Chapter 14: The S-Class Exam (Please send flowers and bookmark)
Early the next morning, the guild was packed. Makarov stood on the counter, apparently ready to announce something, and the guild members waited eagerly.
"Ahem." Once everyone seemed to have arrived, Makarov cleared his throat and announced, "This year's S-Class Mage exam is here!"
"Yeah!" Cheers filled the guild. Not everyone could become an S-Class Mage, but this was their chance to test their strength and see how far they had come.
Erza and the others finally understood why so many people had been showing up at the guild lately, and why they had been so eager to take on jobs.
"Quiet down, everyone. I'll announce this year's candidates." Makarov motioned for silence, then continued, "There are two candidates for this year's S-Class Exam. The first is Laxus."
"..." Leaning against a wall in the corner, Laxus's lips curled into a faint smile at Makarov's words.
"The other is..." Makarov deliberately drew out his words, keeping everyone in suspense as they watched him expectantly.
"Xi Feng."
"Aw..." When the guild members heard Makarov's announcement and realized they had not been chosen, disappointment spread across their faces. Xi Feng, meanwhile, was rather surprised. He had never expected to be selected.
"Old man, why wasn't I picked? I want to take the S-Class Exam too!" Unhappy that his name had not been called, Natsu immediately shouted.
"Natsu, you're not strong enough yet. Wait at least a few more years."
"Who says I'm not strong enough? I'm really strong!!!" Hearing Makarov say he lacked strength only made Natsu more upset.
"Natsu..." Gildarts spoke up, and Natsu turned toward him. "Wh-what is it, Gildarts?"
"Natsu, the S-Class Exam isn't child's play. It's extremely demanding. You're not the only person here who wants to take it. Everyone wants to see what their years of hard work have amounted to. If you want to take the S-Class Exam, work on getting stronger."
"Yes..." Gildarts's stern expression left Natsu a little frightened.
Once Natsu had quieted down, Makarov spoke again. "This year, Gildarts and I will be your examiners. The exam will take place on Tenrou Island, Fairy Tail's sacred ground. Xi Feng, Laxus, get ready. We leave tomorrow."
With that, Makarov and Gildarts left.
"Good luck, big brother Xi Feng!" After Makarov and Gildarts left, Wendy and the other girls came over to encourage Xi Feng.
"Big brother, I'll follow in your footsteps someday," Erza declared confidently.
"I'll do my best." Listening to the girls' encouragement, Xi Feng simply smiled as he played with Carla with one hand. His actions, however, left a little blue cat beside him green with envy.
Early the following morning, Xi Feng, Laxus, Makarov, and Gildarts boarded a ship bound for Tenrou Island, Fairy Tail's sacred ground.
After several hours of travel, they finally reached the waters near Tenrou Island, where they could clearly make out the island's shape.
Dressed in vacation clothes, Makarov waved a fan as he looked at Tenrou Island nearby. "Gildarts and I will go ashore first. You two will follow an hour later. Once you're on the island, you only need to find one of us and earn our approval. Oh, and we won't stay in the same place for more than an hour. If you can't find us before the end of today, you fail."
"Understood." Xi Feng and Laxus both nodded.
An hour later, Xi Feng and Laxus disembarked and went ashore. Without exchanging a word, they each went their own way.
"This island isn't exactly huge, but it isn't small either. Looks like finding Gildarts and Makarov will take some time." Xi Feng had already wandered around the island for several hours without seeing a single person, only a few animals.
"Who's there?" Just then, Xi Feng felt someone watching him from behind. He immediately turned around, only to find nothing there.
"How strange..." Xi Feng shook his head and headed deeper into the woods.
At that moment, a barefoot blonde girl appeared behind him. "Did he notice me?" she murmured. "How remarkable. This is interesting."
The blonde girl's lips curved into a faint smile, and she followed directly behind Xi Feng.
"Where on earth are they?!" Xi Feng had spent hours roaming Tenrou Island, yet he still could not find Gildarts or Makarov. He was also getting hungry.
"I'd better eat something first." He could not keep searching like this, so Xi Feng decided to replenish his energy. He took out the cakes he had prepared beforehand and started to eat. But just as he was about to take a bite, one of the cakes suddenly vanished.
"Huh? What happened?" The cake's sudden disappearance left Xi Feng stunned. Then another cake vanished. Immediately growing wary, he hurriedly scanned his surroundings, but found nothing.
"Could it be...?"
There was no one around, yet the cakes were disappearing without explanation. Xi Feng had a vague idea of who was responsible.
"I know you're nearby, even if I can't see you."
As soon as Xi Feng finished speaking, the Fairy Tail emblem on his arm shone, and an adorable little girl appeared before him. She had emerald-green eyes, a pair of wings by her ears, and long, curly golden hair. She wore a cloak-like outfit and was barefoot.
Though Xi Feng knew who the little girl was, her sudden appearance still left him momentarily dazed. Then she spoke. "Hello, I'm Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tail's first master."
Chapter 15: Mavis (Please send flowers and bookmark)
"The first master!" Although Xi Feng already knew, he still acted surprised.
"Didn't you already...?"
"Die?" Mavis finished without a trace of concern. "I'm only a spirit now."
"Spirits can eat cake?" Xi Feng could not help remarking.
"You... don't worry about the little details!" Xi Feng's words made Mavis blush. She had not eaten anything sweet in ages, and when she saw him take out the cakes, she had been unable to resist helping herself.
Looking at Mavis's flushed face, Xi Feng did not know what else to say to her, so he simply said, "First master, I have something to do. Bye!"
"Huh?" Mavis froze when Xi Feng turned to leave, then hurriedly shouted, "I'm the first master! How can you treat your elder like that? Stop right there!"
At last, someone could see her. Mavis was not about to let Xi Feng leave so easily.
"First master, I have something urgent to do. I can't play with you," Xi Feng said helplessly.
"Are you looking for someone?" Mavis's words made Xi Feng's eyes light up.
"How did you know?"
"Never mind that. Make me happy, and I'll tell you where they are." Mavis had been following Xi Feng all this time, so of course she knew he was looking for someone.
"Well..." Xi Feng had no idea how to make Mavis happy. Meanwhile, she sat down again and ate his remaining cakes.
"..."
Time ticked away as Mavis kept watching Xi Feng with her big, glistening eyes.
"First master, how about you tell me first? Once I'm done, I'll come play with you, and I'll bring you more cake."
"No. Don't think I don't know why you're here. Once you finish the S-Class Exam, you'll just run off."
Seeing the firm look in Mavis's eyes, Xi Feng knew that no amount of asking would make her tell him. It seemed he would have to play with her for a while.
"All right."
"Come on, come on! What are we playing?" The instant Xi Feng agreed, Mavis grew excited.
"Let me think." Seeing Mavis so excited left Xi Feng rather speechless. She was hundreds of years old, yet she still acted like a child.
There was nothing around them but trees, leaving little to play with. Hide-and-seek? What a joke. Mavis was a spirit. He could not catch her even if she stood right beside him.
"I've got it." Something seemed to occur to Xi Feng, and he immediately used his magic. "Projection-Chinese Chess!"
A Chinese Chess set instantly appeared in Xi Feng's hands.
"Ooh, hey, what's that?" The chess set immediately caught Mavis's interest, and she eagerly asked about it.
"...My name isn't 'hey.' It's Xi Feng." Hearing Mavis call him "hey" left Xi Feng speechless. If you didn't know my name, you could have asked from the start.
"Bleh... I didn't know!" Mavis stuck out her little tongue and said adorably, "Come on, Xi Feng, tell me what it is!"
"Sigh." Mavis's cute act truly left Xi Feng at a loss for words. He shook his head, then explained, "This is Chinese Chess. It's a form of entertainment from a very, very distant country in the East. It's a strategy game that really tests your intelligence."
Mavis was known as Fairy Tail's tactician, so she would surely be interested in a game of intellect. That was why Xi Feng had finally thought of Chinese Chess, a strategy game from his previous life.
"It tests your intelligence!" Just as he had expected, Mavis's eyes lit up at his explanation. Fascinated by Chinese Chess, she eagerly cried, "Xi Feng, Xi Feng, hurry up and teach me how to play!"
"All right, stop shouting."
Seeing how excited Mavis was, Xi Feng began explaining the basic rules of Chinese Chess and how each piece moved.
"So I win as long as I capture the other player's general?"
"Right."
"Okay, I understand. Xi Feng, let's play!" Now that she knew the basic rules and moves, Mavis looked eager to try.
"All right. Cannon to the center."
"Checkmate..."
"..." Staring at yet another checkmate, Xi Feng could hardly believe it. As they played, he had genuinely begun wondering whether he or Mavis was the one playing Chinese Chess for the first time. He had no choice but to admire her intelligence.
"Hehe, this game is really good." Mavis stretched, looking thoroughly satisfied. "Come on, I'll take you to find them."
"Really?" Hearing Mavis offer to lead him to the people he was looking for made Xi Feng's eyes light up.
"Would I lie? Wait a moment." Mavis closed her eyes for a while, then said, "Come on. This way."
Mavis headed straight ahead, and Xi Feng hurried after her.
After following Mavis for some distance, he finally came to a stop.
"He's the one you're looking for, right?" Parting the bushes, Mavis pointed at a muscular orange-haired man resting against a tree with his eyes closed.
Xi Feng looked over and saw that it was Gildarts. Slightly puzzled, he asked, "How did you know I was looking for him?"
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