The situation calmed down for now, so Ben resumed his journey back. He explored the forest again because he didn't explore the entire area. But he needed to be careful because the Council might still watch over the forest.
So he transformed into a goat-like demon with 2 big horns. He also made Bella don a T-Rex costume as a disguise. She can't use Transformation Magic, so he had her put a costume on.
They explore the forest, Savannah and surrounding areas. It took him a month to finish his exploration. He could move faster if he didn't keep experimenting with his storage magic item project.
But it is important, so he kept doing it even though it slowed his journey back down. If he succeeded, then it will be a very useful item for him, his sisters and his guild.
Ben went to the central area of the kingdom of Fiore after finishing his exploration in the forest. He avoided getting too close to the Fiore branch of the Magic Council though.
They might suspect him to be the culprit behind the explosion if they see him leave the forest. Well, he is the culprit, but he needs to keep it a secret or it will lead to big trouble.
He and Bella move stealthily while still in their disguises. They move past the Fiore branch safely and reach the mountain near the capital Crocus. They remove their disguises and start exploring the mountain range.
"Town?" Bella asked.
"No, we won't go there now. We'll explore this area to erase any trace that will lead the Council to us. They are very persistent, it's a big pain in the ass." Ben said as he walked toward the mountain.
They explore the mountain and Ben continued his experiments. There was no good discovery in a week's time and Ben decided to go to the town. They go to the capital Crocus to buy supplies and search for news about what happened in the kingdom.
Ben bought their necessities while asking around for news. But nothing significant happened other than Ishgar severing all ties with the Alvarez Empire. The only thing that piqued Ben's interest was a rising star from Fairy Tail.
"Salamander, huh? That little Dragon Slayer has made a name for himself. Although he caused a lot of trouble, that's to be expected of Fairy Tail mages. I'm curious if his fire will be able to affect me, although it seems to be impossible. But I won't know for sure unless I try it." Ben said with a grin.
"Mira?" Bella asked excitedly.
"There's no news about her, so I don't know. Let's call her tonight, because she's probably on a mission." Ben said.
Bella nodded before asking Ben to buy milk. They go to buy milk for Bella in a shop and they buy a lot of milk there. The shop owner was very happy that they bought a lot of his milk so he gave them a VIP card.
'This card will be very useful if we lived around here. But this is still useful every time we come here.' Ben thought.
"Milk! Milk!" Bella demanded.
"Yes, yes. Here's your milk offering, your majesty." Ben said as he gave Bella a bottle of milk.
They leave the shop and go to a mansion around the town's central area. This is Joseph's mansion. He was the merchant who helped take care of Ben's sisters while he participated in the Grand Magic Prix.
"Ooh Ben, Bella. Long time no see. Come in!" Joseph excitedly exclaimed.
They enter the mansion and some maids prepare drinks for them. Joseph's wife, Lisa, came into the living room and immediately hugged Bella. She is very excited to see the little cat after such a long time.
"Are you on a mission, Ben?" Joseph asked.
"No, we spent a year exploring the kingdom. It's been 10 months since we started this journey and it's almost complete. We were exploring the nearby mountains and needed to get some more supplies, so we came here. We decided to visit you before resuming our exploration." Ben explained.
"Wow, you've achieved a big thing at such a young age. I had the same dream to do what you did in the past. Too bad I'm not a mage and don't have the necessary strength to do that." Joseph sadly said.
"Yeah, the wilderness is dangerous. A lot of places kill mages like us. So a journey like that will definitely kill normal people." Ben replied.
Joseph sighed after hearing that and had a bitter smile. He knew it was impossible for a human and he was very old already.
"But don't be too sad. There are places that you can visit. They aren't too dangerous, although you would still need some mages as guards. But I think hiring them won't be a problem for you." Ben said with a smile.
"Really? Then maybe I should go to those places when I have time. It can be good recreation for this retired merchant." Joseph said.
"Give me a map and I will show you the places. But retired? Have you handed over the business to your son?" Ben asked.
"Yeah, the era has changed and we need regeneration. My son is ready to take over the business, so I decided to give him full responsibility. My decision turned out to be correct because the business has grown with his new and fresh ideas."
"That's good to hear." Ben said as he sipped his drink.
"It's also thanks to you. He saw you succeed as a mage at such a young age. So he gets motivated and does his best in the field." Joseph informed him.
Ben smiled hearing that. Everyone will be happy to know that they've become someone's inspiration to be better. Lisa also smiled and thanked Ben for it while still hugging Bella and giving her more milk.
The butler returns and gives Ben the map of the kingdom. Ben marked spots on it with colored markers. He showed the safe locations with green colors and the dangerous locations with red colors.
"Don't go too far inside the red locations because strong creatures might go there. You still need to be careful even in the green locations. I suggest hiring a S-Class mage or a few high-class mages. We never know what might happen in the wilderness." Ben advised.
"That will take a lot of money." Joseph said.
"Well, it's either money or your safety?" Ben teased him.
Joseph can only sigh and nod after Ben said that. He had been to those locations, so he knew the dangers associated with them. It would be very bad if Joseph ignored a warning from a S-Class mage like him.
Ben and Bella leave after staying until the afternoon. That evening, they call Wendy and Carla before calling Mira. Bella is very happy to see Mira because it had been 5 weeks since they last called her.
The next day, they resume their journey and explore the mountain range. The two also head to the cave where they met Smog but nothing was there except what was left of Smog's skeleton.
The mountain range didn't have anything interesting. The kingdom must've explored the area and taken everything with them. But, strangely they didn't find Smog. Ben knew why.
Smog must have used a defensive spell to prevent anyone from finding his location. Ben also won't find it unless Smog spoke to him and showed him his location. A dragon's spell isn't easy to breach even after years passed when it was cast.
Ben and Bella finished exploring the mountain range after 6 weeks. It's April 27, so they still have 2 weeks left. They decide to visit Mira and Elfman before they return to the village.
"Let's see the infamous Salamander too while we're there." Ben grinned as they depart for Magnolia.