First, take a train, then transfer to a ship. Rhode was already quite familiar with this route.
When they set off, it was near noon, and by the time they reached Harujion, it was already afternoon. There were still ferries available, but they would have to spend the night on the ship.
Time was tight, and they couldn't worry about much else. The two of them bought tickets, prepared some food, and boarded the ship to depart.
The sun didn't shine too brightly today, so there was no need for sunscreen.
They discussed the task, trying to anticipate various possible scenarios they might face upon arrival.
What if the opponent used a drug, or attacked them from behind, or if someone made a suicidal move—should they chop them up to feed the dogs or throw them into the sea to feed the fish...
Speaking of fish, one of the monitoring River Crabs suddenly disappeared, seemingly swallowed in one bite by a ferocious giant fish.
The fish's back was camouflaged in dark colors, sneaking up from below, and Rhode couldn't even see it.
"With such a size, it's better to inform the captain," he thought.
But before Rhode could notify anyone, a harpoon suddenly shot out from the stern of the ship, aimed directly at the giant fish.
A rope followed the harpoon, curling as it flew out, and soon after the harpoon entered the water, it went taut. The sea turned red with blood, and the entire ship shook a bit.
The captain used a megaphone to shout, "Please, dear passengers, do not panic. The lookout spotted a giant piranha. We've hit the piranha now, and the slight shaking during the towing process is normal, so please do not panic!"
He shouted once, then repeated it.
Many passengers ran to the deck to watch the sailors catch the fish.
With an audience watching, the sailors worked even more zealously. To speed up the process, they launched another harpoon.
The giant fish struggled less, and the sight of blood churning on the sea surface made some feel uncomfortable.
Very soon, the piranha was dragged back and hoisted out of the water, revealed to be a full ten meters long.
This was a genuine piranha, which occasionally attacked small fishing boats. Its full set of fangs could bite a person in one go.
The captain specifically had the sailors drag it back, probably to show off their might and demonstrate that even when faced with such a terrifying monster fish, they had the capability to ensure everyone's safety.
Ordinary people, with the right tools, can also kill such a giant beast...
However, there was a large Magic Crystal embedded in the harpoon, which, to some extent, made the sailors who launched the harpoon akin to variant Mages.
As night fell, the excitement on the deck slowly dissipated, and the passengers returned to their cabins.
Rhode and Mira ate their brought-along food in the cabin.
Though there were small restaurants on the ship, Mira said they were both expensive and unappetizing, and that it was better to buy some from the shore.
Previously, Wendy and Gray had said the same thing.
As a result, Rhode still hadn't seen what the food provided on the ferry looked like.
Was it like those ten-dollar boxed meals on the green-skinned trains that could drop to five at any time? That's all he could imagine.
The accommodation on this old wooden ship was pretty average, and the double room Rhode booked turned out to be a bunk bed!
One wonders which genius came up with that idea.
Last time was obviously different... but last time, Erza, being wealthy, had seemingly chosen the best suite.
Carelessness.
No wonder Mira didn't react at all when buying the ticket; she knew all along.
When they first entered the room and saw Rhode's expression, Mira laughed for a long time, clutching her stomach.
The quality of sleep that night was mediocre. They didn't even take off their clothes, and just made do for the night.
Sometimes, when traveling, you can't be too particular.
After reaching the shore the next morning, they casually ate something and headed straight for the target town.
Meanwhile, the Guild was in chaos.
Because Erza, temporarily filling in for Mira, had discovered something alarming.
"President, a request form is missing from the second floor. Did Mira and Rhode take an S-Class Task?" Erza first thought of this possibility.
Makarov spat out a mouthful of hot tea: "No, they accepted a regular task with a reward of one million J. Mystogan didn't even go to the second floor yesterday... Which one is missing?"
"It's the one for Garna Island. I remember the reward was 7 million J plus a Zodiac Star Spirit Key."
The number of S-Class tasks wasn't many, so Erza recalled them clearly.
"The cursed Demon Island!" Makarov wasn't clear about the island's specifics, just that it was eerie and undoubtedly dangerous.
Star Spirit Key... Did Lucy, ignorant of the rules, go to the second floor to take it?
Laxus's voice rang: "Oh, that. Last night, I saw a little thief cat tear it away—the one with wings."
Hearing their conversation, someone was taken aback: "Hapi? So it's Natsu causing trouble again!"
Laxus showed a gleeful expression, "This is a serious violation, old man. Doing something like this could get one expelled from the Guild, right?"
Makarov became silent, and Laxus emphasizing "expelled from the Guild" clearly showed he was still upset about his father, Ivan, being expelled.
But Laxus continued, "No, maybe there's no need to go that far. Given their abilities, perhaps they won't even make it back, haha."
Erza questioned, "Why didn't you stop them?"
"I only saw a cat with a piece of paper hurriedly running away. How could I imagine Natsu would dare to do such a thing? It's just too stupid, haha."
Makarov said, "Enough, go and bring them back immediately."
"Don't look at me; I've already chosen the job I want to do," Laxus chuckled, "Besides there's still Erza, although not as good as me, certainly better than other trash."
"President, this is my failing. Mira clearly asked me to..."
Erza couldn't be bothered with Laxus's taunt, "I'll go catch them right now!"
"Wait!" Gray slammed the table, "I can't pretend I didn't hear that kind of remark. Let me go bring Natsu back!"
...
Violet Town truly was a beautiful little town, with vibrant violets blooming everywhere.
But Rhode and Mira, who had just met with the client, had no mood to admire it because the earliest missing child had been gone for three days.
"I'm going now."
"Mm, be careful."
Mira transformed into a cute little blue-haired girl.
It was a slightly modified image based on Reby's childhood appearance.
This was the result the two of them reached after much discussion.
Because Mira's fame was still too large, using her appearance posed a risk of being recognized.
Although the chance was minimal, Rhode dared not slack off at all.
The blue-haired little girl with messy hair walked down the street, suddenly stumbling to the ground, tears welled in her eyes as she got up and continued looking around aimlessly, like a child who ran out and couldn't find her way home.
Rhode looked on with both a touch of concern and familiarity.
He guessed that the guidance for the sudden fall just now was probably from Wendy.