The sweet time of afternoon tea did not last long.
"Cana! Cana! Come quick!" Levy suddenly ran over excitedly with her magic book, interrupting Cana and Ezreal's discussion about the "cost" mechanism of cards.
"What's wrong, Levy?" Cana was a bit annoyed at being interrupted.
"Look at this!" Levy pointed to a passage of ancient runes recorded on the page, "I found it while organizing ancient magic texts! It records a rare 'Resonance Amplification' rune array! I think… it might solve the energy stability problem of your new card, 'Fate Reversal'!"
Cana's eyes instantly lit up: "Resonance Amplification? Let me see!"
She snatched Levy's book and began to read it voraciously.
Ezreal also leaned over to look: "Hmm… using magic resonance to distribute and stabilize the energy impact during reversal? The idea is very novel. However… this rune array seems to require a specific medium to carry and guide it…"
"Medium?" Cana stroked her chin, her gaze sweeping across the Guild hall, finally landing on… Max, who was using gold sand to repair the door frame damaged by Natsu.
"Max!" Cana's eyes lit up, as if she had discovered a new continent, "Your gold sand! Can I borrow some?"
Max stopped his work, his emerald pupils showing a hint of doubt: "gold sand? What do you want to do?"
"Experiments!" Cana gestured excitedly, "Levy found an ancient rune array that needs a medium capable of carrying magic, with high plasticity and stability! Your gold sand is perfect!"
Max looked at the fervent glow in Cana's eyes, then at Ezreal, who had a "good luck" expression on his face, and hesitated for a moment: "…Use it carefully."
"Don't worry!" Cana patted her chest to assure him, then immediately commanded, "Ezreal! Help me draw the rune array! Levy! Record the data! Max! The gold sand control is up to you!"
And so, a corner of the Guild transformed into a temporary magic laboratory.
Cana etched complex ancient runes on the ground with magic.
Ezreal offered corrective suggestions from the side, while Levy nervously recorded with her magic book and quill.
Max, meanwhile, controlled the gold sand, carefully filling the rune lines.
Golden grains of sand flowed in the rune grooves, emitting a faint hum and subtle magic fluctuations.
"Inject magic! Activate the array!" Cana took a deep breath and injected magic into the core rune.
Buzz—!
The rune array instantly lit up!
Golden light flowed, and the gold sand vibrated slightly like a living thing between the runes, emitting a stable energy field.
"It worked?!" Cana exclaimed in surprise.
However, the next second!
"Puchi!"
A strange sound, like a deflating balloon.
In the center of the rune array, the gold sand that should have flowed stably suddenly expanded and deformed uncontrollably, eventually making a "pop" sound and turning into a large puddle of… viscous, golden-yellow… slime-like substance, slumped on the ground, emitting a faint burnt smell.
Cana: "…"
Ezreal: "…"
Levy: "…"
Max looked at his beloved gold sand turned into a puddle of "mud," his mouth twitching slightly: "Cana… is this what you meant by 'use it carefully'?"
"Uh… an accident! Purely an accident!" Cana gave a dry laugh, trying to nudge the "gold sand slime" into a corner with her foot, "It must be a miscalculation of the rune energy nodes! Levy! Let me see the book again!"
Levy silently handed over the book, muttering softly: "I did say that the annotation part of this array was a bit vague…"
Ezreal looked at the still slightly wriggling "gold sand slime" and rubbed his forehead helplessly: "It seems the idea for the 'cost' card is correct, but the object of 'sacrifice'… might need to be changed."
Max silently controlled the remaining gold sand, wrapping and compressing the "failed product" until it became an inconspicuous golden sphere, which he put away, his expression not looking too good.
"Ahem, well… Max, I'll buy you a drink next time!" Cana tried to make amends.
Max glanced at her: "Double."
"Deal!" Cana immediately agreed.
Max pulled up a chair and sat between Cana and Ezreal, "By the way, why haven't I seen Yukino recently?"
Cana, organizing the cards in her hand, replied without looking up, "She went to visit her sister, Sorano, in the Magic Council's prison."
Max froze for a second, "Magic Council! Prison! Sister!"
Ezreal handed him a glass of ice water, "Yukino's sister is Angel from the Oración Seis, also a Celestial Spirit Mage. I heard she was manipulated by Brain from a young age to join the Oración Seis. When Nirvana was dealt with, Yukino defeated her sister, and later the Council took her sister away and imprisoned her."
Max was shocked, "Is there that much information?"
Ezreal shrugged, "There are just that many coincidences in the world."
Just as a failed magic experiment and the lingering effects of afternoon tea were unfolding in the Guild, the Guild doors were pushed open again.
This time, a worried-looking old woman entered.
"Excuse me… is this the Fairy Tail Guild? I… I want to post a request…" The old woman's voice was tearful.
"Hello, please sit over here." Mira immediately stepped forward, gently guiding the old woman to a seat, offering a cup of hot tea, "Take your time, what happened?"
The old woman wiped her tears: "It's my old man… he… he went to the back mountain to gather herbs yesterday and hasn't returned yet! That forest on the back mountain, I've heard it's been restless lately… I'm worried… worried about him…"
"Looking for someone?" Erza's voice rang out. She had, at some point, dressed completely, her red hair tied up, looking heroic and valiant, "Please don't worry, Granny. The Fairy Tail Guild will take this request!"
"Natsu! Gray! Lucy! Wendy! Come with me!" Erza called out names decisively.
"Yes! Erza!" Natsu immediately jumped up from his "punishment" state.
Gray also immediately broke free from Juvia's entanglement and went over.
"Lord Gray! Please let Juvia come too!"
Lucy and Wendy also quickly got up.
"I'm going too!" Cana put aside her disappointment from the failure and immediately stated.
"Me too." Ezreal also raised his hand and stood up.
"Aye—! Lucy, wait for me!" Happy flew up.
"Wendy, be careful." Carla also followed.
Juvia, naturally, followed Gray wherever he went.
Max silently put away his tools and also followed behind the group.
A temporary search and rescue team led by Erza quickly assembled.
"Granny, what are your husband's features? Where might he have last been seen?" Erza inquired carefully.
The old woman described her husband's clothing and the herb-gathering areas he frequented.
"Alright! Let's go!" At Erza's command, the team quickly left the Guild.
The Guild became quiet for a moment.
Master Makarov watched their retreating figures, then looked at the faint water stain left in the corner after Max cleaned up… Juvia's masterpiece, and the remnants of a collapsed table, and sighed deeply.
"Mira…"
"Yes, Master."
"Tomorrow… remember to remind me… to go to the bank to withdraw money…" Makarov's voice was full of weariness, "To pay Laki overtime… and… to make another batch of new tables…"
Mira smiled and nodded: "Understood, Master."
Outside the window, the sunset completely sank below the horizon, and the lights of Magnolia lit up one by one.
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