The seven of us headed back to the village, where I was introduced to a Blood Bonded family of Sheowon potters. As was the case when I met any new Sheowon, their first reaction was terror, which was only managed due to the presence of and explanations from the two elders.Unlike Ushem’s Bonded family, these Sheowon mostly focused on their craft and only developed their Blood enough to use it as a tool for their work. They also had some children present, which despite Owawu and Brumesh’s explanation of who I was, seemed to be a source of nervousness and stress for the parents.It was a source of stress for Ushem, Pliwa, Keo, and Lowar as well. I could feel the tension radiating off them from behind me. It was uncomfortable, but it would take more than a day or two before I earned any true trust.As the conversation drifted away from me and towards their craft, things started to relax. The fact that I showed a genuine interest in the pottery and firing techniques seemed to ease their minds, and showed that despite how I looked, I was a person, not a total monster.Unfortunately, their firing ovens and kilns weren’t going to be sufficient for what I had in mind.I was not a smith, but I had picked up a lot of second-hand know-how in my last life. We had needed smiths to build out Nialdan, but even beyond that, forging metal was something near and dear to my heart, on account of my skills.Swords, in particular, had been a passion of mine, and while I had my beloved mandiblades, one of the few ways I was happy to use my wealth as lord of Nialdan was continuing to purchase swords. Not only did I collect valuable swords, but I commissioned some, too, especially as my children and grandchildren grew and developed an interest in their own. Giving each of them their first sword was always a special day.I shook my head and took a controlled breath, banishing that direction of thought and refocusing on the metalworking. My interest (...)