A Hospital in Another World?
Although the necromancers generally have wildly imaginative ideas and completely disregard ethics, producing an array of bizarre techniques that could darken one’s vision, there’s no denying that there are still gems to be unearthed among them.
Garrett dug through the heap for a long time and, besides the electrical pulse acupuncture that could be kept as a technical reserve, he indeed found a solution to his problem:
A modification to the spell model. It couldn’t eliminate the double pain backlash, but it could suppress the peak of the pain to just over single intensity, and then release it slowly. As long as it didn’t spike too high, exceeding the threshold in an instant, Garrett had a way to handle it:
Just slap another one on!
Garrett, clutching the modified spell model, rushed back. Smearing and striving, he worked hard to construct his own [Alleviate Pain: Epidural Version].
Unlike the original [Alleviate Pain: Local Anesthesia Version], an epidural targets the spine—for instance, typically during a cesarean section, the anesthesia would reach up to T6, around the sixth thoracic vertebra.
Whether it’s the commonly used spinal anesthesia for labor pain or the combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for cesarean sections, both target the spinal nerve roots and the surface of the spinal cord. For the [Alleviate Pain: Epidural Version], the best method is simply to block the spinal cord’s transmission of pain.
However, the spinal cord is part of the central nervous system, and the spell configuration of the [Alleviate Pain: Local Anesthesia Version] targets peripheral nerves. Directly adapting the previous version wouldn’t work.
“So the original version won’t do?”
Madam Dorothia Exler from the Oak Grove Clinic, having finished a day’s work, wiped her sweat and came over, curious. She casually waved, and a bunch of scattered draft papers flew straight into her hands:
“I mean, using that one, directly on the spine?”
“That definitely won’t work…” Garrett gestured with his hands: “Central nerves are central nerves, peripheral nerves are peripheral nerves, they require different spell configurations…”
The old lady looked baffled. This high-level 13th-rank mage, although she could overpower several Garretts in magic, her knowledge of modern medicine was not extensive:
“I know the brain is for thinking, I’ve also read those papers on brainwaves from the control series. But the spine? The spine is also central nervous?”
That was a good question. To answer this, Garrett didn’t know whether to start from histology and embryology, or from the evolutionary history of animals. Anyway, after changing his gestures a few times, he finally sighed:
“Why don’t you try it yourself?”
Just try it. At her command, a young necromancer grabbed a rabbit and presented it with both hands. Following Garrett’s design, the old lady slapped the [Alleviate Pain: Modified] on the rabbit’s spine—
With [Detect Magic] as a guide, the spell easily wrapped around the rabbit’s 5th, 6th, and 7th thoracic vertebrae. Then, she secured the rabbit, and requested a nature mage to act as a bridge to help her initiate [Animal Communication], using a long needle to pierce the rabbit’s hind leg:
She shrugged, guess it didn’t work after all…
So, Garrett had to go back and remove the parts of the modified version targeting peripheral nerves, then refill the original version’s configurations that targeted the central nerves.
“Ah, this mix and match is so troublesome…”
Calculating, modifying, smearing, piecing together. After trying back and forth a dozen times, Garrett finally constructed the [Alleviate Pain: Epidural Version]. Next, he faced another issue:
Is this thing even useful?
In his previous life, the textbooks on obstetrics and gynecology brightly stated: Epidural anesthesia for pain relief slows down contractions, thus prolonging the labor process and slowing down the birth of the baby.
But that’s because the anesthetic blocked all nerve conduction, resulting in no central regulation, leaving only the local autonomic nerves to react. [Alleviate Pain] was supposed to only block pain transmission and not other nerves, so theoretically, this issue shouldn’t arise, but...
Who knows what it would actually be like?
The only way to relieve worry is to experiment. Direct human testing was out of the question, so it had to start with animal testing:
“Give me a rabbit! Do we have a female rabbit about to give birth?”
There definitely was one. Rabbits, from conception to birth, only take about a month. If not managed tightly, it’s quite easy for them to conceive again next month. At Garrett’s command, the mage in charge of managing animals searched through a bunch of cages and immediately offered up a mother rabbit.
The details about the mother rabbit’s labor time and duration were not recorded by Garrett, so he only had the dumbest method:
To experience it firsthand.
He patiently waited half the day, and as soon as the mother rabbit began labor, Garrett was promptly notified. In the dead of night, he rolled off the hospital’s on-call bed and sprinted to the research building:
“[Soothe Animal]!” To lessen the pain and avoid a sudden shock to himself!
“[Alleviate Pain: Epidural Version]!” Release the target spell!
“Uh, next I need to communicate with it… If I start screaming, please make sure to interrupt me!”
I do not want to experience labor pain! Not even the reduced, animal version of it! If it hurts so bad that I cry and tear up, that’d be too embarrassing!
“Don’t worry, we’ll interrupt the spell in time,” Madam Exler said smilingly:
“Or maybe we’ll hit you with a Peace Spell, or, perhaps, just knock you out?”
Uh, none of those options seemed particularly pleasant… Oh well, having someone ready to assist is better than none. Garrett adjusted his breathing, focused his energy, and pointed at the rabbit in front of him:
“[Animal Communication]!”
“How does it feel? Does it hurt?”
Madam Exler, Joanna the mage, and several other casters involved in this project or helping out, formed a circle around Garrett, watching tensely as he grimaced, his face contorting into a bizarre expression:
It doesn’t hurt; the shared sensation, the mother rabbit’s abdomen, both hind legs, the entire lower body, there was no feeling of pain. It seemed quite perplexed itself, after giving birth to the first bunny, it bit off the umbilical cord, ate the afterbirth, and then continuously licked itself:
Ah, ah, ah, the second little bunny is coming out now!
“Why do you look like that if it doesn’t hurt?”
“My feeling is so strange…”
Garrett’s face was full of odd expressions. For the first time in his life, he felt his stomach twist into a knot!
Hardening, swelling, tightening, the entire stomach, like being gripped by a giant hand, clenched tightly and then kneaded a few times! It felt like his insides were being turned inside out—
And also, he had a strong urge to use the restroom!
Hold it, hold it, this is not your feeling, this is just you sharing the rabbit’s sensation…
No matter how many books you read, no matter how well you understand the theory, it’s completely different from actually experiencing it…
I’m a man; why do I have to experience contractions, damn it!