A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Chapter 582 The First Person to Return

"I've dominated the fishing world my whole life, never having met my match, but I never imagined I'd be defeated by a little cat like you..."

Precito spoke with regret, his expression somber, and he looked quite forlorn.

"Hee hee hee……"

Harpy waved his paws, which were covered in paw pads, and laughed loudly and憨憨地, "According to the competition rules, it's your turn to prepare the whole fish feast!"

The three old men sighed, exchanged glances, and gave each other helpless smiles.

Of course they knew there was something wrong with the fishing rod in Harpy's hand. After all, even the best fishing skills couldn't possibly catch a fish every few minutes. Did they really think all the fish were idiots?

However, since their opponents were cats, and children at that, the elders naturally chose to give way and ignored Harpy's special fishing rod. They were all quite old; who would really bother with three kittens? At most, they would compete with the other two old men.

So the final result is that Auguste got 2 points, Makarov got 2 points, and Prejto got 3 points. In this competition that was not openly contested, Prejto was the winner.

"Truly befitting a second-generation heir..."

"The senior is indeed very experienced..."

Precito took all their words, whether sarcastic or not, as compliments—as one gets older, it's good to be a little oblivious.

I can't be bothered to argue with you two brats!

Precito muttered something to himself, then carried Habib's iron bucket full of fish to the open space, set up the grill, and prepared to grill the fish.

Seeing this, Makarov and Auguste exchanged a smile and followed, also carrying their buckets.

Prepare some delicious food for the children!

Prepare something delicious for Mother!

On the other side, Happy was proudly showing off to the goddess Charlotte: "Hey Charlotte! We just caught 30 fish in one go! Isn't that amazing?"

Xia Lulu glanced at Happy speechlessly: "Who doesn't know you got your grades by cheating? There's nothing to be proud of!"

"Huh?! How could this be..."

Hearing his idol so dismissive of his efforts, Happy instantly slumped, tears streaming down his face. "But I did put in a lot of effort!! Casting the line and reeling it in..."

"Anyone could have done that!!"

Lili, standing nearby, quietly watched the interaction between the two, a faint smile on his face.

As one of only three cats in the guild, he was much more mature than the other two. Although they looked about the same age, Lily was actually much older than Happy and Charlotte, and had long passed the stage of youthful infatuation. So he always acted like an older brother, watching the young men and women around him fall in love every day, which he found quite enjoyable.

It's so fun watching the drama unfold! After seeing so much sweetness between Gajeel and Levy, it's nice to see Happy and Charlene together again...

Thinking of this, Lili swallowed a bite of fresh raw fish. The fish was plump and juicy, leaving the cat with a lingering aftertaste.

While they were engrossed in the noisy romance on one side, on the other side, the grill had already been set up and preparations for a barbecue had begun.

This is a valley, and broken branches are scattered everywhere. You can easily pick up a pile of them. The three old men leisurely gathered a bunch and then used fire magic to start a fire with a wave of their hands. It makes you marvel at how versatile magic can be. Then, the three of them quickly skewered the fresh fish they had caught and began to show off their grilling skills.

As the billowing smoke rose, the originally bluish-green fish gradually turned reddish-brown under the scorching flames, then changed towards a golden yellow. Sprinkled with the seasonings and barbecue sauce they had brought, a rich aroma filled the air, making everyone and even the cats present salivate.

"It smells so good!!"

"These guys are such good at grilling?!"

Of the three, Precito was the most skilled, probably because he lived a long life and traveled extensively, gaining rich experience. His knowledge of food was unmatched by the other two.

The second best is August. His skills come more from talent, but of course, they are also inseparable from hard work. Especially after spending three months with Mavis, his cooking skills have improved greatly. Now he is grilling fish for his mother, so he naturally puts in extra effort.

Makarov was the worst at grilling fish. This old man clearly seemed to be the most irresponsible of the three, and should have been more experienced in eating, drinking and having fun. But he couldn't even beat the two serious people in such a frivolous skill. It was shameful!

"President, are you sure you can handle this?"

Harpy looked at the fish that Makarov had half-ruined with heartache and couldn't help but say, "How about I do it?"

Being questioned by several juniors about his abilities was something Makarov couldn't tolerate. His face flushed red instantly, and he turned around and angrily rebuked them: "Shut up, you lot, just wait to eat!"

After yelling, he snorted and turned back to stare at the few half-cooked fish in front of him.

I'm just feeling sorry for the fish...

Harpy muttered to himself, glanced at the three grills in front of him, and silently calculated: "This amount of food doesn't seem enough, and my technique isn't quite there yet... It seems I'll have to do it myself!"

So he quickly set up a grill and personally grilled the fish, showing the three old men what real skill was!

The picnic time flew by, and with just over half an hour left in the first challenge, the first team returned.

Boom! !

A gigantic monster descended from the sky and crashed heavily to the ground, causing quite a tremor.

"Ok??"

"came back?"

"My fish!!!"

This monster looked like a variant of a rhinoceros, weighing about 300 pounds. It had a ferocious and ugly face, with dark blue skin covering its thick body. Its limbs were strong, and its mouth was full of sharp teeth, which should be able to easily bite through ordinary wild animals. Fortunately, its eyes were closed at the moment, and it was in a coma. There were several thin wounds on its body, and the dark red flesh inside could be faintly seen.

"Looks like we're the first ones here!"

Two figures descended from the sky: Mira, who had received the body of Satan, and Bigus, who was standing on a puppet.

"Congratulations on being the first to complete the task!"

Mavis stepped forward with a grin to congratulate him, "Looks like you've captured a pretty good magical beast! How about it, did you all follow the rules of the game properly?"

Mira withdrew from her demon form and returned to her original appearance, with white hair and a black dress, looking gentle and lovely. She tilted her head and smiled sweetly: "Of course! I've been keeping a close eye on things!"

Unlike Mira, Biguslo was covered in dust and dirt, and his magic was unstable, making him look rather disheveled, especially with his tongue lolling out, making him look like a black dog.

"Is this monster very strong?" Harpy stopped grilling the fish and flew to Bigusro's side to ask.

Biguslo withdrew his tongue: "No...it's actually alright..."

"But you look very tired?"

Nonsense! Carrying over 300 pounds and flying back with something this big, isn't it normal to be exhausted? My babies are all worn out!

Biguslow thought to himself, but simply replied, "This monster is rather heavy!"

It's heavy, but there are advantages to being heavy! I should be able to advance through this stage, right? It's a pity I was the first one back, so I have no reference point. I wonder how the others are doing?

Staring blankly at his spoils, Biguslo felt a surge of unease: "First Master, Guild Master! How do you even describe the value of such a magical beast?"

The final step in this level is to assess the quantity of monsters brought back that can be used as ingredients. Naturally, horns, teeth, and hair cannot be counted, but bones can be used to make soup.

"Well... let's dissect it together later!"

Biguslow: "..."

You hesitated just now, didn't you? Your eyes darted away, didn't they? Tell me, you've thought this through carefully, okay? Tell me, you know how to handle ingredients, okay?

"Why do the president and the first generation look a little off..." Happy whispered to Charlene. "Could it be that they don't even know what can be used as food?"

Makarov/Mebius: ! !

Oh no! We've been discovered!!

Chapter 583 List of Advancements

After Biguslo and Mira returned, the others also gradually arrived.

First up is the cool and handsome duo of Philid and Gerald. With Philid's [Dark Text Wing], they avoided many unnecessary detours, so their speed was also very fast.

The magical beast they brought back was a boar-type magical beast, about the same size as the rhinoceros-type magical beasts of Biguslo, but with a lot of hair and thick skin, looking very powerful. They didn't know if it could be used as food, but since it was a boar-type magical beast, it shouldn't be too bad.

The third to complete the mission were Levy and Serena. The two brought back a large, sheep-shaped magical beast. Its curved horns were beautifully shaped, like those of a legendary bewitching succubus. Its fluffy fur was pure white and soft, with a faint warmth. But most importantly, its fat belly and the full place where it was nursing its cubs revealed its true nature upon closer inspection.

"My God! This is a pregnant ewe?!"

"How wicked! Levy! I never imagined you were this kind of person!!"

"Have they abandoned their humanity for the sake of the assessment?!"

Levy's face flushed with shame, she almost buried her head in her flat chest: "I... I didn't know this sheep was pregnant before the battle... and the assessment only allowed me to fight once..."

After the fight, she didn't really want to bring the sheep back, but she couldn't resist Serena's persuasion and had no choice but to bring it back.

"And... the assessment only said that the most part could be used as food, it didn't say that we had to eat it! Anyway, everyone will definitely bring back a lot of food, so it's okay if we don't eat this one!"

"But it seems the president and the others can only calculate the quantity when they are processing the ingredients..."

"What?!!"

Happy's casual remark struck Levy like a bolt from the blue: "I...I'll just admit defeat then..."

But before Levy could finish speaking, Serena objected, "No way!! This is a test opportunity you worked so hard to get, it only comes once a year!!"

"Actually, this is only my second time this year. Even if I don't pass..."

"I said no, and that means no!! Indecisiveness will prevent you from becoming a qualified mage!!"

Just as he was scolding Levy, Abba Grin and Erza returned, bringing with them a monster that looked like a hippopotamus, much like the rhinoceros that Biggleslow had brought back. It was equally ugly and had thick skin.

Natsu and Kira were the fifth team to return. Given Kira's magical perception and flying ability, they compared dozens of magical beasts before selecting the largest and meatiest one in the area.

This is a giant snake that is over ten meters long, almost larger than Kira's airship, and it hovers in the air, practically blotting out the sun!

Snakes have no bones; apart from their fangs and scales, almost everything else on their bodies is meat, making them arguably the most cost-effective magical beast!

It is said that a cat is seven times faster than a snake, but if the cat is a hobbit and the snake is a monster snake like the one in front of us, then this claim falls apart.

"What a huge! What a long! What a thick python!!!"

Looking at Natsu's haul, Happy was filled with excitement, his eyes sparkling. "As expected of Natsu and Killer, they unleashed such a huge magical beast right off the bat..."

"Natsu should be able to take first place in this round, right?!"

"Damn it! Why can't I encounter these kinds of magical beasts?"

Faced with this giant serpent, which was larger than the four demonic beasts they had encountered combined, the group was filled with regret and almost wept, their eyes brimming with envy.

After that, the rest of the people returned one after another, and the phenomenon that some people had guessed—that the substitutes ambushed and intercepted the monsters on the way back—did not occur.

Everyone here is of a very high standard. Even if one or two cunning supporters wanted to do this, their replacements would not approve.

You should know that these candidates are all proud young men around 20 years old. Apart from venting certain desires, they want to do everything with their own hands. Why would they be willing to steal other people's things?