Erza struggled to her feet. She looked around at her familiar companions, her wariness easing slightly, but then a look of pain crossed her face.
"Magic... I can't feel any magic anymore."
Gray got up from the ground, looking at his hands with a furrowed brow.
"The air here is strange; it feels like the magic within me is locked up by something."
Laxus pulled two small, clear bottles from his pocket and casually tossed them over.
"Eat it. It's Ex-Ball Pill. Mystogan gave it to you. After you eat it, you'll be able to use magic in this world."
Erza and Gray swallowed the pills without hesitation.
A moment later, their auras began to rise rapidly, and their previously depleted source of magic power surged once more.
"Phew—I'm finally alive!"
Gray let out a long sigh, his eyes turning cold.
" Zhongwei, what's the situation now? Where are everyone in the guild?"
Lu Chongwei sat in the chair and briefly explained the current situation in Edolas.
" Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy infiltrated the palace to look for clues about the other Magic Crystal, but they haven't returned by the agreed time. I'm worried they've been ambushed."
The atmosphere in the room became oppressive.
While everyone was discussing countermeasures, Gajeel kept staring at Nancy was huddled in the corner.
His face, studded with nails, was filled with a persistent longing. Finally, he couldn't resist and walked over to Lu Chongwei.
"Hey, Zhongwei."
Gajeel lowered his voice, his tone unusually uneasy.
"This golden cat... is called Nancy, right? Does she have any friends like her? Or rather, are there many flying cats like her in this world?"
Lu Chongwei glanced at him, somewhat helplessly.
This guy is practically obsessed with owning a cat.
" Nancy is defined as a Fallen Exceed; her parents are gone. As for the other Exceed, they all live in Ecustalia in the heavens, a place humans dare not go."
Nancy shook her head and said softly.
"I have no friends like me, I've always been alone."
Upon hearing this answer, Gajeel was completely stunned.
His once bright eyes dimmed, and he squatted in the corner with his back to everyone, radiating a depressed and dejected aura. He even started drawing circles on the ground.
"Why... Natsu has Happy, Wendy has Carla, even Zhongwei has a cat... why don't I have one...?"
Everyone sighed in unison as they looked at Gajeel's pathetic state.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
A rapid knocking sounded at the door.
The people inside the room went into battle mode. Gray, who was closest to the door, conjured ice in his palm and yanked the door open.
"Who?"
A man wearing a dark trench coat and goggles stood at the door.
When the man took off his goggles, everyone in the room except Lu Chongwei was stunned.
That face covered in nails, that messy black hair—it was exactly like Gajeel squatting in the corner drawing circles.
"Another Gajeel?"
Gray's eyes widened, and the still-forming ice blade in his hand nearly fell apart.
Gajeel of Edolas strode into the house, clutching a crumpled newspaper tightly in his hand, his eyes serious.
"I was summoned by Gajeel of Earth-land. He said they need intelligence support here."
He turned to look at Lu Chongwei, his tone brief.
"I have urgent intelligence about those brats who infiltrated the palace."
Gajeel, who had been crouching in the corner, jumped up and stared at his other self with a strange look in his eyes.
"What do you think happened to Natsu and the others?"
At this moment, deep within the magnificent royal palace.
King Faust sat on the throne carved from Magic Crystal, his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.
Pansa Lily knelt below, his head bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty, I am incompetent. Those three Earth-land Mage stole the Magic Crystal and defeated two captains."
Faust slapped the armrest, the force making the surrounding decorations vibrate.
"So many elite soldiers, and you couldn't stop three people? Are you captains of the Magic War Squad just sitting around doing nothing?!"
Faust's voice echoed in the empty hall, filled with rage.
"The magic power contained within that Magic Crystal is the key to activating that thing! If we don't retrieve it, you will all become slaves!"
Just then, one of Byro's subordinates rushed into the hall, holding an experimental report in his hand.
"Your Majesty! Good news!"
The researcher knelt on the ground, his tone fanatical.
"Although we lost a piece of the Magic Crystal, we successfully extracted the magic power from the Dragon Slayer we captured earlier! That special dragon slayer magic power can completely replace the Magic Crystal, and can even turn it into an even more terrifying weapon!"
Faust's furious face froze, then he grinned maliciously.
"Dragon Slayer magic power extraction was successful?"
He stood up, looked at the mechanical device outside the window, his eyes filled with greed.
"Fine! In that case, so be it if that crystal is lost. With this weapon, the whole world will grovel at my feet!"
Inside the hotel.
Gajeel of Edolas slammed the newspaper on the table and pointed to a bold headline at the top.
" Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy were ambushed by the Magic War Squad's Creed during their infiltration and have been imprisoned in the deepest part of the royal palace."
He looked at Lu Chongwei, his tone conveying pressure.
"The king's goal is to drain their dragon-slaying magic to activate the kingdom's ultimate weapon, the Dragon Lock Cannon. If their magic is drained, they will die."
After listening, Lu Chongwei slowly stood up.
He gripped the hilt of the Ryujin Jakka in his right hand, and a domineering, fiery aura emanated from him, causing the paper windows of the inn to rustle.
"Since they want to play big, then we'll play along to the end."
Lu Chongwei looked at the crowd, his eyes filled with no hesitation, only murderous intent.
"Let's clarify the division of labor."
" Laxus, Gray, you two are responsible for going to the royal dungeon. Use whatever means necessary to rescue Natsu and the others."
Gray clenched his fist, cold magic dancing at his fingertips.
"Don't worry, I'm an expert at dismantling dungeons."
Lu Chongwei turned his head to look in the direction of the royal palace.
"I'm going to capture that king. Since he wants to know the location of the Magic Crystal, I'll go and ask him myself where he hid our companions."
Finally, Lu Chongwei looked at the two Gajeel.
"As for Gajeel, you two will cause a huge disturbance in the capital. The bigger the commotion, the better. Draw all the guards and Magic War Squad there, buying time for the rescue."