Chapter 542 - 542: Wanting Fairy Tail Members Not to Fight? That's Impossible

"I am fully aware of how devastating those tactical warheads are," Noah continued, addressing the guild's lingering anxiety. "Their use must be strictly controlled, and ideally, they will never be fired. However, since they are equipped on this airship as a deterrent, there may come a day when we absolutely need them. Requiring a supermajority vote ensures that no single individual can abuse that kind of apocalyptic firepower."

"Yes, that's a reasonable protocol," Makarov nodded slowly. He stepped a bit closer to Noah and lowered his voice, his expression clouded with worry. "But... the vast majority of our guild members don't have the magical resistance to fend off high-tier manipulation magic. What happens if an enemy infiltrates the ship, mind-controls the crew, and forces them to initiate a launch vote?"

Makarov trusted his children implicitly; he knew they would never willingly fire a weapon of mass destruction unless humanity was at stake. But the world of magic was filled with insidious spells capable of hijacking a person's free will. If an enemy forced a 75% supermajority vote, the results would be catastrophic.

"That... is a very valid concern," Noah admitted, nodding thoughtfully.

Grandpa's paranoia was entirely justified. The combat prowess across the guild varied wildly. Despite Noah's passive defensive enchantments, many of the younger or weaker members could still fall victim to specialized, high-tier mind-control magic.

"Alright, here is the countermeasure," Noah proposed after a brief moment of calculation. "I will integrate an automated, high-density diagnostic scan into the voting sequence. The moment a launch vote is initiated, the ship's mainframe will instantly scan every single guild member for abnormal magical signatures or signs of mental manipulation.

"Simultaneously, regardless of whether a threat is detected or not, the system will forcefully cast a localized, high-tier purification and healing spell on everyone. This will immediately purge any latent mind-control magic and heal minor injuries.

"If the system detects an anomaly that it cannot purge, or if a guild member triggers a manual panic alarm, the launch sequence will instantly abort and lock down, and an emergency alert will be sent directly to the S-Class mages. Furthermore, I'll upgrade the passive mental-resistance enchantments on our guild marks when we get back."

"Add one more failsafe," Makarov instructed firmly. "Even if a general supermajority vote passes, the final launch sequence must be physically authorized by either a Guild Master or an active S-Class mage present on the bridge. Furthermore, the exact moment a launch vote is proposed, an immediate, unblockable alert must be broadcast to the Master and all S-Class personnel, regardless of where they are on the ship."

The S-Class mages were the elite veterans of the guild. Their combat experience, tactical judgment, and magical resistance were vastly superior to the rank-and-file. Having them act as the final, manual safety switch was the best way to prevent a hijacked launch.

"Agreed. I'll implement those overrides right now," Noah nodded.

Noah then turned back to the crowd and explained the updated voting protocols, deliberately omitting the part about the mandatory purification scan—security measures were always more effective when potential intruders didn't know they existed. The guild members readily agreed; given the apocalyptic yield of the weapons, absolute paranoia was the only acceptable approach.

With the launch protocols finalized, Makarov finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Noah really had dropped a massive, terrifying "surprise" on him today. Usually, Makarov felt at ease around Noah because, unlike Natsu or Gray, the boy didn't casually destroy entire towns. And if Noah did break something, he either instantly fixed it with Spatial Magic or generously overcompensated the victims.

But it turned out Noah wasn't avoiding property damage; he was just saving it all up for a potential continent-leveling explosion. When Noah first mentioned the tactical warheads, Makarov's heart had nearly stopped. Those bombs were basically miniature Etherions.

Makarov could only comfort himself with the fact that Noah hadn't actually used them yet. And hopefully, they never would.

"Moving on from the weapons, the airship's sensory capabilities are equally impressive," Noah smiled, shifting to a lighter topic. "The primary radar array can passively scan a 500-kilometer radius around the ship. If we narrow the scanning cone, we can exponentially increase the resolution and precision of the data."

The lounge erupted in shocked gasps. A 500-kilometer radius?! As long as they weren't hovering directly over the border, they could practically monitor the entirety of the Fiore Kingdom in real-time!

Seeing their jaws drop, Noah couldn't help but chuckle. Information warfare was half the battle; having an absolute sensory advantage was crucial. If he found the time, he planned to upgrade the radar systems even further. A flying fortress needed to be constantly evolving.

"Aside from the bridge and the armory, the ship is packed with specialized amenities," Noah continued. "We have a massive dining hall, a comprehensive library, multiple research laboratories, and advanced training rooms.

"Oh, and per the design committee's request, the swimming pool is fully operational. Following up on that, I've successfully integrated the automated alchemical-infusion system into the pool's plumbing. You can now inject specialized, restorative medicinal potions directly into the heated water. Taking a dip in the hot spring will passively heal injuries, rejuvenate your skin, and alleviate muscle fatigue."

"YEAAAAHHHH!"

The guild cheered deafeningly. Even those who already knew about the hot spring joined in the roaring applause. Knowing they had a hand in building a flying, luxury spa-fortress was incredibly gratifying.

"There are dozens of other minor features and quality-of-life upgrades, but I'll let you guys discover those on your own. If you have any technical questions, just ask me," Noah smiled. "Now, take your seats. We are officially taking off and heading back to Magnolia."

"BACK TO THE GUILD!"

The members' eyes instantly lit up.

They had a massive, gleaming, supersonic flying fortress. The sheer thought of parking this magnificent beast directly over Magnolia and watching the townsfolk's jaws drop to the floor filled them with intense, overwhelming pride. They couldn't wait to show off.

"Hold your horses. We need to clean up first," Noah laughed, recognizing their desperate need to flex their new toy.

He led a large group of members back down the access ramp to thoroughly sweep the beach, ensuring absolutely no firework debris, trash, or unexploded duds were left behind on their sacred ground.

Once the beach was pristine, Noah manually re-engaged Tenrou Island's absolute cloaking ward, ensuring the sacred ground vanished back into the ocean mists, perfectly hidden from the outside world.

With the cleanup complete, they all piled back onto the airship.

Noah walked up to the slightly elevated command deck at the back of the forward lounge and sat down in the captain's chair. He casually tapped a rune carved into the armrest.

Instantly, a cascading array of translucent, holographic tactical screens and flight controls materialized in the air around him.

Noah had deliberately streamlined the ship's operating system. Any recognized Fairy Tail member sitting in this chair could easily pilot the vessel simply by following the intuitive holographic prompts. However, for its maiden voyage, everyone unanimously agreed that the primary architect should take the helm.

Noah's hands hovered over the holographic controls. He paused, blinking in realization.

"Wait a minute. We never actually gave the ship a name," Noah pointed out, turning to look at the crowd.

"Oh crap, you're right! It doesn't have a name!" Natsu gasped.

"Let's name it the Igneel!" Natsu immediately proposed, punching the air enthusiastically. Naming their ultimate guild warship after his badass dragon dad seemed like the perfect idea.

"That sucks," Gray shot it down instantly, crossing his arms.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, ICE-STRIPPER?!" Natsu roared, instantly lunging at Gray.

Gray didn't even flinch; he just dropped into a combat stance, ready to throw hands.

"THE CUSTOM SOFAS!" Lucy shrieked in absolute terror as the two idiots prepared to brawl directly on top of the imported velvet upholstery.

"Ah, right on time. Let's test the automated crowd-control protocols," Noah chuckled. He tapped a specific sequence on his holographic console.

HUMMM!

Instantly, the anti-gravity runes woven into the furniture flared to life. Every single sofa, armchair, and coffee table in the lounge smoothly levitated a few inches off the floor and rapidly slid toward the outer walls, taking the startled members sitting on them along for the ride.

Once the furniture was pressed safely against the bulkheads, a faint, shimmering golden barrier materialized over them, locking them in a protective stasis.

Simultaneously, four massive magical pillars dropped from the ceiling in the exact center of the now-empty lounge. The pillars projected a heavy, reinforced, rectangular combat barrier, effectively creating a massive, indestructible boxing ring in the middle of the room.

Natsu and Gray, completely ignoring the shifting architecture, were already trading heavy blows inside the newly formed arena.

Seeing the designated "Thunderdome" materialize, the eyes of the more battle-hungry members—like Gajeel and Elfman—instantly lit up. Realizing Noah had literally built them a damage-proof brawling arena, they roared in excitement and sprinted directly into the barrier to join the melee.

Meanwhile, the more peaceful members (and those with common sense) calmly stepped out of the rectangular zone, grabbing drinks from the bar and leaning against the shielded sofas to watch the absolute chaos unfold.

"Man, they sure have a lot of energy," Macao sighed wistfully, watching the massive, multi-man brawl raging inside the barrier.

"You said it. Ah, to be young again," Wakaba agreed, puffing on his pipe.

The older generation couldn't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia. They used to brawl exactly like that back in their prime; they had just mellowed out with age.

Sitting in the captain's chair, Noah watched the chaotic brawl with a satisfied smirk.

Wanting Fairy Tail members to not fight? That was a statistical impossibility.

Even on a luxury airship, they would inevitably find the most mundane, ridiculous reason to start a massive brawl. If they fought in the corridors or the private quarters and broke the structural supports, Noah would be the one forced to fix it.

So, he had simply embraced the inevitable and built them a designated, indestructible fighting ring.

The forward lounge was massive enough to accommodate it. Furthermore, Noah had rigged the ship's internal sensors: if two members started fighting anywhere else on the ship and their magical output exceeded a certain damage threshold, the automated spatial arrays would instantly teleport them directly into this Thunderdome so they could finish their fight without destroying the plumbing.

Noah had spent a considerable amount of time idiot-proofing this ship.

"I think we should name it the Happy!" Happy declared, having wisely flown out of the Thunderdome the second Natsu started swinging. He hovered next to Noah's chair, raising a paw proudly.

"That is a terrible name for a warship," Carla sighed, shaking her head in exasperation from her spot on a shielded sofa.

"I think the Grandeeney sounds pretty," Wendy offered softly, sitting next to Carla.

Carla glanced at the shy Sky Dragon Slayer. While she didn't enthusiastically agree, she didn't immediately shoot the name down either.

~~~

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