Jiang Bai arrives!

Jiang Bai looked at the small, exquisite amulet in his hand.

Mira made this for him herself.

Thinking of this, the overwhelming resentment that had risen in Jiang Bai's heart because his date had been interrupted seemed to be infused with a stream of cool water, calming him down a little.

But there were only a few.

That bastard Natsu still needs to be beaten, and beaten to a pulp!

Jiang Bai carefully tucked the amulet into his clothes and gave Mira a look that said, "Wait for me to come back."

Then he turned around, grabbed Gray was still clueless, and strode out of the guild.

The two walked towards the port. Jiang Bai remained silent, radiating a low-pressure aura that kept strangers at bay.

Gray followed beside him, feeling the air around him several degrees colder than usual. Even this ice mage couldn't help but shiver. He cautiously asked,

"Um... Jiang Bai, why don't we use your Space Magic to get there directly? Wouldn't that be faster?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Bai paused, turned his head, and looked at Gray with an expression as if he were looking at an idiot.

What's the rush?

His voice was cold, filled with deep resentment.

"That idiot Natsu may lack intelligence, but he's still quite strong. Since he's already accepted an S-Class Mission, let him have a good experience."

"So that he won't impulsively steal S-Class Mission again and cause us trouble."

"Perfect timing, I also need some time to think about what stance I should use when I beat him up later."

Upon hearing these words, Gray felt a chill run down his spine.

He could almost see Natsu being brutally beaten to the ground by Jiang Bai, and he couldn't help but mentally make the sign of the cross for his "good" brother.

Although Jiang Bai and his companion did not use Space Transfer, as top-tier mages, their speed was far beyond that of ordinary people.

Before long, the salty, damp smell of the sea breeze hit them, and the bustling docks of Hargeon Port came into view.

Gray stepped forward, randomly approached a dockworker who was unloading cargo, and asked,

"Uncle, did you see a pink-haired boy, a blonde girl, and a flying blue kitten this morning?"

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about? How could a cat fly?"

The dockworkers looked at him like he was an idiot.

Just then, an uncle who was mending fishing nets nearby suddenly looked up and interjected, "I know! Those people you're talking about, they went out to sea on my boat this morning."

He looked Jiang Bai and Gray up and down.

Who are you?

"We are also mages from Fairy Tail."

Jiang Bai walked over and got straight to the point, "Those guys from this morning were brats who snuck out. We were ordered by the guild leader to capture them and take them back, and while we were at it, we also took care of that 'Demon Island' mission."

"Oh, I see!"

The uncle suddenly realized what was going on. He put down his work and warmly greeted them, "Then what are you waiting for? Get on the boat! I'll take you there right away!"

Jiang Bai and Gray exchanged a glance, then, without any ceremony, jumped directly onto the uncle's small fishing boat, which looked rather old.

The fishing boats sailed smoothly on the sea.

After some time, an island shrouded in an ominous purple aura appeared at the edge of the sea.

"Look, that's Galuna Island up ahead."

The boatman pointed to the island in the distance, a look of fear on his face, and stopped the boat.

"This is the best I can do for you. If you get any closer, the Moon Curse on the island will turn me into a demon."

Jiang Bai stood up from the boat, looked at the island filled with an eerie atmosphere, and nodded.

"It's alright, sir. That's enough. Thank you for giving us a ride. We'll be going now."

"Huh? How are you going to get there?" the uncle asked, looking puzzled.

Jiang Bai did not answer.

He simply reached out and put his hand on Gray's shoulder.

The next instant, a thought occurred to me.

The two figures vanished from the boat in the boatman's astonished gaze, as if he had seen a ghost.

When Gray regained consciousness, he felt solid ground beneath his feet.

The sound of waves crashing on the beach and the roars of unknown monsters coming from the depths of the jungle clearly reached my ears.

They have already landed on Galuna Island.

The air in the jungle was humid and stuffy, mixed with the smells of decaying leaves and unknown plants.

Jiang Bai and Gray walked along the rugged forest path, and soon, a village suddenly appeared before them.

It's called a village, but it looks more like a small fortress.

The entire village was completely enclosed by a towering wall built of huge logs and stones, exuding an atmosphere of vigilance and xenophobia.

Jiang Bai put his hands in his pockets and looked at the high wall.

Of course, he and Gray weren't some burglars.

So Gray shouted, "Hey! Is anyone there? We mean no harm!"

His voice echoed through the empty woods, but inside the walled compound, there was only deathly silence and no response.

Just as Gray was about to shout again, several heads cautiously peeked out from above the wall.

Those people looked like ordinary villagers, but they were all carrying spears and bows and arrows, and they were looking down at the two people below with vigilance.

Who are you? What are you doing here?

One of the men questioned loudly.

"We are mages from the Fairy Tail guild."

Gray tilted his head back and answered loudly.

"We're here to investigate the curse on the island. Did any of our guild members come by this morning? A pink-haired boy, a blonde girl, and a flying cat."

Meanwhile, behind the wall, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were hiding behind a wooden crate, barely daring to breathe.

Natsu's face fell instantly when he heard Gray's familiar voice.

"Oh no! It's Gray!"

Natsu lowered his voice, his face filled with anxiety.

"He must have been sent by the old man to take us back!"

Lucy was pacing anxiously, whispering, "What do we do? If we get caught and taken back, we won't be able to complete this mission, and the president will definitely yell at us!"

"Hey! If we don't do the mission soon, we won't have any money to eat fish!"

Happy also waved his little fist, looking determined.

Natsu's gaze fell on the villager who had just been peeking over the wall.

"Uncle! Please! Don't tell them we're here! Just tell them no one has been here and they need to go back immediately!"

"If we get captured, there will be no one to help you complete your mission and lift the curse!"

Looking into Natsu's sincere eyes and considering the situation in the village, the villagers hesitated.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind.

He stood back by the wall, and facing Gray below, shouted loudly in an unnatural, stiff tone.

"No... no one has been here! You've come to the wrong place! Please... please leave immediately!"

His words were stammering and full of holes.

Natsu is too naive.

Without even thinking, if Makarov disagreed with him undertaking S-Class Mission, why would he only send Gray, who also lacked S-Class qualifications, to capture people?

Since they sent people, they must have had two purposes: to "capture someone" and "accomplish the mission incidentally."

And the person who can accomplish both of these goals simultaneously is someone even a fool could guess from the remaining members of the guild.

"Oh."

Jiang Bai, who had been silent all along, finally let out a soft, ambiguous laugh.

Looking at the villager's clumsy acting on the wall, and feeling the fiery Fire Dragon magic behind the wall, which couldn't be hidden and was as scorching as a small sun, he found it all utterly ridiculous.

Natsu such an idiot...

The thought of his perfect date with Mira being ruined because of this idiot's nonsense made Jiang Bai's anger rise uncontrollably.

Gray wanted to argue a bit more, but Jiang Bai was too lazy to waste any more time.

He stepped forward, walked past Gray, and stood in front of the door.

"Hey, you idiot inside the wall."

Jiang Bai's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable penetrating power, clearly reaching every corner inside the walls.

I'll count to three.

"One."

"If you come out on your own, I'll just give you a quick beating, but once I catch you, I'm going to beat you a hundred times! A hundred times!"

"Two..."

Jiang Bai's icy voice, like a chilling wind from the depths of hell, sent a shiver down the spines of everyone inside and outside the walls.

Behind the wall, Natsu's body stiffened abruptly, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

That sound...

It's Jiang Bai!

We're doomed!