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Master Dingley was stunned, almost giving himself a concussion. After all, he was just a blacksmith—his physique was decent, but clearly no match for Natsu, especially when taken by surprise.
Natsu's antics had also fully exposed Erza. Although she had anticipated that bringing Natsu and Happy along would likely lead to trouble, she never imagined it would happen so quickly.
Erza's mind was full of black lines, especially when she noticed Ur's curious gaze, so she could only offer an awkward yet polite smile.
"Hehe, Ur, you're here too? What a coincidence!"
Ur: "…."
At that moment, everyone present probably had the same thought: "Who are these two lunatics?"
…
When the apprentices finally pulled Master Dingley away from Natsu, his eyes were spinning in circles. Apparently, he hadn't expected to face such a calamity at his age!
More importantly, the apprentices could have rescued him immediately, but everyone froze for a while before acting. Why? Who knows?
Ur didn't know either, nor did he dare to ask.
"Y-you…!" Master Dingley finally regained his composure. He intended to ask Natsu what kind of person he was and what he was doing, but before he could speak, his eyes fell on Natsu's guild emblem.
"You're from Fairy Tail?!" Master Dingley's tone was one of surprise but also recognition. If any ordinary person had acted like this, he would have assumed hostile intentions. But if it was a member of the Fairy Tail guild? Completely normal.
"Master Dingley," Erza suddenly spoke.
"Oh! It's you, Erza! Did your equipment break again?" Upon seeing Erza, Master Dingley immediately recognized her, and his expression quickly returned to normal, the last traces of doubt disappearing.
Fairy Tail was the mage guild of Magnolia, and Master Dingley, being a well-known blacksmith in the town, had frequent interactions with its members. The person he knew best was Erza.
"Old man, don't waste time. Tell me where the dragon is!" Natsu suddenly rushed forward again, grabbing Master Dingli by the shoulders and shaking him frantically.
This time, Master Dingley remained calm. Knowing the identities of Natsu and the others, he was mentally prepared for trouble. After all, when Erza had tested her weapon there previously, she had destroyed half the blacksmith shop—compared to that, Natsu's antics were minor.
Bang!
Erza punched Natsu on the top of his head, physically forcing him to calm down.
"Sorry, Master Dingley, our guild members are too reckless," Erza politely apologized while holding Natsu, whose head was now swollen and bruised.
Master Dingley looked at Erza with a complex expression.
"Let go of me, Erza! I need to find Igneel!" Natsu struggled, driven by his desire to find his suddenly missing 'dragon father,' overriding his fear of Erza.
"Shut up." Erza scolded, then turned to Master Dingley.
"Master Dingley, may I ask where you obtained the dragon blood you mentioned earlier?"
Master Dingley paused briefly, then said, "It was actually by chance. I got it from a wandering mage, who said it came from the depths of the Hogria Mountains."
"The Hogria Mountains? I understand, thank you, old man!" Natsu suddenly broke free from Erza and ran off, disappearing into the town streets.
Erza's expression darkened. "The Hogria Mountains, are you serious? That mountain range is supposedly full of monsters!"
Master Dingley nodded. "That's right."
"This isn't good. That idiot…" Erza's face darkened further.
The monsters in the Hogria Mountains were beyond their current abilities to handle. Only the guild master and Gildarts were probably strong enough to venture deep into the mountains, because a ten-year mission in those depths remained incomplete.
Thinking this, Erza immediately prepared to forcibly retrieve Natsu. But just as she reached the blacksmith shop's entrance, she turned back and looked at Ur.
"Ur, can you come out for a moment? I have some questions for you."
Ur was slightly surprised, but nodded and followed Erza outside. He had never heard about the Hogria Mountains, but unlike Erza, he wasn't worried about Natsu at all.
After all, inside Natsu lived a "dragon father" strong enough to handle anything. Ur did not doubt that if Natsu got into real danger, that dragon would intervene.
Erza led Ur to a small alley in town. She suddenly activated her magic, transforming into her Heavenly Wheel Armor, seven or eight magical swords circling in flight.
A serious atmosphere hung in the alley as Erza stared at Ur, her eyes piercing, and slowly asked.
"Ur, who are you really?"
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