The local schools of necromancy knew this perfectly well. The problem was that such a setup was ridiculously expensive, so they couldn't exactly use it as their standard operating procedure.Instead, they'd developed cheaper alternatives. Less effective, perhaps. But much more affordable.My situation was different. My life literally depended on this corpse. I wasn't going to cut corners.Once the graphite rods were installed—with several expressive but very quiet curses along the way—I mounted the accumulator, connected everything, and began the reverse assembly.The sawed-open sternum was a different problem. I had to think about that one. Eventually, I came up with a system that allowed relatively quick access using bronze bolts and plates.If I ever needed to reach the accumulator or the dead heart, I could simply undo the bolts and open the chest again. Sewing human flesh wasn't the same as sewing cloth. You actually needed to know what you were doing.When everything was finally