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's come 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 become 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 penetrate his skin, barely illuminating the edges of his fingertips. The visual effect was akin to placing a palm under the scorching sun and attempting to glance 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 hastily last 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 penetrate the bones of commoners or at most apprentice mages?
But not to mention commoners, 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 he laughed 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 relationship 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, come, 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 accommodation 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 Tower lacks 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 minutes later, 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 flame 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 it comes to writing papers, aside from theoretical basis and data deduction, the most lacking 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, placed 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!
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