The towers of stacked books now stood intimidatingly in front of me.

I had called over a servant to grab and place the 72 books on a table in the middle of the study for me. Just walking around the study was exhausting enough, but I knew that reaching and carrying them would have been the death of me. Not literally, of course. But in some ways, the pain of exhaustion was worse than death.

"What? You're not going to give me any Intelligence points for this?" I asked the System slyly now that I was alone again.

Knowing what I knew about the System, figuring out how to utilize it better to advance myself was just the sort of thing it awarded Intelligence points for.

[ I was getting to that. ]

[ But since you asked, that would be a waste of notification windows now, wouldn't it? ]

[ Please check the stats yourself if you're so curious. ]

"Fine." I shrugged.

[ Player: Luca Frey

Age: 19

Title: Observant Ex-NPC

Round: 8

Level: 12 ]

[ Strength : 4

Dexterity : 41

Perception : 51

Intelligence : 66

Charisma : 17

Mana : 2

$@#!^\ : -6 ]

I nodded, seeing that not only had Perception gained a point, but Intelligence had grown by a whole two points. The one caveat to this was that I could not know if some of the points were awarded at another time for something else.

But if it were important enough, the System would have let me know at that moment.

"I presume I can flip through the books, and you'll also comprehend them?" I asked, but I was near certain of the System's answer. I reached for the first book, a thick red leather book.

[ You presume correctly. ]

"Excellent."

I opened the book and flipped the pages through, like an enormous deck of cards, long enough for the text to meet my eyes but not enough for my mind to decipher any of the lettering. A musty scent of old parchment filled my nostrils as the pages flipped.

"Was there anything substantial regarding phoenixes in that one?" I asked, having finished.

[ Negative. ]

I placed the book behind me on a separate table.

I clasped my hands and cracked my wrists.

Only 71 books left to check. And then the real research starts.

"System, are you sure none of these books have any useful information?" I asked as I tossed the final book behind me.

[ I am certain, Luca. Some of those books may mention phoenixes, but they do not contain any substantial information on the topic, as you had requested. ]

"Fair enough."

I sighed. Before me, only eleven books were confirmed to have what the System suggested as substantial information on phoenixes.

How long has it been?

I glanced at a nearby clock and noted that a full hour had passed since I entered the library.

"Ben, could you please bring some tea to the library?" I asked into my communication ring.

"Certainly, young master Luca," Ben replied through the ring. "What kind of tea would you prefer?"

"Surprise me," I replied.

As long as it didn't contain poison, I didn't really care.

With a hot pot of tea and a cup in hand, I leaned back comfortably in my chair.

"System, could you please read the segments pertaining to phoenixes from the eleven books?" I asked.

[ Most certainly. ]

I sipped my tea in comfort while the System read through each of the eleven books, relaying the information on an easily comprehensible blue screen before me. Reading books had never been this easy.

Unfortunately, the books in my dear grandmother's library weren't all credible. A number of books wrote off phoenixes as mere legends, and others seemed to contain unreliable and ridiculous information on the topic.

For instance, one book discussed the "phoenix unicorn," supposedly a hybrid creature that was half phoenix and half unicorn. I raised an eyebrow as I read this. Even with my meager time of knowing Leona, I had serious doubts about this being possible.

Another book claimed that phoenixes could control time and travel through different eras at will. This one made me chuckle, as it scratched at the truth's surface. Leona couldn't control time or travel through eras. She simply had phoenix eyes and the same ability to relive rounds, like myself and Chase. But unlike us, she also had the memories of her past ancestors. However, to someone unaware of Phoenix Eyes, Rounds, and Resets, such a claim was a pretty decent stab at understanding the magic of phoenixes.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

However, the two books that gave me the most pause and seemed to provide a clue to what had occurred to phoenixes were of surprising formats.

The first was actually a poem. It was titled 'The Last Flight of the Phoenixes.'

Phoenixes, immortal beings of gold,

Their eyes a treasure to behold,

With wings ablaze in crimson hue,

A symbol of a life renew.

But in the hands of a power-hungry few,

Their existence was threatened anew,

For one tasted their flesh divine,

And saw in them the secret to eternal shine.

Thus began a war to protect the birds,

Their flames burning bright like words,

Against the greed of a selfish few,

Who sought to devour the phoenixes too.

The evil ones were locked away,

But the greed of humans led more astray,

For in their quest to protect, they tasted immortality,

And thus, phoenixes met their final fatality.

Extinct they became, a memory of old,

Their eyes of gold and wings of bold,

A symbol of what once had been,

And a future no longer to be seen.

If that wasn't dreadful enough, the other was a cookbook.

"Stop," I said, interrupting the System from continuing to read out the recipe steps to prepare a phoenix egg for consumption. "I don't want to hear anymore."

I set my cup of tea down and rested my head on my hand. Guilt weighed heavy on my conscience as I thought about the information I had just learned.

Did phoenixes go extinct because they were all eaten?

I wasn't any different. I had initially bought Leona's egg to use as an antidote and heal Jasper. I intended to feed her to him. Had I come across this cookbook first before hatching Leona, I would have gladly taken the steps outlined and fed her to him. And I would have never met Leona.

I rubbed my head.

This recipe and the poem made me feel sick to my stomach, especially since I had nearly helped bring one of the few remaining phoenixes to her death as well.

"System, is there anything else in these books about phoenixes that would help understand their extinction?" I asked. "No more recipes, please. And just summarize the text instead of reading it out in full."

[ Yes, Luca. One book suggests that phoenix eggs can still be found unhatched because the land of today lacks sufficient natural mana in the earth's minerals. Thus eggs won't hatch in the same way as they've done in the past. ]

My eyes widened at this revelation.

Perhaps there are more unhatched phoenix eggs like Leona's lying around? Maybe they weren't all eaten to extinction?

"Thank you, System. That's enough for now," I said, feeling overwhelmed.

I sat in silence, sipping my tea as I contemplated everything I had learned.

Then just what was that shriek from the forest exactly?

Luca! Where are you?

I heard Leona's voice in my mind as clear as day.

She must have woken up and not found me, so she went searching. And if I can hear her in my mind, she must be close.

I scrambled up from my chair and hurried through the library's double doors into the hallway.

"Peep!"

Luca!

The yellow ball of fluff zipped right into my chest and then proceeded to flutter over my head.

"Peep!"

You disappeared again. You didn't even so much as leave a note!

I felt like whacking myself for this. After all, the last time I disappeared when Leona was sleeping, she was kidnapped.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I needed to look into something in the library. I will leave a note next time I go somewhere."

Hmpt!

"Say, Leona, do you want to go on a little adventure?" I smiled.

There was a dragon below the villa that I hoped to speak with. Now that I had a human perspective on phoenixes, I wanted a perspective that was in some ways more ancient than even one Leona could provide.

And perhaps he might offer Leona good company, them both being so ancient and on the brink of extinction. So it might be a pleasant surprise for them both.

Azgralos was over four thousand years old, albeit according to the ancient dragon, he was asleep most of that time. However, I was certain he didn't lay around sleeping for all his life and likely had a thing or two to say on the topic of phoenixes. Unlike Leona, who relied on memories of her ancestors, Azgralos' memories were his own.

Perhaps his ancient wisdom is why my grandmother's ancestors had awakened him from his long slumber.

"Peep!!"

An excited chirp sounded.

Yes! I'm glad you brought it up yourself! The fragrance from the stalls below has been bidding me to go down and investigate just what those delicious scents are. However, I didn't want to go alone…

Tsk.

That wasn't quite what I had in mind. But I was glad to see her in such good spirits.

"Leona, but perhaps it's best to go tomorrow? After all, dinner will be in just an hour and a half," I countered softly, not wanting to be too harsh in rejecting her enthusiastic desire to explore tonight's food stalls.

"Peep!"

You don't need to worry about that! You know I have two separate stomachs.

Leona proudly pushed out her fluffy yellow belly.

I'll try only little bits of what we see and store the rest for later. After that, I'll have plenty of room for dinner, which might be needed given one of the chefs here is rather dreadful.

I sighed.

Leona's little golden eyes blazed with an enthusiasm I didn't have the heart to put out. I didn’t even want to attempt to bring up the topic of what occurred in Humton Forest.

Well, I suppose I can introduce Leona to Azgralos later tonight or even tomorrow as a nice little surprise. Food over dragons.

"Alright, let me contact Ben and have a carriage readied for us then."

I lifted the red mana stone ring to my lips and relayed the request.

"Absolutely, young master Luca. I'll have one waiting for you in the courtyard," Ben replied.

He wasn't kidding. In the time that it took me to cross the villa and enter the entry courtyard, a carriage was ready and waiting for me, with Ben holding the carriage door open for me.

He's about as efficient as Remlend. Or I was slow.

"Thank you, Ben," I said, climbing into the carriage.

"Of course, young master Luca. Your grandmother had also instructed me to come with you into town," Ben said, closing the carriage door behind us. "She also wanted to relay that she will buy whatever your eyes might land on as an early birthday gift."

I nodded.

This was similar to the previous round, albeit a day early.

I gazed out the window as the carriage rolled down the hill. The sun was coming in low on the horizon now but still provided ample lighting without the need for any lanterns.

"An early birthday gift, huh," I muttered.

I caressed my chin.

"Peep!"

When is your birthday, Luca?

Leona was perched within my black hair.

"My birthday is the last day of summer, so it's quite an early gift indeed," I replied to Leona's question in a way that wouldn't seem unusual as a conversation with Ben.

"Yes, it is." Ben had his ever-present solemn expression.

Due to his proximity to my grandmother, he likely knew better than anyone else that her days were numbered and that she wouldn't live anywhere close to my actual birthday.

The carriage moved the remainder of its time down into town in silence, apart from Leona's happy chirping and listing into my mind all the different food she was looking forward to trying this round. I gazed out, admiring the view of the endless expanse of green, lush farmland that stretched out from the Town of Ascot and the way the low-hanging sun cast a warm golden glow on the white stone buildings.

As we descended further, the sounds of the town began to grow louder. People bustled about, going about their daily business, with some stalls ready and serving already, even though the festival wasn't for another day. The smell of freshly baked bread and roasting meats wafted through the air, and the music that I had heard from afar became clearer.

Then a familiar face caught my eye.

"Speaking of potential birthday gifts, stop the carriage!" I called out.

As the carriage came to a halt, I eagerly jumped out and made my way to the stall where the one-eyed merchant sat. Ben was quick to follow, keeping up with my brisk pace, while Leona remained tightly knitted within my hair.

"Ah, we meet again, Luca Frey." A wide grin spread over Orla Rex's face. The multicolored mana stones in her mouth shimmered. "Anything I can do for you?"

I gazed over her many mana-embedded artifacts and rubbed my hands together.

My poison needles wouldn't be ready until a couple more days, but that didn't mean I couldn't equip myself against potential dangers in the meantime.