Looking at the mission request Mirajane handed them, Statiw and Gray's mouths twitched. The mission she chose this time was not the beast-extermination type they had expected. Instead, it was an exploration mission, more suited to Statiw's magic.
"Why did you choose this mission?" he carefully read the contents of the mission request and asked, looking puzzled.
Gray also nodded continuously in agreement with his question.
"What? Is there a problem?" she raised an eyebrow.
"No, just curious," Statiw immediately shook his head and explained when she raised an eyebrow.
She then explained, "Isn't this mission chosen for you? So, I picked this mission based on the strengths of your magic. What do you think? If there are no problems, we'll decide on this one. If you think there's a problem, then I'll go pick another suitable one..."
"Uh, no need, this one is quite suitable," he shook his head.
"Alright, then this is the mission," she nodded in satisfaction, put away the mission request, and turned to walk towards Master Makarov, who was drinking at the counter.
After she had walked some distance, Gray lightly nudged his arm and said, "Hey, don't you think Mirajane is a little strange?"
"Yeah, you noticed it too? Ever since Cana and I came back from our mission, she has felt different from before. I just don't know what exactly is different about her, or why she's changed," he said, looking at her back with a troubled expression.
Hearing his words, Gray surprisingly shifted his gaze from her to Statiw, carefully observing his expression.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me?" Seeing his strange expression as he scrutinized him, Statiw felt very uncomfortable and asked with a puzzled look.
"Nothing," Gray patted his arm firmly and encouraged him, "Come on, if you succeed, there will be one less mountain pressing down on us. I'm rooting for you."
With that, Gray turned and left his side.
At this moment, he looked at the departing Gray in confusion, wondering, "What does he mean? What mountain is one less? What is that guy talking about?"
Just as he couldn't figure it out, she, who was almost at the counter, saw him still standing there in a daze. Her brow furrowed again, then relaxed, and she called out to him, "Statiw, what are you doing standing there? Come over quickly."
Hearing her clear voice reach his ears, he instantly snapped back to reality. He turned his head and quickly walked towards her, responding, "Got it, I'll be right there."
After he took a few steps to reach her side, the two walked together to the guild counter, in front of Master Makarov.
"Oh, Mirajane, Statiw. What's up?" Makarov, who was gulping down alcohol, dazedly saw someone approach him. He looked up with bleary, drunken eyes and asked the two.
"Hey, old man. Is it really okay for you to drink so much? Should I go tell..." she arrived in front of him, saw him completely drunk, put her hands on her hips, and began to speak with a displeased expression.
However, before she could finish her sentence, Makarov waved his hand and said with a grinning expression, "Don't worry, don't worry, my alcohol tolerance is much higher than this."
As he spoke, he even jumped up and stood on the counter, pointing to the top of his head as he gestured.
"Honestly, if something happens to your body, don't say I didn't warn you." Looking at him, she handed over the mission request with a displeased expression.
"Let me see. An exploration mission for the forest ruins?" Ignoring her words, Makarov took the mission request she handed him and seriously read its contents. Then, he thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I approve this mission. However, exploration missions can sometimes have big changes. If you find anything amiss, don't be reckless or hesitate. Immediately request assistance from the guild, understand?"
"Huh? Old man, are you saying my strength isn't enough?" she immediately crossed her arms when she heard his instructions.
"This isn't a matter of strength, it's a matter of experience." Seeing her like this, Makarov immediately got a headache. The guild's greatest potentials were Laxus, Erza, and her, but she was a stubborn one. If you tell her, she might go against you. If you don't tell her, she might make a mistake.
Just as she was about to say something more, he pulled her, then assured Makarov, "Master, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her. If there really is a problem, even if she's unwilling, I will request help from the guild."
"Mm." Seeing him speak, Makarov thought about his usual personality, then nodded and instructed him, "Remember, once you find a problem, absolutely do not be reckless."
After speaking, he waved his hand, signaling that the two could go and carry out the mission.
Leaving the guild, the two went back to pack up, then headed to the train station to meet. This mission's location was quite far from Magnolia, and it was in a forest, so they needed to take a long train ride and then walk a long distance to reach their destination.
Back in his room, he first carefully considered what he might need, then put all those potentially useful items into a painting. He then stored the painting in his magical storage. Finally, he did another round, confirmed there were no omissions, closed the door, and headed to the agreed meeting point with her.
When he arrived at the meeting point, she, carrying the small box she usually took on missions, had already been waiting for him for a while. Seeing him approach, she frowned and said, "Why did you come empty-handed? Our mission location this time is deep in the forest."
"Don't worry, I brought everything," he smiled slightly and took out the painting containing miscellaneous items from his magical storage, saying, "Look, it's all in here."
"You're going to use the materialization method?" she frowned, "The mission we chose this time relies on you as the main force. If your magic power is consumed too much, the mission will become much more troublesome."
"No, you're mistaken." he understood her meaning and motioned for her to relax, saying, "After becoming a B-Class Mage, I can now store items inside a painting that depicts them. When I need them, I just take them out. It's not what you're thinking."
"Is that so?" she listened to his words and carefully looked at the painting he had taken out. She found that this painting was indeed different from the ones he used for materialization before; it seemed to have something extra inside...