Phantom Lord's Eight

The group returned to shore, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty and damp scent, rushed towards them.

Natsu stood on the dock, energetically spewing out a string of flames, the firelight standing out brightly in the twilight like a bursting firework.

He waved his fists, mumbling something under his breath, as excited as a monkey just released from its cage.

"We won! We won!"

The members of Fairy Tail couldn't hide their joy; some hugged, some patted each other on the shoulder, and some even squatted on the ground laughing so hard they couldn't stand up straight.

Even the roots of the Parasol Trees swayed, celebrating along with everyone, their branches and leaves rustling as if applauding.

Just as everyone was excitedly discussing how to hold the banquet that evening, a series of orderly footsteps came from the end of the street.

The Magic Council's Rune Knights "arrived" there.

It's said that they "rushed," but in fact, they arrived at just the right time, appearing only after the battle was over, their timing more precise than an alarm clock.

The Magic Council official in the lead Lahar, rode on horseback, his face serious and businesslike, followed by a squad of fully armed rune soldiers.

Riyao's ears twitched, his eyes darted around, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

The next second, he slid over, his knees scraping the ground and leaving two gray marks, and precisely grabbed Lahar's thigh, then started crying at the top of his lungs.

"Wow! The Magic Council has finally arrived! You all have no idea how Phantom Lord is!"

Lahar was taken aback by this sudden action. He looked down at Riyao, who was clinging to his leg, and his expression changed from serious to bewildered.

Riyao gave him no time to react; tears welled up instantly, and his voice choked as if he had suffered a great injustice.

"They actually used a magic convergence cannon to bombard our guild! That's a magic convergence cannon! We were so close, our entire guild would have been wiped out."

He looked up at Lahar with teary eyes, his voice growing increasingly agitated.

"They even want to use forbidden magic to raze Magnolia to the ground! The entire town! Thousands of lives! Do they even Magic Council?!"

Lahar opened his mouth, about to say something, but Riyao interrupted and continued.

"The key issue is that they injured people first! They attacked our members, leaving Levy and the others badly injured! They even nearly killed our beloved student council president!"

As Riyao spoke, his voice suddenly rose an octave, and tears streamed down his face.

"Waaaaah, our guild was already poor, and now it's in ruins! How are we supposed to survive?!"

Lahar was overwhelmed by the barrage of words; before his mind could process the first piece of information, the third had already flooded in.

He subconsciously glanced at the rune soldiers behind him and found that they were also completely bewildered.

Makarov stood to the side, initially stunned, but seeing Riyao's performance, the old fox's mind immediately began to work.

Without saying a word, he slid over, grabbed Lahar's other leg, and began to sob uncontrollably.

"I didn't have many years left to live, and now I have to go through this! I don't even have money for medical treatment! My back, my legs, they've all been ruined by those bastards!"

Makarov's acting was even more exaggerated than Riyao's, with tears and snot streaming down his face, staining the robes of the Ten Wizard Saints.

Lahar's legs were both held tightly, leaving him unable to move forward or backward, and his expression was completely frozen.

Upon seeing this, Mirajane immediately rushed over and hugged Riyao, her voice as soft and weak as a wounded fawn.

"Riyao, you used up all your magic to block Jupiter's power, and you haven't even had time to heal yourself. It breaks my heart to see you like this."

As she spoke, her eyes genuinely reddened; it was unclear whether she was acting or if she was truly heartbroken recalling the scene.

While Mirajane was hugging him, Riyao secretly gave her a thumbs-up, and Mirajane responded by gently pinching his shoulder.

All the kids who grew up surrounded by the Riyao Crying Influencer all plopped down on the ground and started crying, their movements perfectly synchronized, as if they had rehearsed it.

Cana covered her face and screamed to the sky.

"This is outrageous! They've come to our doorstep! This is outrageous! Our home is gone!"

She cried so dramatically, but if you looked closely, you could see her eyes peeking through her fingers at the Magic Council members' reactions.

Erza in more effort than anyone else, but her acting was a bit too contrived.

"Those Phantom Lord! How dare they harm my beloved companions! I will never forgive them!"

She used too much force, smashing a crater in the ground, and the surrounding rune soldiers took a step back in fright.

Lahar glanced down at her with difficulty, wondering if she was really angry.

Natsu and Gray hugged each other and cried bitterly, pinching each other's thighs until they were covered in bruises, but neither of them was willing to let go first, because letting go would make things even worse.

"Our food and drink are all gone!" Natsu wailed, smearing tears and snot all over Gray.

"All my ice sculpture materials are broken too!" Gray cried as well, wiping his snot on Natsu's back.

Happy rolled on the ground, his little paws covering his head.

"All my fish are gone! Not a single one!"

Lisanna wrapped Elfman up tightly with the bandages, turning him into a mummy from head to toe, with only his eyes showing.

She clung to him, crying, "Brother, what's wrong with you? Wake up! Don't die!"

Elfman lay motionless on the ground, cooperating perfectly, but occasionally his eyes would dart around to make sure Lisanna hadn't strangled him.

Everyone was playing the victim, creating a scene as spectacular as disaster victims fleeing famine.

The roots of the Parasol Tree quietly shifted the guild's supporting pillars, and the already crumbling guild ruins collapsed amidst the cries of the crowd, raising a cloud of dust.

It's so fitting for the occasion; even a dog would cry if it saw this.

"Ah! Our last home is gone too!" Cana let out a timely scream.

The residents of Magnolia stood on both sides of the street, covering their mouths and weeping as they watched this scene; some had already cried out loud.

"Fairy Tail is in such a sorry state, the Magic Council must help them!"

"Those children are so pitiful, they've lost their homes!"

"The Phantom Lord is awful!"

Public opinion instantly shifted in Fairy Tail's favor.

Lucy stood at the back of the crowd, covering her face with her hands and watching the dramatic performance through her fingers, sinking into deep self-doubt.

Are these people... really from the guild I joined?

She silently took a step back, pretending she didn't know them.

After a detailed investigation of the scene, Lahar, with a complicated expression, reported to his Rune Knights. Following discussion within the Magic Council, the results were quickly released.

The Phantom Lord's disregard for the law, its instigation of war between the Light Guilds, and even its attack on the Magic Council, have had an extremely negative impact.

The Phantom Lords Guild is hereby officially disbanded, and its guild master, Jose Bora, is stripped of his Ten Wizard Saints and imprisoned for life.

All of Phantom Lord's assets were confiscated, with the majority given to Fairy Tail guild to rebuild guild buildings and treat the wounded.

When Makarov heard the news, he was stunned for a full three seconds, and then almost fainted.

It wasn't because I was sad, it was because I hadn't seen so much money in so long.

His eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a wild grin, which he quickly suppressed, putting on a serious expression that said, "We just got the compensation we deserved."

But his trembling hands betrayed him; they seemed to be itching to count money.

Riyao, who had seen everything clearly from the side, leaned close to Makarov's ear and whispered something.

"Old man, stop pretending. Your smile is practically reaching your ears."

Makarov slapped him on the back of the head. "Shut up!"

After some discussion, it was discovered that the guilds had all collapsed and couldn't hold a banquet, so Makarov made a grand gesture and decided to have the banquet at Riyao Manor.

The group salvaged usable ingredients and wine from the ruins and marched in a grand procession toward Riyao's manor.

The line stretched for dozens of meters. Some people carried half a bag of flour, some held a few bottles of surviving liquor, and Natsu had a piece of roasted meat that he had found somewhere in his mouth, munching on it as he walked.

"Let's have a feast, my men! Tonight's expenses are on me!"

Makarov sat astride the wall of the Riyao Manor, one hand on his hip and the other waving, looking like a victorious general.

Natsu was drooling, his eyes shining.

"Oh! I want to eat meat!"

Cana grinned, already rubbing her hands together impatiently.

"Give me a few kegs of draft beer!"

Erza's eyes lit up, and she clenched her fists in front of her chest like a child waiting for a gift.

Do you have strawberry cake?!

Riyao carried out his homemade fruit wine from the cellar and placed it on the table, barrel after barrel. The amber-colored wine gleamed enticingly under the light.

He patted the wine barrel and grinned like a shrewd businessman.

"Drink as much as you want! The old man's paying anyway! Ninety-eight thousand per bucket, hehehe."

Makarov's face turned green instantly, and he almost fell off the wall.

"You brat! That's fruit wine, not some kind of nectar! Why don't you just rob someone of that 98,000 yuan?!"

Riyao looked completely innocent.

"Old man, this is a vintage wine I've treasured for three years; you can't buy it anywhere else. Ninety-eight thousand is already a very reasonable price. How about I give you a discount, to ninety-seven thousand?"

"Give me the normal price!"

Mirajane and Lisanna pushed a cart out of the kitchen, the cart piled high with fresh chops, the sizzling aroma instantly filling the entire manor.

"This is all the freshest meat! We're having barbecue tonight!" Mirajane said, wearing an apron and with a little flour on her face, but her smile was brighter than ever.

Lisanna helped plate the food, saying with a grin, "And there's my special sauce too!"

Natsu smelled the aroma of meat and went completely crazy. He rushed to the grill, breathed out small flames, and started grilling the meat.

Flames licked the steak, and sizzling fat dripped onto the charcoal, filling the air with an increasingly rich aroma.

"Meat! Meat! Meat!" Natsu kept grilling and stuffing meat into his mouth, not caring whether it was raw or cooked.

Gray was using Ice Magic to chill the drinks nearby, while Cana had already opened a barrel of liquor, hugging the barrel and chugging it down her throat, foam dripping down her chin.

Erza sat in a corner, holding a plate of strawberry cake, savoring it slowly. Her expression was incredibly gentle, as if this were the happiest thing in the world.

The banquet lasted from evening until dawn.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, people were lying haphazardly on the lawn of the manor.

Some people were snoring, some were talking in their sleep, and some were clinging to barrels of liquor. The moonlight shone on these tired but content faces, and everything fell silent.

Natsu was asleep on the ground, munching on Gray's toes with a satisfied smile on his face.

Gray winced as he was being nibbled at, but he was too drunk to turn over and could only mutter curses in his sleep.

Elfman was using Happy as a Happy in his sleep, lifting it up with one hand and muttering to himself.

"A real man... trains..."

Happy was so dizzy from being lifted up that he was still talking in his sleep.

"Fish... I want fish..."

Alzack hugged and kissed Troy repeatedly, making Troy's face turn red, but Alzack was completely unaware that the two were fast asleep.

Makarov was curled up in a recliner, snoring softly, drool at the corner of his mouth, clutching the bill in his hand, a satisfied smile on his face—he was probably counting money in his dream.

On the Parasol Tree, the little girl with light golden hair still sat on the treetop, her legs dangling gently in the air.

She drooled all night looking at the happy faces in the manor, and cried her eyes out.