The interrogation was conducted by Madam Alva, a thirteenth-level grand mage. She appeared to be middle-aged, slightly plump, with a round, kindly face that creased into fish-tail wrinkles when she smiled.
Hearing Garrett’s suggestion, she smiled slightly, her eyes curving up. She turned to face Garrett, looking genuinely interested:
"So you are Mage Nordmark? I’ve read your paper on electrocardiography; is it something similar with brainwaves?"
She spoke slowly, with a sincere and amiable smile. After finishing her sentence, she gestured for Garrett to sit on a sofa, calling over students to bring cake, gingerbread, and hot milk tea...
If it weren’t for the fact that they had just come from an interrogation room, one might mistake the scene for a cozy bakery.
Garrett sipped his milk tea and glanced back at the interrogation room, shuddering slightly. The reception room and the interrogation room were separated by just one wall, each visible to the other, yet the atmosphere was worlds apart:
The interrogation room was cold and grim, with bare, smooth, hard-colored walls and ceilings like those in a surgery room;
The reception room had light-yellow wallpaper and symmetrically hung warm-toned still life paintings. The plush velvet sofa was so soft that one would sink right into it upon sitting down, and the thick carpet was adorned with large, clustered flowers...
Just one wall apart, looking back at the interrogation room was like looking from heaven into hell. And the prisoners, always looking towards the outside, were constantly subjected to temptation:
The person who arranged all this was no simple figure. Was it this lady? Enchantment mages really should not be underestimated...
—Of course, according to the informal science (and mischief) from Archmage Carlisle, there are mainly two types of female enchantment mages:
One type relies on beauty, the timeless enchantresses, winning everything with their looks (undeniably, appearance adds a significant bonus to enchantment magic);
The other type relies on amiability, with a laughter and demeanor that puts others at ease, unknowingly lowering their guard. It must be said, in scenarios that require widespread publicity, communication, and persuasion, this type of mage is more effective than the former;
Of course, there’s also the less common but genuinely capable scholarly type. These mages don’t rely on looks to charm, nor do they analyze people’s words and colors to influence hearts. They dive deep into the structures of magic, devoted entirely to understanding the principles of enchantment magic.
This type of mage either emerges as a non-entity or shakes the world when they do. The saying goes, "The gifts fate grants her come with a hidden price tag," and those who do not accept these gifts earn much more on their own merits.
And Garrett, proposing the brainwave project, truly seeks to collaborate with these research-oriented mages:
"Yes, based on my research, the brain produces waves when thinking, during emotional changes, and even in sleep. Recording different waveforms could greatly aid us in deciphering what the brain is thinking. But I..."
Garrett spread his hands sincerely. Madam Alva nodded in understanding:
"I see, too many good projects, not enough time to handle them all..."
Her tone carried a hint of envy. This situation typically only arose with particularly promising mages:
Young, low-ranked, and understaffed. Yet, full of inspiration, eager to delve into one research topic after spotting another, and capable of making intuitive leaps to different fields—
Regrettably, they’re limited by energy and manpower, wanting to initiate numerous projects far beyond their capacity.
"If you don’t mind, we could collaborate and share first authorship—" Madam Alva leaned forward, pushing a sugar bowl towards Garrett as an olive branch:
"Or, if the project is sizable, perhaps we could co-author. Mr. Nordmark, would you be interested?"
"That would be fantastic!" Garrett’s eyes lit up. He was genuinely interested in brainwaves, though it was not his top priority. Having the chance to pass it off to another school was something he eagerly welcomed:
"The considerations for brainwave research are..."
"Hold on, hold on." Madam Alva clapped her hands amusedly:
"How do we calculate the share of manpower and funding? How is the outcome divided? And, shouldn’t we have a high-ranking mage here as a witness?"
She glanced at Archmage Grom. A level-14 necromancer and a review committee member. He had the rank and status, but he wasn’t your direct superior—
By the way, Mage Nordmark, this is no small project to just throw out there. Shouldn’t you report this to the lord of Thunder Horn first?
Garrett waved his hand unconcernedly
. Ah, as long as it’s not an energy-shaping project, the teacher wouldn’t mind, let him fuss—
"And I’m not even using the resources of Thunder Tower. I’ll provide the conceptual design, the spell structure for the electrocardiogram, and detailed analysis of different brain regions. Your side provides manpower, test subjects, and records and analyzes the brainwave diagrams. We share the results, and the developed magic, I have the right to learn for free and teach to my disciples and followers. How about that?"
Madam Alva looked at Garrett in astonishment, almost unable to believe it.
At her level, manpower, test subjects, and the computational power of tower spirits were easily accessible, but creative and innovative research ideas were always in short supply—
Moreover, any magic developed related to thoughts and emotions would undoubtedly fall within the scope of enchantment magic. Garrett’s offer of co-development was essentially just asking for co-authorship rights.
Caught by her astonished gaze, Garrett smiled sheepishly:
"Of course, during the research process, there might be some auxiliary spells that might need some development on your part—"
In less than half an hour, Madam Alva’s male and female disciples were neatly seated in three rows. Watching as Garrett released the 【Silent Phantom】, he outlined a three-dimensional model of a brain, part by part, explaining:
"The brain mainly includes the left and right hemispheres, with the cortex on the surface and the medulla deeper within..."
"The surface of the brain displays various grooves and fissures, and the hemispheres are divided into five lobes by these grooves and fissures: the frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital lobes, and the insula, each serving different functions..."
"During activity, the brain releases various brainwaves that can be monitored by magic... Monitoring points can be placed on the surface of the skull or penetrate deeply into the skull, reaching each part..."
As he spoke, he already virtualized magic probes, little specks of light, landing in each section of the brain. Behind each probe, long filaments of light stretched out, densely connected to a thin screen of condensed mist beside him.
The fluctuations within the brain were conveyed through these filaments to the mist screen, tracing undulating waveforms. Garrett pointed to the screen, his voice clear and confident:
"The human brain, in thought, in memory, in joy, in fear, in sorrow, all cause corresponding changes in electrical waves."
This had already been validated by modern technology, and what they needed to do was to repeat these efforts and push them further:
"Of course, human thoughts are very complex, and the waves are diverse. What we need is to record, summarize, and discover the patterns within. I believe that one day, by reading these waveforms, we can understand what a person is thinking!"
Next door in the interrogation room, another mage was at work. Pointing at the giant brain model outside, he whispered threateningly:
"See that? If you don’t tell the truth, we’ll use this magic on you. By then, dozens of probes will be inserted into your brain, and even if you don’t answer, we’ll be able to read your thoughts clearly..."
Madam Alva had thoughtfully made the interrogation room’s wall one-way visible, allowing those inside to see the reception room, but not vice versa.
Mr. Aleso didn’t need to look up to see the enormous brain model, every part clear and distinct.
Though he hadn’t dissected in detail, he had roughly split a few calvaria; the model displayed was exactly like the brain structure he knew—
"I don’t believe it." His face pale, he murmured back and forth:
"I don’t believe that just with magic, you can see what I’m thinking—you must be trying to scare me, it must be..."
"Mage Nordmark!" The interrogator stepped out. The doors between the interrogation and reception rooms were wide open, allowing Mr. Aleso to clearly hear their conversation:
"What exactly does a brainwave diagram look like, could you demonstrate it? Or if not a brainwave diagram, an electrocardiogram would also do, with some explanation—"
Garrett nodded and stood up. A crowd of listening students rustled as they followed him into the interrogation room, forming a semi-circle.
Garrett quietly released magic, and soon, a screen half his height silently unfolded to his left, Mr. Aleso’s right.
Let’s start with something less stressful, a four-lead system. Garrett thought to himself, waving his hand, sending out a globe of light. Soon, on the screen, waveforms began to rise and fall.
"Ah, your heartbeat is a bit fast." Garrett glanced at the screen and casually started to explain:
"Look everyone, this line here rises and falls regularly, representing the heart contracting and relaxing, then relaxing and contracting again. If anyone
is curious, you can press his pulse; it matches the undulations on the wave..."
Mr. Aleso’s face instantly paled.
He could hold his breath, control himself not to scream, but he couldn’t stop his heart from beating—
No need for anyone to check his pulse; he could feel his heart thumping inside his chest, perfectly synchronized with the line on the screen.
Garrett casually glanced at him and continued:
"The casting requirements for a brainwave diagram are a bit higher than those for an electrocardiogram. An electrocardiogram only requires placing four probes, at most twelve, but for brainwaves, the scalp can be evenly divided into regions, with sixty-four probes placed... Of course, for more accuracy, the detection points should ideally penetrate deep into the brain."
"Hey, why has your blood pressure shot up to 200? Quick, can someone help calm him down?"
Madam Alva and her students were attentively listening as Garrett lectured, unaware of the drama unfolding just next door in the interrogation room.
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