"It's about the price and the version," Macao explained as he walked forward. "The mobile communication device with the Dragon Horns is the classic original version. Of course, it's also the cheapest one, costing only 30,000 Jewel."
"While the look is a bit... unique, its basic functions like communication and photography are pretty much the same as the newest model, so it's the most widely used."
"However, this basic version needs to be charged with magic power at a specialized Magic Power Station every three days. Each time, they charge an 80J service fee (which is roughly three bucks)."
"The one I just used is the newly released flagship edition."
Macao gave a slightly smug shake of the sleek, simple metal box in his hand.
"It has a miniature Magic Power Collector embedded inside. As long as it's not being actively used, it automatically draws in and slowly recharges its own magic power from the surroundings. Plus, the operating speed and information transfer speed are much faster than the basic version. Pictures get sent out almost instantly."
"Naturally, the price is a lot higher—200,000 Jewel a unit."
"Because of the high price, and a lot of customer feedback about not liking the Dragon Horn design, Ultear suggested taking the horns off. It's become a distinguishing mark of the premium version."
"200,000 Jewel?!" Lucy's eyes went wide with shock. "That's almost three months of my rent! It's so expensive, does anyone actually buy it?"
"Oh, plenty of people buy it," Wakaba chimed in with a laugh, puffing on his pipe. "After all, a lot of folks find those Dragon Horns a bit cumbersome, and it saves them the hassle of constantly running to the Magic Power Station."
"Anyone who is financially comfortable will consider getting the flagship version."
"Oh, right!" Macao remembered something important and turned to Makarov walking beside him. "Daphne even allocated seventy percent of all profits from the Magic Power Stations to the Guild, as a fund for our daily operations and growth."
"SEVENTY PERCENT!!" Makarov staggered, nearly falling, his feet feeling light as if he were walking on air when he heard that percentage.
He started calculating with a trembling voice: "Al-almost everyone around us has the basic version. 80J every three days... that's almost 10,000J a person per year! And that's just one person! With this many people, how much money is that a year?!"
Macao slowly dropped a number that nearly gave Makarov a heart attack: "After deducting costs and operating expenses, the pure profit... is at least two hundred million Jewel per year."
"Hngh—!!" Makarov gasped sharply, his eyes almost popping out of his head, his voice shaking uncontrollably. "Two hundred million Jewel?! A year?!"
"Yep," Macao nodded. "Because the user base for the mobile device is huge, the revenue from the Magic Power Stations is quite staggering. Now, not only Hargeon, but also Fiore's capital, Crocus, and all the major cities have branches of the Magic Power Station."
---
Wendy covered her mouth in astonishment. "Are that many people really using the mobile devices? Ms. Daphne is amazing!"
Carla folded her arms and raised a question. "But why would she give such a large sum of money to the Guild? I recall her inventions and research must be incredibly expensive to fund."
"Uh... well..." Macao and Wakaba's expressions froze simultaneously at the question. They exchanged an awkward, subtle glance.
"That... you'll understand when you get back to the Guild and see it with your own eyes," Macao said vaguely, trying to gloss over the matter.
His answer only raised more questions in the minds of everyone returning from the island.
---
### 🛍️ The Inexplicable Shopping Spree
Just then, Rogue, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped without warning.
His eyes were drawn like a magnet to a small stall by the roadside, and he walked over to it almost against his will.
"Hey! Welcome!" The stall owner immediately greeted him enthusiastically. "Sir, I can tell you know quality! I only sell rare treasures here!"
He picked up an antique-looking clock, slightly soiled with mud, and gushed: "Look at this! It's a Magic Clock that was painstakingly excavated from an ancient ruin!"
"Legend says it still retains a trace of power from an ancient deity! Just look at the craftsmanship, the sense of history!"
"Today, I won't ask for 10 million J, or even 8 million J. A bargain price! For only 500,000 Jewel, you can take this ancient artifact imbued with divine power home!"
Next, he picked up a rather silly-looking helmet with a strange dent on top, flipped a switch on the back, and a sinister red light immediately glowed inside. "And this! This is the newly invented Cure-All Healing Device! Just wear it, and it will fix everything from a common cold and fever to backaches!"
He lowered his voice, making a show of being mysterious: "Between you and me, even tricky ailments like Magic Power Deficiency or Magic Power Overload can show improvement after using this device for a while!"
"This is the last one I have! If you want it, you better act fast, or you'll miss out!"
Behind him, Mirajane and Erza followed Rogue as he suddenly detoured toward the roadside stall.
Mira couldn't help but chuckle at the vendor's exaggerated performance. She knelt down and gently tapped a small, inconspicuous smiley face logo on the side of the 'antique clock.' "Oh my. I never knew that the clocks used by ancient deities were made by the 'Smile Brand.'"
"If I recall correctly, this was just a regular alarm clock manufactured by a small factory in Magnolia about four years ago, wasn't it?"
"A brand new one only cost about 10,000 Jewel back then. It's quite astonishing that in four years, its value in your hands has increased fiftyfold."
Hearing the woman instantly expose the clock's true origin, the vendor's heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat immediately beaded on his forehead.
(Damn it! Why did I have to run into someone who knows this brand?!)
He quickly tried to laugh it off and cover up. "Uh-ha-ha... That, that, well, maybe... maybe my kid was playing around and accidentally stamped that on? Please don't worry about the details, this thing truly is from a—"
"That so-called 'Healing Device' you have—if I remember right, it was classified as a banned item by the Council four years ago. It's the Nerve Paralysis Helmet," Erza's cold voice cut through his flimsy excuse from behind.
"Its principle isn't healing at all, but using a weak electric current to paralyze the user, temporarily preventing them from feeling pain and creating the illusion of being 'cured.'"
"Long-term use causes irreversible damage to the brain."
"Are you unaware that manufacturing and selling prohibited Magic Tools like this privately is a crime punishable by imprisonment under the Council's regulations?"
The sweat on the vendor's face instantly grew to the size of beans. He looked at the intimidating woman in armor, and his body involuntarily started inching backward. "W-well, uh... I, I just remembered I have soup simmering on the stove at home! I have to rush back! See you all later!"
With that, he abandoned his stall and turned to run.
He took only two steps before he felt like he was bound by invisible ropes, stopping him dead in his tracks. He couldn't move.
(I'm finished! I ran into a real problem this time! Am I actually going to jail with the Council?!)
Just as he was despairing, he heard the voice of the black-haired man from the start, speaking calmly: "I'll take everything on your stall. How much for all of it?"
At those words, not only the vendor but also Mira and Erza behind him showed stunned expressions.
The vendor stiffly turned his head bit by bit, seeing that the black-haired man's eyes were serious; he wasn't joking.
He hesitated, then, holding onto a final sliver of hope, cautiously held up four fingers.
"F-four... forty—"
Before he could say "thousand," he felt the dangerously cold aura emanating from the two beautiful women behind the man, their icy gazes threatening to freeze him solid!
He flinched, and the word he was about to say got forcefully twisted, practically screaming: "40,000 Jewel! You can take everything for just 40,000J!"
Rogue acted as if the price was perfectly fine, pulled the corresponding amount of money from his system bag, and tossed it to the vendor.
He then watched the vendor frantically stumble and flee, not recovering until the man disappeared around the corner. He shook his head hard, his eyes clearing.
The intense, irresistible urge to buy all those "pieces of junk"—the urge that had prevented him from thinking clearly—receded like a fast-moving tide.
"Rogue, why... why did you buy all that stuff?" Mira walked up, looking puzzledly at the pile of "garbage" on the ground and then at Rogue.
"Is there really some hidden treasure in there that we missed?"
"No..." Rogue sighed helplessly, looking at the heap of items, and turned to walk away, his tone glum. "It's a side effect from the final attack I used when I took down Acnologia."
He rubbed his temples and explained: "I get an uncontrollable, intense urge to shop. The only thought in my head was 'Buy it!' I couldn't rationally consider if the items were real, fake, or worth the price."
"A side effect?" Mira repeated, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh, her eyes crinkling into crescents.
"I know that powerful magic often comes with a corresponding price, but..." She paused, her laugh carrying a hint of novelty. "This is the first time I've heard of a side effect being an irrepressible urge to shop. That's a truly... unique side effect."
Erza also folded her arms, a small smile playing on her lips. "It is quite unique. However, compared to common costs like shortening one's lifespan or enduring intense pain, merely wanting to buy things is much milder."
"Money, after all, can be earned back, but life and health cannot."
Seeing their teasing smiles, Rogue shook his head slightly and started walking forward again. "Alright, we should get going."
"If we don't hurry, at the rate this side effect is hitting, we probably won't reach the Guild before dark."
---
### 🐉 Giant Horns on the Roof
The trio rejoined the crowd.
Sure enough, on the way to the Guild, Rogue uncontrollably stopped again in front of an antique store and a seemingly high-end clothing shop, purchasing several expensive but practically useless "luxury items." Finally, they caught sight of the familiar Guild building.
As everyone's eyes landed on the Guild's roof, they simultaneously froze, staring up blankly.
Standing proudly on the roof, one on the left and one on the right, were two enormously huge, absurdly shaped Dragon Horn decorations.
They gleamed with a metallic sheen in the sunlight, utterly clashing with the Guild's original architectural style.
"Is... is this what the Fairy Tail Guild looks like now?" Mavis managed to force out a smile after several seconds of silence. "I-I never expected your taste, Third Master, to be so... distinctive."
"What in the world are those things?!" Makarov's eyes nearly bulged out. He pointed a trembling finger at the roof. "They definitely weren't there when I left!"
Macao scratched his cheek awkwardly, clearing his throat before explaining: "Master, remember the Magic Power Stations we just talked about? This is why Daphne is willing to give the Guild most of the profits."
He pointed at the two massive Dragon Horns. "They aren't just decorations; they are two super-large signal transmitters and receivers."
"The initial version was built near Daphne's lab, and the signal coverage was very small, limited to the Hargeon port area."
"But because the mobile device is so convenient, more and more people came running to the Guild, asking for service in other places."
"We had a constant stream of people with suggestions, and our Guild doors were almost worn down!"
"Eventually, Daphne had no choice but to modify and enlarge the Dragon Horns and install them directly on the Guild roof."
"Using the height of the Guild building and the improved technology, their signal can now cover almost three-quarters of the entire continent! It's precisely because the coverage is so wide that the revenue from the Magic Power Stations is so astonishing."
---
Looking at the two Dragon Horns that instantly lowered the Guild's class by several levels, especially in front of the First Master, Makarov felt his blood rush, wanting to leap up immediately and tear those eyesores down.
But when the number "two hundred million Jewel a year" flashed in his mind, his raised hand froze in mid-air.
The scale in his heart swung wildly. Ultimately, his concern for the Guild's finances outweighed his aesthetic embarrassment.
He quietly lowered his hand, staring at the horns with a complex look, muttering softly: "Looking closely... the shape... it's actually... quite imposing..."
Cana gently nudged Wakaba with her elbow, a mischievous grin on her face, and whispered teasingly: "No wonder you two were being so cagey on the road and wouldn't say anything until the Master saw it. You were afraid the shock would be too much if he knew beforehand, weren't you?"
"Ahem!" Wakaba, seeing the kaleidoscopic, dramatic expressions on Makarov's face, feared he might actually pass out. He quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.
"Alright, alright! Let's stop standing outside! Let's hurry into the Guild; everyone inside must be waiting anxiously!"
The others also held back their laughter and followed Wakaba toward the Guild doors.
As they reached the entrance, the impatient Natsu couldn't wait any longer. He dashed forward, flung the Guild doors open, and shouted with his trademark booming voice: "We're back—!"
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
Almost instantly, colorful streamers rained down from above. All the Guild members were gathered by the door, their faces beaming with bright smiles, confetti cannons smoking in their hands. They roared in unison: "WELCOME BACK—!"
Amidst the cheers, an orange blur rushed over like a whirlwind, wrapping Happy and Carla in a tight hug and vigorously rubbing her cheek against their furry faces.
"Long time no see! I was so worried when I heard you were attacked on Tenrou Island, nya!! I'm so glad you're okay, nya!!"
"Hey! Stop rubbing us like that! You're messing up my fur!" Carla's fur stood on end. She angrily flailed her paws, trying to push away the overly affectionate face.
Happy, dizzy from the whirlwind of friction, struggled to speak: "Th-this feeling, this familiar feeling that's practically suffocating... You... are you Millianna?"
"That's right, nya!" Millianna chirped happily, tightening her embrace. "This feeling is so nostalgic, nya! For the past few years, there's only been a black cat here, but his aura is too intense, so I never dared to go near him, nya!"
"Millianna?" Erza looked at the girl—whose physique and demeanor were drastically changed compared to four years ago—with a surprised yet relieved smile.
"I didn't feel it much with Macao and Wakaba, but seeing you, I truly realize... everyone has grown up during these four years."
---
### 😲 Is It Really That Huge?!
Standing in the back of the crowd, Wendy and Levy were frozen solid as if under a spell the moment Millianna turned around.
Their gaze was locked, magnetically drawn to Millianna's undeniably magnificent chest.
($\Sigma$ (0—0 This, this really grew too big!! It's only been four short years!!)
Both girls simultaneously lowered their heads, their eyes sweeping over their own curves, which were virtually unchanged from four years ago. A complicated, inexpressible mix of emotions flooded their hearts.
Levy's mind was reeling: (Four years ago, she was totally on the same level as me! How did she suddenly get so huge!!)
(It feels like I left home this morning and came back this afternoon to find Wendy had turned into an unbelievably busty adult woman!!)
(This is literally magic—no! It's divine power! This is too unreal! Did she secretly start worshipping some kind of 'Boob God'?)
Levy secretly clenched her fist. (No! I have to find a way to secretly ask her what her secret is! I want to grow into a charming, mature woman, too!!)
In Wendy's eyes, following the initial shock, a glimmer of faint hope sparked:
(Miss Millianna... the change is truly huge, truly amazing.)
She glanced down at herself again:
(If she can do it, does that mean... in four years, is it possible for me... to become like that, too?)
Just then, Makarov strode into the Guild, jumped onto the bar, and held an empty mug high above his head, his booming voice cutting through all the noise. "To celebrate the safe return of the Tenrou Island members! And to welcome the First Master back to the Guild! I declare..."
He took a deep breath and shouted the phrase the Guild members hadn't heard in ages, a phrase filled with nostalgia: "A feast! No one leaves sober today!"
"OH—!!"
A deafening cheer instantly shook the entire Guild. The long-awaited, passionate atmosphere felt like it would tear the roof off.