A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Kira lacked creativity, so he sculpted a guild emblem. Although it wasn't very beautiful, it won Makarov's praise—indeed, the essence of a work is more important than its appearance!

Gray won the skating and skiing competitions, thanks to his more solid foundation compared to Kira's useless training and Erza's exceptional talent.

By the time all five events were over, it was already dusk.

"I hereby declare the champion of this Winter Tournament to be... Kira!!"

Although he wasn't number one in any of them, Kira had the highest total score!

"Thank you... thank you everyone... I think I have to thank Gray for the accident and Natsu for sabotaging us, they helped me a lot... and of course, the chairman's discerning eye..."

After a clichéd thank-you speech, Kira accepted the prize for the competition from Makarov.

Winter hot spring inn voucher!

Chapter 372 Only in a hot spring can we be truly honest with each other.

The Fairy Tail world is a world brimming with magic, and the Kingdom of Fiore is a country where magic is highly developed.

The world is rich in magic, which is why it is a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery; the development of magic has suppressed the development of industry and technology, which has naturally led to the abundance of beautiful mountains and rivers.

The "Winter Hot Spring Inn" is built on a mountain, which is an extinct volcano. There is still uncooled magma underground, which has formed a huge natural hot spring. As a result, hot spring inns have developed here.

Because of its excellent effects, the "Winter Hot Spring Inn" attracts countless people every winter, including many nobles, wealthy merchants, and celebrities. Over time, it has become one of the most famous resorts in the Kingdom of Fiore.

Kira received a ticket to Makarov's spa and naturally wanted to enjoy it.

These were group invitation tickets, and Kira, not wanting to waste them, brought along his younger siblings, namely Ultear, Gerald, Melty, and Eric, whom he had left unattended for a long time.

In a winter hot spring inn, inside the men's bath, several men, stripped down to only a towel, leaned against the smooth, neatly cut rocks, enjoying a rare and expensive experience.

"It's rare to see a boss who's already blessed before even starting any work!"

"This is love!"

"It's so much more comfortable than before, not having to worry about the magical world these days!"

Compared to the others, Gerald was a bit more vigilant: "Don't let your guard down! I've heard that important government officials often frequent this place, especially at times like this!"

Beside him, Dark Night said in a deep voice, "Indeed, our identities are special after all, and we should attend fewer occasions like this."

"And you're still enjoying yourself so much?!" Kira splashed out of the water. "If I'd known you were so reluctant, I would have brought my guildmates. Humph! I won't be inviting you next time!"

"No, no, no... I wasn't unwilling! Hey! You two, hurry up and apologize to the boss!"

After a brief commotion, Kira waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, the main reason I brought you all here is to formally determine our organization's future operating principles!"

"Now? Where are the other three?"

Eric was asking about Ultear, Sono, and Melty, who weren't there. The "Winter Hot Spring" wasn't a mixed bath, so the three of them were naturally in the women's bath next door—which disappointed Kira greatly, but in such an expensive place, it was perfectly normal for the hot springs to be divided into men's and women's baths.

Kira smiled confidently, projecting his magical senses and connecting magically to the minds of the three people next door: "Don't worry, I can use telepathy!"

Next door, in the women's bath, the heat emanating from the mountain steamed the spring water into mist, and the thick water vapor formed several layers of mosaic in the air of the bath.

Even though the three women are naked at this moment, due to the mosaic effect, apart from the women themselves, everyone else, including the author and readers, can only see their heads and arms.

Sora stretched lazily in the spring water, enjoying the warmth flowing into her body. Her back straightened unconsciously, and she uttered a suggestive sound: "Ah, so comfortable~ No wonder it's the most famous hot spring inn in the Kingdom of Fiore! It feels like all the fatigue of the past few months has vanished~"

With her long white hair, straight bangs, and flawless skin, coupled with that moan that came from the depths of her bones, she appeared both innocent and alluring. Anyone who saw this scene could understand why she used to be called an "angel."

Beside Sora, Ultear's face also flushed from the blood circulation, her long, straight black hair naturally cascading down as it soaked in the water. In the hazy light, only her graceful figure and enchanting posture were visible, showcasing the charm of a beauty bathing.

"Although I didn't get paid, it's not impossible to compensate with a hot spring bath—it wouldn't be in vain that I worked so hard on Tenrou Island."

Compared to the two, Merus seemed a bit lost. It was unclear whether it was because he was soaking in the hot spring with Ultear or because he was soaking in the hot spring with Sora, whom he wasn't very familiar with. He huddled in the hot spring, too embarrassed to show his face, with only his head sticking out.

Just as the three of them were completely relaxed, Kira's voice rang in their minds: "Hey... your boss has invited you to join a group chat."

The three of them were simultaneously taken aback, their bodies stiffened, and then...

"Aaaaaah!!!" Melty let out a scream that exceeded 80 decibels and immediately shrank into the hot spring.

Ultear and Sora didn't react much, but they did look a little awkward, clearly surprised by Kira's actions.

"No need to scream, no need to blush, and no need to hide in the hot spring—we won't see you!"

Then Melty's face turned even redder.

In the men's bath next door, Gerald couldn't help but say to Kira, "No wonder they're embarrassed by what you're doing."

"Huh—?! Really?" Kira's large, sky-blue eyes were filled with doubt, but she continued speaking through the telepathic channel, "Could it be that they're not used to telepathic magic? Then I'll go over there and talk to them directly..."

"You're clearly just pretending to be stupid on purpose!!!" Sora shouted, "What's the big deal that you have to say now?"

Kira replied matter-of-factly, “The elders in my family taught me that people can be honest with each other when they are soaking in hot springs, so it is the best time to open up and communicate. I think we are all adults now, and it is normal to have some secrets in our hearts. Perhaps only under such circumstances can we speak frankly and properly?”

"That's why you can't speak properly in this situation!! What kind of education did you receive?!"

Urudia's voice interrupted their conversation: "Just say what you have to say!"

"What else could it be? Of course, it's time to start the activities we've organized!"

What activity?

"With the downfall of 'Heart of the Devil' and 'Gate of the Underworld,' the dark guilds within the Kingdom of Fiore are bound to be leaderless! Before, with the 'Baram Alliance' keeping them in check, they naturally dared not act recklessly, but now... Hmph! The Council is probably having a headache over those bunch of dark guilds."

This situation is like the new world after Whitebeard's death, where all the previously suppressed bad elements and ambitious people suddenly burst forth.

However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, destruction precedes construction, and chaos precedes order. And during this process, there is a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

Upon hearing Kira's words, Gerald immediately guessed, "Do you want us to replace the Balam Alliance and unify the Dark World?"

In Gerald's view, since Kira mentioned the current state of the Dark World, he was definitely going to take action against them. Currently, the guild (in Gerald's eyes, the 'money-making organization' was a guild) only had a few members and some savings left by Brian. The fastest way to grow quickly was to absorb those scattered guilds.

Speaking of Brian, Kira casually threw away the information about the Dragon Slayer Research Institute after finding it in Brian's mind, and no one knows where it went afterward.

Gerald's words caused Eric and the others to change their expressions. Two months had allowed them to experience the beauty of freedom, and if they could, none of them would want to return to the Dark World and become tools for killing again.

Fortunately, Kira's answer did not disappoint them.

"Unifying the underworld... that would be too time-consuming and laborious! I think we should just double-cross them. Anyway, those guys aren't good people, so it doesn't matter if we take their money!"

"I can't afford to pay that many salaries right now, so let's wait until we have more money to hire more people! Also, we're going for an elite approach, so we can have fewer people, but they can't be too weak! Hmm... at least they can't be weaker than Sora!"

Upon hearing this, Sora's furious voice erupted simultaneously in the voice chat channel and in the women's room: "What did you say?! I'm weak? Tell me, who caused me to become like this? You know, just two months ago I was a Celestial Spirit Mage who could double-open doors! If you hadn't given my key to that girl, how could I have ended up like this?! And didn't you say you'd teach me new magic? When are you going to teach me?!..."

After she finished yelling, Kira argued his case rationally, his voice neither humble nor arrogant: "But wasn't it because you were weak that I defeated you? It's because you relied too much on the Celestial Key that you had no fighting ability at all after losing the key..."

Sora was even more unconvinced: "I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage!! That's what Celestial Spirit Mages are like!! I don't believe that brat in your guild can be any stronger without the key!!"

"I'm so sorry, but she's now also learned 'Star Chart History,' a super magic exclusive to Celestial Spirit Mages!"

Chapter 373 A Two-Pronged Approach

"Alright, let's stop with the small talk!"

Ultear interrupted Kira's continued provocation, knowing full well what was going on, and at the same time pulled back Sora, who was stomping her feet in anger. Using telepathy, she said, "Even though you say you want to double-cross someone, you still need a plan to do it! Not everything can be solved with fists like in Fairy Tail!"

"Fist...fist...we're just..."

Eric continued, "It's not that we're afraid of trouble, but hunting down the Dark Guild could easily backfire on us from the entire dark world! Then we'd have nowhere to go, neither in the underworld nor the legitimate world!"

"Backlash from the underworld, and arrests from the authorities, well... that's true..."

"Not only that! The existence of the 'Baram Alliance' has actually caused many powerful magic guilds to go into hiding. Some of them are also blind followers of Zeref and possess powerful dark magic."

Gerald, as expected of someone who had worked in the upper echelons, spoke with the air of an intelligence chief: "If there are only one or two such guilds, they're easy to deal with. But if there are more than ten, and they join forces, it will be very difficult for just a few of us."

"The other dark guilds... well..."

After a brief analysis by the three, Dark Night was the first to offer a suggestion: "As far as I know, besides the 'Baram Alliance,' there's an independent guild in the Dark Realm called 'Raven's Tail,' which is considered to have relatively strong overall strength. Perhaps we can utilize their power!"

"Great idea!!" Kira shouted, interrupting everyone's endless analysis.

"Huh?! We haven't even voiced our opinions yet!"

In fact, the remaining few people had neither intelligence analysis skills nor a sense of the big picture, nor any plan. They just found it interesting and wanted to chime in with a few words.

"Who's the boss? You've all got to say everything, you've all got to act cool, what am I, the boss, supposed to say? What am I supposed to pretend to be?" Kira said, heartbroken. "It's been two months, and you still haven't learned the 'Workplace Rules'? Is that acceptable?"

The group ignored them, looked up at the sky, and wore expressions that said, "Let the big boss have his place."

“Dark Night’s method is good! But let me add a couple more points.” Kira thought for a moment, coughed twice, and looked just like a school leader at that moment. “We’ll take a two-pronged approach! On the one hand, we’ll selectively raid those dark guilds. This is a short-term plan that will yield quick results;

On the other hand, secretly guiding a reasonably strong dark guild to rapidly expand and amass wealth—guilds that grow rapidly in a short time are all show and no substance, possessing quantity but lacking quality, and are utterly vulnerable to truly powerful enemies.

"Once they've amassed enough power and wealth, we'll wipe them out in one fell swoop, and then start training the next one. In this way, we'll be like the masterminds behind the dark side, making a fortune every now and then, like harvesting leeks—it's quite interesting."

This is not fun at all!

Everyone thought this to themselves, but dared not say it aloud.

"Speaking of which, 'Raven's Tail' has a bit of a connection with our Fairy Tail. Its guild master is our guild master's unfilial son. I don't like it, so I'll use it as the first test subject."

After hearing Kira's decision, Eric asked, "But as far as I know, Raven's Tail has always kept a low profile since its inception. It seems a bit difficult to make those unruly guys in the dark world submit to them, doesn't it?"

“As long as we don’t give up, there’s always a way!” Kira said firmly. “When we’re fighting each other, we’ll pretend to spread the message that ‘Raven’s tail is too strong for us to handle,’ and they’ll come looking for help.”

"Ivan isn't a smart man, he's not very strong, but he's ambitious. There's no reason for him not to accept these underlings who are practically offering themselves up!"

The participants thought about it and agreed: "Then let's do it your way!"

"As for the issue of the arrest warrant, it may ultimately require intervention from the royal family. If you can get the royal family to pardon you, your future path will be much easier."

Kira makes it sound easy, but none of these things are easy to do.

"Getting the royal family to cancel the arrest warrant isn't that simple. Besides, it's the council that issued the warrant for our arrest; what use is the Kingdom of Fiore's immunity?"

"Hey! You're so ignorant, aren't you? The Magic Council is just an organization that manages magic guilds, but we live on the land of the Kingdom of Fiore!"

Ultimately, being a mage is just a profession. No matter how official or powerful the organization that manages that profession is, it wouldn't dare to go against the royal family. This is similar to how ninjas in the neighboring game "Five Villages Co-op: Legend of the Glasses" have to obey the daimyo's orders.

"How can we do that? After all, our reputation isn't very good, and the royal family won't absolve us of our crimes without a reason."

Kira thought for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Well... I've heard that the King's only daughter, Princess Emerald, is in her prime, beautiful and charming, and quite pretty. If any of you are willing..."

"This method is good, I recommend Gerald!"

Before Kira could finish speaking, Eric had already heard what Kira wanted to say and decisively followed his lead, focusing his firepower. The others also quickly realized what was going on and expressed their opinions concisely and clearly.