The Fire Dragon Squad sprang into action, boarding their Magic Vehicle with the Ancient Ruins of the Northwestern Desert as their destination.
Irene stood on the roof of the vehicle, arms outstretched, her long hair dancing wildly in the strong wind. "So comfortable..."
At a time like this, it would be even better if there was some soothing music playing.
Natsu lay sprawled in the back of the vehicle, his face a sickly shade of gray. "Irene... I'm going to throw up..."
Irene hopped down into the back, her long legs stepping on Natsu's rear as her high heels ground down forcefully. With a dark expression, she said, "If you dare mention my name when you're about to vomit again, I'll throw you off!"
Natsu's eyes lit up slightly. "Throw me off then, I can't take it anymore..."
Compared to the agony of being on the vehicle, he would rather get off and run!
Inside the car, Lucy looked at the luxurious decor and spacious interior with wide-eyed wonder. "When did you guys buy this? How much was it?"
"Half a month ago, shortly after we eliminated the Phoenix. It only cost a hundred million."
Acnologia, wearing sunglasses, rested one arm on the window frame while the other held the steering wheel as he leisurely turned on the music.
This Magic Vehicle didn't use fuel; it ran entirely on magic. There was no need for parking spaces either; it could be shrunk down and put in a pocket, making it incredibly convenient.
"A hundred million!"
Lucy's eyes went wide; that amount of money could have filled her entire apartment.
Filled with envy, she said, "This is way too wasteful! You should have just given it to me!"
That way, she wouldn't have to worry about her rent every single day.
Acnologia replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "If I can't enjoy my money, then what's the point of earning it?"
"As for giving it to you..."
Acnologia glanced at her and said flatly, "Go wash up and go to sleep; you can have everything in your dreams."
Her family was so rich, yet she went around crying poverty; it was a mercy he hadn't given her a slap already.
"Big brother, please have some pity on me. I can't even afford my rent anymore," Lucy said, her eyes wide and pleading.
Seeing Lucy about to pounce on him, Acnologia pressed a hand against her face to hold her back and barked, "Are you crazy? We're going to crash! Get away from me!"
The people on board were tough enough to survive a crash, but what about his brand-new car? It cost a hundred million.
Lucy pouted, refusing to let it go. "Then give me a little financial aid."
"No!"
"Big brother~ please~"
Hearing that cloying voice, Acnologia got goosebumps. "Fine, fine, stop disgusting me. I'll give you a larger share of the reward for this mission, alright?"
Lucy acted spoiled and said happily, "Thank you, big brother~"
"Don't talk to me!"
No wonder Lucy's seduction attempts never worked in the anime; that cutesy voice made him want to puke... After three hours of long-distance travel, the group finally arrived at the desert region. Acnologia shrunk the Magic Vehicle and pocketed it, drawing stares of amazement from the others.
Natsu asked, "It shrunk? Do Magic Vehicles even have that function?"
Lucy speculated, "It cost a hundred million, after all. A Mage must have engraved a magic circle onto it."
Happy was shocked. "A hundred million!"
That little car was actually worth that much money.
Acnologia didn't bother explaining, letting them guess for themselves.
"What hot weather!"
Looking at the endless yellow sand, Irene pulled down the brim of her hat slightly to block the scorching sun.
She didn't want to be baked into charcoal in the desert, so she said directly, "I'll fly you all over."
Lucy hurriedly said, "I have a map!"
"An ancient ruin is bound to be a place overflowing with magic. Why would we need a map to find such a place?"
Irene spoke calmly, waving her magic staff. Crimson magic swept everyone up, turning them into a streak of light that charged into the depths of the desert.
Ten minutes later, everyone arrived at the center of the desert and landed on the sand.
Everyone looked at the stones floating in the air before them, their patterns filled with a sense of mystery. "This must be the entrance to the ruins!"
Lucy asked in confusion, "It should be, but how do we get in?"
"Step aside, watch me!"
Natsu was full of confidence, his fist igniting with flames. He punched one of the stones, causing a violent explosion that sent Lucy scrambling for cover.
"Aaaah!!!"
Amidst the dust and a scream of pain, Natsu had retreated to the side, his fist red and swollen.
Happy looked over and said curiously, "It seems magic is nullified there."
Natsu's face was covered in tears. "It doesn't hurt! It doesn't hurt at all!"
Lucy put her hands on her hips and huffed, "Those are ruins! What if you broke something?"
Acnologia looked at the small hole in the middle of the stones and said, "This is a keyhole!"
He reached out and covered it, magic surging as he poured it into the hole, then solidified the magic into a physical form.
With a bang, the stone fragments began to rotate, and then a brilliant golden light erupted, illuminating the sky.
Sensing the ground vibrating and accompanied by a rumbling sound, Lucy said nervously, "I have a bad feeling about this!"
"Aaaah!!!"
In an instant, the ground collapsed, and a sand tornado passage led straight underground. After several screams, everyone was swallowed up.
When they opened their eyes again, everyone had arrived underground. The surroundings were like a dry well, with four walls and a narrow space.
Lucy crawled out of the sand, looking relieved. "I thought I was going to fall to my death."
Irene shook the sand off her wide-brimmed hat, clearly unhappy. "Which bastard designed this? Couldn't they be a bit more normal?"
Natsu looked at the circular door on the wall and touched it cautiously. "This is probably immune to magic too, right?"
Happy: "There's no keyhole. Do we open it with a spell?"
Acnologia had forgotten how this door was supposed to be opened, but it didn't matter; he had a faster way.
He stepped forward, clenched his fist, and punched out violently.
Boom!!!
Fist collided with the door, producing a violent explosion. The terrifying shockwave instantly sent Natsu and the others flying.
None of them expected Acnologia to be so decisive, throwing a punch immediately. Caught off guard, the three humans and one cat were nearly squashed flat against the walls.
Irene grabbed Acnologia by the collar and shouted angrily, "Don't you know how to give a warning before you act?"
Lucy clutched her chest and echoed, "Exactly!"
She had been the one at the bottom of the pile just now, and she felt like she was about to be crushed flat by Natsu.
"Sorry! Sorry!"
Acnologia held his hands up in front of him and explained, "The space is so narrow that it would have been the same even if I told you in advance. Look, the door is open."
Everyone turned to look and their eyes widened. It wasn't just open; the entire wall had been blown away, leaving the space ahead completely unobstructed.
Lucy walked in and looked around curiously. "These are the Ancient Ruins?"
Happy said, "It seems like there's no other way out?"
Acnologia said confidently, "Leave it to me at a time like this!"
As he spoke, he clenched his fist and punched the ground again. With a booming explosion, the entire floor was blasted through, revealing a passage below.
"You're way too violent! Can't you just solve the puzzles properly?"
Lucy couldn't help but say, "Look at the state you've left the ruins in. If archaeologists find out, they'll definitely sue us and have the Kingdom sentence us!"
Acnologia said matter-of-factly, "We're doing this to collect the infinite clock parts and save the world. What's wrong with destroying a few ruins?"
The Sendorfia Church also used saving the world as an excuse; why couldn't he?
"Follow me!"
He was the first to jump down, and the others quickly followed.
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