The next day, the guild courtyard was transformed into a festive scene, lined with stalls of all sizes.
Colorful lanterns were strung from one end of the courtyard to the other, and a banner read "Fairy Tail Harvest Festival Food Fair," while flags bearing the guild's emblem fluttered in the breeze.
Each stall was decorated with its own unique style.
The air was filled with the aroma of various foods—the charred scent of grilled meat, the milky fragrance of desserts, and the fresh scent of fruit—all mingling together to entice passing residents to stop frequently.
The residents of Magnolia flocked in; children ran back and forth between the stalls, while adults held plates, eating and chatting, creating a lively atmosphere like a New Year's celebration.
Jason, a reporter for the Weekly Sorcerer, heard that the Fairy Tail Guild was hosting an event and hurried over, eager and excited.
Carrying his camera on his back and a notebook in his hand, he jogged through the guild gates, his face full of excitement.
Makarov was very welcoming; after all, who wouldn't want free publicity?
He specially arranged an optimal interview route for Jason.
Jason's eyes lit up with excitement, and he rubbed his hands together, preparing to interview everyone one by one.
As soon as he entered, he pulled out his notebook, his pen dancing across the paper, muttering to himself as he recorded every detail.
Meanwhile, Lucy was also very excited, standing behind her own stall, occasionally standing on tiptoe to look toward Jason, fantasizing about being interviewed.
She had already prepared her introduction lines and had even restyled her hair three times, just waiting for Jason to walk over.
"When Jason asks me questions, I'll answer elegantly, and then the next day, my photo will be on the cover of the Weekly Sorcerer with the headline 'Fairy Tail's Rising Star'..."
Happy poured cold water on her from the side: "Lucy's fantasies are starting again."
When Jason arrived at the first stall, he saw the people behind it at a glance and was so excited he almost threw his notebook away.
"COOL! It's the legendary Ice-Make Mage Gray, who likes to go shirtless! The former Phantom Lord S-Class Rain Woman Juvia! And there's even a wooden puppet!"
Ur scratched her head; she wasn't angry about being called a "wooden puppet" and couldn't be bothered to introduce herself, to avoid causing trouble for Riyao.
After all, her current identity was a puppet body "resurrected" by Riyao, and if people kept asking, it would be too troublesome to explain.
She stood silently behind the stall, responsible for the simplest task of filling cups.
Gray stood in the center of the stall, his upper body predictably bare, his muscle definition standing out sharply in the sunlight.
He picked up a fresh lemon, tossed it into the air, and formed an ice blade in his right hand.
With a flick of his wrist and a few "swish, swish, swish" cuts, the lemon was sliced into neat pieces in mid-air, and as they fell, he caught them steadily in a container without a single drop of juice splashing out.
"Juvia, some water." Gray said without turning his head.
Juvia obediently reached out her hand, and balls of pure water shot from her palms.
"Yes, Gray-sama." Her voice was sickeningly sweet, and a Happy blush covered her face.
Gray condensed the water balls in the air into ice balls, which fell into the container.
Then, he formed an ice club and pounded them vigorously; the ice balls shattered and reformed under his club, the tartness of the lemon and the refreshing sweetness of the ice water fully squeezed and fused together, emitting a dull "thud, thud, thud" sound.
Many young girls in front of the stall looked at Gray, shirtless and pounding lemons, with infatuated smiles on their faces.
Some covered their mouths to peek, some stared openly without hiding it, and others took out Crystal Balls to secretly record.
Juvia noticed these gazes and her expression changed.
She immediately spread her arms to try and block their view, moving sideways to stand in front of Gray, steam rising from the top of her head.
"Don't look! Don't look! Gray-sama belongs to Juvia alone!"
She scanned every female customer looking at Gray with a gloomy gaze, her eyes seemingly saying, "Try looking one more time."
Finally, Juvia added water to dilute it, and Ur was responsible for pouring it into cups and sealing them, her movements clean and efficient, with cup after cup of lemonade arranged neatly on the counter.
"Your lemonade, here you go." Ur handed a cup to a customer in line, her tone flat.
Jason excitedly took a cup and took a big gulp; the icy lemonade slid down his throat, sweet and tart with the texture of ice shards, instantly waking him up.
"COOL! This is magical lemonade! The perfect collaboration between an Ice-Make Mage and a Rain Woman!"
Gray lifted his chin proudly, while Juvia happily emitted steam on the side.
Jason, holding the lemonade, headed to the next stall, and his eyes lit up again; he almost dropped his notebook.
"COOL! It's the Fairy Tail Guild's Shadow Gear team! And the former Phantom Lord S-Class Iron Dragon Gajeel!"
Gajeel's hands turned into iron spatulas, stir-frying ingredients on a sizzling hot iron plate.
His movements were rough but rhythmic; the collision of the iron spatulas against the iron plate made a "clang, clang" sound, and the ingredients flew into the air and landed steadily back on the plate, oil splattering and the aroma wafting through the air.
"Hey, you plant-user, pour the batter and stop stealing the side dishes!" Gajeel shouted without looking up.
Droy was still chewing on a piece of tempura flake; he wasn't embarrassed even after being caught, slowly pouring the batter, which spread out on the iron plate with a "sizzle."
"If it weren't for Levy, I wouldn't listen to you." He muttered, then secretly stuffed a piece of shrimp into his mouth.
Jet quickly prepared the shredded cabbage, shrimp, squid, tempura flakes, and other ingredients; his knife skills were clean, and he chopped so fast only afterimages could be seen, with every cut being uniform in size.
"Levy, look how fast I chopped!" After finishing a whole head of cabbage, Jet proudly sought praise from Levy.
Levy was responsible for helping with portioning, using a small spatula to scoop the monjayaki onto paper bowls, her movements nimble and quick, with each portion being about the same size.
She handed a portion to Jason with a proud smile.
"Try the monjayaki we made!"
Jason took the paper bowl, scooped a spoonful with a small spoon, and put it in his mouth; the charred aroma of the batter paired with the crispness of the cabbage, the fresh sweetness of the shrimp, and the crunch of the tempura flakes created a rich, layered texture that was astonishing.
"COOL! This is magical monjayaki! The perfect combination of the Iron Dragon and Shadow Gear!"
Gajeel snorted and continued stir-frying, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Droy stole another piece of squid, and this time he wasn't caught.
Jason walked toward the next stall while eating, his eyes lighting up again, and he almost spilled the monjayaki in his hand.
"COOL! It's Fairy Tail's sniper Bisca and quick-draw Alzack!"
A bunch of children gathered in front of Bisca and Alzack's stall, all craning their necks, eyes sparkling, stomping their feet in excitement.
The two were using maltose to draw various firearms on stone slabs, their techniques skillful; the syrup seemed to have a life of its own under their hands, outlining smooth lines.
Bisca was drawing a 98K sniper rifle; the syrup flowed from the muzzle to the stock in one go, even drawing the details of the scope.
Finally, she stuck a bamboo skewer to it and lifted it up; a golden 98K sugar painting was complete.
"Wow! So cool!" The children exclaimed.
Alzack, on the other side, was not to be outdone; he was drawing an AK47, with the curvature of the gun body and the angle of the magazine perfectly captured; the syrup flowed from his fingertips as if he were drawing a precise blueprint.
"Making yours, making yours, after yours is done, I'll make yours."
Alzack's syrup never stopped moving, and a Gatling gun was taking shape, with all six barrels clearly defined.
"Alzack, we need a Fire Kirin here."
Bisca pointed to a little boy in line who was standing on tiptoe, waiting eagerly.
Alzack acknowledged, and with a flick of his wrist, the syrup danced on the stone slab.
The little boy took the Fire Kirin sugar painting, holding it carefully and admiring it, reluctant to eat it; he immediately turned around to use it to have a sniper duel with his friend.
"Rat-a-tat-tat... My Gatling gun is better than yours!"
"Not true! My 98K can get a headshot in one shot!"
The children ran around the courtyard holding their sugar paintings, making various gun sound effects with their mouths, having a blast.
The parents stood by, smiling and shaking their heads, thinking that the sugar paintings were made too realistically.
Jason said with renewed excitement, the writing in his notebook almost flying off the page.
"COOL! This is magical firearm sugar painting! The romance of the sniper and the quick-draw!"
Jason was too embarrassed to snatch a sugar painting from the children, so he regretfully took one last look at the Fire Kirin and continued walking.
After walking a few steps, his eyes lit up again, and he almost tripped over his own feet.
"It's the exotic lady of the Fairy Tail Guild, Cana!"
Cana's stall was the simplest; a long table was filled with various wine bottles and barrels, from beer to red wine to spirits, everything was available.
A crooked sign stood on the table, reading "Help yourself to drinks, until it's all gone."
And Cana herself was asleep on the table, her face pressed against the surface, one hand still hugging a wine bottle, a trace of drool hanging from the corner of her mouth, emitting steady snoring sounds.
"Zzzz..."
Occasionally, when residents came to pour drinks, she would dazedly raise a hand, mumble "Drink whatever," and then lay back down to continue sleeping.
Jason watched this scene, stunned for two seconds, then still gave a very supportive thumbs-up and scribbled furiously in his notebook.
"COOL! This is the alcohol that makes even Mages drunk! Even the stall owner herself is drunk! This is the true exotic lady!"
Cana turned over and muttered, "One more cup..."
Jason respectfully poured her a cup of wine and placed it by her hand, then continued toward the next stall, his notebook already densely filled with writing, while he kept muttering to himself.
"COOL COOL COOL..."