Chen Fan was also in the water, but he was surrounded by a faint aura. Not a single part of his clothes was wet. Looking at the unconscious Gray, Natsu, and the others, Chen Fan thought helplessly, "They're really troublemakers." Two whirlpools appeared under his feet, and Chen Fan rushed towards them.
With a "whooshing..." sound, the surface of the sea split, creating a path. The seawater on both sides surged, but it couldn't cross the boundary. Chen Fan walked step by step toward the shore, with several figures floating beside him—Gray, Natsu, and the others.
After placing them all, Chen Fan sat on a large rock nearby, watching over them and waiting for them to wake up.
As he sat, Chen Fan felt bored, so he walked along the beach, wanting to see the scenery. After all, it wasn't easy to come here. Unlike the interior of the island, the sunlight on the beach was very bright, and with the lush trees around, it gave the feeling of being in a paradise. Stepping on the soft sand and listening to the sound of the waves, Chen Fan felt his heart relax. His superpower, which hadn't progressed for a long time, seemed to enter an even more subtle realm.
Suddenly, Chen Fan heard someone calling his name with an urgent voice. He knew without thinking that Natsu and the others had woken up, so he quickly walked toward them.
Natsu and Gray were both relieved to see Chen Fan was safe. They both snapped at him. "Where did you run off to?! We've been looking for you everywhere!" Although their tone was harsh, Chen Fan could still feel their concern.
"It's nothing. I just got washed up on the beach over there," Chen Fan said nonchalantly.
"I promised the Old Man I'd bring you back safely!" Gray, who was annoyed to see Chen Fan's nonchalant attitude, yelled at him.
"Alright, alright, what's important is that Chen Fan is fine," Lucy quickly chimed in, seeing Gray angry for the first time.
Chen Fan felt a little happy seeing Gray and Natsu so angry. After all these years, Chen Fan considered them like his own younger brothers. They were the first people he had seen after joining this guild.
He stepped forward, patted both of their shoulders, and smiled. "Aren't I fine? Come on, don't underestimate me so much. I might not have much, but I have the ability to protect myself; you just don't know it. Alright, we still have a mission waiting for us."
"You're still thinking about the mission?" Gray looked at Chen Fan with confusion.
"Don't you feel unwilling to let Natsu and the others get to the second floor first?" Chen Fan said with a serious expression, then turned around, leaving Gray lost in his thoughts.
After hearing the word 'mission', Natsu was energized. He jumped up happily. "Since Chen Fan is fine, then don't worry! Let's explore! Explore!"
"Aye!"
"According to the request, that's the last thing you should be doing," Lucy mumbled from the side.
Then, Lucy took out a map and said to Natsu and Chen Fan, "It seems there's a village on this island, and the village chief is the client for this mission. Let's go there first." After speaking, she put her map away.
At that moment, a voice rang out. Gray said, "Wait."
Natsu turned around. "What is it? The boat is destroyed, and you can't take us back."
"No, I'm coming too. Chen Fan is right. It would be a disgrace to let you guys get to the second floor first. If you get expelled, it will be much lonelier. If we complete this mission outstandingly, the Old Man shouldn't say anything, right?"
Hearing Gray say this, Lucy and Natsu smiled. Gray's face also broke into a smile.
"Alright then! Let's go!"
"Let's go!"
"Yay...!"
They ran ahead. Chen Fan followed behind, listening to the sound of their laughter. He looked up at the blue sky, a meaningful smile on his face, and at the same time, he became more determined to protect that smile.
He lowered his head, realizing that Natsu and the others were already far ahead. He waved his hand and yelled loudly, "Wait for me!" With that, he quickly ran toward them.
"Come chase us!"
"Hurry up!"
"Haha..." Natsu and Lucy yelled at Chen Fan, then ran faster, leaving behind a trail of laughter.
Night fell, and Chen Fan and the others stood in front of a large gate. On the gate, there was a piece of paper.
"Do Not Enter," Gray read the contents.
"By the way, what does 'Do Not Enter' mean?" Natsu was a little annoyed.
Seeing that, Lucy stepped forward and yelled. "Excuse me! Please open the gate!" But no one responded.
"Snap." Natsu clenched his fist, a cruel grin on his lips. "Should we just break it?"
"Don't!" Lucy turned around and said to the somewhat brutish Natsu.
Suddenly, a voice came from above. "Who are you?"
"We are members of the Fairy Tail wizard guild," Lucy looked up proudly.
"We have not heard that the request has been accepted."
"No, that..."
"There must have been a mistake, maybe the message was delivered late." At a critical moment, Gray stepped in. He had already learned from Chen Fan, not even blushing as he lied.
"Everyone, show me your emblems," the person above yelled.
"Whoosh!" Natsu showed the emblem on his arm, Happy the emblem on his back, Lucy the emblem on the back of her hand, and Gray the emblem on his chest.
Finally, it was Chen Fan's turn. Chen Fan showed a disdainful expression, raising his middle finger at the person above. On his middle finger, there was an emblem that looked like a ring. Chen Fan had requested this himself just to show off. The person above finally managed to see Chen Fan's emblem clearly.
He yelled excitedly, "It's real! It's real! They really came!"
With a "click, click" sound, the gate slowly went up. "It's like walking into a monster's mouth," Happy said.
"Don't say such disgusting things," Lucy whispered to Happy.
After the door opened, Chen Fan and the others saw a group of people wrapped in clothes. The person at the front said, "I am Mocha, the chief of this village. This is a little presumptuous, but please look at this first." He turned to the villagers. "Everyone!"
A rustling sound was heard, and all the villagers took off their outer clothes. Seeing this, Gray said seriously, "It's the same as the captain uncle."
"Mm," Lucy responded with a little fear.
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