Chapter 25
Chapter 25
The anticipated smile of the Necromancer froze on his face.
Glancing 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 unacceptable!
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 black 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 glanced 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, a larger one will do!"
"Ahaha!"
Lynn chuckled.
Half an hour later, Garrett was also elated. Tied to the platform in front of him was a live sheep, brought by Mr. Troka from who knows where, bleating softly. On a side table lay an array of surgical tools: knives of various sizes, scissors, hooks, and a bow drill...
Despite the questionable sharpness of the blades 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, glanced 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 blade, and started to explain 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 shadowless lamp?"
"What? There are lamps 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 shadowless lamp 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 shadowless lamp 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, slaughtering 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 placed in compartments lined with red velvet, all made of glass, sparkling and clear.
Beakers, flasks, crucibles, stirrers, balances...
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 silently lamented. 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 cabinet, 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 Black 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 recommendation letter, in
the city's mage tower, you'll only start as an apprentice..."
"But I'm really interested in becoming an elemental mage..."
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