### Chapter 33: Lucy
Hargeon Port.
As a cargo ship slowly docked, a young man walked down from the ship.
His black hair draped casually over his forehead, strands swaying gently in the sea breeze, carrying a somewhat languid air.
His black eyes seemed to contain stars and lightning; a casual glance would make one's heart tremble.
Beneath his high nose bridge, his thin lips were slightly pursed, carrying a trace of inadvertent coolness, but when the corners of his mouth turned up, they held a cynical yet somewhat gentle charm.
Fair skin, handsome face, tall and straight figure.
He wore a gray short-sleeved shirt with a standing collar, the Fairy Tail guild emblem printed on the back, and black pants on his lower body.
Standing under the sunlight, his slender figure cast a straight shadow, and every inch of his lines seemed meticulously carved.
Even just standing there quietly, he seemed to have an invisible aura, attracting the gazes of those around him.
This person was Riku, who had just returned from a mission.
Looking at the familiar scenery before him, Riku took a deep breath and stretched, feeling very comfortable.
"Finally close to home!"
Hargeon Port, as the nearest outlet to Magnolia Town, had been visited by Riku many times, so he was very familiar with this city.
Arriving at Hargeon meant that Fairy Tail wasn't far away.
"I missed the train. I'll get something to eat first, then find a hotel to rest for the night, and return to the guild tomorrow morning."
After making his plan, Riku strolled along the streets of Hargeon.
Soon he heard a commotion ahead, and several young girls ran past him in a hurry.
"I heard a famous mage has come to town."
"Wow! Lord Salamander (Fire Dragon)!!"
"Fire Dragon? Natsu?! Natsu is here too?! Is this kid that popular?"
Hearing "Fire Dragon," Riku immediately thought of Natsu, as Natsu's title in the anime was Salamander.
He hadn't seen Natsu for half a year. He regarded Natsu as a younger brother, so meeting him here was a happy thing.
However, when Riku got closer, he realized the person wasn't Natsu at all. Losing interest, he was about to walk around.
Suddenly! A familiar voice rang out.
"Igneel!"
Riku looked in the direction of the voice and saw Natsu and Happy squeezing out from the crowd.
Natsu was also confused upon seeing the person: "Who are you?"
"I am the Salamander. You should know me, right?"
"Natsu! Happy!"
At this time, a familiar voice rang out.
Natsu and Happy paused, looking up in the direction of the voice, and saw Riku standing not far ahead.
"Riku!!"
Natsu and Happy immediately showed surprised expressions upon seeing Riku.
"Great! Riku, you're back!"
Natsu and Happy ran towards Riku excitedly.
"Riku, we missed you so much!"
Happy jumped directly, and Riku caught him, rubbing Happy's head.
Then he looked at Natsu and patted his shoulder: "Haven't seen you for half a year. Natsu, you've grown taller again!"
"You were gone for too long this time. Everyone was worried you wouldn't come back."
Natsu was also very excited at this moment. Because of Gildarts, Natsu was closest to Riku in the guild. Riku also took great care of Natsu and Happy. Natsu regarded Riku as his older brother, and Riku also regarded Natsu as a younger brother.
"Yeah, the job this time was a bit troublesome and wasted some time. Fortunately, the matter was resolved satisfactorily."
"Really! That's amazing!"
Natsu and Happy looked at Riku with adoration. They knew Riku was doing a 10-Year Quest, which meant a mission no one had been able to complete in ten years.
The difficulty of such a mission was incomparable to ordinary S-Class missions. Further up were only the harder 100-Year Quests.
"Hey! You three are too rude! Ignoring Lord Salamander to catch up!"
"Yeah!! Lord Salamander is a very powerful mage."
"Quickly apologize to Lord Salamander."...
Seeing their idol being ignored, the surrounding girls all chattered, demanding Riku and Natsu apologize. Some even reached out to grab Riku and Natsu.
"Scram!"
Riku spat out a word with a cold expression.
Crackle!!
A bolt of lightning struck the ground.
"Eeeek!!"
All the girls screamed in fright, hiding behind the man, looking at Riku with terror.
The man waved his hand to comfort them: "Alright, alright, let's end this matter here. Seeing his appearance, he probably didn't mean any harm."
"So gentle!!"
"As expected of Lord Salamander!!"
"Unlike some men!"
All the girls looked at the man with adoration.
Watching this scene, Riku frowned. He felt like he had seen this scene somewhere before, but he couldn't recall it immediately.
"Thank you all for your warm welcome, but I have things to do at the port ahead, so I'll take my leave first. I'll hold a party on the ship tonight; everyone must come."
After speaking, a ball of red flame appeared under the man's feet, carrying him away.
"Ahhhhh!"
"I will definitely go!!"
The girls all cheered hearing they could go to the party.
"What are these guys doing?"
Natsu and Happy were still a bit confused.
"Don't worry about them. Let's go eat first. You can tell me what happened in the guild during the half year I was away." Don't try to understand brain-dead fans, or you might become brain-dead too.
"Eat?!"
Hearing "eat," Natsu and Happy's eyes instantly lit up. They were already starving, their chests sticking to their backs. They spent their last money on train tickets and were now penniless, with no money to eat at all.
Suddenly! A girl's voice rang out:
"Um, if you don't mind, let me treat you to a meal."
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