"I'll sign up!"
Macao immediately raised his hand to show support for Totomaru.
The other members who used flame magic also eagerly registered, which made Totomaru let out a sigh of relief. At first, he had been afraid that as a newcomer opening a magic class, people would nitpick.
But the facts proved that such a thing would not happen in Fairy Tail. He had already demonstrated his strength in front of everyone, and they all acknowledged his ability. No one thought he was unqualified to open a class just because he was new.
"Thank you all for your support."
Totomaru spoke with emotion and bowed to everyone. This kind of guild atmosphere was something that could never be felt in Phantom Lord.
"You're willing to teach us magic. It's us who should be thanking you!"
Macao shouted with a smile, and the guild members also called out in support of Totomaru.
"Alright, now that we've introduced our new companions, it's time to talk about another important matter."
Seeing that Totomaru and Gajeel had finished their introductions, Makarov took over. His expression turned serious.
"The people from the Magic Council told me that in the past two months, the destruction caused by our Fairy Tail has been worse than that of the Dark Guilds. Can any of you tell me why?"
Looking at the now-quiet crowd, Makarov spoke slowly.
As soon as the old man's words came out, quite a few guild members below immediately felt guilty, shrinking their heads and not daring to look at him. These were the ones whose names appeared in the "evidence."
"Cough, cough, old man, I admit my fault. Last time I accidentally lost control and burned several houses. I'll definitely study magic properly with Totomaru and improve my control over flames!"
The first to step forward was still Uncle Macao. He spoke awkwardly. The one who had burned several streets was him.
To pay the compensation for that incident, Macao had been running around doing missions nonstop recently. He deeply regretted it. If he hadn't burned them, how much alcohol could that money have bought?!
"So you know that was wrong!"
Hearing Macao's words, Makarov pointed at him and scolded him thoroughly, leaving Uncle Macao with no choice but to lower his head and smile apologetically.
"You bunch of idiots, all you ever do is get me scolded by the Council!"
Makarov blew his beard and glared, making everyone smile sheepishly.
"However, I'm not saying this to make you change anything…"
Seeing their expressions, Makarov, who had originally intended to give them a harsh lecture, softened, and the words at his lips changed.
"Fairy Tail's mages do not live for the gaze and judgment of others. We move forward on the path we believe is right.
Not to be defined, not to be restrained, to follow our own hearts and souls, this is what it means to be a mage of Fairy Tail!
Magic Council, go eat shit!"
By the end of it, even Makarov himself was fired up. It was obvious that this was what he truly felt. He raised his right hand, clenched into a fist, with his thumb and index finger extended toward the sky.
"Yeahhhhh!"
The crowd, who had thought they were about to receive a scolding, froze for a moment, then immediately began shouting excitedly and followed Makarov in making the same gesture.
This gesture had only become popular in the guild in recent years. Gradually, everyone grew fond of it, and it became the guild's symbolic sign.
As for the meaning behind this gesture, it roughly expressed everyone's trust in one another and the unity of the guild.
It was originally used by Makarov and his family, Laxus and Moen. From the start, it carried a strong sense of familial bond. Expanding it for the entire guild to use felt completely natural. Fairy Tail was one big family.
Watching this scene, Moen couldn't help but rub his forehead helplessly. Wasn't this meeting supposed to be about getting everyone to cause less trouble? How did the conclusion turn into telling the Magic Council to go eat shit?
Expecting Grandpa Makarov to correct everyone's behavior was truly wishful thinking. The old man himself wasn't exactly someone who followed rules.
Compared to lecturing everyone, clearly praising the achievements of his two grandsons made him happier. Once the topic came up, he vividly began recounting the story, making it extremely lively and detailed, which naturally made everyone very excited.
"Moen and Laxus teamed up and defeated Jose Porla head-on? That Jose Porla? The old man didn't even step in?! That's amazing! Phantom Lord won't be able to hold their heads up again!"
Everyone discussed excitedly, each feeling honored.
Although the achievement belonged to Moen and Laxus, it was Phantom Lord who suffered, and Fairy Tail whose name rose. Naturally, everyone was delighted, and praises for Moen and Laxus kept ringing out.
Laxus listened from the side, the corners of his mouth unable to stop rising, though he tried hard to suppress it, making his expression look slightly strained.
As for Moen, his attention had already been drawn away by the system. A task had popped up,.about Gajeel.
[Ding! Mission Triggered!]
[Mission Name: "The Violent Iron Dragon"
Mission Content:
"Iron Dragon" Gajeel, one of the guild's important members, grew up in Phantom Lord and lived there for many years. Influenced by that environment, his personality became extremely violent and cruel. Correct his personality and help him integrate into the guild.
Mission Progress:
Correct Gajeel's personality and help him integrate into the guild (Incomplete)
Mission Reward: Random Bronze Cloth.]
After reading the mission content and glancing at Gajeel, Moen's expression turned strange. If he remembered correctly, Gajeel had said he had only stayed in Phantom Lord for just over a year.
"So originally he was supposed to stay in Phantom Lord for a long time?"
Moen didn't find it strange. If Fairy Tail hadn't intervened, Gajeel would certainly have continued growing in Phantom Lord. In that kind of atmosphere, it wouldn't be surprising for his personality to turn out that way.
"This mission seems pretty simple."
Moen looked at Gajeel. The current Gajeel was far from as exaggerated as described in the mission. Aside from being a bit short-tempered, he wasn't bad at all.
"Gajeel, come here."
Moen called out to him. Gajeel had been standing beside Totomaru the whole time—after all, Totomaru was the only acquaintance he had here.
"…"
Hearing his name, Gajeel looked at Moen and couldn't help swallowing. By now, Totomaru was already surrounded by people wanting to sign up for classes. There was no way for Gajeel to seek his help. He could only slowly shuffle toward Moen.
"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up. I'll introduce you to some people your age in the guild. You'll be roommates from now on."
Moen waved at Gajeel, urging him.
Naturally, Gajeel didn't dare delay any longer and quickly came over.
Standing beside Moen were several boys—Natsu, Gray, Elfman, Jet, and Droy.
The girls also gathered around, curiously looking at Gajeel. Although he had previously come to the guild to challenge them, he hadn't left any particularly impressive scene.
First he had fought Natsu to a standstill, then was instantly defeated by Moen in a single move. That was basically everyone's impression of him.
"Introduce yourselves to each other."
Pulling Gajeel into the group of kids, Moen began forcibly making them socialize. This was quite necessary. A newly arrived child needed a process like this to break the ice with everyone.
Children made friends quickly, especially since there were no conflicts or deep grudges between them. Just chatting a bit made it easy for them to start playing together.
"Hello, Gajeel. We've met before. I'm Gray, stronger than Natsu. After you defeat him, you can come challenge me."
At Moen's prompting glance, Gray took the initiative to greet the new friend. However, his words made Natsu very dissatisfied.
"You damn exhibitionist! Don't talk nonsense! I'm stronger than you!"
Natsu bared his teeth and roared at Gray. He had only lost that one time, yet it felt like Gray would nag about it for a lifetime!
Gray's attitude made Natsu turn shame into motivation. During this period, he had been training hard, determined to win back his pride. He had to defeat Gray!
Of course, Gray had no intention of letting Natsu turn things around, so he hadn't relaxed his training either. The two of them were extremely competitive.
This actually made things convenient for Moen. Gray and Natsu took turns being his punching bags—cough, sparring partners—and both competed for the chance. After one got beaten by Moen, the other would rush over to get beaten as well.
"I'll be the strongest!"
Watching Natsu and Gray, Gajeel's fighting spirit ignited. Moen and Laxus were beyond his confidence to challenge, but Natsu and Gray, he would definitely defeat them!
Just like Natsu had said before, if he couldn't first beat Natsu and Gray, how could he possibly be qualified to challenge Moen?!
"Beat Natsu first before you say that!"
Regarding Gajeel calling himself "the strongest," Gray mercilessly mocked him. If you couldn't even beat Natsu, how could you say something like that?
"Ahhh! Let's duel, Gray!"
Flames spurted from Natsu's mouth. He couldn't hold back anymore. This time, he had to wash away his humiliation!
"You fight Gajeel first. The winner between you two can fight me."
Gray glanced at Natsu with a look of disgust, rejecting his duel request. Instead, he arranged a duel between Gajeel and Natsu.
"Why should we listen to you?!"
This time, not only Natsu but even Gajeel was dissatisfied. The two questioned Gray together, then glanced at each other.
"Why are you copying what I said?!"
The two pressed their foreheads together, glaring fiercely at each other with vicious expressions.
"Please stop fighting…"
This time, Wendy stepped forward to mediate. Last time, Gajeel had been an enemy, so she cheered for Natsu. But now that Gajeel had become a companion, she could step in to stop them.
At this moment, Wendy felt an even stronger sense of déjà vu. The three of them were companions, then Natsu and Gajeel fought while she anxiously tried to stop them from the side, it just felt like something was still missing.
Of course, Gajeel and Natsu wouldn't listen to Wendy. The two were about to start fighting immediately when they were met with Moen's iron fists.
"Bang!!!"
Gajeel and Natsu each took a solid punch from Moen and squatted down together, clutching their heads and wailing. Despite having stronger defense, Gajeel actually cried out louder because Moen had used a bit more strength on him, worried it wouldn't hurt enough.
"If you want to fight, go outside."
Moen spoke. The beaten Gajeel and Natsu didn't dare make a sound and immediately obediently ran outside. The two even dragged Gray, who had been laughing at them along with them.
"What are you two doing?!"
Gray sensed something was wrong and tried to break free, but alone he couldn't escape the grip of both Natsu and Gajeel.
"Heh heh heh!"
Natsu and Gajeel made strange "heh heh" noises without speaking, which made Gray feel even more uneasy. He looked toward Moen for help.
Moen had no time to pay attention to him, because at that moment the system popped up a notification.
[Ding! Mission "The Violent Iron Dragon" completed!
Mission Progress: Correct Gajeel's personality and help him integrate into the guild (Completed)
Would you like to claim the mission reward?]
The mission he had just accepted was completed in the blink of an eye.
"As expected, Gajeel's current personality doesn't need to be reversed or corrected at all. His personality is already different from what was described in the mission."
Moen wasn't surprised the mission finished so quickly. The only thing required was to help Gajeel integrate into the guild.
From the looks of it, integrating wasn't difficult. The boys had all followed them outside to watch the excitement. They had already accepted Gajeel as a new playmate.
"Claim the mission reward."
Moen decisively chose to claim it.
[Buzz!]
A flash of light flickered, and within it appeared a piece of armor shaped like a large cross, yet at the same time resembling a swan spreading its wings. The long vertical of the cross was like the swan's long neck, and the horizontal was like its outstretched wings.
[Congratulations, Cygnus Bronze Cloth unlocked!]
As the system notification sounded, the Cloth revealed its true form. It no longer resembled a large cross so much as a clearly defined white swan.
This Bronze Cloth belonged to one of the "Bronze Five," Hyoga—the Cygnus Cloth, also known as the Swan Cloth.
"Not bad luck."
Looking at the Cygnus Bronze Cloth stored in the system space, Moen was in a good mood. First, he had drawn a Cloth belonging to one of the "Bronze Five," and second, it perfectly matched his abilities. That was definitely very fortunate.
Drawing the Dragon Cloth would also have matched, but pairing Diamond Dust Fist with Cygnus was far better than pairing Catching a Blade Barehanded with Dragon, unless he replaced Catching a Blade Barehanded with Rozan Rising Dragon Blow.
"This is the first Cloth whose abilities I completely possess. It should produce a very good chemical reaction, right?"
Thinking of this, Moen was already somewhat impatient. He immediately left the guild hall and went to the large lake behind it.
"Come forth! Cygnus Bronze Cloth!"
Without hesitation, Moen directly summoned the Cygnus Bronze Cloth. The white armor, faintly tinged with blue, instantly equipped itself onto his body. The coverage of the Cygnus Cloth was not particularly high.
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