Seven days after the end of the 'Magnolia Liberation War'.
The destruction of Blue Skull was announced by the Council and quickly spread to the surrounding Towns.
When the enslaved townsfolk heard the news, they wept for joy.
At once the victims joined forces with other local powers and the reinforcements sent by the Council, crushing every Blue Skull branch and sub-guild stationed there.
The names of Weston and the other five became famous overnight.
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Riding the wave, Weston petitioned the Council to establish the Magic Guild 'Fairy Tail'. Approval was granted, and the guild joined the Local Alliance, forming a community with neighboring guilds.
—This 'Local Alliance' united all magic, commercial, artisan, and other guilds in the nearby Towns.
At the same time, the group claimed the riches Blue Skull had amassed over the years. Yuri and the others took the haul to the treasure-dealing 'Zhuanzhuan Chamber of Commerce' to sell, and the proceeds became Fairy Tail's start-up capital.
On this trip, the three also formally left 'Sylph Labyrinth'.
With that capital, Weston bought a plot in the heart of Magnolia and hired workers to build the guild hall.
Meanwhile, he approached Magnolia's mayor and presented several carefully drafted town-development plans.
Knowing Weston's ability and importance, the mayor green-lit every proposal that would benefit the town… "All right—it's finally done!"
"Whoa! This is our guild?!"
"It's way bigger than the one on Tenrou Island!"
"This is our brand-new starting line!"
Looking at the brand-new guild they and the townspeople had built together, all six beamed with joy.
"Let's take a commemorative photo!"
"Celebrating the completion of Fairy Tail!!"
With a click, the camera froze the heart-warming scene forever.
In the picture—
Weston stood front and center, striking a handsome pose;
Mavis and Zera flanked him, radiant and full of energy;
Behind them, the towering trio of Yuri, Warrod, and Precht grinned just as widely.
Behind the six rose the three-storey guild hall, Fairy Tail's flag flying high and fluttering gently in the wind.
"Ahem…"
"Isn't it time for the guild master—that's me—to share his vision?"
Weston glanced left and right, stepped forward, and turned to face his five partners. "In that case, let me say a few words…"
Mavis and Zera exchanged a look and muttered under their breath.
"Feels just like the village meetings back then…"
"Heh… Weston's used to this sort of thing."
"All right, quiet—let the master speak."
Smiling, Weston raised his hands for silence.
"In the Fairy Tail of the future, I want to build a guild that treasures harmony like a big family."
"A bond that surpasses family, love, and friendship;"
"A bond that ignores time and space, letting hearts trust one another unconditionally;"
"A bond where you lean on me today and I lean on you tomorrow—together we grow stronger, and no enemy can stand against us!"
Unlike the original timeline, Mavis and the others never met Zeref near Magnolia.
The reason was simple: Yuri and the rest had lingered on Tenrou Island for an extra seven days, so by the time they arrived, Zeref had already left.
Yet not meeting him was hardly a bad thing.
Not for Weston, and not for Mavis.
April, X686: Fairy Tail was officially founded.
When the folk of Magnolia and nearby Towns heard that "the six Mages who crushed Blue Skull have started a Magic Guild," requests flooded in, asking them to solve everyday troubles.
Mages from neighboring Towns flocked to join; Weston tested them and accepted the qualified.
Even many ordinary folk moved straight to Magnolia to settle.
In just three months Magnolia was transformed, the town's economy now centered on Fairy Tail.
July, X686: the Second Trade War erupted… Time flew, and a year passed.
Inside the guild hall.
Yuri, Precht, and Warrod stood in a row in front of the job board.
Yuri, in the middle, scanned the crammed request sheets, clicking his tongue in puzzlement.
After a long while he voiced what he'd noticed.
"Don't you think the number of jobs we've been getting lately is unusually high?"
Warrod frowned. "Isn't that great?"
"It means Fairy Tail's fame is spreading. More people know us and trust our skills, so they send us all these requests."
Precht shook his head. "But the pay's lower than before, and we're seeing more jobs like 'guard supply convoys' and 'wipe out bandits'."
Clearly he shared—or went beyond—Yuri's doubts, and Warrod's explanation didn't satisfy him.
"Could Weston be cutting rates to grab more work and out-compete other guilds?"
That was the only possibility Warrod's experience and intellect could suggest.
"Warrod, haven't you noticed?"
Hands in pockets, Yuri looked grim. "Lately, whenever we take a job we end up fighting—bandits, raiders, mobs attacking villages, Towns, even trading houses."
"It means the Fiore Kingdom isn't at peace right now."
Warrod thought it over; sure enough, that was true—yet he still didn't see the key point.
"What does that have to do with us?"
"The more turmoil outside, the more requests, the stronger we grow—right?"
"Not quite."
Precht said heavily, "If the kingdom's unstable, the whole economy sinks into a vicious cycle. As members of Fiore, we can't stay untouched."
"Our work and our lives will take a serious hit!"
"I think we'd better brace ourselves."