A Potato for a Reward?!

In front of a charming little wooden cabin deep in the forest.

A gentle breeze rustled the lush green leaves all around, and the air was filled with the delicate fragrance of earth and grass.

Warrod, resembling an old tree man, sat cross-legged on a wooden bench, holding a rough pottery teacup in his hand, his bark-like face filled with a broad and cheerful smile.

"Haha! I knew it all along. Entrusting this matter entirely to you will ensure there won't be the slightest mistake!"

Warrod took a sip of hot tea, feeling exceptionally relaxed.

Although I knew it was possible to accomplish, I still didn't expect these young people to be so incredibly efficient. They not only dismantled the demon's ice in a very short time, but also completely eradicated the hidden dangers.

Natsu strode up the wooden steps, sat casually on the corner of the table, put his hands on his knees, and started yelling.

"Hey, old man, next time you encounter an S-Class request like this, just tell me to come alone!"

"Whatever you do, don't bring Jiang Bai along again! The moment that guy makes a move, everyone else doesn't even get a chance to warm up, and I've been running errands all day!"

Lucy stepped into the cabin and slapped Natsu on the back with an annoyed expression.

"Natsu, shut up. With Jiang Bai backing you up, you don't have to risk getting beaten up. Countless people would kill for such an easy job."

Lucy turned around, her expression becoming slightly more serious.

"However, this mission was indeed fraught with danger and mystery. We never expected that the frozen crisis in Sun Village would be linked to the last dark giant of the Balam Alliance — the Tartaros."

Upon hearing this name, Warrod's fingers, which were holding the teacup, paused slightly.

"The Tartaros... this is indeed a huge hidden danger."

Warrod's playful smile faded, and his aged voice echoed in the cabin.

"In the more than one hundred years that I have lived in seclusion, that guild has always acted Hidden and rarely left any trace on the surface of the continent."

"The fact that these demons have suddenly broken with tradition and made a public move in the Northern Wastes probably means that they are secretly preparing some major operation that will shake the entire magical world."

Jiang Bai walked to the window, put his hands in the pockets of his black trousers, and his expression remained completely calm.

"Whatever big moves they're planning, we'll deal with them as they come, and if they dare to lay a hand on us, we'll chop them all up."

Warrod observed Jiang Bai's nonchalant and detached demeanor, his bark-like face relaxing once more, and he clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

"Haha! That's right! That's the kind of spirit young people should have!"

Warrod put down his teacup and rubbed his large wooden hands together on the table.

"Let's set aside these serious and weighty topics for now. Let me settle your payment for this commission first!"

Upon hearing the word "reward".

Lucy, who was standing to the side, was instantly revived. Her big eyes suddenly turned golden, and she put her hands together on her chin, her face full of uncontrollable joy.

"Great! I've been waiting all day, hoping this moment would save my life!!"

Happy, hovering in mid-air, flew over and scratched his round belly with his two little chubby paws, mercilessly undermining him right in front of everyone.

"Hey! Lucy just received a huge share of the Grand Magic Games championship prize money a few days ago, and now she's complaining about being broke again. She really spends money like water."

Lucy's weakness was exposed, and she stomped her feet in embarrassment and anger to defend herself.

"I don't want to spend all my money so quickly!"

"But in recent years, the kingdom's fashion industry has seen so many new long dresses and leather boots launched by various department stores, they're just so beautiful! How could anyone resist such temptation?!"

Sitting on the wooden chair, Warrod watched Lucy's frantic reaction with amusement, then turned and rummaged through the drawer of the wooden table for a while.

"Here you go! Take it!"

Warrod smiled and extended his right hand, placing a round object covered in clumps of black mud steadily in Lucy's palm.

"Here you go! This is the generous reward I've specially prepared for you!"

Lucy held the heavy potato in her palm, her pretty face stiffening visibly, the smile on her lips completely frozen.

"Grandpa... Grandpa... Excuse me, what is this...?"

Warrod stroked his white beard, puffing out his chest with pride.

"It's a potato!"

A thick vein bulged on Lucy's forehead, and the potato she was holding trembled violently in mid-air.

"I... I know this thing is a potato! I mean, why would the ultimate reward for a top- S-Class bounty be a potato?!"

"Shouldn't the normal reward be a huge box of gleaming gold coins or a thick wad of cash?!"

Warrod flicked his wooden fingers, adopting the air of a profound and enigmatic elder.

"Young man, are you getting impatient? Don't underestimate the precious value of this potato."

Lucy paused for a moment, then suspiciously brought the mud-covered potato to her nose and sniffed it, blinking her big eyes with a hint of disbelief.

"Could it be... that this potato is actually some kind of ancient magical treasure that absorbs the essence of heaven and earth? Can eating it cause a surge in magical power? Is it incredibly valuable?!"

Warrod laughed heartily, revealing the answer with immense pride.

"No, not at all! But this potato is a completely natural gem, grown by me personally loosening the soil, fertilizing, and watering it in this dense forest!"

Lucy completely lost it!

Holding potatoes in both hands, he jumped three meters high on the spot, completely losing control Roar hysterically.

"Who cares if you grew them yourself, you damn old man?!"

Warrod laughed so hard he almost fell over, his branch-shaped arms waving in the air.

Haha! Young people these days can't take a joke at all; their sense of humor is completely failing!

Lucy stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes fixed on the old tree spirit, unleashing her ultimate threat with murderous intent.

"Hand over the money now! Or I'll unleash Jiang Bai, this humanoid walking weapon of mass destruction, and tear down this dilapidated wooden hut right here!!"

Jiang Bai, who was being pointed at by Lucy, obediently raised his right hand, a faint spatial ripple appearing at his fingertips, and tilted his head to reveal a kind and benevolent expression that seemed ready to be demolished at any time.

Seeing Jiang Bai's serious expression, Warrod quickly raised his hands in surrender, no longer daring to be cheeky.

He opened the spare wooden box next to him, obediently took out a heavy bag of gold as a reward, and handed it to Lucy in a proper manner.

Having received the genuine, heavy gold coins, Lucy finally hugged the purse tightly to her chest, her face beaming with satisfaction.

Although Mr. Warrod is currently planting trees, let's not forget that he is also one of the Four Heavenly Kings; how could he possibly lack money?

The handover procedures have been fully completed.

At Warrod's enthusiastic invitation, the Fairy Tail team soaked comfortably in the natural open-air hot spring behind the dense forest for most of the hour, washing away the dust and fatigue before finally boarding the train back to Magnolia with satisfaction.

Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild Headquarters Hall.

Natsu kicked the door open, and the familiar noisy heatwave rushed in.

However, after Lucy and the others stood in front of the bar and reported the mission details to Chairman Makarov, the entire team, except for Jiang Bai, was immediately thrown into an unprecedented and violent shock!

The short, old man standing on the bar counter, holding a glass of barley wine, chuckled and revealed the truth.

"What? Didn't Grandpa Warrod explain his identity to you?"

Makarov took a big gulp of liquor, wiped his mouth, and looked on with a sigh.

"Old Master Warrod is one of the true founding members of Fairy Tail. Back then, he and the first guild master, Mavis, worked side by side to establish this guild."

"Eh--?!"

Lucy clutched her head tightly with both hands, her mouth agape and her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"That weird old tree-man who always tells cheesy jokes and plays tricks on us with potatoes... is actually one of the founders of Fairy Tail?!"

Gray was also completely taken aback, unsure of what to do with his hands.

Natsu stood there, clutching his hair, completely stunned.

The exclamations of surprise had barely subsided when Lucy suddenly sensed something was amiss.

He suddenly turned his head.

Jiang Bai was leaning leisurely against the edge of the bar, slowly sipping a glass of orange juice in his right hand. His handsome face showed not a trace of surprise or astonishment; he was extremely calm and composed.

Lucy suddenly understood everything!

"Jiang Bai!!"

Lucy clenched her fists and rushed towards Jiang Bai.

"You... you definitely knew everything the moment you stepped into that cabin!!"

"You didn't utter a single word the whole time, were you deliberately watching us embarrass ourselves?! That's outrageous!!"

Faced with Lucy's protest, Jiang Bai shrugged, swallowed the orange juice in his mouth, and slowly uttered a sentence.

"Seeing through something but not saying it is a basic quality of being a decent human being. You only have yourself to blame for not regularly reading the guild's history."

Wendy stood below the bar, her usually well-behaved face unusually puffed out, making her look like an adorable, puffed-up pufferfish.

Wendy put her hands on her hips and tilted her head back angrily.

"Brother Jiang Bai! You've really been too mean this time!"

"Originally... originally, Lucy and I agreed to keep those top-secret photos taken in Sun Village to be secretly shown only to Erza and Mira."

"Since Brother Jiang Bai enjoys watching everyone's antics so much, then I've made up my mind! I'm going to show all the guild members the photos of Brother Jiang Bai after he shrunk!"