There was still Elder Aki's advice to take.
Out of all the Elders, she was perhaps the busiest and most difficult to set a meeting with.
Liam didn't really blame her.
Forgemastery was a tiresome process that swallowed entire days in the blink of an eye, similar to Blood Weaving.
And with the newly claimed lands, every Elder had a new responsibility to attend to.
Eventually, though, a proper meet was arranged between them.
They met in her forge room, an unnaturally hot space with air that was on the brink of singing Liam's lungs.
Gurgling and clanging noises made Liam think he was entering a witch's den.
Shadowy inscriptions were riddled all over the walls and floor, converging to the Elder's forging station in the center.
"You've been growing fast lately," the Elder Aki said with a child-like voice, her gaze on a naked, black blade hung above a cauldron of bubbling chemicals.
