Natsu finally regained some energy after watching the Celestial Spirits leave, as long as he didn't keep thinking about the horrific food chain implications.
Natsu quickly raised his right arm, patting his bicep excitedly as he said, "Alright! I think we've had enough fun today. We need to hurry back and focus on training properly!"
"Exactly! Between traveling and banquets, we can't neglect our training for the tournament," Gray surprisingly didn't contradict Natsu on this matter.
"By the way, speaking of which, there is something I forgot to mention..." Virgo clasped her hands in front of her as if suddenly remembering a minor detail.
Aside from Raizel, probably no one present knew exactly what bomb she was about to drop.
"The flow of time in the Celestial Spirit World is different from that in the human world," Virgo explained calmly with an expressionless face.
"No way! Are you going to say that one year in the Celestial Spirit World equals one day in the human world or something like that?!" Natsu's eyes immediately lit up.
If he trained in the Celestial Spirit World for eight or ten years, wouldn't he be invincible when he returned?!
"That would be a dream come true!" Gray began having wonderful fantasies about the beautiful training blueprint Natsu had constructed.
"No," Virgo's calm voice shattered their illusions instantly. "It is actually the exact opposite. Although we have only been here for about half a day, almost a month has already passed in the human world."
"A month has passed..."
'... A month has passed...'
Virgo's voice echoed painfully in everyone's minds.
'Not bad.'
Almost a month—that's acceptable, Raizel secretly nodded to himself.
Fortunately, he had eaten and drunk his fill, danced, and found an opportunity to bid farewell to the Celestial Spirit King earlier.
At least it wasn't like staying here for one day and losing three months outside.
"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Natsu and Gray's expressions changed, but before they could panic too much about it, Virgo had already sent them back to the human world.
By the time they regained their senses, they were standing in the Eastern Forest.
The fallen leaves on the trees and the gentle breeze blowing through the woods strangely represented their bleak feelings.
Snowflakes fluttering, north wind howling, heaven and earth vast and boundless... Ahem, that's going too far—it wasn't winter yet.
"A MONTH?!?" Natsu and Gray grabbed their heads in a frantic manner.
"Damn it! Give me back my time! My rent! 70,000 Jewels!!!" Lucy couldn't help but howl at the sky, falling to her knees.
"...." Raizel's silence was deafening.
Not about the lost month, but about Lucy.
Not just Raizel, Levy was also sweating on her forehead, blinking her eyes while looking at Lucy with sheer helplessness.
She wanted to say something comforting but didn't know how to express it.
She just felt weak, pitiful, and helpless.
"To think such a thing exists. The flow of time in the Celestial Spirit World is actually so different from the human world," Erza pinched her chin, murmuring thoughtfully.
But she quickly reached a conclusion—she didn't understand the physics behind it at all. Aside from fighting, she had never been good at thinking.
"Stop howling, let's head back to the guild first," Ultear raised her hand to calm down the wailing crybabies.
Although Ultear hadn't anticipated that their trip would take an entire month either, fortunately, before she departed, she had Raizel relay the message to Makarov.
Even if their group hadn't shown up for a while, it shouldn't cause any trouble.
...
"We're back!!!" Natsu kicked the guild door open upon arrival.
Raizel's sharp eyes caught a figure flying out and crashing into a pile of boxes... Oh, it's just Wakaba. Never mind then.
"You're back... but did you have to kick the door so hard? My back..." Wakaba complained from amidst the crushed boxes, clutching his sore lower spine.
Makarov glanced over.
The boxes were from yesterday's liquor delivery.
The alcohol had already been cleared out, but no one had bothered to move the empty boxes away.
'Lazy bunch. At least the drinks were safe.'
"You're back? What took you so long?" Ur glanced at the members, counting them all present and unharmed.
"Don't even ask..." Natsu, Gray, and Lucy waved their hands weakly, looking utterly drained.
Natsu was still haunted by his carnivorous nightmare, while Gray and Lucy lamented the lost month of training and rent.
"We were invited by the Celestial Spirit King to the Celestial Spirit World for a banquet. At first, Virgo told us... but when we returned, we realized time flows differently there. We were only there for half a day, but a whole month passed here." Ultear explained the situation calmly, not just for Ur's benefit but also for the curious onlookers.
"I see. I thought you might have run into trouble in the Celestial Spirit World," Ur nodded in understanding.
"Then why do these three look so dejected?" Mira pointed at the trio slumping over the bar counter, chins resting listlessly, exuding despair.
Ultear shook her head slightly. "Probably upset about money or time. As for Natsu... you'd have to ask him yourself. I'm not sure."
"By the way, did anything happen this past month?" Raizel asked.
"Nothing much. It's been quiet. There was only one S-Class quest, which Cana took with Laki," Mira replied while wiping glasses.
"Actually, there is one thing. A new independent guild was recently established. I heard the Guild Master is Jellal, and the other member is Meredy." Makarov swayed slightly as he spoke, taking a sip of his drink.
Raizel was surprised Jellal had started an independent guild so soon and turned to Makarov to ask.
"What's it called?" Makarov closed his eyes, furrowing his brow, then awkwardly scratched his head.
"The name... the name... I forgot..."
"I give up!"
Several eavesdroppers nearly fell off their chairs!
"Do you need something from Jellal? If you want to know, I can ask Bob or Goldmine—they're the ones who told me in the first place. I can help you inquire."
Worried Raizel had urgent business, Makarov sobered up and spoke seriously.
Raizel shook his head. "No need. If you don't remember, it's fine. We'll meet if fate allows."
Besides, Jellal knew Telepathy.
If he wanted to contact Raizel, he'd probably reach out himself.
"Wait, has the Council ordered you to capture Jellal?"
"No. Recently, the Council seems completely focused on searching for Zeref across the Ishgar continent. Lately, I've been swamped with work and probably won't have the energy to deal with Jellal. In my opinion, as long as Jellal doesn't engage in any illegal activities in the future, the Council will likely leave him alone."
Raizel nodded understandingly, thinking to himself: 'It seems Mest has indeed reported the encounter with Zeref on Tenrou Island to the Council.'
Compared to Zeref, Jellal is truly insignificant.
The top priority should be focusing the search on Zeref.