TWOD 11
Chapter 11: A Mage’s Friendship
Su Ye stood up, holding the money bag, and gave a slight nod of thanks to Kelton before heading to the door. He paused at the entrance.
“Do we need to sign the Four Gods’ Pact this time?” he asked.
“Your inner promise is worth more than the gods’,” Kelton said, slowly taking a sip of his watered-down wine. He closed his eyes, looking exceptionally comfortable.
“See you around,” Su Ye said with a wave, stepping out into the night.
Hark followed silently behind him. Along the way, the waiters and regular customers of the Dolphin River looked at Su Ye and Hark as if they had seen a ghost. How could Hark, the “block of wood” who never paid attention to anyone, be so obediently following Su Ye? He wasn’t just walking him out; he was protecting Su Ye, just as he protected Mr. Kelton.
The busy middle-aged head waiter saw Su Ye leave the gate, gritted his teeth, and ran out, shouting to Su Ye. “Mr. Su Ye, I am Temogenes, son of Pericles! Welcome back anytime!”
Su Ye smiled faintly as he walked on. It seemed the man was very clever, realizing from the start that Su Ye had forgotten his name. But what was his name again? Something about a forest and a dove? Goodbye!
The Ninth Street at night was much dimmer than in the daytime. The scattered lamps barely allowed people to see the road. Only now did he understand why the people on the street walked so steadily. They were afraid of stubbing their toes or stepping in manure. Su Ye walked slowly.
Hark followed closely. At the intersection of the Ninth Street, Su Ye stopped and saw a few people wearing short pants and leather armor. Su Ye knew that the barbarians in northern Greece wore trousers at this time, but he hadn’t expected even Athenian soldiers to adopt them. This meant that the depth and breadth of cultural exchange in this world were far greater than in the ancient Greece of his previous life, and the presence of tea was also a testament to this.
The men had short swords at their waists and were chatting. They were young, with a couple of them looking only seventeen or eighteen. Su Ye turned and asked, “Mr. Hark, these city guards should be very willing to help you, right?”
Hark stared at Su Ye’s face for a few seconds, then nodded.
Su Ye smiled slightly. “Would you be willing to help me find two men to follow us, and at the right time, step forward… and perform their duties?” He put special emphasis on the last phrase.
Hark stared at Su Ye for a moment longer before speaking slowly. “Are you plotting against me?” His voice had a rasp, as if his throat were cracked.
“Not plotting, just asking for your help,” Su Ye said calmly.
“A mage’s friendship?” Hark asked with an expressionless face.
Su Ye couldn’t help but laugh. “They say Mr. Hark is not a man of many words, but I didn’t expect you to be so good at sarcasm. Yes, for you, I can only offer the friendship of a future mage.”
“Remember this night.” With that, Hark walked toward the city guards. The moment Hark spoke, Su Ye caught a fleeting, complex look in his eyes. Su Ye looked at Hark’s retreating back and sighed softly.
When the soldiers saw Hark, they immediately straightened up as if they were in the presence of a supehttps://orangenuna.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/woman-traveling-in-france-2023-11-27-05-16-47-utc_Easy-Resize.com_.jpgr officer. A few even looked honored, as if they had met a hero. Su Ye watched them. Soon, the men started to argue, and finally two of them stepped out of the group, with the others looking disappointed. Hark pointed to Su Ye and spoke to the men. Su Ye gave the soldiers a slight nod, and they immediately nodded back.
After a moment, Hark returned and stood silently behind Su Ye.
“Thank you, Mr. Hark,” Su Ye said. Then he unceremoniously handed Hark two of the money bags, keeping only one for himself. Hark looked at the money bags, then at Su Ye, and took them, hanging them at the sides of his lower back where they wouldn’t be seen from the front.
Su Ye walked on, with Hark right behind him, and the two young city guards followed at a distance, looking a bit excited. Su Ye found an opportunity to glance behind him. Only one man was still following him; the other had disappeared.
Athens at night was much quieter than during the day, especially after they entered the poor district, where people who couldn’t afford lamps were either asleep or chatting with neighbors outside their doors. The Mediterranean climate was warm in winter and cool in summer, so Su Ye didn’t feel cold walking barefoot on the ground.
Su Ye walked on, asking for directions. Unbeknownst to him, a group of men had gathered behind them. No one wore robes, and few even wore short tunics. Most people just had a piece of cloth tied around their waist, and a few were even stark naked, strutting brazenly through the crowd. Everyone’s feet were caked in thick dirt, some up to their calves. They had never seen a boy openly carrying money bags and brazenly looking for Ravens. In the poor district, Ravens wasn’t the most powerful man, but he was one of the most notohttps://orangenuna.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/woman-traveling-in-france-2023-11-27-05-16-47-utc_Easy-Resize.com_.jpgus.
Some people laughed at Su Ye’s back, while others looked greedily at the money bags carried by Su Ye and Hark. Only a few who recognized Hark quietly anticipated the show. The two city guards were at the back of the crowd.
After stepping on countless pebbles and into numerous muddy puddles, Su Ye finally arrived at an intersection and stopped in front of a tavern. It was dark. A rusted, two-palm-wide bronze blunt knife hung above the tavern door. There was no sign. Everyone knew it was the Blunt Knife Tavern.
The crowd following Su Ye now numbered over forty, and more and more people were drawn to the lights and the commotion, gathering around. Just a few seconds later, cheers erupted from inside the tavern, along with a rhythmic roaring. It sounded like sailors shouting a chant before a battle.
Su Ye’s right thumb and forefinger moved slightly, about to make their third tap of the day, but he stopped. Even without the tap, he slowly straightened his back, raised his head, rolled his shoulders back, relaxed his arms, and a confident smile appeared on his face.
The door opened, and two of the burly men who had been to Su Ye’s house came out holding oil lamps. They gave Su Ye a contemptuous look, then gestured for him to enter. Inside the tavern, torches burned brightly. In the torchlight, Ravens, in a short brown burlap tunic, walked out and stopped two meters away from Su Ye. A gust of wind made the moonlight and torchlight flicker, and the “centipede” scar on Ravens’ face seemed to squirm slowly.
A few people in the crowd gasped and retreated in a hurry.
Ravens’ eyes were colder than they had been in the daytime. Behind him, under the torchlight, a pair of wild eyes raked over Su Ye, but they all cleverly avoided Hark. The simple-faced Kolo hid in the crowd, secretly observing Su Ye, a look of confusion on his face.
Ravens didn’t look at Su Ye. He stared directly at Hark.
Hark was still like a lifeless block of wood, staring silently back at Ravens.
“In front of the Blunt Knife Tavern, there are only enemies or friends,” Ravens said, his voice unusually calm. In the crowd behind Su Ye, a few people turned and ran, their bare feet slapping in the mud.
Hark said nothing.
“Give me the IOU.” Su Ye shook the bag of gold coins in his hand, looking perfectly composed.
Ravens looked at Su Ye, the corner of his mouth twitching, and the scar on his face quickly wriggled again. The few people who had seen Su Ye earlier observed him closely. There were still bruises on his neck and dirty marks on his body. Yes, it was the same Su Ye, but why did he feel like a completely different person?
Ravens suddenly gave a light chuckle, his eyes landing on Su Ye’s bruised neck. “Did the mule arrive?”
“Hahahahaha…” The crowd behind Ravens roared with laughter, almost lifting the roof of the Blunt Knife Tavern.
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