After recruiting the former Oración Seis members, Ankh had achieved all his objectives for this trip.
The Nirvana Magic Crystal that Jellal had given Ankh would only require a little time to decipher.
With the data stored inside, they might be able to craft some special weapons or magical tools based on the ancient technology later.
But before they could settle down, there was politics to deal with.
As for the Magic Council, the group deliberately took a detour.
While the new subordinates (Jellal and the Oración Seis) remained hidden outside the city limits, Ankh entered the newly rebuilt Council headquarters in Era for the first time.
In short, it was about reporting the parts that Lahar dared not disclose.
Ankh stood before the councilors with perfect composure.
He reported that aside from Hoteye (who was captured) and Zero (who was confirmed dead), the entire Oración Seis had "vanished" during the chaos of the collapse and gone into hiding once more.
Upon receiving this news, the council members were naturally furious.
"Escaped?! How could you let them escape?"
But there was nothing to be done.
The primary mission of the allied guilds had always been to destroy the Nirvana magic and defeat the Oración Seis to prevent a catastrophe.
They had succeeded in that.
As for arrests? That had been an obligation the Council took upon themselves beforehand, and their custody unit had failed to secure the perimeter.
Meanwhile, during Ankh's conversation with them, a few imprudent new elderly council members attempted to demand that Ankh hand over the "spoils" from the allied forces' campaign.
In reality, they just wanted to recoup some financial losses and count it as an achievement for the records.
"The Celestial Spirit Keys," one councilor demanded greedily. "We know the mage Angel possessed rare Golden Keys. They should be confiscated."
But what spoils did Ankh have? Nothing more than the Celestial Spirit Keys that Sorano had entrusted to Lucy.
As expected, the only response the elderly councilman received was Ankh's cold sneer.
"Come and take them,"
Well... just like that, as the sneering continued and the temperature in the room dropped, no one brought up the matter again.
The newly formed Council, in an effort to restore their shattered authority after the Etherion incident, had become increasingly domineering and strict in their actions.
But that was merely superficial work.
Having lost too much credibility in the magical world, aside from those hard-to-deploy forbidden weapons, the only magical deterrent they could rely on was the Ten Wizard Saints.
Therefore, as long as no major mistakes were made, it was far from the time to confront Ankh—a rising star among the Ten Wizard Saints—as that would likely trigger a chain reaction with Fairy Tail and other guilds.
Later, Ankh also mentioned to the Council that Hoteye had been reformed by Nirvana, effectively becoming a "good" person.
However, the council members showed little interest in discussing the moral implications with him.
They only cared about utility.
Thus, Ankh was "politely" escorted out of the Council by the guards.
Once they were clear of the area and regrouped, Erik couldn't help but frown.
He walked beside Ankh, concerned for his friend.
"They neither release him nor punish him immediately," Erik asked, his voice low. "What do they plan to do with Richard?"
The group discussed the matter on their way back to the ship.
With Anselion (Ankh's Thought Projection inside the Council) providing real-time intelligence to Ankh, he naturally knew the Council's intentions.
"Zero is dead, you all escaped, and they didn't even get the Celestial Spirit Keys," Ankh explained.
"For the Council, this strike mission wasn't a complete success on paper."
The five of them were aboard a rented large ship, sailing toward the resort region.
Leaning against the railing and watching the sea, Ankh explained to the others:
"Aside from recovering some credibility, the council members consider Richard's talent their real gain."
"Firstly, Richard, having been cleansed by Forbidden Magic, doesn't need to be worried about regarding his allegiances. He is magically compelled to be good."
"Secondly, they don't even have to pay him since he is a prisoner."
"And thirdly," Ankh concluded, "as a mage who could fight Jura Neekis to a standstill for so long, the Council must be coveting his abilities. They will likely use him as a special enforcer in exchange for a reduced sentence."
Sawyer scratched his head, somewhat puzzled. "They want Richard to work for them? Will the legal guilds out there accept that?"
Jellal, finally dressed in neat and elegant clothes rather than rags, sat gracefully to the side and explained.
"Richard fought alongside Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Blue Pegasus. With the first and second ranked guilds and... a very popular guild... vouching for him, no guild should raise any objections. He has a clean slate politically."
Sawyer nodded in understanding. "I see."
This was for the best.
Richard would have a legitimate identity and a chance to find his brother legally, which was better than adventuring with them as a fugitive.
Meanwhile, Sorano watched Erik still tending to the unconscious Kinana.
She turned and quietly asked Ankh beside her.
"Where are we going now? Your company?"
"Yes," Ankh nodded. "My partner helped set it up. I haven't even seen it myself yet."
Sorano was a bit curious. "I only heard you're very popular in the magical world, like an idol. When did you start running a business?"
Ankh shook his head helplessly and smiled, "It's precisely because we earned too much money as idols that we started a company to prove we're legitimate. It's a front for our operations."
"But," Ankh added, trying to manage expectations, "my agent said it's just a rundown company. We acquired a failing business. You'd better prepare yourselves mentally. It might be drafty."
Sorano, now reformed, smiled much more sweetly than before, with most of her former seductiveness replaced by genuine warmth.
"Not at all. Having a place to belong is enough."
Upon hearing this, no one present had any objections.
After all, when they followed their former leader Brain, living in damp caves was commonplace.
Anything with a roof was an upgrade.
...
Several days later.
Akane Resort City.
The group stood on the bustling street corner.
Sawyer, carrying luggage and wrapped in a thick cloak to conceal his identity, stared dumbfounded at the massive building before him.
"You..." Sawyer stammered, pointing a trembling finger. "You call this a rundown company?!"
In the city center of Akane Resort stood a five-story building several times larger than the Fairy Tail guild hall.
It was erected like a city landmark, gleaming in the sun.
However, compared to the rowdy guild hall, this structure was adorned with jade and gold carvings.
It was elegantly arranged, appearing much more refined and expensive—clearly unsuitable for fighting!
Before the entrance, Ankh stood with his five new employees, all shrouded in black robes.
They all stared dumbly at the company before them.
Ankh scrutinized the building for a long time. He even checked the address slip in his hand, suspecting that Frey had given him a fake address.
'Wasn't it supposed to be a company on the verge of collapse, leaking wind from all sides?'
Then he observed the people coming and going at the entrance—handsome men and beautiful women, all types of good-looking individuals.
If someone said this place was a branch of Blue Pegasus—no, even the headquarters—Ankh would believe it.
The group stood conspicuously at the entrance.
Their hooded appearances immediately caught the attention of two burly men in sharp suits stationed there as security.
The guards frowned and promptly approached to intervene.
"Excuse me, you can't stand he—"
But as soon as they drew near and saw the face under the lead hood, one of the men exclaimed in surprise.
"Boss!"
The word "Boss" instantly stirred the surrounding crowd.
People stopped.
Aspiring idols and staff swarmed around, bowing at ninety-degree angles while chattering nonstop.
"Good morning, Boss!"
"Welcome back, Sir!"
The six fugitives immediately became the center of attention.
The two burly guards quickly regained their composure.
Realizing these were VIPs, they pushed back the crowd and ushered Ankh and the others inside.
"Make way! Make way for the President!"
Security began maintaining order.
As Ankh and his companions entered the lobby, a perceptive staff member promptly took their luggage and guided Ankh upstairs.
Slightly pulling down his hat brim to hide his face, Macbeth who had been asleep standing up and was just awakened by the commotion, asked in confusion.
"What was that all about? Those pretty boys outside were bowing and chattering nonstop."
Ankh felt somewhat bewildered himself.
He pinched his chin in thought and said hesitantly, "They were introducing themselves and asking for opportunities or something. Is my company this popular already...?"
He recovered his cool quickly. "It's alright, though it's still early. The newly recruited artists need to improve their quality."
As they spoke, a woman in a sharp professional uniform approached.
Ankh took one look and recognized her—it was Frey Cureniar!
And behind her stood Jude Heartfilia, Lucy's father.
Ankh blinked.
Jude was dressed in a wine-red suit, his beard neatly trimmed.
'Look at that,' Ankh thought, amused. 'A business genius adapts quickly.'
Previously, when Jude was the CEO of a railway company, he dressed like a stern, conservative big shot.
Now, in an idol entertainment company, his attire immediately made him look like... a flamboyant host or a high-end producer?
Seeing Ankh, Jude immediately bowed deeply.
"Boss! Welcome back. Following your and Miss Frey's instructions, we've already signed all the popular artists in the region recently. Business is booming."
'Me? My instructions?'
Ankh glanced at Frey, who was smiling mischievously at him.
She had clearly used his name to push things forward.
Ankh quickly turned back to Jude to respond, pretending he knew everything.
"Well done, Jude. Keep up the good work! I expected nothing less."
After speaking, Ankh quickly turned to Frey and whispered urgently, "My friends here can't show their faces openly. Is there a more private area in the company where we can talk? They are... special hires."
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