"For your own safety, it's best you don't rush over there."
The tall, mature Wendy spoke seriously to persuade Marco, her expression were grave and sincere.
She genuinely didn't want Marco and Mystogan to head to the royal capital—the enemy's stronghold.
Having lost half of their guild members and even their guild master in battle, the Fairy Tail members of Edolas had clearly lost their will to fight and any desire to launch an offensive.
"Just surviving has taken all our strength," Gray lamented, his sorrow mirrored on the faces of the others.
Merely keeping the guild running was already a struggle for them.
Clearly, in their hearts, the Edolas Magic War Unit—which sought to abolish all Magic Guilds and kill anyone who resisted—had become an utterly unbeatable enemy.
"..."
Marco fell silent as he looked at the Fairy Tail members.
They were timid, like stray dogs, a stark contrast to the spirited demeanor of Fairy Tail from Earth Land.
But Marco understood their perspective—their current state was shaped by everything they had endured.
Without suffering their hardships, one shouldn't urge them to be brave.
Without enduring the relentless pursuit or witnessing comrades die one by one, he had no right to criticize them or demand they rally.
In truth, they had already mustered remarkable resilience.
At the very least, they could still smile as they carried on, maintaining Fairy Tail and helping those in need—even if those smiles were strained, they persisted.
"Just tell us the location of the royal capital," Marco said calmly.
He didn't expect anything from these people, and from his observations, they wouldn't be of much help anyway.
"Is it absolutely necessary?" Lucy asked, frowning.
"Absolutely necessary," Marco replied with a firm smile.
"Alright, I can tell you where the royal capital is."
Seeing Marco's resolute expression, Lucy didn't press further, deciding to respect his and Mystogan's decision.
"But... we won't be going with you," she added, emphasizing this to avoid any misunderstanding.
They had done their best to dissuade Marco and Mystogan from going.
If persuasion failed, the most they could do was provide directions—nothing more.
"Of course, this is our matter to begin with," Marco acknowledged, having never intended to bring them along.
Lucy nodded and fetched a map.
"With this map, you'll be able to find the royal capital."
Handing the map to Marco, she fell silent, indicating that their assistance ended there—they would take no further part in what followed.
Marco glanced at the map.
The overall structure of the Edolas world was remarkably similar to that of Earth Land, nearly identical.
Their current location was still far from the "royal capital," separated by several cities and even a relatively short strait.
"No wonder I don't recognize anything around here." Mystogan also came over to take a look and finally understood the situation.
This place was indeed not very close to the "Royal Capital."
"Thanks, we won't disturb you any further."
Marco put away the map and bid farewell to Lucy and the others.
He left decisively, showing no intention of saying anything more.
Mystogan quickly followed suit, also remaining silent.
"..."
Lucy and the others watched Marco and Mystogan leave, their expressions complicated.
In truth, their cautious approach was partly because Marco and Mystogan were not their companions.
In this world, Marco was even their enemy.
Under such circumstances, it was difficult for Lucy and the others to trust Marco and Mystogan, let alone risk their lives with them to gather intelligence in the Royal Capital.
Who would be reckless enough to do something like that?
The already weakened Fairy Tail couldn't afford to go all-in for Marco and Mystogan.
Not only would they not go all-in for them, but to avoid being implicated, they would quickly activate the teleportation device and leave this place once everyone returned.
Of course, deep down, they truly hoped that what Marco and Mystogan said was true and that they could indeed lead an otherworldly army to overthrow the King of Edolas.
The Edolas Kingdom now ruled almost the entire world.
Aside from the few remaining resistance organizations, no other force could pose a challenge to the King of Edolas.
Overthrowing the King of Edolas truly depended on "enemies from the sky."
Lucy and the others felt as though their experiences that day were like a dream.
Could the one possibility capable of changing the world really have happened?
Had "enemies from the sky" truly arrived?
And it was the prince of the Edolas Kingdom who personally brought these "enemies from the sky."
...
"Why does it feel like we're in the Western Continent?"
After leaving Fairy Tail, Marco began studying the map again, paying closer attention to the details, and came to this conclusion.
"That's right. It's just that the strait between the Western Continent and Ishgar is very narrow, and it won't take long to cross," Mystogan agreed.
According to the map, the location of the Fairy Tail guildhall was right on the edge of the "Western Continent."
They only needed to pass through two small towns to reach the coast.
After crossing the sea and passing through another small town, they would arrive at the Royal Capital of the Edolas Kingdom.
"This strait is indeed short. It should take less than half the time to cross," Marco nodded.
The "half the time" he mentioned referred to the time it would take to cross the strait between the "Western Continent" and "Ishgar" in the Earth Land world.
Over there, it would take a little over ten days, while here, it would only take about five days.
"First, we'll go to Rune City, then take a boat from Sicca City, disembark at Toria City, and head east to reach the Royal Capital," Marco traced the route on the map.
This was the conventional route, the one most people would take—safe, convenient for supplies, and easier to navigate.
"But we won't go that way. We'll fly directly east in a straight line, cross the strait to Toria City, and then proceed to the Royal Capital."
Marco waved his hand and summoned several crows.
These crows, brought to another world, now appeared somewhat listless.
"They've been affected too."
Marco sighed and immediately connected with the stars.
Starlight showered down, covering the crows and replenishing their magic power.
Without this magical replenishment, these crows would be rendered useless.
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