The moon hung high in the sky, while the night's galaxy shimmered like a glowing ribbon, dotted with countless stars. Nate, lacking camping experience, left the task of setting up the tent to Mirajane.
He busied himself gathering dry wood for a campfire. However, when it came time to light it, he realized he had forgotten to bring any fire-starting tools.
Thinking of Erza, Nate mused, 'If it were her, everything would have been perfectly prepared.'
After easily setting up the tent, Mirajane approached Nate with a smile.
"How did you usually start a fire when camping outdoors? Do you know any fire magic?" Nate asked.
"Nope, I only know Take Over Magic, Sleep Magic, and Transformation Magic," Mirajane giggled. "It seems there are things you're not good at too, Nate."
"I'm not good at a lot of things…" Nate sighed. 'Do you think I'm some kind of mage for everything?'
However, lighting a fire wasn't too big of a challenge. Even though he didn't know fire magic, he did know light magic. Crouching near the campfire, Nate extended his right hand, releasing a holy light from his palm.
"Is that… Fairy Law?" Mirajane stared, dumbfounded.
"That's right!" Nate grinned proudly as the divine light heated the dry wood, causing it to crackle and catch fire.
"Well? Am I a genius or what?"
Mirajane chuckled. "The Master would never guess you're using super magic just to start a campfire."
"Magic is meant to make life easier, don't sweat the details," Nate quipped, dragging over a tree trunk to use as a bench.
He then took out some jars and bottles. "I could only get these spices. Now, let's see your culinary skills in action."
"Just sit back and enjoy," Mirajane smiled as she started to cook.
Though the conditions were simple, her cooking skills weren't limited by the lack of kitchen tools. The wild rabbit was roasted over the fire, and the fish was made into a stew. Despite the basic setup, Mirajane's love for cooking shone through.
After their meal, Nate was full of praise. "The fish stew was delicious."
"I only used half of my skill," Mirajane replied modestly. "Maybe one day, if I retire from being a mage, I'll open a restaurant."
"I'll be your first customer," Nate said.
"If it's you, I'll let you eat for free," Mirajane smiled warmly. The two sat side by side, engaging in lighthearted conversation. Nate was curious about Mirajane's childhood, and she was more than happy to share stories.
The forest buzzed with insects, drawn to the campfire's light. The bright moon suddenly dimmed behind clouds, and a light rain began to fall, interrupting their conversation.
"Is it raining?" Mirajane looked up and quickly suggested, "Let's get inside the tent before we get soaked."
The two retreated into the tent to avoid the rain. The campfire outside was soon extinguished by the downpour. The tent wasn't very spacious, just big enough for two people to lie down. Nate turned on the magic crystal lamp, illuminating the small space.
The sound of rain pattering on the tent filled the air.
"Could you turn off the light?" Mirajane asked shyly.
Though she had camped outdoors before, this was her first time sharing a tent with a man.
"Do you really want it off?"
"Yes, turn it off."
Click.
Nate turned off the crystal lamp. Immediately, Mirajane turned her back to him and swiftly slipped out of her red dress before sliding into her sleeping bag, leaving only her head exposed.
"You can turn it back on now."
"…"
Nate was momentarily speechless. The darkness didn't hinder his enhanced vision—he could still see everything. He couldn't help but notice how great Mirajane's figure was, and her undergarments were quite cute as well.
Deciding not to turn the light back on, Nate undressed and slipped into his sleeping bag. The two bags lay side by side.
"Do you think we'll be attacked by wild animals out here?" Nate asked curiously.
"Not by wild animals, but maybe by magic beasts," Mirajane replied softly, reaching out from her sleeping bag to check the forum on her magic ring.
Nate turned slightly to face her. "Did you post the question?"
"Yeah, I've posted it, but I haven't received any useful responses yet," she sighed.
As a well-known forum moderator, Mirajane's post attracted a lot of replies, but none provided any concrete leads. Nate, however, quietly gave instructions to one of his Thought Projections.
…
At the same time, in Magnolia, Nate's Thought Projection was in a small room, diligently coding the livestream feature for the game. Suddenly, the avatar paused. Its previously lifeless expression became animated as it opened the forum, quickly locating Mirajane's post and typing a response.
Once done, the avatar resumed its task, continuing to work on the code.
…
"Don't worry, something will come up. The internet is full of resourceful people," Nate reassured her.
In the tent, Nate lay on his side, propping his head up with one hand, while Mirajane scrolled through the forum responses. Suddenly, a familiar name caught her eye.
[Voldemort]:
"Hello, based on what you've described, I believe the person you're looking for might have traveled to another world. The world we currently inhabit is called 'Earthland.' In reality, there is another parallel world called 'Edolas.' You can think of it as an alternate dimension. Occasionally, the two worlds intersect, creating rifts in space-time that open gateways between the two dimensions. The person you're searching for likely encountered one of these rifts and disappeared through it."
Mirajane sat up in surprise after reading the reply.
"Nate! Nate! It's a message from Voldemort!"
Her voice was unusually excited. "Lisanna went to another world?"
Nate also sat up, replying, "If Voldemort says so, it's likely true. Your sister's alive."
Mirajane murmured, "But how can we bring Lisanna back from another world?"
'You're quick to accept the idea of parallel worlds,' Nate thought. 'Does Voldemort really have that much credibility?'
Then, a system message appeared before Nate:
[Mission]: Expand the internet to another parallel world.
[Reward]: Dependent on mission completion.
Nate perked up. 'Another mission? Expanding the internet to Edolas?' It didn't seem too difficult. The challenge would be getting to the parallel world. Though he could wait for the Anima rift to open, that might take months.
'Maybe I should contact Mystogan. He might have a solution.'
~~~
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