After putting away their luggage, Hope and the other three went to the hotel's first-floor restaurant to meet up with their companions and shared his hypothesis with everyone.
Upon hearing about the miraculous function of that small drink, everyone was quite astonished. Only Natsu, with his peculiar way of thinking, shamelessly went to the waiter again to ask for more.
This scene filled Kurnugi's calm face with question marks. He subconsciously asked everyone, "Does the Fire Dragon King's adopted son usually live very frugally?"
Everyone:...The ellipses represent everyone's feelings at this moment.
Seeing that no one answered, Kurnugi felt he was right and continued in a probing tone, "Although I am a dragon, because I travel the continent, I occasionally take on tasks from the Bounty Hunter Guild to earn money, so I have some savings. I can sponsor Natsu some money."
The Sword Saint Dragon is a kind-hearted dragon.
But Natsu is not someone who can save money.
It's just that major events have been happening one after another in recent months, giving this kid no chance to cause destruction. No destruction means no compensation, which is why he managed to save some money.
Moreover, Natsu asking the waiter for drinks had nothing to do with having money or not; it was purely out of curiosity.
Watching Natsu chug three more bottles of the drink under the waiter's astonished gaze not far away, Lucy couldn't bear it anymore. "Natsu, the effect of the drink should be continuous. You don't need to drink so much."
Natsu smacked his lips, "I need to drink more, what if we have to go underwater to find a dragon tomorrow?"
It really is you... Lucy helplessly massaged her forehead.
Soon, the seafood feast everyone ordered was served. Two long tables had to be put together just to barely fit it all. Natsu, who was full of water, could only watch everyone feast with longing eyes.
After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to rest, but they were all curious about what would happen tonight, so none of them actually slept.
Until late at night, the change finally came.
Feeling an extremely subtle tremor, Hope's eyes moved slightly, and he walked to the window to look outside.
The magic streetlights on the street were still bright, but water was seeping out from the cracks in the stone pavement, not just a drop or two, but gushing out like a spring.
"This is..." Erza also came to the window, and the distant sight made her pupils suddenly constrict.
On the coastline outside the town, a huge wall of water was rising. The towering giant wave, almost connecting with the Sky and spanning the entire field of vision, glowed with a faint blue light under the moonlight.
"Tsunami?!" Cana was so scared that her wine no longer tasted good.
"No." Hope calmly looked at the water wall. "Look closely, the wave crest has no intention of moving forward."
Indeed, after reaching its peak, the huge wave did not crash down to engulf the town; instead, it seemed to be held up by an invisible hand, slowly submerging Ermina little by little.
At the same time, the entire town began to slowly sink.
It was like sitting on a giant elevator, steadily and quickly descending into the ocean.
In less than ten minutes, the second floor of the hotel was already a vast expanse of water, and soon the seawater completely swallowed the building.
Looking at the room that had become an underwater world, Mirajane blew a bubble, "We can really breathe underwater, and even talk."
A figure tapped on the glass from outside the window; it was Natsu and Happy. "Look, Hope! We're in the sea now!"
"Aye! We're in the sea!"
Happy excitedly stuck out his tongue, "So many fish! So many fish!"
Lucy and Wendy had already changed into swimsuits and were playing in the sea. Even the usually reserved Carla rarely showed the curiosity a kitten should have.
The spectacle of the underwater world prompted the other companions to leave the hotel one after another. Hope and his three companions were naturally among them, but compared to Gray and the others who were still using the main entrance, going through the window was more convenient.
As soon as he came out, Hope ran into the hotel owner, who had turned into a fish again. "It seems all our guests are adapting well. That drink can help creatures other than fish live in the water."
Erza looked at the vastly different schools of fish. "These fish, like you, are all residents of this city, right?"
"That's right. To have fun underwater, we either learn 'Transformation' magic or ask a Mage for help to transform into our favorite fish form when night falls."
The hotel owner's explanation was almost identical to Hope's guess. He glanced at Cana, who was having a drinking contest with a great white shark, and his mouth twitched slightly.
Kurnugi came closer. With a dragon's physique, he could breathe underwater even without the drink. He asked the owner, "What exactly happened to this city? It seems you've all grown accustomed to this life."
"It's nothing major, just a high tide that eventually submerged all of Ermina."
"Then why do you all maintain human forms during the day?"
"What kind of question is that? If we were fish, wouldn't we scare the children?"
"You were a fish the first time I saw you..."
Kurnugi seemed aloof, but in reality, when he encountered a topic of interest, he became an unstoppable chatterbox.
Erza and Mirajane had changed into swimsuits and gone to play in the water. Hope, however, did not admire this beautiful scene but quietly left and went to a building near the town entrance.
There, a man with light blue hair and a pair of horns on his head was leaning against the window sill, silently watching Lucy playing with Wendy, until Hope's figure blocked his view.
"Staring at girls isn't polite, or is the dignified Water God Dragon actually a lecherous fellow?"
"I wasn't looking at her."
Melkobia looked up. "So you are the helpers Elefseria invited this time? Four Dragon Slayer Mages, quite a grand gesture."
"You should also add the Council. And there are five of us Dragon Slayer Mages in total. Don't overlook them just because I'm too strong." Hope twirled a finger, and a magic barrier silently enveloped the two of them.
"The Council..."
Melkobia then remembered that there was also such an organization wanting to deal with the Five Dragon Gods. The Kiltina Council had lost much of its presence under Ignia's suppression. If Hope hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten.
"So, human, did you come alone, intending to defeat me with just your own strength? That might be a bit overconfident." Melkobia's tone was calm, as if he was advising Hope to leave.
"You misunderstood."
Hope sat down in the water, arrogantly crossing his legs, "Even if all five of you Dragon Gods come together, I'll still fight you just the same."
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