An Academic Center Doesn't Have to Be in the Center

"Hmm?" Kraft paused, finally understanding what Calman was asking. "I thought a Medical School with that kind of classroom wouldn't need to be so cryptic."

"That is a misunderstanding. Under normal circumstances, that lecture hall with the stone dais is only used for demonstrating treatments on ordinary patients," Professor Calman explained.

"There are no outsiders here, so why not tell me about the 'not-so-normal' circumstances?"

Calman relaxed a little. It seemed this new lecturer was indeed quite open-minded, so he could speak plainly.

"In extraordinary times, for instance, we have a dissection class in that room tonight." Calman wore a mysterious smile, his hands folded in front of him. "Although the Theology School is right next door, the people from The Church never step foot into our Medical School. No exceptions." He enunciated the last two words with particular clarity.

Kraft was genuinely eager to see a dissection class at the Medical School here; after all, his own experience with dissection classes back then hadn't been particularly extensive.

Come to think of it, even though it was a world separated by several eras, people's regard for the integrity of the deceased remained deeply rooted, even if the level of acceptance for such matters had changed drastically.

Even in the professional medical programs of his original world, it wasn't easy to find enough cadavers for students to study. Thinking about it now, it was a suffocating loss that he hadn't signed a donation form before his sudden death.

He still remembered his own dissection class: a dozen people surrounding a cadaver, reciting oaths, and then bowing in gratitude. Because there were so many people, usually only half could crowd around the dissection table, while the rest stood to the side taking notes. Even then, not everyone had a good view; some were squeezed to the side, forced to operate in uncomfortable positions.

While studying that course, given how difficult it was to conduct the teaching, he had even joked that he would donate his body to his alma mater after death, with a plaque reading that this person had studied here in such-and-such year and studied anatomy in this very spot—it would have been a great piece of dark humor.

As it turned out, that never happened. Who could have guessed that staying up late at a young age would swap him into a different world? Truly, staying up late is not advisable.

Thinking of this, Kraft declined the professor's invitation: "It is a great pity, but I happened to stay up all night yesterday, and I have to set off for home tomorrow. Once I obtain my grandfather's consent, I will be able to stay in Wenden Port long-term."

"By the way," before leaving, Kraft remembered the author's mark he had seen at the end of Human Anatomy yesterday and asked out of curiosity, "I would like to ask for the full name of the author who wrote such a masterpiece as Human Anatomy. That cervical vertebra mark of his is quite interesting."

"Oh, you mean that? I was still studying in Dunling when I first transcribed this book, and the original of this great work is kept by my mentor." Professor Calman didn't seem surprised by the question; clearly, seeing the fifth cervical vertebra as a smiley face was quite memorable.

"You know, unlike here, the closer you get to the center of the kingdom, the more the Church likes to meddle. Often, the author just secretly releases their findings, leaving a mark to distinguish them from others, without letting anyone find their real name." When discussing this, the professor was not particularly avoidant; cursing the Church in private didn't matter, as everyone did it anyway. "This book has been around for some years. As far as I know, everyone has been reading this same copy for decades."

"I see. It has already been decades. Does he have any other works?" Kraft shook his head with regret. If such a person were given a good research environment, medicine here would likely be very different.

Calman spread his hands: "None. Otherwise, what you received yesterday would certainly not be limited to these three books. I don't think the author has been caught, either. If they found him, the Inquisition in Dunling would at least drag him out and burn him with great fanfare for three days."

"Rather, he is very clever. He didn't truly think that the meaningless explanation at the beginning could fool the Church like a fool. That at most allowed the Church to hold their noses and tacitly permit the book's circulation. If he were to jump out himself, the Inquisition would have plenty of ways to make him confess to dissecting corpses."

"Let's not talk about these depressing things. I came to Wenden Port back then just to get away from all that. Shall we go grab some lunch together?"

"Of course, knowledge cannot replace bread." Kraft happened to be hungry, and from the delicious biscuits yesterday, he knew Professor Calman had good taste in food.

Unexpectedly, the professor took Kraft to a tavern near the academy and ordered grilled fish and several large mugs of beer. The entire tavern seemed filled with various scholar robes; it appeared this place was quite popular among the academic crowd.

"I must say, choosing to stay in Wenden Port back then was, first, because this place suits my research, and second, because I love the grilled fish here." Calman had already changed out of his black robes and pushed the plate of grilled fish toward Kraft, his mood improved by finding a kindred spirit. "Especially the mackerel here. It not only removes the fishy smell but also retains the natural fragrance of the fish. The students at the academy love it too."

Kraft grabbed one and took a bite of the fish belly; it was indeed delicious. His tongue, which had been tortured by coarse bread and hard jerky for many days, had an excellent experience—the texture was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Taverns like this used the latest catch delivered to them, which was genuinely fresh. If it didn't sell out, fresh fish without refrigeration would start to smell within two or three days.

Because of the stable supply, most taverns serving grilled fish only bought enough for the next day, finishing it all without keeping stock.

As a seaport, the local diet of Wenden Port was closely tied to the catch from the sea. The ocean's abundant output meant this small city was rarely troubled by food shortages. Human fishing volume was nowhere near the limit of what nature could provide, and many fish species could be caught in large quantities near the shore.

Rare and expensive fish like tuna were picked up by merchants and chefs from noble households, while the best of the common cod and mackerel were sent directly to taverns to be served to diners within a few hours, or sold at the fish market by the pier to residents looking to add fresh ingredients to their homes. The lesser ones were made into salted fish or dried fish for easy storage and transport.

Wood Territory had itinerant merchants who came regularly to sell Wenden Port's seafood, but the best fresh grilled sea fish could only be eaten in Wenden Port, and the price was cheap enough for even low-income families to afford.

Fish also served as the most cost-effective source of nutrition locally, long occupying everyone's table, and under the wisdom of the masses, it had been developed into various preparations like grilled fish, fish soup, and stargazy pie.

In the long-term study of fish cooking methods, the level had continuously improved. Among them, the classic grilled fish had its craft successfully pushed to a level that even a soul from another world had to praise, thanks to the infinite competition among local taverns.

However, the local brewing process was truly not very good. The beer, brewed with hops, was an improvement over ale, but for Kraft, who didn't like alcohol much to begin with, it was still hard to swallow. Professor Calman could only enjoy the large mugs of beer by himself.

As they parted ways, the slightly tipsy Professor Calman hadn't forgotten the main point, expressing that there would be many opportunities and hoping Kraft would return to Wenden Port soon to teach long-term, so that everyone could work together in this place—where the heavens were high and the Church was far away—to promote the development of their great cause.