A Hospital in Another World?

Having created new animal models and with connections needing his skills, Garrett brought animal specimens, live mice, papers, and crystal cards to visit Mrs. Alva the next day. He laid everything out before the Grand Mage:
“The initial results are in. The next task is to experiment on the animal models to find the appropriate treatment methods.”
Mrs. Alva, after examining the animal specimens and papers, praised Garrett’s results and efficiency. However, she was greatly puzzled by the 3D images reconstructed from CT scans:
“How was this done?”
“Well...”
Garrett took out another draft paper, smiling as he placed it on the table and pushed it towards Mrs. Alva:
“Roughly like this. It’s still quite crude, and the specific calculation methods need further optimization.”
The discerning ear can tell the skill from the sound. Among mages, there might be many researchers, tech nerds, and stubborn ones who never turn back once they hit a wall, but illusionary control mages were not among them. As expected, Mrs. Alva immediately smiled:
“How much resources are needed for optimization? Manpower, materials, what can we help with?”
He smoothly took out a third document—an experimental plan for optimizing the CT algorithm. It detailed the needed personnel, experimental animals, equipment, and resources...
As Mrs. Alva read through the document, her brows furrowed deeper and deeper:
Garrett applied for the employment of 1-2 mages skilled in manipulating tower spirits, with their compensation covered by the project budget;
He requested the use of live magical beasts of levels 1-5, including birds, small herbivores, small carnivores, large herbivores, snakes, frogs, lizards, etc., with purchasing and maintenance costs covered by the project budget;
He also requested an assistant mage whose primary task was to quickly freeze the beasts, preserving their original shape and tissue structure...
All in all, excluding the mages’ compensation, the initial expenditure for the latter two items was estimated to be 1000 contribution points.
“Mage Nordmark, you’re putting me in a difficult position.” Mrs. Alva sighed as she put down the document. Based on the papers and plans, Garrett’s requests were reasonable, but—
“The council’s budget is limited. Even though we have some leeway in intelligence work, we can’t spend too much on non-direct projects.”
Mrs. Alva sighed lightly. Spending a few hundred contribution points was nothing, even a thousand could be squeezed out, but asking for so much in the first phase implied the total needed would be enormous.
“Can you explain the significance of this project? I might be able to bring in other schools to share the cost...”
This was Garrett’s forte! He straightened his back. He could recite a whole book on the significance of CT in diagnostics, plus ten years of emergency rescue experience. He could talk for three days and nights without a hitch.
But of course, to persuade the other party, he had to pick the most important points. What would impress her the fastest was undoubtedly—
He produced a fourth draft paper:
“This magical application can visualize the internal conditions of the human body in three dimensions. It’s particularly significant for diagnosing diseases like brain hemorrhage and cerebral infarction.”
“Oh!”
Mrs. Alva was moved.
Mages had some means to investigate the internal conditions of the body, but the more precise and detailed the area, the harder it was to explore.
For the brain, only mages above level 10 who had undergone two life transformations could use their meditation environment to cover their bodies for detailed investigation. And if a Grand Mage collapsed... Ŗ𝘢𐌽ꝋʙΕ𝙎
They had to rely on luck and the medical branch’s capabilities for salvation.
Mages’ reliance on mental faculties was particularly severe. Even Mrs. Alva herself, sometimes extremely fatigued or under great pressure while casting spells, felt her brain buzzing and temples throbbing.
Diagnosing brain hemorrhage and cerebral infarction... what was a cerebral infarction? This held significant meaning for the entire Magic Council!
“I’ll take you to the medical branch!”
She decided without hesitation. Grabbing Garrett, she left the Tower of Songs, heading straight for the neighboring Conjuration School. She first found Grand Mage Morton and then asked him to introduce them to the editor-in-chief of "Medical Research," the level 18 Grand Mage Doane Belsa:
“There’s a major project. Interested in joining?”
Grand Mage Belsa was troubled. Recently, the number of high-level mages seeking medical help had surged, drastically increasing the pressure on the medical branch:
Engaging in high-level magic and operating grand magic arrays always exacted a huge toll on a mage’s mind and body. It wasn’t uncommon for a batch of mages to collapse after a major undertaking.
Recently, the Star Dome’s grand magic array had been activated twice, causing a dozen high-level mages in the prophecy branch to collapse in one go!
“Doane, when will I recover? Cough, cough, cough...”
This one had coughed up blood once and then intermittently for half a month. Though the symptoms were not severe, they invariably interrupted his chanting;
“Belsa... Can I have another pain relief spell... not the Peace Spell or the Alleviate Pain...”
This one felt like his head was being stabbed with needles, throbbing so intensely that he wished he could open his own skull;
“…”
This one had been bedridden, unable to get up since the incident...
The prophecy branch had suffered heavy losses. It was said that even the leading legendary mage, Lady Endorf, had vomited blood twice. Of course, legendary mages had their own ways to recuperate and didn’t need him; but the high-level mages might not be as fortunate.
A dozen high-level mages, from level 17-18 to 15-16, each lay on a bed in his treatment area. Each had students and disciples attending to them, their hopeful eyes fixed on him...
Grand Mage Belsa felt immense pressure.
A rare visit from a colleague in the medical branch was a lifeline. He immediately rushed out and grabbed hold of Garrett, who smoothly followed him in. Seeing them enter the office to talk, Garrett stood in the treatment room, looking around:
They were all severe patients... This situation was too similar to an emergency room.
If there were some monitors beeping, nurses pushing carts of medication and sterile packages, and occasionally someone rushing with a gurney, it would be even more alike!
“Grand Mage! Grand Mage!” The door of the treatment room was flung open. Four mages, two on each side, pushed a floating disc in. On the disc lay a mage, blood oozing from his mouth and nose, barely hanging on:
“Save him!”
... Here came the gurney.
“Don’t let him lie flat!” Before a disciple of Grand Mage Belsa, a healer mage, could come to assist, Garrett quickly rushed over, holding the mage on the floating disc:
“Turn his head to the side! Be careful of vomit blocking the airway!—What’s his blood pressure?”
While tossing a blood pressure measuring spell... to no avail, as Grand Mages naturally resisted foreign magic.
Unless it was a healing spell beneficial and harmless to the body, other spells would dissipate silently upon reaching them.
Garrett tapped his forehead, took out a mercury sphygmomanometer, and swiftly wrapped the cuff around the mage’s arm. As the healer mage rushed over and was about to intervene, Mrs. Alva smiled and explained:
“He’s the disciple of the Lord of Thunder, Mage Garrett Nordmark. He has special expertise in medical matters. Let him take a look.”
Ah... The name and reputation. The student’s arm immediately retracted:
Mage Garrett Nordmark... The explorer of disease origins, vaccine creator, public health promoter, heart vine inserter, C-section performer...
What was he doing here?
Our teacher is 127 years old, male, not plagued, nor pregnant!
Garrett had already measured the blood pressure, 200/145, and was now examining the patient. He had the patient lie flat, gently supporting the back of his head, whispering:
“Lower your head, lower your head! Try to touch your chin to your chest... hey, don’t arch your back, just lower your head... Can’t touch it? Really can’t! Let me see, one finger, two fingers...”
“What’s the situation?”
The commotion finally brought Grand Mage Belsa out. He hurried over, seriously asking:
“What happened?”
“His meditation world shook.” The mage accompanying the patient looked up, his face filled with anguish:
“Master was reading a paper and experimenting when it suddenly happened... Grand Mage, please save him!”
Grand Mage Belsa’s expression turned grave. The shaking of the meditation world was one of the most troublesome ailments for high-level mages. It was usually caused by the semi-substantial, nearly substantial meditation world, based on the mage’s cognition, clashing with the real world.
Once it occurred, it could cause dizziness, headaches, nosebleeds, bleeding from all orifices, and months of bedriddenness at best, and the loss of spellcasting ability at worst. In severe cases?
“Boom!”
The skull would explode, red and white matter splattering everywhere.
Even the mildest injury would be extremely difficult to treat.
Grand Mage Belsa cast a diagnostic spell. Multi-colored lights scanned the patient, his brow furrowing deeply. Garrett waited for five seconds, seeing no response, and couldn’t help but crouch down, looking up:
“I suspect this mage has a brain hemorrhage
.”
“What? Brain hemorrhage?”
Grand Mage Belsa finally turned his gaze. He glanced at the badge on Garrett’s chest—level 7 mage, five-circle arcanist, just the Nordmark mage Morton had mentioned. But, brain hemorrhage?
“Are you sure?”
“Quite likely.” Garrett spoke with confidence.
He had worked in the emergency department for over ten years, diagnosing patients by physical examination with high accuracy. If this patient were in his previous life, the diagnostic orders would have been rapidly issued—
“His blood pressure is too high, 200/145, almost 50% above normal. Nosebleed, neck stiffness—the inability to touch his chin to his chest when lowering his head—highly suggests a ruptured brain vessel causing hemorrhage. I recommend a CT scan for quick verification.”
“CT? Using your newly developed magic to diagnose a Grand Mage?”
Grand Mage Belsa frowned.
He still held Mrs. Alva’s papers—the third one on the principles of CT; the fourth on its diagnostic applications.
The papers did mention this magic could verify brain hemorrhage, with rat brain images as evidence. But...
A newly developed magic, are you sure it’s reliable for diagnosing brain hemorrhage?
Or is this a ploy to promote your new magic and secure funding?