A Letter with Elegant Handwriting

To Lecturer Kraft:

Please forgive my unannounced departure. By the time you read this letter, I will surely be aboard an express ship bound for Dunling.

This is not because I have developed any new expectations for that stagnant land ruled by authority and The Church, but because my long-estranged mentor has sent someone to deliver his latest research findings, inviting me to Dunling to provide whatever assistance I can, specifically mentioning that he lacks enough trustworthy people by his side.

To be frank, the responsibilities I bear made me want to decline this invitation; I am not the type of person to neglect public duty for private matters, and there are too many things at the Wenden Port Medical School that require my attention. Yet this time is different; this is for a greater future.

Although I can fully trust his academic integrity, the progress achieved by this research still made me feel as if I were in a dream the moment I read it, unable to believe that I could witness such a great moment in my lifetime.

You surely remember that in Human Anatomy, that Edward who liked to sign his name on the cervical vertebrae had already verified three of the traditional four humors, and the Humoral Theory that has persisted for hundreds of years has gained new life through the bold verification of modern people.

In this epoch-making work, the author did not complete the task, leaving behind a regret that has remained unaddressed for decades—the Black Fluid. This mysterious liquid, symbolizing stillness and the end, has never truly been found, and was even considered a metaphorical reference, the embodiment of an inhibitory system.

This argument, as a new classic, has been regarded as an unbreakable truth, chanted like scripture for decades by those lacking the ability to think, and held up as proof that modern medical thinking surpasses that of our predecessors.

What a ridiculous thing; that which was born to break tradition has become a new tradition. That cervical vertebra, which looks like a smile, might just be mocking such foolish behavior, might it not? Turning a guess that lacks clear evidence into an idol, and using the academy as a cathedral to worship it.

And now, we shall express our respect for the sages in our own way—by thoroughly overturning the fallacies in his theory. Of course, in a way supported by empirical evidence.

Here, please allow me to introduce my mentor in a less formal manner: Professor Morrison, who is also the leader of the Dunling University Medical School.

Thanks to the development of glass manufacturing technology over the past decade, increasingly precise glass instruments have made experimental observation easier, so he unexpectedly discovered a phenomenon he could not understand during recent experiments. As a rigorous and careful person, my mentor has never been one to dismiss this incidental event as a "mistake."

Due to space constraints and other considerations, the specific process cannot be described in the letter sent. In short, after a series of complex operations, a very small amount of black liquid was extracted from the human body.

In subsequent experiments, this liquid exhibited extraordinary properties, which became even more apparent after further purification.

I suspect that reading this, you have already guessed what I am going to say: it is the inhibitory property we have been pursuing for so long.

In every aspect, it has demonstrated an inhibitory effect that causes living things to tend toward stillness, and only a tiny amount is needed to achieve this. I have already conducted some tests using the samples sent by my teacher; I have placed the specific results records together with the samples and entrusted them to Lucius for safekeeping. He is my most trustworthy and talented student here and is qualified to know all of this.

If I am not mistaken, these two items and this letter will be delivered to you by Lucius. You may also discuss everything related to this with him, but you must not disclose it to anyone else. Conducting experiments must also be done in secret; Lucius will tell you where my private laboratory is.

Before I return, you may use my laboratory to conduct more detailed and comprehensive tests on this Black Fluid from your own perspective.

As fellow scholars, you must surely understand the urgent desire of someone in pursuit of knowledge. I truly cannot endure such a great temptation.

The magnificent palace of medicine is nearly complete, with only the final corner left for us to fill. The perfection of the four humors theory through physical proof is right before our eyes!

If my mentor is correct, I should be able to help him complete this feat within three months and return to Wenden Port with a brand-new work to share with you. May we admire the newest and most beautiful treasure in the treasury of knowledge together.

Additionally, I have a vacant house near the academy available for long-term residence. The key is enclosed in the envelope with this letter; please feel free to use it if needed.

Signed: Calman