Haggling

In the autumn courtyard, the occasional dead leaf drifted down.

Stepping out through the courtyard gate, Suye saw a Middle-aged Man in a white robe reclining on a light-brown chaise lounge, leisurely flipping through a yellow-brown papyrus book. Tiny scraps of papyrus occasionally fell, and a maid carefully picked them up beside him.

Suye's nose twitched slightly. A faint fragrance of tea wafted through the air, and his gaze fell on the teapot on the table. It did not seem like something Greece of this era should have possessed.

The Middle-aged Foreman trotted over and whispered by Kelton's side.

Kelton raised his head and handed the papyrus book to the maid standing nearby. He looked quietly at Suye, a faint warmth appearing in his brown eyes.

Suye met Kelton's gaze without fear.

Most Greeks of this era were short and thin, but Kelton was as tall and robust as a Greek statue. His eye sockets were sunk deep, his gaze profound, and his nose straight. Together with his black Curly Hair, he was more than qualified to be an excellent model for a sculptor.

Suye suddenly fixed his eyes on Kelton's Left Hand Ring Finger. The silver ring, with its twin serpent heads embracing a ruby, was especially striking. The instant he saw it, his eyes even stung faintly.

What made Suye's eyes sting was not the large ruby, but one of the four emerald eyes on the two serpent heads.

Kelton did not rise. With a nostalgic expression, he said, "I heard about your Parents, and I am deeply sorry. Your Parents were true craftsmen, and I especially enjoyed your father's bread. If you need help, as long as it is within my power, I will not refuse."

Suye sensed that while Kelton spoke, his eyes swiftly swept over Suye's entire body.

"I do not need help." Suye appropriately lifted his chest and raised his head, putting on an extremely stubborn front.

Kelton slowly rose and sat upright on the chaise lounge. Smiling kindly, he asked, "Then what do you want?"

Suye sighed softly. "Since I was young, I have had a dream: to become a great Mage and use magic to make the world a better place. Later, my Parents exhausted all their savings to send me to Plato Academy. Now, someone took advantage of my Parents' deaths to seize my home, which may prevent me from continuing my Academic Studies at Plato Academy and becoming a Mage. So I came to make a deal with you, one that will let me continue my studies."

"What deal?" Kelton's expression shifted slightly.

Hark, who had been looking up at the sky, unexpectedly turned to look at Suye, as though he were getting to know this child all over again.

"A deal that can make Dolphin River famous throughout Greece, perhaps even spread your name across Greece and the entire world," Suye said.

"A good name or a bad one?" Kelton stood up. He still wore a smile, but the powerful aura of a Silver Warrior spread soundlessly.

Suye suddenly had the illusion that Kelton had transformed into a ten-meter-tall giant, baring a ferocious grin.

"I have a recipe for delicacies left behind by my Parents!" Suye said in a low voice. A trace of sorrow seeped into his voice as his Eyelids lowered slightly, shifting the focus of his gaze from Kelton to the lower table beside him.

On the way here, Suye had gone over that gesture dozens of times.

Kelton froze for a moment, withdrew his aura, and nodded. "Go on."

But Suye shook his head. "I do not want to say too much. In short, I possess a recipe for delicacies that my Parents painstakingly developed. It is worth a fortune, but today I am willing to sell it for one thousand Golden Zeus."

Kelton looked at Suye and smiled without speaking.

With a flick of his right hand, a golden coin appeared in his palm. Engraved on the front was the majestic yet indistinct Side Face of Zeus, king of the gods.

He flicked it with his thumb. The Gold Coin spun through the air with a humming sound, flashing chaotically before landing back in his palm, reverse side up.

"Golden Eagle are always so captivating," Kelton said.

On the reverse of the coin was an eagle spreading its wings as if about to take flight. It was Zeus's favorite animal and also Zeus's emblem.

In ordinary settings, Greeks called gold coins Golden Eagle. In formal settings, they called them Golden Zeus.

This involved a legend about the gods.

According to legend, the Greek gods established three kinds of currency, but they argued endlessly over whose likeness should be used.

Then Athena said that gold coins were the most prestigious and should naturally bear the likeness of the king of the gods. This pleased Zeus greatly.

Athena then said that silver coins ranked just below gold coins, and aside from the Goddess Hera, no one could rank below Zeus. Hera was pleased as well.

Afterward, Athena asked which chief god was willing to be touched by slaves, since nobles would never touch cheap bronze coins, which were destined to circulate among the lower classes and mud, and could even be used by slaves. Several of the highest-ranking chief gods abandoned the contest, as they had originally aimed for gold and silver coins. In the end, Athena's likeness appeared on bronze coins, while the reverse bore her beloved spiritual creature, the owl.

The Goddess of Wisdom had not lied. The final result was indeed as she had said: bronze coins circulated among the common people, and some Great Nobles would not touch bronze coins their entire lives. However, this also made Athena's name the most widely known among the lower classes.

Many people did not believe this legend.

One Golden Eagle Coin was enough to buy a sheep, while fifty Golden Eagle Coin could buy any residence in the Athens Poor District. Back when Kelton bought this land and built Dolphin River Restaurant, it had cost him only two thousand Golden Eagle Coin in total.

"I told you, this recipe for delicacies will definitely be passed down through the ages. It may even make your name immortal," Suye said, looking at Kelton with a resolute gaze.

Kelton stared into Suye's eyes, staring hard.

The Middle-aged Foreman beside them had originally curled his lips slightly, a faintly mocking look on his face. But his expression suddenly changed, and he hurried close to Kelton, whispering in his ear, "Sir, could it be that his Parents sold their old shop and even borrowed money to raise funds for a larger shop because they possessed this recipe for delicacies?"

Kelton nodded lightly. He had long considered that possibility.

Kelton asked, "What kind of recipe is it?"

Suye said firmly, "My recipe can add a new dish to dining tables across All of Greece, perhaps even the entire world."

"Congratulations. You have fulfilled your dream of changing the world with magic ahead of time." Kelton's face brimmed with enthusiasm.

The Middle-aged Foreman and the maid cooperatively chuckled softly.

Hark did not laugh.

Neither did Suye.

"I name the price, and you make an offer." Suye looked up at the tall Kelton.

"Ten Gold Eagle." Kelton still smiled.

Suye paused, then looked around with bewildered eyes. "Has the Workshop District gained a miser named Mr. Kelton? Did I come to the wrong place?"

The Middle-aged Foreman and the maid frowned slightly.

Kelton looked at Suye without saying a word.

Suye's expression turned serious as he continued, "I came here not because I heard that Mr. Kelton was generous, not because I heard you were wealthy, not because I heard you were kind, and certainly not because I heard you were easy to fool. I came because I heard that you were one of the wisest people in the Workshop District, and one of the most farsighted."

"I will work hard to remove the 'one of.'" Kelton revealed a confident smile.

Suye continued, "What do you think would happen if Headmaster Plato visited Dolphin River?"