Ryoma's smile froze again.
He wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him, or perhaps his explanation wasn't clear enough?
"Old man…"
Ryoma couldn't help but interject, "Did you not hear what I just said?"
"What do you mean, didn't hear?" Makarov stood with his hands on his hips.
Ryoma had no choice but to repeat, "I said, the Council will compensate us."
"Compensate?" Makarov snorted, his small mustache twitching. "I heard that but so what?"
He looked at Ryoma with the gaze one would give a child and began his lecture.
"You brat, you just don't know how to be frugal. How much will those stingy Council members fork over? A million or so would be a miracle."
The more Makarov spoke, the more animated he became, waving his small fists in anguish.
"That little money isn't even enough to buy a few good materials. And you're still thinking about expanding the guild? That's just wishful thinking. So, using magic to restore it to its original state is still the most cost-effective method."
He looked utterly disappointed, as if Ryoma were some prodigal son.
"…"
Ryoma was speechless, looking at the spitting old man, then at the group of companions around him who were nodding in agreement.
He took a deep breath, deciding to give him a small financial shock.
"Old man, the structure of the Council's compensation this time is a bit complicated."
Ryoma spoke slowly, deliberately slowing his pace to ensure every word clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Firstly, since Phantom Lord was the aggressor, all of its guild assets, including their guild headquarters and fixed assets, will be forcibly liquidated and sold by the Council."
"Secondly, the Council will also impose a huge fine on them, and this fine will also be transferred to us as compensation for the damage to our guild's reputation."
"Finally, there's a symbolic building repair fee."
Ryoma paused, watching everyone's eyes gradually widen, and calmly delivered his final conclusion.
"Adding everything up, I've made a rough estimate."
"At least…"
"Several hundred million Jewels."
"…"
Only the "whoosh" sound of the wind blowing and kicking up dust remained in front of the ruins.
Everyone seemed to be under a petrification spell, frozen in various poses.
Makarov's expression was even more spectacular. His eyes were now extremely wide, and his mouth was agape in an "O" shape.
Makarov looked at Ryoma in disbelief, his voice beginning to tremble. "How…"
"How… how much?"
"Sev… sev… several hundred million?"
Ryoma looked at him, appearing as if he might pass out at any moment, and nodded very affirmatively. "That's right, several hundred million."
He even thoughtfully added, "It probably won't be long before the Council sends someone to deliver the money, after all, the Chairman personally promised it."
Upon receiving the affirmative answer, Makarov sharply inhaled a cold breath.
"Hiss—"
He mumbled to himself, his expression rapidly changing, "Sev… eral… hundred million…"
Shock, disbelief, ecstasy, stupor… countless emotions flashed across his face, finally settling into a silly grin mixed with ecstasy and stupor.
"Heh…"
"Heheheh…"
"Wahahahahahahaha!!!"
He stood there motionless, emitting incomprehensible laughter, saliva dripping from the corners of his lips unnoticed.
This sudden change startled everyone.
"Mas… Master?"
Erza looked at the dazed Makarov, completely terrified, and rushed forward in a flash.
"Master! Are you alright! Snap out of it!"
"Hey! Master!"
"…"
She grabbed Makarov's tiny shoulders with both hands and began shaking him back and forth frantically.
"Wah… ha… ha… ha…"
Makarov's laughter became intermittent, filled with physically induced trembles.
Watching Makarov being shaken like a rattle, his head almost a blur of motion, the surrounding guild members' lips twitched in unison, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.
"Um…"
Natsu said, his lips twitching, "Erza… if you keep shaking him, Master might actually get hurt."
"Yeah." Happy, holding a fish, flapped his small wings incessantly. "It feels like his soul is about to be shaken out."
"Oh my, Erza, calm down."
Mirajane was quick to react, stepping forward to pull Erza's arm, rescuing the poor old man.
Makarov landed on his feet, staggered around twice, and plopped onto the ground, his eyes still a bit unfocused, but the silly grin on his face hadn't diminished in the slightest.
He finally recovered from both the financial shock and the physical shock.
Ryoma looked at the chaos, sighed helplessly, and continued the conversation, "So, old man."
His voice drew everyone's attention back.
"This is a huge sum of money. Now we can properly discuss how to renovate and expand the guild, right?"
"Expand!"
As soon as Makarov heard those words, he instantly revived, jumping three feet high.
Just then, a drunken voice rang out.
Cana had somehow sidled up behind Makarov, diligently massaging his shoulders while smiling sweetly. "Master~"
Her voice was sickeningly sweet.
"Since we're so rich now, I want a super big liquor cellar. That's not too much to ask, is it? I want a cellar that can hold all the best liquor in the world."
Cana's words were like a switch.
"Oh! Me too!"
"A training ground! I want a training ground that won't break no matter how much we fight!"
"The library should be expanded too! Levy's books are running out of space!"
"How about adding a communal kitchen? I want to learn to cook with Mira!"
"A swimming pool! There must be a swimming pool!"
"And a hot spring!"
"An open-air balcony!"
"The quest board needs to be replaced with the biggest and most luxurious one!"
In an instant, all the guild members surrounded them, chattering excitedly, their eyes gleaming, each proposing their fantasies for the new guild.
The entire area in front of the ruins transformed into a bustling marketplace.
Makarov, surrounded in the center, was currently immersed in the immense joy of becoming a rich guy, grinning from ear to ear.
To the various requests made by the members, he simply waved his hand, and with unprecedented grandeur, he roared at the top of his lungs, "Granted!"
"All granted!!!"
"It's just a liquor cellar, a training ground, a swimming pool, right? Build them all for me! If we're going to build, build the biggest and the best!"
"Ohhhhhhh!!!"
Another burst of even more frantic cheers echoed throughout the entire town of Magnolia.
Watching his companions, who had instantly transformed from homeless refugees into nouveau riche ready to squander lavishly, Ryoma helplessly shook his head.
However, Makarov, in his ecstasy, seemed to feel that merely agreeing verbally wasn't enough.
He suddenly jumped onto a large broken slab of stone, hands on his hips, facing the sunset, and with all his might, he declared, "Listen up! Brats!"
"We're going to use this money to build the best, most luxurious, and most impressive guild in all of Fiore, no! The entire continent!"