Hearing those words, Roland raised an eyebrow.

After confirming that the leader of the Merchant Guild before him was not joking, he bowed slightly.

"Thank you, Mr. Derek."

"No need for such courtesy, Mr. Roland."

Derek replied calmly.

"This is merely fulfilling the promise Colin made back then."

Seeing that Roland did not show wild joy after hearing the news, Derek's opinion of him quietly rose another notch.

"Then... please continue enjoying the banquet."

Derek gave a slight nod, then turned and left.

Watching his back disappear into the crowd, Roland narrowed his eyes.

Before meeting him, Roland had assumed that with the man's power and status in the River Kingdoms, he would be stern and cold. He had not expected him to appear so approachable.

No matter what, the matter of subjugating the Wolf King can finally be set aside... the Knight breathing method...

Thinking of the secret art containing transcendent power that would soon be in his hands, Roland took a deep breath and forced down the excitement rising in his chest.

"Hey, Roland!"

Just then, a hand clapped onto his shoulder.

Roland turned and saw Galvez leaning in.

The bard's gaze followed the direction Derek had gone, and he asked in a curious whisper, "What did that big shot say to you just now?"

Then he lowered his voice, his tone carrying a warning.

"Be careful. That one's no easy man to deal with. How do the people of the River Kingdoms describe him again? A cunning old fox! No one can say what he's hiding under that friendly face..."

"Nothing important."

Roland kept Galvez's warning in mind and shook his head.

"Let's go. We should leave."

"Leave?"

Galvez looked genuinely surprised and glanced at the gorgeously dressed guests.

"You don't need me to introduce you to a few noble lords and help you ask around anymore?"

"No need."

Since the Knight breathing method was already secured, there was no reason to waste more time among nobles who only cared about dances and idle conversation.

"Huh? But..."

Galvez's gaze drifted toward the long table in the center of the banquet hall, piled high with rare delicacies.

Noticing his eyes, the corner of Roland's mouth lifted.

"Don't worry. Dinner tonight won't be fish."

"Truly?"

Galvez's eyes lit up at once, and a broad grin spread across his face.

It was not that he had any complaints about Roland's cooking.

Quite the opposite. He deeply appreciated Roland's skill.

Of the vast majority of banquets the bard had attended, their cooks could not compare with Roland.

He was simply tired of eating fish.

"Then... why don't we pick up a few bottles of wine on the way?"

Galvez suggested with great enthusiasm.

"No problem."

Now that the matter of the Knight breathing method had been settled, a heavy weight had lifted from Roland's heart. Naturally, he had no reason to refuse.

"I want chicken and beef too!"

Galvez's eyes shone.

"We Elves have several unique cooking methods. I'll teach you..."

The two talked and laughed as they disappeared through the banquet hall doors.

Watching Roland leave, Nielsen, who had come with Derek, furrowed his brow.

He leaned closer to Derek and spoke in a low voice. The warmth he had shown when first meeting Roland was gone, and those shrewd eyes now held a merchant's calculation and suspicion.

"Mr. Derek..."

"Is it truly appropriate to grant the breathing method so easily to... such an unfamiliar young man?"

He paused, then added cautiously, "Of course, I am not questioning your decision. It's only..."

Nielsen tilted his head slightly and lowered his voice even further.

"After all, he has not undergone any assessment, and Mr. Colin's judgment..."

He did not finish, but the hesitation in his eyes clearly revealed his distrust of Colin's judgment.

"Nielsen..."

Derek handled the fawning compliments of the surrounding merchants while quietly responding to this old companion who had followed him for many years.

"It is not Colin's judgment you distrust."

Derek turned his head, his sharp gaze catching the nearly imperceptible arrogance in Nielsen's eyes.

"You do not believe that such a young man could truly possess the strength Colin described at his age. Am I right?"

Nielsen answered with silence.

The head of the merchant faction took a small sip of the pale golden wine in his cup and sighed.

"Setting aside whether Colin's description was exaggerated... did you not personally witness his ability that day at the Knight Academy?"

"A man who had never practiced a Knight breathing method still received one of Graham's blows."

Although Derek had not been present, recalling Nielsen's report still left this well-traveled merchant faintly astonished.

"Even if Graham did not use his full strength, it is enough to prove the young man's value."

"I apologize, Mr. Derek..."

Nielsen's voice carried apology.

"I am not blaming you, Nielsen."

Derek set down his wine cup, nodded in greeting to the surrounding merchants, then led Nielsen toward a corner of the banquet hall.

His gaze swept over Marston, who was forcing a smile among the crowd, then passed over Graham, who sat silently by the table and focused only on drinking.

The merchant leader sighed softly, and remembrance passed through his eyes for a fleeting instant.

"I only wish to remind you to think carefully about how we made it this far."

Derek's voice was low and clear.

"When this land was still sunk deep in the mire of war, I was merely a fisherman. Graham was only a mercenary who lived by the blade. As for Marston, heh..."

Derek chuckled softly. When he mentioned the past, the practiced smile on his face softened for once.

"He was nothing more than a down-and-out young noble."

"But who could have imagined..."

Derek's voice carried a strange note of emotion.

"That three nobodies like us would ultimately join hands and establish the River Kingdoms? So..."

He lightly patted Nielsen's shoulder, his gaze sharpening.

"Do not pick up Marston's bad habit. Weakness and ignorance are not barriers to survival. Arrogance is."

"When fortune turns, even ordinary men like us can build a nation. How much more, then, for a young man who has already revealed talent far beyond the ordinary?"

"Even if he never becomes a subject of the River Kingdoms in the future..."

Derek turned to leave, but his words entered Nielsen's ears with perfect clarity.

"He will not forget that when he was still a nobody, he received our goodwill. Compared to that..."

Derek's steps did not pause. His final words still landed with weight amid the noise of the banquet.

"A mere Knight breathing method is nothing. This trade... is far too profitable."

Roland naturally knew nothing of Derek and Nielsen's private conversation.

At that moment, Galvez was urging him along. After buying a large pile of ingredients and wine, Roland plunged straight into the kitchen.

With the cooking skills from his previous life and the support of his current [Cooking] skill, it did not take long before dish after dish, each carrying an enticing aroma and cooked just right, filled the dining table.

"Ha!"

The bard took a deep breath and praised him sincerely. Ignoring the steam, he impatiently stuffed a delicious piece into his mouth.

The savory flavor burst over his tongue, and he gave Roland a thumbs-up.

"Roland, your cooking is incredible!"

"Slow down..."

Roland pushed a specially prepared portion into the small bowl beside Joe, then looked toward the scholar beside him, who was still reading while eating.

"How is it, Bronson? Does it suit your taste?"

"Mm... very good..."

The scholar praised him verbally, but his expression barely changed.

A moment later, he finished his meal.

Unlike the previous few days, however, Bronson did not immediately rise and return to his room.

He set down the book in his hands, raised his head, and wore an unusual look of concentration.

"Roland, do you still remember what I mentioned before, about the concentration of Mana Elements differing between regions?"

"Of course."

Roland ate heartily and nodded.

"Has your research made progress?"

"Yes."

Bronson seemed completely unconcerned about the grease on the table. He laid his open book flat on the tabletop and tapped a page with his finger.

"Look. After consulting ancient texts, I discovered that differences in Mana Element concentration significantly affect local terrain features and certain natural phenomena. This means..."

The scholar's voice rose slightly with excitement.

"Even without specific spell runes to guide them, when the concentration of Mana Elements reaches a certain level, it may spontaneously trigger intermingling between elements! This further proves that the idea you proposed before was correct. Perhaps..."

His fingers tapped against the table, and light shone in his eyes.

"I can use the spell circuits I am researching to first draw a single type of elemental mana from the air, release it, and then suddenly introduce another entirely different element."

"In that case... theoretically, it may be possible to simulate effects that only certain high-level spells can achieve."

Hearing this, Roland set down his utensils. His eyes locked onto Bronson, trying to capture every detail hidden in the man's words.

If this scholar's line of thinking was correct...

Then even though Roland currently only grasped a basic spell like [Fire Bolt], by forcibly fusing different elemental mana, he could unleash destructive power far beyond imagination and produce unpredictable chain reactions.

This could become a trump card capable of turning a battle around.

More importantly, the speculation about Mana Element fusion had originally been nothing more than a tentative hypothesis Roland had thrown out based on memories from his previous life.

He had never imagined that Bronson would truly follow that line of thought and grope his way toward a seemingly feasible concrete method.

Thinking of this, the admiration in Roland's eyes nearly overflowed.

"Ahem... of course..."

Made uncomfortable by Roland's overly focused gaze, which seemed to be appraising a rare treasure, Bronson cleared his throat awkwardly.

"This is only... a very preliminary concept."

"And even if it can be realized..."

His tone became cautious.

"The energy produced by this kind of fusion would also be extremely difficult to control. The greatest risk is..."

"The caster himself would very likely bear the brunt of it and suffer backlash from uncontrollable energy turbulence. It is far less precise, stable, and safe than a true high-level spell."

"There is no need to feel pressured, Mr. Bronson."

Roland lightly patted the scholar's shoulder.

"You may advance the research at your own pace. There is plenty of time. As for the funds required for the research..."

He paused, his tone firm.

"There is no need to worry about that either."

As he spoke, Roland took a card from his chest.

The card was made of a strange material, neither metal nor wood, and its surface flowed with a faint azure light.

This was the card Colin had given him when they parted at Far Harbor.

With this card, one could deposit and withdraw money at any Merchant Guild branch in the River Kingdoms. Its convenience was similar to the banks from Roland's previous life.

Although Roland had yet to go to the guild and check the exact amount inside the card, judging by Colin's consistently generous style, he believed the merchant would not disappoint him.

"The money stored inside should be enough to support your research expenses."

Roland handed the card to Bronson.

"This... Roland... I..."

Bronson had clearly recognized the card.

He had been present when Colin handed it to Roland, and he knew very well the value it represented.

Looking at the card so close at hand, complicated emotions crossed the scholar's face.

There was excitement at obtaining sufficient funding, but even more than that, he was moved by the weight of Roland's trust.

Roland simply pushed the card into Bronson's hesitant hand.

"Of course..."

He smiled faintly, trying to ease the man's surging emotions.

"Just like our original contract, the results produced by the research..."

"Ha!"

Bronson naturally understood what Roland left unsaid.

He chuckled softly, shook his head with helplessness and relief, then no longer hesitated. He tightly gripped the faintly glowing card in his palm.

Just as Roland was about to say something more, a melodious song drifted over with the plucked notes of a harp.

"Oh! What a moving scene! Long live friendship!"

Galvez plucked the strings, his face wearing the bard's distinctive, slightly exaggerated look of emotion.

Roland and Bronson exchanged helpless glances and, with perfect tacit understanding, closed their mouths.

The two quickly wolfed down the remaining food on their plates, then stood at the same time and returned to their rooms without saying a word.

"How... terribly rude..."

Looking at the empty dining table and the tightly closed doors, Galvez sighed in dejection, and the music from his harp came to an abrupt stop.

After returning to his room, Roland shut the door, cutting off the faint sound of the harp outside and the salty scent of the sea breeze.

He lay down on the bed and focused his mind. The familiar occupation panel immediately appeared before his eyes.

After hurriedly changing into [Fisherman] earlier, he had needed to attend the evening banquet and had not had time to carefully examine the specific buffs brought by Occupation Resonance.

Now he finally had a moment to spare.

He directed his attention to the text on the panel.

[Blacksmith Apprentice occupation detected. Occupation resonance available.]

[Occupation Resonance]

[Fisherman + Blacksmith Apprentice]

[Extra buff gained: Unimmersed Craftsmanship]

[The structural strength of fishing gear used is significantly increased, durability loss is permanently reduced, and the possibility of rust is completely eliminated. When in any aquatic environment (rivers, lakes, seas), performance decline, aging, and other problems in equipment caused by water corrosion are completely eliminated.]