You jumped from one quest to the other.
Yes, you do have to research a technology to get that middle quest done unless you're in the Orcs and Goblins chapter. So it is difficult for Dwarves and especially Fairies. (I'm literally finishing the Dwarven chapter tonight, so I'm in the middle of the pain.) But it is doable.
Why can't 'several people' get more relics? These events have pushed for them, but provinces and tournaments make them readily available.I'm literally finishing the Dwarven chapter tonight, with 149/130 provinces done. So many because of the event's demands, but it is possible. I didn't waste many resources in this event, and finished the tasks.
For those 'several people' I advise giving them this link.
https://gamersgemsofknowledge.com. It's a website that will forewarn you a week beforehand about these events, and does tell you all the Quests by the time it starts. (The alternative is to get an account in the Beta world, which is where gems of knowledge gets their information. They test out these things, and are a week ahead of the Live servers.)