The days of searching for the Phoenix inside the volcano were boring. After all, the surroundings were only continuously rolling magma and rocks baked red. But Lancer stubbornly clung to the rock walls, searching for possible "abnormalities" at the positions closest to the magma.
The rock walls also became extremely fragile under the scorching of the magma. At a protrusion, the rock wall Lancer was originally clutching suddenly broke. He wasn't too nervous, as this wasn't the first time he'd encountered this. The ice condensing under his feet would instantly freeze a very small range of magma. Although it was only for a split second, it was enough for him to use the force to return to the rock wall.
Only this time, it seemed different from before, because he felt the magma beneath his feet churning.
Returning to the rock wall again, Lancer looked down at his feet with a grim expression, and then discovered that the magma below was churning strangely.
'Could it be that the volcano is erupting?'
With Lancer strength, he could indeed swim in magma for a short time. After all, as long as his stamina wasn't empty, he wouldn't be burned to death with the protection of the Rune. But the problem was that a volcanic eruption isn't just a moment; it often lasts for several hours or even several days. If he were caught in the magma and unable to break free, even he would die without a whole corpse.
Lancer indeed possessed strength far exceeding normal creatures, but even so, he had no ability to resist a true natural disaster.
But just as he was desperately climbing upward, a Gap opened beside him.
"Come over quickly!"
Only then did Lancer truly breathe a sigh of relief. Because of the tension just now, he had almost forgotten his "companion."
Although the first meeting between the two could not be called friendly, their relationship had softened quite a bit after this period of time. Especially after Yakumo Yukari discovered that Lancer did not demand she do strange things, although she would complain or even find opportunities to be poisonous toward Lancer, she at least no longer resisted Lancer existence.
But just as Lancer grabbed the edge of the Gap and prepared to climb in, he found that Yakumo Yukari was frozen there. At the same time, the orange-red light source behind him suddenly surged.
Could it be...
Holding a feeling of either excitement or fear, Lancer turned his body around.
The dazzling red glow turned Lancer completely orange-red. Amidst the heat waves that even the Rune could not completely block, a giant firebird held its head high, looking down at the tiny human before it. However, different from Lancer guess, the other party seemed to be looking at him with a face full of curiosity.
The other party did not make any sound, merely lowering its head. But Lancer could see doubt in the other party's eyes, as if curious about why Lancer and the others appeared here.
Although the aura on the other party's body was terrifying, it was not violent; it was merely like fire, making one feel that the other party was "burning."
"Whew~"
Even Lancer, who had seen countless sights an ordinary person wouldn't see in a lifetime, still felt a strong palpitation upon seeing the other party. The flames burning on the other party might not be as terrifying as Karna's, but he was also not Li Shuwen. Before these terrifying flames, he was so tiny.
At this moment, a voice in Lancer heart was continuously reminding him——leave. As long as he entered the Gap, he could definitely escape.
But he bit his teeth. Indeed, it wasn't hard to run away, as the other party currently seemed to have no enmity toward him. But if he ran away, it was unclear if he could find the other party next time, or how the other party's attitude might change...
So now is the best opportunity!
However, how should one communicate with a Phoenix? Is their thinking logic the same as humans? If he made a request to the other party, would it receive a response?
Lancer knew none of it, but he still worked hard to make his heartbeat return to normal, because he had to ensure he was "calm."
"Can you give me your crest feather?"
Excessive cover-up had no meaning. Because redundant nonsense might cause the other party's displeasure. Since it couldn't be avoided, then use a straight ball!
Lancer directly stated his request. The Phoenix, upon hearing Lancer words, actually tilted its head. It was just unclear whether it didn't understand the meaning of Lancer words or felt that what Lancer said was too ridiculous.
Yakumo Yukari, hiding in the Gap, also looked up at that existence she had never seen before. The feeling this Phoenix gave her was even more terrifying than the "gods" who had once hunted her. When facing those guys, even if Yakumo Yukari knew she couldn't beat them, she dared to go up and tease them because she knew she could escape. But now...
She even felt that the Gap was about to be scorched under these terrifying flames.
What was even more unbelievable to her was that Lancer actually directly asked the other party for a "crest feather." This behavior seemed undoubtedly irrational to her. After all, this behavior was not much different from a stranger walking up to you and saying, "Can I see your panties?"—maybe even worse.
Because of the pressure from the other party's aura, Yakumo Yukari didn't immediately pull Lancer to run, but she still watched the other party warily, for fear that Lancer words would anger the other party and lead to a total outburst. But to her surprise, the giant Phoenix did not breathe fire or perform any other aggressive behaviors; instead, it slightly lowered its head.
'What happened?'
As an outsider, Yakumo Yukari naturally didn't know what happened. But Lancer, as the person involved, widened his eyes.
'Why?'
A strange voice suddenly sounded in Lancer brain. Although the voice was very odd, making Lancer unable even to distinguish the other's gender, given the scene and circumstances, any person with normal thinking would know the speaker was the Phoenix in front of him. The other's words at least let Lancer breathe a sigh of relief, because the other party could be communicated with. It's just that the other party's next words made his heart lift once again.
'Why can I not hear the voice of your heart?'
Originally, Lancer thought the other party's "why" referred to why he wanted its crest feather, but what he didn't expect was that the other party was actually referring to this?
Undoubtedly, Lancer did not possess anything with such a function. The only thing he could think of related to it was one thing—that thing which he had not figured out the specific situation of even until now——the System.
But the other party didn't seem to care much about that. The lowered head was raised again.
'Human, I can give you what you desire, but what do you intend to exchange with me? That strange youkai behind you? She is indeed very interesting.'
The other party's words immediately made Lancer tense up. He didn't expect the other party to say such a thing.
If it were half a month ago, Lancer might have considered it. After all, at that time, the other party was like a wild beast he had bound with a chain; Lancer didn't even know if the other party would hurt him despite being bound. But now——
"I'm sorry, I refuse. I don't have the habit of using friends as trade items!"
That's right. No matter how the other party saw it, at least in Lancer view, she was his friend. To sacrifice a friend to save a girl he regarded as a sister—that was something he would absolutely not do. Because if he did, neither he nor Mokou would ever be at peace in the future.