Still Getting Hit
The next morning, Hargeon Port was in chaos, the entire port was in disarray.
Fishermen who had set out to sea early in the morning, small vendors who had just set up their stalls to make a fortune, and tourists from out of town who had just arrived last night by magic train and paid high prices for sea-view rooms were all rubbing their eyes and crowding around the pier, their jaws dropping in disbelief.
The reason is that the Parasol Tree disappeared; such a huge tree vanished overnight.
The towering tree that once stood in the middle of the bay, its canopy piercing the clouds, is now bare of leaves, and the sea is empty except for a few seagulls circling aimlessly in the wind.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in Magnolia, the morning sea breeze had just dispersed the thin mist.
When Makarov arrived at the guild, he blinked as he looked at the large tree on the sea.
The old man, still holding a half-empty bottle of ale, stood on the stone steps in front of the guild gate, tilting his head back and rubbing his eyes vigorously.
"I'm getting old, and my eyesight is failing me. I even saw a towering tree growing in the sea in front of the guild. I'll have Riyao give me some treatment; it's time for me to retire."
He smacked his lips twice, assuming it was just a hallucination from staying up all night reviewing official documents a few days ago, and shook his head, about to step into the house.
"My God?! Where did this tree come from?"
Max's startled cry rang out behind him, making his scalp tingle as he instinctively wondered which unlucky kid had gotten into trouble again!
Max's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his finger trembled as he pointed at the sea outside.
Since Max can see it too, it means he's not senile at all!
Makarov mechanically turned his neck and stared again at the colossal tree on the sea surface, which blotted out the sky and was still shedding green light with a whooshing sound. His blood pressure shot straight to the top of his head.
"What the hell?! Who did this?! Which brat did this?! Come out here, I'll beat you to a pulp!"
Makarov was furious; such a big tree, it looked like he was going to have to pay a lot of money in compensation.
Not only did they completely block the shipping lanes and bay, but the sheer scale of this upheaval must have caused so many officials at the city hall to practically wear out the guild's doorstep!
He was also thinking of quickly dealing with these messy things at hand, handing over the chairmanship to someone else, and then enjoying his retirement.
Now, another huge problem has arisen, and he is extremely irritable.
The old man's beard twitched, and his fists were clenched so tightly they cracked, making him look like a bulldog ready to bite at any moment.
Max swallowed hard and silently walked into the guild, fearing that Makarov would treat him as a suspect and hang him up for a beating.
He scurried along the wall at lightning speed, and just as he slipped behind the gate, he saw a large group of people strolling towards him from the street corner.
"Grandpa? What's wrong so early in the morning? Come, come, I have some good news for you. Look at that tree over there, I specially moved it back. Isn't that amazing?"
Riyao walked over from a distance with a group of people, a smug smile on his face.
He had his hands in his pockets, chin held high, looking like he'd just earned a first-class merit and was waiting to be punched.
Makarov's veins were bulging, and his resentment was almost tangible.
The dark purple low pressure condensed directly behind him into a menacing phantom of a demon.
The murderer has been found!
They actually dared to come here and claim credit!
Max poked his head out and waved at Riyao, signaling him to run.
He hid behind the door, frantically making faces and waving his hands in a blur, almost as if he were holding up a sign that read, "The old man has gone mad, run for your life!"
Riyao tilted his head, wondering what they were doing. He maintained his smug smile and stepped into Makarov's attack range.
One step, two steps.
The moment Riyao stepped onto the stone slab in front of the guild, Makarov moved.
"You brat! Prepare to die!"
The tiny fist rapidly enlarged and slammed towards Riyao, a punch imbued with decades of accumulated skill!
The Giant Magic was activated instantly. A huge fist, like a battering ram, wrapped in howling wind, slammed down on Riyao's head. Even the stone slabs on the ground were cracked like spider webs by the force of the punch.
Just as his fist was about to strike Riyao, only centimeters from the pen tip, he finally reacted.
A strong gust of wind whipped the stray hairs on his forehead wildly back, and his survival instinct kicked in at that moment!
In a fraction of a second, he pulled a certificate authorized by Mayor Magnolia from his pocket and held it up in front of Makarov.
A crisp, sharp sound!
The parchment, stamped with the city hall's bright red seal and bearing the words "Special Approval for Bay Landscape Development Permit and Disclaimer Agreement," was held up above Riyao's head with both hands and unfolded neatly.
Makarov stopped, his fist pressed against the pen tip, and carefully examined the certificate.
The fist, as big as a clay pot, came to an abrupt halt, almost grazing Riyao's nose, the resulting shockwave making the certificate rustle loudly.
Makarov squinted and scanned the terms and the mayor's signature from beginning to end. The murderous rage on his face vanished instantly.
"Oh, I see. You should have said so earlier, you brat."
The old man smiled and dispelled the Giant Magic, his fist shrinking back to its normal size.
Riyao breathed a sigh of relief, just about to put the certificate back in his pocket and complain a bit.
"You also..."
Before he could finish speaking, Riyao was sent flying by Makarov.
A muffled thud!
The old man's retracted right fist suddenly swelled up again without warning, delivering a solid uppercut to Riyao's chin, sending him flying like a shooting star across the sky, smashing through the green belt across the street.
Everyone looked confused. Hadn't it been explained clearly? Why was he still knocked away?!
Lucy, Levy, and Wendy, who were following behind, were all dumbfounded, their mouths agape as they watched the Riyao fly out in a parabolic arc.
Makarov blew the dust off his fist and glanced sideways at the dumbfounded juniors.
"That brat didn't warn me beforehand, which caused a misunderstanding. What's wrong with me punching him? You guys have a problem with that?!"
He gave a smug snort and walked into the guild with his hands behind his back.
He suffered a spike in blood pressure and lost several strands of hair early this morning; he deserves some compensation for his emotional distress!
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, speechless.
As expected of the former president of Fairy Tail, his twisted logic is exactly the same as Riyao's!
Gray and Natsu ran up to Riyao with glee and began to laugh at him.
The two of them scurried over to the edge of the ditch in the green belt, put their hands on their hips, pointed at Riyao who was covered in dirt, and laughed so hard that tears almost streamed down their faces. They were just short of setting off two strings of firecrackers to celebrate.
Bang! Bang!
Two crisp, muffled thuds exploded almost simultaneously.
Before Riyao could even see Natsu and Gray get up, he delivered two powerful punches, landing with pinpoint accuracy on their noses, slamming them into the mud pits.
The smile doesn't disappear, it just moves on.
Now it was Riyao's turn to squat down next to the two of them and laugh.
He brushed the grass clippings off his clothes, rested his chin on his hands, squatted on the edge of the pit, and looked down at his unfortunate buddy with a smile, whose nose was bleeding profusely.
"Serves you right for being so smug! Why aren't you laughing anymore? Are you just naturally averse to smiling?"
The two men jumped to their feet, and the three of them started fighting, brutally beating each other on the ground, each fighting their own battle.
Natsu let out a howl and lunged forward to choke him, Gray grabbed Riyao's leg and dragged him down. Riyao then flicked them on the head, making them both scream in pain.
Like a shark that has smelled blood, Gajeel suddenly appeared out of nowhere and plunged into the battle. None of the four used magic; they simply fought each other.
The residents of Magnolia who passed by were used to it; Fairy Tail would have a small fight every day, a big fight every three days, and a complete overhaul of the guild every seven days.
The woman buying vegetables even made way for them, chatting happily with her neighbor about how much the radishes cost per pound that day.
Inside the guild's lobby on the first floor.
Makarov looked out the window at the Parasol Trees, his heart filled with excitement after hearing Mirajane and the others describe the bustling scene at Hargeon Port.
The old man clung to the windowsill, gazing at the golden tree on the sea that was already attracting a crowd of townspeople; his eyes practically shone with golden J-signs.
Floating market! Sightseeing boat tickets! Stall management fees!
"This is a great opportunity to save for retirement, hehehe..."
The old man rubbed his hands together, his drool almost dripping onto the windowsill.
Mirajane, who was wiping glasses behind the bar, tilted her head and, with a smile, poured a bucket of ice water over him.
"Riyao has dumped those matters on the mayor; from now on, the cost of damaging Magnolia will be covered by the rent."
Mirajane shrugged, too lazy to bother with the matter, since she already had enough money.
Instead of having the old man write apologies and pay compensation every time Natsu and his crew demolished the streets, it would be better to just hand over the Parasol Trees as the guild's "demolition advance payment."
Makarov's sly grin froze instantly, and his entire body turned ashen with a snap.
After a long pause, the old man clutched his chest, tears streaming down his face, and managed to squeeze out a sentence.
"Waaah, good boy."
Makarov's dream was shattered, and he couldn't say anything; he was too frustrated.