Chapter 43 A Cup

Chapter 43 A Cup

Suye didn’t expect things to unfold this way. He smiled and said, "I’m very curious about your investment terms."

Harmon laughed and said, "I am a man of great integrity and fairness. Therefore, you get to choose."

Suye looked at Harmon, then popped another fig into his mouth and chewed slowly.

Harmon said, "I can give you two hundred golden eagles directly!"

"Father..." Hutton exclaimed in surprise but was silenced by a look from Harmon.

Even Senet showed a look of astonishment before quickly masking it.

Suye remained unperturbed and chuckled, "You are the most discerning merchant I’ve met so far."

Harmon’s face lit up with satisfaction. "I like honest children. However, you should know that I am a merchant, but more importantly, I am a father."

The smile vanished from Harmon’s face.

Suye still wore a smile.

Harmon continued, "I am greedy and cunning, always looking for shortcuts, my hands stained with things they shouldn’t be. But ultimately, I am Hutton’s father. No investment should come before my love for him."

Hutton looked at his father, his nose tingling with emotion and admiration in his eyes.

Harmon patted Hutton’s shoulder and, looking at Suye, said, "My condition for investing in you is simple. You must apologize to my son and be willing to be a slightly lower friend, helping him when appropriate. Of course, if you become true friends, as long as it’s for his good, I wouldn’t mind if you beat him three times a day. The key is that you genuinely want to help my son."

"A slightly lower friend, a servant?" Suye’s smile carried an indescribable nuance.

"Far above a servant. In my eyes, you are like a nephew to me," Harmon said sincerely.

Suye looked at Harmon, sighed softly, and turned to Hutton, saying, "If you had even one-tenth, no, even one-hundredth of your father’s wisdom, you wouldn’t have been beaten so badly."

"You..." Hutton’s anger flared.

Harmon glanced at his son with a sigh and turned back to Suye, saying, "This is a father’s investment."

Suye sighed again and said, "Uncle Harmon, this is a sincere call. I admire your love for Hutton. But you’re still thinking like a merchant, not truly as a father."

"Oh?" Harmon looked at Suye.

Suye stared into Harmon’s eyes and said slowly, "Everyone is someone’s son."

Harmon was taken aback.

Even the warrior Senet was stunned.

Hutton sneered, "Your father is already dead."

Harmon couldn’t help but grip Hutton’s shoulder tightly, making him wince.

Suye glanced coldly at Hutton and said, "Do you understand why I beat this little brat?"

Harmon sighed heavily, staring at the large black clay cup for a moment before asking, "Are you willing to accept my investment?"

"Without conditions, I would be very willing," Suye said.

Harmon looked at Hutton and said, "I am still this little brat’s father."

"In that case, I’ll have to give up the two hundred golden eagles," Suye said.

Harmon placed his left hand on Hutton’s shoulder and slowly stood up, his expression growing colder.

He bent down, grabbed the black clay cup with his right hand, and said, "I hope you reconsider."

"No need," Suye looked up at the standing Harmon.

"Pity."

Harmon pushed the black clay cup toward Suye, straightened up, and kept his left hand on Hutton’s shoulder.

"I don’t want to interfere too much in children’s affairs, but I am Hutton’s father. No one can harm my son without paying a price," Harmon’s voice became unusually calm, "even if you are also a child. From today, I will do everything possible to prevent my child from troubling you, but you must pay a price. Look at this cup."

Suye glanced at the large clay cup that could hold both his fists.

Harmon looked down at Suye and spoke gently, "Repeat what you did to my son here, but to yourself, punch your own nose repeatedly until the blood fills the cup."

Harmon’s voice was so gentle, as if speaking to his own child.

Hutton smiled happily, not hiding his malice and satisfaction.

A dagger appeared in Senet’s hand, flipping like a butterfly.

Seeing Suye’s smile fade, Harmon continued gently, "Otherwise, you won’t leave this door alive."

Just then, there was a knock, followed by a server entering.

The server bowed and handed over a wax tablet, smiling, "Esteemed guest, may I take your order?"

Harmon was about to dismiss the server but then glanced at Suye and said, "You can make your final decision after eating." He then took the wax tablet.

Suye looked at the wax tablet.

It was a rectangular wooden board framed with brown strips, forming a groove filled with solidified black wax, inscribed with dish names using a sharp object.

Harmon’s gaze fell on the last line of the wax tablet and said, "I specially reserved this room last night to try the magical Kelton salad; let’s start with one..."

The server politely responded, "Esteemed guest, I apologize, but the Kelton salad is sold out today due to its popularity. If you had arrived half an hour earlier, you might have had a chance. When you came in, you should have seen almost every table had a salad."

Harmon sneered, "What, do you think we're hicks?"

The waiter smiled bitterly. "Esteemed guest, you’ve misunderstood. The production of Kelton salad dressing is actually quite high, sufficient to meet the restaurant’s normal supply. However, there are an unusually large number of guests today. Most importantly, the great Pandion family is hosting a grand banquet for the Avirola family from Rome. They specially sent someone to take half of the salad dressing to entertain their distinguished guests."

Suye was taken aback. The name Avirola sounded familiar; he vaguely remembered hearing it on Blue Star but couldn’t recall where.

He did remember that in modern Rome, the Avirola family was one of the wealthiest hero families in Florence, truly rich enough to rival a nation. The ancestor of this family, Avirola, had once been a hero who slew giants.

Seeing Harmon’s face change slightly, Suye realized he was intimidated by the Pandion family’s name.

The Pandion family was one of the most powerful demigod families in Athens, with each patriarch being respectfully referred to as “King.”

In Athens, and even throughout Greece, every demigod royal family had the power of life and death over non-nobles.

In contemporary Athens, only members of demigod families were eligible to serve as magistrates.