In the yard, a burst of firelight and lightning flickered, and the battle ended quickly.
Laxus cheerfully said, "Your training is not enough, Natsu."
"Th-thank you for the advice..." Natsu lay weakly on the ground, with arcs of electricity on his body, his limbs twitching slightly.
"This scene feels so familiar." Lisana squatted down and poked Natsu's face, her finger getting slightly numbed by the residual lightning power on him.
She withdrew her hand and looked at Laxus, "Could you have gone a bit too hard?"
Rhode said, "It's alright, he can be healed. Wendy and I brought back a lot of medicines, so hurry up with the fighting and try to use them all."
Lucy retorted, "That's something you shouldn't be aiming for..."
Fried stepped forward, trying to drape a coat over Laxus.
But instead, Laxus squatted down next to Lisana, raised his hand, and patted her head, "Speaking of which, is this really Lisana herself?"
Lisana's head was bobbed up and down by his pats, helplessly swatting away Laxus's hand, "That's too much, you're only noticing me now?"
Laxus scratched his cheek, offering an explanation, "Because of various reasons..."
When on the island, the events happened so suddenly and urgent, when on the ship, he was hiding alone in the cabin, Lisana was at the helm, when back in the guild with so many people, it was lively, Lisana was relatively quiet...
Until just now, when Lisana appeared alone in front of Laxus, he suddenly realized that this child had actually been dead two years ago... no, it should have been eight years ago.
Laxus even considered pulling Lisana's face, to see if she was someone else in disguise.
"Ah, that's right, Laxus might not know much about Edolas yet?" Fried found something else to chat with Laxus about and seemed particularly happy.
Soon Natsu was carried away for treatment, and Gray and Gajeel stepped forward to challenge their remaining fellow members, eager to personally test their current strength.
The yard remained lively until the evening, and only then did everyone go inside to eat and drink, continuing their revelry, falling asleep directly on the ground or across the tables as per usual.
Celebrations continued the next day, with more fighting.
A few, like Krof and Nicky, who hurried back upon hearing the news from afar, were pulled into the fray by their comrades before they even understood what was happening.
As they slowly understood the full story amidst the playful chaos, they laughed and cried, rejoining the festivities.
Thus, Fairy Tail's current visible membership stood at 45, with 44 regrouped together.
For three days and nights, everyone was bustling before the guild finally returned to some semblance of calm.
The morning sun coming in, everyone waking from their dreams, mutually encouraging each other, and then starting to face the reality missed for six years.
The primary issue at hand — returning home.
In this aspect, there were roughly three types within the guild, firstly, those with their own houses, such as Mira, Kildas, Makarov, and so forth.
Although the council declared them deceased without reachable heirs, their properties were not seized or occupied.
They just needed to go back, some might need a thorough cleaning, some might need to consider repairs or rebuilding.
The second kind were those without their own housing, renting in the girls' dormitory, such as Erza, Wendy, Jubia, and so on.
Qico said her dad, the dorm landlord, firmly believed they were just missing, so he kept their rooms for them, with clothes and furnishings untouched.
They only needed to return and lightly tidy up, the sole issue was... needing to pay rent for all 6 years, which equaled over 7 million J per person.
This was with a discount, as rent elsewhere rose by 10%~20%, yet the dormitory stayed the same price.
The smarter ones might consider claiming 'I didn't live there' to get out of it.
But Wendy and the others felt since they never said they'd terminate their lease, and since they were trusted to not be dead, with rooms preserved for them these years, it was an act of kindness and truly moving.
So they definitely wouldn't default.
Erza thought of her five rented rooms, her shoulders slumped momentarily, she felt the weight of time again.
Qico cautiously asked, "Maybe... shall I tell my dad to only charge you for one room?"
Trembling as she spoke, Erza replied, "I'll... pay it back..."
"The third kind are those of you renting outside, though your situations are more complicated..." Macao, as the acting president not yet retired, diligently explained.
"For cases like Lucy where landlords kept your rooms, apply the previous method after asking your landlords directly."
"Wh-what..." Lucy felt as if thunder was exploding above her.
Her monthly rent was 70 thousand, totaling 5.04 million J over 6 years, considering rent hikes, it's several hundred thousand extra.
All her savings now only covered a fraction.
She had barely managed to have a month with surplus funds! Was she about to accrue debt again?
Macao gave her a sympathetic glance and continued, "For cases like Rhode's, where after a year or so of disappearance the property was rented out, sold, or reconverted...
"May require partial payment, or none at all, if pursued diligently, maybe even compensated by landlords for guilt."
Rhode was relieved initially for not having to pay a huge rent, then felt a bit sad.
He thought for a moment and decided to inquire, "What happened to Brother Goodman and the others?"
Macao recalled and said, "About three years ago, their family went through some issues needing a large sum of money, so they sold the house and moved.
"I remember... that was around when various magic tool stores were flourishing, the regulations not fully developed.
"Then Goodman's son Bayer accidentally activated a store's tool, causing significant damage, Bayer and the owner barely survived, customers were injured too..."
Rhode remembered Bayer being slightly younger than Romeo, about eight or nine at that time, an age prone to mischief and curiosity.
Listening to Macao's account, it seemed like a naughty kid causing trouble for his dad, nearly harming innocent bystanders.
"Do you know where they moved?"
"Only mentioned going to the countryside, no specific details." Macao said, somewhat awkwardly.
"Back then, we were all pressed for time, the most we could do was ask Granny Porlyusica to treat the injured, couldn't help with much else."
Rhode felt somewhat wistful, Brother Goodman was a good guy, facing such an incident.
If there's time, he ought to visit them.