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Thanks to the existence of Magic and everyone's enthusiasm for building the Guild, the Fairy Tail expansion project progressed rapidly.
Working day and night, the brand new Fairy Tail was almost complete in just half a month.
Inspired by Phantom Lord, this expansion used sturdy stone. Makarov even made a special trip to find a senior Mage and acquired a batch of special wood capable of defending against Magic.
Long fences enclosed the land belonging to Fairy Tail. The large open spaces, previously unused due to lack of funds, were now filled with various facilities and buildings.
Entering from the front, the first thing one saw was a small plaza. Wooden tables and chairs were scattered under large parasols, and the plaza usually served as an open-air cafe.
But this was Fairy Tail—alcohol was far more popular than coffee.
Passing through the small plaza, the original three-story tavern-like building, after renovation, had transformed into an imposing four-and-a-half-story tower-shaped structure.
The half-story at the top housed a large bell, and on the exterior of the fourth floor, a giant red flag with a golden border was hung, featuring a white "Dancing Fairy" emblem.
The floor structure was similar to before.
The first floor was still the bar, but after expanding the area, a small stage was added against the wall in the hall. The second floor was converted into a library and lounge area. The third floor was the S-Class job storage, accessible only to S-Class Mages. And the fourth floor was the Guild Master's office.
The open space behind the Guild was finally utilized, becoming a large outdoor swimming pool and some entertainment areas.
It was all thanks to Phantom Lord's war reparations—otherwise, Makarov would never have been so extravagant with the Guild's expansion.
Most of Phantom Lord's accumulated wealth over the years was handed over by the Council to their arch-rival, Fairy Tail. Noah wondered what Jose's expression would be like when he found out, and if he would regret his impulsive ambition.
Noah leaned back in a lounge chair, a straw in his mouth, his gaze fixed on the pool. He quickly spotted the balding Guild Master among the handsome men and beautiful women splashing around.
"To satisfy his desire to look at pretty girls, he went to all that trouble to build a pool. Corruption! This is blatant corruption!"
Noah's look of profound grief made Erza, sitting next to him, laugh out loud. "You're even complaining about the Guild Master now? Weren't you and Mira having a great time playing ball in the pool yesterday?"
"The Guild Master can enjoy himself a little, can't he?"
Hearing this, Noah's mouth twitched.
Yesterday, Mira's "killer volleyball" had knocked Natsu unconscious, leaving Noah with lingering trepidation even now. Erza's comment about having fun probably referred to Mira alone... Just as he was thinking this, Noah saw Mira.
Mira, who'd just emerged from the pool, had wet white hair cascading over her soaked light pink swimsuit, like a water lily—pure and alluring.
Drying herself with a towel, Mira sat down on Noah's other side. "The weather is nice today, and the pool temperature is just right. Noah, aren't you going for a swim?"
Noah waved his hand. Having been supervised by Erza to work hard recently, the excessive exercise had left his body feeling sore all over.
It's a well-known fact that even a salted fish, if it keeps flipping, will eventually fall apart.
"By the way, why haven't I seen those three from Phantom Lord?" Noah looked around. He remembered Mira had invited the three Mages who left Phantom Lord.
"Oh, them..."
"Juvia has already joined us. I was worried she wouldn't be able to handle the Guild's lively atmosphere, but her adaptability has exceeded expectations."
Mira smiled with an unclear meaning. "Have you noticed Gray hasn't shown up for two days? He's probably racking his brains trying to shake off Juvia's tailing."
"Even if Juvia is a great beauty, being watched by her twenty-four-seven, even Gray can't stand it."
Wow wow wow!
It's the story of the Water Mage falling in love at first sight with the Ice-Make Mage!
Unfortunately, the protagonists of the story, Gray and Juvia, are out of luck.
To be attracted to an exhibitionist who strips anywhere, anytime, Juvia's mental state is also extraordinary. Staring at Gray all day—is she a stalker... Eh! An exhibitionist paired with a stalker, it seems to make sense.
Noah nodded, planning to secretly tell Natsu about this later, so he could egg on his arch-rival Gray. He imagined the scene would be quite entertaining.
As for the other two who left Phantom Lord.
Totomaru politely declined Mira's invitation.
After being beaten down by society, this high-achiever clearly understood the complexity of human nature.
The noble Ten Wizard Saints didn't necessarily possess noble virtues, while their opponent, Fairy Tail, would actually go to great lengths to protect him, an "enemy" who attacked them.
Human hearts are unpredictable, and reality is slippery. Totomaru chose to return to his ivory tower, to become a teacher and continue to shine.
To learn Armament Haki, Gajeel, the Iron Dragon Slayer, readily joined Fairy Tail. As for why Noah hadn't seen him, it was because Mira had found someone to teach him Haki.
"Natsu? He learns things quickly, but teaching others... can he explain it clearly?"
Noah expressed his skepticism about the Haki teacher Mira had arranged for Gajeel. Both of them were Dragon Slayers—it was more likely they'd fight each other first.
Erza, however, didn't think so. "Iron Dragon Slayer Magic and Armament Haki have a very high compatibility. Even with Natsu teaching, Gajeel should learn quickly."
Speaking of Iron Dragon Slayer, Noah suddenly remembered the two ores Master Doran had given him at the Iron Dragon's lair.
His encounter with Ultear made Noah realize that in this world of diverse Magic, even an excellent magical tool like the Blast Gauntlet could instantly collapse under the influence of certain Magic.
Noah was very accustomed to using the Blast Gauntlet and hoped it would accompany him for a long time. So he planned to ask Doran to strengthen it again, and the two ores obtained from the Dragon's lair were excellent strengthening materials.
Coincidentally, Erza had damaged some of her armor and weapons in her battle with Jellal and also needed Doran to repair them. The two discussed going to Iron Furnace Ridge together.
Mira, seeing this, happily joined in. She'd never seen a magical blacksmith at work and was very curious.
So, another train ticket to Iron Furnace Ridge would need to be booked.