Chapter 171
"A first-tier mage?"
"What? First-tier?"
"You’re just certified and already first-tier?"
The middle-aged clerk exclaimed, causing a commotion 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— one of which was a collaborative 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 a comfortable 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 place 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 placed 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 the latest paper feedback, press 1. To check the feedback for the last 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 minute later, there was a light "ding," and a transmission box rose from the table, opening up.
Inside the box lay a piece of paper. Pure white and smooth, A4 size. Garrett reached out and took it, and at first glance, 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 plague is innovative and instructive. Undertaking this project voluntarily, without any assignment, demonstrates sincere concern and dedication to the Mage Council, deserving commendation...
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 in large quantities.
A large amount of feedback imagery of normal organs is required for comparison, and the caster needs extensive training to memorize a large number of images before this magic can be practically applied.
Taking into account 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-slaying 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— 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, and later, 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 place!"
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—such as fatty liver, with only CT and MRI images, no B-ultrasound at all—Even 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 accumulate 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—oh, he leveled up to 2nd last night, but it hasn’t been certified yet—unfamiliar 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 place in Oak Ridge. With familiarity comes ease, and seeking assistance from the big shots is the best way to advance research. Moreover, during the last bat incident, everyone cooperated very well—
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 a large 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 to come 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 particularly easy to find:
Depart from Nevis City to the northeast, follow the river all the way, then turn right at the large lake 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 a complete riding novice, he wasn’t afraid of falling off the horse. The barbarian beside him carried a large bundle and leaped like a bird on the large 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, accompanied 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 Garrett complained, he turned his head and glanced around, and his eyes lit up:
The knight on horseback wore black, 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 a large red cloak, holding her in his arms, trying to make her sit comfortably in front of the saddle with only her legs controlling the horse. Leaning forward, he fled—
"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—indicating decent combat ability—and he seems genuinely concerned about the girl. The girl leaned softly against him, her face buried in his shoulder, showing complete 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 black 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 both landing 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, completely 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—Garrett listened to a few sentences, couldn’t help rubbing his eyes, and looked at the black-clad 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!"
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