Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
A month's time is neither long nor short.
Although everyone's trip to Edolas was exciting and rich, the members who stayed behind at the guild also had a very comfortable time.
Because most of the guild members followed Noah to the parallel world to join the fun, there weren't enough people left behind, so Warrod simply suspended taking requests and gave the juniors who stayed to guard the home with him a long vacation.
Without work, life spent lounging around was naturally comfortable.
Now that their companions had returned from the parallel world, the vacation was rightfully over, and everyone resumed their usual mindset, doing what they needed to do.
What does Fairy Tail usually do?
Of course, it's...
"To celebrate the Third Master's safe return from Edolas, let's have a banquet!"
Warrod, old in age but young at heart, raised his glass to lead the celebration, and no one present felt it was inappropriate, especially since Makarov himself had no objections.
Everyone chattered about what they had seen and heard in the parallel world, and besides the contrasting "Fairy Tail," what left the deepest impression on them was Noah's astonishing feat of reshaping the land.
To put it in perspective, Noah had pieced together a continent roughly the same size as Ishgar in seven days.
Not being able to witness such a magnificent feat firsthand left the companions who hadn't gone to Edolas feeling a bit regretful.
However, the most regretful was Freed.
Looking at the electric cat Spark perched on Laxus's shoulder, Freed hid in a corner, biting his handkerchief in envy, jealousy, and hatred; he had already begun to regret not following them to the parallel world of Edolas.
"I was here first, but there's no place for me on Laxus's shoulder..."
Noah took in this scene, and upon learning that Laxus had successfully found a cat willing to be his partner, Noah was quite curious about Freed's reaction to it.
As expected, it was truly interesting.
It's a pity that Freed is only male and likes males; everything else is normal, and he doesn't have any yandere tendencies, otherwise, it would have been exciting.
Speaking of cats, Noah picked up the little black cat with a small sword on its back from the table and gently shook it. "Lily, why did you come with us? Did you get tired of working under my dad?"
Due to the different magical environment, Pantherlily's body became the size of a normal cat after coming to Earth Land, but Pantherlily could transform back to his original size at any time, which wouldn't affect his combat power.
Breaking free from Noah's large hand, Pantherlily, who had transformed from a big black cat to a small black cat, remained calm. "King Faust treated me very well; I gave up my command position to fulfill a promise."
A promise?
Before Noah could figure out the situation, Gajeel swiftly snatched Pantherlily and held him in his arms, saying with a boastful expression, "That's right, Pantherlily is my partner now!"
Although Pantherlily and Gajeel's bet was interrupted by Extalia's fall, Pantherlily knew that if they continued fighting, he would undoubtedly lose.
Pantherlily is a trustworthy cat who can accept defeat.
So he became Gajeel's Exceed partner.
This made Gajeel overjoyed, and he couldn't wait to challenge the other cats in the guild with Pantherlily, though no cat accepted, and even Pantherlily himself refused.
By age, Pantherlily was several years older than Happy and Cheese, and his strength was such that he could solo all the cats in the guild except himself with one hand.
After sending Gajeel away, Noah turned and sat down at the bar.
Looking at the busy Mira and Cana, the two barmaids, Noah suddenly remembered something and asked Makarov, who was as usual sitting on the bar counter, "Gramps, do you really not know Gildarts's whereabouts?"
Hearing Noah's voice, Cana couldn't help but stop her work, her gaze somewhat expectant as she looked at Makarov.
Makarov shook his head. "Gildarts took on a Hundred Year Quest; I truly do not know where he is."
A Century Quest refers to a request that no one has been able to complete for over a hundred years since it was posted; the level of danger involved is unimaginable.
But Noah still didn't quite believe that Makarov would have no means of contacting Gildarts; he was the Guild Master, after all, and maintaining contact with the guild's strongest combatant should be standard practice.
Stared at by Noah's scrutinizing gaze, Makarov explained helplessly, "Gildarts and I used a magic Lacrima to communicate, but I haven't been able to reach him for half a year."
"He probably accidentally dropped it sometime, that drunkard."
It was perfectly normal for a drunkard to lose things, especially since, according to Macao and Wakaba, Gildarts's alcohol tolerance was even stronger than Cana's is now.
So Noah didn't delve too deeply.
But if that was the case, would Cana just have to wait indefinitely?
Mira rolled her eyes and said, "Master, could you reveal some of the content of that Hundred Year Quest? Perhaps we could use it to find Gildarts's whereabouts."
Makarov was silent for more than ten seconds, but still agreed.
According to regulations, Century Quests are not allowed to be disclosed to anyone other than the quest taker, but Makarov was the Guild Master, after all.
"The Hundred Year Quest Gildarts accepted requires him to go to a guild called 'Dragon Cry' on the Northern Continent to meet the client, and only then will he learn the details of the quest."
Makarov's words were brief, but Noah was somewhat surprised because he had seen the name of the guild "Dragon Cry" in a book once.
Established over a hundred years ago, "Dragon Cry" was the oldest magic guild in the world.
It was precisely because of the emergence of "Dragon Cry" that countless Mages later banded together for warmth, and magic guilds appeared one after another in a burst, including "Fairy Tail."
When she heard Noah's introduction, Cana was very surprised. "It's actually a request from the oldest magic guild, and a Hundred Year Quest that no one has been able to complete for a hundred years!"
Mira tentatively asked, "How about we prepare to make a trip to the Northern Continent? If we don't find any trace of Gildarts, then it can just be a visit to the world's first magic guild."
Upon hearing that he had to go out again, and cross a vast sea to another continent, Noah reluctantly said, "There's no need to be so hasty, perhaps Gildarts is still in Ishgar..."
Before Noah could finish speaking, Cana interrupted him, retorting, "How many years has Gildarts been out? How could he still not have left Ishgar?"
Makarov's expression suddenly became somewhat complex.
From his understanding of Gildarts, Noah's guess, made up to shirk responsibility, actually had some possibility.
It seemed finding Gildarts would be even more troublesome now.
While Makarov was getting a headache over this, Warrod smiled and sat down next to Noah. "Noah, someone wants to trade for your Space-Time magic."