Soon the Baptization Ceremony of Sacrificial Yajna Wine was concluded and each of the Initiates had entered their respective assigned chamber.
A New day rose again blessed with warming Sun lights. All of the Initiates were brought back to the Main Hall to Worship the Shahraab & soon the Concluding Lessons were further gleaned over by the Church Chief.
Sargon & his team then left the Church where their respective Guardians were waiting for them. A Priest for Suwevh & Kalid , Sister Kaur Helena for Reeve and the Proud Saifer Apollo waiting to pick up his Son , a piece of his Heart Sargon.
Each Initiates were espousing their almost Mythic Hunting Trial & Baptization Rituals & some gave minor talks about their days of Sadhana & Devotion as Trainee Monk in Church. But Most of the Guardians were happy not by their Bravery but by their Existence, that their Child had come back alive as a Fully Fledged Adult. That there were no accidents for their Child or Trainees.
Sargon & his group made some minor talks among themselves & returned to their respective residences.
For Sargon there was an elaborate Feast prepared by the painstaking hands of his Mother Sofia. He was touched by the Care of his Mother and could not help himself from being emotional.
Soon the Feast ended & then came some adult Man to Man talk or advice from his father. He had never seen his Father this talkative ever before. But the Knowledge of the World & Wisdom of Survival & Excellence was something Sargon definitely gained something out of.
With a curious but almost defeatist look Saifer asked him ,”So what are the Plans that little Mind of yours have made for the Future. I still wish you would pursue the Swords.”
“Father surely jests. Father & Mother have already known that I am determined to choose the Path of Alchemy. That path of knowing the ultimate truth & Principle of the High Spiritual World through the study of Physical Matter i.e. tattva. That I aspire to, To have wisdom and power over the Creation & Destruction of All Things between Heaven & Earth , the All Transforming Power of the Dao, that is which I am bound to seek & strive after.”, Sargon added some glamorous words as a means to placate his parents to gain their approval & support.
“Sigh! Father did mention this to me. I don’t want you to pursue the Scholarly Closed Door Research like path of Alchemist. Sigh, If I had known about this I wouldn’t have allowed you to be such a Bookworm at a young age”, Saifer his dad gave his approval even though he was regretful.
“Hmph! What do you Know. Such eloquence & Seeking after Alchemist Path . I am sure our son is bound to be a Great Alchemist. Son I , your Mother fully approve of you.It’’s just that you must know the Alchemy Occupation is one which requires not only talent but also Huge Investment . I as your Mother can only do our best.”, Sofia was more enthusiastic & concerned after her son’s path of an Alchemist.
“haha! Since you dare agree, what can I do? Although we aren’t super rich & only run some Inn & Food & Wine Business we are still someone who have gained a foothold in the Capital due the diligence of your Mother. Your Dad is also a high ranking Bureaucrat from the Ministry of mages. If we put our all into it, supporting you till you become Master Alchemist is doable , beyond that will depend on your Fate & Hard Work”, Saifer no longer felt remorseful & expressed his support for the only child he had.
“Mother. Father . I am truly blessed & grateful to have you as my Parents.”, Sargon bowed slightly showing his respects with watery eyes.
“What about it ? What are parents there for ? You are already grown-up saying such things no longer suit your Status as an Adult Demonfolk.”
“Hmph ! Now don’t instill our son with your cold blooded Demon Folk Culture. “
Soon the Couple almost bickering saying my Culture is better & what not. But they soon stopped embarrassing themselves in front of their Son.
Then the rest of day Saifer after a long time stayed in his home. All the Members of the Family were harmonious as Clouds & winds were. They passed the days with some relaxation.
However the Next day the training continued & in fact the lectures from his Mother & Dueling of his Father continued to exponentially increase in difficulty & complexity. Perhaps the parents were still feeling somewhat of panic knowing their Son after a month will be going far away to his Destination & they poured all their love in a hard way to teach him properly & develop his character to thrive in the Cut-throat world of Mage Cultivators.
At evening he would often meet Reeve & his Friend turned Brother Kalid & Suwevh & take their frustration out joking & competing among themselves.
During this interaction , Sargon actually felt awkward knowing full well that Mentally he was above 20 yrs of age & calling these Teenage boys his Brother. Blaming all his haste of Brotherhood Oath to the Damn Wine.
In regards to Reeve , he had already seen her as younger Sister & due to having spent considerable time with her although he was acting childish & bickering with Her , it was almost like Siblings no matter the age bickering like Childs.
But with Kalid & Suwevh there was no such intimate time nor was their relationship status the same. Their Interaction was more stiff but was nonetheless smoothening out.
Knowing that the unbreakable Iron Faith BrotherHood Oath had already been taken & realizing that they were good Characters who will slowly grow out Mentally gave Sargon enough of relief.
After all Sargon’s mentality had not grown farther from the early 20’s into the 30’s after being reborn & was stuck as he didn’t face the Vicissitudes of time & its Impact on Self & those around Self blocking his Maturity.
Perhaps it was a good thing Perhaps it was not. But Nonetheless Sargon did start to enjoy his life here in Nashirah.
Soon days passed like falling water from WaterFall, having lectures & training by both his Parents while having mock duels & conversation about their cultivation & Mana Theory. They could not prolong their battles long like in the hunting Trials where each of them were provided with Houtian Earth -Grade Weapons used by 5th Circle Mages & above which significantly reduced their Mana Consumption.
Soon the time of Departure was crawling towards Sargon as his mother was teaching Sargon about the etiquettes of the Cultivation world, the main principle being neither too arrogant nor too humble & to give priority towards’ one's’ Life.
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Sargon’s father Saifer Apollo was preparing to liquidate his wealth & trying all sorts of things which could ease Sargon’s burden in his Cultivation Journey.
He had already gifted Sargon with one Houtian Earth -Grade Furnace along with Many alchemical Books for Beginners & Techniques for planting & maintaining the Herbs. He also gifted him one top quality Jade Rank Mortal Grade Saber with astonishing power.
Weapons or Artifacts as they are usually called were divided into known 3 Realms corresponding to 3 Realms of Mage :
1. Houtian Mortal Grade, which are mostly used by the Mages capable of condensing & using one’s Inner Chi Mana, used by Houtian Mage.
2. Houtian Earth Grade, which are mostly used for more capable Mages capable of refining & using Natural Post Celestial Mana from the Environment outside the body , used by Houtian Magus.
3. Xiantian Heaven Grade, which are used by long lived Xiantian-Foundation Paragons or simply Foundation Paragons capable of tapping into the Heavenly Pre Celestial energies of the Dao.
Each of this Grade of Artifacts also has a further sub-division from the lower Iron to Copper to Silver to Gold to Zenith Jade Ranks .
So from this one can see that Sargon’s Father Saifer Apollo has already given him the best combination of weapons considering his present lower circle to Higher Circle mages. For combat purposes Jade Rank Mortal Grade artifacts can even challenge some lower rugs ,the Iron or Copper Ranked Houtian Earth Grade artifacts.
It was the 8th day of the 10th month of the year 10,738 H.E. [Holy Era] & Sargon was 13 years of Age.It had already been more than a year since he went through Coming of Age Ritual where he had Divine tattoo, trained & became a Monk for 2 weeks & Successfully passed the dangerous Initiation Trials.
Those events for Sargon seemed like a fleeting dream that just happened yesterday. Now Soon another such Scene of Departure came as if unannounced onto his Life of Sargon & his parents.
The scene was both sad & tragic right now . Sargon’s Mother was just an inch away from tearing up. His father Saifer Apollo was comforting Sofia while at the same time being sympathetic with Sargon giving all the knowledge of his Journey that could help Sargon further down the line.
“Sargon, take care of yourself well on the journey, i have even packed the lunches for you in this Storage Bag which contains all your stuff.”, saying thus Sofia Apollo gave a Small Pocket Bag to Sargon’s Hands.
“On the Journey always try to be careful. Be humble & learn from the elders seeking treasure while avoiding conflict. The Real Journey & cautiousness is to be taken as soon as you enter the Sect & play the game of Grudges & Favour. Don’t Fall into that trap of seeking power outside. Ultimately in this endearing world the only thing that holds everything together is your InnerStrength alone.Cultivate your Strength with Patience.”, slowly saying his Final Worlds Saifer gave another similar bag for Sargon’s keeping.
“There are some high quality bottles containing Essence Gathering Pill, Mana Nourishing Pill & Spirit Calming Pill along with some 72 Medium-grade Profound Stones & 10,000 Low-Grade Acquired Spirit Stones. So use it wisely.Hm ?”Saifer gave a parting gift to the surprised Sargon.
Isn't this too much ?
How Generous of Father !!!
In the current Market of Nashirah , especially in the Republic of Kratos Gold Coins made from refined High-Gold- Goldox was the Highest Currency any State could have control over. Above those were a limited almost fixed Supply of Spirit Stones. And the Currency was called Spirit-Based Currency as you could exchange your Currency for Spirit Stone anytime.
1 Gold-Coin could give you 10 low-grade Acquired Spirit Stones, which were barely called spirit stones due to their almost pathetically low Spiritualised Mana Inside it. Thus used by Houtian Mage.Sometimes exchange rates were even at discount where 1 Gold Coin could give you 12-13 Acquired Spirit Stones on a good day, perhaps due to the abundance of Low Grade Spirit Stones.
10 Gold-Coins were needed however to get 1 Medium-Grade Profound Spirit Stone, which were used by Higher Level Houtian Magus.This exchange rate however was harder to maintain in Markets due to monopolization by Major & Great Powerhouses within the state.
That is , 1 Medium Grade Spirit Stone can be exchanged for 100 Low Grade Spirit Stone. Beyond the Medium Grade was High Grade Innate Spirit Stones which were almost hard to know about until you are in the upper echelons of this Strength Based Society.
So from this Sargon was extremely surprised to the points of his brain circuits Fusing. He had a total of 17,200 low-grade Spirit Stones. That was amazing !!! Plus his previous Coming-of Age Birthday he was gifted with a magical wand & magical bracelet .Together with Jade Rank Mortal Grade Saber he was fully equipped for his Journey.
“It is for your future . Always try to use it in the case of urgency perhaps when you have Inner Sect Competition or before some Dangerous Sect Missions. IF Alchemy is at a bottleneck use the wealth to speed up your process as the more you are seen as talent by HigherUps of the sect less troubled your Journey will be.”, Saifer Apollo reprimanded his son for thinking too much like a nouveau -riche Hedonist Young Masters.
“Yes Father. This Son will keep it in Mind”, Sargon soon gave an enthusiastic reply. He fully understood that if it was for his Father , he would even give more Mid-Grade Spirit Stones if not for his worry that More Wealth attracts More Evil Eyes.
“Also give some of your time to your SaberPlay , you are decent in it & ultimately Combat Power is more esteemed & useful for saving Life than other Immortal Occupations. If you find some curious objects in some Cultivators Conference you may use your money, but remember not to Gamble your money.”, Saifer gave some advice to Sargon, remembering his past when he was sent in the Military back then during some Minor Skirmishes between the Republic & Royal Daxin Kingdom in the North.
“We will be waiting for your return also be sure to send some letters to us twice a year so that we can also be informed & guide you in scenarios of the Sect”, his mother Sofia said the final words as Sargon departed from his House into the Guest Station of Violet Valley Sect.
The Guest Station was more like an embassy of Violet Valley Sect which had some autonomy in the Outer Zone of Capital & handled some Markets in both Inner & Outer Zone of Capital of Kratos Republic.
The walls itself were like Golden Muddish Yellow Walls covered by restriction & Runes of Purple Color giving it a Regal & Divine Feeling.
The Guards outside saw a boy walking towards them & blocked his route by crossing their Spear.
The boy wearing a Greco-Chinese Fashion of Clothes soon took out a Token from one of his Heavy Storage Bag & flashed it in front of the Guards.
“Go to the Emissary Chamber. Have your Files & Identity Checked & if you pass the Written exam you can be qualified to enter the Gate of our illustrious Violet Valley Sect to face your last 3 Trials .”, a Guard reminded Sargon with the procedures &b pointed his directions to Emissary Chamber.
Soon Sargon who was almost 5 feet 8 inches came inside the Chamber while his eyes were flashing with curious & awe-struck wealth of Violet Valley simple’s Building Materials. He guessed perhaps not even their own parents' savings could buy this Building.