Chapter 528: This Was Her Most Simple Thought at the Moment
"It shouldn't be as terrible as you're imagining. Precht hadn't fallen into darkness back then.
When he discovered the signs of life inside you, he didn't terminate the pregnancy. Instead, he allowed the child to safely gestate in your womb for over nine months before delivering it.
By then, your child was born normally. Since he hadn't eliminated the child inside you during all that time, there is a very high probability he wouldn't kill it after it was born. Wouldn't that just be entirely unnecessary?
And since Grandpa didn't know about the child's existence, the most likely scenario is that he simply abandoned the baby."
Seeing Mavis's expression, Noah knew exactly what she was thinking and gently offered his comfort.
"Is that true?!"
Mavis looked at Noah, asking with intense nervousness.
"At the very least, the probability of what I described happening is far greater than Precht killing the child.
Besides, if he could spend decades trying to revive you, his tolerance toward your child would likely be significantly higher."
Noah said, looking directly at Mavis.
"Mm, that would have been right around the time Precht first became the Second Master. His disposition would have been much kinder, unlike how he was after he fell into darkness."
Makarov chimed in to reassure her.
That was when Precht had just taken over as the Guild Master, and shortly after he had begun researching how to revive Mavis. He was still a relatively kind person at that point.
It certainly wasn't the same mentality he possessed over thirty years later, after he left Fairy Tail and plunged into darkness.
"Furthermore, this child should have inherited both your and Zeref's talents. They couldn't possibly be weak. There is a very high chance they have survived until now," Noah continued.
"Really? Could that child really have survived until now?"
Mavis looked at Noah with an expression full of nervous anticipation.
"At the very least, the possibility is quite high."
Noah assured her.
"I... I want to find this child!"
Mavis took a deep breath, speaking with absolute earnestness.
Now that she knew of this child's existence—and having deduced that there was a strong chance they were still alive—her immediate instinct was to find them.
This was her own flesh and blood. If she hadn't known, she naturally wouldn't have thought anything of it, but now that she did, she had to find them. Even if, by some tragic chance, the child had met with misfortune and passed away, Mavis still wanted to find where they were buried.
This was the most simple, primal thought of Mavis, who had suddenly realized she was a mother.
"Can you two help me?"
Mavis looked at Noah and Makarov, asking with profound sincerity.
In her current state, it was naturally impossible for her to search for her child on her own.
"Of course. We will definitely help you, First Master."
Noah said with a smile, while Makarov nodded firmly beside him.
"Thank you—"
Mavis expressed her deep gratitude to Noah and the others.
"However, finding a child born decades ago won't be ordinarily difficult.
If Precht truly did abandon the child back then, we have no idea where he left them.
Even if we find a potential match, we currently have no way to definitively verify their identity," Makarov stated thoughtfully.
Since they were committed to helping find the child, they had to realistically consider the obstacles ahead.
"I know a few ancient magics used to verify bloodline connections. They should be useful!"
Mavis said immediately.
"I also know a few spells for confirming bloodlines, which likely overlap with the ones the First Master knows.
However, those spells require very close proximity to take effect. They aren't suited for our current needs.
We need a much larger effective radius to conduct a search. If we want these spells to be useful, they will need to be heavily modified," Noah explained to Mavis.
Naturally, he knew exactly who the child was and where he was located.
But he couldn't just outright say it. He could only prepare the groundwork through tedious methods first, and then find an opportunity for them to meet later.
"Mm, but let's leave the magic modification and the search for the child for our free time.
Right now, the most important priority is researching Fairy Heart and finding a way to increase everyone's strength in the guild."
Mavis spoke calmly to Noah and Makarov.
Eighty-nine years had passed before she even knew she had a child. Finding him would require a massive amount of time and would largely rely on pure luck.
Meanwhile, the guild was facing imminent danger at any moment. Naturally, the guild's survival took precedence.
"Actually, the preliminary steps for both of those goals are identical. They both require us to do one specific thing," Noah said thoughtfully.
"You mean..."
Mavis looked over in confusion.
"Whether it's searching for your child or researching Fairy Heart, we need to free your physical body from the lacrima," Noah explained.
"Free my physical body?"
"Exactly. We don't know how far you can currently travel from your true body, and casting bloodline verification magic naturally requires a physical form.
Furthermore, for research purposes, the closer we are, the better the results and the more detailed the observations.
Moreover, based on what you told me regarding how Fairy Heart was formed, your physical body should actually still be alive.
Because the Ankhseram Curse is still actively taking effect, allowing the magic known as Fairy Heart to be born.
Since your consciousness has already awakened in a form similar to a Thought Projection, as long as we can liberate your body from the lacrima, there is a very high probability you can truly come back to life," Noah detailed to Mavis and Makarov.
"Your reasoning is sound, but that remains a purely theoretical possibility. The actual outcome is impossible to determine yet.
Besides, if I truly resurrect, what happens to the Ankhseram Curse? And will it trigger any volatile reactions from Fairy Heart?" Mavis pondered, finding Noah's words logical.
However, there were too many unknown variables. Was her body genuinely still alive? If she emerged from the lacrima, could she actually revive? And most critically, there were two massive threats: the Ankhseram Curse and Fairy Heart.
If either of those erupted, it would cause catastrophic damage—especially Fairy Heart, an infinite source of magic that could never be treated too cautiously. If these two issues couldn't be resolved, she would much rather remain sealed within the lacrima forever than emerge and bring disaster to everyone in Fairy Tail.
"That is exactly why we need to conduct this research, to understand the specific parameters of the situation.
As for the Ankhseram Curse, I have a few temporary countermeasures that can suppress the symptoms for now, giving us time to find a way to break the curse entirely later. As for Fairy Heart, I just inspected it; it's highly stable. As long as we don't actively try to release it, nothing will happen.
But I will absolutely conduct exhaustive research and ensure there are zero risks before we make any moves," Noah assured them.
Mavis and Makarov both nodded in agreement after hearing his explanation.
"Then I propose we first focus on figuring out how to release the First Master from the crystal. You don't have any objections to that, do you, First Master? Grandpa?" Noah asked.
"No objections. But the absolute highest priority is safety. We must be incredibly careful.
If we attempt to free the First Master's body, we must be absolutely certain it will allow her to live. If it isn't feasible, we shouldn't force it. If she can be revived, we must simultaneously monitor Fairy Heart and ensure it isn't triggered.
Finally, we must remain vigilant against the Ankhseram Curse and have preventive measures fully prepared," Makarov instructed Noah firmly.
"The Third has spoken exactly what I wished to say. You cannot allow yourselves to be harmed for my sake," Mavis said, looking earnestly at Noah.
"Naturally. I will make sure all preparations are in place beforehand," Noah replied with absolute certainty.
"Good."
Hearing Noah's promise, both Makarov and Mavis nodded in satisfaction.
Since the plan was settled, the immediate priority was researching whether Mavis's body could be safely extracted from the lacrima. Noah and Mavis cross-referenced the research data left behind by Precht while utilizing various equipment to analyze the lacrima. While Makarov wasn't particularly skilled in magical research, his vast wealth of experience still provided them with invaluable insights.
The two humans and one ghost bustled about the guild's underground cavern during the day, with Noah and Makarov only returning home to rest at night.
As a Thought Projection, Mavis didn't require sleep, so she remained underground, continuously flipping through documents and conducting her own research.
Of course, since she could only materialize a single fingertip at a time, her ability to operate equipment was heavily limited.
Therefore, she generally based her nighttime work on the data they had gathered during the day, combined with Precht's notes, to conceptualize the directions and subjects they needed to tackle the following morning.
Then, when day broke, Noah and Mavis would share their respective theories, debate and verify their findings, and finalize the day's research trajectory. Both possessed formidable analytical minds and had studied magic for years. Coupled with the massive repository of knowledge stored within Noah's Archive magic, and Makarov's decades of profound magical experience, the combined effort yielded significant progress regarding whether Mavis's body could safely leave the lacrima.
Because they were currently only assessing the state of Mavis's physical body and not delving deeply into the Fairy Heart magic itself, their progress was remarkably swift.
Given that this involved the guild's highest, absolute secret, Noah didn't breathe a word of it to anyone else, not even Ultear and the others. Ultear and the girls simply assumed Noah was continuing his research on Tenrou Island, merely reminding him to rest properly and not overwork himself.
Their assumption wasn't actually wrong. Noah still had Thought Projections stationed on Tenrou Island conducting research.
The various magical texts and research data recovered from the Grimoire Heart airship, the schematics for modifying the airship itself, the so-called "Devil's Heart," the classified files obtained from the Magic Council—all of this required Noah's dedicated research.
Every single project was being handled by one or more of Noah's Thought Projections. The beaches of Tenrou Island were littered with heavy equipment, with Noah's projections bustling constantly around them.
Furthermore, there was another incredibly crucial subject being researched on Tenrou Island, located on a heavily secluded beach on the far side of the island.
Noah had erected layer upon layer of overlapping barriers, completely severing any and all communication between the interior and the outside world, absolutely ensuring not a single trace of what lay within could leak past the perimeter. He also siphoned magic directly from Tenrou Island itself to sustain these barriers, keeping them running continuously, twenty-four hours a day.
Noah had stationed two Thought Projections here: one inside the barrier conducting the research, and one outside monitoring the perimeter to instantly alert his main body of any sudden emergencies.
What could possibly require Noah to take such extreme precautions?
The answer was the flesh and blood of the Black Dragon, Acnologia.
This was the biological tissue of the strongest being in the world—or rather, the strongest Dragon.
Noah had no idea if Acnologia could sense pieces of his own severed flesh in the outside world. Thus, he could only layer every single concealment and isolation barrier he knew to completely block any potential telepathic connection.
Noah absolutely did not want Acnologia locking onto the location of this flesh and flying over to obliterate him. That would be an unmitigated disaster.
He had no desire to flee to the Celestial Spirit World a second time. And if he were discovered this time, Acnologia might actually get serious, meaning Noah might not even have the chance to escape with Tenrou Island intact.
Moreover, because these tissues belonged to Acnologia, they possessed miraculous properties that demanded Noah's absolute, undivided attention.
Biological tissue that was entirely immune to magic—just the thought of it was absurd.
If he could uncover exactly why this flesh possessed such overwhelming magical resistance, and figure out a way to adapt and apply that property to everyone else, it would elevate the guild's combat strength to an entirely new dimension.
Simultaneously, dissecting these biological samples was the key to discovering Acnologia's fatal weaknesses.
Fairy Tail and Acnologia were bound to clash in an inevitable, final war. Finding a weakness would drastically increase their odds of survival.
Additionally, there was one final, overwhelmingly important reason Noah needed to research this flesh: lifespan.
The vast majority of humanity constantly sought longer lives, and Noah was no exception.
Having been transmigrated into a world of magic, with such an endlessly colorful and vibrant universe laid out before him, Noah felt he could never see enough of it. He wanted to see more.
And having met so many fascinating, wonderful companions, Noah naturally hoped they could all live happily together for many, many more years.
When discussing lifespan extension, one's mind naturally drifted toward various inhumane, twisted methods.
However, the moral compass forged in his past life, combined with Makarov's teachings in this one, ensured Noah had absolutely no desire or intention to ever walk that path.
And he didn't need to. He had a perfectly viable alternative. As long as he could extract the useful biological secrets from this sample, Noah was confident he could find a way to naturally extend everyone's lifespans.
That alternative was Dragons.
In this magical world, Dragons sat at the absolute apex of the ecological food chain. Their magic, their physical bodies, and their magical resistance were all terrifyingly absolute.
And their lifespans were equally vast. They could easily live for over 400 years.
This wasn't like Zeref, who had lived for 400 years solely because he was cursed by Ankhseram.
This was their natural, biological lifespan as a species.
The most glaring proof was Acnologia, a human who had metamorphosed into a Dragon. Because his body had completely transformed into a Dragon's, he had inherited a Dragon's lifespan, living continuously from 400 years ago all the way to the present day.
However, ironically, also because of Acnologia, there were barely any living Dragons left in the world to study.
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