## Chapter 2 The Death Threat

## Chapter 2 The Death Threat

Suye took another deep breath and turned to look at the city center of Athens to the west.

In the city center of Athens lay a small hill about a hundred meters high. Atop this hill stood a famous cluster of temples, known collectively as the Acropolis.

As usual, the Acropolis was shrouded in a faint mist, allowing only the massive statue of the goddess Athena to be seen clearly.

Below the grand and pristine statue of Athena, the entire Acropolis seemed like a pedestal for the statue, with the mist not even reaching her knees.

Suye slowly turned his head to gaze at Lion Harbor to the east.

There stood a colossal bronze statue twice the height of the statue of Athena, the tallest structure in Athens City, towering like a mountain—the statue of Zeus.

As if it were in the clouds.

This world's Greece was dozens of times larger than the Greece on Blue Star, and Athens City was similarly many times larger than its counterpart.

Suye retracted his gaze and calmly looked at Lawrence, saying slowly, "I will settle my parents' debt."

Lawrence keenly noticed the difference between "settle" and "repay." For some reason, he felt a twinge of unease, but then he glanced at Suye's youthful face and remembered how close he had just come to scaring him to death. A sneer crept across his lips.

"Old Koror, how is this boy going to pay?" Lawrence asked.

The plain-faced Koror stepped forward and respectfully said, "My lord Lawrence, he will probably go around begging from familiar families, acting like a stray dog."

Suye clenched his teeth, looking at old Koror, a surge of uncontrollable hatred welling up inside him.

"I'll give you a chance to borrow money," Lawrence said.

Suye firmly replied, "I will gather enough money by tomorrow."

"Is that so?" The scar on Lawrence's face suddenly twisted.

Lawrence took a sudden step forward, his skin instantly changing color, turning a metallic bronze hue, making him appear as if cast in bronze.

Before Suye could react, Lawrence's right hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Suye's neck and lifting him into the air like a predator eagle seizing its prey.

"Gurgle..."

Suye, suspended in mid-air, struggled to breathe, his mind clouded. He instinctively writhed, kicking his legs and trying to pry Lawrence's hand off with both hands.

But Lawrence's grip was like a vise, locking tightly around his neck, and he couldn't even leave a scratch on Lawrence's bronze skin.

Suye's eyes slowly bulged outward, his face turning increasingly purple and blue, and his struggles grew weaker.

The world darkened, fear enveloping him, and he felt an unprecedented sense of despair. Death had arrived.

"I don't want to die!" Suye roared inwardly, but all he received in response was deeper darkness and a distant silence.

Suye slowly closed his eyes...

"My lord Lawrence, please don't kill him..." Koror said nervously.

"Hmm."

Lawrence released his grip, and Suye fell to the ground.

Thud...

Suye hit the ground, coughing violently and gasping for air, his breathing sounding like a broken bellows.

"Sounds like a donkey," Lawrence remarked, smiling as he turned to walk away.

The scar on his face seemed to be slowly crawling.

The four burly men hurriedly stepped aside to make way for him.

"I'll be back before dawn," Lawrence said, striding out.

Koror bowed, squinting and smiling plainly, "Give up the house, or else tomorrow there will be another corpse in the slums, picked clean by wild dogs." With that, he left, still smiling.

Suye propped himself up on his arms, sitting weakly, his teeth clenched, and his fingers almost digging into the dirt.

After a while, voices from neighbors came from the doorway.

Suye took a deep breath, suppressing his grief and anger, and got up to walk towards the door, brushing the dust off his clothes as he went.

Looking at the sympathetic faces of his neighbors, Suye knew many wanted to help but were powerless. He forced a smile and said, "I'm very upset right now and need to think things through. Rest assured, I will handle this. Please go back to your own affairs."

Suye nodded, not bothering with their reactions, and closed the door.

The neighbors stared at Suye's front door for a moment, shaking their heads.

"Pity such a good kid..." they murmured, gradually dispersing.

Suye leaned against the door, countless memories flashing through his mind, unable to distinguish which were dreams and which were real.

After several minutes, he furrowed his brow, realizing his thoughts were becoming chaotic. His right thumb and index finger instinctively tapped twice, and he straightened up, took a deep breath, and asked himself.

"What should I do right now?"

Having clarified this famous Lajin question, Suye immediately pushed aside his scattered thoughts and began to think through the details rather than relying on vague feelings.

"Our family has no enmity with Lawrence, and even the promissory note was bought from someone else after he learned of my parents' deaths. The person who lent money to my parents had sent someone to apologize. So, his target is our house, which involves the identity of Athenian residents."

"Then why does he want to take it from me?"

"Without considering his motives and focusing solely on mine, then... because our family is foreign, not citizens of Greece. Because I have not yet mastered magic, I am weak, and my parents' connections are ordinary. Those who were close to my parents are not powerful enough to rival him. This Lawrence is not just an ordinary mercenary leader; there are rumors that he secretly runs a bandit gang, and he has the support of nobles behind him."

"Not entirely correct..."

"Old Koror was also out with my parents that day, so why didn't he die?"

"Why did he betray my family and sell me out? Could my parents' deaths be related to him?"

"Uncle Figo said that Lawrence wouldn't normally do anything outrageous in Athens City, but something seemed off this time, and even his pleas were useless. I didn't understand what he meant before, but today, recalling it, I realized he was hinting that Lawrence had another purpose, one that might even lead him to kill me."

"The person who transferred the debt to Lawrence sent someone to apologize the day before yesterday, bringing some food. There was something odd about what they said: 'He didn't expect things to turn out this way.' At first, it sounded like it was because of the debt transfer, but on closer thought, it seemed more like an apology for discovering more serious consequences."

"Furthermore, when Lawrence came the first time, he appeared to be looking for valuable items, but it was clear he was searching for something else. He searched again today."

"Could my parents' deaths be related to something specific?"

Suye made a judgment.

"He would harm me even if he took the house. Now I have only two options: either flee or find a way to stand up to Lawrence!"

Suye quickly made a decision.

"Lawrence will definitely send people to keep a close watch on me and won't allow me to leave Athens City. So, I should now focus on finding a way to stand up to Lawrence and protect myself! If I can't protect myself, then I'll consider how to evade Lawrence's surveillance and escape from Athens."

With this in mind, Suye slowly walked into the house.

The Suye residence was a typical Ancient Greek home, built with mud bricks and rubble, painted grayish-white. Apart from the nobility, Ancient Greeks didn't fuss much about their dwellings, and irregular holes and damages were visible all over the walls, exposing the plaster or multicolored stones beneath.

The main entrance led directly to a small courtyard, with a black-and-white marble pedestal in the center, used for placing statues.

To the right of the courtyard was a wall, beyond which was a narrow alley. To the left were the storeroom, front hall, and bedroom.

In front was an Ionic-style colonnade, with pale white columns roughly crafted, revealing the rock beneath. Inside the colonnade were the living room, kitchen, and bathroom.

This was a typical residence in Athens City.

However, everything was now scattered and in disarray.