The room was quiet, save for the faint hum that lingered in the air as Max released the mirror prison. The reflective surface shimmered, bending like liquid before dispersing in ripples, revealing the two humans, their pets, and the pigeon sprawled on the floor.
Tobias and Celine froze, their eyes darting between each other and Max. Their pets, slightly battered but alive, stayed close, trembling as if they instinctively understood the power radiating from the man before them.
Max folded his arms, his black wings casting an imposing shadow over the room. His golden gaze was calm but sharp, a predator's gaze waiting for prey to speak.
Before he could say anything, a commotion erupted to his left.
The pigeon, still gleaming faintly with rainbow hues despite its weakened state, stumbled upright and flapped its wings furiously. Its eyes locked onto Lucy, who stood in front of it with a self-satisfied tilt to her head.
"Craw-craw!" The crows perched nearby sprang into action.
Two crows lunged forward, pinning the pigeon's wings to the ground.
Another hopped onto its back, holding it head down with surprising authority. The indignant pigeon squawked and flailed, its iridescent feathers glinting with a last-ditch effort at resistance.
Lucy stepped forward, her hands on her hips, leaning close to her old rival.
"Mimimimilimimi!" she declared, her voice a series of triumphant, rhythmic syllables.
Craw! Craw! Craw!..
The pinned pigeon thrashed harder but couldn't break free. The crows cawed in what seemed to be agreement, with one even stomping its talons on the pigeon's head for emphasis.
Max sighed, watching the absurd scene play out. "Really, Lucy? Do you always need backup to bully that thing?"
Lucy turned toward him, mimicking a shrug with a "Mimimimi," as if to say, What's the fun in doing it alone?
The pigeon squawked indignantly beneath the weight of its captors, glaring at Max as though it recognized him. It made an attempt to leap up, only for Lucy to wave her hand, and the crows tightened their grip, rendering it still once more.
Max shook his head and turned his attention back to Tobias and Celine, who hadn't moved a muscle.
"Talk." His tone was casual but carried enough weight to make Tobias flinch.
"W-what do you want to know?" Celine stammered, clutching her pet closer to her chest.
Max gestured toward the pigeon. "Start with that thing. What do you know about it?"
Tobias glanced at Celine, then hesitantly began, "The pigeon was Lyra's pet. It wasn't always strong, it was just an ordinary bird until it ate one of the rainbow crystals."
"Rainbow crystals?" Max asked, his tone indicating he wanted more than a passing mention.
Celine took over, her voice shaking but steady enough. "They're rare crystals found in a dungeon that Lyra's family owns. After they cleared it, the dungeon turned into a mine for those crystals, the only there are. Lyra's family is conducting research on them… b-but they haven't made much progress."
"Why not?" Max pressed.
"They're... unstable," Tobias admitted. "The crystals require an extreme level of pain tolerance and mental fortitude to integrate. Most animals or people can't handle it. The pigeon was an anomaly."
Max raised an eyebrow, looking at the bird pinned under his pets. " anomaly, huh?".
Neither Tobias nor Celine dared to answer, the weight of the situation dawning on them.
"What's in Lyra's space ring?" Max asked abruptly.
Celine hesitated before muttering, "She might've carried a few crystals with her. She was hoping to find a proper buyer if the research didn't pan out…"
Max nodded, clearly satisfied. He pulled out his twin pistols in one smooth motion.
"Wait.... " Tobias started, but Max's patience had run out.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Two muffled shots echoed through the room, followed by two more. The captives and their pets collapsed, their expressions frozen in shock.
"Lucy get rid of them." Max muttered, slipping his pistols back into his holsters.
Lucy turned away from the subdued pigeon to glance at the fallen humans, mimicking an exaggerated gasp of surprise. "Mimimi!" as she truned into green light taking control over the mountain.
"Yes, yes, do it quickly please and get rid of the blood." Max said dismissively, kneeling to search Lyra's body. He retrieved her space ring and examined its contents.
Inside, he found a collection of random trinkets, cradits, and supplies. Nothing remarkable, until he uncovered a single rainbow crystal.
He held it up, watching its prismatic light dance across the walls. It radiated an energy that felt both enticing and alien, unlike anything he'd encountered before.
"Simulator, scan this," he instructed.
The screen of the simulator lit up, a faint hum accompanying the scanning process. Max waited, leaning against the table. The pigeon, meanwhile, had gone oddly quiet. Its gaze shifted nervously between the crystal, Max, and Lucy, who still stood proudly over it with her crows.
As the minutes stretched on, Max frowned. The scan was taking unusually long.
Finally, the simulator chimed with a notification.
[Alert: First Saturated Luck Devouring Stone detected.]
[This discovery is unprecedented. Please report to the Grand Library for further analysis and rewards.]
[Its grade can't be judged accurately.]
"Huh?"
Max's eyes narrowed as he read the message. It was the first time the simulator had ever displayed something like this, he completed ignored the grand Library Thing, even if knew where it was, he most couldn't get there, even if he could, it might no long be there, and even if it was he wasn't stupid enough to go there like an idiot.
......
Max checked the simulator's database for information on Luck Devouring Stones, only to find a few articles describing their uses and properties.
Apparently, it was a B-rank material with the unique capability to absorb luck endlessly; whether good, bad, or anything in between.
It had so many uses that Max couldn't count them all. However, the rainbow crystal in his hand appeared different. It was saturated and unable to absorb luck, rendering it useless in any of the processes described in the articles.
"Endlessly… Apparently not."
This was the first time Max realized that the knowledge provided by the simulator could be incomplete. Well, not exactly wrong, most likely, they had never encountered a saturated stone before.
Still, the unanswered question of "why" gave him an itch he couldn't ignore.
After some thinking he just shook his head, "Well let's foucs on the matter at hand, how to use it."
With the simulators detailed scan and some experimenting he should figure something out, maybe.
"Lu, I want the pigeon to stay alive..... And functional.." spoke Max as he walked into his work shop, at the same time giving the black Bonsai to Lucy to take care of.
'OK'.