"Ahhh! So this is Crocus, the Flower Capital of the Fiore Kingdom?! It's even more bustling than I imagined!"
Walking down the streets of Crocus, Natsu looked at the passing crowds and dazzling array of merchandise. Despite his exhaustion, he shouted excitedly, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
Likewise, Gerard and the others had learned about Achill's slumber from Erza and her companions—without any embellishments from their imaginations, of course. They also understood that the Magic Connection Stones had shattered not because anyone had died, but because the First Master's Fairy Sphere had cut off all magic from the outside world. Unable to receive the magical signals of those on Wolf Island, the stones outside had naturally concluded that their linked partners were dead.
Once someone died and their life faded, the magical signals carrying their vital energy could no longer respond or propagate. Naturally, when someone linked to a Magic Connection Stone died, the corresponding stone would shatter! That was how Magic Connection Stones worked. Besides blocking Acnologia's roar, the absolute defensive spell, Fairy Sphere, had also frozen and sealed everything inside Wolf Island. With no magical signals escaping, it would have been stranger if the stones outside hadn't concluded that their linked partners were dead.
Likewise, because of Synchronized Resonance Magic, once the stones outside shattered, the resonantly linked stones inside Wolf Island inevitably shattered as well.
"How did your training go?" Makarov gave the seemingly exhausted Natsu and the others a puzzled look, then addressed Erza.
"We ran into a small mishap along the way, but overall, it went fairly smoothly, Master."
"Good." Makarov nodded, waved his hand, and said cheerfully, "Let's not stand around here. We'll head to the Inn assigned to our participating guild first! As for those who haven't arrived yet, I imagine they'll get here