Cait Shelter was located in a secluded valley, with rugged roads and remote surroundings. The carriage driver refused to continue beyond the foot of the mountain; moving forward risked damaging the wheels or axle, which would lead to losses for the trip.
Riding on the crab along the bumpy paths, Wendy looked full of guilt:
"I'm sorry. I promised to host you, but now I've made you travel so far."
Rhodes said, "Don't say that. If you hadn't offered us a place, Gray and I would be camping out in the wilderness tonight. Finding accommodation in this area isn't easy."
Gray, standing coolly with one leg crossed over the other, patted the crab's shell and said,
"Teaming up with you is really convenient. Natsu would probably stick to you if he were here."
Rhodes chuckled, "Only for short trips. For something this far, if Natsu came along..."
Gray finished the thought: "It would definitely be fun!"
The two exchanged a glance, both acknowledging the other's love for teasing Natsu, and they couldn't help but laugh.
"Wendy, make sure to keep your distance from them in the future," Carla said with a frown.
The crab moved quickly, and as they followed Wendy and Carla's directions, the dense woods and mountain rocks soon gave way to an open view.
Wendy exclaimed with joy, "We're here! That's our guild right up ahead!"
Fields stretched wide, houses were neatly arranged, and there were clear ponds and groves of mulberry and bamboo. The paths were crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs were heard...
A few lines from a poem suddenly flashed through Rhodes' mind.
A small village, almost isolated from the world, hidden deep within the mountains—it really felt like a Peach Blossom Spring, a place of idyllic tranquility.
Rhodes praised, "What a beautiful village."
Gray added, "Such traditional architecture. Villages like this are truly rare these days."
Worried about causing a commotion, Rhodes asked everyone to dismount and sent the two crabs to explore the mountains outside the village, verifying the terrain information he had gathered.
Afterward, they followed Wendy and Carla into the village.
Upon returning, Wendy seemed much more lively, excitedly introducing different parts of the village to Rhodes and Gray.
Two young men carrying bows, dressed in what seemed like tribal attire, walked toward them, chatting and laughing—it looked like they were going hunting.
Wendy waved at them, "Pascal, Takumi!"
Even Carla showed a smile.
The two young men stopped in their tracks.
"Wendy, Carla, you're back!"
"We were all worried about you... And who are those two behind you?"
Wendy introduced them, "They're wizards from Fairy Tail, Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Gray. They're friends Carla and I made while outside."
Pascal said, "Oh, wizards from a big guild. That's quite rare. Nice to meet you, I'm Pascal."
"Hello, I'm Takumi." Takumi smiled warmly at Wendy, "You've made friends in just a few days out there. Wendy, are you all grown up now?"
"Nice to meet you," Rhodes and Gray greeted them simply, not wanting to intrude on their conversation with Wendy.
Wendy enthusiastically chatted with the two men about her experiences outside, and they listened with smiles on their faces.
They seemed especially happy when she mentioned making friends.
It was a while before the two young men continued on their way.
Wendy turned back with an apologetic look,
"I'm sorry, I talked too much and kept you waiting."
Rhodes reassured her, "It's fine. I can tell that you're very loved in this village."
Wendy beamed, "That's because everyone here is so kind."
The villagers wore clothes that had a distinct tribal style, with unique facial markings.
Their attire reminded Rhodes a bit of Nab, who was always staring at the guild board.
"Magna, Bebel!"
"Wendy, Carla, welcome back!"
Along the way, Wendy greeted everyone she knew, and they all responded warmly.
The small village was full of warmth and friendliness.
Following the stone path that ran north to south, they eventually arrived at the entrance of a cat-shaped tent.
Above the tent was a sign saying "Cait Shelter," and beside it, a flagpole held the guild's insignia.
Rhodes thought about whether they should wait outside, but Wendy was already calling them to enter together.
He exchanged a glance with Gray, who nodded, as if saying it was fine to go in.
Rhodes also nodded, his expression saying, Alright, at least you still have clothes on.
Inside, the tent's setup was simple, with three wooden round tables positioned in two side rows and one in the center.
At the back, in the middle of the tent, was the guild master's seat. An elderly man wearing a feathered headdress was sitting cross-legged.
Wendy called out excitedly, "Master, we're back!"
"Fooled," the old man said as he sat upright.
"Wendy, Carla, welcome home."
Rhodes whispered to Gray, "What did he say? Fooled what?"
Gray gently shook his head, "I couldn't quite catch it."
"Don't mind it. It's the master's catchphrase," Carla said.
"We don't know what it means either, but he says it all the time."
Wendy introduced Rhodes and Gray to Robinlu, the guild master.
Robinlu listened to her introduction while pouring himself some wine. After filling his cup halfway, he started drinking directly from the bottle.
Once Wendy was finished, Robinlu greeted them warmly,
"Oh, wizards from Fairy Tail, welcome to Cait Shelter."
As he spoke, the wine he had just poured began dripping down from the corner of his mouth.
Carla couldn't help herself,
"Swallow your drink before speaking! This is just rude!"
"Fooled." Robinlu muttered his meaningless catchphrase, poured more wine into his cup, then continued drinking directly from the bottle.
"My apologies. Thank you for taking care of Wendy and Carla." The wine once again trickled from his mouth.
Carla rubbed her forehead in exasperation. She'd spent the past two days criticizing the idiots at Fairy Tail, and had almost forgotten that her guild had an idiot of its own.
A strange old man, Gray concluded, politely adding,
"Sorry for the intrusion."
Are all guild masters this unreliable? Unlike Gray, Rhodes also took the opportunity to complain about his own guild master.
"Master Robinlu, our guild master, Makarov, asked us to send his regards to you."
"Ah, Makarov, I've heard of him—one of the ten most outstanding wizards on this continent. I'd love to meet him one day."
If he wasn't spraying wine while talking, this moment might have looked much better.
Wendy spoke up, "Master, Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Gray have taken a request near the Northern Ridge, and Carla and I want to help guide them."
The Northern Ridge Wendy mentioned was what Rhodes and Gray called the Southern Mountain Range, as it was located north of Cait Shelter.
Carla, however, doubted whether these two still needed directions. They probably knew the local terrain better than she and Wendy did by now.
"The Northern Ridge, huh. It can be dangerous if you go too far. Fooled." Robinlu frowned,
"But since they are wizards from Fairy Tail, it should be okay. Wendy, make sure not to trouble them."
Rhodes quickly added,
"There's no need for Wendy to accompany us. Just helping us identify the general direction will do."
The request for Wendy to guide them was originally just an excuse by Master Makarov to have Rhodes and Gray escort Wendy home. There was no way they could take her along on an actual mission.
Wendy said again,
"Also, if we can't finish quickly, Carla and I would like to host them here."
"Fooled. They can stay here, no problem." Robinlu agreed without hesitation.
"Carla, take them to settle in. Wendy, can you stay and tell me about the outside world?"
"Mm!"
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Magic Encyclopedia: "Thought Projection"
In Fairy Tail, there's a magic called "Thought Projection," which can be roughly divided into two types:
Illusionary Projections: This allows one to project their image to distant places to communicate with others. It can only be seen and heard, but can't be touched—similar to 3D video calls with projections.
Physical Projections: These are almost like clones, capable of being controlled remotely and even acting independently to some extent. These projections are tangible and can even disguise themselves as something different from the original user. However, this type consumes most of the user's magic power.
Aside from these, there are ghost-like projections, which, though without a physical body, can still have their own personalities.
[Thought Projection is a truly amazing magic. If you don't see the activation or disappearance process, even one of the Ten Wizard Saints would have trouble distinguishing it.]