Many days had passed. In the Fairy Tail Guild hall, the afternoon sun spilled in lazily, filling the air with a drowsy atmosphere.
Happy was rummaging through boxes and cabinets in a corner of the guild, looking for who-knows-what. He flapped his wings and flew up to a row of old shelves, using his paws to push aside a pile of dusty clutter: old wine glasses, broken magic items, and smelly socks that someone had discarded...
Suddenly, his paw touched a piece of paper pressed at the very bottom.
Happy pulled the paper out and shook off the dust. The paper was old and yellowed, with frayed edges and crooked lines and arrows drawn on it.
Happy's round eyes widened, and his mouth formed an 'O' shape.
"Natsu! Look what I found! A treasure map!!!"
That shout had a piercing power comparable to a Dragon's Roar, and it was heard clearly throughout the entire guild hall.
The guild members, who had been drowsy, raised their heads one after another, their eyes instantly lighting up. To the people of Fairy Tail, the words "treasure map" were even more attractive than a "free buffet."
Especially Lucy, who was once again slumped over the bar wailing about how she was going to pay her rent.
The moment she heard the words "treasure map," she shot up from the bar as if she'd been struck by lightning. Her blonde hair whipped through the air in an arc, and her empty wallet flew out, hitting some unlucky soul in the head.
"A treasure map?!"
Lucy appeared in front of Happy in a flash, moving so fast she didn't even leave an afterimage. She snatched the yellowed paper from Happy's paws and slammed it down on the table, spreading it out: "Let me see!"
The others moved upon hearing the news, swarming around until the table was completely blocked off.
Some stood on their tiptoes, some craned their necks, and some even stood directly on chairs to look inside the circle.
Sitting on the sofa, Mirajane looked down at Riyao, who was sleeping on her lap. He was pillowed on Mirajane's thigh, his long golden hair scattered across her knees, breathing evenly and deeply in a sound sleep.
Mirajane gently patted Riyao's cheek: "Wake up, Happy found some treasure."
Riyao rubbed his eyes and mumbled dizzily, "What treasure... it's probably just some dried fish Happy hid..."
He yawned, a couple of tears squeezing out from the corners of his eyes, and his head tried to slump back onto Mirajane's lap.
Mirajane caught the back of his head and pulled him up: "Get up, let's go take a look."
Riyao stood up reluctantly and followed Mirajane to the edge of the crowd. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he glanced at the treasure map.
Then his gaze changed.
That dazed sleepiness vanished instantly, replaced by a fleeting look of something unusual. His pupils contracted slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned up almost imperceptibly.
But he quickly returned to normal—even more normal than usual. He let out an even bigger yawn, perfectly covering up that momentary lapse.
Lucy leaned over the table, her finger tracing the lines on the treasure map as she complained with a look of disdain:
"Isn't this treasure map a bit too sloppy?!"
She was right. The treasure map was drawn with simple lines, so crooked they looked like they were drawn with a foot. The landmarks were even more outrageously sloppy: a circle was labeled "This," a wavy line was labeled "Water," and a triangle was labeled "Mountain"... it was hard to tell what was what.
Mirajane looked at the treasure map, her silver eyelashes lowering slightly in thought. She felt the map looked familiar—not in a "where have I seen this before" way, but in a "this has something to do with me" way.
She looked up at Riyao.
The two of them locked eyes.
Mirajane leaned in, her lips almost touching Riyao's ear as she lowered her voice: "You didn't hide some secret stash of money, did you?"
Her breath brushed against Riyao's ear, carrying a hint of dangerous sweetness.
Riyao's expression didn't flicker as he whispered back, "This treasure will be very interesting. Let them look for it."
The corners of his mouth curled slightly, a hint of mischief flashing in his eyes.
The crowd was gathered together, talking all at once about the information on the treasure map.
Levy pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her short blue hair swaying by her ears. She gestured on the map and began a serious analysis:
"This treasure map shows the terrain around Magnolia. Although it's drawn sloppily, the shape of this coastline and the outline of these mountains match up."
Her finger stopped on an abstract pattern: "This abstract pattern here... is our guild's emblem."
Natsu squeezed through the crowd, his face almost pressed against the treasure map.
He scratched his head and pointed at a number on the map.
"What does this 'twelve' mean?"
Gray chimed in from the side, a mocking smirk on his face.
"You'll have to ask the author of this treasure map."
Cana leaned against a nearby pillar, wiping some alcohol from the corner of her mouth, her eyes full of anticipation.
"There wouldn't be some legendary magic item buried here, would there?"
Erza crossed her arms and stroked her chin thoughtfully.
"It might be a gift left behind by a guild predecessor."
When Lucy heard the word "twelve," her eyes lit up instantly like two twinkling stars.
She clenched her hands, her voice changing pitch: "It wouldn't be the Keys to the Twelve Gates of the Zodiac, would it?!"
An image automatically formed in her mind: golden, glittering keys inside a magnificent treasure chest, emitting a divine light...
"We have to find it! I absolutely have to find it!"
The group decided to set out to find the mysterious treasure.
Riyao stood behind the crowd, watching this group of excited people, and almost couldn't hold back his laughter. He pursed his lips, his shoulders trembling slightly, and had to pretend to cough to cover it up.
Mirajane saw it clearly from the side. She tilted her head and looked at Riyao, her silver eyes full of curiosity. What exactly had Riyao buried?
The large group set off in high spirits. Over a dozen people lined up and walked out of the guild gates, their momentum comparable to an expeditionary force.
Makarov walked out of his office, his short body standing in the middle of the empty hall, looking left and right.
"Eh? Where is everyone?"
He stared and scratched his bald head.
"In the blink of an eye, where did those rowdy brats go?"
Macao poked his head out from behind the bar and pointed toward the door.
"They went out treasure hunting."
Makarov: "..."
Those little brats, they didn't even call him for a treasure hunt!
On the streets of Magnolia, the group marched through, their footsteps making the ground tremble slightly.
The passing residents saw such a large group of people—some carrying shovels, some carrying hoes, some carrying... fish—and all retreated to the side of the road in fear, hugging the walls to make way.
"What is Fairy Tail up to now..."
"Don't ask. If you ask, the answer is 'I don't know.'"
"Hurry up and move, don't get in their way."
Riyao and Mirajane followed at the back of the line. When a curious resident approached Riyao to ask what was happening, Riyao smiled and said, "Team building."