Meanwhile, Phoenix, who Laxus was thinking about, was painstakingly moving forward step by step in the bone-chilling wind, with Mavis comfortably resting on his back.
"Mavis, have you gained weight recently? I feel like you're getting heavier. How about you dispel your physical form?"
"Awoo!"
"Whoa!!! Let go, let go, my ear is going to fall off!"
"Hmph!"
Releasing Phoenix's earlobe, Mavis raised her fists and continuously pounded Phoenix's head.
"I'm a ghost, a ghost! Even if I'm materialized, I can't gain weight. Besides, isn't it very rude to say a cute girl has gained weight?"
"But I don't know why, I feel more and more tired."
"That's because we've been walking for too long."
Seemingly losing all strength, Mavis, who had been full of vigor, immediately slumped limply onto Phoenix's back.
Yes, they had indeed walked for a long time. Since taking on this mission three days ago, Phoenix and Mavis only took one day to reach the snowy northern lands, and the other two days were spent on meaningless mountain climbing.
Ten-Year Mission: Find the natural treasure of the Northern Mountain Range — the aurora bead.
The mission had no hints, but with the knowledgeable Mavis around, Phoenix didn't have to consider going to the annoying library to search for information.
The aurora bead, in its essence, is a snow glazed bead, a gift of nature formed in the extremely cold mountains of the north. Due to an aurora caused by a local anomaly, it absorbs the aurora for a hundred years to take shape. It has the effects of dispelling cold and toxins, and purifying curses. Moreover, its texture is very strong, capable of withstanding both extreme cold and extreme heat.
A snow glazed bead alone is very rare, let alone an aurora bead which requires immense serendipity.
Phoenix would rather fight a demon than aimlessly search for something, but Mavis insisted, so Phoenix had no choice but to accept his fate.
"Don't be listless!! I'm looking for the aurora bead for you, at least cheer up!"
"Mmm mmm~ Let me cheer up when you find it!"
"Hey! You're being too irresponsible!!"
Phoenix's face instantly darkened, and his steps lost all enthusiasm.
Few Mages were willing to undertake Ten-Year or Hundred-Year Missions, not only because no one had accomplished them within the time limit, making them extremely difficult to complete, but also because after ten or a hundred years, the person who originally posted the mission would either be long gone or no longer care about it.
Mavis chose this mission not just for adventure or to challenge limits, like Gildarts, but purely for herself.
It is said that the aurora bead is very beautiful.
Half a month slipped away again as Phoenix searched for the aurora bead. In that half-month, he accidentally found two snow glazed beads, but not even a shadow of an aurora bead was seen. The journey was not smooth sailing, and they encountered many obstacles, such as S-class magical beasts like Frost Lizards, S-class magical beasts like Indigenous Giants, S-class magical beasts like Snow Vultures... It was truly like falling into an S-class magical beast stronghold. Especially every time Mavis saw an S-class magical beast, she would become energetic, jump off Phoenix's back, clap her hands, and shout loudly, which made Phoenix seriously suspect that Mavis was ostensibly looking for the aurora bead, but actually looking for S-class magical beasts to watch an exciting match between an S-class magical beast and Phoenix.
"Let's go back, Mavis."
After again dealing with an S-class magical beast, the Snowfield Wolf King, Phoenix said, slightly out of breath.
Because this was a snowy mountain, Phoenix, for safety's sake, dared not easily use his Tremor-Tremor Fruit, wondering if it would trigger a huge avalanche!
"Go back? You know, this is your first Ten-Year Mission. If you give up like this, it will leave a dark stain on your rising reputation."
"I'd rather have no reputation than continue to stay in this godforsaken place. By the way, is my reputation really as good as you describe?"
He was very suspicious because most of what Phoenix overheard from others was the bad reputation of Phoenix not paying his debts.
"Well... probably!"
"Can you tell me what 'probably' means?"
Phoenix felt his eyebrow twitching uncontrollably.
"Probably means probably, honestly, I hate men who are so nitpicky."
"I'm still a boy, so it's fine!"
"What thick skin!"
"That's all thanks to you!"
After joking with Mavis, the decisive Phoenix promptly abandoned the mission and returned the way they came, carrying Mavis on his back. Because Phoenix had gone too deep this time in search of the aurora bead, by the time he brought Mavis back to the relatively safe edge area, they were attacked by six more waves of S-class magical beasts.
"It truly lives up to its name as a Ten-Year Mission. If one's strength is lacking, even if they find the aurora bead, they can forget about returning."
Setting Mavis down from his back, Phoenix looked at the northern sky and breathed a sigh of relief. Living with nerves constantly on edge was truly not a human's life.
"My... my aurora bead..."
Gazing north, Mavis's eyes welled up with tears.
"My beautiful big sister, my esteemed First Master, my beloved Mavis! Can you please stop obsessing over your aurora bead?"
"I just want the aurora bead!" Mavis's face was full of grievance, "Over a hundred years ago, when I first founded Fairy Tail, I threw all three hundred-plus snow glazed beads I had collected from all over into this place, hoping that someday a few aurora beads would form."
"Wow!! So rich!! By the way, did you already foresee the present back then?"
Phoenix looked at Mavis in shock, but was met with a look of disdain.
"Are you stupid! If I could foresee the present, I would definitely be able to foresee where the aurora bead is."
"..."
Phoenix broke out in a sweat. He always felt a very subtle sensation.
"That..."
"Quiet!"
Phoenix suddenly raised his hand, signaling Mavis to stop talking, his gentle eyes instantly becoming sharp. Knowing that Phoenix had sensed something, Mavis obediently said no more, her eyes also vigilantly scanning their surroundings. Although this area was a relatively safe zone where it was unlikely to encounter those S-class magical beasts again, nothing was absolute, and even if an S-class magical beast suddenly burst out from underground, it wouldn't be anything to be surprised about.
"Don't be nervous, it's just three humans. One adult and two children, all seem to be Mages, currently undergoing magic training."
Phoenix's full Kenbunshoku Haki could encompass an island ten kilometers in radius, and in a normal state, he could sense the movements of all living beings within a thousand meters.
"In such a snowy land? It seems they must be Mages specializing in ice and snow magic."
Although this area was a relatively mild border region, the actual temperature was still below zero.
"Hmm, not bad. The ice elements over there are significantly denser."
Looking at the east, which was obscured by layers of trees, Phoenix nodded.
"Let's go take a look, Fini-chan!"
"Uh... go take a look? Look at what? Isn't it bad to disturb others' training?"
Phoenix looked at Mavis, who had suddenly become excited, feeling quite speechless, especially her bright, sparkling big eyes that clearly told others she was very happy right now.
"Didn't you notice, Fini-chan?"
Her sparkling big eyes made it hard to look directly at her. Phoenix suppressed the urge to complain and retorted, "Notice what! I only know that they are training in this desolate place precisely because they don't want to be disturbed, and we definitely won't be welcome if we go there."
"That's exactly it!!"
However, Phoenix's explanation only made Mavis even happier.
"It's precisely because they don't interact with anyone that they don't belong to any guild! As the First Master of Fairy Tail, I have an obligation to help the homeless find the warmth of a home."
"..."
How am I supposed to retort to this!
Phoenix looked at Mavis, who had made a grand declaration, with a dumbfounded expression, his mouth twitching twice. Phoenix couldn't help but ask, "To put it bluntly, you just want to trick them all into the guild, right!"
"Exactly!! Everything is for the guild!"
Watching Mavis suddenly fall into a recruiting frenzy, Phoenix sighed softly, already powerless to stop anything.
Turning left and right, Phoenix moved through the snow-covered forest in the direction of the aura he sensed. Mavis, without needing to be told, once again lay down on Phoenix's back.