Self

Suye remembered that his parents had both worked at Kelton's Dolphin River Restaurant. When his parents left, Kelton had personally tried to persuade them to stay.

Kelton was a Silver Warrior. Though he had not fought for many years, he was still far stronger than a Bronze Warrior.

He ran several restaurants and was generous with charity. Everyone in the nearby streets knew Kelton's name. Anyone connected to him could seek his help, and he would do his best to fulfill their requests.

Suye had previously heard his parents mention that if he encountered any difficulties, he could seek out Mr. Kelton. They had also said that a noble stood behind Kelton, and that his true influence was greater than anyone imagined.

All the information Suye knew about Kelton surfaced in his mind. After thinking for a long time, he decided Kelton was the final candidate.

Not because Kelton was powerful enough, nor because Kelton was kind, but because Suye possessed something that would attract Kelton.

"But before that..."

Suye took off his Brown Himation Robe and carefully examined his body. No jade pendant, no birthmark, no ring, no necklace... nothing unusual at all.

He did not lose heart. He tentatively muttered a few words, including things like "system" and "luck."

In the end, nothing happened.

Suye let out a long sigh and obediently put his clothes back on.

"I can only rely on myself!" Suye made his decision, and something like dawn flickered in his eyes.

Suye took a step, then suddenly stopped. After thinking for several seconds, he placed both hands over the shallow wound on his neck and tore at it viciously. A faint hissing cry escaped his lips, but he did not stop.

When it seemed about right, Suye raised the Magic Book.

The white pages had somehow become incomparably smooth, even brighter than a bronze mirror.

Satisfied, Suye examined the wound and bruising on his neck in the mirror. Then he lowered his head and found that his clothes were not dirty enough. He was about to dirty them, but Kelton's image suddenly surfaced in his mind. Not only did he refrain from dirtying them, he even vigorously patted them, trying to make them look neat and clean, though anyone with eyes could tell that the robe was not truly tidy.

"After all, life had forced me into becoming a scheming bastard..."

Suye sighed inwardly, took a deep breath, and strode out the door.

After walking a few steps, Suye looked back at the grayish-white house. The dim Living Room and the Three Divine Statues flashed through his mind.

No matter how hard Suye tried to remember, the faces of the Three Divine Statues remained incredibly blurry.

Gods could not be looked upon directly.

Suye quickened his pace.

As he emerged from the street corner, Suye casually swept his gaze around and saw two familiar faces.

Those two had once stood behind Lawrence.

Their gazes met, and Suye continued toward Dolphin River Restaurant.

As he walked, Suye recalled what he knew about Dolphin River Restaurant.

Dolphin River Restaurant stood at the border between the Workshop District and the Lesser Noble District. It was the most high-end of all Kelton's restaurants. In all of Athens, it could barely be considered a high-end restaurant, but only lesser nobles would dine there. Other nobles would never patronize such a place.

Every employee at Dolphin River knew that Kelton had always wanted to attach himself to Great Nobles, especially after he was Seriously Injured and could no longer advance. Yet Suye's parents had once said that Kelton was not a vulgar merchant. If he did such a thing, there had to be another reason.

By the time Suye reached Dolphin River Restaurant, the sun had already set behind Athena's statue.

Dolphin River Restaurant was located on Ninth Avenue, the busiest street in the Workshop District. One block farther west toward the city center was the Noble Residential Area.

In this world, nobles had another definition: descendants of gods.

Gods did not mingle with mortals.

There were not many pedestrians on the road. Dolphin River's doors stood wide open, and it was ready for business.

A Beech Wood sign hung down beside the entrance, silver threads outlining graceful dolphins.

On either side of the Dolphin River Restaurant entrance, more than ten meters away, stood a Strong Man, each watching the street.

The two Strong Men glanced at Suye a few times, then let him pass through Dolphin River's doors and enter the spacious dining hall.

The moment he stepped inside, Suye saw two waiters looking toward him at once.

Both quickly looked him over from head to toe. One appeared surprised, while the other showed no unusual expression and quickly approached him.

"Honored guest, may I ask if you require service?"

Smiling, Suye said, "It would be better if you said, 'What service do you need?' next time, especially when recommending wine."

Before the waiter could react, Suye continued, "I am looking for the kind Mr. Kelton. I want to make a major deal with him. If you do not have the authority to decide, you may find the foreman."

The waiter hesitated briefly, then immediately said, "Please wait a moment."

The waiter hurried out of the hall. Before long, he returned with a smiling Middle-aged Man.

This Middle-aged Man was dressed almost exactly like the two waiters and even the Strong Men outside. They did not wear foot-length Himation Robes like Suye's, but short robes whose hems fell right to their knees.

The clothing slanted across the Left Side of their upper bodies, exposing their strong Right Side and shoulders.

Along the way, Suye had seen only people wearing Esomis Short Robes like these or Himation Robes. These garments all hung loosely and were made with extreme simplicity, merely draping several pieces of cloth over the body before tying them with a belt. It confirmed a joke about Ancient Greek clothing.

"A hundred ways to wear a bedsheet."

"I never expected Little Suye to have grown so much after just a few years." The Middle-aged Man laughed heartily.

Suye had completely forgotten the foreman's name. With a slight smile, he went straight to the point. "It is an honor that you still remember me. I came this time to make a deal with Mr. Kelton, one that will greatly increase Dolphin River's fame. I believe Mr. Kelton will certainly like this good news."

The Middle-aged Foreman decisively said, "Come, I'll take you to Mr. Kelton."

Suye nodded and followed the Middle-aged Foreman, avoiding the embarrassment of not being able to call him by name.

As they walked, the Middle-aged Foreman said, "Sigh... I already know about your parents. My condolences. After your parents left Dolphin River, they did quite well. Who would have thought that just when they borrowed such a large sum to expand their shop, they would meet with disaster..."

The two quickly went around the restaurant and arrived at the Backyard.

A Dark Thin Man with a sallow face and lifeless eyes stood at the entrance to the backyard. He also wore a Brown Short Robe, though its style was different. His upper body was not exposed; instead, it had short sleeves and a shorter cape draped over his back.

A Short Sword hung at his waist.

Suye knew this man.

Hark, a Bronze Warrior, had once been a professional soldier. After being injured, he joined the Athens City Guard and eventually became Kelton's guard. According to rumors among the Dolphin River employees, Hark had killed at least a hundred people.

At the sound of their Footsteps, Hark slowly turned his head. His skin was shriveled, as though more than half its moisture had been drained away, and resembled tree bark. Suye immediately recalled the little magic knowledge he possessed and guessed that this man had either been severely injured by magic or suffered an accident while using magical medicine.

Hark glanced at Suye, then turned back around without looking at him again.

"Mr. Hark." As the Middle-aged Foreman passed Hark, he lowered his head in greeting before continuing inward.

"Mr. Hark." Suye greeted him as well when he passed.

Hark never looked at either of them again. He merely stared at the sky above the courtyard, his eyes shrouded in the shadow of the eaves.