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Late at night.
Duke, a newcomer, finished the gathering at the tavern. After parting with the members of the Fire Serpents Eye, he returned to his residence in a drunken stupor.
However, the moment he stepped through the door, his entire temperament changed drastically.
The expression he had been wearing—partially foolish and dazed, partially simple and harmless, and partially fearful—vanished without a trace.
The drunkenness in his eyes faded at the same time, becoming exceptionally clear, and even faintly revealing a sharp glint of wisdom.
He walked quickly into the bedroom and took out a pen and a diary from a secret compartment under the bed.
He then walked to the desk and began to write.
"Who would have thought that the Fire Serpents Eye had actually joined the Dark Alliance and even made a move against Fairy Tail."
"This matter must be reported back to the Council immediately—"
Scribble, scribble, scribble—
Duke wrote furiously. In less than three minutes, he had recorded all the intelligence he had gathered today into the notebook.
After a while, he stopped his pen and cast a spell.
Ding—
A magic circle emerged on the notebook.
In the next moment, the words he had just written completely dissipated!
"Phew—"
"This undercover work is truly not easy!"
In the Fairy Tail guild in Magnolia.
Weston was hosting a 'expert'.
"Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Zanke."
"If you hadn't brought in a doctor who knows healing magic, my two partners wouldn't have recovered so quickly."
From his appearance, this 'expert' was just a plain-looking middle-aged man in his forties with a lazy temperament.
But in reality, he had another identity: he was a high-ranking official of the current Council, one of the nine Councilors!
"Guild Master Weston, you are far too polite!"
"Being able to help you is my honor!"
A kind smile spread across Zanke's face.
"If anyone should be giving thanks, it should be me thanking you."
"If it weren't for your existence, I wouldn't have been able to sit in this position. I'll have to ask your guild for more guidance in the future."
In fact, Zanke had only become a Councilor in the last two months.
He was originally the Captain-General of the Mandatory Detention Squad of the Fiore Kingdom Council branch, also known as the 'Enforcement Captain'.
In terms of status, he was the same as Executive chief Larry, whom Weston met in Chapter 79.
But a while ago, Weston became one of the Ten Wizard Saints, which greatly enhanced the Fiore Kingdom's international status in Ishgar. Coupled with the retirement of a certain Councilor, Zanke successfully rose to the position.
Therefore, his attitude towards Weston and Fairy Tail was very respectful.
A few days ago, after Hugh and Stuart were injured, Weston immediately contacted Larry to ask for help in finding a Wizard who knew healing magic.
But Larry was merely an Executive chief of a branch. His authority was still somewhat insufficient to access the records of Wizards registered with the Council.
Furthermore, since this incident was a conflict between Fairy Tail and the Fire Serpents Eye and could likely escalate into a war between Magic Guilds, it had to be handled with caution.
Thus, Larry reported the situation to Zanke.
Upon receiving the news, Zanke immediately set out to find someone and brought them to Magnolia in less than two days.
After three consecutive days of treatment, Hugh and Stuart's injuries were largely healed. Not only were their lives saved, but even Hugh's hands, which were in the worst condition, were improving.
"The medical issue is resolved, but I wonder about the other matter. Is there any news from the Council?"
"Where exactly is the base of those bastards from the Fire Serpents Eye?"
Hearing Weston bring up this topic, Zanke's expression immediately turned serious: "What a coincidence, I was just about to tell you about that."
"Back then, you destroyed the City of Outlaws and sent the members of Dark Night Scorpions to the Council for us to interrogate."
"Upon learning that there was a business involving Demonization Potions between Dark Night Scorpions and the Fire Serpents Eye, the Council did not dare to be careless. So from that moment on, we focused our attention on this guild and launched a relevant investigation."
"Until a month ago, we finally identified their headquarters and sent someone to infiltrate it."
"Based on the information sent back during this period, the Council discovered that behind the Fire Serpents Eye, there is a power called the 'Dark Alliance'."
The Dark Alliance?
Isn't it Tartaros?
Weston was slightly stunned: "What is the background of this Dark Alliance?"
"The Dark Alliance is an alliance formed by a group of Dark Guilds."
"According to the investigation, their alliance has already absorbed more than 70 Dark Guilds, and the Fire Serpents Eye is just one of them!"
"The relationships between these guilds are complex, and their styles of operation vary."
"But they have a common purpose, which is to deal with Light Guilds, destroy the stability and order of various countries, seize power and status, and obtain money and strength. They aim to become the exact opposite of the Council in the Magic World."
Just like light and darkness, police and thieves, or the navy and pirates, they naturally stand on opposite sides.
The Dark Alliance wants to be an 'evil version' of the Council, ruling the Magic World of Ishgar on another level.
The severity of this matter was even worse than the Balam Alliance in the original story.
However—
"Does this have anything to do with us?"
"Of course it does!"
Zanke's expression was grave: "According to the information sent back by the undercover agent we sent to the Fire Serpents Eye, their move against Fairy Tail this time was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a long-planned scheme."
"And it's not just the Fire Serpents Eye acting alone; they have already contacted more than a dozen Dark Guilds in secret!"
"Whether it was attacking your partners or leaving the guild emblem on them as a provocation, it was all to lure you into seeking revenge, so they could take the opportunity to wipe you out in one fell swoop."
"Without a doubt, this is a trap!"
What?!
There was actually such a hidden story behind this?!
The Fire Serpents Eye couldn't have targeted Fairy Tail just for a simple reason like standing up for Dark Night Scorpions—
Then what do they want?
For fame, for profit?
That was the most likely possibility!
What Weston could think of, Zanke naturally could too.
"Nowadays, Fairy Tail is the number one guild in the Fiore Kingdom, and you are one of the Ten Wizard Saints. In this regard, you can already be called the face of the Light Guilds."
"If they can take you out, these guilds can obtain an extremely high status within the Dark Alliance."
"I think that is the reason they are targeting Fairy Tail."
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