"Let's summarize what we know so far." The slightly accented Laman language of the Moon Kingdom's doctor had some echoes due to the fact that he was in a sealed passage. No matter how you think about it, it is not the most suitable place to rest in a cold and damp pothole, but the group has been walking for more than two hours and is exhausted both physically and mentally. Considering that many of them are clerks, if they don't rest, they will fall to the ground pale after just a few steps.
A single-minded, passionate idiot will always think that anything can be sustained with perseverance, but in the current situation where the crisis is temporarily avoided and safety cannot be guaranteed, proper arrangement of time to rest and warm up one's physical strength can ensure that the danger will come again. Sometimes I won’t be so trembling that I can’t move my legs.
The meaningless show of force to save face and being serious in places that don't matter are taboos in the living environment. Fortunately, our Mr. Sage has always been immune to these common defects of young men - even in the era when he was indeed a "young man" - and although there are still two people in the team who are of the same age group, they are indeed There were young men who had done a lot of stupid things, and with Henry holding them down, they wouldn't be able to create too big a trap.
Even though there are different cultures in the mainland, older people are always respected and become tribal leaders. This is largely due to this reason.
They may no longer be young and have strong bodies and sharp eyes, but their calm and steady personalities and the knowledge accumulated over the years are enough to prevent their young men from dying early and stupidly due to the inevitable male animal nature.
All in all, it was Henry's arrangement to take a short break, and as always, he always made the right choice for the team.
Dim sunlight shone through the cave entrance under the cover of wind and snow. The wooden pillars supporting the entrance at the bottom of the mine were covered with dead moss and poisonous mushrooms.
After walking in the dark mine tunnel for two hours, the candles in their hands were exhausted. It was getting late, and the short winter sunshine would end in two or three hours. When night fell, both vision and movement would be greatly restricted under the biting blowing snow.
And this is one of the main reasons why the Doctor of the Moon Country immediately began to analyze and explain after taking a breath.
After four thousand years of peaceful unification, the knowledge accumulated by this country is enough to compare with the sum of all the countries in the Rigar continent. As for these knowledge reserves, as a "Xingyong" level one among the top three doctoral levels, Ling has the authority to freely borrow and study.
Relying on such a huge treasure trove of knowledge, coupled with her good mind and strong curiosity to embark on the road of verification alone, she was able to have a title comparable to a sage at a young age as a woman, that is, Not a surprise.
The two knowledgeable people together not only complement each other's blind spots in knowledge, but also expand their ideas.
Aya alone spent time investigating and collecting evidence, and has completed about 60% of the theory on the relationship between this golden fungus and magic power. Now, after meeting further evolution and Henry's help, although it is still rough, it can be considered complete. Here is a basic theory:
"Based on the information I have personally learned, plus the situation I have experienced so far." As if she wanted to write something as soon as she spoke out of habit, Ling took out a piece of charcoal from her portable fire bag and borrowed it from the side of the tunnel wall. I started writing under the dim sunlight outside.
"It can be considered that this kind of golden fungus has at least four, and it is suspected that it has five forms." She wrote on the cave wall in the language of the Kingdom of the Moon, because this was just a means to assist thinking and explanation, and the doctor did not The pursuit is to make everyone understand: "The first form is the most primitive, in the form of mineral bacteria that is difficult to observe with the human eye. This form is similar to iron bacteria, although how to condense gold is still unknown. In the final analysis Whether gold is their product or simply a collection, and what the purpose of collecting gold is, we have no idea.”
She circled the still unknown parts of the cave wall with a pen.
"Then, there is no witness evidence of the second form. According to my personal speculation and Mr. Henry's promotion effect of magic on living things, it can be considered that the golden bacteria were exposed to a large amount of spiritual energy." Aya paused and said, "Ahem , after being exposed to the magic power, it caused a drastic change in form."
"Based on what we saw in the fishing village, it can be considered a morphological change related to parasitism. It is also possible that the golden bugs buried underground in the village are the so-called second form." Aya held the charcoal pen again and turned around: "In other words, the second form can be considered to have evolved parasitic ability." She explained while writing on the wall.
"The third form that can be confirmed in the future is a golden insect covered with a golden shell and capable of short-term independent movement." Ayato explained while writing without looking back: "The distinction between the second and third forms is not yet completely clear. , my personal inference is that the second form only has the ability to parasitize and does not have the ability to act independently. The third form evolved short-distance in order to be able to more effectively parasitize the host when it is sleeping and other defenseless states. The ability to act.”
"This kind of mobility should be similar to that of predatory insects. It is a type with high bursts in a short period of time. In layman's terms, it can run fast, but not far. It also has poor ability to deal with complex terrain and height differences. This should be the same as It has a lot to do with the fact that the gold shell is too heavy. According to your experiences and village records, those bugs are easily trapped in caves that humans can easily climb out of." Ling wrote the third item and then drew it. A large circle encircled the entire section.
"This form can be considered a milestone in the evolution of this golden fungus. Because they have the ability to move, they can find hosts on their own and do not have to be restricted by a single area. I think the reason why this village quietly became The uninhabited ghost village should be inseparable from this." She continued, and many people who had been listening quietly beside her nodded in agreement.
"But this form still has limitations." Aya circled this part with a pen again: "As a mineral, gold is not light. To drive such a body, for them, it will not be as simple as eating and drinking. ."
"That is to say, this is not a simple muscle movement, but." Ling paused, and the sage next to him added: "It is related to magic power."
"Yes." Ms. Doctor nodded: "It is more appropriate to think about it this way: the magic power accumulated in the process of evolution is released all at once, with superb mobility like fireworks blooming in an instant. But it is only one-time. ."
"My inference is that if this kind of golden bug starts to act, then if it cannot find a host that can continuously supply magic power in time, they will die due to excessive consumption." Ling said this, and everyone combined the previous experience of O'Neill and Afterwards, everyone who understood the sage's analysis nodded in agreement.
"So, there should be a lot of dead bugs in the underground passage?" Aiji suddenly mentioned this point from the side. His statement made people want to move, but considering the risk, everyone still agreed in unison. No mention of return.
"Then what's the purpose of doing this?" Mira, who had been silent because the topic was beyond her professional scope, only spoke now, while Ling hesitated for a while and wrote the fourth form on the cave wall.
"For the next step of evolution." Ms. Doctor stopped writing for a while, and then continued to explain while writing: "According to Mr. Henry's analysis, the parasitism of this fungus uses tentacles like plant roots to completely control the human body. ."
"And this combined with the villagers who have been parasitized for a longer period of time, so that only humanoid outlines are left..." Ling seemed a little embarrassed to say it, but she finally said it.
"My inference is that the fourth form's way of survival is to parasitically control the human body, but still keep the host alive. It uses the magic power generated by the host itself to assimilate and transform the host's body." The reason for her hesitation was stated in this paragraph After coming out, everyone understood.
"Hiss." Galeva took a breath of cold air, and Aggie, the timidest one, began to scratch his head and head, as if he was worried that a golden bug would crawl onto him.
"My consciousness was there the whole time. I was forced to stay awake and watch my body being controlled. Did I feel that I was getting away from human beings bit by bit?" Even the Luoan girl shuddered: "I will definitely go crazy if I say so. ."
"After a mutation, it formed a body that is like a plant and only sustains life with heat. It continuously produces magic power until the moment when enough magic power is condensed - it evolves into the fifth form." Aya wrote on the wall.
"This is about morphological inference. As for why it is like this, it can be summarized as simple biological morphological evolution." She stopped writing, but leaned against the cold wall with a tired expression and simply explained.
"From the first to the fourth form of evolution, it evolved from a mineral fungus that could only stay in the corner of the mine tunnel to a parasitic organism, and then completely controlled the host's actions. To a certain extent, it can be said to possess Ability to act independently.”
"But this ability to move is limited. Because the way plants rely on light and thermal energy to obtain energy cannot provide the energy required for strenuous exercise, which is why these guys stagger around or stand still somewhere most of the time. , the reason why he can run so fast in a few moments." Ling said: "And the fifth form we just encountered is the form closest to a complete creature so far."
"When I saw it for the first time, I confirmed the fact that evolution has not yet been completed. But there is also a doubt in my heart - whether it is the way of absorbing magic power or absorbing heat energy, it is better than preying on other creatures. It’s a more efficient way of eating. So why does the fifth form, which is supposed to be a more advanced form, have so many characteristics of predators, as if it has degenerated?”
"Because magic power is limited and must be used to complete its own evolution. Relying solely on heat energy to obtain action energy is not enough to sustain long-term free activities. Predating other organisms, digesting and absorbing nutrients through the organs, and obtaining energy. From In the long run, it is the most appropriate method." Aya lowered her head and sighed: "All this is just to have the ability to move independently for a long time. Including evolving body temperature to resist the severe cold, etc."
"The answer is clear." The sage shrugged.
The other five people next to them all turned their heads and looked at the two of them.
"Dandelions will spread their seeds by the wind. The bright colors and fragrant smell of the fruits are expected to be eaten by birds and animals, and excreted with their feces on their migration paths." Henry said in a smooth tone : "The instinct of living things is to reproduce and expand, no matter what kind of living things they are."
"Mineral bacteria that can only thrive in mines, if they are limited to this area, will come to an end when the resources here are exhausted."
"Then in that case, they must be like fruits, evolving some means to attract other creatures to take them away."
"What is the most widespread creature in the world today? Which creature likes gold and multiplies everywhere?" the sage asked with a shrug.
"Human." Mira patted her forehead.
"The evolution of the fifth stage form is because there are no humans left in the village who can take him away."
"It will move towards populated areas. Just a small village is not enough for it, so it has evolved the ability to act independently. It has evolved the ability to hunt and digest to sustain the consumption of crossing mountains and ridges." Henry raised his eyebrows Pointed a finger: "But the most important question now is."
"Is this a special case caused by contact with magic, or is this mineral fungus itself a life process like this?"
"Because from my perspective, this is a very complete life process. From birth to growth, and finally becoming a mature individual, moving to an environment with sufficient food, and reproducing the next generation."
"Is this important?" the dull Galeva asked, and the Luoan girl next to her reacted smartly and patted her forehead again.
"Idiot. If this is just an accident, then there is only one end. If this is the inevitable life process of this mineral fungus, then those guys who plan to rebel must have hoarded a lot of this gold... .”
"Oh...Oh, my God." Galeva, who finally understood, held it in for a long time and just cursed.
The sage glanced at the scene outside the mine tunnel.
"No matter what." He said every word.
"We can't let this guy get out of this village."
