Lu Chongwei picked up the glass and took a big gulp; the cold liquid calmed his agitated mood somewhat.
He glanced casually around the hall.
Suddenly, he noticed Lucy sitting in the corner.
Lucy lay slumped on the table, her hands hanging limply at her sides.
Her beautiful long blonde hair was dull, and she looked listless and devoid of all vitality.
"What happened to Lucy? Did she run into some trouble?"
Lu Chongwei put down his cup and looked at Mirajane with a puzzled expression.
Mirajane followed Lu Chongwei's gaze and sighed softly.
"It was Lucy's father, Mr. Jude Heartfilia, who came looking for her."
Mirajane explained softly as she wiped the cup.
" The Heartfilia Family's business has gone completely bankrupt; all their assets have been mortgaged to the banks."
Mirajane's eyes showed pity.
"Mr. Jude has lost everything, and he came to Lucy hoping to borrow some money to start over."
"Bankrupt?"
Lu Chongwei was somewhat surprised.
Did Lucy lend it to him?
"No."
Mirajane shook his head and smiled with satisfaction.
The father and daughter did not get along well, but Lucy firmly rejected him.
Mirajane looked at Lucy in the corner.
" Lucy said that she is now Fairy Tail Mage, and she has to support herself with her own hands, as she doesn't have much money."
"The matter has been resolved, but she must still be feeling bad."
Lu Chongwei nodded.
It seems this young lady has grown quite a bit.
Just then...
Erza, dressed in light armor, strode to the bar.
" Zhongwei, where did the president go?"
Erza glanced around the hall and frowned.
"Why didn't I see him come back with you?"
Upon hearing this question, Lu Chongwei's casual expression vanished.
His expression turned serious.
"The old man has been urgently summoned to a meeting of the Magic Council."
Lu Chongwei lowered his voice, his tone grave.
"There's been some unusual activity from the Dark Guild."
"Dark Guild?"
Erza's eyes sharpened.
Lu Chongwei nodded.
He extended his finger, and a ball of golden magical light condensed at his fingertip.
Using the air as his canvas, he quickly drew a complex tree-like organizational diagram with a light pen.
"The entire world of the Dark Guilds is ruled by a vast alliance."
Golden lines intertwined in the air, clearly showing the affiliation of the various guilds.
They were known as the Balam Alliance.
Lu Chongwei drew the three large circles at the very top.
Juvia, who had been standing quietly to the side, walked over.
She looked at the chart in mid-air, her expression turning serious.
" Juvia had heard of this alliance when she was in Phantom Lord."
Juvia spoke softly, adding information to the group.
" The Balam Alliance is composed of three terrifyingly powerful dark guilds."
She pointed to the three circles.
"These are Oración Seis, Tartaros, and the Grimoire Heart."
"These three guilds control countless smaller, dark guilds, their influence spanning the entire continent."
Upon hearing these names, many people in the hall changed their expressions.
Lu Chongwei did not stop what he was doing.
He drew a separate, isolated circle outside the Balam Alliance system.
"Besides the Balam Alliance, there is another independent Dark Guild."
Lu Chongwei tapped the circle in the air.
"This was established by Ivan, Raven Tail."
Upon hearing this statement...
Everyone around gasped, their faces filled with shock.
Ivan, that's the Chairman's biological son, Laxus's father.
"That old fox Ivan has been quite restless lately."
In the corner.
Gajeel leaned against the thick wooden pillar.
He was chewing hard on a piece of rusty iron, making a teeth-grinding crunching sound.
As Makarov's spy planted in the Raven Tail, he possessed crucial intelligence.
"He's already got his eye on Laxus."
Gajeel swallowed the iron filings in his mouth, his eyes turning grim.
"He plans to find an opportunity to forcibly extract the Dragon Slayer Lacrima from Laxus's body to pay off his debts and enhance his own power."
"What?!"
Erza clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with fury.
"They wouldn't even spare their own son; they're utterly heartless!"
At this moment.
Lucy, who had been lying on the table, was drawn over by the commotion.
She walked up to the tree diagram drawn with the light pen and carefully examined the dense branches.
Sudden.
Lucy's gaze settled on one of the small circles.
"This... this is the Eisenwald?!"
Lucy's voice was trembling.
She clutched her head in terror, her face turning deathly pale.
" Eisenwald is just a small guild under the Oración Seis!"
Lucy was so frightened that she backed away, tears welling up in her eyes.
"We're doomed! We completely wiped out the Eisenwald!"
She wailed in despair.
" The Oración Seis are at the top of the Balam Alliance! They'll come for revenge! We'll die!"
Looking at Lucy, who was terrified, incoherent, and on the verge of collapse.
Lu Chongwei shook his head helplessly.
He picked up the juice on the table again and took a slow, deliberate sip.
"Click."
Lu Chongwei placed the glass on the wooden bar counter, making a crisp sound.
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes filled with confidence and disdain.
"Don't scare yourself, Lucy."
Lu Chongwei's voice was calm and powerful, suppressing Lucy's panic.
He gave a haughty, cold laugh.
"What are the Oración Seis anyway?"
Lu Chongwei looked at the three circles in mid-air that represented the pinnacle of darkness.
"They've survived until now."
"It's just that they'll hide a little bit."
Fairy Tail Guild Hall.
Two heavy wooden doors were slowly pushed open from the outside.
Makarov walked in with his hands behind his back.
The smile vanished from his wrinkled old face. His brows furrowed tightly, and his expression was grave.
The once noisy and cheerful hall fell silent after seeing the president's expression.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and all eyes turned to Makarov.
Makarov walked silently to the center of the hall. With a slight push of his legs, he leaped directly onto the high bar counter.
"Old man, what exactly did the Magic Council say at their meeting?"
Lu Chongwei sat on a high stool at the bar, holding a warm cup of coffee. Looking at Makarov's serious expression, he casually asked a question.
Makarov glanced around at everyone in the hall.
He sighed, his voice low and powerful.
"Everyone, the Magic Council has issued its final decision. We, Fairy Tail, are about to participate in a dangerous extermination operation."
The hall was completely silent.
"Our target is one of the three pillars of the Balam Alliance, the Oración Seis!"