Thor nodded almost like a person at this, then resumed communicating with the phoenix.
Once the bird realized Alex wanted to help it, the dullness in its eyes began to fade, and its chirps grew louder and more lively.
After explaining things to Thor, Alex pulled out various tools from his gear and began examining the birdcage in front of him.
The reason he had snatched the phoenix so urgently wasn't just to keep the silver wand from getting it; he was also genuinely curious about the alchemy techniques used to create the cage.
Whether it was the enchantment that blocked space or the spell that suppressed magic, it was all very new to him.
The materials used to make the cage were incredibly rare, and to be honest, Alex found the cage itself even more fascinating than the phoenix inside.
Alex was quite skilled with such devices.
He quickly used a three-strike hammer to disable all the hidden runes on the cage without causing any damage.
However, his rough approach clearly scared the phoenix, who didn't understand what Alex was trying to do and briefly feared she might be killed on the spot.
But Alex wasn't concerned about the phoenix's feelings; his focus was entirely on studying the cage's enchantments.
In the wizarding world, there's always something new to discover, and this was the first time Alex had seen a spell that could completely isolate a space like this.
The teleportation-blocking magic was especially rare.
The magical jammer Alex had made before could only interfere with magic within a single area, but the spell on this cage was much more powerful.
It completely sealed off the space and blocked all teleportation spells.
Even Alex's own advanced version of Apparition, enhanced with the 'Thundris Tempest' blessing, wouldn't work inside this cage.
After studying the cage for a while, Alex also noticed its limitations.
First, the spell's power demands were extremely high, requiring very special materials to hold the runes and the magic itself.
Second, the energy consumption was enormous, much higher than ordinary spells.
Right now, the cage's magic was being powered entirely by the energy stored in a circle at its base, which held about 400 Lum worth of magic, almost the same amount an adult wizard could store.
Even so, the birdcage's mana would run out in a few weeks, so the magic circle needed regular recharging.
Alex had seen signs of these recharges many times, but each time the upper limit of the energy storage array's capacity decreased.
This meant the birdcage's lifespan wasn't as long as originally expected.
The cage itself was made from a mix of Mithril and Ulim steel, but its surface was coated with a special paint designed to prevent magic power from leaking out.
Presumably, the creator used this layer to extend the barrier's durability, which also highlighted just how much energy the spell consumed.
Without this protective paint, the barrier's life would be drastically shorter.
Removing the birdcage without destroying the spell wasn't too difficult either; using a disabling spell to drain its magic power would do the trick.
Thinking this through, Alex began to act.
He slowly stretched out his left hand, and a long silver snake-like form slithered out from his cuff, wrapping itself around the birdcage.
After a moment, he heard a soft click as the top part of the birdcage detached from its base.
With the cover off, Alex didn't bother studying the spells on the cage any further.
Instead, he shifted his focus to the two chains holding the phoenix captive.
There would be plenty of time to examine the cage later.
Over the past two days, he had learned that the chains primarily functioned by blocking energy, which was different from the energy absorbing curse and incapacitating curse he had developed.
The chains solidified the magic power.
Magic in a wizard's body flowed like water, constantly moving, but this spell acted like a thickening agent added to that water, slowing the flow of magic inside the target.
This made casting spells much harder because magic power had to be released to perform a spell, and when the magic was thick and sluggish, almost solid, it became difficult to convert into actual spellwork.
Alex thought, 'That's brilliant. I wonder who the master alchemist behind this birdcage is.
This binding spell is far more impressive than my incapacitating curse.'
Alex let out a deep sigh but quickly shook his head, pushing those troubling thoughts aside.
Right now, his priority was to help the phoenix break free from the chains.
The tricky part was that he couldn't just use a simple curse on the chains, because the magic binding them was linked to the phoenix's own power.
Drawing energy directly from the chains would hurt the phoenix itself.
But that wasn't a problem for Alex.
He pulled out his wand and carefully channeled magic along the chains and their intricate magical connections, guiding the stagnant energy and helping it flow smoothly again.
Gradually, the tiny chains wrapped around the phoenix began to loosen, until finally, they fell away completely.
Wow! The phoenix seemed to come back to life the moment its shackles were gone.
It flapped its wings excitedly and leapt high into the air with a long, joyful cry, savoring the long-lost feeling of freedom.
But then...
The magnificent bird landed heavily on the ground, collapsing clumsily as if it hadn't eaten in ages.
It was clear the phoenix was starving. Not only had it been trapped by the so-called black dragon, but it had been bound by those silver chains for at least half a year.
During all that time, the only thing it had to sustain itself was the flames, which were clearly not enough.
"You must be starving," Alex said with a sympathetic shake of his head.
"Don't go running around just yet. You need to regain your strength first."
With that, he conjured a plate of Tepo wart pork chops out of thin air and placed it directly in front of the phoenix.
The phoenix struggled to stand, but when it saw the food, its eyes brightened immediately.
Forgetting its usual noble bearing, it eagerly pecked at the pork like a starving chicken.
Seeing the phoenix in such a pitiful state, Thor felt sorry for it and offered half a jar of 'Honeyduke', a sweet treat he had received from Alex's space ring.
Alex was known among them for his excellent cooking; whenever he had free time, he prepared delicious meals that made everyone happy.
The phoenix quickly devoured the pork, then turned its attention to the honey.
After tasting it, it was clearly captivated by the sweetness and dipped its head into the jar, taking several gulps.
Despite its slender frame, the phoenix managed to finish the large plate of pork and the honey with ease.
After the meal, it looked at Thor with a blank expression, then turned to Alex, who was quietly watching nearby.
The phoenix seemed overwhelmed by the contrast between its previous life, trapped in a cage, deprived of freedom and food, and its current situation, where it was free and savoring these delicious dishes.
Emotions welled up inside the bird, and it started to cry.
But just as tears began to fall, Alex gently placed a test tube near its face, catching all the tears before they could drop.