"What about you?"

Whether it is the newborn fire or the person who awakens the fire, it is an extremely foreign concept to Amy Ulysses, but at this moment, he neither cares about the newborn fire that is obviously very involved, nor does he explore the truth behind the matter, but cares about the noble person in front of him who always maintains a gentle smile on his face: "After I become the new carrier of the newborn fire, how should you deal with yourself." ”

"Are you worried about me?" said the high priest of the Temple of Hephaestus with a pleasant smile on his face, "Actually, I don't have to, I'm not going out until the fire goes out." ”

"You're going to die?" Amy said coldly.

"No, bullying a little girl, even I want to do it once in a while. Edgar Goldsworthy reached out and touched the head of the boy who was a few centimeters shorter than him, "So, don't be admonished, let me be willful once in a while." ”

"So you watched you being bullied by a little girl?"

"What a big truth—just don't open your eyes, it's better to run away. At this point, his voice suddenly deepened, and his tone couldn't help but become heavy, "I can't delay Pandora for too long, she will definitely come to you after that, in the case of Duke's life and death, once the fire is extinguished, the Glory is bound to be in chaos, and the only thing that can slow her down in Hemtika is the Order's Supreme Tower." So, don't look back and seek refuge in the Order. ”

"No other choice?" the boy raised an eyebrow.

"You have to learn to wait. The High Priest of Hemtika shook his head, "It may be a good thing for young people to forge ahead, but since you have the surname Ulysses and the first fire of Hemtika, you must learn to hide your edge, learn to restrain your impulses, learn to forbear, and learn to regard your survival as more important than anything else - whether it is for you, for Hemtika, or even to rise to the level of the entire territory of order, you must learn to be selfish." ”

"I can't do it. After a brief silence, the young Glory One gave his own answer.

"You have to do it because you don't have a choice. Edgar looked at him, his dark pupils revealing complex emotions, but in the end he let out a low sigh, "Listen, Amy, before I leave the place of inheritance, I will strip you of the first fire in my body, and you will be the last hope of Hemtika City, when the situation stabilizes and the light dispels the darkness, organize sacrifices, and reawaken the extinguished fire through the noble blood of the ancestors- And if you lose your life before that, then the dawn of Hemtika will not come again, and you will not only be burdened with responsibility, but also hope......"

"I ...... Got it. The boy pursed his lips.

"In that case, I'm relieved. After getting the answer he wanted from the dark eyes of the Glory One, the high priest of the Temple of Hephaestus nodded contentedly, and then said, "I know you still have a lot of questions, but don't worry, there is still relatively plenty of time, and I will answer your doubts little by little." ”

He paused.

"First of all, let's start with the origin of the high priest - the high priest is the priest of the fire, acting as the carrier of the first fire, and the so-called first fire is the first, purest, unpolluted flame ignited by the fire, which is the manifestation of order and light in the world, and is closer to a pure concept than objective reality. ”

"It is quite closely related to the fire, to paraphrase the analogy that is easy for humans to understand, it is like the shadow of man, it is an inseparable whole, but it is not enough, it is not only the shadow that accompanies the fire, but also the half of the fire - once the fire is extinguished by accident, through the sacrifice of the first fire, it can be awakened by the connection between the two - And it is precisely this duty that the high priest shoulders, we are the guardians of human civilization, the guardians of the fire, and the secrets of the truth of the world. ”

"The truth of the world?"

Amy interrupted, and Edgar's words reminded him of Ignati, who had also mentioned the concept of the truth of the world, and had added a cruel prefix to it.

"Why? want to know?" the Venerable High Priest blinked, "but I'm not going to tell you—of course, it's not that I'm not hiding it, and it's not that I don't have enough time to pass on the truth of the world to you, it's just ...... I'm not sure if you're going to be ruined by this - the High Priest lineage has a strict process, starting with the priest's assistant to the probationary priest and then to the full priest, there was plenty of time to select the right people and slowly reveal a real part of the world in a subtle way, but alas, they all died. ”

"All I can do is put the flame of hope in your hands, and hope that you will survive. ”

"That's all. ”

"Yes......" Amy Ulysses paused for about five breaths before continuing, "if the truth you are referring to is the Proverbs written in Hammurabi's sacred law, I think I can accept it—for example, in the third millennium, the world lost its light. ”

The pupils of the white-robed high priest contracted slightly, and it took a while to soothe the tense muscles: "It's Ignati, only he can know the truth of the world in the whole Hemtika." ”

The young Glory One did not speak, but nodded silently.

"Yes, this is a real part of the world. After a pause, Edgar did not let go, "But it is only a tip, believe me, if you can, you will never know the truth of the world, because once you know, your once simple but fulfilling happiness will be gone forever." ”

"Even so, I don't regret it. ”

Amy's eyes were as calm as water, and he really didn't regret it, because ...... Since the birth of consciousness, he has been pathologically longing for truths that have not been circulated by words, not recorded in writing, and disappeared into the depths of history.

Then they looked at each other, and for a moment both sides lost their words.

"If that's your enlightenment, I understand. The white-robed High Priest narrowed his eyes, "But for the sake of Hemtika's hopes and future, allow me to refuse." ”

The boy couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

Indeed, not long ago, he promised the other party that he would live at all costs, and now there is really no reason to go back on his word, not to mention that even if he goes back on his word, the initiative is still on the person who is the most respected in Hemtika.

So, after a short pause, he digressed and asked, "Since the first fire is so important, how do I take care of it, and how can I use it to awaken the extinguished fire?"

"You live to keep it for the best, and I have no experience with how to awaken a extinguished fire. Edgar paused for a moment, then his right hand passed through his left chest cavity as if through a curtain of water, and pulled out a cluster of orange-red flames from what should have been his heart, not even a single blood splattered in between, "But what to do, the flame will bring." ”

The firelight flickered, and the flame was warm and bright but unpretentious.

But Amy did feel the throbbing of her blood and the thirst of her heart.

This is the first fire, a backup of the tinder.

For no apparent reason, he realized it.

"The power of the High Priest is closely related to the fire, and the first fire is both the bridge that builds our connection to the fire and the source of our own strength. Edgar's gaze froze slightly on the flame burning in his hand, his eyes revealing complex emotions, but all that remained was a long, indecipherable sigh, "At the same time, it is also our responsibility. ”

With that, the high priest of the city of Hemtika slowly approached the boy and put his hand on his shoulder: "And my path has come to an end at this moment, and now it is up to you." ”

"Me?" the young Gloryman resisted slightly, but he didn't resist, just raised an eyebrow, "What should I do." ”

"Take it easy, it's not a fatal thing. The expression on the face of the white-robed High Priest slowed slightly, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Although it is called the name between inheritances, the inheritance of the first fire is not really complicated, it is simply because of ...... It is not convenient for people to see the ceremony during the process, so don't resist and just stand up obediently. ”

"Of course—" Noticing the boy's throbbing brow, he blinked, his dark eyes shining, "I'm joking." ”

But at the same time as the words fell, Edgar's right hand holding the flames suddenly reached out and went straight into Amy's chest, and the other hand on his shoulder suddenly exerted force, covering the young glorified man like a mountain, and then ...... The high priest's originally handsome face was covered with wrinkles in an instant, and the muscles on his arms began to shrink visibly, and in just a few breaths, his appearance went directly from youth to old age, and his figure was also rickety, like a withered body, completely lost his previous noble grace, and the thick white robe was scattered on his body, not only did not bring him the slightest bonus to his temperament, but was like a fig leaf to hide his ugliness.

He's dying.

Just seeing this scene, Amy had such an understanding in her heart.

At the same time, as the first fire burned the blood in his body, he read the remnants of dozens of memories in an instant, and felt the fiery passion contained in them—so that the meaning of the High Priest's existence shook his heart like a canopy of heaven that was about to fall.

That's not just a responsibility, it's a sacrifice.

There is no love without a cause, and there is no hatred without a cause, and although the position of the High Priest of the Temple of Hephaestus can bring undisputed power and reverence to the entire Hemtica elite, it is too small compared to the price to be paid—not to leave the temple for the rest of his life?

They are feeding the first fire with their lives!

This is the reason why the fire can burn for generations and protect mankind under the erosion of darkness for nearly a thousand years!

And this ...... The same is a real corner of the world, an insignificant corner.