It only took a month for Yeseme to upgrade to the steel level. This was possible due to her talent for combat coupled with Sargon's direction in gathering astra. This month gave Sargon time to contemplate his next step of converting his astral horizon to an astral world.
He discovered how extremely difficult it was to do. The first thing he did was make land and even that was a challenge. He only managed to make a very small baren rocky island. His power had risen from making the small island a good little bit. While he was standing on the water, he thought about how the water has no depth and isn't really water. He changed the "water" around the island into actual water.
This was almost as difficult as making the island. He had done this in half a month. Now he wanted to have plants on the island. He wanted to start small with a blade of grass. It didn't work initially, so he kept staring at the astral body of a blade of grass for seven days. It was much more complicated to make a blade of grass than land or water.
When he began creating the blade of grass again. This time he was able to start materializing it from the ground up. The grass blade did not look like a real grass blade though, what was materializing was actually an astral body. It took the remaining week to finish the astral body blade of grass. Again he experienced an increase in power. He has realized just how long the road to etherite is for him.
Creating just this island and an astral body of a simple plant like a blade of grass was a difficult task already. Adding more complex things into the world will be even more difficult in the future. "Good thing I have a long life, haha. Who knows how long it'll take for me to do this."
He was also able to invent some abilities to increase his combat effectiveness. Besides flight, and sword materialization, he has improved his astral sense to be acute enough to use in combat. He created invisibility, shield, shield array, astra bomb, and star breath. Star breath is an ability on par with materializing a sword storm. It is much easier to use though since it does not as much control, and it had potential to become more powerful as well.
He has also taught Pharis flight and invisibilty. These utility abilities will help her further protect herself. A month was enough of a delay to Fereldyn. Everyone's abilities have improved and it is now time to go to Fereldyn to finally sell the loot from the monster lands.
"Pharis, you and I will be heading to Fereldyn to sell the spoils from the monster lands tomorrow morning. Yeseme, you will remain here to continue training while we are gone since it should be no more than a couple of days. Days that are better spent by you training here."
"Okay Master, I'll be ready on time", Pharis said excitedly.
"I will train diligently sir Sargon while you two are away.", Yeseme said with a smile.
The morning came and Sargon left with Pharis to Fereldyn with all the malachite and ebony level materials with them. They used flight, so their travel time was cut to one hour. They arrived at the city and entered immediately.
"Pharis, we won't be able to sell our materials at our regular place. We will have to go to the auction district to sell off all our high-level materials. The specific auction house we are going to is called Obsidian Gate. They frequently sell monster materials."
They walked to the Obsidian Gate and sought a manager. "Manager, I have monster materials to sell.", Sargon flagged a manager.
They were led to the manager's boss. "Hello Sir Knight and Young Squire, I am Hostess Genevre. I understand that you want to sell monster materials." Genevre was a luscious woman seemingly in her late 20's with brown hair with a slight tan. She wore a lovely green dress that hugged her in all the right ways and showed her assets with little modesty.
"Hello Hostess Genevre, I am Sir Jupiter and you are correct. I am here to sell malachite and ebony-level materials. We have 157 monsters worth of malachite-level materials, a lot of them belong to giant spiders though. We have ebony materials from three ebony-level monsters." Sargon laid out everything he was selling to Genevre.
"What a large number of pristine materials. Obsidian Gate will be very happy to buy the materials from you. Come with me to a large room where I can appraise the value of your materials." Genevre was surprised that the knight brought so much material. She was also excited since such a large purchase will boost her position at Obsidian Gate.
They were led to the large room. Sargon laid out all the materials to be appraised. Hostess Genevre appraised the grand total to 10,000 gold coins. Of course, the auction house will sell them at three times the price, but this was a direct buy. Genevre said to Sargon, "Sir Jupiter, we will buy the materials for 10,000 gold coins. This is akin to a small fortune for even middle-tier nobility. All these materials are rare and high quality."
"The price is acceptable, we can complete the transaction now." Sargon knew the value of 10,000 gold. Bringing in so many materials was also close to flooding the market. He wouldn't need to worry about selling materials or acquiring money for a long while with such wealth.
Pharis was in awe at the amount of money they had just gotten. She was in even more awe when Hostess Genevre brought a small space box and opened it. The contents could be seen from the outside with this kind of space box. The contents were of course a huge pile of gold coins.
Sargon and Genevre said their farewells and they left Obsidian Gate through its obsidian gate. They were wearing smiles because of their new fortune, but they turned into frowns once they heard the words on the street.
"Oh my, another series of kidnappings just happened this morning in broad daylight!?"
"Children and young women were abducted off the street by shadows? what are the guards doing!?"
"I heard it was the Cult of Heilgrash, the magic users that worship that dark goddess of sacrifice and hex."
Many people have been taken this past month, but no bodies have been found and the guards are clueless. Even Marquis Ophris hasn't made any progress. The abductors have hidden their tracks very well."
"Boo wu hoo, even my young niece was taken a few days ago. they must be stopped dammit!"
Hearing these things Sargon and Pharis stopped in the street. Sargon turned to Pharis, "Hey Pharis, you remember those stories about knights questing to defeat evil people, banish sorrow and deliver righteous justice?"
Pharis nodded to her master with an understanding look. He then said to her with a serious face, "Well Pharis, the time has come to be the knights in the stories. Whether they be cultists of a dark god or criminal abductors, a righteous quest has presented itself and we will not retreat from it."
Pharis nodded once more with a serious face. Sargon was reminded of a bible verse at this moment by such a hidden enemy.
"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." - 1 Peter 5:8