Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 302: Alien Limb Transplantation
"Alienated limbs? This..." The Eye of Illusion looked at the row of alchemical prosthetic limbs hanging on the experimental stand and was shocked to the point of being speechless for a moment.

Crab-like metal hexapod limbs, foldable mechanical mantis arms connected to an artificial spine, and a wheeled half-torso connected to the thorax...

There's no need to wait for the priests of the church to pronounce judgment; even the spellcasters would consider these things to be heretical creations.

"Is this the safe surgical plan you told me about earlier?" The Eye of Illusion exchanged glances with its teacher and swallowed hard. "Excuse me, but these prosthetic limbs don't look safe at all..."

Harvey nodded in understanding and slowly explained, "This is a prosthetic structure we've specially designed to reduce surgical risks. Compared to humanoid prosthetics, which require a transplant to the main body to make up for the difficulty of assimilation, these animal-like prosthetics will have a higher degree of compatibility."

In other words, transplanting a humanoid prosthesis to Duncan requires him to use his own soul energy to absorb and assimilate the soul fragments in the limbs, integrating them into one. However, due to the large number of missing parts, the soul suture surgery is extremely risky.

But if soul fusion is abandoned and only grafting is adopted, then Duncan, as the transplant recipient, only needs to "tame" and "manipulate" the prosthetic part, perfectly avoiding the possible fusion risks.

Duncan gazed at these animal-shaped prosthetic limbs with a burning gaze, and suddenly realized, "These alchemical prosthetics have been adjusted to the state of the illusion spell? This is truly... an unprecedented experimental innovation..."

Chris approached with a smile and reminded him, "Mr. Duncan, please rest assured. These alchemical prosthetic limbs are all forged from rare magical metal minerals. The soul cores contained within them are also carefully selected and transformed from the most suitable magical creatures..."

He tilted his head slightly, using his eyes to gain Harvey's approval. After a pause, he continued, "Also... if conditions permit, the soul core can be completely replaced later on. Even if you find a living sub-dragon, we can find a way to successfully convert it for your use."

Duncan's body trembled slightly uncontrollably upon hearing this, and he muttered to himself, "Ancient dragons... can also extract their souls for me to control... This is truly... truly what I've dreamed of for decades..."

He paused for a moment before coming to his senses. With a firm resolve, he bowed to Harvey and said sincerely, "Your Excellency, please transplant as many of these alchemical limbs as possible for me... Without worrying about the risks involved, I will voluntarily shoulder the cost. This will also allow me to provide you with more research data for your experiments."

"Astrologer" Melissa blurted out in horror, "Teacher! No! This is too dangerous..."

Benoit, the "Mithril Unicorn," quickly covered her mouth and pulled her aside to comfort her. "Follow the teacher's choice. Everything is based on his wishes!"

Harvey smiled and said, "You three can arrange for one of you to observe the entire surgical experiment. The rest of you will need to temporarily leave the lab and wait in the rest room outside... The operation may take a long time, so you will need to be patient."

The Eye of Illusion stepped forward first and said, "Please let me stay here and accompany Teacher Duncan."

……

After everyone left one after another, only Harvey, Chris, and Egno were left in the operating center of the Alchemy Laboratory, as well as the Eye of Illusion who was left there to watch.

Duncan looked around with some confusion and asked, "I've heard from Jin and Melissa that there seem to be two spellcasters under your command who have undergone soul transformation, accommodating themselves into complete alchemical bodies..."

Harvey smiled and explained, "Yes, they are both busy with other matters right now, so they didn't come to participate in the surgical experiment. I will formally introduce them to you later."

The Master of Transfiguration nodded in understanding and said expectantly, "If the operation fails, my soul will be transferred to an alchemical body as planned, right? I wonder if I'll still be able to perform Transfiguration after becoming an alchemical creature..." Chris quickly said, "Don't be so pessimistic, Mr. Duncan. That's just our last resort in case the operation fails. We won't consider it unless it's absolutely necessary."

Egno, who had already prepared for the operation, stepped forward in a full-body protective suit, dismissed Chris, who was still chattering, and said calmly, "Okay, I'll perform the first part of the operation, Mr. Duncan. I'll first use anesthetics to put you in a state of mental clarity but limb anesthesia. The wound on your severed limb will be reopened, and once the limb is healed, it will be sutured again..."

Chris stepped aside and began donning the protective hood required for the surgery. He continued in a muffled voice, "I'll handle the second step. I'll first implant a portion of your artificial metal spine...to reactivate nerve control in your lower limbs."

Duncan listened in a daze, and finally couldn't help but speak: "Gentlemen...why don't you just get started? There's no need to explain the details of the surgical experiment to me in detail. I feel a little scared..."

Harvey turned his head to look at Mr. Illusion Eye who was standing outside the glass wall of the operating room. He almost pressed his whole body against the glass cover, his face a little deformed. He seemed to be very concerned about the actions of everyone in the operating room, and his concern for his teacher was beyond words.

"You have three good students, Mr. Duncan."

Harvey patted the bound and fixed illusionist on the operating table with one hand and said soothingly, "Next, please enter deep meditation. I will use my mental power to infiltrate the magic network with you and complete the most important soul suturing step..."

……

Outside the operating center of the Alchemy Laboratory, "Astrologer" Melissa paced back and forth restlessly. Time passed by minute by minute, and the door of the operating room remained closed.

Benoit, the "Mithril Unicorn," was noticeably calmer. He sat on the sofa with a cup of warm fruit tea brought by his alchemist apprentice, glancing around. "Melissa, remain patient and trust Mr. Kel'Thuzad. He is the forum's only real-world representative. His magical knowledge and alchemical skills far surpass those of the high-level spellcasters and alchemist masters you and I know."

Besides, with Jin watching closely inside, it is impossible for anything big to go wrong.

The astrologer sighed and sat down. "Of course I trust Mr. Kel'Thuzad's skills. I'm just worried that your condition isn't good enough to make it through the difficult surgery... You know, your age is already..."

Although high-level spellcasters live much longer than ordinary mortals due to the improvement of their ability level, and their magic and mental strength remain abundant, their flesh and blood bodies will inevitably fall into old age and weakness.

Benoit took a sip of hot tea and asked helplessly, "Then tell me, do you know the teacher's real age? Haha, let alone you and me, even Jin, who has followed the teacher the longest, doesn't know how old the teacher is..."

Melissa was stunned for a moment, her eyebrows raised, and she was about to put on the airs of a senior sister and teach her younger junior a lesson, when the door of the operating laboratory suddenly opened.

Kim Gavin, the Eye of Illusion, walked out with a pale face and staggering steps.

"How is it? Did the surgical experiment go smoothly?" The two men hurriedly gathered over and asked anxiously.

The Eye of Illusion opened its mouth, unsure how to explain. Finally, it could only mutter, "The operation went exceptionally smoothly... But the teacher, the teacher... doesn't even look like a normal human anymore..."

(End of this chapter)