Chapter 114: I Have a Million Plans

Rhodes was so absorbed in his studies that he missed the big event of posting the results of the "Miss Fairy Tail Contest" at the guild. Fortunately, he already knew the outcome in advance.

First place was, of course, Mira, who took home the 500,000 J prize. Second place went to Erza, who put on quite a show, though some people seemed to enjoy the thrill. Surprisingly, third place went to Cana, as it seemed quite a few spectators couldn't forget the drunk beauty who didn't display any magic.

However, these rankings weren't all that important since there were no prizes beyond first place. It just gave everyone something to talk about.

By the time Rhodes left the library, everyone had already gone home. Mira and Elfman were just about to lock up.

Worm was panting with his tongue out, following at their feet, but when he saw Rhodes, he ran over excitedly. At least he remembered who his master was.

Elfman asked, "So you were still here. Didn't sis say you had a mission?"

Rhodes replied, "Yeah, I was doing some research. We're leaving tomorrow morning."

"Mission..." Mira thought for a moment before simply saying, "Be careful."

"Don't worry, it's just an investigation, nothing too major." Rhodes patted his chest, making a thumping noise.

Mira knew it was the sound of the magic books inside and couldn't help but laugh. This guy really made people feel at ease.

The three walked together for a short while before parting ways at a fork in the road. Elfman said, "Sis, even Rhodes has gone off to work, so I should find a suitable mission for myself tomorrow too."

"Why do you have to say 'even Rhodes'?" Mira was a bit worried about how everyone saw Rhodes. "I just got my salary and prize money, so there's no need to worry about expenses."

"That's why I need to go work. A man can't just rely on his sister!"

"Yes, yes." Mira looked back at Rhodes and wondered if she should pair Elfman with him for a mission next time. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about Elfman getting into trouble or encountering danger. Besides...

Well, no "besides."

...

The next morning, the sunlight wasn't particularly warm, and a breeze made it feel a bit cool.

Since it was a long trip, Rhodes not only carried a backpack but also had a suitcase. He was thinking about learning the Requip Magic in the future, so he could create extra storage space, making travel more convenient.

When he arrived at the station, Gray was already waiting at the entrance, carrying just a shoulder bag.

Rhodes specifically took a look—this guy was actually wearing long pants, a shirt, and a coat.

"Yo!" Gray casually raised a hand in greeting.

"Morning." Rhodes felt that in the time it took him to raise his hand, Gray's coat was already on the ground.

He asked, puzzled, "How do you manage to drop your coat on the ground without even moving your shoulder bag?"

"Huh? What are you talking about... huh?!" Gray hurriedly picked up the coat. "Ahem, let's go buy the tickets."

"Let's wait for Wendy and Carla first?" Rhodes suggested.

"Mr. Rhodes!"

Wendy, carrying a backpack with a small bunny decoration, waved as she ran towards Rhodes.

And then, bang!

Rhodes' shoulder tensed up—did this kid have a "must trip during entry" trait?

He stepped forward to help her up, "Are you okay?"

Wendy patted off the dust from her clothes, politely saying, "I'm fine, thank you, Mr. Rhodes."

"I told you not to be so reckless," Carla, with her arms crossed, walked up calmly. "So, Mr. Makarov said you were coming, but why didn't you say it clearly? I was worried it might be some weirdo."

"Well, there is one weirdo." Rhodes introduced, "This is Gray, the ice mage..."

"Eek!" Wendy covered her eyes, her face turning bright red.

Carla lost it, "Hey, why did you bring a pervert?!"

"..." Rhodes turned to see Gray down to his boxers—people entering the station were walking around them.

The first meeting of this temporary team wasn't going smoothly.

After a minor incident, the four bought three tickets and got on the train, sitting across from each other.

Although the three of them treated Carla like a person, the ticket seller clearly didn't. Rhodes looked at Carla with envy, which made her feel uncomfortable.

A slight blush appeared on the white cat's face. "Don't look at me like that—I didn't mean to ride for free."

"I'm not saying anything," Rhodes replied, "Your weight added to Wendy's is more than enough for them to recover their costs. Stingy station, can't even have a child ticket."

Wendy gave an awkward smile, "Um, Mr. Rhodes, if possible, I'd rather not be treated as a child."

"Ah, sorry, Wendy's an independent mage, certainly not a child."

Carla retorted, "If you really think that, then don't use a tone as if you're coaxing a kid."

"..." There's nothing I can do—Wendy's the first child I've met who's so cute and well-behaved that it's hard not to talk like that.

Gray suddenly asked, "By the way, Carla, what exactly are you and Happy?"

"Hmph! Just think of us as talking cats, you pervert."

"Carla, that was rude." Wendy looked at Gray with apologetic eyes.

Rhodes waved it off, "It's fine. She wasn't wrong."

"Hey!" Gray glared at him.

Rhodes said, "Just try to restrain yourself—really, at least don't strip in public places."

Gray crossed his arms, turning his head away without saying anything. It wasn't like he did it on purpose.

"If you're bored, check this out." Rhodes rummaged through his backpack, taking out the mission report and a few sheets of paper, handing them to Gray.

"Huh? Didn't we go over the mission yesterday... what's this?"

Gray moved the mission report aside, revealing the first page—a simple sketch of the Southern Mountains' outline.

The map had annotations for the target area for the first day's search, the rest area and search area for the second day, and the third day...

The second page detailed which dangerous insects and beasts to avoid, as well as what foods could be easily found.

Regarding water sources, it simply said Gray could melt ice, or they could make do with his text magic.

Further down were instructions for tracking the targets, suitable terrain for concealment, and how to use the Stone Armor Beetle to act as a rock for cover.

Then there were contingency plans for being discovered during tracking, divided into escape and combat plans, each with several sub-plans (A, B, C...).

Lastly, it was written: "Information on the Zat Brothers is insufficient, and their helpers are unknown. Combat must be approached with caution."

Gray was dumbfounded. "Tell me, did you do the same thing when you teamed up with Natsu?"

Rhodes shook his head, "No, I didn't make a plan then. I was inexperienced, and I figured Natsu wouldn't read it anyway, so it was more on-the-fly and verbal."

Gray didn't know what to say. He now understood why Natsu hadn't caused trouble during the extermination mission.

Gray, a senior mage who had been with the guild for over eight years, fell into thought. Is this really the process for a mage's work?