touchnovel Chapter 331 Major Investigation
Chapter 331 Major Investigation
Chapter 331 Large-Scale Investigation (Please Subscribe!)
"This commission form..."
'
Lisanna carefully picked up the dark, grimy request form. The paper gleamed slightly under the light. She rubbed the edges of the paper repeatedly with her slender fingers, as if trying to recall a memory from the rough texture, but she failed. She looked troubled, clearly having no recollection of it.
"Tsk!"
Natsu couldn't help but let out a "tsk" and became anxious. He couldn't wait to beat up the mastermind behind the scenes. He actually made him and Gray switch bodies, causing him to be tortured so miserably!
"How could this be? Neither of you remembers it?"
Erza frowned as well. Mirajane and Lisanna were in charge of the registration, and the registration form should have gone through their hands, since the procedures on the form were complete and it was stamped with Fairy Tail's official seal.
"Yeah, how could I have no recollection of it?"
Mirajane and Lisanna exchanged bewildered glances, looking at each other with the same confusion, unease, and utter bewilderment in each other's eyes. They both assumed that the other had registered the request while at work, but it turned out that neither of them had any recollection of it.
"This is going to be interesting."
Moen looked serious and thoughtful. This troublemaker was quite cunning; he managed to post the request form on the Fairy Tail mission bulletin board without anyone noticing.
"Could they have sneaked in at night?"
Gray asked, looking at Moen.
Moen's crows are always watching around the guild. They're not needed during the day, but they're very useful at night.
During the day, everyone is here, so it's impossible for anyone to sneak in and post mission assignments here, but it's still possible at night.
People generally don't stay overnight at the guild. Even old man Makarov goes home when he needs to, and only stays overnight on very rare occasions. The guild's safety at night depends entirely on Moen's crows.
Of course, nothing has happened so far.
In Magnolia, a city bathed in the glory of Fairy Tail, it's hard to imagine what kind of crazy person would dare to steal from Fairy Tail. Even though Magnolia has expanded rapidly and attracted many tourists, becoming a mixed bag, no one dares to mess with Fairy Tail unless they're really tired of living.
"Not necessarily. If someone is extremely strong, it's not impossible for them to evade the crows' surveillance. After all, these crows aren't that powerful. If it's a top expert, they won't be of any use."
Moen narrowed his eyes, his brows furrowing even more. He was thinking, wondering what kind of top expert would do such a thing.
"Someone who is powerful and has a grudge against us..."
""
Mirajane frowned and said, "Someone who would do something like this can't be a friend, can they? This joke isn't funny at all, and the scope of the joke has suddenly narrowed down."
"Could it be Joseph Paula?!"
Lucy's eyes widened as she uttered a name. She almost immediately thought of this person; he was definitely one of the candidates who met the criteria, and probably the most troublesome one at that.
"ah?!"
Everyone was startled, and their faces showed worry.
Unfortunately, Joseph Pora became a background character twice, and even became a stepping stone for Moen and Laxus to become famous.
But... those were once the "Ten Wizard Saints". A person's name is like a tree's shadow. Just because Moen and Laxus were able to rise to power over Joseph Pora doesn't mean that the others can too!
In the battle at the Tower of Paradise, many people witnessed the power of the Ten Wizard Saints. Even though Jellal was still defeated by Moen, if they were to go up there, they would only be crushed.
"Or...Urutia?"
Moen thought of another candidate; they had already ruined two things in Urutia, and were indeed likely to be retaliated against.
All eyes turned to Gray, since it was now almost certain that Ultear was Gray's master's daughter.
"I don't know. We don't know anything about this person, we've never even met her."
Gray shook his head with a grim expression. Neither he nor Leon knew Ultear; they had only heard Ultear mention him once.
Uru wasn't a bad person, so she naturally wouldn't frequently mention her daughter in front of her two apprentices, especially since both of them were pitiful orphans. Although her daughter had also "passed away," she would avoid mentioning her if possible.
"Besides that, who else?"
Moen looked at the others, now it was time to brainstorm and let everyone speak freely to see if there was anything that might have been overlooked.
"What about those who were dismissed from the council? Is that even possible?"
Marcao suddenly thought of another possibility: since the new chairman of the Magic Council took office and began sweeping reforms, many people have been dismissed one after another, and these people are obviously also a hidden danger.
Ultimately, this major reform was driven by Fairy Tail, and there is a possibility that it will be resented by those people.
"Are there any particularly strong ones among them?"
Moen quipped with a puzzled look, "Would those low-level minions be more appropriate to be grouped with Joseph Pola and Ultear?"
Although Moen had never seen Ultear make a move, his intuition told him that the guy was definitely not weak, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to play an important role in both incidents. The people behind the scenes are not necessarily weaklings.
"Indeed, those people are not strong enough."
Marcao chuckled twice, trying to cover up his embarrassment.
"But we can't rule out the possibility that some of them possess special magic, like this ancient Humberah language's exchange magic—weren't we all caught in its trap?"
Moen then changed the subject and returned to the point.
"6
'
Marcao rolled his eyes, too lazy to say anything more. Moen still had the mind to tease him; he didn't seem to have lost his temper.
"But this means there are far too many people to check now."
Erza looked grim. The Magic Council had laid off a lot of people; they couldn't possibly investigate everyone one by one, could they?
"First, we need a list, then we'll start the investigation from Magnolia. The mastermind might still be hiding in this city."
Without much hesitation, Moen made a decision immediately. They could only think of these possibilities for the time being, so they would investigate them first.
It doesn't matter if we can't find it. Maybe they'll keep trying. As long as they don't give up, they'll eventually slip up.
They are so famous for Fairy Tail, with many mages, and they are quite active throughout the Kingdom of Fiore and the continent of Ishgar. In fact, they have offended quite a few people.
If the person who made this move really did use special abilities to target them, then they really would have no choice but to resort to the cumbersome method of conducting a thorough, door-to-door search.
"Okay, I'll go ask Gulan Doma for the list. He'll definitely cooperate."
Makarov took on a task that only he and Moen could handle; no one else had that kind of influence.
"Yes, everyone else should also be on alert and keep an eye out for any strange creatures appearing near Magnolia and the guild recently."
Moen nodded, reassured, and handed the task over to Grandpa Makarov.
This matter is of great importance. If Gulan Doma doesn't know what's good for him, then Grandpa Makarov will teach him a lesson in what it means to protect one's own!
"Understood! We must find that guy!"
The crowd responded enthusiastically, their fists clenched, filled with righteous indignation and shared hatred of the enemy.
Since the enemy has come knocking on our door, we can't blame Fairy Tail for being impolite. We'll catch that guy and beat him until his face is bruised and battered!
Over the next few days, everyone in Fairy Tail was like they were on steroids, and they began a large-scale search in Magnolia, looking for anyone acting suspiciously.
During the day, the guild is often empty and deserted with only a handful of people. On the quiet streets of Magnolia, Fairy Tail mages can be seen hurrying by, their eyes scanning the surrounding pedestrians and corners with sharp eyes.
As the lord, Grand Duke of the Roses, Moen naturally made full use of his power as a "landlord." The entire Magnolia was cooperating with them. The Magnolia City Hall and patrol teams were mobilized, determined to help their lord find the hidden mastermind.
As a result, the mastermind was not found, but several wanted criminals were caught. This unexpected "gain" caused a stir among ordinary citizens, adding a tense yet novel atmosphere to the streets and alleys.
"I never expected that Magnolia would harbor so many wanted criminals. They're really bold to hide them right here in the city."
Gray was amazed. The few they had captured were all wanted criminals from the Kingdom of Fiore. They had fled from other cities and were hiding in the bustling city of Magnolia, pretending to be ordinary citizens.
"It's not surprising. Magnolia has developed too fast in the past few years, and a large number of foreign people have poured in. It's normal for there to be a mix of good and bad people."
Moen leaned against the bar, sipping his brightly colored, sweet-smelling fruit drink as he answered.
He didn't find this strange. There must be shadows hidden beneath prosperity. Because of him as the lord and because of Fairy Tail, Magnolia was already very bright.
After these wanted criminals arrived here, they simply hid and did not commit any further crimes, otherwise they would have been caught long ago.
The police in Magnolia and the surrounding areas are treated very well. Moen did not neglect the development of the city hall's police force just because Fairy Tail exists.
Fairy Tail can't possibly handle everything. It's impossible for Fairy Tail to resolve trivial disputes, and Moen won't ask anyone to do so. These are responsibilities that the city hall's police force should bear.
"Do you think... that person is still hiding in Magnolia?"
Natsu slumped over the table, asking weakly.
"Fire Dragon" has been running around the city arresting people these past few days. He caught two wanted criminals. You have to admit, this guy has a pretty good nose. Although he might arrest dozens of people by mistake every day, he did manage to pick out two bad guys.
However, Natsu did receive a lot of complaints. As long as he looked like a bad guy, he would arrest people and bring them back for confrontation without any explanation. Only this guy could do such a thing.
As a result, he lost all the bounty money he received from catching the two wanted criminals, making it a complete waste of time and impossible for him to save any money.
"Maybe. Anyway, we didn't do anything for nothing. At least we made Magnolia a little safer."
Moen smiled and put his glass on the bar. Mirajane poured him a little more. It was a newly brewed fruit drink, made with a recipe brought by Lillian. It was a fruit drink from Galna Island and was surprisingly popular in Fairy Tail.
Lillian was delighted by this, and with Moen's support, she even set up a stall outside the guild, specializing in fruit drinks, fruit wines, and specialty products from Galna Island.
This way, she can earn a living and also improve her ability to communicate with humans. Lillian, who has just started learning magic, can't earn much money by doing mission commissions for the time being, so it's better to do some part-time work to support herself.
There are actually quite a few mages working part-time at the stalls outside. Everyone has their own rhythm of life and their own strengths. Not all mages need to be good at fighting.
"I'm back! I got the list."
Just when everyone was at a loss, old man Makarov returned to the guild, bringing with him the "dismissal list".
Faced with Makarov's request, Guran Doma didn't insist on anything and simply gave him the list, which was quite straightforward.
A bunch of dismissed parasites and good-for-nothings, Gulan Doma didn't care at all. Makarov didn't care what he wanted the list for, and he didn't even ask.
In a sense, this can be considered a form of trust. Gulan Doma still believed in the reputation of old man Makarov. Could the old man really just order the names of the people on the list and kill them one by one?
"Great, great, now we finally have a goal!"
Natsu, who was already tired of searching and was about to give up, suddenly jumped up. Before, he was aimlessly searching, but now that he had a target, he felt much more relaxed and only needed to check each one one by one.
Moen took the list from Grandpa Makarov. Although it was called a list, the information recorded in the book was very detailed, including age, appearance, home address, place of origin, and so on. It was as if all the personal information had been collected.
"I will first send the crows to check their home addresses and hometowns to eliminate those who stay at home honestly. We will focus on checking those who cannot be found for the time being."
Moen immediately spoke up, saying that this was the simplest method. After all, there were quite a few people on the list, and the target range was still too large. He needed to narrow it down further to reduce the workload.
If the official government of the Kingdom of Fiore has sufficient control over the local areas, it can easily use the jade to allow the official government to conduct investigations for them.
Unfortunately, given the administrative capabilities of the Kingdom of Fiore, this was not realistic. By the time they finalized the matter, it would be too late. There was nothing they could do; after all, it was still a somewhat feudal country. So, Moen had no choice but to send the crows to investigate himself.
The investigation went smoothly, eliminating many people. Most of them were either at home in the city or had returned to their hometowns. Very few people could be found, which greatly reduced the workload.