In the end, through a combination of threats and promises of various benefits the classic carrot and stick Makarov surrendered his private stash and broke down in tears on the floor.
"Shut up! Your crying is annoying me!" Chen Fan snapped. Startled, Makarov stopped wailing, though he continued to sniffle like a wronged wife.
Ignoring Makarov's resentful gaze, Chen Fan spat on his thumb and carefully counted the handful of loose bills. The more he counted, the more he looked down on the man. How does he run such a huge guild with such a pathetic secret stash?
He waved the money in front of Makarov's tearful eyes before stuffing it into his pocket and heading toward the guild entrance.
Since arriving at Fairy Tail, he hadn't had a chance to explore the city. But he wasn't familiar with the area. Who should I ask? Chen Fan stood at the gates, deep in thought, drawing strange looks from passersby.
Makarov? I just extorted him; he's probably still crying somewhere. Pass.
Natsu and Gray are out of the question. Even if we didn't get lost, they'd cause too much trouble. I hate trouble, and I'd probably end up losing my money paying for their damages.
Mira? She doesn't seem to like me. I liked the kind, gentle Mira from the original series, but right now she's just a brat. Not useful.
Who else? Lisanna? Eh... I shouldn't steal another man's girl. It wouldn't be good if she fell for my charm. At that thought, Chen Fan flipped his hair, his eyes sparkling as he flashed what he thought was a dazzling smile. A person walking by was so disgusted they nearly threw up.
Then, Chen Fan saw Elfman walking out of the guild looking a bit dejected. Chen Fan licked his upper lip. Found you, little kitten.
With a smile like a spring breeze, Chen Fan walked up and patted Elfman's shoulder. "Yo, Elfman. What's wrong? Did your sister scold you again?"
"How did you know?" Elfman asked, puzzled. Chen Fan thought, You're such a dummy. You fell for it immediately.
"Of course I know. Not just me the whole guild knows!" Chen Fan said, making an exaggerated gesture.
"What? The whole guild knows?!" Elfman's face filled with horror. This was a significant blow to his pride as a "man."
Seeing his reaction, Chen Fan knew he'd been hooked. Now, everything would be easy.
He leaned in and whispered mysteriously, "Do you want to become a real man? Do you want your sister to praise you and your sister to admire you? Don't waste time do you want it or not?"
"I do!"
"I can help you make that wish come true."
"Really?" Elfman was visibly excited. The offer was too tempting to resist.
"Of course. I don't tell just anyone, but I see you have the potential to be a real man. I want to train you. But if you don't believe me, then forget it." He turned to leave, shaking his head with a look of disappointment.
Elfman panicked and grabbed Chen Fan's arm.
"Let go!" Chen Fan shouted.
"No! I won't!" Elfman said firmly.
"Let go right now!" Chen Fan roared at him.
"No! I will never let go!" Elfman's expression was even more determined.
"If you don't let go, you're going to break my arm!!! You idiot!" Chen Fan screamed, his voice breaking. He'd never suffered like this in either of his lives.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were so weak! Your arm is like a little chicken's!" Elfman apologized profusely, bowing repeatedly, but to Chen Fan, it just sounded like more insults.
Chen Fan regretted looking for this muscle-brained kid. The boy's brain was clearly as underdeveloped as his muscles were overdeveloped.
Rubbing his sore arm, Chen Fan felt more than ever that his current body was pathetic. He needed to find a way to improve himself and raise his ability level.
He patted his stiff face and forced a smile that looked worse than crying. "It's fine. I'm okay. I'm a doctor, after all. A little 'shattered' bone like this is no problem for me." He put a heavy emphasis on the word "shattered."
While saying this, he kept his other hand behind his back, clenched into a trembling fist as he fought the urge to deck Elfman. He purposely exaggerated the injury, knowing the simple-minded boy would believe anything.
As expected, Elfman fell for it, looking deeply ashamed.
Chen Fan patted Elfman's shoulder and gave him an encouraging look before casually adding, "Oh, right. I just got to Fairy Tail and haven't had a chance to see the city yet."
Elfman looked up and pointed at himself. "I know this place well! I'll show you around!" He clearly thought Chen Fan was giving him a way to make amends.
"That would be a huge help! That's the way a real man acts. You're a true man!" A few more words of flattery had Elfman puffing out his chest with pride.
And so, Elfman led Chen Fan on a tour of the entire city. Chen Fan placed orders for the things he needed, and every time he reached for his shirt pocket to pay, Elfman would beat him to it. Elfman even declared, "A real man takes responsibility for his mistakes!" Chen Fan was moved. What a good person!
Chen Fan was secretly laughing at him. He had put all his money in his pants pocket but kept reaching into his empty shirt pocket. He wasn't going to pull out a single cent.
With the calculation speed of his former Level 5 self, Chen Fan tracked Elfman's funds perfectly, stopping exactly when the boy had spent his last penny.
He never even mentioned how to become a "manlier" man. Basically, he'd gotten everything he needed and learned everything about the city without spending a dime or lifting a finger.
When it was time to say goodbye, Elfman looked at Chen Fan with tears of gratitude.
Chen Fan sighed. "Alas... poor kid. Was I too cruel?" He then broke into a sleazy chuckle.
The same poor passerby from before, who had just managed to recover, saw this and felt sick all over again.
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