A New Life in Fairy Tail

Noah explained his idea to Jude, who was immediately interested. He knew that the pharmaceutical industry was extremely profitable, but he had never had the opportunity or the ability to enter it before, so he had never considered it. He had seen Noah's superb medical skills firsthand in the treatment of his family, but at the time, he had only been happy for their health. With so much happening since then, he hadn't thought about it in a business context. Now that Noah had brought it up, Jude was of course very interested and asked for more details.

Noah proposed a partnership plan: he would provide the technology as his investment, and Jude's company would be responsible for production and sales. As for the business operations, Noah wouldn't interfere; his only requirement was that they never produce counterfeit goods.

After careful consideration and a discussion with Layla, Jude decided to accept Noah's offer. He also set the profit split at 50/50.

"You have helped our family so much, and we have never had a chance to repay you," Jude said to Noah seriously. "Even with a fifty percent share, we will still profit, and you need the funds for your research. Please don't refuse."

After all the recent events, Jude's perspective on money had changed significantly. The most important thing was the people around him. Noah had done his family a great service, Layla was very fond of this "little brother," and he himself had a very good impression of Noah. Furthermore, a partnership with Noah had countless benefits and no downsides. Expanding into the pharmaceutical industry would be good for his company anyway, so of course, he wanted to show as much sincerity as possible. As long as his side made a reasonable profit, that was enough.

Seeing Jude's insistence, Noah didn't argue further. After they had discussed the various details, Noah shared some business cases and marketing techniques he remembered from his past life with Jude. Jude was amazed; not only was Noah incredibly strong and a skilled healer, but he also had his own insights into the world of business. With the help of these examples and strategies, their new pharmaceutical company would surely be able to quickly capture the market and grow strong, which would also strengthen his own company.

Noah had now exhausted all of his stored memories on the topic. Seeing that Jude wanted to pull him into a longer business discussion, he quickly made an excuse and left.

He teleported back to the guild entrance with a sense of relief, pushed open the door, and saw Laxus sitting by himself, sullenly drinking a glass of juice. Noah slapped his forehead, remembering the matter Makarov had entrusted to him. He walked over to Laxus.

"What's wrong? You look so miserable. Tell me about it."

Laxus looked up and saw it was Noah, then looked back down. He took a sip of his juice, thought for a moment, then finished the rest in one gulp. He turned to Noah. "Can we go for a walk?"

"Sure. Let's go to our usual training spot."

Seeing that Laxus was willing to talk, Noah knew it was a good start. He stood up and walked towards the door, and Laxus followed.

On the way, Noah was about to speak, but seeing Laxus's silent and withdrawn demeanor, he held his tongue. He just walked quietly beside him, enjoying the rare moment of leisure. Ever since he had come to this world, he had been working non-stop, whether it was physical training, magic conditioning, or studying magic and medicine. He had never stopped for a moment, even finding ways to improve his Thought Projections to speed up his learning. Right now, one projection was studying with Roubaul, and another was in the Celestial Spirit World.

He did all this because he knew of the various crises that would come in the future. Without strength, he wouldn't be able to ensure his own survival or the survival of his family in Fairy Tail. Although his talent allowed him to grow stronger continuously, he didn't know if he could gain enough strength before the crises arrived. So, Noah was always pushing himself, strengthening himself in every way, without any rest. This quiet walk with Laxus... he would consider this a break.

Although they were silent, the walk was not awkward. They soon arrived at the training ground.

They saw Erza and Kagura training. Simon, after passing Noah's test and getting Makarov's approval, had started taking on requests around Magnolia. Although Erza was now quite strong, Noah still believed she needed more training because she was younger. For the past two days, she had been angry with Noah for refusing to let her go on missions. When she saw him arrive, she turned her head away and ignored him. Kagura, on the other hand, called out sweetly, "Big Brother Noah, are you here to train too?"

Noah waved his hand. "I have something to take care of. You two continue your training."

He then led Laxus to the side, turned to him, and asked, "There's no one else here now. What's on your mind?"

Laxus hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "I want to participate in the S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial, but I'm afraid Gramps won't agree."

"Huh? Why do you suddenly want to take the S-Class Trial?" Noah asked, looking confused.

Laxus rolled his eyes at him. "Why are you surprised? You became an S-Class wizard at eight. It's been three years since then, and I'm fourteen now. If you could do it at eight, of course I want to try now that I'm fourteen. I'm just afraid my strength isn't sufficient yet. Even though I've been training all this time, I'm not confident. That's why I'm worried."

"Why don't you just apply to Gramps directly? You should be able to participate in the trial now, right?"

"No. I want to participate and pass on the first try. I don't want to have to take it two or three times." Laxus turned his head away and snorted.

Noah immediately understood. It was a matter of pride. He didn't want to be someone who only became S-Class on his second or third attempt; he wanted to succeed on the first try.

A sudden thought came to him, and Noah laughed. Laxus looked at him, annoyed. "What are you laughing at? What's so funny?!"

"No, no, I'm not laughing at you," Noah said, quickly waving his hands. Laxus's expression softened.

When Noah had finished laughing, he asked, "You want to take the S-Class Trial?"

"Mhm. And I want to pass on the first try."

"You should know that Gramps values strength very highly. If you're not strong enough, he won't let you become S-Class."

"I know that. That's why I'm struggling with whether to participate this year."

"I have to tell you something. The S-Class Trial will definitely involve combat. That's how they test the participants' strength."

"I'm prepared for that."

"And the examiners are always S-Class wizards."

"Wait a minute." Laxus's expression began to darken as he realized something.

"That's right. Gildarts won't be coming back to be the examiner. That means I'll have to do it."

"You're not going to deliberately hold me back so I can't become S-Class, are you?" Laxus's face was as black as thunder. He was highly suspicious that the person in front of him would intentionally fail him.

"Of course not. But I will be judging your strength. If it's not sufficient, you can't pass. And my standards are very high."

"So I can't become S-Class this year?" Laxus said, dejected.

"Let's just have a fight," Noah told him. "After we fight, we'll know if you're ready to be an S-Class wizard."

Laxus's eyes lit up. "Right. Let's fight."

~~~

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