By mid-November, the weather had gotten much colder. If you stepped out before sunrise, you could already see a thin layer of frost on the withered weeds along the street.
A few days ago, Rhodes installed a bath system at home, and he finally had 24-hour hot water. As the weather turned colder, his clothing layers got thicker, and lately, Rhodes had taken to carrying Vorm out with him more often.
The little guy was warm, like carrying a heater in his arms.
Vorm's popularity in the guild was also increasing daily. No one wanted to let go once they picked him up.
People even hoped Rhodes would summon more Poros—enough for everyone to have their own.
But unfortunately, Rhodes couldn't do that. Unlike other creatures, there could only be one Vorm.
Goodman, the landlord, had also seen a boost in his business lately.
According to him, his father found inspiration from a wooden sculpture Rhodes had given him, which improved his carving skills. Thus, their craft items had become exceptionally popular.
Mrs. Molly, on the other hand, was studying the fabric Rhodes had gifted, trying to learn some of its techniques.
Because of all this, Goodman lowered Rhodes' rent by 20,000J, making it 60,000J per month.
You'd have a hard time finding a house with the same size and amenities at a lower price anywhere else in Magnolia.
Everything seemed to be moving in a good direction, except the Master was worried every time he saw Rhodes refusing to take on any missions.
If this continued, his retirement plans would be delayed again. When would Rhodes finally become an S-Class mage?!
"Master."
"Oh?" Makarov perked up, "Are you taking a mission?"
"No, I need your help." Rhodes pointed to the backyard.
"Oh, are you looking to receive a new target?" Makarov nodded. Boosting his abilities wasn't a bad idea either.
"Not that either... That target—I need a bit more mental preparation."
Truth be told, Rhodes wasn't too keen on receiving the Marsh Frog. That thing was just too ugly, and he wasn't sure what he'd look like after receiving it.
However, he really wanted the Marsh Frog's poison attribute—it was a great choice for desperate situations. That "If I go down, I'm taking you with me!" attitude could be quite intimidating.
But if the reception resulted in bumps all over his body... even though he'd return to normal after canceling the magic, it was still something he needed to think over carefully.
"Today, I want to summon something big," Rhodes said.
"I see, let's go then."
Makarov thought back to the treant from a while back and the unique enchantment magic that came with it, his lips curving in a small smile.
After Rhodes realized that the "Ember Crown" enchantment could heal injuries, he even considered putting it on Makarov every day to "extend his lifespan."
Though it turned out it didn't work that way, Makarov was still pleased.
To him, the care from these children was the best medicine for a longer life.
The guild hall was as lively as ever today, though not as rowdy as usual—perhaps because one of its rowdiest members was napping at a table.
Rhodes glanced curiously at Natsu, who was slumped over. Except for the aftermath of eating lightning, it was rare to see Natsu this out of it. "Did he eat something weird again?"
Makarov shook his head, "Don't worry about him."
Still a little puzzled, Rhodes followed the Master to the backyard, where he quickly focused on casting his spell.
"I am..."
"The Azure Engraved Golem!"
Rhodes chanted the spell sincerely, and as he called out its name, blue light surged across the ground.
Chunks of stone emerged from the earth, rapidly forming into a stone giant.
Although it wasn't as large as the Master's Giant Magic, it still stood at four to five meters tall.
The giant had a large blue orb in its center, exuding a completely different aura compared to the crimson orb on the Crimson Sigil Treant's back.
The Azure Engraved Golem, commonly known as Blue Buff or "Blue Buff Guardian," corresponded to the Crimson Sigil Treant—also known as Red Buff. Both creatures were of similar importance in the game, both being highly contested and crucial neutral monsters.
Standing on two feet, the golem looked taller than the treant, which moved on all fours.
But, it looked a bit dumb.
As before, Makarov made sure to protect Rhodes while he confirmed the creature's obedience before examining it himself.
Rhodes sensed his magic power, "It's similar to the mana cost of summoning the treant. It can also use an enchantment spell."
Rhodes gestured to himself, "Crown of Insight!"
The blue orb inside the golem flickered, emitting blue light that swept over Rhodes.
Three blue, semi-transparent sigils appeared around Rhodes, circling once before entering his body.
A moment later, three more appeared, circled him again, and entered his body.
Each time he absorbed these sigils, Rhodes felt his mana regenerate slightly. This was the Blue Buff's key mana recovery effect.
However, sustaining the golem still cost a significant amount of mana, and the current situation was that the recovery rate slightly lagged behind the consumption rate.
Rhodes frowned; this didn't make sense.
"I have a hunch. Master, would you like to try it?" Rhodes suggested.
Makarov nodded, "Sure."
"Crown of Insight!" Rhodes pointed to Makarov, blue light sweeping across him, and similar blue sigils appeared around the Master.
However, the sigils only circled Makarov without merging into his body.
Makarov didn't feel any difference, so he asked, "Is it ineffective on me?"
Rhodes shook his head, "No, but you might need to use some mana first to see the effect."
"Oh?" Makarov extended his hand, casually casting a light magic spell into the sky.
Immediately, the moving blue sigils entered his body, regenerating again afterward.
"This enchantment... does it instantly restore all mana?"
For a split second, Makarov's face showed panic. There was only one way he knew of that could do such a thing—one of Fairy Tail's biggest secrets.
No, it couldn't be that exaggerated.
Makarov calmed himself, quickly casting several mana-intensive defensive spells.
Once the blue light entered his body again, Makarov sighed in relief—it wasn't infinite restoration.
At least, the restoration wasn't as fast as he'd imagined.
But something still felt off—why was Rhodes' mana still depleting with this recovery speed?
Rhodes grimaced, "It's probably because I'm too weak."
It turned out that this thing, just like in the game, restored mana based on percentage.
Someone as powerful as the Master could maintain the Crown of Insight and play around with a pseudo "infinite mana" strategy for a while.
But for Rhodes, whose mana capacity was limited, the effect only extended the golem's duration somewhat.
Still, he wasn't discouraged. Sustaining both consumption and recovery simultaneously meant that he could keep the golem fighting for him, unlike the treant, which could only serve as a trump card.
With just a bit more magic power, he'd be able to balance the mana consumption and recovery. A little more effort, and every fight would come with a free, powerful summoned creature!
Given its size, a punch from this golem would undoubtedly deal more damage than Rhodes could in close combat.
Rhodes estimated his remaining mana. "Maybe in a few days, I can try receiving it."
Makarov asked, "Are you sure? Didn't you mention that receiving costs much more mana than summoning?"
"Yeah... After receiving it, I might collapse, but on the second try, I wouldn't need to summon it first. I'd gain a transformation form."
Rhodes counted in his head, "Maybe I'll wait a few more days, just to be safe."