Princess Jade couldn't believe her father would say such a thing:
"How could it be? Mr. Rhode has never done anything to harm the kingdom or the world. On the contrary, he has thwarted the plots of ambitious people and saved countless lives more than once."
King Toma sighed, "That's why I haven't directly regarded him as an enemy."
Princess Jade pursed her lips, "What exactly did that person say?"
Toma said solemnly, "That person told me that the source of the dragon attacks is very likely Rhode. He is a former lieutenant of the Dragon Race, always waiting for the right moment to summon the dragons...
"That legendary magic that can summon dragons is the proof. It is because he is serving the Dragon Race that he has received the dragons' protection.
"You just heard him as well. The history future people experienced is different from ours, and there isn't even a Rhode in their timeline.
"This is because he is different from ordinary people. He is a monster that exists outside of time, an envoy connecting the world of the dragons. It is he who came from outside time to change our 'history.'
"And the Eclipse Gate can disrupt time and space, threatening his existence. Eclipse 2 can threaten the dragon herd, causing his mission to fail.
"So no matter which plan we intend to implement, he will find a way to stop it and will never allow the Eclipse Gate to be opened!"
"This is..." Princess Jade wanted to say that this was unbelievable, but upon reflection, it seemed logical.
The records indeed stated that Rhode appeared suddenly, and before joining Fairy Tail, everything about him was a blank slate.
While such examples are not uncommon, in this situation, it stands out.
And the magic to summon dragons is indeed suspicious, and he indeed came suddenly to stop the Eclipse plan.
Thinking badly, stopping others from harming the world could be understood as helping the Dragon Race protect its world.
Everything seems to make logical sense.
Princess Jade was unwilling to believe that a member of the Ten Wizard Saints could be such a person, "But compared to the secretive and purpose-unknown future people, isn't Mr. Rhode more trustworthy?"
Toma nodded heavily, "Yes, but both sides' claims have their points, making it hard to distinguish.
"The key now is whether the Eclipse should be initiated. If the future people are right, then the activation of the Cannon requires time, and by the time we see the dragon herd, it would be too late, and we would miss the chance to save the world.
"But if Mr. Rhode is right, then we would be opening the door to the world's destruction, and the result would be equally unbearable."
Father and daughter both felt the heavy pressure.
If it were simply the Eclipse plan aimed at destroying Zeref, whether successful or not, there would still be room for redemption.
But now, once the wrong decision is made, the country's downfall is right before them.
...
"That's how it is."
In a room well-prepared against eavesdropping and soundproofed, the two presidents of Fairy Tail, four S-Class Mages, plus Jude and the two Lucys, were in a meeting.
'Toma E. Fiore' revealed all the intelligence he had just withheld from Rhode, then turned into two small blue floating figures.
Rhode borrowed this from Lucy before he went to the Royal Palace, and just as the king didn't trust him, he also didn't trust the king.
No matter how sincere the other side might be, they couldn't be more sincere than Gemini.
Now, facts had proven his thoughts.
Mebius couldn't help but move closer, observing the two cute little fellows, and praised, "Gemini is really amazing at gathering intelligence."
Makarov sighed, "Stealing secret intelligence from a king's mind... getting caught doing this would be a major trouble."
Though they were long accustomed to trouble, they couldn't help but complain a bit.
Laxus comforted, "No trouble could be greater than facing ten thousand dragons."
Mira laughed, "As long as we resolve things nicely, everything will be fine. Don't worry, President, Rhode is very cautious and doesn't need to write any apologies."
Future Lucy exclaimed, "It's unbelievable. How did you manage to get Gemini to contact the king? Usually, they'd have sensed something, right?"
Rhode snapped his fingers, he and Gemini's figures disappeared, and another 'Rhode' emerged seamlessly in his place, casually walking outside.
But Rhode's voice came from another direction, "Gemini's hands are so small that when the king was walking and touched his cloak, just a small, gentle touch was all it took, and he wouldn't find it strange."
As long as he wanted, he could go invisible and guide Gemini hand-in-hand to find the opportune time.
The surveillance only showed his phantom leaving the Royal Palace with Mira; with Mira helping to cover a bit, no oddity could be noticed.
Rhode and Gemini's figures reappeared from another location, synchronized with the disappearance of the phantom, "Used a little bit of First Generation's magic, the effect was great."
This round, he gladly referred to himself as Trickster Yorder.
Mebius, hearing Rhode praise her magic, stood up straight, her face practically asking for more praise.
Unfortunately, Erza didn't give the First Generation time to bask in compliments, pulling the topic back immediately:
"The situation is not favorable to us; because of another future person's provocation, the king mistrusts Rhode and even all of Fairy Tail.
"Even if future Lucy met him in person, it would be hard to change that. This makes it difficult for us to collaborate."
Lucy suddenly had a bold idea, "Could we have Gemini impersonate the king to order a stop to the Eclipse plan?"
Rhode said, "We'd have to capture the king first, and Gemini's transformation only lasts five minutes, making it easy to expose.
"It would be better for Mira to use Transformation Magic... unless absolutely necessary, we shouldn't do this."
Mebius: "..."
The guild's juniors are becoming more and more impressive, is impersonating a king something to be said lightly?
Moreover, one dares to suggest, and the other dare to analyze and improve upon it.
How did the Third Generation Guild Master develop the guild like this?
Mebius was at a loss for whether to be happy.
Rhode continued, "The best way is still to find the other future person, let Gemini touch him, and see everything clearly."
Gemini gestured excitedly, "Bilibili~ that person appeared suddenly and disappeared suddenly.
"In the king's memory, when he left, it was like he fell into a black vortex and then vanished, and the guards found nothing around."
Mira suggested, "Should we contact Sin of the Witch? Maybe they've discovered something new."
Rhode nodded, "Let's ask them. Then during tomorrow's break, let everyone go in groups to play around the Royal Capital, and find him if possible."