Things have already happened, and they must be dealt with.
Rhode was presented with two paths. The first was the most stress-free: do nothing and wait for the Gate of the Underworld to attack the Guild.
After all, according to the 'plot' he was unclear about, this world, no matter what major events occurred, always circled back to Fairy Tail.
When the time comes, understand the cause and effect, and solve the problem decisively from the root.
The problem is that it's too passive; the old saying goes, "Only a thousand days as a thief, never a thousand days defending against a thief."
If the initiative is in the enemy's hands, then once there is any slack, it could lead to irreparable consequences.
Therefore, it's better to choose the second path, take the initiative and attack.
However, the biggest problem with this path is finding no trace of the enemy.
Rhode had to ask Stinger and the others to recount their encounter with Kuanghua in detail, not missing a single detail.
After listening, he thought carefully and asked:
"When you arrived at the Eye of the Dream Demon, was no one inside?"
Stinger nodded: "Yes, there were only some black paper figurines."
"Were the tables and chairs overturned? Can you be more specific?"
Stinger thought for a moment: "They were overturned, like they had just been smashed, many bottles and cutlery were smashed on the ground, and the spilled wine hadn't dried yet."
Rogue added: "It was like someone had just broken in and robbed the place."
Rhode asked: "When you first entered, what was the most severe damage inside? The walls? The floor? The counter?"
"The most severe…" Stinger paused, "Thinking carefully, it seems there wasn't any severe damage."
Rogue pondered for a moment: "From my impression, only one table's surface was shattered, a bench was broken… some pieces of rubble, but the walls and floor weren't significantly damaged, this…"
He realized something was amiss. If Kuanghua had smashed the Guild, the tables and chairs shouldn't have fallen so randomly, nor should the damage have been so light.
If someone else came to wreak havoc, they wouldn't just damage one or two tables.
Rhode asked Rekete: "Did Kuanghua really say she wanted to take Stinger and Rogue away?"
"Yes, she said Stinger and Rogue were qualified to be taken into the Netherworld."
This sentence has a bit of ambiguity; from the enemy's standpoint, it could be interpreted as a provocative remark like 'you're qualified to be killed by me.'
But since it was said by someone from the Gate of the Underworld, it should mean something else – she felt that Stinger and Rogue should join the Gate of the Underworld.
Moreover, the underlying implication should be that not just anyone is qualified to join the Gate of the Underworld.
With that, things become interesting.
Rhode confirmed by asking: "Those 'paper figurines' were probably beside each overturned table and chair, right?"
They hadn't really noticed, the two humans and two cats thought carefully for a while, uncertainly nodding: "Seems like it?"
"What's the point…" Rogue seemed to realize something, turning to look at the situation in the Fairy Tail Tavern, "You aren't saying those black 'paper figurines' are actually the people from the Eye of the Dream Demon, are you?"
Rhode nodded: "I think it's very likely."
He pointed at his Guild's tavern and asked: "Mira, if now every person in the tavern learned Receiving Magic and all received some uncontrollable target, what would happen?"
Mira evaluated everyone's strength, and knowing the power of Magical Beasts that couldn't be controlled by them, she answered with a smile: "The Guild would vanish."
"Uh… Suppose those people aren't as strong as everyone here, only possessing a tenth of Marcus's Magic Power, and once they start destroying things, they'd immediately be controlled by external forces?"
Mira was just being playful earlier, but had roughly grasped what Rhode was trying to say: "Then probably they'd end up like the Eye of the Dream Demon, causing limited destruction."
Rhode nodded in satisfaction.
Known facts: 1. Among the Nine Ghosts Sect, Kuanghua and Storm encountered in the Gioa Kingdom are confirmed as Demons; more Demonic entities cannot be ruled out;
2. Team A witnessed Minerva's two companions potentially being Demons at Sun Village, with one even demonstrating transformation on the spot;
3. A few months ago during their honeymoon trip, when the pair visited Mira's hometown, Granny An's body nearly got completely controlled by a Demon, indicating that not fully awakened Demons might possess the ability to seize human bodies and turn them into Demons;
4. Kuanghua stated Stinger and Rogue possessed some kind of qualification.
Combining the recent deductions, the conclusion becomes obvious:
Kuanghua's purpose in visiting the Eye of the Dream Demon might have been to transform eligible individuals within the Guild into Demons, and the transformation ceremony took place right there.
However, none of those present succeeded, and all were drained of Magic Power, Life Energy, or something else due to side effects, becoming something akin to paper figurines.
Minerva originally was supposed to avoid this disaster because she was out, but since Team A ended her mission guarding Sun Village, she still couldn't escape.
But precisely because of this, Stinger and Rogue managed to escape.
After Rhode finished expressing his speculation, Rogue became anxious: "Aren't we the ones who caused trouble for Miss Minerva? If we hadn't gone, maybe when she returned, Kuanghua would have already left."
Rhode immediately felt that Rogue was quite decent. Despite the urgency, he didn't blame Team A for causing trouble for their Miss Minerva.
He consoled: "Even if you didn't go, she would probably wait for those on missions to return, or go find them herself, with the result being the same."
Stinger patted Rogue on the shoulder to soothe his emotions, then asked: "What will happen to Miss Minerva?"
He believed that if he and Rogue had that certain qualification, Miss Minerva would too, so ultimately she'd be captured.
"Maybe turn into a Demon, maybe learn Demon-related Magic like Mira." Rhode wasn't sure either, "For now, there shouldn't be any life-threatening danger."
In the long run, it's uncertain; if that unknown ceremony completes smoothly, Minerva might no longer have her own consciousness by then.
Rogue seemed to have realized this, becoming gloomy: "What's the use of knowing all this? We have no idea where to go rescue her, if something happens to Miss Minerva, I…"
Stinger, however, flashed a brilliant smile at Rogue: "Instead of lamenting here, why not go back to the Guild and call everyone to investigate together? We have so many companions, there's nothing we can't achieve!"
"Stinger…" Rogue's gloomy aura slowly dissipated, his whole being seemed illuminated by Stinger's smile.
Gajeel suddenly appeared out of nowhere and gave Rogue a punch on the head: "I remembered, you used to be my underling, right? Name was Leos?"