On the ruins of the guild, the morning light spilled between the rubble and debris, and the raised dust danced in the sunlight.
Everyone had already begun to clear up the mess; some were moving bricks, some were carrying wood, and some were clearing broken glass. Although the guild was gone, everyone had a smile on their face.
Natsu was carrying a steel beam thicker than his own body, humming a little tune and walking with light steps as if he were taking a stroll.
Gray used Ice Magic to freeze broken bricks into large blocks and moved them out clump by clump, muttering "It's so hot" under his breath.
Elfman was doing the work of three people by himself, a bag of cement in his left hand and a bundle of rebar in his right, shouting "A real man should do heavy work" as he moved them.
Makarov sat at a temporary bar with a large blueprint spread out before him, a pencil in his hand and his brow furrowed into a knot.
He was conceptualizing how to build the new guild; his pencil drew and erased, then drew and erased again, with a small pile of eraser shavings already accumulated beside him.
Riyao returned after moving a load of things, casually grabbed a cup of water from the temporary bar for a gulp, then leaned over and put an arm around Makarov's shoulder to peek at the blueprint.
"Old man, I suggest building a garden; planting some flowers and plants would be nice. Look at how bare the front of our guild is, it's so shabby."
Makarov didn't even lift his head and simply rolled his eyes.
"I'm afraid those flowers and plants wouldn't survive two days before being ruined by these bastards. You're going to let Natsu practice fire in the garden? Or let Gray practice ice in the garden?"
Riyao thought about it and realized it was true; with the destructive power of this group, planting anything would be in vain.
Mirajane walked over carrying a plate of sandwiches, distributing them to everyone working, then leaned in to look at the blueprint, her eyes lighting up.
"Make the kitchen a bit bigger! The current kitchen is too small, it's a struggle even to turn around. The new guild should at least be able to accommodate five people cooking at the same time!"
She gestured with her hands as she spoke, a longing smile on her face.
"Also, add a baking area; I want to try making more varieties of cakes."
Makarov nodded and drew a circle around the kitchen's location on the blueprint, labeling it "Enlarge."
Erza had changed into casual clothes at some point and walked over holding a cup of tea, overhearing the discussion about the kitchen.
"Buy some cake-making tools; when the time comes, I'll make strawberry cake for all of you."
As soon as those words were spoken, the surroundings instantly became silent.
Natsu, who was moving bricks, slipped and almost fell flat on his face.
The ice block in Gray's hand fell to the ground with a thud. Cana froze mid-drink.
Even Happy spat out his fish.
Everyone took a step back in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized as if they had rehearsed it.
Erza held her teacup and scanned the crowd with a smile—a smile so gentle it made one's spine go cold.
"Gray, Natsu, what do you think?"
Her tone was soft, but her reddish-brown eyes clearly said, "Just try saying it's not good."
Gray and Natsu looked at each other, both seeing deep fear in the other's eyes.
With tears in their eyes, the two nodded frantically, their voices trembling like a candle in the wind.
"That's... that's wonderful!"
"The cake Erza makes will definitely be super delicious!"
After they finished speaking, both turned their faces away at the same time, weeping silently.
Levy poked her head out from behind a stack of books, her eyes shining, and pumped her fists above her head.
"Make the library larger! The current bookshelves can't hold everything anymore; I want a massive bookshelf that goes from the floor to the ceiling!"
Makarov nodded again and made a mark on the blueprint.
Others also offered their suggestions, and Makarov didn't refuse any he found reasonable. He didn't even refuse Natsu's suggestion to build a training field; building a training field was better than them using the guild hall as one. At least after building a training field, he wouldn't have to repair the guild every time.
Just as Riyao was about to make a suggestion, a messenger delivered a letter sealed with the Council's wax stamp; the red seal was particularly striking in the sunlight.
Riyao opened the letter and scanned the contents; his expression changed from indifferent to disgusted, as if he had eaten a fly.
He handed the letter to Makarov, his tone carrying a bit of impatience: "The Council is up to their nonsense again."
Makarov took the letter, and the others curiously crowded around, their heads squeezed together as they vied to see the contents.
Everyone cried out in surprise after reading it.
Natsu shouted the loudest, jumping three feet high and nearly collapsing the temporary bar.
"What?! Riyao is going to become one of the Ten Wizard Saints?!"
Riyao quickly gestured for him to keep it down, his eyes scanning the surroundings, afraid that more people would hear.
"Keep it down! I'm only one of the candidates, it's not like I've been chosen yet. Jura from Lamia Scale is also very strong."
Erza crossed her arms and nodded, her expression serious.
"Jura of the Iron Rock, a veteran S-Class Mage, his strength is even a bit greater than mine. His Iron Rock Magic integrates offense and defense, leaving almost no openings in a direct confrontation."
Mirajane gave a cold snort, her hands on her hips and her chin slightly raised, looking unconvinced.
"My Riyao is stronger; Riyao can take on two of us at once."
Erza raised an eyebrow.
"Jura has very rich combat experience."
Mirajane refused to back down.
"Riyao has plenty of combat experience too, and he has Life Magic; can Jura recover from injuries instantly?"
The two began a heated discussion, going back and forth, getting more worked up as they spoke until the air around them began to heat up.
Natsu leaned in, thumping his chest and shouting.
"Stop arguing, I'm the strongest! Let me be one of the Ten Wizard Saints!"
Erza and Mirajane turned their heads to look at him simultaneously, their gazes icy.
"You?" the two said in unison.
The next second, Natsu was sent flying by a punch and a kick, tracing a graceful parabola before crashing into a pile of ruins in the distance.
Makarov ignored the farce over there, stroking his chin as he looked thoughtfully at the contents of the letter.
"The reason the Council listed you as a candidate is likely because of your fame as the Kingdom's number one Healing Mage. After all, in the entire Kingdom of Fiore, no one else can compare to you in Healing Magic."
Riyao spread his hands, looking indifferent.
"They probably don't want our guild to have two members in the Ten Wizard Saints, so they set up a candidacy to go through the motions. Old man, just help me decline it directly; it sounds like a hassle."
Gray looked at him in surprise, his mouth hanging wide open.
"Hey, do you know what the Ten Wizard Saints represent? They are the ten strongest Mages in the entire kingdom! How many people dream of becoming one?!"
Natsu crawled out from the ruins, a piece of broken brick on his head, and jumped up.
"Hahaha, if Riyao won't do it, let me! Let me do it!"
Makarov ignored him, lost in thought. Two little figures appeared in his mind.
A white figure crossed its arms with a serious face.
"If Riyao becomes one of the Ten Wizard Saints, he'll definitely be more responsible. Maybe he can take over your burden, and you won't have to worry every day."
A black figure rubbed its hands with a mischievous grin.
"If Riyao becomes one of the Ten Wizard Saints, it'll be so prestigious to take him out! In the future, when bragging to other masters, I can say my guild has two of the Ten Wizard Saints!"
The two figures looked at each other and high-fived in agreement.
The corners of Makarov's mouth curled up involuntarily, higher and higher, a cunning light flashing in his eyes.
Riyao had been observing Makarov's expression; seeing the upward curve of his mouth, his gaze immediately became unfriendly.
"Old man, are you thinking about something that involves messing with me?"
Makarov quickly waved his hands, his expression turning serious in a second as he said solemnly, "No, no, how could I? I am seriously thinking about guild matters."
Riyao looked at Makarov with a gaze full of deep contempt.
"Your grin is practically reaching your ears, and you're still faking it? I refuse! I won't become one of the Ten Wizard Saints even if it kills me!"
Makarov chuckled, folded the letter, and tucked it into his robe, his tone meaningful.
"Young man, don't speak too soon."
Riyao's face changed, and he reached out to snatch the letter.
"Old man! Give that letter back to me!"
Makarov dodged nimbly, laughing like an old fox that had stolen a chicken, holding the letter above his head.
"I'll consider it a bit more."
"Consider my foot! Give it back!"
The two of them, one old and one young, chased each other across the ruins, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Mirajane stood to the side with the sandwiches, watching Riyao chase Makarov all over the place; she shook her head helplessly, but a doting smile hung on her lips.
Gray watched the fun from the side, laughing until he doubled over, then looked down and saw his clothes were gone again.
"Where are my clothes?!"
Happy flew past with a fish in his mouth, tilting his head to look at Gray: "Gray, you've taken off your clothes again."
"I didn't!"
The sound of laughter from the ruins spread throughout the street, and the residents of Magnolia couldn't help but shake their heads and smile as they passed by.
These guys, they're still so Happy even though the guild is gone.
But then again, that's Fairy Tail.
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150 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
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