Amulet

Since it was a celebration, there were naturally a lot of things that needed help from others: setting up the stage, moving timber, repairing the floats, and a horse-drawn carriage full of wine barrels that somehow got stuck in a mud pit by the roadside again!

So Stark once again transformed into a hero to "save the world," shouldering the heavy responsibility of the entire celebration.

"You're certainly full of enthusiasm, Lord Stark."

Fern watched Stark bustling about and couldn't help but sigh.

"That's good too. You can go to the celebration and see what you can give him as a birthday present."

Frieren turned and went to an inn she had already chosen.

Even with the ability to "Projection" houses, there's still no way to save on accommodation costs.

The reason for this is that houses can be Projection at will, but land cannot be occupied at will.

Doing this in the wilderness is perfectly fine; you can simply find a flat, open space to settle down. However, once you enter a town, behind every seemingly unclaimed piece of land, there is often an owner who could appear at any moment.

If you specifically choose to live on the outskirts of a town, what's the difference between that and living in the wild if you lack the necessary infrastructure?

"It seems Lady Frieren already knows what to send. What about you, Lord Lorenzo?"

As Fern watched Frieren's retreating figure, he spoke to Lorenzo beside him.

"I know what I need to send now."

Lorenzo said.

As a warrior Stark is not good at dealing with True Magic attacks, especially curses, so after thinking it over, the improved "AZOTH Sword" is more suitable.

At the Clock Tower, the AZ0TH Sword is also often used as a souvenir in Magecraft's coming-of-age ceremony, given by the teacher to the apprentice who has officially graduated.

At least nominally, it symbolizes inheritance, blessing, and expectations for the disciple's future achievements; in essence, it is a Mana amplifier rather than a weapon used to attach copper wire to the pancreas.

Especially since those who get stabbed are mostly "master" type characters.

In short, it can be improved upon. Since Stark cannot use the Mystic Code through Magic Circuits like Magecraft, this sword must have an independent source of Mana.

Normally, it can absorb the surrounding free Mana and store it inside. Once the wearer is cursed or subjected to mental interference, the pre-engraved spell will automatically activate, temporarily isolating the wearer from the erosion of external Mana.

"And you, Fern, have you decided what to give me yet?"

"I don't know yet."

Fern shook her head, after all, she really didn't know what a man of Stark's age would like.

In the past, when celebrating Lord Lorenzo's birthday, I would always prepare a cake with Lord Heiter and Frieren, and occasionally give them some handmade little gifts.

He would happily accept any gift, so much so that even now he doesn't know whether Lord Lorenzo truly liked it or was just trying to please a young child.

"Then let's go check out the celebration."

Lorenzo said.

"Maybe after you see something, you'll know what to give as a gift."

So the two of them walked along the street lined with stalls.

The festival offered a wide variety of goods, including agricultural products from nearby villages and fabrics and ornaments brought in by merchants from the south.

The noise excited everyone.

Yakisoba, takoyaki, chocolate banana, apricots, marshmallows, candied apples --

The colorful stalls were all very charming.

They were supposed to be picking out gifts, but before they knew it, they had started eating. Just as their cheeks were full of food, something started to tickle their nose.

"I'm so full."

Fern held a string of meatballs in his hand, chewing them contentedly as he said this.

This statement is hardly convincing.

But ultimately, isn't this what the food at a festival should be like? Your stomach is already full, but your taste buds haven't been satisfied yet. You have to try all the food on the street.

"Lord Lorenzo, aren't you going to eat?"

Fern pulled out a sugar-coated apple from somewhere and took a bite.

The crisp sugar shell crackled between her teeth, while the fruit inside had a slightly sour taste. The combination of the two flavors made her squint.

"I'm already full."

"That's such a pity."

Although she said that, she had no intention of sharing the apple candy with him, and had she forgotten the purpose of coming to the celebration? They still hadn't chosen a real birthday present.

After finishing the candied apple in her hand, Fern was about to take out a marshmallow when her gaze suddenly turned to the other side of the street.

Lord Stark was carrying two wooden pillars used to build the stage, walking towards this place from the direction of the square.

"Lord Lorenzo, please hide first."

"What's wrong?"

Without explaining, Fern grabbed Lorenzo's sleeve and dragged him behind a nearby stall's awning.

The two had just hidden themselves when Stark passed by on the street.

"Strangeness--"

He stopped and looked around.

"I think I just saw Fern."

Fern immediately held his breath, but thankfully, the sound of calling for Stark soon came from the square again.

"They're here!"

Stark did not continue searching but hurriedly left with the wooden post on his back.

Only after his figure had completely disappeared into the crowd did Fern emerge from behind the tent.

"We were almost discovered."

"Is it really a big deal that he saw me just because I was at the festival?"

"If Lord Stark asks what we're doing, it will be difficult to keep the birthday present a secret any longer."

I think you just didn't want him to know you'd been eating a lot.

Lorenzo thought to himself.

"What would you two like to choose?"

The stall owner's voice suddenly came from behind.

Only then did they realize that in their attempt to avoid Stark, they had inadvertently stumbled into a stall selling handmade jewelry. The stall owner was an elderly woman with gray hair.

"We want to choose a gift suitable for the soldiers, preferably one that is easy to carry and won't hinder their combat ability."

"Warriors--"

The old woman lowered her head, rummaged under the stall for a while, and finally took out a wooden box covered with dark velvet.

"Then take a look at these."

The box was opened, revealing several metal amulets, leather wristbands, and pendants that were not yet strung with cords.

Are these all True Magic items?

"Fern asked."

"There are a few, but none of them are particularly effective."

The old woman pointed to one of the tooth amulets and the wristband.

"This one can slightly ward off wild beasts, the bracers over there can alleviate the cold, and the rest are mostly just for good luck."

In other words, it's basically useless, and why add "slightly" before "to drive away wild animals"?

If they were to encounter an enemy who could threaten Stark, these things would obviously be of no help, yet they were much more expensive than ordinary ornaments. In that case, it would be better to choose amulets that were simply used for prayer.

So Fern turned his gaze to the other side of the wooden box, where there were a dozen or so pendants that did not exhibit any Mana fluctuations. Most of them were made of ordinary silver, copper, and iron, but their designs were much more exquisite than those so-called True Magic items.

What does this pattern mean?

Fern picked up one of the oval-shaped silver amulets. The front of the amulet was engraved with a shield and the back with a campfire.

"This is a warrior's amulet that has been passed down in the North for a long time; the shield represents protection, and the campfire represents peace."

"Does it have no practical use?"

Of course not.

The old woman answered quite frankly.

"It cannot withstand swords or break the curse; if it falls into water, it will sink just like ordinary silver ornaments."

They really don't hide it at all, but to be honest, these amulets weren't originally designed to protect warriors from danger.

"Then I'll take this one."

Fern made a decision quickly.

"Would you like a sentence engraved on the back?"

The old woman asked.

"Is there an extra charge if I want it engraved?"

"Only two copper coins are needed."

Fern thought about it carefully.

"Then please have the words 'Happy Birthday' engraved on it for me."