The Fire Poker

Riyao happily spent seven days as a useless person, tinkering with the Tenrou Tree in his own manor.

He first broke off a fine branch from the thick tree trunk, a branch with a lush, subtle green hue, and stuck it into the empty space between the three huts.

He stared at the branch that had just been buried in the ground, and suddenly began to ponder its name. The original work didn't seem to mention the tree's official name, only that it was a specialty of Tenrou Island, but Tenrou Tree just didn't sound quite right.

I extended my life with Life Magic and was resurrected by the life force of the phoenix. I personally brought this tree back to life, so let's call it [Parasol Tree], it's quite fitting.

A vibrant green Life Magic circle spread along the soil's texture, wrapping around the base of the branch, while tender green sap flowed slowly down the twig.

He pulled out a bottle of bright green potion, as green as moss just pulled from a swamp, unscrewed the cap, and poured it onto the tree roots.

Driven by the magic circle, the ends of the branches buried in the soil actually sprouted thin white roots, which took root in the moist soil, and the entire branch straightened up abruptly.

It may seem absurd, but that's the world of mages. The terrifying thing about Life Magic is that it can turn the impossible into reality.

He poured his own magic power and life energy into the magic circle, and emerald green light spread along the branches.

The magic circle spun for a full two hours, and the sapling grew from the thickness of a fingertip to half a person's height, its tender green leaves shimmering with light.

Riyao finally withdrew his magic, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and let the half-person-high Parasol Tree sway in the wind.

He turned back to stare at the thick Tenrou Tree, raised his hand to activate the Hundred Battles Spell Formula, and pale golden magic flowed from his fingertips into the trunk.

He deliberately restrained his magic, not urging it to grow wildly, but guiding the wood fibers to rearrange themselves little by little. The originally crooked trunk gradually became straight and symmetrical, and even the grain showed just the right curve.

He raised his hand to trim off the excess branches, and put the small pieces of wood into his storage bag, thinking that they might be used to make some small magical tools.

He pulled out a carving knife he had just bought from a magic tool shop from his storage bag. The blade was inlaid with light green magic patterns, and he held the carving knife between his fingertips.

Carve one Enchantment Magic after another along the grain of the tree trunk: first, changes in volume, then changes in mass and weight, then fire resistance, ice resistance, hardening... and hundreds of Enchantment Magic. By the end, even his fingertips were sore from carving.

From dawn until the sun sinks into the western mountains, the life energy accumulated through Hundred Battles Spell Formula is almost completely drained.

Finally, he engraved the Enchantment Magic - Solidification on the most conspicuous spot on the staff, Enchantment Magic: Permanence on the staff. The pale golden magic seeped into the wood along the engraving, and the entire staff shimmered with a soft light.

He rubbed his aching back and stiff shoulders, his fingertips gripping the polished wooden stick, a strange, itchy feeling stirring within him. It was as if he would be doing the stick a disservice if he didn't take it and cause a ruckus.

He leaned closer to the stick, scrutinizing it for a long time in the light and shadow, a smirk playing on his lips as he muttered something cheeky.

Hey, this stick is so well-proportioned and slender. The black and gold wood grain gives it a powerful look, and the magic patterns carved all over it give it a classic feel. It's simply the pinnacle of aesthetics. From now on, we'll call it the "Fire Poker".

Gray and Cana crouched behind Riyao, their faces scrunched up like buns, looking utterly exasperated that he'd gone crazy again. Seeing that he'd finally stopped carving, Gray couldn't help but speak up.

"What's wrong with your naming habits? And that whole bunch of nonsensical explanations earlier, what kind of nonsense was that?"

Riyao was rubbing his face with Fire Poker when he suddenly heard the sound. He jumped three feet high in fright, almost dropping the poker in his hand.

"Holy crap! You scared me! When did you two get here?!"

Cana shook the juice glass in her hand and started a conversation with a smile.

"We arrived early and saw you squatting here carving on a piece of wood all afternoon. We didn't say anything so as not to disturb you, waiting to see what you'd come up with."

Riyao immediately handed the Fire Poker to the two of them, holding his chin high and looking smug.

"See that? My signature weapon, the Fire Poker. Isn't it cool? It's a divine weapon passed down from the last era."

Gray rolled his deadpan eyes and glanced at it casually.

"Stop talking nonsense. This is just a wooden stick you concocted. We've looked at it from beginning to end. Where did this ancient weapon come from?"

Riyao patted the Fire Poker, looking at it with a disappointed expression.

"Your perspective is too narrow! I'm giving it historical value; its long history gives it more charm."

Cana leaned closer and touched the engravings on the staff, then frowned.

"Isn't it just a straight stick with patterns engraved on it? And why don't you turn off the Hundred Battles Spell Formula on your body?"

Riyao patted his forehead.

"Oh, I forgot to turn it off."

The Hundred Battles Spell Formula was closed, and the life energy stored within it was almost depleted, slowly replenishing itself through the pores of the skin.

Gray and Cana took turns fiddling with the Fire Poker. Gray even showed off a set of fancy stick techniques he had practiced. It was easy to swing, but there was nothing else to it besides being easy.

He pursed his lips and handed it back to Riyao.

"Nothing special, just a handy wooden stick."

Riyao took the Fire Poker, patted the shaft, and looked proud.

"Naive! This is the culmination of my painstaking efforts; there is only one of its kind in the world."

Gray rolled his eyes. "Of course, did anyone else make one out of boredom?"

Riyao gripped the Fire Poker, his fingertips lightly touching the engravings on the shaft, and whispered a call.

"Long!"

The Fire Poker, originally half a meter long, suddenly shot out and stretched to dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.

"Short!"

The Fire Poker immediately shrank back, landing precisely in his hand.

"Heavy!"

With a casual flick, the Fire Poker slammed onto the muddy ground, creating a small crater about half a finger's depth.

Gray and Cana's eyes widened instantly, their mouths agape, as if they could fit an apple in their mouths, their faces filled with disbelief.

Cana leaned over and reached out to try it, Riyao handed her the Fire Poker. But as soon as she touched the poker, Cana was so overwhelmed by the sudden increase in weight that she fell to her knees with a thud, her face turning red.

"Why is it so heavy! Help me lift it, it's going to flatten!"

Gray stepped forward and tried to lift it, but the Fire Poker didn't budge an inch, not even a twitch.

Riyao lightly flicked his toes, Fire Poker flew into his hand with a whoosh. With a flick of his finger, the poker quickly shrank, turning into a black and gold wooden bracelet with engravings.

A hint of envy flashed in Gray's eyes, but he stubbornly turned his face away. "Tch, it's just a stick that can change length or weight. My Ice-Make Magic can create any weapon anytime, anywhere."

Cana immediately came over and hugged Riyao's leg, blinking her big eyes and deliberately speaking in a high-pitched voice, "Riyao, do you have any more? I want one too."

Riyao tried to lift her leg to throw her off, but Cana held on tightly, even around the waist, and he couldn't shake her off no matter what he did.

"That's all. Only some branches are left. We can only make a basic version; we can't carve many Enchantment Magic on it."

Cana shook his thigh. "A lower-spec version is fine too. I just want to become bigger, smaller, and heavier, so my melee combat will be improved."

Riyao rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Fine, I'll do it for you tomorrow. Hurry up and get down, you're about to pull my pants down."

Gray opened his mouth to ask for the same thing, but Riyao's amused look made him swallow his words and turn his face away, pretending to look at the sky.

The three walked towards the guild together, planning to have dinner. Riyao also thought they should check out the S-Class quests while they were there.

They glanced back at the newly planted Parasol Tree. The evening breeze, carrying the light of the setting sun, swept across the leaves, making them glow with a golden-red light, as if they had been burned.

Riyao was anything but quiet the whole way, clutching the Fire Poker bracelet on his wrist and showing it off every now and then, sometimes turning it into a long stick, sometimes into a bracelet, making Gray and Cana's eyes almost blurry.

He turned the Fire Poker into a long whip, swung it with great force, making a whooshing sound as it cut through the air, but accidentally struck Gray's arm.

Gray jumped up, clutching his arm, and glared at him. "You bastard, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Riyao pouted, looking completely innocent. "No, I would never admit it, even if you killed me!"

Cana fanned the flames, saying, "Let's fight! Let's fight!" This ignited the fuse.

Gray was furious and immediately started fighting with Riyao.

In no time, Gray was bound hand and foot with Fire Poker by Riyao, hanging from the end of the poker like a dumpling. Gray kicked his legs in mid-air, yelling, "Damn it, let me down! This is too embarrassing!"

Riyao swung the Fire Poker around, looking utterly smug. "Perfect for training your strong will as a mage."

Cana cheered from the sidelines, clapping her hands and shouting, "Gray is such a loser!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a bristling voice boomed, "Whoa, it's getting heated! Riyao, let's have a fight!"

Ding! Encountered the monster Natsu!

Without hesitation, Riyao raised his hand and swung his Fire Poker, using a move that imitated Gray's meteor hammer. He knocked Natsu to the ground with one blow, then tied him up with the Fire Poker as well, hanging one at each end and two idiots on his shoulders.

All along Magnolia Street, you could see Riyao carrying Fire Poker on his shoulder, with Gray and Natsu hanging from the top. Cana snapped a picture of this scene with Riyao's camera.

Dark history + 1

The two creatures hanging on the stick didn't stop either, bumping into each other in mid-air.

"Fire-breathing idiot, stay away from me!"

"Ice-faced, who wants to be associated with you? Ugh..."

This triggered Natsu's motion sickness code, causing him to vomit, which landed all over Gray's face.

Gray got spit in his face and quickly called out to Riyao, "Ah, Riyao, put me down! This fire-breathing idiot spat in my face!"

Natsu was still retching beside him, his face pale. Riyao rolled his eyes, raised his hand and flung the Fire Poker, sending the two of them flying into the guild hall. Then he shook the stick, Enchantment Magic, and shook off all the grime.

He transformed the Fire Poker back into a bracelet and fastened it to his wrist, then walked into the guild with Cana.

As soon as they entered the guild hall, Gray and Natsu started fighting. They had barely gotten up when Erza, who had just returned from patrol, grabbed them by the collar and lifted them up as punishment.

Riyao leaned against the bar, sipping his juice, and shook his head as he watched this scene.

Sigh, they only remember the good times and not the bad ones.