Chapter 547 - 547: I Want to Go! I Want to Sign Up!

Now that they had a brand-new, cutting-edge airship—and considering how much time and effort Noah had poured into engineering it—it would be an absolute waste not to put it to good use.

Noah had a lot of ambitious plans he wanted to realize with this flying fortress. While its current specs perfectly met their immediate needs, he eventually wanted to recruit more capable individuals to help him push the vessel's upgrades even further.

But beyond future upgrades, this ship was the perfect tool to resolve the lingering regrets of the past.

"So, your plan is to take everyone on a massive, continent-wide vacation aboard the airship, and while we're cruising, the First Master will continuously cast the bloodline-tracking spell to search for her child?" Makarov clarified, stroking his mustache thoughtfully.

Over the last few days, Mavis hadn't been idle. She and Makarov had boarded a standard passenger train and traveled across the entirety of the Fiore Kingdom. Throughout the trip, Mavis had continuously channeled the newly refined tracking spell.

Unfortunately, she hadn't received a single ping.

The utter lack of resonance confirmed one thing: her child was not anywhere within the borders of Fiore.

Knowing this, Noah had proposed utilizing the Fairy to expand the search across the rest of the world.

"Exactly," Noah nodded. "If the child isn't in Fiore, we have to search the rest of Ishgar. The Eastern Continent is unimaginably vast. If we relied on conventional transportation like trains and carriages, it could take years just to cross it, let alone run a comprehensive magical sweep.

"But with our retrofitted airship, distance is completely irrelevant. At our cruising speed, we can comfortably sweep the entire continent in a fraction of the time.

"More importantly, the First Master cannot sustain the bloodline-tracking spell indefinitely on her own. For a continental sweep, the spell needs to be active 24/7, which requires an astronomical amount of Ethernano. The airship's new Lacrima engine can act as a massive battery, directly feeding the First Master's spell and completely negating her personal magical drain."

Makarov slowly nodded as he absorbed the logic. "Your reasoning is flawless. If we must search beyond Fiore, the Fairy provides unparalleled mobility. And having the ship's engine sustain the tracking spell is the safest and most efficient method."

"But it's not just about the search," Noah smiled warmly. "Think about our guild. A vast majority of our members have never even stepped foot outside of Fiore.

"I want to use this opportunity to take everyone on a grand adventure. I want them to experience different cultures, see foreign landscapes, and broaden their horizons.

"Because we're sweeping the entire continent of Ishgar, we won't be able to stay in one place for very long this time. However, I plan to make this an annual tradition. Every year, we can pick a specific region of the continent, fly the ship out there, and spend a few months properly exploring. Experiencing the world is the essence of a true adventure, isn't it?"

"That is a wonderful idea!" Makarov's eyes lit up brightly, a nostalgic smile spreading across his wrinkled face.

When he was a young man, Makarov had traveled all across the continent alongside Yajima, Bob, Goldmine, and Porlyusica. They had explored ancient ruins, fought strange beasts, and seen breathtaking sights. Those years of adventure were some of the most precious memories of his life.

Those travels had broadened his worldview, granted him invaluable practical experience, and shaped him into the Guild Master he was today.

The current generation of Fairy Tail was incredibly famous within Fiore. They had explored every corner of their home country and conquered its greatest challenges. They were strong, but they were a bit sheltered geographically. It was time for them to step out and see the rest of the world.

"I love it!" Mavis cheered, her spectral eyes sparkling with sheer delight.

Due to the tragic circumstances of her life, Mavis had experienced very little actual adventuring. Her youth had been consumed by the Second Trade War, followed almost immediately by the eruption of her curse, her flight into exile, her tragic "death," and a century trapped in a crystal.

The brief few years she had spent as the Guild Master had been bogged down by administrative duties, leaving her little time to explore.

She had named the guild "Fairy Tail" precisely because she was utterly obsessed with the eternal mystery of adventure. Now, hearing Noah propose a continent-spanning journey that doubled as a search for her son, she was overjoyed.

"If both of you are on board, I'll go announce it to the guild," Noah smiled, seeing their enthusiastic approval.

"Go right ahead, my boy," Makarov nodded.

CLAP! CLAP!

Noah walked over to the main bar and clapped his hands loudly, instantly drawing the attention of the bustling, noisy guildhall.

Once everyone quieted down, he laid out the plan exactly as he had explained it to the Masters.

"HELL YEAH! AN ADVENTURE! A ROAD TRIP!" Natsu immediately roared, leaping onto a table and punching the air.

"A trip across foreign countries? That actually sounds pretty awesome," Gray smirked, crossing his arms.

"A love-love trip across the continent with Gray-sama... strolling hand-in-hand through exotic cities under the moonlight..." Juvia immediately spiraled into a deeply intense, hyper-romantic delusion. Her face turned bright red, steam practically whistling out of her ears as her eyes morphed into glowing pink hearts.

"Traveling abroad with Juvia? That does sound like a wonderful idea," Lyon nodded thoughtfully from nearby.

Gray shuddered violently, feeling a sudden, chilling premonition.

"Foreign countries..." Lucy murmured, her eyes wide with longing. Despite being raised as the heiress of the continent's wealthiest family, her father had strictly confined her to the Heartfilia estate. She had never actually left Fiore. The prospect of finally seeing the world was thrilling.

"I wonder what other countries look like? Do you think they'll be completely different from Fiore?" Meredy asked, turning to her friends.

"I don't know, but as long as I'm traveling with my big sister and brother-in-law, I'm sure it'll be fine," Yukino smiled softly, completely unbothered by the unknown.

"With those two around, the environment is the least of our worries. I pity any bandits who try to mug us," Carla sighed, rolling her eyes.

Even excluding Noah's god-like power, Sorano alone was a walking natural disaster capable of leveling a small army. With both of them on the ship, the only danger they faced was dying of boredom. Unless they stumbled into Zeref or Acnologia on vacation, they were perfectly safe.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Yukino! Big Sister will make sure we have the best vacation ever!" Sorano beamed, throwing her arms around Yukino and aggressively rubbing their cheeks together.

"Foreign countries... that means entirely new varieties of strawberry cake! And... foreign armor boutiques!" Erza gasped, her eyes suddenly burning with an intense, terrifyingly passionate fire. She immediately began mentally cataloging how many massive trunks she would need to pack for her armor and dessert acquisitions.

"A vacation..." Mirajane smiled softly, her eyes sparkling. She glanced at Noah, then over to Elfman and Lisanna. Traveling the world with her siblings and the man she loved—it sounded like an absolute dream.

Ultear smiled quietly from across the room, her gaze shifting between her mother, Ur, and Noah.

"Still... I can't believe the First Master actually has a kid," Laxus muttered, shaking his head in sheer bewilderment.

Hearing Noah briefly explain the secondary objective of the trip, the rest of the guild nodded in stunned agreement.

The First Master had been essentially dead in a crystal for over eighty years. That meant her child—if he was still alive—was an eighty-eight-year-old man. The mental image of the petite, teenage-looking Mavis holding hands with an eighty-year-old grandpa was profoundly jarring.

"I can't go into the specific details, but there is a very high probability that the First Master's child is still alive. That is the primary driving force behind this expedition," Noah addressed the crowd. "Because we need to sweep the entire Eastern Continent, our stops will be relatively brief. We won't have time for deep exploration. However, as I mentioned, I plan to make these international excursions a regular event in the future."

The guild members didn't press for details regarding Mavis's child. If the First Master had miraculously woken up from an eighty-year coma looking like a teenager, having a missing eighty-year-old son wasn't that far-fetched.

Their focus immediately snapped back to the vacation. Even if it was a fast-paced tour, it was an international road trip on their very own supersonic flying fortress. They were ecstatic.

"It looks like everyone is on board. If you want to join the expedition, come line up here and sign the registry," Noah announced.

"I'M GOING! SIGN ME UP!" Natsu roared, instantly sprinting to the front of the line and slamming his hand on the counter.

"ME TOO!"

"DON'T PUSH!"

"I WAS HERE FIRST!"

The guildhall devolved into a chaotic stampede as dozens of members swarmed the bar.

Noah quickly opened his Archive screens, rapidly logging the names of everyone who wanted to join. By the time the dust settled, well over half of the guild's active roster had officially signed up for the trip.

Seeing the sheer volume of participants, Noah nodded in satisfaction. It was going to be a lively journey.

"Wait a second," Macao spoke up from the back of the room, scratching his head. "You said this trip could take a few months. Accommodation is covered since we have the private rooms on the airship... but what about food?"

The loud, excited chatter in the guildhall abruptly stopped.

Macao had a point.

"How exactly are we going to feed this many people for months on end?" Wakaba added.

~~~

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