Mycelium Medicine

The Root Realm's Medical Superiority

One of the fields where The Root Realm holds overwhelming advantage over The Canopy Isles is medical technology. Evolved from the mycelium network's property of recording biological information, diagnostic accuracy for wounds and diseases is dramatically higher.

The Healing Mechanism of Medical Mycelium

"Medical mycelium" used for treatment is a specific variety selected by specialists — when pressed against an affected area, it promotes cellular regeneration and has antibacterial properties that prevent infection. Minor wounds heal completely overnight; even bone fractures can recover in several weeks. In The Canopy Isles it is not unusual for the same treatment to take months, and the difference in medical standards has become an important trump card for The Root Realm side in diplomatic negotiations with both civilizations.

At the cutting edge, "mycelium prosthetics" have also been established — passing mycelium through severed nerves to assist function. Lost limbs cannot be completely regenerated, but by neurologically connecting mycelium-based artificial limbs, sensations and movements close to the original can be recovered.

Mycelium Healers with Mycelium Medicine qualifications hold one of the highest social positions in the Root Realm Federation. Mycelium Healers who come to Rakuen for visiting clinics are visited by senior officials from both sides, but Mycelium Healers are prohibited from performing complete technology transfer without Root Realm Federation approval. This "medical inequality" is one of the most deep-seated grievances between both civilizations.

Mycelium Healer Training and Mycelium Diagnosis

A Mycelium Healer's training period is a minimum of 20 years. First mastering stable grounding to the Memory of the Earth, then training the ability to hear a biological body's "voice" through mycelium. Skilled Mycelium Healers can reportedly diagnose the type and severity of disease through mycelium as an intermediary without touching the patient's body. This ability is called "mycelium diagnosis" and is considered the highest medical act in The Root Realm.

Ethical Problems and Technology Transfer Restrictions

Mycelium Medicine also involves ethical problems. During treatment, Mycelium Healers may access fragments of the patient's memories — sometimes without the person's consent, creating issues in interpreting the Mycelium Code. Also, since disclosing technology to outsiders results in having the Root Realm Federation revoke qualifications, deliberate upper limits are placed on treatment Canopy patients can receive. This "medical inequality" is one of both civilizations' most deeply rooted grievances.

Mycelium Medicine knowledge accumulates across generations in the mycelium network. Past master Mycelium Healers' treatment records remain in the Memory of the Earth, and modern Mycelium Healers can access them to learn their predecessors' techniques. This is the greatest reason The Root Realm's medical standards continue to improve rapidly.