Chapter 500: So That's How It Is

Li An slowly stepped forward and stated his investigation results and guesses one by one. His voice was firm and powerful, echoing through the guild hall.

"So that's how it is!" Natsu said angrily. He turned to look at the mysterious person, his eyes flashing with rage.

"That's right, it was him who was scheming behind the scenes, sowing discord and causing a split within the guild," Li An said.

Seeing his plot exposed, the mysterious person suddenly stood up and tried to flee. However, as soon as he got up, Natsu trapped him with flames.

"Think you can run? Not so easy!" Natsu shouted.

Makarov stepped forward, looked at the mysterious person, and said with a gloomy face, "Why did you do this?"

The mysterious person sneered and said, "Hmph, for power! I want to become the boss of this guild!"

Makarov sighed and said, "You have disappointed me greatly."

Just then, Wendy rushed over. A trace of anxiety was on her face as she said, "Guild Master, it's bad! The Phantom Lord guild members have arrived!"

Hearing this, everyone's faces changed drastically. They knew the Phantom Lord guild had always been eyeing the Fairy Tail guild hungrily; this time they came, they certainly had no good intentions.

"Looks like we have new trouble again," Li An said, frowning. He was secretly on guard in his heart, knowing a greater crisis was about to come.

Sunlight poured unreservedly onto the iconic building of the Fairy Tail guild, warm and bright. Inside the guild, laughter and chatter never ceased; members either sat together sharing interesting stories from their missions or wiped their weapons alone in corners, preparing for the next adventure. However, beneath this seemingly calm appearance, a crisis was quietly descending.

Li An frowned tightly, standing in front of the guild's warehouse. Recently, the guild's supplies had been constantly decreasing. At first, no one paid much attention, thinking it was just a simple recording error. But relying on his keen intuition, Li An sensed the matter was far from simple. Following the clues of the dwindling supplies, he investigated step by step and finally found that all clues pointed to a usually unremarkable guild member—Eric.

Eric, a young man of slender build who was always silent. In daily life, he always quietly completed his own tasks, rarely communicated with other members, and had almost no presence in the guild. But at this moment, he had become Li An's biggest suspect.

Li An hid behind a pillar, his gaze fixed tightly on every move Eric made. Eric seemed not to have noticed he was being watched; he was busy in the warehouse as usual, organizing supplies. But Li An noticed a flash of panic occasionally passing through his eyes, and his hands were trembling slightly.

"This guy must have something wrong," Li An thought to himself. His heartbeat accelerated involuntarily, and his palms sweated slightly. The tension of seeking the truth alone was like an invisible pressure, making him feel somewhat breathless. But he knew he had to stay calm and could not miss any detail.

Just as Li An was observing Eric with full concentration, a noisy clamor suddenly came from outside the guild. Li An was startled; he instinctively felt the situation was likely to become even more complicated.

"What's going on? What happened outside?" Natsu rushed out from inside the guild, a trace of anger on his face, his signature fiery red hair seeming to burn even more fiercely due to his emotions.