Caesar returned to the guild. He didn't waste much time going back and forth, and even got a free lunch.
After eating and drinking, Caesar was called over by Makarov. In addition to discussing the matter of Grimoire Heart, Makarov mentioned Gildarts's failed 100-year mission.
Five divine dragons.
When Caesar first came to this world, the Hundred Years Quest had not been updated much. The details still needed translation, which was troublesome, so he set it aside for later. Therefore, Caesar only knew a little about the surface of this mission and not much about the deeper parts.
The only time he went there, he encountered the black dragon Acnologia — and it ended badly for him.
According to Makarov's idea, Caesar could try to complete this task.
Caesar hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. It wasn't rejection, but now wasn't the right time.
First of all, time didn't allow it. The Tenrou Island storyline was about to begin. If he tried to do the mission now, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the events. Besides, with Acnologia's attack coming, Caesar felt that by the time he returned, they would have already been sealed for years.
There was only Caesar among them, so whether he could defeat the black dragon or not wasn't the main issue.
Based on Caesar's research on Fairy Sphere over the years, with him around, the seal could be undone much faster. At most, the outside world would only be in chaos for a few days or a month.
As shown in the plot, seven years had passed. Not only could the guild not afford to lose that time, even Caesar couldn't afford it.
Seven years!
With Caesar's current income and card-drawing rate, he couldn't imagine how strong he'd become in seven years. By then, even a second magic source might not be enough to catch up.
What's more, after learning that the Philosopher's Stone couldn't be converted into a red card for the time being, Caesar drew another card and replenished the stone's original consumption.
Caesar didn't believe it. He had used three tons of Philosopher's Stone worth of magic power and fired full-force unlimited Rasengans, but still couldn't crush the Black Dragon?
...
"Erza, your potion."
"Lisanna, yours."
"Wendy, yours."
Two days later, Caesar completed this batch of potion orders and first supplied them to the Fairy Tail guild members.
As an internal guild discount, Caesar charged only 80,000 J per bottle — a 20% discount. Everyone was happy, and Caesar made a profit.
Win-win!
"Caesar, there's a box sent by the Council."
Just as Caesar was about to deliver the remaining medicine, he received a large wooden box instead.
The box was placed in the guild hall. Caesar was stunned for a moment, then jumped down from the second floor and approached it.
The box wasn't very big, about half a person's height, and there was an envelope taped to the surface.
Caesar tore it off, opened it, and read.
His expression turned strange. He placed his hand on the box, activated alchemy, and the seal disintegrated instantly. Inside was an iron cage — and in it, a huge purple snake.
That's right, the poisonous dragon cobra — named Cubellios.
After defeating the Six Demon Generals, Caesar thought he would never encounter this snake again. He didn't expect that the Council had captured and imprisoned it.
From the letter, Caesar learned that the Council sensed something unusual about the snake but couldn't investigate it properly, so they handed it over to him — or rather, to Makarov for inspection.
After all, Fairy Tail's foundation ran deep.
"I thought this mascot was gone. Seems like plot inertia really is powerful," Caesar muttered.
Light flashed from his fingers, and the iron cage disintegrated, leaving a big hole.
The snake escaped immediately and lunged to bite him.
No one panicked. Caesar flicked his finger, and a pulse of energy froze the snake in place. Its jaws locked open.
"It's a troublesome matter, but never mind. It's a small favor. I'll help if I can."
Caesar sighed, clapped his hands, and covered the snake's head.
Less than a gram of the Philosopher's Stone was consumed. The curse wasn't as difficult as Ankhseram's curse, and it was instantly neutralized.
Under everyone's gaze, the snake's body began to twist. Just when they wondered whether Caesar would destroy it or save it, a dazzling light burst out from the creature's body.
Everyone shielded their eyes, but Caesar quietly watched as the snake expanded and transformed into a half-kneeling girl with long purple hair.
When the light faded, Caesar moved his fingers again. The wooden box disintegrated, fibers reassembled, and a brown dress formed on the girl.
"A girl?"
"A snake turned into a girl?!"
"I have a bold idea!"
"I have one too! Caesar, our happiness depends on you!"
"What are you thinking?"
Caesar rolled his eyes. "She was cursed and turned into a snake. I helped lift the curse, so she returned to normal."
Hearing his explanation, the men groaned in disappointment. Their dreams of sub-human girls were gone.
"These guys, really."
Mirajane sighed, then helped the girl up gently. "Hello, are you feeling better?"
"I… who am I?"
The girl looked around in confusion.
Everyone turned to Caesar again.
"Why are you looking at me?" Caesar said helplessly. "It wasn't me! She must have lost her memory after being a snake so long."
Everyone: … That's not the point. This amnesia scene feels way too familiar.
"There's an affair," Happy muttered.
A second later, he had a massive bump on his head and squatted in the corner. Sometimes the cat needed to learn when to stay quiet.
With Mirajane's care, the girl recovered quickly. After eating something, she remembered her name — Kinana.
As for other memories? She only recalled being captured and taken to the Tower of Heaven. That was all.
Everyone's eyes turned toward Erza and Jellal. Both sighed. Jellal wanted to say it wasn't his fault!
The girl, now homeless, stayed at the guild. Since she had no magic, Kinana became a poster girl and worked as a waitress. She had a salary and three meals — a pretty good deal.
At this point, Fairy Tail's poster girl, Kinana, was in place.
Caesar rubbed his chin, thinking. The future group known as the Three of Crime Sorcière were all connected to Fairy Tail. Maybe he should just capture the remaining Six Demon Generals.
If he used Kinana as bait, the poisonous dragon would be easy to catch.