They glanced at Simon, and when Simon nodded at them, they followed Sho.
Gray looked at Simon. "Aren't you going after him? He might do something stupid."
It seemed Gray held a lot of resentment for Simon's earlier attack.
"Don't worry, Millianna and Wally will bring him back," Simon said to Gray.
"Alright then, tell us your plan. Isn't your goal to beat that guy named Jellal?" Natsu said, clenching his fists.
It has to be said, Natsu was quite sensitive in this regard.
Simon looked at Erza.
Erza looked at Chen Fan.
Chen Fan nodded at Erza.
Seeing Chen Fan nod, Erza also turned and nodded at Simon.
"Alright then, here's the plan..."
The stars in the night sky were exceptionally clear and bright. Unlike Earth, there was no Milky Way, nor was there a poignant love story like the Qixi Festival. However, for Chen Fan, who had experienced that, he felt something was missing.
On the ship, the sound of waves hitting the hull was heard from time to time. The sea breeze carried the unique scent of the beach, and in the distance, the sporadic lights on the coast showed that Chen Fan's ship had sailed quite a distance.
Erza stood at the stern, looking out, lost in thought, her figure looking a bit lonely. She was reminiscent of a girl who always ran at the forefront of battle, whether on the shinobi battlefield or in Soul Society, always carrying an invisible burden.
"Yo! My little Shasha, what are you looking at? Why aren't you sleeping yet?" Chen Fan jumped onto the ship's railing and sat down, speaking to Erza.
"Oh, oh, nothing." Then she suddenly reacted, "Bang!" She hit Chen Fan's head and yelled, "What do you mean by 'little Shasha'? How many times have I warned you? Why do you never listen?"
"Ah, ah... ah... I'm going to fall!" Chen Fan, with his clumsy acting, jumped off the ship.
Erza was startled and quickly leaned over the railing. "Hey, Chen Fan, are you okay?"
"Heh heh..." Chen Fan was seen floating in the air above the sea, his hands behind his head, looking carefree. He was almost a meter above the water, smiling at Erza. Erza sighed and gave Chen Fan an annoyed look.
"Heh heh." Chen Fan laughed and flew back to sit beside Erza, asking, "How is it, do you feel a little better?"
"How can I feel better? You're always bothering me," Erza said exasperatedly to Chen Fan.
"Where?"
"Where not?" Erza and Chen Fan started arguing about 'where' and 'where not'.
At this time, two people were watching Erza and Chen Fan's argument. Lucy's eyes showed a hint of jealousy, while Simon's eyes were complicated. Envy, jealousy, and all sorts of emotions flashed through Simon's eyes, finally settling on a blessing for Erza.
"Heh heh..." Erza suddenly laughed. Seeing her laugh, Chen Fan said, "That's much better. Little Shasha is cute when she smiles more."
Erza rolled her eyes at Chen Fan again and turned her head away, no longer joking with him. Chen Fan rubbed his head and also stopped talking, sitting quietly beside her.
"Huh..." Erza's sigh was heard. Chen Fan turned around and saw that Erza's eyes were full of worry, which annoyed him a bit.
"What are you worried about? Is it the Tower of Heaven? Or... Jellal? If it's the Tower of Heaven, you don't have to worry at all. If I wanted to destroy it, I could do it in an instant," Chen Fan said, then jumped back onto the deck and walked toward the cabin. Perhaps he himself didn't realize that his tone carried a clear jealousy.
Only Erza, this silly, emotionally slow girl, didn't notice it.
Suddenly, Gray's voice was heard from the bow, "Look, what's that?" Chen Fan also stopped walking toward the cabin, and Erza quickly ran.
Walking to the bow and looking forward, they saw a towering, cloud-piercing tower-like structure standing on an island in the distance, almost occupying the entire island.
"What is that?" Natsu, who had appeared from who knows where, asked. His face was still pale, and right after speaking, he ran to the side to vomit again.
Natsu also voiced what Gray and the others were thinking. Gray, Lucy, and Juvia all shifted their gazes to Erza.
Erza clutched her shoulders, trying hard not to tremble, but her voice betrayed her. Erza said with a slight tremble, "The Tower of Heaven, also known as System R." After speaking, she bowed her head.
"So this is the Tower of Heaven?" Gray and the others looked ahead with a bit of awe.
Chen Fan looked at the trembling Erza. She no longer bore any resemblance to Titania, only like a lost little girl who couldn't find her way home, inspiring a sense of pity.
All of Chen Fan's previous discomfort disappeared. He walked behind Erza, patting her shoulder. Erza looked back, and Chen Fan gave her a brilliant smile.
Erza then collapsed into Chen Fan's embrace, her shoulders trembling, as if she were crying. Chen Fan was stunned for a moment, and the others were also a bit shocked. They had never seen Titania in such a state, and they stared blankly at Erza.
It took a while for her to react.
Lucy was about to step forward, but Gray stopped her, shaking his head.
He carried the still-vomiting Natsu into the ship's cabin.
Lucy took a deep look at Chen Fan once more before following them inside.
Simon had also disappeared since who knows when, leaving only a slightly dazed Chen Fan and a still-crying Erza at the ship's bow.
The sun slowly rose from the sea, its gentle light bathing the pair, as if blessing them.