The Cat Transformation Inn is nestled in a valley, in a remote area with rugged roads.
The carriage only took the group to the mountain front and refused to go any further, as going further might damage the wheels or break the axle, resulting in a loss for the driver.
Riding on the back of a River Crab along the bumpy path, Wendy was full of guilt:
"I'm sorry, even though I said I would host you, I made you travel such a long way."
Rhode said, "Don't say that. If it weren't for you taking us in, Gray and I would have to sleep in the wild tonight, and it's hard to find a place to stay in such a place."
Standing with one leg crossed over the other in a cool pose, Gray patted the back of the River Crab and said:
"Teaming up with you is really convenient. Natsu might just stick to you all the way."
Rhode chuckled, "Only for short trips. For a trip this long, bringing Natsu along would..."
Gray finished the sentence, "Definitely be interesting!"
The two of them exchanged a look, confirming they both enjoyed teasing Natsu, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Wendy, you must keep your distance from them in the future."
The River Crab moved quickly, and following Wendy and Carla's guidance for a while, the view suddenly opened up, no longer obscured by trees and rocks.
Wendy exclaimed joyfully, "We're here! Our guild is just ahead!"
The land was flat and spacious, with orderly houses, fertile fields, beautiful ponds, and mulberry and bamboo trees. Footpaths connected the areas, and the sound of chickens and dogs could be heard...
A few lines suddenly flashed through Rhode's mind.
The isolated little village in the deep mountains and forests indeed had a touch of the idyllic Peony Pavilion about it.
Rhode praised, "What a beautiful village."
"What a quaint architecture," Gray said. "Such villages are really rare now."
Worried about causing a disturbance, Rhode called everyone to come down, allowing the two River Crabs to wander around the mountains outside the village, to simply verify his terrain information.
Then they followed Wendy and Carla into the village.
After returning to the village, Wendy seemed much more lively and excitedly introduced things in the village to Rhode and Gray.
Two young people, carrying bows and arrows and wearing clothes similar to a primitive tribe style, came with chatter and laughter, as if they were going hunting.
Wendy waved to them, "Pascal, Naoqi!"
Carla also showed a little smile.
The two young men stopped, "Wendy, Carla, you're back!"
"It's great to see you back safely, everyone was worried... And those two behind you are?"
Wendy introduced, "They are mages from the Fairy Tail guild, Mr. Rhode and Mr. Gray, friends Carla and I made outside."
Pascal said, "Oh~ mages from a big guild, that's really rare. Hello, I'm Pascal."
"Hello, I'm Naoqi." Naoqi smiled warmly at Wendy and said, "You've been out for a few days and made friends, Wendy's grown up, huh?"
"Hello." Rhode and Gray greeted them simply, not interrupting their concern for Wendy.
Wendy excitedly chatted with the two for a while about the outside world, and they listened with smiles on their faces.
Speaking of Wendy making friends outside, Pascal and Naoqi seemed particularly happy.
It took quite a while before the two left.
Wendy again apologized, "Sorry, I talked too much and made you wait so long."
Rhode said, "It's okay, it's apparent that Wendy is well-liked in the village."
Wendy smiled happily, "That's because everyone is nice."
The people here wore clothes reminiscent of primitive tribes, and they had peculiar face patterns painted on their faces.
It felt somewhat similar to Nabu, who was always checking the bulletin board.
"Magna, Pepel!"
"Wendy, Carla, welcome back!"
Along the way, Wendy cheerfully greeted everyone she knew, and they all responded warmly to her.
The tiny village was brimming with a warm community spirit.
Following the stone road running North to South, they finally reached the entrance of a cat-shaped tent.
On top of the tent was written 'Cat Transformation Inn,' and beside it hung the sign of the Cat Transformation Inn on a flagpole.
Rhode thought about waiting outside for a while, but Wendy had already called them to come inside.
He glanced at Gray, who nodded at him, meaning it's okay to go in.
Rhode also nodded, meaning, it's good, we're still clothed.
The interior of the tent was simple, with three wooden round tables placed at the sides and the center.
The center position against the wall was the President's seat, where an elder with a feather headdress was sitting cross-legged.
Wendy gleefully announced, "President, we're back!"
"Trickery." The elder sat sternly, "Wendy, Carla, welcome back."
Rhode whispered to Gray, "What did he just say? Something about trickery?"
Gray slightly shook his head, "Didn't catch it."
"Don't mind it, it's just the President's catchphrase," Carla said, "We don't know what it means either, but it's always on his lips."
Wendy introduced Rhode and Gray to Robin Lu.
While listening to her, Robin Lu was pouring himself some wine.
After pouring half a glass, he drank directly from the bottle instead.
Once Wendy finished the introductions, Robin Lu warmly greeted them, "So you're mages from Fairy Tail, welcome to the Cat Transformation Inn."
In the midst of talking, the wine that the elder just gulped down trickled out from the corners of his mouth.
Carla couldn't help but say, "Swallow the wine before you speak, it's too rude like this!"
"Trickery," said Robin Lu in his ambiguous catchphrase, as he poured a little more wine into his glass and continued drinking from the bottle.
"It's rude of me. Thank you for taking care of Wendy and Carla," the wine continued to flow out from the corner of his mouth.
Carla patted her forehead, having been constantly criticizing the fools at Fairy Tail lately, almost forgetting they had a fool at home too.
A peculiar elder. Gray concluded as such, and politely said, "Sorry for intruding."
Are all Presidents this unreliable? Unlike Gray, Rhode also silently criticized his own President:
"President Robin Lu, our President, Mr. Makarov, asked us to convey his greetings to you."
"Ah, Mr. Makarov, I've heard he's one of the ten greatest mages on this continent. I'd love to meet him if I have the chance."
If he didn't spray wine while talking, the scene may have looked much more pleasant.
Wendy said, "President, Mr. Rhode and Mr. Gray have received a commission near the North Ridge, and Carla and I want to help guide them."
The North Ridge Wendy mentioned is probably what Rhode and Gray referred to as the Southern Mountain Range, because of its location north of the Cat Transformation Inn.
Carla suspected, however, that these two guys might already be more familiar with the terrain than her and Wendy. Do they really need guidance?
"North Ridge, huh, going deep could be dangerous. Trickery." Robin Lu frowned,
"But since they are mages from Fairy Tail, it should be fine. Wendy, remember not to trouble them."
Rhode promptly said, "There's no need for Wendy to come along. Just helping confirm the general direction is enough."
Originally, having Wendy guide them was just an excuse by the President to have Rhode and Gray escort Wendy back. How could they take her to complete a task?
Wendy added, "Also, if it's not completed quickly, Carla and I want to host them for the night."
"Trickery. Staying over is no problem," Robin Lu immediately said,
"Carla, lead them to settle in first. Wendy, could you stay and tell me about the outside world?"
"Okay!"