Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
The sea was calm, and white clouds drifted across the sky.
In the coastal town of Hargeon, a striking, luxurious medium-sized ship sailed out of the harbor, its large Heartfilia Konzern logo hard to miss.
More than a year ago, the Alvarez Empire's invasion war had strained relations between the Eastern and Western Continents.
Although tensions had eased slightly, Mages entering the Western Continent could still cause trouble, so Noah planned to "travel" under a different identity.
It just so happened that Jude had also discovered his daughter was missing—Lucy had secretly gone to the Western Continent without his knowledge.
Concerned for his daughter's safety, Jude, upon learning that Noah and others were heading to the Western Continent, grandly presented Fairy Tail with a luxurious ship, asking them to bring Lucy back.
Having gotten a good ship for free, Makarov was overjoyed and promised Jude, patting his chest, that he would bring Lucy back safely.
On the deck, sun loungers were arranged in a row, with several men, women, and children comfortably lying back, enjoying the sunbath, though Gajeel, retching over the ship's rail, was a bit of a buzzkill.
Noah lowered his sunglasses and looked at the other seasick Dragon Slayer with interest. "My dear nephew, if you can't hold on, go sit with Gajeel. There's no shame in it."
Laxus, who was already seasick but stubbornly enduring it, turned pale with anger at Noah's words, gritting his teeth and unable to utter a word due to his discomfort.
Seeing that Laxus was still trying to save face even in such a state, Noah stopped teasing him, as Makarov was also on the ship.
Ever since he could perform "Magnetic Field Rotation," the negative effects of Dragon Slayer Magic's motion sickness had never reappeared on Noah. The Magnetic Field Power's enhancement to his body was simply too strong.
The number of people departing for the Western Continent this time was not large. Besides Noah himself, there were Makarov, Laxus, Erza, Mira, Gajeel, and Gray.
Although there were only seven of them, they represented Fairy Tail's top fighting force.
With Warrod and Mystogan holding down the fort at the guild, there was no need to worry about any trouble.
Putting on his sunglasses, Noah comfortably leaned back in his sun lounger, eating fruit peeled by Mira, and said to his companions, "Everyone knows the purpose of this mission, right? We are going to the Alvarez Empire, which unified the Western Continent, to find Natsu, Lucy, and Happy."
Makarov nodded, picking up the conversation. "We are going as tourists—try not to expose our Mage powers to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Gray, who was sunbathing shirtless, offered a different opinion. "Master, we are all calm people and can control the urge to fight, but Natsu is different."
Natsu's team had departed for the Western Continent three or four days earlier, so Makarov's current instructions couldn't reach him, and given Natsu's personality, it would be strange if he didn't cause trouble.
"If we really encounter a situation where we have no choice but to act, then go all out. I'll take care of everything."
Noah, munching on an apple, spoke in a calm tone that was like a calming force, reassuring everyone.
Of course, what it reassured was their mischievous hearts.
Besides Natsu, the guild's most destructive members were all here. Even if they acted as obedient foreign tourists in the Western Continent, trouble might still find them.
Otherwise, how could they be Fairy Tail Mages?
Transportation between Ishgar in the Eastern Continent and Alakitasia in the Western Continent was not convenient. Sending letters was already difficult, and ships traveling between them were even rarer.
For the two continents separated by the sea, the fastest journey by ship would still take ten days, and this was considering the two points with the shortest straight-line distance between them.
Noah didn't deliberately speed up, and on the fourteenth day, the ship slowly sailed into the cape city in the southeastern direction of the Western Continent, an ancient city named "Caracole" that was thousands of years old.
Long years of change had not left this ancient city dilapidated. Its superior geographical location gave "Caracole" not only beautiful natural scenery but also made it an important port in the Western Continent.
Since being incorporated into the Alvarez Empire, this ancient city had received significant development.
As the ship docked, Noah and his group's arrival didn't attract much attention—only a port fee collector, an old man, called out to Noah's group who had just disembarked.
The old man was accustomed to "tourists" like Noah from the Eastern Continent. At least two or three cargo ships departed from this port for Ishgar every day, not to mention those arriving from that side.
It seemed that the residents of the Western Continent, as the party that initiated the invasion war more than a year ago, had not been greatly affected. Ultimately, they were ordinary people, not even qualified to join the imperial army.
"Sir, have you recently seen a reckless young man with pink hair, a beautiful blonde girl, and a blue cat?"
Erza described Natsu, Lucy, and Happy, asking the old man if he had seen them.
The old man shook his head in denial. He had been collecting docking fees at the port for over forty years, and he basically remembered all the ships and passengers entering and exiting after a glance. He had no impression of Natsu's team whatsoever.
It seemed Natsu and his group didn't disembark in Caracole City.
Erza, frustrated, then asked the old man about another person. "Sir, have you heard of a girl named Brandish? She has green hair and is about sixteen years old."
Erza actually didn't hold out much hope for news of Grammi's daughter. She just thought the port old man had seen many people and might have information about Brandish, so she mentioned it subconsciously.
"Oh, you mean Lady Brandish."
The fee collector looked at Erza in surprise. "Could it be that you, young lady, are her fan? Has Lady Brandish's reputation already reached the other shore?"
Man proposes, God disposes.
Who would have thought that Erza's casual inquiry would actually yield news of Brandish?
Mira, beside her, seized the opportunity to pretend to be a fan of Brandish, asking the fee collector where she could meet Brandish, but the old man's answer was astonishing.
"Lady Brandish was granted the title of 'Nation Destroyer' by His Excellency, the Grand Strategist 'Magic King,' early this year."
"Currently, she is one of the highest leaders in the Empire, second only to His Majesty, and also one of His Majesty's guardian Mages. She is not someone just anyone can meet."
A new ship docked at the port, and the fee collector waved to Noah and his group and headed towards it.
Noah slowly exhaled towards the sky.
Some people, at sixteen, plan to run away from home to pursue dreams and magic as a young lady of means.
However, others, at the same age of sixteen, have already become powerful Mages, second only to one person and above tens of thousands in a vast empire.
Indeed, without comparison, there is no harm.