Chapter 152: Camping
Everyone enthusiastically began to prepare for the feast. Noah had already brought the ingredients. The guild members divided the labor: the girls were in charge of cooking, and the boys went to chop wood and build the necessary camping facilities. Since the exam had finished in the afternoon, after some discussion, everyone decided to spend the night. Ever since Noah had developed the personal storage space, everyone kept daily necessities and a change of clothes inside, so camping was no problem at all.
Noah had originally been going to help chop wood but was dragged over to the girls' side to cook, the reason being that his skills were the best. Elfman was also grabbed by his sister, Mirajane, to help.
Night fell, and darkness gradually enveloped the land. The twinkling starlight from the sky and the bonfires on the ground reflected each other, creating a dreamlike and hazy beauty.
After two or three hours of bustling activity, with the help of Elfman and a host of girls, Noah finally finished preparing the banquet. However, he had a feeling that most of the girls had been causing trouble rather than helping. For example, right at the beginning, Erza had declared she wanted to make a cake, a suggestion that was immediately met with a chorus of approval. Then, everyone else had started making their own favorite foods, resulting in a scene of pure chaos.
Thankfully, Noah had invented a number of small "cooking magic" spells over the years, such as timed heat-off, auto-chopping, and auto-stirring. With Elfman's help, they managed to finish preparing the feast on time. The other girls, seeing his little spells, were all very interested and asked to learn them, planning to use the convenient magic in their own kitchens back home. Noah gave them a quick lesson as he cooked.
They carried the finished dishes to the campsite the boys had built and placed them on the tables. Once everything was set, Makarov stood at the head of the table and shouted, "Now, let the feast begin!"
"YEAHHH!!!"
Everyone rushed to the tables to grab their favorite food. Natsu and Gray hadn't even had a few bites before they both set their sights on the same dish.
"I saw it first, you squinty-eyed freak!"
"You bastard, I saw it first, you droopy-eyed bastard!"
THUNK!
Their heads collided.
"You wanna fight?!"
"You're on!"
"Eat your food quietly!"
Just as they were about to start, a cold voice sounded from behind them. They both shuddered, and turned their heads stiffly. It was Noah. He knew these two were the guild's most frequent brawlers, and he had no intention of letting them ruin the food he had worked so hard to make, so he had been keeping an eye on them. Sure enough, the party had barely started, and they were already at it.
"Aye!"
Stared down by Noah's terrifying gaze, Natsu and Gray felt an immense pressure and involuntarily responded with Happy's signature cry.
"I cooked most of this food. You will remember to eat it nicely. Understood?"
"Aye!" they both replied, trembling. Noah smiled with satisfaction.
Suddenly, he heard the voices of Erza and Mirajane from the distance.
"I saw this first, Mira!"
"I clearly saw it first, Erza!"
"You wanna fight?"
"Fine by me! I lost to you in the exam; let's have another round right now!"
Noah let out a deep sigh. These two were just as much of a handful. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and a massive aura erupted from him as he turned his head in their direction.
In an instant, Erza and Mirajane felt an immense terror, even stronger than what they had felt during the exam. They immediately changed their tune.
"You can have this. I'll go get something else."
"I'll get something else too."
The two of them quickly separated and went to different parts of the table. Only then did Noah retract his aura. He turned back to Natsu and Gray and saw them both trembling. Being the closest to him when he released his aura, they had felt it the most and had almost hugged each other in terror.
"Remember to eat nicely."
"Aye!"
Noah nodded, satisfied, and turned to get some of his own favorite dishes. Once he was a safe distance away, Natsu and Gray finally calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief. They then looked at each other with disgust.
"This is all your fault, droopy-eyes!"
"No, it's your fault, squinty-eyes!"
"Hmph!"
They both snorted, but they didn't dare to fight. After being warned by Noah, they just turned their backs on each other and went in opposite directions.
With the two main pairs of brawlers suppressed, everyone else also calmed down a bit, and the feast was completed happily.
After cleaning up, everyone gathered around the campfire to chat. But it wasn't long before Natsu and Gray started arguing again, and egged on by the other guild members, they decided to have a fight. They stood by the fire, and Natsu threw the first punch. Gray, not holding back, countered.
Noah watched them trade blows, listening to the crackling of the fire and the chatter of his friends. He felt a deep sense of relaxation, and before he knew it, he began to feel sleepy.
In a daze, he suddenly heard Natsu shout, "Noah! I challenge you!"
"Idiot! Are you trying to die?!" Gray's warning came at the same time.
Noah opened his eyes and saw Natsu charging at him with a flaming fist. He could only sigh. Without even getting up, he casually swatted the incoming fist aside and, with a counter-punch, knocked Natsu to the ground.
"Just be quiet tonight. Look!"
Noah raised his right hand to the sky. A magic circle unfolded, and a massive amount of magic power shot into the heavens. The other guild members were startled by his action and all looked up.
When the magic had reached high into the air, Noah clenched his fist. "Burst!"
In an instant, the magic exploded in the sky. A golden ring of light appeared at the center of the explosion and expanded outwards, pushing away all the clouds and dust, revealing a clear sky filled with brilliant stars.
"You see? Isn't the sky beautiful? You need to learn to be quiet and look at the beautiful things around you."
Noah pointed at the now-clear sky, where countless stars were shining brightly. For a moment, Natsu was captivated.
Noah leaned back and lay down on the ground, pulling Natsu down beside him. Seeing this, the other guild members also lay down. The area had already been enchanted by Noah with protective formulas—bug repellent, warming spells, and other functions—to ensure everyone's comfort, so they all relaxed.
~~~
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