This line specifically makes me think that we'll be working with Gerolt and this researcher to create something from scratch rather than what we had previously, which was breathing new life into an ancient relic and then upgrading that relic.

Through a chance encounter with the master craftsman Gerolt, he and the legendary blacksmith have joined forces to create a weapon the likes of which the realm has never seen.
So i would not be surprised if they cut Crafters out entirely and have Gerolt forge the weapons from scratch. (Mayhaps Crafters will create some of the base materials rather than providing the weapon itself?)
The skip may have something to do with:

Anima, an essence he considers to be a reflection of the soul.
Perhaps the story for this new Relic is going to be Gerolt forging us one of his masterwork original weapons and then the researcher infuses a soul into this mastercrafted weapon. Given how it deals with Souls, perhaps having the previous Relic in its completed form will provide whatever catalyst is required for the soul infusion, thus skipping the initial soul acquisition phase?

Of course, i could be way off base and completely wrong. Either way, I'm keen to see how they handle this new Relic.