"Let's summarize what we know so far. "The Doctor of the Land of the Moon, whose slightly accented Lamani language echoed a little because he was in a closed passageway. No matter how you think about it in the cold and damp pit, it is not the most suitable place to rest, but the group has been walking for more than two hours, and they are physically and mentally exhausted. Considering that many people are clerks, if they don't rest, they are afraid that they will fall to the ground with a pale face after only a few steps of running.

A hot-blooded idiot with a tendon will always think that everything can survive as long as he relies on perseverance, but in the current situation of getting rid of the crisis for a short time and not being sure of safety, it is only by properly arranging time to rest and conserve physical strength to ensure that when the danger comes again, he will not tremble and be unable to move his legs.

Meaningless recklessness to save face and be more serious in indifferent places is a taboo in the living environment. Thankfully, our Sage had always been incompatible with the flaws that were common among these young men—even in the days when he was indeed a "young man"—and that there were two young men in the ranks, who were of the right age and had done a lot of stupid things, and with Henry holding them down, they wouldn't have made a big mess.

This is largely the reason why older people are revered as tribal leaders, even though the continents are culturally diverse.

They may no longer be young and without strong bodies and sharp eyes, but their calm and calm personality and years of accumulated knowledge are enough to prevent their young adults from dying early because of the inevitable stupidity of male animal nature.

All in all, a short break was Henry's arrangement, and as always, he always made the right choice for the team.

The dim sunlight shone through the cave under the cover of the wind and snow, and the wooden pillars that supported the entrance to the bottom of the pit were covered with dead moss and poisonous mushrooms.

After two hours of walking through the dark mines, the candles in their hands were gone. It's not too early, and in two or three hours the short period of winter sunshine will be over, and after nightfall, under the cold snow, both vision and movement will be greatly limited.

And this is one of the main reasons why His Excellency the Doctor of the Moon Country immediately began to analyze and explain after taking a breath.

After 4,000 years of peaceful reunification, the country has accumulated enough knowledge to rival that of the continent of Rigal combined. And these knowledge reserves, as the top three "Xingyong" level in the doctoral level, Aya has the right to borrow and learn freely.

With such a vast treasury of knowledge, a good mind, and a strong curiosity to embark on the path of verification alone, it was not surprising that she could be called a sage at such a young age.

Together, two knowledgeable people not only complement each other's knowledge blind spots, but also expand their thinking.

Aya alone spent time investigating and collecting evidence, and has completed about 60% of the theories about the relationship between this golden fungus and magic, and now with the further evolution and Henry's help, although it is still rough, it can be regarded as a basic theory:

"Based on what I've learned personally, plus what I've been through. As if she wanted to write something out of her habit, Aya took a piece of charcoal from her firearm bag and began to write on the side of the tunnel wall in the dim sunlight outside.

"It is believed that there are at least four forms of this golden fungus, and it is suspected that there are five forms. She wrote it on the cave wall in the language of the Moon Country, because it was only a means of aiding thought and explanation, and the Doctor did not seek to make it understandable to everyone: "The first form is the most primitive, the form of a mineral fungus that is difficult to observe with the human eye. This form is similar to that of iron bacteria, although how gold is condensed is unknown, and we do not know whether gold is their product or simply collected, and what the purpose of collecting gold is. ”

She circled the unknown part of the cave wall with her pen.

"Since then, the Second Form has no evidence of any sightings. Based on my personal speculation and Mr. Henry's statement about the effect of magic on living beings, it can be assumed that the golden fungus was exposed to a large number of spirits, "Aya paused, "cough, after the magic power, it caused a sharp change in form. ”

"In connection with what I saw in the fishing village, it can be thought that it is a morphological change related to parasitism. It is also possible that the golden bugs buried in the village are the so-called second form. Aya turned around again holding the charcoal pen, "In other words, the second form can be considered to have evolved parasitic abilities. She writes and explains on the wall.

"And the third form that can be determined after that is the golden bug covered in a golden shell and has the ability to move on its own for a short time. Ayatou explained as he wrote, "The distinction between the second and third forms is not entirely clear, and my personal inference is that the second form only has parasitic abilities and does not possess the ability to act independently. The third form has evolved the ability to move short distances in order to be able to parasitize the host more effectively when it is in a defenseless state, such as sleep. ”

"This mobility should be similar to that of predatory insects, which are of the type with high short-term outbreaks. In layman's terms, run fast, but not far. And the ability to cope with complex terrain and height differences is also very poor, which should have a lot to do with the heavy gold shell. According to your experiences and village accounts, the bugs were easily trapped in caves that humans could easily climb out of. Aya wrote the third item, and then drew a big circle to circle the whole section.

"This morphology can be considered a milestone in the evolution of this golden fungus. Because of their mobility, they can find a host on their own and are not limited to a single area. I think the reason why this village has quietly become a ghost village should be inseparable from this. She continued, and many of the people who had been listening quietly nodded in agreement.

"But there are still limits to what this form can do. Aya circled this part with her pen again: "Gold as a mineral is not light, and to drive such a body, it must not be as simple as eating and drinking water for them." ”

"In other words, it's not just muscle movement, it's going to be. Aya paused, and the sage next to her spoke, adding, "Something to do with magic." ”

"Hmm. Miss Doctor nodded: "It's more appropriate to think about it this way: the magic power accumulated in the process of evolution is released at once, and it has a superb ability to act like a firework in an instant." But it's only a one-time thing. ”

"My inference is that if this golden bug starts to act. If they can't find a host that can continue to supply mana in time, they will die from overconsumption. Aya said this, and everyone nodded in agreement based on what happened to O'Neill before and the analysis of the sage afterwards.

"So, there must be a lot of dead bugs in the underground passage?" Age suddenly mentioned this point next to him, his statement was a bit unexpected, but considering the risk, everyone still didn't mention the matter of returning.

"So what are you doing this for?" Mira, who had been silent because the topic was beyond her own expertise, did not speak until this moment, and Aya hesitated for a moment before writing the fourth form on the cave wall.

"For the next step of evolution. Miss Doctor paused for a long time before continuing to explain as she wrote: "The parasitism of this fungus, according to Mr. Henry's analysis, completely controls the human body with its tentacles like plant roots. ”

"And that's combined with the villagers who have been parasitized for so long that only human silhouettes remain......." Aya looked a little unspeakable, but she finally said it.

"My inference is that the fourth form of survival is to parasitize the human body, but still keep the host alive. With the magic generated by the host itself, the host's body is assimilated and transformed. The reason for her hesitation was understood by everyone after these words were uttered.

"Shhh Kaleva took a cool breath, and Age, the least daring, began to scratch her ears and cheeks, as if worried that a golden worm had crawled on her.

"The whole consciousness is there, and I am forced to watch my body being controlled by the whole time, and feel that I am a little bit away from humans. Even the Luoan girl shuddered: "My words will definitely go crazy." ”

"After mutation, a body that uses only heat to sustain life like a plant has formed. It continued to generate magic until it condensed enough magic power to evolve into the fifth form. Aya wrote on the wall.

"It's about morphological inferences. As for why it became the way it is, it can be summarized as a simple biomorphological evolution. She stopped writing, but leaned against the cold wall with a tired expression and simply spoke.

"From the first to the fourth form, it evolved from a mineral fungus that could only stay in the corner of the mine to a parasitic organism, and then completely controlled the host's actions, and to some extent it can be said to have the ability to act independently. ”

"But this ability to act is limited. Because the light similar to plants and the way they rely on heat for energy do not provide the energy needed for strenuous exercise, which is why most of the time these guys are hobbling or standing in one place, and at a few points they are running fast. Aya said, "And the fifth form we encountered just now is the closest thing to a complete creature so far. ”

"When I saw it for the first time, I confirmed the fact that evolution was not yet complete. But there was also a doubt in my heart - whether it was absorbing magic or heat, it was a more efficient way to eat than to prey on other creatures. Why, then, does the fifth form, which is supposed to be a higher form, have so many predatory features, as if it had degenerated?"

"Because magic is limited, and it has to be used to complete its own evolution. Relying solely on heat energy to obtain energy for action is not enough to sustain the consumption of long-term free movement. Prey on other organisms, digest and absorb nutrients through the organs, and obtain energy. In the long run, it is the most appropriate approach. Aya hung her head and sighed: "All this is just to have the ability to move independently for a long time. This includes evolving body temperature to withstand the cold, and more. ”

The answer is clear. The sage shrugged.

The other five people next to him all turned their heads to look at the two of them.

"Dandelions will spread their seeds by the wind. The bright color and aromatic smell of the fruit are intended to be pecked by birds and animals, and they are excreted with their droppings on their migration path. In a calm tone, Hen said, "The instinct of living beings is to reproduce and expand, no matter what kind of living thing they are. ”

"If the mineral fungi that can only thrive in the mine are confined to this area, then when the resources here are exhausted, they will come to an end. ”

"Well, then, they have to evolve some kind of means to attract other creatures to take them with them, like fruits. ”

"What is the most widespread creature in the world today, and what creature loves gold and thrives everywhere?" asked the sage, shrugging his shoulders.

"Humans. Mira slapped her forehead.

"The evolution of the fifth stage of form is due to the fact that there are no humans in the village who can take them with them. ”

"It's going to go to the crowd settlement. A small village was not enough to satisfy it, so it evolved the ability to act independently. Evolved the ability to prey and digest to sustain consumption over mountains. Henry held up a finger: "But now the most important question is." ”

"Is this a special case due to exposure to magic, or is this the life course of the mineral fungus itself?"

"Because if I look at it, it's already a very complete life process. From birth to growth, eventually becoming a mature individual, moving to an environment with plenty of food to reproduce the next generation. ”

"Is this important?" asked the dumbfounded, and the girl from Roan, who had reacted smartly, slapped her forehead again.

"Nerd. If it's just an accident, then that's all there is to it. If this is the inevitable life flow of this mineral fungus, then the ones who are planning to rebel must have hoarded a lot of this gold......."

"Oh....... Oh my god. Finally understood, Kaleva held back for a long time and just cursed.

The sage glanced at the scene beyond the mine.

"No matter what. Said word by word.

"We can't let this guy out of this village. ”