GBP Chapter 598 The Dragon's Cry
Chapter 598 The Dragon's Cry
Chapter 598 The Dragon's Cry
"Forehead----"
Seeing the elderly people laughing heartily among the flowers, Lucy's expression froze for some reason.
She suddenly felt that the scene was strangely familiar, and the day she was tricked and dragged into Fairy Tail by Natsu unconsciously came to mind.
When the guild leader first appeared, he was a ferocious, giant monster who roared so loudly that the entire guild almost fell apart. Then, the style suddenly changed, and he became a shabby old man carrying a barrel of wine and walking unsteadily.
Could it be that all the senior members of the Ten Saints have this strange hobby of playing pranks?
Seriously, why is there a tree growing on his head?!
Since it was their first time meeting, Lucy didn't dare to show it too obviously, and could only secretly complain about various things in her mind.
"If I'm not mistaken, you should be the mages Makarov sent to pick up the commission, right?"
Warlord's voice was neither loud nor soft. He slowly lowered his head, squinting at the mist that had appeared out of thin air in his palm. His gaze lingered on the ball of yellow fur for two seconds. "Golden fur, then you must be the S-rank Celestial Spirit Mage leading the team. You're even more like a Celestial Spirit than I imagined~"
Mengmeng tilted her small head, her eyes filled with confusion.
Lucy:
Making a judgment based solely on the feature of "blonde hair" is a bit too hasty, isn't it?
If any random golden retriever on the street could be mistaken for a Celestial Spirit Mage, then the Ten Wizard Saints' ability to identify such a creature is truly worrying.
Also, is Wadashi's presence really that low?!
"Hahaha, just kidding, just kidding. I'm not so old that I can't tell the difference between people and cute things~"
Warrod seemed to read her mind, and his laughter became even louder than before.
After laughing, he sighed to himself, "After talking so much, I'm suddenly a little thirsty."
As soon as he finished speaking, he casually picked up the watering can that he originally used to water the flowers, tilted his head back and drank from the spout.
The water overflowed from the corner of his lips, soaking the coat printed with the Holy Ten pattern.
"What a strange old man—"
Cana gave Warlord a disdainful look. "That gesture is clearly for drinking."
"Wait, the strange thing isn't here at all, is it?" Levy added in a low voice.
"I am Lucy Heartfilia, a Celestial Spirit Mage from Fairy Tail."
Lucy sighed inwardly, stepped forward, and tried to keep her voice steady, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Warlord?"
At this moment, all she wanted was to complete the commission as soon as possible, obtain information about the Zodiac Key, and prove herself to everyone.
"That's right, I am Warold Sinken, the one who initiated this commission."
Warlord raised his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth, straightened his back, and the playful expression on his face suddenly disappeared, replaced by a serious and earnest look, as if even the swaying flowers behind him quieted down for a moment.
Just as Lucy and the others thought that this was more in line with the title of "Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar," he suddenly smirked and slowly added, "Ahem, just kidding."
"Huh?!!" *n.
"Hahaha, no need to look so surprised. That last sentence was just a joke."
Warlord laughed so hard he almost fell over, and the sapling above his head trembled and shook.
".——"
Lucy and the others' mouths twitched violently. Even Wendy and Levy, who were usually very good-tempered, were not spared. They stood there petrified, as if they had been struck by lightning and turned into black and white.
The scene changes.
Warlord, having somehow unearthed some of his treasured tea, served Lucy and her companions at an old wooden table outside the cabin, entwined with vines.
Several rough pottery teacups were placed on the table, with traces of clay still remaining on the cup walls, giving them a rustic and unpretentious feel.
"Youth is wonderful. Before I retired, I used to travel around with my companions, just like you."
Warrod picked up the teapot and steadily poured a cup of warm tea for everyone. The tea was pale golden and steamed with fine wisps of vapor.
"Thank you, Senior Warlord." Lucy accepted the gift with both hands and took a sip.
The tea was surprisingly refreshing, lacking the richness often found in his father Jiude's expensive teas, but instead carrying a faint floral fragrance.
It seems to contain some unique effect; after drinking it, all the fatigue in my body disappeared, and I felt refreshed and relaxed.
"It tastes good." Even Kana, who is a heavy drinker, subconsciously gave it a good review.
"Um, did you used to be in the Mage Guild, Senior Warlord?"
Levy put down her cup, tilted her head and thought for a moment, "I feel like I've seen your name somewhere before."
"Wait a minute, now that Levy says that, I suddenly feel like I've heard Warlord's name before." Lucy frowned.
For the past two days, her attention has been entirely focused on the S-level commission and the Zodiac Key, and only now has she belatedly realized something.
"Volod is one of the most famous mages on the continent of Ishgar. It's not surprising that Lucy and Levy have heard of him, is it?" Wendy said.
"No." Eclair shook her head, her voice soft but firm.
Because she felt the same way, especially now that she had met Warlord in person, that sense of familiarity was becoming increasingly clear.
Previously, she would never have given mages a second glance, believing that these people with extraordinary powers would only bring misfortune, let alone the Ten Wizard Saints.
"Hey Eclair, when we teamed up with Lucy for the S-rank assessment—"
Mengmeng blinked her big, round eyes and asked uncertainly, "Is Mr. Warlord's name on that stone tablet that records the guild's history?"
Upon hearing this, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Lucy, whose thoughts were somewhat chaotic: "That's it! That's it!"
She nearly jumped out of her chair. "The four who founded Fairy Tail guild, besides the first guild master Mavis, the second guild master Precht, and Makarov's father, the other person's name was Warold Shinken!"
"So, Mr. Warlord is actually a super senior member of our guild?!"
Upon being reminded, Kana and Levy both exclaimed "Ah!" almost simultaneously, and even Wendy's eyes widened.
The group looked at Warold's self-illumination, and their previous politeness and distance instantly turned into disbelief.
Warlord, whose underwear had been stripped bare, was taken aback at first, then coughed and looked at the flower bushes in the distance, and laughed: "You've mistaken me for someone else. I am not one of the founders of Fairy Tail."
9
"That was definitely a joke!" Lucy said confidently.
Putting aside the fact that they share the same name, now that I've come to my senses and thought about it carefully, I realize that when the chairman was giving this commission, his feigned serious expression clearly concealed a hint of unease and a forced smile.
Thinking deeper, the fact that the guild always manages to get away with things unscathed, besides the fact that retired MP Yajima is secretly maneuvering, is mostly due to the involvement of senior Wolord!
All the clues connected at this moment, so there was only one truth.
No wonder Senior Volod always had that guild leader's unserious air about him—he was originally a member of his own guild!
"Haha, you're quite clever, little girl."
Warlord, whose lines had been beaten to his, scratched the little sapling on his head somewhat awkwardly, "I was thinking of keeping it a secret, but I didn't expect you guys to even know the history of the guild."
This statement can be seen as an indirect admission of his identity.
"Hehe, of course, after all, Wadasi is an S-class mage who has officially passed the S-class assessment, so he should have this much judgment~" Lucy puffed out her chest, unable to hide the proud smile on her lips.
Sitting next to her, Xia Lulu couldn't help but roll her eyes: If Mengmeng hadn't reminded you, would you, an S-rank mage, have remembered such crucial information?
"Senior Warlord, what are the specific details of the S-rank request?"
Kana steered the conversation back on track, leaning slightly forward on the wooden table, her gaze now carrying a casual air reminiscent of her interactions with other guild members.
Since we're family, there's no need for those polite formalities.
"Well, that's true."
Warlord poured warm tea for the group, then slowly extended his wrinkled right hand.
Magic surged in his palm, like an invisible river converging, and a small, verdant sapling sprouted out of thin air from his skin, its tender bud trembling slightly.
"As you can see, I am skilled at manipulating the green magic of nature."
"During his retirement before being brought back to the forefront by the Council, he often used this magic to stop desertification across the continent."
"Although it sounds grand, it's merely an old man's hobby."
"So, is the commission related to desertification? Or did you discover something unusual during this process?" Lucy asked.
In her view, everything has a cause and effect. According to normal human logic, Warlord brought this up specifically to pave the way for the S-class commission later.
Unfortunately, Warlord never followed the normal path: "The two are unrelated; I'm just expressing my feelings."
Actually, to be honest, he did encounter a problem a while ago that required the help of an ice mage.
The Sun Village, inhabited by giant humans who worship the "Eternal Flame," was frozen by extremely difficult-to-melt ice. However, during the interrogation of Gin, he learned that it was Gin's doing, because he had mistaken the "Eternal Flame" for some kind of demon.
Naturally, this trouble was handed over to Silver and Gray, who were visiting their hometown, to solve.
Lucy: "————" What do you mean by that? You're talking way too much unnecessary stuff!
"Haha, we've gotten a bit off-topic. Let's get back to the main point and talk about this S-class commission." Warlord put down his teacup, making a crisp clinking sound.
This question wasn't even started!
Lucy's inner voice was ranting wildly, but on the surface, she tried her best to maintain a calm, polite, and composed demeanor, waiting quietly.
"In the southeast of the continent of Ishgar, there is an island nation surrounded by the sea, called the Kingdom of Stella."
"The Kingdom of Stella?"
Levy's eyes lit up. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, covered her mouth, and exclaimed softly, "The legendary kingdom with the most beautiful starry sky on the entire continent!"
"It's said that country has a special mineral that's harder and more brilliant than diamonds, and it seems to be able to absorb the power of the stars?"
Kana added, resting her chin on her hand.
"Wait a minute, Levy likes to read all kinds of geography books, but how do you know about Cana?" Lucy looked over curiously.
Clearly, she knew nothing about the Kingdom of Stella.
"So, Lucy, your information gathering skills as a girl are still too weak."
Kana held up one finger, somewhat disdainfully, and said, "Enjoying the starry sky of the Kingdom of Stella with someone you like is an incredibly romantic thing."
Lucy opened her mouth, wanting to say what right you, you drunkard, had to talk about me like that, but then she thought about it again and realized that Cana seemed to have a lot of dating experience.
She suddenly froze, and could only silently pick up the teacup and bring it to her lips, using the warm aroma of tea to cover up the embarrassment of never having been in a relationship.
"Well, I don't know much about you young people's affairs, but—"
Warlord's opening remarks had a hint of trying to pull Lucy into the older generation's camp: "This commission is indeed related to the so-called Stella Ore."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces. "Because of the accumulation of a large amount of star power, there have recently been dangerous rumors circulating in the Kingdom of Stella that those ores could potentially detonate the entire country. In the current turbulent world situation, I hope you can investigate this matter thoroughly. If it is true, then eliminate this potential danger."
"Is that all?" Lucy's face lit up with joy.
It doesn't sound that difficult, at least it has nothing to do with fighting any giant dragons.
This is a sure thing!
"What are you thinking? This is just an add-on to the commission," Warlord added casually.
"————After all that talk, we still haven't gotten to the point!" Lucy finally couldn't keep up the act and switched to her much-loved吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or witty remarks) mode.
The spittle that burst from the girl's mouth landed all over the little sapling on her head, but Warlord didn't care at all. He was even a little relieved that Lucy had finally "revealed" her true self.
After a brief pause, he slowly began to speak.
"Some time ago, Chaish Ken, the former Minister of State of the Kingdom of Fiore, was expelled from the country by the King of Fiore because he practiced black magic that required a large amount of virgin blood. He also stole the staff, Dragon's Cry, from the Dragon Tomb beneath the capital city of Crocas. It contained the anger and resentment of a giant dragon buried by humans."
"And now, for some reason, he has become the Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Stella. Therefore, your main task is to help the Kingdom of Fiore retrieve the Dragon's Cry Staff, which has destructive power."
Upon discovering that the Dragon's Cry had been stolen, King Thomas of the Kingdom of Fiore immediately sought out the Council of Councilors.
However, because it involves the national level, the Ten Wizard Saints and the Council of Mages are not in a position to directly intervene, and they are not comfortable distributing it to other mage guilds.
Just as Warlord, who was in charge of this matter, was feeling troubled, news arrived that Fairy Tail had annihilated Hades.
Thus, this S-rank commission, which specifically named Fairy Tail, or rather, subtly named Lucy, the Celestial Spirit Mage, came about!