Ezreal rolled his eyes. He wasn't very diligent in his training, but he was quite attentive when it came to food. No wonder Droy would become fat in the later part of the original story.
"Ugh, I heard they're 1000 Jewels each. Only idiots in the Royal Capital would buy them, right?" Jet glanced at the display window.
Inside the glass display, desserts adorned with gold leaf rotated on velvet trays, and waiters in tuxedos moved between mother-of-pearl inlaid round tables, carrying silver platters.
"Once we get our reward, I'm going to eat ten of them!" Droy, drooling, was being dragged away by Levy, who was pulling his collar, as the bronze gates of the Merchant Guild Headquarters came into view.
The two gargoyle sculptures suddenly rotated their blood-red eyes, and the magic patterns on the guards' silver armor flashed. They stepped forward two paces and politely asked, "Hello, this is the Heartfilia Merchant Guild Headquarters. Please show your commission voucher for entry."
When Levy handed over the mission sheet stamped with the Fairy Tail emblem, the red glow in the gargoyles' eyes turned into a soft jade green.
The moment the exquisite bronze gates slowly opened, Ezreal noticed several prying gazes flash in the shadows of the doorway.
Those were crossbowmen hidden behind the stone pillars, their crossbow bolts glowing with the blue light of frost magic.
After the guards opened the door, a young man who looked like a servant led them to a reception room on the first floor. The crystal chandelier cast the merchant ship patterns from the stained-glass windows onto the marble floor, slowly shifting with the sun's movement.
They had barely looked around the room for a moment when the exquisitely carved wooden door was gently pushed open.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." The man who entered had a capable and serious face, dressed in a sharp, neat black suit, his tall figure like a green pine.
The star-shaped sapphire on his silver-grey lapel pin shimmered, complementing his left monocle.
When his sharp gaze swept over Levy's petite figure and Droy's childish sprout-like head, Ezreal clearly saw the man's neatly trimmed eyebrows twitch slightly.
"I am Allen Whitman, the supervisor responsible for commission tasks at the Merchant Guild. Just call me Allen." Allen pushed up his monocle with his white-gloved finger and bowed to the quartet, "The Heartfilia Merchant Guild welcomes your arrival."
"Ezreal."
"Levy."
"Jet."
"Droy." The four simply introduced their names and politely bowed in return.
"Please, have a seat." Allen gestured for them to sit at the reception table. He waited until they were all seated before pulling out a chair and sitting opposite them.
"Although your guild has an excellent reputation, you all look..."
Allen's gaze lingered on the goggles on Ezreal's head for a moment, "...a bit too energetic, perhaps?"
Jet was about to say something and stand up, but Levy gently tugged his sleeve.
Ezreal looked at the capable man and, at the opportune moment, raised his hand. A faint golden light illuminated his fingers, and the golden particles swirling between them instantly condensed into a three-dimensional emblem of the Heartfilia Merchant Guild.
The moment the light iris bloomed, the temperature of the entire reception room suddenly rose.
The golden light flashed and disappeared, and a pure gold token landed on the table.
The front of the token was engraved with the words "Punishment."
The man's gaze fell on the token. Seeing the clear Magic Council emblem, the pupils behind his monocle finally rippled.
"Punishment Knight, Ezreal?" Allen looked at the gentle-faced blond young man opposite him with a hint of shock.
Ezreal smiled. The pure gold token on the table floated lightly back into his palm and disappeared with a flick of his wrist. "Honestly, I actually think that title sounds pretty good, it's just a bit embarrassing to hear it from outsiders."
... "Ding-a-ling—"
The carved glass window on the top floor of the Merchant Guild Headquarters rattled softly in the sea breeze, and sunlight streamed through the colored glass, casting colorful halos on the white carpet.
Lucy Heartfilia, only 15 years old at the time, was haphazardly stuffing a lace shirt into her suitcase. The pure gold key ring at her waist, holding her Celestial Spirit keys, jingled with her movements.
"Father is becoming more and more like a stranger. I really don't know why he's become like this."
"He clearly wasn't such an annoying person before."
"That's why, Grandpa Cru!" The blond girl turned around angrily, the silk nightgown in her hand drawing an aggrieved arc in the air. "At last week's family dinner, Father actually said, 'You should contribute to the family.' Does 'contribute' mean being displayed at a marriage alliance banquet like an antique vase at an auction?!"
The Southern Cross Celestial Spirit, hovering on the dressing table, emitted a warm silver light. The old man's face at the center of the cross rippled with a sigh: "Little Lucy, the human heart is as difficult to fathom as the starry sky. However..."
Slender silver arms suddenly extended from both sides of the cross, deftly putting scattered hairpins into the jewelry box. "Are you sure you want to take your summer vacation outfits to the North? It's still snowing there in March, you know."
"That's not the point!" Lucy angrily threw a mink coat into her suitcase, and the gold-threaded 'Celestial Spirit Encyclopedia' fell from the bookshelf onto the floor.
Just as she was about to bend down, Crux's cross-shaped tip suddenly shot out silver-white light ropes, gently lifting the book. "Your father has been frequently in contact with people from other merchant guilds recently. This is not a good sign."
The girl suddenly froze, her fingertips clutching the velvet shawl turning slightly white: "Ever since Mother left, Father..."
The dressing mirror reflected her reddened eyes, and the cries of the seagulls outside the window suddenly became piercing.
Crux's silver body suddenly made a soft whirring sound of gears turning, and the crossbar slowly unfolded, a faint silver-white starlight illuminating: "Instead of dwelling on the past, it's better to strive for your own future. Among the currently masterless Celestial Spirits, the one with the lowest risk of acquisition is Horologium, the Clock. That old fellow is waiting for your awakening in the North."
His two cross-shaped white beards twitched, and Crux's voice suddenly became rather mystical, "And this time, traveling with the merchant caravan, I see an unknown change in your destiny. The will of adventure and protection will appear on your future path."
Lucy sniffled, trying to hold back the tears welling in her eyes. Pouting, she said, "Grandpa Cru, you're trying to fool people again."
"Mother said that destiny is unknown, and no one can be sure what the future holds. Everyone can only try their best to walk the path they are on now."
Crux nodded in agreement, "I wholeheartedly agree with Ms. Layla. In this world, the only thing that is certain is an uncertain life."
Crux's silver-white starlight shone brighter. "Little Lucy, for you, the predetermined destiny you see here is one you are unwilling to accept. But I believe that when you embark on this journey, the unknown future will truly unfold."
Lucy sighed, stuffed the last piece of clothing into her suitcase, and gently closed the lid.
She looked up at Crux, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes: "Grandpa Cru, you're right. If Father really intends to trade my future for the Merchant Guild's future, I cannot accept that."
The silver-white starlight in Crux's eyes flickered slightly, and he slowly said, "Little Lucy, your courage reminds me of your mother."
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