A little over half an hour later.
Weston led the three of them—Yuri, Precht, and Warrod—to Tenrou Village.
Every tree and blade of grass within two hundred metres outside the settlement had been cleared; the view was completely unobstructed.
Up close, you could see a moat had been dug around the village.
The water could be traced to the waterfall in the north of the island, flowed past the river west of the village, and finally returned to the open sea on Tenrou Island's east side.
A stone bridge spanned the moat, just wide enough for a dozen people to walk side by side.
Beyond the bridge stood two huge wooden gates, a plaque reading "Tenrou Village" hanging above them.
The walls were a mix of stone and timber, topped with crenellations like a parapet so villagers could mount bows or other defensive weapons.
Watchtowers rose every two hundred metres inside; guards kept twenty-four-hour watch in shifts on each.
Both reconnaissance and defence were pushed to the limit.
This didn't look like some remote island hamlet; it resembled a settlement forever on guard against magical beasts—or a noble's fortified keep.
Just seeing the exterior left Yuri, Precht, and Warrod stunned.
Once Weston brought them inside, their composure cracked entirely.
After seven years, every trace of former poverty and ruin had vanished, replaced by thriving prosperity.
Countless houses now filled Tenrou Village—new eateries, taverns, even a seniors' activity park and a children's playground.
Everything matched the 3-D model Weston had once conjured from the Super Ancient Text, down to the last detail.
"Such a lively village…"
"The resources on this island are actually this abundant?"
Building a settlement takes more than passion, effort, population and money.
In the end, you still need sufficient resources.
Without them, everything else is meaningless.
On the mainland, with enough manpower, wealth and circulating resources, erecting such a village would be easy.
But this was remote Tenrou Island out at sea!
Yuri's group could see the islanders had hardly ever left; otherwise outsiders would have heard news, perhaps even assumed the place uninhabited.
So where had the building materials come from?
They could only have been obtained on the island itself!
As they walked deeper, the three grew increasingly uneasy.
"It's not just the resources."
"Notice? Every building looks new; that gate we passed can't be more than five years old."
The first to spot the clue wasn't the cleverest Precht, nor the eager Yuri, but Warrod.
Perhaps his natural affinity for nature and wood, plus a careful disposition, let him notice what the others missed.
"You mean this village was built only recently?"
Yuri's eyes widened. "Impossible!"
"Even with enough island resources, just two or three hundred villagers couldn't throw up a settlement this fast. Their planning and execution would have to be insanely efficient!"
Precht also found Warrod's notion absurd. "Maybe parts were just renovated?"
Warrod frowned, then shook his head. "No! I'm sure these buildings went up at about the same time. Who renovates an entire village at once?"
As the two were about to argue, Yuri stepped up, slinging an arm around each. "Enough! Forget whether the buildings are new or not."
"We've snuck in, so let's dig for info on the tenrou jade."
"…Right."
"Exactly. The jade's an S-class treasure; that's what matters."
Once they agreed, heads together, they mulled how to obtain the tenrou jade.
"Any ideas?"
"Start with the key person, of course!"
Yuri pointed to Weston up ahead, who kept greeting villagers as he walked.
"Weston, you're back from the assessment?"
"Yeah. Thanks to the Elder's leniency, the others should've returned those beasts by now."
"Returned, returned. Tough job you had…"
"Weston, your guild started a brawl at the seniors' centre yesterday—Zera smashed the Exercise Gear in a rage!"
"Ah? Sorry, sorry for the trouble. I'll reprimand her and send someone to fix it."
"Weston…"
After watching a while, Precht turned and muttered, "You call him the key person?"
"Exactly! Notice anything? The kid's position here is special."
"More than just popular—he's like the village head."
Warrod exclaimed, "Village head? Impossible! There are adults here; why let a kid run things?"
"It's my gut feeling!"
Over the years, Yuri's intuition had proved as reliable as Precht's insight.
Ten minutes later, Weston finally brought them to the guild's gate.
"We're here!!"
"You'll stay here for now."
The trio looked up at the wooden signboard reading Fairy Tail and froze.
"Fairy Tail?"
"This place is…"
"The village's Magic Guild."
A Magic Guild?!
Crap!
He'd delivered them straight into the wolf's den!
All three tensed, ready to refuse, but Weston pushed the guild doors open first.
"Please, come in…"
Whoosh—!!!
Before he finished, a wooden chair shot out like an arrow, flying through the gap between them.
"Huh?!!"
"What just flew past?"
The three stood dumbstruck.
Weston reacted instantly, leaping aside while yelling, "Watch out—move!"
Even as he spoke, more whooshes filled the air.
Precht reacted first, springing back and ducking outside the doorway.
Warrod realised the danger too, but lacking Precht's agility, could only drop and shield his head.
Yuri didn't dodge; excitement flashed across his face.
"A show of force, huh?"
"I accept the challenge!"
The moment he finished, three more chairs flew out from inside, arranged like the character Product.