Eclipse Gate

Riyao pretended not to know anything, a look of doubt on his face.

"You guys are reacting like this? Could it be that there really are people who travel through time?"

He spoke with a grin, crossed his legs and swung them back and forth, his toes circling in the air, as if he were joking.

Princess Hisui and Arcadios exchanged a glance, their eyes conveying a silent understanding.

Neither of them spoke, but Riyao could tell they were sending telegrams with their eyes.

Princess Hisui pondered for a moment, her fingers circling the rim of the teacup twice. The white porcelain cup had a gold rim, and her fingernails gently tapped the porcelain surface.

"There's a person who claims to be from the future, and he's been accurate about many things, including the news of Fairy Tail's return."

Mirajane opened her mouth slightly, parted her lips, then closed them again, and froze for two seconds.

"Is it really possible for someone to travel through time? That's incredible!"

Princess Hisui shook her head, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"We're not sure if it's true either. He said that Grand Magic Games ended, ten thousand dragons attacked, and the Eclipse Gate needed to accumulate magic power to launch a giant magical ray to deal with them."

"The Eclipse Gate is currently accumulating magic power in its final stage."

Riyao picked his nose, twirled his finger inside his nostril, and looked quite content.

Mirajane grabbed his hand in annoyance and pulled his fingers off his wrist.

She took out her handkerchief and wiped him clean, one by one, her movements swift and her fingers flying, as if she had done it a thousand times.

"If you pick your nose again, you'll be sleeping by the door."

"Okay."

Riyao responded softly, then looked at Princess Hisui.

"Is it really okay to just tell us such kingdom secrets directly?"

Princess Hisui shook her head.

"In comparison, you are much more credible than that one who claims to be from the future. And as an ancient guild with Fairy Tail history spanning hundreds of years, we would also like to ask if this matter can be trusted?"

A gentle breeze drifted into the room, causing ripples to spread across the surface of the black tea on the table.

The curtains swayed gently, and sunlight danced on the floor, casting dappled patterns of light that flickered between bright and dim.

Riyao sighed, exhaling through his nose and ruffling the hair on his forehead.

"I don't know if you've received any intelligence about what happened to us."

He paused, then uttered the three titles one by one.

"The Wings of the End"

"Black Dragon."

"Acnologia."

"He focused on hunting down all dragons, nearly wiping them out. Those ten thousand dragons couldn't possibly still exist."

"You know, right? The true purpose of the Eclipse Gate."

Riyao leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees with his fingers interlaced.

"Time travel! If ten thousand dragons really do appear, they can only be ten thousand giant dragons from hundreds of years ago, emerging from the Eclipse Gate."

Mirajane, Wendy, and Carla were all stunned, their expressions frozen on their faces, their eyes wide open.

They never imagined that time travel was actually possible.

Princess Hisui and Arcadios, on the other hand, had solemn expressions and their faces darkened.

Arcadios clenched his fist, his knuckles turned white, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged slightly.

Princess Hisui rose, bowed slightly, and her skirt trailed in an arc on the carpet.

"I'm sorry, I can't entertain you today. I need to take care of some things."

Riyao waved his hand casually, then leaned back on the sofa and sank into the soft cushions.

"Don't worry about it, we're just heading back to prepare for the preliminary rounds. If you need our help, just let us know."

"I will."

Princess Hisui smiled happily, but the seriousness in her eyes had not completely dissipated; the smile was only on the surface.

Riyao stood up, bent down, and packed up all the snacks from the three-tiered porcelain plate on the table, leaving not a single one.

With a flick of the fingers, the plate was empty, so clean it gleamed.

Arcadios rubbed his forehead, covering half his face with his hand, a helpless eye peeking out from between his fingers.

It's still the same old thing.

Riyao was carrying a pile of pastries, his hands stuffed full.

He waved with difficulty at Princess Hisui, his wrist barely managing to wiggle twice, nearly causing several pastries to slip off the top.

Come visit Magnolia sometime!

Mirajane smiled slightly at Princess Hisui, reached out and took Riyao's arm to help him steady the pile of pastries in his hands.

Bye-bye.

The three people and the cat came and went in a hurry.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded away in the red-carpeted corridor, finally being cut off by the heavy door panels.

As Riyao passed by the gate, he rummaged through a large pile of pastry bags and found two small pieces, handing them to the two gate guards.

"Don't say I didn't give you any benefits."

After he finished speaking, he stuffed the snacks into the hands of the two soldiers, one for each of them, forcibly prying open their palms and pressing their fingers onto the snacks.

"..."

Mirajane chewed on a small snack, her cheeks puffed out, her voice muffled.

"What a pity, I didn't even have a chance to catch up with her."

"Hmm, the competition will continue for a while, there will be opportunities."

Riyao also popped a piece into his mouth, chewing it with a crunching sound.

Wendy, holding Carla, followed beside her with small steps, looking up at the Riyao.

"Brother Riyao, what is the Eclipse Gate?"

"I'm not entirely sure either, I only know that it's a portal that allows you to travel through time."

"That cunning bastard definitely knows."

"That scheming bastard knows, but I don't know. I'm not a bastard."

"You admit you're cunning, right? Don't you!"

The three people and the cat chatted and strolled through the streets of the capital, with crowds flowing past them.

The cries of street vendors rose and fell in a continuous stream.

When they encountered Gray and his group on the road, Riyao slammed on the brakes, his shoes screeching against the ground.

He grabbed Mirajane with one hand and Wendy with the other, and slipped into a nearby alley.

With my back pressed against the cold wall, I dared not breathe, my chest tightening.

Before the match, I didn't want this surprise to be ruined.

Riyao shone through his emerald green eyes.

My gaze swept across the crowd and landed on a figure across the street.

A familiar stranger.

Her long, golden hair was partially hidden beneath the cloak.

Riyao was a little confused.

Logically speaking, his appearance should have changed the future.

But now Future Rogue and Future Lucy have appeared.

Ultimately, they were destroyed by the dragons.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck me.

If Wanlong were to travel through time, then the Black Dragon would cease to exist.

If the Black Dragon destroys the future, then the Ten Thousand Dragons will cease to exist.

So first, the Black Dragon destroyed the future, causing Future Rogue to return to Future Lucy's timeline and unleash the myriad dragons.

This indirectly resulted in the Black Dragon not receiving nourishment from the dragon blood of ten thousand dragons, preventing it from surviving to this day.

There's another thing that Riyao can't understand.

How did Future Rogue return to Future Lucy's timeline?

He doesn't have the Twelve Gates of the Zodiac Celestial Spirits.

It seems the Eclipse Gate can be opened without a key...

The more Riyao thought about it, the more troubled he became; this time paradox was so complicated.

Forget it, we'll deal with whatever comes our way.