Dissecting a Frog

A morning passed without notice.

Seeing that Reilo seemed to have grasped everything he had explained, Shatuo wore a gratified expression.

He recalled how, when his own mentor had taught him these things, they might as well have been fairy tales—utterly incomprehensible, driving the mentor to fury.

With such a quick-witted junior brother, perhaps he might achieve something in the future.

"Junior Brother, the foundation of studying Evolution's Profound Meaning lies in collecting natural specimens, just as the foundation of studying Natural Law is the Mathematical Foundation. For a scholar researching Evolution's Profound Meaning, the quantity and quality of the specimens he dissects and collects determine his knowledge reserves, and in the realm of scholars, knowledge is power!"

Reilo was recording his enlightenment insights in the Ice Fire Bird leather-bound notebook.

The morning's foundational enlightenment had been immensely rewarding, fully opening the door to Reilo's thirst for learning Natural Science, and completely erasing his heartfelt reverence for the great Creator of Light. Now, it seemed Shatuo was about to teach him something more practical.

"Senior Brother, are we going out to collect specimens?"

Reilo asked expectantly.

Shatuo shook his head.

"Collecting high-grade natural specimens requires scholars to go on long expeditions, usually accompanied by fellow scholars of the same rank, or encountering them by chance during mercenary missions. There's no rush. You need to start with the basic courses first. Once you've mastered your own Zero-Level Academic and have some means of self-protection, then you can try going out to collect specimens."

Zero-Level Academic.

Reilo thought of Orn's Fireball Technique, which, according to him, couldn't truly threaten those mercenaries.

"Junior Brother, you and I are both from commoner backgrounds, without any foundational enlightenment education. So let's start from the very basics—learning to read and write! As the vessel for transmitting human knowledge, writing has accompanied human development history, comprising over sixteen thousand seven hundred basic pictographic characters..."

Thinking of certain past experiences, Shatuo's expression turned regretful.

"You must study hard. When I followed my mentor to learn writing, I was too dull, forgetting as soon as I learned, and was constantly scolded by him."

Shatuo naturally assumed that Reilo had no foundation in writing, so he planned to start teaching him from reading and writing. This was also why the academy assigned enlightenment mentors to every student who came seeking knowledge with a contribution badge.

At this rate, by the time Reilo finished learning to read and write, at least several months would have passed.

Reading and writing?

Reilo said slowly, "Senior Brother, I already learned to read and write at the town church!"

"Ah?"

Shatuo stopped the goose quill in his hand and said in surprise, "Junior Brother, you've already learned to read and write? That makes things much easier! The mentor was worrying for nothing!"

With that, Shatuo turned and took two books from the bookshelf: Dwarvish Language Basic Training and Elvish Language Basic Training.

"Junior Brother, since you've had some enlightenment contact at the church, I imagine you've also been exposed to Elvish and Dwarvish, right?"

The church naturally had no literacy courses. From the very first day the Church's seminary was established, its sole goal was to continuously train Missionaries, and Elvish and Dwarvish were almost compulsory courses. Shatuo was well aware of this.

Reilo hesitated. "The Priest taught some, but I haven't actually applied it yet."

As for Elvish and Dwarvish, Reilo had some foundation, but from his conversation with Krelina on the way here, it was clear he could hardly claim mastery.

"No problem! Put the grammar books away for now; we'll correct them slowly later! Junior Brother, since you already have some foundation, our course will be much simpler from here. Once you learn to dissect natural specimens and Energy Magnetic Fields, I can have the mentor arrange class courses for you to study with the other students!"

"Great!"

Reilo's face lit up with anticipation and joy.

If he were truly an ordinary commoner starting enlightenment, learning to read and write, foreign languages, dissecting specimens, and contacting Energy Magnetic Fields—a whole chain of study—it would take months just to get started, let alone master it.

Thinking back, Reilo had studied at the church for four years. This showed the vast cognitive gap between commoners and nobles.

Under Reilo's gaze, Shatuo took out a box.

Croak, croak, croak.

Inside the box were many lively frogs, croaking noisily. Shatuo grabbed one and handed it to Reilo, then took one for himself and closed the box again.

At this season, to have so many frogs—they must be specimens specially cultivated by Senior Brother.

Reilo gripped the frog tightly. The slimy creature struggled incessantly in his hand, seeming ready to slip away at any moment. Reilo had to use both hands to hold it firmly, lest it escape.

"Natural specimens are broadly divided into five categories: microorganisms, animals, plants, minerals, and fossils. For animal specimens, we generally use dissection to fully understand their physiological workings, then turn them into long-lasting biological specimens that provide us with a steady stream of intellectual inspiration. Today, we'll start learning with this frog."

As he spoke, Shatuo opened a toolbox and skillfully took out a fine needle, demonstrating it before Reilo.

This kind of toolbox was also included in the Space Box Shatuo had gifted Reilo, containing various scalpels, tube clamps, tweezers, piercing needles, and so on.

"This is a Bone-Piercing Needle. We insert it into the frog's central nervous system to destroy its pain perception, calming it down for easier dissection and observation of its physiological mysteries. This method applies to all animal specimens."

With focused eyes, as Shatuo gently inserted the Bone-Piercing Needle into the frog's body, the once-struggling frog immediately stopped moving, yet still breathed, "Croaking."

"Junior Brother, you try too!"

Reilo took the Bone-Piercing Needle Shatuo handed him, mimicked his technique, and gently inserted it into the frog in his right hand.

But the frog struggled even harder, "Croaked," and slipped from his grasp.

"Junior Brother, you didn't find the right spot on the central nervous system. Don't rush, grab it and take it slow."

Reilo flushed with embarrassment and began chasing the frog around the room.

Watching his flustered junior brother, Shatuo couldn't help but laugh. "Junior Brother, did you know? When ancient scholars first dissected a certain animal specimen, they would take a bite first, studying it in the most primitive way. Want to give it a try?"

"I'll pass!"

After a good while, Reilo finally caught the frog.

On the frog that Reilo had just pierced with the Bone-Piercing Needle, some bloodstains appeared on the skin, while Shatuo's frog, which had already stopped struggling, showed no blood at all.

Shatuo leaned in, pointing at a spot on the frog's back, and said patiently, "Here, a little to the left. Try again."

Reilo inserted the Bone-Piercing Needle where Shatuo indicated.

The frog, which had been struggling in his hand, suddenly went still. A delighted smile spread across Reilo's face as he let out a relieved breath and gently placed the frog on the Dissection Tray.

Shatuo pulled on rubber gloves, his expression focused, and said, "Many scholars, when first learning to dissect biological specimens, experience negative emotions—guilt, excitement, a fear of blood, and so on. We must correct our experimental attitude, treat the life and death of specimens rationally. The killing in the research process is merely a necessary step in our pursuit of truth and knowledge. When it is not necessary, we must avoid unnecessary slaughter."

As Shatuo murmured to himself in a low, almost droning tone, the Exquisite Dissection Knife slid slowly across the frog's white belly without any resistance.

It was as if what he cut was not frog skin, but a piece of soft, oily cheese.

The frog on the Dissection Tray no longer felt any pain, and fresh red blood flowed from the wound.

As Shatuo peeled back the incision with tweezers, the frog's living internal organs were revealed before the two of them, its heart still thumping—thump, thump—as it beat.