"Knock, knock, knock!"

The crisp knocking was faint, yet especially clear in the quiet night.

Roland frowned, temporarily ignored the golden text flickering before him, and rested his right hand on the sword hilt at his waist.

Just as he was about to step forward and check, a familiar voice came from outside the door.

"Roland? Are you asleep?"

Hearing that voice, Roland's tense shoulders relaxed at once.

He returned the iron sword to its sheath, strode forward, and opened the door.

Under the dim candlelight, that golden hair still shone with dazzling luster.

Roland sighed helplessly.

"Darco, coming to find me this late, is there something urgent?"

"Haha! I knew you were still awake..."

"Shh!"

Roland raised an index finger to his lips, stepped aside from the doorway, and lowered his voice.

"Keep it down. I don't mind, but the other guests are resting."

Darco hurriedly covered his mouth and walked into the room.

Roland closed the door, took out a wooden cup, poured clean water, and handed it over.

"Go on. Why come find me this late? Are you leaving tomorrow?"

Darco took the cup and thanked him, then tilted his head back and drained it.

Only after the gulping sounds ended did the young noble master speak.

"Roland, have you heard of the Sea God Festival?"

"Sea God Festival?"

Roland raised a brow and sat down on the wooden chair beside him.

"I heard the vendors at the fish market mention it. It seems to be Far Harbor's annual celebration?"

"That's right!"

Darco snapped his fingers neatly, excitement shining in his eyes.

"His Majesty Morne just sent word, summoning us nobles to attend the Sea God Festival two days from now. Once the celebration ends, we can set out and leave."

Roland nodded, then frowned slightly.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"How does it not? You have no idea..."

Darco realized his voice had risen again. He hurriedly covered his mouth and continued in a lower tone.

"You have no idea how lively the Sea God Festival is!"

The young noble master rubbed his hands.

"The whole harbor becomes a huge market. The food area alone has over a hundred stalls. The most famous thing is deep-sea squid skewers, caught and grilled fresh, then coated in special seaweed powder. The flavor is incredible!"

He swallowed and continued.

"The daytime parade is even better. Dozens of performance teams march along Seaside Avenue. The most popular is the Shell Dance Troupe. The girls wear dance skirts covered in pearls and can form all kinds of wave shapes. There are also fishermen on stilts dressed as legendary sea giants, fully three people tall!"

"When the tide goes out at dusk, everyone gathers on Golden Beach to dig for treasure. The priests bury all kinds of trinkets in advance. Some are real pearl necklaces, and some are gold-plated shell commemorative coins..."

Looking at the young noble before him, almost waving his hands as he spoke, Roland smiled slightly.

"What? Not sad anymore?"

Darco's expression froze, then he waved a hand.

"I just feel... you were right, Roland. My father is so strong. He will definitely wake up. Besides..."

He scratched his head, confusion entering his eyes.

"Even if I worry myself in circles right now, it won't help Father's condition at all. Instead of that..."

At this point, Darco seemed to think of someone, and he suddenly gritted his teeth.

"I might as well pull myself together and make sure those bastards don't get to laugh at me!"

"Now that's more like it."

Roland patted his shoulder with relief.

These days of talking him through it had not been wasted after all.

"So... you want to invite me to the Sea God Festival?"

"Not just that..."

Darco smiled awkwardly and leaned a little closer.

"On the day of the Sea God Festival, His Majesty Morne will host a banquet at Sea Pearl Hall. According to the rules, every noble has to bring at least one attendant..."

"So... you want me to be your attendant?"

"Only in name!"

Darco hurriedly put an arm around Roland's shoulders.

"With our friendship, how could I really treat you as an attendant? It's just..."

He scratched his cheek.

"If you're beside me, I feel steadier. I mean... I have to meet His Majesty Morne. To be honest, the thought of meeting such a legendary figure makes my heart pound."

"Hm..."

After hearing this, Roland fell into thought.

This trip to Far Harbor had yielded quite a lot.

He had successfully refined Awakening Potions, awakened the Consciousness Shoal, mastered cantrips, and smoothly taken up the upper occupation [Juggler].

At present, aside from continuing to practice Fire Bolt, he truly had nothing urgent to do.

And Fire Bolt cultivation was something that required steady accumulation over time anyway.

After confirming that there was nothing he needed to handle in the near future, Roland nodded.

"Fine. Just notify me in advance. However..."

He lowered his head to glance at his plain clothes, then added, "If I'm pretending to be an attendant, you should be preparing the outfit, right?"

"Leave it to me!"

Seeing Roland agree, Darco excitedly patted his chest.

"I'll prepare everything. When the time comes, you only need to stay beside me. No need to be nervous at all..."

Listening to Darco's endless reminders, Roland silently complained to himself.

What did he have to be nervous about?

He had no criminal record, and his background was clean.

Moreover, since King Morne was hosting a banquet, security would certainly be tight, so safety should not be an issue.

At that time, he would only be going through the motions while getting to taste court food. It sounded almost relaxing.

"All right, Darco..."

Seeing that the other man was about to launch into another long speech, Roland raised a hand and interrupted him.

"Since there are still a few days before the Sea God Festival, why don't we talk during the day?"

"Uh... fair enough..."

Darco, who had been getting carried away, only then realized it was already deep into the night.

After chatting for a few more lines, he quietly left the room.

"Huff..."

After seeing through the window that Darco had safely left under the protection of several guards, Roland released a long breath, then turned his gaze back to the occupation panel.

[Blacksmith upper occupation detected. Occupation resonance available.]

[Occupation Resonance]

[Juggler + Blacksmith]

[Extra buff gained: Steel Heart Resonance]

[Steel Heart Resonance: Whether steel you forged yourself or a blade crafted by others, with only a few simple movements, you can grasp its center of gravity, toughness, and balance. A heavy battleaxe in your hand moves as if it were part of your arm, while a thin shortsword can deliver a forceful, heavy strike. This is not brute strength, but absolute mastery of metal and mechanics, a near-instinctive weapon affinity]

"So the general meaning is..."

Looking at the lengthy description, Roland summarized it.

"I can quickly get the hang of any weapon, and when using it, I can make something heavy feel light and make something light strike heavy?"

With that thought, Roland casually drew the iron sword at his waist.

The originally weighty blade now fit perfectly in his hand.

With an effortless swing, what should have been a heavy chop drew a swift silver flash like a shortsword, and the sound of air being cut was as thin as a bee's hum.

After raising a brow, Roland drew the dagger at his waist.

The blade tip, which should have been light and agile, turned around his wrist. But when it chopped down, it carried the pressure of a battleaxe. The edge of the wooden table split silently along a smooth slanted line.

"Interesting."

Feeling the peculiar sensation from wielding two different weapons, Roland nodded.

After reviewing the trait of [Juggler] and the extra buffs produced by resonance with his other two upper occupations, satisfaction appeared on his face.

"I didn't expect an occupation with such an ordinary-sounding name to grant such powerful traits and extra buffs..."

"If even an upper occupation is like this, what about the higher occupation [Enchanter]? Right..."

Thinking of the higher occupation [Enchanter], Roland's gaze moved downward toward its job-change requirements.

[Upon inspection, you qualify for the higher occupation: Enchanter]

[Requirements: Strength 4, Agility 3, Spirit 7, Lv.MAX Basic Blacksmithing, Lv.MAX Basic Magic Theory, inscribe Spell Circuits on implements 0/300]

[Host does not satisfy the job requirements]

"Strength and Agility both meet the requirement. Add in..."

Roland's gaze landed on the Spirit attribute on the occupation panel, which had reached 8.3, and a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"My Spirit attribute also far exceeds the requirement. Now I only lack two max-level skills and three hundred Spell Circuit inscriptions."

"After returning to the estate, I need to hurry and polish my skills, then strive to take up [Enchanter] as soon as possible!"

After making up his mind, Roland carefully browsed through the increasingly rich occupation panel again. Only then did he wash up and go to bed in satisfaction.

Lying on the soft bed, bright moonlight spilled in through the window.

Roland looked at the night outside, and his thoughts drifted.

"Before I knew it, it has almost been a year since I transmigrated to this world..."

"In less than a year, I went from an ordinary person with no strength at all to someone with transcendent-level power."

"With my current strength, as long as I don't encounter extreme circumstances or a transcendent professional, protecting myself should be more than manageable. Next..."

Recalling everything that had happened over the past year, Roland let out a long breath.

"Perhaps I should consider passing the Blacksmith Guild's assessment, leaving the Golden Valley Kingdom, and searching elsewhere for a knight breathing method..."

"But I remember Master Hawk saying that joining the Blacksmith Guild requires recommendations from two guild members before I can take the assessment. Aside from Master Hawk, I don't seem to know any other Blacksmiths... Forget it. I can think this through after returning to the estate..."

With that thought, Roland closed his eyes and sank into sleep.

Over the next two days, Roland did not go out to practice Fire Bolt again. Instead, he shut himself in the spacious room and focused on adapting to the new trait and various enhancements he had gained from taking up [Juggler].

"Swish!"

The blade cut through the air, silver light flashing.

When the iron sword had only completed half its horizontal slash, Roland narrowed his eyes, and his wrist and elbow twisted, flipping the sword's path at an extremely tricky angle.

In an instant, the blade that had been cutting horizontally changed direction, becoming a fierce upward draw.

Before that sword motion had fully ended, the dagger in his left hand had already stabbed out like a venomous snake.

The two weapons moved with completely different rhythms.

The nimble dagger carried a heavy gust of force, while the iron sword that should have been steady moved as fast as lightning.

In the end, the two crossed in midair, stabbing precisely toward the throat of Roland's imaginary enemy.

"Huff..."

After stopping, Roland wiped the sweat from his forehead, excitement entering his eyes.

"The effects of [Twin Martial Performance] and [Steel Heart Resonance] are even stronger than expected. As for [Dazzling Charm]... I haven't had a chance to test it yet. I wonder how much it can do in actual combat..."

As he was thinking, a shout came from outside the window.

"Roland!"

Following the sound, he looked out the window and saw Darco standing in the courtyard, wearing a well-tailored dark blue velvet coat. Silver-thread patterns were embroidered at the collar and cuffs, and beneath it was a snow-white lace shirt.

A gemstone-studded leather belt was tied around his waist. Below were crisp black riding trousers and shining leather boots. Under the sunlight, he appeared elegant and noble, with none of the dejection from a few days ago.

"Come down, Roland!"

Darco raised the package in his hand and waved his arm hard, shouting toward his friend upstairs.

"I brought your clothes!"

Hearing this, Roland rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"If I'm changing clothes... shouldn't you come up?"

"Oh! Right!"

Darco finally reacted, awkwardly scratched his head, and soon disappeared from Roland's view.

Before long, knocking sounded outside the door.

"When does the banquet start?"

Roland asked while accepting the package Darco handed over.

"It starts at noon."

Darco leaned against the doorframe and answered with a smile.

"After you change, we can walk around outside for a while before going to the banquet."

Roland nodded and spread the package open on the wooden table.

Unlike Darco's exquisite noble attire, Roland's clothing, as an attendant, was much simpler. It was a formal outfit in an overall dark gray.

The short jacket was cleanly tailored, without complex embroidery, only edged at the collar and cuffs with thin dark silver trim.

Inside was an off-white linen shirt, paired with a dark brown leather waist cincher.

The lower half was straight trousers in the same color as the jacket, matched with plain brown ankle boots.

The whole outfit was not gorgeous, but the material was sturdy, and its details carried a restrained refinement.

Roland said nothing more and neatly changed into the clothes. After smoothing them out, he turned to look at Darco.

"How is it? Do I look all right?"

"Tsk..."

Darco did not answer immediately. Instead, he circled Roland once.

His gaze swept over Roland's upright figure.

Roland's broad shoulders gave the simple jacket sharp definition, and the waist cincher outlined his lean, strong waist.

Sunlight slanted in through the window, edging the defined side of Roland's face with gold. Even the most ordinary linen shirt seemed to become noble on him.

Darco sighed and lazily dropped into the wooden chair.

"Honestly..."

He curled his lip, his fingers tapping the armrest.

"If someone who didn't know us saw this, they'd definitely take you for the noble young master and me for the attendant."

He lowered his head to glance at the velvet coat he had carefully chosen, and suddenly felt those elaborate silver-thread embroideries looked especially ridiculous.

He tugged at his collar, unable to hide the sourness in his voice.

"That outfit looks better on you than my whole ensemble does on me."

Roland shook his head helplessly and lightly patted Darco's shoulder.

"Stop joking."

As he spoke, he naturally slung an arm around the young noble master and walked out.

The lively scene on the street was exactly as Darco had described.

The two strolled around leisurely, using the last stretch of time before noon to arrive at Sea Pearl Hall.

A large number of luxuriously dressed nobles had already gathered in front of the hall. They spoke in small groups of two or three, every noble accompanied by attendants, and quite a few had brought family members as well.

The noble young ladies holding etiquette fans had originally been elegantly covering their lips and whispering, but when Roland passed through the crowd, their fans all stopped in midair.

"Look over there..."

A noble young lady wearing pearl hair ornaments tapped her companion's wrist with the ribs of her fan. Behind the fan, her cheeks had flushed faintly.

"Which family's young lord is that? I've never seen someone so..."

She failed to finish, because another noble young lady in a lake-blue dress beside her had already lost composure and clenched her fan handle.

"Look at his profile..."

Her lowered voice carried excitement she could not hide.

"The line of his jaw looks like it was carved by a master..."

More etiquette fans quietly turned in Roland's direction, and fragmented whispers rose and fell behind them.

One bold noble young lady even let the tassel of her fan brush Roland's sleeve, only to pull the fan back in panic the instant their eyes met, leaving only a string of bell-like laughter trembling in the air.

Seeing this, Darco raised a teasing brow at Roland.

That look clearly said: See? I told you this would happen.

Roland answered with a warning glance, signaling him not to stir up trouble.

The wait was not long. Before much time passed, Sea Pearl Hall's doors were pushed open from within.

Rows of neatly dressed attendants stood at the door to greet guests and check invitations.

After smoothly entering, Roland looked at Sea Pearl Hall's interior decor, and his brows lifted slightly.

Crystal chandeliers refracted light like scattered gold. Pillars inlaid with mother-of-pearl glowed warmly, and beneath the relief-decorated dome, deep blue velvet curtains hung in layers.

On the milky white marble floor, fine wave patterns seemed to flow, echoing the coral artworks hanging on the walls. The whole space was filled with a restrained yet expensive oceanic atmosphere.

"Darco, you're here..."

Baron Gavin's low voice interrupted Roland's observation.

The old lord of Dawnlight Territory nodded to Roland, then said to Darco, "Come with me. I will introduce you to several nobles."

"All right, Uncle Gavin."

Darco obediently answered. Before leaving, he quietly gave Roland a few instructions, then followed Gavin away.

Left alone, Roland strolled toward the dining table and casually took some exquisite pastries while his gaze continued following Morne's figure.

The king was still wearing that plain linen robe, without any royal pomp at all.

He neither gave a formal opening speech nor sat high on a dais. Instead, he carried a large bottle of ale and sat directly beside the long dining table.

"...Back then, we were trapped in the valley by Orcs for three whole days!"

Morne gulped down a large mouthful of wine, casually grabbed a handful of smoked meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and continued speaking indistinctly.

"In the end, we only broke out because of a sudden storm..."

His rough manners made him seem less like a king and more like an old mercenary drinking too much in a tavern.

Yet it was precisely this unpretentious boldness that filled the entire banquet hall with a relaxed, cheerful atmosphere.

The nobles sat around him in groups of two or three, bursting into hearty laughter from time to time.

Attendants moved among them, pouring wine and serving dishes. The crystal chandeliers shone over one delighted face after another.

Roland did not step forward to join the excitement.

As his physical condition improved, his appetite had also been growing day by day.

Compared to listening to the king boast about the past, the exquisite food before him was clearly more attractive.

"The flavor really is good..."

After politely declining invitations from several noble young ladies, Roland picked up a few more fresh shrimp and put them into his mouth, carefully savoring the tender, springy texture of the meat.

At this moment, a familiar teasing voice came from behind him.

"Heavens, Roland, how long has it been since you ate? Anyone who didn't know would think you were a refugee who escaped from somewhere."

Without turning his head, Roland stuffed another slice of white bread into his mouth.

"Done socializing? How was it?"

"Awful..."

Darco gloomily drained a cup of wine. Thinking of the distant, disdainful looks those nobles had given him just now, he was about to continue complaining when a burst of commotion interrupted him.

"How can such a lively banquet have no martial display to liven things up?"

King Morne, who had originally been sitting beside the dining table, was now standing directly on top of the table, his face flushed, his body swaying slightly.

"Colin! Move these annoying tables out of the way!"

After loudly giving the instruction, he looked around at the nobles and announced boldly, "Have your attendants compete. The winner... will be heavily rewarded!"