At dawn, Iron Slag took another look at the world of ice crystals, saluted the castle in the morning light, and then turned firmly and boarded the aircraft.

With a roar, the aircraft slowly lifted off into the air and flew towards the warm south.

In the cabin, Iron Slag opened the letter that Kozan had left for him......

"Dear Iron Slag Nolseth,

My friends, my children, my pride.

I must express my deepest apologies to you.

I'm sorry, but I'm putting a weight on your shoulders.

A child of your age should have lived a carefree life and enjoyed a good youth. You should search for truth in the ivory tower and explore the secrets of this world. Perhaps, you will also have a beautiful friend who will accompany you in the secluded garden and pour out each other's hearts......

However, we do not have a choice.

Our bloodline has given us a lifelong mission – to light the flame and restore its glory.

This is our heavy responsibility and our honor.

Becoming a tinder is the most painful choice and the bravest path. Please don't lament the twists and turns of fate, because we have hot blood in our veins.

Twenty-nine thousand five hundred and twenty-two heroic spirits are watching us.

They used their blood and lives to bring us a glimmer of light.

How can we be ashamed!

However, this is not something that can be achieved overnight, but requires a long wait.

Waiting for God's mercy, waiting for justice that is delayed.

So, I ask you to lay down your burdens and bury our mission in the deepest depths of your soul.

I have not remembered, I have not forgotten.

As a glorious spark, you need to live well and continue your bloodline and faith. Throughout my life, patiently wait for the time to come.

At the same time, please do not rush to make any choices.

Although you have inherited the life of the Worm, that doesn't mean you have to be the Guardian of the Flame.

You need to feel the love and hatred of the world, see the lights, and walk through the world of flowers.

If you don't go through this, you will be ashamed of your heart, unable to resist the temptations of the world, and unable to watch alone in the long night.

Only after experiencing all this can you truly understand the world and understand your pursuits. Only at that moment can you face your heart, leave no regrets, and have no regrets in this life.

But actually, I don't want you to be a Guardian of the Flame. Because, that kind of life journey is too lonely.

The Messenger is already on his way back, and he will take over my mission to guard the last spark.

Please feel free to learn and experience the world.

May your college life be simple and enjoyable.

……”

Two other things are mentioned later in the letter.

First, Kozan told him that the legendary ability "Insect Life" would greatly extend the lifespan, which was about two hundred to three hundred years depending on the actual condition of the body. Moreover, the insect life can also greatly improve the stability of the gene chain, at least to the level of the "diamond array", as long as the abilities do not conflict with each other, it can accommodate six insect abilities.

Furthermore, when the stability of the gene strand reaches the "diamond array", no gene scanner can detect the presence of the variant fragment. As long as Iron Slag is not photographed using the Worm ability, no one will be able to identify him as the Worm.

Second, Kozan said, the key to lighting the flame was to find the Thunderhammer.

Since ancient times, the temple has had two sacred relics, the Staff of Life of the Ancient Temple and the Thunder Warhammer of the Temple of Splendour.

In the last battle, the Thunderhammer was lost.

The glorious Great Prophet of the previous generation once said that he left a guide in the thunder hammer to rekindle the flame. Only the heirs who are approved by Thunderhammer will be able to see the messages he left behind. The most important thing is that only by finding the Thunderhammer, which symbolizes the temple of glory, can the fire of the splendor hidden in the world be recruited.

"When the Thunderhammer is raised again, the spark will light up the darkness of the eternal night, and the glorious war song will dispel the cold of winter."

Iron Slag read Kozan's letter word by word, and in an instant, the past two years were vivid, and this gentle old man seemed to be standing in front of him......

After a long time, he gradually regained his composure, folded the letter in thin form, wrapped it in oiled paper, and put it in the inner pocket of his clothes. Next, he asks Alice to scan his genes. The red comet then emitted a milky white light, enveloping him. After a while, Alice concluded: "Typical human genes, no mutated fragments." ”

Iron slag asked why it was not detectable. Alice replied that according to the ancient texts of the Temple of Splendour, the stability of the gene strand is determined by "the clarity of the division between the mutated and normal genes".

Because of the ability to insectize, it has the characteristics of "atavism" and "mutation". As a result, there is great uncertainty and instability.

The gene chain is like a library that records the evolution of human beings. The library is divided into two areas, the "Present Zone" and the "Past Zone". The books in the "Present Region" record the genetic information of ordinary humans, while the books in the "Past Region" record the genetic information of human beings from single-celled organisms to primates.

Human heredity is like randomly selecting books from the "modern zone" to form a complete set of materials, and then creating the body of the next generation. At the same time, the next generation will inherit the entire library.

The so-called atavistic phenomenon is that when composing materials, the previous generation selected books not only from the "modern zone" but also from the "past zone".

The so-called mutation phenomenon is that some pages in a book have undergone some uncertain changes under the influence of the environment. However, because the library of the gene chain is so large, those in it may not be able to find the pages that have changed. This means that they are likely to have inadvertently picked a book with a change in content.

The so-called "clarity of the division between mutated genes and normal genes" means that most of the pages of those mutated books are found and then placed in different categories for later generations to choose.

The genetic scanner acts like a fully automated robot, rummaging through the pages of a book for mutations, and if it finds something wrong with one of the pages, it can determine the identity of the wormer.

When the mutated genes are centrally managed, the changed pages will be concentrated in a corner. Under normal circumstances, this fully automated robot will only sample and rummage for a short period of time, and cannot search all the corners.

In short, when the stability of the gene strand is improved, it is not easy for humans to find the wrong information, and it is not easy for genetic scanners to find the part of the mutation.

Later, Iron Slag asked a second question: why did his "genetic plunder" only replicate the "life of the choke"? He remembered that the captain had said that genetic plunder was "not selective" and that all abilities would be acquired at once.

However, according to Kozan, the life of the bug comes from the blood wolf Field. Therefore, Kozan must have more than one ability.

Why did he only copy Kozan's Bug Life and not the other abilities?

Alice explained that according to the records of the database, all epic and legendary insect abilities have two characteristics: "peer uniqueness" and "inheritance".

As the name suggests, "sibling uniqueness" means that the Worm can only have one Epic Ability and one Legendary Ability. Epic and legendary abilities of the same level will be mutually exclusive, and if you already have "Worm Life", you can't absorb other legendary abilities.

"Inheritance" means that when the Worm dies, all basic abilities and rare abilities will dissipate, leaving only the genetic fragments of Epic and Legendary abilities.

Listening to Alice's narration, he turned his head to look out the window, only to see the glaciers below towering and endless, and the endless sea in the distance. Before they knew it, they had come to the edge of the Great Ice Ocean.

Recalling that it took him a month to reach the ruins of the temple, the hardships of the road were indescribable. Looking at the road that I once walked, it was as if everything happened yesterday.

In the blink of an eye, the white clouds and dogs, time has passed, and two years and eight months have passed......

I don't know if the town of Tieshan is still the same as before, I don't know if the low hill is occupied, I don't know if the sheriff is still well, I don't know if the grave is overgrown with grass.

However, the identity of the worm, the will of the Heroic Spirit, and the mission of the Holy Flame are destined to make him walk in the vast land and hide all his attachments.

I have not remembered, I have not forgotten......

Thinking about it, a day and a night passed like this......

The aircraft crossed the calm and deep ice ocean, flew over the majestic and magnificent Fikris mountains, crossed the cold and windy snowy night ice field, crossed the deep and boundless Black Sea, and finally came to the sky above the Northern Wilderness.

The pilot reported that there was still a two-hour flight time to go to the town of Iron Mountain.

By this time, Iron Slag had changed into a traveler's outfit and put on a pair of flat glasses. Compared with two years ago, his appearance has changed greatly, if there is an acquaintance standing in front of him, as long as he does not speak, the other party may not be able to recognize him.

Now, his face has widened a little, his beard has grown, he has grown a little taller, and his body has become a little wider.

However, these changes are insignificant, and what really makes difference is his hairstyle, clothing, and temperament.

Judging from the hairstyle, he originally had messy broken hair, and when his hair was usually long, he would cut it twice with a knife. But now, his hair is neatly combed and clean. Kozan trimmed his hair once a month and told him, "As a man, your head can be broken, your blood can flow, but your hair can't be messy!" ”

Secondly, judging from the clothes, he was originally not particular, he wore the military uniform of the garrison of Iron Mountain Town all year round, and he didn't wash it often, so he asked Lena for it when he wore it out. And Lena doesn't know needlework at all, and she doesn't want to fake others, and every time she slenders and changes her length, she sews crookedly, except for being strong, it's not beautiful. Now, under Kozan's tutelage, he has begun to pay attention to clothing. He had come to understand that clothing meant who he was in the eyes of others.

Now, for example, he wears the clothes of an ordinary traveler and wears flat glasses. When he would clip the register and put a fountain pen in his breast pocket, he would be transformed into a clerk who could be seen everywhere and everywhere.

In the end, in terms of temperament, he has changed the most. When he was in Tieshan Town before, he was a stunned young man, and he didn't hide the fierceness and murderous intent in his eyes, for fear that others wouldn't know how powerful he was. It gives people the impression that as long as he disagrees, he will draw a knife and kill people. However, now his ferocity and murderous intent have been buried in the bottom of his heart, and it will not be revealed easily. Now he often wears a warm smile, his gestures are calm and calm, and his eyes are deep and bottomless, so that people can't see clearly, can't touch through, and can't have the idea of offending (Li Tuohai is an anomaly, not an ordinary person).

Perhaps, this is what people call - maturity.

(Merry Christmas, friends.) ）