Lucy looked at the task bulletin board, which was much sparser than usual: "Seriously, how long is this situation going to last?"
Mira said, "Probably until the middle of next month."
"That's good." Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. She had enough money to last until next month.
Rhode asked, "Didn't you make quite a bit last time? You should be set for a while."
Lucy said, "Because my dad had to compensate for the damage the bandits did to the carriage, and some of the goods were damaged too, so I lent him most of my money.
"He's already taken out a loan from the commercial guild, and if he takes out another one, the interest will be high. He'd have to work really hard to pay it back..."
The father and daughter had reconciled last time, and Lucy was willing to consider her dad a bit more. She thought that if her mom were alive, she'd be happy to see them caring and supporting each other.
The only problem was her living expenses, but she calculated that she could manage if she started working again next month.
Lucy said with a light tone, "At least I won't have to be a bunny girl."
Rhode was shocked, "You were serious?"
Lucy was even more shocked, "So you weren't serious?!"
Rhode said matter-of-factly, "Of course, I was just talking. If we really needed a bunny girl, I would have Erza step in."
Lucy said angrily, "I seriously considered it for so long!"
Rhode pretended to ponder, "Ah, if you're willing..."
Lucy quickly interrupted, "Who would willingly do that!"
"Are you into role-playing? I heard you have a thing for that."
"Heard about it!"
"Heard about it!"
A teasing voice chimed in, followed by five more voices joining in, and within just a sentence, Lucy experienced what true chaos was.
This way of speaking, sure enough, was Biguslo and his five puppets.
Lucy said helplessly, "Who started saying stuff like that?"
Biguslo extended his tongue and laughed, "I heard it from Loki, who heard it from Hapi, who said you and Loki have a thing going on~"
"Got a thing going on~"
"Got a thing going on~"
The puppets echoed Biguslo's words repeatedly, making Lucy feel like a thousand Hapis were flying around her, her head about to explode.
When it comes to being noisy, Biguslo alone could be as loud as ten people.
"We're off, Biguslo." Fried had accepted a new task and called his companions to leave.
They had agreed to protect Fairy Tail for Laxus, starting with becoming S-Class Mages.
After that, people hurriedly came and went. Rhode couldn't understand why their once-a-year event always seemed to be such a last-minute rush.
But then he thought of the days leading up to his finals in each subject and suddenly understood.
Being lazy is fun, but when exams approach, you've got to cram.
Near noon, Ginanna came to the guild.
The dorm was already sorted, and in the morning, Qico had taken her out to buy necessities, so Ginanna was settled.
Starting today, she'd work as a waitress in the tavern. The waitress job Lucy didn't like, Ginanna quite enjoyed.
Mira would take time to teach Ginanna various things, ranging from history and geography to basic hygiene. Considering Ginanna's decade-long memory gap, Mira had lots to teach her.
Fortunately, Ginanna's work as a waitress required continuous interaction with people, and the quirky folks at the guild answered her questions well, without misleading her on any important matters.
Though it would still take time for Ginanna to fully return to normal life, she was always happy in the guild.
"Mr. Rhode, the design concept of this flying ship is completely different from ours; a full inspection will take some time. As for modifications... that process might also be lengthy.
"But that's not my main point; what I want to say is, do you understand this ship's value?"
The engineer Rhode had brought from the Magic Four-Wheel Vehicle Company seemed very excited. This was a completely new approach to mainstream magic technology.
If they could research this ship thoroughly, many previous technological hurdles could be overcome from another angle.
On a small scale, this technology could bring huge profits to their company; on a larger scale, it might even propel world development.
"Of course I understand. The Council and the Fiore Kingdom have both invited us for collaboration. In a few days, researchers from the Royal Capital and abroad will come to investigate."
Rhode had only received this news after hiring someone back.
The kingdom and the Council would send people to investigate and cover all modification costs, plus provide bonuses and other benefits.
The specifics would depend on the value of the technology on the ship.
If he had known earlier, Rhode wouldn't have bothered to hire someone from outside.
The engineer Rhode had hired eagerly said:
"Please, let me be part of the research! I've worked on the Blue Pegasus's Magical Bomb Strike Boat and... and part of the Ghost Guild's Six-legged Walker modifications!"
Mentioning the Ghost Guild, he hesitated, knowing Fairy Tail's discord with Ghost, but he laid out his qualifications to vie for a spot.
"I'm confident that I won't lose to anyone in terms of technological application, even those from the Royal Capital or abroad! By the way, just let me participate, and I'll do it for free!"
Participated in the design of the Magical Bomb Strike Boat and the Ghost's Six-legged Walker?
Rhode looked at him in surprise. Those were quite advanced technologies, and he had heard that Ghost even had transformation capabilities.
Did he just inadvertently hire a talent?
He thought for a moment and said, "In that case, we'll have you as the oversight manager, representing our guild in this matter."
It's wise to be cautious. Whether people sent by the kingdom or the Council, Rhode had concerns they might leave a backdoor during the ship's modification.
But the guild lacked such talents, and this engineer, being from Magnolia, held more credibility.
Just in case, for the modification process, he planned to have Lisana, who best understood Edolas technology, oversee it.
If Wolian was available, he'd ask him to watch over things too, capturing any malicious intentions immediately.
Then, with Gemini's help in interrogations, they would be foolproof.
As of now, the guild's most valuable asset was this large ship, so caution was necessary.
The engineer gratefully promised that Fairy Tail would be satisfied, and he would surely remodel a flying ship that balanced practicality and beauty.