Chapter 4: Fairy Tail

"Ah? Just for this reason, they modified the town?" Alex thought the person who made this decision must be out of their mind. With the money spent on transforming the town, they could have repaired numerous damaged houses.

"Right? I think so too. These people are just crazy. I don't space out that often, yet they created such a thing," Gildarts said, getting more animated.

"And now, they keep talking about the 'Gildarts mode.' It seems like I've become a big villain in everyone's mind." Gildarts continued, "It makes me feel awkward to come back every time."

"How many houses did you destroy because of your daydreaming?" Alex asked.

Gildarts thought for a moment and said, "Not that many. Last time, it was 21 houses."

"The time before that was 18 houses."

"And the time before that was 24 houses."

"And further back, I can't remember." Gildarts gave up trying to recall.

Alex widened his eyes and sighed, "Now I understand why they have this mode."

"Are you a bulldozer?" Destroying everything in sight, Alex finally understood the residents' decision in Magnolia.

"A bulldozer?" Gildarts had never heard of the term and asked in confusion.

"Nothing, it's a compliment." Alex waved his hand dismissively.

"A compliment? Well, I have a lot of good qualities. Back in the day, those girls were irresistibly in love with me because of my many virtues," Gildarts boasted.

Hearing such bragging, Alex silently disdained this unreliable uncle.

Soon, the two arrived at the entrance of the Fairy Tail guild.

Looking at the guild, which resembled a tavern, and the banner hanging above, Alex remarked, "Fairy Tail, what a strange name."

Gildarts smiled slightly and said, "Fairy Tail... Do fairies have tails?"

"Hmm?" Alex looked more puzzled as he listened to Gildarts' rhetorical question, glancing at Gildarts' smiling face.

The conversation continued, "We don't know. We don't even know if fairies exist. Because of this, the name represents eternal mystery and eternal adventure."

"Listening to you, this name seems to have a deeper meaning," Alex sighed.

"Of course, it's a great guild," Gildarts laughed as he pushed the door open.

The door opened slowly, and with Alex's anticipation, they entered. Gildarts had been describing how wonderful the guild was throughout the journey, making Alex eager to see it for himself.

As the door opened, the scene inside made Alex's eyes widen.

Inside, there was an incredibly noisy commotion. People were shouting insults at each other, and fights broke out at the drop of a hat. Plates, cups, and chairs were flying through the air.

"Uncle, this is the great guild you talked about?" Alex slowly turned his head to look at Gildarts.

At this moment, Gildarts' face was covered in black lines, and several "井" marks appeared on his forehead, clearly indicating his anger.

"Hey, you guys, that's enough!" Finally, a shoe hit Gildarts' face, and he couldn't take it anymore, shouting out loud.

He had just been boasting about how great the guild was, hoping to lure this talented young man into the guild, but now these people were ruining his image.

With Gildarts' roar, everyone in the guild quieted down.

"Gildarts, welcome back." At this moment, Alex noticed a very short old man dressed in a jester outfit sitting at the bar, speaking up.

However, Alex could tell from the old man's tipsy appearance that he had drunk a lot of alcohol.

Seeing that the situation had calmed down, Gildarts nodded in satisfaction and greeted the old man with a smile, "Yo, Master, I'm back."

Then, turning to Alex, he said, "Haha, let me tell you, although this guild may seem chaotic, everyone here is very kind."

"It's just a... uh... a way to bond, yes, that's it." Gildarts struggled to come up with a reasonable explanation.

"Why do I feel like I've been tricked by you?" Alex asked doubtfully.

"Haha, nothing of the sort. Come, let me introduce you to the Master," Gildarts laughed and quickly changed the subject.

Saying this, Gildarts led Alex to the bar. From Gildarts' and the old man's conversation earlier, Alex knew that this old man was the guild master.

As they approached, the old man at the bar spoke, "Gildarts, who is this?" The old man looked at Alex with a slightly confused gaze.

Alex whispered, "Is the Master drunk?"

However, the old man heard Alex's words and immediately became displeased, saying, "Kid, I'm not drunk. I can still drink a barrel. This little bit of alcohol is nothing, nothing at all," he said, waving his hands dismissively.

At this moment, Alex deeply felt that there wasn't a single reliable person in this guild.

"Master, his name is Alex Blaze. I met him in the Western Wilderness Forest. He had nowhere else to go, so I, Kid- uh, introduced him to our guild," Gildarts hastily corrected himself mid-sentence.

Alex was covered in black lines. Did he just say he kidnapped me? This place doesn't seem all that trustworthy. However, thinking it over, he hadn't sensed any malice from these people. After all, he had lived two lives and had faced society's harshness early on in his previous life.

He could still distinguish between good and bad people.

Besides, isn't there an old saying? "Since you're here, you might as well stick around." What else could he do but tough it out?

"This is our Master, Makarov," Gildarts introduced, pointing to the old man.

"Hello, Master Makarov," Alex greeted politely.

Makarov turned his attention to Alex, and upon sensing the vast magical power within him, his previously clouded eyes suddenly cleared up.

"Master, Alex is really strong! I've brought you a monster kid!" Gildarts whispered excitedly to Makarov.

Alex noticed the peculiar glint in their eyes as they looked at him.

"Ugh, do these two have some weird hobby?" Alex wondered if he should run if things got too strange.

In fact, the Fairy Tail guild was in a dire state. Besides Gildarts, they had no other S-class wizards. Below him, there was no one else worth mentioning. Makarov often sighed at the sight of his guild members lounging around, drinking all day.

While Laxus had great potential, one strong member couldn't sustain a guild. Despite Makarov's outward indifference, he was deeply anxious. He didn't want the guild he had poured his life into to fall into decline.

So, seeing someone with immense potential like Alex made Makarov's eyes light up with excitement.

Makarov immediately jumped off the bar: "Come on, kid, let's get your emblem!" He eagerly grabbed Alex's hand and dragged him towards the bar.

Alex was bewildered by Makarov's urgency. What if he had second thoughts later?

"Kid, where do you want your emblem? And what color?" Makarov asked, holding the stamp expectantly. Alex sighed inwardly.

"Fine, I'll stay for now and see how it goes. I have nowhere else to go anyway," Alex thought, then said, "On my left shoulder, and make it red."

Soon, a red Fairy Tail emblem appeared on Alex's left shoulder, looking like a dancing fairy.

With everything settled, Makarov jumped back on the bar and shouted, "You brats, welcome our new member, Alex!"

"Yeah!"

"Hello, newbie! Welcome to the guild!"

"Hahaha, another new member! Our guild is getting livelier!"

"Wow, such a cute little boy!"

Hearing the cheers, Alex felt a warm feeling inside, though he did wonder where that last voice came from.

"Let's have a party to celebrate the new member!" Makarov declared, raising his beer mug.

"Yeah! Party time!" The guild members raised their glasses, laughter echoing through the hall.

Watching this scene, Alex felt a surge of happiness.

"How do you like it? Pretty good, right?" Gildarts asked with a smile.

"Yes, it feels very joyful," Alex replied, smiling as well. It had been a long time since he felt this way.

...

As night fell, the party wound down. The place was a mess, with tables and chairs scattered everywhere and people lying around in various positions.

During this time, Alex had met many Fairy Tail members, like a pervert named Gray who liked to strip, a quiet girl named Cana, an uncle who loved to smoke named Wakaba, and another uncle who loved to drink named Macao.

Everyone was very enthusiastic. Alex smiled as he looked at the scene before him and continued drinking his milk.

Cana approached him, "Alex, do you have a place to stay?"

Alex looked up at her and smiled, "Since I don't have any money, the Master let me stay in the boys' dormitory for now. He said I could owe the rent and pay it back after I start working."

Cana nodded in understanding, then asked, "Are you close with Gildarts?"