Leaving Sun Village!

Faced with the giants' enthusiastic and exaggerated expressions of gratitude, Jiang Bai, with his hands in the pockets of his black trousers, leisurely walked down the stone steps, his expression calm and composed.

"Alright, there's no need to get so worked up."

Jiang Bai turned his neck and casually attributed the credit back to the center of the stone platform.

"The one who truly exerted all their effort to completely evaporate and melt away the extreme cold and ice in your entire village was ultimately your village's guardian deity."

Upon hearing this, the giants surrounding the area repeatedly waved their massive, rough, fan-like hands, creating gusts of howling wind.

"No, no! That's not how you say it, Mr. Jiang Bai!"

The eldest giant at the head bent down, his deep voice making the gravel rustle.

"Without you, our guardian deity would have long since been extinguished and fallen into silence under the long suppression of ice, and there would have been no chance for her to awaken again and save us."

"To our Sun Village, you are truly a benefactor who has given us a second life!"

At this point, the giants' expressions gradually softened. They looked down at the now completely empty torch recess on the central stone platform, their tone revealing an undisguised sense of gratitude and awe.

"However... I never imagined that our guardian deity would completely burn away the last embers of their soul to save us..."

"Yes, since the tribe was first established four hundred years ago, our guardian deity has protected this land day and night, blessing us for far too long."

"Now that you can finally lay down this incredibly heavy burden, you can rest in peace and sleep peacefully. This can be considered a truly meritorious and fulfilling endeavor."

Although giants are naturally rugged and unrestrained, their understanding of life, death, and destiny is more profound and detached than that of ordinary humans.

After a brief moment of lamentation, the giants quickly rallied and began busily moving the collapsed boulders from the street and clearing away the ruins of the shacks destroyed by the floodwaters.

A wide open space on the side of the street.

A burly adult giant sat steadily on the ground, and on his broad, sturdy shoulders sat Freya, who had washed her face and changed into clean coarse clothes.

Her previously dirty, wine-red hair was now combed smooth and draped down her back.

The little girl held onto the giant's neck with both hands, her little legs swinging gently in the air. Although her red and swollen eyes still bore traces of crying, her fair face radiated a heartfelt sense of peace and security.

The giant father extended his thick, tree-trunk-like thumb and carefully nudged Freya's back, afraid that his rough force might hurt his fragile human daughter.

"Go, Freya. Since he is your savior, you mustn't be disrespectful to our village."

Freya nodded and slid lightly down the giant's arm to the ground.

Freya strode quickly to Jiang Bai and the others, clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands, and bowed deeply.

"Lord Jiang Bai... and everyone from Fairy Tail, thank you so much!"

"Not only did they not hold my past mistakes against me, they also helped me win back my most important family members... Freya can never repay this immense kindness in her lifetime!"

Lucy smiled and waved, then stepped forward and patted Freya's thin shoulder.

"Alright, alright, the past is the past. Living a good life with family in the village is more important than anything else."

Standing directly in front, Jiang Bai sized up the petite human girl, then looked over her head and glanced at the group of giant men behind them, their bodies as large as small hills.

Jiang Bai casually mentioned it.

"If you're still bothered by your small stature and feel inferior, I could reluctantly teach you a bit of Giant Magic."

Jiang Bai tilted his head and added a sentence.

"Don't worry, our guild's old man will definitely approve if he finds out."

Hearing that Jiang Bai was actually willing to teach such profound magic...

Freya was taken aback at first, then slowly straightened up, crossed her hands in front of her, and shook her head gently with great determination.

"No need, Lord Jiang Bai, thank you very much for your kindness."

Freya raised her head, and the gloom and neurotic inferiority she felt when they first met were gone from her clear eyes, replaced by a calm and serene acceptance.

"You not only forgave my past mistakes, but also generously taught me such powerful magic... I feel incredibly lucky and grateful."

The little girl turned around and gazed affectionately at the group of giant elders behind her, who were grinning foolishly at her.

But... I've completely figured it out.

Freya took a deep breath, her clear voice echoing distinctly across the square.

"I am a fragile and insignificant human being, and that will never change, but I am also a daughter whom my fathers watched grow up."

"My family's love for me has never diminished in the slightest because of my different body shape."

"I felt out of place, I felt inferior and fearful, and I wanted to escape from home... all because I was too weak and selfish in the past."

Freya raised her hand and pressed it against her wildly pounding heart, a radiant smile spreading across her face.

"I no longer need to force myself to become a giant to prove that I belong to this family."

"Because no matter how small I become, I will always be a part of Sun Village!"

The words had barely left his mouth.

The giants surrounding them were stunned for two seconds, and then their rugged, weathered faces broke into big, proud laughs.

The giant father sitting on the ground had large, excited tears welling up in his eyes. He clapped his two huge hands in front of his chest with a loud crackling sound and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Great!! That's very well said!!"

"Did you hear that, everyone?! My daughter's all grown up! Haha!!"

"That's right! Our daughter from Sun Village, whether she's two meters or ten meters tall, I can slap anyone who bullies her into a pulp!!"

"Freya! There's a barbecue feast in the village tonight, and Daddy will roast a whole wild ox for you!!"

The entire village erupted in thunderous cheers.

Jiang Bai looked at the radiant red-haired girl in front of him.

"Once you figure it out, that's fine."

Jiang Bai turned around and walked towards the main gate of the village.

"Mission accomplished, time to retreat."

Natsu strode after him, his hands on the back of his neck, a blade of grass he'd picked up from somewhere clenched in his teeth.

Lucy, Wendy, Gray, and the two kittens followed quickly beside them.

Amidst the overwhelming cheers and shouts of gratitude from the giants of the entire village, Fairy Tail and their companions walked out of the reborn Sun Village with light steps.

Standing on the edge of the vast frozen wasteland outside the village, Natsu stretched out a big yawn, his skeleton cracking and popping.

"Phew! It's finally completely finished! Shall we head straight back to Magnolia now?"

"Return to the manor?"

Jiang Bai slightly turned his foot.

"Don't forget, the client is still waiting to accept the results."

"Let's go, let's go to Grandpa Warrod's place first to finish the handover procedures. We haven't even received our payment yet."