The melodious sound of Lyra's harp echoed throughout the starlit banquet hall.
Raizel had already gathered around Ultear and Levy, looking at books from the Celestial Spirit World together.
Raizel hadn't expected the cultural development of the spirit realm to be so impressive, with all sorts of biographies, travelogues, and novels available.
After getting Old Man Crux's nod of approval, Raizel picked up a novel with a glittering golden cover—The Lion King.
Raizel noticed this book at first glance, for no other reason than its name and cover being particularly eye-catching.
It was too thick to read now, so Raizel only skimmed through the introduction and table of contents. It told the story of the seventh Leo Celestial Spirit.
This previous Leo was named Renée, who initially neglected his duties and disliked training, seemingly having no connection to the Leo constellation's pride at first.
Later, he met a female Celestial Spirit he admired.
Under her strict guidance, he worked hard and became the strongest Leo in history.
It's worth noting that the female Celestial Spirit was also an Aries.
'So there's a historical precedent, Loke...' Raizel smirked.
"How did you become Leo?" After briefly reading the book, Raizel found Loke and asked curiously.
"Selected through constellation succession," Loke smiled, recounting the story of his family's selection process.
There was no special reason for him becoming Leo—the Leo Celestial Spirit power would simply manifest within their lineage.
Each generation involved a fierce competition for the position, with varying numbers of competitors depending on the era.
Sometimes many, sometimes few, purely depending on luck and the previous generation's fertility.
The selection process included combat tests, communication with Leo's stellar energy, and so on.
Loke said his path to becoming Leo was smooth; he simply had excellent talent and defeated all his competitors.
Of course, this was Loke's own boastful account, and Raizel remained noncommittal about how credible it actually was.
Loke explained that all Zodiac selections worked this way.
It reminded Raizel inexplicably of civil service exams... when fewer people register, your chances are generally higher. But ultimately it comes down to sheer ability, because the final arbiter is the Celestial Spirit King, who holds absolute veto power.
If the Celestial Spirit King says you're not qualified, you're out of luck—resistance is impossible.
That's why the Celestial Spirit King hadn't been overly concerned about Loke's exile or potential death originally.
As soon as Loke died, the next Leo candidate could immediately be assessed and replace him.
The Celestial Spirit King had eaten and drunk his fill.
He sat before Lucy, and naturally heard her sigh in awe. "This is only natural. No matter what kind of old friend, you are the first human to be invited here," the Celestial Spirit King sat cross-legged on the floor, looking down into Lucy's eyes as he spoke seriously.
At first, it was only because Lucy resembled Anna Heartfilia.
When Loke's incident occurred, he had indeed been moved by Lucy's determination, but frankly, her status as Anna's descendant had also played a role.
However, over time, he had observed Lucy's attitude toward his subjects. She didn't treat Celestial Spirits as disposable tools or shields, but as genuine friends.
Strong, unbreakable bonds formed quickly between the spirits and Lucy after making contracts with her.
This was precisely why the Celestial Spirit King regarded Lucy as a true old friend and honored guest.
Lucy blushed deeply at the high praise.
Accompanied by Lyra's melodious zither and beautiful, moving singing, the guild members and Celestial Spirits sang and danced together.
"Everyone, get hyped!!!" Erza bounced around in the center of the dance floor, shaking her head to the beat.
"Bounce, bounce, bounce!!!"
Not satisfied with bouncing alone, Erza forcibly pulled Kagura and Levy, wrapping her arms around their necks in a headlock as they continued bouncing wildly in the center.
Later, Lyra changed the tune to a song she had composed specifically for Lucy—a very calm, acoustic piece.
The song contained warm memories of her and the Celestial Spirits. "This song is for you, may you always wear a smile. We will forever be the stars that shine for you..."
As the beautiful song ended, Lucy, sitting on the ground, shed tears of joy. "Thank you, everyone. I love you all."
The Celestial Spirit King did not reply, only grinning widely, while Lucy's Celestial Spirits watched her with gentle, loving smiles.
"We've thoroughly enjoyed ourselves," Erza said, bowing formally to the Celestial Spirits.
"I've never eaten anything so delicious!" Gray patted his stomach with a satisfied expression.
"Did you eat? Did you really eat all of that meat?!" Natsu still hadn't recovered from the earlier existential shock.
Hearing Gray mention eating, his expression twisted into a look of absolute horror.
"Can I really keep this?" Levy asked, holding up a heavy magical tome with both hands.
Ultear also received a thick book authored by the old man Crux. It was a book detailing the geographical distribution of the Celestial Spirit World, essentially a travel guide for the realm.
Although it was unlikely to be of much practical use in her human lifetime, that didn't stop Ultear from loving it.
Even if she couldn't explore it firsthand, looking at the magical maps and reading the descriptions satisfied her endless curiosity.
"I really love this outfit! Thank you!" Wendy said excitedly, spreading her arms and twirling her skirt.
In addition to the set she had worn upon arriving in the realm, Virgo had made another custom outfit for Wendy to take home.
"A strange Plue keeps clinging to me..." Happy sighed.
A gray, mustachioed uncle Nikora was hanging stubbornly on his back. Its expression always reminded him of that weird demon Uncle Bobo from Galuna Island.
"Those two over there seem to get along quite well too," Carla remarked, watching Aquarius and Juvia with her paws on her hips.
As they bid farewell, Aquarius held Juvia's hands, shaking them repeatedly.
The reason was simple: Juvia had confided in her about her painful struggles in pursuing Gray without success!
"You must have endured a lot, haven't you?" Aquarius sniffled.
"You too, Miss Aquarius," Juvia wept.
"My old friend, we will always stand by your side," the King boomed.
"Yeah!" Lucy wiped her tears and nodded firmly.
"Please continue to take care of us in the future!" Scorpio curved his middle and ring fingers in his signature gesture.
"Feel free to call on us anytime, do not hesitate," Capricorn said, bowing slightly with his right arm held horizontally across his chest.
"I'll visit the guild when I have time," Loke smiled, nodding to Raizel and Gray.
"Everyone, Lucy-san... please continue to take care of us in the future."
"Please take care of us too..."
After Aries spoke, the other Celestial Spirits raised their hands and echoed the warm sentiment.
"Then, may my old friend be forever guided and blessed by the stars!"
With a dramatic sweep of his massive cape, the Celestial Spirit King took all the Celestial Spirits except Virgo away from the banquet hall, dissolving into golden starlight.
"You're truly fortunate to be so cherished by the Celestial Spirits," Erza said, smiling softly at Lucy.
"Yes. Everyone is my dearest companion," Lucy replied, lowering her head slightly with a hint of shyness.
Even with her thick skin, she couldn't help blushing when saying such sentimental words out loud.
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