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As soon as Makarov finished speaking, a mage wearing a mask and hood, carrying five wands on his back, walked into the guild.
This world also has magic wands, but unlike George's wand, these wands are more like magical tools. Each wand is typically capable of casting one or two types of spells, and they are generally used by mages who specialize in possession magic.
In contrast, George's wand doesn't cast specific spells, but it amplifies all of his magic and allows him to cast spells faster. With enough mastery, if George swings his wand quickly enough, it can fire off magic as if it were a machine gun.
After entering the guild, Mystogan remained silent, heading straight to the second floor to choose a mission. He then quietly left the guild without a word.
"This guy's social anxiety is definitely advanced," George muttered, watching Mystogan disappear through the door, a sentiment shared by many others in the guild.
Such a withdrawn personality was indeed rare in a guild like Fairy Tail.
"I'm off to read," George announced.
Having gotten the information he needed on the Dragon's Crystal from the guild master and with lunch finished, George bid the others farewell, intending to head back to the library to study more magic.
"Hey, you down there—the cat. Not bad. Want to be my cat?"
Just as George spread his wings, a somewhat arrogant voice rang out from the second floor.
George looked up and saw a mage with golden hair, wearing a long coat and bearing a lightning-shaped scar on his face. He had apparently appeared on the second floor without anyone noticing.
"I heard you can use repair magic and even resisted Mystogan's sleep spell just now. Not bad. You've got what it takes to be my cat."
"Laxus!"
The members in the guild gasped as they recognized Laxus standing on the second floor. At that moment, George also realized who this mage was: Laxus Dreyar, the S-Class mage, grandson of the guild master, and a Lightning Dragon Slayer infused with the Dragon's Crystal.
"This guy's pretty full of himself," George murmured, twitching his whiskers, and immediately refused, "Not interested!"
Right now, George was focused on studying magic to increase his strength. Teaming up with Laxus was pointless. If he wanted to form a team, he'd rather choose Erza, Lucy, or Levy—they'd at least be easier on the eyes.
"Hmm, I like a bit of attitude," Laxus remarked with a grin, unfazed by George's refusal.
"You'll have to go out on missions sooner or later. Instead of joining up with the riffraff downstairs, why not team up with me? It'd help you get stronger faster. Isn't your goal for all this studying to increase your strength as quickly as possible?"
Laxus wanted to take over his grandfather's position as guild master, and George, with his repair magic, was valuable to the guild. Recruiting him early would be a smart move.
"Laxus! Who are you calling riffraff? I challenge you!" Natsu shouted furiously, flames flaring from his mouth, but Laxus only sneered in response.
"You can't even beat someone like Erza, and you think you can duel me?"
"What did you say?" Erza's brow furrowed, and a magic sword appeared in her hand.
Though she hadn't won against him yet, Erza wasn't about to concede that Laxus was stronger.
"Don't let him rile you up, Erza. Laxus is always like this. Don't let it get to you," Gray and Levy quickly intervened, trying to calm her down.
Fortunately, Erza, ever considerate of the guild's well-being, ultimately sheathed her sword.
But Laxus remained arrogant, proclaiming, "Don't you get it? I'm the strongest in this guild!"
"Oh yeah? I'm not letting that slide! Let's settle this once and for all!"
Natsu, standing on a table, leapt up, attempting to reach the second floor and face Laxus. However, midway through his jump, he was slapped down by the guild master's massive, enlarged hand.
"No going to the second floor until you reach S-Class."
"Haha, got scolded by the old man, didn't you?"
Laxus laughed gleefully, watching as Natsu struggled to get up from the floor.
"I won't give up the throne of Fairy Tail's strongest, not to Erza or Mystogan. I am the strongest!"
"Enough, Laxus. Calm down," Makarov scolded, exasperated.
Laxus snorted and jumped down from the second floor, leaving the guild.
Before leaving, however, he left a parting remark for George.
"Your color suits me well. You'll definitely be my cat in the future."
"Maybe if you bring me a Dragon's Crystal, I might consider it," George replied.
If Laxus could really find a Dragon's Crystal or have information on one, teaming up with him wouldn't be out of the question.
The next day, something major happened in the guild.
Last night, in an attempt to prove his strength, Natsu had Habby sneak up to the second floor to grab an S-Class mission, then took Lucy with him to undertake the S-Class task.
Makarov was furious about this and immediately sent Gray to retrieve the trio—Natsu, Lucy, and Habby.
George didn't get involved in this matter. It wasn't worth his time; his priority was to continue learning magic and improving his strength.
Meanwhile, in the Marvel Universe.
Nick Fury handed over an analysis report to Coulson and Black Widow, who were standing before him. After they reviewed it, he asked, "What do you think?"
"Our memories have definitely been tampered with," they both replied in unison.
As top-tier agents, who had undergone extensive professional training, they could clearly tell that many details in the report didn't match their own memories.
Since they weren't lying, it meant something had gone wrong with their memories.
This wasn't difficult to understand.
Apart from psychic powers, there were also organizations that used advanced technology to hypnotize or brainwash people, achieving similar effects.
"Any suspects?" Nick Fury asked as he sat back in his chair.
Coulson thought for a moment.
"Yes, George!"
When the fight occurred, only Tony's assistant, Pepper Potts, and her bodyguard George had been nearby. In addition to George's mysterious aura and unidentifiable background, Coulson had every reason to suspect that George was behind the tampering of their memories.
"What about you?" Fury turned to Black Widow, who had been quiet.
Black Widow frowned.
"I don't have a suspect. Everyone I interacted with at that time is dead."
Her memory should be intact up until they headed to the Arclay Genetic Corporation base, as surveillance and the memories of her colleagues confirmed that. However, once they entered the base and encountered Dr. Les and all the guards, who were now nothing but charred corpses, it was impossible that any of them had tampered with her memory.
"So, you suspect the one behind this memory tampering is the same person—or organization?"
Fury called both of them over for a joint discussion, and it was clear they had discovered something significant.
(End of Chapter)