Chapter 53

Mage Elliot clumsily got up.

Covered in dirt, with a streak of nosebleed on his face, and a large clump of horse manure stuck to the front of his mage robe, he was completely unaware. He stared intently at Great's eyes for a long while before letting out a long sigh.

"Great, thank you. ——But, I can't learn."

"Can't learn? Why?" Great was surprised: "Are you afraid you won't be able to learn it? I can explain it more simply!"

I'm best at explaining things! I can always explain medical conditions and surgical plans to patients and their families until they understand!

He took a step forward. Mage Elliot immediately took a step back, his gaze filled with reluctance, regret, and sorrow:

"I can't learn. ——A mage's rule is that any knowledge and service comes with a price. And the price for this meditation technique, I can't afford."

"But —— you helped me so much before ——"

"What you've told me is already enough." Elliot's gaze softened as he looked deeply into Great's eyes. Then, as if afraid he might change his mind, he bit his lip and turned around:

"I'll cast the Copying Spell for you when I get back. If you need the Language Comprehension Spell, that's no problem either. But don't tell me any more —— I can't afford it."

Great stood there, stunned.

He could understand why Elliot didn't ask him earlier; as a mage, one has some pride and dignity.

But even after he kept persuading, Elliot still insisted on the principle of equivalent exchange, refusing to budge...

You could at least owe me and pay in installments!

Great felt like smashing a bowl in frustration. The more Elliot declined, the more he wanted to teach him —— after all, it wasn't anything special. In his previous life, any medical student could learn it. In a moment of inspiration, he blurted out:

"That... the price I need is not what you think."

"What?"

"When I was learning this knowledge, I took an oath." Once he started, Great's words flowed more smoothly. The existence of the oath was real, and the process of taking it was real. It was just that he had revised it many times, not sticking to the original version:

"I swore to teach all the knowledge I learned to my teacher's children, my own children, and disciples who are willing to take the same oath. So, as long as you're willing to take the oath ——"

Hurry up and agree!

If it weren't for all the help you gave me before, I wouldn't teach you this!

Great felt a bit like a eunuch being more anxious than the emperor. However, after thinking for a while, Mage Elliot looked up and asked:

"What kind of oath?"

Uh... okay. In the magical world, being cautious about oaths is necessary; otherwise, you might die without knowing why. Great took a deep breath and began reciting the revised, or rather, adapted version of the Hippocratic Oath for this world:

"...I will, to the best of my ability and judgment, adhere to the principle of acting in the best interest of my patients and refrain from all corrupt and harmful acts... I will not give harmful drugs to anyone, nor will I guide anyone in their use, even if requested... I will treat all patients equally, regardless of gender, status, or position, and strive for their well-being... I will maintain my integrity and avoid all harmful and disgraceful acts, especially sexual misconduct... In the course of my treatment, I will keep all that I see and hear, whether related to the practice of medicine or not, strictly confidential..."

Elliot listened intently, growing more and more surprised. When he finished, he was lost in thought for a while before sighing deeply:

"The predecessor who established this rule must have been a sage..."

Of course. Hippocrates. Not just him, but Bian Que, Hua Tuo, Zhang Zhongjing, Li Shizhen, and the great doctors of New China, each one of them was a sage worthy of being enshrined in the Temple of Shen Nong.

Following Great's guidance, the young mage earnestly took the oath —— the revised version of the Hippocratic Oath. Then, the two of them sneaked into a small room opposite the library. Great spread out a large sheet of paper and began drawing a human anatomy diagram.

Skeleton...

Muscles...

Blood vessels... heart...

Blood flow, aorta, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, superior vena cava, inferior vena cava...

Great hunched over the table, drawing for a full hour. As he drew, he explained, his wrist aching and his throat dry. He changed sheets of paper one after another, covering the entire table from left to right.

This time, he really exhausted his skills as a doctor. In the past, he would draw simple diagrams, just enough to explain things, without worrying about accuracy or proportion. Usually, he would draw a few organs or bones, and if patients and their families understood, that was fine. If not...

If they didn't understand, he would deepen their understanding during treatment.

Unlike this time, when he was drawing to sell, no, to exchange for knowledge and information, he had to ensure the quality.

Oh, my old back...

Great straightened up and rubbed his lower back. On his left, Mage Elliot was hunched over the table in the same posture, squinting, his face almost touching the drawing. If he hadn't stood up, their upper bodies would have formed a right angle.

Hey, if you lean any lower, you'll be inside the drawing...

Great felt like laughing. Out of habit, or rather, as he would ask patients and their families countless times in his past life, he asked Elliot:

"Is there anything you don't understand?"

...No response.

Mage Elliot was so engrossed in the latest human anatomy diagram that he seemed to be in a trance.

Great waited patiently for a minute, then another, and finally gave up. He started rolling up his sleeves to copy the vocabulary list. After copying about half a page, Mage Elliot suddenly jumped up and darted out like a rabbit hit by an arrow.

Great: "..."

Hey! Hey! The human anatomy diagram! Don't just leave it behind!

Elliot quickly returned. In his left hand, he held an ink bottle, and in his right, a large roll of paper, which he slapped on the table. Without a word, he snatched the "Magic Scriptology" from Great's hand, pressed it down, and muttered a spell.

A flash of light, and the blank scroll instantly turned into a thick stack of copies.

Copying Spell, complete!

Wow, you're really on the ball! Great's eyes lit up. He smiled and nodded at Mage Elliot —— but only got a back view. The young mage grabbed the anatomy diagram and darted out again, even faster this time. As he ran, he tightly tucked the diagram into his chest, as if afraid someone might see it.

Ah...

I hope he can remember it clearly.

Back then, he studied systemic anatomy for 120 hours. Even with this stack of paper, simplified as much as possible, it would be very difficult to memorize it all at once.

Great smiled and got to work. With scissors in his left hand and glue in his right, he cut the copies made by the Copying Spell into strips and pasted them onto blank paper in order. He worked all day, and when he walked out of the mage tower in the evening, a loud thud came from above ——

Great reflexively looked up. At the fourth-floor window, the young man who had just thrown Elliot out was flying through the air, flailing and cursing:

"Elliot! You're not following the rules!"

Great stood at the entrance of the mage tower, looking up, and slowly opened his mouth.

...No way, the meditation technique's effects are that fast?