To Lecturer Kraft:
Please forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye. By the time you read this letter, I will already be aboard a fast ship bound for Dunling.
This is not because I have renewed my hopes for that stagnant place ruled by the authorities and The Church. Rather, my long-unheard-from professor sent someone to deliver his latest research and invited me to Dunling to help in whatever way I could. He specifically mentioned that he lacked enough trustworthy people around him.
To be honest, my responsibilities made me want to refuse the invitation. I'm not someone who neglects public duty for personal reasons, and there is far too much work at Wenden Port Medical School that needs my attention. But this time is different. This is for a greater future.
Though I have complete faith in his academic integrity, the progress made in this research still left me thinking I was dreaming when I read about it. I could hardly believe I might witness such a great moment with my own eyes in my lifetime.
You surely remember Edward, the man who liked to sign his name on cervical vertebrae in Human Anatomy. He confirmed three of the four principles of traditional Humorism, breathing new life into the centuries-old Humoral Theory through the bold inquiries of our own age.
In that groundbreaking book, the author fell short of completing his work, leaving behind a regret that remained unaddressed for decades: Black Fluid. This mysterious fluid, a symbol of stillness and endings, had never truly been found. Some even believed it was merely figurative, a manifestation of the inhibitory system.
This argument became a new classic, regarded as an unshakable truth. For decades, people incapable of independent thought had repeated it like Holy Scripture, treating it as proof that modern medical thought surpassed that of our predecessors.
How ridiculous. Something born to break with tradition had become a new tradition. Perhaps that cervical vertebra, with what seemed like a smile, was mocking such foolishness. We had turned a conjecture unsupported by clear evidence into an idol, and the Academy into the church that worshipped it.
Now, we will show our respect for the great scholars who came before us in our own way: by completely overturning the fallacies in his theory. And, of course, we will do so with empirical evidence.
Allow me to introduce my professor in a less formal manner: Professor Morrison, who also leads the Medical School at Dunling University.
Thanks to more than a decade of advances in glassmaking, increasingly precise glass instruments have made experimental observation easier. During a recent experiment, he unexpectedly discovered a phenomenon he could not explain. As a meticulous and rigorous man, he would never dismiss such an incidental occurrence as a "mistake."
Due to limitations of space, and for several other reasons, I cannot describe the exact process in this letter. In short, after a series of complex procedures, a small amount of black liquid was extracted from the human body.
In subsequent experiments, this liquid displayed extraordinary properties, which became even more pronounced after further purification.
I suspect you have already guessed what I'm about to say: it possesses the inhibitory properties we have sought for so long.
In every respect, it exerted an inhibitory effect that caused living things to become still, and only a tiny amount was needed. I have already conducted some tests using the samples my professor sent. The records of my findings are stored with the samples, which I entrusted to Lucius. He is my most trustworthy and most talented student here, and is qualified to know all of this.
If all goes well, Lucius will give you these two items along with this letter. You may discuss anything related to them with him, but you must not disclose anything to anyone else. Any experiments must also be conducted in secret. Lucius will tell you where my private laboratory is.
Until I return, you may use my laboratory to conduct more detailed and comprehensive tests on this black liquid from your own perspective.
As a fellow scholar, you must understand the urgency felt by anyone pursuing knowledge. I simply cannot resist such a powerful temptation.
The magnificent palace of medicine is nearly complete, with only its final corner left for us to fill. The physical proof that will complete Humorism is within our reach!
If my professor is right, I should be able to help him accomplish this great feat within three months, then return to Wenden Port with a new work to share with you. May we admire together the latest and most beautiful treasure in the vault of knowledge.
Also, I have an unoccupied house near the Academy that is suitable for a long-term stay. I've enclosed the key with this letter. Please feel free to use it if you need it.
Signed: Calman
Before you continue