April 1, 774.
After spending more than ten days on Wolf Island, enjoying their last moments of joy, and then drifting at sea for half a month, Phoenix and Mavis finally arrived in human society.
Stepping onto the port, Phoenix felt a strong desire to integrate as he watched the bustling crowd.
Taking a deep breath, Phoenix stood on the port and shouted loudly:
"World!!! I'm here!!"
The entire port instantly fell silent, the noisy world seemed to become a thing of the past, and time seemed to be frozen.
But then... *thud!* *thud, thud, thud*—
Within a five-hundred-meter radius centered on Phoenix, no one except Phoenix and Mavis could remain standing; everyone had fainted on the ground.
"Fini-chan!! Quickly retract your Haki!!"
Mavis glared angrily at Phoenix. Seeing this, Mavis, for some reason, began to consider whether or not to let Phoenix join Fairy Tail. Recalling the complaint letters that once filled an entire warehouse, Mavis found this future truly despairing.
"Hehehe~ What does it matter! No one died anyway. Let's go, we're going to eat!"
Phoenix chuckled indifferently and then pulled Mavis's hand, walking towards the town.
Upon arriving at a nicely decorated restaurant, Phoenix loudly declared: "Bring me all the dishes in this restaurant!"
*Swish, swish, swish*!!
It was truly attention-grabbing; all sorts of strange gazes in the restaurant were fixed on Phoenix and Mavis, but the two of them seemed to have very thick skins, naturally ignoring everything.
"All... all of them?"
The restaurant owner wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. This customer was truly making an outrageous demand; could he even eat it all?
"So annoying!! Just serve the food when I tell you to, where's all this nonsense coming from!!"
"...!"
The restaurant owner was harshly rebuked. He wanted to retort, but remembering that the customer is king, and especially since the two of them were dressed very lavishly, they didn't look like swindlers at all. They must be the young master and young lady of some prominent family. Thinking this, the restaurant owner waved his hand and told the waiter to serve the dishes.
They didn't wait long at their table before the dishes were brought out one by one in an orderly fashion. The restaurant owner, the waiters, and some of the remaining customers all wanted to see how this young man, who had ordered a table full of food, would deal with it. But what happened next truly left them dumbfounded.
Aside from the blonde girl, who ate slowly and gracefully, the way the young man devoured his food made the phrase "gobbling it down" sound weak! He wasn't eating at all!! He was directly pouring the plates into his mouth!!!
"Whoa!!! That's... that's too astonishing!! Was he starved to death in his previous life?"
The restaurant owner's jaw dropped in surprise, and everyone else looked as if they had seen a ghost, staring at Phoenix, whose speed showed no sign of slowing down.
*Bang*!!
Suddenly, just as everyone was numbly watching the towering stacks of plates, the restaurant door was violently flung open from outside, and a team of soldiers swarmed in.
"Found him!! This is the guy who messed up the port!"
*Swish, swish, swish*!!
Blades glinting with cold light were all pointed at Phoenix, who was still feasting. But Phoenix merely glanced at them indifferently and continued to clear the dishes from the table.
He hadn't tasted human world delicacies for a full seven years; it wouldn't do to come out and not eat his fill!
"Hey!! What's your name? You're the one who caused the commotion at the port, aren't you?!"
It seemed to be the captain of this squad, a young man in his twenties, who stepped forward and questioned him.
"Ah woo! Ah woo—"
Phoenix continued to eat, and a line of black sweat instantly appeared on the back of everyone's heads.
Hey! You're too calm!!
"Take him away!!"
A cross mark instantly popped up on the captain's forehead. With a wave of his hand, a team of soldiers immediately stepped forward, ready to apprehend Phoenix and Mavis.
"Get lost!!"
*Boom*!!
Swallowing the food in his mouth, Phoenix let out a cold shout. Like an invisible wave of energy, he directly sent the entire team, including the captain, flying out.
"Oh oh oh oh oh!!! We're doomed!!"
The restaurant owner wailed in despair, but no one was left to comfort him. After Phoenix instantly defeated the soldiers, all the other customers immediately put down their money and left in a hurry.
To dare to go against the army, it seemed a major incident was about to occur here. While watching a spectacle was enjoyable, if there was a possibility of getting involved, it wouldn't be worth it, especially a Mage's spectacle. For the sake of their lives, it was best to go home quickly.
"Ah woo, ah woo~"
Phoenix's grand meal continued at the table. Mavis turned her head to look at the army lying sprawled at the entrance, a trace of pity on her face. "Fend for yourselves! To dare to disturb Phoenix while he's eating, you truly are tragic."
Soon, after Phoenix had devoured the last plate of food, he stretched, looking refreshed and invigorated.
"Hmm, I'm truly full! Owner, your food is good."
"It's truly wonderful to satisfy a customer like you."
Wiping the cold sweat that had appeared on his forehead at some point, the restaurant owner answered cautiously.
"Mavis, are you done eating?"
"Yes! Very satisfied! It's been so, so long since I've eaten human world food."
Patting her stomach, Mavis also wore a happy smile.
"Alright!! Since we've finished eating, let's go!"
With that, Phoenix came before Mavis and scooped her into his arms.
"My stomach is so full, I need to rest for a bit."
"Don't worry, no one will disturb us."
"Wait... wait a moment..."
Seeing Phoenix about to step out the door, the restaurant owner couldn't help but call out.
"Hmm?"
Phoenix turned his head, his gaze sharp, and the poor restaurant owner almost fainted from fright.
"Th-that..."
"If you have something to say, say it quickly. Do you think my time is cheap?"
Seeing the customer's attitude getting worse and worse, the restaurant owner swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"N-nothing... Please go slowly, and remember to come again next time!"
If he really said it, he'd be killed!
The restaurant owner thought darkly to himself, but on the surface, he forced out a smile uglier than a cry.
"Next time, huh..." Phoenix mused for a moment, then revealed a very brilliant smile.
"Don't worry! I'll definitely come back to patronize you next time."
You're actually coming again!!!
The restaurant owner ranted wildly in his heart, but he didn't dare to say anything. He even dared to beat up the army casually, so the restaurant owner didn't think his face was bigger than the army's.
Fortunately, there were people in this world who could understand his thoughts.
"Fini-chan, you haven't paid yet."
Mavis, comfortably nestled in Phoenix's arms, dozed off and chuckled softly.
"Money? Do I need to pay for food?"
"..."
Mavis and the restaurant owner were instantly speechless.
To be surprised by that, do you have any common sense at all!
"Are you here to ask for money?"
Phoenix looked at the restaurant owner, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"No!!! Absolutely not!!" The restaurant owner denied it quite resolutely, "I just wanted to ask the customer if he was satisfied with our establishment."
What shameless words, he was clearly there to ask for money, but succumbed to the oppressive force.
"Hmm, eating for free isn't my style... How about this, I'll give you an IOU, and you can go to Fairy Tail to collect it later!"
The restaurant owner was quite happy at first, hearing Phoenix's seemingly apologetic words, but with the next half-sentence, the restaurant owner's face immediately darkened.
"What, not satisfied?"
"No, no, no, satisfied, very satisfied!!"
The restaurant owner, with a bitter expression, immediately said with a fawning smile.
Although an IOU was quite exasperating, it was better than not getting any money at all!
Not long after Phoenix left, carrying Mavis, an army ten times larger than before once again surrounded the restaurant. As for how the restaurant owner would explain, and what those soldiers would do, it was completely unimportant to Phoenix, who had already left, and he had no time to bother with them.
"Where are we going next? Are we going to Fairy Tail?"
"No, there's no hurry yet. I need to first investigate the strength of Swordsmen in this world!"