Chapter Sixty: This Is a Most Scientific Solution

When Ruby awoke, it was already noon the next day. His stomach protested loudly and, as he took in his surroundings, he saw that the room was simple, containing only a single bed. Although Tinasha didn’t mind Ruby sleeping in her bed, she needed to rest too. Even if the princess herself didn’t care about sharing, Magi Yuna would have thrown her into the artificial lake in the courtyard. So, a small spare room had been hastily arranged for him.

"You’re awake. Come with me."

Tinasha happened to enter just then to check on Ruby. Seeing him sitting on the bed, dazed, she wasted no words and ushered him into her room for a meal. In her view, the best way to recover from exhaustion was simply to eat more.

"What’s wrong?" Ruby quietly ate his share of the meal, and suddenly noticed that the sorceress across from him was puffing out her cheeks, staring at him, her plate of delicacies barely touched.

"It tastes awful..."

"You... We’ll talk when I’m finished," Ruby replied, instantly understanding what Magi Yuna really meant: ‘Don’t you know I have a picky palate?’ ‘I want food you make!’ ‘This stuff is just junk!’ Such thoughts came to his mind unbidden, and he could only sigh at her willfulness.

"Wasn’t the surgery a success?" Tinasha asked.

"The real battle begins now," Ruby answered with rare ambiguity. After eating, he went to the intensive care unit that Dragon had transformed himself into. The Golden Sword Lion was still standing outside the isolation room, peering in through the glass, clearly having not slept a wink.

"Mr. Ruby, you’re here."

"Dragon, thank you for your hard work." Ruby nodded, handing the lunch rations he’d saved to Ryan. The young man was moved once again by Ruby’s thoughtfulness and began eating gratefully.

"Don’t mention it. But this patient’s condition is worrying," Dragon’s voice echoed from all directions, startling the Golden Sword Lion mid-bite. The realization that the building itself could talk made his hair stand on end—were they inside some creature’s belly?

"Yes, Magi Yuna, it’s your turn," Ruby said, understanding what Dragon meant. The instruments showed that the patient’s heart rate and blood pressure were becoming unstable: rejection had begun. Ruby had never believed this patient would be lucky enough to avoid such a reaction.

"Leave it to me! I’ve never done this before, but if it’s a desperate case, we’ll try desperate measures, right?" Magi Yuna winked playfully, which nearly scared poor Ryan out of his wits again. Everyone knew the sorceress was mischievous, and from Ruby’s tone, it seemed she was in charge of what came next. He could only hope she’d approach it a bit more seriously.

The immune system, ever since its creation, is a remarkable defense force within the body, fighting off invading viruses and bacteria to keep one healthy. But sometimes, its helpfulness backfires. For example, most patients who receive kidney transplants will experience rejection, as the immune system attacks the foreign organ. Once the battle begins, it is a fight to the death, and the patient is the one who ultimately suffers.

"Brothers, time to get to work."

At the center of the immune system, a legion of white blood cells received their orders and charged toward their target. Among them, White Cell A urged the others forward.

"Work again? What is it this time?"

"A big one’s shown up—it’s time to show the dignity of the white cell! For the Supreme God!"

To boost morale, White Cells A, B, C, and D all raised their weapons and shouted. Their “Supreme God,” of course, was the immune system itself.

"Roar!"

"What’s happening? Where are the cells that should be here?"

As the white cells trod the soft, spongy ground and arrived at the kidney, they found their enemy gone. The space was silent; it was as if a great battle had simply vanished into thin air.

"Below!"

White Cell A suddenly shouted. The tissue-laden ground began to tremble, and tall, burly figures rose up, blocking the white cells’ way.

"What are these? Never seen cells like this before."

The white cells were bewildered. If they were depicted as young men, then before them stood a group of bald, muscle-bound giants—clearly not something they could overpower.

"Of course we’re not cells. We’re made of magic," one of the magic giants said, baring a set of gleaming white teeth in a ‘friendly’ smile.

"You aren’t part of this body’s magic! How did you get in..."

"Look at their backs—that’s the foreign cell we’re supposed to attack!"

While White Cell A was still confused, White Cell B pointed to the cell clinging to the giant’s back. Shaped like an infant, it diligently performed its kidney functions.

"I don’t know how you got in, but hand over that cell."

"Are you all idiots? These cells are working properly and doing no harm. If you attack them, that will cause real damage to the body," the magic giant retorted.

"We don’t care. The Supreme God’s command is to destroy them."

"Big words. If you’ve got the guts, come try it," the magic giant sneered. These were no softhearted types—they grabbed the white cells and held them fast. In no time, all the white cells were pinned, unable to move.

"So much bluster, but your strength is pitiful."

The leader of the giants pressed his foot on White Cell A’s head and flashed a mocking grin. He was, after all, the magic of a sorceress—if he couldn’t handle a white blood cell, he might as well give up.

"Even if you kill me, the Supreme God will only create more white cells," White Cell A shouted defiantly. Their doctrine was mutual destruction; there was no such thing as a cowardly white cell.

"We won’t kill you. Until that damned immune system recognizes these cells, we’ll guard this place," the magic giant said. True to his words, they didn’t kill the white cells, only restrained them. This left the so-called Supreme God—the immune system—utterly baffled. Never had it encountered such a situation. The white cells weren’t dead, so should it create more or not? Since no one was attacking the kidney, it could get on with its business. During this process, the immune system realized it was powerless, and since the intruders were causing no harm, over time the other cells would assimilate with them and they’d become part of the body.

This was what Dragon depicted on the screen: the battle within Ryan’s mother’s body. This was Ruby’s solution—not a true solution, but the best he could devise. In this world, every person’s body contained magic, and this magic could attach to cells. So, he had the sorceress use her magic to shield the attacked kidney. Such precise, cell-by-cell manipulation was something only Magi Yuna, a person with a divine title, could achieve. As far as Ruby was concerned, this woman was capable of anything.

Of course, Ruby had no way of knowing exactly what was happening inside the body. Entrusting a patient’s life to such an unknown was not what a doctor should do. But there was no other way. In a situation where death was certain, wasn’t it natural to take a gamble? People might call him a madman, but then, how many inventors on Earth weren’t? In another world, one needn’t be bound by Earth’s methods—boldness is the key to success.

"I get the logic, but why did my magic have to look like muscle-bound giants?" Magi Yuna demanded, exasperated. She’d watched the whole scene unfold as if it were a comic, but Dragon had mischievously given her magic a certain... philosophical aesthetic. In response to her protest, Dragon only whistled innocently.

"In any case, this gamble seems to have paid off. Thank you, Magi Yuna."

"If you know that, then make it up to me—with food!"

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PS: Immune System: There’s actually a move like this? .jpg
PS: Some people will cry, "This isn’t scientific!" But this is a world of magic. The author decides how things work, period.
PS: Only one update today. The author is busy celebrating a birthday—eating, drinking, and having fun, so no time to write. There’ll be games tonight, too.
Special thanks to Yellow Hair Is Too Strong for the 500 reward, and to Annie, FC Instead, Random Selection, and Global Cold Weather for the 100 rewards!