"Um… Mr. Jude, you've probably heard of Fairy Tail's reputation, right?"
The expression on Moen's face was rather strange, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, yet his conscience still made him choose to give Jude a reminder.
"Of course. Fairy Tail's great reputation is something I couldn't possibly not have heard of. You are the number one wizard guild in the Kingdom of Fiore. Even the king has to give Guild Master Makarov face! Otherwise, I wouldn't have sought cooperation with you."
Jude spoke frankly. He had set his sights on Fairy Tail's renowned name to begin with, and in truth, Moen's current fame had also given him a reminder, allowing him to truly see the enormous influence of wizards.
"…Alright."
Moen pursed his lips and didn't say anything more.
He didn't know whether Jude truly hadn't heard of Fairy Tail's destructive reputation, or whether he simply felt that such matters were irrelevant. In any case, once the railway was completed, the Heartfilia Conglomerate would profit.
"How about it? Would you consider it? I'm very sincere. I can offer thirty percent of the profits as Fairy Tail's share. Once the railway is built, you won't need to do anything and can continuously receive dividends."
Jude looked at Moen expectantly. Moen's immense fame was one aspect, but his surname, "Dreyar," was the real key.
In Jude's view, talking with Moen was enough to influence Fairy Tail's decisions. Especially after witnessing Moen's uniqueness, he was even more convinced that this child held an extraordinary position within Fairy Tail.
"This is indeed a good thing. Personally, I'm willing to act as a mediator for you. However, Mr. Jude, you must think carefully. Cooperating with Fairy Tail will indeed bring many conveniences, but it also comes with many constraints. If you do anything improper during future cooperation, we will not show mercy."
Moen spoke slowly. He had always liked to lay out the unpleasant words in advance.
If Jude thought he could act however he pleased under Fairy Tail's name, Moen would make him understand why Fairy Tail, despite its bad reputation, had remained standing, because they never oppressed the weak and never did anything with a guilty conscience. Their sense of justice was absolute.
"Please rest assured. Our Heartfilia Conglomerate has always operated with integrity. We emphasize honesty and would never engage in fraud or deception. We absolutely will not tarnish Fairy Tail's reputation."
Jude's expression turned solemn as he immediately made his promise.
"Very well. I'll go back and discuss it with everyone. Once there's a result, I'll contact you. It won't take too long."
Moen nodded. Having this attitude was enough for now. As for what came next, it would depend on how the Heartfilia Conglomerate actually acted. Words alone were useless, what mattered was action.
"That's wonderful! Then I'll await good news!"
Jude clapped his hands happily. Although he had paid quite a price, as long as he could break into the southern market, it would all be worth it. Without making such sacrifices, he didn't even know whether he could enter the southern market within the next ten years.
With the discussion mostly settled, Jude became even more enthusiastic toward Moen. What he didn't know was that Moen was already planning to push the profit share even higher. After all, without them, Jude definitely couldn't pull this off. There was clearly room for further negotiation.
After the two chatted for a while, Master Voltava finally arrived late. He was an old man with a very "wizardly" aura. What did "wizardly" mean? A long white beard, a robe, and a pointed hat, the classic old wizard image, something like Gandalf or Dumbledore.
"Master Voltava, greetings."
Both Moen and Jude stood up to greet the old man. Regardless of status, someone of that age deserved respect.
"You are Moen Dreyar?"
Voltava looked Moen up and down, then shook his head and chuckled, though it was unclear what he was laughing about.
"That's right."
Moen nodded, thinking to himself, what does this old man mean? Why does his attitude feel strange? They hadn't met before, had they?
"Ahem, actually, I'm also a wizard."
Noticing the change in Moen's expression, Voltava coughed lightly and smiled as he spoke. Moen had already noticed this—there were magical fluctuations around the old man. Though not strong, he was indeed a wizard.
"Don't tell me…"
Moen's expression grew strange.
"That's right. I'm also a Celestial Spirit Mage."
Voltava smiled as he spoke. Now it all made sense. The way he had been examining Moen was naturally because Moen was also a "Celestial Spirit Mage."
"Ahem, so you're a senior."
This time it was Moen's turn to cough lightly. He also understood why Voltava's attitude had been odd, this old man had likely heard of his magic and knew it was completely different from conventional Celestial Spirit Magic.
"Moen, you've really brought great honor to us Celestial Spirit Mages. It's just that your Celestial Spirit Magic is a bit… strange."
As expected, Voltava spoke with a smile. His words carried more teasing than anything else, and there was no other intent behind them. He didn't seem like someone trying to correct the name of Celestial Spirit Magic.
"What does it matter? It's just a name."
Moen replied with a smile. The old man's attitude was quite friendly.
"I've made Celestial Spirit Magic so famous. That can also make others think twice when dealing with Celestial Spirit Mages. Maybe it'll even cause other Celestial Spirit Mages to face a bit less trouble."
Moen spoke very seriously, causing Voltava to freeze for a moment.
"So we should be thanking you, then?"
Voltava looked speechless. Good grief—after Moen put it that way, he'd somehow become a benefactor to all Celestial Spirit Mages.
"No need to thank me. I'm just that helpful."
Moen smiled and waved his hand. While he wouldn't go so far as to consider himself the benefactor of Celestial Spirit Mages, he still felt that his reasoning made some sense. To people who didn't know the truth, encountering a Celestial Spirit Mage would definitely make them tremble a little.
"You little brat…"
Voltava pointed at Moen, shook his head, and laughed.
"You want to learn the harp from me?"
Before coming here, Voltava had clearly already known the reason he was summoned.
"That's right, Master Voltava. I want to learn the harp."
Moen nodded seriously. He felt that the old man Voltava was quite interesting, and apprenticing under him wouldn't feel uncomfortable.
If Voltava were a very annoying person, Moen would instead have to reconsider—perhaps establishing a purely monetary relationship would be better.
"No need to learn from me. I'll find you an even better teacher, a true harp master. My harp playing was learned from her."
Looking at Moen, Voltava fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled as he spoke. There was an inexplicable happiness in his words, which made Moen frown slightly, feeling that something wasn't quite right.
"I am the one who connects the path to the Celestial Spirit World; you who respond to my call, pass through the gate. Open, the Gate of the Lyra Constellation—Lyra!"
Under Moen's gaze, Voltava directly took out a key and summoned a Celestial Spirit and it was the Lyra Constellation Spirit!
As the Celestial Spirit gate opened, a young girl with curly brown hair appeared, with a harp placed beside her.
"Voltava, why did you suddenly call me out? Did you write some new piece again? Hurry up and play it for me to hear!"
The Lyra Celestial Spirit named Lyra had a very lively personality. The moment she appeared, she began chattering away. She and Voltava clearly had a very good relationship. When Voltava said he learned the harp from Lyra, it wasn't necessarily impossible and Lyra truly was a genuine harp master. The harp was literally how she made her living.
"No, no, Lyra. I called you out because I want you to teach this kid the harp. This kid really wants to learn the harp."
Voltava waved his hand and explained with a smile. Lyra followed his line of sight and looked toward Moen, who had a rather strange expression on his face.
"You want to learn the harp?"
Lyra widened her eyes and asked curiously.
"…Yes."
Moen nodded. Although Voltava summoning the Lyra Celestial Spirit to teach him clearly carried a bit of intentional showmanship, he also had to admit that this teacher was absolutely professional.
"Alright! I'd be happy to help~"
After confirming Moen's intentions, Lyra said with a smile. This Celestial Spirit always wore a smile on her face, her voice pleasant and her personality lively and cheerful. She wasn't the type of Celestial Spirit used for combat—her main function was entertainment, coming out to play music and sing songs.
"How about it, Moen? Is learning the harp with Lyra acceptable?"
Looking at Moen, Voltava asked with a smile. This old man was indeed quite interesting, he simply wanted this fake "Celestial Spirit Mage" to learn the harp from a real Celestial Spirit.
"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"
Moen replied with a helpless smile. Since the old man wanted to help Celestial Spirit Mages regain a bit of face, he'd let him do so. It wasn't a big deal anyway, and directly learning the harp from the Lyra Celestial Spirit might even be beneficial for establishing a connection with the Lyra Constellation.
"Then it's settled. I'll go to Magnolia with you. Every week, except for Mondays and Tuesdays, you can come to learn. In my contract with Lyra, only Mondays and Tuesdays are days when summoning isn't allowed."
Voltava happily finalized the matter. He was extremely decisive and straightforward, not mentioning compensation at all.
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