Right after asking that question, Rhode saw himself.
Not through his own eyes, nor like looking in a mirror, but from a perspective looking up from below.
His own hand was resting on 'his own' head, and his arm slightly blocked the view, but because the eyes were far enough apart, he could still see his own face.
Is this... the perspective of the Swift Crab?
The sudden appearance of two images in his mind felt strange. Rhode withdrew his hand, and he could immediately see the motion of retracting his hand from two angles.
When the Swift Crab stood up, the perspective also shifted slightly.
Rhode directed the Swift Crab to turn around, and with their backs facing each other, he instantly gained nearly 300 degrees of visual range.
Makarov nodded after listening to Rhode's description: "So it's a reconnaissance type of Summoned Beast, probably has a wide range of uses."
Following this, the Swift Crab demonstrated its agility.
After letting Rhode sit on its back, the Swift Crab rammed through the guild's courtyard wall, ran to the surface of a lake, and performed a superb water-skiing act, its six legs propelling it smoothly over the water.
Rhode tightly gripped the two reins-like antennae of the Swift Crab, feeling the strong wind and the occasional splashes against his body.
He wasn't sure about the speed, but it was more thrilling than riding a speedboat on East Lake in the past—probably because he wasn't wearing a life jacket.
"Faster than regular horses and seahorses, being able to move on water is quite impressive. Its destructive power is quite ordinary, however..."
Makarov gave a rational assessment, looking at the damaged courtyard wall, he shouted at Rhode's back,
"...Even so, don't randomly destroy the guild!!!"
...
"Sorry, this is my first time riding a River Crab, I didn't know its behavior well, I didn't mean to..."
Rhode stood up Reby.
They had originally agreed to study together at the library, but now he could only miserably rebuild the wall under the supervision of the president.
It didn't matter if he didn't know how, the president taught on the spot, he knew a bit of carpentry and masonry—mainly because the president's destruction of the guild was no less than anyone else's, practice makes perfect.
"It's okay, it's just accidentally damaging a bit of the wall."
Reby expressed great tolerance, maybe because she was already used to such accidents.
"Fortunately, I've already found the appropriate general knowledge books, so I'll read some suitable content to you for now."
"That's great, thank you Reby!"
Rhode was happy; he used to listen to music or comedy sketches on his phone while doing chores, and he was feeling bored now.
This girl was really understanding, no wonder Jet and Troy liked her so much.
"First, about this country, called Fiore Kingdom, with a population of about 17 million, located on a peninsula on the western part of the continent. Recognized as a neutral country about one hundred and sixty years ago..."
Reby's reading and explanation sounded somewhat pleasant.
Rhode's action of building the wall didn't stop, upon hearing Fiore's population of 17 million, it seemed like this country might not be very big.
Being a neutral country was nice, probably less worry about wars.
"Magnolia City, where we are located, is in the eastern part of the Fiore Kingdom, not far from the border with the neighboring country Bosco, with a population of about 60,000..."
Rhode had heard Mira say once that Magnolia had been popular with magic since a long time ago, it was considered quite a prosperous city in the Fiore Kingdom.
"And coming next is the key point." Reby emphasized specifically,
"Magic was once something feared by people, so mages were often persecuted in the past. Besides, conflicts often arose among mages, making the whole world unstable."
"To change all of this, 150 years ago, the world's first mage guild 'Dragon of the Magic Array' was established.
Mages began to come together, using magic to protect themselves and their companions, and also striving to communicate with ordinary people, even solving troubles for them to earn rewards."
"Since then, mage guilds began to emerge one after another, and magic gradually became a part of everyday life for people, which slowly evolved into a harmonious coexistence between mages and ordinary people."
"Then, 97 years ago, in year 686, our guild 'Fairy Tail' was founded."
"'Do fairies have tails? Does the fairy itself really exist? All these are unknown, representing eternal mysteries and endless adventure.'
——This is the meaning Mebius, the first-generation president, bestowed upon Fairy Tail."
When Reby spoke the latter part, her eyes sparkled, clearly showing she truly loved this guild.
This was the first time Rhode heard what the name Fairy Tail represented, feeling it was somewhat romantic.
So romantic that he didn't remember much of Fiore's history that Reby talked about.
However, it wasn't without gains; at least Rhode understood this place had some elements of a feudal monarchy.
There was a king, ministers, knights, and an army here.
Naturally, some within the royalty and those who served the royal authority also studied magic.
Mages were respected in many places, but they were still citizens of this country, subject to royal rule, unlike titled nobility who enjoyed privileges.
At the same time, to maintain peace in the Magic Realm, an institution named the Magic Council was responsible for monitoring mages' behavior, sanctioning Dark Guilds, etc.
However, whenever Reby mentioned the Advisory Council, her expression became strange, seemingly disliking and even fearing this institution.
This made Rhode puzzled; if the organization sanctioned Dark Guilds, what was there to fear? Isn't our Fairy Tail a legitimate guild?
Oh no.
Rhode realized he forgot to ask this—Fairy Tail... it is a legitimate guild, right?
...
Interacting with Reby was a very pleasant thing.
The young girl was well-organized in explaining history and geography, as well as fundamental magic.
For someone like Rhode who was nearly a beginner, it didn't feel obscure or hard to understand.
Moreover, during the explanation, she often drew from a vast number of related stories, making Rhode amazed at Reby's wide range of knowledge, even broader than his in senior high school.
When Rhode had almost finished repairing the damaged courtyard wall, Reby also said she was tired, looking at him eagerly.
"...Oh, Mandarin." Rhode understood her look, "I'll wash my face first?"
Actually, he wanted to take a shower and change clothes, feeling uncomfortable with concrete dust after working half a day.
"If it's washing your face, let me help you! Words Made True·WATER!" Reby waved her arm, her fingers writing the word 'water' in mid-air.
The glowing magical letters she wrote became actual water-formed letters upon completion.
And, under Reby's control, they floated before Rhode: "Use this."
Rhode looked at the water-formed word in front of him, tentatively reaching his hand in...
It was really possible to wash his hands as if they were in a basin, even splash some water on his face.
"Such a convenient magic, it's just like... what was it called, right, Words Accompanied by Law."
"Hehe... it's not that exaggerated." Reby, being praised, was a bit embarrassed. After Rhode finished washing his face, she guided the water words to fly into the lake like a normal flow of water.
"Besides, I'm not using it well, it can only provide a bit of support when companions are fighting."
"I think this magic can definitely play a big role."
Rhode felt that the Words Made True magic resembled scenes in some novels where writing was used for combat, it should have great potential.
"Let's start by teaching you Mandarin pronunciation."
Rhode took Reby's light pen she just used, wrote the Mandarin initials and finals in the air.
Thinking for a moment, he annotated it with the basic syllables of the world's language, then taught her to follow along one by one.
Reby eagerly read and memorized, stopping only when Laki came to call Rhode for work.