Talia

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Talia (塔莉娅)
Species/Race	Elf
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Elven Merchant Association
Occupation/Role	Chief Magic Forger; rune instructor and researcher 124 271
Status	Active 302
First Appearance	Chapter 120 120

Background / History

Talia is an elven Magic Forger with more than four centuries of life and roughly three hundred years of forging experience. In the Free City-State, fewer than five people can rival her in enchantment; her rune-carving precision is described as being within a hair’s breadth of perfect. 121

Her interest in Su Li begins when she examines his ordinary, apple-juice-stained short knife. Despite containing no runes or circuits, the weapon pierces her three-layer ancient-vine skirt armor and its two high-tier defensive runes. Talia concludes that its creator possesses an abnormal, “natural-born” affinity for aether. 121 122

Determined to find the forger, Talia spends a day waiting in the Black Market’s underground drainage channel before locating Su Li in an open-air market by sensing the aether uncontrollably gathering around him. She approaches him directly and offers to take him as her disciple. 123 124 After Su Li agrees, she begins teaching him aether control, rune inscription, and Magic Forging at her private workshop in the Elven Merchant Association. 125 127

As Su Li’s skill rapidly surpasses conventional expectations, Talia shifts from skepticism and frustration to recognition and professional respect. She later formally registers him as a student, opens the first- and second-tier foundational archives to him, and eventually permits access to higher archive floors after he proves himself through circuit repair. 234 240

Talia refuses Su Li’s request for the Association’s Active Circuit technology, explaining that it is an inherited core secret and that divulging it could result in execution by the Council of Elders. 161 Even so, she continues to advise him, study his work, and provide materials on increasingly advanced rune systems. 243 253

When Su Li prepares to break through to the fifth tier, Talia identifies the danger posed to his soul during core solidification. She proposes that the profound resonance between Su Li and his three wives may serve as an anchor to stabilize him. 262 263 After the group’s simultaneous fifth-tier breakthrough, she documents their results and becomes involved in their later research, travel, and marine-circuit development. 271 273 291

Appearance

Talia is a long-eared elf with green hair, fair features, and emerald-green eyes. She normally prioritizes practical work attire, though she also owns formal elven dresses and robes. 123 145 253

• Smooth green hair, often braided over one shoulder while working 123 145
• Distinctive pointed ears 123
• Emerald-green eyes 253
• Commonly wears a dark-green work apron or workshop robes stained by forging work 145 271
• Wears formal dark-blue or dark-green elven dresses on social occasions 137 234
• Uses a dark-green combat outfit when personally checking on Su Li’s fifth-tier preparations 262

Personality

Talia is intensely proud of her status, experience, and technical ability. When Saina and Elena dismiss her as merely a “head blacksmith,” she responds by emphasizing her position as Chief Magic Forger and her command of the Association’s core rune techniques. 124 Her confidence is frequently challenged by Su Li’s unconventional forging methods, which repeatedly overturn principles she has accepted for centuries. 121 153

As a teacher, she is rigorous, impatient with sloppy work, and willing to impose repetitive training or difficult tests. She criticizes Su Li’s unstable aether lines, assigns extensive practice, and sets a three-day challenge involving a damaged second-tier bracer. 130 239 240 However, her strictness is tempered by concern: she stops Elonore from injuring herself through excessive training and warns Su Li not to attempt a fifth-tier breakthrough without proper preparation. 226 262

Talia is also deeply curious and methodical. She keeps records of unusual aether phenomena, household strength-control exercises, fifth-tier breakthroughs, and marine composite circuits. 255 271 291 Though initially formal and status-conscious, she gradually adapts to Su Li’s household routines—including splitting firewood in exchange for Saina’s cooking. 268

Abilities & Skills

Master Magic Forging

Talia is one of the Free City-State’s foremost enchanters and serves as the Elven Merchant Association’s Chief Magic Forger. 121 124

• Has approximately three centuries of practical forging experience 121
• Can carve runes below the third tier “with [her] eyes closed” 124
• Produces perfectly sealed, even aether lines with a guide needle 127
• Teaches fourth-tier rune inscription and demonstrates complex internal aether networks 153
• Recognizes the value of lifestyle enchantments, including their high margins and repeat-purchase potential 240

Aether and Circuit Analysis

Talia can inspect magical equipment, identify structural weaknesses, and assess aether behavior with exceptional accuracy.

• Determines that Su Li’s rune-less knife holds overwhelming aether through an unknown stabilizing method 121
• Identifies naturally formed circuitry and adaptive aether circulation within Su Li’s forged blades 234
• Detects brief spiritual reactions in discarded forged scrap 249
• Interprets Su Li’s cultivation data and concludes that low environmental aether concentration is restricting his fifth-tier core growth 283
• Monitors fluctuations in the Ginkgo’s propulsion core 302

Aether Cultivation

Talia is a fourth-tier cultivator. 152

• Understands the distinction between aether reserves and the fine spiritual control required for rune work 126
• Explains fifth-tier advancement as the compression of liquid aether into a solid core 262
• Calculates possible methods for stabilizing a fifth-tier breakthrough, including soul stabilization, pre-compression, and external carriers 263 264

Teaching and Assessment

Talia is a demanding instructor who develops training plans around a student’s demonstrated strengths and weaknesses.

• Introduces Su Li to guide needles, refined steel plates, and basic aether-line control 127
• Requires repeated carving practice to improve unstable rune work 130
• Sets Elonore’s second-tier assessment as the condition for travel leave, while ensuring she does not permanently damage herself through overtraining 217 226
• Uses tests, archive access, and material rewards to push Su Li’s advancement 239 240
• Provides Su Li with third- and fourth-tier circuit materials as his ability rises 243 253

Research and Documentation

Talia systematically records anomalous magical-forging phenomena and converts her findings into technical references.

• Records the simultaneous fifth-tier breakthroughs of Su Li’s household 271
• Studies fifth-tier marine composite circuits during the Ginkgo’s development 289
• Writes a three-hundred-page First Draft of Fifth-Tier Marine Composite Circuits, later retained by the Elven Merchant Association as internal reference material 291
• Seeks permission to document the growth of Su Li’s children, but agrees to confidentiality restrictions and parental boundaries 298 300

Equipment / Items

• Guiding needles — Fine tools used to channel and engrave aether into metal; Talia uses high-grade versions for advanced rune work. 127 152
• Magnifying glass — Used to inspect the damage caused by Su Li’s rune-less short knife. 121
• Rune archives and instructional materials — Talia controls access to the Elven Merchant Association’s circuit texts and higher-tier reference materials. 234 240 253
• Record book — Used to document fifth-tier aether behavior, breakthroughs, and experimental data. 271 273
• Aether-affinity measuring instrument — A low-output device modified for testing newborn aether affinity; Saina prohibits its use near the children immediately after birth. 299 300

Relationships

• Su Li — Her exceptionally gifted student. Talia recruits him after discovering his rune-less aether-forged knife, then becomes his instructor, examiner, technical adviser, and research collaborator. 121 124 234 262
• Violet — Her younger sister and fellow Magic Forger. Their relationship is competitive, with Violet frequently boasting about her own apprentice and teasing Talia over Su Li. 121 122 234
• Elonore — Her sister’s apprentice and a junior Magic Forger under Talia’s oversight. Talia recognizes Elonore’s hidden experience, sets conditions for her travel request, and intervenes when her training becomes self-destructive. 212 217 226
• Saina — Initially distrustful of Talia’s interest in Su Li and dismissive of her status. Their interactions later become more domestic and teasing, with Saina making Talia split firewood in exchange for food. 124 268
• Elena — Initially contemptuous of Talia’s status and skills, but later works with her on technical planning, archive negotiations, and confidentiality arrangements. 124 239 273 298

Story Role / Major Arcs

Discovery of the Rune-less Knife

Talia discovers that an ordinary knife forged by an unknown blacksmith can pierce expensive elven defensive armor without a single rune. Her investigation identifies the weapon as an unprecedented case of naturally stabilized aether forging. 121 122

Recruitment of Su Li

After locating Su Li in Silver Crown City, Talia offers to make him her disciple. She is stunned to learn that he is already a third-tier knight in his early twenties, but still commits to training him as a Magic Forger. 123 125 126

Rune Instruction and Professional Rivalry

Talia teaches Su Li foundational aether control and rune engraving, while repeatedly confronting his brute-force but effective approach to forging. His rapid progress forces her to revise her assumptions about talent, technique, and magical-forging limits. 127 130 153

Archive Access and Advanced Study

Talia formally grants Su Li access to the Association’s foundational archives after observing his second-tier forging and circuit-repair work. She later expands his access to advanced materials as he reaches higher ranks. 234 240 253

Fifth-Tier Breakthrough Research

Talia warns Su Li that his fifth-tier breakthrough could shatter his soul without an anchor. Her theory of soul resonance becomes a major part of the group’s preparation, and she later records the unprecedented simultaneous advancement of Su Li, Saina, Elena, and Elonore. 262 263 271

Marine Circuit Development

Talia joins the group’s larger technical efforts around the Ginkgo, assists with planning for the royal palace’s grand array, and compiles research on fifth-tier marine composite circuits. 273 289 291

Notable Quotes

“I only value his talent! He’s an unparalleled genius!” 124

“Perhaps... the ‘anchor’ you need isn’t an object at all.” 262

“The environment simply can’t feed you enough.” 283

Trivia

• Talia’s first encounter with Su Li’s work involves a knife still stained with apple juice. 120 121
• She considers Saina’s cooking tempting enough to accept being assigned firewood-splitting duties. 268
• Silver leaves pawprints on the cover of Talia’s three-hundred-page marine-circuit manuscript; the marks are never removed. 291