As night fell, a grand gathering was held in Magnolia Town that evening. People from the town participated enthusiastically, and the square had transformed into a sea of joy, bustling with noise and laughter echoing everywhere.
The high-spirited people wore brightly colored clothes, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation. They greeted each other, exchanged smiles, and eagerly discussed the upcoming activities. A unique atmosphere enveloped the entire square, a harmonious yet vibrant ambiance that made visiting tourists feel it was a united and friendly town.
Soothing music resonated in the air, balloon vendors, snack vendors, toy vendors, and children running around and playing filled the air with laughter and merriment.
With a whistle, the gathering officially began.
"Natsu, are you ready? Let's start," Zorn said to Natsu, who was still a bit excited next to him.
"Mmm-hmm," Natsu nodded in confirmation.
"Fairy Tail!" Natsu suddenly exhaled flames into the sky, which exploded to form the words "Fairy Tail." Following this sound, a burst of fireworks exploded in the air.
"Seven-Colored Path, Rainbow Bridge!" Zorn immediately followed, releasing his magic.
A seven-colored path extended all the way to the street on the opposite side of the town. Each color was bright and vivid, from lively red to soft purple, from bright orange to deep blue. They coexisted harmoniously, forming a magnificent picture. Its surface seemed to shimmer with countless points of light, like stars falling to earth. These light points converged into a stream, like the Milky Way descending from the heavens, connecting the path with the hearts of the audience.
At the end of the street, a huge rainbow arched across the sky from the far end of the rainbow path. Its vibrant colors glowed brilliantly. The arched structure of the rainbow bridge, illuminated by lights, cast colorful radiance like flowing musical notes dancing in the air.
The townsfolk watching this beautiful scene cheered and applauded, while the children asked their parents to hold them up, wanting to touch the shimmering, colorful starlight.
The parade procession also moved along the rainbow path.
On the first float, the female members of the guild, dressed in sparkling dance dresses, rapidly changed their dance steps, dancing enthusiastically, and occasionally waving to the audience on both sides, responding to their enthusiasm.
The second float featured Erza, wearing a Heaven's Wheel Armor made of colorful feathers, standing in a giant candy dish. Countless feathers floated behind her, and with a wave of her hand, they shot towards the audience. The feathers, illuminated by the light of the rainbow bridge, transformed into candies of various shapes and fell into the hands of the audience.
On the third float, a jungle-decorated vehicle, Wakaba and Macao used smoke magic and fire, respectively, to create various animals, making them perform funny actions that made the audience below burst into laughter.
On the fourth float, Cana and Levy, dressed in cute animal mascot costumes, sat on a giant swan's head, scattering flowers all around. Around the swan, other guild members performed difficult acrobatics.
On the fifth float, Gray, dressed in a small suit, stood on the shoulder of an oversized Wibatian Autobot, waving to the surroundings. Of course, Zorn told him about this armor. It occasionally transformed back into car form, drawing gasps of amazement from the children below.
The sixth and final float featured Natsu and Zorn standing on the shoulders of the giant Guild Master. They condensed a ball of light, collaborating with Natsu to complete the "Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl" trick, which finally exploded in the sky, leaving behind the message "Happy Harvest Festival!" to conclude the event. Finally, all members raised their classic hand gesture, completing the entire ceremony.
On the second day of the festival, shops in town were already selling models of the Autobots from yesterday, and they had even created several other types of transforming models based on their own imaginations. When Zorn saw this scene on the second morning, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Impressive."
Three months after the Harvest Festival, the time officially reached X778. Zorn's Admiral strength had officially updated to 70%, and his Haki, physical techniques, and magic power had all increased significantly. His swordsmanship had reached mastery.
"Natsu, Gray, Cana, what kind of posture is that, haha, you look like wooden dolls!" Macao and the others burst into laughter upon seeing the three of them enter the guild with strange, shuffling steps.
"You don't understand, this is a new training method. It's the weighted equipment Zorn-ge gave us. I'll definitely adapt," Natsu replied first, panting as he spoke.
"Zorn, what is this?" The Guild Master watched as the three of them painstakingly sat down on stools and struggled to eat with spoons, then turned to ask Zorn, who was sitting nearby, looking at a quest list.
"Guild Master Grandpa, this is to train their physiques. Natsu and Gray already have a faint sense of Armament Haki, but they want to master it faster, so I prepared this weighted equipment for them. Cana, on the other hand, has completely mastered the basic level and is currently preparing for the next stage, adapting," Zorn explained in detail to the Guild Master.
"Oh, I see, that's good, that's good. So Cana is completely learning physical techniques from you now?" The Guild Master suddenly thought of something and confirmed with Zorn.
"Yes, Cana has a great talent for physical techniques and Haki, and her precise control of magic power is also quite good. So I plan to teach her all the physical techniques and related knowledge I've mastered. Therefore, I hope to take her with me on this mission," The Guild Master listened to Zorn's last words, propped his chin with his hand, and fell into thought.
"Good, you can. I fully recognize your strength. Once you complete this mission, Gildarts sent word that he will be returning this year, and then the S-Class Exam can be held," The Guild Master thought for a moment, then agreed, and also revealed the time for the upcoming S-Class Exam to Zorn.
"Gildarts?" Zorn heard the name and subconsciously glanced at Cana, who was struggling to eat, then quickly averted his gaze.
That night, on the way back to the dormitory...
"Natsu, Gray, tomorrow, go to East Forest wearing this weighted equipment to train with the magic beasts there. You can only use physical techniques," Zorn said to the two who were struggling to move.
"Zorn-ge, are you going tomorrow? Huff, huff, huff~" Natsu asked Zorn, still panting.
"I've received an assigned mission, so I need to prepare for three days. You two train well in the guild, no fighting. I specifically entrusted Erza with this," Zorn replied, ending with Erza's name because he knew Natsu and Gray naturally clashed and would fight at the slightest provocation. So, this afternoon, he specifically found Erza and told her he would bring her delicious local specialties, asking her to keep an eye on Natsu and Gray.
"Ah, alright, I'll train well. I won't fight with the underwear guy," Natsu nodded seriously.
"I won't fight with a brat either," Gray retorted, unwilling to be outdone when Natsu called him the underwear guy.
"Bastard, what did you say?"
"Ah...what?"
Zorn glanced at the two behind him who had started arguing again at the drop of a hat, but didn't bother with them. He turned and asked Cana, who was beside him, "Cana, I want to take you with me on this mission. Are you willing to go?"
Cana thought for a moment after hearing this, then replied, "Okay, I also want to see what my current strength is like."
"Alright, we'll depart in three days. You can use these three days to prepare some daily necessities and medicine. You don't need to wear the weighted equipment for now; just adapt to your own strength for these three days," Zorn meticulously explained the mission-related details.
"You two, hurry up and catch up!" After Zorn finished speaking, he turned and shouted at Natsu and Gray, who were already head-to-head, arguing.