Once Upon a Time, There Was a Mountain

The two of them, with legs that felt like lead, spent a day and a half.

They finally arrived at the barren hill. The setting sun cast long shadows, and even their breath smelled of hot sand.

"Let's rest for the night, and tomorrow morning we'll go and beat up the Stone Statue Titans."

Riyao wiped the sweat from his brow, casually pulled a seed from his backpack, and tossed it to the ground at his feet.

A flash of pale green light, and a sturdy banana tree instantly sprang up from the ground, its large leaves swaying in the wind, standing out starkly against the surrounding gray-yellow hills.

Mirajane looked at the conspicuous banana tree, raised an eyebrow and curled her lip, her eyes almost overflowing with disdain and doubt.

"Eating this so late at night? Are you sure you won't get diarrhea?"

"Haha... just a random seed I grabbed! I'll get another one."

Riyao scratched his head, then quickly reached into his backpack, pulled out a new seed, and tossed it out.

This time, tender white and green buds sprouted from the soil, quickly grew branches and leaves, and in the blink of an eye, the soil was full of golden pears, and their sweet fragrance spread instantly.

He picked two pears and tossed them to Mirajane, then pulled out some hard, dry rations and handed them over.

"I'll grab this first. I absolutely have to get some beef jerky to take with me when I get back; this lousy dry ration is making my teeth ache."

"Riyao, you have to treat me to a nice meal when we get back!"

Mirajane took the dry food, breaking off small pieces and putting them into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out slightly, just like a little hamster storing food.

Riyao chewed on his dry rations, then suddenly leaned close to her, his bright black eyes curving into crescents, and he even blinked deliberately.

I'd treat you to meals for the rest of your life.

Mirajane's earlobes turned bright red, followed by a blush on her cheeks. She raised the hand holding the dry rations and punched him hard on the shoulder, her voice tinged with a hint of coquettishness.

"What are you saying, you filthy scoundrel! Believe me or not, I can beat you to a pulp in a minute!"

Riyao covered his shoulder and laughed so hard his eyes were shaking, looking like a fox who had stolen candy.

(*´Д`)つ))´∀`)

This intention is probably clear to everyone in Fairy Tail.

Mirajane felt hot all over from his laughter and quickly lowered her eyes, fiddling with the hem of her clothes, to change the subject.

"By the way, what are the requirements for participating in the guild's S-Class Exam?"

Riyao took a clay pot out of his backpack, placed it over the campfire, and a pale blue magic circle appeared on his hand, drawing water to fill the pot.

He picked a few pears, broke them into small pieces, and threw them in. Then he grabbed a handful of goji berries, red dates, and other ingredients, sprinkled them in, and stirred it with Fire Poker.

He shook the stick, its self-cleaning function perfectly suited for home and travel, murder and arson; otherwise, how could it be called the dream stick?

"Didn't they say we had to complete a certain number of commissions? I heard that before each assessment, everyone in the guild would go all out to take on commissions."

Mirajane looked at the bubbling water in the pot and asked in confusion.

Riyao scooped up a spoonful of the sugar water, tasted it, and his brow relaxed, a mini Versailles moment in his mind.

"That's just the old man's selection criteria, to see who's really interested in reaching S-Class. Actually, if you're truly capable, no one will force you to choose if you don't want to. I didn't want to be S-Class in the first place; it was such a hassle."

"As for why so many people participate in the selection process each time, it's simply for boasting."

Mirajane looked up and stared at his face for a long time, as if trying to gauge the thickness of his skin.

Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Riyao reached up and touched his cheek, feigning shyness in a high-pitched voice. "Oh, I know I'm handsome, don't stare at me like that~"

→_→

Mirajane rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Your skin is probably thicker than the shell of Stone Statue Titan!"

Riyao chuckled, stretched out his arm with his forearm facing up, and rubbed the brown sugar with his other hand. The fine pieces of brown sugar slid down his forearm and into the pot, and a sweet aroma instantly filled the air.

He clapped his hands, his tone laced with disapproval.

"S-Class commissions offer high rewards, but they're also very dangerous. What's most annoying is that bunch of idiots in the Magic Council; they keep sending out disgusting commissions with pitifully low rewards, and then they blame our guild for everything that goes wrong!"

Mirajane scooped up a spoonful of sugar water and took a sip. The sweet taste relieved the dryness in her mouth. She took out a flatbread, broke it into pieces, and soaked it in the water. While chewing, she asked indistinctly, "What if the commission issued by the Magic Council is very dangerous?"

Riyao patted his chest, beaming with pride.

"So the old man is very strict about this. Even if someone's strength is even slightly lacking, it won't work. Even if every mission is completed perfectly, he'd rather have no S-Class members in the guild than let anyone become S-Class and face such dangerous missions."

"Yes, yes, you're the best. You're the most powerful in the whole guild, okay?"

Mirajane rolled his eyes, chewing on a soggy flatbread, his attitude as perfunctory as could be.

Completely oblivious to her emotions, Riyao continued, "If you work hard for another two years, you'll probably be able to participate in the S-Class Exam. Erza is probably close to it too..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mirajane suddenly punched him in the shoulder with much more force than before. Her eyes widened, and her cheeks puffed out.

"Huh? Why bring up that idiot! What's the point of comparing yourself to her!"

Riyao shrank back, quickly changed the subject, and leaned closer with a grin.

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about her! How about it? Do you want Senior Riyao to give you some pointers? I'm an expert in Take Over Magic, even though I don't use it, my theoretical knowledge is absolutely solid!"

Mirajane pounded his shoulder again, sighed, and stirred the sugar water in the pot with her fingertips.

"It's no use. The Satan Soul is too difficult to control. Right now, I can only partially receive it from different body parts. I don't know how long it will take to fully receive it..."

Riyao grinned crookedly, slapped his thigh loudly.

"Don't worry, I'll let you experience the feeling of receiving it all tomorrow!"

Mirajane abruptly looked up, her face instantly turning bright red. She reached out and grabbed his thigh, twisting it hard, and roared, "You pervert! Why did you slap my thigh?!"

Riyao hissed and gasped in pain, quickly waving his hands to explain, "Ouch... let go for a moment. Tomorrow I'll use magic to help you, so you can experience full-body absorption for a short time. It will be beneficial for your later practice."

After a while of playful banter, the sweet soup was almost gone, and the campfire gradually died down. Riyao packed up the cooking utensils, crawled into his sleeping bag, wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon, and only poked his head out to wave to Mirajane.

"We don't need to keep watch tonight, so get some sleep." He yawned after saying that, and within two minutes, the sound of even snoring filled the air.

Mirajane lay in her sleeping bag, listening to his snoring gradually subside.

She listened intently and found the hill eerily quiet. There were no insects chirping, no birds singing, and not even the small magical beasts that should be present in the distant desert. The only sound was the rustling of a few withered grasses in the wind. Many gregarious magical beasts in the distance dared not venture near the hill.

She muttered a couple of things to herself, but was too tired to keep her eyes open, and soon Sleep.