Rhode took Wendy out the door.
Carla, for once, wasn't sticking to Wendy; instead, she stayed in the guild to discuss matters with Hapi and Li Li, likely wanting to visit their kin.
This time, Rhode didn't call River Crab; he simply strolled down the street as if he was taking a walk.
Wendy followed beside him, curiously looking all around just like she was visiting Magnolia for the first time.
Rhode couldn't help but recall when he first met Wendy; back then, they were also curiously looking at everything outside the train, getting startled in excitement.
They hadn't walked far before they noticed many strange buildings; the style was secondary, but some buildings seemed quite bizarre.
For example, there was a 'three-tiered' building along the canal, literally in three tiers.
The whole building was divided into three separate sections: top, middle, and bottom, with seemingly just air in between, not any transparent building material.
Rhode couldn't quite figure out the design's purpose at first—maybe for two big balconies? Or for better lighting in the rear buildings?
How do people inside go up and down?
"Such great changes, it's like a completely different city," Wendy marveled.
Rhode nodded: "Yeah, but some things haven't changed, which feels a bit strange."
Previously, they didn't notice from above, but now they saw that many rather 'primitive' buildings were interspersed among the new buildings.
Just like the Fairy Tail guild hall, some homes and shops retained their appearance from six years ago, unchanged.
For instance, Lucy's place hasn't changed at all.
Although the old-style buildings couldn't compare in number with the new ones, they were indeed noticeable—could it be they're refusing to relocate?
Unaware of the situation, Rhode could only guess wildly, planning to ask Macao and the others when he returned.
The sounds of engines and horns successively reached Rhode's ears, prompting him to pull Wendy to the roadside.
As expected, a magic-driven four-wheeled vehicle roared past behind them.
Unlike the magic-driven four-wheeled vehicles of the past, the most notable feature was that the people in the vehicle weren't wearing SE connectors, evidently no longer needing drivers to supply magic power.
"Another one." Rhode had already seen such vehicles twice on the road, one of which resembled a motorcycle-like two-wheeler.
All these drivers seemed reckless, rushing around without care; who knew when traffic police would be deployed to sort them out.
Rhode pondered for a moment, thinking that one day, when he couldn't stand it, he might stand in the road and let them hit him—perhaps he could earn a small amount of money that way.
"This bridge still looks the same as before!" Wendy happily stepped onto a stone arch bridge.
Unknowingly, in Magnolia, searching for familiar sights from before had become quite an enjoyable activity.
However, just as Wendy and Rhode steadied themselves, the arch bridge suddenly started moving.
Wendy jumped in fright, grabbing Rhode's sleeve in a panic, while Rhode was standing stably, looking in surprise at the ground beneath his feet.
This thing, an escalator?
It seemed quite novel, but considering they had already developed strange things like Kildas Mode, an escalator emerging after six years wasn't too surprising.
The two were safely transported by the conveyor-like stone steps to the opposite bank, with Wendy still appearing a bit shaken.
Rhode silently blamed this thing, which had started suddenly without even a warning sign—was it common knowledge that this arch bridge moves?
No sooner had their feet touched solid ground when a group of people came up, mocking, "How hilarious, where did these country bumpkins come from?"
"In this day and age, there are people who haven't even seen magic-driven stairs, hahaha!"
"Take a good look, aren't they from Fairy Tail?"
"Such a weak and outdated guild should just move out to the countryside!"
Facing these strange and aggressive guys, Wendy's first reaction was fear and wanting to hide behind Rhode.
But hearing them speak ill of the guild, she pursed her lips, a bit angry.
"Tsk~" Rhode felt uncomfortable; their standard villainous banter was so cringeworthy it was almost embarrassing.
He glanced up and noticed the leader, a guy with a wolf fang club slung over his back, had a guild emblem tattooed on his right arm.
—He didn't recognize it.
Most likely, it was a guild established in the past six years.
He seemed to recall someone mentioning that Magnolia had an additional guild now, already bigger than the current Fairy Tail.
Rhode's frown and thoughtful expression appeared to the others as fear and distress.
They were mages from the Ghost of Dusk.
These people always felt that the location Fairy Tail occupied was better than where their guild was situated, with a spacious front street and backed by a lake, the environment was top-tier.
They always hoped that once Fairy Tail went bankrupt, they could take over that spot and turn it into their headquarters, but unfortunately, even though the guild faced personnel losses, it stubbornly persisted.
Moreover, because Fairy Tail had the Peace Medal and Honor Legion Medal from the Kingdom, many tactics on the edge of legality couldn't be used.
Not only that, but even if they found an excuse to stir up trouble at their doorstep, Magnolia's residents would point fingers and scold them.
Only in the past two years had it eased a bit.
An old guild is actually supported by so many people, isn't it the Ghost of Dusk that has contributed more to the city's development in this era?
Since we can't just pick fights randomly, isn't it okay to mock them a bit on the street to enjoy a verbal joust?
If they strike first, then they can't blame us.
Anyway, those two unfamiliar faces, one is a child, and the other is wearing loose robes with long hair, they don't seem too strong.
Tibo, carrying the wolf fang club, babbled something, suddenly noticing that the weak-looking guy gave him a glare.
'He dares to glare at me?' Tibo was secretly pleased, thinking it would be boring if the other person were a complete coward.
Just as he was about to continue speaking, Tibo suddenly felt his legs go weak, and that gentle-looking guy and the little girl seemed like terrifying monsters.
Next, Tibo felt immense pressure on his body, his breathing became difficult. With his mouth open, he clutched his chest and fell to his knees with a thud.
His companions knelt even faster, muttering 'I'm sorry' and 'Please forgive us' repeatedly.
Passersby pointed and whispered, how did these usually arrogant Ghost of Dusk members suddenly kneel to Fairy Tail?
It's just that the main members have returned, there's no need to be this scared, right?
They remember that Fairy Tail only demolishes property and not people, they even compensate for the damages.
Thinking this, some people's footsteps suddenly quickened, intending to rush home.
—Young children and friends who have moved to Magnolia in recent years might not know this, they need to go home to inform their children and friends to avoid any unpleasantness.
Rhode, of course, didn't awaken any so-called King's Aura from the neighboring film set.
He just skillfully used an effect from the Broken Ghost Crown called 'Fear the Enemy Minions.'
'Fear the Enemy Minions' is a term from the game, in reality, it translates to an Illusion Technique without magical traces.
The greater the magic power gap between both parties, the better the effect.
The effect is better when the parties meet for the first time.
If you show a bit of your magic power, it might scare them to run away, or make them kneel on the spot.
This depends on their psychological endurance.
Rhode ignored the kneeling and apologizing crowd, pulling Wendy along as they continued walking forward.
Because he didn't know if the other party was merely being annoying, or if they regarded Fairy Tail as a nemesis like Ghost, Rhode just gave a glare, and didn't really start a fight.
After walking some distance away, Wendy curiously asked, "What happened to them?"
"Maybe they suddenly realized their conscience, thinking they shouldn't have said such harsh things."
"Really?" Wendy thought that seemed unlikely.
"Alright, I secretly used a bit of magic."
The two chatted as they walked, greeting familiar faces along the way and many people also approached them.
"Isn't this Rhode? You've changed a lot! And Wendy, have you grown taller over the years?"
Wendy suffered a critical hit.
Rhode responded enthusiastically, "I think you've changed even more. Hey, by the way, isn't your kid fourteen or fifteen now? How about letting him join Fairy Tail?"
"Haha, I think I'd pass on that. I wouldn't want him to take on such a dangerous job as a mage."
Everyone knows it's getting tougher to be a mage these days, even magic schools are finding it hard to recruit students.
To many, becoming a magic artifact researcher is better than being a mage since it's less risky and more profitable.
Though it is more challenging.
Even casual chat along the road gave Rhode more understanding of the current situation for mages.
Ordinary tasks are becoming scarcer, which naturally means higher risk, making it increasingly difficult to be a mage.
But there's nothing much to worry about.
As the president often says, 'Life is unpredictable, sometimes we easily accomplish tasks and get paid, sometimes we fight hard and barely earn anything.'
That's the life of a mage, and everyone has lived by this belief.
"Ah, by the way," this enthusiastic passerby seemed to remember something, asking, "Are you planning to fight the Ghost of Dusk as soon as you return?"
"So they're called the Ghost of Dusk." Rhode waved his hand, "It hasn't reached that level, we aren't a particularly combative guild..."
"Is that so, ha… haha." The person gave an awkward laugh, realizing Fairy Tail is not combative.
"By the way, is it a legitimate guild? How is the reputation, are they well-received?"
"Of course it's a legitimate guild, although some members are a bit domineering, and seem like little ruffians, they've actually helped solve quite a few problems for people.
He thought for a moment and added, "Speaking of which, doesn't Fairy Tail have an Iron Dragon with a similar temperament? Oh, and Laxus used to be like that too for some time."
"..." Wendy's face showed an awkward expression, Mr. Gajeel seemed scary, was Laxus also like that once?
Rhode looked regretful, wishing he could record these words.