Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 500: Chapter 316: Play with Fire and You’ll Get Burned_1

The body was laid in the cool basement; otherwise, in this weather, it would have taken only half a day for the corpse to become severely decomposed.

This was a gaunt body. His hands were calloused from long periods of handling sail ropes, and his exposed skin was tanned and darkened from prolonged sun exposure. Some features revealed his identity as a Pirate.

There were signs of dissection on the corpse—it had clearly been used as teaching material after death—with dense stitches maintaining the final semblance of dignity.

It was obvious that this was not Paracelsus’s handiwork, for it was too rough.

”To be honest, the cause of his death isn’t clear,” Paracelsus began. ”He was fine the day before, but by last night, he was gone. I suspect a wound infection, but I don’t have more cases on hand...”

Paracelsus then pointed to a wound on the corpse’s abdomen. It looked like a sword cut from the battlefield, and his intestines had probably spilled out. The fact that he hadn’t died on the spot but had lingered for so many days somewhat demonstrated that Hamlet’s developing medical system had achieved respectable results.

”It was acute organ failure caused by inflammation from the wound infection,” Lance stated. ”With current medical technology, he was basically beyond saving.”

His mastery of the Ability ”Flesh Reconstruction” gave him a profound understanding of the human body, generally allowing him to determine the cause of death. But this situation also indicated something else.

”Even the dead can speak,” Lance continued. ”Autopsies, aside from understanding human anatomy, must also focus on researching and recording the causes of diseases and death. The accumulation of this data will aid the development of our pathology and forensic science.”

Paracelsus had dissected many bodies, but she was more focused on studying human anatomy.

She used to conduct her research secretly, but after coming to Hamlet, she received strong support from the Lord. Thanks to a wealth of experimental data, she had nearly completed her study of human anatomy; her book was almost finished.

Now, faced with Lance’s instructions, she understood the general direction for her future research.

”Also,” Lance said, ”I feel a hospital should be established in town. The progress made in treating external injuries can also help prevent potential plagues and diseases. We have several medical staff from the city sanatoriums here this time, don’t we? I’ll transfer them all to you.”

”I need to do research; I don’t have time to manage a hospital,” Paracelsus replied, somewhat dissatisfied. In her view, teaching those medical orderlies had already wasted enough of her time. With a new research direction emerging, she certainly had no time to manage a hospital.

Few would dare to refuse a Noble Lord’s request so directly, but Paracelsus did.

”Indeed, I was inconsiderate. Let’s set this matter aside for now; I’ll have someone else handle it,” Lance said with a resigned smile, acknowledging her point.

He didn’t find her straightforwardness offensive. As long as one has ability, they should feel free to make requests. If I didn’t have this much tolerance, I shouldn’t be in this position.

This proposal was a bit hasty on my part, he thought. The environment in the Beast Lair has put a lot of pressure on me, making me instinctively prepare contingency plans for diseases.

The Witch’s plague, the diseases of the Beast Lair... why did our ancestors favor such disgusting things?

Grendel observed the exchange. This hardly seems like an interaction between a Noble Lord and a subordinate; it’s more like a conversation among friends.

The Experiment was soon ready. Corpse Decomposition Spores were sprinkled on the body’s exposed wound. The skin began to ulcerate visibly; flesh necrotized at a rate perceptible to the naked eye. Even the fascia dissolved, turning into a muddy, foul-smelling bloody fluid, and soon, an entire thigh was stripped down to the bone.

But the reaction stopped there; it didn’t dissolve further. It seemed there was a limit once the spores lost their self-replicating ability.

”Increase the dosage!” Grendel ordered, her voice calm.

As more of the substance was applied, the reaction resumed: skin, muscles, and internal organs vanished before their eyes, leaving only bones and hair.

Confronted with such a Skeleton, Paracelsus showed no fear. Instead, she looked pleasantly surprised, as if a novel toy lay before her.

She cleaned it with a Potion and picked up a femur, sighing, ”I’ve always wanted a skeletal model for teaching, but I was never quite satisfied with the process of separating bone from flesh. Now, this is just perfect.”

Lance didn’t comment on her peculiar hobby, discussing instead with Grendel.

”Determining the correct dosage for the reaction is difficult,” Lance mused. ”If any spores remain, could they harm the environment?”

”No,” Grendel replied. ”Once they emerge from hibernation, if there’s no flesh available, they’ll quickly die off on their own.”

”Good. How is the research on the antidisease project progressing?”

”I already have the formula,” Grendel said. ”I’ve prepared some Antidisease Sachets, but they were designed for use in the Mountains. I’m unsure of their specific effectiveness here.”

”What if we adapt them into masks with an interlayer? That would be more suitable for the Beast Lair environment.”

Meanwhile, Paracelsus, having overheard their discussion about the Beast Lair, made a request to Lance.

”Remember to bring me back a relatively intact monster corpse.”

”Alright, alright! Leave it to me,” Lance readily agreed, promising she would get her share.

”I want to request permission to use those Heretics with Extraordinary healing abilities for Experiments, to verify if Corpse Decomposition Spores can inhibit their healing.”

”Alright. But be careful—those individuals aren’t ordinary. Ensure you have a comprehensive plan for your research.”