Chapter 371: Phoenix Necklace

Chapter 371: Phoenix Necklace

If there was one thing Gerald regretted, it was not making a copy of the instructions in the Phoenix Temple. He sat at a table in his room, a tiny cramped space with just one bed, with the last remaining Phoenix Necklace, a vial of Phoenix blood, and the fresh Phoenix Core.

The stakes were high, and he dreaded making any mistakes. While he was confident in his memory, he couldn't be completely sure he didn't forget some important details. The margin for error was also nearly non-existent as he had to be perfect on the first try.

The Phoenix core had to be shaped so it would fit into the necklace. However, that was easier said than done. Ether Crystals were nearly indestructible while inside a living being, a fact he confirmed many times as he sustained damage to his body, but not the black crystal on his chest.

However, when the Ether Crystal was separated from the body, it quickly lost this weird property and became much softer and brittle, like a piece of cartilage. One good bite and it would break, something Gerald had done many times before.

And now he had to carefully shape this thing to make it fit. It was too much pressure!

He didn't dare touch the real thing, afraid he might break it. Instead, he took out dozens of Earth Crystals and a sharp knife to test his skill on them first.

It was much like whittling wood, just more difficult. The crystals had that annoying feature that they liked to break off in chunks, depending on which direction it was being carved from. As such, Gerald had to first learn how to recognize the structure of the Crystals and never go against the grain.

Sure, that might seem easy on the poor and low-grade Crystals since the lines inside were clearly visible, but as the purity of the Crystal increased, the lines became more and more difficult to spot.

Hours later, when the sun was already low on the horizon, Gerald finally stood up and stretched himself. The table and the ground where he worked were covered with Crystal shavings and broken shards, as well as plenty of egg-looking Earth Crystals. Their surface was smooth and uniform, perfectly rounded and without mistakes.

Carefully planning as well as polishing the surface was actually what took the greatest chunk of time, but now he was ready! At once, every piece of his learning work disappeared and the room returned to its previous clean-ish state. Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

He couldn't afford to make a single mistake, so he had to thoroughly prepare.

Gerald sat on the floor and closed his eyes, meditating for nearly half an hour to enter a state of tranquility and inner peace. All his nervousness was washed away and any remaining doubts were dispelled like morning mist underneath a warm summer sun.

The microscopic Runes, engraved into the surface and barely visible to the naked eye, were revealed before him with a simple use of the Eagle Eyes which allowed him to zoom in on the metal jewelry. Bloody ink ran down a single hair of the brush and was deposited into the imprints of the Runes.

With each stroke of the brush, Gerald felt a sort of connection be established with the treasure. After what seemed like an eternity, the entirety of the enchantment was rewritten, though Gerald was unsure as to what exactly it meant, and only the final jewel, the Core of the Phoenix, was waiting to be placed inside.

The Core was soaked in the magical ink and then pressed into its spot while Gerald was sending his Mana inside the necklace. It was a way to establish ownership over the ancient relic, or at least that's what the instructions said.

As soon as the two pieces touched though, the blood was sucked into the necklace and the Core moved on its own, sticking to the precious alloy ornament, while the latter shrunk around it, nearly merging the two together.

The Phoenix Core was now completely encased in the necklace, with only about a third of it sticking out of the bluish gold metal. At that exact moment, the Phoenix Necklace was complete.

Gerald didn't know why, but as he looked at the result of his work, an immense feeling of pride welled up inside him, telling him the long journey was an absolute success. He also felt some sort of connection being established with it, something like a bond of sorts, like the one between two lovers. It was an extremely weird sensation coming from an inanimate object. Completely foreign and heavy, but pleasant at the same time.

He took the Phoenix Necklace and put it around his neck like it was the only right thing to do. And in that instant, a scorching feeling spread across his body, making him feel like he was on fire. Actually, an image of himself burning suddenly flashed in his mind, but the sensation weirdly didn't carry any pain with it.

And in the next second, the sensation was gone. Like it was never there in the first place.

The feeling of closeness and connection with the Phoenix Necklace remained, however now it was much weaker as if it was in a dormant state. It was also draining a tiny bit of his Mana. Nothing big though, barely 10 MP/h. It wasn't even noticeable.

Well, he wouldn't notice while normal people would be drained dry in no time at all!

"Okay? Now what?" Gerald scratched his head. He didn't exactly know how this relic of olden times worked. The only information he got was that it was supposed to be a life-saving treasure. How could it save a life? He had no clue. A barrier perhaps? Complete regeneration when wounded?

Gerald shrugged his shoulders. Speculation with no information was no better than a blind guess. And besides, if there ever came a time when his life was in danger, he would find out. Hopefully