Mr. Colin

At the entrance of Will Knight Academy, Colin and Bill said their goodbyes, then went their separate ways, one east, one west.

The weather today had been gloomy, hovering between rain and no rain. This weather made the pedestrians on Wright Street extremely sparse, and the passing carriages hurried by.

Colin tightened the straps of his schoolbag and walked past a clothing store. He touched his chin, then turned his head past the clothing store and arrived at a shop called "Kyle's Tea Shop."

The shop was only one room, half of which was a floor-to-ceiling window, with a wooden door painted blue. Colin pushed open the wooden door and walked in, immediately smelling the aroma of black tea.

"Welcome to Kyle's Tea Shop." A middle-aged man's voice rang out. The voice sounded familiar to Colin, and he looked up.

The single-room shop was very narrow, with an exquisite counter about half a person's height dividing the shop into two halves. Behind the counter was a large cabinet, which was divided into many small cabinets. These small cabinets held porcelain in square boxes with lids, and the scents were released from these porcelain containers.

Between the counter and the large cabinet stood a tall, slender middle-aged gentleman with a large mustache. He wore white gloves on both hands.

"Mr. Klee?" Colin asked, slightly surprised.

"It's Colin." Mr. Klee also recognized Colin and showed a surprised expression.

Mr. Klee was a noble and worked as a private tutor, skilled in oil painting. His family's circumstances were ordinary, similar to the Russell family's situation. He had a son named Richard, who also attended Will Knight Academy, but Richard was in his third year.

Mr. Klee's house was only a few villas away from the Russell family's house. They weren't close, but they were acquaintances.

"Did you buy this shop?" Colin's surprise faded, and he asked casually. Kyle's Tea Shop was an old brand selling black tea on Wright Street; the previous owner was a different gentleman.

"Due to layoffs at the city hall, many people became unemployed and started competing for the profession of private tutor. I'm getting old and can't compete with them. So, I decided to find a new path. Coincidentally, the owner of this shop, Mr. Lite, wanted to sell it for some reason, so I bought it," Mr. Klee said with a wry smile, shaking his head.

Colin suddenly understood, recalling how Smith had looked for a job before but failed due to too many competitors.

"Life is truly unpredictable," Colin mused casually.

"Indeed, I never thought I'd end up selling black tea," Mr. Klee said, his wry smile deepening. Then he said solicitously, "Colin, would you like to buy some black tea?"

"Yes, black tea from Xi Lan," Colin nodded and said.

"What grade?" Mr. Klee asked solicitously.

"Duke's Black Tea," Colin said, remembering the black tea he drank at Knight Victor's house last time.

"Alright, 5 grams for one silver coin. How much would you like?" Mr. Klee asked with a slight smile.

"100 grams." Colin took out a gold coin from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

"Please wait a moment." Mr. Klee didn't take the gold coin but bowed first and then busied himself behind the counter. While working, he asked, "Colin, I heard from Richard that you defeated Brian in your class at the academy?" Mr. Klee carefully weighed the black tea and asked.

"Yes," Colin replied.

"That's good. Although Brian isn't a noble, his family is wealthy enough to afford potions. Your ability to defeat him proves you have outstanding talent, and you will surely become a great knight in the future," Mr. Klee said with a smile. He wasn't being polite; he was sincere.

Their family's situation was similar to the Russell family's, and his son Richard was considered lower-tier nobility at the academy. He was quite pleased to hear that Colin possessed such strength.

"Thank you for your kind words," Colin bowed in thanks.

At this moment, Mr. Klee finished weighing the black tea, put it into an exquisite porcelain container, wrapped it in a delicate gift box, and handed it to Colin.

Colin took it and prepared to leave. Mr. Klee stopped him and said earnestly, "However, Colin. The old man in Brian's family is narrow-minded. Be careful he doesn't cause you trouble."

"Thank you for your reminder, Mr. Klee," Colin bowed again to express his gratitude.

Then Colin bid farewell and left.

Colin didn't think much of his conversation with Mr. Klee. Brian's family was indeed troublesome, but it wasn't a major issue. It wasn't until Colin was nearing his doorstep that he was called over by a noble and engaged in a friendly conversation.

Only then did Colin realize that he was no longer the same as before; he had made a name for himself. Like Mr. Klee, this noble gentleman lived very close to the Russell family but wasn't close to them. He had never addressed him so warmly before.

"Welcome back, Colin." Colin got away from the noble and arrived at his doorstep. Linda came out to greet him, wearing an apron, this time without a spatula in her hand.

Linda wanted to hug and kiss Colin, but she first saw the exquisite gift box in his hand.

"Where is this black tea from?" Linda asked warily, remembering the time Colin had extravagantly bought the Veel red wine, which made her heart ache.

"It's for entertaining Knight Victor. This esteemed gentleman likes Duke's Black Tea from Xilan," Colin quickly explained before Linda could get angry.

Hearing that it was black tea from Xi Lan, Linda almost lost her temper. But upon hearing it was for entertaining Knight Victor, she reluctantly accepted the fact.

"This is all gold coins," Linda sighed mournfully, then carefully took the gift box from Colin's hand, turned, and walked inside. She forgot to hug and kiss Colin.

"Truly values money over brother," Colin muttered.

"What did you say?" Linda asked, turning back, not having heard clearly.

"Nothing," Colin said with an awkward laugh, quickly bending down to get slippers, taking off his leather shoes, and stepping into slippers as he padded into the house.

During dinner, because it was very dark, a white candle was lit on the dining table.

Colin and Linda sat facing each other. Tonight's meal was roast meat, vegetable soup, and bread. Linda picked up a piece of roast meat with her fork and casually asked, "Colin, did you defeat a classmate named Brian in your training class at the academy?"

Colin rolled his eyes. You already know?

"Yes," Colin replied, not wanting to say more.

"I heard it from a Mrs. Cher. No one ever told me about your affairs at the academy before. It seems that within the empire, strong power is the fundamental basis of everything," Linda said, a proud expression on her face. She then reached out and patted Colin's head, messing up his short hair, and said with satisfaction, "Keep up the good work, Mr. Colin."

Mrs. Cher was a wealthy noble lady. Her villa was only three villas away from the Russell family's, but they had no prior connection. This time, Mrs. Cher had proactively greeted Linda.

She recalled her conversation with Mrs. Cher, who had praised Colin as a promising future knight. Linda had humbly deflected the praise, but couldn't hide her pride. That feeling was truly exhilarating.

"Okay. Miss Linda," Colin said with a smile.