First Arrival at Gildarts

With a long blast of the ship's horn, the vessel slowly departed Rainbow Port, heading for the northern continent.

Laxus, relying on his prior experience, had already grabbed onto the ship's railing before it even started moving. As soon as it set sail, however, his body went limp, and he looked as if he would faint. Allen cast a spell on him.

"Attachment: Balance!"

After being hit with Balance, Laxus no longer suffered from the motion sickness common to Dragon Slayer Mages. Gildarts watched this spectacle with surprise.

"Still getting seasick, Laxus?"

Motion sickness was a point of embarrassment for Laxus, so he didn't answer Gildarts. Allen chuckled and explained, "It's because Laxus is a Dragon Slayer Mage, and all Dragon Slayer Mages get sick on any form of transportation. They only get better after having an Attachment Magic spell cast on them to give them balance. That's why Lacus and I used to avoid transportation whenever possible. It's only gotten a bit better since I learned Attachment Magic a while ago."

Gildarts let out a hearty laugh after hearing Allen's explanation. "Haha, I see. So you two have quite a bit of trouble ahead of you on this trip." Laxus snorted, "As long as Big Brother's magic is here, it won't affect our journey."

The half-month voyage finally concluded. The ship carrying Allen and the other three slowly sailed into Port Elmina on the northern continent. Allen stood at the bow, and as the ship entered Elmina's territory, he raised an eyebrow. He sensed the aura of a dragon. When Allen first transmigrated, he hadn't paid attention to any further updates from Fairy Tail for a long time. The last thing he saw was the complete annihilation of the Black Dragon, and he assumed it was the end. Now, it seemed there were more developments.

Upon discovering the dragon's presence, Allen didn't mention it to Laxus or the others. He didn't know if this dragon was friend or foe, nor how strong it was. Acting rashly without this knowledge would only bring disaster.

After setting foot on solid ground again, Laxus let out a heavy sigh. The past half-month on the ship had been difficult. Although Allen had cast the Balance spell on him, it only allowed for normal movement and didn't support training. Therefore, for the past half-month, Laxus had been meditating. Now that he was on land, Laxus instantly felt his strength return.

After Allen helped Ultear off the ship, he looked around. Then, he saw someone in a white coat walking towards them.

The newcomer asked Allen and the others, "Excuse me, are you Mages from Fairy Tail? I am Michael Whitman, a Mage from the Ice Crystal Federation. The Federal Council has arranged for me to greet you. Welcome to Gildarts."

Upon hearing the newcomer's introduction, Allen stepped forward and shook Michael's hand. He then introduced himself, "I am Allen. These are Laxus, Ultear, and Gildarts. You should know the reason for our visit, right?"

Michael nodded. "In fact, we were also surprised when we received the message from your Council. We didn't expect people from the Dark Magic Group to be preparing to summon a Demon within the Federation. So, we immediately sent people to gather intelligence. Currently, the intelligence indicates that the Dark Magic Group members are concentrated in Isban, within the Federation. Fearing we might alert them, we haven't taken any aggressive actions. Now that you've arrived, we can discuss how to eliminate the Dark Magic Group members without disturbing the residents of Isban."

After Allen learned from Caitlin that the Dark Magic Group was preparing to sacrifice a city's population to revive a Demon, he had Makarov inform the Council. The Council promptly shared the news with the major countries on the Gildarts continent. The receiving countries didn't dare to slack off. The disaster that would occur if this Demon were revived in their own country was unimaginable. Therefore, the leaders of several countries arranged for some Mage Guild members to locate the Dark Magic Group. Now, it seemed they had confirmed the Dark Magic Group's main location.

Upon hearing the name Isban, Allen frowned slightly. Isban was Gray's hometown in the original story. It was because his hometown was destroyed by Deliora that he met Ur and began to learn magic. Now, it seemed the Dark Magic Group had set something up in Isban a long time ago.

After clarifying some things in his mind, Allen said to Michael, "In that case, let's not waste any time. Let's head to Isban first. After meeting with your people, we'll make a decision."

Michael nodded and then led Allen and the others to a large carriage they had prepared in advance.

After getting into the carriage, Michael turned to Allen, who was sitting beside him, and a smile appeared on his face. He said softly, "By the way, Brother Allen, I have good news for you. We've found a lead on the person you asked us to look for. According to reliable intelligence, she is currently near Isban. This way, we can look for her along the way. It won't be too late to rendezvous with the allied forces after we find the person you mentioned."

Upon hearing this news, a flicker of surprise flashed through Allen's usually calm eyes. He hadn't expected to find Ur's whereabouts so smoothly. Allen thanked Michael, "Thank you for your hard work."

However, before Allen could fully recover from his joy, Michael's expression suddenly became serious. It seemed he had something more to say but was hesitant. After a moment of hesitation, he finally took a deep breath and slowly began, "Little Brother Allen, actually... I need to give you a heads-up. Although we've found the general location of the Dark Magic Group, things aren't that simple. In reality, not everyone welcomes your arrival. Some people in other countries believe our Mages are sufficient to handle the current situation and there's no need to involve you. In the end, our Federation's leader strongly advocated for your involvement, stating that you have valuable experience facing Demons, which is why we decided to invite you to assess the situation. However, this might mean that upon your arrival at the camp, you might face some unfriendly treatment. Some people's attitudes might not be very pleasant." Michael looked at Allen with a hint of apology after saying this.

Laxus, who had been listening quietly, casually raised an eyebrow and said dismissively, "That's easily solved. As long as our strength surpasses theirs, those guys will naturally shut up. Besides, if it's just a bunch of mediocre Mages facing the Dark Magic Group, it's like throwing eggs at a rock, especially with members of Dark Guilds mixed in."

Michael wore a bitter smile after hearing this and shook his head helplessly. "I understand what you mean, but my intention was simply to help you all prepare yourselves mentally. To be honest, we really don't want this matter to cause too much awkwardness between us. After all, whether it's us or your side, everything we're doing is to completely eradicate these detestable dark forces! Therefore, I hope you can all be more understanding and considerate."

At this moment, Allen responded in a gentle yet firm tone, "You can rest assured about that. Every Mage in Fairy Tail knows what they need to do." However, whether it was Michael's imagination or not, as he gazed at Allen's smiling face, he seemed to sense a subtle, profound meaning within it.

After Allen and his group departed from Port Elmina, they finally arrived within the borders of Isban ten days later.

During these ten days, Michael obtained Ur's precise location again—in a town just ahead of them.

Looking at the town gate ahead, Michael introduced them, "Starting from this city, Shardo City, we have entered the territory of Isban. According to my intelligence, the Ur you are looking for is in this city."

Allen gazed into the distance. At first glance, Shardo City seemed no different from the ordinary towns on the Ishgar continent, possessing a typical Western-style small-town appearance. However, once they entered the city, Allen quickly noticed the differences.

The first thing that caught Allen's attention was the attire of the local residents. Compared to the lightweight clothing commonly seen on the Ishgar continent, the people here wore more heavy coats and luxurious furs. Not only that, but their facial features appeared more sculpted and three-dimensional, and their demeanor exuded a unique ruggedness.

Allen and the others looked curiously at the people on the street, with Gildarts being the most eager. He had already spotted many targets, but unfortunately, there was no time now...

Then, led by Michael, the group entered a bar in the city. However, Allen saw such bars as the nascent form of guilds, where information could be bought and sold, and quests could be commissioned. It all depended on whether someone with leadership qualities would emerge to unite everyone.

As they entered the bar, Allen and the others' gazes were instantly drawn to a woman in a tank top standing in front of the bar. She held a large mug of frothy beer high, laughing and chatting with the person beside her, occasionally letting out hearty laughter.

Ultear, standing beside Allen, trembled involuntarily the moment her eyes fell upon this woman. At this moment, Allen didn't pay too much attention to Ultear's unusual emotions. He directly bent down, scooped Ultear into his arms, and walked straight towards Ur.

Ur, completely with her back to them, was unaware of what was about to happen to her, still immersed in the cheerful and joyful atmosphere. When Allen finally reached Ur's back, he gently patted her shoulder and softly asked, "Excuse me, are you Ur?"

Ur, who had been enthusiastically chatting, was abruptly interrupted by the unexpected pat and felt a surge of displeasure. She frowned and quickly turned her head, responding irritably, "Yes, I am Ur! What is it?" However, the moment she saw the face of the person before her, she froze as if struck by a petrifying spell. Then, her beautiful eyes widened, and she covered her mouth tightly with both hands, tears welling up in her eyes like a bursting dam, on the verge of flowing out.

"Mom... Mom."