A few weeks after Ben returned to the guild following the Wizard Saint competition, he found something interesting. He has explored every room in the guild to know if he needs to do something with the rooms. Also, he needed to know everything about the guild as the guild master.
Ben had done a few things to the rooms in the guild. He changed their layouts, appearance and even their defense mechanisms. Most of these rooms hadn't been changed in years, so some touch-ups were needed.
There were also some rooms that had been locked using magic. But Ben could hack them using A.I Chip's help. These rooms are limited to the guild master or some limited personnel. They could only be opened using special keys.
The keys should be passed down from the previous guild master to the current one. But with all that happened, Ben didn't receive the keys from Makarov. Fortunately A.I Chip can analyze the magical mechanisms and hack them.
Then after searching through all the rooms including the hidden ones, Ben found this new room beneath their guild. It's a big, underground room locked by some strong magic rune formations.
Just from the defense alone, Ben knew that something precious was kept there. His guess was right because he found something surprising. It's a big lacrima crystal with the body of a young girl inside it.
"Isn't she the 1st master? Why is her body inside a lacrima crystal? Her grave is on Tenrou Island, right? Hmm, I need to investigate this while keeping it a secret. Especially considering I feel strong magic power coming from this lacrima crystal." Ben questioned out loud.
Ben felt strong magic power emanating from the lacrima crystal. The magic power inside it can be used to destroy towns the size of Magnolia easily. That's why Ben needed to be careful and keep it a secret.
"No one else should know this, not even Mira. Knowing about this could put her and the guild in danger. I will increase the defense to keep anyone else out." Ben said as he left the room.
Ben improved the defense mechanisms of the room with A.I Chip's help. Then he sealed and disguised access to the room. He uses all he has to make sure no one else finds this room even by chance.
After leaving the room, Ben tried to investigate it secretly. But there wasn't a document about it, even the smallest clue didn't exist. So Ben assumed that the information was only known by the previous guild masters.
Ben is the 4th guild master and the person inside the lacrima is the 1st guild master. So the ones who knew about it were only the 2nd and 3rd guild master. Precht, or Hades, the 2nd guild master died after the attack on Tenrou Island.
Makarov is trapped on the island right now. So there was no one Ben could ask about it. It will remain a mystery until Makarov returns after the spell cast on Tenrou Island is canceled out.
This discovery won't change Ben's plans. It just made him very curious and worried because he doesn't know anything. There might be something dark hidden here and not knowing made him anxious.
'I'll stop worrying about it and just focus on what I'll do. I'll decide what to do after dispelling the magic on Tenrou Island and ask 3rd master about it.' Ben thought.
He just continued his work and improved the guild. He improved it's management system and some other things. There are many things that he does since he became the 4th guild master.
Then a few days later, he received good news. A.I Chip finally finished analyzing the Anima. She has simplified it and made it more compatible to be used with Earthland's magic. A.I Chip also claimed it was more effective and efficient than the original.
In Edolas, the Anima needs some complex mechanisms because it was a magic item. But after A.I Chip modified it, it just became a rune formation. Earthland has more magic power than Edolas, so it can be turned into a rune formation.
A.I Chip had dismantled all it's parts and changed each of them into runes with the same function. Then she experimented with the rune formation and improve it. The final result was the one she reported to Ben. It's the best she can do with all the data she currently has.
"Let's try it on a small scale first to get more data. Some things can only be done by actually trying it first." Ben suggested.
[Yes, I have simulated it many times but it might be different when being used. By trying it out, we will gain a lot of useful data to perfect the magic. But I suggest you try it at a remote location and make the smallest scale for the first time.]
"I know, there are a few things for me to consider." Ben said before he left his office.
Ben told everyone else in the guild that he would be gone for a day or two. He asked Mira to stay in the guild to protect it in case something dangerous happened while Bella joined him because she asked to accompany him. It's been a long time since the 2 of them went somewhere together, so Bella really wanted to go with him.
They go to where they used to live, the village where Cait Shelter once stood. Ben missed that place and so did Bella. But they haven't had the chance to go there since they joined Fairy Tail. Now was a good chance to return to the place that they once called home.
"It has only been a few months, but it feels like forever. We were gone for a year when we lived here, but these last few months feel longer than that 1 year." Ben said as he stands in the village plaza.
"Home!" Bella exclaimed as she pointed at their old house.
"Yeah, that was our home." Ben nodded.
Ben walked around the village while Bella flew on her own. They feel very nostalgic as they see the broken buildings. Roubaul had really fooled them with his magic and made these broken buildings look good.
"That old ghost didn't even try to fix them and just used his magic. He was really a freak to have so much power even though he was a spirit." Ben said while smiling.
It's almost dark so Ben decided to rest in the village tonight. He will conduct the experiment tomorrow because it might take a long time to finish. So tonight, he just wants to rest in his old home.
Ben prepared the dinner for tonight while Bella prepared the bed. He just cooked a simple meal like what they used to eat in the village. Then they eat while talking about the things they did in the past when they still lived there.
After dinner, they take a hot bath. Ben just heated the water up using his magic as he got in. The water heated up instantly and he can control the temperature. Magic really makes things easier.
They sleep in their old house after that. It really feels like the past, except for the fact that they are alone. There was no one besides them in the village and it made them sad. But they can still sleep soundly because the atmosphere here was really comfortable to them.
The next day, they have breakfast before heading to the training ground. Ben will conduct his experiment here because this is the safest place for it. It still has defensive rune formations that he and Roubaul set up in the past so he doesn't need to worry if something happens.
Ben stood in the middle of the training ground and cracked his neck. "Alright, let's do this."