The morning passed in the blink of an eye.
Seeing that Reilo seemed to have grasped the knowledge he had explained, Shatuo felt gratified.
When his mentor had explained these things to him, they had seemed like pure fantasy. He hadn't understood a thing, and had driven his mentor half mad.
His junior apprentice was so clever. Perhaps he'd achieve great things one day.
"Junior, the foundation of studying Evolution's Profound Meaning is collecting natural specimens, just as the foundation of studying Natural Law is Mathematical Foundation. The number and quality of the specimens a scholar studying Evolution's Profound Meaning dissects and collects determine the extent of his knowledge. And in a scholar's field, knowledge is power!"
Reilo was recording his first lessons in a notebook bound in Ice Fire Bird leather.
The morning's introductory lessons had been immensely rewarding. They had opened the door to Reilo's thirst for knowledge of Natural Science and completely dispelled the reverence he'd once felt deep in his heart for the great Creator of Light. Now, Shatuo seemed ready to teach him something more practical.
"Senior, are we going out to collect specimens?"
Reilo asked eagerly.
Shatuo shook his head.
"Collecting advanced natural specimens requires scholars to spend a long time away from home. Usually, scholars of the same rank travel together, or they come across them while on missions with a mercenary group. There's no need to rush. First, you need to study the basic courses. Once you've mastered an academic skill of your own and gained some ability to protect yourself, you can try collecting specimens in the field."
A zero-level academic skill.
Reilo thought of Orn's Fireball Technique. According to Orn, it couldn't truly threaten those mercenaries.
"Junior, like me, you come from a commoner background and never received basic instruction. So let's start with the very basics: learning to read and write! Writing, the vessel that carries on human knowledge, has developed alongside human history. There are more than sixteen thousand basic pictographs..."
Recalling certain experiences from the past, Shatuo looked regretful.
"You need to study hard. When I was learning characters under my mentor, I was so slow-witted that I'd forget everything as soon as I learned it. That's why he was always scolding me."
Assuming that Reilo had no prior experience with written language, Shatuo planned to teach him reading and writing from the beginning. That was also why the academy assigned an introductory mentor to every student who came seeking instruction with a contribution badge.
At this rate, Reilo would spend at least several months learning to read and write.
Reading and writing?
Reilo said slowly, "Senior, I already learned to read and write at the church in my hometown!"
"Huh?"
Shatuo stopped his quill and looked at him in surprise. "You've already learned to read and write, Junior? That makes things much easier. My mentor was worrying for nothing!"
With that, Shatuo turned and took two books from the shelf: Dwarvish Language Basic Training and Elvish Language Basic Training.
"Junior, since you've had some introductory instruction at The Church, I assume you've also covered some Elvish and Dwarvish?"
The Church naturally had no literacy classes. From the very day its theological academy was founded, its sole goal had been to train Missionaries. Dwarvish and Elvish were almost compulsory subjects, something Shatuo knew well.
Reilo hesitated. "The priest taught me a little, but I haven't had any practical experience using them."
Though Reilo had some foundation in Elvish and Dwarvish, his conversation with Krelina on the way here had made it clear that he could hardly be said to have mastered either language.
"That's fine! Put the grammar books away for now. I'll correct you bit by bit later. Since you already have some foundation, the rest of our lessons will be much simpler. Once you learn to dissect natural specimens and study Energy Magnetic Field, the mentor can assign you to classes where you can learn alongside the other students!"
"Great!"
Reilo's face lit up with anticipation and delight.
If he'd been an ordinary commoner starting from scratch, learning to read and write, studying the languages of other races, dissecting specimens, and learning about energy magnetic fields, it would have taken months just to get started, let alone master them.
Reilo himself had spent four years studying at The Church. That showed just how vast the gap in knowledge was between commoners and nobles.
As Reilo watched, Shatuo took out a box.
Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit.
The box was full of lively frogs, croaking wildly. Shatuo grabbed one and handed it to Reilo, then took one for himself and closed the box.
There were so many frogs at this time of year. They must have been specially bred as specimens by his senior.
Reilo gripped the frog tightly. Its slimy body squirmed in his hand, as though it might slip free at any moment. He had to clutch it with both hands to keep it from escaping.
"Natural specimens fall into five broad categories: microorganisms, animals, plants, minerals, and fossils. To study animal specimens, we usually dissect them to understand how their bodies function, then prepare biological specimens that can be preserved for a long time. They provide us with an endless source of inspiration. Today, we'll begin with this frog."
As he spoke, Shatuo opened his toolbox and deftly took out a fine needle, holding it up for Reilo to see.
There was a toolbox like this in the Space Box Shatuo had given Reilo, filled with all sorts of dissection knives, pipe pliers, tweezers, needles, and other tools.
"This is a Bone-Piercing Needle. We insert it into the frog's central nervous system to disable its sensation of pain and calm it down, making it easier to dissect and study its physiology. This method works for all animal specimens."
With a focused expression, Shatuo gently inserted the Bone-Piercing Needle into the frog. The animal, which had been thrashing nonstop, immediately stopped moving, though it continued to breathe and croak.
"Junior, give it a try!"
Reilo took the Bone-Piercing Needle Shatuo handed him and imitated his technique, gently inserting it into the frog in his right hand.
But the frog only struggled harder. With a loud croak, it slipped out of his grasp.
"Junior, you didn't find the right spot on its central nervous system. Don't rush. Grab it and take your time."
Reilo flushed with embarrassment and began chasing the frog around the room.
Watching his junior fumble about, Shatuo couldn't help laughing. "Junior, did you know that when ancient scholars dissected an animal specimen for the first time, they would take a bite of it and study it in the most primitive way? Would you like to try?"
"I think I'll pass!"
After a while, Reilo finally caught the frog.
A few drops of blood had appeared on the skin where Reilo had just jabbed it with the Bone-Piercing Needle. Shatuo's frog, which had stopped struggling, had no blood at all.
Shatuo came over and pointed to a spot on the frog's back. Patiently, he said, "Here, a little to the left. Try again."
Reilo followed Shatuo's directions and inserted the Bone-Piercing Needle.
The frog squirming in his hands abruptly went still. A delighted smile appeared on Reilo's face, and he let out a sigh of relief before gently placing the frog on the Dissection Tray.
As he put on rubber gloves, Shatuo said with a focused expression, "Many scholars experience negative emotions when they first learn to dissect biological specimens. They may feel guilty or excited, or faint at the sight of blood. We must maintain the proper attitude toward our experiments and treat the specimens' lives rationally. Killing them during the research process is simply a necessary step in our pursuit of truth and knowledge. We should avoid killing needlessly whenever possible."
As Shatuo murmured in a low voice, almost as if talking to himself, the Exquisite Dissection Knife glided across the frog's white belly without resistance.
It was as though he were cutting into a soft piece of buttery cheese rather than the frog's skin.
The frog on the Dissection Tray could no longer feel pain, and bright red blood flowed from its wound.
As Shatuo used tweezers to pull the incision open, the frog's fresh internal organs came into view. Its heart was still beating, thump, thump.