A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"According to Macala, Sido and Kolai's white and shadow attribute dragon slaying magic can effectively form a combination magic. Erza and Mira have excellent teamwork and strength. With them around, victory in a two-person battle is basically guaranteed."

"Of the remaining ones, Yuka and Toby are the weakest among the ten, so they are the most suitable to be together. Moreover, they both come from 'Snake Princess Scale', have known each other for many years, and have a high level of teamwork."

"Imber and Sawyer... although we haven't found any compatibility between them, they're still better than the combination of Agil and Sawyer!"

After analyzing the opponent's most likely strategy, Kira sat down again, picked up the juice next to him and took a sip. "Of course, they might also have Imber and Agil form a doubles match and give up Sawyer's singles match, but in that case, they would be pouring all their strength into two singles matches and two doubles matches."

When Kira put down the cup, everyone was startled awake by the 'thump' sound, and their gazes toward Kira were filled with more admiration.

"That sounds like it makes a lot of sense!"

"Truly worthy of being Kira!!"

"Is this the legendary 'sage'? He is indeed a bit smarter than the others..."

Kira was very pleased with the flattery, but he knew it was time to set up the formation, so he waved his hand to stop the compliments: "We can talk about these things tomorrow. Let's assign your positions tonight!"

"So, what's your final plan for the formation?"

At this moment, Timalia also looked at Kira with curiosity.

After that analysis, even she had to admit that she had misjudged Kira before. Besides being powerful in magic and handsome, Kira was also quite intelligent, unlike other men (such as the pink-haired brat next to him) who were idiots.

"I've decided to avoid their sharp edge!"

The sky-blue eyes gleamed with intelligence under the incandescent light.

Kira, facing the bewildered faces before him, said, "If they really used this method, they would have divided everyone into two groups of mages of different strengths, and then pitted the strong against the strong and the weak against the weak! Unfortunately..."

"What's a pity?" everyone asked in unison.

"Unfortunately, I am a person who does not follow the rules of magic, and I have never liked the strong against the strong, or the weak against the weak!"

The story of Tian Ji's horse race illustrates the wisdom of using one's inferior horses to wear down the opponent's superior horses, using one's superior horses against the opponent's average horses, and using one's average horses against the opponent's inferior horses.

Among the 22 people who are about to fight, those below Cana are considered inferior, and those above Natsu are considered superior. Laxus is undoubtedly among the superior ones.

As for Kira, he is like Tian Ji (a legendary figure known for his cunning and resourcefulness).

Kira chuckled: "Compared to them, our people are generally not good at two-person combat, but fortunately, our people are all very strong and their magic is also overpowered, which is enough to make up for the lack of teamwork!"

"Use our weakest members to wear down their strongest members, Laxus and Jura. The rest of us can win no matter how we fight!"

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, their faces bearing a strange expression that seemed to say, "This guy is so cunning."

Upon hearing the same words, Narubudinku reacted differently from the others. An inexplicable malice made his short, fat body tremble.

"Come here, everyone!"

Kira gestured for everyone to come closer. "I've got it all figured out! This is the battle plan for tomorrow..."

……

It was late at night, and Fairy Tail was staying at the hotel, room 404.

In the bathroom, two girls sat facing each other in the bathtub.

The two girls had identical delicate faces and perfect figures, and even their knee-hugging posture was exactly the same. Their long golden hair, which smelled of shampoo, cascaded down their smooth shoulders and fell vertically into the water.

The rising steam slightly dampened the two girls' exposed, tender skin. The heat seeped into their pores, soothing their tired bodies and minds. Catalyzed by the heat, their blood circulation accelerated, causing a faint blush to rise on their faces.

Lucy #1, who came from the world where good and evil are reversed, and the original Lucy of this world, bathe together in this small space of less than ten square meters, while sharing their different experiences from their respective worlds.

"Everyone has turned into bad people...it's unimaginable!"

After hearing Lucy One's story, Lucy stared blankly at her reflection on the water and murmured softly.

"Right? Things like Natsu setting fire to and destroying an entire town, Erza cutting down a mountain and causing countless casualties, Gray freezing a large-scale streaking event, Wendy threatening the pastry chef to make desserts non-stop for 24 hours, Kira overthrowing the Kingdom of Fiore and forcibly levying taxes... You probably never would have imagined that, right?"

Upon hearing this, Lucy immediately blushed and waved her hand, saying, "No... actually, I've seen all of these in my dreams... even more outrageous ones... hahaha..."

Lucy Number One was taken aback at first, then gave a faint smile: "Is that so? It seems that Natsu and the others in this world are quite restless too..."

He was clearly saying something like "restless," but his tone was full of envy.

Perhaps it was a resonance of souls, but Lucy was suddenly filled with boundless pity, and her gaze towards the woman before her, who seemed to have stepped out of a mirror, softened with infinite tenderness: 'She should have been living the same life as me…'

"Cheer up!! The guild leader has already gone to find those people from 'The Witch's Sin' and 'Azure Pegasus,' they must have some clues about 'Nirvana' there!!"

Find clues? It's not that easy!

He experienced a total of 7 worlds. The first world was reversed. There, all the world's top magic scholars studied for a year but could not find any clues.

She left the second world too hastily to explore, and from the third world to the seventh, the total time she has spent on this journey has added up to a year. She has learned about countless related channels, but has still gained nothing.

Lucy One knew that her future path might be very long, and she might not even find the reason for the changes in 'Nirvana' until she died. Even if she did find it, she might not be able to return to World One.

However, even though she knew it was just to comfort herself, in order not to cause trouble for the other party, Lucy No. 1 still pretended to be very encouraged and acted as if she had cheered up.

"Yes!! I believe in everyone!!"

Chapter 713 Wendy is missing?!

In order to gather specific information about the 'Nirvana' of this world for Lucy No. 1, the members of 'Fairy Tail' did not hold a banquet tonight. Instead, they split into two groups and went to two different places to look for clues.

The first group was led by Makarov, accompanied by Gajeel, Levy, Lillie, Gray, and Juvia. They went to Raven's Tail, hoping to pry open the mouth of Brian, the ambitious man who once coveted Nirvana.

Elfman and Lisanna, along with Wendy and Charlotte, head to the 'Blue Pegasus', hoping that the ancient magical texts of Xiang will provide some answers.

Night had fallen, and the vast street was silent, save for the faint flickering of the crystal streetlights along the roadside, which cast eerie and frightening shadows as they changed from light to shadow.

However, such a scene would not frighten the three mages and the cat.

Wendy, Charlotte, Elfman, and Lisanna walked dejectedly down the street. Not long ago, they had left the hotel where the 'Blue Pegasus' was staying. The ancient text of the 'Xiang' had not given them a definite answer, so they were not in a good mood.

"Wendy, you really didn't need to come along... This kind of thing is enough for me, a real man, to handle!!"

Elfman's quirky voice and catchphrases livened up the otherwise somber atmosphere considerably.

Wendy shook her head, clenched her small pink fist, and said with a firm gaze, "Since it concerns 'Nirvana,' I have the responsibility to find out the truth for Lucy-san in that world!"

"Is it because of the guild you used to be in called 'Cat's Abode'?"

“That’s right! President Robin is a very important elder to me. If he knew that ‘Nirvana’ had such a big problem, he would definitely feel very guilty…”

Wendy held Charlotte in her arms, looking down at her alternating toes as she stepped forward. In the moonlight and the interplay of streetlights, her small shadow was visible. When she mentioned Robin, her voice revealed a clear sense of sadness.

She is 14 years old this year, 5 years old before she traveled through the eclipse, spent 2 years in Fairy Tail, and Robin was by her side for the remaining 7 years.

It can be said that this old man, who created 'Nirvana' for world peace and then existed in the world for more than four hundred years in the form of a thought to seal 'Nirvana', was second only to, or even surpassed, his mother Grandine in Wendy's heart.

Wendy, are you alright?

Sensing the girl's emotions, Xia Lulu flew out of her arms, reaching out a paw to pat her head in comfort.

"Yeah! Don't worry, I'll be fine!!"

Others may not know, but Xia Lulu, who has been by Wendy's side, knows that ever since Lucy No. 1 appeared today and reversed the light and darkness of World No. 1, Wendy has been sullen and her brows have been furrowed without ever relaxing.

'This child must be very distressed...'

Seeing Wendy's forced smile, Xia Lulu felt another pang of heartache.

Just then, a dark figure flashed by in the distance.

"Hmm?? Something's not right!!"

Elfman, who was walking ahead, immediately stopped.

Although he usually maintains the image of a rough and tough guy in the guild, Elfman is actually a very thoughtful man who immediately noticed the abnormality around him.

"What's wrong?"

The girls all looked at Elfman, who had given them the warning, and then quickly became alert.

At this moment, all that reached my ears was the gentle sound of the wind passing through the street, and the faint noise from afar carried on the wind.

"It's nothing, I just thought I saw a dark shadow flash by in front of me, but it's gone now..."

A moment of silence followed, and finding nothing amiss, Elfman could only scratch his head sheepishly. "Maybe it was just my imagination?"

"Really... Brother Elfman, are you too nervous about 'Nirvana'?"

Listening to Lisanna's complaints and Elfman's apology, Wendy suddenly spoke up: "Well... actually, ever since I left 'Blue Pegasus,' I've always felt like I'm being watched..."

"Huh?! Really?!"

"Then maybe the dark figure I just saw wasn't just my imagination..."

These people didn't participate in the competition, so they should be relatively unknown. Now they've been targeted by people of unknown origin, which is probably more malicious than benevolent.

"But who could it be? And what is their purpose?"

Disrupting the game?

That's impossible! Fairy Tail is currently the strongest magic guild in the Kingdom of Fiore. Who would dare to provoke them at a time like this? Not to mention that the three of them aren't even contestants, the tournament organizers have already shifted the competition format from guilds to teams, so they can't possibly be competitors from other guilds!

Could that be a personal grudge?

The probability is also very low, after all, they are all honest and law-abiding mages, and Wendy is also a kind and harmless child, so it is basically impossible for her to make enemies with others.

The last possibility is that the other party wasn't targeting the three of them, but rather the mages of Fairy Tail. As for the guild's enemies...

"Could it be 'the raven's tail'?"

This is the prime suspect, but Makarov and his men went to the hotel where 'Raven's Tail' was tonight. If they had found anything unusual, they would have made a move by now.

Elfman racked his brains for a while, but still couldn't come up with an answer, so he decided to play it safe for now: "Anyway, let's hurry back to the hotel! Lisanna, Wendy..."

His voice trailed off as he turned around to find, to his astonishment, that Wendy, who should have been behind him, had vanished without a trace!

At this moment, Lisanna and Charlotte finally realized that something was wrong. Looking at the spot where Wendy had been standing, their pupils dilated, their faces filled with horror, their hair stood on end, and they broke out in a cold sweat.

Wendy...she's gone?!

……

One hour later...

"What did you say?! Wendy is missing?!"

When Elfman returned to the hotel with Lisanna and Charlotte and told everyone about Wendy's disappearance, it immediately caused a huge uproar.

"It's all my fault! I failed to protect Wendy!!" Elfman sat on the ground, his face full of guilt and self-reproach. He pounded the ground in frustration and lowered his head, unable to face his guildmates.