The lively party continued until evening. When it finally ended, Chase did not see Mystogan again.
But given his personality, he would certainly not leave Magnolia until he had made a decision. And with plenty of time still available, there was no need to worry too much.
It was worth mentioning that during the party, the Magnolia city guard had shown up. With such a massive object like Nirvana appearing in the city and causing such a commotion, the mayor could hardly pretend not to see it.
Even if he was certain it was Chase and Fairy Tail's doing.
Helpless, Chase had to stop his duet with Mirajane. He followed the guards to the mayor's office. There, he put his original plan into action and used his Cash Card ability on the mayor.
With a sizable safety fund as guarantee, the mayor's serious and stern face softened into a wide smile. He firmly declared that he and the entire city stood with Nirvana.
After listening to the mayor's Various official platitudes, by the time Chase returned to the guild, the party was already over.
"Before we get them settled into the girls' dormitory, having Wendy and Carla stay at my place for a night is not a problem."
Chase stood in the living room of his small Western-style house. Looking at Natsu, Gray, and the others, who were lounging around as comfortably as if they were in their own homes, he said, "But why did all of you come along too?!"
"Ahaha! What does it matter? We have not been to your place in days!" Natsu was sprawled across the sofa like a boiled egg.
"Wendy and Carla are girls, after all," Erza said seriously, taking a sip of her black tea.
"Hey, Carla. Do you want to sharpen your claws? I know which wall at Chase's place has the most comfortable texture~" Happy looked at Carla with an awfully suggestive expression.
"Who would be so rude as to sharpen their claws at someone else's house?!" Carla successfully grossed out, fiercely scolding Happy.
"S-so cute. And so considerate!" Happy lowered his head, twisting shyly. His blue cat face was blushing.
"...This cat is hopeless," Lucy said, holding her forehead in exasperation.
Even so, she was secretly very relieved. Thank you, Chase, for taking on the misfortune that should have been mine.
If not for Chase's big house, Wendy and Carla would probably have had to stay at her place.
Wendy, the girl in question, was very nervous. She sat quietly in a corner, her cute little face full of apology.
Chase, long accustomed to this, reached out and patted Wendy on the head. "Do not worry about it. Even if you had not come, these guys would have found some other excuse."
"Yes, Mr. Chase!" Wendy's guilt lessened slightly.
"Hmm? What did I tell you before?" Chase said.
"Oh. Thank you, Chase!" Wendy smiled.
"That is better. Treat this place like your own home. No need to be so formal."
SLAM!
As if to prove Chase's point, the bathroom door on the side of the living room was forcefully pushed open.
"Hey! I am done. Who is next?"
Gray walked out very naturally. The only cloth on his body was the towel draped over his head.
Wendy had never seen such an explosive scene before. She quickly covered her eyes. Her flushed face continuously steamed.
"Talk about making yourselves at home!" Carla finally saw just how casual these people could be.
Lucy did not say anything. She just averted her eyes with an awkward smile. She simply could not be bothered to complain.
After some more commotion.
Everyone, having finished their baths, gathered again in the living room. Under the bright lights, they drank black tea and talked about Oración Seis and various interesting stories from the guild's past.
The relaxed and harmonious atmosphere finally helped Wendy emerge from the gloom of parting with Robaul and the others. She laughed heartily at Natsu's challenge to Chase, which ended with him instantly defeated.
In the end, Lucy decided not even to return to her own rental apartment. She simply stayed at Chase's place, sharing a room with Erza, Wendy, and Carla.
The night passed in an instant.
The next morning, Wendy and Carla, pulling small, cute suitcases, left early under Erza's guidance. They headed to the Fairy Tail girls' dormitory.
Though she was still a child, Wendy had done quite a few quests as a mage. She had some money saved up. The hundred thousand Jewels rent was not much of a burden for her.
Likewise, Éclair, who had joined two days earlier, was in a similar situation. The money she had earned from the Demon Village quest was enough to cover her room and board for several years.
Chase and Lucy, as usual, headed to the guild.
As for Gray, Natsu, and Happy, who had shared a room last night, they had argued until late over trivial matters. They were still sound asleep.
Entering the guild, the spacious hall had only a few scattered people. The quiet atmosphere was a stark contrast to the lively party the day before.
It is nice to have some peace and quiet once in a while.
"Good morning, Chase, Lucy." Mirajane waved at the siblings from behind the bar.
"Good morning, Mirajane."
After exchanging greetings, Chase sat at the counter. He took the breakfast Mirajane handed him and looked around the guild. "Where is the master?"
"He left at dawn with Nirvana's registration documents. Right now..." Mirajane tilted her head, calculating the time. "He should be arriving at the Council around now."
"The old master is a bit slow. Eighty-eight is the prime of life. I thought he would have left overnight," Chase said, stuffing the steaming bread into his mouth.
As the mayor of Magnolia, his connections and resources went without saying. Following the principle of "since you are here anyway," when Chase had visited him yesterday, he had also asked the mayor to recommend a few magic engineering companies with experience in remodeling magical weapons.
The mayor did not hesitate. He made a few phone calls and immediately connected Chase with a senior team that had worked on designing Phantom Lord's Six-Legged Walker.
According to their agreed schedule, they should arrive in Magnolia soon. Once they had a basic understanding of Nirvana, the old master should also have the Council's approved documents. Work could begin immediately.
"If the master hears you say that, you are going to get a beating, Chase," Lucy said, coming up beside him with a mischievous look.
"Oh my. Should I tell the master that you said eighty-eight is the prime of life?" Mirajane's smile was even more mischievous.
Chase's eye twitched. "Hey, you two..."
After finishing breakfast and chatting with Mirajane and Lucy for a while, the remodeling team arrived at Fairy Tail as scheduled.
Their neat work uniforms and meticulous attitudes made Lucy marvel that these were true professionals who had worked on the Six-Legged Walker. They looked like top magic engineering graduates.
After brief introductions, Chase summoned Dark Magician to accompany them. He led the team to Nirvana, floating on the lake behind the guild.
The guild hall fell quiet once more.
"So boring. Let me see if there are any interesting jobs," Lucy said, getting up and walking toward the request board.
Her reward from the Oración Seis mission, plus the six million Jewels from the SS-Class quest, meant she did not have to worry about rent for a while. She could afford to take it easily for some time.
So, she was not really looking for work. She was just bored and wanted to pass the time.
Arriving at the request board, Lucy's eyes were immediately drawn to a rather conspicuous request slip.
[Female only. Lost item. Location: Fairy Tail Girls' Dormitory. Note: No reward will be given even if the request is completed~]
More like a personal note than an official request, the paper looked simple and crude, like someone's casual scribble.
"How strange. What kind of request is this?" Lucy wondered.
Nab, standing nearby like an NPC, looked over. "Probably a child's prank. There have been similar cases before."
When it came to things related to the request board, his knowledge was even broader than Mirajane's, who managed it!
"If it is a prank, would they not write an absurdly high reward? It says very clearly that there is no reward. No one would fall for that, right?" Lucy pointed at the note.
"Taking on a request just to get someone's hopes up, then crushing them and laughing at them. How cruel, Lucy." Nab's face was full of disdain.
"You have quite the imagination..." Lucy was speechless.
At the same time, she was surprised that this was how Nab saw her.
If anyone was cruel, it was Mirajane!
"It is indeed a bit strange. I have no record of this request either."
Mirajane walked over, holding a stack of documents with various colored sticky notes. She smiled. "The location happens to be the girls' dormitory. So, Lucy, why do you not go check it out?"
Her smile was as gentle and ordinary as ever. But to Lucy, who had just been thinking about her in her mind, it seemed somehow terrifying.
"O-okay. I wanted to see how Wendy and Éclair were settling in anyway!"
Feeling guilty, Lucy immediately agreed. She grabbed the note and quickly ran out of the guild, afraid that Demon Mirajane might come after her.
The Fairy Tail girls' dormitory was located on a hill on the west side of Magnolia. It was not far from the guild, just a few streets away.
"Even with the location, there is no information about the client at all..." Lucy looked at the dormitory building, immediately at a loss.
Just as she was about to go inside and ask Erza and the others for clues, a short, elderly woman suddenly appeared before her.
"You must be the one who took the request. I am the client. Also the dormitory caretaker. Hilda."
With that, before Lucy could respond, the old woman leaped forward at lightning speed. She patted Lucy down, searching every inch of her.
"Good. You are a girl. You may enter the dormitory."
"You can tell that just by looking!" Lucy instinctively crossed her arms.
She knew
the rule that boys were not allowed in the girls' dormitory.
Except for Happy, of course.
"Also, you cannot post pranks on the guild request board. Misusing it causes a lot of problems."
"Sticking the request on the board and then doing nothing? Fine. Go home." Hilda waved her hand in disappointment.
"You are the one who did nothing!" Lucy jabbed her finger at the additional note on the note.
Hilda shook her head. Her tone grew a bit harsher. "A Fairy Tail mage with so many excuses. Maybe you should just quit being a mage."
Hearing this, Lucy, who had not really been taking this seriously, suddenly became motivated. She declared then and there that even without a reward, she would complete the request and prove herself.
Hilda was very pleased with this. Then, with a thud, she tossed a sexy, revealing Catwoman outfit at Lucy.
"In that case, put this on."
"Eh? Why would I..."
"Less talking!"
"W-wait! Even if I have to wear it, I am not changing here!"
"No one is looking at you."
Bathed in an invisible holy light and accompanied by Lucy's screams, Hilda stripped her naked and forcibly dressed her in the Catwoman outfit.
"Is... is this good enough?" Lucy said, shyly pressing her legs together.
Though she owned some revealing outfits in her wardrobe that could make even Erza blush, this was the first time she had worn something so daring in public.
"You have to add 'meow' at the end when you speak!" Hilda put her hands on her hips, stressing this fiercely.
"Wh-what is the point of this... meow?" Lucy was intimidated by the old woman's fierce presence.
Hilda studied Lucy intently for a few seconds before finally giving her assessment. "It really is disgusting."
Lucy: "...Enough! Just tell me what the request is, meow!"
"I lost a glowing treasure somewhere in the girls' dormitory. You need to find it for me. Remember, you cannot tell the girls about this. You cannot ask for their help."
With that, her face full of disgust, Hilda added, "And do not add 'meow' at the end anymore. The more I hear it, the more disgusting it sounds!"
This utterly unlikable old hag!
Lucy was furious. Just as she was about to ask for more details about the "glowing treasure," a voice came from the second floor of the dormitory.
"Lucy? What are you doing there all alone?"
Looking up, she saw Erza, along with Wendy and Carla, who had settled in, standing by the window looking down at her.
"Alone? But there is also..."
Lucy frowned. She instinctively looked back. But the caretaker was gone. "Huh? Where did she go?!"
She could not figure it out. But since she had taken the request, she had to follow the "client's" lawful requirements. That was a mage's duty.
"No, nothing. I was just bored at the guild and thought I would come have a look around."
After hurriedly brushing them off, Lucy entered the "paradise" that Fairy Tail's perverts called forbidden ground for men.
Since Wendy and Carla were still getting their rooms in order, and Éclair and Momon had gone to the guild, Erza naturally took on the role of tour guide. She showed Lucy around the girls' dormitory.
Levy's room, with books piled everywhere. Bisca's room, where she kept wild animals like camels, lions, and elephants. Evergreen's room, filled with stone statues. Laki's room, which was practically a wooden torture museum. All of them were eye-opening for Lucy.
Erza, for her part, was even more extravagant. She had bought out five rooms and knocked down the walls to create one large space. It was all for storing her various armors.
***
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