Treasure Hunt, Part Four

Happy crawled out from behind the bar, his face still bearing the red marks of a fish tail, and puffed air from his nostrils as he aggressively lunged at the Dream Pearl Fish.

"That wretched fish actually ambushed me, Grandpa Happy!"

The Dream Pearl Fish hopped and leaped half a meter into the air, its tail slapping loudly, its scales reflecting the light and shimmering.

Ding-a-ling!

Happy has encountered a formidable opponent.

The pearl fish struck first, flicking its tail and slapping Happy across the face.

Happy was slapped so hard he staggered back two steps, scratching the ground with his paws before regaining his balance.

The pearl fish jumped over again, its head hitting Happy's stomach. Happy clutched his stomach and backed away.

Happy was at a disadvantage, panting heavily, his fur standing on end.

It took a deep breath, its eyes sharpened, and it shouted, "Don't underestimate our bond!"

Happy used his 'Random Scratches' move.

The fish was slapped on the ground, jumped a couple of times, and then stopped moving.

Happy, clutching the fish, was panting heavily, his fur disheveled, but a victor's smile graced his face.

Mirajane crossed his arms, held one hand up, fingers resting on his chin, and tilted his head.

"It's probably because Riyao used too much Healing Magic to keep it fresh that the fish is so energetic."

Lucy noticed a piece of paper stuck to Happy's back, which trembled with Happy's breathing.

She walked over, pinched the corner of the paper with her fingers, gently peeled it off, and unfolded it to take a look.

A treasure map? It seems so familiar.

Everyone else crowded around to take a look, their heads piled on top of each other, surrounding Lucy in the middle.

It's confirmed, it's a treasure map of Riyao's dark history.

The paper is a bit old, with yellowed edges, but the writing and patterns on it are still clear, and the style is still the casual doodle style of Riyao.

"This is still here? The caption for this picture is 'blue hair,' is it Levy-chan?"

Lucy read the words on the map aloud and pointed to the markings on the treasure map.

This startled Levy; she jumped, nearly dropping the ancient book in her hand.

She quickly looked at Riyao, her eyes filled with terror.

"Is this some kind of embarrassing past Riyao?"

"How could I remember? Seven years have passed."

Riyao laughed heartlessly, his mouth stretching to his ears, his eyes narrowed into slits, giving off a "I'm not telling you" expression.

Lucy seized the opportunity to complain, hands on her hips, pointing her finger in the direction of the Riyao.

"Our minds have only been at the same level for a few months! Hmph, and you keep complaining that I forgot to set it up."

Erza took the treasure map, spread it out with both hands, scanned the paper with her eyes, and then looked up and surveyed the guild hall.

"There are quite a few blue-haired girls in the guild: Levy, Wendy, Juvia, Mystogan... Let's take a look."

Wendy looked puzzled, her eyebrows furrowed, and she tapped the tip of her nose with her finger.

What dark history? Did Brother Riyao take some strange photos of you when you visited before?

She thought for a moment, but couldn't think of any dark history she had, and shook her head.

Riyao walked to a stone pillar.

This stone pillar is a decorative pillar in the guild hall. Its surface is rough and engraved with graffiti and signatures left by guild members throughout the ages.

He reached out and tapped his knuckles on the stone pillar, making a series of hollow, resonant sounds as he found the right spot.

He inserted his finger into the crevice in the stone, and with a flick of his fingertip, he removed a stone used for concealment.

The stone wasn't big, but it just filled the gap perfectly, and you couldn't even notice it unless you looked closely.

Riyao reached inside, pulled out two treasure maps, and casually tossed them to them.

"Hey, find these two copies too."

The blueprints tumbled twice in the air before being caught by several hands simultaneously.

They quickly spread out the treasure map on the table, and several heads huddled together again.

One document was labeled "Words," and the other was labeled "Animals."

Levy felt more dangerous than before.

She always felt that she was definitely one of the three, or even that she was in two of them.

As for the written word, I love reading, so it's possible.

As for the blue-haired guy, he himself is more likely to be blue-haired.

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that both treasure maps were aimed at her, and cold sweat began to break out on her back.

Lisanna clung to Riyao's arm and swayed back and forth, hanging on Riyao arm with her toes off the ground, swinging like she was on a swing.

"Brother-in-law, could that animal be mine? Sister, help me!"

Mirajane shrugged, raised his shoulders, and spread his hands.

"I don't know. I know one of them was for the old man, the chairman's share, but I don't know where your brother-in-law put it later."

When everyone heard about the chairman's dirty laundry, their eyes lit up with alarming gleam.

At the same time, everyone's pupils lit up, and they all turned to look at Riyao, their eyes like those of wolves that hadn't eaten for three days seeing a piece of meat.

Riyao thought for a moment, tapped his chin with his finger, then walked to the door of the chairman's office, knocked, and went inside.

When he came out again, he had a treasure map in his hand.

He held the drawing between two fingers and shook it.

Makarov peeked out from behind him, half his body sticking out of the doorway, and looked around, unsure of what was happening.

But seeing everyone staring at him with a hint of malice in their smiles, he felt a chill creep up from the soles of his feet.

Natsu shouted so loudly that the windows rattled.

"Is this the treasure map to the old man's dark history? That's fantastic!"

Makarov's eyes widened, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets, and he rushed over to snatch it away.

He took short strides, but his speed wasn't slow. However, by the time he reached the location, Riyao had already thrown the treasure map away.

Riyao was tossed to Natsu, Natsu caught it with fluid movements, then turned and ran out of the guild.

Several people followed behind him, their footsteps thundering and kicking up clouds of dust, like a battle.

Makarov took two steps, then stopped, bent over, panting, his face filled with Despair.

Levy quickly began analyzing the "text" treasure map.

She had to destroy it before anyone else found it! Whether it was hers or not, she had to destroy it first!

She even pulled Lucy to help her, gripping Lucy's wrist tightly with one hand.

Lucy stumbled slightly from the tugging, Levy whispered in her ear, telling her to have Virgo dig faster. Lucy nodded helplessly.

Lisanna still wanted to pry some information out of Riyao.

She tiptoed, brought her face close to Riyao's, blinked her eyes, pouted, and used all her charm to be coquettish.

But Riyao simply wouldn't say anything, his mouth as shut as a clam's shell.

She stomped her foot, the soles of her shoes making two muffled thuds on the floor, and walked out with the treasure map in her hand, her back view filled with resentment.

Elfman felt that the animals might also be himself, since he himself had received animals.

He scratched the back of his head and followed.

Juvia and Wendy held the blue-haired treasure map, while Juvia dragged Gray along with her other hand.

She grabbed Gray by the back of his collar, dragging Gray across the floor, his legs leaving two marks on the floor.

"If Lord Gray wants to see Juvia's dark history, that's fine too."

"Huh? You weren't here yet back then, were you?"

Gray was now really looking into Makarov's dark past; he turned his neck toward the door, his eyes filled with reluctance.

Riyao held Mirajane in his arms, his chin resting on her shoulder, smiling broadly.

"Let's wait here, it's going to be exciting today."

Mirajane leaned against him, her back pressed against Riyao's chest, and laughed out loud, her shoulders shaking.

"I hope Lisanna doesn't cry, or I won't be there to comfort her."

The guild hall was suddenly mostly empty, leaving only Riyao and Mirajane, and Happy holding the Dream Pearl Fish.

It stared longingly at Mirajane.

"Mira, could you cook the fish for me?"