"Avril?"

Roland stood in the doorway, looking at the brown-haired girl before him and the radiant smile on her face. His brows drew together.

She was waving at him with enthusiasm, while the bard beside her looked unusually stiff.

"Why are you here?"

"Ah, this?"

Avril cheerfully patted Galvez on the shoulder. Each pat landed with a dull thump.

"I met this guy once during my travels. We were just catching up."

"Is that so?"

Roland lifted his brows.

The atmosphere in the room was clearly not as relaxed and pleasant as she claimed, but he had no intention of digging further. He only nodded, then turned to Galvez.

If he remembered correctly, this frivolous bard had spent no small amount of time during the voyage bragging about how popular he was among nobles.

Perhaps he could get some information about the noble circles of the River Kingdoms from him.

But when Roland's gaze fully landed on Galvez, he paused.

The poet's smooth brown hair, which he had always been so proud of, was missing a large patch at the top, exposing shiny scalp. He looked like a chestnut with a bite taken out of it.

"Galvez, your..."

Avril's hand tightened on the poet's shoulder.

The corner of Galvez's mouth twitched as he forced out a smile uglier than crying.

"This is... uh... well..."

He stammered for a long moment before his eyes lit up.

"Fashion! Yes, fashion!"

Like a drowning man clutching a rope, the poet instantly recovered his usual theatrical manner and began gesturing wildly.

"Roland, you don't know this, but this hairstyle is the latest trend among the nobles of the River Kingdoms! I specifically asked Lady... Miss Avril to help trim it."

Sunlight passed through the window and struck the mirror-bright top of his head, reflecting a ridiculous patch of light.

Beside him, Avril smiled "gently," her fingertips somehow back on the dagger at her waist.

"Hmm..."

Roland's gaze moved between them. He clearly did not believe Galvez's explanation.

But since this was a private matter between them, asking more would be inconvenient, so he changed the subject.

"Good. Avril, since you're here, there is something I wanted to ask you."

He pulled over a wooden chair and sat down. His gaze swept over the corner of the table.

For some reason, a savage crack had split open there.

Roland's eyes paused for a subtle instant, but his tone remained steady as he explained the full background of Graham's commission. His fingertips tapped the tabletop in a measured rhythm.

"So, Avril... why do you think Lord Graham would use a breathing method as the reward and hand this kind of task to me?"

"Hmm..."

The brown-haired girl furrowed her brows and pressed a fingertip to her chin, putting on a thoughtful look.

"I haven't stayed in the River Kingdoms for very long, but I've heard plenty about the open and hidden struggles between merchants and nobles."

Her finger shifted quietly, just enough to block the crack at the corner of the table.

"Especially between Lord Derek and Lord Marston. Their conflict is practically common knowledge."

"Aside from these two factions, the Knight Academy controlled by Lord Graham can be considered a third force. It has no actual authority, but with his personal strength and influence, no one dares underestimate it."

"Recently, both factions have been trying to win him over. As for why he gave the task to you..."

Avril tilted her head, and a sly smile curved her lips.

"Perhaps he wants to make his stance clear?"

"A neutral stance?"

Roland raised his brows.

"Exactly."

She nodded.

"According to Lord Graham's requirements, the commission itself isn't hard to complete. The reward is basically being handed out, which counts as giving Mr. Colin face. But the task was handed to you..."

"As someone recommended by Mr. Colin, whether you accept it or not, that sends both factions a signal: 'the Knight Academy is not taking sides.'"

At this point, she stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Of course, that's only my guess. I can't see through the thoughts of big figures."

Watching her innocent and lively expression from the side, Galvez shivered. Without a word, he moved his chair closer to Roland.

At that moment, the poet felt that the safest place on the entire continent was beside this burly young man.

"Uh..."

Sensing the bard's burning gaze, Roland frowned and quietly shifted aside before continuing, "Then what is the merchant faction's attitude toward the Wolf King? When do they plan to act?"

"That, I don't know."

Avril answered with a smile, her fingers seeming to brush past the sheath at her waist by accident.

"Click."

A faint sound of metal scraping rang out. Galvez immediately lowered his head and stared fixedly at the tip of his boot, like a flower had suddenly sprouted there.

"However..."

Avril continued.

"Shadow Veil has been moving very frequently recently. They should be preparing to subjugate the Wolf King."

"Understood."

Although the information Avril provided was limited, combined with his own deductions, Roland had already roughly sorted out the situation.

He had likely been caught in the edge of a power struggle.

But it did not matter.

All he cared about was the Knight breathing method.

"Since the merchant faction is already preparing to act against the Wolf King, things are easier."

Roland's heart settled slightly, and his gaze turned to the bard lowering his head beside him.

"Galvez, didn't you say before that you could deal with any noble like a fish in water?"

Seeing that the other man was still staring at the floor, Roland frowned and continued, "Can you help me inquire about the noble faction's attitude toward the Wolf King? As for payment..."

"Click!"

Another clear sound came from the sheath.

Galvez snapped upright, his face filling with a righteous expression Roland had never seen before.

"No! No payment needed!"

His voice was slightly sharp from nerves.

"Roland! With our friendship, what is this little favor worth?"

"...Then I'll leave it to you."

The corner of Roland's mouth twitched.

After the three of them chatted briefly, Avril took her leave first.

The moment the brown-haired girl left the room, Galvez collapsed onto the table like his bones had been removed, his whole body turning into a puddle.

"Galvez, you and Avril..."

Roland finally asked.

"Nothing... Whatever she says... is what it is..."

The bard answered by reflex, but when he saw Roland's puzzled expression, he stopped, caught between speaking and holding back.

Words of warning lodged in his throat.

In the end, he only let out a deep sigh.

"Roland... when do you plan to leave the River Kingdoms?"

"Huh?"

Roland raised his brows in surprise.

"Didn't we just arrive? And didn't you say before that you wanted to stay here for a while?"

"That was... that was... forget it..."

Galvez gave up explaining, his fingers plucking the harp strings without aim.

Seeing him like this, Roland shook his head and prepared to leave.

"Wait!"

The bard suddenly rushed up and nervously grabbed Roland's sleeve.

"Where are you going now?"

"Fishing."

Roland shook the newly bought fishing rod in his hand.

"I heard there's a good spot by the sea."

He had bought it on the way back.

Since his current identity made it impossible for him to intervene in the power struggle, he might as well try to trigger the job change conditions for other occupations.

After all, according to Avril's analysis and his own deductions, the Knight breathing method would fall into his hands sooner or later.

Even so, unexpected changes were still possible.

Rather than sit around waiting for the two factions to settle their contest, it was better to use this time to improve his strength.

Besides, he was also curious about the fog in the region where the Wolf King was located.

And those fishmen that seemed to be controlled or drawn by something...

Just as Roland was thinking, the bard spoke again.

"Then I'll go with you!"

Galvez hugged his harp tightly and stuck close to him like glue.

Roland shrugged indifferently, and the two headed toward the seashore one after the other.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long, while the bard kept looking back nervously, like he was fleeing some terrifying pursuer.

Unlike Blackwater Territory, where the weather was gloomy all year round, the River Kingdoms were bathed in bright sunlight throughout the year thanks to their unique geography.

The deep blue sea stretched like a moving scroll, glittering beneath the blazing sun.

The only flaw in this beauty was that the overly enthusiastic sunlight made people feel uncomfortably scorched.

On the sea, countless fishing boats moved back and forth. Fishermen piloted light boats and worked diligently among the rippling blue waves, forming a prosperous scene.

"Have you heard? Lord Marston is holding a grand banquet at his estate today. They say it's to receive some important figure..."

As the fishermen hauled in their nets, they started chatting about rumors from the city.

The net ropes slid through rough palms, carrying the salty fish smell of seawater.

"Tell me... what background does that important figure have? To make Lord Marston personally accompany him?"

"Why are you worrying about that?"

The fisherman beside him curled his lip, his fingers skillfully removing struggling sea fish from the net.

"Haven't you heard that the Wolf King's people are getting more rampant? First they robbed caravans, and now they even dare hijack ships at sea..."

He threw the fish fiercely into a bucket, splashing water over his pant legs.

"I advise you to stop worrying about noble lords' banquets and save money to change trades. Otherwise, one day, if the Wolf King's men catch you, you'll be sunk into the sea with your boat and fed to the fish!"

"I was just..."

The rebuked fisherman smiled awkwardly and was about to defend himself when a soft sound interrupted him.

"Thump!"

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw an old fishing boat docked by the harbor.

A young man wearing a wide-brimmed felt hat was bending down to tie the mooring rope.

Compared with the bronze skin of the other fishermen, his almost translucent fair complexion looked completely out of place.

"Hey! Roland!"

The fisherman who had spoken earlier called out loudly, trying to ease the awkwardness.

"Good haul today!"

"Not bad, Uncle Sam."

Roland smiled and lifted the fishing net. The heavy net immediately drew astonished looks from everyone around.

The surrounding fishermen exchanged glances.

Just a week ago, this young man had still been a complete novice who could not even tie a sail rope properly, constantly chasing after them to ask about tides and fishing seasons.

Yet in the blink of an eye, he was already catching more fish than some old hands.

"Some people are just born for this work..."

Someone in the crowd muttered, drawing nods from the others.

Roland responded to the fishermen's praise with a smile, declined several fishmongers who gathered around him, and carried the heavy catch home.

Pushing open the creaking house door, he walked straight to the kitchen.

Soon, smoke rose from the stone chimney, mixed with the aroma of fried fish drifting through the afternoon sunlight.

Thanks to the bounty of the sea, the residents of the River Kingdoms had long since refined seafood cooking into an art.

Combined with local spices, a net full of lively sea fish became a table of dishes rich in color, aroma, and flavor in only a short while.

"Mr. Bronson, Galvez, time to eat!"

Roland shook the undried water from his hands and called toward the courtyard.

"Coming!"

Responses came from two neighboring wooden houses at the same time.

The first to appear was Galvez. He walked into the kitchen sniffing, but when he smelled the familiar fish aroma, he frowned.

"Gods above, Roland..."

He stared at the table full of pan-fried cod, cream-stewed salmon, and spiced grilled fish steaks, then gave a bitter smile.

"This is the seventh straight day of an all-fish feast. Can we... occasionally eat something else?"

On the other side, Bronson had already sat down on his own.

He held a leather-bound ancient book in his left hand while his right hand delivered food into his mouth at astonishing speed.

If Roland could not hear the rhythmic chewing, he would almost have suspected that the scholar was pouring food straight down his throat.

After a short while, the scholar stood up, his eyes still glued to the page, yet he did not forget to bow slightly toward Roland.

"Thank you for the meal."

After saying this, he drifted back to his study.

The two had long since grown accustomed to this scene.

Roland picked up a golden fish steak and glanced at Galvez, who still had not moved his fork.

"Endure it a few more days."

As he spoke, he put the food into his mouth.

With a thought, the transparent-background occupation panel appeared before his eyes.

And in the Skills column, three brand-new names had appeared.

[Lv.MAX Boat Handling]

[Lv.2 Fishing (283/300)]

[Lv.2 Cooking (163/300)]

Considering that he would be staying in the River Kingdoms for a long time, to avoid accidents, the first things he studied were water survival skills.

Just as expected, he had soon awakened the two basic skills [Fishing] and [Boat Handling].

As for Cooking?

That was merely a byproduct of practice.

After all, these catches did not sell for much. It was better to use them to increase skill proficiency.

Once the Fishing skill reaches max level, it should trigger a related occupation similar to Fisherman...

Roland stared at the system panel only he could see, his fingertips tapping the table.

I wonder what Trait this occupation will grant...

His thoughts were interrupted by Galvez's continuous lament.

"A few more days?"

The bard speared a piece of snow-white fish with his fork. The once mouthwatering delicacy now tasted faintly bitter on his tongue.

"In other words... tonight's menu is still..."

Galvez suddenly set down his silver fork, the metal striking the ceramic plate with a crisp sound. His blue eyes lit up.

"Wait! Roland, do you remember the noble information you asked me to collect before?"

"Mm."

Roland swallowed the fish in his mouth and raised his eyes.

"Tonight, Lord Marston, the leader of the noble faction in the River Kingdoms, is holding a grand banquet at his estate!"

As Galvez spoke, he gently pushed the plate before him farther away. Excitement shone in his eyes, but in the next second, he realized his rudeness and hurriedly added, "I mean... why don't we go together? You will definitely be able to obtain the information you need..."

The bard awkwardly rubbed his nose.

"Of course, I'm not complaining about your cooking. It's just..."

"Fine."

Roland calmly nodded and delivered the remaining fish on his plate into his mouth in large bites.

He chewed carefully. Only after swallowing the final mouthful did he wipe the corner of his mouth with a linen napkin.

"What time?"

"It starts at dusk..."

Before Galvez could finish, Roland had already risen and picked up the fishing net and fish basket in the corner.

The poet blinked in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"Fishing."

Roland waved a hand. Feeling the lingering aroma of fish between his lips and teeth, he clicked his tongue.

To be honest, he had also eaten enough fish lately.

I might as well raise Fishing to max level as soon as possible.

With that thought, he walked out quickly.

He neatly untied the mooring rope and skillfully steered the small boat toward the sea.

As usual, Roland cast the net, set bait, then sat cross-legged at the bow and let the fishing line tremble lightly between his fingers.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty scent, brushed past the ends of his hair. In the distance, the cries of seagulls drifted near and far.

When the sun sank toward the horizon, Roland reeled in the final rod and tossed several silver-glinting sea fish into the cabin.

Then he stood and flicked his wrist.

The fishing net seemed to come alive, drawing a perfect arc through the air and gathering a churning wave of silver.

The moment the fish leaped across the deck, brilliant golden text unfolded one line after another in his vision.

[Fishing has reached max level]

[Upon inspection, you qualify for the base occupation: Fisherman]

[Requirements: Strength 1, Agility 1, 2/2 sea survival skills]

[Proceed with job change?]