Encyclopedia of Magic

Rhode had been lucky enough to return safely after watching another close-quarters brawl between mages.

Kana had already left with a barrel of alcohol in her arms. On the counter, Wom lay sprawled on its back, snoring, while Makarov sat cross-legged with a snot bubble hanging from his nose.

Rhode turned Wom over, but failed to wake it. Then he waved a hand in front of Makarov's eyes, with no response either. "How are they both sleeping so deeply?"

Mira covered her mouth and laughed. "Kana got them both drunk."

Rhode glanced at the woman hugging a barrel as she went looking for Macao to taste drinks with. "That brutal?"

"Hehe, actually, Kana..."

Mira had wanted to reveal a little of Kana's true nature to Rhode, lest he develop any bad misunderstandings. But then she decided that would be no fun, so she changed her words at the last moment.

"She's a very nice person."

"...Probably." Rhode did his best to believe Mira.

"By the way, is there some kind of magic in this world that can instantly take off your clothes?"

"Yes, Requip Magic," Mira said. "Lots of girls know basic Requip Magic. It's very convenient for changing clothes when you're out and about."

"But if we're talking about someone who excels at Requip Magic, someone who can even instantly switch magical armor and weapons in battle..."

"It's definitely Gray, right?" Rhode answered before she could finish. He remembered Gray was one of the main cast, so he had to have some special talent.

He had just witnessed Gray's shirt-disappearing trick with his own eyes. Therefore, the person skilled in Requip Magic, who could even use it in battle, had to be Gray.

Rhode felt his analysis was logical and well-supported.

But Mira denied it. "No, it's Erza."

"Huh?"

"Gray is an Ice-Make Mage. Taking off his clothes is just a bad habit, apparently one he developed while studying magic in the past."

Shape Magic again. Ice Shape... making ice sculptures for fun?

"Erza is the one who uses Requip Magic... Now that I think about it, Erza should be coming back soon."

Mira continued, "By the way, Erza is the strongest female mage in the guild, and she's very beautiful too. Look forward to meeting her."

"Also, if you want to try courting her, I've got some information for you." Mira suddenly became much more talkative.

"The last person in the guild to court Erza was Loki. He got beaten half to death. Maybe Rhode happens to be her type..."

"Please spare me." Rhode wore a helpless expression.

Miss Mira, your twisted sense of humor seemed to be getting less and less restrained. And did you happen to have a fondness for gossip too?...

Working as a waiter was both peaceful and noisy, with the occasional thrill mixed in.

If he failed to react in time, he might get caught up in someone else's brawl. But as long as he stayed far enough away, there was often a good show to watch.

Of course, even while watching the show, he had to keep an eye out for wine bottles, tables and chairs, and the like that might come flying over at any moment.

At noon, Rhode unlocked a small perk of being a waiter—free lunch.

Today's main course was Fairy Tail's special cassoulet casserole.

It was Rhode's first time hearing the name of this dish, and he had no idea what it tasted like. But the instant the lid was lifted, his nose and salivary glands had already reached a verdict.

"It smells so good..."

It smelled so good that even Porlyusica Wom, whom Kana had gotten drunk, opened its eyes and followed the scent over to beg for food.

Chicken legs, pork, sausage, white beans, and other ingredients were neatly arranged in a rich broth. A layer of crust covered the top, and it looked crisp, golden, and fragrant at a glance.

Once Laki and Mira took their seats and signaled that it was time to eat, Rhode eagerly scooped up a spoonful, deciding to taste the soup first.

The thick, savory broth entered his mouth, and Rhode immediately wanted to slam the table in praise. "This... this would be absolutely incredible mixed with rice!"

"Wow, the skin on this chicken leg is crispy and sweet, while the meat inside is tender and smooth. It tastes even better with a little broth..."

"Wow, this pork has such a great texture too... How are even the beans this delicious?"

Rhode transformed into a nonstop "wow" machine. Every ingredient gave him plenty to say, but he also felt that talking reduced his eating efficiency.

After some internal struggle, he decided to stuff himself first!

Twenty minutes later, Rhode and Wom both had round, swollen bellies and let out satisfied sighs in unison.

Rhode pointed at the completely empty casserole. "Is this really staff food? This dish seems like it would be a lot of trouble to make, doesn't it?"

Mira thought for a moment. "It's not that complicated. You just use white beans, onions, carrots, tomatoes, thyme, pork skin, and the like to make a pot of rich broth.

While that's cooking, you fry the chicken legs, pork, and sausage.

Then you arrange the ingredients layer by layer in the casserole. Pour in the prepared broth, bake it for a while, and it's ready to serve."

That counted as not very complicated? Rhode placed Wom on his lap and petted it, feeling as though this scene had the same vibe as Wang Xifeng explaining eggplant delicacies to Granny Liu.

Well... Granny Liu it was, then. Rhode savored the meal he had just eaten and said with no dignity at all, "Mira, I want to keep being a waiter here forever."

Laki laughed. "It seems Rhode is very satisfied with the contents that filled his stomach pouch this time."

Filled his stomach pouch? Contents? Rhode thought for a second. Was that how you described eating until you were full?

Mira saw his confusion and quickly waved her hands. "No, please don't learn common speech from Laki."

"Mira~" Laki said reproachfully. "That's too much. My way of speaking is clearly very poetic."

"Yes, yes~" Mira humored her. "But Rhode's language skills haven't reached the stage where he can learn that kind of poetry from you yet. Let him off the hook."

"Honestly." Laki pouted and began clearing the dishes.

The afternoon was Rhode's break time, and he planned to follow the Master's advice and read in the library.

Elfman had previously pushed Rhode along for a tour of the guild library.

The lighting inside was somewhat dim. Rows of bookshelves taller than a person stood throughout the room, with movable ladders beside them for reaching books.

The library was as quiet as usual in the afternoon, and the air carried the unique scent of books.

"Urururu?" Wom did not seem to like this place very much.

"Shh..."

Rhode made a quiet gesture at Wom, then picked it up and placed it on his shoulder. Without realizing it, he lightened his footsteps.

Following the signs hanging from the shelves, Rhode found the magic section and searched through the books one by one by title.

Unfortunately, there was no book titled "Celestial Spirit Magic."

"The Master said there were related materials in the library..." Rhode thought for a moment. "It should be included under some other category along with other types of magic, right?"

He went back and found a copy of the Encyclopedia of Magic.

Opening the table of contents, he found that it clearly divided magic into two major categories: Ability Type and Possession Type.

Simply put, one relied on the user's own body to cast magic, somewhat like superpowers.

The other required reliance on Magic Items to a certain extent, making it feel a little like technology.

According to the Master, Rhode's magic belonged to the Possession Type and was very similar to Celestial Spirit Magic. So, he only needed to find Celestial Spirit Magic in the Possession Type section.

But before that, Rhode went through the standard reading process—randomly opening to a page first to see what it said.