Rebuilding the Guild Tavern

The next morning, the Riyao Manor was unusually quiet.

Normally, the courtyard would be very lively the morning after yesterday's banquet.

All that noise has disappeared today.

The guild members dispersed, and before dawn, some packed their bags and left Magnolia in twos and threes.

The manor suddenly felt eerily empty; the wind blew through the yard, and even the sound of fallen leaves rolling on the ground could be heard clearly.

The Parasol Tree stood quietly in place, a few eggs still hanging on its crown, as if nothing had happened.

Riyao sat on a recliner under the eaves, slowly sipped his tea, and glanced around the courtyard.

Lucy was sitting at the table with a bowl of porridge, two small dishes of side dishes, and a steamer of buns in front of her, her cheeks bulging from eating.

She's been freeloading here for quite some time now, never acting like she's part of the group.

"Lucy, aren't you going home?"

Riyao glanced at Lucy, who was freeloading.

Lucy, with half a bun still stuffed in her mouth, shook her head violently upon hearing this, almost spitting out crumbs of the bun.

"No, no, I'd rather die than go back. I'd feel so uncomfortable going back; I'd have to wear a corset that would strangle me, and face those suffocating social banquets."

She spoke quickly and urgently, and at the end, she even gestured to her waist, making a face as if she was being strangled and couldn't breathe.

That's true, the eldest daughter of the Heartfilia Family has to maintain a certain air when she goes home.

The corset was so tight that it made it hard to even breathe. At the banquet, everyone was laughing and exchanging pleasantries, but you had to think through every word three times before you dared to say it.

Who could stand that?

"So, the question is, how do you make money?"

Riyao looked at Lucy with a half-smile.

Lucy pursed her lips. She only had a few thousand J in total, and she hadn't taken on any new commissions yet.

She smiled somewhat ingratiatingly, blinked her big eyes at Riyao, and rubbed her small hands together.

"What do you want to do? Want to make money as a maid at the manor?"

"Ah, no! I don't want to be a maid!"

Lucy looked up to the sky and howled, "Where am I going to get money? Do I really have to go home?"

After shouting that, she collapsed and slumped into a chair.

When Riyao saw Lucy's exaggerated facial expressions, he almost couldn't help but laugh.

Mirajane led Lisanna in from outside the manor.

What are you talking about?

"Lucy's worried about where to earn money. I suggested she become a maid at the manor, but she wasn't interested. I wonder what she's thinking." Riyao shrugged.

"Come work at our tavern, it'll fulfill Lucy's dream of being the tavern's mascot." Mirajane clapped her hands.

"All done?" Riyao squeezed Mirajane's hand.

"Yeah, they were overjoyed when they heard you were going to buy the whole place. They waived all the fees and saved you a hundred million."

Lucy and the others standing nearby stared wide-eyed.

Lucy counted on her fingers and realized that the few thousand J in her pocket was not even a fraction of what she had.

She glanced at Riyao's face, which seemed completely unaffected, and felt a pang of sadness in her heart, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Wendy stood there, stunned, her mouth agape for a long time.

Even Carla forgot to stroke her own fur, her eyes wide open.

"Why would they waive those miscellaneous fees for Riyao? Riyao has too much influence," Lucy exclaimed.

"As long as Riyao is in Magnolia, people will keep coming to seek medical treatment, which will be a considerable source of income for Magnolia."

Mirajane shook his head, looking smug.

"Moreover, because of the existence of the Riyao, some important figures, especially those who value their lives, will settle in Magnolia."

Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Levy all gasped slightly in surprise.

Riyao's Healing Magic is unmatched on the entire continent.

Which of those powerful and influential men isn't afraid of death?

Riyao's presence here is like opening a life-saving shop; once you stay in the town, your life is guaranteed by an extra layer of protection.

Waiving him some handling fees is a smart move for long-term business.

Lucy thought about it and realized that it was indeed true.

Riyao patted Levy on the head.

What are you surprised about?

"It's just that seeing how neatly everyone's Lu-chan, I couldn't help but join in, hehe." Levy covered her head and giggled.

Wendy asked curiously, "Mira, what kind of tavern are you going to build?"

Mirajane pulled out her prized work, unfolded the blueprints, and showed them to them.

She took out the blueprints with such solemnity, as if she were taking out some precious treasure, and even cleared her throat.

When the blueprints were unfolded, Lucy and the others were completely stunned.

This painting is almost identical to the one that Phantom Lord rebuilt back then.

The crooked lines outlined several houses, and a flower bigger than the houses was drawn on the roof. Two stick figures stood at the door, one with "Riyao" written next to it and the other with "Mirajane" written next to it. A huge heart was drawn between the heads of the two stick figures.

Lucy pursed her lips, trying so hard to suppress her laughter, afraid of getting a beating for it.

They all looked down at their toes.

Wendy stared at the tips of her shoes, Levy tugging at the hem of her clothes, Carla simply turned her back, her little shoulders trembling.

No one dared to look up, for fear that if they met that blueprint, they wouldn't be able to keep their mouths shut.

Lisanna couldn't hold back and was immediately given a sharp rap on the head by Mirajane. She covered her forehead and squatted down.

With a sharp crack, Lisanna yelled and squatted on the ground, gasping for breath, clutching her forehead.

Lucy and the others saw Lisanna get beaten up, they couldn't hold back anymore.

"Haha... we're laughing at Lisanna getting beaten up, really haha..."

Lucy laughed so hard she could barely stand up straight, pointing at Lisanna who was squatting on the ground as she laughed, as if afraid others wouldn't know she was laughing at the blow Lisanna had received, and that it had nothing to do with the blueprint.

Wendy and the others nodded frantically, indicating that Lucy was absolutely right.

Mirajane glared at the group with hostility, then pouted and looked at Riyao.

Riyao relaxed, pulled Mirajane into his arms, and ruffled her hair.

"They don't know anything about art. This painting is beautiful. But I want to rebuild the tavern just like it was before. What do you think?"

Everyone looked at Riyao with suspicion.

I'm not sure which version of the guild Riyao is referring to.

"It's what it looked like before Phantom Lord. Although the guild grew much larger later, it never had the same feel as before."

Riyao put down his teacup, his gaze drifting out of the courtyard, as if across half a street, and landing on the plot of land that had not yet been developed.

In the very beginning, Fairy Tail was in a small area.

A wooden bar counter, several rows of tables and chairs, a task board nailed to the wall, and task sheets pasted all over the place, the corners curled up.

When the old man first took him in, he would sit at the bar every day, watching Makarov sip his drink and chuckle as he observed the commotion around the room, his mustache sticking up high.

Levy, Lisanna, and Elfman all nodded.

They also miss their old guild.

Mirajane thought for a moment and nodded.

"Then let's build it exactly as it was originally."

She rolled up the drawings and put them away, her earlier petulance at being laughed at long gone.