Inside a well illuminated room, there was a simple stretcher made out of brown leather. Upon it, the blind man from earlier was seated in a comfortable position.
Merlin had already medicated him with medicine to calm the mind and induce sleep half an incense stick ago.
At the moment, he was preparing a small metal table beside the patient, covered by a clean white cloth.
Upon the cloth, Merlin rapidly placed multiple strange instruments Alex had never seen before. They were so delicate and minute very few blacksmiths would have the manual skills to craft them.
Yet the most curious object out of them all was a thin metal frame. It was made out of two circles connected together, with a leg-like extension at each side.
The most intricate detail were the circular crystals fixed inside the frame! Some god-like craftsman managed to somehow polish the crystals to perfectly match one another, fitting them inside the metal.
It didn't stop there: the right frame of the exquisite tool had multiple smaller crystals layered upon each other, forming a cone shaped structure. And it appeared they could be cast in or out of the structure at one's will!
"These are what we call glasses! Actually, these are a special kind of glasses. Each len provides a bigger amplification of an observed object" Merlin slowly explained after noticing Alex's interest.
"And after Mr. Black's surgery is over, he will be using a simplified version of these!"
Alex was perplexed: how could such a valuable item be given away like that? Magic crystals that granted special vision were highly sought after by cultivators! What if the old man was attacked and robbed of his possessions?
Yet Merlin rapidly clarified his doubts. Those magical crystals were actually a mixture of melted sand!
The unremarkable grains were all heated up together with some special stabilizing materials and further cooled down in the shape of a lens.
Afterwards, they would be slowly polished through wet techniques, maintaining their smooth surface and gaining special light-reflecting properties!
The person who developed such a method was truly a genius! Creating magical tools out of mundane materials.
It was at this point Alex began suspecting that his "Earthly Realm's Collectanea of Illnesses and Curses: Rookie Book" had connections to Merlin's Earthly Medicine Pavilion. The style of their methods was just too similar.
Creating greatness from the simple! Who said mortal things could only be plain and unsophisticated?
Maybe in some way, even mortals could pursue the Dao!
"Alright, let's get to business!"
"So Mr. Alex, what's the first most important step in a successful surgery?" Merlin inquired in a scholarly tone.
"I think it would be to take away the patient's pain." Alex cleverly responded.
"Ah yes, that's essential! Without mitigating the pain, the most simple act of surgery would be impossible! In some cases, we weigh out the harm and benefits of a surgery, choosing to do it even with the pain to save a life, but that's far from ideal!"
"Always remember the maxim: Primum non nocere!"
Alex was intrigued with the last words Merlin professed using a respectful tone. It was a language unknown to him. Further on, Merlin translated the term to something like "Do no harm". A physician should act in a way that never brings unnecessary harm to their patients.
"That was a good observation. But what I meant to ask was about proper hygiene! Ancient teachings from our sect had theorized that the world is completely colonized by organisms so small they are invisible to the naked eye!"
"Furthermore, some of those microorganisms are related to diseases and infections! So it's essential to maintain proper hygiene in surgical environments."
Saying so, Merlin suddenly manifested green spirit energy on his hands, spreading its faint glow on the tools, himself and the patient.
"Amazing right? Irradiating surfaces and items with spirit energy immediately turn them sterile! But don't worry, one doesn't need to be a cultivator to accomplish such a feat. There are actually many secret concoctions used by mortal members of the sect to realize surgery!"
Alex was mesmerized with so much information. Since cultivators were so set in achieving immortality, most orthodox lineages never took the time and effort to study the world outside of cultivation. Such unique approaches to life!
That fact no cultivation was required to join the Earthly Medicine Pavilion as a member further consolidated his desire to join such a unique organization.
After a brief explanation, Merlin skillfully began the procedure to grant back vision to the old elder.
Although delicate, the process was actually very simple!
First the ocular globe would be exposed by a tool named "eyelid retractor".
Two tiny metal hands shaped like a plier would hold the eyelids open. Next, using the amplifying glasses, Merlin slowly cut a minute incision right besides the pupil, at the iris border.
Afterwards, a small metal "syringe" was used to infuse special salt water into the eye chamber to expand the maneuvering space.
Finally, Merlin used a tiny scoop tool to break down the eye's lens. This was the structure responsible for causing the cataract. Due to unknown circumstances, this tiny eye piece would become clouded, forming a white coating that was impenetrable by light!
Without light, the eye could not function! These were all new concepts Merlin patiently explained to Alex beforehand.
In his two lives, this was the first time Alex acquired such specific knowledge of the human body! Cultivators usually focused a lot on spirit energy organs such as meridians, golden cores and nascent souls!
Taking out the eye's natural lens would still leave the patient without the ability to see on its own. That is where the glasses came into picture!
By using a standardized glass lens, the eye would recover its capacity of generating images!
As so, surgery in both Mr. Black's eyes was a success! Merlin managed to completely remove the diseased lens.
"I myself am actually very unskilled and have to use all these tools. High level members of our sect can manipulate their spirit energy so finely they use it directly as their tools!" Merlin added while reorganizing the tiny tools on the table.
Following a brief period of recuperation after surgery, he would have his vision completely restored with the use of glasses!
After the surgery, Merlin waited for his patient to wake up and patiently instructed him on his circumstances. He would remain here at the inn until complete recovery.
The surgery brought up many questions and both men spent the remainder of the afternoon debating medicine and a unique school of knowledge called "science" by Merlin.
"This might seem very sudden but I feel you are very suited for the teachings of our sect. Would you be interested in taking our entrance exam?" Merlin finally said.
"I'm very willing, sir!" accepted Alex.
"Very well! The exam usually takes place at the end of summer! You could stay here for some time and pick up some practical experience before departing!"
It turned out the Earthly Medicine Pavilion was located in the southern part of the Arcane Region.
Agreeing to his offer, Alex spent the next month accompanying Merlin as they attended to the needy of Arcane Capital City.
Soon after, he began his journey to the south.