When Dr. Zai and Corbus returned to the doctor's estate, Corbus was first led to a small room in his new home. This was his room. Dr. Zai dispatched Mr. Yao to hire a woman to assist Corbus.
Although he never referred to her as a nanny, that's what she was. He called her "the maid," understanding Corbus' personality.
Still, everything about her screamed "nanny" to Corbus, though he never thought too deeply about it.
Before dinner, Mr. Yao returned with a maid, a comely woman who looked to be in her fifties, Mrs. Gao. She was widowed, and her children had various professions in the city. She lacked nothing, but worked due to her love of children.
Each morning, she assisted Corbus. He was well-dressed, groomed, and properly fed. She escorted him wherever he went, whether for a walk through the streets or a carriage ride across the city.
She even had a small stroller designed for longer walks, though they usually opted for the carriage since the city was so vast.
Corbus's instruction under Dr. Zai began immediately. The doctor quickly realized how eager the boy was to learn.
Taking him to the expansive estate library, Dr. Zai told him, "Corbus, before you can learn the specifics of medical practice, you must absorb as much medical knowledge as possible.
Medicine isn't only about making the body feel better, it's about understanding it and its secrets. Those secrets mix with the greater secrets of nature. You'll need to study herbology, anatomy, tools of the trade—everything."
He continued, "From our conversations, I can tell you already have some knowledge of medicine, that's excellent. You might progress faster. So I'm assigning you to start with bookshelf three, rows one through ten. Mrs. Gao will help you reach any books you need. If you require anything, ask her."
Corbus nodded, thanked the doctor, and eagerly dove into his studies.
His thirst for knowledge was endless. With eidetic memory and intuitive aptitude, Corbus had no trouble memorizing material—his challenge was only in acquiring enough of it.
Each day, he tore through book after book, dissecting the information and analyzing it at a pace few could rival.
Occasionally, he took a walk through the city with Mrs. Gao pushing him in his special cart.
He called these outings his "walks," and used them to observe people, trying to see if what he learned in the books could be applied to activate his intuitive aptitude. He was greedy for the secrets of these powerful beings.
He began to notice differences in the people—some were strong, some weak, and some… otherworldly. He saw individuals flying, many standing atop ornate swords.
He wasn't sure if the sword or the person enabled flight. Others flew without any aid. Maybe the swords are just training wheels, he mused. But that was a mystery for another day.
After a couple of months of study, Dr. Zai called Corbus in for a talk.
"In this city, and this world," the doctor began, "how far you go depends entirely on your talent. But I suspect your understanding of 'talent' is different from mine."
Corbus tilted his head. "What is talent here? Do you think I have it?"
"Talent," Dr. Zai said, "goes far beyond intellect or physical strength. In this world, we can manipulate spiritual energy, forces of nature, and absorb this energy to enhance ourselves. I'm sure you've wondered how some people live barely a hundred years, while others, like myself, may live well over two thousand years."
Corbus nodded. "I've wondered about that, but didn't think much of it. I figured there must be some hidden abilities in either the bodies of the residents or that they were using artifacts created by the craftsmen."
Dr. Zai smiled. "These are things that must be studied and trained. But they're not accessible to everyone."
"So… are you saying I could learn them?"
"Perhaps," Dr. Zai replied. "But we won't know until you turn five. At five, you'll undergo what's called an Awakening Ceremony. If you have spiritual talent, your path will open. If not… well, you'll live as your parents did, with a normal lifespan and no special powers."
The doctor's tone turned somber, "Most who awaken without talent are from servant families. Only one in a million servants may awaken with even a trace of spiritual affinity, and even then, it's usually the lowest grade E. My own is a low C-level talent."
Corbus's excitement dimmed, but a spark returned to his eyes. But I have my power, he thought. If talent is biological, then it can be studied. Maybe I can modify my body and upgrade it.
He quickly reasoned that with his abilities and understanding of medicine, he might be able to create the talent others were born with.
Dr. Zai chuckled, noticing the thoughtful look. "Corbus, you look so confident."
"Of course I am," Corbus said. "I believe my chances of having great talent are high. But even if I don't have it, I'll find a way to possess it. My focus is learning. In three years, I'll prove myself a true genius."
Dr. Zai couldn't decide whether to caution him or pat him on the back. In the end, he simply encouraged the boy and left him to his thoughts.
Corbus then made a plan. "My next three years would be divided into phases:
Year One would be the Year of Accumulation. I will read, absorb, and digest all knowledge available about medicine and related disciplines. I can compare the biology of humans in this world to my world of origin.
Year Two would be the Year of Exploration. I will attempt to reacquire some of the powers from my old world.
If I could at least recover my ability to see inside the human body, almost like X-ray vision, and my ability to generate sonic pulses to view structures via pseudo-sonograms, I could easily examine people's bodies in passing!
Year Three would be the Year of Transformation. I will try to alter my body's talent. I will rebuild it, if necessary, to give myself a shot at walking the spiritual path.
If the odds are one in a million, then why assume I'm that one? I need to develop my talent, the secret ability to adapt through intuitive aptitude, fueled by real knowledge, which can make the difference."
For a moment, Corbus pondered, "Could regaining my old powers make me invincible? Do I need to go through all of this struggle? No, while those abilities had limits, this world's path of talent did not. Theoretically, there was no ceiling. My goal is to break through the limits!"
Dr. Zai continued to guide him, answering questions, buying more books, and pointing him toward additional resources. He was amazed by how fast Corbus learned.
"Corbus, how can you absorb and retain so much information so quickly?"
"It's simple," Corbus replied. "I have two natural talents and two learned skills."
"Go on."
"My first talent is intuitive understanding. I just… get things. My second is eidetic memory. But memory alone is useless if you don't understand what you remember. The combination is what makes me fast."
"And your skills?" Dr. Zai asked.
"First, I use something called a memory palace. It's a technique where I organize knowledge into physical spaces in my mind."
Corbus could tell that Dr. Zai was confused, "Let me tell you a story about Simonides of Ceos.
According to legend, Simonedes was a poet invited to chant a lyric poem.
The man who invited Simonides was a nobleman of Thessaly, an arrogant and miserly person.
Simonides, while delivering his poem, praised the hosts and the twin gods, Castor and Pollux.
At the end of the poem, when it came time to pay the poet, the nobleman paid Simonides half of what he was promised. He mocked and told him to get the other half from Castor and Pollux."
Corbus noticed a shift in Dr. Zai's eyes, a hint of shock, "the fool!" Dr. Zai whispered.
Although he was confused a little, Corbus continued his story.
"A person approached the poet and informed him that two men were waiting to speak with him outside. When Simonides exited the building, he could find no one." Terror stretched across the face of Dr. Zai.
"Not long after he left, the banquet hall collapsed, crushing everyone inside, including the host."
"This nobleman was a great fool to mock gods," Dr. Zai said with a distant stare.
Taken aback, Corbus stopped his story, "Dr. Zai, you don't believe in gods, do you?"
"Of course, don't you?"
"No, what a bunch of nonsense. This is just a story, I think this part of the story is a bit of interesting theatre," Corbus responded.
"My dear Corbus, you must be careful when you speak. You mustn't say such things about gods in public," Dr. Zai shook his head.
"Why? Have you ever seen such gods?" Corbus laughed mockingly.
"I have seen gods, once when I was a young man and fearless. I travelled through the lands of Sinica and Avolonia in the west.
Collapsing buildings was nothing, I witnessed two gods in battle and they crushed the mountains like they were made of sand!"
Shocked, Corbus reflected on his previous life. He once possessed enough power to sink continents, if they were gods, by crushing a couple of mountains, then wasn't he an even more powerful god by those standards? Would Dr. Zai worship his old self?
"Dr. Zai, I agree that this world is strange. I see people flying in the city, some with swords and treasures, and others without help.
To a mortal family, like the servants I come from, such beings would seem godly. I can imagine my mother bowing to such people. Remember how reverently they treated you.
I think calling a person who crushes a few mountains a god, well, isn't it merely a matter of perspective?"
Jumping in surprise at Corbus's words, Dr. Zai couldn't help but think there was something to it.
Collecting himself, Dr. Zai responded to Corbus's observation, "Regardless of whether they are gods or powerful men, these men expect to be treated as gods. Watch your mouth, or you might bring a worse fate upon yourself than that fool of Thesally."
"I admit, Dr. Zai, you make a good point. I will be careful in the future, until I surpass them, of course," Corbus laughed. Dr. Zai couldn't help but smile at his impish apprentice.
"Anyway, the point of my story is that after the building collapsed, the rubble was cleared and the wretched remains of the banquet goers were uncovered. Unfortunately, none of them could be identified.
At this feast were many important people, local nobles, philosophers, merchants, and so forth attended.
To bury these people, they needed to identify who was who, but they had no means to do so.
To everyone's surprise, Simonides pointed at each body, identifying the bodies. Stunned, they asked him how he could know who was who?"
"That is an amazing ability. How did he do it?" Dr. Zai asked eagerly.
"He revealed a memory technique he invented where he attached a piece of information to a location. In this case, a person to where they sat at the feasting table.
Over thousands of years, this memory skill has been refined and has become an ultimate memory skill called the Memory Palace.
Anyone can learn it," Corbus said. "It's a skill."
Dr. Zai was fascinated. "Would you teach me?"
"Of course," Corbus said. "I'd love to. And the second skill is speed reading. It's a method that pairs perfectly with eidetic memory—or even enhances regular memory to function like it."
Dr. Zai was amazed. "Did you come up with this skill yourself?"
"Not at all," Corbus said. "But I'll teach you everything I know."
"Then let's practice each skill for one hour daily," Dr. Zai proposed. "Once I've mastered them, I'll practice them myself."
"Perfect," Corbus replied with a smile. "After all, what you're giving me is an opportunity for a bright future. These are just small things in return."
Dr. Zai beamed with pride. Corbus was not only brilliant and inquisitive, but he was also kind and humble. Rare qualities and precious.
"Well then," Dr. Zai said, setting down his tea, "why don't we start with your questions for the day?"