"I'm back!"
Lucy pushed open the guild doors, radiating an aura of dejection.
The Fairy Tail Guild was as bustling as ever.
Several Mages were gathered around a table, loudly discussing some quest, the clinking of glasses echoing, occasionally interspersed with hearty laughter.
"Welcome back, Lucy."
Mirajane wiped a glass, her gentle smile as warm as ever, "How did the quest go?"
"Don't even ask."
Lucy walked dejectedly towards the bar, slumping onto a high stool.
"Although the quest was completed, but..."
"But what?" Mirajane asked curiously.
"I didn't get paid!"
Lucy lay on the bar, her voice muffled, "2 million J! It's such a waste!"
Natsu laughed heartily from the side: "What does it matter!"
"Of course you'd say it doesn't matter!"
Lucy suddenly lifted her head, pointing at Natsu,
"But my rent for this month is in danger!"
Lorne sat in a corner not far away, propping his chin with one hand, while the fingers of his other hand lightly tapped his juice glass.
The liquid in the glass instantly solidified, and a crystal-clear ice cube formed out of thin air, slowly rotating in the orange-yellow juice.
He shook the glass contentedly, the ice cube clinking against the glass, producing a crisp and pleasant sound.
Listening to Lucy's complaints, the corners of his mouth curved slightly upwards.
This is the life!
Fighting and killing, it's enough to experience it occasionally, it's too tiring.
It's better to slack off!
"Aye! Lucy is so pitiful!"
Happy flew over, circling above Lucy's head.
"Shut up!"
Lucy waved her hand impatiently, shooing the cat away.
"I have to go to work too!"
She rushed to the quest board, her eyes quickly scanning the various request forms.
"[Find the Magic Bracelet; Lift the Curse of the Cursed Staff; Fortune-telling Love with Astrology: Exterminate the Volcano Demon...]
"The quests for Mages are really diverse!"
Lucy exclaimed, looking at the various strange quests on the quest board.
Lorne watched Lucy scratching her head in front of the quest board and couldn't help but say:
"Why don't you consider teaming up with someone else? That way, you can share the risks and the reward is also guaranteed."
"Team up?" Lucy turned her head, glanced at Natsu, then shook her head.
"If there's any job you like, just tell me! Because the Master has gone to the regular meeting!"
"Regular meeting!??"
Lucy looked puzzled.
"It's a regular meeting held jointly by the Masters of various legitimate Mage Guilds," Mirajane patiently explained,
"To convey decisions from the Council and facilitate communication among guild members in different regions."
Lorne put down his glass and added:
"Basically, all recognized legitimate guilds participate in such meetings."
"The Magic Council is the highest governing body of the magic world," Mirajane continued to explain, "They exist to maintain all order in the magic world."
"This organization can also punish Mages who commit crimes."
"Simply put, it's the government of the magic world," Lorne concluded.
"I see." Lucy nodded, "Then what is a legitimate Mage Guild?"
"A legitimate Mage Guild is a guild recognized and registered by the Magic Council," Mirajane said,
"Like our Fairy Tail, we are a legitimate guild. Legitimate guilds must abide by the Council's regulations."
"Conversely, there are also Dark Guilds." Lorne took over, "Those guilds are not recognized by the Council and often engage in illegal activities, use forbidden magic, and harm innocent people."
"Dark Guilds?" Lucy shivered, "They sound scary."
"They are indeed very dangerous." Mirajane's expression became serious,
"Mages from Dark Guilds are usually very powerful and ruthless. If you encounter them, you must be careful."
"But there's no need to worry too much." Lorne reassured her,
"Dark Guilds generally don't actively provoke legitimate guilds, as they don't want to attract the attention of the Council."
"That's good." Lucy breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, the guild's main doors were suddenly pushed open, and a panicked voice shouted:
"Oh no, Erza is back!"
Lorne raised an eyebrow. The fairy queen, Erza Scarlet.
One of Fairy Tail's strongest female Mages, known for her strictness.
The entire noisy guild instantly fell silent.
Almost in that instant, the entire guild seemed to be under a collective silence spell; all the noise, fighting, and laughter came to an abrupt halt.
Time seemed to freeze.
Everyone's movements stiffened, their gazes uniformly fixed on the doorway, their faces filled with terror and bewilderment.
"Click... clack... click... clack..."
Her presence was heard before she was seen.
Erza Scarlet stood at the doorway, clad in silver knight armor, holding a very large monster horn in her hand.
Erza now walked step by step into the guild, her metal boots clanking distinctly and rhythmically on the wooden floor.
The sound was exceptionally loud in the silent hall, each step like a hammer striking everyone's hearts.
"I'm back." The newcomer's voice was cold and authoritative.
Her gaze was sharp, sweeping across the guild's interior, as if she carried an invisible, powerful oppressive aura.
At the moment, only Mirajane, Lorne, and Lucy in the guild could maintain their composure.
Mirajane wasn't afraid, and Lucy was ignorant of the situation.
As for Lorne, he felt that he didn't cause trouble, being an honest person, so he should be fine!
"Welcome back, Erza." Mirajane greeted her with a smile.
Erza scanned the room once more, then began to reprimand the guild members.
Gray and Natsu instantly put their arms around each other's shoulders, looking like the best of brothers.
Lucy watched this scene and quietly asked Lorne:
"Although she's a bit nagging, she still seems like a normal person. Do they really need to be that afraid of her?"
"One of Fairy Tail's strongest female Mages," Lorne briefly introduced, "Natsu and the others have been severely disciplined by her before..."
"I heard that!"
Erza suddenly turned her head, her gaze falling on Lorne,
"I heard you finally mastered new magic, Lorne! And you even sparred with Gray using Ice Magic!"
"Not bad, quite a bit of progress!"
"Uh! It's alright!"
Lorne could only respond awkwardly.
Erza nodded and then asked Mirajane: "Is the Master here?"
"The Master went to attend the regular meeting!"
Erza frowned: "Master's meeting? Is today the day for the regular meeting?"
"Yes, he left early this morning."
Erza's expression became serious: "Never mind, I originally wanted to hear the Master's judgment."
"What's wrong?" Mirajane asked with concern.
"I heard some very bad news at my workplace."
She withdrew her gaze, looking again at Natsu and Gray, who had been scared half to death by her, then glanced at Lorne, whose face clearly said, "Don't look for me."
"Natsu, Gray, and you, Lorne."
"It's perfect, the three of you come and lend me a hand. Get ready, we leave tomorrow!"
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