Chapter 153: Which came first, the Phoenix or the fire?

In the year 930 of the Arad Calendar, during autumn, a prose novel titled "The Departed Warriors" emerged from Hendon Myre and spread across the continent through the hands of countless adventurers.

From the serene Forest of Grand Flores to the bustling Sky City on the West Coast, the eternally frozen Ten Thousand Year Snow Mountain, the chaotic Namenlos, and even the dark city of the Dark Elves…

People came to know the youth who made rings out of straw, the princess who went mad for love, and the blacksmith who sacrificed himself to forge weapons. Likewise, they met a magician named the Lantern Bearer.

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Sanctuary

Ino stood quietly on the icy path. At the end of the path, another fork had appeared, a road composed of countless parchment papers. Each piece of parchment recorded a different story in golden ink.

The Sanctuary had undergone drastic changes, the most noticeable being the icy path. It had become wider and longer, transforming from a narrow, ten-meter-long path into a broad road over a hundred meters long and five to six meters wide.

Red maple trees now adorned both sides of the road. Strangely, instead of bearing beautiful red leaves, the tall, straight trees bore parchment leaves.

"Friendship? Fame? Legends?" Ino murmured, looking around. The tremendous changes in the Sanctuary made him contemplate his recent experiences.

"I have forsaken my utilitarian mindset…" he sighed softly. In an instant, Ino and his suitcase vanished from the Sanctuary, leaving it silent except for the gently swaying parchment leaves.

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Hogsmeade Village

In a small, historical building, the second floor ceiling was covered with blue spider webs, forming an unusual canopy. At the center of the web rested a large, three-foot blue eight-eyed spider, quietly reading a thick book. Upon closer inspection, the book was Newt Scamander's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

Ino lay on his bed, watching the spider on the ceiling. Unknowingly, half of the summer vacation had passed, and it was now late July, over twenty days since he left the continent of Arad.

"Lina, what do you think would be the most useful kind of magical creature to add to the Sanctuary?"

"Add?" a cool voice echoed from the ceiling. Lina poked her head out after a moment.

"You mean, like how you control me, by mastering a new species?"

Such a simple question wouldn't have mattered a few months ago. Even though Ino felt Lina was overly mature when she first spoke, he didn't think much of it, attributing it to the nature of an eight-eyed spider.

After sharing the sensations of the Ice Blue Flower upon awakening in the Sanctuary, the term 'control' now felt awkward to him.

"We're friends! That will never change!" Ino explained helplessly, though he knew the explanation sounded weak. As Lina had pointed out, he could indeed completely control the eight-eyed spider hatched in the Sanctuary.

"Forget it! Let's not talk about this," Lina's cool voice came from the web again, this time tinged with a hint of resignation.

Perhaps some things are best left unspoken. She briefly complained and then moved on from the topic.

"If you're talking about the creatures from that book, my suggestions are either a Thunderbird or a Phoenix, but I recommend the Phoenix. As for other rubbish, you don't need to bring them in, including those so-called fire-breathing lizards called dragons."

Hearing the names Thunderbird and Phoenix, Ino turned his head with a bitter smile.

She really dared to speak her mind. Aside from their rarity, only two Phoenixes were known to have interactions with wizards: Sparky, the mascot of the New Zealand Motoroa Macaws, and Fawkes, Dumbledore's messenger.

There were no other known Phoenixes that interacted with wizards. While Thunderbirds weren't as rare, they weren't easy to obtain, especially needing Thunderbird eggs.

"Forget it! You continue reading, I'll think of something else," Ino responded weakly from his bed.

"Useless!"

Lina's harsh voice made him shiver instinctively. He complained, "It's not that I'm useless; they're just hard to find! You're still so naive…"

"Second row on the bookshelf, 'Ravenclaw's Riddles.' Which came first, the Phoenix or the fire? Think about it yourself. If fire can bring hope, why can't it birth a Phoenix? Magic requires research, not lounging around all day," Lina replied before returning to her book, her tone filled with a mix of frustration and care.

The room fell into silence.

Ino didn't respond, his mind filled with thoughts about the Phoenix and fire.

The Phoenix dies in flames and is reborn from them, but which came first, the fire or the Phoenix? If it were just a riddle, there could be many answers.

It could be a cycle, or it could be approached with philosophical idealism—neither fire nor Phoenix, only what existed before being perceived.

But researching fire and Phoenix wasn't something that could be solved with just rhetoric.

"Let's give it a try…" Ino whispered before disappearing.

Lina didn't react to his departure, continuing to read quietly on her web.

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Egypt

Under a majestic pyramid, Arthur Weasley stood with his entire family. In front of them were two reporters from the Daily Prophet, one reporting and the other taking photos.

"Mr. Weasley, please have the children gather closer. And for the one holding the rat, if you want it in the picture, place it on your head or shoulder," the photographer complained.

"Ron! Stand still! And the rest of you, straighten up," Mrs. Weasley commanded, and everyone obediently gathered together, smiling happily.

Ron didn't put Scabbers on his head as suggested but held it prominently in his hands.

"Click!" The shutter sounded, capturing a new family photo.

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