A Cup

Suye had not expected things to turn out this way. He smiled and said, "I'd really like to know your investment conditions."

Harmon laughed heartily. "I'm a man who places great importance on reputation, and I'm also a very fair man. So, you get to choose."

Suye looked at Harmon, picked up another fig, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

Harmon said, "I can give you two hundred Golden Eagles outright!"

"Father..." Horton cried out, but Harmon silenced him with a glance.

Even Senit, who was sitting nearby, looked surprised before quickly masking it.

Suye remained utterly calm. With a cheerful smile, he said, "You're the sharpest businessman I've met so far."

Harmon looked pleased. "I like children who tell the truth. But you should know that I'm a businessman, yet I'm even more a father."

The smile vanished from Harmon's face.

Suye continued to smile.

Harmon went on, "I'm profit-driven. I scrape and scheme. I cut corners and exploit opportunities. My hands are stained with things they should never have touched. But in the end, I'm Horton's father. None of my investments should ever override my love for him."

Horton looked at his father, his nose stinging and his eyes filled with emotion and admiration.

Harmon patted Horton on the shoulder and looked at Suye. "My condition for investing in you is simple. You'll bow your head and apologize to my son now, and agree to be his slightly-lesser friend, helping my son at appropriate times. Of course, if you build a deeper friendship and become true friends, as long as it's for his own good, I won't mind even if you beat him three times a day. The condition is that you're willing to sincerely help my son."

"A slightly-lesser friend—a servant?" Something inexplicable appeared in Suye's smile.

"Far above a servant. In my eyes, you're like my own nephew." Harmon's voice carried genuine sincerity.

Suye looked at Harmon and sighed softly before turning to Horton. "If you had even a tenth of your father's wisdom—no, even one percent—you wouldn't have been beaten so badly by me."

"You..." Wrath Fire surged in Horton's heart.

Harmon gave his son a helpless look, then turned back to Suye. "This is a father's investment."

Suye sighed again. "Uncle Harmon, I'm sincerely calling you Uncle this once. I deeply admire your love for Horton. But you're still considering this matter with a businessman's mindset. You haven't truly thought of yourself as a father."

"Oh?" Harmon looked at Suye.

Suye stared into Harmon's eyes and slowly said, "Everyone is a father's son."

Harmon froze.

The warrior Senit froze as well.

Horton sneered. "Your father is already dead."

Harmon could not help grabbing Horton's shoulder hard, making Horton grimace in pain.

Suye swept a cold glance over Horton. "Now you two know why I beat this little bastard, right?"

Harmon let out a helpless, heavy sigh. He stared at the Black Pottery Wine Cup for a long while before asking, "Are you willing to accept my investment?"

"If you remove the condition, I'd be happy to." Suye replied.

Harmon glanced at Horton. "In the end, I'm this little bastard's father."

"Then I can only give up the two hundred Golden Eagles." Suye said.

Harmon's Left Hand pressed down on Horton's shoulder as he slowly rose to his feet, his expression growing colder and colder.

He bent down and gripped the Black Pottery Wine Cup with his right hand. "I sincerely hope you'll think it over again."

"No need." Suye tilted his head up to look at Harmon, who was now standing.

"What a pity."

As Harmon spoke, he pushed the Black Pottery Wine Cup in front of Suye, then straightened up, his Left Hand still resting on Horton's shoulder.

"I don't want to interfere too much in the children's affairs, but in the end, I'm Horton's father. No one can hurt my son without paying a price." Harmon's voice became extraordinarily calm. "Even if you're a child too. From today onward, I'll do everything I can to stop my child from making things difficult for you, but you'll have to pay the price. Look at this cup."

Suye glanced at the large pottery cup, which could hold both of his fists.

Harmon looked down at Suye, yet spoke with extraordinary gentleness. "Repeat here what you did to my son. Of course, do it to yourself. Keep punching yourself in the nose. Keep punching until the blood you shed fills the cup."

Harmon's voice was so gentle, as though he were speaking to his own child.

Horton broke into a delighted smile, making no attempt to hide the malice and satisfaction in his heart.

The dagger appeared in Senit's hand once again, flipping through the air like a butterfly.

Seeing the smile disappear from Suye's face, Harmon continued gently, "Otherwise, you won't be leaving through that door."

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Then a waiter pushed it open and entered.

The waiter first bowed, then presented a Wax Tablet and said with a smile, "Honored guest, what would you like to order?"

Harmon was about to tell the waiter to leave, but then he glanced at Suye and said, "You can finish your meal before making your final choice." With that, Harmon reached out and took the Wax Tablet.

Suye looked at the Wax Tablet.

It was a rectangular wooden board, its four edges sealed with brown wooden strips to form a groove. The groove was filled with hardened black wax, covered with dish names carved in with a sharp tool.

Harmon's gaze fell on the last line of the Wax Tablet. "I specifically asked a friend to reserve this private room last night because I wanted to try the marvelous Kelton Salad. We'll start with one serving..."

The waiter said politely, "Honored guest, I'm very sorry. The Kelton Salad is too popular, and we've already sold out for today. If you had arrived half an hour earlier, you might still have had a chance. When you came in, you should have seen that nearly every table had salad."

Harmon sneered. "What, do you take us for bumpkins?"

The waiter smiled bitterly. "Honored guest, you misunderstand. The supply of Kelton Salad Dressing is actually quite large—enough to meet the restaurant's normal demand. But there are exceptionally many customers today. Most importantly, the great Pandion Family is hosting guests from the Avilado Family of Rome in a grand banquet and specifically sent someone to take half the salad dressing to entertain their honored guests."

Suye froze for a moment. The name Avilado sounded somewhat familiar. He vaguely remembered hearing it on Blue Star as well, but he truly could not recall where.

He did remember that in present-day Rome, the Avilado Family was one of Florence's wealthiest Hero Families—truly rich enough to rival a nation. The ancestor of this family, Avilado, had once been a hero who slew giants.

Suye saw Harmon's expression change slightly and realized that the name Pandion Family had frightened him.

The Pandion Family was one of Athens' most powerful Demigod Families. Every patriarch of the family was honored as a "king."

In Athens, and even throughout All of Greece, every Demigod Family of royal rank possessed the power of Life and Death over non-nobles.

In present-day Athens, only members of Demigod Families were qualified to serve as archons.