In mid-November, the weather was getting colder. If you went out before sunrise, you could already see the withered yellow leaves of weeds on the streets coated with a thin layer of white frost.
A few days ago, Rhode added a set of bathing equipment to his home, and he finally had a 24-hour hot water supply.
As the weather got colder, the clothes he wore to go out were gradually getting thicker. Additionally, he was increasingly fond of holding Warm when going out.
The little creature was warm all over, hugging it was like holding a heater.
Warm's popularity in the guild was also growing by the day. No matter who it was, once they hugged it, they were reluctant to let go.
They even hoped Rhode would summon a few more Poro, so ideally, everyone could have one.
Unfortunately, Rhode couldn't help. Other creatures could be multiple, but only Poro could summon Warm.
Landlord Goodman's business had suddenly gotten much better recently.
According to him, it was because his father got inspiration from the wood carvings Rhode gave, which improved his carving skills, making their handicrafts particularly popular recently.
Besides, Mrs. Molly was also studying the cloth Rhode sent, planning to absorb some experience.
For this reason, Goodman reduced Rhode's rent by twenty thousand J, now it's sixty thousand J per month.
In the whole city of Magnolia, it was hard to find a house with the same area and amenities at a lower price.
Everything seemed to be moving in a better direction, except for the guild president, who looked worried as he watched Rhode, who didn't feel like going out.
If this continued, his retirement plans would be postponed again. When would Rhode become S-Class!
"President."
"Oh?" Makarov perked up, "Are you taking a mission?"
"No, I'd like to ask for your help." Rhode gestured to the backyard.
"Oh, are you going to receive a new target then?" Makarov nodded, enhancing one's power was not bad either.
"Not that either, let me do some mental preparation for that target first."
Rhode wasn't really keen on receiving the Magic Swamp Frog; it was too ugly, and who knew what it would turn into after being received.
But he quite wanted the poison attribute of the Magic Swamp Frog, perfect for desperate situations, the kind of 'you might kill me, but I'm gonna poison you' aura, would be quite intimidating.
Yet if after receiving it he ended up covered in warts... Although he could use dispel magic to recover, he still needed to give it good thought.
Rhode said, "Today I want to summon a big guy."
"Is that so, well, let's go then."
Makarov recalled the tree monster from some time ago and that peculiar additional magic, a smirk forming at his lips.
This kid, after discovering that additional magic called 'Crown of Embers' had the effect of restoring injuries, actually thought about applying it to him every day to 'extend his lifespan'.
Though it was eventually proven not to have that effect, Makarov was quite pleased nevertheless.
To him, the care from the children was the best medicine for prolonging life.
The tavern was still lively today, just not as rowdy as usual. Perhaps because a certain favorite loud troublemaker was snoozing on the table.
Rhode glanced at him curiously; it was rare to see Natsu so lifeless outside of the eating lightning aftermath period: "Did he eat something weird again?"
Makarov shook his head: "Don't mind him."
With a bit of curiosity, Rhode accompanied the president to the backyard and soon focused on channeling magic.
"I am..."
"Cyan Engraved Golem!"
Rhode seriously chanted the incantation, and after shouting the name, the ground erupted with blue light.
Stones emerged from the ground, quickly assembling into a Stone Giant.
Though its size was not comparable to the president's Giant Magic, it stood a good four or five meters tall.
Encased within the Stone Giant's body was a large blue orb, exuding a distinctly different aura from the Crimson Marked Tree Monster's red orb on its back.
The Cyan Engraved Golem, commonly known as blue buff, Blue, Blue Buff, etc.
Corresponding to the Crimson Marked Tree Monster affectionately known as red buff, the two held similar statuses in-game, belonging to a highly contested, very important creature class.
This golem, standing on two legs, appeared taller than the four-legged tree monster.
It just looked a bit goofy.
Makarov, as always, intentionally shielded Rhode, only stepping aside after confirming the creature's obedience to see his introduction.
Rhode felt the magic power within him: "The magic power consumption is similar to summoning the tree monster, and it also has an additional magic."
Rhode pointed to himself: "Crown of Insight!"
The blue 'big light bulb' inside the golem shimmered, emitting blue light over Rhode.
Three translucent blue light patterns immediately appeared around Rhode, rotating around once before burrowing into him.
A moment later, the three light patterns reappeared, rotating again, burrowing into Rhode once more.
With each absorption of these light patterns, Rhode could feel a tiny portion of his magic power restored, which was the most important magic recovery effect of the Blue Buff.
But maintaining the golem's existence still consumed considerable magic power; currently, the recovery rate slightly lagged behind the consumption rate.
Rhode frowned; this was unreasonable.
He had a hunch: "President, would you like to try it?"
Makarov nodded: "Let's do it."
"Crown of Insight!" Rhode gestured to Makarov, blue light sweeping over, with the same blue light patterns appearing around the president.
However, these light patterns merely orbited around the president, with no intention of burrowing into him.
Makarov hadn't noticed any changes and inquired, "Is it ineffective on me?"
Rhode shook his head: "No, this might require you to expend a bit of magic power first to see."
"Oh?" Makarov reached out, casually dispelling a Light Magic into the sky.
The roaming blue light patterns immediately burrowed into him, generating anew shortly thereafter.
"Is this an additional magic immediately restoring all magic power?"
A flash of panic appeared on Makarov's face; he only knew one method could accomplish such a feat, and that was Fairy Tail's biggest secret.
No, no, it's not that exaggerated.
Regaining his composure, Makarov swiftly cast several magic power-intensive Defense Magics.
Only when the blue light reentered him did Makarov breathe a sigh of relief. It should not offer unrestricted restoration.
At least the recovery pace wasn't as fast as he imagined.
Yet something was off; judging by this recovery speed, why was Rhode's magic power still decreasing?
Rhode grimaced: "Because I'm too weak."
This thing really follows the game's percentage-based mana restoration.
For someone as mighty as the president, with the Crown of Insight, a reasonable magic use could even allow for a pseudo-infinite firepower momentarily.
Yet for Rhode's insufficient total magic power, it just meant an extended presence time for the golem.
But he didn't lose heart; this simultaneous consumption and recovery allowed him to keep the golem engaged in a fight without having to rely on the tree monster as a trump card alone.
With just a bit more magic power improvement, soon he might balance consumption with recovery, and with more effort, it'd be like getting a powerful creature free of charge every battle!
With a mass that large, one punch would surely deal more damage than him engaging in melee personally.
Rhode estimated his remaining magic power: "In a few days, I might try receiving it."
Makarov queried: "Are you sure? I recall you mentioning that receiving consumes much more magic than summoning?"
"Hmm... I might be down after receiving, but receiving the second time wouldn't require summoning first, so I could gain a transformation."
Rhode played with his mental abacus: "Waiting a few more days might be safer."