Revisiting Dolphin River

Before long, the carriage came to a stop.

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

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

Suye smiled, calmly got out, and Horton followed him. "Come with me. Don't go in and get lost!"

The other two young men silently took up positions behind Suye.

Standing at the entrance, Suye looked up at the familiar Beech Wood sign and the silver dolphin above it.

Suye glanced around. The two Strong Men guarding either side were people he had met before.

The two Strong Men immediately nodded slightly in respect.

Suye nodded casually and walked inside.

Dolphin River was especially lively at night. The waiters bustled about, but after sweeping his gaze around, Suye saw neither of the two waiters he had met last time nor that manager.

Suye calmly followed Horton inward, occasionally hearing familiar words.

Salad.

"Here we are. Please go in." Horton stopped at the door of a room and arrogantly gestured for him to enter.

"Thank you, classmate Horton." Suye walked in openly.

Horton followed him inside, while the other two young men stood outside and closed the door.

Two people were seated in the room.

One was a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in an ornate Persian-style robe of vivid colors. He wore a gold collar around his neck, a gold bracelet on each wrist, and gemstone rings on eight of his ten fingers. He wore a smile and bore a slight resemblance to Horton.

The other middle-aged man wore a simple Brown Short Robe. His complexion was slightly yellowish, and he was idly playing with a dagger.

The dangerous dagger leaped and danced through his hands like a little bird taking flight.

The instant the two entered the room, the man closed his grip around the dagger and scrutinized Suye, a faint hint of mockery in his eyes.

Horton immediately bowed to the middle-aged man holding the dagger. "Uncle Senit."

Senit nodded slightly and smiled without speaking.

Suye glanced at Senit, suspecting that he was using a false name. The man's features were more Egyptian than Greek, while Senit was the name of an Egyptian board game.

"Father, I've brought Suye." Horton smiled as he sat beside the gold-covered man.

The man looked at Suye, gave a slight nod of his chin, and said, "You're Suye, right? Have a seat. My name is Harmon, son of Astyanax."

Suye smiled faintly. The moment he heard the name of Harmon's father, he knew the man was lying through his teeth.

Not just anyone could bear a name like Astyanax. It meant "the protector of the city-state." The bearer was either the child of a Great Noble, someone who had changed his name after achieving great military accomplishments, or at least a descendant of an extraordinary figure.

"Good to meet you, Mr. Harmon." Suye sat down without the slightest hesitation.

Harmon frowned and glanced at Senit.

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

Suye sensed an unusual aura from Senit, one so powerful that even his Magic Tower could feel the pressure.

That meant that even if the other man was not a Bronze Warrior, he might still be an exceptionally powerful Black Iron Warrior.

Suye casually picked up a piece of sheep's milk cheese from the ceramic plate. "I hear the cheese at Dolphin River is excellent. Thank you very much for inviting me here for a feast, Uncle Harmon."

With that, Suye actually began eating in front of the three men.

Anger showed on Horton's face, while Senit remained expressionless. Harmon laughed heartily. "Son, this classmate of yours is different from how you described him. I think he's quite clever—not like the Three Idiots."

The miserable scene of being beaten in the classroom yesterday surfaced in Horton's mind. Gritting his teeth, he said, "He's the Three Idiots!"

Suye smiled. "Horton, we already agreed not to call each other that nickname anymore. It's a bit much for you to keep using it."

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

Horton was about to stand up, but his father grabbed his arm and forcibly held him down.

Harmon chuckled. "Suye, look at what you've done to my son. I think the one who's gone too far isn't him—it's you."

As he spoke, Harmon picked up a larger wineglass and slowly took a sip.

Suye spread his hands. "Uncle Harmon, you weren't there at the time. If you had been, you would have done the same as me. After all, there's already a Pelius in our class whom he bullied into dropping out. If I dropped out too, where would that leave the teachers of Plato Academy? People who knew better would say Horton came to Plato Academy to study. People who didn't would think he was a spy sent by Aristocratic Academy specifically to force Plato Academy's students to drop out. Wouldn't you agree, Uncle Harmon?"

Harmon froze for a moment. He glanced at his son, then back at Suye. "You're sixteen this year?"

"Sixteen," Suye replied.

"You have quite a way with words." The smile on Harmon's face gradually faded.

"I'm only telling the truth," Suye said.

"In Egypt, people who say the wrong thing have their tongues cut out," Senit said expressionlessly.

"Your Egypt is certainly merciful. In Athens, we might not even keep our heads," Suye said with a chuckle.

A cold glint flashed through Senit's eyes. Harmon slowly poured the wine from his glass, fixed his gaze on Suye, and gradually pushed the large wineglass to the middle of the table.

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

The three of them stared at Suye together.

If this had been Suye before today, he might have felt nervous. But after being tempered by the Three-Headed Cheetah that morning, he was completely unafraid.

"I thought the point of today's meeting was to eat," Suye said, still smiling.

Senit frowned slightly and glanced at Harmon.

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

Harmon coughed lightly and cleared his throat. "After your parents passed away, how will you support your studies from now on?"

"I can support myself," Suye replied.

"The hardships of supporting yourself will far exceed your imagination," Harmon said.

"I know," Suye replied.

Harmon revealed a satisfied smile.

Suye continued, "The rewards of supporting yourself will also far exceed your imagination. Uncle Harmon, you're a successful merchant. I believe you must have experienced such rewards yourself."

Harmon could not help glancing at Horton. Seeing that his son was still fuming, a flash of exasperation at his son's uselessness crossed his mind.

Harmon placed a hand on Horton's shoulder and applied a little pressure.

Horton hissed softly and was about to cry out, but after seeing his father's serious expression, he immediately obediently shut his mouth.

Harmon smiled. "I'm a merchant. I like making money, so I like investing in anything and anyone. My son is rather disappointing. After he told me about you, I suddenly became interested in you. I think you have a bright future ahead of you, so I've decided to invest in you."

Horton's mouth fell open as he stared at his father in disbelief. Was this really the same father who had cursed Suye last night, said he would chop off Suye's hands, and stuff him into a manure heap? Was this the same father who had said he would never allow anyone to bully his son?

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