A Hospital in Another World?

Since I was urged on, I had to write the thesis quickly. Garrett flipped through the current number of patients admitted, ensuring enough cases could be gathered within half a month, then headed straight to the Sleepless Tower:

First, to find the thesis that modified the "Alleviate Pain" and supplement it; secondly… to distribute the money.

"Distribute money?" Archmage Edgar looked at him astonished from beneath his black hooded cloak, his eyes ghostly like twin orbs of phantom light:

"Why distribute money?"

"Because we made something!" Garrett gestured, sketching out the shape of the pain-relief seal with "Silent Phantom," then thought better of it and dispersed the illusion:

"It's just the modified version of 'Alleviate Pain' that I've used in the clinic. Until now, my clinic was just breaking even, nothing really to share. But now that we've collaborated with the Alchemy Guild and sold it, we definitely have to share the profits!"

Black Crow Swamp had been good to him, opening its databases for his perusal, and he couldn't ignore the favors. No piece of knowledge lacks value; having profited from their knowledge, he ought to share a portion with them!

"But..." Archmage Edgar pulled down his hood, revealing his disheveled hair, and swayed from side to side:

"That mage has been dead for many years, where would you even distribute his share?"

Garrett was stunned. At the time, he had only focused on the content, utterly neglecting to note the author or the publication date. Archmage Edgar nodded solemnly:

"Yes, he's passed away. And no, he hasn't been summoned as a revenant."

Garrett's face twisted momentarily. Is that how you do things in the Black Crow Swamp? Toiling in life, and even after death being pulled from the coffin to continue the research?

Thankfully, the mage himself had a choice. Even if there was a choice, he wouldn't choose Black Crow Swamp!

Let me be done with this life; even reincarnation or crossing into another life would be preferable!

The old man watched his dilemma, leaning back and chuckling softly. After his laugh, he said:

"No need to distribute the money. The knowledge left in the school, and the profits it generates, belong entirely to the school. The small amount you contributed to the Sleepless Tower's funds wouldn't amount to much per mage, better to trade knowledge instead."

"Such as?"

"Such as, how does this pain-relief magic work?"

Garrett thought it over, and it truly was a feasible idea. Sharing knowledge cost him nothing, and could even help alleviate the financial pressures on the hospital.

"That's possible!—How should we trade? A thesis or a lecture? I can do either!"

Archmage Edgar pondered a moment. Every thesis has to be presented before the Lord of Thunder, then entered into the council's public repository. For the Black Crow Swamp, it wasn't a loss, but it wasn't much of a gain either...

So, a lecture it was!

The two agreed on the spot. Thus, the circular amphitheater of the Sleepless Tower once again lit up with bright lights.

"Did you hear? The mage from Thunder Horn is giving another lecture!"

"Which one? Who are you asking about! The one who last time got a dagger thrust into his eye socket and was miraculously saved—Oliver! Oliver where are you going?"

"Hey! The Lord of Plague, right! If you'd said so earlier! I'm going, quickly to get a good spot!"

"Together, together! It's not just about snagging a good spot, it's about finding a big shot to sit next to, so that the Arcane Eye provides a steady, even light, making it comfortable to watch!"

As Garrett entered, the circular amphitheater was packed from top to bottom, ring upon ring, crowded with heads. From each eerie black hood, eyes bright as ghostly fires stared at him over the railings—

It made Garrett's heart race, fearing any of the railings might break, sending a dozen or so necromancers crashing down. Hopefully, they or their companions would react quickly enough to cast a feather-fall spell in time. If not, it was the revenants for them.

Moving towards the center of the classroom, the setup was already complete. Four flying skeletal arms linked together, lifting an overhead lamp;

Beneath the lamp on the stone slab, a cadaver lay perfectly straight, ready for Garrett to begin dissection;

Beside the slab, on a small cart, lay scalpels, scissors, tweezers, hooks…

The intent was clear. Garrett actually wanted to say, if you pay me with a cadaver each month, I'll guarantee a visit!

But not this time. Garrett reluctantly looked over the cadaver and

sighed:

"This time's content doesn't need a cadaver... Could you swap for some live frogs?"

"What? Frogs?"

The necromancers stirred into a flurry. Boss, it's winter!

In the depths of winter, beyond the icy locks of Igor Peak, the wind howled and snow lay three feet deep, where would you even find frogs?

"Who uses frogs for experiments?"

"Which group? Which group recently published a paper on frogs?"

The amphitheater buzzed with whispers and discussions. The necromancer closest to the door, upon catching Archmage Edgar's gaze, shivered and ran:

"I'll borrow a few from the Transmutation School!"

"Don't borrow ones transformed by malevolent transmutation spells!" Garrett shouted at his retreating back:

"They need to be dissectible!"

Fortunately, the necromancer was slow enough to hear the shout behind him. If he had caught a rabbit and transformed it into a frog, and then Nordmark cut into it…

The frog would instantly revert to a rabbit, and every necromancer in the room could have blasted him to death with a magic missile!

Nevertheless, frogs, or rather hefty bullfrogs weighing over a pound each, were brought to the dissection table. Along with the frogs, wood planks, nails, a copper-zinc bow, a balance, beakers, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride...

Garrett prepared Ringer's solution, nailed the frogs down, mashed their brains and spinal cords, cut off the upper half of the torso, and created a specimen of the sciatic nerve-gastrocnemius muscle. As he worked, he explained, while also multitasking to display the formula for Ringer's solution with "Silent Phantom":

"This formula is for amphibians, allowing the muscle to survive longer... Now, using the copper-zinc bow to stimulate the specimen, under the 'Reveal Invisibility' spell, we can better observe the vitality glow..."

"Covering the muscle with 'Alleviate Pain' allows us to see the extension of the life glow, splitting it into two parts, 'Reveal Invisibility' reveals that one part corresponds to the central nervous system, and the other to the peripheral nerves..."

"Given that the copper-zinc bow causes electrical potential changes, we have reason to believe that it is the tiny electrical currents in the body that transmit pain signals..."

In the amphitheater, amidst the frantic note-taking, a chorus of laments arose.

"I can't see clearly!"

"I can't see clearly! Ahhh!"

"Why did we use 'Arcane Eye' last time and can see clearly, but now we have to use 'Reveal Invisibility' to see?!"

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