Su Li let out a long breath.
He had just reached for the dry towel beside him to wipe away his sweat when Elonore before him went limp.
With the last trace of aether drained from her, her legs could no longer bear her body's weight, and she pitched stiffly forward.
Without a moment's hesitation, Su Li stepped forward and reached out, catching her by the shoulders.
This girl was ridiculously thin.
Su Li lowered his head to look her over. Her clothes were soaked through with sweat and clung tightly to her body. Her face was smeared with soot, and her pointed long ears drooped lifelessly.
For the past half year, she had worked here without complaint, tormented half to death by that fire-element aether. She had never uttered a word of grievance, nor asked for a single copper coin in payment.
She was just a foolish girl with nothing in her head but work now, no longer the granddaughter the Grand Elder had used as a stepping stone.
Su Li swept her up in his arms. She was light as a ball of cotton.
He carried her to the corner and settled her in that battered wicker chair. Then he grabbed his old coarse-cloth outer garment from the rack and casually draped it over her, covering her slender shoulders.
After doing all that, Su Li returned to the workbench.
He picked up a file and began clearing the burrs from the armor's edges.
"The item's finished." Without even raising his head, Su Li spoke directly to Talia at the doorway. "Have the Gold Coins ready. We settle the bill tomorrow."
Talia glanced at Elonore, sleeping like the dead in the wicker chair. This always-proud chief Magic Forger said nothing and turned to leave.
At the start of the