Early morning, second-floor workshop of the Elven Merchant Association.
Talia held a short wooden forging mallet and slammed it hard against the broad workbench, sending iron filings flying everywhere.
"Ether nodes aren't cobbled together like that! Your knight rank may be high, but that doesn't mean you can completely ignore the most basic laws of magical conduction!" Talia pointed furiously at a scrapped plate of refined steel on the table.
Su Li sat on a low stool, wearing an earnest expression as though seeking instruction.
This elf woman's voice was this loud every morning.
Elonore stood nearby, holding a cup of steaming fruit tea.
"Master Su, have some tea and take a break." The little girl passed him the cup.
Su Li took it and gulped down a mouthful. The temperature was just right. Aside from being a "human detector" when it came to forging, this little elf truly had nothing to fault in the matter of serving tea and pouring water.
"That's enough for today." Talia tossed the wooden stick onto the table. "Deal with those scraps yourself."
By the time they left, the sky was completely dark.
Su Li walked out through the merchant association's main entrance, and the cold wind on the street felt pleasantly refreshing against his face.
Elonore followed behind him like a tail, cradling an ordinary refined-steel longsword in her arms.
It was the failed product Su Li had made that afternoon while practicing a second-order wind-element circuit. Talia thought it was taking up space and had told him to take it away and throw it out.
Su Li had originally planned to toss it into a sewer along the way, but the girl had insisted on carrying it herself, saying she wanted to take it home and study it.
The two passed through