Master Math and Science, and Fear No Road in the World!

"Really! We can make money breed money through lending. It's the fastest way to make a fortune."

"Lending?" The other scar-faced man grew interested. "Kid, do you even know what lending means?"

"Of course I do!"

Lynn knew this was a critical moment. He had to put out something substantial.

"For example, lend out ten silver coins and collect twelve a month later! The extra two coins are the interest."

"If they can't pay it back, then next month they owe fourteen point four! Interest on interest, money making money—it's much faster than collecting protection fees!"

Scarface listened with a vague sense of awe. His simple brain struggled even to calculate a month's worth of interest.

As for calculating compound interest... they might as well kill him.

He turned his gaze toward the accountant. The accountant nodded with an air of profundity, seeming to confirm Lynn's words.

Whether he could actually work it out himself remained unknown.

The other thugs looked at one another too. Most of them didn't understand.

But phrases like "turn ten coins into twelve" and "compound interest" hooked straight into the greediest parts of their hearts.

Yellow Tooth dropped his mocking expression, studied Lynn for a few moments, then said to someone beside him, "Go tell One-Eyed Wolf."

A moment later, an order came from One-Eyed Wolf: bring Lynn in for an "audience."

A thug opened the cage and gestured for Lynn to come out.

The remaining people in the cage all wore complicated expressions. None of them knew whether his departure would bring fortune or disaster, but at least he had changed his fate.

"Um... can I come with you?"

The girl who had explained things to Lynn finally spoke up. She hoped Lynn would take her out of this cage with him.

The others could not help showing hopeful looks as well.

Lynn looked at the pitiful girl but gave no response.

He himself was still a bird in a cage. How could he control anyone else's fate?

Seeing Lynn leave without a trace of mercy, the hope in the girl's eyes turned completely to despair, while the others wore gloating expressions.

See? A textbook case of kindness going unrewarded!

Yellow Tooth personally escorted Lynn. His lecherous hands brushed Lynn's exposed skin without leaving a trace, raising goosebumps all over Lynn's body.

The distance was only a few dozen meters, but to Lynn it felt like hell. He roared inwardly without pause.

You bastard! You've chosen your own death!!

Just let me find an opening, and I'll kill you!!

Soon, the two arrived in a spacious hall. Only then did Yellow Tooth restrain himself somewhat, solemnly shoving Lynn forward.

At the head of the room sat a burly middle-aged man with a black eyepatch over his left eye.

His right arm held a blonde girl close, while his fat left hand wandered over her body.

The blonde girl wore an expression of bliss as she lifted a wooden wine cup to One-Eyed Wolf's mouth with her delicate hand.

One-Eyed Wolf savored the wine, but his remaining right eye stayed locked on Lynn, full of scrutiny and undisguised ferocity.

He was the leader of the Bloodhand Gang—One-Eyed Wolf Jack.

A rough wooden table stood before One-Eyed Wolf, piled with a mess of food.

Rum, roast chicken, stewed meat, thick vegetable soup, mashed potatoes...

A standard white man's meal.

"Kid," One-Eyed Wolf said in a low, raspy voice, "you're the one who said you can help me make money? And you understand lending?"

"Yes, Boss. Back in my hometown, I apprenticed under an accountant. My master even praised me for having talent."

Lynn did his best to stand straight and not show any cowardice.

He pointed at the pile of account books held by the accountant nearby.

"I can sort these out for you first. If I can't, it won't be too late to sell me to Nightingale Hall."

One-Eyed Wolf narrowed his single eye and waved a hand.

The thin accountant beside him hurriedly pushed one of the messiest ledgers in front of Lynn, a hint of disdain in his eyes.

This was a set of false accounts he had specially prepared. The contents were incomparably chaotic.

If this brat could sort them out in a short time, he would eat the ledger on the spot!

Lynn picked up the ledger and flipped through it quickly.

It was filled with crooked records of income and expenses written in another world's script, a complete mess.

Only then did he awkwardly realize that he couldn't read this world's writing!

With no other choice, he could only ask the accountant beside him for help.

"Sir, could you please explain what these characters mean?"

Illiterate?

Hearing that, the accountant could not help revealing a mocking smile.

Sure enough, he was just some brat with a little cleverness.

Too bad... that little cleverness would only get him killed faster!

Bang!!

A loud crash came from behind him, followed by the clatter of scattered dishes and utensils.

"Kid, you dare play me for a fool! You're tired of living!"

Lynn turned around and saw One-Eyed Wolf had slammed his wine cup onto the wooden table. The food on it was now a complete mess.

Lynn did not flinch. He said calmly:

"Boss, I haven't deceived you. It's just that the writing here differs from the writing in my hometown, and the methods we use there are much simpler."

"There's no need to translate every character. Just tell me the commonly used numbers and the income and expenses."

One-Eyed Wolf gave the accountant a meaningful look.

"I'll give you one more chance. If I find out you're putting on some mysterious act, then forget Nightingale Hall. From now on, you'll be serving the gang brothers exclusively!"

Having received his instructions, the accountant did not dare delay. He hurriedly explained several pages to Lynn.

Lynn did not rely solely on memory. Under the puzzled gazes of One-Eyed Wolf and the accountant, he walked to the fireplace and picked up a small piece of charred charcoal.

Then he began drawing directly on the smooth stone floor.

He matched the characters explained by the accountant one by one with Chinese characters to avoid mixing them up.

Seeing this, One-Eyed Wolf believed him a little more. The strange writing the boy produced clearly was not random scribbling; it was obviously the script of another country.

There were many nations across the continent. Who knew which one he had drifted here from?

Once the accountant had explained the first few pages, Lynn had a grasp of things and got to work on his own.

First, he drew a simple table, laying out categories in rows and columns.

Then, based on the various entries and numerical distributions in the ledger, he began "reconstructing" the accounts.

Naturally, Lynn used Arabic numerals and simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, occasionally mixing in a few units in the other world's script that he had just "learned."

On Earth, this was merely elementary-school-level math, but to the surrounding thugs, who struggled even with two-digit addition and subtraction, it was practically divine.

Lynn's hand moved rapidly. Charcoal scraped across the stone floor with a soft scratch.

One clear, concise symbol after another—symbols they had never seen before—appeared in rows. Beneath his hand, the chaotic accounts were swiftly categorized and calculated.

But the more he calculated, the paler the accountant's face became, until it was as white as paper.

Damn it! I've sent myself to the chopping block!