Chapter 198: Skilled to the Point of Heartache
Chapter 198: Skilled to the Point of Heartache
That night, Luo De carried Makarov back to his room. The old man was drenched in alcohol, mumbling phrases like "I won't lose to you" and "Fairy Tail is the best" under his breath.
It was unclear if it was because Mira usually restricted him too much, but once he got here, he just couldn't stop drinking—though if no one restricted him, He would probably drink just as much normally.
Carefully helping the Guild Master take off his shoes and coat, Luo De covered him with a blanket and placed a glass of water on the bedside table before turning off the light and leaving the room.
He didn't go to sleep so early himself. Back in his own room, he practiced the transformation magic for a while.
Since returning from the last mission, Luo De had been practicing this magic at home.
This magic was quite interesting. Once mastered, it allowed one to create a personal dimensional space where items such as clothes and weapons could be stored.
Even a stone in hand could be stored using the method for weapons.
However, the size of the transformation space depended on the individual's talent and effort.
For example, Erza could store dozens of sets of armor and hundreds of weapons, while Bisca could store hundreds of magic guns and some clothes.
Luo De, as a beginner, currently had a space equivalent to a wardrobe. His talent wasn't outstanding, but it wasn't bad either.
If he wanted to, he could easily switch to a Mage Swordsman, and with his melee talent, he could easily become a main member in an ordinary guild.
However, Luo De had no such plans. A wardrobe-sized space was already enough for him.
He could store some clothes and daily necessities, and in the future, he could just carry a small backpack for show, without needing to lug around a suitcase.
"Transformation!" Luo De's body glowed, and his original clothes disappeared, replaced by a set of pajamas that fell onto his head.
Hmm, it seemed the quick-changing function wasn't quite ready for public use yet.
Luo De calmly picked up the pajamas and went to the bathroom to take a shower, as if the transformation failure never happened.
After returning, he meditated for a while before falling asleep.
...
The next day's meeting started early. Luo De had just finished his morning exercise when the Guild Master called him to the meeting.
The meeting was still chaired by President Godman, and the first topic of the day was about the Magic Council.
It wasn't to oppose the Magic Council, but to cooperate with their work.
While many Mage Knights in Fairy Tail viewed the Magic Council as a fierce tiger, to ordinary Mage Knights, the Magic Council was merely an institution that maintained order in the magic world and punished evil, promoting good.
Over the years, the Magic Council had continuously cracked down on dark guilds and punished criminal Mage Knights, making significant contributions to the world.
Although there were occasional shortcomings in certain areas, it was mainly due to the vast scope of their operations and Fiore's remote location.
As a legitimate guild, cooperating with the Magic Council's branch in Fiore was beneficial for maintaining stability in both the magic world and the kingdom.
When it came to cooperating with the Magic Council, Makarov was no longer sleepy.
He crossed his arms and leaned back in his Chair, waiting for Godman to praise him.
Godman glanced at him and said, "I must mention Fairy Tail's... S-Class Mage Knight, Erza."
She has helped the Magic Council complete many difficult tasks, though she occasionally causes some trouble, but overall..."
Makarov's face fell, but he quickly cheered up. It didn't matter; Erza was still one of their guild's children, and praising her was the same as praising them.
The two old men, even in a routine meeting, couldn't help but engage in subtle competition.
In the afternoon, the discussion shifted from the Magic Council to dark guilds.
"Speaking of dark guilds, we must mention the Balam Alliance."
At this, the entire meeting hall fell silent.
For every guild, the Balam Alliance was a terrifying dark force.
The three major guilds that formed this alliance—Gravekeeper's Gate, Demon's Heart, and Six Demon Generals—controlled over 90% of the dark guilds on the continent.
They were recognized as a powerful force that no single legitimate guild could stand against on its own.
"Among the three dark guilds, Gravekeeper's Gate remains as mysterious as ever, hiding somewhere unknown; Demon's Heart occasionally shows its presence, but it's hard to find a pattern; only Six Demon Generals have become increasingly active in recent years."
Luo De recalled the naked bandaged man guild he and Gray had beaten up; they seemed to be under the Six Demon Generals.
President Godman said seriously, "Not only the Six Demon Generals themselves, but their subordinate dark guilds have also been quite active recently. I suspect they may have some sinister plans, so everyone must pay close attention."
President Bob added, "Speaking of which, our guild member Ren recently encountered members of Iron Forest while on a job. They seemed to be looking for something, but unfortunately, they managed to escape."
Several other guild masters provided additional information, mentioning dark guilds like 'Corpse Soul' and 'Red Headscarf.'
Makarov fell into deep thought. In the past, these dark guilds would secretly take on illegal tasks such as kidnapping, extortion, and assassinations. When short of money, they might engage in theft, but they generally kept a low profile.
However, their recent activities did seem unusually active.
Some of the guild masters from smaller guilds expressed their concerns. Their guilds were relatively small, with some having no more than twenty members in total.
In terms of strength, many of their mages focused on helping ordinary people with their daily troubles, so they were not particularly skilled in combat.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that these small guilds could be handled by Luo De alone.
In some extreme cases, the guild masters themselves might struggle to qualify for the S-Class exam if they joined Fairy Tail.
If this were a game, while Fairy Tail's members were primarily combat players, these small guilds would be considered lifestyle players.
However, within the Federation of Local Guilds, there was no hierarchy between large and small guilds. Unless there were personal grudges, they were all willing to help each other.
Makarov, Bob, and Godman, the guild masters of the larger guilds, all expressed their readiness to provide assistance if needed.
One of the guild masters marked the locations where dark guilds had been sighted on a map and used magic to create several dozen copies, distributing them to the other guild masters.
Luo De marveled at the diverse and wondrous magic in this world, even having a human printer.
Next, they discussed what ordinary mages should do if they encountered dark guilds, planning to summarize the advice and share it with their guild members.
The first two days of the meeting went relatively smoothly, but on the third day, some arguments broke out.
The third day's theme was resolving conflicts between guilds, bringing up the accumulated issues for discussion.
While mages' guilds were prohibited from resolving disputes through combat, minor friction was inevitable.
Since these issues were not serious enough to be handled by the Council, they were brought up here for discussion.
This was when Makarov's 'home ground' advantage came into play.
Luo De thought he already understood how much trouble his comrades could cause, but he was still underestimating it.
At least half of the thirty guild masters had complaints about Fairy Tail.
Most of the complaints were about damage caused by Fairy Tail's mages during their battles.
Some complained about Fairy Tail's mages flirting with their guild's female members and being involved with multiple women.
Others complained about seeing a naked man walk by their window right after waking up from a nap, which was too much to handle.
As the guild master of Fairy Tail and one of the ten most outstanding mages in Ishgar, Makarov faced the criticism with no trace of anger or a desire to assert his authority.
His apologies were sincere and practiced.
So practiced that Luo De felt a bit sorry for him.
What had Makarov been through all these years?
Because Makarov set a good example, the other guild masters also remained restrained when criticized.
If anyone had grievances, they would clearly state them for everyone to judge. After the judgment, those at fault would apologize and make compensation.
The Federation maintained a good level of unity internally.
After resolving the previous issues, the meeting moved on to the last item, which Makarov particularly disliked—drawing lots to assign tasks.
He was the kind of person who often drew the worst lots.
(End of Chapter)
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