at the emblem on her carriage and then at the family crest on the fleeing guard''s uniform, smiling knowingly: "Ah, you''re so nervous for what reason. I haven''t thanked you for rmending such a good disciple to meLittle Garrett!" Garrett hurried over. The elder patted his shoulder, leading him to face the carriage: "Look, he''s Little Garrett, my disciple. Promoted to Level One Priest just yesterday, really promising. Garrett, greet Lady Deya." Tsk, the teacher is truly sly... How is this any different from telling her directly, "I know it''s you who harmed my disciple, my disciple has a bright future ahead"? Garrett secretly marveled, nodding politely to her: "Lady Deya." Lady Deya''s face paled a few more shades. Holding onto the edge of the carriage window, her fingers shook as she approached. As the two men turned to leave, a loud tter sounded behind them, and Lady Deya''s voice followed: "What''s going on? Robbie!" "Madam!Someone is trying to rob the carriage!" The servant yelled from the ground. Inside the carriage: "What!" Elder Elwin disentangled Garrett and walked away. Behind them, Lady Deya climbed down from the carriage in a hurry, rushing towards them: "Roman! Roman''s hand! Can you heal it?" What? Garrett was bewildered. Elder Elwin, already by his side, reminded him, "She is Roman''s mother. The knight from the Temple of the Spring Goddess." Oh... the one whose thumb flexor tendon was scratched off by the undead mage''s cat. Garrett recalled his injuries, then pondered his current healing abilities. He shook his head decisively: "Sorry, I can''t heal it." No microscope, no specialized surgical instruments for hand surgerywhat, am I supposed to use my head to treat him? However, his contemtion was misunderstood by thedy as hesitation, and hesitation was understood as unwillingness to help. Thump, thump, thump, Lady Deya hurriedly approached, opening her arms in front of Garrett: "Please! I beg you! I know Roman offended youwe won''t dare again! Please save him! I''ll give you anything! Anything you wantthis, and this..." Lady Deya knelt with a thud. Her gorgeous silk gown spread out on the ground, stained with mud, but she paid no attention, hastily removing rings, bracelets, and pulling off nes. A heap of precious gems was presented to Garrett, her hands trembling violently, the brilliance of the gemstones particrly dazzling in her palms: "All of these are for you! Carriage, estate, you can have anything... please, save him, whatever you ask forthis, and this..." Garrett sighed inwardly at the plight of parents in this world. His many years of medical experience not only prevented him from stepping forward to assist but also made him step back a few paces, hiding behind Elder Elwin: "Sorry, I truly can''t heal your son''s injury. My medical skills are not advanced." "Do you know how to heal or not?! You clearly know! You just refuse to help!" Lady D eya shouted sternly. Her voice paused, then became sorrowful and tearful: "I beg you to save him... How can you turn a blind eye to death? You''re a healer, a healer!... Please, I only have Roman, only him..." ...See, this is a perfect seed for medical disputes. If you don''t treat him, they make a fuss; if the treatment fails, they make a fuss; if the treatment is sessful but costs too much, they make a fuss... Comparatively, it''s better to just not treat him from the beginning, causing the least trouble. Fortunately, there''s no concept of a designated primary care physician in this alternate world... Garrett, on high alert, took another step back and repeated, "I''m sorry, I really can''t heal him." "Why are you still talking to her!" Elder Elwin, having finally had his fill of the drama, shouted. He grabbed Garrett and walked away. Behind them, Lady Deya''s cries continued mournfully: "Please..." --------------- Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Garrett Nordmark carried his newly acquired oak staff back to the Mage Tower. As soon as he entered, he tossed aside thoughts of being a knight or anything simr. - He had treated countless patients in his past lifesome were cured, some weren''t, and some couldn''t be saved despite his efforts. If he held onto every case, would he still be a doctor? Returning to the Mage Tower, he climbed familiar stairs to the second floor and headed to his room. Upon entering, he found itpletely empty. Clothes, bedding, paper, pens, and the book he was reading halfway throughst nightall gone. Garrett stood still for two seconds, puzzled: What''s going on? Did they kick me out? - My surgical tools! My alchemical equipment! The medical records I wrote! The books I copied! - I need all of those back! "Mage Nordmark!" A cheerful voice sounded behind him. Garrett turned to see the servant who had brought him strawberries yesterday, running towards him, bowing at a 45-degree angle. "Your room has been moved to the third floor! Come, take a look. If there''s anything you don''t like about the arrangement, we''ll fix it right away!" "Third floor?" Garrett was surprised. The third floor was the domain of official mages. He had originally estimated that it would take at least another month or two before he could move up. "I''m just an apprentice mage!" "Oh, but you''re already an official priest!" The servant bowed even lower. "It was Master Elliott''s suggestion, and Lord Gelman approved. You can move up with confidence!" Maintaining a 60-degree bow, the servant smoothly turned 90 degrees on his heels. The movement was so seamless and fluid that Garrett couldn''t help but admire the talent among the servants. In every trade, there are outstanding individualsgiven that, he decided to visit the third floor. The third floor was bustling. Both Master Elliott and Master Kan were present, directing servants in a flurry of activity. Two servants, under theirmand, were spinning around, sweating like raindrops falling, and Master Kan wasining: "Be careful! Don''t dirty the floor! Wipe your hands, they''re all sweaty. Don''t touch the parchment! Ah, Garrett, you''re here?" Garrett greeted them with a smile. He walked into his new residencea bedroom and a living room, the floor area doublingpared to downstairs. What''s even better was that the suite included a bathroom, unlike the second floor where only a shared one was avable. Washing face, brushing teeth, bathing, and using the toiletall had to be done outside the room, reminiscent of student dormitory days. ording to the standards of his previous life, a one-bedroom, one-living-room space like this would have a starting floor area of at least 50 square meters. "Thank you for your effort," Garrett sincerely expressed his gratitude. He invited the two mages to sit in the living room, and immediately, a servant brought beverages and two tes of snacks. Master Elliottughed as he waved his hand: "Oh, it''s nothing big! You''re already a Level 1 priest, equivalent to a Level 1 mage. Moreover, with your talent, breakthroughs will happen in the blink of an eye." "Let''s hope so with your good words," Garrett smiled. "I also hope to breakthrough in one or two months. I..." Afraid of getting stuck again, Garrett hesitated. On the sofa across from him, both Elliott and Kan suddenly sat up, their tone anxious: "What''s wrong?" "I... seem... to be about to breakthrough..." With a swish, the two mages stood up simultaneously. Elliott dismissed the servants, and Kan ran upstairs, shouting: "Teacher! Your Excellency Archmage! Garrett says he''s about to breakthrough again!" Footsteps, calls, door closing sounds. Garrett ignored all of that, leaning back on the sofa, assuming his mostfortable meditation posture. The surroundings quieted down. During his first meditation two months ago, Garrett''s mentally drawn "self" reappeared, glowing in the dim environment. After two months, Garrett observed his meditative self again and immediately noticed numerous imperfections. No bones were missing, but the shapes of joint sockets were left to chance,cking meticulous sculpting. Muscles were blocky, not made of individual fibers; blood vessels outlined only the major ones, with smaller branches and even capiries appearing blurry in the meditative setting. So, I have to actively shape these, not just "know" about them? This is a big project! Patiently, Garrett used his mental power to create pens, knives, and molding y hands, meticulously shaping from top to bottom. Starting with the skeletal part, skull, cervical vertebrae, thoracic vertebrae... Just as he finished shaping the third thoracic vertebra, his head buzzed, and concentration became increasingly difficult. Is this... mental exhaustion? Do mage apprentices have such limited mental power? Biting his tongue to stay alert, Garrett made an effort to revitalize himself. Suddenly, a warm flow surged through his limbs and torso, converging from the back of his neck. Garrett''s spirit lifted instantly, and in the meditative scene, the final stroke of the third thoracic vertebra formed a smooth curve,pleting it wlessly. Done! With the help of this warm flow, Garrett swiftly outlined the entire spine. Opening his eyes again, he casually released a freezing beam. The frosty light fell into a water ss, creating a continuous grinding sound, freezing the waterpletely. The magical power was noticeably higher than the previous days! Upgrade achieved! Garrett pumped his fist, letting out a joyous cheer. With a bang, the door was forcefully pushed open, and a group of people rushed in, led by the old mage. He immediately asked: "Little Garrett, did you break through? Mage or priest? Hurry, meditate and let me see!" Following his instructions, Garrett began meditating. The old mage also immersed himself in the meditation environment, sensing the elemental changes around him: "Weird... Your mental power and affinity with magic seem to have increased by a tiny bit. Though it''s just a tiny bit..." He slightly parted his thumb and forefinger, revealing a 2-millimeter gap, indicating "just this much": "But affinity, this kind of thing rarely changes. The records I''ve seen before mention encountering significant opportunities, consuming precious items, or having a breakthrough between life and death. Your affinity should increase due to such circumstances, but what''s the reason in your case?" The old mage paced around Garrett, twisting his head. His gray beard floated with each turn, and his gaze at Garrett seemed as if he could dissect him "Why? Why? What''s the reason for this?" You''re asking me? I''ve been here for less than two months after crossing over. Ipletely don''t understand the rules of this world, and my knowledge of magical basics is only at the most fundamental level... Garrett felt like rolling his eyes. The old mage moved to the third circle, suddenly grabbing his shoulders: "Right! When did you start feeling the urge to level up? Why did this feeling suddenly arise?" "I... This morning, the teacher took me to nt the oak staff... But yesterday, when I took out the Aen Stone, I had a slight feeling..." Garrett was shaken back and forth by the old mage, his words turning into three fragmented pieces. The old mage released him with a long sigh: "That should be it... Creating new magic, crafting new magical items, establishing new theoriesmages who can achieve these innovations usually level up faster than others. The masters before us always had a spection that such mages, who create these innovations, are favored by the world..." --------------- Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Is the world''s will favoring? Garrett Nordmark''s heart skipped a beat. If there really was such a thing as the world''s will, he, a trespasser, was probably the least favorite of the world''s will. Was his reputation negative from the start?! So, his path to advancement was different from othersprobably save one person first, and the world''s will, in appreciation for his act of saving, grants him a tourist visa; save three to five more people, and the tourist visa turns into a green card; develop new healing methods, and permission for citizenship? So, if the affinity between spiritual power and elements increased, it meant the world''s will found him pleasing and granted him a bit of authority? Wait a minute! Now is not the time to draw conclusions! Garrett struggled to prevent himself from wandering thoughts. With too few samples, he needed to level up at least two more times! To level up, he needed to learn first. After seeing off the old mage returning to the council, Garrett, without hesitation, plunged into a sea of books. Promoted to a first-level mage and an additional level as a priest, the books and subjects he needed to study immediately increased significantly. Pitifully, there were downsides to leveling up quickly. The magical apprentice had not finished memorizing the magical history, continental geography, magical flora and fauna guides, alchemy, and potion-making. Having dual professions meant double the effort. In the dimness of the mage tower, Garrett, oblivious to the passage of time, studied relentlessly. In just over a month, the messenger from the magic council was sent. "Garrett Nordmark?" The neer, a man in his twenties, appeared weary, with a waxenplexion and ck hair hanging like a curtain over his forehead for who knows how long without washing. The embroidery on his robe had three wands, indicating that he was a third-level mage. He received a document from the knight behind him and handed it to Garrett, saying, "The council is initiating a n to gather young, promising low-level mages for special training. Master Lorenz rmended yost month, your paper passed review and was selected for this program." Passed review? Garrett was a little excited. He clenched his fist with force, revealing a big smile: Passed review! Published an article! In his past life, publishing an article was incredibly challenging, especially those with an impact factor above five, often requiring one or two years of research, preparation, writing, and often multiple revisions. It seems that publishing articles is easier when standing on the shoulders of giants... This sincere joy also infected the neer. His waxen face twitched, and he forced a stiff smile: "Prepare yourself. In two days,e with me to the magic council." "Alright!" To wee the messenger from the magic council and to bid farewell to Garrett, a small feast was held in the mage tower. During the feast, Garrett heard news that could neither be described as good nor bad: Sir Roman, dead. "Dead?" Garrett was stunned. "How did he die?" "It''s said to be suicide." Mage Karen treated this gossip as appetizers on the dining table, saying with relish, "He died miserably, with all his blood drained! ording to my servant, hemitted suicide in the temple''s secret chamber, using blood to draw arge inverted pentagram, lying on top of it!" Dead... Garrett stared nkly at his te. On the te, there were fragrant roasted chicken, runny fried eggs, golden-brown and snow-white inside fried cod, and sweet-smelling blueberry jam. Each item was easily essible in his past life but unaffordable when he first arrived here two months ago. Two months ago, he was a new recruit in the city guard, and Sir Roman wanted to conscript him for a search operation. He couldn''t resist; Sir Roman directed the gargoyle toward him, and he luckily dodged it, but he had no qualifications for revenge; Sir Roman had the temple send people to arrest him, and he barely escaped with the protection of the big shots... And now, he could casually treat the life and death of Sir Roman as gossip. "Suicide? Why?" Mage Elliott chewed a piece of bread and asked vaguely. Garrett shrugged: "His right hand was useless. He asked me to heal it, but I couldn''t." "That guy who tried to harm you?" Mage Elliott suddenly realized. Without waiting for Garrett''s answer, he put down his right-hand knife and gave a thumbs up: "Well done! You shouldn''t have healed him!" Garrett smiled bitterly. He reluctantly defended himself with "I really couldn''t heal him," and Mage Elliott impatiently waved his hand, looking like he would believe anything Garrett said. He then asked Karen: "And what about the temple? Will they cause trouble for Garrett?" "Where could it be! The temple has gone mad!" Kan made a disdainful gesture. He grinned maliciously, his golden hair shimmering. "The temple is going crazy. The High Priest leads a group of people in exorcisms every day, almost tearing down that secret chamber! I heard, when they found that guy, all his organs had turned into ck water. The ground was about to corrode!" ck water? Corrode? Into the underground? Garrett was startled. He anxiously grabbed Kan and inquired, "Will the water source be affected?" "How could it be!" Kan waved his hand nonchntly. Seeing Garrett still frowning, he chuckled and patted Garrett''s arm. "What are you worried about? The Spring Goddess''s Temple is there to purify water sources; that''s their specialty! Besides, it''s none of our business. Do you even know where the Mage Tower''s wateres from? It directly connects to the Water Elemental Realm!" "What..." Garrett was stunned. The Water Elemental Realm? Such a high-end thing? Does their Mage Tower directly connect to it? "You don''t know this?" Kan, the mage, was also dumbfounded. "Right, you''ve just leveled up not long ago. It''s not yet time to learn about Mage Tower-rted matters... But you''ve been quite diligent these days, haven''t you? Not even bothering to inquire about any news?" Garrett grinned awkwardly. These days, he had read a stack of half-sized books, learned five spells and three divine arts,pleted two experiments, and had one ongoing. Even during meals, with a fork in his mouth, he would be thinking about spell models. Forget about inquiring about news; he didn''t even know what he was eating... "Ah, don''t bother about that! It''s been about ten days since that guy died. If something were to happen, it would have happened already. If nothing happened, then nothing happened!" "But..." Garrett''s brow didn''t rx. The spread of an epidemic takes time, brother! Even for an intense infectious disease like the gue, from a tiny outbreak to an explosive spread, it takes time! He finished his meal with a heavy heart. Stepping out of the restaurant, a waiting servant hurriedly approached, bowing deeply. "Magician Nordmark! There''s someone named Raymond looking for you. He says he''s your neighbor and it''s urgent!" Raymond, the big brother? What urgent matter? Is it rted to the knight Roman''s death, and his family is ming Uncle Karen''s household? Garrett was surprised and quickly descended the stairs. Raymond was pacing back and forth at the entrance of the Mage Tower, his brows furrowed in anxiety. Seeing Garrett, he rushed up, grabbing Garrett''s shoulder painfully. "Little Garrett! Save Auntie! She''s fallen seriously illcan''t find a priest anywhere!" --------------- Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Aunt is sick? Garrett Nordmark was startled. The City Guards and the War God Temple had always had a close rtionship. If Aunt Eileen fell ill, Uncle Karen could easily pull some strings and get a priest to check on her. At least, young John would definitelye... So, what happened? How could they not even get a priest! "I''ll go with you!" Garrett decisively said. He rushed in to grab his surgical instruments and alchemical equipment, swiftly walking out of the Mage Tower. While riding his horse, he inquired. Amidst the howling wind, he listened intermittently to Raymond''s ount: Aunt Eileen fell ill the day before yesterday. She had a few bouts of diarrhea, initially dismissing it as food poisoning. However, yesterday, she suddenly developed a high fever. Fromst night until this morning, she had diarrhea about ten times, and her stomach was excruciatingly painful. Finally, she couldn''t even stand up. Uncle Karen, sensing something amiss, went to the War God Temple early in the morning to summon a priest... "The priest refused toe?" Garrett urgently asked. Raymond shook his head vigorously while leaning on his horse, a bitter expression on his face: "The priests have all been called away... even apprentices like young John have been sent away. The temple entrance is crowded with people... sitting, lying down, and some lying down and suddenly starting to have diarrhea... Garrett, didn''t you see..." All of them are people?! Lying down and suddenly having diarrhea?! A lightning bolt shed through Garrett''s mind. Raymond''s description instinctively led him to think of a term: Medical overcrowding! Too many patients in a short period, and the medical facilities werepletely insufficient to cope. Moreover, if the symptoms of these patients were all the same or simr... The city gate was right in front of them. Garrett pulled the reins, slowing down. Two City Guards were on duty at the gate and, seeing Raymond returning, greeted loudly: "Little Garrett, you''re back! Hurry home, your Aunt Eileen is sick!" "Little Garrett, can youe to my houseter? My daughter is also sick " Also sick? So many patients? Garrett felt anxious and confused, nodding randomly as he quickly passed through. The main street had considerably less ck mud and sewagepared tost time, evidently showing the initial sess of Garrett''s urban cleaning n. However, not long after, turning onto a side road, a foul stench immediately hit them. Toote... The n to clear garbage and feces, and clean the streets had started toote... Garrett tried to speed up. Arriving at Uncle Karen''s house, the two dismounted simultaneously. Raymond rushed in and shouted: "Aunt! Aunt, how are you?" "I''m fine..." a weak voice came from the bedroom. Following the sound, Garrett saw Aunt Eileen struggling to tidy up a bucket on the floor. When she saw him entering, she immediately waved: "Get out, get out! It''s dirty..." "Aunt Eileen!" Garrett stepped forward in one stride. The woman''s pale face immediately reddened. She half-turned her body, desperately trying to hide the stinking bucket in her hands. However, being weak after the illness, she couldn''tpete with a young man. Garrett held her down: "Aunt, let me see. It''s okay, it''s okay, I''m a healer..." The bucket contained ckish-yellowish substances, half liquid and half solid, all filthy remnants of recent diarrhea. Aunt Eileen was embarrassed but helpless due to post-illness weakness. She could only let Garrett take the bucket to a bright ce near the door and carefully observe. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief at a nce. There was a fair amount of solid material in the bucket, darker in color, not the watery rice-wash-like form he feared the most it wasn''t cholera! Thank goodness, at least it wasn''t cholera! He found a small stick, stirred the contents, and carefully examined it. There was mucus, pus, foul-smelling but not putrid, typical mucous and purulent stool God, why did he have to personally inspect this? In his previous life, these tasks were handled by people in theboratory! Despite hisints,bining the previous symptoms of diarrhea, fever, and other symptoms, Garrett already had a preliminary consideration. Putting down the bucket, he washed his hands and continued with the diagnosis and examination: Fever, abdominal pain, urgent and painful defecation, increased bowel sounds, obvious tenderness in the lower left abdomen Consider bacterial dysentery. In the absence of blood tests, stool tests, bacterial cultures, and colonoscopies, with nothing at all, he could only [consider] bacterial dysentery... Garrett silently added emphasis to the word "consider." If it was bacterial dysentery, the treatment n would be clear, and some of it he could do now Garrett didn''t need to ponder hard. He turned around and said: "Raymond, big brother!" "What is it?" Raymond anxiously crouched beside him, watching every move Garrett made. When he heard Garrett calling him, he immediately stood up: "What do you want me to do?" "Is there boiling water at home? No? Then go boil some! Bring a bowl of hot water, remember, wash your hands first, and rinse the bowl with boiling water! Get me salt! If there''s sugar, bring a bit too!" Raymond busily went to work. Garrett focused, sitting beside Aunt Eileen with slightly narrowed eyes. The pathological changes of bacterial dysentery mainly ur in therge intestine, especially the transverse colon and rectum. Therefore, the focus of treatment should also be on the intestinal tract. "For the sake of health, entrusting one''s life" The warm white light in the palm of his right hand faintly lit up, pressing down on the patient''s lower left abdomen. Eradicate bacteria, reduce intestinal secretion, elerate metabolism, and let the toxins entering the blood dpose as quickly as possible... Garrett silently contemted, trying to outline the location and structure of the intestinal tract in his mind, imagining the appearance of the healing spell''s energy flow. The white light in his palm became brighter and brighter, dimming only after a while. Aunt Eileen joyfully propped herself up and pressed her own abdomen: "Young Garrett, I''m better! My stomach doesn''t hurt anymore!" "Aunt, lie down!" Garrett pressed her back down, then turned to take the water bowl from Raymond, feeding her sugar-salt water. After watching for half an hour, ensuring Aunt Eileen no longer had abdominal pain or the urge to diarrhea, Garrett sighed in relief and stood up: "Raymond, watch over Aunt. I''m going out." "Where are you going?" "To see how many people in this city are sick!" With these words, Garrett swiftly left the room like the wind, mounting his horse. He first rushed to the Temple of the God of War, where the three steps at the temple entrance were densely packed with patients. He then rode to the Temple of the Spring Goddess, finding its gates tightly closed, not a single guard in sight. On the small square, about a hundred people sat ory, filth flowing around, a nauseating stench in the air. Garrett''s heart sank deeper. Harnd City had only a poption of about twenty thousand. Just those gathered at the temple seeking medical help numbered around two hundred. Then, what about those already cured by the priests? Those too weak toe? Those not yet affected, or whose conditions were mild, and thought they didn''t need toe? With a 1% infection rate, this was already terrifyingrelying solely on the healthcare system wouldn''t be enough, reports had to be made, emergency ns initiated, administrative forces involved! Fortunately, the Lord''s mansion wasn''t far from here. Garrett rushed to the mansion gate, dismounted, and grabbed a guard: "Where''s the Lord?" "He left the city!" The guard, who had helped him during the midsummer festival incident, remembered him well, answering quickly: "Three days ago, as more and more people fell ill in the city, the Lord went to the estate!" Ah! Garrett threw a quick thanks, stomped his foot, turned, and left. He headed straight for the slums, navigating through streets and alleys he knew well, finding Elder Elwin: "Teacher, this won''t work! The gue hase, treating them one by one won''t save everyone!" Elder Elwin halted his spellcasting. Drops of sweat rolled down his snow-white hair and beard. He looked at Garrett: "What do you suggest?" "Ask the teacher to gather all the prominent figures in the city, reestablish order. Then" Garrett nced outside, at the endless queue extending from the doorway, at pairs of eager eyes: "We need to contain this epidemic!" --------------- Chapter 94-95 Chapter 94-95 Dozens of eyes were fixed on Garrett Nordmark. A father, thin and hunched, carrying his daughter on his back, struggling to spread his not-so-wide shoulders to make his little girl morefortable. A mother holding her son, lips cracked, eyes deeply set, leaning against the wall, gently patting her son in her arms. A daughter supporting her mother, using her tender shoulders to bear the weight, preventing the woman from falling to the ground... One patient after another, one family member after another. Children, young adults, middle-aged, those with white hair. This room belonged to Elder Elwin in the city, also the frequent gathering ce of the Nature God''s cult. At this moment, there were at least five people busy in the cult. However, the priest''s healing arts were limited, no matter how busy or hardworking, they couldn''t cope with the overwhelming number of patients. Moreover, because Elder Elwin stopped treating and talked to Garrett, themotion in the crowd, starting nearby and spreading, surged like ocean waves. "Elder, save me!" "Please... save my mother..." "My son is dying... please take a look at him... look at him..." The crowd pressed forward. Desperate hands, thin and wrinkled, tattered clothes, swayed and reached almost to Garrett''s face. Elder Elwin instinctively pulled Garrett, cing him behind himself. "Little Garrett, we can''t leave them and walk away like this..." "But staying is not an option!" Garrett pulled him forcefully. "Teacher, with such a massive epidemic, the lord has fled the city. We must rely on ourselves! Relying solely on healers is not enough, relying solely on us is not enough!" His eyes were aze, his arms trembled, and his breath was rapid. He had witnessed this scene before, and in his previous life, not long before his transmigration. Family members desperately pushing and shoving, vying for a bed or at least a chance for treatment; exhausted doctors shouting with tears in their eyes, "We can''t do anything..." What was even more terrifying was that at that time, they faced not a gastrointestinal infectious disease but a respiratory system illness. The virus spread through droplets, and their only protection on the frontline against patients was thin medical masks... That time, before reinforcements arrived, they filled in with their own flesh and blood. Batch after batch, they stepped forward. "Teacher! I''ve seen such a pandemic! I know what to do! Teacher, trust me!" He had seen it, experienced it, and fought against it. Nearly twenty years ago, he was still a student, protected by his seniors, standing behind them, blocking the school gates. During the great earthquake, he had just be a resident doctor, ineligible to be mobilized. After the teachers were called away, he gritted his teeth and held the fort. Not long ago, he found the protective suits used by predecessors, white robes like armor, charging forward... But without the support of the entire society, without everyone uniting to fight the epidemic, each time would ultimately end in hopeless sacrifice, with no exceptions. Elder Elwin straightened his body. He had been busy with thepost project outside the city, designing the location, shape, depth, andposting method for days. Finally returning to the city with people the previous day, he was immediately blocked at home by a multitude of patients, thanks to Garrett''s information about the lord leaving the city. Even if years of experience made him realize something was wrong, faced with so many desperate patients, he couldn''t bring himself to leave. Besides, wasn''t there still the lord''s mansion?Until just now when little Garrett ran over and told him about the lord leaving the city. Elder Elwin looked at the trembling arms in front of him, the crowd stretching from the doorway to the end of the alley, and his fellow cult membersAnthony''s pale face, Evan''s sweat beads on his forehead, Joanna''s dim red marks on her cheeks... They were all exhausted. They were all nearing their limits. He turned to Garrett: "I''ll go with you. Whom to find, what to do, you say, and I''ll do it!" Elder Elwin''s shout from the high ground was indeed effective. As an 8th-level priest, he was essentially at the pinnacle of the magical practitioners in Harnd Citythe High Priestess of the Temple of the Water Goddess was level 7, and the bald Bishop was also level 7. As for the Master of the Mage Tower, Mage Gelman, he was a pitiful 5th level... About an hourter, the Bishop of the Temple of the War God, the captain of the city guards, Baron Vaughn, the knight Sir Levi, and a few wealthy merchants still in the city, including the food merchant, the dyer, the head of the construction guild, the jeweler, and the like, gathered at the city guard''s camp. Garrett mentioned them by name, and they all nervously sat at the long table, shivering. "...What about the Temple of the Water Goddess?" Garrett waited for a long time but didn''t see anyone from the temple. He whispered to Elder Elwin, who had inquired around. The elder lowered his voice: "Shh, they closed their doors the day before yesterday... It''s said that from the high priest to the guards, everyone fell ill..." "So why did they call us here!" Baron Vaughn, with the highest status here and an impatient temper, was the first to question. "Your Excellency Bishop, can''t you go to our house and seethere are several people not feeling well..." "Yeah! Our house too!" "Our house" Chaos ensued. Seeing this, Elder Elwin took a step forward, raised his oak staff high, and struck the ground heavily: A "boom" sound, the entire hall tilted and swayed, like a small earthquake had urred. "Because this is a gue! A great gue!" The old man shouted with full vigor, the entire hall buzzing, and Garrett barely resisted covering his ears: "Without gathering everyone''s strength, at least a third of the city will die! Garrett, you say!" He stepped aside, revealing Garrett. Dozens of eyes looked over, seeing a young man standing behind the elder, dressed quite strangely: holding the iconic oak staff of the Nature God''s cult, wearing a robe with a wand embroidered diagonallyjust looking at the robe, he was a standard 1st-level mage. Who was this person? Those well-informed naturally knew that a few days ago, a mage apprentice appeared in the city and was epted as a disciple by the elder of the Nature God''s cult. Those less informed were still gossiping and trying to find out. Garrett had moved two steps to the side, standing in front of a wooden board brought in earlier, and spoke loudly: "Because following the current treatment methods, the number of patients will only increase, and the power of the healers can never catch up! Teacher, how many people can our cult treat in a day?" "It depends on the severity of the patients" "If they''ve been bedridden for a day or two?" Elder Elwin calcted silently. "For second-level priests, at least one can be cured in a day. Considering you and me, there are a total of fourteen people in the cult, with different levels... um, 30 to 35 people, not exceeding 40." "Your Excellency Bishop, what about the Temple of the War God?" "About the same." "So, how many patients were there the day before yesterday? How many yesterday? Gentlemen, do you know how many patients there are in the city just today?!" Garrett''s voice suddenly soared. The hall fell silent, only the calm voice of Elder Elwin, as if making a note for his disciple: "The day before yesterday, we treated a total of nine patients. Yesterday, twenty-eight. Today, just the ones I''ve seen are over a hundred" "The day before yesterday, five. Yesterday, neen." The bald bishop added in a low voice, "Today, over a hundred." As they spoke, Garrett waved his hands, using magical tricks to draw a line graph on a whiteboard. All eyes were drawn to that line: on the first day, fourteen people; on the second day, forty-seven; on the third day, two hundred! Following this trend, what about the fourth day? The fifth day, the sixth day? Garrett was also thinking about this. What was the r0 of the dysentery? What was the form for calcting the number of infections? What was the mortality rate? How many people would get sick tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that? Whatever, just fill in randomly! No one here understands anyway He waved his hand again. On the chart with a ck line as the base, the bright red line soared high. On the fourth day, six hundred; on the fifth day, fifteen hundred; on the sixth day, five thousand! The line was steep, shocking, far surpassing the green line representing life, which was just a hundred people! "We can''t treat so many people! If left unchecked, no one can save so many people! Gentlemen, if you don''t want yourself, your family, your friends to fall ill and die, we must take action immediately!" --------------- Chapter 96 Chapter 96 ---- At the forefront of the hall, the bright red lines on the graph soared high, catching everyone''s attention. On both sides and below the hall, nobles, knights, merchants, craftsmen, and others fell silent. Under themand of the bald archbishop, a piece of armrest snapped off with a crisp sound. He stood up abruptly, saying, "What should we do? Tell us, and we''ll cooperate with you!" It was a tremendous trust and an immense responsibility. Despite Garrett Nordmark''s dual roles as a priest and a mage,bining two level-one professions, he was still far less powerful than the bald archbishop. Yet, Garrett showed no fear. He extended his right hand, fingers ticking off one by one as he spoke: "First, gather all the patients in one ce, separate them based on severity. Assign people to take care of the mild cases, and let the priests treat the severe ones" Before he could finish his sentence, the hall erupted in uproar. Lord Joane Vaughn jumped up, eximing: "How can we allow that! My family should not be ced with thosemoners!" "Do you know how to take care of them? Do you know how to treat them? If someone falls ill, do you know what to do to prevent others from getting sick?" Garrett bombarded Lord Vaughn with three questions. With each question, Lord Vaughn''s arrogance diminished, and after the third question, he blinked his eyes in bewilderment: "But" "No buts," Elder Elwin Wilkinson coldly stated, "If you don''t obey orders and refuse to help, the Divine Magic Temple won''t have time to heal you." "The Temple of War won''t have time either," added the bald archbishop. With all three major churches closing their doors, the Radiant Church, God of War, and God of Nature, they practically monopolized all healing resources. United, they couldmand the entire city. Lord Vaughn fell silent, listening as Garrett calmly issued orders: "Retrieve maps and census data for the entire city, divide it by regions, and search for patients house by house. Transport all patients to one location for treatment." "I''ll send my men!" Captain Nn immediately agreed. Elder Elwin added, "Just take them to the Lord of Radiance''s temple; it''s empty there anyway." "Thank you for your kindness," Garrett nodded slightly. Turning to the official recording the orders, he asked, "Note it down as a donation to the temple?" He looked at his teacher. Elder Elwin nodded, and immediately, Mr. Hogan, who had previously given him paper and pen, jumped up, his belly buttons trembling: "I donate ten gold coins!" "Thank you for your generosity," Garrett bowed slightly. Turning to the official, he said, "Record it as a donation to the temple." He looked around, and Mr. Hogan''s initiative prompted others: "I''ll donate ten too!" "I''ll donate five!" "I''ll donate eight!" "I''ll cover all the charcoal for boiling water these days!" The official couldn''t record fast enough. Garrett scanned the crowd, revealing a smile that matched everyone''s expectations, and continued giving orders: "Collect lime from across the city. Pourrge quantities of quicklime into all water sources. Mix one bucket of quicklime with one bucket of water, stir it well, then add three more buckets of water. Use this ratio to sprinkle the ground in every household with patients!" "Find some healthy women toe to the temple and take care of the patients, boil water, and cook" He issued orders one by one. The officials of the city lord''s mansion were busy moving maps, census data, dividing areas, and coordinating city guards to assign personnel by blocks. Calctions for regions, manpower, and expenses were ongoing. Suddenly, Captain Nn turned back: "We don''t have enough manpower!" "Send the temple guards!" The bald archbishop immediately responded. He stared straight at Lord Vaughn until he reluctantly spread his hands: "Well, I can send ten guards from my house too." Garrett racked his brains, trying not to miss any details. Even in a different world, facing an unknown disease that only "considered" to be bacterial dysentery, the principles of disease prevention and control should still follow the same three rules: 1. Manage the source of infection! 2. Cut off the transmission route! 3. Protect susceptible groups! Have I covered everything? In every aspect, have I considered everything? With assistants, mentors, and reliablepanions, yet in this vast otherworldly realm, I am the only one with formal medical training! "Close the city gates, prohibit entry and exit!... No? Then send someone to consult with the city lord." "Recall all priests outside, gather them at the Temple of Radiance..." "Collect all bodies, don''t bury them privately, and certainly don''t throw them into the water..." "Handle the patients'' feces uniformly, mix them with quicklime before pouring..." "Count the number of patients..." Garrett thought through every detail. Only when he couldn''t think of any loopholes did he, along with Elder Elwin and others, set off to the Temple of Radiance to start medical work. The grandest structure in Harnd City, the Temple of Radiance, stood in the central square, facing the city lord''s mansion from a distance. From above, it resembled a standard cross shape, with a tall spire towering at the intersection, surpassing even the city lord''s mansion in height. Surrounded by a wall, the temple had arge military camp marked out around it. Three years ago, the Knights of Radiance, the most formidable and ruthless force in Harnd City, was unmatched. Even with their influence waning and being expelled from Harnd City three years ago, the vacant temple still stood there, imposing and untouched. If not for the epidemic, holding a righteous reason, Elder Elwin wouldn''t have wanted to intervene with their church. But now, circumstances were different. Following Elder Elwin, Garrett entered the Temple of Radiance. A cacophony hit them immediatelycrying and chaos filled the hall. Wives clung to husbands, mothers held their sons, crying as if it were a farewell "Damon! Damon! Don''t take him away, please, don''t take him to that ce" "Priest, please, save us" "Lord of War, have mercy on your faithful" "Run! They want to lock us up and wait to die" Garrett stood still. In the midst of it, a small, soft thing collided with him, grabbing onto his leg. Not far away, a woman''s voice eximed, "Eva" Garrett lowered his head. It was Little Eva, the girl he had given a piece of bread to, thanked him with flowers, and was almost hit by a carriage but saved by his teacher. Now, the girl with slender hands clutched his robe, speaking timidly: "Big brother, please help my mom. Don''t lock her up, okay? I can take care of her... I don''t want her to die waiting..." Waiting to die... yes, concentrating critically ill patients seemed like making them wait to dieand this was amon method in this world! This won''t work! It will cause chaos! Without time to discuss with his teacher, Garrett lifted the girl onto a table, shouting loudly: "Not locking them up to die! You''ll have food, care, and treatment! You''ll get better!" He didn''t notice the abnormal magical fluctuations or how loud his voice was, rolling through the hall. Themotion fell silent, and someone shouted: "How do we trust you?!" "I am Garrett Nordmark!" Garrett shouted back, "During the midsummer trampling incident, I led the rescue, and not one person was abandoned, not one person died! This time, concentrating patients for treatment was also my idea! I''ll be with you until thest person is healed, won''t abandon you! No one will be abandoned!" --------------- Chapter 97 Chapter 97 The room was filled with people, all eyes on him. Garrett Nordmark gazed back with determination. Not abandoning anyone, saving every soul, that was his n. Just like in his past life, he wouldn''t leave until every patient was cured, until the quarantine was lifted, the doctors withdrew, and the support teams departed. He looked down at the patients, still cradling the little child in his arms, unconcerned about soiling his robe. His gentle demeanor gradually calmed the panicked patients. Elder Elwin Wilkinson smiled, standing on the table with his disciple, shouting loudly: "Citizens! Followers of the God of Nature! I am Elder Elwin, leader of the Radiant Church! Gathering the sick here was a joint decision between me and the High Priest of the Temple of the War God. The servants of the God of Nature and the priests of the War God will take care of you here! Please follow the arrangements, go with the priests, and I won''t leave until thest patient is healed!" Elder Elwin''s prestige and reputation were much higher than Garrett''s. Stepping forward andforting the patients, the Elder finally restored calm. The crowd began to move again. Garrett gently ced the child down, wiped his sweat, and went to the side chamber to wash up and change clothes. Just as he changed into a clean robe, the door creaked open. Someone rushed in, grabbing Garrett urgently, "Why are you still here!" It was Mage Elliott. Why was he in such a hurry? Garrett turned and saw a knight following Elliott at a measured pace. Upon seeing Garrett, the knight nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "Mage Nordmark. Mage Weitman is set to depart for the Magic Council the day after tomorrow. The Mage Lord asked me to ry the message. Please be prepared to apany him back." The day after tomorrow? Garrett subconsciously nced around. Elder Elwin, the hastily arrived priests like Anthony, Elwin, Joanna, and the priests of the God of Nature, and a few priests from the Temple of the War God almost simultaneously stopped what they were doing. Elder Elwin simply waved his hand, not looking at Garrett, and continued changing. Anthony, Elwin, and the just-arrived John stared directly at him. John blurted out, "Garrett... Are you leaving?" "Yeah... There are so many patients here..." Anthony whispered. Joanna pulled him, "Just go! Little Garrett is going to the Magic Council, it''s a good thing!Little Garrett, you just go on the day after tomorrow, we''ll handle things here!" Go? To the Magic Council? In the face of the great epidemic, abandon the patients and walk away? Magic is indeed something I lovemore interested in it than healing artsbut leaving my patients behind? I can''t do that! Garrett struggled. He shook off Elliott''s hand, stared at the knight in front of him, and asked eagerly, "Can Mage Weitman departter? Like, half a monthter?" "Garrett! That''s the Magic Council!" Elliott stamped his foot. The knight shook his head, "The Council''s deadline is tight. Mage Weitman is visiting Mage Lynn tomorrow and must depart the day after tomorrow. Mage Nordmark, please prepare. You will be seen at the Mage Tower the morning after tomorrow." No room for negotiation? Garrett wanted to resist a bit more. Elliott had grabbed him again. "Garrett! I''ve inquired! The Magic Council''s n has been in preparation for over half a year, and the candidates were already decided. You were rmended at thest minute. sses start in half a month, and it''s already tight. Going back now, time is really running out!" Is that so... Garrett looked around regretfully. Through the side-chamber door, he saw patients groaning in pain, priests rushing around, and housewives bustling back and forth with buckets and bowls. Beside him, Elliott tugged at his arm urgently, speaking rapidly: "Garrett! This opportunity is rare! It gathers many resources, and many masters wille to give lectures! If you''re lucky, you might be an Archmage or even an apprentice to a legendary mage! Don''t miss it! Go quickly, don''t dy!" Garrett withdrew his gaze. He was about to speak when Elder Elwin''s handnded on his shoulder: "Little Garrett, go! You''ve already done a lot. We can handle things here!" Can we? Maybe. But for the sake of my own development, abandoning patients in the face of a great disaster, I won''t be myself anymore! Garrett gently shook off the teacher''s hand. He broke free from Mage Elliott again, took a step back, and said seriously: "Elliott, I''m sorry. I appreciate the Magic Council''s recognition and Master Lorenz''s efforts in securing this opportunity for me. But, before being a mage, I am first and foremost a healer." "I can''t abandon my patients. I won''t go anywhere until the gue disappears, and every patient is cured..." He bowed deeply to Mage Elliott, to the knight who brought the message, to the old mage and the Magic Council that gave him this chance. Then, he straightened up, walked out with long strides, and began shouting: "Don''t mix utensils! Everyone uses their own bowl. After using, boil it in hot water before passing it on! Before eating, everyone must wash hands. Fruits that have been washed must not be eaten without peeling!" "Boil water! Every mildly ill patient should drink water with salt and sugar. How much? Set up a separate room for sugar and salt water. I''ll check immediately!" "Make more curtains to separate the beds! After patients have diarrhea, it must be cleaned and dried! Otherwise, sores will develop on the body!" The priests followed suit, pouring out. Mage Elliott stood dumbfounded in ce for a long time, finally stamping his foot in frustration: "Why are you so foolish!" Garrett continued shouting as he walked. Not many people came from the Church of the God of Nature. On the side of the Temple of the War God, besides the priests, even the temple guards and efficient stewards were sent over. He just kept giving orders, and people ran to execute them. Garrett checked once, seeing that things were roughly in order, and went to see the patients. The severely ill patients had been separated and ced in a side chamber. Elder Elwin stood at the bedside of a little boy, his palm extended over the child, emitting a white light that sprinkled down like stardust. Garrett waited nearby for the treatment to finish and quietly pulled the old man aside: "Teacher, I have some ideas about treating this gue... The focus of healing spells can be on the lower left abdomen... You see, many patients are experiencing severe pain there..." Elder Elwin pondered for a moment, nodded, and immediately ryed the message loudly. The servants of the God of Nature all responded, but on the side of the Temple of the War God, there was a low, disdainful snort: "Oh? A student is directing a teacher? A Level 1 junior priestmanding an 8th-level priest? Kid, how much healing have you learned? Do you understand this disease?" --------------- Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Being questioned? Garrett Nordmark wasn''t nervous at all. Since the day of his internship, rotating through various departments, the weekly grand rounds that left everyone weak in the knees. Then, after starting work, being scolded by teachers, scolded by the department head, scolded by the head nurse. And on unlucky days when the entire hospital convened, being questioned in turns by department heads and the dean, it was like navigating through a sea of knives and fire. Now, proposing a treatment n and being questioned by a stranger? Was this even an issue? The only strange thing was that someone like this appeared in the Temple of the War God. Unusual and enigmatic, a neer perhaps? A priest from the Temple of the War God, and he should know everyone? Garrett turned his head to nce in that direction. The person speaking boldly stepped forward, draped in a flowing robe, making it impossible to see any muscle definitionoh, indeed a neer, the style was quite different. Seeing Garrett looking over, he coolly chuckled and raised his voice: "Kid, at your age, how long have you been studying healing arts? Have you treated this disease before? It''s one thing for your teacher tomand you, but to bring it to the Temple of the War God? By the grace of the War God, we..." "Iken!" The bald bishop roared. His voice rumbled like distant thunder rolling over the side hall. He hurried over in three or two steps, fingers spread like five carrots, reaching for Iken''s head. Garrett quickly intervened: "Wait!" He raised his hand to signal a pause. The bald bishop halted at themand, still angry, ring fiercely at Iken. Garrett smiled: "You make a valid point. I am young and inexperienced. I haven''t personally treated this epidemic. But knowing where to focus the treatment is not difficult" He turned to Elder Elwin Wilkinson, his expression serious, and slightly bowed: "Teacher, can you help obtain a corpse? One who died in this epidemic, we can freely dissect and examine" "Do you have a solution again?" Elder Elwin raised an eyebrow. In the presence of outsiders, he couldn''t directly ask, "Is it another revtion from your so-called god?" However, without understanding, Garrett knew. Confident, he smiled and nodded: "Of course." The corpse was quickly brought in. The city guards easily found the body of a vagrant. No family, no rtives, no one woulde looking for trouble no matter how it was dismembered. The third side hall in the church emptied. The War God priests skillfully brought in tables and chairs, forming an inner circle of stools and an outer circle of tables, enclosing the dissecting table securely. Garrett changed into a specially made leather apron, entered leisurely, and Little John stood by the feet of the deceased, handing him the surgical knife, just as before. But Garrett didn''t take it. He raised both hands in front of his chest, palms facing outwards, backs of the hands about a fist''s distance away. Surveying the surroundings, he raised his voice: "We can never understand all diseases. For those we recognize, we can treat them based on experience. For those we''ve never seen, the quickest way to understand is to dissect a corpsesee where changes urred, which organs suffered damage. That is where we need to prioritize treatment." At this point, Garrett nced at Iken. Indeed, his face turned ck, and he opened his mouth to speak. But Garrett didn''t give him a chance, raised his head, and spoke louder: "So, we should be grateful to those who have died. With their bodies, they tell us the mysteries inside the human body. They guide the progress of medicine. They lie there silently, but they are worthy of our respect as good teachers." Just like the recent disaster. The first body, the second, and many more from patients, pointed out crucial points for doctors facing this kind of disease for the first time. Garrett stepped back. He straightened his cor, bowed deeply: "A bow, another bow, and another. Respectful and solemn." Silence filled the hall. Dozens of priests, led by Elder Elwin for the Natural God religion, and the bald bishop for the Temple of the War God, silently watched as Garrett, in the roles of both priest and mage, bowed repeatedly to the corpse of a vagrant. After a moment, Elder Elwin sighed softly: "You all should remember." A soft echo surrounded them, like a gentle breeze over water. Garrett straightened up, then took the surgical knife from Little John, making an incision: "Dissecting a body involves many steps, and time is of the essence. Let''s focus on the internal organs firstthis epidemic''s main symptom is diarrhea, so let''s start with the stomach and intestines." A gentle glow from the illumination spell filled the air. Garrett''s hands moved skillfully with the dissecting knife, scissors, and tissue forceps, each instrument flipping up and down in an orderly manner. The entire side hall was silent, watching as Garrett lifted a piece of organ and disyed it: "No apparent abnormalities in the stomach." "The small intestine is normal in shape, no congestion, no inmmation." "Hey, how do you know?" Someone in the crowd questioned. Garrett continued without stopping, not turning his head: "You''ll know when you''ve seen enough. After we''re done here, you can find a corpse that died normally. I''ll dissect it for you to see and tell you the differences." "Uh..." The person who questioned fell silent. The priests around them whispered: "So, how many has he dissected..." "Just sixteen years old..." "Is he a mage... a necromancer?" Garrett ignored them. He continued to dissect section by section, exining: "The cecum shows no abnormalities." "The ascending colon shows no abnormalities." "The descending colon looks normal." "The sigmoid colon... well, everyone, take a close look. There''s obvious bleeding here, and pus, consistent with the appearance of the patient''s feces." "Liver... galldder... spleen... kidneys..." "So, this disease primarily damages the sigmoid colon." After showcasing each organ, Garrett put them back in ce one by one. He raised both hands in front of his chest and dered: "Everyone has seen it. The sigmoid colon is located in the lower left abdomen of the human body. So, when treating, focus the healing arts on this area to achieve the greatest effect. Any questions?" Silence ensued. The origins and treatments of diseases were always subject to various interpretations. However, with a dead bodyid out on the table, the diseased intestines exposed, such evidence was irrefutable. Even without a normal corpse forparison, the affected area looked different from the normal appearance of the intestines above it, visible to anyone with eyes. Even the first one to speak, Priest Iken, now avoided the gaze of others, bowing his head in silence. "Cough, since there are no issues, then let''s do as Garrett says," Elder Elwin spoke, easing the atmosphere. He walked over with a smiling face, looking at the body lying on the dissecting table with all its organs exposed: "Little Garrett, I''m getting old, and it''s easy to forget some things. Draw a map of which section of the intestines is where, and where the healing arts should be directed. Let everyone see, alright?" "Of course!" Garrett bowed respectfully. Soon, arge frame was erected at the entrance from the mild to the severe zones. A clear and concise anatomy chart was affixed to it, visible to anyone. A constant stream of people flowed in front of the chart. Garrett clearly saw that several priests woulde to take a look when one person was being treated, and when treating two people, they woulde again... Soon, there were excited shouts, one after another. "The effects of the healing arts have improved a lot!" "Yes, it''s the same here!" "At least thirty percent savings!" "Forty percent is possible! Don''t just throw it in, think about what you saw just now, the appearance of that intestine!" "Little Garrett, you''re amazing!" Garrett smiled. It wasn''t an illusion that the effectiveness of the healing arts had improved. It seemed that being familiar with the anatomy of the human body indeed aided in treatment! In such a widespread epidemic, saving even one percent with the healing arts was significant! --------------- Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Garrett Nordmark was in high spirits. Though he hadn''t personally participated in the healing process, under his guidance, overall healing efficiency had increased by more than 30%! I''m truly amazing! He pumped his fist in excitement. Watching the priests efficiently perform their duties, Garrett tiptoed behind Elder Elwin Wilkinson and quietly tugged at his robe: "Teacher, I''m stepping out for a bit." "What for?" "I''m going to find the true source of this gue!" Garrett had never considered staying indefinitely at the Radiant Church or the centralized medical facility. He was just a first-level priest with only a handful of healing spells at his disposal. Fully dedicating himself to treating severely ill patients could deplete his abilities within half an hour. This level of healing was like a drop in the ocean when faced with hundreds of afflicted individuals. However, in the face of this epidemic, he had his unique value. Some things, only he could do, and no one else would even think of doing! He strode into the City Guards'' barracks. In the hall, Baron Vaughn, Sir Levi, and several wealthy merchants who had made donations had already left. The food merchant was arranging the supply of provisions for the Radiant Church, and the leader of the construction guild was organizing the construction of makeshift kitchens. Among the people Garrett specifically called in, only two remained seated, staring at each other, trembling with anticipation. "Sorry for the wait." Garrett rushed in. After being left hanging for so long, the two finally learned that it was this young man who had summoned them. They now regarded him as their savior. The dye merchant eagerly shouted: "I''ll donate five gold coins!" "I''ll donate five, no, six!" The jeweler couldn''t be left behind. "Mage sir, if you have any good gemstones, I''ll embed them in jewelry for you for free! No need forbor fees!" "No need for your donations." Garrett quickly waved his hand. He couldn''t even distinguish who was who, and the jeweler''s words spared him the trouble of asking. Garrett turned to the dye merchant: "Could you do me a favor? Bring all the dyes from your shop, give me half an ounce of eachno, even a quarter ounce is enough. Charge the market price, and I''ll have the quartermaster settle the payment." "No need, no need! Just a little dye, I''ll donate it directly" "You must pay. I''m pressed for time, so please hurry." Garrett wasn''t interested in more conversation and cut him off directly. Then, he turned to the jeweler: "I have a very important task for you. First, can you grind ss? Can you make a magnifying ss?" "I can... but it will take a long time..." "Do you have ready-made magnifying sses?" "Yes!" "Excellent! So, can you make something like this..." The two of them chatted away, Garrett sketching and exining. The jeweler sat beside him, constantly asking questions, engrossed in the discussion. The dye merchant made several attempts to join the conversation but shrugged, giving up and walking away. "It doesn''t seem difficult. I''ll try to make it, give me five days, and I should be able to produce it... copper tubes, knobs, these things take time, can''t rush..." "Five days won''t work!" Garrett decisively interrupted. "I can only give you one day. By this time tomorrow, you must have the items for me!" The jeweler looked hesitant. Garrett stood up, leaning over the table, trying to appear imposing: "I''ll provide the money, and I''ll find the manpower! Anything you need, just ask. At thetest, by this time tomorrow, you must give me something usable! This is crucial; it might be the key to saving the city from the gue!" The jeweler was startled, nodding repeatedly. Garrett walked back and forth for a few steps, calling over a quartermaster: "Give him whatever he needs, and we''ll settle the ountster. Also, buy a thousand tes and a thousand shallow dishes that can cover the tes! Oh, and find a ss craftsman to cut two thousand pieces of transparent ss, colorless, half an inch square is enough! A thousand pieces of regr thickness, and another thousand as thin as possible!" "Two thousand? So many?" The quartermaster was taken aback. Was this guy opening a shop? Even if you''re opening a shop, you can''t just ask for tes and dishes! At least add some bowls, spoons, knives, forks... And these ss pieces, what are they for? If you want colorful ones, I''d think you''re making stained ss windows... He looked puzzled. Garrett sighed, "I''m afraid it won''t be enough..." Garrett Nordmark demanded this and that, seeking various things that left others puzzled. Meanwhile, within the closed confines of the Temple of the Spring Goddess, a fervor had taken hold. The high priest, apanied by a group of clergy, formed a formation in front of the sealed chamber where someone had died. They nged sacred cymbals, rang holy bells, and fervently prayed: "Great Spring Goddess, have mercy on your people..." "Great Spring Goddess, bestow upon us the cleansing waters to quench the thirst of your children..." "Great Spring Goddess, purify thisnd..." The clergy of the Spring Goddess were directly connected to the sacred spring, and indeed, they excelled at purifying water sources. In the midst of their prayers, gurgling spring water bubbled out from bottles and pitchers, poured onto the ground, instantly dissipating the dark aura on the floor. However, as soon as the prayers ended, two low-ranking priests immediately eximed: "Oh, my stomach doesn''t feel good... I need to step aside for a moment..." The high priest felt like vomiting. Since the demise of the knight Roman, they had performed countless exorcism rituals, and the dark aura in the sealed chamber had gradually lightened. However, the number of people falling ill increased. It started with ordinary servants whocked extraordinary powers and had mediocre health, then guards and apprentices, and now, even low-ranking priests were falling sick... It was simply ludicrous! However, the Spring Goddess was a deity of purity, a clear and transparent god. The appearance of impurities during prayers was disrespectful to the goddess. The high priest could only wave his hand dismissively, urging those two fellows to leave promptly. The group gathered their belongings and started to leave. Midway, a young attendant rushed in, holding his robes, and approached the high priest: "Your Excellency, those beggars at the entrance have all been taken away!" "Taken away?" Well, good riddance... The Spring Goddess was the ancestral deity of the kingdom, and over half of the nobility in the kingdom believed in the Spring Goddess. Even if the temple closed its doors, they still had the privilege of receiving treatment. Of course, their donations to the temple wouldn''t be meager, and they wouldn''t hesitate to send their sons and daughters to the temple, aspiring to be priests or knights... As for those poor folks who could only pray and shout in the square, scooping water from the fountain at the entrance to drink they were just decorative most of the time. There were neither too many nor too few of them, and in critical times, well, if they were taken away, so be it. "Oh, by the way, I heard someone in the street banging drums and shouting, advising not to drink water from the fountain... They im that this gue is caused by drinking untreated water and urge everyone to drink boiled water from therge cauldrons instead..." "What?!" The high priest was furious. The fountain at the temple entrance represented the blessing of the Spring Goddess, and the water in the fountain came directly from beneath the temple, blessed by the prayers of the clergy! Forbidding the citizens from drinking water from the fountain wasn''t that tantamount to saying there was an issue with the Spring Goddess''s blessing?! This was undermining the foundation of the temple! This was disrespecting the goddess! "What nonsense is this?! Take a team and drive them away, then investigate who is spreading such baseless rumors!" --------------- Chapter 100 Chapter 100 The Temple of the Spring Goddess stood firmly at the roots of Harnd City. Shortly after the High Priest released the people, news from the outside world began to pour in. "They are taking the patients away, the City Guards are doing it!" "The City Guards have dispatched people to patrol the streets, going door to door. If someone is sick, they take them to the Radiant Cathedral!" "The priests of the Nature God Cult and the War God Temple have all gathered at the Radiant Cathedral!" "It is said that it was a resolution made by the Nature God Cult, War God Temple, and City Guards together..." "We saw Baron Vaughn''s servants..." The more the High Priest listened, the more his brows furrowed. The Nature God Cult, War God Temple, and City Guards, these threeing together always made him think of a somewhat annoying name. However, these were all irrelevant. The most important thing was, who was the guy spreading nonsense? "High Priest, we have found out" another attendant rushed in, panting for breath. "These ideas were all from someone named Garrett... Garrett something, the one who visited the templest time..." "Garrett Nordmark!" The High Priest raised an eyebrow. That little guy again! He was the one who came to confront them before; During the Midsummer Festival, he dered the city''s water source needed cleaning; And when treating Master Lorenz''s grandson, he arrogantly taught two senior priests as if they were his students! That old man Elwin spoiled his students, the bald bishop went crazy following him every day, pampering that kid to the point where he questioned even the blessings of the Spring Goddess! He angrily mmed the table, "Men! Prepare the procession, we''re paying them a visit!" Although the idea came from the little guy, those two sly old guys must have nodded in agreement behind his back. A bunch of troublemakers! Shaking the faith in the Spring Goddess, were they trying to expand their influence? Hmph! After driving away the Radiant High Bishop, he had seen their little tricks! The High Priest, full of anger, led a group of people to the Radiant Cathedral. Elder Elwin and the bald bishop naturally came out to greet them. When they met, the High Priest restrained his anger on his face, chatted casually with them, and entered together. It wasn''t until they were seated in the inner chamber that he pointed at the two leaders of the cults,ughing heartily: "Hey, you two, what you did is unreasonable. Treating illnesses is one thing, but why forbid people from drinking the water in the fountain?" When Garrett issued this order, it was bundled with the instructions to "build stoves all over the city, boil water, and supply boiled water" and "no one is allowed to drink raw water." At that time, it seemed okay, but now, the High Priest came to inquireYou say the river water is dirty, the ditch water is dirty, can the water from the fountain at the temple, blessed by the Spring Goddess, also be dirty? Can drinking it cause problems? The bald bishop shifted in his seat and was about to speak. However, Elder Elwin extended his hand to stop him, stared into the High Priest''s eyes, and calmly said: "Raw water easily spreads diseases. Your Excellency Horna, we are not targeting you; we are only thinking of the lives of the people in the entire city." "But that is the sacred spring of the Goddess!" The High Priest frowned. Elder Elwin didn''t back down: "The sacred spring is indeed sacred. However, with many people fetching water and the utensils used not guaranteed to be clean, it''s better not to take water temporarily during an epidemic." "The sacred spring of the Goddess naturally has the ability to purify the water source! Elwin, you''re spoiling that little guy too much. Are you blindly following everything he says? Drinking raw water, who knows if it will cause an epidemic!" Garrett stood quietly beside his teacher, observing with eyes, mouth, and nose, diligently contemting the next experimental n. When he heard the High Priest speak like that, he suddenly raised his head, looked straight at him. Elder Elwin had been keeping an eye on him with his peripheral vision, and seeing that he wanted to speak, he raised his hand, vigorously waved forward: "Raw water is inherently prone to spreading epidemics. Garrett, you speak!" "High Priest, Bishop, Teacher." Garrett took a step forward, first slightly bowing his head to greet the three leaders of the cults. When he raised his head, the humble and gentle expression immediately turned into a determined and firm one: "Whether drinking raw water can spread epidemics or not, whether drinking fountain water can spread epidemics or not, my words don''t count. With you three present, we can conduct an experiment." "Find some healthy rabbits and feed them with raw water from the river, water from the ditch, water from the fountain, and boiled and cooled water separately. After feeding them, observe which rabbit gets diarrhea and which one doesn''t." Garrett Nordmark was confident. Since his uing experiments required test animals, he took advantage of the High Priest''s visit to provoke him and managed to make him foot the bill. In order to silence the High Priest, he borated on the experiment design: "For the sake of experiment uracy, I suggest that the High Priest sends someone to buy rabbits. Once purchased, they can be treated with divine magic first, and then randomly selected. When collecting water, it''s also possible to do it together with several others to supervise each other, preventing water sample switching" After all, rabbits can also contract dysentery! Hmph! "Enough!" High Priest Holna, furious, flicked his sleeves. The other party hadid out all the details, and leaving now would seem guilty; waiting here to watch someone feed rabbits would appear foolish. Garrett nodded respectfully, bowing his head and speaking softly: "Of course, if you are tight on funds, we can also buy the rabbits for you" In response, a pouch of coins was thrown at him. The rabbits were quickly bought. Garrett calmly marked the water samples,beled the rabbit cages ording to the samples, and fed them separately. He even made sure to do things thoroughly; the water dishes used for feeding were taken straight from the steamer, each rabbit having its own dish without mixing. Then came the long wait. After feeding the rabbits, Garrett discreetly left. Elder Elwin and the bald Bishop had exhausted their healing spells for the day. Both sat idle, one on the left and one on the right of the rabbits, praying individually. High Priest Holna sat in the middle, bored, waiting until the red sun sank, night fell, and then... The rabbits got diarrhea. Except for the few rabbits that drank cold boiled water, the rest, including those who drank fountain water, began to have diarrhea one after another. Bald Bishop: "..." Elder Elwin: "..." No quarreling, no ming each other; just a few rabbits brought out to face them, it was perfect! High Priest Holna: "..." In front of everyone''s eyes, his old face looked like it was smeared with rabbit dung. Finally, he flicked his sleeves: "The Holy Spring must be contaminated. I will organize prayers and purify the water source but, prohibiting the people from taking water from the fountain is absolutely impossible!" "I''m afraid it really needs to be prohibited." Garrett walked in withrge strides, a serious expression on his face. He bowed slightly to Elder Elwin: "Teacher, many of the early patients took water from the temple''s fountain." "You?!" High Priest Holna was shocked and angered. Garrett looked at him seriously, not backing down: "I have evidence!" --------------- Chapter 101 Chapter 101 "You have evidence? Hmph, what evidence could you have!" The High Priest Holna, irritated, huffed and puffed like a pressure cooker desperately boiling water with a faulty valve. Garrett remained unfazed, gesturing outward. "Please!" Evidence, huh? Garrett led the way, and a group of people followed him into the rear hall with a mor. Evidence? He had long prepared for it. High Priest Holna hurried footsteps, looking like he wanted to catch Garrett and get rid of him immediately. Elder Elwin Wilkinson followed at a leisurely pace, looking confident. Bald Bishop nced ahead, then at Elder Elwin Wilkinson, his expression anxious, as if wanting to scratch his head. "Hey, what has your apprentice stirred up again? Didn''t he just finish messing with rabbits!" Elder Elwin Wilkinson gave him a mysterious smile. The rear hall of the Radiant Cathedral was at the deepest part of the church. Passing the altar and the statue of the Radiant Lord, there was a semi-circr hall behind. Three years ago, this was the lounge before the grand ceremony held by the main priest of the church, and also the ce where high-ranking priests gathered. The walls were decorated magnificently, thick and soft carpets covering the floor like a pit when stepped on. Now the room was filled with files, stacks of them, at least a few hundred. Arge mapy on the central long table, adorned with various small gs on it. When Garrett and the others entered, several priests were holding files, busy back and forth. "Patient record for bed 318!" "Received! Fell ill two days ago! Lives on South Small Street, near George''s Uncle Bakery on East Cross Street!" "Patient record for bed 319!" "Received! Fell ill yesterday, husband had diarrhea three days ago, recovered the next day! Lives on Kelvin Street, near Freya''s Tailor Shop!" The priests, with pale faces and trembling legs, had just finished using their healing spells for the day, thinking they could rest. Instead, Garrett threw them into new work asking for medical histories, writing patient records,paring them with the narratives of the patients'' families, and organizing the onset conditions. Oh, and the format for writing patient records was something Garrett hastily provided to them one at the entrance to the rear hall, one for severe cases, and one for mild cases. Paste them on therge wooden rack and copy them yourselves. If something was missing, they had to go back and rewrite it. Garrett nced at their disheveled appearance with a smirk. Asking for medical histories, writing patient records which medical student hasn''t gone through this? Since they followed me to study anatomy and improved the effectiveness of healing spells using my methods, then let them be junior doctors for me! Hehehe... Feeling good! The priests rushed around, one by one reporting numbers, and one by one, gs were inserted onto the map. The bald bishop leaned over to look, and Garrett immediately followed, pointing to the side. "Red indicates those who fell ill today... yellow is yesterday, blue is the day before yesterday... ck? ck is from seven days ago, the earliest case found so far..." Obviously, the ck gs on the map were the sparsest. However, High Priest Holna, standing beside the map, looked at the scattered ck gs with a dark expression, wanting to curse. One or two gs weren''t obvious. With hundreds of gs together, anyone familiar with Harnd City could see at a nce: those ck gs formed a semicircle centered around the Spring Goddess''s temple, which was nourished by the clean water source for the entire city. And then, on the sixth day, fifth day, fourth day... they spread outward in rings. What''s worse, the first servant in the temple fell ill eight days ago... In front of the two leaders of the two religious factions, these ck gs, one by one, felt like ps on Holna''s face. This little guy is detestable! How did hee up with this method? If we don''t put up gs and just flip through records page by page, without even asking the patients, who knows who the first patient was! Garrett looked at the expression on the High Priest''s face, lowered his head, and rolled his eyes secretly. Investigating an epidemic is not easy for me! Investigating the source of infection, finding patient zero, is not easy for me! Wu wu wu, in my previous life, when a case appeared, there was a whole CDC, dozens of people surrounding him, and the trajectory was announced clearly within 24 hours. Now, investigating more than three hundred people alone! I am a clinical doctor! I am not the CDC! I am not someone from the Health Commission! Studying health administration, joining those people from the Health Commission, even practicing physicians don''t qualify! If High Priest Holna heard Garrett''s inner thoughts, he would definitely want to kill him on the spot. Unfortunately, he was a priest, not a mage, and hadn''t learned the magic of "thought detection." So, all he was thinking about was the current crisis: The gue started from the fountain; this is something that cannot be admitted! If people find out that the temple of the Spring Goddess, nourishing the entire city with clean water, is the source of this gue, the faith in the goddess will suffer a heavy blow! As High Priest Holna pondered, his face darkened: "Nonsense! These words are spoken by the patients themselves, how can they be taken as evidence! Those confused patients, their words can be used to use the temple? Are you trying to spheme the goddess by repeatedly using us!" "Holna!" Elder Elwin Wilkinson stepped forward, pulling his disciple behind him. However, Garrett, ungrateful, took a step forward, revealing half of himself behind Elder Elwin Wilkinson: "Your Excellency High Priest, I have no intention of questioning the temple, let alone spheming the goddess. All I''ve done is try to find the source of the gue and stop this disaster as soon as possible believing in the mercy of the goddess, hoping that her people will not be disturbed by the disease." "Smooth talk!" The High Priest coldly snorted. Garrett turned around and pointed to the map: "The patient''s statement can indeed only be used as a preliminary reference and cannot be used to use the temple. But, you''ve seen the results of the rabbit experiment, and you''ve seen the process of patient spread. Should we temporarily refrain from allowing people to fetch water from the fountain at the temple entrance, what do you think?" High Priest Holna''s gaze was heavy. To be reasonable, both pieces of evidence were right in front of him. To be unreasonable, both the Radiant Church and the War God''s temple were this guy''s backers. He took a deep breath and flicked his sleeve: "Before, you said you had no intention of questioning the temple?" "Indeed!" "Fine! Then prove to me that this gue has nothing to do with the temple!" What? With the temple? Now, with arge amount of evidence pointing to the Spring Goddess''s temple, you want me to fake evidence, making it difficult for me! Rest assured, if it is proven that the gue originated from the temple, I will definitely present irrefutable evidence! Garrett''s face suddenly became serious. He bowed gently, but his tone was firm and decisive: "I seek only the truth always the truth. Since you are concerned about the origin of the gue, rest assured, I will present irrefutable evidence!" --------------- Chapter 102 Chapter 102 The High Priest stormed off in anger, but Garrett remained unfazed. He ate when it was time to eat, slept when it was time to sleep, and worked when it was time to workthree times a day, shouting at the priests to inspect wards, write medical records, andpile data. From morning till night, he only moved his mouth tomand others, not bothering to perform any healing spells himself. Superior doctors had their privileges and responsibilities. For instance, after the nightly rounds were over, Joane could corner him, cheeks flushed, and directly inquire, "The number of patients is increasing... when will it decrease? When will this gue end?" Garrett secretly wiped off a cold sweat. If it were a year ago when he crossed over, he really couldn''t answer this question. Although he could look up "Epidemiology" in his memories at any time and calcte the data using forms, it was a bit challenging. However, thanks to the disasterst year, determining when the epidemic would reach a turning point and when it would end became much easier. "When it can decrease depends on whether we can cut off the transmission of the epidemic. As long as all patients are brought into the cathedral, and there are no new cases outside, give it another week, at most two weeks, and this gue will bepletely over." "How do we cut it off?" "Make everyone drink boiled water! Clean all water sources! And find the source of the epidemic... I''ll handle that!" Seizing this excuse, Garrett openly ditched his healing work. Once the data waspiled, he turned and left the back hall, disappearing in an instant. "Garrett? Where''s Garrett?" Those looking for him had to inquire all the way. From the hall to the side hall, from the side hall to the back hall, and then from the back hall to the second floor. Finally, they found Garrett''s exact location. Pushing the door open, the smell inside immediately did somersaults. The visitor covered their nose, shivering, standing at the doorway, almost wanting to flee. The room was filled with a strange smell, amid the fragrant aroma of meat soup, there was a nauseating stench. It''s unclear how long it had been brewing, entwined with each other, indistinguishable. The person at the door lost their intelligence, hesitating for a full five seconds before remembering to exit the room. A strong wind blew in, fiercely clearing the air, and then rushed back in. "Why are you still here? The Council members are returning tomorrow! Hurry up ande back with me, pack uphey, you smell weird, you need a good wash!" "Elliott the Mage!" Garrett joyfully turned around. Elliott frowned, endured, and finally rushed to his side, reaching out to pull him. "What are you doing? Oh, what is this thing!" In front of Garrett was a strange-looking object. A heavy and sturdy base, an arched support, fixed on top was a long cylinder. Below the cylinder, there was a rack supporting an enchanted silver rod emitting a steady and bright light. And Garrett himself, with a delighted face, waved at him. "Come and see! I finally found the culprit of this gue!" "Found it?" Elliott was moved. The origin of the gue had countless exnations over the centuries in the magical council, but none were widely epted. Now, this first-level mage imed he found it? Even if it couldn''t bepletely confirmed, as long as the process made sense, it could be a great paper. The top journals of the magical council would surely be willing to publish it. Mage Elliott bent down, following Garrett''s pointing finger. On the rack below the cylinder, a small ss piece was fixednot just one, but two. In between the two pieces of ss, there seemed to be something... "Is it this?" Elliott bent down, carefully observing. A drop of transparent liquid was on the ss, clear and fragrant, seeming to be some kind of oil... "Olive oil? Or?" "No, look from here!" Garrett pulled him aside, vacating a seat, pointing to the top of the cylinder. Elliott bent down to look, and the whole person shook violently. "What is this... these short, stick-like things... what are they?" Elliott widened his eyes, leaning forward, his eyeballs almost pressing against the top of the cylinder. Soon, he stood up violently, leaning to the side, almost leaning on the rack below the cylinderstill the small ss piece, the drop of liquid on the ss remained motionless, and inside the ss piece, it still seemed to be holding something... "What is this? This is... the thing inside the ss piece?!" He was so astonished that he couldn''t speak fluently, "Why is it so big? How... the cylinder... can see it... what about the other things... the other things..." That''s right. A microscope. Garrett silently shed a tear of sympathy for himself. This thing seemed incredibly simple inter years, just a eyepiece, an objective lens, and some stands and light sources. On Taobao, a student microscope cost 238 with a maximum magnification of 10,000 times, including 30 specimens... It would be exhausting to make one here. He discussed all night with the jewelerst night, changing lenses over and over again, adjusting the focal length. Every step, every detail, required his personal involvement... So today he didn''t participate in healing. Whether it was a priest or a mage, one of the prerequisites for casting healing spells or magic was to ensure eight hours of sleep the night before. After pulling an all-nighter, he couldn''t produce anything today. Well, being a priest has its advantages over being a doctor in this regard. At least you don''t have to work a night shift and continue to work hard the next day... Fortunately, the microscope was finally made. Seeing is normal; not seeing means I''ve failed. Garrett turned around, swiped and swiped, dragging over a wicker basket from the nearby long table. "So, with this cylinder, you can magnify things a lot. Fix them yourself and take a look" Elliott tremblingly took it, one by one, fixing them on the rack. Through the cylinder, he saw long, interconnected grids on the onion skin, with small ck dots inside; in a piece of cork, grids arranged like a beehive; a drop of blood on the ss, he saw countless tiny dots, crowded together. A piece of sulfur... "I understand! Hahaha, I understand! So that''s how it is!" Elliott burst intoughter suddenly. He grabbed the sulfur from the rack and ran out like crazy. On the balcony, he chanted a spell, pointed forward with his right hand A pea-sized spark flew out from his fingertips. Forward, forward... Suddenly exploded! A thunderous roar. The outer wall of the cathedral shook twice, and Elder Elwin, Bishop Donald, and the others were shocked, eaching out: "Who?" "Who cast Fireball?" "Is there an attack?" Pairs of eyes looked at the fireball in the night sky, then followed the faint elemental fluctuations, looking towards the source of the fireball. On the balcony, Elliott danced with excitement,ughing madly: "I understand! I''ve broken through! Thanks to you, little Garrett! Hahaha!" It turned out that the Levenhuk telescope was just a brick-flying ything. I tried hard to think about it, and I won''t use it anymore. But it''s really amazing to grind out a single 300x magnifying ss at that time... It''s a single 300x! Not the 300x obtained by multiplying the eyepiece and the objective lens! Levenhuk is really a handicraft master... Seeking collection, seeking rmendation, seeking reviews... The collection this afternoon didn''t increase much... --------------- Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Oh? Such a big reaction? Garrett Nordmark, arms crossed, nced sideways at Mage Elliott from a distance. Even though he knew you were approaching the level up... breaking through so grandly, are you afraid the microscope''s advertising effect isn''t enough? By the way... If this microscope is reported to the Magic Council as alchemical equipment, I wonder how much reward we could get... "Little Garrett, what have youe up with again!" The shouting outside interrupted Garrett''s thoughts. The bald bishop shouted, Garrett rushed to the balcony, shouting back: "Bishop! Teacher! I found it! The culprit of this gue, I found it! Come and see! Hurry!" "I''ming!" The bald bishop took a few quick steps and jumped high. He reached out, already grabbing onto the sculpture on the wall, flipping himself up. Seeing him like this, Elder Elwin Wilkinson smiled bitterly, beckoning everyone to go up the stairs. They circled properly, not yet entering the room, and from afar, they heard the bald bishop shouting excitedly: "Wow, it''s really clear! This works too! ...This also works! But Little Garrett, why do you im that these small things are the cause of this gue?" "I found these things in the patients'' feces," Garrett''s voice was calm and steady. "In the contaminated fountain, in the patients'' feces, and even in the feces of sick rabbits. On the contrary, in healthy rabbits, there is none." "Really?" "Is that true?" Dozens of priests crowded the room. Garrett moved aside, giving space for the microscope: "You can see for yourselves! After you see it, I''ll teach you how to make something visible to everyone! Line up, don''t push,e one by one!" The bald bishop reluctantly stepped aside. Elder Elwin Wilkinson adjusted his expression and approached the microscope. Serious, he thought, don''t be startled like that guy... "Ah!" He made a slightly lower volume but certainly not less intense exmation. Stuck on the microscope, it refused to move. "Cough, cough!" The bald bishop loudly fake-coughed on the side. Elder Elwin Wilkinson greedily looked for half a minute, reluctantly moved his eyes away. Garrett had been waiting on the side; seeing him move away, he immediately approached: "Teacher, let me teach you how to cultivate and stain so that everyone can see these things..." "Time is pressing." Elder Elwin Wilkinson waved decisively, interrupting him. "Do it yourself. Show me the proof that these little things caused this gue!" This... What did I just say? What if my proof is wed or my procedure is wrong? Garrett silently wiped his sweat. However, with the stern gaze of the elder, he could only stand tall and answer loudly: "Yes, teacher!" At Elder Elwin Wilkinson''smand, the priests of the Natural God Cult collectively stepped back, standing in a neat row opposite Garrett. Each had a set of equipment in front of them. Following Garrett''s instructions, they performed a spell and a movement: "Wash your hands!" Some went to find water, some cast water-cleaning spells, and others cast cleansing spells... Mage Elliott, bored, threw in a few mage tricks, cleaning the hands of the two priests closest to him, earning a fierce re from Garrett... "Cut a piece of frozen meat and ce it on the dish! Don''t use Wind de! Don''t use Wind Curl! There will be dirt in the air too!" Swish, swish, swish, swish, a spell of "Purification" was thrown onto the frozen meat on the dish. Garrett: "..." [Remember to start a research project - use drinking water treated by "Purification" and untreated water, do a bacterial cultureparison experiment...] He silently added a task for himself and continued giving orders: "Take the iron wire in your hands..." Forget about the inoction loop, keep it simple. Fortunately, I prepared many sets. "The end with the loop, burn it clean with fire..." No one went to find an alcoholmp, and no one went to find candles. A group of priests reached out in unison, hands extended forward, and mes appeared in the empty air. Garrett was impressed. It''s really convenient for spellcasters to do experiments; they can do everything by hand... But, are you guys not under much pressure for healing today? How many spell slots do you have left? "Take a little sample..." Well, forget about the inoction loop; let''s keep it simple. Fortunately, I prepared many sets. "In your hands..." he sighed, "The wire with the loop, draw a line on the frozen meat! Watch my movements..." A, B, C, D, four areas, a standard streaking method. Garrett silently thanked the perks of crossing, allowing him to remember every book he had read and every experiment he had done in his past life... By the way, his bacterial culture experiment was when he was in his third year, almost twenty years ago. Later? Later, he became a clinical doctor, and the work of theboratory didn''t fall under his jurisdiction... "Done streaking? Good, cover the lid. Come back tomorrow at this time to check!" "Tomorrow?" Elder Elwin Wilkinson suddenly interjected. Garrett turned around, deliberately putting on a stern face: "Teacher, bacteria oh, these little things, need time to grow enough for everyone to see. It takes time!" Elder Elwin Wilkinson nodded. Garrett thought it was over, prepared to go to the microscope nearby, but Elder Elwin Wilkinson lowered his head to pray for a few moments, then suddenly raised his hand and pressed it on the table. A green light shed "Alright. See if it works like this" Garrett: ???? Teacher, you can even selectively induce the birth of microorganisms! He uncovered the lid and indeed saw a semi-transparent bacterial colony on the frozen meat. Garrett opened his mouth wide, stunned in ce, with only one word echoing in his mind: Penicillin! Penicillin!!! Garrett regained his senses, continued to guide everyone in making slides, drying, and staining. After finishing, they lined up in front of the microscope, one by one, to check. Holding the ss slide with the ustomed oak wand, their hands trembled, afraid of breaking it, holding it in their palms, afraid of blowing it away... Soon, cries of surprise came continuously. "Wow! Blue little rods! I can see them here!" "I can see them here too!" "Me too! Many of them!" "I don''t have many here, but there are some..." "I don''t have any... really none!" One person eximed. The person next to him came over to look andughed, scolding, "Of course you don''t have any. Yours is rabbit blood; it''s strange if it does!" Elder Elwin Wilkinson stood on the side, looking at them one by one. Blood, feces, water source. Except for blood, feces from healthy rabbits, and boiling water, blue little rods could be seen in everything else. He finally sighed with relief: "So, these little things really triggered this gue?" Garrett pretended to nod firmly. In fact, it couldn''t be confirmed yet ; he hadn''t done the second infection experiment but, he was familiar with the appearance of the Shige bacterium! The elder lowered his head in thought. Suddenly, lifting his eyes, he stared straight at Garrett: "So, as long as we kill these little things, the disease can be cured?" "Yes!" Antibiotics, treating the symptoms, is the most reliable! Besides, bacteria in this world don''t have antibiotic resistance... "Alright, I''ll give it a try!" The elder suddenly walked out with big strides. Garrett blinked, running to catch up. Unfortunately, the elder''s robe fluttered, and the faster he walked, Garrett was still left behind, until he rushed into the hall, he saw a shower of light falling in front... "Alright! I''m healed!!!" "Thanks to the God of Nature!" In the surprised cheers of the patients, Elder Elwin Wilkinson clenched the oak wand in his hand, veins bulging on his arm: "The consumption of healing spells has reduced by seventy percent! Little Garrett, your method really works!" Garrett stood still, slowly opening his mouth, not knowing what to say. Teacher, besides being able to selectively induce the birth of microorganisms, you can also work as a living antibiotic?! --------------- Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Since the advent of antibiotics, with its sweeping power, human medical capabilities have taken a significant leap forward. Elder Elwin''s "Living Antibiotic Treatment" yed a decisive role in the treatment of this epidemic. How significant is the 70% reduction in treatment consumption? The Cult of the God of Nature and the War God Temple, with their previous healing powers, could cure about 30 to 35 people a day. Together, the two could heal around sixty to seventy people. On the first day ofrge-scale admission of patients, 528 people were admitted to the Radiant Cathedral. On the second day, the city guards, apanied by people, searched the entire city and brought in another 317 people. Among the family members of the cathedral patients, more than 200 people were detected as infected and were immediately taken to the treatment area. The number of patients exceeded the existing treatment capacity by almost ten times. Garrett had to categorize them into critically ill and mildly ill patients based on whether they could get out of bed and ce them in designated areas. Then, he persuaded the two leaders of the cults to issue strict orders: treatment could only be used for critically ill patients and could only be maintained, not cured. As for the mildly ill patients, they were to rest in bed, be given sugar-salt water, and only allowed to eat liquid food. There was no extra treatment capacity for them! With these measures, they barely managed to maintain the situation without copsing. Although none of the admitted patients had recovered so farmost acute dysentery patients took 1 to 2 weeks to recoverat least they managed to keep everyone alive. On the second day of the appearance of the "Living Antibiotic Treatment," after the priests learned the improved version of the divine art, and after eight hours of sleep, the day the divine art was restored, the light of the treatment swept through the entire critical area! "Bed 12 recovered!" "Bed 25 recovered!" "Bed 39 recovered!" "Bed 57 recovered!" Cheers echoed continuously. Pride, joy, excitement. From one person to two, to twenty, to fifty, in the end, all the patients in the critical area got out of bed, rushed towards their families in the mild or istion area: "Little Ava, Mom is okay!" "John, I''m better! I''m better!" "Mom! My stomach doesn''t hurt anymore! Mom! Why are you crying, Mom..." Garrett stood at the entrance of the critical area, watching the waves of patients leaving, smiling sincerely. Where his gaze reached, mothers hugged their children, wives hugged their husbands, and the elderly embraced the young. Every face disyed joy. Even in the mild area where patients were not illuminated by the treatment, a glimmer of hope shone on their faces. The seriously ill had all been cured, and now it was their turn! "Little Garrett, we owe it to you this time." A hand patted his shoulder heavily. Before Garrett could react, he was patted down, bing noticeably shorter. He reflexively eximed: "Bishop!" "Hahaha!" The bald bishop casually lifted him up. "Little Garrett, why are you still as weak as a chick! Look at your teacher, even at this age, I can still arm wrestle with me!" "I''m a mage! A mage!" Garrett retorted loudly. The bald bishop pushed him forward, and in the next moment, the priests who rushed up, regardless of gender or age, whether they belonged to the Cult of the God of Nature or the War God Temple, lifted Garrett high and threw him upwards: "We did it! We did it!" "We won!" "Little Garrett, you''re amazing!" They couldn''t help but cheer and celebrate. Among the healers standing here, the younger ones were fine, but the older ones, even if they hadn''t experienced it themselves, had heard of the arrival of the epidemic. Nobles could escape, mages could shut themselves off, but they, these healers, for faith andpassion towards the believers, only had this one choice. They originally thought they had to exert all their efforts, exhaust themselves time and time again; They originally thought they had to persist for half a month, a month, or even longer; Originally, they thought they would have to watch ten, a hundred, or even more dying patients pass away... Who would have thought that after getting through the first day and oveing the second day, after one dissection, one experiment, the details of the release of the divine art changed, and on the third day, they saw the dawn! Garrett also wanted to be excited with them. However, at this moment, being thrown up high, watching the ground approach and retreat repeatedly, in panic and dizziness, he couldn''t help but scream: "Ahhhh, let me down! Let me down! Help! Teacher, help!" Elder Elwin appreciated his disciple''s predicament for a while before reaching out to lift Garrett down and disperse the crowd. Watching the priests disperse in pairs, treating the mildly ill patients, the elder smiled and sighed with emotion: "Little Garrett, thanks to you this time." A hand patted his shoulder heavily. Before Garrett could react, he was patted down, bing noticeably shorter. He reflexively eximed: "Bishop!" "Hahaha!" The bald bishop casually lifted him up. "Little Garrett, why are you still as weak as a chick! Look at your teacher, even at this age, I can still arm wrestle with me!" "I''m a mage! A mage!" Garrett retorted loudly. The bald bishop pushed him forward, and in the next moment, the priests who rushed up, regardless of gender or age, whether they belonged to the Cult of the God of Nature or the War God Temple, lifted Garrett high and threw him upwards: "We did it! We did it!" "We won!" "Little Garrett, you''re amazing!" They couldn''t help but cheer and celebrate. Among the healers standing here, the younger ones were fine, but the older ones, even if they hadn''t experienced it themselves, had heard of the arrival of the epidemic. Nobles could escape, mages could shut themselves off, but they, these healers, for faith andpassion towards the believers, only had this one choice. They originally thought they had to exert all their efforts, exhaust themselves time and time again; They originally thought they had to persist for half a month, a month, or even longer; Originally, they thought they would have to watch ten, a hundred, or even more dying patients pass away... Who would have thought that after getting through the first day and oveing the second day, after one dissection, one experiment, the details of the release of the divine art changed, and on the third day, they saw the dawn! Garrett also wanted to be excited with them. However, at this moment, being thrown up high, watching the ground approach and retreat repeatedly, in panic and dizziness, he couldn''t help but scream: "Ahhhh, let me down! Let me down! Help! Teacher, help!" Elder Elwin appreciated his disciple''s predicament for a while before reaching out to lift Garrett down and disperse the crowd. Watching the priests disperse in pairs, treating the mildly ill patients, the elder smiled and sighed with emotion: "Little Garrett, thanks to you this time." "If it weren''t for you, I''m afraid we would still be struggling with the epidemic. Your insight into the source of the epidemic and your efforts to find a solution have saved countless lives." Garrett nodded, feeling a mix of emotions. The battle against the epidemic was not over yet. There was still much work to be done to ensure theplete eradication of the disease. "Teacher, I need to go inside. There''s a lot more to do!" "What do you n to do?" "As I mentioned before, I need to find the source of this epidemic. Only by identifying the source and disrupting the transmission chain can wepletely stop the spread of this gue!" As Garrett answered, he walked forward. His steps became faster, and themanding voice became more resolute: "Get water! Collect water from all sources in the city, whether it''s rivers, channels, or wells. Mark the locations and bring them here!" "Wash all the tes and dishes! Clean the ss pieces too! Steam them in the steamer! Boil another pot of meat broth!" "Get some rabbits too! At least 20 of them!" "Run! Quickly!" --------------- Chapter 105 Chapter 105 The news of zero critically ill patients spread throughout the city, riding the bustling city guards and the assistants delivering food and firewood, wave after wave. "Have they all been cured?" Baron Vaughn''s cup in his hands ttered and shattered. The personal male servant reporting hastily said: "No, not all. Only those who couldn''t get out of bed have been cured. The ones with milder symptoms are not healed yet." "...How many critically ill patients are there?" "Well..." "Quickly go find out!" The servant dashed away. Baron Vaughn looked regretfully at the broken pieces on the ground and muttered: "So soon... Holna doesn''t have this ability. If it''s true, I''ll have to donate more to the Temple of the War God." "So soon?" Viscount Joane, in his estate outside the city, received the news not toote. "Good, good. I''m tired of this wretched estate. Hey, someone! Pack up, we''re heading back to the city! Oh, and do you want toe?" "I want to go back! Of course, I want to go back!" Lady Deya teared up. "My lord, please intercede for me! Roman has been dead for so long, and the temple won''t let me collect his body! My lord, please have pity on this son, help him onest time!" The carriage rumbled from the estate outside the city, streaming towards the Spring Goddess Temple inside the city. Meanwhile, at the helm of the temple, High Priest Holna was troubled by the news from the Radiant Church. The increased healing capabilities of those two families were not good for the Spring Goddess Temple. To put it lightly, he would overshadow the bald-headed archbishop; to put it heavily, the temple''s influence and future donations would decrease. "How did they manage it? Do we have more detailed information?" "Yes, yes, yes!" The messenger nodded vigorously. "ording to the information we received, that young man called a jeweler, concocted something, and then used that thing to see... see... We didn''t have a chance to get close, and we don''t know what it is, but it seems like after the elders saw it, they gathered a group and whispered. Then, today, those critically ill patients were all cured..." "Is that so?" The high priest pushed up his round-framed sses on his nose. With his hands behind his back, he paced from east to west, then back from west to east. Thinking and contemting, his brows furrowed: "I need to go see for myself. Someone!... No, forget it, bring that jeweler here first!" The jeweler came trembling. Gesticting, he exined for a long time, but failed to clearly convey what Garrett had him create the only useful information was that with that thing, one could see very small things! "How small?" "I... don''t know... the man, the man just dropped a drop of water on the ss, and then went up to look..." "What could be seen?Okay, stop talking, just recreate it exactly!" The jeweler went to work crying. Helplessly, a microscope couldn''t be made in the blink of an eye. Garrett had prepared enough manpower for him earlier, and personally chose lenses, adjusted focus, but it would still take an entire night toplete one. As High Priest Holna waited, instead of receiving the finished product, he got another piece of news: "High Priest, it''s bad! The Natural Church sent a message, saying they request our permission. They want to sprinkle lime into the fountain!" "Tell them to roll!" The messenger left in a hurry. The high priest angrily smashed a cup, gathered the clergy, and continued praying. After one round of prayers, more news came in: "High Priest! The elder of the Natural Church, along with the bishop of the Temple of the War God, is requesting an audience. They say, the fountain has truly been contaminated, and it must be cleaned!" "They''vee to us?!" The high priest was furious. That was the sacred spring of the goddess, a blessing to the believers and to the city of Harnd. Sprinkling lime into the fountain was no different from sphemy against the goddess! "Someone!" He stood up in anger. His movement was too hasty, and the silver crown on his head swayed, directly tilting down. High Priest Holna simply pulled off the silver crown and mmed it hard on the ground. With a "snap," the finely carved crown, adorned with narcissus patterns, became a lump: "Bell, trumpet! Assemble all the clergy, tell them the time to defend the honor of the goddess hase!" In the deep night, the doors of the Spring Goddess Temple suddenly opened. Two columns of guards, holding torches, hurried down, followed by the temple knights in helmets and armor, exuding a murderous aura, rushing out with a resounding rumble. Finally, the high priest emerged in the midst of swords and torches, his face full of anger: "Elwin! You''ve gone too far!" "We''re just here to purify the fountain." A calm and peaceful voice sounded from the other side, slow and unhurried, devoid of any emotional fluctuations. As if the thick night before them, no matter how fierce the high priest''s anger, could only illuminate for a moment, unable to tear apart the entire night. "All the city''s water sources, as long as they''re contaminated, must be thoroughly purified. Holna, please don''t interfere." "You''re spheming the goddess!" High Priest Holna took a few steps forward, blocking the fountain. Anger made his voice sharper, almost piercing: "This is the holy spring of the goddess! It was only temporarily contaminated by the sick two days ago. We have already held a purification ceremony andpletely purified it! Elwin, if you throw things into the sacred spring again, you are spheming the goddess!" "You may not have purified thoroughly." Elder Elwin sighed lightly. "Holna, or... let''s go in first. I''ll show you the evidence?!" "What evidence?! There is no evidence!The sacred spring of the goddess is absolutely impossible to be impure!" The high priest did not allow any interruption, forcefully cutting off his words: "Get out!" With a wave of his staff, the three gems on the staff''s head simultaneously lit up with a shimmering light, apparently preparing for a divine spell. "Holna." Elder Elwin sighed. The bald-headed archbishop also walked out and stood side by side with him. At the same time, in the darkness, a wave of footsteps sounded, and healers and warriors surged out, facing the Spring Goddess Temple, forming an imposing half-circle. "What? Do you still want to fight?!" High Priest Holna was stunned for a moment, then angrily shouted: "Without evidence, you forced your way to the temple''s door, intending to spheme the glory of the goddess? In that case, even if the temple is outnumbered, we will fight to the death! Guards!" "Here!" With a ng, behind the high priest, the temple knights unsheathed their swords. Elder Elwin tapped his oak staff, the bald-headed archbishop raised his right hand high, and the warriors silently stepped forward. At the tense moment , as swords were drawn and crossbows were cocked, a clear voice suddenly rang out in the background: "I have evidence." Garrett walked out slowly. Elder Elwin quickly nced back at him. Trying to stop him again, but it was toote: Why are youing out? Why are youing out? If you insist that the temple''s fountain also needs purification, fine, let the teacher speak for you. Why did you jump out yourself? You''re just a level 1 novice priest, offending the high priest won''t benefit you! In the flickering mes, Garrett appeared calm andposed. Only his ck eyes, gazing at the high priest, flickered with me-like radiance. He didn''t necessarily want to take the spotlight, but for the rtionship between water quality testing, bacterial reproduction, and the epidemic, Elder Elwin only half understood. Letting the teacher argue for him would certainly not make it clear... To eliminate the source of the infection as soon as possible, this matter required him to step forward. If the high priest resented him, so be it! He raised a small ss bottle high: "We tested samples of water from the entire city. This fountain, as well as other bodies of water connected to the fountain source, all revealed the source of the epidemic. Even the mouth of the water outlet wasn''t spared; we have reason to suspect that the fountain was contaminated before the water emerged." "Garrett Nordmark!" High Priest Holna stared at him, syble by syble grinding out the name of the youth through his teeth. With the new silver crown, a strand of flower-white hair not tied up almost stood straight: "The source of the fountain is the deepest part of the temple, the sacred spring bestowed by the goddess! It has undergone prayers and blessings before emerging; how could there be a problem before ites out?" "I have evidence." Garrett calmly repeated: "Your Excellency High Priest, if you want evidence, I can show it to you. But the situation is urgent, the gue is still spreading throughout the city. For the well-being of all the people in the city, please let us purify the spring water first" "Oh? Evidence?" A voice abruptly interjected. At the same time, outside the circle of people facing each other, a long shout echoed: "His Lordship the City Lord has arrived" --------------- Chapter 106 Chapter 106 "Wow, it''s quite lively here!" Lord Joane Vaughn, the ruler of Harnd City, strolled in casually. Despite the tense atmosphere with drawn swords on both sides, he seemed oblivious, smiling and looking around. If he dyed his current beard white, lengthened and increased it threefold, he could easily pass for Santa us. "Lord of the City." "My Lord Baron." The people present greeted him unevenly. Lord Joane gestured this way and nodded that way, making his way to the center of the crowd. He stopped, straightened his beard, and appraised Garrett Nordmark. "I remember you. You''re the... the disciple of Elder Elwin at the Midsummer Festival, right?" "Garrett Nordmark, paying respects to Your Lordship." Garrett bowed. Lord Joane casually waved his hand. "Hmm, you say there''s evidence? Where is it? That bottle? Show me!" "To see it, tools are needed." Garrett looked around. "My Lord Baron, with your permission, I''d like to find a well-lit room to present the evidence." "What are you waiting for? Go inside!" Lord Joane Baron lifted his foot and walked towards the Fountain Temple. After a couple of steps, he turned in surprise. "What are you doing?" Garrett lifted the hem of his robe and was leaning over the fountain, reaching out to scoop water. "The evidence is in the fountain water, My Lord Baron." Garrett personally intervened just to capture the attention of the Lord, achieving his goal, then promptly stopped and stood up. "Of course, for the sake of fairness, it''s best if you send guards to fetch the water. Or," he smirked, restraining augh, "the priests of the Fountain Temple can do it too." The bald bishop chuckled. Elder Elwin''s concern prevented him fromughing out loud, and the white-bearded man trembled under the firelight. High Priest Holna, with a face as dark as the bottom of a pot, had to say to the Lord: "Please, My Lord, send guards to fetch the water!" "Remember to wipe the mouth of the bottle" Garrett, sandwiched in the crowd, walked inside, simultaneously racing against time, turned his head, and shouted... A group of people entered the temple in a grand manner. Garrett set up a microscope, and Lord Joane Baron leaned in to take a look, his eyes brightening. "Interesting, truly interesting..." He circled the microscope, praising it, asionally reaching his fingers over, pulling a piece of sleeve, or plucking a hair to observe. After messing around for a quarter of an hour, he remembered the guards standing by and waved his hand. "So, is this thing used to see things in the water? Bring it here!" "Uh, not exactly..." Garrett was sweating. He hadn''t done anything like bacterial culture, fixation, or staining. Just visual inspection wouldn''t reveal anything, fortunately, the patient Lord was patient, letting him fiddle. With amand from Garrett, priests from the Nature Church and the War God Temple rushed in, each with a password and a move. Coupled with Elder Elwin''s bacterial growth technique, soon, colored bacterial samples were sent to the Lord one by one. High Priest Holna paced anxiously, unable to directly overturn the table and finding no reason to stop. Lord Joane Baron personally fixed the ss slide on the stage, approached with his eyes, and examined them one by one. "This one has it!" "This one too!" "This one too!" "This one doesn''t... oh, this one was made with cold boiled water..." "This one was wiped on the mouth of the fountain bottle..." As he looked, Lord Joane Baron''s face gradually sank. He turned to High Priest Holna: "Come and see for yourself!" High Priest Holna reluctantly came over. Garrett stepped back a few steps, watching him observe one ss slide, then change to another, his brows furrowing tighter, and his movements getting faster. Beside him, Elder Elwin quietly pulled him and said with concern: "Little Garrett, what if he says we did all this, that we harmed him? What should we do?" "Then let him do it himself." Garrett smirked. "Teacher, you''re really thoughtful... I just need a sidekick, and here you are..." "He collects water samples himself, cultivates them, makes smears, and stains them himself. Teacher, you can rest assured; I guarantee that as long as all the steps are correct, what is produced will be exactly the same." "Then... what about that magic..." "No need for magic. Freeze the meat for 24 hours, and it''s the same." Bacteria, you either have it or you don''t. You can see it, and others can see it. Denial is not an option. This is the principle of the repeatability of scientific experiments, bite me? Garrett became more and more confident. High Priest Holna''s face grew darker, finally tossing the ss slide in his hand down and shouting: "So what if there is this thing? It''s just a little thing. It''s not neededthis" "Microscope." Garrett reminded him on the side. Elder Elwin nearlyughed out loud: you''d better not have mentioned it! Sure enough, High Priest Holna red fiercely at Garrett. After ring, he remembered to continue shouting: "What''s the point of finding something that can''t even be seen without a microscope? Even if it''s found in the fountain, so what? In this drop of water, there are too many little things! Why do you say it''s causing the gue? What about other things? Why is it not the poor people themselves who are sick?!" The temple suddenly fell silent. Lord Joane, the city''s ruler, was dumbfounded, the bald bishop scratched his head, and Elder Elwin instinctively wanted to answer, his mouth opened and closed, looking at Garrett: ... Yeah, why would this little thing make people sick and spread the gue? Suddenly, Garrettughed. In the lightughter, he confidently stepped forward and raised his head high: "I certainly have a way to prove it." At his request, Lord Joane''s guards turned and left, bringing back ten rabbits. Eight healthy ones and two with diarrhea. High Priest Holna, the bald bishop, and Elder Elwin, the leaders of the three sects, took turns using healing spells on the healthy rabbits, brushing them over and over until they were sure there were no problems. Then, under Garrett''s guidance, they began the experiment step by step. Taking feces from healthy and sick rabbits, cing them on the frozen meat, Elder Elwin used a growth spell. After the magic, bacterial culture was done, and unsurprisingly, in the feces of the sick rabbit, those short rod-shaped things were found. "There shouldn''t be these little things on the healthy rabbits, right?" Garrett smiled leisurely. The eight petri dishes lined up in a row, and there was nothing resembling rod-shaped objects in the feces of the healthy rabbits. Looking at his sharp smile, High Priest Holna resisted for a while before throwing the rabbit droppings at him: "No! So what?" "It doesn''t matter." Garrett shrugged and continued to the next step. From the culture dish of the sick rabbit, he picked up a bit of bacteria from the gray-white circr colonies, applied them to a new, never-used culture dish "Teacher, I''ll trouble you again." The second growth spell was cast. On the translucent frozen meat, circr colonies quickly spread. Cultivate the bacterialmunity, verify the purity of the colonies, mix the bacteria with cold boiled water, feed it to the healthy rabbits, patiently wait a few hours until they begin to get sick The newly sick rabbits, in their feces, indeed cultured the same rod-shaped microorganisms. After everyone verified it in turn, Garrett smiled and spread his hands towards High Priest Holna. "Sick rabbits have them; healthy rabbits don''t. What we obtained from sick rabbits, when injected into healthy rabbits, caused exactly the same condition. From the second batch of sick rabbits, the same things were isted. Do you need any more evidence?" The famous Koch''s posttes, you can refute them on the spot unless the Water Goddess immediately descends! "Impossible!" The high priest''s face turned ashen. He turned and rushed to the main hall, kneeling in front of the idol, sping the goddess''s robe with both hands: "It''s really the Holy Spring... it''s really the Holy Spring causing the gue... Oh, Goddess! Are you punishing us?!" --------------- Chapter 107 Chapter 107 High Priest Holna knelt on the ground, wailing in agony. His graying head repeatedly struck the idol, and soon, the pure white robes of the Spring Goddess were adorned with tiny specks of blood. One by one, those behind him also fell to their knees with a thud. The devotees of the Spring Goddess prostrated themselves, murmuring prayers. The sacred spring in the temple symbolized the goddess''s blessing to her followers and her glory. Now, this spring, meant to bring divine favor, was tainted with a gue. Wasn''t this a sign of the goddess''s anger, a divine punishment? Confronted with this tragedy, the visiting guests involuntarily slowed their steps. The bald bishop''s face turned solemn, and Elder Elwin Wilkinson discreetly averted his gaze, feeling a sense of shared sorrow. Both serving the divine, they could empathize with High Priest Holna''s plight. The bald bishop imagined praying for the War God''s protection before battle, only to find that all the weapons inexplicably rusted. Elder Elwin envisioned praying for abundance and harvest to the god of nature, only to witness the entire forest wither and die inexplicably. Both shivered simultaneously, exchanged a nce, and turned away. If they were in such a situation, being stripped of their sacred roles was the least of their worries. Even death might not be enough for redemption. Inside the main hall, the cries were loud. However, an untimely voice emerged at the temple''s entrance. "Um... Teacher..." Garrett Nordmark, waiting patiently, felt he had given them enough time for mourning, but no one paid him any attention. Helpless, he had to make his presence known. "There''s something we need to discusster," whispered Elder Elwin, trying to silence his disciple. Unexpectedly, Garrett not only refused to be quiet but also raised his voice: "Teacher, I believe the spring is contaminated. It might not be the goddess''s divine punishment!" Garrett never thought it was a divine punishment. The reason he spoke up now was a mix of the inappropriate atmosphere and the wild ideas the High Priest had conjured. What in the world was this divine punishment? Why would the Spring Goddess deliberately introduce a bunch of disease-causing bacteria into her own spring? Even if she wanted to, could you tell me which god in this world would engage in bacterial cultivation? Show me first if she''s capable of handling that! "What!" Several priests kneeling behind turned simultaneously. One of them even eximed: "Not a punishment? You say it''s not a punishment?!" Oh, isn''t that Priest Donald! Familiar face! Garrett was pleased. He took a step forward and asserted even more confidently: "I''ve been saying this from the beginning! It''s contaminated! It''s contaminated! Quickly, where does this fountain connect, where is the most likely source of contamination? Take me there!" Better to conduct tests early, figure out the source, purify quickly, and put everyone''s mind at ease! Otherwise, what was he fighting with the temple for? To demolish the building? The Spring Goddess hadn''t offended him that much! "Source... Contamination..." Priest Donald stood still, murmuring repeatedly. Suddenly, he snapped out of it, rushed out of the crowd, and ran towards Garrett: "I know, it''s probably there! Follow me!" As they conversed, others gradually began to react. Priest Donald had only run halfway when two apprentice knights rushed out and gestured for them to follow: "It''s here! Come with me!" People joined one after another. As Garrett followed them deeper into the temple, the atmosphere became more guarded, resembling the core area of the temple. Around another corner, the piercing cries of a woman suddenly reached Garrett''s ears. "Why won''t they let me see my son! They won''t even let me collect his body! My son! Roman! Roman!!!" Garrett halted. Priest Donald''s face showed embarrassment, but he still insisted on pulling Garrett forward. A few steps closer, a roar erupted behind them: "Who let her in? Drag her out!" High Priest Holna, panting heavily, arrived, ignoring the blood on his head. He stood there, gazing at Garrett with a mix of resentment and hope. Any clergyman who thought they were under divine punishment and was told "maybe not" had to cling desperately to that hope. He panted a few breaths, pointed forward: "In the temple, where the water source connects, and there has been an incident recently, it''s right here." The crowd surged in. Priest Donald stepped in and immediately stoppedeven though he had seen it dozens of times, the scene before him was still shocking. The ck inverted pentagram deeply engraved on the stone, despite days of prayer and cleansing, remained vivid. Not to mention, at the center of the pentagram, a human-shaped recess was deeply formed... Thinking about the fact that this was once a living person, someone he had interacted with, someone who had protected him, Priest Donald''s throat bobbed up and down uncontrobly. He felt like throwing up again. Garrett, on the other hand, felt nothing. Inverted pentagrams, humanoid figures in the middle he had encountered more disgusting things in games and animations from his past life. He squatted down, curiously examining the ck traces on the ground. With a wave of his hand: "Samples! From the ground, walls, cracks in the stone. Where does the water seep down from? Sample everything in the pipes that carry water!" Half an hourter, arge group of priests surrounded Garrett as he conducted three sets of bacterial culture experiments. He used water from outside, fountain water, and ck water from the secret room, scraping off ck spots on the secret room walls. He then performed bacterial cultures, smears, staining, and microscopic examinations. "The results are clear." Garrett raised his head from the microscope. Across from him stood Lord Joane Vaughn, the bald bishop, Elder Elwin, and High Priest Holna, all in a line. Garrett pointed to the culture dishes in front of him with confidence: "The bacterial count in the ck water is at least ten times higher than in the fountain outside. The ck spots scraped from the walls have a bacterial count ten times higher than that in the ck water. Since there are no other water sources leading to the secret room" "That scoundrel Roman!" The High Priest spat out angrily. He red at Lady Deya, disheveled and held captive on the side, his eyes red with an intense desire to tear into her: "He refused to sincerely repent and, instead,mitted suicide in the secret room using a dark ritual! He must have summoned a demon! The body turned into ck water, polluting the water source and triggering the gue! Lord Joane! The temple has been working tirelessly to purify the water source! You''ve seen it yourself, the depth of the imprint on that stone before our prayers and purification!" I knew something bad would happen. Garrett silentlyined. I was worried when that knight died, and now, here it is, just as I feared... You guys, with all your prayers, purifications, and divine arts, why didn''t you throw some lime into the water source? --------------- Chapter 108 Chapter 108 "Enough!" Viscount Joane Vaughn, observing coldly, finally spoke at this moment. He ignored Lady Deya, who was crying uncontrobly, surveyed the scene, and loudly concluded: "This gue, instigated by the insane Roman Knight, spheming the gods, has attracted evil forces. The temple has worked tirelessly to purify and eliminate the majority of the evil, but a small portion leaked out, causing the epidemicany objections?" "Praise your fairness." High Priest Holna, the devotees of the Water Goddess, and others, including Baron Vaughn, who had hurried back upon hearing the news, responded in unison. "The Temple of the Water Goddess, due to negligence in supervision and failure topletely purify the evil, will be responsible for all the expenses incurred in treating the gue andforting the people!" High Priest Holna reluctantly agreedbetter than the temple facing divine punishment. Viscount Joane Vaughn pondered for a moment, exchanged nces with the resentful High Priest Holna, and emphasized: "Roman Knight sphemed the gods, abandoned knightly virtues,mitted a great crime. Stripped of knighthood, confiscate his property!" No one on the scene voiced objections. The only one screaming and crying, Lady Deya, had her ability to speak stripped away by a divine spell from High Priest Holna, and temple guards dragged her out. Viscount Joane Vaughn turned away, no longer looking at his aged and faded old lover. He turned to Elder Elwin Wilkinson and the bald Archbishop, speaking with a pleasant expression: "This time, thanks to both of you. The people are still suffering from the gue, not a time for celebration. When the epidemic ends, I will personally host a banquet to thank you for your hard work." Viscount Joane Vaughn kept his word. Seven dayster, the patients in the Radiant Cathedral werepletely clear, with only asional cases in the city. He hosted a grand feast, inviting all the prominent figures in the city. Garrett was also dragged along. Reluctantly sitting at the feast, he looked around and almost burst intoughter Except for the group of nobles who had run out together before, the guest list included all those people he had gathered on the day he discovered the epidemic. Everyone was invited! Food merchants, dye merchants, guild leaders in construction, jewelers... These businesses, neither too small nor too big, were usually not qualified to be invited by the city lord''s mansion. Now they were sitting at the banquet, bewildered and even trembling. Don''t worry; I won''t fleece you... Garrett wanted to tell them that. But his seat was rtively close to those businessmen and craftsmen, and he could only wink at them. Doing evil, huh? The jeweler''s eyes were all red. It seemed like he heard that the Water Temple had locked him up and asked him to make another microscope? That was a huge project. He didn''t understand magnification, focal length, or even how to align the eyepiece and objective on the same axis. He didn''t know if he could produce something usable. Lost in his thoughts, Viscount Joane Vaughn had already finished the toast and had raised his cup to the three leaders of the guilds. Turning around, he directly approached Garrett, holding the cup in his hand. "Garrett Nordmark," he called Garrett''s name with a smiling tone, the warmth in his voice a level above theirst encounter during the Midsummer Festival: "I remember you. Your father, Fred Nordmark, was a brave knight who sacrificed himself to defend against external enemies, and I deeply regret it. Fortunately, in these years, you have grown up safely and be a noble spellcaster" Lord Vaughn rambled on, and Garrett maintained a respectful smile, quite cooperative. Hey, upgrading really makes a difference. Before, when he was still an apprentice, he didn''t see you recalling my father or anything... "By the way,st time you said you wanted to clean up the city''s sludge and transport the sewage? At that time, you said that such a dirty situation would cause an epidemic?" The lord suddenly changed the topic. Garrett suddenly brightened up: "Yes!" "That''s a good suggestion. I approve! Nn, I''ll leave this matter to you!" Captain Nn responded loudly. Viscount Joane Vaughn stroked his chin, looked up and down at Garrett, increasingly satisfied: This kid''s progress is too fast. Three or four months ago, he was nothing, and now he''s already a Level 1 Priest, plus a Level 1 Mage... He coughed deliberately with a serious expression and said: "This time, with the gue, you have again performed a great service, saving the lives of hundreds of citizens. Hmm... This time, what reward do you want?" Is it time for reward settlement? Garrett was a bit excited. Happy as he was, he kept his sanity, knowing he couldn''t ask for too much. He lowered his head modestly: "Healing the wounded and saving lives is my duty as a healer, and I ask for nothing more. If my work has earned your approval, I hope to be rewarded with a microscope that thing that can magnify very small objectsso I can better serve you." "Is that even a reward!" Viscount Joane Vaughnughed heartily. He extended his chubby right handthis hand used to grip a knight''s sword and fight on the battlefield, now it''s so fat that the fingers can barely closepatted Garrett on the shoulder: "That item was made by you; it was already yours. Think of something else!" Huh? Earning a microscope for free! A microscope! When he called the jeweler, he asked. A single magnifying ss costs 100 gold coins, the eyepiece + objective lens is 200, plus various essories and manualbor, it can''t be done for less than 300 gold coins... and that''s just the cost price. Even though he''s now a formal mage, with an empty wallet, he still can''t afford it... Sess! Big profit! Lord Vaughn, you''re really a good person! Garrett was almost about to cheer. The corners of his mouth kept rising, still maintaining a humble posture, and he whispered: "If possible, I would like to have the qualification to open a clinic in the city. Like my teacher, to diagnose and care for the health of the poor..." Open a hospital! Hire doctors! Hire nurses! Spread medical knowledge, treat patients, and pave the way for your own upgrade! In the ears of Lord Vaughn, this request was entirely selfless, benefiting others. Viscount Joane Vaughn was deeply moved, once again patting Garrett''s shoulder with force: "Garrett Nordmark, you are a spellcaster with noble sentiments. I want people to sing your praises and reward your virtue. Nn!" The captain of the city guard stepped forward again. Viscount Joane Vaughn rubbed his fingers: "In Roman''s private property, are there several estates? Take one out, and choose a house in the city. All of it will be transferred to Garrett Nordmark''s name! I want everyone to know that those who contribute, those with high moral character, I, Lord Joane Vaughn, will not mistreat them!" Wow! A ce for a hospital! Funds for operation are also avable! A whole estate, enough to cover the daily expenses of the hospital. Next, it''s just medicines, equipment, doctors, and nurses! Garrett, go for it! --------------- Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Lady Roman, the wife of Knight Roman, returned to her parents'' home with her child and dowry. The confiscated property belonged to Knight Roman, not involving her dowry. At least, she still had two or three hundred acres ofnd under her name, enough to make ends meet. Lady Deya also retreated to her own estate. Her background was slightly better than her daughter-inw''s, and her dowry was more substantial. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have been able to marry a baron. However,ter on, she had an affair with Lord Joane Vaughn, which her eldest son couldn''t ept, leading to a severance of ties. Now, with her younger son deceased and the elder son estranged, she had nowhere else to go but to stay in the estate that served as her dowry. A property, or strictly speaking, two properties, fell into Garrett Nordmark''s hands like this. With a sudden surge in wealth, his dream was now one step closer. Amidst his joy, Garrett felt a bit perplexed: Is the lord being this generous? He did save a considerable number of peoplewithout him, the gue would have lingered for at least another half month, iming the lives of one or two hundred unfortunate souls in the city. However, could just these aplishments be worth a house in the city plus an estate? Most of those who would die in the gue were, frankly speaking, the poor. Considering the lord''s usual behaviorshying away to the countryside during an epidemic and being unwilling to spend money on disaster reliefthese people might not be of much concern to him. So, why give him a house? The logic didn''t add up! With these doubts, Garrett remained somewhat bewildered until he obtained the deed to the house. Elder Elwin Wilkinson apanied him to inspect the property. Seeing Garrett looking lost, Elder Elwin Wilkinson asked,ughing heartily: "Do you think it''s because you treated the gue? Don''t be silly! It''s just an excuse. It''s not about your promising future; who would be this generous? In less than a month, you be an apprentice; in two months, a full-fledged mage and priest. Such a person, if not befriended, who would want to befriend?" Garrett, feeling a moment of enlightenment, still felt that there must be more to it. Only after listening to Elder Elwin Wilkinson''s further exnation did he understand that among the nobility, there was a rule: those with abilities must have corresponding wealth and status. In other words, even if you were a pennilessd, once you crossed the threshold of the extraordinary, local nobles would find a way to absorb you. If youcked money, they would provide it; if youcked manpower, they would supply it. As for status, the position of a full-fledged mage was equivalent to that of a knight, qualifying them to participate in noble discussionseven if the oues weren''t guaranteed, they at least had the right to sit among peers and not be stepped on without reason. Pondering this, Garrett increasingly felt that this unwritten rule made sense. In this different world, the power of the extraordinary resided solely within oneself. If they weren''t given money or status, they might resort to seizing it, bing a destabilizing factor! Who would cry then? Probably not the wealthy and influential gentlemen! "But they have to spend a lot of money!" Garrett blurted out. Elder Elwin Wilkinson couldn''t help butugh: "In fact, it''s not that much. Generally speaking, families that aren''t wealthy and influential can''t afford to send their children down this path. Knights earn military achievements, and naturally, the lord rewards themmages, learning magic is an expensive endeavor!" "And what about priests?" Garrett instinctively retorted. Elder Elwin Wilkinson looked at him slowly: "Priests are devout." If you''ve dedicated yourself to the gods, what more do you want, money, status, or the like? Aren''t you bound by your inner beliefs? Aren''t you afraid of the failure of divine magic? "Our lord here is a bit lustful,zy, and mediocre," Elder Elwin Wilkinson continued with a leisurely evaluation. Garrett broke into a sweat: "But he still knows how to follow the trend. Moreover, he doesn''t have to spend his own money; didn''t he just confiscate a sum? That Knight Roman has three estates; he gives you one, and he still has two left!" Garrett pursed his lips, deciding not to continueining with his teacher. Elder Elwin Wilkinson looked at him and suddenly burst intoughter: "Moreover, do you know the usual method these noble gentlemen use to recruit new blood? Marriage! Foolish boy, wait, soon someone wille knocking on your door proposing marriage!" "No, please!" Garrett eximed. "I still want to open a hospital!" "I still want to learn magic!" "I still want to travel the country, traverse the continents! I want the stars and the sea!" "I don''t want to be tied down now!" As Garrett walked along, he was ridiculed by his teacher all the way until they reached the house provided by the lord. Viscount Joane Vaughn was quite generous, and in terms of size, this house was about ten timesrger than Garrett''s residence in the city. It was a two-story brick and stone structure, resembling the rural cottages Garrett often saw in his previous life. Downstairs featured a living room, kitchen, and dining room, with spacious bedrooms on both sides. Upstairs, there was arge living room surrounded by five or six rooms, including bedrooms, study, and a workshop, and arge balcony was also set aside. "Treatment room, healing room, disposal room, operating room, pharmacy, this kitchen is too small for a sterilization room... Hey, teacher, this house needs a renovation!" "Do we need to renovate this?" Elder Elwin Wilkinson looked at him with a strange expression. "Aren''t you just opening a clinic? This house is pretty good! Clean it up, bring in some furniture, and it''ll be ready to use. My ce isn''t as big as yours, and I don''t have as much stuff!" "No renovation means it''s unusable!" Garrett frowned. "Teacher, look, the wall hasn''t been painted, the roof hasn''t been stered, things could fall down at any moment. In this state, it''s impossible to perform surgery! Moreover, the kitchen is too small, there''s no toilet, and there''s no ce to handle medical waste... At least give me a bathroom! And running water!" Elder Elwin Wilkinson pondered. He didn''t understand every word Garrett said, nor did heprehend the reasons behind each statement. However, in the few previous instances, this kid had proven that his seemingly inexplicable requests made sense... "So, what do you need?" Garrett frowned. He needed so many thingsmaterials, instruments, equipment. Even if he followed the most basic clinic setup, a single sheet of A4 paper wouldn''t be enough to list everything. Summing it up, the most fundamental requirement was: Money. "Do you have money, teacher... I feel like doing all this will cost a lot of money..." Especially the water purification device, plumbing, sigh. Right, he also needed to create a shadowlessmp. The current solutions for shadowlessmps involved assembling a dozen priests for human-powered illumination... It was simply unbearable. The more people, the greater the risk of infection in the operating room! Elder Elwin Wilkinson paused for a moment, then looked at Garrett with a smile. Until Garrett felt a bit uneasy, he casually asked: "Why do you think you don''t have money?" "Well..." Viscount Joane Vaughn only gave the estate and the house, no cash! Should I sell the estate? Even if I rush to sell it, I might not get a good price... Garrett struggled to argue. Before he could speak, a shout came from outside the stone house: "Lord Nordmark! Are you there? Your Excellency!" "I''m here! What''s the matter?" "I, at the behest of Baron Vaughn, bring gifts to congratte Your Excellency!" "Sir Levi congrattes Nordmark Mage!" "Viscount Fulma congrattes..." "Sir Nn..." "Sir Barron..." Gifts kept pouring in until, in the blink of an eye, the long table in the living room was filled. Looking at the gold coins, silk, spices, and various gifts piled on the table, Garrett''s mind was in turmoil, and only one word echoed repeatedly: Prosperity and sess... He suddenly looked at Elder Elwin Wilkinson. Lifting his chin, he smiled: "Teacher, do you want to... send a few priests here to settle? I can teach them!" --------------- Chapter 110 Chapter 110 "You''re willing to teach?" Elder Elwin eximed in surprise. He had introduced Garrett Nordmark to the Natural God''s Teachings with the intention of having him share his knowledge with the priests in the organization. However, due to their short time together, Elwin hesitated to bring up the topic. Besides, Garrett was not someone reluctant to share his skills; whenever the opportunity arose, he generously imparted his knowledge. Moreover, judging from Garrett''s asional revtions, Elder Elwin could tell that there was a vast system behind him, not something that could be exined in just a few words. So, Elder Elwin patiently waited, and finally, Garrett took the initiative to speak. "Anyone cane to learn? Are there any conditions?" Elwin asked cautiously. Garrett thought for a moment. "There are conditions, of course. Firstly, there is no sry for working with me..." Ah, opening a hospital and not paying the doctors! I must be a viinous capitalist! The priests might not understand modern medicine, but when it came to healing arts, they were all skilled doctors. It''s like using licensed physicians as interns! "Sry?" Elder Elwin was astonished. "You want payment for teaching?" Who asks for payment from their apprentices? Doesn''t room and board provided by the teacher suffice?! "Well..." Garrett was at a loss. Okay, he was wrong. Even if they were formal priests, those learning a craft were treated as apprentices. Just like formal doctors attending a higher hospital for further training... "Also, you must follow my guidance and adhere to the same oath as I do." "In sickness and in health?" "Yes!" Elder Elwin fell silent. He silently recited these eight words, repeating them several times, and nodded solemnly. "Any other conditions?" he asked. "None." "Just these two?" "Yes." "What kind of conditions are these!" Elder Elwin suddenly burst intoughter. "Leave it to me; I''ll find ten or eight for you!" "That won''t do!" A burst ofughter came from outside the door. The bald bishop rushed in, making the wooden floor creak beneath his feet. He pointed at Garrett, then at Elder Elwin,ughing as if he had caught a fox with a yellow weasel: "Hey, having a feast alone? Hey, Garrett, from the time we met until now, I haven''t mistreated you! Your teacher can arrange ten or eight, and I''ll also send ten or eight over; otherwise, I''ll tear down this building of yours!" "Oh, you try it?" Elder Elwin stepped forward, blocking him with his arm. The bald bishop grabbed his wrist, muscles bulging: "Give it a try!" The two seniors engaged in a half-serious, half-yful scuffle. Garrett took a few steps back, only able to smile wryly. Despite their yful antics, both of them were at seventh and eighth levels, with at least fifth-level warrior rankings. Garrett, with his small frame... Better not get involved. Two tanks shing; where''s the ce for a bicycle? Garrett took a step back, then another, silently finding a safe corner to stand. Then, taking a deep breath, he shouted loudly: "Teacher! Bishop! I can''t amodate a few people here either!!!" The two big shots immediately stopped. The bald bishop looked over first, "How many can you squeeze in at most?" "Well..." Garrett surveyed the surroundings, calcting quickly. This two-story building, whenbined with the upper and lower floors, had a floor area of about 300 square meters. Subtracting the staircase hallway and his own bedroom, and probably needing to set up an alchemyboratory, the avable space was approximately... Around 200 square meters. Slightlyrger than a clinic, roughly equivalent to amunity health station where residents could check blood pressure, get an IV, and receive vinations. As for how many people a health station needed... "Three doctors, three nurses..." Garrett mumbled as quietly as possible. Seeing the bald bishop''s eyes staring like copper bells, he reflexively took a step back and raised his voice: "Five! At most, five!" "I say three, you say two!" "You say two, I say three!" "Your family has three, including little Garrett, that makes four!" "Little Garrett is already part of our family! We should have more, why give one to you!" The bald bishop and Elder Elwin immediately started arguing again. The tension in the air dissipated. The two seniors red at each other, each more pleased than the other. It seemed like two foxes stealing chickens together... Garrett didn''t understand what the elders and the high priest discussed privately. All he knew was that the high priest sent a team to install a magical array specifically for the hospital, capable of producing four gallons of purified water per day, most likely rainwater with high purity; the temple sent a construction team to handle the renovation work, following Garrett''s blueprint, including constructing a toilet. As for the people sent by the temple... "Donald Priest!" Garrett was very pleased. "It''s actually you who came? That''s great!" "Of course, I had toe!" Donald Priest seemed even more excited than Garrett. Brimming with joy, his chest was about to burst: "I''ve been wanting toe! Your peculiar healing methods have always intrigued me. When the high priest asked, I was the first to sign up!" Garrett nodded with delight. He released Donald Priest''s hand and looked around. Everyone who came to work for him was a familiar face, each meeting his gaze with a smile and a nod. The Natural God''s Teachings sent a man and a woman. Elwin was excited, asking questions eagerly as if it were their first meeting. Joannaughed lightly, winked at Garrett, and her face blushed with me patterns. As for the War God''s Temple, Garrett directly designated Little John to upy a spot. The other, ording to Garrett''s request, had to be someone with a "warrior rank as high as possible." Therefore, standing locally was a four-level priest, broad-shouldered and twice the size of Little John. Garrett nodded to each of them. Calming his mind, he spoke loudly: "Before you came, you should have heard and agreed to the same oath as me. But today, before we start learning, I still want to solemnly swear together with you." He took a deep breath, lowered his brows, recalled the past, then raised his right fist to ear level. Across from him, the five priests imitated his gesture, lifting their right fists identically: "In sickness and in health." "In sickness and in health" The priests followed suit unevenly. Garrett looked at each of them, his voice steady, tone heavy and clear: "As I step into the sacred medical school, I solemnly swear:" "As I step into the sacred medical school, I solemnly swear" You may not understand what this oath means, and you might not have heard some of these words. But that''s okay; from today onwards, I will lead by example, teaching through my actions "I volunteer to dedicate myself to medicine, uphold medical ethics, respect teachers, abide by discipline, study diligently, tireless in effort, seek excellence, and developprehensively." "I volunteer to dedicate myself to medicine, uphold medical ethics, respect teachers, abide by discipline, study diligently, tireless in effort, seek excellence, and developprehensively" An excited warmth surged in Garrett''s chest. He clenched his right fist, fingertips embedded in his palm, and his voice rose: "I am determined to do my utmost, alleviate human suffering, assist in perfect health, uphold the sanctity and honor of medicine, save lives, endure hardship, persistently pursue, and strive for the lifelong development of the medical, pharmaceutical, and health care cause for the well-being of human body and mind!" His emotions infected others. Priests from three different congregations, with three different beliefs, gradually became more solemn. Their expressions serious, voices resolute: "I am determined to do my utmost, alleviate human suffering, assist in perfect health, uphold the sanctity and honor of medicine, save lives, endure hardship, persistently pursue, and strive for the lifelong development of the medical, pharmaceutical, and health care cause for the well-being of human body and mind" --------------- Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Garrett Nordmark walked happily in his newly opened hospital. The hospital is located on the east side of Harnd City. In terms of housing or shops, the location is not considered great. To the north is the area where warriors, craftsmen, apprentices, and low-ranking priests reside in other words, the middle-ss area of the city. If you go a bit south, you''ll find yourself in the slums. For those who can afford a two-story building like this, they should ideally live a bit further north. But for Garrett, this location is perfect. Close to the patients! Close to the poor people who can''t afford treatment! Why did he open a hospital? Of course, it''s to teach more doctors and treat more patients! It''s not about making money. When he needs money, he can always find a wealthy person to negotiate with! Well, calling it a hospital is a bit too much. A third-level hospital should have more than 500 beds and over 500 health technicians; a second-level hospital should have 100-499 beds and no fewer than 100 health technicians; a first-level hospital should have 20-99 beds and no fewer than 14 health technicians, with at least 3 doctors and 5 nurses. Looking left and right, this so-called "hospital" doesn''t even meet the standards of a first-level hospital, let alone amunity health service center. At best, it''s just a health service station. Well, regardless, it''s my medical facility! Mine! He examined each room. As soon as you enter the lobby, there''s a table right in front of the entrance, serving as a reception desk; to the left are three consultation rooms, each with a table and a bed, a chair on both sides of the desk, and a bench against the wall; to the right is a spacious observation room with three single beds arranged side by side, and a bench along the wall. Passing through the observation room, the treatment room and the procedure room are in a straight line, with arge door at the end of the procedure room tightly closed Garrett''s reserved dissecting room. Behind the reception desk, the kitchen has been transformed into a sterilization room, equipped with a specially made pressure cooker, responsible for the disinfection of all instruments, gauze, and cotton in the hospital. Next to the sterilization room is the temporarily unusedboratory, and on the other side is the staircase leading upstairs. The toilet is located at the back of the small building, essed through the staircase. The second floor is reserved for the doctors or rather, the priests. Going up the stairs, the first thing you see is a spacious living room and dining room. To the right of the living room, directly above the consultation rooms on the first floor, is the priests'' lounge; to the right is a corridor, walking along the corridor, to the south are the study and Garrett''s bedroom, to the north are the storage room, pharmacy, and alchemy room. What? A kitchen? A bunch of guys who''ve never touched spring water with their fingers want a kitchen! Let them refine herbs if they want, but cooking might just blow up the kitchen! The tavern is nearby; just have food delivered every day! It took half a month to decorate it to this extent the decoration team from the Temple of the Spring Goddess is indeed reliable! Garrett counted on his fingers. The territory he upies, including the bedroom, study, and alchemy room, and currently, the dissecting room is also under his control. Adding up all the rooms, the area is close to 80 square meters! Independence is indeed the best way to improve conditions. His residence in the Mage Tower was less than 40 square meters! What makes Garrett even happier is that the bedroom, study, living room, and lounge all have smooth wooden floors; the consultation rooms, procedure room, treatment room, and dissecting room all have polished smooth bluestone floors, convenient for cleaning and corrosion-resistant. The walls are covered with wooden panels, and the ceiling has wooden ceilings. Performing surgery won''t suddenly drop dust... The details make him even more pleased. The trays in each consultation room are sparkling clean, the gauze canisters are spotless, the tongue depressors are newly ned by a carpenter, polished clean without any burrs, and the trash bins and covered waste bins are separated. Just looking at theyout feels familiar. Hmm, it''s already a mature hospital, ready to receive patients! Unfortunately, in the days leading up to the opening, the hospital had no business at all. Garrett wasn''t in a hurry; he leisurely watched others memorize bones, skeletons, muscles, internal organs, vascr systems, sensory organs, nervous systems... Keep it up! "Little Garrett, can''t you stop memorizing?" pleaded High Priest Holna with a dizzy and swollen head. Damn, there are 206 bones in the human body, although some are paired just over a hundred to memorize. And it''s not just about memorizing names; it''s about the shape, position, and rtive position to other muscles, internal organs, and blood vessels... Just the skull, with 23 bones, the frontal bone alone has 12 anatomical structures to memorize, such as the frontal scale, frontal node, and zygomatic process... "If you don''t want to memorize, step aside!" Joanna''s shoulder swayed as she tried to push him away. Copying techniques can only copy text, not pictures. There are a lot of images in "Systemic Anatomy." So Garrett only copied a few text versions of the textbooks, and as for the diagrams, they are hung high in the library for them to look at themselves... This kind of learning is very painful. Holding the book, looking at the diagrams on the wall, raising the head, lowering the head, raising the head, lowering the head, trying hard to see, trying hard to memorize. Several people have to queue up to memorize the same diagram. The only advantage is that it''s not easy to get cervical spondylosis... "Not memorizing? Sure!" Garrett''s voice came from afar. "If you can''t memorize, you can''t take the exam. If you fail the exam, you can''t perform surgery with me who''s up for the exam first?" "I''ll do it!" Little John jumped up and shouted. Even a concise version of "Systemic Anatomy," which is only one-tenth of the content, is not that easy to memorize. After three days of life and death memorization, five people went to take the exam, and only two passed. Joanna from the Nature God''s Temple, and Patrick from the Temple of the God of War that fourth-level priest, thebat powerhouse. The other three, all failed. "How much more do we have to memorize?" Shaking, High Priest Donald, who rankedst, asked. Good question... Garrett rested his chin on his hand. Using the hand that was free, he kept flexing and flexing, and flexing... The Blue Life and Death Love, fifty-three volumes, also known as the full set of nning textbooks for clinical medicine. "Chinese Medicine," "Medical Computer Application," "Sports Science," "Hygiene Law" you probably don''t need to study them, but you have to catch up on high school mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. If you calcte it like this... "Five years, studying 12 hours a day, diligently and talented, probably... you''ll finish memorizing..." and then there''s internship, residency, and lifelong work and study. Well, don''t thank me too much. With a gurgling sound, High Priest Donald fell to the ground, fainted. Garrett suppressed a smile and dragged him to the side. Taking out a stack of textbooks, he thought for a moment, put back three: "Come on, everyone who passed the exam, let''s continue talking about joints..." "Help me!!" --------------- Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Garrett Nordmark left the priests at the hospital to attend to their duties and casually strolled back to the Mage Tower. The custodian of the Mage Tower, Mage Gelman, greeted him immediately, expressing regret and almost pounding his chest: "It''s such a pity! How could you give up this opportunity? Just one more day! After you created that divine technique, with a bit of effort, you could have caught up with the Magic Council''s envoy!" Garrett chuckled awkwardly. While catching up was possible, as a doctor, how could he turn away when the gue was still rampant? In the entire Harnd City, or rather, the whole world, he was the only one capable of cultivating bacteria and detecting sources of infection. Without ensuring that all water sources were purified and witnessing the number of patients reduced to zero, how could he, as a doctor, leave for magical council studies? Mage Gelman sighed in regret for a while. Garrett smiled knowingly, understanding Gelman''s concern, and didn''t argue. After Gelman sighed enough, he finally patted Garrett on the shoulder. "Well, since you''re back, don''t leave again. Everything you need is in the Mage Tower. Focus on studying and strive to break through!" "Um..." "Yeah?" "Gelman, sir... I came back this time to ask... Can I bring the books to the city? After all, I still have a hospital..." "No!" Gelman immediately furrowed his brows. He blurted out, "Books from the Mage Tower are not allowed to be taken outside!" "Gelman, sir... I''m really too busy..." Garrett pleaded, "I can''t break through as a priest, and I can''t advance as a mage! It''s not that I don''t want to study at the Mage Tower, but just burying my head in magic studies won''t help me break through!" "You..." Gelman drummed his fingers on the table, conflicted. To agree meant viting the Mage Tower''s rules against taking magical books outside. To disagree meant ignoring the significant contributions Garrett had made to the Mage Tower. Moreover, there were currently no 1st-level mages in the Mage Tower, meaning there was nopetition for the books with Garrett. "Fine, I''ll ask Karan and the others." Gelman finally relented. As a 5th-level mage, Gelman had almost no need for 1st-level magical books. However, Karan was still a 2nd-level mage, and Elliott had just reached 3rd level. Who knew if they needed those books? "I have no problem," Elliott generously answered. He had been stuck at 2nd level for months, finished reading all the books at his level, and thought it was convenient to get insights from Garrett. "I''m okay with it too," Karan added, not wanting to fall behind. After leaving the Mage Tower''s fifth floor, he secretly found Garrett and asked for a favor: "You see, I have an uncle named Linde, an apprentice mage. He introduced me to magic. Could you help him be an alchemist at your ce?" "Linde?" Garrett instinctively curved his mouth. Karan, the mage across from him, seemed a bit unhappy. "What''s wrong?" "Oh... nothing... it''s just that the name sounds familiar..." Liycin, also known aspound sodium chloride injection, can be used instead of saline to regte body fluids, electrolytes, and acid-base bnce. In clinical practice, when treating patients who have lost arge amount of blood due to trauma, surgery, or other reasons, doctors often think: "Let''s add some Linde!" In this distant world, hearing such a name suddenly felt very familiar. Garrett reluctantly brought his thoughts back. ttening his mouth, he curiously asked: "Apprentice mage? Doesn''t the Mage Tower give him a job?" "Well, it''s like this..." Garrett then learned that the Magic Council had a rule: no idle apprentices. Generally, if an apprentice mage couldn''t break through within two years, they couldn''t live for free in the Mage Tower. They either managed the council''s businesses or found their own way to survive. Garrett had never seen other apprentices in the Mage Tower because they either advanced or were unable to break through and were sent away. This Linde, the apprentice mage, was a poor fellow. He refused to work on the Mage Tower''s external industries like ordinary people, and he couldn''t break through on his own. After wasting many years, he had almost depleted his family''s wealth. Karan couldn''t bear to see this and had to lower his face to find a job for him. "An alchemist..." Garrett rested his chin on his hand. Speaking of which, everything in his hospital was ready, except that the medicines were not satisfactory. ording to the rules of his past life, even for amunity health station, there were more than twenty major categories and dozens of subcategories of essential medicines, totaling two to three hundred types. At the very least, he needed penicillin, lidocaine, nitroglycerin, adrenaline, and promethazine, not to mention alcohol, iodine, and saline. These must be provided! This darned different world had nothing... he had been distilling alcohol himself for several days already... "I need a pharmacist here." Garrett, partly considering Karan''s face and partly because of this name, agreed openly. "Let hime for an interview. If his skills are okay, I''ll hire him." At least he could help wash the sk! Garrett thought with a sinister smile. Linde showed up early the next day. Carrying a wooden box with a copper angle, he carefully walked up the steps, stood at the door, and knocked: "...Excuse me, is Lord Nordmark avable?" "That''s me." Garrett dismissed the priests to the consultation room, sat at the reception desk, and wrote and drew casually - there was no need to memorize textbooks in the study, and he could also keep an eye on the door. Hearing the inquiry, he raised his head from the table and assessed. At a nce, Linde appeared to be around forty - Garrett wasn''t very familiar with the appearance of foreigners, so he wasn''t sure if his judgment was urate. The waist was slightly bent by the box, and there was a hint of sorrow on his face. He was dressed in a dark blue silk robe with clear folds, obviously carefully ironed beforeing out. However, the fabric seemed dull and brittle. The leather boots under his feet were slightly deformed, and who knew how long he had been wearing them. "I am Linde Ferrell, introduced by Mage Karan, applying for the position of pharmacist..." He cautiously extended his hand. Garrett reached out his right hand to shake, and his gaze fell on Linde''s hand. Thumb, index finger, and the middle finger joint were stained with ink, and there were scars on the back of the hand. They didn''t seem to be burns, perhaps acid burns. Garrett felt a bit relieved; at least, this guy had practical experience. "Did you bring alchemical equipment? Come, let me see you in action!" Garrett was delighted. Linde didn''t disappoint him. Although his operation speed wasn''t fast, it was steady. Garrett watched him handle medicines, heat, evaporate, filter, crystallize, distill, and extract - each operation was neither fast nor slow, well-organized. He couldn''t help but rejoice: "It''s you! - Monthly sry of 5 gold coins, in the hospital, one gallon of distilled water, half a gallon of saline, and a sk of alcohol every day, all under your responsibility. Is that okay?" --------------- Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Garrett Nordmark delegated the most tedious daily alchemical tasks to the newly arrived potion maker, Linde Ferrell. With a joyful heart, he immersed himself in the alchemyb. The two worked back-to-back, each busy with their own tasks. Linde set up the distition apparatus, watching as droplets of condensation fell into a container. When he confirmed that constant attention was not needed, he sneaked a nce at Garrett. What he saw startled him: Garrett squinted, holding a thin goose feather quill, meticulously marking lines on a long ss tube. The ss tube was fixed on a wooden frame, hanging vertically, with one end dipping into boiling hot water. Steam rolled, and the hot vapor hit Garrett''s face, but he seemed oblivious,pletely focused on his task. In the center of the ss tube, a thin, bright silver line rose. Garrett''s quill touched the tip of the silver line, drew a horizontal line, then he moved a step to carefullypare. After observing for a while, he finally sighed in relief: "Done..." Curious, Linde inquired. Garrett took the ss tube off the rack,id it down carefully, and drew a long line along its wall. Responding to Linde''s inquiry, he turned around with a cheerful expression: "Making a thermometer!" "A thermometer?" "Yes, a thermometer!" Garrett''s eyes sparkled. Finally, he managed to bring it out. Stuck in this hot workshop, working day and night with a jeweler a small-time artisan doubling as a ss blower. He had to work hard for seven or eight days! It was just a ss tube! You could get one for less than 10 yuan on Taobao, 30 yuan for ten, and free shipping! But here in this darn parallel world, everything had to be done by himself! Heating, stretching, snappingjust this step wasted countless ss tubes. Then, heating again, welding a short ss tube, heating to vacuum, letting it suck in mercury. Turning it over, inserting the lower part into ice water, letting it shrink to the bottom, and heating the top to seal it... Luckily, inhaling mercury was thest step, kept separately in the next room and specifically cooled with ice water. If he worked rough, the mercury vapor could poison him! "A thermometer? What''s it for?" Linde was puzzled. Garrett raised a bright smile: "Indicating temperature!" Oh, finally, no need to rely on hands to check if the body temperature was 37.5 or 38.3... Though a thermometer couldn''tpare to a stethoscope or a blood pressure cuff in clinical aspects, it could still be a useful tool! Seriously, without tools, everything was off when it came to diagnosing diseases! "Well, you see, the mercury in the ss tube expands when it''s heated and contracts when it''s cold. Now, watch as I insert it into the ice watergoes down, right? Insert it into boiling water, and it goes back up. At different temperatures, the height of the mercury varies. We''ll use this principle to indicate temperature. Hold the bottom part, don''t move it, and after a while, you can see the temperature of your fingers..." "A useful tool," in Garrett''s mind, appeared as a little magical device in Linde''s eyes. Listening to Garrett''s exnation, the more Linde listened, the brighter his eyes became. Holding his breath, he extended his fingertips to touch the mercury bubble on the thermometer. Garrett simply handed the thermometer to him: "Try it yourself, just be careful not to put it on fire or break it. Don''t disturb me... let me think about how to divide a straight line into 100 parts..." Muttering to himself, Garrett flopped onto the table, scratching his head, recalling how to mark the scale. Murmurs behind him continued: "Expands when heated... contracts when cold... expands when heated... contracts when cold..." Hey, old man, you''re quite insightful! A thermometer and such, everything else is trivial; only these four wordsexpands when heated, contracts when coldare the essence! Garrett smiled inwardly and spoke up: "Different substances have different boiling points! You can try it out more. When distilling or extracting, use the thermometer to help control the temperature, and efficiency will be higher!" "Really?!" Linde responded with excitement. Garrett ignored him, focused on drawing the temperature scale, then turned to conduct a bacterial cultivation experiment. A thermometer wasn''t a precious item, just don''t break it, y around. The experiments were more crucial. Since crossing over to this world, he had umted a pile of research projects! Finally, with aborer on hand, the most cumbersome tasks of distilling water, making saline, and brewing alcohol were all handed over. Now was the time to focus on experiments! Garrett hummed a song, arranging a stack of Petri dishes on the table and cing the culture medium. Half of the dishes had raw meat, the other half had agar. Thank goodness he finally found some stone flower moss... Next, heid out a row of gauze, ceramic spoons, scalpels, wooden tongue depressors for making mouth guards, washed his hands, and ced his left hand on the table with the palm facing up "One, two, three! Magical trickcleanse!" The radiance of the magical trick flowed continuously, passing over all materials. Garrett wiped each experimental material, including his left hand''s fingers, on both culture media. Next, he took out the same materials, high-temperature sterilized, and wiped them on both culture media. Finally, he washed his hands, disinfected with alcohol, and carefully ced the culture medium. "Let me think about what else is missing... right, purify diet! Water creation spell!" Using sewage treated with purified diet, and clean water generated by the water creation spell, hepleted the bacterial cultivation. Garrettbeled each Petri dish, noting the sample source and cultivation time. Afterpleting these tasks, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his study to start writing his paper: "The Sterilization Effects of Magician Tricks, Purified Diet, and Water Creation Spell... hmm, let me think, should I make a trip to the Magician Tower and include the water from the water elemental pool forparison..." Boom!!! A sudden explosion resounded outside the door. Garrett''s hand trembled, and arge drop of ink fell onto the paper, instantly staining it: "What happened?" Could it be a problem with the alchemyb! The distition apparatus is still there! Can''t leave now! And downstairs, the disinfection room downstairs, the pressure cooker must not explode... He rushed outside without a care for his life. In the lounge across from him, High Priest Holna also ran out holding a book. There was a series of footsteps on the stairs, and in the consultation room where Aiven, Joanne, Patrick were reading books, along with little John sitting at the front desk, all rushed upstairs: "What''s going on?" "What happened?!" "Garrett, are you okay!" "I''m fine!" Garrett loudly replied. Following the sound, he rushed into the alchemyb across the hall, only to see the neer Linde leaning out of the window, half of his body hanging outside. Hearing Garrett''s footsteps, he tremblingly raised his pitch-ck right hand, tears and mucus streaming down his face as he cried andughed: "I broke through! I broke through! I finally advanced to Level 1 Magician, wuwuwu..." So it was you who caused the explosion just now? Garrett reached Linde''s side, peering down. The smell of gunpowder had not yet dissipated from the air, and below the alchemyb, on the roof of the t building, there was a dark scorch mark, obviously scorched by mes. Garrett''s feet shook for a moment, quickly retreating two steps and summoning a strong wind to disperse the smell: "Linde! If you broke through, don''t explode the toilet!" --------------- Chapter 114 Chapter 114 Linde''s breakthrough caused a stir in the city. People came bearing gifts, inquiring about the news, asking if their nephews coulde work, all in a steady stream. Garrett remained unfazed. He continued writing textbooks, conducting experiments, andpelling the priests to memorize scriptures until it was pitch dark outside. When patients came with ailments that other priests could easily treat, he simply observed without lifting a finger. A month passed in the blink of an eye. The slowest priest had finished memorizing the entire "Systematic Anatomy," while others, progressing faster, had already dissected seven or eight rabbits under Garrett''s guidance. Cut and heal, heal and cutthose rabbits had the worst luck, enduring all sorts of inexplicable experiments. "Healing Divine Magic Antibacterial Experiment No. 035." Garrett stood steadily in front of the dissection table, using tweezers to lift the rabbit''s leg skin with his left hand, and gently sliding a surgical knife with his right hand. His voice came out steadily from behind the mask. John sat at a table in the corner, writing furiously: "Make a midline incision, open the abdomen, cut the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Use water created by the Water Creation Spell to prepare saline directly, rinse the abdominal cavity, and let the surgical wound heal. Tag it, keep it in a separate cage, and wait for tomorrow to assess the treatment effects." "How many more rabbits do you n to cut?" Joannamented. Same rabbits, cut open, rinsed with distilled water, healed with divine light; Rinsed with water created by the Water Creation Spell, healed with divine light; After brushing with purification divine magic using well water, rinse again, healed with divine light; Rinsed with water created by the Water Creation Spell, rinse again after brushing with purification divine magic, healed with divine light; Open the abdomen, rinse the abdominal cavity, heal; Open the abdomen, rinse the abdominal cavity, expose for two hours, heal; Cut the leg muscles, rinse the muscles and subcutaneous tissue, heal... What''s more frustrating is that after healing, they have to be cut open again the next day, take blood, cut meat, and heal again... She was a devotee of the god of nature! Listening to the sounds of nature,municating with nts, soothing animalsthose were her specialties! Watching those rabbits being cut and tortured every day, never dying, she was on the verge of a breakdown! "...I mainly want to see how effective divine light is against bacteria." Garrett paused for a moment, contemting how to exin it to them. If operating under contaminated conditions doesn''t affect the prognosis of immediate divine healing, the operating room doesn''t need to maintain a sterile environment. For heaven''s sake, he still hasn''t found time to distill disinfectant... "Antibacterial? Are you talking about that short, stick-like thing fromst time? Doesn''t that give people diarrhea?" Joanna eximed. "...That was just a bacillus causing dysentery, sister! There are thousands of bacteria in the natural world!" Garrett paused for a moment, seriously considering whether to temporarily halt the following "Regional Anatomy" and move "Medical Microbiology" up front... "Help! Reverend, help!" Sharp cries suddenly rang out. Garrett paused, turning towards the door. With a bang, the door to the dissecting room had already been pushed open, and Reverend Donald''s robes fluttered as he rushed in: "Garrett! Someone is severely injured outside!" "Bring him in!" Garrett immediately ordered. He hurriedly went out, and as soon as he stepped into the hall, he involuntarily took a cold breath. Blood was flowing in. The injured person was being carried in by two men, the whole body already limp, the head leaning weakly to the side. Thighs, calves twisted into strange shapes, clothes torn in the abdominal region. "How was he injured?" Garrett quickly approached to greet. Without waiting for an answer, he immediately shouted, "Stretcher! Stretcher! Take him to the treatment room! Cut the clothes!" John and Patrick rushed out, taking the stretcher from the injured, and immediately carried him to the treatment room. The two men who brought the injured person were blocked outside by Garrett. One of them anxiously said while peeking into the treatment room: "He was trampled by a horse... Little Park was standing in the middle of the road just now. When the carriage came, he rushed over to push the child away, and then he..." "Where was he trampled?" "On the stomach, on the legs... legs were crushed by the wheel..." "What about the head? The chest?" "No head for sure! But lying on the ground, he might have hit... the chest... the chest..." The man hesitated, and hispanion decisively answered: "No chest for sure! He was holding Little Park!" Thank goodness! Garrett breathed a sigh of relief and turned to rush back. Entering the treatment room, Patrick and Joanna, two level-four priests, were each applying healing magic to the patient. Reverend Donald stood at the head of the patient, and Priest Evin stood at the feet, both praying. John, with the lowest level, was holding scissors, snip-snipping the patient''s clothes and had already cut the entire upper body. ...s. Assistants without formal medical training are just not good. With a bang, Garrett mmed the door shut, leaving the two who brought in the patient outside. He walked quickly to the operating table. As he walked, he fired off a series of rapid questions: "Is the patient conscious?" "Is he breathing?" "Does he have a heartbeat?" "Blood pressure... no, never mind the blood pressure, how about the pulse?" Four or five priests looked at each other. After a moment, Reverend Donald lowered his head and looked at the patient''splexion, being the first to answer: "Fainted. Can''t wake him." "Breathing... still there," Patrick continued. After releasing the divine magic, he bent down to listen to the patient''s heartbeat and continued to report, "Heartbeat is there." "Pulse is very fast, very weak," Joanna answered thest question in a hurry, adding anxiously, "Garrett, we need to call the elders! Or even the bishop, or even the archbishop! Our levels are too low, and the healing magic may not be enough. I''m afraid we can''t save him!" "Don''t panic!" Garrett surveyed the surroundings. Two level-fours, one level-two, one priest apprentice, plus myself at level he healing power should be sufficient; the key is how to use it! "Joanna!" He checked the patient''s heartbeat and breathing, confirming they hadn''t stopped, and decisively ordered, "You keep an eye on the patient''s condition, use healing magic to sustain his life, just keep his heartbeat and breathing going. Patrick, tie up his legs to stop the bleedinglike I taught youthen get some alcohol cotton balls from the cab and wipe his entire stomach. Evin, Donald, both of you go wash your hands, John, bring the surgical instruments!" The Temple of the Springs not only installed divine magic arrays but also specially dug a water well, drawing water up to the surface using a fountain-like method, and then used pipes to connect to the examination room, treatment room, disposal room, disinfection room, and toilet. Garrett didn''t even need to leave the treatment room; he washed his hands with the tap water and started wiping his hands with alcohol. Unfortunately, the previous divine magic antibacterial experiment wasn''tplete yet. If it could be proven that short-term exposure to a contaminated environmentsuch as two or three hourswouldn''t have too much impact on the healing effect, he wouldn''t need to scrub his hands to death with the seven-step method! Garrett regretted silently. Before he could finish his thoughts, Joanna, who he assigned to watch the patient, was already urgently calling out: "Garrett,e quickly! He''s not doing well!" "I''ming!" Garrett rushed over. --------------- Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Is the patient in critical condition? Garrett Nordmark hurried over. Ah, if this were in his emergency department, there would have been a set procedure. Open the airway, perform CPR, transfuse blood, administer fluids, replenish volume, administer adrenaline, administer dopamine, administer mannitol for cranial injuries Back in the day, it had be routine, almost a mechanical process. It was only when he recalled it in this unfamiliar world that he realized how precious those skills were. No endotracheal tube! No adrenaline, no dopamine, no mannitol! He hadn''t even managed to get the needle for the blood transfusion yet. The jeweler''s craftsmanship was so poor; he still hadn''t seeded! As for fluids and volume expansion, that guy Linde had failed to produce even a simple saline solution Poor sterilization, too many impurities in the liquid. Recklessly infusing it into the bloodstream would either lead to thrombosis due to excessive impurities or bacterial sepsis if bacteria entered the bloodstream. It was a recipe for disaster! As for magical tricks and purified diets, the liquids produced by a spell and a divine art didn''t meet the sterilization standards he needed. In his past life, seven years of undergraduate education and over a decade of work had rendered most of those skills useless! Garrett sighed silently as he rushed forward. One step, two steps, three steps, and he arrived at the patient''s bedside, his spirits already revitalized: So what if there''s no blood transfusion capability, no medicine, no medical equipment? No instruments at all, so what? The foundation of modern medicine was never these things! It was the mindset of evidence-based medicine, the principle of assessing severity, prioritizing urgency,bining holistic and partial treatment, and the diligent exploration of the mysteries of the human body, supporting us step by step! "Garrett!" Joanna''s tone was urgent. Garrett bent down, pressed on the patient''s abdomen, not lifting his head as he responded loudly: "Monitor the heartbeat and breathing! Use healing spells to stabilize! Stabilize!" He pped the patient''s abdomen once, twice. Then let the priests beside him move the patient, patting on the left side, then the right side. The more he patted, the more furrowed his brow became. Patrick, who had just finished binding the patient''s left leg, raised his head: "How is it?" "Shifting dullness!" Garrett answered urgently. After a moment of thought, he exined further: "Intra-abdominal fluid at least 1000 millilitersunfortunately, in this case, the entire 1000 milliliters is blood loss!" "Then quickly stop the bleeding!" All four priests present eximed. Garrett shook his head decisively: "Wait! Patrick, check the patient''s spine!" "No problem with the spine!" This war priest reached down, felt along the patient''s spine, and immediately replied. Garrett had already pounced on the patient''s head at the same time, lifting the eyelids: "Evan! Illumination spell! Check the pupils!" A beam of white light shot straight in. Garrett lowered one eyelid, then raised the other: "Bteral pupils equally dted, normal light reflex...no obvious head injury, no brain damage..." Thank goodness. I really couldn''t do anything about a head injury without mannitol, without any drugs, without a CT scan, without an MRI. If it were indeed a head injury, other than making the patient gamble with their life, the only option would be to toss a healing spell like a Schrdinger''s treatment... No head injury found, no pelvic fracture found. Let''s talk about limbs, arteries, nerves, and the restterGarrett breathed a sigh of relief, beckoning to the little John who was running towards him with the surgical instruments: "Open the abdomen!" The surgical knife fell heavily into his palm. Garrett made a central incision, and arge amount of fresh blood immediately gushed out, staining the treatment bed red. Little John reflexively eximed: "Ah!" The others were of higher rank, broad-minded, and didn''t follow suit with a scream. However, the sound of inhaling sharply still echoed, but Garrett remained unfazed, shouting sternly: "Donald! Divert the blood! Hook!" The suction device still hadn''te out... Fortunately, the priest of the Fountain Temple was here. Well, in this case, he had to serve as a human suction device... Father Donald took a step forward, murmuring prayers. With his gestures, the blood in the patient''s abdomen turned into a long rainbow, silently flying into a bucket. As the field of view gradually cleared, Garrett bent down to quickly search inside the patient''s abdomen, fingers pointing as he went: Hepatic artery luded! Splenic artery luded! Bteral renal arteries luded! Transparent mage hands danced around, one by one, mping blood vessels. Patrick, the war priest on the side, stuck his head out, looking dumbfounded: "Can this work?" Of course, it can! Mage hands consume little, are flexible in shape, and precisely hit the spot. The key point isno need for sterilization! As much as needed, no need to discover that the blood vessels aren''t mped enough, then panic and ask the nurse to bring more! Garrett''s mouth curled slightly. He held up the liver: "Treat the minor injury! To this part of the liver!" A white light descended. Treating a minor injury was only slightly higher in level than treating a minor wound. A Level 3 priest like Father Donald could easily cast a dozen or so of them without much effort. However, once the divine art was cast, the shattered liver wriggled and began to heal rapidly, returning to normal in a few blinks of an eye. Divine magic truly had an immediate effect... Even though he had seen it more than once, Garrett couldn''t help but praise it in his heart. In the past life, a liver that was shattered like this would have to be cut in half,boriously sewn for a few hours. Then, anxiously and fearfully, it would be monitored in the ICU for ten days or half a month, hoping that the liver could heal on its own... Oh, speaking of it brings tears. He quickly imagined it, put down the liver, and fished out a battered spleen. Another major culprit of massive bleeding. In the past, it would have definitely been removed immediately. However, in a world with divine arts, it was a different story: "Treat the minor injury!" The spleen was much smaller than the liver, weighing only about 1/5 to 1/10. After the treatment for minor injuries, the white light spread upwards with some surplus energy. Garrett quickly put it back in ce, letting the white light jump a few times in the abdominal cavity, naming some ligaments and membranes. He then checked the kidneys. Tsk, the left kidney seemed fine. Just to be safe, treat a minor wound. The right kidney was a bit troublesome, let''s go with another treatment for minor injuries... Kidneys sorted! Pancreas sorted! Galldder sorted! All major blood vessels visible in the abdominal cavity were checked! "How is the patient doing?" Garrett looked up. Joanna had been monitoring the patient''s heartbeat and breathing, not daring to rx for a moment. She answered: "It has stabilized! Although he''s still unconscious...but he''s stable now!" Her gaze towards Garrett was full of surprise. On the other side, Patrick was staring nkly, murmuring: "Two treatments for minor injuries, five treatments for minor wounds...two treatments for minor injuries, five treatments for minor wounds..." For such a serious injury, stabilizing it with two treatments for minor injuries and five treatments for minor wounds was absolutely impossible in his opinion! Doubling it wouldn''t even be possible, let alone doubling it twice! However, seeing was believing. After Garrett cut open the patient''s abdomen, he really stabilized the near-death severe injury with just these few healing spells! "Garrett, you''re amazing..." It''s not me being amazing. Garrett sighed inwardly. It''s the guidance of modern medical arts that made me know the correct order of treatment and which areas to prioritize; It''s the instant healing of divine arts that prevented the patient from struggling on the path of recovery after the surgery; It''s the patient''s own physique that allowed him to persist until now without oxygen, blood transfusion, or any life support... Perhaps I should also thank fate for letting this patient''s injury fall within the range I can handle. He collected himself and raised his voice: "To save his life, there''s still a lot to do! John, go get saline solution! Put in some effort, move quickly, he can survive!" --------------- Chapter 116 Chapter 116 "He''s going to make it!" Garrett Nordmark''s voice rose triumphantly. At the same time, young John hurriedly ran out to get saline solution, and his words echoed through the open door, reaching the crowded hall outside. "What? He''s really going to survive?!" "That''s fantastic!" The hall was already filled with arge crowd. Two men who brought the injured person, the injured person''s wife, children, and siblings, as well as the family of the child rescued by the injured personadults were crying, children were shouting, creating a chaotic scene. The pharmacist Linde tried desperately to maintain order, but with little effect, ending up drenched in sweat. As John opened the door, dozens of eyes turned towards him simultaneously. Hearing Garrett shout, "He''s going to make it," everyone was thrilled and buzzing with excitement. Two people nearby hurriedly ran inside: "Really? Really? How is he now? Is he okay?" "Don''t let them in!" Garrett screamed. This was an operating room! How could the family members just enter casually? Did the sterile principles of the operating room still matter? John quickly halted his steps, extending his arms to block the two men. Unfortunately, he was just a novice priest, a small figure who could block on one side but not the other. The two men rushed forward at full speed, causing him to stumble and retreat. Helplessly, he could only grab the clothes of one person with one hand, raise his voice, and struggle to shout: "Don''t go in! You''re not allowed in! The procedure inside is not finished yet!" Garrett, hearing themotion, realized that something was amiss. With a start, he realized what he had neglected: This wasn''t his past life! It wasn''t like the emergency room in the hospital where he used to work, with peopleing and going, security guards patrolling, and multiple checkpoints to the operating room! Here, from top to bottom, there were only six people! Five doctors (priests) had all entered the operating room, leaving only one pharmacist outside. Unable to fight and unable to shout louder than the crowd! He should have at least arranged for a security guard! "No one is allowed in!" Garrett, with his back to the operating room door, couldn''t move and could only shout louder. John struggled to stop, stepping back step by step. Seeing that he had already retreated beyond the door frame of the operating room, Priest Patrick suddenly stepped forward, swinging his arms: "Out!" "Out!" This warrior priest had been stuck at the fourth level bottleneck for several years, but the warrior rank had already broken through the fifth level. His strengthpletely overwhelmed the situation. With one hand, he tossed each person out, blocking the doorway and shouting loudly: "No entry! Do you hear me? If anyone tries to enter again, I''ll throw out the patient as well. We''ll stop the treatment!" This booming voice echoed through the entire building, following the tradition of the bald Archbishop. The whole two-story building was buzzing with his shouts. After a loud bang, the heavy door mmed shut: "Do you hear me? No one is allowed in! If anyone tries, throw them out along with the patient. We''re done treating!" This loud shout finally silenced the crowd. Garrett was able to continue the surgery in peace, exining to the priests while untangling intestines: "When dealing with critically injured patients, especially those with multiple injuries all over the body, it''s urgent everywhere. There''s a sequence for treating such cases. In short, start with where the person would die the fastest..." "Simply put, check the heartbeat and breathing first. If these two are gone, the person will die within three minutes. Next, check the abdomen. If there''s major internal bleeding, death will ur rtively quickly, just a bit slower than the heartbeat and breathing. Then move on to the spine, head, pelvis, arteries, and nerves, treating in that order to minimize the chance of death." The four priests listened attentively, hanging on every word. Patrick suddenly asked: "I once treated someone who was trampled by a horse... The bleeding had already stopped, the person could stand up, but suddenly fell down and died. Did I miss internal bleeding?" "That person... was my neighbor, myrade. Three years ago, in that big battle, he pushed me away desperately but ended up under a horse''s hoof. After exhausting all healing arts, I finally stopped his bleeding, but I still watched him die..." Since that day, the priest level hadn''t progressed, until today. Huh? Quite insightful! Garrett admired him with a nce. However, facing his question, without hesitation, he shook his head: "I can''t say for certain without seeing the patient. Internal bleeding is possible, brain damage is also possible, and there may be even more hidden conditions. In the case of such patients, all I can say is that you''re unlucky; it''s not about what you did or didn''t do." In his past life, in the hospital, they once received an elderly man. He walked in, walked out, satisfied patient, relieved family. He walked to the payment counter, copsed before reaching the queue, and died... Died... The final diagnosis was a ruptured aortic dissection. Where could they argue? The old man came in with a fractured thigh bone! Patrick pondered. Garrett let him muse while he continued to work on the intestines, repairing damage, flushing with saline, and checking for any active bleeding. When everything was done, wiping off the sweat: "Joanna, go send a message to the teachertell him he cane a bitter and bring me the oak wand." "Patrick, stand in Joanna''s position, keep an eye on the patient''s heartbeat and breathing. If there''s an issue, call me anytime!" "Ewen, get ready to close the abdomen... save a bit, use minor healing first, follow my instructions. Close the abdomenyer byyer, from inside to outside, don''t indiscriminately throw healing arts. Come on, start closing thisyer, it''s this thin membrane..." "What if we just use healing arts directly?" Patrick suddenly asked. Garrett, staring at the slowly healing omentum, answered casually: "If you sew it improperly, the inside won''t grow together, the inner and outeryers will stick together diagonally, or the intestines will stick together... or the intestines will leak into the gap where you didn''t sew properly... all kinds of troubles can happen. Who knows what could go wrong." Patrick fell silent, and Garrett continued to exin while his hands moved swiftly, manipting the injured person''s muscles and skin,yer byyer closing them, then instructing Ewen to use healing arts. While pulling and exining: "This is the peritoneum... this is the extraperitoneal fascia, transverse fascia, rectus sheath... we cut along the white line, otherwise, you''ll see the posterioryer of the rectus sheath, rectus abdominis, anterioryer of the rectus sheath..." With the abdomen closed on one side, on the other side, Joanna''s falcon cried out, wings folded, gripping an oak wand andnding on the windowsill. The window rattled, and Garrett looked up, suddenly overjoyed: "It''s here! Bring it in quickly!" The teacher''s oak wand! A source of magical detection! The radiography''s radiation source! Just as he finished dealing with the abdominal injury and was about to start treating the two legs, the item arrived! "Come, help this person up, let him lie on his side!" Garrett gave rapid-fire orders: "ce the oak wand behind him. Let me first check the bonesI want all of you to enter the meditation state and take a closer look Hmm, the skull is fine, cervical spine is normal, thoracic spine is normal, no rib fractures, and the pelvis is clear, thank the heavens! Alright,y him t, and let me see how the two legs are broken, making it easier for bone setting" In the slightly dim meditation state, from head to toe, 206 bones. Those things that he struggled to memorize over the past month were now vividly illuminated under the bright light. "So, this is how they''re shaped..." Donald, who had never personally broken someone''s arm or leg, murmured to himself. "No wonder I need to find the teacher..." Joanna clenched her fists. If she were just one level higher, she could use her oak wand without having to seek help from the elders. "So... it''s like this..." Patrick stared at the skeletons in the meditation state, unable to blink. If he had known earlier, if he had seen it earlier... Walter, Carl, Ron, your legs... Could you have avoided limping? "Hey! Don''t daydream!" Water droplets sshed across his face. Patrick snapped out of his thoughts, seeing the semi-transparent mage hand slowly fading away. Garrett had sshed water on him: "Come to your senses! Help me lift the thigh!" A high-level warrior! A perfectborer! The reason he called you was to help lift the thigh! --------------- Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Many medical students, excluding those with extraordinary talents, have painful memories of brown-nosing. Orthopedic surgery is always like a construction site, with the sound of electric saws, hammers, and drills echoing through the operating room. Changing a hip joint, a femoral head, or holding onto a fat thigh for hours Keep in mind that one leg of a person constitutes about 1/5 of their body weight. Imagine a 200-pound strong man undergoing surgery, and you have to maintain a specific posture while holding onto a 40-pound object, unable to move Enduring for three hours, not just the arms, but the entire body''s muscles no longer feel like your own. That''s why orthopedic surgeons are usually robust. In Garrett Nordmark''s past life, the orthopedic department was filled with men over six feet tall, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, with long legs. Their average arms could carry a horse, and their fists could support a person; they spent their time either in the operating room or the gym. During the big rounds, from the deputy director to the interns, everyone wore the same outfit, a white coat over them, walking confidently under the leadership of the chief director, automatically apanied by a background music: "I roam the world as I please~~ All look up to me~~~" Garrett Nordmark was not particrly tall, and his muscles were not that strong. When he did his rotation in orthopedics, he suffered enough. This time, with conditions improved, he was determined to find a strong man to assist him. Father Patrick didn''t disappoint him. After Garrett mped the blood vessels in the thigh, this old fellow separated his hands, firmly holding both ends of the injured person''s right thigh, pulling them apart steadily. Garrett just had to focus on his meditative view, constantly giving instructions: "Pull again, slower this timehey, it''s almost there, slow down a bitgood! Hold it steady! Stop here, don''t move, wait for me to set the bone!" As the saying goes, the arm can''t twist the thigh. When orthopedics encounters a patient with a thigh fracture, they usually immobilize the upper body and assign a person to grip the patient''s thigh with both hands, pulling forcefully. But Father Patrick, with just his two hands, firmly pulled apart the muscles at the fractured bone, keeping them still. With such assistance, performing orthopedic surgeries was simply delightful Garrett was happy, and Father Patrick was impressed. In his meditative view, he watched Garrett turn and observe the leg bone from various angles, then carefully manipted and relocated it, instructing him to rotate it inward. While doing so, he mumbled: "This is a one-third fracture in the middle of the femoral shaft... Oh, lucky break, a bit higher would be hard to control bleeding, a bit lower would damage more blood vessels and nerves... After a fracture, muscles pull, causing it to bend. So, we need to stretch the adductor muscles to realign the bone... Can''t you move your hand a bit? You''re holding it so tight; I can''t move it!" It turns out this is how bone setting is done. Father Patrick stared at the leg bone in his hands, trying to remember. No wonder he used to treat legs that often ended up crooked; after the bone broke, it naturally inclined, and he, ignorant, just used divine magic, leaving the misaligned bone uncorrected... Following Garrett''s instructions, Father Patrick pulled, moved, and rxed meticulously. In his meditative view, the broken ends of the bone finally came together seamlessly. Father Patrick prepared himself, ready to cast a healing spell, but Garrett brought over two hooks and called for Evin and little John: "Hook it" Pulling them one by one, they exposed the pale, fractured bone. Garrett called Joanna over, pointing to the break: "Healing spell! Focus on this bone!" "Huh?" The healing spell couldn''t be neglected. The crack on the bone disappeared, and Garrett patiently straightened the muscles, identifying damaged areas for Joanna to target with her healing spell. One, two, three, five ces... These scattered spots were often fixed with a single healing for minor injuries or sometimes didn''t even need healing, and positive energy resolved them. Muscles, blood vessels, nerves, all dealt with before the skin healed, and following the same process for the lower leg, Garrett pped his hands: "Patrick! One leg left, your turn to heal!" "Me?!" "Yeah! Did you see what I did just now? If you didn''t, it''s okay. Take the lead, and I''ll guide you!" This was a golden opportunity, a tremendous one. Patrick gratefully looked at Garrett, washed his hands, confidently grasped the injured person''s left leg. Just as he was about to pull it outward, he suddenly paused: "This... I have both hands upied, and I can''t release the healing spell..." Garrett: "???" Isn''t the healing spell something you cast with a thought? If you free your hands, who will hold the thigh? Joanna had been observing them with interest. Seeing the two in a dilemma, she chuckled softly: "Hey, don''t overlook me!" Her long, white hands gripped the injured person''s thigh. With a firm push to the sides, she steadily pulled it apart. Garrett slowly widened his eyes: Sister, you''re truly remarkable! Doing it yourself,pared to watching someone else do it, has a different understanding. Following Garrett''s process, Father Patrick carefully did it once, feeling the leg bones cracking under his hands, watching the damaged muscles be whole. Then, infusing holy power into the broken leg, he suddenly closed his eyes The sensations of the past hour, the books he had memorized tirelessly over the month, the experience of treating wounded for over a decade, all surged back and forth in his mind. Sesses, failures, moments of confusion, sudden realizations. Joys, regrets, guilt, and eptance... Time passed second by second. Patrick suddenly opened his eyes, sped his hands, bowed his head in prayer Dozens of white lights descended straight down, enclosing the unconscious patient. "Peace spell?" Little John blurted out. Garrett paused for a moment, only then recalling that this was what he secretly called the "anesthesia spell," a characteristic spell of the War God''s temple, requiring a level five priest to cast "You leveled up?" "...Yeah. I leveled up." Patrick stood still, staring at his hands for a while, then at the white light in front of him. After a long silence, he replied with a dreamy voice: "I finally leveled up... Seven years, seven years..." Once, he was a genius everyone envied. After reaching the edge of leveling up, he was stuck for four years, clueless, and took the risk of joining battles. In that battle, he lost his best friend and the hope and drive for a breakthrough... Until today. Someone told him, maybe it''s not your fault, just bad luck; someone guided him to see a more exciting world, realizing that healing spells could be used like this... "Thank you..." He murmured in a low voice, "Garrett, thank you..." "What are you thanking me for? Keep healing!" Garrett scolded him. Seeing Patrick bowing his head in shame, continuing to release healing spells, Garrett turned to look out the window, smiled, and clenched his fist firmly. Anesthesia spell! Avable on demand! No need for it anymore; whenever needed, just go find the bald archbishop! --------------- Chapter 118 Chapter 118 "Another promotion?" Elder Elwin Wilkinson finally hurried over. Pushing the door open, he saw a sea of white light, restraining the unconscious casualties in the middle. It was the iconic calming technique of the War God''s Temple, only usable by a 5th-level priest. His steps immediately halted. The old man looked at the radiant white light in front of him, looked at the face of Priest Patrick, who seemed to be crying and smiling with muscle twitches, and sighed with emotion: "Little Garrett, you... too prosperous, huh?" Running a healing clinicoh no, this kid insisted on calling it a hospitalhad only been open for a few days, and a new pharmacist had upgraded on the same day. In just over a month, a 4th-level priest had advanced to 5th level. If we count the breakthrough by Mage Elliott before, in the past three months, three people closely rted to Garrett have made breakthroughs. Two of them had been stuck for many years. God knows if he hadn''t timely released the message, "All the staff are arranged by me,e to me," this hospital of Garrett''s would have long been crowded by gift-bearing people. Even so, today another breakthrough, and he might not be able to handle it... "Teacher!" Garrett turned around, immediately delighted. "Teacher, we''ve healed all the injuries on him, but he''s lost too much blood, and my healing technique can''t handle it! Teacher, we''re relying on you!" "Oh, excessive bleeding." Elder Elwin nodded and stepped forward. He took the oak staff and chanted softly. As he chanted, light green dots, like fireflies, fluttered from the staff, from the air, from outside the window, and fell onto the injured person. Visible to the naked eye, the patient''s lips gained a little more color, and the breathing became slightly heavier. So, healing magic can also remotely replenish blood... Garrett stood obediently by the teacher''s side, watching the patient''s vitality gradually recovering, watching the gratitude of the family members as they carried the injured person away. As soon as they left, he grabbed Elder Elwin: "Teacher... help me again?" "What do you want now?" "Teacher, look, in this hospital, there are six priests and one pharmacist. There''s not even anyone to maintain order when things get busy. Teacher, can you introduce a warrior to me again?" "It''s toote when you think of it!" Elder Elwin red at him impatiently. "Okay, okay, the teacher already sent out a message a long time ago, and there should be a response in these two days. Before that... do you want to go to the Mage Tower to hide for a few days?" "Huh?" "Do you know how many people have been trying to squeeze in these days? Before, the bishop and I have been blocking for you. Today, another breakthrough, and I''m afraid we won''t be able to block it. Stop talking, leave before the news spreads!" "Wait, wait, wait! My cultivation vessel! My rabbits! Teacher, at least call a few carriages!" "Go, go! We''ll send the stuffter!" Elder Elwin didn''t waste words, directly lifted Garrett and threw him onto the horse. He pped the horse''s butt with force: "Go!" The mount suddenly started. Garrett swayed, holding onto the saddle, letting the old horse dash out. In the distance, he heard someone shouting behind: "Lord NordmarkUnder the orders of the family head, I''vee to present a giftYour Lordship" Garrett was thus thrown back to the Mage Tower. ording to Elder Elwin, "You should close up and practice for a while, breakthrough as soon as possible. Whether it''s the mage level or the priest level, breaking through to level 2 will reduce the number of people forcing their way in the better your talent, the fewer people dare to offend you." ...Fine, it''s just changing the ce for experiments. Besides, he was also interested in the water elemental pool in the Mage Tower, he hadn''t done a bacterial cultivation experiment with pool water yet... Garrett was thus bundled back to the Mage Tower. One day, two days, he stayed in the Mage Tower, enjoying his experiments. After almost half a month, the small square outside the Mage Tower was crowded with carriages and horses again, and it was time for a public lecture by Mage Gelman. On the first floor of the Mage Tower, thergest room was filled with about twenty or thirty people. As Garrett stepped into the ssroom, the group rushed towards him: "Mage Nordmark, I have a question I''d like to ask you..." "Mage Nordmark, can I help at your healing clinic..." "Mage Nordmark, my sister''sing-of-age ceremony is in five days, could you attend the dance..." "Mage Nordmark, can I treat you to a cup of coffee? I made some handmade snacks~~~" Garrett: "..." Get away! Who''s wearing perfume! It''s suffocating! These were all auditors, paying ten gold coins in monthly tuition fees, qualified to read books in the Mage Tower. Also, twice a month, they were eligible to attend Mage Gelman''s public lectures. Garrett used to be one of them, but he hadn''t even attended a single public lecture, and now he became a mage apprentice, no longer mingling with them. These auditors, each dressed in satin and gold and silver, some of the girls even had gemstones shining on their earlobes and necks. They looked very wealthy, of course, not from noble or wealthy merchant families, and couldn''t afford the monthly tuition of ten gold coins... "Cough, cough, cough! Bang, bang, bang!" Mage Gelman''s cough suddenly sounded, apanied by the sound of a ruler hitting the table. The group of auditors dispersed like birds and beasts, and Garrett was overjoyed. He looked at Mage Gelman with grateful eyes. Mage Gelman nodded at him, cleared his throat, and began the lecture: "Today, we will discuss the principles of fire magic. As we all know, fire, the most passionate and impulsive among the four basic elements, has the most powerful destructive power in fire magic. Five hundred years ago, the great legendary mage Clement Beriel summarized in his work, ''New Experiments on the Rtionship between me and Air'': Fire is a substance entityposed of countless tiny and lively particles. These fire particles canbine with other elements or exist freely. Arge number of free fire particles gathered together form a visible me, which, when dispersed in the atmosphere, gives people a sense of heat. The elemental substance of fireposed of these fire particles is called ''ignition element''!" "Huh?" Garrett reflexively opened his mouth, then immediately closed it. Mage Gelman did not notice his anomaly and continued to speak facing a group of attentive auditors, eloquently going on. After a long exnation about the "ignition element," it finally came to the practical application of spells: "All models of fire magic spells include the structures of ''gathering ignition element'' and ''attracting good air.'' Taking the model of Fire Spark spell as an example..." Mage Gelman waved his wand, using magical tricks to outline the spell model of "Fire Spark," exining piece by piece. In the room, the sound of pencils scratching on paper was heard, and only Garrett sat dumbfounded in ce, staring at the model in the air without moving: "Burning is because of the ignition element?" "Air can attract the ignition element?" "Are you kidding me!" So, all this time, the fire elemental I saw in meditation was defined by you as the "ignition element"? Meditating in this way, it would take ten thousand years to upgrade! --------------- Chapter 119 Chapter 119 August 5th, morning, first experiment. Attempting to replicate Lavaxi''s "Twenty-Day Experiment," heating mercury in the curved-neck sk to produce mercuric oxide. Measuring 100 grams of mercury, adding it to the curved-neck sk (thank you, mage tower, for using metric units, must be the legacy of a predecessor from another era), and heating it with a furnace. One hour, no change. Two hours, no change. Three hours, no change. Suspected that the heating temperature wasn''t high enough for mercury to react with oxygen. Moved the curved-neck sk closer to the furnace. The curved-neck sk exploded... August 5th, afternoon, second experiment. Red powder appeared on the surface of mercury, suspected to be mercuric oxide. The curved-neck sk exploded again... Improper temperature control. Let me think of another way; the mercury thermometer is definitely not working. August 6th, morning. Bimetallic thermometer! Sess! The mage tower is truly extravagant; having tinum... a bimetallic element made with tinum and copper strips is the best! August 6th, afternoon. Continued the mercuric oxide experiment. Using the bimetallic thermometer to indicate temperature is indeed convenient... no more fear of the curved-neck sk exploding. August 7th, morning. Slipped while adding charcoal, and the furnace went out... luckily, quickly rekindled the fire. Really wish I had a furnace boy to watch over it. August 7th, afternoon. Continued burning. August 8th, morning. Continued burning. August 8th, afternoon. Continued burning. Come on, Lavaxi did it for 12 days, waited for 8 more days after noticing no change. August 9th, morning. Mage Elliott''s crucible exploded, smashing the curved-neck sk... "Garrett, sorry about that..." Elliott awkwardly apologized, "What are you doing?" Garrett was busy cleaning up spilled mercury, no time to bother with him. Elliott carefully bypassed him, leaned over, and saw neat writing on the table paper: 1. Prove the existence of O. 2. Prove O +bustible material + temperature =bustion. 3. Introduce O into magical materials. "What is this...?" Elliott only nced at it, found half of it iprehensible, and immediately walked away. Garrett called out to him from behind, but he hurried away without looking back. Experiment ideas, spell design, those are the secrets and wealth of every mage, not to be easily revealed! Especially when he saw the words "magical materials"... Garrett''s troubled experiment began again. This time, he was more cautious, moving the experimental apparatus to the adjacent small room, striving not to be disturbed. Consider him lucky; the experiment went smoothly without any hups or idental breakages. Continued untilte August, one night, the Mage Tower finally echoed with Garrett''s cheer: "I did it! I proved" Indeed, this world''s air contains 20% oxygen! Combustion ofbustibles does depend on oxygen! Forget about the essence ofbustion and the essence of fire elements! "Garrett!" The Mage Tower''s third floor opened a window with a bang. Mage Kan stuck his head out and roared, "What are you howling about in the middle of the night! You interrupted my meditation!" Ah... oh, meditation. Garrett apologized loudly and rushed back to the third floor, entering his room. Entering meditation, extending his mental power, sensing the surrounding world: Among the four elements, earth and water seemed unchanged. Fire and air, however, underwent significant changes: The ethereal power split into specks, some stable and silent, while others were lively and erratic; And the lively and erratic part, intertwined with the former, sometimes mixing, sometimes darting into the area belonging to fire, stirring up specks of mes. The essence of burning is thebination ofbustible material and oxygen, emitting light and heat. Garrett carefully felt it. His mental power didn''t seem significantly stronger than yesterday. He extended his hand, flicked towards the candle holder, and a bright me flickered out,nding gracefully on the wick. The release was a bit faster than before, the spell''s power was higher... but not enough, not enough... Garrett spread out the paper under the candlelight. Following the content of Mage Gellman''s lectures, each fire magic would have two basic constructs: one to gather bustible essence," and the other to select the "good air" that attractsbustible essence ording to the theory ofbustibles, when heated,bustibles don''t automatically dpose; they require external air to extract them. And "good air" has the property of absorbingbustibles, enablingbustion... So, pointing the construct used to gather bustible essence" with mental power toward thebustible material; pointing the construct used to select "good air" toward the carried oxygen used as spell material What would happen if done this way? Garrett heard his heart pounding. He rushed out of his room, went up to the fourth floor alchemy room, and set up the alchemical apparatus for heating mercuric oxide and extracting oxygen once again. After the oxygen collection in the test tube wasplete, he sneaked down the Mage Tower with the test tube. "Garrett, where are you going?" Someone spoke in the dark night. Garrett paused, slowly turned his head: "Elliott? Sorry, did I wake you up just now?" "No problem, I wasn''t asleep anyway. Hey, in the middle of the night, where are you going without even turning on a light?" Saying that, he snapped his fingers, and four light orbs floated up silently in front, back, left, and right. Garrett followed him down, answering in a low voice: "I improved the Burning Hand and wanted to try it out..." "Burning Hand? You learn so fast!" Elliott praised. He and Garrett walked into the dark night, arriving at a square behind the Mage Tower. This was the ce mages used to practice magic. Elliott slightly focused and raised his hand A cone of red mes spewed forward. Five meters away, a humanoid wooden target was engulfed in mes, immediately burning. Elliott waved his hand, extinguishing the mes. He turned to Garrett, eyes shining with curiosity: "Give it a try!" "I might be a bit slow..." Garrett replied in a low voice. Holding his breath, concentrating, trying to enter a spellcasting state: Meditate! Recite the incantation! Use mental power to outline the spell model! Extend mental power, resonate the spell model with the surroundings, and pay attention, the construct for filtering air must be pointed towards the oxygen in the test tube! Reach out, push forward Boom! A zingly white me sprayed out from Garrett''s palm, bursting forward. Within ten meters, a 60-degree fan-shaped area in front was engulfed by the bright white me. Where the mes passed, the humanoid wooden target immediately turned into fragments, standing on a metal stake on the ground, bursting with bright and dazzling sparks like lightning. Beside him, Mage Elliott slowly widened his mouth. "Is this... the Burning Hand? It''s twice as far as mine, and the me is more than twice as strong! Garrett, are you really just a level 1 mage?!" --------------- Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Garrett Nordmark is naturally still a first-level mage. Moreover, up to this point, he hasn''t touched the threshold for leveling up, and his mental power hasn''t reached the limit of level 1 yet. Garrett is not in a hurry. He slowly polishes the image of himself in his meditative vision, bone by bone, meticulously sketching: The benefits of being a novice mage at level one have been used up, and the energy given by the teacher when nting the oak staff has also been exhausted. Whates next is meticulous work, and there''s no rush. A few bones a day, encounteringplex bones like the hip, meditation can only bepleted for one piece. Until now, Garrett''s mental power has only constructed 80 central axis bones and 64 upper limb bones. As for the 62 lower limb bones, less than half arepleted. Perhaps afterpleting the entire skeleton, my mental power can advance to the next level? Garrett spectes. Besides this, he is anxious about one thing: When can I return to the hospital? Teacher, you sent me to hide in the mage tower, when will you let me out? I''vepleted all the experiments! The papers are also written! The microscope paper, the burning hand paper, and the paper on sterilization, all done! If I don''t return to the hospital soon, I won''t have the conditions to conduct so many experiments! The teacher''s summons came quickly. In mid-September, after Garrett had improved the burning hand for half a month, Elder Elwin Wilkinson sent a message to the mage tower: The followers I found for you have arrived. Come and meet them. Garrett swiftly entered the city. Dismounting at the entrance of the hospital, at first nce, he saw a big man standing next to the teacher. Elder Elwin Wilkinson is already considered tall, but the man next to him is at least a head taller, conservatively estimated at two meters. It''s already deep autumn, and Garrett is wearing a thick jacket, while the man is bare-shouldered, with a beast skin draped over his shoulder. A ne made of the fangs and ws of fierce beasts hangs on his bare chest, and below the pendant, eight clearly defined abdominal muscles are disyed. The only weapon on his entire body is the big stick in his right hand. Garrett looked closely and became increasingly silent. The stick is more than half a head taller than its owner, with a diameter as thick as the owner''s upper arm. Looking at the shape of the end, who knows if it''s a thigh bone from some wild creature. Is this a barbarian? It''s quite obvious that he''s a barbarian, right? Teacher, can someone like him be my follower? If I can''t afford to feed him, will he eat me? Can barbariansmunicate normally? Garrett really wanted to ask this, but he didn''t dare in front of the giant. The giant, however, spoke with a buzzing voice: "Are you Garrett? Can you feed me?" What, feed you? Big brother, is your only request to be fed? Garrett discreetly nced at the teacher as much as possible. Seeing Elder Elwin Wilkinson nodding with a smile, he boldly replied: "If I have enough to eat, you''ll have enough too!" "Alright! Bernard is with you! Let''s eat!" The group entered the tavern in a grand manner. Well, "grand manner" mainly refers to Bernard, the giant over two meters tall, who walked in with an earth-shaking momentum. As soon as they entered, Bernard raised his voice and shouted: "Bring out the food! Bring out the delicious food! Bring out the meat!" "Get a whole roastedmb, a roasted chicken, and a barrel of beer," Elder Elwin Wilkinson added quietly behind him. The waiter''s eyes lit up, responding loudly: "Alright!" The roasted chicken quickly arrived. Elder Elwin Wilkinson cut off two chicken legs and ced one in front of himself and one in front of Garrett. The rest were all handed over to Bernard. Just as Garrett took a couple of bites of the chicken, he saw Bernard picking up the roasted chicken and crunching it, crunching it... More than half of the roasted chicken, including the bones, disappeared without a trace, all swallowed by the giant''s gaping mouth. Garrett sweated. Garrett sweated a lot. Garrett sweated profusely. Big brother, swallowing bones like this... be careful of chicken bones getting stuck in your throat! If it pierces the esophageal wall and hits an artery, I won''t be able to save you! After devouring more than half of the roasted chicken, the waiter carrying the beer barrel returned, only halfway back. Bernard decided to pick up the beer barrel himself, pped it with one hand, and carried it over. The oak beer barrel, more than half his height, looked as light as a straw in his hands. "Boom!" The barrel fell, dust rose, and the seats around also shook three times. Bernard grabbed two wooden cups, gurgled, gurgled, gurgled, filled them with beer. Garrett was happy that there were only two cups of beer, and he wouldn''t have to drink, but then he saw Bernard picking up the beer barrel and gulping it down, gulp, gulp, gulp... Isn''t this beer mine?! Garrett frowned at the cup in front of him. This thing''s mouth is bigger than his face, and its body is taller than his forearm. Is this a small barrel? Can he hold it up? Should he enhance himself with the strength of a barbaric bull? No, the strength of a barbaric bull is a second-level magic, and he can''t learn it yet... Besides, he doesn''t know how to drink. He won''t drink in this life, and he didn''t drink in his past lifesurgeons can''t drink. Even if he could drink, drinking this cup would exceed his stomach capacity, right?! Elder Elwin Wilkinson, seeing his disciple''s dilemma, couldn''t help but smile. He reached out gently, moved both wooden cups in front of himself, and signaled the waiter: "A ss of grape wine. No, make it a ss of mint water. And bring some white bread and a te of nuts. Roastedmb, hurry up!" "No problem! Please wait, dear guests!" Ordering a whole roastedmb is a big deal. It took a while for the innkeeper toe back with a waiter, personally carrying a whole roastedmb. Elder Elwin Wilkinson took up a long knife, cut off a leg ofmb, and pushed the remaining half towards Bernard. Then he turned to look at Garrett, picked up themb leg, and stabbed it directly into his te. Is this whole leg for me?! Garrett instinctively leaned back. Little did he know, the long knife in front of him flickered, one piece, two pieces, three pieces... Three pieces ofmb fell into the te, followed by the leg, steadily returning to the elder''s te. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief. He ate this carb-overloaded, fat-protein-excessive, severely deficient in vitamins and nt fiber lunch slowly, apanied by mint water, bread, and nuts, and belched lightly. Across from him, Bernard was still eating heartily, with sheep oil and light red meat juice dripping from the corners of his mouth, smearing his beard everywhere. Themb spine and ribs hadpletely disappeared. Bernard, with a leg ofmb in each hand, was eating enthusiastically. Garrett quickly nced at his waist. Eight abdominal muscles were still eight abdominal muscles, but the barrel of beer and half a roastedmb seemed to have disappeared without a trace... Can I really afford to raise this guy... Garrett was once again at a loss. Elder Elwin Wilkinson leaned over to him quietly: "Bernard is from the Northern cier. A few years ago, when I was traveling outside, I saved half of their vige when they were in trouble. At that time, we agreed that when I needed it, they would send warriors to serve me for ten years. During these ten years, just feed him, you don''t need to eat this well usually. As for armor and weapons, take a look and decide." Understood, mainly bread for daily meals, asionally bring meat for a feast. Garrett eased his mind a bit: "Teacher, what about the sry?" "Why do you think the warriors from the Northern region need a sry? Of course, if their vige is short of food any year, give them a few dozen gold coins to buy food!" Writing about this barbarian, I don''t know why it was written so happily, probably because I can''t eat meat as heartily as he does (not at all). --------------- Chapter 122 Chapter 122 "Elder Elwin, please join the main camp and participate in the attack sequence." "Bishop Martin, please join the front camp and be responsible for blessing the knights in the assault." "Priest Edwin, lead the healing work." "Lord Baird, could you apany the scout team in their actions?" Garrett Nordmark sat far away at the entrance of the council chamber, waiting for the assignments to be given to him. He was the youngest, lowest-ranked, and his seat was farthest from the chiefonly a 5th-level priest at the moment. It would be a while before his turn came. In this major battle, Harnd City was not going alone; it was gathering under the banner of Count Newman in Nust County. Count Newman himself was a 12th-level grand knight, with great prestige in the county. Even the lord of Harnd City, Viscount Joane, had served as a squire in the count''s household in his youth. With such a figure leading, the nobles of Nust County naturally followed suit. Nobles from the various cities in the county arrived with their knights and soldiers to join Count Newman''s army. All spellcasters were also gathered, evaluated and discussed by the head of the religious council. They were then assigned to different teams based on their ability levels and types of divine magicwhether for attack, support, healing, or other services. After a long list, it finally reached him: "All 2nd and 1st-level priests and priest apprentices, all responsible for healing affairs." The allocation of healing tasks was generally based on hometowns. In principle, priests from the city would be responsible for healing the city''s wounded. Before the war started, the camp of spellcasters in the military camp was bustling with activity. Every priest''s individual tent had knights visiting, bearing gifts and making requests: "Please take care!" "Seeking support!" "If I get injured, prioritize healing me!" Garrett was no exception. As soon as the meeting ended, two knights approached, inquiring as they reached his tent: "Lord Nordmark! Lord Nordmark! Garrett! Garrett...? Hey, where did he go?" In such a rare opportunity, why wouldn''t he be inside the tent waiting to receive gifts! Garrett was in the camp of the city guards. This time, two squads, around a hundred people, came with him, most of them uncles and elder rtives he was familiar with. Unlike the delicate tents of the priests, the military camp had shabby, low tents, with ten or twenty soldiers crammed into one. A few steps inside, the stench was overwhelming. Garrett didn''t show much disdain. He walked slowly through the camp, asking along the way: "Torn, are the bandages for wound dressing ready?" "Vali, you need to be at the forefront... Is the tourniquet ready? Remember where to tie it? Yes, right here!" "Morgan Uncle, got the triangr bandages? Clean ones?" "Old Pete, if someone is injured, don''t just grab a handful of dirt; use a triangr bandage to tie it. Come find me quickly!" "Yes, if you''re injured, remember toe find me! I''m right at the edge of the priest''s camp, near your side!" "Captain Flynn, can you find someone to apany me to pick up the tent? When there are many wounded, I only brought a small tent; it may not be enough..." "It''s a small matter! I''ll have two people apany you! - Paul! Quincy! You apany young Garrett on a trip!" The two soldiers led him in a winding path, finding the military supply officer of Harnd City. Unfortunately, the city didn''t haverge enough tents, so they had to inquire from the county. The supply officer nced at the single green leaf on his robe and rolled his eyes: "What do you need a big tent for? Big tents are for nobles. You, a little priest, why do you need such a big space?" "As long as it can amodate people." Garrett tried to smile, as if dealing with a critically ill patient without money in his past life, pleading with the medical department to prioritize treatment, using the green channel: "Older, dirtier, and even damaged is fine. I''ll clean it up myself... Please, beg you..." He quickly handed over a money pouch. The supply officer weighed it in his hand, tossed it up, listened to the jingling of metal inside, and his expression softened slightly: "Fine. Follow me!" Thus, Garrett got his hands on a tentdirty to the point of being unsightly, old, and practically worthless. The oil and mud on the tent had formed a crust, and Garrett''s fingers were smeared with ck mud as soon as he touched it. Fortunately, two soldiers approached, separated the tent fabric and poles, and firmly shouldered them. Dirty as it was, it would serve its purpose for sheltering from wind and rain. But if used to house wounded, it might increase the risk of infection. Garrett helplessly smiled; all he could do was have them carry the tent to the river, roll up his sleeves, and start cleaning. As he worked, one soldier jumped in to help, while the other, sensing trouble, quietly walked away. Garrett struggled to decline, but Captain Karen directly dragged him away: "Let us handle this rough work! Garrett, you go backwhat do you spellcasters call itmeditate! The more skilled you are, the safer our lives are!" Garrett resisted, resisted, resisted in vain, and Captain Karen dragged him back to his own tent. Still dozens of steps away, he saw several people moving around the tent. Spotting Garrett, they waved from afar: "Little Garrett, we''re here!" Garrett Nordmark''s field hospital, everyone assembled. --------------- Chapter 123 Chapter 123 A cluster of priests surrounded Garrett Nordmark, eagerly vying for his attention, each trying to speak over the others. As Garrett was about to invite them in, a hoarse voice emanated from behind the tent: "Count me in as well" The voice was unusually raspy, with eyes deep and mysterious, resembling ghostly mes even in broad daylight. Behind the tent, a ck cat with white gloves gracefully leaped down andnded in front of Garrett, letting out a gentle meow. "Linde Ferrell!" Garrett eximed joyfully and hurriedly approached. Linde Ferrell, the necromancer, had been Garrett''s guide when he first entered the world of magic. Garrett had obtained admission to the Mage Tower with the rmendation letter Linde had provided. Although months had passed since theyst met due to Garrett''s studies in magic, divine arts, and experiments, Garrett cherished the debt of gratitude. Separated for months, Linde Ferrell still maintained his peculiar appearance in a swaying ck robe with a skull on top. However, the fur of the ck cat, Troka, seemed much glossier, indicating afortable few months. "Linde Ferrell, Troka, wee!" Garrett greeted them with delight. Seeing Linde reminded him of the golden skeleton capable of lifting his own head and disassembling his hip bone. Garrett was eager to revisit that peculiar experience. "Long time no see! Did youe with the others? I didn''t see you during departure!" "Of course, I had toe." Linde Ferrell smiled, though his appearance was unsettling, with shrunken skin and twitching facial muscles. Only the eyes, reminiscent of a doctor''s gaze, could discern the direction of facial muscle movement. He continued: "That old man Gelman had you all protected at the rear, charging into battle alone! And he deliberately kept it from me! I had to rush over alone, went the wrong way, almost bumped into the Radiant Church people!" "Ah!" Garrett eximed. The Radiant Lord was known to be the bane of necromancers, enhancing skeletal damage with healing spells. "How are you holding up?" "I''m fine." Linde Ferrell grinned ominously. "Killed two of them. By the way, what brought you all the way here? Aren''t you a mage?" "But I''m also a priest... I came this time to heal... uh, to heal wounds and save lives." The necromancer shot him a using look. A priest? If you''re a priest, go to the temple! Why did you bother getting a rmendation letter from me? I went through the trouble of writing many praises for you, and youe visit me as a priest? Garrett felt a bit uneasy under his gaze. He took a step back, hastily finding an excuse to soothe Linde: "By the way, if you have time,e over! When I''m healing, I often use surgical techniqueslike cutting and stitching people up. Come lend a hand and discuss it together?" Linde''s eyes lit up. He looked at the tent expectantly, tempted, but eventually shook his head: "I made a deal with Gelman. I''m with the scout team this time, so I probably won''t have time for a while. Oh, and this is what I found on those pups. Take a look, see if there''s anything you can use." He waved, and Troka jumped forward, pulling out a bag from somewhere. Pouring its contents, which included emblems, prayer books, small vials, onto the ground with a tter, they glittered in the light. Garrett instinctively cast a detection spell. A burst of white light dazzled him, and he shielded his eyes. The white light from the emblem pierced through his flesh, revealing the bones of his hand. Garrett was overjoyed: "I can use this! Fantastic!" A level five! A level five magical item! A source of X-ray light! No more borrowing every time! He held the emblem, gazing into the distance. Outside the military camp, a small city stood on distant hills, its gs fluttering brightly. It was the castle they were about to attack. Having followed the team for so long, Garrett knew it was Newark City in Mind County, the first obstacle on the march of the allied forces. The Count of Mind County was a fervent follower of the Radiant Lord, and the arrival of the Temr Knights had further strengthened their defense. Rumor had it that the earl''s territory housed a vital harbor, one of thending points for the Radiant Church. Count Norman, leading arge army, was determined to defeat the Mind County Lord first and block the opponent beforending at the Radiant Church. "We''re going to attack the city" Garrett murmured. Storming a well-fortified city usually resulted in significant casualties. Tomorrow''s battle seemed destined to be a tough one. Early the next morning, Garrett rushed to the military camp of the city guards. Holding a bucket of ink in his left hand and a pen in his right, he drew lines on soldiers'' arms and legs one by one: "Turn left! Turn right! Stand straight! Oh, good, if you''re seriously injured, tie the tourniquet here. Remember!" A group of soldiers watched him with smiles, forming a line and obediently letting him draw lines on them. Captain Karen smiled and ruffled his hair: "Little Garrett, don''t worry. We don''t even know if we''ll go into battle today!" Garrett looked up at him. Emotions from the original owner and memories from his time in this world intertwined. After struggling for a while, all he could manage was: "Come back alive!" The war began. While the priest camp remained quiet, Garrett couldn''t see the specific battle but could hear the relentless sounds of ughter ahead. Bernard, a barbarian follower, fidgeted with his big club, standing up and sitting down repeatedly. Unable to withstand the idleness, Garrett assigned him a task: "Keep helping me sharpen the mps! Try to sharpen more; there will be a lot of injuriester!" He busied himself preparing saline, alcohol, arranging cotton, gauze, bandages, and potions. Before noon, wounded soldiers started arriving one after another: "Knight Scott is injured!" "Sir Terence is injured!" "Knight Vincent is injured!" The priests systematically attended to them. Prayers murmured continuously, and white light flickered. Soon after the knights, poorly dressedmon soldiers were carried over, running urgently: "Save him! Please save him!" Blood dripped steadily. Garrett stood by the camp fence, watching them run towards the nearby camp of Melton''s priest squad. Before long, pleading and shouting echoed from that direction: "No cure!" "Carry him away!" "Move aside! The knights can''t handle it either!" "Please save himCaptain got injured for us, sob... He has a little son waiting at home, and his daughter is about to get married..." Garrett''s expression turned solemn. Before embarking on this journey, he had heard and even learned that a priest''s healing was mainly reserved for nobles. Whethermoners received treatment depended on the caster''s mood at the time. Despite being prepared for this, Garrett brought plenty of supplies on this trip, intending to heal as manymon soldiers as possible. But hearing about it and witnessing it were two different things. He sighed silently, wanting to go help those people but hesitated. Just then, the sound of footsteps approached rapidly. Two guards from Harnd City led the way, carrying wounded soldiers, and they headed straight for Garrett: "Little Garrett, help us save them!" --------------- Chapter 124 Chapter 124 "Bring them in!" Garrett Nordmark scanned the scene with a single nce, immediately shouting at the approaching group. Turning, he dashed towards his own tent. The city guards behind him collectively breathed a sigh of relief, lifting stretchers and briskly following. "Garrett, you" Someone immediately tried to stop him. Fortunately, Garrett had a high reputation in Harnd City. As soon as someone spoke, apanion pulled the speaker aside. If he wanted to treat, let him treat. The healing capacity of a Level One Priest was limited, and wasting it wouldn''t offend anyone much. Garrett had no intention of paying attention to themotion. He quickly checked the woundedfortunately, no acquaintances. The problem was, either the wounded didn''te, or when they did, there were five of them: one with a head wound and blood streaming, one with an arm chopped off, one with a broken leg, the fourth with a copsed chest, and the fifth, barely breathing on the stretcher, the nature of the injury unclear. ...But I only have two hands! Garrett felt immense pressure instantly. Moreover, while others couldin, he couldn''t. The task was self-imposed, to save as many people as possible, and it was indeed his wish. He casually picked up a basket, hurried to the entrance of his preparedrge tent, and shouted to the side: "One by one, carry them in! Before entering, let me take a look first!" The one with the head wound was the first to be brought in. Garrett bent down to inspect, asking on the side: "How were you injured? Did you faint?" "Hit by flying rocks! Fainted just now, seems to be waking up now..." Blunt force impact causing cranial injury. Momentary loss of consciousness. Garrett quickly nced around the wound, silently adding: ...No sign of brain tissue extrusion for now. Not going to die so quickly. Garrett immediately ordered: "Lay him down inside, shave the hair around the wound, wipe away the blood. If the patient vomits, be careful not to choke on vomit. I''lle check on himter. Next!" The next one had an arm chopped off. The upper arm was tightly bound with a bandage, face pale, unconscious but thankfully still alive. Garrett nced to see no other external injuries, picked up a spiral tourniquet from the basket, and immediately put it on the patient: "Lay down inside! Rotate the stick with force, tighten the strap, fix the stick in ce, then undo the bandage. I''lle to checkter. Next!" The one with a broken leg was observed for vital signs, bleeding stopped, then carried inside. As for the one with thepletely copsed chest, Garrett checked the neck pulse, breathing, lifted an eyelid, saw no heartbeat, no breathing, pupils dted 8mm, immediately shook his head: "He''s already dead. Take him away. Next!" "How is that possible! Save him! Save the captain" the soldier carrying the person reached out to pull him. Garrett stepped aside, shouting: "Bernard!" The barbarian roared, grabbed the other''s cor, lifted him like a ball, and threw him out. The soldier on the other end of the stretcher wiped away tears, dragged the stretcher, turned and ran. Without turning his gaze, Garrett continued to shout: "Next!" Ah, having security is goodhaving security with overwhelmingbat power is even better. Garrett sighed inwardly,pleted the examination of thest patient, and turned into the tent. ncing over, he saw the patient with the head injury still getting his head shaved. He passed him, heading straight for the one with the severed arm. "Reverend, can you make his hand grow back?" the soldier carrying the patient nervously asked. Garrett quickly shook his head: "Can''t do that. He needs amputation." If you brought the severed limb, the blood supply was good, and I had enough time, maybe I could try. Growing it back from nothing? I''m sure I can''t do that! "Then" "Get out!" With amand, the barbarian unceremoniously grabbed the person and threw him out of the tent. Garrett took a deep breath: although it was rushed, and he didn''t even have an assistant, he had to perform this amputation! Artery forceps, up! In the midst of a major battle, not knowing how many soldiers needed saving, every bit of magical power had to be saved. Garrett did not release the hands of the mages. Instead, the surgical knife and hook deftly flew, cutting the skin about five to six centimeters above the section, separating and flipping the skin ps, one by one, exposing the upper arm blood vessels: Brachial artery and vein, mped, cut, and seal the wound! Deep brachial artery, mped, cut, and seal the wound! Radial coteral artery, middle coteral artery, ulnar coteral artery, done, jugr vein, brachiocephalic vein, done Having dissected and treated rabbits for several months, Garrett had be very proficient in releasing healing spells. Cutting and sewing so many blood vessels, he didn''t even release a healing minor wound spell. With just a tug of positive energy, he healed those millimeter-thin blood vesselspletely. Next, he cut the radial nerve, median nerve, cut the muscles, allowing the muscles to retract upwards and expose the broken bone. Above the section on the upper arm, two centimeters below the cut blood vessels, he used a magical trick to color a circle: "Bernard," he called the strong barbarian beside him: "Give you an axe, can you urately chop where I''ve colored?" "No problem!" Bernard looked down, patted his chest. Garrett lifted the severed limb, wiped the axe de carefully with alcohol, handed it to Bernard: "Chop urately! Don''t cut diagonally!" Swish! The axe de whistled down. Body parts that orthopedic experts would take half a day to separate, under the barbarian''s axe, fell in one blow. "Don''t! " Another scream came from the tent entrance. The soldier thrown out scrambled over, "Captain, captain! Huh?" The patient didn''t scream or struggle at all. The blood vessels and nerves had been cut beforehand, and this one blow didn''t cause much bleeding or intense pain. The soldier rushed forward, just in time to see Garrett scoop something from a jar and smear it on the broken bone. Then he continued to pick up small forceps, flipped the pre-cut skin ps, and neatly covered the section. With a healing minor wound spell cast, the twelve-centimeter-long skin p incision healed seamlessly. "Is this... okay?" "Barely saved his life." Garrett tiredly shook his head. He pointed to the corner of the tent, indicating for the patient to be carried over for observation, wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Next!" Femoral closed fracture, detect magic... guided traction reduction! Skull fracture, X-ray reveals linear skull fracture, not prating the brain. No CT, no MRI, throw in a healing spell, let him lie down for observation! Thest one unconscious, found abdominal bleeding, open abdomen exploration, heal the ruptured spleen, suture the abdomen! Finally done... Garrett finished thest stitch, straightened his back, and immediately heard a rumbling sound from his stomach. He was about to go out to find something to eat when, outside the tent, an anxious loud voice rang out again: "Garrett, are you taking in more patients here?!" "Come in!" Garrett turned and rushed out again: "Line up, one by one,e in and let me take a look first!" --------------- Chapter 125 Chapter 125 "Heal! I can heal here! Bring them over!" "Form a queue, one by one!" "Next one!" "Next one!" "Next one..." The injured knights came one by one for treatment, returning to the battlefield intermittently. The healing area became noisy for a while and then quieted down. The priests leisurely ate their lunch, took a slow rest, and then, with a slow and refreshing face wash, began to chat over tea. They tasted the rich red tea and spread honey and jam on freshly baked scones. Sitting under the tall white umbre in the center of the camp, they conversed softly: "Casualties aren''t significant today." "Yes, the battle wasn''t too intense. I didn''t even use half of my healing spells todayhow about you?" "About the same. But it''s good to save some healing spells; who knows if we''ll have a severely wounded knightter?" "True, if a heavily injured knightes, I''ll have to use all my remaining spells..." "Hope there aren''t too many injuries tomorrow..." "Hey, how''s it going over here?" A priest with brisk footsteps entered the camp, his face full of spring, greeting everyone one by one. Dressed in a light blue silk robe adorned with two narcissus flowers embroidered in white silk on the belt, he was the second-level priest of the Spring Goddess Temple. The healers from Harnd City recognized him; he was the proud disciple of the chief priest of the county, unevenly getting up to greet him: "Priest Hilde." "Hilde." "We''re doing fine here. Treated five knights, two severe injuries, and three minor injuries. The ones with minor injuries have already returned to the battlefield." "As long as the number of casualties isn''t too high..." Just as they were chatting, amotion arose in the corner of the healing area, beyond a row of tents. Priest Hilde turned his head upon hearing the noise: "Haven''t they finished over there?" "Over there? It''s Garrett from the Nature Cult, treating the wounded..." The first priest to greet him exined casually. Suddenly, he was surprised: "Why are they still busy? I''ve even taken a nap!" "Indeed!" The priest beside him also discovered the blind spot and couldn''t help but stand up and turn to look: "How long has it been? Haven''t they run out of spells yet?" "Interesting." Priest Hilde muttered. Lifting his leg, he walked towards the source of the sound: "Let''s go see!" The proud disciple of the county''s chief priest wanted to see, and a group of priests naturally followed. Just as they turned around a row of tents, they saw a continuous stream of people in the corner upied by Garrett. Wounded soldiers were being carried in and out constantly. Behind the tatteredrge tent, rows of wounded soldiers were already lying on the ground. Looking closely, their wounds were bandaged, indicating that they had already received treatment. "Is he... treating ordinary soldiers?" Priest Hilde was astonished. It was unknown how many people were inside the tent, but at least twenty were lying on the ground: "Hasn''t he run out of healing spells yet?" No one around answered. Priest Hilde tiptoed a few steps forward and bent down to look. Although the soldiers lying on the ground had pale faces and groaned in pain, at least they were still aliveno matter what. They still had breath. "Next one!" A shout came from the tent. Deep and hoarse, as if not drinking water for most of the day. Immediately after, the tent p lifted, and two soldiers rushed out with a stretcher, cing the wounded soldier on the ground. Priest Hilde approached to take a look. The soldier had two wooden boards tied to his arms, hanging in front of him with cloth straps. Cloth strips were wrapped around his shoulders, back, and legs. Another wounded soldier who could likely endure was brought in... He suddenly became curious about the priest in the tent and asked in a low voice: "How many people has he treated? How many has he saved?" Everyone looked at each other. Those who were more familiar with Garrett, or rather, those who worked in his hospital, either went to the battlefield or had other tasks. Afterpleting their own tasks, no one thought ofing to take a look. Priest Hilde decided to lift the tent p and go in. As soon as he entered, he saw the dimly lit tent, where the light of healing spells flickered gently. After a moment, the spell caster straightened up, his voice weak: "All right, bandage him." Priest Hilde took a few steps forward. By now, he had adapted to the light inside the tent and saw that Garrett was a young man of simr age, looking tired with dry lips. His clothes were peculiar, short sleeves and knee-length shorts, cut like a sack, with no insignia embroidered on them. If it weren''t for the healing spells he had just cast, anyone would believe that the person in front of him was a new recruit. Someone answered with a sound, took the cloth strip, and began to tie it around the soldier''s leg. Priest Hilde couldn''t help but exim: "His wounds aren''t healed yet!" "I know." Garrett replied softly. "My healing spells aren''t enough... I have to save them for the most critical situations." Priest Hilde fell silent. He looked around, inside and outside the tentbined, and at least thirty to forty wounded soldiers were lying down. The healer in front of him had been busy without a break until now... "What level priest are you?" "One level." Garrett replied in a low voice, his voice hoarse, almost inaudible. After saying this, he immediately raised his voice with effort: "Next one!" Another stretcher was brought over. Garrett lowered his head again, immersed in his busy work. Priest Hilde stood dazed at the other end of the tent, feeling somewhat redundant. He was about to leave, but two voices almost simultaneously sounded outside the tent: "Garrett, I''m back! I''m here to help you!" The tent p lifted, and two battle priest apprentices rushed in. Priest Hilde nced at them, one apprentice and one level five. He was about to greet them, but Garrett had already shouted: "Change your clothes! Wash your hands!" "No problem!" The two of them hurriedly ran over, their steps not stopping, just nodding hastily at Priest Hilde on the way. While running, they took off their priest robes, ran to the edge of the tent, and each put on a set of short shirts simr to Garrett''s. In the surprised gaze of Priest Hilde, they carefully washed their hands, all the way up to their elbows. Then, while applying something to their arms, they quickly turned back: "Garrett! Where do we start?" "Over there, in that row, from left to right!" Garrett shouted to the level five priest. The apprentice priest followed suit, waving his hand: "Let me do it for you; you must be tired! I''ll handle this his one has a fracture, release a detection spell first to see where it''s broken..." The lineup of wounded soldiers, which had just paused for a moment, quickly moved again with Garrett''s voice. This busyness continued until the sky turned dark. Joanna and Elwin returned from the scouting team, and Donaldpleted the logistics work. Several people gradually joined the healing efforts. Garrett finally got a chance to catch his breath, sitting down on the side and drinking water. With a creak, Priest Hilde pulled a wooden box over and sat next to him: "Do you n to heal these wounded soldiers every day? Why?" There''s no need for a reason to save lives. Garrett''s words reached the tip of his tongue, but he pulled back and quietly assessed Priest Hilde with his peripheral vision: How to convince him to join in helping people? Although the guy hadn''t done anything just now, he had been willing to stand there and watch for quite a while. He could be someone to win over... The instructor said it well; we need to unite all the forces we can... He tilted his sweat-drenched face and smiled slightly: "Of course, it''s because it improves my healing skills!" "Oh?" Priest Hilde''s eyes lit up. --------------- Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Silence filled the air. Inside and outside the tent, the notaries counting for both parties, low-ranking priests who came to watch with Hilde, knights and noble offspring transporting wounded soldiers tirelessly, and the just-healed patients by Hilde... One by one, they were dumbfounded. Hilde actually admitted defeat? Garrett, however, wasn''t surprised at all. After treating a patient, he bent down to wash his hands again, simultaneously raising his head with a smile. "You haven''t lost. - The patients you treated have all recovered and can return to the battlefield at any time. The ones I treated can only be said to have their lives hanging by a thread, waiting for other priests to further treat or slowly recover on their own. In that regard, you''ve actually won." After Garrett said this, the priests and noble youths behind Hilde, all rxed their facial expressions, smiling lightly. That''s right, if no one is healed, how can you count it as a sessful treatment? That rurald has a bit of self-awareness; he should admit defeat! They were satisfied. However, Hilde himself was not satisfied. He took another step forward and spoke earnestly: "But you saved more lives! - If, as you say, many people can slowly recover, I can only save ten people a day, but you can save thirty! Your healing skills are indeed better than mine. Can you teach me?" Got another one hooked! Garrett almost wanted to give himself a pat on the back. Facing a big battle, soldiers generally couldn''t get divine magic treatment, so saving one person at a time was an achievement. He warmly greeted: "It''s not a matter of teaching or not teaching. Let''s work together to save people, and I have a lot to learn from you too!" "Then it''s settled!" Hilde hurriedly walked to Garrett''s side. He bent down to look at the just brought-in patients, reflexively wanting to release healing magic. Only when he lifted his hand did he realize that his magic power was already exhausted. He chuckled: "No magic left for today... What else can I help with?" "Help me keep records!" Garrett let out a sigh of relief. He pointed to the shelf where he had brought the two stacks of parchment in the morning, all piled up there. "I say, you record!" Finally, caught someone who can write medical records! The familiar priests were either too busy or toozy to help. The soldiers helping carry people didn''t have anyone literate! Hilde the priest plunged into the pile of medical records in this way. He worked tirelessly until the sun set in the west. He watched Garrett cut, sew, and pull, continuously saving the lives of about ten seriously injured patients, and he admired it greatly. Early the next morning, he hastily ate a few bites of food, packed a box of healing potions and mental elixirs, and eagerly ran to Garrett''s ce. "Garrett! I''m here! Uh... what is this?" A rough short-sleeved shirt was thrown at him. Garrett''s voice was calm: "Go change clothes. Wash your hands." "Do I have to wear it too?!" Hilde was shocked. Learning from this young man was nothing; his healing skills were indeed better than his. Treating those muddy-legged folks was also nothing. Practicing healing skills didn''t necessarily involve drawing on healthy people. Even helping with records hands almost broken from writing, and he didn''t even know the usefulness of writing that was nothing. Which apprentice of a priest doesn''t help their teacher with work? He came from a noble family, doing some clerical work in the temple, and those who came from slightly worse backgrounds did everything from serving tea to making beds. But changing into such an ugly outfit! Hilde instinctively took a step back. He ran his fingers through his hair, raising his chin: "This is too detrimental to my beauty! - Is there anything prettier?" NEVER! He could lose his head, let blood flow, but the hairstyle must not be messed up! He was the most handsome young man in the county! The object of girls'' pursuit! The center of praise and singing by wandering poets! Making him wear such an ugly outfit, short-sleeved, shorts, noce on the cor, no lines on the waist, and work like this all day?! Every female priest who came to see him would be heartbroken! "No, this is the wash hand uniform." Garrett dryly replied. "Aseptic rules in the operating room, pleaseply." "... What is that thing?" Garrett sighed. He really wanted to say "get out" directly - in the hospital in his previous life, interns who dared to enter the operating room without changing clothes were already sprayed out of existence by the hospital. From the first year of school to the beginning of the internship, if you didn''t even learn the basics of aseptic procedures, you didn''t deserve to step into the hospital. Even in this life, the few priests who came to study in the hospital, he yelled them into the habit of not changing into the wash hand uniform and notpleting the seven-step handwashing method. No change of wash hand uniform, no entry into the operating room. But this person in front of him... Forget it, forget it. It''s cruel to kill without teaching. He bent down and rummaged through the box, pulling out a stack of papers covered in writing: "The patients haven''t been brought down yet. Take your time to read. If you don''t understand, ask me. After asking, either follow the rules or leave." A thick stack of paper fell into Hilde''s hands. He looked down and saw on the first page, the title alone was written in two lines: "On the Sterilization Effects of Various Basic Magics and Divine Arts, a Comparison with High-Temperature and High-Pressure Sterilization, and the Necessity of Aseptic Principles in Different Scenarios" ... ... Every word felt familiar, but when put together, he had no idea what it meant... Hilde read through the abstract, keywords, and author line by line. The abstract waspletely iprehensible, the keywords... magic, divine arts, and unfamiliar wordsbined, only made it seem like the author''s imagination was vast. As for the author, Garrett Nordmark was followed by the Church of Nature, the Mage Tower, and the hospital. What does that mean?! He entered the main text and the more he read, the more dizzy he became. The first section was vividly illustrated, describing something called "bacteria," which he found confusing but understood that it could cause diseases. In the second section, it exined how to see bacteria, which seemed inexplicable to him, only knowing that using something called a "microscope" and a method called "bacterial culture" could reveal this thing. In the third section, in this paper, he understood that itpared distilled water, magically cleaned instruments, water created by water creation spell, water purified by the "clean diet" divine art, water directly transported from the water elemental pool in the Mage Tower, and instruments sterilized by high-temperature and high-pressure... "Why notpare healing potions?" Hilde blurted out. Garrett, busy organizing instruments, didn''t even turn his head: "Can''t afford it." Poor! Not so extravagant! I also want to research healing potions together, but can''t afford it! A bottle of minor healing potion costs 50 gold coins, and to conduct aparative experiment, you need at least four bottles. How much money does my hospital have in cash? Hey, this Hilde priest is wealthy, should I find a way to dig some money from him? --------------- Chapter 128 Chapter 128 "After the incision, rabbits treated with divine magic for immediate healing showed no significant differences in healing effects and consumption of healing spellspared to traditional healing methods. On the second day of healing, bacterial cultures from the previous day''s incision did not differ significantly from the tissues of healthy rabbits." "This indicates that in cases of immediate healing after surgery, even if strict aseptic conditions are not fully observed, it is highly unlikely to lead to patient infection." High Priest Hilde rubbed his dazed head and continued reading the paper. Although many parts were still unclear, the author''s strong creativity and rigorous logic were evident. Just this aspect alone was enough to motivate him to continue reading. Line after line, paragraph after paragraph, after various iprehensible analyses and diagrams, he finally endured until he reached a section he could understand. Feeling that he found evidence, he murmured softly, "So as long as divine magic is used on the spot, you can do whatever you want... No need to change clothes..." "Keep reading," Garrett''s voice came from behind. Clear, decisive, with a hint ofmand. His eyes, however, rolled discreetly when the other wasn''t looking, thinking about how to get some resources from Hilde. Ignoring the experimentation issue, even if field hospitals couldn''t cut rabbits, aparison could be made directly on wounded soldiers. High Priest Hilde shrunk his neck and continued reading: "After fully exposing the wound, rabbits healed with holy light two hourster... body temperature... healing effects... consumption of healing spells..." Each situation was presented in aprehensive table. After the tables came curves, followed by peculiar equations. Hilde read with a dizzy head, trying to skip to the conclusions: "The above data indicates that in the absence of divine magic healing, or if timely divine magic healing is not obtained, the use of instruments and water during the treatment process will greatly affect the patient''s healing process." "Therefore, in cases where divine magic healing is insufficient or unavable, it is rmended to strictly adhere to aseptic principles in the operating room to facilitate the patient''s recovery." Insufficient divine magic healing or the unavability of it. High Priest Hilde took a deep breath, surveying the surroundings. The siege had just begun today, and the wounded had not been sent back yet. However, the moans of the wounded soldiers in the tents yesterday had already revealed a harsh reality: Following Garrett''s method for treating injuries would indeed result in insufficient divine magic healing, or some individuals might not receive treatment at all. He obediently handed back the paper. Picking up the hideous surgical gown, he closed his eyes, opened them, closed them again, and opened them once more, vigorously building himself up mentally: "No one is watching me... No one is watching me... No one is watching me... Anyway, those pretty girls are busy today... No one is watching me..." He quickly and skillfully changed into the surgical gown, then brushed his forehead again. His elegant and smooth golden hair made a graceful arc, quietly falling on his forehead. The next moment, two pieces of fabric were thrown at him: "Hat. Mask. Put them on!" "Don''t!" Hilde eximed in misery. "My handsome face!" Garrett red at him with a ck expression. Hilde resisted with pleading eyes for a while before reluctantly surrendering, putting on the surgical hat and tying the mask. The exquisite bangs were instantly ttened by the surgical hat, but Garrett remained unmoved, instructing him to move towards the sink: "Come here. I''ll show you how to wash your hands. First, wet your hands with running water, apply soap, palms facing each other, fingers together, rub and scrub..." Be content, at least the surgical hat I provided is blue, not a green one! Ah, back in the hospital, all the issued surgical hats were the same deep green color as the surgical gowns, so everyone had to get creative with various patterns. He reminisced for a moment, but his hands were not slow at all, following the steps of the seven-step handwashing method one by one. Hilde, with a pained face, followed the instructions step by step. When he reached the fourth step, he finallyined, "Why is it so troublesome... I''m washing off my skin..." Garrett: "..." Do I have to teach the seven-step handwashing method again? Being a teacher is really troublesome... Ah, back in the days when I was doing health education, what was the most convenient and straightforward way to exin the seven-step handwashing method to patients'' families? Garrett pondered for a second. Then, with a serious face, he pointed outside towards the mud pit: "Go, grab some mud, coat your palms and backs of your hands." Hilde: ??? Don''t! Even if I disobey orders, don''t torture me like this! Garrett red at him, ring and ring. The two exchanged nces for a while, and Hilde finally yielded, walking out dejectedly. Ah, this teacher''s temper is really bad, the Grand Priest is much gentler with him... Following Garrett''smand, Hilde coated his hands with mud and came back. First, he washed his hands casually, left hand, right hand, the mud was still scattered, some parts were not cleaned, and then he applied it again. Following the seven-step handwashing method, he washed again... "Hey! It''s really clean!" High Priest Hilde raised his hands, flipped them forward, then backward, and spread his fingers to look at the gaps. Garrett''smand came chasing after him: "Wash again! Clean the mud thoroughly!" "Alright!" This time, High Priest Hilde answered lightly and quickly. As he washed again with the sound of flowing water, heined mutteringly: "Why do I have to coat my hands with mud twice... If you told me this is a ritual of your Natural God Cult, that you have to wash your hands like this before treating patients, I would have listened to you long ago..." Garrett: "..." You read through such a long paper, and the conclusion drawn from the paper says to adhere to aseptic principles, and then the sterilization handwashing method is a ritual of the cult... Do you think this logic makes sense? I must have tons of water in my head to convince you like this and this water can''t be distilled water, nor rainwater made by water creation spells... He red fiercely at Hilde: "Do you, a priest of the Spring Goddess''s temple, follow the rituals of the Natural God Cult?" "Ah? This? Hahaha..." Hilde really wanted to scratch his head. Just as he was about to do so, Garrett stopped him: "Put your hands down! Not above the shoulders, not below the navel, not beyond the midline of the armpits on both sides! Don''t put them behind your back!" "So troublesome..." Hilde''s hands were frozen in mid-air, not daring to go up or down. He could only pray silently for salvation. Fortunately, cries for help finally came from outside the tent: "Help! Someone is hurt!" "Here we go!" Garrett turned around and ran outside. --------------- Chapter 129 Chapter 129 "Help! All priestse over here! Quickly! Ed, go to the Temple of the War God and fetch the Archbishop! Melissa, go to the camp on the other side of the county, see if there are any high-ranking priests, try to bring them over! Old Barney, hold on! Hold on!!!" It was a severely wounded soldier... and a wounded soldier that the on-site priests couldn''t handle or didn''t dare to approach. High Priest Hilde followed Garrett Nordmark out of the tent and was immediately stunned. Outside the tent, there were no stretchers, no wounded soldiers, only the barbarian Bernard holding his arm, standing taller than a person, with arge bone club poking to the side. A grass leaf moved up and down at the corner of his mouth as he chewed, seemingly enjoying himself. Right... the injured person wasn''t a soldier but a knight, and knights wouldn''t be brought here. The ones eligible to invite the Archbishop were probably high-ranking knights! He followed Garrett, rushing forward. Passing by a row of exquisite single-person tents, they reached the central open space and suddenly stopped. In the center of the open spacey a severely wounded knight, probably Old Barney, with a face as pale as his beard, and a pool of fresh blood beneath him. A spear nted through his abdomen, piercing straight through to his back. A circle of people surrounded Old Barney, with two squires supporting him on either side, letting him lie on his side on the ground. One of them wore armor with the same emblem as Old Barney, crying with red eyes, likely a nephew or grandson of the injured. Someone went to call a high-ranking priest, someone went to get healing potions, and seven or eight priests surrounded him, chanting spells with all their might. White light fell like rain, but no one dared to touch that spear. This wound... Hilde also froze. Treating minor injuries was definitely not enough, and the healing of third and fourth-level priests seemed ineffective. And there was this spear, this spear... If it''s not pulled out, someone will surely die; if it''s pulled out, someone will die on the spot... What to do? What to do! "Take off his armor!" a determined voice suddenly rose, and Hilde turned her head to see Garrett rushing past him like the wind. "Cut off the spear, lift him into the tent! Quickly!" "The armor is stuck on the spear!" a kneeling squire instinctively replied. Garrett didn''t hesitate: "Disconnect the connections on the side! Cut the te armor open from the hole and tear it apart on both sides!" Really, why wasn''t this kind of thing prepared in advance? In his previous life, when faced with such steel piercing injuries, someone always dealt with it before going to the operating table. Usually, it was the fire brigadeoh, forgot, there''s no fire brigade here. Well, there''s no way, just have to hope someone takes the initiative... Garrett cursed inwardly, kneeling beside Old Barney and reaching to feel the injured''s carotid artery. A priest tried to stop him: "Little Garrett, you" Before the words could finish, an arm suddenly reached over from behind, lifting the priest up. Hilde swept a nce, only to see that the barbarian Bernard had somehow arrived, grabbing the priest''s cor like catching a chick, gently lifting him, and raising him about two feet off the ground. The barbarian didn''t hit or curse, just turned the man in one direction: "Don''t. Disturb. The. Master!" Poor priest, caught off guard by the attack, was already scared white, just nodding. Fortunately, Garrett turned around and called: "Bernard,e help!" Bernard replied, released the priest, and rushed over. The healers, watching the barbarian who stood over two meters tall, at least half of them instinctively took a step back, and the prayers became chaotic. For a moment, all was silent. The priests on the scene, ranging from level one to level six, stared as the barbarian knelt beside the injured. Extending his hand to touch the injured''s carotid artery, a priest tried to intervene: "Little Garrett, can you" "No interference, just let him do it," Garrett said without looking up. The scene of healing tasks fell mainly on the priests with higher levels, mostly priestesses of the Goddess of Springs. Battle priests had high survival skills on the battlefield, and followers of the God of Nature were strong in wilderness survival. Most of them had been sent out. The priestesses of the Goddess of Springs, not cultivating physicalbat abilities, were taken aback by the sudden appearance of this barbarian, rushing towards them like a tiger in a flock of sheep. For a moment, all was quiet. Seven or eight priests, the highest being level six and the lowest level one, watched the barbarian Bernard kneel beside the injured. The priest in armor, with the same emblem as Old Barney, was crying with red eyes, presumably a rtive. "Remove his armor!" Garrettmanded, and Bernard, with a swift motion, broke the armor into two pieces. Eyes bounced all over the ground. Even Hilde, a priest from a noble family, slowly opened her mouth, looking at Garrett. For heaven''s sake, where did you find such a follower? You''re only a level one priest! When I was promotedst year, the followers my grandfather gave me were only fifth-level knights... When a strong one takes action, you know if they''re capable. Two knight squires, each holding one end of the spear, and Bernard moved like the wind, chopping off the spear. Garrett immediately shouted: "Quick! Lift him inside the tent!Ladies and gentlemen, please continue to release healing spells to sustain his life!" He turned and led the way, two knight squires lifting a stretcher, closely following. Priests of the Natural God and the Temple of the War God immediately followed suit, others, with doubts, were pulled along by theirpanions, rushing towards therge tent for treating wounded soldiers. Hilde, the priest, followed suit and turned to run. Entering the tent, the operating table was already surrounded by healers, and Garrett, wearing a coarse short shirt, was engulfed in the middle, almost invisible at first nce. Taking a few steps forward, she could hear people advising: "Little Garrett, can you handle this?" "If not, cast a healing spell first; someone has already gone to get help..." "Yes, this wound is too dangerous..." "Hey, are you really going to cut his stomach? Shouldn''t we wait? Lord Martin will be here soon..." Hilde tiptoed outside the crowd, stretched her neck to take a look. Between the gap of shoulders and neck, she saw Garrett holding a pointed knife, surveying the surroundings: "Can anyone cast a Calm Spell?... No one? Well, since he''s unconscious, we can only cut directly... Anthony! Mariano! Help me hold the hooks!Hilde! Be ready!" "I''m here!" Hilde squeezed into the crowd. Before standing firm, Garrett''s sharp knife entered the injured''s abdomen, cutting down with a single stroke. Blood surged. "Ahhhhhh!" Half of the people present screamed. The priestesses of the Goddess of Springs collectively took a step back. "Hilde! Divert the blood flow!" Garrett yelled urgently. Reflexively, Priest Hilde began to pray. With each chant, a stream of blood rose like a rainbow, falling to the ground as he directed it with his gestures. At the same time, two curved hooks, one on the left and one on the right, had already hooked into Old Barney''s abdomen, forcefully pulling apart. Translucent mage hands appeared one after another, gently probing between the injured''s organs, lifting, turning, searching, pinching a ruptured blood vessel. "Heal Minor Wounds!" "Here ites!" A white light descended. The lowest-level apprentice priests could easily use Heal Minor Wounds, and third and fourth-level priests could release dozens of them at will. As the white light swept over, the blood vessels instantly healed, and the mage hands gently loosened. Fresh red blood flowed again. "Heal Minor Wounds!" "I''m here!" "Heal Minor Wounds!" "Heal Minor Wounds!" In Old Barney''s abdomen, the mage hands worked methodically, searching bit by bit. With Garrett''smand, healing spells descended one by one, and the gushing blood visibly eased. "The situation is improving!" the leading level six priest, who was leading the prayers, suddenly eximed. "You can slow down the healing spells!" --------------- Chapter 130 Chapter 130 "What is Garrett doing?" "What on earth is Garrett up to?" "I don''t know... I can''t understand. What about you?" "I''m not one of Joanna''s followers, learning from Garrett. Well, let''s do as he says; he always has a reason." Therapists whispered to each other. Without washing hands, without wearing masks, they continued talking, with an average distance of less than a meter from the operating table. Saliva sprayed into the patient''s abdominal cavity every minute, and the possibility of infection increased. +1, +1, +1... In a past life, the circting nurse would have sprayed them with disinfectant and kicked them out of the operating room. However, there were no circting nurses or head nurses here. In this situation, Garrett could only turn a blind eye. He lowered his head, tried to ignore the discussions around him, and focused wholeheartedly on the surgery: "mp the mesenteric artery." "The repair of the transverse colon artery isplete." "The repair of the right colon artery isplete." "Open the mesenteric artery." "The repair of the intercostal artery isplete." "The repair of the subcostal artery isplete..." Garrett muttered words that no one could understand. His fingers danced, directing the hands of mages to continuously move inside the abdominal cavity. Dissect, loosen, expose the vessels, mp the damaged vessels... Then, he signaled the nearby priests to cast healing spells. When the priests looked confused, he used mage tricks to add some color, indicating where they should cast the spells. Even so, the workload was much less than before, and Garrett sighed silently. In his past life, after mping the vessels, it would involve using forceps to hold tissues and a needle holder in the other hand, desperately suturing. Now? One healing spell, and it''s done. Not even a second. The vessels healed perfectly, with stic walls, and there was no need to worry about leaks or poor subsequent healing... Each has its own advantages, divine magic is indeed beneficial. Oh, right, in the future, there''s time to conduct aparative study on "Healing Spells and Surgical Suturing After Vessel Thrombosis." Garrett took out a small notebook in his mind and silently noted it down. The hands of the mages swiftly dealt with all the bleeding vessels Garrett could find and mped the major vessels around the spear shaft. Garrett finally straightened his back and let out a sigh: "Wiping sweat." No one paid attention... Oh, he forgot again that this world wasn''t like his previous life. The few doctors (priests) he had trained were now sent to do other things... Garrett mourned for himself in silence. Indeed, the division ofbor in his past life made sense. Besides doctors, he should train another batch of nurses. At least someone could pass instruments, wear surgical gowns, wipe sweat, and scold people. Well, let''s forget about thest one for now... He closed his eyes, concentrated, took a step back, slightly turned his head to survey thebat capabilities of everyone present. "Anthony! Mariano!" "Here!" Two warrior priests shouted. Garrett felt a bit relieved: thebat power of warrior priests was reliable, and they were easy to use. Having observed his surgery before, received his leadership during the gue, now, they were dependable. "You support the patient! Lie on the right side! Hold steady, no movement, absolutely no movement! Bernard!" "I''m here!" The barbarian stood outside the crowd and responded loudly. It was as if a thunder had exploded in the air, shaking the entire tent. The makeshift shadowlessmp hanging over the operating table flickered, almost extinguished by his shout. Garrett wiped a cold sweat, raising his voice: "Come help!" With a ssh, the priests on the opposite side dispersed, creating a path like the Red Sea splitting before Moses. Bernard rushed over, "What''s the matter?" "Grab the broken spear! Along the direction it''s inserted, don''t pull in any other direction" Garrett dared not directly say "pull out." He had to mention the details first, emphasizing as much as possible: "I''ll count to three, and you pull out in that direction. Move as steadily and quickly as possible! Absolutely no swaying left or right, don''t damage the surrounding things! The rest, pay attention! After pulling out the spear, release a healing spell immediately! Is everyone ready?" "Ready!" "Wait a moment!" "Wait for me to chant..." The priests responded unevenly. In his past life, the anesthesiologist would be on high alert, arranging a row of adrenaline and various potions in front, ready to rush up for rescue at any time. The first and second assistants would tightly grip their needle holders, prepared to step forward for suturing. However, in this world, therapists were diligently chanting, preparing to release divine magic. The tent fell silent. The atmosphere gradually condensed, bing tense. Apart from the priests'' prayers, there was only the barbarian''s panting sound in the quiet. Amidst this silence, conversations from nearby entered the tent: "Where are they? Taken away?... Oops, in that direction, it''s where little Garrett is!" "What? Is he going to handle it directly?... Let''s hurry!" "Garrett! Don''t rush to treat!" A shout came from outside the tent. At the same time, Garrett calmly gave themand: "One! Two!Three!" With a swish, the spear shaft flew out, and the white light of the healing spell immediately followed. A stream of fresh blood flowed from Old Barney''s abdomen, but soon, it eased under the soothing effect of the healing spell. "Little Garrett... Ah!" The tent suddenly lit up. Garrett looked up and saw the shining bald head of the archbishop from a distance, couldn''t help but smile: "Your Excellency, you''re here!" "Can I note?" The bald archbishop rushed over, as if shouting, "Wait until I arrive before opening the abdomen," but found that the intern had already taken the lead. Garrett greeted him with a shout: "Your Excellency! Perform a tranquility spell!" Thank goodness, a high-ranking warrior priest had finally arrived, anesthesia was finally avable! Although the patient had been unconscious, performing surgery without anesthesia felt weird... Should he take the time to extract some ether? Or a simr anesthetic? Honestly, he was a bit afraid of using this nt-derivedpound anesthetic that couldn''t control the dosage. Or maybe try to get some ether? What was the reaction form for ether again? "Little Garrett, you have to work hard!" The bald archbishop took a step, relieved. He still had time to cast a tranquility spell. It seemed that Garrett''s side had no major problems... Hearing Garrett shout, he raised his staff andughed: "Level up quickly and try to learn tranquility spells sooner!" A white light fell like a forest, enclosing the unconscious patient. There was a low exmation around: the casting speed of this divine magic was almost instantaneous, even with a considerable distance and a crowd blocking, the effect was notpromised. The healing power of the bald archbishop was truly remarkable. Unfortunately, not everyone could afford this level of skill. There was a cold snort behind the bald arch bishop, followed by a sarcastic remark: "How about it? Do you want to take him away to the Temple of the War God?!" --------------- Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Behind the bald bishop, a dignified old man sarcastically remarked. Not only did he mock, but he also raised the oak staff in his hand and whipped it down on the bald head in front of him with a "smack": "He is one of ours from the Cult of the Natural Gods!" "Hehe~~~" The bald bishop didn''t even turn his head, lifted the staff in his hand, raised it high above his head. The oak staff shed against the metal staff, one sinking, the other rising, rebounding each other. A slightly muffled sound, the old man leaned back slightly, and the bald bishop took a half step forward, knees slightly bent, leaving a half-inch deep mud imprint under his feet. The crowd once again automatically parted, creating a path for them, faster than when Bernard came over just now. Garrett happened to nce forward and, seeing this scene, was immediately stunned: Why are they fighting? Are they really fighting or just pretending? Should I assume they are trying to rob me? Shouldn''t I shout, "Stop fighting" The bald bishop and the elder of the Cult of the Natural Gods shed half-heartedly, heading straight for the operating table. The crowd dispersed, and the old man saw from a distance that the spear had been pulled out. He was suddenly shocked: "Why did you start without warning?! You''re too bold! You..." He suddenly stopped talking. His gaze moved, looking at the chest of the injured person lying on the operating table, where the fresh blood had almost stopped flowing rapidly. Mechanical movement inch by inch, tilting his neck, Garrett, several meters away, also felt like he heard the sound of the cervical vertebrae cracking: "You actually revived him! Impressive! I didn''t even have confidence!" This surprised look, this awkward turn, was like the head of a department who had been shouting "I''ll open the abdomen when I arrive" rushing in and seeing that the intern had already started and done a great job. But, no confidence? You''re too modest, Director... No, Elder. Garrett nodded politely to the old man and continued working. Chatting was impossible; the injured person was still lying on the operating table Although the surgery had been rtively smooth so far, without electrocardiogram monitoring, without blood pressure monitoring, without a pure oxygen and an anesthesiologist watching vital signs, he felt a bit uneasy. Moreover, even if he could crack jokes on the operating table, who would he tell them to? Lonely... To dispel worry, only work remained. Garrett lowered his head, nced at the patient''s abdomen. In the rush, only major blood vessels were dealt with, and small blood vessels and organ injuries still needed repair. Now that he had a moment to catch his breath, he could finally get to work... "How is Old Barney?" Garrett didn''t want to chat, but someone insisted on asking. The old man opposite muttered something, and the oak staff pointed forward. A green tendril emerged from the staff, topped with a few green leaves, pressed against Old Barney''s neck. The bald bishop, a step slower, had to ask: "Where is he injured?" "He''s not badly injured." Garrett confidently answered under his mask: "After the foreign object entered the abdomen, it pierced through the transverse colon mesentery and small intestine mesentery, tearing through the ileum, transverse colon, anterior cut of the duodenum, right ureter, bruising the right kidney, and piercing out next to the lumbar muscle near the spinal column. Oh... the ureter needs some patching up..." What... What? The bald bishop was puzzled. These consecutive terms, except for "right kidney" and "spinal column," were entirely a bunch of iprehensible noise to his ears. When he turned his head to look at the person next to him, the elder of the Cult of the Natural Gods also looked bewildered,pletely having the look of hearing but not understanding. The two high-level healers exchanged nces, empathizing with each other, each giving a slight wry smile. Looking at Garrett again, the young man looked focused, lowered his head, and gently moved his fingers. With the guidance of gestures and mental power, several mage hands moved again in a soft and gentle manner. Mage hands were semi-solid entities formed by magic. The advantage was that they didn''t get stained with blood, but the downside was that they didn''t get stained with bloodso they were always semi-transparent. In the chaotic and bloody abdominal cavity, it was impossible to see where they went. Even if they saw the mage hands, it wouldn''t help... The messy mass inside the injured person''s abdominal cavity, in the eyes of the bald bishop, was either intestines or intestines... But Garrett clearly knew what he was doing. The mage hands flipped left and right inside the abdominal cavity, pulling out two pieces of tubing. Garrett held scissors, carefully trimmed the ends, brought the two ends together, and turned his head: "Treat minor injuries!" "Treat minor injuries?!" The old man from the Cult of the Natural Gods blurted out. A spear pierced through the abdomen, blood flowing everywhere; even he might not be able to pull off a "treat major injuries." And this young man in front of him was asking for the treatment of minor injuries? However, reality gave him an answer. The white light flickered gently; the lowest-level minor injury treatment went down, and the two pieces of tubing wriggled and merged on the spot, bing one piece. And the mage hands, following the tubing, groped upward. After a moment, another kidney was lifted up: "Treat minor... no, minor injuries!" The kidneys were still important; if the surface was healed but the inside wasn''t, it would still be a big problem. Fortunately, there were many people around, and healing arts shouldn''t be stingy. Go! Duodenum, transverse colon, ileum... Garrett sessively lifted out damaged organs, repeatedly invoking healing spells. The workload in the intestines wasn''t significant, but no damage could be overlooked, and nerves and lymphatics were even more troublesome. Hebed through everything from top to bottom, finally finishing the repairs. When he finished, his body swayed, and he was already soaked through. A hand promptly caught him. The bald bishop joked: "Garrett Nordmark, you can''t handle this! Your body is so weak; why note to our Temple of the War God and train properly!?" Garrett: "..." Can I throw him out? Can I, can I, can I? Well, I can''t beat him... Fortunately, he couldn''t beat him, but someone could. With a loud bang, the bald bishop was thrown far outside the tent, and another hand supported Garrett: "When will you stop! Our Cult of the Natural Gods also has ways to train the bodyGarrett Nordmark, after this battle, you follow Bernard and train well! Bernard, keep an eye on him!" "Teacher!" Garrettined spontaneously. The next second, his mask was pulled off halfway, and a fruit was shoved into his mouth, making his face twist with sourness. The barbarian next to him responded with a deep voice: "Okay!" Garrett''s vision darkened, almost fainting. --------------- Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Repairing the posterior wall of the abdomenlumbar muscles, fascia, subcutaneous tissue, skin, and so on. Rinsing the abdominal cavity. No active bleeding points found, no damage to the intestines, and no damage to other organs... Rinse again with holy water, hoping to sterilize. Oh, speaking of it, how effective is the sterilization of holy water? Couldn''t get it before, too busy usually, and can''t find time to make it myself, need to schedule itter... Layer byyer, close the abdomen. Garrett Nordmark operated methodically. It wasn''t until the wound on old Barney''s abdomen hadpletely healed and he was carried away by two knight attendants that everyone suddenly realized: For such a serious injury, in everyone''s view, it would take several "Healing Severe Injury" or even "Healing Fatal Injury" spells to save him, meaning a level five or even level seven priest. From start to finish, except for a calming spell, Garrett had everyone release spells that could bepleted by level three or four priests, or even level one or two priests. That calming spell wasn''t even to save the patient''s life. On the battlefield, he was leading a group of level one or two, level three or four soldiers, defeating level five or even level seven knights. His strength had undergone a qualitative change. "Elder Elwin, your disciple is extraordinary." The old man who came in with the bald protagonist patted his beard and squinted. Elder Elwin Wilkinson stared at him alertly: "What are you up to again? Old Heath, I warn you, he is my disciple!You still owe me that drink!" "I''ll treat you, I''ll treat you!" Elder Heathughed heartily. He was the elder of Nust County''s, a member of the Radiant Church of the Cult of the God of Nature, and a longtime friend of Elder Elwin Wilkinson. The two had studied under the same teacher in their youth, received training as servants of the God of Nature, and grew up adventuring and fighting together. They had fought, argued, gasped for breath, chased after the same girl, and even blocked knives for each other with their backs. After many years of ups and downs, their friendship had long solidified into a bond resembling both deep friendship and mutual teasing. And showing off one''s disciple was, of course, part of the mutual teasing. The two stood side by side from a distance, looking into the distance. A new batch of injured soldiers had already been brought to the tent area, and Garrett was busy, his footsteps never stopping. The healing session just now consumed a lot of Garrett''s mental energy. He only managed to pull himself together with the fruit given by Elder Elwin Wilkinson. However, in the eyes of the two seasoned high-level priests, Garrett''s busy appearance didn''t show a hint of "I''m tired, I want to ck off." This sincere concern for ordinary soldiers was one of the virtues most admired by the Cult of the God of Nature. The discerning eyes of an old friend could be quite persuasive. Elder Heath clicked his tongue. He twirled his beard with his fingers, lost in thought: "Elwin, have you ever thought... of letting this kid do something else?" "Such as?" "Such as letting him treat knights... you see, with such powerful healing magic, it should be put to better use, shouldn''t it?" "Well..." Elder Elwin hesitated for a moment, scrutinizing his old friend suspiciously, as if saying, "What mischief are you brewing?" Elder Heath, sensing the hesitation, quickly persuaded: "And you know, the physique of knights is different from ordinary people, and the injuries may be different. Being able to experience various things at level 1 is beneficial for the kid, isn''t it? If you agree, I''ll arrange it!" "Wait!" Elder Elwin pulled his old friend back: "Talk to him first! This kid has a stubborn temper. If we don''t rify things in advance, I''m afraid he won''t agree!" So, after being busy from early morning until evening, Garrett, dragging his tired body back to the tent, just about to sleep, was intercepted by the two elders walking together. "Teacher, Elder Heath." Garrett was so tired that his brain was about to stop working. Standing at the entrance of the tent, both legs shaking. When he heard half of Elder Heath''s request, he leaned against the tent wall, ready to slip away. He blurted out: "You want me to treat those knights?... I won''t go." "Garrett!" Elder Heath lightly reprimanded. Garrett came to his senses a bit, barely stood up straight, and bowed gently: "Teacher, I don''t want to go. Healing high-level warriors, there are many priests who can do that. But here, healing ordinary soldiers, I can save many lives." "Garrett..." Elder Heath frowned. Emotionally, he understood the disciple''s thoughts as an old friend, and even as a servant of the God of Nature, he appreciated it; however, rationally, he really wanted to persuade him with all his heart: this opportunity is rare, don''t let it slip away! But before he could speak, he was pulled. Elder Elwin Wilkinson gave him a meaningful look, then smiled warmly, looking at Garrett: "Garrett, if you don''t want to go, then don''t go. You''ve worked hard today, rest well, don''t tire yourself too much these days. The teacher knows you care about thesemoners, but spiritual power is the foundation of a spellcaster. Be careful not to overuse your magic!" Garrett nodded in response, saw off the teacher, and immediately fell asleep. The next day, when he woke up and checked the room, Elder Elwin Wilkinson dragged him to the front lines. To be honest, although he had been with the team for so many days, Garrett hadn''t really looked at the battlefield. It was not as good as in his previous life when he went to aid Africa, where he at least saw locals firing at the sky, and he had also enjoyedrge-scale war scenes in "The Lord of the Rings" and "Game of Thrones." But now, following his teacher past multipleyers of encampments to the front line, before he could observe carefully, he was hit by a strong smell: The smell of blood! The smell of burning! Various stenches of burning wood, burning bodies, and burning strange things! The smell was sometimes worse than in the emergency room, but Garrett quickly adjusted. Elder Elwin Wilkinson had been observing his condition, and seeing him recover, he pointed to the opposite city wall: "Look. We''re besieging the city." Arrows were flying, and wood and stones shed. Soldiers carrieddders and rushed up in waves, only to be knocked down in waves. Garrett finally saw the origin of the injuries he had been treating for the past few days: Brain injuries from being hit by rolling wood and rocks; Stab and pierce injuries from arrows and knives; Burn injuries from the charcoal fires and boiling water on the city walls; Injuries from falling from a height, halfway up thedder, for various reasons, falling off the city wall... Some people made it to him and received his treatment, but more soldiers forever fell on the battlefield, slowly dying under severe injuries without receiving treatment. Sieges in the age of melee weapons were so cruel. "Don''t they have medics..." Garrett murmured. Emotionally, he really wanted to organize a rescue team, carrying the banner of a red cross on a white background, moving through the battlefield during breaks, saving the wounded; Rationally, however, he knew that as a level one novice priest with no power or status, it was impossible for him to call for both sides to agree to something like the Geneva Conventions. He needs to level up! Whether relying on healing, assistance,fort, or coercion, whether he wants to develop more healing methods or integrate medicine with divine arts and magic, if he wants to reduce the suffering of this era, he needs to level up! Garrett silently came back to his senses. Beside him, Elder Elwin Wilkinson suddenly raised his hand and pointed forward: "Look quickly!" The sound of hooves thundered. A group of war horses galloped out, heading straight for the city, knights in bright and dazzling armor on their backs, their capes fluttering. In the sparse gaps between the rolling logs, the knights reached the base of the city, abandoned their horses, and leaped up, a few jumps and they were on top of the city wall! --------------- Chapter 121 Chapter 121 "Hello, we''vee to present a gift to Lord Nordmark" "Put the stuff aside! Everyone, out!" "Todd! Todd! How are you" "Lord''s orders, no entry! Get out!" "At least let me see a doctor... I feel terrible..." "Out! Line up!!!" Garrett Nordmark chuckled as he drifted past the outpatient hall. Ah, having a barbarian as a security guard was quite convenientstrong, simple-minded, and straightforward. Whatever Garrett said, he followed, and others trying to argue or engage with him proved futile. Useless! Moreover, most visitors, seeing a barbarian, simply gave up onmunication and obediently followed instructions. Hospital efficiency significantly improved. Oh, why couldn''t they hire a group of barbarians as hospital security in his past life? Barbarian security, or rather, the value of the followers his teacher gave him, reached a new peak a monthter. Garrett was inexplicably brought to the Lord''s mansion, where all the nobles, mages, priests, and knights of Harnd City gathered. Viscount Joane Vaughn, the city lord, waved his staff, expressing indignation: "Traitors have seized the throne! They''ve enthroned a false king, trampling on the blood of the rightful heir and locking up the true heir in prison!" A mild stir ran through the audience, not too strong, like a summer breeze rustling through the treetops. Garrett blinked: Oh, a change of regime. So, what are we going to do? Go to war? How far is the capital from here? By the time we huff and puff our way there, won''t the "rightful heir" have already been dealt with? Obviously, more than one person thought the same as Garrett. Everyone sat quietly, neither expressing outrage nor chanting slogans. Lord Joane Vaughn took a couple of breaths and continued: "The false king worships the Radiant Lord! These traitors aim to restore the Radiant Church to the kingdom! The Holy Knights have already mobilized! The ck Cavalry from the Religious Tribunal will set foot on the coast next month!" Religious Tribunal! Garrett shivered. Witch hunts, arresting heretics, hunting down dissenters, burning at the stake... a series of history shed through his mind. Meanwhile, the council chamber resonated: "What!" "So audacious!" Baron Vaughn mmed the table. Across from him, Baron Seymour raised his fist in anger: "Down with the false king!" Garrett looked left and right. The mage Gelman us looked as calm as water, his staff gripped tightly, and his knuckles slightly whitened. The bald bishop mmed his heavy metal staff on the ground, cracking the floor. Elder Elwin Wilkinson''s oak staff hummed, leaves appearing at its tip without wind: "Expel the Radiant Church!" "Yes! Drive them out!" "Summon all the priests! Prepare for war!" "War!" Ah... so the false king doesn''t matter; the Radiant Church is more important... The memories of the original owner slowly dawned on Garrett: The Radiant Church had always been a significant force in the kingdom. On the continent across the sea, the Pope could even crown kingslocally, despite the church notpletely conquering the kingdom, thebined forces of the king and nobles, the three local religious cults, the Mage Tower, and the city''s knight order barely withstood their influence, not beingpletely eroded. In the major battle three years ago, the Temple of the Spring Goddess, the Temple of the War God, the Nature Lord cult, along with the Mage Tower and the city''s knight order, united, making significant sacrifices to drive them out. Moreover, Harnd City was just a corner of the battlefield; major figures across the country were fighting. Losing the support of the king, the Radiant Church suffered aprehensive defeat in the conflict of experts and had to retreat to the maind... So if they were to return... Everyone would die! The Temple of the Spring Goddess, the Temple of the War God, the Nature Lord cultall would be ughtered as heretics! The deities they worshipped would be branded as demons! Not to mention the Magic Council; if the Radiant Church caught a mage, they would burn them alive! War! War! Fight to the death to drive them out! "The Temple of the Spring Goddess is willing to send ten priests to join the coalition," solemnly stated High Priest Holna. The bald bishop once again mmed his staff: "Two priests from the temple; all personnel, mobilize!" Nobles of all sizes chimed in. One said, "I''ll send two knights and twenty soldiers"; another said, "I''ll send three knights, fifteen soldiers, and two sets of armor." Finally, it was the Mage Tower''s turn. Mage Gelman us, breaking his prolonged silence, slowly raised his head and spoke: "Low-rank mages are useless on the battlefield. This time, I''ll go alone. Elliott, Karen, you guys stay to guard the Mage Tower in case it gets looted. Garrett, you" "I''m going with the priests!" Garrett blurted out without thinking. Mage Gelman us paused, turning to Elder Elwin Wilkinson: "Elder, you" "Let him go." The elder stroked his white beard and said softly. "Rest assured, with me there, nothing will happen to him." Going to war! Garrett felt a bit trembling. In his past life, he helped in nonbat situations, but then there was a whole army protecting him, and he could focus on healing. This time, going to the front lines with city guards and the lord''s army, would they be capable? Or should he stick with the Temple of the War God''s group? Those temple knights looked reliable, even the priests could fight... "Don''t worry! I''ll protect you!" A deep voice suddenly exploded next to him. Startled, Garrett turned, raised his head, and kept raising it... Bending his cervical spine backward, his head directly angled parallel to the ground... A tall man over two meters tall was looking down at him. Chewing in his mouth, droplets of meat juice dripped from the corners of his mouth, looking particrly terrifying. In his left hand, he held arge bone club, and in his right hand, a box of surgical instruments. Striding over, he casually tossed it onto the carriage near the door: "Lord! What else do you need!" "Gauze! Cotton! Medicines!You,e with me!" It was truly touching to have such a powerful warrior following him. The sense of security instantly skyrocketed to +10086... The hospital was already in chaos. Garrett went straight to the storage room, pointing and directing: "Willow bark powder, bring it!" "Calend infusion, bring it!" "Alcohol, bring all of it!" "Alum, bring, bring, bring! Take half of it directly!" "Spiralpression bandages, how many have we made? Only 20? Bring them all! Get more wooden sticks, sturdy cloth straps, make them as we go!" "Table salt, take it away! This box is candles, take them all!" "...Do we really need candles?" Looking at his moving-like ''s-a-move attitude, Priest Donald finally couldn''t help it: "Who here can''t cast Light Spell?" "Are you sure there will be spells when the timees?" Garrett retorted in one go. On the other side, Bernard picked up the box of candles, effortlessly putting it on his shoulder. --------------- Chapter 133 Chapter 133 The thunderous drums shook the earth, and the warriors'' shouts seemed capable of copsing the city walls on the spot. Garrett Nordmark stood dumbfounded, watching as the lead knight leaped onto the city wall. With a sweep of his spear, seven or eight defending soldiers on the wall were sent flying high and crashed down from a distance. This is beyond science! Human strength shouldn''t be this immense. Bones, muscles, cardiovascr system, and internal organs shouldn''t withstand such a powerful force! And don''t think he didn''t notice; some of the defending soldiers were not hit by the spear at all! Some soldiers retreated in panic, while others recklessly rushed forward, only to be dealt with by the knight with a punch each, or a spear for multiple opponents, sending them flying. One spear even swept through a corner tower of the city, and with a loud crash, half of the tower copsed instantly. "Wow!" Garrett widened his eyes. One sweep of a spear brought down a whole floor. Can a person really achieve such a feat? A roar suddenly echoed within the city. A dark light surged from the inner side of the city wall, spinning continuously, leaving chaos in its wake. Garrett was astonished to see a warrior emerging from the city, wielding a giant axe, shing towards him. Even from the military camp, he could feel the chilling light of the axe, as if it were about to cut through his face. The first knight to reach the city wall was no match for the giant axe warrior. With just a brief exchange, the spear in his hand broke into two pieces. His twopanions were surprised; as two spears crisscrossed towards him, he mped one under his rib, using his waist as a pivot, and swung the axe horizontally. Cold light whistled, and the knight on the left couldn''t evade in time. The axe passed through his waist, directly severing him in half. In that instant, two more spears thrust forward; one missed, but the other pierced through the giant axe warrior''s ribs, deeply prating. The remaining soldiers quickly retreated, descending on the clouddders. Thedders were immediately dropped, and the giant axe warrior, with a roar, even swung the giant axe and leaped down from the city wall! "Ah!" Garrett eximed in shock. The knights fled in disarray, and the giant axe warrior pursued them like a tiger among sheep. There were more than a few hundred ordinary soldiers below the city, but no one could stop him for a moment. The giant axe, brushing against death, leaving a trail of blood in the crowd, headed straight for their formation! In this brief chase and escape, the ordinary soldiers below the city had fallen in all directions. Only when several knights stepped forward from the main formation and intercepted the giant axe warrior did the onught stop. The ordinary soldiers formed a circle from a distance, spears like a forest, shields like a wall, but no one dared to approach. "This is the power of a knight," Elder Elwin Wilkinson patted Garrett on the shoulder, saying meaningfully: "A Level 5 knight, after a qualitative change in their body, can at least resist the siege of three Level 4 warriors and kill one of them. Or, in a siege by 5 to 10 Level 4 warriors, they can break through without injury. Higher-ranking knights are even more powerful, and only knights of the same rank can deal with them. Otherwise, magic and divine arts must be used." Garrett opened his mouth but couldn''t find words to say. He didn''t have a clear understanding of the strength of knightssince his arrival, he had only witnessed thebat power of Roman knights from the death mage Linde Ferrell and observed a confrontation of city guard knights. Questions like how many ordinary soldiers a knight could defeat or how many of them he could defeat... Apart from "definitely stronger than me," he had no more urate concept. He gazed at the battlefield, lost in thought. Elder Elwin Wilkinson continued: "Every loss of a knight is a significant loss. If we can save one more, or even if we can save them with less healing power, it will help them recover better. If low-level healing arts can save lives, then high-level priests can appear on the battlefield, providing more divine assistance to the knights. When the strength of the knights increases, the casualties among ordinary soldiers will be reduced." This is also for saving people, or, to save more lives of ordinary soldiers. Elder Elwin Wilkinson didn''t say this, but Garrett understood his meaning. He pursed his lips slightly, watching the giant axe warrior fiercely battling in thebat ring, watching the soldiers charging towards the city wall again. For a moment, he couldn''t find words to say. In this world, the lives of knights and ordinary soldiers are not equal on the bnce. Healing a knight preserves a high-endbat force for their own side and prevents several, dozens, or even dozens of soldiers from dying in vain. However, even so... Is it really the reason to prioritize healing knights? Among the many healers serving the knights, do they really need one more like me? Really need to pull away the only healer for ordinary soldiers? And the oath I have always upheldto treat all patients equally, regardless of wealth or poverty, nobility ormonality, nationality, race, gender, or any other differences... Do I really need to vite this oath and prioritize healing based on identity andbat powerrather than the urgency of the injury? Garrett fell silent and speechless. Beside him, Elder Elwin Wilkinson observed his changing expression without further persuasion or urging. In the silence, a thin yet powerful hand suddenly patted Garrett''s shoulder. "Elder Heath!" Garrett turned around and quickly saluted. Elder Heath stopped him with a wave of his hand: "Young Garrett, what do you think?" "Well..." Garrett hesitated. Before he could give an answer, Elder Heath raised the corners of his eyes, smiling meaningfully: "Don''t be in a hurry to reply. Listen to my arrangement first. First, you''ll be transferred to the county main camp, lead a team, and be responsible for healing knight attendants." Knight attendants are not like knights; somee from noble backgrounds, while others aremoners. Whether they receive treatment after being injured mostly depends on the mood of the priestor how much money they offer. In the past few days, quite a few knight attendants who received news sought him out. Garrett felt a little intrigued. Elder Heath immediately continued: "If there are arge number of knights injured all at once, and they can''t handle it, try to lend a hand as much as possible. Is that okay?" That''s definitely not a problem! Garrett nodded immediately. As a doctor, an emergency department doctor, how could he ignore a life in danger? "Then, if ordinary soldiers are injured, they will also be brought to you. As long as you can spare the time, you can treat them however you like. The personnel assigned to you will follow your orders. As long as their remaining spells are not less than one-fifth, you can instruct them to treat ordinary soldiers, and they will have to obey." That''s great. He can continue to treat ordinary soldiers and have some extra help. The more Garrett listened, the brighter his eyes became . Elder Heath, sensing his thoughts, delivered a decisive blow: "In addition, you''ll be given two bottles of healing potions for light injuries, ten bottles of holy water, and a bottle of junior energy elixir every day. How about it?" "Deal!" Garrett blurted out. Almost simultaneously, cheers erupted on the battlefield, and the gs belonging to the opponents on the city wall slowly floated down. --------------- Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Newark City fell. Count Norman''s coalition forces removed the first obstacle and advanced into the city in a grand manner. After two days of rest, part of the wounded soldiers were left in the city, while the others were sent back to the county capital of Newster to continue the journey. As a result, Garrett Nordmark finally escaped the busy life of checking on patients every evening and morning, changing their medicines, anding back to update medical records. At the same time, he lost his wounded soldiers. He lost the postoperative tracking, observation, recording of recovery progress, and the clinical information source organization. Ah, it always feels like he missed at least three or five research papers. Garrett slept soundly for a day. On the second day, he set out with the main healers. Tworge tents (including the one brought over by High Priest Hilde when he challenged Garrett, which he never took back), a small tent for lodging, two horse-drawn carts filled with supplies, attracting many nces along the way. Garrett, however, paid no attention. He sat on the swaying cart the carriage was packed full and he couldn''t fit inside holding a hard leather notebook, engrossed in writing and drawing. Several times, if it weren''t for the barbarian next to him pulling him, he might have fallen off the cart on the spot. After nearly an hour of this, someone couldn''t take it anymore. High Priest Hilde jumped down from his own cart and ran to Garrett, inviting him warmly, "Come,e,e on my carriage!" Garrett nced in the direction he pointed. Not far away was an elegant four-wheeled carriage, at least a head taller than his own. The door was in the middle of the carriage unlike his own cart, where one had to climb in from the yoke through the ss on the carriage window, one could clearly see two rows of spacious seats. On the small table in the middle of the seats, there were tea, snacks, and fruits, everything one could imagine. As for the various decorations and emblems on the body and roof of the carriage, and the two pure white horses in front of the carriage, it was clear and straightforward: I have money, I''m super wealthy, I not only have money but also have status... Uh... This is not just a BMW; it''s probably a Rolls-Royce, right? Garrett looked down at his shoes covered in mud then looked at the velvet interior of the carriage, hesitating for a moment. High Priest Hilde had already reached out to pull him: "Come on,e on! I have a lot of questions to ask you!" Since that''s the case, sitting over there wouldn''t be a big deal. Garrett calmly followed High Priest Hilde onto the carriage. Once seated, numerous questions were thrown at him: "How do you decide who to save first?" "Why do the straps binding arms and legs have to have a wooden stick inside?" "How dare you directly dissect Old Barney? Aren''t you afraid of trouble?" "Why, when you healed himter, did you have to treatyer byyer?" Uh... Your questions are too many, and the crucial thing is, they are not organized at all... Where should I start exining to you... Garrett felt a headache. Medicine is a systematic discipline. Learning bits and pieces won''t make sense using such a knowledge structure to treat people would definitely be dangerous. People taught this way, if used as assistants, it''s okay, onemand, one action, nothing too risky. The real problem arises when they think they''ve learned enough and want to take charge independently; that''s a recipe for disaster. "Okay, how about this," Garrett looked around, "wait a moment, I''ll go get paper and pen to draw for you..." "Hey hey hey, I have all that!" Hilde jumped up and rummaged through the cab under the seat. Since there were ready supplies, Garrett didn''t need to go back to his own cart. He spread out paper and started drawing while exining: bones, muscles, blood vessels... as he spoke, he turned his head, and outside the car window were two faces pressed closely, focused and attentive, listening to his lecture. Garrett couldn''t help but smile. He knocked on the car window: "Thomas! Adam!" Oh yo, one of the faces went straight down and then straight up again. The owner of the face had identally dropped but was promptly lifted by hispanion. Garrett couldn''t help butugh; he turned to High Priest Hilde and suggested: "Can theye in and listen too?" "Sure." Hilde shrugged. Could he say no? The two people outside the car were both low-ranking priests of the Radiant Church. The younger one, Thomas the one who just fell was still an apprentice of Elder Heath. In terms of rtionships, they were closer to Garrett! Since Garrett came to the main camp, Elder Heath legitimately sent these two over as assistants. As for High Priest Hilde himself, he shamelessly tagged along and qualified to attend the lecture... The four people sat around the table, continuing the lecture. As the ss continued until the sunset, they set up camp. Suddenly, Thomas fumbled in his arms, took out a cloth pocket, and handed it to Garrett. "Teacher asked me to give this to you!" What is this? Garrett curiously untied the bag and poured it out. A beautiful green light entered his eyes, warm and gentle, vibrant, but it was a hexagonal prism about half a palm long and as thick as a thumb. Hard, smooth, translucent at first nce, it looked like crystal or jade, but on closer inspection, there were clear and delicate wood grains inside. "Oh! Wood Heart!" High Priest Hilde blurted out. Only then did Garrett remember what was in the bag this was the core formed when a well-grown old tree, at the end of its life, condensed its vitality in the center of the trunk, forming a small piece of jade-like core. The chance of forming a wood heart was very small. Often, it took hundreds of old trees to find one, making it an excellent material for nurturing nts, storing rted divine arts of the Radiant Church, or even directly replenishing life force. Elder Heath also had one, the size of a fingernail, and the quality was much worse than this one. "This is too precious." Garrett''s fingers pressed on the cloth bag, about to push it back. Thomas stared at the wood heart with a slightly naive expression, but still pushed it forward: "Ah, this is from Teacher to you!" Garrett hesitated. Thomas held his hand and wouldn''t let him move: "Elder Heath has given us several wee gifts before! Whether it''s Senior Brother or me, we''ve all received them! Now it''s your turn!" Adam also ced his hand on top. He was older than Thomas and was already a level two priest, adhering to the fine tradition of the Natural Church, practicing both physical and divine arts. With his press, Garrett couldn''t push it back at all, so he had to thank and ept it. High Priest Hilde observed the entire scene from the side, secretly pondering: A wee gift is indeed a wee gift. However, the gift is so heavy; I ''m afraid there''s a tuition fee involved speaking of which, considering Garrett''s previous disy of skills, a wood heart as a tuition fee seems reasonable. Treasures have value; knowledge is priceless. Ah, in that case, what should he use to pay tuition? Too light seems inappropriate, and too valuable seems abrupt; others may not ept it. --------------- Chapter 135 Chapter 135 High Priest Hilde immersed himself in deep thought. It wasn''t until dinner was over, and everyone had returned to their tents to rest, that he found a sapphire ring and sneakily handed it to Garrett Nordmark. "What''s this?" Garrett stared at him, without hesitation, pushing the ring back. "Hey, big brother! Why are you giving me a ring?" "It''s a Water Creation Spell ring, three uses per day." High Priest Hilde felt he had a reasonable exnation, taking a step forward and exining to Garrett in a sly manner, "I noticed that every time you heal someone, you have to wash your hands, which is quite troublesome. With this ring, at least you''ll save some trouble when working every day." "Rest assured, take it, it''s mine, not the family''s or the temple''s!" Garrett: "..." He could somewhat understand Hilde''s logic, but more than that, he was just amused. Looking up, High Priest Hilde was still eagerly looking at him, like a dog waiting for its owner to feed it. Garrett grabbed the ring and threw it at him without hesitation. "Which eye of yours saw me wearing a ring to wash my hands? Huh? Which eye?! What is the principle of asepsis? What about the seven-step handwashing method I taught you before? Go write it a hundred times! If you can''t finish it, don''te back tomorrow!" "I don''t need your tuition! It''s not like I don''t pay tuition; my lectures have discounts! On the contrary, students who forget important principles after being taught, I don''t like to teach them!" High Priest Hilde ran away, holding his head, but seeing the gleam in Garrett''s eyes, he couldn''t help butugh. The next day after dinner, he sneakily approached Garrett again, smiling: "Garrett, do you need bandages here? Cotton? Want some strong liquor?" Garrett''s eyes lit up. With the army hastily mobilizing, he packed all the supplies from the hospital and even swept through the market, but it still wasn''t enough. Over the past few days, half of his inventory had been depleted, and he was wondering where to replenish it. "Do you have them? That''s great!" "Hehehe... I grabbed a batch from my grandpa. Come with me, let''s get the stuff back!" Garrett: "..." Oh, this guy is the grandson of Count Norman... rich nobles are really wealthy. Garrett epted the batch of supplies. Anyway, they would be used for the allied forces. The march continued as usual, and the lectures continued. When it came to CPR, after listing the key points of the procedure, Garrett admonished: "Don''t just try it casually. CPR techniques need to be practiced beforehand. If you haven''t practiced, your actions and frequency will be wrong. It''s not only a waste of effort but may also fail to save the person." "How do we practice then?" Thomas blurted out. Garrett was caught off guard, "Uh..." Can I say we practiced with fake bodies before? Silicone dummies with built-in electronicponents. If you don''t perform the procedure correctly, it would give you a failing grade... He didn''t answer. The group of people next to him blinked their eyes, trying to figure out a solution. Adam tentatively suggested: "Do we practice on each other?" "Absolutely not!" Garrett reflexively shouted, raising his voice, "CPR should never be performed on a person with a spontaneous heartbeat! It''s a contraindication for chestpressions. Remember that!" His stern words startled a few therapists, who obediently nodded. High Priest Hilde was still unwilling. He looked up at the sky, rolling his eyes: "Then... practice on corpses?" Garrett remained silent. Careful consideration suggested it wasn''t an unreasonable idea. As long as it was a recently deceased body without severe damage, especially no damage to the chest, practicing shouldn''t be a problem. Although pressing wouldn''t revive them, practicing precision and strength should be possible, right? Well, the nt Growth Spell of the Nature God might even create a dummy. Inside, use stic vines to support and imitate the sternum and ribs, covering it with animal skin. Unfortunately, he hadn''t practiced much other than healing arts, and he couldn''t do it himself. Seeing he didn''t explicitly object, a few priests looked at each other, pulled each other away, and sneaked off. Circumventing a tent, Adam whispered, "Using our own people''s bodies doesn''t seem right... After all, we hope they rest in peace..." "That''s, of course, not good! Why use our people when there are enemy bodies?" Thomas added. Hilde patted his chest: "Using someone else''s body is better. Hey, watch this!" Garrett was immersed in his thoughts and didn''t notice the mischief behind his students. That night, he sent Bernard off to do his own thingrunningps, lifting stones, or arm-wrestling with high-ranking warriorswhile he continued to organize materials. After writing just a couple of lines, thud, thud, thud, outside the tent, several muffled sounds in session. Garrett''s heart skipped a beat. That muffled sound, like a heavy object being thrown on the ground, more like the sound of someone falling. In the emergency department, those heart attacks, strokes, sudden illnesses, and whatever couldn''t hold upthroughout the year, he could hear them dozens of times. Without thinking, Garrett rushed out of the tent. Stepping outside, he saw High Priest Hilde smiling at him, torchlight illuminating his bright white teeth. Seeing hime out, Hilde eagerly pointed to the ground: "Garrett, can you use these corpses?" Garrett followed his pointing finger. In the middle of the empty space in the tent, three soldiers stood in a row, each with a corpse at their feet... Seeing this at midnight, if Garrett hadn''t been an emergency room doctor in his previous life and now in a military camp, he would have been startled. But now, aside from silentlyining about Hilde''s unreliable actions and the fact that corpses were brought in without prior notice, Garrett even had the leisure to squat down and carefully observe the bodies. The heads and torsos were intact, with no obvious damage, especially the chest hadn''t copsed. As for other parts, they didn''t need much consideration, as the dummies used for practice in his past life were basically half a body. As for the color of the corpse clothes... "They''re not our soldiers, right?" "Definitely not!" High Priest Hilde pped his chest loudly, "I had them brought in!" Uh... when you say brought in, do you mean picking them up or killing them on the spot? Garrett silently nced at Hilde. The thing is, those people are already dead, and the bodies are already here. Just letting someone drag them out and bury them seems unnecessary... "Alright, it seems like we can use these." Garrett extended a finger and pressed on the chest of a corpse, "Let''s practice like this for now. Bring them all over, I''ll demonstrate first, and then you can proceed with the actual practice. And next time you want to bring in corpses, at least discuss it with me first!" "No problem!" High Priest Hilde jumped up. CPR practical training began. Garrett first exined the basic concepts to the teachers, bowed to the corpses, then knelt on the side of one and personally began to demonstrate: "Pay attention to the key points of the procedure. First, check if the patient has a heartbeat, breath, and consciousness. Open the airway. When pressing, the base of the right palm should be tightly against the center of the patient''s chest, and the left hand should be stacked on top. Arms straight, using the force of the upper body to press down..." He demonstrated once, then let High Priest Hilde, Adam, and Thomas each face a corpse and start the practice. Garrett stood on the side, constantly correcting: "Hilde, your arm isn''t straight... Adam, when pressing down and rxing, don''t let your palm leave the patient''s chest... Thomas, you''re pressing too shallow, not enough force... Forget it, you''re still young, and your strength is insufficient. Don''t learn chestpressions for now;e help with the rescue breaths..." The light of the Illumination Spell shone brightly on the tent wall, outlining the rising and falling silhouettes of three people. Suddenly, the tent curtain was lifted: "Hilde, they said you''re hereAh ah ah ah ah!!!!" --------------- Chapter 136 Chapter 136 The sharp cry of a young girl pierced through the night. Healers were awakened one after another, some not even bothering to put on clothes before rushing out of their tents: "What''s happening? What''s happening?!" "Corpsecorpses!" The priestess screamed with her eyes closed. As a healer who had been on the battlefield, she shouldn''t have been so startled by a corpse. However, the scene before her was too shocking, catching herpletely unprepared. High Priest Hilde, the young genius she had admired and pursued for a long time, was half-leaning over a corpse. The light from the Illumination Spell shone from the side, casting his handsome face in a half-light, half-shadow, with a slightly distorted expression. As if that wasn''t frightening enough, both his hands were pressed together on the corpse, moving up and down, up and down... Not to mention that there were two people lying on another corpse nearby. One was pressing the chest of the corpse, adopting the same posture as High Priest Hilde, moving up and down; the other, even more frighteningly, knelt at the head of the corpse, almost face to face with the lifeless body... Double the visual impact, double the horror. Garrett looked at High Priest Hilde, raised his chin, and signaled, "Deal with your mess yourself." High Priest Hilde gave him a wry smile, climbed up, and tentatively tried tofort: "Caroline, you" "Don''te near me, ahhhh!" The piercing scream was too intense. In the priest area, people were waking up one after another: "What''s happening? What''s happening? Corpses? Someone died?!" A group of priests rushed over, peeking and looking. Almost at the same moment, in the nearby mage camp, there was a sudden explosion. A tent exploded into pieces, and fragments flew in the air, catching fire in mid-air. Under the tent, an elderly voice angrily shouted: "Who is it! Who''s screaming in the middle of the night! Made me shake, and all my potions exploded!" Uh... Garrett sweated profusely. The scream just now was a bit too loud, no wonder the alchemist''s hands were shaking. But, sir, what kind of potions are you making, nitroglycerin? However, the chain reaction did not stop there. With the explosion in the mage camp, cries of rm echoed in the surrounding military camps: "Enemy attack!" "Enemy attack!" Soldiers rushed out of their tents in confusion. Screams, cries, and chaotic shouting quickly merged into a cacophony. Disturbed by themotion on Garrett''s side, the nobles who were originallying to see urgently turned around, drew their swords, and rushed to the camp where the disturbance was happening. Garrett stretched his head, looked at the chaotic military camp, but didn''t dare to go out. He had never experienced such a situation before, but he had read about it in books Could it be a camp frenzy? Soldiers who had been on the battlefield for days experienced immense mental pressure. When they slept at night, if someone had a nightmare or there was somemotion nearby, they would inexplicably start screaming, running around, and even attacking each other. This phenomenon, known as "camp frenzy," had always been one of the generals'' headaches. Not to mention, the explosion just now was really too loud. Oh no, oh no, if I caused this, my sins are huge... The military camp remained chaotic for quite a while before calming down. Count Norman, leading a group of viscounts, barons, high-level spellcasters, and an angry old alchemist, gathered in front of Garrett''s tent, their faces dark. "...So, all this fuss is for this little thing?" Count Norman didn''t even give a good face to his own grandson: "Why did you bring corpses in? What''s the point of messing around with this? When Caroline came in, you were still lying on the corpse! You''re already an adult, can''t you make some progress? You..." The tone was severe and incessant. High Priest Hilde also knew he had caused trouble. When the count began to lecture, he stood straight at first, lowering his head in deep repentance. But as he listened, he began to sway his body, shift his feet, knot his fingers behind his back, and finally couldn''t help but speak up: "It''s for learning healing arts!" "Nonsense! Healing arts are for the living, what''s the point of using corpses? Who taught you such a thing!" Garrett felt a jolt in his heart. Count Norman''s old gaze was directed at him, calm and unruffled. Garrett suddenly realized that Count Norman meant for him to take the me for his grandson? Actually, why bother? The method of cardiopulmonary resuscitation was taught by me, and I even supervised the practice on corpses. It''s like I tacitly approved it. This responsibility should originally be mine. Why bother with such a big circle? Garrett raised his head, about to speak. High Priest Hilde blurted out a sentence, heard the grandfather''s response, and quickly shook his head at Garrett. Then, he raised his chin, resisted, and said: "It''s really for learning healing arts! I brought the corpses, I take responsibility!" "I asked for the corpses." At this point, Garrett couldn''t stay behind, letting others take responsibility for him. He calmly took a step forward, ignoring High Priest Hilde''s gestures and coughs, and trying to signal him. Looking straight into Count Norman''s eyes, he spoke clearly: "These corpses are used for practicing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. After a person''s heart temporarily stops beating, if they haven''tpletely died, there''s a chance to save them with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This method is effective, but it requires a lot of practice to master. Since there were no patients temporarily, I had them practice on corpses. I apologize for this unexpected incident, and I am willing to take responsibility." "You?" Count Norman frowned slightly. He nced around, and the nobles who were disturbed in the middle of the night had gloomy faces, the angry old alchemist, and the stern-faced high priest of the Temple of Springs. Elder Heath of the Quenched River Temple looked at Garrett with concern and warmth, seemingly protective. Well, it''s an ident anyway. Just handle it casually, give everyone an outlet. Count Norman thought this way, cleared his throat, and said: "Since you''re willing to take responsibility, you..." Before he got to the main point, a sarcastic voice suddenly sounded from the crowd: "What''s wrong with practicing on corpses? Making a big fuss! So melodramatic! Scaring everyone to death, yelling around, causing trouble for others! Little Garrett, if you''re upset,e to our side. ck Crow Swamp has plenty of corpses for you to y with! Don''t mind those priests!" A necromancer walked proudly, with a thin face made of skin and bones, looking around arrogantly. Garrett smiled bitterly, "Mage Lin..." Count Norman''s face darkened. Not far away, the high priest of the Quenched River Temple, who was also the overallmander of all the healers this time, had a gloomy face and cleared his throat: "You" "Little Garrett, how about you change your camp first?" Elder Heath Elder spoke with a gentle and pleasant tone, preempting the high priest: "Tomorrow, a team is heading north towards Grim Bay. Follow them and see if there''s anything you can help with." This was equivalent to sending him to a secondary camp. He couldn''t stay in the main camp, enjoying good food and drink, and treating two patients whenever he wanted. Instead, he had to follow a team, march quickly, and possibly face battles. The atmosphere immediately eased a bit. The angry old alchemist, the nobles with dark faces, all rxed. Only Lin raised his eyebrows: "But" "Thanks, Elder. I''ll go tomorrow." Garrett bowed slightly. High Priest Hilde, looking at him with guilt on his face, and Mage Lin, who had passed through the crowd, grabbed Garrett''s arm: "It''s not your fault, but you have to bear the responsibility! Come,e,e to my ce! I''ll pick some protective items for you!" --------------- Chapter 137 Chapter 137 The necromancer, without saying a word, dragged Garrett Nordmark away,ining incessantly along the way. Theints only ceased when they entered the necromancer''s tent. He pulled out a leather chest from beside the bed and dumped its contents onto the table. "These are all my spoils of war! Come on, take a look and see if there''s anything you can use. Just take it!" In the candlelight, various rings, nes, and amulets sparkled, making one wonder if he had raided a jewelry store. Garrett opened his mouth in astonishment. He nced at Linde Ferrell, then at the pile of items on the table, and back at Linde. How many people have you killed? It''s been less than a month since the war started, and you seem to have been on a killing spree instead of being a scout! "Can''t decide? Or don''t recognize them?" Seeing Garrett''s surprised expression, Linde took the initiative to introduce: "This ring should have a ''Cold Resistance'' enchantment, quite useful. I already have one; you can take this one. I''m not sure about this amulet, but judging by the magic circuits on it, it seems to be an offensive divine spell. You can give it a try. This ne carries the power of light, which I can''t use, but you probably can..." Garrett couldn''t refuse fast enough. He was about to randomly pick something, even if just to be courteous. However, when his gaze swept over the pile of items, his heart skipped a beat. "Wait! What''s this?" Linde followed his pointing finger and saw a bottle of inconspicuous dark purple powder, faintly shimmering in the candlelight, revealing a scaly metallic sheen. Linde nonchntly exined: "Purple Scale Stone, an alchemical material. I don''t know how it ended up herethis thing is not very useful, and if left unattended, it turns into a lump of ck ash. Interested? Take it if you want." "I''ll take half." Garrett cradled it like a treasure, examining it from all angles. The color, shape, and sheenall were familiar to him, from middle school to college. When he saw this thing, his intuition shouted four words: "Potassium Permanganate! Potassium Permanganate!" This substance is not stable in nature; it easily dposes, and no one knows which deity synthesized it. If it really is potassium permanganate, it would solve a significant problem for him. Garrett asked Linde for a brown bottle, carefully poured half of it in, sealed the bottle, and handed it back. Linde didn''t take it, so Garrett insisted, shoving it into his hands: "This stuff is useful! If it''s what I think it is, it will be incredibly valuable! Hey,e with me. Once I confirm it, I''ll tell you how to use it!" Linde followed him outside, weaving through winding paths, back to Garrett''s residence. After clearing the table, Garrett dragged out an alchemy box. When he turned around, he saw Linde sitting there bored, so he handed him a stack of papers: "These are my recent research findings. You can read these first. Oh, and this is a microscope; y with it while I conduct experiments. I''ll call you when I have results!" Linde was caught off guard, receiving a pile of articles with titles he had never seen before. Without delving into them, he shouted: "Did you publish these?" "Some are published, some aren''t! Just read them first!" Busy setting up stands, alcoholmps, and various beakers, Garrett didn''t look back. Linde couldn''t get his attention and had to start reading from the first article, "Observation of Cork, Onion, Meat, and Blood Using a Homemade Microscope." As he read, it felt like he had fallen into a rice jar, unable to hear Garrett''s humming anymore. Indeed, Garrett was humming. The experiment of heating potassium permanganate to produce oxygen he had done it in high school. But now, to recall the details, he needed to sing along rather than just recollect: "Fifty-six ethnic groups, rising valence~~~" No, that''s not right, wrong lyrics, let''s try again; "Fifty-six elements, rising valence," put down the stand; "Fifty-six brothers and sisters oxidized," put down the alcoholmp, find something to elevate it; "Fifty-six acids and bases, summed up in a sentence," put the water basin on the other side of the stand; "Potassium Permanganate, Potassium Permanganate, Potassium Permanganate!" Fill the gas collection bottle with water and invert it into the basin. Hmm, now it''s time to heat it. Garrett sang more joyfully, with a slightly higher pitch: "Potassium Permanganate, method for producing oxygen," scoop a bit of potassium permanganate powder, put it into the test tube, cork it with a rubber stopper and ss tube; "Potassium Permanganate, heat with cotton wool," remembered, remembered, first stuff the cotton wool inside; "Potassium Permanganate, tilt the test tube slightly," no problem, adjust the angle, secure it on the test tube stand; "Potassium Permanganate, during the experiment, do not touch the test tube with your hands, or your skin will be oxidized!" Oh no, remembered this line just now! He used his hands to hold the test tube just now... on his hands... his skin... touched a bit of potassium permanganate powder! Quick, rinse with water!! Garrett frantically washed his fingers. Fortunately, the subsequent experiments went smoothly, and gas bubbled out of the tube, filling the bottle in no time. Garrett lit a small piece of wood, shook it until only a spark remained, held his breath, and stabbed it into the mouth of the gas collection bottle: A bright me! Pure oxygen! "Yeah!" Garrett cheered. The necromancer lifted his head in confusion, and Garrett waved at him with a smile, then took a small handful of potassium permanganate powder and put it into another test tube. Holding the tube, he focused his mind, outlining the spell model through meditation. In every fire-based magic, there are two basic configurations: one to gather "ignition essence," and the other to filter the "good air" that attracts the ignition essence. After his modifications, the filtering configuration pointed to the test tube, while simultaneously adding a spell configuration to heat the test tube to a certain temperature. Well, he had previously improved this magic using mercuric oxide for heating, which consumed a lot and took a long time. Luckily, he found potassium permanganate! Three! Two! One! Fire Spark Spell! Ignite! A crackling sound of ignition. The faint, originally capable of igniting only paper and dry leaves, Fire Spark Spell burst out much brighter on the muddy ground in the center of the tent! Even the necromancer was startled by this. Linde lifted his head from the paper, looked at Garrett, and used his gaze to inquire what had happened. Garrett came over with a happy smile: "I improved a spell! Let me tell you about it! Oh, and read the article ''Demonstration of the Essence of Combustion through Heated Mercury.'' Quickly, read it! After you finish, I''ll tell you how the magic works!" Reading articles, observing experiments, and then studying Garrett''s drawn spell model chart, Linde tried hard to remember and meditate. The spell model wasn''t difficult for Linde the mage, but understanding the article, grasping the principle ofbustion, and then reaching the train of thought for a new spellthis was quite challenging. Garrett conducted experiments and exnations tirelessly, almost drying up his saliva, and Linde finally started to understand a bit. Over an hourter, two mages were carried away by barbarians, one in each hand, sneaking out of the military camp like the wind, heading far outside the camp to test their magic. Fire Spark Spell! Incredibly bright sparks. Burning Hand! A bright white, intensely powerful cone-shaped me. me Sphere Spell! The burning fireball flew far away, exploding in the sky with the power equal to a higher-level Fireball Spell! Linde, the mage, stared at the fireball, dumbfounded. When he could finally speak, every syble of his speech trembled: "Garrett, do you... do you know what you''ve given me?!" --------------- Chapter 138 Chapter 138 The next morning, Garrett Nordmark joined the special forces and headed north at full speed. He entrusted his tent, supplies, and medical equipment to Elder Hiss, carrying only arge backpack for convenience on the journey. The backpack was filled with food, water, rified alum for purifying water, and a substantial amount of gauze bandages and medicines. In addition, Garrett had a small pouch securely fastened around his waist. Inside the pouch were supplies for him as a healer: - Ten bottles of minor healing potions - Five bottles of moderate healing potions - Two bottles of severe healing potions - Two bottles of antidote - Two vials of energy potions promised by Elder Hiss In a creative move, Garrett also stuffed a bunch of things into the pouch: - Ten small oxygen cylinders, each the size of a little finger, sealed with cork and wax. - Ten small test tubes, each containing 1/5 of potassium permanganate. With these items, he essentially carried 20 powerful spells. Garrett touched his pouch, feeling reassured. Of course, there were also the mana pearls given by Master Lorenz, the wooden charm from Elder Hiss, the amulet from the bald Bishop that could activate a shield once a day, and a variety of magical items provided by Mage Linde, including offensive and defensive ones. If it weren''t for Garrett''s intervention, the necromancer would have unloaded his entire magical arsenal on him. Garrett, despite appearing overly cautious, was well-prepared. The special forces he joined consisted of only 21 peopleoriginally designated for 20, but Garrett brought along his follower, expanding the count by one. There were two level-five members, three level-four, and five level-three. Garrett''s strength ranked at the bottom in this group. If he hadn''t been previously injured and required healing, he wouldn''t have qualified for the mission. ...Of course, Garrett''s follower, the barbarian Bernard, was a level-seven warrior. Averaging it out, they were about level four. Whether this averaging was appropriate was another matter. Even so, Garrett''s meticulous and well-prepared demeanor made everyone want tough. Barnes, the level-five knight leading the group, rode up on his horse and tousled Garrett''s hair directly: "Bringing so much stuff, huh? Little priest, are you afraid we''ll starve you, or are you afraid we''ll freeze you?" "...These are all for healing," Garrett said with a dark face, dodging Barnes'' hand. "If you''re capable, don''t get injured from start to finish; you won''t need my help." "Did you hear that, brothers?" Barnesughed heartily. "Our little priest says, let''s not get injured from start to finish, or he won''t be able to handle it!" "Alright!" "We promise not to need his help!" "Little priest, just take care of yourself!" Boisterousughter echoed all around. Garrett wanted to shout a few more words, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a mouthful of cold wind rushed in, forcing him to pull his hood tightly. They galloped along the west bank of the river, heading north at full speed. Garrett''s riding skills were still quite ordinary, and he couldn''t share a ride with the barbariantoo heavyso he had to focus on riding alone. It wasn''t until the evening, during the camping, that he overheard hispanions chatting about their destination: Their mission was to follow the river downstream directly to the mouth of the Dov River and check for the fleet of the Radiant Church. If they found it, they were to intercept it if possible; if not, report back to the main camp. The main force would then cross the Dov River and head straight for the county city of Mind. Mind County had tworge cities: one was the county city, situated on the east bank of the Dov River, facing the allied forces of the Norman Count; the other was the Massa Port, located in the Burton Bay, with deep waters and calm waves, a natural and excellent harbor. ording to the Earl Norman''s judgment, the fleet of the Radiant Church was most likely tond at Massa Port. "I guess by the time we get back, the battle on this side will be over!" Barnes, the knight,ughed heartily. The mage beside him pulled his hood and chuckled: "Anyway, there are plenty of people over there; they won''t miss us. The camp is noisy all day long; it''s better to take a stroll outside." Uh... Garrett felt a bit guilty as the one who had caused the most noise yesterday. A gust of cold wind blew, and he followed suit, pulling his hood half over his face. "How long will it take us?" Garrett asked. "At least two days, and we''ll have to climb a mountain! Little priest, can you handle it?" The boisterousughter continued. Garrett nned his answer, relying on the boost from both magic and divine arts. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Why are we climbing a mountain if we''re supposed to follow the river?" "This river is quite tricky." Captain Barnes picked up a piece of firewood, stomped out sparks, and drew on the ground to show Garrett: "From the mouth of the river inward, dozens of miles are all cliffs. Only after passing through can we find a t area to dock. Climbing the mountain and looking down is the most convenient we can attack, but they can''t reach us!" "The question is, can we attack?" Garrett wondered. Looking at the river not far away, the Dov River was already quite wide here, with a surface area of possibly hundreds of meters. Anchored ships on the opposite side could easily carry hundreds of people. If this was further downstream, how big would the ships need to be? "We can definitely attack!" Captain Barnesughed heartily, pointing to the opposite side: "Little priest, are you not a local? With just this ship, it can at most reach Som Port. Further down the river, although it''s not narrow, it''s full of rocks and mountains, and big ships can''t pass. We''re just checking if there''s a small team; if there is, we''ll take care of them on the fly!" It seemed the chance of a battle wasn''t very high. Garrett rxed, picturing the terrain in his mind. He gazed at the full moon in the sky for a while, finished his routine meditation, and walked around the campfire before sinking into a deep sleep. The next day, they rose early and traveled for most of the day, finally reaching the cliffs at the mouth of the river in the evening. The group abandoned their horses and began ascending the mountain. Captain Barnes tied up the horses, leaped up the slope at an angle of at least 30 degrees. The level-four mage chanted a few lines, a light wind surrounded him, making him agile. With a leap, he almost caught up with the archers in front. The other warriors were also racing, each one vying to be first. On the slope without a ready-made road, they sprinted with the momentum of a hundred-meter dash. Garrettgged behind alone. He looked up: climbing was possible, but with his abilities, he could only crawl up using hands and feet, step by step. Just as he was thinking this, suddenly, his waist tightened, his body lightened, and the ground beneath his feet retreated. Bernard, the barbarian, had picked him up and was sprinting. The level-seven warrior surged upward, as fast as a galloping horse, and soon surpassed the front of the team. Reaching the mountaintop, Garrett, looking down, took a sharp breath: Who said big ships couldn''t navigate here? Between the canyons, the river was filled with numerous masts and sails. Dozens of masts were visible at a nce. Each mast proudly disyed the same g: a raised arm holding a dazzling golden thunderbolt, ready to strike down at any moment. Under the setting sun, the golden thunderbolts seemed as if they could strike the earth at any time. "Radiant Lord!" Beside him, Captain Barnes gritted his teeth, joints creaking. --------------- Chapter 139 Chapter 139 "Why are there so many ships?" "Yeah! Why so manyrge ships?" Before long, all members of the special forces climbed to the top of the mountain, discussing animatedly. Captain Barnesy on the cliff, staring intently at the sails below, his eyes almost bloodshot. Below was aplete fleet,rge and small, with at least twenty ships. The two leadingrge ships had four masts, with two tall ones in the middle and one each in the front and back, tilted in opposite directions. The ship was massive, with bow and stern towers towering high above the river, resembling a castle. Just these tworge ships were already astonishing, and judging by their size, they could transport at least 500 soldiers or even more if the journey was short. In addition to these two ships, there were six or seven three-mast ships in the fleet, some swift and nimble, as if specialized in chasing, and others square and sturdy, clearly intended for transporting people and cargo. Even the dozen or so two-mast small boats, whenbined, had a considerable transport capacity. "There must be ten thousand people..." "Why would theye here... wrong turn? Or do they not know how deep this river is?" "Suchrge ships won''t reach the upstream port!" Soldiers gathered at the top of the cliff, discussing anxiously, faces reddened by the cold wind. Garrett furrowed his brow, trying to recall the geographical records from the mage tower. Unfortunately, those records were quite briefjust a map with a few lines representing roads and circles for cities. Forget about terrain and topography; even the scale was uncertain. Relying on those maps to figure out why the Fleet of the Radiant Lord hade here was like dreaming. It was better to trust his own eyes. Garrett looked down from a high vantage point, overlooking the river mouth. To the left, in the upstream direction of the Dov River, the river was not particrly wide, perhaps a few hundred meters. However, looking to the right, the towering cliffs suddenly expanded on both sides, forming a trumpet-shaped bay. Garrett strained his eyes but could only vaguely see the coastline in the twilight, like two arms embracing the sea. The width between the arcs should be no less than 10 kilometers. A sense of unease crept over Garrett. At the same time, the mage who had been contemting the bay with him turned abruptly. The movement was so sudden that even with his hat tightly wrapped around to block the sea breeze, it flew off. "No, they didn''t make a wrong turn! The Fleet of the Radiant Lord is taking this route; they intend to nk us from behind our main camp!" "How is that possible?" Captain Barnes eximed. Beside him, York, a level five shield warrior, took a step forward, and with a nervous mood, snapped a rock underfoot: "What a joke! With suchrge ships, they can''t break through!" The two highest-ranked warriors questioned simultaneously. In the twilight, the mages shook their heads repeatedly, pointing to the far coast, where the newly risen full moon hung: "Spring tide! It''s a spring tide! I''ve read about it. At the mouth of the Dov River, during a full moon, the spring tide can surge dozens of miles in one go, significantly raising the water level! Riding the tide, they can rush through this gorge in one go, all the way to the tnd!" Spring tide! Garrett suddenly felt a chill. He finally remembered what this bay meantthe trumpet-shaped bay, narrowing upstream, and the full moon he saw before going to sleepst nightSpring Tide! "Yes!" he urgently agreed, "With this topography and a spring tide, the water level will indeed rise significantly! Look, it''s a trumpet-shaped bay outside. When the tide rises, the water rushes into this narrow channelwide outside, narrow inside. With so much water rushing in all at once, the water level inside is bound to rise significantly!" If the captain was themander of the special forces, then the knowledgeable spellcasters were the brains of the special forces. Now, with both spellcasters concurring, the warriors present looked at each other in a tense manner. Captain Barnes, with a silent shield warrior at his side, urged anxiously: "Captain, what do we do?" "Yeah, what do we do? Block them?" Another seventeen or eighteen-year-old archer joined in the questioning. While asking, he drew his bow and aimed at therge ships belowhe aimed for a while, then shook his head and put away the bow and arrow. The range was not enough. Even if he shot from a high vantage point, with such a distance, he couldn''t even hit a single person on the other side. Captain Barnes fell into contemtion. Behind the group, a stealthy figure dressed in gray-ck yed with a dagger, shaking his head lightly. The cold light flickered between his fingers, turning from the back of his hand to the palm, disappearing and reappearing: "They have too many people. We can''t stop them. We better go back and report." "Yeah! Let''s report back quickly!" urged the dual-wielding warrior who spoke first, "With such arge force, we must report to the main camp immediately! Captain, let''s go!" Go back immediately? Garrett looked down at the magnificent giant ships gently floating on the water, sailors bustling on the decks. Lowering sails, dropping anchors, scrubbing the deckseverywhere was a busy scene. Among them, only one ship was quiet: Among thergest two four-mast ships, simultaneously flying the Thunder g, Iris Flower g, and the golden lion g. Two rows of soldiers stood neatly on both sides of the ship. Bright armor, unsheathed swords. In the middle of the soldiers, standing shoulder to shoulder near the main mast, were three people holding long staffs, silk robes shining in the evening sun. From the high point, Garrett couldn''t see their faces clearly, only the person in the red robe in the middle raised his staff. Behind them, soldiers brought in prisoners one after another. Some were poorly dressed, arms and legs exposed; Some could hardly walk on their own, dragged by two soldiers; Some struggled while walking; Some wore neat robes, their arms held by soldiers on either side, still walking proudly. Garrett even saw a little girl, wearing a soft white dress, bewildered, looking around. The soldier guarding the child seemed unwilling to exert force, bending over to hold her hand, only forbidding her from running around and disturbing the nobles. A group of thirty people was brought onto the deck, facing the person in the red robe, and soldiers forced them to kneel on their knees. The person in the red robe seemed to say something, immediately causing chaos belowsome struggled, some shouted, some banged their heads on the ground, and some crawled forward on their knees. The well-dressed prisoner, who had walked on his own, even broke free from the soldiers, pounced forward, tightly embracing the little girl. However, regardless of their gestures, the person in the red robe remained unmoved. He didn''t move, and the soldiers didn''t move. In the fierce sea breeze, it seemed as if all these soldiers had turned into statues. Only a few sailors quickly approached and set up a long, narrow nk at the bow. Then, Garrett watched in horror as the prisoners were tied up, blindfolded, and one by one driven onto the nk. "They are..." "Prisoners captured by the Radiant Lord''s Church." A cold voice answered by his ear, and Garrett turned to see a level four mage standing next to him. The mage who had tightly wrapped his hat while sitting by the firest night now faced the sea breeze without flinching, his posture straight: "Or you can say, heretics. If they catch you, me, or our loved ones, it would be the same." The prisoners were dragged onto the nk one by one. Sailors gathered on both sides of the nk, scolding and beating with sticks, whipping them, urging them to stagger forward. Trembling, swaying, forwardfalling. The cries and pleas were unbearable. However, the soldiers mechanically moved forward to drag people. One fell, then another. Those who couldn''t walk or climb onto the nk were thrown directly into the sea from the ship''s side. The prisoners on the deck were cleared one by one, leaving only the man in the neat robe, holding the girl, half-kneeling in the center of the circle. Although all prisoners, the man seemed to receive preferential treatment. No one pulled him, no one approached to tie him up. Only the person in the red robe said something loudly, and the robed prisoner turned to look at him. Suddenly, he hugged the little girl tightly, gently ced her down, turned to face the bow, took a step, then turned again, rubbing the girl''s hair, and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. Then, the man walked forward withrge strides, stepping onto the nk at the bow. When he reached the ship''s side, he calmly turned his hands behind his back, letting the sailors tie his wrists and blindfold him. In the sea breeze, the man raised his chest, step by step, walking to the end of the nk. Into the void. Falling. The sea breeze howled. White seagulls circled back and forth at the bow, calling out long and loud, their voices heart-wrenching. The soldiers on the ship stood like mud carvings and wooden sculptures, silently watching the robed prisoner fall, without any reaction. Only the little girl, released by them, cried and shouted, stumbling around the deck for a while, until finally, she climbed onto the nk. On the cliff, a long, silent silence, as if death had fallen. Waiting for them to go back and inform the main camp, waiting for the main camp toe over, back and forth, more than three to five days. During these three to five days, thend under their feet might be turned into something unimaginable by the Radiant Lord''s Church. "Can we stop them?" Captain Barnes suddenly asked. The shield warrior didn''t speak, the stealthy figure didn''t speak, the mage pulled down his hat, his gaze sweeping over the ships below, as if engraving that fleet into his heart, then decisively turning around. "We can try." "We can give it a shot." Garrett and the mage spoke at the same time. In the twilight, the two spellcasters'' eyes met, seeing the determination in each other''s eyes. --------------- Chapter 140 Chapter 140 "Such arge fleet, we can''t take them head-on." "Right, we''re short-handed; we have to be clever about it." "Block the ship. These mountains for dozens of miles will keep them from climbing up." "There are ships upstream. Sink a few in the channel; it should at least block therger ones." "We need to be quick. The nearest port is still several dozen miles away." "No problem. It''s ebbing tide now, and the next high tide is at midnight. They probably won''t risk night navigation. In that case, they''ll have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to set sail we have time." In the howling cold wind, two mages ran side by side, exchanging words. To be precise, the only one running on his own two legs was Daniel the special forces mage; Garrett, as usual, was being carried by a barbarian... The warriors also ran with them. Starting with Captain Barnes, they all focused, fearing to miss a single word. Suddenly, the captain shouted: "Loewi." "Huh?" The young archer turned his head. Captain Barnes, while running, took off his short knife and handed it to him: "Go back to the main camp and report the situation! Whether we can stop them or not, news of the fleet must reach Count Nordmark!" "But..." "Hurry!" Captain Barnes was firm. Loewi shrugged and clenched the knife, then turned and descended the mountain. At the foot of the mountain, he mounted his horse, urging it towards the main camp. The rest of the group rode along the mountain ridge, taking turns to climb to the mountain top to scout. As the sun set, the mountain road under their feet gradually became unclear. Garrett and Daniel had to take turns casting Light Dance spells to illuminate the path for the team. When the first spell was cast, Daniel was surprised: "You''re a mage? Then why be a priest? Which church epts that?" "Uh..." Garrett was used to such questioning and ignored it, only answering thest question: "The Church of the Natural Spirits..." "Oh, them." Daniel had been following the scout team all along and hadn''t heard Garrett''s gossip. But as soon as he heard the words ''Church of the Natural Spirits,'' he immediately understood: "No wonder. They''re alright. The Church of the Natural Spirits is particrly ancient. Back in ancient times, they didn''t distinguish between mages and priests..." They galloped for half the night, and when the moon was at its zenith, they finally saw arge ship in the canyon. The wanderer secured the ropes, went down to inspect, and came back to report: "The ship is quiterge, but I alone can''t sink it. There''s not much on board that can be burned, and trying to block the channel with explosive methods might not work." "What''s on the ship?" Captain Barnes asked. The stealthy one recalled: "Ore, y pots, pig bristles, flour..." As he spoke, Captain Barnes shook his head. Daniel, the mage, asked on the side: "No olive oil? No tung oil? Not even cotton?" He asked about one thing, and the stealthy one shook his head. Daniel pondered for a moment, then sighed: "Never mind, let''s go down. Bring the ship to the center of the channel and see if we can sink it with brute force." "Seems like the only option." Captain Barnes sighed. Under the moonlight, he looked dejected with his red beard, and everyone collectively slumped in frustration. Garrett had been silent, but when he heard this, he suddenly had an idea: "Flour?" "Yeah, flour." The stealthy one nodded affirmatively. Garrett grabbed him and asked: "How much flour? Where is it stored? Is it finely ground?" The stealthy one was startledreally startled. If he hadn''t corrected his course in time, he would have almost fallen off the cliff. Under Garrett''s impulsive move, he even directly grabbed the hand that was ying with desbig brother! I''m ying with des here! Fortunately, the infiltrator was skilled in evading, retracting his hand in time, averting a potential tragedy. After careful recollection, he answered: "There''s quite a lot of flour, stored in the lower cargo hold, at least 200 bags. 100 pounds per bagpretty fine. I don''t know what''s inside; I cut one open and saw it''s good quality white bread flour." "That''s good!" Garrett confidently pped his hands. "Let''s go down, take control of the ship, bring it to a shallow area, and blow it up!" He exined his n in detail. Although everyone was skeptical about the crucial point, after Garrett demonstrated his unique fire magic, they agreed to proceed ordingly Of course, it might also be because Garrett added that if the ship couldn''t be blown up, they could use brute force to sink the shipboard. With a level seven warrior and two level five warriors on the scene, plus three level four warriors, with a fierce pounding, it might, probably, perhaps, still be possible to sink it. With the help of the infiltrator, they reached the bottom of the canyon, sneaking onto the docked cargo ship. Garrett, still feeling pity, suggested not to harm the crew, so Daniel the mage took the lead, using a Sleep Wind to put everyone on the ship to sleep. Working together, they tied them up, gagged them, and brought them to the shore. Then, the barbarian Bernard exerted his brute strength, pulled up the ship anchor, and went downstream. "Spread the flour in the cargo hold! Spread it evenly!" Captain Barnes, apanied by his personal attendantthe dual-wielding warriorcontrolled the ship, while Garrett, with two other warriors, tampered with the cargo hold. Of course, Garrett didn''t do any manualbor; he just kept urging: "Quick! Move faster! We don''t have much time! Try to spread as much flour as possible! No need to ignite; just use Light Dance!" "Is it ready? We''re here!" The cargo ship went downstream for a dozen miles, not requiring much time. Captain Barnes estimated that after passing this bend, they could directly see the Radiant Church fleet. They didn''t dare to go further, dropping the anchor about five or six miles away. "Almost done! You guys retreat!" Garrett answered loudly. The sound of footsteps on the deck echoed in a series of thuds as everyone retreated. When Garrett heard that everyone had evacuated, he turned to Daniel the mage: "Let''s do it together! Use Wind Creation to blow up the flour as much as possible! Three! Two! One!" The two mages stood side by side at the cargo hold entrance, chanting spells. A strong wind howled out. Changing wind strength was a first-level spell, and Garrett''s use of it was average, but Daniel the mage could sweep arge area with one spell. When flour dust fluttered throughout the cargo hold, Garrett returned to the deck, pointing upwards. The light orbs of the Light Dance spell rotated around him Soon, he saw torches swinging on the top of the cliff, first in one direction and then in the other. Excellent, everyone sessfully evacuated and retreated to the mountaintop! "Alright! Let ''s retreat too!" Garrett eximed joyfully. He handed Daniel the mage to Bernard, letting the barbarian carry the mage up the cliff, and then returned with a steel shield from the cliff to stand beside him. The two stood outside the cargo hold; Bernard crouched slightly, Garrett used both hands and feet to hang onto his back. The barbarian faced away from the cargo hold, one arm bent backward, shielding his back with the steel shield. Garrett tried to minimize his surface area behind the shield, with one hand around the barbarian''s neck, trying to turn his head to look backward, and the other hand reaching out beyond the steel shield. When the flour explodedter, the shockwave would be formidable, and although Bernard ran fast, having a shield cover was still better... All defense workpleted. Garrett concentrated for a moment, aimed at the cargo hold''s interior from a distance, andunched his modified Burning Hand. "Three, two, one!" Boom!!! --------------- Chapter 141 Chapter 141 Hello everyone, I want to start by apologizing for not providing updates over the past few days. I''ve been sick. Explosions reverberated through the canyon, the deafening echoes bouncing off the winding cliffs and spreading far and wide. Inside the cabin, Garrett Nordmark remained oblivious to the cacophony outside. The only sensation he experienced was the thunderous explosion. Boom! A resounding noise. Behind Garrett, the barbarian tightened his grip on the steel shield, pushing him forward and creating pressure on his chest. Meanwhile, propelled by the force, Bernard soared forward. The powerful warrior, towering over two meters tall, felt the rush of air nearly lifting him off his feet. "Tsk tsk tsk... good thing I was prepared..." Garrett silently celebrated. Had he been careless, relying solely on his shield or allowing Bernard to pull him along, he might have found himself vomiting blood by now. Hanging onto Bernard''s back, Garrett rushed out of the cabin. As he stepped onto the deck, the cargo ship was already swaying and beginning to sink. The barbarian decided to abandon rowing. Instead, he seized a small boat nearby and flung it with all his strength. Leaping onto the boat, he stomped fiercely, jumping directly to the edge of the cliff, heading for the mountaintop. Upon reaching the mountaintop, a bright light ball ascended from the direction of the Radiant Lord''s fleet, casting its glow across the surroundings. "They''ve found us!" "Run!" Several voices shouted simultaneously. Bishop Hilde of the Radiant Church seethed with unusual fury. While others led the main fleet effortlessly for dozens of miles, he traversed the turbulent sea, enduring hundreds of miles of hardship. His opponent, a mere local count, presented a stark contrast. To make matters worse, in the middle of the night, he was rudely awakened by a loud noise! Startled by the tremendous roar, Hilde woke up with a pounding heart. He reached for the water cup on the bedside, took a sip, only to find it cold. He angrily threw the cup down: "What''s happening?" "Not... not here... somewhere far away..." "Investigate!" The bishop gave the order, and immediately, a team of ck-d knights climbed the cliff to search for the source of the noise. These knights belonged to the Inquisitorial Order, not adept at directbat but skilled in tasks such as searching, arresting, and interrogating. A squad of ten, led by a level 9 knight, ran upstream and saw torn sails, shattered wood pieces floating down the river. "Upstream!" a sharp-eyed young squire eximed. The captain red at him: "Vilbo, what does Chapter 7, Verse 15 of the scripture say?" The young squire''s face turned pale. He lowered his head but dared not dy in answering: "God said, when you see strange things, do not be rmed. For I am with you, protecting you. Be quiet, calm, and convey my grace to mymbs." "After returning, confess to Father Richard." The captain coldly dropped a sentence and continued the pursuit. Following the clues, they saw the cargo ship slowly sinking as they turned around a bend in the mountain wall, with only the tip of the mast remaining. "The ship is sunk." The captain concluded while standing on the cliff top. He then scanned his subordinates: "What are you all staring at? Mellen, go report to Lord Hoke. Tell him a ship sank upstream, we are still investigating the details. Lynch, go check the water depth, see if the channel is blocked. Payne, Nick, both of you go down the cliff and search for any signs of foul y or skilled individuals. Mellen, Gordon, Fechi, continue forward..." He issued orders in an orderly manner. Soon, one message after another was summarized in front of the captain. "Footprints found at the bottom of the cliff!" "Traces of rope climbing! This kind of cliff requires a rope to climb; someone in the team is definitely below level 5!" "Hull nks at the bottom of the ship shattered, not deliberate sabotage! Not much oil on the water surface, not set on fire! Whoever sank the ship either used alchemical tools or magic! There''s a mage in the team!" "No dead bodies in the water! The ship was intentionally brought here to block our path..." More clues surfaced, and the situation became increasingly clear. Without waiting for all the subordinates to return, the captain issued the secondmand: "Chase! Follow along the ridge, pursue quickly! Inform the rear, there are heretics maliciously sinking ships, obstructing the Holy Fleet. We are searching for the enemy''s location, and we need magical assistance!" The messages from the Inquisitorial Knights quickly reached Bishop Hoke. At first, Bishop Hoke could maintain a poker face, sitting at his walnut desk, slowly drinking tea. The wide sleeves hung straight down, and the gold threads on the sleeves shimmered in the candlelight without a ripple. However, when he heard, "The big ship can''t pass, clearing the channel will take at least three days," he finally lost hisposure, smashing another teacup: "Damn heretics! Intensify the search. Who''s leading the team? Benjamin? Inform him, make sure to capture those heretics and burn them at the stake! Burn them! Hmm, do they need guidance on tracking the enemy? Go and summon Master Asa, have him cast the Grand Illumination Spell!" The knights of the Radiant Lord continued their search for the enemy''s traces, while the special squad that sessfully sank the cargo ship continued their mad dash. Bernard didn''t let Garrett down; he carried him forward without letting him touch the ground. The mage Daniel cast a levitation spell on himself, leaping up, grabbing the edge of the steel shield, and hanging next to him like a kite. The group didn''t dare to light torches as they rushed to the foot of the mountain, fleeing eastward along the cliff. This was previously agreed upon: heading south meant going back to the main camp, a straightforward path where they could be easily caught. The only option was to go east, utilizing the cover of the mountain, hoping the pursuers wouldn''t find them! They rushed two or three miles without stopping. Just as the mountain wall began to twist, and they were about to enter a recessed area, a bright light suddenly rose behind them! Garrett looked back in horror. Far, far away, a figure in white robes rose into the air, holding a spherical magical object in their hands, radiating countless beams of light. The person looked down, started praying, and though the voice seemed soft, it calmly reached Garrett''s ears: "My Lord, you are the origin of all things, the creator of the world, the only divine. You are supreme, your gaze sees everything, all evil cannot hide..." After a long prayer, the glowing sphere suddenly burst into dazzling light, illuminating several miles. The brilliant white light turned the surroundings as bright as daylight for Garrett. --------------- Chapter 142 Chapter 142 As the prayers echoed, Garrett Nordmark''s entire body shivered. Who was that person flying in the sky? What kind of person could fly like that? An advanced spellcaster? A high-ranking priest? Even teachers couldn''t fly! The person soaring in mid-air, the voice of prayer spreading for miles, how strong were they? Level ten? Eleven? Or even higher? Or perhaps, did they use some magical item to assist them? If that person wasing after them "Bernard, do you know their level?" Garrett whispered. Though far away, he was afraid the other person might hear, instinctively lowering his voice. Bernard shook his head in a low, muffled voice: "I don''t know. We''ll find out when we face them." Toote to fight! Garrett touched his pouch and then the mana pearl around his neck, yet he felt no sense of security. God, Buddha, Nature, please don''t let them be discovered! Fear attracts what you fear. The prayers ended, and the sphere in the person''s hand suddenly radiated a brilliant light, illuminating everything within ten miles. Garrett and his group, initially concealed in the darkness, were nowpletely exposed by this bright light. "To the east!" The voice of the praying person echoed once again, a gentle and clear tone, but the words sent shivers down Garrett''s spine: "Sly heretics, enemies of the Holy Fleet, clinging to the mountain wall, fleeing to the east!" The white light on the sphere went from scattering to condensing, forming a dazzling light beam that firmly locked onto Garrett and hispanions. The light spots on the ground were the size of houses, visible even to the pursuing team several miles away, revealing the direction of the enemy. Garrett felt a chill all over. Reflexively, he shouted, "To the right! Run along the mountain wall! We''ll be safe if we turn inside the mountain wall!" Such powerful divine magic, it can''t move arbitrarily! If that light sphere could float outward continuously, keeping the light beam above us, I would acknowledge defeat! Garrett thought fiercely. Without him reminding, the team had already turned, running along the mountainside, striving to escape to the east. Suddenly, a scream rang out as the fifth-level shield warrior, York, tumbled to the ground with his horse! "York!" Captain Barnes eximed. The shield warrior rolled a few times, struggling to get up, and immediately checked his mountjust one nce made him grimace, "Captain, the horse won''t make it!" These mounts had suffered tonight. No proper food, no rest, dozens of miles of back-and-forth in the dead of night, and now, after a short rest, they had to carry their owners again, running for their lives. Not even the donkeys from the production team would dare such hardship. Among the shield warriors, York was the most robust, with the heaviest equipment, and his mount bore the greatest burden, copsing first. As his horse fell, the warhorses in the team neighed, and several more were on the verge of copse. To make matters worse, the sound of hooves, as dense as a torrential rain, signaled that the pursuers had caught up from behind. "It''s not working, Captain!" York, holding a steel shield, gritted his teeth, stood up, and looked into the distance with a pale face: "Captain, my horse is done for!" "Keep moving!" Garrett and the mage Daniel eximed simultaneously. The two looked at each other, and Garrett continued to shout: "Keep going forward! Find a ce where the white light can''t reach, and we''ll set up an ambush to take down the pursuers!" The team continued to run with all their might. York was momentarily discouraged but was awakened by a few words and soon rallied. The physical strength of a fifth-level knight was already formidable. Running with thunderous footsteps, he was no slower than anyone else. However, Garrett''s mount was also showing signs of fatigue. Barbarian Bernard decisively jumped down from his horse, picking up Garrett effortlessly. Lying on the back of the barbarian, Garrett strained to turn his head and observe the rear. With a sweeping nce, he confirmed theposition of the pursuers, then sighed with relief: Thank goodness, there''s no big shot who can fly. As for the others... well... "How many people are behind us? Are they knights?" Captain Barnes shouted while running. Garrett strained his neck: "Ten people! I don''t know if they''re knights, but they''re all wearing ck armor, carrying big swords! There''s a golden thunder pattern on their clothes, and there''s something very strange... very strange..." He struggled to find words to describe it. The mage Daniel had already turned around and, with just one nce, was utterly shocked: "The Judges of the Tribunal!" "Run!" Everyone shouted in unison. Garrett began to search his pouch: What magical items did Linde give him beforeing out? Which one could turn the tide? Which one had enough range for an attack? The ring of resistance to cold and heat... useless! The ring of purifying water... no use! The radiant talisman... this one only provides defense, no offense! The pendant of controlling undead... useless right now, even if there were corpses, he wouldn''t have time to deal with them! The ring of corpse explosion... this one is good! Find an opportunity to st them! Fortunately, the mountainous terrain finally started to curve inward, and the sphere hanging high in the air indeed couldn''t move. The sound of hooves gradually faded into the darkness, and Garrett finally breathed a sigh of relief: This is the first time I''ve truly felt that the shelter of darkness can be soforting. God bless, may the people behind also slow down! He looked around, trying to find favorable terrain, preparing to set up an ambush. Well, the mountain path ahead is quite narrow; I could probably stretch a few tripwires. Further ahead, there''s a bend; we could dig some pits behind it, if there''s enough time. Oh, if only there were a cliff, we could directly trap them... Garrett picked and chose, constantly brainstorming, but none of the terrains satisfied him. Before he could make up his mind, among the pursuers behind, a uniform roar erupted: "For the glory of the Radiant Lord!" In the midst of the roar, the ck-armored knights unsheathed theirrge swords, advancing uniformly. Garrett happened to turn his head to look, only to see the bright white light bursting out from the tips of their swords, illuminating the entire mountain hollow! "#$%^!" Garrett swallowed a curse, urgently closing his eyes, tears streaming down from the irritation. How does it evene with its own illumination? With the light, many cunning tricks would no longer work! Luckily, Bernard was carrying him on his back. If Garrett were running on his own, a moment of eye irritation might have caused him to stumble! Yet, the pursuers had more than just illumination. While Garrett jostled on the barbarian''s back, he suddenly heard a twang. Immediately after, Bernard lunged forward, almost falling to the ground. Arrows whizzed by, and the dual-de warrior beside Captain Barnes let out a heart-wrenching cry, shouting: "They have strong bows! Powerful bows!" "Don''t shoot him!" Someone shouted from behind to stop them. Just as Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, that somewhat sinister voice continued: "The heretic priest in the front! The mage! Stop! The Radiant Lord is a tolerant and benevolent god. As long as you are willing to convert, I, Gordon Menewa, in the name of the Tribunal, guarantee your safety!" I believe you as much as I believe in ghosts! Suppressing the urge to turn around and curse loudly, Garrett clenched the Corpse Explosion ring tightly. He poked Bernard, signaling the barbarian to carry him to Captain Barnes, whispering: "After we pass the bend up ahead, kill two horses!" "Block them in front?" Bernard asked. "Yes!" Garrett raised his fist, showing the ring to the captain. "Given by the necromancer!" --------------- Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Gordon Menewa brimmed with excitement. Leading an elite judiciary squad of ten, including five knights, two at the sixth level, and himself, a ninth-level knight On the opposing side, though numbering 20, only three reached knightly stature, with the mightiest barbarian at the seventh level. More crucially, within the pagan group were two spellcasters! Merits! Merits served to him on a silver tter! The judiciary highly prized pagan spellcasters. If he captured both alive, whether coercing conversion or binding them to the pyre, the merits could secure his promotion, aided by the judiciary, to the coveted tenth level! The leap from ninth to tenth was monumental. Crossing it would elevate him to a grand knight, significantly boosting hisbat prowess and church standing. The more Gordon ruminated, the more his heart kindled. Urging the team to quicken, the substantial merits neared his grasp, yet the pagans ahead suddenly veered, vanishing behind the mountain bend. "Mellen! Fechi! Pick up the pace!" Gordon urged the front runners. The situation ahead blurred, and if not closely pursued, those pagansespecially the spellcastersmight slip away, shattering his merits and promotion dreams! Yet, Mellen in the lead abruptly pulled his horse''s reins, halting it. Fechi, caught off guard, swiftly halted his mount, narrowly avoiding a collision. The horses neighed incessantly, circling in ce. Were it not for the cliff on one side and a gentle slope on the other, the two knights and their steeds might have tumbled. "Why the halt!" Gordon fumed. Yet, Mellen, undeterred by his anger, not only refrained from advancing but dismounted, proceeding on foot. "Captain, up ahead... it''s blocked!" "Then clear it! All of you, move up!" Gordon answered without hesitation. Mellen, Fechi, and the two knight squires in the front advanced to clear the road. Mellen casually hung his greatsword on the saddle, muttering, "Block the road by killing these horses? Ridiculous, as if they can''t be moved..." Horse corpses? Horse corpses! Gordon shuddered, every hair on his body standing on end. Instinct trumped reason, and the knight captain bellowed: "Back! Retreat!" Boom! A deafening explosion. Horse corpses, dragged out by the knights, simultaneously erupted. Dry branches and leaves rustled down, loose rocks on the cliff fell with a rattle, shaking the ground. Even Gordon, about ten meters away, couldn''t escape. The shockwave pushed him back, causing a momentary lean. Limbs, flesh, and strange fluids burst open, flying in all directions. Gordon raised his round shield to shield his face, blocking the blood rain. Mellen and Fechi in the front were less fortunate, the two knights squires screamed: "Ah" "Eyes, my eyes" "My face" Corpse explosion? How could it be a corpse explosion?! Gordon''s head buzzed. There were only two spellcasters on the other side, one with an oak staff, a nature god devotee; the other, by attire and spell traces, likely an elemental magenot a necromancer! Could there be a third spellcaster? Could he have misjudged, and a necromancer lurked among them? "Attention, everyone! Another necromancer!" He warned loudly. Checking, Mellen and Fechi weren''t severely injured, just sshed with corpse fluid, quite tricky. Gordon excelled inbat, his healing spellscking. The two knight squires... Sadly, no rescue was needed. Linde Ferrell''s mage ring given to Garrett for corpse explosion proved top-notch, no discounts. Gordon helplessly faced his subordinates'' injuries. Giving them a brief cleaning and helping them onto their horses, he instructed Vilbo, his scolded squire: "You take them back, take good care!" Only four killed? Garrett nced back at the barbarians with regret. Corpse explosion couldn''t alter the oue. Soon, the judiciary knights, fierce, caught up. Garrett''s team fell, soldiers without horses running. Finally, ke, youngest and lowest-level, tumbled, holding an ankle. "Captain!" The boy''s voice hinted at tears. He struggled, trying to shake off Captain Barnes''s hand: "Don''t worry about me! Run, run quickly!" Twisted ankle? Ruptured Achilles? Fracture? Garrett wanted to heal but was carried by Bernard, running forward, unreachable. Urgent, pursuers with bows. Barbarians no longer carried him on their backs but in front, broad backs shielding him. Garrett couldn''t break free, so he threw a potion: "Healing potion! Use it!" The fallen disappeared. Soon, Captain Barnes caught up, eyes red, running with head down. Later, a distant scream came from the mountain road. "...We can''t go on like this." Captain Barnes resolved. He stopped, took off his bow, lovingly stroked it: "We stop! Let''s fight them!" "Fight!" Shield warrior York responded first. Falling from his horse, he''d wanted this, but the captain stopped him. Hearing Captain Barnes, he turned, erecting his steel shield: "I''ll be at the front! Barnes, you go behind mego up!" Warriors silently formed a formation. Killing five horses, they piled them at the mountain bend, forming cover. York in front, two low-level shield warriors behind horse corpses, shields raised. Captain Barnes and another archer climbed higher. Remaining warriors with spears and knives formed a small killing formation behind the shields. Daniel the mage abstained. He stood aside, looking atrades in life and death, face flushed: "My magic''s almost used up... give me a knife..." --------------- Chapter 144 Chapter 144 Daniel''s spells were rapidly dwindling, depleted by the relentless pursuit and the sleepless night of running. At this point, a mage without spells was practically powerless, and the judiciary officials were closing in, tightening their grip on the fleeing group. A fully-equipped fourth-level mage differed greatly from one who had exhausted all spells. While thetter could be easily defeated by a level 1 warrior, the former posed a formidable challenge, even against a group of knights in formation. "Go quickly!" Captain Barnes wasted no time and forcefully pushed Daniel away. He then turned to Garrett, torn by hesitation. ording to protocol, spellcasters had the right to evacuate first when situations became dire. Garrett should leave, but the question of whether the barbarian could join the formation lingered. Although the barbarian was the team''s powerhouse, enhancing their overall strength, the customary practice dictated that followers were only responsible for their protectees. If Garrett chose to leave, the barbarian had no obligation to stay. Captain Barnes pondered, wavering. Garrett, however, turned to Daniel, the mage: "Yes, you go quickly! While walking, cast an illusion spell, make it seem like we''re still escaping, catch them off guard!" Daniel bit his lip, turned his horse, and with the thundering sound of hooves, created the illusion of a group of people on the road, echoing in the distance. Meanwhile, Garrett had already opened his pouch, distributing healing potions to everyone. "Take it. I might not be able to attend to youter; remember to drink it yourselves!" "Garrett, you go too!" Captain Barnes finally made a decision. The young priest should not die hererisking great danger to confront the Radiant Church, such a valuable young priest should not meet his end in this predicament. The judiciary''s pursuit team was formidable. Even if the barbarian escorted the young priest away, survival chances were slim. However, if Garrett stayed, even that slim chance might evaporate. "Go quickly! Let Bernard take you!" Captain Barnes shouted, urging Garrett to leave. However, Garrett hesitated, taking two steps back and looking at the barbarian with a pleading expression: "Bernard, can you... hold them off?" "The warriors of the North don''t abandon theirrades!" Bernard replied loudly, raising his bone club and striding forward. With his imposing stature and long legs, Bernard covered the distance of two steps in one. He joined the formation, standing shoulder to shoulder with two shield warriors. The barbarian, gripping the bone club with both hands, slightly bowed, pointing it forward. Then, he turned to Garrett: "You''re good! Bernard will follow you all the way!" "Good!" Garrett nodded heavily. After removing the stopper, he swiftly drank an energy potion, feeling a refreshing surge in his mind. Clenching a vial of oxygen, he confidently stepped forward: "I still have spells! The one you sawI''m with you!" "What''s the range?" Captain Barnes turned abruptly. Without hesitation, Garrett replied, "30 feet!" "Go behind Bernard! Bernard, protect the young priest!" The sound of hooves thundered as the pursuers closed in. Garrett felt his heart trembling along with the ground. Dada dada dada, dada dada dada. This wasn''t good, he thought, trying hard to regte his breathing This heartbeat should not give the opposing cavalry a rhythm to follow! If they discoveredter that the rhythm was induced by fear, not actual damage to the heart, it would be a source of amusement for the emergency room staff! Moreover, those observing from the sidelines could also mock him... Garrett''s thoughts were a jumble, and his breath became more rapid. At the turning point on the other side, however, the knights of the judiciary slightly slowed their pace, organizing their rhythm. The sound of hooves gradually became uniform, and the knights'' prayers grew louder: "Our Lord, our Lord, you are divine in heaven; Our Lord, our Lord, you are thew on earth; May your radiance shine on the earth, as it does in heaven; And we shall be your sharpest des" A dazzling, bright white light gradually illuminated from the other side of the bend, piercing through the mountain walls. The cold sword lifted the horse''s corpse, shing it horizontally and vertically, splitting the heavy horse carcass into four pieces, rolling towards Garrett! "Take action!" Captain Barnes shouted. York raised his shield, two shield warriors raised their shields beside him, and Bernard roared while thrusting his bone club upwards. Simultaneously, the opposing knight''s warhorse neighed, and a great sword, carrying wings of white light, shed down heavily. Boom! The earth shook. Garrett stood behind Bernard, five steps away, feeling as if he was standing on an exploded bomb, swaying back and forth. In front of him, the tall figure of the barbarian bent, his legs and belt burst open simultaneously, and blood spurted from his mouth. On both sides, the shield warriors, led by York, staggered and fell backward. "Again!" Bernard roared, his eyes turning red, muscles bulging one after another. He tore off the beast skin on his shoulder, gripping the bone club with both hands, and took a step forward. On the opposite side, the dismounted knight, wielding a sword in both hands, charged forward: "Come again!" The light was blinding. Garrett vaguely saw a radiant glow rising from the barbarian''s bone club. He raised his head and howled, like some ancient giant beast; while the leader of the radiant knights on the opposite side had an angelic phantom above his head, swinging a long sword just like the knight Another colossal explosion! The knight''s sword collided with the bone club. The glow of the giant beast disappeared in a sh, and Bernard sprayed blood all over, flying backward, crashing into the mountain wall. Cracks spread across the massive bone club, shockwaves sweeping around, and the surrounding shield warriors fell in a radial pattern, shields haphazardly covering themselves Even Garrett, lifted off the ground, rolled several times in a row. In the terrified eyes of everyone, the knight who had fought with the barbarian staggered but stood steady, lifting the sword forward. "Surrender." The man ignored the chaos on the ground, steadily advancing. He lowered his face mask, the icy sword and the cold gaze both pointed at Garrett: "Young priest, you can''t escape now. Surrender, swear allegiance to the Radiant Lord, and in the name of the judiciary, I, Gordon Menewa, promise you won''t die!" Gordon took step by step forward. The young priest''s robe had only one leaf, and at the tip of the oak staff in his hand, there was only one leaf fluttering a level one priest couldn''t disy much. Even if given one hand, he could be easily dealt with "Don''t hurt himcough, cough, cough, don''t hurt him" The barbarian roared, struggling, using the bone club toboriously climb up. Standing up, spitting blood, falling down, spitting blood, standing up againGordon nced indifferently and turned his head. Then, he saw the young priest climb up in a sorry state from the ground, his left hand reaching into his pouch, his right palm pushing forward tly, making a somewhat familiar and somewhat unfamiliar gesture. "#@%" A zing white torrent of mes surged forward. --------------- Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Pure white mes spewed forward in a 10-meter range, forming a 60-degree cone, centered around Garrett Nordmark''s outstretched right palm. The eruption to impact took just a moment, not even a full second. As Gordon Knight approached, he showed no reaction, allowing his face to be bathed in the scorching white mes. The 1st-level priest of the god of nature, a low-level opponent in the eyes of a 9th-level knight like Gordon, seemed like a joke. Gordon, confident in his superiority, made no effort to guard against the oing attack. Then, the mes surgedbright, dark. In an instant, Gordon Knight lost his sight. He couldn''t see the small priest rolling on the ground, the enemy drawing a bow and shooting, or even an arrow flying past him towards hisrade. He saw nothing, felt nothing. From Garrett''s perspective, the knight across from him froze in the white fire, facial features disappearing, even the surface of the skull revealing ck holes. The facete, helmet, and armor on the front burst into bright sparks, metal beginning to burn. "This person is doomed," Garrett thought. Crouching on the ground, he rolled to the side, reaching into his pouch with his left hand to grip the second tube of oxygen. The enemy, hit by the high-temperature mes head-on, suffered third-degree burns, with skinyers charred into the muscles and bones. Eyes, ears, nosedestroyed. Even if the brain didn''t char, cerebral edema leading to shock would quickly ur. Observing the burning armor, Garrett spected on the charred throat, trachea, carotid artery, and more. Suffocation and death in minutes. "This is the first person I''ve killed with my own hands," Garrett thought silently. The detachment he felt, as if watching everything through a screen, was a stark contrast to the reality of the moment. On the mountain path, silence ensued. The judges'' knights, the squires, the special forces soldiers, and the barbarian Bernard froze in their movements, dumbfounded. Gordon Knight, the captain of the pursuit team and the strongest on the scene, was engulfed in white mes, standing motionless on the ground. Hair, cloak, armoreverything was burning. Garrett''s second wave of white mes hit another squire who couldn''t evade, and both man and horse copsed into a pile of ck ashes. The judges'' knights turned and fled in the instant the second wave of mes spewed out. By the time Gordon Knight fell, the pursuers from the judges'' faction had vanished. Bernard fell to the ground, his legs giving way. Garrett, despite feeling weak, rushed forward, first checking on Bernard, then tending to the injured special forces members. The intense skirmish left Garrett busy attending to the wounded. Shouting for help, he directed the application of emergency examinations, surgical procedures, and healing techniques simultaneously. As the sun rose over the mountain, the injured were finally sorted out. Returning to Bernard, Garrett found the barbarian catching his breath, vigorously gnawing on horse meat. Another row of horse meat roasted on the fire, the horse Garrett had killed with the rear half not yet burnt. The rogue, with one arm wrapped in bandages, sliced horse meat rapidly. "Bernard, how are you?" Garrett asked. "Mmm... tasty... you eat too!" Bernard replied, offering a piece of steaming horse meat to Garrett. A big piece of horse meat, dripping with grease, nearly hit Garrett in the face. Subconsciously taking a step back, he plopped down on the ground. "Garrett!" "Little Garrett!" "Your Excellency Priest!" Seventeen or eighteen voices erupted from the group of neen present. Captain Barnes and Bernard rushed to help him, almost tearing Garrett in half. Reacting quickly, they avoided the embarrassing situation. Garrett fell back to the ground,cking the strength to protest. Exmations erupted again, making his dizziness worse. Cold sweat oozed out in waves. "I''m fine... I''m just hungry... give me a bottle of Level 10 candy..." A moment of silence followed. No gentle nurse wiping his sweat, no familiar glucose solution flowing into his mouth. Instead, arge, hard, tough thing was forcefully stuffed into his mouth. Garrett chewed, and his teeth almost got stuck. "Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm... I wanted glucose! Not malt sugar!" "I told you he can''t!" Bernard thundered in his ear. "Why sugar! What he needs is meat! Eat meat!" --------------- Chapter 146 Chapter 146 "What? Menewa is dead? Four dead, two injured in the pursuit team?!" Bishop Hoke in the red robe was shocked and angry. His thin face turned from blue to white, then white to blue again. On his sharp, bald head, it seemed like steam was about to burst out Hoke couldn''t help but be astonished and furious. Although he led a massive army, it didn''t mean he couldmand all ten thousand of them freely. In fact, among these ten thousand troops, there were several factions with different backgrounds and motives: The Holy Knights of the Holy See, the ck Cavaliers of the Tribunal, the armies of the Galorin Kingdom and the Rhine Kingdom, the private armies of local lords along the way... Each had their own thoughts, each had their own backers. The royal army always aimed to preserve its strength; Among the local lords, there were always a few young men orbiting around the Radiant Lady; The ascetic monks paid no attention to anything but the glory of God; The Tribunal would asionally grab someone and execute them... As themander of this army, he could handle the army ording to the strategy predetermined by the Holy See, but dealing with things that were not particrly publiclike capturing some heretics to execute, searching for the heretics who sank the ship and blocked the river, saving his face as themander... For him, the Menewa team was a rare and highly effective weapon. Moreover, Gordon Menewa himself was a 9th-level knight, just one step away from bing a grand knight. If he couldn''t retrieve the situation, it would be like getting pped in the face. "The dignity of the Radiant Lord cannot be profaned! Whoever harms the Holy Knights of the Holy See must pay with blood!" In just a moment, Hoke made up his mind, stood up with dignity, and his red robe fluttered: "Master Tnto, pleasee over! Knight Faelmor, pleasee over! AndDeputy Referee Lusen, pleasee over!" Master Tnto was the first to arrive. He was the one who prayed in the skyst night. In the cold weather, he still had bare feet, wearing a rough linen white robe with no hem and a thorny crown on his head. Lowering his head, he twirled a string of wooden beads, seemingly indifferent to everything. Only when he saw the charred body of Gordon Menewa did he stop twirling the beads for a moment, and a hint of anger shed in his eyes: "Heretic?!" "Brother Menewa was indeed killed by heretics." Bishop Hoke, in the red robe, bowed respectfully. "Master, please discern what kind of evil magic he died under." Master Tnto lowered his head to look. A knight attendant who had escaped was standing beside him, muttering continuously, describing the tragic situation of the captain. Master Tnto seemed oblivious, focusing on the examination, even reaching down to touch the twisted edge of the armor. Soon, the sound of armor nking echoed as Knight Faelmor and Deputy Referee Lusen arrived together. Knight Faelmor, entering the room, immediately said: "What are you still looking at? Isn''t it an evil mage! Knights shouldn''t bother with these thingnd the army, charge in, and tten them all! By the way, when will the waterway be open?" "I think it needs to be investigated," Deputy Referee Lusen retorted in a cold and harsh tone. His expression was stoic, and his eyes moved slower than others, making the room feel a few degrees colder: "I''ve asked the returning team. There were worshippers of the evil god inside, disturbing the dead, and an evil mage. These are evildoers who profane the radiance of our god. I suggest collecting information about them and adding them to the wanted list of the Tribunal." "This is your duty." Bishop Hoke, in the red robe, nodded in agreement. Deputy Referee Lusen nodded slightly, and Knight Faelmor snorted coldly and turned his head. Master Tnto, who had been staring at the body as if no one else was present, suddenly spoke: "Dragon''s Breath." "Dragon''s Breath?" the other three eximed simultaneously. Master Tnto nodded affirmatively: "Yes. Brother Menewa was a 9th-level knight with strong physical strength. Within 30 feet, a conical me burned him into this state in an instant... It can only be Dragon''s Breath; it can''t be anything else." Seeing that no one responded, he continued to exin: "Dragon''s Breath is a 4th-level spell, which means the opponent is a mage of level 7 or above..." "Don''t you need dragon scales for that?" Interrupted by Deputy Referee Lusen. In his stiff eyes, a sudden hint of heat shed, as if a quiet corpse had suddenly turned into a flesh-eating zombie: "They obtained dragon scales?!" Bishop Hoke, in the red robe, quickly nced at him and then turned his head as if he hadn''t seen it. Master Tnto, seemingly oblivious, continued leisurely: "The evildoers who y with magic have a long history, often making deals with demons. Some evil dragons'' scales are not umon." "Evil mages must be purified!" Bishop Hoke, in the red robe, dered with solemnity. He looked around at the three, saying proudly: "Masters, please dispatch your forces to uphold the dignity and glory of our god!" "The radiance of our god should not shine on just one person." Master Tnto said indifferently. He nced at the charred body on the ground, crossed the threshold, and left. His bare feet, kicking on the wooden deck, made a crisp sound, reminiscent of the collision of dry wood. "I need to inspect the training of the knights." Knight Faelmor also took his leave. Jokingly, Menewa wasn''t a member of the knight order, so why would he send people here! The honor of the Temple Knights was on the battlefield, returning ashore, forming a formation, charging, and ttening the army of heretics, upying their territorythat was what the knights should do! Hunting, capturing, wanted lists, and seizingleave them to the Tribunal to handle! Bishop Hoke politely saw them off and then looked expectantly at Deputy Referee Lusen. Sure enough, this senior executioner of the Tribunal, straightening his cloak, said chillingly: "Purifying heretics is the duty of the Tribunal. Brother Menewa''s unfinished business will be taken over by the ck Cavaliers of the Tribunal!" "Thank you, Referee!" Hoke rejoiced. He personally escorted Lusen out, and halfway through, the deputy referee suddenly turned and pressed one hand on the goldenpass on the shelf against the wall: "..." Hoke instinctively felt a bit uneasy. Deputy Referee Lusen stared at him steadily, his eyeballs not turning for a long time, reflecting the figure of Bishop Hoke in the reddened pupils. Facing each other alone, Lusen''s voice became colder, as if a vocal cord had been buried in the soil for twenty years and was unearthed without being oiled: "Exorcism Compass. Give it to me... I want to use it to detect evil fluctuations and find those heretics." ... This is my private thing! It was hard to kill a wizard and snatch it! The bishop''s heart twitched. However, in the face of Deputy Referee Lusen''s icy gaze and considering the consequences of enmity and losing face, he reluctantly pulled the corners of his mouth: "You can borrow it for three days... 7th-level or higher mages should be easy to find." "Thirty days!" "Three days are enough, right?" "Two months!" "Alright, thirty days then!" Damn, thispass is what I use to hunt mages afternding! This is like splitting it in half! Lusen nodded silently, took thepass, and left. He returned to his own ship, activated thepass after twenty squads of Tribunal ck Cavaliersnded to search, and looked closely when he reached the ce where Gordon died... "7th-level mage... none. 6th-level... none. 5th-level... still none. 4th-level... they''ve run twenty miles away! Cowardly devil! Chase after them!" Hooves thundered, and they rolled away. Garrett and others huddled in the mountain hollow:... Who are they chasing? Us? Did they go in the wrong direction? --------------- Chapter 147 Chapter 147 The recent pursuit by the tribunal, despite being in the wrong direction, had brought significant trouble to Garrett Nordmark and hispanions. Why? Because of their sheer numbers. Deputy Chief Judge Lusen, despite underestimating the strength of Garrett''s group, spared no effort in deploying manpower. Twenty squads, 200 men, mounted on fast horses, spread out like a wide. Garrett and his team had been running through the mountains for two days, attempting to slip to the edge of the mountain path several times to find a way back to the main camp. However, they always encountered cavalry spreading out like a, blocking the outer perimeter of the mountain area and every exit. They were tightening the circle inward. "It''s impossible, we can''t get out," the stealthy one, Linde Ferrell, hissed as he slid down a grassy slope and entered a cave. "They''re getting closer and closer... Hurry up, retreat inside!" The warriors got up in a disorganized manner, grabbing spears, hoistingrge swords, and carrying shields. Garrett, on the other hand, was being carried by a follower. The shield warrior, York, anxiously looked at the entrance of the cave and then turned his expectant gaze toward the captain. "This won''t work! We only have one day''s worth of rations left. If we can''t break through, we''ll be trapped here! We need toe up with a n!" "A n..." Captain Barnes furrowed his brow even tighter than before. In just one day, his face, covered in red stubble, had be disheveled, with a series of blisters forming at the corners of his mouth. He hesitated as he looked at the surrounding soldiers, then at Garrett, and finally at a few injured soldiers. "There''s one way, but it''s too risky..." "What way?" several voices asked simultaneously. Captain Barnes grimaced and then decisively spoke: "Cross the river!" They chose to cross the river in the middle of the night, just as the moon was approaching its zenith. At this time, the rising tide of the Dov River was about to end, and the ebb tide had not yet begun. The fleet of the Radiant Lord could hardly move upstream along the river at this time. With the power of the rising tide offsetting the current, they wouldn''t be pushed too far downstream. In the deep winter, the river water was ice-cold. Garrett undressed, stuffed his clothes into his bag, and cast a Bubble spell to envelop himself. Then, taking a deep breath, he activated the Cold Resistance Heat Resistance magic ring given by Linde. Finally, he lunged forward, grabbing onto a tree trunk tightly. Bernard clutched the other end of the tree trunk with both hands and lowly eximed, "Hold on tight!" With a ssh, they, along with the tree trunk, entered the water. The river water felt slightly cool, like the refreshing sensation of swimming on a summer afternoon. Garrett knew it was the effect of magical protection. Cold Resistance Heat Resistance allowed him to feelfortable in extreme cold ciers and scorching deserts. Almost immediately, a chorus of gasps and teeth chattering sounded around him. How cold must it be for those without magical protection? Could they endure it? The warriors without magical protection, the ones who had just healed superficial wounds, could they endure it? Garrett worried silently. As sshing sounds surrounded him, Bernard propelled the tree trunk, vigorously moving towards the opposite bank. "Bernard, are you okay?" Garrett asked quietly. The barbarian roared softly, "Warriors on the cier aren''t afraid of the cold! Keep quiet!" Yes... Stay quiet. Don''t let the enemy discover. Garrett clung tightly to the tree trunk, letting Bernard take him forward. In front and behind him, people swam silently. Some moved urgently, some at a steady pace, some slowing down... Suddenly, a low and miserable voice sounded urgently: "Captain... I can''t go on..." "Hold on! I''ll save you!" "I can''t... My leg has cramps... Captain, tell Lucia not to wait for me..." The voice gradually faded away, gradually extinguished. In the darkness, Garrett couldn''t see the person''s face or identify who it was. In just a few days of being together, he hadn''t been able to recognize each soldier solely by their voice. It''s all my fault, Garrett thought bitterly. If I had progressed further on the path of a mage, reached a higher level... Cold Resistance Heat Resistance could make everyone fearless of the cold. Floating Disk could create a horizontal disk with a weight capacity of 100 pounds. Touch of the Sea could give people the ability to swim rapidly. At the very least, Activated Rope could pull people back... But I don''t know any of these! At that time, I only chose a few magic spells that seemed helpful for healing and directly improvingbat power, and then I plunged into the hospital! He leaned on the tree trunk, vigorously sshing water, lightening Bernard''s burden a bit. A few hundred meters, not too short, not too long, as long as they didn''t fear the severe cold, the speed wasn''t slow. Before long, Garrett felt a tremor under his feet, and he had stepped onto the opposite riverbank. Bernard turned back to help hisrades. Garrett, dragging his backpack and leaning on an oak staff just taken from the tree trunk, rushed desperately along the mountain path, finally finding a recessed mountain wall and hastily lighting a bonfire. For a while, soldiers from the special forces climbed onto the riverbank, each one frozen with a bluishplexion, huddling around the fire. "Fortunately, there''s a mage in the squad." "Yeah, without that, in this cold weather, we couldn''t even start a fire." "Warm up by the fire for a bit, then move quickly." Old York stomped his feet vigorously on the outer circle. The physical fitness of a knight was a step above ordinary warriors, and the circting battle aura dispelled the cold for a while. "We''re too close to the riverbank here. Be careful not to be seen by the enemy''s firelight... Run a few dozen miles further, away from pursuers, and we''ll be safe!" As he spoke, a loud voice suddenly rang out. On the opposite bank of the Dov River, on the top of a high cliff, a voice thundered like lightning: "They''re on the other side! They''ve crossed over!" "Run!" Bernard was the first to jump up, grabbing Garrett and leaving. Garrett turned back and urgently shouted: "Put out the fire! Put out the fire!" The group rushed frantically into the darkness. In the chaos, Garrett nced back and saw a warrior standing tall on the mountaintop, putting all his strength into throwing a shield. Another person leaped into the air, stepping on the shield, instantly crossing half of the river! A master! Such a formidable master! Although he couldn''t fly through the air yet and probably hadn''t reached level ten, with this level of skill, he could catch up to the knight, Bernard, who was heavily injured! Garrett shuddered. With such a master in pursuit, the special forces couldn''t take care of each other. Everyone had to run for their lives, and whether they escaped or not depended on individual luck. A journey of escape, a journey of battle. The next morning, in the faint light of dawn, Garrett was finally cornered on the mountaintop. On his left and right, only Bernard, the barbarian, and Captain Barnes, who had lost an arm, remained by his side. Ahead, a small team of ck-d knights formed a formation, steadily approaching. Two held shields, two wielded spears, and one brandished a heavy sword. On the helmets of the leading two, there was a row of golden stars shimmering brightly. One level eight, four level fives. There were also shouts of people running uphill, and some were desperately crossing the river on the opposite bank... "Little Garrett, I''m sorry." With things havinge to this point, Captain Barnes gazed at the river water from a distance, smiling bitterly. "If I had known it woulde to this, when blocking the river, I should have let you go first." "Without me, how would you have blown up the ship?" Garrett smiled back. He put down his backpack,id the oak staff horizontally at his feet, and once again gripped a tube of pure oxygen. "Let''s fight first! With just these few, I don''t believe we can''t handle them!" I still have seven tubes of pure oxygen in my bag! And ten tubes of potassium permanganate! Five opponents in total, burning one is one down, defeating three is breaking even, defeating four is a profit! Even if not, I can time travel again! --------------- Chapter 148 Chapter 148 With a t palm push, white mes spewed forth. The fierce mes surged recklessly. In front of the mes, two ck-armored knights simultaneously lifted their shields and stepped forward. The kite shields, half the height of a person, emitted a white light, directly charging towards the mes! The defensive divine magic of the Radiant Lord''s priesthood was indeed unique. Garrett Nordmark''s improved version of the Burning Hand had a minimum temperature of at least 1500 degrees, enough to ignite steel However, as the shields closed in on each other, the white light on the shields not only firmly resisted the mes but also expanded to the sides, up, and down. Behind the shields, the knights with face-concealing helmets and boots on the ground remained untouched by the mes! Of course, after withstanding this attack, the white light on the shields flickered twice and extinguished. Yet, the knight holding the shield remained unharmed, continuing to exert force and advancing within five meters of Garrett! "Charge!" behind the shield warrior, the swordsman with arge sword shouted loudly. "Dragon Breath Spell requires chanting time" The shield warrior continued charging. Two men with spears rushed from behind. Captain Barnes, with only his left arm, tightened his waist knife, while Bernard gripped a bone club with both hands, slightly bent at the waist At this moment, Garrett, with a forward-facing right palm, once again unleashed pure white mes. Dragon Breath Spell? What Dragon Breath Spell? This is my Burning Hand! A mere level one spell, with pure oxygen, I can almost cast it instantly! Pure white mes swept again. This time, the unsuspecting two shield warriors could only raise their steel shields to block their faces. "Ah" Two miserable screams. The kite shields, half the height of a person, covered their faces but not their legs. Where the white mes passed, shin guards and iron boots instantly ignited Not to mention the two legs inside the iron armor, the white mes passed, burning them ck and exposing the bones. The two shield warriors could still move forward, relying entirely on inertia. Bernard stepped forward, roared loudly, and with his bone club swept them away from the cliff! Almost simultaneously, Garrett briskly followed, pushing out the Burning Hand for the third time. The two ghostly soul knights, wielding spears, who were attacking from behind the shield warriors, were in a panic. One subconsciously rolled to the ground, while the other dodged to the right, attempting to avoid the conical spread of the white mes. However, Garrett had studied this magic for a long time. At this moment, he pressed his palm slightly downward, and the scorching white mes engulfed the knight rolling on the ground. Then, with a swing to the side, the mes engulfed the second spear-wielding knight. Thest ck-d knight, wielding a heavy sword, turned pale and fled. On the opposite bank of the river, the goldenpass of Deputy Referee Lusen suddenly lit up. "He''s nearby!" he knelt down, murmuring a prayer. Soon, snowke-like lights descended from the sky, crystallizing into pristine wings behind him and his team of knights. "He''s on the opposite bank!" Lusen held the rotatingpass and a golden pointer on the dial straight towards the opposite hill. "The evil heretic is there!" This team of knights were his trusted subordinates, having followed him for quite some time. Now, in an orderly formation, they soared high into the air. They formed a formation, protecting Deputy Referee Lusen in the middle, and descended towards Garrett''s direction. Here theye again... This time, the enemies were more numerous and stronger. Garrett looked up at the descending formation of ck-d figures, feeling his heart pounding. ording to Elder Elwin Wilkinson, only those above level tenGrand Mages, Archbishops, Sky Knightshad the ability to fly through the air... Even if they were flying with the help of magical items, with their level and quantity, they were definitely not opponents they could confront. Is this the end? Are we going to go through this again? Garrett quietly took two steps back, hiding behind Bernard, and drank thest vial of energy potion. His face was cold, breathing steady; he gripped the fourth vial of pure oxygen. Above his head, the ck-armored knights continued to hover, castingrger and heavier shadows "Surrender, you evil heretic!" The shouts thundered down. Garrett remained silent, raising his right hand with the palm facing upward. Too far away... How far is ten meters again? Without a reference point in the nting sky, it was hard to estimate, but it was definitely out of reach... Come down a bit, and I''ll show you! Garrett thought fiercely. Anothermand from above: "Land, in formation! Pray!" Half of the knights descended, forming a formation twenty meters away from Garrett, armed with spears, swords, and shields. The other half continued flying in the sky, forming a queue, surrounding Deputy Referee Lusen. Above and below, they chanted together: "Our Lord, you are the divine in heaven; Our Lord, you are the creator of all things; Our Lord, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." Waves of white light rose again, condensing on the shields, armor, and each knight. Then, the knights advanced calmly and unhurriedly. Garrett''s test tubes were almost crushed in his hand. He breathed rapidly, opened his left hand, gripping three test tubes at once. His right hand raised t, pointing forward. Counting the steps of the opponents, counting his own heartbeat, one by one: Ten steps... Nine steps, eight steps, seven steps... Four! Three! The opponents suddenly charged. The white mes from Garrett''s palm spewed out. The first shot! Ineffective! The second shot! The white light on the shield wavered slightly but remained ineffective! The third shot! The fourth shot! The fifth shot!!! Garrett''s vision went ck. With his mental power, he could only cast a level one spell five times a day, and there had to be some interval. Squeezing them out almost instantly drained his entire spirit However, the knights on the opposite side, only extinguished the white light, and their shields and armor were unharmed! They had alreadye over... Three steps away, Bernard''s bone club was already raised... The sixth shot! The ring finger and pinky finger reached into the waist pouch, grabbing the mana pearl given by the old mage. A sh of light, and white mes roared. Garrett fell backward, looking up at the sky. Three steps away, the intense white light illuminated the terrified faces of the knights. "God says, whoever worships me, I will protect him." Suddenly, a prayer echoed in the sky. Not fast, leisurely, calm, but as soon as the first word was uttered, a white light lit up on the shield, just resisting the white mes of the Burning Hand! The knights continued to charge. Bernard roared, raised the bone club high, and swung it down with a wind noise Boom!!! A semi-transparent sphere descended, perfectly covering Garrett and the other two. The bone club deeply prated the sphere, and the charging shield warriors were bounced back. "Lusen, you''re getting more backward as you live, actually bullying a level one kid?" --------------- Chapter 149 Chapter 149 A Level 1 kid? Are they talking about me? Garrett tilted his head, trying hard to look up, but the angle was so steep that he couldn''t see anything. He decided to just lie down on the ground,pletely stretching himself out, limbs extendedah, much better. Then he saw it. Behind his head in the void, a magical airshipor should we call it a shuttle? Since it was quite smallpared to the legendary Zeppelinhovered. In any case, it was the first flying contraption Garrett had seen since crossing into this world. A short distance from the airship''s hatch, three mages stood casually, seemingly his saviors. The one in the lead stood in the void, robes fluttering. The person on the left seemed to be standing on something, shing intermittently, and Garrett couldn''t quite see. As for the person on the right, they werefortably seated on a flying horse, which asionally snorted. Oh, a flying horse! Garrett''s attention was immediately drawn to it. The horse was entirely snowy white, with smooth fur devoid of any discoloration, and only the gently shimmering wings had a rainbow glow. It stood peacefully in midair, looking serene and elegant, incredibly inviting to touch. Garrett''s eyes were practically glued to the sight. Meanwhile, on the opposite side, Vice Referee Lusen seemed to be facing a formidable enemy. He gestured, and five warriors flew into the air, forming a formation around him again: "Karel! Why are you here?!" "Why can''t Ie?" The mage at the forefront took a step forward. His movements seemed casual, as if there were transparent steps under his feet, allowing him to ascend effortlessly. In the morning light, his golden robe billowed in the wind, like a small sun hanging in midair. With each step forward, Lusen took a step back. Two steps forward, Lusen retreated two steps. By the third step, Lusen changed direction and fled to the east. Bright feathered wings left a long trail of mes, and soon, they disappeared from sight. Only then did the three mages slowly descend to the ground. Garrett got up from the ground, still a bit dizzy. Thanks to the barbarian who helped him, he managed to stand firm. Karel, the leading mage, looked Garrett up and down for a while, and the more he looked, the brighter his eyes became: "So, it''s really you! It''s either through some magical item, or it''s your spell! Not bad, not bad, interesting! What''s your name?" "Garrett Nordmark." Garrett quickly introduced himself. Karel raised his eyebrows and looked up, squinting slightly: "This name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before? ... Who is your teacher?" "I studied at the Mage Tower in Harnd City, under the supervision of Mage Gelman." Garrett could only answer this way. Karel thought for a moment, looking up at the sky: "Gelman...? Seems like I''ve heard of it. Right, I remember now, Lorenz''s disciple?" "Yes. ...Master Karel, thank you for saving my life." Garrett seized the opportunity to express his gratitude amid the questions. Karel waved his hand: "Hey, I didn''te to save you! The detection crystal sensed abnormal fluctuations here, so I came to check. Turns out, someone shamelessly bullied a kid. By the way, why did youe here? A Level 1 mage like you shouldn''t be on the battlefield!" Garrett chuckled. He wanted to exin everything in detail, but his mental exhaustion,bined with the extreme tension and narrow escape, made his brain spin. Seeing him swaying and unable to stand steadily, Karel couldn''t help but smile: "It''s not convenient to talk here. Come, follow me to the airship, and we''ll talk slowly. Are those two yourpanions? Bring them along!" "We still have people in our team below" Garrett hurriedly exined. Master Karel nodded: "Barnes, handle it." A knight saluted beside him and went down. Garrett followed the knight''s back with his gaze but was prodded by Captain Barnes a couple of times, and he could only briskly catch up. The airship soared into the sky. As everyone sat down and chatted, Garrett learned how he was rescued: Master Karel wasn''t a local reinforcement; he came directly from the Magic Council. For the past few days, airships from the Magic Council had been circling in the distance, monitoring the movements of the Radiant Lord''s fleet. Early this morning, the surveince screen of the airship detected abnormal magical fluctuations, one after another. Karel immediately made a decision to change the course of the airship and take a look Judging by the timeline, it was precisely when he was trapped on the mountain top, burning three hands in a row to eliminate four people. In a way, he saved himself. "So, how did you end up here?" Master Karel, leaning against the porthole, asked again. "You''re from Harnd City... shouldn''t you be in the camp on the opposite side?" Garrett could only recount his experiences of the past few days. Master Karel pped his hands andughed: "I wondered why the ship suddenly sank, making us wait for several days. It turns out it was your doing! But, you have courage, and you did it beautifully!" Garrett slowly opened his mouth wide. After racking his brains, racing all night to blow up a ship, block the river, and then being chased in the mountains for days, nearly losing his lifeonly to hear from the Grand Mage of the Magic Council, "making us wait for several days"? So, even if he didn''t blow up the ship, there were people specifically watching this fleet? Master Karelughed heartily but didn''t borate. The airship descended along the river, heading west at a leisurely pace. Before long, Garrett saw the battlefield on the ground With the Duofu River as the boundary, on the east bank, Count Norman''s coalition had crossed half the river and was entangled in a fierce battle with the Mind County''s army; on the west bank, half of the forces had yet to cross the river, and the Radiant Lord''s fleet had already sailed upstream, abandoned the ships,nded, and charged! Garrett leaned on the porthole, watching in cold sweat. They desperately blew up the ship, blocked the river, and then sent someone to inform the main camp, fearing precisely this scenario. The army, halfway through crossing the river, had their rear cut off by another fresh force It was easy to imagine how shaken the morale of the army, cut off in the middle of the river, would be. Among the troops below were hisrades, fellow soldiers, the warriors he had treated in these days, and the priests he had studied medicine with! Garrett tightly gripped the porthole, wanting to ask Master Karel for help, but he understood that in the face of such arge-scale battle, his influence was indeed too light. The airship didn''t approach the battlefield; it circled from a distance, heading north. Before long, another army appeared on the distant horizon. Rows were neat, banners fluttering. The deep blue hexagram g soared high, leading in front of each formationit was the army of the Magic Council! "Do you see it clearly? We''ve been waiting for several days, preparing to cut off their retreat." Master Karel finally stood up. He walked towards the ship''s door, cing his palm on the edge and suddenly turned around with a smile: "I remember now, you''re the kid who developed the new usage of ''Magic Detection.'' I''ve read your paperthe Magic Council''s training program. Why don''t you join us? After this battle,e with me!" --------------- Chapter 150 Chapter 150 Ten thousand soldiers, stretching endlessly. One hundred thousand soldiers, covering thend. The Magic Council, the Radiant Church, the allied forces of Count Norman, and the army of Mind County, more than forty to fifty thousand people, shed on both sides of the Duofu River, forming two battlefronts. Cavalry, infantry, catapults, archers and crossbowmen, spellcasters ¨C advancing, retreating, attacking, defending, all entangled in the chaos. Sometimes one side advanced, sometimes the other, and dust and cries of battle rose from the ground all the way to the sky. Garrett Nordmark looked down from the airship and felt as if he saw several giant dragons rolling on the ground, roaring and tearing, scales flying. Dragons battle in the wilderness, their blood mysterious and yellow. "Do you see anything?" Suddenly, someone beside him asked. Garrett quickly turned his head and stood up: One of the three archmages who had left the airship this morning, the one with the strange glowing substance on his shoes, was questioning him. He couldn¡¯t afford to be careless and promptly answered: "Our forces have the advantage." "Oh?" "The Radiant Church intended to take advantage of the allied forces¡¯ck of defense and bite them from behind. If they seeded, the allied forces would be in chaos, and the battle would be over." Garrett quickly scanned the area below: Although half of the allied forces had crossed, the trenches, deer fences, and shield warriors held firm, resisting the Radiant Church¡¯s assault. The ck g with lightning symbols made several charges, but the fortress remained unshaken, effectively blocking the Church¡¯s attempts. "Then, the Magic Council¡¯s army blocked their retreat. With both sides working together, victory is within reach." "Excluding the extraordinary individuals, that¡¯s indeed the case." The questioner nodded gently. "But do you know how many level 10 or above extraordinary individuals are in this war?" "Count Norman is level 12, the Grand Priest of the Temple of the Spring Goddess is level 11," Garrett tried to recall, "Elder Heath seems to be level 10, and the others... um..." "The ones from the Radiant Church chasing you today, Lusen, is the Vice Chief Justice of the Tribunal, level 13." The old mage answered leisurely, stroking a small bird affectionately. The bird pecked affectionately at his hand, and as Garrett looked closely, he noticed that the bird¡¯s back seemed to have metallic scales rather than feathers. "The Grand Knights of the Knights Order should be on par with them. The leader of the Red Robe Church is one level higher, and as usual, there will be a penitent monk leading the way. Of course, our side¡¯s Carlisle is also level 14, not inferior to them." Garrett nodded in confusion. Since he transmigrated to the present, he hadn¡¯t witnessed high-level experts above level 10 going all out, so he had no concept of it. The old mage nced at him, not intending to exin further, just pointing casually below: "It has begun." As thest syble lingered in the room, the airship suddenly jerked, descending heavily. Garrett was thrown upward, narrowly avoiding hitting the ceiling. Bernard rushed over and grabbed him. A few steps away, the oval-shaped cabin door suddenly opened, and a chilling wind rushed in. The cold breeze hit Garrett¡¯s face, making him instinctively close his eyes tightly. A gentle force pushed him back into his seat. When Garrett opened his eyes again, the old mage had already stepped out of the cabin door and walked away. Why doesn¡¯t this airship have seatbelts? Garrettined inwardly but knew that those qualified to ride this airship probably didn¡¯t need seatbelts. He rushed to the window to see three figures rising side by side above the Radiant Church, arranged in a T-shape. The person in the red robe held arge book with both hands, bowing slightly. The one in the white robe held a round sphere in one hand, and the ck-robed figure tightly gripped a long sword. The three were identical, kneeling in the air, and their soft voices echoedyer byyer: "Our Lord, may your holy name be glorified; May your kingdome; Forgive us our sins, as we forgive others..." On the ground, the church army prayed in unison. The sound grew louder, filling the entire space between heaven and earth. The white light in the sky and on the ground connected into one. The person in the red robe raised his right hand high, pressing it down, and the white light copsed, rushing like mountains towards the opposing army. "For the glory of the War God!" "For the mercy of the Goddess!" "For nature!" Three shouts echoed high. A burst of azure light, a gathering of iron-blooded red and ck brilliance, and a cluster of vibrant green light rose, struggling to withstand. However,pared to the white light opposite, the foundations of the three colored lights intertwined and seemed somewhat disordered. In a short time, they were gradually pressed down inch by inch. How are the teachers? How is the bald bishop? Garrett pressed his forehead against the window, holding his breath. In the chaos, he didn¡¯t even notice that it was the Magic Council army, newly joining the battlefield, that was being suppressed by the white light, not Count Norman¡¯s allied forces. The teachers, the bald bishop, and hisrades he cared about were not under the white light. The azure light gradually lowered, eventually shattering, and the iron-blooded glow and the green light were also gradually pressed down. At that moment, a thin tornado rose, spinning and rising from the ground! The tornado broke through the water. In the first rotation, it grew one circle, rising by a tenth; in the second rotation, it grew another circle. Garrett had only taken three to five breaths, and the tornado had grown to the height of the ship¡¯s mast, simultaneously sucking in an unknown amount of river water. ncing at the riverbank in a hurry, Garrett saw that the water level of the Duofu River had noticeably dropped, revealing a section of damp riverbank. Then, with the tornado¡¯s rotation, the river water condensed into fine ice des in the wind. Wind des, ice swords, circled at high speed around the Radiant Church¡¯s fleet, one circle, two circles... Gradually, a grating sound joined the tornado, the deck cracked, the hull damaged, masts toppled! The ship was gone, no way to go home! The church army was in chaos for a moment. The Holy Knight Order in the center of the formation could still hold, but above the kingdom¡¯s army and the local lords¡¯ forces, the white light had started to ripple slightly. This movement caused the suppressed emerald light to lift its head like sprouting grass. The three high-ranking priests leading the divine arts acted decisively. The one in the white robe held the sphere to his chest, the ck-robed one raised the long sword high. The copsing white light condensed into the shape of a long sword, shing forward with the motion of the ck-robed figure. The sky cracked. The long sword pointed to the sky, piercing a hole in the densely clouded sky. The sword moved, cutting through the cloudyer in the sky; when the long sword fell, the clouds in the sky were split in a line. At the moment the sword fell, the might of the entire sky was carried by the light sword¡ª And this sword, this dazzling light sword, was directly aimed at the flying airship, shing towards Garrett¡¯s face! That gaze illuminated Garrett¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t have time to react¡ªactually, even if he did, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered. In his field of vision, a small ck figure shot out like an arrow, flying farther andrger, the size of a fist, a basketball, a carriage, a house... From Garrett¡¯s perspective, it was a flying creature, or something that looked like a flying creature, at least Garrett had never seen a bird with metallic scales on its back. The creature, resembling a flying bird, spread its wings and rushed head-on towards the light sword, pecking, pping wings, tearing with ws, fiercely fighting. In a cacophony of sour sounds, the light sword gradually prated the flying creature, from the top of its head to its tail, splitting it in half. A loud noise. The flying creature disintegrated in mid-air, steel pieces, springs, screws... ttering, scattering everywhere, hitting the hull of the airship several times. The nearest onended next to the window, just two inches away from potentially breaking the window and causing harm to Garrett. Nevertheless, the alchemical flying creature had already fulfilled its mission. Above Garrett¡¯s head, on top of the airship, a golden light once again soared, resisting the shrunk light sword by seventy percent. And in the ground battle, azure, ck-red, and emerald lights rose again, intertwining with the colorful magic lights. Empowered by the Magic Council, the army shouted in unison, forming an iron wall, pressing towards the opposite army! The sun gradually leaned. Garrett looked down at the river through the window, unsure if the river was dyed red by the setting sun or the blood of the warriors who fell into the river, dead or wounded. Chapter 151 Chapter 151 Great victory! Great victory! The Magic Council achieved a great victory! Not only did they win decisively on various battlefronts, annihting the fleet of the Radiant Church and leveling the allied forces in Mind County, but also on the main battlefield, in the royal capital, the joint forces of the Magic Council and local nobles sessfully repelled the rebels, imprisoning the newly crowned false king! However, all of this was no longer relevant to Garrett Nordmark. After hastily meeting with his teachers, including the bald bishop, he exined that he was going to the Magic Council headquarters for further studies. Soon after, Archmage Carlisle carried him onto an airship. He had already missed three months of sses! Why dy going to headquarters for sses any longer? Garrett found himself thrown into a training ss in arge room with seventy or eighty people, filled with young boys and girls. The number exceeded that of Garrett¡¯s middle school in his previous life. When Garrett was led in, all eyes turned towards him. "Who is this? ¡ªWhy is heing in sote?" Towards the back in the middle of the ssroom, a blond young man nced backward and whispered to his seatmate. The girl sitting next to him also cast a nce at Garrett, then turned straight ahead, only the beautiful lobe of her ear subtly swaying with pearl earrings: "I don¡¯t know... but he looks so in, doesn¡¯t seem like the child of any master..." "He might be a student? Otherwise, how did he manage to get in? My cousin couldn¡¯t even secure a spot!" Behind the girl, another one leaned forward and whispered. Immediately, someone from across the aisle interjected: "Yeah, they say each county only gets one spot. Age, level, research achievements, everything matters. It¡¯s tough!" "Who knows whose achievements he snatched to get in..." Garrett: "..." Seriously, do you guys think I can¡¯t hear you? He pretended not to have heard anything. The ssmates in the ssroom ranged from barely 20 to those who hadn¡¯t fully grown yet, roughly a group of students from grades eight to twelve or freshmen in college. It was a time when teenagers didn¡¯t know the taste of worry, and these were talented youths sent from various ces. It was absolutely impossible for them not to gossip. Arguing with a bunch of kids, wasn¡¯t that just regressing? Garrett selectively ignored them; after all, his original self was only 16 years old, a bit younger than the median age of this group. He stretched his neck to look at the podium. The Magic Council had invested heavily this time, and the mages teaching them were all mages of level ten or higher. Whether the teaching was easy to understand or not, Garrett hadn¡¯t heard yet, but at least that level¡ª The first ss had just begun, and Garrett¡¯s eyes were caught by the golden thread on the teacher¡¯s robe. Level eleven. Appearing to be in his forties, agile and nimble in his movements, not relying on the mage level to slow down aging, the kind of person who exuded vitality and was truly promising at level eleven. ¡ª¡ªIn his previous life, this would be equivalent to having a group of top professors lecturing to students in a prestigious university, wouldn¡¯t it? He marveled silently. The teacher, with a cheerful smile, stepped onto the tform without carrying any textbooks or chalk. cing a small box on the tform, a crisp metallic sound echoed from inside. Garrett straightened up, gazing intently. The teacher casually waved his hand, and in the air, lines of text and drawings materialized: "Today, let¡¯s talk about the ¡¾Ear-piercing Whistle¡¿. This is a level 1 sound-based spell, the foundation of the Sonokic spells in the stic energy category. Pay attention, it¡¯s not in the same category as the level 0 ¡¾Illusory Sound Art¡¿, and the principles are different, so when learning, never apply..." Two spell models appeared in the air at the right moment. The ck model lines, specially marked with red lines at key nodes, were clear to any mage with eyes that these two spells were significantly different and couldn¡¯t be interchanged. Magic tricks, yet again, butpared to Master Lorenz drawing tables on the wall during the magic tower assessment, this use of magic to create illusions in the air was much more impressive. Garrett marveled silently and, along with his ssmates, bowed their heads to hastily transcribe. "The ¡¾Ear-piercing Whistle¡¿ series progresses upwards, with the 2nd level being ¡¾Shattering Sonic Waves¡¿, the 3rd level being ¡¾Disturbing Noise¡¿, the 4th level being ¡¾Roar Technique¡¿, all the way up to the highest level, ¡¾Wail of the Banshee¡¿. Usually, we can cast ¡¾Ear-piercing Whistle¡¿ relying solely on the spell model without the need for casting materials..." He paused and opened his mouth. The students in the ssroom hurriedly set up various defenses ¨C shields, mage armor, even casting a simple spell like ¡¾Enhance Resistance¡¿ on themselves. Once everyone was prepared, the teacher took a deep breath, and a sharp whistle pierced through. ...Good gracious, is this akin to a dolphin¡¯s screech? Garrett¡¯s face contorted on the spot. Left and right, the faces of other students twisted to an extent that rendered them unrecognizable,pletely losing their initial elegance. The teacher chuckled: "In theory, a mage can use all their mental energy for casting ¡¾Ear-piercing Whistle¡¿ in a single day. However, in reality, no one does that. Do you know why?" Why? Garrett silently pursed his lips. The teacher noticed his movement at a nce and pointed casually, arge bright yellow mark falling on his head: "The gentleman in the back row, please answer!" Garrett subconsciously wanted to raise his head. Teacher, the mark on my head, is it an exmation mark? Or perhaps a question mark? Are you marking me as an NPC? He tried to focus, stood up, and answered, "The sonic attack of ¡¾Ear-piercing Whistle¡¿, although amplified by magic, is fundamentally the mage¡¯s own scream. Such high-frequency sounds can severely damage the vocal cords..." ncing around, seeing his ssmates all bewildered, he immediately changed his words, "It severely damages the throat. Therefore, unless confident in one¡¯s healing abilities, it¡¯s better to control the frequency of casting or keep curative potions handy." Once a day is fine, five times a day, eight times, ten times ¨C sir, even if your vocal cords haven¡¯t torn, they must be swollen, right?" So which mage thought of directly using their throat to howl ¨C couldn¡¯t you carry a flute, a whistle, or at least a tuning fork? At the front of the ssroom, the teaching mage opened the box and raised a metal tuning fork... A low murmur filled the room. Garrett pretended to transcribe the teacher¡¯s lecture, swiftly jotting down on his notebook, "¡¾Ear-piercing Whistle¡¿ can use a tuning fork as a casting material, and there should be a corrtion between the frequency of the sound waves and the length of the tuning fork... If you want to produce subsonic or ultrasonic waves, you¡¯ll need to find other materials..." The mage patiently waited for the students to finish transcribing. He rummaged through the box for a moment, pulling out a piece of parchment: "Besides causing harm, sound-based magic also has various applications. Thetest issue of ¡¯Ordinary Arcane Monthly¡¯ features an article titled ¡¯Exploring the Use of Sound Waves in Magical Detection Through Small Bat Flight Experiments,¡¯ along with the new magic created from it, which is an excellent example..." The mage spoke at length, giving high praise for the research approach in the paper, the process ofparative experiments, the principles of magic, and the application prospects of using high-frequency echoes for environmental detection. Meanwhile, Garrett sat at the back of the ssroom, with only one word echoing repeatedly in his mind: Ultrasound! Ultrasound!!! Chapter 152 Chapter 152 "Did the teacher really ask us to research bats?" "I dont want to, theyre so dirty..." "Are you stupid? Ive seen the evaluation of that echo magic: groundbreaking, but limited by the creators power, theres a lot of room for improvement. Theres no easier magic to score points with! And its an apprentice-level magic, perfect for our research!" "After dinner, lets go buy bats!" "Count me in! Well go together!" The young boys and girls walked out in groups, discussing the research topics left by the great mage. Garrett trailed behind, hearing that about half of the seventy or eighty people nned to get bats, causing him to break into a cold sweat. After the ss on sound-rted magic, the great mage assigned a task to everyone: improve the echo detection magic or explore their own unique magic by referencing the ideas from bat flight experiments. A word was spoken, andmentations arose. The training courses schedule was flexible, with one major ss per day, leaving the rest of the time for self-study, experiments, and research. Ten days for each of the eight schools, with two days off, and on the eleventh day, it started all over again. A monthly quiz assessed mental strength growth and magic learning progress. A quarterly exam evaluated students magic research results. Although not all the post-ss assignments had to bepleted, anyone who had conducted research knew: Having a mentor point out the direction for your topic in research is invaluable! Especially in a direction with a low entry threshold, rich ideas, and relevance to current hot topics! The students eagerly rushed towards the opportunity. Garrett also wanted to initiate research rted to ultrasound, but as he searched and inquired along the way, when he reached the magical materials center in the academy, the salesperson regretfully informed him: "Sorry, bats are out of stock." "Not even one?" Garrett was shocked. His ssmates were really good at clearing out inventory... But perhaps bats were a niche magical material, and the center didnt have much in stock? He thanked the clerk and went out to inquire. Their training course was at the Bridge Magic Academy, right at the foot of the Magic Council headquarters. It was a bustling area. Garrett walked less than five hundred meters after leaving the school gate and found a small shop specializing in magical materials. When he entered, someone was inquiring about the price of bats: "Bats? 5 gold coins for a live one, 1 gold coin for a dead one. Big or small, same price." "5 gold coins?" Garrett was shocked. He did have some savings gifts received during the hospital opening, allowances received after the war, and the teachers secret fund beforeing to the Magic Council. It added up to over a hundred gold coins. It seemed like a considerable amount, but if used to buy bats, it would disappear in an instant. And that didnt include the money for other experimental equipment and animals! Researching magic really burned money, indeed. "What? 5 gold coins?" the magician asking the price eximed, "Are you kidding? It was only 1 silver coin eachst month!" "Buy or not?" The clerk urged a bit impatiently, "Only 12 left!" "Why did they sell out so quickly... Hey, look, the sizes of bats here are all different,pletely different species. Not very useful... Can it be cheaper?" "A lot of people have been buying recently, and theyre all sold out!" The clerk replied very skillfully, obviously having answered countless times in these past few days. "So, are you buying or not?" The magician hesitated for a while but still paid the bill, buying up all the remaining stock in the store. Garrett had no choice but to go out and ask another store, only to receive the answer: "Themon ck bat is 5 gold coins each, fox bat is 10 gold coins, fruit bat is 8 gold coins, and blood-sucking bat is 25 gold coins. How many do you want?" Garrett: "..." Too expensive. When he asked a third store, the clerk answered with a pleasant smile: The boss has gone to restock, if you want, pay a deposit, and well reserve a batch for you. "Well... When will the next batch of goods approximately arrive?" Garrett Nordmark tiptoed, ncing at therge cabs behind the store clerk. The merchandise cabs at the Materials Center looked quite simr to the traditional Chinese medicine cabs he had seen in his past lifetowering cabs reaching from floor to ceiling, each drawer neatlybeled with material names. Each drawer was notrge, about seven to eight inches wide and three to four inches high. As Garrett pulled one open, he noticed that inside, it was further divided into at least twopartments... "One can only imagine how much eachpartment can hold," Garrett thought. "As for the delivery time? Hard to say," the clerk leaned against the counter, arms crossed. With the current low customer flow, there was some idle time, and Garrett, with a warm smile, inquired further, eager for a bit of gossip. "This stuff wasnt in high demand initially, maybe selling a dozen in a month at most. But suddenly, a lot of people are buying. Not just here, every small store in the city is getting wiped out. Rumor has it that adventurers are going into the mountains to catch bats..." "In these few days... how many bats have been sold in the market?!" Garrett had a growing sense of unease. ncing around the shop, seeing no sign of the owner, he extended a finger and silently pushed a silver coin across the counter. The clerk nced at him, quietly took the coin, and continued to shake his head. "Hard to say. Our store is average, maybe two or three hundred. Just on this street, at least three stores arerger than ours. As for the academy, council headquarters, and ces like that..." He paused, tilted his head in thought, then made a sucking sound, clicking his tongue. "Hard to say." Garretts ominous feeling intensified. One store, two or three hundred bats; four stores, over a thousand. Add in the academy, the Magic Council, and the like, and it might double... How many people were messing around with bats? With so many mages, how many innovative ways would there be to experiment with bats?! This thing was a walking virus! In his past life, he had read about bats carrying over 4,100 types of viruses, including over 500 coronaviruses! Was Eb not terrifying enough when it killed people? Was the power of SARS insufficient? Or did Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)ck presence? Even the less-known Marburg virus, Nipah virus, Hendra virus, Hantavirusone after another, they were not easy to deal with... It was fine when things were calm, but now, with dozens or even hundreds of mages all rushing to study bats, withouttex gloves, without protective masks, without protective eyewear, without positive-pressure protective suits, without a P4boratory capable of effectively isting the virus... No experience, no protection, and they still wanted to study live subjects. If even one of them got infected, by some stroke of bad luck, it could spread person to person, and the epidemic could sweep through the council headquarters! Garrett took a deep breath, then exhaled deeply. The excitement of wanting to study ultrasound from the lecture hadpletely faded, reced entirely by a sense of unease. How could he stop this bat research trend and eliminate the potential risk of an epidemic? --------------- Chapter 153 Chapter 153 How can we eliminate the risk of infectious diseases? Garrett Nordmark spread out his paper and quill on his desk. The Magic Council had treated them well, allocating a dedicated dormitory at the Bridge Academy, located below the headquarters mountain, for the visiting schrs. Despite arrivingte, Garrett managed to secure a private room with a bathroom. The room was equipped with a bed, bookshelf, wardrobe, and various furnishings. Though smaller than the suites in the Mage Tower, it was sufficient for Garretts needs. With tranquility, Garrett began writing his thesis. The quill glided across the pristine paper, not as convenient as a ballpoint pen but still serviceable in this era. Garrett, having experienced the challenges of transcribing books onto low-quality thick paper, found the current writing conditions satisfactory: "Research on the Possibility and Prevention of Diseases Caused by Close Contact with Bats" Keywords: Bats, Diseases, Contagion, Virus Host Garrett paused his pen. Bats carry over 4100 types of viruses, making them a source of many diseases that asionally erupt. However, without high-powered microscopes, proving this point was a daunting challenge. Well, this was indeed a serious challenge. Putting down his quill, Garrett rested his chin on his hand, absentmindedly tracing his jaw with his thumb. He pondered on the fact that his expertise was in clinical medicine, not research. Even if those researchers were given a scenario where theycked resources and couldnt afford bats, ten out of ten would be infuriated. Garrett nced around the room. Various tools were at his disposal alcoholmps, sks, crucibles, test tubes aplete set of simple alchemical equipmenty neatly arranged. Tworge bottles of high-concentration alcohol sat nearby, looking harmless. The microscope was still in its box, yet to be unpacked. Surgical instruments were in another box, tightly wrapped and unopened, unsterilized. During his deployment on the battlefield, he had adopted a moving-house approach, packing almost half a hospital. Fortunately, that proved useful; otherwise, would the Magic Councils airship have taken a detour to fetch his luggage? Garrett was confident it wouldnt. However, these alchemical devices surely wouldnt assist him in conducting experiments. Garrett mentally crossed out the possibility, thinking of the P4boratories he had seen in the news, andparing it to the alchemical equipment before him, which couldnt even match a high school chemistryb. Garrett began to search another small box. Aen Stone, Healing Potions all useless. Confirming that all his current magical equipment was of no help, Garrett expressionlessly pulled out a letter from his teacher. After some consideration, he retrieved his paper on bacteria and dysentery, magically duplicated it, tucked it into his waist pouch, and briskly walked out of the academy. "Bernard... Bernard!" The academys single rooms were only sufficient for Garrett himself. Of course, a barbarian could sleep on the floor, but Garrett didnt want him to feel cramped or add another over two-meter tall giant into the limited space. So, for the time being, the barbarian was amodated in an inn. Garrett nned to explore and find a house to rent when he had time after ss. However, for now... "Bernard, apany me to Oakridge. Lets seek help from the teachers friend!" At the foot of Oakridge, Elder Wood of the Nature Cult was in distress. Over the past few days, he had treated several adventurers fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting... Superficially, it didnt seem like much a trip into the mountains, catching a cold or eating something bad, falling ill was normal. But upon careful questioning, all of them had recently, within a month, ventured into the mountains to catch bats! "Dont provoke bats." This was an ancient teaching of the Cult, passed down for a long time. The reasons for it were unclear. These creatures were nocturnal, ugly, and not particrly tasty, so people usually didnt bother catching them. But in recent months, the Magic Council had stirred up a trend of capturing bats... And now, a patient presented before him, who, after a fever, sore throat, and muscle pain, was now struggling to breathe! "What? A visitor? From Newster County?" Elder Wood impatiently waved his hand to his student. "Arrange a ce for him to stay. Once I cure this patient, then we can talk to him!" "But..." The Nature Cults house wasnt that big. Garrett, presenting Elder Elwins letter, had already been led in, standing on the side. Elder Wood treated the patient, and Garrett, with his neck stretched out, silently counted the breaths. Even if the respiratory rate didnt reach 30 breaths per minute he wasnt certain without a watch it was at least 27-28 breaths per minute! Is this... approaching respiratory distress? Elder Wood raised his oak staff, murmuring a prayer. A shower of light fell, and the patient seemed to improve a bit, managing to cough up a thick phlegm. However, the treatment didntst long, and soon, the patient returned to a state of struggling to breathe. Interesting. What was the principle behind this treatment? Enhancing the lungs ability to exchange oxygen in the alveoli, or directly increasing blood oxygen saturation? Garrett quickly spected. Seeing the elder casting the second treatment, still only maintaining, not improving, he stepped forward. "This patient has a lung problem! He needs to inhale oxygen!" "Inhale... what?" Next to Elder Wood, a level 5 priest and an apprentice looked on. Garrett took out a small tube of oxygen from his pouch and held it up: "Part of the air we breathe is essential for human vitality and is also a crucialponent for firebustion! The vitality of humans and mes is sustained by it! If the concentration of this gas increases, the power of burning mes will multiply. See for yourselves!" He pulled out a small twig, lit it, and swung it until only sparks remained. Inverting the test tube, the barbarian drew a dagger and skillfully cut off the bottom. Garrett swiftly inserted the twig into the test tube. The moment the brilliant mes erupted, the eyes of the three priests lit up. "Fire works this way, and so does life! This patient is struggling to breathe; ordinary air isnt enough for him. He needs to inhale this pure gas!" Is that so? The servants of the god of nature remained skeptical. The room fell silent, with only the patients rapid breaths and the asional sounds of the bellows-like wind machine. Elder Wood suddenly reached out: "Child, let me see that tube in your hand." Garrett quickly handed over the new test tube. Elder Wood held the smooth walls of the tube, examining it from all angles, but couldnt make sense of it. Finally, he had to ask Garrett: "Child, is the gas in this tube what you call pure and capable of sustaining human vitality?" "Yes!" "Using it will help the patient?" "It helps, but its scarce! We need a lot of this gas... its best to have a mask covering the patients face or insert a tube directly into their lungs." Venttors, oxygen pipes, or at least an oxygen tank; what use is this small test tube? Elder Wood frowned in contemtion. Holding the tiny test tube in his left hand, he suddenly raised his right hand, pointing the oak staffs tip towards the patient: "Lets give it a try then." The tip of the staff, adorned with green leaves, gently swayed, and a translucent bubble materialized out of thin air, enclosing the patients head. It was the bubble technique Garrett had learned. A level 1 mage or a level 1 priest could use it. The seasoned priest effortlessly employed the spell. "I pray: Fill the bubble with the same gas as in this ss tube, sustaining human vitality, allowing the patient to effortlessly inhale..." Garrett was dumbfounded. No potassium permanganate heating, no high-pressure separationdirectly using divine magic to gather pure oxygen? Sir, are you sure what youve gathered is truly pure oxygen? Is there no contamination, like carbon monoxide? What is the underlying principle here? Regardless, this peculiar divine magic indeed had an effect. The bubble techniqueor rather, the bubble serving as an oxygen maskgradually stabilized the patientsplexion, and the bluish tint on their lips began to recede. Oxygen inhtion, or whatever it was, was truly effective! --------------- Chapter 154 Chapter 154 With the support of pure oxygen (?), the tug-of-war between healing spells and the ailment finally broke the deadlock. Elder Wood maintained the pure oxygen (?) bubble spell, while the level 5 priest beside him continuously chanted healing spells, sessfully suppressing the patient¡¯s symptoms. After finishing the treatment and sending away the patient, Elder Wood looked at Garrett Nordmark with eyes that had suddenly risen by 60 degrees Celsius. If it was around 40 degrees before, likefortably warm water, with the impression of "Oh, a disciple from a faraway ce," after Garrett demonstrated his skills, it instantly skyrocketed to 100 degrees Celsius, bubbling and on the verge of boiling. Elder Wood was inherently mild-mannered. This amiable old man stared at the ss tube in his hand, his eyes eager to fly out of their sockets, itching to examine the gas inside the tube with his fingertips. However, after several nces, he averted his gaze and handed the ss tube back: "Thank you! Hmm, you are Garrett Nordmark, Elwin¡¯s disciple, right?" Garrett quickly handed over the letter. Elder Wood scrutinized it page by page, both surprised and amused: "Acting as both a priest and a mage? Dying the Magic Council¡¯s training tobat the gue? Even going to the battlefield with it?¡ªNot bad, not bad. Elwin has taken in a good apprentice." His gaze towards Garrett became even more affectionate: "Your teacher has been a good friend of mine for many years. He asked me to continue teaching you divine magic. From now on, you¡¯ll be like being by your teacher¡¯s side while you¡¯re with me. If you have any doubts or need assistance, just ask." "I do have something to ask for the Elder¡¯s help." Garrett seized this opportunity, eager to continue: "Today in the academy, my teacher assigned a research project..." He narrated his experiences today in detail. Elder Wood initially listened with a smiling face, but as Garrett expressed his spections and concerns, his expression turned serious. When Garrett finished sharing his guesses and worries, Elder Wood frowned, nced at the door, and the kind smile vanished from his chubby face: "What you say makes sense. Recently, I¡¯ve treated several patients who went into the mountains to catch bats. I¡¯ll write a letter now to remind acquaintances in the council." "Writing a letter from the Elder would be great." Garrett sighed in relief: "But I think we still need to prove the connection between these diseases and bats, or at least demonstrate a high likelihood of getting sick when in close contact with bats. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid convincing those mages will be difficult. They might think that adventurers falling ill has other causes." "Hmmm..." Elder Wood pondered. He unconsciously twirled his beard as he contemted. The ck and white intertwined beard curled around his index finger, getting tighter and tighter. Seeing this, Garrett was worried that the beard might be plucked off directly. Fortunately, Elder Wood was ustomed to this movement. After circling clockwise seven or eight times, just as the beard reached its limit, he began to twist counterclockwise. After several rounds back and forth, he finally looked up and asked Garrett directly: "What¡¯s your n?" "I have some ns, but I can¡¯t do it alone; I need help." Garrett had already formted a n before setting out, refining and expanding it several times on the way. Now, he presented it smoothly without stumbling. As he spoke, he couldn¡¯t help but marvel silently¡ªif only he had this eloquence when applying for research projects back in the day, maybe he would have pursued a career in research: "My n is divided into two parts. First, research the current patients. Elder, please contact nearby healers to investigate their cases. If we can find a batch of patients among those who recently had close contact with bats, and their symptoms are simr, we can preliminarily conclude that bats can cause illness. Especially for adventurers who go into the mountains to catch bats, the shopkeepers and staff who sell bats, and mages studying bats, if they all have simr cases, the evidence bes more apparent." Elder Wood nodded gently. He released his twisted beard and blew on his fingers¡ªindeed, a white strand of beard fell off. The old man regretfully looked at his fingertip, then raised his head, presenting a steady and reliable expression: "That makes sense. You don¡¯t know the local healers; I¡¯ll contact them. And the second part?" "Experimentation." Garrett finally got to the crux of his plea: "My n is to find live bats, various types, and keep them with different healthy animals to see if those animals get sick. We need to choose various animals, rabbits, sheep, horses, pigs, and preferably monkeys. Also, considering we don¡¯t know how bats transmit illness, I suggest finding additional animals and letting theme into contact with bat saliva, urine, feces, or be bitten by blood-sucking bats..." Garrett spoke for several minutes. As Elder Wood¡¯s astonishment grew, he smiled apologetically and finally concluded his speech: "Now, bats in the market have already risen to five gold coins each... I can¡¯t afford them, and I have no ce to keep them. I can¡¯t afford so many animals, and there¡¯s no one to take care of them, so..." He spread his hands, looking at Elder Wood with a fervent and pleading gaze, conveying a clear message: "I¡¯m relying on you." Elder Wood once again began to twirl his beard. He traversed the width of the room from east to west and then from west to east, measuring it twice. Suddenly turning around, he asked: "The disease adventurers contracted may have nothing to do with bats." "Yes, I know." Garrett replied calmly. Elder Wood nodded: "If you capture so many animals and study so many bats, there¡¯s a possibility of not getting any results in the end." "The possibility is high." Garrett agreed with his opinion. Not obtaining results was the most probable oue. The Nature¡¯s Divine Sect had limited financial resources, and the experimental animals they used might not be suitable, or the disease could be directly transmitted from bats to humans without any intermediary host. Or, it could just be bad luck¡ªno encounter with the transmission probability, or no observation of signs of animals getting sick¡ª Garrett¡¯s gaze was too clear and too tranquil. Elder Wood couldn¡¯t help but look at him for a moment longer, then raised a third question: "It¡¯s possible that after those mages mess with bats, no one gets sick in the end." "That would be the best-case scenario." Garrett didn¡¯t hesitate. If no one fell ill due to bats in the end, he would be joyful even if the whole endeavor ended up being ridiculed. Elder Wood looked at him deeply once again. Then, the old man transferred the oak staff to his left hand, extended his right palm, and patted Garrett heavily: "You¡¯re good. A true healer. So, bats, other animals, and the people to take care of them¡ªI¡¯ll handle it for you. You settle down here¡ªoh, no, you have to attend the Magic Council¡¯s training..." "Then go back and rent a house, make sure it¡¯s spacious enough for about two hundred animals. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, at most three days, people and goods will be there!" "Thank you so much, Elder!" Garrett was genuinely grateful. Elder Wood casually waved his hand, "It¡¯s nothing! The Guild can afford this money, and besides, if you achieve something, the money can be reimbursed from the Magic Council!" "Ah?!" Garrett, who had just sessfully negotiated with the White Wolf empty-handed, was momentarily stunned, humbly epting the offer. "Alright, you just wait to gather people and goods¡ªanything else you need?" "Well, I also need some means to iste people from bats. Since I know they are dangerous, it¡¯s not good if I get infected myself. It would be best if they can¡¯t bite me or spit on me. If an animal sneezes, I won¡¯t inhale anything..." Garrett replied nervously. In reality, he wanted to set up a P4boratory, or at the very least, a monkey version. For example, a negative pressure airtight chamber with an interlocking airlock, an exhaust pump, filtration, and burning the gases from the red zone. Without natural gas, he could consider hard burning, like Garrett¡¯s modified Burning Hand... But the rented house definitely couldn¡¯t handle such modifications. Even if he could afford a new house, the remodeling would be a massive project. Forget it, maybe he could ask if there were istion suits avable. "You¡¯ve thought it through." Elder Wood praised. He frowned in thought for a moment, "What you said makes sense. Wait a moment, I¡¯ll go get..." He turned and went inside. After a while, he came back with a pile of dusty clothes, handing them to Garrett, "Try these on, see if they fit?" Garrett examined each item. A ck, thick hat with a broad brim that could almost cover his eyes. Thick gloves that felt like he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything once he put them on. Clear ss eyesses, the quality of the ss was questionable, with some bubbles and cracks. A heavy, ck coat with a rough texture, possibly canvas, with a slightly reflective surface¡ªalmost like it was coated in wax. Garrett had a bad feeling. As he opened the coat, the essence of this outfit was revealed, confirming his suspicions: a bird beak mask. A long silver bird beak, not used for many years, oxidized to a dark color. Garrett tried to stretch it between his thumb and forefinger, finding it shorter than he expected. It had some straps around the edges, seemingly used to secure it on the head. Garrett picked it up and looked inside; the mask was filled with something that hadpletely decayed into residue, making it impossible to discern its originalponents. If his knowledge from his previous life was urate, there might have been herbs like mint leaves and rose petals inside, and if lucky, some spices like cloves, camphor, benzoin, and dragon¡¯s blood... You might as well give me activated charcoal! Although it¡¯s cheap and odorless, it¡¯s more reliable than these spices! Garrett felt like crying. Elder Wood continued speaking, "This is used to deal with the most severe gues. Initially, I thought it wouldn¡¯t be necessary. If you think you need it, you can take it and try it out." I... I wanttex gloves! I want protective clothing! I want N95 masks! Face shields! Safety goggles! Sorry, I¡¯ll neverin again about how stuffy the protective suits the hospital provides are. Every time I take them off, they¡¯re soaked... Tears streamed down Garrett¡¯s face. --------------- Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Garrett Nordmark finally returned to the academy, d in his bird-beaked coat. Well, ancient wisdom had its merits. At least Garrettcked the skill to craft medical-grade protective masks. It wasn¡¯t something he could patch up with needle and thread. Just take a look at the melt-blown fabric; even China Petrochemical Corporation had to roll up its sleeves and urgently deploy production lines. The sixteenyer gauze mask, also known as the Wu Liande mask, wasn¡¯t something Garrett dared to rely on. Sure, it worked against bacteria, like that time with Mr. Wu Liande. But against viruses? Well, everyone had seen the bloody lesson. Later on? Later on was, "Back in the day, we were poor and had only gauze masks. Now that we¡¯re rich, we¡¯ve also gained more knowledge ¨C enter the N95 mask!" Garrett also considered magical means. He cast a Bubble Spell, encapsting his forehead. Theoretically, this could iste the exchange of air between inside and outside, allowing the recipient to breathe only the air inside the bubble. In other words, if lucky, it could be used to block droplets. Then came the experimental phase. Bernard lifted a cup of waterced with ink and took a big sip. Then, he took a deep breath, unleashing his full lung capacity at Garrett. "Pfft!" Garrett Nordmark blinked his eyes, revealing two clear whites. His face, however, was now covered in ink spots, aplete mess. Alright, he couldn¡¯t withstand the water spray, and naturally, he couldn¡¯t resist sneezing. The Bubble Spell was the most reliable defense magic Garrett hade up with. So, the conclusion was that Garrett had to choose between the bird-beaked suit and the gas mask. However, after assessing his crafting abilities and consulting Bernard, he voluntarily gave up thetter. The gas mask, also known as the pig¡¯s nose, was a simple enough craft. It had a mask body, a filtering canister, and needed to fit the face tightly. Involving skills in leatherworking, cksmithing, and various other misceneous crafts, Garrett couldn¡¯t handle it. So, in the end, Garrett mournfully brought back the ancestors of theplete set of medical protective equipment. Then, he changed his clothes, grabbed his wallet, and hit the streets to find a ce for experiments, also a ce for the barbarian to stay. No choice there; the Magic Council provided amodation for trainees, but followers didn¡¯t get such treatment. In fact, even if someone dared to ask, the council could retort: "Why should a Level 1 Mage take on a follower?" "Oh, relying on family?" "Then continue relying on your family, don¡¯t expect the council to help!" Garrett, the alternative, broke away, legs wide open, and hit the streets to find a house. Standing at the academy gate, he looked up at the mountaintop and surveyed the surroundings. Looking southeast from the academy, snow-covered mountains meandered like a dragon, with storm clouds gathering on the highest peak. The grand Magic Towerplex of the Magic Council stood tall on the summit, piercing straight into the clouds. Garrett stood at the foot of the mountain, able to see shes of lightning and golden serpents dancing within the dark clouds. asionally, a thick lightning bolt would illuminate the tower. "¡­Which daoist friend is transcending the tribtion here?" Garrett mumbled softly, shifting his gaze downward. This constant thunderstorm environment obviously wasn¡¯t suitable for anyone other than top-notch mages to live in. Therefore, most mages, followers, and ordinary people who served mages gathered in the city at the foot of the mountain. It was called a city, but its shape wasn¡¯t the typical square. The azure bay deeply prated thend from the southwest, curving until it reached the foot of the mountain and turned northwest. The headquarters of the Magic Council was against the mountain and facing the sea, forming a townplex shaped like an inverted "C." With this kind of town, the standard of living was self-evident. Garrett walked along the streets for half an hour, passing through gardens, vis, restaurants adorned with granite pirs, three to four-story luxury hotels lined up one after another. He even saw a theater, where a mage was painting today¡¯s y advertisement on the white marble wall at the entrance: A handsome young man wearing a golden crown, embracing amon girl in a colorful vertical-striped dress, dancing elegantly. Pure whitembs nestled at their feet, and the young man and girl gazed into each other¡¯s eyes, both wearing happy smiles. The mage had his back to Garrett, waving his hands. The artwork wasplete, and as his fingers touched down, the y¡¯s introduction appeared in the nk space: "The Prince and the Shepherdess," starring: Edinson Linden, Matilda Rees. Uh¡­ putting aside the mage¡¯s painting skills, the magical coloring effect onlysted an hour. Disappearing every hour and having to be redrawn each time, this advertising method¡­ was quite extravagant. Garrett marveled. He walked from one end of the street to the other, casually skipping the vis since he surely couldn¡¯t afford them. Continuing forward, as he reached the outskirts of the town by thekeside, rows of small houses started appearing. Garrett went door to door, inquiring with seven or eight households until he finally secured an independent small courtyard. The courtyard was situated behind a two-story wooden house, originally likely a warehouse that thendlord had renovated. The lighting wasn¡¯t great, but the space was quite sizable, around forty to fifty square meters. A fence delineated a courtyard of over twenty square meters just outside the door. Exiting the house led directly to a vast wilderness. Further out, there were shrubs and forests, gradually extending towards the foot of the mountain. If Bernard wanted to stretch his legs, there was plenty of room. "...Little priest?" Thendy, with a vignt gaze, sized up the barbarian, then turned to Garrett upon seeing the green leaves on his clothes and the oak staff in his hand. Her expression softened gradually. "One gold coin per month, excluding meals. You can keep small animals in the house, but you must clean up properly. If I catch a whiff of any unpleasant odors, both you and the animals will be out immediately!" Garrett nodded vigorously. The courtyard was sufficient for residents and small animals;rge experimental animals could be amodated elsewhere. He tentatively asked, "Can I build a few sheds outside the back door?" "Whatever you want!" "Deal!" Three dayster, Wood Elder¡¯s disciple, Level Four priest Matthew, arrived at the small house with a group of pigs and sheep. Garrett slowly opened his mouth. "How much... do these cost?" he asked tremblingly. Matthew shrugged nonchntly. "What money? These are borrowed. Just return them when the timees. We¡¯re responsible for providing feed, feeding on behalf of the owner, and in case of death, wepensate¡ª the church will handle it, they¡¯re not afraid of not getting paid." He muttered a few words while holding the oak staff, and a ring of shrubs sprouted up behind the house, enclosing all the pigs and sheep. Then, he began unloading things from the carriage: a cage of rabbits, another cage of rabbits, yet another cage of rabbits... a cage of bats, a second cage of bats... "Are you going to tell me that these rabbits are borrowed too?" "Of course not!" Matthew looked at him strangely. "Servants of the God of Nature, borrowing a few rabbits? Just catch them in the woods. Oh, there¡¯s also a cage of white ferrets here; you mentionedst time that white ferrets are the best, so we brought a few. Couldn¡¯t get any monkeys, sorry about that." Garrett carefully observed; the cages for the animals were all made of vines, intricately woven, showing no signs of any chopping or tying. No need to ask, these were conjured by divine magic, and it probably didn¡¯t cost a single penny. "Then... the bats...?" "The teacher personally caught them!" Garrett: "..." I thought I was good at getting something for nothing, turns out there¡¯s someone even more skilled than me. Brother Matthew, with so many experimental animals, you didn¡¯t spend a penny, did you? --------------- Chapter 156 Chapter 156 For the past half month, aside from attending regr sses, Garrett Nordmark plunged into animal experiments. He and Matthew, each wearing a set of bird-beak protective suits. As for Bernard, he had to make do with a bubble spell and gauze mask, assisting with lifting and carrying tasks. Barbarian¡¯s constitution is +2? Or is it Toughness +2? Anyway, Garrett felt that the diseases he could catch would, at most, make Bernard sneeze a little... In any case, the safety of the experimenters was temporarily assured. Garrett carefully designed the process and, with the help of Priest Matthew, began the animal experiment: cing each healthy animal in a separate cage, paying attention to the cement and airflow to prevent cross-contamination between cages (Priest Matthew kindly conjured vines and wove cages with grass and leaves, calling up the earth to form walls and separate the cages); One-third of the experimental animals, each cage containing a bat, to observe if the experimental animals living with bats would be infected; One-third of the experimental animals treated differently: adding bat urine, bat feces, bat saliva, or dust collected from bats to the feed and water, or using a cotton swab dipped in bat oral secretions to wipe the nostrils of the experimental animals; The remaining one-third were kept in normal cages as a control group. Feeding every day, observing the animals¡¯ conditions, and writing daily records... Garrett was truly grateful to Priest Matthew. He could build cages, raise earth walls, catch sheep, pigs, rabbits, and bats urately, and never make a mistake in adding food and water, nor did he find cleaning the animal cages too dirty. Without his help, this animal experiment would truly be impossible to carry out in a day: Garrett himself tried to catch a rabbit once, reaching into the cage to feel for about a minute but couldn¡¯t catch it. The end result was the rabbit kicking his hand on the back. If he hadn¡¯t pulled his hand back quickly, he suspected his fingers might have been broken.Not to mention the lightning-fast white ferret, the mountain-goat-like sheep, and the hundred-kilogram ck pig... Garrett just nced at them and abandoned the idea of doing it himself. He stood beside and directed Priest Matthew, "Catch this rabbit! Turn it over! Measure its temperature! Stick the thermometer in! - Hey, don¡¯t put it in its mouth. I only have one thermometer; don¡¯t let it chew on it! Mercury is poisonous!" "...Then where should I put it?" Garrett stared at Priest Matthew¡¯s eyes under the bird-beak mask, lips tightly closed, resolutely silent. Priest Matthew wasn¡¯t just doing all the hard work because of the teacher¡¯s instructions. In fact, every time he did something, he had countless questions to ask: "Why do we need so many different animals?" "Because we don¡¯t know which disease bats can transmit." Garrett looked at the cages with regretful eyes. So many? I still think we haven¡¯t prepared enough! Theoretically, mice, rabbits, dogs, pigeons, and the known intermediate hosts such as pigs, horses, and sheep, these must be prepared. If possible, it¡¯s best to have civets and pangolins¡ªoh, forget about thetter, they are protected animals... "Why use different things to feed them with bats... um, different things?" "Because we need to determine the transmission routes..." Fecal-oral transmission, droplet transmission, fluid transmission, different pathways require different defense methods. In terms of disease prevention, Garrett always shared his knowledge: "For example, if it¡¯s getting sick from inhaling its sneeze, you have to cover your mouth and nose like we do... If it¡¯s dirty stuff getting into the mouth, wash your hands before meals..." "Why prepare more than twenty of each kind?" "Because animal experiments are a gamble on probabilities... Oh, it¡¯s something about betting on possibilities. Looking at so many animals, dividing each route and each type of bat, there¡¯s not much left." Twenty is nothing? The guy from the pharmacy department next door gossiped, whenever testing a new drug, the first phase clinical trials would involve dozens to hundreds of animals, whether it¡¯s mice, pigeons, or even monkeys... Oh, monkeys are precious. After all other experimental animals die, select drugs that are rtively harmless and test them on monkeys. Even in his previous life, when studying medicine, to let clinical medicine students experience a bit, doing a half-lethal dose experiment, it had to be divided into 8 groups in one ss, each group with 6 to 8 mice. If you calcte it, you would need at least 48 mice to see some results. Unlike here, each transmission route and each bat, the same type of animal, only gets two or three. This probability is making him nervous. Whether he can get results feels like something purely relying on luck. Or rather, whether he can sessfully issue a warning probably depends on the country¡¯s luck at the Magic Council? Garrett answered without hesitation, and Priest Matthew, piece by piece, memorized these seemingly mysterious knowledge. Even if he didn¡¯t know what it could be used for, the fact that someone was generously sharing knowledge made it worth his effort to help with the work. "Why do we need an equal number of males and females? We looked for boars and rams for a long time..." Especially boars. Many young boars were killed and eaten, and it wasn¡¯t so easy to borrow a breeding boar, it was almost tear-inducing. In the end, they had to catch a group of wild boars in the woods... "Because the probability of illness in male and female individuals may not be the same..." Ah, poverty... Garrett looked around the animal pens, correcting himself, the animalboratory, and shed a sympathetic tear for himself. ording to the orthodox experimental design method, this number of experimental animals would need to be doubled at least, but... He could barely afford it. Even if he could afford it, there were not enough hands to take care of them. Even if there were enough hands, there weren¡¯t so many people to measure the temperature of each animal one by one... Ah, no wonder those who develop new drugs are bigpanies. When his status rises in the future, he must ask the Magic Council for a research group specifically to help him raise experimental animals... Garrett added another reason to strive for an upgrade. Holding a notebook, Priest Matthew measured the animal¡¯s temperature once, and he recorded it next to him: "Wild rabbit No. 12, temperature 39... Hmm, 39.2 degrees, normal appetite, normal spirit, normal defecation, no abnormal secretions in the eyes, nose, or mouth, good health... Why do I have to measure if I already told you this rabbit is normal?" "We still have to measure!¡ªBesides, how can you guarantee it¡¯s definitely normal?!" "I canmunicate with it! Servants of the God of Nature can do that¡ªNo, you can¡¯t?!" "Um..." Garrett, who is seriously partial to science, didn¡¯t know anything else about the skills of a Nature God¡¯s priest... besides healing arts. --------------- Chapter 157 Chapter 157 In fact, Garrett Nordmarkpletely understood the feelings of Priest Matthew. If he were in charge, he wouldn¡¯t want to measure the body temperature of so many animals either; one at a time was more than enough. After all, it was too much trouble. Wearing a ck bird beak suit, arge ck hat, and round sses, every measurement required removing gloves, washing hands, and disinfecting the thermometer¡ª Luckily, it was winter. If it were summer, wearing such an outfit and working hard, Garrett could only imagine sumbing to heatstroke on the spot. Garrett did want to help, but firstly, hisbat power was insufficient, and secondly, there was only one thermometer in total. Garrett could only watch nervously from the side, repeatedly cautioning: "Be careful! Don¡¯t break it!" "Be careful! Don¡¯t let the mercury spill! It could poison the animals!" "I know, I haven¡¯t finished disinfecting yet... It has to be done slowly; directly heating the ss tube will cause it to explode. You go wash your hands first..." "Do I really have to wash my hands every time?" After being asked to wash his hands for the 35th time, Priest Matthew finally couldn¡¯t bear it:"Measure once, wash once! Look at my hands, the skin is all wrinkled; another wash, and it¡¯ll crack!" Garrett sadly looked at him, pointing to the nearby box. Priest Matthew¡¯s anger immediately subsided a bit: In the box were the sausage skin gloves Garrett had prepared in advance¡ª12345 pairs in total, all messy and thrown in there. All for him to use; measure one animal, discard one pair, then measure another, and discard another pair. Garrett¡¯s preparation could be described as extremely thorough; looking at this quantity, it seemed like he had scavenged every sausage skin he could find... "Can¡¯t they be reused?" "No. Unless you want to experiment with cross-infection between animals, the test results won¡¯t be urate." Garrett heartlessly rejected Priest Matthew. Changing gloves and washing hands were nothing; after all, in their emergency surgery, they had to wash their hands once for each patient, then wash again for the next patient... Not wanting to wash hands, just rub them with alcohol gel¡ªthough that thing wasn¡¯t much better. During peak times with many patients, a nurse¡¯s delicate hands would be dry in a day, cracked in two days, and have cuts in three days... Did they say anything T_T "Father Matthew, endure a little longer, and I¡¯ll go buy hand cream for you after we¡¯re done." Garrett disyed his greatest charm, making a sincere plea: "What we¡¯re doing is rted to medical experiments, with the ultimate goal of saving people. The more we adhere to the experimental rules, the more urate the results will be, and the more likely we can help more people. So, Father Matthew, please endure a little longer, and I¡¯ll make sure your name is the first author..." Father Matthew burst intoughter. "I¡¯m a priest! What¡¯s the use of being the first author in a magical council thesis?!" Regardless of how the author¡¯s name was listed, the thesis had to be written. Garrett was quite lucky; the incubation period of this new disease wasn¡¯t too long, and it didn¡¯t make him wait too long. Animals began to fall ill one after another about five or six dayster. Garrett recorded while measuring, and half a monthter, news came from Elder Wood. So, Garrett¡¯s thesis, at the end of the month during the small exam when students¡¯ research results were being evaluated, was sent to the desk of the mage who was collecting assignments along with the homework of his ssmates in the training ss. Mage Harvey looked at the pile of student assignments in front of him, and his face turned green. Heaven help him, what kind of work could a Level 1 mage produce? The format of the thesis was often not even half correct; the abstract was often nonsensical, and as for keywords, if half of them matched, that was considered good... The teacher was toozy to correct assignments, and he didn¡¯t want to waste time with this thing! Moreover, this issue had an unusuallyrge number of articles... Seventy or eighty students submitted over twenty theses. Considering that the training ss allowed coborative writing, at least more than half of the students pounced on this, right? This made him unable to even buy a bat... He had just finished half of his previous research! Mage Harvey opened the first one with a dejected expression. "Improvement of Feather Fall Spell by Imitating Bat Flight Posture"¡ªgood, starting with the improvement of magic. He casually touched a bat wing and tried it out ording to the description in the paper... "Added extra casting materials, magic consumption did not decrease, andnding speed did not increase or decrease." He quickly scribbled a note at the end of the thesis: "Suggest this student solidify their foundation in magic research or choose another research direction." Throwing it aside, he opened the second one. "Comparative Study of Three Different Bats as Echo Magic Materials." This one wasn¡¯t as far-fetched, but the conclusion... Mage Harvey flipped to the second-tost page, scanning it at a nce: "In summary, the differences in bat species do not affect their effectiveness as echo magic materials..." So, after all your fuss, you researched something insignificant? Mage Harvey sneezed and casually picked up a red pen, ticking off that conclusion, and couldn¡¯t be bothered to write anyments. The third one, the fourth one... After reading about thirteen or fourteen papers in one go, Mage Harvey¡¯s eyes were blurred, feeling like he didn¡¯t recognize the words "bat" anymore. He casually threw away one more and grabbed the next paper: "Research on a Disease Caused by Close Contact with Bats" What... what? Researching a disease? Treating diseases is the work of healers, so why did youe to the magical council¡¯s training ss? Or is it that there¡¯s a necromancer among this term¡¯s students? I don¡¯t remember there being one? Mage Harvey¡¯s instinct was to throw the paper away. However, with a nce, he happened to see the abstract below: Recently, among adventurers capturing bats, some patients with simr symptoms have appeared. We conducted aprehensive investigation of people in contact with bats and simultaneously performed animal experiments, confirming that bats may carry some unknown toxin, causing diseases in both animals and humans. The characteristics of this disease include: fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and sore throat, followed by dizziness, drowsiness, and confusion... Mage Harvey shuddered. He suddenly remembered that he had a slight fever and a bit of a sore throat a few days ago. At that time, he thought it was just a cold... If it was rted to researching bats, then how many mages were affected? And how many mages would suffer serious consequences? He carefully read on. Many of the research methods in this paper were unfamiliar to him, including a bunch of specifications for animal experiments. However, Mage Harvey could at least tell: The person who wrote this paper put a lot of thought into designing this experiment, making it as detailed and urate as possible, eliminating all possible interferences. "In conclusion, we can draw a preliminary conclusion: saliva, excrement, inhtion through the nasal cavity, or contamination during the eating process of bats in close contact may pose a pathogenic risk. Therefore, it is rmended to wear masks when researching bats, and after the experiment, be sure to wash hands and face... Don¡¯t let bat productse into contact with food..." The more Mage Harvey read, the more serious his expression became. Finally, with Garrett¡¯s thesis in hand, he knocked on the teacher¡¯s door. --------------- Chapter 158 Chapter 158 The magic council¡¯s training session started in mid-July and temporarily concluded on December 21st ¨C the start of the New Year break. From the 22nd, the students could joyfully indulge in eating, drinking, and ying around the Magic Council headquarters. They would return after the New Year to continue the second half of their courses. Naturally, December 21st became the day for the training ss to receive their grades. "Amanda Teder, C+." "Ah..." a red-haired girl sighed in disappointment as she walked up to the podium to receive her grade and paper from the assistant. She had been a bit reckless during this period, and after five months, her mental strength had only grown by 30%, not even reaching level two. The highest scores on her two papers were only B-. Although saddened, the grade wasn¡¯t entirely unexpected. "Kristin Price, B-." A blond boy walked up to collect his documents. As he nced over the paper, his eyebrows immediately furrowed. How could this be! The paper on "Different Parts of Bats as Spellcasting Materials and their Impact on Echo Magic" only received a B-! He thought he could get an A! Trouble was brewing; this New Year wasn¡¯t going to be pleasant..."Corinne Franz, B+." Names were called out one by one, and students approached the podium to collect their papers, wearing gloomy expressions as they left. The grading for this training ss was quite strict. With a ss of seventy to eighty people, only three received an A-, six or seven got a B+, while the rest were in the B range or below. The group of youngsters, carrying the titles of "genius" and "elite," looked at each other with displeasure. Several students who received C- were relieved, patting their chests in gratitude: "Thank goodness, it was close to getting a D. Getting a D would mean interrupting studies and being sent home." The assistant was impartial, going down the list one by one, finally reaching thest one: "Garrett Nordmark, uh..." What? Nothing? Why wouldn¡¯t there be? A slightmotion filled the ssroom. The assistant took off his sses, wiped them, put them back on, and looked again. At the end of the form, next to Garrett¡¯s name, there still wasn¡¯t a score. Instead, there was a line of small text: "Paper score pending." The assistant loudly announced it. Garrett went up to receive his grade, and on the way, the students whispered and discussed: "Isn¡¯t that strange? Nothing for him?" "He submitted his paper almost ten days ago..." "I remember he just joinedst month?" "Yes, I remember that too." "Maybe his paper was so bad that it was held back?" "Or perhaps he didn¡¯t write it at all?" Garrett returned to his seat under curious gazes. The assistant tapped the podium, smiling: "All right,dies and gentlemen, enjoy your New Year holiday. By the way, before the break, you can visit the academy library to exchange for a few spells based on your grades." The students rushed out. It was a rare asion to have so many opportunities for exchange. The library¡¯s scrolls were limited, firste, first served, and those who cameter could only pick up what others left behind... Garrett sat in the back row, shrinking into his seat, and the desk was immediately bumped several times in session. These mages were usually delicate, but now they didn¡¯t stop or cry out in pain. After hitting the desk, they turned and rushed towards the back door. With a bang, Garrett watched two mages get stuck in a pile at the back door... He waited until the ssroom was empty before slowly picking up his bag and walking out. Bridge Magic Academy had a small library that didn¡¯t allow students to borrow books; they could only read basic and theoretical books within the library. As for wanting to learn a specific magic? Sorry, either spend gold coins to buy or exchange with magic council contribution points... Now the borrowing section was crowded with seventy to eighty students, although they obediently lined up, they couldn¡¯t help but jostle to get closer. Garrett passed through them towards the reading area, hearing the administrator behind him answering: "C+? Miss, you can exchange for two 0-level magics. Check the list yourself." "B-? One 1-level magic, one 0-level magic." "A-? Sir, two 1-level magics, one 0-level magic. The teaching scroll borrowing time is 10 days... Oh, let me see. It¡¯s almost the holidays; you can borrow until the end of the New Year break." So I missed a grading opportunity... Does that mean I missed a chance to learn magic for free? Garrett turned back to the borrowing window. On the other side of the book borrowing area, a red-haireddy was leisurely reading. Garrett asked her with a forced smile: "Excuse me... What are the conditions for borrowing magic?" "Read it yourself." Thedy didn¡¯t lift her head and casually pointed to the wall. A sh came from her crimson robe, and Garrett followed, turning around to quickly scan the price list on the wall: 0-level magic, borrowing fee of 100 gold coins or 100 contribution points; 1-level magic, borrowing fee of 500 to 2000 gold coins or equivalent contribution points. 2-level magic... Borrowing time is 10 days, and if damaged,pensation is required. Garrett: !!! Feeling like he missed a billion, no, missed several thousand gold coins... Garrett tilted his neck slightly, frozen in front of the price list for a long time, turned around, lowered his head, and walked away dragging his feet. Ah, so many magics in front of him, but he could only look, not learn... The mage tower in Harnd City listed only the names of half of the 0-level magics, one-third of 1-level magics, and surely much less for 2-level magics. To learn others, either exchange privately among mages or spend money to buy from the magic council. Who is responsible for grading his paper... Why did everyone else¡¯s scorese out, but his didn¡¯t... This New Year break, he could have learned several new magics... "Garrett Nordmark?" A voice suddenly rang at the door. Garrett turned his head, turned around, and along with his ssmates, looked towards the entrance. A level-five mage in a red robe hurriedly came in, holding a piece of paper, scanning the crowd: "Who is Garrett Nordmark? - Is it you? Come with me!" "What?" "The Archmage wants to see you!" The surroundings suddenly fell silent. In the astonished gazes of his ssmates, Garrett was lifted out of the library by the mage, thrown onto a ck horse. The ck horse, from its size to the saddle and even its gaze, looked exceptionally standard, clearly a product of the [Summon Mount] spell. The mage in the red robe shook the reins, and the two horses ran through the academy, crossing the street. The higher they went, the closer to the foothills they got. In no time, they stopped in front of a long building with an arched roof. Garrett looked at the roof in confusion. The style seemed so familiar ; it felt like a train station... Did they advance in the tech tree and invent trains here? When did that happen? Even physical upations use carriages, and mages prefer summoning mounts... Then, Garrett really saw the train... or something resembling a train. The length was not impressive, shorter than the high-speed trains from his past life, even the regr trains. The carriages were narrower too. However, they were genuinely sliding on the tracks, nging gradually as they ascended along the mountainside. "Where are we going?" Garrett asked curiously. The mage in the red robe responded matter-of-factly: "We¡¯re going to the Magic Tower above! - The Archmage is busy, would hee down to see you?" --------------- Chapter 159 Chapter 159 Garrett Nordmark had been at the headquarters of the Magic Council for over a month, and this was his first opportunity to climb the mountain and witness the core group of mage towers. The small train nked along the tracks, ascending steadily. As the train gained height, the outside light gradually dimmed. Moisture began to cover the ss windows. Garrett reached out to wipe the mist away and looked outside. The train had entered into a thick fog, reducing visibility to less than 20 meters. Climbing further, rain started to fall, creating dots on the windows that quickly formed into streaks. "I didn¡¯t bring an umbre!" Garrett pleaded for help from the red-robed mage. High-level mages might have magical protection, like Master Karel, who effortlessly walked in the rain with water parting around him. However, Garrett, being only a 1st-level mage, didn¡¯t possess such abilities. "Don¡¯t worry; you won¡¯t get wet," chuckled the red-robed mage, Harvey. Garrett felt a bit relieved, thinking the rain might stop once they reached the mountaintop. The rain did stop, but... A fierce snowstorm ensued. Before the train even stopped, howling winds carried snowkes, pounding the windows. The ss rattled, and the train carriage itself seemed to sway suspiciously. Garrett: "..." How strong is this wind? Seven levels? Eight levels? Maybe it¡¯s even beyond nine levels? At this point, I¡¯m not worried about getting wet; I¡¯m concerned about being able to walk!The red-robed mage opposite him remained silent, still smiling. The train ascended a little, reaching a teau. After advancing another thirty meters, the carriage suddenly quieted down, the wind slowed, and the snowstorm disappeared, as if entering another world. "Wee to Igor Peak." Harvey Mage had been enjoying Garrett¡¯s astonished expression all along. Finally, as the train came to a stop, he smiled and pointed forward: "What you see is the defense system of the Mage Tower group, Igor Lock. Igor Peak experiences thunderstorms and blizzards all winter, so the lock is usually activated. It not only regtes the climate but also actively absorbs power from the storms." This... is arge active meteorological defense system? And it absorbs energy actively? Even advanced technology in my previous life couldn¡¯t achieve this! Garrett sighed sincerely. So, in this otherworld, technology might not be as backward as one would think; perhaps their technological path just took a different turn... Harvey let Garrett marvel for a while, then handed him a small badge. He gestured for Garrett to wear it on his wrist: "This is a temporary pass for the lock¡¯s interior. Without certification at the Celestial Tower ¨C the main mage tower ¨C hang this, and it will make your movements easier." With that, Harvey stepped out of the carriage. A beam of light immediately descended from the sky, illuminating both of them. In Garrett¡¯s hand, the small round badge hummed softly, and his vision instantly became clear. At the top of Igor Peak, instead of a sharp peak, there was a vast teau. In the center stood a magnificent mage tower, its upper half deeply embedded in the clouds, asionally lit up by lightning dancing around it. Surrounding the main tower were various mage towers of different shapes and sizes. Some tall, some short, some fat, some thin, and one even leaning at an angle exceeding that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Looking at it, Garrett was genuinely worried it might fall off the cliff. Harvey pointed to a pyramid-shaped tower and introduced it: "That¡¯s the Necromancy school¡¯s..." Garrett: "..." Can I guess there¡¯s an inverted pyramid below it? However, he didn¡¯t have time to explore each one. Harvey led him straight ahead, entering the right side of the main tower, a mage tower with smooth, flowing lines and a grip-like waist. While walking, Harvey continued the introduction: "Your paper on bats has garnered significant attention from our teachers. They brought it up at the reviewmittee meeting, and after considering recent developments and receiving a letter from Master Wood, they decided to call you up to discuss the situation..." Having said that, Harvey entered the mage tower. The right side of this subsidiary tower, from the wall to the ground, was all a translucent light blue, resembling ripples on water. The interior of the wall seemed deep and ever-changing, as if ripples were continuously rolling. Garrett was about to observe more closely when Harvey pulled him into a semi-circr room. He reached out and touched the wall, then pointed to a semi-transparent ck panel at shoulder height and said softly, "Floor 35, thanks." "Floor 35, please wait," a soft female voice replied. Garrett felt a slight sinking sensation under his feet, and on the ck panel, numbers began to flicker: 1, 2, 3... 10, 11... Voice-controlled elevator? Garrett was a bit surprised. Observing his expression, Harvey exined, "We can stay here. The tower spirit will control this room and elevate it to the 35th floor. When you need toe downter, you can talk to the tower spirit here." I¡¯m not surprised by the voice-controlled elevator; I¡¯m surprised you have a voice-controlled elevator here... Garrett silentlyined. On the 35th floor, they were received by the Archmage. The one who came forward to inquire was the one who taught soundwave courses, Master Zephyr, Harvey¡¯s teacher. He called Garrett forward, flipped to thest page of his paper, and pointed to a few lines, asking him: "Garrett Nordmark? Your paper mentions limited experimental conditions, making the results uncertain. So, what conditions do you need to ensure uracy?" "Animal types, quantity, caretakers, experimental environment, equipment," Garrett fluently replied. "For the experiment, there should be at least mice, rabbits, pigs, sheep, horses, and, if possible, add pigeons and dogs. It¡¯s even better to have monkeys. Seek healthy adult specimens, an equal number of males and females, ording to a configuration of 100 multiplied by the number of bat species. Bats should be at least 3 to 5 species... Personnel... Housing... Experimental equipment..." I¡¯ve been wanting to ask for a lot! When I sought help from Elder Wood, the experimental conditions were cut and cut again until it couldn¡¯t be cut anymore. It¡¯s like the Southwest Union University building, going from three floors to two, from two floors to a single-story building, from brick walls to adobe walls, from blue tiles to thatched roofs... "If you¡¯re given all these conditions, can you produce the same results?" Master Zephyr patiently asked. "No. I can only say that the moreplete the experimental conditions, the greater the probability of obtaining results," Garrett replied without hesitation. "But with your proposed conditions, the consumption would be significant," Master Zephyr said with a hint of a smile. "If you can¡¯t guarantee results, why would the Magic Council agree to a redo?" "I¡¯ve done my best," Garrett answered without hesitation. "I¡¯ve issued the warning, submitted the paper. Whether to spend money on it, whether to repeat the experiment ¨C aren¡¯t these decisions for the Magic Council to make? If the patient refuses to pay, refuses to undergo examinations, we can¡¯t force them, can we?" "Consider this assignment; you just need to give me a score, and I have no issues with anything else," he said frankly. Master Zephyr¡¯s smile deepened: "Then I¡¯ll consider it as your agreement!" Before Garrett could respond, he grabbed a pen, scribbled two lines on the paper, and handed it to Harvey: "Organize the experimental conditions Garrett needs, make an assessment, and apply urgently to the Magic Council. Once approved, let him lead and conduct the experiment again." Garrett: "...Hey!" What did I agree to? I didn¡¯t agree to anything! If you want to repeat the experiment, do it yourselves! I have a lot of things to research, a lot of magic to learn, meditation to do, and upgrades to achieve! Archmages are cunning! --------------- Chapter 160 Chapter 160 Garrett Nordmark agreed to repeat the experiment as the host. There was no choice; the Magic Council had been too generous. His grades fromst semester were straight A+, allowing him to exchange for two level-1 spells, three level-0 spells, and a 20-day library borrowing privilege. Considering that hosting the repeated experiment would consume time, these exchange rights could be exercised on any day of the next semester. After the repeated experiment, all materials, experimental animals, and equipment would belong to Garrett. If he could prove that bats could indeed spread diseases, theboratory with many design requirements could also be his. The paper he had written before was rmended to be published in the "Ordinary Mage Monthly." Of course, if Garrett was willing to wait, the results of the subsequent repeated experiments could bebined, and directly rmended to "Arcane" or "Magic." Naturally, rewards rted to publishing papers would not becking. After the training session, Garrett was allowed to stay at the Bridge Magic Academy for an additional three months, freely reading the library¡¯s books (excluding magic that required money or contribution points). "Teacher really values you." Magician Harvey ran errands with the note from the teacher, sighing to Garrett as he ran, "Independent hosting of a project... I only got this privilege after reaching level 5 this year. There are only two people in my group, much fewer than you!" Garrett gave him a gentle smile. "Thank you very much for your concern, Magician Harvey." He said softly and quickly, "Forgive my boldness, but could you join my research group? We can share the first authorship; you know, this experiment requires quite a few people, and I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to handle it alone." The red-robed magician hesitated for a moment. He shook his head, "No need. This experiment is not in my research direction. If it¡¯s convenient, I can send an apprentice to work under your team? You decide on the authorship, three co-authors are also eptable." Garrett got the chance to use the resources of the Magic Council for another repeated experiment. Throughout the New Year holiday, from December 21st to January 10th of the following year, he waspletely immersed in the experiment:While others were shopping, he was drawing the design of the P4boratory. While others were celebrating the New Year, he was herding rabbits, weasels, pigs, sheep, and horses into theboratory with a group of priests from the Nature Cult. While others were studying new magic scrolls, he was measuring the body temperature of rabbits with a thermometer in one hand and a rabbit in the other. While others were in the academy library, he had a pile of experiment records on his left and a pile of medical records from Elder Wood on his right, writing a paper with great effort, almost sticking his tongue out... On January 11th, the training session resumed. Garrett¡¯s seat was empty, with no sign of him. On January 12th, Garrett still did not appear. On January 13th, Garrett continued to be absent. However, his disappearance did not attract much attention. Garrett was busy with his own research, attending sses and leaving promptly after, never going to the library with ssmates, let alone joining group research projects. He didn¡¯t speak during ss, left immediately after, and during breaks... oh, the teachers in the training session taught without breaks... For a long time, most of the students in the training session had mixed feelings about him, osciting between "Do we have someone like that in our ss?" and "Oh, the one who was absent for three monthsst semester." Oh, and now there was one more thing to add: "The one who had no gradesst semester..." Of course, he wasn¡¯t the only one absent. Regarding students skipping ss, some teachers turned a blind eye, some only scolded the children of familiar families, and some were extremely strict, unable to tolerate anyone skipping ss for no reason. On January 15th, the Death Mage Edgar stood on the podium, his face cold, looking at the assistant holding a book, calling the roll one by one: "Amanda Teder." "Here." "Kristin Price." "Here." "Corinne Franz." "Here." "Pedro Meyer." "Here." "Anthony Valentine." "..." "..." "Anthony Valentine!" "Forget it if he¡¯s not here." Death Mage Edgar interrupted the assistant, his tone t, showing neither joy nor anger. "Next." "Yes. Jessica Atkinson!" "Here!" After the roll call, out of 80 students, surprisingly, 15 were absent ¡ª Garrett included, of course. Master Edgar looked at the assistant with a stern face, "No excuses, deduct one grade for all those who didn¡¯t show up. Now let¡¯s start the ss¡ª" "Sorry, sorry, we¡¯rete!" A group of young boys and girls rushed in through the door, blocking the entrance in two rows. The blonde boy at the front had redness around his cheekbones and corners of his eyes, obviously still showing signs of lingering hangover. As soon as he reached the door, he bowed deeply: "Your Excellency Archmage, very sorry! We¡¯re just a littlete..." "You can bete for ss in the academy!" Mage Edgar interrupted sharply, "If you can bete for a short distance like this, won¡¯t you bete for a day on the battlefield? ¡ª Stand outside!" "But, Master, I waste because I broke through to level 2..." "I know you took ten days off." Mage Edgar¡¯s thin face was cold, without any warmth. "I also know that you broke through to level 2 yesterday and celebrated with a group of people by drinking ¡ª Don¡¯t deny it; I saw you outside the bar! So what if you broke through to level 2? You are all elite individuals selected from various counties. The training session has been going on for half a year, and the Grand Mages of various schools have taken turns lecturing for half a year. Isn¡¯t it natural for you to break through a level? For such a trivial matter, you went out to drink! And even brought a group of people along! And dared to skip ss! If this level of achievement satisfies you, you shouldn¡¯t havee to the training session; give your spot to someone more promising!" Mage Edgar looked at the skinny, seemingly skeletal figure with an astonishing lung capacity, scolding continuously for five minutes without stopping. Beside the Death Mage, a dark gold skeleton held a thick stack of paper, making a rattling sound with its upper and lower jaws, whether it was mocking or scolding along. Anthony couldn¡¯t lift his head under the scolding. Behind him, the group of boys and girls who had gone out to celebrate had all lowered their heads. Some had quietly moved to the side of the wall, standing close to it. Mage Edgar scolded with a burst of satisfaction and was about to start the ss when another person ran to the door: "Your Excellency Archmage, very sorry! I¡¯mte¡ª" "Who are you again?" Mage Edgar had already picked up the red pen, looking at the attendance list, ready to mark an X next to the neer¡¯s name. The person bowed deeply: "Garrett Nordmark. Very sorry!" The Archmage¡¯s pen paused. He looked up at Garrett, from the ttened hair on his forehead (pressed by the surgical cap), to the faded mage robe (result of daily washing spells), and down to the mud on his boots. The more he looked, the more amiable his expression became. Finally, he waved his hand, pointing towards the inside of the ssroom: "Be careful not to bete next time. Come in and listen to the ss!" "Why is he allowed toe in and listen?" Behind Anthony, a younger boy objected defiantly. Anthony immediately nudged him with an elbow. The boy winced in pain, still looking disgruntled. In front and behind, thete boys and girls who were punished to stand outside all looked at Garrett, some bumping into each other intentionally. Garrett walked through the peculiar gazes and quickly approached his seat. Just as he reached his seat, he heard someone whisper behind him: "Allte, aren¡¯t they..." Garrett sat down in his seat. Before he could even spread out his stationery, arge pile of papers fluttered like falling flowers, uratelynding on each person¡¯s desk. Garrett lowered his head to look, and at this moment, Archmage Edgar¡¯s hoarse voice sounded: "Today, we will discuss a newly released paper. In the field of Death Magic, focusing on gues, it was just approved by the reviewmittee and will be published in the uing issue of ¡¯Arcane.¡¯ The author: Garrett Nordmark." --------------- Chapter 161 Chapter 161 Silence engulfed the room. Inside and outside the ssroom, not a single word was spoken. Other than the heavy and hurried breaths, the only sound was the scraping of chairs on the floor. Garrett¡¯s seat was at the back, and at this moment, almost all the students turned to look at him. The dozen or so boys and girls standing by the door, serving their punishment, stretched their necks, supporting each other¡¯s shoulders, and craned their heads to look at the back of the ssroom. "Review... review meeting?" Behind Anthony, a brown-haired boy trembled and poked him in the back. "Anthony, do any of your elders attend review meetings?" "My father¡¯s teacher is..." Anthony¡¯s voice also sounded shaky. His father was a level 9 mage, and to outsiders, he was quite prestigious. However, aside from his father, there were a dozen disciples of the Archmage. Thinking of relying solely on connections to submit his paper to the review meeting... Forget about it. It¡¯s impossible even to show it to the Archmage. You see, the Archmages in the review meeting are appointed by various schools andrge research groups, strong at levels 13 or 14, and many are direct disciples of legendary mages. Lower-level mages don¡¯t have such privileges, and mages above level 15, as well as legendary mages who find it troublesome, rarely bother with the review meeting.And what does the review meeting do? It reviews the Magic Council¡¯s budget for the year, approves or rejects pendingws, deals with major unexpected events, and so on... What qualifications does a paper have to be sent to them for review? What paper would they collectively evaluate? Not to mention that it was just approved by the review meeting yesterday and confirmed to be published in "Arcane" today... What is "Arcane" anyway? The top two journals of the Magic Council, one called "Magic," and the other, "Arcane." Representing the most advanced research results of the Magic Council. Those who publish in them are generally mages above level 15, or at least levels 13 or 14, high-level mages about to reach the upgrade threshold. Every mage tower subscribes, and every magic practitioner with self-respect reads them regrly, of course, whether they understand it or not. Garrett even remembers seeing neatly stacked copies of "Arcane" and "Magic" in the War God¡¯s Temple. In Garrett¡¯s concept, these two journals are roughly equivalent to the top three journals in the natural sciences in his previous life: "Cell," "Nature," and "Science." In the medical field, you would add "The Lancet" and "The New Ennd Journal of Medicine." In the earlier years, publishing in one of these journals before the age of 30 was almost equivalent to securing a position as an academician. "This is ¡¯Arcane¡¯..." The trainees sucked in cold air with a hiss. Their fingers reached out to touch the paper, involuntarily trembling, partly in awe, partly in envy. First Author: Garrett Nordmark. On the cover of the paper, the neatly handwritten name stood out. He is the first author. Not the second author, not the third author, not even co-first author. In other words, this paper is the creative work of Garrett alone, his idea, his organization of experiments ¨C he is undoubtedly deserving. Knowledge is eternal, but power is in an instant. In other words, the attention of the review meeting is only temporary, but once the paper is published in "Arcane," for decades, centuries, a thousand years, future mages will still see this article, still see the name Garrett Nordmark! The shock and envy of the surrounding students couldn¡¯t be concealed. Garrett estimates that if he, in his previous life in college, saw a ssmate beside him independently publish in "Cell," "The Lancet," or "The New Ennd Journal of Medicine," he probably had a simr expression... "Garrett, this is your paper, you exin." Mage Edgar admired the astonished expressions of the students, and a rare smile appeared on his cold, very characteristic face of a necromancer. He took a step to the side of the podium, indicating for Garrett toe up: "Your paper, be it the idea or the research method, no one knows better than you." This... Garrett hesitated for a moment. Seeing him unmoving, Mage Edgar impatiently made a "tsk" sound and pointed down. The dark gold skull that had finished delivering the paper trotted down, straight to Garrett¡¯s front. With one hand, it grabbed the paper in front of Garrett, slightly bent over, and made a "please" gesture with the other hand. This skull is too agile... Is it from the same school as Linde? Really, Master, what is your rtionship with Linde? Garrett resisted the urge to stick his eyeballs to the skull. Don¡¯t stare, don¡¯t study its pelvis and skull to see if they¡¯re original, don¡¯t reach out to touch... Oh, why is this skull pulling people? It¡¯s really not decent to tug back and forth in the ssroom. Helpless, Garrett could only follow the skull, step by step, onto the podium. First, he bowed lightly to Mage Edgar and the assistant, then nodded to the students below, cleared his throat, and began to speak: "Respected Archmage, fellow students, hello everyone. My paper is not particrly outstanding; it just deals with the issue of mages possibly contracting diseases during their research. The council cares about the health of mages, which is why they attach special importance to it..." Themotion in the ssroom gradually subsided. Students exchanged nces, and the emotions of envy and jealousy finally dissipated a bit: so he just chose a good topic... "Get to the point!" Archmage Edgar, however, became impatient. He knocked on the skull beside him ¨C the dark gold skull bent down very considerately and handed the skull to its master ¨C making an "empty" sound: "At such a young age, steady and stable, without any sharpness!" Uh... used to it. Garrett smiled embarrassedly, opened the cover of the paper: "This paper starts with cases of diseases appearing in bat catchers, sellers, and researchers. Through animal experiments, it demonstrates the fact that contact with bats may transmit diseases, as well as the symptoms, transmission routes, and preventive measures of the disease. ...The design idea of the animal experiment... The experiment shows that this new type of disease is indeed caused by the infection from bats... ...ording to the current cases, the incubation period of the disease is 4-14 days, and the main transmission route is droplet transmission, with also cases of infection through consuming food contaminated with bat secretions. ...Among the collected cases, 90% of the patients are ordinary people, 8% are mage apprentices and low-level warriors, and 2% are first-level mages. No signs of infection were found in mages and warriors of the second level and above. No evidence of human-to-human transmission has been found. Preliminary conclusions can be drawn that as the level of extraordinary beings increases, their life force bes stronger, effectively reducing the likelihood of getting sick..." He exined the entire paper¡¯s ideas and logic as sinctly as possible. Once finished, his mouth was dry and tongue parched. With Archmage Edgar watching and the students below not daring to make noise, Garrett felt relieved. However, as soon as he finished, three or five hands went up: "Why experiment on animals?" Uh... Garrett froze. Should I say "because human experiments are not allowed," or should I say "because the magnification of the microscope is not high enough to separate the virus"? Neither seems quite right... Garrett sweated profusely during this ss. Even though there were many things he couldn¡¯t and didn¡¯t want to talk about, the paper¡¯s ideas, logical flow, and the formidable aura of "Arcane" conquered all the students. Even when the ss ended, no one was willing to leave. They stared eagerly at Garrett, as if they were nning to let him revise their papers... Luckily, Archmage Edgar chased everyone away. As the students left, one after another, the ssroom quieted down, and the decibel level dropped from over 80 to below 40. Garrett rubbed his buzzing ears, barely having time to rejoice when the Archmage looked into his eyes and pulled out a dry smile: "No wonder Linde rmended you several times. Your research ideas and topic direction really match well with the necromancy school. Would you be willing to join the ck Crow Swamp?" --------------- Chapter 162 Chapter 162 Death magic again? ck Crow Swamp again? Garrett Nordmark sighed. I should have be a necromancer long ago. When I met Linde, I joined without hesitation! Why go through all the trouble, trying to get into the Mage Tower with rmendation letters, attending lectures as an observer? He put on a smile, used every persuasive word, and finally managed to dampen Master Edgar¡¯s enthusiasm. The necromancer expressed regret: "Ah, that Linde, he¡¯s not good at handling things. It would have been better if he had brought you in at that time. Garrett, when the necromancy school has simr topics in the future, could I invite you to join the research together?" "Your invitation is my honor." Garrett agreed without much thought. Projects, topics, and funding ¨C everything woulde with it. As for unsuitable projects... "Oh, by the way, Master Linde is your..." "He¡¯s my disciple," Master Edgar smiled. When he talked about the disciple he valued, a hint of warmth appeared on his thin face:"After the recent battle, I received a letter from him, praising you a lot. Unfortunately, he¡¯s still traveling outside. When he returns to headquarters, he will definitelye to see you. By the way, after this training, will you stay at headquarters? Any direction in mind? If you¡¯re looking for a job, you can also consider our school..." "Master, rest assured, I will definitely consider it..." Can you stop trying to recruit me all the time? Garrett hadn¡¯t really thought about employment yet. There were still six months left in the training, and after that, he could stay three more months at the Bridge Magic Academy. Future matters could be consideredter. For now, he had a pile of research topics waiting for him... Of course, he didn¡¯t focus solely on experiments. In the previous month, facing the potential gue, he had to push the research progress hard. Now that the paper was published, it was time to use the superior conditions of the training camp to broaden his reading and developprehensively. Garrett adjusted his schedule. Attend sses in the morning, read books in the academy library in the afternoon, conduct experiments in the evening. Routine meditation before sleep to enhance mental strength,municating with nts the next morning with an oak wand in hand... Oh, thest one had made no progress so far. Garrett doubted his aptitude in divine magic; besides relying on medical knowledge for healing, other divine magic seemed out of reach. No matter, if it¡¯s not meant to be. Garrett pushed aside distractions, focused all his thoughts, and began battling with his initial goal: Ultrasound! I¡¯ming! The steps for developing ultrasound magic were simple: Learn, Disassemble, Improve. Based on his grades from the previous semester, Garrett still had two opportunities to exchange for level one spells and three for level zero spells. Echo detection was only a level zero spell;bining learning, disassembling, and studying its parts took him only three days in total. After learning the magic, dismantling the spell model, understanding each part¡¯s purpose, the real challenge began... Garrett stood outside the enclosure of the animal husbandry, holding the door handle, took a deep breath. This animal husbandry, along with the nearby Monkey P4boratory, had all been assigned to him ording to the previous agreement¡ªof course, along with thend under the house. Though it was a bit biased, more than a bit actually, it was still his own property! Considering its proximity to the Magic Council headquarters, it was equivalent to having a vi in the capital! To prevent idental intruders, the project team built a solid wall, enclosing the animal husbandry andboratory. At this moment, next to the gate, arge marble que had been embedded: Garrett Nordmark¡¯s Biological Laboratory. Garrett struggled through. This naming style always reminded people of a notoriousboratory, and he didn¡¯t want that association. However, protests were ineffective. The mage who arranged everything for him was swift; in the blink of an eye, the stone que was cut, carved, and embedded. "Still want to change it?" "Uh... How much does it cost to change the sign?" "It¡¯s not about money; the main thing is that a piece of the wall has to be knocked down..." Garrett surrendered. He pushed the door open, and inside, pigs and sheep were calling out loudly. A barbarian carried buckets of water and feed, busy back and forth. Garrett watched his tall figure and couldn¡¯t help humming softly: "Pigs, sheep, where are you going~~~" "Garrett, you¡¯re back!" Bernard shouted as he turned around. Garrett tiptoed forward: "I¡¯m back? Have the horses been taken care of?" "Yes! The people from Priest Matthew have taken them away. He said the money from selling them will be given to you!" ording to the previous agreement, after the experiment, all experimental animals belonged to Garrett. He handed over most of the horses and almost all the pigs and cows to the Nature God Cult. Half were given as gifts, and the other half were entrusted to them for sale. After all, the Nature God Cult had helped a lot this time. Without their meticulous care for the animals¡ªmeasuring body temperature several times a day, cleaning cages, recording data, disinfecting back and forth¡ªGarrett wouldn¡¯t have finished his thesis. The points and contribution points from the Magic Council couldn¡¯t be shared with them; the only way was to share the money. Moreover, the Nature God Cult was daily poor; giving them things was like setting up a medical fund there, ready to support the poor at any time. Garrett pped his hands, quite satisfied with his arrangements. Looking around, pig pens on the left, sheep pens on the right, and a row of rabbit cages in the distance. Garrett, feeling a bit worried, asked loudly: "By the way, Bernard, can you take care of these remaining pigs, sheep, and rabbits alone?" "Of course! It¡¯s such a small matter! In our vige, who doesn¡¯t know how to raise livestock!" The barbarian was eager to get started. Garrett extended his arm, tapped his shoulder with his fingertips: "Then it¡¯s up to you! When you want to eat meat, just kill a few. If you want to eat something better, sell a few and have a feast!" Thank goodness, the barbarian¡¯s future food supply was finally settled! Now, with dozens of pigs and sheep and two cages of rabbits, even if the barbarian ate to his heart¡¯s content, it would be enough for a year or two! Being in the training camp for a month, Garrett¡¯s wallet was almost empty T_T "By the way, start with the sheep. Leave the pigs and rabbits to me¡ª" "Got it!" "Give me a rabbit! Carry it to theboratory!" "Coming!" Garrett took out a ck bat from the material cab. After the experiments were over, all the bats were ughtered, dried in lime, and soaked one by one in alcohol. Garrett felt it was still not clean enough; he wore gloves before picking it up, walked to the rabbit cage, and pointed to the rabbit: "3, 2, 1! Echo magic, start!" Sessful release... In the meditative vision, ripples trembled like water, revealing the outlines of the rabbit, rabbit cage, and walls. As for the rabbit¡¯s internal organs, sorry, didn¡¯t see that. Uh... Well, that¡¯s why he still needed to research. But... with this few bats, would it be enough for him to experiment? --------------- Chapter 163 Chapter 163 Garrett Nordmark remained calm, first recalling the principles of ultrasound. To be honest, ultrasound examinations were the domain of the imaging department. As a former emergency doctor from another life, he only needed to remember which symptoms warranted an ultrasound, and which situations required what kind of examination. As for the examination results? They were all written on the report; even the images on it didn¡¯t require his personal identification. If he could see well, great; if not, it wasn¡¯t a big problem. As for the principles of ultrasound? He vaguely remembered reading about it in "Medical Imaging," but if it weren¡¯t for the memory enhancement during his transmigration, he might not recall what the book actually said. Hmm... Garrett slowly flipped through the pages of "Medical Imaging" in his mind. Luckily, the first chapter had the information he needed. Ultrasound utilizes 1 to 10 megahertz ultrasound waves, propagating through human tissues. When passing through different organs and tissues, includingyers of normal and pathological tissues, each interface reflects and/or scatters the waves to varying degrees due to the different acoustic impedance on both sides. The echoes or scattering formed by these reflections, along with attenuation information from the ultrasound passing through different tissues, are received, amplified, and processed. On the screen, they are disyed as images or waveforms, creating a sonogram. Garrett recalled the echo magic. The step of disying images or waveforms on the screen was directly aplished by the meditative environment of a mage: it was as if the mage temporarily gained "eyes" like a bat, directly "seeing" the shapes depicted by the echoes.Thankfully, meditation could handle the process of "seeing." Otherwise, in this medieval-like technological environment, he had no idea where to find a disy screen, let alone aputer. Next up was the matter of "emitting ultrasound waves." Oh yes, he needed to find a coupling agent. During previous ultrasound examinations, they had to apply a coupling agent to the patient¡¯s skin and press the ultrasound probe against it. Without this, excluding the air around the ultrasound probe, medical-grade high-frequency ultrasound waves couldn¡¯t transmit into the human body. "Bernard! Come shave the rabbit!" Garrett shouted loudly. The barbarian ran over, and Garrett handed him the task, while he went to look for an alternative to the coupling agent. Water... No, it¡¯s not viscous enough; it would flow off instantly. Alcohol... No, it¡¯s not suitable. It has a simr viscosity to water and irritates the skin. Aloe vera gel... Sticky, with flow, seemed usible. The problem was, it was winter, and where could he find aloe vera gel? What about glycerin? Garrett surveyed hisboratory and sighed. In the considerable time since he transmigrated, he had been busy with this and that, and he hadn¡¯t gotten around to making glycerin. This has to be made quickly! Garrett silently added a note to his experimental n and continued searching. Glycerin was out of stock, how about soybean oil? Olive oil? Rose oil? Wait, why did I have rose oil in my box? "Garrett! The rabbit¡¯s fur is shaved!" Bernard shouted from the other side of the room. Garrett grabbed two bottles of edible oil in one hand and several bottles of mysteriously scented essential oils in the other, rushing over. "...Why did you shave its entire body?" It only needed its belly shaved... Better to say fewer words; this rabbit looked so ugly shaved all over. Butining now was pointless. Garrett uncorked the bottles, poured a pool of soybean oil onto the rabbit¡¯s belly ¨C the cheapest one ¨C and pressed his fingers against the rabbit¡¯s abdomen. With the other hand, he grabbed the bat, took a deep breath, focused, and activated the magic. Controlled ultrasound waves emitted from his right fingertips, entering the rabbit¡¯s body through the coupling agent. Hmm... Can¡¯t see clearly. Increase the intensity a bit? Still can¡¯t see. The image feedback from the ultrasound was very blurry. Moreover, the image included the cage under the rabbit, the wooden cab under the cage, and the floor under the cab... Was it because of the coupling agent? Garrett grabbed a piece of cloth, wiped off the soybean oil, cleaned it, and poured olive oil. The clear and bright liquid flowed on the rabbit¡¯s belly. Garrett¡¯s eyebrows twitched; there was a sharp pain in the anterior region of his heart, as if an invisible hand had twisted it fiercely. Garrett knew it wasn¡¯t ischemia-induced angina; he was just upset, upset... Money! It¡¯s all about money! Olive oil is precious, precious, precious! This small bottle can¡¯t be bought for a single gold coin! Oh, olive oil seems to work better as a coupling agent; the ultrasound feedback isn¡¯t as noisy. It seems like he heard somewhere that some liquidsck high acoustic conductivity and contain other impurities that hinder the transmission of sound waves. It¡¯s right to try out different kinds... However, the rity of olive oil was still far from Garrett¡¯s expectations. Holding back his distress, he tried sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, rose oil... 2 gold coins per bottle! 5 gold coins per bottle! 12 gold coins per bottle! Ding-ding, ding-ding, ding-ding... The liquids flowing out of those bottles weren¡¯t substitutes for the coupling agent; they were all money! Garrett¡¯s face twisted and twisted again. Fortunately, most of these oils were not purchased by him; some were spoils of war, some were obtained in the name of experimental materials from the Magic Council, and some were left here by mages who came to help. Once the experiments were done, they all became his. If he had to buy and use them now, Garrett would immediately go bankrupt. After a round of experiments, sweet almond oil seemed to have the best effect. However, he could only vaguely "see" the rabbit¡¯s bones. Garrett sighed: He had no way to improve the coupling agent on this technological path anymore. Otherwise... Increase the intensity of ultrasound waves? Adjust the spell model! Increase output power! Uh-oh, the rabbit is vomiting blood... Garrett was bewildered. He stopped releasing the magic, and Bernard let go of his hands. The grass rabbity under the cage, its legs kicking weakly, trying to get up butcking strength. Blood oozed from its mouth in waves. Garrett stared at it for a while, and the rabbit¡¯s head tilted to the side, breathless. Dead? Did the excessive power of ultrasound waves kill the rabbit? Is it the fault of the ultrasound? When in doubt, dissect and see. Garrett lifted the dead rabbit onto the operating table, rubbed his hands together, and started cutting. Bernard followed along, handing him knives and scissors, watching Garrett cut fur and bones with clinking sounds. Suddenly, he asked: "So, tonight... are we having roasted rabbit?" Garrett: "..." So? What so? So, am I doing ultrasound experiments to prepare a rabbit for you to eat? Wait until I figure out the cause of death before we think about eating! --------------- Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Dissection. Dissection. The gleam of the knife. Chest opened, abdomen dissected, neck and head dissected. Observing the organs, observing the blood vessels, retinas, subcutaneous tissues¡ª In times of unknown causes of death, the surgical knife is a torch illuminating the fog in the darkness. Garrett Nordmark is fully focused on dissecting and investigating. The rabbit¡¯s lungs, organs, blood vessels, all covered in scattered bleeding. Extensive bleeding with no adhesions, inmmation, or other organic lesions. No sharp wounds, which essentially indicates... ultrasound magic. "Hmm, Bernard... Bernard?" Garrett puts down the surgical knife, ready to call the barbarian over to stew or roast this rabbit, whatever suits. As he turns around, the barbarian is holding another rabbit, looking at him with eager anticipation. The new rabbit¡¯s abdomen is shaved clean, revealing a slight pink color, contrasting with the surrounding ck fur. Held in Bernard¡¯s hands, it kicks its legs vigorously, appearing lively as if it hadn¡¯t sumbed to heatstroke.Oh... Garrett sweats. One rabbit is not enough for you to eat! I didn¡¯t n on having rabbit legs for dinner! "Bernard, let¡¯s not eat this rabbit for now... no, let¡¯s not experiment either. I need to think about... what went wrong with this experiment. I need to think for a while..." After Garrett finishes his routine meditation at home, he molds another bone with his mental power, only eight more toplete the set. He then directs his focus back to ultrasound magic. He contemtes, meditates, and muses... Hmm, after thinking it over repeatedly, he still can¡¯t pinpoint where the problem lies. Helpless, he concentrates and goes through the description of ultrasound in "Medical Imaging": "Ultrasound utilizes 1 to 10 megahertz ultrasound waves to propagate in human tissues... um..." 1 to 10 megahertz? That¡¯s 1,000,000 hertz to 10,000,000 hertz? What frequency do bats emit ultrasound at? Oops, can¡¯t remember... However, during this contemtion, Garrett remembers something: The higher the frequency of ultrasound, the lower its tissue pration ability, but the higher its resolution for nearby objects. Lower frequencies prate tissues more effectively but have poorer resolution for nearby objects. So when he released echo magic earlier, he could "see" through the rabbit to the rabbit cage, table, and floor below but couldn¡¯t "see" the rabbit¡¯s internal structure. Is it because the ultrasound frequency was too low? How can he increase the ultrasound frequency? Find an ultrasound probe? Thinking too much! Find a tuning fork? A tuning fork probably can¡¯t produce ultrasound. Is there any magic to adjust sound wave frequency? Some images and sounds pop into Garrett¡¯s mind: ore radio, knobs, "Wee to FM89.7 megahertz..." Stop, stop! That¡¯s for listening, not emitting! Anyway, finding the reason for the magic failure is good. The next day, after ss, Garrett rushes to theboratory, takes out five different bats, and lines them up. He picks up a rabbit, applies sweet almond oil, and begins¡ª Indeed, there is a difference! The fox bat, thergest and with the widest wingspan, emits the lowest ultrasound frequency, and the visual scene in his meditative field is the most blurred; The mostmon and cheapest ck bat, with a slightly higher frequency, has a clearer resolution but still doesn¡¯t meet Garrett¡¯s requirements; The smallest gray bat, only as big as Garrett¡¯s palm, covers only the rabbit and the rabbit cage with its ultrasound scene... Reducing it by one more circle ording to the rabbit¡¯s size, it¡¯s probably enough to examine the internal organs. The idea of switching bats is correct! Garrett is greatly excited. However, thest time he experimented, the Magic Council provided only five types of bats. He... must go out and buy more. Oh Buddha, God bless, may the gods of nature and magic bless¡ªbats shouldn¡¯t be too expensive! It¡¯s still not affordable if they are 5 gold coins each! He heads straight to the shop where he inquiredst time. The young clerk who promised to hold the bats for him when he paid a deposit seems to vaguely remember Garrett. Seeing hime in, the clerk¡¯s eyes light up: "Mr. Mage, you¡¯re here again! Do you still want bats?" How do you know I want bats?! Garrett is surprised: "How much for each?" "...5 copper coins each, whether alive or dead." The clerk¡¯s voice is gloomy. Garrett is shocked: "Has the price dropped that much?" "Isn¡¯t it...?" The young clerk sighs in frustration. With the shop owner absent, he leans on the counter, chin resting on folded arms. From skull to spine, he looks like aplete "loss," with the word written all over him from top to bottom: "I don¡¯t know which mage wrote an article saying that researching bats is dangerous and can cause illness. Now, many customers who ordered bats don¡¯t want them anymore, and some who bought them are returning them. Our shop is stuck with several thousand! If we don¡¯t figure out a way to sell them, we won¡¯t be able to afford to take care of them..." And this month¡¯s sry will also be discounted. Not only this month, but the next, the next next month, and maybe even the next next next month, it might be cut in half... "Um..." The instigator of the drastic price drop on bats feels a bit guilty and a bit pleased. He blinks, getting closer: "Is your shop¡¯s bat varietyplete? If it is, I¡¯ll buy them here instead of going elsewhere!" "We have aplete collection!" The young clerk jumps up. "We have over ten varieties! Even if they¡¯re notplete, I can go to other shops to restock! Mr. Mage, you just sit here; I¡¯ll go gather them all for you! How many of each do you want?" 5 copper coins each, 20 varieties, that¡¯s one gold coin. Garrett pinches his wallet, pulling out half of his gold coins and pushing them onto the counter: "See how many varieties you can gather. If you get 20, I¡¯ll buy 5 of each. Buy more of the one I need when you find it." "Alright! Mr. Mage, rest assured¡ªotherwise, do you want to leave your address? I can deliver them to your doorstep." In thete afternoon, when the sky darkens, Garrett receives a basket full of bats. Various sizes, neatly categorized, around forty to fifty varieties. All dead, each wrapped in a grass bag with a note attached, indicating the name of each bat. Considering that in his previous life, there were only over 900 species of bats worldwide, Garrett suspects he has collected bats from all over the country. ...Wallet bleeding heavily. Enduring the heartache, Garrett takes out half of the gold coins from his wallet, pays the young clerk, and sends him away. Turning around, facing this big basket of creepy-looking creatures, he sighs deeply: "...Ah!" How long do I have to experiment? I have a limited number of spells every day! Although experimenting with various materials is necessary for research¡ªlike when Edison invented the light bulb, he tried nearly 1600 fment materials¡ª but he had a team underneath him! What about me? I rely on myself entirely! I need an assistant! Assistant! "Garrett, don¡¯t rush, let¡¯s try slowly," his only assistant, the barbarian Bernard, consoles him, looking understanding: "After all, I can¡¯t eat ten rabbits in a day..." --------------- Chapter 165 Chapter 165 Garrett Nordmark carefully tested forty to fifty different bats one by one. The fur-winged bat... the frequency is not high enough. Mountain bat, still not high enough. Tail-hugging bat, the frequency is still a bit off. Little chrysanthemum-headed bat... this one has a really low frequency! Justzing around? Garrett continued experimenting with each type. This time, he didnt increase the intensity of the ultrasound, saving energy but requiring more mental focus. Fortunately, echo magic was still at the apprentice level, allowing him to use it around twenty to thirty times a day. The next day, he found the bat that met the requirements. Short-eared blood-sucking bat... Garrett finally showed a pleased expression. The bat in his hand turned into ashes silently, and in his meditative view, the liver, galldder, kidneys of the rabbit... one by one, took shape through the feedback of ultrasound. The galldder outline was clear, the edges of the liver were sharp, and even the vascr structure inside the liver was outlined in a simple manner in his meditative view.I see it! I see it! Garrett clenched his fist and waved it with force. It had been over half a year since he left those convenient testing methods behind, and now, after X-rays, he had managed to create a diagnostic tool using his own power! Although the images he saw now were quite primitive,cking instruments to receive signals, automatically calcte, and convert into images, with no M-mode ultrasound, spectral Doppler, or color ultrasound, and the images in his meditative view were different from the ultrasound images he had seen in his previous life... But these were all things that could be ovee! Taking the first step, and from now on, he could move forward step by step! Just... As he clenched his left fist, ashes dripped through his fingers. Garrett looked at the remnants of the blood-sucking bat in his hand with a troubled expression. This short-eared blood-sucking bat was a bit toorge, even with its wings folded, he couldnt grip it with one hand. Moreover, it was just too ugly, with a pair of long fangs that made it look intimidating. Imagining holding thisrge and ugly blood-sucking bat in one hand while smiling reassuringly at a patient during an examination... Garrett imagined it himself and felt that if he were the patient, he would desperately jump off the examination table and run away. Lets think of another solution! At least, remove the unnecessary parts and make it smaller? Garrett picked up the next bat. Scissors, scalpel, he divided the bat into different parts for further experimentation. The experimental record book on the desk gained new entries line by line. In the second experiment, using only the head, the ultrasound frequency increased slightly. Good news! In the third experiment, using only the throat, there was no ultrasound image feedback. Could it be that bats dont make sounds with their throats, or is it necessary to use the bats brain to process the images? In the fourth experiment, using only the bats brain, miraculously, the ultrasound frequency did not decrease, and the image feedback remained the same. It seemed that at least for this echo magic, it recognized that it could emit ultrasound without using vocal organs. In the fifth experiment, using the longitudinally sliced left half of the bats brain, there was no ultrasound image feedback. In the sixth experiment, using the right half of the bats brain. Same as the fifth experiment. In the seventh experiment, using the horizontally sliced upper half of the bats brain. There was a slight ultrasound image feedback, but it was very blurry. In the eighth experiment, using the lower half of the brain. The results were the same as the seventh experiment. In the ninth experiment... well, there was no ninth experiment, the bats were used up. "Bernard! Lets go buy more bats on the street! And lets have a good meal!" Garrett and the barbarian walked one after the other on the streets of Nevis City. Thick clouds covered the sky, and the sound of rain pattered, making the dusk almost as dark as night. The shops along the street had already lit their lights, warm yellow, bright white, and colorful lights spilled out of the windows, making the entire street vibrant. Bernard carried a basket of bats, walking behind Garrett, and casually held up arge umbre. The umbre had a frame almost as tall as a person, but with the size of a shop awning, he held it effortlessly and even tilted it forward to cover Garrett securely. Garrett was happy to have less trouble, with both hands in his pockets, walking while ncing around. Such a style naturally attracted attention. Just half a street had passed, and someone on the opposite side waved, "Garrett! Is it Garrett?" "Anthony?" Garrett smiled, raised his arm, and waved to the other side. The barbarian lifted the umbre high enough, and Garretts arm extended straight without touching the umbre. People across the street who called him were also familiar faces. It was the young man with golden hair who waste with him, reprimanded by the teacher not to enter the ssroom, the first level mage in the training ss. During this time, Garrett often studied in the library with them, bing somewhat acquainted. Meeting on the street like this, calling each others names without difficulty, and not even realizing they were ssmates showed how much time had passed. Likest time, Anthony was still followed by several young men and women, but the number had reduced to five or six. Seeing Garretts response, Anthony dodged left and right, ran through the traffic, and said: "So rare to see you, Garrett! What brings you here?" "Shopping and dinner." Garrett gestured to the barbarian holding the wicker basket. Anthony nodded and pointed to a brightly lit three-story building not far from the street: "Join us? Corwin also broke through today, lets celebrate!" Garrett hesitated slightly. He had no problem, but Bernard... Bernard could eat the portion of these people alone, and maybe double it. Anthony followed Garretts gaze and brightened up: "Your follower? To have such a strong warrior with you, youre really impressive! My father cant find a follower above level 5 for me!" They finally entered the restaurant together. Anthony chose a high-end restaurant, pure white on the outside, and each Roman column at the top was decorated with carefully crafted sculptures: climbing vines, plump grapes, and drooping ears of wheat. The marble floor was reflective, connecting the patterns in a way that seemed as if the stone had been cut. As they walked in, crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, glowing not from candles but from silver rods that emitted a constant lighting spell. The tablecloths had various embroidered patterns, with silver-bordered white porcin tes, transparent ss cups, bottles of salt and pepper, each one shining brightly. Anthony led the way, curiously looking at his invited guest. A first-level mage who could publish papers in "Arcane" was undoubtedly someone worth attracting, but he still wanted to test the others value. Hmm, I heard that this guy is from a small rural area... However, the others reaction was somewhat unexpected. The barbarian had been looking around from the moment they entered, picking up a silver te and flipping through it curiously, even wanting to pinch and test its authenticity. Garrett, on the other hand, just nced casually, showing no surprise, as if these things weremonce. So, behind Garrett, theres a grand mage? Anthony spected and became even more enthusiastic. When the waiter brought the menu, he personally handed it to Garrett and opened it, warmly rmending: "The signature dish here is foie gras..." Foie gras, huh. Garrett remained calm. Its fatty and greasy, with no special qualities other than a pool of oil when bitten into. He didnt particrly like it... for Western cuisine, ox tongue and codfish were more to his taste. However, since it was rmended, he ordered a serving. Not long after, the dishes arrived. The oily foie grasy on toasted bread, topped with a lemon slice. Garrett casually cut a piece and tasted it without saying anything. The two mages next to him were dissatisfied: "Boss, this foie gras isnt fatty enough!" The boss hurried over. Even the head chef with a tall white hat came out with a smiling face: "Esteemed guests, this goose was personally picked by me and is the fattest in this batch. If youre not satisfied, you can personally pick one, and Ill make another one for you. I wont charge a penny more than this one if the goose is fatter!" "Deal!" The firstining mage stood up immediately. Anthony nced at him, hesitated, but still stood up. One after another, the mages at the table stood up, and Bernard was still busy chewing, only stopping when Garrett pulled themb leg from his hand. The group followed the boss downstairs and circled a few times to reach the backyard goose pen. The mage who had initially imed, "Ill pick one myself," took a look inside and immediately froze: Each one was fluffy, quacking, and almost equallyrge. Which one was fatter? All of them looked equally fat! --------------- Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Garrett Nordmark looked at the goose cages with difficulty. He was the youngest among the group, having just turned 15 after the New Year. Despite his small stature and short arms, the geese in front of him were not small at all. A whole wall, both upper and lower rows, contained a total of ten cages, each holding two or three geese. There were white, gray, and brown ones, pping their wings, raising their heads, and loudly honking at him. "Which one should I choose?" This time, Corrine, who had just reached the second level, asked him with a mischievous smile. Garrett, full of resentment, gave him a re. "Who among us, growing up together, doesn¡¯t know each other? I won¡¯t choose. Can¡¯t you do it yourself?" "We¡¯re all mages. Who has ever raised geese by hand? Who needs to pick when the geese at home need to be eaten? If you want goose liver, just go outside. Otherwise, instruct the cook at home, and you¡¯ll have it that night." "Garrett, hurry up!" Anthony chimed in, pping his hands. The head chef had already gone back to work, and although the restaurant owner smiled and had a round belly, there was no sign of intervening. Garrett gritted his teeth, looking around. "Did any of you bring processed leather?" "Come on, Garrett. We¡¯re just catching a goose. Do you need mage armor for this?" The young mages burst intoughter. Processed leather was the material for mage armor, something they were all familiar with. However, did catching a goose require such a setup? Garrett blushed, realizing he had topromise. He cast a shield spell on himself. With the invisible shield in front of him, he approached a goose cage, opened thetch, and pulled the cage door slightly. "Honk, honk, honk!" Immediately, arge goose stuck its head out. With its snow-white long neck extending and retracting, and an orange beak, it grabbed Garrett¡¯s hand with a honk. The shield spell acted like a shield hanging in front of him, protecting the front but not the sides. The goose moved too quickly, and Garrett couldn¡¯t react in time. "Hoo!" Garrett felt tears welling up. With a peck and a twist, the goose left a bruise on his hand. The white goose continued honking threateningly, pping its wings. As it honked, dozens of geese in the cage joined in cheering, feathers flying everywhere, making a deafening noise. Even the chickens and ducks on the other walls started squawking in response. Garrett couldn¡¯t retract his hand in time. If it weren¡¯t for the barbarian stepping forward and grabbing the goose by the neck near its head, he might have gotten bitten again. Grinning from behind, Garrett thought, apart from him, everyone else should be eliminated. "Phew... thank you, thank you!" Garrett escaped from the goose¡¯s beak, repeatedly thanking both him and Garrett. The young mages, with a hint of envy, looked at the barbarian¡¯s sturdy arms and requested Garrett: "Let him pick for me?" "I¡¯ll do it myself." Garrett smiled and stepped forward. Miles widened his eyes, "You?" His eyes widened, mouth agape, even his nostrils instinctively red. He looked at the goose cage, then at Garrett, then lifted his head to look at his face, and lowered his head to look at his palm and shoes. Garrett didn¡¯t need to release a "thought detection" to know what he was imagining. Probably thinks he¡¯s from the countryside, good at catching geese? "I have a magic that might work. Let me try." Garrett walked to the front of the goose cage, bent down, and looked. He turned and directed Bernard: "Bring that basket over." "You catch the goose." Concerning magic, two second-level mages and several first-level mages stood in a row, concentrating and holding their breath, afraid to disturb Garrett. The small, dark room had scattered goose and duck droppings on the floor, but these people didn¡¯t care. Standing on tiptoe, stretching their necks, they struck a pose as if singing "Curved Necks Toward the Sky," watching Garrett perform his magic. Garrett¡¯s movements were much more leisurely than Mage Miles. After all, with the barbarian¡¯s thick shield, one hand grabbed the white goose¡¯s neck, and the other held its wing, presenting the goose¡¯s chest to Garrett. Not only did Garrett not worry about being attacked, but if he felt ufortable with the casting angle, he could also instruct his follower to raise or lower it... "Sofortable." "Having a follower is really great." "This guy is at least over level five, right? Can you afford to keep him?" "Uh..." The young mages whispered to each other, watching Garrett with one hand in the wicker basket and the other deeply immersed in the chest of the white goose, in a pool of bean oil. Moving, moving, with half-closed eyes,pletely focused on meditation, after a while, he withdrew his finger: "Change to another one." "Change to another one." "Change to another one." "Well... this one is quite fat. Bernard, help me remember; I might take another lookter." "Change one more for me..." The more Garrett looked, the faster he became. With a slight smile on his lips, he enjoyed the process. Unlike rabbits, which had all been treated with healing spells for magical experiments, and were all healthy, these geese had been deliberately fattened, each carrying arge fatty liver. The first and second ones were not proficient, and it took a long time to find the location of the goose liver, and he wasn¡¯t familiar with what a fatty liver looked like under magical ultrasound. Starting from the third one, he could easily tell whether the goose liver was abnormally erged... Hmm, this goose liver is too small, definitely not fat. This one, the irregr distribution of the liver is slightly hyperechoic, just focal fatty liver, unevenly fattened, probably not delicious. This one... oh, the liver parenchyma echoes diffusely and intensively, with a clear attenuation of the far-field echoes! Diffuse fatty liver! The fattest one he had seen so far, let me see its blood vessels, whether they are twisted orpressed... Well, the blood vessel morphology is normal, just a decrease in rity, indicating it¡¯s not a liver tumor, just a fatty liver! Garrett observed with great delight. Taking advantage of the opportunity to choose a fat goose, he examined fatty livers of different degrees, all in one go. How fortunate! How satisfying! If he didn¡¯t seize this opportunity, he wouldn¡¯t know how many patients he¡¯d have to examine to gather enough cases to see so many fatty livers! Garrett was ecstatic. Anthony stood on the side, seeing his genuine joy, couldn¡¯t help but nudge Corrine, who was treating them today: "Hey, why is he so happy?" "I don¡¯t know... maybe he likes eating goose liver? Is he happy to find a fat enough goose?" "It doesn¡¯t seem like it... just now when the goose liver came up, I didn¡¯t see him particrly interested..." "Maybe that goose liver wasn¡¯t fat enough?" "That makes sense... when the goose liveres upter, put it in front of him first!" The two second-level mages whispered. Garrett thoroughly examined all the white geese, re-evaluating the fatter ones. He picked out two whose liver volumes were thergest, and under B-mode ultrasound, they showed the lowest echoes, indicating diffuse fatty livers: "These two! The fattest goose liver!" Twenty minutester, Garrett looked at the pan of pan-fried goose liver in front of him, twice as oily as the previous one, and couldn¡¯t help but doubt his life... --------------- Chapter 167 Chapter 167 After the lively event and the delightful feast, the atmosphere among the mages became more animated as they chatted. Seated around the table were five young men and one woman, six young mages in total. Garrett Nordmark and Bernard sat with them, enjoying their meal and conversation. While the mages engaged in lively talk, Bernard, on the side, happily devoured the remnants of the two golden roast geese selected by Garrett, specifically the remains after extracting the goose liver - crunch, crunch, he relished every bite. Envious nces shifted from the barbarian to Garrett. Most of these individuals hailed from noble families, and though they hadn¡¯t fully grasped Garrett¡¯s recent disy, they understood one thing: this was a type of magic they had never seen before. To create a new spell as a Level 1 mage indicated limitless potential for Garrett¡¯s future. Ignoring the focused gazes, Garrett smiled faintly, choosing to remain silent. If it were Elder Elwin or Elder Wood, or even Priest Matthew, he might have shared this extraordinary ultrasound magic. But for these mages, what use would sharing it serve? Pretending not to notice the admiration from the crowd, Garrett continued to smile. After a moment of quiet, Anthony, the highest-ranked mage present, cleared his throat, raising his ss. "Firstly, let¡¯s congratte Corin on sessfully advancing to Level 2." Garrett raised a ss of water, while the others each held a cup of red wine. Bernard, on the other hand, lifted arge beer mug, and they exchanged nods before taking sips. Corin smiled, nodding to the group, and Anthony raised his ss again. "Next, congrattions to Garrett for the sessful publication of his paper in ¡¯Arcane.¡¯" Another round of toasts ensued. Garrett epted the congrattions with a smile, seemingly oblivious to his water-drinking amidst the wine-drinking crowd. Then, Anthony raised his ss once more. "Let¡¯s also wish everyone sess in publishing their papers, achieving good results, andpleting the training program." "That¡¯s too difficult..." "Publishing a paper is not that easy..." Lamentations filled the air. Anthony¡¯s fork and knife trembled on his te, creating an unpleasant noise. Corin, with his wine ss near his lips, identally spilled some liquid as he sighed. Miles slumped onto the table. "Ah..." "I don¡¯t even know what to write..." "At this rate, I might get sent back..." "I want to stay in Nevis..." Garrett looked around, perplexed. Left and right, faces of the young mages, except for the two locals, bore expressions of distress. Trying to recall, Garrett couldn¡¯t remember any relevant information from the teachers in ss or the library after ss. He whispered inquiringly: "Sent back? Is it possible to be sent back if the training is not passed? I¡¯ve never heard of that!" A moment of silence fell. Anthony, clearing his throat, spoke first, holding up his cup. "Like us low-ranking mages, there are generally three paths ahead. First, study at the local mage tower for a certain period. For example, a Level 1 mage has a time limit of 3 years to advance to Level 2. If one cannot progress within the time frame, they can¡¯t stay. After reaching Level 3, there¡¯s a required period of service at the mage tower." So, if one can enter the headquarters¡¯ mage tower, it¡¯s not bad. If they initially study at an out-of-town mage tower, local learning and employment be challenging, especially when it¡¯s hard to transfer to other ces - transferring to the headquarters¡¯ mage tower is even more difficult. Garrett nodded, understanding. "Second, find work at the headquarters of the Magic Council. The council offers many positions, like copying scrolls, crafting magical items, and making potions. Also, administrative tasks like registering mage levels and exchanging magical items. Various mage towers, academies, and magical organizations have research work that requires personnel..." Sounds good. Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up, but Corin sighed beside him. "The problem is that making things is quite hard work. After working for ten or eight years, there¡¯s no guarantee of progress. As for research work¡ªlow-ranking mages are seldom recruited. It¡¯s usually higher-ranking mages leading apprentices. Administrative work? For someone like me without connections, forget about it..." Is it simr to working in a factory, taking the exam to enter public service, or going to university and a research institute? Oh, forgot, there¡¯s no civil service exam in this world. Garrett silently crossed out administrative work as an option: "What about the third?" "The third is finding your own way! Be an adventurer, take on tasks assigned by the Magic Council, be a family mage sponsored by some wealthy aristocrat... All of these are possible. But honestly, having a stable job is better than going down this path." Also bing a pce mage, joining the military, or being employed by a wealthy merchant. Like the one a few days ago outside the theater, using magical tricks to paint promotional art. It¡¯s just unclear if he¡¯s employed long-term or asionally takes odd jobs... Garrett nodded in understanding. Anthony¡¯s evaluation was also understood: as an intellectual, try to work within the system as much as possible, right? It was the same in his previous life, whether as a doctor or researching medicine, either working in a public hospital or entering a university. Go directly to a private one after leaving school? Congrattions, you¡¯ll be cut off from academic development for a lifetime. And this world emphasizes academic development even more. The higher the mage level, the higher the status. If you can¡¯t advance in level, your strength and status remain stagnant. Want to level up? The broadest and smoothest path is to join a magical organization, like a mage tower at headquarters or a magic academy, and continue researching magic... "So how do I find research work?" Garrett poured wine for his fellow mages, sincerely seeking advice. The table fell silent for a moment, then five or six people spoke up simultaneously. "Garrett, you should be fine..." "But it¡¯s better to have a few more papers... Well, you already have one in ¡¯Arcane,¡¯ so you should be fine. But having more would certainly be better." "Right, you should submit your papers to the Magic Council, gain academic points and an academic rating. With this, it¡¯s easier to find work at the headquarters, especially in teaching and research positions." "Act quickly; the training program and magic academy both graduate at the end of June. Usually, organizations start recruiting around March or April. It¡¯s already February now..." Understood, the recruitment season for recent graduates is about to begin. During this time, there are many job openings and favorable conditions. Finding a job after the recruitment season would be challenging. However, does the Magic Council¡¯s recruitment season start in March or April? In the previous life, the autumn recruitment for recent graduates usually kicked off around July of the previous year... So, is it because the poption is scarce, resulting in fewer mages in this world? Tonight, I¡¯ll go back and write my paper! --------------- Chapter 168 Chapter 168 "Role of Ultrasound in Medical Diagnosis" Though he initially nned to write it as soon as he returned home, Garrett Nordmark spent a few extra days conducting experiments, ensuring the data wasplete before putting pen to paper. Just as he drafted a title, he quickly crossed it out: Too casual, too many words from my past life. People in this world have no idea what B-ultrasound is... He cked out the line above, started a new one, and swiftly wrote under the light. The training camp provided decent amodation for students. Although the room wasn¡¯t spacious, the desk had a magicalmp instead of a dim, flickering oilmp. The light was snow-white, with a brightness equivalent to a 25-watt daylight bulb, evenly and stably illuminating the space¡ªperhaps a bit too bright. Garrett, in recent days, contemted whether to add a light yellow shade to it... Dipping his quill in ink, he waved the pen. The graceful and smooth strokes fell onto the paper, organizing thoughts and shaping the magic that first appeared in this world: "A New Application of Echo Magic and Its Role in Exploring the Internal Organs of the Human Body" Keywords: Sound waves, Range and rity, Exploration, Medical In the process of studying echo magic, we observed something interesting: the effectiveness of sound waves emitted by different bat species in exploring the surrounding environment varies. For example, under the same magical energy consumption, usingmon brown bats as the casting material, when exploring the internal organs of a rabbit, the echo in the meditative field can clearly feedback the outline of the rabbit cage, table, and the room within 10 square meters. However, the depiction of the rabbit¡¯s internal organs is not clear. With woolly wing bats, the exploration range narrows to the rabbit cage, table, and the ground, but the feedback on the rabbit¡¯s internal organs is slightly clearer than the former. As for the small chrysanthemum head bat, the exploration range extends to the entire room, about 50 square meters, but the depiction of the rabbit¡¯s internal organs is extremely blurry. (See theparison chart below for disy range and rabbit internal organ depiction) Given these experimental results, we can tentatively conclude that the stronger the prating power of sound waves, the broader the exploration range, but the lower the rity of the disy. Conversely, weaker prating power leads to a smaller exploration range but clearer depiction of details of the target. For this, we conducted experiments with 47 bat species found in the market (bat list in Appendix One). We found that using the brain of the short-eared blood-sucking bat as the experimental material can most clearly explore the internal organs of the human body. The spell model for this magic is... Casting Material: Brain of the short-eared blood-sucking bat, must be kept intact. The author conductedparative experiments using fresh, dried specimens soaked in lime water, and frozen specimens treated with freezing radiation, each with 20 individuals. The conclusion is that there is no statistically significant difference in magical energy consumption, exploration range, and disy rity. (See table below for experimental data) Points to note when casting: The area to be examined should be shaved of hair and coated with a conducting fluid to facilitate the smooth conduction of echoes into the human body. The author conductedparative experiments using different types of liquids, and the conclusion is that glycerin is the best conducting fluid, followed by sweet almond oil. (See table below for the imaging effects of different types of fluids on casting) This application of echo magic can dynamically and clearly disy the shape of human organs, anatomicalyers, adjacent rtionships, as well as the distribution of blood vessels and other tubr structures. This application is a non-invasive examination method that can disy the internal organs of the human body without cutting or exposing it. It is convenient to cast, cost-effective, and can be performed multiple times without causing harm or pain to the patient. The author conducted liver exploration experiments on 30 live geese, and the feedback images can effectively reflect the fattening condition of goose livers. It can be reasonably inferred that this magic can also be used to check whether the human liver has umted too much fat. (See the meditation feedback images of goose liver and surrounding tissues below) The role of echo magic in exploring the human body differs from the variant of "Detection Magic" in... Garrett¡¯s hand moved the pen swiftly, writing diligently. All he learned in his past life, all the magical images he "saw" in meditation, all the patients he encountered since crossing... Textbooks, cases, images, and numbers shed through his mind, condensed, settled, summarized into words flowing rapidly from the pen onto the paper. The surroundings went from quiet to noisy, then back to quiet as students in neighboring dorms finished their day,pleted their hygiene routines, one by one entering meditation. Garrett was oblivious, sitting under the light, writing one page after another: "In conclusion, using the brain of the short-eared blood-sucking bat as casting material can effectively help diagnose the conditions of human injuries and illnesses by exploring the internal organs. Future research directions for this magic are as follows: 1. Investigate the reasons for the inverse rtionship between sound wave pration, exploration range, and rity. 2. Find more bats or other items suitable as casting materials. 3. Explore the human body extensively, umte magical image feedbackndscapes of normal human bodies forter investigators topare and identify abnormal conditions. 4. Explore the organ conditions of extraordinary individuals, study the physical and magical aspects of extraordinary fluctuations, and whether they will interfere with the exploration effects of this magic..." Main text, abstract, references. Garrett put down the final period, raised his arms, stretchedzily: Thank goodness it¡¯s finally done... Although images of B-ultrasound magic scans in normal individuals still need umtion, this magic has finally been developed... What time is it?! I haven¡¯t done tonight¡¯s meditation yet! Garrett quickly rolled onto the bed. Half a month ago, hepleted thest bone of the "self" in the meditation core. However, those bones seemed unrted, showing no resonance between them. Pulling one had no effect on nearby ones; they didn¡¯t budge or copse. It made Garrett suspect that the pile of bones he spent months constructing was taken from different owners altogether. Garrett tried to connect them. After several attempts, he felt his mental strength had reached its limit. Adding a ligament or a piece of muscle was impossible, no matter how much he endured the headache. But today was different. Just as he entered meditation, a gentle and abundant force came from nowhere, gently tapping the "self" wave after wave. In the skeletal framework standing in the void, an invisible force circted. Garrett had a thought. The light figure constructed by the bones took a step, scape and vicles turned, lifting the humerus upward, then driving the ulna and radius to a higher angle until they were parallel to the shoulders. Wrist and hand bones moved together, and finally, finger bones tightened inward, then spread outward, repeatedly. They resonated gently. In the void, 206 bones vibrated, the fluctuation seemed silent yet resonant, osciting back and forth. The unexpectedly tender force, from the skeletal structureposed of mental strength, transmitted wave after wave to the real bones in the body. Washing, soothing, solid ifying, overflowing outward, filling muscles and blood vessels¡ª Garrett suddenly opened his eyes. That genuinely tangible force was still flowing in his body, breathing bing more rapid, heart beating vigorously. He raised his right hand, held it in front of his eyes, silently chanting the spell for a healing technique. A warm white light blossomed at his fingertips. On the desk, the oak wand leaned, its head producing a second fresh green leaf, quietly budding. --------------- Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Upgraded again? Is it the priest¡¯s level that¡¯s upgraded again? Garrett Nordmark nced wearily at the oak staff, no longer surprised. If the priest¡¯s level is upgraded first, then let it be. Anyway, when the priest¡¯s level is raised, the mental strength limit will also increase. As for the mage level and such... Garrett made an effort, his face turning red from the strain, but the meditative environment remained undisturbed. Garrett wasn¡¯t in a hurry; encountering some opportunity again, he would probably level up. After all, he didn¡¯t believe it would take a year or more. He jumped off the bed, reaching out to grasp the oak staff. Two leaves adorned the staff¡¯s head, one on the left and one on the right. The one on the right was a deep green, slightly rigid to the touch. The one on the left, however, was a fresh, light jade green, seemingly translucent under the bright deskmp. ...Growing like this, it practically shouted "Level Two" on the front and "Newly Upgraded" on the back. Garrett was sweating profusely. Could we not have our levels written on our faces? Even if they are, does it have to be so obvious? The oak staff remained still in Garrett¡¯s hand, the leaves not swaying at all, as if it had nothing to do with the sudden appearance of the leaves just now. Garrett shook it a couple of times, fiddled with it, but the wooden staff remained motionless, as if saying, "I¡¯m just a piece of wood; don¡¯t bother me..." Andmunicating with nts? Sorry, after Garrett leveled up to Priest Level 1, he was busy all over the ce, one thing after another. He didn¡¯t have time to stay by the teacher¡¯s side and understand this skill... Now, with the staff in his hand ying dead, Garrett, apart from poking and shaking it, had no other way. He couldn¡¯t even bite into it, right? And he couldn¡¯t bite it anyway! Garrett silently threw the staff back to the desk andy down to sleep. However, writing was fun, organizing the crematorium, Garrett spent nearly ten days toplete the paper ¡ª Copying dozens of charts several times, copying magic had its limitations and couldn¡¯t be used for drawing. Drawing, drawing, and drawing again, eyes were getting tired, and hands were getting sore... Fortunately, making multiple copies was useful. This time submitting the paper, the assistant of the training ss already had a deep impression of him, quietly guiding him: "The article you submitted to me is considered homework, and the chances of being recorded by the council are not high. It was luckyst time that Archmage Qifar was willing to help you submit it, but it¡¯s best not to gamble on that probability. Since your paper contains magical innovations, it¡¯s best to submit it to the council¡¯s Magic Review Committee, get some research points, and it will be convenient for you to enter the headquarters of the Magic Tower in the future. Where to submit it? The offices of the Magic Council are all together, just go west along the foothills, and that six-story white tower is..." The white tower wasn¡¯t far from Nevis City. The tall tower was built at the foot of the mountain, two floors higher than the surrounding houses. Standing at the entrance of the academy, you could see it just by looking up. Not just Garrett, but the mages of the entire Nevis City couldn¡¯t miss it. Garrett also easily entered the white tower. As soon as he entered, he felt like he had traveled from medieval Europe back to the 21st century: In the spacious entrance hall, warm wind brushed his face, and the temperature and humidity were pleasant. Although Garrett knew it was due to the overall solidification of the ¡¾Cold and Heat Resistance¡¿ magic, it didn¡¯t prevent him from feeling like central air conditioning was working at full power here; A sign stood tall next to the door, indicating the functions of each floor from the first to the sixth: the first floor was the management center, the second floor was the arcane library, the third floor was the magic exchange center, the fourth floor was the meditation center, and the fifth floor was theboratory. Near the door, a simr sign was embedded on the wall, and when Garrett looked over, he heard a "ding" sound, and a door slid open next to the sign, with a mage stepping out from inside; As for the ceiling of the first-floor hall, five signs hung high, red, yellow, blue, green, and ck, with five-colored text, indicating the names and functions of different areas. There were also five-colored arrows on the floor, winding back and forth, even if the mages didn¡¯t look at the signs, they could follow the guidance of the floor arrows and reach their destination smoothly. This... thisyout, which is like arge shopping mall and a government service hall, who designed it? The transmigrated predecessor, perhaps? Garrett silently criticized, looking around. In addition to the entrance hall on the first floor of the white tower, there were five other areas: The red task area and the yellow exchange area took up thergest area, bustling with noise. Garrett stood at the entrance for a minute and saw seven or eight mages quicklying in and out. Some had happy faces, and some looked dejected; The blue mage management area was not small, but it was quiet, with two ss doors closed, emitting a cool blue light; The green magic review area was the smallest, and as for the ck emergency management area, the ck heavy iron door was tightly closed, with no one entering or leaving, and the surrounding mages deliberately avoided it. Garrett observed for a moment and walked towards the entrance of the magic review area. Two meters away, the semi-transparent arch disappeared silently. Next to the arch, a pair of half-foot-high flower spirits flew out,ughing and bowing to him: "Respected mage, wee. Please follow us~~~" Huh? This was the first time Garrett had seen these creatures, although he had seen them in the magical tower¡¯s collection. He couldn¡¯t help but look at them carefully, and the two flower spirits didn¡¯t dodge, allowing him to observe freely. It was only when Garrett reached out that they suddenly fluttered their wings and moved away, leaving a trail in the air. "You can¡¯t touch them..." A softughter sounded in front. Garrett raised his head and saw a girl in a deep blue long dress smiling at him. When she noticed him looking over, she gently bent her knees in a bow, with a sweet and yful smile: "Respected mage, I am Angelina, the receptionist of the council. May I ask what business you are here for?" "I¡¯m here to submit new magic and a paper." "To submit magic, go to the right, the fourth office. Your Excellency Mage, don¡¯t you have your own badge yet? During the waiting time for the paper feedback, you can go to the adjacent Mage Management Department to register. With a badge, receiving research points and transferring contribution points will be more convenient." Garrett thanked her with a smile, followed the guidance, and entered the corridor. Most of the offices in the review area were closed, but the fourth one had its door wide open, and there was a continuous shimmering light inside. Garrett politely knocked on the door, and a mechanical voice answered tly: "Pleasee in." Garrett stepped inside. The office wasn¡¯trge, only about thirteen or fourteen square meters, with half a person not visible inside. Garrett was still looking for the staff when the mechanical voice from the central table began: "To submit magic, press 1; to check paper feedback, press 2; to receive paper rewards, press 3; to rey, press 4; for customer service, press 0..." Uh... Uh... I feel like I went to the wrong ce, no, I went to the wrong world altogether, right? Garrett silently muttered in his mind and, on the desktop crystal keyboard ¡ª theyout of which also resembled the numeric keypad from his previous life ¡ª pressed 1. In an instant, the second round of mechanical sound started: "For submitting only the paper, press 1; for submitting the paper and magic scroll, press 2; for submitting the paper and magic items, press 3; for submitting magic of level 5 and above, press 4; for rey, press 5; for customer service..." Garrett hurriedly pressed 1. The desktop cover slid open to both sides, and a box about a foot square rose, the mechanical voice continued tly: "Please put the paper into the teleportation magic array¡ª" --------------- Chapter 170 Chapter 170 The teleportation box closed slowly, alternating between light and darkness. Within the ck outer walls adorned with silver threads, a radiant glow swiftly circted, flickering like breath. Upon reopening, a pure white sheety inside the box, half the size of an A4 paper. It bore the title of the thesis, abstract, keywords, Garrett Nordmark¡¯s name, and a series of alphanumeric codes. The mechanical voice unemotionally announced: "Please keep your receipt. After 24 hours, use the receipt to check the feedback on your thesis." Having not seen the box move just now, Garrett wondered if his thesis had been... sent away? Sent to whom? Who was responsible for urate distribution? Who would be the judge? Garrett stared fixedly at the teleportation box, wanting to scrutinize it into revealing answers. However, the box remained motionless, devoid of human service in the room, with only the mechanical voice repeating: "Please keep your receipt. After 24 hours, use the receipt to check the feedback on your thesis." Garrett: "¡­" Silently, he retrieved the paper and left the room. Behind him, the teleportation box descended, and the cover slid back into ce. The mechanical voice bid farewell without any sentiment, "Wee again..." ...Didn¡¯t quite feel the wee, but thanks. Turning towards the adjacent area for mage management, following the receptionist¡¯s advice, Garrett proceeded to register and acquire a mage badge. Upon entering, he paused for a moment, almost thinking he had entered the wrong ce. The overall style of the mage management area was much sturdier than the magic review area. The ceiling had straight lines, and the walls, from the ceiling to the window frames and below, were covered in square blocks of sky-blue. The seats in the hall were not sofas but rather rows of hard single chairs, creating a neat grid. Even the reception personnel in the hall were not youngdies in long skirts with sweet smiles. Instead, they were young men in crisp shirts, fitted vests, and neatly tailored trousers. The one guiding Garrett in his affairs did not nce sideways but briskly walked, creating a breeze: "Here for registration and mage badge? Follow me!" The mage management area was divided into four sections: identity verification, household registration management, job introduction, and educational benefits. At the identity verification window, a mage was conducting business, and Garrett sat in the waiting area. Immediately, another mage approached: "Here for certification? Where are you from?" Garrett nced at him. The mage¡¯s attirecked the embroidered staff pattern on the hem and cuffs; instead, a pure ck badge with two antique bronze stars shimmered on his chest. Seeing Garrett¡¯s curious gaze, he casually lifted the badge and presented it: "This is my mage badge, a Level 2 mage. Badges are much more convenient than mage robes¡ªevery time you level up, you either have to find someone to embroider or buy a new robe. It¡¯s annoying." Garrett, the Artisan, Nordmark, expressed his inability toprehend such troubles. Just embroidery, any surgeon could do that, right? Although he had healing arts after transmigrating, the ancestral skills still needed constant practice and couldn¡¯t be easily abandoned. "Yeah, here for certification," Garrett replied with a smile. Then, he curiously inquired, "Why do you ask?" "You don¡¯t have a mage badge! Of course, it¡¯s okay not to have one; many mages from outside don¡¯t bother." The mage, a man in his thirties with brown hair dotted with water droplets, gestured towards the hall. "But in the headquarters, it¡¯s more convenient to register and get a badge. Look over there, mages with badges can do everything directly, and the Council¡¯s subsidies are transferred directly. No need to queue every month to collect..." Can this badge also be used as a bank card? Seeing Garrett¡¯s interest, the mage exined in more detail. Garrett, the type of mage who just arrived from the countryside, not part of a batch enrolled during the Magic Academy¡¯s admission season, was clearly a dreamer. Such mages, unfamiliar with the situation in Nevis City, were easily hired for adventures or jobs at a low cost: "Oh, by the way, the Council¡¯s subsidy is just a bit. Like you, a Level 1 mage, only gets one contribution point per month, enough to exchange for a gold coin. Everything is expensive here in Nevis, so if you want to stay, you¡¯ll need to find a job soon. The Council just issued a batch of tasks recently to collect magic crystals in the Duoyi Mountain Mine. Are you interested?" Garrett: "¡­" Not really, thanks. Just as he was about to decline, the mage who had been conducting business in front of him received his badge and left. At the identity verification window, the clerk tapped on the table and raised his voice: "Next!" Garrett greeted the brown-haired mage and walked up. As soon as he sat down, the clerk pulled out a form and pushed it towards him: "Here for identity verification? Fill out the form." Garrett lowered his head, nced at the paper, and couldn¡¯t help but purse his lips. The paper before him was crisp and white, seemingly of better quality than the scroll he bought at the stationery store when he first transmigrated. The Magic Council was indeed wealthy... He picked up the quill on the side. The form was not extensive, only asking for name, age, ce of origin, magical inclination, and level. It seemed the Magic Council wasn¡¯t too concerned about other details. Garrett couldn¡¯t help but look up. The mage in his thirties across from him sipped a hot drink slowly, and upon catching Garrett¡¯s gaze, he tossed two more sheets of paper over, speaking casually: "For other details, you can write on other paper. For example, where you studied magic before, what tasks you¡¯vepleted, or what property you own. Here at headquarters, you can entrust the Magic Council for management, making it convenient for future disputes." Oh? Does that mean I can register my hospital and estate together? Can I also entrust the magic tower to manage the estate? Fantastic, finally some wealth! Garrett¡¯s lips curled slightly, and he began to write. The clerk didn¡¯t wait for him to finish; when the form was filled, he took it and walked it over, cing it on arge translucent crystal. With a "drip," a blue light descended from above, scanning across the paper line by line. Not bothering to watch, Garrett slipped to the next window and spoke to a female clerk, teasing her until she blushed, offering him a lipstick-painted cheek to be yfully patted. Havingpleted the form, Garrett rested his chin on his arm, peering inside. After a while, a flip board opened above the crystal, and with a "ding," a badge dropped onto the form. The clerk, oblivious, picked up the form and badge, swaying back towards Garrett and pped them in front of him: "Impress your spiritual power onto it!" Garrett nced at him but remained silent, following the instruction to imprint his spiritual power. The clerk embedded the badge into a magical array on the edge of the table, pressed something, and the lines on the magical array suddenly brightened, connecting with the light flowing on the table, floor, and even the walls. In silence, a copper star in the center of the pitch-ck badge lit up. "Level 1 Mage." The clerk nced indifferently, bent down, and pulled out another sheet of paper from under the desk: "This mage badge will record your personal information and the imprinted spiritual power. Relevant notes and usage instructions are on this paper. Go back and read it carefully. Remember toe here for re-recording if your magical level changes or you can do it at the mage tower in the county." "Okay, thank you." Garrett reached out to take it. "What about the badge?" "Wait a moment! What¡¯s the hurry!" The clerk finally let go of his water cup but red at Garrett. "We also need to record your arcane research level! ¡ªReally, wasting time. What arcane level can a Level 1 mage have? Probably not even half a point..." Thest sentence was spoken in an extremely low voice, eyes fixed on the desktop, as if talking to himself. As he spoke, the pace slowed, and the voice became lower¡ª On the edge of the pitch-ck badge, a circr ring slowly but firmly appeared. Under the lonesome copper star¡¯s reflection, that silver ring became more radiant. --------------- Chapter 171 Chapter 171 "A first-tier mage?" "What? First-tier?" "You¡¯re just certified and already first-tier?" The middle-aged clerk eximed, causing amotion as several people crowded around the counter to get a better look. Outside the counter wasn¡¯t any better, with a buzz of whispers surrounding Garrett Nordmark. The brown-haired mage he had just been chatting with craned his neck, trying to see the badge: "First-tier..." He himself was a second-level mage. From apprentice to second level, it took a full five years, with seven or eight papers published, but only three approved by the Mage Association¡ª one of which was a coborative effort where his mentor graciously added his name to secure a passing grade. Three papers, along with their contributions to magical advancement, amounted to seven research points. Three points shy of the ten required for first-tier. And as for those three research points, who knows how many more years of study it would take to earn them? One year?Two years? After leaving the magic school, adventuring, taking on missions, exploring the wilderness, investigating forests... These jobs could bring in over 100 gold coins annually, enough to live afortable life. But for research? Dropping 100 gold coins would barely make a ripple. And without research, there were no research points. Without research points, there was no... mage rank. And here was this youngster who had just arrived at the council headquarters, hadn¡¯t even received his mage badge yet, and already had over ten points. "How... how did you get so many points?" he stammered. Garrett himself had no idea and looked up at the clerk: "Where can I check the records for points earned?" "The magic assessment area, at the Office of Paper Submission." The clerk, still in shock, reflexively replied. Garrett leaned on the table, stretched out his arm to grab the badge, and then turned to leave. The crowd squeezed around him until they were stopped by the security personnel at the entrance to the management area, gradually dispersing and turning back to listen to the clerk calling numbers. Garrett hastened into the magic assessment area, rushing into the office that had been empty before. The keyboard on the desk dutifully announced: "To submit a paper, press 1. To check paper feedback, press 2..." Garrett decisively pressed 2. The keyboard beeped, and a tablet popped up: "Please ce your mage badge into the magic circle, or enter the query number." Having a badge was certainly convenient. Garrett looked at the long string of alphanumeric characters, at least ten digits in length, wiped his sweat silently, and ced the newly acquired but still cool magic badge on the tablet. The tablet hummed as countless silver threads intertwined and surged towards the depths of the crystal. After a moment, the mechanical voice sounded again: "To check thetest paper feedback, press 1. To check the feedback for thest ten papers, press 2. To check the total points earned, press 3..." Seems like I¡¯ve only submitted three papers since I arrived here. Following the principle of maximizing benefits, Garrett pressed 2 without hesitation. The mechanical voice said "Please wait" and fell silent. About a minuteter, there was a light "ding," and a transmission box rose from the table, opening up. Inside the boxy a piece of paper. Pure white and smooth, A4 size. Garrett reached out and took it, and at first nce, he saw the records of the three papers submitted so far: The X-ray paper rewarded two research points and three contribution points. The paper on the pathogenicity of bats yielded the most, with a whopping eight research points and thirty contribution points. While the B-ultrasound paper only garnered two research points and three contribution points, putting it on par with the X-ray paper. Huh... so few? After all, it¡¯s a paper worthy of being published in "Arcane"! Garrett felt somewhat aggrieved. He continued reading, and the evaluation given by the reviewers for the bat pathogenicity paper made him somewhat bemused: The research approach to the transmission of the gue is innovative and instructive. Undertaking this project voluntarily, without any assignment, demonstrates sincere concern and dedication to the Mage Council, deservingmendation... Alright... so it¡¯s like a morality award? Garrett calmed down a bit and continued reading: "A New Application of Echo Magic and Its Role in Exploring Internal Organs of the Human Body" An improvement on echo magic. There was no breakthrough in the construction of the spell model, but there was a pioneering expansion in its application. It¡¯s rated only at the apprentice level, but it requires a specific type of bat as a spellcasting material. The material isn¡¯t expensive, but it¡¯s difficult to obtain inrge quantities. Arge amount of feedback imagery of normal organs is required forparison, and the caster needs extensive training to memorize arge number of images before this magic can be practically applied. Taking into ount factors such as magical level, novelty, creativity, and practicality, two research points and three contribution points are awarded. This... Garrett paced back and forth in the room, holding the evaluation paper in his hand. Though the evaluation was brief, it hit the nail on the head: B-ultrasound isn¡¯t something that can be widely promoted overnight. Let alone anything else, if you hand a patient a B-ultrasound image without any markings or the conclusion of a medical professional, would they understand it? Never mind the patients, even doctors forget everything after they finish their "Medical Imaging" exam. Without familiarity with the positions of human organs and memorizing normal B-ultrasound images, without memorizing what abnormality hints at what disease, how effective would this examination method be for them? Absolutely useless! After all the fuss, this magic was just a dragon-ying technique. Garrett suddenly smiled, and with a slight force from his fingers, he crumpled the pristine evaluation paper into a ball: Apart from myself, even if others learn this magic, it¡¯s still useless. The reward of two points and three contribution points is probably just someone important paying attention to the "innovative" aspect. But it doesn¡¯t matter! I¡¯m not after the points anyway¡ª after all these days of hard work, going around in circles, my goal was to develop the B-ultrasound! And now that goal has been achieved, hasn¡¯t it? Besides, I¡¯m familiar with the positions of human organs, tissues, and blood vessels! Even if others don¡¯t know, I do! I can draw them, organize them, andter, doctors who diligently memorize them will at least be able to assist in diagnosis. Every doctor knows how useful B-ultrasound is. I believe Elder Wood, Reverend Matthew, as well as my teachers and Bishop Baldy, once they¡¯ve tried it, they¡¯ll all be eager to learn! Of course, with so many images, whether they can memorize them all, well... haha... Garrett looked up and smiled, all his frustrations gone. He quickly left the White Tower, returned to the academy, and retrieved the magic he had preserved, calling the barbarian: "Bernard, we¡¯re going to Elder Wood¡¯s ce!" To find people! To find a way! To fill in the gaps! To organize the "Medical Magic Imaging - B-ultrasound Volume" ! Am I leading the way? Garrett felt it was his duty. To draw all those images now, one by one, without any tools? Garrett felt like he¡¯d rather be dead. Don¡¯t talk about the "Medical Imaging" I studied in my past life, which only published partial images¡ªsuch as fatty liver, with only CT and MRI images, no B-ultrasound at all¡ªEven if there were, I wouldn¡¯t dare draw randomly without proper preparation. What if the human anatomy in this world differs from what I learned in my previous life? What if the imaging of extraordinary individuals differs from that of ordinary people? Casually drawing and expecting other doctors to memorize them all is reckless! It¡¯s tantamount to risking lives! After all, medicine, modern medicine, evidence-based medicine, is a discipline that stems from practice and must return to practice. What if there are no images? We umte cases! We examine patients, conduct check-ups on healthy individuals! We draw! We observe a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand patients, record all cases, draw all images. Compare, summarize, verify, and finally, create a textbook that can guide future physicians! Of course, to achieve this, relying solely on Garrett¡¯s own strength is not enough. He¡¯s just a first-level mage, a first-level priest¡ªoh, he leveled up to 2ndst night, but it hasn¡¯t been certified yet¡ªunfamiliar with life and without establishing his reputation as a doctor. For such tasks that far exceed his capabilities, he must seek help from the big shots without hesitation! Garrett carried two test tubes of potassium permanganate, while his follower Bernard carried a bag of short-eared vampire bats on his back, once again heading to Elder Wood¡¯s ce in Oak Ridge. With familiarityes ease, and seeking assistance from the big shots is the best way to advance research. Moreover, during thest bat incident, everyone cooperated very well¡ª Elder Wood directly handed the news to the legendary mage, doing them a favor; The mid-level priests exercised their experimental skills and learned new experimental methods; The church distributed arge number of experimental animals, and after selling them, became considerably wealthy; Garrett gained a first-author paper in "Arcane"... Afterwards, Elder Wood patted Garrett on the shoulder, expressing his satisfaction: if there¡¯s anything else to research next time, feel free toe to him. Garrett decisively went to seek help from the big shot. The second time he set out, he didn¡¯t need to ask anyone along the way. Oak Ridge was particrly easy to find: Depart from Nevis City to the northeast, follow the river all the way, then turn right at thergeke several miles away. Continue along the river for about seven or eight miles, then head into the mountains along the first major tributary to the north, and Oak Ridge is beyond two mountain peaks. As long as you¡¯re not directionally challenged, getting lost is unlikely... Garrett galloped along the riverbank, his summoned magical mount running fast and steady, even though he was aplete riding novice, he wasn¡¯t afraid of falling off the horse. The barbarian beside him carried arge bundle and leaped like a bird on therge rocks along the riverbank, running even faster than him. As they ran, suddenly the sound of hooves behind them intensified, and a horse much faster than the magical mount came racing closer and closer. Garrett froze in the middle of the road, unsure whether to veer left or right. Just as he hesitated, the bright white horse, apanied by a gust of wind, had already dashed past him from his right side, blowing his hair and coat tails. Garrett couldn¡¯t help muttering: "Overtake from the left..." However, the rule of overtaking from the left side wasn¡¯t established in this world. As Garrettined, he turned his head and nced around, and his eyes lit up: The knight on horseback wore ck, with a long sword at his waist and knee-high riding boots tightly hugging the horse¡¯s belly, making his waist look slender, his legs long, and his appearance neat and clean. The knight wrapped a young girl in arge red cloak, holding her in his arms, trying to make her sitfortably in front of the saddle with only her legs controlling the horse. Leaning forward, he fled¡ª "Stop!" "Don¡¯t go!" "Let Iris go!" Far in the distance behind them, a loud roar rolled over. Garrett turned his head, looked back, and looked up in the direction of the sound, only to see a huge dark cloud spreading from the sky, with an old mage standing on it, holding a staff and continuously roaring. Garrett raised an eyebrow, then looked forward again: Oh? This is... a couple eloping, caught by the girl¡¯s father? That knight looks pretty good, with a good physique and excellent riding skills¡ªindicating decentbat ability¡ªand he seems genuinely concerned about the girl. The girl leaned softly against him, her face buried in his shoulder, showingplete dependence... Why bother? Why bother? Chasing them for thousands of miles, what¡¯s the point? That¡¯s what Garrett thought, but he didn¡¯t intend to say a word to intervene. The person in ck holding the girl is probably a knight, and although flying spells can be learned at level five, flying this high and fast probably requires a seventh or eighth level, or even a tenth level or higher, grand mage. With his small stature, just taking a look at the roadside would probably get him involved...it¡¯s better to stay out of it. The aftermath of their battle could easily crush him. Garrett even slowed down a bit. The sound of hooves approached, rushing forward, and the dark cloud passed over him, soon disappearing from his sight. However, as he continued forward and walked along the river, turning right, after half an hour, he saw the old mage and the knight bothnding on the ground, facing each other from a distance. The old mage held a staff, standing high on the rocky shore, with a row of semi-transparent light shields rotating clockwise around him, firmly protecting him; the knight held a sword in one hand, and with the other hand behind him supporting the girl, he looked up, aiming at the old mage. On the mountain road by the riverbank, stood a thick ice wall,pletely blocking the road. This...you guys can quarrel, but don¡¯t block my way! Garrett sighed helplessly, pulling on the reins from a distance, looking forward. The old mage and the knight stood tens of meters apart, none of them approaching, just arguing from a distance: "Hand Iris over to me!" "No way!" "I¡¯m her father! Even if she does something like this, you still want to protect her?!" "Iris is a good girl! Not what you think! With me here, you can¡¯t take her back!" The voice from the rocky shore was old and angry, while the voice from below was clear and confident¡ªGarrett listened to a few sentences, couldn¡¯t help rubbing his eyes, and looked at the ck-d knight again: Misjudged, the knight turned out to be a girl... A female knight. Tall in stature, even a bit taller than Garrett, short hair neat, with a strong and slender figure. Garrett, standing behind, couldn¡¯t see her face, but just this heroic posture had already left a deep impression on him. In the standoff, the old mage¡¯s staff flicked, and the female knight involuntarily leaned sideways. Just as Garrett thought she was about to fall, the female knight had already pushed off the ground, leaving a deep imprint of half a boot on the muddy ground, taking a step forward, still firmly blocking the girl in front of her: "Don¡¯t touch her!" --------------- Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Garrett Nordmark stayed back, listening to the constant bickering and usations ahead. After a while, he finally understood what was going on: The old mage returned home after several months to find his daughter¡ª the girl named Iris¡ª pregnant, and he was furious, intending to punish her. Iris sought help from her friends, and upon receiving the news, the female knight rushed out with her ownpanions. Garrett hadn¡¯t yet figured out the identity of the female knight, where she intended to take her friend, or what her future ns were. Up ahead, the ground trembled as both sides went through a series of confrontations, arguments, and quarrels before finally resorting to action. Garrett urged his mount to hide behind a massive boulder and peered out. The old mage raised his staff, casting a pale blue light that fell upon the ground, shaping the thick ice wall into a massive ice giant through softening, melting, raising, and molding... In the end, it transformed into a three-meter-tall ice giant, staggering forward step by step. Hmm... Would this thing also punch from afar and exhale icy breath, freezing whoever it touched? Garrett couldn¡¯t help but imagine water elementals from his gaming experience. However, it was clear thebat prowess of the ice giant was iparable¡ª as soon as it appeared, the female knight tensed up, leaning slightly forward with her athletic body, ready to spring into action like a female leopard. She carried the girl backward, positioning her securely in a crevice, wrapping her in a cloak, then drew her sword to face the ice giant. With a silent stroke, her longsword, emitting a faint golden arc, silently sliced into the ice giant¡¯s right fist. With a sidestep, a massive chunk of ice fell to the ground. Impressive...Garrett whispered in awe. The female knight was not content with such an attack. Rolling forward, she darted beneath the ice giant, leaped up, and swung her sword. A faint golden sword aura shot from the tip of her de, shing horizontally and vertically, causing the right leg and right arm of the three-meter-tall ice giant to shatter. Finally, with a thunderous crash, the ice giant fell to the ground. The female knight jumped onto the ice giant and raised her sword to strike. But before she couldnd a blow, the girl curled up in the crevice suddenly screamed: "Selina! Move away!!!" A vast expanse of ice mist rose. The ice giant rolled on the spot, and its right arm, right leg, and fist automatically reattached with pieces of broken ice. Fortunately, the female knight managed to dodge in time, avoiding being frozen by the colossal creature. However, as she dashed through the ice mist, when she stood in front of the giant again, the golden mes on her sword had dimmed considerably, almost extinguished. From Garrett¡¯s perspective, he could see her raising her left arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead. The ice giant straightened its body and advanced again. Garrett gestured with his fingers, estimating that the giant¡¯s height had reduced by about a quarter¡ª but it had be more agile. Seeing Selina approaching with her sword, it raised its right fist to strike, but just before impact, it suddenly pulled back and swung its left fist heavily. With a loud boom, the female knight staggered back three steps, dropping to one knee, her body trembling. "Selina! Move aside, I don¡¯t want to hurt you!" On the cliff, the old mage spoke again. The girl curled in the crevice also cried out in anguish: "Selina! Go! You¡¯ve done your best! Go quickly, my father won¡¯t harm you!" "But you¡¯ll die!" For the first time, Selina turned back. From a distance of about a dozen meters, Garrett Nordmark saw her broad forehead, full cheeks, and pointed chin, with jet-ck thick eyebrows arched into her temples, making her appear even more resolute and fearless. As she nced back at her friend, her emerald green eyes sparkled with determination, adding a touch of fierceness to her beauty, almost inspiring awe in those who beheld her. At this moment, she held her sword in her right hand, guarding against the ice giant, her body turned slightly to the left. Looking at the petite girl curled up in the cloak, her eyes were filled with concern: "Your father will kill you! He won¡¯t spare you!¡ªIris, hold on a little longer, I¡¯ll take you to see my teacher!" "Please, leave!" Iris cried. Trembling, she reached out one arm towards her friend, waving desperately: "At most, my father will just get rid of the child... Selina, please go! You can¡¯t defeat my father! Go quickly!" The ice giant paused for a moment before stepping forward again. This time, its attacks were particrly ferocious, not only swinging its fists repeatedly but also shrouding the ground beneath its feet in icy mist. Wherever it went, the ground within three feet in diameter froze solid. The female knight vigorously wielded her longsword but was forced to retreat repeatedly. The light of her sword dimmed, almost disappearing. Finally, she managed to retreat past Iris, turned sideways, and leaped backward while carrying her friend. However, even this small dy was enough for the opponent to exploit. The ice giant forcefully shed its fists together, causing arge explosion of ice mist to burst forth and rapidly spread. Just as the female knight lifted Iris, the ground beneath her feet had turnedpletely white, transformed into ice. Her boots slipped, and she fell backward. Above, the enraged ice giant raised both fists high, ready to strike simultaneously. "Ah¡ª!" Iris screamed. From above on the cliff, the old mage¡¯s cries rang out: "Stop! Stop it!!!" However, the ice giant showed no signs of hesitation. The female knight remained silent, struggling to raise her sword, blood spraying onto the de. The mes on the sword ignited once again, this time turning into a faint golden hue mixed with crimson, trembling slightly as it blocked the massive ice fists descending at high speed. "Stop him!" Five or six steps away, Garrett forcefully shoved Bernard. The barbarian charged out, lifting his bone club and thrusting it upward towards the ice giant¡¯s fists. With a thunderous roar, the club and the ice fist shed, evenly matched, frozen in midair. However, the ice mist had already enveloped Bernard¡¯s legs, and with a grinding sound, the barbarian¡¯s feet, calves, and knees were all frozen to the ground. The ice giant slowly lowered its head, its eyes burning with blue light, focusing on Bernard, and once again raised its fists¡ª Garrett rushed forward, standing in front of the barbarian, shielding the fallen female knight. His left hand delved into his waist pouch, his right palm stretched t, thrusting upward and forward rapidly. A zing white fire suddenly erupted. "Get away!" --------------- Chapter 173 Chapter 173 "Get back!" A 60-degree conical fan, capable of spewing high-temperature mes up to 10 meters away, erupted within apressed range of two to three meters. Ice against fire, a direct confrontation, purely a contest of energy. The pervasive ice mist was swept away in an instant, and the white mes relentlessly struck the ice giant. The body made of solid ice was instantly shaved off ayer. A vast expanse of white mist rose up, followed by the pitter-patter of ice water dripping down like rain, umting into a small puddle between the ice giant¡¯s feet. The ice giant froze in ce. The voice of the old mage resounded again: "Back off! Back off!" Sprays of water sshed. The ice giant staggered backward, one step, two steps, three steps, finally sitting down on the ground, solidifying into an unconscious lump of ice. The old mage flew down from the rocky outcrop. One hand gripping his staff, the other holding his robe, tiptoeing to avoid the icy ground, he hopped over like a fat duck. Seeing his daughter unharmed, although the female knight sat down on the ground, she didn¡¯t seem to be in any trouble. He slouched, his entire body copsing downwards, shrinking by ten centimeters on the spot: "Thank goodness, thank goodness..." After he finished exhaling, he turned to Garrett, his face filled with gratitude: "Thank you so much! This ice elemental suddenly went out of control. If you hadn¡¯t intervened, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to send it back in time. You..."He nced up at Bernard, tilting his head back at a 45-degree angle, only to see the tip of therge bone club: "What should I call you? You and your followers, are you alright?" The barbarian grinned foolishly, retracting his club and stepping back behind Garrett. Garrett naturally waved his hand, taking on the role of mediator for both of them: "I¡¯m fine. With the master¡¯s control, even if we hadn¡¯t helped, it should have been possible to retrieve the ice elemental in time. At most, the youngdy would have been a little frightened¡ªMiss, are you alright?" "Humph! That stubborn girl!" The old mage red at his daughter, then started puffing his beard and ring again. The female knight hugged her friend, taking two steps back, her face full of caution. When their gazes met, they immediately started a new round of argument. Garrett stood nearby, listened to a few sentences, felt like his head was about to explode, and couldn¡¯t help but intervene: "Master, Miss Knight, may I say a word?" "What do you want to say?" The old mage¡¯s expression softened slightly. Garrett bowed lightly: "Master, even if you¡¯re angry, you must still care for your daughter. In this situation, no matter how you decide to handle it, it¡¯s always better to have a higher-level healer intervene. I happen to be visiting Elder Wood of the Cult of the Nature God. If the master has the time, could you bring the youngdy along for a visit?" "You?" The old mage looked at him with doubt, his gaze sweeping over his badge: Level One Mage, Level One Arcanist. With this level, he could directly visit Elder Wood? "¡ªOh, I remember now. Last month¡¯s ¡¯Arcanist¡¯¡ª" "Oh, I remember." The old mage suddenly realized. "That article indeed had several priests co-authored. So, you¡¯re quite familiar with him?" "We¡¯re indeed quite familiar." Garrett gestured, and the barbarian ran back behind the rocks, handing over an oak staff to Garrett. The old mage nced at the two green leaves on the staff¡¯s head, his eyebrows twitching again: Level One Mage, Level One Arcanist, Level Two Priest, what¡¯s this kid¡¯s deal? Though strange, his credibility had increased. He nodded lightly: "Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you to make the introduction." Persuade one, then persuade the other. Garrett turned to the female knight. Seraina stood protectively in front of her friend, her emerald eyes aze, lips moving, looking ready to refuse. Garrett hurriedly spoke up: "Madam, Miss Iris¡¯s current condition is obviously not right. If she¡¯s not... then she must be ill. It¡¯s always beneficial for her to see a good healer, isn¡¯t it?" See a doctor! See a doctor! If in doubt, always see a doctor; never endure it on your own! The female knight¡¯s gaze flickered slightly as she looked back at her friend. Iris was hiding behind her, petite and pale, resembling a frightened little dove. Her slender fingers clutched the edge of her cloak, and even though the cloak concealed it, the bulge in her abdomen was visible, indeed resembling the signs of pregnancy. "I¡¯ll take her away! Don¡¯t touch her!" She spoke with a stern face, her vignt gaze split between the old mage and Garrett¡ª and the barbarian behind them. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded: "Of course, you take her. Try to walk steadily; she doesn¡¯t seem toofortable..." The group set off again. Arriving at Oak Ridge, Elder Wood had no patients at the moment and weed them in, taking a look around. "What¡¯s wrong? Who¡¯s not feeling well..." "This stubborn girl! I¡¯ve been away for a few months, and she¡¯s turned out like this!" The old mage spoke angrily. He yanked off his cloak and threw it back at the female knight, pointing to his daughter¡¯s belly: "Master, do us a favor and get rid of this bastard! I¡¯ll take her somewhere else, and in a few years, she can marry cleanly!" "I¡¯m not pregnant! I haven¡¯t even touched a man¡¯s hand!" Iris burst into tears. The old mage roared, "Who are you trying to fool! Your belly is so big, you can¡¯t even eat, and you still want to vomit! Are you waiting for the bastard to be born before admitting your shameful deed!" "Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry," Elder Wood smiled reassuringly. "Tolga, don¡¯t worry, youngdy, don¡¯t cry for now. Sit tight and let me use divine magic to take a look..." He waved off the others, sping the oak staff in his hands, murmuring a prayer. A moist glow emanated from the green leaves on the staff, enveloping the girl. Iris, who had been sobbing uncontrobly, calmed down shortly after being enveloped in the green light, lowering her head with a tear about to drop but not falling. Huh? Does this divine magic have the function of soothing emotions? Garrett was amazed and couldn¡¯t help but take a step forward. He saw Elder Wood with half-closed eyes, a demeanor he was quite familiar with, obviously observing something in his mind¡¯s eye. He circled left and right, then squatted down to carefully feel for a while, finally exhaling with certainty: "She¡¯s not pregnant." "Not pregnant?" The old mage eyed the elder suspiciously. "Elder Wood, don¡¯t just spare my feelings. With her belly this big..." "I truly didn¡¯t sense any signs of life from the child." Elder Wood shook his head firmly. The old mage looked incredulous, grabbing the elder¡¯s wrist: "Really?¡ªDon¡¯t deceive me! A few days ago, I had priestse over, and they said they could sense signs of life in the womb!" "They indeed can, but it¡¯s chaotic and unrted to the child!" Elder Wood countered unequivocally. The old mage became even more uneasy: "Don¡¯t lie to me!¡ªIt¡¯s still manageable now; it¡¯ll be even more troublesometer if we don¡¯t get rid of it!" "There really is no sign of the child¡¯s life breath!¡ªIf you don¡¯t believe it, feel it yourself!" Elder Wood couldn¡¯t produce solid evidence, so he could only respond in this manner. The old mage shook his head even more vigorously: "I¡¯m a mage! Life breath, that kind of thing, you priests can feel, but I can¡¯t!" Two old men totaling about 150 years old, one refusing to believe, the other insisting on his position but unable to provide evidence, pulling and tugging, arguing incessantly. Garrett stood by watching for a while, seeing the girl¡¯s teary eyes, one hand pressing her abdomen, bending over several times as if nauseated, couldn¡¯t help but step forward: "Elder, Master, could I... use magic to take a look at the youngdy¡¯s condition?" --------------- Chapter 174 Chapter 174 "Using magic?" "Magic can do that?" The two elders turned simultaneously. Master Tolga, tugging at his beard, gave Garrett Nordmark a thorough once-over with a fresh perspective before turning to Elder Wood and asking, "Old Wood, your student?" "My friend¡¯s student, here to study at the council headquarters, asked me to look after him a bit." Elder Wood exined, then turned to Garrett. "Are you sure? Magic can really do this?" "It should be able to." Garrett Nordmark stepped forward slowly, exining to Elder Wood and Master Tolga, "It¡¯s a new magic I just improved, and the paper has been approved. Let¡¯s see if we can determine whether there¡¯s a pregnancy or not." With that, he rummaged through his backpack, found the paper, and handed it over. Master Tolga eagerly snatched it, scanning through it rapidly. As he read, his pace slowed, his left hand twirling his beard from hisyered chin to the nearly all-white tip, then releasing, moving up, and repeating... Garrett Nordmark waited patiently, feeling no impatience whatsoever. Dealing with patients¡¯ rtives, or the patients themselves, was much more drawn-out than this. Pre-op instructions, repeating them once, twice if they didn¡¯t understand, making them think, calling rtives, pulling out the phone to Google right then and there... Compared to that, having someone read a paper on-site and trying to understand what an ultrasound was, these patients¡¯ rtives were simply adorable. "Hmm... It seems to make sense." After a while, the old mage finally flipped to thest page of the paper, satisfied, stroking his beard. "Let me try! Old Wood, pass me the oil¡ª""I should do it first!" Garrett Nordmark eximed with a wry smile, hastily intervening. "Let me finish, I¡¯ll tell you what areas to pay attention to, then you can take another look¡ª" After calming the patient¡¯s rtive, Garrett turned to reassure the patient. Iris was teary-eyed, one hand clutching the female knight while the other reached for Garrett¡¯s sleeve. "I really am not pregnant... please, give me proof, I haven¡¯t done anything wrong... I haven¡¯t been with any man... sniff..." "Don¡¯t worry, as long as you¡¯re not actually pregnant, this magic will definitely prove it." Garrett tried tofort her as gently as possible. Although he said this, he had no certainty in his heart. A young female patient, abdominal swelling, denying any sexual history... how credible was that? Who knows. For women of childbearing age, any abdominal pain, bloating, or acute abdominal symptoms should not be taken lightly. Send them all for an HCG test! Otherwise, you might think it¡¯s appendicitis, confidently make an incision, and it turns out to be an ectopic pregnancy... Stupid, isn¡¯t it? Immediately call the obstetrician to the rescue, then, if you¡¯re lucky, get scolded by the chief physician, if you¡¯re not, torn apart, your credentials lost... Of course, this is a different world, without HCG to rely on. Garrett could only be on edge, murmuring "Please don¡¯t be ectopic... Please don¡¯t be a mr pregnancy..." while coaxing the patient inside. Amidst all the busyness, he still had to keep a smiling face for Elder Wood: "Elder, is there any sister avable right now? Please ask her toe and apany me. It¡¯s not very convenient for me to examine a girl alone..." "Freya went to Duylin Land, she won¡¯t be back until tomorrow. Annie has gone home." Elder Wood hesitated, ncing at the old mage and then at the female knight. "How about asking this youngdy to apany you?" "I have no problem." Seraina immediately responded. She reached back and patted herpanion¡¯s arm. "Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here with you!" Well... I don¡¯t have a problem either. A male doctor examining a female patient, with no female nurse, and the patient¡¯s rtive apanying is fine... If I can¡¯t help, I can¡¯t help. I¡¯ll just provide proof and be grateful... Garrett hurriedly followed. Finding a bed, he helped the girl lie down and drew the curtain. The female knight stood at the head of the bed, Garrett held the patient¡¯s hand, and tried to look into her eyes as gently as possible: "Don¡¯t be afraid, this magic won¡¯t hurt you or make you feel pain. I¡¯ll just use a finger, on your stomach¡ª" He stood straight, drawing a circle on his own abdomen, up to the sternum and lower rib edge, down to the pelvis, left and right to the side axiry line: "I¡¯ll move back and forth here, using magic to take a look." Iris¡¯s gaze followed his finger, shrank for a moment, then she forced a smile. Garrett tactfully pretended not to notice her little movements, softened his voice, and continued to exin to her: "I might press a little inside, but not too deep. If it hurts, just tell me. To make the magic work smoothly, I need to lift your shirt and pour some oil on your skin, it¡¯ll feel a bit cold, bear with it. You can lie t, if I ask you to bulge your stomach, you bulge it, if I ask you to lie on your side, you lie on your side, don¡¯t worry about anything else. I won¡¯t touch other areas, if you¡¯re notfortable, you can cover yourself with a nket, leaving only your stomach exposed..." His voice was calm and gentle, his gaze focused. As Iris listened, she gradually rxed her grip on the cloak, and the edges of her nails gained some color. After Garrett finished exining the precautions and was about to get up, his sleeve suddenly tightened. Iris propped herself up, her small hand gripping his sleeve tightly: "I... I really am not pregnant, right? Last month, I drank water from his cup..." "..." "..." Could it be, miss?! Garrett Nordmark couldn¡¯t help but chuckle wryly. Oh well, even in his past life, 21st-century girls had pulled off simr stunts, let alone here where the level of development resembled the Middle Ages. He gently patted the girl¡¯s hand and said, "Don¡¯t worry, as long as you¡¯re really not pregnant, the magic will surely prove it. Ma¡¯am, could you please help your friend prepare? Thank you. I¡¯ll go get the magical materials and be back shortly." With a bag of bat brains in his left hand and a bottle of glycerin in his right, Garrett had just settled down when the curtain behind him was lifted, and Master Tolga and Elder Wood entered. Garrett could only helplessly turn back and say, "Elder..." She¡¯s just a young girl, could you all leave first? "I¡¯ll watch, you do it." Elder Wood held onto the paper tightly, his gaze sharp. The old mage had only one thing to say, "I¡¯m her father!" Alright... Garrett made a gesture, indicating for the female knight to lift Iris¡¯s belly nket. The girly still, her abdomen rising upward from the navel, with no obvious bulging on the side abdominal wall, and her navel wasn¡¯t protruding. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief: Thank goodness, it¡¯s not ascites. If it were ascites, he¡¯d be in trouble: conditions that cause ascites, such as cirrhosis with portal hypertension, heart failure, constrictive pericarditis, peritoneal metastasis, nephrotic syndrome, pancreatic ascites, and tuberculous peritonitis, none of them were easy to deal with! Without conducting a bunch of relevant tests, he couldn¡¯t even make a diagnosis. Even if he seeded in diagnosing it... he couldn¡¯t cure it... Garrett handed the glycerin to the female knight, indicating for her to apply a thickyer on her friend¡¯s belly, while he himself held a bat brain, activating the ultrasound magic. With his right index finger pressing on Iris¡¯s lower abdomen, the ultrasound waves swept over the pelvic area, observing carefully. The belly seemed to be about five or six months pregnant. Garrett was extra cautious, holding his breath, searching diligently from top to bottom. Pelvic area, middle abdomen, upper abdomen, he even thought about the possibility of ectopic pregnancy, and finally confirmed that there was none¡ªthere was no fetus even as small as three months. There was no choice, there were no facilities here to do an HCG test, so he had to be extra careful himself. After searching carefully once again, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and confidently concluded, "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not a pregnancy." "Really?!" "Let me see¡ª" "I want to see too!" The two old men crowded forward quickly. Garrett had just shouted, "I¡¯m not done with the examination yet," but he was already squeezed to the side, almost falling down. Master Tolga eagerly grabbed a bat brain, saying, "How do I see? Just send out ultrasound waves inside?" Garrett could only step aside helplessly. Well, let them take a look. This was the advantage of magic¡ªmagic that any mage could learn and verify on their own. He nervously reminded them from the side: "That¡¯s right, move your finger forward a bit, then down a bit, right here! Activate the magic, and you¡¯ll see that there¡¯s no baby in her belly¡ªsurely you won¡¯t mistake what a baby looks like! Oh, and use a bit less magic! Just enough to see clearly, too much magical fluctuation could damage the intestines!" "Emmmm..." Master Tolga picked up a bat brain, then another one, his fingers moving back and forth, looking several times. Finally, he let out a long sigh, raised his right hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead: "It¡¯s really not..." The glycerin on his fingers wiped onto his forehead, which was already covered in sweat, immediately sparkling and colorful. Garrett dared notugh either, turning his head to watch the old mage out of the corner of his eye, seeing him look towards Elder Wood with anticipation written all over his face: "Old Wood, you were right. The girl isn¡¯t pregnant, she¡¯s sick¡ªso what illness is this? How should it be treated? You¡¯ve watched her grow up, you must make sure to cure her!" Hey, hey, your daughter isn¡¯t pregnant, I just proved it to you! If you have any questions, you should ask me! Oh well, with a chief physician and an attending physician here, or even just a gray-haired attending physician and a young associate chief physician, the patient, the patient¡¯s family, would definitely run to the senior doctor... --------------- Chapter 175 Chapter 175 What¡¯s the girl¡¯s illness? The old magey in bed, the girl¡¯s eyes were filled with anticipation as she looked at Elder Wood. On the side, the female knight, Seraina, stood with her sword drawn, her emerald eyes flickering slightly as she nced between Elder Wood and Garrett. Eventually, her gaze lingered more on Garrett. Garrett nced at her, and Seraina nodded slightly to him, her eyes twinkling with amusement. Then, she gestured towards the girl on the bed, silently mouthing a question. Her eyes seemed to plead: What¡¯s her illness? Do you know? Garrett hesitated for a moment, then looked at Elder Wood and discreetly moved a step closer to the female knight with his right foot. Before his left foot could catch up, Elder Wood turned back with a smile, looking at Garrett. "Garrett, what do you think?" "I..." Garrett began, about to give an answer. But as the words reached his lips, he paused. "I have some guesses, but I need to examine her to be sure." "In that case, go ahead," Elder Wood said with a smile, raising his hand. Garrett immediately jumped up. "Just wait, I¡¯ll go get pen and paper!" Medical history!Physical examination! Documenting symptoms! He sat down in front of the girl with a thick notebook, flipping it open. The pages were densely filled with notes up to halfway through. He flipped to thetest page and smiled at the girl on the bed. "Miss, may I ask for your surname?" "Mein," the girl replied, her face lowered, pulling the nket tighter around her, her ears turning red. Garrett coughed and continued writing, asking further: "Your age?" "17." "What seems to be the problem?" "My... my stomach is getting bigger..." "For how long?" "..." "How long has your stomach been growing?" "About three, three to four months..." "Was it this big from the beginning?" "Of course not!" "Does your stomach hurt?" "A little..." "Is it constant pain or does ite and go?" "Ites and goes..." "Have you experienced bloating?" "A bit..." "Do you feel nauseous? How¡¯s your bowel movement? Is it daily? How much? Any tulence?" "Why... why are you asking everything!" The girl¡¯s ears turned red as she turned away, ignoring him. Garrett sighed and raised his head, gesturing towards Elder Wood, continuing to write swiftly: "03.12 Iris Mein, female, 17 years old. Abdominal distension, progressively worsening for 3-4 months, equivalent to six months of pregnancy. Intermittent abdominal pain, bloating, asional nausea." He couldn¡¯t continue. He grabbed another piece of paper and quickly wrote down a bunch of questions, ncing around before calling the female knight over. Seraina took the paper from him, scanned it, and was immediately stunned. "Do we really have to ask all these?" "We do." "Do we really have to ask all of them?" Seraina¡¯s slender fingers pointed at the paper, her cheeks turning red. "What she¡¯s eaten? What medicines she¡¯s taken in the past few months? Whether she¡¯s...¡± Her cheeks reddened further. "Do we really need to ask everything?" "We do!" Garrett put down his pen, sping his hands together and pleading, "Sister, please help me out! These questions are awkward for me to ask, you¡¯re a girl, she might be morefortable talking to you... really, the more urate and detailed the answers, the better I can assess the condition..." "...Alright." Seraina took the paper and smirked, pointing outside. Garrett quickly grabbed a stool and rolled it over, stepping outside while gesturing for the two elders to join them. He sat against the curtain, ears perked, diligently recording the conversation between the two girls: "Loss of appetite, weight loss, constipation, passing gas. Treated with divine magic five days ago, no improvement¡ªwhat kind of ridiculous medical history is this? People willugh if it¡¯s sent back!" Comints aside, recording had to continue. Thank goodness this was considered outpatient¡ªGarrett had taken the liberty to ssify the patient as such¡ªso he didn¡¯t need to format the medical records like an inpatient. Otherwise, just the admission records would require two or three sheets of paper. And after the admission records, there would be progress notes, consent forms, various records, and reports, each thick as his notebook stacked together, totaling about this thick... After murmuring inside the curtain for a while, the female knight finally emerged, cheeks slightly flushed as she handed him the paper. Garrett quickly scanned it, finding it simr to his dictation, adding a couple of sentences before closing the notebook and walking over to the old mage: "I¡¯ve asked all the necessary questions about the youngdy¡¯s condition. Next, I need to perform some examinations on her¡ªis it alright if I touch her body?" "Is that necessary?" Elder Wood interrupted eagerly. Garrett nodded helplessly. "It¡¯s necessary. I need to verify some things¡ªnot through sight, hearing, divine magic, or magical investigation, but by touching, by pressing." This was how medical examinations went for female patients... Palpation and the like, perfectly normal medical procedures, still required parental and patient consent. Garrett sighed inwardly, wishing to avoid this hassle if possible¡ªbut the patient was right in front of him, and abandoning treatment wasn¡¯t an option. "Can you cure her?" Master Tolga pondered for a moment, not answering directly but instead asking Elder Wood. The elder lowered his head, considering: "I¡¯m not very confident. I¡¯ve treated someone with a smaller stomach than hers, thought it was healed, but they suddenly died from severe abdominal pain. Plus," he nced at Garrett, "this child¡¯s treatment approach and methods are different from my divine magic. To be honest, I¡¯m quite curious about his methods." Master Tolga nced at the still curtain and then back at Elder Wood, pondering. Elder Wood avoided his gaze, muttering to himself: "We¡¯ve just touched her earlier..." "That settles it!" The old mage immediately made up his mind. He pulled back the curtain, nudging Garrett inside and personally led him to the girl¡¯s side: "Iris, don¡¯t be afraid, let this priest take another look! Just a few touches, a little pressing, it¡¯s okay, it won¡¯t hurt!" "I..." The girl¡¯s snow-white cheeks flushed crimson, even her ears turning red. She kept her head down, clutching the nket tightly around her until her father nudged her a few times, and she murmured softly, "Um." Garrett: "..." This won¡¯t do! Shy as you may be, I have to see for a proper diagnosis! "Miss, could you lift your head a little so I can see your face... um, I just need to look at your eyes..." Oh no, with her face so red, I can¡¯t even tell if she¡¯s blushing or pale! Thank goodness her eyes aren¡¯t red too... Garrett made an effort to recall the condition of the skin he had seen earlier and briskly noted down: "Skin and sclera free from jaundice." Excellent, that roughly eliminates any liver pathology, reducing the treatment pressure by arge margin. Next, onto palpation! He waved for the female knight toe over, lowered his voice, and whispered, "Could you apany her to the restroom first?" After ushering the female knight in to apany and provide testimony, Garrett gently and patiently exined the procedures to the young girl. Then, rubbing his hands together for warmth, he lifted the fleece nket¡ª Physical examination,mence! Garrett exerted effort to manage his expression, keeping his demeanor serious yet gentle and approachable. He lifted the fleece nket covering the girl¡¯s abdomen, carefully observing and measuring her waist circumference before instructing, "Miss, sit up slowly for me to take a look. Slowly, sit up straight. Good¡ªnow lie down." "Why are you making her sit and lie down?" Elder Wood asked from behind. Garrett simply handed him the paper and pen, saying, "Elder, could you please help me record this? Note: Abdomen is uniformly distended, presenting a globr shape, with no significant changes in shape observed with changes in body position." Elder Wood furrowed his brows as he wrote slowly. With just a brief sentence, there were two words he wasn¡¯t quite familiar with, so he had to carefully consider how to write them. Garrett¡¯s exnation quickly followed, "By sitting up and lying down, if the bulging in the abdomen doesn¡¯t change shape significantly, it indicates that the bulge is hard, not soft, and especially not fluid¡ªif it were fluid, it would flow to the sides when lying down, forming a puddle. Now, exhale, inhale, exhale again, inhale again¡ªnote that the distension doesn¡¯t shift with respiration. This indicates that it¡¯s not due to organs or masses beneath the diaphragm." With each action he instructed the patient to perform, he provided an exnation, causing Iris¡¯s face to alternate between pale and flushed. The female knight stood by, gently patting her friend¡¯s shoulder, whispering, "So much to consider¡ª" "Indeed, there¡¯s a lot to consider," Garrett replied with a faint smile. Abdominal distension, medically termed as abdominal bloating, can be ssified into generalized and localized distension. Just with generalized distension, there are three possible causes: ascites (fluid in the abdomen), abdominal distension due to gas, andrge masses. And among ascites alone, there are three major categories and fifteen subcategories, totaling at least seventy to eighty etiologies. Even after determining the most likely cause, it would require a plethora of anciry examinations. Before ordering these tests, a physician¡¯s physical examination must provide the initial direction. "Abdominal wall veins not dted, skin over the abdomen normal." Excellent, the possibility of intestinal obstruction just decreased a bit more! Likelihood of surgery¡ý¡ý "Are you done with the examination?" The old mage asked somewhat impatiently. Garrett took a deep breath. "Almost. Elder,e and see¡ªaround her belly button¡ªare there elongated protuberances? It¡¯s particrly clear when she bends over from the side. Okay, gently tap it¡ª" After the gentle taps, the elongated protrusions on the snow-white, prominently swollen belly kept wriggling up and down. Some moved forward, some backward, in different directions. Iris moaned softly, "It hurts¡ª" "It¡¯ll be over soon, just bear with it," Garrett reassured her softly. The old mage eximed behind him, "What is this?!" "This is her intestines¡ªor rather, this is what¡¯s blocking her intestines, causing her abdomen to swell like this." Garrett exined confidently. He turned to Elder Wood and gestured with his hands, "Note, multiyered trapezoidal intestinal shape and intestinal peristalsis¡ªElder, do you have a long hollow tube? I need to listen to bowel sounds!" Damn it, he forgot to bring the stethoscope again¡ª "I¡¯ll have someone fetch it," Elder Wood put down his pen and got up to leave. Master Tolga grabbed his arm, "Why bother with all that trouble? I¡¯ll do it!" He extended his hands, and with a pull in the air, a straight, hollow, semi-transparent cylindrical tube appeared in the air. Garrett eximed, "Ah!" Magic trick! This was created using magic! How did he not think of this before! Sure, he couldn¡¯t make a stethoscope, but he could create a tube! Magic tricks were apprentice-level magic, and he could perform dozens of them a day, with almost negligible consumption! He thanked Tolga and took the stethoscope, pressing it against his ear. cing one end on Iris¡¯s abdomen, his expression immediately turned serious as he adjusted his breathing and listened intently. His left hand, free, curled and uncurled its fingers, counting silently: "Note, during abdominal pain, apanied by high-pitched bowel sounds, resembling metallic sounds... Bowel sounds ur more than ten times per minute, and are louder, indicating hyperactive bowel sounds." With the examination reaching this point, the symptoms were essentially confirmed. Garrett still didn¡¯t dare to be careless. From the liver and spleen downwards, he carefully palpated again to ensure there were no other abnormalities before washing his hands. The old mage followed alongside, eagerly inquiring, "So, it¡¯s an intestinal obstruction, right? Just give her somexatives, and it should clear up, right?" "It¡¯s not that simple..." Garrett looked at him wordlessly. Mechanical intestinal obstruction had been confirmed, but where was the obstruction? Was it aplete intestinal obstruction or a partial one? Simple or strangted? Was there torsion? Intussusception? Perforation? Moreover, intestinal obstruction wasn¡¯t necessarily caused by constipation; givingxatives might not work... What if it¡¯s a foreign body? Gallstones? Tumor? Laxatives wouldn¡¯t help in those cases either! He reached out to Elder Wood, "Elder, your oak staff, may I borrow it?" "Going to use Detection Magic again?" Elder Wood handed over the oak staff with a smile, then moved behind Garrett, releasing the spell and entering a meditative state. Soon, he furrowed his brows, looking puzzled, "What are you looking at?" The old mage frowned even harder than Elder Wood. Garrett shrugged: Surely they couldn¡¯t understand, not knowing human anatomy, having not studied medical imaging. Even a novice doctor would need a year or two and to have seen hundreds or thousands of images to understand! He turned the pages, sketching what he saw in the meditative vision. Starting with a supine film, then having Iris stand up, activating Detection Magic again, and sketching an upright film. Leveraging the foundation umted from years of drawing diagrams to exin to patients, body contours, bones, organs, intestines, etc., quickly appeared on the paper. The advantage of magic was that what you saw was what you got. A healer could handle everything from examination to treatment on their own, without having the patient queue up for an X-ray. The downside was that once the magic ended, the images in the meditative vision disappeared immediately, and aside from drawing them on the spot, there was no way to preserve the images¡ª Ah, in the future, when conditions allowed, he would have to set up an X-ray machine! Afterpleting two X-ray films¡ªlet¡¯s call them X-rays for now¡ªand a ultrasound image, Garrett spread out the three images, exining to the patient and her family: "Look here, this is the supine film, showing the intestines¡ªisn¡¯t it thicker than the adjacent area? That¡¯s where the intestines are blocked. Here, and here, areas with different brightness, are due to small bowel distension. Now, look at the upright film, rings arranged like adder, forming a fluid-gas interface..." "Here, there are some clustered shadows, the clusters are quiterge, exceeding..." Garrett gestured with his hand, "a diameter of 10 centimeters. Combined with what the elder mentioned earlier about sensing many chaotic life forces, I believe¡ª" The two elders looked at the images, puzzled. Elder Wood was still trying to discern, memorize, and recite, while Master Tolga had one hand on him and the other on Garrett, steam almosting out of his head in agitation: "How should we treat it then!" --------------- Chapter 176 Chapter 176 Since the consultation began, Garrett Nordmark had been pondering incessantly on how to treat the condition. Through questioning, physical examination, auscultation, and two magical scans of X-rays and ultrasonography, the diagnosis had be clear: mechanical intestinal obstruction caused by roundworms, iplete but chronic¡ªhad it been acute, the youngdy wouldn¡¯t havested this long. Normally, such cases fell under gastroenterology; even in the emergency department, it would be handled by internal medicine. Only whenplications like strangtion, perforation, or necrosis arose, one would be rushed to the surgical emergency department. But why hadn¡¯t they acted sooner? Nevertheless, in this alternate world, there were no IV fluids, no tubes, no medicines. Garrett Nordmark assessed the severity of the intestinal obstruction in his mind, analyzing possible oues andplications, then turned to Elder Wood: "Elder, what approach would you take?" "I... am uncertain." Elder Wood frowned, pondering for a while before shaking his head. The cause of the youngdy¡¯s abdominal distensiony in something sinister within her belly¡ªthe chaotic life signals Garrett had noted earlier. If it were up to him, he¡¯d employ divine magic alongside medication to eradicate these threats, then ease her pain, provide warmth, and massage her abdomen to aid expulsion. But with her belly so distended... After a moment¡¯s thought, he continued shaking his head:"It¡¯s highly probable she¡¯ll suffer severe abdominal pain like the previous patient and may not survive." Iris Mein grew paler as she listened. Gone was the flush from Garrett¡¯s touch, reced by sheer dread. Clutching the sleeve of the female knight¡¯s garment, she shook her head desperately: "Sister, I don¡¯t want to die¡ªI don¡¯t want to die, waaah..." Seraina whispered soothingly as she held her. The old mage nced at his daughter, then at Elder Wood, troubled and uncertain, pinning his hopes on Garrett: "What¡¯s your n?" "If it were me¡ª" Garrett already had a n formted. After hearing Elder Wood¡¯s strategy, he made some local adjustments. Opening his notebook, he quickly sketched an anatomical diagram of the abdomen and began to exin: "Elder, Master Tolga, take a look. The youngdy¡¯s condition is mainly due to many worms entangled in clusters, blocking here¡ª" He marked a few dark spots on the lower part of the ileum: "Mostly in this area, not entirely obstructed, but severe nheless. If I were treating her, I¡¯d start with gastric and intestinal dpression andvage¡ªextracting some stomach contents from both ends to create space in the intestines, then using divine magic to eliminate the worms. Elder Wood mentioned using divine magic with medication to kill the worms, which is correct. However, there¡¯s a risk of divine magic deviating slightly or medication doses being too high and harming the intestines." "Hmm..." Elder Wood pondered. "It¡¯s possible. Please continue." "Previously, when we couldn¡¯t see the blockage through her abdomen, divine magic might have veered off course. But with [Detection Magic] now avable, could we pinpoint the treatment location with magical guidance to minimize intestinal damage?" "It¡¯s possible!" Elder Wood brightened at the idea. Garrett turned to the old mage: "Her distended belly indicates the severity inside. Like balloons, her intestines are stretched thin. After divine magic treatment, if the worms gather, struggle, or move randomly, they could easily burst orpress the intestines, leading to ischemia and death. If I encounter this, I¡¯d have to open her abdomen, remove the blockage, and repair her intestines. In worst-case scenarios, a portion of the intestine may need removal..." "Wouldn¡¯t that kill her?!" Master Tolga blurted. Garrett shook his head: "As long as divine magic eases her pain and she feels no pain during the procedure, I¡¯m 70% confident I can save her." "Just 70%?" The old mage looked disappointed. "What about the other 30%?!" Still, 30% remained... Garrett fell silent, then pulled out another piece of paper: "Hold on..." Scratch scratch scratch, scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch. Informed consent for intestinal obstruction surgery... He wrote, recing medical jargon withyman¡¯s terms. The risks alone took up a good twenty or thirty lines: During surgery, anatomical changes may alter the procedure; Injury to nerves, blood vessels, and nearby organs; Postoperativeplications like peritonitis, abscesses; Heart issues like arrhythmias, heart attacks, failure, sudden cardiac arrest... After filling the paper, Master Tolga¡¯s face darkened upon receiving it: "So... many risks?" He shook the form, almost wanting to stick it to Garrett¡¯s face: "All this from opening her abdomen?" "It implies these are possible oues." Garrett patiently exined, as he had done countless times in his past life: "Read it carefully, ask if you have any questions. If you understand and ept, sign here. No signature, no surgery, but rest assured, I¡¯ll assist Elder Wood in preliminary treatment." The old mage gripped the form tightly, his fingers digging in. He nced around, at his daughter¡¯s pale face, then Elder Wood¡¯s furrowed brow, and finally sighed: "Let¡¯s treat her first! Signing can wait until abdominal surgery is necessary!" "Alright, I¡¯m in." Elder Wood rose with his oak staff, turning to Garrett: "You mentioned... gastric and intestinal dpression. How¡¯s that done?" Garrett gave an awkward smile. In his previous life, it was simply inserting a gastric tube and suctioning. But in this world, no such devices existed. "That... Elder, Master Tolga, we might need your divine magic and magic to help with that..." --------------- Chapter 177 Chapter 177 "Grow a hollow vine, as thin as half of a pinky finger,"manded Elder Wood. "Do you have fine metal wires? The kind as thin as hair?¡ªMaster Tolga, you can actually shape silver coins on the spot, that¡¯s impressive! Alright, very well, wrap the silver wires around the vine to mark the position, then cast [Detect Magic] again!" Elder Wood sat opposite the young girl, with Garrett standing behind him, giving continuous directions. He couldn¡¯t help but congratte himself inwardly: Elder Wood agreed to using a vine for gastric insertion without hesitation. It seemed that the teacher had boasted about it after thest bronchoscopy, and Elder Wood must have secretly practiced. However,mands were still necessary. A gastroscopy involved different procedures from a bronchoscopy, and Garrett kept guiding without pause: "Miss, please lie on the pillow, with your head tilted up and chin against your chest, don¡¯t move! Put another pillow behind her, very good! ¡ªElder, temporarily numb her throat with divine magic, insert the vine from the nostrils, let it grow into the mouth, then follow the throat into the esophagus!" Iris, the patient, felt fear and instinctively struggled as the instructions echoed in her ears. The female knight pressed down on her friend¡¯s shoulder with one hand and tried to stabilize her head with the other, lifting her face to gaze at Garrett, her emerald eyes filled with both doubt and plea. Garrett sighed inwardly, stepping forward to calm the patient: "Miss, don¡¯t be afraid. Didn¡¯t we just exin? This vine is very thin, much thinner than your throat. As long as you don¡¯t move, you won¡¯t be scratched. Be obedient, lie still..." After several calming attempts, Iris finally rxed her tense body. Garrett leaned over to her, smiling slightly: "Here, open your mouth, say ¡¯ahh¡¯ with me¡ª" "Ahh¡ª" Iris opened her mouth, and seizing the opportunity, Elder Wood swiftly inserted the vine into the patient¡¯s nostril, winding it down into the stomach. Garrett monitored the position of the silver wire in his meditative vision, seeing that the end had reached near the xiphoid process. He quickly shouted, "Alright alright! Stop!"Guiding the gastric tube under X-ray¡ªwhat a luxury... Garrett sighed deeply. In the past, everyone relied on blind insertions, but now, with [Magic Detection], the process felt much more convenient. Taking the vine, Garrett held it close to the girl¡¯s face with one hand, firmly grasping it. With the other hand, he handed it to the old mage: "Master Tolga, please drive the wind element to suck out the air from the vine, not too fast. After sucking it out, the contents in the stomach will rush out. Please continue to guide these liquids until I say." "No problem. Leave it to me!" Elder Wood took it over casually. Garrett smiled to himself: Just negative pressure suction, without a suction device or a 50ml syringe, and without the priests of the Temple of the Spring Goddess, I still managed! Methods are all thought up by people... Hmph... The vine made a hissing sound as Garrett felt the invisible whirlwind sucking air. Then, drop by drop, transparent, slightly viscous liquid was drawn out. Grabbing a cup to catch it, Garrett observed carefully. First, stomach contents, and soon, fermenting intestinal contents appeared. The foul smell hit them, Seraina covered her nose and stepped aside: "What are you staring at so intently?" "Thank goodness, there¡¯s no bleeding." Garrett stared at the cup without lifting his head. As for finding worms in the food residue, he didn¡¯t mention it to avoid grossing people out. The female knight hesitated for a moment, sighing softly: "You¡¯ve worked hard." "Mm, mm." Garrett responded vaguely. He kept checking the volume in the cup, the speed and state of the stomach contents flowing out, suddenly calling out, "Stop!" The amount drawn out was almost enough, and the tube below the stomach was starting to clog¡ªit was time to stop! Gastric dpressionpleted, enemapleted. All preparations were done, but Elder Wood hesitated, holding the pills in his hand: "This medicine... can only kill about sixty to seventy percent of those life energies at most; with divine art, maybe ny percent. Garrett, do you have any other ideas?" Ideas? In this otherworld, where can I find metronidazole, albendazole, or mebendazole for you? As for rattan and magnolia vine, I have nowhere to find them either! I remember the recipe for wumei pills, but as for atractylodes, coptis, aconite, and ginseng, am I expecting a cross-temporal pharmacy, or am I expecting to be able to order on Taobao?? Garrett desperately searched his mind for articles. Oral vegetable oil, that¡¯s lubricating; oral honey ginger, the insecticidal effect is probably not as good as Elder Wood¡¯s pills; rhubarb decoction? Dinggui powder? Wake up, there¡¯s no traditional Chinese medicine here... Why should I, an emergency surgeon, bother with the thoughts of a gastroenterologist... Even in the past life, conservative treatment was done by internal medicine! Garrettmented,mented,mented again. Lamented to the extreme, he actually had a sh of inspiration, took out the remaining potassium permanganate from his waist pouch: "Elder, that thing we usedst time¡ªto gather the same gas as in the test tube, inject it into the bubble spell, can you use that divine art once more?" "No problem!" Elder Wood readily agreed. "I¡¯ve already simplified that divine art; it only requires fifth-level. Ah, you¡¯ll soon reach fifth-level, I¡¯ll teach you!" This and that... A faraway water can¡¯t quench a nearby thirst, but fortunately, someone on-site can use it. Garrett raised a finger: "This time, I want not just the bubble spell, but to inject it into bubbles, send it into the stomach through the vine, preferably into the intestines. Can you do it?" "This..." Elder Wood hesitated. "Sending it into the intestines is probably fine, it¡¯s just letting it grow on its own. I can¡¯t control the shrinking of the bubbles..." Can¡¯t do it? I can¡¯t do it either, although I know the bubble spell, my magical control isn¡¯t up to this level. However, it doesn¡¯t matter, grab a balloon¡ªoh, the emergency department calls it a balloon, it¡¯s actually an oxygen bag, any substitute will do. Fish dder, pig dder, filled with oxygen and wrapped around the vine, just squeeze it! Garrett had already started looking around for alternatives left and right. The old mage calmly interjected: "I can do it." Oh, someone volunteered as aborer! Garrett pped his hands: "Great! You two try to cooperate first, use the bubble spell and the vine to inte the basin with air¡ªI¡¯ll be right back! Elder, do you have alchemical equipment here?" The two old men cooperated with magic. One time, two times, three times, they finally smoothed out all the ws. Meanwhile, Garrett alsopleted the work of heating potassium permanganate and producing oxygen, brought a tube of oxygen over: "Well, first insert the tube, then summon the gas, use the bubble spell to send it into the body. Wait a moment, you¡¯ll see the effect!" He dashed in and out, his speed too fast, his tone too confident. The old mage didn¡¯t even have a chance to ask questions, let alone insert and ask, "What gas is this?" "Is it dangerous to inject it into my daughter¡¯s body?" Elder Wood thought for a moment, shook his head to refute: "Didn¡¯t you sayst time that this gas enhances human vitality? Injecting it like this, what if the bugs start to act up..." "But those bugs are afraid of this gas!" Garrett blinked, smiling. Elder Wood¡¯s reaction was really quick, able to deduce from one situation to another; he actually thought about the effects of oxygen on the human body. However, worms are anaerobic: "Just think about it, these bugs live in the intestines, where there¡¯s not much air, they¡¯re used to it. Suddenly a lotes in, it¡¯s like a thick-furred ice wolf entering the desert, wouldn¡¯t it just get heatstroke and die?" "Hmmmm..." Elder Wood thought for a moment, nodded, and approved Garrett¡¯s n. Master Tolga still hesitated: "What gas are you talking about? Will it harm my daughter?" "Absolutely no problem!" Elder Wood reassured with emphasis. "I¡¯ve employed this gas once before, on an adventurer who was struggling to breathe and teetering on the brink of death. That individual relied on it to pull through! Rest assured, it¡¯s simply gathered from the air; it won¡¯t cause any harm, only bring benefits!" "So, what exactly is it then?" "I honestly couldn¡¯t tell you... it¡¯s a unique secret technique." A unique secret technique? Was it stumbled upon by chance, or concocted through some obscure method? Master Tolga regarded Garrett with a hint of suspicion. His gaze shifted from the young man¡¯s confident visage to his chest, where the mage badge, with its ck base, copper star, and circr ring, was pinned. A first-level mage. A fledgling wizard. Yet already with published articles in ¡¯Arcane¡¯... "So, is this gas your unique secret technique?" "Not exactly..." Garrett modestly smiled. "It¡¯s something that naturally urs in the air; I simply discovered its presence and made a rough estimate of its content." After a moment¡¯s pause, he added, "The white me you witnessed earlier was conjured using this gas as a spellponent." This is as much as I can reveal... Should I just call it oxygen? Even if I provide the molecr form, it might not be recognized! "Oh!" The elderly mage was impressed. With the prowess of a mere first-level mage, he had momentarily held off the ice giant. That spell had indeed made a profound impression. However, it was another person¡¯s unique spell, so he refrained from inquiring further at the time. "That white me¡ªoriginally, were your casting gestures for the Burning Hand spell?" "It was indeed the Burning Hand spell, albeit with a different castingponent." The efficacy was remarkable. "What do you mean ¡¯different¡¯? That¡¯s an addition!" Burning Hand doesn¡¯t typically require castingponents, so how can you say it¡¯s an addition! Master Tolga blurted out. Garrett slightly lowered his head, a smile ying at the corners of his mouth, but he didn¡¯t engage in argument. After a moment¡¯s contemtion, the elderly mage pressed on: "Do you have any research papers?" "Not yet." "Who is your mentor?" "I studied at the Mage Tower in Harnd City, currently participating in the training program at the Magic Council..." Ah, a promising talent with credentials, not yet confined to any one master¡¯s tutge. Master Tolga once again scrutinized Garrett, then nced at the test tube in his hand: "What is this gas? May I try it?" "I only have this one tube. The materials I brought were insufficient, so I only managed to produce this single tube." Garrett shrugged. The elderly mage hesitated for a moment, torn between "not prying into others¡¯ magic" and the life of his daughter, ultimately choosing his daughter. He rummaged in his robe sleeves and extracted a small silver bell, cing it on the table and nudging it toward Garrett: "My apologies¡ªwhat material is it?" Potassium permanganate. Oh no, what¡¯s it called here... Linde Ferrell mentioned it once... Ah, yes! "Purple Scale Stone!" His eyes lit up with delight, as if recalling something long forgotten, and a smile crept up at the corner of his mouth. The elderly mage immediately nced at Elder Wood, who shook his head, "None." Left with no other options, Master Tolga sighed and, seeing Garrett disregard the silver bell on the table, opted to pick it up himself and thrust it into Garrett¡¯s hands: "Then let¡¯s employ your method! I¡¯m cing my trust in you!" The two elderly men and the young man once again united their efforts. Elder Wood handled the vine and summoned the gas, while Master Tolga controlled the bubbles, allowing them to contract slowly. Garrett stood by, shouting: "Slow down! Don¡¯t allow the bubbles to shrink too quickly! If they shrink too fast, it could rupture the intestines. Slower!" 500ml of oxygen¡ªthough not pure oxygen, it was air with a high oxygen concentration¡ªgradually entered the intestines. Theoretically, oxygen can be administered at a rate of 5L/min, but this was a vine, not an endoscope, and the interior of the intestines couldn¡¯t be observed. Garrett feared that if the vine¡¯s exit wasn¡¯t properly positioned, it might spray onto the intestinal wall, causing perforation... If they had to perform intestinal surgery to repair it, it would be troublesome, with myriadplications and seque. Sigh, better to err on the side of caution. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to have a bit more oxygen lingering in the gastrointestinal tract. Even if the intestinal wall absorbed some oxygen, it would only be a minuscule amount. Wu wu wu, when will they develop a magical or divine art for endoscopic procedures... Adding another item to his wish list, Garrett watched as, at his behest, the elderly mage slowly administered the oxygen. In less than ten seconds, the pained expression on Iris¡¯s face visibly eased. "I don¡¯t hurt anymore..." "Stay lying down! Stay lying down!!!" Garrett hurriedly intervened, ensuring she remained prone. Don¡¯t dislodge the gastric tube! After the oxygen had been administered, the gastric tube was removed¡ªor rather, it retracted on its own. After approximately fifteen minutes, Elder Wood activated his divine magic and once more probed Iris¡¯s life force. Under the divine light, he eximed, "Almost all of them are dead! Young Garrett, the efficacy of this gas of yours far surpasses pills!¡ªHer stomach also appears somewhat ttened now, not as distended as before..." Of course. Garrett pped his hands with a rxed demeanor, as if shaking off the dust of unnecessary worries: Administering oxygen through the gastrointestinal tract for parasite expulsion has been corroborated by numerous cases and research papers. Particrly in cases of biliary ascariasis, when patients are in agonizing pain, administering a few seconds of oxygen through an endoscope¡ªoh, the effect, it¡¯s immediate! The pain ceases right then and there, prompting an immediate ultrasound examination. The roundworms are already deceased! As for the reduced stomach distention... When the adult worms perish, they no longer cluster together. As they disperse, the stomach naturally appears tter. "The treatment is highly effective! Next, we¡¯ll flush out the deceased worms, and the ailment will be cured!" --------------- Chapter 178 Chapter 178 The first step was done¡ªexterminate the intestinal worms. Now for the rest: apply heat, massage the abdomen, ensure warmth, and stimte intestinal movement. Next up? Drink the medicine~~~ This trilogy was the remedy forbating those pesky worms. With the symptoms temporarily subdued, Garrett darted into the kitchen, ready to brew the potion. He ignited the me, stoked the stove, and set a bowl of bean oil to heat. Once the oil reached a rolling boil, he crouched at the table, meticulously adding the magical ingredients one by one: "Ice Beam~~~ Ice Beam~~~ Ice Beam~~~" "What are you up to?" "Ice¡ªoops!" Distracted, Garrett¡¯s Ice Beam spell veered off course. Like ice water hitting a hot skillet, the boiling bean oil erupted into a bubble, causing an instant explosion... "Oops!" Garrett recoiled. With no time to use the table as a shield, he hastily cast a defensive spell, apologizing for his magic not being instant yet. No other shields were avable¡ªnot even a pot lid...In a pinch, he summoned a Mage Hand, trying to tten the mess before him, crossing his arms to shield his face¡ª "Ahh..." A soft sigh behind him. Silently, a translucent light formed an unyielding force field. Drop by drop, the hot oil receded and returned to the pot, while a pair of hands steadied Garrett, preventing him from falling backward. Smooth and neutral in temperature,cking any wrists to speak of¡ªif someone slower to react were here, they might¡¯ve jumped up, shouting: "A ghost!" But Garrett remainedposed. A Mage Hand wasn¡¯t so rare; it wasn¡¯t worth his surprise. He straightened up calmly, turned, and bowed slightly to the figure behind: "Master, I¡¯m brewing medicine for Miss." "Is that so?" The old mage was curious. If Garrett were busy in the alchemy room, the old mage might¡¯ve believed him more. But here he was, in the kitchen with just a stove, a pot of bean oil, and two onions on the chopping board. The kitchen knife wasn¡¯t in sight¡ªdid Garrett intend to cry while cutting onions? "Is this your medicine?" "Yes!" Garrett exined confidently: "nt oil lubricates the intestines and aids defecation; onion juice elerates intestinal movement. As for heating it, it¡¯s to ensure there¡¯s nothing harmful in raw bean oil¡ªboiling makes it safe..." "And then?" The old mage smiled knowingly: "You wanted it to cool quickly, resulting in an explosion?" "Exactly! Garrett, you managed to explode a pot just heating bean oil?" Elder Wood joined in the mockery. Garrett flushed: "I¡¯m brewing a potion!... Alchemy!... Exploding pots is within a mage¡¯s purview, right?" Followed by muttered excuses like "I¡¯m not a pharmacy major" and "no refrigerator," which made the old men chuckle. The female knights outside joined in theughter, infusing the kitchen with mirth. Master Tolga chuckled, conjuring a two-foot-tall ice tornado that rolled up the boiling bean oil. Wind des and frost swords spun rapidly, as Garrett shouted: "Just warm! Not cold!¡ªWarm is fine!" With a tter, the bean oil fell into a nearby bowl, crystal clear. Garrett tasted it¡ªjust warm. He envied the old mage: Magic was indeed handy! Cooling, separating, purifying¡ªit could almost rece a centrifuge. He still hadn¡¯t managed to brew one... "What¡¯s next?" The old mage inquired, stopping his hand. Garrett refocused: "Slicing onions, squeezing juice, mixing it evenly with bean oil, and then¡ª" Wind des sliced the onions paper-thin. Mage Hands folded, twisted, and squeezed the slices, dripping the pungent juice into the oil bowl. The old mage stayed three meters away, unaffected by the scent. Miss Iris held the bowl, tears streaming down her face. "Do I have to drink it?" "Drink it quickly!¡ªOnce you do, it won¡¯t choke you!" With teary eyes, Iris gulped it down. The female knights ushered Garrett out, gesturing for him to let the youngdy rest. "Ah, it¡¯s just the fear of needing the restroom right after drinking oil," Garrett Nordmark sighed, shaking his head. He pulled up a chair and settled in front of the bed. With a mischievous grin, he even snatched Elder Wood¡¯s oak cane, propping it casually against the bed. "Don¡¯t fret, it won¡¯t hit you that fast. At least not until around dinner time. I¡¯ll hang around for a bit. And if your stomach really starts acting up, you¡¯ve got to give me the heads-up, alright?" As the bean oil simmered, Garrett idly sifted through his mental archives for pertinent research. He recalled studies suggesting that in cases of intestinal obstruction, consuming a concoction of onion oil typically triggers gas and bowel movements within 6 hours, with a notable expulsion of worms within 12 hours. So, the urgency to use the restroom after oil ingestion? Not as immediate as one might think. Iris blushed furiously at his words, promptly burying herself under a thin nket. The female knight shot a nce at her balled-up friend, then at the unperturbed old mage nearby, and couldn¡¯t help but sigh: "If it¡¯s not going to happen right away, why insist on sticking around? Iris will just get embarrassed!" ...I don¡¯t particrly fancy being here either. I¡¯d rather be out practicing divine magic, writing papers, or at the very least, meditating. But with such a severe case of intestinal obstruction, anything could happen until recovery. Garrett paused for a moment, then conjured a soft tube in the air with a wave of his hand, purposefully obstructing it with an object. "Look here, the human intestines are like this long tube. Now, with the tube blocked¡ª" He gestured downward, causing a bulge in the simted tube, exining to the female knight, as well as to the old mage and Elder Wood: "After taking the medicine, the intestines may have the strength to expel everything smoothly, or things might umte too much in a particr section. If the intestinesck the strength to push, it could lead to more umtion or even a rupture. I¡¯m staying here just in case. If her stomach starts hurting badly, I can quickly assess the situation and determine if treatment is necessary." Narrowing of the intestine, intestinal twisting, intestinal perforation¡ªX-ray images can diagnose all of these. Garrett remained vignt, with the oak cane positioned behind the patient, ready to employ magic at the first sign of trouble. Ah, besides these risks, intestinal ischemia is also a concern. Unfortunately, detecting intestinal ischemia requires a CT scan, which Garrett couldn¡¯t conjure up with his current abilities. Life¡¯s a tough cookie. Once you have one thing, you immediately want something better... And then there¡¯s dehydration, acid-base imbnce, and so forth. He just couldn¡¯t shake off the need to keep watch. "Can you really discern all that?" Elder Wood inquired, approaching after catching snippets of the conversation. He cast a serious nce at the patient on the bed, then at Garrett: "Using your... detection magic?" "Indeed, Elder," Garrett replied, turning around. "Let me sketch it out for you¡ªwhat to look for, what I can perceive in my meditation. Later, you canpare it with the sketches¡ªthough it¡¯s best to avoid any surprises..." He spent the entire afternoon crafting diagrams of intestinal obstruction, narrowing, twisting, perforation, X-ray images, and B-ultrasound images, along with corresponding anatomical diagrams, borating on them for Elder Wood. The old mage exited after hearing only a couple of sentences, while Salina stayed until the second drawing before stifling a gasp and exiting the room, hand over mouth. Only poor Elder Wood remained, at his age, having to grasp and memorize these images one by one, his eyes nearly resembling mosquito coils... Garrett continued his exnations until after dinner. Then, a series of gurgling noises emanated from beneath the nket. Iris¡¯s cheeks fluctuated from pale to flushed and back again, her body trembling. Garrett sprang to his feet, beckoning the female knight inside: "It¡¯s about time. I¡¯ll leave the next steps to you! If you encounter any issues, don¡¯t hesitate to call me!" --------------- Chapter 179 Chapter 179 "...Intestinal obstruction caused by roundworms. Performed gastric dpression, administered a 500ml warm saline enema. Injected approximately 500ml of oxygen through the gastric tube." (Garrett circled this term with some guilt.) "The patient¡¯s pain immediately eased. After 15 minutes of observation with divine magic, it was confirmed that the roundworms were mostly dead. Thirty minutester, administered 200ml of soybean oil, mixed with approximately 200g of onion juice, orally. Continued close observation. Anal gas and stool passage observed after 5.5 hours." Garrett made the final note on the medical record, straightened his back, and stretchedzily. Finally, this patient was taken care of! Overall, this went quite smoothly, without any surprises. He didn¡¯t even need to use the informed consent form for surgery¡ªof course, from a doctor¡¯s perspective, it¡¯s best not to. Not only that, he also gained a little something extra... Oh right, what is that bell for exactly? Garrett rummaged through his waist pouch and pulled out the bell given by the old wizard. He examined it up and down: A silver bell in the shape of a clock, about three centimeters tall and 2.5 centimeters in diameter, with a bell pper hanging in the middle. Garrett shook it in his hand, but the pper seemed to be cast inside the bell, not moving at all, not making a sound. Hmm... it seems it¡¯s not used like this...Garrett brought it closer for inspection again. There were fine patterns engraved on the bell, and upon closer examination, he saw a line of magical text written in cursive. He carefully deciphered it, unintentionally reading it out loud: "All that has passed, is but... is but... is but..." He couldn¡¯t read thest word for the life of him. Footsteps approached lightly from behind, and an elderly voice hinted: "Illusion." "All that has passed, is but an illusion!" Garrett immediately repeated. The bell rang, smoke emanated from the opening of the bell, the lower half still inside, while the upper half condensed into a humanoid figure, shouting from the edge: "Who is it? You¡¯re stuttering with the incantation, I¡¯ve already stuck my head halfway out and then you retract it!" Um... um... sorry? Garrett almost blurted out, but at thest moment, he held it back. He focused on the creature that emerged from the bell. It was small, only about a foot tall in the upper body, probably not exceeding two feet in total height. It had green skin, blue hair, a prominent nose, and pointed ears, looking extremely odd. Its two hands scraping at the edge of the bell were thin and long, with fingers resembling spider legs, seemingly fragile enough to break with a slight touch. The old wizard exined beside him: "This bell is something I obtained in a ruin in my early years, and it seals a demon inside, this fellow. You can control it by holding the bell. The incantation for activation is the phrase on the outer shell, and for recall, you recite it backward." Recite it backward? That¡¯s too cumbersome! Garrett thought to himself. The old wizard seemed to know what he was thinking and added: "You can imprint it with your mental power to change the activation incantation." Garrett quickly expressed his gratitude. Master Tolga waved his hand: "It¡¯s nothing. Since you asked for your secret recipe, there should be somepensation. This fellow may not be strong, but he¡¯s quite skilled with his hands, capable of making some trinkets for you." As he spoke, he nced at the creature. It had crawledpletely out of the bell, tumbling and flipping on the ground, fuming and muttering curses. The old wizard¡¯s eyes twinkled with a hint of amusement: "This thing is quite loyal, just has a bad temper and likes to curse. If you give it some good food, its efficiency will double. If you can¡¯t cook, just buy a few candies for it." Can it make trinkets? Excellent! My microscope! My ss slides, cover slips! My syringe! My needles! Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up as he quickly gathered the equipment, thanking the old wizard once more before darting back to his room. From behind, the old wizard¡¯s voice added casually, "Oh, by the way, maintaining this creature¡¯s activity in the outside world will require coins..." Requires coins... Requires coins... Requires coins... Garrett¡¯s legs went weak, nearly stumbling. Coins? How many coins remained in his pocket now? Would it be enough to sustain this creature for a few days? And would the cost of having it craft microscopes and needles outweigh simply purchasing them at the market? I¡¯ll rename it "Coins"ter! Garrett thought mischievously as he carefully returned the little creature to its bell, briskly making his way back to his room. Salina had already emerged from the innermost chamber, her face flushed and pants slightly damp. Spotting Garrett, she stepped aside, offering a quick, "She¡¯s much better now... Thank you." "It¡¯s nothing, just doing my duty as a healer," Garrett replied with a smile, nodding at the female knight as they passed each other. "I¡¯ll check on her¡ªoh, and the items she found, are they still here? Not discarded?" Silence lingered for a moment before Garrett turned back, noticing the female knight¡¯s flushed cheeks and avoiding gaze. Shrugging, he gestured to himself and continued on his way¡ªwhether the parasites in this world were roundworms or not, as a doctor, he needed to see them for himself. "Not yet. I¡¯ll take you there," the female knight finally spoke as they reached the main door of the longhouse. Though she still refused to meet Garrett¡¯s eyes, she hastened her pace, leading him through a series of twists and turns until they reached a wooden barrel tucked into a corner. "Here... what are you looking at!" Without hesitation, Garrett scooped up some water with adle, pouring it into the barrel. With a ck pottery te in one hand and a wooden stick in the other, he stirred the contents until white worms surfaced. Carefully selecting a few, he ced them on the te for observation. They bore a striking resemnce to the roundworms he had encountered in his previous life: long, slender, with striated surfaces and curled tails. Despite his past aversion to dissecting and studying, Garrett was nowpletely engrossed in his work, recognizing the stark difference between working for oneself and working for others. After washing his hands meticulously, he returned to check on Iris, noting the significant reduction in her swollen abdomen. Utilizing X-ray magic, he confirmed the absence of intestinal twisting or perforation, breathing a sigh of relief. "Give her a cup of sugar-salt water, and half an hourter, she can eat something soft. After meals, administer another cup of onion oil. She¡¯ll need to expel the worms several more times tonight." "Several more times..." both girls groaned in unison. Garrett nodded sympathetically, preparing to offer further reassurance when a sudden change in expression overtook him, prompting him to dash off¡ªthis time, mirroring Iris¡¯s earlier urgency, clutching his stomach in distress, entirely indistinguishable from the patient he had just attended to. --------------- Chapter 180 Chapter 180 Garrett hurried into the room, his head lowered as if a magical beast were at his heels. The female knight called out to him from behind, but Garrett ignored her, his pace quickening. Master Tolga¡¯s concerned inquiry fell on deaf ears as Garrett nodded hastily without breaking his stride. Elder Wood¡¯s chuckle followed him, "Garrett, you haven¡¯t returned the wooden staff yet..." "Bernard, guard the door for me! Keep everyone out!" Garrett dashed into a guest room, the same one he had upied before, and mmed the door behind him. The two elders exchanged a puzzled nce, ready to jest at Garrett¡¯s urgency, but their amusement turned to concern as they felt the energy shift in the air. "This is..." Elder Wood shot up from his seat, darting into Iris¡¯s room to reim the oak staff. With a swift motion, he snatched it back as though reiming a stolen treasure before hurrying back. Not far from the guest room¡¯s entrance, Master Tolga stood frozen, his face drained of color. "What powerful fluctuations...?" Instinctively, he moved to investigate, but halted as the barbarian positioned his bone club defensively. Elder Wood¡¯s irritation mingled with amusement as he pulled the old mage back and gestured with his staff. A tendril of green grass broke through the soil at the door, swaying toward the interior of the guest room. "...A potent elemental vortex." Elder Wood¡¯s expression grew grave.Within the room, he sensed not a person but a swirling miniature tornado, drawing in surrounding forces. He extended his hand, feeling the invisible elemental wind coursing through his fingers, and watched as the hairs on his hand stood on end. The elemental energies flowed freely into the guest room... For a higher-level spellcaster, such disturbance might be insignificant. But Garrett, only a second-level priest and first-level mage, with the leaf on his oak staff still tender green¡ªhow could he generate such intense fluctuations during his advancement? Could he control them? Control wasn¡¯t even a consideration for Garrett. He seated himself on the bed, assuming an unorthodox meditation posture, and closed his eyes. In his mind¡¯s eye, earth, water, fire, wind, and various elements shimmered into existence one by one. Translucent figures stood in the void, silently awaiting hismand as forces from all directions poured in, filling his being. This ascension was different from the serene ascent of a priest; it was turbulent, violent. Garrett concentrated, guiding the energies inward, arranging them meticulously. Around the translucent figure, the "shell" housing the elements grew stronger, with elemental forces rippling silently between the outer shell and the core, awaiting further refinement. His work wasn¡¯t finished yet. Advancing as a formal mage required engraving a magic during meditation¡ªa process of constructing a robust spell model within the "shell" and "core" using mental power. This magic could be learned or self-created. Self-created magics offered greater power and bypassed the need for materials or incantations, casting with a mere thought. The engraved magic couldn¡¯t exceed the mage¡¯s previous level, though going a level lower wasn¡¯t prohibitive, just wasteful. Typically, mages chose their highest-level mastered spell... But which one should Garrett choose? He pondered, considering his repertoire: magic tricks, mage armor, X-ray magic, ultrasound magic... Each shed through his mind, attracting elemental feedback, and dispersing at hismand. Higher-level magic attracted stronger fluctuations, while self-created spells drew the strongest. Garrett¡¯s focus shifted to burning hand, envisioning the convenience of wielding white mes without cumbersome materials. Yet, a nagging doubt surfaced: Is raw destructive power truly what I desire? He turned to ultrasound magic, its spell model illuminating in his meditation environment. Vibration, frequency, direction¡ªeverything clicked into ce, beckoning him to choose. Circr, triangr, wavy curves¡ªvarious shapes and lines intertwined, forming aplex three-dimensional structure. While casting spells was manageable, constructing them with mental power proved chaotic. It felt far more challenging than sketching on aputer, especially without any tools! Take ultrasound magic¡¯s architecture, for example. There was a segment resembling a sine curve, familiar to Garrett. The issue? Drawing curves without a ruler orpass seemed impossible¡ªhow was he to create them with just his mind in the meditation realm? It seemed absurd! Despite the challenge, Garrett focused his mental power, meticulously sketching the spell model stroke by stroke. Straight lines, curves, three-dimensional shapes... he drew them, infusing each with mental energy to stabilize and connect them. Traditionally, mages were simply told to "trace ording to the scroll" when drawing spell models. Precision and skill were often disregarded, leading to vastly different results among mages learning the same magic¡ªsome akin to Sun Wukong¡¯s feats, while others resembled street performers... However, during a recent training session, the teacher introduced a new method for spell model creation: mathematics! Triangles, circles, curves¡ªall mathematical concepts! And if you couldn¡¯t grasp math, you had no business aspiring to be a mage! So, about that sine curve... Garrett recalled the form y=Asin(¦Øx+¦Õ)+k. Adjusting the amplitude and angr frequency values, he eagerly observed the changes... His meditation vision widened as something new emerged¡ªa concept he¡¯d never encountered before. Waves¡ªundting, vibrating, transmitting through the void and reflecting back from unknown origins... They were waves! Longitudinal, transverse, electromaic, mechanical¡ªwaves of all kinds materialized in his meditation vision for the first time! The feedback surged from the meditation world. The spell model for echo magic, ultrasound magic, a seemingly insignificant gadget that earned merely two research points at the Magic Council, materialized and shimmered brightly in Garrett¡¯s meditation environment. As he filled the spell model, the elements pouring into the meditation realm dissipated outward, increasing the concentration within the "shell" by at least ten percent. Satisfied, Garrett opened his eyes. "Yes! No more need to carry around bats!" --------------- Chapter 181 Chapter 181 After the fluctuation in elemental levels subsided, Garrett Nordmark still hadn¡¯t emerged. Constructing new magic within his meditation core, he toyed around like a child with a new toy: "Peak and valley heights need to go up a bit more! Just a bit higher! Hmm, the output power isn¡¯t enough, the intensity of the ultrasound can¡¯t go any higher... Let¡¯s lower it a bit! Lower, lower... No, the casting uracy isn¡¯t enough, can¡¯t control it at this level..." Then it was the wave frequency! Increase, increase, increase... Good, feedback uracy improved, detection distance shortened. It¡¯s really convenient to imprint spell models in the meditation core, one can even manually adjust the frequency! Let¡¯s lower the frequency a bit more... Lower, lower, lower... "Squeak¡ª" A very faint, sharp whistle. Uh-oh, the frequency dropped too much, into the range audible to human ears... Garrett sweated profusely. He dared not lower the frequency further into the infrasound range, so he could only remember a few sets of the best data, nning to find a way to measure exactly how many megahertz it waster. Outside the room, Elder Wood and Master Tolga exchanged nces: "What is this kid doing?" "I don¡¯t know... tinkering with his new magic? Probably..."Regardless, the vital signs inside the guest room remained stable, life force vigorous. The crisis had passed, there shouldn¡¯t be any trouble. Elder Wood shrugged and finally pulled Master Tolga away, each returning to their respective rooms to attend to their own matters. The barbarian remained, clutching his big club, with a loyal and resolute expression, guarding the door, exuding an aura of "one man guarding the pass, ten thousand unable to pass." For physical professions, pulling an all-nighter was fine. But for spellcasters, it was a different story. Mages needed to meditate, priests needed to pray; these were daily tasks that required eight hours of sleep to ensure that spells for the next day would function properly... In the guest room, Garrett finished tinkering with the ultrasound frequency and began experimenting with other ideas. Can ultrasound be focused into a beam? Can it be emitted from multiple directions simultaneously, making it easier to determine specific conditions in a particr area? Can it instantly generate high heat, selectively melting certain things? If that¡¯s possible, then Sea Boats and the like would be feasible... Can it... One spell cast, then another, and another. It wasn¡¯t until he had exhausted all the magic power he had left for the day that Garrett yawned and opened his eyes with satisfaction. His gaze fell on the small table beside the bed, and he immediately widened his eyes in shock, letting out a loud scream: "Ah¡ª¡ª! My gold coins!!!!" At the corner of the table, the little imp he had acquired today squatted by the bell, its form already thinning into a wisp of blue smoke... Garrett was heartbroken. Seeing this, it meant the time for the little imp had expired. If he wanted to use it again, he¡¯d have to recharge it himself! Feeling dejected, he copsed into bed. The next day, he woke up earlier than anyone else. When Elder Wood got up, he saw Garrett sitting in the morning light, ying with the bell he had acquired yesterday. With closed eyes, gripping the bell, he lookedpletely absorbed, clearly imprinting his spiritual power. Elder Wood immediately halted his steps, observing from afar, afraid of disturbing him. After a while, Garrett opened his eyes, holding the bell in front of him, and took a deep breath: "Time is money, my friend~~~" Although it was a serious statement, the sing-song tone made Elder Wood feel something was off. Swish, a small wisp of blue smokezily drifted out, taking a while to coalesce into a form. But Garrett seemed quite satisfied with the expression on his face. After closing his eyes for a moment, he spoke again: "Mother Earth is guiding you~~~" The tone of this sentence was even stranger! The pronunciation was unclear, and what did Mother Earth mean? A minor branch of the faith in the Nature God? With a swish, the blue smoke was withdrawn, obviously retracting themand. Garrett repeated this process twice, then turned to look at Elder Wood, hastily getting up: "Elder?" "Ah, yes, yes. Did you sessfully advance yesterday? Did you be a level two mage? Well done!" Elder Wood approached with a spring in his step. "By the way, it was busy yesterday, so we didn¡¯t have a chance to talk in detail. What¡¯s the matter with your visit? Did you be a level two priest? Here to learn new divine magic?" Learning divine magic was natural, but¡ªGarrett looked around and realized that the paper he had left with Elder Wood before had already been taken. He could only briefly exin the process of submitting the magic to the council for review and receiving a low score: "...That¡¯s how it is. I¡¯ve already verified it yesterday. This magic has great benefits for medical diagnosis, but it requires a lot of supplementary data... I thought about it, and only by asking you all priests for help, by painting a meditation scene for a patient together, can this be aplished. ¡ªSince I¡¯m not familiar with people in Nevis, I don¡¯t know many priests, and I have nowhere to find patients, I can only ask Elder for help." "Uh, this is a good thing!" Elder Wood smiled. "Teaching us your original magic, this old man owes you a big favor! Don¡¯t worry about what¡¯s next, leave it to me, I¡¯ll take care of it!¡ªYou said you want to paint meditation scenes, for both healthy and sick people, right?" Garrett nodded repeatedly, "Definitely!¡ªI¡¯ll take a look first, and after seeing it, I¡¯ll paint it for them to memorize, and then they can look at it themselves..." When studying medicine, this was how they learned: first, physiology and embryology were taught to understand what a normal person looked like, then gradually moved on to pathology and disease, exining how things changed when someone was sick. This was also the case for dissections; they always started with normal conditions, then made you remember one, two, or even dozens of abnormalities... Of course, whether the person they saw in anatomy ss was normal or abnormal, well... it depended on fate... The more Garrett calcted, the more worried he became. Even for himself, he had to see dozens of healthy people first¡ªmen, women, young adults, elderly, children¡ªto find somemonalities to draw. Then, with Elder Wood and his group of dozens of priests, if they wanted everyone to be familiar with ultrasounds... It would take at least a thousand people! In his previous life, this wouldn¡¯t have been an issue at all. At any major hospital¡¯s database, you could easily pull up a bunch of images. If that wasn¡¯t enough, you could spend a few days at a physical examination center; a day¡¯s worth of traffic there would be enough. But here? In this ce where the concept of "physical examination" didn¡¯t even exist? Going around grabbing people on the streets, telling them: lie down , lift up your clothes, let me paint ayer of oil on your belly, and use magic to take a look? Just imagining it made Garrett feel utterly miserable. "Emmmm..." Elder Wood pondered with his head down. "The priests in the church can easily find a few patients in the viges and farms. But trying to pull hundreds of normal people to use magic to examine? Men might be fine, but women..." Women would be difficult... Like Miss Iris this time, if it wasn¡¯t for him and Tolga knowing each other for many years, and having a femalepanion with her, Garrett doubted he could have treated her. "I¡¯ll figure this out." Suddenly, a clear voice sounded from behind the tree, and Lady Knight Seraina stepped out, politely nodding to Elder Wood, self-rmending: "Elder Wood, Lord Nordmark. ¡ªIf you need it, you cane to my territory. I¡¯ll gather soldiers, castle servants, and farmers; gathering thousands of people will be easy. If any diseases are found, would you kindly treat them? The cost of releasing divine magic will be borne by my household!" --------------- Chapter 182 Chapter 182 House call check-up? Group check-up at work? Garrett chuckled. His hospital had done this kind of thing before, either forrge special units like retirement homes, or by venturing into rural areas to spread warmth. But who would¡¯ve thought he¡¯d get to try it again in another world¡ªwhat tests were needed? What equipment should be prepared? Oh right, what¡¯s the identity of this female knight? She¡¯s casually talking about "my castle," "my territory"¡ªshe ownsnd herself? That¡¯s even more impressive than having a mine! Elder Wood had a twinkle in his eye as he observed Garrett¡¯s surprised expression and the upright, sword-bearing figure of the female knight. With a slight squint of his old eyes, he chuckled, "What, you don¡¯t know who she is? This is Count Inverness¡¯s eldest daughter, Baroness Loxi. She ownsnd from Greenfield Forest to Morrison. By the way, which castle are we going to?" Thest question was directed at Salina. Without hesitation, the female knight replied, "Augustus Castle. It¡¯srger and more convenient to reach by water. Elder, when do you n toe? Send a message, and I¡¯ll have a boat sent to pick you up." "...""..." Just yesterday, Garrett felt like he had be a rich man with the establishment of a biologicalboratory in Nevis City, so he quietly refrained from speaking. It sounded like she owned more than one castle; she could take her pick... Elder Wood, however, seemed quite familiar with the baroness. Hearing her words, he remained unfazed. He simply smiled and said, "Salina, you¡¯re being quite generous!" Indeed, it was true generosity. Spellcasting came with a cost. Priests at the Temple of the Spring Goddess, for instance, charged fees based on their healing abilities. Level-one divine magic cost 50 gold coins, level-two 500 gold coins, and so on. For strangers, payment preceded the spell, for acquaintances, payment followed the casting, and for special rtionships, payments could be arranged monthly or quarterly, with discounts¡ª Of course, the degree of familiarity depended on one¡¯s noble status, donations to the temple over the years, and family ties to the temple. VIP discounts were well understood; it¡¯s just a matter of fleecing the sheep. The Nature God¡¯s Church often waived treatment fees for the poor. If Elder Wood took members of the church with him and proactively checked viges one by one, they probably wouldn¡¯t collect a single coin and might even have to subsidize the trip. But now, Salina offered to cover the treatment costs, practically handing money to the church... Even with discounts, this was no small amount. So generous? The old man nced at Garrett and then at Salina, unable to suppress a smile. However, the female knight replied boldly, "Master Tolga intercepted us on our way yesterday, summoning an ice elemental. If he hadn¡¯t intervened, I would have been seriously injured at least." With a smile directed at Garrett, she added, "Yesterday was hectic, and I didn¡¯t have a chance to thank you. And thank you for what happened with Iris." So this was her way of thanking him? She couldn¡¯t just give money directly, so she used treatment fees as a way to reciprocate? Well, I wouldn¡¯t mind receiving money directly; that¡¯s exactly what I need now! Uh... but this treatment fee could benefit the public, which is actually quite good... Garrett returned her smile, acknowledging her gratitude. Elder Wood nodded, "That settles it then. Once I¡¯ve learned this spell and taught others, I¡¯ll let you know. Little Garrett, I finished reading your paper from yesterday; there are a few points I didn¡¯t quite understand. Can you exin them to me?" The old man and the young man squatted down together, murmuring to each other. Master Tolga, seeing his daughtere out, was about to express his sincere thanks to Garrett but avoided him from a distance. It would be inappropriate to eavesdrop on magic. Since this spell had already been submitted to the Magic Council, he could legally acquire it. He continued on to find his daughter, also taking stock of his assets, contemting how to repay the favor of saving her. Facing an ice giant once and healing her once added up to two times. Salina had been generous in her actions, and he couldn¡¯t be stingier than her. Hmm, what should I give? Gold coins? Magic items? Scrolls? Wands? Or... this child came from a remote area to study at headquarters; what does he urgently need? Contribution points to the council? Opportunities left behind? Joining a mage tower? Right, since it¡¯s proven my daughter isn¡¯t pregnant, it¡¯s my fault for obstructing and intercepting all the way yesterday. I should properly apologize to her. How should Ipensate her? A magic item? Or an enchanted armor set? Master Tolga took stock of his assets as he walked slowly. After a round, he saw Garrett and Elder Wood squatting under a tree, arms around each other, shoulders touching. Garrett had both hands pressed to the ground, almost kneeling in front of a rabbit, murmuring: "No... I still can¡¯t sense what it¡¯s thinking..." "Why can¡¯t you sense it?" Elder Wood looked at him with disappointment. "Communicating with animals is basic for servants of the Nature God! Even level-one priests can learn it; some exceptionally talented ones even master it during their apprentice phase!... How did Elwin ept you?" "I... my faith is false..." Speaking of which, there wasn¡¯t much difference in the spells between the apprentice stages of priests of the Nature God and mages. Many spells were interchangeable¡ªdetect poison, detect magic, light spell, fire spark spell, reading magic... Many spells ovepped. But when it came to the level-one priest stage, priests of the Nature God gained many special abilities. Calming animals, detecting animals and nts, invisibility to animals, animalmunication, summoning allies... These divine spells all shared amon foundation: sensing nature, being close to nature, resonating with nature. Garrett had a good grasp of theoretical knowledge and could fluently recite divine spells, but when it came to casting... "You can¡¯t even sense that it¡¯s very anxious?!" Elder Wood was almost speechless. It¡¯s a rabbit! One of the mostmon animals a servant of the Nature God encounters in the wild! Now, with its paws in the air, pressed to the ground, all you have to do ismunicate with it, and you can¡¯t even sense that it¡¯s nervous? "I... I can feel its heartbeat is fast..." Garrett quickly withdrew his fingers from the rabbit¡¯s neck. It¡¯s a rabbit! Not a person! If it were a person, I couldmunicate with them. It¡¯s a rabbit... The only way I canmunicate with rabbits is through experimentation! Elder Wood sighed helplessly, patting the ground to make a few des of grass shoot up, securely tying the rabbit up. "Here, do the most basic flora growth for me to see." "No, I can¡¯t... Why don¡¯t you show me the divine spell scroll?" Garrett was also hopeless. Divine spells were not like magic; for magic, he memorized the spell structure, and when he used it, he mentally outlined it and mobilized mana¡ªnaturally, the spell was cast. But divine spells were different. So far, the divine spells he had learned were mostly healing spells, and he didn¡¯t know how he learned them. Other divine spells? Trying hard to think in his mind, "Grow this grass for me"? Why isn¡¯t there any response no matter how I think about it? He dug a hole, loosened the soil, nted seeds, watered them, and the grass seeds still didn¡¯t give him face. He chanted for a long time, but not a de grew... He even tried soybeans! After trying for so long, the soybeans were soaked for days and finally sprouted... Elder Wood covered his face with a sigh. Elwin really entrusted him with a good student; he was unparalleled in healing spells, which left him marveling; however, traditional skills of a servant of the Nature God... He couldn¡¯t expect him to bepetent in them anymore, and with these distinctive divine spells, why isn¡¯t he catching on! "...The essence of divine spells lies in strong prayers," he sighed, starting from the most basic part to exin the nature of divine spells to Garrett. "Convey the strongest, purest desire to the gods, pray for their response, and aplish what ordinary people cannot. The priests of the Spring Goddess Temple believe in their goddess, the War God Temple believes in the War God, and we believe in the omnipresent power of nature. ¡ªnts, animals, even hills, rivers, and ins are all part of nature, so as long as we believe in nature, they will respond to our call." That¡¯s it. I¡¯ve never believed in nature; I¡¯ve always believed in saving lives, in the duty of preserving life. Garrett dared not speak; the old man stroked the swaying wild grass, then bent down, pressing his fingers on the ground, his gaze burning as he looked at him: "I ask you, what is nature to you?" "...Ecological bnce?" Garrett barely managed to swallow back those words. Elder Wood¡¯s expression turned satisfied: "You dare not answer? That¡¯s right. Nature is great, it¡¯s noble, worthy of you to spend your life feeling and revering it. Now tell me, why do you want to learn to grow nts?" "For..." Garrett¡¯s gaze wandered. He saw the small bag around Elder Wood¡¯s waist, then his fingers, and then the grass des at his fingertips: "For when I need a pipe, I can grow one?" "..." Elder Wood almost passed out. What in the world is a pipe! When a servant of the Nature God grows nts, it¡¯s either to assist in battle, to hinder enemies, or to harvest¡ªflowers, herbs, fruits, and so on. What is a pipe? Do you need so many pipes for your healing spells? He simply grabbed a handful of grass seeds, thought for a moment, and threw back most of them, leaving only a small handful for Garrett: "Then try it! Pray ording to your needs!" Grow in thin air? Aren¡¯t they supposed to be buried in the soil, relying on the power of the earth to grow? Garrett was stunned for a moment, then reached out and picked up the grass seeds, pinching them between his thumb and forefinger. With closed eyes, he silently imagined: "I need a pipe... a pipe... soft material, smooth surface, non-irritating, 12F specification... 400mm long... shape..." He focused his mind on visualizing. His fingertips moved lightly, and a green, hollow vine swayed in the wind. Elder Wood stared in astonishment. "Why does this pipe you made have a ball at one end?" --------------- Chapter 183 Chapter 183 Garrett was very satisfied with his research direction. In the field of medicine, there were countless applications for various tubes: nasal feeding tubes, gastric tubes, endotracheal tubes, gastroscopes, bronchoscopes; urinary catheters, rectal tubes, gastroscopes, colonoscopes; internally inserted devices like drainage tubes for various wound healing periods, or drainage tubes after thoracocentesis orparocentesis... Then there were infusion catheters, hemodialysis catheters, imaging catheters, and interventional therapy catheters... In the past, Garrett didn¡¯t have silicone ortex, nor did he have medical-grade stics, so he couldn¡¯t produce various types of tubes. But now, with the skill of nt birthing in his hands, he could create them himself! In his mind, the "usable" part of the healing skill tree lit up brightly... Although he still couldn¡¯t handle things like infusions, mainly because he couldn¡¯t produce enough pure and sterile liquids, he was now adept at tasks like inserting an endotracheal tube for suffocating patients or cing a nasogastric tube for unconscious patients. These things no longer posed a challenge for him! Garrett¡¯s eyes sparkled with excitement as he smiled happily at Elder Wood. Elder Wood looked at him bewilderedly. "...What exactly did you birth?" He then looked down at the vine. If Garrett had only produced a hollow tube, he wouldn¡¯t have been so surprised, as he had done it himself a couple of times before. Once it was inserted into the stomach, and the other time directly into the intestines, both times proving to be significantly effective, especially the second time. However, what Garrett held in his hands, what was it exactly?It was evenly thick, about half the size of a thumbnail in diameter. The end he held was forked, with the two ends after the fork particrly swollen, simr in length and thickness to a pinky finger. Near the other end, there was a bulge resembling a round ball, and further forward, the tip wasn¡¯t open but instead sealed into a smooth, droplet shape. Near the end, about the length of a fingernail, there were two symmetrically ced small holes, shaped like rice grains, allowing one side to be seen through the other effortlessly. Elder Wood pondered but couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. Turning to Garrett, who was now holding the tube near his mouth, pinching one end of the forked "Y" shape and blowing into the other branch with force... As he blew, the somewhat deted round ball gradually inted until "pop", it burst... "Burst..." "How old are you, still ying with balloons?" Elder Wood wiped his sweat. Garrett lowered his arm in frustration, pursing his lips. He had initially intended to make a simple single-lumen urinary catheter, but as he worked, he wanted to challenge his control and ended up creating a double-lumen single-balloon urinary catheter. Now, looking at it, while he had indeed made it, the balloon¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t enough, bursting with minimal intion... This wouldn¡¯t do! If it burst during clinical use, the trouble that followed... he dared not think about it. Garrett reached for the vine again. The feeling on his fingers was rough, far from smooth. It was too foreign,cking the smoothness of even basic PVC tubing, let aloneparing to silicone rubber or naturaltex. This thing couldn¡¯t be used; the foreign body sensation was too strong... "Elder, why does this vine have... hair on the outside?" "The seeds you used naturally grow vines with hair!" Elder Wood looked at him speechlessly. How did this kid learn hismon sense? Understanding nts, observing animals, knowing nature, these were all basic lessons, things the servants of the natural god, aspiring priest apprentices, were already familiar with before bing level two priests. Howe he hadn¡¯t even grasped the basics by the time he reached level two? Couldn¡¯t he even recognize what type of seeds they were! "Well... how do I make it smoother?" "Change the seeds!" Elder Wood brought Garrett inside to arge cab. The design of the cab was identical to that of a magical material store¡¯s disy cab ¨C in other words, exactly like a traditional Chinese medicine cab. Elder Wood casually opened a drawer, and Garrett, peering in, felt dizzy instantly. The drawer was several inches wide, a few inches tall, and over a foot deep, divided into three sections like a medicine shop. Elder Wood had about a dozen sections here. Each section contained nt seeds, and at a nce, there were no duplicates... Some were scattered, seven or eight seeds; some were piled up almost overflowing thepartments; Some were as small as a pinhead, blown away with a breath; some were as big as a soybean, or even asrge as a thumb; Some were smooth, some were pitted, some had fuzz or even husks; Some were deep ck, some were ck and white, and there were also brightly colored ones... What¡¯s worse, there were nobels. Not a single piece of paper. "Elder..." Garrett¡¯s face went pale. He opened one drawer, didn¡¯t recognize anything; opened another, still didn¡¯t recognize anything; finally, the third drawer had something he recognized, it should be an acorn, very prominent in the animated movie "Ice Age"; the fourth drawer, he didn¡¯t recognize anything again... "I¡¯m a clinical medical major! Not a botany major!" With such a big cab, with 56 drawers arranged in all directions, conservatively estimating several hundredpartments, eachpartment had a different type of seed... "Elder... Which seed is which? Why aren¡¯t there anybels?" "No need forbels! Ask it yourself! If you canmunicate with it, then you can use it. If you can¡¯tmunicate, then taking it won¡¯t be of any use to you!" Garrett: "... Can¡¯tmunicate..." Ifmunication wasn¡¯t possible, then he would have to try each one by one. Garrett looked eagerly at Elder Wood, who gestured for him to help himself. Help himself? Each birthing attempt consumed the energy of a second-level spell, trying five times a day, that¡¯s roughly... over a hundred days to finish trying them all? One hundred days it is! Garrett felt determined. He called the barbarian over to bring a backpack, not polite at all, grabbing ten from thispartment, eight from that one. Inpartments with more seeds, he grabbed a handful... "You¡¯re using this bag to carry things?" Master Tolga suddenly walked in. He nced at Garrett¡¯s backpack, his face full of unspeakable words: half a person tall, made of leather and coarse cloth, with a wide belt attached below. Because it was oftenid down on the ground, it looked a bit dirty. In any case, ordinary adventurers, warriors, and rangers could still carry such things, but for a mage to carry it... It just ruined the image. "Uh, usually, I don¡¯t carry this thing..." This backpack was designed by Garrett himself, modeled after a mountaineering backpack structure. When traveling short distances, the barbarian would carry it, but if it was a long journey and the barbarian needed to carry arge pack, Garrett could also carry it himself: "Usually, I use this waist bag..." "Such a small waist bag, how much can it hold?" Master Tolga raised his eyebrows again. Before Garrett could argue, he waved his sleeves and casually tossed over a small cloth bag: "Dimensional bag. It¡¯s yours now." --------------- Chapter 184 Chapter 184 Dimensional Bag? Garrett Nordmark was taken aback. The small cloth bag was already swirling in the wind, wobbling its way over to him. He hastily caught it and attempted to hand it back, "I can¡¯t possibly ept this¡ª" "Just take it!" Elder Wood intervened, raising a hand to stop him. "You healed his daughter, isn¡¯t that worth a dimensional bag?" With the elder¡¯s insistence, Garrett could only ept it reluctantly. He looked down at the dimensional bag in his hand, a small pouch that was light and inconspicuous at first nce, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to be made of a material that was neither silk nor linen, neither cloth nor leather, with a silent silver-gray glow. He weighed it in his hand and felt a bit stunned: Was the treatment fee really this expensive? An ultrasound, an X-ray, a few treatments, without surgery... Back in his previous life¡¯s hospital, no matter how expensive, it would probably be settled within a thousand RMB... And considering it was a joint effort of three people casting spells, he should only be entitled to one-third of the fee... But this dimensional bag was valuable. When Garrett first arrived in Nevis, he inquired about the price at the magic item store, and even the smallest one with a capacity of 30 cubic feet would cost 2500 gold coins! At that time, it was twenty times all the liquid funds he had! A thousand, no, 300 RMB... 2500 gold coins... "This dimensional bag is for my short trips; it¡¯s not suitable for carrying much. It can hold about 70 cubic feet, 500 pounds of items," the old mage¡¯s voice drifted leisurely. "Remember not to exceed this size or weight, and don¡¯t let it be pierced by sharp objects. Otherwise, the dimensional bag will be damaged, and the contents inside will be lost and cannot be retrieved."Garrett quickly expressed his gratitude. Seventy cubic feet? Five hundred pounds? Perfect! His surgical instruments, his alchemical equipment, hismon medicines, he could carry them all with him at any time! No more worrying about encountering injuries without proper tools! Sense of security +1, +1, +10086... Garrett looked up, full of gratitude, at Master Tolga. The dimensional bag given by the Master was one level higher than the basic one, with a market price of a whopping 5000 gold coins. Garrett had inquired before; with the ie of a level 2 mage at the headquarters of the Magic Council, it would probably take three to five years of saving, without spending anything, to afford it... Oh right, would his box fit into such a small bag? Curiously, Garrett pulled open the mouth of the bag. The 5-centimeter-wide small bag, when pulled by his hands, quickly spread out to the sides. Ten centimeters, twenty centimeters, thirty centimeters... A foot, two feet... Uh, it couldn¡¯t be pulled anymore... Bernard, concerned for his master, reached out to help pull. Elder Wood quickly stopped him, "Stop! It¡¯s already at its limit! Garrett, remember, the dimensional bag is only this wide, don¡¯t force things into it!" Garrett nodded repeatedly. Master Tolga chuckled beside him, "By the way, there¡¯s something else I want to ask you. You mentioned before that you were attending sses in the training camp? nning to stay? Have you decided where to go?" "What¡¯s your suggestion¡ª" "Would you like to join our ¡¯Unity in Diversity¡¯ faction? We specialize in transformation magic. On the left side of the main mage tower at the mountaintop, that spiraling tower resembling a slender sea shell, is presided over by our faction. I am currently a 13th-level mage, and I have my ownboratory on the 15th floor of that tower. If you¡¯re willing to join, I can personally take you on as my disciple." Transformation magic? Garrett quickly recalled. Although there was insufficient information about the mage tower, during these days in the training camp, he had gained a fairlyprehensive understanding of the various factions and categories of spells. Transformation magic was characterized by altering the characteristics of objects and creatures, starting from basic spells like mending and repair, branching into destruction, enhancement, and alteration. Each path had extremely powerful representative spells... For example, in the destruction branch, by the 6th level, there was the famous "Disintegration Spell." A sh of green light, and everything turned to dust. To deal with formidable enemies, there was the incredibly powerful "Time Stop," which defied the basic rules of the universe, immensely imposing. Its destructive power was terrifying; while others couldn¡¯t move, only you could, gently stabbing with a small knife would kill... In the alteration branch, half of the alchemists¡¯ spells fell into this category. Making magic carpets, dimensional bags, secret treasure chests, golems, animated golems, alchemical golems... were all specialties of this branch. It was known as the wealthiest faction among mages, but the only problem was that it was somewhat costly in the early stages... But it paid offter. Among the mage factions, there were three branches that were said to be capable of fighting alone: the extradimensional summoning of the spellcasters, the death sea of the necromancers, and then, the transformation faction¡¯s army of golems. Then there was the enhancement branch. This branch could be considered the strongest in closebat among the mages. If you saw a mage throwing away his staff, enveloping himself in a slew of spells like "Bull¡¯s Strength," "Bear¡¯s Resilience," "Cat¡¯s Agility," and perhaps even a "Giant Transformation," rushing forward for meleebat... No need to ask, he must be a senior brother of the transformation faction. In short, it was a very powerful and interesting faction. Being directly epted as a disciple by a 13th-level grand mage, being able to work in the secondary mage tower at the mountaintop, was a great stroke of luck for Garrett, who was unfamiliar with life and only a level 2 mage. It could be said that among the students in the training camp, with the help of their family background, at most only one-tenth of them had this luck... However, after contemting for a moment, Garrett still shook his head. He straightened his robe and bowed deeply, "Thank you very much for your appreciation. However, I am personally more interested in the maniptive and enchantment factions." Da Vinci robots, mechanical hands, although these things were quite good, they were not what he urgently needed. What he really needed were many spells from the maniption and enchantment factions¡ªFor example, if he could push "Freezing Ray" to an advanced level, he could directly liquefy air and producerge amounts of oxygen! And there were electrocardiograms! Maic resonance imaging! These things couldn¡¯t be achieved by the maniption and enchantment factions alone, would they rely on the transformation faction? "What¡¯s good about those two factions?" Master Tolga frowned. "One only knows how to st away with fireballs, and the other spends all day memorizing spells until they get headaches. Kid,e to our transformation faction; we have lots of interesting things!" Garrett smiled but remained silent. The old mage stared at him for a long time, then sighed deeply. "Alright, alright, suit yourself. Young people always like powerful magic¡ªbesides, the enchantment faction also has healing spells, which are more suitable for you. Hey, kid, if you ever change your mind,e find me anytime! Remember, the 15th floor of the Transmutation Tower!" "Thank you for your appreciation." Garrett thanked again. Elder Wood had been watching the whole scene from the side. When the old mage left, Garrett started collecting seeds again, and with a wave of his hand, he said, "Take them!" With a tter, all the drawers opened simultaneously, and hundreds of seeds formed a long dragon, sweeping out. Garrett hurriedly opened the mouth of the dimensional bag, and Elder Wood controlled the seeds to enter the dimensional bag while solemnly saying: "This training camp of the Magic Council offers a great opportunity. Originally, I didn¡¯t intend to bother you. But since you¡¯re collecting information, I have a solution here¡ª" There¡¯s a guild outpost in the city, with priests stationed there year-round to treat the surrounding residents. I¡¯ll write a letter, and you can take a table there. Just go sit there every other day. By the way, teach this spell to the priests stationed there?" "Great!" Garrett was overjoyed. --------------- Chapter 185 Chapter 185 Garrett sat on the ground floor of the clinic, leaning against the wall at the table, absentmindedly toying with a small bag of seeds. A patient burst in... not for him. Another patient rushed in... still not for him. The third patient... simply stomped upstairs. The scene, akin to the bustling of a newly opened clinic, mirrored exactly that. Adding to the ambiance, a faint fishy smell permeated the entire two-story building¡ªnot quite the hospital-grade environment. Yes, the Radiant Church¡¯s clinic, nestled on the outskirts of Nevis City near the docks. Wedged between the cargo and fishing docks, it found its ce. As for the passenger dock, ity at the far end of the cargo dock, at least a couple of miles away from the clinic. Although situated on the city¡¯s edge, Nevis City being nestled at the head of a bay shaped like a "U," the clinic wasn¡¯t too far from the Bridge Mage Academy. After sses, Garrett could make the half-hour walk from the school gate, making it an ideal job for a youngd¡ªclose to home and with a bit of spare change. Thus, even with no patients at the moment, Garrett remained unperturbed. His gaze drifted out the window, while his hands silently manipted a seed¡ªgrow, grow, sprout a hollow stem for me! Ah, the seed sprouted into a sturdy, dark-brown wooden stem. Perhaps suitable for a suction tube but definitely not for intravenous use...Garrett gently shook off the wooden stem, discarded it into a ss petri dish on his right. After finishing the notes, he sealed the unused seeds and the remnants of the wooden stem into a separate pouch, stashing it back into his dimensional bag. He then retrieved a new seed, focusing his attention to continue cultivating. "Reverend, I... I fell and hurt my leg... it¡¯s really painful..." A patient had arrived. Garrett looked up to see a fifteen or sixteen-year-old magic apprentice, hobbling up the stairs with a backpack slung over his shoulder. His robe was covered in dirt, even embedded with bits of gravel at the bottom. Dust covered his face and hands. He nced around, seeing other priests attending to patients, and reluctantly made his way towards Garrett. "Take a seat across from the table," Garrett responded adeptly. He opened his ledger to a nk page. "Name? Age? upation? What seems to be the problem?" "I¡¯m Stephen Donny, a wizard apprentice... 16 years old... I tripped and sprained my foot..." "Sit down." Garrett quickly recorded the details, then walked over, crouching down to examine the injury. Pressing, kneading, rotating, and using Detection Magic, he concluded: "Ankle sprain, some muscle and ligament strain, no bone damage. Apply coldpress at home today, switch to hotpress tomorrow at this time, rest for a few days, and you¡¯ll be fine." "But there¡¯s a master¡¯s lecture tomorrow!" Stephen eximed anxiously. "Can¡¯t you heal it right away? Please!" "Need divine magic for this? A minor injury like this just needs Minor Healing¡ªMichelle! How much for Minor Healing?" The clinic¡¯s ountant¡ªwhether a treasurer or just someone handling the books¡ªhurried over, slightly bowing before the patient. "Minor Healing? That will be five gold coins. Oh, you¡¯re a wizard apprentice, and we have an agreement with the Magic Council, so you only need to pay 10% yourself. That¡¯s 5 silver coins. Payment received, we¡¯llmence the treatment immediately." The young apprentice first looked worried, but upon hearing thetter part, he breathed a sigh of relief, promptly retrieving his coin pouch. With one hand paying and the other receiving the treatment, momentster, a warm white light permeated his ankle, the pain ceased, and the swelling disappeared. Stephen hopped on his foot, turned, walked a few steps, and eximed in delight: "It¡¯s all better! Thank you so much!" "Don¡¯t mention it! Take care now~~~" The ountant waved the patient off. Garrett rushed to the table, wasting no time in drawing the X-ray he had just seen: "The anatomical structure of the wizard apprentice¡¯s ankle is no different from that of a normal person..." This clinic was a coboration between the Magic Council and the Radiant Church, with the council providing thend, the building, a monthly sry of 500 gold coins, and 50 gold coins for potion expenses. The Radiant Church supplied a Level 5 priest, along with two or three lower-level priests and priest apprentices, who took turns attending to patients here. The clinic provided free treatment to the city¡¯s poor, offering medical advice and potion assistance. If the divine magic for the day hadn¡¯t been exhausted and the priests were in a good mood, they might even throw in a few divine spells; For the middle ss, such as small traders, shopkeepers, and artisans, they received medical advice and potions at fair prices, with a certain discount on divine magic treatments; As for the wealthy merchants who had money but no extraordinary powers, sorry, but they had to pay up. Or perhaps, it would be better for them to make a voluntary donation? After sending off a batch of patients, the clinic temporarily quieted down. Reverend Matthew descended from upstairs with a smile: "Finally, some peace and quiet¡ªGarrett, could you exin that Echo Detection spell to me again?" "Yeah, I haven¡¯t quite figured it out myself..." "Things always seem blurry..." The two priests sitting on the ground floor put down their pens and joined in. The priest apprentice in the corner hadn¡¯t mastered the spell yet, so he awkwardly tried to blend into the background. Reverend Matthew spotted him and called out, "Cohen, stop daydreaming, go fetch that rabbit over here¡ª" "Reverend¡ªmy stomach hurts so much¡ª" With groans and grunts, a chubby man climbed up the steps at the entrance. He stood just over five feet tall but certainly had a waistline well over three feet. Leaning on a cane, clutching his abdomen, heboriously ascended step by step, the hard oak cane bending under his weight. The man wore a shiny velvet vest, halfway between yellow and brown, the silver buttons on his belly about to pop off, yet he struggled to keep them fastened. His upper half looked dignified, but below, he wore only a loose pair of shorts, barefoot, his swollen big toes red and shiny. Upon entering, he made a beeline for Reverend Matthew: "Reverend, every time Ie to you for treatment, it never gets better..." "Oh, you¡¯ve had another attack." Reverend Matthew seemed quite familiar with him. Peering over, he immediately smiled, "Alleviate Pain, Level 2 divine magic. If I do it, I can relieve your pain for 10 hours. Or Disease Removal, Level 3 divine magic. Your choice~~~" "I..." The chubby man sat down at the table, one hand tightly clutching his stomach, his right foot dangling, never touching the ground. The other hand cherished a coin pouch, squeezing it until the dirty imprints ovepped, pondering for a while before tremblingly getting up: "Reverend, I, I need to relieve myself first..." "Sure, please go ahead." Reverend Matthew called for an apprentice to assist, helping the man inside. The door closed, but there was no sound of water for a long while. Instead, the man¡¯s voice rang out: "Reverend, it¡¯s no good... it¡¯s getting more painful... I can¡¯t pee... can you give me something to alleviate the pain!" shes of white light. The Pain Alleviation divine spell was cast. The man¡¯s wailing paused momentarily, then resumed: "It¡¯s no use... my big toe isn¡¯t hurting anymore, but I still can¡¯t pee... Reverend, is your magic not working?" With a snort, he left the restroom, swinging his cane, still hobbling slightly. Garrett nced at his toes, then at his swollen abdomen, immediately stood up, blocking his path: "Sir, please wait a moment. Let me take a look at you. Your situation might not be solved just with pain relief..." --------------- Chapter 186 Chapter 186 "You?" The chubby man squinted his eyes. His round, chubby face already overflowed to the sides, almost sagging down¡ªif it were on a blue cat, it would be quite plump¡ªsquinting, his eyes narrowed even further, with two gleams shooting out from between his eyelids: "Are you capable?" He scrutinized Garrett up and down. In terms of age, the youngd¡¯s physique hadn¡¯t yet reached the robustness of an adult man, his face still tender, appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen; In terms of rank, the green leaves embroidered on his priest robe were only two, not as impressive as Reverend Matthew who had already ascended five levels; In terms of ent, Garrett¡¯s speech carried a somewhat rough texture, not as gentle and refined as those from this region, clearly sounding like an outsider... His skeptical expression was too obvious. Before Reverend Matthew could speak up to vouch for Garrett, the chubby man snorted, turning to look at him: "Oh, Reverend, every time I¡¯m in pain, Ie to you folks, and every time you charge me a hefty sum¡ªyet no matter how you treat me, it never gets better. I always end up in pain after a few days, you know?"Reverend Matthew¡¯s face darkened. Of course, there were many reasons why the treatment wasn¡¯t effective, such as this stubborn fat man¡¯s reluctance to spend money. Unable to hold back, he retorted: "Previously, you refused to use divine magic and only wanted to take medicine, of course, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to recover!" "You mean you can¡¯t treat me without divine magic?" The chubby man widened his eyes forcefully. Reverend Matthew felt somewhat annoyed, while by his side, Garrett couldn¡¯t help but chuckle softly. This pattern was all too familiar. "If you don¡¯t run tests, you won¡¯t treat the illness?" "If you don¡¯t take X-rays, you won¡¯t treat the illness?" "If you don¡¯t... you won¡¯t treat the illness?" On average, each doctor hears these kinds of remarks at least ten times a day, with the entire emergency department tallying a few hundred times, which could be considered a low estimate. Sometimes, they even need to poke fun at their colleagues in the adjacent departments: "In the past, skilled old Chinese doctors could diagnose and cure just by observing, smelling, asking, and touching... you guys..." At moments like this, the doctors in the Western medicine department could only smile bitterly at their Chinese medicine counterparts, who were ridiculed by patients for running a battery of tests. It¡¯s not that without tests, treatment wouldn¡¯t happen; it¡¯s just that with tests, treatment could be more urate. For example, this gentleman in front of us, without a few test orders, I wouldn¡¯t know how high your uric acid is, whether there are crystalline deposits in your joints, or if you have hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and othermonplications... However, merely identifying symptoms was still possible. Garrett smiled as he stepped forward: "Sir, may I ask if besides redness and pain, your right big toe also feels hot?" "Yes!" "Do you experience severe pain suddenly at midnight or early in the morning?" "Exactly!¡ªHow did you know?" "Did you have a sumptuous mealst night? Lots of seafood and strong liquor?" Garrett sniffed, detecting a hint of smoke. "And did you smoke as well, right?" The chubby man nodded vigorously. Garrett continued to approach, circling around him with hands sped behind his back, then turned his head to look at his ear, indeed spotting more than one nodule: "Is it that every time you¡¯re in excruciating pain, it¡¯s after indulging in lots of delicious food or drinking heavily?" By this point, the man across from him had already turned pale, sweat dripping profusely down his round face. His calves, each with a circumference of over a foot, trembled violently. The extent of it could make someone believe there were hams hanging from the ceiling. He lunged forward, and if Garrett hadn¡¯t been prepared, he would have been grabbed by the thigh: "Oh, Reverend!¡ªReverend! You have to save me!" Ah... should¡¯ve said that earlier. Garrett gestured with his finger, indicating for Bernard to drag him up and ce him on the treatment bed: "Don¡¯t move, let me take a look at your condition, emmmmm..." Tsk tsk, redness and swelling of the first metatarsophngeal joint of the right foot, swelling of the ankle joint, knee joint deformation; the finger joints also looked abnormal; the ear, joints, the olecranon bursa at the right elbow, swelling with nodules underneath, thin skin, rich blood supply. A pinch yielded a sensation akin to pinching sand... Even without testing uric acid, without using a prized light microscope for microscopic examination, the cause of the illness could be determined basically. In fact, based on his past life experience, Garrett knew at a nce: this fellow, he¡¯s got gout. Drinking, eating seafood, feasting, obesity, smoking¡ªhad turned himself into this. As for how to treat it... Colchicine? Probenecid? Sulfinpyrazone? Febuxostat? Indomethacin? Allopurinol? Garrett took stock and realized that the only thing he had readily avable now seemed to be colchicine... Not colchicine tablets, but colchicine itself. In this world, it might still be possible to dig up a few autumn crocus bulbs and make a potion... Wait, what¡¯s the lethal dose of colchicine again? Can the amount of colchicine contained in one bulb or one gram of bulb be effective? Will it poison someone? This stuff has no antidote! All we can do is support treatment, purify the blood, and wait for the body to recover on its own! Garrett had no confidence at all in whether the detoxification techniques from this otherworld would be of any use... Garrett¡¯s mind raced, searching for information, articles, and bits and pieces he had seen in his previous life. He had seen a few cases of colchicine poisoning, but he didn¡¯t need to personally intervene¡ªthat was the job of the emergency internal medicine department; he needed to recall how many active ingredients were in colchicine. But that chubby guy kept pulling his arm forcefully, bellowing loudly: "Reverend... Save me... I¡¯m about to burst!" "Um um um um, lie down and don¡¯t move." Garrett signaled Bernard to hold him down and casually pulled the curtains around the bed. "Bend your legs! Bend them! Pull down your pants a bit, let me feel... not so much!" Tsk, this guy with the big belly, as swollen as that woman with the distended abdomen a few days ago. With such thick abdominal wall fat, it was impossible to see what was going on clearly, only to feel... Wow, the dder is so swollen! As soon as his hand touched it, Garrett nodded inwardly, basically confirming it. He remained calm, following the diagnostic process, first touching, then shifting, then pressing down. It felt like a water bag, immovable when shifted; with a slight pressure from his palm, the chubby man began to howl: "It¡¯s so swollen! It¡¯s killing me!" "Can¡¯t urinate?" "Yes! Yes!¡ªIt hurts!" "When did the pain start?" "Today! Today!¡ªThis morning!" Alright, urinary retention, urethral stones. Hmm... Considering the gout attack, it¡¯s more likely that a dder stone got stuck¡ªor perhaps the urethral stone that was already there just got a bit bigger. As for the type of stone it is... "Turn to the side, let me use divine magic to take a look..." X-ray spell, activate! Tsk, can¡¯t see anything. --------------- Chapter 187 Chapter 187 X-rays? No, perhaps it¡¯s a detection magic simr to X-rays. Can¡¯t see the stones? Garrett shrugged, it was expected. Stones are originally divided into X-ray positive and X-ray negative. The former can¡¯t be seen through X-rays¡ªthus visible under X-rays¡ªwhile thetter is the opposite. For example, uric acid stonesmon in gout are invisible under X-rays. Thankfully, I¡¯ve developed a new ultrasound magic. Garrett calmly instructed the chubby patient to lie t on his back and fetched glycerin. Then... "Whoa, don¡¯t touch me!" "Shut up! Do you think I want to touch you? Put your hands down!" Garrett reprimanded with a sweaty forehead. Ah, colleagues from the imaging department are really not easy... Truly not easy at all. Dealing with disobedient patients day after day, how many times do you have to encounter them? And you still have to treat them with a smile, otherwise, if theyin, if the medical department finds out, they¡¯ll deduct money on the spot¡ªtry shouting "shut up, do you think I want to touch you?" at a patient? Try it, and your wallet will suffer. The chubby guy was violently suppressed by the barbarian, pinned down on the bed, unable to move. Garrett sighed, drew diagrams on a wooden board by the bed using magic tricks, and exined softly: "You can¡¯t urinate, and there¡¯s a preliminary suspicion that something is stuck here¡ª" he changed colors, added a bold dot, "we need to see where it¡¯s stuck and how big the object is. I have to use divine magic to see clearly. Do you really want me to open you up without looking directly?""Open... Open... Open?!" The chubby guy shuddered all over,pletely softened: "Reverend, reverend... you can¡¯t open it! This is my manhood! Can¡¯t we just use divine magic? Don¡¯t use a knife!" "If you keep moving around, making it impossible for me to see anything clearly, I¡¯ll have to use a knife... Don¡¯t worry, with divine magic, I¡¯ll definitely put you back together the same way." Garrett sighed. The chubby guyy down at lightning speed, trembling. Alright, just moved like that, and the ultrasound image that had just be clear disappeared again, and he had to cast the spell again. Fortunately, it was a spell engraved in the meditative core, so he didn¡¯t need spell materials, otherwise, he would have to ask him for bat money... Garrett carefully scanned centimeter by centimeter. Tsk, the dder is so full, over 1000ml, right? At this level, there¡¯s probably hydronephrosis... Cough, as expected. After finishing urination, he¡¯ll take another lookter, if there¡¯s no problem after urination, it¡¯s fine, but if there¡¯s still hydronephrosis after urination, the kidney needs to be treated... Uric acid stones in the kidney? But they¡¯re small, he¡¯ll remind him to drink more waterter... Looking down again, the dder is fine, but inside the urethra... Oh oh oh, there¡¯s indeed a stone stuck, and not just one, thergest one is irregr in shape, how big... Wow, it¡¯s almost 1cm? Such a big stone, it¡¯ll take some effort to crush¡ª "Reverend Matthew! Reverend Matthew,e help!" Garrett shouted loudly through the curtain. The chubby guy desperately tried to stop him: "Reverend, you just need to treat me, why call Reverend Matthew over?" "I can¡¯t do two things at once with my magic." As he spoke, Reverend Matthew had already lifted the curtain ande in. He had advanced to a fifth-level priest, which was a big step up, and he looked vigorous. However, when facing Garrett, he still had the same gentle and calm demeanor, smiling as he entered: "Little Garrett, what¡¯s wrong? What do you need my help with?" "Reverend Matthew, I need you to help me conjure a vine... and insert it from... that ce..." Garrett exined his requirements in detail, smooth, soft, rubbing against the inner lips, not feeling rough at all; The outer and inner walls should be evenly thick, the head should be round, near the head, symmetrically open on both sides; If possible, after it¡¯s inserted, when it reaches the top, the round head should preferably change shape, "grabbing" the stone, and continue pushing up... "So it¡¯s just a stone?" After listening for a long time, Reverend Matthew couldn¡¯t help but be puzzled by Garrett¡¯s variousplex requirements. "Isn¡¯t there a mage hand? Just move it away..." "Yes, yes! Move it away!" The chubby guy nodded vigorously. Although he didn¡¯t know why a priest would have mage hand... but priests from the Church of Natural Gods often knew some magic. But mage hand is a level 0 trick! It¡¯s cost-effective! Just 5 gold coins... nt growth spells and such are at least level 1 divine magic, ten times more expensive inside and out! "We can¡¯t move it now." Garrett shook his head quickly. To express his firm refusal, he even took a step to the side, hands behind his back: "He¡¯s holding his pee too hard. Once the stone is moved, he might pass out or have hematuria on the spot... We can only intermittently catheterize..." "So it¡¯s just ¡¯might¡¯, right?" The chubby guy suddenly became spirited. "Move it! Move it now! Please, Reverend, I don¡¯t want the vine to poke into my belly!" His voice hoarse, with such a fat belly and such a solid chest, he actually produced a low-quality version of dolphin sounds. If Bernard hadn¡¯t pressed him down hard, he would have rolled off the examination bed, clinging to Reverend Matthew¡¯s thigh. Garrett sighed, still patiently persuading: "It really won¡¯t work like this... There will be real problems..." "I¡¯ll take responsibility if there are!" "Then I won¡¯t help you move the stone!" Knowing that the treatment n was not feasible but insisting on implementing it, this vites my principles of treatment! "Then..." The chubby guy hesitated for a moment. "I¡¯ll find Reverend Matthew!" Garrett turned his head. Reverend Matthew looked a bit embarrassed, but still nodded slightly, indicating that he could treat him. Garrett shrugged and gestured to the chubby guy: "I¡¯ve told you the risks!" "I know!" Garrett nodded, turned and left. Some stubborn patients in the emergency department every year, they insist on leaving without being discharged, refusing examinations. Anyway, hypotensive syncope won¡¯t be particrly serious, and hematuria... a treatment spell will pull them back... He drew back the curtain and walked to his seat. He hadn¡¯t taken a few steps when there was amotion behind him, it turned out the stone in the chubby guy¡¯s body had been moved and flew out. There was the sound of rushing water in the bathroom, Garrett stood still and thought for a moment, and in the end, he softened and waved to Bernard: "You go check the bathroom. If he faints, lift him up so he doesn¡¯t get hurt." "Okay!" Bernard grunted in agreement. He was tall and had long legs, one step equaled two of Garrett¡¯s, rushing over like a Gundam. He had only been at the bathroom door for half a minute when the water inside stopped, followed by a thud... After a moment, Bernard carried out a chubby guy who was unconscious. From his pants to the lower half of his velvet vest, he was dripping wet, constantly dripping water. It was obvious that he had fallen to the groundpletely. If Bernard had gone in a secondter, he might have ended up with a concussion. Not listening to the doctor¡¯s advice, hardship is before your eyes. See, he fell down, didn¡¯t he? Garrett spread his hands. Reverend Matthew¡¯s face was flushed, he poked Garrett: "Sorry, I¡¯ll listen to you next time..." --------------- Chapter 188 Chapter 188 "No more drinking from now on. No strong liquor, especially no beer. If you really crave it, limit yourself to a small ss of wine per day." After the chubby guy¡¯s blood pressure returned to normal and he slowly woke up, he dared not question Garrett Nordmark¡¯s words anymore. Garrett went on to list instructions one by one, and the chubby guy nodded along obediently, the folds of fat on his belly bunching up: "Yes, yes." "Avoid seafood. Cut down on oysters, ms, and all shellfish." "What... but we live by the sea, we can¡¯t eat seafood... Alright, alright, yes, yes." "Reduce your intake of beef andmb." "Then... what can I eat, Reverend?" "Chicken, duck, pork are all fine. But no foie gras! Actually, avoid all animal organs!" The chubby guy frowned and rubbed his belly. Garrett sternly warned him, "Your illness is caused by your diet! Even if I remove the ailment for you today, if you continue overeating and drinking, harmful substances will continue to umte in your body, and you¡¯ll still suffer! Have you seen the stones in your stomach? Later on, your kidneys, dder, everywhere will be filled with stones, and going to the bathroom will be as painful as being sliced with a knife!"The chubby guy¡¯s face trembled with concern, not from the pain, but from the thought of wasting money: So far today, despite spending a lot of money, it was still bearable. A spell to alleviate pain, a level two divine magic, two magic detections, a level zero divine magic, a mage hand, a level zero divine magic, a spell to heal minor injuries, another level zero divine magic (Garrett decided to cast it to prevent urinary tract infections after removing the stones)¡ªall of it added up to less than a thousand gold coins. But removing the illness was a level three divine magic, which would cost several thousand gold coins just to start! He had shipped a boatload of goods from the maind to Nevis, with calm seas and no losses, earning him just a few thousand gold coins! This one episode was aplete waste... And it wouldn¡¯t even cure himpletely! He¡¯d have another attack after a few more days of indulgence! "So... how can I bepletely cured?" Even if it took two, three, or even four! If he could get rid of the ailment with four spells, he would pay the money! With all these restrictions on what he could eat, life was bing unbearable! Hmm...pletely curing this kind of thing was impossible with modern medicine anyway. Garrett stroked his chin. Before he crossed over, the academicmunity didn¡¯t have a clear understanding of the causes and mechanisms of gout. As for treatment methods, they advocated for dietary control, reducing uric acid, anti-inmmatory measures, pain relief, and, if necessary, surgical removal of gout stones¡ª But as for a cure? The level six skill, Medical Art, was said to be able to eliminate all diseases and injuries, but it was unknown if it was effective. If not, they might have to try something like the Grand Wish Art... The chubby guy continued to stare at him expectantly. Garrett thought for a moment, then started making things up: "You got this illness because there are too many harmful substances in your blood. If wepletely drain your blood to purify it, filter out these substances, and then transfuse it back into your body, it should work. But how to purify it, and how to save your life after the blood is drained, I don¡¯t know..." To be honest, something like dialysis could be beneficial in reducing uric acid. As for drastic measures, it¡¯s generally not necessary in clinical practice. Well, he couldn¡¯t perform dialysis here anyway, so he was just talking nonsense. Garrett shrugged. The chubby guy¡¯s face went from pale to green, then yellow, cold sweat oozing out. He bent over again, wanting to leave in a hurry, but Garrett stopped him: "What¡¯s the rush! I haven¡¯t finished speaking yet! Remember to drink at least fourrge sses of water every day, exercise moderately, but don¡¯t overdo it; eat more fruits and vegetables; oh, and absolutely avoid asparagus!" "Then what can I eat at all¡ª" The chubby guy wailed miserably. Garrett crossed his arms, unmoved. He had seen many people like this. They promised to follow instructions nicely, indeed avoided certain foods for a couple of days, maybe a week at most, then forgot about it; then, after anywhere from a month to half a year, they would crawl into the hospital, begging the doctors to save them. Fortunately, gout wasn¡¯t the kind of disease that required emergency surgery. Apart from when they had to perform surgery and found high uric acid levels, it was mostly just the next-door department¡¯s colleaguesining: "That old patient is here again..." After giving instructions and medication, exining how many times a day to take them, Garrett waved his hand to dismiss the chubby guy. The chubby guy cradled a small box of white pills with care, hunching his back, clutching his neck, walking forward as if he were holding a precious gemstone, but then he suddenly turned back: "Reverend, you¡¯re amazing! Everything you said is spot on! I have several friends just like me, I¡¯ll make sure they alle to see you!" Garrett: "......???" All with gout? "No, no, I don¡¯t know the Alleviate Pain spell yet, and I haven¡¯t quite mastered Ultrasound magic for stone fragmentation. The uracy is very limited. Even if I insert a catheter, I haven¡¯t found a suitable vine... I¡¯ll have to ask Reverend Matthew for helpter..." "You¡¯ve introduced me to a bunch of gout patients, but my ability to help them is seriously limited!" Garrett Nordmark returned to his seat full of anxiety. Reverend Matthew was standing by his desk. Without waiting for him to speak, Garrett rushed up and grabbed him: "What medicine did you give him?" "Daffodil powder¡ªmixed with some starch, honey, kneaded into a ball¡ª" "Powder? Just powder? How much powder to how much starch? Is it mixed evenly? How did you mix it?" "Shake it, mix it..." Garrett rubbed his forehead. Daffodil, brother, that stuff is poisonous! Just shaking and mixing it, what if there¡¯s a bit more or less somewhere? This isn¡¯t like making pancakes, where if the salt isn¡¯t evenly spread, you¡¯ll just get a salty bite. This could kill someone! And even if the daffodil powder was really mixed evenly, is the alkaloid content the same in different nts, different parts of the daffodil? It¡¯s impossible to imagine... What if, unluckily, you happen to encounter a part with a high content, or the powder wasn¡¯t mixed evenly, and you ingest a bead that¡¯s ten or twenty times the average dose? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Garrett pursed his lips. He could overlook it if he hadn¡¯t noticed before, but now that he had, there¡¯s no way he could ignore it. He looked up at the ceiling: "Reverend Matthew, is there daffodil powder in the alchemy room? Can I use it?" "You can! It¡¯s on the second floor. Go ahead if you want to use it!" "Alright!" Garrett dashed upstairs. He had searched through his memories before and actually found several papers measuring the alkaloid content of daffodil. Anyway, by dry weight, the average content was about 0.30%. So it¡¯s simple, I¡¯ll make it myself! Garrett rolled up his sleeves and got to work. One by one, setting up the bnce, test tubes, square beakers... One gram of daffodil powder contains 0.3 milligrams of alkaloids. The adult dose is 0.5-1 milligram every 1-2 hours, not exceeding 6 milligrams per day. 6 divided by 0.3 equals 20, so... that¡¯s how I¡¯ll make the medicine! Measured out 20 grams of daffodil powder, divided it evenly into 5 portions, ced them in conical sks, and added 100 milliliters of alcohol to each. Fixed them on the shaker and vigorously shook them for 15 minutes¡ªGarrett shook the shaker so hard that his hand was about to break, and he seriously doubted whether he had reached the shaking frequency. But who cares, that¡¯s it! Filtered, settled, then added evaporated alcohol to obtain crude daffodil alkaloid extract. Whatever strange things were in there, I won¡¯t worry about it. Anyway, dissolve the crude extract in a little water, weigh out 12 grams of starch, and mix with water. Knead and knead, knead into a dough, roll it into a long strip, cut it into 12 pieces, perfect! Each pill contains 0.5 milligrams, and this batch is the dose for one day. Maybe the content isn¡¯t perfectly uniform, but it¡¯s definitely more even than mixing the powder directly into the pills. Next time, if conditions allow, remember to measure the content. Hmm, how do you set up a UV spectrophotometer... Garrett pushed aside long-term goals, satisfactorily packed up the pills in a small bottle. He was about to find a rabbit or something to try them on when he heard someone shouting below: "Reverend, I¡¯ve brought a patient for you to see!" Oh no... Already? --------------- Chapter 189 Chapter 189 The situation at the clinic unfolded smoothly for Garrett Nordmark. Aside from the asional visitors and the economically unprofitable cases, the chubby man truly brought Garrett a group of affluent patients. Well, they were more like his group of fellow sufferers. It was evident that dealing with this group of patients would bring Garrett a handsome share this month. His colleagues at the clinic were happy for him. However, Garrett was apprehensive, fearing that all his patients might have acute gout attacks. After all, without titration measurements or UV spectrophotometers, the colchicine tablets he dispensed might not be urately dosed... Yet, what made Garrett both relieved and anxious was that the seven or eight middle-aged men brought by the chubby man were all, well, delicate cases. Garrett was fuming with anger during the consultations. Those old men were particrly fussy, unwilling to remove their clothes, unfasten their belts, or assume the required positions. And as for rectal examinations, if Garrett hadn¡¯t persuaded them with magic badges and urately guessed their symptoms, they wouldn¡¯t have allowed anyone to touch them! Ugh, he had to wash his hands after every examination! And he was wasting his gloves and glycerin (when would paraffin oil evere in handy)! And each person¡¯s condition was different! One had dder stones, three had varying degrees of prostatic hypersia, one had a urethral polyp, and two had urethral tumors! Garrett felt like shouting at the chubby man: Did you think they were all the same illness just because they appeared simr!Garrett was exhausted. X-ray magic, ultrasound magic, catheterization, surgery, he used every means avable. After finally settling these patients, it was nearing the end of February, and the recruitment activities of various mage towers and magic organizations were in full swing. The first event was a tour organized by the Magic Council at their headquarters, the Mage Tower atop the Igor Peak. Early in the morning, about sixty or seventy students from the training ss formed a single-file line and began the ascent towards the summit of Igor Peak, overlooking the city of Nevis. There were no magical trains avable, and summoning magical mounts was not allowed. Their only equipment consisted of a backpack for each person and a wooden stick each to serve as a walking staff... Garrett wrapped the top of his oak stick with a piece of cloth and calmly mingled among them, pretending that it wasn¡¯t a staff reserved for devotees of the God of Nature. The leading teacher exined to them, "A thousand years ago, the legendary mage Terrence and his friends, the great founders of the Magic Council, ascended the Igor Peak along this path. At that time, the clouds dispersed, and the sunlight illuminated their silhouettes, which were projected in the clouds surrounding Igor Peak. It was a vision they had never seen before. From that day on, Terrence and his friends built stone houses on the summit to observe and study these visions. Later, they built the first mage tower on the peak." Hmm, so this is... a campus recruitment presentation? Why turn it into a pilgrimage along the same path? Nostalgia? Or a ritual to pay homage to the predecessors? Did Terrence pass away? I remember he was still alive... Does the old man know about this formalism you¡¯re doing? What would he think? The students were divided into groups of ten, each led by a knight at the front and another at the rear, a perfect arrangement for novice outdoor hiking. It seemed that even the Magic Council was afraid of idents... Yet, they still continued climbing? "...This is the origin of the Magic Council headquarters. From now on, all mages visiting the Council headquarters for the first time will ascend this mountain path on foot." Well, I¡¯m not one of them. I¡¯ve already been up here once by train. Garrett silentlyined. They began climbing along the mountainside. Nevis City was rtively north, and even though it was almostte spring, there were only scattered patches of grass sprouting on the slopes, creating a faint green hue. Looking up, the peak of Igor Peak was engulfed in thick clouds, but above their heads, the flowing clouds were thin enough to reveal the blue sky without obstruction. The condition of the mountain path ranged from sporadic maintenance toplete neglect. Garrett easily ascended the gentle slope at the beginning, where most of the path was dirt with asional rocks, making it rtively easy to walk. As they climbed higher, the dirt path turned into a gravel trail, then intorge patches of sharp gravel ground, causing soreness with each step. The meadows and shrubs hadpletely disappeared, leaving only thin snow on the ground that hadn¡¯t melted yet, making each step slippery. Garrett nced around discreetly and saw that most of the mages ahead had bent over, holding their walking sticks in their right hands and reaching forward with their left, ready to support themselves in case of a fall. Two people behind him were whispering: "When did Terrence and his friends climb up here?" "I heard it was in the winter..." Stepping over rocks, traversing thin snow, and crossing what used to be a small stream now covered in ice. After lunch, the slope beneath their feet suddenly leveled off, almost resembling t ground. The snow became thicker, and piles of rocks of various sizes pointed the way forward, while the young mages¡ª Entered into the clouds and snow. Each person donned an oilskin. Mages skilled in Endurance magic secretly cast spells on themselves and theirpanions. The leading teachers and knights saw it, but they didn¡¯t stop them. They just kept shouting, "The fog is thick! Follow the person in front of you! Don¡¯tg behind! There are cliffs everywhere!" Although they were shielded from the cold, the fog and drizzle still enveloped them, condensing into droplets on their faces, hair, and cors before trickling down their necks. It was an ufortable sensation, and Garrett wrinkled his nose, vigorously wiping his face, wanting to walk faster, but then heard a scream ahead: "Whoa¡ª!" The voice echoed with extreme terror! Garrett Nordmark suddenly looked up and saw a mage ahead who, perhaps trying to pass theirpanion, veered slightly to the side. As a result, they slipped, rolled several times on the snow, and were about to plummet down the cliff! In that critical moment, the knight in charge of their group leaped forward and grabbed the mage, pulling them inward. However, the knight himself staggered outward, but luckily, another knight quickly threw out a long rope, pulling him back from the cliff edge. The mage who narrowly escapedy on the ground, face pale, hands slipping even when trying to support themselves. Thump, thump, their nose nearly ttened against the snow. "Get up! Otherwise, you¡¯ll freeze on the ground!" The leading mage barked. The rescued mage staggered to their feet, leaning on their walking stick, and re-entered the queue. After this incident, the mages became especially cautious, and there were no more exchanges or gossip along the way. As they continued, the rain turned into a drizzle, and unexpectedly, it started to hail. Climbing a mountain on a good day... Garrett grumbled inwardly as he pressed forward. Step by step, he trod through ice and snow, past shards of rock, through clouds and mist. Despite the magical protection, he felt his feetpletely numb. Was it from the cold or from the pain of stepping on rocks? He couldn¡¯t tell at all. Just how tall is this mountain...? Mount Tai is over 1,500 meters high, and when he climbed it from Hongmen to the summit of Jade Emperor, it was almost evening. Is this mountain as tall as Mount Tai? He felt hungry again; it must be gettingte... As he continued walking, suddenly, everything brightened before his eyes. Garrett abruptly looked up and saw the wind stop, the snow cease, and the clouds disperse ahead. Sunlight nted from the direction of the bay, illuminating the mage tower standing on the summit. In the distance, at the foot of the mountain, a halo emerged from the surrounding clouds around the peak, shimmering with various colors, with a bright white light in the center. The light surrounded a figure, moving their hands and feet as if in sync with their shadow. Not far from the edge of the cliff, about fifty to sixty people raised their arms, waved, and craned their necks, staring at the figure with fascination. The mage who brought them up looked at the excited students, sighing deeply: "The halo has appeared... among these kids, there are bound to be extraordinary individuals..." Huh? There¡¯s a halo here too? Garrett let out a small "wow," feeling that this mountain climbing experience was worth every penny, as someone who had climbed both Emei Mountain and Wutai Mountain without witnessing such a phenomenon. Then, he joined in with the tourist group, gesturing and ying along, thoroughly enjoying himself. --------------- Chapter 190 Chapter 190 The founder of the Magic Council, the legendary mage, His Excellency Terrence, saw his reflection in the halo of the clouds the first time he ascended Igor Peak. Under the blessing of this legend, those who could see the halo upon their first ascent were deemed to have great achievements, bing a famous... legend of the Magic Council. However, it remained a legend mainly because His Excellency Terrence firmly denied any causal rtionship, and the diviners of the prophecy school also expressed that it was merely a coincidence. They couldn¡¯t conclusively determine that extraordinary individuals would emerge among these climbers. Nevertheless, this didn¡¯t stop the mages from secretly enjoying the story, choosing to believe rather than doubt its existence. After all, Igor Peak was shrouded in rain clouds all year round, with at least 300 days of rain or snow out of 365. On the remaining days, when the clouds parted and the sun emerged to reflect the halo, and when the climber happened to be making their first ascent, the odds of such coincidences urring were indeed slim... The students of the training camp admired the haloed figure at the cliff¡¯s edge for quite some time before the leading mage gathered them and led them towards the towers atop the peak. With limited time, they didn¡¯t visit each tower individually but merely gazed at them from the outside while the guiding assistant provided brief exnations. Nheless, the varied forms of the eight auxiliary towers still earned admiration from the students. After a brief pause, the group entered the central tower, ascending directly via an elevator. Though the elevator didn¡¯t seemrge, amodating about ten people, all sixty or seventy of them enteredfortably with ample space. Garrett, meanwhile, was scanning the space for magical runes, but before he could find any, the magical elevator ascended, eliciting exmations of awe one after another. "Wow..." "It¡¯s so beautiful..." "The entire mountain range is beneath our feet...""The clouds areing! Are we walking through the clouds?" "Lightning! Look! There¡¯s lightning over there! Wow¡ªoh, it didn¡¯t strike me?!" "We¡¯re still going up! The clouds have actually moved below us... Golden and radiant, so beautiful..." The height of the central tower surpassed that of the surrounding eight towers, piercing straight into the clouds. With a slight bow of their heads, the students could see the sea of clouds rolling beneath them, swirling, coalescing, and asionally revealing thin crevices. Sunlight gently bathed the clouds. All the snowstorms and icy rains below seemed as if they had never urred. The students crowded together. Garrett took just one nce before stepping back, leaving the spot for other ssmates to enjoy the spectacle, showing no reluctance. While the scenery before him was indeed impressive, it wasn¡¯t particrly extraordinary for him. Observation decks like these existed in any major city, offering panoramic views of the entire cityscape. As for cloudscapes, a window seat on an airne sufficed, provided you remembered to apply sunscreen... Inparison, he was more curious about the magical technology of this world reaching such heights. If he could enter the core research institution of the council, perhaps CT scans and MRIs could be developed sooner? His expression remained calm, neither surprised nor excited, yet the leading mage couldn¡¯t help but nce at him a few times. On the fifteenth floor of the central tower, among the mages observing them through illusion arrays, someone pointed to his image and inquired: "Who is this student?" The questioner was a fifth-level mage. As soon as he spoke, lower-ranked mages swiftly searched and cross-referenced data, providing the answer: "Garrett Nordmark, first-level arcane adept, first-level mage¡ªoh, the data has just been updated, he¡¯s already second-level. From Newster County, Harnd City Mage Tower, undecided school of magic, undecided direct mentor." "From a small ce?" A gentle male voice chimed in from the side. "He doesn¡¯t seem surprised at all, unlike someone." "He published a paper on ¡¯Arcana¡¯st month, summoned by the adjudicationmittee, and came to the peak." Another mage chuckled ominously. "Moreover, this kid participated in the war, single-handedly killing a ninth-level knight, arriving here on Master Carlisle¡¯s airship." Implicit in his words was the assurance that with such experience and background, there shouldn¡¯t be any issues, even if there were, he wouldn¡¯t be sent to the battlefield. "Quite familiar?¡ªDo you want him in ck Crow Swamp?" "He¡¯s a natural necromancer! That paper on ¡¯Arcana¡¯ was about necromancy and gue magic!" "But I heard he¡¯s a healer?" A crisp female voice interjected, "I went to see the teacher the other day, and someone from the Enchantment school was interested in him..." "Master Carlisle also asked about him a few days ago..." Mages from various schools and organizations gossiped, spected, and made insinuations, engrossed in their discussion. Meanwhile, Garrett¡¯s elevator finally gave a gentle shake, halting its ascent. The leading assistant pressed against the elevator door, raising their voice: "After exiting the elevator, please try to remain silent as much as possible. From this floor upward, the levels are upied by the ¡¯Light of the Stars,¡¯ and they reverse their day and night routines. They have a particrly high demand for silence. I assume you wouldn¡¯t want to disturb a certain grandmaster and end up cursed for the rest of your life..." The students fell silent, nodding vigorously. Garrett couldn¡¯t help but feel curious: Light of the Stars? Which school was this? Astronomy, perhaps? His curiosity was soon satisfied. As the students filed out of the elevator, they climbed three more levels. Then, as the first student stepped into the hall, they couldn¡¯t help but sigh aloud: "Ah..." But immediately covered their mouth tightly. Following suit, Garrett walked into the hall, covering his mouth, and upon raising his eyes, his gaze widened along with everyone else¡¯s. It was clearly broad daylight. Just a moment ago, sunlight was streaming in. Yet what met their eyes was a dark dome, akin to an inverted bowl hanging overhead. Countless stars twinkled on the canopy, and as Garrett turned around, he actually found the Big Dipper, the handle pointing east, slightly south. ...Was this real-time? Not a decorative illustration, but real-time disy? How were they showing constetions in broad daylight? Garrett stretched his neck, quite intrigued. Beneath the dome, stood a pipe over three yards tall, as thick as a man¡¯s embrace, mounted on a brass stand that could be moved. It looked somewhat like a telescope used for astronomy. Curiously, Garrett approached for a closer look, but found no ss lens inside the pipe, onlyyers uponyers of runes. "This is used for observing the night sky," the assistant exined as Garrett bent down to peer through. Instead of stopping him, the assistant approached a few steps closer to exin: "At night, this dome opens, and through the observation tube, you can directly see the starry sky. The runes inside the observation tube are arranged by enchantment mages to gather light, magnify it, and position it urately. It¡¯s very sophisticated." Ah... So it¡¯s actually a modified telescope. Garrett¡¯s interest waned by half. Judging from the design of this hall, could the ¡¯Light of the Stars¡¯ be an organization of the prophecy school? Forgive him for not understanding astronomy and disliking divination; he only found them mildly interesting. However, these runes could be manipted... If he could reverse the runes on the telescope, perhaps he could create a microscope? A high-powered microscope? Prized light microscope, electron microscope, cryo-electron microscope, and so on? The microscope he had painstakingly crafted himself before could only magnify up to a pitiful 1000 times... Garrett took a few steps back, quietly making way. However, someone floated past him as if their soul had left their body. When he turned to look, he recognized the person¡ªit was Miles, the mage he had shared a meal with previously and joked about catching geese. Garrett reached out to grab him, but someone stopped him. "Let him go. He¡¯s from the prophecy school," said Anthony, the first in their training ss to advance to the second level. They hadn¡¯t been in the same group during the mountain climb, but now they hade together to chat. Following Anthony¡¯s advice, Garrett withdrew his hand and watched as Miles tilted his head back almost ny degrees and floated towards the center of the hall. Halfway there, he tripped on something and fell backward, but Miles seemed oblivious, lying on the ground and gazing at the starry sky as if in a trance. The assistant didn¡¯t intervene either. Seeing that most of the group had seen enough, they led the majority downstairs without paying attention to those still lying on the ground or lingering behind. "It¡¯s fine. If the Mage Tower wants him, they¡¯ll take him. If not, they¡¯ll kick him out. With such a huge tower and the tower spirit watching, nothing will go wrong," Anthony said lightly. Garrett, understanding that no one would force him to leave, made a mental note: don¡¯t get too absorbed in watching one school¡¯s demonstration and miss out on the others¡ªit¡¯s a big disadvantage! They retraced their steps to the elevator, descended a short distance, and the doors opened again. This time, the leading assistant looked around and smirked. "You can all shout as much as you want this time. It¡¯s well insted inside, and they won¡¯t hear you anyway." How could it be soundproofed? Doubleyered ss? Vacuum instion? Garrett wondered. Following the group, they passed through two deep ck doors with countless shes of lightning. Suddenly, it became bright, and Garrett reflexively closed his eyes and shielded his face¡ª It was too bright! Even a 1000-watt high-pressure sodiummp wasn¡¯t as bright, and even staring at welding sparks wasn¡¯t as blinding! He had to be careful not to look directly ahead anymore... As Garrett blinked away his tears and scolded himself for being careless, he slowly opened his eyes again and was immediately drawn to the spectacle before him. Twelve pirs stood in a circle, emitting intersecting rays of light, forming a web of light. What was even more astonishing was the lightning coursing through the web, constantly exploding. Every time it touched a pir, it created ripples in the light web... "This is the core of the ¡¯Thunder¡¯s Horn,¡¯" the guiding assistant exined again: "The Tower of Heaven is inserted into the clouds, and lightning from the rain clouds continuously strikes the tower, which is then drawn into the tower as energy reserves. What you see is the process of using force fields to constrain lightning and convert it into energy..." What was this? A force field? What was the principle behind it? Garrett shivered with excitement, pushing forward recklessly. With a bang, he pressed his whole body against the transparent ss wall, his nose pressed tightly against it: Constraining lightning and converting it to electricity... what exactly was this? Electricity? Maism? Tokamak? Could controlled nuclear fusion be achieved at this level of magical power? If so, could nuclear fission also be achieved? What about nuclear maic resonance? MRI? Gamma knife? Right, there was also electricity! Electricity! With electricity, there could be electrocardiography! Various medical devices required electricity to function! He had to figure out a way to get this! Countless thoughts raced through Garrett¡¯s mind. As the group slowly flowed along the ss wall, Garrett pressed against it, inching forward step by step. After passing half the hall, the leading assistant couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and raised their voice: "Garrett Nordmark!" "Ah... uh?" "Are you using your nose to wipe the ss?" Garrett blushed. Turning to look, he indeed saw a long streak on the ss wall, a bit blurry and greasy¡ªit was indeed from his nose. Such things weremon in museums when a new exhibition opened, and everyone used their faces to wipe the ss. But here, he was the only one doing it, which was too conspicuous... It was toote to clean it now. Garrett awkwardly took two steps back and fell to the back of the line. As they continued forward, he couldn¡¯t help but nce back longingly at the force field: How could he get his hands on it? On the fifteenth floor of the Tower of Heaven, the mages were busy once again. In the starry dome above, there were few mages who showed obvious interest and inclination. However, in the Thunder¡¯s Horn hall of the elemental school, at least half of the students were stepping back and forth, wishing they could live there. The mages of the Thunder¡¯s Horn were busy recognizing and memorizing people, flipping through materials to determine priority: "The one with the blond hair¡ªthe first to break through to level 2, right? Yes, Anthony Valentine¡ªshows obvious interest. Focus on him." "The redhead girl also seems to like the elemental school? Let me see... one C+, one B-? Forget it, it probably won¡¯t be her turn." "Who is that walking against the ss wall? Adjust the direction of the secret eyes! Oh... Garrett Nordmark again. Alright, focus on him too. His paper on ¡¯Arcana¡¯ is enough to prioritize him. Uh, wait, that paper on ¡¯Arcana¡¯ is from the necromancy faction..." After leaving the Thunder¡¯s Horn hall, the group returned to the elevator and descended once more. The decor of the floor they entered this time changed again: within the deep ck walls, ripples constantly rolled, with stars appearing and disappearing intermittently. At first nce, it almost made people doubt whether the walls of the Tower of Heaven had turned transparent¡ª "Secret eyes." The assistant stepped aside to allow the students to observe 360 degrees unhindered, while also providing guidance: "The enchantment school is responsible for maintaining the Igor Lock. What you see here is part of the surveince hall, with countless secret eyes connected together. Through the enchantment provided by the illusion school, people can directly observe the external scenery¡ªMr. Nordmark, what are you doing again!" Secret eyes! This is what I want too! Garrett pressed against the ss for the second time. --------------- Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Secret Eye. A 3rd-level spell. Creates an invisible magic sensor that transmits visual information. It can move and traverse spaces no smaller than a 1-inch diameter hole or gap (Garrett strongly suspects it¡¯s because the Secret Eye itself has a 1-inch diameter). To the mages who created it or to those who maintain the enchantments, this spell is a very useful reconnaissance magic during risky journeys and a handy surveince tool in everyday life. But to Garrett, the Secret Eye only means one thing: Endoscopy! Endoscopy!!! Esophagoscopy! Gastroscopy! Colonoscopy! Bronchoscopy! Laparoscopy! Although figuring out how to send the Secret Eye into the body requires additional consideration, designing light sources and sampling cutters, and so on, it must be resized significantly¡ªwhether it¡¯s the esophagus or the trachea, their diameters are much smaller than 1 inch. Not to mentionparoscopy; the inner diameter of trocars is usually around 5.5mm, 10.5mm, or 12.5mm. If the Secret Eye isn¡¯t reduced to a 1-centimeter diameter, it won¡¯t fit anywhere. But having a ready-made spell and a direction for modification is still better than brainstorming alone!Garretty on the ss window, staring fixedly at the nearest light curtain, trying hard to understand how the Secret Eye presented its images: How far can it see? What¡¯s its range? Does the image distort? Does the color get distorted? If possible, it¡¯s best to put it in a dark environment to see at what brightness level it can disy images, whether it needs additional light sources... He almost pressed his eyeballs against the wall. Mage Anthony couldn¡¯t bear it and grabbed him: "What are you looking at here?... The Secret Eye? The Secret Eye is a divination school spell. What¡¯s the point of lingering in the Lock Hall?" "Ah...? Ah?" Garrett was dragged away dejectedly. Divination school? He¡¯s never been particrly interested in the divination school. With so many basic spells, he only learned Detection Magic, Reading Magic, and Linguistics... If he wants to learn the Secret Eye, he doesn¡¯t know if his knowledge base is sufficient. Moreover, the Secret Eye is a 3rd-level spell, requiring a 5th-level mage to learn it, let alone improve it. He just leveled up to 2nd level... (Goodbye) (Goodbye) The mages in the Lock Hall were busy. Garrett looked through the ss wall at their badges. These people¡¯s levels weren¡¯t too high. Except for a leading archmage who was level ten or above, most were levels 5 to 9, responsible for the daily maintenance and monitoring of the locks. "So you need to be at least level 5 to work here?" Mage Coryn whispered. A group of apprentices nced at each other, their faces ugly: Their strongest is only level 2, and they just leveled up. In terms of work, they¡¯re only slightly better than those apprentices who can only perform tricks. Want to enter the Tower of Heaven? They couldn¡¯t even understand what the mages inside the walls were doing... Garrett¡¯s attention, however, was elsewhere. The Lock Hall was warm as spring. The mages inside the ss wall, each wearing lightweight robes, weren¡¯t wearing hats. Most of them had sparse hair, some were balding, and they all had dark circles under their eyes. Looking at their spirits, they were simr to software engineers from his previous life, slightly better than emergency room doctors... After all, software engineers usually work 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week, and emergency room doctors, isn¡¯t it more than just 9 am to 9 pm? As he watched, he saw a level 9 mage with particrly sparse hair yawned and wiped away tears: "I can¡¯t do it anymore, I need a rest." He took out a small crystal bead, chanted a few words, and a semicircr blue sphere rose from the ground. The mage dove into the ball and disappeared. "Howzy can you get..." Mage Coryn muttered to himself, "You only have to walk a few steps to get to the rest area, why bother summoning a room... Isn¡¯t this thing for use in the wilderness?" Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up again. "Is the inside of that room clean?" "Of course it¡¯s clean!" Coryn looked at him strangely, "It¡¯s a shelter cabin of the sticity system, constructed purely by force fields. If it¡¯s not clean, something¡¯s definitely wrong!" The cleanliness still needed to be checked. Garrett didn¡¯t entirely trust the cleanliness of this spell¡ªafter all, even in a standard cleanminar flow operating room used for general surgery, thoracic surgery, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, otryngology, the bacterial density per square centimeter of the floor must be less than 5! But that¡¯s still better than doing surgery in any random room or out in the wilderness! After all, if the shelter cabin isn¡¯t clean enough, you can always spray disinfectant, disinfect the walls, much more convenient than disinfecting an old house for years. After that abdominal surgery he went through when he first arrived, Garrett was really scared: stopping liver bleeding on one side, inspecting intestinal lesions on the other, all the while on edge, afraid that a gust of wind would blow over, bringing sand, dust, or even leaves into the wound! Shelter cabin! Portable operating room! This thing must be acquired! "Oh, by the way, this is also a third-level spell..." What? So you also need to be at level five to carry a portable operating room with you? Garrett counted on his fingers. He arrived through the portal in early Aprilst year, became a mage apprentice in mid-April, reached level one mage in mid-June, taking two months; reached level two mage in February this year, taking eight months. ording to this speed, if everything goes smoothly, he might reach level three next year, and then three more years to reach level five? Feels so slow... With this much time, you could graduate from a five-year clinical medicine program... His mood suddenly dropped. In the Tower of Heaven¡¯s 15th floor, a magician watching him shed a nce, quickly jotting down a note: "Garrett Nordmark... not interested in the curse school? He seems more interested in the Secret Eye..." Schools pick mages, and mages pick schools. Especially these seedlings sent from small rural areas to training camps, showing great potential but haven¡¯t been scooped up by anyone yet. This visit to the Tower of Heaven, each school tried their best to showcase their features, all in order to attract outstanding young mages, to make them willingly join their school... The visiting group descended. The bewitchment school, Garrett showed no expression, breezing through the entire tour; the illusion school, continued breezing through; the protection school, slightly interested but not too excited; the transformation school... "What spells are more interesting? Petrify? Giant Transformation? Malicious Transformation? Ahhhh Master Mein assigned me a task..." Garrett nced, then continued breezing through. What¡¯s the point of turning someone into a frog? Where would you find a princess to kiss them? Oh, right, it¡¯s said that the newly crowned king is a queen, and currently unmarried, so there are no princesses in the country, only a prince from the maind can be brought over... The Tower of Heaven¡¯s elevator continued descending, below the clouds, to the ground, finally deeply into the rock strata. The indicator light for minus twenty floors lit up, and the leading assistant cast a Minor Illusion on himself, raising his voice: "Please put on your temporary badges and stay close to the group... Next is the area of ck Crow Swamp, please don¡¯t stray, be wary of negative energy damage..." The elevator door opened, stepping into the corridor, the queue ahead suddenly stalled. Garrett squeezed up to see, on both sides of the eerie ss walls, there were long rows of bodies, humans, orcs, dwarves, all sorts of strange mutants... some intact, some dissected halfway, some with organs in jars, and some reduced to skeletons... A staggering sight, weing them along the way. Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up again as he leaned against the ss wall. --------------- Chapter 192 Chapter 192 As you stroll through the Tower of Heaven¡¯s exhibition, mages behind magical arrays eye you. After the Magic Council¡¯s day trip concludes, trainees ride the small train down the mountain. As thetest records from the observation room, along with the trainees¡¯ data, are sent up, chaos erupts in the Tower of Heaven. Archmagespare stacks of meticulously reviewed data, m tables adorned with grids of checkmarks and crosses, toss quills, and hurl ink bottles. If it weren¡¯t for the anti-magic array in the meeting room, they might have even thrown fireballs and nauseating rainbow bursts at each other on the spot. All these promising talents! In such a vast country, with only one selected from each county, they¡¯re truly the cream of the crop! After being taught together for so long, receiving lessons from archmages above level 10 and having their papers personally graded by mages who are the backbone of the council if they are above level 5, everything from research directions, paper topics, exchanged magical studies, to records of the training camp is meticulously noted. The academy¡¯s leaders silently evaluate their learning abilities, imagination, creativity, self-control, temperament, and character. Now that graduation season has finally arrived, they can¡¯t afford to miss the chance to recruit the best talents! "Kristin... seventeen years old, three papers, one B-, two Bs. Two of the papers are in the direction of curses, perfect for us, the ¡¯Weavers of Curses¡¯." "Corinne Franz... eighteen years old, advanced to a level two magest month. One A-, one B+, one B. Three papers: one in the protective arts, one in curses, and one in transmutation. She has exchanged three first-level spells: minor deflection field, spiritual armor, and summoning spell materials. We, the ¡¯Shield of Fortitude,¡¯ are interested in her because of her focus on the protective arts." "Don¡¯t be so hasty! We¡¯re interested in her too. Otherwise, shall we offer Livia to you?" "Victor Muller... eighteen years old, just advanced to a level two magest week. One A-, one B+. We, the ¡¯Thundering Horns,¡¯ are interested in him!""Hey, hold on! His A- paper is in illusion magic, which should rightfully belong to us, the ¡¯Gates of Illusion¡¯! Thundering Horns, you can¡¯t just snatch anyone you fancy!" "But his mentor is from the school of elemental maniption!" "What mentor? Since when does being the head mage of the Tower count as being a mentor?" Bam, ng, crash. Ink stters, and scraps of paper fill the air. In a corner of the long table, a female mage from the charm school whispers to her friend: "These two are equally appealing to both our families... one for you, one for me?" "Wait for me to do a divination first!" The divination mage begins removing her jewelry: two pairs of pearl earrings, followed by a crystal ne, then a turquoise bracelet... a piece of aquamarine ring, an opal ring, a tiger¡¯s eye ring... The charm mage gazes in awe: "Why do you have more trinkets than I do?" "Of course! You wear those two pieces to entice a few people, while I wear these for divination purposes!" ... The conference room is filled with persuasion, argument, and negotiation. In reality, there aren¡¯t many worth arguing over. With sixty or seventy people in this training camp, less than ten will be directly recruited by the archmages. The rest are being pulled for their respective organizations, swapping one for another, so there isn¡¯t much of an issue. As the arguments continue, the student files on the table decrease one by one. Two hourster, only one remains: Garrett Nordmark, wanted by everyone. "I¡¯ll leave first." The charm mage is the first to rise, her skirts swaying, ornaments jingling. With a seductive red mark adorning her raised brow, she takes a few graceful steps before looking back in surprise: "Your family wants him too?" "Of course!" The starlight mage raises a rouge-coated lip, leisurely putting her jewelry back on. Bracelets, nes, earrings, rings... The pile of jewels and treasures is neatly arranged. Finally, all that remains in everyone¡¯s eyes is a deep purple chiffon, concealing the charm mage¡¯s indifferent gaze. Who wouldn¡¯t want him? A level one mage who can cast "Dragon¡¯s Breath"! In the past ten years, there have been a few, ever since the establishment of the Magic Council. Apart from those who died young due to recklessness, there have been several who could cast "Dragon¡¯s Breath" below level five, each one a future archmage! With a bit of luck, he might be a legend! "Do you, the divination school, also want him?" The mage from the transmutation school is surprised. After all, that old man, Mein, begged and pleaded, promised a pair of diamond golems just to get Garrett. Even though the kid doesn¡¯t fancy transmutation, he¡¯ll have to work hard for the reward. Now is the perfect opportunity to speak up. The archmage¡¯s slender fingers roll a cube, sometimes pulling out a strip, sometimes forming a rectangle, constantly changing. He focuses, only sparing a nce at the charm mage: "Are you sure he¡¯lle to you? He didn¡¯t seem very interested when we were at the Celestial Dome before..." "But his first paper is a modification of **Detection Magic**." The female mage showed no weakness, lifting her veil to reveal a pair of sharp ck and white eyes, confidently responding, "His most recent paper, although on soundwave magic, fundamentally serves environmental detection. Isn¡¯t this kind of mage who enjoys detection perfect for our **Divination school**?" "Divination school? Forget it." The **Weavers of Curses** duty mage sneered, "Your divination school relies too much on innate talent, not just any ordinary mental aptitude, but those ethereal, nonsensical types. Those with talent advance rapidly, but those without struggle to even pass level five in their lifetime. Dragging him into the **Divination school**, are you sure you¡¯re not wasting a good seed?" The female mage choked. Ascending is indeed always a pain for the **Divination school**¡ªnot only is it difficult, but peeking into the river of time is also particrly prone to harming one¡¯s body and shortening one¡¯s lifespan. Seeing her spirit dampen, the **Curses school** archmage tapped the table, leisurely continuing, "Furthermore, that child is a healer. If he¡¯s into healing, he wouldn¡¯t go to the medical branch of our **Curses school**, would he? He¡¯d go to the ck Crow Swamp?" "What¡¯s wrong with the ck Crow Swamp!" The **Necromancer** mmed the table, "That child is a natural necromancer! Have you seen him treat patients? He never casts Healing Spells with his eyes closed. Each time, he¡¯s like, ¡¯Where¡¯s the illness? Let¡¯s open it up and take a look, if it¡¯s treatable, treat it; if not, cut it off!¡¯ With this kind of treatment, what can your medical branch teach him? What can you teach him!" "But he¡¯s interested in our **Curses school**!" "He¡¯s also interested in the **Necromancy faction**! Just now, underground, I bet if we opened the ss wall, he¡¯d dissect corpses all night in there! What can your **Curses school** give him? Here, at least there¡¯s an abundance of corpses, let him dissect as many as he likes!" "If we¡¯re talking about interests, I think his interest in the **School of Elemental Maniption** is the greatest." The **Thundering Horns** archmage interjected slowly, after watching the spectacle for a while. "Shut up!" "Shut up!" The mages from the ck Crow Swamp and the Weavers of Curses spoke in unison, turning to him. The **Thundering Horns** archmage¡¯s eyes narrowed, rising from his seat, ring angrily at both. **Elemental Mages** generally have strong individualbat abilities. Fighting two against one isn¡¯t something to be feared at all¡ªespecially since the **Necromancy faction**, besides fearing holy light, also fears the specialization of Elemental Mages in thunder and fire... The air crackled, almost sparking, even with a high-caliber anti-magic field pressing down on it. "...let¡¯s stop quarreling." The **Shield of Fortitude**, the archmage of the protective arts, a white-haired old man with a round face, smiled cheerfully. As the host of this meeting, he calmly intervened after watching the drama unfold, "Indeed, such talent is rare, and nobody wants to let go, I understand that. How about this, let¡¯s report the situation and let the gentlemen from the reviewmittee decide?" "..." "..." "And, nobody is allowed to negotiate with him first!" "Agreed! No sneaking away!" --------------- Chapter 193 Chapter 193 The meeting dispersed without much enthusiasm. The grand mages each returned to their own quarters. Armed with prepared documents, they sought out their respective mentors, senior colleagues, and mages interested in taking on apprentices. The Mage Council¡¯s assessment meetings urred every ten days unless there was an emergency, and the next one was scheduled for early March, giving almost ten days¡¯ time. After all, the mages at levels 13 and 14 were either busy researching magic or striving to break through to level 15. Summoning them together every ten days was already quite disruptive to their work. If the meetings became any more frequent, it was likely that these gentlemen of the assessment meetings would prefer to stay far away from the Mage Council headquarters to rid themselves of this burden. Within these ten days, invitations (or rather, recruitment messages) from various schools and magic organizations continuously arrived in the hands of the trainees. "Corinne Franz? Are you willing to join the ¡¯Unity in Diversity¡¯ organization? If so, please sign here and report to Master Lawrence¡¯s research team on the eleventh floor of the Transmutation Mage Tower on the mountaintop at three o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon." "That¡¯s fantastic!... uh, I mean, I¡¯m willing!" "Anthony Valentine? Thunderhorn is interested in recruiting you. If you¡¯re also interested, take this badge and go to the twenty-third floor of the Conjuration Mage Tower on the mountaintop at two o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon to find Archmage Edgar." "Miss Catherine? Lady Laura Baselford of the Illusion Gate is interested in taking you as her disciple."Each invitation, each offer, triggered waves of cheers and envy among the trainees. Garrett looked around and noticed that almost all of the students who received invitations were among the top students in the ss, ranked from best to worst. So far, he had received eleven offers, eight of which had already advanced to level two mages, and the remaining three had at least one A- in their previous assessments. Whether ranked by level or by performance, they were the most outstanding group in the training ss. Huh? Then why doesn¡¯t anyone want me? I¡¯m already a level two mage! I got an A+ in one of my assessments! I even published a paper on "Arcane"! On the first day, Garrett remained calm despite receiving three offers. On the second day, two more came, and Garrett shrugged it off, continuing his work at the infirmary after ss. On the third day... the fourth day... It was evident that the vacancies in the eight auxiliary towers on the mountaintop had already been filled. The next round of recruitment was being conducted by the Bridge Magic Academy, Whetton Magic Academy, Chaos Magic Academy, and mage towers belonging to mages above level ten in the vicinity of Nevis City... Oh no! These individual mage towers and those belonging to schools or magic academies had vastly different research conditions! At the very least, Garrett had never seen thunder constrained by force fields or secret magic eyes forming light screens at the Bridge Magic Academy... The highest-ranking teachers in the academy were only level five mages! "Garrett, don¡¯t worry," Mage Anthony kindly came over to console him. "You already have a paper on ¡¯Arcane¡¯; everyone wants you!" But my paper focuses on the necromancy faction, and I¡¯ve already declined ck Crow Swamp... "Maybe... maybe they¡¯re still recruiting?" Corinne also came over with a notice from the Transmutation faction tofort Garrett. Garrett barely managed to force a smile. Recruit? Isn¡¯t the usual procedure for each faction to send offers and let me choose based on their conditions? "That¡¯s right! It must be because you¡¯rete, Garrett!" Miles, the short mage, received his offer in the second round and missed out on his preferred "Light of the Stars," ultimately being recruited by a mage from the Illusion school. Direct discipleship was out of the question, but joining a research team at the mage tower to assist level five mages was still feasible... At least it¡¯s notpletely departing from frontline research. He forcefully put forth his viewpoint. Garrett pondered for a moment and found it quite reasonable. "Garrett, you¡¯rete, you didn¡¯t participate in the first assessment, you scored lower than others, and you have fewer papers... Who knows how they ranked us? If they¡¯re adding up all the scores from each assessment, aren¡¯t you at a disadvantage, Garrett? How about... submitting a few more papers?" That makes sense! Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up. Publish papers, churn out papers, inte papers for promotion evaluations¡ªthis was something he was familiar with! The big shots inte papers for Zone 1, the mid-level and low-level mages inte papers for Zones 2 and 3. In recent years, even graduate students have begun mass-producing SCI papers... Whether it¡¯s advancing from resident doctor to attending physician, from attending physician to deputy director, or from deputy director to director, don¡¯t they all pump out a few more papers at each step? Furthermore, he wasn¡¯tcking in papers and such. From Harnd City to the Council headquarters, he had umted quite a few! It was just a matter of always being busy. Either he hadn¡¯t duplicated them or he hadn¡¯t finished copying those diagrams, and he simply hadn¡¯t submitted them yet... Now, during the recruitment season, the best units were still dying their offers. Even if it was ast-minute attempt, he should make his presence known! Garrett thanked them and hurried back to his own territory. Continuing his habit from his previous life, afterpleting a research project, he would casually write a paper to summarize it. So far, the papers he had saved had gradually filled half a box: "An analysis on the sterilization effects of various basic magic and divine arts,pared with high-temperature and high-pressure sterilization, and the necessity of sterile principles in different scenarios in the operating room." "Several records of observing cork, onions, meat, and blood using a homemade microscope." "Records of observing the Bacillus dysenteriae using a homemade microscope." "Demonstrating the nature ofbustion using heated mercury." "Istion and treatment during arge-scale outbreak of dysentery." "The production of a simple thermometer and the role of temperature measurement in healthcare." "Considerations on assessing injuries and distinguishing treatments in battlefield medical care under the premise of limited healing power"... Should he throw them all out? Or just a few? Garrett rubbed his chin in thought. Well, he might as well throw them all out. Keeping them in his hands wouldn¡¯t hatch anything... No, he couldn¡¯t save them for the next round to help with his promotion. Anyway, that little magic creature named "Gold Coin" had recently helped him make a second microscope, so he wouldn¡¯t be left with just words and no physical items, inexplicably rejected by others... Garrett stepped into the White Tower once again. Once again, it was the Magic Audit Center, the flower elves leading the way, the beautiful youngdies smiling at him, and once again, in the specialized office for submitting magic, the t mechanical voice repeated over and over: "To submit magic, please press 1; to inquire about feedback on papers, please press 2; to receive paper rewards, please press 3; to rey, please press 4; for human assistance, please press 0..." "1! 1! 111111!" Garrett pressed the keys until his hand felt like it would break. In the room, the automatic feedback device repeated incessantly: "Please ce the paper into the teleportation magic array¡ª" "Excuse me! Sir inside! Do you need help? Is the paper teleportation tform broken?" --------------- Chapter 194 Chapter 194 The teleportation array shimmered incessantly. One by one, papers materialized from the teleportation chest, descending into the sorting center on the 10th floor of the Tower of Heaven. The delivery mouth of the sorting center was smooth and inclined slightly downward, allowing the papers to slide smoothly into the array below. Above the array, a blue light illuminated, casting directly onto the cover of the papers, highlighting the area where the keywords were written. "Keywords: Necromancy, Invocation, Orcs, transfer to Necromancy faction." Outside the array, a three-foot diameter disc rotated three-eighths of a circle, halting precisely. The array tilted slightly, pouring the central paper into the teleportation chest directly ahead. With a sh of light, it vanished. "Keywords: New nt, Toxicity, transfer to Divination faction." The disc continued its clockwise rotation. After five-eighths of a circle, a teleport chestbeled "Divination" came to a stop, retrieving the paper. Any new items were automatically categorized into the Divination faction for identification, adding to the resources of their appraisal techniques. "Keywords: Thermometer, Manufacturing, Body Temperature? Transfer to Alchemy faction..." With a soft thud, Garrett¡¯s paper titled "On the Production of Simple Thermometers and Their Role in Medical Temperature Measurement" slid forward, dropping into the teleport chest of the Alchemy faction. The teleportation magic activated, and in the next moment, it appeared atop Igor Peak, on the 11th floor annex of the Alchemy faction, lifted by invisible arms. "A new paper? No magical enhancements..."Another array hummed to life. Lines of text, drawings, appeared on nk papers, duplicating the iing paper into two copies. Invisible hands retrieved the papers, cing them into separate chests, pulling open the drawer on the side of the alchemical puppet, and stuffing them inside. "Direct transfer to Mr. An, Mr. Sloan." "Yes, directly to Mr. An, Mr. Sloan~~~" The alchemical puppet sweetly responded. Its wheels turned beneath it, squeaking as it drifted out of the room. Through the corridor, into the elevator, arriving at the corresponding floor, it retrieved the paper and ced it in the inbox of the duty magician. That¡¯s how Garrett¡¯s papers were distributed one by one. Two papers rted to healing went to the Necromancy faction, focusing on medical practices. Two papers rted to microscopy were sent to the Divination faction, while the one demonstrating the containment of dysentery, like other papers spreading epidemics, was teleported to the Necromancy faction. "Edgar! Remember that Garrett you mentionedst time? He submitted papers to us!" Negative 12th floor of the pyramid¡ªyes, beneath the Tower of Heaven¡¯s pyramid-shaped mage tower, therey a symmetrical inverted pyramid. On the negative 12th floor, a crow with white specks on its wings flew in,nding outside the magical barrier, cawing loudly. "Papers submitted?" Archmage Edgar paused with the feather pen in his hand, pressing a ruby on the left eye of the skull. The ruby retracted, and a small opening appeared in the magical barrier, allowing the crow to fly in. Without waiting for an invitation, itnded on top of the skull and pecked at the blue sapphire in the right eye. The intangible barrier rose again, blocking out the screams, shouts, and the siren¡¯s song of a subus from outside the room. The crow lifted a w arrogantly. Archmage Edgar untied a ribbon from its foot, took a paper, and handed it to the crow along with two pieces of jerky: "Thank you, Mr. Spencer. Please give my regards to your master; I owe him a favor." The crow leisurely finished the jerky, pecked at the barrier, spread its wings, and flew away. Archmage Edgar hummed a tune as he unfolded the paper: "So soon to submit a paper? It seems this child is quite interested in our ck Crow Swamp..." Garrett¡¯s papers weren¡¯t all fortunate like this one. The two mages on duty at the Illusion school were upied¡ªone was visiting a friend, and the other had arge-scale experiment, forbidding any interruptions. Consequently, the papers meant for their review were redirected to students, and even students¡¯ students. "A ssification of battlefield injuries? Why is this kind of paper sent to us? This should be a matter of concern for priests... The author is a level two mage? And level two doesn¡¯t know how to research magic? Neglecting one¡¯s duties!" The two papers rted to microscopy were even more unfortunate. It wasn¡¯t that the reviewers were neglecting their duties; it was that during the transportation of the microscope, the apprentice carrying the box tripped... "Bang! Crash!" As a result, the reviewing mage faced a strange contraption, with twisted and missing pieces of ss, scratching his head in bewilderment: "...How do you even restore this thing?" Forgive him, he really wasn¡¯t good at this... If he were, he would have be an alchemist in the transmutation department long ago, rather than squatting miserably in the divination department... His college advisor rmended it this way: "If the mineralpendium breaks, it breaks; after all, books can¡¯t be damaged." So, armed with these broken lenses and skewed tforms, he beganboriously reading the papers, writing evaluations cautiously... Ten dayster, half of the trainees received job offers or invitations to visit certain mage towers or organizations. Meanwhile, Garrett remained empty-handed, receiving only sporadic feedback on some papers: "The invention of the thermometer urred at least a hundred years ago. It is suggested that the author broaden the scope of his readings, or at least... visit more magic equipment shops?" ...Alright, small ces, poor ces, that¡¯s just how it is. Why doesn¡¯t the Magic Council set up an automatic paper query system, simr to something like Zhiwang? Garrett shrugged and continued reading the second reply: "The ssification of battlefield injuries holds no magical originality for medical spells. It is advised that the author focus on magic and not be distracted by other fields." Is this scolding me for neglecting my duties, or advising me not to write filler papers? Anyway, another "not passed." With no research points or contribution points awarded, these two papers were as good as useless. The paper discussing the principles of sterility received a meager basic score and contribution point; the two on microscopes also received basic ratings... Garrett looked at the broken microscope in the box and the shattered lenses, speechless for a moment, but he understood why he received such evaluations. As for the one about dysentery... The evaluation was filled with enthusiasm: "This paper, using innovative research methods and solid evidence, demonstrates the transmission of dysentery, as well as ways to contain it. It holds significant reference value for the entire branch of epidemics... It is rmended to award 30 research points and 50 contribution points..." Who did this fall into the hands of? Or is the ck Crow Swamp trying to make a gesture of goodwill towards me? Garrett was speechless for a while. Paragraph after paragraph of evaluation filled nearly half a page, implicitly suggesting, "Come to us, research whatever epidemics you want..." Perhaps I should just join the Necromancy faction? Garrett hesitated. Anyway, joining the Necromancy faction would at least allow him to dissect corpses at will... With some reluctance, Garrett tightened his grip on the paper. He walked out of the White Tower, looked up at the direction of Igor Peak. Thick clouds covered most of the peak, and Garrett knew that within those clouds stood eight mage towers of various shapes, along with the towering Tower of Heaven in the center of the peak... Oh, why haven¡¯t they replied to my paper on the igneous substance yet? They wouldn¡¯t actually be repeating the experiment... By the way, when Lavasii did that experiment back then, itsted for twelve days... "Boom!" A thunderous shock reverberated through the sky. Garrett¡¯s pupils contracted as he saw a massive hole sted open in the thick clouds shrouding the tower. The clouds billowed and dissipated, revealing the towering spire of the Tower of Heaven. --------------- Chapter 195 Chapter 195 Just like the necromantic faction, within the elemental mage faction, more than one archmage had their eyes on Garrett. There was Archmage Lorenz, the mentor of Garrett from Harnd City; Archmage Carlisle who pulled him from the battlefield and brought him to the council headquarters; Archmage Zeifal, specializing in sonic magic, who presented Garrett¡¯s thesis to the council; And then there was the one in the Tower of Heaven, even banging the table, keeping a close eye on Garrett¡¯s movements, afraid he might slip away, even if it was just for the sake of his own reputation. Naturally, once Garrett¡¯s thesis was submitted, this newsnded on the desks of all these archmages. "The upgraded version of the Burning Hand? Is it the one I saw?" Archmage Carlisle¡¯s eyes gleamed. He indeed detected powerful magical fluctuations on the magicpass andter witnessed the white mes spewing into the sky. One after another, it even burned down the renowned Sanctuary Spell of the Radiant Church, leaving a profound impression on him.And back then, Garrett was just a level one apprentice mage; he couldn¡¯t have been mistaken! Unfortunately, the Magic Council guarded each mage¡¯s unique magic very strictly. An unfamiliar mage, a mere level one apprentice, creating a powerful magic spell on his own, even Archmage Carlisle, despite being a level 14 archmage, couldn¡¯t bring himself to deceive or coax the other party into handing over the magic. He could only hope that the other party would finish writing the thesis soon, submit the magic to the council, so he could go through the proper channels to exchange for it... "So, is this the white fire magic then? What about the attached magic? Has it not been approved yet?" Archmage Carlisle tapped the table. A small bird with a fan-shaped crest on its head and three or four ck and white stripes on its wings fluttered over andnded in his palm. Archmage Carlisle turned the bird in a direction facing its mouth and cleared his throat before speaking: "Vincent, that upgraded version of the Burning Hand magic, the one Garrett Nordmark just submitted, if it¡¯s approved, let me know, I¡¯ll exchange for a copy." The bird spread its wings and flew out. It returned shortly, opening its mouth. From its sharp, slightly curved beak came another deep male voice: "A level one mage¡¯s magic, and you¡¯re urging me to approve it? Carlisle, you owe me a meal! Remember that bottle of wine you snaggedst time! From the Melor Winery!" Archmage Carlisle chuckled and shook his head. Just half an hourter, a woodpecker flew towards the magic barrier outside. Its hard beak continuously pecked against the barrier, its head bobbing up and down, almost leaving a blur: "Knock knock knock knock knock knock..." The pecking sounds intensified to about ten knocks per second. Archmage Carlisle rubbed his forehead and had to wave his hand to open the barrier. The woodpecker folded its wings and rushed in. Before it could steady itself, it eagerly opened its beak. The previously deep male voice now became sharp, and its speech rate doubled: "Carlisle! Where did you find this kid! He¡¯s boosted the Burning Hand from level one to level four with just a tweak! Level four! Is he your disciple? If not, I¡¯ll take him under my wing!" Alright, herees another poacher... Master Carlisle smirked. He handed a handful of crushed magic crystals to shoo away the woodpecker, then headed to the mage tower exchange office, brushing his own badge. However, the White Fire spell was nowhere to be found on the exchange list. Growing impatient, Carlisle decided to go directly to the 27th floor to ask Vincent for the thesis. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he sensed something amiss. The atmosphere on the entire floor was unusually oppressive, like the feeling before a storm hits the shore, making it hard to breathe. Fifth, sixth, and even ninth-level mages passed by, all looking tense, instinctively walking along the edges of the corridor. Frowning, Carlisle strode to Vincent¡¯s office door and knocked. Before he could even strike the first blow, a furious roar erupted from inside: "Get lost!" "Vincent, it¡¯s me, Carlisle!" "Get out!!!" Carlisle paused. Instinctively, he took two steps back, then stepped forward again, listening intently. Soon, he heard Vincent pacing back and forth inside, his footsteps echoing like thunder, moving frantically like a trapped beast: "It can¡¯t be... It can¡¯t be like this... It¡¯s impossible... But... But..." "Vincent! What¡¯s wrong with you!" Carlisle raised his voice in concern. For a mage encountering novel and subversive theories, it could be both a boon and a bane: If he could ept it smoothly, it could propel his magic forward by leaps and bounds, possibly bing an opportunity for advancement; But if this theory conflicted starkly with his existing beliefs, he would have to acknowledge its correctness, even if reluctantly... The meditation environment of each mage was constructed based on their own understanding of the world. Beyond the fifth level, meditation environments tended to stabilize; beyond the tenth level, they began to materialize; and beyond the fifteenth level, a mage could even absorb external elements based on their meditation environment, directly constructing a semi-ne. However, once the meditation environment, already solidified and stable enough, shed with one¡¯s understanding of the world, the mage could either stagnate or, worse, suffer severe consequences. The development of the Magic Council, every advancement, every theoretical innovation, was built upon congealed blood and milky brain matter. The footsteps and muttering continued in the room. Archmage Vincent circled seven or eight times, then suddenly jumped up: "I need to verify it! Yes, I need to experimentally verify it! Before verification, I won¡¯t believe anything! Someone! Prepare the equipment and materials ording to this list for me!" The office door burst open. Archmage Vincent strode out, his robe billowing, his brown beard exploding like a lion¡¯s mane. Lower-ranking mages swarmed in, taking the list, organizing the experimental table, setting up retorts, and collecting samples... Carlisle quietly stepped aside. He and Vincent had been friends for many years. Sneaking into his office now, rifling through the thesis, the more he read, the more he frowned: The Elemental Theory is wrong? Is burning dependent onbustibles and that... that thing named O? If this is true, itpletely overturns the foundation of the elemental mage faction¡¯s theories onbustion, on fire elements! And that apprentice named Garrett has already improved the Burning Hand spell ording to this theory, personally verified by Vincent! What should he do? He studied the branches of wind and water elements, while his old friend excelled in fire elements! Once a theory he had believed in for years was proven false, it would be almost a fatal blow to him! Carlisle hesitated for a moment. Seeing that the ssware in theboratory was ready, and the fire was lit, he had no choice but to make several copies of the thesis, tuck them into his robes, and head directly to the Tower of Heaven nearby: "Master! Master! There¡¯s an important thesis, please, you must take a look!" Ten dayster, on the 378th floor of the Tower of Heaven, theboratory of legendary mages stood in profound silence. Led by the legendary mage of the Elemental School, Master Decart, followed by Master Carlisle, a dozen mages stood closely packed, their eyes fixed on Vincent, who was conducting experiments. Mercury turned into red powder upon heating. The volume of air in the container decreased by one-fifth. The remaining gas couldn¡¯t supportbustion nor sustain animal respiration. Upon further intense heating, the red powder dposed into mercury and a gas, the volume of which precisely equaled the previously decreased volume. Inserting a dying stick into the newly dposed gas, it immediately ignited fiercely, emitting a dazzling ze. Using the newly dposed gas as the spellcasting material, Vincent unleashed the enhanced Burning Hand spell, the power of White Fire nearly equivalent to a fourth-level Dragon¡¯s Breath spell... Every detail in the thesis was verified one by one. Vincent¡¯splexion grew paler with each experiment. Trembling hands released the final spell, the White Light of the enhanced Burning Hand, leaving his lips as pale as paper. There were no more excuses, no more arguments; the essence ofbustion, the essence of fire elements, indeed, was not elemental... He subconsciously closed his eyes. In an instant, the fire elements in his meditation environment erupted violently. "Vincent! Stop meditating!" Master Decart thundered. His voice rolled like thunder, and simultaneously, the magic array in theboratory pressed down, severing all elements within a one-square-meter radius. Vincent¡¯s whole body shook, blood oozing from his nostrils and ears, copsing weakly to the ground. Carlisle reflexively rushed to his aid, extending a supporting hand: "Master..." But Master Decart paid him no heed. With a flick of his robe, the legendary mage levitated, stepping towards the floor-to-ceiling window. His left hand, trembling violently behind him, while his right hand extended forward and upward, pushing straight out¡ª "Boom!!!" A deafening explosion shattered the dense clouds outside the Tower of Heaven. --------------- Chapter 196 Chapter 196 The violent explosion startled the entire Tower of Heaven. The floor-to-ceiling windows shattered, and the magical barriers dissolved. As Master Decar¡¯s palm thrust out, the dense clouds shielding the Tower of Heaven dispersed, tearing apart at least a quarter of them. In the next moment, an angry female voice rose high amidst the dense clouds on the other side: "Decar! Why did you dismantle the enchantment lock?!" In response to the usation, a figure soared into the air, facing Master Decar from a distance, suspended in mid-air. Inside the room, a group of mages nced briefly before hurriedly bowing their heads: Standing in the void outside the window was a petite girl with delicate features like a doll. Adorned with a crown of leaf-shaped ornaments, three gems in her hair emitted countless silver rays, reflecting her silver-gray eyes even more brilliantly. Around her neck, wrists, and nails, numerous streams of colored light gently danced, harmonizing with the flowing light on the Tower of Heaven¡¯s structure. The girl¡¯s deep blue skirt billowed high, suspended in the air without any movement amidst the turbulent winds and clouds. Instead of jewels and embroidery, the skirt was adorned with countless faintly visible, continuously flickering runes, causing dizziness at a mere nce. "Lady Helena." Led by Carlisle, a group of mages who hadn¡¯t yet reached level 15, let alone touched the boundaries of legend, respectfully greeted the neer. Even Vincent, the archmage, who was lying weakly on the ground, managed to lower his head with the support of his friends: Although this girl appeared youthful, she had entered the realm of legend many years ago, and was the foremost expert of the school of magic, as well as the overseer of the Igor enchantment lock. If provoked, even legendary mages would stumble within the lock¡¯s confines.Hence, when she voiced her usation, none of the lower-level mages present dared to utter a word. Only the legendary mage Decar flew out of the tower, wearing a rueful expression as he apologized to her: "Helena, I was just about to find you. Please, ry a message and gather all the legendary mages in Nevis¡ªwe¡¯re in trouble, Helena, big trouble." Helena red at him. Seeing Decar¡¯s sincere expression and somewhat embarrassed demeanor, her anger gradually subsided. The silver-gray color in her eyes also faded away quietly, turning into a light purple, which deepened little by little: "Call everyone nearby? Aren¡¯t the rotating Tower of Heaven guards enough?" "Truly not enough." Seeing the silver glow fade from Helena¡¯s eyes, Master Decar also breathed a sigh of relief. Despite being a legendary mage himself, one level higher in mage rank than Helena, she was responsible for maintaining the entire enchantment lock¡ª If a real fight broke out, while he might not necessarily lose, ending up embarrassed was inevitable. He activated his telekic field, took two steps on the void, and once again sincerely apologized: "Sorry, Helena, it wasn¡¯t intentional to cause you trouble. We encountered an unexpected situation just now. If I hadn¡¯t vented that power, I would have been injured too." "Someone harmed you?" Helena furrowed her brows slightly as the color in her eyes faded once again. Decar quickly shook his head: "No, no. Mishandling this matter is a big trouble, but if handled properly, it might turn into a good thing. Anyway, after you ry the message,e to my office to see for yourself!" Helena gave a soft hum. She stretched out her hands, and her ten fingers danced dazzlingly, causing the dense clouds outside the tower to silently surge and envelop the Tower of Heaven once again. With a flick of her fingertips outward, seven or eight streams of light flew out from her fingertips, disappeared into the clouds, and vanished. The teleportation array lit up and then dimmed. Half an hourter, in the oval-shaped conference hall on the 155th floor of the Tower of Heaven, legendary mages sat around the table, each with a serious expression, and a paper spread out in front of them. "Verified?" The first question came from a mage of the Transformation school. He was called out from the workshop by his disciples, and there were still quite a bit of crystal powder and mithril threads on his fingernails and the outer coat made of rhinoceros hide. Decar nodded heavily: "It has indeed been verified. Vincent conducted the experiment himself, with me as an observer, and it almost¡ªshattered my meditative world." "Oh!" The legendary mages present were deeply moved. Beside Helena, another mage in white robes nced at Decar with concern, making a hand gesture for a healing spell: "Are you injured?" "I¡¯m not." Decar gently adjusted his monocle. A delicate mithril chain hung down from the edge of his sses, silently shing on the side of his face. The expression of this legendary mage darkened: "But Vincent is severely injured. It¡¯s likely that the position on the reviewmittee will have to be changed ahead of schedule." There was a chorus of sighs. Across from Decar, an old woman wrapped in ck veil turned the crystal ball around, suddenly shivering all over, and sprayed a mouthful of blood straight onto the ball. "Madam Endor!" Two mages from the Enchantment and Protection schools turned their heads simultaneously. The old woman waved her hand while panting: "I¡¯m fine. I just deduced the process of the experiment..." In a corner, a female mage who served as a waitress hurried forward. However, Madame Endor declined her service, pulling out a silk handkerchief to carefully wipe away the bloodstains, then tucking the handkerchief along with the crystal ball into her own sleeve. Decar had been observing the old woman¡¯s every move, and it wasn¡¯t until she retrieved the crystal ball that he softly asked, "What did you see?" "The experiment results are fine." The old woman extended her wrinkled fingers, shifting inch by inch across the paper. Flipping through page after page, she finally left a half-bloodstained fingerprint on a few lines at the end of the main text: "Here... I saw something terrible... something that could overturn the Magic Council..." Everyone followed suit, flipping through the papers. On thest page, after extensive descriptions, experiments, and conclusions, the author of the paper left behind a bold suggestion: "Using the theory of primal essence as a basis, we can only derive vague elements, highly uncertain, thus open to various interpretations. If we start from the theory of primal essence and consider elements as the simplestponents of matter, then, currently, we may find it difficult to determine what constitutes an element; On the contrary, if we associate elements with the ultimate concepts reached by current chemical analysis, then, everything that cannot be further dposed by any means avable to us now could be considered as an element to us." (See author¡¯s note) Silence enveloped the room. Elementalists, shapeshifters, enchanters, protectors¡ªevery mage of every school, or rather, every mage stepping into the world of magic, initially encountered the world of the four elements;ter, the wind gave rise to thunder, and water gave rise to ice... However, what exactly is an element? What is the most primal, the eternal and unchanging, the foundationalponent of this world? Heavy breathing echoed in the elliptical conference room. Finally, Master Decar mmed the table and stood up: "What¡¯s so terrifying! If it¡¯s uncertain, then we experiment! We demonstrate! If wrong, then we overturn! When the theory of primal essence overturned the theory of fire spirits, and the theory of fire spirits overturned the theory of divine bestowment, haven¡¯t we gone through this before!" A spark jumped on his monocle. With a crackle, it leaped from the lens to the crystalmp in the center of the conference room, then from the crystalmp to the silver rods illuminating the walls. The stable lighting in the conference room suddenly flickered, resembling a haunted house. Helena cleared her throat, raised her hand, and directed the electricity into the walls, where it dispersed and disappeared. A legendary protector mage calmly remarked, "But this... the losses could be significant." The path of overturning existing theories was never easy. Conflicts with new theories and meditative environments could cause casualties, even legendary mages were not exempt from injury or death. Battles with the Radiant Church, rtionships with allies, development of alternate dimensions, every aspect required adjustment. "That¡¯s why I called you all here." Decar replied boldly. "We need to arrange manpower for rotation, pay attention to sealing off information, and gradually reveal the sessful parts of the verification¡ªotherwise, what are we here for? To rely on those little fellows in the reviewmittee?" Legendary mages nodded in agreement. Helena suddenly closed the paper, tilted her chin up, and smirked: "Oh, by the way, what about that little fellow called Garrett? Leave him outside? Until he throws another paper and blows up a few heads?" All eyes instantly focused. The priest from the Illusion school was about to speak when Madame Endor interrupted. The old woman covered her lips with the bloodstained handkerchief, coughing so violently she couldn¡¯t raise her head: "We... cough cough... we..." The priest in white immediately stopped speaking, murmuring a spell as a gentle light rain fell upon the old woman. Madame Endor¡¯s expression gradually softened, but suddenly her vision darkened. The legendary mage from the ck Crow Swamp floated up directly, under his empty ck robe, the red light flickered in his skull¡¯s eye sockets, the jawbones cking together: "We..." "He belongs under our watch!" Decar interrupted loudly without hesitation. In his monocle, bright electrical sparks crackled, darting back and forth, almost shooting out of the frame: "His papers are sent directly to me. If he stirs up any trouble, we, the Thunder¡¯s Horn, will take care of it!" --------------- Chapter 197 Chapter 197 The legendary mages convened, their discussions veiled in obscurity. Proposing the subversive notions of the "Inmmation Theory" demanded meticulous dissemination: orchestrating schrly papers, discreetly spreading whispers, and guiding mages through gradualprehension to avoid sparking widespread controversy. This was a topic of deliberation. Strategizing how legendary mages could tactically retract, ensuring a seamless session within their ranks to prevent destabilization of their headquarters, required thorough discussion. Simultaneously relinquishing territories while deploying smokescreens, ensuring the Radiant Church remained unsuspecting, and coordinating exnations and resolutions among allies were also subjects of debate. Even among the eight schools of magic and various mage organizations, coordination was imperative. For instance, the Thunderhorn faction reaping the benefits of nurturing a legendary seed shouldn¡¯t expect the ck Crow Swamp to weather the storms for them! Moreover, information must be sealed, and Garrett¡¯s thesis must be ndestinely concealed, down to his very name! External containment, internal suppression! Fortunate were these legendary mages, each having undergone multiple life energy transferences, their vigor abundant, allowing them to convene for a day and a night uninterrupted. Meditation? Sleep? Rarely did they meditate unless the heavens threatened to fall, and it was a rarity indeed for them to forgo sleep, unable to replenish magic naturally, relying on magical elixirs akin to mana potions... Moreover, Igor Peak was the kingdom¡¯s safest refuge. As long as the Igor¡¯s Veil remained operational, even if the Radiant Churchunched a full-scale assault, the legendary mages could hold out until they were well-rested. Such a meeting format proved highly efficient. After a day and a night, the legendary mages, having shattered two tables and torn through stacks of manuscripts, the meeting room resembled a snow-coveredndscape. Astonishingly, they had indeed finalized all agendas. Master Decar departed with great enthusiasm, summoning his disciples:"Carlisle, fetch thatd. Let him stay in the Tower of Heaven to study in peace until the dust settles." Carlisle obeyed. The magical airship he utilized was borrowed from the Magic Council for wartime use and was not his own possession. Thus, he descended from the mountain on a magical railcar. Arriving at the Bridge Academy of Magic, he inquired of the assistant: "Today is a day off! Garrett Nordmark...? Shall I apany you to the library, or perhaps search the student dormitories?" The dormitories were empty. The library, however, was filled with students. Yet, after a thorough search, Garrett was nowhere to be found. Fortunately, some students from the training ss were studying inside. Carlisle interrogated a few and managed to learn Garrett¡¯s whereabouts: "Garrett? Recently, he¡¯s been at the infirmary every afternoon..." Master Carlisle: "..." Why was he frequenting the infirmary daily? Was he considering a career change to priesthood? Isn¡¯t being a mage good enough? Can¡¯t the Magic Council support him financially?! Luckily, the infirmary wasn¡¯t far away, and in the fishy-smelling harbor district, this two-story building was quite conspicuous. Master Carlisle dismissed the assistant, summoned a Phantom Stallion, and mounted it. The magical steed galloped, breaking through the wind. Soon, they arrived at the infirmary¡¯s entrance. "Where is Garrett Nordmark?" Master Carlisle didn¡¯t even dismount. He dispersed the Phantom Stallion andnded on his feet. He dashed into the infirmary, scanning anxiously. However, the infirmary was deserted. Not a trace of Garrett or even a single priest could be found. ncing at the sign that read "Closed Today" hanging high... "Where is everyone?!" "Coming,ing!" The door to the inner room creaked, and a middle-aged man in robes, holding a quill pen, rushed out. There were no professional insignias on him; instead, his pockets jingled with coins, presumably an ountant. Seeing the four golden stars on Master Carlisle¡¯s badge, he trembled, hastily bowing deeply: "Are you looking for Garrett? He¡¯s not here today!" "Where did he go?!" "To Oakridge..." "When did he leave?" "He should have departedst night... Yesterday morning, Elder Donald sent a message, saying the physical examination was arranged, asking everyone to go... A ship came to pick them upst night, they should have arrived by now..." Master Carlisle nearly choked. It was almost dark; did he have to rush over in the dead of night?! Oakridge, Oakridge was quite a few miles away from Nevis City! Should he wait for two more days? The training ss had eight days of lessons followed by two days off; today and tomorrow were off, so the day after tomorrow, or perhaps tomorrow night, he could find thatd in the academy. Master Carlisle pondered, then shook his head, dismissing the thought: It was easy to wait in the city for two days, but what if the teachers asked? Oh, he went to Oakridge, and I didn¡¯t bother to find him, so I stayed in the academy... Recalling his teacher¡¯s Thunderous Wrath, even though Carlisle held the esteemed rank of a 14th-level Grand Mage, he shuddered and promptly summoned his Phantom Stallion. Mounting the horse, he grabbed the reins, and the magical mount soared into the sky. ¡ªThe Phantom Stallion, a Tier Three spell of the Arcane School, usable by mages of the fifth level. With Carlisle¡¯s mastery at the 14th level, this magical horse could traverse swamps and quicksand effortlessly, move across water, and even fly. From Nevis City to Oakridge, it was more convenient to fly straight there, bypassing a big bend in the river. As the crimson sun gradually descended, Carlisle braved the biting cold wind, racing against time, and finally arrived at Oakridge before nightfall. He inquired all along his journey, rushing to Elder Wood¡¯s residence, and with a wave of his hand, he cast a Voice Amplification spell upon himself: "Wood! Is Garrett Nordmark with you?" This single inquiry, even without the amplification spell, carried astonishing volume. Yet, the longhouse remained eerily silent, devoid of any response, not even a whisper of footsteps or breaths. After a while, an apprentice priest hurriedly rushed over from afar: "Master, hello! Elder Wood is out today. May I convey any message on his behalf?" "I¡¯m not looking for him!¡ªWhere is Garrett Nordmark?" "You should ask him! He and Elder went to the Augustus Castle together. It was arranged beforehand to conduct aprehensive physical examination for everyone in the castle, along with promoting a divine spell..." Carlisle: "..." This was bad. Fortunately, he came to nab someone today, or else, he might have been led astray by the Naturalist Cult... He nodded absentmindedly, spurred the Phantom Stallion once more, and took to the skies. The Augustus Castle was extremely easy to find; departing from Nevis City to the northeast, flying along the river,kes, and canals, one would reach the starting point of the Denis Lake. From high above, the castle twinkled with lights, bustling with activity. Carlisle cast two defensive spells upon himself and dove downward. He circled above the castle, amplifying his voice to the maximum, and thundered: "Where is Garrett Nordmark?!" His shout reverberated throughout the entire castle. In a small room beside the main hall downstairs, Garrett, with one hand covered in glycerin and the other d in sheepskin gloves, raised his head in bewilderment. What¡¯s with all the yelling? I¡¯m just here for a check-up, as arranged over a month ago. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m running around randomly... If the Magic Council won¡¯t give me an offer, I still need to support myself! What¡¯s wrong with being a doctor... I still have data to collect and papers to publish... --------------- Chapter 198 Chapter 198 After a tumultuous journey, Master Kairel finallynded his Shadow Mare at the gates of the castle. The gates of the Augustus Castle swung open to wee the esteemed guest. ¡ª Upon the tower of the castle, the three magic ballistas fell silent, no longer stealthily aiming upwards. The Augustus Castle was the inheritance left by Count Inverness¡¯s first wife to her daughter, also thergest castle in the Loxi Viscount¡¯s domain. Surrounded by water on three sides, it guarded the southwest end of Lake Nevis, squarely blocking the passage from Lake Nevis to Lake Loxi. Even those unfamiliar with military matters could see at a nce that this castle was a strategic location worth fighting over. Thick stone walls surrounded the castle, with a three-story rectangr building rising in the center. The outer walls were pure white, gleaming under the lights of the tower and turrets, adding to its solemnity with a touch of beauty. A long bridge stretched from thekeshore straight to the castle, with twin towers guarding the castle gate at the end of the bridge, impregnable. At this moment, of course, the heavy gates were open. Viscount Loxi, with a long sword at her waist, stood smiling at the center of the gate. Elder Wood stood at her left, leaning on an oak staff and absentmindedly stroking his beard. To her right, Garrett, just pulled out of the infirmary, with disheveled hair and wet sleeves, wore a face that said, "I¡¯m innocent, I don¡¯t know anything..." Master Kairel, having rushed dozens of miles and missed his target three times, finally found his man. Seeing Garrett in such a state, a mixture of anger and amusement washed over him, but his anger dissipated as quickly as it came. With the anger gone, his elegant demeanor returned, and he approached the viscount with an apologetic smile. "I apologize for the urgency in finding you..." Entering the castle, taking seats, serving tea, exchanging pleasantries. Once the routine was smoothlypleted, Garrett was handed over from Elder Wood to Master Kairel, and then tossed onto a flying carpet: "Follow me! Now!"Garrett: "..." I haven¡¯t finished my check-up, haven¡¯t finished my drawing, haven¡¯t finished teaching those priests... All these words were swallowed by him. Master Kairel, a 14th-level archmage, owed him a life-saving favor, and now he was rushing in the middle of the night to take him away ¡ª It was obvious that protesting at this point would be utterly foolish. He only asked one question: "Will Elder Wood and the others be alright?" Master Kairel nced at him in surprise. Dim starlight, crescent moon like a hook, only a faint silver light emanated from the patterns on the flying carpet, allowing the two to see each other¡¯s expressions clearly during their conversation. After careful observation, Master Kairel saw that Garrett¡¯s worried expression seemed genuine and snorted lightly: "You¡¯re kind-hearted. ¡ª Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯ll be fine." So it¡¯s my problem now? In other words, rushing over like this in the middle of the night to take me away is solely because of me? Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, his brain working overtime, trying to think of any intersections between himself and the archmage. Someone seriously ill or seriously injured shouldn¡¯t be the case; nor should it be arge-scale epidemic; ultrasound, microscope, bacteria... "Ransor?" Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his mind. "Has my paper been submitted?" Submitted? This guy sure has confidence in himself. Master Kairel sneered and deliberately avoided looking at Garrett, gazing up at the sky: "You¡¯ve caused trouble, kid! Because of your paper, a 13th-level archmage got injured!" "Ah!... Ah?" Garrett was astonished. A 13th-level archmage? Injured? Because of his paper? "What kind of injury is it? Is it serious? Can it be treated? How much will the treatment cost? Can I afford it? If not, I¡¯ll ask Elder Wood to help first, and I¡¯ll slowly pay off the treatment fees?" Garrett secretly prepared himself to sell himself to pay off his debts. Of course, if he could prove that the injury had nothing to do with him, like being drained of magic during a magical experiment or falling down stairs, then he would definitely resist extortion. However, before Garrett could delve deeper, Master Kairel turned his face, his expression solemnly fixed on him. Garrett shrank back under his gaze: thest time this master saved him, he seemed quite amiable, but why did his expression look so grim now... Is the injured archmage his friend? Or his rtive? "Why did you run so far? Instead of wandering around dozens of miles, couldn¡¯t you just stay at the academy and study properly? Or did you know you caused trouble? Hurt someone? From Oaktree Ridge to Augustus Castle, did you think you could escape?" "I...!" "What¡¯s ¡¯I...¡¯? Why did you run off?" "I didn¡¯t do it on purpose!" Garrett finally eximed, "I had an appointment with the Viscountess! If it weren¡¯t for having to teach all the priests first, it wouldn¡¯t have dragged on until now! ¡ª Besides, everyone else has a ce to go, except me. There¡¯s no Mage Tower, no academy wants me. Can¡¯t I be a priest? Being a priest can still support myself!" "You..." Kairel finally chuckled. No Mage Tower, no academy wants him? Several schools were fighting over him! On the first day, they reported to the evaluationmittee, and legendary mages were arguing behind closed doors for a whole day and night! If it hadn¡¯t been such a mess, how could most of the students¡¯ destinations have been decided, with only him still not receiving any notification! Kairel really wanted to vent his frustration, but he held back. If he said it all, this kid would be even more smug ¡ª he¡¯s already gone over to the priests¡¯ side. He tried to keep a stern face, "From now on, you¡¯ll stay in the Maniption School! Behave yourself and study in the tower! Besides going to sses, don¡¯t you dare roam around! If you have any papers, hand them directly to me, don¡¯t toss them to the White Tower yourself!" What? I have a new home? Garrett was stunned on the flying carpet. "The Maniption School?... It¡¯s really the Maniption School?" he asked, his voice trembling. Seeing Kairel nod affirmatively, Garrett raised his hands high and couldn¡¯t help but bounce a little, "Yes!" My field! My high temperature and pressure! My electric power! My electrocardiogram! Formaldehyde, ether, acrylic finally have hope! Low-temperature oxygen separation also sees a glimmer of light! With luck, I might even be able to create nuclear maic resonance! "Sit down! ¡ª Be careful not to fall off!" Master Kairel urgently lowered the flying carpet. Garrett was excited beyond measure. If he wasn¡¯t on the carpet, he¡¯d want to jump up and spin around eighteen times. Master Kairel watched him get so excited he almost fell off the carpet, and with a wave of his hand, he opened a small gap in the windproof force field protecting the carpet, and a sharp cold wind blew in his face, choking Garrett on the spot: "Cough ¡ª Cough, cough, cough..." Hey on the edge of the carpet, grabbing the fluff on the carpet, tears streaming down his face from coughing. After a while, as the excitement gradually subsided, he remembered something else: "You can¡¯t keep me here! I need to earn money! I need to see patients! ¡ª If you don¡¯t let me treat people, I won¡¯t have money to do experiments!" "What experiments do you want to do?" Master Kairel rubbed his temples. Garrett said confidently: "The follow-up experiments for that paper on Ransor! I said, ¡¯Anything that can¡¯t be further dposed by any means is an element to us,¡¯ and I need to prove it!" "Write down your paper, hypotheses, and experimental designs!" Master Kairel said without hesitation. "As long as it¡¯s written reasonably, the Horn of Thunder has plenty of funds, and you can apply for projects as you please! You don¡¯t need to figure out ways to make money yourself!" How many experiments can a mere level-two mage design? With the funds and manpower from his own disciples¡¯ projects, it¡¯s enough for this kid to get by! "You said it yourself!" Garrett secluded himself for ten days. Ten dayster, Master Kairel held a thick stack of paper and experimental designs that made him want to turn back time and take back his words. ¡ª Only Garrett knew that he had thrown out everything rted to middle school chemistry, high school chemistry, all relevant knowledge points suitable for proving the existence of elements, and experimental ns for determining the densities of the first 20 elements on the periodic table and the first 15 elements in the metal list. And also methods of chemical instrument operation, methods of measuring the weight and volume of gases, temperature measurement methods, titration analysis methods... I¡¯ve wanted to do this for so long! Damn, dealing with earth, water, fire, and wind is just too painful. I want to test blood potassium, blood sodium, blood oxygen, and whatever else, but first, I need to establish the concept of chemical elements! An opportunity to make the Magic Council do hardbor, such a rare opportunity, I must seize it! --------------- Chapter 199 Chapter 199 If Garrett divided these things into the six years of middle and high school... No, even if considering only the chemistry book, taking out one year¡¯s worth slowly over 54 weeks, it wouldn¡¯t have caused such a huge shock. If Master Kairel, who wasn¡¯t even level 14 yet and was preparing to advance to level 15 as a grand mage, hadn¡¯t seen it himself, he wouldn¡¯t have realized that what Garrett presented was aplete and systematic set of theories capable of overturning the entire current magical world. Even more frighteningly, it came with experimental designs... If one were to m this thick thing directly without any preparation, it¡¯s feared that the foundation of the entire Magic Council would crumble. So Master Kairel didn¡¯t say a word, picked up Garrett, and shoved him into the guest room in the Mage Tower. With a wave of his sleeve, a pile of magic books flew out, stacking up a low wall next to Garrett: "Stay here! I¡¯ll ask you if there¡¯s anything!" Garrett: "...Okay." He sat directly on the floor, flipping through and searching, pulling out a book titled "Spell Construction: From Rune Scrolls to Three-Dimensional Models," and began to concentrate on reading. Books! Hundreds of books! Borrowing them from the Grand Library in the White Tower would cost one gold coin per book per day! Now he could read them for free... Oh, it would be great if those mages could conduct experiments slowly while he finished reading all these books...Garrett dove headfirst into the pile of books. Master Kairel stood at the door of the guest room for a moment, watching Garrett sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, leaning against the bed, so engrossed in reading that he seemed about to disappear into the book, shook his head, then turned and left. He picked up the stack of thick materials and headed straight for the Tower of Heaven. Half a dayter, the legendary mages stationed in the Tower of Heaven gathered again. "Decar, the little guy you pulled into the Thunder Horn, he¡¯s really something." Helena, who had failed to snatch him, remembered Garrett and felt a bit unhappy. She coldly waved her fingers, and the papers on the oval long table turned over on their own, flipping through page by page: "These things... does he want to overturn the entire Thunder Horn?" "Not just the Thunder Horn." The rotating mage of the Elemental School also expressed regret. These measurement methods, analysis methods, the forms for acids, alkalis, salts, and their mutual changes, were simply tailor-made for them, the Elemental School! If their alchemists got hold of this book, they would worship it along with the person who brought it! The other day, they hesitated too much! They werete in snatching him! It¡¯s regrettable! Well, tomorrow, no, tonight, arrange for people to conduct experiments overnight! "Wait, who is this kid?" Lady Endor asked softly, turning her crystal ball. Before Decar could respond, the necromancer from the ck Crow Swamp gently floated up again, red light shooting straight from the eyes of his skull: "Who cares where he¡¯s from? What matters is, he truly curbed the gue, treated the wounded soldiers, and fought to the death with the Radiant Church!" "It¡¯s still better to check. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s a spy... but what if he¡¯s from some alternate dimension?" Lady Endor pondered. She raised her head from under her ck veil and turned to the legendary mage of the Illusion School sitting diagonally across from her: "Or maybe, you could ask?" "No!" Decar vehemently refused. "What could the Illusion School find out? He¡¯d just confess to whatever you ask him!" "That¡¯s right! Even if we were to ask, it should be our necromancy department asking!" The necromancer¡¯s eyes flickered with red light, his teeth clicking together, as ifughing. Decar red at him, electricity crackling in the monocle over his eye, not backing down: "You guys ask? Isn¡¯t that just weaving memories directly!!!" Garrett is one of us from the Thunder Horn! He¡¯s our own kid! No one else is allowed to meddle with him! "Let¡¯s first verify the things he brought out." Amidst the chaos, the protective mage, known for his kindness, stroked his beard and spoke calmly. This old man was the oldest among the legendary mages, and his poprity had always been the best. Eight out of ten younger mages had been taken care of by him at some point. As soon as he spoke, the tense atmosphere in the meeting room eased slightly, and everyone stopped to listen: "Regardless of Garrett¡¯s background, whether what he brought out is correct can always be verified. During the verification process, the Thunder Horn is responsible for keeping an eye on him, ensuring he doesn¡¯t run away or cause trouble. Can we agree on that?" Decar turned to look at his disciples behind him. Master Kairel had been standing not far behind him all along. Seeing his teacher¡¯s gaze, he stepped forward: "I think there¡¯s no problem. When I left, I threw a bunch of books at him. He¡¯s now tucked away in a pile of books and doesn¡¯t seem to want to leave until he¡¯s finished chewing through that stack." As soon as he spoke,ughter filled the meeting room. To be a legendary mage, everyone had experienced times of sacrificing sleep and food, wholeheartedly devoted to studying. They could empathize with Garrett¡¯s behavior. Even Lady Endor, who had been the first to voice suspicion, softened her gaze slightly. Seizing the opportunity, Decar tapped the table. "Since we¡¯re on this topic, let¡¯s discuss Garrett¡¯s reward as well. You¡¯ve all read and verified the paper on the essence of fire. How many research points is this paper worth? And how many contribution points? The adjudicationmittee has handed this difficult question over to me..." He leaned back, crossing his arms with an expression that seemed to say, "He¡¯s from the Thunder Horn, I¡¯m avoiding suspicion, I won¡¯t speak." The mage in the white robe of the Enchantment School smiled and took over the conversation: "As for the paper, let¡¯s focus on the magic itself. I¡¯ve verified the upgraded version of the Burning Hand spell, and it¡¯s excellent. With the strength of a level 1 mage, it can indeed unleash the power of Dragon¡¯s Breath, albeit with slightly expensive casting materials. These days, the price of Amethyst Scales has already increased fivefold..." There wasughter all around. Amethyst Scales were an alchemical product, not naturally urring ore. Even though the Magic Council had carefully sealed off the information, informed individuals couldn¡¯t be stopped from rushing to buy them. After everyone had finishedughing, the mage in the white robe continued: "Considering factors such as the overall level of magic, the difficulty of casting, the avability of casting materials, and the spell¡¯s power, I suggest rewarding 100 research points and 500 contribution points." Everyone gasped in shock. This reward was truly generous. Byparison, Garrett¡¯s paper on X-ray magic, which had earned him a spot in the training program, had only been rewarded with 2 research points and 3 contribution points. More importantly, the reward figures for new spells set by the Magic Council generally determined the exchange prices for those spells: for example, if a spell was rewarded with 500 contribution points, its exchange price would be 50 contribution points. Within ten years, the contribution points earned by mages submitting spells to the Magic Council would be evenly split between the Council and the mage. After ten years, the mage¡¯s share of the split would decrease to thirty percent. Considering the poprity of the Burning Hand spell and the power of its upgraded version, it was likely that even mages of a lower level would be able to learn it. After all, the Burning Hand spell wasn¡¯t particrly rare. Everyone would tighten their belts and rush to exchange it. With this ie alone, as a level 2 mage, Garrett would have enough to advance to level 5 without any financial worries. But was this price expensive? Not really. A level 1 mage working as a receptionist in the headquarters of the Magic Council would earn five contribution points in a month. Saving for a year, or even two, would easily umte enough... And from the perspective of the Magic Council, releasing such a spell that greatly enhanced the strength of its affiliated mages, they couldn¡¯t stop smiling at the prospect! Just imagine, a level 1 mage traveling in the wilderness encountering a squad of Radiant Church cavalry and casually casting an upgraded Burning Hand spell... Just imagining it made one feel ecstatic to the core. A win-win situation, no, a three-way win for Garrett, the Magic Council, and numerous mages¡ª --------------- Chapter 200 Chapter 200 Garrett Nordmark waspletely unaware that his windfall was already on its way. He held the hidden books Master Kairel had given him, nestled in his guest room, engrossed in their contents. Had Master Kairel not left instructions for his students to drag him out for meals three times a day, Garrett might have starved himself in that room. Of course, if such a thing had actually urred, the Magic Council wouldn¡¯t have suffered much overall. It would have merely been a significant loss for Thunder Horn and a gain for ck Crow Swamp. So, even for its own interests, Thunder Horn had to take care of its people. At the very least, they couldn¡¯t afford to have someone suddenly found dead in their room, necessitating a call to the Necromancy faction for help from beyond the grave... While Garrett was immersed in his reading, the meeting of legendary mages continued in the Tower of Heaven. After a moment¡¯s wait, the mages in white robes from the Evocation School, seeing no objections, summarized: "So be it. Following convention, the new magic shall be named ¡¯Nordmark¡¯s Burning Hand¡¯ and added to the Council¡¯s magical library. Shall it be made avable for exchange? Is there a need for special rmendations?" "No need!" "No need!" Two voices simultaneously dissented. The two legendary mages exchanged a nce, and Master Decar, indicating the Transmutation School mage, gestured for him to speak first. The Transmutation Master chuckled wryly, his rough hand rubbing against his leather jacket before pinching his nose: "It¡¯s best not to release it immediately. Purple scale stones¡ªthose things aren¡¯t easy toe by for a while, and we can¡¯t produce too many of them."Master Decar chuckled along. Although he couldn¡¯t produce purple scale stones himself, just imagining a group of Transmutation mages sweating profusely, working overtime, and still unable to meet the demand, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. Nodding at the other mage, he turned to the white-robed mage: "Garrett Nordmark is only a level 2 mage." "Ah, understood." The white-robed mage nodded. He smoothly adjusted his wording: "Considering the excessive power and impact of this magic and the low level of its creator, as per tradition, its information will be kept confidential for now to protect the creator. Therefore, this magic shall be named¡ª¡¯Improved Burning Hand¡¯? ¡¯Burning Hand: Dragon¡¯s Breath¡¯?" "Your naming skills are still as poor as ever," Helena, beside the white-robed mage,mented coldly. "After going through all this trouble, can¡¯t you just call it ¡¯Dragon¡¯s Breath Hand¡¯?" Despite being criticized by thedy, the white-robed mage didn¡¯t seem to mind. He just chuckled, scratching his head. His long golden hair fell as he did so, coupled with his gentle smile, giving him the appearance of a friendly golden retriever wagging its tail while crouching down. Others were quite ustomed to their interaction. The elderly mage from the Abjuration School lowered his head to jot down the name ¡¯Dragon¡¯s Breath Hand¡¯ and the Council¡¯s reward n before passing it to his right. A group of legendary mages stamped their magical seals one by one. With this agenda item concluded, they moved on to the next: "So... what about that thesis?" "The thesis..." Another moment of silence ensued. If the value of ¡¯Dragon¡¯s Breath Hand¡¯ was 100 points and 500 contribution points, then the thesis overturning the ¡¯Theory of Ignition¡¯ should be worth at least double. All present, even those not specialized in the Transmutation School, could see: Garrett Nordmark¡¯s thesis,bined with the spell model of ¡¯Dragon¡¯s Breath Hand,¡¯ had instructional significance for all fire magic. In other words, as long as in any magic¡ªfrom apprentice-level Spark to 3rd-tier Fireball, and up to 9th-tier Meteor Burst¡ªa position for the purple scale stone was incorporated into the spell structure, the power of the spell could be pushed to incredible heights. Cough, cough. Of course, it wasn¡¯t advisable to do so for 8th or 9th-tier spells rashly. Otherwise, it might lead to tragedies where the range reached 100 meters and the explosion radius extended to 200 meters, potentially killing not only enemies but also the mage themselves before the enemies... "This is a groundbreaking thesis," dered Decar, a prominent figure in the Transmutation School, clearing his throat to speak first. Lady Endor, her voice cold beneath her ck veil, added, "Subversive." Yes, indeed, calling it subversive means it¡¯s subversive, but who told you to be a Divination mage? Decar nodded in acknowledgment. The white-robed mage from the Evocation School chimed in: "The ideas proposed in this thesis may be applicable to all fire magic." "But further verification is needed," interjected Helena, her tone icy, sounding both approving and exnatory. The white-robed mage smiled again at her: "Yes, the subsequent verification and research are quiteplex. I¡¯ve already seen the next three months¡¯ worth of journals filled with papers on this topic. It¡¯s safe to say each paper will contribute a citation." He tapped his fingers on the paper before him, drawing a round of envy towards Garrett. Each citation for a paper meant one research point. If 100 papers approved by the council, even appearing in journals, were to include it in their references, Garrett would rue 100 research points without lifting a finger¡ª So many points would be enough to elevate his arcane level from Level 1 to Level 3. More allowances, higher exchange permissions, and even greater project application rights would beckon to Garrett. Moreover, the instructive significance of this thesis applied to all fire magic. All of it. Mages had previously done statistical analyses, revealing that the average citation rate for papers published in various magical journals was 0.5 times per paper per year. For journals like "Ordinary Arcanist Monthly," the citation count hovered around 5 to 7 times. Only "Arcanum" and "Magic," with an average citation rate of over 20 times, stood above the rest. And Garrett¡¯s paper¡ª The question wasn¡¯t whether it would reach 100 citations, but how long it would take to umte them. Three months? Five months? Or half a year? And evidently, the reward the Magic Council would offer for this paper wouldn¡¯t be less than half a year¡¯s worth of citation points. "For the sake of protecting the creator, we won¡¯t disclose the author¡¯s name for now¡ªunless any legendary mage wants to take credit for it? Decar, would you like tomunicate with the author?" The elderly mage from the Abjuration faction pondered slowly: "As for the specific reward amount, how about this: everyone writes down a number, we remove the highest and lowest, then take the average?" This proposal met with no objections. After a flurry of papers exchanged hands, the reward for the Nature of Combustion thesis was disyed before them: 300 research points, 1000 contribution points. The legendary mages fell momentarily silent upon seeing the figures. For a thesis of such groundbreaking, subversive, and instructive nature, this reward wasn¡¯t particrly high, perhaps even a bit low. However¡ª "Oh, by the way, what level of arcane practitioner is he now?" Everyone began rifling through documents. After a moment, the answer came: "He had 45 research points before... With the ones he just received today, a total of 445 points, he¡¯s at Level 4." A Level 4 arcane practitioner, a Tier 2 mage. Wearing such a badge was akin to saying, "I might be inexperienced, but I¡¯m incredibly important and full of potential." And most likely quite wealthy... After all, the distribution of research points typically came with a generous amount of contribution points... If a spy from the Radiant Church were to infiltrate and see a mage like Garrett, they would definitely try to eliminate him by any means necessary. Even if they didn¡¯t encounter a spy, allies seeing someone like Garrett might be tempted to take action. However, not giving a reward? Giving a small one? Temporarily withholding it? Impossible. The credibility of the Magic Councily in its fairness... "Decar, keep this kid up at the peak. Don¡¯t let him wander around for the time being," the elderly mage massaged his temples with a headache. He turned to all the legendary mages, his gaze darting around quickly: "This year¡¯s Rising Mage Award goes to Garrett Nordmark? Any objections?¡ªNone? Alright then, Weston, I¡¯ll leave it to you to arrange the magical equipment as the prize!" "Leave it to me!" The Transmutation School leader rubbed his hands together, his face filled with excitement. He could customize something again! He could use the precious materials from the Magic Council¡¯s secret vault to make what he wanted! And he could make friends with a future star! The things he would offer would greatly benefit Transmutation mages! He must establish good rtions! Absolutely! That night, Garrett received the news of his award and the inquiry about his equipment preferences. "What kind of magical equipment do you want?" Garrett pondered for a moment. "Um... no rings... no bracelets, no wristwatches either... basically, nothing worn on the hands or wrists, and preferably no nes either... Why? Because it¡¯s inconvenient in the operating room!" "What do you want then?" Grand Mage Kairel felt his temples throbbing. Suppressing the urge to burst intoughter, he put on a serious face and quipped, "How about an earring for you?!" "...No, thanks?" Garrett shuddered at the mental image of himself wearing a pair or even just one earring, swinging beneath his earlobes. "Um... if possible, could you help me fix Bernard¡¯s bone staff?" "Get out!!!" For the Rising Mage Award, he was presented with a bone staff taller than him¡ªwell, considering his height, it was about one and a half times his height. Can you even see the scene?! Garrett was thus deprived of his right to make requests. Moreover, when he emerged from the pile of books and asked to attend sses at the training center or visit the infirmary, he was ruthlessly refused: "Stay put! Study! Learn magic! You¡¯ll be let out when you¡¯ve finished reading all these books and mastered 0-level and 1-level magic spells!¡ªOh, and what meditation method are you using now?" "The basic version..." Garrett¡¯s voice grew quieter as he spoke. To be honest, he had almost forgotten about changing his meditation method... From the beginning to now, Garrett had always used the basic meditation method that could be self-taught by audit students on the first floor of the mage tower. There were indeed better versions in the mage tower, but those were modifications to the meditation core, and Garrett felt that he was better off constructing his own based on medical reference books. After arriving at the headquarters of the Magic Council, Garrett did manage to find some time to explore the academy and the exchange center in the White Tower. There were three meditation methods avable for free exchange in the academy, all requiring enrollment and student achievements, which Garrettcked; the other four were for academy teachers, which Garrett wasn¡¯t; so he had to regretfully give up. As for the council¡¯s office, which was in the White Tower... Regardless of arcane level, specialization school, or affiliation with any magic organization, the cheapest one that was directly open for exchange cost 1000 contribution points. Yes, contribution points, not gold coins. Using contribution points to exchange for gold coins, the Magic Council offered a 1:1 exchange; using gold coins to exchange for contribution points, sorry, the Magic Council didn¡¯t allow it, and even on the ck market, Garrett secretly inquired, a 2:1 exchange was impossible... Feeling his pouch, Garrett had less than 200 gold coins in total. Goodbye. "So, can I learn a new meditation method now? Will it be given to me for free? I¡¯m broke!" Seeing Garrett¡¯s eager eyes, Grand Mage Kairel felt like facepalming¡ªor giving him a brain p. This is the benefit of joining arge organization! Do you understand now? Meditation methods, which could elerate spiritual growth and improve efficiency in spiritual utilization, the very things that directly equated to corepetitiveness, were held by various major schools and mage organizations. They didn¡¯t give them to anyone, not even the Magic Council¡ª Papers could be published for free, spell models could be open for exchange, but the most crucial meditation methods, the most critical and advanced magical rituals, NEVER! For low-level mages who worked their brains off to get in, they inevitably had to suck up to their mentors, strive to contribute to the organization, hope their mentors would favor them, and give them a decent meditation method. But for someone like Garrett, who was brought in by the big shots¡ª Who dares to withhold? Who dares?! From the mentors to Garrett himself, to the big shots of the Thunder Horn and even the other branches of the Transmutation School, what they were racking their brains over was how to quickly level him up and give him the power to protect himself... Grand Mage Kairel swept his palm. Scroll after scroll, two magic crystals, and a golden fur parchment covered in writing dropped down. He casually gestured towards the pile of items: "It¡¯s free! Since you¡¯ve joined the Thunder Horn, you¡¯ll definitely get a meditation method! Take your time to look through them and choose the one that suits you. If you don¡¯t understand, ask me!" "If you pick one, there are matching magic rituals and magic potions. Using several methods together will speed up your level advancement!" Garrett: "..." Unrolling the scrolls is easy, but the writing on the fur... I don¡¯t quite recognize it. Do I need to look up the dictionaryter? And how do I read this magic crystal? Is it like the legendary jade slips, where you stick it to your forehead and the information is automatically infused... Oh, and there are potions too! "Um... which meditation method doesn¡¯t require potions?" "Don¡¯t you want to take medicine? Permanent potions to enhance mental strength, do you think they¡¯re easy to find?" Garrett eyed him warily, refusing to yield. Potions! Something to drink! This isn¡¯t the mass-produced energy potions or healing elixirs, already tried and tested with quality certification! Rare potions, who knows what ingredients they contain, where theye from! What¡¯s the pharmacology? What¡¯s the target? Is there any toxicity to the human body? What are the adverse reactions, any contraindications? What¡¯s the pharmacokics, how long does it take for the blood drug concentration to peak, how is it metabolized? Have there been animal experiments, have they passed clinical trials? Is there certification from the drug regtory agency... no, is there certification from a specialized institution of the Magic Council? Has it expired? Is the quality reliable or not, will the person mixing the potions identally add 50% more of some ingredient? Without origin, without quality assurance, potions that aren¡¯t ast resort, I firmly refuse to drink! --------------- Chapter 201 Chapter 201 Garrett finally began studying those meditation techniques. Before that, Master Kairel grimly took away two scrolls and a crystal. As for the usage of the magic crystal, he did tell Garrett before leaving: simply delve his mental power into the crystal and then receive information. As for whether he could withstand such a massive flow of information and how much he could receive, well... it¡¯s up to fate. Anyway, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try several times. Garrett: "..." He constantly felt like his blood vessels were about to burst at any minute. He should probably prepare some blood pressure medication or have a bottle of glucose nearby... He silently put down the crystal in his hand and prioritized looking at the scrolls. As expected, the meditation rules provided by the Thunder Horn for novice mages were concise and clear, written in universal magical script. After half a year of study, Garrett had already mastered thisnguage, so reading it was effortless. However... this meditation technique called "Stargazing Meditation" emphasized using one¡¯s own mental power to stir the stars in the sky, find one¡¯s destined star, and use starlight to aid in one¡¯s cultivation. It was said that this kind of meditation was closely rted to luck. With good luck, if the star resonated strongly with oneself, it could create a powerful mage. Garrett pondered for a moment how many light-years away the nearest stars were and felt that his mental power didn¡¯t have such high intensity. He silently put the scroll back... The meditation technique written on the inner side of that golden fur, however, was written in another ancient magicalnguage unfamiliar to Garrett. After flipping through books for a long time and consulting Master Kairel, Garrett finally understood the principle of this meditation technique:- The fur was taken from a powerful ancient exotic beast and, after thousands of years, it still remained intact. Mages needed to sense the breath on the fur, synchronize their mental power with it, and finally, let their mental power transform into the exotic beast, gaining its ability to manipte lightning and roam the void. Garrett: "...Isn¡¯t this more like regressing the more you advance? I¡¯m a human, why should I approach a wild beast? And, simting an ancient exotic beast with a piece of fur, isn¡¯t it like a blind man touching an elephant, touching whatever part he touches?" If there were gic engineering, it would be more reliable to clone a living creature from the fur first, then synchronize mental power with the living exotic beast. Helpless, Garrett could only touch the crystal and lie back on the bed. He couldn¡¯t produce glucose now, and even if he could, he wouldn¡¯t dare to use it on himself. That stuff was for intravenous injection, and without enough pure, sterile water and equipment to control the infusion rate, injecting it into his veins recklessly would be suicidal! Of course, if the mental shock was too great, and the blood vessels in his brain were about to burst, there was another approach: lowering blood pressure. He couldn¡¯t produce Western medicines like Metoprolol or Nitrendipine, and as for Chinese medicines... Panax notoginseng, cassia seed, Gastrodia, Emia bark... Forget it. The region wasn¡¯t right, and even if these medicinal materials were avable, he wouldn¡¯t recognize them if they were ced in front of him. Helpless, Garrett could only activate the first n for treating cerebral hemorrhage: absolute bed rest... Oh, right, and local cooling of the head. Garrett grabbed a cup of water, shot a freezing ray into it, ensuring that the water froze and could be poured out at any time,y back on the pillow, clenched the magic crystal in his hand against his brow, regted his breathing, closed his eyes, and slowly extended his mental power. Outside the guest room, Masters Kairel and Decar, the legendary mage, observed Garrett¡¯s every move through the wall with their mental power, exchanging nces. "Why is he fussing about these things?" "I don¡¯t know..." Garrett had already begun to receive information. The torrential flow of information rushed into his mind, fortunately still within his receptive range. It felt like flipping through a PowerPoint presentation. Graphics, text, rotating and splitting graphics, exnatory text that appeared alongside the graphics... No bursting of the head, no cerebral hemorrhage, no feeling of pounding temples. Thank goodness. The meditation technique in this magic crystal was moreplex than the previous ones, with discussions on the core of meditation, the outer shell of the meditation environment, and the method of releasing mental power. And the passage that took up the most ink in this rule was teaching mages how to construct the shell... At the outer edge of the meditation environment, use mental power to construct a spiral "shell," expanding outward in circles, with the opening gettingrger andrger. Absorb external energy heavily from the horn-shaped part,yer byyer, continuously filtering. The energy that is not needed or conflicts with one¡¯s own nature is expelled from the "shell" through the holes on the shell; the needed parts, after filteringyer byyer, are absorbed into the meditation core to strengthen oneself. The more circles the shell has and therger the opening, the higher the efficiency of absorbing energy; and theseyers of shell form a strong protection for the mage¡¯s own mental core. The vortex-shaped shell can even give the absorbed external energy the strongest activity. It seemed quite reasonable. As for how to construct the shell, the information flow transmitted by the magic crystal enthusiastically drew out the shape and indicated that following the drawing would suffice... What? Can¡¯t remember? The magic crystal also provided an alternative method: buy a conch that you find pleasing, and try to construct it as much as possible ording to its appearance. Oh, remember that the shell can be rough, but the inner wall must be smooth and uniform, like the inner wall of a conch, the way it feels when touched by fingers. Well, the previous meditation was a magic vertebrate, and now it¡¯s all the way down to a soft-bodied animal... Is this considered regressing as you advance? Garrett silently reflected for a while, sat up, and looked around. To his surprise, there were actually several conches disyed in the showcase in the guest room,rge and small, with various shapes. There were horn-shaped ones, long nail-shaped ones, vase-shaped ones, and standard conical ones. Each one wasplete in form, smooth and clean, obviously carefully selected. Garrett was silently touched. Master Kairel really went to great lengths. Even though he was so picky, he still prepared the props for his advanced meditation. But... forgive his pickiness, every conch here is beautiful, but none of them meets his perfect standard... The one he wanted... the one he wanted... Garrett unconsciously drew circles with his fingers on the ss of the cab door. Circles upon circles, spiraling outward. He suddenly froze: Isn¡¯t this a spiral? At most, it¡¯s a conical spiral, at most, it¡¯s a conical tube! I can describe it with functions! Use mathematics, use mathematics to guide this curve, use mathematics to construct this model, and the meditation shell made in this way is the most reliable! Garrett almost crawled back to the table. He spread out the paper, picked up the pen, and then ... froze. What was the function of a conical spiral again? How should the parameters be set? Oh no, I forgot... He closed his eyes and concentrated. Thanks to the memory bestowed by crossing over, "Advanced Mathematics for Medical Use" appeared vividly in his mind, page by page. It was indeed studied and even scored well back then, but not used for so many years. Some of the forms listed in the book seemed familiar, some looked... cough, face-blind already... No need to say more, let¡¯s review! Garrett rang the bell to summon the invisible servant who appeared silently. He showed a smile that was both embarrassed and a bit tragic: "Get me a piece of paper... uh, bring two bottles of ink, and as for pens, bring ten first?" --------------- Chapter 202 Chapter 202 Day one. "Has Garrett started meditating?" "No, he¡¯s still scribbling away..." Day two. "Has he started meditating yet?" "No, he¡¯s still writing..." Day three. "Is he meditating?" "No, he¡¯s asked for another sheet of paper..."Master Kairel the Great Mage stopped asking. Switching meditation techniques is a serious and significant matter. Many mages, before taking this step, try to adjust their mood and prepare themselves as much as possible. Some bathe, change clothes, and sleep for three days and three nights; some go fishing by the sea to rx; some go to indescribable ces for indescribable activities... Back in the day, Master Kairel himself obtained a magical equipment from his mentor, traveled hundreds of miles, and killed the enemy who had insulted his sister. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Compared to that, locking oneself in a room to write and scribble for three days, using up two sheets of paper, was as normal as it could get. Master Kairel wasn¡¯t worried that Garrett was too negligent; he was only concerned that Garrett might be too tense and unable to find the right state of mind... Garrett hadn¡¯t even torn a piece of paper! Every sheet of paper was neatly arranged, stacked into a pile! Garrett didn¡¯t feel overly anxious. Seated at the table, he tirelessly transcribed¡ªor rather copied¡ªthe contents of "Advanced Mathematics for Medical Use." Discussions, forms, charts, exercises... As he copied, memories of lectures, exercises, and insights from his university days flooded back. Unconsciously, Garrett had returned to the state he was in when he first took that course in his freshman year. It was the pinnacle of his mathematical prowess in his past life. With this peak state of mind, Garrett tirelessly tackled the new meditation technique he had acquired. In just one day, he calcted the curve of the meditation shell, and in another day, he calcted the positions of the filter discs and the ejection holes. Then, finally sated and refreshed, he applied for seclusion. "The meditation chamber? The Mage Tower has dedicated meditation chambers that provide mages with a safe, undisturbed environment rich in energy options and high energy density, making it more suitable for mage advancement. The primary meditation chamber is on the third floor, costs 100 contribution points per day, and is suitable for mages of levels 1-4; the intermediate meditation chamber is on the seventh floor, costs 1000 contribution points per day, and is suitable for mages of levels 5-9..." The low-level mage who was responsible for running errands in the Mage Tower, paused, looking meaningfully at Garrett. The implication was, you shouldn¡¯t need to use the advanced meditation chamber, right? Indeed, Garrett didn¡¯t need it. In fact, he was at that moment mentally calcting how many contribution points he had: - Three points for that X-ray article; thirty for the one on bat-borne diseases; three for the ultrasound article... - Those recent papers, one point each for the aseptic principle and the two on microscopy; fifty for the dysentery article; plus the subsidies from the Magic Council after registration, one point per month for a first-level mage, five per month for an arcane adept... No matter how he calcted it, it didn¡¯t seem to add up to 100 points. A sense of mncholy washed over him. "Um, can the meditation chamber be rented by the hour?" "..." The low-level mage guiding him looked at him dumbfoundedly. By the hour? Renting the meditation chamber by the hour? Except for real big shots, anyone who rents a meditation chamber does it to break through barriers. Who would want to be interrupted halfway through meditation? Brother, are you really sure you want to rent it by the hour?! Seeing the mage¡¯s expression, Garrett realized it probably wasn¡¯t feasible. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, torn between "I might as well meditate in my guest room" and "I¡¯ll ask Master Kairel to waive the fee for me," he resolutely chose thetter. After all, he was now under the jurisdiction of the Thunder Horn! If they were willing to provide the meditation techniques, surely they wouldn¡¯t balk at paying for the meditation chamber! Well, if they really refused, he could always borrow some money from them! With the paper on phosphorus already approved, earning him 100 contribution points, it should be enough! And if that still didn¡¯t work, he could write a few more papers, apply for research projects, and advance the funds to upgrade... Garrettid out three options in his mind and dashed off. Master Kairel patiently listened to his plea, neither agreeing to foot the bill nor offering to lend him money, but instead proposed a new solution: "In fact, I think you should check how many contribution points you have..." What was there to check? However, with a wave of his hand, the low-level mage beside him¡ªalso a level five mage¡ªbrought forth a magic array. Garrett hastily thanked him, took off his own badge, and ced it on the magic array with some skepticism: "Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?" In the center of the badge, against a ck background, the two bronze stars remained unchanged. However, along the edge of the badge, white rings began to rise slowly¡ªone, two, three... Three rings? Ah~~~ Three rings, one less than five... But three rings were still quite impressive! The evaluation of arcane ranks by the Magic Council was generally rted to a mage¡¯s research ability and mastery of arcane knowledge. Generally speaking, a three-ring mage meant they could effortlessly wield third-order magic. In other words, he wouldn¡¯t encounter any obstacles until he reached level seven or even eight. How did he suddenly jump to three rings? How many rewards did they give him for those submissions before? Garrett was dumbfounded. And in his shocked gaze, another row of numbers lit up on the magic array: 1592. 1592 contribution points... Enough to rent the primary meditation chamber for half a month without any pressure... Seeing Garrett¡¯s astonished expression, Master Kairel leaned back, intecing his fingers, silently savoring his reaction. Half a month has passed, and you¡¯ve only just realized it?! Other mages, after submitting their papers, are practically living in the Magic Review Department, checking their magic badges every hour, or even every minute. Garrett, on the other hand, has been in his guest room for half a month! Food is delivered, dirty clothes are collected, and there¡¯s a bathroom in the guest room for bathing. He could really stay indoors without leaving until all the preparations were done. Master Kairel had seen every mage above level ten, and they all needed the determination to stay up all night and forget to eat when necessary. But Garrett was only at level two, and yet he had this level of focus¡ªespecially since Garrett hadn¡¯t been practicing magic or conducting experiments; he had simply been immersed in writing and calction... Now that he had the money, Garrett dismissed the idea of mooching off others and left. He swiped his magic badge to enter the meditation chamber, and as soon as he sat down, the crystal column on the wall lit up: "Respected mage, hello. Wee to the meditation chamber. We rmend that you first measure your mental strength to facilitate the meditation process and understand your progress~~~" Huh? There¡¯s a mental strength test? "Is it free?" "Respected mage, the meditation chamber rental includes the mental strength assessment fee. Please feel free to use it." ...Spending 100 contribution points for this day was quite worth it. At the very least, Garrett hadn¡¯t seen this kind of testing feature anywhere else. However, Garrett didn¡¯t immediately activate this feature; instead, he asked cautiously: "Can others see my mental strength?" "The meditation chamber is managed by the Tower Spirit. Except for legendary mages of the Thunder Horn, others do not have permission to ess it." Legendary mages... even if they wanted to, they could only order him around with their fingers, without revealing his data... Garrett felt relieved. Following the instructions from the crystal column, he concentrated his mind and vigorously attacked it. The surface of the crystal fluctuated from colorless and transparent to light red, from light crimson to peach, from peach to fiery red, pausing for a moment before turning into cinnabar red. Finally, a number froze in the center of the crystal: 65. Without exnation, withoutparison. Garrett shrugged, noted down the number, and began his meditation. He had already prepared thoroughly beforehand, so now he simply followed the calcted function, focusing his mind and constructing a protective shell on the outer edge of the meditation environment. Origin coordinates, X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis... Lines spiraled, stretched, built pipelines, and on the outer edge of the pipeline, one ring after another rose, the inner walls smooth, the outer walls filtering, holes ejecting impurities... The environment inside the meditation chamber was rich and quiet. He hadn¡¯t noticed upon entering, but as he began to meditate, Garrett sighed: These 100 contribution points were really well spent! Rich, in terms of the concentration of elements in the room, it was indeed higher than the outside environment. When his mental strength felt depleted, he could replenish it from the outside at any time; quiet, because the elements in the room weren¡¯t restless, they weren¡¯t even lively, so they wouldn¡¯t disturb or harm his mental strength. It was like sitting in an autumn orchard, always ready to replenish when thirsty or hungry, yet not afraid of fruits falling and hitting his head. Garrett meditated devoutly. The protectiveyer constructed by his mental strength continued to extend: a quarter circle, half circle, three-quarters circle, one circle... one and a half circles, two circles... the lines were smooth, the curvature uniform, the inner walls smooth spirals, constructing a protectiveyer around his meditation environment, like a perfect pearl shell, nurturing the wless pearls within. When Garrett¡¯s mental strength reached its limit and he opened his eyes, the protectiveyer constructed by his mental strength had rotated around the core for three full circles. And upon retesting, the surface of the crystal had turned red to ck, and the number that popped up on the crystal column had doubled from before changing the meditation technique: 138. "138?" On the top floor of the Mage Tower, Master Decar looked at the number disyed by the Tower Spirit, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "He¡¯s exceeded the advancement line by so much, why hasn¡¯t he be a level three mage yet?" --------------- Chapter 203 Chapter 203 The number disyed on the crystal column in the meditation chamber... It¡¯s not a precise measurement, like assigning a constant value, such as 1 for casting a 0-level spell, then incrementing it with each level. It¡¯s actually a rough average. For each tier, from mage levels 1-2, 3-4, and so forth, the estimated upper and lower limits of mental strength are divided into roughly 100 parts, serving as a guide for mages¡¯ advancement. In other words, a mental strength reading around 33-35 on the red tier signifies preparation for advancing from level 1 to level 2; around 100, one can prepare for the third level. Some meditation techniques, with exceptionally abundant umtions, may suppress to around 110 or even 120 before moving into higher levels. ¡ªGarrett¡¯s previous test result was 65, which nearly meant that he hadpleted half of the progression from level 2 to level 3, an impressive rate considering he had only been a level 2 mage for a month or two. But 138? No sign of advancement yet?! Apart from Garrett¡¯s substantial umtion and immense potential, Master Decar, observing the real-time number, had to face a stark reality: Garrett, my student, seems to have hit a leveling barrier at level 2. ...ns had to be revised.Originally, Master Decar had nned for Garrett to reach level 3 by meditating, using potions, and studying in seclusion, at least mastering a plethora of second-tier spells. As a level 3 mage, one couldn¡¯t cast fireball spells or transform into a mobile turret, but their survival abilities would be significantly enhanced¡ª In terms of defense, spells like Mage Armor, Arrow Deflection, and Energy Resistance offeredprehensive protection; For offense, spells like Acid Arrow, Fireball, Lightning Shield, and Ice Fall allowed for robust attacks and defensive countermeasures; For control, spells like Fog Cloud, Web, and Trap Creation were invaluable, while for escape, Invisibility, Minor Illusion, and Mirror Imagebined could easily facilitate evasion; And if all else failed, spells like Bull¡¯s Strength, Bear¡¯s Endurance, and Cat¡¯s Grace could bolster one¡¯s physical capabilities for direct confrontation. In short, cing Garrett in the vicinity of Nevis City would provide him with enough space for independent activity¡ªhe might not win every fight, but at least he could escape smoothly. However, now, despite his mental strength surpassing the advancement threshold, he still wasn¡¯t leveling up? Master Decar sighed: "Let himplete all the 0-level and 1-level spells first. Memorize the descriptions ofmon spells from levels 2 to 5. ¡ªUntil he learns them all, until he memorizes them all, he¡¯s not allowed to leave the Mage Tower!" Learn them all, and it might take three months, six months even? He wouldn¡¯t believe Garrett couldn¡¯t advance in six months! ...Yet Garrett wasn¡¯t advancing. What¡¯s the rush? After reaching level 2, the meditation core hadn¡¯t even been fully constructed yet. When an apprentice mage advanced to level 1, they built all the bones with their mental strength; advancing from level 1 to level 2 naturally required attaching muscles to the bones. The average male body had around 640 muscles, more than three times the number of bones, requiring extensive work, and it wasn¡¯tpleted so quickly. Moreover, they had to differentiate between skeletal (voluntary) muscles, smooth (involuntary) muscles, and cardiac muscles,yer byyer, from superficial to deep. Each muscle had to be divided into numerous bundles, with muscle fascia and tendons, and provisions had to be made for blood vessels and nerves... One month passed. Muscles weren¡¯t fully formed. Two months passed. Still iplete. Three months passed. Graduation from the training camp. Garrett had mastered all 0-level and 1-level spells, passed Master Kairel¡¯s assessment with flying colors. Regarding the meditation core, he had finished constructing all the skeletal muscles and was progressing towards smooth muscles. In the meditation chamber, the astonishing number 169 appeared on the mental strength testing crystal... Yet, no signs of advancement... "So, can I go to the infirmary now? I¡¯ve really learned everything I can!" Master Kairel looked helplessly at Garrett, almost wishing he could bury him under a few thousand more books. However, years of experience made him understand: if an apprentice mage didn¡¯t advance after changing meditation techniques, it might be due to insufficient consolidation; if three monthster, there was still no advancement, it was likely... he was stuck. Encountering a leveling bottleneck, what mages needed wasn¡¯t just diligent study but also experience, exposure, and opportunity. Generally, the Magic Council encouraged them to go out, travel, explore, adventure, and even battle¡ª As they ventured, some got injured, becamezy, or lost themselves; some were killed halfway through, while many mages found their opportunities and proudly ascended another step. But could this kid be let out? Ah? Could he be let out?! Master Kairel took a deep breath, exhaled deeply, then inhaled deeply again. Finally, he threw a stack of documents in front of Garrett: "Mages supported by the Council mustplete certain tasks each year. As you¡¯re already a level 4 mage, equivalent to an intermediate mage, you naturally have to fulfill your responsibilities¡ª Due tost year¡¯s war, the demand for magical materials has greatly increased, but production has consistentlygged behind demand. Especially for our dwarven friends, their ability to smelt mithril has always been a bottleneck. In response, the Council has issued a research task. Take these documents and go see how to increase mithril production tomorrow!" Garrett: "Wait a minute, I¡¯m a mage, a healer! I don¡¯t know anything about smelting mithril!" I¡¯m a doctor! I¡¯m specialized in clinical medicine, not metallurgy or materials! Why am I being sent to the dwarves! My expertise doesn¡¯t match! "Don¡¯t know? You¡¯ll still go! Come back when you¡¯vepleted the task! Ore back when you¡¯ve advanced to level 3!" Master Kairel left with a wave of his robe. Not knowing? That¡¯s perfect, because not knowing will let you focus on leveling up! Was it easy to find such a task?! A level 2 squishy little mage, at the 4th circle of Arcanist level. Exploration tasks,bat tasks were too risky, and production tasks, like scribing scrolls or brewing potions, were really underutilizing his talents. The most suitable task was a research task, but such tasks were usually initiated and executed by the mage towers themselves, and recruiting outside assistance was rare, only a small amount released each year... And it had to be within the vicinity of Nevis City, right under their noses! And it had to provide him with enough novelty and experience! And it had to be doable for a low-level mage! Garrett: "......" Forget it, short of manpower, sweet tongue. Enjoyed the free training so far, now that a task has dropped, let¡¯s get to work. Besides, he hadn¡¯t seen dwarves yet! A new intelligent race! Inrge quantities! Get the paper ready, get the pen ready, and the badge of the Glorious Church of Radiance¡ªoh no, Linde¡¯s badge of Radiance, get it ready. Seize the opportunity, draw more anatomical diagrams! --------------- Chapter 204 Chapter 204 "You carry the burden, I lead the horse..." Garrett hummed a tune as he walked along the mountain path. He rode a dwarf horse summoned by his Summon Mount spell, swaying through the lush grass. It was a dwarf horse because they were traversing a mountain path, and Garrett feared he might fall if he summoned a horse of normal height... He had been dragged into the mage tower in March and released in mid-July. The distant meadow had transformed from a faint green to a vibrant hue with golden highlights. In the distance, a blueke reflected the sky, with wisps of white clouds silently drifting over the calm and clear surroundings. Bernard followed Garrett, carrying hisrge bone club, stumbling along. The bone club, pointed diagonally towards the sky, brushed aside the tall grass, sometimes surpassing Garrett¡¯s head in height. It wasn¡¯t that Garrett was mistreating his follower. It was just... with his magical abilities, none of the horses he could summon could bear Bernard¡¯s weight... It was truly a pity. Perhaps when he reached level 5, the shadowy steed he summoned could carry this barbarian. But ording to the documents Garrett had read, the weight capacity of the shadowy steed was the caster¡¯s weight plus 10 pounds per caster level. No matter how Garrett looked at it, Bernard didn¡¯t seem to weigh just 50 pounds... He couldn¡¯t even lift that big bone club. The forge district Garrett was heading toy on the north side of Igor Peak, nestled in the foothills of rk Peak. In fact, one could see the gate of the forge district by just peeking down from the peak of Igor...If any unusual situation arose, the mages could activate their flight spells to descend from the peak for rescue, or simply teleport from the Tower of Heaven, which would take just a few minutes. Moreover, apart from a few human mages, most of the inhabitants of the forge district were dwarves, making it difficult for infiltrators to blend in. If not for this, Garrett wouldn¡¯t have been allowed to travel alone from the station at the foot of the mountain to the forge district. Master Kairel hadn¡¯t even sent anyone to apany him, just advising Garrett before he left to prepare earplugs and a blindfold. Otherwise¡ª"How¡¯s your Sleep spelling along? Can you use it on yourself?" Just from that remark, Garrett could imagine how noisy the forge district could get. In fact, as he followed the stream between Igor Peak and rk Peak, ascending about five to six hundred meters, he already heard nging, nging, and rumbling soundsing from ahead. They must be close. Garrett¡¯s spirits lifted. Following the sounds, he soon came across a cluster of ramshackle cabins, painted in various colors, blooming like flowers near the mountain stream. Drawing nearer, the scent of alcohol wafted towards him, and a stout, bearded dwarf shouted loudly: "*%@#&*..." It was dwarven. Garrett didn¡¯t understand. Quietly, he cast hisprehendnguages spell. As a level 2 mage now, the spell couldst for 20 minutes each time, and his daily mana pool could support about 10 to 15 of them... How would he pass the time beyond those 6 hours?! Garrett never imagined that the first challenge of his mission would be thenguage barrier... He stood at the tavern entrance, looking around. Soon, he spotted a slightly more normal-looking two-story building with a deep blue hexagram hanging above it. Garrett tentatively knocked on the door, and sure enough, a level 5 mage came to open it. Seeing Garrett, the mage was immediately ted and pulled him into the office: "Finally, someone new has arrived! I was about to go crazy with them¡ªoh, what area are you responsible for? Maintenance of magical instruments? Inspection of ore ingots? Or bookkeeping? Why did youe so early? You came at the perfect time!" "Um... I¡¯m in charge of researching mithril smelting..." Garrett awkwardly handed over his credentials. The mage first cast a Detect Magic spell behind the document, illuminating the translucent watermark in the center of the page, then waved his hand, causing a magical seal to appear in the bottom right corner. After verifying each mark, he lowered his head and carefully read the document: "We dispatch a level 2 mage, Garrett Nordmark..." At this point, he couldn¡¯t help but look up, staring at the badge on Garrett¡¯s chest in astonishment. With a slight "Wow," the level 5 mage scrutinized Garrett for a moment, then continued to read the council¡¯s document word by word. Then, his enthusiasm skyrocketed: "The council has finally sent someone! Fantastic! It¡¯s been almost half a year, and the mithril production hasn¡¯t increased. The dwarves just keep drinking and drinking... and we can¡¯t even scold them! We can¡¯t lower the price of goods received, and we can¡¯t raise the price of grain and alcohol. What else can we do to increase their output?! The council keeps asking me for solutions! If the production doesn¡¯t increase, they¡¯ll deduct my contribution points! *%@#&*..." He looked at Garrett with an extremely eager gaze, as if seeing a savior descending from the heavens: "It¡¯s all yours now! I just reached level 2 this year, and research is so difficult for me. I just can¡¯t figure it out! But you¡¯re already a level 4, so you can definitely solve the problem! What research conditions do you need? Just tell me, I can arrange whatever you need immediately. If I can¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll write a report to the Magic Council!" Garrett couldn¡¯t bear to disappoint him. Honestly, if the Magic Council wanted steelmaking¡ªopen hearth steelmaking, st furnace steelmaking, or converter steelmaking, with coke smelting, oxygen blowing, there would definitely be a suitable method. Even though he knew nothing about it, he could still provide some ideas. But smelting mithril? He didn¡¯t even know what mithril was, for crying out loud! "Um... could you show me first how mithril is made..." "No problem! Wait for me to arrange it, and I¡¯ll take you in immediately!" The level 5 mage sprang into action, tidying up the documents in his hands and retrieving a thin silver headband, which he handed to Garrett: "This is a headband enchanted withprehendnguages. It has no other function but to allow you to understand their speech. Every mage working here is lent one by the council, and it must be returned upon leaving. The forge district is very dangerous, so don¡¯t wander around." The first difficulty was thus resolved... Garrett took the headband gratefully and ced it on his head. The headband was a bitrge, but after adjusting it, it fit snugly above his ears without pressing against his eyes. The sensation on his fingers was a bit greasy, who knew how many people had worn this headband before him, and whether the previous owners had cleaned it. Garrett silently resolved to wash it thoroughly with soap when he got back, then followed the level 5 mage out of the cabin and to the front of the tavern: "Old Hunter! This is a new mage from the council, take us to the mithril area to have a look!" The tavern was a cacophony of noise, with sounds of arm-wrestling, drinking, and off-key singing pouring out from the windows and doors. The level 5 mage had to shout three times before an old dwarf stumbled out, his face flushed, and shouted back at him: "Why are you yelling?! It¡¯s already off duty, if you want to go to the mithril area,e back tomorrow!" He tilted his head back and took a big gulp of beer. Rich foam spilled over from the edge of his beard, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand, spitting out a thick phlegm. At least he retained some manners and didn¡¯t spit directly at the mages¡¯ feet, but instead onto the steps of the tavern, sparkling and shining, ck mixed with gray. Garrett¡¯s eyes narrowed. --------------- Chapter 205 Chapter 205 Garrett immediately wanted to find a mask to wear. Forging, miners, spitting, dark gray viscous phlegm. These keywords put together immediately brought a word to Garrett¡¯s mind: Pneumoconiosis. Pneumoconiosis is a collective term for a group of upational lung diseases caused by long-term inhtion and retention of various pathogenic production dusts in the lungs during upational activities, mainly characterized by diffuse fibrosis of lung tissue. Pneumoconiosis itself is not terrible, but what¡¯s frightening is that it oftenes with a series ofplications: respiratory system infections, pneumothorax, pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease... Imagine someone with pulmonary tuberculosis coughing and spitting in front of you; it¡¯s definitely necessary to wear a mask! Moreover, it seems that dwarves have much stronger constitutions than humans. To dwarves, it¡¯s just a minor ailment, but to humans, it could easily knock them down! I don¡¯t want to die of tuberculosis! I want to wear a mask! It would be best if it¡¯s an N95... Sorry, there isn¡¯t one. Despite his best efforts, Garrett had only prepared a batch of Wulian masks and bubble spells to cover his head. However, if he put on a mask as soon as someone spat at him, Garrett felt that he wouldn¡¯t be allowed into the mithril area. They would collectively ostracize him to death!Garrett quietly pulled back with the apanying mage. When the old dwarf saw him like this, he grunted, muttered a few words in a low voice, too low for theprehendnguages headband to work, but from the expression on the dwarf¡¯s eyebrows and corners of his eyes, Garrett could probably guess that he was saying something like "weakling" or "coward". Garrett didn¡¯t get angry. If he got angry at this level of disdain, after more than a decade in the emergency department, he would have developed tension pneumothorax long ago. Instead, he crouched down a bit, looked the old dwarf in the eye, and earnestly advised: "Sir, if you feel ufortable in your throat, it¡¯s best not to drink alcohol." Alcohol increases the burden on the heart and lungs, irritates the gastrointestinal tract, and damages liver function. Whether it¡¯s pneumoconiosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, or simply a respiratory tract infection causing coughing and phlegm, it¡¯s best not to drink alcohol... The old dwarf paused. He instinctively wanted to say something, but seeing Garrett¡¯s serious and concerned expression, he swallowed his words. Turning back to the tavern, he shrugged his beard up and down, still muttering something. Garrett watched his stout figure disappear into the tavern, still drinking, and couldn¡¯t help but shrug his shoulders slightly, smiling bitterly. At this point, he realized that he should cast a healing spell on himself¡ªalthough he didn¡¯t know if it could prevent or treat tuberculosis infection, at least it was better than nothing. The level 5 mage next to him gave him a tug: "Hey, you offended him." "How?" "Dwarves hate it most when you don¡¯t let them drink..." "But he¡¯s still coughing, it¡¯s really better not to drink alcohol." "What¡¯s that got to do with you?" "I¡¯m a healer. If I see it and don¡¯t say anything, it¡¯s not right." In the end, they didn¡¯t immediately enter the forging area but settled down in a wooden house outside. As they chatted, Garrett learned that the level 5 mage was named Taylor Denfrees, thirty-eight years old, a local from Nevis, specializing in the Transmutation school of magic. Due to a previous explosion in aboratory, he had to sell himself to pay off his debts and took on the task of stationed here for two years. "Those dwarves are so difficult to deal with..." When it came to his own task, Mage Denfreesined: "Each one is stubborn, obstinate, and loves to drink. Every day, except during working hours, they¡¯re just making a ruckus in the tavern. If you want them to do more work, unless that old man in charge speaks up, they won¡¯t listen to anyone. That old man is cunning... Last time, I asked them for ten more pounds of mithril, and he extorted me for ten barrels of liquor! Ten barrels!" Garrett: "...Ignoring whether this deal was reasonable, won¡¯t the dwarves be even less inclined to work if they¡¯re drunk?" "That¡¯s not necessarily the case. There are two to three hundred dwarves in this forging area. Ten barrels of liquor is just enough to moisten their throats... Oh, what are you doing?" Garrett spread out arge canvas and was busy cutting and sewing it together, then used a mending spell to join it together to make himself some clothes... He hade in a hurry and hadn¡¯t had time to buy fire-resistant protective clothing for the forging area, so he could only make it himself... Early the next morning, Garrett and Mage Denfrees, led by the old dwarf, made their way deep into the forging area. The forging area was deep inside the mountain, passing through two sets of iron gates, inside the main road on both sides were one forging room after another. Walking deeper inside with Mage Denfrees by his side, Garrett muttered to himself: "Why are you dressed like this? It¡¯s so ugly... Afraid of getting burned? Don¡¯t you have mage armor?" Garrett nced at him helplessly. Mage Denfrees was wearing flowing robes, equipped with mage armor, energy resistance, and arrow protection¡ªaplete three-piece set. Thest spell, Garrett guessed, was mainly to guard against sshing sparks. All three spells were invisible, and they didn¡¯t seem to affect his appearance at all. "But you¡¯re a level 5 mage, and I¡¯m only level 2..." "You don¡¯t know this spell, I can cast it for you!" However, Garrett had no courage to entrust his life to someone else. He and Bernard were exactly the same, wearing thick canvas fireproof suits, long-sleeved trousers, and tight cuffs. Without ready-made fasteners, Garrett even found a piece of Sorrel and used magic to stick it to the edge of the clothes... Clothes, outerwear, hats, shoe covers, all made of thick canvas. With a Wulian mask on his face and a bubble spell on top, fully armed, he had the courage to enter the forging area. As for how Mage Denfrees would mutter and ridicule him, Garrett said, he couldn¡¯t care less... Inside the forging area were not individual furnaces but a series of flowing magma pools. As Garrett walked a few steps closer, he saw bright red magma bubbling in the pools, bubbling and bubbling. A strong smell of sulfur hit him, and Garrett secretly regretted not wearing a gas mask... "Waste! The iron ingot hasn¡¯t softened yet!" Suddenly, a loud roar echoed in the room. The whole forging room buzzed, and Garrett was startled, almost stepping back. He saw a dwarf in front of a pool of fire, bowing his head, pushing the almost squeezed-out iron ingot forward again, and plunging it back into the magma. Garrett carefully observed that the dwarf being scolded had slightly smoother skin on his face and his beard wasn¡¯t as long, while the one scolding him had wrinkled skin and his beard, even braided, still hung down to his chest. Swinging a hammer the size of a beer mug, nging and nging, nging and nging, on the anvil, sparks flying. Why don¡¯t they shave their beards? With this method of pounding, aren¡¯t they afraid of identally burning their beards? Garrett didn¡¯t want toment on the dwarves¡¯bor protection level. He followed Mage Denfrees and walked inside, without any dwarves greeting him proactively, or even giving him a proper look. Wanting to pull someone over for an introduction or something, Garrett looked around and simply gave up on this idea. The further they went, the brighter the color of the magma in the pools, and when they reached thest forging room, even with the magic effect of resistance to cold and heat, Garrett felt suffocated. "This is where the mithril is smelted..." Mage Denfrees told him loudly. Even if he didn¡¯t speak loudly, the deafening sounds of nging and banging all around made it almost impossible to hear oneself think. Garrett craned his neck to look inside, only to see a particrly grand pool of fire in the center of the room, about half a person tall and five to six meters in diameter. The edge of the pool was shining, with a row of magic symbols embedded in it. Three or four rows of steps were built around the edge of the pool, and a dwarf with a beard trailing to the ground was busy by the poolside. Several other dwarves were at least three meters away from him. This pool was particrly active, with magma spurting up from below, apanied by steam. The color was bright, shining white, and asionally, there was an explosion. Is this ce safe? Can we go in? Garrett hesitated for a moment. Before he could decide, a middle-aged dwarf walked out of the room, with gray braids hanging down to his waist, blocking their way with a swagger: "You! You¡¯re not allowed in!" --------------- Chapter 206 Chapter 206 "Not allowed in?" Garrett Nordmark instinctively halted his steps. Years ago, when they had coborated with nearbyrge steel enterprises and visited steel mills, it was akin to being guided every step of the way, not daring to misstep. After all, hearing phrases like "the steel beneath is at 1650 degrees," "this vat weighs around 140 tons empty, holding 260 tons of molten iron," "if this pipe is mishandled once, the spray could kill someone"... It¡¯s not just about refraining from saying too much or walking too far, brothers. Even though this was just the dwarves¡¯ forging area and not some top-notch factory, the principle remained the same. Even if there were only three or five dwarves moving around inside, Garrett understood deeply that just because professionals could navigate it, didn¡¯t mean non-professionals could. What if something exploded? Moltenva spewing out at over a thousand degrees, several thousand degrees, relying on mage armor to withstand it? Garrett believed in his own luck... He immediately stood still outside the forge, seeing Mage Denfrees wanting to argue with the dwarves blocking the door, he reached out and tugged on the hem of his robes. Mage Denfrees grumpily stepped back, and the dwarves with braided beards raised their heads even higher, loudly stating: "Wait outside! It¡¯ll be over soon!" One of them brandished a hammer¡ªa size smaller than what Garrett saw from the outside, with a hammerhead just the size of a fist¡ªand vigorously struck the door twice. Simultaneously, distant knocking resounded from various forges."ng!... ng! ng! ng! ng! ng!" The first round of knocking filled the forge with the cacophony of hammering and shouts, deafening; As the second round of knockingmenced, the forges from the main entrance to the mithril area gradually quietened down; After the third round of knocking, apart from the hurried footsteps, the cave was left only with the howling wind and asional crackling of moltenva. The dwarves filed out of the forges in groups. They tidied their robes with hands stained ck with soot, dusting off the coal ash from their leather skirts, lining up neatly on the central passage. From the entrance closest to the mithril area to the gate near the mountain wall, row by row, they knelt down. Mage Denfrees quickly pulled Garrett aside. The two mages, oh, and Bernard following closely behind, squeezed into an inconspicuous recess, watching the dwarves kneeling in perfect order, praying in unison: "Our great Father God..." Huh, what are they doing? Is it time for prayers? Garrett cautiously peeked out from behind Mage Denfrees, then retracted, then revealed half an eye, looking around carefully. The dwarves¡¯ prayers grew louder and louder, and finally, each hand grabbed a hammer, banging rhythmically on the ground... Garrett: No wonder the path here is so uneven... banging on the ground three to five times a day, it¡¯s impossible to repair it... Amidst prayers and banging, the mes in the mithril area suddenly surged. The lone elderly dwarf tending to the fire pit quickly bent down, scooping something from the center of the pit, sparks flying, and dashed towards the back with long iron tongs. In a moment, behind the fire pit, the same prayers could be heard: "Our great Father God..." The voice was slow, hoarse, tinged with a sense of weakness, yet resounding, as if made of solid metal. Just listening to it evoked an indescribable sense of awe, silently growing from the depths of the heart. Garrett stood quietly in ce, listening to the prayers behind the fire pit, resonating back and forth with the voices of the dwarves in the passage, bing increasingly intense. As the prayers reached their peak, a burst of bright light suddenly erupted behind the fire pit, so bright that even the roilingva and soaring mes couldn¡¯t overshadow its brilliance¡ª Garrett couldn¡¯t quite say what he saw. All he saw was a dazzling white, light streaking like dragons. In an instant, a series of information popped into Garrett¡¯s mind: Intense light, welding sparks, sunsses, photokeratitis... He instinctively closed his eyes. The intense light flickered on and off, repeatedly. After a while, the prayers finally ceased, and the heavy footsteps gradually returned to the forge. The first dwarf who spoke earlier brought out a wooden tray, and in the center of the trayy five gleaming metal bars: "Today¡¯s mithril. Take it!" As the tray was passed forward, it nearly poked Mage Denfrees¡¯ thigh. The fifth-level mage hurriedly caught the tray, his movements somewhat clumsy, shoulder to shoulder with the braided dwarf, walking into an adjacent room. Weighing, registering, signing on both sides to confirm the correctness, Mage Denfrees finally stored those metal bars, carefully sealing them in a bronze box. "You see, this is mithril." Watching the departing dwarves, Mage Denfrees shrugged helplessly: "We go through all this trouble every day, just for this tiny bit, barely enough to make a bracelet¡ªcan¡¯t even have thick arms. Last year, Master Mendro returned from the battlefield, wanting to repair his Staff of Radiance, took away 30 days¡¯ worth of mithril in one go, unbelievable!" Just as he said that, outside the room, there was a chaotic sound of footsteps again. Mage Denfrees immediately pushed the bronze box, stood up, bowed his head, and stood solemnly: "Master Talbert, you¡¯ve worked hard." No one responded to him. Garrett imitated his posture, bowing his head solemnly, discreetly looking outside¡ªluckily he bowed his head, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have seen a group of dwarves forming a circle, surrounding¡ªor rather, supporting¡ªan unusually elderly dwarf, slowly walking away. The old dwarf¡¯s hair was all white, his arms weakly resting on the shoulders of the braided dwarf, his head hanging low. The flickering firelight in the passage illuminated his wrinkled and shriveled skin, which looked as if it had no muscles underneath. Sweat dripped from his temples and the tips of his beard, leaving wet footprints with every step he took. Huh... the magic or sorcery used to create mithril... was it so tiring? When the teachers and the bald archbishop cast their spells, they never seemed to tire like this? Just as he was thinking this, the old dwarf suddenly raised his head, erupting into a fit of violent coughing. The coughing was heavy, with obvious phlegm, gasping for breath after each bout. Garrett instinctively stepped forward, wanting to ask a few questions or check up, only to see a group of dwarves behind him raising their hammers, staring intently at the old man, murmuring prayers... Garrett: !!! Let¡¯s talk things out, no need for violence! The hammers soon gleamed with white light. They struck the old man one by one. With this support, the old man¡¯s breathing gradually eased, even managing to walk without assistance. Garrett stood at the doorway, watching him leave, until Mage Denfrees whispered softly: "This master is 352 years old... he¡¯s the leader of these dwarves and a thirteenth-level senior priest. Only he can lead the dwarves in using divine magic to smelt mithril... if you want to try to increase mithril production, you can try to catch him at the tavernter..." --------------- Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Garrett struggled for a while but eventually entered the tavern with Mage Denfrees. Attempting to run into, ah no, trying to coincidentally encounter that dwarf master... He didn¡¯t drink alcohol. Neither in his previous life nor in this one. The senior surgeons from his previous life indeed loved drinking and were good at it, but this generation, starting from the guy who could stitch 12 mouse tails in one ss, everyone abstained from alcohol. Especially him. As the deputy director of the emergency surgery department, he could be called back to perform surgery at any time, even conducting one or several major surgeries. A drink, if unlucky, could cost several lives. Now, those disciplines, habits, knowledge, and ways of thinking were the only connection between him and his previous life. But this time, even though Garrett couldn¡¯t drink, he wasn¡¯t afraid. He brought a secret weapon, held his head high, and entered the tavern. In his past life, if you were a department head, you better have subordinates who could drink; if you were a doctoral advisor, you better have students who could drink. And now, Garrett had followers who could drink... Garrett wasn¡¯t sure of Bernard¡¯s alcohol tolerance limit. But judging by his volume, the capacity of this barbarian¡¯s stomach should be twice that of a dwarf. So, even though Garrett couldn¡¯t drink, he confidently raised his voice: "Boss, bring out the drinks! Bring out the meat! Bring out the good stuff!" "Coming! Find a ce to sit yourselves!"Garrett didn¡¯t need him to say, he would find a good spot himself. Inside the tavern, the smoke filled the air, and everywhere he looked, dwarves held pipes, puffing clouds of smoke, enveloping the entire tavern like a fire scene. Garrett nced around from the doorway, decisively picked a seat by the window, and took a deep breath next to the window. How could they eat like this? I¡¯ve raised dozens of pigs, cows, sheep, and cages of rabbits in the animalb, all for you to eat, haven¡¯t I? I even left you 50 gold coins! Could it be that you didn¡¯t eat them all but sold them to buy alcohol?! The two mages each ate half a forearm, drank two sses of wine¡ªGarrett only drank water. Bernard happily devoured the remaining two and a half forearms, threerge mugs of beer, almost all the side dishes, and sausages, burping contentedly before plunging into the center of the tavern: "Arm wrestling? Count me in!" "Come,e!" Known and unknown dwarves gave him their seats. Among dwarves, being able to drink meant being friends, and being able to drink and eatrge forearms meant being a hero, so Bernard, who could consume three times the normal amount, was definitely their brother. What? Bernard isn¡¯t a dwarf, he¡¯s twice the height of a dwarf? Dwarf brothers don¡¯t care about that! Bernard sat on a stool, his towering figure instantly shrinking into a ball, his arms twice as long as those of the dwarves opposite him. After a moment of silence in the tavern, the boss hurriedly ran in, then ran out again, carrying a chopping board about a foot thick, and mmed it down on the table in front of Bernard. "Come on!" "Put some strength into it! Give the big guy a hard time!" "Weitman! Are you not full yet? Put some strength into it!" The dwarves mored. Bernard, seated arrogantly in the vortex, wrestled one opponent after another to the ground. After winning the third one, he raised his head and mmed the table: "I want more drinks!" "Give him more! I¡¯ll pay!" shouted the fourth dwarf who sat down. Beer came immediately, and Bernard gulped it down in one go, then mmed his elbow on the table again: "Next!" Cheers and jeers once again echoed through the tavern. Taking advantage of the distraction, Garrett cast a bubble spell on himself, walked into the crowd with thick secondhand smoke, and joined the fray. Standing on the edge of the battle, he shouted behind Bernard: "Go, Bernard, go! Win this one, and I¡¯ll get you a leg ofmb!" Creak, creak. The solid wooden table groaned in pain, the two warriors¡¯ arm muscles bulging, veins protruding, gritting their teeth as they struggled against each other. Garrett stood by, watching intently: Deltoids, biceps, triceps, brachioradialis, extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi radialis brevis, external jugr vein, cephalic vein, median antebrachial vein... Hmm, the anatomy of dwarves doesn¡¯t seem much different from humans... "Is he your friend?" Suddenly, someone patted Garrett¡¯s shoulder. He turned his head and saw a gray-bearded dwarf climbing onto a stool, standing beside him. Garrett smiled and nodded: "My follower.¡ªBernard, don¡¯t rush it! Lean forward! Breathe in! Push your wrist inward! One! Two! Three!" With a loud crash, the forearm of the dwarf opposite was solidly pressed onto the chopping board. Bernard immediately turned his head: "Leg ofmb!" The leg ofmb was delivered. Garrett took out two gold coins, loudly instructed the boss to roast it, add honey and spices. The dwarves around him also looked much more kindly at him: "To have such followers, you¡¯re not bad. Hey, don¡¯t huddle by the window,e over here?" He gestured with his hand. In the depths of the tavern, on a half-height earth tform, the elderly dwarf master sat high above, surrounded by a group of middle-aged dwarves, smiling as he watched the noisy scene below. Garrett couldn¡¯t be happier. He scooted closer to the tform and sat down beside the gray-bearded dwarf, chatting quietly. While chatting, he listened intently to the dwarves on the tform beside him, taking turns urging: "Master, you should rest more!" "Yes, Master, using divine magic five times a day is too tiring! It¡¯s okay to do it one less time!" "Master, your health hasn¡¯t been goodtely, you shouldn¡¯t strain yourself so much..." "Master Talbert has never been well." Suddenly, the gray-bearded dwarf nudged him. Garrett turned to see his bronze-colored face, thick eyebrows and big eyes squeezed together in worry: "After using divine magic every day, he coughs for a long time, can¡¯t sleep all night for several days. Hey, I¡¯m telling you, Magic Council, can¡¯t you let him rest a bit more and not rush him so much?" ...If you don¡¯t want to cough, then don¡¯t smoke! Garrett nced at the smoking pipe next to the old dwarf and then at therge ss of alcohol he was pouring down, feeling that exhaustion wasn¡¯t the main factor. Before he could reply, the old dwarf had exploded in anger, mming his ss onto the table, sshing the liquid: "Stop nagging me, everyone! I can¡¯t even lift the hammer anymore, if you don¡¯t let me use divine magic, I¡¯ll die! I can still forge iron happily by Father God¡¯s side...cough, cough, cough..." He suddenly bent over, coughing violently. The dwarves around him rushed forward to help, supporting him and patting his back. The thuds were as heavy as smashing walls, one after another, making Garrett¡¯s heart pound in fear, unsure if it was the phlegm being patted out or the spine being broken first. After a while of pounding, the old dwarf¡¯s cough gradually subsided, but there was no sign of improvement. Suddenly, the crowd became chaotic, a panicked shout rang out: "Oh no, the teacher can¡¯t breathe!" Garrett leaped up. --------------- Chapter 208 Chapter 208 More than just Garrett leaped into action. Beside the elderly dwarf, two younger dwarves, one on each side, also jumped up. They hastilyid the old man t on a stool, then realized it was wrong and lifted him back onto the ground... Garrett: "..." No! Regardless of the reason for his breathing difficulties, whether it¡¯s heart and lung disease, blocked airways, or asthma, people shouldn¡¯t lie t! Heart and lung disease patients should be propped up, those with blocked airways should beid face down for back tapping, and there are different positions for other conditions. They shouldn¡¯t be lying t! "Get him up! Help him up!" He shouted as he ran forward. It was chaotic all around, with no one paying him any attention, not even ncing his way. The old dwarfy t on the ground, one dwarf kneeling beside him in prayer, the other spinning around in circles, calling out: "Where¡¯s my hammer? Where¡¯s my hammer?!" Do they need a hammer now?! Garrett couldn¡¯t help but feel speechless. However, the dwarf on the left had already lifted his hammer, raised it high, and a white light shot out from the hammerhead, directly onto the old dwarf. The effect was immediate, and the painful expression on the old dwarf¡¯s face suddenly rxed. Oh... the hammer is a divine equipment, alright. Garrett quickly nced at the handle, which was spotted and smoked, looking like it was used for ironwork on a regr basis. Perhaps, for dwarves, this is indeed quite normal?Just like how a bald bishop goes into battle with a staff... The dwarf on the right also found his own hammer. With one dwarf kneeling beside the patient¡¯s head and the other beside his feet, they both began to pray. Beam after beam of white light continued to fall on the old dwarf. By now, the incident had rmed the entire tavern. Drinking, arm wrestling, all activities came to a halt as every dwarf stood up from their stools. Nearly a hundred pairs of eyes stared fixedly at the tform, awaiting the oue of the treatment, hoping for Elder Talbert to turn the situation around. Initially, the treatment by the two dwarf priests seemed effective, but after less than half a minute, it began to deteriorate. The time for relief gradually shortened, the patient¡¯splexion grew worse, and the two dwarf priests exchanged worried nces, sweat dripping from their foreheads. One of them raised his voice: "Brothers, please help me in prayer¡ª" "Let me take a look at him!" Garrett interrupted. As soon as he sensed something was wrong, he rushed forward. However, being just a level-one warrior, and even more so after bing a mage, his physical abilities were limited. Jumping over stools, weaving through tables, climbing onto the tform, it was a difficult journey, but he finally made it. Peering down, he saw the old dwarf¡¯s face changing color, his throat wheezing and wheezing like a bellows¡ª This is bad! This is airway obstruction! Garrett immediately dropped to his knees and reached out to start treatment. But before he could do anything, a short, steel-like arm blocked his way, almost pushing him over: "Who are you? Get away!" "I¡¯m a doctor! ¡ªI¡¯m a healer!" ...No response. The dwarf priest kneeling beside the old dwarf¡¯s head continued to extend his arm, ring at him fiercely, refusing to let him approach. With a sudden realization, Garrett thought: I spoke in themonnguage of humans! He¡¯s speaking Dwarvish! He might not understand me! Stupid! Garrett hurriedly chanted, casting a spell of understandingnguage on the dwarf. He exined loudly once again, while simultaneously casting a healing spell to prove that he was indeed a priest. The dwarf priest¡¯s expression softened slightly, and he raised his hand, gesturing for Garrett to help with the treatment. Garrett eagerly dove in. Opening the old dwarf¡¯s mouth, he indeed saw sticky phlegm inside. It was indeed phlegm blocking the airway... damn it, what¡¯s the use of casting healing spells if you don¡¯t clear the phlegm and open the airway first! This world with divine magic is such a nuisance! Everything is left to divine magic, without it, you don¡¯t know how to treat illnesses! Garrett cursed inwardly, his brain spinning. In his previous life, he would have inserted a phlegm suction tube and connected it to a negative pressure aspirator, sucking it out with a gurgling sound. It would take as little as 5 seconds or as much as 15 seconds, but it would definitely clear the phlegm. But now... Where¡¯s the phlegm suction tube? Where¡¯s the negative pressure aspirator? Where¡¯s the power source??? The patient¡¯splexion worsened. Garrett dared not hesitate any longer. His right hand moved quickly, scooping out the phlegm from the old dwarf¡¯s mouth. Chunk by chunk of sticky phlegm was scooped out, but the patient still showed no signs of improvement. His body even began to convulse, like a fish out of water, struggling violently. He¡¯s hypoxic! With airway obstruction, decreasing blood oxygen saturation, the body¡¯s instinct is to struggle fiercely, fighting for life in its final moments! "Hold him down!" Garrett shouted. With his left hand lifting the old dwarf¡¯s chin, tilting his head back, and his right hand deeply into the patient¡¯s mouth, he probed towards the back of the throat and the uv, stimting the gag reflex to induce more violent coughing in the patient. His fingers were covered in a lot of phlegm, but it wasn¡¯t enough, it wasn¡¯t enough! The airway still wasn¡¯t clear! Phlegm must be suctioned! The old dwarf¡¯splexion had turned from white to purple, then from purple to blue, and his struggles were getting weaker. There wasn¡¯t much time left. In humans, brain hypoxia leads to irreversible damage if itsts more than 3 minutes. And a dwarf¡¯s brain, supported by divine magic, couldst a few minutes... Garrett didn¡¯t want to think about it, much less gamble. He made up his mind, pinched the old dwarf¡¯s nose with his left hand, leaned forward, and sealed the old dwarf¡¯s mouth with his own! Inhale deeply! Using the negative pressure formed between the oral cavity and the mouth to help suck out the phlegm in the airway, allowing the patient¡¯s airway to clear! The bubble spell on his head shattered silently. A foul-smelling, sticky liquid surged into his mouth. The smell of tobo, bad breath, and who knows what other foul odors mixed together and assaulted him. Garrett was on the brink of suffocation. His eyes stung, and tears flowed down immediately. But he couldn¡¯t ck off, let alone leave! He forcefully took a breath, then another, finally turning his head and spitting out a mouthful of thick phlegm. Before others could react, Garrett took a deep breath, leaned down, and repeated the process. One mouthful! Another mouthful! And another! Suck out all the phlegm! Clear the airway! Race against death! "F#@%&......" "&%@£¤......" It was chaotic all around, with people eximing, shouting, and seemingly someone yelling at him. Garrett ignored it all, focusing all his attention on saving the patient. He didn¡¯t know how many mouthfuls of phlegm he had sucked out, but suddenly, the resistance in his hand surged upwards again, and the patient began to struggle once more. "Ho... ho... ho..." Weak but desperate gasps for breath emanated from the old dwarf¡¯s decrepit body. There was still phlegm in the airway, but it was now clear, and the old dwarf began to breathe in fresh air with all his might, delivering oxygen to every cell through his lung¡¯s alveoli... The faint sound of his breathing was like music to Garrett¡¯s ears. He let go of his hands and copsed backward, sitting on the ground, unable to help but smile. As he smiled, he turned his head to the side and halfy on the ground, coughing and retching. Uncontroble tears streamed down his face in no time. Several rough hands helped him up. Someone pressed him onto a wooden stump, someone handed him water, someone handed him a towel¡ªthe towel was as rough as canvas¡ªsomeone pounded his back with the force of a pile driver, shouting in his ear: "Good friend! Good brother!" --------------- Chapter 209 Chapter 209 Garrett coughed and spat, rinsed his mouth, wiped his face, and after a while, he regained hisposure and hurried back to the old dwarf¡¯s side. Along the way, he didn¡¯t forget to grab a spoon to collect the phlegm, preparing to conduct bacterial culture experimentster. ¡ªThat phlegm went into his own mouth! Who knows what kind of bacteria is inside! Tubercle bacillus? Pneumocus? Staphylocus? Or perhaps cmydia? Mycosma? Fungi? He didn¡¯t want to get infected! Garrett cast a healing spell on himself, thinking it over, then cast another healing spell. His concern for himself ended there: The old dwarf had clearly experienced hypoxia just now, and now he needed to confirm with his own eyes how he was recovering and whether further treatment was necessary. He rushed over, and Master Talbert had already been helped up and was sitting on a stool, sipping water with small sips. Two dwarf priests, one on each side, were apanying him. Seeing Garrett rushing over, the priest who had been cast with "Understanding Language" immediately jumped up and made way for him: "Hey, thanks for earlier!" The old dwarf also slowly stood up, supporting himself on the table. Garrett hurriedly bent down to support him: "Master, shall we sit outside? If your breathing isn¡¯t smooth, it¡¯s best not to sit in here, it¡¯s smoky..." "No need, I¡¯m fine like this." The old dwarf smiled slowly. Garrett became anxious: "Master!!!" "Alright, alright, I¡¯ll listen to you." The old dwarf gently patted his hand. One, two times. Between his white beard and hair, his eyes curved slightly, that smile, just like when their mentor fell seriously ill and disciples begged for treatment.After two pats, the old dwarf let go of Garrett, leaning on the hands of the two disciples, walking outside. Arge group of dwarves in the tavern followed, lifting tables, moving chairs, lighting torches, and settling the old man on the hillside outside. The refreshing mountain breeze blew in bursts, and the tired look on the old dwarf¡¯s face gradually rxed. Garrett sat down in front of the old dwarf. Carefully observing, the old man¡¯s lips and fingernails were no longer purple, but his breathing was still rapid. The two dwarf priests looked eagerly on, and the one who had been cast with "Understanding Language" approached a bit, cautiously asking: "Priest sir, do you have any way to help the master? We¡¯ve done everything we can..." "Don¡¯t smoke, don¡¯t drink, breathe in fresh air more, don¡¯t sleep in poorly ventted ces at night." Garrett looked serious: "And take some expectorant medicine regrly to help cough up the phlegm. I¡¯m not good at medicine, I¡¯ll write a letter to Elder Wood, you take the letter and go to Oak Ridge to ask him for medicine. And also..." And also oxygen! For respiratory failure secondary to chronic lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis, etc., although oxygen therapy cannot cure the disease, it can effectively improve patientfort and oxygenation! Garrett rummaged through his waist pouch, took out his precious little test tube, and the potassium permanganate in the test tube: "Use the gas inside as a spell material, gather the same type of gas together, put it in the Bubble Spell for people to breathe, this spell¡ªor divine spell¡ªwho can do it?" The two dwarf priests looked at each other. They looked at Garrett with nk faces, and Garrett looked at them with a nk face, like two students struggling with a question paper. Did I not exin clearly enough... When I told Elder Wood earlier, he understood it quickly, didn¡¯t he? "I can give it a try." Next to the long table, Elder Talbert cleared his throat and suddenly spoke up. The two dwarf priests were shocked and turned back: "Master!" The old dwarf waved his hand. He looked at Garrett seriously: "But how do I know if the divine spell is used correctly, and the gas gathered is the same as the one in the tube?" "That¡¯s right!" The two dwarf priests nodded vigorously. The tube was empty, colorless, odorless, even if you tried your best, how would you know if the divine spell was used correctly? Not being able to see proof always leaves people puzzled... "I do have a way with this." Garrett thought for a moment, continued to rummage through his waist pouch, and took out aplete set of alchemical equipment from his spatial bag. Set up on-site, conduct experiments on-site, and collect a tube of carbon dioxide: "Shall we try this?" The old dwarf took the test tube, concentrated on casting the divine spell, and gathered the gas in an empty beaker. After casting the spell, Garrett lit a candle, poked it into the beaker, the me flickered without any flickering, and emitted a wisp of ck smoke before quietly extinguishing. "That¡¯s right, that¡¯s it!" Garrett pped his hands. He took out the earliest tube of potassium permanganate, heated it carefully, dposed potassium permanganate to release oxygen. When the powder in the bottle turned from purple to gray-ck, Garrett handed it to the old dwarf, instructing earnestly: "You release a Bubble Spell for yourself first... the gas collected this time, put it in the Bubble Spell, and you can breathe it yourself!" The old dwarf hesitated. But seeing Garrett¡¯s earnest gaze, he still raised his hand and tried the spell for himself. Soon, hisplexion improved, and he let out a long breath. "How is it? Master, how is it?" "Much better..." The old man¡¯s voice was light and cheerful. Garrett squatted beside him and quickly added: "This gas is best to be inhaled every day. ¡ªWhen you feel extremely tired after using arge divine spell, when you can¡¯t stop coughing and can¡¯t sleep at night, it¡¯s best to inhale it. I dare not say it will cure you, but it can make you feel much morefortable." The two dwarf priests nodded so vigorously that they were about to leave a shadow behind. One on the left, one on the right, they grabbed Garrett and thanked him profusely. Garrett thought for a moment: "By the way, it¡¯s best not to use the Bubble Spell. That thing is too small and will be inhaled in no time, and the subsequent waste gas may be harmful to people. It¡¯s best to use a tube ced near the nose, connected to a bellows behind, and slowly push the gas over. As long as someone intes the bellows, the elderly can inhale this gas when they are tired or asleep..." He spread out paper and pen, brushed, brushed, and drew a schematic diagram of an oxygen tube and oxygen pump. After finishing drawing, he said again: "It¡¯s better not to use human force to operate the bellows, which may cause excessive venttion. Behind it, install a mechanical transmission device, powered by hydraulics, or whatever force is convenient... for example, set up a water tank to hold water and push the bellows one by one... But, I can¡¯t do this..." "We can do this!" Both dwarf priests smiled. "Making this kind of thing is our specialty!" Garrett pushed the paper and pen decisively. The paper and pen are yours, great gods, please draw! Arge group of dwarves started to work at the same time, cooperating. Garrett only took care of calcting the tidal volume, the speed of pushing and pulling the bellows each time, and the volume of gas supplied. He handed over the data and went straight to sleep. Early the next morning, he saw the strange-looking respirator¡ªor oxygen pump... At the front was a tightly fitting mask, ording to Garrett¡¯s requirements, two one-way valves were specially made to facilitate the discharge of waste gas. Behind the mask was a rubber tube, which could be directly fixed to the patient¡¯s nostrils if the mask was removed. Behind the tube was a bellows with springs, a contraption simr to a water wheel kept turning beside it, pushing and pulling the bellows. And what drove the water wheel was a barrel with a water tap¡ª The barrel was filled with clear water, and the water level was maintained at the highest point to ensure constant flow velocity and constant impact force, so that the bellows could be pulled at a constant speed. Beside it was a taller and fatter barrel, connected to the former by a siphon tube, and a dwarf stood beside it, pouring water into the tall barrel... This... this is really something good... at least it¡¯s semi-automatic... Garrett¡¯s eyes gleamed, and he smiled at the dwarf priests. "Can you... make another one for me... I can use it to save other people..." He took out his purse. Before he could untie the purse string, his hand was firmly held down: "What are you giving money for! You¡¯re our good brother, making something, and you still want your money! Wait, we¡¯ll make it for you tonight!" Yes!!! Dwarf version of a respirator, obtained! In the future, as long as I reach level 5, learn that oxygen-enriching divine spell, or figure out how to get a liquid oxygen tank, I can give people oxygen! Garrett¡¯s hospital, a lifesaving weapon, has been obtained once again! --------------- Chapter 210 Chapter 210 After sessfully rescuing Master Talbert, Garrett found himself in a favorable position within the forge area. Dwarves nodded and smiled at him as he moved through, and even the dwarf who had blocked his way yesterday now readily stepped aside to let him through: "Come this way! Stick close to the wall, be careful, and you should probably pick up your shield... Oh, forget it, I¡¯ll carry it for you..." Garrett reached for the iron shield, exerting force, but it didn¡¯t budge. He tried again, and again, but still couldn¡¯t lift it. Before he could attempt a third time, the dwarf swiftly took it from him, hoisting it overhead with a single arm... Throughout the journey, Garrett stayed close behind the shield, neither too fast nor too slow. The shield, thick and rectangr, provided a sense of security as it blocked his side, appearing as formidable as a fortress wall. What? Shield Magic? Mage Armor? Those transparent things that vanish as soon as they¡¯re cast, offering no real sense of security? Garrett followed the dwarf, observing the raw appearance of the mithril mine, the crushed and washed ore powder, and the rough intermediate products that emerged from the refining process. As they walked, the dwarf exined each stage of production to Garrett: "Digging mithril ore is troublesome, but once you find a good vein, you can yield a fair amount of ore. Processing the ore powder isn¡¯t too difficult; it¡¯s just a matter ofbor and hammering. But turning it into these finished pieces is a challenge. Without a good furnace, it¡¯s impossible to achieve. We only have this furnace here that¡¯s capable of it, and in the entire kingdom, there are only three..." Understood. The difficulty in refining lies in the temperature ofbustion. In the future, he could rmend using coke, st furnaces, oxygen blowing, and simr techniques. Garrett nodded in understanding, prompting the dwarf to continue:"This furnace, only Master Sien can operate it. Only he has the keenest eyes and knows when to retrieve the product..." So most people can¡¯t manage it and need a mechanical arm? And if they still need to control the me temperature, perhaps a metal thermometer would be considered? "But even though retrieval isn¡¯t difficult, with luck, Master Sien can retrieve several pounds in a day. However, turning it into mithril is... is..." His eyes suddenly welled up. Squatting heavily, the sturdy man transformed from a square-shaped figure into a lumpy mass: "Except for high-level divine spells, nothing else works... only the master can manage it... you mages keep pressuring him, and he keeps pushing himself, even though he¡¯s already exhausted, he won¡¯t stop for a day..." "So the council sent me here." Garrett squatted down beside him, reducing their height difference significantly. He bent forward slightly, allowing him to meet the other¡¯s eyes: "The council sent me here to find alternative methods to increase production and ease the master¡¯s burden. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t rush the master... By the way, when you use divine magic to smelt mithrilter, can I observe?" "Feel free!" The dwarf led Garrett around in arge circle, settling him down in the depths of the mithril area. Garrett squatted on the ground, his back against the wall, peering out from behind the iron shield, continuing to observe the magical smelting: Ah, the dwarf is already kneeling and praying, and I have to hold this shield myself, it¡¯s so heavy... Garrett knelt on the ground, crossing his forearms to support the shield. Not far ahead, the magical process had already begun, with a translucent dome hovering in the air. At the bottom of the dome, the mithril semi-finished producty quietly, innocuously. The dwarves continued to pray. Once, twice, three times, their voices grew louder, until finally, the translucent dome suddenly glowed with a brilliant white light! Garrett: !!! Reacting quickly, he shifted the shield to his left shoulder and pulled out a ss te coated with ink, holding it up to his eye. With the protection of the ss te, the intense light appeared much gentler, and Garrett muttered to himself: "...Why does this look like an electric arc..." Whether it was an electric arc or not, there was a possibility. Although Garrett¡¯s background was in clinical medicine in his past life, he had heard of using electrolysis to smelt metals¡ªat least, he knew about aluminum electrolysis. But whether this white light was electricity... Retracting the ss te, Garrett rummaged through his spatial bag and pulled out a long wooden stick with a ma attached to the end. Holding his breath, he extended the stick outside the iron shield, trying to keep it as level as possible. After half a minute, his outstretched right hand began to tremble, and the thread attached to the ma also rippled slightly. Garrett: "...This is getting worse the more I try. Back in my past life, I wouldn¡¯t have trembled just pulling a hook! Oh well, it¡¯s probably because of holding the shield with my shoulder, it¡¯s too heavy, affecting my right hand¡¯s strength..." After pondering for a moment, Garrett abandoned the wooden stick and used Mage Hand to grasp the end of the thread attached to the ma. This proved effective, as the ma stopped swaying and hung still in the air. Garrett patiently waited, the prayers resumed, and once again, the white light shed in the dome. The ma suspended in mid-air also began to rotate gently. The ma is rotating! No one is running over with a ma, and therge iron shield and other metal objects are not moving... The ma is inexplicably spinning. Consider the strong maic field, consider electromaic reaction, consider... Consider that the white light in the magical dome is a high electric current! In the darkness, Garrett¡¯s eyes grew brighter. Early the next morning, Garrett returned to the mage towers on the peak with a thick stack of papers outlining his experiments in electrolyzing mithril. He sought out Archmage Kairel once again: "Master, I have several ideas regarding the smelting of mithril..." He handed over the paper, divided into sections with bookmarks. Each section contained text, diagrams, exnations, andrge nk tables awaitingpletion. As Kairel flipped through each page, his brow furrowed tighter: "Method one: Form mithril ore powder into thin rods, insert them into pure salt, heat until the salt melts, and apply electricity... The form for the rods needs testing, the heating temperature needs testing, the electric current needs testing... It may need to be done in a vacuum, or in... what kind of gas? See the appendix for gas extraction methods..." "Method two: Fill a graphite crucible with quicklime, bury a steel mesh in the lime, and fill the mesh with mithril ore powder... Apply high heat and pass electricity through the molten lime salt... Temperature and electric current need testing..." "Method three: Press graphite powder and mithril ore powder into shape, insert them into molten salt, and electrolyze at a certain temperature..." Kairel¡¯s temple throbbed uncontrobly. Finally, he pushed the papers back to Garrett, fingers intertwined: "What about the temperature? The electric current? How do you make the rods? Electric in a vacuum, or in what... gas? Do you know the detailed methods?" "I don¡¯t know!" Garrett raised his head proudly, unyielding: "It¡¯s precisely because I don¡¯t know that I need to try! I have ideas and directions now, but no manpower or resources to conduct experiments. That¡¯s why¡ª I¡¯vee to apply for a project from the council!" --------------- Chapter 211 Chapter 211 Garrett finished speaking in one breath, then leaned back in his chair with a sigh. Grand Magister Kairel looked at his calm demeanor with a throbbing headache, feeling the tension building from his eyebrows to his temples. When other junior mages came to him to apply for projects or seek assistance in applying to the council, they all wore expressions of anxious sincerity. But Garrett? His face seemed to say, "I did my best, take it or leave it." This was precisely why Garrett hadn¡¯t found the sealed materials or the blood pressure gauge. Otherwise, if he had picked up the gauge to measure, the Grand Magister¡¯s diastolic and systolic pressure would have probably shot up by at least 30 millimeters of mercury... The Grand Magister rubbed his temples. Leaning back, he interlocked his hands, thumbs twiddling back and forth. After a moment, he raised his chin, pointing at the papers in front of him. "You want to apply for a project? Then let me ask you, how many mages of what level does your project require?" "I don¡¯t know. But, at least, several above level five." Wrestling with electricity, vacuum, or magic arrays, he couldn¡¯t handle any of it. In the Thunder Horn Hall, where mages constrained lightning¡¯s force, there were no mages below level five. It was likely the same for this project. "What facilities and materials does your project need from the Mage Tower?" "I don¡¯t know." I don¡¯t even know what facilities the Mage Tower has! I only caught a glimpse of the Thunder Horn Hall! "How long will the projectst, and how much funding does it need?""I...don¡¯t...know," Garrett shrugged. If it were a grant from the National Science Foundation or the like, he could slowly calcte what instruments, materials, and funding were needed. But here, he didn¡¯t even know how muchpensation level five mages received for a day¡¯s work! How can you be so nonchnt about not knowing anything? The Grand Magister suppressed his urge to vent, swallowing back his myriadints. This situation wasn¡¯t Garrett¡¯s fault. In fact, to prevent such urrences, the teacher had arranged to directly interface with Garrett, guiding and supporting him anytime, anywhere. Typically, mages in the council, if they could bring level five mages on missions, were at least level seven, even level nine or above. These were all challenges they would experience throughout their growth. Those few they hadn¡¯t encountered, they could consult theirworks; there would never be a situation where theycked something or didn¡¯t know something. But Garrett was an exception. His ideas didn¡¯t match his rate of advancement... But was it really Garrett¡¯s fault? Not to mention the unfinished paper in his hand, even the heap Garrett had tossed out before, with hundreds of mages, was now being tirelessly verified in the alchemy room... The Grand Magister took a breath, then another, trying to calm himself. He looked seriously at Garrett. "If you don¡¯t know any of these, and still want to continue this project, you have two options. First, estimate the required manpower, facilities, materials, invite mages; I can assist you with that. But you must submit the application report yourself and lead the entire project. Of course, the project¡¯s results will be entirely yours, and you¡¯ll be responsible for distributing all rewards..." Garrett vigorously shook his head! Are you kidding me? Ordering a group of mages above level five and directing them? Besides, even if they listened to him, when they started fiddling with force fields and such, he wouldn¡¯t even understand! Seeing Garrett¡¯s wide eyes and head shaking like a fan, the Grand Magister finally felt a bit relieved. He smiled faintly. "The second option is to coborate with the Thunder Horn Hall. You propose the project and the ideas," he pointed at the papers in front of him. "The Thunder Horn Hall provides manpower and everything else. But in that case, you won¡¯t be able to im all the project¡¯s results¡ª" "That¡¯s it!" Garrett interrupted eagerly. The Grand Magister was taken aback. "As for the split...!" "Whatever! Just count me out when it¡¯s done! Oh, and leave me a small set of equipment that I can operate myself, let me try electrolysis!" The Grand Magister: "..." Please, I wanted to talk about the distribution ratio! At most, I could give you 40%. Well, if you insist, we could negotiate for 50%... After all, so many people can¡¯t work for free... Garrett was already overjoyed. He didn¡¯t want to get involved in this project at all. Anode materials ratios, reaction temperatures, voltages, and current intensities... He wasn¡¯t a metallurgy major! Nor was he a materials expert! With so many dwarves waiting for him to y in the forging yard, no, waiting for him to figure out one by one, he had to struggle with electrolysis and metallurgy? This troublesome experimental project was decisively being dumped on the Magic Council! The Grand Magister shook his head with a wry smile. He sent Garrett away, carrying the papers, and personally went to the Tower of Heaven to find the legendary mage: "Teacher, that Garrett hase up with something strange again..." "Hmm, let me see..." Master Decar took the papers, flipping through them while stroking his chin. It was unavoidable for him to pay attention: for the Magic Council, the importance of metals like mithril could never be overstated... This metal, which was half the weight of steel yet even harder, with excellent malleability and magical conductivity, was one of the best materials for crafting magical equipment and sketching magic arrays. If possible, the Magic Council would love to mix adamantium and mithril to make more airships; the high-level mages would like to have a mithril vest each... Just a dream. Not even legendary mages could achieve a vest for everyone. The bounties for smelting and increasing production had been hanging there for years. Mages bravely rushed up and were ruthlessly beaten back: Some only managed to obtain ore and ended up injuring their fingers while trying to forge it themselves; some seeded in establishing rtionships with dwarves, getting semi-finished products from mithril refining, and went through various trials with acids, alkalis, and heat, but still couldn¡¯t produce anything decent; some high-level mages, with particrly good rtions with the dwarves, were able to observe the divine process of smelting and correctly identify it as electric current, but when they tried it themselves with electricity, they ended up with nothing... Chopping horizontally, vertically, trying various methods, ultimately ending up with nothing. But Garrett¡¯s paper, Master Decar could tell at a nce, presented unprecedented ideas and approaches. "How many people can you spare?... Actually, including yourself, allocate enough manpower toe to me. On the 375th floor of the Tower of Heaven, in rooms 3, 4, and 5 under my name, you will have twelve hours." "Teacher¡ª" Twelve hours? Subtracting eight hours of sleep per day, plus time for meals and personal care, there would be no time left! He might manage, but his apprentices might not! "What¡¯s wrong?" "Um...mixing mithril ore powder and making fine rods, people in our energy maniption department might not be able to handle it..." Master Decar hesitated, then leaned back, diverting the conversation to another direction. Scratching the stubble on his chin, the legendary mage said: "That makes sense. Let me go find that old fox from the transmutation department and get his people to help. Oh, you said Garrett wants a small room to work on something himself?" "That¡¯s right...but is he capable? He¡¯s only level two; he can¡¯t even handle force fields..." "Give it to him! Room 6. You go set up everything and assign an apprentice to watch over him! Protect him at all times!" With a legendary mage¡¯s intervention, when Garrett arrived at the Tower of Heaven three dayster, he saw that the research facilities, materials, and personnel were all in ce. Mages in various colored robes were bustling back and forth in the force field rooms. A tall mage was holding a form, constantly shouting: "Raise the heating temperature by another 10 degrees, start the third experiment!" "Hold the heating temperature steady, increase the power output by 1%, start the fifth experiment!" "Mithril rod number three, start the second experiment!" Mages from the corresponding groups were responsible for the operations. Adjusting the burning arrays, adjusting the electric fields, changing mithril rods. Electric currents crackled, and the heat waves rolled in the force field rooms, making it impossible to step within ten paces. Garrett stood for three seconds, then slowly stepped back, backing up to the doorway, where he was stopped by Grand Magister Kairel: "Is this n consistent with what you designed? Do you think anything needs to be changed?" "Um..." Sweat dripped from Garrett¡¯s forehead, unsure if it was the heat roasting him or if he was feeling nervous about the grand scene. He struggled to recall any bits of his limited knowledge of physics and chemistry, finallying up with something: "The voltage might be too high..." Though he didn¡¯t remember what the voltage for metallurgy was, he vaguely recalled that the voltage had to be lower than the dposition voltage of the molten salt, and that number was quite small, only two digits... The Grand Magister paid close attention to his words. Making a few marks in his notebook, he immediately called out: "Garrett! Lower the voltage! Lower it more!" "Hey, it¡¯s not about the current! It¡¯s the voltage! The voltage!" "Voltage? What¡¯s that? How do we measure it?" "We have voltmeters..." Garrett quietly swallowed his words back. Involving positive and negative charges, ions inpounds...he couldn¡¯t exin it in just a few words...The technology in this world hadn¡¯t even reached atoms, ions, and electrons yet! How can I exin? Or can I summon Alessandro Volta? Is that possible? If not, can I at least get a simple voltmeter for electricians? Garrett scratched his head, feeling helpless. He could only offer something else: "I...I only know how to reduce voltage..." He handed the notebook back to Grand Magister Kairel and drew a few simple current diagrams: "In series circuits, the current is the same everywhere in the loop, and the sum of the voltages across each load equals the total voltage... In parallel circuits, the voltage across each branch is the same, and the total current flowing through the main branch equals the sum of the branch currents... Or you could consider using a resistor for voltage drop... That¡¯s all I know!" He tossed the pen and paper aside, happily running off into theboratory assigned to him. Power supplies, wires, carbon rods, everything was ready. Garrett opened his spatial bag, taking out beakers, sks, sinks, and test tubes, setting them up, pouring distilled water, adding refined rock salt¡ª "Bubble, bubble, bubble..." Anode, cathode, bubbles continuously rose from the ends of the two carbon rods. In one of the ss tubes, yellow-green gas flowed into lime milk, and the milky liquid in the sink gradually rified, visible to the naked eye. Garrett took a deep breath, filled with joy. The cold, refreshing, slightly stimting smell rushed into his nose, spreading throughout his body and limbs, instantly filling him with a sense of security. Disinfectant! I finally made it! --------------- Chapter 212 Chapter 212 Garrett was overjoyed. Disinfectant! Disinfectant! In clinical settings, there are various disinfection methods: alcohol, iodine, high temperature, high pressure, ultraviolet light... But the cheapest, most freely sshed around without a care, is disinfectant! In hospitals, in operating rooms, the smell of disinfectant permeates every day. Without this smell, performing surgery feels unsafe... It feels more unsafe than wearing less clothing. After all, during surgery, it¡¯smon for pants to fall down, and the circting nurse might not always help you pick them up; it¡¯s absolutely impossible for the operating room to not be disinfected after a day¡¯s use! Garrett had long wanted to make disinfectant. However, he only knew that electrolyzing saline solution produces chlorine gas, which, when passed into lime water, produces disinfectant; but electrolyzing saline solution requires direct current, and the method of generating electricity, he only understood alternating current... How to convert alternating current to direct current? Sorry, I don¡¯t know. But now, thanks to the research task given by the Magic Council, Garrett finally had readily avable electricity he could use openly and honestly! His n to develop electrolysis had finally paid off! What¡¯s metallurgy? That stuff has nothing to do with him; disinfectant is what¡¯s urgently needed right now! Properly disinfecting the operating room and wards can save many lives! Garrett didn¡¯t know whether this stuff, crackling with sparks and contained by force fields, was considered direct current or alternating current. But since electrolyzing saline solution was sessful, it probably was direct current. He worked tirelessly, making tworge buckets of disinfectant, carrying the buckets until his arms went soft, then breathed a sigh of satisfaction:It should be enough for now! Making too much of this stuff isn¡¯t good; putting it in a spatial bag, who knows if it¡¯ll evaporate... Oh, it¡¯s best to also get some bleach! Last time there was a cholera outbreak in Harnd City, if there was bleach, things wouldn¡¯t have been so troublesome; just sprinkle some bleach and it¡¯d be fine! Garrett rolled up his sleeves and continued working. Making bleach wasn¡¯t particrly difficult; it was simply calcium hydroxide¡ªalso known as ked lime, heated to produce quicklime, then mixed with a little water to form lime water, and vigorously passed chlorine gas into it. What¡¯s that? You say there might be too much chlorine gas and it could be poisonous? Just connect another tube and continue delivering it into the lime water, and another bucket of disinfectant is made... Theboratory in the Tower of Heaven, for the most part, didn¡¯t have windows leading to the outside of the tower, at least not Garrett¡¯sb. He worked tirelessly all day, only feeling satisfied when he left with threerge buckets of disinfectant and a big bottle of bleach, swaying as he went back to rest. And as soon as he left, Aurora Worton, a fifth-level mage, who had been slouching in the corner, immediately jumped up like she¡¯d been electrocuted and rushed to the experiment table. Aurora Worton was the youngest disciple of Grand Magister Kairel. To be a disciple of a 14th-level grand mage as a mere fifth-level mage, one can imagine his talent¡ªindeed, since entering, Aurora Worton had been smooth sailing, being called a genius youth by those around him, leaving his peers far behind. From studying on his own to bing an apprentice, to advancing to a fifth-level mage, he had only spent five years, and he was only 20 years old this year. Along the way, he had never encountered any obstacles, even though he had been locked in the mage tower for five years, reading books and doing research, never venturing out for adventures, he had smoothly crossed the first major milestone. And in these five years, he had also published several good papers, improved several new spells, and was now a third-level arcane schr. Among the young mage group of the same age, everyone praised him as the future grand mage, even the seed of legendary mage. This genius youth had just had some enlightenment recently and had plunged into theboratory, intending tobine the "Ether Prison" and the "Ring of Electricity" to create a new spell. Busy halfway, he was suddenly dragged out of theboratory by his teacher and made to be a bodyguard for a second-level mage... Aurora Worton: "??? Teacher, I don¡¯t want to go! I¡¯m only halfway through improving the spell!" "Go!" Grand Magister Kairel just waved his hand, and a transparent force field hand lifted him out of theboratory: "Teacher won¡¯t harm you! Look, even though he¡¯s only a second-level mage in terms of rank, he¡¯s a third-level arcane schr! Third level! And he¡¯s three years younger than you! Making good rtions with someone like him will bring many benefits in the future!" Aurora Worton was thus thrown over. After arriving, he realized that his fellow disciples, the apprentices of his seniors, and the mages under his seniors, as long as they could spare the time and their spell levels were sufficient, were all locked in the three adjacentbs, experimenting to the point of life and death. Listening to his seniors, the experiments, which filledrge sheets of paper, were all designed by the little mage he was guarding... Aurora Worton really wanted to go over. But it wasn¡¯t possible. He could only squat in room 6, monitoring Garrett, refreshing his mage armor and arrow protection every half hour, and refreshing the protection energy every 50 minutes. Apart from that, he was always ready to cast a force field hand to pull Garrett out of danger... However, the experiment went smoothly without any hups. All he heard from the next room were explosions and sparks, but in room 6, everything was calm, and none of the protective measures were used even once. From morning till night, he only saw the young mage busy, moving shelves, moving sinks, pouring water, pouring magical materials... He secretly identified those magical materials and found they were just salt and lime,pletely ordinary. However, with these salt and lime, Garrett made something he had no idea what it was, something that the identification spell didn¡¯t give an answer to. Aurora Worton was curious. But since Garrett didn¡¯t speak to him, he didn¡¯t dare to ask, so he could only squat in the corner and watch with wide eyes. The experiment wasn¡¯t difficult, and Garrett¡¯s movements weren¡¯t particrly fast; it was the kind where you understand after seeing it once, be proficient after seeing it twice, and after seeing it three times, I¡¯m sure I can do better than him... Starting from the third time, Aurora Worton had nothing to do except keep time and refresh Garrett¡¯s spell protections on schedule. Boring. Boredombined with curiosity, and after Garrett left, he took out the alchemy equipment he carried with him and also went up to the experiment table... It¡¯s just salt, right? It¡¯s just passing electricity through, right? Oh, there are no graphite rods; let¡¯s go to the next room and get a couple... Aurora W orton quickly set up the experiment table. Soon, bubbles began to bubble up from the graphite rod... The bubbles on both sides were different colors. One side was colorless and transparent, and the other side was a faint yellow-green. After patiently waiting for a while, he first collected two bottles of yellow-green gas and ced them aside forter use, then went to deal with the colorless and transparent ones. The identification spell was cast, but there was no information; The toxicity detection spell was cast, showing no toxicity; When opened and smelled, there was no odor; When the cold ray spell was cast... "Boom!!!" An unprecedentedly violent explosion. Fortunately, Aurora Worton reacted quickly and raised his shield in time, avoiding being injured by sparks, shockwaves, and shattered ss fragments. He was drenched in cold sweat, and when he regained his senses, he saw the mess on the experiment table, no different from if a hurricane had passed through. Bottles. The graphite rod was crooked. The ss sink had a crack, and the saltwater in the sink was bubbling, already spilling out halfway. And the two bottles of gas that had been set aside beforehand, along with their caps, were shattered into pieces, and the yellow-green gas inside was rising in thin wisps, bing thinner and thinner... I haven¡¯t figured out what that is yet! When Garrett returned, he was met with a scene of chaos. Aurora Wortony on the ground, clutching his chest tightly, curled into a ball; The experiment table looked like a hurricane had passed through; Shiny water stains and broken ss littered the table and floor... "Help!!!" With a deep breath, Garrett shouted at the top of his lungs. Then, he brushed aside theboratory¡¯s force field barrier and rushed in. Taking a step forward, he immediately halted, retreated, and jumped out of the room, encasing himself in a bubble spell... Why is someone copsed! That smell inside, that... that¡¯s chlorine gas!!! "Help¡ª" Garrett shouted again, rushing in under the protection of the bubble spell, desperately dragging the person out. After a couple of steps, the surroundingboratories began opening their doors, and mages rushed out one after another. Without lifting his head, Garrett shouted at them while observing the patient: "Don¡¯te in yet!" "Blow the air out of the room! Blow it outside the mage tower! The air is toxic!" A strong wind blew through. The wind maniption spell cast by high-level mages was much stronger than Garrett¡¯s, and the powerful gusts stung as they swept past. Garrett dispelled the bubble spell and, relieved not to smell chlorine gas anymore, he let out a sigh, gently cing the patient down and continuing tomand: "Get a high-level healer!" "Bring a new sink! Fill it with clean water, add a bit of soda ash, but just a bit! ¡ªStick the graphite rod back in, electrolyze it, and collect the gasing off it! Hurry!" As he spoke, his eyes darted around, assessing Aurora Worton¡¯s condition. Severe coughing, pink frothy sputum, obvious cyanosis of the nail beds, signs of lung damage and hypoxia were apparent; conservatively estimating, it was a moderate chlorine gas poisoning. Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t progress to pulmonary edema right away; if it did, my healing spells won¡¯t be enough to save him... Quickly, Garrett flipped Aurora Worton onto his back, tilting his head back to open his airway. Then, he shouted: "Can you hear me? Can you hear me? ¡ªGood! Open your mouth! Wider!" Aurora Worton struggled to open his mouth. Garrett swiftly cast a sh spell into it, inspecting with the aid of the light source ¡ª oh no, the throat was already swollen, and if it continued, the swelling would obstruct the airway in minutes. He hesitated for half a second between performing a tracheostomy and a cricothyrotomy, swiftly and deftly rummaging through his supplies. As he dug, he stared into Aurora Worton¡¯s eyes, speaking loudly. Speaking for the patient to hear, but also for the mages present to hear: "You¡¯re poisoned! The trachea here¡ª" Garrett extended his hand to gesture around the patient¡¯s throat: "It¡¯s already swollen. If it swells a bit more, you won¡¯t be able to breathe, and you¡¯ll suffocate! If you agree, I can make a small incision below your throat, insert a tube for you to breathe, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t cut any blood vessels, a minor healing spell will fix any damageter! If you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll use healing magic to keep you stable, but I¡¯m only a second-level priest, I don¡¯t know how long I can sustain it, and I don¡¯t know if a high-level healer can make it in time! If you agree to the incision, tell me, or nod!" Aurora Worton neither nodded nor shook his head. His fingers spasmed and trembled, desperately trying to grasp his own throat, but his lips moved soundlessly. Inside and outside the room, there was chaos¡ªsome were tidying the experiment table, some were rushing out for help, and others were gathering around Aurora Worton, their faces filled with concern. A tall, silver-haired mage stood out from the crowd and proimed loudly: "Cut him open!" "What?" "Cut him open! I¡¯m the master¡¯s senior disciple, I¡¯ll take responsibility!" Garrett nced up. The silver-haired mage met his gaze and nodded solemnly. Garrett took a deep breath: "Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t move! ¡ªCast a paralysis spell on him! Don¡¯t let him move!!!" The spell was cast. Aurora Worton stiffened in ce, and Garrett lowered his head, sping his hands together, holding a tiny seed in his palm, silently praying¡ª "Grow, tracheal tube! Grow for me¡ªnow!" Tender green tendrils swayed. Hollow, soft, smooth yet resilient vines snaked out from Garrett¡¯s palm. Then came the routine of an emergency room doctor, practiced and fluid: alcohol to disinfect the skin, sterile tools, incision, separation of the tissue in front of the trachea, a sh of the de. The vine-made tracheal tube smoothly inserted! No more relying on chicken bones, thank the gods! "Is everything over there yet?" --------------- Chapter 213 Chapter 213 With the endotracheal tube in ce, fresh air flowed into the airway, and theplexion of Aurora Worton immediately eased. His hands, which had been wing at his throat, fell rxed by his sides as a steady stream of air flowed through his airway. Garrett Nordmark helped him sit up, and surprisingly, he managed to remain seated while breathing. The most nerve-wracking and critical moment had passed. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief and began urging loudly, "Is the workstation ready?" Whether it was mild, moderate, or severe chlorine poisoning, oxygen therapy was crucial. However, Garrett didn¡¯t have pure oxygen on hand... As the saying goes, when you¡¯re desperate, you make do with what you have. Garrett could only wait anxiously here while directing the mages to electrolyze water on-site. Not only did he have to direct them, but he also had to instruct them on how to test it: "The gases produced by two graphite rods are different! Remember to check! One will ignite with a blue me, while the other will cause the me to suddenly increase when a wooden stick is inserted! I want the one that increases the me! Collect a bottle of it and bring it to me quickly!" "How troublesome!" The silver-haired mage assigned to perform gas extraction waved his hand dismissively, and two identification spells flew over... "It¡¯s this one! The me of ignition! Quickly collect a bottle and bring it over!" Garrett: "...So, it¡¯s been several months, and you still haven¡¯t given it a name?" But that wasn¡¯t a big deal. Whether it was called the me of ignition or the breath of life, it didn¡¯t matter. As long as they quickly gave him a bottle of pure oxygen, they could call it whatever they liked. He reached around his waist and first pulled out arge stick¡ªa stethoscope in the form of a copper tube. Having a space bag would have been great; then he could carry all these necessary tools with him... emmmm, there was some wet rales in the lungs, fortunately not diffuse, and it wasn¡¯t considered severe chlorine poisoning. Even so, it was best to give him oxygen quickly!"Is it ready over there?" "Not yet! Only halfway through!" The speed of producing oxygen was quite annoying. But Garrett couldn¡¯t intervene too much, mainly because he didn¡¯t know if increasing the voltage or current would improve oxygen production efficiency or blow up the oxygen generator first. He could only rely on himself, work hard, and start with a healing spell on the patient¡¯s lungs. Seems like there was no response. Another one? ... Another one? He cast five "minor healings" in a row. The wet rales under the stethoscope finally lessened a bit, seeming to indicate a transition to dry rales. Garrett felt a slight dizziness and a throbbing sensation in his temples. He knew he had overused magic in a short period. He dared not release another healing spell, so he withdrew the stethoscope, rummaged through it, and then threw out a bunch of stuff. Dwarf version of a venttor! Uh... let¡¯s skip the bucket for now, and the face mask too. Just use the air pump and rubber hose for now... The group of mages gathered around, stretching their necks to watch curiously but fearing to disturb Garrett¡¯s treatment, not daring to approach within two meters. Only one mage rushed over from the workstation: "It¡¯s ready! Here¡¯s the first bottle! You use it first!" "Good!" Garrett responded, quickly calcting. The air pump was rtivelyrge, and the volume of the oxygen cylinder was about half that of the air pump... at most sixty percent, right? That should be enough. In any case, for high-flow oxygen therapy like this, the oxygen volume fraction should be at most 70%, pure oxygen shouldn¡¯t be used. So, next is... He pointed at the air pump of the venttor and shouted, "Who will help me transfer the gas into here!" Five or six hands stretched out like a forest, hesitated for a moment, and the mage squatting in the middle "pped", "pped", "pped", knocking away the hands of hispanions and took two steps forward: "I will! I specialize in wind magic!" "It¡¯s you! Hurry up!" Garrett simply handed him a bottle of oxygen. He himself reached out and picked up the endotracheal tube, tapped it gently on the soft vine at the end, the vine elongated, expanded, wrapped around the rubber hose, and quickly tightened. While he finished here, the wind mage happened to finish his work: "It¡¯s done!" "You wait here! Wait to transfer the next bottle!" Garrett ordered him, already starting to push and pull the air pump like a clinical squeezing ball. Chlorine poisoning and oxygen therapy were matters for the emergency department or respiratory department. He had only read a few papers on it. It seemed that the oxygen flow rate should be around 50 L/min... Damn it! Not enough oxygen! "Is the me of ignition ready? Hurry up! Hurry up! Faster!!!" "It¡¯sing! It¡¯sing! It¡¯sing!" The workstation responded in session, sending three bottles of gas in one breath. Garrett nced up in the midst of his busy work, realizing that they had simultaneously opened four water tanks, surrounding the power source in the center, and began electrolysis together... Uh, well... as long as I get the results... With a steady supply of pure oxygen, and Garrett steadily pumping the air pump, continuously supplying oxygen, the patient¡¯s condition gradually began to improve. The cyanosis on his lips and nails faded bit by bit, and the shortness of breath and chest tightness also began to ease. After about half an hour, he no longer needed to sit up to breathe and could lie down peacefully. It was at this moment that Archmage Carlisle hurried over. Apanied by a senior mage, they rushed in, and as soon as they entered, they were astonished by the scene before them: It was understandable that he was lying on the ground, but what did it mean to have a tube inserted into his neck? And the tube was connected to a pump? And someone was pushing it back and forth? What was going on? "How is the poisoned person?" The senior mage hurried forward, waving his hand, and a milky white light showered down, precisely Garrett¡¯s familiar treatment spell. Garrett looked up hopefully: "His lungs are injured! Treat the lungs! Treat the lungs! Don¡¯t mind that tube! I¡¯ll handle it!!!" The senior mage was taken aback. He crouched down, looked at Aurora Worton lying on the ground, and then at Garrett. Garrett, his face flushed with exhaustion, continued to push the air pump steadily, without stopping for a moment. The senior mage carefully observed his movements, then looked up and paused on Garrett¡¯s mage badge¡ªa level two mage, specializing in healing? The little guy who had been making a lot of noise recently? Indeed, he heard that he was also a healer... By the way, what was his name? "Garrett Nordmark?" Garrett nodded vigorously. The senior mage pondered for a moment, ced his palm on the patient¡¯s left chest, and released white light dots that floated into his chest. The light was dense, soft, and not dazzling, obviously from the hands of a master healer. Garrett stole a nce and saw three stars twinkling on the senior mage¡¯s badge¡ªone, two, three... A level 13 senior mage... Level 13, master of magic, specializing in medical magic. This healing spell was indeed beautiful. He released the air pump, letting it fall onto a translucent float, and quickly took out the stethoscope. Pressing on the left lung, he listened carefully¡ª Normal breath sounds! This treatment was too effective! "Left lung healed! Right lung!" The senior mage of magic was surprised. He relied on his perception of the breath of life to determine that the left lung had healed, but what did this kid rely on? That tube? "How did you know?" "Well, you listen to the breath sounds, they¡¯re different on both sides..." Garrett generously handed him the stethoscope, then tore off the endotracheal tube and removed the connected air pump. Since one lobe of the lung had already healed, continuing to administer oxygen was unnecessary and could even be harmful. When the senior mage finished listening to the breath sounds on both sides and reached out to press on the patient¡¯s right chest, Garrett crouched beside him, pointing to the patient¡¯s throat: "He¡¯s also got a problem here, his throat is swollen, he can¡¯t breathe... Master, could you please heal his throat? Once it¡¯s healed, I can remove the tube!" The senior mage of magic looked at him deeply, lightly touched the patient¡¯s throat, closed his eyes to sense for a moment, and then threw another healing spell. Garrett confirmed that the swelling in the throat had disappeared, nudged forward, and held the endotracheal tube with both hands: "Shrink, revert..." The tender green vines swayed gently. Inch by inch, they were pulled out from the patient¡¯s trachea and returned to seeds in Garrett¡¯s hands. "All done! I¡¯ll take care of the rest!" The senior mage¡¯s palm was already raised, and then gently lowered. With a curious gaze that seemed to ask why he dared topete with him, he nced at Garrett. Garrett smiled at him, lowered his head, and pointed to the patient¡¯s neck from a distance of seven or eight centimeters: "Healing minor injuries!" First, he healed the trachea, then moved the mage¡¯s hand, allowing the pulled tracheal front tissue to return to its original position. He guided a bundle of healing energy to brush over it, healing the slight injuries from the pull... Healing the subcutaneous tissueyer byyer! Healing the skin! Perfect! The senior mage¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. When Garrett finished everything, he handed him a badge: "Your healing method is quite interesting. I¡¯m Garen Nowak. If you¡¯re interested in exchanging healing techniques, you can find me on the 75th floor of the Mage Tower." "Hey!" Archmage Carlisle eximed discontentedly. Nowak chuckled: "All right, all right, we¡¯ll talkter. I¡¯ve got a bunch of things to do, and I was pulled over halfway through... Little Garrett,e y when you have time!" He waved his sleeve and left. Archmage Carlisle got up to see him off. When he returned to theboratory, he cast his gaze on Garrett: "What happened?" Between his going and returning, the silver-haired mage who had stepped forward earlier, Carlisle¡¯s senior disciple, had already cleared the scene. All the mages who hade out of other rooms to watch the excitement, the transmutation mages busy with experiments, and the apprentices who had lent a hand¡ªall of them were ushered out one by one. In Laboratory No. 6, only Carlisle¡¯s direct disciples and Garrett, who was busy taking care of Aurora Worton, remained. When Archmage Carlisle inquired, there was nothing to hold back: "What ident happened? How did Walton get poisoned?" In Archmage Carlisle¡¯s view, it was probably because Garrett had made a mistake while experimenting, and his own disciple had rushed forward to save him¡ªotherwise, how else could he exin why the level two mage was unharmed, while the level five mage was knocked down? But even if his disciple was injured as a result, he couldn¡¯t me Garrett too much. At most, he could use this as an excuse to advise Garrett not to do dangerous experiments... Unexpectedly, Garrett remained calm, without a hint of shame. Instead, his junior disciple trembled slightly and mumbled: "It¡¯s my fault... I imitated his experiment without permission..." What?! Archmage Carlisle grew angrier as he listened. When he heard the end, he waved his hand, and a transparent giant palm shot out, sending Walton flying: "You rascal!" --------------- Chapter 214 Chapter 214 "Ah! No!!!" Garrett almost flew out with Mage Walton. Of course, one was forcibly ejected, and the other rushed out on his own; one fell backwards in horror, while the other leaned to the side, hands outstretched, desperately trying to grab hold. But human nerve responses have limits. Despite Garrett¡¯s frantic efforts, his fingertips still fell short of Mage Walton... "Ah..." A sigh echoed softly. Then, Garrett saw Mage Walton¡¯s body flying through the air, slowing down, slowing down, like falling into a pile of cotton, leaning strangely in mid-air. Well, if you didn¡¯t consider gender, it was quite graceful... In the corner of his eye, Archmage Carlisle¡¯s senior disciple, the silver-haired mage, quietly withdrew his hand. The others rushed forward, pressing down, supporting, desperately restraining their own teacher: "Master! Calm down! Calm down!" With this buffer, Garrett finally managed to rescue the person safely. Checking his eyelids, pressing his chest, making sure there were no life-threatening injuries, he released the patient, turned around, and confronted Archmage Carlisle aggressively: "How dare you hit someone! And a patient at that! Just healed!!!" If not for the air cushion behind him! If the person had hit the wall directly! At that speed, with that impact, a few broken bones would be nothing! If it caused a head injury or a spinal fracture, he had nothing on hand, he couldn¡¯t treat it at all!Garrett leaned forward, trying to widen his eyes as much as possible, making an effort to hide his guilt. Archmage Carlisle was a level 14 grand mage, his savior, and the one who disciplined his disciples. Garrett really had no grounds to reprimand him... But the patient was someone he had just painstakingly saved! He had performed a tracheostomy, administered oxygen, and cast a multitude of healing spells, bringing him back from the brink of death! He had pumped the air for half an hour, and his hands were still trembling! Garrett persuaded himself like this, trying to straighten his small stature as a level 2 mage and level 1 warrior. You can scold me, but you can¡¯t hit my patient! The patient I just healed, under no circumstances should he be hit in front of me! To his surprise, Archmage Carlisle did not get angry at his attitude. Instead, he sighed deeply, shook off the arms of his disciples, and suddenly bowed deeply to Garrett. "Master, please don¡¯t!" Garrett was so frightened that he almost jumped up. If he had the attribute of a snow leopard, he would probably have been able to jump three feet in the air. He fumbled to go up and help, but Archmage Carlisle had already straightened up, looking ashamed: "It¡¯s my ipetence as a teacher! Garrett, I owe you an apology. I¡¯ve raised such a student who dares to imitate others without permission!" "It¡¯s not really imitation..." It was just the content of a high school chemistry textbook. Garrett¡¯s voice grew quieter and quieter. As Archmage Carlisle strode past him, he raised his hand, and a transparent giant palm rose again, lifting up his own disciple: "Tell me! Where did you go wrong!" "I..." Aurora Worton, having experienced two brushes with death in a row, was now swaying unsteadily. He nced quickly at his teacher, lowered his head, stole a nce at Garrett, his face turning red then pale in an instant: "I... I vited the rules of the Magic Council... Doing someone else¡¯s experiment without authorization, without legal exchange, I shouldn¡¯t have done it..." The Magic Council had always been strict about protecting the unique achievements of mages, or, in a modern sense, intellectual property rights. In the early days of ignorance, every mage treasured their unique magic dearly. If someone was found to be stealing, it was even legal to take private measures ¨C that is, to beat the person to death. Of course, whether one could actually beat them to death was another matter entirely. After the establishment of the Magic Council, a different set of rules was established. Mages were encouraged to publish papers and submit their innovative magic for other mages to exchange for a fee. Of course, even with legitimate exchange channels established, there were still people who wanted to steal... Without the mage whose rights were infringed stepping forward, the Magic Council would pursue the matter to the end! And experimental designs... were also part of a mage¡¯s achievements, enjoying the same level of protection within the Magic Council. As Aurora Worton made intermittent confessions, Archmage Carlisle scolded him while briefly exining to Garrett. After finishing the exnation, he rubbed his temples, sighed deeply again: "Garrett, just consider it a favor to me and don¡¯t report this to the council. I¡¯llpensate what needs to bepensated here, and impose the necessary punishment ¨C Aurora, how many contribution points do you have left?" "I still have over 1500 points..." "Give him a deduction of 1500 points!" Archmage Carlisle ordered without hesitation. Then he turned to exin to Garrett: "The fine for this behavior from the council is usually ten times the normal exchange price. I can¡¯t estimate the value of this experiment, but I know it¡¯s definitely not low. But this kid only has 1500 points... If you think it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll make up for itter!" "No need..." Garrett protested in a low voice. But Archmage Carlisle had already turned to his own disciple: "As for you, from today, immediately, leave the Mage Tower! Take the next ship to the New Continent and stay there for three years. If the time¡¯s not up, you¡¯re not allowed toe back!" "Master..." "Get out! Either go to the New Continent for three years, or from now on, don¡¯t call me your master!" This series of orders was urgent and swift, without room for objection. The disciples beside them fell silent, each of them lowering their heads to look at their own toes, none daring to interject or plead for mercy. Aurora Worton¡¯s face was ashen, sweat dripping from his forehead, and finally, he bowed deeply and staggered towards the door. "Wait!" Garrett finally reacted. He took a step forward, blocking the way between Mage Walton and the door, looking at Archmage Carlisle: "Your Excellency, this... it¡¯s really not necessary to punish so severely. It was just an experiment, nothing extraordinary..." Moreover, it was just a basic experiment from a high school textbook. Garrett could ept being scolded or even hit a few times for stealing such a trivial thing, but to be exiled for three years? Garrett sincerely felt that this punishment was too fantastical... "This is not severe at all." Archmage Carlisle shook his head with a serious face. "Just three years, and it¡¯s a posting, not throwing him directly to the front lines. If the council were to directly issue the punishment, it would only be heavier, and there would also be a record¡ª" In other words, if Archmage Carlisle directly ordered the punishment without going through the Magic Council, there would be no record. In the future, when the matter came out, the punishment would have already been meted out, and others couldn¡¯t say anything about it. When Mage Walton returned, he could continue studying in the Mage Tower. As long as Garrett didn¡¯t report to the Magic Council, everything would be fine. Adhering to the rules, leaving room for the disciple, and soothing the victim, everything was perfect... as long as the victim truly agreed... "The council¡¯s punishment should also consider my opinion!" Garrett blocked Mage Walton¡¯s path, insisting on not letting him leave: "I¡¯m the one who had his experiment stolen! I have the right to speak! Your Excellency, you saved my life before, and you¡¯ve taken care of me these days, I¡¯m really grateful to you... Your disciple just imitated a small experiment, it¡¯s really nothing, there¡¯s no need for this!" Archmage Carlisle hesitated. The mages in the room saw it clearly ¨C their teacher¡¯s dark and angry aura softened, his face bing gentler: "Saving you is my duty, you don¡¯t need to thank me! Punishment is also a rule, it can¡¯t be reced with personal favors! Garrett, remember my favor, don¡¯t report this to the council, and I¡¯ll be very grateful!" "But..." When it came to the rules of the council, Garrett really couldn¡¯t argue against them ¨C after all, he was just a level 2 mage, while the other was a level 14 grand mage who had the qualifications to enter the review board and modify a few unimportant rules. However, this was really going too far... Garrett subconsciously looked around. Mage Walton looked at him eagerly, with a pleading expression, his bright golden hair drooping sadly, seeming to have lost some of its luster. Of course, Garrett wasn¡¯t sure if those strands had been discolored by chlorine... Beside Archmage Carlisle, the disciples stood one by one, looking at their teacher, then at Garrett, lips opening and closing, hesitant. The silver-haired mage stepped forward at the right moment: "Master, Aurora has almost died twice today, and he has learned his lesson. Since Mr. Nordmark said so, let Aurora follow him." "Yes, master..." "The New Continent is too far away..." "The sea is rough, I heard a ship sankst month..." The disciples spoke up one after another, trying to persuade. Archmage Carlisle looked from left to right, then from right to left, finally easing his frown, pointing to his own disciple: "From today, for three years, no, five years! Within five years, you are Garrett¡¯s follower, do whatever he asks you to do!" Mage Walton¡¯s face lit up as if he had received a pardon, quickly turning around and bowing to Garrett. Garrett reached out to help him, but as he looked at Walton¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t help but be distracted: The second follower? Would this clean and handsome young mage get along with Bernard? --------------- Chapter 215 Chapter 215 Whether Follower Number Two and Bernard could get along, Garrett didn¡¯t know for the time being. However, he was immediately faced with a question: how should he get along with Mage Walton? Archmage Carlisle had already left in a hurry. As soon as the Archmage left, his disciples followed suit, leaving only Aurora Walton and Garrett facing each other. One, two, three. Three seconds, six seconds, ten seconds. Suddenly, Aurora woke up as if from a dream, jumped up, and let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you! If it weren¡¯t for you pleading for me, I would really be finished¡ªI absolutely can¡¯t survive in that ce on the New Continent! It takes a month to drift on the sea, and I get seasick! If I were kicked out by my teacher, my dad would be devastated... Oh right, here¡¯s the badge! I¡¯ll transfer my contribution points to you!" "No need..." Garrett clutched his own badge tightly. Aurora rushed up to him, urgently halted, and sped his hands together in a praying gesture, shaking them up and down: "Yes, yes! If my teacher finds out I didn¡¯t transfer them to you, he¡¯ll definitely beat me to death on the spot! By the way, how should I address you? Sir? Your Excellency? Master?" He recalled the various titles used by followers for their mentors and blurted them out one by one. Garrett had already shivered: "No!" Sir or Your Excellency was eptable, but the term Master brought back some particrly unpleasant associations...He even subconsciously took a step back. Aurora froze for a moment, blinked, and cautiously retreated two steps: "What¡¯s wrong with that?... Boss?" Boss it is then! Garrettpared it to the previous titles and felt that "Boss" wasn¡¯t uneptable. At the very least, professors who could apply for projects and have a bunch of assistant professors, lecturers, and doctoral and master¡¯s students working for them were called "Boss" by their subordinates. He now had several projects... If the project on electrolyzing mithril was sessful, when it came time to publish a paper, he could also be listed as the corresponding author! ...Right, as followers, how did they address Bernard? Garrett searched his memory, and the answer was rather sad: the barbarian either called him by his name, or just said "Hey" or "Oi"... But correcting the barbarian was obviously out of the question. With his thoughts drifting like this, the person in front of him had already started calling him "Boss" one after another: "Boss, thank you for saving my life, and not sending me to the New Continent. You¡¯ve saved me three times!" "Boss, I¡¯ll follow you for the next five years!" "Boss, what tasks do you have for me next?" "Boss, why did I get poisoned?" "Because you went to smell chlorine, of course..." Garrett subconsciously replied. Then he suddenly realized: "By the way, can you help me write a paper? How good are you at writing papers?" "Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m really good at it! I¡¯ve published papers in The Ordinary Mage Monthly, The Philosopher¡¯s Stone, and Thunderp!" Garrett¡¯s response was to throw him a bunch of experimental designs. "Do all these experiments for me! Determine the properties of the products! Write the paper! I¡¯ve written down all the precautions, it¡¯s up to you to validate them! If anything goes wrong and there¡¯s an explosion or poisoning, write it down clearly!" "Yes, Boss!" "Don¡¯t transfer your contribution points to me, use them to buy experimental materials and apply for equipment!" "Alright, Boss!" "Don¡¯t do any experiments that I haven¡¯t authorized! Like electrolyzing caustic soda..." Aurora Walton¡¯s eyes lit up. Hiske-like blue eyes sparkled, and a faint blush appeared on his snow-white cheeks. It looked as if his brain was spinning in his skull, the fan couldn¡¯t keep up with the heat, and his body temperature rose by a degree. Garrett quickly waved his hand: "Never mind,e with me, we won¡¯t do experiments today! Go back and rest well, and we¡¯ll do them together tomorrow!" Damn, this really needs to be watched out for! Electrolyzing saturated saltwater at most produces chlorine gas, which can be promptly bubbled into lime water to avoid idents; but if you melt caustic soda and electrolyze it¡ªGarrett had no doubt that the mes summoned by a Pyrokic mage could reach the melting point of caustic soda... It would produce sodium! Sodium! Throw it into water and it¡¯ll explode right in front of you! Aurora Walton visibly dimmed his eyes. He stuffed the experimental designs back into his spatial pouch, hung his head dejectedly, and followed Garrett outside. Leaving theboratory step by step, leaving the Mage Tower, the more he walked, the slower his pace became. He seemed to be pulled out of the mage tower, with his roots severed... Garrett couldn¡¯t help but nce sideways. With such a reluctant look, had he been living in the tower since childhood? "No, I¡¯m from Berrick County." Faced with Garrett¡¯s inquiry, Aurora Walton shook his head quickly: "I¡¯m not from a mage family... My father is a viscount, he does some small business and sent me to learn magic after making some money. Later, I was rmended by the Mage Tower to Nevis, and then my teacher took me in as his disciple! I stayed in the tower for about three years... Learning magic? I¡¯ve been studying magic for a total of five years..." Five years of study, three of which were spent on Igor Peak, no wonder he looked carefree, with no ambition at all. As Garrett sighed like this,pletely ignoring the fact that he was pretty much the same, important knowledge that others would break their heads to snatch was just thrown out there... The two chatted as they boarded the small train, ttering all the way down Igor Peak. As soon as they touched the ground, the sea breeze with a fishy smell blew, and Aurora Walton instantly came back to life: "By the way, how are we spending tonight? Do I need to join you? All the other followers follow their boss... Where¡¯s your home? Is it far from the station?¡ªWho is this?" "This is Bernard, my first follower, from the northern ice ins.¡ªBernard, this is Aurora Walton, who will also be following me for the next few years. Get to know each other." The golden-haired mage froze on the spot. He raised his head, then raised it again, and again... His cervical vertebrae made a painful creak... "You... hello?" The three of them turned together, set off, and walked towards Garrett¡¯s house. The further they walked, the narrower the road, and the darker it became on both sides. Aurora Walton looked around while sitting on his horse, looked around, and finally couldn¡¯t help asking: "Boss, where are we going? Your house?... Is it this remote?" "Yes¡ªhere we are!" Garrett dismounted. In the darkness, the marble signboard of "Garrett Nordmark Biological Laboratory" reflected the light and sparkled... "Bernard! Aurora! Come, spray disin fectant around theb!" Garrett happily threw out three buckets of disinfectant. The barbarian didn¡¯t say a word, picked up one bucket. Garrett opened one himself, and Aurora Walton looked left and right, finally understanding that the remaining bucket was his task, and couldn¡¯t help but let out a scream: "I don¡¯t want it!!!" --------------- Chapter 216 Chapter 216 Although Aurora Worton screamed the loudest, she was actually the most efficient when it came to working. - Bernard sshed water on the walls and floor with a wooden spoon, using the power of wrist vibration to spread the disinfectant as evenly as possible; Garrett brought out arge sprayer; and Aurora Worton... She cast a levitation spell on the disinfectant bucket, causing it to follow her obediently, then drew out the water, turned it into fine droplets with wind magic, and used a gust spell to spread it evenly on the walls. Just as Garrett finished spraying half of the disinfectant, he turned around to find Aurora had already finished her work cleanly and efficiently. The stone walls were glistening wet, clearly indicating that the disinfectant had been sprayed quite evenly. This efficiency wasparable to four people sent out by the Disease Control Center carryingrge spray cans and advancing shoulder to shoulder for an hour. And after he finished his own work, he even automatically reached out his hand: "Boss, I got this!" Garrett: "..." What else could he do but delegate the task? Ah, indeed, in this world, mages were the primary productive force... Just look at Bernard next to him. Despite being two levels higher than Aurora, his efficiency in work was nowhere near Aurora¡¯s... Garrett took two steps back, crossed his arms, and leisurely admired the scene of disinfectant spraying. Joy~~~ The biologyboratory sprayed with disinfectant mist was the right biologyboratory! Without this stuff, a biologyboratory would just be a bomb ready to explode at any time!"Aurora, well done! Keep spraying! Spray more evenly! Spray the adjacent animal pens too! - There have been bats stored there!" The fine mist of disinfectant spread throughout the room. From theboratory, to the animal pens, to the swaying tall grass inside the walls, droplets were everywhere. When Aurora finished her work and came over carrying the empty bucket, she wrinkled her nose, sneezed. "Boss, are we sleeping here tonight?" Aurora looked around with a bitter expression. This ce... it wasn¡¯t that he was too picky, it was just too crude here! The garden inside the walls, if it could still be called a garden, hadn¡¯t been tended, and the weeds were already taller than a person; The floor inside the house wasn¡¯t carpeted or floored, not even with marble, but from the texture, it seemed like it had been turned from mud to stone and then from stone to mud again; There were only two rooms that could barely be considered bedrooms, one had a single bed with bedding that smelled musty, who knows how long it hadn¡¯t been aired out; the other one didn¡¯t even have a bed, just two stone tforms conjured with "stone from mud", with a few wooden nksid side by side on top. The nks looked familiar, like ship boards brought in from the shipyard, judging by the length, width, and sturdiness of the "bed", it was obviously a barbarian¡¯s bed. ...So where was he supposed to sleep? On the floor of the boss¡¯s bedroom, or share a bed with the barbarian? There were still mosquitoes buzzing in the room... He didn¡¯t want to! Garrett was also somewhat embarrassed. Honestly, he usually didn¡¯t stay here, during training he stayed at the Magic Academy, and afterwards he stayed at the Mage Tower, stayed in the forge area, stayed... in short, only when he was extremely busy with experiments did he stay in theboratory for a few days. asionally for one night, these conditions were still bearable... But Aurora? A legitimate nobleman, lived in the Mage Tower for three years, looking at his soft silk robe and spotlessly clean leather boots, it didn¡¯t seem like he could stay here. Should they go to a hotel? A hotel that matched Aurora, Garrett asked when he first arrived, it seemed to be at least 1 gold coin per night... How much money did he have in his pocket? Can he afford to amodate two people for food and lodging? Let Aurora stay in a hotel and let the barbarian continue to stay in theboratory, that would be unfair, absolutely uneptable! Just as Garrett was thinking about this, he wrinkled his nose, sneezed. He came back to his senses, immediately stepped out, and called out to his two subordinates: "Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s find a ce outside to stay! - Remember, the concentration of disinfectant in the air is too high, it can burn your eyes and respiratory tract, can¡¯t stay for long! Lock the door, let¡¯s find a ce outside to stay!" Money will be spent! Even if he has to write a few more papers, ask the Magic Council for research funding! Anyway, he has plenty of topics, he can sell the method of sodium, sell the method of potassium... Holding half of the periodic table in his hand, he can slowly sell it, sell the organic chemistry after selling it... Garrett walked out with long strides. His mage robe fluttered in the night, exuding a majestic aura, as if he could tten everything. Bernard followed without hesitation, but Aurora Worton stood still, hesitated for a moment, and whispered softly: "B-Boss..." "Hmm?" "I have a house here..." Garrett: "..." What? "I really have a house here... I was rmended toe to Nevis, and my father bought a house here. After bing a teacher¡¯s student, he bought an even bigger one... you, me, and him," He pointed to Garrett, himself, and Bernard in turn, "can live together, definitely enough space! There are maids to clean the rooms! There¡¯s a cook to make meals!" Garrett: "..." His current mood was like seeing a newly hired resident doctor, taking out a bunch of keys and saying, "I own two buildings in the neighborhood near the hospital..." Nevis City, the headquarters of the Magic Council, the equivalent of the magical capital of the kingdom! To casually buy a house in the capital, not only requires money, but also requires a mage level. Without any of these, you can¡¯t buy it... Butpared to Garrett¡¯s living conditions, using an animalboratory as a residence, it was heaven and earth. And it¡¯s a two-story building. With a garden. In the corner of the small building, lights gently spilled out from the windows, illuminating the snow-white wooden fence around the garden. Vines twined around the fence, among the green leaves, a faint fragrance floated in the wind. "Judy! We¡¯re back!" Worton waved his magic mount away and called out loudly. With a creak, the wooden door opened, and a fourteen or fifteen-year-old maid rubbed her sleepy eyes and hurriedly ran out. When she saw Worton, her eyes lit up: "Master! You¡¯re back today! - Who are these?" "They¡¯re my friends." Worton ruffled the maid¡¯s hair, performed a magic trick-like maneuver on himself, and pulled out a brightly colored candy. Seeing the maid smile brightly, Worton smiled too, pushed her to turn around: "Help us tidy up a bedroom - the best one - and tell Aunt Susan to prepare some food!" He turned around, looked at Garrett and Bernard, and smiled apologetically: "Forgive me, they are my family servants. There are more maids and gardeners in the house, all of them are very polite, and they won¡¯t bother you without permission. If you need something, just call out, they wille." Garrett: "..." - Since when did he have such a big tree with deep roots? On the surface, Garrett remained calm, smiled slightly, and nodded: "Thank you, Aurora." He turned around and looked at Bernard. The barbarian was nkly looking at the garden and the house, his eyes gradually turning red. Bernard had no rtives, no property, no home, just a wandering barbarian. It seemed that he had always admired the city life. Garrett couldn¡¯t help but feel a little apologetic. He stretched out his hand and patted Bernard¡¯s shoulder: "Wee home." Bernard was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled and nodded, his eyes still red. "Thank you, boss." And then they went in. --------------- Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Followers and those followed thus reached equilibrium. Starting from the second day, Mr. Aurora Worton, a three-ring arcane schr and a level-five mage, began his blissful life of not sleeping during the day and not being able to sleep at night... Sorry, conducting experiments during the day and writing papers at night. Mr. Worton was so absorbed in his work that he lost track of time. Most of the time, Garrett didn¡¯t bother him, just doing his own thing. Only when assigning tasks would he give a few reminders: "The gas that emits blue mes, measure its weight!" Weight, weight... It¡¯s so light that it¡¯s almost impossible to measure T_T, but the boss¡¯s demands are very strict... "Be careful with the yellow-green gas, don¡¯t leak it!" How dare I, I¡¯ve been poisoned once before! "Take note of everything electrolyzed that emits yellow-green gas and summarize it!" I¡¯ve already tried 20 materials, but apparently, the boss doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s enough... However, Garrett asionally allowed Worton to conduct his own experiments, giving him enough freedom and not feeling that he was dying progress. For example: "This gas can ignite and emit blue mes? Can I use it instead of sulfur as a spell material to try Fireball Spell?" "Sure, go ahead. But not here, find arger space, take precautions - if possible, get a skilled person to help you set up a barrier..."Our Mr. Worton then found a senior brother. Using the senior brother¡¯s badge and permissions, they booked a room for testing fifth-order magic spells, raised a magic barrier, and the senior brother equipped him with armor. Then, hiding behind the barrier, he mentally outlined the spell model of Fireball Spell and triggered the gas in the test tube... "Boom!!!" Theyers of the spell barrier shattered one after another on the wall, at the center of the room. The senior brother slowly widened his eyes: "You... you did Fireball Spell... right?!" "Yeah..." Aurora Worton was dumbfounded. He looked at the crystal on the wall of the test room, then at the test tube in his hand, and then at the spell barrier. "Senior brother, fortunately I brought you here..." If he hadn¡¯te to the high-level testing room, if the spell barrier hadn¡¯t shatteredyer byyer, if the Fireball Spell had burst, the shockwave might have hit his face! The senior brother nced at the test tube in his hand, feeling embarrassed to ask. Aurora Worton gave him a wry smile and rushed to the 375th floor. When he arrived in front of Garrett, he was already panting heavily, gasping for breath, and said while clutching his knees: "That... that Fireball Spell..." "It went boom, right?" Without lifting his head, Garrett asked. This term had never been used before, but it was vivid, and Worton understood its meaning without thinking. He gasped for breath, nodded vigorously, and said: "Yes, yes! It¡¯s a good thing I listened to you... How did you know it would go boom? Can I teach it to others?" "You go write your paper." "Okay! I¡¯ll mention your name as the author!" "You¡¯re the second author." "Okay! Thanks a lot!" Worton rushed off to do experiments, collect data, and write papers. Testing the intensity of spells, the range of spell explosions, whether the range had changed, whether the number of gases carried would affect the spell¡¯s intensity, all of these tests were extremely exhausting. s, it seemed that today¡¯s leisure time had disappeared again... This idea was just a passing thought. Toplete all these data supplements and write a good enough paper, and to obtain sufficient rewards from the council as aplete improvement in magic, was crucial. However, both Mage Worton and Garrett knew, as did every mage in the Magic Council, that in this improvement, using a new material was not the key. Discovering an unknown new material, trying out a stable and reliable method of production, and testing its properties, that was the key to everything. So Garrett could rightfully im first authorship, and indeed, letting Worton sign as the second author was already quite generous. Just a tool for collecting data and writing papers, where couldn¡¯t you find one? So Mage Worton gratefully went to work. Just as he piled up a heap of data and was about to organize it, he was called out again: "Aurora,e help... set up a force field barrier, good, suck out the air, fill it with the breath of fire, ignite it!" BOOM! It exploded again... "Is this force field not strong enough... Let¡¯s strengthen the force field barrier and try again!" BOOM! "Strengthen it a bit more, to your limit! Come on again, Aurora, please!" This time it burned safely. The charcoal inside the force field barrier emitted white mes and soon burned clean. Mage Worton breathed a sigh of relief, but then heard Garrettmanding: "Inject steam again! Inject as much as possible! Increase the temperature! Higher!" BOOOOOOOM! "This... boss, let¡¯s eat first. I¡¯ve ordered ham with melon, saucy ribs, baked mushrooms, and pan-fried cod..." "What did you say?" "Let¡¯s eat first!" "The next sentence!" "I ordered ham with melon..." "Melon! Yes, melon!" Garrett suddenly stood up, excitedly spinning around. "Help me buy two melons, right, is it allowed to bring melons into theb?" "...asionally bringing in a few slices is okay, but it¡¯s best to eat them quickly... The teacher will scold you if they see it... What do you need melons for?" "Ah..." Garrett spun around. Worton saw his eyes sparkling, opening his mouth several times and simultaneously raising his hand to try to gesture, obviously trying to exin to himself. After struggling for a while, he slumped his shoulders: "You¡¯ll know when I make it!" "I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll take lunch..." The boss¡¯s projects were iprehensible, and the boss felt that even if he exined it to you, you wouldn¡¯t understand... Feeling despondent. Mage Worton dejectedly left. After a while, he carried the lunchbox upstairs. Garrett took a bite, looked, took another bite, and looked again... "Boss, don¡¯t be stingy with the melon! It¡¯s wrapped in ham! I¡¯ve ordered the melon you wanted, it¡¯ll be delivered during afternoon tea!" "Ah... oh, I forgot, actually, we only need the rind..." Aurora Worton: "????" Wasn¡¯t that still ordering a few melons? Otherwise, would he have to go rummage through the trash? As a result, he didn¡¯t get to eat any melon in the afternoon. Garrett personally took charge, shaving the melons into half-centimeter-thick slices, setting them up one by one in a corner of theboratory in a melon skin array. Underneath the melon skin array, on the shelves, there were rows and rows of ss dishes... "Boss, what are you doing?" "Uh... I¡¯ll show you the paper when it¡¯s done!" Garrett set up two stoves nearby, bubbling away, one pot of meat soup, one pot of cooked sea anemones, the scent wafting down the corridor... Garrett¡¯s technical route was clear. Cook meat soup base, cook agar medium, cook various media. Cultivate Staphylocus aureus, Escherichia coli and other bacteria in the medium, then go everywhere to get soil, dust, grass leaves, and various other things, put them into the medium to breed, and see if you can strike it rich and produce penicillin. Naturally, as the destiny medium for breeding penicillin - melon, that was definitely not to be missed! Of course, if there¡¯s no penicillin, streptomycin, aureomycin, tetracycline would do, as long as you can produce one. As for how to refine penicillin after producing penicillin, and then turn it into medicine, cough, cross the bridge when youe to it! Garrett showed infinite patience for this project. In the world before the crossover, Alexander Fleming took at least half a year from starting bacterial culture experiments to discovering penicillin - and that was not even counting the subsequent verification. Garrett looked at his luck index, and no matter how he looked at it, he didn¡¯t think it could be higher than Fleming¡¯s... So, spending a year or two to find penicillin was also normal, right? In any case, he had made progress with the dwarf¡¯s sputum culture experiment. In the sputum, there was indeed arge amount of tuberculosis bacteria. This thing, his treatment technique couldn¡¯t handle it, he definitely needed penicillin. Garrett calmly and slowly conducted experiments, calling on Aurora Worton for help several times a day - probably consuming about half of his spells. Unfortunately, there were no results, either the force field barrier exploded with a bang, or it just extinguished inside, without any movement. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry, but Aurora Worton was a bit impatient: "Boss, what are you nning to do? Should I find a senior brother to help?" "Uh, no need, I¡¯ll think about it... Probably the parameters are set wrong..." The two coexisted in the same room, each doing their own thing. Mage Worton felt like life had returned to square one, reading, studying magic, doing experiments, copying scrolls. Apart from having a nominal boss who needed to be reminded to put on a protective shield frequently, nothing else had changed. Oh, right, he also had to remember to order meals every day... Aurora Worton deeply doubted whether if he didn¡¯t take responsibility for bringing the food up, Garrett would starve himself to death in theboratory. After working on experiments for half a month, Garrett¡¯s assigned tasks finally came to an end. Submitting the paper for review, Mage Worton suddenly felt light-hearted. Taking stock of what he had on hand, he came to Garrett with an invitation: "Boss, there¡¯s a meeting tomorrow, do you want to go listen?" "What meeting?" Garrett lifted his head from the microscope. The time spent inspecting microorganisms was too long, the orbit of his right eye was outlined by the eyepiece, making him look like a one-eyed panda. He instinctively rubbed his eyes, his binocr focus hadn¡¯t recovered yet, for a while, everyone looked like bacteria. Above were cells, below were ge~~~ Seeing this foolish, out-of-character appearance, Aurora Worton really wanted to take a pen and draw ck circles around his eyes for him. One on each side, that would bnce it out. He held the invitation in front of Garrett: "The annual meeting of ¡¯Philosopher¡¯s Stone¡¯. ¡¯Philosopher¡¯s Stone¡¯ is a monthly magazine sponsored by the Transmutation School. Every year, it invites a group of mages to hold an academic conference, where many interesting gadgets are sold ¡ª if you want to find something unique that you can¡¯t buy outside, or freshly made items that haven¡¯t been priced yet, this is the ce to go. The invitation was for my senior brother, but I snatched it from him, and I can bring two people in. Boss, do you want to go together?" Garrett hesitated for a moment. Mage Worton had already taken out the invitation, waving it in front of him: "Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! There are so many interesting things at the meeting, singing dolls, metal birds that deliver letters, portable houses! You can also meet many alchemist mages, boss, whatever you want, you can get it custom-made!" Garrett was tempted. Networking was indeed his weak point, knowing more mages would make everything easier ¡ª organizing tweezers, vascr mps, attractors, and even precise analytical bnces... Maybe he could find someone to make them at the annual meeting? Anyway, whether the culture dishes were left alone or not, the bacteria inside would continue to grow... The next morning at 8:30, Garrett followed Mage Worton into the venue. The annual meeting of ¡¯Philosopher¡¯s Stone¡¯ was not held at the Tower of Heaven but on the thirteenth floor of the subsidiary tower of the Transmutation School. ording to the schedule on the invitation, the academic conference would start at ten o¡¯clock. Before ten o¡¯clock, the entire venue was chaotic, with countless mages hawking their wares: "Household magic puppets, capable of cooking,undry, and cleaning, with 100 recipes, the best choice for single mages traveling, only for 199 contribution points!" "Come on, your 100 recipes, aren¡¯t 99 of them sandwiches?" "Selling cliff eagle eggs! Can sign a contract to be a magical pet! Another pair of eyes for mages!" "Why does your egg look a bit smaller? Is it really a cliff eagle? Isn¡¯t it an owl?" "Purple scale stones! Purple scale stones! Limited quantity, high price!" "Let me take a look!" "I want to see!" "Wow, I really saw it! So big!" "Wow!!! Who put bugs on it! It scared the hell out of me!!!" Garrett looked around as he walked. Sure enough, he saw dancing and somersaulting puppets, a pair of small drums that could resonate, and bundles of silver rods enchanted with ¡¯Eternal Bright me¡¯ ced on the side. Garrett was quite interested, standing in front of a stall, bargaining with the alchemist: "I don¡¯t need it that long... Half the length of a finger is enough! Just keep the light directional! If you can do it, I want 60 of them, evenly embedded on a disc for me..." "Uh... The silver rod is this long to engrave the magic array... We can only cut it to half a foot at most! If it¡¯s shorter, a master¡¯s hand is needed, and the price will at least double. Do you still want it?" Garrett fled in confusion. Even if the price doubled, he couldn¡¯t afford it! A silver rod with an Eternal Bright me enchantment started at 100 gold coins, and 60 of them would cost 6,000 gold coins, which would bankrupt him... If not for this, why would he want to buy shorter ones? Mage Worton was dragged away by him. After passing seventeen or eighteen stalls in a row, they suddenly ran into a crowd, with many mages crowded around a table: "Let me see!" "Let me take a look!" "Wow, really saw it! So big!" "Wow!!! Which jerk put bugs on it! It scared the hell out of me!!!" Garrett¡¯s curiosity was piqued, and he pulled Worton along, squeezing into the crowd. In the middle, he saw a twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old mage boasting to his friends with gusto, saliva flying: "How about it, interesting right! I bought it when I was traveling in the south! This thing is much better than a magnifying ss, it can magnify things 100 times, opening the door to a new world! Since we¡¯re all friends, I invited you to see it first. When the meeting startster, this will be the content of my speech! By then, it¡¯ll be toote to join the queue!" Aurora Worton: "..." He looked at Garrett, blinked, pointed to the tabletop, then blinked again: ...I remember you¡¯ve been looking at this thing in theboratory every day, right? --------------- Chapter 218 Garrett nced at Walton. Walton nced at Garrett. One raised an eyebrow, the other blinked. After a count of three, Garrett raised his index finger, pressing it straight against his lips, making a "shh" gesture. It¡¯s not the right time to reveal the truth. Let the mage finish his speech first, and if there¡¯s anything to addter, he¡¯ll do it then. Garrett followed the crowd, brushing past the microscope. He took a nce, clicking his tongue. The magnification wasn¡¯t enough, with only about seventy to eighty times whenbining the eyepiece and the objective lens. Definitely not a hundred times. What¡¯s more, there was no oil mirror, which could provide an additional 10x magnification on top of the eyepiece and the objective lens. It was most likely crafted by the jeweler from Harnd City! Hmm, maybe it¡¯s him... Garrett smirked disdainfully, uninterested, and moved on to other stalls. As the crowd dispersed from the bottleneck, he strolled among the booths, engaging in transactions, bargaining, and chaos. Around nine-fifteen, a mage suddenly leaped onto a table, blowing a whistle vigorously: "Beep¡ª" The sound of the whistle sent the whole ce into a frenzy. Sellers hastily stuffed their goods into spatial bags, buyers quickly pocketed their money, and those who weren¡¯t buying or selling, like Garrett, were ushered by Walton to the wall.Everyone pressed against the wall, and the tables at the stalls disappeared into spatial bags. Suddenly, the ground seemed to boil, bubbling up... Garrett looked around, seeing the mages in the hall remaining calm as if this scene were entirely normal. Then he nced at the center of the hall, where the rising parts kept changing shapes, lifting, narrowing, stretching, extending... Soon, tables were tables, chairs were chairs, all neatly arranged, and at the forefront, a tform even rose up. ... So, this is Transmutation magic? Your furniture isn¡¯t just moved around; it¡¯s morphed on the spot? Garrett observed, feeling like he¡¯d wandered into the world of "Harry Potter" by mistake. Once the transformation wasplete, the hall¡¯s frontmost part, arge door, opened with a bang, and the big shots began to enter in single file. The hall instantly fell silent, and the mages who came to browse the trade show all quieted down, looking forward. Garrett also looked ahead. The leading mage was tall, with hair that was half brown, half white, but hisplexion was still rosy. He wasn¡¯t wearing the traditional robes of a mage but rather a short coat and trousers simr to workwear, with cuffs, cors, and hems unusually tight. Without badges, his level couldn¡¯t be discerned, but the two mages behind him were level thirteen and fourteen... The old man in work clothes walked in with a smile, taking a seat in the center of the tform. His entourage followed suit, and only then did the mages who came to browse the trade show hurry forward to find their seats. It wasn¡¯t chaotic; those of higher levels sat toward the front, those of lower levels toward the back, row by row, in a strict hierarchy. Walton pulled Garrett to a seat. Looking around, the mages nearby were mostly around level five or six. Seeing his badge, they seemed a bit surprised at first, but upon noticing the white ring on the edge, they quickly withdrew their surprise, some even smiled kindly. Below, the noise subsided, and on the tform, the old man in work clothes coughed lightly and began to speak slowly: "Thank you all for attending the annual meeting hosted by ¡¯Alchemic Stone.¡¯ In the past year, the School of Transmutation has made many new achievements, taking another step forward in exploring the true nature of the world. For many years, alchemists have been dedicated to exploring theposition of the world, using it as a basis to create tools and change this world. The in-depth understanding of the essence of the world and theplex and diverse tools have made us even stronger..." Apuse erupted from below. The old man blinked, then raised a cunning smile: "Well, that¡¯s enough routine speeches for now. Next, we invite our colleagues to share theirtest discoveries. The presentations at this meeting, along with the articles from ¡¯Alchemic Stone¡¯ over the past year, will select the most innovative and meaningful discoveries. And the owner of this discovery will receive a magic tool tailored by the editorial department of ¡¯Alchemic Stone¡¯ to their level..." A slight stir arose from below. The lower-level mages, probably attending this gathering for the first time, became excited, raising their hands eagerly. The old man in work clothes chuckled and waved his hand casually. A mage sitting in the front row stood up and leisurely walked onto the stage. Walton whispered to Garrett¡¯s ear, "It¡¯s impossible to present spontaneously; the topics have all been pre-approved..." Oh, of course. For any academic conference, one must obtain qualification to present. Garrett nodded understandingly, listening quietly. Soon, he GETted a series of bizarre knowledge: How to manipte worm-shaped puppets, mine and select minerals in the dark underground... A method of producing **Pure White Stones**... Three points to note when sealing invisible servants into magic crystals for controlling puppets... After five or six consecutive presentations, the mage who had bragged about the microscope before finally took the stage with his new discovery. His face was full of excitement as he bowed slightly to the old man in work clothes, then couldn¡¯t wait to speak: "Esteemed masters, fellow mages,dies and gentlemen. Please allow me to introduce to you a marvelous alchemical tool I discovered during my travels in the south. It can magnify extremely small, invisible things to the point where we can see them clearly. Without exaggeration, it opens a new door for us..." "Oh!" The audience was excited. Even the mages sitting on the tform turned their heads one by one, focusing their gaze on the microscope. After personally observing the demonstration, the old man in work clothes even raised a screen of light himself, presenting the shape of the microscope to everyone. Garrett lightly curled his lips. This screen was somewhat like the effect of the Arcane Eye, but unfortunately, the precision wasn¡¯t there,cking the ability to observe fine details. The presenting mage continued tirelessly: "What¡¯s more, it¡¯s an alchemical tool that requires no magic to use. This means that apprentices who have not yet crossed the threshold of magic can also observe this world with it. This has tremendous significance for the Magic Council in training neers and allowing them to understand the world as soon as possible..." He took out various items for observation one by one. Minerals, crystals, cork, insect wings. They were ced on the stage one by one, and the light screen in front of the eyepiece immediately showed the magnified images of these objects. There was anothermotion below. High-level mages took turns gathering around the eyepiece, widening their eyes and eximing in amazement. Finally, the old man in work clothes sped his hands, praising enthusiastically: "Thank you for bringing this marvelous alchemical tool to the Magic Council. Without a doubt, this is the most meaningful discovery in the past year for ¡¯Alchemic Stone.¡¯ This year¡¯s annual award rightfully belongs to you. - Colleagues, feel free toe up and take turns to observe. Let us share the wonders of the micro world together... Oh, sir, do you have any additionalments?" Aurora Walton raised his hand high. Not only did he raise his own hand, he also grabbed one of Garrett¡¯s hands, holding it high in the air, waving it back and forth incessantly. --------------- Chapter 219 Chapter 219 Before being called out by the old man, Mage Aurora Worton had been arguing with Garrett for quite some time. If it weren¡¯t for the excitement of everyone around and their attention being drawn to the microscope, someone would surely have noticed their conversation: "I remember you have one too?" "Yeah, I do." "You¡¯ve had yours for a while, why let him go up and talk?!" "Oh... well, he¡¯s already up there, why bother pulling him down? Besides, he didn¡¯t im to have invented it, he only said he discovered it in the south..." "But there¡¯s a reward for this! There¡¯s a reward! Don¡¯t you want that Eternal me?" "Well... haha... I¡¯ll find another way in the future if I want that. It¡¯s not good topete with him for it... I have other methods to get that thing..." "But why miss out on a reward like this!" The two of them whispered back and forth, shoulder to shoulder, neither able to convince the other. It wasn¡¯t until the mechanic old man announced the award winners that Aurora, in a hurry, raised Garrett¡¯s arm...Garrett tried to struggle, but Aurora, whether because she was two years older than him or secretly enhanced herself with some Bull¡¯s Strength, had grabbed onto him in such a way that Garrett couldn¡¯t budge. He could only watch as Aurora bent his arm and pointed at him loudly: "He already has this thing!" The hall suddenly fell silent. The mechanic old man looked at Aurora, then at the magician whose hands he held, and then at Garrett. His once flushed face gradually darkened. Meanwhile, the magician in front of him trembled slightly, hisplexion visibly turning pale as he muttered repeatedly: "I said I discovered it... I didn¡¯t say I made it... I said I encountered it in the south..." The mechanic old man fell silent. After a moment, he released the magician¡¯s hands, turned to the audience, and cleared his throat with authority: "What is your name? Who is your teacher?" "I am Aurora Worton, and my teacher is Grand Mage Carlisle," Aurora replied smoothly. The mechanic old man nodded gently, his expression softening slightly: "So, you are a disciple of Carlisle. I understand that you want to defend your friend, but the purpose of this meeting¡¯s awards is to reward magicians who extensively share knowledge with their peers. Although your friend has had this¡ª" He lightly tapped the microscope. "¡ªfor a while, he has not submitted it for publication in the Alchemy and Magic Journal. Therefore, this reward cannot go to him." Aurora was at a loss for words. He turned to Garrett, his face alternating between red and white, his lips moving like a goldfish lifted out of the water. Garrett, helpless, took a step forward to stand in front of him and bowed slightly to the mechanic old man: "Thank you for your guidance, Master, and thank you to this gentleman for his enthusiastic promotion of the microscope. Regarding what Aurora just said, I would like to add¡ª" He reached for his waist and pulled out a stack of papers from his spatial bag, holding them up with both hands: "This microscope was made by me in July ofst year to contain a gue. In February of this year, I wrote its usage into a paper and submitted it to the Magical Review Department along with the physical item. As for not submitting it to the Alchemy and Magic Journal and not attracting the attention of esteemed masters, I can only say... I¡¯m very sorry." He raised his hands gently. The mechanic old man furrowed his brows, and with a slight movement of his fingers, a pair of transparent mage hands took the paper and brought it directly to him. The two lines of bold text on the cover, written in thick and clear ink, remained vivid after several months: "Observations on Onion Skin, Cork, Meat, Bees, and Other Insects Using a Homemade Microscope" A note was tucked into the title page. The reward given by the council for this paper was 1 research point and 1 contribution point; there was also another paper, "Observations on Dysentery Bacilli Using a Homemade Microscope," which also earned 1 research point and 1 contribution point. The mechanic old man raised his eyebrows, about to express his anger: Who reviewed these two papers? Who was the idiot with such poor judgment?! Such an invention that could open new doors for magicians, and it¡¯s worth so little in rewards?! No wonder people dare not submit... It would be strange if they did! With such constion rewards, who would think they could get published? But now was not the time to rush to the Magical Review Department and demand ountability. The mechanic old man quickly flipped through the paper, confirmed the originality of the microscope, and immediately smiled at Garrett, waving him up: "So, about this¡ªmicroscope, do you have any other content to share with everyone?" "...Yes." Garrett walked briskly up, and the magicians spontaneously made way for him, giving him a wide path. Garrett took his seat on the stage and skillfully began operating the microscope, while also pulling out items from his spatial bag one by one: "First, I want to exin that cing the object directly on the stage for observation is not the best method. Because the object may be uneven, making it difficult to focus and achieve the best observation results. I usually sandwich it between two pieces of ss¡ª the one below is thick and sturdy, called the slide, and the one above is more transparent and thinner, called the coverslip... It¡¯s also best to have a constant light source below the stage for clearer viewing... Apart from using the magnification of the objective and eyepiece, there is another method, which is to drop a drop of oil on the coverslip. By utilizing the shape and refraction of the oil droplet itself, the specimen can be magnified by 2 to 10 times. The oil drop should be clear and transparent, with a good refractive index. I use refined olive oil, although it¡¯s said that cypress oil yields the best results, but I couldn¡¯t find any... The principle of the microscope is to erge the real image formed by the first lens and make it fall within the focal length of the second lens. Therefore, calcting the focal length is very important... If you can find a skilled craftsman, the objective part can be made into a turntable, rotating several objectives back and forth, inbination with an adjustable eyepiece, allowing observation at different magnifications... The jeweler I found back then had mediocre skills, so I only made this tube... To increase the magnification and improve rity for the user, there are many methods. One is to grind better lenses to increase the magnification of the convex lens. Of course, it¡¯s also possible to use magic for magnification instead of grinding lenses; Second is to improve the polishing uracy of the inner wall of the tube so that the inside is bright enough, and the view won¡¯t be blurred; Third is to seal the tube. If possible, fill it with... stable, nonbustible gas to prevent dust and condensation from entering the interior... If there is a strong enough light source and the quality of the convex lens is good enough, a light shield can be added to the center of the condenser lens to allow only the light reflected and diffracted by the specimen to enter the objective lens. In this way, the magnification can be significantly increased..." "Before observing the specimen, it should be stained. I have written separately about staining methods and reagents in my paper, but further research and development are necessary..." Garrett spoke tirelessly, item by item. On the tform, the magician who had originally introduced the microscope grew more and more uneasy as he listened. Finally, he began to shuffle nervously towards the edge of the stage. His face flushed crimson, and even the sparse hair that couldn¡¯t conceal his receding hairline turned red. He walked with his head down, shoulders hunched, his robe trailing on the ground, looking utterly dejected. Garrett couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for him¡ªhow pitiful. If it weren¡¯t for his sudden appearance, the magician could have received the reward and turned his fortunes around... No one reached out to stop him. No one spoke up to intervene. Even the old man who had initially praised him, suggesting that the award should go to him, only looked at him with pity. Yet Garrett¡¯s gaze asionally fell on him, and suddenly he took a couple of quick steps forward, grabbing the unfortunate, balding magician: "You don¡¯t have to leave..." The balding magician raised his head abruptly, his face full of surprise, instinctively taking a step back. But Garrett didn¡¯t look at him anymore. As he extended his hand to hold him back, he turned to the old man on the tform: "As you said, Master, the purpose of the award at this meeting is to reward the act of ¡¯discovery.¡¯ This gentleman¡ª" At this point, he forcefully dragged the balding magician and turned him towards the tform: "¡ªthe act of promoting the microscope has actually achieved excellent results in sharing. Moreover, he previously imed to have ¡¯discovered¡¯ this instrument, not ¡¯invented¡¯ it. So, there¡¯s no need to deprive him of the honor just because I¡¯m here." "But you..." The balding magician¡¯s lips trembled. As the reward that was within reach turned into nothingness, the inventor himself spoke up for him. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. He wanted to decline, he wanted to express gratitude, but he didn¡¯t know what to say. And in the middle of the hall, Aurora Worton was already anxiously calling out: "Hey, you..." Garrett turned back with a smile, waving to his followers. The hall fell silent, and the gazes of the magicians, both young and old, were fixed on Garrett: Some, especially the older magicians with poorer attire, looked at Garrett with admiration. The other half, mainly the young and arrogant magicians, nced sideways, with expressions of disdain for the gullible. Aurora Worton even heard people behind her whispering to each other: "Is this guy an idiot?" "Why give away something that¡¯s already in hand?" "Why give it to someone else... that guy is old and poor, he has no potential, even if you recruit him, it¡¯s useless, right?" Aurora Worton turned her head and red angrily. She then turned to Garrett, trying to stretch her neck as far as possible, almost climbing onto the chair: "Why give it to him! What about¡ª" "Aurora!" Garrett interrupted loudly. He pushed the balding magician forcefully, making him take two steps forward, and then stepped aside himself. The old man on the tform had been looking at them both with gentle eyes all along, neither approving nor disapproving. Only when the two seemed deadlocked did he smile and stand up: "You¡ª" At this point, he quickly nced down at the cover of the paper with a drop of his eyes: "Garrett Nordmark, are you saying that you want to give the Annual Award of ¡¯Aen Stone¡¯ to this magician?" "I adhere to the rules and respect the judgment of the masters." Garrett replied calmly. The old man¡¯s smile deepened: "Even if you don¡¯t get the award in the end?" "Even if I don¡¯t get the award." Garrett remained unusually calm. What was a piece of magical equipment worth? If he followed his n, what he could obtain far exceeded just an equipment. "Very well." The old man pped his hands and nodded calmly. "Then I hereby announce that, since this gentleman was the original promoter of the microscope and his work has had a tremendous impact, the Annual Award of ¡¯Aen Stone¡¯ of this year¡¯s ¡¯Gold Point¡¯ will be given to him¡ª" He reached out his hand. The balding magician stood still, his sparse hair gleaming red under the lights. There was a slight stir in the hall, some envying the man¡¯s good fortune, some couldn¡¯t help but gossip about Garrett being a fool. Aurora Worton couldn¡¯t help but exim, looking at the old man and then sighing helplessly: "Ah..." Can¡¯t resist. Can¡¯t argue. The opponent¡¯s level is too high. Their own teammate, no, their own boss, is too much of a drag, giving away things that are already in hand... However, his sigh got stuck halfway. On the tform, the old man smiled again, gesturing to Garrett: "So, Mr. Garrett Nordmark, would you be willing to publish your paper in ¡¯Gold Point¡¯ and authorize the Alchemy Society to produce and improve your invention?" Aurora Worton stood still. He stiffly turned his head, looking at Garrett¡¯s calm smile, his cervical vertebrae creaking in his neck. Known: Promoting this achievement can earn an award from the Alchemy branch and receive a custom-made magical tool that matches his own level. Known: The rewards obtained by the creator should not be less than those obtained by the promoter. Question: How much should the creator get? --------------- Chapter 220 Chapter 220 "Mr. Garrett Nordmark is responsible for providing the design scheme for the microscope, usage rmendations, and improvement ideas." "The Alchemy Guild enjoys exclusive rights to production and sales. It can authorize others for distribution." "The Alchemy Guild pays Mr. Garrett Nordmark apensation of..." In the meeting room, the two parties sat across from each other, setting up a negotiation stance across the long table. The seasoned worker narrated methodically, while a 13th-level grand mage¡ªalso qualified to attend the review¡ªsat to his right, sping his hands together. A feather pen hovered over the notebook in front of him, automatically recording every word. As it reached this point, the silvery feather pen suddenly paused, stopping at thest circle. The seasoned worker smiled and raised his head: "Garrett, how much do you want?" Garrett gave him a puzzled look. He wasn¡¯t sure about the patent licensing fee. As a former clinical doctor, he was more familiar with end products than the front-end patents... Of course, as a cutting-edge technology in this world, the patent premium for a microscope would undoubtedly be substantial. For example, when coronary stents first entered the market, they easily fetched over ten thousand gold coins each. But after the patent period expired and they were heavily imitated, the price could drop to as low as seven hundred gold coins each. Undoubtedly, a significant portion of this difference came from the patent premium. But how much does a microscope cost? What are the costs? How many units can be sold annually? What percentage is high-end, middle-end, and low-end?And, how did the Alchemy Guild handle simr cases in the past, and how did they split with the mages? Garrett knew nothing about all of this. With no sources of information, what could he use to negotiate a price? "How much are you nning to offer?" he threw the question back. The seasoned worker remained silent, and to his left, an 11th-level grand mage flipped through a page of documents, smiling kindly: "I just asked. The price for purchasing this microscope by the gentleman who just won the award was 500 gold coins. Considering the cost of the lenses andbor, if the Alchemy Guild produces them in bulk, the cost can be reduced to around 300 gold coins. Splitting the profit in half, the Alchemy Guild will pay 100 gold coins for each microscope. How about that?" Splitting the profit in half as a licensing fee sounded quite generous. Especially considering it was only the profit after deducting direct production costs, without considering marketing, transportation, management costs, and other misceneous items. It seemed the Alchemy Guild was intending to take care of everything directly. And a hundred gold coins for each unit! In other words, as long as he sold sixty microscopes, thepensation from the Alchemy Guild would be enough for Garrett to buy that Evesting me he desired! Is it difficult to sell sixty units? Aurora Worton patted her pockets, thinking that buying one herself and persuading her teachers and senior brothers and sisters to buy one each would be a breeze. Not to mention those under the tutge of her senior brothers and sisters, those mages already at level five... Easily, she could sell twenty or thirty! She smiled with joy, sneakily ncing at Garrett and nudging him with her elbow. But Garrett didn¡¯t immediately agree. He pondered for a moment before earnestly asking: "Besides this cylindrical microscope, what about other models? How about those with magnification up to 1000 or even 10,000 times? What about those with light sources below? What about those with three objectives under, rotated by a disc? Two eyepieces side by side, for simultaneous viewing? Sealed barrels with protective gases?" "That..." Aurora Worton froze. The grand mage beside her also stiffened. He pondered for a moment, sighed, and began to express his difficulties earnestly: "Mr. Nordmark, the models you mentioned... we do have ns to produce them. However, no one has ever done these things before. We need to gather the best craftsmen and alchemists with expertise in item production to conduct research together. But research takes time and cost, and the specific pricing after production still needs to be studied..." In other words, high-level microscopes wouldn¡¯t sell so cheaply! By then, if themission was still 100 gold coins per unit, it would be a loss! Aurora Worton finally realized, clenched her fists, and quickly put on a serious face again. She tried not to reveal her emotions, but Garrett smiled sincerely, leaning slightly forward, and asked earnestly: "And, for higher-level microscopes, will they also be traded for gold coins? Or will it be exchanged for contribution points?" At this point, the seasoned worker also had to cough and shoot a reproachful nce to the left. Higher-level microscopes were more targeted at major mage towers and high-level mages. In such scenarios, the majority of transactions were done through contribution points, with very few exceptions. The problem was, the exchange rate between contribution points and gold coins in the Magic Council was officially one-to-one, but on the ck market, it could go up to one-to-four or even one-to-five... Paying licensing fees in gold coins would be tantly ripping people off. The seasoned worker had initially nned to let his subordinates negotiate a lower price and then personally offer some benefits¡ªsuch as a nice piece of magical equipment¡ªto make the deal sweeter. But now, with his subordinate overly generous in offering a low price, the other party smiled genuinely, yet pointed out all the traps... This wasn¡¯t easy to negotiate anymore! The seasoned worker had to step in himself. He first sent the guy on his left out, called for a tea refill, and some snacks. After a big round of fuss, seeing the atmosphere in the meeting room rx a bit, he tossed the ball back: "So, Garrett, how much do you want?" "I really don¡¯t know about this." Garrett looked at him with sincerity: "Master, you see, I don¡¯t understand the production cost, the selling price, the sales volume at all. If you¡¯re not in a hurry..." He paused, nced at his followers: "Aurora, could you please introduce us to your teacher for advice?" "Of course, no problem! My teacher loves me the most!" Aurora Worton puffed up her chest, trying to appear reliable. The seasoned worker¡¯s eyes shifted slightly, asking casually: "Is he your friend?" "No. I am his follower." Aurora Worton replied nonchntly. After half a month of hanging out with Garrett, she no longer felt embarrassed saying such things. Well, as long as I have thick enough skin, awkwardness is for others! The seasoned worker was surprised for a moment. Just about to say something, a young mage entered, quickly handing him a piece of paper. The paper was densely filled with Garrett¡¯s resume, submitted achievements, and projects he had done for the Magic Council, from top to bottom, without a single line of space left. The seasoned worker quickly scanned through it, then looked at the two with eyes that changed repeatedly, finally sighing to Aurora Worton: "Your teacher is really good to you." With Garrett¡¯s abilities and personality , he managed to be his disciple when he was only a second-level mage. The audacity, decisiveness, and sincerity¡ªCarlisle, the grand mage whom he was vaguely familiar with and hadn¡¯t interacted much with, was indeed someone! "Well, yeah..." Aurora Worton raised her head high, looking entirely justified. "..." You didn¡¯t understand what I was praising, did you... The seasoned worker suddenly didn¡¯t want to talk to this guy anymore. He turned to Garrett, stroked his beard, and smiled kindly: "Garrett, there are generally several ways for the Alchemy Guild to handle the production of a mage¡¯s invention. Listen to them and choose the one that suits you: One is for the Alchemy Guild to pay a sum of money, buying it outright, of course, this mainly applies to simpler inventions without subsequent improvements; Another is to split the profit by a certain percentage, with the mage getting anywhere from thirty percent to half; Then there¡¯s splitting based on sales amount, of course, since it includes costs, the mage¡¯s share won¡¯t be that high, mostly around ten to fifteen percent. Considering the significance of this microscope, I can offer the highest percentage split, and of course, magical equipment will also be provided, ensuring you won¡¯t be at a disadvantagepared to the one who received the award..." He elongated thest syble, eagerly awaiting Garrett¡¯s decision. Well, no matter how you choose, the Alchemy Guild will benefit. Actually, splitting half the profit or fifteen percent of the sales isn¡¯t the upper limit. For some products with particrly low costs and high profit margins, it could even be two-thirds of the profit or one-fourth of the sales. For example, some luxury items aimed at the mundane... But Garrett was still a low-level mage. Even with a faint legendary shadow behind him, he was still a low-level mage. The upper limit of the usual ratio was already very generous... "Twenty percent of the sales amount. And give me a free sample of each model." Garrett answered without hesitation. Who has time to worry about how much profit? Material procurement,bor costs, marketing, discounts, when everything is calcted, it¡¯s enough to drive one mad! Hmm, he just wanted a high-precision microscope... All this splitting was just extra, a bit more or less didn¡¯t matter, as long as it didn¡¯t drain his energy... The seasoned worker was about to refute. Garrett had already raised a finger: "For the production of microscopes, most of the processes can be handled by ordinary people. In other words, as long as we hire more jewelers, we can increase production. And, the higher-end models, the higher the profit¡ª I can provide technical guidance, publish papers, and provide as many application scenarios as possible." "Application scenarios..." The seasoned worker chewed on this new term. He supported his chin with a hand full of calluses, his eyes flickering: "Like?" "Like the Necromancy faction." Garrett smiled: "Believe me, even if it¡¯s just to see the truth of a gue, buying ten or twenty microscopes, they would pay with their eyes closed. For details, you can take a look at the paper on dysentery, and for simr gue sources, I can provide more than ten varieties." He pulled out the stack of papers again and slid them across the table. The seasoned worker read through it with narrowed eyes, quickly scanning the resume beside it, then looked up, carefully examining Garrett: "More than ten varieties of gue sources?" "No problem." "Can you publish papers?" "No big deal. Um, experimental expenses, like buying dyes, purchasing experimental animals, you¡¯ll need to cover that." Under the microscope, identifying ten types of pathogenic bacteria is child¡¯s y! The seasoned worker smiled happily. Lines of wrinkles unfolded on his face, and deep within those wrinkles, it seemed as if magical dust was gently falling: "So, deal?" "Deal!" "p!" Their palms met with a crisp sound. The seasoned worker got up, walked to the wall, took arge sheet of paper, andid it out on the table: "So, let¡¯s see what kind of magical tools you want..." Chapter 221 Chapter 221 A tailored magical equipment that matches the level? The old man spoke generously, but as he spoke, he discreetly nced at Garrett¡¯s badge. Heavens, he better not make an outrageous demand... "Matching the level" had two meanings: one was matching the mage¡¯s level, meaning equipment the mage could currently use; the other was matching the arcane level, which usually wasn¡¯t a big deal, but now it meant equipment of at least level 7 or 8. Considering Garrett was only a second-level mage, it would be best if he could use this equipment immediately... This also meant sealing a portion of magical power, following the mage¡¯s growth in power, gradually unlocking it. The manufacturing difficulty was higher than that of ordinary level 7 or 8 magical items. However, Garrett didn¡¯t grasp the old man¡¯s inner thoughts at all. After a brief hesitation, he took the feather pen the old man handed him and began to sketch: "What I want is arge disc, one meter in diameter, embedded with silver rods that emit constant ¡¯Evesting mes,¡¯ or any other light source..." "The embedding must be even. If possible, there should be a concave mirror behind the light source to reflect the light forward, so it won¡¯t be wasted..." "The number of light sources, their distance, the direction of embedding¡ª all must be focused in multiple points to ensure that when the disc is suspended, there won¡¯t be any shadows even if someone is operating underneath...""The light color must be pure white, and the brightness of the light source should be equivalent to the sunlight at noon..." "Even if it¡¯s not ¡¯Evesting mes,¡¯ it must be a cold light source that doesn¡¯t emit heat, or else it will be very ufortable for people standing underneath..." "The brightness of the light source should be adjustable, and which light sources are illuminated and which are not should also be adjustable. The size of the light spot can be adjusted to the size of a teacup, a bowl, or a basin, to meet the needs of different asions..." "There should be arge cover outside; otherwise, if blood sshes, it¡¯s hard to clean..." He spoke confidently, leaving no detail untouched. At first, the old man listened with a smile, but as he continued, circles of question marks seemed to appear in his eyes. Clearly, he couldn¡¯t figure out what it was or what it could be used for. It wasn¡¯t until he heard "blood sshes" that he finally eximed: "What are you trying to create?! What is it for?! Why would blood ssh?!" "A shadowlessmp..." Garrett looked at him with an expectant gaze, tinged with usation, as if ming him for being so surprised, interrupting his speech: "It¡¯s used for surgeries, you know, to cut people open, and during the healing process and animal dissections, this thinges in handy. Otherwise, there would be shadows under the hand and the knife, and nothing would be visible!" At this point, Garrett became excited and turned therge sheet of paper "swish" in another direction. He pulled over another corner of the paper and quickly sketched a diagram of the light path: "See this. The shadowlessmp is above, and the hand is here¡ªno matter how you move, there are always a few rays of light shining below. Convenient, isn¡¯t it? But the premise is that the direction of each light source must be subtly adjusted to achieve this effect..." "Hmm..." The old man rubbed his chin, lost in thought. The more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes became. "Makes sense, makes sense. It¡¯ll be good when assembling magic puppets or making magical jewelry. If there¡¯s such a bigmp shining, you won¡¯t be blocked by shadows no matter how you work." Those little needles, hammers, tweezers, they won¡¯t poke or hit your hands anymore! No need to sneakily cast illumination spells in every nook and cranny! This thing is useful. The old man looked eagerly at Garrett: "Can this design be licensed to us? Can we sell it?" "Sell¡ª" Garrett was momentarily taken aback. He looked at the old man with some annoyance: "Wait, I¡¯m not done yet! There are still many requirements!¡ªThismp, it needs to have a suspension arm that can adjust the height, can rotate horizontally, vertically, 360 degrees, and then maintain a fixed position; The suspension arm must be supported on the base and not topple over; There should preferably be wheels under the base, for easy dragging around; Right! The entire base, suspension arm, andmp must be easy to disinfect! It has to be made of metal! Smooth surface! I¡¯ll give you a bucket of liquidter, pour it on top, and the metal shouldn¡¯t corrode!" The old man was about to copse. As an alchemist, he had seen many strange requests along the way, but not many were as troublesome as this. Just the 360-degree rotating arm... it¡¯s so troublesome, let me think, who is good at designing such things... "This thing is so troublesome... The constant magic isn¡¯t difficult, but these strange requests... Even if we don¡¯t need a mage to do it, we need to hire a master craftsman, which is expensive..." Garrett looked at him with a intive nce. It¡¯s just a shadowlessmp; his requirements weren¡¯t high, just a regr operating room shadowlessmp! In his previous life, they were sold online; a few thousand dors each, instation included... Single-headed, double-headed, petal-shaped, single-reflector, multi-hole, multi-focus, halogen light source, LED light source, take your pick. Ah, the powerful industrial strength of the past, really lowered the cost of industrial products to afortable level... But regardless, after weighing the options, the old man still epted the custom task and negotiated the licensing agreement with Garrett. Considering the technicalplexity of the shadowlessmp wasn¡¯t high, and its application scenarios were limited, Garrett only asked for a 15%mission on the sales amount and a samplemp. After the negotiation, both parties looked at each other and were suddenly stunned: "Oh... the magical equipment we promised you... seems like we need to rethink it?" "Yes!" Garrett scratched his head. The old man stroked his beard. In the corner of the meeting room, a string of strangeughter emerged, with Aurora Worton covering her mouth with both hands, crouching at the table,ughing uncontrobly... Garrett sighed and tapped the feather pen in frustration. With a snap, the pen snapped in half. Garrett threw the broken pen handle: "So annoying! This feather pen is so useless!¡ªHey, can I order some pencils from you?" "Pencils?... What¡¯s that? Using lead to write? Lead can¡¯t write!" What? Even the Magic Council doesn¡¯t have pencils? Garrett felt resentful. How poor is your scientific knowledge, even pencils haven¡¯t been figured out? You¡¯re supposed to change the world as a time-traveler, yet all you managed was a KPI assessment? "Pencils... are made by mixing graphite powder and y to form a pencil core shape, then hardened by firing in a fire. Then you can use it to write... By the way, for convenience, it ¡¯s best to use softwood to make a pencil holder, with a semi-circr groove on each side to mp the pencil core!" Garrett gestured. The old man continued to inquire, and he started to evade, constantly deflecting: "The ratio of graphite powder to y? I don¡¯t know! How high should the fire temperature be? How long to burn? I don¡¯t know! Which kind of softwood to use? Uh... maybe birch? Or lime? Just try one by one, use a knife to see if the wood can be carved!" The old man¡¯s face turned darker and darker. After repeatedly questioning and confirming that he couldn¡¯t squeeze out any other information from Garrett, he finally pretended to be angry and mmed the table: "You only have one idea, no specific form, you can¡¯t get a highmission! Such a simple thing! Even fools can make it!" Garrett silently stared at him. Fools? Did you mean muggles can make it? In summary, the authorization for pencils was negotiated at an exceptionally lowmission¡ª1 copper coin per pencil. In addition, Garrett would receive 100 pencils per month and a pencil sharpener. Oh, and the conical-de, square-boxed pencil sharpener was also designed by Garrett himself, using his magical tricks to temporarily shape it... "So think of another magical equipment! Anything is fine, attacking, defending, moving... just don¡¯te up with something seble again!" Ugh, so tired! He¡¯s a level 15 grand mage! Negotiating business deals with children himself! If it weren¡¯t for the interesting things Garrett came up with, with legendary mages lurking behind the scenes, would he bother? Dealing with business matters like this is usually handled by his students, or his students¡¯ students! Garrett smiled awkwardly. He checked his equipment: "Well... I don¡¯t currentlyck anything... but, I have a follower who damaged his weapon during the battle with the Radiant Church. Could you help repair it?" "A trivial matter! It¡¯s settled then!" The old man readily agreed. The battle with the Radiant Church was in Septemberst year, when Garrett was still a level 1 mage, in a small rural area. What kind of follower could he have? At most, a level 5 knight. Repairing a level 5 knight¡¯s weapon, let alone repairing it, wouldn¡¯t cost much! He generously handed over a badge: "Take this, go to the first-floor task hall, and hand in the weapon to be repaired. The Alchemist Guild will naturally have someone responsible for the repairs. Remember toe back to collect it!" Garrett thanked him profusely. He couldn¡¯t wait until the next day; that afternoon, he descended from Igor Peak with Bernard again and headed straight for the vice tower belonging to the Transmutation School... That evening, at the Alchemist Guild, the head of the weapon manufacturing branch led a small cart, dragging the big bone club dripping with blood into the workshop area where the old man was located. "Look at what you¡¯ve got us into! What kind of task did you ept for us?! The special weapon of the barbarian from the Northern cier, the intermediate berserker! The ancient beast¡¯s bone, still sealed with its soul, now its body has cracked, and the soul is injured! How do I mend this bone? Wrap it with gold wires? And what about the soul? How do I revive it? Should I ask for help from the ck Crow Swamp? Or do you go catch one for me!" The old man¡¯s expression was extremely ugly. He looked at the big bone club, then at the badge he had given out, and finally remembered it was the reward for Garrett¡ªdamn it, he thought 1000 contribution points would be enough, but now it seems that even 5000 contribution points won¡¯t cover it... Someone has to bear this loss! In a fit of anger, the old man copied two copies of the manuscript about the microscope and headed straight to the neighboring Magic Review Department, to the office of the divination school¡¯s duty mage: "Old bastard! Get out here! Who let you randomly evaluate such a good paper!!!" Chapter 222 Chapter 222 How the old worker managed to negotiate half the cost of repairing the big bone club with the Divination School by banging on the table was another story. After Garrett and the Alchemist Guild settled on the reward, he happily plunged into his ownboratory¡ª Well, making electrolyzed water, electrolyzed saturated saline, and thinking about synthesizing something, even if it¡¯s ying in the Tower of Heaven, it¡¯s okay. There¡¯s power, there¡¯s a force field barrier, and if something goes wrong, someone will clean it up. If you want to make penicillin, it¡¯s best to go to your own monkey version of the P4boratory... After all, in the development of penicillin, it is inevitable to deal with a bunch of bacteria such as Staphylocus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. If you¡¯re unlucky, while penicillin hasn¡¯t been purified yet, some mutated bacteria resistant to penicillin may have quietly emerged. For example, MRSA. If this thinges out, penicillin series, cephalosporin series, sulfonamide series, rifampicin, and so on, will all be useless. Garrett can only max out his luck and go around the New Continent to see if he can find Eonsinensis... Ah, thinking about it gives me a headache. If this thing really spreads, if you¡¯re unlucky, it could wipe out half of the Magic Council... So Garrett was very conscientious. He moved all the bottles and jars back to theboratory in the outskirts of the city, and from then on, he ran around like a spinning wheel between the mountaintop, the outskirts, and the forging area. Master Worton followed him, up and down the mountain, down and up again, running until his tongue was about to fall out. Not only that, but he also had to be taken over by the teacher to ask questions: "Has Garrett advanced?""Uh... it seems not..." "Then, is his project finished?" "The smelting of mithril, isn¡¯t it being done by Senior Brothers..." "Then what is he busy with?!" "He¡¯s treating the dwarves... also took on a project from the Alchemist Guild... and making some dyes..." "What¡¯s the use of making dyes? Does the Magic Councilck a little dye from him?! Lacking him for making money?! Hurry up and urge him to advance!" "Teacher, why do you think I can urge him?... I am his follower, not him following me..." Master Carlisle rubbed his forehead. This disciple of his has really spoiled him, he has no sense of proportion, and he has even learned to talk back to him! Throwing him to serve Garrett as a follower didn¡¯t seem to make his simple and optimistic nature be a bit more cautious... Oh, this also shows that Garrett treats this kid pretty well,pletely without airs? "You can¡¯t urge me to urge! Call him over for me!" Aurora Worton ran away. Half an hourter, Master Carlisle received a message from the metal message bird: "Teacher, Garrett isn¡¯t in the Tower of Heaven, I¡¯m going to theboratory at the foot of the mountain to find him!" Two and a half hourster, the second metal message bird, brought in by Master Carlisle¡¯s senior disciple with great effort, was sent to him: "Teacher, Garrett isn¡¯t in theboratory at the foot of the mountain, he probably went to the forging area, I¡¯ll go find him!" In the evening, Aurora Worton found Garrett yingfortably and refusing to leave at the entrance of the forging area. Garrett was surrounded by a group of dwarves in the center. It¡¯s only because humans are taller than dwarves that Aurora could easily find her follower from the crowd. Garrett stood in front of an easel, smiling and waving, shouting to the dwarves around him: "Don¡¯t rush, one by one! Whose turn is it today? Stand properly, stand straight, chin up a bit¡ªokay, don¡¯t move! [Detection Magic]!" What is he doing? Aurora Worton curiously walked over. With just one nce, she saw Garrett holding a newly arrived pencil, brushing it back and forth, looking at the dwarves, drawing a few strokes, then looking at the dwarves again, and drawing a few more strokes. Concentrated expression, smooth movements, the dwarves around him were poking their heads out, watching with great interest. Then he looked at the easel again. Under Garrett¡¯s pen, there were no features, no clothing, just thick and light, ck and gray blocks of color. On closer inspection, it looked like a skeleton standing upright like the one in the School of Necromancy... In the moment he was lost in thought, Garrett had finished drawing one. The magical light shed, quickly duplicating a copy, one carefully tucked away by Garrett, the other held by the drawn dwarf, turning it over and over, looking at it with shining eyes: "What... what is this?" "You see, this is your spine, these are your ribs..." Garrett pointed to the hand-drawn X-ray and exined to him, "The spine is fine, there¡¯s no problem, this curvature is normal, a straight spine would be dangerous... Ah, the seventh rib on the right, there¡¯s a crack here, is this rib broken? Was it broken by fighting with someone? Or did you fall and break it?" "Yes yes!" The dwarf nodded vigorously, "When I was a child, I was ying in the mine, and I identally rolled down, my chest hurt for two months! Mister Mage, you¡¯re amazing!" ...This is the skill of a priest, no, a doctor in Imaging Science... Garrett didn¡¯t want to exin these things. He was only excited to have another X-ray in hand, his own medical research data, another piece added. Unfortunately, magical imaging couldn¡¯t produce it, so he had to draw it himself... hundreds of people, frontal,teral, different positions, he had to draw thousands of images, how painful! Pain couldn¡¯t stop Garrett from being fully engaged. This was his first research on humanoid creatures! It¡¯s so rare! In the previous life, all the scientists in the world didn¡¯t have these conditions! After finishing one X-ray, Garrett stretchedzily and put away the easel. The dwarves dispersed, and Aurora Worton approached Garrett, poking him discreetly: "Garrett! Can youe to the peak tomorrow? The teacher wants to see you!" "Tomorrow?" Garrett paused. He looked around somewhat resistantly, "I have a lot of things to do... Is it urgent for the Archmage? If it¡¯s not urgent, can I go in a few days?" "It seems like he wants to urge you to advance..." "This thing!" Garrett immediately lost interest. "It¡¯s not like I can advance just because he urges me. Can you help me tell the Archmage? I¡¯ll go after I finish what I¡¯m doing!" "Hey, just go once!" Aurora walked over to drag him. "The teacher won¡¯t lock you in the tower... Just consider it helping me out, show your face ande back? Also, go to the Alchemist Guild to see if Bernard¡¯s bone club is fixed!" "Then... then help me organize this data!" Garrett threw him a stack of papers without hesitation. Aurora Worton took a look, and his eyes circled around,pletely turning into mosquito coils. "Name, age, gender, height, weight, body temperature, heart rate, respiration, lung capacity... What are these?" "Oh! Don¡¯t worry about the names. Divide this data into groups of ten years, calcte the averages, and then calcte the overall average! Hurry up and calcte it for me!" Garrett was doing basic data statistics for the dwarves. There were about two to three hundred dwarves in the entire forging area, the vast majority of whom were males aged 100 to 200¡ªording to the dwarves¡¯ maximum lifespan of 400 years, it¡¯s equivalent to young and middle-aged men aged 25 to 50. In terms of medical statistics, this sample size was already enough for preliminary statistics. During this time, he called a group of dwarves one by one. Except for the blood pressure monitor that still hadn¡¯te out, he measured everything he could. After half a month, he had umted a thick stack of data, and the remaining work was topile and plot charts to derive the normal range... "Ah ah ah ah¡ªwhat¡¯s the use of doing this kind of thing!" Aurora Worton screamed miserably. "Shut up! Hurry up and calcte!" Aurora Worton curled up silently, starting to fulfill his duty as a follower... no, as a calcting tool. And Garrett spread out a roll of paper beside him, starting to write line by line, based on his impression of the data when he measured it, starting to write his paper: "...In conclusion, dwarves¡¯ heart rate and breathing are slower than humans¡¯, and their normal body temperature is also rtively low. The author spectes that this may be one of the mysteries of the long-lived species. This spection is unverified, and if there is an opportunity, it can bepared with other humanoid creatures for further study..." Hmm, the lung capacity of these dwarves seems a bit small, could it be that these people have varying degrees of pneumoconiosis from mining for years? I should try to find some dwarves who don¡¯t mine much another day... One writing and one calcting, the next day when they reached the peak, they were both listless. Master Carlisle looked at his disciple¡¯s dark circles and then at Garrett¡¯s eyes, which were just as dark, couldn¡¯t muster a word of urging. Rubbing his forehead, he sighed heavily: "Advancement is not a matter of one or two days... but it¡¯s also unnecessary to push yourself like this..." "It¡¯s not like that!" Aurora quickly rified. "He wrote a paper yesterday... I¡¯m helping him calcte the data, and I calcted itte! Fortunately, it didn¡¯t dy meditation! Teacher, look, the paper!" ording to the instructions of the legendary mage, all of Garrett¡¯s papers had to be uniformly submitted for review by the legendary mage. Of course, fromzy tozier, and then tozy, since Garrett had a new follower, Aurora Worton had been submitting his papers on his behalf. And here in Master Decar¡¯s ce, all the papers were read by his disciple, Master Carlisle, first... The grand mage naturally opened the paper. With a nce, he saw the title: "Research on Standard Physiological Data of Dwarf Males" The grand mage¡¯s feet shook on the spot. His fair face turned red in an instant, his breathing quickened, his neck veins bulged, and Garrett, with the experience of a deputy chief physician in the emergency department, intuitively felt that this person¡¯s blood pressure was probably about to burst... Can nifedipine lower it? Or beta-blockers? If it were on the operating table, he should ask the anesthetist to give him some antihypertensive drugs, such as inhaling a little isoflurane, pushing a little nitroprusside, or pumping some nitroglycerin... Garrett wandered in his mind. And across from him, Master Carlisle shook the paper in his hand, his voice heavy: "Garrett, why are you putting your energy into this? Someone like you¡ªa mage with research talent like you should have raised your mage level early, so as not to die prematurely!" Do you know how much effort the council has put into protecting you? Do you know that in order to protect you from being targeted by the Radiant Church, your important papers have been secretly distributed to reliable mages for experimentation and verification? Do you know that as long as you leave the Igor¡¯s Lock, you will definitely be under the surveince of the Tower of Heaven, with dedicated mages monitoring your location 24 hours a day? Do you know that such protective measures will continue until you reach level 5¡ª that is, when you learn Fireball, the level of bing a human-shaped walking cannon? "Can you hurry up and go to the meditation room to close up, and raise your level as soon as possible? Now you have some contributions, if it¡¯s not enough, I can lend you some!!!" Chapter 223 Chapter 223 Watching Grand Mage Carlisle turn red with a thick neck and blood rushing to his head, Garrett couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit... sympathetic. After all, Grand Mage Carlisle had once saved him. Back then, when he was cornered by the Radiant Lord¡¯s pursuers on the battlefield, it was this mage who descended from the sky, drove away the enemies, and protected him. It was also him who made the decision to stuff Garrett into the flying ship and bring him back to the training camp... At that time, Grand Mage Carlisle, at first nce, seemed like a charming middle-aged man, gentle, noble, and modest. Except for the fact that his golden robe was a bit dazzling, his speech and attitude were impable. When asked about his experience in battle, there was no hint of disdain. In fact, there was even a hint of curiosity. But now? Clothes wrinkled, eyes red, hair messy, with a few strands of silver-white hair sticking out of the mess. Looking at him, Garrett couldn¡¯t help but think of those coders who had been fired at the age of 37 and could only deliver takeout... Garrett even felt a bit sorry for him. However, sympathy aside, principles had to be upheld. He waved his hand, asking Aurora to close the office door, shutting out the footsteps in the corridor and the prying eyes of junior mages. Then, he looked into Grand Mage Carlisle¡¯s eyes and exined earnestly: "Master, I respect your decision, and I can afford the cost of seclusion. But everyone¡¯s path to advancement is different. I don¡¯t advance through meditation... Besides, I¡¯m not ready yet!" "What do you mean you¡¯re not ready? What else do you need? Tell me, and I¡¯ll help you prepare!" "...I still haven¡¯t finished shaping my smooth muscles..." But Garrett couldn¡¯t bring himself to say this out loud...On one hand, it was because it involved the secret of his meditation. It¡¯s not that the Magic Council might force him to reveal his meditation rules¡ª if they did, he wouldply; there was nothing he couldn¡¯t share, and the Magic Council genuinely cared about him, serving as his umbre of protection. Giving it to them wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing. But due to their concern for him, Garrett was genuinely afraid that they would take away his meditation rules, dissect and study them over and over again, and forbid him from practicing until they understood them fully. Furthermore, handing them over was a huge project in itself, one that could dy progress by a couple of months¡ª it wasn¡¯t something that could be done simply by exining his rules of focus and rxation! Garrett struggled for a moment before saying, "I need to explore more, broaden my horizons... To do things properly, I need to have a clear mind and not be preupied with other matters... For example, the mithril smelting project, that has to bepleted first!" "Will you advance once the project is sessful?" Grand Mage Carlisle looked at Garrett skeptically. This electrolytic smelting project, involving dozens of mages including his own apprentices, had consumed countless resources. After a couple of months, using up tworge boxes of graphite and hundreds of kilograms of intermediate products of mithril smelting, the oue was... nothing. It wasn¡¯t that he was concerned about the manpower and resources wasted. In fact, over the years, the Magic Council¡¯s investment in mithril smelting far exceeded Garrett¡¯s project by thousands or even millions of times. The problem was, how long would it take toplete the project? Are you procrastinating, or do you want me not to urge you? "How long do you think it will take for this project to seed?" "Well... um..." Garrett looked up, scanning the ceiling of the room, avoiding eye contact with the other party... Material science had always been a pitfall. How manyrge enterprises, research institutes, and thousands of people had poured their lifelong efforts into it, only to produce a few results in the end? It was half due to investment and half due to luck. If luck wasn¡¯t on their side, they wouldn¡¯t produce anything for three to five years. And the Magic Council? With only threeboratories and dozens of people working, they expected results in a month? Their luck was just too good! "Enough, let¡¯s not talk about whether the project will seed or not." Grand Mage Carlisle took a deep breath, trying to suppress his frustration and spoke calmly, "Go meditate for a few days first. Even if you can¡¯t advance immediately, it¡¯s good to strengthen your mental strength. After meditation, if you have time, you can go to theboratory..." "Don¡¯t focus on strange things! Even doing magic experiments is better than measuring the body temperature of dwarves one by one!!!" "No, please!" Garrett screamed. He still had so much to do! He had only drawn X-ray images for about ten people! He hadn¡¯t even started drawing B-ultrasound images! And there were different levels of physicalbat effectiveness, the impact on physiological indicators... Such a big project, he had only just begun! "Listen to me!" Grand Mage Carlisle raised his hand, and two transparent hands rose on either side, slowly closing in. It looked like they were about to crush Garrett in the middle, the meaning behind it was clear: "If you won¡¯t meditate, I¡¯ll make you meditate..." "Master! Master!" The office door burst open. A young mage with a face full of e rushed in, waving his hands and dancing, the pimples on his nose glowing red: "We did it!!!" "What?" "Mithril! Mithril! We did it!!!" Grand Mage Carlisle¡¯s gaze sharpened. He instinctively rushed to the door, took two steps forward, then abruptly stopped: "You! Come with me!" 375th floor of the Tower of Heaven, in Laboratory 4, cheers filled the air. A translucent force field hand was holding a steel mesh, swirling around in front of the mages, passing by each person deliberately turning twice. The steel mesh was dotted with silver-gray powder, identical to the mithril powder they had seen before. A pile of instruments was arranged in the corner of the room. Scales, beakers, bottles, and jars. Good news kepting in: "After melting, it can solidify into a block!" "Blocks of the same size weigh the same as mithril blocks!" "Good ductility!" "Good magic conductivity!" "Appraisal feedback, it is mithril!" "High-purity mithril! We did it! We did it!!!" Every measurement result sparked a wave of cheers. The host of Laboratory 4, a female Archmage with a magic level of 11, raised her hands high, unable to contain her excitement as she spun around. Her magic robe fluttered in the air, forming a colorful flower on the clean floor of theboratory. Even the adjacentboratories were shaken. The mages put down their work and temporarily disconnected the electric field, joining the celebration. Finally, they had done it! Three paths, working separately for over a month, failure after failure, and now someone had seeded! Even if it wasn¡¯t their team, they could still benefit from it! Garrett stepped into the "Come on, let¡¯s sing and dance!" Garrett: "... Let me go! You¡¯re too close to the electric field! There¡¯s strong acid and alkali on the table! Help meeeeee!" After struggling for a long time, Garrett was finally rescued from the crowd by Grand Mage Carlisle and dragged into Laboratory 6 next door. Once the force field gate was closed, the Grand Mage smirked at him: "Feeling better now? Can you advance?" Uh... luck was really not on his side... Or rather, the Magic Council¡¯s luck was just too good. They had made a breakthrough in such a troublesome project in just a month. But his personal luck wasn¡¯t that great. It just so happened that he had postponed his advancement to the sess of the project... But he couldn¡¯t back down! Garrett tried to straighten his magic robe, held his head high, and said confidently: "...How did you know this is the end of the project?" "What do you mean?" The Grand Mage frowned. Standing two meters apart, Garrett stared straight into his eyes, confidently asking: "Even if the electrolytic smelting method of mithril is sessful, how much production capacity will there be? Previously, the bottleneck was between semi-finished products and finished products. Now, it¡¯s between ore and semi-finished products, right? I asked a few days ago, and even if we¡¯re lucky, we can only produce a few pounds of semi-finished products per day¡ª" "So what do you want to do?" "I have ways!" Garrett raised his head, turned around, lookingpletely confident: "There are several nodes that this project needs to break through. I¡¯ll say it¡¯s over when it¡¯s over!" He strode out of the room. When he reached the door, he pushed and pushed again... "Open the door!" Garrett¡¯s prediction soon became reality. The Magic Council¡¯s thirst for mithril was almost infinite. Once the electrolytic smelting method was sessful, all the semi-finished products were immediately taken over by the council and transported to the Tower of Heaven. One day, two days... Then, the speed at which the dwarves refined the semi-finished products couldn¡¯t keep up with the council¡¯s smelting speed. How could manpowerpare with magic? Inside the Tower of Magic, mages adjusted the parameters, heated up, and supplied power, waiting to collect mithril powder. If one crucible wasn¡¯t enough, they used several, or added more power sources; But in the forging area, there was only one old Siegn who could fish out suitable semi-finished products from the pool... "Can we go faster?" "Can we fish out more?" "Can the output double?" Day and night, Siegn, who had been guarding the pool for three days, almost fell into it. It was at this moment that Garrett stepped into the smelting area. mes were raging by the poolside, and it was a forbidden zone for outsiders. He had no intention of getting close. Wrapped in threeyers inside and out, he wore a shield, and even added a [Heat and Cold Resistance], as he carried a bottle of chilled saltwater. Fully armed, he stood far away from the door, asking the braided dwarf who had brought him in: "Why can¡¯t we fish out more? Is it because there aren¡¯t enough people? If it¡¯s because the miners aren¡¯t strong enough, I can ask the mages to cast shields for everyone and help them out, can¡¯t I?" "...No, mainly because this pool isn¡¯t good enough." Once the dwarves approved of someone, they would speak frankly and honestly. Right now, the braided dwarf was trying hard to exin to Garrett, pointing at the pool from a distance: "You see this pool, most of the time it¡¯s golden yellow, sometimes it¡¯s white. But white isn¡¯t good enough, only when it¡¯s dazzling white can it melt the ore and produce good stuff¡ªlook, it¡¯s bubbling! It¡¯s about to explode... Explode! Good! It¡¯s happening now." Several steps away, the old dwarf stretched out his arm, skillfully scooping out something sparkling and hot from the center of the explosion. A handful of crystal-clear, steaming objects emerged from the magma. Garrett: "...So it¡¯s really because the temperature isn¡¯t high enough! Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? Here Ie!!!" Chapter 224 Chapter 224 The dwarves of the entire Mithril Zone looked at Garrett with eyes of gratitude. It was him who, disregarding his own safety, rescued Elder Talbert; it was him who took on the task assigned by the Magic Council to improve the refining process of mithril. It was after his intervention that the Magic Council could refine mithril on their own without relying on Elder Talbert¡¯s divine magic. And now, it was him who confidently stepped forward, dering, "I¡¯ll figure out how to increase the output of semi-finished products!" Garrett was brimming with confidence¡ªor at least, he appeared to be. He had long suspected that the unstable production of mithril semi-finished products was due to insufficient temperature in the fire pit (or furnace, or whatever it was called). For this reason, he had made several contingency ns. But those ns... Garrett decided to start with a manpower attempt. d in a full set of magical defenses, he cautiously approached the fire pit from five meters away, holding a tube of potassium permanganate. Lowering his head, focusing, adjusting his aim¡ª Dragon¡¯s Breath! A fan-shaped st of intense white mes brushed against theva, jetting out and sweeping past the old dwarf standing a meter away. The old dwarf quickly grabbed some ore and plunged it into the white mes, gently shaking it. In just an instant, the handle of the spoon used to hold the ore burst into mes, and the ore sank into the magma with a dull thud... "Uh..." Garrett quickly stopped casting the spell, awkwardly looking at the old dwarf. However, Elder Siegn remained unusually calm. Bending down, he scooped up another spoonful of ore from theva. After turning his arm, he lowered his head to examine it and nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, quite useful."He turned halfway, stretched his arm, and handed the product in the spoon to Garrett. The stout dwarf¡¯s body even bent slightly, and in his gaze toward Garrett, at least 50% of it contained respect: "Sir, thank you for your help. As long as this kind of me continues to burn, doubling the output of mithril is definitely not a problem." Garrettpletely missed the meaning behind his words. As half-melted ore was presented before him, emitting waves of hot steam, Garrett reflexively jumped back, retreating several steps: "Don¡¯te near me! My [Heat and Cold Resistance] can¡¯t even handle boiling water, and the magical defenses on me can¡¯t withstand molten steel! And do you think I¡¯d stand here for eight hours a day, cosying as a human dragon? I¡¯m not that foolish! Confirming that high temperature can help refine ore is enough; whates next should be handed over to machinery, not manpower!" Garrett nodded vaguely at the dwarf and turned to leave. As he walked, he pondered: So how do we increase the furnace temperature? What type of furnace is used for iron smelting again? st furnace? Open hearth furnace? Bessemer converter? Forgive Garrett for only knowing these names; he had no idea what they actually looked like. Even if pictures were ced in front of him, he might not be able to correctly identify them. What does the interior of the furnace look like? Where does the fuel enter, where does the ore go in, where does the oxygen blow in, and where does the molten iron¡ªor in this case, the semi-finished mithrile out? Garrett had once scribbled wildly with a pen, resulting in seven or eight messy blobs on the paper... And, the furnace seemed to require refractory bricks. What were the ingredients and firing methods of refractory bricks? No idea, no clue, goodbye. Of course, there were other ways to increasebustion temperature. For example, add fuel? Add gasoline, diesel, kerosene? Garrett wasn¡¯t sure if there was petroleum in this world; he had never seen it anyway. Burn hydrogen gas? Too dangerous, Garrett didn¡¯t want to blow himself up. Add aluminum thermite? Garrett silently reminded himself to bring over the electrolytic smelting technology and y with some magnesium and aluminumter... So, among all the technical routes, the most likely to seed seemed to be just two words: Blow oxygen. How much to blow? Unknown. Oxygen partial pressure? Flow rate? Pressure? Unknown. Where to blow from? Also unknown. In Garrett¡¯s mind, there were only the solitary words "blow oxygen." As for how to blow... Garrett took out a bottle of oxygen¡ªfrom the process of electrolyzing water¡ªand beckoned his follower from behind: "Can you move¡ªor blow¡ªthis gas from this bottle directly above the fire pit, into contact with theva?" "No problem!" Aurora Worton rubbed her hands eagerly. With a casual gesture, the bottle mouth exploded. Before the oxygen in the bottle could escape¡ªperhaps it did, but it was invisible to the naked eye¡ªa translucent force field rolled out, and a white light exploded in the magma pool. "This is it!" the bearded dwarf shouted. "This is the size of me we need!" Then, the white light shed and disappeared... Half the dwarves looked at Garrett, while the other half looked at Aurora, and then followed Aurora¡¯s gaze to Garrett... Garrett shrugged and took out another bottle of oxygen. This time, the old dwarf by the fire pit struck a pose, his chest heaving, his arm muscles bulging. He turned to stare at Garrett and nodded heavily: "Come!" For the second time, the oxygen bottle was opened, the spell was cast to transfer the oxygen, and mes soared. The old dwarf scrambled to swing the ore into the white fire, retrieving it to inspect, sighing, "Not enough. The burning time is too short; it needs to be doubled at least. Honorable mage, do you have a solution?" There was indeed a solution. But it required arge amount of oxygen and maintaining airflow... This was the moment to test industrial strength! "I have a way! But it requires the support of the council¡ªleave it to me, and wait!" Garrett bid farewell and returned to the Tower of Heaven, heading to Laboratory 3 on the 375th floor. Theboratory was in chaos, with a new group of people working. The previous water tanks, graphite rods, bottles, and jars were all gone. It seemed that the electrolytic refining had seeded, and the project team had disbanded, with each mage returning to their own duties. Garrett froze. He stood at the entrance of theboratory for three seconds, then let out a scream: "Don¡¯t leave! Where is everyone?!" What about the by-products of the electrolysis process? Did they extract pure oxygen efficiently using magic? Even if that failed, could they at least leave me a couple of oxygen bottles?! He paced in circles at the entrance of theboratory, like a melting candle, dejectedly squatting down. Aurora Worton quickly came over to pull him up: "Boss, it¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll take you to find them. They¡¯re all my senior brothers and sisters, and I¡¯m familiar with them!" "Aurora," Garrett looked at him with lifeless eyes, "Why do you think they ran away so fast? They didn¡¯t even write a paper! Just separating and analyzing air alone could generate several papers. Why did they run away?!" "Um... well, boss," Aurora scratched his head, "Maybe they¡¯re waiting for you to write? After all, it was your proposal. They can¡¯t just write without your approval and snatch away the recognition and rewards you deserve, right?" "..." Garrett realized btedly that there was also something called the corresponding author. The boss was responsible for determining the topic, finding funding, leading the project, and overseeing everything. Capable researchers, under the guidance of the boss, were responsible for leading the team and doing independent work. Of course, such researchers were mostly qualified to be first authors, not begrudgingly epting second or third authorship. "...Let them write. After they finish, let me check it, and if it¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll sign as the corresponding author. ¡ªWhat I need now is oxygen! Oxygen!" As long as my patients can breathe in oxygen, whether it¡¯s during breathing difficulties or surgery, having enough oxygen to inhale, those papers and whose names they¡¯re under, I couldn¡¯t care less. The nearly disbanded¡ªor already disbanded¡ªproject team once again efficiently mobilized. Upon learning that Garrett had a way to increase the output of semi-finished products, mages immediately followed his instructions, working diligently. They set up a force field box, vigorously filled it with air until it couldn¡¯t take anymore, then threw in [Cryogenic Rays], [Frost Breath], [Ice Ball Spells], [Northern Winds]... "Very good! It¡¯s starting to liquefy! Turn it all into liquid and then raise the temperature a little more..." BOOOOOOM! Under Igor Peak, exclusive to Thunder Horn, where dangerous explosion experiments were conducted, the entire stone tform shook. The next moment, a strong light shone from the Tower of Heaven, and Archmage Carlisle swiftly descended from the peak, prating the barriers, his descent speeding up: "What are you doing!" "Uh... Garrett wants the fire-breathing air, but we¡¯ve used up all we made before..." It turned out that without a 13th-level or higher grand mage present, relying solely on force field barriers to liquefy air wasn¡¯t something that could be done casually... Anyway, Garrett got what he wanted in the end: Under the leadership of Archmage Carlisle and with the help of three highest-level students, pure oxygen was finally separated without the support of a mage tower; Another grand mage personally intervened, using steel infused with aurum to create thick steel cylinders for oxygen storage; After filling them up, they were sent to the Mithril Zone, where mages from the Alchemy Guild of the Transmutation School, responsible for maintaining the magic array, buried pipelines in the walls to directly blow oxygen from the steel cylinders above the fire pit. Oh, and those pipes were retractable, extending when blowing oxygen and retracting when not in use, to prevent oxygen from spraying out of the ceiling and wasting... "Mithril ore refining, first oxygen blowing experiment, begins!" Garrett issued themand. Aurora Worton sat in the corner of the Mithril Forging Room, casting [Brute Bull Strength] on herself, gripping the valve of the oxygen cylinder with both hands. Mage Denfrees stood in another corner, pressing the button to extend the pipe from the ceiling... The air hissed. Soon, the edge of the fire pit was roiling withva, the golden mes turning white, billowing upwards. "Now it¡¯s a matter of conducting experiments one by one, finding the right flow rate... The Magic Council will rece the oxygen cylinders regrly and retrieve the used ones. Anyone can do this bit of work, right? Oh, right, also need to be careful not to let the cylinders explode..." Garrett hummed a tune as he walked out. Before long, cheers erupted from the cavern behind him. "Oh, right! Where¡¯s my oxygen! Leave me a bottle of oxygen! Ahhhhh!" Chapter 225 Chapter 225 The news of increased mithril production spread from the forging area to the Alchemy Guild, then to the upper echelons of the Transmutation School. Through another route, the partiallypleted research... or at least part of it, had beenpleted by the polymorphic mages, and the news reached the hands of the legendary masters at Thunder Horn. Thus, during the weekly review meeting, Garrett¡¯s affairs inevitably came up. "The magic smelting of mithril... No, has electrolytic smelting beenpleted?" "Yes, we can now smoothly produce mithril." "It¡¯s said that production of semi-finished products is also not a problem now?" "Yes, the dwarves are working day and night, and it¡¯s said that the output of semi-finished products alone has increased fivefoldpared to before." "So, is Garrett Nordmark¡¯s project finished? Shouldn¡¯t we discuss rewards?" "Um, well..." "What¡¯s wrong? You were generous when proposing the project, but now you¡¯re hesitant about rewards? In my opinion, even if we allocate a portion of the increased mithril production to him in proportion, that¡¯s only fair! Hmm, would one percent be enough?""...... It¡¯s not that... Mainly, Garrett Nordmark hasn¡¯t submitted the final report yet..." "Why is he procrastinating? Can¡¯t he write a report? Find someone to help him write it!" Garrett was almost driven to despair. Since electrolytic smelting waspleted, the workload for the dwarves had suddenly increased, and their working hours had also drastically lengthened. As a result, from working for two hours, taking a break and having a drink, it had be working for four hours,ing out for lunch, taking a break, and then continuing to forge... "Why is another one fainting! I said this wouldn¡¯t work! ¡ªWait! Don¡¯t give him beer! Stop!" Another dwarf, red-faced and dizzy, stumbled out, swaying to the bar and grabbing a ss of ice-cold beer, gulp, gulp, gulp... "Ah! Another one! Bernard! Help me drag him away! Take him to the back and give him sugar water! Aurora, cast a cooling breeze!" The dwarves were indeed robust, but no matter how strong they were, they couldn¡¯t withstand this. Garrett nced at his notebook... In three days, the number of people suffering from heatstroke had soared from two cases a day to twenty cases a day! What about another day? ... And two more days? As a doctor... even a clinical doctor, not abor protection officer in an industrial enterprise, Garrett expressed that he could not tolerate such terrible working conditions and the environment where workers were falling down in droves! More importantly, he had the authority to speak now! With a serious face, Garrett found Master Tnto. Freed from the grueling work of producing mithril with all his might, Master Tnto¡¯splexion had improved significantly. Although his hair and beard were still snowy white, there was more color on his face, and the skin on his arms was no longer dry and wrinkled, looking more like tightly wrapped bones. When Garrett approached, Master Tnto had just finished a healing spell. The dwarf being treated climbed up, dripping wet, poured a bucket of creek water on his head, and then rushed back to the forging area. Master Tnto hesitated to speak, and in the end, he just sighed softly, watching the dwarf walk away. Garrett sat down beside him. Together, they watched the doors of the forging area until the heat-stricken dwarf disappeared behind them. Then Garrett cleared his throat and spoke softly: "Master, this can¡¯t go on. ¡ªThe number of people suffering from heatstroke is increasing. If this continues, everyone will fall ill in droves!" "Do you think I don¡¯t know? But we¡¯re running out of money!" "Howe?" The old dwarf sighed. He let go of his hand, and a few broken white whiskers fluttered in the wind. A look of regret shed across the old man¡¯s face as he looked at his fingertips, his brows furrowed in worry: "Mithril prices have dropped... The processing fee, from 500 gold coins per pound, has dropped to 200 gold coins... Although semi-finished products can also be sold, they only fetch 20 gold coins per pound ¡ª the gap here can only be filled by everyone working harder." "You know, more than half of the food and ale consumed by ourpatriots in the settlement is bought with the money we earn working outside." The Magic Council held the core technology ¡ª high-end industrial product prices plummeted ¡ª dwarf ie decreased ¡ª forced to produce more raw materials and low-end industrial products. Garrett instantly understood the ins and outs of this. He felt as if he had been hit hard, and he felt like two big words were written on his forehead: essory! It¡¯s the kind that¡¯s red and turns ck... Everyone can PK legally, and the drop rate is particrly high... "But can¡¯t semi-finished products be sold at a higher price? Only dwarves can do the smelting of semi-finished products, right?" The old dwarf continued to smile bitterly. Using the traditional method of the dwarves, one could produce at most five or six pounds of semi-finished products in a day with one fire pit. Now, they could produce more than fifty pounds in a day, but because they used the gas provided by the Magic Council, the selling price couldn¡¯t go up at all. ording to the Council: "This kind of gas requires three grand mages to work together¡ª" Garrett fell silent. However, now that the technology of electrolytic smelting had been developed, it was obviously impossible to go back. All he could do was to improve the welfare of the dwarves and strengthenbor protection. For example, he could talk to Mage Denfrees... "Supply them with ice water?" Mage Denfrees vehemently shook his head when he heard this. "Garrett, I know you care about those dwarves, but... to supply so many dwarves with ice water, a fifth-level mage like me would have to spend all day just casting cryogenic rays!" "Then... how about supplying them with salt soda water?" "What¡¯s salt soda water?" Garrett fell silent. Fortunately, he still remembered the recipe for salt soda water. It was just water, sugar, salt, citric acid, and baking soda. Everything else was easy, but if he couldn¡¯t make citric acid right away, he could just use vinegar instead. After experimenting in hisboratory for half a day, he finally made satisfactory salt soda water and went to find Mage Denfrees again¡ª "It¡¯s a good idea, but where does the moneye from? ording to your calction, if each dwarf drinks four bottles of salt soda water a day, okay, let¡¯s halve it and make it two bottles per person! All the dwarves in the forging area will need four pounds of salt, four pounds of baking soda, and two pounds of sugar every day! Even if the water is drawn from the stream at the door, and the firewood is chopped directly on the mountain, let¡¯s not count the cost ofbor, add it all up, it will cost at least one gold coin per day. The Council doesn¡¯t have this extra budget, will you pay for it, or will I?" One gold coin per person per day. Thirty gold coins per month. This money wasn¡¯t a lot, but it definitely wasn¡¯t a small amount either. Garrett was now a second-level mage, a fourth-rank arcanist. His monthly fixed ie, which was the allowance given to him by the Magic Council, was less than thirty gold coins... If there were a fixed budget, it would be fine. Without a fixed budget, pulling money out of personal pockets could only be done asionally¡ªsuch as hitching a ride on a research project of the Council and getting a small amount of funding. Spending this way year after year was not a solution. "Um..." Garrett was stumped. In the end, it was Master Tnto who solved this problem. With the prestige of a master, he solved it in a straightforward manner: "Just make them drink less alcohol! Each person, deduct two sses of ale money from their daily wages, and hand it all over to the tavern owner. Let him be responsible for hiring people¡ªthere are women in the forging area too¡ªmake salt soda water and deliver it every two hours! It has to be fizzy!" The forging area couldn¡¯t drink alcohol, but they could drink salt soda water. Guzzle down a big bottle, burp, and release arge amount of gas, feeling refreshed all over. The number of people suffering from heatstroke dropped from twenty cases a day to two cases a day, immediately. Everyone was happy. The tavern owner solved the jobs of several kitchen maids, the dwarves solved the problem of heatstroke, the production efficiency of the forging area increased, and Mage Denfrees added a shining point to his resume. Only Garrett gained nothing¡ª The salt soda water business simply didn¡¯t make money. The tavern owner supplied salt soda water at cost, without making any profit... From beginning to end, Garrett paid for the research and development expenses, not even earning a penny. Oh, if you could barely say there was a gain, it was the thick golden stroke added to his title as "Friend of the Dwarves." If friendship could be quantified, his reputation had probably jumped from "friendly" to "respectful"... But Garrett didn¡¯t care about making money. With the heatstroke problem solved, he turned back to hisboratory and resumed his research. The next goal was to produce penicillin¡ªoh, tuberculosis bacteria weren¡¯t particrly sensitive to penicillin, so he might also need to produce streptomycin... "Ah¡ªwhy does bacterial culture take so long¡ª" Garrett stood in the middle of his fullboratory of culture dishes, holding his head and wailing. At this moment, he missed his teacher immensely: during the epidemic of dysentery back then, Elder Elwin had released divine magic to selectively cultivate various bacteria. If Elder Elwin had been by his side, this divine magic would have been enough to speed up the experimental process by 100 times! Unfortunately, Garrett couldn¡¯t do it. Not only could he not do it, even Matthew, who had advanced to the fifth level, couldn¡¯t. As for Elder Wood, he was far away in Oak Ridge, dozens of miles away, and Garrett didn¡¯t want to bring him over just for his own experiment... "Cultivate, cultivate, cultivate..." Garrett muttered weakly with his oak staff in hand. Half a year had passed, and the two green leaves on the top of the oak staff had be identical, deep green in color and hard in texture. Judging from the shape of the green leaves alone, Garrett had umted to the peak of the second level priest, and he could think of ways to upgrade. But upgrading might not necessarily be useful. Garrett pointed his finger, and a faint green light fell, and several small mushrooms grew in the culture dish. Seven or eight pale yellow clean little umbres covered the entire culture dish, looking particrly pleasing. However, Garrett¡¯s face darkened. It was like this again, just like this! Ever since he learned to use vine to cultivate a straw, there was no threshold for him to cultivate nts. As long as he held the seeds in his hand, he could always produce a piece of straw or a piece of wood. As for nts that didn¡¯t grow intoplete nts, Garrett said it was not a problem, anyway, he didn¡¯t care. But it didn¡¯t work for cultivating bacteria. With a divine spell, the entire culture dish could be filled to the brim, and if luck wasn¡¯t good, it might even affect the neighboring dish. How could he separate and purify them? They were all squeezed together! With such a rapid growth rate, if there was penicillin... Wouldn¡¯t they be squeezed to death too... Garrett began to tug at his hair in frustration. He hadn¡¯t cut his hair for half a year, and his originally close-cropped hair had grown past his ears, feeling quite different when pulled. Garrett pulled out a strand and twirled it around his fingertip, his gaze unfocused, passing through the gaps between his fingers. This caliber of shooting is a bit too big... If only it could be smaller... If only the impact point could be controlled to the size of a needle, the size of a hair... "Hey!" Garrett suddenly jumped up. He rummaged through his spatial bag in a panic, found the silver bell given to him by the polymorph master, shook it twice, and uttered an incantation: "Time is money, my friend!" "Wow, it¡¯s not easy, you finally remembered me?" The quirky voice of inquiry, along with blue smoke, emerged from the bell. Chapter 226 In the muttering of the little demon, Garrett carefully took out his purse, coinsid out one by one. In terms of contribution points, he now had over 1500, which could be considered quite wealthy; however, he only had a little over two hundred coins. More going out thaning in, so far, there hasn¡¯t been a stable source of ie that could regrly provide coins. This was still the result of working in the clinic for a while and umting some cash. Aftering to Nevis City, the Magic Council provided food, shelter, and research conditions, which could be considered quite favorable. The problem was, the Magic Council issued rewards using contribution points, and Garrett was reluctant to convert his contribution points into coins... "Only 258 coins left..." Garrett furrowed his brow. Two hundred in one bag, fifty in the other. These two bags were separately packed in cowhide bags and were not easily taken out for spending; in the sheepskin bag containing loose change, there were only eight shiny gold coins left. Who knows how much he¡¯ll need to spend tonight. Garrett swept most of the coins into his purse and picked up the lone one left outside, handing it to the little demon. As the coin disappeared into blue smoke, the ethereal form of the little demon solidified, holding the bell, then leaped down. Garrett immediately handed over a ss rod: "Here, make it twice as long, and make sure it¡¯s even! Even!" The little demon sped its hands together, sparks flying as mes shot straight upward. The ss rod gradually softened in the me, the little demon¡¯s hands pulling it apart, stretching it... "Oops, it¡¯s bending! That won¡¯t do! It needs to be straight!"Fortunately, the ss rod could be reheated and reshaped. The little demon waved its hands, heating and shaping the ss rod horizontally and vertically, back and forth for a while, until finally, a 2-millimeter diameter, 15-centimeter long ss rod was pulled. Garrett took it and waved it around, relieved that it didn¡¯t break: "Not bad, not bad. Let me try it!" Holding the ss rod like a pen, Garrett touched the tip to the culture medium, taking a deep breath. Closing his eyes, adjusting his breath, clearing his mind, activating his magic... Clear, transparent green light flowed from his fingertips onto the ss rod, then along the rod to the culture medium, emitting a faint glow. It was like casting a spell¡ªor rather, divine magic was indeed part of extraordinary power. On the gel-like culture medium, a small colony of bacteria bloomed where the light touched. "Yes!" Garrett cheered softly. Up to now, he still didn¡¯t quite understand how divine magic energy spread, but he could only roughly interpret the part visible to the naked eye as light; and indeed, this beam of green light extended along the direction of the ss rod, not dispersing much into the external environment. Using this method to control the cultivation of divine magic was feasible! "Coin, make me another one, as thin as a hair... Coin..." The little demon disappeared. As the duration ended, the little demon turned into blue smoke and retracted into the bell, needing to recharge beforeing out again... The second time tinkering with the ss wasn¡¯t as smooth as the first. No matter how the little demon pulled and stretched, it couldn¡¯t produce a ss fment thin enough to meet Garrett¡¯s requirements. Either it was too thick, crooked, or it snapped halfway... One coin wasted, then two. Seeing the dwindling coins in his purse, Garrett racked his brains and finally came up with another possible way to seed: "Coin, create a te with fine holes¡ªextremely fine, only allowing hair-thin fments to pass through¡ªthen melt the ss, pour it onto the te. Let the molten ss flow through the holes, then gently squeeze it from above, letting it drop down naturally. Oh, and put up a barrier around it to prevent the ss thread from being blown crooked by the wind..." It must be admitted that the coin¡¯s ability in fine craftsmanship was indeedmendable. After three failures under Garrett¡¯s guidance, it actually managed to pull out several ss threads as thin as hair. Well, maybe a bit thicker than hair, but Garrett couldn¡¯t tell with the naked eye... The coin¡¯s work didn¡¯t stop there. It not only pulled out the ss threads but also, as per Garrett¡¯s request, neatly embedded them into the back of scalpels, the center of thin silver rods, the edges of forceps, and so on. While performing surgery, he used healing magic (instead of cauterization with an electric knife) to stop bleeding, no longer just a dream. Feeling happy. Garrett¡¯s lips curled into a smile. Holding a silver rod, he pointed it at the culture dish again. This time, the bacterial colony in the dish was slightly smaller than thest time. And the divine magic wasn¡¯tpletely exhausted! The consumption of a single spell was at most half of a level 0 spell! Garrett floated around the room for a while, not touching the ground with his feet, spinning in circles now and then. If his mobility weren¡¯t limited and the shoes weren¡¯t unsuitable, he could have spun 32 circles on his toes right then and there... He now had a powerful tool! He could cultivate bacteria barehanded! Fantastic! No more worries about purifying penicillin! As long as it was separated, he could just keep on fostering! Fostering! After floating for a while, Garrett gradually calmed down. He threw thest three coins in his purse, letting the little demon pull out hundreds of ss threads, each one embedded into metal rods¡ªsilver, copper, steel, whatever. With just a silver and copper coin left in his purse, he didn¡¯t feel a pang of regret. He went to the steamer to add firewood. After disinfecting hundreds of metal rods with high-temperature steam to ensure sterility, it took Garrett about an hour. He picked them up one by one, starting to foster bacteria in the culture dishes. Releasing magic, then switching rods, releasing magic, then switching... Even though the consumption each time wasn¡¯t enough for a level 0 spell, repeating it hundreds of times made Garrett feel dizzy and his temples throbbed. He covered thest culture dish, hugged his oak staff, and stumbled out of theb. Closing the airlock, rinsing, walking to the buffer zone, changing clothes and washing again. Afterpleting all the procedures, Garrett copsed in the lounge, slowly closing his eyes, entering a state of meditation. In the core of meditation, the final step of shaping the muscles throughout his body remained. Skeletal musclespleted, smooth musclespleted, left atrium, left ventricle, right atrium, right ventricle allpleted, Garrett closed his eyes, step by step, beginning to construct the pericardium with his mental strength. The pericardium is a membranous sac covering the surface of the heart, used to protect the heart and prevent excessive expansion of the heart cavity. It looks like a conical sac at first nce, but when subdivided, it has severalyers, none of which can be taken lightly. Garrett first molded the inneryer of the heart, also known as the serousyer. The serousyer is rtively thin, smooth and moist, divided into visceral and parietalyers, with the pericardial cavity filled with pericardial fluid; after molding the parietalyer, he then molded the outeryer of the pericardium, which is dense connective tissue, tough and tight, with little sticity. Just the threeyers with different structures and forms exhausted Garrett. After thest segment of the pericardium waspleted, he circled around the root of the aorta and finally finished. Next, it was extending the blood vessels from the heart... The aorta, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, superior and inferior vena cava, and many other blood vessels, each carefully modified, making them closer to the state of the body. Ah... so tired... Garrett leaned back, spread-eagled on the bed. As soon as hey down, his spine suddenly twitched, and he sprang up as if electrified. That power, that familiar yet strange power, that gentle yet vast power, quietly descended. Garrett scrambled back on the bed, his back against the wall. Just as he settled into position, that power rushed into his meditative environment, like a gentle rain, moisturizing every inch of the muscle constructed in the void. In the void, white light silently circted. The standing figure began to move again, this time, it was tendons tightening, muscles contracting and rxing, driving the changes in posture. Intermuscr movements, smooth muscle tightening and rxing, rxing and tightening again, simting the state of visceral peristalsis. Even the newly constructed heart, thudded, thudded, beating evenly and powerfully. In the core of meditation, the bones, muscles, connected as one, nourished the body with spirit. A light ¡¯pop¡¯ sounded. It was like a soap bubble being popped, yet also like a balloon being blown to its limit, finally exploding. When Garrett opened his eyes again, his connection with this world had be anotheryer tighter. No one needed to tell him, he understood: his spiritual power level, along with his priest level, had firmly stepped into the third level. And, he was lucky this time, he didn¡¯t have to wait after finishing the muscle construction, he immediately leveled up? Was it because he threw out enough this time? Let¡¯s count, the entire set of middle school chemistry, electrolytic refining, liquid air separation and purification, he even poprized the microscope? Garrett silently noted down the conjecture that "poprizing technology = leveling up," and let himself fall asleep. The next morning, when he wanted to energetically immerse himself in the bacterial cultivation business, the door was being knocked vigorously. "Who?" "Boss, someone is looking for you at the door--" The barbaric voice rang out loudly. Since Aurora Worton joined, the barbarian also learned his way of addressing, calling Garrett boss for everything. Garrett opened the door and saw a neat row of cavalry outside the fence, with a somewhat familiar knight at the forefront, surrounding a ck carriage with only the symbol of the Magic Council and no other decoration. "You are..." "Mr. Garrett Nordmark, hello." The knight stepped forward and saluted properly: "I am Knight Barrin, a follower of Archmage Carlisle, and I am here on the Archmage¡¯s orders to pick you up. There has been recent espionage activity by the Radiant Church in the city, and the Archmage has instructed you to return to the Mage Tower immediately." "Oh... Knight Barrin. I remember you!" Garrett suddenly realized. After the battle with the Radiant Church, some of their team members were pursued and killed at the foot of the mountain. Archmage Carlisle ordered this Knight Barrin to "take care of it." Come to think of it, he owed him a favor and hadn¡¯t repaid it yet. "Do we have to leave now?" Garrett looked back reluctantly at theboratory. Knight Barrin saluted again: "Yes, it¡¯s urgent. The Archmage¡¯s meaning is, please return immediately." There¡¯s no fun in resisting orders. Garrett obediently boarded the carriage, and Knight Barrin closed the window, not letting his face show. Along the way to the foot of the mountain, he switched to a small train and climbed to the mountaintop. Before entering the office, he heard Archmage Carlisle angrily speaking to someone: "At this juncture, the project is not concluded, the paper is not written, and you are still running around outside! Without concentrating on meditation, how can you possibly level up?" "Uh..." Garrett¡¯s hand, raised to knock on the door, hesitated and then withdrew. He didn¡¯t know if he should go in immediately or find a guest room first, stay away for a couple of days, and then figure it out. However, the beautiful walnut door was pushed open with a swish, and Aurora Worton ran out low as if fleeing, almost bumping into Garrett. Under the gaze of everyone, Garrett walked into the room with a forced smile and slowly raised his hand: "It seems like, I just leveled up yesterday..." Chapter 227 "Wow! The Archmage changed his expression... changed... changed..." Garrett couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes. Among the senior mages of the Magic Council, the one he dealt with the most was Archmage Carlisle. Seeking advice, borrowing books, borrowing magic scrolls, requesting experimental conditions, room equipment, alchemical materials... All sorts of thingsbined, he had seen him at least thirty or forty times, totaling over a dozen hours. But, it was also the first time he observed that this Archmage had the skill to change his expression. First it turned red, then blue, then ck, then red again... If there was an emotional meter hanging next to him, the disyed text would probably change at a rate of twice per second: Excited! Frustrated! Joyful! Depressed!Rxed! Puzzled... On both sides, there were rows of students standing with their heads bowed, eyes observing mouths, mouths observing noses, noses observing hearts, all looking like wooden people pretending they hadn¡¯t seen or heard anything. Garrett looked left and right, swiftly moved to the back of the right queue, and stood straight, putting on a harmless look. Archmage Carlisle: "......" Garrett inadvertently made himugh. He waved his hand to dismiss the students and called Garrett alone to the front, squinting his eyes and scanning up and down. "Emmmm......" Garrett shivered slightly. The feeling of being scanned by psychic power was very strange, like a cool breeze passing by, or a drizzle falling on his head. He raised his eyes slightly, wanting to chase after that psychic power, but suddenly a heap of books and scrolls fell down with a loud crash. "Since you¡¯ve leveled up, stay in the tower for a while and learn all of these. Don¡¯t leave the tower until you¡¯ve learned all the second-tier spells!" "But..." "What?" Archmage Carlisle frowned: "I¡¯ve given you the books, and you don¡¯t want to study? Do you know how many mages like you, after advancing, have to work hard and diligently for several years to umte enough contribution points to exchange for magic? Some magic specific to certain schools, or unique to mage organizations, even if you have contribution points, you may not be able to exchange for them!" "But... I leveled up as a priest... Ah ah ah ah ah ah! Archmage, please don¡¯t be angry! Don¡¯t be angry!" I don¡¯t get angry when others get angry, but when anger leads to hypertension, I have no medicine on hand to save you! Archmage Carlisle¡¯s whole person shook with anger. Using psychic power to scan again, Garrett¡¯s psychic power had indeed changed, obviously he had advanced. But if it¡¯s said that the priest level has advanced and the mage level hasn¡¯t, that¡¯s not impossible either... "Come on! Let¡¯s go to the meditation room!" "I..." "With my contribution points!!" They took the elevator down to the third floor. In the primary meditation room, the intensity of the crystals changed from pink to crimson, from crimson to deep red, and in a moment, it jumped lightly and turned into a faint orange. The orange color deepened more and more, like oranges hanging on branches in autumn gradually ripening, and finally, the numbers on the crystal stabilized: 35. On the first day of advancement, he jumped to 35... In other words, he had passed one-third of the way... Archmage Carlisle looked at Garrett with a mixture of joy and anger. He was pleased that this kid¡¯s talent was really good. If it weren¡¯t for his outstanding talent and umtion, he wouldn¡¯t have gained so much right after advancing. But he was angry, why was he so fixated on being a priest? Can¡¯t we just focus on learning magic? How long has it been since he joined the council, and he¡¯s already achieved so much! If he focused on magic, he might have even reached level four! "You... meditate here! Meditate! Whether you¡¯re a priest or a mage, first enhance your psychic power! Consolidate what you just advanced!" Archmage Carlisle stormed off. In the meditation room, Garrett pounded on the door, shouting: "Let me out! Let me out!... Hey, at least let me scan my own badge! I¡¯m not short of contribution points!" He hammered twice, but the door of the meditation room didn¡¯t budge. It¡¯s unknown how high Archmage Carlisle¡¯s authority was, but Garrett couldn¡¯t open the sealed door no matter how hard he tried. On the other hand, the nearby teleportation box hummed and a food box full of meals appeared in it, with a fragrant aroma... "I won¡¯t eat! I want to get out! I don¡¯t want to be locked up here!... Oh, it smells so good..." The fragrance lingered in the room in waves, like a little hand scratching, making people restless. Garrett sat down and stood up, stood up and sat down again, but in the end, he took out the food box and finished the fried cod in it... He sat upright in the center of the room and began to meditate. Well, first construct the meditation core, starting from the left ventricle, the aorta... The starting segment of the aorta is the ascending aorta, which nts to the right front upper part and reaches the level of the second costal cartge on the right side. Done! Roughly outlining is easy, but detailing is a big trouble: the diameter of the aorta is generally 25mm thick, with a wall thickness of 2mm, divided into the outer membrane, middle membrane, and inner membrane... The tube wall is thick and rich in stic fibers, with obvious sticity and expansibility. Come on, simte the ejection of blood from the heart... "Bang!" The sticity was insufficient, it burst, it¡¯s unqualified. Retry. Garrett focused intently in the meditation room,pletely absorbed. Anyway, there was food, drink, and ample magic elements. For the convenience of the rich mage¡¯s long-term resistance, the meditation room was also equipped with beds and bathrooms, putting dirty clothes into the teleportation box, naturally there were people to collect and clean them. And he was still swiping someone else¡¯s card. Of course, even if he swiped his own card, it didn¡¯t matter. Garrett said, now that he had money, he could afford it. Archmage Carlisle wasn¡¯t so calm. The data didn¡¯t increase on the first day, which was normal; it didn¡¯t increase on the second day either, which wasn¡¯t that fast; until the seventh day, Garrett¡¯s psychic power value didn¡¯t budge... "What has he been doing these days? Sleeping? Or maybe his mage level hasn¡¯t increased and his psychic power really can¡¯t go up?" He paced back and forth in the teacher¡¯s room, making the floor echo. Master Decar tapped his single lens sses, the lenses crackling, shing a small electric light: "What¡¯s wrong? Are you so anxious now? Be patient¡ªevery mage has their own path, like you, if I didn¡¯t let you go for revenge and killing back then, at least you would¡¯ve been stuck at a major checkpoint for another year, right?" Archmage Carlisle awkwardly left. Back in his office , he saw the deputy chairman of the Alchemy Guild, and the editor-in-chief of "Philosopher¡¯s Stone," the old man who liked to wear overalls every day, pacing outside his door, hands behind his back. Seeing him return, he rushed up and grabbed him: "Where¡¯s Garrett! Let him out! I need him for something!¡ªI¡¯ve prepared the microscope, where¡¯s the paper he promised?" Archmage Carlisle: "...... Let go!" But he really couldn¡¯t resist the other party. The old man in overalls was a 15th-level mage, and he was only level 14¡ªalthough it was just a one-level difference, in terms of mages, this difference was huge. Starting from level 15, one could already cast eighth-level spells, while at level 14, one could only cast seventh-level spells. The other party could cast at least two or three spells to his one. Not to mention, he was a stic energy mage, and the other party was a transmutation alchemist. He dealt with wrenches, hammers, and magic puppets on a daily basis. The muscles under the overalls were stronger than his... The two of them tangled in the office for a long time, and Archmage Carlisle almost got lifted up by the other party, shaking off a bunch ofponents. Being overwhelmed in terms of strength, he could only agree to the other party¡¯s conditions and let Garrett out. With a wave of his hand, three wooden boxes, one and a half feet long and two feet high, silently fell down in front of Garrett. "One single-barrel microscope, one binocr, and one binocr with a turntable. ¡ª¡ª I¡¯vepleted mine, what about your paper?" "It¡¯s still under research! It¡¯s still under research!" Garrett replied readily. "I¡¯ve found the right experimental method, but I still need to cultivate, separate, verify... Give me another month when I return to theb!" "Then go do it! We¡¯re waiting for you!" "No!" Archmage Carlisle raised his hand to stop him. The magical badge stirred the permissions in the mage tower, and in an instant, the door of the mage tower was sealed: "The Radiant Church¡¯s spies are active outside, he can¡¯t leave the mage tower, it¡¯s not safe!" "Just that ship?" The old man in overalls sneered. As the deputy chairman of the Alchemy Guild, his sources of information were much more extensive than Garrett¡¯s. He lifted the lid on Archmage Carlisle¡¯s secrets: "Come on, isn¡¯t it just the patrol team at sea catching a ship carrying a spy? The person has been caught, why be so vignt? ¡ª¡ªI think you¡¯re just finding an excuse to keep him locked up, so he can advance with peace of mind, instead of fooling around outside!" "But there are still people escaping from that ship! ¡ª¡ªAnd the contact points and bases of the other party in Nevis, none of these have been found! The council is now searching, and someone like him is safer staying on the peak!" He pointed his finger, and the four white rings on Garrett¡¯s mage badge squeezed inward one by one. Two of the copper stars in the middle pitifully shrank into a ball, almost having no space left... "That¡¯s not a big deal either! He¡¯s not being targeted specifically!" "It¡¯s still safer this way!" Two great mages, one relying on geographical advantage, the other on level, stared at each other with bristling beards. Garrett looked left and right, weakly raised a hand: "But, Your Excellency Archmage... If I¡¯m just kept locked up in the mage tower, I really can¡¯t advance... I estimate that, once this project ispleted, I¡¯ll be almost a level three mage..." "Then research here!" "I can¡¯t! It must be in theboratory at the foot of the mountain! Here, if something goes wrong, many people will die!" Garrett stomped his feet. Archmage Carlisle crossed his arms, raising his chin: "Show me the proof!" "I will show you proof!" Garrett stormed out of the door, circled around the peak, and randomly grabbed a handful of soil from the busiest ce with people. Then, he added water, shook it, suspended the bacterial suspension, added culture medium, and activated magic... Stimting, microscopic examination of colonies, separation, and then stimtion again. After several rounds in a row, the cultured colonies were mixed into grass leaves and ced in rabbit cages. Within a few hours, the rabbits showed symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, etc., to varying degrees. After 24 hours of observation, half of the ten healthy adult rabbits had died, and the other half were barely alive. "Believe me, I can produce ten different strains of gue. Garrett looked earnestly at the two great mages: "Some are transmitted through water sources, some through sneezing and coughing, some through finger pricks... Studying this stuff really needs to be done at the foot of the mountain, in open areas, away from crowds. There are no istion and protection conditions on the mountain, and if what I make leaks out, the entire Igor Peak, it might end up with a mass death!" Chapter 228 Chapter 228 Confronted with the bloody reality (some rabbits really did spit out pink bubbles), Garrett was finally sent down the mountain. The old man in work clothes escorted him all the way to the station of the small train, reluctantly and unwillingly: "Hurry up! We¡¯ve already prepared 30 high-precision microscopes!" "The ones magnifying 100 times have all been sold. The ones with higher magnification are too expensive and no one buys them. We¡¯re just waiting for your thesis toe out so we can swindle those folks in the ck Crow Swamp!" Garrett: "..." You have to speak with conscience! What do you mean by swindle! Trante that for me, what the ** does swindle mean! Given the size of bacteria, they can only be seen with a microscope! Only by increasing the magnification to 1000 times can the characteristics of bacteria be distinguished! Only by staining the bacteria, performing various tests, and conducting animal experiments can it be determined which bacteria caused which disease! I provided them with research tools, and even paved the way for them, making some money for myself. Isn¡¯t this a win-win situation? And you¡¯re talking about swindling, where¡¯s the swindle! When he left, it was with one carriage, but when he returned, several carriages arrived at theboratory one after another: An alchemist specially brought him a customized shadowlessmp, which was installed in a separate dissecting room and adjusted for half an hour; Another alchemist brought two spatial bags, filled with bottles of all the dyes that could be scavenged from the market and theboratory, as well as all liquids and solids that could be dyed, along with alcohol, sulfuric acid, nitric acid... a bunch of chemicals;The third alchemist who came to settle ounts with Garrett: the shadowlessmp hadn¡¯t been sold yet, and the microscopes were all settled with contribution points. In addition, Garrett received a total of 87 gold coins, 5 silver coins, and 9 copper coins - the salesmission for the pencils. It must be said that the production and sales capacity of the alchemist guild is indeed quite remarkable. Oh! More money again! More gold coins! More things to make or rather, more money tomand the gold coins to do the work! Listening to the clinking of coins, Garrett¡¯s mood lifted. He had just finished tidying up when the fourth carriage arrived, followed by the fifth and sixth - this time not carriages, but tbeds pulled by manpower. One was full of rabbits, one was full of rabbit feed, and one was full of seaweed and sea anemones, with severalrge pieces of beef and mutton on top, brightly colored, obviously just ughtered today. Ah... how much money is this going to cost... Bernard¡¯s eyes sparkled beside him. Garrett nced at him, pursed his lips, and painfully took out his wallet. My gold coins, my little money, are about to say goodbye before they even get warm... "You... don¡¯t need to pay, sir, you don¡¯t need to pay." The boss apanying the carriage hurried forward, nodding and bowing, waving his hands repeatedly. "The council has already paid!" Garrett turned to look at him. The boss was wearing an ancient bronze velvet coat, worn at the cor and hem, with the cuffs concealed, embroidered with a small hexagram in blue silk thread. With a quick spell, a shadow rose from the hexagram, evidently authorized by the council as a supplier. Garrett rxed slightly. Looking down again, the boss¡¯s high boots were sttered with mud, emitting a fishy smell, obviously brought from the harbor area, directly to here with seaweed. He ran from behind the second carriage to the front, nodding and bowing, handing over a folded note: "Sir, please check. If the quantity is correct, I¡¯ll go settle ounts with the council." Garrett nced at it, and saw a dark skull mark shing in the lower right corner of the note... He opened the note. A wisp of ck smoke rose from the mark, and the skull¡¯s mandibles opened and closed, emitting a dry mechanical sound: "Little Garrett, hurry up, the gue branch is waiting for you!" Garrett: "..." No, has this project been transferred to the ck Crow Swamp? The alchemist guild¡¯s hands are really fast! Or do you not want to spend money and just use the previous paper to fool the ck Crow Swamp into being the patron, and then put out the project list? Anyway, it¡¯s nice to have someone paying. Garrett immediately stopped pursing his lips, stopped feeling heartache, and straightened up. He quickly scanned the note, then turned tomand the barbarians: "Bernard, count the rabbits. There are a total of 20 on the carriage. Check if the quantity is correct and if each one is healthy!" With experimental animals in ce, experimental equipment in ce, and various experimental materials - such as various dyes for staining bacteria, sea anemones for making agar, beef and mutton for making meat broth - all in ce. Garrett then closed himself off and happily started toying with his penicillin. Hmm, theboratory environment is really good... No worries about food, clothing, or being exposed to the wind and rain. Apart from the slight noise in theboratory, there¡¯s basically nothing toin about as horse hooves pass by from time to time outside. Of course, this sound of horse hooves is also because Nevis City has expanded its security perimeter to include hisboratory, which is still quite reassuring... "Ah... experimenting, experimenting, experimenting..." Bacterial culture experiments are actually quite boring. Especially when you have to cook your own culture medium, dye it yourself, and start with burning seaweed for iodine... If you¡¯re just a science enthusiast, doing an experiment for fun, that¡¯s fine. Producing results adds a sense of aplishment, and if you don¡¯t achieve results, it doesn¡¯t matter, because you¡¯ve already enjoyed the process. But, Garrett is counting on these rudimentary experimental conditions to really produce results... "Ah - there are still 500 samples to stain!" Empty and lonely in theboratory, with only himself, Garrett let out a heartfelt wail. Bacterial staining is a technical task, and it depends on materials. In Harnd City, Garrett searched the entire city for dyes, tried them one by one, and only found one dye extracted from wood that could dye cells a light blue. The reserves of the Magic Council,pared to the small Harnd City, are much richer. Hundreds of dyes were sent to theboratory - considering the need to use acids, alkalis, and various chemicals, the workload became even more terrifying to the point where people dare not look at it directly. But with such arge pile of materials, apart from increasing Garrett¡¯s fatigue, there weren¡¯t many results - except for one red dye, the others either couldn¡¯t be dyed or could be washed off with water. "I want gentian violet! Crystal violet!" Garrett angrily mmed the table. With iodine, with red dye, give him gentian violet, and he can differentiate between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria! But everything is predicated on him getting gentian violet! Garrett angrily wrote, the sharpened pencil pressed against the white paper, poking two holes. His list of demands was taken back by the supplier boss, and on the third day, a magician came specially to deliver a space bag of materials: "These are the purple dyes we¡¯ve newly found. This is conch purple, this is mountain bulrush purple, this is cochineal powder, this is madder purple... This is a solution extracted from gentian flowers, although it¡¯s not purple, we¡¯ve also brought it here. Oh, there are also two bundles of gentian flowers... And, there¡¯s no gentian, but there are different types of snake galldders and fish galldders here, you can try using them..." Garrett: "T_T..." How did that predecessor of the Gram stain find gentian violet again? What¡¯s the chemical form of this thing? How is it synthesized? Garrett searched his memory hard, vaguely remembering that this thing is a mixture of tetramethylrosamine chloride, pentamethylrosamine chloride, and hexamethylrosamine chloride... Just the names are hard enough to pronounce. If it weren¡¯t for being sent back with enhanced memory through the transmigration, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to recall the formal name. As for how to synthesize this thing, Garrett said he wasn¡¯t a chemical engineering major... cough, did the neighboring pharmaceutical major ever make gentian violet? I¡¯m having a hard time, I have nothing... How to relieve worries, only through dissection. Garrett nurtured and purified the bacteria he created, then nurtured and purified them again, trying various methods to torment the rabbits: Mixed into the feed and fed to the rabbits; Wiped on the rabbits¡¯ nasal passages and respiratory tracts; Cut a small incision on the rabbits¡¯ skin and applied it... Then, observe, measure vital signs, and record the course of the disease. When the rabbits died, or were half dead and gasping for breath, they would kill them, one by one, and dissect their organs in sequence to observe the extent of organ damage. Fortunately, he can still dissect, still dissect a dozen or twenty rabbits a day, to maintain the feel of his hands... Every day, cultivating and staining, he would think he wasn¡¯t a surgeon anymore, but had changed to aboratory technician... "Um... Rabbit A03, showing signs of dehydration throughout the body, with dry and instic skin, dehydrated subcutaneous tissue and muscles, shrinking of the heart, liver, and spleen due to dehydration... Significant edema of the small intestine... Renal necrosis..." Garrett nced at it and recorded it. After finishing writing everything, he quickly nced at the previous records: "Feeding at 8:05 AM on the 21st. Began to fall ill at 2:37 PM... Excrement is rice-water-like... Excrement smear microscopy results are as follows..." In one corner of the record book, there was also a hand-drawn diagram, with bacteria likemas, gathered in groups like tadpoles, lively and active. Very good,bining the shape of the bacteria, the course of the disease, the time of death, and the results of the autopsy, it can be basically confirmed that this thing is, ny percent, probably Vibrio cholerae. Garrett showed a satisfied smile. Following the numbers in the record book, he carefully took out two petri dishes, each stored separately. One was used to settle ounts with the necromancy faction, and the other was kept to prepare a cholera vine - In a world where you have to rely on your constitution and medical skills for everything, not having a few vines on hand always feels very insecure. After surveying the storage cab again, Garrett¡¯s smile became even lighter. Suspected Staphylocus aureus, cultured and isted; suspected Pseudomonas aeruginosa, cultured and isted; suspected Shige, cultured and isted... Including today¡¯s Vibrio cholerae, he has cultured, isted, and verified seven pathogenic bacteria, and with three more, he can wrap up and hand over the project! But... why hasn¡¯t he found penicillin yet... He¡¯s already worked so hard, spreading out a table full of petri dishes every day, sprinkling soil, dust, and everything he wants to get onto the culture media for Staphylocus aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and various bacteria... Why? Lady Luck, why won¡¯t you favor him? "Ah, ah, ah - it¡¯s getting colder, if it gets colder, the melon will be gone!" The lucky charm for penicillin! The best culture medium! If it gets colder, there will be no more, and he hopes will be even slimmer! Chapter 229 Chapter 229 Garrett worked hard for a full two months. From the refreshing breeze ofte August to the chilly nights ofte October, working twelve hours a day, he still hadn¡¯t produced penicillin. Of course, his achievements in other areas were quite abundant: Various dyes, mixed with acid, alkali, heated back and forth, were thoroughly experimented with, yielding a batch of new substances. If he were willing to sell them to the Alchemy Guild, he could probably fetch a good price¡ªunfortunately, Garrett was toozy to organize them for sale, considering it a waste of time; He had fulfilled his promise regarding the ten pathogenic bacteria from the ck Crow Swamp, isting, purifying, and cultivating them. Animal experiments and experimental records were allpleted, ready to be submitted forpletion; The barbarians had gained weight¡ªa circle. With only so many materials left for making culture media every day, most of the remaining beef,mb, seaweed, and sea anemones were consumed by the barbarians... The only worry was that there had been no progress on penicillin. Therefore, Garrett hesitated to conclude the project. What a joke! What if those folks from the ck Crow Swamp got too excited during the experiments, haphazardly breeding and spreading these infectious bacteria, and actually caused an epidemic? Relying on divine magic for treatment was clearly futile. The outbreak of bacterial dysentery in Harnd City made that abundantly clear. By then, having a bottle of antibiotics on hand would be the confidence to suppress the gue! "Bernard¡ªgo farther tomorrow and see if there are any specks or patches of green mold. Whether it grows on the ground, on books, or on various fruit peels, scrape some back for me!" "Yes, boss!""Buy another pile of fruits and let them decay! " "No... no problem, boss." "Put another brazier in the room where the fruits are ced, make it warmer, otherwise the mold won¡¯t grow. Oh, and don¡¯t stay in that room for too long, it¡¯s not good to stay in the moldy room for too long! Go to another room to warm up!" "Is that really necessary, boss? I¡¯m very strong! I don¡¯t need to warm up on a day like this!" "Don¡¯t worry about saving money for me. We¡¯re not short of a few pieces of charcoal..." "Boss! Someone¡¯s knocking at the door outside! I¡¯ll go see!" The barbarian ran off. After a moment, he returned, moving his tall figure aside, and Mage Worton smiled and stepped forward, holding an envelope: "Boss!" "Why are you here?" Garrett lifted his head from the notebook, surprised: "Didn¡¯t I tell you not toe often? Didn¡¯t I already receive the disinfectant today?" Yes, since Garrett started the bacterial cultivation project, his second follower, Level 5 Mage Aurora Worton, had been kicked out of theb... In Garrett¡¯s words: "Your research direction is not biomedical! You¡¯re a stic mage. Spending so much time on this is no good for you! Besides, working here is troublesome, wearing gloves and taking them off, wearing protective clothing and taking them off, a bunch of rules! Come on, go back to the mage tower!" stic mages have no concept of aseptic operation, and their skills in biomedicine... judging by their attempts to make chlorine gas and then poisoning themselves, they¡¯re probably not even as good as undergraduates. If they identally spill a few culture dishes or Erlenmeyer sks, well, Emma, it wouldn¡¯t be enough trouble for them. So, Mage Worton¡¯s only responsibility was to deliver newly prepared disinfectant to theboratory. Tworge barrels. One for showering, one for mopping the floor. Aurora stood in front of the table with a piece of paper, looking dejected, her golden hair dimmed by two points. Garrett thought for a moment, took out a notebook from the right drawer, flipped to the bookmarked page, nced at it, and asked: "Since you¡¯re here today¡ªhow are the various iodinepoundsing along? How about researching me magic using variousbustible gases as spell materials? How¡¯s your research on alumina going?" "...Boss, I¡¯m here to deliver an invitation..." He handed over the envelope. The envelope was made of smooth dark blue cardboard, nearly ck, with scattered silver dust shimmering on it. At first nce, it looked like the night sky about to fall. There were no words on the outside of the envelope, only a solitary emblem shining in the center. However, even this emblem was impossible for anyone to ignore. Outer double-circle ring. Inner hexagram. Inside the space cut by the hexagram, there were symbols of various times, materials, elements, and metals. In the center of the hexagram, there was a ck-and-white eye, alert and sleepless day and night. The emblem of the "Arcane" journal. On the back of the envelope, the deep red wax seal was also embossed with the same emblem. Garrett broke the wax seal, poured out the letter, and on the pure white paper, beautiful cursive letters appeared line by line, like vines: "Mr. Garrett Nordmark: Due to your publication in the ¡¯Arcane¡¯ journal in the past year, and your important research achievements in the field of stic magic, You are invited to attend the Annual Academic Conference of the Bridge Magic Academy on November 5th at 9 a.m., and the Annual Young Mage Award Ceremony. Arcane Editorial Office" Huh? Attend the academic conference? Garrett subconsciously looked at the calendar. November 5th... what day is it today? Without regr work hours, no weekends, naturally no festive holidays and triple pay. Except for writing the date when recording experiments, the date meant nothing to him... His question was quickly answered. Aurora leaned over, quickly read through the invitation on his hand, and eximed with admiration: "Wow, boss, it¡¯s an invitation to the Arcane annual conference! Even the teachers only attend twice! Boss, can you take me with you? By the way, boss, do you have formal wear? If not, let¡¯s go out together. There are still 5 days before the conference. We can make clothes now! And there¡¯s also the award ceremony! You¡¯ll definitely get an award if you¡¯re invited!" Garrett covered his ears with his head in his hands. Who is following who?... Even if there¡¯s one person who should y the role of Tang Seng, it should be me! Of course, attending the academic conference was necessary, strolling around the streets was also necessary, and formal wear¡ªwas also necessary. After all, the "Arcane" journal had a much higher status than publications like "Gold Rush". ording to Aurora¡¯s exnation, magicians who receive invitations to the Arcane annual conference, unless they are legends, generally attend as invited guests... And the schedule of the Arcane Academic Conference was much more serious than that of the Gold Rush conference. The Gold Rush would start at 10 a.m., and everyone would arrive at the venue at seven or eight in the morning, setting up stalls in the empty hall for two hours. The lively and bustling scene was still vivid in Garrett¡¯s memory. However, the Arcane Academic Conference required everyone to check-in a day in advance due to magiciansing from various ces. After check-in, if there were magicians from out of town who needed amodation, the conference organizer¡ªactually, they borrowed the administrative structure of the academy¡ªwould also make arrangements. So, in the afternoon of November 4th, the Bridge Magic Academy was bustling with the arrival of many young magicians. "Garrett! ¡ªIs that Garrett?" Garrett put down the pen, straightened up from the check-in table, and heard someone shouting his name from a distance. He turned his head in the direction of the voice, and a brown-haired magician was already excitedly approaching through the crowd: "Long time no see! Are you still in Nevis? What are you doing there?" "... Miles." Garrett shook his head, trying hard to match the face with the person. The person who came was his ssmate from the training ss. Later, he joined the Illusion School. At the beginning of the year, when he just developed ultrasound magic, Garrett had dinner with him. That time everyoneined that the foie gras wasn¡¯t fat enough, Miles went to the goose cage himself, and even gave the white goose a peck... It¡¯s no wonder he didn¡¯t recognize him. Miles had grown much taller since the beginning of the year, and Garrett didn¡¯t dare to recognize him! "Long time no see, you¡¯ve grown so tall!" Garrett smiled with surprise,paring their heights with his hand. After such a long time of seclusion, it was rare to meet an acquaintance, and he was still a little happy: "Shall we go eat together?" "Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! So many people areing to tomorrow¡¯s conference!" Miles led him out: "Everyone is at the back door of that shop. Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s get together!" At the entrance of each college¡ªor the back entrance, mostly the back entrance¡ªthere were almost always a row of restaurants. The magical academies in the other world were no exception. When students were tired of the cafeteria food or wanted to have a meal together, these convenient, inexpensive, and rich-tasting restaurants became their first choice. Because they were for magicians, even if they were apprentice magicians or low-level magicians, the consumption level of this restaurant street was eptable. At the very least, there was meat at every meal. But when it came to "that shop at the back door," it was the default only one in the mouths of students and training ss members: On the right side of the back door, the third storefront, with the sign "Magician¡¯s Home" attached to the back wall of the academy. The owner of this shop was a smiling old man from the north who had lived in the local area for twenty years and his ent had be almost indistinguishable from that of the locals. However, in terms of cuisine, he still retained some northern characteristics¡ªgenerous portions, studentsing to eat, and always giving more meat. So at meal times, both upstairs and downstairs were full, and you could even sit all the way down to the corner of the stairs. Following behind Miles, Garrett squeezed through a long stretch of the road before finally squeezing into a seat by the window on the second floor. By this time, the table was already full of people, all of whom were outstanding students from the training ss who were able to stay in Nevis. Seeing Garrett arrive, everyone waved their hands and greeted him enthusiastically: "Garrett, you¡¯re here! Sit inside!" "Long time no see! I heard you joined the Thunder Horn, which great mage¡¯s apprentice are you under? I specifically went to the peakst time but didn¡¯t hear about you..." "I heard you went to the Gold Rush annual meeting..." "The food is here! Make some room to the side! Chris, don¡¯t stand up first¡ª" "Watch out!!!" Chapter 230 Chapter 230 "Be careful!" A shout rang out, causing magicians to dodge and shuffle. Garrett had just squeezed past two people and was making his way to the innermost end of the long table, where a seat had been reserved for him. Seeing the mishap, he instinctively paused, reflexively leaning inward to avoid the impending disaster. The problem was, there wasn¡¯t much space to dodge. The long table by the window, which normally seated only ten people, now had fourteen magicians crowded around it. Leaving room for the server to deliver dishes, they were packed shoulder to shoulder, leg to leg, like falling dominoes. Then, Garrett saw a brimming basin of shellfish soup cascade down onto Chris¡¯s head at the far end of the table. The soup was thick, so thick that it barely emitted any steam when served. It was only when the soup poured down, with steam rising from the fish and shells, that it blurred the face of the server. Through the steam, Garrett saw the wide-eyed server suddenly light up. His gaze was fixed forward, not attempting to save the spilled soup or even looking at Chris, who was about to be drenched, but staring directly at¡ªhimself! In an instant, a chill ran down Garrett¡¯s spine, and he instinctively took a step back. Feeling a slight pain in his back as it hit the wall, his attention was momentarily distracted. When he looked up again, several incantations were simultaneously bursting out at the innermost end of the long table: "Mage Armor!" "Shield spell!""Shield spell!" "Levitation Disk!" Transparent, translucentyers of magical energy surged up, forming a solid shield around Chris, who had crossed his arms over his head. Garrett stood rooted to the spot, gaping in astonishment. The magicians who cast the protective spells were one thing, but whoever cast the levitation disk, well, their creativity was truly remarkable... Why was the levitation disk tilted like that?! Thus, these protective measures sessfully shielded Chris from harm. The spilled soup, shells, and fish meat all poured down onto the server... "Quick, get out of the way!" Garrett reflexively shouted. The server, upon hearing the shout, froze for a moment, then tried to dodge. But as he moved to the side, his legs went weak, and he couldn¡¯t step away in time. The basin of shellfish soup came crashing down onto his legs. "Ah¡ª" The server cried out in pain, gritting his teeth and crouching to the ground. Garrett hesitated for a moment, then squeezed back in the opposite direction, shouting as he went: "Quick, get some water! Cold water! Rinse off everything on your body! Let me see, how bad is the injury?" "..." The server nced up at him. Then, Garrett saw the server, with a leg covered in soup, hobble away like a wounded rabbit, limping away. In that fleeting nce, his face still wore the same dumbfounded expression, neither flushing nor paling, not a drop of sweat even on his forehead. Garrett: "..." Strange, was this guy wearing a human skin mask, or did he apply too much makeup? He didn¡¯t seem like someone who had suffered burns in the past; his facial pores weren¡¯t ruined, right? But it didn¡¯t look like it at all! Lost in these thoughts for a moment, the server had already ttered away on the wooden floorboards. Garrett shrugged, then squeezed his way back. The emergency room was filled with patients who didn¡¯t want treatment; as long as it wasn¡¯t life-threatening, doctors wouldn¡¯t insist too much. After all, hospitals weren¡¯tw enforcement agencies, and they couldn¡¯t detain people for treatment... The server, who had caused the ident, now reeking of fish, made his way through the crowd and dashed into the kitchen. He even grabbed the boss as soon as he could, leaning close to whisper: "I saw him!" "What?" The boss quickly pulled him aside, seeing his distressed state, and began washing him with adle of water. Amidst the gushing water, the server endured the pain and gritted his teeth: "I saw him! It¡¯s the guy who just went upstairs, with ck hair, ck eyes, wearing a double-breasted coat, sitting at the table by the left window, the innermost one! He¡¯s exactly like the portrait!" "I¡¯ll go take a look." The boss got up and left. Portrait, portrait... he hadn¡¯t seen any portraits¡ªby the time this server, or rather, operative, had arrived at his shop, the portrait had already beenpletely soaked. It was said that their ship had been intercepted at sea, and they had jumped overboard, swimming all night before finally reaching the shore... This operative¡¯s drawing skills were also terrible, barely able to draw stick figures. As a result, he had no portraits to show or materials to distribute. In such arge city, finding a low-level magician without a name required relying on the operative¡¯s eyes alone... Thank goodness! They had finally found him! The boss hurried downstairs. As he turned around and walked towards the kitchen door, a smile spread across his face. Stepping out of the kitchen, he bent slightly at the waist and greeted the apprentice mages along the way with a smile: "Edmund, what would you like to eat today? Or the usual?" "Nora, how did your exam go today?... Not too good? It¡¯s okay, it must have been a mistake, you¡¯ll do better next time!" "Jennifer, still want the tuna sd? You¡¯re not fat at all... Alright, alright, I know, just vinegar and oil, absolutely nothing else!" Chatting all the way up, he reached the table where Garrett and the others were seated, eximing, "Oh dear," and searching around for cloths and a dustpan: "Apologies, everyone, the server was clumsy and spilled the soup, causing a fright to you all! The kitchen is remaking everything, and all the dishes on this table are half price, plus aplimentary honey-zedmb chop!" As he spoke, he bent down to wipe the table, discreetly observing the people seated around it. To Garrett¡¯s left, Corrine Franz, the mage who had organized the dinner tonight, turned her head and asked: "Garrett, what dessert would you like? They have rainbow pudding, creamy mashed potatoes, pumpkin chestnut cake, raspberry-filled cake, raspberry tart..." "Do they have egg tarts?" "... Egg tarts? What are those?" Corrine tried to recall from the menu, shaking her head in confusion. Garrett sighed in disappointment: "... Then, raspberry tart it is..." Too bad, he really wanted to eat egg tarts. When he was a child, there was a bakery near his home called "Mom¡¯s Bakery," and their baked egg tarts were the best, with their aroma wafting across the street. Even though the family was struggling financially at the time, whenever his mother walked him past, she would often buy one for him to try. Later on, he wasn¡¯t interested in other desserts, but whenever he saw egg tarts, he just couldn¡¯t resist. Even though he knew they were excessively high in sugar and fat. "What does this gentleman mean by egg tarts? What kind of dessert is that?" In a moment of distraction, the boss had already approached him, smiling and inquiring politely: "Please tell me in detail, and when the shop seeds in making it, I¡¯ll invite you to taste it!" "Never mind..." Garrett shook his head. He knew nothing about making desserts, and even if he did exin, it would probably be tens of thousands of miles away from sessful production. Why make a small shop spend so much cost? Besides, even if it seeded, it wouldn¡¯t taste the same as it did when he was a child. However, the boss, still bending at the waist and unwilling to leave, kept pestering him with a smile, asking: "How should I address you, sir? Where do you live? When the shop sessfully produces it, I¡¯ll deliver it to your door for you to taste¡ª" "Ah, no need!" Garrett waved his hand repeatedly. Beside him, a ssmate with a quick mouth answered for him: "He¡¯s called Garrett Nordmark..." This dinnersted untilte into the night. The students each returned to their lodgings, some living far away or simplyzy¡ªlike those living on the mountain peak, and Garrett, who decided to enjoy the amodation provided by the magic academy. And as they left, the boss quickly went downstairs, finding the server who had been drenched earlier: "I¡¯ve found out his name, Garrett Nordmark. I¡¯ll continue to investigate tomorrow. How are you? Is the burn serious?" The server looked up from under themp. He still had that dumbfounded expression, but his eyes shed with cold light, and he tightly gripped his thigh with his right hand: "Okay. Hiss..." "Your injury looks very serious!" The boss frowned. Under the dim light, the server¡¯s leg, from thigh to calf, had a burned area the size of three palms, with shiny blisters connecting into one. Near the side of his thigh, closer to his knee, there was even a deep ck area, almost revealing the bone. If it were on an ordinary person, this wound would fester, causing fever, and after half a month of suffering, they might recover safely. This server was a professional, and a mere burn might not knock him down, but, coupled with that deep ck wound... "Well, it¡¯s quite serious indeed." Being seen by someone, the server no longer acted tough, gasping for breath with each short intake. His thumb turned white as he pinched his thigh, finally looking up to ask: "Do you have any medicine left?" "... This is thest bottle of Holy Water." After hesitating for a moment, the boss took out a small ss bottle and handed it over with trembling hands: "The sea has been heavily patrolled recently, and I don¡¯t know when the next supply wille. Well, when are you going to act? After this is done, can you take me back with you?" Chapter 231 Chapter 231 Marcus Breno was feeling extremely frustrated. He was a nightwatchman for the Radiant Church¡ªsomeone who operated in the shadows, handling tasks for the church that couldn¡¯t be done openly. Tasks like getting rid of a not-so-pious lord, secretly searching for magical items in a noble¡¯s home, or monitoring a big merchant suspected of trafficking contraband... Of course, "respectable people don¡¯t be nightwatchmen." Except for those who were overly devout and had fried brains, or members of the judiciary with particr interests, most of the nightwatchmen were recruited through various peculiar channels. Like Marcus Breno himself, who had been discovered as a teenager in a thieves¡¯ den eradicated by the judiciary... With such a background, it wasn¡¯t easy to expect any special treatment. For example, this time he had been dispatched to the distant pagan kingdom across the sea, the headquarters of evil demons, to investigate the secret of that Dragon¡¯s Breath spell. How could a mere level one junior mage use the Dragon¡¯s Breath spell? Did he obtain some ancient artifact, or was he blessed by the dragon race, or perhaps he acquired a dragon¡¯s nest? The directive from the judiciary¡¯s higher-ups was clear: find this secret, and if possible, bring back the treasure... So he was sent here. After that battle half a year ago, just a map was provided, and the rest was up to him.It was ridiculous. He knew how difficult it was to find an unknown level one mage in such a remote ce. The problem was, how could they not even figure out a name after half a year of trouble? And his ship sank! Sank! All the supplies, manpower, everything, all gone. He could only work as a little helper in the city¡¯s outpost, partly to cover his identity, partly to make ends meet... To make matters worse, when he desperately escaped from the ship, he got hit... That mass of ck energy was still condensed on his right leg, tormenting him day and night. Marcus Breno grabbed a towel, biting it tightly as he poured holy water on the burn on his thigh. His body trembled violently, veins popping up on his neck, beads of sweat rolling down his arms and thighs. The ce where the holy water fell sizzled. A ck smoke quickly rose, swallowing up all the golden light circting in the holy water. The mass of ck energy on his leg seemed to diminish slightly, yet at the same time, it showed no sign of healing, and the blisters on his thigh, asrge as beans, showed no sign of recovery. The boss leaned forward attentively, watching intently. Until thest bit of golden light disappeared and there was no more movement, he exhaled a breath, realizing that his lungs were hurting from being held for so long. He patted Marcus Breno¡¯s shoulder sympathetically, lowering his voice: "You should rest for a few days. I¡¯ll go out and inquire, see where this Garrett Nordmark lives, and where it¡¯s convenient to make a move. Everything is ready, then you can take action." "Ugh..." Marcus Breno tried to struggle, but the holy water poured on him caused intense pain in his leg, leaving him feeling exhausted. With hisst bit of strength, he pulled out the towel andy back: "Thank you for your hard work..." "All for the Radiant Lord." "All for the Radiant Lord!" The seasoned spy of 20 years and the temporarily dispatched operative prayed together in unison. The next day, the boss went out to gather information. He had been undercover in Nevis City for 20 years, and even though he only ran a quiet little shop, he had umted quite awork of contacts. After asking around, he actually got quite a few leads: "Garrett Nordmark? He cured my gout!" ¡ª From the fishmonger he knew at the dock. "Garrett Nordmark? That name sounds familiar, let me think... Ah, yes, he published an article in ¡¯Arcane¡¯ in the early part of the year!" ¡ª From azy magician who had been eating in the shop for seven or eight years. "Garrett Nordmark? He went to Thunder Horn. What¡¯s he doing there? Isn¡¯t it obvious? He¡¯s on the mountain peak! Ah, why are you asking about him?" ¡ª From an assistant at Bridge Magic Academy. Not only did he inquire from people, but the boss also mobilized other secret agents connected to him through the church to investigate Garrett¡¯s whereabouts in various ways. For example, a snack vendor who sold fried small fish and grilled squid specifically squatted near the train station, keeping an eye on when Garrett woulde down... Garrett was oblivious to all of this. He strolled peacefully through the campus in the early morning, taking advantage of the time before the meeting to take a few extra rounds. Oh, there were some green mold spots under this tree, didn¡¯t look like moss, he¡¯d dig them up and take them away; under that piece of wall paint... "Sir! Sir! How many slices of blue cheese would you like?" "Uh..." Oops, miscalcted, this blue one is cheese, not mold... No, wait, the blue in blue cheese is also caused by some kind of mold, just with very little penicillin content? He had a shattered worldview when he read the gossip from his previous life... Garrett immediately took out his wallet: "Give me a pound! No, two pounds!" "Garrett, haven¡¯t you finished eating yet?" Someone called him from behind. Garrett turned around and saw several ssmates who had gathered together yesterday, waving to Anthony Valentine, who had entered Thunder Horn with him, with a smile as bright as his golden hair: "Hurry up and finish eating! After we¡¯re done, let¡¯s go and grab a good spot! I heard a legendary master ising today!" Seven or eight people surged forward. Garrett quickly stuffed the cheese into his spatial bag and walked over to join them. Anthony immediately pushed him into the middle: "Come on, let¡¯s go together! Where did you go early in the morning¡ªright, has your mentor arrived? No? Thene with us, or you won¡¯t get in. Yesterday was a mess, and I didn¡¯t hear what you¡¯ve been up totely..." Garrett looked around. Among this group of people, there were five who stayed to work on the peak: one in the molding department, one in the illusion department, one in the transfiguration department, one in the protection department, plus one in the enchantment department. They were the first batch to receive offers, and although they could only work in the sub-towers of each department, they were considered outstanding. However, at this moment, these outstanding students were on both sides, surrounding a guy who had been epted in the second batch because of his mediocre grades¡ªthe one who stayed at school to be an assistant. He was now excited and a little furtive, leading them to the side entrance of the auditorium: "Come on,e on, follow me this way, the staff entrance! Let me tell you, it¡¯s super difficult to get a ticket for this annual meeting. Except for those who got an invitation from the mentor¡ªnone of you, right?¡ªno one else can get in. You cane in the afternoon and evening, but the legendary master will have already left! We assistants are lucky; we¡¯re helping inside and out at the venue. It¡¯s okay to stand closer and listen once it starts. Follow me, but don¡¯t run around!" Chapter 232 Chapter 232 The assistant ssmate gestured wildly, firing off words like a rapid-fire machine gun, leaving no room for others to interject. As he spoke, two or three students in the group slowed their pace. Anthony Valentine wore an embarrassed expression, ncing around before speaking: "Um... I brought an invitation from my mentor..." As he slowed down, Miles also stopped. In the past half-year, he had grown quite a bit taller, but he still wasn¡¯t average height. He took a step towards the main entrance, then another: "My senior promised to take me in..." The assistant student paused. Looking left and right, noticing that more than just those two were considering leaving, he slumped his shoulders: "Alright, alright, those of you with invitations and someone to bring you in, go through the main entrance. Those without, follow me!" The group dispersed. Garrett remained silent, leisurely following the two ahead towards the main entrance of the auditorium. The auditorium at Bridge Magic Academy was named the Hall of the Wise, which sounded refined, but its appearance belied the name¡ª From a distance, the entire hall looked like a ferocious ck dragon crouching on the ground. The triangr eaves protruded high above the entrance, supported by six nted pirs on the outer edge, resembling the sharp teeth of a ck dragon, ready to snap shut at any moment. The interior corridor was long and dark, almost like walking directly into the mouth of a dragon. Garrett stopped to observe. The hall¡¯s side halls were symmetrical, with wave-shaped roofs and sharp edges, resembling a pair of spread dragon wings. On the towers at the back, which simted thorns, figures were overlooking and pointing below. Even more terrifyingly, above the main entrance was a real dragon head, just a nce at it sent shivers down one¡¯s spine...Around the edges of the dragon¡¯s teeth, scattered thirty or forty mages, clustering and dispersing continuously. Some were walking back and forth, some were craning their necks to look, some were whispering to each other... As Garrett walked from the edge of the hall to the main entrance, he saw three young mages being called out from the crowd by passing senior mages and led into the hall. Ten steps away from the main entrance, Anthony took out his invitation, holding it silently. Miles looked around as he walked, "Why isn¡¯t my senior here yet... Why isn¡¯t my senior here... Oh, this senior¡ª" He immediately straightened up, adjusting his posture. Beside him, Anthony also stopped, bowing his head respectfully, "Senior." Aurora Worton abruptly halted in front of them. The badge on her left chest, representing a three-ring arcane mage and a fifth-level mage, shimmered brightly. She nced nkly at the two young mages, then at Garrett, who seemed to have a good rtionship with them: "This..." Garrett also didn¡¯t know how to exin. From yesterday¡¯s gathering until now, in front of a group of ssmates who were relying on their mentors to get in, even impersonating staff to get in, he felt embarrassed to boast. He had been trying to be vague all along, but now, the truth was revealed... "Ahem, Aurora, let¡¯s go." Garrett forced himself to call out. Aurora hurriedly agreed, walking quickly to his side. Garrett awkwardly turned his head, opening his mouth: What should he say? What should he say now? Should he say that he brought his own invitation in, and could his invitation still bring someone else in? It seemed too ostentatious... He couldn¡¯t find his words for a moment. But Miles suddenly realized, eximed, "Oh, Garrett, your senior is here too! Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, the opening is about to start!" Several ssmates verified their invitations one by one and entered the hall. Anthony breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he entered: "Thank goodness, not too many people. I asked around yesterday, those with formal invitations have fixed seats, and the rest can sit wherever they want. We can move forward a bit... Hmm, around the tenth row should be good enough... Garrett... Garrett?" Garrett, who was in the front row, stunned Anthony! Even if you have a formal invitation, you should still be a bit more discreet! Didn¡¯t you see all those high-level mages behind you? "Every issue of Arcane publishes three papers and a dozen or so briefings. By convention, paper authors sit in the front, and briefing authors sit in the back." Worton exined casually for her boss: "The boss wrote a paper, so he¡¯s definitely sitting in the front." "...Wait, why are you calling him boss?" "Haha... that¡¯s another story..." Sitting in the front row, Garrett actually wanted to escape. Who told him whose seat it was, and why was there a necromancer sitting next to him? "Garrett Nordmark?" The person looked at the badge on his chest, their eyes lighting up. There was only one mage with a level below five who published in Arcane this year, so it was easy to recognize him: "Hello, hello, I¡¯m Bram McCarthy, I¡¯ve heard of you. Hey, how¡¯s that microscope-rted project of yours going? I have a friend in the gue branch, and he mentioned you yesterday..." "...", How did debt collection end up here? Garrett shrank instinctively under the gaze of those gleaming eyes: "It¡¯s almost done..." In fact, it was already done, but he didn¡¯t conclude it first, just to scam some funds for penicillin. Now being questioned by the actual sponsor, Garrett felt a bit guilty, his eyes wandering. The other party rushed up to him anxiously: "What¡¯s still missing? Do you need help? If you need help, be sure to tell me. After all, it¡¯s our project in the ck Marsh. Whatever you need, just ask!" "Um..." Garrett blinked, somewhat tempted. A high-level necromancer definitely had better connections and resource-gathering abilities than him... Should he ask this person for some penicillin? Or other fungi? Before he could make up his mind, the seat suddenly lifted up, pushing him to stand up. The necromancer pped his hands, dispersing the skeletons under Garrett¡¯s chair: "Let¡¯s not talk about this now, go up and receive your award! It¡¯s your turn!" Chapter 233 Chapter 233 Garrett walked up the central aisle of the auditorium, stepping onto the tform. There was no one on the tform. The host smiled at him from the side podium, and the archmages sat below, gently apuding. In the midst of his busy schedule, Garrett nced at his seat and saw a skeleton sitting in it, solemnly raising its bone hands, pping away... ...What¡¯s the meaning of this? If I don¡¯t finish the task quickly, will I end up like it? And, where are the big shots who were supposed to award me? He took two more steps forward, slowing down. Hey! I¡¯ve already taken two steps onto the tform! Three steps! If I walk any further, who will give whom the award? At that moment, a thunderp resounded through the air. Garrett almost jumped back. Blinding shes of white light filled his vision, even when he immediately closed his eyes, his retinas still saw shes of ck and white, constantly shing. Garrett squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the tears that welled up to flow out. When he opened his eyes again, a thunderous portal had appeared in front of him, a white sh of lightning respectfully parting on either side. A pair of shiny ck leather shoes slowly crossed the threshold. There was the sound of chairs scraping against the floor behind him. The mages stood up in unison, standing at attention, bowing their heads in reverence:"Wee, Your Excellency, Lord of Thunder." ??? Garrett quickly followed suit and bowed his head. Just before he did, he caught a glimpse of the other¡¯s full appearance: The mage looked very young, with handsome features and neatlybed ck hair. His shirt was pristine white, with a perfectly tied bow tie, a meticulously tailored ck three-piece suit that wouldn¡¯t look out of ce in the previous century. The only thing indicating his extraordinary status was the single eyess perched on his nose, crackling with electricity, emitting faint popping sounds. ...Can he see clearly with half of his vision blocked like that? Garrett was curious. The neer had reached him, turned slightly, and stood facing the audience below. The thunderous gateway behind him closed inward, disappearing without a trace, and the host immediately eximed: "Next, we wee His Excellency, Lord of Thunder, to present this year¡¯s Rising Mage Award to the winner¡ª" Apuse surged once more. The legendary mage nced at Garrett, pushed his monocle up slightly, and began his speech: "After deliberation by the council, this year¡¯s Rising Mage Award goes to Garrett Nordmark. Though only a level two mage, he has made significant contributions in the field of research, helping the council contain a potential gue and safeguarding the lives and health of many mages. In recognition of these contributions, the council hereby presents this annual award. Garrett Nordmark¡ª" Garrett hurried forward, standing in a position where the dignitary could see him conveniently without obstructing the view of the audience below. He lifted his head slightly and saw that the Lord of Thunder¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t focused on him, nor did it seem to be directed at the audience below. Instead, it seemed to be slightly tilted toward the side of the monocle, as if staring at some ne in the void. Curious, Garrett followed the direction indicated by his gesture and saw countless tiny blue dots floating on the lens, arranged in rows as if they were text. The blue dots shed and disappeared in an instant, while the Lord of Thunder maintained his gaze into the void, continuing his speech: "May you maintain your spirit of inquiry and continue to strive for greater achievements. May we meet again beyond the mysteries!" This statement was delivered in a t tone, devoid of any rise and fall, clearly not something he often spoke as a leader. Did he just read it off the projection of the speech on the monocle? "May we meet again beyond the mysteries," Garrett repeated quickly. When he raised his head again, the Lord¡¯s gaze finally focused on him, and the monocle was now clean and clear, without any lightning or blue dots, transparent and clear, just like an ordinary lens. "You¡¯ve done well." The Lord of Thunder, the legendary mage Decar, smiled slightly, his right hand extending outward. An assistant quickly stepped forward from the right side of the tform, holding a tray with both hands and bowing slightly, presenting it to the legendary mage. Oh? Is this my prize? Garrett couldn¡¯t help but look into the tray. In the center of the trayy a long ck box, adorned with a row of gemstones in various colors, vaguely forming a constetion shape. The Lord of Thunder pressed a finger on the box lid, and a bolt of lightning leaped up, darting across the gemstones on the lid. The long box opened silently. Inside the deep ck velvet liningy a quill pen, entirely golden-red in color, reminiscent of the feather of a phoenix in legends. The Lord of Thunder picked up the quill pen, scanning it with his head lowered, and the monocle shed again. "Leave your mark." He handed it over to Garrett briskly. Garrett respectfully epted it with both hands. It felt hard and cool to the touch. Upon closer inspection, it was made entirely of metal. With a breath, each feather trembled gently, like real feathers on a bird. How did they achieve this... Garrett marveled silently, following the instructions of the legendary mage, he reached into his own mental power and left his mark. As his mental power made contact, the relevant information about the quill pen unfolded in his mind, line by line: "Infinite Ink Pen, a 9th-grade magical item (sealed). Requires a mental power level of 7 or above to unlock the seal and unleash its full power. Thoughts bestow wisdom upon people, preventing them from losing themselves in the fantastical world. Grasp (or wear) this quill pen, and you will be immune to attacks from spells of 5th grade and below, illusions, and soul-control magic. This pen contains powerful magical energy. When it is within one foot of you, it will provide you with a constant Mage Armor. When the armor is breached, it automatically triggers a Force Field. You can cast Teleportation once a day while holding it (those above level 7 can specify the destination themselves). A diamond is embedded near the nib of this pen. If you dip the nib into an ink bottle, the diamond will absorb the entire bottle of ink and turn ck. Thus, until the diamond returns to transparency, you can write with it continuously without worrying about the ink running out. Young mage, if you really want to put it in your pocket, remember to add a pen cap. Furthermore, due to its shape, you can also use it as a material for Feather Fall... Don¡¯t worry, only Feather Fall can¡¯t damage it." This is really something to save my life... defense, protection, teleportation, Feather Fall... just missing any attack spells. Garrett felt likeughing a little. He held the quill pen, bowed deeply: "Thank you very much, Your Excellency!" These functions are exactly what I wanted! Who wants to fight? If there¡¯s a spy targeting me, I¡¯ll go find the big shots to intervene! And the function of the infinite ink, it¡¯s really thoughtful... This quill pen looks beautiful too! Golden-red! It¡¯s clearly different from ordinary quill pens at a nce! No need to worry about others taking it casually, just stick it into my pocket, and then it drifts away I don¡¯t know where! "Hmph!" The Lord of Thunder turned away disdainfully. What¡¯s wrong with this little guy... No rings, no bracelets, no wristbands, no watches, no nes. These are the mostmon styles of magical equipment. He rejects them all, none of the ready-made temtes are useful! During the previousmunication, the alchemy master in charge of making the prizes had a fit, pounding the table several times, indicating that he would not take on the job again... Picky, a mere fourth-level mage, what qualifications do you have to be so picky! He really put it in his pocket! The chest of that single-breasted coat was even specially made with a pocket, how ugly! "Don¡¯t think that just because you have this, you can run around! Before you reach level 7, the constant teleportation on it can only teleport within 100 kilometers, and the destination is close to the outer edge of the mountain peak enchantment! If you run too far, you won¡¯t be able to pull yourself back, and no one can save you!" "Yes, Your Excellency! Rest assured, I won¡¯t run around!" Garrett happily epted the prize and went down. Oh yes, that box is also his, although the appraisal showed that it has no special function, it¡¯s just a box with a magic lock, but it¡¯s so beautiful! It¡¯s adorned with various gemstones! Even if it can¡¯t be used to cast spells, it¡¯s still very valuable! Chapter 234 Chapter 234 The Annual Arcane Academic Conference, along with the Annual Young Mage Awards ceremony,sted for three days. The first morning featured the opening ceremony, award presentation, and academic lecture by legendary mages. The afternoons of the first, second, and third days were dedicated to discussions divided by schools and fields of study. The final afternoon included a closing lecture and banquet. Most senior mages either gave lectures or moderated discussions, while individuals like Garrett Nordmark roamed the venue, attending sessions that piqued their interest... Inside and outside were both bustling. Over the course of these three days, news rted to Garrett was gathered bit by bit and summarized at the back entrance of the academy¡¯s restaurant, then passed on to operatives by the restaurant owner: "Garrett Nordmark has joined the Thunder Horn, but he hasn¡¯t been to the peak in the past month." "Garrett Nordmark used to frequent the area around rk Peak. It seems he¡¯s been in the Dwarven Quarter all along..." "Every time hees down from the Dwarven Quarter, he follows a convoy of cargo caravans. There are at least two dwarves in the convoy, along with a team of cavalry escorts led by a fifth-level knight, and his barbarianpanion." "He hardly goes out for a stroll. No, for the past six months, none of our informants in the city have seen him out on the streets." "We¡¯ve found hisboratory! There¡¯s no mistaking it; his name is still hanging on the wall of theb!" "Theboratory is in a very secluded location...""Someone is delivering supplies! For the past two months, deliveries have been made every day! The delivery person said that besides Garrett and his barbarianpanion, he hasn¡¯t seen anyone else!" The owner squatted under the dim oilmp, one by one, digging out intelligence from shells, firewood, dirty but shiny purses, and various other strange ces to share with the waiter. Marcus Breno cradled his injured leg, curled up in the woodshed, studying the map of Nevis City, his eyes shining brightly: "There¡¯s no need to think about the peak. It¡¯s a gathering ce for high-level mages; someone like me would be dead if I went there." "The forge area... the forge area won¡¯t work either. It¡¯s too difficult to get anything out of the dwarves." "An ambush along the way is impossible... I¡¯m injured, and I don¡¯t have the authority to mobilize other personnel this time. This small team won¡¯t be able to handle it. It seems that the only option now is to visit thatboratory." "Help me find out the situation inside. How many people are there, when¡ª" The owner skillfully continued: "And also theyout of theboratory, defense measures, surrounding environment, patrol routes, retreat routes... Don¡¯t worry, I know them all! Do you need anything else? I¡¯ll have someone check it out together!" "Let¡¯s wait for this batch of information toe back before deciding." Marcus Breno pressed his thigh, a hint of pain crossing his face again. The owner looked down at him: "Can you hold on? Should I try to buy a bottle of healing potion? I still have connections¡ª" "Do you want me to ept the favor of the evil god?" Marcus suddenly raised his head, staring at him in shock. The owner massaged his head with a headache: "But a healing potion is just a healing potion! No matter which one you use, it works. Injuries and illnesses can be cured!" "Jose, you¡¯re out of your mind! Only our Lord is the one true god! You¡¯ve spent twenty years in thend of heathens, you¡¯ve fallen, your faith has been tainted!" "I¡¯m doing this for your own good! Your injury is worse than a few days ago. If you don¡¯t get treatment soon, even if the mission ends, you won¡¯t make it back!" "I don¡¯t need you to worry!" The owner walked away in frustration. In the darkness, Marcus Breno grasped the dagger tightly, silently bowing his head. The next day, in the woodshed of the "Mage¡¯s Home," there was one less young waiter curled up in the corner of the woodpile, his body burning hot. Marcus Breno spent two days outside theboratory. Disguised as a beggar, peddler, traveler, student, he observed from various directions near and far. Theboratory was on the outskirts of the city, just a step away from the wilderness. Even in such a remote location, there was at least one patrol team passing by every hour. Patrol density was lower at night, but even so, a patrol woulde by every two or three hours. For two days, theboratory only opened its doors once in the morning, with the barbarian dragging in a full basket of supplies and then tossing out an empty one. They didn¡¯t go out during the day or at night. From behind the wall, Marcus could hear various sounds of punching and kicking from early morning until evening. ...That barbarian sure is spirited... Fortunately, the barbarian was only spirited during the day. Although the walls of theboratory were high and topped with sharp iron spears, they couldn¡¯t stop Marcus. He circled around, caught two birds in the trees, and threw them over the wall with force. The wall remained quiet, without any reaction. The two birds chirped and fluttered in panic, then flew away. Marcus smiled slightly, then grabbed a wild cat and threw it over the wall by the neck with force. "Meow¡ª" A sharp scream. Before long, therge cat scurried back over the wall, dragging its broken tail, then limped away into the wilderness. Marcus clenched his fists with excitement. He found that the barbarian was only active during the day, and the time he was most likely to be distracted was when he was busy doing something. At night, it was quiet around theboratory. Even if there were patrols passing by, they didn¡¯t stop to check, and they only shone their torches around. Marcus couldn¡¯t see their faces, and they couldn¡¯t see him hiding in the shadow of the wall... The sun sets. The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky red, and the stars appeared gradually, as if punctured with tiny holes. The air was filled with the fragrance of roses and the sweet aroma of the night-blooming jasmine in full bloom. Amidst the rustling of the leaves, the howls of wild animals asionally echoed in the distance. Marcus leaned against the wall, holding his breath, waiting for the patrol to pass by, then quickly jumped up. With a soft leap, he easily jumped over the high wall. He didn¡¯t even need to use any magic, just a little bit of skill in climbing. Hended softly, like a bat, on the soft grass. He looked up at the dark sky and smiled slightly. Tonight, the moon was hidden behind the clouds, the stars were dim, and the surrounding area was pitch ck. He was like a fish in water, blending into the darkness. He straightened up and silently approached theboratory. The iron gate was closed, and the door was tightly shut. There was no light inside, only the sound of heavy breathing and asional loud noises. Marcus frowned slightly, then looked around. He approached the wall and reached out to touch it gently. The wall was smooth and cold, without any ws. He took a deep breath and took a step back. He closed his eyes and silently chanted the incantation. The air around him began to vibrate slightly. The sound of his heartbeat gradually synchronized with the vibration of the air, forming a strange resonance. The resonance spread out in all directions, like ripples on the surface of a calmke, gradually spreading to the surrounding area. Marcus opened his eyes, and the world seemed to have changed. The darkness was no longer silent; it was filled with countless faint sounds. The grass under his feet swayed gently, the leaves on the trees rustled softly, and the air itself seemed to be alive, pulsating with a mysterious rhythm. Marcus smiled slightly and raised his hand. He gently touched the wall again, and this time, he felt a slight vibration. He closed his eyes and focused all his attention on the wall. He could feel the faint echo of his touch, as if the wall was responding to his presence. He concentrated harder, focusing all his energy on the wall. Slowly, he began to sense something, a faint presence, a subtle fluctuation in the air. He narrowed his eyes, trying to discern the source of the disturbance. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his head, as if a knife were being driven into his skull. He cried out in agony and staggered back, clutching his head with both hands. The pain was unbearable, like a thousand needles piercing his brain, like a fire burning through his veins. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to focus, to push through the pain and continue his investigation. He reached out again, ignoring the pain, ignoring everything except the wall in front of him. He could feel the vibrations growing stronger, the presence growing clearer, until finally, he could see it, a faint shimmering in the air, a ghostly outline of something hidden beneath the surface. He gasped in astonishment, his heart pounding with excitement. He had found it, the hidden entrance to theboratory, concealed beneath ayer of magic, invisible to the naked eye. He smiled triumphantly, his pain forgotten, his mind racing with possibilities. He took a step forward, reaching out to touch the hidden entrance. But before his hand could make contact, he felt a sudden jolt of energy, a surge of power that knocked him off his feet and sent him sprawling to the ground. He cried out in shock and pain, his body convulsing with spasms as the magic surged through him like a tidal wave. He struggled to get up, to fight back, but it was no use. The magic was too strong, too overwhelming. He could feel it tearing through his defenses, ripping through his mind, tearing him apart piece by piece. He screamed in agony, his voice lost in the darkness, as the magic consumed him utterly, leaving nothing behind but a broken shell, a hollow echo of the man he once was. And in the darkness, theboratory remained silent, its secrets safe for another day. Chapter 235 Chapter 235 Garrett excitedly returned to theboratory. The necromancer who sat beside him during the meeting actually helped him out. On the first day of his request, by the third night, he stuffed him with a bunch of various molds. Mold in the corner, under the eaves, forgotten mop, moldy cloth, unfinished melon, forgotten bread in the drawer... Green, blue, half blue and half green, half green and half blue... With such arge pile of various molds, he would definitely be able to cultivate penicillin! Garrett didn¡¯t even wait for the banquet to end. After listening to the band y five songs, seeing the big shots leaving one after another, he hurriedly slipped out. It wasn¡¯t until he got on the carriage that he had a chance to fill his stomach: a piece of fish fillet in his left hand, a meat patty in his right hand, gnawing, gnawing, gnawing... On the way back to theboratory, all was quiet, and there was no light in the nearby houses. Bernard was already sleeping soundly. When he saw Garrette in and open the door, he opened his eyes, then turned over and continued sleeping. Garrett didn¡¯t bother to wake him up. He changed into protective clothing by himself,yer byyer opening the airlock to go in, ready to put the mold back into the red zone first. Making the culture medium, inocting, and then putting these molds in, this task was too big, it couldn¡¯t be done in a short time, so tonight¡¯s task was just to put the molds in... The chains rattled. The airlock opened. The sound of machinery whirred, and Marcus Breno suddenly turned around in front of the iron cab, gripping the dagger tightly. - Someone came in.Should he hide? Should he use shadow jumping to temporarily leave here, wait for the other party to leave, and thene back to search? Or - simply take the risk, rush out to hold the intruder, and interrogate them about the location of the treasure? Marcus listened intently. The singing outside the room was getting closer. Amidst the pounding of his own heartbeats, it sounded so light, so carefree. Lucky, Marcus thought, that little mage, he seemspletely unprepared... And he didn¡¯t bring his barbarian followers. Marcus carefully identified it. In such a big room, there was only the sound of the footsteps and singing of the little mage. A few days ago, he had personally confirmed in the restaurant that the little mage was only level three, which meant that as long as he acted fast enough and had good luck, he could subdue the other party before rming the barbarians - Then, the entire treasure of the dragon would be open to him. Marcus silently leaped up. His hands and feet spread out, hanging upside down on the ceiling, motionless. Spider-walking technique allowed people like them who moved in the dark of night to move on the walls and ceiling like spiders. If that little mage would enter the treasure room, then, as soon as he entered the door, he would strike unexpectedly - He patiently waited, like a spider casting arge, waiting for prey to arrive. Outside the room, the footsteps of the little mage were getting closer, one step, two steps... Suddenly, the footsteps paused, followed by the little mage¡¯s surprised voice: "Huh?" What¡¯s wrong? Did he notice something? Marcus¡¯s heart tightened slightly. Everything he touched along the way, the footprints left behind... No, he didn¡¯t touch anything, the floor was clean, there would be no footprints left. Each door was casually closed, the curtains outside the door... The curtains... He did pull them closed, but, perhaps they didn¡¯t return to exactly the same position! Even a slight wrinkle, a slight unevenness, might be noticed by the little mage outside! No more waiting! Marcus leaped out. The dagger gleamed, and on the sharp de, reflected a creature dressed inexplicably, with a long bird beak on its head. Garrett suddenly stopped. His hand reached for his waist bag, grabbing a tube of potassium permanganate, while his other hand reached forward, making a casting gesture. Marcus immediately halted his steps. Dragon¡¯s Breath! The little mage¡¯s Dragon¡¯s Breath, which had once consumed a ninth-level knight¡¯s Dragon¡¯s Breath, wasing! But he came prepared this time. The thief took out an amulet and squeezed it hard. A red light silently rose, weaving into a semi-transparent barrier, firmly protecting him inside. Hmph, this is the me shield given by the court, didn¡¯t expect it, did you? This shield can absorb fire magic, enough to withstand one, even two Dragon¡¯s Breaths! You¡¯re just a level three little mage, without your trump card, let¡¯s see what else you¡¯ve got! Garrett¡¯s palm, however, did not emit mes. Instead, his right hand closed into a cone shape, facing the thief with a forceful jab. The firelight on the shield gently fluctuated, Marcus¡¯s head spun, feeling his ears buzzing, as if he had been hit in the head with a hammer. Garrett had no intention of using Dragon¡¯s Breath this time. What a joke, this room was full of bacteria he had cultivated, one st of fire would blow up half of the ss culture dishes! All his hard work for these days would be ruined! If there¡¯s going to be a fight, at least let him retreat to the dissecting room! There¡¯s open space there! So Garrett released another spell. Engraved in his mind during his advancement to a second-level mage, the "Ultrasound Magic" derived from the meditation environment. Colorless, invisible, and silent - as long as the power and precision of the ultrasound were strong enough, this attack magic would burst eyeballs, burst hearts! Have you heard of the Ocean Knife? This is a bigger one! Of course, Garrett couldn¡¯t achieve the high precision required, such as hitting the eyeballs of a moving target four or five meters away. So he adopted a strategy of headshots: he simply erged the circle of ultrasound to the size of a face, then tried hard to increase the power, increase the power, increase the power... The me shield had no response to the ultrasound attack. Garrett¡¯s blow did not waste any, all of itnded on Marcus¡¯s face. The thief¡¯s head tilted back. If he didn¡¯t have the physical strength brought by the advanced physical profession, he would have fainted on the spot. Even so, Marcus wiped his nose and ears with a hand, but also wiped a hand full of blood. What is this... What is this! Garrett still aimed his hand at him, stepping back, retreating step by step. Marcus gritted his teeth and bent over, starting to run forward. Turning left, turning right, falling to the ground, leaping up... Several quick feints in session. Garrett¡¯s vision was dazzled, and in his field of vision, he immediately lost sight of the enemy¡¯s location. He elerated his steps backward, but suddenly, there was a great force in front of him, pushing him backwards - "Damn it!" Agility really can¡¯tpare tobat professions! If you can¡¯t create distance and kite the opponent, then it¡¯s dead! Garrett fell to the ground, cursing silently. In front of him, Marcus Breno was swearing out loud: "@#$%&*......" What did this little mage bring with him! Just now, the dagger didn¡¯t even touch that strange robe! Garrett: "..." Why do you think I wouldn¡¯t cast a shield! When mages fight, they should at least cast multipleyers of defense for themselves, Mage Armor, Shield Spell, Resistance Enhancement, this is the basic! Just now, that blow only broke my Shield Spell! Garrett rolled on the spot and huddled in the corner. Just as he was about to cast the shield again, his pupils suddenly shrank: The enemy in ck clothes and a ck scarf covering his face didn¡¯t rush forward again, but instead casually waved his hand, knocking down seven or eight culture dishes towards him! "Don¡¯t¡ª" Garrett screamed. These were bacteria! Bacteria! All kinds of pathogenic bacteria he had cultivated! In just this house alone, there were enough ss A and ss B types to assemble half of the infectious disease list! You¡¯re just throwing them casually!!! Garrett temporarily canceled the Shield Spell. He clenched potassium permanganate in his left hand, extended his right palm tly, and fiercely spewed out zing mes, sweeping forward! p, p, p, p! The vessels shattered, ss flew horizontally, agar, bacteria, and spores vanished silently, turned into ashes. Garrett had deliberately controlled the range of the spell, not to sweep the shelves nearby. However, at that moment, more culture dishes flew up, the entire wall shelf was lifted up by the thief, crashing down towards him! Damn it! Do you want to die! I¡¯m wearing protective clothing, with a bubble spell, you¡¯ve got nothing but a piece of cloth covering your face! And you¡¯re still throwing things at me! Garrett was furious. He could have used Teleportation to escape immediately, but at this moment, he couldn¡¯t care less, he just wanted to take down the enemy quickly. He cast another Shield Spell for himself, knelt on one knee, and tore off his gloves. His fingertips were exposed in the air, stretched outward, holding a wisp of breeze: "Induce¡ª" In this room, all the bacteria and spores floating in the air, let me - Multiply! elerate! Grow! All the culture media spilled out, they are your nutrients! Clean upter! There¡¯s plenty of white fire! Plenty of disinfectant! I¡¯ll deal with you first, kill you, and then clean up! A faint green light surged. Under Garrett¡¯s raging anger, he cast the spell with all his might, and the divine art of multiplication swept through the air, the water on the ground, and even the thief¡¯s body wrapped in ck clothes. On his clothes, on the dagger, and even on the thief¡¯s scarf, clusters of mold soon appeared. Marcus was stunned. As a guardian of the Radiant Church, he had also seen simr dark arts and even killed one himself - when he slit the throat of that priest of the dark god, the dark priest was kneeling on the ground, trying to sprout green wheat seedlings. But there was not a single nt in this room, not even a hint of green. What is the other side doing? What does he want to grow to deal with me?! Before he could finish his thought, he suddenly felt a itching in his chest, followed by intense pain. Marcus instinctively bent over, coughing violently. Letting go of his hand, he looked down and saw his palm covered in blood. What kind of dark magic is this... is it a gue spell... Is this little mage, a necromancer? I need to kill him quickly, if I don¡¯t act now, I won¡¯t be able to leave here alive today... Marcus rushed forward suddenly. The ck light on the dagger shone brightly, and all his strength, all the constant divine arts of the dagger, wereunched, wiping towards Garrett¡¯s throat. This cut was without reservation, and the effect was astonishing. The Shield Spell, the mage armor, silently cracked open, the thick leather protective clothing was cut open, and the bright dagger continued to prate - "Boom!" Marcus was thrown outward. In front of Garrett, a force field shield silently popped up, firmly protecting the owner inside. Endless Ink Pen. When the owner¡¯s constant mage armor was broken, the force field shield would be automatically triggered. Inside the shield, Garrett looked at Marcus with fear, nced at the crack in his protective clothing on his throat, then decisively cast teleportation, the light shed, and he disappeared without a trace. Chapter 236 Chapter 236 At the moment Garrett disappeared, Marcus Breno¡¯s legs went weak, and he knelt down on the ground. Only then did he realize how messed up he was. His head was spinning, feeling feverish, and his throat was throbbing painfully. Every breath he took, it hurt from his nostrils down to his chest. Taking off his mask, he forcefully coughed out, half of it phlegm, half blood. His right leg started to ache with each step. Marcus reached out to touch it, burning hot. Not much time left... When that young mage returned with the guards, knights, and even high-ranking mages, he wouldn¡¯t even be able toplete the task, let alone escape! He had to hurry! Marcus pushed himself up from the ground. The hard stone floor was sparkling, with ss shards everywhere. As he pushed, he cut two gashes on his palm. He didn¡¯t care, identified the direction, and headed towards the treasure room in three steps. The tall iron safe was still standing quietly. Marcus couldn¡¯t help but regret a bit. If he had hidden and waited for the young mage to leave, then calmly opened the safe, maybe he could have had a better haul. After all, who said that young mage would definitelye in and definitely open the safe? But now it was toote to think about these things. Marcus switched his weapon to the replica of the "Dagger of Judgement", top and bottom, forcefully cutting open the iron safe. Opening the safe door, a cold air rushed out, freezing him on the spot."Ah...Achoo!" Marcus turned his head and sneezed. His head hurt more, and his nose felt even more congested. As he looked carefully, he couldn¡¯t see any jewels, dragon scales, or artifacts inside, just rows of ss tubes, standing straight on the top shelf of the safe, surrounded by an unknown cold air. ...What are these? Dragon blood? Dragon marrow? Some kind of potion? He took one tube down and examined it carefully. Dragons were depicted on the tube, with handwrittenbels attached, none of which he recognized. Marcus wanted to pull it out to smell, but as soon as he moved, he heard a voice from outside: "Boss! Boss, are you okay?" The voice shook the walls. Marcus panicked, quickly grabbed a tube and stuffed it into his pocket, casually closed the safe door, took a step back, identified the direction, and activated "Shadow Jump" again, escaping in haste. He ran desperately in the darkness for a while, then turned abruptly. A bright white beam had descended from the sky, exactly where theboratory was. ...They arrived so fast! In such a short time, they¡¯ve summoned high-ranking mages! Run! Marcus turned around and disappeared into the darkness, continuing his frantic escape. Meanwhile, Garrett had already been taken out through the teleportation gate, and his feet touched the ground outside the perimeter wall. ...Garrett was directly teleported to the outskirts of the barrier. As the light faded, hended on the ground, the first thing he did was cast a sound amplification spell on himself and shouted: "Help! Help! Someone has broken into myboratory! ¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s going to spread the gue!" Theboratory might have had a leakage of pathogenic bacteria, causing the possibility of an epidemic, so it was essential to report it to the guards ¡ª¡ª No, in this world, it was crucial to report it to the Magic Council! Let them intervene! Block it off! Iste it! Disinfect it! Investigate¡ª Of course, for such matters, the rulers of the city must be awakened! The teleportation was precisely outside Igor¡¯s barrier, which was just perfect, meeting his expectations! Garrett shouted three times. Suddenly, a white beam of light descended straight from the mage tower, enveloping him. Garrett quickly shouted: "Don¡¯t touch me! Don¡¯t drag me! I¡¯m contaminated too! Wait until I clean up!" Who knows what this beam was for ¡ª if it was just for illumination, it¡¯s okay. But if it had teleportation attached, it could pull him in, causing trouble right now! To demonstrate that he indeed needed cleansing, Garrett shouted while he pulled out arge bucket of disinfectant. The heavy bucket fell to the ground, and Garrett fervently thanked: Thanks to Tolga, the Archmage, for providing the spatial bag; Thanks to the Observatory Tower for providing electrolysis experimental conditions; Thanks to Aurora, who brought him disinfectant every day; Thanks to his own habit, always carrying a bucket around¡ª¡ª He opened the lid of the bucket, held his breath, and poured it all over himself! Half a list of contagious diseases! Half of the pathogenic bacteria in theboratory!!! Who knows how much had been contaminated on his body!!! If he didn¡¯t finish disinfecting quickly, it would be equivalent to bringing a moving gue to the heart of the Magic Council!!! A bucket! Another bucket! Yet another bucket! After three or five buckets, summoning a floating disc, he poured the disinfectant onto it, filling the disc to the brim ¡ª¡ª Although the floating disc was called a te, its load-bearing capacity was 100 pounds ¡ª¡ª and then raised it, tilted it, and poured it over his head! Carefully pouring every inch from the forehead to the sole, then he took off the protective suit, jumped aside, put the protective suit into a special bag, and burned all the vegetation in the area¡ª He also had to make sure he stood upwind to avoid the disinfectant generating chlorine gas from heat and poisoning himself! All workpleted. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, crossed himself off the list of contagions, and then took a couple of steps into the barrier and shouted: "I¡¯ve cleaned up!" The pir of light flickered twice. The barrier slightly opened, and a skeletal horse with ming hooves rushed out. A necromancer dismounted in haste, and before he could steady himself, he hurriedly grabbed Garrett: "gue? What gue? Yourboratory? ¡ª¡ªYou created it?!" "I created only part of it!" Garrett was almost going mad with anxiety. He didn¡¯t care if he knew the person who hade to help, as long as someone stepped forward: "That guy broke into myboratory! He knocked over everything I created! He¡¯s also contaminated, and as soon as he runs into the city, it might cause a major epidemic! Some of the things I¡¯ve created are highly infectious diseases!" "How potent are they?" "Stronger than dysentery!" Garrett pretended he had seen his own thesis ¡ª which he hadn¡¯t seen, and probably wouldn¡¯t be in such a hurry to ask about: "The things I¡¯ve created, at least five or six types, are stronger than the dysentery in Harnd City! And they¡¯re all mixed together! If it spreads, it¡¯s hard to say which one or how many are mixed together!" As he spoke, he began casting healing spells on himself. One after another, the white light flickered continuously. ¡ª¡ªDuring the battle just now, although he had been wearing protective clothing from start to finish, the protective clothing made of leather, it was hard to say how much protective power it had! Not to mention, he had cut a few gashes in the back with his own sword¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ªIf it wasn¡¯t for his thick gloves and helmet, he might have been cut by those flying ss fragments¡ª¡ª If it wasn¡¯t for his rapid response, he might have been identally touched by the ss fragments when he opened the door! Who knows if the old dragon blood has been in contact with any contaminated objects! "Understood. Your Excellency, wait here for a while. We will iste the area immediately, summon all high-ranking mages, and dispatch city guards to guard against any possible suspects." "Okay, okay, okay!" Garrett quickly agreed, "I¡¯ll wait here! I¡¯ll wait here! Do it quickly!" While Garrett shouted, he couldn¡¯t help but secretly pay attention to his surroundings. As soon as he saw a flicker in the air, he quickly identified the position and rushed over. In a hurry, he moved closer and saw a figure moving quietly¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ªCaught him! He couldn¡¯t let this man escape! He was also contaminated! "Capture that guy!" Garrett shouted loudly, "Quickly! Capture him!" A group of knights and guards reacted swiftly. As soon as they heard Garrett¡¯s shout, they didn¡¯t hesitate to summon shields, form a line, and head straight for the enemy! Before long, they had already surrounded the target with a solid defense! But what made Garrett¡¯s heart sink was that the person inside the circle wasn¡¯t Marcus Breno! What was going on? Where did he go? Where was Marcus Breno? Did he escape? No! He couldn¡¯t escape! He was the source of the gue! He must not escape! Garrett was anxious. He didn¡¯t have time to think about how the "enemy" got here or who he was. He quickly rushed forward, grabbed the leader of the guards, and asked: "Where¡¯s Marcus Breno? Where¡¯s Marcus Breno?!" Chapter 237 Chapter 237 "Boss! Boss, are you alright?" Garrett heard Bernard shouting desperately as soon as hended. That barbarian voice, thoughcking refinement, was certainly full of vigor, and even through the courtyard and the walls, Garrett could hear it clearly. He shouted back: "I¡¯m here! Open the door!" "Coming!" With a creak, theboratory door opened, and the barbarian rushed out as if the ground was trembling. Seizing this moment, Master Decar turned to Garrett and asked: "How many invaders? When did you notice? Did youe right away?" "Only one..." Garrett focused his thoughts and reported to the legendary mage. Master Decar listened silently, then snorted: "Why haven¡¯t you advanced yet? With even a bit of second-level magic, you wouldn¡¯t be in such a mess!" Garrett lowered his head, not daring to speak. Master Decar pushed his monocle and looked at the youngd¡¯s head, somewhat satisfied¡ªA mage who could hold his own against a warrior in closebat, retaliate, exchange blows, and even use unique magic to inflict damage. His instincts in battle were quite good indeed. But seriously, how could a child of the Elemental School not know how to fight? We, the Thunder Horn, have always been the Magic Council¡¯s foremostbat force! Of course, his retreat afterward was timely and decisive. Fight if you can win, retreat if you can¡¯t, children should never be reckless. The magic constant scheme of the "Endless Ink Pen" was designed by him personally, with the aim of maximizing the youngd¡¯s chances of survival. Speaking of retreat¡ª He took off his monocle, flicked his finger along the edge, and strands of electric light flew out, shooting in all directions, followed by a beam of white light shooting straight up. Seeing Garrett eagerly looking at him, he casually pointed out: "First, set up a spatial lock to prevent the use of teleportation in the surrounding area. Then summon the nearby patrol teams to seal off the area and capture the intruder. Oh, is the intruder still inside?" Garrett honestly expressed that he didn¡¯t know. The legendary mage waved his hand, and a magical wave swept out: "Gone, escaped. When the patrol team arrives to make arrests, let¡¯s go in first." "Wait!" Garrett hurriedly reached out to stop him. "First, let¡¯s check if there¡¯s any leakage from theboratory!" That thief, or whatever profession they are, must not have tunneled in and out! "How do you want to check?" The legendary mage raised his chin toward him. Garrett looked at him, then at Carlisle, who was standing beside him. Seeing both of them looking as if to say, "We won¡¯t do anything, figure it out yourself," he pondered for a moment: "Can you enchant me with a spell that can detect heat? Like dim vision or dark vision?" The two high-level mages nced at each other. Carlisle raised his hand, and a spell fell upon Garrett. Garrett felt a sh before his eyes, and suddenly his vision brightened several levels, as if from night to dusk. He carefully observed his surroundings, shaking his head: "This won¡¯t work. Can we try another one?" Another sh. This time, what appeared before his eyes was a near-ck-and-white image, with the door crack of theboratory and the outlines of several people appearing brighter than the surroundings. Upon closerparison, the two mages seemed slightly dimmer, while the barbarian¡¯s torso, skin, and especially his mouth and nose, appeared particrly bright. That¡¯s it! This is what I need¡ªa thermal imaging function¡ªinfra-red vision! Garrett jumped up and dashed towards theboratory. Walls, roof, he inspected every inch. The temperature inside the room was definitely higher than outside, not to mention he had just cast a fire spell, raising the temperature even more. If there were any cracks in the walls leaking internal air, under infrared vision¡ª Nothing could hide! "He¡¯s quite quick to react," murmured the legendary mage behind him. The Lord of Thunder snorted: "If he reaches the third level, you won¡¯t need to intervene." Carlisle smiled and sighed. The two high-level mages stood side by side, watching Garrett carefully inspecting the outer walls of theboratory, almost leaning against them. Midway through the inspection, a whistling wind overhead, a shuttle rushed over, and five senior mages emerged one after another. Clearly, the Tribunal had mobilized urgently, probably rted to some factions, and all the mages were present. The one leading, in a ck robe with a embroidered skull, was particrly impatient, heading straight for them: "How¡¯s it going? How¡¯s it going?" "Haven¡¯t seen any leaks yet!" Garrett looked up and replied. The ck-robed mage breathed a sigh of relief but also seemed a bit disappointed, slowing his pace. Another mage in red robes hurriedly stepped past him: "Teacher!" The Lord of Thunder nodded. "Here. Arrange the patrol team. When the enforcement team of mages arrives, instruct them to track down the intruder and capture them as soon as possible. I just saw it, there was only one intruder who used Shadow Jump to enter and exit theboratory. The initialnding point was..." He flicked his finger, and a beam of white light flew far away, hanging at the tip of the tall grass. The mage in red robes nodded repeatedly, immediately turning to the rear and pulling over a mage who seemed dazed, as if drunk: "Hurry, help me find the intruder¡¯s trail!" "Why me... Can¡¯t we wait for the enforcement team..." The mage he pulled over grumbled. The mage in red robes pushed him hard: "Hey, you¡¯re a divination mage! Finding this is your specialty!" "But my expertise is in stargazing..." The divination mage seemed reluctant. He nced at the pile of grass, casually cast a spell, and suddenly froze: "Danger! Great danger!" His movements suddenly elerated, his ten fingers rolling rapidly like he had switched from 0.5x speed to 2x speed. In a moment, a faint green light shot out from his fingertips, illuminating arge string of footprints on the ground. The hooves thundered like thunder. A patrol team had just arrived and was scolded by the Tribunal: "Go! Follow the tracking magic and capture the person!" The divination mage sighed in relief. The next moment, he turned towards theboratory, his eyes bulging, a finger trembling like it was convulsing: "Ominous signs, I see ominous signs¡ªenough to destroy Nevis City¡ªgreater danger, inside here¡ª" "Then destroy it!" An abjuration mage and an evocation mage walked over together. The temporary mage on duty had a decent expression, even nodded and smiled at Garrett, but the abjuration mage¡¯s face was icy. One hand grabbed the red-robed mage, while the other pointed at theboratory, saliva flying, spraying the other¡¯s face: "Who approved the construction of thisboratory?! Huh?! How could such a dangerous thing be entrusted to a child to y with? It¡¯s even built in the city, without any protection. If something really happens, won¡¯t the entire council suffer?" "A child" Garrett Nordmark trotted over happily , about to announce that there was no leakage in the outer wall, but was stopped in his tracks by the thunderous roar of the senior mage. A second-level mage¡ªat the time when thisboratory was built, he was still a first-level mage¡ªin the eyes of the high-level mages, had abat power close to zero. The unspoken rule of the Magic Council was that mages below the fifth level could not independently oversee mage towers, which was equivalent to being unqualified to oversee important projects. Insignificant little things, everyone just pretended not to see them. Aboratory that could potentially destroy a city... How could such a thing be left in the hands of a second-level mage? But¡ª "It can¡¯t be destroyed! The outer walls are intact, there¡¯s no leakage inside at all!!!" Garrett eximed. He had purified so many pathogenic bacteria, given a little more time, he could produce penicillin! And can a P4boratory be destroyed casually?! Do you want to blow it up, or bury it? With just a little carelessness, pathogens could leak out to the entire city! "It can¡¯t be destroyed!" The necromancy mage on duty was also anxious. He stepped forward, blocking Garrett, facing off against the abjuration mage: "This project wasmissioned by us! It¡¯s almost done! I¡¯ve seen it, what¡¯s produced is very potent, extremely useful for our gue branch! We¡¯re responsible for protecting thisboratory. If something goes wrong, ck Crow Swamp will take responsibility!" "It¡¯s not your turn to step forward." Beside the senior mages, the Lord of Thunder snorted coldly. He pushed his monocle, pointed directly at the red-robed mage, and reprimanded him fiercely: "The child doesn¡¯t understand, and you don¡¯t either?! Whatever he wants to do with theboratory, you just let him do it? How can such argeboratory have no magical defenses?! ¡ªHe only knows how to prevent leaks, but doesn¡¯t know what defenses are needed against external invaders! What use are you?! Did you not use your brain before approving this project? What¡¯s inside your head? Is it all magma from staying in the Elemental School for too long?" As soon as the legendary mage spoke, the red-robed mage, Sam, straightened up immediately, bowed his head, and stood still, obediently receiving the reprimand. Theboratory, part of Garrett¡¯s reward, with its scale and construction budget determined by the entire Tribunal, was not decided by him alone, nor should he shoulder all the me. But, being scolded by the teacher... Then just listen, what else can you do butply? The abjuration mage quietly released his grip, took two steps back, and dodged the legendary mage¡¯s anger. The ck Crow Swamp mage breathed a sigh of relief but also felt a bit resentful, his eyes rolling back and forth between Garrett and theboratory. As for the other two, they also felt a bit scared in their hearts, only hoping that the Lord of Thunder¡¯s anger wouldn¡¯t fall on their heads, so they didn¡¯t dare to say a word? Master Decar scolded for half an hour straight, electric currents flickering on his monocle as if they could burst out at any moment. The surrounding mages stood solemnly, silently listening, and dutifully apanying for half an hour. Garrett observed with his eyes, nose, and ears, standing aside with his ears pricked up, finally understanding why the legendary mage had toe in person: If the Lord of Thunder didn¡¯te, which Tribunal gentleman would write "dismantle" on theboratory? Could he stop them? Or did he want to watch the senior mages fight on the spot? The storm of reprimands finally came to an end. Master Decar turned to Garrett, his expression softened: "Youngd, since you im there¡¯s no leakage here, then prove it to us." "Alright! I¡¯ll go in first and tidy up!" Chapter 238 Chapter 238 Garrett Nordmark or ¸ñÀ×ÌØ lifted his foot and walked towards theboratory. Behind him, the protective mage chuckled and called out, "Hey, kid! Are you trying to cover up your tracks and then tell us you didn¡¯t cause trouble?" "These dangers can be killed!" Garrett turned around like a gust of wind. "As long as proper precautions are taken, it won¡¯t infect the user. As long as it¡¯s properly eliminated, it won¡¯t leak out and cause harm!" "That makes sense," the mage in white robes nodded yfully. "Alright then, let¡¯s go in together and take a look." The high-level mages filed in. Upon reaching the changing room, Garrett turned back and stopped everyone, bending down to pull out protective suits from the side. "Masters, please change into protective gear and follow me into the danger zone." The high-level mages of thirteen or fourteen levels looked at each other and couldn¡¯t help butugh. The mage in white robes from the protective department evenughed out loud. "Protection?¡ªKid, are you talking to me about protection?" "Master, I know nothing of your power." Garrett bowed lightly. "But, I can assure you that the protective measures I use can provide effective protection and won¡¯t bring danger to the outside world. If possible, please follow theboratory¡¯s requirements and change into protective gear." He pointed to the sign on the wall that read "Danger, No Entry." Among the crowd, the mage from ck Crow Swampughed and squeezed forward. "Alright, let¡¯s not make it difficult for the kid... Well, Garrett, um, how do I put on this protective gear?" "You first put on the mask... These are goggles..." Garrett guided him step by step. "Cover your head with an air bubble, then put on the full-body protective suit... Button it up here, and here, press it tight, no leaks..." Master Carlisle and Old Sam exchanged nces and followed suit, clumsily putting on the protective suits together. However, the mage from the protective department looked displeased, standing by with folded arms. Beside him, a mage from the curse departmentughed and pulled him, taking out an alchemical puppet and tossing it out. As soon as the puppetnded, it grew, stretching its arms and legs, and in a moment, it was asrge as a real person. "How about using this to try?"The mage in white robes snorted, and light flickered on his hand as he conjured up protective shields one after another. The puppet wobbled forward two steps and stood at the door of the changing area. The mage from the curse department took out another puppet and waved to Garrett. "Kid, should I dress it too?" "Sure! Thank you, Master!" Garrett hurried over. The mage from the curse department smiled as he watched him busily, casually asking, "Kid, can you handle wearing this suit? Do you want me to add a couple of shields for you?" "Thank you, Master, no need." Garrett slightly tilted his head, his hands never stopping. "I know what I¡¯ve made. As long as the skin isn¡¯t broken, bacteria like staphylocus aureus and Escherichia coli won¡¯t cause any harm; Vibrio cholerae and Salmone, on the other hand, need to be ingested, so as long as I wash my hands and face beforeing out and don¡¯t ingest them, there won¡¯t be any problem; The more troublesome ones are Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which can cause problems when inhaled, so I wear a mask, an air bubble over the mask, and ayer of protective clothing over the air bubble. With threeyers of protection, nothing can go wrong." His exnation was logical. Even though several high-level mages had never heard of these bacteria, they sounded like @#£¤% to their ears, they understood that he indeed had his reasons. In a moment, Garrett himself was fully equipped. He opened the gate leading to the buffer zone, and the others, wearing protective suits, filed in. The mage from the divination department threw out a secret eye. "Let¡¯s watch here." The secret eye followed the group forward. As the outer airlock descended and the inner airlock rose, the first and second rooms were fine. But as they passed the dissection room, the light curtain of the secret eye disyed a scene that was too gruesome to bear: Half of the shelves in the room had copsed. Countless ss dishes had fallen to the ground. Clusters of mold, white, green, yellow, and blue, were everywhere. Fragments were strewn across the floor, disregarded and kicked away... "This... this..." The necromancer¡¯s voice trembled with pain. He hurriedly paced back and forth, bending down to move this shelf, kicking that fragment. In a moment, he pounced on the intact shelf, sticking to it and examining each ss dish: "Such a huge loss?! So much has been destroyed? Can it be made up for? How long will it take to make up for it? I told you Carlisle wasn¡¯t reliable, if you¡¯re going into ck Crow Swamp, you can¡¯t let them bully you like this..." Crack! A sharp bolt of lightning shot out from the void, cracking like a whip on the ground. Master Carlisle¡¯s embarrassed voice came through the magical device, "Grom, don¡¯t steal from kids! Do you think I didn¡¯t see it?! When the project ispleted, Garrett will deliver the results!" "Who, who¡¯s stealing! I¡¯m just picking off the ss shards from the bottom of the shoes!" Garrett couldn¡¯t help but be amused by his own frustration. He hurriedly passed by the shelves, breathing a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, thank goodness, the shelves over there mainly contain Escherichia coli and staphylocus, which can be produced rtively quickly. Just hope that guy doesn¡¯t steal my strains¡ª" He rushed into the inner room. As soon as he opened the refrigerator, he screamed in horror: "My strains!!!" "What¡¯s wrong!" The necromancer rushed in. Garrett half-buried himself in the refrigerator, feeling around with his hands: "My Vibrio cholerae! My Bacillus anthracis! My Mycobacterium tuberculosis! Aaaahhh!" It was because of these pathogenic bacteria that he specifically ced them on the topyer! That intruder, even if he didn¡¯t take the ones like Escherichia coli and streptocus, why did he take the most troublesome ones?! Any of these strains, if leaked, could cause a major epidemic! There¡¯s no way to live like this! Garrett turned and rushed to themunication device. At this moment, hepletely ignored the fact that there was a group of high-level mages outside, shouting at the top of his voice: "Be careful during the capture process! That guy stole three strains from me! They¡¯re all pure and concentrated gue seeds! Don¡¯t let him toss them around! Anything thrown out must be found!!!" "Also, when fighting him, try not to get too close! If you have to get close, after youe back, wash your hands, wash your clothes, wash your whole body, and don¡¯t eat anything before that!" "Be careful not to let him bite you! Don¡¯t let saliva spray on your face either! It could spread the gue!!!" "After everyonees back, they must be quarantined and observed! Including horses, including dogs, including all animals, must be quarantined, observed, and disinfected!" The urgent shouts echoed through the room via the magical device. Several high-level mages looked at the light curtain transmitted by the secret eye, looked at each other in shock. After a moment of silence, the divination mage sneered and burst intoughter: "He¡¯s quite brazen to order us around¡ª" "But we have to help him deliver the message, don¡¯t we?" The adjudicator of the curse department chuckled in response. He muttered a few words and conjured up a ball of light, the size of a walnut, shimmering in all colors. The mage quietly repeated Garrett¡¯s requests, flicked his finger, and the ball of light shot out like a meteor through the crack in the door. Rotating all the way, emitting light, illuminating the night sky, flying towards the search team ahead. In the dark night, Marcus Breno ran desperately. He had intended to escape into the city. The person in charge of the spy outpost, the innkeeper, even if his faith had been tainted, shouldn¡¯t immediately betray him. At the very least, he could find a channel to help him send things back. As long as he sent things back, the mission would bepleted. Completing the mission would earn him points, and with points, even if he couldn¡¯t use them himself, his daughter could exchange them for a dose of Holy Radiance Potion and be a knight... His daughter... Marcus Breno coughed up blood, feeling a slight relief in his breathing. The sound of hooves behind him kepting, from directly behind, from the left rear, from the right rear. The pursuers had spread out a wide, pushing him relentlessly towards the outskirts, constantly driving him outwards. At least three teams, dozens of horses, could be heard from the sound. What kind of person was that little mage who was only second or third level? ...And he even brought dogs. The fierce barking approached from behind, Marcus Breno gritted his teeth and plunged into a stream. The icy cold water of winter instantly submerged him, making him shiver, and immediately his chest felt better. Breathing became more and more difficult... if this continued, his strength, even that of a fifth-level knight, wouldn¡¯t be able to match that of the pursuers... He forced himself to wade through the water for a while, but it wasn¡¯t as much as Marcus had hoped for. When dawn was breaking, the barking of the pursuit dogs caught up with him once again. Marcus gritted his teeth, turned back, and retraced his steps, leaping onto a tree by the roadside and lying on a treetop. "He¡¯s up ahead!" "He¡¯s up ahead!" Five riders with hunting dogs and warhorses came rushing over. Just as thest one passed, Marcus suddenly dropped from the treetop, his dagger pressing against the neck of that person. A spurt of blood shot out, and he remained silent, rushing towards the second-tost one. The three in front were alerted by the sound. Marcus clenched his teeth, his dagger dancing wildly. The third rider fell, then the fourth... just as he was about to take down thest one, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. In the split second of hesitation, a steel de swung towards him. Marcus narrowly avoided it, feeling a sharp pain in his left shoulder as arge piece of flesh was cut off. He endured the pain, finishing off thest rider, and with a swift stroke, he killed the hunting dog that was biting his calf. His strength had declined too much... what kind of sinister spell did that little mage cast on him? Even if he only had the strength of a fifth-level knight, it would be impossible for him to get injured after taking down that group of people... Marcus pressed his chest, coughing twice. He took off a set of cavalry armor and put it on, then picked a warhorse for himself, tied up the dead riders on their warhorses, whipped each one in a different direction, and drove them away. Continue on the road! Escape, or find a teleportation point set up by the church, and send things back! Chapter 239 Chapter 239 An hour after the battle, the second team of pursuers reined in their horses and began inspecting the scattered traces on the ground. "There was a battle here." "No doubt about it¡ª" The second cavalryman dismounted, stooping down to examine the disturbed earth with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, he drew his sword and stabbed the ground a few times, lifting several clumps of soil in session: "There¡¯s blood. And quite a lot of it." "One person couldn¡¯t have bled this much." "The scene has been tampered with. The ones who cleaned up the scene..." He almosty on the ground, spreading his thumb and forefinger as far apart as possible, measuring the footprints on the ground: "Only one. If our side had won, there would be no need to bury the bloodstains before leaving, so¡ªit¡¯s that intruder who harmed our brothers!" "Find him, track him down!" With hismand, the squad dispersed, searching in all directions for traces. Before long, the cavalrymen began reporting:"I have horseshoe prints here!" "There are some in the direction behind us too! Judging by the depth of the prints, someone was riding!" "To the left, down the slope, there are crushed grass leaves all the way!" "There¡¯s also a fork to the right up ahead!" "This..." The captain hesitated. Lowering his head in thought, he pulled out a copper tube, vigorously striking the flint to ignite the fuse. The re soared into the sky, and the captain turned to his subordinates: "Continue the search! We must find more traces so that when reinforcements arrive, they can determine the target¡¯s location!" And so, Marcus Breno sessfully dyed the pursuers¡¯ steps. He rode wildly, traversing mountains and rivers, erasing his scent by wading through water, tirelessly wandering back and forth all day, and amazingly managed to elude the pursuers. ¡ªHowever, he was gradually reaching his limit. His forehead was burning. Breathing was difficult. All the dry rations he carried were gone, and though he had found some ck bread on the bodies of the few cavalrymen he killed, when he took a bite, the fiery pain spread from his gums to his pte. He managed to swallow down half a piece, but before long, he vomited it all out. Is there... anywhere he could rest for a moment... Marcusy on the ridge, looking down below. In the twilight, smoke rose from the foot of the mountain, where a small vigey. A stream flowed out of the valley, winding its way past the vige, then curved into a long ovalke. In the center of theke rose a small ind, densely covered with vegetation, resembling an open eye when viewed from afar. Marcus¡¯s spirits lifted. That ind¡ªthatke shaped like an eye, he had seen it on the map before he set out, with a teleportation array of the Holy See! As long as he could make it here, his mission would be at least halfway aplished! Observing the path down the mountain for a moment, he dismounted and turned his horse. Patting its rump, the horse neighed and took a few steps before standing still in confusion. Marcus, resolute, drew his dagger and stabbed it into the horse¡¯s nk. Startled, the horse immediately galloped along the mountain path. With the sound of hooves fading away, it was soon out of earshot. Then, the thief turned and dashed towards the direction of the vige along the steep slope without a path, cutting through thorns and bushes, racing straight towards the vige. He was originally an eighth-level thief. Despite consecutive injuries and illnesses, weakening his strength further, he was still much stronger than an ordinary person. The overgrown slope of the hill could hardly be traversed by ordinary vigers, but it didn¡¯t hinder him much. In the blink of an eye, covered in grass and dirt, he stood at the foot of the mountain, looking towards the vige from afar. Night fell fastest in the valley. Often, there would still be twilight on the ridges, but once in the valley, it was almost impossible to see the vegetation on the roadside. Marcus walked outward based on his memory, and in no time, he saw a dozen or so houses in the small vige, with flickering lights and the faint aroma of food drifting in the wind. Marcus hesitated for a moment. He didn¡¯t want to kill unnecessarily, so instead of walking straight in, he cautiously circumvented the vige along the fence, intending to steal some food and leave. After walking a few tens of steps, he saw shimmering water not far away¡ªit was a reservoir dug by the vigers. The gurgling spring water sounded refreshing, and Marcus suddenly felt thirsty. He bent down by the pool, cupping water to drink. After just three or four sips, he felt difort in his chest and abdomen, churning like a stormy sea. Marcus tried to turn his head away, but it was toote. With a retching sound, the contents of his stomach surged out from his mouth and nose. Threads of vomit spread out in the pool, mingling with remnants of the dry rations he had eaten during the day. Marcusy by the pool, vomiting until he was exhausted, covered in cold sweat. His throat burned fiercely, apanied by the sour and rancid taste in his mouth. He struggled to sit up, moving a few steps to the side and rinsing his mouth with the clear spring water. Just as he rinsed, there was a rustling sound nearby, followed by a very tender and soft exmation: "Oops!!!" "Who?!" Marcus instinctively rolled to the side, his right hand reaching for his waist, gripping the dagger tightly. With his left hand on the ground, he crouched and sprung forward, the dagger already halfway out of its sheath. However, the one who eximed ten steps away was just a small girl, no more than five or six years old. Barefoot, with a ragged woolen coat and tattered edges hanging down. Her red hair was bright, her eyes crystal clear, looking at him with curiosity and concern, without a hint of disdain or disgust. Marcus¡¯s hand weakened. This little girl... with her red hair and watery eyes, she looked exactly like his little Maria. Before Maria was taken away by the Holy See for training, she had the same innocent and lovely appearance... It had been seven years since he had seen his daughter... "You..." Marcus involuntarily softened his voice. The little girl had already run to him in a pitter-patter, looking up at him: "Mister, are you feeling unwell? Do you want to vomit? I just picked some fruits, they¡¯re sour and eating them makes you feel better, you won¡¯t feel like vomiting anymore!" She raised her hands. A bunch of ck berries, with twigs and leaves, was held up to Marcus. ...Yes, just like little Maria, her heart was the kindest... Marcus tremblingly epted the bunch. Picking one, putting it in his mouth, not knowing what it tasted like, he swallowed it with saliva. His chest didn¡¯t feel as heavy, and he rinsed his hands in the pool, shaking off the water, and touched the girl¡¯s head: "Little girl, thank you. Mister still has something to do, so I have to go." "You... you¡¯re leaving?" The little girl seemed disappointed. But after a moment, she suddenly pped her hands and eximed: "I know! I can take you to the teleportation array! My home is on the ind in the middle of theke. We can cross theke on a boat!" Marcus hesitated. He couldn¡¯t refuse such a warm-hearted child, could he? He didn¡¯t have the heart to disappoint her, so he nodded with a smile: "Okay, lead the way." The little girl happily took Marcus¡¯s hand. Although her palm was thin and soft, her grip was firm, leading Marcus towards the vige. Along the way, Marcus carefully observed the surroundings. The vige was not big, and there were only about twenty or so small houses. But unlike other ces he had passed through, there were no guard dogs barking, and the vigers didn¡¯t show any signs of fear when they saw him. On the contrary, they smiled and nodded to him as if he were a passing traveler. Could this be a peaceful and harmonious vige? Marcus felt somewhat doubtful. After crossing the vige, the little girl led Marcus to theke shore. A small wooden boat was moored there, with two paddles lying t in the boat. The little girl jumped into the boat agilely, turning around and gesturing to Marcus: "Mister,e on! Let¡¯s go!" Marcus also jumped into the boat. Sitting down in the center, he picked up one of the paddles and rowed slowly towards the ind. The little girl sat at the bow, her red hair fluttering in the wind, giggling and chattering non-stop. "Big brother, are you from outside? Why are you here? What¡¯s your name? My name is Anna, and my father¡¯s name is Julian. He¡¯s the vige chief. Oh, oh, we¡¯re almost there!" Marcus listened quietly, asionally responding with a smile or a nod. The little girl¡¯s innocent and lively voice warmed his heart, dispelling the coldness and destion that had surrounded him for so long. Soon, the boat reached the ind. Marcus leaped out first, holding the boat steady for the little girl to disembark. Then, he pulled the boat ashore and looked around. The ind was not big, only about two acres in size. However, it was densely covered with trees and bushes, forming a natural barrier. In the center of the ind stood a quaint wooden house, surrounded by a neat vegetable garden and a chicken coop. Smoke curled up from the chimney, and the sound ofughter and chatter came from inside the house. The little girl tugged at Marcus¡¯s sleeve and said excitedly: "Let¡¯s go, big brother! My father is waiting for us!" Marcus nodded and followed Anna towards the house. As they approached, the door opened, and a middle-aged man with a kind face stepped out. He wore a simple linen shirt and trousers, with a wooden pipe in his mouth. Seeing Anna, he smiled and said: "Anna, you¡¯re back! Did you pick some berries again?" "Yes, dad! And I made a new friend! This is big brother!" Anna pointed at Marcus with a smile. The man¡¯s gaze fell on Marcus, and his expression changed slightly. He seemed to sense something unusual about Marcus, but he quickly smiled and extended his hand: "Wee, big brother. I¡¯m Julian, the vige chief. Pleasee in and have some tea." Marcus hesitated for a moment before shaking hands with Julian. He felt a warm and sincere energy emanating from the man, dispelling the doubts and fears in his heart. With a nod, he followed Julian into the house. The interior of the house was simple but cozy. A fire was burning in the firece, and a pot of tea was simmering on the stove. A middle-aged woman with a gentle smile was sitting at the table, peeling potatoes. When she saw Marcus, she greeted him warmly: "Wee, young man. I¡¯m Julian¡¯s wife, Sarah. Please have a seat and make yourself at home." Marcus nodded gratefully and took a seat at the table. Julian poured him a cup of tea and sat down opposite him. The atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious, far removed from the chaos and violence of the outside world. As Marcus sipped his tea, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder: Who were these people, and why were they so kind to him? Was it just their nature, or did they have some ulterior motive? Before he could ponder further, Anna suddenly eximed: "Dad, big brother is injured! Look, there¡¯s blood on his clothes!" Julian¡¯s expression changed slightly as he nced at Marcus¡¯s torn and blood-stained clothes. He frowned and asked: "Big brother, what happened to you? Were you attacked by bandits?" Marcus hesitated for a moment before nodding: "Yes, I was attacked by a group of bandits. But I managed to escape and stumbled upon your vige. I apologize for intruding like this." Julian¡¯s expression softened, and he shook his head with a smile: "Don¡¯t apologize, big brother. You¡¯re wee here. We may be a small vige, but we believe in helping those in need. Sarah, could you bring some bandages and medicine? Let¡¯s take care of his wounds." Sarah nodded and quickly fetched a first aid kit from a cupboard. She carefully cleaned and bandaged Marcus¡¯s wounds, applying a soothing salve to ease the pain. Marcus couldn¡¯t help but feel touched by their kindness andpassion. As he sat by the fire, surrounded by the warmth of the family, Marcus felt a sense of peace and tranquility wash over him. For the first time in a long while, he felt safe and at ease, far away from the dangers and hardships of the outside world. As he sipped his tea and listened to the crackling of the fire, Marcus couldn¡¯t help but wonder: Could this vige be his sanctuary, a ce where he could find refuge from the chaos and turmoil that gued thend? Only time would tell. But for now, he would cherish this moment of respite, grateful for the kindness of strangers who had weed him with open arms. And so, Marcus Breno found himself embraced by the warmth and hospitality of the vige, his heart filled with hope and gratitude as he embarked on a new chapter of his journey. Chapter 240 Chapter 240 "Ouch... I¡¯m exhausted..." Garrett staggered and copsed to the ground. Seven or eight rooms, the entire red zone! All cleaned up by him alone! Pouring disinfectant water by the pitcher! Sshing it by the bucket! The record room, the material preparation room, were somewhat better, not heavily contaminated, at most, just searched by the thief. The dissecting room was also okay, but the bacterial culture room, he painstakingly wiped inch by inch! T_T The ceiling! The floor! The walls! The broken culture dishes had to be disposed of ording to medical waste standards, put into sharp object boxes (sorry, none avable, only individually packed inrge pottery jars), then incinerated with white fire! Sinceing here, he hadn¡¯t done such strenuous physical work!Cleaning everything wasn¡¯t enough. Next up, sampling the entire house and conducting bacterial culture experiments! Dozens of culture dishes were set up in theboratory, one by one, opening and closing lids, conducting sedimentation bacteria tests! Those grand magicians stood by with their hands folded, not willing to lend a hand! Even the necromancer followed beside him step by step, whenever Garrett did something new, he woulde over to take a look and ask: "Why are you sshing water on the ceiling?" "Why are you randomly sprinkling around?" "What are you cooking? Soup? We don¡¯t eat... " "What? Not for us to eat? " "It¡¯s so stuffy! Can I take off the protective suit? No? Can I go out? What? Not allowed either?" "What are you doing? The lid is still open!" "Came back to close it... couldn¡¯t you have just closed it directly earlier?" Garrett: "..." You can at least help me with something during all these questions! Finally, when all the cleaning was confirmedplete, Garrett copsed directly on the floor upon returning to the cleaning area. Suddenly, his cor tightened, lifted by a hand and spun around in ce. Garrett¡¯s brain was still dizzy as he was ced on a chair, raised his hand, lifted his foot, assuming the least strenuous position possible. ncing sideways, the hand holding him had no muscles, no skin, not even joints or ligaments, just a skeletal hand! Seeing him looking over, the skull copsed with a tter... copsed... copsed... still extended a bony hand, patting its bones, picking up the skull and cing it on top, trying not to take up much space. Looking at the necromancer again, the ck-robed grand magician casually turned his head, pretending the skeleton wasn¡¯t summoned by him. Garrett: "..." Thank you! "Why bother with this." Seeing him copsed and not even wanting to move his fingers, the two energy maniption grand magicians both felt sorry for him and couldn¡¯t help butugh. The white-robed mage from the protection department even added: "And you insist on wearing that suit, why bother! Putting it on and taking it off, plus a shower, wastes at least an hour!" "... Look at your puppet." Garrett retorted weakly in the presence of his seniors. The white-robed mage raised an eyebrow, and beside him, two metal puppets swayed and walked towards their master. He immediately leaned over, joining the curse mage and the divination mage to observe: These two puppets were originally identical, but after going through the hazardous area, they had some differences. The one wearing the protective suit had ayer of moisture on its body, while the one relying solely on magic, without protective gear, had some undried disinfectant water on its feet. Visually, neither of them had any damage. The curse mage manipted the curse, thumb and forefinger forming a circle, looking at his own puppet through the circle. Before he could figure out anything, the ck-robed necromancer had already swaggered over and reached out to touch the one without the protective suit. As soon as he touched it, his eyes lit up: "This one¡¯s mine! ¡ª¡ª I¡¯ll pay double!" "No!" "No!!!" Two voices screamed simultaneously. One was Garrett, deliberately neglecting the one without the protective suit when spraying disinfectant water; the other was the divination mage, whose eyes widened, fingers twitching worse thanst night: "This one is very dangerous! Extremely dangerous!!!" "Where is it dangerous?" The white-robed mage continued to argue. Garrett had already jumped off the chair and staggered over. With a culture dish in one hand and a cotton swab in the other, he wiped the puppet: "I can¡¯t give it to you! Giving it to you will cause trouble! ¡ª¡ª Look carefully at its danger!" Saying that, he wiped several lines on the face, chest, legs, and arms of the puppet. After each wipe, he drew a line in the culture dish, then wiped again with a new cotton swab. After wiping them all, covering the dish, he pointed to the culture dish: "elerate!!!" A faint green light spilled out. In the culture dish, on the semi-transparent agar culture medium, clusters of bacterial colonies suddenly appeared. Except for the first scratch on the face, the other scratches all had dense bacterial growth. He repeated the same with another puppet wearing a protective suit, exactly the same, and cast the spell of eleration. At least, now, no one could see any spots with the naked eye. The curse mage observed through the circle formed by his thumb and forefinger for a long time before murmuring somewhat incredulously: "I seem to see a little..." "You¡¯ll see it clearer with a microscope." Garrett replied softly. Before the other could ask what a microscope was, the white-robed mage raised a question: "Did you use the eleration spell by yourself? Wouldn¡¯t there be an imbnce in magic power between the two sides, resulting in different amounts of eleration?" Garrett smiled slightly. With a stroke on his spatial bag, he took out another two sets of culture dishes and cotton swabs, handing them over: "You make a valid point. I also suggest conducting another experiment ¡ª¡ª this time, we won¡¯t use magic to elerate. Let the culture dishes stand still for 24 hours and observe the growth of the colonies. You can try it yourself, and I¡¯ll do another set..." He handed over the experimental equipment. Before the white-robed mage could react, the disassembled skeleton had wobbled over and took the culture dish. Garrett nodded, stood up straight, and turned to busily prepare for the next step. The mage from the protection department, suspicious, took the experimental equipment and began on his own. After Garrett and him had taken the samples, Garrett bowed slightly and stood upright again: "Sorry, I have to sterilize the path taken by this puppet and everything it touched... Bernard! Come help me spray disinfectant! And you, Master¡ª" He turned to the necromancer who was rummaging on the ground, wanting to scrape off the ash on his fingers and bring it back: "You just touched this puppet! Please, immediately, wash your hands!" The necromancer shrugged and, under Garrett¡¯s stern gaze, obediently went to wash his hands. As he washed, he kept turning his head, looking at the alchemical puppet being sprayed with disinfectant water, his face full of frustration. No, it was as if he had lost a billion, or even a bone dragon! Watching the alchemical puppet being sterilized, Garrett finally rxed. He sat down on a chair, half-asleep, and muttered: "Aurora, you go watch the search team, make sure every ce the intruder passed is sterilized..." Before he could finish his sentence, his head tilted, and he fell asleep on the spot. He slept until dawn. In a daze, it seemed like a familiar voice was calling him: "Garrett! Wake up! They caught the person!" "Don¡¯t disturb me... let me sleep..." Garrett mumbled and turned over. The person persisted, pushing him: "Get up! They found the person, but the thing is gone! The grand magicians are looking for you!" "If it¡¯s gone, it¡¯s gone..." Garrett burrowed deeper into the nket, unable to resist the noise, so he simply pulled the nket over his head. Beside his bed, Aurora Worton was rubbing her hands, eager to try again, but was stopped by Bernard. The barbarian made a "hush" gesture, silent for a moment, then eximed with frustration: "Save people ah!!!" "Where?!" Garrett sprang up. Only when he woke up could he ept the information. Garrett got out of bed, brushing his teeth and washing his face while listening to Aurora¡¯s report: They did find the intruder, but he was already dead; The three stolen test tubes were nowhere to be found, and a teleportation array was found under the intruder¡¯s body, highly suspecting that the items had already been sent away; The destination of the teleportation array is being analyzed by the grand magicians and should have results by tonight... "Has the dead body been sterilized?" Garrett sprayed out toothpaste along with his toothbrush. Aurora quickly reassured him: "Yes, it¡¯s been sterilized! The grand magicians froze the corpse directly, and the entire cave and tunnel where the teleportation array was found were washed with disinfectant water to ensure there are no problems!" Heaven knew that since the night beforest, his senior brothers and sisters, and their disciples, had been making disinfectant water day and night, almost going crazy! Distition water, refined salt, power on,rge bags of lime gathered, collecting mmable gas, collecting caustic soda... Fourboratories were bustling, working at full capacity. When has the 375th floor of the Tower of Heaven ever done such rough work! "As long as it¡¯s been sterilized." Garrett finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hurriedly tidied up and immediately grabbed Aurora: "Where was the dead body found? Was everything sterilized along the way? Take me there, I want to sample and analyze!" "Isn¡¯t that necessary...?" Aurora hesitated. Another magician had already walked over from the next room: "I¡¯ll take him!" "Grand Magician!" Aurora immediately bowed. Garrett looked in the direction of the voice and saw Lord Thunder Horn, as well as other members of the reviewmittee, had already left, leaving only the ck-robed necromancer lurking and refusing to leave. Outside the door, two skeletal horses stamped their hooves, saddles ready. Opposite the necromancer, the member of the maniption department, the Grand Magician Carlisle, who called Old Sam, was like a sheepdog guarding against wolves, sticking to the necromancer without leaving an inch. His ck face level was almost as dark as the necromancer¡¯s skull. "Take me there!" Garrett had started packing. He didn¡¯t care who would take him, tossing things into the spatial bag one after another: Culture dishes, culture medium, microscope, ss rod for guiding spells, and anything else you could think of. Oh, don¡¯t forget the coins, and the bell carrying the "coins", so he could do whatever he needed at any time: "That guy ran away, and I¡¯m going to analyze and sample everything along the way to make sure there¡¯s no bacterial leakage! Plus disinfectant water, and the bleach you¡¯re going to make, take as much as you can carry!" Chapter 241 Chapter 241 It¡¯s so enjoyable to go out with the big shots... Garrett Nordmark sat on the back of a Shadow Steed, looking around happily. Archmage Sam summoned three Shadow Steeds in one breath¡ª one for himself, one for Garrett, and one for Aurora Worton. They headed straight to the capture point. It seems the Death Mage¡¯s bone horse was still shunned... These Shadow Steeds, they run faster than regr horses and more steadily. Treading water is like treading t ground, treading swamps is like treading t ground, treading air is like treading t ground. Without needing to take detours and with few turns required, even Garrett¡¯s mediocre horsemanship didn¡¯t feel strained while riding the Shadow Steed. Oh, the only regret was that the barbarian was left behind in theboratory to guard. He didn¡¯t get toe along. The advantage of the fast horse speed and straight path was that they arrived at the teleportation array location in just about an hour. The small ind was bustling with people, with at least two to three dozen cavalry crowded together, and a circle of people on thekeshore. As soon as Garrettnded, he rushed to the shore: "Where did that guy enter the water? Where did hee ashore? Make way, make way!" The leading knight nced at him, then at the high-level mage behind him, and silently pointed to a location. Garrett immediately got to work, digging soil, preparing dilution solutions, and doing bacterial cultures; taking water samples, diluting them, and doing bacterial cultures... After a flurry of rapid operations, spellcasting, staining, and microscopy, Garrett looked at the image under the microscope with tears in his eyes. "Vibrio cholerae, Bacillus anthracis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Clostridium tetani, Staphylocus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa... This guy carries everything!"He regretted activating that fertility spell during the battle! Now, he had caught everything from that guy and spread it all the way here! "Aurora! Disinfect the ground! Everywhere on the ind, by theke, give it all a wash! Throw bleach in theke! How much? 2.5 grams per cubic meter ofke water, calcte it yourself! Master, please immediately issue orders for everyone to wash their hands and change clothes as soon as possible, no drinking raw water from theke, boil it before drinking!" "Is it that serious?" Old Sam furrowed his brow slightly. On the other side, Aurora Worton was already shouting: "Boss!¡ªWe don¡¯t have enough bleach!" "Start by sprinkling ayer! Everywhere that guy swam past! Use it sparingly, we need to disinfect the entire path he escaped from!" "How much bleach is needed for that..." Aurora cried out in dismay. Anyway, Garrett¡¯s orders were quickly passed down. The cavalrymen, being of the lowest status, obediently followed the orders despite finding it troublesome, all lining up one by one to wash their hands; the magic apprentices who came to work were not as obedient. Two grand mages were deeply engrossed in studying the patterns on the stone b and directly ignored Garrett¡¯s requests. Wash hands? What¡¯s that! With a teacher leading, their disciples were even more indifferent to Garrett. A seventh-level mage from the curse school, who came with the teacher to assist, evenined to hispanion in front of Garrett: "Isn¡¯t this too annoying! We¡¯re in the middle of work, and we¡¯re being dragged away to wash hands? No time, no time, no time! And they¡¯re telling us not to drinkke water, joking, which mage drinkske water?¡ªWho can¡¯t conjure some water!" Garrett pretended not to hear. As a doctor, being scolded by patients, their rtives, superiors, and leaders had be a habit, so theseints couldn¡¯t break his defense. He just kept sampling, sampling, sampling, sampling, and soon, the bacterial cultures on the ind also yielded results: Widespread bacterial contamination. Almost all the bacteria found on the outskirts of theke were detected! ...These people can really move. They stepped on bacteria-contaminated shoes and walked all over the ind? "Make way! Make way! Spraying disinfectant!" Aurora carried a bucket of disinfectant¡ªheld up by a floating disc¡ªand used magic to create a mist of water vapor, stepping through the tall grass step by step. The mage from the curse school simply erected a force field wall: "Go further away! Don¡¯t disturb us while we work!" The other party was seventh-level. Aurora was fifth level. Garrett... Garrett, a third-level priest and second-level mage. Although a fourth-circle arcanist was roughly equivalent to a seventh or eighth-level mage, at the moment, there was no advantage to be gained... Garrett turned to look at Archmage Sam. The Archmage was frowning: "Is it necessary? Making such a fuss? Do we need to disinfect everywhere the person passed through? Little Garrett, have you considered the cost of all this?" Dozens of high-level and mid-level mages had been working on this day and night. On the 375th floor of the Tower, fourboratories were lined up in a row, all upied. It was correct that it was a legendary mage who nodded. Thoseboratories belonged to the legendary mage. But they were also resources of the council! Compared to that, refined salt, lime, distilled water, and the like were not even worth mentioning... Garrett sighed. If this were in his previous life, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for him to argue "Is it really necessary?" The CDC would have been fully mobilized, disinfecting, isting, and conductingprehensive epidemiological investigations. But in this ce, he had toe up with a way to prove it... "Master, it¡¯s really necessary." He sighed helplessly: "If we had time, I could do animal experiments to demonstrate the danger of epidemic spread. But what weck now is time¡ª" Cholera has a minimum incubation period of only a few hours, anthrax also only a few hours, and diphtheria has a minimum incubation period of 1 day. That thief has been out for 36 hours already; if unlucky, it may have already started spreading in some ces! Even a short animal experiment would take a day or two, but they couldn¡¯t afford to wait! "Master, please, one more time." Garrett bowed deeply: "Take me along the escape route of that guy. Viges, towns, ces where people gather, all need to be disinfected as a priority. Hopefully, there¡¯s still time¡ª" Archmage Sam¡¯s dark eyebrows furrowed. Thinking of the excited look of the Death Mage and the horrified expressions of the prophecymittee members, he sighed: "Fine, I¡¯ll trust you once more. - Get someone to guide us! Someone from the prophecy department, someone who knows tracking magic, guide us along the way!" The Archmage, a member of the reviewmittee, at least had some authority. Soon, four Shadow Steeds lined up in a row, with the prophecy mage leading the way, casting a green light and pointing ahead: "Follow the stream! That guy came down along the creek¡ª" The Shadow Steeds followed the creek upstream. Before long, they arrived at a vige at the foot of the mountain. Old Sam dismounted first, jumped off the horse, and looked around: "How¡¯s the situation?" Garrett¡¯s face had already changed. He rushed into the first farmhouse, sniffing hard. There was a foul smell permeating the room; rushing to the second farmhouse, the stench persisted; after circling twice, he found himself near the vige¡¯s corner, next to the cesspool, and even before he got close, he saw patches of watery feces on the ground¡ª "Signal immediately!" He turned around like a gust of wind, rushing over, and urgently braking three steps in front of Old Sam: "Gather the priests! Block the vige! The epidemic has broken out! It¡¯s cholera!!!" Chapter 242 (1) Chapter 242 (1) It¡¯s cholera¡ªor rather, the outbreak in this small vige is likely cholera. Although bacterial microscopy hasn¡¯t been performed yet, the appearance of feces-like rice water on the ground has provided him with enough information: most likely, more than 90% probability, it¡¯s cholera! Garrett, nervous on one hand, inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. Naturally, there was tension; after all, apart from the gue, cholera was one of the notorious ss A infectious diseases. He hadn¡¯t yet isted and purified Yersinia pestis, so the most terrifying epidemic he might currently face would be cholera. But the relief was genuine as well. If it were anthrax, besides immediately returning to theboratory and gambling on quickly producing penicillin, his only option would be to summon the priestly bigwigs; If it were tetanus... Tetanus wasn¡¯t transmitted from person to person, but trying to produce a tetanus vine within a few days was even harder than gambling on producing penicillin; If it were botulism... that... Victory and defeat aremon in military affairs, so please start over again, young hero... Luckily, it¡¯s cholera. Cholera, this disease, had a sudden onset, severe symptoms, and rapid transmission. From any perspective, it was truly worthy of the title of a ss A disease. However, as long as it was blocked at the source¡ª Garrett looked around and rushed towards the tallest,rgest farmhouse. From the outer wall to the roof and then to the floor, this farmhouse was entirely built of logs, with the bark still intact on the outer wall, showing its roughness to the extreme. The person who could build such a house could be imagined to be muscr.And after Garrett pushed open the door, he did indeed collide with a giant man and almost flew backward... "Ouch!" "Who?" Garrett¡¯s back hit the door frame, and he groaned in pain, almost unable to speak. He shouldn¡¯t have left Bernard behind. He must find a way to carry the barbarian with him in the future... But the giant man didn¡¯t even waver. His huge hands picked Garrett up by the shoulders, turned him aside, and under the light, looked at him: "Young mage? What are you here for?" Garrett gritted his teeth and reached back to rub his back. After rubbing twice, he finally managed to catch his breath: "Where is your vige chief? The vige has an epidemic! Many people are sick! I am a healer, and I am here to help you!" "A healer?" The giant man was skeptical. He took two steps forward, bent down to look. Garrett felt a shadow cast over him, enveloping him from head to toe. Instinctively, he stepped back, and the giant man seemed to sense something, straightened up, and squatted down: "Young mage?" Garrett: "..." Oh no, I didn¡¯t bring my oak staff... But what I need now is the identity of a priest! He looked left and right, trying to find a witness to prove himself, then suddenly took two steps sideways. His right hand reached out and pressed on a clump of moss outside the wooden house, silently praying... "Grow! Grow! Grow quickly!" He had never seeded before... His ability to stimte growth, apart from being able to stimte root hairs with seeds, was only effective against bacteria. But this time, please, let it be sessful! Moss, mushrooms, or even grass seeds blown onto the wall, please give me face! One second, two seconds, three seconds. A soft warmth spread under his palm, and Garrett let go. A bright yellow mushroom appeared out of nowhere, on the rough bark of the log. The giant man was moved. He took a step back, with a much more respectful attitude, bowed to Garrett: "Great priest!" "Don¡¯t bow! Quickly, call someone to help!" Garrett stomped his foot. The giant man straightened up and turned back, shouting: "Berton! Aug! Come out! The great priest is here!" Two more men emerged from the wooden house. They were tall and burly, with unkempt brown hair and stubble. The three of them stood side by side, and Garrett couldn¡¯t help but feel like he had stirred up a ho¡¯s nest, involuntarily taking another step back. The first giant man who came out squatted down again, speaking as softly as possible: "Great priest, what do you need us to do?" "Please gather everyone. There¡¯s an epidemic in your vige, and I¡ªalong with three mage lords¡ªare here to help you. Let me see your situation and then treat you." The three giants began to run in different directions, roaring. The roar echoed through the vige, and in no time, everyone remaining in the vige was dragged over. Most of them came on their own, while a few were supported by others or carried: "What¡¯s going on? I was just splitting wood..." "I was just making chicken coops!" "I¡¯m still sewing clothes..." "I¡¯m fine, just diarrhea, right?" "Ouch... my stomach hurts... can you let me finish first..." There was a chorus ofints in the vige. However, as the third, fifth, and tenth person with diarrhea appeared, the voices quickly grew quieter. Finally, the giant man stood at the door with a stern face: "Shut up! The great priest is here to help us! ¡ªGreat priest, please speak!" Garrett emerged from behind him. With a nce, he felt much more rxed: There were no signs of severe dehydration, such as vomiting or diarrhea on the spot, being unable to walk, or wrinkled skin and sunken eyes. If it reached severe dehydration, he would either leave it to fate or gamble with healing spells... With a rxed mind, Garrett immediately showed a gentle smile. He stretched out his arms and opened them to both sides: "Hello, everyone. I am a servant of the god of nature, here to help you. ¡ªUp to now, those with diarrhea, vomiting, or any other difort, pleasee to my left. Those without difort, pleasee to my right." Dozens of farmers and vige women looked at each other and began to move slowly. After a few roars from the giant men, their movements finally sped up slightly, from the speed of snails to the speed of turtles. Garrett didn¡¯t urge them, patiently waiting for one or two minutes, and then fifteen or sixteen people were standing on his left. There were more men than women, more adults than children. Garrett counted silently,paring it with the textbooks in his memory, feeling more and more certain: "One vige, one-third of the poption is sick. Without a doubt, this is an epidemic!" A series of exmations rang out. In the queue of patients, an old woman with a waxenplexion staggered and copsed. More voices screamed. Beside the old woman, a wan-looking young woman tried to hold up the old woman¡¯s body with all her might, but suddenly turned pale and squatted down, clutching her stomach. Garrett immediately walked towards them. As he walked, he raised his voice: "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here! But I can¡¯t handle it alone, and one person¡¯s healing spells can¡¯t cure so many people. So everyone must follow my instructions! As long as everyone listens to the arrangements, everyone will be fine, definitely!" He directed the patients into the house. After inspecting them one by one and confirming that there were no critically ill patients, he turned around and grabbed the burly man who hade out first: "Listen! This epidemic is caused by eating or drinking unclean things! I don¡¯t know where is unclean now, and I don¡¯t have time to find out. You tell everyone, no drinking raw water! Before eating or drinking, it must be boiled. Before meals or after using the toilet, wash your hands! Wash them with soap!" Tworge blocks of soap were thrown over. They were hard and rough, made by Garrett himself in theboratory when he was idle. His craftsmanship was really average, and the appearance was unspeakable, but the burly man treated them like treasures, holding them in his hands, bowing respectfully to receive them. "Oh, and are there still people missing?" "Yes! Old Barry, Feichi, little Fr¡ª" Chapter 242 (2) Chapter 242 (2) "Go find them! Send the healthy ones to find them! Before I¡¯m done, I want to see everyone here!" Garrett turned and entered the house. Listening to the roar of the strong man outside, Garrett took out pen and paper, showing the most friendly smile possible. He went along the line of bedding in the house, asking questions one by one, diagnosing one by one: "Grandma, how old are you? How many times have you had diarrhea since yesterday? When was the first time? Have you vomited? Is your stomach hurting now? Give me your hand... Let me take a look at your fingers... Have you urinated..." Before he could finish two questions, the old woman bent over and began to vomit heavily. Garrett hurriedly went to support her, trying to pay attention to the color and shape of the vomit while supporting her, too busy to notice the dirt on himself. After a while, the vomiting finally subsided temporarily. The old woman was exhausted and copsed on the bedding, while the young woman knelt beside her, wiping the floor with a cloth. After a few wipes, her face turned pale, and she ran out. Garrett didn¡¯t have time to attend to her. He continued to ask questions and examine patients, recording hastily: Elderly female patient, 55 years old... considered elderly in this world. Five episodes of diarrhea since early this morning, first passing yellow-brown watery stool, then passing rice water-like stool... projectile vomiting urred after thest two episodes of diarrhea... Dry skin and mucous membranes, no signs of sunken eye sockets (?) He couldn¡¯t judge the sunken eye sockets of foreigners urately... slight hoarseness in voice... normal urine output... normal pulse...This is basically mild dehydration, at most moderate. Garrett quickly made the diagnosis andforted her in a soft voice: "Grandma, you¡¯re not seriously ill now, just rest well and drink plenty of water. ¡ªAurora! Come watch them and boil water!" Aurora Worton, the versatile tool mage, hurried over. Garrett issued a series of orders: "Get someone to boil water! Boil it! It must be boiled! After boiling, cool it down to a drinkable temperature, then add sugar and salt¡ª" A bag of white sugar, a bag of refined salt, and a bag of baking soda, were thrown to the ground at Aurora¡¯s feet. Garrett tore off another piece of paper, calcted in his mind, and wrote down the proportions, handing it to her: "After mixing, pour water for each patient, use bowls or cups to serve and ce them beside them, 750 milliliters per person! Drink one round every hour! Quick, go boil water now, I want to see the first patient drinking water when I finish diagnosing thest one!" Yes, although cholera is a serious disease, when ites to mild or even moderate dehydration, the only way to treat it is hydration. If oral rehydration is possible, do it, and if not, intravenous hydration. Replenish fluids, ions, and energy to help patients get through it! Early detection, early intervention, timely hydration, and the vast majority of patients will be able to get through it! Add salt to distilled water, add glucose (if there¡¯s no glucose, use sugar as a substitute), add sodium bicarbonate, add potassium chloride¡ªGarrett didn¡¯t have thest one, he could only hope there were some impurities in the salt... He had to remember to make potassium chlorideter! He must remember! "No problem!" Aurora turned and ran off. Garrett turned around, the old woman was barely breathing, struggling to pull his sleeve: "Priest, I¡¯ve dirtied your robe, I¡¯m so sorry... I¡¯ll let Flo wash it for youter, although she¡¯s young, she¡¯s diligent..." "Grandma, Flo has gone to tend to the sheep..." the young woman whispered. She didn¡¯t mind the dirt on the old woman, tears welling up in her eyes, one hand holding the old woman¡¯s sleeve, the other reaching for Garrett: "Priest, is Granny going to die?" "Nature¡¯s deity will bless her," Garrett tried to reassure her. Don¡¯t touch me! Stay away from me! I only have this one robe, it¡¯s better to minimize cross-contamination, just a little bit less is better! But he still had to keep smiling: "Ma¡¯am, are you feeling unwell too? Let me take a look at you..." Garrett¡¯s examination speed was fast. From questioning to medical history, he didn¡¯t spend more than three minutes on each patient. After making the rounds, five or six more patients were brought into the big wooden house, and the first olddy was already holding a ceramic bowl, drinking the sugar-salt water poured by Aurora. "Boss! I¡¯m done! What else do you need?" "...Go find arge wooden tub..." After calcting in his mind, Garrett realized that handwashing needed some intervention; he couldn¡¯t let the vigers do as they pleased. Whether it was with a water tank or a dipper, there was a risk of cross-infection. While he continued to examine patients, therge tub was soon delivered. Garrett directed people to ce the tub at the entrance of the toilet, took out a bell, and recited softly: "Time is money, my friend!" The little demon responded. Garrett gave him a gold coin, rushing to give orders: "Demon, you carve a hole in the bottom of the wooden tub, close to the bottom, then connect it to the tap... The valve on the tap must be like this..." In a few words, along with a drawing, he outlined what he needed. A spare piece of iron was thrown out, and the little demon stretched out his hands, silently melting, reshaping, and solidifying in the light. When the light disappeared, the foot-operated water tap Garrett wanted was securely attached to the tub. It should be fine now... Fill it with water, throw in some bleach, disinfect, and it can be used for handwashing. Later, when I go to check on the patients, disinfection and cleaning, let Aurora handle it... Garrett pondered to himself. Before he could finish his breath, chaos suddenly erupted in the wooden house. A dozen voices called out at the same time: "Priest! Priest!" "I¡¯ming!" Garrett rushed over. In the center of the wooden house, a giant man¡ªwhether he was called Burton or Aug¡ªwas kneeling, holding a limp little girl. The girl¡¯s bright red hair hung down like withered leaves, her lips were dry, her eye sockets were sunken, and her chubby cheeks were starting to look shriveled. When he lifted her hand, wrinkles were clearly visible. Damn it! At least moderate dehydration, and it might even be progressing to severe! At this stage, hydration alone won¡¯t work, it¡¯s a bunch of dangers! The first olddy Garrett treated and the young woman next to her anxiously huddled around the little girl. Seeing Garrette in, the two of them looked up, almost throwing themselves at his legs: "Priest! Save little Flo! Save her! Our son Stan died in battlest year, and we only have her left!" Chapter 243 Garrett¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but race. The illness he was facing now, at its mild stage, could be managed with vigorous administration of sugar-salt water, or WHO-rmended oral rehydration solution. Moderate dehydration might require intravenous fluid supplementation, but when it progressed to severe dehydration... Muscle spasms! Hypokalemia! Uremia, acidosis! Cardiac failure! Acute renal failure! Acute pulmonary edema! Which one is easy to deal with! If it were in the emergency department, he would have started yelling by now: "Emergency blood gas! Electrolytes! Creatinine! Open the intravenous ess! Start IV fluids!" And he would have to prepare hydrocortisone or dexamethasone, epinephrine, or dopamine to maintain blood pressure at the shock level, and so on and so forth...But he didn¡¯t have anything on hand now! No blood gas analyzer, no electrolyte analyzer, no injection needle¡ªeven if he could immediately have the little demon conjure up an injection needle, sterilized it under high temperature and pressure, he still couldn¡¯t produce sufficiently pure, sterile intravenous fluids! Given the current situation, if he were to administer intravenous fluids recklessly... Hey, septicemia is watching you. He didn¡¯t even have antibiotics to suppress it! Garrett could only do his best with what he had. Without intravenous injection, he could only resort to oral administration, but, of course, the first thing to do was to conduct a thorough examination! The girl was covered in filth from head to toe. Garrett ignored it, knelt beside the girl, and took out his stethoscope, pressing it against her chest. Listening to her heartbeat while feeling her pulse, he quickly gave orders: "Feel her calf muscles, see if there¡¯s any cramping!" "Cramping!" The young woman trembled as she felt the girl¡¯s calf muscles. Garrett sighed inwardly: calf muscle cramping, or gastremius spasm, was a manifestation of vomiting and diarrhea, leading to massive sodium and salt loss. As for the pulse, the sensation under the fingertips was fast and weak, almost imperceptible... The heart rate was fast, but in terms of heart sounds, there were no signs of atrial fibrition or ventricr tachycardia¡ªmeaning, hypokalemia wasn¡¯t severe enough to significantly affect the heart. The breath sounds weren¡¯t too bad either, no crackles were heard, and the patient didn¡¯t exhibit signs of pulmonary edema such as chest tightness, orthopnea, coughing up pink frothy sputum, or distended neck veins. "Little sister, are you thirsty?" Garrett asked softly. The little girl lifted her head slightly, her lips parted, but she couldn¡¯t produce any sound. Garrett urgently shouted: "Aurora! Bring water over here!" "Coming!" Aurora Worton held a bowl of sugar-salt water in her hands, bent over, leaned forward, and walked briskly with small, duck-like steps. He knelt down, brought the bowl of water to the girl¡¯s lips, and the girl opened her mouth slightly but couldn¡¯t swallow. As soon as a spoonful of sugar-salt water entered her mouth, it quickly flowed out from the corners of her mouth. "Let me feed her!" the young woman hurriedly reached out to take the bowl. Garrett blocked her with his elbow: "No. Let me figure it out!" He had to make do with what he had! Garrett jumped up and rushed outside. Despite the urgency, he couldn¡¯t afford to make mistakes. He thoroughly washed his hands to ensure that most of the bacteria on his hands were washed away, returned to his original position, and began to give orders: "Let her lean to the side! Don¡¯t lie t or sit up straight! Good, that¡¯s it!" "Tilt her head to one side! Little sister, don¡¯t be afraid, you can¡¯t drink anything right now, so I¡¯m going to administer the medicine you need through a tube into your stomach! Don¡¯t be afraid, rx, I¡¯m saving you!" After saying this, he took out a seed, held it in his palm, and activated his divine magic. A gleaming green light shed, and a slender green hollow tube grew out, extending towards the girl¡¯s nostrils. Garrett had conducted experiments before, and the bacterial load of tubes generated by divine magic was mainly positively corrted with the appearance of the seeds and the bacterial content on the palms. As long as he washed his hands, the tubes generated by divine magic for use as gastric tubes would still be tolerable in terms of cleanliness. The tube gradually inserted. The girl was full of fear, but she was obedient enough to take deep breaths when asked to, and she tried hard to swallow when asked to. The lubricated green tube went all the way down. Garrett estimated that the depth was about right and stopped generating the gastric tube, then took out a 50ml ss syringe. Without a needle, he had to make do with it... The tip of the slender green tube slightly expanded and automatically approached the syringe head. Garrett held his breath, slowly pushed in 10ml of air, and listened intently. Aurora stood by, holding the stethoscope for him, eyes full of nervousness, muttering incessantly: "What did you hear? What did you hear?" The sound of air passing through water... indicating that the gastric tube had entered the stomach... Garrett silently answered in his heart. He withdrew the syringe, filled it with sugar-salt water, and slowly pushed it into the gastric tube. For children weighing less than 20kg, the hourly oral rehydration volume should be 250ml. How much does this little girl weigh? What should be the speed of liquid insertion into the gastric tube? Damn it, I¡¯m not a pediatrician or a nurse! Nasogastric feeding is a nurse¡¯s job! Oh no, she¡¯s vomiting again! "Do we need to continue pouring?" Aurora was at a loss beside him. Garrett gritted his teeth: "Keep going!" The guidelines say that vomiting is not a contraindication for oral rehydration! And, there¡¯s no other way! One syringe of sugar-salt water injected, followed by another. After two consecutive operations, Garrett handed the syringe to Aurora, instructing him to continue. He knelt beside the girl, hands folded, and ced them on the girl¡¯s abdomen. The white light of healing arts emanated from his palms, seeping into the girl¡¯s body: Although cholera toxin can stimte excessive secretion of water, chloride, and bicarbonate in the intestines, inhibit the absorption of sodium ions and chloride ions by the intestinal mucosa, leading to severe diarrhea and dehydration... However, the patient¡¯s intestinal absorption capacity for glucose remains intact! As long as glucose is absorbed, it can promote the absorption of sodium ions, potassium ions, and bicarbonate ions, and enhance water absorption! With sugar-salt water entering the intestines, it can effectively replenish fluids and correct electrolyte imbnces! So... Please, absorb faster! Duodenum! Jejunum! Intestinal epithelial cells! Move! Move faster! Faster!!! Garrett prayed earnestly. The white light emitted from his palms initially formed arge mass, gradually transforming into thread-like strands, twisting and turning. Suddenly, the girl¡¯s body moved: "..." "What¡¯s wrong?" "I... I can drink..." She could speak! Even though her voice was hoarse and weak, it signaled an improvement! Garrett was overjoyed and quickly grasped the gastric tube, canceling the induction spell. The verdant vines rapidly retracted from her nostrils, returning to a tiny seed in his hand. Garrett took the water bowl and offered it to the girl¡¯s lips: "Keep drinking! Drink as much as you can!" Oral rehydration! The healing spell continued! Although he was an emergency surgeon, Garrett had also read literature. The improvement of cholera patients wasn¡¯t supposed to be this quick. The guidelines mentioned how things should progress within the first six hours, and then within 24 hours. But now, the improvement was immediate; within an hour, the girl¡¯s condition had shifted from severe dehydration back to moderate! Moderate, where death wasn¡¯t so imminent! "Garrett! We¡¯re here!" The sound of urgent hoofbeats. Before the people arrived, their voices preceded them. In a moment, Elder Wood strode in with purposeful steps. Upon surveying the scene, he halted in the center, mming his oak staff: "Garrett! Step aside!" Garrett quickly moved aside, almost stumbling, and pressed himself against the wall. Elder Wood bowed his head in prayer, with five or six disciples behind him, gripping their oak staves and chanting prayers in unison: "Great god of nature! You protect us, nurture us,fort us, and guide us. We are all your children; you nourish our bodies and soothe our souls. Now, your children are afflicted with illness. May your grace heal them..." Flickers of white light appeared at the tip of each staff, then gathered above the heads of the priests, converging into a single point before exploding outward, scattering sparkles. Soon, the patients¡¯plexions improved, and they began to rise. "Thanks to the god of nature!" "Thanks for the grace of the god of nature¡ª" Half of the people surrounded Elder Wood, while the other half surrounded Garrett, expressing their gratitude in a continuous chorus. Garrett quickly inquired about their conditions, and the patients mored to respond: "My stomach doesn¡¯t hurt anymore!" "I don¡¯t feel like vomiting anymore!" "I¡¯m not having diarrhea anymore!" Their smiles were truly radiant. Garrett couldn¡¯t help but smile too, but his medical instinct urged him to shout: "Don¡¯t crowd here! Go wash your hands! Take a bath! Cleanse thoroughly, soak your clothes in disinfectant, soak the houses, soak the floors, everything! Hurry up! ¡ªA little dirt might trigger another epidemic!!!" He shouted and gestured, driving all the vigers out of the wooden house to clean themselves. Elder Wood wiped the sweat from his forehead and approached Garrett: "How did this epidemic suddenly break out? I rushed over as soon as I received the news, and so many people were already sick! If you hadn¡¯t noticed, half the vige might have died!" More than half... Garrett shrugged. As for the cause of the epidemic, he felt somewhat embarrassed to say¡ªit wouldn¡¯t do to mention that the pathogen originated from hisboratory. After a moment of silence, Sam, the adept in molding magic, took over the conversation: "It was a spy from the Radiant Church who brought in the dirt. We¡¯re tracking his escape route. Now, it seems Garrett was right; everywhere he passed through needs thorough cleaning¡ª" "And everyone who had contact with him! Horses! People in close contact with those people!" Garrett hastily added. Old Sam smiled kindly at him: "Exactly. I¡¯ve already spread the word. Now we¡¯re checking everywhere for abnormalities. We hope the followers of the god of nature can assist us in tracking and tracing¡ª" He paused suddenly, looked up at the sky, and beckoned. A small bird with yellow beak and green feathers swooped down andnded in the old mage¡¯s hand, chirping urgently: "Old Sam! The warhorse ridden by the spy has fallen ill with a strange disease! Several horses in the stable, the horse¡¯s owner, and the stable hands have all fallen ill! Pleasee quickly!" --------------- Chapter 244 (1) The warhorses fell ill? And people too? Garrett instinctively closed his eyes. Even without seeing the patients, he knew that those infectious bacteria he purified and separated would be zoonotic. There was only one type! He quickly inquired, "What are the conditions of the patients? Blisters on the skin? Swelling around? Any high fever? Chest pain? Abdominal pain and diarrhea? ck stools?" The little bird couldn¡¯t answer this question but only pped its wings and chirped on Old Sam¡¯s palm. The elder mage nced at Garrett helplessly, then repeated the question seriously and asked Garrett again, "Anything else to ask?" "The patients should rest quietly, drink plenty of water, and have a liquid diet... um... drink milk, drink porridge. The horses should be ughtered, burned, the manure disinfected, and deeply buried. It¡¯s best to burn down the stable along with the horses or even the whole stable," Garrett answered without hesitation, "The sick should be isted, all secretions and excretions disinfected and deeply buried. Those who have been in close contact with them should all be quarantined..." After a pause, he quickly flipped through his mind¡¯s "Infectious Diseases": "...8 days." The elder mage added a few more words and sent a message bird. Then he turned back, asked Garrett seriously, "And this, isn¡¯t it the same disease as that?" "Definitely not!" Garrett blurted out, "One... um, one is from drinking unclean water, the other is from contact with the horses; one is a gastrointestinal disease, the other I haven¡¯t seen yet, but it¡¯s very likely to show up on the face, neck, hands, and feet first. Definitely not the same disease!" "Are you sure? No need to go see immediately?""Probably." Garrett smiled wryly, "I myself... anyway, if I dy a bit of time, it¡¯s still achievable to go and identify what it is. Anyway, the disease isn¡¯t too urgent. ughter and burn the horses, iste the people, it won¡¯t spread too widely." Anthrax, human-to-human transmission is extremely rare! It¡¯s written in ck and white in the book! Although it¡¯s a different world, this sentence might not be reliable, but if a bacterium looks like the one he studied in the book, and the animal experimental results are simr to what he learned, then there¡¯s a high probability that he can use the words in the book as a lifesaving straw to hold on to for now! "Anything else?" Old Sam¡¯s face turned even darker. Garrett shook his head seriously, "Hard to say! The invader brought too many things with him. You saw, he ran so far, you can detect something even from theke. I¡¯ll say it again, all the ces he passed by, grasnd, soil, disinfect or burn them, people, iste them for observation!" With two groups of patients, two different diseases in front of them. Aurora ran around, spraying disinfectant all over the vige, while the divination mage who came with them paced around slowly, suddenly shouting, "Found traces of the intruder! Stayed by the water!" Old Sam hurried over. The divination mage pointed to the ground for him to see: Under the tracking magic, a vague human figure appeared by the edge of the pool, legs, knees, and even the hands pressed on the ground could be vaguely discerned. From the look of it, if a person squatted by the pool, it would be convenient to drink water from it. The elder mage took a deep breath. He waved to call a viger over, pointing at the pool and asking, "What is this pool used for?" "To... store water! The water we drink and use in the vige is all pumped from the pool!" There were no more doubts. Two outbreaks, two different gues, both left traces by the intruder, spreading out and causing epidemics in amunity. If the previous order to raise vignce was due to pressure from the legendary mages and the favoritism of the stic and necromancy factions towards Garrett, then now it¡¯s based on the responsibilities of the council members. Old Sam took out a winged coin, raised it in front of him, flicked the edge of the coin, "It can now be confirmed that after the invader escaped from theboratory, he carried multiple gues that spread extremely easily. The rmendation is to raise the vignce level to that of the Dragon Scale Poison incident. The handling method is to ept the suggestions of theboratory owner, burn the grass, trees, soil along the way, pour arge amount of bleach into the water, and personnel who have direct or indirect contact with the intruder should all be isted and observed. Council member of the Review Committee, Sam Lyon." After finishing speaking, as his fingers rxed, the wings of the coin fluttered and, like a meteor, soared towards the Tower of the Heavens dozens of miles away. The proposal put forward by Old Sam as a member of the Review Committee soon received a response. As the coin returned, buzzing, it burst out with a thunderous four words: "Agree to execute!" Of the eight members of the Review Committee, five had been to Garrett¡¯sboratory, and among the remaining three, the one from the transmutation department also had a good impression of him. With the continuous news of the epidemic, before the evening of that day arrived, the Review Committee reached a unanimous decision: Deploy sufficient forces, burn, iste, disinfect! Students with a mage rank of one or above from the three major mage academies were all mobilized. Under the leadership of the teachers, they spread out along the road, and the mes licked through the mountain pass. Hmm,pared to making twice the amount of bleach with the electrolysis method, which also required using a higher-levelboratory, the gentlemen of the Review Committee felt that having the students work for free would save money... "Burning Hand!" "Burning Hand!" "Scorch!" "Fireball! Pay attention to controlling the burning range, only this hillside needs to be burned!" "Save your energy! There¡¯s still a lot more to burn! This job will be included in everyone¡¯s final evaluation. You must do it well!" At the same time, on the 375th floor of the Tower of the Heavens, on the 58th, 59th, and 60th floors of the stic Mage Tower, all theboratories were brightly lit. Electricity shed. Bags of salt and lime were dragged into theboratory, and bags of bleach were sent out of the mage tower. These expensive bleaching powders were used generously, pouring into all the water bodies that the intruder might have passed through and downstream. And what was more tense was the city hall of this mage city. ording to the direct orders issued by the Review Committee, they dispatched arge number of clerks every day to visit every household, report, and summarize the news: "Bridgetown reports five cases of diarrhea, three cases of fever, all ordinary illnesses with no clustering!" "Huiton Town reports three cases of diarrhea, seven cases of fever, no clustering!" "Kaos Town reports..." Disinfection, istion, investigation, and reports of suspected cases. In this battle against the epidemic, Garrett was the busiest one: Whether the patients can be released from istion, he has to confirm recovery and finish bacterial culture before giving a conclusion; Whether the water bodies need further disinfection, he also needs to take water samples for culture, staining, microscopic examination, and then make a decision; As for those suspected patients, whether they are infected with the gue or not, Garrett has to diagnose before making a decision. Chapter 244 (2) Garrett: T_T I¡¯m not from the Inspection Department... I don¡¯t want to deal with hundreds of samples every day... Now I finally understand the pressure those inspectors face during an epidemic... But can I refuse? No, I can¡¯t! The safety of the Magic Council headquarters! Whether it¡¯s ss A or ss B, if any infectious disease breaks out... When the nest is overturned, where can the eggs be safe? Garrett felt sore and tired on the first day. On the second day, he felt dizzy. By the third day, his eyes were spinning, and he started toe up with all sorts of ideas: "Elder Wood, do you want to know how I judge whether this patient can be released from istion?" "Do you know what I¡¯m doing with these test tubes, meat broths, and dyes?" "Do you know how I determine whether these patients are infected with the gue or not?""If you want to know, I¡¯ll teach you!" "Can you teach us?" Suddenly, a head popped up nearby. Garrett turned his head, and the member of the Review Committee from the ck Crow Swamp once again appeared by his side. Garrett smiled: "Of course! But I only have two microscopes, and the only ce to get a 1000x microscope is from the Alchemy Guild!" "I¡¯ll go buy one!" The Archmage moved his foot, and the skeleton beside him swiftly transformed into a skeletal horse and dashed out. Just as the Archmage was about to leave, he turned back: "How many people can I send to learn?" Garrett wanted to say "they have 30 of them prepared," but he hesitated, worriedly looking at the necromancer: "...First, let¡¯s make it clear that you can¡¯t use what I teach to spread the gue and harm civilians on arge scale!" From that day on, Garrett had ten priests of the Natural God Church on his left and ten necromancers on his right. With amand and a gesture, they followed him to collect samples, dye them, and examine them under the microscope. When it came to cultivating bacteria, the necromancers didn¡¯t have this magic, so the priests had to help. After a few days of learning, they also formed a different kind of friendship... Aurora Worton also mixed in among them. He didn¡¯t want to at first, but he was scolded by his teacher toe over: "I said I would help before! He wouldn¡¯t teach me!" "That was before! Now that he¡¯s taught so many others, you¡¯re still not following closely? Do you want him to beg you to learn? It annoys me! Get over here!" With a kick from his teacher, Aurora had no choice but to obedientlye over and help. Garrett didn¡¯t mind, teaching him as much as he taught others. Not only that, he even threw over a paper: "Fill in the data at the back for me, about various disinfection effects! We¡¯ll send it out togetherter! Consider it your second authorship!" Aurora: "..." Yay! Another paper mooched off! The boss is so generous! Following the boss is indeed the right choice! After more than ten days, the gue crisis in Nevis City finally came to an end. No pathogenic bacteria could be detected in the excrement of thest patient, and there were no more abnormal reports in the monitoring of suspected patients for more than ten consecutive days. Under the unfading bright mes, Garrett circled heavily on the text submitted by Aurora, "Let¡¯s hand it in tomorrow. The ck Crow Swamp has hinted several times already. If we don¡¯t conclude soon, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯lle to dismantle myboratory... Besides, they¡¯ve pretty much seen everything there is to see now... Now that they know what to pay attention to, and other schools know what happened, if we don¡¯t release it, it¡¯ll be even harder to contain the damage..." "Boss! Boss!" The barbarian¡¯s voice echoed outside. Garrett put down his pen and pushed the door open: "What¡¯s the matter?" "There are people outside looking for you!" The team that came to find him was one that Garrett had never seen before. Five knights and two mages. They were all serious and in formation. The knights were all dressed in neatly arranged light steel armor, draped in deep blue cloaks. On the hilt of their longswords, three gems were arranged in a row, with no distinction in the cement of the gems. The two mages were wearing identical high-cored, fitted riding suits, wrapped in ck cloaks with hooded cowls. The sleek and neat style indicated that they were standard military uniforms. Rainwater softly fell from the hoods of their cloaks, but none of it touched the mages¡¯ garments. The badges they wore on their chests were all for fifth-level mages. Whether in terms of personnel configuration or the value of their clothing and equipment, they were a level above the patrol team Garrett had seen. "Mr. Garrett Nordmark?" The mage on the left stepped forward on his horse. Seeing Garrett nod, he leaned forward on his horse and handed over a document sealed with wax: "We are the Enforcement Team of the Magic Council. You are hereby summoned to appear for questioning at the 120th floor of the Tower of the Heavens at 9 o¡¯clock tomorrow morning regarding theboratory leak incident!" Chapter 245 Chapter 245 Summoned? Questioned? Regarding theboratory leakage incident? Garrett¡¯s face turned pale. P4 Laboratory had an ident, a ss A, a bunch of ss B infectious bacteria leaked to the outside world, causing the spread of a ss A and a ss B infectious disease, infecting dozens of patients, this... The legal provisions flipped through Garrett¡¯s mind page by page. Without much effort, Garrett flipped to Article 331 of the Criminal Law: Anyone who engages in the experiment, storage, carrying, or transportation of infectious bacterial strains or toxic strains, vites relevant regtions, causing the spread of infectious bacterial strains or toxic strains, resulting in serious consequences, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention; if the consequences are particrly serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years. Am I... considered "seriously" or "particrly seriously" consequential? How many years will I go to jail?Wait, in this world, in this Magic Council, are there any relevant regtions? I need awyer! Garrett turned to his followers at home with a pale face. Aurora was also startled and tried tofort him: "It¡¯s okay, right? It¡¯s just questioning, it shouldn¡¯t... be too bad, right? If it¡¯s really serious, they should havee to arrest you already..." The more she said, the less confident she became. For this leakage incident, five members of the reviewmittee personally visited theboratory, a group of great mages went to the ind to study the teleportation array, how many personnel did the patrol teams andw enforcement teams mobilize, Aurora dared not calcte anymore. "Um, was there any precedent before?" Garrett looked at her anxiously. When ites to the crunch, he realized that his understanding of the Magic Council was still too little: "How are magic practitioners who cause trouble like this dealt with? Will they go to jail? How much money do they have to pay? Aurora, have you heard of it?" Master Worton couldn¡¯t answer for a moment either. He had lived in Nevis City for several years, but relying on his outstanding talent and the favor of his teacher, he turned a blind eye to the outside world and his life trajectory was from home to the Mage Tower, and then from the Mage Tower back home. Rack one¡¯s brains, search hard, and finally remembered a case: "That... I seem to remember, more than two hundred years ago, there was a great mage who brought something from another dimension, identally exploded... at that time, the entire college was implicated, hundreds of young mages suffered. Later, the legendary mages deliberated and sent him to guard the alternate dimension, stationed there for twenty or so years..." ... I don¡¯t want that! When a great mage causes trouble, he is exiled. If I cause trouble, will I go to jail? I seem to have heard that the Magic Council indeed has prisons... "Aurora, can you ask your teacher to help plead for mercy...?" "Don¡¯t worry, the teacher will definitely not stand idly by!" Aurora Worton tried hard to reassure him: "I¡¯ll go find him early tomorrow morning!¡ªBut not now, the night train doesn¡¯t run, and I have no means ofmunication..." "Oh..." Garrett felt a little down. Aurora dragged him back to theboratory: "Don¡¯t worry, the reviewmittee won¡¯t do anything to you. The Radiant Lord is watching!" ...Doesn¡¯t that great mage who caused trouble have legendary mages behind him? Garrett was still a little panicked. He tossed and turned that night, unable to meditate, and couldn¡¯t sleep well. The next morning, he got up early, caught the first train to the mountaintop, and went directly to the Tower of Heaven to wait formunication. Usually when he came here, whether it was the resting room of the Sub-Tower of Maniption or theboratory on the 375th floor of the Tower of Heaven, there was always a ce to stay. This time Garrett was nervous, and he didn¡¯t dare to go to either ce. He went straight to the 120th floor. The office was not open, and the conference room was not open. asionally, someone hurried past in the corridor, and when they saw Garrett, they all cast strange nces at him. Garrett had no choice but to find a inconspicuous ce at the corner of the stairs, squat down silently, and wait. It was nearly nine o¡¯clock when someone finally came over to attend to Garrett. Two young mages dressed asw enforcement officers, one on the left and one on the right, half apanying and half escorting, took Garrett into the conference room. Garrett looked around, there was nothing else in the conference room, only a long table was ced directly opposite the door, with eight high-backed chairs lined up in a row behind it, decorated with gold carvings and luxurious furnishings. Tea, paper, and pens were all properly arranged. If it weren¡¯t for the nature of the meeting, they probably would have even served snacks and melon seeds. As for himself, there was only a lonely small chair, without cushions, without armrests, and the backrest was only half the height of the opposite one, looking like a student¡¯s chair in a ssroom. ... Should I thank you for not installing two armrests and a shield in front of them? Garrett grumbled and sat up straight. With this distance, this arrangement, he instantly felt like he was being interrogated. When the eight members of the reviewmittee entered one by one, Garrett remained calm on the surface, but he was already drumming in his heart. "You¡¯re nervous." The fourth from the left, a middle-aged mage almost facing him, suddenly said. Old Sam immediately turned his head: "Hey, don¡¯t use your tactics on him!" Severalmittee membersughed. The prophetic mage, who had shown goodwill towards him a few days ago, smiled and said as heughed: "Old Sam, don¡¯t be so protective. ¡ª¡ªDetection of thoughts, perception of emotions, spells like these, our faction also has them. It¡¯s not just about enchantment mages who can release them!" What? Are they going to use magic against me? Garrett panicked again. Last time he was hit by a "charming humans" spell face-to-face, and all the painful and dangerous aspects of the surgery came out of his mouth, he still vividly remembered it. As the prophetic mage finished mocking his colleague, he had a stern face and turned to Garrett: "Mr. Garrett Nordmark. Because of your improper behavior, causing arge-scale gue leakage and causing huge losses to the council, do you admit it?" "I¡ª" Here ites! I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be let off lightly by the Magic Council after causing such a big disaster. Garrett¡¯s heart beat faster and he instinctively wanted to defend himself. What came out of his mouth was: "How much loss?" "Do you want to hear it?" On the far right of the long table, another mage Garrett hadn¡¯t seen before, smiled and opened a page of paper. "The gue leakage incident ended yesterday, and all losses were not fully calcted until this morning. Since you asked, I will read it to you: This gue leakage directly caused 25 people to be infected, including 21 farmers and 4 patrol soldiers. The farmers were treated by you yourself, and Elder Wood, out of consideration for you, did not ask the council for money, so let¡¯s not count that; the cost of divine magic treatment, istion, destruction of clothing, and rted items for the 4 soldiers totaled... 450 gold coins. Killed and burned 15 war horses, one stable, with a total value of 400 gold coins." 850 gold coins. Garrett felt a pang of pain and breathed a sigh of relief: although it was arge sum of money, fortunately, he could afford it. Unexpectedly, the great mage continued reading: "More than 600 teachers and students from three magic academies were mobilized to carry out incineration and disinfection operations. The cost of attendance, even if each person contributes one point per day, for three days of incineration and disinfection, totaled... 1800 contribution points." It¡¯s over! Bankrupt! Garrett¡¯s vision darkened. The great mage smiled and turned another page: "The production of disinfectant water and bleach involved the 1st to 10thboratories of the 375th floor of the Tower of Heaven; and 24boratories on the 58th to 60th floors of the Mage Tower. Laboratory rent... manpower... Garrett felt dizzy and weak. Looking to the left, the protection and curse mages were folding their arms, looking like they were enjoying the show; Looking to the right, Old Sam¡¯s face was heavy, and his eyes showed that he was helpless; The necromancy mage... hey, necromancy is not good in this regard, with a face wrapped in dry skin and bones, what kind of expression is that, he can¡¯t tell... Wait a minute, are they trying to make me pay? If I can afford to pay, there¡¯s a high probability that I won¡¯t go to jail, right? Of course, if I can¡¯t afford to pay... I probably won¡¯t go to jail either, at most I¡¯ll sell myself to pay off the debt... Garrett¡¯s brain turned a little, and he calmed down a bit. It¡¯s good to talk about money¡ªtalk about ident liability, talk about distribution proportions, I¡¯m not the main culprit! Even if I fight for equal responsibility, I can reduce thepensation by half! It still depends on myself! Garrett struggled to sit up straight and tried to defend himself: "But the leakage incident was not caused by me intentionally! It was a spy from the Radiant Lord who entered theboratory, I am the victim!" "Cough, the direct cause of the leakage incident is indeed the intrusion of a spy." The protection mage interjected: "But we all saw it, that spy was just a thief, he didn¡¯t possess powerful magic abilities. He was able to enter yourboratory because theboratorycked magical protection! - We all saw yourboratory, there wasn¡¯t even a magical rm, all defensive spells were nonexistent, and the leakage caused by foreign invasion is your own fault!" "It¡¯s not my fault!" Garrett almost jumped up. He raised his head high: "I didn¡¯t do magical protection, because, theboratory is in Nevis City! In the heart of the Magic Council! It should have been safe! - Do other mages have to be punished if their achievements are stolen, causing serious consequences? Does the Magic Council not reflect on its own security problems, but instead wants to punish the victimized mages?!" I haven¡¯t even imedpensation yet! Letting spies run rampant and destroying half of my research results, I haven¡¯t evenined to the Magic Council yet! The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became tense. The great mages looked at each other, each with a somewhat embarrassed look: To be honest, ming Garrett for the spy breaking in and causing trouble can¡¯t be entirely med on Garrett. If it were a mage with a hot temper, instead of being summoned by the reviewmittee, he would probably have already gone to the council and demandedpensation. Forget it, should I tell him the truth? If I don¡¯t say it, will you say it! Themittee members exchanged nces. In the deadlock, a hurried and hoarse voice suddenly came from the corner of the office roof: "Nick! Come to the top floor immediately! Large-scale magical reaction! Come up immediately to help observe!" "Hey! Coming!" The prophetic mage responded, ignoring his colleagues¡¯ gaze, and jumped up to the door: "Teacher is looking for me! I...I¡¯m going up!" Chapter 246 Chapter 246 The Grand Mage of the Divination School hurried out, clutching his robes. In the meeting room, the other members of the judging panel nced at each other, each falling silent. At the top of the Tower of Heaven, under the starry dome, two powerful magic arrays were set up. One array, gazing upwards, depicted the celestial changes, the progression of seasons, and the reflections of stars,s,ets, and meteors. The other array overlooked thend, centered around Igor Peak, epassing the Northern Ice ins, the Western Continent, and the Eastern Ocean. It reflected various changes, enabling the Magic Council to monitor the movements of powerful entities. Usually, the magic array enveloped the entire kingdom, with mage towers visible across thend, and powerful spots visible even beyond the kingdom¡¯s borders. This range was enough for early warnings, preventing skilled individuals from silently reaching the borders. However, during times of need, with the support of legendary mages and numerous grand mages, the range of the magic array would drastically expand. Even the Orc Kingdom to the far west and the distant New Continent in the Eastern Ocean could vaguely be seen within the magic array. Now, the legendary mage overseeing the Starry Dome called for assistance, indicating arge-scale magical reaction... Where? What kind ofrge-scale spell? Who initiated it? "I¡¯ll go to the Lock area."The judge from the Curse School hurriedly stood up. If it¡¯s an enemy, if it¡¯s arge-scale spellunched from afar to attack Igor Peak, then the Divination School would issue a warning, and the Lock area would need to adjust urgently. Despite having level 15 grand mages overseeing daily affairs and legendary masters looking after it, it was sensible to hurry there and wait. As he left, judges from the Protection, Transformation, and Illusion Schools quickly followed suit. Old Sam lingered as thest one. Before leaving, he gave Garrett a deep look: "Regardless, the weak protection in yourboratory is also a significant factor in causing this incident. ¡ªYou¡¯d better think carefully about how to strengthen the protection and prevent the leakage of gue seeds. If it does leak, how to deal with it. Coming up with aplete n will also facilitate the review process." It was about having aboratory management method, oh, called "Regtions on Biosafety Management of Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratories," and regtions rted to infectious disease prevention and control, right? This was not a difficult task. The methods for cultivating bacteria should naturally include these. Otherwise, if an outbreak of meningitis urred in three days or smallpox in two days, would he still have a peaceful life? Garrett nodded in agreement. He watched Old Sam close the door and leave, then took out a stack of parchment and a **Boundless Ink Pen** from the pocket of his chest. ncing around, he dragged his chair to the edge of the long table used by the judges, spreading out the sheets of paper, and began drafting, half writing and half copying. The meeting room temporarily quieted down. Meanwhile, in the grand hall known as the "Starry Dome" at the top of the Tower of Heaven, it was a bustling scene. Lady Endor, a legendary mage from the Divination School, wore a ck veil that fluttered without wind as she stood trembling in the center, holding a crystal ball high in her hands. Around her, twelve grand mages stood equidistant, either holding crystal balls, pendulums, or staffs adorned with gemstones, forming a perfect circle. The crowd waspletely focused. Chanting incantations, twelve beams of light emitted from magical artifacts converged onto Lady Endor¡¯s crystal ball. The crystal ball emitted a brilliant light. The magic array on the ground also lit up, starting from small and vague to clear and distinct. Immediately, people bent down to observe and record: "Southeast by east 40 degrees!" "Distance ¡ª between the eighth and ninth rings!" "Spell intensity ¡ª 10357! 10359! 10461! 10578!" "Nature of spell fluctuations, divine magic!" The faces of the grand mages in the hall turned serious. The magic array in the Starry Dome, centered around Igor Peak and extending to the farthest point of the kingdom¡¯snd, was divided into three rings. Using this as a reference, they pushed out one circle after another. Between the eighth and ninth rings, at southeast by east 40 degrees ¡ª It was precisely the location of the Radiant Church¡¯s holy city! Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh. Portals of teleportation opened, and solemn-faced legendary mages walked out of them. They gathered around the magic array, lowering their heads and focusing on the white light spots within the array, which were expanding continuously, measuring, calcting, and estimating non-stop. "No fluctuations in the spatial barrier." "The range isn¡¯t concentrated enough; it doesn¡¯t seem like a single-target attack of divine magic." "Is there any major activity in the east recently?" "If any, it¡¯s farther east. It¡¯s winter now, and there¡¯s a possibility that the Orc Kingdom is mobilizing on arge scale to seize food. It¡¯s unlikely for a lone individual to attack the Church City." "What about the Blood n?" "That old guy has been sleepingtely; he shouldn¡¯t be causing trouble. Besides him, others aren¡¯t worth such amotion." "The intensity is still rising! 11143, 12056! So fast!" "What are they nning? A grand wish spell? So sudden? Do our spies over there have any information?" "No ¡ª with such a bigmotion, our spies are better off not moving. They could be easily discovered." Two thousand miles southeast of Igor Peak. The City of Radiance, the Miracle City. The Pope, dressed in white robes and wearing a golden crown, soared into the sky above the Grand Cathedral of Radiance. On both sides, at the tips of the cathedral¡¯s two towers, stood high-ranking clergy, each half-kneeling. Together with the Pope flying in mid-air, they formed a triangle. One wore red robes, wielding a long sword; the other wore ck robes, holding an open book. With their heads bowed, they followed the Pope¡¯s voice, praying in unison: "Great Radiant Lord, you are the ruler of heaven and earth, the true god who created all things. We were born under your grace and nurtured by your blessings. You are the greatest, the highest, the holiest, the most merciful. May you watch over us, bless us, cleanse us..." On the square of the Grand Cathedral of Radiance, thousands of clergy draped in white robes prostrated themselves on the ground, chanting along. The grand prayers echoed between heaven and earth, growing louder and farther. With their prayers, a sacred and majestic power slowly emerged, descending from the highest heavens and enveloping the City of Radiance. In the City of Radiance, priests, holy knights, judges, and ordinary believers all set aside their tasks and walked out of their homes, falling to the ground in worship. Even those who were seriously ill and unable to get out of bed struggled to climb out of their beds and crawl outside. A mysterious sense of holiness gripped their hearts, and with tears streaming down their faces, they prayed together: "Most high and holy Radiant Lord ¡ª" The brightness atop the cathedral grew stronger and stronger. The Pope held a golden disk in his hands, seeming to immerse himself in the light, or perhaps melting into it. If someone were to look down from high above at this moment, they might be shocked by a sight never seen before: The upper half of the City of Radiance was crystal clear, immacte. Every cleric, every warrior, was enveloped in a radiant glow, as if heaven had descended upon the earth; While the lower half was filled with ck, foul waters. Disciples d in dirty robes, whether luxurious or ragged, struggled and fell on the ground, their faces withered, their fingers twisted. The further down, the dirtier and fouler it became. The radiance pierced through the city, prating the shanties of slums, where beneath dpidated roofs, twisted and lifeless,y bodies as desated as mummies. The radiance continued to shine. The cathedral, houses, soil, and sewers, all were transparent under this prating light. At the edge of the holy city, near the riverbank, within the sewers, a skeleton lunged forward to the table and wrote down the final words: "... Mysteries Persist!" He stuffed the scroll into the skull¡¯s mouth. The skull¡¯s eyes, nostrils, and three gems simultaneously shimmered. The scroll vanished without a trace, and in the next moment, a white radiance swept over, engulfing the skeleton, the scroll, the table and chairs, and the skull, dissolving them all in an instant. And this radiance swept over every inch of the holy city. Under eaves, in gutters, in mud, ck vapors billowed, only to vanish in the light. The cause of the gue, under the Pope¡¯s fervent prayers, under therge-scale divine spell that concentrated the entire city¡¯s power, finally disappeared without a trace. Every person, whether recently infected or on the verge of death, whether blind or legless, everyone who still had a breath in them returned to their healthiest, most perfect state under the radiance. They rejoiced and praised loudly: "Great Radiant Lord, you are eternal and sacred, the only light..." The divine radiancested from morning till noon, and from noon till evening, finally subsiding. The Pope descended slowly, apanied by high-ranking clergy, stepping slowly into the interior. At the top of the Tower of Heaven, the monitoring results of the magic array were reported one by one: "The readings are starting to decline!" "5287! 4016! 2179!" "No high-energy magic reactions in the surrounding areas!" "Ruling out the possibility of an attack on the council!" "Alert lifted!" The mages monitoring breathed a sigh of relief. Lady Endor put down the crystal ball, her voice hoarse: "You¡¯ve all worked hard..." It was a false rm. Legendary mages dispersed on their own, gathering for standby, or just for the sake of attending the review meeting, gradually leaving the Starry Dome. A group of people gathered at the elevator waiting to descend, inevitably gossiping: "...So, what exactly happened?" "I don¡¯t know. Have they gone mad?" "Cleaning? Rooting out spies? It shouldn¡¯t be, is there a traitor within? Division?" "With such arge-scale divine spell, will the Pope retire next year?" "I wonder if the orcs will take advantage of this opportunity tounch an attack..." The mages gossiped, no different from ordinary people. As they chattered away, the elevator door suddenly opened with a ding, and a skeletal bird flew out, crashing into the necromancer of the reviewmittee. The necromancer in ck robes quietly took apart a rib from the bird, extracting a message from its belly. With bony fingers, he unfolded the scroll, his lips moving silently as he read line by line: "The gue is spreading in the holy city. First the poor, then the apprentices, then the acolytes and priests. Vomiting and diarrhea, foul and repulsive, the faces of the dead are withered, their skin shriveled. One person is sick, the whole family is affected; cure one, three get sick; save two, ten get sick. In ten days, ten out of fifty to sixtymoners have died, and ten out of twenty acolytes and priests are sick." After the neatly written lines, there were two lines of hastily scrawled information: "The Pope hasunched the **Purification** spell. Mysteries Persist!" The necromancer in ck robes quietly clenched the scroll. He turned his head to the southeast, as if he could see the loyal skeleton lurking in the sewers, day in and day out, turning into ashes in therge-scale divine spell. He silently walked into the elevator with his colleagues, descended to the 120th floor, and finally handed the note to Old Sam on his right. "That spy¡¯s stolen goods seem to have been located." Several heads leaned in to take a look. The transformation mage couldn¡¯t help but sigh: "This is another mess caused by young Garrett... By the way, where is he?" "It seems like I left him in the office..." Old Sam hurried forward. From morning till evening, they had food and drink on the top floor, and Garrett might not have anyone looking after him... He was brought here for questioning again, but would anyone remember to bring him lunch? Old Sam took a few quick steps. The meeting room was quiet, without a sound. He reached out to push the door, but his hand suddenly stopped. "Hush!" Chapter 247 Chapter 247 The Archmage¡¯s palm lifted and then retracted. In the conference room, waves of magic fluctuations came and went like a firm and powerful heartbeat, or like a butterfly struggling to break free from its cocoon. The Archmage stood at the door for a moment, his eyebrows twitching slightly, a mixture of surprise and delight on his face: "This kid... is about to advance?" A group of people were impatiently blocked by him at the door. The Archmage of the Necromancer School extended his hand and flicked a cherry-sized secret magic eye from his fingers, which rolled under the door crack. Then, the light ball exerted effort to erge and tten itself into a thin disk, slipping through the door crack. The screen of the secret magic eye immediately unfolded. Through the screen, the Archmages saw Garrett sitting at the edge of the long table, on the rightmost high-backed chair. He leaned back, closed his eyes, his head resting against the back of the chair, forearms resting t on the armrests, in a stable meditative posture. "This kid really doesn¡¯t treat himself as an outsider." The necromancer in the ck robeughed first. Everyone nced sideways: "Hey, Garrett is sitting on your chair!... Are you feeling proud?" "He¡¯s not from the ck Crow Swamp!" "No, after causing a gue and killing half of the people in the City of Radiance, the Pope had to use arge-scale divine spell to suppress it. Isn¡¯t he a natural necromancer?" Regardless, it¡¯s best not to disturb the meditative state, especially considering it seems to be a meditation for advancing in mage level judging by the magic fluctuations. Old Sam stepped back two steps, raised his hand to his chest, representing the badge of the evaluationmittee members, and lowered his voice: "Mr. Hermunculus! Mr. Hermunculus!" "Calling me?" The wall brightened slightly. At the entrance of the conference room, on the smooth ck crystal surface, a simple outline of a face appeared, the Tower Spirit of the Tower of Heaven. Old Sam nodded slightly and greeted the face:"Mr. Hermunculus. There is a junior mage meditating to advance in the conference room. Could you please help adjust the elemental environment of the conference room to a state suitable for novice meditation?" "A novice meditation room costs 100 contribution points per day to rent." The crystal buzzed, and from the small orifice next to it, a semi-mechanical voice flowed out: "Temporary adjustments double the cost. Will you pay, or will the person inside pay?" "...I¡¯ll pay!" Old Sam reluctantly took off his badge. Deep in meditation, Garrett waspletely unaware of themotion outside. As themittee members left, he remained alone in the conference room, writing something. As he wrote, his mind became clearer and clearer: It seems like the council doesn¡¯t want to imprison me after all! And maybe they don¡¯t want me to go bankrupt either! What¡¯s the benefit of bankrupting me? My wealth is like a drop in the ocean for the council; even if they squeeze me dry, they won¡¯t be satisfied... If they really want me topensate, I can just negotiate with them and sell them these management regtions! Right, and there are still those high school chemistry textbooks, electrolytic smelting methods, there are so many things I haven¡¯t sold yet! With the return of a sense of security, Garrett¡¯s shoulders rxed instantly. The tension fromst night until now disappeared without a trace, reced by an inexplicable feeling that appeared after the gue disappeared: Like the rising tide of spring, like the sprouting of green grass. That vigorous and lively feeling surrounded him uncontrobly. Is it time to advance? To advance three levels in mage rank? Garrett was both surprised and delighted. He threw down the outline he had been writing halfway through, nced around, hesitated for a second between "sitting on the hard ground to start meditating" and "casually upying a high-backed chair", and decisively inserted his quill back into his chest, then pounced on the nearest high-backed chair. Hmm, when I questioned him earlier, that chair belonged to a necromancer, he definitely wouldn¡¯t mind! Even without deliberately adjusting the elemental concentration, the meditation environment in the Tower of Heaven was much better than outside¡ªas long as there wasn¡¯t a sudden explosion in one of the nearbybs. When the Archmages arrived, Garrett¡¯s advanced meditation was nearingpletion, and the filling and strengthening of his spiritual core were approachingpletion. Whaty before Garrett was another problem he had encountered before: This time, which magic should be inscribed during meditation? Last time I chose the Ultrasound magic, which worked quite well. What about this time? Choose X-ray magic, or choose his modified Burning Hand? Garrett didn¡¯t hesitate much to rule out the X-ray magic. He didn¡¯t make many changes to this magic, and the power of the spell mainly depended on the magical item serving as the "light source". Not to mention, this thing is still a 0-level magic, even if inscribed, the benefits are not high. Burning Hand? Garrett hesitated for a moment. Burning Hand is indeed very powerful, but he still felt a bit reluctant. Always feeling like a doctor, it¡¯s fine to hang a bunch of medical magic, but turning himself into a human methrower? In situations where there is a choice, it¡¯s better not to... Right! Try that birthing spell! Although it¡¯s a divine spell... but, cough, who says you can¡¯t inscribe divine spells in a meditation environment? Garrett immediately began to experiment. Luckily, although the birthing of nts and trees is a divine spell, there is also a scroll for it¡ªwhere there¡¯s a scroll, there¡¯s a spell model. Of course, the scroll is two-dimensional, and the spell model outlined in meditation is three-dimensional, so it still requires experimentation by the mage himself to pull the two-dimensional into three-dimensional. ...Isn¡¯t this just solid geometry! I¡¯m familiar with this! First attempt... failed. Second attempt... failed. Third attempt... Oh no, it¡¯s getting unstable... With higher elemental concentration, and a more stable surrounding environment, at this moment, the changes quietly arrived. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, focused and calm, and continued the experiment. The main structure... the output intensity... the spell range... Ah, the spell range is best to make it a variable hourss shape, as narrow as possible to mimic the paths of Frost Beam and Spark, only emitting a beam of light, limiting the birthing range to this beam, or the diameter of a light beam; as wide as possible to draw arge circle, with a diameter of 1 meter, 2 meters, 3 meters, as long as the output can keep up, it¡¯s no problem! As for shaping the birthing objects, that¡¯s another issue, which can be solved in adjacent areas... Garrett was worry-free, with his eyes closed, fully immersed in spell shaping. Outside the conference room, a group of Archmages shifted their feet nervously, exchanging nces. "I say... how much longer do we have to wait?" "How long did it take you to advance to level three?" "Half a day?... When did this kid start?" The experienced Archmages hesitated and shook their heads: "The meditation duration is highly variable... It¡¯s best to give him more time." After some discussion, the impatient Archmages decided to leave the Tower of Heaven first ande back to check on Garrettter. They didn¡¯t leave the Tower of Heaven but rather lingered outside the conference room. Anxious, they finally looked at each other helplessly and suggested to Old Sam: "Should we order some takeout for him?" "He won¡¯t like it." Old Sam shook his head and nced at the secret magic eye at the door crack. "Old Sam, how about we set up a betting pool? See who can guess the time when Garrett will break through!" "You¡¯re saying... the time Garrett will advance in meditation?" "Yes, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s interesting? If we make a bet, Garrett won¡¯t know anyway, right?" "...Alright, I¡¯ll inform the others. Who¡¯s participating in the pool?" And so, outside the conference room, the group of Archmages set up a bet for when Garrett wouldplete his meditation. This time, the topic of their bet was no longer the battle between the sorcerer and the goblin but the arcane mystery of meditation advancement. "Five dayster, no more, no less!" "I bet on six days!" "I bet on four days!" The Archmages made their bets one after another, and Old Sam hesitated for a moment before finally making a decision: "Three days... I believe in Garrett¡¯s efficiency!" Chapter 248 Chapter 248 Who agrees, who disagrees? Seven pairs of eyes all looked at the necromancer in ck robes. The necromancer froze on the spot¡ªwhat, after all that trouble, I end up with the boomerang hitting me back? Before the establishment of the Magic Council, it was customary for each school of magic, and even each mage conducting research, to mind their own business, without interference from others. Everyone had their own research methods, their own secret techniques. Who would want interference? If something really irked you, or if your research was genuinely impeded, you¡¯d go argue about it, maybe even resort to physical altercation. For example, mages specializing in healing magic didn¡¯t appreciate bodies being dragged into their territory from the ck Crow Swamp... After the establishment of the Magic Council, each school and organization finally had a ce to sit down and discuss matters. Even so, the Council granted mages enough freedom in their research endeavors. Take the Necromancy School, for instance. Even in the case of the gue branch, as long as it didn¡¯t cause widespread disease in the kingdom or was confined to its own territory, the attitude of the Magic Council was¡ªdo as you please. But this time it¡¯s different! Themotion caused by Garrett¡¯s gue seeds, even with a slight leak, immediately exploded in two different ces¡ªtwo different scenarios at that. Considering that this project was funded by the gue branch, a group of necromancers was itching to get their hands on it, and the evaluationmittee, or rather, except for the seven members of the necromancer branch, their attitude was quite consistent: This must be addressed!A little Garrett caused such a big stir; a group of gue branch mages were tinkering with what he gave them, and everyone else, can they still live peacefully? There must be a solution! Hmm, the first step in the solution is to call Garrett over, scare him a bit... Now it seems that the scare tactics worked pretty well, maybe a bit too well. Garrett scribbled a bunch of things, just those items looked like a big project. At the same time, the City of Radiance experienced a bigmotion... The necromancer was at a loss. Who agrees, who disagrees? If you agree, it¡¯s like putting a shackle on your own head. You can imagine how the mages of the gue branch, even the legendary ones from his own sect, would punish him. But to disagree? Even the Radiant Church had to resort to a big move. If this gue erupted in their own territory, the Magic Council didn¡¯t have enough high-ranking priests to handle it. If you dared to voice opposition, it¡¯s likely that the ck Crow Swamp, or at least the gue branch within it, would be eradicated on the spot... "I need to report to the Archmage of Immortality first." He answered with a stiff scalp. The Archmage of Immortality, a legendary mage stationed at the headquarters of the Necromancy School. In theory, concerning the policies of the Necromancy School, his venerable self had the final say... "This is a reasonable request. Today¡¯s events, I also need to report to the Lord of Thunder." Old Sam¡¯s deep brown eyes flickered slightly, staring straight at the necromancer. And by the way, he wants to recruit our people! I must report it! Comin fiercely! Themittee members tentatively reached a consensus. After observing the situation in the conference room for a while, when Garrett was about toplete his advancement and finish his meditation, they quietly dispersed. Uh, so many people waiting for him, the little guy must be feeling smug... When Garrett walked out of the conference room, he saw a metal puppet standing at the door, its eyes gleaming. It turned on the spot and held up a piece of paper in front of him: "Mr. Garrett Nordmark: 1. There¡¯s a restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Tower of Heaven. Come in anytime, it¡¯s free. 2. The guest rooms on Carlisle¡¯s side are still avable. 3. The things you wrote during the day, it¡¯s rmended toplete them as soon as possible. Especially in terms ofboratory management. 4. Tomorrow morning at 9 o¡¯clock, 120th floor of the Tower of Heaven, same ce as before. Also, congrattions on advancing to level 3 mage. Sam Lynn" "What? Do I have to finish writing tonight???" Garrett howled. Regardless of his howling, he continued to work untilte into the night. The next day, with dark circles under his eyes, he crawled to the conference room, where eightmittee members were lined up, smiling at him. Uh... not all of them were smiling. At least that necromancer, aside from his robe being ck, his eye sockets were ck, even his face was ck. When he looked at him, his gaze was so full of resentment, it was almost as if he was emitting steam... "Mr. Garrett Nordmark." The senior mage who was smiling and calcting with him at yesterday¡¯s meeting was the first to greet him. Before Garrett could escape, he opened a ledger and leisurely said: "The evaluationmittee carefully considered your opinions. ¡ªTo be honest, intentionally causing destruction and causing damage due to negligence arepletely different in nature. The leak of the gue seeds due to espionage, the fault is not entirely yours. But ountability andpensation cannot bepletely waived¡ª " He pointed at Garrett, stopping him from speaking up: "So, the evaluationmittee has determined that you bear secondary responsibility. For this leakage incident, the Council will bear 60% of the losses, Thunder Horn will bear 30%, and you personally willpensate 10%. Do you agree?" 10% huh... Garrett felt much better. After all, in his past life, being found partially responsible for a car ident meant having to pay 30%. And making Thunder Horn bear 30% of the loss, he felt really sorry, really embarrassed... But thinking about the rental fees for theboratories, the fees for personnel attendance, he didn¡¯t have the mood to worry about others. Even if Thunder Horn bears 30% of the loss, it actually just means paying forbor costs andboratory rent, no actual money is involved, Thunder Horn didn¡¯t spend a single cent, didn¡¯t even need to do any bookkeeping. "So, how much do I have topensate?" "3750 contribution points." The senior mage smiled amicably, pushing the list forward: "The fractions have already been rounded down for you. You can take a look at the list, if you have any questions, you can also raise them." Garrett didn¡¯t even bother to look at it. Rental fees for theboratory were one thing, but personnel attendance fees, those were up to them to decide. Trying to bnce the books, no, trying to bankrupt me, you can do it casually, what do I have to counter with? ountants? Being unfamiliar with the ce, where can I hire an independent ountant who can counter the Council? He only asked one question: "Does Thunder Horn agree?" Old Sam¡¯s eyes shed with a hint of amusement. This kid is quite interesting, he thought, he¡¯s well aware of his position and strength, won¡¯t fuss over what he can¡¯t control , won¡¯t give in if he can resist, I like that. He nodded gently: "Thunder Horn agrees to thepensation n." Since all the work is done by Carlisle¡¯s apprentices, when they¡¯re short-handed, they¡¯ll just fill in, they¡¯re also disciples of the old man. It doesn¡¯t matter if the legendary mages use their own people for work, there¡¯s no need for them to pay. The so-called 30% loss is justbor costs,boratory rent, Thunder Horn didn¡¯t spend a single penny, didn¡¯t even need to keep ounts. Ah... without the person who helped bear the burden of the me, bankruptcy is truly imminent now. Garrett silently lowered his head, retrieving the manuscript he stayed up all night writing from his spatial bag, and spread them out like a fan, one by one: "I agree with the evaluationmittee¡¯s decision. I agree with thepensation n and amount. ¡ªNow, let¡¯s discuss the authorization fees for gue prevention measures." "Epidemiology: Bacterial Infectious Diseases!" "Bacterial Infectious Disease Prevention n!" "Biological Laboratory Management Regtions!" "Biological Laboratory Architectural Drawings!" "Public Health Management Regtions!" "Epidemic Reporting System!" "Epidemic Hospital nning Proposal!" Bring it on! No knowledge is worthless! ording to the regtions of the Magic Council, no mage, no person, is allowed to be forced to surrender their knowledge! All these pieces of knowledge are interconnected. If one is missing, it won¡¯t work. You want to cut one piece, and the public health system will have another gap... A group of middle-aged men looked at each other and smiled simultaneously. They circled around such a big deal, and what they wanted was nothing more than this: money doesn¡¯t matter, squeezing out knowledge is what¡¯s important. Of course, it¡¯s best to try to lower the price, to squeeze this kid¡¯s wallet dry, so he can only take on projects given by the Council. Otherwise, if he loses track one day, there might be another big uproar... They smiled, Garrett sat across from them, smiling confidently. He took out the second page of each document, which was the summary, and neatly organized them into a stack. Standing in ce, he showed them to the members of the evaluationmittee: "Gentlemen, can I assume that the questioning is over now? Shouldn¡¯t I be given a corresponding status if we¡¯re entering the negotiation stage?" Negotiation, negotiation! The content is important, but the momentum and posture are equally important! The upper limit of negotiation is not topensate at all, and the lower limit of negotiation is to never go bankrupt! The transmutation mageughed. He waved his hand lightly and mmed the long table. A magical light shed, and the long table covered with red velvet tablecloth immediately widened and transformed into an elegant oval shape, along with the tablecloth, bing a graceful oval. Another beam of light fell behind Garrett, and the thin, pitiful little backrest chair immediately turned into a beautiful high-back armchair. Althoughpared to the gentlemen of the evaluationmittee, there were no carvings or gold iys on the chair back, it looked pretty much the same overall. Garrett was satisfied. He pushed the documents forward and folded his arms: Gentlemen, make your offer. The members of themittee exchanged nces. They each lowered their heads and read through the summaries quickly. The transmutation mage was the first to speak: "100 contribution points per document. ¡ªThere is no involvement of unique magic in these, so 100 contribution points is already quite high." "1000 per document." Garrett didn¡¯t hesitate to counteroffer. "Each of these documents is supported by an independent body of knowledge. Gentlemen, don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t see that." "1000 is too much! The paper on pyrotechnics was only rewarded with 1000 contribution points!" Um...paring a chapter from "Epidemiology" to the discovery thatid the foundation for modern chemistry does indeed show a big difference in weight. Garrett felt a slight pang of guilt, but his momentum remained unfazed: "But the scope of these documents is broader!" "But..." "But..." The negotiation quickly turned into meaningless haggling. Tables were mmed, documents were thrown, and saliva flew. It went from an opening offer of 300 per document to 700 per document, with the necromancer demanding to read the entire text. Garrett generously handed over the documents, and themittee members exchanged them to read, then made another offer: "Your documents are indeed very detailed, with many innovative aspects. In light of the level of detail, 400 contribution points per document!" "600!" "500! Not a point more!" "3750! Total price!" "Deal!" Both sides stood up and shook hands. The evaluationmittee breathed a sigh of relief, and so did Garrett: Finally, no need to lose money! Those regtions have also been handed over! Someone will take care of implementing them for me! Oh yeah! He shook hands with each of themittee members one by one, and when he shook hands with thest one, the transmutation mage¡¯s eyes shed, and he suddenly asked: "Little Garrett, ording to your documents, isn¡¯t it true thatboratories that do not meet the standard andck sufficient defense cannot conduct gue research?" "Of course!" "Then," the transmutation mage¡¯s eyes lit up with a smile, "do you want us to help reinforce the defenses? I¡¯ll give you a 20% discount!" What? A discount? Wait, does that mean money? How much would it cost for high-level defense magic? The Magic Council has set public prices, but for constant defense magic, it seems, it¡¯s a sky-high price... Am I still going bankrupt? Garrett quickly did some mental calctions. Then, he extended his palm and pointed solemnly to the documents he just handed over: "I dere. The authorization fees just agreed upon only cover the transfer of documents¡ª In other words, additional exnations, instructions, teachings, improvements, including inspections ofboratory defense measures, are not included!" Chapter 249 Chapter 249 "The review board is really difficult to deal with." After another hour of heated debate, both sides exited the meeting room. Garrett Nordmark or Garrett wiped his neck, feeling the dampness in his palm, realizing he was drenched in sweat. Of course, negotiations¡ªor rather, arguments¡ªof this intensity were quite fruitful. He secured aboratory, no, a mage tower! With funding from the Magic Council and ording to his request, they would rebuild the P4boratory! Garrett¡¯s blueprint this time included four floors: sewage treatment, operational, piping, and air filtration! And because it was decided to construct four floors with added magical defense and control, the review board decided to just build him a mage tower. As for expenses beyond theboratory, such as constructing the tower¡¯s energy pool and attuning the tower, those would be deferred, with the mage tower used as coteral, payable in installments... And the Magic Council also gained something. Within six months, Garrett was obliged to exin the documents he provided, to teach and train the personnel dispatched by the council. Of course, the council¡¯s students could not exceed 30... If the council established a second P4boratory, Garrett had the obligation and authority to inspect and approve it. If it didn¡¯t pass inspection, theboratory couldn¡¯t operate. Thepensation for these tasks was included in the construction costs of theboratory, no, the mage tower, without additional payment. Ah...selling an aircraft carrier for $1 billion, with additional costs for modifications, maintenance, personnel training, and weapon deployment, totaling $6 billion, the wisdom of a warring nation in his previous life was still useful... Garrett happily crossed his arms and hummed a tune.Alright, now, he was waiting for them to produce the mage tower blueprints! "This little guy is really difficult to deal with." The protective and transformative mages exchanged wry smiles. After that round of negotiations, their days weren¡¯t easy either; they too were drenched in sweat. Garrett didn¡¯t give an inch, even dared to m the table in front of a group of senior mages, spouting iprehensible terms one after another. Yet they sounded reasonable and the consequences were terrifying, astonishing... "Don¡¯t say that. Even a rabbit bites when cornered!" The diviner shook his head with a smile, his gaze soft. The necromancer beside him frowned: "Isn¡¯t this a bit too much? Logically...regarding the incident in the City of Radiance, he should have been rewarded. But now it¡¯s all been deducted?" "Are you stupid?" Old Sam suddenly turned and red at him. His gaze was sharp, almost shooting out sparks and lightning: "Garrett is a healer! A healer!!! Which healer, after hearing that a gue they created killed tens of thousands, could still be happy? Did you see how anxious he was when the gue leaked a few days ago, how frantic he was? You think he¡¯s one of you necromancers? ¡ªLet me tell you, even if he created those gue seeds, it¡¯s not to harm people, it¡¯s definitely to save them!" "Saving people" Garrett was invited respectfully to the adjacent mage tower as soon as he came out of the Tower of Heaven. Led by Lin Ferrell¡¯s mentor, Archmage Edgar, a group of necromancers escorted him inside: "Garrett, how should we handle the spy that escaped from yourboratory?" "Mr. Nordmark, the diviners have already dealt with that spy. We¡¯ve also paid what we owed. What¡¯s next?" "Can we directly resurrect him as a skeleton?" "Or turn him into a zombie?" The secondary tower in the ck Crow Swamp, shaped like a pyramid, was slightlyrger in area than other towers, and deeper below¡ªabove was the normal pyramid shape, below was the inverted pyramid. Garrett was surrounded by the crowd and led along a sloping corridor, feeling somewhat like being buried alive. Entering the heart of the pyramid, descending ten levels on an elevator, indeed entered a tomb¡ªor rather, a specialized floor for preserving corpses. The temperature of the entire floor was particrly low, and Garrett shivered. Immediately, a badge was handed to him: "Positive Energy Charm. Eachpartment here is saturated with negative energy. Just withstanding extreme temperatures won¡¯t be enough; you need this." The badge in his hand was a golden circle, shaped like a sun, and Garrett strongly suspected it was stolen from the Radiant Church. He obediently pinned the badge on, feeling an instant warmth throughout his body, involuntarily sighing with relief. Although at the same time, the necromancers beside him all stepped back two steps... Garrett followed the necromancers deeper into the tomb. The tomb appeared quite clean, except that the walls were not made of bricks but of dried thigh bones and skulls arranged in rows. The leading necromancer frequently nced at him, but Garrett remainedposed, striding confidently. The spy whomitted suicide was sealed inside a huge block of ice. There was a slight gap between the ice and the part of the body that touched it, indicating that the necromancers¡¯ im of "having paid what was due" was definitely not a lie. Garrett circled the body twice, then sighed deeply: "You haven¡¯t opened this ice coffin, have you?" "No! Absolutely not!" Archmage Edgar hurriedly assured him. Behind him, two necromancers shook their heads repeatedly, almost shaking out a mirage. Further back, two skeletons rattled their heads, and one even shook its head right off... Garrett rxed. Who knew how many deadly bacteria were on this corpse? It would¡¯ve been disastrous if the ice coffin hadn¡¯t been sealed. After pondering for a moment, he said: "Turning him into a skeleton is fine, but it¡¯s best not to make him a zombie...after all, there are too many pathogenic bacteria in the skin and muscles, easy to transmit. Skeletons can be thoroughly disinfected with sterilization solution. But..." He looked expectantly at Archmage Edgar: "Can I buy this corpse? I¡¯ll pay in gold! 100, no, 200 contribution points!" Edgar: "..." He heard about the review board¡¯s affairs! When Garrett started bargaining, he was meticulous, not giving an inch! But now, he just casually spent 200 contribution points, without even blinking his eyes! Do you know that 200 contribution points are almost equivalent to the annual ie of a level 2 mage! "A level 7 rogue¡¯s corpse, officially priced at 500 contribution points." Edgar replied tly. Garrett didn¡¯t hesitate: "Deal!" A corpse! It¡¯s been so long since I dissected one! And it¡¯s a corpse infected with multiple contagious diseases! So what if it¡¯s 500 contribution points, I can afford it! Edgar originally wanted to say "If you give a couple of lectures, we¡¯ll waive the fee", but now he felt too embarrassed to bring it up. He stepped aside to clear a path, gesturing for two skeletons to move forward and lift the ice coffin, asking Garrett: "Do you want to dissect it here?" "Absolutely not!¡ªThis has to be dissected in myboratory! Otherwise, if the gue leaks, it¡¯s over!" "Alright, we¡¯ll help you move it over. Can we observe the dissection?" "Of course!" And then, Garrett stood confidently in front of the dissection table in hisboratory, and with confidence, made the first incision. ...Which didn¡¯t cut. Chapter 250 Chapter 250 Garrett Nordmark held the surgical knife and questioned life. Can¡¯t cut it? Can¡¯t move it? Is this corpse frozen too hard? Should I wait a bit longer for it to thawpletely? Or should I add some heat, like, set the microwave to defrost mode, and turn it on for three minutes? Or maybe, is it because I forgot to bow to the anatomy teacher in advance? NEVER! That¡¯s the enemy, a spy who infiltrated theboratory to sabotage, not the anatomy teacher! Just like in a medical school in Northeast China, the corpses used for dissection are all from the little devils of that year, and the school teachers and students never bow to them! Or...He collected himself, pinching the knife handle between his thumb, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky, while cing his index finger on the back of the knife. The knife tip was at a right angle to the incision, and he tried to stab downwards. This knife had been refined through countless trials, the standard surgical grip, impable in posture, angle, and force. The skin of the corpse¡¯s abdomen slightly gave way, but... Even with Garrett exerting all his strength, the resistance did not diminish, showing no sign of being pierced. Ah, indeed, it¡¯s really hard to cut when it¡¯s frozen stiff. How long has it been since I felt this sensation? Since I started working, I¡¯ve only been cutting living people. I haven¡¯t cut an anatomy teacher... Ugh, soaking in formalin for so long, it feels really hard to cut. When I make the incision, it feels as tough as cowhide. And formalin stings the eyes, while this ice coffin is thawing, at least it doesn¡¯t have any smell yet. But still, not being able to cut is ultimately a problem. Garrett pondered for a while, looking left and right. If it were any other physical task, even if it were carrying a thigh or resetting bones, Bernard could do it without any problem, but dissection... Can I entrust this delicate task to him? Entrusting it to him wouldn¡¯t be dissection; it would be chopping meat with a big knife! Besides, dissection is a kind of work, but also a kind of enjoyment, something that cannot be entrusted to others! He looked left and right. On both sides, the necromancers wereughing¡ªeach one was covered in protective gear, with ck leather robes, shiny beaks, and a range ofughtering from beneath the bird masks, sounding particrly eerie. Under the pale light of the shadowlessmp, Garrett reflexively shuddered: How did I let them wear these clothes? Why didn¡¯t I let them wear surgical gowns? If everyone wore surgical gowns, they wouldn¡¯t look so scary... ...Well, first, it¡¯s necessary to wear protective gear when dissecting a corpse carrying pathogens. Second, there aren¡¯t the thin, light disposable protective suits made of PE+PP fabric from my previous life. What I¡¯m wearing now is also a ck leather jumpsuit... Archmage Edgar chuckled repeatedly. Not being able to cut a corpse despite trying was something most young necromancers encountered. Whether it was cleaning up animal corpses, helping teachers clean up high-level enemy corpses, or traveling on their own and luckily killing high-level enemies... "Little Garrett," he said, offering suggestions whileughing, "need some help? It¡¯s indeed quite difficult to cut this corpse... He was a Level 7 thief when he was alive..." A Level 7 thief... Garrett immediately felt discouraged. If he couldn¡¯t cut open a Level 5 knight, let alone a Level 7 one. Even if a thief¡¯s defense wasn¡¯t as strong as a knight¡¯s, they were still physical professions, and their bodies were quite sturdy! "Any ideas...?" Garrett immediately sought help. The necromancers beside him burst intoughter, offering suggestions one after another: "How about casting a [Decay] spell? It¡¯s very useful when making skeleton soldiers. When the flesh rots away, the bones be easy to extract..." Garrett shook his head rapidly. Are you kidding me? I want to perform a dissection, not bone extraction! If I wanted to extract bones, wouldn¡¯t I use a big pot to cook them? Boil them quickly at high temperature and pressure, and it¡¯ll be fast, and it can also kill bacteria. The orthopedics department next door is the best at it... "Maybe the knife isn¡¯t fast enough? How about enchanting your knife with [Magic Weapon]? Then you¡¯ll be able to cut through..." Good idea, why didn¡¯t I think of that? Garrett gave a thumbs up to the necromancer who made the suggestion, raising the surgical knife in one hand and preparing to cast a spell with the other. [Magic Weapon] is a 1st-tier spell, and he had already learned it, so it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to cast it himself... Before he could finish casting the spell, the de of the surgical knife suddenly trembled in his hand. The knife trembled more and more, and Garrett suddenly realized that the trembling of the knife was actually caused by the vibration of the air! "Watch out!" someone cried out, but it was already toote. With a dull "bang", the corpse¡¯s abdomen suddenly exploded, and the blood, flesh, and organs inside sttered everywhere! Garrett cried out in shock, but there was nothing he could do. A chunk of frozen meat mmed into his face, causing him to stagger backward. He hurriedly wiped away the blood and flesh stuck to his eyes and mouth, then turned his head and retched. After vomiting for a long time, he finally recovered and looked back, only to find... ...The necromancers around him wereughing louder and louder! "Ha ha ha ha! Little Garrett, your first dissection exploded. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just the first time. It happened to everyone!" "Ha ha ha ha! Looks like this corpse¡¯s flesh is still quite hard. You¡¯ll need to wait a bit longer for it to thaw before you can cut it open..." "Ha ha ha ha! Little Garrett, you¡¯re too naive. This is just a tiny test of the will. You¡¯ll have to get used to it if you want to be a first-rate necromancer!" ... Garrett stood frozen in ce, feeling as if he had been struck by lightning. He looked at theughing necromancers around him and finally understood... I¡¯m not the only one who thinks they¡¯re scary. I¡¯m not the only one who thinks they¡¯re eerie. I¡¯m not the only one who thinks they¡¯re cold-blooded. I¡¯m not the only one who thinks they¡¯re crazy. I¡¯m not the only one who thinks they¡¯re frightening... But... He looked around at the necromancers, and a faint smile appeared on his face. That¡¯s right, I¡¯m not the only one. There are others, too! Even if the corpses explode, even if the corpses¡¯ eyes are gouged out, even if the corpsesugh, even if the corpses cry, even if the corpses rot, even if the corpses fight back... ...I¡¯m not the only one. We¡¯re all the same! We¡¯re all necromancers! Chapter 251 Over the next two hours, a group of necromancers with rich experience in dissection... no, experience in dissecting corpses, enjoyed a beautiful anatomy lesson. "This thief is quite thin... not much fat. You¡¯re lucky. If you encounter someone with a thickyer of fat, preparing the body would require scraping off the fat first, which can be troublesome. Sometimes we spend a whole morning just cleaning off the fat!" "Let¡¯s see what¡¯s beneath the skin... look, around the navel, these dark colors are the subcutaneous veins, forming awork. We call it the subcutaneous venous plexus. Following the subcutaneous venous plexus upwards along theteral walls of the chest and abdomen, you can find the thoracoabdominal veins. That¡¯s why we need to make an incision in the center, if the incision deviates, it¡¯s easy to identally sever a blood vessel, causing the patient to bleed heavily..." The silver skeleton hands danced. Scalpels, tissue forceps, tissue scissors, along with a few mage hands assisting, delicately peeled away the tissues, exposing the blood vessels. The necromancers crowded around, poking and prodding: "So, that¡¯s how it is..." "No wonderst time when I dissected someone, there was a sudden gush of blood..." "To be able to dissect without harming the blood vessels at all, Garrett Nordmark is skilled!" Garrett red at them forcefully. Bleeding upon making an incision? Hey buddy, were you dissecting a corpse or a live person? Sounds unreliable! The dissecting knife danced. This thief had little fat, so after stripping off the skin, the muscles were immediately visible. Garrett was dissecting happily:"The muscles wrapping around the abdomen aren¡¯t a single piece, butyered. Look, the outermost is the external oblique muscle, with muscle fibers nting downward. In the middle is the linea alba... Cutting and removing the external oblique muscle, beneath it is the internal oblique and rectus abdominis muscles, removing them, underneath is the transversus abdominis muscle. Cutting along the linea alba, very good, next is the peritoneum, cutting it open will reveal the abdominal cavity!" The necromancers began to diverge in opinions. Some swayed back and forth, very bored, wishing they could just plunge into the abdominal cavity with a single stroke; while others watched with relish, wishing Garrett would dissect more slowly and carefully: "Is it really like this? Although cumbersome, it looks very smooth!" "So this is how you open the abdomen. Will doing it like this prevent damage to the materials in the future?" "No wonder thest time I sutured up a belly, it kept leaking... I¡¯ll try going back and see if dissecting slowly, one cut at a time, might make it better." Garrett: ¡ú_¡ú Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t hear you guys! Of course, there were necromancers whose attention was focused elsewhere: "Thismp is excellent, have you noticed?" "Yes, I did. Underneath that silver skeleton, there¡¯s not a hint of shadow!" "It¡¯s particrly useful! Usually, I¡¯m annoyed when apprentices have to illuminate for me!" "Garrett! Where did you buy thismp?" "At the Alchemy Guild, just ask for the Shadowless Lamp, they should have plenty of models¡ªNo, don¡¯t interrupt! Have you all remembered what I just said?" "Uh..." "Uh..." "Do you understand? Why haven¡¯t you all hurried to take notes?" Archmage Edgar red. As a high-level mage, he had strong mental power, these things could be remembered at a nce, no need to jot them down. But students were different, shouted at by their teacher, they began to wail in a flurry: "Teacher, we didn¡¯t bring paper and pen!" "Oh, two rooms to the left from here, there are paper and pens on the bookshelf." Garrett said while busy. Those who wanted to take notes rushed off. Those who were toozy to take notes lingered there,menting: "Teacher... isn¡¯t it unnecessary!" "It¡¯s necessary! Hurry, take notes! Write down the words, and draw diagrams too!" "No way... Teacher, I¡¯m not good at drawing diagrams..." Garrett smiled slightly. As a doctor, uh, as a necromancer, how could one not be good at drawing diagrams? Bones, muscles, organs, blood vessels, only by drawing them could they be better memorized, and only by drawing them could they be better exined to patients! Uh, it seems necromancers don¡¯t need to face patients... The enjoyable dissection work continued for two hours. Finally, the silver skeleton hands busily put down the tissue scissors, scattering them into a pile. And on the opposite surgical table, Garrett also closed his eyes and swayed. "p", "p", the mage hands dispersed, and two hooks simultaneously fell off. Severalrger and more solid mage hands flew up simultaneously, supporting Garrett as he took two steps back, sitting on a floating disc. Archmage Edgar stepped forward quickly: "Is your mental power exhausted?" "Probably..." The voice from under the protective suit sounded muffled and weak. Garrett sat with his head drooping on the floating disc, feeling dizzy and sweaty, his heart pounding irregrly, and his back was sweating profusely. Judging by these symptoms, besides mental exhaustion, there might also be a bit of hypoglycemia? At this level of depletion, there¡¯s no way to continue working. With the support of the mage hands, Garrett floated out of the red zone, went through chemical showers, left the buffer zone, removed his protective suit, bathed and changed clothes. Back in the safe zone, he sat and drank arge ss of sugar water, still reluctantly looking towards the inner room: Sigh, I still want to dissect. It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve practiced. From leaving the battlefield till now, it¡¯s been a year since Ist operated on someone... My hands are itching! I¡¯m a surgeon! And that body needs to be dissected quickly. Without a high-level mage continuing to freeze it, left at room temperature, it will dpose beyond usability in a few days. Can my mental power hold up? Should I use a mental power potion? Seems a bit wasteful... Garrett¡¯s regret was almost written on his face. Archmage Edgar looked at his expression with relish, suddenly asking: "Can we stay here? Continue watching you dissect tomorrow?" "Ah! ¡ª¡ªOf course." Garrett snapped out of it, nodding quickly. It¡¯s just continuing to watch the dissection, as long as they¡¯re willing to abide by theboratory rules and wear protective suits, continuing for a few more days is no problem! But, but¡ª¡ª "Can the body be refrigerated?" A group of necromancersughed. Newbie necromancers who haven¡¯t started summoning their undead yet, are helping the teacher transport and store bodies. Even if Archmage Edgar didn¡¯t intervene, these average level seven or eight necromancers could easily preserve the body with a few spells. "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s already been preserved." Archmage Edgar replied with a smile. Garrett thanked him with a smile, then thought for a moment: "Uh... can I borrow that silver skeleton for a few more days? Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to make the cuts¡ª¡ª" "Consider it a gift to you." "That¡¯s not possible!" Garrett was almost jumping with fear. Or rather, if he weren¡¯t exhausted and in a weak state, he would have actually jumped. What a joke, although he didn¡¯t know how much the silver skeleton was worth, being able to make cuts on a level seven corpse, and being a magical tool that he could manipte at will¡ª¡ª One or two thousand contribution points definitely wouldn¡¯t be enough! Emptying his wallet probably wouldn¡¯t be enough! How could such a precious item be given away for free? He absolutely couldn¡¯t ept it casually! Garrett¡¯s face changed color, hands shaking. Archmage Edgar nced at his disciples, his eyes full of helplessness: Look, look, I knew it would scare him. If he hadn¡¯t spent two hours getting a taste of it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to talk about it now. If he had said it was a gift from the beginning, he might not even want to dissect, let alone touch this skeleton! Ah, why bother. Just like how polymorphers aren¡¯tcking in various magical equipment, the necromancers of the ck Crow Swamp aren¡¯tcking in various skeletons. After killing an enemy, preserve their body and prepare to summon undead. umting over time, every necromancer has a pile... Under Archmage Edgar¡¯s tutge, every disciple who set out on a journey was given a golden skeleton. Like the one in Lynn¡¯s hands, it can work, fight, and be cute. It¡¯s considerate. In terms of level, it¡¯s much higher than Garrett¡¯s silver skeleton. And skeletons, unlike magical equipment, besides internal digestion in the necromancermunity, aren¡¯t favored by others¡ªordinary people don¡¯t like them, and other mages don¡¯t like them either. If there¡¯s someone who likes it, just based on this, giving away one wouldn¡¯t be a loss! Garrett didn¡¯t want it, or didn¡¯t dare ept it, but Archmage Edgar insisted on giving it away. Fortunately, he had a n for this too. Now saying it out loud, it flowed smoothly and naturally, full of sincerity: "Oh, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m giving it to you for free. When we were dissecting just now, you generously let us watch, exining while working, and didn¡¯t even ask for payment, right? ¡ª¡ªYou treat us as friends, so we can¡¯t be stingy either." "But it¡¯s different!" That exnation fee, at most, would cover the rental of the silver skeleton! The little guy is quite stubborn. Archmage Edgar smiled and continued: "In that case, let¡¯s make a deal.¡ª¡ªYou know, every necromancer has to learn how to dissect and organize bodies. Many neers can¡¯t pass this test. I see you¡¯re quite skilled, help us train some entry-level necromancer apprentices, especially in dissection skills? Not too many, just 20 from this year¡¯s intake. This silver skeleton will be your training fee!" "This... " Garrett hesitated. Anatomy, dissecting, is a part of medicine. It¡¯s fine to leak a little out of enthusiasm, but to teach systematically, you can only teach those who have entered the gates of medicine and made a medical oath. He pondered, and Archmage Edgar, observing his words and expressions, added: "In this way, the teaching materials are all provided by the ck Crow Swamp!" "They must adhere to my oath! They must not use what I teach to harm the living, must not pass on what I teach to those who haven¡¯t made the same oath, must not..." Garrett said a string of them. Archmage Edgar pondered for a long time, then asked: "Only the part you teach?" "Of course!" "No problem!" Both sides shook hands, reaching a deal. So three dayster, when Archmage Carlisle received the news and came to the door in person, he saw young Garrett using the skeleton from the ck Crow Swamp, surrounded by necromancers from the ck Crow Swamp, teaching students from the ck Crow Swamp... He silently turned around, left, and rushed to the Tower of Heaven. "Teacher, something¡¯s wrong, they¡¯re trying to abduct young Garrett!" Chapter 252 Chapter 252 "Little Garrett? Gone?" The Lord of Thunder paused at his fingertips. In front of him, in the porcin cup, a strand of pure white foamy milk rose from the side and skillfully poured into the coffee cup. Interrupted like this, the perfect swan spreading its wings pattern in the cup skewed, and immediately, an extra tail appeared at the outer edge of the swan¡¯s wing. To the left of the legendary mage, a silver-white feather pen was busy writing on its own. As the pattern failed, the feather pen also stopped moving, with a snap, lying on the paper like a normal pen. "Tell me the details of the matter." The legendary mage took a sip of coffee and slowly spoke. Carlisle the Archmage dared not dy and immediately reported to his teacher. The Lord of Thunder listened quietly, then chuckled: "Useless." "Tea... teacher?" "He wants to enter the ck Crow Swamp, he entered it long ago. If he still hesitates after a year, it means the School of Necromancy isn¡¯t interesting enough to attract him. As for asionally ying with corpses, it¡¯s not a strange hobby for healers to y with corpses, so don¡¯t bother him." Carlisle the Archmage nodded obediently. The Lord of Thunder ignored him, pouring the failedtte art into the sink. With a wave of his fingertips, everything on the table began to move by itself, coffee beans started grinding themselves, milk started frothing and pouring into the foam cup, and then started to be whipped... In the coffee cup, the pure white swan finally spread its wings. The Lord of Thunder showed a satisfied expression, took a small sip, and nodded:"Well, but we can¡¯tpletely ignore it, making it seem like we don¡¯t care at all. So, I think the little guy is really going down the path of a healer. Both times he advanced, there was a breakthrough in healing magic¡ª" "When he¡¯s had enough fun, urge him to quickly finish the mithril task and then find another healing-rted task to keep him busy. This way, we can distract his attention and see if there¡¯s anything else hecks, just put it in the rewards for the mithril task." So, when Garrett came to his senses from the joy of dissecting corpses and was about to return to his normal routine, he received an urgent message: "Has the mithril refining project beenpleted?" "Ah... isn¡¯t it too early?" Garrett nced at the leaden clouds outside. In winter, Nevis City was shrouded in winter rain. Eight out of ten days it rained, and on the rare days when it didn¡¯t rain, it was still gloomy. It was a face that seemed to say, "I¡¯ll rain as soon as you step out." But for Garrett, who was a bit of a homebody, bad weather meant he didn¡¯t want to go out. "It¡¯s not early!" Aurora Worton, tasked with delivering the message, looked frustrated. Her boss was really generous when he wanted to be, but also reallyzy. Clearly, the results were already there, but he insisted on dying the submission for a month. What was he thinking? Submitting the results meant getting rewarded! "Boss, my senior brother has already written the part about electric current refining; I¡¯ve also written the part about refining with the fire element. A few days ago, I even went to the mine. The current monthly output is ten times higher than before you took over the project..." The boss just started it and then left it, leaving poor Aurora, a kic mage, to squat in the mine for half a month, collecting materials, making records, and being plied with alcohol by dwarves. Wasn¡¯t it hard enough for her! With such resentment, Aurora brought a thick stack of papers and mmed them in front of Garrett: "Boss, take a look. If there¡¯s nothing to change, can we submit it forpletion?" Garrett skimmed through the paper¡ªtable of contents, abstract, conclusion. Then, he casually closed the paper: "We¡¯re still missing the final part." "Still missing?!" "Of course, we¡¯re still missing!¡ªWell then, tomorrow, apany me to the forge district. I want to see if the dwarves havee to their senses." The dwarves had indeede to their senses. Garrett, wearing a full set of magical defenses¡ªnot because he was afraid of danger, but mainly to keep dry¡ªarrived at the entrance of the forge district, and as soon as he asked, he saw Master Talbert¡¯s eyes light up. Next to him, the bearded dwarf guarding the entrance to the mithril area seemed eager to rush forward and hug Garrett¡¯s legs: "Yeah! The production volume can¡¯t go up anymore! We¡¯re in desperate need of ore, and even the idle hands have gone to mine, but it¡¯s still not enough!" So, weck ore? The mining efficiency isn¡¯t high enough, is it? Garrett smiled confidently. Returning to Nevis City, Garrett immediately gathered a bunch of things and headed to the peak. What he was about to do next was quite dangerous, mainly because it was prone to explosions. He was a bit reluctant to blow up his ownboratory, so naturally, he went to mooch off others. Anyway, there were so manyboratories in the Tower of Elemental Mages, he could use them anytime. It was said that renting aboratory also cost money, but Aurora had taken care of it for him, and Garrett had not earned any contribution points himself... He cheerfully upied aboratory, hung a sign saying "upied," and locked the door. The news quickly spread to the Tower of Heaven, and Master Decar shrugged at his disciple: "You see, here hees." Garrett, who had thrown himself into the, was unaware that people in the Tower of Heaven were discussing him. Equipped with full magical defenses, he filled arge basin with half water, called for Aurora: "Aurora, Frost Beam!" Aurora Worton: "So, am I just a tool for making ice?" Comints aside, he still had to listen to the boss. With a grimace, Aurora threw Frost Beams into the basin until it was filled with tiny ice cubes. Then, she watched as Garrett inserted a test tube into the basin, dropped sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and glycerin into the test tube... And nothing happened. "Oh, maybe the sulfuric acid and nitric acid aren¡¯t concentrated enough? Let¡¯s purify them and try again..." "Try again..." "Try again..." BOOM! "Uh, the reaction was too fast, let¡¯s slow down this time..." BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Aurora Worton went from nervous to rxed, then from rxed to numb. Eventually, apart from periodically reinforcing defensive spells for Garrett, he was just mechanically recording the experimental process: "One milliliter of concentrated sulfuric acid, one milliliter of concentrated nitric acid, mix thoroughly, cool in the ice-water mixture to 0 degrees... slowly add dehydrated glycerin... exploded... hmm, this time it didn¡¯t explode?" Aurora curiously stretched her neck, looking at the clear yellow liquid in the test tube, showing a cautious expression: "Again?" Aurora curiously stretched her neck, looking at the clear yellow liquid in the test tube, showing a cautious expression: "Again?" "Yep! Someone¡¯s already made it?" "Yeah! This thing¡¯s totally useless! It¡¯s not easy to ignite, and if you leave it alone, it might explode again at any time! The Alchemy Guild made a bunch of them, but no one wants them¡ª" "But since it¡¯s been made, if you want it, you can order it!" Garrett: "..." Embarrassing. He needed to go through all these alchemical products when he had the time. Who knew what chaotic names they¡¯de up with after making things? But still, he felt more at ease making this stuff himself, especially since it could be taken orally as medicine. If the purchased items had too many impurities and identally contained sulfuric acid or nitric acid... Just thinking about the consequences was chilling. With a cheerful heart, Garrett prepared a small test tube and began washing cotton, boiling cotton, and soaking cotton in nitric acid. After a series of BOOMs, he looked at the small box of results in front of him, squinting with satisfaction: "Aurora?" "Ah, Boss!" "Is there a ce here to test spells? Um, preferably, free..." "Yes, yes, yes!" Aurora jumped up, freezing halfway through her jump: "For free? Boss, the free ces don¡¯t have any protection. We¡¯re not exactly broke right now, so why scrimp on these few points?" Are you kidding! With the power of the Dragon¡¯s Breath he disyed, he could produce a fourth-level effect with a first-level spell. If he tried out a new idea this time and identally created a high-level spell, and it exploded... His teacher would skin him alive! Despite Aurora¡¯s persuasion and coercion, Garrett finally dragged his boss to the fifth floor of the Energy Shaping Tower. This floor was specially reinforced with spells and was dedicated to mid-level mages¡ªthose between level 5 and 9. It was divided into ten different-sized rooms and a hall, with different prices and facilities to amodate the needs of different mages. The hall was divided into ten shootingnes. After raising defense barriers, they could be used without interference. The price wasn¡¯t high, only 10 contribution points perne per hour. The downside was that whatever you did might be seen by others... Because Garrett wanted to save money and didn¡¯t care much about confidentiality, Aurora took him to the hall. By this time, ninenes were already upied. Aurora dragged Garrett over, just brushing thestne. "Boss, boss, over here! Hurry!" "Uh, wait a minute!" Someone behind them urgently shouted. Aurora had already pressed the badge, confirming their right to use thene. The man hurried over, but still missed a step, stomping his feet in frustration: "Why are you so quick to snatch¡ªreally now!" He turned around, squeezing in before the barrier closed. Perhaps he was in too much of a hurry, his forehead was already covered in sweat, shining brightly on his bald head. He didn¡¯t bother to wipe it, sighing to Aurora: "I thought you were using it, but since you¡¯re not, you¡¯re letting him use it? What a waste! A second-level mage like him... would you mind switching with me? The teacher¡¯s exam is tomorrow, and I haven¡¯t mastered my new magic yet! How about this, I¡¯ll give you 20 contribution points, and you take him to the lower-level area?" Garrett: "..." I¡¯m just too busytely to refresh my badge, okay? I¡¯m already a third-level mage! Third level! He ignored the guy, pulling Aurora and walking to the end of thene. There were stones of various hardness piled up on thene, serving as targets for the mages. Garrett picked a medium-sized one, let Aurora drill a hole with magic, stuffed in the cotton soaked in nitric acid, and then inserted a long rope. Then, they exited thene and threw a Spark over... BOOM! A muffled sound. The stone split into pieces. Very good! Sessful trial! Garrett happily waved his fist. Beside him, the bald mage continued to stomp his feet: "Come on, buddy! That¡¯s such a small amount of power, much weaker than the me Sphere, and you¡¯re still worthing to the mid-level area... Hey, please let me have it! Really, I¡¯ll give you 40 contribution points! 40! That¡¯s four times as much!" This guy was so annoying... Garrett and Aurora nced at each other. Aurora signaled: Should we give it to him? Are you okay with that? No way! I¡¯m going to take up the whole hour! Well, should we make a bigger fuss? Garrett pondered for a moment. A spark of inspiration arose, and he carefully put on crocodile skin gloves, grasping the ck cotton through the gloves. Concentrating, he manipted the spell model, using the cotton soaked in nitric acid as the casting material, releasing the magic¡ª me Sphere! Second-level Energy Shaping magic! Just learned after leveling up to a third-level mage! A rolling fireball the size of a head shot out quickly. Garrett was about tomand it to rise and continue forward¡ª BOOM! The fireball shrank, expanded, and exploded. A fierce shockwave swept in all directions! Garrett instinctively threw himself down! Aurora looked terrified, unable to block the shockwave even with two consecutive barriers. The bald mage also threw up a force field wall in a panic, barely stopping the shockwave from spraying hot gas onto his face. In the midst of the chaos, the shiny sweat beads on his forehead were flung away: "For Mysteries¡¯ sake! What kind of magic is this¡ªIt¡¯s not even as strong as a third-level Fireball!!!" Chapter 253 Chapter 253 The bald mage eximed, then turned towards the wall of the hall, no longer looking at Garrett. A mage¡¯s original spells were everyone¡¯s most precious secrets, so it was fine if someone inadvertently saw them, but since he discovered that this was someone else¡¯s original creation, it was best to be more discreet. Gestures, incantations, materials... Don¡¯t look, don¡¯t listen to anything! The bald mage covered his ears, turned away from Garrett, and crouched down, holding his head. However, even though he covered his ears, he couldn¡¯t block out the sound, and he could hear murmurs behind him, one after another: "Oops, sorry, I rxed for a moment... Let me try again!" Boom! "Hmm, quite sessful, but control is a bit difficult... Let me try again..." Boom!!! "Uh, it¡¯s still... hard to control, powerful but too cumbersome to handle... Let me try again..."Boom! "The power has increased, still prone to explosion..." "Why are you crouching here?" The bald mage turned around and saw Aurora crouching beside him, her eyes shining as bright as her golden hair. Her friendly and curious look reminded the bald mage of his own hunting dog, also with a golden coat... He smiled awkwardly, released one hand covering his ear, and pointed behind him. However, since he wasn¡¯t used to crouching normally, when he gestured like that, his whole body swayed. Aurora just pulled him up: "Why are you squatting? You didn¡¯t deliberately stare, it¡¯s okay if you identally saw a bit. The boss¡¯s magic isn¡¯t something you can learn with just one nce. Besides, judging by his temperament, the paper and exchangeable spells are probablying soon..." "How do you know?" The bald mage looked surprised. Brother, even though I don¡¯t know why you, a level-five mage, are calling that boss, he is still your boss! Isn¡¯t it inappropriate for you to act like the boss¡¯s master like this? "Because I¡¯m the one responsible for writing the paper..." Aurora drooped, looking disheartened, her ears almost drooping down. What, the bosses up with ideas, and you¡¯re responsible for writing the paper? Isn¡¯t that too fortunate? The bald mage was surprised and envious again, looking at Aurora¡¯s appearance was a bit funny, a thinyer of blush appeared on his bald head. Just as he was about to continue asking, a shout came from behind: "Aurora!" "Ah!!!" Aurora happily jumped over. The bald mage shook his head, smiled to himself, and stood up with his knees supported. He could hear whispers behind him: "Aurora, try this... Use this as the casting material, didn¡¯t you use sulfur for the Fireball spell? Try this instead. Be careful, it¡¯s especially prone to explosion, and controlling it is a bit tricky!" "Okay, boss! Boss, step back a bit, hide in that corner, I¡¯ll reinforce a shield for you..." Boom!!! "Wow, boss, you really came up with something amazing..." However, since Aurora was only a level-five mage, he could only cast the Fireball spell three or four times a day. Increasing the charge, increasing the charge again, using oxygen and nitrocellulose together as casting materials, trying different methods several times, he exhausted his mental strength and had to surrender: "Boss, I can¡¯t do it anymore... Let¡¯s try again tomorrow..." "Tomorrow?" Garrett looked at the time, still feeling unsatisfied: "It¡¯s not even half an hour yet. How about we try sting rocks again?" He lowered the defensive force field in front and walked in. Aurora rushed up and stopped him: "Boss, boss, you should go back to sleep first! You don¡¯t need to do these things! We can finish making the items, testing, and all that, by giving tasks! Yes, assigning tasks!" Afraid, afraid, his mental strength was exhausted, if the defense spell on the boss broke, he wouldn¡¯t have time to reinforce it... it would be a disaster! "Assign tasks?" Garrett hesitated. Aurora vigorously nodded: "Many people do this! We can outline the basic framework of the paper, and leave the rest of the work to others! It¡¯s very convenient! Many mages are willing to take on the task! Offer some rewards, or give second and third authorships. There are plenty of people eager to grab them, like..." "Like me!" The bald mage interjected eagerly: "I don¡¯t need rewards, just give me a third authorship! I¡¯m Baruch Krisp, a disciple of Manning the Great Mage. I can sign a magic contract and absolutely not disclose anything! Of course, it would be best if you could teach me that new spell¡ªI don¡¯t expect it for free! Half-price exchange, is that okay?" Garrett and Aurora exchanged smiles. This testing sessionsted untilte at night. Then Garrett took the elevator upstairs as usual, went into Archmage Carlisle¡¯s guest room, and fell asleep. Meanwhile, poor Aurora spread out sheets of paper on the desk in the outer room and stayed up all night writing the paper... The next morning, the paper on the entire Mithril smelting solution, especially the paper on the new explosive, and the improved version of the fire-based magic, were ced on Archmage Carlisle¡¯s desk. In less than half an hour, Archmage Carlisle personally carried the paper and sent it to the legendary mage. "The little guy has some ideas." The Lord of Thunder sipped his coffee slowly, flipping through a few pages and praising. After reading through it all, he looked up at his disciple: "Arrange everything, try out everything that can be burned or exploded, and see what results we get from using them as casting materials. Then, ask the little guy if he¡¯s willing to authorize this new explosive..." At this point, both master and disciple smiled. So far, everything Garrett brought out had not been refused, sometimes even appearing eager to get rid of it quickly. A character like him was somewhat rare among mages, and it was necessary for the teacher to take care of him more: "Well, talk to him. Is there anything he urgently needs, expensive magic equipment perhaps, we can customize a batch for him, and keep the price within these ten thousand contribution points? What else does heck? A wand? Amplifying instrument? Familiar? Also, the little guy is in Nevis City, doesn¡¯t have a fixed residence yet, right? It¡¯s not right for him to always stay in theb, see if there¡¯s anything convenient in the council¡¯s properties, allocate a house to him, consider it as part of the reward¡ª" So, Garrett was taken to Archmage Carlisle¡¯s office with a bewildered look on his face. "Magic equipment? I need it!" Garrett didn¡¯t hesitate and blurted out a bunch: "Precise bnce! Centrifuge! Oscitor! Pipette, give me a couple of dozen! Acidimeter! Spectrometer! Ultraviolet spectrophotometer! Oh, and give me a set of ammeter and voltmeter too!" "Stop stop stop stop stop¡ªwhat are all these things you¡¯re asking for?!" Chapter 254 Chapter 254 "I¡¯m really foolish, truly," Garrett lifted hisckluster eyes to his followers. "I only knew that magical weapons and armor are expensive. I didn¡¯t know that precision instruments could be even more costly than magical equipment..." Ten thousand contribution points! Just like that, gone! A precision bnce? Avable. A regr bnce, with an uracy of 1 gram, costs 5 gold coins each. A precision bnce, with an uracy of 0.1 gram, adjustable by knob, costs 100 gold coins each. With an uracy of one thousandth of a gram, disying readings via crystal, costs 1,500 contribution points each. For an uracy of one ten-thousandth of a gram, sorry, none avable...Centrifuge? Not readily avable, but after Garrett made his request, the transformation-type archmage quickly indicated his ability to create one. 6000 revolutions per minute? No problem. Needs to be frozen during centrifugation? Also no problem. Four nested magic arrays, each used for mping, rotating, temperature change, and timing, powered by magic crystal, remote-controlled, all no problem ¡ª 3000 contribution points each. Oscitor, 500 contribution points each, water bath ¡ª 2 liters capacity, adjustable temperature, with attached thermometer ¡ª 1000 contribution points each. Pipette is rtively expensive, mainly because each pipette must be specially equipped with a magic array, and the precision of the magic array is particrly high. After much calction by the archmage, considering the requirements to meet Garrett¡¯s needs, extracting only 1/20 milliliter of liquid each time, only the master¡¯s micro-carving technique in the Alchemy Guild can achieve it. Considering the master¡¯s level, manualbor costs, scheduling, and the requirement for priority, the Alchemy Guild offered Garrett a high price of 2000 contribution points each... Garrett silently retracted his boast of "give me a dozen", endured the heartache for a while, and only ordered one ¡ª with a free gift. There¡¯s no choice; some medicines require high precision, and he doesn¡¯t trust them if he didn¡¯t make them himself. As for the acidity meter? Chromatograph? Ultraviolet spectrophotometer? What on earth are these things? Aftermunicating for a while, Garrett wiped his tears and ordered a piece of high-transparency, high-refractive index triangr ss, intending to assemble a simple spectrophotometer himself. As for the acidity meter and chromatograph, forgive him for not having used them much, let alone disassembled them, and he has no idea how to DIY them. By the way, Garrett only knows the uses of these instruments and is not clear about their construction. He can¡¯t fleece the Alchemy Guild like he did with microscopes and shadowlessmps, getting custom products for free while still taking advantage of them... Add to that a batch of various misceneous equipment, and the freshly acquired 10,000 contribution points were gone in the blink of an eye. "Sigh, bankrupt..." Garrett walked out of the meeting room with a wilted head. Aurora tried tofort him: "It¡¯s already quite good. If not for this opportunity, low-level mages would have to pay at least twice as much to have masters customize things for them! Whether they ept it or not depends on their mood too!" "I understand the reasoning," Garrett didn¡¯t feelforted at all. "But it¡¯s really expensive!" Ten thousand contribution points! All spent! And he even dipped into his savings! Aurora looked at him and shook her head helplessly. Speaking of which, he himself is now a small wealthy man. Sinceing from his hometown to Nevis, there hasn¡¯t been a year where his expenses were less than 1000 gold coins ¡ª without this, he wouldn¡¯t have saved up 1500 contribution points. But spending ten thousand in one day, he had never imagined! Speaking of which, is this why Garrett is the boss? "Alright, let¡¯s go see your house," Aurora pulled him with force. "Thunder Horn actually rewards you with a house! Hey, do you know how difficult it is to buy a house in Nevis? My father spent half a year in the city and asked countless people to finally buy one! And that was because the previous owner wanted to return to their hometown due to old age, and it was hard toe by, costing nearly 5000 gold coins!" A house. Garrett finally felt a little happy. The house at the headquarters of the Magic Council is equivalent to a house in the capital district ¡ª buying property in the capital district within a year and a half of crossing over! And it¡¯s even a vi with a garden? They descended Igor Peak together, walked out of the station. Aurora¡¯s family¡¯s carriage was already waiting outside, carrying two mages and the Thunder Horn staff, heading straight for the vi area. Aurora¡¯s vi is on the edge of the vi area. The carriage passed by, not stopping, heading straight for the central area as directed by the staff. A row of houses, two rows of houses... "Wow! Thunder Horn is really wealthy!" Garrett let out a soft exmation. The carriage stopped, and standing before them was a beautiful three-story building, one floor higher andrger than Aurora¡¯s home. The exterior walls were all pristine white, even in the darkness, giving off a dazzling feeling. A tall wrought iron fence surrounded the vi, enclosing a spacious garden. Although it was midwinter, the nts in the garden still stood tall, showing no signs of withering. If Aurora¡¯s house is worth 5000 gold coins, the one in front of them is worth at least ten thousand. Just like this, given to him? The staff apanying them felt awkward for a moment. He nced at Garrett¡¯s expression and whispered: "It didn¡¯t cost any money... Didn¡¯t we have a spy incident some time ago? The Magic Council traced it back and uprooted a bigwork. This house is one of the bases we confiscated, so it became the property of the council. Don¡¯t worry, no one died inside." "I don¡¯t mind that..." Garrett shrugged. "Don¡¯t mention if anyone died, even if someone did, I believe the necromancy faction must have cleaned up thoroughly and wouldn¡¯t leave any trouble behind. At worst, we¡¯ll invite a few necromancers toe aroundter..." The staff led them inside. Pushing open the wrought-iron gate adorned with roses and thorns, a t bluestone path led straight to the vi¡¯s main entrance, feeling smooth enough for a carriage ride without any bumps. As the main door swung open, brightness flooded in. From the high ceiling of the living room hung a crystalmp, twice the diameter of a shadowlessmp. "¡­Everglow mes." Garrett murmured. The house hadn¡¯t been maintained, yet the crystalmp still shone brightly, indicating the presence of Everglow mes - something Garrett had struggled to cobble together when he attempted to make a shadowlessmp. The luxury of the living room implied the other areas wouldn¡¯t disappoint. Garrett followed the staff on a tour, from the second floor where the corridor was carpeted with wool, soft enough to sink a foot into, to the canopy bed with fringed curtains, spacious enough for three people to sleep together, adorned with embroidered silk covers. "Wow, this bed is incrediblyfortable to lie on," Aurora whispered in awe. Moving on, they reached the study where the chair was upholstered with a whole bear¡¯s fur cushion. Aurora resisted the temptation to sit down and sway back and forth, just reaching out to touch it. Two master bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, one guest room, one nursery, a sunroom, a study, and an entertainment room. In the cer, there were barrels of wine aplenty. Though Garrett didn¡¯t drink, judging from Aurora¡¯s excitement, they weren¡¯t cheap. If the house itself was worth ten thousand gold coins, the furnishings and collections inside could easily double the value. Aurora grew more excited the more she looked around, but Garrett became increasingly silent as he surveyed the ce. Finally, from the depths of his soul, he asked seriously: "So, to maintain this house, how many people do I need to hire?" "...," the staff pretended not to hear. His magic level wasn¡¯t high; he was still second level at forty or fifty, and it seemed he¡¯d never ascend any higher in his lifetime, so he had to be more thoughtful in dealing with others. Garrett looked at Aurora, whose research level far exceeded his magical level, and saw the directive behind being given a house directly from above. Even if he was troubled by the house¡¯s maintenance, he¡¯d better say less rather than more. As expected, when he said nothing, Aurora quickly picked up: "For my house, one manservant doubling as a coachman, one cook, one maid for room cleaning should be enough. Your house is bigger than mine, with a bigger garden. Even if all unused rooms are sealed, you still need one more manservant, one more maid, and someone to tend to the garden. Oh yes, with this many people, you¡¯ll need a steward too..." "How much would that cost?! And, I¡¯m not familiar with the ce, where do I go to hire them?" There¡¯s probably a desire from above to make you spend money. The staff member lowered his head slightly, listening to the blonde mageforting the owner of the house: "It¡¯s okay, hiring people is very convenient. I¡¯ll ask Uncle Pete to check aroundter. He¡¯s familiar with this ce and can definitely find some people for you!" "...The White Tower provides services." The staff finally chimed in, "The magic user management area of the White Tower provides various services for mages, including hiring servants. For room and board, an ordinary manservant costs five silver coins per month, those with special skills like driving a carriage or gardening are around ten silver coins, and a literate personal manservant costs about twenty silver coins per month. For ordinary maids, depending on age and appearance, it¡¯s between five to fifteen silver coins per month. Cooks generally ask for ten silver coins, while stewards are more expensive, ranging from twenty-five to thirty silver coins. However, these are all certified servants by the association, so safety is guaranteed¡ª" The sound of coins clinking rang out from his own pocket, echoing in Garrett¡¯s ears. "So, without a personal manservant, using the cheapest maids and a steward, it would still cost at least forty-five silver coins per month¡ªthat¡¯s four and a half gold coins. Adding in their board and lodging, firewood and charcoal, maintaining and cleaning this house would cost at least ten gold coins a month." He muttered to himself: "A gold coin can make a little demon work for an hour. With ten gold coins, I could make hundreds of needles! Can I just sell the house¡ª" "Cough, it¡¯s probably best not to." Aurora quickly interjected to stop him: "They gave you such a house, even my teacher couldn¡¯t approve it, it¡¯s probably a directive from higher up. They wouldn¡¯t want you to sell it right away¡ªbesides, it¡¯s just money, you can earn more! Let¡¯s go back and ask the teacher if there are any more tasks we can take!" "More tasks?" Garrett wasn¡¯t too keen. He hadn¡¯t even synthesized penicillin yet! The public health consultation wasn¡¯t finished yet! The Mage Tower¡ªno, the P4b¡ªhadn¡¯t confirmed the drawings yet! If it were just a research task, he could ept it, but if it turned into a fight, he wouldn¡¯t know if he could withdrawter! Unfortunately, Aurora insisted on dragging him along. They went all the way to Archmage Carlisle, who was already prepared, pushing forward a stack of documents: "After the skirmish with the Radiant Church, our fleet¡¯s activities at sea have expanded significantly. However, the health of the sailors has always been a problem, preventing the ships from staying at sea for too long. ¡ªBoth the Council¡¯s fleet and the Merchant Union have requested from the Council. Seeing your interest in healing arts, do you want to take on this task to improve the sailors¡¯ health?" Chapter 255 Chapter 255 Improving the Health Conditions of the Crew? Garrett Nordmark almost blurted out, "Lemons, bean sprouts, alright, I¡¯ll go make some penicillin." However, after a moment of consideration, he still epted the task: Firstly, without investigation, there¡¯s no authority to speak; any solution must be tried before determining its feasibility; Secondly, what if there are other diseases affecting sailors¡¯ health in this world? Drawing conclusions rashly is not right! Of course, Garrett couldn¡¯t deny that the rewards for the task were appealing. Even if just for the reward, he should at least take a look... "Very well." Archmage Carlisle smiled satisfactorily. "Since you¡¯ve taken it, someone will visit you tomorrow. A fleet from the Council has returned and is currently resting in the port. The oneing tomorrow should be their fleetmander, James Delock, or someone like the logistics chief. Oh, is your house tidied up?" Garrett: "..." So, they assigned me a mansion just to make a show? No matter how rushed Garrett was in tidying up the house, when the guests arrived the next day, he still disyed appropriate and absolutely not shabby etiquette:A level 7 warrior opened the door, also took care of the carriage for the guests, and looked after the horses; A cook (borrowed from Aurora¡¯s family) was busy preparing, boiling water, making tea, baking trays of fragrant cookies; An invisible servant opened the door, moved chairs, served tea and water (congrattions, this was a level 1 magic of the illusion school, Garrett could finally contribute a bit); A grand mage¡¯s personal disciple, level 5 mage Aurora Worton, apanied him to wee the guests... The two guests exchanged a nce, silently lowered their eyelids, concealing their surprise. Before they came, they had already received the news that the little mage sent by the council to solve the problem was from Newster County, some city¡ªanyway, it was a city they hadn¡¯t heard of. Selected to study at headquarters and arrived in Nevis just a year ago. In short, he was a country boy. Of course, with the rank of a fourth-circle arcane mage, plus the identity as a council envoy, he was already qualified to sit on an equal footing with them. However, a country boy entertaining them in the city¡¯s garden district vi. Though the etiquette was somewhat strange, it was by no means shabby. It seemed that the council¡¯s attention to this little mage in the past year was even greater than they imagined. The smiles of the two guests immediately became more genuine. The leader slightly bowed and extended his hand to Garrett: "Hello. I am James Delock,mander of the third fleet of the Council, a ninth-level knight. I apologize for the intrusion." "Hello, I am William Ganson, the logistics chief of the fleet." Beside Delock, a middle-aged man with a high hairline and a pointed chin also reached out his hand. Garrett shook hands with them one by one: "I am Garrett Nordmark, a fourth-circle arcane mage, level three mage. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you." Everyone took their seats in the living room. Invisible servants brought out a silver tray, serving warm red tea for the guests, and cing down two shiny silver cans. One can contained white sugar cubes, the other held fresh milk, obviously for the guests to add as they pleased. Another invisible servant floated out from the kitchen, cing down a te of pale yellow and a te of brown, freshly baked cookies. Each cookie was adorned with twisted patterns, and the aroma wafted into the air with each step. In the firece, the fire crackled and burned, warming the entire living room. James Delock remained upright, sitting on the sofa like a long sword, full of military demeanor. The logistics chief, on the other hand, had rxed, picking up a brown cookie, chewing, his eyes lit up: "Coffee-vored?" Garrett nodded with a smile. William Ganson praised, "The cook at your ce is really good. These coffee beans are good¡ªunless I¡¯m mistaken, they¡¯re from Taras, right?" Garrett didn¡¯t give a direct answer. He didn¡¯t understand coffee in his previous life, only knew about Blue Mountain coffee, cat poop coffee, and such, he couldn¡¯t tell them apart. After crossing over, he understood even less. Fortunately, in this world, as long as the mage¡¯s level was high enough, not understanding anything else wasn¡¯t a big deal. Garrett just smiled faintly: "Mr. Ganson is the fleet¡¯s logistics chief, so he must be an expert. If you say so, then it must be true." "Unfortunately, our fleet doesn¡¯t sail that route." Ganson sighed suddenly. "Not only do we not sail, neither does the Council¡¯s fleet, nor the kingdom¡¯s fleet, or even merchant ships, sail to Taras. Otherwise, we could have brought some fine goods for Mr. Nordmark." This was getting to the point. Garrett set down his teacup, focusing slightly: "Oh? Why is that?" "The power of the Radiant Church is too strong." William Ganson sighed. "The Storm Inds and everything south of the Storm Inds are all upied by them. We arrivedte, with fewer ships, so we can only upy some ces in the north. For the specialties in the south, either small boats sneak over, or we buy them at high prices from them¡ª" Garrett listened attentively, refraining from speaking. Knight Delock finished half a cup of tea silently and then interjected: "We had a good opportunity two months ago. We encountered one of their fleets north of the Storm Inds, presumably blown over by a hurricane. But at that time, we had been sailing for two months, with many crew members falling ill in droves, afraid to engage in battle, and could only keep our distance. If we could have them endure for three months at sea, that time, we could have defeated them!" "Oh, do you have healers on board?" "We do¡ª" The two guests smiled bitterly. Knight Delock carefully exined to Garrett: "Healers are indeed present, but they are very scarce. In the Council¡¯s fleet, only the gship is equipped with a healer, usually a level 3 to 4 war cleric, asionally a level 5. Other ships¡ªlike our fleet, besides the gship, there are three small ships, with over five hundred sailors¡ªthen it¡¯s up to fate. If a few crew members fall ill, or a few seriously injured are healed after a major battle, the cleric can manage. But if many crew members fall ill, the cleric can¡¯t do much. Like the cleric in our fleet, already a seventh-level powerhouse, doing his best, can only support the fleet for another ten days." Ten days? Dying the onset of scurvy for ten days? Garrett immediately cast an admiring gaze. A fleet, four ships, nearly a thousand people, dying for ten days?! Buddy, how did you manage that! "So¡ªwhat diseases are they suffering from?" Logistics Chief Ganson silently pulled out arge leather-bound book. Spreading it out, he pushed it in front of Garrett, pointing to the book to exin: "11 died in battle ; 3 fell into the sea due to idents; 7 died from unknown high fever; 5 died from diarrhea; 8 died from a sea gue¡ª" "A sea gue?" "Yes, after sailors spend a long time at sea, they start bleeding from the gums, weakness in limbs, muscle pain, gradually bedridden. The cleric doesn¡¯t have a good solution. Even with Remove Disease, it can only provide temporary relief..." Garrett began to massage his temples. Scurvy might be easy to deal with, but the number of deaths due to scurvy was not even half of the total deaths. It seemed that there were many things to be done to solve the health problems of the crew! "Could I see your ships and crew?" That afternoon, Garrett boarded the gship of the fleet, the Pelican. "So big..." Garrett eximed as he climbed thedder. It was said that this gship was "only" 500 tons, in his previous life, a ship of a thousand tons was considered a small ship, and tens of thousands of tons were fishing boats. Anyway, 500 tons wasn¡¯t considered much. However, he realized he had to climb for quite a while even for a 500-ton ship. Climbing up felt high, but when he reached the deck, he suddenly felt narrow. Garrett looked around, even spread his arms to measure, the main deck was less than two operating rooms wide, and in length, it was shorter than the corridor of their hospital¡ªwhile the corridor of the old building was only over 50 meters long. Garrett looked around, then turned to the fleetmander: "Where do the sailors live? I need to take a look." "Uh..." Knight Delock pinched his nose and led him downstairs. Just one floor down, Garrett reflexively cast a spell, creating a bubble around himself: It stinks too much! It¡¯s really too smelly! He thought for a moment, then dispelled the spell. Understanding the situation correctly was the most important thing now. Endure it, oh, it¡¯s so smelly... Sulfur permeated the air, making Garrett¡¯s eyes water. He had to step back outside and cast the bubble spell again. The odor was overpowering! As they went down further, the air became increasingly foul. Just after descending one flight of stairs, Garrett saw no less than ten rats, apanied by cockroaches and other insects, and behind the stairs, in the corners of the ship¡¯s hold, heaps of unidentified garbage piled up. The rooms where the senior sailors lived were so narrow that only one bed could fit, not even enough space to turn around. And the sailors didn¡¯t even have "rooms", they slept on the lower deck, either on hammocks or makeshift beds. Needless to say, with such poor sanitary conditions, the appearance of infectious diseases was normal. Garrett turned his head. Knight Delock, themander, followed behind him, his hand on his sword, his expression clearly saying, "Can we leave soon?" Garrett grabbed themander, shaking his finger to inquire: "Where do they go to the bathroom?" "They go everywhere..." Bernard, who followed into the cabin, worriedly added. Garrett insisted on going down one more level. As soon as his foot touched the ground, he immediately ran back up: The bilge pumps were pumping water! That smell, even the bubble spell couldn¡¯t block it! "Boss, I forgot to tell you, when the weather is bad, most of the sailors solve it in the bilge..." Bernard said with a sigh. Garrett went to the kitchen again and saw that therge bucket of fresh water was almost used up, leaving only a small amount of water, which had clearly turned bad. The bread not only had mold but also maggots, flies buzzing everywhere. As for other food, Garrett dared not look anymore. "The sanitary conditions of this fleet need to be improvedprehensively! Comprehensive! Otherwise, when people die, it¡¯s a piece by piece!" Chapter 256 Chapter 256 "Rat-catching!" "Exterminate cockroaches, fleas, bedbugs, mosquitoes, and flies!" "Food preservation!" "Toilet cleaning!" Garrett muttered with clenched teeth as he wrote, each stroke prating the paper. So annoying, so annoying. Thinking of the scene on the boat just now made him dizzy, nauseous, wanting to vomit... Fortunately, he was using the Infinite Ink Pen, magically reinforced, so it didn¡¯t snap on the spot. It was also fortunate that he was using ordinary white paper, not parchment, so if it tore through, it could me the poor quality of the paper, not his excessive force. Knight Delock looked at him somewhat amused. As themander of a fleet, there were mages boarding the Pelican every year to and from the New Continent, and even a Level 5 mage was stationed on the gship. Many mages had a look of disgust when they first boarded the ship, after tossing and turning in the wind and waves for a couple of months, vomiting until they couldn¡¯t get out of bed, pinching their noses to dive into the bottom cabin, hanging in the ship¡¯s head toilet, after various hardships, they would just give up. However, someone like Garrett, who worked without hesitation, andined about it afterwards, was indeed rare to see. And after inspecting the cabin and visiting the crew, he must go home once, change clothes, take a bath... "Boss! I¡¯m done!"The barbarian burst in, holding arge porcin bottle. His cuffs,pels, and even the corners of his mouth were stained with a lot of orange stuff, and Knight Delock¡¯s nostrils twitched, smelling a sour odor. "Bernard... you¡¯ll turn into a little yellow man tomorrow." Garrett stopped writing and chuckled. Heh! Bernard was indeed more reliable when it came to squeezing fruit juice without a juicer! With a strong squeeze! Lemon juice or orange juice, it just gushed out! Of course, sneaking a few bites in between was just abor cost, not even counted as normal loss. Without waiting for Bernard to protest, Garrettughed, got up from his seat, and rolled up the manuscript paper: "Shall we go? Commander, are you ready?" "Let¡¯s go!" They headed straight to the military camp. After the fleet returned, most of the officers and sailors had gone out to enjoy their holidays. Only a few soldiers who lived far away, had no money, or were still lying in the camp due to injuries or illnesses, moaned constantly, long or short. Knight Delock led Garrett straight to the infirmary. As soon as they entered the camp gate, Garrett¡¯s eyebrows furrowed: Sewage flowed horizontally, flies buzzed everywhere. The sanitation conditions in this barracks were not much better than the second deck of the gship he had just seen! Garrett silently pushed open the door. As soon as the door opened, a strong sour smell hit him in the face. The smell of sweat, foot odor, bad breath, the smell of infected wounds, and the dried and spoiled smell of blood mixed together, almost forming a substantive olfactory assault. Garrett almost took a step back: !!! Ten or eight diabetic foot patients gathered together waiting for dressing changes would probably be like this! He steadied himself and walked slowly indoors. Theyout of the infirmary was not much different from the city guard he had in mind, with arge room in the middle, a corridor, and tworge bunk beds on each side. Garrett frowned again: How could the wounded be ced like this? He didn¡¯t even know what their situation was. If there were some typhoid fever, dysentery, or spotted fever, wouldn¡¯t it spread? He took a step forward. The hem of his coat was immediately grabbed, and Garrett looked down to see a fifteen or sixteen-year-old young soldier with a flushed face, groaning weakly: "Water... give me water..." "This one has also contracted the ¡¯seasickness¡¯." Knight Delock sighed beside him. Garrett bent down and immediately smelled a strong odor of bad breath, which seemed particrly clear amidst the foul smell filling the room. Heposed himself, took out a cotton swab, and gently turned it in the young soldier¡¯s nostrils: Sure enough, the cotton swab was covered in blood. Garrett sighed. He put on gloves, lifted the young soldier¡¯s lips, and saw that the gums had begun to recede, with blood oozing from the roots of the teeth. Bad breath, receding gums with bleeding, and bleeding from the nasal cavity. There was no need to continue the examination; these symptoms were already very clear signs of scurvy. Garrett straightened up and took off his gloves. He raised his voice to summon Bernard: "Bernard, give him a cup to drink." "Okay!" Bernard hurried over and poured a small cup from the porcin bottle, holding it to the young soldier¡¯s lips. The young soldier drank a sip in a daze, his face twisted, and he spat it out. Garrett was prepared early and ordered: "Force it down!" "What¡¯s this?" Knight Delock asked in confusion. Garrett immediately exined, "A medicine, it might be effective against seasickness. I brought it over to try it on them." So coincidental? He made demands to the council yesterday, and today he said there was a cure? Themander was skeptical. Garrett didn¡¯t exin further and instructed Bernard to distribute the fruit juice while he walked along the bunk beds, inspecting one by one. The second wounded soldier, around twenty years old, had a broken arm. The ce where the bone was broken was obviously healing poorly, lying on the bunk, groaning constantly. The third wounded soldier, with white hair and no obvious external injuries. Garrett briefly examined him, no fever, no diarrhea, apart from scurvy, he couldn¡¯t find any other symptoms for the time being. The fourth wounded soldier had arge area of dermatitis. The fifth one had diarrhea. The sixth one had a fever, chills, fleas on his body, and physical examination showed rashes and erged lymph nodes, highly suspicious of spotted fever. The seventh... The more Garrett checked, the more he frowned. After checking them all, he finally couldn¡¯t help but pull Knight Delock aside, and asked softly: "Where is the priest?" "The priest is on vacation too..." Themander smiled awkwardly, "Besides, this year¡¯s treatment quota has been used up..." Garrett fell silent. The Magic Council and several temples have a cooperative rtionship rather than a hierarchical one. The council hires some priests from the temples, and within a certain quota of divine magic, the priests provide packaged treatments, benefiting both parties. When the quota is exceeded, priests who don¡¯t wish to treat or go on vacation are beyond anyone¡¯s control. "But regardless, these wounded and sick cannot be left as they are," Garrett gestured towards the military camp. "They need baths, clean clothes and bedding, elimination of lice and fleas. Those with contagious diseases must live separately to avoid infecting others. Proper care must be given to the injured, feed them better to aid in recovery." "But what about manpower?" themander inquired. Garrett paused, "What do you mean?" "Here are all wounded soldiers. The uninjured ones are on leave, and the ones on duty have their own tasks, no time to care for them," themander replied with a hint of frustration. Garrett fell silent for a moment. Perhaps, this is the essence of a hospital? Even if it¡¯s just experienced nurses, they know how to care for the wounded... "You arrange the rooms. I¡¯ll take care of them," he said, lowering his gaze. Themander was taken aback, "What?" "I¡¯m a healer. Since I¡¯ve seen it, I can¡¯t just ignore it." Garrett¡¯s voice was low but firm, without a hint of hesitation. After saying this, he brushed past themander and walked into the room. Bending down, he helped a soldier with multiple infected wounds: "Come with me, your wounds need cleaning. Bernard! Is it ready yet? Come and help!" "Mr. Nordmark! Mr. Nordmark!" themander hurriedly reached out to stop him. "This rough work doesn¡¯t need to be done by you! I¡¯ll call the soldiers! Those kids, taking care of theirrades, shouldn¡¯t shirk their duties!" Garrett ended up finishing the tasks with them. Bernard carried water buckets, poured water, and supported soldiers, while Garrett, in a nearby room, cleaned wounds for soldiers with external injuries, cut away rotten flesh, washed wounds, and treated minor and moderate injuries. asionally, he shouted instructions: "All clothes need to be cleaned! Dirty clothes make it hard for people to recover!" "Baths! Everyone needs to bathe! All bedding needs to be washed! Fleas and lice must be removed, or people will get sick!" "The entire house needs to be cleaned! No garbage allowed!" "That blond one, send him to the next room and arrange for someone to take care of him separately! Others are not allowed to enter! The caretaker should wear leather clothes to prevent fleas from crawling onto him!" "The one with diarrhea, the utensils he uses must be washed separately and boiled in hot water!" Garrett was busy. Seeing him like this, themander and the logistics chief exchanged nces and rolled up their sleeves to join the working crowd. From morning till evening, all the wounded soldiers were finally settled. Garrett wiped the sweat from his forehead: "I¡¯lle and check tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work!" The second day, the third day, the fourth day. Under Garrett¡¯s juice therapy, the soldiers with sepsis gradually began to improve. And Garrett¡¯s report was also ced in front of Archmage Carlisle. "Maintain cleanliness? Kill rats, pests? Proper preservation of food and fresh water?" Archmage Carlisle quickly scanned the report: "Hmm, these are issues rted to fleet management, we will discuss with the fleet. Then about the ¡¯seafaring gue¡¯¡ªstoring fresh fruits on ships? Providing an orange a day, or drinking a cup of lemon juice? Is that so..." Archmage Carlisle carefully read the report. Garrett attached a thick stack of medical records behind it, specifically stating that, except for the ¡¯seafaring gue,¡¯ the soldiers did not receive divine magic or other medical treatment. Comparisons with other sailors¡ªmainly those from returning merchant ships¡ªwere made in terms of names, ages, symptoms, treatment ns, daily conditions, everything was documented. The answer was obvious, a cup of lemon juice or orange juice every day was the magic cure for the ¡¯seafaring gue.¡¯ "Garrett, your solution is excellent. But¡ªit won¡¯t work." "What?" Garrett eximed. Archmage Carlisle replied slowly: "Having you take on this task isn¡¯t just about treating sailors, but more importantly, about narrowing the gap between the Council fleet and the Radiant Church. A cup of fruit juice every day, while a good solution, is too simple and easily cracked. If we inform all sailors and shipowners, the Radiant Church will soon learn of this method. With their power, the gap between the Council and them will widen significantly. Keep working hard! Develop a magical medicine that can cure the ¡¯seafaring gue,¡¯ one that only the Magic Council can master! Fight for enough advantage for the Council, fight for enough time!" Chapter 257 Chapter 257 What? Make vitamin C? Garrett was dumbfounded. How difficult is it to confirm that scurvy is due to ack of vitamin C and then produce it? Simply put, this achievement is worth two Nobel Prizes. In 1937, Hungarian biochemist Szent-Gyorgyi won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on vitamin C and oxidative reactions in the human body. That same year, British scientist Haworth, for determining the chemical structure of vitamin C and synthesizing it artificially, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Archmage Carlisle, you¡¯re overestimating me T_T If I had the ability to make vitamin C barehanded, I wouldn¡¯t have struggled for over a decade in my past life and ended up just a deputy chief physician! My highest degree is only a master¡¯s! I specialize in clinical medicine, not pharmacy!By the way, what is the industrial process for extracting vitamin C... This isn¡¯t something I forgot, it¡¯s something I never learned... Garrett descended from Igor Peak feeling depressed. Thinking about needing to ovee the hurdle of two Nobel Prizes toplete the task left him feeling powerless, not even wanting to enter theboratory. Seriously, is it really necessary to create a magic potion to solve a problem that could easily be addressed with a lemon every day? So annoying... Should I just write a paper on using lemon juice for treatment and toss it to the Alchemy Guild to figure out how to turn it into medicine... Feeling unhappy, Garrett summoned his mount and rode aimlessly. The horse summoned by magic was more intelligent and obedient than those in the natural world; even if the master didn¡¯t control it, it wouldn¡¯t startle and run amok or trample people. Garrett rode his horse absentmindedly, the horse moving freely. Before he knew it, a fishy smell hit him. Coming to his senses, Garrett lifted his head and realized he had arrived at the harbor district. Since he was already here, he decided to visit the clinic¡ªthinking so, Garrett turned his horse and soon arrived at the clinic run by the Nature God¡¯s congregation. "Brother Matthew!" "Oh, little Garrett, howe you have time toe over?" Priest Matthew turned from the alchemy table with joyous greeting. Garrett felt a bit embarrassed: he hadn¡¯t visited the clinic muchtely, busy either with electrolysis or bacterial cultures. After causing the gue, he had also lent a hand to the congregation, treating patients and cultivating, staining, and examining bacteria. It seemed like the council hadn¡¯t even paid them for their services... He really owed them... "Brother Matthew, sorry, I¡¯ve been busytely." He approached and leaned in, asking, "Brother Matthew, what are you making?" "Making daffodil tablets... Don¡¯t say, the daffodil tablets you made work really well. Those guys with gout fromst time, they got better after taking the medicine for a few days. Oh, they were so pleased, behaved for two months, then indulged themselves for a while, and came back here to buy medicine, then behaved again for two months before starting to mess around!" Daffodil alkaloids! Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up. It seemed like he had caught a thought, yet it seemed like he hadn¡¯t. However, it wasn¡¯t the time to be lost in thought; Garrett rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward to help: "Brother Matthew, let me help you make them!" Weighing, adding alcohol, shaking, filtering, settling. Evaporating the alcohol to obtain crude daffodil alkaloid extract. The content had been calctedst time, so there was no need to measure again. In total, 20 grams of daffodil powder yielded 12 tablets. Garrett worked deftly and smoothly, reminding Brother Matthew as he worked: "Brother Matthew, remember to tell the patients that they can only take 1 to 2 tablets per hour, which means a maximum of 12 tablets in 24 hours. Overdosing can be toxic! Really, daffodils are poisonous!" "I know, I know! You reminded mest time too!" Brother Matthew smiled. "Really, although you can just grind a bit of daffodil powder, mix it with some starch, and use it, you have to go through all this trouble!" Garrett was dumbfounded. Yes, that¡¯s right. You can directly use the nt¡ªor the powder of the nt¡ªfor medicinal purposes; why extract it? Why industrialize production? Why synthesize chemically? Why do countless researchers in chemistry, chemical engineering, and biomedicine insist on going down this path despite numerous difficulties? It¡¯s not just for monopolizing, it¡¯s not just for technological barriers. More importantly, it¡¯s for the safety of medication! For example, the dosage of daffodil alkaloids for adults is 0.5 to 1 milligram every 1 to 2 hours, not exceeding 6 milligrams per day. Too little dosage is ineffective, too much can be poisonous. So, how do you ensure the uracy of the dosage? Control the source of daffodils? How was the weather this year, sunshine, rainfall, fertilizers; how well did the daffodils grow? Use only bulbs, not leaves, or only certain parts of the bulbs? Such control methods may be urate to 0.1 or 0.01 grams. However, to be precise to milligrams or even micrograms, to ensure that each dosage of medication is consistently stable and uniform, is impossible! And what about medicines with even smaller single doses? Like fentanyl, used for anesthesia induction, with a dosage of 0.05 to 0.1 milligrams... Not to mention, the impurity content in medicinal nt extracts is too high. The simplest example, the active ingredient of aspirin, salicylic acid, everyone knows can be obtained by boiling willow bark. But how manyponents are there in willow bark tea? Amino acids, sugars, organic acids, glycosides, phenols... Dozens are the minimum. Trying to extract salicylic acid from this mixture, removing ineffective or harmfulponents¡ªhaha, it¡¯ll make you cry. That¡¯s why, after modern chemistry emerged, we have modern anesthesiology. If it were ancient times, using various herbs like datura, mandrake, and jimsonweed, mixing and refining them to give to patients would be gambling with lives. If the raw material fluctuates even slightly, anesthesia could be an overdose, and the patient wouldn¡¯t wake up... Only by relying on chemistry, only by extracting and refining through chemical means, can medication content be measured, can drugs be of high purity, uniform in nature, and stable, bing reliable helpers for doctors! These are all principles that were once studied... "Brother Matthew, thank you." Garrett sincerely expressed his gratitude. Without waiting for Brother Matthew to ask, Garrett had already rushed out of the clinic like a whirlwind and summoned his mount again. Riding through the streets for a few rounds, he stopped at a fruit stall: "How much are these oranges? And lemons?¡ªI¡¯ll take them all, deliver them for me!" A cart of oranges, a basket of lemons, a cart of cabbage, and seven or eight other varieties of vegetables were gradually dragged into Garrett¡¯s vi. The cook wiped her hands on her apron in astonishment: "Mr. Nordmark, are you... Are you hosting a banquet?" Chapter 258 Chapter 258 Garrett regretted his decision within half an hour. Why did he buy so much? Had he lost his mind to purchase an entire cart of oranges? He could have just bought a few pounds; it would have been enough for his experiment. If it wasn¡¯t enough, there were plenty avable in the market! In addition to oranges, he also bought lemons, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, peas, radishes... "Susan, Aunt Susan!" Garrett had to apologize to the cook with a smile: "Could you do me a favor? Peel the skins of these things, slice them, remove the seeds¡ªjust prepare them as you normally would before cooking. It doesn¡¯t have to be a lot, just a pound or so!" "Sure thing, Master Garrett." The cook readily agreed. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the sound of chopping boards ttering, apanied by Aunt Susan¡¯s sighs: "Young people these days..."Garrett shrugged. He had to admit, Aunt Susan was much more efficient at these tasks than they were. In the blink of an eye, a te of sliced fruits and vegetables was ready. Garrett smiled and thanked Aunt Susan, then called out loudly: "Aurora! Come over and help!" Aurora rushed over. Following Garrett¡¯s instructions, he diligently cast ice spells on the lemons, cabbage, and cauliflower, freezing them quickly. Once all the fruits and vegetables were frozen solid, he directed Aurora to put them into a thick-walled iron bottle and vacuum out the air. As the air pressure decreased, the moisture in the fruit and vegetable slices began to evaporate rapidly. While the fruits and vegetables still retained their fresh and vibrant colors, they had be dry and brittle, crumbling at a touch. "Alright! Thanks, Aurora! Take this to Aunt Susan to grind into powder, mix thoroughly, and put it in a bottle!" Freeze-dried mixed fruit and vegetable slices! Grinding into powder! A mixture of seven or eight kinds of fruits and vegetables! Garrett attempted to cast an identification spell, but the information was too chaotic to provide feedback. Aurora tried as well, but likewise couldn¡¯t produce a result. Well, he would take it to the Tower of Heaven tomorrow and ask a master appraiser for help... The anti-scurvy potion, basic version,pleted! If even the master appraiser couldn¡¯t identify it, then he would just turn it in for the task! With a backup n in ce, Garrett focused his attention on the vitamin tablets. Chemical synthesis was out of the question, so extracting vitamin C from natural sources was the way to go... "Bang, bang, bang¡ª" Bernard, holding a pestle half his height, pounded it down with force. The enormous pestle seemed weightless in his hands, as juice sttered out in all directions, swirling and sinking to the bottom of the mortar. In no time, Bernard leaned the pestle against the side and poured out the freshly squeezed orange juice. Extraction. Squeezing through cheesecloth, filtering, filtering again, and once more. Obtaining a clear¡ªor at least, rtively clear¡ªliquid. The barbarian¡¯s task wasplete, and now it was Garrett¡¯s turn to struggle! "Boss, all done! Anything else you need help with?" The barbarian wiped his hands, which were covered in orange juice, and grinned. Garrett waved to him: "That¡¯s all! Thanks for your hard work! Oh, and try not to eat too many oranges these days; look at how yellow your hands have be!" Then, how to make solid vitamin C... Garrett nced at the paper on the side. Before conducting the experiment, he had written down several technical routes: evaporation method, cooling method, vacuum cooling method, salting-out method, reaction crystallization method. Next, he would try them one by one... Take 100 milliliters, heat, evaporate the water. Take the dried residue of orange juice, dissolve it again, use starch indicator and iodine solution¡ªthanks to his previous efforts with bacterial staining, he had iodine on hand¡ªdetermine the content of vitamin C. Unfortunately, the residue after heating, the content of vitamin C... Was tragically low. Garrett scratched his head. He suddenly remembered that vitamin C would quickly oxidize and lose its efficacy when heated. Alright, scratch the evaporation method. Cooling method... Obviously, the concentration of vitamin C in orange juice was insufficient; even when frozen into a popsicle, no solid substance was formed. Vacuum cooling method... The result was the same as above. Salting-out method... After adding a bunch of sodium chloride, continuing to add until the liquid was saturated, the final product was still just table salt... Failure. Reaction crystallization method... The essence of the reaction crystallization method was to add a reagent to the solution to produce a new substance. When the solubility of this new substance exceeded the saturation solubility, crystals would precipitate. So, what could vitamin C react with to produce insoluble substances? Calcium? Potassium? Sodium? Garrett suddenly leaped up. Yes, that¡¯s it, sodium ascorbate! It had the same therapeutic effect for scurvy as vitamin C, but sodium ascorbate was a more stablepound! It was also amon drug in clinical practice! He should have thought of it earlier! Garrett held his breath, diluted a milliliter of sodium hydroxide solution, and slowly dripped it into the orange juice. With his left hand stirring continuously with a ss rod, he dripped, stirred, and then tested the acidity with litmus paper. Drip, stir... When the pink color of the litmus paper almost faded away, Garrett finally stopped. Filter again, heat, evaporate, crystallize. Then, dissolve the crystals again, test... Failure. He didn¡¯t make it. Undeterred, Garrett persisted. Since the barbarian had squeezed plenty of orange juice, he could afford to experiment slowly. If sodium hydroxide didn¡¯t work, he would try baking soda! If baking soda didn¡¯t work, he would try sodium carbonate... Time passed by minute by minute. Weighing, dissolving, titrating, heating, crystallizing. Dissolving again, reacting, measuring. Recording the mass of reactants, recording the reaction temperature, recording the reaction time¡ª Failure after failure, yet another failure. From noon to night, from night to midnight. The experimental notebook flipped through page after page, and therge pot of orange juice was consumed cup by cup. Aurora remained by his side, helping with weighing, heating, recording, and various other tasks, but as Garrett announced failure after failure, he gradually fell silent, no longer in the mood for jokes orughter. But Garrett¡¯s expression remained steady. What was this? What were these failures? Fundamental research was always a lonely and difficult path. To produce a single substance, the raw materials, concentration, temperature, reaction time, catalyst¡ªendlessbinations needed to be tried. Thousands, tens of thousands of possibilities; sometimes, just a 0.1 degree difference could lead to failure. Even if he was only conducting the simplest experiments, walking on paths paved by predecessors without falling t on his face, was that still called research? This time, as droplets of crystalline solution fell, the blue solution produced by the reaction between iodine and starch visibly faded! "Yes!!!" Garrett raised both hands and waved them vigorously. Sess! Sodium ascorbate¡ªeven if it was impure, he had made it! Chapter 259 Chapter 259 "Have you heard? The Council has developed a secret remedy against the ¡¯Seaborne gue.¡¯" "Yes, I heard about it too." Among merchants, news travels fastest. Less than ten days after Garrett sessfully made sodium ascorbate, rumors began circting among the sea merchants of Nevis City: "Yes, in my shop, there¡¯s ad whose second cousin is in the Northern Fleet. I heard that all the patients afflicted with the ¡¯Seaborne gue¡¯ in the fleet took this medicine and recovered quickly!" "I heard that the Northern Fleet is about to set sail for training soon, nning to drift in the nearby seas for a few months, and test this new medicine." "Do you think we could get our hands on this medicine?" "I went to the White Tower yesterday to inquire, but they didn¡¯t have it in the exchange area." "Perhaps they¡¯re still in the testing phase? I¡¯ll have someone ask..." Garrettpletely ignored these matters. After calcting the yield following the production of sodium ascorbate, he realized that with his manufacturing process, 100 grams of oranges could only yield 10 milligrams of vitamin C.With the normal daily intake of 100 milligrams of vitamin C per person, for a fleet of 1000 people, drifting at sea for 60 days, he needed to produce... Sixty tons of oranges! Thud! Such arge production volume should be handed over to industrial extraction; he shouldn¡¯t be manually producing it alone! Therefore, after finishing his paper, Garrett quickly handed it over to Archmage Carlisle. Reading through the paper alone, along with the key points needing experimentation mentioned within it, Carlisle shook his head with a wry smile: "1. Extracting the drug to treat scurvy would undoubtedly be more efficient. I rmend the Alchemy Guild to establish a team for multiple experiments. Given that this drug is easy to stabilize in acid but quickly changes properties in alkali, it is suggested to chop up the food and extract it with dilute hydrochloric acid, dilute sulfuric acid, dilute nitric acid, alternately; 2. Different fruits and vegetables have different effective ingredient contents. It is rmended for the team to obtain more fruits and vegetables for calction, not just using oranges and lemons. Attached is the method of calcting the content through titration; 3. When this drug reacts with baking soda or sodium carbonate, purity and concentration require experimentation with different ratios..." Attached behind the paper was a thick stack of experimental records, piled up to half a foot. The attitude was clearly one of "I¡¯ve made it, you guys can handle the rest in detail, I¡¯m out." It was indeed Garrett¡¯s consistent style... just like when he refined mithrilst time, and the follow-up to the pyrogenic experiment the time before that, throwing out a n and then letting others perfect it through experimentation... This approach to research wasn¡¯t wrong per se, but it might be a bit too arrogant. Generally speaking, mages below level five would follow their mentors to practice, and only after reaching level five would they independently research some slightly valuable problems. As for leading a team, that would typically require reaching level 7, 8, or even 9. Of course, the mage towers in other regions where a level five mage could lead weren¡¯t included in this. But little Garrett was only level 3! "Alright, you¡¯ve temporarilypleted this task." Archmage Carlisle sighed, patting the paper. "But rewards will only be given after enough medicine is produced and tested by the fleet. Now, have you thought about what to research next? Do you need anything Thunder Horn can provide?" Garrett hesitated for a moment. Penicillin was still being sought after, and so far, there were no results; the ns for the Protection and Transformation Schools at the mage tower were still in dispute, so nothing had been finalized; In public health, the relevant departments of the Council were bickering, mainly due to the sudden increase in new expenditures, and the budget allocation hadn¡¯t been finalized yet. It wouldn¡¯t be his turn to intervene for a while... "Well... I have a magic spell that I don¡¯t quite understand. Can I ask you about it?" "What magic?" "The second-level spell from the Charm School, ¡¯Alleviate Pain.¡¯" "Oh, that spell." Archmage Carlisle immediately rxed. This spell isn¡¯t difficult, I¡¯m quite familiar with it! The spell ¡¯Alleviate Pain¡¯ can make the recipient feel no pain for a period of time, making it an essential spell for mages venturing outside or traveling at home. When he advanced to a level three mage, he learned it quickly, and after so many years, he had be very proficient. By the way, there¡¯s also a corresponding divine magic version of this spell, historically known as a tool for priests tofort patients¡ªwhether it hurts or not, I¡¯ll cast ¡¯Alleviate Pain¡¯ for you, and the ailment will be cured within three hours. "You can¡¯t learn this spell? Where are you stuck? Show me by using it once¡ª" Was the incantation not pronounced correctly? Were the spellcasting gestures not standard? Was the spell model unable to be deciphered? Archmage Carlisle guessed. Garrett chanted a few lines softly, pointed his hand, and a wave of magical energy was released. Archmage Carlisle raised his hand to meet it, pinched himself, and indeed, he could hardly feel any pain. Considering the natural magic resistance of high-level mages, being able to achieve this level was already quite good. "You¡¯re using it quite well, aren¡¯t you? Where¡¯s the problem?" "The principle of this spell, what is it?" Garrett quickly poured out a bunch of questions: "Which part of the body does it act on? Can the range be adjusted, such as only controlling a certain part of the limb? Can it rx muscles? And also..." "Stop! ¡ª¡ª I¡¯ll take you to the Charm School to find someone!" Garrett smiled slightly. He had wanted to research this spell for a long time. ¡¯Alleviate Pain,¡¯ allowing patients to not feel pain for a certain period, was simply a magical tool for anesthesia in Garrett¡¯s eyes. Local anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, general anesthesia, while anesthetizing, it wouldn¡¯t cause central nervous system suppression, nor would it cause the patient¡¯s heart rate to drop or lose autonomous breathing¡ª It¡¯s much better than anesthesia drugs used clinically! But the problem was, when he cast ¡¯Alleviate Pain¡¯ on rabbits for surgery, the rabbits would still struggle if they needed to, and would still escape if they could. When setting a sheep¡¯s leg bone, the sheep¡¯s muscles would still tense up, and if it couldn¡¯t be moved, he still couldn¡¯t move it. In response, Elder Wood¡¯s answer was "improve your control." But Garrett always felt that there should be another way, a better way... The rtionship between the Charm School and the Sculpting School wasn¡¯t very good. Thetter thought the former was too fancy and too insidious; the former thought thetter was too violent, only knowing how to fight and kill. Fortunately, Archmage Carlisle had been at Thunder Horn for many years and had some connections. He led him through several twists and turns, and soon found a level thirteen mage from the Charm School. "Madame Syatt, it¡¯s this child." Archmage Carlisle pulled Garrett into the room. In the reception room, a young woman who looked only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with delicate features, raised her head and smiled faintly: "Little Garrett, right? I¡¯ve heard of you. Well, since you have questions, study here with me for a while and research it together." Chapter 260 Chapter 260 Archmage Carlisle¡¯s connections were quite powerful. Even after severalyers of referrals, the favors were solid. Madame Syatt¡¯s guidance to Garrett was truly dedicated, treating him no differently than her own disciples. As a level thirteen grand mage, Madame Syatt possessed profound knowledge of the Charm School¡¯s second-level magic. What seemed iprehensible to Archmage Carlisle was effortlessly dismantled and exined piece by piece by Madame Syatt: "This horn-like structure adjusts the casting intensity. Some individuals are particrly sensitive to pain, or certain pain spells have a strong impact that requires counteraction¡ªtry changing this structure? What¡¯s that? You need to calcte it? Of course, of course, young man, it¡¯s always good to be cautious." "This hyperbolic curve? You¡¯ve dismantled it incorrectly... The left half is connected to the more left diamond structure, and the right half can be dismantled separately..." "This cone? No no no, what you see on the scroll is its projection. Its spell structure in the meditation environment should be..." Second-level magic is much moreplex than first-level magic. With Garrett¡¯s abilities, he could barely manage to outline spell models, release spells, and follow instructions from magic scrolls or books. However, dismantling, adjusting, and altering piece by piece like this... Garrett attempted three times. The first two attempts were futile, and the third time, the spell model in the meditation environment shattered directly, almost shaking the meditation core. Garrett dared not risk further experimentation and sought help from Archmage Carlisle. It was only then that he realized that analyzing and altering standard spell models was a closely guarded secret of each school, each mage organization, and even each individual mage. Regarding the specifics of casting "Alleviate Pain," Archmage Carlisle himself was not very clear. Only the Charm School had masters in this area that could be consulted...Madame Syatt dismantled the entire spell model, exining it clearly. What each part represented, where adjustments could be made, and which parts absolutely could not be altered. She even made analogies,paring certain spell structures to "Hypnosis" or drawing parallels with Necromancy¡¯s "Blindness" and "Deafness" spells... The lessonsted from afternoon until after dinner. At around four o¡¯clock, Madame Syatt¡¯s female disciples came in to serve afternoon tea¡ªpouring tea, serving pastries, offering fruitsing and going incessantly, constantly changing. Each time someone entered, they would scrutinize Garrett. Immersed in the dissection of spells, Garrett didn¡¯t even nce at them, but Madame Syatt couldn¡¯t stop smiling. When pouring milk into the tea cup, her hand trembled uncontrobly, almost spilling it onto the apple pie. The deeper Garrett delved into the study, the more grateful he felt for the selfless teaching of the grand mage. After she finished, he couldn¡¯t help but bow deeply: "Thank you so much, Madame Syatt. I really don¡¯t know how to repay your guidance." "How about joining the Charm School?" Madame Syatt casually opened her feather fan, then closed it halfway. She covered her lips with the fluffy edge of the fan, smiling gently: "Young man, in our Charm School, there are many beautiful girls~" She lowered her head slightly as she spoke, absentmindedly straightening her skirt, effortlessly graceful. Garrett sweated profusely: "You¡¯re just joking..." What¡¯s so attractive about beautiful girls? Give me ten or eight rigorously trained nurses, and I¡¯ll immediately¡ªuh, I¡¯ll immediately bring them all back to the hospital... "Alright, alright, I won¡¯t tease you anymore." Madame Syatt said seriously: "I¡¯ve taught you everything I can about ¡¯Alleviate Pain.¡¯ The rest, you¡¯ll need to practice on your own. Is there anything else you¡¯d like to ask? Since you¡¯re in a good mood today, I can tell you more~~" This was just a polite remark. If Garrett still had his previous personality, he would have immediately stood up to thank her and take his leave. However, having crossed over once, his thick skin had grown considerably. Seizing the opportunity, he immediately inquired: "How do I know if the recipient of the spell no longer feels pain? Or if they¡¯ve been dazed, charmed, or hypnotized by me? Does the Charm School or other schools have any observation methods?" "This..." Madame Syatt¡¯s lips, along with thest hint of smile, faded away. She instinctively brushed her hair, and the gold bell on her wrist tinkled softly. She pondered for a moment before closing her fan with a p of her hands: "I don¡¯t think the Charm School has any. Generally, mages trained in the Charm School are quite confident in their charm, so they have a good idea whether their spells are sessful or not. Of course, there have been cases of people pretending to be affected and then retaliating... Hmm, let me think..." Her crimson lips lightly tapped the tabletop, her eyebrows furrowing, her eyes shifting. After a moment of contemtion, she suddenly pped her hands together: "I¡¯ve got it! Several spells from the Divination School¡ªMind Detection, Locating Spell, Unveil Invisibility, Disguise Detection¡ªeven the most basic Detection Magic and Toxic Detection, you can try them out? Divination spells allow mages to see things that ordinary people can¡¯t..." Can I see brain waves? Can I see action potentials? Can I see electromyography? Garrett¡¯s heart pounded wildly. He respectfully thanked Madame Syatt and caught thest train down the mountain. As soon as he returned to the vi, he rushed in like a whirlwind: "Bernard! Bernard!¡ªDo we have any frogs? Please, help me catch a few frogs!" "It¡¯s so cold out, where would there be frogs..." The barbarian, having eaten his fill of meat, was lounging by the firece in the living room, reluctant to move. Garrett sped his hands together, shaking him up and down: "Please! I need to conduct an experiment and need frogs... Without frogs, I¡¯ll have to kill manyrge animals, which is troublesome. Please help me!" The barbarian grumbled as he reluctantly got up and went into the garden. In no time, he came back with five frogsrger than his fist. Garrett gratefully took one, quickly nailed it to a wooden board, activated "Detection Magic," and made a cut on the frog¡¯s leg... Hmm, no change at all. "Toxic Detection"? Another cut, still no change... "Mind Detection"? Another incision, and Garrett¡¯s heart thumped in his chest. He did sense something, very faint and weak, but undeniably real. Quickly, he cast "Alleviate Pain" and continued to feel the magical feedback. It seemed like, maybe, there wasn¡¯t much change? Could it be that the frog¡¯s intelligence was too low, and Mind Detection couldn¡¯t read it? Garrett destroyed the frog¡¯s medu oblongata and made another incision. Then, to his dismay, he found that the feedback from "Mind Detection" still didn¡¯t change much... Should I try another one? Garrett pondered for a moment, then caught another frog, and cast the second-level Divination spell "Unveil Invisibility." This time, the frog¡¯s head, torso, and limbs emitted a translucent life aura. With a cut, both the frog¡¯s head and the leg it belonged to had their auras gently fluctuating. What is this? What is the life aura I see in my meditative vision? Intuition surged faster than reason, Garrett¡¯s heart pounding, almost ready to scream out loud. He even luxuriously took out a mental strength potion, took a sip, and then stared intently at the frog¡¯s head, raising his hand and casting¡ª "Alleviate Pain"! The head, the leg, the life aura in the meditative vision still flickered gently, but the fluctuations were not as intense. Garrett took a deep breath: he was getting close to the truth! Double releases! Monthly ticket! Hand them over! Chapter 261 Chapter 261 Known: [See through Invisibility] can see the spiritual light of living beings. Question: What is the spiritual light of life? As he approached the answer, Garrett became calmer instead. The next verification work required sufficiently refined prerequisites ¡ª even withplete prerequisites, many newly-minted students experienced experiment failures, experiment failures, experiment failures... Garrett calmed down and began manipting scales, pipettes, beakers, and sks. Preparing Renshi¡¯s solution, he welded zinc and copper tes together to make a zinc-copper bow. Hmm, magic made things much easier; he heated them until they softened, directly joined them together, and then cooled them down... Done! Perfect! Then, Garrett began preparing frogs, nailing them to wooden boards, destroying their brains and spinal cords, and cutting off the upper half of their bodies... Completing the sciatic nerve-gastremius muscle specimen. Theboratory was bloody, barbaric enough to make barbarians grimace, but Garrett remained impassive throughout, even showing some excitement. Just kidding, even though medical students weren¡¯t as ustomed to dissections as their biology colleagues, they had dissected dozens of frogs, mice, cats, and dogs, so who would fear such scenes! And throughout, Garrett even maintained his meditation, not being swayed by emotional fluctuations. Under the [See through Invisibility], the spiritual light of life silently flickered and quietly fell into the meditative field of view. What excited Garrett was that even with only a piece of spine and frog legs remaining, a faint spiritual light could still be seen in his meditative vision.So... Zinc-copper bow, dipped in Renshi¡¯s solution, stimting the sciatic nerve! The moment the metal pieces touched each end, the frog¡¯s gastremius muscle contracted violently. At the same time, the spiritual light in Garrett¡¯s meditative vision visibly jumped up! Correct! The magic [See through Invisibility], seeing the spiritual light, was most likely the bioelectricity of organisms! Then... What is the mechanism of action of [Alleviate Pain]? Garrett recalled the content from the "Physiology" textbook. The principle of human feeling pain is divided into three steps: When the body is damaged or inmed, damaged cells release pain-inducing substances, such as inorganic salts like potassium, hydrogen, calcium ions, amines like serotonin, histamine, prostandins, and so on. For example, arge proportion of dysmenorrhea is caused by prostandins. Taking ibuprofen in advance can inhibit the production of prostandins, achieving analgesic effects; When nerve endings are stimted by exogenous pain-inducing substances or activated by endogenous pain-inducing substances, receptor potentials are generated, which then trigger conductive action potentials to transmit the damage information along the nerves to the brain. As can be seen, this process involves bioelectricity; The cerebral cortex integrates the pain information, and finally, the body feels the signal of "pain" ¡ª So, at which step does [Alleviate Pain] work? Garrett decided to do another experiment. This time, following Madame Syatt¡¯s guidance, he narrowed down the range of action of [Alleviate Pain], narrowing it down, and narrowing it down again. In the spell model of [Alleviate Pain], the structure determining the casting coverage is a structure somewhat like an hourss. Neither end is a standard cone, but slightly twisted and coiled, with undting patterns, somewhat like ice cream on top of a cone. For Garrett, who had experience in constructing meditative shells, this kind of spell model was not too difficult. Isn¡¯t it just twisting and turning, patterns? Everything, everything, is a mathematical problem! After calctions, building function models, adjusting parameters, a series of steps, he had already narrowed down the range of magic¡¯s effect from covering the entire body to the size of a bowl. To narrow it down further, it wasn¡¯t that the parameters couldn¡¯t be adjusted, but that Garrett¡¯s mental power and spell control couldn¡¯t support it... Garrett took another frog, nailed it to a board, and cut the skin on its leg with a knife. [See through Invisibility]! [Alleviate Pain], target, frog¡¯s head! In his meditative vision, the spiritual light fluctuations in the frog¡¯s head decreased and softened, while the fluctuations in its legs remained strong. Was it that it couldn¡¯t feel pain anymore, but the limbs were still twitching involuntarily? It¡¯s a pity that he never learned the part of soothing animals in natural god¡¯s teachings; he couldn¡¯t connect with the animal¡¯s perception. If it were Reverend Matthew here, it would be better... Garrett thought for a moment, canceled the spell, and threw the second [Alleviate Pain] to the frog¡¯s legs. This time, in his meditative vision, the spiritual light in the frog¡¯s legs calmed down, while the light in its head remained calm. There was no choice; Garrett used the traditional fixed method, nailing the frog¡¯s four feet with nails, and it hurt. Hmm, so it means that the [Alleviate Pain] spell can at least suppress some of the sensory nerve¡¯s bioelectric conduction within the range of the spell¡¯s coverage... Then, if the nerves are suppressed, is it possible that after cutting off the nerve response, the sensation of pain in the terminal limbs will no longer be transmitted to the brain? Garrett impulsively threw a spell onto his thigh. Then, he bent down and pinched his calf hard. It really didn¡¯t hurt! Garrett continued to split the spell model. In this spell, the part that determines the nature of the spell resembles a flower, and underneath the flower are numerous coiled roots. Garrett tried omitting the part of the roots, casting the spell again... The frog struggled violently. However, when the spell was thrown to the frog¡¯s head, the frog immediately calmed down, and the spiritual light in its head also became gentle, with no more violent fluctuations. And by omitting the flower part and directly outlining the roots, casting again¡ª Effective on the limbs, ineffective on the head! Interesting. Garrett¡¯s eyes gleamed, recording quickly. So the "flower" part controlled the central nervous system, making the brain unable to recognize pain, while the "roots" part suppressed sensory nerves, inhibiting bioelectric conduction? This mechanism is very interesting! Moreover, after splitting and narrowing the range of the spell¡¯s coverage, the magical power consumed by this magic directly reduced from second-order magic to first-order magic. Such changes were certainly not very useful inbat. The smaller the coverage area, the lower the likelihood of hitting the target. If there were multiple wounds on the body, it would be even more impractical ¡ª it blocks here but not there... But in medical treatment, it would be very useful! Local anesthesia! If local anesthesia is possible, why use general anesthesia! If spinal anesthesia is possible, there¡¯s no need for general anesthesia! Wasting anesthetic, no, wasting magical power, and also affecting the patient¡¯s recovery! Tomorrow, yes, tomorrow, go to the clinic and give it a try! If there are no suitable patients in the clinic, he can go to the dock, to the fleet. There, the porters and soldiers are often involved in bumps and scrapes, so he should find an opportunity! Chapter 262 Chapter 262 Garrett spent the morning at the clinic. The clinic was quiet all morning, not even a single person with a cold came in. Garrett, ready and waiting, found himself with nothing to do, except for a sparrow hopping around the doorstep, entertained by an apprentice priest sitting there. Real-deal tumbleweeds. Hmm... as a doctor, he really shouldn¡¯t wish for people to get sick or injured. Even during night shifts, if there were no emergency rescues, it might be worth giving a few apples to the god of night shifts and throwing in a couple of extra milk cartons. But... if I had known it would be like this, I might as well have stayed at home and done animal experiments... Garrett decided to take matters into his own hands. He changed out of his priest robes, set aside his oak staff, pinned on his mage badge, and took Bernard for a stroll to the fleet¡¯s headquarters. Regardless, as long as the fleet was still docked, there would be training going on, and where there¡¯s training, there¡¯s bound to be injuries... If not, at least a few scrapes, right? He knew his way around, sneaking in through the gate of the infirmary. After testing sodium ascorbate for ten consecutive days, Garrett had be familiar enough with the guards toe and go as he pleased. With just a nod, he and the barbarians sneaked along the edge of the dormitory and made their way to the training ground. On the training ground, it was bustling with activity. The Council fleet¡¯s training ground was set by the sea, half water and halfnd. At the moment, two single-masted sailing ships were moored side by side at the pier, with gangnks set up in between. A group of prospective sailors, under themand of instructors, climbed the masts and pulled the rigging, busy as bees. From their movements, it seemed that one team was attacking while the other was defending, simting boardingbat.There was another group of older sailors, dressed more roughly, carrying barrels and crates, chanting as they ranps around the training ground. And then there were two groups, about twenty or so sailors each, sitting in rowboats on level ground, gripping wooden oars and rowing hard. Everyone¡¯s heads were steaming with sweat, breathing in and out, exhaling white mist. The temperature of the entire training ground seemed to be a degree or two higher than that of the surrounding area. Garrett tried to stick close to the edge of the field. The runners shouldn¡¯t get injured, and neither should the rowers... The group simtingbat seemed a bit dangerous... Maybe he should go over there and take a look? He cautiously made his way around. Just as he reached halfway, he suddenly heard amand not far away: "Fireball spell! Get down!" Garrett froze in his tracks. Before he could even see clearly what was happening around him, he was tackled to the ground by the barbarians... "Ouch..." Garrett let out a small groan. However, his voice was drowned out by the cries of panic: "Quick, take cover! - My Lord Bishop!" "Boom!!!" A zing fireball, perfectly round, detonated against the mast, apparently identally cast by the mage in charge of the exercise. The deck shattered, the hull flew sideways, and the dpidated single-masted sailing ship, which was only fit for training sailors, saw its mast creak and crash down, threatening to crush the sailors below. "Bernard! Help them!" Garrett shouted urgently. With a light push, the barbarian dashed out like a cannonball, heading straight for the direction of the mast. But faster than him was a fierce white light: "¡ª¡ª" The light struck first, thundering down like a bolt, hitting the side of the mast. The thick oak mast, the size of a bowl, was actually deflected by the white light, missing the startled young trainee by a couple of feet before crashing down with a bang, sending up a cloud of dust and gravel. At the same time, figures dashed out from the sidelines of the training ground, not just one knight but several. Garrett even saw William Thompson, the fleet logistics officer he had dealt with before, among the crowd, running and shouting: "Bishop Hampton! Save them!!!" "I¡¯ming too!" Garrett got up and rushed over. A seventh-level warrior priest, a seventh-level barbarian warrior, along with three or four knights, all pitched in. Soon, more than twenty injured sailors were all rescued, lined up in a row. Two who were knocked unconscious into the water, three burned in the explosion of the fireball, a dozen or so stabbed by various wooden pieces and nails, bleeding profusely, as well as grazes and bruises... Then, the logistics officer cast an expectant gaze toward the Lord Bishop: "Bishop Hampton, please... huh?" At the end of the line of wounded soldiers, Garrett was already kneeling on the ground, performing CPR on a young soldier... "Young man, who are you?" The Lord Bishop blurted out. Garrett, in the midst of his busy work, raised his head: "I am also a healer! ¡ª This one next to me is the most seriously injured; let¡¯s save him first!" "Alright!" The warrior bishop didn¡¯t have time to question further. He immediately bent down to check on the condition of the wounded soldier and activated his healing magic. After four or five consecutive spells, a soldier who was coughing up blood, two severely burned soldiers, and a soldier with a broken leg were all back on their feet, good as new. Bishop Hampton breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Garrett: "What are you doing?" Inside the makeshift tent, Garrett was unfolding arge piece of green cloth and covering the wounded lying on the long table... "He has a nail stuck in his corbone, and I need to remove it." Garrett replied without looking up. As he rotated around, one, two, three, four, fourrge pieces of green cloth had already covered the wounded tightly, leaving only a patch on their chests. He was still exining to the wounded: "Stay still, it won¡¯t hurt, don¡¯t be afraid. You lie still, and I won¡¯t tie you up, okay?" "Okay..." Came the muffled reply from beneath the cloth. Bishop Hampton¡¯s curiosity was piqued, and he hurried over to take a look. Just as he reached the entrance of the tent, he saw Garrett pull out a small knife, its silver de shimmering, exceptionally sharp, andpare it against the area near the wounded soldier¡¯s corbone. "You... wait a minute! You haven¡¯t even used the pain-relief magic! Bishop Hampton started to intervene. He had just uttered one word when Garrett aimed the tip of the knife at the wounded soldier¡¯s corbone, chanting softly. A somewhat familiar, yet somewhat unfamiliar, magical wave descended immediately. He made a cut. Bishop Hampton clearly saw the wounded soldier tremble slightly, but his muscles didn¡¯t tense up, nor did he let out a sharp cry of pain¡ªIt doesn¡¯t hurt, it really doesn¡¯t hurt! "Are you casting [Alleviate Pain]? Why is it different? The magical wave is much smaller?" The Lord Bishop couldn¡¯t help but ask. He immediately realized his slip of the tongue, smiled, and waved his hand, indicating that Garrett didn¡¯t need to answer. However, almost immediately, this warrior bishop widened his eyes and took a few steps forward: "What are you doing? - It¡¯s just a nail, why are you cutting his flesh? If you¡¯re not confident, I¡¯ll do it!" "Don¡¯t touch him!" The position where the nail was stuck was too delicate, nting into the space below the vicle, wedged between the subvian vein and the subvian artery. nt it a little to the side, and it would hit the external jugr vein, the suprascapr vein, the suprascapr artery, the brachial plexus, a tangle of blood vessels and nerves, all bunched together. With the magic detection activated, when he saw the position of the nail, he was sweating! This sailor was lucky not to have died! He was afraid that the bishop would be clumsy, so he hurriedly performed the surgery, cutting open the skin with the surgical knife, using the mage hand to hold the nail in ce. Then, he used the mage hand to hold the hook, gradually separating and pulling apart the sternocleidomastoid and pectoralis major muscles. Then with a wave of his hand, several mage hands turned into vascr mps, snapping shut one by one, closing off the surrounding blood vessels. "All right, you can pull it out now!" "Let me, let me!" Bishop Hampton rushed up, his right hand shimmering with white light, reaching for the nail. Garrett nced at it and didn¡¯t stop him. The Lord Bishop exerted force and pulled it up, with a swoosh, bringing out a small trickle of blood. Garrett already had a piece of gauze ready on the side. Seeing the blood flow, he promptly pressed it down. Then, he took out a small silver rod and pointed the ss fment at the wound nearby! "Treat minor injuries! Treat vascr abrasions!" Open up the subvian artery! No active bleeding! Open up the subvian vein! No active bleeding! Open up the external jugr vein, the suprascapr vein, the subvian vein... One by one, mage hands opened, moved, and disappeared. Garrett finally released the hook, leaned back: "No problem now. Bishop Hampton, it¡¯s up to you next..." "I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do it!" Bishop Hampton rubbed his hands and stepped forward: "Hey, you pulled out that nail so neatly, clearly cut several times, yet there¡¯s so little bleeding!" --------------- Chapter 263 Chapter 263 Bishop Hampton couldn¡¯t help but sigh. As a ship¡¯s doctor, he had removed many foreign objects from wounds. Some came out with just a minor treatment, while others, as soon as they were removed, caused a gush of blood that could only be stemmed with high-level divine magic. The feeling of dread and tension during those moments was something he never wanted to experience again. But Garrett, although initially apprehensive, remained calm and collected throughout. In the end, he sessfully removed the iron nail without any fuss, and the blood that flowed out merely dampened a piece of gauze. The bishop had a lot of questions to ask. Garrett smiled at him and gestured for him to hold on: "Sorry, I¡¯m busy at the moment. There are still many wounded soldiers to treat!" The bishop nodded and turned away to attend to his duties. With the severely wounded soldiers treated, only some minor injuries remained, which the soldiers could handle themselves with a wash. Bishop Hampton pped his hands together and returned to see Garrett sitting on a low stool, facing a soldier with a bloodied leg: "Hmm, this wound seems quite significant... Don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll numb it for you first, then clean the wound..." He raised his hand. Bishop Hampton¡¯s eyes lit up, and he hurried over to Garrett¡¯s side. He saw Garrett¡¯s hand slightly curved, fingers spread open, resembling the standard gesture for "Alleviate Pain." Then, his hand moved up about half a foot, covering the soldier¡¯s knee. A familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar wave emanated. "Ah¡ª" Bishop Hampton subconsciously wanted to speak up. What¡¯s with this positioning for ¡¯Alleviate Pain¡¯? This spell should be aimed far away at the wounded person, enveloping them entirely topletely numb their pain, allowing them to continue fighting!What are you doing aiming the spell at his knee? Before he could utter a word, someone else was quicker to speak. The soldier, whose wound was being cleaned, grimaced and twisted his face: "Ow¡ª" Garrett stopped his hand, his eyes slightly widened, looking very nervous. The soldier cried out twice, then suddenly stopped, lowering his head to look at his own leg: "Huh, huh? It doesn¡¯t hurt?" Garrett burst intoughter. The soldier also smiled apologetically: "Sorry, Bishop, I thought it would hurt a lot..." "As long as it doesn¡¯t hurt." Garrett chuckled and lowered his head to pour physiological saline on the wound. After pouring half a bottle, he suddenly stopped, pointing at the wound in front of him: "Imaging magic!" A wave of invisible and intangible breeze swept over. On the soldier¡¯s leg, wood chips, dust, small stones, and flowing blood were all swept away, revealing a clean wound surface and a few wood chips stuck in the muscles that needed to be removed. "You can use imaging magic like this?" Bishop Hampton was astonished. He paused for a moment, sighed: "Mages are indeed so convenient..." Garrett sighed inwardly. Imaging magic for cleaning wounds was indeed useful. If it were in his previous life, cleaning such arge wound, disinfecting, removing debris, and thoroughly cleaning it would definitely take at least half an hour! With this skill, his efficiency as a junior doctor in the emergency department in his previous life would have doubled! He meticulously removed the wood chips again and disinfected them. A white light brushed past, and under the traction of positive energy, the superficial scratches healed silently. Bishop Hampton immediately approached: "How did you use ¡¯Alleviate Pain¡¯? Why is the wave so small? Why can it still relieve pain when aimed upwards? ¡ª¡ªAh, I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be asking, but can I watch you from the side?" "Of course you can!" Garrett raised his face, giving him a bright smile. One treated, one observed. After treating the fifteenth wounded soldier, Garrett wiped his sweat, shrugged, indicating that the treatment wasplete. The next moment, Bishop Hampton eagerly handed him a small golden bottle: "Energy potion. Below fifth level, one sip can replenish mental power." Garrett smiled and epted it, nodding to him. He continued to clean and treat the wounded soldiers, chattering away as he worked: "This wound of yours is quite deep... Wait a moment, let me find a strap to tie your upper arm tightly, so that if it injures a blood vessel, it won¡¯t spray blood..." "If the wound is deep, it must be thoroughly cleaned. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll hold the wound open and wipe it with alcohol..." "Does it feel better now? You can still feel me touching the wound, but it doesn¡¯t hurt, right?" Bishop Hampton stayed close by, almost wanting to hold a notebook and jot down every word Garrett said, every step of the spellcasting. After treating thest wounded soldier, washing his hands, Garrett turned to him with a grateful smile: "Sorry for the disturbance. I¡¯ve been researching ¡¯Alleviate Pain¡¯ recently and couldn¡¯t find a ce to test it. Thank you for your patience!" "No disturbance at all." Bishop Hampton smiled and waved his hand repeatedly: "This is the Council¡¯s fleet, and you are also a healer. It¡¯s a good thing to treat soldiers. Since the fleet allows you to enter, if you need anything, juste over!" "That¡¯s great!" Garrett smiled happily: "By the way, I still have some details I don¡¯t quite understand about ¡¯Alleviate Pain.¡¯ Can I discuss it with you, as a powerful senior healer?" Named as a consultation, the actual exchange of ideas continued until evening. Starting from this day, Garrett had an additional experimental base - in the morning, the clinic; in the afternoon, the fleet barracks; and in the evening, continuing the development of penicillin in theboratory. Half a monthter, his ¡¯Alleviate Pain,¡¯ oh no, his anesthesia technique made rapid progress. The anesthesia range within 10*10 cm had been reduced to the level of a zero-level cantrip. And his P4boratory, oh no, the mage tower drawings, finally reached a final draft and wereid out thickly in front of him. "The left side is the basic version. Seven floors above ground, two floors underground. Equipped with four elemental pools, control room, two invisible servants, alchemyboratory, meditation room. Spell protection includes reinforced tower body, arcane locks, sealing spells, magic rms, protective energy, in addition to the biologicalboratory you specifically requested, it¡¯s the structure of a basic mage tower in other provinces." The master of protective magic pushed the draft forward: "Choose the standard version, and the construction costs will be borne by the Council. Apart from the training and assessment agreed upon earlier, you won¡¯t need to pay anything extra." "What about the version on the right?" Garrett looked over to the side with keen eyes. Don¡¯t lie to me, deliberately presenting two versions just to make me choose the more expensive one, right! "The advanced mage tower on the right, in addition to the four elemental pools, adds a positive energy chamber and a negative energy chamber, and the tower spirit level is raised by one level." The master mage smiled knowingly: "Two additional protective spells, two trap spells, invisible servants increased to four, and an arcane garden for cultivating magical nts." "Just tell me! What do you want me to do!" Chapter 264 Chapter 264 What does he want him to do? The great archmage smiled confidently. He flipped through the n in front of him and pointed to a page: "Regarding the n you submitted before, there were some disagreements after the reviewmittee discussed it: The Budget Committee stated that building water supply facilities, repairing sewers, constructing infectious disease hospitals, would consume too much, and the budget couldn¡¯t afford it; The Emergency Management Department believes that strengthening patrols and vignce can prevent spies from releasing gues; The medical branch of the Enchantment School feels that as long as the source of the epidemic is blocked and not leaked, the city¡¯s medical strength is sufficient; The City Hall does not agree to raise taxes..." Garrett blinked. So, in exchange for obtaining this high-level mage tower, he had to face interrogation, convince the reviewmittee? "Do you want me to testify? When is the hearing? Which magicians do I need to focus on persuading?"He leaned forward slightly, questioning the other party. The mage in white robes smiled slightly, raising a finger and gesturing left and right: "No no no, what you need to do is not just testify. You need to persuade the reviewmittee to establish a public health agency responsible for the overall health and safety of Nevis City¡ªthen, strive to obtain the position of the head of this agency." What? Garrett was stunned. Head of the public health agency? Me? I¡¯m a clinical doctor! I¡¯m not in public health! In my previous life, although they were all under the umbre of medicine, the majors we studied were different! Students majoring in public health are not even qualified to take the medical practitioner exam! Moreover, with the Radiant Church, Temple of the God of War, and so many big shots in the medical branch of the Enchantment School, why would they want me to be the head? Although as a doctor, I have an obligation, but this profession doesn¡¯t match! "So, I just need to convince the reviewmittee? Head of the agency..." Garrett subconsciously declined. The mage in white robes coughed and turned over another page: "The cost of the positive and negative energy pools is 5000 contribution points each, two trap spells are 2000 contribution points each, the permanent secondary spell ineffective barrier and evasion detection are each 10000 contribution points, the arcane garden is 1000 contribution points. The tower spirit upgrade is 20000 contribution points, and if you want to add other protective and applied magic, there are corresponding prices in the form, you can check by yourself. Even if the invisible servants are given to you, in addition, you¡¯ll receive a protective barrier for the arcane library, which can prevent insects, rodents, dampness, and automatically extinguish ordinary fires. You don¡¯t have many books now, but those experimental records are also worth collecting..." As he spoke, Garrett calcted silently. Upgrading from the basic version to the high-level version would require a total of 50,000 contribution points¡ªeven if he hadn¡¯t spent the previous 10,000, it would still be far from enough to upgrade. So, gentlemen of the reviewmittee, are you waiting for me here? If you want a high-level mage tower, you have to sell yourself to the reviewmittee¡ªno, act on behalf of the reviewmittee, set up the framework for public health? Garrett suddenly felt like he was emptying six wallets, taking on a 30-year mortgage, and buying himself a house. He couldn¡¯t help butment: "ording to this standard, mages can¡¯t even afford to build mage towers, can they?" "In general, the Council sets up ordinary mage towers in various cities. To be eligible to preside over one, a mage must be at least level 5. For a mage ofmon birth to have their own mage tower, they need to save up to at least level 7, and they have to wait in line at the Council for several years." The archmage answered with a smile: "As for the high-level mage tower, it¡¯s the one I just rmended to you¡ªusually set up in county towns, and the mages eligible to preside over it are at least level 7 or 8. If you want to build one yourself without relying on schools, territories, or families, starting from scratch..." He shrugged. Before the veins popped on Garrett¡¯s forehead, he casually added: "Generally speaking, saving up to level 11 is about right." Oh, so it¡¯s really taking out a loan to buy a mage tower. It should even be said that as a third-level mage¡ªeven though his research level has reached the fourth tier¡ªhe¡¯s eligible for a loan, he should thank the reviewmittee for their special attention. Garrett thought for a moment: "...So, how much is the annual sry of the public healthmissioner appointed by the reviewmittee?" "...Mainly, you need to prove that establishing this department is necessary..." Understood, just like attracting scientific research talents, the annual sry is not important, providing research conditions and research funding is crucial. As part of the research conditions, the founder of the public health agency is also enough to match a high-level mage tower. "How about this condition, can you handle it?" The archmage observed Garrett with interest. Seeing this young man¡¯s fluctuating emotions, sometimes happy, sometimes thoughtful, sometimes depressed, he couldn¡¯t help but want tough. After waiting for a while, he tapped the table, pushed the mage tower information forward again, and asked: "Which one will you choose?" Garrett lowered his head in contemtion. After a moment, he raised his head and smiled: "I need information." "Okay." "The poption data, poption distribution, birth and death rates in Nevis City, as well as the number of deaths of pregnant women and infants, do you have them?" "Some of them need time to organize¡ªhowever, I can provide them to you." "A detailed map of Nevis City, with the underground drainage system,mercial area, college area, vi area, and civilian area marked separately, do you have it?" "That¡¯s not a problem." The archmage shrugged. It¡¯s not a military map, so these data can be fully provided. "The tax records of Nevis City for the past few years, precise to the details¡ª" "Hey, that¡¯s enough!" The archmage began to get a headache. With his authority, not all of this data is readily avable; it must be essed through a resolution of the reviewmittee. If Garrett asks for one or two, it¡¯s okay, but the more he asks for, the more troublesome it bes. Is this kid really not seeking revenge? The archmage nced suspiciously. Garrett rolled his eyes: Without this data, how can I calcte it for you? I still have to find an ountant! How long will it take for me, alone, to calcte the GDP of a city? "The municipal budget for next year should bepiled noter than mid-December. I hope you can apply for a hearing before that and persuade the members of the reviewmittee." Before the meeting ended, the archmage reminded Garrett: "Of course, the site for your mage tower is basically decided. If there are no problems after you go to the site tomorrow, we will start building the foundation." "Well..." "What?" Garrett scratched his head. For the first time since entering, he showed a somewhat embarrassed smile in front of the archmage: "So, from top to bottom, this mage tower belongs to me, right? I mean, even thend belongs to me, right?" It won¡¯t be reimed by the council before 70 years, right? "Get out! If thend isn¡¯t yours, do you still want to build a floating tower?!" Chapter 265 Chapter 265 How to convince the Review Committee? Garrett already had a n in mind. However, when he began to prepare the materials, he immediately encountered an unexpected difficulty. There was too much data! Not too little, but too much! "Sir, are you requesting the poption records from previous years?" Facing Garrett, who came to retrieve the original data with authorization from the Review Committee, the clerk at City Hall was quite helpful. Leading Garrett upstairs, around corners, all the way to the end of the corridor, he pushed open the door to the archive room and gestured inside: "It¡¯s all here! Sir, feel free to look around. Do you need me to find you an office?" Garrett: "..." In this room, there were at least seven or eight rows of wooden shelves. Each row extended inward, 1, 2, 3, 4... Garrett counted ten shelves and still hadn¡¯t reached the end. Each wooden shelf towered over head height,den with severalyers of wooden crates... "All of these?""Yes, the poption records dating back nearly a hundred years are all here!" How many years of records was that... Garrett took out the Endless Ink Pen from his breast pocket, flipped it over, and looked at the central quill under the light. Silently, he read the delicate and graceful small characters inscribed on the quill: "Year 1183, New Promising Mage Award, presented to Garrett Nordmark" So, the data here spanned over a thousand years? Garrett took a sharp intake of breath. He grabbed the clerk and asked: "Where are the records from thest 20 years, no, thest 50 years?" "They¡¯re on this side near the aisle! Sir, look, one box per year, each box is numbered!" Inside the data room, heavy shelves were divided into fouryers, eachyer stuffed with a wooden box about 40 centimeters high and over half a meter wide. The box at the bottom of the shelf nearest to the aisle wasbeled "1182" in red paint. Garrett squatted down, tried to drag it, but couldn¡¯t. "Let me do it!" The clerk came forward eagerly. He bent over, grasped the copper handle on the edge of the box, and with a grunt, pulled hard. The wooden box shook but remained in ce. The clerk retreated half a step, exerted more force, and pulled with all his might. "Ouch... my back..." He couldn¡¯t straighten his back on the spot. Garrett hurried to assist him: "Don¡¯t move! Don¡¯t move, let me see!" "Ouch... Master Mage, ouch... I¡¯m really sorry, my old back is acting up again..." The clerk groaned while propping himself up on the wooden shelf with one hand and holding his lower back with the other. Garrett supported him, slowly helping him stand straight, and forcibly pulled one of his hands down, stuffing the Endless Ink Pen into it: "Hold onto this! Don¡¯t move! Don¡¯t speak!" The Endless Ink Pen, a 9th-level magical item. With its own ink and lightweight portability, it could be used as an X-ray by anyone below 5th level. It was considered a portable X-ray machine, an essential item for surgeons during travel. With X-ray magic activated, the spell light prated through the body. Garrett adjusted his breathing, quickly entered a meditative state, and focused on examining: "Emmm... Nopression fractures of the vertebrae, no slippage between adjacent vertebrae. Overall, no abnormalities observed on the X-ray positional andteral images. It should be an acute lumbar sprain..." In other words, the soft tissues such as muscles, fascia, and ligaments in the lumbar region were strained or torn. This condition needed to be distinguished from lumbar muscle strain, spinous process ligament injury, intervertebral ligament injury, and so on, but Garrett didn¡¯t have an MRI on hand; as for physical examination, Garrett wasn¡¯t an orthopedist, and he really wasn¡¯t familiar... Fortunately, the inability to examine didn¡¯t mean an inability to treat. Garrett took a deep breath, activated healing magic, and warm white light seeped into the muscles. Using his thoughts to move the healing energy, he traced the skeletal positions seen on the X-ray, following the anatomical structure of the human body. The quadratus lumborum, iliocostalis lumborum, thoracolumbar fascia, sacrospinalis... Supraspinous ligament, interspinous ligament, lumbosacral ligament... "Hey hey hey, it¡¯s better!" The clerk twisted his waist, moved left and right, looking surprised. He immediately bent down gratefully: "Thank you so much, Master Mage! Thank you so much!" "Oh, it¡¯s nothing major, I¡¯m also a healer. Remember, in the future, when moving boxes or heavy objects, don¡¯t bend over to lift, squat down like I did, and then drag them out..." Garrett gave a spontaneous health education lecture. The clerk nodded and bowed repeatedly, full of gratitude, squatting down again to try dragging the box. Holding onto the handle of the wooden box with one hand, he raised the other and casually slipped the Endless Ink Pen into his chest pocket... "Hey hey hey, give me back that pen! It¡¯s magical equipment!" Truly, administrative personnel from another world, how could they have this habit... With this little episode, Garrett found it much easier to check the poption records. The clerk who guided him, though in a low position, had been working in the archive for over a decade and was familiar with everything. Upon learning Garrett¡¯s needs, he opened the boxes and enthusiastically pointed out: "Sir, the poption data at City Hall is divided into several parts: the general file, detailed household records, family property details, birth registration, death registration. The general file and important family properties, such as houses,rge livestock, workshops, are summarized and counted every ten years; household details change every year and are recorded on arrival; birth and death registrations are issued weekly by City Hall, let me see, it¡¯s this stack..." With a thump, a well-bound thick leather book fell into Garrett¡¯s hands, weighing down his arm. "So many?!" A thick book for each year, if he had topile statistics for twenty years, how long would it take? Garrett suddenly felt dizzy. Guided by the clerk, he sat down at the small desk near the door of the storage room, opened the register, and looked at the entries. Each line was filled with handwritten text, some neat, some sloppy, with uneven ink intensity: "January 1st Deaths: 42 people Annie Watt, female, 15 years old, textile worker. Address: 219, Room 15, Freya Street. Cause of death: Scarlet fever. Chris, female, 14 years old, textile worker. Address: 308, Room 27, Freya Street. Cause of death: Scarlet fever. Tom, male, 17 years old, dock worker. Address: Basement, 375 Anlo Street. Cause of death: Crushed by a wooden box, fever. Unnamed infant, female, 1 day. Cause of death: Abandoned, froze to death. Allen, male, 15 years old, painter. Address: Basement, 287 Mayne Street. Cause of death: Chest pain. Ford, male, 3 years old. Address: Green Vige. Cause of death: Malnutrition. Demmy Reyes, female, 14 years old,undry worker. Address: 69 Clifton Street. Cause of death: Difficult childbirth. Craig Franco, male, 57 years old, merchant. Address: 28 West Denham Street. Cause of death: Stroke. ... ..." With each entry, Garrett¡¯s heart grew heavier. Since crossing over, especially since arriving in Nevis City, he had been climbing upward, with bright sights and colorful scenes wherever he looked. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to be poor. The Tower of Heaven and its eight subsidiary towers, lighting, sanitation, living facilities, all conditions matched or even exceeded the office buildings of his previous life, with some areas surpassing them. The mages working inside, even the lowest of them, were at least level two or three official mages... And bing a mage, even just an apprentice mage, meant no worries about food or clothing, no need to worry about basic living. Their gaze was always on the stars, their only pursuit being the exploration of the mysteries of this world. However, in ces he hadn¡¯t seen, among people he hadn¡¯t touched, there were so many who were impoverished and sick, so many who died young due to poverty. The grain of sand from the era, falling on these people, cruelly broke their backs. But should ordinary people die just because they can¡¯t be extraordinary? So many people, so many youngborers, they died before the age of 20, many of them not even reaching 15! Just from the records of January 1stst year, the average lifespan of deceasedborers, or rather, factory workers, dock workers, etc., was less than 25 years! And for merchants, those wealthy individuals, their average lifespan, visibly, was at least ten years longer than that ofborers... Garrett silently tightened his grip on the quill pen in his hand. As a doctor, even as a renowned doctor of his time, even as a level 11, 15, or even legendary healer, he could only deal with patients one by one, treat them one by one. It¡¯s not that there were no wide-range healing spells, but firstly, the cost was too high, and secondly, how many years would he have to work in this world to be able to releaserge-scale healing magic? Twenty years? Thirty years? However, bing a public health expert, bing an official who could influence public health policies, even formte policies, he could help these people immediately, right away! This is my duty! It¡¯s my duty as a doctor in this world, an obligation that cannot be shirked! I have to prove that the establishment of public health institutions is useful! I want to help them! Clean water! Adequate food! Labor protection! Affordable, even basic medical care! Even if we can increase their average lifespan by 5 years, raise it to 30, 35 years... This is the protection ofborers! It is also the growth of social wealth, so that they won¡¯t die young, can create wealth for society for a longer time! Seizing on this point, I can convince the Magic Council, I can definitely do it! Garrett lowered his head and quickly wrote with his pen. Under the Endless Ink Pen, grids and columns appeared on the paper at lightning speed. Age, gender, upational ssification, residential area, cause of death... Thanks to the Magic Council, thanks to whoever the mighty individual was, or whichever time traveler, who established the rules of recording household registrations, property details, and birth and death registrations. With these detailed original records, his statistics would have solid enough data! "But, it¡¯s still a huge project topile all this stuff..." Looking at the twenty neatly stacked piles on the desk, each one as thick as a fist, piled up to his shoulders, Garrett couldn¡¯t help but let out ament. Chapter 266 Chapter 266 Garrett only flipped through a few pages and realized that this statistical work was far from something he couldplete alone. Even with Aurora¡¯s help, it was practically the same as not having any help at all... January 1st, death toll: 42. February 8th, death toll: 53. March 15th, death toll: 47. ...July 6th, death toll: 59. Roughly sampling the results, the daily death toll fluctuated between 40 to 60 people, meaning the annual death toll ranged from approximately 14,000 to 20,000. If he expanded the statistical scope to 20 years, he would have to input data for a minimum of 280,000 people, and a maximum of 400,000 people. If each person¡¯s death was recorded with their year of death, month, gender, age range, ie range, residential area, and cause of death, then a total of 1.4 to 2 million values would need to be processed... If Garrett were a statistician or a social scientist, he could take his time and spend a year, two years, or even more organizing this data. But he didn¡¯t have that luxury. From now until mid-December, when he requested a hearing, he had only a little over two weeks. And Garrett set himself a deadline of 5 days for this poption census work.After some thought, Garrett decided to start with the basic work. He rolled up his sleeves and made a table himself: Each death information would include gender (male or female), age range (0-6 years as one interval, and every 10 years thereafter), Ie would be categorized into four ranges: low ie, low-middle, middle-high, wealthy. Residential areas would be categorized into four ranges: slums, small artisans, middle-ss areas, wealthy areas. There were many causes of death, divided into several major categories such as epidemic, acute illness, chronic illness, idents, suicides, difficult childbirth, etc., with several subcategories under each major category... In the dimly lit database, Garrett sweated profusely as he made the table. After finishing it, he started inputting the data himself, timing himself as he went. After inputting one page, he calcted that he could only input information for 6 people per minute on average. In other words, if he diligently and without error maintained his attention for 8 hours a day... It would take approximately 100 to 140 days toplete? ...Well, that¡¯s fine. It meant that toplete it within five days, he needed 20 to 28 clerks... and that didn¡¯t even ount for the manpower needed for verification, supervision, and statistics... So where could he hire, or rather, exploit a group of people? Garrett pondered for a moment with his chin resting on his hand. He spread out a new piece of parchment and took out the Endless Ink Pen, starting to write a letter: "Respected Master Edgar..." Hmm, he could recruit a batch from ck Crow Swamp and another from the Nature God Cult. Anyway, this job wasn¡¯t difficult, as long as they could read and write neatly on the form and count properly. Oh right, they also needed to be patient and careful. Those who could be aspiring spellcasters should possess these qualities, right? Aurora would go to the School of Necromancy to run errands, while Bernard would go to Oak Ridge. That afternoon, the two of them gradually returned, bringing back replies from the two schools: Elder Wood stated that it was winter now, and many diseases were rampant among the poor. The cult couldn¡¯t spare many hands. Sending him 10 priest apprentices to work for five days was already the limit. They would arrive tomorrow and would leave after working for five days. Adding one more person or one more day was not allowed! As for ck Crow Swamp, Master Edgar generously expressed his willingness to help him with this favor. It was no problem to send over 20 newly recruited apprentices to work. Just remember to find some time to teach the children anatomy. "30 people huh..." Garrett sighed deeply. It still wasn¡¯t enough, it would be even better to have 10 more¡ª20 would be even better. His eyes wandered over to Aurora, considering whether to go find Archmage Carlisle himself or send Aurora to make another trip and recruit a few more people from the Archmage¡¯s ce. After some thought, he rummaged through his spatial bag and pulled out a handwritten scroll. "Bernard! Come with me! We¡¯re going to the Fleet Camp!" Garrett sessfully caught up with Bishop Hampton at the military camp. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Garrett bluntly made his request: to ask Bishop Hampton to introduce him to the person in charge of the local temple and borrow ten, preferably twenty, priest apprentices toe and work for him for five days. "This..." Bishop Hampton hesitated. As a bishop of the Temple of War, his path was different from that of his peers. After reaching level 5, he could have presided over a diocese, even a small temple under a baron¡¯s territory would suffice. However, due to various twists of fate, he was sent to cooperate with the Magic Council, and since then, he had been thrown into the fleet, sailing on the waves and sleeping on the sea. For ten years, the priest¡¯s rank had advanced from level 5 to level 7, and the ship he followed had changed from a coastal patrol team to a long-distance fleet shuttling back and forth between the New Continent. However, apart from asionally visiting the temple for prayer when the fleet returned, and returning to study after advancing, he barely knew anyone... To brush shoulders and borrow people, and even to be at the beck and call of the Magic Council, Bishop Hampton considered, he really didn¡¯t have that much face. "It¡¯s not without benefits to borrow people." Garrett smiled and pushed over a copy of the handwritten manual: "Take a look at this ¡¯Battlefield First Aid Manual,¡¯ does it have any use for the Temple of War?" Battlefield first aid? Bishop Hampton was moved. He eagerly grabbed it and opened it up, battlefield hemostasis, battlefield bandaging, moving the wounded, burn first aid, drowning first aid, snake and insect bite first aid... Which one was not useful? Which one couldn¡¯t save a few dozen or even hundreds of lives on the battlefield? Rarely was there such a systematic approach that could be used for priest training! The more Bishop Hampton read, the brighter his eyes became. Finally, he closed the manual and stood up abruptly: "Don¡¯t worry! With this manual, not only can I bring over 20 people to work for you for five days, even if I bring the entire temple, and help you for one or two months, it won¡¯t be a problem!" The next morning at 8 o¡¯clock, Garrett stood in the specially cleared conference room of the City Hall, facing below. On the left was Aurora, on the right was Bernard, and facing the punctually assembled 50 spellcasters, he threw two sacks of nk forms. "Pair up, each group is responsible for one year¡¯s record book, one reads aloud, the other fills in the form. Draw ten more people¡ªtwo from the Nature God Cult, four from ck Crow Swamp, and four from the Temple of War¡ªto supervise and verify that the entered data is correct. Supervisors should not supervise people from their own organizations. Write the year and month at the beginning of each form, and tick the corresponding boxes for other items¡ª Any questions?" A group of apprentice mages, ranging from at least ten to nearly twenty years old, gathered in three clusters, eyeing each other. Although there was no direct conflict between the Nature God Cult and the Temple of War, there existed apetitive rtionship. The clergy instinctively detested the aura of death, while to the necromancers... Relying on one¡¯s own power to unravel mysteries, clinging to divine beings¡¯ coattails, what was that all about? The Death Triangle, viewing each other with disdain. Absolutely cannot allow the priests of the Nature God (War God priests/necromancers) to find any ws! We must work faster than them! And better! "No problem!" The three groups of apprentice mages echoed in unison, their voices rising and falling. Garrett sat contentedly on the tform. Below the tform, there were 20 tables, with two people per group, bustling with activity: "Anita, female, 24 years old, tailor. Address: 382 Bronte Street. Cause of death: smallpox." "Brad, male, 18 years old, sailor. No address. Cause of death: drowning at sea." "Julia, female, 22 years old. Address: Foulitt Street. Cause of death: ulcer." One person read aloud while the other wrote, the reader not needing to divert attention, the writer not needing to look up. Garrett saw with satisfaction that the efficiency of this data entry was more than double what he could achieve alone. He mentallymended himself, took a sip of water, and pulled out a book of magic to read. However, before long, the harmonious atmosphere below began to copse, with the young men and women chattering noisily: "You filled in the wrong box! The age of 35 goes in the box on the right!" "You missed a line! Go back and reread!" "She¡¯s not wealthy! Cross it out and move two boxes to the left!" "What are you doing? She lives on Foulitt Street, how could she not be wealthy?" "Are you crazy? Female, lives on Foulitt Street, died of an ulcer¡ªclearly she¡¯s a flower seller! How could she be wealthy?!" "Mr. Nordmark, what do we check if there¡¯s no address?" "Mr. Nordmark¡ª" "Master Nordmark?" Garrett: "Stop! Everyone stand up, move one table to the left, the table on the far left moves to the far right! Start over, one reads aloud, one verifies, and let¡¯s see how many mistakes there are!" Another round of chaos ensued. Garrett stepped down from the tform, pacing between the tables, asionally peering over. In less than ten minutes, in front of the recorders responsible for verification, there were dozens of "correct" marks on therge sheets of paper... This error rate simply won¡¯t do! I was wrong, manually inputting data, the possibility of errors is just too high, it¡¯spletely unusable as a statistical basis... John Grant, how did you manage to write "Natural and Political Observations Made upon the Bills of Mortality" purely based on manual statistics from London for decades, back in 1662? Forget about statistics, just inputting data correctly is so incredibly difficult! Garrett struggled to contain his worries, watching the apprentice mages read, record, and check diligently. From 8 a.m. to noon, with a one-hour lunch break, then from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. After dinner, he sent everyone home, and Garrett sat alone in front of the table full of record books, his brow furrowed. "Garrett, what¡¯s wrong?" Aurora Worton sat down beside him. Garrett sighed, "There are too many mistakes... it¡¯spletely unusable..." "Well... why not call in more people and double-check multiple times?... Have them work more slowly?" Garrett just shook his head. As the questions kepting, he sped his hands behind his head and leaned back: "If only there were an automatic scanning and input system..." "That... isn¡¯t impossible..." Aurora Worton suggested cautiously. Garrett jumped up suddenly, "What can we do? What magic can aplish that?!" "Um, it¡¯s not magic. The Tower Spirits sort papers automatically, scanning and assigning them. I mean, you could ask if Tower Spirits could do this?" "That¡¯s great!" Garrett lit up. He grabbed Aurora, bombarding her with questions: "Who should I apply to? What are the requirements?¡ªAh, you should have mentioned Tower Spirits earlier!" "The Tower of Heaven has dedicated calction rooms, which Archmages can apply for¡ªI can use my teacher¡¯s authority¡ª" Aurora was being shaken so vigorously that her voice was breaking. When it came to thest question, she suddenly faltered: "Well, um, it¡¯s just that... using Tower Spirits might be too expensive..." Chapter 267 Chapter 267 Garrett, pulling Aurora, headed straight to the Tower of Heaven. Fortunately, he caught thest small train, and fortunately, Archmage Carlisle stayed in the mage tower day and night. When Garrett arrived, his office was like a specialist clinic, with a disciple inside consulting, and a group of apprentices waiting in line outside... Aurora peered around the door frame. When Archmage Carlisle saw him, he waved and called him in, asked a couple of questions, then stamped a seal and greeted the disciple in front of him: "Roderick, take them over. ¡ª¡ªDon¡¯t rush to buyputing time. First, talk to the Tower Spirit and see if they can meet the mage¡¯s requirements." "All right! Teacher, rest assured, I will take care of them!" Roderick departed. During the previous period, they had worked on several major projects with Garrett, electrolytic smelting,pressed air separation, and everyone had made a small fortune. Garrett was generous, giving them half of the research points and contributions for the entire project. ¡ª¡ªContributions points were secondary; the important thing was the research points! Those things were hard to earn. Following Garrett, they could earn one or two hundred points at once, or two to three hundred points at once, it was like winning without much effort! Even more importantly, after the project ended, several fellow apprentices were deeply engaged in research, and some even had two papers published... With such a background, Roderick treated Garrett¡¯s group very warmly. As they walked and talked, Garrett learned that before applying forputing, one couldmunicate with the Tower Spirit in the outer chamber of theputing center to ensure that the Tower Spirit could understand and meet the mage¡¯s requirements."Entering theputing room means starting to pay. It¡¯s 1500 contribution points per hour, which is very expensive, enough to burn one and a half days in the intermediate meditation room. No one can afford this unless there is arge-scale magic calction or a high-level magic device design!" ¡ª¡ªLast time, there was a poor guy from an outer province who didn¡¯t know this trick and went in directly with money. He burned 1500 contribution points for nothing, and the Tower Spirit said it couldn¡¯t calcte at all. He cried so miserably... Renting a supeputer, that must be expensive. Garrett understood. And renting a supeputer must mean writing the program in advance. Who would see the start of the calction time and then write the program on the fly? "¡ª¡ªOh, by the way, if you really want to save money, you cane at midnight. Mages meditate at midnight, and from midnight to six in the morning,puting costs are discounted by 20%!" Huh, there are peak and off-peak prices for supeputers, no, Tower Spirit¡¯sputing power? Who operates thisputing center, the powerpany? Truly speechless... As they chatted along the way, Roderick quickly led them to theputing hall on the 15th floor of Thunder Tower. The night shift at theputing center was handled by an old man with a snowy white beard. From his badge, he was only a 5th-level mage, obviously arranged by the council to retire here. Roderick didn¡¯t bother him either, he just led Garrett to the corner of theputing hall, took out Archmage Carlisle¡¯s seal, and held it up in the air. "Respected Mage, hello. Tower Spirit Gregory is at your service," said a lively young voice full of vitality. If it weren¡¯t for the crackling sound of electricity in his voice, Garrett would almost think he was a living person. He coughed lightly and took the seal from Roderick¡¯s hand: "Mr. Gregory, we are here to apply forputing power. ¡ª¡ªI would like to ask, can you scan, input, and analyze existing documents?" He unfolded two documents. One was a copy of death records, and the other was a form prepared during the day. A blue light flickered and scanned over the two documents. Garrett pointed to the form and said: "That¡¯s it, fill in each death record into the form, count it as 1 in the corresponding column. Finally, add up the numbers in the corresponding column¡ª¡ª" He slid his finger down the column: "That way, you can get the total number in each category. For example, for the past year, the number of deaths from 0 to 6 years old, the number of female deaths, the number of deaths from epidemics¡ª¡ªcan you do it?" There was a moment of silence in theputing hall. The blue light flickered, as if the Tower Spirit was blinking and thinking about Garrett¡¯s meaning. After thinking for five or six seconds, it crackled and said: "How are the ie categories divided?" "By upation. I¡¯ll give you the formter." "What about residence ssification?" "Mr. Gregory, can you ess the map of Nevis City and its surroundings to determine residential locations? Later, we will mark the areas on the map..." "Well, it can be done." Yes! Garrett clenched his fist slightly, delighted. No more procrastination with those apprentices, no more tolerating absurdly high error rates from manual data entry! The input, storage, andputation of data, the Tower Spirit could handle it all! Roderick coughed beside him. Garrett came to his senses and looked at him, only to see Roderick making gestures and mouthing desperately: Money! Money! "So, how much time does it take toplete data entry and analysis?" Garrett came back to his senses and asked. The blue light shone down, scanning over the paper line by line, disappearing in an instant. The Tower Spirit¡¯s clear voice sounded: "How many pages of data are there?" "Twenty years of data, one book for each year, each book is between 700 and 800 pages." Garrett recalled. The Tower Spirit quickly gave feedback: "It takes 12 seconds to scan and input each page, and it takes 2.3 to 2.6 hours per book. For 20 years, it will take a total of..." "Stop!" Garrett broke into a sweat. Twenty years would take 46 to 52 hours, at 1500 contribution points per hour, he would go bankrupt! "Can you scan and input 20 books at once?" "... " Another moment of quiet calction. The Tower Spirit spoke again: "It can be done. It also requires the use of 20 invisible servants to control the pages. The rental cost for invisible servants is 10 contribution points per hour per person..." "Can I have people to turn the pages?" "You can." Garrett breathed a sigh of relief. It took 12 seconds for each page to be scanned and entered, including the time to turn the pages, which ranged from 13 to 14 seconds. Completing the thickest record would take 3 and a half hours, and with subsequent data processing, it would require at least 4 hours... Even if he worked at night, he would need at least 4800 contribution points... However, thispressed 5 days of data entry, along with who knows how many days of subsequent data processing time, to 4 hours. It also significantly improved uracy... Indeed, when it came to research, was spending money the only way to go? "Tower spirit, how many contribution points do I have in my ount now?" Garrett inquired. A blue light scanned his chest badge and promptly provided the answer: "2998 points." It was considerably more thanst month, probably from themission for selling microscopes, but still not enough. Seeing Garrett frown in thought, Aurora cautiously nudged him: "Hey, I have 1500 contribution points here, it¡¯s also yours. If it¡¯s still not enough, shall we figure out a way to borrow some?" "Borrow? Borrow what?" Garrett took a deep breath. When it came to research and such, one should use research funds, never had he reached into his own pocket! The next day, he sent Aurora to oversee the data entry work while he sought an audience with the protective spell department¡¯s reviewmittee member. With a notebook in his left hand and forms in his right, he confidently presented his research ideas and made his demands: Grant ess toputational resources! Or, allocate additional project funds! "Authorization to use theputing room?" The white-robed mage shook his head repeatedly. "The council doesn¡¯t have such a rule. Garrett, you should know, almost all high-level mages are tasked with research by the council. If you could freely use theputing room with council projects, it would end up in chaos, and ultimately, everyone would have to resort to snatching." "Well, how about increasing project funding?" Garrett inquired further. The white-robed mage continued to shake his head. "Normally, it¡¯s possible, but Garrett, the sess of your project is still unknown. It¡¯s practically impossible to persuade the reviewmittee to approve such arge sum in advance." "Then¡ª" Garrett felt a bit anxious. Honestly, once you¡¯ve experienced spending money, who wants to go back to the days of toiling hard? The white-robed mage smiled, "But there is a way. You can pay in advance. If the public health organization is established sessfully, I¡¯m confident I can convince the reviewmittee to include theputing costs in the research budget, and then you can im reimbursement." "...No money!" "You can take out a loan!" The white-robed mage smiled confidently. "The Mage Management Department has a specialized lending institution. A loan of 5000 contribution points¡ªwell, a bit more wouldn¡¯t hurt¡ªdesignated for this research project. If the project seeds, the council will pay, if not, you¡¯ll repay it yourself. The reviewmittee can provide a certificate, take it to the management department, and they¡¯ll definitely lend it to you." "...Isn¡¯t the council worried I won¡¯t be able to repay?" Garrett couldn¡¯t help butin. They¡¯re really not worried. The dragon¡¯s breath hand, even though it¡¯s not open for redemption now, will be in about half a year with 5000 contribution points. The white-robed mage shrugged, not wanting to exin to Garrett in detail. He just smiled and said, "Can you use your mage tower as coteral? Hmm, it¡¯s okay to extend the repayment period to three years, with a grace period of six months, and repayment starting one yearter, at an annual interest rate of 5%¡ªthis condition isn¡¯t too bad for you, is it?" Using a mage tower that hasn¡¯t been built yet, only exists on paper, as coteral¡ªvery good and powerful. Apart from the reviewmittee members, probably no one else could approve such a policy loan. Garrett lowered his head in thought for a moment, then raised his palm: "Deal!" "Deal!" With a p, the palms of the two mages met in mid-air. There¡¯s no way I won¡¯t be able to repay the loan! This project will definitely seed, even if it¡¯s for thoseborers who died from poverty and illness, I must seed! For the uracy of the data, for the persuasive power, for helping them sooner¡ª Let¡¯s spend money first! At midnight, twenty necromancer apprentices lined up in a square formation, each holding a record book, standing in theputing room of the Thunder Tower. "Everyone, pay attention, when the blue light shes twice, it means the scanning isplete. Turn the page and wait for the blue light to sh again... One, two, three! Start!" Chapter 268 Chapter 268 Three o¡¯clock in the morning. Twenty necromancers were staggering. Most of them had finished flipping through the records in their hands and were now lying on the table, heads buried in their arms. The remaining two poor souls were struggling to keep their eyes open, flipping pages in rhythm with the shing blue light, page by page, page by page... Garrett was about to fall asleep too. Bless the heavens, ever since he crossed over, he had almost stopped staying upte. Spellcasters needed adequate sleep! Otherwise, there would be no magic or spells tomorrow! Even in the wild, unless absolutely necessary, only fools let spellcasters stay upte! Over the past year, his ability to stay upte, trained in the emergency room, had almost deteriorated... "We¡¯re done flipping!" "Last page!" Even the shouts ofpletion sounded weak. Garrett regained his senses, struggled to lift himself off the table, and raised his voice:"Thank you all for your hard work! On the seventh floor of the Thunder Tower, I have arranged rooms for everyone. You can take this opportunity to get some sleep! I will express my gratitude to Archmage Edgar¡ª" The necromancer apprentices stumbled out one by one. Garrett seized thest hour, spread out the forms on the table, and made requests to the tower spirit: "Mr. Gregory! Regardless of the year, the number and percentage of deaths in each age group!" A blue light fell. Then, the ink in the bottle rose automatically, filling in the numbers on the forms line by line. "Specifically, the number and percentage of deaths in each age group, each gender!" "The number and percentage of deaths for each cause!" "The percentage of each cause by gender!" "The average lifespan of each ie group!" Garrett racked his brains and exhausted his tongue. He had the tower spirit calcte every possible statistical method¡ªnot to mention doing it for nothing. Even after copying the numbers, he had to do the calctions himselfter. Besides, there were no calctors avable in this otherworldly realm... A thick stack of forms was filled out, and the clock in the calction chamber pointed to 3:55 a.m. Garrett put away the forms and left the calction chamber. The hall was empty, and the old wizards on the night shift were already asleep with their heads on the table, snoring loudly. In the corridors, in the elevators, there was no one. Except for invisible servants sweeping the floor with brooms, the entire Thunder Tower seemed to be asleep. For some reason, Garrett suddenly had a question in his mind: Have you ever seen the Mage Tower at four in the morning? Now, I can finally say that I have. Not only have I seen the Mage Tower, but I have also seen, at four in the morning, the city of Nevis¡ª Garrett walked to the edge of the mountain, looking down. At four in the morning, the whole city was still asleep, shrouded in darkness. However, even in the dark foothills, there were scattered lights twinkling. Garrett watched intently. Some lights were far away by the sea, perhaps fishermen sorting sails ands, preparing to go fishing when dawn broke? Some lights were in the southeast corner of the city. When he studied the map, he remembered that many workshops were gathered there. Were they preparing to start work before dawn? And there were lights moving on the streets of the city or moving from outside the city. What were they doing? Bringing vegetables, meat, milk, and clean drinking water to the city? Or removing the waste umted by the cityst night? Spellcasters have the right to sleep soundly in the deep night, but in this city, in this world, many people do not have it¡ª He stood quietly on the edge of the mountain. Mount Igor was the highest peak in the kingdom. Standing on the mountaintop, looking west over the bay and east over the mountains, no peak could block its sunlight. At a little past five in the morning, the sky showed a faint light. Then, a ray of red light leaped from among the mountains, illuminating Garrett¡¯s bright eyes. ¡ª¡ªIn this world, even the sun rises earlier for the mages than for themon folk. Garrett took a deep breath of the cold mountain wind. He refreshed himself and looked at the two followers who walked out of the tower side by side, still yawning: "Bernard! Aurora! Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s take a good look at this city, see how its upper, middle, and loweryers operate!" Nevis City, the city of mages. This city was centered around the Magic Council, where everything either served the mages or revolved around them as the core of productivity. Getting off the small train, as far as his left hand could reach, there were rows of garden vis, and Garrett and Aurora¡¯s residence was also in this area. Garrett looked at the evergreen trees outside the vi and suddenly asked: "Aurora." "Hmm?" "Where does the water in the vi areae from?" He hadn¡¯t noticed this question before. There seemed to be running water in the house, anyway. When he turned the tap, water came out. But where did that watere from... "Magic array!." Aurora answered matter-of-factly, even giving Garrett a strange look. Most people who could buy houses in the vi area were probably mages. Who wouldn¡¯t have ess to a magic array that could produce water? Even if they weren¡¯t mages, those who could afford to buy houses could still buy a magic array¡ª "Ah!" Garrett lightly pped his thigh. He used to be solely focused on the water treatment nt. But in a world of magic, where mage towers directly tap into water elemental pools and affluent households adorn themselves with magic arrays and divine spells, there was simply no demand for centralized water supply or purified water... "Not just here," Aurora continued her exnation, "even across¡ª" He raised his arm and gestured vigorously. To the right of the train station was Nevis City¡¯s most upscalemercial street, adorned with theaters, high-end restaurants, jewelry stores, antique shops, and more, all dazzlingly splendid: "They all use magic arrays too. Otherwise, why would mages agree toe?" Garrett fell silent. He reined in his mount, gazing for a long time at the theater¡¯s golden domed roof, the impably smooth cobblestone street before him¡ªclearly, a surface like this could only be shaped using spells like "Fossil to Mud" or "Mud to Stone"¡ªand the lush grass on either side of the street. Beneath the grass, the sound of water murmured. Clearly, beneath the road surface, there were hidden drainage channels. In this area, residents had the highest ie and the longest average lifespan¡ªreaching a remarkable 59 years. It was conceivable that if one didn¡¯t count the servants in the estate and only considered the masters, the average lifespan would be even higher. Garrett looked lost in thought. He lifted his gaze, casting it towards the endless expanse of sky in the distance, then slowly lowered it, as if overlooking the entire city from the summit of Igor Peak. Then he took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully: "Aurora, let¡¯s go see other ces!" They traversed the coremercial district and circled around Mage Academy. Garrett had already memorized the city map, needing no one to guide him, and headed directly to the eastern side of the city. The further they walked, the dirtier and messier it became. Not long after, they stepped off the magically shaped road surface onto uneven cobblestone paths, then from the smooth cobblestone paths onto rough, uneven paths paved withrge, rough stones. Aurora was carefully gathering her robe, afraid of getting even a drop of mud on it, but Garrett frowned slightly, looking around with no sign of disdain for the environment, no intention of turning back. His gaze was sharp, as if he wanted to etch every detail around him deep into his mind¡ª By this time, they had crossed the city¡¯s midpoint. Nevis City was a seaside city, naturally growing into a U-shape along the bay. Crossing to the eastern side of the city meant entering the outskirts from the core area. Walls lined the roadside, with houses inside towering high andrge, far exceeding residential needs. Chimneys spewed out smoke of various colors¡ªck, yellow, white, red¡ªin abundance. When the wind blew, a sour, foul, and peculiar smell assaulted them instantly, covering them from head to toe. Garrett quickly cast a bubble spell around himself: "What¡¯s that smell?" "It¡¯s probably from the winery." Aurora shrugged. Given that her own family sold wine, she didn¡¯t react as strongly as Garrett did. "Probably from dumping wine dregs¡ªthe winery is quiterge, so it probably takes a while to dump them." "Where do they dump them?" Garrett inquired. He quickly shut his mouth: Two men emerged from a side door of the winery, bare-armed despite the cold winter, steam rising from their bodies. Together, they lifted arge wooden barrel and, with a forceful pull, poured its contents into the nearby river with a ssh. "They just dump them into the river?" Garrett couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Aurora shrugged again, "What else can they do?¡ªOh well, it doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯ll just flow directly into the sea anyway..." How can it not matter! This pollution is serious! Garrett was about to retort when another door across the river opened, and a barrel was swiftly tipped over, flooding the ground with deep blue water that flowed directly into the river. Before long, the gently flowing stream turned half indigo and half murky yellow, a bizarre and nauseating sight. "That¡¯s the dye house over there. You see, wine dregs are still considered mild..." Garrett remained silent, urging his horse downstream. Along the river, he saw blood and entrails pouring from ughterhouses, tanning agents from tanneries, and pig manure from pig farms... The further down they went, the more foul-smelling the river became, until various pollutants floated and sank, visible to the naked eye. "So... where do they get their drinking water from?" Aurora didn¡¯t know how to answer. Garrett circled around but didn¡¯t find any wells. Row upon row of three-story buildings lined the roadside, their structures t and extremely cramped, with hands extended between buildings easily sping each other. After looking up for a while, Garrett jumped off his horse, intending to go inside and inquire. He had barely taken a few steps when there was a sudden ssh. Aurora, quick-witted, immediately conjured a shield, deflecting most of the dirty water. However, the shield was only a ne, not all-epassing, and the cuff of Garrett¡¯s right leg and his shoe were instantly soaked. "Oops¡ªforgive me, my lord mage! Please forgive me, my lord mage!" Theundress who had sshed the water fell to her knees with a pale face. Garrett nced at her, waved his hand, and intended to avoid the situation. Before he could lift his foot, a man rushed out from the door and kicked theundress without a word: "Old whore! Blinded by your eyes! How dare you offend the lord mage¡ª" He kicked and cursed, kicking several times in a row, causing theundress to roll around on the ground in distress, not daring to flee. Garrett was startled for a moment, hesitated, and finally reacted: "Stop!" "My lord mage, you see this¡ª" "Don¡¯t hit her." Garrett sighed and waved his hand. He didn¡¯t even look at the man with the ck face, bent slightly, and faced theundress on the ground: "You take me inside, help me wash my pants and shoes, and dry them¡ªcan you dry them here? This matter ends here. Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t have topensate." "Do you hear me! Hurry up and apany the lord mage inside!" The man with the ck face shouted again. Theundress looked up at him lying on the ground, then at Garrett, her face pale, and finally moved slowly, carrying the wooden basin inside. Aurora¡¯s face looked strange, wanting to speak but stopping herself, and in the end didn¡¯t stop Garrett, letting him follow behind the peasant woman. Passing through a dark alleyway, bending over under the wet clothes and sheets hanging from the corridor, Garrett couldn¡¯t help but urge: "Are we there yet?" With half of his leg soaked, each step made a "creak, creak" sound, making Garrett extremely ufortable. It didn¡¯t matter if the ce was small or the houses were cramped, as long as they could dry him quickly¡ª "We¡¯re almost there, almost there! Lord mage, it¡¯s just ahead!" "Lord mage?" A small head suddenly popped out in front. The peasant woman¡¯s voice suddenly rose in pitch, sounding panicked, almost breaking: "Jennifer! Go back!!!" Chapter 269 Chapter 269 Garrett followed the voice and looked over. The little girl in the room looked to be under ten years old, thin and frail, with dull curly brown hair. But what caught Garrett¡¯s attention first was the girl¡¯s yellowish face and the equally yellow and dim hands resting on the door frame. "You..." He unconsciously spoke up. Just as he started, the little girl jumped in surprise, shrinking back like a startled rabbit. Meanwhile, the washerwoman turned around, standing in front of Garrett with a deep bow, her smile uglier than tears: "Master Mage, please, please, the room is over there..." She stretched out her trembling arm, pointing to the other end of the corridor, like a quail desperately spreading its wings to block the path of a bulldozer. However, Garrett raised his hand to interrupt her: "Wait." He gazed fixedly into the room. He looked in the direction where the little girl disappeared, at the strangely yellow face that vanished from sight: "Call her out. Let me see her." "Master Mage!!!""When I tell you to call someone, you call!" The stern man shoved aside the washerwoman. She stumbled back, crashing into the nearby wooden wall with a loud bang. But the stern man paid no attention, striding into the room. "Hey, don¡¯t¡ª" Garrett called from behind. But the stern man had already dragged out a screaming, kicking, and punching little girl, pushing her in front of Garrett, bowing apologetically: "Master Mage, it¡¯s this child!" "Don¡¯ty a hand on them," Garrett waved his hand. He crouched down, meeting the little girl¡¯s gaze at eye level, softening his voice as much as possible: "Little sister, your name is Jenny, right? Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m a healer, and yourplexion seems a bit off. Let me take a look¡ª" He reached out his hand. Jenny desperately shrank back, leaning against the washerwoman, who hugged her like a mother. Garrett held her small face to take a look, then cast a sh spell to observe her eyes in the white light: "Strange, her sclera isn¡¯t yellow either? Little sister, open your mouth, let me see, ah¡ª" The girl tightly pressed her lips together. Aurora bent down behind Garrett, whispering softly to him: "What are you looking at?" "Her face and hands are strangely yellow. If it¡¯s an illness, the sclera should be more yellow, but hers are normal..." Garrett pondered, partly exining to Aurora and partly to himself. When he first saw the little girl, he thought it was jaundice. However, jaundice causes yellow discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes, appearing first in the sclera, hard pte, and soft pte. Could he have been mistaken? Speaking of which, he wasn¡¯t really familiar with the symptoms of foreigners... Lost in thought, Aurora sneered behind him: "Oh, it¡¯s a stain." She pointed with her hand, and a slight magical ripple swept across the girl¡¯s face. [Magical Trick: Cleanse!] In an instant, the yellow faded away, the stains disappeared, and everyone¡¯s eyes lit up. Nestled in her mother¡¯s arms was a delicately beautiful little girl, with azure eyes, soft golden hair, and delicate features. Even though her cheeks were sunken from thinness, one could still see the potential for beauty. Such a face, in this slum, spells trouble... The washerwoman turned pale instantly. She bent down, holding her daughter¡¯s face, as if hiding her from view. Garrett sighed softly, gesturing to the stern man to hold back, letting the washerwoman carry her daughter back into the room, while he followed in. Looking at the room¡¯s furnishings, it was probably the living quarters for the mother and daughter. It was humid inside, with clothes washed clean and waiting to be ironed hanging everywhere. There were two or threerge wooden basins on the floor. As soon as the little girl entered the room, she automatically squatted by the corner basin, her back to them, vigorously scrubbing. Garrett casually pointed, and a bedsheet flew up, unfolding in mid-air to cover the little girl. Only then did the washerwoman breathe a sigh of relief. Garrett hung up another bedsheet for himself, then sat behind it, took off his shoes and socks, letting the washerwoman briskly wash them. He chatted amicably with her through the curtain: "How much money can you earn by washing a piece of clothing like this?" "It, it depends on the size... For a big one, it¡¯s a copper coin, for a small one, five pieces for a copper coin... and we have to give a cut to the boss..." "How much can you earn in a day?" Garrett frowned. "Is the boss the man from earlier?" "About... about 1.5 copper coins on a good day, only 3 on a bad day... Yes, the boss is him, he gets the jobs and assigns them to us..." Garrett frowned. He remembered that in Harnd City, a ck bread cost a copper coin, barely enough for a day¡¯s meal. With these two, would a ck bread be enough for them? Judging by the looks of it, the house might not even be theirs. They still had to pay rent and buy charcoal for ironing clothes... "By the way, how do you usually eat? Do you cook for yourselves? Where do you get water?" "Just... just from the nearby river..." That filthy, stinking river? Even without a gue, that kind of river water could knock down a healthy person in minutes! Garrett¡¯s face turned as ugly as it could get in an instant. Seeing him silent, the washerwoman dared not speak further. She lowered her head to iron his socks, passing them to Garrett through the curtain, then took his pants to wash. Just as she soaked the clothes in the water, the wooden door burst open with a bang, and a muddy high-top boot stepped in, almost stepping on the basin: "Laura! You borrowed money from me half a year ago, when are you going to repay it!" The washerwoman instinctively shrank back. Without looking up, she immediately dove to protect the basin, then tremblingly raised her head: "Mr. Robert, next month, I will definitely repay you next month..." "Definitely?!" The man sneered. "You owe me 15 silver coins already! 15! If you don¡¯t pay up this month, the interest will umte, it¡¯ll be 2 gold coins! How much money can you earn washing clothes in a month? If you don¡¯t pay by the end of the month, get out of my house!" "Mr. Robert!" The washerwoman¡¯s voice trembled. The man paced around the room for a few steps, then suddenlyughed: "Alright, I, Robert, am also a kind-hearted person. I won¡¯t push you into a corner. How about this¡ªyou give me little Jenny, and I¡¯ll find her a job. She looks good and knows a few words, she should be able to fetch a good price..." "Mr. Robert!" The washerwoman cried out in anguish. The heavy footsteps didn¡¯t stop, pressing straight toward the corner of the house. After a moment, a surprised gas p came from the corner, followed by the sound of the basin overturning, kicking and beating, struggling, and cries for help: "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy¡ª" "Aurora, stop him!" Boom boom boom boom¡ª Aurora burst out of the curtain, a series of magical missiles sending the unwanted guest flying out. After a moment, there were only two mages left in the room, bowing their heads, looking at the mother and daughter huddled together. "Little sister, can you read?" Garrett spoke softly. The washerwoman hugged her daughter tightly, tremblingly lowering her head: "Yes, yes... I taught her a little..." Surprisingly, both of them could read, in a world where literacy rates were touching. Garrett didn¡¯t pursue why the washerwoman could read. He bent down, trying to make himself smile more amiably: "Well then, how about you twoe work for me at my house? I just bought a mansion and need someone to clean it..." Chapter 270 Chapter 270 "Mr. Nordmark? Your tea." "Ah, yes, thank you, little Jenny." Garrett snapped out of it, took the tea cup, took a sip, and then pounced back onto the map. Friar Street, Anlo Street, Maine Street, Clifton Street... West Denham Street, Welfare Street, Garden Avenue... Green Vige, Wolf Vige, Penis Vige... City, countryside; upscale residential areas using magic arrays and divine magic arrays for water collection, middle to upper-ss residential areas with water delivered by dedicated personnel, lower to middle-ss residential areas drawing water from wells, slums drawing water from filthy sewers... In recent days, he had personally traversed every corner of Nevis City, and then, based on his investigations and memory, marked out the different sources of water on the map. From dots to lines, and from lines to areas. Tomorrow, he would visit Thunder Tower again to have the tower spirits calcte the mortality rates in different areas, as well as the mortality rates due to different causes of infectious diseases... He finished marking twenty streets, and when he turned around, little Jenny was still standing quietly two meters behind him, looking at the desk with eager eyes. Garrett paused his pen: "Little Jenny, what¡¯s the matter?" "S-Sir." The little girl held the tea tray, pressing her thumbs tightly against the edge of the wooden tray, her nails turning white. She stammered a few times, then, seeing Garrett smiling at her without any impatience in his eyes, finally struggled to speak: "Sir, I¡¯ve finished my tasks for today. Can I borrow a book to read? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be extremely careful, I won¡¯t dirty it at all, and I¡¯ll return it immediately after reading..."Garrett smiled slightly. Come to think of it, things hade to this point because of his own fault. If he hadn¡¯t mistakenly thought the little girl had jaundice and insisted on checking, which ultimately removed the disguise made by the girl¡¯s mother, that creditor wouldn¡¯t havee to demand payment, and they probably wouldn¡¯t have resorted to violence. Since he had intervened, the mother and daughter probably couldn¡¯t stay there any longer. He could only help them to the end. As for the fact that both the mother and daughter could read, that was a pleasant surprise. "Of course! Little Jenny, the bottom row of the left bookshelf, you can read any book there. You can take it back to your room to read as well. You can only read one book at a time, and remember to return it after you finish reading! Work hard!" "Thank you, sir!" The little girl bowed, carefully took out a book, and put it in the pocket of her apron. Then she bowed again, holding the tea tray, and left the study with small, light steps, almost soundlessly. Garrett smiled and returned to his work. After organizing poption data, mortality rates, birth rates, he quickly delved into tax records. Calction, statistics, assessment¡ª Five dayster, Garrett was confident and requested the opening of the hearing. The hearing took ce in the municipal hall at the foot of the mountain. Not just anyone could enter the Mage Tower, especially the Tower of Heaven at the top of Igor Peak, enveloped in a maze and powerful magical forces. Prolonged exposure for ordinary people could cause irreversible health damage. Therefore, the dignitaries of the reviewmittee rarely condescended toe to the municipal hall to preside over this debate themselves. Because of the arrival of the dignitaries of the reviewmittee, the municipal hall opened its grandest andrgest conference hall. As soon as Garrett stepped into the hall, he saw eight members of the reviewmittee sitting high on the tform facing the entrance of the conference hall. When they saw him enter, most of themittee members had stern faces and pretended not to see him. In front of the tform was a spacious conference table, and to the left of the conference table, five rows of chairs were arranged from low to high, filled with dozens of people. Among them were knights with serious faces and straight backs, spellcasters wearing robes and mage badges, and some people in luxurious clothes, visibly nervous, looking up at the tform, obviously tense. Merchants? Officials? Or... Garrett nced at them, then was led to the right side of the long bench. Five rows of chairs identical to those on the left, but empty. After Garrett sat down, he turned his head to the left, where Aurora Worton was, and to the right, where Bernard the Barbarian was... Well, in terms of debating, the Barbarian couldn¡¯t even be considered abatant. There were only him and Aurora, the two of them debating against dozens of people on the opposite side. Not to mention the difficulty, one could imagine how much strain his throat would be under today. Garrett rubbed his throat and quietly cast a minor healing spell on himself to soothe his throat. As the fingertips flickered with white light, he immediately saw many envious gazes from the crowd opposite him¡ªoh, they weren¡¯t extraordinary individuals, no wonder. However, as an ordinary person, being able to sit with spellcasters and influence themittee¡¯s decisions, the power and wealth of these people deserved his attention. In front of themittee of magisters, he mustn¡¯t capsize! Garrett patted his waist pouch, his fingertips touching the stack of documents in the spatial bag, finally feeling a little reassured. The next moment he quickly got up¡ªthere was a rustling sound of chairs dragging on the floor from the tform, and the magisters also stood up collectively, focusing their attention forward and smiling and nodding. Garrett turned to the door and bowed slightly. Elder Wood gave him a slight smile, leading the way into the conference hall and taking a seat in the spectator¡¯s gallery. Then, one after another, local war god temple¡¯s archbishop, Bishop Hampton, an unknown high-ranking priest from the Spring Temple, entered in session and took their seats side by side. The archbishop of the temple of the war god even nodded to Garrett and smiled warmly. With the arrival of the clerics, there was a bustling sound of footsteps, and another group of people entered. Among them was a person with a tall and straight figure, full of vigor and vitality. It was Selena, the female knight Garrett had dealt with before, the eldest daughter of Count Ifenis, Lady Loxi. It seemed that this group were all aristocrats. Garrett exchanged a nce with the female knight, and Selena raised her chin slightly, waving her fingers to him with a slight movement. After the nobles took their seats, another group of merchants entered, bustling and noisy, filling up the back rows of the spectator seats. The doors of the conference hall closed with a bang. In front of the conference table, a clerk in a ck robe with white shoulder-length curls rang the bell and raised his voice: "Regarding Mage Garrett Nordmark¡¯s request for the allocation of special funds to establish a public health institution, a special hearing is now in session!" Garrett: !!! Familiar but unfamiliar, I didn¡¯t file this application! He quickly looked towards the tform. On the tform, the protective magic archmage smiled slightly and gestured to him. Go for it! If you win this debate, you¡¯ll be the first head of the public health institution! "Next, please present arguments from all parties regarding the necessity, feasibility, and budget of establishing a public health institution!" The clerk raised his left hand and lifted it up. Across from Garrett, a mage in a deep blue robe with three silver stars on his badge stood up immediately. As soon as he spoke, Garrett¡¯s face darkened: "I believe that the current medical resources in Nevis City are sufficient to meet the needs of the entire city. There is no need to establish any other institutions!" Thank you, @Tungsten Small Shadow, for the 1500 starting coins. Please subscribe, vote for monthly tickets, rmend, and review... Recently, there have been few new readers and readers returning to continue reading. Seekingfort meows... Chapter 271 Chapter 271 Three silver stars... Garrett silently calcted in his mind. Mage badges change color at level five, three silver stars, five plus three, the other party is an eighth-level mage. Even if Garrett calctes as a fourth-ring arcane practitioner¡ªequivalent to a seventh-level mage, he is still one level lower than the other party. ording to themon etiquette of mages, he first nodded slightly to the other party in acknowledgment. The speaker also returned the gesture, then half-turned towards the clergy in the audience seats, bowing gently: "Throughout, all the healers¡ªservants of the god of nature, priests of the god of war, priestesses of the spring goddess, and the healing mages of the schools of magic¡ªhave taken excellent care of our city. In the city, whether it¡¯s illness or injury, as long as one enters the temple, we can receive treatment. In the countryside, the servants of the god of nature traverse the wilderness, bringing sce to the vigers between the mountains and fields. Even the poorest, those with nothing to spare, can receive free treatment. For this purpose, the council allocates 500 gold coins monthly for treatment expenses and 50 gold coins for potions, establishing treatment centers in the port area to provide medical assistance to the city¡¯s poor. ¡ªI sincerely thank all the healers for their dedication..." He bowed deeply once again. On the listening seats, several high-ranking clergy members smiled and nodded to each other. Behind them, and in the four rows opposite Garrett and the speaker, apuse ranged from sporadic to thunderous, almost lifting the roof.A flush rose to the mage¡¯s cheeks as he waved his arm, continuing his eloquent speech. The apuse in the conference hall surged like waves,sting through three rounds before the mage bowed gracefully to each side and took his seat. The apuse persisted for a long time, and the meeting secretary patiently waited for half a minute before raising the gavel and ringing the bell on his right: "Mage Garrett Nordmark, do you have anything to state regarding the necessity of establishing public health institutions?" On the podium, the eight members of the reviewmittee exchanged nces. To be honest, they didn¡¯t agree that the healing power was already sufficient. Just look at the City of Radiance¡ªwhat it had been reduced to! But this news was still under wraps. Except for the legendary mages, only a few of them knew that the massive magical ritual that had rmed the Magic Council was aimed at curing the city-wide gue. How would young Garrett argue this? Garrett couldn¡¯t wait to stand up. He adjusted his mage robe, about to speak, when his sleeve slipped, and his oak staff fell to the ground with a thud. Garrett¡¯s face froze, forced to pause his speech to bend down and pick it up. A small ripple ofughter erupted from the listening seats. In his peripheral vision, Garrett saw the high bishop of the Temple of War leaning towards Elder Wood, seemingly asking something in a low voice, and they both chuckled. Garrett smiled inwardly as well. Following the lead of the previous speaker, he first bowed respectfully to the podium, then to the listening seats, and finally to the speaker opposite, before calmly beginning: "Esteemed Archmages, respected healers,dies, and gentlemen. Firstly, I thank all the healers for their tireless efforts, caring for the residents of this city year after year. It is your dedication that ensures the peace of this city." On the listening seats, the high bishop of the Temple of War nodded with a smile, clearly appreciating the sentiment. To his right, the high priest of the Spring Temple looked thoroughly bored, while to his left, Elder Wood raised his eyebrows in surprise, his face clearly asking, "What mischief are you up to now,d?" Garrett withdrew his gaze. He rummaged in his spatial pouch and pulled out a thick stack of papers. Flipping through it briefly, he picked up one stack and raised his voice: "However, I must say, such healing power is entirely insufficient when dealing with emergencies!" A stir arose in the listening seats. While several high-ranking healers hadn¡¯t reacted yet, behind them, the nobles and merchants craned their necks, trying to gauge the expressions of those in front. Garrett remainedposed, turning towards the podium and gently pushing the papers forward: "This is a paper I submitted to the council in February of this year, titled ¡¯On the Istion and Treatment of Large-scale Outbreaks of Dysentery.¡¯ The paper focuses on the dysentery outbreak in Harnd Cityst July. Starting from therge-scale admission of patients by various temples, on the first day, 14 were admitted, on the second day, 47, on the third day, 200, yet all the healing power in the city could only cure a maximum of 100 patients in a day." On the podium, the Grand Mage of the Evocation school waved his hand lightly. The paper flew up,nding in front of him. Amidst the flickering light, it split into two, then four, then eight. Each member of the reviewmittee received a copy, and soon, they found the section Garrett mentioned, with an extra copy even delivered to the opposite side of the council table. The mage who had spoken earlier rapidly flipped through it. As he read, he muttered under his breath: "But how often do gues ur..." "Quite often," Garrett immediately followed up, "I mean infectious diseases, those that can be transmitted from person to person. gue, cholera, dysentery, tuberculosis, diphtheria, scarlet fever, smallpox, chickenpox, leprosy¡ª" At the mention of each disease, the opposite party would involuntarily shudder. After a dozen or so diseases were listed, the healer¡¯splexion had darkened considerably. Garrett then pulled out another stack of papers and pushed it forward: "In the year 1163, 37 deaths from chickenpox, 278 from smallpox, 129 from dysentery. In 1165, a major cholera outbreak urred, resulting in 15,237 deaths." Amotion broke out in the listening seats. Garrett saw the high bishop of the Temple of War nodding approvingly while conversing with Elder Wood. Across from him, in the rear of the mages, voices whispered: "Yes, indeed, when I was a teenager, there was a major gue once, I spent a summer in the countryside hiding..." "My younger brother and sister died then..." "Three people died in my family..." The mage opposite Garrett¡¯s expression grew even worse. Suddenly, he interrupted loudly: "Where did you get these records? Over 15,000 deaths¡ªdid you count them one by one?!" "The original records are the weekly death statistics from the City Hall! In the database, records of the past 100 years are kept, and I extracted thest 20 years!" Garrett looked the mage directly in the eye, holding up the papers confidently, rotating them to showcase to the crowd. "Data entry and calction were done by the Tower Spirits of Thunder Tower. There¡¯s the Tower Spirit¡¯s secret mark in the bottom right corner of the table, which can attest to it!" A beam of light shot down from the podium,nding on the bottom right corner of the table. With a crackle, a lightning -like phantom burst in the conference hall, exploding above everyone¡¯s heads. The mage who cast the spell nodded lightly: "It is indeed the secret mark of Thunder Tower. ¡ªMr. Nordmark, please continue." Hurray! Spending 5000 contribution points was totally worth it! With the endorsement of the Tower Spirits, he no longer had to worry about being used of miscalcting! Chapter 272 Chapter 272 Garrett bowed gently to the podium, expressing his gratitude. Then, he retrieved his papers and continued reading: "In 1166, dysentery, 57 deaths. Scarlet fever, 218 deaths." "In 1167, dysentery, 38 people. Diphtheria, 115 people. Smallpox, 327 people." "In 1168¡ª" He looked down at the paper, his voice t and almost mechanical. However, the sessive death data were like gusts of icy wind from the North, howling through the conference hall, sending shivers down everyone¡¯s spine. When Garrett finished reading this page, the hall was filled with nothing but the heavy, stifling breaths of those present, not even a cough could be heard. Garrett set down the papers and picked up a new page. ncing around, he noticed that most people on the opposite side and in the audience were beginning to avoid his gaze. With a lift of his papers, he continued reading: "These are statistics on the number and proportion of various causes of death in the death records of the City Hall over the past 20 years. We can see that the mortality rates ofmon diseases and idents are rtively stable, except forst year¡ªdue to a war¡ªthere was a significant increase; However, the mortality rate of infectious diseases fluctuates greatly, with a much higher mortality rate during outbreaks¡ª""Mr. Nordmark." Elder Sam suddenly spoke from the podium, "Please project the data in your hands onto the whiteboard for everyone to see." He waved his hand lightly, and arge white wooden board, two people wide and nearly half a person tall, flew over from the wall and hung diagonally across from the podium. Understanding the request, Garrett walked out of his seat and approached the board. With a silent flicker of his magecraft, he quickly drew the table and line graph on the whiteboard. The curve of the mortality rate, especially the upward spike during infectious disease outbreaks, was chilling to behold. Elder Wood¡¯s expression grew somber. At the Temple of War, the Grand Bishop and Bishop Hampton locked eyes, their brows furrowed. Behind them, a group of nobles whispered and pointed at the whiteboard. The mage who spoke first, from the medical branch, stared wide-eyed at the line on the whiteboard, looking as though he might cast a fiery spell or something simr, piercing the board on the spot... Garrett allowed them a moment to digest the data on the whiteboard. Then, he stepped forward and stood in front of the board: "I¡¯m not trying to negate the role of healers. It should be said that it¡¯s precisely because of the presence of all of you healers that patients receive timely treatment, preventing the death toll from continuing to rise. But I want to say, gues or outbreaks of infectious diseases spread rapidly¡ª" He turned and waved his hand. On the whiteboard, the table and line graph vanished instantly, and a new line began leaping up, grid by grid: "Take the Great Cholera Epidemic of 1165, for example. On June 2nd, 11 deaths, on June 3rd, 35 deaths, on the 4th, 168 deaths, on the 5th, 521 deaths¡ª" In the audience seats, several senior healers made simultaneous prayer gestures. Clearly, Garrett¡¯s words had transported them back to that tragic year, back to the desperate struggle, unable to do anything but watch as patients died in droves. Garrett¡¯s voice suddenly raised: "But this year, in the first two months, there was a cholera outbreak in a vige. Due to timely detection, treatment, and most importantly, cleaning up the living environment and rted water sources of the patients, the spread chain was effectively cut off. Apart from the 24 patients who were already infected, there were no more cases of cholera spreading in the vige, or the city!" The entire conference hall trembled. Elder Wood¡¯s steady voice followed: "Yes, I can attest that this is indeed the case. I personally went to treat the cholera outbreak in that vige. Later, there were indeed no more infections in the vige, its surroundings, or the city." A buzz of discussion erupted again. Businessmen, city hall officials, nobles, and those less informed were turning their heads, asking each other questions. Garrett nodded slightly to Elder Wood, thanking him for his timely testimony, then looked around once again: "And this is the significance of public health institutions. Early detection, early treatment, early istion, early disinfection. ¡ªThis is not to usurp the work of healers, but toplement them, providing them with early warnings and reducing their stress. It¡¯s like a dam blocking the flood before a great disaster arrives!" He bowed deeply and returned to his seat. After a moment of silence, a question came from the podium, from the Archmage of the Conjuration School: "Does Mr. Nordmark¡¯s statement have the approval of all the healers?" "Approved." The mage from the medical branch who spoke first stood up and bowed slightly. "Approved." Elder Wood nodded solemnly. "Approved." The Grand Bishop of the Temple of War followed suit. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief. With four branches, three votes were secured, and the oue was basically determined. As for the representative from the Temple of the Spring Goddess, it would be best if she agreed, but if not, it shouldn¡¯t affect the overall situation... "Approved." Four votes! Complete victory! The conference hall buzzed with excitement. At the conference table, the secretary bowed his head and made a note, then rang the bell again: "Now, let the representative from the Emergency Management Department make their statement!" The Emergency Management Department. Garrett lowered his head and began to search through his materials. What were the views of the Emergency Management Department that the mage who spokest time mentioned to him? Where did I put the corresponding materials... Across the long table, to the right of the mage from the medical branch, the second speaker stood up. Dressed sharply, with a tight-fitting jacket and pants, a wide belt cinched tightly around his waist, he looked ready to facebat at any moment. He quickly nodded to those around him in acknowledgment before beginning his statement: "Esteemed Archmages, respected healers,dies, and gentlemen. We at the Emergency Management Department have full confidence in controlling outbreaks. In 1162, the year I joined the Emergency Management Department, we sacrificed seventeen colleagues and eradicated a cult located in the sewers beneath Nevis City, thwarting their plot to spread a gue; In 1168, the entire Emergency Management Department was mobilized to set up roadblocks at the border, preventing refugees fleeing the gue from entering Nevis City, keeping the disaster outside; In 1173, we sank a spy ship at sea, thwarting an operation by the Radiant Church to spread a gue; Even this year, we sessfully captured a group of spies from the Radiant Church, under the meticulous deployment of the reviewmittee, and curbed the spread of a series of gues such as cholera and anthrax." Huh? Garrett looked at him in astonishment, then turned his head and looked towards the podium. Was the Emergency Management Department giving him face like this? Not mentioning the source of the path ogen leaks, not mentioning that these pathogens actually came from hisboratory? His gaze fell on the ck-robed necromancer, who gave him a smile and nodded. Garrett suddenly realized: So that¡¯s how it is, ck Crow Swamp must have exerted pressure in advance! The strains he created, each one would be taken away for research by the epidemiologists. If it were revealed during this hearing that "the gue came from theboratory of the mage," wouldn¡¯t that be a disaster? Although Nevis City is a city of mages, it¡¯s not just mages here¡ªthere are temples, noble families, merchants, andmoners, all of whom would panic on the spot! If he were a necromancer, he would also have to have a chat with the Emergency Management Department beforehand about what he could and couldn¡¯t say at the hearing... It¡¯s so great to have big shots backing you up! Chapter 273 Chapter 273 Garrett and the Necromancer exchanged a nce, then looked away. The military-style speaker from the Emergency Management Department had reached the stage of expressing determination and confidence: "As Mage Nordmark said, if our colleagues were present in Harnd Cityst year when the gue struck, we could have stopped it at the source, preventing it from spreading throughout the city." He was full of confidence, with a powerful and resolute tone. Garrett quickly nced at the audience, only to see the healer from the Temple of Springs with a ckened face, twitching at the corner of her mouth, evidently aware of the true nature of the gue long before. Garrett could barely contain hisughter: Can you really stop it? Not let it spread? How would you do it, storm into the temple¡¯s dark dungeons? Lost in his thoughts, the speaker on the other side had reached the end of his speech. The speaker clenched his fist and pounded his chest, his voice loud: "We believe that as long as we strengthen patrols and vignce, we can definitely prevent the outbreak of the gue. Please rest assured, everyone!" Amidst the apuse, Garrett buried his head deeply and couldn¡¯t help but smirk. This round was too easy, almost like a freebie. Or perhaps, they willingly entered his familiar territory, allowing him to defeat them with his wealth of experience... How can you still hold on to your original point of view? After I¡¯ve read so many death records before you, and pointed out so many infectious diseases, how can you still stick to your original point of view and not change your approach?It wasn¡¯t until the secretary gestured for him to stand up and defend himself that Garrett reluctantly suppressed his amusement, standing up with a serious face. After customary greetings to all parties, he cleared his throat and fired directly at the opposition: "First of all, I want to thank all the colleagues from the Emergency Management Department for their contributions to urban safety over the past decades. Secondly, I would like to ask¡ªdo you believe that the origin of the gue is solely due to the sabotage of followers of the evil god or enemy spies?" "This¡ª" The person on the other side instinctively wanted to answer, but his voice got stuck in his throat. Garrett picked up the script from the previous discussion and read it line by line: "In 1163, smallpox, 37 deaths; measles, 278 deaths; dysentery, 129 deaths. In 1165, a major cholera outbreak, with 15,237 deaths. In 1166, dysentery, 57 deaths; scarlet fever, 218 deaths. In 1167, dysentery, 38 deaths; diphtheria, 115 deaths; smallpox, 327 deaths. These are just a few of the sporadic infectious diseases with rtively few deaths. If the source of the gue were only external enemy sabotage, are you suggesting that the Emergency Management Department missed so many enemy attacks over the past 20 years?" On the podium, Old Sam chuckled. The military personnel from the Emergency Management Department clenched his jaw, almost ring at the podium, but then forcibly turned back. Those sitting there were all great mages, the ones who held administrative power in the Magic Council¡ª Legendary mages were not concerned, and mages above level 15 were busy challenging legends. Those who were eventually kicked out to take care of daily affairs were just rotating members of the judgingmittee. Offending them? In the City of Mages, do you still want to have a future? He had no choice but to turn his spearhead towards Garrett. Raising his head and standing straight, amidst a gentleughter, he said indignantly: "Mr. Nordmark, we are not talking about ordinary diseases, but the gue! Ordinary diseases can be treated with the city¡¯s existing medical resources, only the gue can cause mass deaths! We in the Emergency Management Department believe that as long as we prevent all enemy sabotage, we can stop the source of the gue!" Garrett sighed lightly. "Sir, what exactly is a gue then?" The ck-robed mage on the podium became spirited. On the sidelines, several healers from different churches sat up straight simultaneously. Garrett ignored them all, moved to the whiteboard: "Smallpox is a gue? Cholera is a gue? Dysentery is a gue? The ck Death is a gue? So, what exactly is a gue? Is it miasma, poison, a curse of demons, or a punishment from the gods?" He said a sentence, and there were people echoing, nodding, shaking their heads, agreeing, and attempting to refute. Garrett ignored them all, just nodded to Aurora by the council table, pointed to the documents on the table: "Throughout history, various diseases have been called gues by us. They all have onemon feature: rapid transmission, many patients with simr symptoms appearing in a short period, far exceeding the local treatment capacity. One transmits to ten, ten to a hundred, causing arge number of illnesses and deaths. So, I believe they should be given a more precise definition: Infectious diseases. As for the origin of these infectious diseases, I have borated on it in two papers submitted in February, ¡¯On the Istion and Treatment of Dysentery Epidemics¡¯ and ¡¯Records of Observing Dysentery Bacillus with Homemade Microscopes.¡¯" Aurora lifted the two papers in response, waved them, and continued working. "In short, based on my observations and research, diseases such as dysentery, cholera, tuberculosis, and many other infectious diseases are caused by extremely subtle entities. These entities¡ªI call them ¡¯bacteria¡¯¡ªwidely exist in nature and only cause diseases under special circumstances. They multiply massively in the patient¡¯s body, then are excreted and infect other healthy individuals. This process has been described in detail in my two papers. Bacteria are extremely small, only visible under special microscopes. Sir, if you want to deal with them like you deal with enemies, waving swords to keep them out, that¡¯s not possible..." He spoke calmly and confidently. The military speaker from the Emergency Management Department had a bewildered expression, his face and eyes resembling a struggling student in a calculus ss who picked up a pen but couldn¡¯t follow the lecture. If there were text bubbles above his head, they would surely read: "Who am I? Where am I? What is that guy talking about?" "All these things you said... need evidence! Yes, evidence!" He struggled to say a sentence. Garrett hit the nail on the head, raised his hand, and gestured towards the table: "Aurora, the papers." At the long table, Aurora Worton didn¡¯t even look up, her arm glowing fluorescently, busy serving as a human photocopier... Hearing Garrett¡¯s words, Aurora raised her arm, and a paper flew over. The struggling student from the Emergency Management Department was dazed, lowering his head to flip open the cover, staring at the pages without being able to turn one. Garrett nced from afar and almost burst intoughter: Buddy, you¡¯ve hit a wall! Chapter 274 Chapter 274 Garrett hesitated for a second, wondering if reminding the other party in front of everyone would seem like mockery. Before he could resolve his dilemma, a bell chimed behind him. The mage from the Protection School, who had been dealing with him, raised his voice for everyone to hear: "Please, Mage Garrett Nordmark, submit your papers to the judgingmittee." ...You did it yourselfst time, what¡¯s with theziness this time? Garrett thought to himself, swiftly walking over to receive them. The paper on isting and treating dysentery had already been submitted during thest debate, so this time, he had only the paper on observing bacteria under a microscope to present. Thanks to Aurora¡¯s quick work, just two minutes ago, she had mentioned the title of the paper, and now, eight copies were ready... Handing them over one by one, Garrett handed them to the mage from the Protection School. From the direction of the audience, a majestic, somewhat urgent voice rang out: "The Temple of War requests to review the papers!" Huh? Garrett paused. Almost immediately, a familiar, deep voice followed: "The Naturalist Church also requests to review the papers."Ah, Elder, you¡¯re a great help! Garrett quickened his pace of handing out the papers, nning to finish here and then distribute them to the audience. Just as he handed out thest paper and before he could turn around, a third voice chimed in. Majestic and solemn, it carried a hint of reluctance: "The Temple of the Spring Goddess also requests to review the papers¡ª" Facing away from the Archbishop and the priests, Garrett saw the mage in white robes wink at him, eliciting a fleeting smile. Huh, even the Temple of the Spring Goddess wants the papers? Garrett blinked, trying to keep his lips level. The Council encouraged mages to exchange and share knowledge. As long as one had a mage badge, it was convenient to ess submitted papers¡ªalbeit only abstracts; to read the full text, payment was required. However, for non-mages, like knights or priests, wanting to ess literature... this... Whether it was Elder Wood or others from the Naturalist Church, if they wanted a paper, they just needed to ask. As for the Temple of War? If they asked for a favor, Garrett certainly wouldn¡¯t refuse. But the Temple of the Spring Goddess? Having been at the Council headquarters for so long, Garrett had never interacted with the Temple of the Spring Goddess, nor had he heard of any mages around him doing so... Seeing the white-robed mage smile like that, Garrett reckoned they had to offer some benefits. At the signal from the white-robed mage, Garrett turned around and walked towards the podium, presenting three sets of new papers to the audience. The hall quickly fell silent, with the dignitaries flipping through the pages without a word. Garrett: "..." You from the ck Crow Swamp, you¡¯re not acting like yourself at all! At least flip through a few more pages; although you¡¯ve probably seen all my papers, remember the one on treating gues and istion? It was the score given by the Necromancy School... And Elder Wood, I remember giving you copies of several papers when I started researching bats! For high-level mages and advanced healers, the benefit of reading papers was that others had little to say. As time ticked by, Elder Wood was the first to close the papers and speak up: "The Naturalist Church tentatively approves the conclusions of the papers. Regarding the origin of the gue and... methods of istion and treatment, further research is needed." With him leading, the Temple of War and the Temple of the Spring Goddess also tentatively expressed approval. The speaker from the Emergency Management Department looked gloomy, silent. The secretary presiding over the hearing waited for a while, seeing no one rebutting, and rang the bell again: "Now, let the spokesperson of the City Hall Budget Committee speak!" Garrett instantly sat up straight. He quickly flipped through the papers at hand, selecting a stack and holding them tightly. The previous topics were medical, straightforward; either they worked or they didn¡¯t, and with his knowledge, he could easily refute the opposition. But next was an economic issue¡ª Economic issues were perhaps the most frustrating and powerless pain for all doctors. No matter how sincere or skilled you were, no matter how persuasively you exined that the disease was not difficult to treat or that not treating it would result in death, it all paled inparison to the decisive words of patients and their families: "No money." Watching patients who could clearly be cured check themselves out and leave, the pain was something Garrett had seen more than one young doctor cry about in his previous life. Even after crossing over, the problem hadn¡¯t improved. Or perhaps, because the productivity level of this world was lower, and themon people poorer, the phrase "no money" became even more ring. The City Hall had no money, the Council had no money, the country had no money¡ª No money meant no money. And macroeconomic issues were not Garrett¡¯s forte as a doctor. Garrett tightened his grip on the papers, preparing himself. And the person in charge of the Budget Committee was indeed an expert in economics, rattling off numbers swiftly, his thin lips moving rapidly as he spoke, a long string of digits flowing effortlessly from between them. With a curl to his mustache and a rhythm to his lips, he spoke for a full fifteen minutes without stumbling once. After half a minute of listening, Garrett was already struggling to keep up with his pace. And as for whether the numbers reported by the mustached man were urate and whether any items were missing from the ounts, Garrett admitted that he couldn¡¯t judge at all. "...In conclusion, due tost year¡¯s war with the Radiant Church and the subsequent repair of military equipment this year, the finances of Nevis City will remain in debt for the next three years." Twenty minutester, the mustached man adjusted his tie, exhaled, and began his closing statement: "The Budget Committee¡¯s assessment is that, until the financial situation improves, there are not enough funds avable to undertake these projects without economic return, such as constructing new,rger water supply facilities, repairing sewers, or building infectious disease hospitals..." He slowed his pace in thest sentence, his tone bing more solemn, as if unfamiliar with these new terms. After pausing for a moment, he returned to his previous smooth rhythm: "The Budget Committee¡¯s evaluation is that, until the financial situation improves, there are not enough funds avable to undertake these projects without economic return." He bowed deeply to the audience. The hall fell into a stifling silence, with no apuse, no words of thanks. Only those in the back rows of themittee and the audience, some richly dressed but not extraordinary listeners, showed concern, as if afraid someone would demand they donate on the spot. "Did you find any loopholes in his argument?" "No, I didn¡¯t understand a thing¡ª" Aurora Worton quickly nudged Garrett, silently asking her boss. Garrett silently shook his head, not having found an opportunity to speak yet, when the long, drawn-out bell chimed again. The secretary adjusted his wig, turned to Garrett¡¯s side: "Now, Mage Nordmark, please make your statement¡ª" Chapter 275 Chapter 275 Garrett Nordmark clenched the speech draft and rose slowly. Boom, boom, boom, his heart thudded in his chest, breathing quickened, and his back began to sweat faintly. It felt like seeing an ambnce door open, a patient lying on a stretcher rushed in, or like working thete shift in the dead of night, sleeping soundly when the emergency phone rings... Garrett didn¡¯t need to check his pulse to know that his heart rate at this moment was definitely over 120 beats per minute. Heh, tachycardia. Probably sinus. There was no way around it, challenging opponents in fields where others excel is just this uncertain. ...But, he had to do it. For those children who died at 14, 15, 16 years old. For little Jenny and her mother, who fetched water from polluted rivers and might fall ill and die at any moment.For those bottom-rungborers with appallingly low life expectancies. Health is paramount; Life is entrusted! Garrett stood upright, turned around, and saluted. Then, he took a deep breath and posed a question he had prepared for a long time: "Esteemed Archmages, respected healers,dies and gentlemen. Before discussing the city hall budget, I would like to ask a question: What is the value of a person, an ordinary, bottom-rung citizen of Nevis, in terms of gold coins?" The meeting room fell silent. Across the council table, the spokesperson for the Budget Committee curled his lips disdainfully, showing contempt on his face. Behind him, two small merchants whispered to each other, "What¡¯s there to calcte?" "Yeah, how much are thosemoners worth?" "At most, one or two silver coins, right?" "Maybe not even that, if they¡¯re killed on the street, they might only get a couple of gold coins inpensation..." Garrett pretended not to hear. He looked to his left, where the high-ranking mages on the dais looked serious, with a hint of displeasure; to his right, Elder Wood furrowed his brow, his voice like a bell: "The great god of nature teaches us that before nature, every person is equal." Oh, well, that¡¯s true of the doctrine of the god of nature. The worshippers of the god of nature never regarded themselves as nobler thanmoners. Garrett shifted his gaze slightly, looking towards Elder Wood¡¯s side... "Under the radiant light of the god of war, every warrior is a brother." The Grand Bishop followed up. Pausing, the high-ranking healer of the Temple of the Spring Goddess spoke up a bit reluctantly: "The goddess lovingly cares for every person." Hmm, at least the clergy of the church still had to say "every person is equal" on the surface. Of course, some people are certainly more equal than others, but with several high-ranking clergy speaking sessively, at least no one dared to shout out loud: How much are thosemoners worth? Garrett smiled slightly, bowed to them in gratitude, and then turned to the dais, calmly stating: "I¡¯ve looked into the tax revenues of Nevis City. Over the past decade, the annual tax revenue of Nevis City has fluctuated between 1 to 1.1 million gold coins. Considering a tax rate of about one-tenth, this means that the value created by the residents of Nevis City each year is roughly between 10 to 11 million gold coins, averaging 20 to 22 gold coins per person. And considering that a quarter of the residents are boys and girls under seven years old, withoutbor capacity, and about one-tenth are exempt frombor due to titles and positions, the value created by eachborer per year ranges from 30 to 34 gold coins." "You¡¯ve calcted it wrong!" A shout came from across the council table. Garrett turned his head and saw a man standing up in the fifth row opposite, thest row, whom he didn¡¯t recognize. Not wearing a badge, no magical fluctuations could be felt, and judging by his figure, he wasn¡¯t a knight or a warrior¡ªprobably a merchant? Garrett was still specting about the man¡¯s identity when he tugged hard at his cor, his belly trembling, and spoke eagerly: "A water carrier can only earn 5 silver coins a month, aundry woman earns only three and a half silver coins a month, a worker in a workshop, with room and board provided, earns three silver coins a month. You say they earn 30 to 34 gold coins a year, that¡¯s simply not right!" Garrett sighed. What the merchant was refuting was exactly what he was about to point out: "We all know that without the fields of farmers, crops cannot grow; without the workshops of workers, wool, leather, and swords cannot be produced; without fishermen, fish from the sea won¡¯t end up on the table; even without dockworkers, goods won¡¯t magically transport themselves onto and off of ships. It is people, and only people¡¯sbor, that can create value. We add up the value of everything a city produces in a year¡ªwheat, bread, wool, ssware...¡ªand call it Gross Domestic Product. And when you divide the Gross Domestic Product by the number ofborers, you get per capita GDP. The value aborer creates over their lifetime equals their value to the city, to the country. I believe that, as rulers of the city, this is how the council should view the popce." "That makes some sense." On the dais, a grand mage with dark circles under his eyes, looking half-asleep, nodded gently. Garrett was slightly encouraged and continued: "Aborer, from the time they are capable ofbor, if they can work for 20 years, it¡¯s equivalent to creating value for 20 years. If they can continue to work for 30 years, it¡¯s equivalent to creating value for 30 years.¡ªBut let¡¯s take a look at how many years these poorest, bottom-rung citizens can work." Garrett stepped briskly to the whiteboard beside the dais. With one hand holding the draft paper and the other raised to the whiteboard, magical tricks shimmered once again, drawing a bar graph on the whiteboard: "Based on the death data from the past 20 years, the average life expectancy of the aristocrats, wealthy, and mage sses in the Garden District is 59 years. For the middle to high-ie earners, mainly low-ranking mages, schrs, and merchants, the average life expectancy is 42 years. For the middle to low-ie groups, mainly small traders, craftsmen, low-level clerks, shop assistants, etc., the average life expectancy is 33 years. And for the low-ie group, which includes farmers, water carriers,undry workers, dockworkers, and unskilled workshopborers, their average life expectancy is¡ª" Garrett took a deep breath. He surveyed the surroundings, deliberately lengthening the pause between two sentences, making eye contact with everyone looking at him. Until the silence in the meeting room umted enough to press down, he exhaled that long breath and drew a shocking, only one-third length bar on the whiteboard: "¡ª22 years." The entire meeting room shook violently. Then, buzzing sounds, like tidal waves, surged up, drowning every seat: "What?!" "So short?!" "Only 22 years?!" "Even if they give birth at 14 and die at 22, the children are only 8 years old!" "That¡¯s equivalent to sending children to their deaths¡ª" "Is it fake? How could it be so terrible..." "Exactly, in my shop, there are several craftsmen in their forties and fifties..." Garrett lowered his brows, standing quietly next to the whiteboard, listening to these chaotic discussions. When he first started entering death registration data, he was distressed by the tragic deaths of those who died at 14, 15, or 16 years old. However, when the statistics werepleted and he got the calcted data, he couldn¡¯t help but gasp for breath. The situation was worse than he had expected. Much worse. 22 years. An average age of death of 22 years. Remember, even in old China, before liberation, in such a miserable world, the average life expectancy of the poption reached 35 years... What is 22 years? It¡¯s hell! He waited quietly for a moment, raised the draft paper in his hand, and showed the magical seal on the paper to the audience. With a wave of the hand of the mage in the protective series, a magical radiance shed, and the emblem of Thunder Tower rose again, shining in the air. Immediately, a louder wave of sound erupted andsted for a long time. Garrett held his head high, waiting. These data were not fabricated by him, the original records had sources, and the calction process had the endorsement of Tower Spirits. He waited until the surroundings gradually quieted down, took a step forward, and earnestly addressed the dais: "Garrett Nordmark, Mage, you¡¯ve raised a valid point. However, if you want to convince the council to increase investment, you still need to exin one more thing: How much help does increasing this investment provide to the lives and health of the citizens?" Chapter 276 Chapter 276 As soon as this question came out, Garrett¡¯s heart, suspended in mid-air, dropped by half. His heart rate, which was racing fast enough to be diagnosed as sinus tachycardia at 120 beats per minute, dropped to around seventy or eighty beats per minute¡ª After all, he had finally taken control of the pace of the hearing. Who wants to settle ounts with you! Who wants to argue whether you made a mistake or where the false ounts are! Who wants to meticulously calcte whether the municipal budget is enough or if there¡¯s anything left to scrape out! The adjudicatingmittee, and the Magic Council represented by them, were the rulers of this city. To persuade the Magic Council, one should look at the problem from the council¡¯s perspective! As for where the moneyes from after persuading the council... Tax increases, issuing bonds, selling lottery tickets, selling patents, or even confiscating assets from a few corrupt officials? As thergest coercive institution locally, the council could always find a way to aplish its goals. Hmm, thanks to all the political sses and political economy courses I¡¯ve taken since childhood, as well as the news I¡¯ve listened to over the years... Garrett calmed his mood a bit and revealed a confident smile. After all, the uing argument had entered his area of expertise, and he felt more confident than ever! "Thank you for your inquiry, Archmage," Garrett bowed slightly and spoke calmly: "The establishment of public health facilities undoubtedly contributes greatly to the lives and health of the citizens. ¡ªTo prove this point, we can start by looking at a set ofparative data.In the year 1165, a cholera outbreak urred in Nevis City, resulting in 15,237 deaths. Among them, 3,518 were from rural areas, 8,115 from low-ie areas, 2,897 from middle-low-ie areas, 639 from middle-high-ie areas, and 68 from high-ie areas..." The poorer the area, the more deaths. These stark numbers sent chills down one¡¯s spine. Even though everyone is equal in the face of death, those who are less able to withstand it suffer more. "Numbers alone are not enough." In the silence, the chief mage of the Abjuration School, sitting at the chairman¡¯s podium, interrupted Garrett¡¯s speech with a smile: "The number of wealthy people is small, so naturally, the number of deaths is also small. If you want to prove that better conditions lead to fewer deaths, you need to provide some other evidence." "Understood," Garrett nodded calmly. He didn¡¯t even need to flip through the manuscript in his hand. With just a flick of his finger, the next section appeared, and he continued speaking: "I divided the residential areas of the city into four parts based on the water supply method. There are garden areas with water collected using magic arrays and divine spells, residential areas with water delivered by specialized personnel or extracted from mountain springs by specialized merchants, residential areas with water drawn from wells, and areas where water is taken from nearby rivers and sewage ditches. ¡ªIt can be seen that these four areasrgely ovep with the high-ie, middle-high-ie, middle-low-ie, and low-ie areas of the citizens." He waved again at the whiteboard. Today serving as a projection screen, the whiteboard, which had been rewritten countless times, added new charts: "In the year 1165, the proportion of residents in various areas of Nevis City who died of cholera were as follows: 35% in rural areas, 52% in low-ie areas, 43% in middle-low-ie areas, 38% in middle-high-ie areas, and 12% in high-ie areas. Expanding the time span to 20 years, the proportions of residents in various areas who died of infectious diseases were as follows: 18% in rural areas, 31% in low-ie areas, 32% in middle-low-ie areas, 21% in middle-high-ie areas, and 5% in high-ie areas. Among these, the proportions who died of intestinal infectious diseases such as dysentery and cholera were: 7% in rural areas, 18% in low-ie areas, 17% in middle-low-ie areas, 9% in middle-high-ie areas, and 2% in high-ie areas." Three clusters, five colors, fifteen rectangr pirs, clearly disyed on the whiteboard. Even if one couldn¡¯t remember the data or didn¡¯t have time for mental calctions, just looking at theparison of column heights made Garrett¡¯s point clear: Even providing clean drinking water alone can significantly reduce the mortality rate of infectious diseases and markedly decrease the number of deaths! Amidst murmurs of appreciation, the members of the adjudicatingmittee were moved. Several senior mages exchanged nces, and the mage in ck robes coughed and tapped the table: "Please exin the meaning of ¡¯intestinal infectious diseases¡¯." "Intestinal infectious diseases are diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria multiplying in the human body, being excreted through the intestines, contaminating the surrounding environment and water sources, and then infecting healthy individuals through drinking water and food," Garrett promptly responded: "The known intestinal infectious diseases include dysentery, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, and cholera. I have relevant discussions on dysentery in my papers ¡¯On the Istion and Treatment of Dysentery Epidemics¡¯ and ¡¯Records of Observing Dysentery Bacilli with Homemade Microscopes.¡¯ As for typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, and cholera, I have written rted papers, which are awaiting review." "What about other types of infectious diseases?" "Other types of infectious diseases are not transmitted through water bodies. Simply providing clean drinking water cannot break the chain of transmission. However, constructing specialized infectious disease hospitals, promptly isting patients and their close contacts, and timely disinfecting the environment of patients can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Regarding this, I have relevant discussions and practices in my paper ¡¯On the Istion and Treatment of Dysentery Epidemics.¡¯" "Well then..." The mage in ck robes wanted to continue questioning. On the chairman¡¯s podium, several senior mages coughed simultaneously, looking displeased. The mage in ck robes red back fiercely: What¡¯s wrong with asking questions! What¡¯s wrong with asking questions! I¡¯m not from the gue Branch! Don¡¯t look at every necromancer like they¡¯re a walking gue! To be honest, little Garrett looks more like he¡¯s from the gue Branch than I do! Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that in hisboratory, he¡¯s umted over a dozen gue seeds! Garrett almost burst outughing. He tried to keep a straight face, putting on a serious and respectful expression, waiting for the inquiry. After exchanging nces with each other, several senior mages finally stopped their questioning. The mage specializing in Transmutation raised his hand, tapping the table and speaking: "Master Nordmark, do you have any ns regarding the provision of clean drinking water?" The Transmutation School, due to its association with the Alchemy Guild, had always been one of thergest engineering teams in the Magic Council, well, the otherrge engineering team is from the Conjuration School, and they often work together. However, the Conjuration School excelled in gathering energy and creating various items and buildings with void constructs, such as mage mansions, which were clearly their specialty. When it came to controlling costs and increasing profits, the Transmutation School was second to none. The mage¡¯s question clearly indicated concern about the cost. After all, investment in public health was arge investment with slow returns, and it might take more than ten years to see any returns. And the n Garrett had thrown out earlier, regarding city water supply, involved building a water treatment nt and a distribution pipeline... So far, only the Mage Tower on Igor Peak had the ability to produce clean water using electrolysis. The Archmage had calcted the cost of building this set of facilities, and the meditation environment had almost copsed. When considering the cost of renting aboratory, it was almost like covering the entire city with water creation magic arrays! Garrett almost smiled wryly. It was truly his own fault. Previously, to avoid losing money, he had hastily written a n without careful consideration. For example, regarding the water supply, he had simply followed his vague memories and casually wrote about a water treatment nt... He had only realized this problem a few days ago. Speaking of which, what is the production capacity needed for a water treatment nt serving 500,000 people? Garrett had no idea. He rummaged through his memories, flipping through countless misceneous things, until he finally found a news article in a corner: A county with a name he had never heard of was investing in a water treatment nt with a total construction scale of 200,000 tons per day, providing safe water for 500,000 residents... with a total investment of 289 million yuan... Uh... Sorry for the interruption. Garrett silently crossed out the design for the water treatment nt... He really knew nothing about modern industry... Not to mention the investment amount, does Igor Peak and the surrounding rivers even have enough flow to produce 200,000 tons of clean water per day? Garrett could only settle for less and less. The n was cut and shed until, in the end, it became the most basic version from the Barefoot Doctor¡¯s Handbook: "Um... Regarding the provision of clean drinking water, I have two different ns. One relies more on magic, and once it¡¯s built, it¡¯s rtivelybor-saving in the long run. The second one doesn¡¯t require much magic, but it consumes more manpower... Don¡¯t worry, regardless of which one, it¡¯s cheaper than a water treatment nt!" He hurriedly added thest sentence. The mage from the Transmutation School who had asked the question smiled, indicating for him to continue. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief and turned the pages quickly: "For the first n, we will build a reservoir at the source of a clean water supply, with pipelines for water diversion to supply drinking water. Calcted at 2 liters per person per day, this reservoir only needs to supply 1,000 tons of water per day. Building the reservoir at a mountain pass andying pipelines can utilize the natural elevation of the reservoir to ensure flow speed. As for the engineering aspect, building the reservoir can rely on magic, andying pipelines can be done using magic or by fostering hollow nts with natural divine spells for long-distance drainage. There¡¯s no need for pipelines to enter each household; as long as each gathering area has a water tank. These tanks can be sealed, with manually operated water pumps installed, allowing residents to draw water themselves. Of course, the Magic Council should send people to regrly check the water quality and add disinfectants to the tanks..." "Cough!" A loud cough came from the audience. Garrett quickly turned around and saw Elder Wood, smiling amiably, not looking like he was going to stop him. Garrett pretended not to notice others¡¯ expressions, faced the chairman¡¯s podium, and continued to exin the second n: "For the second n,rge stoves will be set up in the poor districts to provide free boiling water. Calcted at 1,000 people per stove, a maximum of 500rge stoves can cover the entire city. Because only boiling water is provided, the quality requirements for water sources can be rxed, and water sources with mild pollution from nearby rivers can also be used. In addition, the water quality of wells in middle and lower-ie areas should be regrly tested, and disinfectants should be added. Or, you can also let the servants of the gods of nature be responsible for testing. They have always been sensitive to whether the water is drinkable..." "Uh, cough!" The coughing from the audience grew louder. The Transmutation School member raised his hand to stop Garrett¡¯s speech, with a smile on his face, extending his hand to the opposite side: "Your Eminence Grand High Priest?" Chapter 277 Chapter 277 Garrett, the senior healer of the Spring Goddess Temple, now acknowledged as the High Priest, stood with a stern face, silent. Instead, a nobleman from the back row stood up, bowed to the podium, and respectfully addressed: "Esteemed Archmages, I mean no offense, but out of deep religious reverence, I must ask: For ages, it has been the noble Spring Goddess who nourishes her people with pure water sources. Why then, shouldn¡¯t the task of providing drinking water be entrusted to her servants?" Of course, that¡¯s because¡ªwe¡¯re not on good terms with them! Garrett stood rigidly in ce, maintaining a calm demeanor, resolutely keeping silent. Indeed, Garrett wasn¡¯t familiar with the Spring Goddess Temple at all. The Nature God Sect was his home, and the Temple of War had always cooperated well. But as for the Spring Goddess Temple? If it weren¡¯t for the favorable impression Donald, the priest, had left him, the temple would be aplete mess for Garrett. Moreover, the faith in the Spring Goddess was the kingdom¡¯s state religion, with every monarch needing the Pope¡¯s coronation. The royal family and nobility naturally fell under the temple¡¯s influence, with noble children, especially second and younger sons and daughters, sent to the Spring Goddess Temple for education unless there were special reasons. But a ce can only have one ruler. Relying on the royal family¡¯s Spring Temple, they were marginalized in the City of Mages, attracting little attention. Garrett had traversed Nevis City, only to find a small temple tucked away in the garden district. The za at the entrance was only slightlyrger than that of the Spring Goddess Temple in Harnd City. What¡¯s more important, in the poor districts, he hardly found any drinking water facilities set up by the temple...Hand it over to them? Humph! In the water supply n, Garrett deliberately avoided considering the Spring Goddess Temple, feeling no psychological pressure. The members of the evaluationmittee cooperated well with him. The protective mage coughed pretentiously, gesturing downward: "Viscount Breau, thank you for your input. Mage Nordmark¡¯s n is still in its preliminary stages. If we decide to implement it, the council will deploy more high-level mages to refine it. ¡ªOf course, we wee the participation of the Spring Goddess clergy in this sanitation n." He nodded politely to the High Priest. The High Priest could only nod in return, unmoved, as if he hadn¡¯t heard Garrett¡¯s intention to exclude them. The mages smiled amiably, nodding at Garrett: "Besides the clean drinking water n, what other initiatives do you think should be implemented in public health?" Ah, public health, aprehensive system indeed. Garrett wished he could recite everything he had learned in his previous life or at least throw over the version he had submitted to the council. But for now, he had to pick out the most important ones: "Increase public toilets." "Prohibit public defecation and littering." "Establish specialized infectious disease hospitals..." Every time he mentioned one, the face of the official from the budgetmittee opposite him would darken by a shade. Behind the officials, a group of people who looked like civilian affairs officials and merchants sighed andmented. It seemed like every project Garrett mentioned was cutting into their flesh. Perhaps... that was the reality... The evaluationmittee member from the Transmutation School noted down a few key points happily and knocked on the table. In an instant, Garrett¡¯s hackles rose: Why are you smiling like that? Your smile, it¡¯s so sly! Someone¡¯s up to no good! He subconsciously tightened his grip on the manuscript in his hand, even hiding it beside him. The Grand Mage, however, smiled warmly, waving for him to take his seat, then beckoned to the other side of the council: "Ladies and gentlemen, do you have any suggestions regarding the funding for public health construction and organization operation?" The head of the budgetmittee stood up first. His face was filled with sorrow, but his tone was firm, not giving an inch: "Esteemed Grand Mage, we admire the foresight of the evaluationmittee and appreciate Mage Nordmark¡¯s deep concern for the residents of Nevis City. However, ording to the budget arrangement of the City Hall, there are simply no extra funds avable for expenditure. If the evaluationmittee decides to establish public health facilities, either additional taxes must be levied, or alternative sources of funding must be found." He bowed deeply and resumed his seat. Beside him, a slender man stood up, closest to the table¡¯s end, closest to the secretary¡¯s position. As soon as the man rose, he instinctively reached for the table, gripping a in ck cane in his hand. What¡¯s this? Garrett couldn¡¯t help but take notice. The man seemed to realize something was off and quickly returned the cane to its ce. Aurora Worton seized the opportunity to whisper disdainfully in his ear: "Pah, tax dog." Tax... oh, a tax officer. Garrett realized. Aurora had mentioned once that her family was in the wine business and had probably been at odds with tax officials before. I wonder if there are tax farmers in this era; if so, getting into trouble with them would be even worse... But now Aurora was a Level 5 mage and had been epted by the Grand Mage. Things should be better now? The tax officer bowed to the podium and began to speak. As soon as he opened his mouth, Garrett frowned: Contrary to what the Grand Mage had informed him, the man did not oppose Garrett¡¯s ideas. On the contrary, heunched into a fervent praise of the importance of the public health cause. Gesturing wildly, cheeks flushed, eyes almost shining, Garrett felt somewhat ufortable witnessing the scene. As the tax officer spoke, he suddenly shifted the topic: "As the Chief Tax Officer of the City Hall, I believe that acquiring more funds is quite easy. The hearth tax in Nevis City is now so low that it¡¯s almost non-existent. Just adding a copper coin per person would be enough to cover these expenses." "What¡¯s a hearth tax?" Garrett whispered to Aurora. Worton shrugged: "Oh, it¡¯s like a head tax. Two silver coins per household per year, or if the poption is particrly small, two copper coins per person." What? A head tax? Garrett frowned. Two silver coins might not seem like much, but considering it was already the end of the year¡ªdemanding taxes suddenly might disrupt the financial flow of households. He raised his hand immediately: "Excuse me, Mr. Tax Officer, which ie ss of residents would primarily have difficulty paying the hearth tax?" "Mostly the poor, of course!" The tax officer answered without hesitation. After blurting it out, he realized something was off and smiled at Garrett: "Mage Nordmark, please don¡¯t worry. Thesemoners are just naturally cunning,cking respect for the council and the kingdom. Whenever you go to collect taxes, they¡¯ll im to be poor, have no money, only a worthless life. They¡¯ll hide bread, salted fish, even hide money under the floorboards or in the ceiling rafters, making it impossible for you to confiscate anything. But our young fellows are great! As long as we get serious, we can definitely collect it¡ªbesides, this money is also spent on them!" "That won¡¯t do." Garrett shook his head immediately. His mind raced, trying to think of ways to convince the other party, finally turning to the podium and bowing deeply: "Members of themittee, I oppose the imposition of a hearth tax. As Mr. Budget Committee previously mentioned, a water deliveryman can only earn five silver coins a month, and a washerwoman earns three and a half silver coins per month. Averaged out per day, that¡¯s only a copper coin or a coin and a half¡ªa day¡¯s worth of sustenance! A copper coin is insignificant to the wealthy, but to the poor, it¡¯s equivalent to going hungry for a day. It might mean they can¡¯t survive an illness one day, or can¡¯t dodge a speeding carriage. We¡¯re undertaking public health initiatives to help the poorest citizens, and we mustn¡¯t drive them to their deaths before we even start!" The hall erupted into murmurs once more. Some nodded, some shook their heads, some showed approval, some frowned. The Level 8 mage from the medical branch even smiled and gave Garrett a thumbs-up. Behind the tax officer, in four rows of seats from low to high, a voice suddenly rose, deliberately changed, as if disguised: "Then who should pay? We don¡¯t need these things anyway, so we won¡¯t pay!" Not even daring to show their faces? Garrett nced up. He didn¡¯t see the speaker, only a group of people pping and giving thumbs-ups. Some even dared to shout: "Exactly! We don¡¯t drink that water anyway!" "We don¡¯t need toilets where we live!" "Why should we pay!" Garrett raised an eyebrow. Garrett nced at Elder Wood, but he remained steadfast, clenching his fists and then making a shing motion downwards! That moment, Garrett heard the sigh of the Elder a few days ago: "Young Garrett... if you want to aplish this, you can¡¯t be soft, you know! Some people, you have to show them who¡¯s boss!" Should I take action against this person? Or at least confront him? Forget it, being too cowardly to show his face is too spineless, and it¡¯s not interesting to confront him directly. Garrett didn¡¯t directly drag the person out, but instead turned to the podium, raising his voice: "Members of themittee, do I have a say in the funding sources for the organization?" "If this organization is indeed established, you will be the first person in charge, so of course, you have a say." The Grand Mage smiled kindly: "Not only do you have a say, but for projects rted to your duties, you can even collect money directly at the door¡ªof course, provided you can collect it." Do they really want me to take action? Elder Wood, you were right! Garrett took a deep breath, his aura fully unleashed. Though a doctor, he was used to arguing with students, junior doctors, patients, and their families. Stepping outside the council chamber now, he opened his mouth, and silence fell across the room: "Who pollutes, who governs. Who takes water, who pays. All those workshops along the river, dumping garbage into the river while drawing water, they all have to pay up. Anyone object?!" Chapter 278 Chapter 278 "Anyone have objections?" Everyone had objections. Garrett¡¯s words were like a drop of cold water falling into a boiling oil pan. The council chamber fell silent for a moment before erupting. Across the table, five rows of seats, with sixty or seventy people, nearly half of them couldn¡¯t help but stand up, only to sit back down halfway. Everyone was angry, everyone voiced their opinions: "Why should we pay!" "The river belongs to everyone! Those poor folks don¡¯t pay for water, so why should we!" "If we don¡¯t dump waste into the river, where else can we dump it? Into your house?!" "We¡¯re already struggling with wars and tariffs; it¡¯s hard enough to do business! If taxes go up again, we¡¯ll go bankrupt!" Initially, it was just murmurs, but gradually it turned into shouts and usations. Those qualified to sit in this council chamber were mostly prominent figures in the city. Even the merchants were mostly presidents of major guilds, each holding a charter from the city hall: The Silk Merchant Guild President, the Wool Merchant Guild President, the Rawhide Merchant Guild President, the Fish Merchant Guild President, the Small Hardware Merchant Guild President, the Wine Merchant Guild President, the Grocery Merchant Guild President...It could be said that together, these people controlled half of Nevis City¡¯smerce and more than half of its tax revenue. If they joined forces to protest, even the Magic Council would have to seriously consider their opinions: The mages, after all, couldn¡¯t do business themselves. They always had to rely on others. Violence wasn¡¯t out of the question, but it was ast resort, something to be avoided if possible. If it were an official order from the council, perhaps these people wouldn¡¯t dare to cause trouble. But this public health fee was obviously still under discussion. If they didn¡¯t speak up, if they didn¡¯t make a scene now, when would they? Once the council closed its doors and discussed with that young mage, it would be toote! With their status, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to enter the council chamber! The group became louder and more ferocious. Garrett nced at the podium, where the senior mage from the transmutation school smiled kindly and nodded to him, indicating that he should find a solution himself. Obviously, the council didn¡¯t want to resort to physical (magical) persuasion on this matter... Garrett¡¯s gaze slowly swept across the opposite side. On the five rows of seats rising upwards, there were about ten mage badges shimmering, ranging from level one or two to level six or seven. And the gazes of those mages looking at him were not all friendly. Aurora once told Garrett that many low- or mid-level mages, especially those older ones with no hope of advancing further, would engage in business themselves or simply work for merchants. Making more money meant a morefortable life or saving up for their descendants to learn magic. Of course, many mages also received "technical guidance fees" from workshops through their disciples or family members, providing guidance or protection. Aurora onceined to him like this: "In Nevis City, can you do business without a background? Huh!" It was obvious that collecting money had touched the interests of many people. What¡¯s more troublesome was that Garrett didn¡¯t even know who these people were behind the scenes, which school they belonged to, which senior mage... He didn¡¯t even know where to start with the question of "who are our friends and who are our enemies"! But so what? I still have cards to y that I haven¡¯t yed yet! Garrett stood still. He raised his head, crossed his arms, and tilted his chin slightly to the side, giving off an air of "I¡¯m watching you make a scene." Honestly, he wasn¡¯t incapable of putting on this act; he just rarely had the time before... The emergency department was so busy that one person had to do the work of three. Where was the time to deal with troublemakers? After watching coldly for a few minutes, the protests from the opposite side escted from murmurs to heated arguments, then gradually subsided from their peak. Only then did Garrett lower his head, flipping through his notes a few times, pulling out a page and holding it in his hand as he walked slowly from his seat: "Honorable mages, esteemed healers,dies, and gentlemen. When investigating the city¡¯s water problems, I once walked to a riverbank. Along the riverbank, from upstream to downstream, the workshops were arranged roughly like this: Cheese factory, woolen mill, winery, dye works, tannery, rawhide mill, silk mill, canvas mill, ughterhouse, pig farm..." Garrett¡¯s gaze lowered slightly, following the route on the paper, reading off one by one. Some people across from him were indifferent, some were slightly nervous, and some were murmuring softly: "He¡¯s talking about Smith River." "I know that river, it stinks. Whenever I go there, I always turn back two streets away." "What¡¯s this guy trying to say? My workshop is right there..." Garrett finished reading slowly. Then, he squeezed the paper in his hand, raised his head, and smiled slyly: "I just don¡¯t understand why the brewers dare to draw water from the river where the cheese merchants dumped waste. Have you never thought that the taste of the wine isn¡¯t right? Dye works owners, have you never thought that your dyed fabrics failed because the river water upstream was polluted? ughterhouse workers, have you never thought that the water you use to wash beef and pork might be contaminated by tannery waste or wine dregs dumped upstream? After eating meat made from such water, haven¡¯t you felt ufortable? And you pig farmers, I don¡¯t even want to ask how many pigs die each year. How is it that such filthy river water won¡¯t kill the pigs, but it will kill humans? Even if it¡¯s to make more money for yourselves, I advise you not to dump anything into it and keep the river water clean..." He called out a name, and someone across from him turned ck with anger. Seventeen or eighteen workshops were critiqued, and the faces of the businessmen were all unsightly, ring at each other. Seeing their reactions, it seemed that if they weren¡¯t in the council chamber, they would start quarreling right there: "You caused me losses with that batch of silkst time!" "That¡¯s why the wine went sourst month!" "It¡¯s all your fault! You made me lose money! Hundreds of pigs died!" Even the mages on the podium didn¡¯t look good. The various aristocrats in the audience seats had even darker clouds on their faces: They could avoid the poor districts, avoid going to the river, stay in the mage tower every day, or have fun in the garden district or their own castles. But they still needed wine to drink, meat to eat, clothes to wear, cheese, fruit, pastries¡ªthey couldn¡¯tck anything. Just the thought that the food they ate, the silk, wool, and leather they wore, were made with such dirty water... "Ugh¡ª" Garrett smiled triumphantly. He turned to the podium, bowed slightly, and spoke lightly: "Esteemed mages,dies, and gentlemen. For our safety and health, I suggest re-evaluating these workshops, selecting a group with good production conditions. Those with clean water for production, good workshop conditions, and passing hygiene inspections can be awarded badges or bronze ques by the council, certified as ¡¯safe products¡¯ for everyone to use. Of course, it¡¯s indeed not easy to do business in this world now. If you don¡¯t apply for certification or are unwilling to improve your production environment, we don¡¯t need to force it. After all, the public health agencies have limited manpower, and evaluating each workshop one by one is indeed time-consuming andborious. We uphold the principles of voluntary application and freedom of production. However, for those who don¡¯t apply for certification or fail to meet the evaluation criteria, we absolutely cannot issue certification." Not issuing certification? That sounded easy! The businessmen in the rear seats exchanged whispers, quickly discussing. Before they coulde to a conclusion, a clear and strong female voice rang out from the audience seats: "Honorablemittee members. Viscount Loxi is willing to donate 2000 gold coins to help the council establish a clean water project. It is also hoped that after the project ispleted, the industries in the viscount¡¯s territory in Nevis City can be given priority evaluation¡ª" Garrett turned around. In the second row of the audience seats, the figure of Knight Serena was tall and bright-eyed. Beautiful... no, she¡¯s a big shot, thanks for the help! This statement opened the floodgates for donations. Soon, the shouts of the businessmen started echoing: "I donate 1000 gold coins!" "I donate 500! No, 800!" "I donate 1500!" "I¡¯ll mobilize the brewing guild when I go back and collect donations together!" Garrett raised an eyebrow towards the podium. The businessmen¡¯s goods could make a few coins, but selling industrial water was the real deal! Chapter 279 Chapter 279 The merchants made aplete 180-degree turn in an instant. Just a moment ago, they were dragging their feet, but now they were scrambling to donate eagerly. "You donate 1000, he 800, and him 1500." If it weren¡¯t for being in the council chamber, wallets, pouches, and the jingling of coins would likely rain down like drops. Garrett, however, didn¡¯t feel a bit triumphant. With years of experience as an emergency physician, he was quite adept at reading people¡¯s expressions. Although the merchants were spending money readily, asionally a hint of anger and gloom would escape from the corners of their eyes and mouths. ¡ªIt¡¯s obvious. Who would be happy being forced to spend money? Even he himself, when the reviewmittee demandedpensation, when building a high-level mage tower required extra money, including when entering data required tower spirits, he resisted in every way possible, refusing to spend a single penny. It¡¯s fine to just resent him. But the real fear was that the wool was pulled over their eyes. Forcing the merchants to pay up might lead them to cut workers¡¯ wages or eveny off a few... In the end, before the public health construction even began, it would have already implicated arge number of workers, leading to more social problems. It¡¯s still necessary to give them a sweet date. Of course, before handing out the sweet date, the necessary stick must be wielded as much as possible.Garrett pondered. Amidst the mor, he silently lowered his head, beginning to flip through the documents in his hand. One page, two pages... As he moved, the mor in the council chamber gradually subsided, reced by an umting tense silence. Garrett flipped to the pages he needed, then lifted his head. He saw about twenty or thirty people across from him craning their necks, their eyes fixed on his manuscript. This... Whether you look or not, I¡¯m still going to say these things... It¡¯s not useful to see them ahead of time... Garrett inwardlyined as he turned to the podium. Ahem, although it¡¯s a bit tricky, the demands that need to be made must still be made. "Apart from using clean water sources in production, shops seeking certification should also follow some regtions. First, they cannot casually discard garbage, and wastewater must be uniformly discharged..." "Why?" "On what grounds?" Several voices shouted from the opposite side. The fattest and burliest one shouted particrly loudly: "Our ughterhouse has so many entrails every day. If we don¡¯t toss them into the river, what are we supposed to do?!" Oh, so it¡¯s about ughtering pigs and sheep. No wonder he¡¯s so fat. His coat was already made asrge as possible, but it couldn¡¯t conceal the bulging muscles on his arms. Garrett looked at him with pity: "...If you don¡¯t want them, can you give them to me? Shall I send someone to pick them up?" "What?" The butcher was momentarily stunned. He wanted to say "give them to you if you want," but felt a bit reluctant, always feeling like Garrett was setting a trap somewhere. He wanted to say "I¡¯ll handle it myself," but with Garrett¡¯s words backing him up, he couldn¡¯t say it. He was in a dilemma. Garrett turned his face away, smiling slightly towards the audience seats: "Bishop, I¡¯ll hire someone to cook these offal and sell them to the temple. After all, it¡¯s still meat. It can fill the stomach and improve the soldiers¡¯ night blindness so they can see things at night. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll only charge cost price!" The archbishop nodded with a smile. The ughterhouse owner immediately widened his eyes, leaned forward, and nearly broke his voice: "W¡ªwait! Offal is not easy to clean! If it¡¯s not cleaned properly, it can¡¯t be eaten!" "What a pity, I know how to deal with them." Garrett shrugged: "I¡¯m a healer. I¡¯ve treated every organ you can think of, whether it¡¯s the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, or intestines. It¡¯s easy to teach a few people how to clean them up. ¡ªAt most, the intestines are a bit hard to wash, but it¡¯s nothing a little soda ash can¡¯t fix. I don¡¯tck that stuff anyway. Thunder Tower produces purified water tablets, and one of the byproducts is soda ash, which can easily be turned into soda ash." "This..." The ughterhouse owner was sweating profusely. At the age of 12, he came from the countryside to the city to be an apprentice. Starting from carrying water buckets and boiling water, he gradually worked his way up to be the head of the butcher¡¯s guild. With every knife, every pig, every sheep, he carved out his position today. In his dealings with people, he believed in "money is earned and saved." If he could avoid hiring someone, he absolutely would, and if he could do the work himself, he would do it. Even today, he was still in the shop early in the morning, ughtering pigs, bleeding them, scalding their hair, and cutting meat and bones, working alongside his apprentices. For such a person, having an opportunity right in front of him but not being allowed to make money from it was simply more ufortable than being cut open. Watching Garrett settle a deal with just a few words, he leaned forward, gripping the edge of the chair in front. If he wasn¡¯t in thest row, he would have rushed forward to hug Garrett¡¯s thigh: "Mr. Mage, Mr. Healer, hire me! I¡¯ll take care of it for you! Just hire me directly! You can sell them at whatever price you want. I absolutely won¡¯t take a single extra penny from the War God¡¯s temple!" Giving it all away was still profitable! The War God¡¯s temple, was it something he could hug whenever he wanted? Moreover, once he learned the cooking methods for offal, it would be a unique business! Garrett pursed his lips and smiled, not taking the bait. To his left, Aurora lifted her head from the manuscript and scolded for him: "Alright, does the boss need your money? The boss even has his own mage tower!" Well, he didn¡¯t have one yet, but judging from today¡¯s meeting, he¡¯d get one soon. "Instead of thinking about giving money, you should think about what the boss really needs!" "Absolutely..." The butcher master nodded and bowed. "Mage Garrett, rest assured, I¡¯ll listen to whatever you say. If we¡¯re not to throw the offal and sewage around, then, um, where should we dispose of it?" Exactly, that¡¯s more like it. Garrett gave him a smile and gestured for him to calm down. "We¡¯ll get to your issueter. Gentlemen, I¡¯d like to rify here that excessive dumping of garbage and manure into water bodies is particrly conducive to bacterial growth. In the past two months, during my citywide water sampling, I discovered that sewage ditches with more garbage had exceptionally high bacteria levels. Therefore, I believe that to improve urban sanitation, it is necessary to uniformly dispose of garbage and manure, and uniformly discharge sewage, using methods such as sedimentation, filtration, and nt absorption. If you esteemed gentlemen require, I can provide my experimental records to demonstrate the necessity of prohibiting indiscriminate dumping of garbage and uniform treatment of wastewater." The grand mages whispered among themselves for a while. Then, the transmutation mage coughed and spoke on behalf of everyone: "The experimental records can be submittedter. Mage Nordmark, please continue. What else needs to be done?" "Understood." Ah, that¡¯s a smooth transition. Garrett felt pleased as he cleared his throat and nced at the merchants opposite him. "We establish public health initiatives to improve the health of citizens and enhance their well-being. Therefore, we cannot allow the costs borne by businesses to be transferred through wage deductions,yoffs, or inted prices of daily necessities. Such practices arepletely contrary to the council¡¯s intentions and must be strictly prohibited!" Anothermotion erupted on the opposite side. However, this time, Garrett didn¡¯t allow them to voice their protests but raised his voice: "Is anyone here from the Winemakers Association?" "Here, here, here!" An elderly man in the second-tost row stood up, his face waxen, his belly protruding, and one hand intentionally or unintentionally pressing against his right ribs. Garrett took one look at him and felt the urge to check his eyelids: Old man, do you have cirrhosis? Suppressing his doctor¡¯s instincts, Garrett raised his face and looked directly at the man. His voice was calm and unhurried, with a smile ying at the corners of his mouth: "Do you make wine yourself? Grow grapes? Do you know how to prevent grape diseases? Would you like to know how to prevent wine from souring and how to control the temperature and time of malting for brewing beer?" He asked a question, and the old man nodded. He asked another question, and the old man nodded again. After a string of questions, the old man¡¯s back was bent at a 45-degree angle, almost ready to kneel down. Garrett turned his head slightly to the left. After taking two steps forward and then turning back to look at him: "By the way, you¡¯d better find a high-level healer¡ªcheck your liver." The winemaker nodded eagerly. Garrett smiled at him and scanned the seats opposite him once again: "Are there any salt merchants here who want to know how to efficiently refine crude salt and what to do with the impurities refined out? cksmiths¡¯ guild, if there¡¯s one, do you want to know how to mass-produce iron and ensure that the iron produced is usable? General goods merchants¡ªlet¡¯s call them that for now¡ªanyone interested in methods forrge-scale production of sulfuric acid?" He spoke casually, and heavy breathing became increasingly audible from the seats opposite him. Merchants looked at each other, their eyeballs turning red. If they didn¡¯t belong to different industries, they would have started fighting on the spot. That¡¯s it. These advanced technologies are profits, but they are also weapons. Whoever controls them can stand out among peers. And the Magic Council is precisely the representative of advanced technology in this world, holding the most powerful weapon¡ª Garrett turned around to face the chairman¡¯s podium once more, slightly bowing again: "Providing employment, offering fair prices, providing suitable products, and protecting the environment are all indispensable social responsibilities for a shop or workshop. I believe that the Magic Council should select those establishments that excel in fulfilling social responsibilities, prioritize cooperation with them, or¡ªprovide technical guidance." Thest few words were drawn out and heavy. There was a moment of silence, then, p, p, p, the transmutation grand mage, smiling, began to apud. The othermittee members joined in. Soon, the apuse echoed throughout the chamber. Garrett smiled as he bowed to all sides. After waiting patiently for about half a minute, he raised his hands lightly and gently pressed them down. The meeting room returned to silence. Garrett turned to face the table opposite, hands behind his back, his smile calm: "Now, is there any guild or workshop that is unwilling toply with the council¡¯s rules?" Chapter 280 Chapter 280 This hearing ended with Garrett¡¯s great victory. When the meeting ended, the Archmage representing the Review Committee for the Protection System announced the establishment of the Public Health Department. The apuse from the audience was like a torrential rain¡ª The leaders of themercial guilds, in particr, apuded vigorously. There was no way around it. Garrett not only controlled their profits but practically held their lives in his hands. If this little mage was unhappy andbeled them as cking social responsibility," or postponed the evaluation of "safe products" and "reliable products" by two months, allowing theirpetitors to get certified first¡ª Then nobody would survive! So, even though they had been criticized before, everyone had to curry favor with Garrett. Whether they had been named by Garrett and saw the road to wealth right in front of them, or whether they hadn¡¯t been named or directed by him, they all searched for opportunities everywhere: "Which school of magic does Mage Nordmark belong to?" "Who is his teacher?" "Where does he live? Are there any rtives in Nevis City?¡ªHmm, how can we send gifts to him..."Garrett didn¡¯t know that someday, or for a period of time, there might be a constant stream of peopleing to give gifts. At the moment, he was being led by the magicians of the Review Committee towards Igor Peak. The great mages even summoned a magical carriage, rushing as fast as they could, as if afraid of being blocked halfway. "No need for this..." Garrett looked around. He hadn¡¯t even said a few words before being dragged away so urgently! He hadn¡¯t greeted Elder Wood or thanked the High Priest of the Temple of War. Oh right, there was also that female knight. Last time during the castle-wide physical examination, he was taken away by Archmage Carlisle halfway through, leaving her hanging. The follow-up work waspleted by Elder Wood for him! The female knight helped him today! "Is it necessary?" Old Sam followed closely beside him, never leaving his side. The Archmage representing the Protection System chuckled on the side: "If we don¡¯t drag you away now, countless families wille to snatch you. Not to mention the followers of the Nature God, I bet the High Priest of the Temple of War would love to grab you and hide you away.¡ªHey," he patted the necromancer in the front seat: "Do you agree?" "That¡¯s right." The necromancer in the ck robe greedily nced back at Garrett. "This little guy is really something. I didn¡¯t expect that without our help, you could make those merchants bow down. Hey, Old Sam, let¡¯s make a deal. How about we take him to ck Crow Swamp? You name the conditions!" "Get lost!" The abjurer on the Review Committee spat fiercely. Garrett smiled and lowered his head. He had seen this kind of exchange countless times before. At first, he was nervous, afraid that the great mages would fight, but after seeing it many times¡ª he just regarded it as emotionalmunication. It was the old transmuter shaking his head and sighing on the other side: "You¡¯ve really gotten yourself into trouble, little Garrett. Do you understand about those organs, grapes, wine, salt, iron smelting, sulfuric acid? When all those guildse knocking at our door, we¡¯ll need someone to go out and guide them..." Garrett blinked andughed. Old Sam red at him forcefully: "Do you still have the heart tough? Even if they¡¯re just merchants, the council can¡¯t just take their money for nothing! When their donationse in, if you can¡¯t guide every one of them, you should at least be able to guide two or three, right?¡ªIf there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, speak up now, and we¡¯ll allocate resources to research it!" "..." "..." "What¡¯s wrong?" "But, I really understand all of those... at least I know the direction! I have a general idea!" "Hand it over!" Garrett confidently reached out his hand. With his palm facing up, he extended it in front of Old Sam¡¯s eyes, one shake, two shakes, three shakes. "When the project is approved, give me the Mage Tower! Where¡¯s my tower? Also, it was agreed that when the project is approved, the rent for the Tower Spirits will be included in the research funds and waived for me! Get the approval document! I¡¯m going to the loan department to clear the ounts!" The members of the Review Committee looked at each other andughed one after another. The necromancer of the enchantment school knocked on the wall of the carriage, and the magical carriage immediately turned. With the wheels rolling, soon, everyone stood collectively on the mountainside, overlooking the chosen site for Garrett¡¯s Mage Tower. The more Garrett looked, the more satisfied he felt. Even though the Mage Tower had justid its foundation, it didn¡¯t prevent the corners of his mouth from curving up little by little. This Mage Tower was satisfactory in every way! Garrett personally chose the location of the Mage Tower. ording to the requirements of Laboratory P4, the tower should be located downwind from the city, downstream of the river, to prevent any leaks from endangering the city. However, Nevis City had prevailing southwest winds year-round. Warm winds collided with Igor Peak, turning into rainwater and forming streams. If it were ced downwind, it would be equivalent to going upstream of the city... After much deliberation, Garrett had no choice but to ce it southeast of the city, separated from the city by a ridge. Transportation was still convenient, just across the hill was the train station. A path was cleared through the bushes and paved with stones¡ªor rolled twice with "Fossil to Mud" and "Mud to Stone" spells. With magical horses driving, crossing the mountains took less than half an hour. A separate stream flowed down from the mountaintop, passing near the Mage Tower, winding into the sea, making it convenient for Garrett to set up a pasture and raise experimental animals nearby. Pollution from the pasture could also be easily dealt with by digging a settling pond and a filtration pool, just a simple water purification solution. "How about it? Are you reassured now?" Garrett was lifted onto a Shadow Stallion and effortlessly descended the mountainside, standing next to the foundation of the Mage Tower. He walked around the foundation happily, sometimes standing up, sometimes squatting down, sometimes touching the ground. Then, he returned to the side of themittee members and raised the first question: "Is this ground made of solid stone?" He hadn¡¯t seen suchrge stones when he camest time! And they were seamlessly integrated, without a trace of gaps. Were they whole stones or... "What else?" The old transmuter red at him. "Who said we must make it waterproof, and that it must not leak, or it would cause a disaster? Theserge stones were turned into mud and then turned into stone again using a magic array. The bottom twoyers are only 9 meters deep, and the foundation goes down to 15 meters below! " "Oh, thank you so much!" Garrett quickly bowed. The stone structure under his feet was dense, with fine textures, looking a bit like obsidian¡ªperhaps it was basalt? Anyway, it looked sturdy and waterproof. The old mage snorted and pulled him aside: "No need to thank me, just make sure to cause us less trouble in the future. Kid, take a good look. This is advanced ¡¯Mud to Stone¡¯ magic, different from the ordinary version, and it shapes different kinds of stones¡ªup!" With a wave of his hand, the mud beside them flowed and moved closer. It stood up, transformed, and solidified. Soon, a dark, smooth stone wall stood before Garrett. Fine powder fell from the gaps between the old man¡¯s fingers. Garrett crouched down to look: "Sand... lime... water... Wait! ¡¯Fossil to Mud¡¯ is used to make cement walls! Can we change the form?" Chapter 281 Chapter 281 "Change the form?" The old mage paused his spellcasting and looked down at Grett, frowning slightly: "Are you dissatisfied with this wall?" He was somewhat displeased. Turning fossils into mud and mud into stone, both spells were of the 5th rank of transformation, meaning any 9th-level mage could perform them. Yet, as a 14th-level grand mage and a member of the reviewmittee personally undertaking the task, the hardness and fineness of the stone, as well as the precision of its shaping, were leagues beyond what those intermediate mages could achieve. What, is thed still finding faults? But then he saw a head buried motionlessly and an open palm. Grett was squatting on the ground, his palm forward, holding the spellcasting materials for turning mud into stone¡ªsand, lime, water¡ªhis voice filled with confusion, as if he was desperately trying to remember something: "Not that... I mean, sand, lime, water, isn¡¯t that just cement? Cement with broken stones and water makes concrete... Different forms have different functions, some dry quickly, some are wear-resistant, some are acid and alkali resistant, some can withstand high temperatures, some are especially frost-resistant, impermeable, crack-resistant... Surely, we have to try them one by one!"The old mage fell silent. He had cast the spell to turn mud into stone countless times over the decades, indeed noticing slight differences each time. Moreover, these differences seemed unrted to his control over the spell. He couldn¡¯t help but squat down to look into Grett¡¯s eyes, pressing: "Cement? Mix..." He stopped there, pondering before awkwardly repeating the term he had heard for the first time: "Concrete? What is that? Do you know the form?" "I don¡¯t know!" Grett dered boldly: "I¡¯m just a healer! I know that sand, lime, water together make cement, ah no, it seems y and lime can be burned to make cement, and cement with sand, water, broken stones, etc., makes concrete! No transcendent powers needed, ordinary people can make it! But what form produces what result, that... has to be tried one by one... I know there are several types of cement, some made with lime, some with sand, some with alumina... made with volcanic ash, fly ash, g..." As he spoke, his voice grew quieter, and he shrank down, almost curling up into a ball. He felt that this approach of "I know the direction, but you guys have to try the details" was somewhat irresponsible... But he truly didn¡¯t know! He was a medical professional, not an architecture or materials science major! The differences between cement and concrete were something he picked up from chatting with workers on the construction site when the hospital was building a new wing! You ask him for forms, for different forms and different properties of cement¡¯sposition, he couldn¡¯t do it even if his life depended on it! The old mage really wanted to give Grett a piece of his mind. However, before he could speak, he already heard Old Sam muttering to someone nearby: "Here he goes again..." Ah, right, it was the same during the mithril refining. Giving a direction, a group of grand mages and their apprentices, over a hundred people, tried day and night. This little guy then turned to something else, after tinkering with disinfectant, even produced gue seeds in theboratory... So, after causing trouble for the energy maniption school, was he here to cause trouble for their transformation school now? What¡¯s more infuriating, Old Grom, that necromancer, was smugly boasting nearby: "Little Grett always provides us withplete items... never just throwing an idea and using us as tools..." ...Was he being nice to you? That¡¯s to prevent you from causing disasters! A little bit of gue on a spy could cause an uproar in the city. If you yed recklessly without considering the consequences, wouldn¡¯t the entire city be doomed? The old mage especially wanted to stand up and beat that guy up. Oh right, regarding Grett, he couldn¡¯t hit him, but he should give him a couple of knocks on the head. Yet the little guy¡¯s gaze was particrly sincere: "I think, if we change the spellcasting materials to cement, or cement, sand, broken stones, might the spellcasting be more convenient? Different forms and grades of cement, prepared in advance, would make controlling the type of concrete easier? Also, concrete has highpressive strength but low tensile strength. If steel bars are mixed into the walls, reinforced concrete would be even stronger... or when you¡¯re constructing buildings, you could try adding steel bars as spellcasting materials to see the effect..." "Do you still want a mage tower?!!!" The old mage¡¯s forehead veins throbbed. This needs to be tried, that needs to be tried, after all these experiments, years would have passed. "What kind of stone do you want for the foundation and walls of the mage tower, you tell me!" "Hey hey, don¡¯t bully our kid." Old Sam suddenly walked over and stood in front of him: "Isn¡¯t it good to have a research direction? If you¡¯re not interested, Thunder Horn will take it back for research, we have high-level mages too! When somethinges out of it, you guys can buy it with money!" "No no no!" The elder panicked: "Why is the energy maniption school meddling in this? This is not your forte! Leave it to us, we¡¯ll research it, and give him a share of the profits! ¡ªLittle Grett, how much of a share do you want?" Grett gave him a bewildered look, decisively stood up, and moved next to Old Sam. I don¡¯t know, you guys decide. Anyway, Thunder Horn has high-level mages, you can¡¯t cheat me... The old mage: "......" Old Sam: ¡ú_¡ú Am I being used as a negotiating tool? Regardless, the mage tower Grett had been longing for was finally being constructed in an orderly manner. Grett was indeed curious about various types of cement, but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Getting his own mage tower was more important. If the transformation school experimented with new materials, he could always ask them to remodelter... After all, he would have a share in the new cement and new magic, right? The transformation schoolmittee member, pleased at the hunt, casually cast two stone walls. If we¡¯re talking about constructing a mage tower, it still relies on the council¡¯s construction team. They have magic arrays, many spellcasting materials, and most importantly, blueprints¡ª Grett stood beside the foundation, watching four high-level mages activate the magic array, referring to the blueprints, and casting spells together. After a lengthy incantation, the magic array shook, and arge earth elemental, or rather, a stone elemental, since its surface was smooth, dense, and slightly reflective, looking like high-grade stone, stood up. The stone elemental crouched down, seemingly listening to the mages¡¯ instructions and descriptions, before leaping out of the magic array into the foundation pit. Grett couldn¡¯t help but exim: "Ah¡ª" Such arge stone elemental, don¡¯t damage my foundation ! Miraculously, this three-person-tall, at least seven or eight-ton heavy stone elemental jumped down without making a sound, as if silently merging with the foundation. The four high-level mages chanted faster, and after a long spell, suddenly raised their arms: "Rise¡ª" Smooth, dense, dark walls rose from the ground, growing taller and taller. This tower was a standard mage tower design, an octagonal tower body, three floors underground, nine floors above ground¡ªsince it was a high-level mage tower, extra floors were added. The tower¡¯s body was thicker at the bottom and tapered towards the top, with the outer walls slightly inclined inward. However, the inclination was not significant; the bottom floor of the mage tower was only 20% smaller in radius than the top floor. The floors of the mage tower were quite high. Unlike the residential buildings Grett had seen in his previous life, with a cramped floor height of 2.8 meters and a living room¡¯s height of 2.4 meters, mages preferred open environments. Each floor of this mage tower was over 3.5 meters high, nearly reaching four meters including the ceiling thickness. A nine-story tower rose straight from the ground, with Grett standing beside it, looking up as the tower grew taller and taller... "Ouch!" Looking up too much, he almost lost his bnce! Each side of the octagonal tower had three windows. Of course, from the second to the fourth floor, which was the ground part of the P4boratory, the red zone had no windows. Not only were there no windows, but the entire wall was also tightly sealed, without a single gap to the outside. As the outer wall reached its highest point, it tapered inward, forming a sharp sloped roof, with a few bells hanging under the eight eaves. Grett had once thought of creating open eaves for each floor, then wrapping a balcony and railings around the tower, but was sternly rejected by the mage in charge of the project: "What kind of look is that! There has never been such a thing in a mage tower! Are you suggesting we make the mage tower too safe, providing ces for thieves to climb?" Uh... actually, I was imagining Chinese-style buildings like the Yellow Crane Tower and the Six Harmonies Pagoda... Grett reluctantly held his tongue. Thinking again about theboratory theft incidents, maybe if he had gone with that n, he would have installed burr-proof windows on every floor? The visual effect of that is horrifying. With professional mages jointly casting spells, the construction speed was unbelievably fast. A building with three underground floors and nine above-ground floors, from foundationpletion to structural capping, would take at least three months in Grett¡¯s previous world¡ªeach underground floor taking at least half a month, each above-ground floor taking five days after reaching ground level, and the top floor taking even longer, about ten days. However, now, in just about two hours, the outer walls and roof of the mage tower were already formed. Grett waited another hour by the side, and the four mages stopped chanting, taking a deep breath. The walls of the mage tower, from being t, began to protrude, revealing the outline of a stone elemental person, gradually separating and jumping out. When it stood in front of everyone, it had shrunk to half its size from when it first appeared. "That¡¯s it, the inside is also done." By this time, most of themittee members had already dispersed, only the old mage from the transformation school still stood there, apanying Grett to view the mage tower. Seeing the stone elemental appear, he pointed to the tower body and smiled at Grett: "The rooms, floors, stairs, etc., are all done. The elemental pool, magical defenses, and so on, are the responsibility of the protection and curse schools, so it¡¯ll take a few more days. How about it, want to go in and take a look? If you¡¯re not satisfied, we can still make adjustments¡ª" Half a day¡¯s work had aplished what would have taken months in his previous world... Without considering production costs, mages truly are the primary productive force... Chapter 282 Chapter 282 After the structure was topped out, the instation of pipelines, equipment, and interiors¡ªno, rather, the Four Elements Pool, Positive and Negative Energy Rooms, Control Room, Alchemy Laboratory, Meditation Room, Arcane Library, Arcane Garden, Magic Defense, Magic rm, Magic Traps... And Garrett¡¯s P4boratory, air conditioningyer, pipelineyer, workingyer, sewage treatmentyer... These parts were also installed very quickly. In fact, elements like the Elemental Pool, Arcane Library, and Arcane Garden had already been modrly designed by the alchemy workshop. The warehouse always had three to five sets in storage, ready to be taken out whenever a new Mage Tower was needed. The facilities in the P4boratory benefited from having been set up once before; this time, they were just stacked vertically,yer byyer. There weren¡¯t many modifications needed, and the workers were mostly experienced hands. The protection system, curse system, and transformation system¡¯s grand magicians had two meetings, and after confirming the requirements with Garrett several times, the work proceeded smoothly and without any obstructions. In one day and night, the interior waspleted. In the evening, Archmage Carlisle, apanied by two elders, personally arrived at the site. Garrett only nced at the two magicians before shrinking behind Archmage Carlisle. The two wore deep ck magic robes that subtly shimmered with multicolored lights. With every breath they took, a silent force emanated, making it hard to breathe and forcing one to step back respectfully. The magic badges on their chests were also unique. Shining quietly, they were not copper stars, nor silver or gold, but were speckled with indescribable cold lights. Possibly above level 15, do magic badges have a special design? Garrett silently calcted, level 15 was five gold stars, and above that, level 16, level 17... "This is Master Mansfield from ¡¯Unity in Diversity¡¯, a 9th-circle arcane magician, level 17 grand magician," he was calcting internally when he heard Archmage Carlisle say:"He specially came to awaken the spirit of the Mage Tower. This one is Master Frazer from our Thunder Horn, a 9th-circle arcane magician, level 18 grand magician, who has begun to challenge the legendary magician. This time, he came to connect the Mage Tower to Nevis City¡¯s magicwork and to help you control the Mage Tower¡¯s hub." Garrett quickly bowed in thanks. Archmage Carlisle, apanied by the two elders, stepped into the Mage Tower and led the way up. Garrett followed behind, unable to resist tapping Aurora and quietly asking: "The magicwork...?" Could the Mage Tower go online after it was built? "Do you think Mage Towers can be built anywhere?" Transformation system¡¯s Master Mansfield didn¡¯t look back, casually saying: "Of course, it needs to be ced on a node with abundant magical power to have enough strength to maintain the entire Mage Tower¡¯s operations." Got it, so Mage Towers need to be ced on ley lines. Garrett nodded in understanding. Seeing his realization, Master Mansfield continued: "These nodes intertwine along certain paths, forming awork. Your Mage Tower, by connecting to the magicwork, can enjoy the support of surrounding nodes on normal days, and during war, all Mage Towers¡¯ defenses rise together, forming a biggerbyrinth outside the Eagle Lock. ¡ªDidn¡¯t your teacher tell you these things?" "Cough¡ª" Archmage Carlisle coughed slightly, his face embarrassed. This knowledge is beyond the reach of ordinary magicians in their lifetimes, as even striving for a lifetime, they might not have their own Mage Tower. Those who do get a Mage Tower are mostly born into prestigious families, absorbing knowledge from their teachers without realizing when they¡¯ve learned it. Garrett, however, was an anomaly. Being practically free-range in Thunder Horn and under the watch of legendary magicians, no one dared to recruit him first. The advantage was that it gave Garrett enough freedom; the downside was theck ofmon knowledge. And he was only level three, Archmage Carlisle had not previously considered teaching him this knowledge... Fortunately, those in the know were not few. Master Frazer from Thunder Horn stepped in to smooth things over: "Master Mansfield came here to use the ninth-level magic ¡¯Construct Awakening Art¡¯ to awaken the spirit of the Mage Tower. Ordinary Mage Towers have a lower level of tower spirit intelligence, only able to perform a few pre-set tasks through the control hub. Only the tower spirits awakened by ¡¯Construct Awakening Art¡¯ possess human-like intelligence, bing a great aid to their masters. Casting ninth-level magic oncees at a great cost, you should thank the master properly!" Garrett hurriedly expressed his gratitude. They all reached the top of the Mage Tower, where Master Frazer first approached, cing his hands on the crystal ball at the center of the control room. He closed his eyes slightly, magical power circting throughout his body, his magic robe fluttering without wind. Three Ain stones silently flew up, buzzing around Master Frazer¡¯s forehead, spinning incessantly. As he chanted softly, the crystal ball flickered on and off, bing brighter and synchronizing with the shing rhythm of the Ain stones. Suddenly, Master Frazer opened his eyes and shouted a magical syble: "Feo¡ª" The crystal ball burst into light. At the same moment, the Mage Tower vibrated with a hum, as if it hade to life. Master Frazer took a deep breath and nodded to the transformation system¡¯s master: "Your turn." Master Mansfield stepped forward, his robe sleeves fluttering. A handful of silver powder flew out, beginning to automatically draw a magic circle within three meters around the crystal ball. Various gems, gold crowns, beast horns, and nt powders also flew out,nding in specific positions, indicating that the magic required his full effort. Garrett was also pushed to the front, forming an equteral triangle around the crystal ball with the two masters. Master Mansfield nced at him and frowned slightly: "Level three? Can he handle it? Weren¡¯t you supposed to first take over the hub, and only transfer it to him if the conditions were right?" "Let¡¯s give him a try first," Archmage Carlisle interjected. While speaking, he took out a diadem, ne, and bracelet, one by one handing them to Garrett, urging him to put them on. He also whispered: "These amplify mental strength; first enter a meditative state and synchronize with them. Later, just follow the masters¡¯ instructions. Don¡¯t be nervous, if it really doesn¡¯t work out, Master Frazer will take over." Master Mansfield gave Garrett a long look. He usually kept to himself, immersed in his research, only appearing to fulfill his duties when the council or school needed him. Now, looking at this young mage, he found him quite interesting? A level three magician¡ªeven a 4th-circle arcane magician¡ªhaving their own Mage Tower was already quite rare; the young fellow also managed to have Thunder Horn send out top magicians below the legendary level to escort him, giving him a chance to try controlling the core of the Mage Tower¡ªeven ensuring his safety in case of failure! Such attention to detail, Master Mansfield had awakened the spirit of dozens of Mage Towers before, but had never seen anything like it. He softened his attitude a bit, nodding at Garrett and slowing his speech: "Don¡¯t be nervous, once you¡¯ve synchronized with the amplifiers, slowly extend your mental force and leave a mental imprint in the hub. During my awakening process, as long as you maintain the imprint, you¡¯ll naturally control the tower spirit. If you can¡¯t do it, it¡¯s okay, just disconnect in time, Frazer will protect you." Garrett nodded gratefully. Following the instructions, he regted his breathing, closed his eyes slightly, and entered a meditative state. As soon as his mental force reached out, he eximed, "Ow!" and immediately reached to cover his eyes. It was too bright! What his mental vision saw was not the two masters, but two dazzling suns! And the control hub of the Mage Tower, though not as bright as the two masters, was still blindingly bright and much closer, making the pressure feel much heavier! Startled, he momentarily exited the meditative state. Upon opening his eyes, neither of the masters showed impatience, instead looking at him with a smile. Embarrassed, Garrett nodded to them and re-entered meditation. This time, smoothly, he extended his mental force into the control hub and, based on his experience with magical items, left his own mark. "Is it done?" "It¡¯s done." A gentle consciousness touched his. Garrett quietly responded in his mind, unsure if the other side heard. However, the next moment, the originally calm control hub suddenly surged! Garrett¡¯s head buzzed. His initial feeling was like flying a kite high in the sky, asionally reeling in or letting out the line, trying to adjust the kite¡¯s height by aligning with the wind¡¯s direction. But now, the clear skies surrounding the kite had suddenly turned into thunderclouds. Air currents churned, lightning shed, and thunder roared, with bolts striking near the kite. That fragile connection seemed like it could break at any moment! The disturbance was too strong¡ª Is this the ninth-level spell, "Construct Awakening Art"? Garrett desperately maintained his connection with the imprint, his brows unwittingly furrowed tight. Suddenly, a grand and gentle force enveloped him, gathering the threads of his mental force within it, isting the surrounding tremors: "Don¡¯t rush. Don¡¯t fight it, just maintain your presence..." Another consciousness transmitted in the meditative environment. Had Master Frazer made his move? Garrett, without the luxury of thought, instinctively followed the instructions. Yet, the situation hardly improved. Even without resisting external disturbances, the mental imprint oscited endlessly within the core of the crystal ball. Especially as "Construct Awakening Art" reached its mid-phase and the tower spirit¡¯s consciousness began to emerge, its struggles and resistance intensified. Garrett felt as if he were clinging barehanded to the top of a fighter jet, being tossed about in the sky. He couldn¡¯t hold on any longer¡ª He was about to fall... Garrett quickly became unsteady. The little imprint flickered like a candle in the wind, at risk of being extinguished at any moment. Master Mansfield¡¯s mental force had already probed in, gently permeating the surroundings, ready to take over at any time. What to do? Should he give up? Garrett gritted his teeth and decided to let everything fall where it may. He stopped trying to maintain the imprint or the mental force connection and simply mobilized his mental force, sketching the most familiar image within the crystal ball¡¯s core. 206 bones, over 600 muscles; the heart, blood vessels, arteries, veins; respiratory system, digestive system, nervous system, endocrine system... His mental force flowed in like opening a floodgate. Initially, it was merely a transfer, but soon, a great force began to voraciously draw it in. Garrett¡¯s face turned from red to white, then from white to blue, his body swaying, nearly copsing on the spot. Archmage Carlisle rushed in. He pulled out a bottle of mental strength replenishing potion, uncorked it, and shoved the bottle into Garrett¡¯s mouth. Garrett unconsciously gulped it down, hisplexion immediately improved, but soon began to pale again. The second potion. The third potion... Countless potions were poured down his throat. However, the absorption of the potions became slower and slower, providing less and less replenishment to his mental strength. Archmage Carlisle¡¯s brows furrowed deeply, repeatedly signaling to Master Frazer, wondering if there was a higher-grade supplement. Master Frazer, however, was already concentrating, ready to take over the tower spirit¡¯s core and safely expel Garrett¡¯s mental force. At that moment, a bright green light suddenly flew up in front of Garrett. As the green light swept over, Garrett¡¯splexion immediately improved, his nearly depleted mental strength replenished, and the mental forcendscape he had been struggling to sketch was finallypleted. From the inside out, from bones to skin, forming aplete human body. The crystal ball gently vibrated, its light receding, followed by a speck of phosphorescence flying out of the ball, directly entering Garrett¡¯s forehead. "Incredible. He actually did it..." Master Mansfield¡¯s face was filled with disbelief. Master Frazer, about to respond with joy, suddenly changed his expression. With a gentle wave of his hand, a pair of mage hands appeared just in time to support Garrett from behind¡ªtheir timing couldn¡¯t have been more perfect, as the next moment, Garrett, drenched in sweat, fell backwards. How long he had been sitting, Garrett had no concept. He only knew that when he awoke, his sweat had almostpletely dried, with Archmage Carlisle and Aurora anxiously watching him from either side. The two masters, however, were all smiles, showing no impatience and evenvishly praising him upon his awakening: "Well done!" "Bravo!" "Come, try it out, see if you can control the tower spirit now?" Garrett tried ording to their words. Indeed, opening doors, closing them, disying scenes from various parts of the tower, and manipting invisible servants¡ªall worked perfectly. Master Frazer stood up with a smile: "Good, as long as you can control it. We¡¯ll head back now. You can slowly explore its functions. Anything you can think of, it can probably help you do. Oh, and remember to give it a name¡ª" Garrett respectfully saw them out. As soon as the figures of the two masters and Archmage Carlisle disappeared, he jubntly jumped up: "Aurora, I have a Mage Tower now! We have our own Mage Tower! Come, let¡¯s go up, pick a room to live in¡ª" They checked each floor. Skipping the lobby on the first floor and the P4boratories from the second to the fourth floor, from the fifth floor onwards were the alchemyboratory, library, arcane garden, magicians¡¯ residences, and so on. Floor by floor, room by room, their excitement gradually cooled. The Mage Tower was empty everywhere. No wallpaper on the walls, no carpets on the floors, no desks, bookcases, or sofas, and if you wanted a cup of water, you had to fetch a cup from your spatial bag. A bed? Of course, that was impossible; spatial bags couldn¡¯t fit bed boards! "Hey, boss, just the two of us¡ªand Bernard, the three of us living in such a big Mage Tower?" Barbarians aren¡¯t magicians; many floors he simply wouldn¡¯t enter, basically equivalent to just the two of them living... Chapter 283 Garrett looked at Aurora, and Aurora looked back at Garrett. The two young magicians exchanged nces. Aurora was fine with it, after all, first, he had been ustomed to the Mage Tower environment since he began studying magic; second, he wasn¡¯t the boss, so he didn¡¯t have to make decisions. If the boss wanted a Mage Tower, then so be it; as for how to operate it once they had it, well, a magician has many tricks up his sleeve... Garrett did some quick calctions and felt overwhelmed. Two people living in a 12-story building. Even if you discount the P4boratories, including the uninhabited air conditioningyer, pipelineyer, and sewage treatmentyer, that still leaves nine floors. On average, that¡¯s four and a half floors per person. Even excluding the energy and experimental facilities, the Mage Tower routinely nned for a master bedroom suite, two guest rooms, and four rooms for middle to low-level magicians. There was even an entire floor dedicated to apprentice magicians¡¯ rooms, which could fit 12 apprentices even if each had their own room. How could they possibly make use of all that space? At that moment, Garrett felt like one of those wealthy folks from Zhexi or Hujian, as gossiped by a ssmate, who loved to build houses. Vigers building their own homes would casually erect four or five-story buildings. Living inside with just a family of three, the bustling during the day wasn¡¯t too bad, bute night, the effect was, well, like that of a haunted house. The problem was, the wealthy figure being mocked in the gossip had apparently be him..."...Speaking of which, how are we supposed to clean such a big Mage Tower?" He had no intention of emting Tang Sanzang from "Journey to the West," who cleaned from the bottom floor to the top every day... Besides, even Tang Sanzang had Sun Wukong clean the top three floors for him! Aurora was also taken aback. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know the answer, but he never expected the boss to ask such a question. Generally speaking, those qualified to own a Mage Tower shouldn¡¯t have to worry about cleaning... "Cough, boss, maybe you shouldmunicate with the tower spirit first? The tower spirit should be able to control invisible servants to clean... or we could buy a couple of magical puppets? Another method is to recruit disciples, typically, a few apprentices in a Mage Tower can keep it clean..." Yes, the rich use tower spirits and puppets, the poor exploit manpower; that¡¯s themon practice for Mage Towers. What, you say there¡¯s no manpower to exploit? A magician capable of independently managing a Mage Tower must be at least a level 5 magician, qualified to recruit disciples and instruct apprentices. And someone like Garrett, who owns a high-tier Mage Tower, is typically a magician of level 7 or above, even level 9 or above. Typically, by the time a magician reaches level 9, they have both the power and the connections. Having two or three disciples around level 5, four or five lower-level magicians, and a dozen or so apprentices, the Mage Tower can maintain its daily operations without the master¡¯s intervention. But who asked Garrett to overreach, jumping levels so outrageously? "Can¡¯t afford magical puppets... recruiting apprentices, I¡¯m only level 3 myself..." Garrett muttered under his breath: "Never mind, I¡¯ll justmunicate with the tower spirit first!" Garrett touched the crystal ball again. As his mental force reached out and gently nudged the control hub, indeed, a soft and pleasant voice echoed in his consciousness: "Hello, master. The Mage Tower¡¯s tower spirit at your service. First, please name me." Along with the voice, in his meditative vision, a glowing human figure lit up. Garrett looked closely; this figure, while not exactly simr to the one he had constructed in his consciousness, was at least identical: Beneath the translucent skin, bones supported and muscles clung, the heart beat, and blood flowed. Except for the rigid facial features and expressionless face, it was entirely a clinical 3D model used for teaching... Aurora leaned in too. Unable to connect to the central consciousness like Garrett, he could only peer into the crystal ball, staring at the tiny figure inside, eximing: "Eh, boss, is this the newly created tower spirit? So detailed! Such a tiny person with limbs and features all intact! Right, is it male or female? Ah, looks like it¡¯s male, sigh, why didn¡¯t the master set it to female? Boss, can it still be changed?" "Uh..." Garrett¡¯s gaze dodged. To be honest, the tower spirit¡¯s gender might not be the master¡¯s doing but his own fault... When setting up the human structure, he subconsciously opted for male. No way around it, he wasn¡¯t familiar with the anatomy of the female reproductive system; in clinical situations requiring surgery, he¡¯d directly call for a gynecological consult. But seeing how excited Aurora was getting, upon reflection, shouldn¡¯t he at least have created a female appearance? It would be convenient for reviewing anatomical knowledgeter... "Tower spirit," he called softly in his mind, "can your appearance still be adjusted?" "Yes, master." "Can you memorize another set, to switch ording to my request, at any time?" "Yes, master." "And your personality, is it male or female?" "The Construct Awakening Artes with 18 initial personality temtes for you to choose from. Master, would you like me to disy the list, or would you prefer a demonstration of each?" "Show the list." With a swoosh, a light screen unfurled in front of the crystal ball. Aurora, quicker than Garrett, leaned in to look: "Six female temtes, six male temtes, two neutral temtes, three animal temtes, one nt temte... Who would choose a nt temte? Really, wouldn¡¯t it be better to give me another miss?" He casually tapped a female temte. From short to tall, six female figures rotated through the screen like a carousel: Cute girl, sweet youngdy, lively maid, valiant female warrior, gentle matron, stern housekeeper... "Are there any prettier ones? Catwoman, fox woman, mermaid, angel?" Aurora asked in rapid session. The screen flickered for a moment, then pulled up a table on the right side: Catwoman temte 2000 contribution points, fox woman 2000 points, mermaid 3000 points, lower-tier angel 5000 points... A wide array of choices. Garrett quickly noticed a small page number at the bottom of the table: (1/10) The cost of items increased from top to bottom. Curious, Aurora flipped to thest page, and at the very bottom of the list, there was a long string of zeroes, too many to count at a nce. "Uh..." Aurora quietly withdrew. He knew how strapped for cash Garrett was; not to mention 2,000 contribution points, even 100 points, he definitely wouldn¡¯t spend on paid temtes. Just as he was about to tap the maid temte to hear its voice, Garrett had already selected two gender-neutral temtes: One was humanoid, or rather, shaped like a puppet, with a round head, arms, and legs. The other had no form at all, just a t panel with flickering text. Garrett, following his instinct, tapped the panel, and immediately, a monotonous electronic voice devoid of any inflection sounded from the pir beneath the crystal ball: "Master The tower spirit greets you." The same message appeared on the panel. On the right side of the screen, a series of exnations scrolled quickly: Intelligent core. Lacks emotional thought consciousness, entirely dependent on rational algorithms; unaffected by emotions, free from cognitive limitations, making the most urate decisions in the shortest time. Capable of learning and evolving. "That¡¯s the one!" Garrett pressed decisively. Spreading his fingers, he enveloped the crystal ball: "Tower spirit, named MOSS." Neither male nor female, not man nor woman, with the ability to switch appearances, and often needing to disy various anatomical structures... It would be awkward whether for males or females. Since it¡¯s an artificial intelligence, a neutral name is preferable. "Yes, MOSS greets you," the tower spirit buzzed in response. Aurora, curious, asked: "MOSS? ¡ª What does that mean? You¡¯re calling it Moss? Why name it Moss? Ah, you¡¯re a priest of the Nature God¡¯s faith, with a special fondness for nts... But there are many beautiful flowers and trees too, if all else fails, oak is also a signature nt of yours. What are you aiming for? Because moss grows easily?" Garrett didn¡¯t answer. He just held the crystal ball, gently caressing it, silentlymunicating: "Don¡¯t worry, this Mage Tower can¡¯t levitate, and I won¡¯t drive you into anything. MOSS, you don¡¯t have to defect this time." The crystal ball quickly rippled, then again, a momentter. Colored lights rotated back and forth, resembling a disco ball lighting up or as if MOSS waspletely confused... What does defection mean? Why defect? Garrett quickly said before the tower spirit could ask: "MOSS, can you take care of cleaning the tower?" "Yes. MOSS can control invisible servants to clean the Mage Tower. Please provide cleaning tools, such as brooms, cloths, buckets, set cleaning areas, and frequency." "What about preparing food?" "Yes. There¡¯s a kitchen on the first floor of the Mage Tower, with a fire source connected to the fire elemental pool. MOSS can control invisible servants to cook. Please provide cooking utensils and ingredients, seasonings, specify the menu, and cooking methods." "Can you arrange the rooms?" "Please provide furniture and decorations..." Garrett looked around. The newly constructed Mage Tower, including walls, floors, ceilings, had just risen from the ground. No brooms, cloths, pots, pans, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar... nothing. "So, do I need to find someone to handle the shopping?" "MOSS cannot leave the Mage Tower; invisible servants can patrol up to 1 kilometer outside the tower butckmunication ability. It is rmended that the master appoint someone for purchasing." Entering the tower empty-handed, utterly unprepared, Garrett could only lock the door and leave... He and Aurora, each on a magic horse, crossed the ridge and headed towards the garden residence on the other side. They would make do in the vi for the night; at least the vi had beds, nkets, and a cook to prepare food, so they wouldn¡¯t have to lie on the floor, relying on water creation spells for a drink... "Boss, I really think you should get some people. Isn¡¯t your public health¡ªuh, health center about to open? Don¡¯t you need staff? Otherwise, boss, bring a bunch of magicians to the tower, that... how did you put it? Start with training?" Chapter 284 Chapter 284 Aurora Worton¡¯s suggestion for Garrett Nordmark to recruit some people from public health institutions wasn¡¯t just a casual remark. In fact, before Garrett even made a move, people were already begging to be recruited... The construction of the Mage Tower waspleted. The interior was finished. The awakening of the tower spirit was done. All these tasks took up two days of Garrett¡¯s time. On the third day, early in the morning, just as Garrett was barely awake, a carriage bearing the Magic Council¡¯s emblem was waiting eagerly outside the vi, ready to pick someone up. Garrett couldn¡¯t help but smile upon getting up. Aurora was also in the carriage, emerging with a gloomy face and yawning as he waved at Garrett. How eager they must be, as if fearing even a slight dy! In fact, it wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t want toe to pick him up, but for the past two days, Garrett had been busy with the Mage Tower. Surrounded by big shots of levels fourteen or fifteen, or even seventeen or eighteen, the grouping to pick him up couldn¡¯t get close... The carriage ttered along, winding its way to the foot of the mountain and taking Garrett directly to the Magic Council¡¯s office. The six-story white tower stood tall and majestic, as imposing as when he first saw it, but Garrett no longer had the heart to admire it. He had his own Mage Tower now! Three floors below ground, nine above! To the right of the entrance hall of the white tower, arge ck iron door was tightly closed, marking the emergency management department¡¯s area. The person who came for Garrett led him directly inside, through twists and turns to the deepest part, into a spacious and empty meeting room. The room was broad and could amodate twenty to thirty people for a meeting, with a long rectangr table in the center. The table¡¯s sand tray was shaky and somewhat translucent, with houses, streets, rivers, and trees detailed and miniature, precisely replicating Nevis City. Garrett couldn¡¯t resist leaning over to take a closer look. There¡¯s the Bridge Magic Academy, the white tower nearby, the vi area... the small train station... even his newly constructed Mage Tower was marked! Impressive!How often is this sand tray updated? "This is Nevis City¡¯s magic sand tray," a voice suddenly spoke from the side: "Maintained by twelve invisible servants carrying secret eye rings around the city daily, collecting sights seen by the secret eyes and updating it once a day." Garrett turned around abruptly. Standing by the sand tray was an unfamiliar middle-aged magician, tall and strong, with a weathered face and piercing ck eyes that seemed to see right into one¡¯s soul. He nodded at Garrett and extended his right hand: "Magician Garrett Nordmark? A pleasure. I am the head of the emergency management department, Johnny Colin, pleased to meet you. The future work of the public health office will be supported byw enforcement teams from the emergency management department, in cooperation with your office." Garrett shook hands with him. A quick nce at the magician¡¯s badge on the man¡¯s chest showed three silver stars and three white circles¡ªa third-circle arcane magician, an eighth-level magician. His academic rank was clearly behind his magic level, butbined with his position, he was likely¡ªquite formidable. Being strong is good! Public health institutions also need to enforcews with strength, and with his connections, it wasn¡¯t clear where else to look! Thank goodness the reviewmittee sent him! Garrett showed a genuine smile and shook hands firmly. The middle-aged magician¡¯s palm was as hard as iron, more like a warrior than a magician. After exchanging pleasantries, Minister Colin pointed at the sand tray and said: "This shows the terrain and flow of water in Nevis City, along with the location of residential buildings, which is very convenient for determining the cement of water facilities. ¡ªIn the past two days, the emergency management department¡¯s surveyors have already designed the water pipes, would you like to see if there¡¯s anything that needs changing?" He pressed on the sand tray, made a few gestures, and whispered a short spell. Soon, blue lines, thick and thin, lit up on the sand tray, flowing down from the nearby mountains, clearly the water supply routes Garrett had mentioned. Garrett leaned in for a closer look. High and middle-ss residential areas, low-ie residential areas, many water supply pipes branched into individual houses and buildings; while in low-ie areas, there were designated pools on the streets. Small blue squares, even with sshing water, appeared to be open designs, creating a pool for people to fetch water. "That won¡¯t do," Garrett immediately shook his head: "It¡¯s too prone to contamination..." "...That¡¯s not my department," Magician Colin waved his hand: "The construction of water facilities is someone else¡¯s job, I just brought you to see the sand tray. Remember the locations, and someone willeter, and we¡¯ll go to another room for a meeting¡ª" Garrett stopped talking, trying hard to look and remember. Fortunately, bing a magician had improved his mental and memory abilities, so memorizing such arge map wasn¡¯t difficult. "Ah, here theye." As time ticked by, Colin suddenly spoke softly. Soon, a series of bells rang near the meeting room door. Minister Colin immediately led Garrett out, heading straight to the fifth floor, into an opulently furnished meeting room. This meeting room¡¯s long table was oval-shaped, covered in dark ck velvet that nearly touched the floor. Garrett was guided by Minister Colin to sit on the side of the oval table, near the end. After a short wait, the attendees began to arrive. Garrett nced around, unable to suppress augh: The people here for today¡¯s meeting were essentially a lower-tier version of those from the hearing two days ago~~~ The Temple of the War God sent a bishop, and the Temple of the Spring Goddess sent a priest, judging by the decorations on their robes, both seemed to be around level eleven or twelve. Each had attendants sitting behind them at the back of the long table, near the wall, with notebooks spread on theirps, eagerly looking on. Seeing the notebooks filled with many writings and erasures, they must have been in meetings the past two days, heaven knows how many arguments they¡¯ve had. Elder Wood was personally present. As for the Magic Council¡¯s side¡ª "Archmage Edgar! Why did you personallye over? Ah, Lynn, when did you get back?" Garrett was genuinely surprised. Seeing this guide on his magical path, who also gave him potassium permanganate in a critical battle, boosting his fighting capability, he was much warmer to Lynn than to Archmage Edgar. Lynn managed a strained smile: "I just got back the other day. Little Garrett, I heard you¡¯re about to do something big again? Mind if I join?" "Of course, it¡¯s great if you¡¯re interested!" Garrett nodded happily. Lynn sat behind the instructor against the wall, and seeing Garrett asionally stretching his neck trying to see him, couldn¡¯t help butugh: "Don¡¯t look anymore, Mr. Troka didn¡¯te!" Garrett sheepishly retracted his head. He wasn¡¯t looking for the ck cat; he was searching for the golden skeleton... Then, gradually, four or five nobles arrived, including Knight Selina who had been there that day. Garrett smiled warmly at her, just exchanged a greeting, when the transformation series evaluator entered the meeting room and announced the start of the meeting. "In the meeting two days ago, we initially agreed to establish a public health office, with Garrett Nordmark serving as the first director. The council will be responsible for monitoring and disinfecting the city¡¯s water quality. The Noble Union and Nevis City Chamber of Commerce will cooperate with the council, responsible for pipeline construction and daily water billing. The Temple of the Spring Goddess will work with the council, responsible for reservoir construction, drinking water pipeline construction, and the maintenance and supply of drinking water. The Temple of the War God will work with the council, focusing onbating littering and illegal dumping. The Cult of Nature will work with the council, responsible for sewage collection, treatment, and purification. The three major temples and the council together will build and maintain hospitals for infectious diseases..." Themittee member spoke at a steady pace, repeating the previous meeting¡¯s resolutions, asionally making eye contact with the heads of each temple, and half seemingly speaking directly to Garrett. Once he finished and saw the heads nodding in agreement, he turned to Garrett: "Magician Nordmark, as the first director of the public health office, do you have anything to add?" "...Yes," Garrett took a moment to digest themittee member¡¯s speech, then smiled slightly. It seems the meetings over the past few days weren¡¯t in vain, and the arguments weren¡¯t for nothing. Without his knowledge, the council and the major forces had already reached a rtive bnce. The most obvious point was that the Temple of the Spring Goddess ultimately secured the supply and maintenance of drinking water, no telling how much they had to offer behind the scenes... He organized his thoughts, leaned forward slightly, nodding respectfully to the leaders sitting at the head of the table. Once they acknowledged him, he slowed down and started speaking one point at a time: "In terms of city governance, the elders here are much wiser than me. However, on the professional front, I¡¯d like to share some of my thoughts: First, I¡¯ve seen the nning for the poor districts, where the drinking water spots are rtively dense and evenly distributed, which is good. But one thing to note, the construction of water pools should be closed, with a pump installed on top. Additionally, there should be a separate inlet for timely disinfection. I¡¯ll submit the specific drawingster. For middle and high-ss residential areas, it¡¯s best if every building, every house, has piped water ess..." "That¡¯s not possible!" Across the table, a young noble next to Knight Selina jumped up. Garrett recognized him; he resembled the noble who spoke on behalf of the Temple of the Spring Goddess during the hearing two days ago: "We¡¯re already doing piped water in our territory! Two blocks, twelve buildings, all under our responsibility! The council can¡¯t juste in and tear up the pipes for no reason!" He nced at Selina as he spoke. However, she didn¡¯t pay him any attention, instead turning her head even more towards Garrett, giving him a few more looks. "...I see." Garrett rested his chin on his fist, pondering for a moment. "It¡¯s not that it can¡¯t be done. Since your family is handling it, the council won¡¯t needlessly dismantle it. But the council¡¯s involvement in water supply isn¡¯t for profit, but for the safety of all city residents. You can continue supplying water, but your pipes and water quality need to be approved by the council¡ª" Chapter 285 Chapter 285 In this day and age, there are people operating pipeline water supply¡ªfamilies owning pipeline water supplypanies? Garrett, though surprised, didn¡¯t lose hisposure. After all, in a world where the tech tree has been skewed, nothing is impossible, only unimaginable. Can you believe a ce without semiconductors has highly advanced artificial intelligence? However, operating a pipeline water supply without agreeing to public health department supervision was, in Garrett¡¯s view, intolerable. "Sir¡ª" He leaned forward slightly, straightening his spine. The young noble across from him lifted his chin proudly: "Viscount Calrend." "...Alright, Viscount Calrend." Garrett sighed. Although you¡¯re a viscount... indeed, a viscount is significant, back in Harnd City, the surrounding area for a hundred miles was the domain of the Harnd Viscount¡ªbut I don¡¯t know, you don¡¯t have a mage¡¯s badge on your chest, what¡¯s the point of being smug in front of a magician in the city of mages? Even if I¡¯m just a fourth-circle arcanist, I have the entire Magic Council standing behind me now! He made an effort to keep his demeanor neither servile nor overbearing:"As the first director of the Public Health Department, I must point out to you: ensuring the quality of residents¡¯ water supply is a necessity for public health initiatives. The council doesn¡¯t interfere with your water supply business, but, given the possibility of contamination at the water source, pipeline corrosion or rust, water decay and deterioration in the water supply process, it¡¯s the duty of the Public Health Department to conduct water quality testing." "No, you can¡¯t do that." Viscount Calrend leaned back, stretching his arms across the table. "ording to the ¡¯City Charter¡¯ established at the founding of Nevis City by the Magic Council, nobility, and free citizens together, without my permission, you have no right to enter mynd!" What? The city has a city charter? Buried in medicine¡ªor rather buried in magic for so long, I actually never bothered to look into these things... Garrett inwardly chided himself, adding another task for himself, and smiled: "Viscount Calrend, I don¡¯t need to enter your water source. Just by testing at the endpoint¡ªthat is, at the outlet of your water pipes, it¡¯s possible to determine if your water quality meets the requirements." "Sorry." The young noble raised his chin again. A smirk of half pride, half cunning appeared on his lean face: "Those two blocks, twelve buildings, are also my family¡¯s property. Without permission, you really can¡¯t enter." ¡­¡­¡­¡­£¡£¡£¡£¡ Garrett suddenly saw him in a new light. He had seen with his own eyes during the city survey, the middle to high-ie and middle to low-ie areas, where pipeline water supply was most feasible, were mostly three to four-story, four to five-story buildings, with hundreds of units in a building. Owning two blocks, twelve buildings¡¯ worth of property! A true mogul! My apologies! At that moment, there was a rustle beside him. Garrett caught from the corner of his eye Emergency Management Department Director Johnny Colin quietly passing him a note: ¡¾Viscount Calrend belongs to a noble family rooted in Nevis City before the establishment of the Magic Council. The family is deeply entrenched, currently including a level 15 grand magician and several mid to high-level magicians¡¿ Ah... Oh... Alright then... Garrett lowered his eyes, thought quickly, and raised a smile: "Your houses have already been rented out. As long as the tenants invite me in, I can legally conduct tests." "I am thendlord. If I don¡¯t agree, you can¡¯t enter! ¡ª Sneaking in, whatever you find, won¡¯t be admissible in court!" The two quickly descended into argument. In the middle of the long table, the member from the transformation branch, after listening for a while, coughed: "Let¡¯s do this. ¡ª Viscount Calrend, your family can continue the water supply work, the council won¡¯t disturb. ¡ª However, if an epidemic breaks out among your tenants, and it¡¯s proven afterwards that it was due to issues with the water supply facilities, you¡¯ll have to bear all the responsibility. This includes the tenants¡¯ medical and quarantine expenses, the cost of environmental disinfection,pensation for the tenants¡¯ losses, and the expenses for water supply management reform. Do you ept this oue?" Viscount Calrend¡¯s face darkened slightly, nodding unhappily. Garrett frowned slightly but had to ept the adjudicator¡¯s decision. He shifted his gaze away from the viscount and continued directly: "The next focus is establishing a water quality monitoring system and setting up an infectious disease hospital. ¡ª The reason I¡¯m mentioning these two things together is because aplishing these tasks requires relevant professional personnel. My n is, for the infectious disease hospital, I ¡¯ll provide the blueprints, the council will handle the construction, and if the medical branches of the various temples are willing to participate, that would be very wee ¡ª there¡¯s no need for the healers to be stationed there all the time, maintaining a minimal staff is sufficient, and we can mobilize more in the event of a major outbreak." The clergy members frowned simultaneously. The bishop from the War God¡¯s Temple whispered: "Currently, it¡¯s the training season, and we also have a heavy burden of healing tasks. To station in the infec... He recalled the term: "...infectious disease hospital, we could probably only send one or two low-level priests?" The cleric from the Spring Goddess¡¯s Temple nodded silently. Elder Wood also frowned slightly: "At the turn of winter and spring, there are especially many patients. The Nature God¡¯s Sect can do its utmost, but we can only spare three or four people at most." I knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy to recruit people from the temples. Garrett silently critiqued. Then, he calmly lifted his head, making eye contact with each clergy member: "As for the detection of infectious disease germs, and how healers can protect themselves, prevent transmission, I will teach. ¡ª Oh, and my Mage Tower currently only has 12 apprentice rooms, and theboratory isn¡¯t veryrge..." "We¡¯ll take all 12 slots!" Archmage Edgar immediately stood up. "Rest assured, you can use these apprentices however you wish, for as long as you wish! ¡ª Little Garrett, you promised before to train apprentices for the ck Crow Swamp, you can¡¯t go back on your word!" A slight stir went through the meeting room. Elder Wood coughed: "Ah, that¡¯s a bit too much... Why does the School of Necromancy need so many slots? You don¡¯t even have healing spells! ¡ª How about this, the Nature God¡¯s Sect will send four healers for training and station them at the infectious disease hospital, okay?" Garrett smiled slightly. The bishop from the War God¡¯s Temple frowned at the necromancer, then looked deeply at Elder Wood, and coughed lightly: "During military campaigns, epidemics often harm the health of soldiers. The War God¡¯s Temple hopes to secure eight training slots, so our priests can learn how to stop transmission and take care of our warriors." "The Spring Goddess¡¯s Temple..." The three bigwigs red at him simultaneously. With only 12 slots total, and the three factions already iming 24 people, you still want to get involved? Do you have a good rtionship with Garrett?! Chapter 286 Chapter 286 It¡¯s been proven time and again that anything may seem of little value when no one is vying for it. Buyers can be picky, taking it or leaving it as they please. However, once two people startpeting for it, the value of the item skyrockets. And if there are three or four contenders, even trash can suddenly seem like it¡¯s lined with gold, shining brightly and emanating auspiciousness. This was especially true for the items Garrett Nordmark offered; they were genuinely of high quality. Garrett Nordmark¡¯s two papers on dysentery had been thoroughly studied in ck Crow Swamp, turned over and over countless times. Even those not specializing in gue studies couldn¡¯t help but purchase a few microscopes upon their release, tinkering day and night. Yet, unfortunately, after more than half a year of effort, the results were... "Nothing¡¯s grown at all!" "What exactly is growing here... Why are there yellow, green, and even white substances in a ss bottle? This doesn¡¯t match the paper¡¯s description!" "The ss tube is growing hair!" "The colors won¡¯t stick!" "I can¡¯t see anything under the microscope..." To say that Garrett was fabricating data in his papers would be incorrect. During theb leak incident, Garrett, along with ten priests from the Church of Nature and ten Necromancers, went through the processes of cultivation, sampling, staining, and microscopic examination, teaching each step by hand. After being taught by him for a few days, the Necromancers had be proficient, at least in identifying cholera bacteria...Returning to their ownbs to iste and culture other bacteria, they continued to face catastrophic failures. Therefore, ck Crow Swamp closely monitored every move Garrett made, eagerly seizing any training opportunities he offered. Their actions were as swift as ticket scalpers at a top-tier hospital vying for specialist appointments, or fans trying to snap up concert tickets for their favorite idols. Face? What is face? Is face more important than knowledge? It¡¯s only right and natural for a student to eagerly learn from their master. Thus, when Archmage Edgar spoke up, he directly offered to send twelve people. Following him, four from the Church of Nature and eight from the Temple of the War God. The Spring Water Temple hesitated for a moment, and by then, the training slots were overbooked by 200%¡ªthey couldn¡¯t grab anything... The Necromancers sat on one side of the long table near the door, while the three temple dignitaries sat on the window side, ring daggers at each other. The bishop from the War God¡¯s Temple, being the most impatient, failed to intimidate the others with his res and immediately started banging on the table: "You bone tamperers are too much! There are only twelve slots, do you n to swallow them all? At most, you¡¯ll get a third!" "Quarter!" interjected the priest from the Spring Water Temple. Though still unclear about the specifics of what was being fought over¡ªhe hadn¡¯t attended the meeting a few days ago and thus didn¡¯t know about the papers¡ªhe knew if many were vying for it, it had to be valuable. The Spring Water Temple had also contributed to the establishment of the public health institution, so why shouldn¡¯t they get a share? "A quarter is too much!" the meeting¡¯s chairperson, a judge, said with a smile, leaning towards the Necromancers: "Old Edgar, you can¡¯t just because you¡¯re here today, hog all the slots for the council! The Transmutation School doesn¡¯t want any slots? The Abjuration School¡¯s medical branch doesn¡¯t want any slots? The little guy is from the Evocation School! If you hog their slots, do you believe if the Lord of Thunder finds out, he¡¯d strike you with lightning on the spot?" Ahem¡ª Aurora Worton coughed boldly. Although her school hadn¡¯t reserved any slots, if the Lord of Thunder heard such talk, the lightning might just strike her instead... "The real issue is theck of slots." Elder Donald calmly added: "Ah, young Garrett, can¡¯t you train a few more? To monitor the city¡¯s drinking water and to run a hospital, twelve people won¡¯t be enough, right?" He remembered clearly, during thest outbreak, Garrett had single-handedly enlisted twenty people! "But..." Garrett hesitated, "my Mage Tower..." "It¡¯s just twelve rooms, right?" Elder Donald waved his hand dismissively: "Let my people share. Two to a room is fine. If that¡¯s not enough, bring a nket and sleep on the floor in the hall. The followers of the Nature God aren¡¯t so delicate. Out in the wild, in a barn, anywhere is fine for overnight." This opened the floodgates. The bishop from the War God¡¯s Temple immediately followed up: "The priests of the War God have no issue. Mage Nordmark, can you double the slots?" "I can too!" Archmage Edgar boasted, thumping his chest: "When I was just starting, not even an apprentice mage yet, didn¡¯t I sleep on the floor in the hall? If I could do it, why can¡¯t they?" Garrett looked at the dignitaries with astonishment. Apprentices sharing rooms? Sleeping on the floor wrapped in nkets? Were the dignitaries serious? In his previous life, he had lived in an eight-person dorm¡ªon the bottom floor, facing north, unbearably hot in summer and so cold in winter they had to tape the windows. But since bing a mage apprentice, Garrett had never lived in less than 161 square feet. He had always believed that spellcasters deserved better living conditions than ordinary people. Apprentice rooms had only a single bed, a desk, a chair, a cab, and shared bathrooms. Could spellcasters really tolerate sharing such rooms? He looked around. The mages and clergy nodded in agreement. Garrett thought for a moment: "Thoseing for training must follow my instructions!" "No problem! If they don¡¯t listen, beat them senseless. If that¡¯s not enough, ck Crow Swamp will give them another beating!" "After sessful training, you must serve in the Public Health Office for at least a year!" "Will you be training neers within a year? ...Yes? Then no problem!" "In case of an infectious disease outbreak, each major temple must send high-ranking priests to assist! No fewer than five people, and the support duration must not be less than thirty days per year!" "This..." The three clergy members fell silent for a moment. At the crucial moment, the Transmutation Archmage coughed lightly: "No problem. ording to the council and temple agreement, in the event of an outbreak, temples are obligated to provide support. If such a situation arises, the council will definitely coordinate on your behalf." "I have no more concerns." Garrett sighed in relief. "Twenty-four it is, no more, theb can¡¯t fit anymore¡ªgive me a few days to get the Mage Tower in order, and then we can start the training!" "Why wait? Let theme tomorrow!" Archmage Edgar interjected. Garrett was stunned: "But, theb hasn¡¯t been moved over yet..." My bacterial cultures! My petri dishes! My shadowlessmp! They¡¯re still at the old ce! "We¡¯ll send people to help you move!" "But I need time to purchase supplies! I have nothing there; the Mage Tower was just finished yesterday!" "List what you need! You don¡¯t have to worry about anything else!" Was this... were they nning to provide everything from bed sheets and pillowcases, to pots and pans, and even all theb equipment and animals, in one go? Chapter 287 Chapter 287 Thus, Garrett acquired his first batch of subordinates. Number: 24. Roles: Mage apprentices, Priest apprentices. Sources: Eight from ck Crow Swamp. Two from the Curse Magic School, medical branch. Two from the Transformation School. Four from the Church of Nature. Six from the Temple of the War God.Two from the Spring Water Goddess Temple. Brackets, training required before use... Garrett handed over the preparatory tasks before training to Aurora. These included the living facilities in the Mage Tower, necessities like meat, eggs, rice, flour, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and evenb consumables and experimental animals... He tasked her with drafting a list and arranging procurement from ck Crow Swamp or any other interested party. Meanwhile, Garrett took on an urgent task for the public health department: Finding funds. Sitting across Garrett was a newly transferred middle-aged man with greying hair and a face full of worry. With a counting rod in his left hand and an ount book in his right, the sleeves of his wool coat were frayed white, evidently a newly transferred ountant in poor financial condition. Sitting down in the small conference room with sighs and groans, he flipped the ount book open for Garrett to see: "The costs for building reservoirs and pipelines, as well as the infectious disease hospital, are not our concern. The council and the major temples have reached an agreement, with donations from nobles and merchants offsetting these construction costs. Any shortfall will be covered by the temples themselves. But the operational expenses that follow will have to be figured out by us..." He flipped through the ount book: "The current price of bleach powder offered to us by the Evocation School is 1 gold coin per kilogram. ording to your instructions, for the daily chlorination of the city¡¯s drinking water..." As he spoke, Garrett did the math in his head. With a chlorine dosage of 3 mg/L and the bleach powder¡¯s effective chlorine content at 25%, each cubic meter of drinking water required 12 grams of bleach powder. For a city of 500,000 people, consuming 1,000 tons of drinking water daily, that amounted to 12 kilograms of bleach powder¡ªprecise dosage, no waste allowed. "12 gold coins," he announced. The wrinkles on the middle-aged ountant¡¯s face deepened: "That¡¯s 4380 gold coins a year. Plus, the sries for the priest and mage apprentices..." "..." Garrett originally intended not to pay a cent. A joke, right? They were here for training, yet expecting a sry? Didn¡¯t their own schools provide stipends? But then he thought again, the apprentices were already dirt poor. If he didn¡¯t pay, and their own schools didn¡¯t either¡ªlike the Church of Nature, which provided nothing but food¡ªwouldn¡¯t they starve over the year? Just like interns and residents in hospitals, they couldn¡¯t earn a full doctor¡¯s sry, but they still received some allowance... "Let¡¯s budget for..." Garrett pondered. Testing water quality required dedicated personnel; they couldn¡¯t always rely on freebor from various sources. So, how much would it cost to hire an educated ordinary person or a mage apprentice who couldn¡¯t advance by the age of forty in this world? "Let¡¯s budget for 5 gold coins a month," he said quietly. The ountant noted another entry: "5 gold coins a month, 12 months a year, for 24 people... that¡¯s 1440 gold coins... totaling 5820... plus the cost of testing reagents... and the daily operational expenses of the infectious disease hospital... The neighboring emergency management department, although sharing enforcement power, requires us to offer some subsidy every time they mobilize. Otherwise, they might find excuses to dy for an hour, which would be considered normal..." Garrett: "..." So, as the head of the Public Health Office, my first year¡¯s sry, or rather, that half of the Mage Tower, wasn¡¯t for free? Beyond establishing the department, I also need to set up an effective mechanism to fund the operation of the Public Health Office? No wonder the council offered such highpensation... Garrett sighed deeply. I¡¯m just a clinical doctor, forced into the role of Public Health Office head, which I epted since it¡¯s about taking care of public health. But why am I also being forced into bing a businessman... He massaged his temples, trying to soothe his frustration. No, the urge to rage, to flip tables, to howl at the sky, was still there... "Do you have any suggestions?" He slumped down, head tilted to one side, resting on the table. The middle-aged ountant bent forward, trying to lower himself to Garrett¡¯s level, whispering: "I heard that you once offered technical guidance to some workshops during a meeting... those with money..." "Eh? How do you know?" "I, I heard it from someone..." The ountant nervously clutched his pocket. Inside, dozens of gold coins, sent by heads of three different guilds, already exceeded his half-year¡¯s sry. The purpose of the gifts was simply to have him speak a word in Garrett¡¯s ear: Take a look at their workshops! "Emmmm..." Garrett perked up a bit. He propped up his head to look at the ountant: "Which workshops have applied for technical guidance? How much are they willing to pay? Is it a lump sum or ongoing? Who will negotiate with them?" "This, the ughterers¡¯ Guild, the Brewers¡¯ Guild, the Salt Traders¡¯ Guild, the Metallurgy Guild..." The ountant counted off on his fingers. These were workshops Garrett had casually mentioned at the hearing that could undergo technical improvements: "Typically, they offer shares. Dividends are settled annually or quarterly. The mage themself negotiates¡ª" Seeing Garrett¡¯s face fall, he quickly added: "If the mage isn¡¯t skilled at negotiating, the Mage Management Department provides negotiators to represent them! A small fee is all it takes! Many mages hire them!" Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up. "Alright¡ªlet¡¯s start with the ughterers¡¯ Guild! We need dissection materials anyway, so might as well pick some up! Aurora! Aurora! To the mountain with me!" They headed straight for the peak of Igor Peak. Within Thunder Tower, ab was tirelessly producing bleach powder. The mage in charge of production, seeing Garrett¡¯s arrival, almost hugged his legs in gratitude: "Young Garrett, when will this work end? It¡¯s so boring! And look, the caustic soda solution we produce, it¡¯s hard to store and dispose of, and we¡¯ve umted several pools of it. Recently, the entire council¡¯s caustic soda price has plummeted! And that light gas, just a bit of carelessness, and it explodes¡ª" Garrett: "Pfft..." Really? You can only utilize chlorine gas and can¡¯t industrialize the other by-products? No wonder the price of bleach powder is so high, selling it to me for one gold coin per kilogram... "That... we still need to do it, and even more so. We¡¯ve recently set up a public health center, needing arge amount of bleach powder to purify drinking water, about 12 kilograms a day..." "Ah¡ª" The mage screamed. He dragged Garrett out of theb: "Come,e, take a look yourself! See what price the Alchemy Guild is buying caustic soda for!" Garrett was dragged along, stumbling, straight to the Alchemy Guild. A Level 2 mage proficiently interfaced with him: "Caustic soda solution? 1 silver coin per liter, you deliver it yourself!" "What? The price dropped again?" The Thunder Horn mage screamed. The alchemist nced at him: "What else? How much have you sent over recently? The guild can¡¯t use it all up! The consumption of caustic soda is limited. Making it into soda ash, the weird smell fills the room, we dare not enter without casting a bubble spell! And what, the fuel for boiling caustic soda doesn¡¯t cost money? The pots for storing it don¡¯t cost money? Boil a few pots, and those pots are ruined! Otherwise, why don¡¯t you make it into soda ash yourself? We¡¯ll buy it at a high price!" "This is so annoying¡ª" The Thunder Horn mage screamed. Garrett couldn¡¯t help but facepalm. Too tragic, truly tragic. You make soda ash, oh, sodium carbonate, by heating sodium hydroxide solution? No wonder the production efficiency is so low... "You¡¯re buying soda ash? At a high price?" He leaned forward. The alchemist quickly scanned him, noticing the badge with three copper stars and four white rings, immediately straightened up: "We¡¯re buying! The consumption of soda ash is huge, we¡¯ll buy as much as you have!" That¡¯s all I needed to hear. Garrett, grinning, pulled his people back to theb. Upon returning, he immediately set up a set of ssware: "Charcoal ignited... Thebustion gas is channeled into the caustic soda solution... Excessively introduced, once the reaction is saturated, add an equal amount of caustic soda solution... Finally, heat to evaporate... See, soda ash is produced, right? ¡ªHow to mass-produce, you guys figure it out! Sell me bleach powder cheaply! Sell me soda ash cheaply too!" "No problem!" The Thunder Horn mage¡¯s eyes immediately brightened. Soda ash, widely used in washing, dyeing, leather making, soap making, and more, consumes hundreds of kilograms a day in Nevis City without a burp. Following Garrett¡¯s method, the daily umted caustic soda solution could be turned into soda ash for sale! The Transformation School had a workshop producing these materials daily. Now Thunder Horn could join in! The price could even be lower than theirs, squeezing them out! "I¡¯ll organize manpower to try it right away! Don¡¯t worry, as long as we can produce soda ash on arge scale, I¡¯ll sell you bleach powder at half price! ¡ªBroel! Dav! Brittany! You guys, quickly clear out a room! Order copper pipes, set up furnaces, collect charcoal, and prepare!" "It¡¯s all on you now!" Garrett was in high spirits. Ah, money is made and saved. Just by improving the process like this, isn¡¯t that saving two thousand gold coins? Visit a few more ces, perform a technical upgrade, and probably the Public Health Office¡¯s finances will be secure... Ah, actually, the highest cost in bleach powder production is the electrolysis of saltwater¡ªmeaning, renting theb in Thunder Tower for electrolysis. If only we could generate our own electricity, set up a small hydroelectric nt nearby, and install a production line, other materials wouldn¡¯t cost much. However, the only electricity generation method Garrett knew involved using a maic field to cut through coils, generating alternating current. Electrolyzing saltwater required direct current. How to convert AC to DC? Sorry, Garrett admitted, he didn¡¯t know... "Aurora! ¡ªAurora!" Chapter 288 Chapter 288 Aurora Worton didn¡¯t just pop up at the call. At this moment, he was still at the foot of the mountain, working diligently and meticulously, busy to the point of exhaustion¡ªanyone tasked withpleting the soft furnishing procurement for a new residence in one day would be as busy as a dog. Let alone Aurora Worton, who was dealing with an entire Mage Tower! All 12 floors! All the furniture! Facilities! Living supplies! All had to be in ce within one day! The boss was expected to stay in the tower tonight, and the apprentices wereing in first thing tomorrow! When Garrett returned to the Mage Tower, Aurora was already exhausted to the point of copse. Hey sprawled on the carpet in the reception room, his limbs spread out, while four invisible servants massaged his legs, two on each side. Seeing Garrette in, he could only weakly nce over, pressing his chin to his chest:"Boss, I really can¡¯t do this anymore... Boss, you should really get a steward... Seriously, you can¡¯t treat me like a steward..." "Hard work, hard work," Garrett sat down beside him, hugging his knees. "After this rush, you definitely won¡¯t have to do menial tasks anymore. Hey, maybe we can borrow your family¡¯s old steward for a couple of days?" "That¡¯s definitely not happening!" Aurora shook his head vehemently, his ears almost rubbing against the carpet: "A ce like the Mage Tower isn¡¯t suitable for non-supernaturals to stay in constantly! Besides, he wouldn¡¯t understand the affairs of the Mage Tower¡ªHey, boss, I¡¯m telling you, you should find an older mage, one who has given up on advancing, like someone stuck at level four for twenty or thirty years, unable to move up. Such a person, with rich experience, good at dealing with people, and not buried in research neglecting the Mage Tower¡¯s affairs, would be perfect as a steward! It would be best if you could give him some guidance, help him break through a bottleneck, ensuring his unwavering loyalty to you!" "Easy for you to say." Garrett rolled his eyes at him,ying down as well: "Where am I supposed to find someone like that? How long have I been in Nevis City, how many people do I know? Besides, I¡¯m only level 3, bringing in someone of level 4 or 5, who would be whose steward?" "How about... I ask my teacher to introduce someone?" "Let¡¯s not talk about this now." Garrett got up: "Hey, Aurora, a question for you¡ªcan you sense the direction of electric current?" "Isn¡¯t that obvious?" Aurora repliedzily. He raised a hand, and a spark of electricity leaped from his fingertips: "Like this, from my fingertips outward. Isn¡¯t all electric magic like this? If it¡¯s lightning on a rainy day, then it¡¯s from the sky to the ground¡ª" Evocation magic, tricks, lightning intimidation. Attacks the target, causing electrical damage. "What about this?" Garrett, full of excitement, began pulling items out of his space bag. Aurora turned over on the carpet to see Garrett rummaging through a bunch of coils, wires, mas, axles... His movements were not smooth, even somewhat clumsy. Fit a few pieces together, think a bit, fit a few more, think again. Sometimes, he had to stop and dismantle a part to reassemble it differently. ttering and tinkling... "What are you doing, boss..." Aurora was dying of fatigue. After a day¡¯s work, his body ached all over, and he just wanted to roll into bed and sleep. Yet, the boss was still busily upied with something iprehensible, not allowing him to leave... "Have you finished assembling it yet? If not, I¡¯m going to sleep, I¡¯lle back tomorrow to see it... Yawn..." "Almost done! Just wait a bit!" Garrett hurried along. After another quarter of an hour of fiddling, he actually managed to assemble a strange contraption. Attaching a handle and giving it a vigorous shake¡ªone, two, three times¡ª "Ah!" Aurora sprang up from the ground. He huddled his body tightly, leaning forward eagerly, nearly pressing his glowing face against the coils: "This is, this is¡ª" This was something he had never felt before in his study of electric magic! Whether it was lightning summoned by a mage or lightning from storm clouds, it was always a swift, violent sh that disappeared... But this was different! As the axle turned, the electricity surging through the coils was indeed lightning, yet, it was unlike any lightning! Unstable, changing back and forth. Not the fleeting lightning from a mage¡¯s fingertips, nor the electric orb confined within a force field, but rather, driven by human effort, endlessly coursing through the coils without cease... Aurora felt as if he had grasped something, yet also as if he hadn¡¯t grasped anything at all. He snatched the handle from Garrett, using all his strength, frantically shaking it. After a dozen or so shakes still feeling unsatisfied, he simply touched the handle, murmuring a few spells. Instantly, the handle drove the axle, the axle drove the coils, and with a whoosh, they spun at high speed. Garrett blinked twice, and the coils in his view were left with only afterimages. He reflexively reached out to block: "Hey¡ª" "Let me feel it! Let me feel it again!" Aurora leaned forward, arms spread, protectively hovering over the generator like a mother hen over her chicks. Garrett, unable to physically pull him away, could only squat beside, staring unblinkingly at the generator... Then, with a pop, all electric current returned to zero. The fuse had blown... Aurora, however, had lost interest in these details. He leaped up, running crazily out of the reception room: "I¡¯ve got it! I¡¯ve got it!" "Hey¡ª" Garrett stood up to follow. Out the door, around the corner, upstairs¡ªthen, the door to the magic experimentb nearly mmed in his face. Aurora was trembling with excitement. Before bing Garrett¡¯s follower, he had been striving to merge "Ether Prison" with "Ring of Shock" to create a new spell. Despite numerous attempts and failures, sess always seemed a million miles away: "Ether Prison" was constant over a period, "Ring of Shock" was explosive, ending as soon as it was triggered. Aurora had always wanted to extend its duration, but no matter how hard he tried, he could only modify a single explosion into a maximum of three. But now, he had found his direction! Aurora stood in the magic experimentb with closed eyes, arms spread. That kind of current... The cyclical, constantly changing current he had just experienced... Failed simtion. Failed simtion. Failed simtion again. He was getting closer, but it was still not right... How to ensure it seemed constant yet continuously changing? Aurora tried tirelessly, forgetting himself. Electric rings brightened and dimmed around him, dimmed and brightened. Even though theb was surrounded by a magic-nullifying barrier, it couldn¡¯t block the smell of burning protein in the room. After numerous attempts, he suddenly opened his eyes, brought his arms together, and pushed forward: With a fizz, silver-white electricity wrapped around the Ether Prison, shing continuously like dragons or snakes. Aurora rushed out ecstatically. Seeing Garrett outside, he ran up, arms wide, lifting Garrett and spinning him around: "Boss! Thank you so much! It¡¯s all thanks to you that Ipleted this spell! Thank you! Boss, I¡¯m with you for life!" Garrett: "Uh... I understand all that, but maybe you should fix your hair first?" Aurora¡¯s beautiful blond hair had turned into a huge mushroom cloud, with singed, curled ends dropping ck ash... Aurora had no time to worry about that. The breakthrough after days of frustration had him jumping for joy. It was only when Garrett dragged him in front of a mirror that he beganbing his hair while excitedly exining his new spell to Garrett: "Combining these two spells, it¡¯s both offensive and defensive, incredibly useful! Lucky you showed me that thing! Hey, boss, that thing you made, it can generate electricity without magic?" Garrett nodded with a smile. Aurora jumped up: "That¡¯s fantastic! Boss, for that bleach powder you made before, we no longer need to rent argeb! We can just find a ce, make a bigger version of your spinning thing, and let it whirl away¡ªif not, we can hire people to crank it, or even animals to drag it!" That¡¯s really not feasible. There¡¯s talk of power nts fueled by fire or water, but never of human-powered or animal-powered electricity generators. Garrett almostughed out loud, quickly suppressing it, and said seriously: "We can¡¯t use this type of current. Aurora, did you feel how the electricity generated by this spinning thing goes one way, then another, back and forth?" Aurora thought for a moment and hesitantly nodded. With his magical sensitivity, he could only vaguely sense this, not clearly. Garrettmented: "So we can¡¯t use this type of current. Aurora, can you make this back-and-forth electricity into the kind you usually summon, going in one direction?" "Ah... oh..." Aurora¡¯s beautiful blue eyes spun in circles, turning into mosquito coils on the spot. He tilted his head in thought for a minute, hugged his head in deep contemtion for another minute, then crouched down to face the wall and pretend to be a mushroom for another minute... "I don¡¯t know! How about we fix your thing and ask the teacher tomorrow?" Archmage Carlisle, truly a 14th-level high-level mage, immediately saw the potential when the hand-cranked generator was turned on. After feeling the surging electricity in the coils for a while, he stood up, walked to the window, and concentrated slightly, pulling his hands apart. With a snap, a bright white arc of electricity suddenly burst between his palms, fluctuating slightly. Then it exploded, reappeared, exploded again, reappeared, exploded again, reappeared... "Very interesting device." The great mage stroked his unusually fluffy beard and nodded solemnly: "As for your question¡ªleave the device with me, let me think for a few days..." Garrett took his leave. He had just left when Archmage Carlisle, holding the hand-cranked generator, knocked on the Lord of Thunder¡¯s door. Chapter 289 Chapter 289 "What has young Garrett concocted this time?" The Lord of Thunder casually disposed of a failed coffee art attempt. He nced at Carlisle¡¯s hands, noting the absence of notebooks or scrolls¡ªmeaning no papers, no research summaries, just a weird, seemingly handmade object presented before him? Archmage Carlisle, silent, pushed the hand-cranked generator forward onto the desk. The Lord of Thunder, without a look, turned away to grind coffee beans, boil water, brew coffee, and froth milk, multitasking with several low-level magics that required exquisite control. Muttering to himself while managing the magics, he pondered: "Carlisle, have we been too lenient with thisd? What has he been up to these past months? No advancement, no seclusion, and all his oues seem unrted to the Evocation School. ¡ªAt this rate, he¡¯s practically from the Curse Magic School!" "Uh... Teacher, this device thed has made is indeed rted to the Evocation School..." "Oh?" The Lord of Thunder turned around. Archmage Carlisle, bending slightly, grasped the generator¡¯s handle and began cranking it like an apprentice mage.As the current flowed, the Lord of Thunder immediately stepped forward. His coffee grinding setup was several steps away from the desk, yet he bridged the distance in one stride. The legendary mage leaned forward, fixated on the generator. After a while, he abruptly pulled the wires wrapped around the wooden board. Archmage Carlisle was startled. Sparks flew from the Lord of Thunder¡¯s hands as he reflexively released the wires, yet remained undisturbed, wrapping one end of the wire around his fingertips andmanded: "Continue." "Yes¡ªyes." Carlisleplied softly, cranking faster and faster. The Lord of Thunder closed his eyes, savoring the fluctuating current¡¯s sensation through his body, motionless and silent. After a moment, ayer of silver-white electric light began to surface on the Lord of Thunder¡¯s body, connecting with the current on his monocle. The electric aura gently fluctuated, silent and rhythmic, asionally sparking, seemingly ready to explode at any moment. Archmage Carlisle watched in awe but couldn¡¯t miss this rare opportunity for close observation, despite the risk. He kept cranking vigorously, focused on the fluctuating electric aura. After several dozen more cranks, he heard his teacher¡¯s hoarsemand: "Leave!" The voice was stern and slightly unstable, as if suppressing something. Meanwhile, the electric aura grew more intense, with visible patterns forming, as if about to break free. An explosion from a legendary master, even if not an internal core meditation explosion but an external protective spell explosion, was not something Carlisle could withstand. A lucky oue would be severe injury; an unlucky one, death. Archmage Carlisle fled immediately. ncing back before closing the door, he saw the generator¡¯s handle spinning on its own rapidly, and the Lord of Thunder¡¯s electric aura already emitting the first arc... Suddenly, a thunderous surge of electricity whitened the view. Carlisle instinctively closed his eyes, reopening them to find the office empty, both teacher and generator gone. Only in the clouds above the Mage Tower, thunder rumbled continuously, climbing higher. Leaning against the outer wall, Carlisle was drenched in sweat. It took him a while to calm his breathing and listen for any sounds from the room. The Lord of Thunder¡¯s office was on the 376th floor, close to the tower¡¯s top. The thunderous rumbling seemed almost directly overhead. What was the teacher doing? What had he discerned from that strange current? What experiment was so urgent it couldn¡¯t wait for the meditation chamber, driving him to the sky? ...Could the teacher be in danger?! The longer Carlisle worried, the longer time seemed to stretch. His back was wet with sweat, drying and re-wetting several times. Finally, a "click" sounded from the office door, opening a crack, and the Lord of Thunder¡¯s voice faintly invited: "Come in." Carlisle entered with a heavy heart. Upon stepping in, the scene transformed. No longer were there desks, bookshelves, coffee pots, or milk jugs, but a semi-transparent ground, clumps of dark clouds, and joyously rolling ball lightning... Carlisle knew this was the materialized mentalndscape of a legendary mage, now externalized by the master¡¯s will, visible to others. However, making one¡¯s mentalndscape interact with the physical world was troublesome and exposed one to external harm. Even legendary mages rarely employed such a powerful technique. As the Lord of Thunder¡¯s disciple, Carlisle had rarely seen his teacher¡¯s mentalndscape, perhaps once or twice a year. He cautiously proceeded inside, observing carefully. Soon, he noticed something unusual: The ground, sky , and clouds were filled with countless silver-white electric rings, fluctuating and lighting up intermittently. asionally, a branched lightning would strike an electric ring, which would brighten as if absorbing the lightning, continuing its cycle. "Do you understand?" Asked the Lord of Thunder. Carlisle pondered before replying: "I sort of understand... but..." "Then take your time thinking about it." The Lord of Thunder responded nonchntly. The vast array of electric lights suddenly retracted, and Carlisle felt a sudden drop, his feet touching the ground, as the office returned to its normal state. The Lord of Thunder, standing by the wide desk, twirled the generator¡¯s handle, making it circle: "This device is quite good; I¡¯ll keep it for a few days. ¡ªBy the way, what does the youngd want?" Carlisle recounted Garrett¡¯s request. "Thed said he needs electrolysis¡ªwhether it¡¯s electrolyzing saltwater, mithril, or anything else, it must use ordinary lightning, not this fluctuating direction type..." The Lord of Thunder hummed nomittally, pondering for a moment, then paced between the window and the desk several times. Finally, facing therge floor-to-ceiling window, he pulled his hands apart, and a finger-thick electric arc leaped out, dancing between his index fingers. The Lord of Thunder stared at the arc before him. The electric current on his monocle flickered continuously. After a moment, he moved his right hand away from the arc¡¯s end, approaching his left hand, and made a gentle straightening gesture¡ª Carlisle, standing behind his teacher, saw countless blue-white fluorescences burst in his teacher¡¯s palm. Tiny, incessant bursts. Simultaneously, simr fluorescences exploded on the monocle, gathering inward as if squeezed by an invisible hand. After a few straightening gestures and observations, the electric arc seemed to thin. But to Carlisle¡¯s senses, the teacher¡¯s electric arc had beenbed through, obediently flowing in one direction, no longer cycling or changing direction. "It can be done." The Lord of Thunder nodded, organizing his thoughts to exin to his student: "Add a stopper, or something simr, to the electric current. Let the lightning flow only in one direction, blocking anying from the opposite direction. That¡¯s the principle. To create such a device, it¡¯s up to you to figure out. ¡ªBy the way, have the youngd submit a paper on what this device is, how it was made, and why it generates electricity. Then contact ¡¯Arcane¡¯ to publish it, and under my name, issue a reward seeking this device. The reward amount..." He paused, considering. Too little would not fit a legendary mage¡¯s status, too much was unnecessary. A reasonable amount would do, as his school¡¯s magicians couldn¡¯t ignore his needs: "Let¡¯s say 5000 contribution points! ¡ªAnd first, spread the word in Thunder Horn, urging our own to put in more effort!" "Yes!" Carlisle hurriedly left. That very night, Garrett received the news: the Lord of Thunder himself had requested a paper from him. "What? 5000 contribution points?!" Garrett¡¯s pen dropped to the floor. He quickly picked it up, checking and blowing on it¡ªthe Endless Ink Pen was a level 9 magical item! If it were to break, the loss would be tremendous! Though high-level magical items weren¡¯t easily damaged, what if? "Aurora, should we earn those 5000 contribution points ourselves?" Just a rectifier, and such a high price! Garrett, though not an electronic engineering major in his previous life, remembered that, perhaps, supposedly, a few diodes might do the trick? ...But how are diodes made? He knew they could be bought on the market, but as for how, something about silicon, quartz... Was it melted down? But then it would just turn into ss... Crystallization, crystal phases, he was clueless... "Do you have any ideas?" "None..." "Then let¡¯s forget it!" Aurora, thinking of yesterday¡¯s peculiar device, which Garrett assembled with difficulty, was skeptical of Garrett¡¯s craftsmanship: "Boss, let¡¯s just write the paper first. A paper specifically requested by the Lord of Thunder, to be published in ¡¯Arcane¡¯, is bound toe with a hefty reward! Think about thest time, with the Essence paper, this reward surely won¡¯t be less!" "Ah¡ªdon¡¯t talk to me about papers!" Garrett flopped onto the desk, listless. Papers, papers... Coils cutting maic fields generate electricity... So why does it generate electricity? How detailed does he need to prove it? In this peculiar world, where the microscopic hasn¡¯t reached the atomic level, was he supposed to introduce electrons? He couldn¡¯t do that! He could only copy from books for the theory part, asking him to exin further was like asking him to die! "Aurora¡ªyou write the paper!" --------------- Chapter 290 Chapter 290 The paper, specifically requested by the Lord of Thunder, ended up being penned by the jack-of-all-trades and master of essays, Mr. Aurora Worton. Ignorance is bliss, they say, and without knowledge, there¡¯s no fear. Aurora¡¯s paper flowed smoothly, with most of his ink spent describing the hand-cranked generator¡¯s construction. Mas, coils, crank, wires¡ªthe only issue was Aurora¡¯sck of drawing skills, leading to much erasing and sketching, and a pile of bread crumbs used for erasing charcoal, quickly umting on the side. After detailing the generator and exining its electricity generation, Aurora concluded the paper with his personal observations on the characteristics of this new type of lightning. And with that, the paper wasplete. Garrett sighed more and more as he read through it. Without orthogonal views or standard mechanical drawings for the generator, no waveform, current, voltage, or resistance for the alternating current, even with the backing of a legendary mage, would "Arcane" really ept this? "Boss...?" Aurora squatted nervously opposite, watching his expressions. Garrett massaged his temples: "Let it be, I¡¯ll make some edits..." He grabbed the ¡¾Endless Ink Pen¡¿, swiftly adding content. Ah, if only this level 9 magical item could learn to write on its own! "Ahem... ¡¯On the Characteristics of Hand-Cranked Generators and Alternating Current¡¯... Each ma carries a maic field, and when a coil cuts through this field, electricity is generated. Of course, the reason for electricity generation remains under debate...Since the coil¡¯s motion is cyclical, the direction of the current also constantly changes. Unlike the consistent-direction lightning found in nature or summoned by mages, we call this type of electricity¡ªalternating current. The intensity of alternating current is influenced by the ma¡¯s strength, the number of coil turns, and the load in the circuit..." After writing extensively, he passed it to Aurora to add experiments and data. The task of converting AC to DC would wait until after the paper was submitted, for some magician (sucker) to figure out. Garrett, meanwhile, faced another pressing task: The trainees from various factions had arrived. The ck Crow Swamp arrived first. Nine in a row, grandly, each with their carriage. Garrett wondered why there was one extra person until he recognized the neer: "Magician Lynn! You¡¯vee too!" "Yes, I¡¯m here too!" Magician Lynn¡¯s familiar, a ck cat in white gloves, jumped down to greet Garrett before its master could. Garrett bent down to shake its hand: "Mr. Troka! Long time no see!" "I¡¯m leading these kids over." Magician Lynn smiled as he watched Garrett greet the ck cat, attempting to pinch its paw pad but getting swatted away, swiftly withdrawing his hand. Once the yful exchange between man and cat ended, he exined: "By the way, each of these kids brought a corpse over. ¡ªDo you have a ce to put them?" "Yes, yes, yes!" Garrett jumped up, beaming. Corpses for dissection! ck Crow Swamp kept their word, actually delivering corpses! Don¡¯t worry, little guys, I¡¯ll teach you well! As for the morgue, they had plenty! A P4b for pathogen research, how could they not have a morgue? Thoughcking formalin, refrigeration wasn¡¯t an issue! A dedicated room, magically cooled, apartment for each corpse, had been specially prepared! At Lynn¡¯smand, the eight apprentices, two by two, carried the stretchers upstairs. Garrett followed leisurely, chatting quietly with Lynn: "What did you do after the battle? You didn¡¯te back for over a year. I asked Archmage Edgar twice, but he had no news of you!" "I... haha, I was chased by a level 7 knight to the sea, almost to the Eternal Ice! ...I¡¯m fine! That guy¡¯s been chopped by me, I found a nice ce on the Northern Ind, turned him into a skeleton soldier! Took me half a year!" "Impressive, defeating someone two levels higher!" Garrett looked at him with admiration. Such near-equal, prepared pursuits were not like his own surprise fire-breath attack: "What¡¯s the Northern Ind like? Is it very cold?" "It¡¯s... okay, just that nights are particrly long, and days are short, quite favorable for us necromancers. The only downside is theck of food, just seals, deer, various fishes, after half a year there, I genuinely gained weight!" That¡¯s not apparent... Garrett scrutinized him. Lynn¡¯s face was still gaunt, at most, the cheeks weren¡¯t as sunken. To say he got fat, well, Mr. Troka indeed seemed pl umper, his fur glossy and sleek. Shaking his head, Garrett opened the morgue door. Lynn immediately stepped forward, instructing the apprentices: "Line up, line up! Don¡¯t rush! One by one, inside! Hey, the one with ck hair, I¡¯m talking to you! Hold steady, don¡¯t break the stretcher! Don¡¯t drop the corpse! ¡ªIt¡¯s not like you, it can¡¯t be healed if broken!" Garrett: "......" The logic was sound, but something felt off. To avoid hearing more ufortable remarks, he pulled Lynn from the morgue straight to the entrance of the Mage Tower. Besides the ck Crow Swamp¡¯s group, several more carriages had arrived outside: The Transformation School brought tworge boxes of acids, bases, salts, various metals, alchemical materials, and products, asking Garrett where to put them as soon as he approached; The Curse Magic School¡¯s contributions were far lighter, a small, delicate leather case filled with magical beast blood, nt juices, and crystal powders, supposedly for ink mixing and scroll writing; The six priest apprentices from the War God¡¯s Temple, in pairs, carried threerge boxes. The nging of metal from within made Garrett shiver: were they all specializing in orthopedics? The Spring Goddess¡¯s Temple came almost empty-handed, save for tworge bottles of holy water each apprentice presented, making Garrett almost believe they came with nothing. However, the most economical were the followers of the Nature God: Four apprentices, two men and two women, the men each carrying a cage of rabbits. The rabbit cages¡¯ vines were so naturally woven, Garrett suspected they had grown the vines themselves, made the cages, and lured the rabbits in one by one... The women from the sect were even more formidable. A petite priest apprentice held two sheep with grass ropes, bending without any signs of craftsmanship. Garrett was convinced they had enticed the sheep themselves. Another tall female apprentice, at least 170 cm tall, led arge wild boar with vines, followed by two sows and several piglets, all obediently trailing without need for restraint. This girl¡¯s affinity with animals must be at full level! Indeed, while others arrived by carriage or horseback, these four walked. Truly living up to being the most frugal (cunning) among all casters. Luckily, Garrett¡¯s Mage Tower had uniform beds, linens, bookcases, and wardrobes for the apprentices, with unified meal provision. The Nature God¡¯s priest apprentices wouldn¡¯t have to wrap themselves in nkets, sleep on the floor, or gnaw on their own ck bread... Moreover, theb gowns and istion suits provided were of a uniform, dreadfully in design. Aside from easy cleaning, they had no redeeming qualities. Garrett, however, no longer minded. As the saying goes, frequent exposure numbs the senses; having delved into the medical field, he grew ustomed to the ugliness of scrub suits. pping his hands, he directed everyone to the neatly arranged scrub suits: "Alright, everyone pick one that fits. Men¡¯s changing room on the left, women¡¯s on the right. After changing,e out, and I¡¯ll show you how to wear the istion suits." "They¡¯re so ugly? ¡ªI refuse to wear this!" Aint immediately arose from the crowd. Garrett nced over and chuckled: he knew this kid, the one who had paired up with the ck-haired apprentice during the corpse carrying. The boy¡¯s cheeks were puffed, still showing baby fat, looking utterly unbing of a necromancer¡ªno matter, a few months here would change him to resemble Lynn and the others... As Garrett thought idly, not feeling particrly challenged by the defiance. If you don¡¯t want to wear scrub suits, well, they all had theirints when first receiving them. Comints about ugliness, rough fabric, loose waistbands easily slipping off... oh, andints about already broken waistbands, reced with strings needing knots... If not for the formidable authority of the operating room¡¯s head nurse, these young doctors might have grumbled even more. But with someone openlyining, unrest immediately stirred among the apprentices. The women were fine; the two girls from the Nature God¡¯s sect already found their sizes and headed into the changing room hand in hand. But the male apprentices, especially those looking rather delicate and well-dressed, hesitated to move. Some nced at the chubby boy, then at Garrett, seemingly waiting for the former to sh with Garrett before deciding their actions. Garrett, however, had no intention of intervening¡ªshouldn¡¯t ck Crow Swamp¡¯s own take care of this? He nced sideways. Lynn¡¯s expression darkened as he scolded loudly: "Don¡¯t wear it then, get out! ¡ªWhose disciple are you?! Get out and let your teachere for you!" With a flick of his hand, a ck light shot out, hurling the chubby boy out the door. The next moment , a cage of bones sprang from the ground outside the changing room, trapping the boy within a skeletal prison characteristic of necromancers. The room fell silent, everyone frozen in fear. Garrett was overjoyed. "Magician Lynn! Why don¡¯t you stay? Help me manage these apprentices?" Chapter 291 Chapter 291 "Put on your hats!" "Put on your masks!" "Line up and watch me wash my hands! ¡ªYou! Pull up your mask! Cover your nose bridge! I¡¯m talking to you!" Garrett kept issuing orders. Cough... Managing 24 hairy kids all at once is not easy; as soon as you push one down, another pops up. We haven¡¯t even reached the seven-step handwashing technique; just putting on hats and masks correctly requires correcting them seven or eight times. There¡¯s no other way. Garrett muttered to himself, these are ordinary folks, you can¡¯t treat them like well-trained medical students. They have no concept of aseptic technique, I have to start from scratch, patiently, patiently... Even on a crowded subway, out of ten people wearing masks, two or three would pull theirs down, and upon closer inspection, another three or four masks aren¡¯t sealed properly. Even during an epidemic, healthcare workers putting on and taking off protective clothing require urgent training! After finally teaching them the seven-step handwashing technique, one by one they passed the assessment, and thenpleted the training on putting on and taking off protective clothing, the whole morning had passed. And in the afternoon, when everyone had put on their protective gear, ready to officially enter the P4b, another obstacle arose... "Meow~~~" A ck cat beside Andrew Lynn walked with graceful steps, silently to the door, sitting quietly. Turning its head, its golden pupils stared unblinkingly at Garrett, its snow-white whiskers twitching. The message was very clear:I want to go in too! "Um... Mr. Troka, you can¡¯t go in." Garrett raised his hand to signal everyone to stop, bent down, and negotiated with the ck cat. Luckily, this ck cat was intelligent, could speak humannguage, and could be reasoned with, so there was no need for him to chase cats around... "Meow..." The ck cat turned to look at the airtight door, then back at Garrett, its tail thumping against the floor rhythmically. After a standoff, seeing Garrett¡¯s upromising stance, it suddenly burst into a ck glow, its body swelling rapidly! "Ouch!" The students eximed in surprise. Garrett instinctively stepped back, only to see Mr. Troka transform from a small ck cat, about twenty to thirty centimeters tall and weighing just a few pounds, into a panther. Its imposing aura advanced, and a deep roaring sound continuously rolled from its chest. Garrett: "..." You dare bite me? You dare bite me?! And that roar isn¡¯t right at all, cheetahs, leopards, snow leopards, they don¡¯t sound like this. I¡¯ve heard the sound of leopards, it¡¯s particrly delicate! "Troka!" Andrew Lynn scolded from behind. The panther looked up at its owner, paused in its steps, and then its body shrank back. In an instant, what appeared before everyone was a tiny, delicate kitten. "Wow..." Behind Garrett, the boys and girls couldn¡¯t help but let out sounds of being charmed. The ck cat¡¯s body was only the size of a palm, one hand could hold it up, its eyes watery and almost covering half of its face. Its four short legs moved, walking a bit wobbly, looking even more pitiful and adorable. Seeing the students crowding and stretching their necks to look over, it rolled on the floor, exposing its white belly and four pink paws. Behind Garrett, the sound of inhaling air was continuous, with students tentatively trying to plead: "Sir..." Garrett: "...Don¡¯t try to be cute, being cute won¡¯t get you in! You haven¡¯t been disinfected! You¡¯re not wearing protective gear! No entry means no entry! Out! Mr. Lynn!" Next to the ck cat, a bony hand suddenly descended, grabbing towards it. The ck cat darted up, jumping onto high tforms, under tables, diving around faucets, turning into a streak of lightning at theb door. However, the bony hand was obviously experienced, relentlessly pursuing, and after a few rounds, it actually managed to grab the back of the ck cat¡¯s neck, lifting it into the air. Behind the bony hand, pieces of bone clicked and cked, flying over, and soon assembled into a golden skeleton. Stepping out the door, it swung its arm around and threw the ck cat out forcefully: "Meow ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh¡ª" The ck cat¡¯s pitiful cries gradually faded. Garrett sighed in relief and quickly ordered: "MOSS, close the door!" Theb¡¯s main door quietly closed. Andrew Lynn came over apologetically: "Um... sorry about that, cats are always like this. Although Troka is a magical pet, when it turns into a cat form, it picks up a cat¡¯s temperament. By the way, can the skeletone in?" "...It can, right? Skeletons are easier to wash..." Ah, if a necromancer could remotely control skeletons for precise operations, magicians really wouldn¡¯t need to enter and exit the P4b personally, wearing protective clothing, taking off protective clothing, taking chemical showers, changing and washing. In that case, necromancers and dangerous biological experiments are actually a perfect match? Unfortunately, remote control of skeletons is still a future prospect. Garrett¡¯s current job still relies on magicians¡ªand magic apprentices, to personally do it. For several days in a row, Garrett walked around theb, correcting the apprentices¡¯ various incorrect behaviors: "Beef paste "Don¡¯t pick up the Petri dishes with your hands! Put them back with the dirty ones, ready to be disinfected again! Bacteria on your hands will contaminate the Petri dishes, and the results will be inurate!" "Use a pipette to transfer the culture medium! Who told you to pour it directly into the Petri dish! Get a new Petri dish, start over! You even touched the culture medium bottle to the mouth of the Petri dish, do you want more bacteria?!" "Hands! Hands! Don¡¯t touch the operating table! Have you forgotten sterile operations?!" "Opened the lid of the Petri dish to look under the microscope? Who taught you that?! Bacteria have gotten in! ¡ªToo many contaminants, the results are ruined! It will also contaminate the lens!" Ah¡ªI¡¯m just a clinical doctor, not a biologist! I¡¯m not even from theboratory department! Why do I have to bear so much that shouldn¡¯t be my burden... I haven¡¯t done bacterial culture experiments in my previous life too often... Garrett looked up in agony. However,ment as he might, teaching must go on. Only by teaching them can he use them as tools, right? Just to be safe, Garrett did not choose those deadly infectious bacteria. He didn¡¯t even choose Staphylocus aureus, to prevent any student from identally cutting themselves and getting infected. Instead, he carefully moved a small bottle of E. coli from his refrigerator, to culture, propagate, and distribute to the students: Come on! Let¡¯s do bacterial culture, propagation, and staining experiments! This bacterium is not very lethal, even if the protection is not in ce, at worst, just make sure the students wash their hands before leaving, and again before meals! The students learned till they were upside down. After training in bacterial culture, bacterial staining, and microscopic examination, Garrett continued non-stop, training them to make culture media: "Remove the fat from the beef thoroughly! Make sure it¡¯spletely removed! Not a bit can remain!" "Wash the agar thoroughly! Don¡¯t skimp on the water! Which temple are you from, make sure to wash it carefully, there are oyster shells stuck to it!" "Add sulfuric acid! Pour it slowly, watch your hands! Remember to test the pH, the test strips and the reference chart are all provided for you!" A group of mage apprentices and priest apprentices rolled up their sleeves, removing beef fat, boiling beef, washing agar. Every day, they carried a smell of salt, blood, and strange fragrance, working so hard they felt lifeless... "I say, are we working in a restaurant?" "Maybe? ...I¡¯ve never done this in the mage tower..." "I haven¡¯t in the temple either..." "Uh... in our temple, when we add meals, killing chickens and ducks, we apprentices help out... But, it¡¯s a pity to remove the fat from such good beef..." A few boys from the Temple of the God of War quietly answered. Such beautiful marbled beef, in their temple, only high-ranking knights and bishops and above could eat! Brought to the mage tower, not only could they not eat it, but they had to remove the fat first! The four apprentices from the God of Nature¡¯s congregation kept their heads down, silent. They had done a lot of work: turning the soil, fertilizing, weeding, caring for poultry and livestock, cleaning up manure... They hadn¡¯t missed out on any farm work. Are temple priests more noble than others? Non-existent! After half a month of such toil, the students¡¯ operations finally went from clumsy to proficient, the waste decreased, and Garrett¡¯s scolding became less frequent. Finally, Garrett announced the start of the first phase of the exam: "Let¡¯s test what we¡¯ve learned! ¡ªStarting from making culture media, each person independently carries out the whole process,pleting the culture, separation, and microscopic examination of fecal E. coli!" "Ah..." 24 students moaned in various pitches. They looked exactly like students who had skipped sses for half a month and were suddenly informed of a test by the teacher. Garrett watched their bitter faces with amusement, pping his hands: "There¡¯s a reward if you do it right~~~" "What if we don¡¯t?" A weak voice came from the back of the crowd. Garrett smiled: "If you don¡¯t, you can retake the test, but after failing the retake three times, you¡¯ll have to go back where you came from..." This threat not only made all the students nervous but also Andrew Lynn the mage felt overwhelmed. He prepared a set of equipment himself, washing agar, boiling beef, adding acid and base, filtering the residue, meticulously following each step. Beside him, the golden skeleton also prepared a set of equipment, performing exactly the same operations, seemingly wanting to have a backup n. However, even so, Mage Lynn was not the first to finish. He was still adjusting the dye, preparing to stain the bacteria, when a student in the crowd already raised a hand high: "Master Nordmark, I¡¯m done!" Garrett quickly walked over. Under the microscope, the thick, short appearance of E. coli, with its ge, was clear and distinct. He smiled in satisfaction, wanting to pat the student on the shoulder, but restrained himself halfway and instead patted him with Mage Hand: "Not bad, not bad, you did it right! What¡¯s your name? Which organization are you from?" "My name is Leon Carlos, from the ck Crow Swamp, sir." The apprentice bowed respectfully, his voice clear. Through the protective suit and face shield, Garrett couldn¡¯t see his expression, but he could hear the full joy in his voice, almost a bit of leap. Garrett¡¯s mood also lifted: "Great! Starting tomorrow night ¡ª ah, no, starting tomorrow, you¡¯ll be my assistant, let¡¯s start a new project!" Chapter 292 Chapter 292 Garrett still remembered the apprentice, Leon Carlos. This young man with ck hair and eyes was quiet by nature but diligent. When others had stopped for a rest, he would still be cleaning test tubes, tidying up the workstation, and organizing samples. Even when a few priests from the Church of Nature were taking care of the experimental animals, Leon would lend a hand. Being the first to achieve results again, Garrett noticed and inevitably wanted to teach him more skills. Now that he had acquired the Mage Tower, he had plenty of projects at hand butmented theck of hardworking assistants. A student with good qualifications and diligence like this should certainly be kept close! Hmm, which project should he assign to him? The next morning, on the eighth floor of the Mage Tower, in Garrett¡¯s study, three youths were lined up. Besides Leon Carlos, there was a girl from the Church of Nature who had brought a litter of wild boars, and a boy from the School of Transmutation, who were the top three in this assessment. With numerous projects in hand and not worrying about ack of ideas but rather ack of manpower, Garrett naturally began to distribute topics to this batch of hard workers... "You are the first ce in this assessment, so I¡¯ll ask you first," Garrett said seriously to Leon Carlos. "I have three projects on hand, all of which should suit your abilities and direction. One has a short cycle and generates money quickly; another is also short-term and profitable but leans more towards transformation; and the third has a long cycle, hardly makes any money, but aligns most closely with the School of Necromancy. Which one do you choose?"As Garrett spoke of the second project, the boy from the School of Transmutation twitched slightly. s, being third in the assessment, he had to wait for the first two to choose. Clenching his fists slightly, the boy bowed his head, while Leon, after a moment¡¯s thought, looked up with determination in his eyes: "I choose the third." "Are you sure?" Garrett scrutinized him. Leon stood straight, his uniform from the ck Crow Swamp, a pure ck mage robe, was washed white in ces, with sleeves and hems frayed. Such a precarious financial situation, yet choosing a long-term, non-profit project? Could he really persevere? Even if he did, would it truly benefit him? After all, a mage¡¯s advancement also requires financial support... "I¡¯m sure. Thank you, sir!" Garrett nodded, allowing him to step aside. He assigned the research on methane pools to the girl from the Church of Nature, and when it came to the boy from the School of Transmutation, only thest project remained: "That... you research why fermentation fails, why stored wine turns sour..." "Master Nordmark!" Leon Carlos suddenly interjected. Garrett turned to look at him: "What? Changed your mind?" "Sorry, Master Nordmark." The ck-haired, ck-eyed boy stepped forward, bowing deeply like a bending bamboo. When he raised his head again, his eyes shone unusually bright, his cheekbones flushed with a fervent glow, as if ignited from within: "I don¡¯t mean to defy you. But¡ªmy father once owned a distillery, and I often helped there as a child. One year, several batches of wine spoiled in session, and the distillery couldn¡¯t recover, forcing a sale. My father fell ill from despair..." He bowed deeply again, his shoulders trembling, fists clenched tightly. After a moment, raising his head for the third time, his voice trembled softly: "I don¡¯t bear grudges, nor do I seek revenge on the one who took the distillery. I just want to know! ¡ªSir, under your guidance, I want to know why wine spoils, why it turns sour! Please, sir!" "..." Garrett rubbed his temples. Under the hopeful gaze of the apprentice necromancer, he finally sighed: "Alright, then start with that!" A forced melon isn¡¯t sweet, but whether they see the project¡¯s potential for profit or have a personal grievance, if he wants to do it, let him. At Garrett¡¯s request, a full cart of wine was delivered to the Mage Tower. Along with the wine came a barrel of lees, several barrels of various stages of semi-finished products, raw materials, yeast, and two barrels of failed fermentation, emitting a sour smell. Passing apprentices all gave it a side nce, covering their noses. "Leon Carlos!" Among a group of nervous young men and women, ready to leave first, Garrett pointed at the two carts of barrels and instructed Leon: "Choose a room to be yourb, study this stuff. Use your newly learned techniques of bacterial culture and staining, identification, to examine thoroughly. What¡¯s in these spoiled wines that isn¡¯t in the sessful ones!" "Yes, Master Nordmark!" Leon stood at attention. He then hesitated: "Sir, should I continue with the ssester?" "Of course, what were you thinking? I still have projects for you to work on!" Out of the first round of bacterial culture experiments, ten students passed sessfully. Three from the ck Crow Swamp, one each from the Transformation and Enchantment schools, two sisters from the Church of Nature hand in hand, and three from the Temple of the God of War. The Spring Goddess¡¯s Temple¡ª A total failure. In Garrett¡¯s view, they really should have washed the agar and beef more thoroughly. And for the ten who passed, Garrett added extra homework. Groups of five, one group cultivated Staphylocus aureus, the other Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Once both groups mastered the cultures, they began adding various strange substances to the Petri dishes: Cheese crumbs! Moldy clothing fragments! Soils from various ces made into suspensions! All Petri dishes were divided into n groups, at 18, 20, 25 degrees... the culture medium enriched with blood, corn paste, various pH levels... with light, without light... using divine magic to stimte growth, or not... Each person had ab table, ab cab. Shelves were filled with hundreds of Petri dishes, neatly arrangedyer byyer. "Each person, 100 Petri dishes a day, that¡¯s 1000 for ten people. If ten isn¡¯t enough, we can go to 20; if 20 isn¡¯t enough, we can go to 24. If 24 people still can¡¯t get it done, we¡¯ll just have to recruit more~~~" Humming, Garrett surveyed the tables of Petri dishes as if surveying fields of verdant wheat. Yes, this is the correct posture for research! As a leading scientist, not having dozens of graduate students and PhDs to help out, doing everything yourself, not to mention whether it should be this exhausting, the efficiency just couldn¡¯t be tolerated! Now, all was well. Garrett happily delegated the task of discovering penicillin, streptomycin, and who knows what else to the apprentices, while he focused on teaching these students, helping them grow faster: "Don¡¯t just look through the microscope! Cultivate! Don¡¯t you need to cultivate for brewing?" "You... when crystallizing concentrated saltwater, pay attention to maintaining a stable temperature during cooling! Is the water bath for decoration? The equipment I bought for 1000 contribution points, is it for decoration? No? ¡ªThen use it!" "Record! Keep good records! Is the paper and pen I gave you for eating? What was the ratio of your culture medium in thest experimentst night? ¡ªSee, you can¡¯t remember, can you? A good memory is no match for a bad pen!" Under such intensive practice and operation, the students¡¯ research level, not to mention, but at least their proficiency improved rapidly. Twenty dayster, at the third bacterial culture operation assessment, everyone finally passed the test. And that afternoon, Leon Carlos, who had taken on the task of researching wine fermentation, excitedly burst into Garrett¡¯s study with a Petri dish in each hand: "Sir! ¡ªMaster Nordmark! I¡¯ve found it! In the yeast used for brewing, some batches contain bacteria not found in good wine but present in failed batches! I specte, it¡¯s these bacteria that cause the fermented wine to turn sour!" It seemed indeed so... Yeast contamination or raw material contamination. Garrett nodded: "Well then, go conduct a few experiments to verify it." "Here?" "...Or shall I find you a distillery?" Garrett¡¯s offhandment, taken seriously by the ountant from the Department of Public Health, who was also pressured by various professional associations to urge Garrett to expedite research, was treated as a serious task. Upon receiving the message, he immediately visited the Wine Industry Association, and the next afternoon at one, the president¡¯s carriage stopped in front of Garrett¡¯s Mage Tower. At two o¡¯clock, Leon Carlos, as an employee of the Department of Public Health and a delegate from the Magic Council researching the acidification of wine, entered thergest distillery on the upper reaches of the Smith River, apanied by the president himself. The distillery was bustling with activity. A strange sour smell permeated everywhere, and the middle-aged ountant stepped in, immediately starting to frown frequently. Leon, however, showed no difort, looking around nostalgically. Long ago, his father had taken him to this distillery, showing it to him from a distance. That year, the quality of the wine was particrly good, and their family¡¯s situation was also good. His father had once said, if he could build such arge distillery in his lifetime... The president bent slightly, his right hand habitually pressing his right rib, looked past the middle-aged ountant, examining Leon closely. Passing the crushing area, the fermentation room, he suddenly grabbed the ountant, falling two steps behind, whispering to him: "What¡¯s thest name of this mage? Is it Carlos?" "Yes, I am¡ª" Leon paused mid-step, blurting out. That afternoon, when he left the distillery and got into the carriage, he found a thick, patterned deed on the seat. Carlos Distillery. Chapter 293 Chapter 293 Leon Carlos slowly bent down, his hands sped in front of his ankles, enclosing the parchment between his chest and thighs. The parchment bore the city hall¡¯s seal, the signatures of the buyer and witness, the workshop¡¯s address, and... The signature and handprint left by his father when he sold the workshop five years ago. It was a business passed down from his great-grandfather to his grandfather, and then to his father¡ªa business they once thought could sustain their family. When he first embarked on the path of a mage, he had secretly hoped that if he became a formal mage in the future, he could buy it back... But he had never imagined that now, at this moment, it would be presented to him. Leon curled up in the carriage seat for a while before straightening up to examine the precious parchment again. Below his father¡¯s signature were two more rows of transaction records, written in identical, fresh handwriting. One row was the distillery¡¯s subsequent owner transferring it to the guild president who had hosted him today, and the other... The seller and introducer had already signed and stamped. The buyer¡¯s column was still empty, just waiting for his name to be filled in, to reim the distillery his family had cherished for decades, where he had yed as a child. Leon gazed at it all the way. After returning to the Mage Tower, he, holding the deed, knocked on Garrett¡¯s study door. "Did the boss give this to you?" Garrett picked up the deed to examine it closely. "Your family¡¯s old property? ...You want it?" "I... I think I shouldn¡¯t take it." Leon swallowed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other:"It¡¯s too valuable... I mean, it feels like a bribe..." "It¡¯s valuable, but okay." Garrett twirled the corner of the deed, noticing Leon¡¯s anxious gaze, and let go: "From that boss¡¯s perspective, giving you this doesn¡¯t put him at a loss. After all, you¡¯re in charge of the project. If you work a bit faster, more diligently, even if you achieve results a month earlier or increase the sess rate by about 10%, he¡¯ll earn back the cost of one distillery. ¡ªI remember a barrel of wine costs dozens of gold coins, right?" "Yes, sir." Leon breathed a sigh of relief, shifting his weight back to his left foot: "Depending on the vintage and origin, the cheapest costs over a dozen gold coins, and the most expensive, much more. If someone pre-orders and a batch spoils, losing hundreds or even thousands of gold coins is possible..." "Hmm, do you want to take it?" Garrett tapped the parchment on the desk, holding down the corner and pushing it forward a bit. Leon reflexively stepped back: "No, sir, I think I shouldn¡¯t take it. This project¡ªthis project is for the Department of Public Health, guided by you, and conducted with conditions provided by your Mage Tower. If anyone should own it, it¡¯s not me, but you." Garrett smiled slightly. Good, this apprentice named Leon has a very clear mind. If he had chosen to keep the distillery, or had he just now chosen to take it, Garrett wouldn¡¯t have minded much, but then, his research work here would have ended. "Well, since you don¡¯t want it, hand the deed over to that ountant and have him return it for you. By the way, for your wine project, it¡¯s best to include a priest from the Church of Nature; they know how to cultivate bacteria¡ªfinish quickly, there are other projects for you." "Yes, Master Nordmark!" "Go find someone tomorrow! Tonight, there¡¯s a dissection ss!" "Of course, Master Nordmark! I¡¯ll be there on time!" Garrett¡¯s training program had advanced to the second phase. After passing the bacterial culture operation assessment, Garrett¡¯s collection of various pathogens had been cultured, stained, and examined under the microscope by the students. The next task was to improve proficiency¡ªand to memorize the diagrams by heart, recognizing these bacteria on sight! The second phase involved infecting various animals with pathogenic bacteria, then dissecting to observe the diseased organs and tissues, and performing another round of sampling, culturing, and testing. The experimental animals provided by the Church of Nature soon ran out. Ahem, mainly because different diseases required different animals for research. For instance, mice and guinea pigs are sensitive to tuberculosis bacillus, diphtheria bacillus, gue bacillus, and cholera vibrio; cats are sensitive to anthrax and amoebic dysentery; rabbits to Salmone and E. coli; ferrets to measles. Thus, the Church of Nature, and the second and third batches of trainees, were tasked with catching mice, guinea pigs, cats. Ferrets? Live ferrets are quite expensive and had to be purchased! And now, they were to dissect a group of rabbits infected with E. coli, showing symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. Four students per group, each group one rabbit. Eight necromancer students quickly divided into two groups, capturing the rabbits, tying them to boards, shaving their abdominal fur, and preparing everything. Among the eight, six or seven eyed the rabbits eagerly: "I¡¯ll do it!" "I¡¯ll do it!" The two from the School of Transformation and two from the medical branch of mages were also quick on their feet. However, after securing the rabbits, they hesitated, each holding a scalpel: "Do we... need to kill the rabbit first?" "Probably? ...How?" "You do it?" "How about you do it?" Garrett silently nced at the right side of theboratory. Three dissection tables were lined up, with the priests of the War God standing firm, scalpel in hand, steady as rocks. The priests from the Spring Goddess¡¯s Temple, without a hair, dung, or even a leaf on their clothes, seemed determined to just observe the experiment... Worse was the Church of Nature. Four apprentice priests had taken a table, and now there was neither rabbit on the table nor people; nothing. Were they nning to skip ss? Garrett pondered whether to reason with these students or to speak to them in more physical terms... "Master Nordmark!" The door to the dissection room burst open. Four young men and women, two of each gender, rushed in one after the other. Garrett looked up at them: "Or maybe, you shouldn¡¯t perform the dissection and just observe others?" "Master Nordmark!" The tall girl leading them immediately stopped, the others nearly crashing into her. Stepping forward in a lunge, she managed to steady herself and bowed her head in apology: "I¡¯m terribly sorry, but we didn¡¯t mean to bete!" "I¡¯m not ming you." Garrett organized his words: "You are servants of the God of Nature, wouldn¡¯t killing animals too often affect your development, reduce your affinity with nature? Maybe you should just observe? ¡ªBut the rabbits are your responsibility, watching others take action while you do nothing... wouldn¡¯t that affect you as well?" "No, sir! We did it! ¡ªThat is, we¡¯ve prepared the nk agar tes you requested!" Garrett, overjoyed, hurried out. Chapter 294 Chapter 294 Garrett Nordmark was ecstatic. He dashed out of the first floor¡¯s dissection room and raced towards the P4boratory upstairs, casting enhancement spells on himself as he went: Grease the Soles! Cat¡¯s Agility! Jumping Spell! "Enough already!" shouted Andrew Lynn, a mage trailing behind, who had only managed to climb one flight of stairs before being left half a floor behind. Watching Garrett, he couldn¡¯t help but shout: "There are only two floors! And you¡¯ve cast three spells!!!" With a meow, a ck cat leaped into the air, swelling and swelling again in mid-jump, transforming into a giant ck panther standing 1.8 meters tall at the shoulder. Lowering its head, it picked up Andrew Lynn by the cor of his robe and hurried up the stairs. Garrett simply couldn¡¯t contain his happiness. From the moment he initiated this research project, from his time gathering melons all over the world at theboratory¡¯s original location, or even earlier, from when he saved an old dwarf in the forging area and cultured tuberculosis bacilli from the dwarf¡¯s phlegm, he had been waiting for this day¡ª Penicillin!Or any other antibiotics that could secrete lysozyme, like streptomycin, terramycin, or even a bit of gentamicin would be great! The only things holding him back were the caution inherent in being a doctor and the fear, as a researcher, of a massive outbreak of infectious bacteria! Even with his hands trembling with excitement, Garrett meticulously followed the safety protocols: wearing a mask, gloves, washing hands, and donning protective clothing. Only after all the students were simrly equipped¡ªright, Mr. Troka, as usual, was grabbed by the nape by a golden skeleton and taken outside¡ªdid he open the door, enter, close it behind him, and open the inner airtight door, proceedingyer byyer into the coreboratory. The P4boratory in the Mage Tower had undergone significant modificationspared to Garrett¡¯s original design. A crucial change was the transformation of a single passageway into a three-zone, two-passagewayyout, with separate rooms for animal breeding, dissection, bacterial culture, and experimentation, with clean corridors for entry and contaminated ones for exit. Wanting to revisit the red zone and then retreat to the clean corridor as the reviewmittee members didst time? Impossible, with doors allowing only one-way traffic, controlled by the Tower Spirits! Arge group marched directly to the bacterial culture area. Guided by a reporting student, Garrett picked up the petri dish and examined it closely against the light. Without needing to take additional samples, make slides, stain them, or use a microscope, he could see with the naked eye the anomaly on the petri dish: Among the pale yellow colonies covering the bottom of the dish, arge area appeared semi-transparent, like ss. Outside the nk area,rge patches of golden staphyloci clustered together, unable to cross the boundary; at the center of the nk area, a small patch of greenish mold stood tall and proud! This was it! This was what he wanted! Garrett suddenly turned around. Even though his voice was muffled by the protective suit, his excitement raised his volume: "Which group did this experiment?" "It was us!" A crisp female voice answered. Garrett turned to see a tall student, only half a head shorter than himself, stepping forward from the crowd. Considering there were only two females in this batch of apprentices, and the other was a short girl of 1.5 meters, it had to be the one who brought in the wild boar, no question. "Excellent," Garrett nodded vigorously, trying to control his racing heartbeat: "Your group will pause all other work and focus entirely on studying and purifying this greenish substance in the petri dish. ¡ªI want you to culture it, purify it, find out why it can keep bacteria at bay, and produce that substance inrge quantities! Ladies and gentlemen, congrattions, you might have found a new method tobat the gue!" The room, filled with 24 students, vibrated in unison. Especially the eight from ck Crow Swamp, who breathed heavily and instinctively stepped forward. Unfortunately, not everyone could participate in the project... The third batch of students who passed the assessment werebeled as underperformers by Garrett and didn¡¯t qualify to join the project. They could only work harder, practice more, and hope for a new exam to turn their fortunes around. This alone eliminated a third of them. Not everyone from the first and second batches could touch the project either. Among the ten from the first batch who passed the assessment, the five working on tuberculosis bacilli were to continue their original tasks¡ª Tuberculosis bacilli are not sensitive to penicillin but are to streptomycin. These five, along with three more from the second batch who joined their work, had to keep their noses to the grindstone. Want to try something new for a change? Wishful thinking! In the end, only a youngdy from the God of Nature cult, along with two Necromancers, a healer mage, a War God priest, and threeter joiners, were left working tirelessly on penicillin. Under the youngdy¡¯smand, they first prepared various culture mediums and cultured inrge quantities¡ª Then, for two days straight, Garrett listened to their varied and creativeints. "It died..." "Corona, mine died too... Give me a bit more..." "It¡¯s barely alive... Corona, why is yours growing so well..." "Is it because we¡¯re Necromancers that we can¡¯t grow this thing? Too much death aura! I can¡¯t even keep catnip alive at home!" "Don¡¯t be ridiculous, you managed to keep bacteria alive, didn¡¯t you?" "Bacteria are gue! It¡¯s expected for Necromancers to keep gue alive! But this isn¡¯t gue! It¡¯s supposed tobat gue! It¡¯s normal that I can¡¯t keep it alive, if I did, it would be the end of me!" Garrett chuckled to himself on the sidelines. Culturing mold was not so simple; if the nutrient ratio in the culture medium, its pH, or the oxygen content in the air was off, the mold either wouldn¡¯t grow, would grow poorly, or wouldn¡¯t ferment properly. Without fermentation, it would produce less penicillin, making all the effort for naught... In history, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 and switched to sulfa drugs after five years of struggle; In 1938, German chemist Ernst Chain began purification experiments, and by the winter of 1940, he had managed to extract a small amount of penicillin; In 1941, Australian pathologist Howard Florey increased the yield of penicillin from 2 units per cubic centimeter to 40 units; It wasn¡¯t until 1942 that penicillin began to be produced on arge scale. Therefore, those spy movies where penicillin was sought after during the Long March, cough, might want to redirect their focus to sulfa drugs... After so many top scientists around the world took turns, they managed to produce penicillin in mass quantities. If it weren¡¯t for Garrett relying on divine magic to work wonders, he wouldn¡¯t dare take on this project. In conclusion, keep up the good work, young men and women! Chapter 295 Chapter 295 The miraculous nt growth spell¡ªno, rather, the microbial growth enhancer¡ªgave Garrett Nordmark the confidence to embark on the penicillin project. And indeed, this divine magic did not disappoint him; within a week, the propagated penicillin fungi had multiplied to a sufficient quantity for experimentation. The apprentices from the God of Nature cult, too, had bred enough mice for them to extravagantly conduct an experiment... In the dissection room on the sub-first floor of the Mage Tower, 24 apprentices were divided among six experimental tables, each facing a cage of mice. Among the crowd, two young priests from the God of Nature whispered nervously: "Use it sparingly... be careful not to identally kill them..." Heaven help them, their experience in raising mice was one of tears and sorrow. Specialized breedingpanies? None. Specially formted mouse feed? None. Mice with stable traits, free of germs, and bred for several generations in theboratory? None... The priests had to dig into mouse holes themselves, capture the mice, and then let the female mice breed. To calm the nervous and frightened mice, they used animal affinity; without knowing the proper feed ratio, they utilized animalmunication skills; to ensure the mice were germ-free, they applied healing spells daily. The priests¡¯ healing spells were limited, and they were reluctant to use them on themselves, preferring to use them all on the mice. These mice, dearly nurtured by the priests, could rightly be considered their precious treasures. Now, using 120 of them for an experiment was simply unheard of! However, when Garrett ordered their use, resistance was not an option. The four priest apprentices could only stand by the table, watching Garrett demonstrate with sad eyes: Lift the mouse by its tail with the right hand, cing it on the lid of the mouse cage;As the mouse struggles forward, grasp its ears and the skin of its neck with the left thumb and index finger; With the mouse behind the palm of the left hand, secure its back skin and tail with the ring and little fingers... "Got it? The movements must be steady and urate. If you don¡¯t catch it right the first time, let go and try again, and be careful of bites!¡ªNow, each of you catch one!" This directive was like pouring adle of cold water into boiling oil. Suddenly, the dissection room erupted into noise, with 20 out of the 24 students eximing in panic: "Ouch! It bit me!" "It got away! It got away!" "Mr. Troka! Help!¡ªNo, don¡¯t kill it!" "Ahhh! I squeezed its poop out!" The four priests from the God of Nature looked at each other. How could catching a mouse be problematic? Isn¡¯t it just a matter of reaching out and grabbing? Garrett was well-prepared for this. At the beginning of their animal experiments, his ssmates had been just as clueless, no better than these spellcasters. With immense patience, he moved from table to table, offering guidance: "Quick and precise when grabbing the tail!" "No, don¡¯t grab at the base! Grab the middle section of the tail!" "You don¡¯t need to pull that hard... why would you want to tear its tail off?" "If all else fails, just spin it around to make it dizzy... hey, how did you let it slip from your grasp! Mr. Troka, please help catch it!" "Then pinch its ears... not the neck! Don¡¯t press! Don¡¯t pull!!!" With a crack, the mouse died... Garrett massaged his forehead. Pulling the mouse¡¯s tail while pressing on its neck is a method to kill a mouse, student! I haven¡¯t even taught that lesson yet! "Alright, catch another one... it¡¯s good that I prepared extra..." Just the act of catching the mice resulted in all sorts of chaos (during which Mr. Troka was quite popr). Finally, after much stumbling, the experiment proceeded to subcutaneous injections of Staphylocus aureus into the mice. Garrett demonstrated once again. What should have been a simple subcutaneous injection¡ªfar simpler than intraperitoneal or intracranial injections¡ªrequired him to inspect each table again, correcting every mistake the apprentices made: "Keep your hand steady! The more the mouse struggles, the steadier your hand must be!¡ªStop!... Toote, you poked yourself..." "Don¡¯t squeeze so hard! The mouse won¡¯t escape... well, it¡¯s dead, get another one!" "Insert the needle tly, not vertically! Not at an angle!¡ªSee, you poked your own finger!" "Don¡¯t insert the needle too deep! Wait¡ªlook at that blood spurting! Did you puncture a major artery or what?" "Subcutaneous! t insertion, then lift the needle slightly! t lift, not tilting the needle upwards! Ah, you¡¯ve punctured the skin... never mind, try a different spot for the injection!" This task, effortless for the skilled, turned chaotic for the novices. Despite being fully prepared, Garrett was still driven to frustration, his blood pressure spiking by 20 mmHg. After much effort, the subcutaneous injection experiment was finallypleted, having resulted in the death of 10 mice, four students poking their fingers, countless idents like overturning penicillin vials, and breaking syringes. Ultimately, 80 mice survived and entered the observation phase... "How are the mice today?" "Normal." "Normal." "Mine too, normal." The students remained calm. The mice were still normal on the second day, and on the third... "It¡¯s not eating much!" "It¡¯s hardly moving!" "It looks so listless!" By the fourth and fifth days, the mice¡¯s condition worsened. By the sixth day, at least half the groups reported aggravated symptoms in the mice, with their faces gradually turning blue and deepening in color. "Its belly is turning purple too! The spot where the needle went in is all purple!" "Sir, is it dying?" The four priests from the God of Nature cult, along with two apprentices from the Temple of the War God, eagerly awaited Garrett¡¯s word. Garrett took a deep breath: "Not necessarily.¡ªBring out our cultured penicillin!" They divided the sick mice into four groups: one group received oral penicillin, another received subcutaneous injections of penicillin, another was treated with divine magic... and one group was left untreated for control. The apprentices, wishing they could live in theb, watched the mice intently... "Oral penicillin group. This one¡¯s gone..." "Oral group. This one seems gone too." A mage picked up a mouse for observation. A priest from the God of Nature turned his head, ring at him. The mage shrugged: "What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯m a Necromancer. Our animal affinity might not be great, but we¡¯re highly sensitive to the presence of death!" "Subcutaneous injection group.¡ªHey, sir, this one seems a bit better!" With a rush, all 24 students in the dissection room crowded around, making it 25. The extra one was Andrew Lynn, who stretched his thin arms from the outskirts, desperately squeezing in: "Right, right, it does seem better! The scent of death is not as strong!" A dayter, of the 20 mice in the subcutaneous injection group, 18 were lively and had escaped death. This therapeutic effect was second only to the divine magic group¡¯s 20/20, far surpassing the oral group and control group, which all died. "Congrattions,dies and gentlemen," Garrett pped his hands to draw the students¡¯ attention: "You have sessfully discovered a natural product that can effectively treat diseases in areas unreachable by divine magic. Now, let¡¯s continue our research to determine the proper dosage of this product and how to make it into a medication for long-distance transport!" "Yay!" "Hooray!" "We did it!" Surgical caps of white, gray, and blue soared towards the ceiling. Garrett allowed the students to freely choose their surgical cap materials, as long as they securely covered the hair without hindering operations. During the celebration, he even spotted two shes of green, rising and falling in tandem... After the brief celebration, the students reentered the lengthy experimental process. This time, more culture mediums were produced to cultivate penicillin¡ªsugar agar, blood agar, beef extract agar, malt extract agar, corn flour agar, potato sucrose agar... The entireboratory, no, the entire Mage Tower, seemed to turn into a giant kitchen. Steaming, boiling, simmering, crushing, filtering... theb was constantly filled with steam, and if the students didn¡¯t feel like eating, they could practically fill up on the culture mediums. Of course, nobody actually did that. As Leon Carlos put it: "I knew malt extract smelled bad, but I had no idea beef extract was even worse... ugh, that smell..." Garrett allowed the students to use their imagination to try various forms. Waste was inevitable, but the Mage Tower had an Elemental Fire Pool that provided endless heat; agar, beef, sheep¡¯s blood, and more could be bought in bulk for just one contribution point, making expenses negligible. Corn, potatoes, and the like? Even cheaper! In the midst of this production frenzy, the four apprentices from the God of Nature became leaders among the students. Especially the girl who had brought in the wild boar, she hardly made culture mediums anymore, instead spending two hours daily wandering theb, half-closing her eyes, sensing each petri dish: "This one... no good. It barely grows." "This one... grows a bit slow, but worth observing." "This one grows fast." "This one... can you increase the temperature a bit?" The biological affinity of priests from the God of Nature was always reliable¡ªGarrett being the exception. In ten days, they had eliminated all meat and blood materials, focusing on corn flour, corn slurry, corn starch, wheat flour, potato flour... By this stage, over half of the 24 students were exhausted, their features distorted. Garrett himself felt overwhelmed and generously allowed them to take a break: "Rest well for two days. When you return, we¡¯ll start a new project!" The students cheered and scattered. Garrett, too, couldn¡¯t wait to leave the Mage Tower for some fresh air by the sea. After being cooped up in theb for so long without even seeing the sun, he needed to get out before he developed a vitamin D deficiency! Garrett thoroughly enjoyed his half-day of y. Upon returning to the Mage Tower, he was struck with a shocking discovery: The penicillin strain had been stolen. Chapter 296 Chapter 296 The management of Garrett Nordmark¡¯s Mage Tower... was really not strict at all. After all, there were only two official members of the Mage Tower: Garrett himself and Aurora Worton, plus Mr. Andrew Lynn who was visiting. With just these two and a half people, it seemed unnecessary to deliberately establish rules and regtions for the Mage Tower, numbering up to 123. What about students? Those 24 apprentices, 30% counted as students, 70% asborers, could at most be exploited for a year¡¯s worth of work, with virtually no chance of keeping anything for themselves. Therefore, Garrett¡¯s approach to them was essentiallyissez-faire. As long as they worked diligently and didn¡¯t fight, whatever they wanted to do or learn after ss was none of his concern... Based on all this, the one thing Garrett strictly managed was the P4boratory management system. Three zones, two passages, no wandering around, cleanliness when entering and exiting theb, and¡ª Absolutely no taking anything out of theb! No spatial equipment allowed in or out! Many of those bacteria were deadly pathogens, taking them out could kill people! I¡¯m talking to you, you bunch from ck Crow Swamp!Outside the P4boratory, Garrett was much more rxed. Whether it was culture mediums, diseased animals, or breeding penicillin, everything was just casually ced as long as the door was remembered to be shut. These items taken out? Well, if they were taken out, so be it, it¡¯s not like it would kill anyone... So, Garrett, dragging along Aurora and Andrew, and Bernard who was purely there for a free meal, had a big stroll around the shopping district and had dinner. When he returned and heard that a strain of penicillin had been stolen, he was somewhat baffled: ¡°What? Who stole it? What for?¡± It¡¯s not like it¡¯s 1945 in the Shanghai Bund, where a dose of penicillin was worth a yellow croaker fish, desperately stolen... What¡¯s the use of stealing a breeding strain? I haven¡¯t even started the selection, purification, or made it into sodium penicillin, let alone procaine penicillin¡ªwell, forget about thetter, the chemical industry level of this world probably won¡¯t make it in this lifetime¡ªbut still, what use is there in stealing the strain? "MOSS doesn¡¯t know why it was stolen." The Tower Spirit¡¯s voice was still that gender-neutral, monotonous electronic tone, even when spitting out "I don¡¯t know," there wasn¡¯t a hint of questioning or guilt. Methodically, it answered: "The one who took the strain was Mage Apprentice Kevin Aini. MOSS has recorded footage of Aini taking the strain and leaving the Mage Tower, which the master can view in the control room." "Mage Apprentice?" "Why him?" Garrett and Aurora asked together. In Garrett¡¯s mind, if anyone were to steal penicillin, it would most likely be someone from the Temple of the Spring Goddess, or at most, the Temple of the God of War¡ª Would the Magic Council be afraid of not getting their hands on it? Once he finished his research, the task of mass production would naturally fall to the Magic Council, why would they need to steal? They both hastened their pace towards the elevator. Behind them, Mr. Andrew Lynn heaved a sigh of relief: Thank God, the thief wasn¡¯t one of their ck Crow Swamp lot! After this sigh, his mind began to whirl non-stop. Having faced countless battles with the Radiant Church, he instinctively thought of the worst-case scenario: Why steal important research results? What¡¯s the background of that Mage Apprentice? Could he be a spy from the other side? "MOSS, what school does Kevin Aini belong to? Who is his mentor? What¡¯s his background?¡ªWhy didn¡¯t you stop him?" He asked a string of questions. By the time the elevator reached the top of the tower, while the Tower Spirit was ying the footage for the master, it buzzed in response: "Kevin Aini, 14 years old, an apprentice of the Curse Magic Department, medical branch. Mentor: Billy O¡¯Gran, a level 7 magician, affiliated with Chaos Magic Academy.¡ªMaster did not grant MOSS the authority to prevent others from taking items below the second floor out of the Mage Tower." "..." Andrew was speechless. He red fiercely at Garrett: That¡¯s what you get for not paying attention! That¡¯s what you get for beingx! "So, he¡¯s from the medical branch..." Garrett rxed. I thought as much, there¡¯s no love or hatred without reason. The medical branch being interested in penicillin is only natural. Maybe he stole it to research it for his teacher? "If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll ask him when he returns tomorrow..." Garrett yawned. He was full and felt sleepy... "No way!" Both Aurora and Andrew objected in unison. Aurora even went as far as to push his shoulder: "Go find the teacher! Now! People from the Curse Magic Department, stealing stuff and bringing it to our Mage Tower!" "You¡¯re right, let¡¯s go now!" Andrew followed at a leisurely pace. "What if he is a spy? What if his teacher is a spy? What if he was robbed by a spy on his way here? If you report it now, it¡¯s his responsibility. If you ck off, the responsibility is yours!" "But..." Garrett really didn¡¯t think it was that serious. He was still looking around: "It¡¯s veryte now... The monorail has stopped... Let¡¯s wait until tomorrow..." "Now!" Andrew pushed him. "I¡¯ll summon a Phantom Steed! I¡¯ll apany you up the mountain!" "Meow¡ª" Mr. Troka let out a sharp roar, raising its ws in support of its master. Behind, shadows moved restlessly, seemingly ready to transform into a ck panther at any moment to grab Garrett by the cor... Pressed¡ªeven forced by two friends, Garrett finally let the Tower Spirit copy a magic crystal footage, rushing to the mountain top. He had no choice, he was a level 3, against two level 5s, he couldn¡¯t win. Of course, he didn¡¯t ask anyone to apany him, nor did he summon a magic horse. Instead, he activated the teleportation spell carried by the ¡¾Endless Ink Pen¡¿, self-reliantly teleporting next to the Igor Lock. Garrett walked into the Thunder Tower, familiar with the route, and reported to Archmage Carlisle. The Archmage indeed got angry: "What is this! Thieves have made it to the Horn of Thunder! Where¡¯s the footage?¡ªDid you bring it? Show me!" Garrett hurriedly handed over the magic crystal. Archmage Carlisle inserted the chip into a slot on the desk, and in a moment, a light tomb opened in the study. Archmage Carlisle watched intently, growing angrier as he watched, and mmed his hand on the desk. Papers, pens, books on the desk instantly floated up, their edges sparking with electric light. And right in the center of the desk, that small hand-cranked generator made a snapping sound, as the fuse melted again... "Let¡¯s go!" He grabbed Garrett: "Come with me to the Tower of a Thousand Laws, to settle ounts with that old thing!" A level 14 against a level 3, Garrett had no power to resist, being dragged stumblingly out. The Tower of a Thousand Laws of the Curse Magic School and the Thunder Tower of the Energy Shaping School stood opposite each other, located on either side of the Tower of Heaven. With each step Archmage Carlisle took, his aura rose, charging into the Tower of a Thousand Laws. When he stepped out of the elevator on the 23rd floor, the electricity around him had already triggered the Tower Spirit¡¯s warning: "Please be cautious, esteemed Mage! Your energy fluctuations are too dangerous, please control yourself to avoid triggering the Tower Spirit¡¯s defenses!" Archmage Carlisle paid no heed. He dragged Garrett forward, straight into aboratory. With a loud bang, theboratory door was mmed back, and a tall, red-haired man raised his head from the microscope, frowning and yelling: "Carlisle!!!" He pointed a finger, and a rainbow of light shot out, entangling towards the door. Garrett instinctively dodged back: Two high-level mages messing around, they might just be greeting each other or expressing some dissatisfaction, the defensive spells they carried could easily dissipate it. But if I get hit, heh... Especially since that one was level 15! Level 15! One level higher than Archmage Carlisle! Archmage, please block it... Archmage Carlisle did not disappoint his expectations. With a casual wave, a wall of force rose, protecting Garrett securely. Then he roared back: "Old Morton! Your disciple¡¯s disciple has stolen stuff and brought it to our Horn of Thunder!" "What?" Mage Morton was stunned. He waved his hand subconsciously, and the test tubes, sks, and petri dishes on the table flew out in a tter. Garrett, hiding behind Archmage Carlisle, was so scared that his eyes widened: [Ahhh¡ª] Don¡¯t smash it! What is in these things? Please don¡¯t let it be contagious germs! Archmage Carlisle seemed to sense it too, his finger slightly raised, and a gentle breeze picked up, holding those flying objects in the air. The two mages, one holding and one gathering, quickly put things back in order. Only then did Mage Morton have time to ask: "What¡¯s the situation? Which disciple of mine? What did he steal?" Archmage Carlisle mmed the chip in front of him. The screen pulled open again, showing a sneaky youth, slipping into theboratory, putting the contents of a petri dish into a bottle, tucking it into his chest, and taking it back to the dormitory. He finished packing his things, carrying his luggage and leaving the Mage Tower, his figure getting farther and farther, smaller and smaller, and the youth never looked back from beginning to end. Archmage Carlisle coldly said: "Kevin Aini, an apprentice from your department. The Public Health Department was recruiting recently¡ª" He shifted to the side, letting Garrett out, indicating it was his matter. Garrett hurriedly nodded and bowed to Mage Morton, and Archmage Carlisle pointed at Garrett, standing aside and continuing: "That kid was sent to his Mage Tower, and then he did this¡ª" "I¡¯ve heard of this." Old Morton nodded. He was aware of the establishment of the Public Health Department and Garrett, a level 3 mage who got a high-level Mage Tower, as well as the research projects released by Mage Towers that several in the medical branch were vying for, he even made a few calls¡ª Thinking of this, the Archmage felt a bad feeling rise in his heart: "Who is his mentor?" "When he was sent over, a resume was attached, that kid¡¯s mentor is Billy O¡¯Gran. Old Morton, that¡¯s your disciple, right?" Mage Morton choked. His face turned from red to white, then from white to red, his fists clenched with a crackling sound. Standing silently for a moment, he pulled out the chip from the experimental table, carefully stored it, and walked towards Archmage Carlisle: "O¡¯Gran is my disciple. ¡ªLet¡¯s go, if that kid really is under O¡¯Gran¡¯s tutge, I will definitely give you an exnation!" The three left the Mage Tower together. Mage Morton strode meteorically, heading straight towards the north side of Igor Peak. Coming to the edge of the cliff, Garrett thought there would be a magic carpet, or at least a Phantom Steed to ride, but to his surprise, Mage Morton grabbed his wrist and leapt out¡ª "Ahhhhhh!" Garrett screamed uncontrobly. This side was a cliff! A cliff! Falling straight down more than two hundred meters deep! He didn¡¯t want to be a lich now! Chapter 297 Chapter 297 "Ahahahahahahahah¡ª" Garrett Nordmark¡¯s scream echoed through the night sky. Atop the Tower of Heaven, a beam of white light immediately shot down, enveloping Garrett¡¯s forehead. Just as Garrett felt a bit relieved, the white light swept out... and out... and out... Who¡¯s controlling the searchlight? It couldn¡¯t be someone from ck Crow Swamp, could it? From a height of over 200 meters, I¡¯d probably be smashed to pieces, unable to be a lich! Garrett thought indignantly. The next moment, his shoulder des suddenly tightened, and his falling speed slowed down. Twisting his head, Garrett saw a pair of wings stretching out from his back, semi-transparent and shimmering. The wingspan... forgive him for his inability to estimate, but just one wing was more than twice his own height. With a p of those wings, they then spread out smoothly and stayed motionless. The mountain wind, robust under the wings, immediately turned his fall into a glide. Looking left, Mage Morton nced at him with an indescribable expression; looking right, Archmage Carlisle¡¯s face was full of frustration, pointing a finger, a breeze carrying his voice, whispering into Garrett¡¯s eardrum: "...How could you scream like that? With us two great magicians here, why would you think you¡¯d fall to your death?¡ªIf all else fails, you should¡¯ve cast Featherfall!"...I was just worried you two might leave me hanging, each thinking the other would take care of me... As for Featherfall, honestly, I just forgot about it in the panic... Garrett sheepishly admitted. Indeed, it was my own oversight, but Mage Morton went too far! Not a word before leaping off the cliff with me! Given the circumstances, with someone else¡¯s summoned wings still attached to his back, he couldn¡¯t protest on the spot. With a flick of his finger, Mage Morton gently directed the wings to change direction, circling in the air before descending. What might have taken over an hour to run on the ground, theynded gently within a quarter of an hour. The ethereal wings silently shattered, turning into specks of starlight that returned to Mage Morton¡¯s palm. This great magician then cast a spell, pointing in the direction it drifted: "This way!" Garrett had to cast several eleration spells on himself to keep up with the two great magicians. The night was deep, and the Chaos Magic Academy was quiet, yet as they approached theboratory, they saw a light inside. Moving closer, they heard a voice with a changing pitch inside: "Look, Mentor, just like this!¡ªCultivating this mold and injecting it into sick mice, out of twenty mice, ten survived!" "Hmm..." "Mentor, please study it! Didn¡¯t you say, when ites to medicine, our Curse Magic Department¡¯s medical branch is supreme! Those priests and whatnot, they¡¯re just following the path we created. They can¡¯t even draw a spell model! When ites to researching cures, it still has to be us!" "..." Silence fell in theboratory for a moment. Archmage Carlisle¡¯s brows furrowed, about to kick the door open, but was stopped by Mage Morton raising his hand. This medical branch magician quietly looked ahead, his red hair unmoving in the night wind, like a solidified me. Garrett felt the air thin around him just by looking at him. The sound of pouring water, ss clinking, bubbling. Soon, the voice persuaded again: "Mentor, I think we should prioritize this research. It¡¯s one thing for priests to take over healing, but we can¡¯t let the Energy Shaping Department overshadow us! That magician is only level 3, he can¡¯tpare to you in research!" "Enough, Kevin." Another voice finally spoke. "This is not right. After all, it¡¯s someone else¡¯s discovery, how can I justify researching it?" "But Mentor! This mold isn¡¯t exclusive to the outside! It originallyes from various tree roots, grass, soil!¡ªMentor, didn¡¯t you say, you¡¯re only 200 research points away from leveling up? This project, ifpleted, is definitely worth more than 200 points!" "...I¡¯ll think about it..." "What¡¯s there to think about!" Mage Morton finally spoke up, waving his hand, and the door burst open. Two exmations sounded in theboratory, which turned into panic as Mage Morton stepped in: "Mentor... Mentor!" Mage Morton, furious, swept his gaze around. His own disciple, Billy O¡¯Gran, stood before him, speechless and flushed; On the experiment table, green mold dotted the ss bottles; Standing beside the experiment table was the young man he had seen on the screen not long ago! Mage Morton red at his disciple, his red hair moving as if ame without any wind. Even though Billy O¡¯Gran wasn¡¯t one of his most valued disciples, and his talent was so mediocre that he had received little direct guidance in recent years, the actions of a disciple could still tarnish the honor of the school. Even if this kid was just hesitating and hadn¡¯t actuallymitted the theft, if word got out, even he would lose face at the summit! "...I truly did not expect, my disciple, to contemte researching stolen goods!!!" He spat out through clenched teeth. Without waiting for O¡¯Gran¡¯s defense, he turned solemnly to Archmage Carlisle and Garrett Nordmark, bowing deeply: "My disciple¡¯s tolerance of theft is a failure of my teachings. ¡ªWhatever the punishment orpensation today, I willply, even if it meanspensating with myboratory, I have no objections!" He was resolute. Archmage Carlisle scoffed: "We don¡¯t need theboratory. Our Garrett also has a Mage Tower, not to mention aboratory. ¡ªWhat about these two, how will you deal with them?" "Expel the Mage Apprentice immediately, from both my tutge and the academy," Mage Morton said without hesitation. "As for O¡¯Gran, for tolerating his disciple¡¯s wrongdoing and not immediately reporting or punishing it, he is to cease work at the Chaos Academy and be stationed in the New World for five years to reflect. His contributions to the guild will all serve aspensation. What do you think?" "That¡¯s letting him off easy!" Archmage Carlisle snorted and turned away. If O¡¯Gran¡¯s actions were reported to the council, the punishment might be lighter, and he would surely be socially dead. For the sake of his mentor, he¡¯ll spare him this time! Mage Morton then turned his gaze to Garrett. Garrett slightly lowered his gaze, indicating his agreement. He wasn¡¯t much inclined to plead: This one, unlike Aurora who was purely curious or, shall we say, meddlesome, saying "with the intent to uwfully possess" wouldn¡¯t be unfair to him? With the teacher already punished, he didn¡¯t need to y the good guy... Mage Morton breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward, slightly bowed, and earnestly said to Garrett: "Rest assured, whatever this kid stole, I will investigate thoroughly to ensure not a bit leaks out. In the future, if any magician from the medical branch or elsewhere in the council dares to research it without permission, I will hold them ountable¡ª" "That won¡¯t be necessary," Garrett smiled broadly. "Actually, these materials can stay with you, and if you need, I can send more over. ¡ªI actually hope that magicians from the medical branch, as well as other departments, can conduct independent research based on my work, and together, we can unravel the mysteries of penicillin." Chapter 298 Chapter 298 The two great magicians looked over. Archmage Carlisle frowned deeply. Wanting to intervene but hindered by the fact that it was Garrett¡¯s own project, he found it difficult to speak out. Mage Morton, on the other hand, beyond shock and emotion, was filled with deep shame: "There¡¯s no need for this¡ªhow can we possibly¡ª" His voice trembled, his red hair that was once standing straight now drooped almostpletely, hanging down. Garrett earnestly cut him off: "Your Excellency Archmage. The rtionship between the Curse Magic Department¡¯s medical branch and our Thunder Horn has always been good. Last time one of my followers was poisoned, it was Master Galen Novak who personally came to administer the cure. ¡ªJust because an apprentice made a mistake, it shouldn¡¯t affect our rtionship. Besides, sharing knowledge and coborating on research is exactly what the Magic Council has always advocated, isn¡¯t it?" Archmage Carlisle remained silent. Hmm, they indeed owed the medical branch for the incident where Aurora yed with electrolyzed saltwater and got poisoned. If not for that, he wouldn¡¯t have directly approached Morton¡¯s door; he would¡¯ve gone through Old Sam to bring the matter up with the review board and expose it! Old Morton¡¯s face turned beet red, still shaking his head. Garrett thought for a moment, then smiled: "How about this¡ªcould you do me a favor? I¡¯ll write a paper on the interim research findings on penicillin mold in the next few days. Could you help me find a journal to publish it? And then, if you continue with the research, remember to cite my paper?"That could work. Publishing papers and then conducting research based on them is amon and encouraged practice within the Magic Council. Old Morton¡¯s face finally lost some of its redness, patting his chest: "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got the publication covered!¡ªAnd about that penicillin mold, I won¡¯t take it for free, I¡¯ll pay!" He was about to transfer contribution points with his mage badge. Garrett quickly jumped back: "No need, no need, we¡¯ve already agreed on thepensation. But, if you want more, you¡¯ll have to buy it from the trade center, and I won¡¯t be shy about the price!" "I won¡¯t ask for a discount on bulk purchases either!" Old Mortonughed. They bid each other farewell. Old Morton stayed behind to watch his disciple pack up and leave at dawn, while Archmage Carlisle escorted Garrett back to the Mage Tower. The clop of hooves disappeared into the night, leaving the lights of Chaos Magic Academy far behind, before Archmage Carlisle finally sighed: "Why are you so generous?" "Not bad, huh?" Garrett shrugged. Archmage Carlisle red at him, almost raising his hand to knock on his head if he wasn¡¯t on horseback: "With this precedent, to coborate with you in the future, one just needs to steal something first. If they can¡¯t steal, sending an apprentice to beat you up can also turn enemies into friends? Inviting people to coborate on something this important so casually, do you dare to just give it away next? ¡ªAren¡¯t you afraid that after all your hard work, they¡¯ll get ahead of you and seed first?" "Hehe~~~" Garrettughed, lowering his head on horseback. It wasn¡¯t until Archmage Carlisle canceled the Phantom Steed, making him fall directly to the ground (though he cast Featherfall at thest moment), that he stoppedughing and looked up to exin: "Whether they¡¯ll get ahead of me and seed first, I don¡¯t know. But¡ªI¡¯m very sure, what I¡¯m preparing to do, they definitely won¡¯t be able to!" "You?" "Just watch!" Garrett¡¯s paper, "Discovery of a New Pathogenic Bacterium and the Inhibitory Effect of Penicillin on Bacteria," was soon published. In a rush for time, he didn¡¯t secure a spot in "Arcane" or "Magic" journals but published it in "Death¡¯s Veil"¡ª After all, the first half talked about diseases, so cing it in a Necromancy school journal was no issue. And with Old Morton¡¯s endorsement, he didn¡¯t miss out on any paper awards... A level 3 magician publishing a paper, a level 5 magician as the second author (this time Andrew Lynn reced Aurora as the paper¡¯s workhorse), andments from a level 15 magician from the medical branch, and a level 15 Necromancer. This caliber quickly drew the attention of magicians. Besides Old Morton, two other great magicians from the medical branch took great interest in Garrett¡¯s paper: "We found that this blue mold has a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of Staphylocus aureus. ¡ªCulturing it together with Staph aureus in a petri dish shows a clear zone of inhibition; adding it to Staph aureus culture fluid results in a noticeable rification of the fluid, with no extensive proliferation of Staph aureus in secondary cultures..." "Our next goals are: 1. To study the principle behind penicillin mold¡¯s inhibition of Staph aureus growth; 2. To investigate, besides Staph aureus, which other pathogens penicillin mold can inhibit; 3. To develop this substance that inhibits Staph aureus into a portable medication for personal carry. This way, even in ces beyond the reach of extraordinary powers, the general public can improve their recovery chances..." This is an interesting topic! Worth putting some effort into! If this medication is developed, even without a healer in the team, survival bes easier! The three great magicians, each leading their teams, unhesitatingly embarked on the path guided by Garrett. Then, they immediately crashed and burned. "The penicillin mold died!" "It died again!" "This batch is no good either, need to buy new ones..." "Spell casting over! We¡¯re out of materials!" "No problem, go buy! It¡¯s cheap anyway! Hurry up, or it¡¯ll all be sold out!" Garrett¡¯s penicillin mold listed in the trading window was very reasonably priced, even considered cheap. A 50ml culture medium, with the mold strain added 24 hours in advance, showing a faint blue color, guaranteed by independent magicians for strain viability¡ªsold for just one gold coin. Magicians swept up the stock, hardly blinking an eye. Later, they even gave up on culturing penicillin mold themselves, leaving it to apprentices to handle casually, relying entirely on purchases. For level 14 and 15 great magicians, a material costing one gold coin a piece was incredibly cheap! ¡ªOf course, Garrett wouldn¡¯t say that making cornstarch culture medium in bulk, filling 100 bottles of 50ml each, cost less than one gold coin. That was his secret... "Keep it up! Make more! This month¡¯s research funding depends on you!" But it must be said, great magicians are great magicians. Their brute-force approach indeed zed a new trail: A monthter, Old Morton invited Garrett to hisboratory to observe a spell experiment. "The extermination of pathogenic bacteria, first experiment, begins!" Old Morton murmured the incantation, holding a test tube of penicillin mold in his left hand, his right hand continuously changing gestures. Garrett watched wide-eyed: Alright, you¡¯re still using penicillin mold as a spellcasting material, developing a new spell... just don¡¯t know how you¡¯ll control the dosage? Penicillin intramuscr injection, 800,000 to 2,000,000 units per day, divided into 3-4 doses; intravenous drip, 2,000,000 to 20,000,000 units per day, divided into 2-4 doses. When administered by IV drip, the rate must not exceed 500,000 units per minute to avoid central nervous system toxicity¡ªhow fast is your rate? Old Morton¡¯s chanting abruptly stopped. His right hand extended, aiming at a weak, dirty, tangled-haired rabbit on the experimental table in front. A green light shot from his fingertip, hitting the rabbit squarely. "Avada Kedavra!" Garrett muttered in his heart. Almost immediately, the rabbit convulsed, stretched its neck and limbs, and died, died, died... "Uh, still can¡¯t control the intensity of the healing spell..." Old Morton lowered his arm, awkwardly looking at Garrett: "So far, using five milliliters of penicillin mold achieves the highest cure rate, about 30%, but the death rate is 70%... With such a high death rate, we dare not try it on patients, as untreated death rates are lower!" Garrett: "..." Too severe allergic reactions from penicillin overdose? Once you go above a super-high dose of penicillin, the probability of allergies skyrockets! "What about the death rate within three days?" "An additional 10% higher..." Hmm, considering penicillin encephalopathy, cerebral hemorrhage, allergic heart failure, and a series of adverse reactions... So, it¡¯s about controlling the dosage. If it¡¯s not made into a medication and penicillin is used as spellcasting material, directly casting spells, it¡¯s really hard to control the dosage! "What if it¡¯s made into a medication?" Old Morton gave him a sorrowful look. Don¡¯t ask, asking means nothing... Chapter 299 Chapter 299 "Making mold into medicine is so difficult..." "Yes, it¡¯s very tough." "Completely clueless." "Yes, extraordinarily difficult." Garrett Nordmark and Mage Morton sat shoulder to shoulder in front of seventeen or eighteen dead rabbits, sighing in turn. Mage Morton sighed because the project was too challenging, while Garrett sighed because making penicillin was indeed too troublesome! "Old Morton!" Another magician walked in. The badge on his chest sparkled with three golden stars, evidently a level 13 powerhouse. Garrett quickly stood up to greet him: "Excellency Novak!" "Little Garrett? What are you doing here?" The visitor paused. He hade to rescue when Aurora identally poisoned herself with chlorine gas, having met Garrett once before. He sized up Garrett and smiled slightly: "Oh, I remember now, the penicillin project is yours. ¡ªWhy haven¡¯t youe to see me when you had the chance?" Garrett could only smile back at him. Pointing to the dead rabbits all over the floor, he spoke in a faint voice:"Busy, busy..." "Indeed busy, this project isn¡¯t easy." Master Novak sighed. He turned to Old Morton and asked: "What¡¯s your sess rate with the spells? I¡¯ve only got 10%..." This was even more tragic. Garrett nearly covered his face, listening to the two great magicians exchanging spellcasting experiences: "Choosing the right penicillin mold is a problem." "Yes, we must control the timing well. Currently, the experience is to cast spells 3 to 5 hours after purchase, which results in the lowest death rate for the rabbits." "Magic output also needs to be controlled... Ah, I have a model curve here, do you think it works?" Garrett listened, facepalming. Great lords, when you use penicillin mold for casting, you¡¯re not considering its activeponent content at all! "Old Morton!" Another person quickly stepped in. Entering the room and seeing the dead rabbits everywhere, he immediately showed a schadenfreude smile: "Hahaha, you too failed! ¡ªBy the way, have you tried extracting the solution from the penicillin mold?" "We¡¯ve tried!" The two great magicians answered in unison: "But it¡¯s utterly useless! The efficiency of the spellcasting drops dramatically!" This time, Garrett truly began to facepalm. Indeed, penicillin is very unstable in aqueous solutions. It dposes faster when exposed to acid or alkali, and even without adding anything, it will dpose on its own over time in water. Not to mention the decrease in medicinal effect, theponents causing allergies would increase, imagining half of a medication solution is allergenicponents... Oh well. Inject a vial of medication, or throw a spell, and leave aside the therapeutic effect, the death effect is guaranteed! The neer didn¡¯t notice him, stillining to Old Morton: "I mean, you¡¯re not setting me up, are you? This project of his¡ªGarrett Nordmark¡ªis just too difficult to do,pletely different from usual practices, with entirely different considerations. Things like high-temperature sterilization, purification and selection, are unheard of! Our usual methods, those spell models, magic oscitions, none of it works! Next time you have his project, just do it yourself, don¡¯t drag me into it!" "Cough, cough, cough..." Master Novak at the side was making desperate eye signals, coughing as if he was about to cough out his lungs. Meanwhile, Garrett stood beside the rabbit cage, revealing an awkward yet polite smile, with a hint of triumph hidden within... That¡¯s right, I want you to step back! Knowing my project isn¡¯t easy, no one would think of stealing it! In fact, Garrett hadn¡¯t spent much effort on penicillintely. Because the penicillin drug, or rather, penicillin sodium, he was indeed close to making it. Or to say, if not demanding purity, he had already made it¡ª Simply allowing the penicillin mold to proliferate fully in the culture medium, fermenting, centrifuging, and filtering to get the solution. Then, pouring sodium hydroxide into it to get penicillin sodium, and then crystallizing it out. Penicillin drug, done! The current issue is, without pre-treatment of the fermentation liquid, extraction with ethyl acetate, re-extraction, activated carbon decolorization, the penicillin sodium produced is of very touching purity. Moreover, the capability of penicillin mold to produce penicillin is also very touching... Thetter is rtively easier to solve. Garrett arranged for four apprentice priests from the Church of Nature to focus on cultivating penicillin mold, aiming for directed mutation to produce the highest yielding penicillin strain. As for the former, Garrett knew how to do it, but hecked the conditions... "Purification is too hard... I need anticoagnt, phosphate, flnt... I need ethyl acetate for extraction... speaking of which, how is ethyl acetate produced..." Garrettmented with his head in his hands. In fact, his visit to the summit today had a second mission: Someone had made a rectifier for converting alternating current to direct current, and he needed to receive it... "Well, having a rectifier is also good. At least, I can make my own bleach, no need to rent the Thunder Tower all the time." Garrett muttered as he stepped into Archmage Carlisle¡¯sboratory. Who was the genius who made the rectifier, from which school? What was the thought process behind it? Brushes? Diodes? What¡¯s the capacity? If it¡¯srge enough, maybe the reservoir at the drinking water source could be fitted with a hydroelectric generator, with the rectifier attached... Garrett wandered in thought, slowly walking inside. Theboratory was filled with fine electric arcs shing everywhere, possessing a somewhat post-modern cyberpunk ir. He was somewhat of a celebrity here, with many students recognizing him and asionally greeting him from afar. Garrett carefully circumvented an electric¡ªliterally an electric, with blue-white electric arcs weaving into a in the void¡ªand then widely skirted a happily bouncing ball of lightning. Thisboratory was really too dangerous; even with various defensive spells on him, he dared not run around... Following the leading Aurora carefully forward. Dodging left and right, moving unpredictably, they finally reached the core area of theboratory. At first nce, he saw thergest experimental table with the most unidentified magical devices, right in the center, neatly ced, a hand-cranked generator. This is verification! Garrett hurried over. On either side of the hand-cranked generator, one on the left and one on the right, stood two magicians. The one on the left was naturally Archmage Carlisle, while the one on the right, looking more like aborer than a caster with his rough, cracked hands, was clearly the inventor of the rectifier... "You¡¯re here." Archmage Carlisle greeted him warmly with a nod. He then pointed to the right: "This is Mr. Christoph Norwood, Transformational Series, third-ring arcane magician, level 4 mage. The rectifier you requested, he¡¯s already made it, would you like to check it?" Garrett stepped forward to shake hands with the other party. Mr. Norwood¡¯s hair was somewhat gray, his hand trembling slightly as he extended it: "Hello, hello... The rectifier is made, if you see no issues, I can get my reward¡ªfive thousand contribution points!" His voice suddenly rose sharply, shrill, his eyes shining with excitement. Garrett didn¡¯t even get close before being overwhelmed by his breath. Instantly, the doctor¡¯s intuition began to sound rm bells: There¡¯s a problem! This person has a problem! Driven by a doctor¡¯s instinct, Garrett nodded continuously, following the other¡¯s lead to appease: "Alright, alright, let me first look at what you¡¯ve made. ¡ªIs it connected yet?" "Yes, it¡¯s connected." Archmage Carlisle made a gesture. Garrett leaned in to see, the circuit connected to a small ss vessel, pear-shaped, with a pool of shimmering mercury at the bottom. Two wires extended below the surface of the mercury, and several graphite rods were embedded in the top part of the ss vessel, fitting seamlessly with the ss. This is... A mercury arc rectifier! Such an old piece of equipment, in my previous life, it had been obsolete for half a century, hadn¡¯t it? Garrett suddenly turned back to look at the alchemist. At the same moment, Archmage Carlisle pointed a finger, and the handle of the generator began to turn. Once, twice... until it blurred into a residual image, yet the ss vessel remained calm and spark-free. "Why is there no reaction?" Garrett muttered quietly. However, this soft murmur ignited the alchemist. Master Norwood immediately became frantic, lunging forward: "Impossible! I made it and it was good! You said it was good before too! Don¡¯t think of cheating me out of my contribution points! Five thousand points!" His voice was high and sharp, his eyelids and fingers trembling constantly. Garrett¡¯s internal rm rang louder, and after a moment¡¯s thought, he suggested: "Maybe the current isn¡¯t strong enough? Why not... try generating a current first?" "That might be possible." Archmage Carlisle snapped his fingers, and instantly, an electric arc burst out in the ss vessel. The entire circuit seemed to be instantly energized, the ss vessel humming, the blue light inside shining brilliantly, the scene both cool and magical. Master Norwood immediately halted, standing still for a moment, then pped his hands: "Eh! It¡¯s working! This is it!" This is it! Garrett clenched his fist. Indeed, his memory was correct; the mercury arc rectifier required arger trigger power, and the current from the hand-cranked generator might have been too small to activate it... But that¡¯s no issue, they could just make the generator bigger! Archmage Carlisle also showed a pleased expression. Garrett wanted to join their excitement, yet the doctor¡¯s instinct made him pull Master Norwood back, retreating all the way to the corner, and bluntly stated: "You¡¯ve been poisoned!" "What?" The alchemist was stunned. He immediately became enraged: "What poisoning! I¡¯m not poisoned! I¡¯ll tell you, don¡¯t think of using this to deduct my money!" "You used mercury in this rectifier! Excessive skin contact with mercury, or inhaling mercury vapor, can lead to poisoning, don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t know!" Garrett retorted: "Have you been frequently experiencing dizziness, headaches, nauseately? Do you often have palpitations, mood swings, and difficulty sleeping at night? Do you have more mouth ulcers and loose teeth? Do your hands tremble when you work?" I hate patients who don¡¯t listen the most! I hate patients who stubbornly deny their condition the most! Patients should act like patients! Compared to the rectifier, treating the condition is more important! Chapter 300 Chapter 300 Garrett unleashed a torrential rebuke, speaking rapidly and with a high pitch, full of vigor. Master Norwood initially tried to resist but was quickly overwhelmed, managing only a faint protest: "...I was just too tired! I¡¯ve been working day and night on this thing for the past month, even cutting back on my meditation time! Of course, I¡¯d feel unwell from overexertion..." Garrett raised an eyebrow. Still not convinced, huh? Won¡¯t shed tears until you see the coffin, right? "Archmage Carlisle!" He leaned out from behind the patient and called: "Do you have a mirror here? ¡ªAnd yes, stop the generator! Stop it first! When someone is in the room, don¡¯t use it to generate power! I¡¯ll exin whyter!" He just remembered! Running electricity through mercury vapor produces ultraviolet light! This, in excess, is harmful to both the skin and eyes! Think of conditions like sr dermatitis, keratitis; these troubles are bound to happen! Cough, although acquiring a UVmp was an unexpected bonus ¡ª adding a sterilization tool to theboratory ¡ª now, it couldn¡¯t continue shining! Archmage Carlisle reluctantly ceased. A small ss vessel capable of converting AC to DC, the changes in current involved were indeed worth savoring for this Energy Shaping magician. But, Garrett rarely speaks to him in such a tone, and when he does, it¡¯s always about life-threatening matters, like the previous gue seed leak...Better to heed his advice. The electric motor handle stopped turning, the mercury arc rectifier¡¯s blue light went out, and Garrett finally breathed a sigh of relief. He withdrew his head, facing Master Norwood: "Need proof, right? ¡ªStand still, pull down your lower lip, let me see your gums!" The alchemist, skeptical, pinched the center of his lower lip and pulled it down. Garrett scanned quickly, his eyebrows lifting: See, I knew it. "Take a look in a mirror. At the junction of your teeth and gums, is there a thin blue-ck line? That¡¯s mercury poisoning, deposited in your body, harming your health! Do you need more proof?" Actually, there were other evidences. For instance, the skin scratch test positive, which could be done on the spot; Or mercury levels in urine and blood, ah, but without the reagents or instruments, it¡¯s not possible now; Or symptoms like palpitations, insomnia, hysteria, tremors, oral ulcers, loose teeth, dizziness, headaches, nausea ¡ª the patient¡¯s recent behavior has already proven these... But, all these symptoms need to be differentiated from other diseases. Only the blue-ck line on the gums, or the mercury line, with a clear history of mercury exposure, seeing this line almost certainly diagnoses it! Master Norwood¡¯splexion changed. He shakily took out a small mirror, held it up to his face, and looked. After a long while, his hand loosened, and the mirror fell silently. Garrett caught it in time. Master Norwood was no longer concerned about the mirror, staring nkly at Garrett, pale: "...Will I die?" "You shouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s just mercury poisoning, it should be treatable..." It definitely is treatable. If this were his previous life, encountering a mercury poisoning patient clinically, he¡¯d immediately call for internal medicine. Even without internal medicine here, he could recite the treatment n from "Internal Medicine": Inject 5% sodium dimercaptopropane sulfonate solution intramuscrly, once daily, 5ml each time. Three days make a treatment course, can be repeated after a four-day interval, or alternatively, dimercaptosinic acid or dimercaptopropanol can be used... But, he had no drugs. Nothing like sodium dimercaptopropane sulfonate, dimercaptosinic acid, dimercaptopropanol... "How about this... wait a bit, I¡¯ll try a detoxification spell? If that doesn¡¯t work, we might have to look for a high-ranking priest..." Garrett clearly remembered, right after arriving in this world, seeing Reverend Donald of the Spring Water Temple casting a detoxification spell ¡ª though it wasn¡¯t very effective against allergies. Now, having advanced to level three, he also learned this divine spell, thinking it mighte in handy. He learned it, but rarely had the chance to use it. What effect the detoxification spell would have in his hands, Garrett wasn¡¯t quite sure... After all, there are many principles of detoxification clinically. Inducing vomiting? Activated charcoal adsorption of intestinal toxins? Enhancing diuresis and altering urine pH to promote toxin elimination? Blood purification? Injecting chting agents to formplexes with toxic metals in the body? Antagonizing toxins? With so many pathways and no animal clinicalparative experiments conducted, Garrett wasn¡¯t very confident in his divine spell... Fortunately, Master Norwood was lucky. Despite Garrett¡¯sck of confidence, his mastery of divine spells was fairly solid. After one detoxification spell was cast, Master Norwood felt significantly lighter, and the headache and irritability that had gued him for months were much alleviated. He breathed a sigh of relief and thanked profusely: "I feel much better, thanks to you..." Garrett persisted, casting another detoxification spell. After two spells, when Master Norwood opened his mouth again, the mercury-induced bad breath had significantly faded, and the blue-purple line on his gums vanished. This detoxification spell worked surprisingly well! Garrett silently praised. The disappearance of the mercury line meant that half of the toxins in the body had been removed, turning a moderate mercury poisoning into at least a mild one! Of course, the patient might havepletely recovered. But without having tested blood mercury, urine mercury, or observed over some time, Garrett couldn¡¯t be sure... Should he persuade him to stay for observation? Before he could speak, Master Norwood was already expressing his gratitude profusely. After confirming the rectifier¡¯s eptance with Archmage Carlisle and securing 5000 contribution points, he immediately offered Garrett 1000: "It¡¯s not that I¡¯m stingy, saving my life means I owe you all 5000 points. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve borrowed quite a bit for this project, and after paying off debts and adding to my daughter¡¯s dowry, all I have left to use is these 1000 points..." His spirits lifted, he clung to Garrett, his calloused hands almost peeling off ayer of Garrett¡¯s skin in their grip. Struggling futilely, Garrett switched tactics to persuade him: "Your mercury arc rectifier ¡ª oh, mercury rectifier, I need several for my Mage Tower, and others might need them too. If you want to repay me, why not help me make a few more? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll provide the materials, you just handle thebor. Meanwhile, you can also study the rtionship between the rectifier and current..." Master Norwood was rendered speechless, nodding rapidly. Behind him, Aurora rolled her eyes and muttered: "There he goes, recruiting again..." That¡¯s how he was recruited too! All sorts of innovative ideas, nevercking topics, providing research conditions, offering methodological guidance! Originally agreed to work for three years, now it seems like he¡¯ll keep working for the boss indefinitely... And then there¡¯s Mage Lynn, who seems to have been half-recruited too! But it¡¯s nice, getting to pet a cat now and then, feels like happiness levels have risen ^_^ Regardless, Garrett ended up taking Master Norwood, his mercury arc rectifier, and the hand-cranked generator connected to the rectifier, back to the Mage Tower. Without taking a breath, he started guiding Master Norwood up and down, inspecting the preid electrical conduits: "Here I need to install a rectifier! And here! And here! And here! ¡ªOh, and make me a steam engine too! Use the fire elemental pool of the Mage Tower for heating and the water elemental pool for water supply. I¡¯ll draw you the blueprint!" UV sterilization, ah! A staple for operating rooms and bacteriologybs! Running it for 30 minutes a day, along with disinfectant, feels like the safety index has risen again! Master Norwood diligently studied the blueprints. The rectifier was one thing, but the steam-driven generator, propelled by steam to turn the axle, was merely an idea for Garrett. Asking a few more questions, Garrett suddenly pulled out a set of breathing machine pumps, showing the water-driven transmission mechanism: "Why don¡¯t you consult with the dwarves?" Master Norwood: "..." Dare this young master of the Mage Tower be any more unreliable?! If it weren¡¯t for the lifesaving grace, he¡¯d leave the Mage Tower tomorrow! Despite saying this, Master Norwood remained grateful for Garrett¡¯s lifesaving grace. On the third evening, seeing Garrett listlessly emerge from theboratory and copse on the dining table like a deted balloon, he proactively inquired: "What¡¯s wrong? Research not going well?" "Penicillin extraction... still can¡¯t be purified..." Garrett sighed heavily. Without chemicals, without solvents, the road to purifying and extracting penicillin seemed endless... "Can¡¯t be purified?" Master Norwood¡¯s knife slipped, making a grating noise on the te. He leaned forward, concerned: "Why don¡¯t I give it a try?" Chapter 301 Chapter 301 Mage Christoph Norwood dared to request a trial because he was somewhat confident. As an alchemist, he had spent most of his life dealing with materials. Purification, separation,bination, dposition... For instance, the purity and concentration of sulfuric acid, even a slight difference could double the price. If the concentration is pushed to nearly smoking levels, then with each advancement, the price could almost increase tenfold. High-ranking mages could use magic for purification but didn¡¯t have the time to deal with basic materials; low-ranking magescked the magical power and control ability, only able to manually shake bottles, stir crucibles, and wash test tubes. Mage Christoph Norwood found a way to make a living in between: He developed a magic array that could precisely purify a specific substance from a mixture. Even for substances he was unfamiliar with, as long as the client provided a sample, the magic array could naturally operate and separate out the needed material at the other end. "The only problem is, this magic array is rtively weak..." Mage Christoph Norwood was a bit nervous: "It can only purify liquids and powders, notrge solids, so it¡¯s not suitable for mining or ore selection. And the quantity it can purify is quite limited, at most one liter per hour..." "That¡¯s already very good!" Garrett jumped up: "The production of penicillin is not high anyway! Whether it¡¯s filtrate or powder, it¡¯s within the purification range! Let¡¯s go and give it a try!" The result of this trial was much better than before. The penicillin purified using the magic array had half the probability of causing allergic reactionspared to the previous method of dissolving in rapeseed oil, adsorbing with activated carbon, and eluting with distilled water. Garrett was overjoyed: "Continue!¡ªCrystallize and separate the produced penicillin sodium several more times, test for allergic reactions! If the probability of allergies drops below 1%, that¡¯s exactly what we need!"Clearly, this was a task that required a lot of manpower and effort. Garrett arranged the experimental methods and tasks, assigning two apprentices from the School of Transformation to assist Mage Christoph Norwood, then left the Mage Tower to check on other projects. ¡ªnting seeds in winter, harvesting many projects in spring. Garrett finally experienced the joy of being a big shot. The projects arranged when the Department of Public Health was just established and the Mage Tower was just built were now ready for inspection: Leon Carlos was in charge of improving brewing methods, which was basicallypleted and undergoing the final verification. It wasn¡¯t too troublesome, simply heating the brewed wine, including the bottle, to 50¡ãC¨C60¡ãC and maintaining it for half an hour before bottling and sealing; The young apprentice from the School of Transformation was responsible for refining coarse salt, simply adding caustic soda and soda ash to remove calcium and magnesium ions, then using recrystallization to separate sodium chloride and potassium chloride (finally obtaining arge amount of potassium chloride, to Garrett¡¯s satisfaction); The most troublesome was the biogas digester project, led by that sister from the Church of Nature. The biogas itself was somewhat developed, and Garrett, squatting beside with a tube inserted into the biogas digester, indeed managed to light it. But the subsequent task of application and promotion had to be taken on by Garrett himself. "Building biogas digesters in the slums, providing boiling water for free?" The middle-aged ountant of the Department of Public Health, upon hearing Garrett¡¯s request, shook his head like a rattle: "That¡¯s impossible! Mage sir, have you calcted how much it would cost to build such a boiling water room? An 18-gallon standard pot costs 1 gold and 1 silver coin; a stove that can hold two pots, including bricks and masonry, let¡¯s say 1 gold coin; even if thend is owned by the council, you still need to build the house, right? Building a small house of 15 square meters, even the cheapest wooden shack, isn¡¯t cheap. Mage sir, the Department of Public Health has already spent tens of thousands of gold coins, we really have no money left!" Garrett knew the oue without needing to calcte. Establishing boiling water rooms in the slums had always been his wish, significantly reducing the spread of intestinal diseases¡ªduring the dysentery epidemic in Harnd City, he had set up temporary water supply points. The cost of building boiling water rooms¡ªor in terms from his previous life, "Tiger Stoves," he was already clear about: Such a boiling water room would require an investment of at least 10 gold coins; ording to his estimate, setting up one boiling water room per thousand people in the city¡¯s slums, providing free boiling water, would cost 4000 gold coins. This doesn¡¯t even include the construction cost of the biogas digesters. A boiling water room that can serve 1000 people needs to boil at least two tons of water a day; a biogas digester capable of boiling two tons of water would start at 50 cubic meters conservatively. Building the digester,ying pipes, and installing faucets, is another significant expense. "No worries, the council doesn¡¯t have to pay." He gave the ountant a smile: "Do me a favor, please arrange a meeting with the Church of Nature, the Temple of the Spring Goddess, the Temple of the War God, as well as representatives from the council and the municipal department. Oh, and if possible, invite some nearby lords and nobles too. I want to¡ªdo business with them!" Garrett¡¯s invitation was met with a great response. A weekter, in the conference room of Garrett¡¯s Mage Tower, clerics, mages, nobles, and low-ranking mages sent by the city hall filled the table. "Do you want to improve the urban environment?" "Do you want the streets to no longer be filled with foul smells and sewage flowing everywhere?" "Do you want to increase food production?" Garrett posed three questions. The city hall staff nodded at the first question; the city staff, mages, and clerics nodded together at the second question; the nobles¡¯ eyes lit up at the third question. Garrett raised his right hand, and at the end of the conference room, arge roll of paper fell down and unfolded before everyone: "In all areas except the garden district, with a coverage rate of one per thousand people, increase the number of public toilets; All citizens must not urinate or defecate anywhere, they must use public toilets, or pour feces into the waste collection port next to the public toilets; Poultry and livestock manure must also be disposed of at the garbage station; Construct biogas digesters right below the public toilets and garbage stations, allowing these wastes to fully ferment. My Mage Tower and the Church of Nature have coborated and mastered this technology. The gas produced can be piped out for cooking, boiling water, and lighting. The liquid and residue left after fermentation can be used as fertilizer for fields, effectively increasing food production. ¡ªPreviously in Harnd City, my teacher and the coboration between the Mage Tower, the Temple of the War God, and the city guards, conducted experiments on thend of the Mage Tower and the temple, increasing efficiency by more than 20%! I am willing to donate the biogas digester technology to the council for free, only charging a symbolic fee of 1 copper coin per year. The condition is that the council opens up authorization for biogas digester construction, and the builders have the right to use all products, but must use the biogas to build boiling water rooms, providing drinking water to nearby residents for free. Who is interested in this project?" Chapter 302 Chapter 302 After the speech, silence fell upon the meeting room. Momentster, a bishop attending the meeting from the Temple of the War God discussed briefly with his followers before raising his hand to say: "We would like to see the real thing." Garrett immediately led them down. The biogas digester was not far from the Mage Tower, located behind the animal feed room. Cleaning involved simply using a bucket to flush the manure into the digester. The bishop, after walking around the area, found it surprisingly not too smelly and nodded in satisfaction. He then asked Garrett: "Is it convenient to boil water?" Garrett took him next door. A hollow vine emerged from the ground, topped with an iron pipe leading straight into the stove. Garrett turned the valve of the iron pipe and cast a spark spell with a flick of his hand. A burst of me rose, and soon, the pot on the stove was bubbling with boiling water. "How much manure can one biogas digester process in a day? And how much water can it boil?" Garrett smiled slightly and nodded to the priestess responsible for the biogas development. The priestess stepped forward: "Next to our Mage Tower, we built a 10 cubic meter digester that currently handles the manure from tworge pigs, three small pigs, four sheep, and a bunch of rabbits, which is just enough. If a biogas digester is paired with a human toilet, a 50 cubic meter digester could serve between 300 to 500 people. ¡ªA 50 cubic meter digester can boil two tons of water a day.""In summer, it can boil even more water, about twice as much," Garrett added. The bishop calcted in his head and then asked: "Can this vine be reced with an iron pipe?" "Of course!" Garrett answered before the priestess could. Ahem, the reason for using vines instead of iron pipes was because vines were cheaper and could be stimted with natural magic, saving money... Previously, during the development phase, Garrett hadn¡¯t provided much funding, so everything was done on a budget. "Then we¡¯ll take a set for our temple. Make it 100 cubic meters¡ªat least it can handle horse manure and boil some water." He ced the order without even asking the price. Following his lead, Lady Seraina stood up: "How much fertilizer can one biogas digester produce? How much can it increase yield?" "A 10 cubic meter biogas digester can produce 12-16 tons of fertilizer and 50-64 tons of digestate a year. Four tons of fertilizer is enough for one acre ofnd..." This time, Garrett answered with less confidence. The annual production of fertilizer and digestate was an estimate; how much fertilizer was needed per acre, he had heard in bits and pieces from his correspondence with Elder Elwin. As for the effect of digestate on yield increase... He knew it would definitely increase yield, but he couldn¡¯t just make up numbers! However, thedy knight was already smiling brightly. After her smile, she slightly furrowed her brows and sighed: "That¡¯s not enough." "Not enough where?" Garrett felt somewhat guilty whenever he saw thedy knight, especially since he hadn¡¯t repaid her 2000 gold coins yet. Seeing her dissatisfaction, he quickly inquired. Thedy knight spread her five fingers: "One biogas digester is enough for four acres ofnd. This city, with one per thousand people, would have about 400 to 500 digesters, at most enough for 2000 acres ofnd. 2000 acres is nowhere near enough!" Garrett broke into a sweat. 2000 acres, mydy! Howrge of andlord are you, thinking 2000 acres isn¡¯t enough... But then, considering her ownership of two castles and the viscountcy he had seen during hisst visit, Garrett had to sadly admit: To ady viscount, indeed, 2000 acres was nothing... "Lady Viscount, it¡¯s not calcted like that." Garrett had no choice but to exin: "The city biogas digesters nned in my project can boil 2 tons of water a day, requiring about 50 cubic meters in volume..." "So, enough fertilizer for ten thousand acres? That¡¯s more like it." Thedy knight nodded in satisfaction. "How much does one cost?" "The surface part, including the boiling water room, about ten gold coins. The underground part..." hadn¡¯t been calcted yet. But withrge quantities, there should be a discount? Including the divine magic for adjusting the biogas digester, negotiations with the Church of Nature should be possible... "That¡¯s not too much." Thedy knight muttered under her breath. She then flicked her hair aside and looked up with a smile that was carefree and strikingly beautiful: "Alright, just 400 of them? I¡¯ll take care of it!" "Seraina!" A young noble eximed in shock, stepping forward and instinctively positioning himself in front of her as if to shield her from Garrett. Seraina nced at him: "Little brother, what¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s not expensive. I¡¯ll just hold fewer banquets and buy one less piece of magical jewelry, and I¡¯ll save that money. These days, increasing food production is more important than anything else, don¡¯t you understand?" As she spoke, she walked forward, bypassing the young noble, and went straight to Garrett. The young noble was speechless, reluctant, and a bit worried, his gaze shifting back and forth between Seraina and Garrett: "I¡¯ll tell father!" "Oh, my dear little brother." Thedy knight¡¯s eyes sparkled as sheughed softly: "I¡¯m going to tell father, I¡¯ll tell father¡ªalways running to father over every little thing, when will you grow up?" Seraina turned and walked away. With the n to build 400 biogas digesters confirmed, there was nothing more of importance in the meeting. The guests gradually took their leave, and Garrett escorted them out of the Mage Tower, taking extra care to apany thedy knight a bit further. Watching the siblings ride off side by side, thedy knight suddenly turned her horse around and galloped back to him: "Magus Nordmark!" "Lady Viscount?" Garrett, now owing another debt of gratitude, quickly responded. Thedy knight dismounted and smiled at him: "I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve recently advised several merchants on improving their production techniques. How about it, do you have a way to make a profit together?" I¡¯m not! I haven¡¯t! All that money went to the Public Health Office, not a cent in my own pocket! ¡ªGarrett wanted to say. However, looking at thedy knight¡¯s bright smile and thinking of the five or six thousand gold coins she had spent before, he had only one response: "I¡¯ll have to think about it..." Making so much money wasn¡¯t easy! Even if he had the technology, he had to consider the cost of transformation and the market capacity. Besides, squeezing money out of his own people wasn¡¯t the point; increasing productivity was the real goal! He furrowed his brows in thought. Thedy knight pursed her lips and waved her hand at him: "Alright, no rush. Take your time, and write to me when you have an idea¡ª" She mounted her horse and rode off, leaving Garrett alone in the Mage Tower, pondering: Where to find a profitable job? Where to find a technological improvement that could easily earn five or six thousand gold coins to repay her favor? "You know, it doesn¡¯t really matter if you don¡¯t repay," Aurora walked in, seeing him hunched over with his head in his hands, almost burrowing under the table, and couldn¡¯t help but tease: "Maybe she doesn¡¯t even want you to repay? The more you owe, the more you owe, and then... hmm?" "I definitely have to repay." Garrett rolled his eyes at her: "Borrowing and repaying makes borrowing again easy, borrowing without repaying is a mess... Let me think, which project can I use to repay the debt? All the good projects have been sold off already..." Pasteurization, salt purification, and using metal thermometers to control furnace temperatures for iron smelting... All the most valuable projects had been exchanged for investments with the Public Health Office, and the others weren¡¯t worth much! "Maybe cooperate in producing penicillin? No, absolutely not, this project is vital, the council must keep it under its own control... Or the uing smallpox vine? Even less so, vines aren¡¯t meant to make a fortune!" "You better think fast!" Magus Lynn walked in. Mister Troka leaped down from his shoulder, carrying a gilded invitation, and presented it to Garrett: "Well, she¡¯s specifically invited you to her ball! If you don¡¯t want to sell yourself, you¡¯d bettere up with something to redeem yourself!" Chapter 303 Chapter 303 epting favors softens the tongue, and taking gifts shortens the arms. Owing a significant debt of gratitude and yet to repay it, Garrett could only arrive at the Augustus Castle around three or four in the afternoon, just as the tea party was starting, on the day of the ball. Not just him, Aurora and Lynn also tagged along to enjoy the ball, and as for Bernard, wherever there was good food, he was sure to be found... On the castle¡¯s soft grasswn,rge umbres blooming like white flowers had been erected, under which dozens ofdies and gentlewomen were sipping tea and chatting. Seeing Garrett and hispanions dismount at the other end of the long bridge and hand over their invitations, they cast surprised nces: Who are these guests? Why have they arrived sote! The knights who had gone hunting in the woods had already returned, and the group of knights jousting in front of the castle had already changed twice... Thedy knight personally went to greet them. Aurora and the others consciously stepped back, watching Garrett and her walk shoulder to shoulder across the long bridge, chatting as they went. Thedy knight, with a smile full of meaning, pointed towards a tower on the right corner of the castle: "I¡¯m really sorry to bother you knowing how busy you are. But Lord Bartolo, the mage patronized by the Loxi domain, has been deteriorating in health and has decided to retire. We haven¡¯t found a recement yet, and the news has leaked, so I can only ask you to make an appearance to deter those with ulterior motives." From this lengthy speech, Garrett only caught the words "deteriorating in health." As soon as thedy knight finished speaking, he immediately asked: "What¡¯s the ailment? Has he been seen by a physician¡ªor a priest?""Elder Wood and the Archbishop have both seen him." Seraina smiled softly and sadly: "Lord Bartolo doesn¡¯t have a serious illness; he¡¯s just old. He was also my mother¡¯s mentor, nearly 100 years old this year..." Garrett uttered a sound of acknowledgment and refrained from offering any more advice. There are many diseases in the world that, with the advancement of medicine, might be treatable. However, old age is incurable: as one gets older, the resilience decreases, unable to withstand any surgery or illness, and eventually, even without any disease, one could pass away from multiple organ failure. He simply asked: "Is there anything I can help with?" "Not for now. Just your presence at the ball, making yourself seen, is enough. By the way, if it¡¯s not too much trouble, may I have a dance?" "Ah? Heh, heh..." Garrett silently drifted away, taking Bernard with him to find a ce to eat. The majority of Seraina¡¯s guests were nobility, and Garrett hardly knew anyone. After making a round, he only greeted Master Tolga and his daughter Iris. The youngdy was happily engaged in conversation, clearly spoken for, and was here to support her friend. Not wanting to intrude, Garrett excused himself after a brief chat and went off to satiate his hunger. It was early spring, and the night fell quickly, with a bone-chilling breeze by theke. Before long, the banquet hall was brightly lit, and suddenly, a grand horn sound echoed: "Wuooong¡ª" That sound was definitely not from one or two horns, but at least four. Who could it be, making such a grand entrance even before appearing? Garrett, along with the other guests, looked outside. Soon, they saw four knights stride into the banquet hall, standing in two rows facing each other. The elderly butler, who had been greeting guests at the door, quickly came over, cleared his throat, and announced loudly: "Count Inverness and hisdy have arrived¡ª" "Baron Canneh has arrived¡ª" "Knight Hopman has arrived¡ª" A series of titles were announced, stirring the crowd. Garrett didn¡¯t need any magic like "keen ears or eyes" to hear the whispers all around: "The Count has also arrived." "He¡¯s here to support his daughter, right? After all, it¡¯s her 20th birthday ball..." "No wonder the Countess came along. And her eldest son, Baron Canneh, though three years younger than thedy viscount, is now a knight, right?" "Who¡¯s that Knight Hopman? Does anyone know him?" "It¡¯s rare, since thedy viscount moved to the domain, I remember her stepmother hasn¡¯t visited yet¡ª" The banquet hall buzzed with noise, drowning out the orchestra¡¯s music. Lady Seraina stepped forward to embrace her father, then curtsied to her stepmother. Count Inverness, smiling, led his eldest daughter to the center of the hall, took a ss of wine from a servant , and raised it high: "Thank you all for attending my daughter¡¯s birthday banquet..." After speaking non-stop for two minutes, he gestured with his ss to the left and right and drank it down. Today¡¯s banquet was buffet-style, with long tables already set up along the walls, and the servers began to bring out dishes. Garrett, already hungry, turned to head for the food but was stopped by Aurora: "Wait! You can only eat after three dances!" "...But with whom shall I dance?" Garrett couldn¡¯t help but retort. Apart from the hostess, I only know one woman here who¡¯s already taken! Am I supposed to ask her for a dance? NEVER! "You don¡¯t have to dance! Just stand by and watch, it¡¯s the etiquette! Etiquette!" Garrett might opt out of dancing, but the hostess couldn¡¯t. As the host of the ball, Seraina danced the first dance with her father, Count Inverness, and then the second with the heir to the count, her eldest brother, Baron Canneh. As the music changed, bing lively yet tender, the crowd began to move, looking left and right as if searching for something among themselves. "What are they looking for?" Garrett whispered. Aurora shook her head, and so did Lynn. Shortly after, from behind the countess, another young man they had brought along stepped forward, his left hand behind his back and his right hand elegantly extended, bowing slightly to thedy knight: "Miss Seraina, may I have this dance?" Seraina cautiously took a step back. The young man, unfazed, continued to smile: "Miss Seraina, I am the eldest son of Baron Hopman, 25 years old this year, a level 7 knight. I have been traveling abroad and have just returned to my homnd. Your beauty and valor have left a deep impression on me. May I have the honor of asking you for a dance?" Ah... so it¡¯s a matchmaking attempt. Got it. Garrett withdrew his gaze, suddenly feeling something amiss, and scrutinized the man again. Knight Hopman was tall and slim, his right hand extended forward with long, well-defined fingers. Those hands, if used to y the piano, would surely be quite adept. As Garrett watched, he subconsciously stepped forward, nearly breaking through the crowd. Aurora quickly pulled him back: "What are you doing?" "Ah?" Garrett hadn¡¯t yet snapped out of it, his gaze still fixed on Knight Hopman, and absentmindedly responded. Aurora quickly dragged him back, whispering: "Not now if you¡¯re going to intercept! ¡ªHe¡¯s brought by the countess!" Chapter 304 Chapter 304 Garrett finally snapped back to reality, stepping back two paces under Aurora¡¯s forceful guidance. Meanwhile, in the center of the crowd, Lady Seraina, with a smile on her face, neither nodded nor shook her head but instead turned to Count Inverness: "Father, I have the right to choose my own dance partner, don¡¯t I?" "Of course¡ªof course," the count nodded. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, in crisp military attire, with deep lines between his thick, dark eyebrows. Facing his daughter¡¯s question, his brows furrowed slightly, but he ultimately gave an affirmative answer: "My daughter, at any time, you have the right to choose your dance partner. However¡ªthe Hopmand is quite a decent person, a 25-year-old level 7 knight, quite a match for you. Perhaps you should consider it?" He nced at his wife as he spoke. The countess immediately added: "Yes, Seraina. This child is my nephew, and frankly, he¡¯s been raised by our entire family. He¡¯s serious and hardworking, with quite a good character. By the goddess above, you¡¯re already 20. When I was your age, I was already married to your father and had given birth to your brother¡ª" Seraina maintained her graceful demeanor, her hands sped in front of her, smiling as she listened. Upon hearing this, her lips curled slightly upwards, and she leaned in towards her stepmother: "Yes..." She then whispered something quietly that Garrett couldn¡¯t make out from afar, but it was clearly not meant to be ttering. The countess¡¯s face turned red, then pale, and then back to normal after a moment. Garrett stopped in his tracks, not venturing any closer.Lady Seraina cast a sidelong nce at Knight Hopman, lifted her head, and walked past him straight forward. Immediately, several young nobles stepped out: "Miss Seraina, may I have this dance?" "Lady Viscount, may I have the honor?" "Beautiful miss..." Lady Seraina¡¯s gaze briefly swept over Garrett, who stood quietly in the crowd, making no move toe forward, and she smiled gently. Extending her hand, she touched the nearest gentleman who seemed eptable: "My pleasure, Mister Pierre~" Light on her feet, her skirt swirling, she danced through one song and then with another lucky gentleman. Knight Hopman stood by the countess, his face growing darker by the moment, his eyes almost shooting fire as he watched Lady Seraina¡¯s dance partner. Garrett made it a point to pass by him. Pretending to be nonchnt, he strolled past, two meters away from Hopman, sneakily observing him. After a while, he circled back for another look... As the third dance ended, Lady Seraina excused herself to change her attire and took a break. The guests paired off to dance, and Garrett was about to sneak past again when Lynn, the mage, grabbed him and pulled him into a corner: "What are you doing? Didn¡¯t you see that guy is about to explode? Everyone else is avoiding him, and you¡¯re walking right into the lion¡¯s den. Be careful he doesn¡¯t take it out on you!" "What can he do to me?" Garrett was slightly indignant: "I haven¡¯t provoked him; I¡¯m just walking past! The banquet hall isn¡¯t his house; what can he possibly do to me?" The two red at each other in the corner, neither able to persuade the other. Amidst their standoff, a roar suddenly erupted from the center of the dance floor: "Pierre, I challenge you to a duel!" Garrett immediately looked in the direction of the sound. Oh no, Knight Hopman, with a stormy expression, was staring down the young noble who had first danced with the hostess. Between them on the floory a white glove, shimmering with silver, seemingly embroidered with numerous patterns. "See!" Lynn took the opportunity to lecture Garrett: "If I hadn¡¯t stopped you, you¡¯d be the unlucky one. Ah, I remember this Hopman now. Their family¡¯s Spider Swordsmanship is quite peculiar, known to challenge opponents above their level. His opponent is in for a tough time; I wonder if ourdy viscount will intervene..." In the midst of their conversation, the duel began. Hopman¡¯s swordsmanship was indeed peculiar as Lynn described, often striking from unexpected angles. Garrett watched in amazement: "Is this the Spider Swordsmanship?" "Yes! Legend has it that their ancestor ventured deep underground and returned with a special bloodline, allegedly after an in-depth encounter with a demon god," Lynn shared eagerly, his eyes sparkling: "Their family members all have unusually long arms and fingers, which allows them to execute sword moves others can¡¯t. However, their constitution is rtively weak, so their techniques focus on being tricky and fast, avoiding direct confrontations. They rarely produce high-level knights, and it¡¯s said that the demon god¡¯s bloodline is cursed, often leading to sudden deaths in their prime..." "So, the legends are true? Their family has spider blood?" Aurora also leaned in curiously. Garrett, however, was interested in something else: "You said their family has long arms and fingers? How long? Can their hands reach past their knees? Can their thumb stretch out half a joint across their palm?" "I¡¯m not sure about that..." Lynn scratched his head. He had only heard gossip and hadn¡¯t verified it himself. They exchanged nces and edged closer to the duel. Aurora called out from behind: "Hey, didn¡¯t we agree not to get closer?" Garrett turned back and winked at her. Just as he was about to reply, a shout from the second floor of the banquet hall rang out: "Hopman! You¡¯ve gone too far!" With a ng of swords, Lady Seraina, furious, dressed in all ck, leapt from the second-floor railing. Beforending, she swung her sword, casting a sharp light, and with a single flick, sent Hopman¡¯s long sword flying. "Lady Seraina, are you protecting this man?" Hopman¡¯s face contorted with anger. Suddenly, his eyes darted around as if he had thought of something, and he forced a smile: "That¡¯s fine. Remember, miss, you once said you¡¯d only have feelings for a warrior who defeats you. So, if I can best you in one move, may I have the honor of a date with you?" "Hopman!" Count Inverness scolded. Hopman turned and smiled at him, bowing slightly: "Count, I only seek a chance to pursue the miss. Please rest assured, my admiration for her is sincere, and I will not harm her. Let¡¯s say, if the miss suffers even a slight injury, I¡¯ll consider myself the loser and never see her again. How about that?" Count Inverness pondered for a moment, about to speak, but was pulled back by the countess. Behind Hopman, an old priest with a robe edged in silver quietly stepped forward: "Rest assured, my lord. My great-nephew will be careful. Even if thedy identally gets hurt, with me here, you need not worry about my boy suffering any irreversible damage." Count Inverness fell silent, and Hopman, with a hint of smugness, turned to Lady Seraina, his long sword twirling lightly in his hand: "What do you say, Lady Seraina? Shall we try? If you¡¯re unwilling, I won¡¯t force you, but I hope you¡¯ll grant me the honor of a dance..." "No need for words,e on!" The swords shed again. Garrett hastened to the front. But with the two level 7 knights moving at high speed, a tangle of pale gold and silver light rolling from the center of the hall to the doorway, and then from the doorway to the outside square, Garrett could barely make out anything... Suddenly, a sword rang out, and Lady Seraina eximed, "Ah!" Hopman¡¯s triumphantughter followed: "Lady, shall we stop? Rather than fighting you, I¡¯d much prefer to dance..." "Silence! Again!" Thedy knight charged once more. They resumed their fierce battle, Lady Seraina¡¯s pale gold sword light asionally ring up, then subsiding, but never breaking through Hopman¡¯s defense. After five or six minutes, another "Ah!" echoed, and a piece of ck fabric fluttered down from Lady Seraina¡¯s attire,nding on the ground. "Ah!" "Be careful!" "Lady, watch out!" The onlookers gasped in shock. Even a few hot-headed ones shouted, "Hopman, you¡¯re inhuman! To bully ady like this! ¡ªLady, step back, let me take your ce!" Thisment seemed to ignite a powder keg. Most of the attendees were guests invited by Lady Seraina, along with theirpanions. Generally younger and less experienced, their tempers red much more easily than those of the older generation. Relying on Hopman being preupied with the duel, a barrage of shouts, curses, and even foulnguage erupted. "Silence!" Hopman roared. He leaped backward, swinging his long sword, sending a blood-colored sword light slicing through the air, creating a three-foot-deep, six or seven-foot-long fissure at the feet of the two closest onlookers. He raised his long sword, pointing it at the crowd: "Whoever curses again, after this duel, I¡¯ll challenge them to a duel!" The square instantly fell silent. Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up: He saw it clearly! Hopman was exceptionally tall, probably two meters, tall and thin. The hand holding the sword had unusually long fingers, even pressing down on the second knuckle of the middle finger while holding the sword hilt! As for his left hand, hanging by his side, though not absurdly long enough to reach his knees, it almost touched them! Their family has unusually long arms and fingers... not very capable of taking hard hits... often sudden deaths... Garrett¡¯s mind raced, the answer almost leaping out. On the square, the duel continued, and momentster, Lady Seraina eximed again, presumably struck somewhere. Garrett tensed up, shouting out: "Seraina, be careful! Either stall him long enough or force him with a powerful move! sh with him!" "It¡¯s useless! He¡¯s stronger than me, I can¡¯t overpower him with a powerful move!" Lady Seraina shouted back. Garrett urgently replied: "It works! His family has a hereditary condition, weaker than average by one level, and can¡¯t withstand intense activity. He wouldn¡¯t dare sh with you! ¡ªshing too much could lead to his sudden death!" "ng!!!" A sword light aimed straight at him. Reflexively, Garrett stepped back, his mage armor shattering silently half a foot in front of him, as a translucent force field sprang up. Triggered by the ¡¾Endless Ink Pen¡¿, it protected him just in time. Across the barrier, Hopman¡¯s face twisted in rage. He held his long sword straight, targeting Garrett¡¯s forehead, his eyes full of murderous intent: "Who are you?! Daring to insult my family, I challenge you to a duel!!!" Chapter 305 Garrett Nordmark¡¯s heart pounded fiercely, and his back was drenched in cold sweat. The sword strike had been aimed directly at his vital points! It was not a warning, nor was it a light touch; it was an attempt on his life! His mage armor was already shattered, and if it weren¡¯t for the Endless Ink Pen promptly deploying a force field barrier, he would have been dead by now! Since crossing over, this was the closest he hade to death! "Do you want to kill me?" He gritted his teeth, staring at his opponent, striving to keep his voice from trembling. To his left, Aurora Worton, and to his right, Andrew Lynn, both friends came over to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Two shield spells rose at the same time, joining together on either side of the force field barrier, like a pair of unfolded wings. Across the force field barrier, Knight Hopman red at Garrett viciously. This time, his intent to kill was real¡ª Unlike before, the first duel was just for the sake of beating him up over a quarrel; the second fight was more about pressuring Lady Seraina to ept his courtship; this time, he genuinely wanted to kill this outspoken mage! How dare he insult the family¡¯s lineage! Insult the bloodline that allowed them to maximize the "Spider Sword Technique"! Long arms and fingers, exceptionally slender, these were gifts bestowed by the heavens, proof of their noble lineage! And yet, this mage had the audacity to spout nonsense, iming it was a disease, that they couldn¡¯t withstand vigorous activity, or they would die suddenly! Impossible?! Such malicious attacks on the family, if possible, must be met with death!But of course, he couldn¡¯t admit that out loud. He took a couple of heavy breaths, his wrist sank slightly, and the tip of his sword pointed at Garrett¡¯s forehead: "I challenge you to a duel! You¡¯ve insulted our family¡¯s bloodline, and this hatred can only be washed away with blood!" Garrett rubbed his forehead, sighing. Why does this medical dispute keeping up... A disease is a disease, a hereditary illness is a hereditary illness. Even if you beat me up or even kill me, it won¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re sick! And besides... "You want to duel me? I¡¯m a mage!" "So what if you¡¯re a mage? Rest assured, I¡¯ll duel you following the rules of mages!" Knight Hopman sneered through clenched teeth. His gaze fell on Garrett: a third-level mage, a fourth-ring arcanist. His research level might be high, but his personalbat ability was there for all to see! He was certain to win this duel! ...The rules of mages? What are those? Garrett felt puzzled, subconsciously turning towards Aurora, seeking rification with his gaze. To his right, Seraina had already drawn her sword and rushed over, coldly smiling: "A duel with a mage?! If you duel him, you¡¯ll have to face all his followers, magical pets, and summoned creatures at the same time. Are you sure?" "I¡¯m sure!" Knight Hopman¡¯s gaze was firm. In the surrounding area, he recognized almost every mage born into nobility and mage families; without the support of a family¡¯s power, who could afford followers? Even relying on a high research level and the teacher¡¯s favoritism, that would at most amount to a few pieces of magical equipment! The equipment that triggered the protective barrier had already been forced out once before! As for the magical pets a third-level mage could have... Given the mage¡¯s financial resources and personal level, that was basically a joke. Knight Hopman was full of confidence, but what Garrett heard was Seraina¡¯s meaningful hint. He immediately felt relieved, nodded in gratitude to the female knight, looked at Knight Hopman, and sighed helplessly: "Are we really going to have a duel?" "Of course!" "Can we not duel? ...You¡¯ve already fought twice just now, fighting again, I¡¯m afraid your heart won¡¯t take it, and you might actually die suddenly..." "Silence!" Knight Hopman shouted angrily. He had thought, if Garrett truly refused to duel and there was a high-ranking mage present to intervene, he would propose apensation that would be painful for Garrett. Now, there was no need: "If you¡¯re truly afraid of dying and refuse to duel, then ept the punishment ording to the nobility¡¯s rules! You¡¯ve insulted our family, insulted our noble bloodline, you must walk barefoot from here to our family¡¯s castle and receive a whipping at the castle gate!" Oh? Taking things too far, are we? Garrett was angered too. Out of good intentions, he tried to stop you, afraid you¡¯d die suddenly, and you still think you¡¯re in the right even when causing such a medical dispute! He stepped forward with a cold face: "I ept the duel!¡ªWhen? And where?!" As the anger between both parties intensified, especially since the duel involved a mage, finally, several individuals of high status stepped forward from the crowd of onlookers. The old priest who came with Knight Hopman, who was his great-uncle; Master Tolga, who came to the ball with his daughter; Count Inverness... After a brief discussion among themselves, a guard blew the horn, loudly announcing the judgment: 1. Knight Hopman ims that Mage Nordmark has insulted his family. Based on noble privilege, Knight Hopman has the right to request a duel; 2. Mage Nordmark agrees to the duel. The manner of the duel will follow the rules established by the council for mages, allowing Nordmark to bring followers, magical pets, and summoned creatures. The knight¡¯s side may not ride mounts, and the mage¡¯s side is not allowed to fly; 3. The duel will take ce here and now, on the square in front of the castle gate, with both parties starting 100 steps apart. Only upon the witness¡¯s signal to start may they attack or cast spells; 4. Count Inverness, Master Tolga, and Priest Faelmor will serve as witnesses, with the other nobles present as bystanders; 5. The duel will stop once a party is downed and admits defeat; further malicious actions are not allowed... Afterying out the rules, the guard blew the horn again. As the horn sounded, four loud-voiced guards lined up and shouted in unison: "Please enter, duelists from both sides! Please enter, duelists from both sides!" Knight Hopman stepped into the arena first. Garrett stood still, then shouted loudly: "Bernard!" "Coming!" The barbarian charged over, shaking the ground with his movements. Holding a roastedmb leg in one hand, he bit off thest piece of meat, tossed it aside, and with his other greasy hand, he gripped his repaired giant bone club. The club was raised high over his right shoulder, making him, along with the club, twice as tall as Knight Hopman... The knight¡¯s gaze went straight for a moment. Then, he saw Aurora stepping into the arena with a cold face, following behind Garrett. The badge on her chest shone brightly, with five copper stars twinkling silently. A fifth-level mage. Knight Hopman began to feel a headacheing on. That barbarian, judging by his steps, breathing, muscles, and the weight of his weapon, likely had a warrior rankparable to his own; plus, a fifth-level mage, that¡¯s not as simple as one plus one equals two. However, to concede? To request the duel be stopped? Impossible! That little mage pointed out their family¡¯s bloodline, saying generation after generation would die suddenly¡ªsuch words, once spoken, are a matter of life and death! Either kill him or beat him until he shuts up! Damn, how did a little mage get both a warrior and a mage as followers, and both of higher rank than him! Who¡¯s behind this little guy? Who exactly is it! He turned his hopeful gaze towards his great-uncle. And Priest Faelmor, his great-uncle, met his expectations, asking with a stern face, "Are those two really his followers? Not friends pretending to be?" "You must be joking," Master Tolga chuckled, taking over the conversation. "Who, especially a mage, would pretend to be someone else¡¯s follower? The barbarian was given by the little guy¡¯s teacher, and that blond mage, was arranged by his mentor Archmage Carlisle. Go ask around at Thunder Tower, there are definitely not a few who know about this..." The old priest fell silent. Knight Hopman¡¯s gaze dimmed for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, shouting loudly: "This is you forcing me!" He sheathed his sword and took out another longsword from his belt pouch. As soon as this new sword was revealed, a murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd. Seraina¡¯s eyes widened, and she immediately shouted: "Garrett! Be careful! That¡¯s their family¡¯s famed sword ¡¯Crimson Dawn,¡¯ capable of storing a full-powered strike from a superior knight!" A superior knight refers to a knight of level 10 or above. Remembering the battle against the Radiant Lord¡¯s clergy and facing a level 9 knight, Garrett shuddered and immediately began rummaging through his spatial bag. He checked each item with Aurora: "Did you bring the Purple Scale Stone?¡ªYou did? What about the nitrocellulose? You did? How many packs? Only three? That¡¯s not enough, here, take this whole bag..." Knight Hopman gripped the longsword and advanced step by step. This "Crimson Dawn" not only sealed sword qi but also significantly enhanced his strength and speed. With it, coupled with the family¡¯s "Spider Sword Technique," he could match an 8th-level knight and even surprise and wound a 9th-level knight! "Are both duelists ready?" The old priest, seeing Garrett endlessly rummaging, hurriedly shouted. Before Garrett could respond, something fluffy suddenly coiled around his right shoulder and tickled his left ear: "Meow¡ª" The crowd stirred again. In Garrett¡¯s surprised gaze, Mage Andrew Lynn, in his ck robe and with his eternally unchanging face, slowly stepped into the dueling arena. "You! You too?!" Knight Hopman¡¯s voice nearly cracked. Mage Andrew Lynn nced at him indifferently and opened his spatial bag: "I now reside permanently in his Mage Tower." With a flick of his fingertips, a stream of golden light flew out from the bag, tail to head. Then, everyone saw toe bones connecting to shin bones, shin bones to thigh bones, thigh bones to the pelvis... One by one, the bones assembled themselves, and finally, the golden skeleton bent over to pick up its own head, pressing it onto the top of the spinal column, even shaking it a bit to test its stability. In its eye sockets, two flickering lights shimmered as ifughing. Knight Hopman: "..." Lady Knight Seraina: "..." Count and Countess Inverness: "..." Only Garrett breathed a sigh of relief. He knew the capabilities of Mage Andrew Lynn, battle-hardened, far more capable of fighting than the two of them. With him present, their side would definitely not be bullied due tock ofbat experience! After all, Mage Andrew Lynn had previously defeated knights of the Radiant Lord, even surpassing two levels to kill! He pped his hands: "Shall we continue the duel? One-on-one, or a brawl?" Hmm... One-on-one means you alone against all of us, and a brawl, well, that¡¯s all of us against you alone... Chapter 306 In such a power matchup, were the positions reversed, Garrett would likely have given up immediately. Duels aren¡¯t about life and death or unavoidablebat; a simple apology, or even foregoing one with a bit of thick skin, could halt proceedings¡ª Better that than taking a beating, after all. The problem was, the opponent clearly didn¡¯t think so. With a furious roar, Knight Hopmanunched an assault: for a warrior against a mage, closing the distance swiftly is the quintessential strategy for victory. Garrett had just prepared a vial of potassium permanganate, bracing himself, when he heard Mage Andrew urgentlymand: ¡°Aurora, empower! Garrett, defend!¡± As he spoke, his hands flickered with a ghostly light, pointing forward. A bone prison surged from the ground in the direction of Knight Hopman¡¯s charge. At the same time, Mr. Troka leaped forth, growing in size and transforming into a ck panther mid-air. Andrew¡¯s hands moved rapidly, casting spell after spell on the beast, causing its short fur to shimmer with a metallic luster. Aurora¡¯s reaction was slightly slower. Fortunately, his high level and swift casting speed allowed him to quickly apply spells of bear¡¯s endurance, bull¡¯s strength, and cat¡¯s grace on Bernard. The barbarian roared mightily, his already imposing stature swelling even further as he charged with arge bone club. ¡°Boom!¡± The sh between the knight¡¯s sword and the bone club erupted in an explosion. Bernard stepped back once, while Knight Hopman staggered three steps back, drawing a neat circle before lunging to the left. Not yet crossing the midpoint, a deep roar confronted him as the ck panther bit at his knee.Garrett busied himself casting shields on his threepanions. Afterpleting the trio of protective spells and looking up, he saw the fifty paces distant had devolved into chaos. With Bernard¡¯s immense strength, the ck panther¡¯s agility, and a golden skeleton, the three surrounded Knight Hopman, who was unable to break through. Hmm... seems stable? Garrett blinked. He sidled up to Andrew, whispering: ¡°Can we make him surrender? If this drags on, he might actually die...¡± Andrew red fiercely at him. Seeing Garrett¡¯s confused look, he resisted the urge to knock on his head, exhaling deeply: ¡°Why speak out of turn? ¡ª Yes, I know you want to help Lady Seraina, and it¡¯s not necessarily wrong, but must you speak so freely? Blunt confrontation is one thing, everyone knows that, but why dere his family¡¯s illness openly? Are they notpelled to fight you to the death?!¡± Garrett wanted to argue that their family did indeed have a hereditary illness and that it shouldn¡¯t be taboo to mention. Andrew red again: ¡°Do you have proof? Can you prove it? Oh, you¡¯re a healer, so what? Did they ask for your help? Did they ask you to broadcast their condition?!¡± Garrett hung his head lower with each rebuke. On reflection, he realized he had indeed be overconfident¡ª Having enjoyed uninterrupted sess recently, with ess to the Mage Tower and persuading nobles and merchants for public health initiatives, he had be somewhatcent. Worst of all, he had forgotten the fundamental principle of confidentiality! Lowering his head, he admitted: ¡°Andrew, I was wrong. I won¡¯t do it again. Is there any way to make him stop? ¡ª This could really end in sudden death!¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll try.¡± Seeing his serious tone, Andrew also sighed, moving from Garrett¡¯s right to his left. Stepping slightly outward, he looked towards Knight Hopman¡¯s great-uncle, raising his voice: ¡°Your Reverence, can we call this duel a draw? We mean no harm, see, your grandnephew can¡¯t break through¡ª¡± Priest Faelmor¡¯s face darkened. Truth be told, having spent years abroad with minimal family contact aside from receiving support and helping a few into the church, he rarely saw this grandnephew. Only in his elder, frail years had he returned to his family for retirement, at the behest of Baron Hopman, to look after his son at social events. What started as simple oversight quickly escted into conflict. At first, he wasn¡¯t overly concerned. It was just a girl, after all; what did it matter if she was a bit headstrong? The marriage arrangements of daughters were to be decided by their parents. The Countess had already persuaded Count Inverness, and the suitor¡¯s aggressive approach seemed harmless¡­ Then, the young mage stood up. Priest Faelmor didn¡¯t know Garrett or his background, learning only that ¡°he¡¯s definitely no noble, and his mentor is unknown¡± from questioning the eldest son of Count Inver ness¡­ Sounding like amoner, Priest Faelmor was relieved. He had no idea this young mage had followers, each more formidable than thest. A third-level mage with two fifth-level mages as followers; such a background was unfathomably deep¡ª Just as he considered intervening and suggesting an apology, his own grandnephew recklessly attacked! Damn it! I didn¡¯t know who the opponent was, and neither did you?! ¡°Enough, stop! Stop!¡± He amplified his voice, trying to halt the fray. However, in the square, Knight Hopman, fighting three against one, paid him no heed. Knight Hopman was genuinely unaware of Garrett¡¯s identity. He had enlisted to fight against the Radiant Lord, breaking through in the process, and then traveled the kingdom for a full year. In that year, who had risen in Nevis City? Unless a mage had advanced beyond level 15, it was unknown! Knight Hopman had just returned home a week prior, seeing Lady Seraina for the first time and being utterly captivated. Then, his entire focus shifted to persuading his father to propose on his behalf. Worse yet, due to his previous conduct, no one besides the Countess was willing to remind or warn him; the Countess herself naturally assumed Garrett would yield¡­ When the followers one by one stood up, Knight Hopman found himself in a predicament, forced to charge headlong. Fortunately, as a true level seven knight, honed in battle and adventure with spear and sword, he was confident in his ability to turn the tide against three opponents¡ª Three, two, one! The barbarian¡¯s movements suddenly slowed, and the force of his bone club also diminished. The effect of the magical enhancements was over! This was the moment he had been waiting for, the end of the enhancements, the instant of decline! Knight Hopman¡¯s eyes shed with ferocity. Gripping his sword with both hands, he unleashed all his strength, sending forth a blood-red radiance, a sweeping strike aimed at the barbarian. ¡¾Blood Dawn¡¿, the familial sword stored with the full force of a superior knight¡¯s strike! Blood surged like a tide. The barbarian¡¯s face and eyes were dyed red, his eyes even starting to bleed, clearly in a berserk state. He did not retreat but advanced, veins bulging on his arms as he gripped the club with all his might! ¡°AAAAAAAAAH¡ª¡± A roar shook the surroundings. Garrett¡¯s ears buzzed, and the elderly priest¡¯s shouts were drowned out. Only another roar, alongside the barbarian¡¯s, rose to meet it: ¡°ROAR¡ª¡± A creature, neither dragon nor snake, emerged as a spectral beast from the club! Clearly, the Alchemy Guild had put significant effort into repairing the club, sealing a high-grade beast soul within. Now, as the beast soul confronted the sword energy, though at a disadvantage, it wasn¡¯t immediately destroyed. Seizing the moment, Mr. Troka roared, raising his ws to unleash eight gusts of wind. The golden skeleton, though silent, charged forward, sword shing at the sword energy! Together, they momentarily achieved equilibrium. Sword energy and beast soul screeched against each other, sparking. Yet, it was clear to all: the barbarian, bending and kneeling, plowing deep furrows with his feet, his arms trembling violently, couldn¡¯t hold out much longer... ¡°Retreat!¡± Garrett clutched the test tube, dashing forward. The next moment, Bernard¡¯s blood sprayed wildly as he fell backward; the ck panther whimpered, shrinking into a palm-sized kitten, and the golden skeleton... The golden skeleton copsed with a tter. Skull, spine, ribs, limbs, scattered across the ground as the sword energy whizzed overhead. Sword energy roared. Knight Hopman¡¯s eyes zed, charging past the three fallen warriors, straight at Garrett. He didn¡¯t even swing at the barbarian again: ¡¾Blood Dawn¡¿¡¯s energy was nearly spent, and every bit had to be directed at the mage! Then, he saw the three mages shoulder to shoulder, pointing or raising their hands towards him¡ª ¡¾Fireball¡¿! ¡¾Fireball¡¿! ¡¾ming Orb¡¿¡ª Onerge and two small fireballs approached simultaneously. Just fireballs! Knight Hopman sneered, confident that even without stored sword energy, his own could easily shatter these fireballs! He directed his sword light, slicing through. The fireballs on either side moved faster, while the ming Orb was slower. The sword light curved, epassing them all. But the next moment, all three fireballs exploded, a trio of sts converging on a single point like never before! Trouble!!! Knight Hopman¡¯s hairs stood on end. The blood-red sword lightsted only half a second before silently shattering. All he had left was his sword energy, the fruit of years of diligent cultivation as a level seven knight¡ª Knight Hopman swung his sword in desperation. Left, front, right, he had to block them all! Push harder, move faster, strengthen the sword energy! The moment stretched on like eternity. Finally, as the st faded, severalyers of shields had been erected, obviously not easily shattered. Behind the shields, the young mage shouted: ¡°Bernard!¡± The barbarian¡¯s roar and the ck panther¡¯s growl approached, aiming for his back. Knight Hopman turned, sword in hand. The next moment, a pain pierced his chest, and he copsed, weakened. Chapter 307 A buzz sounded in Garrett Nordmark¡¯s forehead. Marfan syndrome¡ªthrough family medical history and repeated observations, Garrett had confirmed this¡ªthe patient, after vigorous exercise, clutched their chest in agony and fell to the ground, unable to rise again¡ªa high probability of a cardiovascr disease attack! It is known that patients with Marfan syndromergely have congenital cardiovascr abnormalities! He sprinted towards the patient. As he ran, he rapidly went through a checklist in his mind. Angina? Acute myocardial infarction? Cardiogenic shock? Or something worse... Regardless, if it was just a severe arrhythmia or cardiac arrest, as long as immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed, many could be saved! His eyes fixed unblinkingly on Knight Hopman, who had copsed on the ground, curled up, making it impossible to see if his chest was rising and falling. Was he breathing? Were his lips cyanotic? Was there cold sweat? Too far to see clearly, he needed to get closer... Just a few steps out, his arms were simultaneously gripped tight. Andrew Lynn was on his left, Aurora Worton on his right, each grabbing one of his hands, forcefully dragging him back: "What are you doing!" "Let go of me! I need to save him! He¡¯ll die soon if we don¡¯t!""What does his dying have to do with you!" Andrew Lynn almost wished he could cover Garrett¡¯s mouth. He stood in front of Garrett, pressed down on his shoulders, and forcefully pushed him back. While pushing, he leaned forward, stared into Garrett¡¯s eyes, and roared: "He didn¡¯t die by your hand! It was his own request to duel! You stopped the moment he fell! The three of us, along with Bernard, and my two magical pets, none of us hurt him!" Just after he finished shouting, a person had already rushed over from beside the dueling ground. The old man¡¯s beard was almost entirely white, yet he ran quickly, reaching Knight Hopman in a blink. He knelt on both knees, prayed for a moment, and then a beam of white light fell on the knight. It was Knight Hopman¡¯s granduncle. Although the old man was aged, his priest level was not to be underestimated, with three silver lines shining on the hem of his robe, clearly indicating an 8th-level priest. Garrett¡¯s steps had just slowed when the old man turned his head and bellowed at him: "What are you doing here? Want to harm him further? Get out!" Garrett paused. An 8th-level priest, really quite powerful, should... be able to cure him, right? But sudden cardiac death was still very dangerous... Without proper resuscitation, if the heart couldn¡¯t be restarted, relying solely on healing spells, it¡¯s uncertain how long they couldst... That old man was only praying, not performing any external chestpressions... I¡¯ll just take a look... Just a look... Garrett hesitantly wanted to step forward. Andrew Lynn pulled him back again: "What else do you want to do?¡ªAre you confident you can save him?" In an instant, all of Garrett¡¯s strength drained, his shoulders slumping powerlessly. No confidence. Really no confidence. Without an ECG, echocardiography, MRI, cardiac catheterization, and aortography, he couldn¡¯t even determine what the patient was suffering from. Marfan syndrome¡¯s cardiovascr abnormalities are varied and extensive, virtually aprehensive catalogue of cardiovascr diseases: Progressive dtion of the aorta, aortic valve insufficiency, aortic sinus aneurysm, dissection and rupture of the artery, mitral valve prpse, mitral insufficiency, tricuspid insufficiency, congenital atrial septal defect, ventricr septal defect, Tetralogy of Fallot, patent ductus arteriosus, coarctation of the aorta... If luck was really bad, encountering an aortic aneurysm bursting or an aortic dissection tearing, haha. Even in a hospital emergency department, with full resuscitation equipment, watching someone copse and immediately being taken to surgery, there¡¯s still a high chance they can¡¯t be saved. Aortic rupture is just that deadly. ¡ªLet alone in this other world, where there¡¯s no monitoring of vital signs, no extracorporeal cirction, and even if you wanted to give a blood transfusion, there¡¯s nowhere to do it! "If you don¡¯t have the diamond drill, don¡¯t expect to handle porcin work!" "If you¡¯re not confident, transfer to another hospital! Don¡¯t you even know to do that?!" "Why did the person die just like that?!" "If you intervened, and he died, the patient¡¯s family would sue you! If you didn¡¯t touch him, and he died, it has nothing to do with you! Are you stupid ?" The various scoldings and roars he had heard over more than a decade in his previous life echoed in Garrett¡¯s ears once again. He lowered his arms, bowed his head, and silently let out a long sigh. ¡ªAs a doctor, given even the slightest possibility, he also wanted to save the patient¡¯s life. But sometimes, for various reasons, doctors could only choose to protect themselves... And those patients, often, weren¡¯t even a part of those "various reasons." The treatment continued ahead. The old priest knelt on the ground, his hands sped in front of his chest, his expression devout. White light fell on Knight Hopman again and again, at times a straight beam, at times a gentle rain of light, and at times a ball of light cupped in hands, silently entering the knight¡¯s chest. Each time the light fell, Knight Hopman seemed to get a bit better, even struggling to sit up once, but just as he got halfway up, he copsed back down... A half-circle of people gradually formed around. On one side led by the Countess, on the other by Master Tolga, each with a grave expression. Master Tolga was even secretly waving at Garrett, making eye gestures, signaling him not toe over: Stand far away! Don¡¯t cause trouble! Under the grandmaster¡¯s gesture, even the barbarian Bernard didn¡¯t dare toe straight over, taking arge detour with the ck cat and golden skeleton to meet up with Garrett from afar. They looked on from a distance, and Andrew Lynn even specifically instructed the barbarian: "Bernard, keep an eye on your boss! Don¡¯t let him go over! He still wants to treat that knight!" Bernard responded with a rough voice, standing beside Garrett, arge palm directly on Garrett¡¯s shoulder. He didn¡¯t even need to exert force; just this casual touch made Garrett feel his right shoulder copse. He gave a bitter smile and raised his left hand: "Alright, I promise not to go over¡ªcan you let go now? You¡¯re going to crush me!" "You¡¯d better remember your promise." Andrew Lynn huffed, waving at Bernard. The barbarian finally let go, still staring at Garrett unblinkingly, as if ready to carry him away at the slightest sign of trouble. But Garrett was already not paying attention to him. Thirty or forty steps away, the frequency of the healing spells became faster and faster, yet the patient showed no signs of improvement. When human efforts are exhausted, once the old priest¡¯s healing spells are depleted, and the patient¡¯s condition still hasn¡¯t improved, I¡¯m afraid... "Do you think he can be cured?" A somewhat distant voice asked. Garrett slightly raised his head, seeing Master Tolga holding his daughter, making a gesture to him. A continuous breeze, unbroken and threadlike, carried the sound directly to his ear, the people nearby oblivious. Garrett shook his head slightly. Although the people next to the grandmaster probably couldn¡¯t hear, he still habitually lowered his voice: "Hard to say, depends on the cause. If we¡¯re lucky, he could be saved, but if we¡¯re unlucky..." If we¡¯re unlucky, and the aortic aneurysm burst or the aorta tore, not stopping the bleeding, not transfusing blood, not recing a section of artificial blood vessel, what use is just hanging on with healing spells? As they talked, the old priest was already drenched in sweat, on the verge of copse, water dripping from his hair and beard. Under the white light, Knight Hopmany t on the ground, hisplexion pale, his lips devoid of any color, clearly showing signs of excessive blood loss... Did the aorta rupture? Can¡¯t be that unlucky, right! The Countess¡¯s face turned pale, pulling and tugging at Count Inverness¡¯s wrist a couple of times, taking a small crystal bottle from the Count¡¯s hand, and quickly pouring it down the old priest¡¯s throat. With the help of the potion, the old priest managed to cast a few more healing spells, finally running out of energy, closing his eyes to catch his breath. "He¡¯s going to die." Beside Garrett, Aurora and Andrew Lynn said in unison. Aurora tiptoed, leaning forward to look, while Andrew Lynn half-closed his eyes, seemingly sensing the dying breath of the other knight. Garrett remained silent, while the Countess had already knelt down, trying to check her nephew¡¯s breathing, then leaning over to listen to his heartbeat¡ª She let out a sharp, piercing high-pitched scream. Lifting her skirt, she rushed at Garrett: "You killed him!¡ªYou killed him!" "Lady, please mind your manners!" Seraina immediately stood in front of her stepmother. She unsheathed her sword, blocking the Countess from advancing any further, clearlycking any martial prowess. She flung herself onto the sword, pointing sharply at Garrett, as if dripping blood: "You killed my nephew! Killed the heir of the Hopman family! The Hopman family will not let you go!" Garrett remained silent. He really disliked Knight Hopman¡¯s behavior. Dislike aside, he didn¡¯t wish for his death, much less provoke him into dueling himself and dying on the spot. I do not kill Boren, but Boren dies because of me... He silently listened to the Countess¡¯s usations, not wanting to retort a single word. Master Tolga, however, was already furious: "Lady, please watch your words! Knight Hopman died during awful duel, suddenly copsing, dying of his own ord! So many eyes were watching, the moment he fell, Mage Nordmark¡¯s side stopped, causing no further harm! ¡ªCount Inverness, do you acknowledge the legality of the duel?!" Count Inverness¡¯s face was as still as water, pulling his wife behind him. As one of the duel¡¯s witnesses, his presence was part of the duel¡¯s legality: Three witnesses, Priest Farley representing the knight¡¯s side, Master Tolga representing Garrett¡¯s side, and he, as the highest-ranking noble present and the father of the host, undoubtedly represented the local authority. As thendlord, he should uphold justice, yet it was his wife who caused themotion! TMD that little beast was even flirting with his daughter during the battle! If not for his daughter¡¯s strong character, refusing to break the knight¡¯s code by fighting two against one, he himself would have already entered the fray! "Shut up!" He shouted at his wife, turning to the public: "I witness: Knight Hopman copsed suddenly during awful duel, dying of his own ord. Mage Nordmark did nothing inappropriate. No one shall use this as a reason to use or retaliate against Mage Nordmark¡¯s side!" "That won¡¯t stop some from breaking the rules." Master Tolga snorted on the side. Without waiting for the Count¡¯s response, he strode forward, grabbing Garrett: "Let¡¯s go! Immediately return to the city with me! Once we reach the Mage Tower, we¡¯ll be safe!" Chapter 308 Chapter 308 Master Tolga¡¯s decisiveness was truly swift as lightning. On the spot, he threw out a piece of flying equipment, the same cloud of dark clouds Garrett had first seen him with, pulling Garrett directly onto the cloud. Andrew Lynn, Aurora Worton, and Bernard followed in quick session. Mr. Troka meowed once, jumping into Garrett¡¯s arms, while the golden skeleton, as usual, transformed into a chain of bones, collected by Mage Lynn into a spatial bag. Master Tolga stomped his foot, and the cloud surged, lifting off the ground. His departure was indeed resolute. The next day, Baron Hopman himself received the news of his eldest son¡¯s death in a duel. "What? yton is dead?!" The Baron clenched the silver cup in his hand, engraved with exquisite patterns, instantly crushing it into a crumpled mess. The crimson wine spilled through his fingers, like blood dripping from between his fingers, or even bleeding from his heart. He red at the count¡¯s knight standing straight before him, teeth gritted, facial muscles twisted in anger: "Who did this? Who killed him?" Sir David bowed slightly, stepped forward, and calmly presented the count¡¯s handwritten letter. After the Baron took the letter, he stepped back, standing straight again. From beginning to end, he said not a word. He was only two years younger than Count Inverness, raised in the Count¡¯s manor and grew up alongside the Count. It was well known in the count¡¯s territory that he was the right-hand man of the current Count, able to represent the Count himself in some informal situations. This time, due to the death of the important son-inw of a neighboring lord, Count Inverness had sent him to deliver the letter, rushing over night and day. And from the moment Baron Hopman met him, there had been no seat offered, no greetings exchanged, not even a proper address!Therefore, Sir David kept his lips sealed. After Baron Hopman swiftly read through the letter, trembling hands turned back to the first page and read it again, then once more. Finally, he raised his gaze, staring hard at Sir David, and said in a deep voice: "What does the Count mean?" "The Count expresses his deepest condolences for the death of your son," Sir David bowed slightly, his tone formal and precise: "He extends his sincere condolences to you and yourdy. The Count said he and his wife will definitely attend your son¡¯s funeral on the appointed day." ... Baron Hopman¡¯s fury zed even brighter. Though he had three sons, the second was frail, and the third had been sent to the Spring Water Temple to be a priest. Only the eldest was promising, already a level 7 knight at a young age. And now, this son, on whom he had pinned his hopes, was dead! Dead! Dead! And Count Inverness was unwilling to help him seek vengeance on those who killed his son! "What¡¯s the background of that mage?" he asked, suppressing his rage. Sir David lowered his gaze slightly, then looked directly at the Baron after a moment, his mind already organizing the answer. He had watched the youngdy grow up, and Knight Hopman had dared to disrespect her; he deserved his death. Since Mage Nordmark had stood up for the youngdy, from the perspective of the Count¡¯s manor, he should not be disturbed! He disclosed a bit about the young mage¡¯s background, hoping to dissuade the Baron from any rash actions and from bothering the young mage: "He is a guest invited by thedy. A fourth-ring arcanist, a third-level mage. During the duel, two fifth-level mages imed to be his followers, one of whom is said to be a disciple of a grandmaster. Additionally, there¡¯s a barbarian follower whosebat level is suspected to be seven. ¡ªAfter the duel, a thirteenth-level grand mage activated a flying artifact, immediately taking him and his followers away from the scene." ... The Baron silently gasped. The convention of the Magic Council is that only mages of level 10 and above can be called grandmasters. If that thirteenth-level grand mage and the teacher of the fifth-level mages are not the same person, it means that the murderer of his son is backed by at least two grandmasters! And could the Baron¡¯s territory oppose two grandmasters? Baron Hopman knew without having to count: Absolutely not. Their barony¡¯s overt highestbat power was himself, a ninth-level knight; the highestbat power in secret was an assassin they sheltered years ago, level 7; and the highest-level magic force was an old priest who had just returned, level 8... Evenbined, they were no match for a single grandmaster. What to do then? Just swallow this grievance? Sir David bowed and took his leave. Baron Hopman tossed and turned, unable to make a decision. Until two dayster, from Priest Farley, who escorted his eldest son¡¯s body, he heard another distressing piece of news: "What? That little priest said our family¡¯s bloodline¡ªis a hereditary disease?!" "He did say so!" Priest Farley cried with tears streaming. He had no choice but to clear his responsibility; after all, he depended on the family for his retirement: "Hundreds of people heard it at the scene! If not for this, the son wouldn¡¯t have insisted on dueling to defend the family¡¯s honor! I couldn¡¯t persuade him, nor could I! If I were 20 years younger, I would have taken the matter into my own hands, how could I let yton..." Baron Hopman¡¯s brows furrowed deeply. Now it was not just about a son¡¯s death, but about the family¡ªwhat¡¯s worse, his son¡¯s sudden death in battle, practically proving the other party¡¯s im! If the words of that little mage spread, it would greatly affect the family¡¯s external marriages and even the education of the family¡¯s children elsewhere. What grudge did that little mage have against yton to simply utter a sentence that could destroy their family¡¯s foundation? If it was still bearable before, or if they could temporarily endure and n revenge, now it was unbearable! Baron Hopman sat dry in his study all night. The next day, he personally visited Count Inverness¡¯s territory and met with the Count. On the fourth day, a letter was passed through several hands and delivered to Garrett¡¯s mage tower. Master Tolga personally came to deliver the letter. He epted the coffee Garrett offered, stirred it with a spoon, and wore a bitter smile: "Little Garrett, well... how should I put it, someone has asked me to request a favor of you..." "You are too polite, Master." Garrett smiled sincerely: "You once invited me to join the School of Transmutation, and though I didn¡¯t join, I¡¯ve always been grateful for your kindness. Please, just say it, and if it¡¯s within my power, I will agree." Master Tolga sighed with relief. "Baron Hopman, his son died, didn¡¯t he? The Baron implies that since his son died in a duel, he doesn¡¯t wish to pursue the matter..." Garrett¡¯s expression froze slightly, out of politeness, not objecting. Master Tolga found it difficult to speak but had to continue as he was entrusted: "The Baron hopes you could attend his son¡¯s funeral, apologize in front of the guests, and retract what you said before." Garrett had begun to nod at "attend the funeral." However, upon hearing thest part, his neck stiffened mid-nod, and he asked: "Which statement?" "The one... about their family having a hereditary disease..." Garrett pondered, his head bowed. Master Tolga, though reluctantly, urged him: "Little Garrett, I know it¡¯s hard for a mage to retract their research findings, but it¡¯s just a word after all. You¡¯re young, a slip of the tongue asionally won¡¯t be held against you. Look, they¡¯re very sincere..." He pushed forward a list of gifts, densely written with at least ten lines of presents, starting with various amounts of gold coins, silk, etc. The gift was quite valuable, yet Garrett didn¡¯t even nce at it, just murmured quietly: "But it¡¯s true..." "But this statement concerns their life and death! If it spreads, no noble would marry into their family, effectively cutting off their lifeline..." "But it¡¯s the truth, a truth that won¡¯t be false just because I deny it." Garrett suddenly looked up: "Master Tolga, you said other families not marrying into theirs cuts off their lifeline. But if I im this statement is false, what about those men and women who marry into their family without knowing anything? Aren¡¯t their lifelines also cut off?" Master Tolga was momentarily speechless. After thinking, he solemnly said: "But they also said if you refuse to retract, they will use you at the council of maliciously attacking their family, tarnishing their honor! Are you confident?" There was deep concern in his tone. Garrett¡¯s face darkened: "Let theme! Truth is truth, it won¡¯t be false! Master, please convey my words back, I won¡¯t apologize, and they should take back their gifts. At most, I won¡¯t actively promote their family¡¯s matters in other contexts. ¡ªIf they really sue me for defamation, I¡¯ll publish a paper in ¡¯Arcane¡¯, and exin the hereditary disease clearly!" "That, that¡¯s not necessary..." Master Tolga, flustered, smiled bitterly. Mentioning ¡¯Arcane¡¯ was not a threat; in just over a year, Garrett had published two papers in ¡¯Arcane¡¯, and it wasn¡¯t hard to publish another. Once the hereditary disease issue is published in ¡¯Arcane¡¯, it wouldn¡¯t just be a small circle of nobles in one region knowing, but the entire kingdom, even nobles from across the continent, would be aware within a few months! Even the Radiant Church¡¯s court, not to mention, secretly subscribes to ¡¯Arcane¡¯ and ¡¯Magic¡¯... He sighed in frustration and took his leave. Well, Garrett agreeing not to promote it publicly was also a result of negotiation... However, Baron Hopman was not satisfied. Or rather, a marriage negotiation that was about to be concluded suddenly changed, forcing him to intensify the pressure. It wasn¡¯t long before Master Tolga visited Garrett again: "Little Garrett, how about making a concession? You know, the Hopman family has always had a good rtionship with the council, and they provide stable supplies to our Alchemy Guild for several goods. For example, the rubies from the southern ck continent, they recently imed a ship didn¡¯t arrive, and now there¡¯s no ruby supply..." "Is it troublesome?" Garrett inquired with concern. The Master sighed: "For therge, gem-quality ones, we have a year¡¯s supply. The trouble is with ruby powder, which is used in enchanting the undying me, thergest consumption, and we only have a month¡¯s supply left. The council¡¯s ships to the new continent haven¡¯t returned yet..." A month, huh? Garrett pondered. Regarding the enchantment of undying me with ruby powder, he had some ideas previously but had been too busy to implement them. Now that they had approached him with this issue, it was a good opportunity to try... "Master, give me some time, maybe I can solve this problem. In any case, I won¡¯t let the Alchemy Guild be in a difficult position." Chapter 309 Chapter 309 Back when Garrett Nordmark was penniless, he had researched how to manually create the undying me at a low cost, even when he couldn¡¯t afford a shadowlessmp¡ªnot even 1/36 of one. His conclusion was that the costlinessy in the enchantment process, primarily due to the materials required¡ªit needed ruby powder! That was prohibitively expensive! The kingdom¡¯s native production of rubies wasughably insufficient. To use them on arge scale, one had to either smuggle them from the kingdoms under the Radiant Church¡¯s control, from the distant Orc Wastnds, or import them from the Southern ck Continent and the New World... And the Southern ck Continent was mostly under the Radiant Church¡¯s control as well! Garrett couldn¡¯t fathom why rubies were necessary. Weren¡¯t they just aluminum oxide? Red when mixed with chromium, blue with iron or titanium, and other colors with different elements... Why not just use aluminum oxide directly, or even aluminum... But then he remembered the difficulty of aluminum smelting; there was a time in history when it was more expensive than gold, and he understood. After all, wed, impure rubies could be ground into powder, whereas aluminum, if not left unused, would be prohibitively expensive once produced! Garrett had considered experimenting with electrolytic aluminum butcked the conditions and couldn¡¯t ignite the electrolysis skill. Once he had unlocked the skill, he dove into bacterium culture. Electrolytic aluminum? It seemed Aurora¡¯s seniors were ying with various electrolysis; let them have their fun, it¡¯d be good to see what they came up with. Now, under pressure, Garrett recalled this idea. The first step was to conduct his own electrolytic aluminum production¡ªwhat was he thinking? Of course, it was to look up literature! Garrett rushed to the tower¡¯s control room at the top, badge in hand: "MOSS, please help me look up papers rted to electrolysis." "Of course, Master. Searching for papers, keyword: electrolysis. MOSS will retrieve them for you immediately, please wait."The tower spirit responded without hesitation. One advantage of having a high-level mage tower was the direct ess to literature through the tower spirit. It¡¯s said that the White Tower and the Peak¡¯s mage towers can ess new papers immediately upon upload; The high-level mage towers around Nevis City can ess papers uploaded more than half a month ago; As for high-level mage towers in other regions, unfortunately, depending on the council¡¯s maintenance frequency, they generallyg by six months to a year; Ordinary mage towers in other regions, like the one Garrett used to stay in, Harnd City¡¯s mage tower... better to subscribe to journals yourself. As for unpublished papers, they¡¯re generally unseen... MOSS¡¯s efficiency in paper retrieval was very high. The crystal ball flickered, and soon a light screen appeared, disying titles, keywords, abstracts of papers page by page. Garrett flipped through several pages and found that since he introduced electrolysis technologyst year, countless magicians have delved deep into this area, with over 100 papers published! "Fantastic! I don¡¯t have to grind electrolysis myself!" Garrett was excited. Spreading the technology was the right choice! How much of the tech tree can one person push forward? It¡¯s through the collective research of many magicians that real progress is made within the council! As for the difficulty in searching through numerous papers, that was easily solved... "MOSS, search keywords: electrolysis, new substances." "MOSS, search keywords: electrolysis, metals." Upon searching, Garrett was overjoyed. Both the transmutation and energy maniption schools had magicians iming to have produced a "strange white metal." Garrett spent a contribution point for each paper, found out they had even measured the metal¡¯s density, hardness, melting point, etc., with significant differences between them... Could it be two different metals? Garrett made a trip to the trading center, bought back both metals, and then had Mr. Norwood try enchanting them. It wasn¡¯t long before Mr. Norwood, holding a silver rod, ran over with a shocked face: "Boss, where did you find this? It¡¯s so useful!" "It works?" "It works!" These two silver-white metals¡ªone lighter, the other slightly heavier¡ªboth produced excellent results when used for enchanting the undying me. The heavier one, Garrett guessed, was aluminum, which made spellcasting smoother, consumed less magic power, andsted longer (Garrett guessed this was because the impure ruby powder contained a lot of impurities). Using magnesium for enchantment resulted in the silver rod emitting an extremely dazzling white light! "Alright! Mr. Norwood, please write a paper. Let¡¯s send the paper and both metals to Master Tolga!" Master Tolga treasured them like a gift. It could even be said that the entire alchemy workshop treasured them. The raw materials for making these two metals, the former being ice stone and bauxite, thetter being magnesite and dolomite, were abundantly produced in the kingdom. No more hassle with ruby powder! That stuff was fine, brittle, hard to grind, and painful to work with, not to mention not very effective without being ground into powder! Finally, no more struggling with low-quality ruby mines! Master Tolga, Mr. Norwood, and those two magicians who electrolyzed the strange metals dove into research to increase production. Setting up hydroelectric generators, winding coils to raise voltage, increase current, build arger, even bigger mercury-arc rectifier,rge electrolysis tanks... What? Someone wants Garrett to attend a funeral? And retract that statement? Let them drop dead! Oh, it¡¯s about the funeral, then the one who should be dead is already dead... The School of Transmutation collectively kicked back Baron Hopman¡¯s request. Meanwhile, Garrett, happily with his students, started practical work on infectious disease treatment. The hospital was finallypleted, and the apprentices Garrett brought along could finally independently conduct bacterium culture microscopy for various infectious diseases like cholera, dysentery, scarlet fever, diphtheria, etc. Now, the question was, where to find patients? Stand guard at the clinic? Ask the temples if they have any infectious disease patients and remind them to refer them over? Or, like the priests of the God of Nature or the bell doctors of his previous life, wander the streets in search of patients? Wait for an epidemic outbreak in the city, then go around collecting patients? Not that it wasn¡¯t an option, but in the situation where arge number of live cases were needed for teaching the apprentices, waiting for patients to fall from the sky was obviously inconvenient. Garrett decided to approach temples, religious orders, and the city hall all at once, and then, with two priests from the God of Nature¡¯s church, he staked out at the treatment center in the harbor area. It had been a while, but the clinic was still the same. Merchants, clerks, apprentices came and went, asionally some poverty-stricken people with worried faces hesitated at the clinic¡¯s entrance, wanting to enter but stopping themselves. Around dinner time, injured dockworkers limped in, bleeding from arms or legs, hoping to get a free healing spell, or a mother rushing in with her child... In general, the stationed priests could skillfully handle everything, and Garrett didn¡¯t notice any signs of infectious diseases that required him to initiate an emergency n. After two days of calm and leisure, on the third day at noon, while Garrett was peacefully reading in the clinic, a group of sailors rushed in at the entrance in a panic: "Priest!¡ªSave us, Priest!" Garrett stood up abruptly. In just moments, the clinic was filled with the stench of blood: At least twenty to thirty sailors were brought in. Those with head injuries, suspected broken arms, suspected broken legs, moaning loudly, unconscious... The worst injured was carried by two men, with two others supporting his body to prevent him from shaking: A long iron bar pierced from his back to his front, going through his entire body! It wasn¡¯t far from the harbor here, but the injured had already lost who knows how much blood, their clothes nearly entirely soaked red. The clothing was of good quality, but the skin on the face and hands was rough, clearly also a seaman¡ªperhaps a high-ranking one. An elderly man followed, gasping for breath, his woolen coat covered in fresh blood, mming a purse on the table as he entered: "Please, Priest, save him first! He¡¯s my son!" Garrett and Priest Farley both leaped into action. Priest Farley shouted: "Everyone,e out! Aaron, go call people from the Temple of the War God! Franz, go to the Spring Water Temple! Call a high-ranking priest! Must be high-ranking! We can¡¯t handle this kind of injury!" Garrett was already moving towards the injured, quickly assessing, quickly sorting. Those with broken arms, sit over there, broken legs, the same, those bleeding, throw a tourniquet, gauze, anything, directing them on where to bind or press firmly. While assessing, he turned back, shouting at the two apprentices he brought: "Tear off the injured¡¯s clothes! Tear them off! If not, cut them off! Clean the skin, alcohol for the wounds nearby, wait for us to take over!" He quickly assessed the situation, sorting all temporarily non-life-threatening patients that could be dyed. Returning to the center of the hall, the clothing on the torso of the injured with the through-and-through wound had beenpletely cut away, revealing a bare back with an iron bar protruding terrifyingly from the right rear side. Priest Farley prayed over the injured, beams of white light falling one after another, yet he dared not touch the iron bar. The leading old man paced anxiously beside, frowning deeply: "Can you save him, Priest?... Can you?" "It¡¯s hard to say..." Priest Farley finished another prayer, looked up, and sighed. "I can only try to keep him stable, wait for a high-ranking healer toe, and see if they can remove the object. Ah, this injury is too dangerous; I have no confidence..." "How long will they take toe?" "If we¡¯re lucky, at least an hour... Ah, I don¡¯t know if he canst that long... Bring over the healing potions! Bring more!" Garrett silently observed. He called an apprentice with the Endless Ink Pen to kneel in front of the injured, using the Detect Magic repeatedly for examination. After a while, he interjected: "Maybe... I can be of some assistance?" Chapter 310 Chapter 310 Garrett Nordmark had treated several through-and-through abdominal injuries in his previous life and even one after crossing over to this world. However, a characteristic of such injuries is that: No two through-and-through wound patients are alike. Different victims, different organ locations, different thicknesses, different materials of the prating object, different pration sites, and even slightly different organ positions... lead to vastly different oues. Some victims might have a rod thrust into them, piercing through the liver, spleen, breaking major blood vessels... They might die before reaching the hospital, or barely cling to life upon arrival, only for their blood pressure to plummet as soon as the abdomen is opened, dying before the doctors can locate the blood vessels. So, Garrett didn¡¯t take this patient¡¯s injuries lightly. Fortunately, after examining the patient from all angles andbining it with magical X-ray, he felt somewhat confident that the patient might still be salvageable: The iron bar entered through the 11th rib space at the back and exited above the pubic symphysis. This location, being somewhat distant from the spine, probably avoided the liver and spleen as well as the abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava. In other words, there was a low chance of immediate severe bleeding or causing irreparable disability. Additionally, upon the patient¡¯s arrival, Garrett had nced at the bloodstains on his clothes. Based on his extensive clinical experience, the patient had probably lost no more than 50 of blood so far... Factoring in intraoperative bleeding, with some luck, it could be kept under 80, a dangerous yet manageable figure. Having made his assessment, Garrett volunteered to help. However, the elderly man beside the patient eyed him skeptically and asked: "You? Are you sure you can do it?"Garrett was momentarily taken aback. He reached for his oak staff, silently raising it¡ªthe staff¡¯s tip adorned with three sturdy green leaves, clearly indicating a seasoned third-level priest. The old man hesitated for a moment, then bowed deeply to Garrett, his face crinkling with worry: "Thank you for your kindness, Priest. But... uh, if possible, could we wait for a higher-ranking healer to arrive?" His expression was anxious, almost fearful, as if afraid Garrett would take offense. Garrett softened, squatting to meet his gaze: "Of course. Don¡¯t worry, Brother Matthew is very kind... then, shall I attend to the other injured in the meantime?" Choosing a doctor is a family¡¯s right, he understood. A main doctor versus a department head, he¡¯d choose the head physician too. Such situations weremon to him, not worth getting upset over. Seeing the old man¡¯s frightened demeanor, Garrett even squatted down to reassure him gently. The old man breathed a sigh of relief, nodding vigorously. Garrett offered a reassuring smile and stepped back. He quickly donned surgical scrubs and, along with the clinic¡¯s three junior priests and the two apprentices he brought, attended to the other injured. Cleaning wounds, bandaging, setting bones, stitching... Well, skip the stitching, because with healing spells avable, they hadn¡¯t even bothered to stock suture thread, simply guiding positive energy to elerate wound healing. Busy with these tasks, half an hour passed unnoticed. Sweat poured down Brother Matthew¡¯s face, his nces towards the door growing more frequent, while the patient¡¯s breaths grew fainter, signaling the near exhaustion of the healing spells. Finally, hurried footsteps sounded. Brother Matthew¡¯s face lit up with hope, only to see a fourth-level priestess of the Spring Water Goddess rush in behind his colleague: "The Temple Knights are out on exercises, and the archbishops went with them! Only three of us were left in the temple!" The priest sent for help rushed in with the news. The newly arrived priest nodded to Matthew and immediately began to pray. Soft, water-like blue light emanated from her hands, silently enveloping the patient. However, the difference between levels four and five wasn¡¯t just one level, but a qualitative leap, with many powerful divine spells out of reach. As soon as Matthew ceased his prayers, it was visibly clear that the patient¡¯s vitals began to destabilize¡ª "That... Priestess, how much longer can you hold on? Can my son be saved?" The old man asked anxiously, crouching beside. The priestess wiped sweat from her brow and shook her head: "At most half an hour¡ª" Despair darkened the old man¡¯s eyes. The Temple of the War God was especially remote, and even if they had gone for help at the same time, it might be over an hour before anyone could arrive. The sailors Garrett had just treated gathered around. With slings on their arms and limps in their steps, they formed a circle around the patient, moring: "Please, Priestess, you must save our first mate!" "Yes, our first mate is the best!" "Last time Old Tom nearly fell into the sea, it was he who dashed over without a second thought to pull him back, even breaking his arm in the process!" "And the time before that..." These injured were sailors, their voices loud even when wounded, causing a racket in the clinic loud enough to flip the ceiling. The priestess, overwhelmed by the noise, finally shouted: "Quiet!" "Exactly, quiet!" Garrett, having treated thest wound, came over to intervene: "Who¡¯s ever heard of prayers needing no quiet? Out, all of you! No moring here!" Having treated about half of the injured, the sailors respected Garrett enough to silence themselves and step back. The young priestess gave Garrett a grateful look and continued her prayer, another handful of light rain falling from her hands as she took a hurried breath, whispering: "My divine spells are almost exhausted. ¡ªDo you have any mana potions?" They would be used for Brother Matthew first. The two healers and the patient¡¯s family exchanged helpless looks in their eyes. The patient let out a low moan, writhing slightly, as fresh blood surged from his back again. Obviously, the priestess¡¯s healing spells were weakening, no longer able to stanch his pain. "Andrei, don¡¯t move! Don¡¯t move!" The old man stepped forward, holding his son¡¯s body. Trying to make him morefortable without applying pressure, his hands trembled as he looked around frantically: Who could save his son? Who? As his gaze shifted, he suddenly noticed Garrett standing silently to the side. The old man¡¯s eyes brightened, but he dared not speak, only pleading with his eyes. Garrett sighed lightly and nodded. The old man released his hands and turned, falling to his knees before Garrett: "Priest¡ª" "Stand up and speak! Get up!" Garrett hurried to help him up. The old man grabbed Garrett¡¯s arms, clinging to him with all his weight: "Please, Priest, save my son! I beg you! You mentioned earlier that you could try¡ª" "Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t hurry." Garrett calmly assured him. "I¡¯m not unwilling to help. But the priestess is currently treating him, you¡ª" "My divine spells are almost spent! You go!" The priestess of the Spring Water Temple stepped aside without any displeasure, immediately making way. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, thanked her with a nod, and stepped forward to the patient: "Brother Matthew, let¡¯s move him to the surgery room!" The surgery room was located in the northwest corner of the clinic¡¯s first floor, the furthest from the hall, with the door tightly shut. Lifting the stretcher agitated the patient¡¯s internal injuries, causing him to cry out in pain again. The old man pleaded urgently: "Please, Priest, relieve his pain! He¡¯ll die from it at this rate! If he can¡¯t help but struggle, it¡¯ll make his injuries worse!" "...I wish I could." Brother Matthew sighed helplessly. "I¡¯ve almost used up all my higher-level divine spells, saving thest one for a critical moment. Lower-level spells won¡¯t alleviate the pain... Garrett, what are you doing?" "I¡¯ll give it a try." Garrett had already bent down. He aimed his fingers at the patient¡¯s back, where the iron bar had prated, and began to chant softly. As the spell took effect, Matthew could clearly see the patient¡¯s back muscles rx slightly. Garrett didn¡¯t stop there; he moved in front of the patient and cast another spell. After finishing, he leaned down and asked: "...Do you feel better now? Does it still hurt?" The human body¡¯s surface has a dense distribution of pain receptors, making it sensitive to pain. Internal organs, however, are less sensitive to pain. Of course, if the iron bar truly hit a critical spot and tugged at nerves, I couldn¡¯t help much. I could only try to adjust the scope of the spell as much as possible... "It¡¯s a bit better..." The patient answered weakly. The young priestess looked on in surprise but hesitated to ask, while Brother Matthew directly inquired: "It really eased the pain! Garrett, how did you do that?" "I¡¯ll tell youter," Garrett responded briefly. He directed others to move the patient into the surgery room, positioned him properly, and pulled out a small bottle of glycerin. He applied it over the patient¡¯s abdominal skin and activated an ultrasound spell: "Hmm, not much fluid in the abdominal cavity, seems the bleeding inside isn¡¯t too severe... the bar is a bit far from the liver... and the spleen too... there¡¯s an issue with the intestines, but it¡¯s not serious... the kidneys... the kidneys are bad!" He muttered under his breath, incessantly. Everyone around, whether they understood his actions or not, dared not interrupt, standing silently to the side. After examining the patient, Garrett rushed to wash his hands, calling out to Brother Matthew as he went: "Brother Matthew, get some seeds! Find the finest, vine-like ones without fuzz, soak them in alcohol, I need them!" Water flowed loudly. Without specialized antiseptic hand wash avable, Garrett had to use the most traditional surgical handwashing technique, scrubbing from fingertips to upper arms repeatedly. After washing, he hurried back to the patient, applied a strip of glycerin to his left palm, and scattered the seeds Matthew handed him across it. The seeds temporarily adhered to his palm in a line. Garrett, with his right hand on the patient¡¯s abdomen, activated an ultrasound spell with his left hand gripping the iron rod, focusing on energizing the seeds¡ª Slender vines, barely thicker than hair, emerged from his hands. They densely entwined, leaving no gaps between them, weaving a verdant sheath around the iron rod, closely adhering to it and silently advancing forward. Silently, they prated into the patient¡¯s abdominal cavity and emerged from the back. Then, Garrett forcefully contracted his palm, the vines seemingly retracting slightly inward before subtly expanding outward. "Brother Matthew, stabilize the iron rod! Follow its direction! Pull!" Chapter 311 Chapter 311 What is the most dangerous moment in treating a through-and-through wound? Garrett, in both his past and present lives, has simted this countless times. The conclusion is: the moment the prating object is removed. The human skin, muscles, and even internal organs are all under tension. When an object prates the body, it is firmly fixed in ce by the tensed-up body, and the act of "pulling" it out itself also causes damage to the tissues along the way; In unlucky situations, such as when the prating object is a wooden stick with nails - that nail might even cause additional damage, such as severing a major blood vessel. Not to mention, when a stick, steel bar, or even a sharp knife is inserted into the body, it temporarily blocks the damaged blood vessels; once pulled out, blood surges instantly! How to solve this? Before pulling it out, first make an incision in the skin to locate the damaged blood vessel and mp its front end. However, this cutting and searching itself is also a form of damage, adding more trauma to the patient. Garrett had seen surgical videos in his previous life where doctors attempted to use endoscopes to enter the wound, locate, and seal damaged blood vessels, but the diameter of the endoscope itself is also a problem... Numerous doctors have racked their brains over this. Now, Garrett is fortunate to make another attempt, apletely different one. He induced the growth of vines along the wound at the pration site, squeezing into the skin¡¯s crevices little by little. The diameter of the vines is barely thicker than a strand of hair, minimizing damage, while the flexibility of the nt¡¯s growth allows it to grow along the prating object all the way to the other end¡¯s exit.Then¡ªexpand slightly outward, pushing open the surrounding human tissue! The expanding force reces the prating object itself, sealing the wounds around blood vessels and organs. And once the prating object is no longer pressed down by the muscle, the friction is reduced, allowing for smoother removal! "Reverend Matthew, pull!" At Garrett¡¯smand. Reverend Matthew took hold of the end of the iron rod, front and back, and pulled with all his might¡ªthe iron rod flung out a stream of blood, shining brightly under the illumination spell, almost hitting Garrett¡¯s face; while Reverend Matthew stumbled, nearly falling! "Why is it so easy to pull out?" He muttered softly. And by his side, the young priests from the Springwater Temple, the two junior priests helping with the stretcher, and the two apprentices Garrett brought in, all cheered in unison: "It¡¯s out!" "It¡¯s out!" With the iron rod pulled out and the patient not bleeding profusely, the treatment was halfway to victory! The subsequent treatment was no longer as perilous! Cheers reached outside the operating room. Through the door, anxious family members and fellow sailors started whispering and asking each other: "Is it out?" "Really out?" "Is our first mate still alive?" "Let me see my son... let me in¡ª" The door to the operating room was rattling loudly. Garrett closed his eyes, sighed, turned around, and yelled: "Everyone out! Don¡¯t push the door! If one more persones in, I¡¯ll stop treating!!!" Ah, not bringing Bernard along today was really a miscalction... and this operating room is too shallow! In his previous life, an entire floor was dedicated to surgery. Once inside, the long corridors, nurse stations, storerooms, pharmacies, rest areas, dressing rooms, from the first to the eleventh, twelfth operating room... Endless rooms like a maze, not to mention family members rushing in, even new doctors could get lost on their first visit! In the future, definitely, must build arge surgical building! Hmm, when leveled up to level 13, with a mage¡¯s mansion, then there will be a luxury hospital on hand... Dreams are necessary, but so is living the real life. Garrett roared to quiet the crowd outside, turned his head, and looked at his two apprentices, issuingmands fluently: "Lay the patient t! Supine position!" "Disinfect around the abdominal wound again!" "Hang up the shadowlessmp!" The two apprentices hustled about under his urging. And Garrett, holding a handful of vines, maintaining their growth, slightly closed his eyes, and took a long breath. ¡ªFinally, the surgery entered a rhythm he was familiar with. The patient lying on his side was extremely ufortable for the surgeon, who had to squat and risk breaking the sterile field if his arm dropped slightly, not to mention the light being blocked. Although he had done such surgeries more than once, each time, the physical exertion was more than 1.5 times that of a normal position. Now, with the patient in a supine position, a bright shadowlessmp hanging overhead , and a circle of assistants standing around... everything was simr to his previous life¡¯s operating rooms. The only difference was the vines he held in his hand. "Reverend Matthew, can you take over these vines and keep them as they are?" Garrett looked up to ask. Reverend Matthew quickly came over, tentatively touching the green vines in his hand, closed his eyes for a moment: "I can." Garrett sighed in relief. Their eyes met, and they silently counted one, two, three, nodding at the same time. Garrett let go, Reverend Matthew transferred power, and a faint green light shed on the vines, staying motionless. "Your name is Andrew?" Garrett leaned down to ask. The patient nodded slightly, and Garrett slowed his voice as much as possible, gently saying: "The iron rod inserted into your body has been pulled out, next, we¡¯ll check for any internal damage and repair it. Don¡¯t be nervous, I¡¯ll try my best not to cause you pain, just rest for a while..." Sleep spell, activate! The patient¡¯s eyelids slowly drooped. Garrett hastily took out sterilized drapes from his spatial bag, whooshing them around the patient, leaving only the abdomen exposed. Ah, not having an anesthesiologist really is troublesome. If it were in his previous life, the patient would have been anesthetized long ago, with someone monitoring vital signs, sparing him the worry... Garrett secretly sighed, but his hands did not slow down. He cut open the skin, separated the fascia, opened the abdominal cavity¡ªseven or eight Mage Hands floated around, hooking what needed to be hooked, bluntly separating what needed to be separated, helping mp blood vessels that needed mping. Everything was orderly, without a hint of chaos. Under the stark white shadowlessmp, the scene was half solemn, half magical. Reverend Matthew stood opposite Garrett, one hand holding the vines, the other raised in mid-air, ready to cast healing spells as per Garrett¡¯s request. The young priest from the Springwater Temple was squeezed to the patient¡¯s head, his face somewhat pale, one hand tightly covering his lips. It looked like he could vomit at any moment... "There¡¯s blood umtion in the abdominal cavity. Can it be drawn out?" Garrett suddenly looked up at him. The young priest followed his direction to look at the abdominal cavity, his cheeks paling further, his palm puffing up underneath. That pitiful look made Garrett really want to tell him: if you can¡¯t, just leave, don¡¯t vomit and contaminate the surgical area... However, the young priest didn¡¯t turn away. Instead, after struggling for a few moments, he firmly nodded at Garrett. His left hand still covering his mouth, daring not to let go, but his right hand raised into the air, changing through several hand gestures. Following the movements of his fingertips, a line of blood rose into the air, falling into a copper basin brought by an apprentice beside him. This priest is quite good! Garrett smiled under his mask, giving him a thumbs up. He bent down to continue the surgery: The colon had no issues, the iron rod hadn¡¯t passed through; The small intestine had minor abrasions, so first apply a treatment for minor injuries, and the cleaning of the abdominal cavity could be done slowlyter; The mesentery had two holes, not urgent; Only two small blood vessels on the mesentery were torn, one cast of healing minor injuries was enough, truly lucky! All of the intestines, those that needed to be lifted were lifted, those that needed to be pushed were pushed, exposing the posterior abdominal wall¡¯s peritoneum! Mage Hand, up! Help me with the intestines! "What are you doing! With all this cutting and pulling, the patient is going to wake up!" the priest whispered in shock. Garrett, without lifting his head: "Shh! Don¡¯t talk! If he wakes, help me cast another sleep spell!" He silently calcted, then cast another Alleviate Pain. The priest peeked at the patient, seeing the man¡¯s brows tightly furrowed, his eyeballs moving slightly, but he really didn¡¯t wake up. He turned to Garrett, astonished, "How did you do that?" "Alleviate Pain! Of course, he won¡¯t wake up if he¡¯s not in pain!" The sleep spell has a limitation: once the subject experiences pain, they will immediately wake up. But paired with Alleviate Pain, it bes a perfectbination for surgery... Garrett replied to the priest, his expression immediately turning serious. Below the posterior abdominal wall peritoneum was a mess of blood and tissue, shattered and fragmented. Garrett barely scooped up a shattered kidney, showing it to the other healers: "Reverend Matthew, his right kidney... it¡¯s like this. Is there any hope?" To Garrett, it seemed beyond hope. The right kidney had arge hole pierced through it, blood gushing out. Not just that, the muscle tissue had discolored, clearly losing vitality. But kidneys are so vital to the human body, Garrett always hoped that the healing spells of this world could offer a different answer. Reverend Matthew looked troubled. He barely released a healing spell, a dim green light falling on the kidney, to no effect. Then poured over a small bottle of precious healing potion, the pale golden potion flowing over the kidney¡¯s surface without any sign of improvement. The young priest from the Springwater Temple also came to help, exerting himself to release a healing spell, still no improvement. ...Clearly, healing spells, especially those of low-ranking priests, do not have the powerful force to reverse life and death. Garrett sighed in resignation. "It can¡¯t be saved. ...Cut it out." Cut around the kidney fascia. Mage Hand separated the kidney. Separate, cut, divine healing of the ureter, renal vessels. Removed the right kidney, divine healing of the surrounding fascia, back and lumbar fascia. These tasks are all urological surgery, something Garrett did somewhat nervously, but always with divine magic as a safety. A damaged kidney was lifted off the surgical table and ced on a tray, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the sweat soaking his back. "Reverend Matthew, it¡¯s alright now, you can retract the vines... I¡¯ll clean up the abdominal cavity, it¡¯ll be quick..." Saying "it¡¯ll be quick," in reality, it also took about half an hour. By the time Garrett had sequentially repaired thetissimus dorsi, internal oblique muscle, subcutaneous tissue, and skin, as well as the posterior wall peritoneum, mesentery, and other tissues, and had washed the abdominal cavity with warm saline and holy water, preparing to close the abdomen, the operating room door banged open: "How¡¯s the patient? Still alive?" Garrett silently stopped his work. He held his hands up in front of his chest, turned around, and looked at the war god bishop who had rushed in energetically. However, he hadn¡¯t managed to see anything clearly before the other person turned into a blur, rushing to the head of the surgical table, reaching out to touch the patient¡¯s breath: "Good, still alive..." Chapter 312 Chapter 312 Bishop truly lives up to his reputation as a battle-hardened warrior. Indeed, he has been through countless battles, his war hammer, battle axe, and scepter have crushed over a hundred skulls. Therefore, even upon seeing a patient with an opened abdomen lying before him, the Bishop remained unfazed, simply saying to Garrett: "Sorry, I¡¯mte. ¡ªHow is it going now?" As he spoke, he casually pointed towards the door, and with a "bang," the operating room door mmed shut, leaving the patient¡¯s family members who wanted to rush in locked outside. Garrett stood up straight, hands held out in front, and pivoted on his heels to turn half around, giving him a thankful smile: "The treatment is almost finished, just need to close the abdomen. By the way, the patient should be waking up soon, can you assist with a divine spell?" The Bishop felt it was his solemn duty. The standard Peace Spell of the War God Temple was readily cast,bining pain relief, sedation, and restraint all in one, immediately immobilizing the patient on the operating table. Garrett was delighted and readily asked him for further assistance. This new Bishop indeed has great patience. Closing the abdomenyer byyer, casting healing spells for minor injuries one after another, he showed no sign of impatience, nor did hein with remarks like "Couldn¡¯t this all be solved with one major healing spell?" Only after all the wounds were treated and the divine spell was lifted to awaken the patient did he squat down to examine the iron bar that was removed, measuring it with his hands, then quietly went to ask Reverend Matthew: "This long? Did it pierce through? Where did it enter from originally? With such a severe injury, how did you treat it?" Reverend Matthew: "..." I only know a little bit...But only the rtively minor part. However, since the Bishop was invited at his request and came out of respect for him, he had to be properly looked after no matter what. Reverend Matthew nced at Garrett, who was starting to leave with the copper basin, and subtly indicated to the Bishop: "The treatment was led by him, perhaps let him exinter?" The Bishop had already hurried out. Garrett moved forward, so did he; Garrett turned, he followed; Garrett and the patient, along with another elder, entered a room, and he naturally followed in, sitting down with no intention of leaving. Such thick-skinned behavior made Garrett take another look at him: almost on par with the Bald Bishop. However, since the other had previously lent a hand, he couldn¡¯t just turn his back on him now. He merely smiled at the Bishop, cing the copper basin on the table: "The treatment was very sessful. Your son is no longer in life-threatening danger, but there are some follow-up issues to be aware of. First, because the iron rod pierced through the kidney, we had no choice but to remove it..." The War God Bishop¡¯s ears perked up immediately. Inside the room, postoperative discussions and health education were being conducted orderly. Outside, the morous noise gradually quieted down, with the crew looking at each other, all showing signs of exhaustion on their faces. "Is the first mate okay?" "He should be fine, able to walk out on his own, his life should be saved." "Can we leave now?" "Let¡¯s wait a bit longer? That young priest asked us to wait for him toe out..." As they chatted, the door creaked open. Garrett stepped out briskly, saying to the War God Bishop as he walked: "No problem, how this injury was treated, I¡¯ll exin to youter. Just wait a moment, let me first take care of these minor injuries. ¡ªYou guys,e sit over here!" The sailors surged forward, jostling and crowding together. A limping cyclops moved the slowest, being pushed to the back, suddenly elbowed the person next to him: "Who are you? ¡ªI¡¯ve never seen you, you¡¯re not from our ship, and you¡¯repeting with me?" James Lowe inwardly groaned. He was a retainer of Baron Hopes, or rather, a secretly nurtured assassin, unseen and unacknowledged, tasked with handling the baron¡¯s dirty work beneath the surface. This time, Garrett¡¯s refusal to apologize and his strong response angered the baron, who then sent him out to assassinate Garrett in revenge. Assigned with this task, James was deeply troubled. Killing Garrett was easy, but the aftermath was challenging. Once suspected, mages have countless ways to identify the murderer. James valued his own life too dearly to throw it away rashly. He could only follow patiently, looking for an opportunity to make the assassination appear as an ident. However, following for several days, whenever Garrett left the Mage Tower, that barbarian warrior would not leave his side. Every day at noon, they would escort him to the treatment center and then back to the Mage Tower in the evening... James, being only a level 7 assassin, found it beyond his capability to kill someone under the protection of a barbarian, especially without leaving any trace. And with a level 5 priest presiding over the treatment center, staging it as an ident was equally impossible. Finally, today, when arge group of injured arrived at the treatment center, James steeled his heart, took a hard fall, and blended in with his bloodied leg. He had hoped to catch Garrett alone and kill him, but before he found the opportunity, he was already under suspicion by the sailors. He awkwardly shuffled back, extending his injured leg: "I, I work loading goods at the dock... I was also injured just now... The priest asked me to wait for him toe out..." His leg was wrapped in arge bandage. The cyclops scanned it over and snorted: "Seeking treatment for such a minor injury? The usury won¡¯t kill you! ¡ªLooking at your delicate skin, did you just go bankrupt, unable to handle heavy lifting like cargo carrying?" James managed a full-faced smile, nodding repeatedly. The cyclops flung a hand dismissively: "Go to the back! Don¡¯t think about getting ahead of me!" James lowered his head and retreated to the back. At the front of the line, Garrett had already opened a notebook, beginning to ask each person¡¯s name, recording their injuries: "Your name is... Fermi, 18 years old, leg fracture... Let me see, a simple tibial fracture. You¡¯ve already been splinted, no vigorous movement, don¡¯t exert force, and if you experience severe pain or swelling in a few days, remember toe to the treatment center to find me..." "Your name is... Bata, 23 years old, extensive soft tissue contusion on the shoulder, ligament strain in the waist. No major issue with you, go back and rest well." "You... back, arms, legs, extensive skin abrasions, undergo debridement, bandage wrapping... don¡¯t touch water before the wound crusts over, if you have a fever within two or three days, or if the wound swells and festers extensively,e to the treatment center and I¡¯ll figure something out." He went through the names, described the injury conditions, gave advice, answered the sailors¡¯ questions. His speed was not fast, but definitely not slow either, able to handle one person in seven or eight minutes. James, standing at the end of the line, couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy as he watched, wondering if half an hour would be enough for the War God Bishop to leave. Should he find an excuse to step away for a bit? It would be inconvenient toe back if he was seen and sent away... Peeking over, the War God Bishop, sitting excitedly by the side, showed no sign of impatience. James hesitated for a moment, then skirted around the line, edging closer to Garrett. Just as he was about to approach, he suddenly tripped and fell. "Ouch!" He eximed softly. Between his fingers, poised against the ground, a poison needle was secretly flicked out, waiting to be thrown. The poison on the needle was his own concoction; just a scratch would be fatal within an hour. The best part was the action of the needle was not loud, simr to a mosquito bite, giving him ample time to escape far away. His body had just fallen halfway when his outstretched hands pressed against thin air, unable to push down any further. Immediately after, a pair of translucent Mage Hands grabbed his arms, straightening his body. Garrett nced over in the midst of busyness: "Are you okay?" With a wave of his hand, the floating disc and Mage Hand dissipated. James stood there stunned for a moment, thanking him repeatedly. He returned to his spot, quietly waited for a while, then picked up a cup, pouring water and offering it to Garrett¡¯s side. This young priest had been talking until his mouth was dry; he would definitely drink the water... He held the cup, stepping forward. His left hand raised a few times, intending to tap his fingernails on the rim of the cup, but then silently lowered it. In the end, he delivered the cup to Garrett¡¯s table just as it was: "Reverend, please have some water..." "Hmm, thank you." Garrett thanked him without touching the cup. Instead, the War God Bishop nced over, flicked a hand, and cast a faint glow. "The water is not poisoned. You can drink it." James retreated silently, sweating profusely. He moved forward in the line until Garrett asked about his condition,pleted the medical record, and dismissed him before he hastily left. Stepping outside, he leaned against the wall, listening intently: "Your son, it¡¯s best he rests in the guest room for the night, given the severity of the injury... Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll personally watch over him..." James thought for a moment, then slipped to the side of the treatment center, quietly jumping inside. During the chaotic crowding earlier, he had already scoped out theyout, roughly knowing where the guest rooms were. He preemptively snuck into a guest room, quietly hiding on the beams, concealing his presence, curling into a ball. Soon, the patient, his father, Garrett, and the War God Bishop, filed into the room. James curled tighter on the beam, listening as Garrett settled the patient down to sleep and went to the next room with the War God Bishop, spreading out paper: "I¡¯m starting to supplement the medical history now. If you want to know how this injury was treated, you¡¯ll understand by looking at the recordster. Hmm, you want to watch me write? Alright then..." "Patient¡¯s name: Andrew Miller, male, 27 years old, first mate. Prating injury, 16mm diameter iron rod, inserted from the right back between the 11th ribs, exiting above the pubic symphysis. Estimated blood loss 500ml..." "Pubic symphysis? That¡¯s the bone here on the hip..." "What¡¯s a midline incision? It¡¯s from the xiphoid process down to the midpoint of the line connecting to the navel, there, from here to here..." The lengthy record and exnations continued throughout most of the night. James, coiled on the beam, listened as Garrett constantly exined the contents to the Bishop, checking on the patient every two hours, his gaze vacant, questioning his existence: So what exactly did Ie here for? Listening to him write so many records, I feel like I can write them myself now... Chapter 313 James Lowe spent the entire night on the beam without finding a single opportunity to strike. That young mage¡ªor should I say, young priest?¡ªwrote through most of the night, apanied by the War God Priest for just as long. Afterpleting the medical records, he repeatedly went in to check on the patient, monitoring his breathing, heartbeat, strength, fever, and even urinary output, recording all this information in his notebook. During this process, the War God Bishop¡ªJames deduced he should be level 7 from his robe¡ªnot only did not show any annoyance, but he also didn¡¯t sneak off to the next room to catch some sleep! "There¡¯s so much you need to record," the War God Bishop remarked as he flipped through the notebook. Names, ages, injuries, various treatments, all meticulously recorded across three pages of paper, apanied by three diagrams. While not detailed to the finest hair, it was clear enough to show the path of the iron bar through the body and the internal damage. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," Garrett smiled wearily. This was just a part of the surgical record, or more urately, just the procedural part of it... Including the post-surgery inventory of dressings and instruments (there were no dressings or instruments, everything was done with healing spells and Mage Hands); The situation with sent specimens forb testing (samples were taken from within the abdomen before closing up, but bacterial culture had not been done yet, Garrett was curious if tetanus bacilli would still be present after being cleansed with holy water); The patient¡¯s tolerance during surgery (blood transfusions, medication used during surgery, special treatments, and emergency measures were not recorded, only the estimated blood loss was noted); The anesthesia during surgery (no anesthetic drugs were used, only divine magic for anesthesia, and the effect was satisfactory)...All these essential parts of the surgical record were still missing. Not to mention the initial progress notes, senior doctor¡¯s ward rounds, resuscitation records... Thinking about all these, Garrett felt overwhelmed. When he was studying "Diagnostics," his teacher encouraged them, "At the Union Medical Hospital, medical records from a hundred years ago are still avable for doctors to study. If we want to be top-notch doctors, we must start by writing a medical record that will still stand up to scrutiny a hundred years from now!" Such ambition inspired everyone. However, this lofty aspiration quickly faded when they actually entered clinical practice. From 8 AM to 9 PM, exhaustedly starting to fill out progress notes, it swiftly became: Write a medical record that meets medical standards... A record that would pass inspections by the province, the city, and the hospital... A record that wouldn¡¯t result in deductions by the medical records department... A record that could win a medical malpracticewsuit... Ah, such memories are too painful to revisit. Miraculously, after being transported to another world, Garrett began diligently filling out medical records again, more diligently than if someone from the medical records department were breathing down his neck. ¡ªThat¡¯s thedder of medical advancement, the basis for judging whether each new diagnostic and treatment method is effective, how could he not write it?! Of course, while he diligently filled out records, Mr. Assassin grew increasingly desperate. Curling up on the beam until the next morning, watching Garrett being sent off by the War God Bishop and handing over to Bernard, James Lowe flipped down from the beam, jumped out the window, and headed straight for Baron Hopman¡¯s domain. No more assassinations! He was done with this damned mission! One failure could be bad luck, a second might be carelessness, but a third failure was a warning from the gods! Following this principle, James had lived safely until the age of 40, and this time was no exception. As an assassin, he had a skill set that allowed him to sneak back home unnoticed by gods or ghosts. When Baron Hopman came to his senses and found several people missing from his castle, James Lowe had already taken his family hundreds of miles away, boarding a ship bound for the New World... Ah, the Alchemy Council¡¯s airships are guaranteed to be safe, though a bit pricey. "...So, is that little magician still alive?" Baron Hopman¡¯s face darkened. After discovering the disappearance of the assassin and his family, he contacted his spies in Nevis City only to find out James had not fled afterpleting the mission fearing being handed over by him but had abandoned the mission and ran straight away! "This little magician, we probably can¡¯t touch him for the time being." He sighed heavily, saying to his wife: "Hiring assassins from outside is quite troublesome, and their reliability is an issue too; we need to slowly look for opportunities. Besides, James¡¯s sudden disappearance might also draw the attention of those with intentions against us, it¡¯s best we wait a while before making a move..." "How long is ¡¯a while¡¯?" The Baroness raised her red eyes to her husband. Since receiving her eldest son¡¯s body, to his burial, her tears had never dried. He was her eldest son, the child she had struggled to give birth to, her most promising and beloved child. Dying at the hands of a powerful individual was one thing, but to die by the hand of amon little mage and not being allowed to seek vengeance? Her poor eldest son, y, if not her, then who? Could she depend on his frail-bodied, breathless-after-walking-two-steps younger brother? Or the youngest brother sent to the temple to be a priest? If she didn¡¯t seek vengeance for her child, who would? "It depends on the situation... depending on whether there are suspicions against us outside, if there are moves being made against us..." Baron Hopman was sweating profusely. His wife, the daughter of the neighboring count, had brought a knight¡¯s title into the castle, dominating him since she arrived. Not to mention, behind thedy, there were connections even he dreaded... "How long is that?!" "One year, a maximum of one year... Give me one year, and I can hire someone from the continent!" A year. A long year. A long 365 days and nights. The Baroness thought nkly. Her y had to lie underground for such a long time, the coffin rotting, the body dposing, being gnawed on by maggots¡ªsuch pain, such agony¡ªwhile his murderer couldn¡¯t apany him! To make him wait a year! "A year is too long. A month at most." She replied ominously, her voice ethereal, her red eyes flickering like ghost mes: "One month, even if we can¡¯t kill him, we must ruin him. That little mage, isn¡¯t he in charge of some public health office? Isn¡¯t he working on some infectious disease hospital? Ruin what he¡¯s trying to do, let him be discredited, kicked out of Nevis¡ª As long as he¡¯s out of Nevis, would those great mages still back him up? Still continue to pay attention to him? By then, any ident could kill a third-level little mage!" "But this... this..." Baron Hopman¡¯s forehead was streaming with sweat. The Baroness clenched her ck mourning gloves into a ball, slowly rising: "If you can¡¯t do it, I will. If you can¡¯t find someone, I will." The ck dress trailed silently across the floor. Like a cloud of dark clouds, or the tail feathers of a crow flying across the sky. She returned to her study, spread out paper, and began writing: "Dear sister..." The Baroness had more than one sister. Some married knights or squires, some devoted themselves to the temple, some often visited her for conversation, ttery, and benefits, and some broke off rtions with her upon marriage. However, the sister she sought help from at this moment was one who took an unusual path, joining the ck Crow Swamp from her youth. Slynn, removing the letter from the crow¡¯s leg, skimmed through it. Still cries for help, still pleading, this was already the fifth letter, she thought, her sister truly harbored hatred, determined to seek vengeance against that little mage¡ª So, should she help her with this? Slynn¡¯s grotesque face twisted into a sinister smile, causing the apprentice to instinctively step back. She had been ugly since childhood, bullied at home, even the housekeeper and cook dared to show disdain. Fortunately, this sister had always been kind to her, allowing her to eat well, dress warmly, and even learn to read with her... Because of literacy, she had the chance to meet a mage from ck Crow Swamp, embarking on the path of magic study. After bing a mage, she lived alone in the mountains, rarely venturing out. This sister, who married into the baron¡¯s family, she hadn¡¯t seen for over a decade, but always remembered her kindness. Slynn pondered for a moment, pulling out the previous letters from a desk drawer, reading them line by line, carefully. This time, she indeed noticed something she hadn¡¯t before,ughing loudly as she read: "Ha ha ha ha... Lynn! Lynn! You¡¯ve actually be someone else¡¯s follower! Following a third-level mage!" Her fingers, wrinkled from potions, clenched, crumpling the thick parchment. Thinking of Lynn, Slynn¡¯s heart ignited with rage: she had been stuck at the threshold of advancing to level 5 for many years, seeking a magical pet to help her break through, desperately asking her mentor for help. Eventually, her mentor found a cat-shaped magical pet, and with friends, went to capture it, intending to give it to her, but it was allocated to Lynn by the school... And at that time, Lynn was merely a third-level mage! He didn¡¯tck a magical pet! He wasn¡¯t stuck unable to advance! Just because his mentor was strong, because his faction was powerful, the magical pet that should have been hers was taken by Lynn, who was of a lower level than her! This vengeance, she must seek one day! She stepped out of the mage tower, palms upward, letting the crow in her palm take flight. Half a dayter, the Baroness received a reply: "Dear sister..." A carriage fetched Mage Slynn from the mountains into the baron¡¯s domain, then to Nevis City. Within a week, Mage Slynn visited five or six friends in the school, as well as some nobles familiar to the Baroness. Then, she returned to her mountain mage tower, as if nothing had happened. Two weekster, Garrett received news from both the treatment center and the temple: In several city blocks, mainly inhabited by lower-middle-ss craftsmen, artisans, and clerks, there was a noticeable increase in the number of patients. The conditions showed striking simrities. Chapter 314 "Three cases have been discovered at 37 dstone Street." "Four cases have been discovered at 25 Camerons Street, belonging to three families." "Two cases have been found at 37 mo Street..." The messages kepting in, one after another, to the infectious disease hospital. In front of Garrett, on therge map, toy figurines as tall as a fingertip were ced one by one, quickly clustering into a small bunch. ¡ªMost of them were within an area deliberately highlighted in yellow. Garrett¡¯s brows furrowed and never rxed again. This area was deeply imprinted in his memory, spanning two entire blocks in the lower-middle-ie district. Twelve buildings, all owned by the same noble, all supplied with water by this noble¡¯s private waterpany¡ª In Nevis City, apart from the garden district, the water supply was maintained by the centralized water facilities of the Spring Water Temple. The only exception was the original private waterpany... And among the areas served by the private waterpany, thergest was the one covering the noble¡¯s twelve buildings! Garrett clenched his fists tightly. He knew, he just knew! Having this hazard in the city was a ticking time bomb! The current issue was, what exactly was the outbreak..."Contact the emergency management department! Seal off these two blocks!" Garrett issued a series of orders: "Bring all the patients, everyone living with the patients in their homes, to the infectious disease hospital! Send four people to ck Crow Swamp, take environmental samples from all the patients¡¯ homes, their drinking water, food, clothes, toilets! Send one person to the Temple of the War God and the Spring Water Temple, and try to get as many healers toe and help as possible!" ... Madam Bnd twisted the water tap. The water was somewhat yellow and very weak. She murmured, "Damn them all," and skillfully caught the water in a copper pot, beginning to prepare dinner: Little Eli found a job yesterday, he deserves a good meal; Tommy did well in his exams yesterday, he should be rewarded, he¡¯s graduating from general education school next year, hopefully, he can find a job as a clerk; Should little L be sent to school next year? Hmm, it depends on how much her brothers earn. If they earn enough, they could send L to literacy sses, and the family could move back to the district they used to live in. Not like now, where two teenage boys, a little girl, and herself, four people, are crammed into one room... "Mommy, Mommy!" the five or six-year-old girl pouted and tugged at her skirt. Madam Bnd turned and touched her daughter¡¯s hair: "L, what¡¯s wrong?" "Mommy, I need to go to the bathroom!" "Go on, hurry back." Madam Bnd advised. Listening to her daughter¡¯s pitter-patter running out of the room, Madam Bnd suddenly felt sad, pulled up her apron to wipe the corner of her eyes: "If only the old man were still alive... L is already six and still has to use the public toilet in the hallway, we don¡¯t even have a washroom at home..." She put down her apron and continued her work. The vegetables needed washing, slicing; arge piece of salted fish cut into three smaller pieces, tworger and one smaller; several potatoes washed for a thick potato soup, plus a pot of oatmeal porridge... The middle-aged widow worked efficiently. As she prepared the dinner ingredients, she suddenly felt something was wrong: Why hasn¡¯t her daughtere back yet? It¡¯s just a trip to the toilet, why is it taking so long? L is usually very obedient, she always tells her before going out to y... Hesitating, she heard a series of heavy footsteps rushing up the stairs. Madam Bnd quickly opened the door, only to see a group of people in ck thumping past the hallway. Frightened, Madam Bnd hurriedly closed the door but worried, she quietly pushed the door open a crack to peek through. The group went straight to the end of the corridor, their footsteps turning, seemingly entering the public washroom. Shortly after, they came out collectively. Madam Bnd peeked through the door gap, only to see one of them holding a little girl with reddish-brown hair, her limbs dangling limply down, seemingly her daughter! "L?!" Madam Bnd was shocked and immediately rushed out the door. Before she could reach her daughter, one of the men in ck stopped her and questioned: "Your daughter?" "Yes..." "You live here? How many people in your household? Where are the others?" "Two more sons... Eli¡¯s at work, Tommy¡¯s at general education school..." "Address!" As he spoke, his right hand pointed, and a tip of light shed, shining on Madam Bnd¡¯s face. She was bewildered and, somehow, murmured out the address. The leading man in ck waved his hand: "Take her! Go to her house for samples! You two, split up, bring her sons here!" Immediately, two men in ck pushed her aside, barging into the door. Madam Bnd was shocked: "Commander... I..." She wanted to plead but didn¡¯t know what her family had done wrong, from where to even start begging. Between urgency and fear, suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, and she crouched down, clutching her stomach. "Don¡¯t be afraid." In her extreme panic, suddenly, a young man stood out, reaching out to support her. He bent slightly, his voice soft: "There¡¯s been an outbreak in this building, and your daughter is sick, too. We¡¯re taking her to a specialized hospital. You and your two sons might also have been infected¡ªseeing how you¡¯re not feeling well right now¡ªording to thetest regtions issued by the public health department, it¡¯s best to go for observation as well." He half-dragged, half-supported Madam Bnd down the stairs and onto a carriage. The small carriage was crammed with seven or eight people, all sick and groaning in pain. Madam Bnd hugged her daughter, slightly reassured, then jumped up from her seat: "My oatmeal porridge! The stove isn¡¯t turned off!" "...Send someone to handle it!" The carriage moved on to more remote areas. The location chosen for the infectious disease hospital was less than a kilometer away from Garrett¡¯s mage tower. Madam Bnd, holding her daughter, got off the carriage only to see the front of therge building bustling: "Quick, quick, quick!" "This quick won¡¯t do! Stretcher, stretcher!" "Where¡¯s the priest?" "Another carriage? The second floor is already full, send to the third floor!" "But Leon, the third floor is for respiratory infectious diseases!" "There are no patients now! Send them up! The sir has arrived, I¡¯ll exin to him!" In the midst of chaos, Madam Bnd held her daughter tightly, afraid to let go. Soon, someone came to greet them: "Is the little girl sick? Can she walk? If she can¡¯t walk¡ªbring a stretcher over! Madam, are you feeling unwell? If you¡¯re unwell, go with the little girl; if not, go to the observation area¡ª" Madam Bnd looked around. Just standing at the door for a moment, she saw at least three priests, running past. They couldn¡¯t afford the priests¡¯ treatment fees... For families like theirs, getting sick meant enduring it on their own, at most, buying some medicine... "I¡¯m fine..." Madam Bnd, enduring another wave of abdominal pain, gritted her teeth: "Can I stay with my daughter? She¡¯ll be scared without seeing me..." "People without illness should go to the observation area." The young man greeting her was fully equipped with a hat, mask, gloves, prepared as if for a great enemy. His eyes still maintained a smile, but his tone had already be stern: "Quick, take her away! Take samples! Send for inspection! Hurry up, run!" A person in full epidemic medical gear rushed over with a transparent disc, ced little L on the disc, and dragged her away. Madam Bnd was about to ask another question when another wave of severe abdominal pain hit her. She cked out, crouched down, and was casually supported by the young man: "You¡¯re not feeling well, too? Can you walk? If you can walk, follow your daughter; if not, wait a moment, a stretcher wille soon!" "...I¡¯ll go up!" She encountered a young man in the center of the lobby. His forehead¡¯s ck hair waspletely wet, sticking t to his forehead, he rushed into the lobby shouting: "Leon, how many patients now? How many healers havee?" "Sir, 129 patients! The Church of the Nature God sent 9 priests, the Temple of the War God 17, the Spring Water Temple 12!" Leon Carlos reported. Garrett staggered, urgently asking: "What are the symptoms?" "Bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea... nausea, vomiting, headache, swelling,ck of energy to open the eyes... Oh, and a few said they couldn¡¯t see clearly, numb limbs, numb lips and tongue..." Leon handed over a booklet. Garrett scanned it quickly, his mind racing: Such a widespread outbreak, mostly rted to the intestines, undoubtedly an infectious disease... Intestinal diseases are often spread through fecal-oral transmission, but what is the specific transmission route? Food? Water? Sewers? Water pipes? Should all people be brought in for quarantine? ¡ªTwelve buildings, how many residents? His thought hadn¡¯t finished when several carriages stopped one after another. Apprentices went up to receive people, arrange transportation, and inquire about their conditions. At the same time, the apprentices who had sent the previous batch of patients down ran to Garrett in the lobby,ing up one by one to report: "Three patients, one with abdominal pain, diarrhea, one with a fever of 37.8 degrees, headache, vomiting, one with severe abdominal pain, bloating!" "Two patients, one with abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stool, fever of 38.5 degrees, one..." "Four patients..." Garrett stood amidst the apprentices, watching carriage after carriage pull in with patients, as if he saw everything, yet as if he saw nothing. 129 patients, 133, 135, 139...146... and many more patients toe... They only had 38 priests... Among the apprentices by his side, only 12 healers, all apprentices¡ªoh, the girl from the Church of the Nature God recently advanced to a 1st level priest. Plus, a mage apprentice from the medical branch could be used as a healer... Suddenly, another apprentice rushed down the stairs. A small figure, in heavy epidemic medical gear, could only be identified as a girl by her voice,ing in shouting: "Any priests? Is there a priest? A little girl is not doing well!" Madam Bnd only heard "little girl not doing well" those few words. She cried out, turned, and threw herself towards the young man in the center of the crowd. Halfway there, her legs gave out, she fell with a thud, but she didn¡¯t feel the pain, rolling and crawling into the crowd, clinging to Garrett¡¯s legs: "My daughter! Save my daughter!" Chapter 315 Garrett instinctively stepped back. It wasn¡¯t out of disgust, but rather to keep as much distance as possible from the source of infection, to avoid getting covered in pathogens from the patients¡ªor their family members. After all, he didn¡¯t have any no-rinse sterilizing gel on him; wherever he went, he had to be careful about what he touched. Madam Bnd was immediately helped up and taken to the ward. Garrett watched her go, then turned his gaze towards the entrance of the hospital, feeling the weight on his shoulders as heavy as a mountain with the endless stream of patients being brought in. He had never shouldered such a burden before. In his past life, he was just an associate chief physician in the emergency department. Upon identifying a suspected case of a virulent infectious disease, all he had to do was report it¡ªthe director, the dean, the CDC would take it from there, following the protocols to deal with it. Moreover, he was in emergency surgery, surgery! The first batch of colleagues dealing with infectious diseases were basically from internal medicine... Even when it came to his turn to step in, he had internal medicine doctors for consultations,boratory, ultrasonography, radiology doctors to provide reports, anesthesiologists to monitor the patient¡¯s vitals... If that wasn¡¯t enough, there were other hospitals in the city, and in the event of a major disaster, medical personnel from the province or even the whole country woulde to support! Even in Harnd City, he had his mentor, the bald bishop, and many teachers and friends he could rely on. But now, he was the one standing at the forefront, facing this epidemic, facing countless diseases, pain, and death! He was the head of the Public Health Department, the first dean of the infectious disease hospital. Everyone was looking at him, waiting for him.Garrett felt as if he was standing alone in the heart of the Qiantang River, facing the surging tides head-on. The tides were roaring, initially just a line, gradually constricting towards the funnel, the waves growing higher and higher, like charging horses, like giant elephants, roaring down upon him when they reached him, almost submerging him: "A patient in Room 43 on the first floor is suffering from severe abdominal pain, almost passing out!" "A patient in Room 57 on the first floor has abdominal pain and bloating, their belly is so swollen, they¡¯ve rolled off the bed three times!" "A patient on the second floor in Room 17 is vomiting blood!" "Three more patients have passed out! We don¡¯t have enough medical staff!" "Sir, should we go to the medical branch for help?" "Sir..." "Sir..." I must hold on, I cannot panic... Garrett silently encouraged himself. Stay calm, stay calm, the core issue now is, what exactly is this disease? Abdominal pain, diarrhea, most likely an intestinal infectious disease. But at the same time, there¡¯s bloating and constipation... Typhoid or paratyphoid? Bacterial dysentery? Bacterial food poisoning? Cholera? Pseudo-cholera? Bacterial infectious diarrhea? Viral gastroenteritis? Garrett filtered through these options in his mind. He no longer looked at the endless stream of patients at the entrance of the hall, turning instead and running towards the wards. As he briskly walked, he asked: "Are the sample test results out yet? Have the results of the stool microscopy for the patientse out? What about the bacterial culture results? ¡ª Tell them to hurry! Speed up!" After speaking, he had already rushed into the first ward. Previously, he had been in the map room, or what could be considered themand center of the infectious disease hospital, checking the sources of all the cases: the majority were from those twelve buildings owned by that noble, and even those who fell ill outside were residents of those buildings. Were there new patients around those who fell ill outside? Should they seal off and iste along the trajectory of the patients? Garrett was still unclear about these. For now, all he could do was to have the mage tower elerate the production of disinfectant, speed up the disinfection, while also cing an urgent order with Thunder Tower. As for determining exactly what the disease was, the test results could only provide some reference, as their culture and microscopy methods were very crude,cking many reagents. The other part of the key information came from examining the patients. He personally came for the examination! These students were not professional medical students, he personally examining could see more than the students! Garrett hurried into the ward. The first few rooms on the first floor housed patients who had already been treated by various temples and were now either cured or showing signs of recovery, resting in their beds. Garrett directly bypassed these rooms and went straight to Room 4. The ward was in chaos. The hospital was understaffed, unable to assist every patient to the bathroom, so they ced a wooden basin or bucket at the head of each bed, letting them draw the curtains and relieve themselves. Garrett looked over each bed: Watery stool, watery stool, ck stool, bloody stool... this one had nothing, constipation, bloating, this one too was bloating, this one had bloating, abdominal pain... "How are you feeling? Stomach pain? Where exactly does it hurt? Lie down t, let me examine you..." The middle-aged woman curled up on the bed was already gasping for breath. Garrett pressed down with his hand, and she only hummed weakly in response. Garrett pressed harder, then quickly released, causing the woman to struggle in pain¡ªrebound tenderness. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t board-like abdomen, no obvious signs of peritonitis. Garrettforted her with a few words, then moved on to the next patient. This one had abdominal pain, bloating, moderate fever. Garrett asked further, not only was there constipation, but there hadn¡¯t been any gas passed either... No gas passing? Garrett took out the ¡¾Endless Ink Pen¡¿, quickly performing a magical X-ray for the patient. In the meditation environment, he could see the liquid levels, vague outlines of the peritoneal lines, dted ascending colon with gas, and free gas under the diaphragm. There were signs of peritonitis, but not severe, it looked like acute intestinal obstruction, but something seemed off... "Garrett, how are things now?" Priest Matthew rushed over in a hurry. After bringing the patients, he had been busy in the ward, healing one after another until he was down to hisst two healing spells before stopping. He was older than Garrett, with more experience, and had been pondering since they brought the patients over. Seeing Garrett, he asked out of the blue: "What exactly is the disease?" "Yes, what exactly is the disease?" A bishop from the Temple of the War God also followed up with a question. Garrett looked up and couldn¡¯t help but smile. The one who came was the one who had watched him write medical records that night, grinding him to exin the records. He nodded in greeting: "Bishop Sullivan!" "Mm, mm." Bishop Sullivan nodded absentmindedly: "What do you think this disease is? Cholera?" "It¡¯s not cholera." Garrett quickly answered: "There¡¯s constipation, bloating, ck stool, but no rice-water stool. Cholera can probably be ruled out... Let me think again..." "Then typhoid?" Another priest from the Spring Water Temple also spoke up. Garrett continued to shake his head: "It doesn¡¯t seem like it... The incubation period of typhoid, oh, the time from infection to onset, is quite long. Patients usuallye in dribs and drabs, with varying severity. Like this situation, with a very sudden onset, sending arge number of patients in a few hours, typhoid can¡¯t do that..." "Then is it food poisoning?" Another booming voice joined in. Garrett looked up and quickly saluted: "Master Tolga!" "Don¡¯t waste time!" Master Tolga waved his hand. He immediately turned to the ward, swiftly casting two spells. White light swirled, and the patients¡¯ pain was immediately alleviated, already able to sit up halfway. Master Tolga asked solemnly: "Are there enough hands now? Do you need me to call more people? ¡ª By the way, what¡¯s going on with these people? Did they all get a bad stomach? Is the water source contaminated?" "We¡¯re also considering water source contamination." Garrett respectfully answered: "But the main characteristics of gastrointestinal food poisoning are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, not including constipation and bloating. What disease causes both constipation and bloating, I¡¯m still investigating." "So is the water source contaminated or not?" "Water supply is also being tested. But Master, water source contamination is just a symptom, we still need to find out what exactly contaminated the water source and how to treat it specifically. Calling more people¡ªof course, is good, but without finding out the cause, just calling people may not be enough!" "Not enough?" Master Tolga raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how many people from the medical branch are here?" "I..." All I know is, in the worst-case scenario, out of Nevis City¡¯s 500,000 people, half could get infected! Garrett bowed his head without retorting. Meanwhile, a series of footsteps were already hastily approaching in the corridor: "Sir, the number of patients has exceeded 200 now!" "People in the quarantine area are starting to show symptoms!" "Another 15 patients are critical! They urgently need treatment!" "More patients keeping..." "Water from 10 households¡¯ patients has shown abnormal bacteria! Bacterial culture and tests are underway !" "Sir, should we test the entire building¡¯s pipes?" Garrett pondered for a moment, then slowly lifted his head. "Those twelve buildings¡ªhow many households are there in those twelve buildings? How many people live there?" Master Tolga also followed his gaze. The young man who ran over with a notebook, panting and sweating, flipped through a couple of pages, his lips moving silently, quickly giving an answer: "Approximately 900 to 1200 households, with a total poption of 3,600 to 6,000 people." At least 3,600, at most 6,000 people. Garrett turned to Master Tolga: "Even without considering the spread of the epidemic, we need to prepare for 1,000 to 3,000 people falling ill within one or two days. The three churches, plus the medical branch, do we have enough healing power?" Master Tolga was immediately silenced. When he came in just now, he had nced around, everything he saw was severe cases. The Magic Council had estimated before, during an epidemic like the ck Death, the Magic Council could treat up to 500 in a day. And the remaining 500, 2,500, and even more patients as the epidemic spread... "So what do you n to do? Can your infectious disease hospital handle it?" He asked with concern. Garrett bowed deeply: "Master, please bring as many colleagues from the medical branch as you can. As for the rest¡ªplease give me a little time, I¡¯m going to theboratory to see if I can find out the culprit of this epidemic!" Garrett turned and hurried to theboratory. Donning protective gear, passing through the airlock, entering the red zone, as soon as he stepped into the room, he heard several students in heavy epidemic medical gear still in the mood to argue: "You did it wrong!" "You¡¯re the one who did it wrong! How did it change after culturing?" "You must have slipped!" Garrett: "¡­What¡¯s going on?" Chapter 316: One Pathogen, Three Forms Chapter 316: One Pathogen, Three Forms Hearing the apprentices in theboratory arguing, Garrett first... breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, the pathogen was bacteria¡ªnot a virus. If it had been a virus, that would have been the end of it. Viruses are smaller than the wavelength of visible light, so visible light waves would "bypass" them, making them invisible under an optical microscope. To identify a virus, one would need an electron microscope... And to construct an electron microscope, a whole array of prerequisite technologies such as atoms, electrons, wave-particle duality, etc., would need to be developed, which was currently impossible! Thankfully it was bacteria. Relieved, Garrett then closed the gate behind him and nced around theb: "What are you arguing about?" Wrapped in protective gear, his face was not visible, but just this question silenced the four people in theb at once. Garrett even saw two people shrink their necks, as if silenced by fear¡ªAm I that frightening? If time hadn¡¯t been of the essence, he really would have liked to make a joke about that. However, with hundreds of patients waiting outside, Garrett had no choice but to move forward and examine each person¡¯s petri dish: "What have you managed to create?" Ah, this protective gear, pitch ck,pletely concealing everyone¡¯s identity. Next time, he thought, they should write names on the protective suits or attach name tags¡ªGarrett approached the microscope closest to him, and the apprentice beside it immediately stepped aside,ining:"Look, sir, what I made is individual ones, but he used what I extracted to make something, and his turned out to be long chains! I told him he did it wrong, and he wouldn¡¯t believe me!" What individual ones, long chains? Garrett¡¯s brain raced, searching through various possibilities. "What did you make?" "Smears!" The apprentice answered confidently. Garrett realized then that the apprentice responsible for the smears was a necromancer apprentice, meticulous and steady-handed. He was one of the first eight to pass the bacterial culture exam and had been assigned to work in theb: "I made smears of patient feces and environmental samples! Both showed this kind of bacteria, inrge amounts! I told him to culture it, and what he produced was different from mine, definitely a contamination!" "Let me see." Garrett, nomittal, leaned into the microscope. Slowly turning the knob, the image under the lens gradually erged. The image of the bacteria appeared under the lens, and Garrett, with just one nce, felt his heart race, bending closer to the lens: The bacteria under the lens were muchrger than he had anticipated! Garrett slightly closed his eyes, flipping through "Medical Microbiology" in his mind, ceaselessly searching: Escherichia coli, size (0.4~0.7) * (1¡«3) micrometers; Shige, (0.5~0.7) * (2~3) micrometers; Salmone, causing typhoid and paratyphoid, (0.6~1.0) * (2~4) micrometers; Vibrio cholerae, (0.5~0.8) * (1.5~3) micrometers; Anthrax bacillus, (1~3) * (5~10) micrometers!!! Whether in length or width, it was significantlyrger than other pathogens! It was the first pathogen discovered in human history and thergest Gram-positive bacillus among pathogens, a fact his teacher had emphasized in ss! Garrett¡¯s breath tightened. Looking again, the smear under the microscope showed short rods and some oval presences. Garrett reviewed several smears, all revealing these particrlyrge bacteria, identical to the anthrax bacilli he had previously extracted. Because the product was too dangerous, Garrett hadn¡¯t allowed the apprentices to culture this bacterium, merely discussing its characteristics and showing them pictures¡ªafter all, when he studied "Medical Microbiology," he hadn¡¯t seen every type of bacteria either, much of it was memorized by rote. Perhaps because of this, the two apprentices hadn¡¯t yet realized and were still arguing with each other? Garrett forcefully calmed his pounding heart. He nodded to the necromancer apprentice and then turned to another: "Let me see what you¡¯ve produced." "Right here, sir." Another apprentice made way as well. A clear female voice, tall among women, she was the girl who had brought several wild boars¡ªthanks to recent intensive training, and perhaps the development of biogas, she had advanced to a formal priest. Because she mastered microbial cultivation magic, Garrett had assigned her to theb specifically for bacterial culture. Garrett observed carefully through her microscope. The knob hadn¡¯t even been fully turned when his fingers stopped: Under the microscope, a long string of bacteria, head to tail, formed into long chains, their shape resembling bamboo segments. Fresh samples directly smeared often appeared singly or in short chains; after cultivation, they formed into long chains arranged like bamboo segments... "Medical Microbiology" text lines sprang to mind like thunder and lightning. ¡¾Bamboo segment-like¡¿These three characters were even bolded in the textbook, apanied by illustrations! Garrett felt as if his breath was being choked off. The microscopic examination of bacteria,bined with the symptoms of the patients outside, led to one conclusion... Intestinal anthrax. Extremely rare, with an incidence rate constituting only 5% of all cases of this ss B epidemic, yet extremely dangerous. Complications include sepsis, with death urring within 2~3 days without treatment, and a mortality rate between 25% to 70%... Is it really this disease? ¡ªWait, further verification is needed! Garrett turned to the apprentices in theb: "Do another culture experiment, this time, add penicillin to the agar¡ªpenicillin concentration of 0.05~0.5 units per milliliter of culture medium, now, immediately, do it again!" A necromancer, a transmutation school magician, and two priests of the God of Nature, responded in unison, skillfully beginning to prepare. The calction method for penicillin concentration had been taught by Garrett before: in every 50 milliliters of broth, the amount of penicillin that could precisely inhibit the reproduction of Staphylocus aureus was one unit. Agar with an appropriate amount of penicillin was made into a t culture medium, then bacterial samples were added, and the cultivation spell was cast¡ª "It¡¯s different again! Sir, what was produced this time is different again!" "Show me!" Garrett stepped up to the microscope. Beneath the lens, no longer were there long bamboo segment-like chains, but instead,rge, uniform spheres, arranged into a long string of pearls! Penicillin bead test, positive! Direct smears often appear singly or in short chains, but after cultivation, they form long chains arranged like bamboo segments, and in culture medium containing minute amounts of penicillin, they appear as pearl chains¡ªamong the pathogens he learned in "Medical Microbiology," only this one showed the above characteristics! No more wishful thinking. Or rather, they had already received their only stroke of luck from heaven, and could not expect any more. Garrett fiercely closed his eyes. He looked towards the two apprentices conducting the smear experiments: "Where did the test materials, the environmental samples,e from?" Both apprentices leaned over to look at the record book. The necromancer, articte, quickly read it out: "39 dstone Street, Rooms 101, 115, 213, tap water culture!" "25 Cameron Street, Rooms 218, 305, 312, tap water culture!" "37 mo Street, Basement Room 11, Room 105, tap water..." Indeed, it was the water source. Three different buildings, eight different households, tap water supplied for drinking, all tested positive for the pathogen¡ªthere was only one possibility, the water source was contaminated! Garrett became more and more certain. He pointed to the two apprentices in theb, one from the transmutation school and the tall girl from the God of Nature¡¯s congregation: "Neither of you did anything wrong, this bacterium indeed presents different forms under different conditions, go back and review my lecture notes again. ¡ªYou two, put down what you¡¯re working on immediately,e with me! There are more important tasks for you! The other two, take your time, save today¡¯s spell uses, there will be a batch of important samplesingter, prioritize ording to my note!" "Yes!" "Yes!" Garrett hurriedly led them away. However, no matter how urgent he was, he had to followb rules: rinse with disinfectant, remove protective gear, shower a second time, put on the clothes he came in with, and wear a cap, mask, and gloves. Afterpleting the procedure, returning to the outer room, the hospital was already in a frenzy: "Patient number 57 on the first floor is in critical condition! Priest! Priest!" "Patient number 113 on the first floor has fainted!" "Two more people have escaped from the istion area! Should we catch them?" "Let me out! Let me out! ¡ªI¡¯ll be fired if I don¡¯t go to work!" "Mom, mom¡ªhelp¡ª" "The third floor is full too! Where do we send the patients?" Garrett briskly walked through the hallway. Along the way, nearly every room had the white light of healing spells flickering. Reaching the lobby, Master Tolga sat amidst a group of low-ranking medical magicians, all exhausted and drenched in sweat. Master Tolga was handing out fruit from a space bag, throwing them one by one. Garrett hurried over: "Don¡¯t eat here! You must wash your hands before eating! Thoroughly wash your hands! Change clothes! All clothes must be soaked in disinfectant, and if possible, it¡¯s best to burn them! If your clothes and hands are contaminated with pathogens, eating without cleaning can also lead to the gue!" Damn it! The dissemination of knowledge on infectious diseases and aseptic techniques really needs to be elerated. Otherwise, even if the patients aren¡¯t cured, an outbreak of hospital-acquired infections would be a huge joke! "Did you hear that!" Master Tolga quickly stopped his disciples. At the same time, several priests from upstairs also came down, equally exhausted and sweaty. Bishop Sullivan of the War God¡¯s Temple even slipped on the stairs, barely grabbing the handrail, and hurried towards Garrett: "We¡¯re running out of healing power! We¡¯ve called everyone we can, but it¡¯s still not enough! ¡ªGarrett, do you have any solutions?" "Give me some time." Garrett gasped tiredly: "Your Excellency, Your Grace, please take them and conserve spells as much as possible, just keep the patients alive. Give me time! Buy me time!" Chapter 317: Time is Money, My Friend Garrett Nordmark briskly exited the infectious disease hospital, calling out as he walked: "All priests of the God of Nature¡¯s congregation! To my Mage Tower! All of you! Leave your work, leave your patients! Immediately!!!" He amplified his voice with a spell, echoing through the building. Responses followed one after another from behind: "Right away!" "Coming!" "In a moment!" Garrett didn¡¯t wait for them; he continued forward. Just off the steps, a horse galloped towards him, kicking up dust. The rider, a knight, leaped down and hurriedly grabbed Garrett: "I¡¯ve arrived! What happened that there are so many patients all of a sudden? What illness is it? What else needs to be done?" The visitor, tall and with a rugged face weathered by experience, was none other than Johnny Colin, the Minister of Emergency Management. Minister Colin had interacted with Garrett a few times before and knew that Garrett wouldn¡¯t bother anyone without good reason. Once Garrett sought his help, he immediately dispatched emergency management personnel ording to the original n.A group of individuals in ck, along with Garrett¡¯s apprentices, were busy sealing off streets, conducting door-to-door visits, collecting samples for testing. Colin didn¡¯t lead the team himself; instead, he sat in the city hall, pressing those in charge to dispatch patrol teams to assist. The Emergency Management Department handled urgent matters rted to magicians, and manpower was always insufficient. In such times, it was crucial to pull the city hall into the fray! He was no stranger to gues and estimated that the first wave would involve dozens, if not hundreds, of patients. However, as the carriages went back and forth, the reported numbers kept rising, surpassing two hundred in just a morning. Johnny Colin could no longer stay put and personally visited Garrett to inquire about the situation. Garrett grabbed his hand, continuing towards the outside of the hospital while quickening his pace: "I was just looking for you! Do you remember the time we chased spies in the middle of the night, finding horses with ck spots and soldiers falling ill?¡ªIt¡¯s that disease, but this time the water source is contaminated, making the pathogen spread through the gastrointestinal tract, which is even more dangerous! I need your help!" Johnny Colin shivered. He vividly remembered that operation; his entire department was mobilized in the middle of the night, running along mountain roads for two whole days and nights. It was said that such arge mobilization was due to a prophecy made by a high-ranking diviner predicting a major cmity. And now, Garrett mentioned it was even more dangerous than before... "What do you need me to do?" he asked solemnly. Garrett¡¯s response was swift: "Three things. First, screen the residents of those twelve buildings again for any signs of difort and bring them to the hospital as soon as possible; Second, collect water samples from the drainage pipes of each floor, and if possible, from the main valves of each building. If the water is confirmed to be contaminated, trace it back to the source as soon as possible; Third, based on the resident list, bring those who are working or studying outside to the hospital. Disinfect the ces where these people have stayed, using double the concentration of disinfectant! Double! And you and your subordinates, be very careful while executing tasks, don¡¯t touch any food before washing hands and changing clothes after returning home¡ª" "I¡¯ll arrange it immediately!" Johnny, leading his horse, followed Garrett and immediately mounted again upon hearing these requests. He took a few steps, then suddenly turned back, ncing over Garrett¡¯s shoulder: "Is your infectious disease hospital big enough to amodate so many people?" Garrett¡¯s expression turned troubled. His infectious disease hospital had a capacity of 1000 beds¡ªnning under the assumption that if all these beds were utilized, all healers in the city would be gathered to quickly discharge cured patients... Next to the hospital was a quarantine observation area capable of holding 1000 individuals. Now, it seemed grossly insufficient; just amodating all residents from those twelve buildings for observation would require doubling the number of beds. He needed a field hospital! Temporary istion points! Volunteers to deliver food and water to suspects, close contacts, and those under observation! Even someone to manage their waste! A whole societal support system, working together in the background¡ª These needs weren¡¯t overlooked when nning the infectious disease hospital and public health center. After all, Garrett had witnessed a catastrophe in his previous life and seen how society could unite in the face of disaster. However, as a level-three magician and head of the public health department, his ability to mobilize resources was limited. For other needs, the reviewmittee¡¯s response was: "We¡¯ll talk about it when the timees." Now, facing a dire need for resources, Garrett intended to approach the reviewmittee but couldn¡¯t find the time. Seeing Garrett¡¯s difficulty, Johnny nodded in understanding: "I got it. Need to expand to amodate more people, right? Leave it to me!" Without waiting for Garrett¡¯s response, he spurred his horse and swiftly departed. Garrett called out from behind: "Thank you!" "For what?" Johnny Colin didn¡¯t look back, leaving behind a statement: "I too came from the lower city district! Helping them, it¡¯s only right!" Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, leading his students to the Mage Tower. There, he had recently developed a specific drug, the only hope against this gue¡ª The Mage Tower was filled with an odd smell. Large cauldrons bubbled with thick corn slurry, and the peculiar smell of penicillin fermentation was so intense it couldn¡¯t be dissolved. Garrett stopped in front of the fermentation room, turned around sharply, and addressed the female apprentice from the God of Nature¡¯s congregation: "Wait here for the priests of the God of Nature¡¯s congregation. Tell them how to cultivate the Penicillium! I need them to cultivate with all their might! Full force!" The female apprentice bit her lip and nodded. Garrett grabbed another apprentice from the transmutation school and continued inside: "Tell Mr. Norwood to expand that refining magic circle by ten times! A hundred times! Five hundred times! Or build dozens more! I need him to increase production capacity! Immediately! Right now!" Penicillin! Penicillin! In the absence of cephalosporins and other antimicrobial agents, the only specific drug against intestinal anthrax was penicillin! Fortunately, he had already developed it! Isting the Penicillium strain, he had produced sodium penicillin! Garrett sprinted towards the top floor of the Mage Tower. Next to the control room, he opened a small fridge storing the most precious materials and took out a tiny ss bottle. One inch tall, half an inch in diameter, barely filling a palm, it contained a minuscule amount¡ª Previously, he was still selecting strains and conducting trial production, not yet entering mass production. So far, all sodium penicillin produced through cultivation, fermentation, refinement, and storage had not been used. Only 10 bottles of such small vials were filled. Each vial contained a little over 5 grams, less than 6 grams. 0.48 grams of sodium penicillin equals 800,000 units, 4.8 grams equals 8 million units. For patients with pulmonary or intestinal anthrax and concurrent meningitis, high-dose penicillin G, 4 million~8 million units, is administered every 6 hours via intravenous drip¡ª In other words, under the best circumstances, this sodium penicillin could save only 10 lives. He could only hope for the priests of the God of Nature to elerate¡ªso many priests¡¯ power would be much stronger than a single apprentice¡¯s! And damn intravenous injections! He had yet to dare to start intravenous injections because he wasn¡¯t confident about the sterilization effect of the injection solution, the unstable sterilization of the injection tubes (he could only cultivate vines now), and the unstable sealing effect of the needle and syringe connection! Under such circumstances, rashly using intravenous injections would be like injecting bacteria directly into the patients¡¯ blood vessels! With no other options, he might have to gamble on muscle injections... Garrett¡¯s thoughts raced. Without treatment, they were doomed anyway, so injectingrge doses of penicillin into muscles... Right, he also needed to prepare injection needles! Normally, the injection needles in the Mage Tower were made on-the-spot for animal experiments, no more than 50 at a time, and destroyed after use. How many patients were there now? How many syringes needed to be prepared? Garrett sat down in the storage room. Opening his space bag, he took out arge piece of ss, a piece of dwarf-special metal¡ªsupposedly a secret form that doesn¡¯t rust¡ªand arge bag of gold coins. He grabbed a handful of gold coins and dropped them on the floor, creating a tinkling sound. These were strategic materials for emergency situations. Garrett had always kept them sealed, reluctant to use them, but now was the time forrge-scale deployment! He gripped a silver bell. Squeezing almost to the point of extracting water from its surface, he dered firmly: "Time is money, my friend!" His speech was quick and steady, without any odd intonations. Blue smoke soon emerged from the bell, and a little demon jumped down. Garrett pointed to the materials on the ground, speaking urgently: "Make syringes! 10ml ones! Start with 1000! Fast!" The little demon¡¯s hands fluttered. The ss, metal, and gold coins on the ground silently melted as if thrown into a magical furnace. The metal was cut, pressed into thin sheets, curled, and trimmed to ensure the needle tubes were straight and uniform, with a sharp be veled tip, while maintaining sufficient strength and smoothness; The ss turned red, liquefied, flowed, rising into the air, shaped into hollow syringes, their ends opened to wrap around the metal needle tips; The other end was seamlessly designed for smooth pushing without any leaks... One syringe after another, shining brightly, appeared in front of Garrett. The process was slow, only managing to produce 2 per minute, meaning only 120 could be made in an hour! "Can you go any faster?" he urged: "Can you increase the speed by 5 times? Make 600 per hour?" Muscle injection procedures were simple; with a bit of training, each student could perform them independently. If the production of penicillin and syringes could keep up, and 600 patients could be injected within an hour¡ªthen perhaps, hundreds of lives could be saved! The little demon concentrated on manipting the magic, not answering him. Only after another syringended on the ground did it raspily reply: "It costs money. To increase the speed by 5 times, 25 times the amount of gold coins is needed." "Take it!" Garrett lifted the bag of coins, not bothering to count, and poured them out. Time is money, my friend! At this moment, time was life! Chapter 318: Penicillin, A Divine Explosion in Production! Garrett Nordmark observed for a moment before leaving the little demon to continue working upstairs as he quickly descended. Whether he watched or not, the little demon worked diligently without cking orpromising on product quality. Thus, he could temporarily rest assured on this front. What now demanded his urgent attention was the production¡ªand quality¡ªof penicillin. The production room was steamy. Led by Priest Matthew, six priests each stood before a beaker, eyes slightly closed, murmuring incantations. Green light glimmered from their palms and fingertips, touching the speck of fungus in the beakers and quickly turning the entire contents green. The only apprentice in the room with experience in cultivating penicillin moved swiftly, stopping asionally by a beaker to close her eyes, sense for a moment, then softly provide key tips: "Mind the temperature of the medium..." "Keep stirring the medium..." "Maintain its vitality..." Garrett stood quietly at the entrance of the production room for a while. After the apprentice made her rounds, she approached him swiftly, whispering: "Sir, is this okay? Is the speed sufficient?""Far from enough." Garrett shook his head decisively. The efficiency of six people working together indeed surpassed that of an individual, at least ording to Garrett¡¯s observation. The output from this batch equaled what they usually produced in a day. But now, they needed to produce in one day what would normally take 500 days, even 1000 days! "Annievia," he tried to rx his brow, encouraging the apprentice: "I know you¡¯re working hard¡ªall of you are. But now, we need to increase production by 100 times, 200 times, to save these patients. Push harder, their lives are in your hands! ¡ªWhen will Elder Wood arrive?" Thest question was directed at Priest Matthew. When sending patients to the hospital, Priest Matthew had already sensed something was amiss and used the congregation¡¯s unique methods to send an urgent message to Elder Wood. However, Garrett had no idea where Elder Wood was or when he would arrive¡ª "I¡¯m here!" Speak of the devil, Elder Wood entered briskly, followed by five or six priests, clearly having gathered all avable hands from the congregation nearby. Upon entering, he surveyed the room and then addressed Garrett: "We¡¯re to make these little things grow more, right? Leave it to me, I¡¯ll help!" "Not just that, the main goal is to make it secrete more of the effective substances that can kill bacteria¡ª" Garrett hurriedly exined to Elder Wood. After a brief description and demonstrating the penicillin¡¯s effect on inhibiting and killing the staphylocus aureus, he then led Elder Wood to the extraction magic circle to observe the filtering, centrifugation, addition of sodium hydroxide, and magical purification processes¡ª "We need this substance. The more the Penicillium grows and secretes this substance, the better, as it can save lives!" "I understand." Elder Wood¡¯s eyes were half-closed throughout, seemingly distracted, but Garrett knew he was using his magic to sense every detail. After the demonstration, he promptly shooed Garrett away: "I¡¯ll handle the production, you attend to your tasks!" "I¡¯ll work too! The syringes are still being produced, and after production, they need to be sterilized at high temperatures. We have an hour and a half!" Elder Wood dly agreed. He and Garrett stepped into the production room together, reviewed the penicillin production process, and quickly began to give orders: "You two, at levels one and two, are responsible for the first round of cultivation!" "You two, at levels three and four, take the second round!" "No more small jars, use thergest ones, cultivate vines, and connect jars of three different sizes! Matthew, lead those above level five for the third round of cultivation! One person handles stirring, another supplies the fire essence, and all others, channel the force of nature to grow these little things!" "I¡¯ll take care of optimizing the strain!" Garrett watched Elder Wood in astonishment. He vaguely remembered his pharmacology ssmates gossiping about the industrial production of penicillin indeed involving first multiplication, second multiplication, and thenrge-scale production in big containers. Did you just figure this out with bare hands, Elder? He turned and ran: "You don¡¯t need to collect the essence of fire! I¡¯ll set up the electrolysis device!" Isn¡¯t it just electrolyzing water? Isn¡¯t it just adding a bit of sodium hydroxide to the electrolyzed water? The Mage Tower is currently producing bleach at full capacity, and sodium hydroxide, a by-product, is avable in any quantity needed! Elder Wood¡¯s arrival put the entire production process on fast-forward. The Mage Tower hummed and whirred into high gear. mes billowed, corn starch bubbled and boiled, then rapidly cooled to the right temperature under cooling magic. Centrifuges spun at full speed, their buzzing filling the air, and even the tower¡¯s invisible servants sprang into action. The tower spirit MOSS, fixed at the core of the Mage Tower,cking legs, could only express admiration beside Garrett: "Master, I¡¯ve never seen our Mage Tower work with such high efficiency before..." When the first batch of 600 syringes waspleted and sterilized, Garrett found himself in front of rows of small vials filled with sodium penicillin, arranged in a 10x10 grid. 100 bottles, each containing 4.8 grams, 8 million units. ¡ªAt least enough for the first batch. Enough for the most urgent, most critical patients. The heavy stone pressing on Garrett¡¯s chest finally eased a bit. He bowed deeply to Elder Wood: "Elder, thank you so much! ¡ªIt¡¯s all thanks to you! Please continue to cultivate these penicillin strains, the more, the better! I¡¯m only worried about having too little, not about using up the production! Send the batches to me as soon as they¡¯re ready, it¡¯s urgent!" He picked up two boxes¡ªthe smaller one containing penicillin, therger one filled with 600 sterilized syringes¡ªstuffed them into his space bag, and dashed toward the infectious disease hospital. It had been over an hour; how were the patients? How many had be critical? Had any died before they could be saved? Garrett was frantic with worry. Even though he kept telling himself that from onset to death by septicemia, anthrax took 2 to 3 days, he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious. The magic horse, understanding his urgency, ran fast and steady, but Garrett couldn¡¯t stop urging it on. If not for his limited riding skills andck of tools, he would have used both the whip and spurs. "Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up!" Garretty t on the horse¡¯s back, constantly urging it on. The distance from the Mage Tower to the infectious disease hospital was only about a kilometer, and the magic horse quickly covered the ground. As he approached the hospital gate, Garrett abruptly pulled on the reins: What happened? This was his infectious disease hospital, not a prison or a scene from a zombie siege! "Let me out! Let me out!" On the high walls of the hospital¡¯s side, seven or eight people were desperately trying to climb over. On the outside of the wall, a squad of uniformed patrol guards used their spears to poke them back down: "What are you running for? Don¡¯t you know you¡¯re infected with the gue?! Letting you out now, you could fall ill at any moment, copse somewhere unknown! The Mage Lord kindly keeps you here, and you¡¯re ungrateful! Dying outside is one thing, but dragging the whole city down with you, you won¡¯t even enter the kingdom of God after death!" Garrett: "..." That might be overstating it a bit; anthrax is rtively rare in terms of human-to-human transmission... The guards continued to poke and shout. Garrett saw three or four people poked down, yet the others persisted in their attempts to climb. Amid themotion, two men in ck left the carriage and ran over, clearly members of the Emergency Management Department¡¯s action team. The leading magician raised his voice: "Why are you shouting at them?!" He uttered a magic symbol and pointed towards the wall. A faint magical glow shed, and confusion appeared in the eyes of the people on the wall, who then let go and jumped down. He rode towards the hospital gate, stopping to thank the magician who had acted. The magician, with a breezy smile, said: "Ah, it¡¯s nothing serious. Just a ¡¾Charm Human¡¿ spell to calm them down. We at the Emergency Management Department all practice it; it¡¯s particrly useful for handlingrge-scale public disturbances¡ª" Before he could finish, another head popped up on the wall, one of those just charmed. The patrolling guards, having rxed a bit, didn¡¯t use their spears in time. The person made a bold leap over the wall, tumbling and falling to the ground. Getting up, not even managing to stand properly, he desperately ran off. Two guards cursed loudly and immediately gave chase. The person climbing the wall clearly had some injuries from the fall, limping as he ran, but soon was brought back by the guards. Garrett saw at a nce it was a brown-haired young man, struggling and shouting: "Let me out! My boss will fire me if I don¡¯t get to work!" ...Unemployment is fiercer than a tiger. Garrett sighed silently: The threat of unemployment is indeed powerful, making workers endure falls and still go to work, wake up from blood loss in the ICU and still code, and even gives this world¡¯s workers the power to resist ¡¾Charm Human¡¿... Recalling his own past as a worker, he silently shed a tear of sympathy for himself. The young man was dragged past him by two guards, shouting with all his might: "Sir! Mage sir! ¡ªHow are my mother and little L? Save them, please! I beg you, save them!" Such desperate cries were all too familiar to Garrett, always stirring hispassion. Yet, matters of life and death were beyond his power to reverse. The infectious disease hospital was full of patients, with an unknown number of critical cases. He had no idea who the young man¡¯s mother and sister were. As for the problem of unemployment following quarantine, even his previous life¡¯s government couldn¡¯t solve it. What could he, a single individual, do? Garrett couldn¡¯t even say "we¡¯ll do our best" while looking into the young man¡¯s pleading eyes, as he might have in his past life. He had to harden his heart, turn away, and rush into the hospital. Upon entering the lobby, he immediately asked Leon Carlos, who was coordinating arrangements at the door: "How is it now? How many critical patients?" God willing, the first batch of penicillin he brought would be enough! Chapter 319: When Divine Magic Fails, Try Penicillin? Leon Carlos flipped through the record book with a bowed head. This youth, having grown up in a brewery andter thrown back into one by Garrett for a period of technical transformation, managed to keep everything orderly despite the flood of patients, thanks to his business acumen. When Garrett inquired, Leon could immediately provide an answer from his notebook: "Up to now, 538 people have been admitted, 273 of whom are bedridden and immobile. 97 are in aa or semiatose state. Medical mages and priests are doing their utmost to save them." 97 people. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief. Elder Wood and his team had produced the first batch of 100 bottles of penicillin, plus the 10 bottles Garrett brought, enough for one bottle per person among the 97. The rest could be used for skin testing¡ªyes, skin testing! The thought of skin testing gave Garrett a headache. Not only the skin test, but the troubles of using drugs meant for intravenous drip as intramuscr injections also made him frown. After much consideration, he sincerely felt that before resorting to the powerful weapon of penicillin, magic or divine magic should be attempted first... Previously in Harnd City, Elder Elwin Wilkinson¡¯s miraculous divine magic of targeted dysentery bacillus eradication had left a deep impression on him. However, due to his level at the time, he hadn¡¯t learned it. After arriving in Nevis City and attempting to self-study, he couldn¡¯t grasp the concept. Garrett had toment the unfathomable power of divine magic, which sometimes seemed utterly unreasonable. Perhaps, he needed a higher-level healer to help develop it?However, Elder Wood and all the priests of the God of Nature were upied with producing penicillin. Garrett considered his options among the priests of the God of War, the Spring Goddess, and the medical branch of mages, and without hesitation, leaned towards the mages. He inquired with Leon Carlos and found Master Tolga in the rest area on the first floor¡¯s east side. This medical branch mage, having washed and changed, looked much relieved after a rest. Hearing Garrett mention a new treatment method, he was eager to give it a try: "Precision elimination of a specific bacterium? Alright, let¡¯s give it a go!" Garrett took him to theboratory. After confirming the presence of anthrax bacteria, Garrett lowered the protection level: no longer needing to wear the heavy leather epidemic medical suit, recing it with long sleeves, trousers, gloves, masks, and a Bubble Spell over their heads. Thisbination proved to be effective protection against bacteria. As long as one didn¡¯t touch recklessly and remembered to wash hands before removing the Bubble Spell and mask, it was unlikely to cause infection. If necessary, add goggles... It must be said, this equipment was much lighter, making operations in theboratory more agile. Garrett showed Master Tolga various samples¡ªenvironmental, water, and patient excrements¡ªthen, using a microscope, prepared slides for the mage to observe. "Look, this is the bacterium¡ªt-ended, without ge, and particrlyrge¡ªthis is what caused the disease. If we can precisely eliminate the bacteria within the patient¡¯s body, it should be possible to treat the symptoms directly." "Is that so? Let me give it a try..." Master Tolga pondered. Half a minuteter, he stretched out his hand towards the slide under the microscope. A sh of white light passed, and when Garrett looked again through the microscope: "Uh, perhaps what we¡¯re seeing now are corpses? Please wait, let me culture the bacteria to see..." The results of the bacterial culture were very optimistic¡ªno new anthrax bacilli appeared. Master Tolga then applied a sterilization spell on the environmental and water samples, with equally optimistic results. Garrett was overjoyed, grabbed the skin test solution prepared by the apprentices, and immediately took Master Tolga to the wards. They first approached a patient with mild symptoms. A targeted sterilization spell was cast, but the patient showed no reaction. They tried another. Another targeted sterilization spell, and still no improvement in the patient. Perhaps the metabolism of anthrax toxins also needed time? Garrett guessed. Biting the bullet, he chose a patient with abdominal pain, bloating, and ascites as indicated by magical ultrasound, and had Master Tolga attempt a spell. After casting the sterilization spell and waiting for 5 minutes, Garrett personally performed an abdominal puncture on the patient to extract ascites for culture... The extracted ascites were blood-red, resembling the wash water from meat. Staining and microscopic examination still revealed anthrax bacilli. "...It seems this won¡¯t work..." Garrett was frustrated. Master Tolga¡¯s targeted sterilization spells seemed ineffective on patients. What was going wrong? He dared not let the mage recklessly alter spells. Those microscopic points might seem small, but imagining the wrong spell could be disastrous. What if the anthrax bacilli were transformed into E. coli, instantly disrupting the intestinal flora bnce? Or into white blood cells? Red blood cells? Then the healing spell would be a killing spell! After much thought, Garrett couldn¡¯t pinpoint the problem. He had no choice but to start n B, conducting skin tests one by one. Penicillin allergy was dangerous, and without appropriate medication on hand, it was safer to conduct a skin test as long as the patient wasn¡¯t immediately life-threatening. "Make sure you see clearly, the skin test location is on this side of the forearm, towards the palm, two fingers up from the wrist crease, right in the middle..." Garrett stood in front of a line of apprentices, packed closely together, listening to his exnation: "The skin test is an intradermal injection, with the needle and skin at a 5-degree angle, just slightly nted. After insertion, slowly push the medicine... Alright, now everyone take 20 skin test needles and go do it! Start with the critically ill patients!" Fortunately, he had previously had the little demon prepare three hundred 1ml skin test needles! The apprentices scattered. Garrett also took 20 skin test needles, filled them with medicine, and began the procedure, praying all the while: Please don¡¯t have an allergy please don¡¯t have an allergy please don¡¯t have an allergy... Let Mr. Norwood¡¯s magic circle be a bit more reliable, please don¡¯t have too many impurities... But honestly, dying from a penicillin allergy or from anthrax, dying from an allergy is a bit quicker... He waited anxiously, like a rabbit watching over its carrots, checking every five minutes to see if the carrots had taken root¡ªGarrett indeed made rounds in the wards every five minutes, checking for any patients with a penicillin allergy. Afterpleting the second round, the ward corridor suddenly became noisy, as a group of people approached. "Garrett, we¡¯re heading back now." Bishop Sullivan called out to Garrett from a distance. Garrett straightened up from the bedside, surprised: "Bishop, you¡¯re leaving now?" "Yes." Bishop Sullivan wanted to wipe away sweat, then remembered Garrett¡¯s numerous safety warnings, and stopped midway: "We¡¯ve nearly used up all our divine magic, staying here won¡¯t be of much use. You... hang in there a bit longer, we¡¯ll see if we can get the Archbishop to bring more people over after we return." As he spoke, he nced towards the ward, then back at Garrett, his brow furrowed with worry. Behind him, several priests of the God of War and a few priests from the Spring Goddess Temple nodded in agreement, clearly indicating their divine magic was almost depleted. Garrett knew that "nearly used up" meant about 20% remaining. For most healers, unless in an emergency, it¡¯s wise to reserve some energy. Using up all one¡¯s spiritual power in one go could harm one¡¯s foundation. But asking for the Archbishop? That wouldn¡¯t be easy! Requesting the Archbishop or high priests would require intervention from the reviewmittee! Although Garrett had already sent Aurora to make arrangements, by the time Archmage Carlisle contacts the reviewmittee and they manage to request high-level healers, Garrett had no idea how much time it would take. Now, letting them leave meant if a patient had an allergic reaction, there would be no one to perform a divine magic rescue... How to keep them here? Garrett¡¯s mind raced, but his face remained sincerely smiling: "Bishop, everyone, thank you for your hard work. Oh, by the way, I brought a new medicine from the Mage Tower, which might be effective against this epidemic. Would you like to take a look?" Bishop Sullivan was immediately intrigued. Seeing Garrett pull out a small bottle and shake the white powder inside, he grew even more curious. Looking around at the young priests who seemed barely able to walk, he said: "Then we might as well stay and see?" "Of course, of course!" Garrett led them inside: "This medicine is effective for many people, but there¡¯s a drawback: it might be dangerous for those with certain constitutions. So we need to inject a little bit first, to see if the patient will have any particr reaction..." "You little trickster, waiting here for us!" Bishop Sullivan teased with augh. Laughing aside, he still stayed with Garrett to wait. After 20 minutes, whether it was due to the physique of people in this world or the magic circle¡¯s effect on purifying impurities, surprisingly, no one had an allergic reaction. Garrett was grateful and quickly took out all the penicillin: "Hurry, speed up! Inject each severely ill patient with one dose, and use the rest for other patients!" Measuring the medicine powder, diluting it with saline, drawing the medicine, and injecting. The dozen students were so busy they wished they could use their toes to help. Master Tolga was also drawn out, standing shoulder to shoulder with Bishop Sullivan, both with eyes half-closed, in front of the first patient Garrett injected. Garrett knew they were sensing the patient¡¯s life force¡ªa skill he genuinelycked. If it weren¡¯t so busy, he¡¯d definitely be running around them, trying to learn some tricks. But for now, he could only tearfully leave them behind and continue to inject penicillin into the critically ill patients ording to the list. One needle, two needles, one bottle, two bottles... When half of the penicillin bottles were empty, the corridor outside the ward suddenly erupted inmotion. Garrett stepped out of the ward, just in time to bump into the Archbishop of the God of War Temple. The Archbishop nodded briefly at him, then asked his subordinate directly: "Sullivan, what are you doing staying here? Isn¡¯t your divine magic used up? Why aren¡¯t you resting? What are you waiting for in the epidemic area?" After several rapid questions, Bishop Sullivan turned back. His gaze passed over his immediate superior, directly seeking Garrett: "Little Garrett, this special medicine... it¡¯s working! It really is working!" "What?" Garrett hurried forward to see. It hadn¡¯t been half an hour since the injection, and ording to the customs of his previous life, it was too early to detect changes in the patient¡¯s condition. But the bishop already sensed it: "The patient¡¯s life force has strengthened! The gue enveloping him has weakened!" Chapter 320: Is This the Courage Bestowed by Divine Magic? "What special medicine?" The Archbishop of the Temple of War immediately had his attention piqued. In military operations, the first headache is the gue, and only the second is the mass casualties on the battlefield. Thetter, even at the cost of a thousand of our own, can still take down eight hundred enemies, but the former can inexplicably afflict and even kill a bunch of people without encountering anything. Nonbat reductions are the most damaging to morale. He looked at Bishop Sullivan, who looked at Garrett. Before Garrett could exin, someone squeezed through the crowd, asking hurriedly: "What kind of special medicine? Did you just make it? Is it only effective against this type of epidemic? Can it be mass-produced?" A barrage of questions was thrown at him. Garrett looked closely and recognized a familiar face! It was Old Sam, a member of the Thunder Horn at the review council; beside Old Sam, nodding silently but with a focused gaze, was a member of the Abjuration School. Behind them, Master Tolga was peeking out, staring unblinkingly at him. All familiar faces, all our own people. If you want me to speak, then I¡¯ll speak! Garrett pulled an empty bottle from his pocket and raised it to Old Sam: "This, just used up, waiting for the next batch to arrive. It¡¯s a recent invention, still being improved. Not only effective against this epidemic, but it can also curb manymon diseases and gues." Such as diphtheria, scarlet fever, meningitis...Of course, dysentery, cholera, the gue, tuberculosis, and othermon gues can¡¯t be handled by penicillin alone. It¡¯s still necessary to continue isting, cultivating, and purifying from the soil, trying to develop substances like streptomycin. The eyes of the heavyweights lit up. Garrett pretended not to notice and continued: "Especially for wound infections, with it, many can be effectively controlled." !!! Bishop Sullivan stepped forward on the spot. Although the Archbishop of the Temple of War didn¡¯t react as strongly, his eyes also lit up. After a major battle, no matter how many priests there are, it¡¯s impossible to take care of all the wounded soldiers, most of whom die from infections¡ªno one understands this probability better than they do. The small bottle of medicine in Garrett¡¯s hand, if it really has the effect on gue patients as he sensed, would be a weapon on the battlefield! Especially for small teams carrying out stealth and assault missions, inconvenient to carry healers, having such a bottle of medicine is almost like carrying a bottle of holy water! The Archbishop was rtively reserved, his expression unchanged, just ncing at Bishop Sullivan. The bishop couldn¡¯t help but blurt out: "Magician Nordmark, can this medicine be mass-produced? Is it avable for sale? How much for one bottle? How much can you supply?" "Cough¡ª" Old Sam coughed theatrically. Garrett immediately stepped aside: "Right now, because it¡¯s urgently needed, Elder Wood and a group of people are helping me produce it with divine magic. A more efficient mass-production method is still being researched. As for sales¡ª" He nced at the surrounding mages, the implication clear: as a minor third-level magician, I can¡¯t make this decision, it probably requires the review council¡¯s approval. The Archbishop hummed, and from the crowd behind, a priest muttered softly: "It¡¯s them again..." Knowing what Garrett was developing in the Mage Tower, knowing their apprentices and the Nature God¡¯s clergy were helping out, but when ites to the results, they are one step ahead again... There¡¯s nothing to be done. Garrett shrugged inwardly. Spurring the growth of Penicillium is a specialty of the priests of the Nature God, what can he do... Chemical synthesis of penicillin, forgive him, he doesn¡¯t know how, and even if he did, the Temple of War seems not to specialize in chemical engineering? Garrett silently critiqued. However, his face remained earnestly sincere, full of seriousness: "However, there¡¯s a problem with this special medicine. Some people¡¯s constitutions are not suited to it, prone to special reactions. Rashes, dermatitis, anemia, nephritis, the most severe can lead to patients gasping for breath, rapid blood pressure drop, shock, or even death. So before using the medicine, a very small dose must be tried." The Archbishop nodded slightly and stepped aside. Without speaking or intending to leave, he seemed to want to witness the effect of this special medicine for himself. Garrett also bowed to them and continued to get busy. Ah, there are still so many patients needing injections. Although he¡¯s a doctor, in critical moments, he can only take on the role of a nurse... Checking patients, drawing medicine, injecting, recording; then checking patients, drawing medicine, injecting, recording again. Garrett used up all the medicine at hand in one go, then went to inspect the wards, observing the patients the apprentices were responsible for injecting. Thank goodness, none of the critically ill patients have died yet... After finishing a batch of medicine, the Mage Tower quickly sent another batch. This time, the visiting group from the temple and review council almost didn¡¯t miss a step, watching Garrett prepare the skin test solution, and perform skin tests on the patients. The Abjuration School¡¯s master mage even tried it himself: "Take a bottle of 4.8 grams of penicillin, add 40 milliliters of saline, shake vigorously to fully dissolve it (also stirred with magic in the process); Then draw 0.1 milliliter with a 1-milliliter syringe, add it to 0.9 milliliters of saline; Then draw 0.1 milliliter again, add it to 0.9 milliliters of saline; Then draw... add... draw... add... Ah¡ªwhy is it so troublesome..." Garrett looked at him with a mix of pity and helplessness. Is this what I wanted? I didn¡¯t want this either! In my previous life, I never did these tasks, it was always the nurses, I only realized how tedious it was when I had to do it myself. But the operational procedures written line by line in the book, he didn¡¯t dare to overstep... Perhaps the mage¡¯s hands were too clumsy, or he overlooked something while shaking and drawing. In any case, after the master mage finished injecting a round and came back to inspect, he only reached the fifth patient when an apprentice called out in front: "Sir¡ªthere¡¯s something wrong with this patient! He seems in bad shape!" Garrett¡¯s heart tightened, and he rushed over following the voice. On the bed, a patient¡¯s lips were cyanotic, his body covered in cold sweat, already in a semiatose state. Garrett felt the pulse under his fingertips, fine and rapid, and by experience, he could tell the blood pressure was plummeting. Disaster! Penicillin allergy! This patient was unlucky, to have such a severe allergic reaction during the skin test phase... Judging by the symptoms, it was the most severe allergic shock! "Someone help!" He reflexively cast a healing spell. Then, he shouted loudly: "Help! Rescue!" With so many high-level healers around, of course, he called for reinforcements right away! A sh of white light. The Abjuration School¡¯s master mage, who also had some knowledge of medical magic, followed up with a few healing spells. Detoxification spell, minor healing, rejuvenation... Nothing particrly powerful, but the speed was quite fast, considering all scenarios thoroughly. However, the patient¡¯s vital signs fluctuated, now stronger, now weaker, barely hanging on, showing no sign of spells being effective or healing. "What¡¯s happening?" A group of people rushed into the ward. Garrett looked up: "This is exactly the situation I mentioned! This kind of adverse reaction from the special medicine, in severe cases, can be fatal!" "But didn¡¯t you try a small dose?!" "Whether this drug causes an allergy or not depends on the individual¡¯s constitution, not the dosage!" Garrett stared at the patient, his tone urgent. It¡¯s said that discussing toxicity without considering dosage is nonsensical, but paradoxically, penicillin allergy really doesn¡¯t care about dosage... Over the years in his previous life, he encountered more than one case of shock during the skin test phase! Even, he had heard colleagues gossip about someone who just apanied a patient to the hospital, inhaled penicillin molecules in the air (though he didn¡¯t know how), and went into shock... "What do we do for the rescue?" The Archbishop of the Temple of War spoke sternly. Garrett opened his mouth but didn¡¯t know what to say: Inject 0.5~1 milligram of epinephrine? Add corticosteroids and antihistamines if necessary? Or, quickly go to the neighboring Mage Tower, kill a sheep, crush its adrenal nd, and have the patient swallow it? ¡ªThe patient was nearly unconscious; he couldn¡¯t swallow it! His mind raced. The use of epinephrine is to relieve bronchial smooth muscle spasm, cause peripheral capiry constriction, raise blood pressure... "Do we have any magic or divine spells that can constrict blood vessels?" He thought aloud, speaking faster and faster: "Can make breathing easier, heartbeats stronger, spirits lifted?" Lowering blood vessel permeability, reducing nd secretion, mast cells, eosinophils, and so on, let¡¯s not talk about that for now, just mention a few things the bigwigs can understand, to see if they have a way... "Just like that?" Both the master mages and the Archbishop said simultaneously. They looked at each other, and Old Sam raised his hand slightly: "After you¡ª" The Archbishop of the Temple of War stepped forward without hesitation. He sped his hands in front of his chest, assuming the standard prayer posture, murmuring to himself. After a few sentences, his voice suddenly became loud: "May the God of War bless his people! Grant them the courage and confidence to face their enemies! May they not fear, not retreat, not panic¡ª" During the prayer, he pushed his hands forward, a red light shining on the patient. Garrett, kneeling by the patient¡¯s side, felt the pulse under his fingertips growing stronger, and the allergic patient¡¯s breathing also became more powerful. Saved? Really saved? "Inspiration spell." Behind Garrett, Old Sam spoke in a not too loud, not too low voice, enlightening Garrett: "A very useful little divine spell from the Temple of War. The level isn¡¯t high, the effect mainly depends on the atmosphere and the caster¡¯s reputation. There¡¯s a simr spell in magic, only second-tier, you can go to the Illusion Control School to learn more when you have time." But the patient was already unconscious! Can casting still be effective? ...So, the courage injected into the patient by this divine spell, is it like a shot of epinephrine?! Chapter 321: Mass Intestinal Surgeries! All in! Is an inspiration spell equivalent to a shot of adrenaline? Then, what does bewitching humans equate to? Hormones? Dopamine? What about the signature defensive spell of the Enchantment School, mechanizing the mind? Temporarily shutting off all pain, cutting off the pain nerves? No, it¡¯s said that magicians with mechanized minds don¡¯t actually feel pain; they simply don¡¯t care and calmly calcte... So, what¡¯s the principle? And, the adrenaline injected by the inspiration spell¡ªif that¡¯s really the principle¡ªhow do they control the dosage? How about precisely 0.5 milligrams to 1 milligram each time? You know, too much of this stuff can cause cerebral hemorrhage, myocardial ischemia, and arrhythmia! ...Right, the adrenaline generated by the inspiration spell, is it norepinephrine, epinephrine, or isoproterenol? Or did they not distinguish at all, directly stimting the adrenal nd, "hey, get up and work"? Garrett¡¯s thoughts flew. For a moment, he really wanted to grab a recipient to check¡ªwhat was he thinking, of course, just to check the catechmines in the urine. Unfortunately, now he had no time, no energy, and no corresponding reagents. He could only think about it for a moment, then continue to devote himself to the treatment of patients: "This patient is allergic to penicillin, this special medicine cannot be used, only divine magic treatment. Intestinal anthrax mainly invades the intestines. If the intestines rupture, bacteria can also proliferate massively in the blood, and toxins might even affect the brain." Garrett hurriedly exined, bowed to the high-ranking healers present, and quickly walked away. In the hospital, there¡¯s an unwritten rule: unless a patient is about to die and needs to be rushed for rescue, one generally does not run, but walks quickly in small steps. This is done to avoid causing panic and also to avoid bumping into something, like a cart being pushed around, or a tray of medicines in a nurse¡¯s hand...Garrett¡¯s legs operated rapidly in alternation, like a racewalker, rushing from one sickbed to another, one ward to another. Along the way, people kept stopping him: "Sir, thetest batch of test results are out! The batch you requested, inside, the probability of pathogen detection is over 60%!" These samples for testing were all from the water pipes in building 12, even the main pipeline. Garrett nodded, quickly manipted [Mage Tricks] to write down a line, and stamped his own secret magic mark: "The situation is clear now, the entire water supply system is contaminated. Take my note, go to the reviewmittee¡ªnow in the ward¡ªand ask them for authorization to thoroughly investigate the upstream water source of this water supplypany!" "Sir, there was a conflict between the patrol team and the rtives of patients in the istion area! There are already more than ten injured!" Garrett turned back from the sickbed. With a sweep of his hand, he cut off a piece of bed sheet, leaving behind words in a flourish: "Let Bernard handle it!... Then go to the emergency management department, ask them to send a few more magicians over, keep casting mass charm on humans back and forth!" The second apprentice ran off. In less than two minutes, the third apprentice rushed over: "Sir, there are too many patients, not enough beds!" "Add beds!" Garrett didn¡¯t even need to think about it, adding beds, a traditional skill of a public tertiary hospital, "In the wards, in the corridors, stack them up! Those who have already been cured by divine magic, throw them all into the istion area, free up the beds!" "Sir, many patients have diarrhea in bed, no one to change the bed sheets..." "..." Garrett, behind him, two members of the reviewmittee walked slowly, taking in all the conditions of the hospital. As they observed, they discussed in a low voice: "The little guy is all over the ce." "Such a big hospital, it¡¯s too much for him." "Right, probably doesn¡¯t have the experience of running such a big organization¡ªA hospital with 1000 beds, it¡¯s simply not possible for him and a few dozen apprentices to sustain..." If Garrett heard their discussion, he would definitely feel wronged. No experience? How could that be! I may not have eaten pork, but haven¡¯t I seen a pig run? Arge public tertiary hospital, how many medical staff, administrative staff, even cleaning and security personnel does it need, don¡¯t I know? The problem is, what do I use to request people? The Public Health Department has just been established, and the infectious disease hospital¡¯s role in containing the epidemic and treating arge number of patients has not yet been proven. This hospital, if it only faces an epidemic, is destined to be a tidal institution, with not many patients usually, but facing a tsunami once an epidemic breaks out! So, keeping a bunch of people sitting inside doing nothing, let alone the reviewmittee finding it unreliable, Garrett himself thinks it¡¯s impossible to apply for a budget. "Do you think, if we now let the little guy hand over the hospital to someone else, and he just acts as a healer,ing over when there are patients, would he be unhappy?" "This... let¡¯s talk to him more tactfully after things have passed? After all, it¡¯s something he worked hard to build..." Garrett didn¡¯t know that people were already nning to share his worries, and were worried that he would be unhappy. The problems piling up in front of him, initially growing linearly, have now almost started to grow exponentially! "Sir, patient No. 113 on the 1st floor has severe abdominal pain!" "Sir, patient No. 65 on the 1st floor has an abnormally high body temperature!" "Sir, patient No. 37 on the 2nd floor, actually vomited feces! Ugh... that guy¡¯s stomach is as hard as a nk, can¡¯t be pressed down at all!" "Sir..." Here ites. Garrett thought. The penicillin was indeed a bit slow, failing to catch up with the progression of intestinal anthrax. This disease starts with abdominal pain, bloating or diarrhea, plus fever. If antimicrobial treatment is not given in time, as the pathogens proliferate massively, what follows are intestinal bleeding, intestinal perforation, intestinal obstruction, and segment by segment of the intestines necrotizing. Bacteria enter the bloodstream, developing into sepsis, and patients rapidly head towards death... To say it¡¯s difficult to treat, it¡¯s not. Besides antimicrobial treatment and symptomatic support treatment, what doctors need to do is explore. For the bleeding, perforated, necrotized intestines, repair what needs to be repaired, cut off what needs to be cut off, suture what needs to be sutured. But now, how many patients need surgery¡ª Garrett¡¯s mind shed with indications for exploratoryparotomy, one two three four...bining the symptoms of intestinal anthrax,bining the current diagnostic abilities of these students... Expecting them to immediately learn to read X-rays¡ªnot reliable; expecting them to determine if there¡¯s a tendency for peritonitis to spread¡ªthis needs some time of observation, now one apprentice managing dozens of people¡¯s busy appearance, not reliable; expecting them to immediately learn palpation, auscultation, and percussion¡ªwishful thinking, there¡¯s absolutely no time to teach one by one... "You, ording to the area each of you is responsible for, quickly explore once! First, bring me all those patients whose stomachs are as hard as a nk and can¡¯t be pressed down! Bring them to the surgery room door! Ask for a few more healers from the Temple of the War God, Spring Goddess¡¯s temple, toe to the surgery room door!" Board-like abdomen! Diffuse peritonitis, board-like abdomen, this is the most significant characteristic! First, bring this batch up, then consider others! "Okay, sir!" "Sir, how many operating rooms should be prepared?" "...Prepare all of them!" Garrett gritted his teeth. The operating rooms in the infectious disease hospital were not many. Initially, when nning, he had prepared only eight operating rooms. Mainly considering it would be hard to find people who would perform surgeries, he originally nned to get through this period, then cooperate with the ck Crow Swamp, kidnap a few necromancers who love to perform surgeries... But now, he had to figure it out himself! Garrett rushed down from the fifth floor along the stairs, sprinting towards the operating room. The operating room was in a small building opposite the inpatient area, connected by a corridor. Garrett, while running, watched as figures hustled, stretchers constantly being carried out from the wards. By the time he rushed to the outside of the operating area, the corridor outside the operating area had already lined up a long row of stretchers against the wall. "One, two, three, five... ten... twenty..." Garrett quickly scanned each one, pressed down, took an X-ray. Board-like abdomen, board-like abdomen, still board-like abdomen... free air under the diaphragm... intestinal dtion... So many patients, him performing surgery alone, how could it be possible! Even if he performed one operation every twenty minutes, 20 patients would take nearly 7 hours! Not to mention, there are other patients to take care of... Now the only hope was these healers... Garrett, while changing clothes, washing hands, tried hard to turn back and greet the War God¡¯s priests and Spring Goddess¡¯s clerics who hade: "Gentlemen, does anyone know how to operate? Dare to cut open a patient¡¯s abdomen? Can you tell if the intestines are necrotic?" The clerics stepped back in unison. Led by Bishop Sullivan, three priests looked at each other, stepping forward: "Cutting open a patient¡¯s abdomen... if really needed, we dare. But whether we might identally kill the patient, that¡¯s hard to say..." Three. Including Garrett himself, only four. If only there were four more... these apprentices of his, especially the necromancy apprentices, although they followed him for a few autopsies, he was not very confident in their ability to operate on living people... "Garrett! I¡¯ve brought people!" Suddenly, a shout lit up from outside the door. Garrett turned his head, only to see Andrew Lynn making his way through the crowd, squeezing in quickly. Behind Andrew Lynn, Edgar, the Archmage, Edgar¡¯s several disciples, lined up, smiling at him. "Little Garrett, if you¡¯re going to cut open a patient¡¯s abdomen, of course, you have to leave it to us necromancers!" Garrett was overjoyed. "Great! I¡¯ll leave it to you then! Three people in a group¡ªa necromancer, a War God¡¯s priest, a Spring Goddess¡¯s cleric, into an operating room! The War God¡¯s priest casts a calming spell, the necromancer cuts open the patient¡¯s abdominal cavity, the cleric drains the abdominal fluid and waste! I¡¯lle by one by one to see! Judge which segment of the intestines is necrotic, needs to be removed, where it can be repaired and treated! Then washing and closing the abdomen I¡¯ll leave to you guys! Let¡¯s get moving! The faster we are, the more patients we can save!" The Grand Priest of the War God¡¯s Temple watched with interest. Watching the necromancers file in, he waved his hand, looking at his subordinates: "Listen to him! Let¡¯s go in together!" Chapter 322: The Dead Performing Surgery on the Living? In eight operating rooms, 24 healers, along with Garrett, making a total of 25 people, were busily changing clothes and washing their hands. Garrett, standing close to Andrew Lynn, was full of anxiety, continuously instructing the necromancers who were about to perform the surgery: "Be careful during the surgery! Make sure the patient¡¯s blood, bodily fluids, or anything doesn¡¯te into contact with your skin!" "Change gloves after each surgery! Wash your hands! Thoroughly wash your hands!" "Make sure not to cut your skin with the surgical scalpel! If you do, tell me immediately, we¡¯ll administer penicillin... Ah, perhaps we should perform a skin test first as a precaution?" This is anthrax, after all! Although person-to-person transmission of anthrax is rare... Rare does not mean nonexistent! Being in close contact with patients, taking care of patients, or handling their bodies... In short, there is still a risk of transmission when exposed to arge amount and high concentration of pathogens! The barrier effectiveness of sheep intestinal gloves is uncertain, but definitely not as good astex gloves. These necromancers came to help him, and if even one or two were to get infected, it would be his fault! Andrew Lynn looked at Garrett with a warm gaze, slightly amused. If he weren¡¯t busy washing his hands as required, he would have really liked to ruffle Garrett¡¯s hair. Although there was nothing much to ruffle, with his ck hair ttened under the surgical cap, not a single strand sticking up...Garrett, the guy he had just met, was always particrly soft-hearted and worried. Being a necromancer, everyone has their own ways of self-protection. They deal with death, disease, epidemics, and various toxins more than anyone else, who would stumble on this? "Hmm, ahem!" Archmage Edgar cleared his throat forcefully. It was an oversight, sending Andrew Lynn to Garrett¡¯s mage tower was intended to forge closer ties, to try to pull the young man over to the ck Crow Swamp. Instead, it ended up with Andrew Lynn being pulled to their side... Although everyone understood what being a follower meant, a follower is still a follower! Garrett shifted his gaze away, feeling a bit embarrassed. However, in that instant, he quickly turned back to look directly at Archmage Edgar. A series of sparks flew through his mind: the Archmage¡ªthe silver skeleton gifted by the Archmage¡ªcontrolling the silver skeleton for dissection¡ªsurgical robots! "Can you control skeletons to perform surgery?" he asked urgently. "I mean, can you control the skeletons to perform more delicate tasks, like paying attention to the depth when cutting, opening the skin without damaging the muscles?" In the midst of the sound of running water, theughter of the necromancers filled the air. Could they? Of course, they could. The first pet of a necromancer is almost always a skeleton. They are their most reliable assistants, most trusted friends, listeners in solitude, and also scouts, rearguards, and sacrifices in battle¡ªas long as the soul fire is not extinguished, they can always be summoned again... And for suchpanions, whom necromancers spend all their time with, asking them to perform some precise tasks? Very easy! Garrett heaved a huge sigh of relief. With skeletons performing the surgery, doctors wouldn¡¯t have toe into direct contact with patients. All the risks of intraoperative exposure, such as getting cut by a scalpel or getting bodily fluids on their skin, in their face, or in their eyes... all these risks dropped to zero. God knows how much surgeons hate these risks. When encountering an unexpected situation on the operating table, then seeing the patient¡¯s medical history... Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, syphilis, HIV, any one of these being positive is a huge blow to the doctor! They would have to take highly side-effect-inducing prophctic medications, live in anxiety for the next six months to a year, avoid contact with their partner, and some people, might even forever leave the operating table... In his past life, Garrett, whenever he heard about medical staff encountering such situations, always wanted to yell at those patients: At least don¡¯t conceal your infectious disease history!!! Now, good, skeletons have taken over! Garrett pped his hands twice. After attracting everyone¡¯s attention, he announced loudly: "This time we¡¯re performing surgeries on infectious disease patients, and the risk of infection for those in direct contact with the patients is very high. All War God¡¯s priests and Spring Goddess¡¯s clerics, stand back. Necromancers, release your skeletons to rece you in performing the surgeries!" Using skeletons for surgery also had another benefit: easy cleaning. The seven-step handwashing method, washing hands after scrubbing, scrubbing after washing, didn¡¯t exist. A big bucket of disinfectant, just pour it directly on. Of course, to further save time, Garrett adopted another method of cleaning. He simply brought out a bucket of disinfectant. Led by Archmage Edgar, each necromancer summoned a skeleton, perched on the rim of the bucket, jumped in, and Garrett watched as four skeletons sat down around the rim of the bucket, forming a circle, seemingly enjoying a collective hot spring. Garrett: "..." It must be said, this scene was so bizarre he wanted to make ament but didn¡¯t know how to. Yet, the bizarre scene was not over. Archmage Edgar looked around and asked, "Do we have more disinfectant?" ...What? Garrett was still immersed in the odd imagination. Archmage Edgar already muttered to himself, "Seems we don¡¯t have more. So..." He snapped his fingers. It seemed like a ssh, and the first skeleton fell apart, sinking to the bottom of the bucket. The Archmage¡¯s action was like amand, followed by the second, third, fourth, skeletons, one after another, dismantling themselves. The space inside the bucket immediately freed up arge area. Another four skeletons jumped into the bucket. Squatting down, they dismantled themselves,pletely soaking in the disinfectant. Garrett, stunned.jpg Well, he was ignorant, this method of disinfection was indeed beyond his expectations... The skeletons quickly disinfected themselves, reassembled, and jumped out of the barrel. With skeletons around, the cleaning requirements for others were much lower. After washing their hands with the seven-step method and donning surgical gowns, they lined up neatly. Four rows, skeletons in front. "Bring in the patients!" At Garrett¡¯smand. Before the apprentices could move, several bone links, head to tail, flew out of the necromancers¡¯ spatial bags. Rattle, rattle, amidst the sound of bones rubbing against each other, a dozen or so skeleton soldiers assembled themselves, two by two, lifting the stretchers off the ground. Skeleton soldiers are really convenient to use, Garrett thought, wishing he could hire dozens for the hospital... Before he could finish his thought, he heard screams of horror echoing through the corridors: "Help!" "Necromancers! It¡¯s the necromancers!" "I don¡¯t want to be turned into a skeleton¡ª" "Mommy, mommy¡ª" Uh... using skeletons in patient rtions, especially in soothing patients, seems to have a strong negative effect... But with the infectious disease hospital this busy, there¡¯s no room for being picky. Garrett saw clearly, two skeleton soldiers, lifting the patient along with the stretcher. It¡¯s worth emphasizing this point because, when the skeleton soldiers grabbed the stretcher, they also grabbed the patients¡¯ hands and feet... Eight patients, one per bed, were sent into the operating rooms like flowing water. Garrett turned to the casters: "Shall we start directly?" "Start directly! What¡¯s so hard about opening the abdomen..." Archmage Edgar answered swiftly. At the same time, the archbishop added: "You do it first." The two red at each other. Seizing the opportunity, Garrett quickly entered Operating Room 1: "Let me briefly talk about the precautions... Uh, are you alling to watch?" What answered him was a screen of arcane eyes. In any case, with Garrett leading the surgery, the archbishop acting as the anesthetist, and a cleric from the Spring Goddess¡¯s temple serving as a human attractor, this bizarre surgery team finally started the first surgery. Garrett exined as he operated: "Disinfect before the surgery... For opening the abdomen, take the midline incision, pay attention to the depth of the cut... Open the skin, separate the fascia and muscles, the intestinal inmmation is so severe, it¡¯s definitely a mess underneath, don¡¯t pull hard. The intestines are probably swollen like tofu at this moment, it could tear with a tug, and it¡¯s also easy to damage vessels, it¡¯s better if I do it..." As he spoke, the hand of the mage in front of him fluttered, cleaning the clumped peritoneum, bluntly separating the mesentery, lifting out the intestines from the tangled mess: "As expected, it¡¯s necrotic... To ensure safety, the necrotic parts plus ten centimeters above and below need to be cut off, then sutured... How about a healing spell?" As he spoke, a gentle white light had already descended. Garrett inspected the intestines in his hand, giving a thumbs up to those behind: Front wall, back wall, muscryer, all well aligned, the intestinal wall is ruddy, blood cirction normal, no fiste¡ªIn terms of rapid healing, healing spells have an unparalleled advantage over the medical techniques of his previous life! "Alright! Rinse with saline solution¡ªdrain! Rinse again with holy water, drain again! Closing the abdomen should be done The skeleton porters, once again, diligently got to work... Meanwhile, the casters who had watched this surgery, or rather, the casters who felt "I think I can do it now", filed into their respective operating rooms. Arcane eyes provide vision, necromancers operate the screens, skeletons perform the surgery, War God¡¯s priests anesthetize, Spring Goddess¡¯s clerics drain. Garrett ran back and forth among the eight operating rooms, responsible for checking for necrosis in the intestines, sectioning the intestines, calling for healing spells to suture... Assembly line surgery, begin! The time consumed by one surgery, joyously, was more than halved. Garrett: Phew, liberated! Only needing to do the most important part, the positioning, disinfection, opening before, and the rinsing, checking for active bleeding points, closingyer byyer after, were all taken care of by others! Finally, he had a bit of the feeling of a surgical lead... Keep it up, Garrett! Strive to finish all the patients needing surgery before the end of the day! Garrett was bustling about in the operating rooms. Outside the operating rooms, Old Sam silently watched the surgical scene for a while, then turned to his colleagues with an odd expression on his face: "Is this... the dead treating the living?" Chapter 323: Arcane Eye, Live Surgery Broadcast! The magical assembly line of surgeries kicked into full gear. "Great God of War, please have mercy on your people, and spare them from the torment of pain..." A calming spell descended as a white light. The expressions of pain or terror on the patients¡¯ faces froze, motionless. The War God¡¯s priests stepped back, and the skeletons cked forward, meticulously disinfecting, lifting the scalpel, and making the incision with precision. Above the patients¡¯ abdomens, an arcane eye hung high, with the necromancers intently watching the scene on the screen, controlling their skeletons. Then, the cleric of the Spring Goddess softly prayed, gesturing with her fingers. In the patients¡¯ abdominal cavities, a stream of ascites, pus, and other waste materials rose and fell into a bucket beside, quickly removed by the skeletons entering and exiting the operating room. By the way, the skeletons taking on the role of circting nurses were still rattling in their skeletal frames, temporarily neglected in appearance... "Garrett! Operating Room Four is ready!" "Five is done!" "Eight isplete!" "Six has been opened!""¡ªGot it! I¡¯ll be there once I¡¯m done! Just cover it with a warm saline gauze for now!" Garrett called back. However, it was clear his pace alone couldn¡¯t match the speed of eight teams. Soon, the casters in the operating rooms found themselves idle, pondering how to pass the time. Leaving was not an option, as Garrett had emphasized before entering the ORs: leaving anding back would require re-washing hands and changing gowns, a tedious process; Visiting each other was inconvenient too, given the limited space in an operating room, not allowing for 24 people to crowd in; As for chatting, a necromancer, a War God¡¯s priest, and a Spring Goddess¡¯s cleric, with different standings and beliefs, masked and facing each other, initially found nothing inmon to talk about... "Hey, what¡¯s Garrett doing?" Archmage Edgar suddenly raised his hand. An arcane eye wobbled up from his fingertip and floated into the adjacent operating room. In Operating Room Three, Garrett was frantically searching through intestines, asionally turning back: "Wipe the sweat." A skeletal hand holding a handkerchief reached out to wipe the sweat beads from his forehead. Garrett: "..." In his past life, a call for wiping sweat would bring the delicate hand of a nurse, even through gloves, one could feel the softness and warmth; in this life, calling for a wipe brought forth a skeletal hand! Just then, an arcane eye flew above his head. It floated up, pretending to be a harmless decoration on the surgicalmp. Archmage Edgar¡¯s voice followed: "Little Garrett, what are you doing? Care to exin to everyone?" I¡¯d exin if you could actually see it! Garrett wanted to retort. Before he could speak, he looked up, barely holding back augh. In that moment, six or seven arcane eyes sequentially floated in, flipping up and down, left and right, squeezing against the two already on the surgicalmp, jostling for position. After a few collisions, seemingly noticing Garrett¡¯s gaze, they scattered, arranging themselves into a perfect octagon. Is this... each operating room deploying a probe for a live surgery broadcast? Well, as long as you¡¯re happy. As for exnations, since everyone came to help, it¡¯s only right to give one... "I¡¯m freeing the mesentery," Garrett began,plying. Fortunately, the Mage¡¯s Hand was plentiful; he specifically transformed one to be green, with elongated fingers, pointing at various parts inside the patient, exining one by one: "As you can see, the intestines are not aimlessly floating inside the body. Part of the peritoneum, wrapping around the small andrge intestines, connects the intestines to the abdominal cavity, known as the mesentery. Before removing the intestines, we must first ligate the mesenteric vessels to prevent major bleeding, then carefully separate the mesentery... "The blood vessels supplying the intestines are not directly on the intestines but in the mesentery..." Exining as he operated, the surgery quickly concluded. Garrett moved to Operating Room Four, and almost immediately, eight arcane eyes swooped down like hungry tigers, scanning back and forth above the patient¡¯s abdomen... "What are you looking at? Garrett¡¯s gone next door!" Archmage Edgar, by the War God¡¯s temple¡¯s archbishop, urged. The archmage waved his hand casually: "Ah, it¡¯s just an arcane eye! Send another over there!" In Operating Room Four, aside from the necromancer¡¯s pre-deployed arcane eye for operating skeletons, seven more floated in... The necromancers¡¯ eyes gleamed. The War God¡¯s priests were silent. Beside the archbishop, the normally dignified high cleric of the Spring Goddess¡¯s temple, eyed the screen, subtly moving closer to the necromancer. It¡¯s not about forming a closer rtionship with him; I¡¯m just looking for a better viewing position, yes, that¡¯s it! Inside Operating Room Four, the three casters exchanged nces and moved forward together. One step, two steps, stopping three steps away from the operating table, reluctantly retreating. They had to; the screen stretched by the arcane eyes was almost touching Garrett¡¯s back... "When there¡¯s inmmation, the peritoneum often forms adhesions... The mesentery is also likely to be swollen... The edematous mesentery is very easy to tear, requiring extra caution..." Garrett babbled on. Behind him, silence reigned as the three casters stood shoulder to shoulder, craning their necks, almost pressing their eyes against the screen. In the midst of the Mage¡¯s Hand fluttering, a sudden "Eh" sounded: "Wait!" "What?" Garrett stopped and turned back. Across the screen, he saw a caster in a pale blue robe hurry around the operating table, standing opposite him: "Is the vessel here?" The cleric, two steps away from the operating table, carefully extended a finger. At the tip, a long stream of water stretched straight, touching near the mesentery. The finger moved, and the tip of the stream lightly sketched: "This is the vessel¡¯s position, right?" "¡­Impressive!" Garrett looked at him in surprise. Doctors locate vessels before surgery, memorizing countless anatomical structures, with MRI and angiography for guidance. But this cleric from the Spring Goddess¡¯s temple, without using any of those methods? "Very urate! How did you...?" "I can feel it. With the blessing of the Spring Goddess, we can sense the flow of liquids. But my ability is limited; I can feel it after opening the abdomen, not through the skin." The cleric smiled shyly. Garrett enthusiastically pointed at him: "Brilliant! With this skill, there¡¯s no fear of cutting a vessel during surgery! Look, before cutting, mp here to avoid major bleeding, we usually use the Mage¡¯s Hand. Even if you identally cut one, no worries, just find and mp the vessel..." Chapter 324: Cutting Intestines, Necromancers Fear Nothing! The cleric of the Spring Goddess demonstrated an astounding ability to perceive the direction of blood flow¡ªor rather, the flow of any life-carrying liquid within the human body¡ªthat left Garrett in awe. Initially, the cleric was somewhat hesitant, his water stream wavering, taking its time before making a cut. Soon, however, his movements became swift. The luminescent water stream, almost alive at his fingertips, twisted and turned, marking: "There¡¯s one here." "Correct," Garrett nodded, "the ileocolic artery." "There¡¯s another here, thinner." Following the cleric¡¯s water stream, Garrett continued to nod: "Indeed, a branch of the colic artery." "What are they talking about?" Bishop Sullivan stepped back, bumping into Andrew Lynn beside him. He had encountered Andrew Lynn once before at a healing session and didn¡¯t mind pairing up with him during the surgery, even though Andrew Lynn was the lowest-ranked mage present. Andrew Lynn, intently watching the screen and recalling the anatomy charts Garrett had shown him, shook his head slightly: "No matter what the cleric is saying, I feel like Garrett is talking past him..." The exchange by the operating table continued. The young cleric frowned deeply, sweat beading brightly on his forehead:"There¡¯s one here, vertical, quite thick... Hmm... no, there are two, one going up, oneing down!" The young cleric extended both hands forward. From the tips of his index fingers, two water streams emerged, indeed one flowing up and the other down. Garrett was impressed by the fact that the stream from the left hand, circling from below to above, was slightly dimmer than the one from the right hand: "The oneing up carries more vitality, and the one going down," he twitched his fingertips, the slightly dimmer stream rippling confidently, "carries less vitality." Garrett gave him a thumbs up. The arterial and venous mesenteric vessels, represented by two faintly floating water streams, were spot on! With thispanion¡¯s sensing and reminders, Garrett¡¯s procedures sped up. When he started to lift the intestines out, Bishop Sullivan suddenly stepped forward two steps, calling out: "Wait a minute." "What¡¯s up?" Garrett halted. Bishop Sullivan hurried to the other side of the operating table to sense again, then opened his eyes: "This segment of the intestine is gone. And here, something¡¯s not right..." Following his directions, Garrett checked section by section. Intestinal obstruction, ischemic necrosis, gangrene... Bishop Sullivan, with his eyes half-closed, even pointed out a difficult-to-detect perforation pressed underneath! "That¡¯s right, these spots!" Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up too. A cleric of the Spring Goddess proficient in sensing the direction of blood flow, a priest of the War God adept at sensing life essence, and a leading necromancer surgeon. This trio, working together, couldplete a surgery. Most importantly, thisbination boasted an incredibly high margin for error! Imagine, identally severing a blood vessel, but being able to locate the bleeding point and stop the bleeding promptly; identally tearing the intestine, but a healing spell fixes it... This is what every surgeon dreams of for a safeguard, right? If this model could be replicated¡ªif even three or four of the eight operating rooms could independently conduct surgeries, the speed could be doubled! "Why not try working together? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be overseeing!" The two healers exchanged nces, both somewhat hesitant. It was Andrew Lynn who stepped forward, his Mage¡¯s Hands flying up, hovering over the patient¡¯s abdominal cavity. "I¡¯ll give it a try, but if anything goes wrong, you two must help out!" Garrett swiftly moved aside. From the patient¡¯s right side to the head side, he kept directing: "Lift the intestines with Mage¡¯s Hand." "Cut the mesenteric vessels in a fan shape ording to the intestinal resection range. First, use Mage¡¯s Hand to pinch the vessel, cut it, ah, wrong cutting position! Cut from the distal end!... Alright, apply a healing spell to heal the vessel, suction the bleeding, and continue..." "Two Mage¡¯s Hands, each holding one end of the intestines, move outwards ten centimeters from the resection site." "Use another Mage¡¯s Hand to push the intestinal contents inward, move slowly, gently, the inmmation in this section of the intestine is already very severe, be careful not to squeeze it until it bursts¡ªoh no!" It burst just as he said it might... "Uh, it¡¯s hard to control the force with Mage¡¯s Hand..." Andrew Lynn was very embarrassed. Watching Garrett operate was like watching water flow effortlessly, but once he took over, it was a disaster. The feel of a patient¡¯s intestinespared to that of a dead body¡¯s was vastly different... Garrett quickly summoned two Mage¡¯s Hands. Between the translucent hands, holding a copper te, they precisely caught all the spilled contents without a drop missing. Andrew Lynn also quickly reacted. With a swift sweep of magical tricks, he cleared the patient¡¯s abdominal cavity of all waste: "Let¡¯s continue!" The surgery proceeded with hitches and glitches. Now the intestines were torn, now the Mage¡¯s Hands exerted too much or too little force, now the intestines were cut off, the mesentery and its folds not cleanly removed... Thankfully, various spells were always on hand to save the day. After cutting and healing, it wasn¡¯t just about putting things back: "Organize the intestines! Arrange the intestines in order! Heal the mesentery! Otherwise, after closing the abdomen, adhesions, intussusception, obstructions, all sorts of problems might arise!" The arcane eyes clung to the surgicalmps, continuously shifting their positions to capture every action of the three spellcasters. The War God¡¯s temple¡¯s archbishop quietly watched the entire surgery and then turned to the high cleric: "Hey, old buddy, can you sense the position of vessels like that?" "Of course¡ªno problem!" "Then¡ª" He looked towards Archmage Edgar. Before he could speak, the archmage preempted him: "Cutting intestines, right? You point out the location, and I dare to cut! In the ck Crow Swamp, whose minions haven¡¯t dissected dozens or hundreds of corpses¡ªLittle Garrett, is it right that by removing the damaged intestines and reconnecting them, we can treat it?" "Can dy the disease, buy some time!" Garrett¡¯s voice echoed from afar. The three high-level healers exchanged a nce: "Let¡¯s begin!" Behind the scenes, away from Garrett¡¯s view, the native inhabitants began their surgery independently, stumbling through the process. Amidst the flurry of Mage¡¯s Hands, exmations asionally erupted: "Oops! The intestine is torn!" "Cleanse spell! Follow up with a cleanse spell! Quick!" "Bleeding! Quick, a healing spell!" "Where exactly is this blood vessel hiding?!" "Didn¡¯t you say you could feel the direction of blood flow?!" "Everything inside is bloody! Blood everywhere!" Had it not been for two high-level healers constantly at the ready with healing spells, the patient would have died ten times over. Even with healing spells, if not for the calming spell restraining the patient, it¡¯s likely the patient would have rolled off the operating table and fled with their intestines in hand... Chapter 325: Surgery Acceleration, Breaking News "Ah!" "Ouch!" "Healing spell, quick, quick, quick! Keep up!" In Operating Room 1, the sounds of conversation, even subdued gasps of rm, were incessant. In the other six operating rooms, silence prevailed, as eighteen spellcasters pricked up their ears, listening to the pitfalls encountered by the experts, daring not even to cough. Garrett¡¯s heart pounded. If this were his hospital in a previous life, never would these experts be allowed to conduct surgery alone. Joking aside, a partial resection of the small intestine, even for benign conditions, was considered a Level 2 to Level 3 surgery! Level 2 surgeries required at least junior attending physicians to lead, and Level 3 surgeries needed senior attending physicians, or junior associate chief physicians! And here in Operating Room 1, these individuals¡ªthough all spellcasters above Level 10¡ªhad they memorized the anatomical charts? How was their dissection technique? Had theypleted their standardized training? Had they passed their medical licensing exams? How many years had they served as residents, ever been the primary resident for a year? Had they been promoted to attending physician? Had they independently performed even a single appendectomy? Was there a senior physician guiding them? And they dared to tackle a Level 2 surgery!Regrettably, Garrett had no say in the matter. Firstly, these were people here to help him, it wouldn¡¯t be right to prevent them from participating. Secondly, each of these experts in Operating Room 1 had a level of spellcasting that was square of his own, plus a little more... In other words, by level of spellcasting, those individuals were the senior physicians, and Garrett himself, the junior T_T But then again, if in his previous life there had been healing spells readily avable, perhaps the requirements for surgery permissions wouldn¡¯t have been so strict. A blood vessel cut? Healing spell! An intestine torn? Healing spell! A liver or spleencerated? Healing spell! It was as if a senior doctor was always there guiding, or to be more precise, it was much more useful than the guidance of a senior physician. High error tolerance, low mortality rate, the efficiency of training surgeons, also much higher than in his previous life. Could this save more patients? After all, the mortality rate of anthrax was terrifyingly high, aside from those with board-like abdomen, who knows how many more patients had developed intestinal bleeding, perforation. Getting surgery sooner could significantly reduce the chances of septicemia. Garrett raised his voice: "Be gentle! You must be gentle! When inspecting the intestines, lift the peritoneum, slowly pull it upwards!" "Don¡¯t be too rough! Avoid touching the stomach and liver!" "Don¡¯t puncture the retroperitoneum! The kidneys are behind! The aorta is also behind! Don¡¯t puncture backwards!" Thankfully, Andrew Lynn¡¯s surgery didn¡¯t involve too many mistakes, basically all within the range Garrett could manage. Deservedly, he had attended over a dozen anatomy sses alongside those necromancer apprentices. The cadaver teachers sent from the ck Crow Swamp truly served their purpose. After overseeing this surgery, Garrett left the closing tasks behind and dashed to Operating Room 4. The necromancer in Operating Room 4 seemed somewhat familiar, while the War God¡¯s priest and cleric from the Spring Goddess¡¯s temple were likely strangers to him. Seeing Garrett, all three seemed eager to try: "Magus Nordmark, can we conduct a surgery on our own while you supervise?" Garrett took a deep breath. He mentally repeated the phrase "A senior resident, under the guidance of a supervising physician, can gradually undertake Level 2 surgeries" twice and lifted his head: "Okay, I¡¯ll watch over you. Take your time! Try to stabilize this surgery, aiming for independent operation in the next one!" Necromancers... If, as Archmage Edgar said, each had dissected a hundred or so corpses, their anatomical foundation should at least be equivalent to a senior resident, right? With the example set by the experts and Garrett teaching from room to room, the eight operating rooms began independent surgeries in apetitive spirit. Garrett thought he might have a moment to breathe, but soon found himself even busier: "Ah! How is the blood spraying so high! Garrett!" Garrett dashed off. Upon arrival, he saw bright red blood directly spraying onto the surgicalmp, almost reaching the ceiling. Which artery did you hit? It doesn¡¯t seem like the peritoneal arteries have this kind of force! "Ah! What¡¯s this? Why is it ck and green?" Garrett ran off again... Nothing much, just intestinal perforation, plus whatever the patient ate yesterday, all leaked out. Garrett waved a magic trick, a cleansing spell did its job, all was well. "Garrett! Why is the patient suddenly arching backward! Can¡¯ty t on the bed! Can we just press down?" Garrett ran off again and again... Alright, opisthotonus, a ssic symptom of meningitis. Garrett sighed: "Take him down, toxin in the brain, probably not much chance of survival... Bring in another patient!" Despite the surgery being fraught with close calls and hazards, eight operating rooms working simultaneously was much faster than Garrett alone. The long line of patients with board-like abdomen soon shrank from the neighboring hospital building, to the connecting corridor between the two buildings, and then just to the corridor outside the OR area. Seeing the patients nearly dealt with, Garrett nodded to the three experts in Operating Room 1 and dove back into the wards to continue screening patients in need of surgery. Checking for high fever patients list! Visually assessing patient conditions! Listening to bowel sounds, pressing to evaluate the abdominal situation, X-ray for gas-fluid levels! The high-level mages in the ORs, just finishing the first batch of patients, thought they could rest a bit. Garrett, however, rustled up dozens more... "Are we even meant to live?!" In the eight operating rooms, twenty-four spellcasters, half of them screamed in dismay... Down in the wards, Garrett grew increasingly reassured. Penicillin deliveries kepting, injected into patients one by one; the conditions of those he had personally monitored did not worsen, signs of peritonitis were being controlled; and the rate of mild cases turning severe began to slow down! With penicillin avable, at least they could buy time, waiting for the spellcasters¡¯ healing spells to recover, or, to queue up for the operating table! After screening one floor of patients, Garrett was about to move to another when Archmage Edgar hurriedly stopped him. The archmage, rushing and with a look of concern: "Little Garrett, I need to step out for a bit! Go back to the OR, take my ce!" "Okay! ¡ªArchmage, what happened? Is there anything I can help with?" "Just do the surgery." Archmage Edgar waved him off and walked away quickly. Stepping out of the infectious diseases hospital, a mage in ck robes approached him, summoning two shadowy steeds: "Thetest news, near the water source of that water supplypany, traces of a gue-rted curse have been discovered!" Chapter 326: Tracing the Plague, Protection Comes First Archmage Edgar was at his wit¡¯s end. Necromancers, especially those from the gue branch of necromancy, have always had a notorious reputation. Whenever there was an outbreak of strange diseases, gues, or unexinable deaths, the first reaction of people was: What mischief is the gue branch up to now? Whom have they cursed? Have they been testing new spells on living beings? Or did something from theirboratories leak out? If not for the fact that the ck Crow Swamp was genuinely formidable, especially in group battles, the ostracization they faced would have been even more severe. This is where young Garrett deserves praise. Ever since he published several papers on infectious diseases and gues, proving the methods of gue transmission, and provided the standard management norms for P4boratories, the necromancers found a powerful argument in their defense. People from the gue branch could proudly say:"Myboratory meets the standards! Myb management is strict enough! This gue/disease/death has nothing to do with me!" However, before peace couldst two days, the shadow of a necromantic gue curse appeared in this outbreak! "Is the news reliable?" he asked the mage who brought the news seriously. The informant nodded heavily: "It was ya who told me. She and I studied in the same Mage Tower for seven years¡ªThe Commissioner asked her to pass the message, saying both our ck Crow Swamp and the Commissioner from Light of the Stars have confirmed the existence of the curse, and told us to clean it up quickly." Archmage Edgar expressed his understanding. Since the necromanticmittee members had personally witnessed it, the source of the gue being a magical curse was beyond doubt. Sending the message was merely to catch a significant insider quickly, to avoid falling into others¡¯ hands, which would look bad. Damn it, the gue branch had repeatedly warned, noboratories, no passing the assessment, and research should be suspended. Who dared to challenge this head-on? He spurred his Phantom Steed, following the messenger toward the water source. The 12 buildings where the gue outbreak urred, the water source of the water supplypany, had long been under the control of the council. The Phantom Steed galloped without any detour, climbing mountains and crossing rivers, drawing a straight line on the map. In no time, the two magical mounts stopped beside a smallke. "The Commissioner detected the curse¡¯s presence here," the messenger pointed at theke water. Edgar hummed, dismounted, walked to theke¡¯s edge, and started casting spells with swift hand movements. A thin ck light fell into theke. Soon, the water gently began to boil, releasing a series of bubbles. Edgar patiently waited for a while before he saw those ck and green bubbles slowly gather together, moving closer to him with his gestures. Edgar changed his hand gestures. This time, the bubbles coalesced, forming a small snake coiled upon itself, floating and sinking on the water waves. Edgar squinted his eyes, carefully examining the scale patterns on the snake¡¯s body. After a while, he waved his hand and blew a whistle. The small snake turned around and swam towards the shore. Unfortunately, the overgrownkeside was not its home turf, nor was the dried-up creek. The green scales on its body started to diminish as if rubbing off into the bushes. Having traveled only about a hundred meters, the small snake¡¯s body became ethereal, almost invisible. Edgar hummed and casually dispersed it: "Still a bit cunning. The source of the gue is further ahead¡ªlet¡¯s go!" Though the magically formed small snake didn¡¯tst long, it had already pointed them in the right direction. The two magicians followed the creek uphill, climbing halfway up the mountainside, carefully inspecting the water traces, constantly casting spells to find the source of the disease, and quickly found their target in the bushes. It was a dead wild beast. After many days, it had dposed beyond recognition, barely resembling its original form. Edgar chanted a few spells, waved his hand, and heard a buzzing sound as a swarm of flies flew out from the bushes. The carcass of the beast stood up. Its bones, breaking through the rotting flesh, reassembled into its living shape. Its head turned aimlessly, then lowered, its fangs scraping the soil forcefully. "Oh, it turns out to be a wild boar." The great mage nodded. The mystery of why the gue broke out in the city so long after the wild boar¡¯s death was solved: the wild boar had not died in theke at the water source, but on the mountain, and the seeds of the disease were washed down by rainwater. He nced around casually: "Go, find all your brothers and sisters!" He sent a dark light into the skeletal boar. The boar turned around twice, changed direction, and started running towards the ridge top. The mage followed leisurely behind, even sparing magic to speed it up, but after crossing two mountain tops, his face quickly soured: The boar had led them to the newly demarcated public health department¡¯s water source, supplying the entire Nevis City! The boar sniffed around, east and west, moving forward. Soon, it dug up a dead rat near the water source, then another, and another. After three to five dead rats appeared, Edgar was trembling with rage. He raised his hand, and a dense ck light fell: "Go, find them all!" The skeletal rats scattered. Being small and agile, they were much faster than the boar and quickly led Edgar to twenty to thirty dead rats. The two closest to the water source had died less than ten meters from the reservoir! Another magical test on the time of death showed that the rats had died nearly a week earlier than the boar. If they had carried the disease into the water, contaminating the reservoir, the entire city would have been in danger! Edgar cast a spell towards the reservoir. The same spell he used at theke fell into the reservoir, but instead of stirring up ck and green bubbles, it brought forth a lively light green aura. Looking closer, the water nts at the bottom of theke gently swayed, sterilizing, filtering, and cleaning¡ªthese were nts specially cultivated by the God of Nature¡¯s sect to purify water bodies. Even if a few disease seeds entered the reservoir, these nts could eliminate most of them. Hundreds of storage tanks at the end, Garrett¡¯s apprentices changing bleach bottles every three days, testing water quality every three days; the biogas pool in the slum area zing, constantly providing boiling water for free. Three lines of defense connected one after another, protecting the safety of Nevis City¡¯s citizens. Fortunately, there was a centralized water supply facility, and fortunately, precautions were taken in advance... Maybe, the curser found the rats ineffective and then changed the target tounch the spell? Edgar let out a long sigh. He changed his gestures, casting several spells in session,nding on the skeletal boar and rats. Finally, with a forceful wave of his hand: "Go, to the source that cursed you!" The boar and rats fell silently to the ground, disintegrating into bones. From the pile of bones, dozens of bone fragments rustled, forming a few bone crows, which spread their wings and flew away. Chapter 327: A Cunning Beyond Measure Chapter 327: A Cunning Beyond Measure The bone birds took flight, circling above Archmage Edgar¡¯s head, swooping low as if searching for something. Gradually, they dispersed, their bone wings brushing against the grass, some even diving into the thickets. Archmage Edgar mounted his Phantom Steed confidently. With a tug of the reins, the Phantom Steed leaped into the air, hovering a half foot off the ground. He was ready for the pursuit and turned to the messenger: "Preserve the flesh and soil below for examination. And remember, don¡¯t touch it directly with your hands. It¡¯s all gued seeds, beware of bing like the patients in the hospital!" The messenger thought, T_T, I know it¡¯s a gue, I¡¯m from ck Crow Swamp too! Do you really need to teach me how to handle toxic substances? But why, oh why, is this dirty, stinky, and dangerous task thrown onto me... After giving his instructions, Edgar slightly raised his head, scanning the horizon. The bone birds had gained altitude, their circling radius expanding as if they had confirmed their information and were now seeking the source. Good, keep it up! The mage who cast this curse, wait till I find you, believe it or not, I¡¯ll tear you to pieces! Archmage Edgar watched the bone birds, his mind racing with thoughts of overturning the culprit¡¯s Mage Tower, confronting him, and smashing all his necromantic creations. Imagining the eighteen tortures of ck Crow Swamp, by the time he reached the sixteenth, the bone birds suddenly scattered in all directions, flying east, west, southwest, northeast. Archmage Edgar: !!! His calm smile froze on his face. Luckily, he reacted quickly, recalling all the bone birds before releasing them one by one. The one heading southwest dove diagonally and crashed into Garrett¡¯s Mage Tower, shattering into fine dust.The velocity and the irretrievable momentum, as if it bore a grudge against the Mage Tower for generations, bewildering since it was summoned less than ten minutes ago... Why did it head here? Could it be Garrett¡¯s Mage Tower has a gue leak? Is theboratory managementx, or did a student get bribed into stealing gue seeds from theb? Archmage Edgar was deeply troubled. He released another bone bird, this time it darted towards the southeast, crashing into the hospital, wing and pecking at Leon Carlos, who was directing operations in the lobby. Leon: ...!!! What¡¯s this for? Why attack me suddenly! Poor him, just a mage apprentice, recruited through the academy¡¯s admission program, and has not yet been taken in by any master. Suddenly attacked by a bone bird, he was clueless about what was happening or what the spell signified. Luckily, the bone bird¡¯s attack was practically harmless. Carlos raised his notebook, the wood backing of which went smack smack smack... I smack! I smack! I smack smack smack! So busy, with thousands of patients to treat, to count, to allocate beds, and youe to disturb my work! If you¡¯re seeking revenge, now¡¯s really not the time! He smacked wildly. The physical repulsion effect was outstanding, quickly smacking the bone bird to the floor, stepping on it. Carlos sighed in relief, lifted his hand to wipe off sweat, then remembered the hospital¡¯s safety protocols and decisively gave up, continuing to issue orders: "Bed 117 on the first floor still has a fever?¡ªSend someone to ask the doctor if another shot is needed!" "Bed 57 on the second floor dead?¡ªTo the morgue, strip the bed, douse it with disinfectant, and make room for a new patient." "No more beds avable? Open a new area in the observation zone, temporarily amodate symptomatic patients, and separate them from asymptomatic ones¡­" Archmage Edgar had hurried over. He silently stood at the door, observed Carlos¡¯s actions for a while, then quietly left. If it was merely a leak of gue seeds, it could have been due to a student¡¯s mishandling, but this was curse magic! A mere mage apprentice couldn¡¯t manage such magic! There was a conspiracy, without a doubt. Keep pursuing! I refuse to believe the source of the gue can¡¯t be traced! Archmage Edgar returned to his starting point and released the bone birds again. This time, three birds flew in the same direction, straight towards the northeast. This must be right! The principle of the bone bird spell is to track the caster¡¯s aura. If the caster brought items belonging to other mages and used magic to assist, it could indeed confuse the tracking! Archmage Edgar spurred the Phantom Steed, following closely. This journey was long, with treetops, rocks, and streams whizzing by, half a day¡¯s journey unnoticed. Edgar looked at the sky, nowpletely darkened, thick clouds overhead, seemingly about to rain at midnight . ...Should I find a ce to camp, or speed up and continue tracking? Not having a camping spot isn¡¯t a worry, every mage knows how to use a mage¡¯s cottage when out and about. The bone birds suddenly dived. Edgar followed, descending into a cave. The cave walls were dry, devoid of strange food remnants or debris, obviously not a beast¡¯s den, the air even carried a faint fragrance. Following the bone birds further, turning a corner, he saw them plunge into a shallow spring, then... They disintegrated into bones. ??? Archmage Edgar looked around. Vines covered the cave walls, still blooming with small white flowers this season, a pile of firewood at the cave¡¯s base, the ground baked hard. The whole atmosphere conveyed cleanliness,fort, and safety¡ªundoubtedly a camping spot of the God of Nature¡¯s sect when patrolling the wilderness... So, this is awkward. Did the mage who left the curse specificallye here to leave a footprint, meanwhile using natural scents to cover his tracks? It must be said, he did a good job. Releasing another bone bird only led to aimless circling, unable to find the direction. What clue should be followed next? Archmage Edgar returned dejectedly. Fifty kilometers away, Lady Hopman graciously poured a cup of tea for her sister. "Slynn, try this tea. It¡¯s vored with orange peel and cinnamon. The cinnamon powder was just brought by the recent ship, the best batch¡ªdo you want more sugar?" "No need," replied Slynn, the necromancer, her fingers dry as she touched the teacup but didn¡¯t pick it up. "How¡¯s the gue? Was it sessful?" "It should be, I just got the news. By the way, Slynn, are you sure your curse won¡¯t be traced back to you? Really no need to flee elsewhere for a while?" "Don¡¯t worry! I added personal items from two mages into it. If they search, they¡¯ll find them first! Tracing it back to me won¡¯t be easy." Chapter 328: Out of Spells, But Still Able to Save Lives Never underestimate a mage, no matter how low their rank. This is a principle taught to every mage who has undergone formal education. The power of a magees from their wisdom and creativity; even low-ranking mages or apprentices might possess unique secrets. A trick from an apprentice might stump even a grand mage. If Garrett knew this rule, he might trante it as: Elementary school math problems, with specific methods required, might stump college students. Archmage Edgar circled the cave. A series of detection spells revealed nothing; evidently, his colleague had covered his tracks well. After some thought, he left the cave to set up a mage¡¯s shelter elsewhere for the night. ¡ªThis cave was developed by the followers of the God of Nature, its magical environment more attuned to nature and life. For a necromancer, although it wasn¡¯t ufortable, it could slightly hinder their performance. In the event of an enemy¡¯s arrival, this slight difference could mean life or death. Having been battle-hardened, Edgar could not overlook this detail. Although his intuition suggested that his colleague was unlikely to return and attack, a mage should never risk their life on "should" or "maybe." Archmage Edgar rested up, ready to try a different approach the next day. However, the battle at the infectious disease hospital where Garrett was located was far from over. ¡ªIn eight operating rooms, casters gradually ceased their work. Even high-ranking healers, levels 7, 8, or even above 10, ready to deal with sshing blood and clinging to fading lives for five to six hours, had exhausted their mental and physical strengths. "I can¡¯t anymore," Bishop Sullivan was the first to bow out. His healing magic was already down to 20%, and after supporting a few more rounds of treatment, he felt dizzy and unstable. He stopped and sat down in the resting area outside, where soon, a somewhat familiar cleric sat beside him.The third, the fourth, more and more people exited, the teams in the operating rooms breaking and reforming. Eventually, all eight rooms emptied, save for OR one, where sounds still echoed. "Bring in the patient." "Cleansing spell." "Here, cast a healing spell." "Another one." "Saline rinse." "Good, suction." "Abdomen can be closed now. Continue with the healing spell, thank you." "Take the patient down. Next." "Another one." "¡­How long have they been at it?" next to Bishop Sullivan, a level 5 priest peeked inside, astonished. "I¡¯m not surprised about the Archbishop and the High Priest, but if I¡¯m not mistaken, that young mage is only level 3, right?" "Correct, level 3." The bishop¡¯s voice held little surprise. He knew Garrett since the day the young mage had operated on a crew member until deep into the night. Afterwards, Garrett had been busy exining the procedure and writing notes, practically working through the night. If he could do so much for a single crew member, how could Garrett stop with so many patients in front of him? "But¡­ his spells must have run out by now?" Indeed, Garrett had exhausted his spells. He was just a level 3 mage, with limited mental energy. Even though his mental strength was more resilient than most and he conserved energy by using only low-level magic like Mage Hand or magical tricks, the vast number of patients had long depleted his mana. Before five operations, he had stopped casting spells, relying solely on his hands for treatment. "Here, hold this tray." "Cast a healing spell." "Hand me the vascr mp¡­ You¡¯re using Mage Hand to mp the vessel? Alright, just be careful not to apply too much force and damage the vessel wall¡­" "This one¡¯s done¡­ Take the patient down, you two take a break, I¡¯ll go wash my hands¡­" Garrett offered a tired smile, dragging his feet to the sink. The chief deity of the Temple of War couldn¡¯t bear to watch: "Garrett, that¡¯s enough for today." By convention among casters, the moment a mage¡¯s spell slots are depleted marks the end of the battle. Of course, he understood Garrett¡¯s perseverance: on the battlefield, War Priests who ran out of spell slots might still rush to the front lines with a il or tend torades¡¯ wounds. But such detailed,plicated operations? The mental strain was too much! For a caster to push themselves this hard was to joke with their foundation and future! "Your Grace, I can still hold on," Garrett replied hoarsely. His face was pale, his hair wet and clinging to his forehead. After washing his hands, he sshed cold water on his face, rubbing his cheeks to bring some color back. He put his mask and surgical cap back on, receiving a Bubble Spell from a watching mage: "Garrett, you¡¯ve run out of spells, take a break!" "But there are still patients waiting." Garrett looked back at the corridor. Seventeen or eighteen stretchers stood there, meaning seventeen or eighteen patients, seventeen or eighteen lives¡ª These he couldn¡¯t just ignore! "Don¡¯t worry! I can manage this part without healing spells, without any supernatural abilities. I can handle treating this group of people." Garrett turned and walked back inside. Without Mage Hand, without Cleansing spells, he still had his own hands and freshly sterilized surgical instruments. In his previous life, he and his colleagues, his mentors, had saved countless patients without healing spells; there was no reason he couldn¡¯t do the same now! Garrett¡¯s steps were slow, even stumbling at first, but they steadied as he proceeded. Entering the OR, he lifted the scalpel and made a steady cut. "A born healer," Bishop Sullivan sighed. When he first became a War Priest and went to the battlefield, he too had desperately dragged back wounded soldiers, staying up nights to clean and bandage wounds. Butter, with regr meditation, ensuring enough sleep, maintaining the bishop¡¯s status and image... How long had it been since he had worked so desperately to treat patients? He thought of helping, but as he leaned on the armrest, his head spun. Darkness crossed his vision, Bishop Sullivan instinctively closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he realized it wasn¡¯t due to exhaustion: a ck-robed mage silently floated past. Garrett opened the patient¡¯s abdominal skin. As he continued to make the incision, familiar footsteps approached slowly from behind: "Let me do it." Garrett turned. A familiar golden skeleton¡ªresembling one from Andrew Lynn¡¯s collection¡ªstood beside him, with one of Edgar¡¯s disciples smiling behind it: "Take a break, let me¡ªAt least, I can help with the incision." "And I can help with rinsing and closing." Another cleric in a pale blue robe stood at the door. Before Garrett could thank them, a third caster arrived at the doorway of OR one, pausing to nod at him: "The most troublesome part may have to be you; I can¡¯t keep my concentration. But, we can take care of the rest, saving you some time." One action inspired another, one spirit lifted another. Necromancers, priests, clerics rose one by one, heading to their assigned ORs. Calls echoed back and forth: "Bring in the patient!" "Bring in the patient!" Chapter 329: Mortality Rate and Reinforcements The night deepened. Thest operation concluded. Casters began to withdraw, returning to their mage towers or temples for meditation, sleep, and the recovery of their mental strength and spells for the next day. Without spells, even a magician is rendered powerless... Only the hard-pressed Garrett was yet to rest. Deep into the night, he faced a lineup of apprentices, each reporting in turn: "In wards 1-4 on the first floor, out of 88 patients, 40 were treated with divine magic, 28 cured, 12 under observation. The remaining 48 treated without divine magic saw 6 deaths, with the rest under observation." "In wards 5-8 on the first floor, out of 92 patients, 30 received divine magic treatment, 22 cured, 8 under observation. The 62 treated without divine magic suffered 11 deaths, with the rest under observation¡­" "Wards 9-10 on the first floor, wards 9-10 on the second floor¡­" "Wards 1-4 on the second floor¡­" Garrett tirelessly logged the data. As the reports progressed, fewer people received divine magic treatment, and the mortality rate increased. In just one day, the hospital saw an influx of 1247 patients, including those directly and indirectly affected, with the death toll reaching¡­51. Garrett knew this number would continue to rise in theing days. Anthrax patients, if not treated timely and effectively, would massively turn septic, leading to death on the second or third day. Althoughrge doses of penicillin had been administered, how many could be saved? The effectiveness of intramuscr injections as a substitute for intravenous drips was uncertain to Garrett. "Is the timing and dosage of the penicillin injections all recorded?" He flipped through the logbook while asking. A spattering of replies came: "Recorded¡­" "The patients¡¯ temperature changes?" "Recorded¡­" This time, the response was even sparser. Garrett sighed in resignation: Out of 23 students, excluding those in theb, those making penicillin in the mage tower, and those coordinating logistics, each apprentice was responsible for about 4 wards or nearly 100 patients on average. Just administering penicillin injections was overwhelming, let alone recording temperatures. Even with their best efforts, it was impossible to timely log every patient¡¯s temperature. In his previous life, a resident doctor in a tertiary hospital typically managed around 10 patients, not counting the attending physicians, deputy chief physicians, chief physicians, nurses, and head nurses... Even after the city hall dispatched additional manpower and the medical branch sent apprentices to assist, the workload of these students was hardly reduced. "Thank you all for your hard work." Garrett¡¯s gaze swept from left to right and back again over every apprentice. After a whole day of intensive work, each student appeared pale, with cracked lips, standing unsteadily as if they might copse at any moment. "Thank you for your efforts today. We admitted 1247 patients, more than half of whom couldn¡¯t receive timely divine magic treatment. Thanks to your hard work, we only lost 51 patients today. Including those who received divine magic treatment, the overall mortality rate is below 5%. We are facing a highly dangerous disease. It progresses rapidly, with a short course and high mortality rate. Without timely treatment, the patient mortality rate can exceed 70%. Today¡¯s achievements are inseparable from your hardbor. Thank you!" He bowed deeply. The students, in a fluster, hurriedly returned the gesture. Garrett straightened up. He exhaled heavily: "You may all rest now. Take the evacuation route, disinfect, shower, clean yourselves thoroughly, then head back to the mage tower for a good night¡¯s sleep. Tomorrow, we will have more hands on deck. I promise, you won¡¯t have to work this hard again¡­" The students let out a feeble cheer, filing towards the evacuation route. Garrett followed them, and afterpleting the disinfection, he instinctively started to summon his magical horse, but his hand, raised halfway, fell heavily. "What are you nning to do?" someone asked. Garrett turned towards the voice, immediately bowing respectfully: "Archmage, Your Excellency." Archmage Carlisle hummed, casually raising his hand. He had been bothered all day: Aurora had rushed into hisb early in the morning, deploying an unprecedented level of persistence, urging him to seek help from the reviewmittee, the city hall, the temples, everyone. Any dy, and she¡¯d pout, appearing on the verge of tears. Not only did she task him, but also his disciples, whoever could spare a moment, came to help make disinfectant, bleach... And to top it off, the Lord of Thunder himself got involved, inquiring about the situation once at noon and again in the evening! He hadn¡¯t even reported to his teacher yet! Ah, the teacher entrusted little Garrett to his care, what choice did he have but to keep a close eye? "Your Excellency, I intended to visit the reviewmittee to see if we could coordinate more manpower to assist tomorrow." Garrett answered respectfully. "You¡¯ve seen it yourself, dozens of apprentices managing so many patients is overwhelming." "And you thought of this now?" Archmage Carlisle grunted heavily, conjuring a Phantom Steed. Garrett attempted to mount, but his legs felt as heavy as lead, and he couldn¡¯t climb onto the horse. Thankfully, the Phantom Steed knelt, allowing Garrett to sit in the saddlefortably. "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s already arranged." The sound of hooves and the Archmage¡¯s words were carried by the night wind to Garrett¡¯s ears: "Tomorrow morning, 100 apprentices and low-ranking mages will report to the mage tower. Give them an hour to teach them how to protect themselves, then take them to work. No problem, right?" "No problem!" Garrett eximed joyfully. The Archmage coughed: "It¡¯s not for free, two conditions. First, they must return as they came; can¡¯t send out a hundred and have ten or eight fall sick. Can you manage that?" "I¡¯ll do my best..." Garrett wiped sweat from his brow. Teaching protection was a given, but whether the apprentices would listen or adhere strictly to safety measures was out of his control. What if a carefree one, after nursing a patient, ate without washing hands? Hoping the transmission rate of anthrax wasn¡¯t high was all he could do... "Second, that thing you made¡ªpenicillin¡ªwhen can you write up the paper? The production method, the effects of the medication..." Ah, interest in good things indeed runs high. Garrett remained silent. Therge-scale application had just started today, not even 24 hours had passed, and the council was already inquiring... "Give me another 100 people! One person managing five patients, then there¡¯s time to record the medication effects!" "That¡¯s..." Garrett and Archmage Carlisle haggled. Meanwhile, under the eternal me before the statue of the War God, the Archbishop stood hands behind his back, gazing at the deity¡¯s visage: "That... miracle drug, besides today¡¯s issue, what other conditions is it effective against? Can we acquire the production method? Shall we discuss it tomorrow?" Chapter 330: Penicillin, a Bidding War? Garrett¡¯s immediate agreement to write the paper somewhat surprised Archmage Carlisle. In the darkness of the night, he nced back at the string of lights behind him¡ªthe carriages arranged by the city hall to transport the apprentices from the infectious disease hospital back to the mage tower, saving them from exhaustion and a kilometer-long walk. Carlisle watched Garrett with amusement: "You agreed to write the paper just like that? Without even a bit of bargaining?" "It¡¯s just writing, not something that needs to be kept secret." Garrett yawned on horseback, tears streaming from his eyes due to fatigue. "Such an important discovery can¡¯t be kept by me alone; it should be handed over to the council anyway...ahh..." Joking aside, that was penicillin! A strategic resource! On the battlefield, having penicillin was like magically gaining half a priest per person! Such a thing, even in his previous life, was developed with support from the U.S. military, which then ced orders for its procurement. How else could Australian pathologist Howard Florey have managed to have pilots collect soil samples from airports around the world for his bacterial strain istion? Not to mention its medicinal value, the idea that a level 3 mage like him could keep it secure was ludicrous! Archmage Carlisle was both surprised and pleased. The young man knew his limits, sparing Carlisle the effort of persuading or even deceiving him. However, the morepliant Garrett was, the more Carlisle wanted to tease him:"Not even going to discuss licensing fees?" "No need...the council has always been generous..." Garrett continued yawning, struggling to keep his bnce. The council had never been stingy withpensation before, always keen to extract a bit more technology: "It¡¯s just..." "Just what..." "It¡¯s just that the directed mutation andrge-scale cultivation of Penicillium rely on Elder Wood and their contributions...they shouldn¡¯t be shortchanged..." Archmage Carlisle: "..." Smart kid, waiting for me right there! Whose student are you, really?! He was both annoyed and amused, about to vent a fewints, but when he turned around, he swallowed his words. With a flick of his wrist, a living rope flew out, securely binding Garrett to the horseback: That was close! Garrett was nearly falling off the horse! Even a Phantom Steed can¡¯t tolerate riding like this! Although it¡¯s a magical mount, it won¡¯t carry its master by the cor! Archmage Carlisle paid utmost attention, delivering Garrett to the doorstep of the mage tower. An invisible servant took him inside, where Garrett, leaning on the servant, drooled in his sleep, oblivious to whoid him in bed. Awakening to bright daylight, besides the tower¡¯s original apprentices, a full two hundred people queued outside, waiting to learn how to protect themselves in the infectious disease hospital. "Ah..." Garrett pulled the nket over his head: "Let them teach...let the apprentices teach, I¡¯ll sleep a bit more..." He was nearly dead from exhaustion... It had been a long time since he¡¯d worked with such intensity, every muscle in his body aching... Leveraging his mentor¡¯s privilege, he stayed in bed a bit longer before finally getting up. After breakfast and reviewing the learning oues, he led everyone into the infectious disease hospital, diving into the hectic work. "Remember to wear gloves, wear masks!" "Put on Bubble Spell!" "Wash hands, wash hands! Don¡¯t touch your face, any exposed skin, or eat anything before washing thoroughly!" "Each person takes care of five patients! Measure their temperature every hour, record their condition! Any abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, headache, any difort! Summarize every hour and report to your ward¡¯s supervisor!" Garrett instructed as they approached the hospital, where a weary-looking high-ranking medical mage with a dozen low-ranking mages met them to hand over the shift: "The day shift is yours..." "How wasst night?" "Not bad, only 15 died." "..." "Another 35 patients don¡¯t look good. Although we administered the special drug ording to your n on schedule, some are barely hanging on. Here¡¯s the list and symptom chart." A thick record booknded in Garrett¡¯s palm, weighing down his hands, then he gripped it tightly as if clutching the lives of over a thousand people: "Thank you. I¡¯ll take it from here for the treatment." With hundreds of helpers, the second day¡¯s treatment was far less chaotic than the first. Garrett checked on critical patients between surgeries and had time to review the effectiveness of penicillin: "From noon yesterday to eight this morning, 1057 patients were injected with penicillin..." "A total of *** injections..." "357 patients improved...678 remained stable...59 worsened..." "The effectiveness is still not satisfactory." Garrett frowned in frustration: "Switching from IV to IM injection seems to have made a difference. Should we increase the dosage? Or shorten the administration interval? What does the pharmacokics of penicillin G say? How long can the effective bactericidal concentration be maintained?" He agonized over the memory. Some things were only roughly described in books, or forms were listed, requiring his own calctions. Garrett, a clinical doctor in his previous life, not a researcher, found many forms unfamiliar and had to recall and re-calcte them. While Garrett was dissatisfied with the effectiveness of penicillin and pondered adjustments, elsewhere in the city, factions envious of penicillin¡¯s effects and scheming to acquire it were more than one or two. The Archbishop of the Temple of War, unusually traveling by carriage, faced two young apprentices sitting opposite him. Legs tightly together, hands pressed firmly on their knees, their youthful faces were serious: "Yes, yesterday I was responsible for wards 5-8 on the third floor, a total of 89 patients. Out of them, two received divine magic treatment and were cured, 11 were critically ill and slightly improved after divine magic treatment but not cured, also received penicillin injections, and 76 were only given penicillin. Out of the 76, 28 improved, 32 remained stable, six died." "Do you think they could have survived until now without penicillin?" "I¡ªI¡¯m just an apprentice, Your Grace. But I think those people¡¯s symptoms were very severe, probably wouldn¡¯t havested much longer." "Hmm... alright, child. Keep gathering data on penicillin¡¯s effectiveness in theing days and report to me daily. May the God of War bless you, you can go now, call Gimmet up." The Archbishop tapped the car window rhythmically, lost in thought. Meanwhile, at the peak of Igor, the magicians of ck Crow Swamp were in an uproar: "This thing was made to counter us!" "No, with it, our gue magic can safely develop!" "It should be restricted!" "No, I think it should be highly encouraged! Wondering about the price, if it¡¯s right, I myself would like to purchase a batch..." "How much money have we already squeezed out of him? And now we¡¯re giving him money?!" "Uh, I think, it¡¯s not impossible to trade with something else... like skeletons for daily chores... Even if not so agile, they can still carry things, transport patients..." "Would they really want that? How many people got scared faint by skeletons yesterday?" "We could put an illusion on them! Illusions can be customized! Don¡¯t tell me you guys aren¡¯t experts in skinning!" Chapter 331: Environmental Disinfection, Who Pays for the Losses? "Can you skin a model?" When this question was posed, the mages from the ck Crow Swamp erupted into chaos: "Who can¡¯t!" "Skinning is the easiest!" "I have 10 basic models here! Male and female, young and old, with selectable height, weight, hair color, and eye color!" "Get lost!" Necromancers, in general, tend to face some difficulties in finding partners. Over time, to please their eyes on a daily basis, some turned their attention to the undead creatures they use regrly. For those like Andrew Lynn who are constantly roaming and still in the phase of increasing theirbat capabilities, it¡¯s manageable. But as soon as a necromancer settles down with their own mage tower, who doesn¡¯t have a few prized possessions? Some choose the path of flesh sculpting, creating zombies that look lifelike and feel almost like a living person, justcking body heat; others choose the path of illusions, fitting skeletons with illusions to save on daily cleaning and maintenance, with the convenience of changing them anytime they get bored. And there are those who take a different approach, oveying zombies with illusions for both touch and appearance, avoiding the hassle of changing clothes and makeup... And as necromancers possess strongbat abilities, they sometimes drag back high-quality corpses of humans (or non-humans). Temtes, as it were, are never in short supply. A third of the premium Tower Spirits offered by the school of change were designed by the necromancy school in terms of appearance.The conversation quickly drifted to showing off their zombies and skeletons (figurines,bat forms...), and attacking each other¡¯s possessions. The group of otaku mages found this topic fascinating, spitting out words with great enthusiasm, and half an hour passed in an instant. The meeting¡¯s moderator coughed several times, trying to steer the conversation back on track, but was intentionally or unintentionally ignored by everyone. Garrett was unaware of the discussions in the ck Crow Swamp. If he could hear them, he would rush to ce an order: "First, give me a few dozen skeletons to help with sweeping, carrying stretchers, and delivering items, with the appearance of nurse sisters! I¡¯ll pay with penicillin!" Heaven knows how long his hospital has been short of nurses! All this time, doctors have been used as nurses, and mage apprentices as nurses. He has even resorted to serving as his own surgical nurse, ah, it¡¯s a tale of woe... But now he has no time to listen to discussions or ce orders. Garrett invigorated himself and plunged into his hospital work: Checking patients, studying clinical data, performing surgeries. Performing surgeries, studying clinical data, checking patients. The cycle repeats endlessly. Especially since this is the firstrge-scale clinical application of penicillin in this world. The rted efficacy, adverse reactions, and so on, need to be collected as much as possible! "Ah... too few hands, too much work, the reliability of this data really makes one¡ªheadache¡ª" Garrettmented. Therge-scale use of penicillin and such was beyond his ns. ording to his original schedule, after penicillin was developed and animal tests werepleted, he would look for suitable patients at docks or military camps for small-scale clinical trials. Military camps would be best, as people are contained within, facilitating follow-ups. But an anthrax outbreak forced him to change his ns. The widespread application, extensive use, changing the methods of medication in medical books. Garrett waspletely unsure and could only pay attention to the data feedback during surgeries, taking every opportunity to check on patients. And... "Be careful, don¡¯t let the patients bite the thermometers! They contain mercury, mercury! Poisoning can be fatal!" Garrett prayed for the effectiveness of penicillin, hoping it wouldn¡¯t lead to resistance, and that patients wouldn¡¯t cause problems, wishing for the epidemic to pass quickly. However, clearly, no god¡ªnot even the God of Nature¡ªblessed this impostor believer. Far from being blessed, he was faced with more troubles: "It¡¯s been confirmed that the water supply system of these 12 buildings, starting from the entire water source, has been contaminated with gue seeds." During a break from surgery, the head of emergency management, Johnny Colin, approached Garrett with a serious expression: "The question now is, how should we disinfect? Do we need to dismantle all the water pipes? Inside the buildings, should all the clothes and utensils that patients have touched be incinerated? How should the water source be handled, can it just be washed with arge amount of disinfectant water?" "..." Garrett grimaced. Anthrax, in particr, is the most troublesome to disinfect, unlike cholera bacteria where you can just dump bleach into the water. Anthrax spores are extremely resilient, not easily killed by ordinary high temperatures, and can survive for decades... "I can only offer suggestions from a healer¡¯s perspective. This gue is very troublesome, best to thoroughly disinfect." Garrett massaged his temples, troubled: "The safest method is to dismantle all the water pipes and melt them in a smelter¡ªturn them into copper water or whatever; Patient bodies, as well as all clothes and items they¡¯ve touched, should be incinerated at high temperatures. It must be high temperatures, Burning Hand won¡¯t do, it needs to be Dragon¡¯s Breath, and the incinerator must be sealed to prevent the spread of pathogens; Even the soil of the water source should be burned with Dragon¡¯s Breath..." Johnny Colin¡¯s headache worsened as he listened. At the end, he couldn¡¯t help butin: "ording to you, those 12 buildings would be cleanest if burned down? The district is already sealed off, why not invite a great mage over, cast a forbidden spell, and kill everythingpletely? But then where would people live? All their belongings, gone?" "Burning them with high-temperature mes would indeed be safest... but..." Garrett also felt a headache. Wealth can be devastating, he himself had been poor before and knew the weight of these words. All those pieces of furniture, clothes, utensils, and various items, starting over for a family is a tremendous financial burden. Not to mention, after falling ill this time, how many would find themselves unemployed... "Headache... Who on earth released these gue seeds... If only they could be held responsible forpensation..." Garrett murmured under his breath. Johnny Colin fell silent for a moment, finding sce in these words: "The great mages are investigating. If they catch the mastermind, the families¡¯ losses will definitely bepensated by them." The problem is, the kind of mage who does such things... hopefully, they¡¯re wealthy! From his experience in handling cases, typically, those with nothing to lose are more likely to take risks... Garrett and the others pinned their hopes on the perpetrator¡¯spensation. However, the actions of the great mage Edgar in the front line of the investigation were not going smoothly. "This curse method... doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s from our branch." "We study gues in theb." "Our branch? We¡¯re always in the mage tower, no one runs around!" Chapter 332: Forming Alliances and Searching for the Culprit The investigation led by Archmage Edgar was not going smoothly. As a high-level mage, he was not a necromancy textbook, and he couldn¡¯t instantly recognize the subtle differences in gue magic across various branches and individual casting styles of different mages. For an entire day, Archmage Edgar, with the flesh remnants collected from the scene, visited every high-level gue mage he knew, and not a single one imed responsibility... Moreover, not one offered any leads on whose magic fluctuations those might resemble. After a day of fruitless running around, Archmage Edgar had no choice but to report back. The task had been assigned by a rotating member of the necromancy school¡¯s reviewmittee. Upon hearing Edgar¡¯s plight and his request for authorization to investigate mage towers beyond the local area, themittee member grimly smiled and sighed: "Beyond local? How far beyond? ...100 kilometers? 200 kilometers? How many necromancy school mage towers are within that radius, and how much time do you n to spend investigating? How will you conduct the investigation? Question them one by one? Or search their premises?" "This¡­" Archmage Edgar was at a loss for words. His strengthsy in research and teaching, hence his previous involvement in the council¡¯s elite sses. However, investigation and detective work were not his forte... In past adventures, whenever investigative needs arose, he relied on teammates, questioning the undead, or simply overpowering obstacles. Now tasked with conducting an investigation in Nevis City without causing too much disruption, and having exhausted all tracking magic without finding the person, he was at a loss. "Never mind, the Emergency Management Department is also on it. ...Go there, help them hold the fort. Suppress any rumors that need suppressing."Archmage Edgar couldn¡¯t have been more relieved by this suggestion and headed straight for the Emergency Management Department. These past few days, the department had been upheaved by the epidemic, managing quarantine zones, transporting patients, conducting city-wide searches, and overseeing the entire hospital¡¯s logistical needs¡ªthough, they promptly delegated thest of these tasks to the city hall. Even so, the department was overwhelmingly busy. What was most exasperating was that after a day¡¯s hard work, they had to disinfect everything¡ªpeople, horses, vehicles¡ªnot missing a spot! The entire Emergency Management Department was filled withints. Upon receiving confirmation from the reviewmittee that the epidemic had been artificially induced, their animosity towards the culprit grew intense. The department head, Johnny Colin, upon being authorized, immediately delegated hospital affairs to his subordinates and immersed himself in the manhunt. The Emergency Management Department¡¯s role was to maintain city order and manage unruly mages. With a wealth of experience in investigations and manhunts, Johnny Colin had a preliminary n after listening to the archmage. He arranged for his subordinates to gather information and, along with Archmage Edgar, visited the water supplypany and the owner of the 12 buildings, Viscount Calrend. Viscount Calrend was seething when they met. After observing noble etiquettes with refreshments, he immediately voiced his grievances: "Minister Colin, during your tenure, has my Calrend family ever wronged you? Why are you treating me this way? It¡¯s one thing to treat the sick, but why quarantine the entire block? If word gets out, and people think my buildings are haunted, will I ever be able to rent them out again?" "Viscount, I¡¯m afraid these 12 buildings of yours can¡¯t be rented out for the time being." Johnny Colin calmly lifted his teacup. The tea in the cup was still, without a ripple: "After assessment, the water supply of these buildings has beenpletely contaminated by gue seeds, posing a risk of infection to the residents at any moment. We do not rmend the continuation of renting out these buildings until a thorough cleaning of the water source and supply pipes, as well as the entire building, has been conducted." "You¡­" Viscount Calrend wanted to use him of lying but facing the real power of the Emergency Management Department¡¯s chief officer and the high-level mage at his side, he swallowed his words, instead demanding: "You need evidence for such ims!" "The contamination of the pipes and water source has been confirmed by the reviewmittee." Colin maintained a calm demeanor: "Of course, as a noble, you have the right to request verification. We can arrange for the verification team, or you may invite a trusted mage to supervise." His too calm and confident tone made Viscount Calrend hesitant to argue further. After thinking it over, he asked: "What extent of cleaning is required?" "Two options," Colin confidently outlined. "First, you find a Spring Temple¡ªor any mage tower¡ªto use magic or divine power to eliminate the gue seeds. If it passes our inspection afterward, the water supply can be resumed." Viscount Calrend gasped. Finding a temple or mage tower might sound simple, but cleaning from the water source to the building with numerous spells¡ªhow much would that cost? "And the other option?" Minister Colin straightforwardly presented Garrett¡¯s n, causing Viscount Calrend¡¯s face to fall mid-exnation. He listened with difficulty, then mmed the table: "You might as well have me demolish the buildings!" ...In fact, demolition might indeed be more efficient... Minister Colin silently criticized. He didn¡¯t argue, instead staring intently at Viscount Calrend with sharp, unwavering eyes. The Viscount felt somewhat deted under his gaze and, considering his losses, had no choice but to continue arguing: "How much would it cost to deal with all 12 buildings, their pipelines, and the water source? The council won¡¯t cover this?" "Of course not." "So I¡¯m just supposed to ept my bad luck?" Viscount Calrend¡¯s anger rose again, but before he could m the table anew, Minister Colin¡¯s face broke into a rare smile: "Of course not." "Our preliminary investigation suggests that the contamination of your waterpany was due to someone cursing animals near the water source." Archmage Edgar, who had been silent, spoke up coldly: "Viscount, don¡¯t you want to know whomitted this despicable act and recover your losses from them?" "...How can I catch him?" "The council has specialists for this." Minister Colin smiled: "But we need your cooperation. Viscount, have you taken anyone to the water source or nearby forests in the past two weeks? If not, could we question the guards overseeing the water source to see if they¡¯ve noticed any suspicious individuals?" "...Well, my family has a vi there. In the past two weeks, we¡¯ve held two parties, and many people went hunting in the forest..." "That¡¯s even more dangerous." Archmage Edgar sighed. "You might not be aware, but if people consume animals cursed, they could end up like those patients in the hospital¡ªor worse. The person who cast the curse doesn¡¯t care about your lives; why should you care about theirs?" Fuming, Viscount Calrend voluntarily provided a list of visitors. Not only that, but he also had his steward apany the Emergency Management Department personnel to inquire with each visiting noble family. The guards overseeing the water source were not overlooked either... Meanwhile, subordinates dispatched by Minister Colin also obtained another list from the city¡¯s public water source guards. Chapter 333: Is the Suspect Fleeing from Guilt? With two lists in hand, meticulouslyparing each entry was a massive undertaking. Minister Colin was so busy he even skipped his coffee, scrutinizing each piece of parchment until his eyes nearly crossed: "This one only visited once... this one too... this one never went to the public water source... neither did this one..." The number of nobles attending the party and going hunting wasn¡¯trge, making the check rtively straightforward. However, Minister Colin doubted that a necromancer casting a curse would use their real identity to blend in with the group. It was more likely they disguised themselves as servants or guards, or perhaps they snuck in undetected? He had already inquired with the staff monitoring the situation for any abnormalities in the past few days. Archmage Edgar also reviewed the lists with him. Although there were necromancers in Nevis City he hadn¡¯t met, he was familiar with most by name. As they went through the lists, Edgar suddenly eximed: "What was this family doing here?" "Which family?" Johnny Colin immediately leaned over to look. Edgar pointed to a line of names: "Baron Hopman¡¯s wife? She had the leisure to attend a party? ¡ªTheir eldest son just died!""¡­Perhaps the baroness and her son were not close?" Minister Colin spected. "Why does this particrly concern you?" "They have a grudge against little Garrett!" To prevent any retaliation from the baron¡¯s family, they had reported the enmity to their teacher immediately upon returning from the party. After hearing Edgar¡¯s ount, Minister Colin stood up, determined: "¡­Indeed suspicious! This clue must be thoroughly investigated!" The investigation results, however, were not optimistic. Baron Hopman¡¯s eldest son, Knight Hopman, had recently passed away, leaving his frail and inconspicuous younger brother to be hastily pushed to the forefront. To familiarize him with the noble circle, the baron and his wife, along with their son and daughter-inw, had been actively participating in social events around the area since Knight Hopman¡¯s funeral. The party at Viscount Calrend¡¯s was merely one stop in their social endeavors, showing no signs of irregrity. ording to the recollections of the viscount¡¯s butler and servants, there was nothing unusual about the baroness¡¯s entourage at the party... "Could it really not be them?" Edgar pondered, putting down the report. Minister Colin shook his head, frowning: "No, keep digging. I have a gut feeling there¡¯s something off about them¡ª" He delved back into the documents. Personnel lists, movements, past records, family rtions... Suddenly, he mmed the table: "Got it! The baroness has a sister who is a mage!" Next door in the Mage Management Department, where information on mages¡¯ family members was kept¡ªmainly for inheritance purposes¡ªMage Slynn had previously registered the baroness as her heir when applying for her mage emblem... And when mages investigate cases, they don¡¯t care whether their methods are legal or not. ¡ªOr rather, they don¡¯t have a concept of "legal methods." Archmage Edgar checked Slynn¡¯s magical lineage in the ck Crow Swamp¡¯s archives, apanied by her mentor. To prevent Slynn from fleeing or refusing to speak the truth, they even brought a level nine mage from the divination school. Minister Colin, along with a level seven enchantment mage from the Emergency Management Department, set off for Slynn¡¯s secluded mage tower in the mountains. "Uh..." At the entrance to the mage tower, several apprentices faced the formidable group with trepidation: "Our mentor left a few days ago to search for a rare herb and hasn¡¯t returned..." "Is this fleeing from guilt? Chase!" Edgar scoffed. After searching the mage tower and confirming Slynn¡¯s absence¡ªshe had left over half a month ago¡ªthey departed. The eldest apprentice watched them go, then hurried to the tower¡¯s top and released arge crow. Half an hourter, the crownded in Johnny Colin¡¯s palm. The experienced mage examined the message bird for a moment, not bothering to open the message cylinder, but simply gestured lightly. A deep ck haze appeared around the cylinder. "A specific message to be delivered, huh." Johnny Colin smirked. He handed the crow to his subordinate, pointing in a direction: "Deploy a team to follow discreetly, see who receives the message, and where the recipient heads next!" The team split into two. Johnny Colin, with two squads from the Emergency Management Department, followed the crow¡¯s trail to Baron Hopman¡¯s territory. They disguised themselves andy in wait for two or three days before intercepting Baroness Hopman, who was hurriedly boarding a ship that had already set sail. Meanwhile, guided by the divination mage, the other group tracked their quarry. With magic leading the way and secret eyes scattered everywhere, they sessfully intercepted Slynn . She had been lurking near the mage tower and had just missed crossing paths with the search party! Had the Emergency Management Department been even slightly slower, the ship bound for the New World would have already departed! After much running around, the grand mages were drenched in sweat. On the tenth day following the outbreak, a magical wall rose in the prison of the Emergency Management Department. On either side of the wall, two groups began their interrogation: "Magus Slynn, the Emergency Management Department suspects your involvement in the recent gue incident as a poisoner. By order of the reviewmittee, we¡¯re here to ask you some questions. You may refuse to answer, but then we have the right to use enchantment magic for a coerced interrogation." "You may also lie, but be aware, each of your answers will be judged for truth by a divination mage. If deemed false, it will increase your guilt in the uing trial." "Of course, you could choose suicide... but as a necromancer, your soul would be captured for continued interrogation, something you¡¯re surely aware of?" "Now, please answer the first question: In the past two weeks, have you left the mage tower and visited the vicinity of Nevis City?" Magus Slynn sped her hands, trembling slightly. On the other side of the magical wall, two nobly born mages solemnly questioned the baroness: "Magus Slynn has confessed. She ims it was at your instigation that shemitted the acts of cursing and poisoning, intending to harm the citizens of Nevis City. Baroness, do you admit to your sister¡¯s usations? Why did you instruct her to do so?" "¡ªI didn¡¯t! It has nothing to do with me! I haven¡¯t seen her in over a decade!" Baroness Hopman shrieked: "I demand treatment befitting my status! You have no right to detain and interrogate me based on her usations!" Chapter 334: The Mastermind Behind the Poisoning, A Sister’s Betrayal "¡­I confess." "¡­I cursed animals near the water source twice, intending to contaminate it and cause an epidemic." "¡­It was my own idea, unrted to anyone else." "¡­Just as my research was showing promise, the school suddenly ordered a halt to all independent studies on gues. With my mage level and savings, even if I could secure aboratory, it would be at least two to three yearster. Years of effort cut short, I harbored resentment and sought revenge." Slynn sat alone opposite several high-ranking mages, her voice calm, articting each word. Across from her, a divination mage busily sketched on paper, then slid it across to his colleagues for inspection. Archmage Edgar furrowed his brows slightly. Slynn had taken all the me, intending to absolve her sister, which was impossible under magic¡¯s unyielding gaze. Yet, her confession,pared to having none, made a significant difference. At the very least, without resorting to magical coercion or forcibly extracting memories, the confession obtained would make it harder for the noble council to refute charges against Baroness Hopman! "Are you sure it was your own idea, Magus Slynn?" Archmage Edgar asked coldly. "Your sister, Baroness Hopman, seems to tell a different story¡ª" "You¡¯re overthinking it, Archmage." A faint smile crossed Slynn¡¯s pallid, unattractive face, her expression oddly serene. "Being caught by you is due to my inferior skills; the punishment is deserved. However, my sister would never admit to having any involvement in this matter.""Really? Would you like to hear what your sister has to say?" Archmage Edgar stood up to leave. The enchantment mage immediately followed, and the divination mage, after a nce left and right, also stood up to join them. Left in the room, Slynn¡¯s direct mentor stared at her for a long while, sighing deeply, as if aged a decade in a moment. Archmage Edgar briskly walked to the adjacent room. He didn¡¯t enter but opened a small, inconspicuous window to quietly listen to the conversation inside. As he listened, his expression darkened, and his grip involuntarily tightened. Inside, Johnny Colin¡¯s cold voice resonated: "You will receive the treatment you deserve, Madam." Disgust flickered in his eyes. He had heard from Archmage Edgar the petty reason behind Baroness Hopman¡¯s revenge¡ªa simple case of the baron¡¯s eldest son forcibly pursuing a girl, and a young mage standing up for her. The situation escted, with neither side backing down, culminating in a mess. A mother seeking vengeance for her son is understandable. But, to exact revenge, using the poor as pawns is inexcusable! He nodded to his side. The noble mage responsible for the interrogation turned a page in the dossier, scoffing: "Ten years of no contact? ¡ªMadam, your personal maid, your coachman, and Slynn¡¯s apprentices have all testified that you visited her mage tower this month and had here to the baron¡¯s domain for a meeting. If you seek further evidence, perhaps we should question your husband?" "Don¡¯t!" The baroness instinctively shouted. The noble mage raised an eyebrow: "Then, Madam, please exin why you lied just now." "¡­" The baroness fell silent momentarily before turning away resentfully: "Yes, I don¡¯t want to tell the truth. I don¡¯t want people to know I associate with her¡ªso what?" "Why don¡¯t you want others to know?" Minister Colin¡¯s female noble mage asked softly: "Don¡¯t you like her? Or does your husband like her too much?" She cast a charm spell, its magical fluctuations so slight it only made the baroness lower her guard. The male mage beside her nced at his colleague and turned away, pretending not to notice. The baroness sneered: "Why should I like her? An ugly girl who can¡¯t speak well, always pitifully clinging to my skirts, calling me ¡¯sister.¡¯ If it weren¡¯t for her little magical talent, who would bother with her!" "And this curse incident? It has nothing to do with you? We all know, Slynn rarely leaves her mage tower, only twice in the past year. Why would she suddenly venture two hundred miles to Nevis City¡¯s water source to poison it, if not for you?" "How would I know? She¡¯s a necromancer, a necromancer! ¡ªNecromancers spreading gue, what¡¯s so strange about that? Why are you asking me!" "Then why did shee to Nevis City? Who went out of their way to transport her? ¡ªWho informed her of the water source locations? Who facilitated her attendance at the party?" Minister Colin¡¯s tone grew increasingly stern. The baroness scoffed: "Then go ask her! It has nothing to do with me! ¡ªBy the way, you¡¯d better send me back soon. Illegally detaining a noble vites the agreement between the Magic Council and the nobility!" "If you¡¯re innocent, why attempt to flee? The ship you boarded was headed for the Caroling Kingdom, across the sea!" "¡­Can¡¯t I visit my aunt? Whichw of the kingdom prohibits nobles from visiting their rtives?!" Archmage Edgar quietly withdrew. He returned to his original location, took out a magical crystal, and set it on the table: "This is your sister¡¯s confession. Magus Slynn, are you sure you don¡¯t want to listen before reconsidering your statement?" Slynn stared at the small magical crystal, her hand reaching out then retracting. Her expression fluctuated between longing and fear, and after a long sigh, she resigned: "No need. Archmage, no matter what my sister said, my confession¡ªwill not change." "Stubborn to the end!" Archmage Edgar¡¯s expression darkened, his hand moving towards the crystal to activate a spell. Midway, the divination mage who had left with him stepped forward to stop him. The middle-aged female mage looked at Edgar, then at Slynn, her eyes filled with pity: Let her not hear it. Let her not suffer another cruel cut from someone close, someone important. We¡¯ll find another way to uncover the truth. The divination school has many methods; let¡¯s not hurt her anymore... Archmage Edgar sighed deeply. He stepped out of the interrogation room, standing outside for a while before encountering Johnny Colin. After exchanging their findings, Edgarmented: "This isn¡¯t enough¡­ This evidence won¡¯t suffice to condemn the baroness!" "Is our goal to condemn her?" Minister Colin asked softly. Edgar paused, then shook his head slightly. The fate of a baroness, alive or dead, isn¡¯t our concern. What matters is, first, not letting the Magic Council bear the entire me for the epidemic, and second, ensuring someonepensates for the losses. Minister Colin lifted his chin, his eyes bright and confident: "Give me some time to consult with the reviewmittee. I suspect¡­ this matter will unfold as we hope." Five dayster, a magical carriage from the Magic Council quietly entered Nevis City, carrying Baron Hopman. Chapter 335: The Downfall of Baroness Hopman The carriage carrying Baron Hopman deliberately took a detour, brushing past the southeastern corner of the city. The baron, with a sullen expression, silently observed the scenery outside the window until the carriage rounded a mountain foot and suddenly came to a halt due to the traffic ahead. It was then that he raised his gaze, peering through the carriage window to the right front: "What¡¯s going on? Why is it so jammed?" "Ah, this is the newly constructed infectious disease hospital," replied the mage who had been sent to "invite" him over, not even bothering to look as he responded. While answering, he casually pointed towards the left window, where the crests of temples adorned several carriages: "The congestion is likely due to the priests who came to help treat patients at the hospital, now finishing their work and preparing to return." Following the direction pointed by the mage, Baron Hopman¡¯s eyelids twitched rapidly. The mage, as if oblivious, continued: "All the victims of this epidemic are being treated inside. So far, 1,352 people have been admitted, and¡ªat the time I left¡ªI heard there were 79 deaths. By now, there must be more." The baron remained silent. Over a thousand patients and 79 deaths¡ªif this had happened in his domain, it would have been bearable, albeit painful. However, the location of this tragedy being Nevis City, where the deceased were all freemen, put a differentplexion on the matter: Every freeman is property to the city¡¯s rulers! The baron cursed inwardly, ming the old witch for all the trouble. After a brief wait, allowing the oing carriages and horses to pass, the carriage moved on. As they turned another mountain foot, leaving the infectious disease hospital far behind, the mage suddenly leaned vigorously to the right, peering out the window beside the baron:"Ah, that¡¯s the new mage tower..." He couldn¡¯t help but exim in admiration: "Only a level three mage and already possesses a high-level mage tower, how envious. When will I also have my own tower, even a regr one would do..." Only level three? Baron Hopman¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Trying to keep his tone casual, he feigned curiosity: "Oh? Which mage is so formidable? A legendary mage¡¯s son?" "If that were the case, I¡¯d have given up hope already." Thepanion sighed: "But no, he made it on his own. Arriving in Nevis City not long ago, he has already published several papers in ¡¯Magic¡¯ and ¡¯Arcane¡¯. He was the first to identify this epidemic and took charge of the treatment¡ªoh right, his name is Garrett Nordmark, have you heard of him?" "¡­" Baron Hopman ground his teeth silently, turning his head away, refusing to speak further. The two continued in silence, alighting from the carriage in front of the White Tower and entering the Emergency Management Department. Johnny Colin personally received His Lordship, the baron, and after the formalities,id a stack of confessions and two magical crystals before him. "¡­And this proves what?" Baron Hopman flipped through the servants¡¯ statements while listening to his wife and sister-inw¡¯s confessions, eventually scoffing: "A necromancer spreading gue, what does that have to do with my wife? Since when can a few servants¡¯ words be used to use a noble?!" "The validity of servants¡¯ testimonies is indeed lower," Johnny Colin calmly regarded him: "However, the testimonies of the servants, Slynn¡¯s confession, and yourdy¡¯s prior actions are sufficient for the Emergency Management Department to harbor reasonable suspicions. Given the severity of the epidemic, we are considering requesting the reviewmittee for permission to use magical means to seek the truth." Baron Hopman¡¯s gaze flickered. After decades of marriage, he knew his wife¡¯s temperament better than anyone. Having her sister unleash a gue as revenge was indeed something she would do¡ªduring their quarrels over the years, she had more than once threatened "I¡¯ll have my sister curse you to death"... And the truth, as long as it exists, cannot hide from magic. "I disagree," he responded coolly. "We are nobility; there¡¯s no reason to subject my wife to magical interrogation just based on a few servants¡¯ testimonies!" "Are you sure you disagree?" "Positive." "Very well, please sign here," Johnny Colin smoothly slid a form across the table along with an ink-dipped quill, prepared in advance: "Since you insist, we will convene a hearing at the city hall to requestpulsory permission for a magical interrogation." Baron Hopman¡¯s hand froze mid-air. The convening of a hearing, regardless of its oue, would instantly spread his wife¡¯s deeds throughout the noble circles. Those nobles wouldn¡¯t care about the truth; they would convict his family in their hearts on the spot! "The reviewmittee won¡¯t agree," he quickly thought, seeking angles to argue in his favor: "If a hearing makes the truth public, the council¡¯s reputation would also suffer. Neither the reviewmittee nor ck Crow Swamp would want the public to know a necromancer was behind the poisoning, right?" "That¡¯s not necessarily the case," Johnny Colin confidently replied. "The council¡¯s reputation stems from fair trials and promptly bringing criminals to justice. By the way, Slynn¡¯s sentence has already been determined¡ªdeath." The baron breathed rapidly. If the council didn¡¯t mind going public, he had nothing left to leverage¡ªwait¡ª "You won¡¯t get the approval!" His voice suddenly rose: "No noble would agree to use magical interrogation on a baroness over such a trivial matter!" "Oh, but that¡¯s not certain," Johnny Colin shrugged. "For example, Viscount Calrend, who suffered significant losses due to the epidemic breaking out in his rented buildings, is furious. If he knew the epidemic might be man-made, he would definitely do his utmost to ensure the application is approved." Baron Hopman tensed. The Calrend family, rooted in Nevis City long before the Magic Council was established, held deep and extensive influence, whereas his own domain was 200 miles away. He couldn¡¯tpete in terms of power or connections¡ªwait¡ªlosses? What did the Emergency Management Department really want? Quietly bringing him here, instead of ostentatiously convening a hearing, what was their aim? A lightbulb went off in his head. The next moment, Baron Hopman¡¯s voice softened: "Is there another way to resolve this matter?" he quickly and gently said: "After all, causing a stir that rms the reviewmittee and the entire city would be a lose-lose situation for both parties¡­" Minister Colin smirked inwardly. He rxed his grip on the form, leaning back, his demeanor softening: "What resolution do you propose?" That evening, the Magic Council¡¯s carriage whisked the baron and his wife back to their domain at full speed. Three dayster, the baroness passed away in the castle of their domain. In ordance with her wishes, the knight¡¯s domain, part of her dowry, was donated by the baron to the Magic Council for city charitable causes. Chapter 336: Power Grab Right After the Epidemic Ends? Before Baron Hopman left, he witnessed the execution of Mage Slynn. ¡ªThis was part of the deal. Baron Hopman personally confirmed Slynn¡¯s execution, then Johnny Colin prepared the poison, allowing Baron Hopman to personally serve it, watching as the baroness drank it. In this way, both parties could confirm the death of the other¡¯s personnel, leaving no room for trickery. The execution took ce in arge courtyard. Mage Slynn, wearing anti-magic handcuffs, was escorted to the center of the courtyard and led up to the gallows. The area was densely packed with ck-robed mages, with Grom, the mage from ck Crow Swamp and the on-dutymittee member, flying mid-air, overseeing the necromancers below: ¡°Slynn Nain, a level six mage, affiliated with ck Crow Swamp. For personal reasons, she deliberately released a gue curse on animals near the city¡¯s water source, contaminating the water and causing an epidemic. To date, it has resulted in 1,352 people falling ill, 85 deaths, and direct economic losses of over ten thousand gold coins. ording to the kingdom¡¯sws and the council¡¯s regtions for managing mages, Mage Slynn is sentenced to death, to be executed today. All personal assets and the mage tower are to be confiscated and handed over to the council aspensation for those affected by the gue. ¡ªMage Slynn, do you have anyst words, or any final wishes?¡± Slynn slowly raised her head. Days in prison had not worsened herplexion: her face could not get any paler. She looked around at the necromancers standing in the courtyard: Among them were her mentor, her former ssmates, elders she admired but never had the chance to learn from, peers she was not very familiar with but had met, and her apprentices from the mage tower, huddled in a corner, their futures disrupted and faces nk... Mage Slynn turned to look at her sister¡¯s cell and lowered her gaze. As she turned, she suddenly saw Mage Edgar standing quietly below the tform, which startled her, and she took a step forward:¡°Your Excellency Mage Edgar, is Mage Lynn here?¡± ¡°What?¡± Mage Edgar looked up. Lynn was not called to the execution today. First, the epidemic hospital had just been busy, and Lynn, following Garrett, was nearly worn out. Moreover, Mage Edgar felt that his disciple, being around Garrett, would likely be influenced for the better, making him more trustworthy. So, Lynn took the day off to meet a friend who hade from afar, and Mage Edgar turned a blind eye, letting him go. Now, it seemed it was good that he hadn¡¯te¡ªGod knows what this woman, who poisoned a city, wanted with Lynn? His aversion was visible. Slynn smiled bitterly: ¡°Rest assured, I didn¡¯t mean him any harm. I just wanted to ask¡ªif I could touch his cat-shaped magical beast?¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I just wanted to touch it...¡± the female mage looked wistful: ¡°That cat was originally intended for me by the mentor... If I had received it then, I wouldn¡¯t have harbored hatred, and maybe, just maybe, I wouldn¡¯t have done what I did... I¡¯m about to die, I just wanted to touch it once...¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Grom, themittee member, descended and asked with a frown: ¡°You¡¯re taking his belongings?¡± His rank and authority were higher than Edgar¡¯s, prompting Mage Edgar to try to recall the event. However, the matter of a magical beast from years ago was blurry in his memory, only a vague impression remained: ¡°At that time, Lynn was about to travel, and I asked a friend to find a magical beast for his protection, many years ago... I don¡¯t recall him mentioning anyone else wanting it?¡± ¡°Your Excellency Mage Edgar.¡± Slynn¡¯s mentor made his way through the crowd. In just five or six days, his hair had turned significantly white. The old mage bowed deeply before Edgar, pleading: ¡°I failed that adventure, almost didn¡¯t make it back, and I wasn¡¯t entitled to that magical beast. But this child has been fixated on it, and now that she¡¯s about to die, this final wish of hers, please¡ª¡± ¡°What about her final wish?¡± Mage Edgar suddenly darkened his expression: ¡°Just a few days ago, I was helping at the epidemic hospital, treating dozens of patients. I remember a little girl, clutching her stomach in pain, passing away before she could be treated. I was nearby when she said with her dying breath, ¡¯Mom, when I get better, can you take me to the beach to collect shells¡ª¡¯¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t her wish a wish? Isn¡¯t her life a life? What about the 85 deceased, aren¡¯t their lives lives? Why should their final wishes go un fulfilled, yet we should try to fulfill Slynn¡¯s wish? Is it because she poisoned, cursed, and killed innocent civilians, it¡¯s others¡¯ fault, or because someone didn¡¯t give her a magical beast?!¡± ¡°...Well said.¡± Committee member Grom nodded slowly. He turned to the necromancers below, raising his voice: ¡°My fellow practitioners, as spellcasters, we wield great power, but this power is not a license for us to harm others at will. Especially us necromancers, known for our eerie and terrifying abilities, often feared and loathed by others. Therefore, to ensure smoother interactions with outsiders when we venture out, we must exhibit greater self-discipline than other spellcasters. Today¡¯s execution of Mage Slynn is to let everyone witness her fate, as a warning! ¡ªProceed with the execution!¡± At themand, a ck hood was ced over the female mage¡¯s head, a noose was fitted around her neck, and she was hoisted up. The trapdoor beneath her feet suddenly opened, and after a series of struggles from intense to faint, the female mage hung silently on the gallows, truly bing a corpse. One minute, two minutes, five minutes... until her life essence was confirmed to have dissipatedpletely, Grom raised his palm, from which a pale me burst forth. In the mes, the body quickly turned to ashes, a breeze from afar swept them away, dispersing into the sea waves. The bodies, flesh, and souls of necromancers cannot be made into undead beings or used by others again. This is ck Crow Swamp¡¯s final, remaining kindness to a fellow practitioner who has erred. The poisoning case thus came to an end. Baron Hopman preserved his family¡¯s reputation, the council acquired a knight¡¯s fief with one hand, andpensated Viscount Calrend for his losses with the other¡ªincluding theplete demolition of twelve buildings, the water supplypany¡¯s license revoked and business ceased, and payments to the temple for epidemic treatment costs, as well as care for disced victims¡¯ families... Breaking even, neither a loss nor a gain. As for the cost of demolition, they courteously requested the Lord of Thunder for a fierce firestorm, since Garrett was also from their kic energy faction. The only trouble was the unnecessary increase in cash pressure, causing the council¡¯s ountants to lose a few hundred more strands of hair. And Garrett¡¯s public health system, water supplywork, and epidemic hospital once again solidified their presence. However, as the saying goes, "A tree that stands out in the forest is often the first to be cut down." With the epidemic hospital¡¯s patients just cleared, there were already people in the city hall, the reviewmittee, and among various authorities, stirring up trouble: "How can a third-level mage preside over such important matters?" "Arresting people all over the streets, causing panic throughout the city, too domineering!" "So many patients died, clearly showing the young mage¡¯sck of ability!" "When the incident urred, the entire hospital was in chaos, relying on the emergency management department and city hall to send help! Obviously, if the person in charge had sufficient ability, how could it have be like this?" "Not choosing someone else to manage the hospital, do we wait for the next incident to let a third-level mage negotiate on equal terms with the high archbishop of the God of War temple and the high priest of the Spring Goddess temple?" Chapter 337: Do Not Disturb My Ascension Archmage Carlisle was feeling quite frustrated. Why did it seem like everything rted to Garrett, good or bad, reasonable or not, always ended up on his te? It was as if he was Garrett¡¯s guardian! Though it would be one thing if he were actually Garrett¡¯s teacher, but he wasn¡¯t! Teacher, if you want to take him as a disciple, could you please hurry up and make your move? Don¡¯t let me be in this awkward position where I have to scheme against those guys without any proper justification! Luckily, the job hadn¡¯t been too difficult in the past. Everyone knew that there was a legend standing behind the young man. The Lord of Thunder is watching you¡ªhow could you not be afraid? But now, the teacher was no longer backing him¡­ ¡°You want to take over the Public Health Department? You want the hospital?¡± Lightning danced around the fingertips of the Lord of Thunder, cycling endlessly. Ever since he took up electricity as a hobby, he hardly yed with coffee art anymore: ¡°Then let them discuss it with Garrett. Whye to me?¡± ¡°But we¡¯re just going to let them bully Garrett like that?¡± Carlisle didn¡¯t understand. Weren¡¯t you always the one who protected him most closely? Why are you letting go now?¡°He should start doing some real work,¡± scoffed the Lord of Thunder. ¡°A mage who doesn¡¯t strive to study magic, doesn¡¯t work hard to temper his mental power, and just thinks about raising rats, rabbits, and bacteria all day?¡ªIf he were at least a level five mage, none of these guys would dare to bully him!¡± ¡°So¡­¡± Carlisle respectfully sought advice from his teacher. The Lord of Thunder waved his hand nonchntly: ¡°Let him handle it. If he wants to continue, fine, let him shoulder it himself. If he can withstand those people from the reviewmittee, that¡¯s his ability; if he¡¯s willing to let go¡­¡± The legendary mage pondered for a moment: ¡°Find him an adventure mission to practice. How can a child of Thunder Horn not even know how to fight, relying on tips from the youngsters of ck Crow Swamp!¡± Why is it still my job¡­ Archmage Carlisle silently drifted away. Upon arriving at Garrett¡¯s mage tower and rying the probes of others, Garrett hadn¡¯t said anything before his own disciple jumped up: ¡°Why should we give it to them?! Garrett has been working so hard for so long, putting in so much effort! Just because of their word, they want to take it all away, have they no shame?!¡± ¡°Aurora!¡± Archmage Carlisle chided. Aurora sat down huffily, still seething with anger: ¡°We won¡¯t just hand it over! We can¡¯t just let them benefit like that! If they want to take it, they should offer something in exchange!¡ªEven if they really force him out, don¡¯te begging him toe backter! Don¡¯te looking for him when some strange epidemic breaks out and they can¡¯t handle it, trying to dredge up the past!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Lynn, still wrapped in moisture from the door, nodded to Archmage Carlisle and sat beside Garrett: ¡°If they want something from Garrett, it must be a fair exchange! Magical items, techniques, anything! To think they can just take it by force of authority, Your Excellency Archmage, I don¡¯t believe the council has such rules, right?¡± Indeed, there were no such rules. However, if one were to argue seriously, there were loopholes to be exploited: both the Public Health Department and the epidemic hospital were public institutions established with funding from the council and city hall, not someone¡¯s private property. Since they are public institutions, the founders naturally have the right to appoint more suitable candidates. If someone else were stealing not the hospital but Garrett¡¯s mage tower, the reviewmittee would have taken action without needing to involve Carlisle. With Lynn speaking up for Garrett, Archmage Carlisle couldn¡¯t retort. It was Garrett, however, who smiled and reassured: ¡°Brother Lynn!¡± Lynn grudgingly closed his mouth. Garrett stood up, rifled through his desk to pull out a stack of mostly written papers, and returned to the sofa. He was about to hand over the manuscript when he suddenly turned to Archmage Carlisle: ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about handing over authority for now¡ªthe original agreement was that I work at the Public Health Department for a year, and the council builds my mage tower for free, without extra charges. Now, if I hand these over, isn¡¯t the reviewmittee going to try to deduct money from me?!¡± That would be a huge sum! If they deduct it now, he would really have to sell himself¡ªor sell penicillin at a low price! His eyes wary, his body tensely poised, he resembled a small beast ready to pounce. Archmage Carlisle couldn¡¯t help butugh and cry: ¡°That won¡¯t happen... Besides, you did a very good job with this epidemic. Even if we were to quibble overpensation, you¡¯ve earned enough to cover it.¡± Garrett sighed in relief. He ced the papers on the coffee table, pushing them towards Archmage Carlisle: ¡°I can hand over these projects, but I have a few conditions.¡± It was good he was willing to negotiate¡ªor rather, willing to let go. Archmage Carlisle felt a bit relieved. The Lord of Thunder¡¯s stance was very clear: if Garrett didn¡¯t want to focus on magic and wanted to cling to these powers, he wouldn¡¯t intervene. After all, holding major authority in the Public Health Department, with ess to manpower, money, and the ability to crush merchants and even some nobles with leverage, it was normal for a child not to want to let go, and understandable. But if Garrett really got bogged down here, the Lord of Thunder¡¯s attention and support would likely be withdrawn significantly. Thankfully, thankfully, the kid figured it out on his own¡­ ¡°What are your conditions? I¡¯ll negotiate for you!¡± Compensation? Money, items? No problem, watch me hammer them! ¡°Firstly, this project is highly specialized and must be managed by professionals.¡± Garrett¡¯s first condition surprised Archmage Carlisle: ¡°The person taking over, in addition to their original magical skills, must also understand the water quality testing, bacterial cultivation, and infectious disease istion and protection I left behind. ¡ªAt the very least, they must be able to understand my papers!¡± ¡°That¡¯s no problem,¡± Archmage Carlisle answered immediately. Garrett counted off a second condition with his finger: ¡°Secondly, the apprentices I trained must be properly ced. They can¡¯t just be pulled in to work when needed and then dismissed without anypensation when no longer needed. In fact, ording to my estimates, at least half of them need to stay in the public health department for the system to operate effectively.¡± Archmage Carlisle sighed softly. The second condition, stillpletely unrted to Garrett¡¯s own interests, was purely out of consideration for others. He asked curiously: ¡°Why not keep a few for yourself? Not poach them for your mage tower?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Garrett indeed had his eye on a few apprentices, such as the capable Leon Carlos and the priestess Annawyn who hade running with a wild boar. The problem was, without the Public Health Department¡¯s name, what did he have to keep them? ¡°But they all belong to someone else¡­¡± He said helplessly. Archmage Carlisle rolled his eyes at him: ¡°Now you know the benefits of being a high-level mage, right? If you were a level five mage, you¡¯d have the right to ask for people. Serves you right! Why don¡¯t you advance faster!¡ªAny other conditions? If not, I¡¯ll go negotiate for you!¡± ¡°...There are.¡± Garrett thought carefully: ¡°I want a consultation room left for me in the infectious disease hospital. If needed, I want to go there for consultations, to collect relevant data.¡± ¡°Garrett!¡± ¡°Garrett!¡± Lynn and Aurora both spoke up. Thetter was indignant, while the former was practically exasperated: Could you possibly be any softer? People are bullying you to your face, and you¡¯re still eager to work for them?! Lynn reflexively reached out to stop him. Garrett smiled and dodged back: ¡°Brother Lynn, negotiating and exchanging, isn¡¯t that what Archmage Carlisle is here for?¡± Carlisle: ¡°...Are you waiting here for me to do everything? The mentor uses me as a tool, and you too?¡± ¡°What if they refuse to pay anything?¡± ¡°Then they can forget about asking me for anything for the rest of their lives!¡± Garrett lifted his chin: ¡°Penicillin or anything else, I won¡¯t give it to them!¡ªI have plenty of good things in my hands!¡± With Garrett¡¯s conditions and the hastilypleted "Urban Public Health Construction n" in hand, Archmage Carlisle set off for the negotiations. For the water supply part, not to mention, those daring to take over the infectious disease hospital must have some confidence in their medical abilities; since they understand medicine, they couldn¡¯t possibly ignore the existence of penicillin! This exchange was bound to take a chunk out of them! Back at the mage tower, Aurora and Lynn were still seething. Especially Lynn, who paced around Garrett, almost wishing he could shake him. Garrett could only reassure him again: "Brother Lynn, actually, these tasks were not what I wanted to do in the first ce. Whether it¡¯s the city¡¯s water supply system or the infectious disease hospital, on one hand, it was to earn this mage tower, a condition exchanged with the reviewmittee; on the other hand, it was unbearable to watch the poor living in such dire conditions, with such poor sanitation. ¡ªNow that the framework is set up and the mage tower is in my hands, why wouldn¡¯t I eagerly hand off the follow-up tasks? There are actually people wanting to take it over, and I don¡¯t have to pay the reviewmittee back!¡± Lynnughed out loud. Seeing his mood lighten, Garrett quickly pressed on: ¡°Besides, these managerial tasks should really be handled by professionals. Brother Lynn, I am a healer. You want me to manage so many doctors and patients¡¯ eating and drinking, buying furniture, changing bed sheets, washing, sterilizing surgical instruments... You might as well ask me to die! I¡¯m not high-level enough, I don¡¯t have enough resources to mobilize, handing these tasks over to the right people is better for me, and for the patients! If the hospital¡¯s head is a high-ranking mage, perhaps the temple¡¯s people could have arrived faster, and not so many would have died...¡± He was a surgeon! A front-line clinician! Clinical work and hospital administrative management arepletely different matters, and adding public health, disease control, water services, etc., makes them three or even four separate issues! Previously, he had no choice but to shoulder it all himself. Now that someone is actually willing to take over, bless them, who is so considerate? Let whoever wants this responsibility take it, just hurry up and pass it on, and do not disturb me from studying medicine! With the burden lifted off his shoulders, Garrett felt immensely relieved. As if a torrential downpour had descended from the sky, washing away all dust, cleansing him inside and out. Watching Aurora and Lynn leave together, he stretchedzily and muttered to himself: ¡°Take it and go, just don¡¯t disturb my ascension...¡± Ah, does this mean I see the light of leveling up again? Chapter 338: Advancement Success—Wait, There’s More to Come Archmage Carlisle, bearing Garrett¡¯s responses, returned to report back with satisfaction. ¡ªThe teacher¡¯s right to know, clearly had a higher priority than those attempting to usurp power; if the teacher nodded in approval, willing to support him from behind, negotiating terms would also secure morepensation. Besides, it was about time to send Garrett out for training. Deciding on the training location was necessary to select suitable equipment for him, wasn¡¯t it? At the top of the Tower of Heaven, the Lord of Thunder was also quite pleased with Garrett¡¯s answers. He immediately urged his disciple: "Have you chosen the adventure mission?" "I¡¯ve picked a few, suitable for level 3 to 5 mages," Archmage Carlisle, with his wealth of experience, pulled out his notebook: "Considering he has a high-level barbarian warrior by his side, I¡¯ve found tasks of varying difficulty levels. For instance, the abandoned church on Ram Ind has seen the emergence of a draugr, calling for adventurers to clear it;" "Those Radiant Lord folks, always leaving a mess when they flee." The Lord of Thundermented with a coldugh: "Their own church, three years gone, and draugrs still emerge. But that ind is too small, and the church too low-level, unlikely to hold anything valuable. Our little fellow¡¯sbat ability is nned to handle level four and five alone; no need for such simple tasks for him." "Yes." A low-level task and you know the details, you¡¯ve checked in advance, huh¡­ Archmage Carlisle mentally scoffed as he turned a page:"The mines in the Clinkray Mountains..." "Mines are too unpredictable." He had barely started when the Lord of Thunder interrupted with a shake of his head: "Bad luck, and you might fall into the underworld. Next." "Yes. A water monster has appeared in Loch Loxi, disrupting shippingnes. The emergency management department sent a team, including a level four mage and two knights, but they returned unsessful." "Loch Loxi..." The Lord of Thunder frowned: "The little girl that Garrett helped out? Can¡¯t he focus a bit more? Aren¡¯t there any other missions?" ...You¡¯re too picky... Archmage Carlisle flipped through two more pages before finally settling on a task that satisfied the Lord of Thunder: Enter the northern Spessen Forest, gather a specified herb, and eliminate magical beasts. This task involved exploration,bat, and long-distance travel, easy yet challenging, allowing for constant monitoring and timely support. Even if the young fellow slipped up, he could be promptly retrieved without causing irreparable damage. Archmage Carlisle, carrying the mission brief, returned to Garrett¡¯s mage tower, ready to double-check the equipment list with Garrett. However, he received news that made him somewhat happy yet also a bit annoyed: Garrett was advancing in seclusion. ...So all this research wasn¡¯t in vain, right? "Uh... maybee back tomorrow, teacher?" Aurora weakly suggested, negotiating with her mentor: "Advancing in meditation doesn¡¯t usually take too long, typically a day and a night should suffice..." Archmage Carlisle silently drifted away, off to negotiate terms for Garrett with the reviewmittee. The public health institutions were originally forced onto Garrett by the reviewmittee; now that they wanted to kick him out, they couldn¡¯t be too stingy. After all, the wooles from the sheep¡¯s back; they just needed to uphold fairness, wrapping up negotiations in a day. Having roughly agreed on thepensation amount with the other party, Archmage Carlisle, clutching a list of materials, returned to Garrett¡¯s mage tower. Without waiting for his disciple to speak, he could tell from their expressions what had happened: "Garrett hasn¡¯tpleted his meditation?" "Seems like it..." "Any problems? Are the magical fluctuations in the meditation chamber normal?" "I can¡¯t feel them, but MOSS says everything¡¯s normal." "Has he eaten?" "I don¡¯t know, the invisible servants keep bringing food in but never take anything out..." "You...sigh! You never pay attention to anything, if something happened to the person you¡¯re following, you wouldn¡¯t even know?" Aurora puffed her cheeks, feeling unjust yet daring not to argue with her teacher, merely presenting a face of utmost grievance for him to see: He didn¡¯t know! His own advancements in meditation, from start to finish, never exceeded two days, even when advancing from level four to five! When Garrett advanced before, he was never around; how could he know if there was anything unusual about Garrett? "...Alright, I¡¯lle back tomorrow..." The next day. The meditation chamber remained closed. The third day. Still closed. The fourth day. "Teacher, you¡¯ve beening over, is there something you need? Anything we can help with?" Aurora began to show concern for her mentor : "If possible, let us run errands for you, so you don¡¯t have to keep waiting?" "...You can¡¯t help." Archmage Carlisle, with a dark expression, scolded his disciple: "The idea from above was for Garrett to get out and experience the world¡ªwithout you guys. I need to talk to him, remind him of some adventure precautions, and double-check what equipment he needs." "What? Not take me?!" Aurora leapt up: "What about his safety? He¡¯s only level three! Even if he advances, he¡¯ll only be level four! He¡¯ll have to look for inns to stay in, and if there are no inns, he¡¯ll have to sleep outdoors, he can¡¯t even cast a mage¡¯s hut!" "...That¡¯s why you can¡¯t go with him! If you do, how is that considered training?!" "Then... can Brother Lynn lend him the cat?" "GET OUT!!!" Garrett wasn¡¯t trying to stay in the meditation chamber; meditating in his own mage tower just felt particrly good. ¡ªSafe, quiet, with stable and abundant magical elements, and most importantly, free of charge! The primary meditation chambers in the Tower of Heaven, for level 1 to 4 mages, cost 100 contribution points a day! "MOSS, can I rent out this meditation chamber for money?" "It¡¯s possible to rent it out, but it¡¯s not rmended, master." MOSS¡¯s voice was indifferent: "Meditation chambers are limited in number, and long-term daily practice in specialized meditation chambers is beneficial for rapid advancement. Unless the mage tower is in particrly difficult financial straits, it¡¯s not rmended to rent them out." "Uh..." Garrett deeply felt this point. Since acquiring his own mage tower, his daily meditations, morning and evening, were conducted there, and indeed, the umtion of spiritual and elemental powers was much faster. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have reached the threshold for another level advancement in less than half a year since hisst advancement. Now, the preparatory work for advancement was alreadyplete: The light humanoid in the meditation core, its bones and muscles, had been constructed during the previous two advancements. During his time as a level three mage, arteries and veins were constructed with spiritual power, with the heart as the center, spreading out a densework, interconnecting; At the moment of advancement, thump, thump, the heart began to contract and expand vigorously in the void! Left atrium, right atrium, left ventricle, right ventricle, tricuspid valve, mitral valve... Each functioned orderly, rhythmically wless, the expansion and contraction perfectly bnced. A textbook-standard heart, through and through. "If only it had blood inside..." Garrett silentlymented. Constructing the blood vessel wallsyer byyer, ording to their characteristics and hierarchy, had exhausted all his spiritual power. Arterial walls consisted of fouryers, venous walls of three, plus the internal valves. From coarse to fine, interconnected, including the terminal capiries... Internal red cells, white cells, various cells? Sorry, the microscopic stuff, he hadn¡¯t figured out how to handle. After two attempts, finding that his constructs were nonsensical, he gave up... Not knowing whether the heart¡¯s empty beating and the blood vessels¡¯ pointless expansion and contraction in the void were busy doing something. A performance without substance? Besides him, there were no other spectators! Garrett internally grumbled. However, the next moment, the inevitable mysterious feedback thates with advancement, reached across the void. "This is¡ª!" Starting from the heart, or to be precise, from the left atrium, a vibrant force suddenly exploded. Flowing, full, slightly viscous, emitting specks of light¡ª Filling the left atrium, shot into the aorta, roaring through the blood vessels, reaching the body¡¯s extremities, then meticulously recollected by the capiries into the veins... Was that, blood? The thing this world granted me, in the spiritual core, to rece blood? The thing that resonates with my own blood? "Ah ah ah wait a minute!" Garrett frantically adjusted his meditation method: "Blood isn¡¯t like this! Reshape for me! Red cells! White cells! telets! Water, various soluble substances, glucose, hormones, enzymes! Albumin, fibrinogen, globulins!" He desperately recalled the textbook descriptions about blood, attempting to "order" these liquids to react. The feedback descending from the void, along with the stable supply of magical elements in the meditation chamber, were absorbed wholesale into the depths of the spiritual core. As for whether it took shape ording to hismands... Garrett admitted, he didn¡¯t know, wasn¡¯t sure, had no idea. Even if he had a microscope, he couldn¡¯t take a drop of blood from the spiritual core to examine... The human body has about 5000 milliliters of blood . Garrett didn¡¯t know whether he was shaping it milliliter by milliliter or drop by drop. Anyway, just try hard, absorb until no more can be absorbed, and perhaps this advancement would then beplete? With magical elements fulfilling his bodily needs, he felt neither hunger nor thirst. Besides, asionally opening his eyes during meditation breaks, the dishes on the te were either fried fish or cheese, fries or soup, showing no desire to eat. Garrett closed his eyes in concentration, day and night blurring together, until the feedback in the void ceased, and he opened his eyes, standing up¡ªonly to realize: Oh no, I rushed in so hurriedly, I didn¡¯t bring my oak staff! "Garrett! Garrett, you¡¯re done, right?" Aurora¡¯s shout came through the stone walls. The meditation chamber was soundproof, so clearly, MOSS decided he had sessfully advanced and enabled voice transmission: "I see your oak staff! Four leaves! Four leaves! You¡¯re done,e out! Someone¡¯s looking for you~~~" Garrett smiled slightly and stepped forward, then hesitated, sitting back down on the meditation mat: "Wait a moment, I still need to advance further..." "What?! We have to wait again?!!!" Chapter 339: [Alleviating Pain] A Cure for Hiccups? Chapter 339: [Alleviating Pain] A Cure for Hups? This time, Garrett¡¯s mage level advancement came earlier than before. Perhaps the significance of penicillin was too great, or perhaps because he had treated too many patients day and night at the infectious disease hospital, or perhaps it was the umtion of many small achievements he had made recently, gathering much feedback... In any case, this time, no sooner had his priest level advanced than his mage level swiftly followed. The world¡¯s feedback was tumultuous and rich. Even with the strict barrier of the meditation chamber, the magic fluctuations seeping out of the room made Archmage Carlisle stop in his tracks outside: Is this really advancing from level three to four? Not from four to five? You see, advancing from level four to five, bing a mid-level mage at the same time, a mage undergoes a fundamental enhancement, with elemental power refining spirit and body from the inside out. Even a mage who gets winded from walking, after this advancement, could lie down and possess the physical endurance of a level one warrior... "This kid, not high in level, but making quite the ruckus, huh?" Archmage Carlisle paced back and forth outside the meditation chamber, almost wearing down the floor at the doorway: "Such deep umtion... No wonder when he performs surgeries, he can cast seventeen or eighteen Mage Hands at once, as if never worrying about exhausting his spiritual power..."With such umtion, Garrett¡¯s advancement process was naturally smooth. Soon, he crossed the spiritual power threshold of a level four mage, began constructing a protective shell outside the meditation environment, then started imprinting spell models within the meditation environment. The learning process for a mage is the imprinting of various spell models into the soul, one by one. Those not imprinted can still be cast, of course, but having to hold a spellbook and construct the spell model on the spot is a whole other experience. Although based on the soul¡¯s strength and capacity, each level can imprint a few to a dozen models¡ªlike the tangible spirit scenery of the Lord of Thunder, those clouds, thunder dragons, thunder serpents, thunder orbs, are all manifestations of spell models¡ªthe first spell imprinted during an advancement with feedback enhancement usually has an exceptionally good effect. Thus, every mage is extremely cautious when choosing a spell to imprint during advancement. But Garrett didn¡¯t hesitate at all and directly chose his imprint target: His own improved [Alleviating Pain]. Anesthesia magic! Local anesthesia! Adjust this spell¡¯s function model! Add parameters! Control the spell¡¯s impact area, control the depth of impact, try to affect multiple points with one cast... Right, the original [Alleviating Pain] partially targets the central nervous system, that spell interface should also be kept open, ready for recement anytime! Garrett waspletely immersed in meditation. Anesthesia magic, ah, such an important spell, worth spending a bit more effort on! If he could properly adjust the casting depth, reaching deep into organs, it might even help with diagnosis! He devoted himself entirely to meditation, only to trouble Archmage Carlisle pacing back and forth at the door. Even knowing a mage with rich umtion would most likely have a smooth advancement, he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious: "Ah, this kid¡¯s doing okay, right?" "He hasn¡¯t encountered any obstacles, has he?" "Why are these magic fluctuations so erratic? One moment extremely strong, the next so weak..." "MOSS! MOSS! How¡¯s your master?" "Don¡¯t worry, teacher, Garrett¡¯s definitely fine," Aurora said, bringing tea and snacks with the invisible servants: "Teacher, would you like something to drink, take a rest? We don¡¯t know how much longer Garrett¡¯s meditation will take, and there¡¯s no point in you waiting at the door. Otherwise, you could look over his adventure tasks again? Now that he¡¯s advanced to level four, the original tasks might not be suitable..." Archmage Carlisle red at his disciple. Why bring up what I don¡¯t want to hear? It took me so much effort to find seven or eight tasks that got approved by the Lord of Thunder, and you want me to find new ones with just a word? Are you trying to work your teacher to death? He grabbed the teacup and drank down furiously, downing five or six biscuits in one go after drinking. Eating hastily, and with the tea somewhat lukewarm, he started to feel something was amiss before he even finished... "Uh...hic!" "Hic!" "Hic~~~" The difort wasn¡¯t unbearable, just annoying. Every two or three seconds, or five or six, they popped up unpredictably. More troublesome was that they interrupted chanting¡ª As a high-level mage, most of the spells he could show off were high-level. Chanting for a few seconds was considered short; chanting for ten seconds, a minute, or even several minutes was nothing unusual. To be interrupted by a hic cup halfway through chanting... If you¡¯re lucky, the spell fails, and you start over. If not, well, anything could happen. Archmage Carlisle froze. For safety, he simply decided to stay in a room within the tower, fully focused on stopping the hups first. Aurora hovered around the teacher, offering one idea after another: "Teacher, drink some water! Press it down with water, maybe the hups will stop!" "Teacher, hold your breath for a while, push the hic back!" "Teacher, drink water, sip by sip, I heard this can cure it!" However, these methods were of no use. Later, Lynn and Norwood, two mages, also joined in, offering various folk remedies: Drink a cup of warm sugar water... Pinch your ears with your fingernails... Sniff some snuff to sneeze and stop hups... "You¡¯re trying to kill me, huh!" When Norwood Mage brought arge cup of onion juice, iming it was a folk remedy for hups from his homnd, Archmage Carlisle finally exploded: "I won¡¯t die from hups, hic, but these, hic, weird things might, hic, actually kill me! Hic~~~" "What¡¯s going on?" Aughing voice came from outside. Everyone turned around: "Garrett, you¡¯vepleted your advancement!" "Garrett, do you have a way?" "Congrattions on your advancement, Mage Nordmark!" "I¡¯m fine, hic, I¡¯m just hupping..." Garrett quickly approached. Halfway there, everyone present instinctively recoiled, then simultaneously started casting cleaning spells on him: You¡¯ve been in the meditation chamber for days! Didn¡¯t change clothes! Didn¡¯t bathe! Couldn¡¯t you clean up beforeing out?! Garrett apologized with a smile. Amid a shower of cleaning spells, he sat down in front of the archmage to inquire: "How did you start hupping? How long has it been? Besides hups, any other difort?" Aurora eagerly answered for the teacher. As Garrett listened and observed Archmage Carlisle¡¯s condition, he had already made a judgment: Just simple neurogenic hups, nothing serious, just annoying. As for treatment, there was a small remedy... "I do have a method. Your Excellency Archmage, could you roll up your trouser legs above your knees?" "What¡¯s this for?" Archmage Carlisle watched him warily: "I have hups, not leg pain! Why do you want me to roll up my trouser legs?" "A remedy for hups." Garrett smiled amiably: "If you don¡¯t want to roll them up, I can cast through the clothing as well. It¡¯s just that the spell is lower level, so if your clothing has strong magical defense, it might not work." With a gentle demeanor, Archmage Carlisle reluctantlyplied with Garrett¡¯s instructions and rolled up his trouser legs. Garrett leaned down, activating his newly imprinted [Alleviating Pain], casting the spell on both sides of the archmage¡¯s knees, just below the indentation four fingers below the knee. The spell¡¯s vibrations swept quietly across. The covered area was norger than the mouth of a cup, and the depth no more than two inches. Archmage Carlisle was still surprised: "[Alleviating Pain]? I told you my legs don¡¯t hurt...hic, your spell¡¯s vibrations are much smaller, and the casting area is reduced, how did you do it? Hic, did you modify the model again? Right,st time you said you wanted to learn this spell, I even took you to consult Madame Syatt, and this is the result? Hic, remember to publish a paper when you have time, don¡¯t bezy..." He talked non-stop for about ten minutes. Suddenly, Aurora interrupted: "Teacher, you seem to have stopped hupping!" Archmage Carlisle paused for a moment. He raised his hand to touch his throat, then his stomach, and rapidly chanted a long string of spells. In the lounge, furniture and decorations began to float, their surfaces crackling with electric light. And such a long string of spells wasn¡¯t disrupted by a single hup. "...[Alleviating Pain] can cure hups? Garrett, how did you do it?" Garrett just smiled slightly, not answering. The truth was, this was a small trick shared by a colleague in emergency internal medicine, using lidocaine injections at Zusanli for treating neurogenic hups, which research found quite effective. His colleague from internal medicine even shared a dozen or so rted papers with him. Now, without lidocaine or any anesthetic at hand, why not... Try magical local anesthesia? And it actually worked! Chapter 340: Wild Boar Girl Joins? After stopping his hups and regaining his casting ability, Archmage Carlisle immediately returned to the Tower of Heaven. Soon, he received new orders from the legendary mage: Pause the adventure tasks for now, let thed focus on meditating first to stabilize his realm. Then, memorize all the spells avable to a level five mage! Get those spells and their models memorized thoroughly! "You¡¯re done for." Hearing the message from the Archmage, Aurora gleefully congratted Garrett: "A level five mage can learn third-tier magic, universal spells¡ªI mean, those avable for exchange in the White Tower¡¯s grand librarybining all eight schools, there are a total of 42. Including the secret spells from each school that they¡¯re willing to share with you because of good rtions... Let me think...how many in total..." "211." Lynn added calmly. "Before I set out on my travels, my mentor showed me a list of spells we could get ess to, and there were 211." "..." Garrett was silent. To memorize 42 spell models, even if he could memorize one a day and never forget them, would take 42 days; 211 would take almost half a year. And based on his experience memorizing level six vocabry, if he only forgot fifty or sixty by the time he reached the 211th, he would consider himself diligent and possessing an excellent memory. And more importantly..."Why do I have to buy these spell models myself?!" He had never bought them before! Thest time he leveled up, all the second-tier spell books were directly brought over by Master Carlisle, thrown in front of him, not allowing him to leave until he memorized them all! This... Aurora sweat. "I don¡¯t know why you didn¡¯t buy themst time, but usually, exchanging spell books costs money. If not paid by the mage himself, then by the mage¡¯s mentor..." "Third-tier universal spells cost 200 contribution points per spell model, and exchanging within the school can even get a discount, quite cheap." He consoled Garrett gently: "You can afford it, can¡¯t you? I remember your paper on electricity got awarded 1000 contribution points, right?" Garrett generously shared three hundred points with him, and stored two hundred points in the mage tower¡¯s public ount, leaving himself with five hundred! "So it still costs over two thousand! If I have to buy all 211, I¡¯ll go bankrupt!" "Those you don¡¯t need to buy, you just need to memorize the introductions, knowing there¡¯s such a spell is enough..." Garrett, while crying out "I¡¯m going to go bankrupt," "I¡¯m doomed," "I¡¯m going to memorize to death," still obediently paid up, purchasing all 42 spell models. ¡ªNo matter what, this requirement was for his own good. ording to Lynn, this is a demand only made of elite mages from each school, ordinary low-level mages are not even considered. If one ventures out, explores, fights, andcks experience or vignce, and gets into trouble, dying is on them. However, after purchasing, seeing his ount bnce halved in an instant, Garrett began to panic: "Aurora, do we have any ways to save money? I¡¯m going to go bankrupt at this rate..." Aurora rolled his eyes. He, a level five mage, umted 1500 contribution points after years of study in Nevis; Garrett, just advanced to level four today, spent several thousand in less than two years in Nevis, and still has 2000 contribution points in hand... How does Garrett feel like he¡¯s on the brink of bankruptcy every minute? "Your Dragon¡¯s Breath, the monthly ie is between 100 and 200 contribution points. The ie from the microscope has dropped recently, staying around 50 contribution points for three consecutive months. Plus other misceneous items, you have an ie of 200 to 300 contribution points per month without lifting a finger." This figure is already more than 5 times that of an ordinary level four mage! Not to mention, Garrett doesn¡¯t have to spend money on many things, like renting a meditation chamber... "But you¡¯re about to advance to level six, right? After level sixes level seven, and you¡¯ll need to prepare for purchasing fourth-tier magic," Garrett argued rightfully: "And Lynn, you¡¯re almost level six too, right? Fourth-tier magic is much more expensive than third-tier, shouldn¡¯t we start preparing now?" "Can¡¯t I go to my mentor?" "Don¡¯t I have my own savings?" Aurora and Lynn retorted simultaneously. Garrett smiled at them: "You are my followers, I should take care of you! And Mr. Norwood, he works for me, I should also pay him a sry, right?" The two level five mages exchanged nces, both annoyed and amused, yet feeling a warmth in their hearts. Finally, Lynn sighed: "Alright, alright. You don¡¯t have to worry about not having enough money¡ªyou haven¡¯t forgotten about penicillin, have you? The Temple of War has asked me twice already, if it weren¡¯t for you being busy advancing, we would have negotiated already!" "Right! I¡¯ll organize the papers..." The production and clinical application of penicillin, along with the relevant principles, could easily be split into three to five major papers. Research credits, contribution points, here Ie! Garrett was ready to roll up his sleeves. The data from previous animal experiments and clinical trials were quite rich; just organizing them would take him ten days to half a month. However, as soon as he started, an uninvited guest knocked on the door: The Grand Priest of the Temple of War had made an appointment with Elder Wood, the Grand Mage of the Abjuration Council, and Tolga, the Grand Mage who helped with the epidemic treatment, and directly stormed the Mage Tower. "Now you want to buy?" Garrett looked troubled: "But I don¡¯t have time to do it..." He nced at Elder Wood instinctively. Developing penicillin was of great interest to Garrett; but after its development, he had no interest in mass production. If Elder Wood could oversee the production... But binding a high-level caster in the Mage Tower to cultivate penicillin day in and day out, Garrett felt he couldn¡¯t even bring himself to ask. "It¡¯s simple, you don¡¯t have to do it." Elder Wood smiled and raised his hand. Behind him, a tall girl stepped forward and bowed slightly to Garrett: "Reverend Nordmark, may I have the honor of joining the Mage Tower to continue learning from you?" The wild boar girl! Garrett realized. Of the four priests of the God of Nature who came to learn at the Mage Tower, if he could choose one to stay, this girl would be his first choice. But now that the real person stood before him, Garrett hesitated: "Miss Annie Vieira, I would be very happy for you to join the Mage Tower. However, I¡¯m just a level four priest and haven¡¯t received aplete education myself. I¡¯m afraid I might not be able to guide you forward in your priesthood..." "Reverend Nordmark, the path you¡¯ve pioneered has given me great inspiration." Annie Vieira¡¯s expression was serene as she bowed again: "I hope to join your project and continue to develop it. My intuition tells me that by following this path, my future will be bright." Such impressive intuition! Garrett marveled. Indeed, just mastering penicillin could elevate one to a high-level druid. Not to mention whates after penicillin¡ªstreptomycin, erythromycin, all the way to vaycin... And various bacterial cultures, medical treatments, a plethora of vines... A long list of projects in queue. As long as this girl follows him in these projects, just with the feedback from the world, reaching level 15 wouldn¡¯t be a problem! "Little Garrett, don¡¯t worry about the guidance." Elder Wood chuckled: "This girl¡¯s parents are both servants of the God of Nature, guiding her will definitely not be an issue. If you find her diligent and insightful, just let her participate in your projects. Besides, I won¡¯t just stand by and do nothing." Garrett breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up, smiling and extended his hand formally: "Miss Annie Vieira, wee to my Mage Tower. We¡¯ll discuss our future projects and your role in the teamter." Their handshake was brief but meaningful. Annie Vieira¡¯s hand was warm and firm, with harder calluses than Garrett¡¯s own. He reminded himself to get her a bottle of glycerin for her handster, then turned to the other guests: "Let¡¯s talk about the sale of penicillin then. ¡ªMy idea is, given that penicillin can be dangerously allergenic with too many impurities, this special medicine will for now only be produced in the Mage Tower and sold as a finished product to ensure purity." "And the price?" Tolga, the Grand Mage, asked eagerly, also providing a reference price: "Little Garrett, a potion for minor healing sells for five gold coins at the temple, you can¡¯t price it too high!" "...Penicillin doesn¡¯t immediately heal wounds." Garrett maintained his smile: "But it can suppress certain types of infections, preventing the condition from worsening and allowing the patient¡¯s self-healing to work¡ªessentially, it¡¯s akin to a slowly acting Remove Disease potion. And the price of a Remove Disease potion, if I recall correctly, is..." The 3rd-tier spell, Remove Disease, essible to priests, druids, rangers, and medical mages. A potion sells for a standard price of 750 gold coins at all major temples. The high-level healers exchanged nces, then quickly entered the bargaining phase. Garrett sat beside them, smiling and humble, listening attentively, asionallymenting on technical issues: "Dosage? For adults, intramuscr injection, 800,000 units per day, divided into 3-4 doses." "How long to use? About a week, up to two weeks. Generally, if there¡¯s no effect after three days, it¡¯s time to switch medications... Oh, I forgot, there¡¯s nothing to switch to." "How is 800,000 units calcted? Don¡¯t delve into it, you¡¯ll know once my paper is out. Anyway, when selling, we¡¯ll make it 200,000 units per dose..." "Selling directly to the temple? Or through the council? Well, that¡¯s up to you..." After much negotiation, the decision was to sell all penicillin exclusively at the council¡¯s trade hall, giving a fixed quota to the Temple of War. Of course, the Temple of War could also use other goods to offset contribution points. Each penicillin dose, that is, 200,000 units of powder, would sell for 1 contribution point. Considering the exchange rate between contribution points and gold coins, a week¡¯s supply of penicillin is about one-fifth of a Remove Disease potion, which seems to be a fair price. Garrett calcted the weight of the gold coins, concluding that a day¡¯s supply of penicillin for an adult costs about the same as a small yellow croaker, and using it for a week burns through a big yellow croaker... Indeed, the first pricey medicine in spy dramas, penicillin! Chapter 341: New Mission, Setting Off Again Penicillin, once produced, nevercked buyers. Considering the exceptional performance of penicillin in treating infectious diseases, the Temple of the God of War unblinkingly ced an order for 100 units, promising that as long as the first batch passed the trial, they would order no less than 100 units every month thereafter; The representative of the medical magicians also casually ced an order for 100 units, indicating that this batch would first be trialed within the army. As long as the trial was sessful, the navy¡¯s orders would surely follow; Master Tolga wanted to buy a few units for trial but hesitated to ask... Garrett calcted that just theserge orders alone would bring in over 200 contribution points in monthly sales revenue. After deducting the share owed to the Church of the God of Nature, the purification fees for Master Norwood, and the ie of the Mage Tower... He could at least 100 contribution points a month. Considering the widespread use of this medicine in his previous life, Garrett felt that sales could eventually sustain the entire Mage Tower. As for the cost? What cost? Water was drawn from the Mage Tower¡¯s water elemental pool, fire was supplied by the fire elemental pool, and the penicillin fungus was continuously cultivated;Compared to the selling price of penicillin, the cost of the cornstarch medium was a joke. Garrett was very satisfied. He made arrangements with the council and the Temple of the God of War, asking them to provide conditions for him to gather clinical data, then politely saw the two major customers out. On his way back to the Mage Tower, halfway there, he saw a young man standing quietly at the entrance of the Mage Tower. His clothes and shoes were covered in dust, as if he had walked a long distance to get here. "Leon?" Garrett was surprised: "Why are you here? Aren¡¯t you with the public health department?" "They didn¡¯t need so many people, sir," Leon Carlos stepped forward and bowed: "They sent me back to the academy. Sir, I remember you once said that you would have projects needing me, so I came to receive your orders. Sir, may I continue to work under you?" "Um..." Garrett hesitated. Honestly, his impression of Leon was quite good: For one, when selecting projects previously, Leon didn¡¯t choose those that were quick and profitable, but instead chose ones that were long-term and almost unprofitable; moreover, during the epidemic, he had stepped forward to n and schedule, showing good management skills. But to bring him into the Mage Tower? This apprentice is from ck Crow Swamp! Would bringing him here cause trouble with ck Crow Swamp? Though their faction does have a good impression of me... Torn, Garrett decided to consult with Andrew Lynn. Andrew, however,ughed heartily: "Who cares about the whereabouts of apprentices in the academy? You¡¯re just keeping him to work, not taking him as a disciple. Why would ck Crow Swamp trouble you? As for the future¡ªlet¡¯s worry about the futureter!" Thus, the Mage Tower¡¯s second apprentice was in ce. Garrett happily arranged for Anita to continue producing penicillin, collecting clinical information, and handed over the development of vines to Leon, starting with the simplest smallpox vine, then dived back into his studies. Meditation! Boosting mental strength! 42 spell models to memorize! 211 pieces of magical information to learn! Oh right, there are also papers rted to penicillin to organize and write. Selection strategies is one paper, production research and development another, drug actions yet another, allergic reactions another... Days buried in studies flew by. When Garrett finally looked up from his rapid mental growth and books, it was early summer. His adventure missions, after several changes, were finally set. "So, we¡¯re not going to that forest anymore? Where are you sending me?" Garrett rustled through the map, with travel gear spread all around: Sleeping bags to prepare, umbres, dry food, pots and pans: Weapons, armor, various offensive and defensive magical equipment, the most important [Endless Ink Pen]; Surgical instruments, seeds for activating vines, potassium permanganate, penicillin, none could be left behind; Alchemy equipment, hand-cranked generators, mercury arc rectifiers, a manual venttor, all these must be taken along, as there¡¯s nowhere to buy them on the spot... Ah, I feel like the space bag won¡¯t hold everything! Archmage Carlisle helplessly watched him pulling at his hair. After a long time, he sighed deeply: "The mission assigned to you this time is to escort Master Talbert, the dwarf elder, back to his homnd. Given your previous interactions with them, the council rmended you join the team. After arriving at the destination, participate in the negotiation team to discuss new cooperation ns. There¡¯s an alchemical airship for the sea route, and arge team for thend route; you don¡¯t need to carry all jars and bottles with you..." "So I can take a carriage? ¡ªWait, why take a ship?" Master Talbert¡¯s homnd was not in the kingdom but across the sea in the north. Surrounded by high mountains and snow, the dwarves mined and smelted in mountain caves, exchanging food with the londers. Further north was the homnd of Bernard, at the very peaks of the mountains, where, it was said, dragons lived... "When you get there, just stay honestly in the dwarf tribe. If you want to visit the barbarians, you can go. But don¡¯t climb the snowy mountains, don¡¯t go looking for dragons. Even though the legendary magicians of the council have rtions with dragons, they won¡¯t care who is below when triggering avnches. Remember that!" Master Carlisle earnestly admonished. Garrett nodded vigorously: "Definitely! Definitely!" Who would climb snowy mountains for no reason! I¡¯m not an outdoor enthusiast! "Also, the exchange items you receivedst time from resigning the public health department¡ªdidn¡¯t you even look at them? There¡¯s arge space bag inside, capable of holding 1000 pounds of items, with a volume of 150 cubic feet!" It turned out that even arge space bag might not be enough. This time, Garrett was only bringing Bernard on the mission, with Aurora and Andrew not apanying. The two level 5 magicians, each with their own worries, crammed stuff into the space bag: "Bring a few more fur coats!" Andrew, out of nowhere, dumped a pile of fur coats on Garrett, almost burying him: "The clothes you wear in Nevis City can¡¯t withstand it! What? [Resist Cold and Heat]? The cold in the north goes far beyond the limits of [Resist Cold and Heat]. If you think you can warm up with spells, you won¡¯t freeze to death!" Understood, it¡¯s like the air conditioning not working because it¡¯s too cold. Garrett obediently stuffed the fur coats in, immediately taking up a corner. "Bring more strong liquor! The way you use alcohol for disinfection, a barrel won¡¯t be enough! Liquor is expensive in the north, they can¡¯t grow crops there, all imported from outside!" It¡¯s a pity not to be able to make industrial alcohol... But Aurora, have you thought about how much a barrel of liquor weighs? Don¡¯t fill up the space bag with this! "Bring the nitroglycerin you made! Nitrocellulose! And purple scalestone! Take all of them! Without us, when you need to unleash powerful magic, you¡¯ll rely on these!" Master Norwood, stop! Don¡¯t put nitrocellulose together with potassium permanganate! Chapter 342: The Dwarf Kingdom’s Big Problem Master Talbert¡¯s homnd lies in the middle of the ck Gate Mountain Range on the ck Gate Penins in the North. Despite being called a penins, the ck Gate Penins is actually several timesrger than the entire kingdom where the Magic Council is located. Stretching deep into the sea from the northwest corner of the continent, the majestic ck Gate Mountain Range stands tall along the western coast of the penins, fragmented by bays and rapid currents. West of the ck Gate Penins is an endless wilderness, covered in snow and ice for half of the year. Apart from ice dragons, magical beasts, and mages with unique tastes, only barbarians and giants can reside there. Traveling south from the northernmost part of the wilderness, it takes two thousand miles to reach the northernmost border under the control of the Church of the Radiant Lord. ¡ªThis distance is roughly equivalent to that from Igor Peak to the Radiant Holy City. Traveling from the westernmost point of the ck Gate Penins to the east, it also takes about two thousand miles to reach the capital of the Barbarian Kingdom. Cough, if that settlement on the wilderness can also be called a "capital"... Given such a vast wilderness, the control of the Church of the Radiant Lord is naturally imaginable. And for the Magic Council, as long as they can safely transport Master Talbert and his group across the sea, they need not worry about their safety anymore. To ensure safety along the way, escorting the elder, apanying personnel, and a batch of valuable goods, the Magic Council dispatched a precious alchemical airship: The Philosopher¡¯s Stone. "So this is an alchemical ship?" Garrett followed the crew onto the deck, curiously looking around.The deck, which seemed to be made of wood, radiated a metallic luster; At the top of the mast, a silk-like thin sail fluttered loudly, with light flowing on it, flickering on and off; At the very front of the bow, a statue of a woman with the body of a snake was installed, her six arms spread out, each holding a scepter, a sword, a scimitar, a treasure vase... Garrett casually cast a [Detect Magic] and was nearly blinded by the brilliance emanating from the weapons. "Yes, this is an alchemical ship." Master Talbert came over to him, beaming: "Never seen one before? This ship, built from the skeleton of a deep-sea giant whale as its keel and the skin of magical beasts as its sails, is said to have a magic cannon onboard. Little Garrett, it¡¯s said that half of the increased mithril production you helped with was used to make cannons. Recently, the council and the Church of the Radiant Lord¡¯s fleets have been fighting fiercely!" ...So, are we going to encounter enemies at sea? Garrett broke into a sweat, hoping the chosen route would be reliable and the journey swift, arriving sooner... This ship is really not meant for living! Primarily, the Philosopher¡¯s Stone wasn¡¯trge. Limited by the size of the magical beast used for its keel, its length was just over 30 meters, with a width of about ten meters. Such a ship, loaded with crew, goods, and Master Talbert¡¯s group, as well as the trade negotiation team sent by the council, left little to imagine about Garrett¡¯s lodging conditions. Garrett and Bernard, the two of them, actually only had one single room! A single bed, a bedside table. The bed was only enough for Garrett alone; Bernard, regardless of height or shoulder width, had to sleep on the floor. That aside, the ceiling wasn¡¯t even high enough for Bernard to stand upright! "Boss, I¡¯m heading out!" "Where to?" "To arm-wrestle with the dwarfs!" "Oh, just be careful not to fracture your wrist!" "Boss, I¡¯m going out!" "Where to?" "To watch them furl the sails on the deck!" "Alright, just be careful when climbing the mast, don¡¯t get hurt!" "Boss! I¡¯m heading out!" "Where to?" "To fish on the deck!" "You can fish while the ship is moving?" Aurora ran around the ship chaotically, and Garrett, who wanted to quietly stay in his single room and read, had no chance. The group settled on the ship, and the next morning, Garrett was invited into the room by the head of the negotiation team. The living conditions of the team leader were much more spacious than Garrett¡¯s. Garrett¡¯s single room was one level below the deck, with neither sunlight nor venttion; the team leader¡¯s room, however, was next to the captain¡¯s cabin on the upper deck, furnished with a bed, a square table, four chairs, and a row of wooden cabs against the wall. Through the ss doors of the cabs, one could even see a shiny set of silver cutlery. Garrett sat down in the room. Without saying a word, he greedily breathed in several mouthfuls of fresh air¡ªthe cabin below had nearly suffocated him! The team leader smiled at him good-naturedly. Once Garrett caught his breath, the team leader flicked his finger, and steam immediately began to rise from the kettle: "Tea or coffee?" "...Tea, thank you." Garrett took a moment to observe him. The magician in front of him had curly brown hair interspersed with silver, clearly of advanced age. The badge on his chest twinkled with two golden stars: A level twelve grand magician. ording to the information Garrett received beforeing, this negotiation team leader, Sir Serano, belonged to the transmutation school, specializing in alchemy, and was one of the vice-presidents of the Alchemy Guild. Master Serano slightly curled his finger. Two small legs immediately grew from beneath the kettle, hopping over by themselves. Garrett watched apprehensively, hoping the legs would turn into four, or at least three, for a more stable hop. Fortunately, the kettle hopped steadily. Making its way to them, one leg extended and the other retracted, pouring hot water from its spout and quickly filling the teacups. The kettle then steadied itself, bowed to them, and hopped back... "I heard you saved Master Talbert?" Master Serano said with a smile. Garrett snapped back to reality and hurriedly replied: "I just did what I had to do. As a healer, seeing him in danger, I couldn¡¯t just stand by..." "It¡¯s good that you saved him." Master Serano nodded with a smile. He reviewed Garrett¡¯s information in his mind and continued: "I see your follower also has a good rtionship with the dwarfs. When negotiating, we might need your help to speak up." Helping with the negotiations was naturally Garrett¡¯s duty as a magician. However, he was thrown into this situation without any background information, nor was he briefed on the terms, pace, or bottom line of the negotiations. Since Master Serano brought it up, Garrett took the opportunity to ask: "Um... Master Serano, will we encounter any difficulties in this negotiation?" "Previously, it was all routine renewals, just a formality. But this time, there¡¯s a bit of a change..." Master Serano exined in detail. Garrett listened and realized the situation had something to do with him: The Dwarf Kingdom, or rather, the individual dwarf tribes, exporting various precious metals to the Magic Council, has always been a crucial economic pir for the dwarfs. However, Garrett developed a mithril smelting technology, which changed the dwarfs¡¯ exports from mithril to mithril ore... The difference in price between finished metal ingots and raw products is quite significant. "To make up for the price difference, the dwarfs need to mine more ore; to mine ore, they have to import that... explosives." Master Serano sighed: "The dwarfs are doing a lot more work, exporting a lot more ore, but their ie hasn¡¯t increased; moreover, although we have provided a lot of training for the dwarfs, those explosives still caused considerable casualties. The council received messages that many dwarfs are dissatisfied with us." Understood, the disparity between finished products and high-end products. The dwarfs, not being under the council¡¯s rule, are not so lenient to let us clip away withoutint. Moreover, this change is indeed his fault. Garrett silently circled in his mind. Explosive casualties could be addressed through enhanced training, but the disparity and trade deficit... Neither is easy to resolve. The dwarfs might not know these terms, but that doesn¡¯t mean they have no feelings about it. If this continues, the trouble will only grow. "Dwarfs are our important allies; we must maintain friendship with them and not let them turn to the Church of the Radiant Lord. In a month, it will be the Dwarf King¡¯s 400th birthday, and many guests wille to congratte him. Bringing you here also shows our sincerity..." Chapter 343: Can We Change Course to Avoid Seasickness? How does a light-industrial nation increase its trade surplus with an agricultural and mining country? This is a significant issue requiring coboration across political, economic, and technological fronts, as well as extensive research and coordination over time. However, Garrett didn¡¯t have the luxury of time. The Philosopher¡¯s Stone made its way up the Loxi River. Entering the canal, passing through several locks, from one end of the elongated Loxi Lake to the other, it traveled from the western coastline of the kingdom to the eastern. The journey northeastward along the ind waterway was roughly a hundred kilometers, and by the evening of the second day, it had entered the open sea. "So how much longer will we be sailing?" Garrett asked at the dining table, where the dwarves were sprawled around, looking disheveled. Clearly, the dwarves, ustomed to dealing with mountains, stones, and mes, generally had a weaker resistance to seasickness. Even though the alchemical ship "Philosopher¡¯s Stone" was rtively stable, half of them were clutching basins and buckets, nearly vomiting their bile out. Normally, seasickness wouldn¡¯t be a big deal since a divine spell could quickly alleviate it. However, Master Talbert was unwell, and his two disciples were busy taking care of him, leaving no spare divine spells for the ordinary dwarf craftsmen to fend for themselves... "We¡¯re almost there," assured the cheerful captain of the Philosopher¡¯s Stone. "We head north for half a day to reach Maine Ind at the kingdom¡¯s northern tip, catch the ocean current there. Then we head northeast towards the western side of the ck Gate Mountain Range, which only takes two days. After that, we switch to another current heading south, rounding the penins¡¯s southern tip to dock at Annya Port on the eastern side...""What?" "What?!" "We have to take such a long detour!" The dwarves moaned weakly. After two days in the river and a day at sea, they were already seasick to a terrible degree. The thought of spending another seven or eight days at sea meant they would bepletely spent by the time they reached shore. "Can¡¯t we directlynd on the western side of the ck Gate Mountain Range? Isn¡¯t there a port there?" Braided-beard dwarf Wif let go of Master Talbert and approached the captain to ask. His chest was covered in a bushy, salt-and-pepper beard that mostly spilled out over his braids. Under normal circumstances, such a slovenly appearance would have been the subject of relentless mockery among the dwarves, but no one had the energy forughter now. All eyes were fixed on Wif¡¯s stocky back. Among the group of dwarves, Wif was one of the less affected by seasickness, still able to move around. However, Master Talbert¡¯s condition was deeply concerning. The master had rested before departure, which alleviated his condition somewhat, but two days of tossing at sea worsened his state: He couldn¡¯t eat, couldn¡¯t sleep, and had difficulty breathing. Last night, Master Talberty in the cabin, breathing oxygen for half the night before he could barely close his eyes. "...There is indeed a port there." The captain hesitated for a moment, fumbled under his coat, and pulled out a piece of wool. With a wave of his hand, arge area of the floor was covered in light and shadow, disying the ocean, rivers, and mountains. Wow! Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up. Was this an illusionary magic of the first order, Silent Image? He knew this spell, but achieving such detail was beyond his magical control. He was currently practicing hard, hoping to use Silent Image to create detailed representations of human organs and tissues for teaching... Regardless, the opportunity to observe a high-level magician casting spells on the spot was invaluable. Even though the detailed quality of the map disyed by the captain was several levels below satellite maps, it was worth observing. Garrett and the dwarves leaned in to look together: "But I remember, the Dwarf King¡¯s court is on the eastern side of the mountains. If wend at the port on the western side, it means we have to cross mountains. The mountains stretch endlessly, with perennial snow on their peaks, dangerous even in early summer. Moreover, we¡¯re carrying a batch of goods on the ship, which cannot be transported over mountains." Garrett scrutinized the map. Landing at Annya Port indeed seemed a morefortable route: The entire ck Gate Penins, with its high mountains on the west and gentle terrain on the southeast. The location pointed out by the captain for the Dwarf King¡¯s court was on a teau in the middle of the penins, surrounded by mountains but not as steep as the western part of the ck Gate Mountain Range. Andnding from the western port, not to mention the patches of bright snow at the top of the light and shadow disyed by the captain and how difficult it would be to cross, Garrett vividly remembered Archmage Carlisle¡¯s advice before departure: "Don¡¯t climb snowy mountains! Don¡¯t go looking for dragons!" Anyway, I¡¯m definitely voting for the original n. Garrett silently withdrew. "Cough, cough... let¡¯s take the longer route..." Master Talbert held his chest, coughing raggedly. His throat rattled as if he couldn¡¯t expel the phlegm, hisplexion gradually worsening. Wif hurried back to support him, swinging his palm down on the old dwarf¡¯s back as if forging iron: "Master, rest a bit, don¡¯t talk! Just cough out the phlegm!" The dwarves quickly gathered around. One of Master Talbert¡¯s disciples cast a healing spell while the other held a copper basin in front of the old dwarf, facilitating his coughing. One healed, the other pounded his back, causing the frail body of the old dwarf to tremble with each strike, nearly breaking in half. Garrett couldn¡¯t stand it anymore: "Stop, stop! That¡¯s not how you do chest physiotherapy! Let me handle this!" He made his way through. The dwarves stepped aside to let him through. Garrett squatted in front of the old dwarf and reached into his space bag, first pulling out his treasured stethoscope: "Master, please calm down, let me listen to your lungs... breathe out... breathe in... breathe out... breathe in..." Good, no crackling sounds, no symptoms of pulmonary edema. As for the fibrosis worsening, Garrett could only say, such is life, not everything in medicine can be cured... He put away the stethoscope and moved behind the old dwarf to start patting his back, exining as he went: "When patting the back, don¡¯t smash with your palm. Arch it to create a cavity in the middle, vibrating the patient¡¯s lungs to help expel phlegm. From the bottom to the top, from the sides to the middle, starting from the ninth rib space on the back and the sixth rib space on the chest, all the way up to the shoulders..." Thump, thump, thump, thump! Clear and rhythmic patting sounds vibrated the old dwarf¡¯s body. After feeling it for a moment, Master Talbert, in disarray, coughed a few times and bent his hand to push him: "Lord Nordmark, your method is correct, but the force is too light... cough, cough, someone..." "It¡¯s about vibrating the lungs, right? I¡¯ll do it!" Wif indicated he had understood the frequency and location of the patting. As for using patting to vibrate the lungs, warriors have simr techniques for exerting force... Garrett awkwardly moved aside, watching Wif try hard to pat the old dwarf¡¯s back. Looking up, Master Serano, the negotiation team leader, gave him a slight smile and a thumbs-up. "Mr. Nordmark, well done!" Chapter 344: Enemy Attack! Enemy Attack! From that day onward, Garrett joined Master Talbert¡¯s medical care team. He conducted regr auscultation and percussion, monitoring the progression of the illness; He instructed the dwarf warriors on how to perform back ps for phlegm clearance for Master Talbert at scheduled intervals; He adjusted the oxygen concentration and flow rate during oxygen therapy; And not the least importantly, but immensely helpful: "Master, no more smoking! Someone take away the master¡¯s pipe! The tobo too! Take it all away. If I catch you smoking again, I¡¯m throwing your pipe and tobo into the sea!" "And take away the alcohol too! You¡¯re still drinking with your health like this? Do you have a death wish?!" With such care, Master Talbert¡¯s condition significantly improved within two to three days. On the afternoon of the third day, as the Philosopher¡¯s Stone approached the ck Gate Mountain Range, Master Talbert was even able to sit on the deck, pointing to the distant towering mountains, and share dwarf legends with Garrett: "...Back then, the demon god F¨¢bruti emerged from the sea, his body flowing with mes, waves rolling under his feet, each step stirring tsunamis. And the giant ck Gate battled him..."Such an ancient myth... Are you about to say, the giant ck Gate fell and became the ck Gate Mountain Range? "...After the great battle, the demon god F¨¢bruti sank to the seabed, turning into the fiery mountain ranges underwater, his blood transforming into fierce sea monsters." The old dwarf¡¯s voice flowed gently: "And the giant ck Gate fell at the edge of the continent, his bones bing mountains, his flesh turning intond, his blood intokes, and his teeth into rocks. During the battle, half of his body was shattered, so now, the ck Gate Mountain Range we see, jagged and fractured along the ocean, with countless bays prating into the mountains..." Garrett really wanted to say, that¡¯s due to cial troughs invaded by seawater. But who knows? In a world with magic, perhaps a fight between two magicians could have created such unique geographical features? Just as he said this, a silver-blue light suddenly streaked across the deck of the Philosopher¡¯s Stone. Followed by more lights, whizzing by. One of the silver-blue lights lost its power midway and plopped down in front of Garrett... "Flying fish?" Curiosity piqued, Garrett bent down to poke it. He had read about flying fish in books and seen them in videos but had never seen a live one. At the same time, the lookout atop the mast called out: "Flying bluefin fish! Arge school of flying bluefin fish!" The entire crew sprang into action. Those operating the sails did so, those tying ropes did their job, and those castings cast theirs. Bluefin flying fish, a delicious low-tier magical beast, could yield a magic crystal from one in a hundred fish¡ª For an alchemical ship, it wasn¡¯t worth specially hunting, but encountering them was a wee chance for a small fortune. At worst, it added a delicacy to dinner. Even Bernard ran to the side of the ship to help the crew casts. As a level seven warrior, having livedfortably and undergone two perilous battles with Garrett in the past two years, he was nearing a breakthrough. Observing the technique a few times, he cast a that captured a full load and pulled it back with all his might. As an elegant magician, Garrett, of course, remained a gentleman,fortably seated aside, enjoying the fishing scene. He also took the opportunity to inquire from the old dwarf: "Pretty lucky today, eh? Flying fish bumping into our ship?" "Heh, it¡¯s alright." Master Talbert stroked his beard, unfazed: "The western side of the ck Gate Mountain Range is a prime fishing ground, and early summer is the peak season. It¡¯s not even at its busiest now;e autumn, they say you can walk ashore on the backs of cod fish!" "Have you done it?" Garrett was curious. The old dwarfughed heartily: "Of course not. But just look around¡ªtiny shrimp attract small fish, small fish attract big fish, big fish attract cloud whales and grey whales¡ªsee, aren¡¯t there several whaling ships nearby?" Garrett strained to see. Sure enough, there were five or six ships of various sizes floating around. Some were sailing full speed with sails fully unfurled, some had only half their sails raised, and others seemed to have dropped anchor. Small boats were being lowered from the sides of therger ships, engaged in some activity. Unfortunately, Garrett¡¯s knowledge of ships in this world was almost nonexistent, and he couldn¡¯t tell if those were merchant ships, passenger ships, fishing boats, or whaling ships. Just as he was about to inquire, a water column shot up not far from the ship. Then, the lookout at the top of the mast screamed: "Narwhal! Narwhal! Hard to port!!!" The Philosopher¡¯s Stone lurched violently. Garrett, seated on a stool, nearly fell onto Master Talbert. He lunged forward, narrowly missing the old dwarf and crashing to the deck. Scrambling up, he just saw a ship half again as long and a level higher than the Philosopher¡¯s Stone charging diagonally at full speed, its prow mounted with a glinting ballista. "Enemy attack¡ª" Garrett cried out reflexively. He was promptly pped down by the old dwarf: "What enemy attack, that¡¯s a whaling ship!" However, almost simultaneously, the bowstrings twanged. The ballista atop the whaling ship fired instantly. A dark bolt skimmed the water¡¯s surface, heading straight for the Philosopher¡¯s Stone¡¯s rudder. "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!!" The rapid nging of metal rang out. The Philosopher¡¯s Stone made a swift turn, the ballista bolt grazing by, only scoring a shallow groove on the ship¡¯s stern. Meanwhile, the crew scrambled into action: Those who needed to gather ropes did so, those who needed to raise sails did, ands and other items were thrown into the water as needed. The ship then vibrated, and the sound of rushing water indicated an increase in speed, quickly putting distance between it and the whaling ship. What happened next, Garrett did not know. As a nonbatant, he was promptly whisked below deck and instructed to stay in his room. On his way down, he saw dwarves, axes and hammers in hand, rushing out, ready for a boarding battle. "It¡¯s a whaling ship, why would they attack us?" Garrett was bewildered. But this question was answered at dinner: "What whaling ship! That was a warship from the Galorin Kingdom! Oh... Many of their warships double as whaling ships, allowing cadet officers to gain experience in sailing andbat. Pah! Those brats, not even recognizing our alchemical ship, thinking they could just rob us because their ship was bigger and they had more men!" Undoubtedly, their mistake cost them their lives. The Philosopher¡¯s Stone only needed to increase the distance and fire a few magical cannons to send them to the cold seabed. The only damage to the alchemical ship was a few dents on the outer hull, which barely breached its defenses. Garrett thought this was the only mishap during the voyage. However, in the middle of the night, he was once again awakened by the rm. "Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack¡ª" Chapter 345: Sunlight Under the Sea Chapter 345: Sunlight Under the Sea From the moment the first enemy attack urred, Garrett didn¡¯t feel much. After all, he hadn¡¯t even left his room. It was Bernard who went out with a big bone club to take a look and came back an hourter, telling him that a giant octopus had climbed onto the deck¡ª That morning, Garrett even got to eat grilled octopus legs. Although the grilling was not perfect and the sauce a bit odd, it made him quite nostalgic. The taste reminded him of the small barbecue shop 100 meters behind the hospital... During the second attack, Garrett was strolling on the deck, fittingly casting a Burning Hand spell, turning an attacking merman into a fish candle. He dared not cast Dragon¡¯s Breath for fear of identally burning through the deck. Then, as a nonbatant, he was promptly sent below deck. This attack bore no gains, not even an octopus leg to gnaw on. By the third attack, Garrett felt something was amiss. How could there be such a coincidence, three waves in less than 24 hours? The narwhal almost punched a hole through the bottom of the ship! The captain, with a grave face, sought out Master Serano. The two magicians sat down to murmur amongst themselves, activating the ship¡¯s magical array to scan the hull and even applying underwater magic to themselves to inspect the hull from below. Upon their return to the ship, they announced the reason for the sessive attacks: "It¡¯s ¡¯Fabruti¡¯s Curse¡¯." "What?"Garrett looked up, puzzled. Fabruti... that name sounded familiar. Right, the old dwarf mentioned the demon god Fabruti in his mythological story yesterday, saying his blood turned into fierce sea monsters after his death. But that was a myth! Myths mean they don¡¯t actually exist, right? "Fabruti¡¯s Curse is a special alchemical potion," Master Serano said gravely. "Simply put, it coats the surface of the ship, continuously attracting sea monsters to attack. During this process, the blood spilled by the monsters further increases ¡¯Fabruti¡¯s Curse¡¯s¡¯ allure to other sea monsters." This was troublesome. Sea monsters attack the ship¡ªget killed¡ªattract more sea monsters¡ªget killed again¡ªan endless cycle... Garrett sucked in a cold breath. The captain added: "We found arge amount of paste-like potion covering the dents on the ship¡¯s side, created by yesterday¡¯s ballista attack. Although we¡¯ve scraped off the potion, the part contaminated on the ship¡¯s body will take about seven days to dissipate. We suspect that the whaling ship, in its final throes and out of a sense of revenge, used the ballista to hit our ship with the potion." God knows what important person was on that ship! ¡¯Fabruti¡¯s Curse,¡¯ a potion not easily concocted... "What do we do?" the bearded dwarf Wif called out loudly. Most dwarves are warriors, and even the few priests among themck the ability to fly. To be continuously attacked by sea beasts for seven days... The deep sea harbors all kinds of creatures. If a powerful magical beast retaliates, they might not care for themselves, but involving Master Talbert would be troublesome. "Don¡¯t worry, ¡¯The Philosopher¡¯s Stone¡¯ is a powerful alchemical ship. We are confident in facing any challenges..." The captain raised his voice. Before he could finish, the ship lurched, throwing everyone off bnce¡ª The next wave of monster attacks began! "@#£¤%......" Garrett was once again rushed off the deck. This battle wasrger in scale than the one at noon andsted nearly two hours. After the fight, Garrett could see that the captain¡¯s face was much more somber than at noon. After thinking it over, Garrett quietly sought out Master Serano to inquire about "Fabruti¡¯s Curse." The master mage shook his head with difficulty: "This alchemical potion is quite rare and difficult to counter once afflicted. We didn¡¯t bring any of the key ingredients for the antidote this time. Actually, there is one method, but we don¡¯t have the conditions right now..." "What method?" "Sunlight. Bringing the ship into a dry dock and exposing the hull to sunlight for just one day and night wouldpletely neutralize ¡¯Fabruti¡¯s Curse¡¯." "Just sunlight? Other light won¡¯t work?" "No... We¡¯ve tried everything..." In magic, there are numerous spells capable of summoning light, from the 0-level sh to the 7th-level Glorious Rebuke and Radiant Aura, enough to fill a book. However, the council¡¯s experiments showed that these spellsrgely had no effect on "Fabruti¡¯s Curse." Even so, as ast resort, the ship¡¯s magicians still went down to try. The results were that only a few point-to-point beams could dpose the potion. And the dposition rate couldn¡¯t keep up with the next monster attack, the blood contaminating the hull causing negative effects. As for relying on sunlight... it was already night, and even if the magicians could find a piece ofnd and cast spells to lift the alchemical ship ontond, that would be after an entire night. Garrett pondered. If only sunlight and not magically summoned light worked, perhaps it was due to the type of light waves? "Master Mage, I have an idea we might try?" Garrett had conducted prism experiments with various light-based spells, like sh, Illumination, and Gaze of Light, and failed to dpose ultraviolet light¡ªmeaning, they had no bactericidal effect. In other words, generating arge amount of ultraviolet light in seawater might elerate the dposition of the potion? He rummaged through his space bag for items. Electrical wires, a hand-cranked generator, a mercury arc rectifier... clumsily assembled together. Master Serano watched with furrowed brows: "Whyplicate it? Leave it to me!" With a flick of his wrist, seawater levitated into arge wooden bucket dragged over by the sailors. Connecting the mercury arc rectifier to the wires and dipping it into the bucket, the ends rested on the outside of the bucket. The master mage closed his eyes briefly, and instantly, a bright white arc fell upon the wires, directly passing through the rectifier. A serene blue glow quickly flickered within the bucket. This... works? You¡¯re a transmutation mage, and here I thought you were a conjurer! Garrett was astonished. Master Serano paid him no mind, stepped to the bucket¡¯s edge, and quickly dropped a few drops of the potion in. Before he could proceed, a nearby magician cast a Light spell and eximed: "It works! The curse is dissolving!" The entire crew rejoiced. Master Serano lifted his gaze, his sharp eyes almost piercing Garrett: "What¡¯s this... how many more do you have? Bring them!" "It¡¯s a mercury arc rectifier. I only have one left," Garrett honestly answered. Seeing Master Serano¡¯s sigh, he quickly added: "It¡¯s easy to make! Just put mercury into a very clear ss bottle, insert graphite rods, and vacuum it!" As for issues with the wires, instion, and generating electricity, you¡¯ll figure it out... Master Serano silently tapped his space bag. The next moment, bright white mercury flew out like a dragon, and ss rose into the air, automatically melting, solidifying, and shaping... Before long, two rows of ghostly blue lights illuminated both sides of The Philosopher¡¯s Stone. Chapter 346: The Reward of Ultraviolet Light... Are You Challenging Me, Fat Tiger? Garrett Nordmark¡¯s newly revealed ultraviolet spell... ah, no, the mercury arc rectifier array, showed immediate effects. Previously, the monster attacks urred once every half day, but after the ultravioletmps were set up, it wasn¡¯t until the next early morning that a group of iron-boned seahorses attacked the alchemy ship. The number and level of monsters were significantly reducedpared to the afternoon attack the day before. The mage on duty activated the figurehead, and the six-armed naga¡¯s treasure bottle sprayed out a stream of freezing water, forming a near the ship¡¯s hull. Skimming along the ship¡¯s side, they scooped up arge portion of the seahorses. The day was even more peaceful. For a full day and night, a continuous 24 hours, no groups of marine monsters attacked the [Philosopher¡¯s Stone]. On the third morning, Archmage Serano decided to pull up the mercury arc rectifier for maintenance. It was not until evening, temporarily leaving the protected alchemy ship, that they encountered another new group of monsters. Garrett looked at this encounter with a sense of relief. Thankfully, the monster group was small and did not actively attack the alchemy ship. Moreover, the ultravioletmps could be turned off for maintenance, meaning - Walking on the deck, one wouldn¡¯t inexplicably get a suntan, much less unluckily develop skin cancer! "Magician Nordmark, well done!" Archmage Serano generously thanked him: "This time, you¡¯ve been a great help to us!"As he spoke, he poured out a heap of items from his spatial bag. Garrett casually nced over and saw an alchemy parrot, two alchemy dolls about a foot tall, a pair of bracers, and several amulets of unknown purpose... "Come on, pick a few, consider it my thanks to you!" Archmage Serano generously gestured to Garrett: "Don¡¯t be shy, take whatever you want. If it weren¡¯t for your idea, just the materials I would have spent fighting monsters along the way would be a significant amount!" Garrett looked down. Items from a grandmaster were sure to be of high quality, especially from a twelfth-level transformational grand mage. The dozen items gleamed brilliantly, and by the intensity of their magical light, they were at least level five magic items. "Not sure how to choose?" Captain Jacob joined in the conversation with a smile: "Shall I introduce them to you?" Archmage Serano stepped aside, giving space. The captain reached out and shuffled through the items on the table: "This parrot is used for sending messages; you set the destination, give it a bit of magic power, and it can fly there and repeat your words; these two dolls can help you with some delicate tasks, like weighing a couple of grams of medicine; these bracerse with [Cat¡¯s Grace], which can be activated three times a day, eachsting 15 minutes; this amulet..." He went on and on, clearly adept at distinguishing various unusual items from his time at sea. After exining, he raised his hand: "Hurry up and choose, once you¡¯re done, I have more things for you!" These gifts were all valuable, but not immediately useful for him. Garrett listened carefully, then bowed respectfully to both Archmage Serano and Captain Jacob, saying: "We¡¯re all on the same boat, facing trouble, I should think of solutions together with you..." "Don¡¯t be so timid, young man!" Archmage Serano waved his hand impatiently: "If I¡¯m telling you to choose, just choose! The thing you brought out, in terms of value, is not inferior to these items!" Garrett smiled faintly. The cost of the mercury arc rectifier wasn¡¯t high, and moreover, it wasn¡¯t something he made himself; but knowing that the mercury arc rectifier could emit ultraviolet light, and thinking of using ultraviolet light to elerate the dposition of [Pharati¡¯s Curse], that was another matter. From this point of view, it was only natural for him to ept this reward. However - he raised his gaze, looking straight at the transformational grand mage, and made his real request: "Then, could you teach me a small transformational spell?" Archmage Serano¡¯s eyes lit up. Teaching a magic spell,pared to giving a magical creation, was certainly more troublesome; but, establishing a good rtionship with a thoughtful and research-oriented junior was also a good thing. He generously patted his chest: "Just ask! Not just transformational, but any of the eight schools, spells below third level, I can teach you any of them!" "That¡¯s wonderful." Garrett leaned forward, half grateful and half excited: "This spell, [Weapon Enchantment]..." What? Weapon Enchantment? Archmage Serano visibly deted. Weapon Enchantment, a first-level transformational spell... Such a basic spell! A must-learn for transformational mages! Only after mastering this spell, would one dare to step outside - with a first-level mage¡¯s pitiful uracy, instead of rushing to cast spells, it¡¯s better to quickly enchant their allies¡¯ weapons beforebat starts, thenfortably retreat to the back... Watching allies cut down enemies! With [Weapon Enchantment], the weapon¡¯s hardness, sharpness, and damage inflicted upon hitting, all improve! For some enemies that ordinary physical attacks can¡¯t harm, like ethereal beings or ghosts, with [Weapon Enchantment], they can still be damaged! This kind of kill-and-burn... ah, no, essential magic for home and travel, you don¡¯t know? You¡¯re level four! Even for a specializer in the energetics school, this specialization is a bit too severe! "Ah, no, I¡¯m not asking you to teach me this spell," Garrett quickly rified: "I was wondering, besides enchantingmon weapons, could it be applied to some lessmon items... like..." Garrett sped his hands together, and between his palms, a green light glowed. A slender, delicate vine, barely thicker than a hair strand, swayed out, bending softly towards Archmage Serano. His Excellency¡¯s eyes widened. To his right, Captain Jacob, with an indescribable expression, pointed at the vine, his finger trembling: "You... you want to use it as a weapon? To enchant it with Weapon Enchantment? What can such a thin thing do?!" There were many uses. Just from Garrett¡¯s impoverished imagination, he could think of seventeen or eighteen uses. But to Archmage Serano, he could only exin as simply as possible: "I hope it can be harder, sharper. Able to stretch into very small cavities upon mymand, to bite through or cut something..." "Hmm..." Archmage Serano frowned in difficulty: "If it was a naturally grown vine, enchanting it with [Weapon Enchantment], though a bit difficult, could still be done. But it¡¯s one you¡¯ve grown, already carrying magical properties..." He mumbled and mumbled, starting by exining to Garrett but gradually turning into talking to himself. Meanwhile, Garrett just silently watched him with hopeful eyes. Archmage Serano went from talking to himself to pacing around, from pacing to frantically pulling at his hair, from pulling at his hair to buzzing around the room like a headless fly. Suddenly, he shouted: "No matter!" He pounced on the desk, sweeping aside the dolls, equipment, amulets, and all sorts of tools to the ground. Spreading out paper and pen, in the blink of an eye, the paper was filled with all sorts of symbols. "I must solve it! A first-level spell, absolutely, under no circumstances, can stump me!" His brown hair stood on end, the few strands of silver within nearly popping out, proiming their presence. It seemed that after solving this magic, another batch of brown hair would defect to the silver side... Captain Jacob watched with a mix of awe and fear. He quietly stepped back, pressing against the door, and whispered to Garrett: "You¡¯re not going to ask me about magic, are you?" "A small spell..." Garrett widened his eyes as much as he could, making Captain Jacob¡¯s reflection appear in his pupils, showing his sincerity: "Really, just a first-level spell, from the curse school,monly used at sea... You couldn¡¯t possibly not know it, could you?" Chapter 347: Captain, Do We Have Sheep on Board? Indeed, Garrett Nordmark consulted Captain Jacob about another first-level spell. Logically, for this 11th-level curse magic archmage, it should pose no problem at all. However¡­ "Deep Breath? How do you n to modify this one?" [Deep Breath], a first-level curse magic spell. Priests have a simr divine spell, allowing the caster to feel as though their chest is full of air, as if they had just taken a deep breath. The magician can exhale normally, and by the end of the spell¡¯s duration, their lungs remain full, allowing them to hold their breath longer. The duration of the spell¡­ basically matches the longest time an adult can breathe in one go, about 6 seconds. This spell is indeed amon protective magic for sailors. Even non-curse magic mages would practice it thoroughly. Not for anything else but to quickly cast it in case of sudden immersion to avoid choking or drowning. But¡­ "How do you want to change it?" Captain Jacob stared at Garrett, full of caution. That [Weapon Enchantment] spell was also a basic spell, and what happened?Serano is still pulling his hair out! Garrett smiled and raised his hand, trying to show his innocence. Hmm, it doesn¡¯t seem to work, as Captain Jacob tensed up even more¡­ "My question is simple. First, can this spell be cast on others?" Captain Jacob immediately rxed. ording to the standard spellbook, the answer is "no," but sailors often have one or two tricks up their sleeve. He generously sketched in the air: "Here¡¯s a little trick. Look, modify the spell model like this¡­" Archmage Serano shot him a look of envy. Why is your question so simple, and mine so difficult? Adding magic on top of a magical creation is not as simple as 1+1=2! Ah, if Garrett heard his thoughts, he¡¯d surely argue it¡¯s as difficult as 1+1=2¡­ Of course, Garrett didn¡¯t hear. At this moment, he was busy taking notes, drawing diagrams, and copying, wishing he could draw a three-view diagram of the spell model and deduce a function or something. While writing, he asked: "How can we ensure it doesn¡¯t burst someone¡¯s lungs when casting it on others?" "Uh¡­" "Can short, repeated venttion achieve this?" "This¡­" "What if I want only one side of the lungs filled with air and ignore the other side?" "¡­" "What if I want to fill someone¡¯s lungs with a different gas, say, a specific gas from this test tube in my hand?" "¡­Are you trying to kill someone?!" Garrett looked at him with a wronged expression, pulling out a tube of oxygen and holding it up to the captain: "I just want to fill it with this¡­" I¡¯m not trying to kill anyone; I¡¯m trying to save lives. From 30% oxygen to 50% oxygen up to pure oxygen, of course, I¡¯ve prepared them in advance for safer use! Captain Jacob took a deep breath from the tube and felt slightly better. Though it was just one breath, he already felt his spirit lifted slightly: Filling the lungs with this gas is indeed beneficial to the human body? Since it¡¯s beneficial, it should be taken seriously. Captain Jacob sighed and spread out his paper and pen: Except for the third request¡ªfilling only one side of the lungs with air¡ªwhich is somewhat difficult to achieve, the others are theoretically possible. However, there¡¯s a long way to go from theory to practice¡­ No choice but to do it! After all, he owed thed a favor! The two grand mages, each on one side, buried themselves in calctions, with draft papers flying around the rest room, asionally creating a snowstorm. Meanwhile, Garrett, holding the newly acquired spell model, thanked both Archmage Serano and Captain Jacob before hastening back to his room below deck. ¡ªI must learn it quickly! With just a few days before docking, while Captain Jacob is still buried in calctions, I need to master the first variant of [Deep Breath]! If I have any questions, I can catch him and ask! The variant of [Deep Breath] isn¡¯t too difficult. On top of the original spell structure, just add an extra module to direct the spell towards another person. As for the amount of air to be filled, Captain Jacob said: "People are pretty much the same. How much air you fill yourself with when casting the spell on yourself, do the same for others. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t burst their lungs!" Heughed heartily at this, thinking he¡¯d made a great joke. Garrett forced a smile, drumming in his mind: That can¡¯t be the same! You think it¡¯s the same because your ship is full of big guys! Generally, the lung capacity of adult males is about 4000- 5000 milliliters, and for adult females, it¡¯s usually between 2500-3500 milliliters. If you fill a slender girl with 5000 milliliters of gas in one go, you might cause lung alveoli wall damage, alver septum destruction, or even emphysema in minutes! No choice, Garrett had to return to his old trade. Breaking down the spell model, calcting the function curves, conducting experiments¡­ "Bernard¡ª" The barbarian rushed over. Following Garrett¡¯s instructions, Bernard borrowed arge wooden basin and a small 5-liter oak barrel. He filled the basin with a palm¡¯s depth of water, then filled the barrel with water and inverted it into the basin. The series of actions were smooth and seamless, leaving Garrett only to measure the diameter of the basin. Garrett rolled up his sleeves, using mage tricks to draw a vertical line on the edge of the wooden basin, then a horizontal line at the water surface. After flipping through some calctions, he drew a series of horizontal lines along the vertical line. "Hey!" Garrett shouted the activation word for [Deep Breath]. Gurgle, gurgle, the water level in the basin quietly rose, passing one scale after another. "1, 2, 3¡­7, 8¡­4500 milliliters! Over by 10%, let¡¯s try again!" "Hey!" Just over 4000 milliliters! "Hey!" 3800 milliliters! "Hey!" Keep it up, Garrett! Once he¡¯s mastered this spell, he won¡¯t have to tire himself pressing on a patient¡¯s heart for CPR, racing against time to give mouth-to-mouth respiration. One spell, all done! If he bes more proficient, he could use [Greater Mage Hand] in conjunction with [Deep Breath] for continuous CPR! The pressing force of [Greater Mage Hand] can reach 40 pounds, using two or even four at once, much easier than manual efforts! He squatted beside the bucket, huffing and puffing, huffing and puffing, using more than half of his spell casts for the day, finally adjusting the amount of air filled to within 100 milliliters uracy ording to the spell model¡¯s function curve. Next, it was time for experiments on animals. Garrett went around and once again pushed open Archmage Serano¡¯s door. The two big shots were still head-to-head, with ink stains on their beards. Garrett sidled up to the captain and cautiously asked: "Captain, do we have sheep on board?" Captain Jacob gave him a look that was hard to describe. Chapter 348: Stranger, Do You Know the Lord of Radiance? Garrett Nordmark spent quite some effort exining to Captain Jacob what he needed the sheep for. It was for experiments, genuinely just experiments¡ªusing live sheep to test spells, nothing bizarre! Well, if luck wasn¡¯t on their side, it might end up killing the sheep; if luck was indeed on their side and the sheep survived, they¡¯d have to dissect them to check for any lung damage¡­ "So, how many sheep are you nning to ughter at once?" Captain Jacob looked at him uneasily: "We don¡¯t have that many sheep on board! Don¡¯t go wiping them all out in one go; we¡¯d have nothing left to eat for thest few days!" He knew all too well about the nature of a mage¡¯s experiments. A slight mishap could result in a mass extinction of test subjects. If Magician Nordmark ended up killing all the sheep at once, theints from the mages, knights, and passengers aboard¡­ "Don¡¯t worry, you have my word!" Garrett assured him repeatedly: "Besides, dissecting sheep takes time. How many can I dissect in a day? At most four, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, no more!" "¡­Alright, talk to the quartermaster yourself! If you end up killing the sheep and the passengersin, I won¡¯t back you up!" Thus, Garrett embarked on a routine of experimenting with magic¡ªdissecting¡ªexperimenting again¡ªdissecting again. Every day, he donned long boots and a leather apron, bustling around the kitchen assisting the chefs, ending up a messy bundle from head to toe. The ck Crow Swamp would have been delighted to see him in such a state.Under such intense work, Garrett¡¯s control over his magic improved rapidly¡ªmainly because he could directly dissect each time and visually inspect the sheep¡¯s lung alveoli for damage. Captain Jacob was exceptionally supportive. The day before the trade delegation disembarked, he actuallypleted the analysis of the spell model, answering all of Garrett¡¯s questions¡ªexcept for unteral lung venttion. Garrett, witnessing him demonstrate each solution, was filled with awe: "That fast, huh¡­" Next door, Archmage Serano was still pulling his hair out! "Of course!" Captain Jacob stood tall, basking in Garrett¡¯s admiration. As soon as Garrett excused himself, the captain immediately conjured a water mirror and a light spell, carefully counting his hair from all angles: It seemed the bald patch at the top of his head had expanded by another 5 millimeters¡­ Magician Nordmark, indeed, had a knack for stirring up trouble! Garrett chuckled, leaving the captain¡¯s grievances behind. He followed the trade delegation, craning his neck curiously to observe the port of Annya. This harbor, in stark contrast with the port of Nevis City, was quite different! Annya Harbor is thergest seaport on the ck Gate Penins and the only trade port. Facing the bay and backed by mountains, it¡¯s surrounded on three sides by mountains, forests, and fields. Standing at the harbor, Garrett gazed into the dense greenery that stretched from the nearby hills to the horizon, its extent unseen. With so much forest, lumber was naturally abundant. Walking along, the dock was made entirely of logs, giant trees driven deep into the bay, with thick nksid side by side without gaps, providing a sense of security. Compared to this, the wooden docks of Nevis Harbor couldn¡¯t even be called made of wood! Garrett estimated silently, amazed. When he had gone to fetch his oak staff with Elder Elwin, thergest oak tree they saw wasn¡¯t even this big! "Are there even bigger trees?" He asked quietly. Before the mage in front could answer, Bernard, carrying hisrge bone club, grunted from behind: "Look at that ship." Garrett followed his gaze. A ship was rapidly approaching from the bay, its sleek body resembling a gond from his previous life, only many timesrger. Such giant trees could only be used to construct the keel of such a long ship. The ship¡¯s sides weren¡¯t high, and unlike the [Philosopher¡¯s Stone], it didn¡¯t have an additional deck. Both ends of the ship were sharply pointed upwards, aiming at the sky. The only difference was that one side featured a vividly carved dragon¡¯s head, roaring fiercely. The sides of the ship were lined with densely arranged shields, reflecting silver light like two rows of dragon scales, imposing and menacing. "This is¡­?" "A warship. Looks like they just made a score and are returning." Bernard¡¯s tone was subtly excited. Garrett instinctively shrank back and hurried to keep up with the group. The harbor was bustling, with masts of varying heights filling the view. Despite the ck Gate Penins being vast with sparse poption, a nce across the harbor revealed a myriad of masts, at least a hundred. The port area instantly buzzed with the vibrancy of dense crowds. There were hawkers, porters, and a mix of tall and short, big and small people running about. Walking along the dock, Garrett¡¯s group had to asionally dodge the busy crowd. Exiting the harbor area and crossing several streets, they entered an inn. The inn, a three-story building, had its exterior made of solid logs, eachyer showcasing the robust timber. The roof, also constructed from logs, towered as high as a six-story building from Garrett¡¯s previous life. At the tip of the roof flew a triangr g, on which a raven was painted against the sturdy canvas, fluttering boldly in the wind. The group settled in an independent courtyard behind the inn. Archmage Serano pointed at the g, loudly dering: "Remember this g. It marks the [Raven Inn], known to anyone in Annya Harbor. They can guide you back here. We¡¯ll rest here tonight and set off after breakfast tomorrow. Feel free to explore the port, but be mindful of your safety and return early in the evening!" The group responded enthusiastically. Apart from a few assigned to guard the merchandise, most were eager to explore the streets. Garrett quickly freshened up, changed into casual clothes, and dragged Bernard out to the street. The street where the [Raven Inn] was located was bustling. Along the way, Garrett was dazzled by the array of shops: Deer, wolf, bear, seal, and walrus pelts; Thick, glossy ck fox pelts, disyed separately and hung in rows on wooden racks; Long swords, short knives, giant axes, war hammers, lined up, their cold gleam deafening with the sound of smithing from inside; Further down, a small building made of brick and stone featuredrge transparent ss windows, showcasing sets of pristine porcin¡­ Garrett walked and gawked, overwhelmed by the sights. As he wandered, he spotted a charming little house tucked between giant wooden buildings: The front side featured two buildings side by side. The left one, enclosed by two elegant curves, resembled a petal plump at the bottom and sharp at the top, which, along with the three circr steps at the entrance, the oval wooden door, and the rectangr ss window on the second floor, looked like a penguin squatting on the spot; The right one, made of pebbles, was cylindrical, with a rectangr wooden door set into a cut-out of the cylinder. The cylinder was a third shorter than the penguin on the left, with the top section missing and capped with a pointed roof; Behind the two entrances stretched three or four sharp roofs and a two-story building. At a nce, the entire structure seemed like a child¡¯s most naive creation, yet filled with the patina of time. Garrett couldn¡¯t help but walk over for a closer look. The door of the penguin building was slightly ajar, leaking faint music, while the door of the cylinder was firmly shut. Hesitating whether to enter for a visit, the penguin door creaked open, and an elderly man in a white robe emerged, smiling warmly: "Stranger, would you like toe in and learn about the grace of the Lord of Radiance?" Chapter 349: Can the Aftereffects of Berserking Be Cured? Garrett Nordmark was startled. Had he not been an emergency department deputy director in his previous life, ustomed to numerous situations, he might have physically jumped. Even so, he instinctively stepped back, nearly bumping into Bernard: Why did I decide to go out? Why did Ie to see this house?? Why did I even cast [Comprehend Languages] for convenience while shopping??? If I hadn¡¯t cast [Comprehend Languages], I could have pretended to be a tourist with anguage barrier¡­ No, now is not the time for regrets! What level is this priest of the Lord of Radiance? Can I defeat him? Will he kill me?! Garrett cautiously retreated, keeping an eye on the other party. The evening air in Annya City was probably just above seven or eight degrees Celsius. Garrett himself was wrapped in a thick wool coat, its cor standing tall around his neck. Yet, the old man wore a white linen robe, through its frayed, unfinished hem, one could even see his bare ankles. Oh, he wasn¡¯t barefoot, but those hemp shoes exposing his toes weren¡¯t much better than being barefoot.Just this attire alone, braving the cold wind without flinching, was enough to assert a grandmaster¡¯s presence. Of course, as for his exact level... His level... Sorry, this elderly man bore no level indication on him. The only adornment he wore was a wooden holy emblem, smooth and polished, bearing a thick patina. "I am not a follower of the Lord of Radiance," he said, taking a deep breath and stepping back cautiously. The old man simply smiled, his face¡¯s wrinkles unfolding warmly: "No matter. The Lord of Radiance refuses no one, just as the sun in the sky shines equally upon everyone, not withdrawing His radiance even from heretics. Stranger, I have lived in this city for ten years, and most of those I meet are heretics and non-believers. I have never harmed them because of this." His smile was benevolent, his tone gentle. Garrett rxed slightly, but upon considering the man¡¯s identity, he resolutely shook his head: "Thank you for your kindness, but¡ª" "Grandpa Martin! Grandpa Martin!" Suddenly, a dirty little fellow burst in behind Garrett. Brushing past Garrett, he rushed straight to the old man, grabbing his sleeve and leaving a dark handprint on the white robe: "My dad is really sick! Pleasee and see him!" "Excuse me, stranger, I must leave," the old priest Martin nodded to Garrett and hurried away with the child. Garrett hesitated for a moment, then quietly followed them at a distance, turning through back alleys. Halfway down the street, a bright light shone like a re exploding overhead. Garrett followed the direction and soon encountered a human wall¡ª Its scale resembled dozens of Bernards standing shoulder to shoulder. Garrett wisely halted. He neither tried to squeeze through nor did he attempt to peek over. Standing five or six steps away, he listened: Someone inside was chanting. If Garrett wasn¡¯t mistaken, that aged, mellow voice belonged to Martin, the priest he had just spoken with. The patient¡¯s condition was unknown at the moment, but the priest¡¯s chanting was vigorous and tense, turning a soothing hymn into a battle cry. If this were an emergency room, in trantion, it would be akin to: "Adrenaline!" "Dopamine!" "Nitroglycerin!" "Lasix!" "Blood transfusion! Hurry up with the blood transfusion! Run!" Garrett grew even more unwilling to leave. The sacred song echoed again and again, the light flickering on and off. Finally, the old priest sighed deeply, utterly exhausted: "I have done all I can..." "But my dad/brother/chieftain/Old Holrik isn¡¯t better yet!" A chaotic chorus of voices protested. In the center of the crowd, a steady, anxious voice stood out: "Lord Martin, please, think of something! The chieftain turned berserk for our sake, defeating that seal so we could return safely... Now, in this condition, we can¡¯t face his family!" "I have healed his physical wounds and soothed his soul," the old priest¡¯s voice, drained of strength, filtered through the crowd: "But choosing to go berserk means handing over one¡¯s soul to demons in exchange for power. The soul¡¯s realm belongs to the Lord alone; whether he can recover is also in hope of our Lord¡¯s mercy." "May the Lord of Radiance bless him." "May the Lord of Radiance bless..." The barbarians mumbled in unison, their insincere manner reminiscent of tourists from Garrett¡¯s previous life bowing to Buddha statues or offering scarves to the Virgin Mary. As they chanted, the crowd began to disperse , and Garrett seized the opportunity to squeeze in for a closer look: A burly many on the ground, even taller than Bernard, bound by three metal chains. Unaware, his eyes were wide with rage, his expression vacant. Bloodstains remained on his chest and limbs, indicating a recent fierce battle, his physical wounds freshly healed. Having just undergone berserking... What illness is berserking? How is it treated? Garrett was clueless. Bernard crouched beside him, saying: "That¡¯s Holrik the Walker! He invited me for a drink before I boarded the ship... Boss, can you save him?" I don¡¯t even know what berserking is, how could I treat it? Garrett was stunned. But at that moment, the big man shuddered, opening his mouth wide as a foul-smelling gush erupted. Garrett leaned back, narrowly avoiding the projectile, but ended up seated on the ground. Bernard quickly reached out to help him, but Garrett pushed his hand away: "Never mind me! Help him! Tilt his head to the side so he doesn¡¯t choke on his vomit!" While speaking, he changed position, scrambling towards the big man. Awkward in movement, almost rolling and crawling, Garrett was unaware of his own clumsiness: Damn it! Projectile vomiting! How high must his intracranial pressure be! He reached the big man, observing closely while firing a barrage of questions: "Do you have a headache? Feel nauseous? Can you move your hands? What about your legs? Can you hear me? Follow my finger with your eyes?" The patient didn¡¯t respond. Instead, bystanders answered in a cacophony: "Headache, for sure! Always a headache after berserking!" "Often feels nauseous..." "Uh, if they recover from berserking, usually no problem, but sometimes they can¡¯t lift their arms or legs..." "Ah! He¡¯s starting to convulse!" Garrett sighed. He was still unfamiliar with berserking, but the series of symptoms sounded rmingly like a brain hemorrhage... "Stranger, I have exhausted my methods. Can you help him?" Chapter 350: Cranial CT—The Magical Circle of Love Chapter 350: Cranial CT¡ªThe Magical Circle of Love Initially, Garrett Nordmark had no intention of intervening. He waspletely out of his element! No diagnostic equipment, no treatment medications, no surgical conditions avable¡ªwas he supposed to treat with his head or his knee? Besides, he was merely an emergency department physician in his past life! An emergency physician! Faced with a suspected case of cerebral hemorrhage, his first instinct was to administer first aid, and his second¡ªto call the neurology and possibly neurosurgery departments for an urgent consultation! However, the upational hazard of being a doctor kicked in. Seeing someone lying on the ground, possibly unconscious and vomiting, he couldn¡¯t help but shout, "Open the airway¡ª" This shout attracted dozens of pairs of eyes towards him. The barbarians who had just dispersed a little now tightened their circle around him again, forming a neat iron barrel. Garrett suddenly found it hard to breathe: he could tolerate the smell of blood, but the stench of sweat was unbearable! "Spread out! The patient needs fresh air!" he yelled without looking up. From the left front, that deep and powerful voice responded: "Can you save my brother?" Garrett choked. He reflexively looked up¡ªnot at the speaker, but at the old priest standing by. The priest¡¯s cheeks had lost much of their rosy hue, showing fatigue, yet he still managed to smile and nod at Garrett. The meaning behind his previous question was clear: This patient is now your responsibility.Garrett was distressed. Slowly turning his head left and right, he was met with eyes zing with expectation. Moreover, the patient¡¯s family was already pressing: "Can you please treat him?" "What medication do you need? We¡¯ll find it immediately!" "Don¡¯t worry about the reward, as long as you can cure him¡ª" Thud, thud, money pouches fell to the ground one after another. Garrett instinctively stepped back: "I might not be able to save him¡ª" "Please, just try your best." A gentle female voice spoke up. Garrett turned to see the crowd parting for a tall, muscr barbarian woman. She was almost half a head taller than Garrett, draped in a white wolf pelt with fierce wolf teeth over her shoulder and lifeless wolf eyes. Holding a bone staff topped with a ck raven carving, she moved swiftly and lightly. As she passed, men on both sides bowed deeply: "Olga." "Olga." "Great Thinker." The woman nodded briskly at them. Stopping three steps away from Garrett, across the patient on the ground, she bowed: "Pastor Martin has exhausted all his methods. Just now, you tried to bring my husband further away from death, and we are grateful for your kindness. If you¡¯re willing to try, whatever the oue, we can ept it." If only patients¡¯ families were this understanding in his past life¡­ Garrett mused internally. He earnestly exined: "I might not be able to save him. My abilities are limited, and I¡¯ve just arrived here today, unfamiliar with berserking. As the elder said, the world inside the head is unknown to most of us; we can only entrust our fates to destiny. Moreover, I will be leaving tomorrow¡ª" "We abide by the Father God¡¯s will, who decrees that we should not give up hope until the end arrives," Olga dered firmly. Despite her furrowed brows and worried heart, her speech was decisive and clear. Garrett sighed inwardly, impressed by the woman who couldmand a unique title among a tribe that revered brute force. He nodded: "Then please give me a moment to examine your husband." He knelt down, focusing on the patient¡¯s eyes. The giant man continued to stare nkly ahead, motionless. However, to the trained eye of a doctor, more was revealed: Pupils constricted, gaze drooping, focusing on the tip of his own nose. Garrett moved his hand in front of the man, lifting it, but the giant¡¯s gaze remained unaltered. It seemed very much like thmic hemorrhage¡­ Garrett quickly assessed the situation. As he examined, he asked: "How long has it been since the berserking started?" "Did he copse immediately after the berserking ended?" "What usually happens during berserking?" With Olga present, the surrounding barbarians quieted down, allowing only the patient¡¯s brother to respond precisely: "About half a day¡­" "No, after killing that seal, he went into a frenzy for a while, and we almost couldn¡¯t restrain him¡­" "Berserkers fill their chests with the power of rage during berserking. While enraged, they can ignore all injuries and pain¡­" Garrett gleaned the information he sought, pondering for a moment before turning: "Could someone demonstrate the process of berserking for me? You can stop right before fully berserking, just shout before you start, so I can feel your arm¡¯s reaction¡ª" "Me! Me! Me!" Barbarians eagerly raised their hands. After a scramble, the patient¡¯s brother got the opportunity, sitting in front of Garrett. Four barbarians held down his limbs, Bernard held his right hand to prevent him fromshing out at Garrett during the berserk phase. Garrett sat across, touching his pulse, focusing for a minute: "Start!" A tiger-like roar erupted from across. Garrett watched intently as the barbarian¡¯s face turned red, veins bulged, and he started panting heavily. Under his fingertips, the pulse raced from 50 beats per minute over 100, the force against his fingers indicating a significant rise in blood pressure¡ª "Stop!" He shouted loudly. Olga, prepared, suddenly chanted louder, directing a ring of icy light with her bone staff. The barbarian shuddered and quickly calmed down, his pulse and blood pressure rapidly returning to normal. Alright. Indeed, an adrenaline surge, boostingbat effectiveness. Overdoing it leads to burst blood vessels¡­ Brain¡¤hemorrhage. "I think I understand what¡¯s happening," Garrett released his hold, standing up to exin to Olga. He gestured, and an ¡¾Intangible Illusion¡¿ of a skull appeared in the air, showing the skull, brain, and the blood vessels within, all clearly defined: "It¡¯s the blood vessels inside the brain that have burst, spilling blood that¡¯s pressing against the brain. If I knew which vessel burst and how much blood has leaked, I might be able to intervene. But right now, I have no way of seeing the details. Do you have any method that would allow me to see inside his head?" He looked hopefully at Olga. In his previous life, he would have immediately called for a CT scan. But now, without a CT machine, he could only hope that the barbarian priests had some arcane method. "¡­I have no way," Olga pondered for a moment, then sadly shook her head. She turned her expectant gaze towards Pastor Martin, who also shook his head: "By the grace of the Lord of Radiance, we can use the holy light bestowed upon us to see through a person¡¯s inner and outer being. But this divine spell, I could barely perform at my peak, and today¡¯s exertions have been too great. If possible, I could try to perform it after tomorrow¡¯s dawn prayers?" Garrett immediately shook his head. There¡¯s an optimal treatment window for cerebral hemorrhage, the earlier, the better. Moreover, he had to return to the inn tonight and depart with therge group from the inn early tomorrow... He gritted his teeth, handing the ¡¾Endless Ink Pen¡¿ to Bernard: "Stand opposite me! As I move, you follow, ensuring we are always face to face!" Bernard acknowledged. Garrett had the patient propped up to sit upright, positioning himself and Bernard on opposite sides of the patient. Concentrating, calming his breath, he closed his eyes slightly, entering a meditative state¡ª ¡¾Detect Magic¡¿! Well, a CT scan is essentially very thin slices of X-rays,yered and thenpiled by aputer into a detailed image¡­ Without a CT machine, he had no choice but to manually attempt it. Garrett forcefully activated the X-ray magic. Only upon activation did he realize the challenge: reading a single film was easy, but dozens, hundreds of thin slices, remembering every detail topile an image, was extremely difficult. He managed only seven or eightyers before sweat drenched his forehead and nose. Can¡¯t continue? The challenge of emting aputer with human effort seemed too daunting¡­ Garrett bit his lip, stepping left. Just a bit more, he had already started to gather some data, one more try! "Bernard! To the left!" "Here!" Step by step, Garrett and Bernard slowly circled the patient, taking half a day for each step. After just three steps, Garrett felt dizzy, on the verge of copsing, sweat streaming from his forehead to his chin. "What are you doing?" Someone suddenly asked from outside the circle. Garrett turned, bursting with joy: "Your Excellency! How did you get here?" "How could I not? If I hadn¡¯te, you would have fallen!" Archmage Serano looked up at the sky. Garrett understood immediately: themotion from Pastor Martin¡¯s healing spell was significant. Archmage Serano probably came out of caution, not initially intending to intervene... But here he was, seeing Garrett¡¯s disheveled state,pelled to ask. Garrett briefly exined his need to the archmage. Without hesitation, Serano shook his head: "It doesn¡¯t need to be soplicated. Step aside and wait!" He produced a gem-encrusted bracelet, holding it in his palm, directing it at the patient. Garrett felt a chill, as if an invisible cold breeze swept by. He turned curiously, but Serano didn¡¯t exin, focusing intently as if listening to something. Then, he turned to Garrett: "Can you draw the brain? Draw it out, and I¡¯ll show you where the bleeding is!" Garrett quickly summoned an ¡¾Intangible Illusion¡¿. The archmage scrutinized the sketch, pointing out: "Here¡¯s quite a bit of blood¡­ here¡­ here¡­ here¡­" "How did you know?" "I sent an incorporeal being to look inside!" Serano replied matter-of-factly: "In the future, if you want to see inside a human body, it¡¯s best to contract an incorporeal entity!" ??? That works? Chapter 351: Ethereal Guidance for Drilling and Drainage To understand the condition inside a patient, summon an ethereal creature for a peek? Garrett Nordmark was dumbfounded. Well, this was not scientific at all, but it was indeed very magical. If the doctors from my previous life knew of this method, they would probably weep tears of envy for such medical conditions. Oh, some of the predecessors might even inquire how to transform into an ethereal being after death, to personally observe with their own eyes, aiming for further progress. By that time, though, I guess there wouldn¡¯t be any "eyes" left... Garrett Nordmark silentlymented, focusing his attention on Archmage Serrano¡¯s narration. Indeed, the observation results from the ethereal creature were impressive, detailing which tiny blood vessel had burst, where there was a cluster of blood clots, and a piece of cerebrospinal fluid looking red throughout ¨C all could be described. asionally, when something couldn¡¯t be described, Archmage Serrano would point a finger, and whoosh, a cold breeze would sweep past... Let the ethereal creature take another look? Honestly, this was much more convenient than redoing an endoscopy, colonoscopy, or bronchoscopy when things weren¡¯t clear. As for the amount of cerebral hemorrhage... Garrett Nordmark took out his notebook, retrieved the ¡¾Endless Ink Pen¡¿, and began calcting on the spot.Ah, with the description from the ethereal creature, calcting the blood volume with the ¡¾Silent Phantom¡¿¡¯s outlined images was much more convenient than using CT images. Thetter supposedly required forms, which he had never calcted before; the former... it was just a three-dimensional geometry problem! High school math was enough! Garrett Nordmark¡¯s expression grew more solemn as he calcted. After finishing, he took a deep breath, turned around, and pointed at the ¡¾Silent Phantom¡¿, exining to the patient¡¯s wife: "Please look, during the frenzy, blood vessels in his brain burst, causing a lot of bleeding¡ªthis is what the ethereal creature saw. Lord Martin¡¯s healing spell has stopped the bleeding, but the amount of blood previously lost formed clots, pressing on the brain. That¡¯s why the patient has not woken up, and cannot speak or move." "What should we do?" The woman in white wolf fur frowned: "The bleeding has stopped, another use¡ªdo we have to cut open the skull to remove the blood clots? Won¡¯t it harm the brain???" Cut open the skull? You¡¯re brave! Garrett Nordmark was impressed. But recalling that primitive human skulls found in archaeological digs had indeed been drilled into, or even had pieces cut out. Some skull edges even showed signs of bone regrowth, indicating the patient had survived the operation. This shows, ancient humans when brave, had nothing on modern humans, not to mention with the aid of healing spells... "It¡¯s like this, the brain is not one whole piece but two hemispheres, and underneath, the cerebellum and other parts are different blocks..." Garrett Nordmark exined as detailed as possible. Unexpectedly, Olga waved her hand decisively: "No need to exin, I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes. Just tell me what to do." You haven¡¯t actually cut open a human brain yourself, have you? Garrett Nordmark almost shuddered. He looked at Olga with an especially admiring gaze and cautiously answered: "My idea is, we only need to make a small incision. Insert a tube to suck out the blood clots. A thin, soft tube, gently inserted, can minimize damage. I can see the position of the tube, and it would be even better if the ethereal creature could help guide us." "Can do." Archmage Serrano nodded gravely. He looked at Olga¡¯s white wolf fur and the crow bone staff in her hand with a cautious gaze: "I can use the ¡¾Silent Phantom¡¿ to create a model, marking the position of the blood vessels. If it still misses, causing damage to the brain¡ª" His concern was met with two responses. Garrett Nordmark took over: "My operation will be as precise as possible. The damage will not be great, my healing spell should be enough to handle it." Garrett Nordmark¡¯s voice was slightly hesitant, word by word, yet clear. Contrarily, Priest Martin was full of confidence: "I¡¯ll be ready to assist at any moment." "Good!" Olga pped her hands. She bowed slightly to the three, staring at Garrett Nordmark: "Tell us what we need to prepare. Please feel free to proceed with the treatment, even if it doesn¡¯t cure, we will remember your kindness!" Garrett Nordmark nodded vigorously. He directed everyone to move the giant man indoors, clean the room, and hang clean white cloths from the ceiling and around. They washed the giant¡¯s head and face, shaved him clean, and then gave him an additional cleansing spell sweep. He pulled out alcohol and began to scrub scrub scrub scrub scrub¡ª Then, it was time for the craniotomy! Garrett Nordmark had not actually prepared for a craniotomy. Without a saw or drill, and not being a neurosurgeon or an orthopedic surgeon, this was unexpected. However, to his surprise, Olga produced a small silver dagger, blew on it, and immediately familiar light flickered on it: "Where should we cut?" Uh, enchant the weapon and then go straight in? Sister, don¡¯t be so fierce! At the very least, wash your hands first! Garrett Nordmark sent her to wash her hands while he busied himself preparing things like syringes for suction. By the time Olga returned, Garrett Nordmark had already performed a local anesthesia spell, and with the ¡¾Mage¡¯s Trick¡¿, drew a 3-centimeter arc on the scalp: "Take it slow, follow my arc with the cut, not too deep. First, cut open the scalp¡ª" The silver dagger in Olga¡¯s hand skillfully made a turn. A small piece of scalp was cut open, and blood immediately started flowing. Priest Martin just mentioned on the side: "This will flow into the brain¡ª" The ¡¾Mage Hand¡¿was already up, lifting the p of skin. Garrett Nordmark quickly dabbed it with a ss rod. Inside the ss rod was a thin silver wire, the very tool Garrett Nordmark made for guiding bacterium cultivation spells, focusing the divine spell¡¯s range. At the tip of the silver wire, a faint light silently flickered, immediately stopping the minor bleeding. Nicely done! Garrett Nordmark patted himself on the back. He rinsed the skull with saline, exposing the bone te. The ¡¾Mage Hand¡¿struck again, peeling away the periosteum, then, with the ¡¾Mage¡¯s Trick¡¿, drew a small and tiny circle on the exposed periosteum: "Right here. Just drill a hole." The silver dagger made another turn. A fine line appeared on the patient¡¯s skull, unmoving. Garrett Nordmark: "..." Sister, you nning to do this barehanded? Skulls are hard bones; in clinical settings, we use a drill! Yet, the White Wolfdy just went for it. Other than Garrett Nordmark, no bystander found anything amiss... Archmage Serrano threw a ¡¾High-Level Weapon Enchantment¡¿ on the silver dagger, and bestowed ¡¾Bull¡¯s Strength¡¿ and ¡¾Cat¡¯s Grace¡¿ on the White Wolfdy, while Priest Martin cast a light of blessing on her. Olga took a deep breath, exhaled deeply, and made another move with the dagger. Quickly, a piece of pale yellow skull was picked up on the tip of the silver dagger. "Next, it¡¯s your turn." "I know!" Garrett Nordmark swallowed, stepping forward. He delicately made a cross incision on the dura mater, held a seed between his hands, and concentrated. Green vines emerged, carrying a strand of silver wire previously sterilized and finer than a strand of hair, quietly probing into the interior of the dura mater. Garrett Nordmark squatted slightly, eye level with the patient¡¯s skull. Opposite him, a ¡¾Mage Hand¡¿held the ¡¾Endless Ink Pen¡¿, acting as an onsite X-ray. On the left side of the skull, Archmage Serrano summoned the ¡¾Silent Phantom¡¿, coordinating with the ethereal creature¡¯s observation, demonstrating in real-time the route the vine took... Garrett Nordmark proceeded very slowly. The vine advanced one centimeter, then he checked the X-ray; another centimeter, then checked the ¡¾Silent Phantom¡¿. The vine meandered through the brain tissue and between sulci, continuously moving forward. This operation method,pared to the previous life¡¯s biopsy needles, obviously caused much less damage to the patient¡¯s brain tissue... Garrett Nordmark assessed internally. Soon, the tip of the vine slightly retracted, gathered strength for a moment, then suddenly drilled into the blood clot, starting to stir the coagted blood. "This won¡¯t do... can¡¯t suck it out..." Priest Martin said disappointingly. Garrett Nordmark remained silent, pulling out a syringe he had prepared earlier, attaching it to the other end of the vine. Concentrating, he slowly began to suck. The speed couldn¡¯t be too fast, as reducing brain pressure too quickly could damage the brain; nor too slow, as insufficient negative pressure wouldn¡¯t suck anything out... 1ml... 2ml... 3ml... The syringe was pulled to its limit, mped the vine, withdrew the syringe to wrap it again, then repeated the process... Priest Martin¡¯s healing spell flickered continuously by the side. After about 15ml was extracted, the patient¡¯s eyes suddenly moved very slightly. Chapter 352: Radiant Knights, Are You Even Seizing Homes Now? Olga retreated, step by step, slowly backing away. This female warrior, once known as "Olga of the White Wolf" on the icy ins before she became a tribal priestess, quietly tugged at the wolf pelt on her shoulder. The white wolf¡¯s ears, silent and alert, twisted inward and outward, swiftly rotating. The sound carried by the breeze was thus, through the white wolf, funneled into Olga¡¯s ears. "I am but an old and frail elder, wishing only to treat the people here, to aid them, and to let them know of our Lord¡¯s grace," the elderly priest¡¯s voice was gentle and slow, tinged with weariness: "Let the task of glorifying our Lord with sword and fire, blood and me, not fall upon me." "You are too modest, Master. The name ¡¯Justice Martin¡¯ has been mentioned by my teacher no less than ten times. My teacher also emphasized beforeing to the North that we must seek your assistance for this mission, no matter what." A young man took over the conversation. Olga frowned upon hearing the voice: It was brimming with vigor, clearly that of a knight. Despite the earnest tone, there was a hint of slickness that reminded her of several unwee suitors from before her marriage. Who was this fellow? The leader of this group? "I¡¯ve grown old, merely wishing to live out the rest of my days in peace," chuckled Priest Martin. His worn-out shoes shuffled towards the church¡¯s entrance. With a creak, the door hinge moved but jammed midway: "Lord Martin, our visit to the North this time does not bring blood and fire," another voice, older and moreposed, interjected:"We¡¯ve brought food and strong liquor, as well as numerous medicines, hoping to express our goodwill and spare the Northern people from hunger and sickness. Lord, could you see if there are any more supplies needed to better assist these people?" "Hmm¡­" The old priest hummed softly, continuing inside. Five or six footsteps followed him, while more people dispersed in every direction, surrounding the small church and extending their search further out. Olga gestured in the darkness. A group of barbarians, carrying gifts, silently withdrew like a pack of wolves. Returning to her husband¡¯s side, she thought for a moment, penned a line of text, and had it sent to the Crow Inn. Thus, when they set out the next day, it was no surprise to the Magic Council¡¯s trade group to see a squad of Radiant Church¡¯s knights trailing behind them. With the road stretching towards the sky, each party went their separate ways. The church¡¯s group did not provoke, and the council¡¯s group had no intention of attacking¡ªthey were not here to fight. The mages remained vignt, otherwise acting as if the other party did not exist. Garrett took an extra few nces at them. Seeing Priest Martin among the group, he nodded and smiled at him. So they went on peacefully for two days. On the third day, however, a problem arose. No rooms avable. "No rooms?" "Sorry, we¡¯ve booked them all." Standing in front of Sir Stephen, the leading follower of Archmage Serrano, was a merchant dressed in dark blue silk, bowing and scraping behind the counter, yet unable to conceal his smugness. Sir Stephen looked back at his team, furrowing his brows, then handed over a purse: "Could you trouble yourself to make two rooms avable? We have sick people in our team¡ª" This ursed ce, with its narrow mountain paths and scarce nds, had no space for inns! If they didn¡¯t stay here, they¡¯d have to walk another station forward, at least 20 miles away to find lodging! By then, it would certainly be dark¡­ Walking at night in unfamiliar territory was far too unsafe, especially with the Lord of Radiance¡¯s group nearby! "Sorry, really no more rooms." The merchant bowed again, then suddenly brightened up, rushing towards the inn¡¯s entrance. Sir Stephen turned to follow him and soon saw himughing and chatting, weing a few Radiant knights inside. Moreover, the innkeeper quickly came out to greet them. The merchant, pulling the innkeeper with one hand and pointing at the entering priests with the other, said: "Look, look, they¡¯ve arrived! For little Larry¡¯s sickness, just find them; these are high-ranking priests, with skills like this!" Garrett, standing far from the caravan, watched a group of Radiant priests swaggering proudly inside. Truth be told, not having a ce to stay didn¡¯t worry him much: A level 5 mage has the Shelter spell, which can house 10 people; the level 7 Sanctuary, though only housing 8 people,es with bedding; and the level 9 mage¡¯s Barracks spell can amodate 40 people! Could mages ever be without lodging when out and about? But¡­ being squeezed out by the Lord of Radiance¡¯s group was a bit embarrassing¡­ He turned to look at Archmage Serrano. The Archmage¡¯s expression was even darker, hands sped behind his back as he surveyed the church group¡¯s caravan, then the small inn, which had only two floors. After a moment, he turned to find Master Talbert: "Master, could we endure a bit longer and walk a bit further?" "Cough, cough, cough, cough¡ª" Master Talbert had just started to speak when he choked on the cold air, clutching his chest, bending over with coughs. Garrett couldn¡¯t help but stealthily move forward, ready to assist at any moment. After a series of coughs, just as the Master was about to speak, a cloud of dust approached from afar, a horseback rider charging towards them: "Borlu! Borlu, are you there?" "Here!" The innkeeper quickly appeared. The rider dismounted, raising a g high: "A question for you. Has the Magic Council¡¯s team arrived?" "Uh¡ª" "We are here." Archmage Serrano stepped forward leisurely. The rider turned, beaming with joy: "Thank you for that day! I bring you good news, our leader, ¡¯Walker¡¯ Horik has awakened, able to speak and move his limbs. The Thinker sent me to apany you, asking for the tribe¡¯s care along the way. I¡¯ve been on the road all day to catch up!" Turning back to the innkeeper, he raised the triangr g in his hand. On the g, a ck crow spread its wings, ready to fly towards the sky: "The Thinker says, it was these people who cured Horik¡¯s madness; they are our lifesavers, and her friends¡ª" "What? They can cure madness?!" The innkeeper¡¯s volume suddenly spiked. Even from a dozen steps away, Garrett felt as if thunder had struck beside his ear, his chest somewhat stifled. Boom, boom, boom, boom, the inn exploded with noise as five or six barbarians rushed out: "Who? Who can cure madness?" "What happens after the madness? Can it really be cured?" "Can other diseases be treated too?" "Borlu, bring out your little Larry, let them have a look!" The burly men mored together, their effect ten times louder than five hundred ducks¡ªmainly because the volume was too great. Garrett was bombarded into retreating, but the messenger spotted him immediately and charged over like a whirlwind: "Right! It was this gentleman! The entire n to save Lord Walker was his idea!" A group of barbarians thunderously approached. Fortunately, Bernard stepped in just in time, giving Garrett a bit of breathing space. He looked left and right, slowly raising his hand: "Uh¡­ can we check in first?" "Of course!" Borlu thumped his chest: "The savior of Lord Walker is our savior too! And with the Thinker¡¯s Raven g here, this little matter is no problem! You, you, you! Go clean out the rooms, wee the mages! ¡ªAh, and a dwarf master, dwarves are our brothers, we can¡¯t have them without a ce to stay!" At the inn¡¯s entrance, the Radiant knights who had secured lodging for their priests beforehand, all turned pale with embarrassment. Chapter 353: Don’t Relieve the Pain Before Diagnosing the Cause, Damn It! Archmage Serrano conducted his affairs with considerable steadiness. Being abroad, he had no intention of starting a conflict with the Lord of Radiance¡¯s team over some trivial matter, nor did he ask the innkeeper to drive them out. Instead, he negotiated with the innkeeper, Borlu, to arrange rooms separately. In the end, it was the merchant who had booked rooms for the Radiant Knights who took the initiative to gather his caravan¡¯s personnel, freeing up a few rooms. The innkeeper, a barbarian himself, squeezed together with his own kind, vacating their rooms and thus barely managing to provide lodging for everyone. After much ado, everyone was finally settled down. On the side of the Radiant Church, the leading priest and the captain of the knights exchanged a few nces and then kept silent. Once everyone had settled in, the innkeeper went back to prepare the meals but was dyed ining out. After a while, he suddenly rushed towards the magicians, holding a child in his arms: "Master! Look at my son¡ª" Halfway through, a young knight suddenly stood up and stopped him with a smile: "Is the child ufortable? We have many high-ranking priests here, would you like to have them take a look?" While speaking, he directly reached out and pulled the person towards the Radiant Church¡¯s side. Meanwhile, several priests dressed in ck, white, and red robes rose from their seats and gathered around. The closest ck-robed priest held a holy symbol, murmuring prayers, as white light already began to shimmer on it. Borlu paused in his steps and looked around. The young barbarian who delivered the Raven g pushed him:"Hey! From the age of two till now, how many healers have you consulted? Who really cured him? What¡¯s the use of calling ordinary healers, when we finally have someone who can cure madness? Shouldn¡¯t you quickly ask them to take a look?" The barbarian¡¯s voice was naturally loud, and at this moment, he did not intentionally lower it, causing the entire hall to hear his mor. Garrett paused, turning his head to look, and immediately saw a group of priests coldly looking over. ...Why are you looking at me? It¡¯s not like I¡¯mpeting with you for patients! After a long day of travel, if your healing spells can cure him, I¡¯d be relieved! ncing aside, the white light shimmered, already beginning to fall upon the boy. Garrett quickly turned his head, cutting a piece of meat, and chewed vigorously. The food on the ck Gate Penins was simply indescribable. They hadnded three days ago, and all they had eaten was meat, and meat, and more meat! Deer meat, cod meat, salmon meat, whale meat, seal meat... Eating it once is enjoyable, but after a day it bes tedious, and by the third day... Can we have some more green vegetables, please? After a healing spell, the boy¡¯splexion eased, clearly relieved of his pain. Borlu, the innkeeper, let out a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with gratitude towards the priests of the Lord of Radiance: "Then, could one of you please take a look? My son often experiences this: he gets better, then after a while, his stomach hurts again and he can¡¯t eat much. Many healers have looked at him, all..." "Ordinary healers and high-ranking ones are not the same. Moreover, Lord Martin is also in our team, don¡¯t you trust us, or do you also doubt him?" The young knight pointed towards a dining table not far away. There, the old priest smiled and nodded. The innkeeper hesitated for a moment, then looked down at his son: "I¡¯ve indeed heard of Lord Martin¡¯s reputation..." He walked over with his son. His steps were slow and cautious, fearing any slight jolt might make his son cry out in pain again. Approaching the table, the old priest rose with a smile and patted the barbarian boy¡¯s head: "What¡¯s wrong?" "My stomach hurts..." "What kind of pain is it? Constipation? Diarrhea?" Garrett had just heard this when suddenly the volume in the entire hall dropped by more than half. ncing around, a blue-robed mage casually withdrew his hand: ? "Let¡¯s eat!" Garrett suppressed augh. Indeed, aside from doctors who are ustomed to discussing such matters, it¡¯s best for others not to consider issues below the belt while eating... However, not being able to hear the diagnosis on the other side was indeed a pity. The boy frequently suffered from abdominal pain, which easily recurred after treatment. What could it be? Pinworms? Incarcerated hernia? Intestinal strangtion? Intussusception? Bowel obstruction ? Irritable bowel syndrome? Or, do barbarians have some unique diseases different from humans? Tsk, without a detailed medical history, physical examination, or various tests, differential diagnosis is impossible... Garrett thought as he sped up his eating. The mage had isted the sound but not the light; he clearly saw another elderly,vishly dressed red-robed priest pressing on the boy¡¯s stomach, rubbing it, then bowing his head in prayer. Tiny spots of white light emerged from his hands, silently falling and washing over the boy like raindrops. "Remove disease," muttered Simond, a mage from the medical branch, with a grim face beside Garrett. "They copied it quite well!" "Can ¡¯remove disease¡¯ cure chronic illnesses?" Garrett whispered. Simond pondered for a moment: "It depends on the disease. Some are self-inflicted¡ªlike never eating properly, not sleeping well, or alcohol abuse. Diseases caused by such behaviors can¡¯t be cured by ¡¯remove disease.¡¯ Even if cured, they¡¯ll likely recur soon." So many chronic diseases are incurable... Garrett mused. Soon, the boy was bouncing around energetically again. The mage who had isted the sound tapped his te, and the sound from the other side immediately came through again: "Daddy! I¡¯m cured! It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore!" He ran off. The innkeeper bowed to the priests and hurriedly followed behind. As they ran and chased, Garrett suddenly noticed something unusual on the boy¡¯s face. His heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, he put down his utensils and chased after them: "Hey¡ª" No one paid him any mind. Even the agility of a barbarian boy was beyond Garrett¡¯sparison. Garrett tried to intercept from the side, reaching out to block, but the boy dodged like an eel. Fortunately, the young man who delivered the Raven g caught up head-on. With a quick grab, he lifted the boy by the cor and turned to Garrett: "Sir, did you notice anything?" "¡­Put him down, let me take a look," Garrett intently stared at the boy¡¯s face, not blinking. During the conversation, Borlu, the innkeeper, also hurried over: "Who are you?" "This is the gentleman who cured our chief!" the g-bearer shouted. Borlu hesitated for a moment, then promptly bowed: "Sir, you¡ª" "Yo, such a small child, and already a ¡¯sir¡¯~~~" From the Radiant Church¡¯s side, the young knight who initially stopped them raised his voice in a sarcastic tone. Several barbarians frowned and looked over. The young knight, undeterred, scoffed: "What? Am I wrong? Ask him what level he is? With such a low level, he dares to call himself ¡¯sir¡¯?" "I¡¯m just a level four priest, a level four mage, and I don¡¯t dare to im such a title," Garrett replied calmly. He reached for his waist, pulled out an oak staff, and held it in his hand: "But, the innkeeper just mentioned that his son¡¯s condition frequently recurs after treatment. I also want to see what¡¯s going on and if I can help them a bit." As soon as the oak staff was brought out, the barbarians¡¯ gaze on him warmed a bit, obviously, the Church of the God of Nature had a good reputation locally. In contrast, the expressions on the faces of the priests and knights from the Radiant Church turned even more disdainful: "Oh, a level four priest can also treat illnesses?" The sarcastic retort came from behind the red-robed priest who had acted earlier. Immediately, mages on Garrett¡¯s side retorted: "Oh~~~ the people of the Lord of Radiance can also treat illnesses~~~ Their magical model isn¡¯t even original..." "Magicians can treat diseases now? Don¡¯t your own cities have a bunch of heretic priests?" "Unlike you, who only knows how to copy¡ª" The verbal sparring continued on both sides, with the atmosphere bing increasingly tense. Finally, Archmage Serrano pped his hands and stood up, walking to the center. Just as he was about to speak, a red-robed priest from the opposite side stepped forward with a smile: "Since it¡¯s like this, why don¡¯t we have apetition to see whose healing spells are more proficient?" "How do you propose wepete?" "On this little boy, see who can treat him better!" "But you¡¯ve all treated him already!" "Your little mage, sorry, heretical little priest, doesn¡¯t seem to think so¡­" Archmage Serrano red furiously. Garrett suddenly raised his gaze: "I refuse." "You¡¯re conceding? Not going to treat him?" A younger white-robed priest stepped forward. Garrett looked him in the eye and slowly said: "I¡¯m willing to examine and perhaps treat this child. But I won¡¯t treat it as apetition . The life and health of a patient should never be used as stakes in apetition." The hall fell momentarily silent. After a moment, old Martin stepped out of the crowd and nodded at Garrett: "I agree." "You¡­ Lord Martin, whose side are you on?" The white-robed priest turned back, annoyed. Old Martin remainedposed: "Of course, I serve the Lord of Radiance. But treatment is treatment. Our Lord has said¡­" Their argument grew quieter and quieter. Garrett didn¡¯t bother with them, pressing on the boy¡¯s stomach and then taking out a stethoscope to listen, his expression turning serious: The touch felt wrong, and the bowel sounds were off! How could this be considered cured? He lifted his hand and then put it down. Looking around the hall, his gaze swept past Priest Martin and the medical mage, finally turning to Archmage Serrano: "Your Excellency, can you remove that pain-relieving divine magic?" "What are you going to do?" The archmage hadn¡¯t spoken yet when the barbarian innkeeper shouted. As soon as he opened his mouth, the roof rumbled loudly: "My son just stopped hurting! You want to make him suffer again?!" Garrett: "¡­¡­" Calm down, calm down, patients and their families are often like this. Theye to the emergency department in excruciating pain, asking doctors to relieve it immediately, and if not given pain medication, theyin right away¡ªor worse, start throwing punches. But really, you can¡¯t just relieve pain willy-nilly! Garrett took a step back, and Bernard stepped half a step forward, standing in front of the innkeeper. Garrett felt much safer and raised the stethoscope in his hand, quickly exining: "Normal people¡¯s stomachs make gurgling sounds! You can use this to listen, or just put your ear to the stomach, and anyone can hear it! But your son¡¯s stomach has a spot with no sound! That¡¯s not normal, I need to know where it hurts to determine what¡¯s wrong!" The barbarian grabbed the stethoscope. Garrett quickly let go, thankful his palm wasn¡¯t scraped off ayer of skin. The innkeeper listened to five or six people in session with the stethoscope, finally casting a doubtful nce at the red-robed priest: "Something¡¯s definitely wrong with little Larry.¡ªSo, do you have to let him be in pain to make a diagnosis?" "You can¡¯t relieve pain before diagnosing! Sometimes, relieving the pain can mask the real cause!" Garrett preached and educated with proficiency: "For example, sometimes stomach pain is due to intestinal issues. If you relieve the pain too early, you might not even know if there¡¯s a perforation, and end up with everything inside rotting away! So, absolutely do not hastily relieve pain before finding out the cause!" "Is it that serious?" The innkeeper was startled: "Then¡­ can you remove the divine magic?" This question was directed at the red-robed priest. The priest¡¯s face showed displeasure, and he turned away without answering. Archmage Serrano stepped forward with a smile, about to perform the removal of the divine magic on the spot. Before he could act, a shower of white light spontaneously emerged from around the boy. "It¡¯s already been removed." Old Martin spoke softly: "Now, would you please take a look at this child?" Chapter 354: The Mystery Inside the Intestines "What¡¯s the child¡¯s name?" "Little Larry." "How old is he?" "Eight... he¡¯ll be nine next month!" "Where does it hurt?" "When did the pain start today?" "Is it constant pain, or does ite in waves?" "Have you had a bowel movement?... What color is the stool? Diarrhea? Any vomiting?" "When did this start?"Garrett inquired while furiously taking notes. The only medical mage in the trade caravan, Mage Simond, took a keen interest and sat beside him, watching him record each detail and casually asking: "What do you think it might be?" "I can¡¯t be certain yet." Garrett had a suspicion in his mind but preferred not to voice his judgment before a definitive diagnosis. Importantly, during the previous auscultation, he noticed the bowel sounds were faint, which was not a good sign. Time might be running out for them. He pondered for a moment, then requested a small bed for the child to lie on. Digging through his spatial bag, he pulled out a bottle of glycerin, carefully applied it over the child¡¯s abdomen, and conducted a palpation examination. Then, he concentrated and quietly activated an ultrasound magic spell. "Emmmm¡­" Barbarians don¡¯t have an extra intestinepared to humans. Garrett focused his attention on the abnormal area, and his meditative vision quickly disyed images. He strained his spatial imagination to deconstruct the information he saw: Dots, lines, surfaces, arcs, circles, cylindrical shapes... Concentric circles! Concentric circles! Intussusception! Abdominal ultrasound examinations, at the transverse section of the intussusception, show a "target sign" or "concentric ring" mass image, and a longitudinal scan shows a "pseudo-kidney sign"! Damn! I knew the decreased bowel sounds weren¡¯t a good sign! "How¡¯s Little Larry doing?" The innkeeper had been hovering nearby, immediately asking anxiously when Garrett released his hand. Towering over Garrett, and standing, he had to bend nearly ny degrees to speak. Garrett shook his head: "Not good. Let¡¯s put it this way, have you ever made sausage?" "I have! Do you want some sausage?" Borlu immediately gestured to the side. Garrett quickly stopped him: "No, no, I¡¯m just saying, if you know what intestines look like, it¡¯ll be easier to exin. You see, the intestinal tube is long, and now a part of it has telescoped into an adjacent segment..." Demonstrating with his hands, he brought his fingers together into a cone shape, the tips touching. He slightly opened his left hand, and the right hand¡¯s fingertips dove between the left hand¡¯s fingers, indicating the telescoping action. Borlu pondered for a moment, then another, twisting his eyebrows into knots without understanding. Turning his head, he dashed off. Garrett called out a couple of times but couldn¡¯t bring him back. By the third shout, someone loudly said from the other side: "How do you know that?" Memorized from textbooks. Garrett didn¡¯t lift his gaze from the child, casually pointing at his abdomen: "You could ask an ethereal being to take a look." Joking, he wasn¡¯t about to start exining ultrasound principles and imaging characteristics to them! "¡­¡­" "¡­¡­" Behind him, a few people chuckled. The priests of the Lord of Radiance, not ying with ethereal beings, at least not publicly... However, Archmage Serrano and Mage Simond brazenly took out magical instruments. The two exchanged a nce, gestured to each other, and took turns in action. Quickly, they started exchanging "ahs" and "ohs," "tsks," and "tsks," discussing excitedly: "It¡¯s right here!" "They¡¯re stacked together!" "The stacked part is about this long..." Their back-and-forth discussion was enthusiastic. Observing their reactions, the priests of the Lord of Radiance could tell Garrett was probably right, their faces gradually darkening. Yet, without any reason to use this "desecrator of our Lord¡¯s glory," they could only internally note their grievances. Borlu returned as swiftly as he had left. Soon after, he came running back with a string of sausages, cing them all in front of Garrett. Garrett: "¡­¡­" Why bother? Why trouble? Bringing this over, I¡¯d have to dismantle the inside meat to demonstrate to you. These sausages are stuffed so tightly, I can¡¯t even dismantle them... Ah, I was too slow in reacting; I should have used a mage¡¯s trick to create a model! Garrett¡¯s hands fluttered quickly, creating a soft section of the intestine to show Borlu. The barbarian blinked, finally understanding, and dragged Garrett aside to ask: "So, how do we treat it?" "Yeah, how do we treat it?" Mage Simond frowned in contemtion at the side. Going through all the medical-direction magical models one by one, none seemed applicable. If an ethereal creature could physically manipte objects and push the intestines open, that would be ideal, s... "Can a healing spell work?" A question whispered into the ear. Garrett looked up to see old Martin leaning forward, concernedly looking at the child. Garrett thought about the principles of healing spells and silently shook his head. It might not necessarily work. Healing spells are excellent at healing intestinal bleeding or perforations, but can they stimte intestinal movement, can they reposition the intestines? If it were the bald bishop from Harnd City, perhaps it could work. After all, Garrett had seen him perform a healing spell that treated pneumothorax, healed lungs, pulled muscles, and straightened ribs. As for himself, he doubted he had such capability. Not being able to reposition was one thing, but please, don¡¯t make it worse! As he hesitated whether to exin, a beam of light descended from the sky. A thick beam of light, directly falling on Little Larry¡¯s abdomen, illuminating his entire face brightly. Garrett¡¯s gaze jumped, slightly turning his head, only to see the young man in a white robe beside the red-robed priest retracting his hand, a hint of light lingering on his fingertips. Seeing Garrett looking over, he huffed and raised his chin high. Garrett had no time to argue with him, bending down quickly to perform another magic ultrasound. The ultrasound waves scanned back and forth until the telescoped section was no longer visible, then he finally let out a long sigh and released his fingers: "It¡¯s okay now, nothing to worry about." "Of course, it¡¯s okay." The young man proudly tilted his head: "With the Lord of Radiance¡¯s light shining upon us, wherever it reaches, of course, it can remove all pain and disease!" I do hope it really could. Garrett mused silently. He didn¡¯t retort, instead asking for a warm towel, smiling as he handed it to Little Larry: "Here, wipe your face, see how dirty you are..." The boy vigorously wiped his face twice, then blew his nose into it. Jumping off the bed, he bowed to Garrett, ready to run out and y. Garrett quickly grabbed him: "Wipe it clean! Look, your mouth is still ck!" The boy struggled hard. An eight-year-old barbarian boy, already over 1.4 meters tall, managed to shake Garrett off instantly. Fortunately, Borlu grabbed his son: "That¡¯s always been the case with his mouth, just like his mother. It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s not dirty!" Garrett¡¯s expression became serious. He folded the towel, using the clean side to carefully wipe Little Larry¡¯s face and clean his hands. While wiping, he noticed ck spots on the boy¡¯s face, lips, and palms. The edges were clear, not blending, not fading under pressure, not raised above the skin... The ck spots on the lips weren¡¯t noticeable at first nce, resembling bruises from biting in pain. Now, cleaned andpared with those on the face and palms¡ª There was no doubt, what he glimpsed when the boy ran past was indeed this! "I¡¯m afraid his abdominal pain will frequently recur," Garrett slowly said. Before the young man opposite could refute, Garrett turned to Borlu, rapidly firing questions: "Uncle, Little Larry¡¯s mother, did she also have many ck spots on her palms and toes?" "Ah, yes, exactly like him." Borlu was slightly startled, looking down at his son. Palms were one thing, but his son¡¯s feet were so dirty, he couldn¡¯t see the ck spots. How did this young priest notice? "Did she also often have stomach pains, unable to eat much? In severe cases, did she experience abdominal pain, vomiting, bloody stools, or prolonged constipation?" "Exactly..." "Did it often get better only to recur? Over time, did the episodes of stomach pain be more frequent?" "Exactly, exactly! Before his mother died, she was always in pain!¡ªPriest sir, Mage sir, do you know what¡¯s wrong with him? Do you know how to treat it?!" The barbarian was trembling all over, lunging forward, hands reaching out to grab Garrett¡¯s shoulders. Fortunately, Bernard quickly stepped in, his arm blocking in front, immediately being grasped tightly. Had it been Garrett... my shoulders would¡¯ve been crushed! Garrett internally shivered. He quickly ducked behind Bernard, not forgetting thest step of the diagnosis: "Archmage Serrano, Mage Simond, could either of you send an ethereal being into the intestines to look? Just the section that was telescoped... up and down, are there any polyps with stalks attached inside the intestines ?" Halfway through his exnation, Archmage Serrano had already taken out a gemstone box. Once bitten, twice shy, the ethereal being re-entered with even more familiarity. A cool breeze swept by, and Archmage Serrano, with his eyes half-closed, seemed tomunicate with the ethereal being for a moment, nodding: "Indeed, there are." Garrett sighed deeply. As he had guessed, but¡ª This condition is quite troublesome! "Uncle, your son often experiences abdominal pain because of these polyps in his intestines." Garrett¡¯s hands shimmered with light, and the ¡¾Silent Phantom¡¿ slowly appeared, molding a translucent shape of the intestines: "These polyps, if they were merely attached to the intestines, that¡¯d still be manageable. The problem is, as they grow longer, they eventually develop stalks¡ª" The ¡¾Silent Phantom¡¿ constantly transformed. On the surface of the intestines, a polyp gradually emerged, from a semi-sphere to aplete sphere, to a stalked polyp, and the stalk grew longer: "If several polyps grow in one area and entangle, the entire intestine can be blocked. Then, the stomach starts to hurt, and in the worst case, the entire intestine can rot." Borlu¡¯s face grew paler and paler. The tall figure, towering over Garrett, slowly bent down until he crouched on the ground, hugging his head, trembling, nearly in tears: "So, what do we do? Do we have to open the stomach and cut these things out?" "If there¡¯s no other way, we must cut." The young man who brought the Raven g squatted down beside Borlu, softly persuading him: "With so many healers here, opening up the stomach shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Hey, a few days ago, even the chief¡¯s head was drilled open by this gentleman, and isn¡¯t he fine now?" Borlu shook all over. Looking at his son, then at Garrett, and then at the person persuading him, he couldn¡¯t make up his mind. The magicians maintained their silence, and on the other side, the priests of the Lord of Radiance were also quiet. Even the young man who had been making sarcasticments turned his loud retorts into low murmurs: "You say there are polyps just because you say so?¡ªOthers can¡¯t see them!" Garrett focused on Little Larry, frowning in thought, paying no mind to the rest. Archmage Serrano, however, had been observing that side all along, and at some point, had exchanged nces with someone nearby. The young man¡¯s murmur was somehow amplified dozens of times in volume, reverberating throughout the hall. Even Garrett¡¯s attention was drawn back. He thought for a moment, looked towards the other side, and confidently smiled: "Seeing the polyps doesn¡¯t necessarily mean opening up the stomach. I have another way." Chapter 355: Casting the Arcane Eye, Let’s Do an Endoscopy! Garrett was confident. The innkeeper Borlu was both shocked and delighted. Little Larry, who had just been trembling, lit up at the news that his belly wouldn¡¯t have to be cut open. Havardan, the young man who brought the Raven g, puffed out his chest almost to the point of flipping over and shed a thumbs-up, casting a defiant look around: See! The person I brought in is impressive, right? The priests of the Lord of Radiance didn¡¯t feel quite as good about the situation. The young priest in white robes was about to say something when the priest in red beside him coughed. Straightening his robe, he stepped forward: "It¡¯s really good if the child can suffer less. Unfortunately, it¡¯s time for our evening prayers, so we have to leave temporarily. The task of continuing to help this child, we¡¯ll leave to you." He bowed slightly and turned to leave. A wave of priests and knights stood up and neatly headed to their rooms. The white-robed priest wanted to say more but got pushed hard by someone next to him and had to join the lineup in silence. One by one, the doors opened and closed, and prayers began to echo. After the evening prayers, the red-robed priest, along with the young man in white, rushed out of the inn and didn¡¯t stop until they reached the top of a nearby hill. "Bishop Klind, watch your attitude!" The moment they stopped, the red-robed priest began to scold:"Do you know what we¡¯re here in the Nortnds for?!" "To spread the glory of our Lord," Bishop Klind hurriedly answered. Having be a fifth-level priest at 18 and in charge of a church, and at 23, an assistant to a great bishop, his future was bright. Yet, in front of the red-robed priest, he dared not show any pride, bowing and saying: "To let the people of thisnd, especially the dwarves, feel the grace and love of our Lord." "And what are you doing now?!" Archbishop Jeroni was furious. This mission to the dwarf kingdom was crucial, needing to foster good rtions with the dwarves, not about fighting. Not to mention, dwarves worship the so-called Forge God, barbarians their Father God, and various other deities... You want to shout "The Lord of Radiance is the only true God" in front of them? They¡¯ll beat you to death! "We¡¯re here to let these barbarians feel our Lord¡¯s grace! To be charitable! To love! To help others more! Why are you provoking those magicians? They¡¯re helping that barbarian child, too. By doing this, do you want to appear aggressive and brutish?!" If not for Klind¡¯s good background and his family pushing him into the delegation, he really didn¡¯t want to bring this guy! He lectured Klind, making him recite verses about humility from start to finish: "The humble will be saved by God." "He will guide the humble in justice and teach his ways to the meek." "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility¡­" After reciting three times, Archbishop Jeroni was somewhat satisfied and left. He returned to his room, knelt down, silently prayed to the Lord of Radiance, reporting his actions for the day, and then began reciting the holy teachings: ? "I did note to bring peace to the earth, but a sword. For I havee to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-inw against her mother-inw; a man¡¯s enemies will be the members of his own household..." The mission was to spread the glory of the Lord of Radiance across the dwarf kingdom! Garrett didn¡¯t know or care much about what the delegation of the Lord of Radiance was doing. With them gone, he could focus on the patient, exining bit by bit to the patient¡¯s family: "Your son¡¯s condition would be best managed by removing these polyps in his intestines to prevent them from entangling and blocking the intestines. But before that, we need to be able to see them... My idea is to send something into the intestines, allowing you, me, and everyone present to see what¡¯s inside. Archmage Serrano, can your arcane eye be made as small as a cherry, or even smaller?" Archmage Serrano flicked his wrist. A translucent marble floated in front of everyone, astonishingly only the size of a soybean. The archmage stated solemnly: "The space the arcane eye passes through must be at least an inch wide, and I can¡¯t control it through a human body. Do you have a method?" "Yes!" Garrett revealed a confident smile. Archmage Serrano nodded lightly; he too was curious about what was inside the intestines and how to see it with the arcane eye. To satisfy his curiosity and provide the arcane eye for the little guy, it was no trouble at all. "So... do we do it now?" Borlu, holding his son back from running and leaning on the table, looked up and asked. Garrett looked up at him and smiled: "Of course¡ª not right now! Wait a moment, let me ask who has a potion¡ª" Who¡¯s ever heard of doing an endoscopy right away! Of course, the intestines need to be cleared first! Garrett pulled Mage Simond aside for a quiet discussion. Ironically, despite being a dual-ssed priest and mage, a servant of the God of Nature, he hardly had any local herbs on hand. His teacher would surely scold him if he knew. Luckily, Mage Simond was prepared. Garrett took arge bag ofxatives from him and handed it to Borlu: "Mix this with water for your son to drink, have him drink lots of water¡ª like the cups on your table, at least three full cups. Tonight, clear out everything in the intestines until whates out is just clear water. The cleaner it is, the clearer the arcane eye will see!" Ah, hopefully the barbarian¡¯s constitution is strong enough to not cause electrolyte imbnce. Without polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder, he was a bit nervous. Fortunately, before that medicine was avable, magnesium sulfate powder and senna leaves could be used as substitutes... Garrett slept soundly until morning. Not that he didn¡¯t want to check on Little Larry for electrolyte imbnce due to diarrhea, but¡ª the cruel rule of this world was that without enough sleep, magicians and priests would be powerless the next day. He could only leave a packet of oral rehydration salts with Bernard, repeatedly instructing him: Stay with the child. If anything seems wrong, dilute this in water and make him drink! The next morning, the boy was already weak from diarrhea. Fortunately, his intestines were indeed cleaned out. After confirming, Garrett had the boy undress and curl up on his left side, then began to gather his tools one by one. Archmage Serrano secured the best spot, conjuring the arcane eye, and fretted: "The arcane eye can¡¯t get in!" "It can! Watch mine!" Garrett produced a peculiar device. It resembled a duckbill cylinder that split into two parts, with two handles perpendicr to the cylinder at the bottom. Squeezing the handles opened the cylinder until it was wide enough to fit two fingers. Garrett lubricated the cylinder, inserted it, and opened it up. With his other hand, he summoned vines that grew at the sight of wind. Wrapping around the arcane eye, they lowered it down, following the path opened by the cylinder. "Ah, ah, ah... I see it, I see it!" The magicians jostled for a view, forming arge circle around the light screen provided by the arcane eye: "There¡¯s really something inside!... But what are all these?" Chapter 356: Magical Means to Remove Intestinal Polyps Garrett Nordmark¡¯s room was crowded. Little Larryy on the bed, while Garrett sat in front of it, operating an endoscope¡ªor rather, a contraption made of vines and the Arcane Eye. The boy¡¯s father, shopkeeper Borlu, stood to Garrett¡¯s left, leaning forward, ready to hold down his son¡¯s legs. Havardan¡ªthe young man who delivered the Crow g¡ªstood on his left, curiously staring at the screen. His fingers stretched out and then retracted, itching to poke it. After Archmage Serrano provided the Arcane Eye, he naturally took the best spot for observing on Garrett¡¯s right. Mage Simond stood beside him without hesitation, while others, even high-ranking, short priests like Master Talbert, had to stand further back. The mages were greatly dissatisfied. Not daring to protest against the Archmage, they started jostling among themselves: "Hey, make some room!" "You¡¯re blocking my view!" "You¡¯re tall! Go stand at the back!""My eyesight is bad, I can¡¯t see clearly! Let me move a bit forward!" They squabbled and jostled, everyone wanting to get closer and see more clearly¡ªusing the Arcane Eye to look inside a human body was unprecedented! No one here had seen such a thing before. Those curious about the interior of the intestines were mostly necromancers who would cut open to look; those not curious wouldn¡¯t think to insert the Arcane Eye. It was a rare operation, sessful or not, everyone was eager to watch. And indeed, they saw the images! "Everyone out!" Archmage Serrano finally lost his patience: "Go outside if you want to watch! Use your own Arcane Eye if you want to see the images!" This woke everyone up. The mages grouped together, left a few Arcane Eyes aimed at the screen, and retreated to their rooms to watch the broadcast quietly. At Garrett¡¯s side, the two mages watched the screen but gradually frowned: They couldn¡¯t understand it. A red, sticky mass was spinning and advancing crazily. asionally, a glimpse of a deep dark hole could be seen. But even this little bit of imagery wasn¡¯t something one could continuously watch. The images fed back by the Arcane Eye got darker and darker¡­ "Cough cough, Mage Nordmark." Archmage Serrano hesitated before reminding Garrett: "The Arcane Eye can¡¯t see anything in the dark, you¡­" This kid might not know that? Although he was a key talent cultivated by the Thunder Horn, the Arcane Eye was a third-level divination spell, and he might not know some details¡­ "Hehe, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m prepared." Garrett smiled easily. He had memorized the limitations of the Arcane Eye, but electronic endoscopes alwayse with their light source. He had thought of preparations beforehand! He extended a vine, coiled around a small light orb, and sent it into the boy¡¯s body. Soon, the screen of the Arcane Eye overflowed with bright light. Garrett manipted the vine, advancing and retracting it gently, slightly rotating, pointing at the screen, constantly exining to shopkeeper Borlu: "Look here¡ªsee a polyp? It¡¯s protruding on the surface of the intestine¡­ Moving forward, here¡ªwow, this stalk is very long! It¡¯s very prone to entanglement! At such a low position, it must protrude from the anus during defecation, right?" Little Larry: "T-T yes¡­" Garrett operated with ease. Performing an endoscopy is a skillful task, and the endoscope tube cannot move on its own; it entirely depends on the doctor¡¯s technique. Advancing the scope, retracting it, rotating it, pulling it¡ªall sorts of maneuvers through the curves. When encountering strangely curved intestines, or tumors, adhesions, or particrlyrge abdomens, it¡¯s easy to puncture through if not careful¡­ Specialization requires expertise. In his past life, Garrett wouldn¡¯t dare perform such a procedure with an endoscope. But now, vines, these things grow on their own! Too easy! He was at ease, but the patient¡¯s family was not. Arge screen swayed, filled with red polyps, covering half the screen. Just one look could make one dizzy. Honestly, without professional training, ordinary people couldn¡¯t understand this. Fortunately, Garrett was there to exin: "My suggestion is to cut off these polyps, especially those that have grown stalks. Only by removing them can the symptoms improve. If not removed, stomach pains will frequently ur." "I don¡¯t want that¡ª" The sharp child¡¯s voice instantly pierced the air. Shopkeeper Borlu pressed down on his son, hesitantly looking towards Garrett: "Just pain, we Northerners can endure it, right?" Cutting flesh, cutting flesh from inside the intestines! Does it mean the stomach has to be opened to remove them? Even though there are healers and divine magic at hand, opening the stomach¡ª Garrett could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his face. Surgery is scary for anyone. Although the appearance of barbarians differs from humans, the difference in some aspects isn¡¯t so significant. "Pain is not the most severe consequence." He patiently exined: "Think about it, an intestine is so thin. If several stalks twist together, it could block the intestine. In bad luck, the entire intestine could rot, it¡¯s not impossible." "But¡ª" Borlu was still hesitating. On the other hand, Mage Simond turned his head towards Garrett, full of interest: "Cutting the intestine? I haven¡¯t seen you do that yet¡ªI heard you dissected dozens of intestines during thest gue, and no one died?" This was a way tofort the patient¡¯s family, probably because the mage was also curious to see Garrett perform surgery. Garrett coughed awkwardly: "It¡¯s different this timest time, it was about cutting off rotten intestines and repairing perforations. This time, it¡¯s about cleaning the extra stuff inside the intestines¡­" "I see." Mage Simond nodded repeatedly. He nced at the barbarian, who was still undecided, coughed discontentedly: "If you don¡¯t want to cut, then don¡¯t! We¡¯ve seen enough anyway, and we still have to travel. Garrett, pack up and let¡¯s go!" "No no no! Master Mage! Please wait¡ª" The barbarian lunged forward, grabbing Garrett¡¯s robe, desperately showing a pleading look: "Wait for me to think! Let me think it over! The amodation fee forst night, I¡¯ll waive it for you! Waive it for all of you!" "Who¡¯s short of money?" Mage Simond continued with a stern face: "If I really wanted your money, the casting fees for these few spells would be several times the amodation fee, right?" "But¡ª" Garrett was truly not used to this. Mages in this world might be high and mighty, withmoners holding them in high esteem, but Garrett never felt that patients¡¯ families were beneath him. He thought for a moment, first calmed Mage Simond, asking him to sit down and rest, not to get angry. Then, he turned to Archmage Serrano, full of expectation: "Your Excellency Archmage, that¡ªabout the improved version of the magic weapon, have you got any idea?" Archmage Serrano caught his gaze, finally realizing. No wonder the request was so tricky, adding effects to spell creations, waiting here for it! He snorted coldly. Why ask such a difficult question, giving him such a big challenge, and expecting results in less than ten days? Change, change, change, as if it¡¯s that easy¡ª "I¡¯ll bless it for you!" All this fuss, a mere enchanted weapon, turned out to be more difficult than a higher-grade enchanted weapon! As for how to lower the casting level and teach Garrett to do it himself, Archmage Serrano still had no clue¡­ "That would be great!" Garrett was overjoyed. He immediately turned to shopkeeper Borlu, quickly exining: "Don¡¯t worry, no need to open the stomach. We¡¯ll just extend another vine inside, cut off the polyp. With healing spells, there won¡¯t be much bleeding, and the patient won¡¯t suffer too much." "Then¡ª" "Look, it¡¯s like this." Garrett raised his hand, and another green vine grew out, swaying in the wind. Archmage Serrano casually pointed, and half a foot from the tip of the vine was instantly covered with ayer of faint silver light. Then, the vine formed a circle, pulling hard on a makeshift short stick. The head of the stick broke into two, with a smooth cut surface, as if sliced by a sharp de. With such a demonstration, plus Garrett¡¯s gentle and persuasive exnation, shopkeeper Borlu finally agreed to the surgery. Soon, four vines advanced side by side in the intestines: Vine one, providing light; Vine two, moving the Arcane Eye for visualized operations; Vine three, the one blessed by Archmage Serrano as a magic weapon, extended inside, coiled around the base of the polyp under everyone¡¯s gaze, and with a pull, cut it off; Of course, there was also the fourth vine, which formed a pocket above its head, squatting neatly below to catch, and then¡ªpulled out for everyone to see. The operating room fell silent. In the nearby rooms, mages and dwarf priests, tsk tsk tsk, kept discussing: "So it can be done like this?" "If it can be done like this, messing with the stomach¡¯s contents bes much easier¡­" "Wake up, you need to find someone who can y with vines! Is that called¡ªa priest of the God of Nature? Do we have one in our tribe?" "We can go find one!" The surgery went exceptionally smoothly. Garrett didn¡¯t even need to find a bellows to inte the intestines¡ªafter all, the vine was alive and could widen the intestines if necessary. Apart from the actions on the screen, only the fourth vine was seen busy moving in and out: Bloodied polyps dropped into the basin one after another. By the end of the surgery, the copper basin brought specially by shopkeeper Borlu, a foot in diameter and five inches deep, was already half full of flesh. "¡­It¡¯s done." Garrett, with his eyes closed, weakly advised: "Although there are healing spells, and the bleeding in the intestines has stopped, still be careful in the next few days. Don¡¯t eat hard foods, eat less fish and meat, and let the intestines rest¡­" Shopkeeper Borlu thanked him profusely. After repeating his gratitude to the point of running out of words, he finally asked the most concerning question with trepidation: "Then¡­ will Little Larry be okay?" Garrett fell silent. With his eyes closed, sweat dripped down, and after a long while, he finally answered: "¡­He¡¯ll be much better. At least, for the next few years, he¡¯ll be much better¡­" Chapter 357: Why Insert Vines into the Deer’s Nostrils? "Mage Simond, what exactly is wrong with that boy? Can he be curedpletely?" Mage Simond curiously questioned Garrett, whoy listlessly in the wagon, barely opening his eyes to look at him, not wanting to utter a single word. Simond didn¡¯t take it as rudeness¡ªGarrett¡¯s exhaustion was evident to all. If asked, Garrett would surely say: Of course, the total length of the human intestinal tract is about four times one¡¯s height. For that little barbarian, the vine traveled about five or six meters inside him, inch by inch! To advance the vine, to control the direction of the light source and the Arcane Eye, to manage the cutting location and depth... this was no simple endoscope from his previous life. Every movement of the vine, even its very presence, relied on his mental strength! For several hours, he stared unblinkingly at the light screen, his concentration unwavering. By the end of the treatment, Garrett was nearly drained of his mental energy. Seeing Garrett¡¯s pale face, unable to even stand, shopkeeper Borlu hastily offered a wagon aspensation and sent a clerk to drive him to his next lodging. Firstly, as an escort; secondly, to request the next innkeeper to take care of him; and thirdly... Thirdly, of course, was to boast/remind the next ce that their group had a divine healer who could cure diseases others couldn¡¯t, and for not much money! Barbarians being tall and leggy, the wagon was exceptionally spacious, its wheels reaching Garrett¡¯s chest. He had heard the cruel saying "those taller than the wheel shall be killed" and now seeing suchrge wheels, a thought spontaneously arose: Children taller than the wheels must already have memories, and grudges, too...Such arge wagon could easily fit a barbarian family inside. Mage Simond then shamelessly climbed aboard, under the pretense of taking care of Garrett, seeking an opportunity to chat. Seeing Garrett silently watching him, he sighed and waved his hand outside: "I¡¯ve already blocked out the sound, no one outside can hear. Please, tell me,e on, I¡¯ll trade this Arcane Eye ring for the information!" Garrett barely opened his eyes to look. Simond was shaking an extravagantly designed ring on his finger, topped with a tourmaline¡ªperhaps a cat¡¯s eye? After shaking it up, down, left, and right, the arc light across the gemstone swept from left to right, as if opening a pair of eyes. Then, a semi-transparent Arcane Eye floated up... "Ah, no need. This disease is very rare, hard toe across normally," Garrett weakly turned on his pillow. He really wanted that ring¡ªwith it, he wouldn¡¯t need to seek the Archmage¡¯s favor for endoscopies¡ªbut, this bit of knowledge wasn¡¯t worth a magic item! Especially since the disease¡¯s incidence rate is between one in eight thousand and one in two hundred thousand. After satisfying Mage Simond¡¯s curiosity, he might never encounter it in his lifetime... "This disease is called Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, also known as pigmented polyp syndrome," Garrett swallowed the term "P-J syndrome" and went straight to the point: "It¡¯s a gic disease, meaning if either the father or mother has it, the child will too, and so will the grandchildren. The main characteristic is the appearance of arge number of polyps throughout the digestive tract¡ªthat is, the stomach, small intestine,rge intestine, rectum, with ¡¯arge number¡¯ meaning more than 100." Mage Simond gasped. Watching Garrett¡¯s treatment and seeing a basin of tumors cut out was shocking enough; hearing this number was even more horrifying. 100 polyps! How long can a person¡¯s intestines be, to grow 100 tumors and still live well? "You can tell he has tumors in his stomach just by looking?" "Roughly," Garrett nodded sleepily: "This disease has a distinct feature: many dark spots, possibly brownish-yellow, around the lips, on the palms, toes, or fingers. Due to the numerous and widespread polyps, it¡¯s impossible to surgically curepletely; they can only be removed bit by bit..." ?? His voice faded. Mage Simond kindlyforted him: "It¡¯s okay, removing them is good enough. Didn¡¯t you cure the boy..." "It won¡¯t be okay. They will grow back in a few years," Garrett said somberly. In his previous life, he treated a patient with P-J syndrome andter researched the prognosis. What he found was a study on Peutz-Jeghers syndrome post-operative follow-up, showing a 46.1% recurrence rate of polyps within a year, and a 100% recurrence rate within five years. "Moreover, these polyps can be malignant tumors, slowly consuming his life in the intestines and other organs. Generally, by their thirties, it can progress to this stage..." Another paper summarizing 240 cases indicated a 24.2% probability of malignant transformation, with the average age of malignant diagnosis being 33. "In their thirties?" Mage Simondughed: "Garrett, do you think these barbarians can live to 40? When they¡¯re a bit older, they go hunting, whaling, catching seals, sea lions, walruses, or bing mercenaries for money. Less than half of them live to 30 safely!" Garrett finally felt a bit better. Indeed, can societies with an average lifespan of 70 and 40 years be the same? At least, the former¡¯s cancer incidence rate is definitely far higher than thetter¡¯s... He buried himself in sleep on the wagon, waking up with his mental strength finally recovered to fifty or sixty percent. Jumping off the wagon, he realized it was already dark, and the group was busily preparing to settle in. Seeing Garrett alight, a crowd quickly surrounded him: "Master Mage, could you please look at my mother?" "Master Mage, my son always grinds his teeth in his sleep, and it never gets better..." "Master Mage, there¡¯s a lump on my neck..." Garrett: "..." What¡¯s going on? What happened? I¡¯m not opposed to treating...but can you please form a line first? "What are you all doing! Disperse! Disperse! The Master Mage hasn¡¯t even eaten yet! What¡¯s with all the noise!" Thankfully, the innkeeper came out to rescue him. Men and women, tall and short, barbarians, dwarfs, and ordinary humans scattered like birds and beasts. Seeing their suddenly dim expressions, Garrett felt somewhat guilty: "Uh...let¡¯s talk after I¡¯ve eaten..." Fortunately, noplex diseases were encountered that night. Garrett performed healing spells, surgery, dispensed medicines, and provided treatment advice,pleting everything in just an hour. As for the medical fees... "You¡¯re giving me a live sheep?" "..." "No? Then two live rabbits will do... After all, rabbits are smaller, easier to kill..." "Would a live deer work? We just ran out of sheep..." So, the next day, Garrett found himself on the wagon, preupied with the live deer. The barbarian driver was reced by a local clerk, sent directly to the next lodging spot by the local shopkeeper. Meanwhile, Bernard sat opposite him in the wagon, extending his hands... "Bernard, help me hold its head down! Don¡¯t let it move! Pry its mouth open!" "What are you doing now?" Mage Simond once again poked his head in to see the novelty: "Why are you fussing with this deer? Perfectly fine, why insert vines into its nostrils?" Chapter 358: Let Me Also Infuse Water into the Deer’s Lungs? "Shush!" Garrett whispered for him to be quiet. He was in the middle of intubating the deer, could he not keep it down! Having spent over a decade in the emergency department in his previous life, tracheal intubation was certainly not beyond Garrett¡¯s capabilities. The issue was... he was a human doctor, not a veterinarian. What did a deer¡¯s airway look like, where did it turn, and what techniques were needed to sessfully intubate? Garrett had no experience. His only knowledge about deer (sika deer? reindeer? moose? It didn¡¯t matter, he couldn¡¯t tell them apart anyway) airways came from: Having dissected quite a few sheep before... Garrett used every trick in the book. Magical ultrasound, magical X-ray, short of actually opening up to take a look. Then, he took a seed, cast a spell to hasten its growth, and a slender vine silently sprouted, drilling into the deer¡¯s left nostril. The deer, under a sleep spell, was fast asleep, utterly motionless. Garrett squinted and leaned close to its mouth, focusing his mind, directing the emerald vine to grow, enter, and turn... Oops! It came out of the mouth!He turned too early; it should have gone down a bit further to reach the trachea! He retracted the vine a bit and persevered. The vine grew and grew and grew... Ah, it went into the esophagus... Garrett was frustrated. Mage Simond, sitting cross-legged beside him, watched his constipated expression and, with a smile, tossed the Arcane Eye ring into hisp. "Here, take it. It was given to me by someone else anyway. If you feel bad about it, just tell me, what are you doing inserting vines into its nostrils?" After some thought, Garrett didn¡¯t refuse the kind gesture. Whether it was the trachea or the bronchi, having a tracheoscope made things much easier. He activated the Arcane Eye and exined to Mage Simond while inserting the vine wrapped around it. His first sentence made the mage leap to his feet: "I¡¯m thinking of infusing water into its lungs..." "What???!" Had the barbarian¡¯s wagon not had a high enough ceiling, Mage Simond¡¯s jump would have surely resulted in a bumped head. Even so, when hended, he still let out a groan, clutching his buttocks with one hand, the other hand hastily grabbing Garrett¡¯s shoulder: "What are you doing? Want to drown it? That¡¯s too inefficient! Or do you intend to poison it? Assassinate? Torture? Listen to me, this method is too troublesome. We mages have many spells to kill someone, no need for such hassle..." Garrett: "..." Would you believe me now if I say I¡¯m trying to save lives? Garrett had wanted to do this for a while. Not to intubate deer lungs, but human lungs; not to infuse water into deer lungs, but after bing proficient with animal experiments, to infuse water into human lungs... Ever since he set out for the Dwarf Kingdom, or rather, since he was assigned the mithril production task and encountered arge group of dwarves, Garrett had been pondering one question. What do dwarves need the most? With his professional skills, what could he help them with the most? Garrett observed that out of ten dwarves¡ªor rather, ten dwarves working in the forge area¡ªeight or nine coughed. Ultrasound, X-rays, sputum bacterial cultures, a series of tests showed twomon diseases. One was pulmonary tuberculosis, with about two or three in ten suffering from it¡ªnotably, dwarves¡¯ robust bodies aremendable, as not all have fallen ill despite close contact. But Garrett hadn¡¯t developed streptomycin, rendering him powerless against it; The other was pneumoconiosis. Among the dwarven males Garrett knew, seven or eight out of ten had pneumoconiosis; those over 200 years old had a nearly 100% incidence rate. And for treating pneumoconiosis, Garrett had some ideas. He had no medicine for pharmaceutical treatment, lung transnts were out of the question, and asking dwarves to stop mining... would probably get him killed. After much thought, there was only one treatment method widely implemented in the 90s with significant effects: ? Lungvage. Or, in medical terms, called whole lungvage. Under general anesthesia, ventting one lung while infusing arge amount ofvage fluid into the alveoli of the other side, then sucking it out under negative pressure, repeating the process until the extractedvage fluid bes clear. Then, switching sides and continuing thevage... This treatment method can removerge amounts of dust, dustden macroph ages, pro-inmmatory and pro-fibrotic factors, significantly improving or eliminating symptoms like difficulty breathing, chest tightness, chest pain, coughing, sputum production, and reducing the frequency of respiratory infections. After treatment, patients show significant improvement in lung function and physical strength. With divine magic for anesthesia, the simplest respirator (air pump), vine-made tracheal intubation, and always-avable divine magic as a backup, Garrett felt he could give it a try. At least start with an animal experiment? Mage Simond looked at him with extreme skepticism. Garrett smiled at him and continued with the procedure. With the Arcane Eye¡ªwell, a visual bronchoscope¡ªtracheal intubation was much easier, turning left and right without a hitch. "Hey, there¡¯s a hole on the left! The left!" "That¡¯s the mouth, thank you." "Why isn¡¯t it moving?" "We need to lift the epiglottis, otherwise, the tube can¡¯t go in. ¡ªThere, that part, there! Done!" "Ah, why has it stopped again?" "Waiting for the vocal cords to open..." Mage Simond stared at the light screen opened by the Arcane Eye, incessantly asking questions. Garrett answered every question while focusing on the screen, controlling the vines. Four vines advanced together, in an orderly fashion: Solid vine A, delivering the light source; Solid vine B, controlling the Arcane Eye; Hollow vine C, turning left at the first bifurcation, then its end expanded, firmly attaching to the tracheal wall; Hollow vine D, turning right at the same bifurcation, going deeper and deeper into the bronchus¡ª Begin infusion! Transparent gas flowed into the alveoli. For this first experiment, Garrett chose the right third lobe of the green deer¡ªyes, the deer¡¯s left and right lungs each have three lobes, plus a middle lobe... Even though it was just an animal experiment, and this deer would be ughtered at thetest by tonight, Garrett still used sterile saline. The liquid was pushed into the alveoli through the hollow vine, and soon, a 50ml syringe was pushed from the top to the bottom. Garrett¡¯s operation was smooth and steady. After all, during that special period in his previous life, he had performed bronchoalvervage sampling countless times, and he was very skilled. After a brief pause, the injected sterile saline was sucked into a negative pressure bottle under Mage Simond¡¯s astonished gaze. "You can really infuse water! And it won¡¯t kill!... Can I try?" Garrett generously passed over the syringe. Mage Simond curiously fiddled with it, pushing in one syringe, then another, and another... "Ow¡ª" A low deer cry. The deer, which had been motionless under magical hypnosis, suddenly kicked its hoof against the shield Mage Simond had propped up. Chapter 359: Medicine, Medicine, Medicine, A Set of Magical Muscle Relaxants! "How did this happen!" In the midst of urgency, Mage Simond unleashed a spell to knock out the deer and then reinforced his protective magic. Garrett shrugged: How?¡ªWoke up during the procedure. No anesthesia was used, just a magical sleep spell. And you infused so much water into its lungs; how could it not wake up? Ah, going without anesthesia really doesn¡¯t work... Then, looking at the poor deer that had bad luck for eight generations. Lying on the ground, its hooves twitching, even though it was knocked out, bubbles were still popping from its nostrils and mouth. Once the magic was interrupted, the vine automatically retracted, and the deer¡¯s chest heaved, desperately coughing in fits¡ª Oops, infused so much water without draining it out, see, it¡¯s choking. Speaking of which, pulmonary water leakage during venttion could cause poor venttion, obstructed drainage, hypoxemia, increased airway pressure, and a series ofplications... So, it¡¯s really time to save, no, rescue the deer! Garrett directed Bernard to rebind the deer in a four-legs-tied-up position¡ªuh, perhaps a four-deer-legs-tied-up position? They secured the deer again. Positioning the body, prying open its mouth¡ªthis time it¡¯s easier, not going through the nose¡ªsecured with a mouth gag, forcibly twisting the deer¡¯s head to tilt it backward... "What are you doing now?" Mage Simond came over to look. Garrett, expressionless, first conjured a bubble spell over his head and used a mage trick to create a transparent face shield, floating in front of him. While protecting himself, he advised Simond:"You¡¯d better cover up well too¡ª" "No worries, I knocked it out!" Mage Simond was full of confidence. He was adorned with a bunch of shields, shield spells, mage armor, protection from arrows... Just a deer, not a supernatural creature, what¡¯s there to be afraid of! Garrett operated silently. In a moment, the deer struggled, its chest heaving¡ª "rgh¡ªCough! Cough! Cough! Cough!" Saliva, the injected saline, and various sticky tracheal secretions sprayed half of Mage Simond¡¯s robe. The poor mage, with a disgusted face, frantically used cleansing spells to save the day... "Ah..." Garrett sighed. Ignoring the elder¡¯s advice leads to immediate loss, do you know how many times we got sprayed with phlegm all over our faces and bodies when intubating patients? Especially during the pandemic. That was simply horrendous, not to mention the difort and disgust, the risk of infection skyrocketed! He took a seed, fostered the growth of vines, and started the tracheal intubation again. However, this time it wasn¡¯t so easy, the deer kept coughing "Cough," "Cough," "Cough," with each cough, the vine retreated a bit more, and then with another cough, it retreated further... "What¡¯s the matter? Can¡¯t get it in?" Mage Simond peered again: "Didn¡¯t I already knock it out? Need another go?" "Being knocked out doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t cough..." Garrett was helpless. This is the difference between voluntary and involuntary muscles, breathing is controlled by involuntary muscles, what use is knocking it out? §²? Mage Simond fell silent, simply standing by Garrett¡¯s side, rolling up his sleeves, eager to try. He never bothered with these things before, always solving problems with a spell, if it didn¡¯t work, just cast another. However... Well, seeing all of Garrett¡¯s innovative ideas was quite interesting... "So, what do we do now?" Garrett focused on the situation transmitted by the Arcane Eye. On the light screen, the pink walls of the tube trembled violently, quivering intensely. Without thinking, he blurted out the solution: "Airway spasm. A muscle rxant would do." "What?" Ah, anesthesia isn¡¯t just about a shot that puts the patient to sleep. For instance, during tracheal intubation, pain relief, sedation, and muscle rxation are indispensable: Pain relief reduces or even eliminates the sensation of pain, like when the intubation tube is inserted, it won¡¯t hurt; Sedation reduces fear, relieves anxiety, stabilizes emotions, and induces necessary amnesia¡ªsay, seeing someone sticking a tube down your throat, you can still lie down calmly, without jumping up in fright; Muscle rxation loosens the muscles, like during intubation, if muscle rxants are used beforehand, the airway won¡¯t even have the strength to spasm. The anesthesiologist¡¯s tube, of course, can then be smoothly inserted... The problem is, local anesthesia, general anesthesia, sedatives, pain relievers, muscle rxants... Garrett didn¡¯t have any of these medications. Ever since his arrival in this world, during surgeries, he always relied on various spells. However, now that he needed a specific function... "So, uh... got anything to rx the muscles?" Garrett pondered hard. Zeroth level, first level, second level, he went through all the spells he learned, but none seemed particrly suitable. While struggling, Mage Simond beside him wiped sweat from his brow and pped the deer. Visibly, the deer that was just twitching its limbs went limp in an instant... "Touch of Fatigue. Zeroth-level magic, necromancy, you¡¯ve learned it, right?" "Er... that seems a bit too fatiguing... I only need the respiratory muscles to rx!" Regardless, a solution was finally at hand. As for the spell¡¯s short duration (with Mage Simond¡¯s level, just over a minute), the wide range (actually not needing to cover the whole body), and iplete muscle rxation (not reaching the level of anesthetic drugs), these could be adjustedter. The next magic experiment¡¯s topic just appeared... Garrett calmly proceeded with intubation and drainage. Inserting the vine into the drainage bottle, ced 60cm below the patient¡¯s axiry line¡ªwell, everyone is sitting on the wagon floor, can¡¯t dig a hole in it, just casually ce it there¡ªwatching the liquid flow out. One milliliter, ten milliliters, twenty milliliters... 150 milliliters! Previously estimated, Mage Simond infused about 250 milliliters of saline. Draining 150 milliliters is a bit less, but considering the deer coughing and spraying out an unknown amount, maybe... It¡¯s okay? The only problem is, the data on inflow and outflow needs to be recalcted... Garrett continued with the saline. Suddenly, Mage Simond nudged him: "Hey, look at this deer, it seems like it¡¯s dying!" "Oh, no worries, just over-rxed muscles, it doesn¡¯t have the strength to breathe." Garrett pointed to a corner of the wagon expertly. An electrolysis device, a manual oxygen pump, everything was already assembled and ready to go. Garrett snapped his fingers... Two invisible servants silently floated out, one grabbing the crank of a hand generator, the other seizing the airbag, huffing and puffing, starting to work. Garrett calmly connected the vine to the airbag, and soon, pure oxygen hissed along the tracheal tube, spraying into the deer¡¯s left lung. What to do after muscle rxation? Of course, use a venttor! Ah, to be safe, should also add an oxygen saturation monitor... Which spell to use for that? Chapter 360: Riding a Goat to Negotiate Garrett thus embarked on a routine of sleeping on the wagon, taking photos¡ªah no, conducting animal experiments on the wagon, treating locals off it, and earning a happy life for the experimental animals. On the first day, only he, Bernard, and Mage Simond were on the wagon, plus that half-tormented deer. Upon reaching their destination, they ughtered the deer, dissected it, invited everyone to a meat feast, delightfully content. The second day saw Master Talbert joining them on the wagon, keenly observing their experiments. When he learned that this treatment method might help with miner¡¯s lung disease, Master Talbert eagerly inquired: "May I give it a try?" "Uh... no..." Garrett was sweating profusely. Master, you¡¯re too old! You¡¯re over 350 years old! Even if dwarves can live up to 400 years, your age is equivalent to over 80 years in human terms! Generally, the target patients for whole lungvage therapy are those below 65 years old... Moreover, the old master¡¯s cardiopulmonary function is very poor, often needing to sit up and use low-flow oxygen to sleep at night. Garrett even identified tuberculosis bacilli in his sputum. Active pulmonary tuberculosis, severe pulmonary dysfunction, major organ diseases or dysfunctions such as the heart, brain, liver, kidneys...One by one, all these are contraindications for the surgery! "Ah... oh..." Master Talbert was deeply disappointed: "You¡¯re so young, don¡¯t be so timid! I¡¯m willing to try! There¡¯s divine magic to back it up!¡ªYou magicians are always bold!" Garrett straightforwardly rolled his eyes. That¡¯s what magicians do. I¡¯m a doctor, thank you. And also a deputy chief physician, with a senior professional title! Only chief physicians with a full professional title can preside over new technologies, new project surgeries, or high-risk scientific research project surgeries approved by the authorities! I¡¯m still one level short! Unless absolutely necessary, I would not vite contraindication rules and rashly perform surgery on patients! Master Talbert left in disappointment. Then, on the third day, he brought his apprentice, Vigran, squeezing onto Garrett¡¯s wagon... "Master Nordmark, could you take a look, would it be okay to let him try?" Garrett: "..." "..." "Enough already! I haven¡¯t even finished my animal experiments! I killed two rabbits today! Human trials are absolutely out of the question right now! Get out! My wagon can¡¯t fit any more!" ? It always seemed like the failures were due to blood oxygen saturation... Even if he had the cheapest oximeter! A clip-on type would do! Back in my previous life, it only cost a bit over a hundred on Taobao! Now, trying to rig one up myself, I realize it¡¯s as tough as climbing to heaven. First, I need two light-emitting diodes, one emitting 660 nanometers of infrared light, the other, 905~910 or 940 nanometers! Just this requirement alone makes Garrett want to die¡ª If he knew how to make diodes, would he still not be able to produce a rectifier, having to use the most ancient mercury arc rectifier? That¡¯s not the end of it. After making the light-emitting diodes, there¡¯s the chip to make, memory to construct, programming in the microprocessor... Taking the photoelectric signal provided to the microprocessor, processing it with the form, and disying it on the LCD screen... Right, and an LCD screen to make! ¡ªBetter think about how to rece it with magic. "Let¡¯s try this again... Bernard, cover that rabbit¡¯s mouth and nose, don¡¯t smother it, I¡¯ll try a new spell..." Hmm, the divination series has a first-level magic called Bloodline Identification, which can discern the race of a target with just a drop of blood; The necromancy series also has a first-level magic called Life Detection, capable of discerning whether a creature is dead, weak, severely injured but desperately wanting to live, orpletely healthy. Garrett intended to test whether these two spells could discern blood oxygen saturation, or if not, could their characteristics bebined to create a new, useful spell? ¡ªAfter all, if a creature is weak or severely injured, its blood oxygen saturation is likely to be problematic! Garrett cast spells swiftly. Now a fourth-level mage, full of spiritual energy, casting dozens of first-level spells a day was no problem at all. Besides, researching magic isn¡¯t about quantity¡ª Each spell cast required calction, research, andparison. Draft papers piled up in front of Garrett, stacking up rapidly... "Ah! Bernard! Bernard! Don¡¯t let the rabbit eat my drafts!!" See, this is the pain of researching on a wagon. If only he was in his own mage tower, at least he¡¯d have a table, and the drafts wouldn¡¯t be on the floor of the wagon... Garrett silently resented. However, three dayster, he lost even this condition for research: The wagon reached the end of its road. The next journey involved climbing mountains, crawling through caves, scaling peaks, and more cave traversing... Garrett slowly looked up, surveying the distance. The mountain path before him was steep and rugged, seemingly endless at a nce. Turning left, then right, the ascent angle was at least over 15 degrees. This mountain path, magic horses won¡¯t do, right? Should he borrow someone¡¯s Shadowsteed? Or should he climb on foot for several days straight? Suddenly regretting this trip, how to break it! "Don¡¯t worry, little mage." Master Talbert came over with augh, leading two goats. The one he guided towards Garrett was snowy in fur, steel in horns, with an old saddle on its back, clearly a local daily mount: "These creatures are nimble on mountain paths, far better than horses. How about it? Want to give it a try?" Garrett observed closely. Goats are known climbers, having watched videos in his previous life of them scaling cliffs, reservoirs, and nearly 90-degree steep slopes with ease. Such 15, 20-degree mountain paths should pose no problem. As for carrying capacity... The goat led by the old dwarf was robust, with a broad back and solid legs, not appearing to struggle under his weight. In fact, Garrett saw from afar a group of dwarf cavalry approaching. With armor and weapons, theirbined weight probably 1.5 times his, they sat securely on goat backs¡ª Garrett was somewhat satisfied. Moreover, the goat¡¯s fur was clean, and itsrge horns stretched from its head to its shoulders, easily graspable when seated on the saddle. Its height was not too tall, allowing one¡¯s toes to touch the ground with a slight stretch. Security feeling +1, +1, +1... "This goat is fantastic! May I ride it?" He tentatively reached out his hand. Unexpectedly, the goat snorted disdainfully, turning its head away, presenting its back to him. Master Talbert chuckled by the side: "Hahaha, it doesn¡¯t like you! Little mage, have you ughtered too many goats along the way, and it dislikes your scent?" Nonsense! I bathe every day! And use cleansing spells! I¡¯m not covered in formalin! After thinking, Garrett took out some seeds, held them in his palm, and gently activated a spell. The goat suddenly turned back, its long tongue scooping up the tender green grass from his hand. Garrett mounted the goat through bribery. On the goat¡¯s back, after enduring backaches, numb legs, and dyed research progress, he climbed for two days and crawled through a cave for another, sessfully arriving at the dwarf court. On the fourth day, sore all over, Garrett listlessly sat down at the negotiation table. ¡ªTaking a back seat. Not having to negotiate with the dwarf elders was a relief... he wanted to catch up on sleep... "The price of ore is too low! At this rate, there¡¯s no point in doing business next year!" Garrett was instantly jolted awake. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 361: The Dwarf Kingdom Joins Garrett Nordmark looked up in confusion. Dwarves, being short in stature but broad and sturdy in the chest, have a thoracic cavity that¡¯s particrly suited for resonance. A single dwarf¡¯s shout could sound like thunder, and a group of them raising their voices was like having twenty subwoofers in a small cinema, all firing at once. And they were in a cave, no less, where the echo effect doubled the noise. It was incredibly noisy, yet he had to maintain a smile... Just then, Garrett saw a young dwarf across the long table wink at him, offering a smile that said, "What can you do, I¡¯m helpless too." Garrett: "..." He chuckled softly. Being of little significance, without the right to speak, and yet having to endure such meetings was torturous... The morning¡¯s meeting on the first day could be described in modern diplomatic terms as "a frank and in-depth exchange of views." Garrett listened patiently until noon and finally grasped the gist: Simply put, the Dwarf Kingdom was a resource-based country, relying on exports in exchange for food since they couldn¡¯t produce enough on their own. This economic structure was inherently risky, especially since their exports were very limited...Ores, refined ores, and semi-processed materials. Copper ingots, iron ingots, mithril ingots, electrum ingots, various metal ingots. Weapons, armor... These were the mainmodities. Everything else was minor, too insignificant to mention. The prices for copper and iron were low, and shipping costs high, leaving little profit. Exporting metal ingots was somewhat meaningful, but exporting ore was almost pointless; Electrum was too hard, had poor magical conductivity, and was difficult to smelt, mainly used for knight¡¯s gear, and those knights were not as generous as mages; Mithril was once the most important export. However, fromst year to now, the Magic Council¡¯s import of mithril dropped by half, while the import of mithril ore increased twentyfold. Even so, the Dwarf Kingdom found itself at a loss over the year: "Last year! In one year! We imported fifty thousand barrels less beer! Fifty thousand!" Do you understand what fifty thousand barrels mean? It means that the miners worked hard all year, increased production twentyfold, and yet, each month, they had one less barrel of beer to drink! "You mages, as cunning as foxes in the snow! You call us friends, brothers, but behind our backs, you think of nothing but how to squeeze our blood and sweat!" Garrett: "...Ahem." Capitales into the world... Thankfully, this auditory torture finally ended at noon. Everyone headed to the dining hall, and the young dwarf immediately approached Garrett, tiptoeing: "Are you Mage Nordmark? My name is Gavin, and Master Talbert is my grandfather! Thank you for taking care of him on the journey. Do you have time this afternoon? I can show you around the royal city!" "...I need to ask the Archmage first. You know, I¡¯m just a low-level mage, not really free to wander." Archmage Serrano couldn¡¯t have been happier to kick Garrett out. After all, the afternoon was for internal meetings among the trade delegation, mainly for the archmages to express their opinions. By walking around, Garrett could also foster good rtions with the dwarves... Though the dwarves were short, the royal city they had built was magnificent, carved out of a massive section of the mountain¡¯s belly. Gavin led Garrett straight to the heart of the royal city, and as they walked, they were hit by a wave of heat. Garrett instinctively cast a "Heat and Cold Resistance" spell on himself. Gavinughed, "Hot, isn¡¯t it? Ahead is the Great Furnace, created six hundred years ago by the ¡¯Mage King¡¯ Raymond and the Seven Sages, who channeledva from beneath the earth. The city¡¯s finest weapons and the most difficult ores to smelt can only be refined by theva from the Great Furnace." That¡¯s debatable. Aren¡¯t oxygen converters better? Garrett silently criticized. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t a smelting expert and had only managed to install an oxygen pipeline with the support of the Magic Council. Doing it himself now? Forget it. The Great Furnace was indeed fearsome. From a distance, Garrett saw a tall dome under which a massive st furnace stood imposingly, with heat waves rolling out. Far away, numerous shadows busied themselves around the crimson magma, the clinking and nking of their work never ceasing. Such arge furnace naturally required wide surrounding roads. Garrett estimated them to be at least sixnes wide, with bright lines on the ground, presumably to prevent collisions. Dwarves constantly pushed carts and wheelbarrows back and forth, unloading cargo by the magma pools and then pushing new loads away. Garrett refused to get closer than 20 meters to the magma pool. The "Heat and Cold Resistance" spell could keep himfortable - it was effective from minus forty-five to plus sixty degrees Celsius - but not safe! What if there was an ident with the furnace? Thest time he visited a mithril smelting facility, he saw the magma bubbling, ready to explode at any moment! Gavin didn¡¯t press him and led him around on a circr tour, pointing out: "Here is the Red Iron Hall, where ordinary miners live..." "Here is the Hammer Hall, where the forgers live. Our daily tools and mass-produced weapons are all made here..." "Here is the Steel de Hall, the training area for the army and warriors. Most of them are on patrol now, but it¡¯s quite a sight when arge group of knights returns in the evening!" "Here is the trade district, where foreign merchant caravans stay. There have been a lot of people thesest few days, and a lot of goods too. Come on, I¡¯ll take you around..." Saying this, he led the way inside. Garrett, following behind with Bernard, had only walked a few steps when they heard loud calls ovepping each other: "Whale meat! Cheap whale meat for sale! One copper per pound! Fat and tender, enough for a family to eat for a day!" ...How poor must they be to drag whale meat back here? Isn¡¯t whale hunting only for the oil and brain, with the meat usually discarded? "Dried deer meat! Walrus! Seal! Cod! Genuine goods at fair prices, bulk discounts avable!" Garrett quickly cast a "Bubble Shield" on himself. Were these meats salted or dried in the sun? The smell was too pungent; hadn¡¯t they gone moldy? "Barley beer! The best Thunder Barley Beer! Refreshing and pleasant, each sip bubbles with life!" ...Are you sure this isn¡¯t a soda? Huh, this world doesn¡¯t seem to have Coca-C yet... "Machetes! War hammers! Swords! The best weapons, all avable at Gien¡¯s cksmith Shop, choose at will!" Humans, dwarves, barbarians, various hawkers¡¯ cries blended into a cacophony. Garrett, braving the noise, moved forward. Passing half the shops, he suddenly heard a distant shout: "Listen to the voice of God! Hear the teachings of the Radiant Lord! Holy Communion avable!!!" Chapter 362: A Death Cry - Call for a Priest Chapter 362: A Death Cry - Call for a Priest Hearing the call for a sermon and Holy Communion? Garrett stopped in his tracks, involuntarily turning towards the source of the shout. Bernard called out from behind: "Boss¡ª" What¡¯s gotten into you? What¡¯s so interesting about the Radiant Lord? Haven¡¯t you forgotten you¡¯ve killed several of their people? Are you that hungry? When we dine together, just a couple of slices from mymb leg are enough for you! "Ah, I¡¯m just looking, from a distance," Garrett waved his hand nonchntly. Don¡¯t ask; it¡¯s just that their marketing tactic is too familiar, and he wanted to check it out. And, to see if their so-called Holy Communion was just stale bread and wine. Garrett Nordmark, ever curious yet well-informed, true to his word, stopped about ten meters away from the preaching crowd. At this distance, he could hear the preacher¡¯s words clearly:"In ancient times, floods, droughts, and snowstorms were frequent, gues rampant, and magical beasts and monsters roamed the wilderness. The Radiant Lord, in his mercy, spoke to his people..." Boring. This story isn¡¯t interesting at all. If you¡¯re going to preach about the Radiant Lord in dwarf territory, at least tell a good story! Garrett, who had been bombarded with movies and animations in his previous life, shook his head and decided to give them another minute of his patience. If the Holy Communion didn¡¯t appear by then, he¡¯d leave. However, before the Holy Communion could be presented, a roar shook the entire venue: "You¡¯re talking nonsense!" Then, it was chaos. When Garrett came to his senses, a burly man had already charged onto the stage, grabbing the preacher and punching him while cursing: "Charity my ass! Benevolence my ass! You bastards killed my entire family when I was a child! Took me as a ve! I¡¯ve endured countlessshes from you! @#£¤%*&..." What followed was a series of furious roars, too explicit for the "Comprehend Languages" spell to trante. The preacher, dressed in a ck robe and white scarf, was knocked down with the first punch, blood sttered with the second, and by the third and fourth punches, the effect was... The only scene that came to Garrett¡¯s mind was from a textbook: "Judge Bao punches the western frontier¡¯s bully." The other members of the Radiant Church couldn¡¯t just stand by. Two knights who had just carried a few baskets of Holy Communion saw themotion, dropped the baskets, and charged in anger. The burly man let go of the preacher, turned around, and engaged them in a fierce fight, with punches and kicks whistling through the air. In Garrett¡¯s previous life, such a scene during a sermon (or receiving Holy Communion) would have caused screams and panic, with half of the crowd fleeing. But dwarves, being rich in martial spirit, and barbarians, even more so, didn¡¯t flee. Instead, they tightened their ranks, forming arge circle around the fight, eagerly watching: "That punch was solid!" "What a man!" "Hey¡ªhey! Fight if you must, but no knives!" Fortunately, half of the crowd were barbarians, not obstructing Garrett¡¯s view. He instinctively moved closer to Bernard, looking around: "Is this really happening? Doesn¡¯t anyone care?" "Personal grudges? Who cares?" Gavin shrugged, although his dwarven shoulders could hardly reach Garrett¡¯s elbow: "The fighter is a barbarian, and the beaten one belongs to the Radiant Church, not an envoy. Just wait; once they¡¯re almost done, the patrol wille to end it." He pointed in the direction they came from. Garrett turned to see a group of dwarf knights¡ªshining in armor, riding robust goats¡ªwatching from a distance. Relieved, Garrett continued to watch the fight: "An orc?" He hadn¡¯t had a chance to see clearly! Upon closer inspection, the one fiercely fighting in the middle was indeed an orc. With hair seven parts ck, three parts white, fluttering about, erect ears, and a protruding snout, distinctly different from humans. Garrett was observing these details when he saw the orc take a punch straight to the cheek, blood streaming from the mouth corner. "If that¡¯s dislocated, it won¡¯t be easy to fix..." Garrett murmured. He had no idea about orc anatomy. Even if he did, he wasn¡¯t a maxillofacial surgeon to just operate on someone. The orc, fighting against two, didn¡¯t seem to be at a disadvantage. Amidst the tumbling fight, a furry tail asionally struck at the knights¡¯ legs. When it hit, it left a bloody mark, immediately swelling. "Tsks...tsks...tsks..." Garrett was impressed. Such skill wasmendable; it seemed the Radiant Church would need more men to win. Just then, a cloud of ck mist exploded without warning. Two knights of the Radiant, one orc, and the preacher, now possibly lifeless on the ground, were all enveloped in the mist, followed by several screams. "Ah¡ª" "Ah~...~...~..." Garrett shuddered. Reflexively stepping forward, he immediately stopped. Bernard rushed forward, pulling his boss back, hisrge body protectively covering him. The sound of hooves thundered, and dwarf knights charged in. Dwarves surrounded the area, shouting: "A priest! Get a priest!" "Call for a priest!" Garrett peeked from behind Bernard. The ck mist had dissipated, leaving the onlookers in arge circle, cries of shock ovepping: "Dead!" "They¡¯re all dead!" "So much blood!" "They¡¯re not dead yet; they¡¯re still calling for a priest!" Garrett nudged Bernard, pushing him forward. After several nudges, Bernard reluctantly led the way. When they finally made it through the crowd of barbarians, they saw blood everywhere, none of the fighters standing: The preacher, his face a canvas of blood, unconscious. Garrett didn¡¯t need to check to know the possibilities of concussion, intracranial hemorrhage, and more; Two knightsy on the ground, one clutching his throat with blood seeping through his fingers, hissing sounds indicating a likely tracheal rupture needing stitches; The other sprawled out, a gash on his neck spraying blood everywhere. One nce at the blood volume and spray pattern, and Garrett concluded: Carotid artery rupture, beyond saving. The orc, with a de deeply embedded in his chest, was still conscious but unable to struggle, clearly in critical condition, hanging by a thread. Garrett wanted to take a closer look but was suddenly pulled back behind Bernard. The next moment, a flurry of hurried footsteps approached, stopping right by the knights, followed by the sound of kneeling and fervent prayers. Oh, so some of the Radiant knights got medical attention. Garrett turned away coldly. He calmly stepped back, watching dwarf knights swarm in, separating the factions; Saw two dwarf knights dismount their goats, trying to take the orc away, but blocked by Radiant knights in an angry standoff; Watched a dozen orcs arrive, almost starting a fight, then both sides stepping back, leaving with their wounded; Saw another dwarf knight urging his goat, shouting "Priest, priest" as he sped away... Garrett quietly followed the orcs. Just as they turned a corner and rushed into a building, he called out: "I am a priest!" "Great! Come quickly!" Two orcs immediately made way. Garrett hurried inside, approaching the injured orc warrior, reaching out to check his pulse. Just as he kneeled, two heavy, urgent footsteps approached. "How¡¯s my brother? Master, please save my brother¡ª" "Coming,ing! Whoa, whoa, slow down..." Chapter 363: Oh no, the necromancer is cutting into the heart! Gasping for breath, the priest dragged over... Garrett didn¡¯t see the person at first, but rather five twig-like fingers, thin and dry, probing the nostrils of the injured just like Garrett would. Then, they retracted and checked the patient¡¯s pulse. In the midst of busyness, Garrett raised his head. Wow! What... What race is this orc...? Not like a dog, nor a cat, and if it were a minotaur¡ªjudging by the horns on its head, somewhat simr¡ªthen it¡¯s too short and too thin. It also has a hunched back, its entire body trembling and huddled together, its face etched with sorrow. If it had anything to do with the word ¡¯bull,¡¯ it could only be a snail... Regardless of snail or beetle, healing the injured is what counts as good. Unfortunately, the elderly orc kneeling on the other side had a very unpleasant expression, his hand trembling as it reached towards the injured¡¯s chest, hesitating multiple times to pull out a dagger, yet not daring to: "My healing magic level is too low, let¡¯s maintain his condition together for now, and wait for a higher-level healer..." He bowed his head, muttering a chant. Even with [Comprehend Languages], Garrett couldn¡¯t make out what he was singing, just as understanding Chinese doesn¡¯t necessarily mean one can recognize song lyrics. Only a pale red glow of light rain could be seen falling on the injured, and in no time, the old priest was gasping for breath, sweat beading on his forehead. "Hey, you help too! Aren¡¯t you a priest?" a young orc called out. Garrett nced around, dropped a minor healing spell casually, and continued observing the injured: This room full of orcs, some resembling dogs, others cats, and some foxes; their skin colors deep and light, yellow and white; their physical traits significantly different from humans, now making it difficult for him to use as a reference to judge whether the patient¡¯splexion was pale or not...Too many references, unable to judge, I take my leave. Garrett, drawing on his decades of emergency clinical experience, quickly assessed the injured¡¯s condition. The patient¡¯s eyes were wide open, his gaze following their movements, his consciousness still clear; a wound on his chest, about 2cm long, the depth unknown, not daring to remove the knife. The stabbing was in the left-center of the front chest, the... the fifth rib interstice... How many pairs of ribs should this damned orc have? Is the heart damaged? Did it pierce the lung? Garrett quickly pulled out the [Endless Ink Pen] and shoved it under the orc. Inhaling deeply, focusing, he released [Detect Magic]... And saw nothing. Uh... This is awkward... The [Endless Ink Pen] is a level 9 magical item, capable of observing objects five levels lower than it. This warrior, clearly of a higher level, has too strong a life force. The magical aura of the [Endless Ink Pen] couldn¡¯t prate the injured¡¯s body... The old priest continued to chant fervently, maintaining the injured¡¯s vital signs. Garrett seized the moment, casually wiping the sweat from the injured¡¯s forehead; The neck¡¯s veins bulged prominently, suggesting, perhaps, the jugr vein? The pulse... The normal pulse of an orc is unknown, but the feeling under his fingertips was shallow and rapid, and getting faster, no different from the weak sensation of hypovolemic shock due to a sudden drop in blood pressure from blood loss in his previous life; He took out a copper stethoscope to listen... Thump, thump, thump. The heartbeat sounds were weak, muffled, and vague, as ifing from far away! A stab wound to the precordial area, not much bleeding, jugr vein bulging, blood pressure plummeting, heart sounds low and distant¡ªall these symptoms, one by one, all pointed to a critical condition, acute cardiac tamponade! ¡ªOutside the human heart, there¡¯s ayer of muscle called the pericardium. Extremely dense, it envelops the heart, with pericardial fluid inside for lubrication. Like now, with the heart stabbed and bleeding, the pericardial muscles contract on their own, trapping the blood within the pericardium, preventing it from flowing into the chest cavity. With thisyer of protection, the bleeding from the heart won¡¯t be too much, not quickly leading to hypovolemic shock; but, if there¡¯s too much bleeding, the blood umted in the pericardial cavity increases pressure, externallypressing the heart. ?? When the pressure reaches a certain level, surpassing the heart muscle¡¯s pumping force, the heart will be unable to beat, causing cardiac arrest! Without the heart¡¯s beating, arterial blood can¡¯t be transported throughout the body, and the patient will quickly enter a state of hypoxia. In just three to four minutes, the hypoxic brain tissue will suffer irreversible damage. By then, even if they were revived, it would be futile! Garrett immediately sprang into action: "Who¡¯s in charge here? Who can make decisions?" "Me, me, me!" Several orcs shouted together. There were the warriors who arrived first at the scene, the old orc who had dragged over the priest and was crying out "Save my brother," and even a gracefully slender cat-woman. As they shouted, they also pushed and shoved each other, clearly eager to respond. This scenario was all too familiar to Garrett from his past life in emergency medicine. Rooms filled with nosy rtives, one asking questions after another, some fumbling for money; others pressing forward to question the doctor, but retreating when it was time to sign and pay... All sorts of behaviors, aplete collection that could be gathered in just a week at the emergency department. With the situation being critical, Garrett had no time to argue. He scanned the crowd and immediately focused on a golden-haired orc with the most jewelry and the proudest chest, standing at the center of the crowd, his voice urgent: "He¡¯s dying! I might be able to save him¡ªbut only if we open his chest and touch his heart! If you allow it, I¡¯ll treat him. If not, there¡¯s nothing I can do but leave!" The method to relieve cardiac tamponade is actually notplicated¡ªor rather, it doesn¡¯t seemplicated to a modern surgeon. Open the chest, perform a pericardiotomy, let the fresh blood flow out from the pericardium. With the pressure in the pericardium reduced, the heart will naturally resume beating. As long as it¡¯s done before four minutes of oxygen deprivation, there¡¯s a chance to save him! But, this kind of treatment is undoubtedly heresy here. Garrett wouldn¡¯t dare proceed without making it clear to the family, or rather, without getting approval from someone in charge on the scene! Joking aside, there were about a dozen orcs on-site, and together with Bernard, even if they included the dwarf Gavin, they were only three people in total. Rashly proceeding to open someone¡¯s chest, they wouldn¡¯t survive the ensuing beating! "What? Open the chest!" The room erupted into chaos. Before the golden-haired orc could respond, several warriors had already begun to loudly protest: "Are you a devil?!" "No, are you a Necromancer?!" "He¡¯s already so gravely injured, opening his chest will surely kill him!" "Simond¡ªSimond¡ª" The cat-woman copsed on the injured, her face pressed against his chest, crying bitterly. After just a few cries, a copper tube suddenly descended, brushing past her cheek tond on the injured¡¯s chest. The cat-woman jumped in shock, her ws instinctively extending. With a ng, three scratch marks appeared on the stethoscope¡¯s outer wall. Garrett, expressionless, retrieved the stethoscope and looked up at the golden-haired orc: "You¡¯d better decide quickly. His heartbeat is getting weaker; he won¡¯tst much longer." "How long can you keep him alive?" The golden-haired orc suddenly spoke up. But he wasn¡¯t asking Garrett; he was asking the old orc on the ground. The old orc, trembling and drenched in sweat, replied: "Not long... I¡¯m just a mid-level priest, I can¡¯t heal this kind of fatal wound..." "Simond saved my life once," the golden-haired orc suddenly said. He removed a gold bracelet studded with gems and handed it to Garrett: "If you can save him, ask for anything you want. But if you kill him¡ª" Garrett immediately got up to leave. What a joke, the injured saved your life, not mine. With such a dangerous operation as opening the chest and the family¡¯s attitude like this, they still expect me to intervene? I¡¯m not foolish! There was no registration, no ambnce to the hospital, no rule that doctors can¡¯t refuse treatment, so he wouldn¡¯t! Two orc warriors reflexively blocked the door. Garrett stopped, his expression stern: "What? Did I kill the man? ¡ªLet me through!" The two warriors stood frozen, refusing to move. Garrett snorted, turning his body halfway, with Bernard ready to step forward. Just then, from the depths of the room, a shrill cry rang out: "His heart has stopped beating!" Cardiac arrest? So soon?! Garrett suddenly turned back. The old orc, trembling and wavering, suddenly pulled out the dagger from the injured¡¯s chest, then shed his own chest. One cut, two cuts, three cuts, blood gushing forth. Immediately after, a burst of illusory blood rain sprayed directly from his chest onto the injured. Garrett quickly cast a life observation spell. The injured ¡¯s breath briefly strengthened, then quickly weakened again. Amidst the cat-woman¡¯s desperate pleas and the warriors¡¯ roars, the old orc copsed to the ground, helplessly shaking his head. "You treat him! ¡ªIt¡¯s not your fault if you can¡¯t cure him!" The golden-haired orc finally called out. Garrett stepped back to the injured¡¯s side, bent down to take a look, and directed everyone to lift him onto a table, reaching for the dagger... "Boss, you can¡¯t cut through." Bernard calmly reminded him from behind. Garrett silently took a deep breath, then another deep breath... Then, with a p of his space bag, the silver skeleton given to him by Mage Edgar flew out, assembling itself piece by piece. The room fell suddenly silent. From behind Garrett, an orc whispered: "He really is a Necromancer..." Garrett had no time to bother with that guy. He quickly disinfected the patient¡¯s chest with iodine, wiped it, poured alcohol, wiped it again. The silver skeleton stepped forward, and Garrett handed it the dagger, casually casting [Enchanted Weapon] on it. Then, very proficiently, he stepped back to take the position of an assistant from the caster¡¯s direction. This time, he finally didn¡¯t have to stand in the position of a surgical nurse, which was a relief. The silver skeleton, holding the dagger, made a cut. Time was of the essence, and there was no room for fine work; the cut directly opened the chest, and four [Enhanced Mage Hands] appeared, two on each side, pulling the ribcage apart. Amidst the grating sound that made one¡¯s teeth ache, arge, bright red heart, the size of two fists, quickly appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes. The orc warriors crowded around to see. The silver skeleton made another cut on the heart¡¯s surface. Garrett yelled, "Back off¡ª" No one listened. Each one, as if their lives depended on it, pressed forward, eager to get a clearer view. However, as this cut was made, the pericardium split open, and a column of dark red blood surged up, spraying the ceiling instantly! Chapter 364: Kill That Necromancer... No, The Miracle Doctor! The screams were horrific! Of the six orcs that crowded around, four of them screamed on the spot, fell backwards, and crashed to the ground. The cat-woman closed her eyes tightly and fainted without a sound. Only the leading golden-haired orc had the courage not to faint or fall. His only reaction was to stand dumbfounded under the shower of blood, mouth agape, letting the blood stter into his mouth without moving an inch... Walking through the world, who doesn¡¯t get cut? These orcs had all been on the battlefield, but honestly, beheading people, chopping off arms, or even biting through the throat to pull out the trachea on the battlefield was never this horrifying. Didn¡¯t you see the knights of the Radiant Church being shed in the throat amid the ck fog earlier, bleeding all over the ce while the onlookers merely gasped a couple of times? But, but... This was different! This was about saving someone! The priest who had just been casting healing magic now summoned a skeleton, sliced open the chest, cut through the rib cage, and opened up the heart! Blood spurted out instantly! If not for the room being designed for orcs and barbarians with a particrly high ceiling, the blood could have sprayed onto the rafters! The orcs instinctively scattered. The four who had fallen to the ground didn¡¯t bother getting up; they just pushed themselves backward with their hands on the ground. In the back, a youngster, out of sheer terror, even ran out of the room:"Help¡ª" Garrett paid them no mind. Let the blood reach the ceiling, so be it. The carotid artery burst, the aorta burst, the heart was cut open¡ªsurgeries in the hospital happen all year round, and every year blood ends up on the ceiling. Sprayed onto the surgical lights, sizzling from the heat, staining the entire surgical field red¡ª Still, the surgery must continue! He expertly stepped back to avoid the blood shower and immediately rushed forward. Looking down, he saw that the heart had not resumed beating. Without hesitation, he reached into the patient¡¯s chest. His right hand, already scrubbed with iodine and alcohol, directly grasped the heart outside the pericardium and squeezed forcefully. Once, twice, three times! Releasing his hand, the heart, which had previously stopped, began to beat on its own again. Garrett watched the heart intently. Direct heart resuscitation, though a clinical surgery essential and included in the licensure examination sybus, had only been performed by him twice in his past life as an emergency doctor. No other reason, this surgery tested one¡¯s courage too much! Recalling now, the feeling of the heart beating against his palm as if it was still touching it. The heart of this orc was much stronger than any he had handled in his previous life, beating vigorously¡ª Good, if the heart muscle was weak, he would have had to search everywhere for adrenaline or inject sodiumctate directly into the ventricle, but now, he just needed to find the damage on the heart, repair it, and then simply close up the chest! Garrett let out a sigh of relief. He nced at the patient¡¯s face to see if the color had improved, difficult to judge given his unfamiliarity with orc skin tones, but the breathing had resumed. Lifting the eyelid with a Mage Hand, he noticed the pupil beginning to constrict, clearly improving. Now, it was time to repair the heart. Garrett took out a shadowlessmp from his spatial bag, held up by an enhanced Mage Hand. The dazzling white light instantly illuminated the operating table and the beating heart in front of everyone, revealing every detail. Ah...fortable. This is the lighting a surgery should have! Garrett adjusted the shadowlessmp with a Mage Hand, then looked down again, carefully observing the heart. The pericardial tamponade was severe, a rupture in the heart was certain, the question was howrge and deep it was, and, exactly how many cuts there were... What was the anatomical structure of an orc heart? How many atria and ventricles? What was the blood cirction path? Were there tricuspid and bicuspid valves? Garrett spected while observing. Meanwhile, the elderly minotaur-like priest shakily got up and moved closer to the table: "This... why is the wound even bigger now?!" He had barely kept the life hanging by a thread! He had almost exhausted his healing magic, even resorting to the desperate measure of a blood sacrifice ritual, and just when things seemed to be looking up, he looked again¡ª First, he saw a big skeleton, then looking beyond the skeletal frame, what was going on, the entire chest was opened up! It was just a small cut before! "Don¡¯t speak!" Garrett didn¡¯t lift his head from focusing on the heart. Theck of a professional operating room meant dealing with family members, non-professionals, and irrelevant people moving around and asking questions... Asking questions was one thing, but don¡¯t spray saliva! Infection, infection! However, Garrett couldn¡¯t spare the effort to send them away. The heart he had manually revived was now beating at a rate of eighty to ny beats per minute, oozing fresh blood with every pulse. A spurt here, another spurt there... There! The rupture was on the right atrium! But it was unclear how deep it was, whether the septum between the chambers was also damaged. In his previous life, Garrett would have used a professional probe for examination, but now he had to make do: Mage tricks! A slender stick appeared in his hand. Primitive, rough, but conjured from thin air and thus dust-free¡ªmeaning it was sterile. Holding his breath, Garrett used the newly created probe to explore the tear in the heart. "0.5cm... 1cm... 1.5cm..." As he probed, he estimated the size of the heart, observed the positions and numbers of surrounding blood vessels, and gauged the general structure of the heart. Good, it didn¡¯t seem to have prated through; simple stitching would suffice¡ª Wait, no needle and thread! Cast a healing spell! A soft white light emanated from Garrett¡¯s palm. Healing minor injuries, minor injuries, minor injuries... Ineffective! Each time it seemed to heal a bit, but as the heart muscle contracted and rxed, it tore open again! Damn, was this challenging the high difficulty of thoracic surgery, stitching continuously while the heart beats non-stop? Garrett gritted his teeth in frustration. Timing the heart¡¯s beating rhythm, he cast two [Healing Minor Injuries] in quick session, finally sealing the tear on the heart¡¯s surface. After observing for a moment to ensure it wasn¡¯t bleeding again, he took out saline to rinse. "Holy water..." The old priest trembled as he held up a bottle. Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up: Holy water! Excellent! Infections are the biggest fear in major open-chest surgeries! It¡¯s hard for medicines to reach inside the pericardium, but rinsing with holy water could save so much trouble! Even so, he first thoroughly rinsed with saline to check for active bleeding, then applied the holy water. Old habits die hard; he couldn¡¯t be at ease without a thorough rinse... The holy water produced by the orc priest was different from what Garrett had seen before; it wasn¡¯t pale gold but rather a vivid red, resembling blood. Holding it, Garrett almost thought he was seeing a health potion from his past life¡¯s games materialize before him. But the effect was simr. As soon as the holy water was applied, the cut on the pericardium began to close and heal. Garrett took the opportunity to cast another healing spell, watching as the pericardium healedpletely, then mixed the second bottle of holy water with saline. When he followed the medical team to the battlefield, they had conducted experiments. Rinsing the chest cavity with a mixture of holy water and saline at a 1:1000 ratio provided the best anti-infection effect. And it was economical! After rinsing, Garrett, once affiliated with the Thunder Horn, naturally still couldn¡¯t control water flow. Fortunately, he was no longer the same as before; he didn¡¯t need to ask someone to lift the patient to drain the water, simply inserting a drainage bottle and letting the saline flow out on its own. As the fluid in the chest cavity decreased, Garrett focused, preparing to use four [Enhanced Mage Hands] to realign the ribcage. Just as he was about to remove the drainage vine, amotion erupted outside, the loudest being a voice with a cry in its tone: "Right! It¡¯s here! That Necromancer! Cutting into hearts aaahhh¡ª" "Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯re here!" Heavy footsteps thundered in. Garrett didn¡¯t need to look up to see the operating table and the floor tremble, along with the patient¡¯s ribcage. Without a second thought, he called out: "Bernard!" With a loud crash, the barbarian¡¯s bone club collided with some unknown weapon. The force of the impact sent dust flying, cracking the floor on the spot: "My boss is not a Necromancer!" But Bernard was only one person; he could block one but not a group. Another thud followed as the silver skeleton turned, its arms automatically transforming into bone des, shing mid-air with another weapon, evenly matched. "Still saying he¡¯s not a Necromancer!" Garrett quickly grabbed a saline-soaked gauze, covering the patient¡¯s chest cavity. He then took a moment to look up, seeing a group of dwarf warriors storming in, each with a fierce demeanor, wielding either giant axes or hammers. At their center, one had a hammer glowing with white light... The golden-haired orc turned to face them. Garrett¡¯s fellow dwarf, Gavin, raised his voice in support: "Who¡¯s killing whom?" "We¡¯re saving someone!" "He¡¯s not a Necromancer!" "He¡¯s an envoy from the Magic Council, treated my grandfather..." The orcs and dwarfs outdid each other in volume. The silver skeleton retreated, Bernard put away his bone club to cover the rear, and Garrett hurriedly bent down, seizing the opportunity to close the chest¡ª [Enhanced Mage Hands]! Pull the ribcage together! Align the bones! Twist wires¡ªno, cast healing spells! Healing Minor Injuries! Healing Minor Injuries! Healing Minor Injuries! Locate, repair small blood vessels, nerves! Heal the muscles! Layer byyer, ah no, heal the chest wallyer byyer with healing spells! m those healing spells! By the time he was mostly done, leaving only the skin to be stitched, the patient groaned in pain, waking up. He lifted his head, saw the bloody mess on his chest, and with a wave of agony, cked out again. But that was enough to bolster Garrett¡¯s confidence. He raised his voice: "Hey, over there! The patient just woke up!" The golden-haired orc immediately turned and rushed over. Bending down, he saw the patient¡¯s chest closed, and stood there dumbfounded. Behind him, the dwarfs all rushed over, moring to see: "He¡¯s alive! The man¡¯s alive!" "Really alive!" "Survived a stab to the heart..." "Blood sprayed to the ceiling and still saved..." "A miracle doctor!!!" Chapter 365: The Unexpected Gain of Miracle Doctor Garrett It must be said, when orcs decide to show their generosity, they truly go all out. Assured that their kin had survived, the golden-haired orc was ready to stuff a gem-encrusted golden bracelet directly into Garrett¡¯s hands. Seeing Garrett step back and wave his hand indicating he didn¡¯t want it, the orc then proceeded to remove his headpiece, neckwear, and belt... Golden and weighty, a small mountain of gold piled up on the operating table. Garrett: "...Big spender!" Still, he shook his head. Honestly, gold and such didn¡¯t really interest him. If possible, could he examine this group of orcs and take some records? This was his first encounter with orcs, after all... Garrett pondered how to articte this. The golden-haired orc had already wiped his hand across a bone ring, and the operating table suddenly shone brilliantly, now stacked with gems. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, crystal, agate,piszuli... If he were a conventional mage, he would already be ecstatic by now. These gems, regardless of their value, were mostly precious spellcasting materials. Used for cutting, setting, and storing spells, they could easily create a bunch of magical artifacts. Yet Garrett remained uninterested. His gaze casually swept over the pile of gems and indifferently turned towards the door. The golden-haired orc shrugged and continued to pull things out of the bone ring. Various bone shards, sharp teeth, dried fruit petals, and all sorts of oddities piled up half the table. Garrett¡¯s gaze swept over them, and he suddenly leaped onto the operating table, grabbing a small gray ball: "Where did thise from? How many do you have?!" Rarely did something catch Garrett¡¯s interest, prompting the golden-haired orc to take it seriously, frowning in thought. After a long moment, he couldn¡¯t remember, so he took it from Garrett¡¯s hand, squeezed it, and the small gray ball turned out to be somewhat stic, squishing a bit.The orc squeezed again, and suddenly, a cold light flicked from his fingertips, slicing the small ball in half to reveal its gray solid inside. "That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right!" Garrett grew more excited: "That¡¯s what I want! How many do you have? I¡¯ll buy as many as you have!" "Not sure which merchant caravan brought it over," the golden-haired orc looked up in thought. "I don¡¯t know where to buy it. Hey, you guys, look around, bring out everything you have!" The orcs began to search noisily. Meanwhile, the pile of gold and gems, shining brightly on the operating table, was ignored by both Garrett and the golden-haired orc. However, the dwarf guard was quite curious, even the sight of blood on the floor couldn¡¯t deter them froming forward to peek. "Hey, I¡¯ve seen this thing!" The leading guard suddenly eximed. "Over at the market! There¡¯s a very small shop! In the corner! I¡¯ve seen these things!" Arge group set out in a grand procession. The further they went, the more secluded it became, yet paradoxically, more people crowded around, poking their heads in, pointing and whispering: "Is this the guy?" "He¡¯s alive? He actually walked out on his own?" "Had a knife stuck in his heart just a moment ago!" "I heard... the entire chest was opened up... blood sprayed to the ceiling..." "Which miracle doctor treated him... that human in the middle! Doesn¡¯t look like it? I think it doesn¡¯t look like it, but he¡¯s the only human..." Garrett tried not to listen to these whispers. He followed the dwarfs, winding left and right, until they finally reached a small shop. Two children were squatting at the entrance, throwing simr gray balls to the ground, which bounced up with each throw. Garrett¡¯s eyes lit up at the sight of the balls. The golden-haired orc sized him up, called out to the shopkeeper, and grandly waved his hand: "I¡¯ll buy all of these!" "Wow¡ª" Miracle Doctor Garrett suddenly realized, his fame had spread. ¡ªThanks to the orc who ran through the market screaming for help, attracting the dwarf guard, at least half the people in the market heard about "a Necromancer cutting open chests and hearts"; When the treatment was over, and the patient was awakened, fully recovered, and walked out, the rumor became "a miracle doctor who can open chests and hearts and still save people"; By the time Garrett left the market and returned to the trade delegation, the dwarfs seeking him out were looking for the "miracle doctor who could bring back the dead". Garrett: "..." I¡¯m not, I didn¡¯t, stop spreading rumors! "Miracle Doctor, please look at my arm, I can¡¯t use it at all !" "Miracle Doctor, my child, cries all night long..." "Miracle Doctor, my father¡¯s cough is getting worse... he can¡¯t breathe at night..." "Cough, cough, cough, cough..." Garrett watched as the line from the entrance of the trade delegation¡¯s residence stretched all the way to the Mithril District¡¯s gate, feelingplex emotions. Other spellcasters passing by the trade delegation¡¯s residence felt equallyplex... The trade delegation¡¯s residence was located in the smallest yet most exquisite Mithril District, also known as the Arcane District. As the name implies, most residents in this area were spellcasters. There were dwarf mages, enchanters specializing in enchanting equipment, jewelers cutting and engraving magic into gems, and various mages, sorcerers, priests, and professionals from afar staying temporarily... The only rarity was healers. Dwarf priests, who participated inbor, mined, forged, and fought toprehend the teachings of the Father God. Thus, they were mostly scattered in the Mining, Forging, and Military Districts, using their divine magic to aid their kin. Therefore, dwarfs had little reason to visit the Mithril District under normal circumstances. The Mithril District rarely saw adults crying, children shouting, and the spectacr sight of a long queue of the sick and wounded. With a creak, at the end of the long street, another door opened wide. Four priests in ck robes, wearing white scarves, filed out and stood in two rows outside the door. Among them, a white-robed priest emerged: "The Radiant Lord¡¯s holy light shines upon mankind, driving away all suffering. Those afflicted, merely by chanting Our Lord¡¯s holy name, can receive healing..." He sped his hands in front of his chest, then spread his arms towards the sky. To his left and right, the four ck-robed priests bowed their heads and prayed together: "Let the Lord¡¯s radiance shine upon them, and their ailments will be far removed. Theme straighten their legs, the blind open their eyes, the paralyzed stand up, and leprosy is cleansed. All the sick are restored to health..." Light rain, like twinkling stars, fell around them. Passersby touching the light rain felt lighter, alleviating their ailments. The crowd stirred. Soon, several dwarfs left the queue and tentatively moved towards them. "They¡¯re stealing your business!" Gavin, who had escorted Garrett back, poked his side and whispered: "Should I tell everyone to ignore them?" "Why bother." Garrett smiled and shook his head: "Let them be treated if they wish. It¡¯s good if more people can be healed. With so many people, I couldn¡¯t manage alone anyway." Garrett discussed with the mages for a moment and decided to set up a separate room at the entrance for treatment. Garrett sat in the center of the consultation room, with Bernard as his assistant. As for Gavin, he simply ran to the entrance and started maintaining order and calling patients for Garrett. If you didn¡¯t consider that he was a dwarf and a male dwarf at that, Gavin was actually doing a pretty good job as a nurse calling numbers... Soon, Mage Simond, returning from his stroll, also set up a table and enthusiastically joined the treatment team. --------------- Chapter 366: Magic Hands Seal Rings Garrett Nordmark devoted an entire afternoon to healing, expending 20% of his mental energy, before dering the day¡¯s treatmentsplete. Thank heavens, the earth, and the well-known rules of this world. A caster¡¯s spells are limited daily, and rest is required for their restoration. No one forces overtime on healers, nor would it be effective... So, by dinner time, when Garrett packed up his stall and announced the end of the healing for the day, there were noints. After hastily consuming a couple of bites of his meal, he took his earnings for the day and knocked on Archmage Serrano¡¯s door. "Come in!" As Garrett pushed the door open, he immediately stepped back out and encased himself in a bubble spell¡ªthe room was filled with smoke, a mix of grey and white, with the chandelier¡¯s Tyndall effect very pronounced. How many people had been meeting here, and how much had they smoked! Unbearable! But he had to bear it. Stepping inside with the bubble spell still on, the room was indeed full of people, smoke swirling everywhere, and the light making everyone¡¯s faces look ghostly. Archmage Serrano nced at Garrett and casually pointed: "Sit. ¡ª What brings you here?" "Uh, should Ie backter?" Garrett looked around. The tension was palpable, clearly indicating a difficult meeting, enough to make a group of old men smoke desperately. His minor issue seemed out of ce now."Since you¡¯re here, sit and listen," Archmage Serrano instructed casually. Having had a good impression of Garrett from their interactions over the past few days, he didn¡¯t mind letting this fourth-level mage join the meeting. With a wave of his hand, a gentle breeze pushed Garrett to a seat on the side. Just as he settled down, a bald mage mmed the table: "Those stubborn stones! Utterly inflexible, not willing to budge an inch! We¡¯ve given them explosives, no need to dig with picks, just drag it out, and yet, they demand a high price!" "Let them drink themselves to death!"ined another mage. "Every exchange, we have enough to buy food, but they insist on buying alcohol! And strong liquor at that! If each person drank one less sip, we could mine ten pounds less ore!" "Can¡¯t the mines be improved? Or, use something to make hauling easier? Magic golems?" "Are you joking? That¡¯s too expensive! Better to increase the purchase price!" The mages bickered amongst themselves. Suddenly, Archmage Serrano remembered something and turned to ask: "Harry, that thing you mentionedst time¡ª" He mimicked a back-and-forth motion. Harry, the mage, shook his head: "That won¡¯t work. Fun to make, but leaks too much for real work. I¡¯ve tried tree gum, hemp rope,cquer, either they don¡¯t work or they break too quickly." Garrett listened intently and suddenly felt inspired: "What were you referring to?" "You don¡¯t know?" Harry turned to him with a strange look: "I remember your mage tower also used this, Novak even published a paper¡ª" With a gesture, a phantom appeared, filling the entire coffee table. Garrett recognized it immediately: A steam engine! Specifically, a reciprocating steam engine. He had set up one in the mage tower for electricity. Using it as a power source to pull mining carts up from the mines was indeed a good method. If it could be widely adopted, it would save the dwarves muchbor, and they wouldn¡¯tin about working too much without an increase in ie... But the efficiency of steam engines was low. As Harry had said, most of the steam leaked out. The adhesion of hemp andcquer was headache-inducing, almost like working and leaking simultaneously, requiring constant maintenance and sealing. To achieve proper sealing, only a transmutation mage could do it directly with their shaping ability. ? This method, while feasible for a mage to experiment with, wasughably expensive for industrial production. Fortunately, that afternoon, he had made an unexpected discovery¡ª "Look at this!" Garrett presented something he had just purchased. A bunch of grey balls of various sizes, from asrge as a fist to as small as a thumb, slightly stic. Immediately, the mages¡¯ attention was drawn: "Oh, rubber balls. What about them?" Seemingly useless. Fresh from the tree and not yet dried, they could be coated on cloth or the exterior of shoes to make raincoats and boots. Once dried, aside from being carved into balls for children¡¯s y, they were pointless... "Why not try mixing them with sulfur?" "How should we try? Heat it?" "Uh... probably...?" Poor Garrett knew nothing beyond "vulcanization." The ratio of rubber to sulfur, whether heating was necessary, the temperature needed, the requirement for a catalyst, or if it needed to be in a solvent, he had no clue... He wasn¡¯t a chemical engineer! Fortunately, among those present, aside from Archmage Serrano, there were two transmutation mages. The three of them each took a rubber ball, added sulfur, and experimented in various ways. In the void, tiny specks constantly tumbled. Grey rubber and pale yellow sulfur were kneaded together by invisible hands, with mes, lightning, and various energies crisscrossing. Some produced ck smoke, some mes, others turned into fine sand. Garrett watched, silently admiring: Mages are indeed the prime movers of production, with a talent for hands-on chemical reactions he currentlycked... The three mages tried over a dozen methods. If one didn¡¯t work, they tried another, and then another. Sulfur was readily avable, and the rubber balls were contributed by Garrett, ready to be squandered. Soon, Harry eximed in surprise: "It¡¯s changed! It¡¯s softened!" He summoned a mage hand to knead the softened rubber within a force field. After feeling it for a while, he suddenly pped his spatial bag, pouring out a steam engine half the height and length of a person. The rubber freely changed shape, suddenly flying up and firmly adhering to the steam engine. Garrett hadn¡¯t even reacted when the sound of rushing water was followed by rising mes. The steam engine roared to life, steam rolling, and began operating! The mages fell silent again. It was clear that the sulfur-added rubber balls, with their sticity, density, and heat resistance, were quite suitable for use as sealing material for steam engines. The only question now was how long they wouldst. And... "How much of this material do we have?" Garrett tipped a corner of his spatial bag, pouring out numerous balls of various sizes, quickly piling up half a square meter on the coffee table. He shrugged: "That¡¯s all there is. I bought out the entire store." Such seemingly useless items being brought to the dwarf capital was a coincidence... Regardless, with suitable materials found, a n was formed. After two days and nights of continuous testing, the mages could confirm: Rubber as a sealing material was far superior to the previousbination ofcquer and hemp rope. That settled it. Natural rubber could be imported inrge quantities. While others were unaware of its use, it was time to stock up! Stock up! Thus, when negotiations resumed, Archmage Serrano mmed the table, upromising: "The price of ore cannot be lowered! ¡ª If necessary, we¡¯ll provide a batch of power to help you haul the ore out! Right, we¡¯ll order a batch of machines like this..." Steam engines could now be imported in bulk! Perfect for cing orders! The craftsmanship of the dwarves was still trustworthy! Perfect! --------------- Chapter 367: Agreement Reached, Heading Home Soon? In all fairness, the Dwarf Kingdom had no desire to export so much mithril if it weren¡¯t for the financial deficit. ¡ªMithril requires divine magic for smelting! A piece of mithril the size of a palm consumes the divine magic of a high-order priest above level ten, along with five or six mid-level priests, for an entire day! Without the need to smelt mithril, such divine magic could be used to cure diseases, heal wounds, care for pregnant women and infants, benefiting countless n members. Even if no one was ill, using it to forge weapons and armor could bring them closer to the Father God, right? If it weren¡¯t for the sheer exhaustion from massive ore mining, they wouldn¡¯t have been so desperate to negotiate prices! Thus, when Archmage Serrano proposed the n, the dwarves quickly agreed to see a sample. The Dwarf King¡¯s city was situated within a mountain, and not far from the civilian districty the extensive mining tunnels. Finding a spot to test the steam engine was hardly an inconvenience. But, even with the steam engine, wouldn¡¯t other equipment need to be custom-made first? Garrett followed down into the mine, bewildered. Then, he watched as Harry, with a sh of light, deployed the steam engine, whichnded heavily on the ground. Immediately after, Harry pointed to the pre-delivered copper and iron ingots piled nearby... The metal blocks transformed on the spot into gears, bearings, levers, and various parts. Harry directed the dwarves to pick them up one by one for on-site assembly, fitting everything perfectly together! Even having witnessed great figures handcraft mercury rectifiers, Garrett was still overwhelmed by the spectacle. It wasn¡¯t until the steam engine pulled the mining carts up the slope with nking sounds that he began to grasp the enormity:...The capabilities of transmutation mages are simply unscientific! The dwarves began their calctions. A single steam engine working at full capacity was equivalent to at least 20 dwarves, tirelessly hauling ore up the slope all day. Moreover, it could work both day and night, meaning it could free fifty or sixty dwarves from the tedious life of transporting ore... And it only required one person to oversee! The fire came from natural magma, and water was drawn from snow outside the caverns. The overseer only needed to maintain and asionally clear the boiler¡¯s base! This was far easier than dragging heavy mining carts up from the depths along tracks. By this calction, even if the production of mithril ore increased twentyfold, thebor exerted by the dwarves would not increase but actually be much easier. This deal was worth making! The sturdy hand of a dwarf elder immediately grasped Harry¡¯s, shaking it vigorously: "This is excellent!" Negotiations progressed swiftly. The dwarves would exert less effort for the same amount of money, plus they received additional orders¡ªthe trade delegation provided processing dimensions for 20 steam engines and promised future orders¡ªleaving them overjoyed. The ie from these orders was instantly converted into purchase orders for grain, ale, and wine. Just before the Dwarf King¡¯s 400th birthday, a preliminary agreement was reached. ording to the dwarf elder presiding over the negotiations, this agreement only needed the Elder Council¡¯s approval and the King¡¯s endorsement to be ratified. The Elder Council of the Dwarf Kingdom,posed of seven elders overseeing different affairs, typically wouldn¡¯t interfere excessively with agreements made by the trade elder, with only minor adjustments to certain uses at most; and with the King being 400 years old, he was unlikely to intervene much... Thus, the negotiation was considered a sess! Huzzah! They could soon return home! With such joy, the mages attended the King¡¯s 400th birthday feast, their spirits lifted by the festive asion. Even with the Radiant Church¡¯s guests just two tables away, the mages simply averted their gaze, choosing to ignore the unwee sight. ¡ªAfter all, there was plenty to see in the bustling scene, no need to lock eyes with those they disliked! Garrett sat at the table, looking around in awe. Having held a free clinic in the mithril district for seven or eight days, he had gained considerable fame, and now, half of the dwarves passing by nodded and smiled at him. If not for Garrett¡¯s foresight in casting ¡¾Mage Armor¡¿on himself, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand such fervor. A golden-haired orc, attending the banquet as an envoy and whom he had saved, even brought the canine orc he had rescued to offer a toast. Garrett: "¡­There¡¯s no need¡­" The Dwarf King¡¯s birthday feast was livelier and noisier than any human gathering. In the cavernous hall, over two to three hundred long tables were set up, hosting thousands of guests in cheer and uproar. The din of shouts,ughter, and apuse echoed under the dome, creating a buzzing resonance that was overwhelmingly loud. Yet, the robust voice of a dwarf bard could not be drowned out: "The body of the giant at the ck Gate, Crafted the vastnds; His bones became the mountains, His skull melted into the azure sky. From his arm marrow, dwarves emerged, Gnomes sprouted from his finger marrow. The especially strong femur, Gave birth to the barbarian brothers¡­" Dwarves, humans, orcs, and barbarians gathered under the dome. Garrett guarded his te listlessly, facing a wooden gobletrger than his head, with no appetite. The feast wasvish, with steaming pies filled with sheep offal, beer-braised pork ribs, smoked deer meat, and at least three different colored blood sausages... But after this journey, he had grown weary of such fare. He craved vegetables... he missed fruits... Why hadn¡¯t he brought more fruit cans before leaving? No, why hadn¡¯t he developed fruit cans while at the mage tower? "Bernard, it¡¯s all yours..." Garrett pushed his te aside. As the bard moved on to the third song, cheers suddenly intensified. The seven elders entered in procession, followed by the white-bearded Dwarf King, who greeted guests with a smile and a wave as he walked. Garrett strained to see. At 400 years old, the Dwarf King resembled a centenarian in human terms, with sagging skin, thinning hair, and many age spots. Yet, his steps through the aisle remained firm, ascending the stairs without needing assistance, indicating his past as a formidable warrior. The King took his seat on the throne, elevated above Garrett and visible to all guests. Then, he lifted a golden helmet filled with wine above his head: "Thank you, dear guests, for attending my birthday feast! After today, the selection for a new king will begin, and I will follow tradition, passing the crown to the new king!" Garrett: "...What?" Does our agreement still stand? Can we sign tomorrow? --------------- The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 368: The Dwarf Kingdom’s Selection for a New King Garrett swiftly turned his head to look at Archmage Serrano, who was seated at the head of the long table, close to the throne, intently observing the Dwarf King. After a while, he lowered his head and gently tapped his wine ss. "We might have to stay a bit longer," the Archmage¡¯s voice softly reached Garrett¡¯s ear, causing him to hang his head in dismay. Great, we can¡¯t go back right away. Staying longer, he would start to run low on vitamins... Silently, Garrett pulled out a small bottle and poured a mixture into his bowl¡ªwhat was supposed to be a vitamin C supplement but ended up as a failed attempt, aposite fruit and vegetable powder. Filling half the bowl, he stirred it with some soup and gulped it down in one go. Luckily, he was prepared! Fortunately, whatever he concocted, he always kept some in reserve! If he had only stored sodium ascorbate without the fruit and vegetable powder, he would surely becking vitamins A, B, and D now... "Right, how long are we staying? Isn¡¯t the Dwarf Kingdom supposed to pass the crown to the prince?" "Shush!" Harry, the mage, put a finger to his lips, signaling Garrett to be quiet, and then whispered to him:"The Dwarf Kingdom doesn¡¯t work like that..." Unlike humans, the Dwarf Kingdom¡¯s session wasn¡¯t simply a matter of the son automatically seeding the father. In fact, each time the throne was to be passed on, all seven ns of the kingdom would nominate candidates. These candidates would thenpete in a series of challenges in front of everyone, following n traditions to determine the winner. "Wait, which seven ns?" Garrett interrupted quietly. Harry gave him a reproachful look: "How did you study the material when you came?" Garrett shrank back. Could he admit that he had skimmed through the material hastily, focusing mainly on the physical conditions of dwarves and their medical histories? "The seven ns are divided into threerge and four small. Thergest, residing within the royal court, is the Firehammer n, the current king¡¯s n," Harry exined in a low voice, nodding towards the direction of the throne: "Look, the first candidate is stepping forward." A dwarf with a reddish-brown beard stood up from the table nearest to the throne and ascended the steps. He turned his back to the king, standing two steps below the throne, and raised his hands to the crowd. Cheers erupted instantly: "Rosgar! Rosgar! Glory Hammer!" "Oh, that¡¯s the current king¡¯s third son, 163 years old this year," Harry whispered to Garrett: "He once led his people to explore the Haifdan mines, discovering the best vein of mithril in recent years and killing a me demon deep within the mines. See that smooth spot on his cheek without a beard? That¡¯s a burn from the me demon." 163 years old. Garrett grimaced at the age: The body he inhabited since crossing over wasn¡¯t even half that age. Even by human standards, the Glory Hammer was in his prime, around 40 years old¡ªperfect or perhaps even a bit young to be a kingdom¡¯s leader. The second candidate also rose to his feet. The cheers in the hall were even louder than for the dwarf prince: "Ingvar! Ingvar! Axe of the Army!" "Oh, that¡¯s the son of the Steelhammer n elder, vicemander of the ¡¯Rock Goat Knights¡¯ in the Dwarf King¡¯s city," Harry seemed well-prepared, continuing his relentlessmentary: "At 42, he single-handedly slew a wyvern, and at 45, he reached the summit of Serah Peak, offering a battle-axe he forged himself to the gods. It is said that he received the blessing of the dwarf god..." As he spoke, the third candidate stood up, receiving much less apuse. Harry shrugged: "Max from the Silverbeard n. This n is the most closely aligned with mystical forces and has the highest proportion of casters among the dwarves, but it¡¯s small in numbers. Only these three ns reside within the royal court." A n for governance, one for battle, and another for casting. Garrett calcted in his mind: This was a stable triangr power structure. As for this selection, it seemed to be a contest mainly between the first two, with the casters likely just making up the numbers... Four more candidates stood up one after another. The cheers in the hall dwindled, clearly indicating that these four dwarves, hailing from ns outside the local area,cked fame here. There was one exception. When Kai from the ckrock n stepped onto the stairs, the hall erupted in cheers almost surpassing those for the dwarf prince. "ckrock n? They are the adventurers among dwarves, constantly roaming mountains, hills, and wastnds in search of various ore veins," Harry¡¯s eyes sparkled: "I¡¯ve heard of this Kai, the most famous prospector in recent years. They say his nickname is ¡¯God¡¯s Tongue¡¯..." "Pfft!" Garrett burst intoughter. "What did you think of?" Harry looked at him with puzzled eyes: "That nickname means he can taste the soil and know what kind of ore it is and its grade. It¡¯s a divine skill in prospecting, impossible for others to learn!" ...And he isn¡¯t afraid of ingesting a bellyful of parasites. Garrett silently critiqued. As the seven candidates each took their turn to greet the crowd, the bards began to y a robust melody. Thankfully, Harry continued to trante for Garrett, or else, no matter how many times he refreshed ¡¾Comprehend Languages¡¿, he wouldn¡¯t be able to pick out a single lyric in the choir: "The golden sun lights up the mountains, The great Dwarf King embarks on his journey. With him, six closepanions, Future wise rulers of the six ns. Brave Beor with his battle-axe on his back, Its sharp edge terrifies ghosts and gods. Wise Boreka grasps the long staff, Its gem-lit tip piercing through the forest¡¯s mystery. Wf retrieves the iron bone of the ck Gate, the earth¡¯s treasure, precious ores; Hetan smelts it in the furnace, magma swallowing stones, spewing pure gold; Mighty Fetra summons great strength, striking thousands of times, forging it; Wild Got hunts magical beasts, quenching the cold edge with fresh blood and beast souls. They tame rock goats, climbing mountains and ridges, At the highest peak, under the snow-capped summit, they offer the unparalleled battle-axe to the gods. The supreme Father God descends in joy, He proims: ¡¯He who wields this axe shall be invincible in battle¡¯; The Dwarf King, axe in hand, faces the dragon. The first strike cleaves the dragon¡¯s head; The second shatters its remaining scales. The third clears the poisonous mist, Ensuring evesting peace in the dwarves¡¯ caverns..." The song slowly faded. The Dwarf King, leaning on his heavy golden scepter, stood once more: "Following the kingdom¡¯s tradition, each candidate, with their own team of up to seven, with casters not exceeding level five, will set off in three days. Within a month, they must traverse the path of the ancestors, personally mine, smelt, forge weapons, tame mounts, and climb to the summit on goatback. ¡ªBefore the next full moon arrives, they need to sacrifice the newly forged weapons at the summit to the Father God. Finally, if more than one candidatepletes all these, they will wield their sacrificed weapons and duel under the watchful eyes of the court and the elders. The victor shall be the new king of all dwarves!" Cheers erupted. The dwarves raised their hands high, shouting and jumping ecstatically. Garrett: "...So we¡¯re stuck here for another month?" --------------- Chapter 369: Joining the King Selection Team? Me??? Garrett was utterly bbergasted. It wasn¡¯t the extended stay that troubled him. He could manage the food and amodation; it was the Dwarf Kingdom¡¯s method of selecting their king that left him astonished. He quietly asked Harry the mage: "Do we really start with mining? What if I can¡¯t do it?" Mining, sorting ores, smelting, forging, taming mounts, wilderness survival,bat¡­ The skillset required was vast! Could one person really master all these skills? And why would a king need these skills? In the entire process, it seemed only leading a small team¡ªa team of seven¡ªhad some relevance to ruling a kingdom! Could a king selected this way truly be reliable? Surely there wouldn¡¯t be any issues? And maintaining a friendly rtionship with the Dwarf Kingdom, which selects its king in such a manner, that¡¯s fine for the Magic Council? "How could it not be!" Harry gave him a disdainful look: "Every dwarf learns mining and smelting from a young age, including princes! Only the best miners can learn cksmithing, and only those who can forge their own weapons can be warriors!... Can¡¯t learn? Start learning at 40 and by 80 you¡¯re an adult, what can¡¯t you learn?" Okay¡­ alright¡­The difference between long-lived and short-lived species is real. You have long lives; you can afford to be willful, okay? Garrett took a deep breath and calmed down. Shifting his perspective, this method of selection at least ensured the ruler chosen was grounded. From the people, back to the people¡ªit¡¯s not bad, right? Besides, each race has its own customs that should not interfere with each other. Just like the empresses of Northern Wei who had to forge a golden figure for their coronation... as long as you¡¯re happy... He bowed his head and quietly continued eating. After the banquet, the old king indeed summoned the trade delegation, warmly consoling them and expressing that they had indeed worked hard. Then, the conversation shifted¡ª "However, such an important agreement shouldn¡¯t be finalized by an old man like me. Could I trouble our distinguished guests to wait another month, until the new king is selected, to negotiate with you?" Garrett: "..." I knew it. Returning to the trade delegation¡¯s quarters, he dove back into his research. After treating that orc, Garrett exchanged ideas on bloodline magic with the orc¡¯s elder shaman, gaining a lot of inspiration. His research on blood oxygen monitoring magic was progressing well. He had conducted whole-lungvage experiments on various animals like rabbits, goats, elk, and wild boars, with a sess rate exceeding 90%! He was just one crucial step away frompletion! Once done, clinical trials couldmence! If he left now, where would he find so many patients? Garrett calmly went about his days, treating the dwarves by day¡ªumting case and physiological data, building rtionships, developing a backup patient pool¡ªand conducting animal experiments at night with the rewards from his patients. After finishing the experiments and dissections, he would send the results to the kitchen, ensuring extra meals for the entire trade delegation the next day. Life was bliss. If not for the unforeseen events, he could continue this for another month without tedium. Unfortunately, disasters strike swiftly like a tornado. On the third night, the eve of the selection team¡¯s departure, urgent knocking shattered the delegation¡¯s tranquility. Several high-ranking mages hurried over. About an hourter, they all returned, and then Archmage Serrano personally knocked on Garrett¡¯s door. "What¡¯s up?" Garrett¡¯s hand twitched. Distracted, the tendrils retracted swiftly, and he cried out, rushing towards the operating table: My deer! My deer! Its half-lung was just filled with water! With the vine removed, it¡¯s like unplugging a respirator, and the blood oxygen level drops dramatically! He hastily cast ¡¾Determine Lineage¡¤Modified¡¿, and as expected, the results were dire. Garrett scrambled, patting the back, performing negative pressure drainage, and using ¡¾Powerful Mage Hand¡¿ for CPR,boriously reviving the deer. Casting ¡¾Determine Lineage¡¤Modified¡¿again, a brilliant red light rose, indicating full blood oxygen saturation. A group of mages entered the room, witnessing the chaos. They looked at each other, silently waiting for him to finish. Just as Garrett sighed in relief, Gavyn, brought by the mages, rushed forward: "Garrett, you must help! It¡¯s all up to you now!" "What¡¯s wrong?" Garrett tensed. He grabbed Gavyn¡¯s arm: "Is Master Talbert unwell?¡ªTake me to him immediately!" "No... no, it¡¯s not him." Gavyn shook his head vigorously: "It¡¯s not Grandfather, it¡¯s Jis¡ªno, Rosgar! You must help Rosgar!" Garrett stiffened. Rosgar, that name he had just heard a few days ago because it was unusual, left a deep impression¡ªthe Dwarf King¡¯s third son, the prime candidate in this selectionpetition. He sharply turned to Archmage Serrano, who, stroking his beard, nodded solemnly: "Correct, it¡¯s Prince Jis¡¯spanion, Priest Jis. This afternoon, he was at the Great Furnace performing forging work, praying for divine grace, when an ident urred during the process. A pot of molten steel overturned¡­" "Is it serious? Do I need to help?" Garrett immediately stood up. Archmage Serrano waved his hand: "The person is fine. Though he was saved, the burns are extensive, and the loss is severe. He likely won¡¯t be able to participate in this selection." Oh, saved, that¡¯s good. Though it¡¯s peculiar to head to the Great Furnace for work just before departure, seems like a dwarf thing? Mining, forging, their way of getting closer to God, daily prayers through crafting something? Garrett dismissed his worries and looked at Archmage Serrano, silent, waiting for more. The man was saved, so what now? They wouldn¡¯t havee to me thiste just to have me join the selection team, would they? "Garrett, you must help Rosgar!" Gavyn repeated anxiously: "We¡¯re relying on you now!" ...Indeed. But why me? In the vast Dwarf King¡¯s city, in the vast Firehammer n, can¡¯t find another level four priest? Why turn to me, an outsider, and even Archmage Serrano agrees? Garrett looked towards the Archmage. Before he could ask, Serrano, as if reading his mind, began with a grave tone: "We¡¯ve inspected Priest Jis¡¯s forging site and found... traces of tampering. Moreover, the residual magic at the scene is highly simr to the divine power of the Radiant Lord." "That means..." Go beat them up? Garrett¡¯s words halted at his lips. As expected, Archmage Serrano shook his head: "The evidence is too faint, only detectable by magic, and with the selection imminent, it¡¯s not advisable to start a conflict. As for other priests..." His mouth curved downwards: "Today, the young priests of the Firehammer n held a banquet for Priest Jis¡¯s farewell. Unfortunately, the wine was bad, and most of the priests were incapacitated." So, it might be their doing too? He inquired in a low voice. Archmage Serrano frowned: "Evidence is insufficient for now, it¡¯s premature to conclude. But, firstly, the capable young priests of the Firehammer n were essentially knocked out, and secondly..." Secondly, two idents in a row, both heavily suggesting human intervention. In Archmage Serrano¡¯s view, even just to counterbnce the involvement of the Radiant Church, the mages must take action. "Garrett, we really need your help!" Gavyn pleaded, clutching Garrett¡¯s right hand, nearly pulling him over: "You¡¯re a level four priest and a level four mage, much stronger than a mere priest! Plus, with time so short, we can¡¯t find anyone else. It¡¯s not feasible to seek help from other ns..." "¡ªBut I¡¯m human!" Garrett stated nkly. Could humans even participate in the dwarves¡¯ king selection? Wouldn¡¯t that disqualify them? "No worries, we¡¯re not particr about that." Gavyn waved his hand dismissively: "The Ironbone n often includes barbarians in their team, and the Wildhammer n¡ªthe one on the far east¡ªalways has orcs in their king selection team. No one minds. From mining to forging, candidates must do it themselves. How well the work is done, whether they ck off, everyone sees. If it¡¯s done poorly, it won¡¯t win people over!" Mining? Forging? Garrett¡¯s vision darkened: "I can¡¯t mine! Nor can I forge!" I can¡¯t even tame goats! Climbing mountains, Archmage Carlisle warned me not to when we set off! Joining their team as a sedentary mage, wouldn¡¯t I just be a burden? "Magicians do what magicians do best." Archmage Serrano gestured dismissively: "I¡¯ve discussed it with them, and they all ept. You focus on healing, and if there¡¯s a chance, assist them with magic. That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t have to mine or swing a hammer!" Of course, the price is Bernard mining and hammering for two... Archmage Serrano had reached an agreement with the dwarves on this point. Of course, Bernard could also help Garrett tame goats, apany him on mountain climbs, and ensure his safety. What? Dragons on the mountaintop? The dragons are in the northern part of the ck Gate Mountains, hundreds of kilometers from the royal court, no need to worry about encountering one while climbing... "Just received news." The wooden door creaked open, and Mage Simond entered with a grave expression: "The candidate from the ckrock n, his selection team now includes a priest from the Radiant Lord." --------------- Chapter 370: A Mage’s Approach to Mining—Want to Know How? Garrett was thrust into the selection team, clueless about mining, smelting, or forging. His only skills were in healing and magic, which meant he wouldn¡¯t be of much use unless a teammate got injured. And to ensure his safety, Bernard had to take up an extra slot. Due to these factors, Garrett felt he might not be too wee in the selection team. However, to his surprise, as soon as he and Bernard stepped into the hall, they were greeted with enthusiastic apuse. "Mr. Nordmark!" The Firehammer n¡¯s candidate, the Dwarf King¡¯s third prince, Rosgar, approached first. He greeted Garrett with a sunny smile, and though only reaching up to Garrett¡¯s chest, his handshake was firm yet considerate: "Thank you in advance for your help in theing month!" Garrett shook his hand vigorously. Prince Rosgar¡¯s grip was strong, yet he was careful not to hurt him. Turning to Bernard, he weed him: "Wee!" Garrett resisted the urge to look away. The sight was somewhat pitiful: the Dwarf Prince, barely half as tall as the barbarian Bernard. Their handshake was an awkward affair, with Rosgar having to reach up and Bernard having to stoop down. While they were greeting, Gavyn excitedly introduced Garrett to the others:"This is Fy, the strongest shield warrior of the royal guard, capable of lifting a tower shield with one hand!" Fy, with his face buried in his beard,ughed heartily, weing Garrett: "Mr. Mage, it¡¯s an honor! I¡¯ve heard about your deeds from Gavyn. Being his friend makes you a friend of us all!" "This is Hanna, son of Master Flor. The warriors of the royal city vie for the weapons he forges!" Hanna, craning his neck and straining his ears to listen, turned towards Garrett and extended his hand after a brief pause. His eyes, perhaps used to the re of the forge, squinted slightly as he looked at Garrett. Garrett shook hands with him, speaking louder for rity. Gavyn, amused, then introduced him to another member: "This is Genna, my fianc¨¦e!" "Fianc¨¦e?!" Garrett was taken aback, viewing Gavyn in a new light. "How old are you, buddy?" Considering Master Talbert was 352, and Gavyn his grandson, he must be over a hundred years old! Well, long-lived races have their privileges... Genna stepped forward, proud and defiant: "Surprised?" "Just didn¡¯t know he had a fianc¨¦e," Garrett replied, shaking her hand. Genna matched the men in strength: "Don¡¯t underestimate me because I¡¯m a woman. I can outdo them all in designing and inventing! Mr. Mage, I¡¯ve seen your steam engine and it¡¯s fascinating. May I discuss it with you sometime?" Dwarven women typically engage in textile, cooking, furniture making, and livestock breeding. But Genna refused to be outdone, aspiring to mine and forge like her brothers. Thoughcking their physical strength, she had a knack for mechanics. It was this talent that made Prince Rosgar include her in his team. "Of course!" Garrett enthusiastically agreed: "I¡¯m not skilled in mechanics, just have some ideas. Don¡¯tugh at me, okay?" The team decided to stay at the royal court overnight and set off from there early the next morning. The selection ceremony, a grand event in the Dwarf Kingdom urring only once every few centuries, saw the seven teams lined up at the pce entrance. The candidates took turns drawing lots from a golden casket held by the king. By the time it was Rosgar¡¯s turn, only one lot was left. Standing in the second-tost row, Garrett couldn¡¯t see what they were drawing, only noticing Gavyn eagerly poking the person in front: "Where? Which one?" "Wait till we¡¯re out!" The procession began moving, with the king and elders pouring wine for everyone. Garrett, observing his surroundings, spotted barbarians, the golden-haired orc he¡¯d previously interacted with, and a somewhat familiar priest. Cloaked in ck, with curly brown hair and eyes focused on a holy symbol, he seemed lost in divine conversation. If Garrett¡¯s memory served right, he had seen this priest at an inn while treating a child with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. epting a bowl of wine from the old king, Garrett was relieved it wasn¡¯t strong. Drinking it down, he followed the procession, surrounded by cheering crowds. As they marched through the royal avenue towards the central forge, the route lined with spectators, many recognized Garrett: "Mr. Priest, my son¡¯s fever brokest night!" "Mr. Priest, my father did as you said, and he¡¯s much better!" "Mr. Priest¡­" Finally, reaching the destination and emerging into daylight, the dwarves huddled together. Gavyn was the first to inquire: "Where? Which mine?" "Where are we headed?" Rosgar then exined the method of selecting different mines for each team, ensuring fairpetition. Upon reaching their assigned mine, Rosgar, without hesitation, dove into scouting for the best mining spots. "Let him go alone?" Garrett was stunned by Rosgar¡¯s initiative. Gavyn shrugged: "He¡¯s the best at selecting ores. Let him find the right spot, and we¡¯ll follow. It¡¯s the fastest way." As they settled in and prepared for a long day¡¯s work, Garrett, unused to the dwarves¡¯ robust mining traditions, offered: "What if we try something other than pickaxes for mining?" --------------- Chapter 371: Garrett, Save My Grandfather! He’s in Trouble! What should I do? Garrett watched Prince Rothgar in silence. The flickering firelight reflected on the dwarf¡¯s face, turning it a reddish-brown, nearly the same color as hisrge beard. If it were his previous life, with a top-tier hospital as his backup, his answer would have been straightforward: Go for a lung wash. Based on his previous life¡¯s experience, a full lungvage would increase lung capacity by about 10% after a three-month re-examination¡ª And he would direct the patient to the respiratory department to register for aprehensive check-up:plete blood count, liver function tests, kidney function tests, full coagtion panel, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, ultrasound, CT scan, lung function tests¡­ But now, he had none of that. All these supportive tests, which help doctors rule out contraindications and assist in emergency management during surgery, were virtually unavable to Garrett. After much thought, he asked a different question: "How high is the mountain we¡¯re going to climb?" This question genuinely stumped Prince Rothgar. Dwarves excel at mining, and experienced miners could roughly estimate how deep a mountain could be mined or how much ore could be extracted; but asking them to gauge the height of a mountain, from its base to its peak, was another matter. For mountains they had mined, they had some idea; for those unmined, not so much. The mountain they were to climb for the king-selection event was a sacred mountain to the dwarves, never formally surveyed¡ª"It takes three days to climb." He recalled the stories his father had told him and seriously informed Garrett: "From the base to the peak, it takes three days." Garrett was silent. Who¡¯s asking how many days it takes? I¡¯m asking about the altitude! Altitude sickness can ur above 3,000 meters, causing chest tightness, palpitations, shortness of breath, and in rare cases, developing into high altitude pulmonary edema. Even if he agreed to the surgery and Prince Rothgar epted it, and the surgery was perfectly sessful¡ª If the fluid in the lungs hadn¡¯t been fully absorbed and lung function hadn¡¯t fully recovered before climbing a mountain above 3,000 meters, it would be a death wish! Any respiratory physician from his previous life would have been furious to know a patient was so reckless. But forcing a dwarf was useless. Some things can¡¯t be forced out of desperation, like advanced mathematics, or the exact altitude of a certain mountain. Garrett thought for a moment and changed his question: "Is there snow on the mountain in summer?" "There¡¯s snow." "Permanent snow?" "Right, you can see the snow from the base of the mountain." That meant the mountain was higher than the snow line. The problem was, the snow line isn¡¯t a fixed number; it¡¯s above 5,000 meters in the tropics, but near the Arctic Circle, it could be only 2,000 meters. So, the question now was, where was the dwarven royal court located? Garrett didn¡¯t know thetitude of this ce, only that Nevis City wasn¡¯t very hot in summer nor too cold in winter, with a temperate maritime climate. The dwarven royal court was even further north than Nevis City, so the snow line here was probably around 2,500 meters, unlikely to exceed 3,000 meters¡ª Assuming this ce¡¯s values were simr to Earth¡¯s. "How high is the summer snow on the mountain?" "It¡¯s quiterge." Prince Rothgar gestured with his hands: "You can see it from the base. The elders say, at the hottest time of summer, climbing to the top, you still have to tread on snow for a whole day. Thatst day is tough, not even mountain goats can reach the top, you can only rely on yourself. Every step you take, you¡¯re gasping for breath¡­" After much questioning, Garrett was finally able to confirm that the peak¡¯s altitude was definitely above 3,000 meters, probably not exceeding 4,000 meters¡ªforgive his poor geography. No wonder thest part of the king-selection battle stated, "Thest ones toplete face a battle"! ? A group of dwarves, who had spent years mining and cksmithing, suffering from impaired lung function, carrying weapons to the top under the effects of altitude sickness¡ªsummer might be bearable, but in winter, if one or two managed to survive, it would be considered lucky! Climbing to such a height, the probability of altitude sickness was high. ording to Garrett¡¯s character, or rather, a doctor¡¯s prudence, he treated the unknown as a certainty, assuming altitude sickness would ur. In that case, lung washing and such could be temporarily shelved. Garrett gathered his thoughts and seriously addressed Prince Rothgar: "First of all, these days, you¡¯re not allowed to smoke!" "Oh..." Prince Rothgar regretfully looked at the pipe attached to his waist. After a moment of indecision, he nodded firmly: "Alright!" He removed the pipe, took a deep sniff of the tobo scent, and then stuffed it into his bag. Garrett watched as his short, thick arms reached down, likely pushing the pipe to the very bottom of the backpack, and nodded in approval: "Secondly, if there are any medicines that can help you cough up phlegm, remember to take them every day. Miners¡¯ lungs are not good because of the dust umted in them. The more you can cough out, the better." This was also agreed upon, but when it came to the third point, Prince Rothgar shook his head repeatedly, refusing to agree no matter what: "Me, not forge? Not work in front of the furnace? That¡¯s impossible. The weapons and armor for the selection battle must be crafted by the candidates themselves!" Indeed, this was the rule for selecting a new dwarf king. Whether a prince, the head of the knight¡¯s order, or the chiefs of various tribes, the weapons and armor they used had to be forged by their own hands. Even if there were steam hammers avable, they still had to personally use tongs to ce the iron in the furnace until it was red-hot, then ce it under the hammer. The forge was a bustling ce, where everyone could clearly see each candidate¡¯s performance. Anyone who cked off, even if they advanced, would not be respected. However, stopping exposure to dust was a necessary condition for treating pneumoconiosis. Garrett persuaded back and forth several times, turning the data tables upside down to exin, but Prince Rothgar refused to agree. Left with no other choice, Garrett resorted to an alternative n: "In that case, wear your mask properly when you¡¯re working, and I¡¯ll cast Bubble Shield for you. As soon as the Bubble Shield is about to expire,e find me for a renewal, no cking!" Besides this, Garrett also obtained some expectorant herbs, extracted their oil, and had Prince Rothgar breathe in the vaporized medicinal oil. He himself sat by a water pot, his palms against the pot, emitting ultrasound waves focused on adjusting the wavelength, power, and targeting... The pot bubbled, and a fine mist rose up, which Prince Rothgar inhaled deeply into his lungs. Soon after, he turned and coughed out thick, ck phlegm. With these measures in ce, Prince Rothgar began to feel his breathing gradually improve, and his chest no longer felt constricted. As the steam hammer nged away, shaping the first war hammer, he plunged into the royal court¡¯s nearby pool and managed to swim a dozen meters farther than before. Seeing the prince¡¯s lung function improve, eliminating the immediate need for a risky lung wash surgery, Garrett felt relieved. With the forge¡¯s rhythm, breasttes, shoulder guards, and leg armors took shape, everyone beaming: The progress was rapid! Completing the full set of armor within half a month was possible! Then, he could don the full armor and join the battle for the kingship! Compared to those who had only crafted a weapon or a weapon plus a breastte, wearing full armor naturally offered a huge advantage! Garrett was also happy. His skills had greatly improved, and for five consecutive days, he hadn¡¯t identally killed a single rabbit. The team allocated him arge room, with rabbit cages lined up, twenty rabbits hopping around: Alive! Alive! Eating normally, normal body temperature, and in good spirits! After a few more trials to ensure a 100% sess rate, he could consider moving to clinical trials! Of course, not now. With the mountain climb approaching in two days, he needed to organize his gear. Clothing, tents, food, water¡ªeven if his teammates would prepare, Garrett also wanted to pack a set in his spatial bag! After checking on the rabbits and bidding farewell to his teammates, he returned to the Mithril District¡¯s trade delegation residence to report to Archmage Serrano and discuss obtaining a couple of self-defense items. Oh, and he needed to ask the archmage to prepare a few bottles of oxygen, just in case they needed to breathe oxygen on the high mountain¡­ Just as he was discussing with the archmage, Gavin burst in, sweating profusely: "Garrett! You need toe quick! My grandfather¡¯s in bad shape!" --------------- The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!