[Blacksmith Apprentice occupation detected. Occupation resonance available.]

[Occupation Resonance]

[Stableman + Blacksmith Apprentice]

[Extra buff gained: Prospecting]

[Prospecting: The mount's sensitivity to ore increases. While riding, it will automatically sense ore locations and mark them in your field of vision]

"This..."

Roland rubbed his smooth chin.

"Although it can't improve my strength, it is still a pretty good buff."

"I just don't know how large the sensing range is, or what method it uses to mark things in my field of vision..."

His gaze moved downward.

[Stableman + Recruit]

[Extra buff gained: Riding Training]

[Riding Training: Significantly improves training effects for riding-related skills]

"Oh! This one is good!"

Roland glanced at the brief description and nodded in satisfaction.

To be honest, although he had been practicing riding for some time, mastering it was far more difficult than he had expected.

So far, he could barely urge a horse to speed up or slow down. More demanding movements, such as sudden turns and jumps, still felt unfamiliar.

As for swinging a weapon on horseback?

Just maintaining balance was difficult enough. Several times, he had nearly fallen off.

"With this extra buff, the speed at which riding gains experience should become much faster. Right..."

Thinking of riding, Roland's expression tightened.

"My Basic Riding only just broke through to Lv.2, yet it triggered the Stableman occupation. In that case... when Basic Riding reaches max level, it is very likely to unlock the Knight occupation!"

The thought made Roland's eyes brighten, but he soon shook his head.

Judging from how occupations had been triggered in the past, taking up a certain occupation required related skills.

And in this world, Knights could not be separated from tempering methods, body tempering arts, and knight breathing methods.

A knight breathing method...

Based on what Roland currently knew, the only path was advanced study at the so-called Knight Academy.

But in Golden Valley Kingdom, only nobles could attend Knight Academy. A commoner like him was not qualified.

"Forget it. The matter of a knight breathing method... I'll think of a way later..."

With that thought, Roland continued examining the occupation panel.

[Stableman + Scholar]

[Extra buff gained: Driver's Eye]

[Driver's Eye: Allows observation of various mount information]

"Hm? What does this mean..."

After reciting Driver's Eye in his mind, Roland looked at Blackwind beside him. Several lines of text appeared beside the horse.

[Blackwind]

[Type: Horse]

[Speed: 6]

[Endurance: 5]

[Growth Potential: B]

Aside from that, there was also basic information such as health condition, satiety, and so on.

"Speed six, Endurance five... I wonder if this is out of ten or out of a hundred. Growth Potential is only B? Forget it. With my current status, already having a horse is pretty good."

"This extra buff is good too. If I have the means in the future, these precise numerical references will definitely help me pick out a superior mount!"

After nodding in satisfaction, Roland continued downward.

[Stableman + Hunter]

[Extra buff gained: Terrain Adaptation]

[Terrain Adaptation: Grants special buffs in different environments depending on mount species]

"This..."

Roland studied the description on the panel.

"It looks good, but it doesn't explain which mounts gain what buffs in which terrain. Looks like I'll have to judge for myself when the time comes..."

After confirming the effects of all the extra buffs, Roland exhaled, satisfaction showing on his face.

With the observation provided by [Driver's Eye], he discovered that Blackwind's stamina had mostly recovered.

As usual, he mounted neatly and began focusing on riding practice.

With the special enhancement from [Riding Training], his experience rose much faster.

After training for some time, Roland sensed that Blackwind's condition was nearing the critical point and immediately leaped off the horse.

He carefully fed Blackwind, then led his beloved horse to the rest area of the horse grounds.

Once Blackwind was settled, Roland turned and strode toward the training field.

At present, Lion Swordsmanship was only one step away from max level.

As long as he trained this swordsmanship to completion, he would be able to officially take up the Warrior occupation.

Recalling the powerful trait granted by the [Blacksmith] occupation, he yearned even more for the trait of Warrior, an upper occupation.

Not to mention, he would also gain extra buffs through Occupation Resonance.

Extra buffs between upper occupations...

Thinking of this, Roland walked faster. The outline of the training field sharpened in his eager gaze.

At the same time, on the other side of the estate, Darco pushed open the heavy oak door to the reception room under a servant's careful urging.

Baron Forsling sat behind the mahogany desk, his expression unusually solemn. The gentle smile that usually rested on his face was gone.

"Father..."

Seeing this, Darco lightened his steps.

He closed the door with care and moved to the desk, his voice lowering.

"You called for me... is there something important?"

Baron Forsling did not answer at once. Instead, he took an exquisite letter from the drawer.

The edge of the letter was decorated with complex, ornate patterns, and the sealing wax bore the clear imprint of a bundle of wheat, faintly gleaming beneath the sunlight.

"This is a letter from the royal family."

"The royal family?"

Darco froze for a moment.

He knew Golden Valley Kingdom was ruled by a royal family, but that distant center of power felt far removed from him.

Blackwater Territory sat on the border, remote and desolate. Aside from royal tax officers who came every few years, royal authority barely touched daily life here.

"Father, what does the letter say?"

"His Majesty King Morne will soon make a royal progress..."

"A royal progress? To our Blackwater Territory?"

Thanks to Forsling's instruction, Darco understood a little about the system of royal progress.

In name, it was the king inspecting territories and observing the people's conditions. In reality, it was little more than traveling around with a large group of attendants.

Everywhere the procession went, the local lord had to cover the expenses of receiving the entire royal party and prepare a grand banquet.

To put it plainly, it was sightseeing under an official pretext.

But what was there to see in a poor backwater like Blackwater Territory?

Aside from endless primeval forest, steep mountains, and fierce beasts, there was almost nothing here.

Oh, recently there were also some restless monsters.

Forsling glanced at Darco's expression and guessed what his son was thinking.

He tapped the tabletop with a bent knuckle. Only after Darco came back to himself did he clear his throat and continue.

"This time, I fear it is not merely for show..."

Forsling sighed, and gravity settled between his brows.

"His Majesty King Morne is advanced in years. In recent years, his control over the various territories has weakened. Many lords in remote places have begun obeying him in public while defying him in private. Some even ignore the royal family's decrees."

He paused, his tone low.

"So this progress is less an inspection than a show of force."

"His Majesty King Morne wants to display the royal family's authority one last time before abdicating, ensuring there will be no unrest during the transfer of power."

"Father, but..."

Darco nodded, half understanding, then hesitated before continuing.

"Over the years, we have always strictly obeyed the royal family's orders. And didn't you say that during the Blood Moon Rebellion more than ten years ago, you answered the royal family's call and led troops to wipe out the rebels? Because of that..."

Darco's gaze turned toward the wall beside them.

A round medal the size of a shield hung there, its golden wheat-ear pattern glittering beneath the sunlight.

"The royal family even specially awarded you this medal of honor."

Confusion entered Darco's voice.

"The Collins family is so loyal to the royal family. Why would His Majesty the King personally make a royal progress to Blackwater Territory?"

"Sigh..."

Baron Forsling released a long breath, as though memories of those turbulent years had surfaced.

He rose and turned his back to Darco, looking out the window.

Sunlight fell across the side of his face, outlining deep concern.

"Darco, you must remember..."

His voice was low and solemn.

"The past, the present, and the future can never be treated as the same thing... In short..."

Baron Forsling turned around and looked at his son's young face. For a rare instant, gentleness entered his eyes.

That warmth vanished almost at once. He was once again the stern father who rarely smiled.

"His Majesty King Morne will soon arrive nearby on his royal progress. As the lord of Blackwater Territory, I must go pay my respects."

His voice turned grave.

"So... during this period, the affairs of the territory will be entrusted to you."

"Entrusted to me?"

Darco's voice carried obvious hesitation.

"Correct."

Baron Forsling nodded. After sitting again, he drew out a yellowed sheet of parchment.

The quill moved across the paper while he wrote and gave instructions.

"His Majesty King Morne will not personally enter Blackwater Territory. Most likely, he will choose a place near the borders of several nearby territories to rest temporarily. Therefore, I will need to leave Blackwater Territory for some time."

"During this period, I will leave John behind to assist you. This veteran once served for many years in the Border Legion. He is loyal and reliable. If you encounter a difficult problem, you may consult him."

The quill paused, and the baron's expression tightened.

"The monsters in Black Fir Forest will be handled by Knight Beckham. You do not need to concern yourself with that, but you must be especially wary of Baron Gavin of Dawnlight Territory... that old fool..."

When mentioning the lord of Dawnlight Territory, Forsling's voice rose, and his knuckles tapped the tabletop.

"As for the last incident of monsters crossing the border, the Heavenly Father only knows whether he was truly old and muddleheaded or had some other intent..."

After venting his dissatisfaction, the baron continued writing.

"Daily affairs can be handed over to old Charles. He has served three generations of the Collins family and is worthy of trust."

At this point, he raised his head, gaze sharp as flame.

"And you..."

His voice hardened.

"Before I return, you are not to leave the estate on your own, and you are absolutely not allowed to stir up trouble. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes..."

Darco shrank his neck and nodded carefully.

As the sky darkened, dusk draped the training field in a thin veil of gold.

Roland held his iron sword, practicing Lion Swordsmanship again and again with precise movements.

Every form was standard enough to look copied from a model. His motions flowed cleanly, almost without flaw.

"Clang!"

When the crisp bell rang, Roland completed the final form of Lion Swordsmanship, sheathed his sword, and ended his training.

Watching the experience bar behind Lion Swordsmanship grow on the occupation panel, the corners of his mouth lifted in satisfaction.

"At this pace, in a few more days, I'll be able to train Lion Swordsmanship to max level. Then I'll be able to officially take up Warrior."

His heartbeat quickened at the thought.

Although Blacksmith and Warrior were both upper occupations, Blacksmith ultimately leaned toward production and offered only limited improvement to combat strength.

What he urgently needed now was strength.

Mutated monsters. The deity Teresa had mentioned.

All of it sharpened his desire for power.

Then a sudden hunger in his stomach dragged his thoughts back to reality.

"I should fill my stomach first..."

Roland shook off his stray thoughts, returned to the dormitory to wash up briefly, and headed straight for the dining hall.

Under the numb gazes of George and the other blacksmith apprentices, he swept through four portions of dinner before rising in satisfaction and leaving.

Stepping through the twilight, Roland hurried toward the remote little house.

This was the time he and Bronson had agreed on each day for research assistance and ancient script study.

Because of his frequent visits during this period, he only knocked symbolically before pushing the door open and entering.

Beneath the dim yellow candlelight, Bronson was, as usual, holding that pale bone and engraving complex Spell Circuits with total focus.

Perhaps because he had been eating regularly lately, when the scholar raised his head at the sound, Roland noticed a bit of color on his once-haggard face.

"You're here, Roland."

Bronson greeted him softly, then buried his head back into the work in his hands before the words had fully faded, as though wasting one more second would be unforgivable.

Roland had long grown used to Bronson's focused state.

He pulled an ancient text from the messy bookshelf, took parchment and a quill, and sat before the worn wooden table, immersing himself in study.

For a time, the quiet room held only the faint scrape of the carving knife against bone and the rustle of the quill over paper.

Time slipped away in concentration. Only when a strong wave of dizziness struck did Roland have to stop writing.

He shook his head, stood, walked to the wooden rack nearby, and took down a glass bottle filled with pale blue liquid.

He pulled out the stopper, tilted his head back, and drank the liquid in one gulp.

In an instant, a cool clarity ran down his throat, then split into countless thin streams that rushed toward his limbs.

Under this stimulation, his muddled mind jolted awake, and more than half of his fatigue disappeared.

"Roland, you should drink energy potions sparingly..."

Bronson finally put down the half-carved bone in his hands. He rubbed the reddened corners of his eyes with his knuckles, concern in his hoarse voice.

"Although they take effect quickly, long-term use carries the risk of addiction."

"I understand, Mr. Bronson."

Roland breathed out and looked at the empty glass bottle.

This was one of the few potions he could successfully refine after awakening the alchemy skill.

It was precisely by relying on this potion that he could study ancient script while also practicing pharmaceutics.

"Roland..."

Watching the young man walk toward the wooden table covered in alchemy tools, Bronson spoke again.

"For someone your age, you are already excellent enough. Some things... don't actually need to be rushed so much."

Under the swaying candlelight, the young man's potion-mixing movements were skilled and natural.

Bronson stared at the scene, complicated emotions rising in his clouded eyes.

He had once spent several years studying the profound discipline of pharmaceutics with great focus. In the end, limited by talent, he had no choice but to give it up halfway.

The young man before him had used only a little over ten days to master the refining steps for basic potions to an expert degree.

Even more astonishing, the refining difficulties that had repeatedly blocked Bronson in the past were resolved in Roland's hands with effortless ease.

Such a sharp contrast inevitably stirred frustration in him.

Facing Bronson's praise, Roland remained calm. His hands did not pause.

He focused on observing the changes in the potion inside the crucible. When the liquid took on the amber hue described in the book, he extinguished the flame with precision.

Only after the potion had fully cooled did he pour the liquid into the prepared glass bottle.

[You have successfully refined a finished potion. Basic Alchemy Experience +1]

Similar to the Basic Blacksmithing granted by the Blacksmith occupation, the experience value of Basic Alchemy also depended on the number of potions successfully refined.

Looking at the golden text that appeared before him, Roland's taut nerves finally eased.

Only then did he raise his head and respond to Bronson's praise.

Excellent?

Right now, he did not even have full confidence in defeating a Winged Kobold.

At least by his own standard, his current self was far from deserving that evaluation.

Roland shook his head.

"Mr. Bronson, with my current strength, I am still far from excellent..."

This modest statement left Bronson speechless.

In his eyes, this seventeen- or eighteen-year-old young man could already be called a genius.

His swordsmanship was exquisite enough to slay mutant monsters. His forging skill had repeatedly earned Hawk's praise. Even his learning ability far surpassed ordinary people.

If that did not count as excellent, then what did?

"Roland, then what do you think would count as truly excellent?"

Bronson asked in return.

Roland sorted the processed herbs into categories while answering.

"At the very least... someone on the level of a Knight who has mastered transcendent power, I suppose... Right, Mr. Bronson..."

At this point, Roland changed the subject, his hands still moving.

"As far as you know, with my commoner status, how could I obtain a knight breathing method?"

"A knight breathing method..."

Bronson frowned. His knuckles tapped the tabletop, producing dull sounds.

Only after a moment did the scholar speak.

"If this were before the Blood Moon Rebellion in Golden Valley Kingdom, with your talent, you could certainly have been admitted to Knight Academy as an exception. But now..."

"Blood Moon Rebellion?"

Roland caught the unfamiliar term at once, and his motion of grinding herbs paused.

"What was that?"

"Hm... Blackwater Territory is remote and was not affected by the Blood Moon Rebellion. Add in the fact that you were still young at the time, and it is normal that you have never heard of it."

Bronson put down the bone in his hands and picked up his wooden cup for a drink.

Only after swallowing did he continue.

"Unlike Golden Valley Kingdom now, in the past, even commoners had the chance to enter Knight Academy for advanced study as long as they possessed outstanding talent. There were even quite a few of them, until that night of the full moon..."

Bronson's voice sank.

"A rebellion suddenly broke out in the kingdom's heartland. The leaders were precisely those commoner Knights who had graduated from Knight Academy. They sounded the horns of war at the same time, almost by prior agreement."

Roland continued grinding the herbs without revealing anything, but his rhythm clearly slowed.

"The scale of that war exceeded imagination."

Bronson's gaze grew distant.

"Even though I was studying at the Tower at the time, I heard quite a lot about it."

"It is said that those rebellious Knights led their armies in indiscriminate attacks against the nobles of Golden Valley Kingdom's heartland. Blood nearly dyed every inch of land red, and that was how the Blood Moon Rebellion got its name."

"What happened afterward?"

Roland asked at the right moment, the wooden pestle producing crisp impacts inside the stone mortar.

"Afterward?"

Bronson frowned, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening.

"I am not very clear on the specific details either. I only heard that Golden Valley Kingdom's royal family dispatched the Royal Guard Knights and joined forces with the major nobles, barely suppressing the rebellion after tremendous effort."

"After that rebellion, King Morne, fearing unrest would rise again, ordered a large-scale purge of suspicious elements. Countless innocent people were implicated, and even the interests of many nobles were damaged. Golden Valley Kingdom was severely weakened as a result."

After his words fell, the wooden house sank into silence.

Roland considered Bronson's explanation and asked,

"Why did those commoner Knights start a rebellion?"

"That, I do not know..."

Bronson spread his hands.

"In any case, after the Blood Moon Rebellion, Golden Valley Kingdom explicitly forbade teaching knight breathing methods to commoners. That point was even written into their noble treaties."

"Violators... are punished as traitors."

Roland frowned.

Seeing this, Bronson comforted him.

"Roland, this world is very large. Although Golden Valley Kingdom strictly forbids teaching knight breathing methods to commoners, that may not be the case elsewhere..."

"I understand, Mr. Bronson."

Roland shook his head and pressed down the complicated thoughts in his heart for now.

Just as Bronson had said, even if he could not obtain a knight breathing method in Golden Valley Kingdom, he could try his luck elsewhere in the future.

But all of that was still too distant for his current self.

The most important thing right now was to take up Warrior as quickly as possible and successfully refine the potion that activated the Consciousness Shoal.

Thinking of this, his mind stirred, and his gaze fell on the occupation panel.

"Basic Alchemy has already risen to Lv.2. Perhaps I can try refining that potion... But..."

Roland rubbed his temple, helpless.

The materials for refining the Consciousness Shoal activation potion had already been completely consumed during Bronson's earlier attempts.

The other auxiliary ingredients were manageable. They could be purchased nearby. At worst, it would only cost more coin.

But the main ingredient, Devilfish Eye Fluid, was a rare item that simply could not be found in Blackwater Territory...