Having watched another mage combat match, Rhode fortunately returned safely.
Kana had left hugging a barrel of alcohol, leaving behind a snoring Warm belly-up on the counter and a cross-legged, snot-bubbled Makarov.
Rhode flipped Warm over, failing to wake it, then waved a hand in front of Makarov's eyes to no response: "Why are they both sleeping so soundly?"
Mira covered her mouth with a laugh: "Both got drunk by Kana."
Rhode glanced at the woman hugging a barrel looking for Macao to share a drink: "That ruthless?"
"Haha, actually Kana...,"
Mira wanted to reveal a bit about Kana's nature to Rhode, to prevent any misunderstanding, but thought it wouldn't be as fun, so she changed her words on the spot,
"She's a really nice person."
"...Probably." Rhode tried to make himself believe Mira's words,
"By the way, is there a magic in this world that can instantly take off clothes?"
"There is, Requip Magic." Mira said, "The basic Requip Magic is something many girls know, very convenient for changing clothes on the go."
"However, someone who excels at Requip Magic, who can even change magic armor and weapons instantly in battle..."
"It must be Gray, right?" Rhode answered quickly, remembering Gray was one of the main group members, he had to have some specialties.
Having just seen Gray's disappearing shirt trick, someone skilled at Requip Magic who could use it in battle had to be Gray.
Rhode felt his analysis was well-founded.
But Mira denied it: "No, it's Erza."
"Huh?"
"Gray is an Ice-Molding Mage; stripping is just a bad habit, seems like something from when he was learning magic."
Another molding magic, Ice-Make, playing with ice sculptures?
"The Requip Magic used is by Erza... Speaking of which, Erza should be back soon."
Mira continued, "By the way, Erza is the strongest female mage in the guild and also very pretty, look forward to it."
"Also, if you're thinking of pursuing her, I've got some information here." Mira suddenly started talking more:
"The last person in the guild who pursued Erza was Loki, he ended up beaten half to death, but maybe you're her type..."
"Spare me." Rhode displayed a helpless expression.
Miss Mira, your devilish sense of humor seems to be getting less discreet. Also, do you perhaps have a penchant for gossip?
-----------------
The waiter job was both peaceful and bustling, occasionally with a bit of excitement.
If you don't react in time, you might get caught in someone else's brawl. But if you dodge quickly, there's often a show to watch.
Of course, when watching, you also have to avoid the occasional flying bottles, tables, and chairs.
At noon, Rhode unlocked a small benefit of being a waiter—free lunch.
Today's main dish was Fairy Tail's special casserole.
It was the first time Rhode heard the name of this dish, unsure of how it would taste, but the moment the lid was opened, his nose and salivary glands had already made their judgment.
"It smells amazing…"
The aroma was so enticing that even the Polverom, drunk by Kana, opened its eyes, drawn by the scent to get food.
Chicken legs, pork, sausages, white beans, and other ingredients were arranged in the thick soup, with a layer of crisp and fragrant crust on top.
When Laki and Mira sat down and signaled the start of the meal, Rhode couldn't wait to dig in, starting with a sip of the soup.
With the fresh, savory, and thick soup entering his mouth, Rhode couldn't help but want to exclaim: "This… if you eat this with rice, it would be the best!"
"Wow, the chicken leg meat is crispy on the outside and tender inside, even tastier when dipped in soup…"
"Wow, the pork is amazing too… even the beans are delicious!"
Rhode became a wow-monster, having so much to say about each ingredient, yet feeling that speaking would hinder his eating efficiency.
After some hesitation, he decided to enjoy eating first!
Twenty minutes later, both Rhode and Warm had eaten till their bellies were round, letting out a satisfied sigh in unison.
Rhode pointed at the now-empty casserole: "Is this really an employee meal? This seems like quite a complex dish."
Mira thought for a moment, then said: "It's not very complicated, just a thick soup made from white beans, onions, carrots, tomatoes, thyme, and pigskin.
You fry the chicken leg meat, pork, and sausages.
Then layer each ingredient neatly in a casserole, pour the soup, bake it for a while, and it's ready for serving."
This is not considered complex? Rhode felt like he was experiencing a déjà vu moment of Wang Xifeng introducing eggplant stew to Granny Liu.
Hmm... Grandma Liu, then. Relishing the earlier dishes, Rhode said, quite without shame: "Mira, I want to stay here and be a waiter forever."
Laki chuckled: "Looks like Rhode is very satisfied with the contents filling his belly this time."
Filling his belly? Contents? Rhode pondered for a second, is this how you describe being full from eating?
Mira noticed his confusion and quickly waved her hands: "No, for general language, please don't learn from Laki."
"Sister Mira~" Laki pouted, "Saying that is so mean; my way of expressing is clearly poetic."
"Sure sure~" Mira appeased, "But Rhode's language skills aren't at the poetic level yet, so spare him."
"Really." Laki pouted and began tidying up the tableware.
-----------------
Afternoon was Rhode's break time, and he planned to follow the President's suggestion and go read in the library.
Elfman had pushed Rhode earlier to tour the guild's library.
The lighting inside was dim, and rows of bookshelves stood taller than a person, with movable ladders beside them for fetching books.
The afternoon library, as usual, was silent, with the air filled with the unique smell of books.
"Wulula?" Warm seemed not quite fond of the place.
"Shh..."
Rhode gestured for silence to Warm, then picked it up and placed it on his shoulder, unconsciously treading lightly.
Following the signs hanging from the bookshelves, Rhode found the magic section and started searching book by book for related titles.
Unfortunately, there wasn't any book titled "Celestial Spirit Magic."
"The President mentioned there's related information in the library..." Rhode thought, "It should be categorized within other magic types, right?"
He backtracked and found a book titled "Magic Encyclopedia."
Opening the contents, it clearly divided the sections into Ability Element and Holder Element.
Simply put, one depended on using magic by oneself, somewhat like superpowers.
The other required some reliance on magic tools, a bit like technology.
According to the President, Rhode's magic belonged to the Holder Element and was very similar to Celestial Spirit Magic, so he just needed to find Celestial Spirit Magic under the Holder Element directory.
But before that, Rhode started a standard book-reading procedure—flipping open a page at random to see what's written.