Cool

The next day, the guild courtyard was filled with a festive scene, with stalls of all sizes lined up.

Colorful lanterns hung from one end of the courtyard to the other, and a banner read "Fairy Tail Harvest Festival Food Party," while flags bearing the guild's logo fluttered in the breeze.

Each stall was decorated in its own unique way.

The air was filled with the aroma of various foods: the charred fragrance of roasted meat, the milky aroma of desserts, and the fresh scent of fruit, all blending together to attract passersby to stop and linger.

The residents of Magnolia flocked in, children ran around between the stalls, and adults ate and chatted while holding plates, creating a lively atmosphere like a New Year's celebration.

Jason, a reporter from the Sorcerer Weekly, rushed over as soon as he heard that Fairy Tail was holding an event.

He carried a camera on his back and a notebook in his hand, and jogged into the guild gate, his face beaming with excitement.

Makarov welcomed this, after all, who wouldn't want free publicity?

He specially arranged the best interview route for Jason.

Jason's eyes lit up with excitement as he rubbed his hands together, ready to interview everyone.

As soon as he entered the room, he took out his notebook, his pen flying across the paper as he muttered to himself, recording every detail.

Lucy was also very excited, standing behind her stall, occasionally tiptoeing to look in Jason's direction, imagining the scene of being interviewed.

She had prepared her self-introduction, and even redid her hair three times, just waiting for Jason to come over.

"When Jason asks me a question, I'll answer it elegantly, and the next day my picture will be on the cover of the weekly magazine, with the headline 'Fairy Tail's Rising Star'..."

Happy poured cold water on the idea, saying, "Lucy's fantasies are starting again."

Jason arrived at the first booth and immediately spotted the people behind it. He was so excited he almost threw his laptop away.

"COOL! It's the legendary Ice-Make mage Gray who loves to go shirtless! The former Phantom Lord S-Class Rain Woman Juvia! And she even has a wooden puppet!"

Ur scratched his head, not angry at being called a "wooden puppet," and too lazy to introduce himself, so as not to cause trouble for Riyao.

After all, her current identity is that of a puppet body "resurrected" by Riyao, and it would be too troublesome to explain if people questioned her about it.

She stood quietly behind the stall, taking care of the simplest task: filling the cups.

Gray stood in the center of the stall, his upper body bare again, his muscles clearly defined in the sunlight.

He picked up a fresh lemon, tossed it into the air, and a blade of ice materialized in his right hand.

With a flick of his wrist, the lemon was sliced into neat pieces in mid-air, and caught steadily in a container as it fell, without spilling a single drop of juice.

"Juvia, some water," Gray said without turning his head.

Juvia obediently stretched out her hand, and puffs of pure water shot out from her palm.

"Yes, Lord Gray." Her voice was sweet enough to draw out silk, and her face was flushed with happiness.

Gray condensed the water droplets in the air into ice balls and dropped them into the container.

Then he condensed an ice pop and vigorously pounded it. The ice clump shattered and reformed under his ice pop, and the sourness of the lemon and the sweetness of the ice water were fully squeezed and blended, making a muffled "bang bang bang" sound.

Many young girls in front of the stall watched Gray shirtless as he smashed lemons, all with infatuated smiles.

Some covered their mouths to peek, some stared wide-eyed without trying to hide it, and some even took out crystal balls to secretly record videos.

Juvia noticed these gazes and his expression changed.

He immediately spread his arms to try to block his view, moved his body sideways to stand in front of Gray, and steam rose from the top of his head.

"Don't look! Don't look! Lord Gray belongs to Juvia alone!"

He swept his gaze across every female customer who looked at Gray, his eyes seeming to say, "Try looking again."

Finally Juvia added water to dilute it, Ur was in charge of filling the cups and sealing them. His movements were quick and efficient, and the cups of lemonade were neatly arranged on the table.

"Here's your lemonade." Ur handed the cup to the customer in line, his tone indifferent.

Jason excitedly took the glass, gulped down a mouthful, and the icy lemonade slid down his throat, sweet and sour with a slushy texture, instantly waking him up.

"COOL! This is magical lemonade! The perfect collaboration between the Ice-Make Mage and the Rain Woman!"

Gray proudly raised his chin, while Juvia stood beside him, practically steaming with delight.

Jason, carrying his lemonade, headed to the next stall, where his eyes lit up again, and he nearly dropped his notebook.

"COOL! It's the Shadow Gear Squad from Fairy Tail! And there's Gajeel, the former S-Class Iron Dragon from Phantom Lord!"

Gajeel transformed his hands into iron spatulas, stirring the ingredients on the scorching hot iron plate.

The movements were rough but rhythmic, with the shovel and the iron plate clanging together, the ingredients flying through the air and landing steadily on the iron plate, oil splattering everywhere and a fragrant aroma filling the air.

"Hey, you playing with plants, pour out the batter, stop stealing the side dishes!" Gajeel shouted without looking up.

Troy, still chewing on a piece of tempura crumb, wasn't embarrassed at all when he was caught. He slowly poured in the batter, which spread out on the hot plate, making a sizzling sound.

"If it weren't for Levy, I wouldn't listen to you," he muttered, secretly stuffing another shrimp into his mouth.

Jet quickly prepared ingredients such as shredded cabbage, shrimp, squid, and tempura bits. His knife skills were swift and precise; he chopped the vegetables so fast that only afterimages could be seen, and each cut was uniform in size.

"Levy, look how fast I chopped it!" Jet said proudly to Levy after finishing chopping a whole cabbage.

Levy helped with portioning, using a small spatula to scoop the lettering from the hot plate into paper bowls. Her movements were nimble and quick, and each portion was about the same size.

She handed one to Jason with a proud smile on her face.

Try our kamochi!

Jason took the paper bowl, scooped a spoonful into his mouth, and savored the rich, layered flavors of the batter, cabbage, shrimp, and tempura crunches. The caramelized aroma of the batter combined with the crispness of the cabbage, the sweetness of the shrimp, and the crunchiness of the tempura crumbs was astonishing.

"COOL! This is magical word burning! The perfect combination of Iron Dragon and Shadow Gear!"

Gajeel snorted and continued stirring, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Troy stole another piece of squid, and this time he wasn't caught.

Jason ate as he walked toward the next stall, his eyes lighting up again, and he almost spilled the okonomiyaki in his hand.

"COOL! It's Fairy Tail's sniper Bisca and quick-draw gunslinger Alzack!"

A group of children had gathered in front of Bisca and Alzack's stall, all craning their necks, their eyes sparkling, and stamping their feet with excitement.

The two men skillfully drew various guns on the stone slab with maltose, their syrup seemingly coming to life in their hands, outlining smooth lines.

Bisca drew a 98K sniper rifle, and the sugar syrup was drawn in one stroke from the muzzle to the stock, even including the details of the scope.

Finally, stick it with a bamboo skewer, lift it up, and a golden 98K sugar painting is complete.

"Wow! That's amazing!" the children exclaimed in amazement.

Alzack was not to be outdone; he was drawing an AK47, the curve of the gun and the angle of the magazine perfectly controlled, syrup flowing from his fingertips as if he were drawing a meticulous blueprint.

"Do your thing, do your thing, finish what you're doing, do your thing."

Alzack's sugar syrup, however, never stopped; a Gatling gun was taking shape, its six barrels clearly defined.

"Al, we also need a Fire Kirin."

Bisca pointed to the little boy in line, who was standing on tiptoe, waiting eagerly.

Alzack responded, flicked his wrist, and the syrup danced on the stone slab.

The little boy took the Fire Kirin sugar painting, held it carefully, and was reluctant to eat it. He then turned around and used it to snipe at his friend.

"Rat-a-tat-tat... My Gatling gun is better than yours!"

"No way! My 98K can headshot you in one shot!"

The children ran around the yard holding sugar paintings, making various gunshot sound effects, and had a great time.

The parents stood by, shaking their heads with smiles, thinking to themselves that the sugar painting was incredibly realistic.

Jason said excitedly, the words on his notebook practically flying off the page.

"COOL! This is magical gun-themed sugar painting! The romance of snipers and quick-draw gunners!"

Jason felt too embarrassed to snatch the candy painting from the child, so he took one last regretful look at the Fire Kirin before continuing on his way.

After walking a few steps, his eyes lit up again, and he almost tripped over his own foot.

"It's Cana, the exotic girl from Fairy Tail guild!"

Cana's stall was the simplest, with a long table filled with all kinds of bottles and barrels of liquor, from beer to wine to spirits.

A crooked sign stood on the table that read, "Drinks are self-service, while supplies last."

Cana herself was asleep, slumped over the table, her face pressed against the surface, one hand still holding a wine bottle, a trace of drool at the corner of her mouth, emitting even snores.

"Zzz..."

Occasionally, a resident would come to pour her some wine, and she would groggily raise one hand, mumble "Drink as much as you like," and then lie back down to continue sleeping.

Jason stared at the scene for two seconds, then gave a thumbs up in a very supportive manner and began scribbling furiously in his notebook.

"COOL! This is the kind of wine that can get even mages drunk! Even the stall owner himself is intoxicated! This is the real exotic lady!"

Cana rolled over and mumbled, "Another one..."

Jason respectfully poured her a glass of wine and placed it beside him, then continued walking towards the next stall, his notebook already filled with writing, muttering to himself.

"COOL COOL COOL..."