Fairy Tail: All Magic Converges in One Body

Of course, Hope didn't forget her guildmates either, and gave each of them a red envelope containing 100,000. Since it was free money, there was nothing wrong with being generous.

Hope divided the remaining reward into three parts: one part for Erza, Mirajane, and Cana to spend, one part for charity, and the rest for the guild as funding.

We sat in a row, shared the fruit, and that was the end of it.

"Sigh, I never thought splitting the money would be so tiring."

After doing all this, Hope plopped down in a chair with a smug expression reminiscent of Versailles, making everyone inwardly curse her shamelessness.

But who can say anything? After all, he really did give money.

However, Hope was just putting on an act; he had important business to attend to. The stowaways from the Eclipse Gate made him feel that something was amiss.

Without alerting anyone, Hope only told Erza and Mirajane that she was going to take care of something and would be back soon, and then quietly left the guild.

Chapter 367 An Encounter in the City of Flowers

Kingdom of Fiore, City of Crocas.

This is the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore, and because it is filled with different kinds of flowers all year round, it is also known as the City of Flowers.

The Grand Magic Games are held on Mount Thomas, west of Crocus City.

Hope did not intend to go to the Grand Martial Arts Arena to investigate immediately. Since it was his first time in Fiore's capital, he naturally wanted to take a look around first.

The prosperity of Crocus City is indeed unmatched by Magnolia.

The wide stone-paved road is lined with flowers of all colors, and they are in full bloom, filling the whole street with a sweet and delicate fragrance.

Well-dressed nobles and merchants strolled by in twos and threes, and the shop windows along the roadside displayed a dazzling array of goods, from magical items to rare minerals, from exquisite clothing to exotic spices.

Hope bought a serving of three-colored meatballs and strolled leisurely along the main street, eating them as she went. Seven or eight out of ten conversations among the passersby revolved around the same topic.

That is the Great Demon Battle Arena.

"Have you heard? 'Boa Hancock's Scale' is going to participate in the Grand Magic Games this year!"

"That's right. It's said that their guild leader, Granny Oba, personally declared that she would take the throne of the number one guild in Ishgar from Fairy Tail."

"Isn't this a bit bullying? Boa Suzuki's Iron Jura is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, and Makarov is the guild master, so he can't possibly get involved."

"Tch, you're saying Fairy Tail isn't like the other Ten Wizard Saints."

“Yes, yes, yes, ‘Hope Emperor’ sounds more imposing than ‘Rock Iron Jura’.”

"..."

Hope listened to these comments, a slight smile playing on her lips.

It seems that the news of Fairy Tail declining the invitation hasn't spread yet.

However, even if their own guild participated, sending just Laxus would be enough to crush all the other guilds, with only Jura possibly managing to withstand a move or two.

Laxus, after abandoning the Dragon Slayer Crystal, truly unleashed his full power. With the addition of the Thunder Dragon King's power, he can be said to have far surpassed his grandfather.

Unfortunately, he still couldn't defeat Gildarts. Doesn't he understand the true value of "initial magic being super magic"?

As for Hope? Laxus's taillights are long gone.

After turning a corner, a small square came into view. The fountain in the center of the square reflected rainbows in the sunlight, and several temporary stalls were set up around it, selling various snacks and souvenirs.

Hope had just found a spot to sit by the fountain and hadn't even had a chance to admire the view when a commotion came from the other end of the square.

"Don't you dare steal our money!"

"You brat, you're asking for trouble, aren't you?"

Hope looked in the direction of the sound and saw three children surrounded by seventeen or eighteen thugs by the base of a wall in the corner of the square.

The two little boys flanked the girl in the middle, their faces showing tension, but their eyes held a stubborn determination to never give up.

The three children looked to be around twelve or thirteen years old, about the same age as Wendy.

The two little boys, one blond and one black, wore old but clean clothes. The white-haired little girl, protected in the middle, was clutching something tightly in her arms, her eyes fixed nervously on the person in front of her.

At their feet lay a few coins and an upside-down hat, suggesting they were busking to earn money.

"Kid, have you paid protection money while you're performing on this street?" The thug leader had a face full of scars, with a knife scar running from his left eyebrow to his right cheekbone. He revealed a few yellow teeth as he spoke, looking exactly like a typical character from a wish-fulfillment novel—a clueless nobody.

"You guys don't make much money anyway, so let's just give you three to five thousand J as protection money today."

Three to five thousand J?

Hope raised an eyebrow. This price was no small sum for three poor kids who had to busk on the street. That guy was clearly bullying them.

"We don't have that much money."

The blond boy gritted his teeth and said, "Besides, we didn't agree to pay protection money!"

"Heh, pretty cocky, huh?" Scarface grinned, reaching out to grab the blond boy's collar. "Then don't blame me..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred.

The blond boy suddenly dodged to the side, while simultaneously clenching his right fist. A layer of pure white magical light appeared on the surface of his fist, and the force of the punch brought up a wave of air, slamming hard into the scarred man's chest.

"White Dragon's Iron Fist!"

boom!

Scarface was sent flying backward, knocking over his two accomplices behind him. The three of them rolled around in a mess, looking utterly disheveled.

Hope's eyes narrowed slightly.

That brat is actually a Dragon Slayer Mage?

Before he could think it through, the other black-haired boy moved as well. He rushed forward and swept his right leg out, a dark shadow covering his foot.

"Shadow Dragon's Kick!"

The kick landed squarely on the waist of another thug, who screamed and flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing against the wall and sliding down.

The square erupted in an uproar.

The onlookers who had been watching the commotion quickly backed away, making way for a large open space. Scarface got up from the ground, coughed twice while clutching his chest, and his face showed a mixture of shock, shame, and anger.

"You two brats are mages?!" He stared wide-eyed at the two boys in disbelief. It wasn't uncommon for children this age to become mages, but the vast majority didn't possess such power.

Hope's attention, however, was drawn to the white-haired girl.

The thing she was holding tightly was a key. The golden key reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight, but he was all too familiar with its shape.

After all, Lucy has ten of the same type of Celestial Keys.

The girl gripped the key, her arm trembling slightly, as if she wanted to summon a celestial spirit to help her two companions. Unexpectedly, the scarred man's expression instantly turned to greed upon seeing the key in her hand.

"A Protoss Key?! And it belongs to a Golden Protoss!"

Scarface's eyes lit up, and his voice changed as he excitedly exclaimed, "Kid, you actually have that kind of good stuff? It was so wise of me to come out and collect protection money today!"

He turned his head to look behind him and made a gesture.

The thugs who had been driven away by the two boys regrouped, and Scarface himself began to emanate magical energy; he was, in fact, a mage as well.

"Brothers, charge!"

Scarface grinned maliciously, "I want the pittance from these three brats, and I want that priceless golden Protoss key!"

"When we sell them, I'll give each of you 100,000 J!"

One hundred thousand, which is equivalent to the reward for a low to medium difficulty commission, immediately gave those thugs a shot of adrenaline, and they were all full of energy.

Chapter 368 Fans...belong to someone else.

A dozen or so thugs rushed forward.

Although the two boys knew dragon-slaying magic, they were still too young. Due to their age, their magic reserves were limited, and the street performance and the two attacks just now had already depleted a lot of their magic.

Faced with the overwhelming tide of enemies, they had little strength left and could only barely defend themselves, retreating step by step.

"Run!" the blond boy shouted back to the girl, "Yukino, run!"

The white-haired girl bit her lip, knowing that a child like her couldn't outrun so many adults, so she raised the golden key.

"Open it! Libra—"

Before she could finish speaking, a thug circled around to her side and grabbed her wrist. "Little girl, you can't handle this Golden Star Spirit Key, let your uncle keep it safe for you!"

"Let me go!" The girl struggled desperately, but her small arms were no match for the adult's grip.

Some passersby looked on with pity, others were filled with righteous indignation, but no one actually stood up. Because Scarface had already revealed his guild emblem.

The mark of "Wind Spirit's Labyrinth".

Hope was no stranger to this name.

"The Labyrinth of the Wind Spirits" is the largest treasure hunter guild on the continent of Ishgar. On the surface, it accepts all kinds of treasure hunting commissions, but in reality, it is engaged in cunning and plundering.

They collaborate with many high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and powerful figures, acting as a kind of black glove, extorting and plundering on behalf of those high-ranking individuals. Relying on these powerful backers, many people are powerless to do anything about them.

As for the law?

Who among you can convey this message to me?

So here's the question: why doesn't the Magical Council, the supposed maintainer of order in the magical world, intervene to restrain guilds like "Wind Spirit's Labyrinth" that bully others?

The answer is that they really can't control it.

The full name of the council is the "Ishgar Magic Council," and its jurisdiction is limited to the Mage Guild. Although the Treasure Hunter Guild has mages, they are not within its jurisdiction.

Just as the council cannot control the mages under the official command of various countries, it naturally turns a blind eye to their actions.

"Treasure hunter in the Wind Spirit's Labyrinth..."

"We can't afford to offend them. I heard they have powerful nobles from several countries backing them up."

"Those kids are in for a rough time."

"How pitiful..."

Passersby whispered among themselves, but no one dared to approach.

Despair gradually appeared on the faces of the three children. The blond boy and the black boy were exhausted and were pinned to the ground by several people, unable to move.

The white-haired girl's wrist was gripped tightly. As she watched her fingers, which were tightly clutching the keys, being pried open one by one, tears welled in her eyes. "No..."