"Hm?" Kraft froze for a moment, then realized what Calman was asking. "I thought that a Medical School with a classroom like that wouldn't need to be so coy."
"That's a misunderstanding. Under normal circumstances, the tiered lecture hall with the stone table is still used to demonstrate treatments on ordinary patients," Professor Calman explained.
"There's no one else around. How about telling me about the not-so-normal circumstances?"
Calman relaxed a little. It seemed this new lecturer was indeed fairly open-minded, so he could speak plainly.
"As for the unusual circumstances, for example, we've got an Anatomy class in that lecture hall tonight." Calman gave a mysterious smile, folding his hands in front of him. "The Theology School is right next door, but people from the Church never come into our Medical School. No exceptions." He enunciated those last two words especially clearly.
Kraft was genuinely eager to see what an Anatomy class at this Medical School was like. After all, he hadn't had much experience with Anatomy classes himself.
It had been several eras between their worlds, yet people in both places remained deeply attached to the idea of preserving the integrity of the dead. The only thing that had changed dramatically was how accepting they were of such practices.
Even in the Otherworld Soul's world, it wasn't easy for legitimate medical programs to find enough cadavers for their students. Thinking about it, he'd really missed out by not signing a donor form before he died suddenly. It was enough to make him gasp.
He still remembered his own Anatomy class. A dozen or so students had gathered around a cadaver, recited an oath, then bowed in thanks. Since there were so many of them, only half could usually stand around the dissection table; the rest had to take notes nearby. Even then, not everyone at the table had a good view. A few students were squeezed off to the side, forced to dissect from awkward positions.
Since the course was so difficult to arrange, he'd once joked that he'd donate his body to his alma mater after he died. They could put up a plaque saying that he'd studied there in such-and-such a year and learned Anatomy right there. It would be deliciously dark humor.
But that never happened. Who could have guessed that one night without sleep at such a young age would land him in another world? That was why staying up late was a terrible idea.
With that in mind, Kraft still declined the professor's invitation. "What a shame. I happened to stay up all night yesterday, and I have to set off for home tomorrow. Once I get my grandfather's permission, I'll be able to stay in Wenden Port long-term."
"Oh, right." Before leaving, Kraft remembered the author's mark at the end of Human Anatomy, which he'd noticed the day before. Curious, he asked, "I wanted to ask about the full name of the author who wrote a work like Human Anatomy. That little mark of the fifth cervical vertebra is pretty interesting."
"Oh, that." Professor Calman didn't seem surprised by the question. The fifth cervical vertebra resembling a smiley face clearly made a strong impression. "When I first copied this book, I was still studying in Dunling. The original of this great work was in my professor's hands."
"You know how it is. Unlike here, the closer you get to the center of the kingdom, the more the Church likes to meddle. The author often just put his work out secretly, leaving a mark to distinguish it from others without revealing his real name." The professor didn't seem particularly guarded while discussing it. There was no harm in cursing the Church a little in private; after all, everyone did. "This book's been around for a long time. As far as I know, it's the one everyone's been reading for decades."
"All right. I can't believe it's already been decades. Did he write anything else?" Kraft shook his head regretfully. If someone like that had been given a good environment for research, medicine here would probably have been completely different.
Calman spread his hands. "No, otherwise the three books you got yesterday wouldn't have been all you found. I don't think the author was caught, either. If he had been, the Inquisition in Dunling would've dragged him out and made a grand spectacle of burning him for three days at least."
"More likely, he was smart enough not to think that those rather meaningless explanations at the beginning could fool the Church. At most, they made the Church hold its nose and tacitly allow the book to circulate. If he'd actually shown himself, the Inquisition would've had plenty of ways to make him confess to dissecting corpses.
"Enough of that unpleasantness. I came to Wenden Port back then to get away from it all. Want to grab lunch together?"
"Of course. Knowledge can't replace bread." Kraft was hungry anyway, and judging by the delicious biscuits from yesterday, Professor Calman had good taste in food.
To Kraft's surprise, the professor took him to a tavern near the Academy, where they ordered grilled fish and several large mugs of beer. Scholar's robes of every kind filled the place. It seemed to be very popular with the academic crowd.
"I'll tell you, there were two reasons I chose to stay in Wenden Port. First, it was a good place for my research. Second, I liked the grilled fish here." Calman had changed out of his black clothes and pushed the plate of fish toward Kraft. Finding someone who shared his tastes had put him in a good mood. "Especially the mackerel here. They get rid of the fishiness while keeping the fish's own flavor. The students at the Academy like it too."
Kraft picked one up and took a bite of its belly. It really did taste good. After days of rough bread and tough jerky, his palate was in heaven. The fish was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Taverns like this used the freshest catch brought in from elsewhere. It was genuinely fresh. If it didn't sell, fresh fish without a refrigerator would start to smell in two or three days.
Since supplies were reliable, most taverns that served grilled fish bought only what they needed for the next day. They used it all and kept no stock.
As a seaport, Wenden Port's local diet was closely tied to the fish caught in the sea. The ocean's abundant yield meant the small city was rarely troubled by food shortages. Humanity's catch was nowhere near the limits of what nature could provide, and many types of fish could be caught in large quantities close to shore.
Rarer, more expensive fish like tuna were snapped up by merchants and the cooks in noble households. The best-looking common cod and mackerel went straight to taverns, where they were served to diners within hours, or sold directly at the fish market by the docks to residents looking to add fresh ingredients to their family meals. The less desirable fish were salted or dried for easier storage and transport.
Every year, itinerant merchants came to Wood Territory to sell Wenden Port's seafood. But the best grilled fresh sea fish could only be had in Wenden Port, and it was cheap enough for even families with modest incomes to afford.
Fish was also the best-value source of nutrition locally, and it had long held a place on everyone's table. Thanks to the ingenuity of the common folk, all kinds of dishes had been developed, from grilled fish and fish soup to stargazy pie.
Through years of research into cooking fish, people's skills had continued to improve. The most classic dish, grilled fish, had been perfected through the fierce competition among local taverns, reaching a level that even a soul from another world had to praise.
The local brewing skills, however, were honestly not very good. Beer brewed with hops was an improvement on ale, but it was still hard to stomach for Kraft, who hadn't been much of a drinker to begin with. Professor Calman had to enjoy the several large mugs by himself.
When they parted, the slightly tipsy Professor Calman didn't forget the real reason for their meeting. He said there would be plenty of opportunities and hoped Kraft would return to Wenden Port soon to teach there long-term. That way, they could work together to advance their great cause in this wonderful place, far from the Church's reach.
Before you continue