Chapter 540: Flying Ship
Lucy stared at the request board, which looked far emptier than usual. "Seriously, how much longer is this mission drought going to last?"
Mira replied, "Probably until the middle of next month."
"Thank goodness." Lucy let out a relieved sigh. "I’ve got just enough saved up to last until then."
Rhodes glanced at her, puzzled. "Didn’t you make quite a bit from your last job? I thought you were set for a while."
Lucy scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Well... I had to lend most of it to my dad. A Magic-Powered Four-Wheeler got destroyed by bandits during a transport run, and some of the goods were damaged too. He had already taken a loan from the Business Guild, and if he went for another one, the interest would’ve been ridiculous. He’d have had to work himself to death just to pay it back."
The last time she reconciled with her father, their relationship had softened a lot. Lucy figured that if her mom were still alive, she’d be happy to see the two of them looking out for each other now.
The only issue was her own living expenses, but she calculated that if she held out until next month, she’d be fine.
She stretched, letting her worries roll off her shoulders. "At least I don’t have to wear that bunny girl outfit now."
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you actually took that seriously?"
Lucy blinked, stunned. "Wait, you weren’t serious?!"
Rhodes crossed his arms, completely casual. "Of course not. I was just teasing. If we really needed someone in a bunny outfit, I’d ask Erza."
Lucy slammed the table. "And here I was seriously considering it for days!"
Rhodes chuckled. "Well, if you’re offering..."
"Who’s offering?!" Lucy cut him off, fuming.
Rhodes shrugged, feigning innocence. "I heard you were into that kind of roleplay anyway."
"Heard it~!"
"Heard it~!"
A familiar teasing voice rang out, followed by five shrill echoes.
Lucy froze.
Sure enough, Bickslow was leaning against the wall, grinning wildly, and his five floating dolls were chiming in behind him.
Lucy groaned. "Oh no... not you too. Who even spread that nonsense?!"
Bickslow stuck out his tongue with a cackle. "Loke told me. Said Happy mentioned you and him were having a little something-something~"
"An affair~!"
"An affair~!"
"An affair~!"
The dolls repeated the word again and again in an infuriating chant. Lucy felt like her brain was going to burst, as if ten thousand Happys were flapping their wings around her head.
When it came to being loud and annoying, Bickslow was truly in a league of his own.
"Let’s go, Bickslow," Freed called out as he accepted a new mission, motioning for his companion to follow.
Having promised Laxus that he’d protect Fairy Tail, Freed had made up his mind, it was time to start by becoming an S-Class Mage.
Then, just like that, people began rushing in and out of the guild one after another. Rhodes couldn’t help but wonder why this annual event always seemed to turn into a last-minute scramble.
But then he remembered the final exam days back when he was still in school, how everything felt calm until the very end, and then chaos hit. He suddenly understood.
Sure, it was fun to be a slacker most of the time. But once the exam bell loomed, even the laziest student turned into a cramming machine.
By midday, Kinana finally arrived at the guild.
Her dorm room had already been cleaned, and earlier that morning, Chico had taken her out to buy daily necessities. With that, Kinana was officially settled in.
From today onward, she’d be working as a waitress in the tavern. While Lucy always seemed to dislike that job, Kinana actually enjoyed it.
Mira, ever the big sister figure, planned to teach her everything, history, geography, manners, even basic hygiene. Considering Kinana had spent over a decade with no memory, Mira felt a strong desire to guide her.
Luckily, being a waitress meant she had to constantly interact with others, and despite how wild the Fairy Tail guys could be, they all treated Kinana sincerely. Even the most unreliable ones made sure not to mislead her when it came to serious matters.
It would take time for Kinana to adjust to a normal life again, but she seemed genuinely happy at the guild.
Meanwhile, Rhodes had his own matters to attend to.
"Mr. Rhodes, the design concept of this airship is completely different from anything we’ve seen. A full inspection will take time. And if we want to modify it? The construction period might be long, very long."
The engineer Rhodes had hired from the Magic-Powered Four-Wheeler company was clearly excited. His eyes gleamed as he examined the hull.
"But that’s not even the main point. What I really want to ask is—do you understand the value of this ship?"
To someone like him, this wasn’t just a cool new vehicle, it was a breakthrough. The ship used a magical engineering approach fundamentally different from mainstream magic technology.
If they could fully study its inner workings, it might help solve countless problems that had plagued their research and development.
"Of course I understand," Rhodes replied calmly. "Both the Council and the Kingdom of Fiore have already extended offers to collaborate. In a few days, researchers from the Royal Capital, and even some from abroad, will be coming to investigate."
He had only received this news earlier that day, after inviting the engineers to evaluate the airship.
According to the proposal, the Kingdom and the Council would send dedicated teams to study the ship, cover all modification costs, and even provide bonuses and additional benefits. The actual rewards would depend on the assessed value of the ship’s technology.
Had he known this in advance, Rhodes might not have bothered hiring anyone from outside the guild.
Just then, the engineer he’d recruited stepped forward, his eyes shining with enthusiasm.
"Please, let me participate in the research!" he pleaded. "I helped design Blue Pegasus’s Magic-Powered Bomber, and contributed to the modifications on Phantom Lord’s Six-Legged Walker!"
The moment he mentioned Phantom Lord, the man hesitated, clearly realizing the weight of the name in front of a Fairy Tail member. But, determined to prove his worth, he pressed on.
"I’m confident that when it comes to applied magical engineering, I’m second to none, even compared to the folks in the Royal Capital or overseas! And if you let me be part of this... I won’t ask for a single jewel in compensation!"
Rhodes raised an eyebrow in surprise. Blue Pegasus’s bomber and Phantom Lord’s mechanical walker were among the most advanced pieces of magic technology he’d heard of. The Six-Legged Walker, in particular, was even rumored to have transformation capabilities.
Could it be that he’d unintentionally hired a real talent?
After a brief pause, Rhodes made up his mind.
"In that case, I’d like you to act as the supervisor, representing Fairy Tail throughout the research and refitting process. Will that be alright?"
Despite the offer, Rhodes wasn’t about to let his guard down. Whether it was the Kingdom or the Council, he couldn’t be completely certain they wouldn’t try to install a magical backdoor or secret mechanism into the ship during modification.
Unfortunately, Fairy Tail didn’t have any experts in this field, and this engineer being a native of Magnolia did lend a little more credibility to his intentions.
Still, Rhodes planned to ask Lisanna, who was most familiar with Edolas technology, to help oversee the work. And if Warren was available, it would be even better to have him keep a constant telepathic link open for surveillance. If any of the outside researchers harbored malicious intent, Warren would detect it instantly.
And with Gemini’s mimicry and interrogation magic available, they could cross-check anything suspicious. The combination would be nearly foolproof.
After all, this airship was now the guild’s most valuable asset, they couldn’t afford any missteps.
The engineer expressed his immense gratitude, promising to satisfy Fairy Tail and definitely modify it into an airship that was both practical and aesthetically pleasing.