Rhodes took Wendy with him and left.
Carla, uncharacteristically, didn't cling to Wendy but stayed in the Guild to discuss matters with Happy and Lily, probably also wanting to see her own kind.
Rhodes didn't call the crab this time, just walked step by step on the street like taking a stroll.
Wendy followed beside him, looking left and right with curiosity, just like she was visiting Magnolia for the first time.
Rhodes couldn't help but recall when he first met Wendy; back then, they also looked curiously at things outside the train together, getting excited and startled.
They hadn't walked far before they saw many strange buildings. The style was secondary; the main thing was that some buildings seemed unbelievable.
For instance, there was a 'three-section' building by the canal bank, literally a three-section building.
The upper, middle, and lower parts of the entire building were separated; no matter how you looked, the middle was just air, not any transparent building material.
Rhodes couldn't figure out the purpose of this design for a moment. Was it for two extra large balconies? Or for better lighting for the buildings behind?
How did people go up and down the floors inside?
"It's changed so much, like it's become a different city," Wendy sighed.
Rhodes nodded, "Yeah, but some things haven't changed, and they look a bit strange."
He hadn't noticed it when he was in the air before, but now, looking closely, there were many quite 'primitive' buildings mixed in between the new high-rises.
Just like Fairy Tail's Guild building, some residences and shops still looked exactly as they did 6 years ago, with no changes.
For example, where Lucy lived hadn't changed at all.
Although these old buildings couldn't compare in number to the new ones, they certainly couldn't be ignored. Were they holdouts against demolition?
Not knowing the situation, Rhodes could only guess wildly. He'd ask Macao and the others when he got back.
The sound of engines and horns successively entered Rhodes' ears. He pulled Wendy closer to the side of the road.
Sure enough, a Magic-Powered Four-Wheeler zoomed past from behind.
It was very different from the Magic-Powered Four-Wheelers of the past; the most noticeable feature was that the people in the car weren't wearing SE plugs, clearly indicating that current cars no longer required the driver to provide Magic Power.
"Another one." Rhodes had already seen this kind of car twice on the road; one time it was a two-wheeler resembling a motorcycle.
These people drove recklessly, charging straight ahead. He wondered when traffic police would be on duty to sort them out.
Rhodes thought for a moment. If he couldn't stand it someday, he'd stand in the middle of the road and let them hit him, maybe earning a bit of pocket money.
"This bridge is still the same as before!" Wendy happily stepped onto a stone arch bridge.
Unknowingly, searching for things they had seen before in Magnolia had become a nice pastime.
However, just as Wendy and Rhodes stood firm, the arch bridge suddenly moved.
Wendy was startled and grabbed Rhodes' lapel in a panic, while Rhodes stood steady, looking at the ground beneath his feet with some surprise.
This thing, an escalator?
It seemed quite novel, but considering they could develop something as bizarre as Guildarts Mode, it shouldn't be surprising to build an escalator after six years.
The two were safely transported to the other side by the stone steps, which were like a conveyor belt. Wendy still seemed shaken.
Rhodes silently criticized this thing. It suddenly started moving without even putting up a warning sign. Had it become common knowledge that this arch bridge moved?
Unexpectedly, as soon as their feet touched solid ground, a group of people came up and mocked, "That's hilarious, where did these bumpkins come from?"
"It's already this era, and there are still people who haven't even seen a Magic-Powered staircase, hahaha!"
"Looking closely, aren't these people from Fairy Tail?"
"This kind of weak and outdated Guild should give up that spot and get lost to the countryside!"
Upon encountering these strange and fierce-looking guys, Wendy's first reaction was fear, wanting to hide behind Rhodes.
But hearing them badmouth the Guild, she tightened her little face, feeling a bit angry.
Rhodes felt uncomfortable. The typical chuunibyou villain provoking speech made him so awkward he was getting goosebumps.
He glanced up and saw that the guy leading them, who was carrying a spiked club on his back, had a certain Guild's emblem tattooed on his right arm.
He didn't recognize it.
It was most likely a Guild newly established within these 6 years.
He seemed to have heard someone say during dinner that Magnolia now had an additional Guild, and its scale was already larger than the current Fairy Tail.
Rhodes' appearance of frowning and lowering his gaze in thought was interpreted as fear and distress by the other party.
They were Magicians from Twilight Ogre.
These people had always felt that the location currently occupied by Fairy Tail was better than their Guild's, with a wide front street and facing the lake at the back,
The environment was top-notch.
They had always hoped to take over that place and turn it into their headquarters after Fairy Tail went bankrupt. Unfortunately, although this Guild had been losing members, it stubbornly held on.
Furthermore, because Fairy Tail had the Peace Medal and Legion of Honor awarded by the Kingdom, many tactics on the edge of the law couldn't be used.
Not only that, but back then, even if someone from another Guild tried to cause trouble, the residents of Magnolia would scold them right on the spot.
It was only in the past two years that things had started to ease up a little.
How could such an "outdated" Guild still be so supported? In this new era, wasn't Twilight Ogre contributing far more to Magnolia's development?
Since they couldn't openly pick a fight, at the very least they could mock Fairy Tail's members in the street to satisfy their pride.
And if Fairy Tail struck back first, well, it wouldn't be their fault.
Besides, the two people they ran into didn't look strong. One was just a child, and the other, with his long hair and loose robes, didn't look particularly intimidating.
Tibo, the man carrying a spiked club, muttered a few mocking words before suddenly realizing the "weak-looking" man had glared directly at him.
"He actually dared to glare at me." Tibo was secretly delighted. If the guy had been a coward, it would have been boring.
But before Tibo could laugh again, his legs suddenly went weak. In an instant, the refined-looking man and the little girl beside him seemed to transform into terrifying monsters.
The next moment, Tibo felt an overwhelming pressure pressing down on him. His chest grew tight, and he struggled to breathe before collapsing to his knees.
Several of his companions dropped even faster than he did, stammering apologies like "sorry" and "please forgive us."
Passersby stopped and whispered among themselves. Twilight Ogre's men were usually so arrogant, why were they suddenly kneeling to Fairy Tail?
Sure, Fairy Tail's main members had returned, but being this terrified seemed extreme. After all, Fairy Tail was known for wrecking buildings, not people, and they even paid compensation afterward.
Thinking along those lines, some passersby quickened their pace, deciding it would be wise to get home and warn their children and newer friends to avoid getting caught in the middle of Fairy Tail trouble.
Rhodes, of course, hadn't suddenly awakened some legendary conqueror's haki from another world.
He had simply made clever use of an ability from the buff, "Fear Enemy Minions."
In game terms, that was the name of the effect. In reality, it was essentially an illusion-based Magic that left no visible trace.
The greater the gap in Magic Power between caster and target, the more potent the effect became, and it worked especially well the first time they met.
With just a slight release of his Magic Power, Rhodes could terrify opponents into fleeing in panic, or make them collapse and kneel on the spot.
It all depended on their psychological endurance.
He ignored the group of Twilight Ogre members kneeling and groveling for forgiveness and simply continued forward, pulling Wendy along.
Since he didn't know if they were just mouthing off or actually intended to make Fairy Tail their enemy, he had chosen to simply glare rather than strike back for real.
Once they had walked a fair distance away, Wendy asked with a frown, "What happened to them?"
"Maybe their conscience caught up with them, and they realized they'd gone too far," Rhodes replied casually.
"Really?" Wendy didn't sound convinced.
"Alright, fine. I secretly used a bit of Magic."
The two continued chatting as they strolled, waving to familiar faces along the way. Of course, many people also came forward excitedly to greet them.
"Isn't this Rhodes? You've changed so much! And Wendy, you've gotten taller these past years, haven't you?"
Wendy took a critical hit to her heart.
Rhodes laughed warmly. "I think you've changed even more. By the way, is your child about fourteen or fifteen now? Do you want him to join Fairy Tail?"
"Haha, no way. I don't want him to become a wizard. It's too dangerous a job."
Everyone knew being a Magician was becoming harder and harder. Even Magic schools were struggling to recruit students.
To many, becoming a Magician no longer seemed as safe or promising as being a Magic Item researcher. Research had more risks of failure, but the work was steadier and safer.
Still, this casual small talk gave Rhodes a clearer sense of the state of Magicians today.
Ordinary jobs were becoming rarer, dangerous ones more common, and life for Magicians grew increasingly difficult.
But that didn't worry him.
As the Guild Master often said: "Sometimes a job pays well for little effort. Other times, you risk your life and earn next to nothing. That's the life of a Magician, and we've always lived that way."
That was Fairy Tail's spirit.
"Ah, right," the friendly passerby suddenly remembered something. "You're not planning to pick a fight with Twilight Ogre as soon as you're back, are you?"
"So they're called Twilight Ogre." Rhodes waved his hand dismissively. "It's not that serious. We're not the kind of Guild that goes looking for fights."
"Is… is that so? Ha… haha." The man gave a weak laugh. Fairy Tail wasn't belligerent?
"Speaking of which, are they a legal Guild? What's their reputation like? Are they popular?" Rhodes asked.
"Of course they're legal. Some of their members act a little rough, like street thugs, but they've also helped solve a lot of local problems."
He thought for a moment and added, "Come to think of it, doesn't Fairy Tail have an Iron Dragon Slayer with the same kind of scary demeanor? And Laxus used to be like that too."
Wendy's face grew awkward. Mister Gajeel definitely looked scary, but… was Laxus really like that too?
Rhodes, on the other hand, looked regretful. If only he could have recorded those words, what perfect ammunition to tease Laxus with later.