Roland followed the sound and saw a blond young man striding over with his head held high.

His delicate features drew involuntary admiration from the surrounding crowd, while his pointed ears revealed his identity as an Elf.

"Is that... the High Elf whose surname is Morningstar?"

Roland stepped back without a sound, avoiding the crowded flow of people. Standing a little farther away, he narrowed his eyes and studied the other party.

Perhaps to follow local custom, this High Elf was not wearing the meticulously tailored, undecorated plain robe from before. Instead, he had changed into a finely made set of exceptionally luxurious clothing.

The outfit made his already transcendent bearing even more striking. The only thing unchanged was the circlet on his head, woven from strange vinewood.

Just like Roland's existing impression of Elves, this High Elf faced the crowd's cheers with a face as still as a frozen lake. He offered no greeting either.

Instead, a faint disgust passed through his eyes, so brief that ordinary people would have missed it.

Amid the clamor, the High Elf entered the area Roland had just been forbidden to approach under the escort of guards.

"What is inside there... definitely isn't just some building repair..."

Roland's doubts deepened.

However, this matter had nothing to do with him for now. After a light shake of his head, he turned and strode toward the Blacksmith Guild.

After circling through several noisy streets and alleys, Roland finally arrived at his destination.

Looking up, he saw that the Blacksmith Guild was not the isolated, grand hall he had imagined, but a broad compound formed from several squat stone buildings.

Tall chimneys spewed rolling black smoke. The air carried the distinct scent of heated metal and coal ash. The heavy gate stood open, and dense hammering sounds, like rain striking stone, drifted faintly from within.

Merely standing outside the entrance, Roland could feel a wave of scorching heat rushing toward him.

"Hello..."

The receptionist at the front desk was a Dwarf.

To Roland's surprise, this Dwarf's manner was graceful and proper, entirely lacking the rough air usually associated with Dwarves.

"Hello, sir..."

The Dwarf bowed slightly. Although his voice was naturally deep, he deliberately softened it.

"How may I help you?"

"I would like to register for a Blacksmith Guild credential."

Roland briefly stated his purpose and took the two letters of introduction from his belt pouch.

"Oh! You must be Mr. Roland!"

The Dwarf quickly glanced over the parchment, tried his best to raise his head, and gave Roland a friendly smile.

"Mr. Nielsen has already informed us. Please follow me."

After speaking, he extended an arm to indicate the direction, then led Roland inside.

After they passed through a deep corridor, the air grew hotter.

At last, the two stopped before a wide door. Faint metallic clangs came from within.

Bang, bang, bang!

The Dwarf's knock abruptly changed, exploding like muffled thunder. It was completely different from his previous soft-spoken manner.

"Master Griffin! A gentleman is here to register for a credential!"

The sound of iron being struck inside came to an abrupt halt.

The next moment, the heavy door was yanked open, revealing a figure much shorter and stockier than a Human.

His needle-like beard bristled upright, trembling in time with his roar.

"Damn it! Noel! I told you not to bother me with trivial things like this!"

"S-sorry, Master Griffin..."

The Dwarf called Noel instinctively shrank his neck, then stepped forward and lowered his voice to explain.

Although in Roland's ears, this "lowered" voice was still perfectly clear.

"This is the one Mr. Nielsen specifically mentioned..."

After hearing Noel's explanation, Griffin snorted. He looked Roland's sturdy build up and down from the corner of his eye and muttered in dissatisfaction.

"Hmph. At least he's got some size on him. Looks like that bastard Nielsen wasn't talking nonsense... Fine!"

He waved impatiently at Noel.

"Leave this to me. Go do whatever you should be doing! As for you..."

He crooked a thick finger at Roland.

"Come in."

After saying this, he turned and entered the room on his own.

"My apologies, Mr. Roland..."

Noel's tone carried apology, and he bowed again.

"Master Griffin has a bit of a fiery temper, but he is..."

Halfway through, he seemed to remember something unpleasant and stopped.

"In short, please rest assured. The master will not make things difficult for you."

"Thank you, Noel."

Roland smiled and thanked him, then stepped into the room.

Griffin's attitude might seem rude to others, but to Roland, his conduct reminded him of Hawk back in Blackwater Territory.

So it did not displease him. Instead, it even gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

The moment Roland entered, heat and the strong smell of metal rushed over him.

In the center of the room, the fire in a huge forge furnace had not yet reached full intensity, but it still radiated scorching heat and dark red light.

A heavy anvil stood beside it, its surface covered in hammer marks old and new.

The walls were densely hung with iron tongs, hammers, chisels, and other tools of various sizes. Several rough metal blanks waiting to be worked lay scattered on the floor.

In the corner, a huge quenching trough gleamed with oil. Beside it were several half-finished weapons and farming tools.

Rather than a reception room, this was a fully equipped forge workshop.

"Move quickly, boy! Don't waste my time!"

Seeing Roland still looking around, Griffin roared impatiently, his displeasure almost spilling out.

He snatched the two letters of introduction from Roland's hand and grumbled under his breath.

"It's obviously already settled, yet you still have to come here and go through these damned procedures. What a bother!"

Then his tone changed. The Dwarf's already thunderous voice rose again, like a forging hammer crashing onto an anvil.

"Of course! If you fail the assessment later..."

He glared with round eyes, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Even if that old brat Nielsen personally comes to plead for you, don't even think about entering this guild's doors! Understood?"

"Understood, Master Griffin."

Facing this thunderous declaration, Roland adjusted his breathing and suppressed his stray thoughts.

With a thought, the [Focus] Trait activated instantly.

In that moment, countless fragments of forging knowledge surfaced clearly in his mind.

Although he had not held a hammer for quite some time since leaving Blackwater Territory, the level of [Basic Blacksmithing] on his occupation panel remained stable as ever.

As long as he recalled it carefully, handling the upcoming assessment would not be a problem.

"Wait!"

Just as Roland focused on searching through his forging knowledge, Griffin abruptly raised his head. His thick finger stabbed toward the signature on one of the letters like iron tongs, and his eyes shone with astonishment and excitement.

"Boy! This Hawk..."

His voice rose several degrees.

"Does he have a voice loud enough to scare people, curse at the drop of a hat, and as for his appearance..."

Listening to Griffin's description, Hawk's familiar face immediately surfaced in Roland's mind.

It was seventy to eighty percent accurate.

"And now he... hmm... seems to be in some... Stinking Ditch Territory? Serving as the exclusive blacksmith for a Human noble?"

"Uh..."

Hearing that name, Roland corrected him helplessly.

"Master Griffin, if you mean Blackwater Territory... then this Hawk should be the one you know."

"Right, right, sorry..."

Griffin stared at the familiar handwriting on the parchment and grinned.

"In our Dwarven tongue, 'Blackwater' means 'stinking ditch.' But I didn't expect..."

He looked up at Roland, surprise and appreciation in his eyes.

"You'd actually be that stubborn mule's apprentice... Fine!"

As he spoke, Griffin pulled a fresh blank piece of parchment from a drawer. With a sweep of his large hand, he slammed a bright red seal onto it with a loud smack.

"Here! Take it!"

He stood and stuffed the nearly blank parchment into Roland's hand.

"For whatever needs to be written on it, go outside and find that boy Noel to fill it in."

"This... Master Griffin, what about the assessment..."

Roland hesitated.

"Assessment?"

Griffin snorted, his beard trembling.

"Since you were taught by that bastard Hawk, what is there to assess?"

When Hawk was mentioned, rare warmth softened his otherwise stern face.

"Back then, he and I both studied under Master Barend. That fellow was famous for being dead stubborn, as hardheaded as cold iron! If he was willing to personally write you a letter of introduction..."

Griffin slapped the desk with certainty.

"Your skill has already left ordinary blacksmiths far behind! Right..."

He casually took the wine flask from his waist, tilted his head back, and gulped down several large mouthfuls. Then he roughly wiped the wine from his chin with his sleeve.

"That bastard... is his body still holding up?"

"Still... fairly well."

The two briefly talked about Hawk's recent circumstances, and Griffin waved Roland away.

"It's a little late today. Come early tomorrow morning, and I'll explain the guild's rules to you in detail."

As soon as he finished speaking, the heavy door slammed shut in front of Roland.

"This... counts as completing the registration?"

Roland looked down at the parchment in his hand, which bore only a bright red seal, and felt momentarily dazed.

Back in Blackwater Territory, Hawk had repeatedly emphasized how strict the Blacksmith Guild's assessment was, telling him to make full preparations and go all out.

In the end...

Recalling Hawk's stern face and instructions, Roland could only shake his head helplessly and turn back toward the front desk.

After he briefly explained the situation to Noel, the graceful Dwarf immediately thumped his chest and promised that he would complete the credential's contents for Roland. Roland could come retrieve it first thing tomorrow morning.

Just like that, in only a short while, Roland's identity changed from Blacksmith Apprentice to officially recognized registered blacksmith.

"I didn't expect... Master Hawk's skill was actually learned from Dwarves. No wonder it is so exquisite..."

He followed the way he had come and returned.

When he again passed the intersection guarded by soldiers, his steps paused slightly, and his brows tightened.

His sharp senses detected that the Mana Element aura coming from the direction of the forbidden zone was clearly much denser than when he had arrived.

"What exactly... is inside there?"

The increasingly dense magical energy came from the forbidden zone, and Roland frowned.

When he had seen the High Elf on the ship earlier, he had thought the merchant faction's purpose in inviting him was the same as Marston's reason for inviting Dwarves.

Both were to participate in the construction of the River Kingdoms.

But now it seemed that the merchant faction's plans went far beyond that.

"It looks like the leaders of various nations have also begun noticing signs of magical energy revival, and the merchant faction invited the High Elf here probably to investigate this power."

Thinking of Galvez's words, Roland roughly reached this conclusion.

After all, when it came to sensing and affinity with magical energy, few races in this world could compare with Elves.

Although he was full of curiosity about what was happening inside the forbidden zone, the surrounding patrols and heavily guarded streets made Roland decisively abandon the idea.

In any case, the entanglement between the merchant faction and the noble faction had nothing to do with him.

He had come to the River Kingdoms for only one purpose: to improve his strength.

With that thought, he turned and walked home.

Completely different from the Golden Valley Kingdom, the nights in the River Kingdoms were even noisier than the days.

The streets were packed with people, forcing Roland to take a detour.

On the way back, he caught sight of an Adventurer's Guild.

Inside, just like on the street, the place was full of voices. The noise pierced directly through the doors and spilled onto the street.

However, compared with the Golden Valley Kingdom, the mercenaries and adventurers here were much better behaved.

At least he did not see anyone drunkenly causing trouble.

The rest of the way passed without incident.

Taking a small boat, Roland returned home smoothly.

He went into the kitchen and made a simple meal, tempering his Cooking skill in the process.

After eating, he returned to his room and sank into sleep.

Early the next morning, Roland appeared at the Blacksmith Guild on time.

"Mr. Roland, this is your credential."

Receiving the paper Noel handed him, Roland raised an eyebrow.

Unlike yesterday's blank paper with only a red seal, the parchment before him was filled with dense writing. The handwriting was elegant and clear, even neater than many Humans' writing.

"Thank you, Noel."

Roland placed the credential into his belt pouch, thanked him softly, then asked, "Is Master Griffin here?"

"He is, Mr. Roland."

Noel nodded.

"Master Griffin specifically instructed me yesterday that when you arrived, you should go see him first."

The humble Dwarf pointed in a direction.

"Would you like me to take you there?"

"No need."

Roland smiled faintly and shook his head, then followed yesterday's route straight onward.

Before long, the familiar door appeared before him.

Just like yesterday, metallic ringing still came from within, echoing through the long corridor.

Bang, bang, bang!

Seeing this, Roland had no choice but to knock harder on the door while raising his voice.

"Master Griffin! It's me, Roland!"

As soon as his words fell, the hammering inside stopped.

"Come in!"

Only after hearing the response did Roland push open the heavy door.

Griffin stood beside the forging table, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

The Dwarf blacksmith glanced at the pale sky that had just begun to brighten outside the door. The corner of his mouth rose in a satisfied smile.

"Not bad! That old bastard Hawk really didn't misjudge you. You really are diligent, boy."

As he spoke, Griffin did not return to his seat. Instead, he tossed the red-hot rough blank into the cold-water trough.

Hiss!

With a soft sound and rising white steam, his rough voice rang out again.

"Boy, since you've joined the Blacksmith Guild, you need to understand the rules here. First..."

The Dwarf blacksmith turned around and raised two thick fingers.

"After joining the guild, you have two paths to choose from."

"Either buy a credential from me, set up your own tools, and open a blacksmith shop."

"Or stay in the guild. We will provide you with a forge room and basic materials, but you must pay rent to the guild every month."

Griffin took the wine flask from his waist, pulled out the stopper, and gulped down a mouthful before continuing.

"However, relying on the guild's resources, a large number of commissions will flow in every month. You can earn money by accepting work. Of course..."

He wiped the wine from his beard.

"The guild will take a small portion of each commission's payment as a fee to maintain operations."

"Which path do you intend to choose?"

Hearing this, Roland made his decision almost without hesitation.

The first path seemed free, but it required spending money and time maintaining a blacksmith shop, as well as personally finding commissions.

The second path required paying rent and giving up a portion of each commission, but it allowed him to directly use the forging equipment and materials prepared by the guild, with steady work available.

This clearly suited Roland's needs better.

His primary purpose in joining the Blacksmith Guild was to temper [Basic Blacksmithing] as quickly as possible, thereby changing into the higher occupation [Enchanter].

As for money, with Colin's support, at least while he still belonged to the River Kingdoms' merchant faction, he should not need to worry about it.

"Master Griffin, I want to stay in the guild."

Roland stated his choice.

"Oh?"

Griffin was somewhat surprised by this answer.

In his view, since Roland possessed forging skill recognized by Hawk at such a young age, he ought to be more inclined to establish himself independently.

But since Roland had made his choice, Griffin naturally said no more.

"Fine. Then go to the front desk and find Noel. That boy will tell you what to do."

"Thank you, Master Griffin."

Griffin waved casually, then gave a few more instructions about matters that needed attention in the guild before signaling for Roland to leave.

Roland sensibly did not linger.

He gently closed the door and turned to find Noel.

Perhaps Nielsen's instructions had taken effect, or perhaps it was the affinity Roland himself radiated, but this humble Dwarf was especially attentive to Roland's affairs.

In no time, he had arranged the most spacious and well-lit forge room in the guild for Roland.

Looking at the brand-new equipment inside, Roland nodded in satisfaction.

"Mr. Roland..."

As Noel spoke, he gently placed a thick stack of parchment from his arms onto the wooden table beside them.

"These are the commissions the guild still has not assigned this month. If you see one you want, just come register it with me. I will immediately have someone deliver the required materials."

"I really appreciate the trouble, Noel."

"You... you are too polite..."

Roland's frequent thanks and gentle attitude left the Dwarf somewhat at a loss.

Seeing this, Roland only chuckled and said no more, picking up the commission documents and carefully flipping through them.

They listed the specific requirements, payment, and completion deadlines of the commissions in detail.

Aside from lacking a clear difficulty rating, their format was not very different from the monster extermination commissions he had previously accepted at the Adventurer's Guild.

Seeing that it was still early, Roland selected several suitable commissions from among them.

After Noel sent people to deliver the materials, Roland immediately threw himself into forging.

In only a single morning, the forging skills that had grown somewhat rusty from lack of practice after leaving Blackwater Territory became familiar once more.

Looking at the rising experience value of [Basic Blacksmithing], Roland nodded in satisfaction.

"With the guild's abundant commission resources, it shouldn't take long for [Basic Blacksmithing] to reach max level. As for [Basic Magic Theory], there's even less need to worry."

Examining the data on the occupation panel before him, Roland calculated in his heart.

This was thanks to Bronson.

During their days sailing at sea, aside from telling Galvez adventure stories, Roland had spent most of his time in the cabin reading the scholar's various books.

After such diligent study, the experience value of his [Basic Magic Theory] was now even higher than that of [Basic Blacksmithing].

"I wonder what kind of Trait the higher occupation [Enchanter] will grant me..."

With that anticipation, Roland wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, washed up briefly, then pushed open the forge room door and walked out.

Aside from changing into [Enchanter], Roland had not forgotten his current primary goal.

Becoming a [Knight Apprentice].

To achieve this, besides the requirements for killing enemies and teamwork, he still needed to master two ranged weapon techniques and one shield combat technique.

Those also could not be delayed.

Unlike when he had been in Blackwater Territory and could only seek instruction from others, now, as a nominal student of the Knight Academy, he had a better place to learn those skills.