infodatos Chapter 323 Turning Passivity into Initiative
Chapter 323 Turning Passivity into Initiative
Chapter 323 Turning Passivity into Initiative (Please Subscribe!)
Moen emerged from the steamy bathroom, casually picked up the soft casual clothes draped over the back of a chair and changed. He walked through the quiet corridor, downstairs and into the living room. Then, the scene in the living room made him break out in a cold sweat.
In the living room, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Natsu, and Happy were gathered around the oak coffee table. They leaned forward, forming a small circle, and everyone's eyes were focused on the center of the coffee table. And what else could it be but the book "Memories of Time"?
"Moen is out!"
Gray saw Moen and quickly reminded everyone that they didn't need to study it anymore and could just ask Moen. Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention from their books to Moen, their eyes filled with undisguised curiosity and inquiry.
Moen's heart pounded in his chest, but he tried his best to suppress his turbulent emotions and maintain a calm expression.
He walked slowly and steadily, as if treading on a thin layer of ice; a slight misstep and he might not reach the other side. Reaching the group, Mo En tilted his head slightly, his gaze precisely landing on the book, *Memories of Time*.
He asked in a deliberately casual tone, "What are you looking at?"
At this moment, only the word "fortunately" remained in Moen's mind. Fortunately, he had sealed the book away in advance.
Moen breathed a sigh of relief; he could almost hear the thud of his heart slowly returning to his chest.
If he hadn't been prepared, there should be no one left in the living room by now.
It's even possible that this entire timeline will disappear.
"If someone from the future comes and tells me something, I'm happy to accept it, and I might even actively change the future. But if someone wants to change my past, I absolutely cannot tolerate it. Humans are indeed such hypocritical creatures."
Moen chuckled inwardly, admitting that he was indeed being extremely hypocritical in this regard.
"Moenge, is there a problem with this book? Why is it being sealed away?"
Lucy cautiously tapped the book wrapped in a transparent, sturdy "crystal wall" with her fingertip, her eyes full of confusion.
After taking the book off the shelf, Lucy immediately noticed that it was protected by the "Crystal Wall".
It was sealed away, which left her completely puzzled.
But because of the "Crystal Wall" seal, she could take it with more peace of mind. After all, it meant that even if there was something wrong with the book, there would be no problem now. With the "Crystal Wall" there, the danger inside the book was isolated.
The group of them stared at the book cover for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what this book with a four-leaf clover on the cover was about.
Lucy even wondered if it might be Moeng's diary? Otherwise, why use the "Crystal Wall"?
Should it be sealed away?
"This book..."
'
When Lucy asked him a question, Moen glanced at the people present.
Lucy with blonde hair, Erza with a heroic air, Natsu with a silly look, Gray with a slightly embarrassed expression, and Happy with his head tilted to the side—the five-person group that went back in time has been reunited.
"etc...
Thinking of this, Moen suddenly paused for a moment, and a thought suddenly came to his mind: why "the group of five"?
"Am I... really not here?"
The moment the idea came to him, Moen suddenly had a sudden realization.
He recalled the situation at the time: Erza, Lucy, Gray, Happy, and the others were grabbing Natsu haphazardly, and Natsu was resisting stupidly. The scene was quite chaotic.
At the last moment, Erza threw out the "Memory of Time" book. At that moment, his attention was indeed drawn to the spellbook that was thrown out.
"In other words, it's entirely possible."
Moen's eyes lit up. He had come up with a plan. He just needed to use "Instant Teleportation" at the last moment to touch Natsu and come back with him, without being noticed by his younger self!
Although it's extremely difficult to execute, it's entirely feasible. Moen's current strength is enough to completely deceive his younger self.
"Furthermore, we can also use the Royal Magic Palace Rose."
The more Moen thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He could bring some "Royal Magic Palace Roses" with him and use the rose petals to achieve an invisibility effect.
Hmm, that's not very reliable, because it's inevitable that some traces will be left behind. It's safest to just use the "teleportation" method. He has too many ways to hide his identity. The "Population's Mask" can also work, making it impossible for people to discern his true identity.
Furthermore, if things really go wrong during the process, he still has a move called the [Illusory Demon Emperor Fist] that can turn the tide!
At this moment, Moen was seriously considering whether he should take the initiative to open the book "Memories of Time".
There's nothing we can do; today's events are just too much of a coincidence.
The fact that this "group of five" and this book could be so strangely drawn together touched a nerve with Moen.
If he hadn't taken preventative measures beforehand, things wouldn't have turned out this way. But he managed to prevent it this time, but what about next time? And the time after that? Could something unexpected happen?
For example, what if his "crystal wall" happens to malfunction or be destroyed?
There's no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days.
The best solution is to use the book directly and let it cool down again, so you don't have to worry about it anymore.
"What...is wrong with this book?"
Seeing Moen suddenly fall silent after starting to speak, Lucy asked, her voice tinged with unease.
Lucy and Erza exchanged a puzzled look. They saw Moen's expression shift, sometimes solemn, sometimes resolute, and finally as if he had made some great decision.
The book's significance seems to far exceed their expectations!
"Lucy, Gray, if you met me as a child, what would you say? Hmm, me in X778, me at thirteen."
Moen took a deep breath, his expression serious, and asked Lucy and Gray, emphasizing the time and age. He then quickly glanced at Natsu, Erza, and Happy, confirming that these were the only two people he needed to give special instructions to.
Lucy and Gray, one of whom had more contact with him and the other with everyone in the guild, and the other who said something that clearly didn't fit the current timeline, so it was necessary to remind them both.
"Huh? X778? Back then... I think I was only ten years old? I don't think I had officially joined 'Fairy Tail' yet?"
Moen's sudden question left Lucy somewhat bewildered. She frowned and began to recall. X778 was already six years ago.
Lucy is seventeen years old this year. Six years ago, she was eleven. That year was a very special year for her because it was in that year that she met Moen and became Moen's apprentice. In X779, when she was twelve years old, she officially joined "Fairy Tail" and began her career as a mage.
"They'll probably say... 'Just write a good Sherlock Holmes story!'"
Lucy thought for a moment and then shared her thoughts. She first met Moen at the book signing event for "Sherlock Holmes II" and that's when she truly became involved with "Fairy Tail." This book naturally held great significance for her.
"No, you should say, 'Whatever you do, don't kill off Sherlock Holmes.'"
Moen immediately shook his head and corrected him with a serious expression.
"But I already know he will be resurrected. You told me, and the title of 'The Return' has already been written, hasn't it?"
Lucy looked conflicted. If it had been before Moen told her all this, she would have said, "Please don't kill off Sherlock Holmes," but now, she certainly wouldn't have said that.
"Then you should pretend you don't know, and when you see me back then, you can't act too close, because I didn't know you at all."
Moen continued speaking, which made Lucy's expression strange. Why was she talking so seriously? It was as if she really wanted to go back in time and see Moen when he was a child. Was such a thing... even possible?
"Grey, you don't need to be so polite. You should let me teach you Diamond Dust. You've wanted to learn it for a long time, but you kept it to yourself until Lucy started learning it and then you started learning it too."
Ignoring Lucy's strange expression, Moen then spoke to Gray.
Did you know back then that I had wanted to learn it for a long time?
Gray looked embarrassed, as if his childhood secret had been exposed. He had indeed wanted to learn for a long time, but he was always too embarrassed to say it. Besides, he had a master he could never forget.
"How can I teach you if you don't tell me? Do you expect me to beg you?"
Moen smiled and said that he had never taught Gray the "Diamond Dust Fist" because, firstly, there was no "master-disciple system" back then, and secondly, it was because of the words Gray left behind in the future.
Only when his strength and confidence grew did Moen dare to recklessly change the future and pass on the "Diamond Star Fist" to Gray.
"Well, that should be all."
Moen thought for a moment and realized that there really wasn't anything he needed to specifically tell him. His gaze swept over the few young and familiar faces in front of him again, making subtle comparisons with the "future version" he had briefly met in his memory. There were changes, but the core features were still clear. In fact, in those few hours of meeting, he couldn't see anything deep.
"Moen? What does that mean?"
Lucy asked in a low voice, feeling a little dizzy from what Moen had said.
"Is this the book?"
Erza had been listening intently. She remained calm, found the key point, raised her arm clad in gauntlets, pointed to the book "Memories of Time," and asked with a puzzled expression.
"This book?"
Natsu picked up "Memories of Time" and flipped through it carelessly, his fingers tracing the smooth cover as he tried to find the key.
He didn't quite understand what Moen was saying to Lucy and Gray; he had just been fighting with Happy for snacks.
The snacks on the table were dried fruits that Mirajin had dried herself. Even though Mirajin wasn't there, she still seemed very involved.
"That's right, because of this book."
Moen nodded, his gaze fixed on Natsu, the oblivious fire dragon who was baring his teeth and trying to pry open the transparent "crystal wall" covering the book with both hands. His arm muscles were tense, and even his neck was red, but the seemingly fragile barrier did not budge, and his efforts were all in vain.
"Natsu, do you remember something that happened in X778, which is six years ago? Back then... you met a strange guy, got beaten up by him, and ran back to the guild to get help."
Watching Natsu struggling with "Memories of Time," Moen suddenly brought up the past, with a deliberate, guiding tone.
Moen's words were so specific that Natsu immediately recalled his experience, and his expression changed completely.
"I remember!"
Natsu roared, remembering the incident vividly; it was all thanks to Moen's timely arrival that he was saved!
"Buzz!"
Taking advantage of Natsu's heightened emotions, Moen unlocked the "Crystal Wall," and Natsu's still-stretching hand instantly opened "Memory Time," leaving everyone stunned.
"It's...it's open?"
Looking at the book in his hand that had begun to glow, Natsu murmured something blankly, and then magic instantly surged from the open pages of "Memories of Time," causing space and time to distort.
"Buzzing!"
Natsu and Happy disappeared first, followed by Gray, Lucy, and Erza. Feeling the spacetime power covering his body, Moen did not resist and was obediently sucked into it.
"Aaaaaah!"
After a burst of magical energy, Moen, Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Happy appeared in an open space. The "Memories of Time" was still in Natsu's hands, and the magical energy had disappeared.
"This...this is..."
The sudden scene change left everyone somewhat bewildered, except for Lucy, who looked at Moen with shock. The magical fluctuations, the strange magic, and Moen's previous words all pointed to a possibility, a possibility that Lucy found hard to believe.
"That's right, this is Magnolia from X778. Look, that's our guild. It really brings back some memories."
Moen nodded to Lucy and then said, "In six years, Magnolia has changed quite a bit. The Fairy Tail guild hall has also changed. Although it hasn't been rebuilt, it has undergone a lot of expansion and renovation, and it's quite different from what it was six years ago."
Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Happy all followed Moen's gaze. Sure enough, Fairy Tail's impressive guild hall was not far in front of them, and they could immediately tell that the guild hall was different from what they saw.
"What...what on earth is going on?!"
Natsu, Gray, and Happy were dumbfounded.
Erza was calmer; she took the "Memories of Time" from Natsu and handed it directly to Moen.
"Was it this book that brought us back?"
Erza had already guessed it, and she remained calm because she knew that with Moen there, they would be safe and sound.
Natsu and Gray were still excitedly trying to say something when Lucy, with her sharp eyes, spotted someone coming out of the guild hall.
"Wait! Someone's coming out! Let's hide!"
Lucy immediately told everyone to hide, and Moen responded. Erza followed closely behind, and Gray, Natsu, and Happy, though puzzled, obediently followed along.
The group hid behind a temporary stall opposite the guild. At this time, the stall was not yet open for business. This area actually belonged to the guild, and by X784 it had been developed into various stalls, such as selling Fairy Tail souvenirs, which was also a way to generate revenue.
"?!"
Everyone was surprised to see three small figures walking out of the guild gate, even Moen was taken aback.
Because the ones who came out were none other than Natsu, Gray, and Erza, only three smaller versions of themselves, all of whom were only twelve or thirteen years old at the time.
Little Natsu sported a head of unruly, short, cherry-blossom-colored hair; Little Gray was shirtless; and Little Erza wore a slightly clumsy, deep red braid that hung down her back, her youthful face already showing a touch of heroism and stubbornness.
Moen remembered that it seemed Natsu and Gray had offended Erza, and Erza had chased them all the way, which led to what happened next.
"Are we going to do both of them today?"
"I'm enough on my own!"
"These are the words I wanted to say!"
I must do it today...
'
"Defeat Erza!"
Right at the guild entrance, Natsu and Gray rushed towards Erza together.
"Bang! Bang!"
The result was not much different from X784. Natsu and Gray were directly knocked out and lay at Erza's feet like they had lost their souls.
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'
This scene naturally left Gray and Natsu speechless, as it had just happened at Moen's house.
"It's truly a scene that evokes fond memories."
Moen shook his head and chuckled. Little Erza still had her hair in a big braid, but when she grew up, she usually wore her hair down when she wasn't dressed up. Just like now, Moen looked at the older Erza, whose hair was flowing smoothly down her back. One of them had a big braid, and the other had long, straight red hair.
"What did you do to us when we were kids?! Erza!"
Looking at their younger selves lying helplessly on the ground, Gray and Natsu protested to Erza, saying that the scene before them was truly shameful, and of course, it also made them wonder how the two of them had survived to this age.
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