As soon as Garrett Nordmark proposed his brainwave research program, the enchantment mages were led astray...
Well, it wouldnât exactly be fair to call it astray. By all accounts, what Garrett directed them to was indeed the right pathâat least, as far as he knew, scientists who studied brainwaves in his previous life did the same.
But rather than a path, it was more like a massive pit.
From recording brain activity in rabbits and monkeys in 1857 to capturing human brainwaves in 1924, and onto 2020, when a team from the University of California, San Francisco, translated brainwaves into simple English sentences...
Countless scientists threw themselves into this deep pit. The outcome? Other than making the pit deeper and wider, less than 1% of the brainâs mysteries were uncovered.
Such was the pit that swallowed all the enchantment mages, stacking them head over heels, barely poking their heads above the surface.
Fortunately, this worldâs legendary mages truly could do the work of a thousand, even ten thousand. It wasnât long after Garrett submitted his brainwave research proposal that preliminary results came from the Tower of Song:
During sleep, the brainâs activity is regular: deep sleep, light sleep, the drowsy state before falling asleep, and dreaming, cycling repeatedly. During this period, brainwaves show different patternsâ
And the success rate of the 9th level magic "Memory Weaving" is nearly 100% higher during light sleep than in deep sleep!
"Itâs incredible!" Garrett sat next to the Lord of Thunder, reading aloud a letter from the legendary enchantress, Miss Almeida of the "Philosopherâs Rose":
"My dear Decar, your new disciple has really come up with something very interestingâŠ"
The magical world had always believed that the best time to cast "Memory Weaving" was when the subject was in deep sleepâmuscles relaxed, breathing slow, eyes no longer moving. This stage is when the subject is most vulnerable and least resistant.
But now it seems that the periods of light sleep, especially the third and fourth times entering light sleep during a night, are actually more suitable. The magical power expenditure doesnât increase, but the subjectsâ acceptance of false memories is significantly higher.
After receiving "Memory Weaving," the amount of false memory loss is also smaller.
Whatâs more, Miss Almeida appreciates that "Brainwave Magic," like the "Electrocardiogram Magic" conjured by Lady Silver Dragon, is a 1st level spell. The magical fluctuations are minimal, hardly alerting the spellâs subject, making it extremely cost-effective.
"Come up with something very interesting, huh?"
The Lord of Thunder stirred his coffee, a smirk not quite a smile, glancing sidelong at his disciple:
Since Garrettâs return, heâs been busy with smallpox vaccines, rabies vaccines, opening hospitals, running up and down. First dealing with the Black Crow Swamp, then mingling with those enchantment mages.
Apart from the papers on infrared and ultraviolet rays, heâs never really done what he was supposed to!
Garrett, thick-skinned, pretended not to catch the hint in his mentorâs words. He turned a page of the letter and continued reading:
"Regarding the method of displaying meditation visuals in reality, I have the following thoughtsâŠ"
This section of magical discussion, written at length by Miss Almeida, took Garrett three pages to get through, dry mouthed and stumbling:
Many of the terms used by Miss Almeida, he had never heard of, barely recognized the words. By the time he finished, he saw the Lord of Thunder put down his coffee spoon, throwing a question at him:
"Did you come up with this problem?"
"Yes, sirâŠ"
"Why didnât you ask me?"
Because itâs troublesome⊠Itâs easier to trade ideas with others rather than digging into my own mentorâs resourcesâŠ
Garrett swallowed those words back down. Speaking the truth wouldnât please the teacher, but fortunately, he had another excuse:
"Because this topic isnât urgent. I donât need it myself for now; itâs more useful when teaching disciples. Just happened to have the opportunity, so I brought it up."
The Lord of Thunder nodded slightly. Indeed, this topic was too challenging for Garrettâs abilities for now. For the time being, he should stick to research within his reach:
"So, have you encountered any obstacles or confusion in your research recently?"
Garrettâs current projects were all progressing steadily. Rabies vaccine, that was mainly time-consuming for the apprentices; streptomycin development, also a time-consuming and luck-based task; blood testing magic, which couldnât shift from quantitative to qualitative changes until critical data points were established; and blood transfusions, the clinical effects of which were still accumulating dataâŠ
After advancing to a fifth-level mage, he had been methodically learning
the spells he could. So far, he hadnât encountered anything he couldnât learn.
No, wait a minuteâŠ
"Teacher, I have a difficulty with the third-tier plasturgy magic, âRefuge Hut.â â How can I make the hut automatically adjust its temperature and humidity, and sterilize itself to ensure cleanliness meets standards?"
"âŠWhy bother with all that complication?"
The Lord of Thunder disapproved of such demands. The Refuge Hut was for mages to use overnight during adventures and travels. The demands were not very highâ
Block wind, rain, snow, resist the cold. Plus a flat surface, so youâre not lying in a wet muddy field, thatâs it.
Some had tried adding tables and beds, but soon everyone realized that achieving these with magic was not as cost-effective as carrying an extra blanket in a spatial bag and wrapping up inside the Refuge Hut.
When youâre out and about, having a place to stay is enough; why set such high standards?
"Hehe, teacher, Iâm not making the Refuge Hut for myself to stay in, itâs for performing surgeriesâŠ"
Garrett explained confidently. A portable operating room, Iâve thought about it for a long time! Of course, an operating room has to stay clean! And it needs temperature control!
"Teacher, these two requirements can actually be separated," Garrett gestured:
"The need for sterilization, I can install a generator and a UV light, let it shine for half an hour. But itâs a waste of time; if itâs clean when deployed, I can save that half hour and save a few more people;"
"Temperature control is the same, I can throw in fireballs or ice spells, but itâs harder to control the temperature precisely. Too hot in the operating room, and patients are prone to infection; too cold, and they risk hypothermia. TeacherâŠ"
Iâm counting on you! Please, modify this spell for me!
The Lord of Thunder glared at Garrett. This Garrett, always causing trouble!
Although both were plasturgy spells, Refuge Hut was considered a force field branch, incorporating a large amount of curse-based content;
Temperature regulation belonged to fire or ice magic;
As for the sterilization Garrett wanted, he hadnât studied it in detail, but broadly speaking, electricity or light should do the trick?
To cram so many frameworks into one spell, and keep it within third-tier, within this kidâs ability to successfully cast, this spell modification was not simpleâŠ
Sigh, if it wasnât for the praise Garrett just received from Miss Almeida, boosting his own reputation, he really wouldnât bother!
The Lord of Thunder cleared his throat. Without any motion, shadows naturally rose in the void, forming the three-dimensional structure of the "Refuge Hut" spell:
"This spell model can be broken down into several parts⊠This section summons the force field and maintains its strength⊠This section determines the shape of the force fieldâŠ"
Guided by the structure in the void, the Lord of Thunder explained piece by piece to Garrett. Where to keep unchanged, where could be modified, where was a reserved interface for inserting other configurationsâŠ
Whatâs a simple way to adjust indoor temperature, which model is better for maintaining air circulation in the Refuge HutâŠ
Garrett wished he had eight hands to take notes. The Lord of Thunder not only explained the Refuge Hutâs structure but also covered the higher-level "Sanctuary" and even hinted at the "Mageâs Mansion"â
"Teacher, are you perhaps misunderstanding my casting ability?"
Garrett dared not voice this, but his gaze towards the Lord of Thunder grew more plaintive. The legendary mage glared back:
"Whatâs wrong? These three spells are all related; learn one, and the others are easier. Arenât you planning to open thatâmedical facility? When you can summon a Mageâs Mansion, you can take the whole thing with you!"
"Teacher, you know me so well!"
My dream of a portable hospital!
The fixed version would be a Mage Tower turned into a hospital; the portable version, a Mage Tower converted into a hospital.
Then, outpatient department, inpatient department, operating room, medical technical department, an entire hospitalâs doctors and nurses, wherever you go, you take them with youâ
No matter how big the disaster, you wonât be overwhelmed alone!
Master Decar truly was a legendary mage. Even without any preparation, when Garrett asked, he spoke freely, touching on related topics. After explaining all the architectural branches, Garrett watched him eagerly:
"Teacher, how many branches can this structure be combined with?"
"Do it yourself! âDo it right here, and youâre not allowed to leave the mountain until itâs finished!"
Garrett was caught off guard and detained. While the Lord of Thunder read, he assembled spell structures; while the Lord of Thunder brewed coffee, he worked on spell structures; while the Lord of Thunder tossed a spherical lightning in his palm, he pieced together spell structures...
"Bangâ"
Look, it exploded
again...
Exploding force field walls could kill. Fortunately, the teacher was nearby, doing something unseen, the explosionâs noise silently dissipated. Garrett wiped his sweat, leaning over a small table nearby, recalculating:
Which interface was wrong?
Or was the "Refuge Hut" itself not strong enough to bear the load?
Halfway through calculating, the study door was slammed open. One of Garrettâs fellow disciples rushed in, sweating profusely, breathless:
"Teacher... Teacher! Mike... he drank liquid nitrogen!"
---------------
Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.
If you come across any mistakes within this chapter, kindly notify me in the comments below, so that I can make the necessary corrections.