Misterlan

In the vast desert, Feng Lan and the others wandered around like walking corpses.

Gray nearly broke down as he shouted, "Ah! I, the great Gray Fullbuster, haven't accomplished a single great deed! I came out here only to get fed a mouthful of lovey-dovey nonsense, and now I'm going to die trapped in this desert without even a corpse left behind! I won't accept this!"

Natsu said weakly, "Hey, Gray, if you've got the energy to yell like that, you might as well save it and walk a few more steps..."

Happy lay limply atop Lisanna's head. "Aye~ Natsu didn't even call Gray a pervert... Dada Liya, Lisanna, I'm hallucinating... I'm going to die..."

Lisanna stroked Happy's head. "Happy, don't say such discouraging things. We'll definitely make it out."

Dada Liya also sat limply on Feng Lan's shoulder. "I haven't lived enough yet... I've only been alive for less than a month~ Feng Lan, how long have we been walking...?"

Feng Lan's eyes were lifeless as he counted on his fingers. "About... three or four days."

Gray clutched his stomach. "Ah~ I'm so hungry~"

Natsu sighed. "Sigh~ Stop complaining. If Brother Feng Lan weren't here providing us with water, we'd probably be almost done lining up for reincarnation by now..."

Feng Lan looked at the noon sun. "Ah... Do you think Slokard will burn incense for me?"

Natsu gave a cold laugh. "Hmph, the Son of the Fire Dragon died in the desert... That'd be enough to make people laugh for a while. Though, no one would probably even know we died here."

Lisanna said even more worriedly, "Oh no, why are even Brother Feng Lan and Natsu acting like this...?"

Thud! As she spoke, Lisanna collapsed.

"Li...sanna..." Natsu collapsed right after her. Feng Lan and the others were not surprised, and they too passed out one after another.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Feng Lan slowly opened his eyes.

"Mm...? You are..." When Feng Lan opened his eyes, he found a masked person who seemed about his age staring at him with the only part visible—their eyes. "Are you the customer service representative for my reincarnation?"

"Huh?" The masked person was immediately dumbfounded by Feng Lan's words.

Feng Lan then waved his hand. "Eh, we're both dead already. Why are you still being so shy?"

The masked person said awkwardly, "I... I'm still alive..."

Feng Lan was stunned. "Damn, living people are working in the underworld now!? It's fine, it's understandable if you want to keep yourself wrapped up tight!"

The masked person said speechlessly, "Is there perhaps a possibility... that we're both still alive? We haven't gone down there yet... Why are you in such a hurry?"

Feng Lan looked around and realized this did not really look like the underworld. "Ah... I'm not dead. Who are you?"

The masked person sighed. "I'm a wandering mage named Misterlan. I happened to find you all passed out while passing through here."

Only then did Feng Lan realize that this person was not here to take his life, but to save it. "Ha, thank you, Misterlan... By the way, how are my companions?"

Misterlan pointed to the side. "Don't worry. They're all asleep. Their lives aren't in danger."

Grrr~ Feng Lan finally relaxed, only for his stomach to start growling indignantly.

Misterlan took some food from his backpack. "I have some provisions here. Do you want some?"

"Thank you!" Feng Lan took the food and was about to eat, but suddenly hesitated.

Misterlan smiled. "Don't worry, there's more food. Your companions won't go hungry when they wake up."

"Mm, thank you so much." Only after hearing that did Feng Lan eat without reservation.

"Delicious! This is so good!" Feng Lan wolfed it down without the slightest concern for his appearance. "We haven't had a proper meal in days. If you hadn't shown up, Misterlan, we probably would've died out there without a burial place."

Misterlan asked curiously, "You're all mages from a mage guild, right? How did you get lost in a place like this?"

Feng Lan gave a bitter smile. "Let me tell you from the beginning."

Feng Lan then recounted everything that had happened over the past few days to Misterlan.

After hearing it, Misterlan did not know whether to sympathize with them or laugh at them. He sympathized because Feng Lan and the others had indeed suffered terribly these past few days, but he wanted to laugh because there were actually people who went into the wilderness without a local map or compass.

Misterlan let out a soft sigh. "Sigh~ Just follow me later. I'll lead you out."

Feng Lan looked at Misterlan with immense gratitude. "You're my light! Is there anything you need help with? I'll definitely do everything I can!"

Misterlan said somewhat awkwardly, "I do have a request, though I'm not sure whether I should say it."

Feng Lan tilted his head. "Just say it! I'll definitely do my best to help."

Misterlan slowly said, "Actually, I've recently wanted to join a mage guild. Since you're all mages from an official guild... I was hoping you could pull some strings for me..."

Feng Lan thought for a moment. "That's... that's it?"

Misterlan nodded in confusion. "Mm... Mm, that's it..."

Feng Lan patted Misterlan on the back. "Haha! Easy, easy! Come back to the guild with us later! I'll put in a word with our Guild Master!"

Misterlan said somewhat disbelievingly, "Really... it's that simple?"

Feng Lan nodded. "Yeah... Is joining a guild difficult?"

Misterlan scratched his head. "Hehe, then I'll have to trouble you when the time comes."

Feng Lan waved his hand. "Not at all. You saved our lives, and such a small favor isn't nearly enough to repay you!"

Before long, Natsu and the others woke up. Feng Lan explained the situation to them, and after eating and resting briefly, they returned to the town.

"We're back! We made it back alive!" Feng Lan shouted excitedly the moment he entered the town.

When the client saw Feng Lan and the others return, he hurried forward to greet them. "Oh my, esteemed mages, you've finally returned! You've been gone for an entire week!"

Feng Lan and the others looked at one another. "A whole week!?"

The client nodded. "Yes, didn't you know?"

Feng Lan thought for a moment. "What was the estimated time we reported to the guild again?"

Natsu said awkwardly, "Two to three days..."

The air instantly froze. Feng Lan took the payment and dragged Misterlan and the others toward the train station. "Hurry up! If we get back any later, we're going to get scolded!"

After Feng Lan and the others left, someone walked up beside the client and asked worriedly, "Mayor... the death notice we sent out this morning... that won't be a problem, right?"

The client said guiltily, "It should... maybe... probably be fine, right?"

Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild

"All Fairy Tail members, observe three minutes of silence!" Adults and children alike wept uncontrollably.

The streets of Magnolia were also filled with discussion. "Just think... Feng Lan and the others were such good kids! What a pity... gone so young..."