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When Shane returned to Magnolia, it was already afternoon, and the sun was starting to dip slightly to the west.
However, although time had flown by quickly, he felt a grounded fullness in his heart.
This half-day of running around had not been in vain; the gains far exceeded his expectations.
It had only been a day, yet he had not only confirmed the key clue to the [Chain Trial], but also paved the way for subsequent actions.
Compared to the other trial that required searching for the elusive Zeref, the progress here could simply be described as gratifying.
He pushed open the doors of the Fairy Tail guild. A wave of noisy heat accompanied by the aroma of food rushed over his face.
With a sweep of his gaze, he saw Erza sitting upright at a table near the windowsill, her arms crossed over her chest, a look of obvious dissatisfaction on her pretty face.
There were two empty plates in front of her, the residual traces of cream indicating that cakes had once been there.
"This is punishment. I can't save any for you," Erza said huffily as she looked at Shane walking in.
She was quite dissatisfied with Shane's behavior of not only failing to wake her up this morning but also sneaking out alone.
After all, she went to knock on Shane's door on time every day.
Shane let out two dry laughs. Knowing he was in the wrong, he leaned forward and quickly laughed it off. He began to describe vividly the "plump and slender" beautiful maids he had just seen at Duke Everlue's mansion.
Gesturing as he spoke, he wore an indescribable expression on his face. "Erza, it's a pity you didn't see it when you went last time. It really was a great spectacle!"
His description was so vivid that even Gray, who had come over to listen out of boredom, wore an expression of disbelief.
"Is there really a Duke with such... unique aesthetics?"
Gray scratched his shoulder, which had unknowingly become bare again, his face full of disbelief. "According to my stereotypes, shouldn't those noble lords be indulging in sensual pleasures and prefer standard beauties?"
Shane glanced at him speechlessly. "He just likes a 'type' of beauty that's relatively special. How does that not count as being greedy for wine and women? Your prejudice is too deep."
After chatting casually with Erza and Gray for a few sentences, temporarily appeasing the girl's small moodiness, Shane's thoughts became active again. Since mastering the basics of Requip Magic, he really hadn't had a clear cultivation goal for this period.
He leaned over to the bar counter with a grin, looking at Master Makarov, who was sipping his drink.
However, as soon as Makarov saw him looking like this, his face immediately turned unpleasant, his white mustache twitching.
Clearly, the old man was still dwelling on Shane's unauthorized contact with the client this morning, afraid that a complaint letter from the Council would arrive along with the Spring Festival greeting cards in the next moment.
He really didn't want to be bent over a desk writing that kind of thing during the Spring Festival!
Having a favor to ask, Shane hurriedly raised three fingers and swore with a sincere face, "Master, I swear! I absolutely didn't cause any trouble for you today. Everything... ahem, was resolved in an atmosphere of friendly negotiation!"
Makarov looked him up and down suspiciously. Seeing that his expression didn't seem fake, his tense face relaxed slightly. He sighed and asked, "Speak. What is it now?"
Shane immediately took advantage of the situation. "Master, that Overview of Celestial Spirit World Genealogies you recommended this morning was really good!
"I just wanted to ask, are there any similar, relatively obscure but solid books you can recommend in our guild library? Preferably... something related to Zeref."
He thought that he couldn't rely solely on Ultear's lead. The Master was knowledgeable, so he had to exert some effort here as well.
However, it was fine until he mentioned Zeref. As soon as the name came up, Makarov's face instantly tensed up again.
"You brat! Why are you still thinking about that name! Is that something you can just explore casually?!"
Fuming with rage, his finger instantly gigantified. With a flick, he sent Shane flying with a bang.
Shane was helpless. He actually could have dodged completely, but to coax the old man he had angered, he resigned himself to obediently taking the hit. His body traced an arc in the air and crashed wretchedly onto the open ground in the distance.
He climbed up, grimacing in pain, and walked back to his seat resentfully.
"Hahaha!" Gray, who witnessed the whole process from the side, burst into loud, unceremonious laughter, pointing at Shane. "Serves you right! That's what you get for always provoking the Master!"
If it were usual times, Shane would have inevitably made him physically "shut up."
But at this moment, he was in a good mood. The smooth progress of the Chain Trial had broadened his mind quite a bit. He just glanced at Gray faintly, too lazy to bicker with him.
This reaction instead made Gray widen his eyes exaggeratedly as if he had seen a ghost. He leaned forward, even reaching out to touch Shane's forehead. "Hey! Are you okay? Do you have a fever?"
Cana, who was fiddling with cards at the next table, rolled her eyes speechlessly. She felt that Gray's proactive provocation was increasingly leaning toward some special fetish.
Annoyed by Gray to no end, Shane simply got up and switched to Wakaba and Macao's table.
The two uncles were huddled together, staring lecherously at the center of the hall.
There, a dancer with healthy wheat-colored skin and a graceful figure was dancing to the rhythm of the music, her swaying waist attracting a large number of gazes.
"Wow... that waist, those legs..." Macao murmured.
"Tsk tsk, worthy of being the most popular dancer in the guild..." Wakaba chimed in, completely failing to notice Shane's approach.
Shane looked at the distracted appearance of these two uncles and curled his lip helplessly. Great, these two have even less time to pay attention to me.
Just as he felt a bit idle, a slightly reserved voice came from behind him. "Um... excuse me, Shane. Can I paint a picture for you?"
Shane turned around and saw a young man with a thin figure, fluffy hair, and a signature wizard hat standing behind him.
It was Reedus.
Shane had an impression of him. It was said he used Pict Magic, which could bring painted things to life and use them for combat—a very interesting magic that required creativity.
He was a little envious of this magic in his heart. He had never been good at drawing since he was young; the thing he drew most proficiently was probably just stick figures.
"Why the sudden thought to paint me?" Shane was a little curious.
Reedus adjusted his hat and explained seriously, "I paint a portrait for every new member of the guild as a keepsake. Only you, Shane, are always elusive. I haven't found a suitable opportunity."
"Erza's has been painted too?" Shane asked.
Reedus added, "Erza's? I painted it last month. And Laki, who just joined a while ago, I painted hers too. Now I'm just missing yours."
So there's a custom like this.
Shane realized, thinking this was quite an interesting way to commemorate things. Since he had nothing to do at the moment anyway, he nodded readily. "Sure, what do I need to do?"
A happy smile immediately bloomed on Reedus's face. He quickly set up his easel and took out his brushes and palette. "Just find a comfortable position to sit. No need to be too deliberate."
The painting process was very quiet.
Shane cooperated by not moving. His gaze fell casually on the noisy guild hall, watching his companions argue, drink, and laugh.
Reedus was fully absorbed, his brush rustling on the paper, his eyes focused and serious.
After a while, Reedus stopped his brush and let out a gentle breath. "It's done."
Shane leaned over to look.
Himself on the paper was lifelike. The expression was captured extremely accurately, outlining even that habitual hint of a smile at the corners of his eyes and brows—the one that carried a bit of a "dead fish eyes" vibe.
"It's drawn really well!" Shane praised sincerely.
Treating it like a treasure, Reedus carefully embedded the painting into a prepared wooden frame and said solemnly, "I will put it together with everyone's paintings and keep it safe in the guild."