Elemental Magnetic Star

Chapter 111 The Wind Rises in Pine Mist

Although she had been in a state of decline for a while, Raina Grace still managed to refine and weave the mineral silk, stained with her fingertip's blood, into a waist belt with a pouch during her reading breaks.

Considering the scarcity of the mineral silk material and her habit of wearing robes that required a belt for cinching the waist, as well as her preference for pockets on her clothing, this belt also served a practical daily function. The belt's pouch was made narrow and elongated, providing a resting place for WeeStick if it wished to sleep.

Of course, this item was not just a simple belt and pouch. Being made from a special material, it could present different appearances when infused with various elemental magnetic powers. For instance, the water element would turn it into a water chain, the earth element would reveal the mineral's original color and texture, while the introduction of some fire element would make it as hard and glossy as porcelain enamel...

In other words, what could have been a highly sought-after material for weapons was transformed by Raina Grace into a versatile belt that could change into various styles at will. She enthusiastically tried many styles, finding them to be unique and elegant to her satisfaction.

As for other functionalities, Raina Grace had yet to discover them. She speculated that the belt might also serve as a reserve for elemental magnetic power. Through her research, she found that substances naturally capable of storing elemental magnetic power were extremely rare on Elemental Magnetic Star, mostly being accessories of sentient beings, such as the silk of the Rainbow Spider, the core of the Terra Grove fruit, the body of the Azure Phoenix, and the feathers of the White Falcon.

The Azure Phoenix explained that this was because the higher beings of Elemental Magnetic Star had awakened their sentience, which naturally resonated and combined with elemental magnetic power to form a "field" that could retain and utilize elemental magnetic power. This concept coincided with Raina Grace's imagined "Crystal Pupils."

Most plants remained in a state of unawareness—except for the Terra Grove, which could hardly be considered a plant anymore—as they merely drifted along with the flow of elemental magnetic power without interacting with it. Even if they could store some elemental magnetic power, it was only out of a survival instinct, and the power would gradually deplete once they ceased living.

The so-called mineral storages of elemental magnetic power were nothing more than the fossilized remains of sentient beings, rare and often contaminated with impurities, hence unable to be as powerful as living beings.

However, this belt, crafted from mineral silk selected by Raina Grace for its elemental magnetic properties, theoretically should not possess such strong storage and transformation capabilities for elemental magnetic power. The only possible explanation for its miraculous nature was the incorporation of her blood.

Raina Grace wondered if her blood shared any commonalities with the Terra Grove fruit core, the body of the Azure Phoenix, the feathers of the White Falcon, and the silk of the Rainbow Spider. But as Luminous Harmony said, as experiences accumulate, the truth will eventually emerge. It might be best to let things take their natural course.

What Raina Grace did not anticipate was that her involvement with Flame Wave would bring trouble to the Azure Phoenix.

Suddenly, rumors began to spread through the Sky Domain: Pine Mist Mountain housed an Azure Phoenix, and whoever obtained it could ascend to the heavens by day, allowing people from the Sky Domain to directly ascend to the Celestial Domain, where the inhabitants could enjoy eternal youth.

The incident started with an item that Flamer Horizon had sent to the Innovative Masterpieces Assembly. "It's a piece of armor, the kind I forge most often. But this one turned out exceptionally exquisite and lightweight. I thought it was due to the quality of the minerals you selected, so I sent it to the exhibition without giving it much thought."

"And how did it come to win the first prize?" Raina Grace asked, suppressing her unease to understand the full story.

"Normally, the items our Flamer family sends are just for show, placed prominently for the sake of appearance, and given a mediocre rating during the appraisal. But this time, it was so refined and beautiful, like a work of art, that it was used by the academy as a tool to attack the Bamboo family."

"So, without this accident, the Bamboo family would have still won?"

"Yes, the academy has always been defeated by the Bamboo family in this segment. They've been looking for an opportunity to break them once, even if not winning themselves, as long as the Bamboo family doesn't win. So, any family piece with a bit of strength gets heavily promoted by them."

"Besides its appearance, did they discover anything else? How did it get connected to the Azure Phoenix?"

"It's amazing," Flamer Horizon said excitedly, "it can absorb any attack and turn it into its own defense. I never realized it before. With this, any attack not only fails against it but becomes its power source. Wouldn't that make the wearer invincible? Haha..."

"Overpowering force with skill, if the opponent's power is great enough to directly destroy the armor, any defense is useless," Raina Grace bluntly criticized him, mainly because he hadn't answered the key question, "But what does this have to do with the Azure Phoenix?"

Feeling Raina Grace's stern gaze, Flamer Horizon, though reluctant, did not dare to diverge further: "They asked me how I managed to create such a miraculous armor. I don't have any special skills, so I could only tell the truth—the minerals provided by Celestial Balance Fortress. But I didn't mention you at all. You didn't want to participate in this so-called elegant gathering to avoid drawing attention, right?"

"Yes, yes, you're right!" Raina Grace became anxious, as Flamer Horizon still hadn't gotten to the point, "Do the minerals from Celestial Balance Fortress have anything to do with the Azure Phoenix?"

Flamer Horizon slapped his forehead, "Somehow, a woman from the Bamboo family stepped forward and said that the minerals from Celestial Balance Fortress were collected from Pine Mist Mountain, and with recent rumors of the Azure Phoenix appearing there, perhaps the miraculous minerals are related to it. But I know these minerals are no different from those previously stocked in Celestial Balance Fortress. Why would such miraculous events happen now, do you know?"

Raina Grace didn't answer him but murmured to herself, "Who said there's an Azure Phoenix on Pine Mist Mountain?"

"How did you know there's an Azure Phoenix on Pine Mist Mountain?" At the same time, Bamboo Jane was questioning Lin, "And you've hyped it up so much that even the stones are said to be imbued with its celestial aura. What were you thinking?"

Jane was furious. She had only learned a bit about the Azure Phoenix from elsewhere, but it was extremely important to their Bamboo family. She had been waiting for more information from Silver Tan without daring to act rashly, only for Lin, this fool, to leak everything, causing a huge uproar.

"I don't know if the Azure Phoenix is really that magical, nor do I care," Lin said emotionlessly, but her biting words revealed her bitterness, "I just wanted to trouble that woman. She thinks she can stay in Celestial Balance Fortress with peace of mind? No way!"

Jane glared at her, "Celestial Balance Fortress has hidden a woman? How did you know? Are you doing this for the sheriff? I thought since you introduced him to me, you had let go. I didn't expect..."

"It was Lord Gold Shine who mentioned it inadvertently," Lin said, her expression fluctuating between sweet and resentful, "I had thought of giving up. But when I learned that even the family head wasn't in his eyes, I couldn't let go, thinking that since it wasn't about beauty or family background, I might still have a chance. Until I heard about that woman, well-protected in Celestial Balance Fortress, a place I treasure but couldn't stay long, being occupied by her long-term, and I couldn't find any chance to get close..."

"So you came up with this idea, to expose her?" Jane fully understood Lin's intention, but what can you say to a woman caught in the web of love and hate?

Was this the outcome of the bold love and hatred she once encouraged? Jane sighed deeply, her hand dropping from pointing at Lin's stubborn head.