Chapter 347: Captain, Do We Have Sheep on Board?

Indeed, Garrett Nordmark consulted Captain Jacob about another first-level spell. Logically, for this 11th-level curse magic archmage, it should pose no problem at all.

However…

"Deep Breath? How do you plan to modify this one?"

[Deep Breath], a first-level curse magic spell. Priests have a similar divine spell, allowing the caster to feel as though their chest is full of air, as if they had just taken a deep breath. The magician can exhale normally, and by the end of the spell’s duration, their lungs remain full, allowing them to hold their breath longer.

The duration of the spell… basically matches the longest time an adult can breathe in one go, about 6 seconds.

This spell is indeed a common protective magic for sailors. Even non-curse magic mages would practice it thoroughly. Not for anything else but to quickly cast it in case of sudden immersion to avoid choking or drowning.

But…

"How do you want to change it?"

Captain Jacob stared at Garrett, full of caution. That [Weapon Enchantment] spell was also a basic spell, and what happened?

Serano is still pulling his hair out!

Garrett smiled and raised his hand, trying to show his innocence. Hmm, it doesn’t seem to work, as Captain Jacob tensed up even more…

"My question is simple. First, can this spell be cast on others?"

Captain Jacob immediately relaxed. According to the standard spellbook, the answer is "no," but sailors often have one or two tricks up their sleeve. He generously sketched in the air:

"Here’s a little trick. Look, modify the spell model like this…"

Archmage Serano shot him a look of envy. Why is your question so simple, and mine so difficult? Adding magic on top of a magical creation is not as simple as 1+1=2!

Ah, if Garrett heard his thoughts, he’d surely argue it’s as difficult as 1+1=2…

Of course, Garrett didn’t hear. At this moment, he was busy taking notes, drawing diagrams, and copying, wishing he could draw a three-view diagram of the spell model and deduce a function or something. While writing, he asked:

"How can we ensure it doesn’t burst someone’s lungs when casting it on others?"

"Uh…"

"Can short, repeated ventilation achieve this?"

"This…"

"What if I want only one side of the lungs filled with air and ignore the other side?"

"…"

"What if I want to fill someone’s lungs with a different gas, say, a specific gas from this test tube in my hand?"

"…Are you trying to kill someone?!"

Garrett looked at him with a wronged expression, pulling out a tube of oxygen and holding it up to the captain:

"I just want to fill it with this…"

I’m not trying to kill anyone; I’m trying to save lives. From 30% oxygen to 50% oxygen up to pure oxygen, of course, I’ve prepared them in advance for safer use!

Captain Jacob took a deep breath from the tube and felt slightly better. Though it was just one breath, he already felt his spirit lifted slightly: Filling the lungs with this gas is indeed beneficial to the human body?

Since it’s beneficial, it should be taken seriously. Captain Jacob sighed and spread out his paper and pen:

Except for the third request—filling only one side of the lungs with air—which is somewhat difficult to achieve, the others are theoretically possible. However, there’s a long way to go from theory to practice…

No choice but to do it!

After all, he owed the lad a favor!

The two grand mages, each on one side, buried themselves in calculations, with draft papers flying around the rest room, occasionally creating a snowstorm. Meanwhile, Garrett, holding the newly acquired spell model, thanked both Archmage Serano and Captain Jacob before hastening back to his room below deck.

—I must learn it quickly!

With just a few days before docking, while Captain Jacob is still buried in calculations, I need to master the first variant of [Deep Breath]! If I have any questions, I can catch him and ask!

The variant of [Deep Breath] isn’t too difficult. On top of the original spell structure, just add an extra module to direct the spell towards another person. As for the amount of air to be filled, Captain Jacob said:

"People are pretty much the same. How much air you fill yourself with when casting the spell on yourself, do the same for others. Don’t worry, it won’t burst their lungs!"

He laughed heartily at this, thinking he’d made a great joke. Garrett forced a smile, drumming in his mind:

That can’t be the same!

You think it’s the same because your ship is full of big guys!

Generally, the lung capacity of adult males is about 4000-

5000 milliliters, and for adult females, it’s usually between 2500-3500 milliliters. If you fill a slender girl with 5000 milliliters of gas in one go, you might cause lung alveoli wall damage, alveolar septum destruction, or even emphysema in minutes!

No choice, Garrett had to return to his old trade. Breaking down the spell model, calculating the function curves, conducting experiments…

"Bernard—"

The barbarian rushed over.

Following Garrett’s instructions, Bernard borrowed a large wooden basin and a small 5-liter oak barrel. He filled the basin with a palm’s depth of water, then filled the barrel with water and inverted it into the basin. The series of actions were smooth and seamless, leaving Garrett only to measure the diameter of the basin.

Garrett rolled up his sleeves, using mage tricks to draw a vertical line on the edge of the wooden basin, then a horizontal line at the water surface. After flipping through some calculations, he drew a series of horizontal lines along the vertical line.

"Hey!"

Garrett shouted the activation word for [Deep Breath]. Gurgle, gurgle, the water level in the basin quietly rose, passing one scale after another.

"1, 2, 3…7, 8…4500 milliliters! Over by 10%, let’s try again!"

"Hey!"

Just over 4000 milliliters!

"Hey!"

3800 milliliters!

"Hey!"

Keep it up, Garrett!

Once he’s mastered this spell, he won’t have to tire himself pressing on a patient’s heart for CPR, racing against time to give mouth-to-mouth respiration. One spell, all done!

If he becomes more proficient, he could use [Greater Mage Hand] in conjunction with [Deep Breath] for continuous CPR! The pressing force of [Greater Mage Hand] can reach 40 pounds, using two or even four at once, much easier than manual efforts!

He squatted beside the bucket, huffing and puffing, huffing and puffing, using more than half of his spell casts for the day, finally adjusting the amount of air filled to within 100 milliliters accuracy according to the spell model’s function curve. Next, it was time for experiments on animals.

Garrett went around and once again pushed open Archmage Serano’s door. The two big shots were still head-to-head, with ink stains on their beards. Garrett sidled up to the captain and cautiously asked:

"Captain, do we have sheep on board?"

Captain Jacob gave him a look that was hard to describe.

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