The phoenix turned its head in confusion and saw Alex holding the test tube, watching it carefully.
When Alex realized he'd been caught red-handed stealing phoenix tears, he gave a sheepish smile.
"Sorry about that," he said.
"I just couldn't bear to see your tears wasted. Don't worry about me. If you want to cry, go ahead. Just pretend I'm not here."
After all, phoenix tears are a rare natural healing remedy.
When something so valuable appears right in front of him, can he really resist getting close and tasting it?
Seeing Alex's reaction, the little phoenix's anger quickly melted away, though it shot him a sharp glare.
Once the phoenix had eaten and drunk its fill, it stretched calmly and let out a loud cry.
Suddenly, flames burst from its body, spreading rapidly until it was completely consumed and reduced to ashes.
"Chirp!"
Thor blinked in surprise.
He couldn't understand why the phoenix would set itself on fire over such a minor disagreement.
Alex gently explained,
"It's okay, Thor. The phoenix is reborn from its ashes. This self-immolation is part of its Nirvana ritual, which helps it grow stronger and renew its body."
Though Alex had heard of the phoenix's Nirvana Ceremony before, this was the first time he'd witnessed it firsthand.
It also made him wonder about Thunderbird's nature, maybe its storm-chasing behavior is tied to a similar, but harsher, Nirvana ritual unique to its species.
Successfully completing that ritual might extend its lifespan and boost its vitality, much like the phoenix's rebirth.
After a brief moment of burning, a clear, delicate bird song suddenly rang out from the ashes.
Looking closer, Alex and Thor spotted a tiny, bald chick poking its head out, its bright eyes scanning them curiously as it chirped insistently, almost as if asking the elders for food.
Alex chuckled,
"Wow, I didn't expect a phoenix to look so ugly right after Nirvana."
Alex crouched down, watching the little chick with keen interest.
At the same time, he reached out and teasingly rubbed the tiny bird's head, though it was a bit rough.
"Hiss... Take it easy!"
The chick seemed annoyed by Alex's playful teasing.
Having just passed through Nirvana, the little phoenix was surprisingly strong, and its pecking left Alex's fingers bleeding.
After drawing blood, the chick stuck out its tongue, licked up the droplets, and then let out an excited chirp directed at Alex.
"Huh? What's this?"
Alex suddenly felt something strange through his telepathic senses after the little phoenix drank his blood.
The sensation was similar to the spiritual connection he had experienced when rescuing the great Thunderbird in Ireland, but this time, it was coming from the small phoenix in front of him.
The feeling was faint, though, so subtle that if Alex's mental strength weren't strong enough, he might have missed it entirely.
'Does this mean the little phoenix has recognized me? So eating my blood has that effect,' Alex realized.
'Looks like I bought your loyalty with a meal. What a greedy little thing.'
In fact, the spiritual bond between Alex and the phoenix was similar in concept to the one he shared with Thunderbird, both were highly intelligent magical creatures forming a connection with a wizard.
The key difference was that his link with Thunderbird came through his magic wand, which contained a feather from the bird.
Years of companionship had forged a strong bond, and later, mastering the Thundris Tempest Rune only deepened that connection, allowing them to sense each other quickly from the moment they met.
The bond with the little phoenix, however, was much weaker.
While the chick's behavior showed it had begun to recognize Alex, their connection was still only at the very beginning.
To reach the close relationship he had with Thunderbird, they would need to spend a lot more time together.
Alex wasn't sure if it was possible to sign a blood contract with two groups of magical creatures at the same time, especially since he felt a strong spiritual bond with both Thunderbird and the phoenix.
He hadn't forgotten about the blood contract, and he believed his connection with the Thunderbird had already met the requirements for forming one.
However, he was currently too busy to accompany Thunderbirds back to their colony in the United States to finalize it.
Meanwhile, he had already established telepathic communication with another magical creature, which made him wonder if it was possible to have more than one bloodline contract.
As Alex pondered this, Thor, sitting beside him, carefully hooked the phoenix chick closer with a wing and held the honey jar steady with one claw.
Then Thor dipped his beak into the honey and let a few drops fall for the little phoenix to lick.
The chick eagerly licked the sweet honey, and in that simple moment of care, a unique and special friendship blossomed between the two different species.
Elsewhere, the Augurey, who had already accepted the magical beasts, was leading a transport convoy along a well-established route.
Because the cargo was so large this time, they couldn't move quickly, so they expanded their alert area to avoid running into Muggles or wandering wizards.
Centered around a large, three-sided flying carpet, more than a dozen wizards set up a mobile guard post about a kilometer away, moving along with the convoy.
Thanks to Diricawl's careful planning and the strong escort, they managed to avoid most trouble, which usually came from chance encounters with Muggles.
When that happened, the wizards used the Muggle Repelling Charm to keep them away, and if anyone witnessed the convoy, they would use the Memory Charm to erase their memories.
They were careful not to embarrass the Muggles, knowing that, unlike some Death Eaters, they showed some restraint by not harming them.
However, it wasn't just Muggles they had to watch for.
Occasionally, they encountered wizards, some just passing by, others gathered oddly, and some were Aurors or members of the Pure Land Society stationed at fixed points.
When these groups appeared, Augurey and the team had no choice but to take detours to avoid confrontations.
Fortunately, the warning range was wide enough for them to steer clear of those wizards before getting spotted.
After stumbling forward for two days, they finally reached Finnmark County in Norway.
Once they successfully crossed this area, they could enter Russia and escape the reach of Northern Europe's jurisdiction, breaking free from the control of the Pure Land Society.
While Russia does have many wizards, their gatherings aren't near the border.
The country is just too vast, and most wizards tend to stick to a few specific regions.
Besides, although the Eastern European wizards in Russia are strong, they're very different from the Nordic wizards of the Pure Land Society, who have a particular hatred for the silver wand.