Return to Dolphin River

Not long after, the carriage came to a halt.

"Young Master Horton, we've arrived at Dolphin River," the coachman's voice came from outside.

The two young men on the carriage stared intently at Suye.

Suye smiled, calmly stepped down, and Horton followed, saying, "Follow me, don't wander in and get lost!"

The other two young men stood silently behind Suye.

Suye stood at the entrance, glanced up at the familiar beech wood sign with the silver dolphin.

Suye looked around; the two strong men flanking the entrance were the same ones he'd seen before.

Those two strong men immediately gave a slight nod, showing respect.

Suye casually nodded back and walked inside.

The Dolphin River was especially lively at night, with servers bustling about. Suye swept his gaze across the room and didn't spot the two servers or the head waiter he'd encountered last time.

Suye calmly followed Horton deeper inside, catching familiar words drifting by.

Salad.

"Here, please, go on in." Horton stopped at a doorway and made an arrogant gesture of invitation.

"Thank you, classmate Horton." Suye walked in without hesitation.

Horton followed, and the two young men stayed outside, closing the door.

Two people sat inside the room.

A middle-aged man in his forties wore a lavish Persian-style robe, brightly colored, with a gold necklace around his neck, gold bracelets on his wrists, and eight of his ten fingers adorned with gemstone rings. He smiled, bearing a slight resemblance to Horton.

The other middle-aged man wore a simple brown short robe, his skin slightly sallow, idly playing with a dagger.

The dangerous dagger fluttered and danced in his hand like a bird.

The moment the two entered, the man gripped the dagger firmly, scrutinized Suye carefully, and a faint sneer flickered in his eyes.

Horton immediately bowed to the dagger-wielding middle-aged man and said, "Uncle Senit."

Senit gave a slight nod, smiled, and said nothing.

Suye glanced at Senit, suspecting the man was using a false name. His features were closer to an Egyptian's than a Greek's, and Senit was the name of an Egyptian board game.

"Father, I've brought Suye here." Horton laughed and sat down beside the glittering man.

That man looked at Suye, gave a slight chin lift, and said, "Suye, right? Please, sit. I am Harmon, son of Astyanax."

Suye smiled faintly. Hearing the name of Harmon's father, he knew the man was full of lies.

A name like Astyanax wasn't something just anyone could claim. It meant "protector of the city," either the child of a Great Noble, someone who had earned it through great military exploits, or at least someone whose ancestors had been major figures.

"Hello, Mr. Harmon." Suye sat down very naturally.

Harmon frowned and glanced at Senit beside him.

Senit slowly straightened up, put away his dagger, and stared coldly at Suye.

Suye sensed an unusual aura from Senit, one that even put pressure on his Magic Tower.

It meant the man was at least a powerful Black Iron Warrior, if not a Bronze Warrior.

Suye casually picked up a piece of sheep's cheese from the clay plate and said, "I hear the cheese at Dolphin River is quite good. Many thanks to Uncle Harmon for inviting me here for a feast."

With that, Suye began eating right in front of the three of them.

Horton's face flushed with anger. Senit's expression remained unchanged. Harmon laughed heartily and said, "Son, this classmate of yours is nothing like what you described. I think he's quite clever, not the Third Idiot."

Horton's mind flashed back to the miserable beating in the classroom yesterday, and he ground his teeth. "He is the Third Idiot!"

Suye smiled and said, "Horton, we already agreed not to use that nickname anymore. Calling me that now is a bit much."

Horton snapped, "What, you want to hit me here too?"

Horton started to rise, but his father grabbed his arm and held him back.

Harmon chuckled and said, "Suye, look how you've riled up my son. I'd say the one going too far is you, not him."

As he spoke, Harmon picked up a larger wine glass and took a slow sip.

Suye spread his hands and said, "Uncle Harmon, you weren't there at the time. If you had been, I'm sure you'd have done the same. After all, we already have one Pelius in our class who dropped out because of his bullying. If I dropped out too, where would the teachers of Plato Academy put their faces? People might think Horton came to Plato Academy to study, but who knows—maybe he's a spy sent by the Aristocratic Academy, specially sent to force Plato Academy students to quit. What do you think, Uncle Harmon?"

Harmon paused, glanced at his son, then looked back at Suye, and asked, "You're sixteen?"

"Sixteen," Suye said.

"Eloquent." Harmon's smile faded.

"I'm just stating the facts," Suye said.

"In our Egypt, people who say the wrong thing get their tongues cut out," Senit said flatly.

"How lenient you Egyptians are. In our Athens, they might not even keep their heads," Suye said with a chuckle.

A cold glint flashed in Senit's eyes. Harmon slowly poured out the wine from his glass, stared into Suye's eyes, and pushed the large glass to the center of the table.

"Let's get to the point," Harmon said.

All three of them stared at Suye.

If this had been before today, Suye might have been nervous. But having been tempered by three Cheetahs that morning, he felt no fear at all.

"I thought the main topic today was just a meal." Suye remained cheerful.

Senit frowned slightly and glanced at Harmon.

Harmon also looked at his old friend and gave a slight nod, his expression growing a touch more serious than before.

Harmon cleared his throat and said, "After your parents passed away, how did you plan to support yourself through the rest of your Academic Studies?"

"I can stand on my own." Suye said.

"The pain of standing on your own will far exceed your imagination." Harmon said.

"I know." Suye said.

Harmon revealed a satisfied smile.

Suye continued, "The rewards of standing on your own will also far exceed your imagination. Uncle Harmon is a successful Rich Merchant—I'm sure you've experienced that kind of gain."

Harmon couldn't help but glance at Horton, finding his son still sulking. A flash of frustration at his son's lack of promise passed through his mind.

Harmon reached out and pressed down on Horton's shoulder, applying a bit of force.

Horton let out a soft hiss and was about to cry out, but seeing his father's serious expression, he obediently shut his mouth.

Harmon smiled and said, "I'm a businessman. I like making money, so I like investing in anything and anyone. My son isn't much to speak of. After he told me about your situation, I suddenly became interested in you. I think you have great potential ahead, so I'm prepared to invest in you."

Horton's jaw dropped as he stared at his father in disbelief. Was this the same father who had cursed Suye last night, sworn to chop off Suye's hand and stuff him into a dung heap? The same father who said he would never allow anyone to bully his son?

Was I even his biological son? For the first time, Horton began to doubt his own identity.