A New Guild! Dividing the Games Prize Money

In front of the high platform at the crossroads of Magnolia town.

Upon hearing the town mayor utter the words "honorary gift,"

Makarov, who was standing in the front row, was stunned. He rubbed his little hands together shyly on the sides of his robe.

The old man's two white beards twitched twice, and a rosy blush rose on his cheeks.

"Oh my, there are even specially prepared gifts?"

Makarov rubbed the tip of his nose, his attitude becoming reserved and polite.

"The Grand Magic Games are simply our guild's responsibility; Mayor, you're being far too kind."

The old mayor burst into hearty laughter upon seeing Makarov's appearance.

The old mayor raised the magical microphone in his hand, turned around, and pointed to the other side with his right hand.

"Everyone, look in that direction!"

The loud voice was amplified and carried throughout the venue through the megaphone.

"This decision was made after discussion and consultation among the town's chamber of commerce and all residents."

"We mobilized all the construction workers and carpenters in town, and on the foundation of the original guild site, we completely renovated the Fairy Tail guild's main building!"

"Now, all the residents of Magnolia Town officially present this brand-new home to you!"

Look in the direction the old mayor's arm was pointing.

At the end of the commercial street, where the foundation had been reduced to rubble and ruins, a magnificent three-story red-roofed wooden and stone building now stands tall.

The iconic pointed roof, the crimson Fairy Tail banner fluttering in the wind, and even the patterns on the stone pillars on both sides of the main entrance have all been perfectly replicated one-to-one.

The entire building stands quietly in the sunlight, its location, orientation, and outline perfectly aligned.

All the Fairy Tail members stood frozen in the middle of the street.

"Wow! It's really fixed!!"

"My God! It's exactly the same as when we left seven years ago!"

"The location hasn't changed at all! Even the carvings on the second-floor balcony railing are exactly the same!"

An indescribable joy welled up in everyone's hearts.

Tenrou Island was attacked and sunk by a black dragon, and everyone slept for seven long years.

After waking up and returning to the town, I could only squeeze into a simple tavern on the outskirts of town. Although it was small, it was still acceptable.

However, this building in front of them is the real home where the Fairy Tail characters lived, argued, and played around for years since they were little.

Now, this family is back, completely intact.

Makarov stood there, two thick tears streaming from his eyes, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Waaaaah... You guys are so amazing!!"

The old town mayor stepped forward, his tone gentle and kind.

"Makarov, you don't need to be so polite."

"This was built by all the residents of the town who spontaneously carried timber and bricks, working together as one household to help."

Upon hearing this...

Makarov could no longer control his emotions and looked up at the sky, bursting into tears.

"Aww! This is the town I love most in my life!!"

Hearing the heart-wrenching cries, the residents in the streets and alleys burst into good-natured laughter.

Warm and enthusiastic laughter echoed throughout the town for a long time.

When the main members of Fairy Tail were around, the residents would sometimes complain that these vandals from the guild had smashed the stone bridge and shattered the windows.

However, after the main force disappeared seven years ago, the town's drawbacks were immediately and completely exposed.

Without Fairy Tail to oversee things, Magnolia's commercial economy plummeted, and the once bustling streets gradually became deserted.

Even worse, small guilds like Twilight Ogre, with their domineering and despicable behavior, took the opportunity to run rampant in the town, extorting protection money and vandalizing disobedient shops.

The town's residents were angry but dared not speak out.

During those dark and humiliating years, every resident held onto that hope more than once in their hearts.

If Fairy Tail still existed, if Jiang Bai, who could flatten mountains and rivers with a mere laugh, still existed, how could he tolerate those clowns Twilight Ogre, running rampant in the streets?

Now, the entire Fairy Tail cast has returned to their peak; the strongest guardians who protected the town's peace and tranquility have finally returned.

This is the shared sentiment of everyone in Magnolia.

The crowd thronged around the heroes' procession, cheering and jumping all the way to the end of the main road.

Makarov shakily extended his right hand and pushed open the heavy, solid double wooden door of the guild.

Everything was arranged exactly the same as it was seven years ago on the day everyone left.

Everyone took their familiar spots.

Jiang Bai strolled leisurely to the front of the large bar and casually pulled out a high stool to sit down.

Jiang Bai turned his head and looked at Makarov, who was still wiping away tears with great excitement. A playful smile appeared on his lips as he began to tease him.

"Old man, this is a huge saving!"

"The entire town repaired the guild for you, making it look neat and tidy, without you having to pay a single penny for materials."

"Shouldn't we share the 60 million J prize money we won in this Grand Magic Games while everyone's here?"

Before he could finish speaking...

Lucy, who had been lost in thought, suddenly twitched her ears violently.

As the guild's number one money-grubber, constantly tormented by rent, Lucy has a natural, keen radar for the word "bonus."

Lucy rushed to the bar, her hands resting on the edge of the wooden board, her face full of anticipation.

"President! Are we really going to give out bonuses to everyone?!"

Although the large sum of rent accumulated during her seven-year slumber had been settled by Lucy's father Jude.

But in the long years of her life ahead, Lucy could never continue to sit back and enjoy her life with a clear conscience.

Supporting herself by taking on commissions and earning money with her own hands is Lucy's unwavering bottom line as an independent Celestial Spirit Mage.

If I can get a generous prize money from the competition, at least my rent and living expenses for the next year will be completely covered.

Happy flapped its wings in mid-air, its two paws clasped together in front of its chest.

"Hey! After we get our bonuses, we'll have enough money to buy a whole truckload of fish!"

Mirajane rested her chin on her hand, looking at her president with a beaming smile.

"Oh my, the student council president has become quite generous this time."

Erza stood beside the long table, arms crossed, nodding slightly.

"Indeed, several of my main heavy armor sets were severely damaged during the training. With this prize money, I can commission the master blacksmith in the capital to forge two new sets of custom armor."

Gray put his hands behind his head.

"Perfect timing, I've somehow gone short several sets of clothes again, I need to go buy some spare clothes."

Lucy immediately turned her head, her face expressionless as she ruthlessly exposed Gray.

"Gray, you're only that way because you take your clothes off wherever you go!"

Natsu stood on the table, pointing at Gray and mocking him mercilessly.

"Haha! After all, Gray is a baka!"

Gray's forehead bulged with a vein, and he slapped Natsu's face with his backhand.

"Damn it, Natsu! I hate being called that by a simpleton like you! You want a beating, don't you?!"

"Come on, let's fight! I'm not afraid of you, you exhibitionist!"

The two instantly began wrestling in the hallway.

Makarov stood in the center of the bar, his chest heaving as he looked at the group of spendthrifts before him, who were like wolves and tigers, eager to empty the guild's coffers.

The old man turned his head, glared fiercely at Jiang Bai, and gritted his teeth.

Whenever the guild has even a little bit of spare money, Jiang Bai will always lead the way in stirring up trouble and making a scene.

But looking at the faces around me, all radiating pure joy...

Makarov's initial reluctance and heartache instantly transformed into a feeling of relief.

The reason I signed up for the Grand Magic Games was to win the prize money to renovate the dilapidated guild building so that the children would no longer suffer.

Now that the guild has been rebuilt thanks to the goodwill of the town's residents, there's not much point in keeping the prize money; it's only right that it be distributed to everyone.

Makarov pulled the check from his pocket, slammed it heavily on the bar, and shouted loudly, feigning heartbreak.

"Divide it all up! Give it all to you little bastards!"

"Mirajane! Immediately calculate everyone's performance points and distribute the money accordingly!"

"Long live the president!!"

A thunderous cheer erupted in the hall, the roof of the new building almost lifted off by the roar of the young people.

In the blink of an eye, night fell.

The bright moonlight shone on the surface of the Magnolia River.

What's the first thing Fairy Tail does upon returning to their new guild?

The answer is undoubtedly—of course, it's to throw a huge, Infinity banquet for everyone!

The newly renovated hall was brightly lit with candles.

Large barrels of premium oak ale were broken open, and the aroma of roasted meats, sausages, and seafood filled every long table.

Cana stepped directly onto the table, hugged the entire barrel of wine, and drank it down in a frenzy.

Gray once again secretly took off his shirt, while Natsu and Gajeel were drinking.

Wakaba and Macao, arm in arm, boasted about their past romantic escapades.

The entire guild hall was engulfed in a chaotic, fairy-tale-like frenzy, a hallmark of Fairy Tail.

In a quiet corner on the inner side of the long table.

Jiang Bai, alone, held a glass of fruit wine, leaned back in a high-backed leather chair, and leisurely watched the playful scene before him.

A series of dull, cautious footsteps sounded from the side.

While everyone was caught up in their drinking frenzy, Makarov moved to the empty seat next to Jiang Bai and sat down.

The old man reached into the large pocket of his robe and pulled out the check worth three hundred million J.

Makarov quietly pushed the check toward Jiang Bai and spoke softly.

"You brat, take this check back while everyone's not looking."

Makarov stroked his beard and gave instructions in a low voice.

"The guild has been repaired by the townspeople themselves, without costing the guild a single penny."

"I can't take advantage of you by selling those dragon scales and horns to the royal family. Take them and keep them safe, lest I change my mind and refuse to give them to you after having too much to drink."

A staggering 300 million J, enough to arm several fully armed regular armies. Even though Makarov only received 20% of it, that's still a full 60 million J.

Makarov may love money, but he always had a clear sense of right and wrong.

This was the spoils of war that Jiang Bai had fought so hard to win in the sky all by himself, and he absolutely could not swallow this astronomical sum for nothing.

Jiang Bai glanced down at the purple check beside him, but didn't even bother to pick it up. He simply took a small sip of the fruit wine.

Jiang Bai laughed.

"Alright, old man."

"When have I ever taken back anything I've given away?"

"Since I said in the square that the money belonged to the guild, I have absolutely no intention of getting it back."

Mirajane, who was walking by carrying a tray of wine, stopped in his tracks.

As Jiang Bai's bedmate, Mirajane knew best just how many rare treasures Jiang Bai had hoarded in his personal space.

Mirajane covered his mouth and chuckled softly, offering Makarov words of comfort.

"President, just accept it without hesitation. Xiao Bai isn't being polite with you."

"This might be a huge sum for our guild, but for Xiao Bai, it's just a drop in the ocean."

Jiang Bai nodded in agreement and pointed to the group of people fooling around in the center of the hall.

Three solid wood tables have already been overturned.

Jiang Bai made the suggestion casually.

"If all else fails, sir, you can just put this money in the guild's reserve maintenance fund."

"You know better than I what kind of destructive freaks these guys in the guild are."

"The new building just finished today. I bet it won't be more than three months before these guys either go on a mission or get drunk and start fighting in the lobby, and they'll smash the guild to pieces inside and out."

Hearing this reasonable and forward-thinking reason...

Makarov stared at the fourth table in the center of the hall, which was about to be dismantled, and his lips twitched violently twice.

The old man took a deep breath, stopped refusing, and quickly stuffed the three hundred million J check back into his pocket, the whole action as fast as a squirrel guarding its food.

"Alright! Since you're so filial, then I'll accept it on behalf of the guild!"

"However, I only want sixty million; you must take the rest back, kid."

Okay~

Makarov raised his glass and lightly clinked it against Jiang Bai's glass of fruit wine.

However, at this moment, neither Makarov, who was overjoyed to receive the huge sum of money, nor Jiang Bai, who was casually sipping his fruit wine, had any idea what was going on.

This huge reserve fund, which has just been deposited into the vault, will soon come in handy in an unexpected way.