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Haqq gave a sideways nod. “Perhaps. But I do not wish to interrupt Abbas’ work with it.”

Hmm. That was thoughtful of him, Hector supposed. And bringing up Abbas made him abruptly curious about something else, too, so he took the opportunity to try to change the subject. “You’ve gotten the chance to study the Forge a bit, haven’t you?”

“I have.”

“What’s your opinion of its capabilities?” said Hector.

“It’s a Fusion Forge. Obviously, it’s extremely powerful.”

“Lord Abbas mentioned something about it having a ‘gentle disposition.’”

“I wouldn’t be able to confirm or deny that,” said Haqq. “Your Candle is the first Forge I’ve had the opportunity of even examining, let alone working with. Where such vague ideas as ‘disposition’ are concerned, you will have to defer to the Sunsmith’s expertise.”

Hector had to hold back a chortle. Somehow, this man still managed to sound slightly arrogant even when admitting that he didn’t know something. “What do you know of other Fusion Forges in the world?”

“A dangerous subject, that. Are you sure you wish me to tell you? Learning more about them could be something you come to regret.”

“Hmm. You mean because the people who guard them are so aggressive in preventing the spread of relevant information?”

“...Yes. I suppose I should have expected you to already be aware of that.” And he paused, eyeing Hector a moment. “In fact... why are you even asking me about this? To test my knowledge? I find that rather insulting, if so.”

Hector didn’t balk, though. It felt like he might finally be getting accustomed to people thinking he was far older and more knowledgeable about the world than he really was.

And admittedly, it did help to have all those historical memories from the Candle stewing around in his brain.

“Every person is an entire world of information, all on their own,” said Hector. “No matter how old I get, I hope I never forget that. If I ever start treating other people like they have nothing to teach me, then... learning new things will become a lot more difficult. And rare. Don’t you think?”

Haqq merely stared at him blankly.

Shit, maybe that had sounded dumb. Agh. Hector just tried to keep his composure as he waited for a response. It took a while to arrive.

“...I know of only six Fusion Forges in the entire world,” said Haqq.