Chapter 529 - 529: Spit It Out So We Can Go Get It Immediately!

Over on the Western Continent, there was another dragon who had metamorphosed from a human—or rather, a Dragon Slayer from 400 years ago. However, worried about his current level of strength, Noah didn't dare seek her out just yet.

There were also a small handful of other living dragons scattered across the other continents. For the same reason, Noah wasn't going to go looking for them until he was absolutely certain his power was sufficient.

Conveniently, Acnologia would inevitably launch an attack in the future. Once the guild's retreat was fully prepared, Noah planned to use that opportunity to go all out and slice off a chunk of Acnologia's biological tissue for research.

It could be said that Noah was doing everything in his power to twist Acnologia's impending assault into something highly beneficial for himself and everyone in Fairy Tail. As the strongest dragon in existence, the properties of Acnologia's flesh and blood would undoubtedly be far superior to any other dragon's, which, in some ways, would actually make the research process smoother.

Furthermore, analyzing the biological mechanisms behind the dragons' immense lifespans and applying them to humans wouldn't trigger the Ankhseram Curse.

Because this wasn't violating the boundaries of life and death; it was simply extending a natural lifespan.

The most obvious proof was the Dragon Slayers themselves. Turning into dragons had allowed them to shatter the limitations of human lifespans, yet none of them had triggered the Ankhseram Curse. Therefore, Noah wasn't worried that discovering a method for lifespan extension would end up cursing everyone.

However, this research was likely going to take quite a long time to complete. Having other samples for comparison would certainly speed up the process. So, Noah planned to advance his current research to a certain stage before traveling to the Western Continent. He would find that particular Dragon Slayer, help solve her problems, and have her assist him in return.

But her problems were incredibly massive as well, meaning Noah needed to make significant preparations before making contact.

The simplest and most direct preparation was increasing his own strength. If he was strong enough, those problems would become exponentially easier to solve.

But all of that was for the future. Right now, Noah had to handle what was right in front of him.

Ever since returning from the Celestial Spirit World after fighting Acnologia, Noah felt like he hadn't had a moment's rest. There were simply too many things demanding his attention. If it weren't for his ability to manifest numerous solid Thought Projections to help out, he honestly wouldn't have been able to manage it all.

Thankfully, there was light at the end of the tunnel. The project nearing completion fastest was the modification of the airship.

The Grimoire Heart airship was already a highly functional vessel equipped with virtually every facility one might need. However, as it had belonged to a Dark Guild, it was riddled with inhumane and unsavory features that Noah needed to completely strip out and overhaul.

Tearing those sections out freed up a massive amount of internal space, allowing him to add numerous new facilities.

Simultaneously, Noah had to entirely redesign the airship's underlying architecture, including the power system, flight control system, offensive and defensive arrays, and ecological life-support systems.

This was because many of the original designs didn't fit Fairy Tail's style or requirements, nor were they compatible with the various magical systems Noah typically designed. He had no choice but to rebuild them from the ground up.

But a rebuilt and redesigned airship meant he could use it with total peace of mind, and it made adding custom functions later much easier. So, Noah didn't complain too much.

He also selected several suitable suggestions from the guild members and incorporated them into the design, maximizing the airship's comfort and warmth. Noah intended to forge this airship into their mobile guildhall; if they ever needed to travel for extended periods, this vessel would be their home.

Even during normal, day-to-day operations, the airship would provide everyone with a comfortable space to rest and relax.

Since it had originally served as Grimoire Heart's headquarters, the airship's dimensions were massive.

After Noah's redesign, it was fully capable of comfortably accommodating around one hundred and fifty people.

In other words, the entire guild could live aboard the airship simultaneously.

Through his redesign, Noah drastically enhanced every aspect of the vessel's performance and packed it full of new features.

With the blueprints finalized, the next step was procuring the necessary materials.

And so, one of Noah's Thought Projections carried the plans back to the guildhall, standing before the bar and clapping his hands.

"Everyone, look over here! I have an announcement to make."

Drawn by Noah's voice, the entire guild turned to look at him.

"I've finalized the modification plans for the airship. Now, I need everyone's help gathering the materials," Noah announced.

"Woah! What's it look like?! Let me see!"

Hearing this, Natsu yelled in excitement.

When he had helped Noah test that magical artifact earlier, Noah had mentioned it would be installed on the airship. Which meant Natsu would finally be able to ride a vehicle like a normal person! And since it was their very own guild's airship, he was naturally buzzing with anticipation.

The others also crowded around, looking at Noah expectantly.

Laxus walked over and simply held his hand out toward Noah, silently demanding a copy.

Noah couldn't help but smile. He pulled out several copies of the blueprints he had prepared beforehand. Tossing one into the air, it slapped perfectly onto the guild's request board and stuck tight.

"Let me see!"

"Don't push!"

"Who shoved me?!"

The guild members instantly swarmed the request board, eagerly examining Noah's designs.

"Here's yours."

Noah placed another copy directly into Laxus's waiting hand.

Laxus skimmed through it, his eyebrows rising in surprise. "You changed a lot of things."

He still remembered the original layout of the airship, and what Noah had produced was essentially a completely different vessel. Aside from the general exterior silhouette, the interior was fundamentally unrecognizable.

"A lot of the original stuff didn't suit our guild, and it was entirely incompatible with the systems I design, so I had to rebuild it from scratch. But doing it this way means we can use it with total peace of mind," Noah explained with a helpless shrug.

"This maximum capacity... you could fit the entire guild inside," Laxus noted.

Noah nodded. "My original intention was to ensure the entire guild could live aboard the airship so we can all travel together."

"That's great! Having everyone travel together sounds like an excellent idea," Laxus said, his eyes lighting up.

"Of course it is. I'm really looking forward to it myself.

But this number is what I estimate to be the absolute maximum capacity our guild can sustain. Any more than this, and it would be incredibly difficult to maintain our current atmosphere.

Moving forward, our recruitment process needs to be far more rigorous. As the guild's fame grows and our benefits improve, countless people will inevitably try to join just to piggyback off our reputation.

We absolutely cannot let people with corrupt intentions slip in and ruin the atmosphere we've built here," Noah told Laxus with utmost seriousness.

"Mm, I'm well aware of that.

Unless I am absolutely certain of an applicant's character, I will not let them in. I'll make sure to inform the others as well," Laxus nodded in agreement.

Everyone knew Noah had been working himself to the bone lately modifying the airship for the guild. Thus, handling the day-to-day guild affairs had fallen to Laxus, Ultear, and the others in rotating shifts.

Laxus also knew that he and the others lacked Makarov's decades of life experience; they couldn't instantly discern a person's true nature with a single glance. Therefore, they had to conduct thorough background checks and investigations on anyone applying to join, ensuring no bad apples slipped through the cracks.

Even though Fairy Tail was technically just a wizard guild—whose primary function was merely to provide a platform for wizards to accept jobs and exchange information—Laxus, Noah, and everyone else viewed it as their true home. And they would never allow anyone to destroy it.

"As long as you all understand," Noah said, satisfied that Laxus grasped his meaning.

"There's a swimming pool!"

"And a sauna!"

"An entertainment sector!"

"The dining hall is huge!"

"There's even a medical bay!"

Crowded around the request board, the guild members enthusiastically discussed the airship's layout.

"Noah, is that swimming pool open-air?!" someone shouted.

"It's adjustable! When you retract the ceiling cover, it becomes an open-air pool.

Additionally, the cover can be toggled between transparent and opaque, and you can project whatever scenery you like onto the ceiling and surrounding walls. That way, you can experience the pool under completely different atmospheric environments!" Noah explained eagerly.

Hearing this, everyone instantly began imagining themselves lounging in the pool, surrounded by breathtaking, shifting landscapes while drinking and chatting. Their eyes sparkled with sheer anticipation.

Many others fired off questions about the airship's other facilities, and Noah patiently answered them all.

Finally, Sorano asked the question on everyone's mind. "So, when will the modifications be finished? I really want to try out that pool."

"Well, I've only finished the design schematics. When the modifications are actually finished depends entirely on all of you," Noah replied with a smile, spreading his hands.

"What do you mean, it depends on us?" Gray asked, confused.

"Exactly what I said.

Modifying the airship requires a massive amount of materials. I can easily purchase the standard, mundane supplies. But the specialized, magical components need to be procured by all of you.

The moment you gather everything on the list, I'll begin the modifications. And I'll be needing your help with the labor when the time comes," Noah explained.

"What materials do you need?! Spit it out so I can go find them right now!" Natsu yelled excitedly.

"Yeah! Spit it out so we can go get it immediately!" the rest of the guild roared in agreement.

They were all incredibly impatient to see their guild's airship completed so they could finally board it.

"Alright then. I have a detailed catalog of the required materials right here. Go to Laxus and register which items you'll be gathering.

If you bring back more than the required amount, I'll buy the excess off you at market price."

Noah handed the dense material checklist to Laxus, who glanced it over before slapping it down onto the bar counter.

Thud, thud, thud!

Led by Natsu, the entire guild immediately stampeded toward the bar. After furiously registering their chosen materials with Laxus, they turned and practically launched themselves out the guild doors.

Noah quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding being trampled by the surging mob.

Gathering the materials was going to take quite some time. After saying goodbye to Laxus, Noah left the guildhall and headed straight for the Heartfilia Consortium headquarters to find Jude.

He asked Jude to help procure the mundane building materials needed for the airship, and simultaneously collected the various specialized equipment he had ordered previously.

He transported a portion of the equipment to Tenrou Island, while sending the rest down into the underground cavern beneath the guild, delivering it directly to his main body. This equipment was specifically ordered to facilitate the research on the lacrima, Mavis's physical body, and Fairy Heart.

Afterward, the Thought Projection returned to Tenrou Island and began tearing out the remaining sections of the airship that needed to go.

A few days later, members began returning to the guild with the requested materials.

Alerted by Ultear, who was on duty at the time, Noah dispatched a Thought Projection to inspect the goods. He was delighted to find that the quality of the materials was exceptionally high.

Clearly, everyone was taking this incredibly seriously, putting in maximum effort to ensure their airship was built with the best possible components.

Noah naturally accepted the materials without hesitation and transported them back to his house. However, these materials required specific magical processing before they could be used.

Conveniently, the mundane supplies he had ordered through Jude were also arriving in batches. Noah received them and had them shipped to Tenrou Island.

By this point, the unnecessary sections of the airship had essentially been entirely dismantled. The only thing left standing was the actual "Devil's Heart" itself.

Noah was just a little bit away from completing his research on it.

But that didn't stop him from beginning the airship modifications.

He summoned Ultear and everyone else who had finished gathering their assigned materials to Tenrou Island, assigning them the task of processing the supplies he had brought back from Jude. These materials required specific magical treatments to meet Noah's exacting standards.

Under Noah's direction, everyone eagerly threw themselves into the work.

As more and more people returned with materials, Noah realized the volume was getting too large; his house simply couldn't hold it all. So, he decided to just move all the raw materials to Tenrou Island for processing.

He then set up protective barriers to safeguard the materials waiting to be processed, the ones currently being worked on, and the finished products.

Because Natsu, Gray, and their group had also finished their gathering quests, they had arrived on Tenrou Island to help with the processing.

And as the two most violently incompatible individuals in the entire guild, they naturally started brawling without a moment's hesitation.

They nearly destroyed a massive pile of materials in the crossfire. Thankfully, Noah managed to shield the supplies just in time, preventing everyone's hard work from going up in smoke.

Unsurprisingly, Natsu and Gray's stunt provoked the absolute fury of the entire guild, and they were promptly ganged up on and beaten to a pulp by everyone present.

After that incident, the two of them finally settled down. Or, at the very least, while they were on Tenrou Island, they restricted themselves to glaring daggers at each other instead of throwing punches.

~~~

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