TWOD 02
Chapter 2: Death Threat
Su Ye took another deep breath and turned his gaze toward the heart of Athens to the west.
At the center of Athens stood a small hill a hundred meters high, crowned by the famous temple complex—the Acropolis.
As always, the Acropolis was shrouded in a faint mist, with only the towering statue of Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, clearly visible.
Beneath the majestic white statue, the entire Acropolis seemed like its pedestal, while the mist barely reached the statue’s knees.
Su Ye slowly turned his head and looked east toward Lion Harbor.
There, a colossal bronze statue—twice the height of Athena’s—stood as the tallest structure in Athens, towering like a mountain: the Statue of Zeus.
As if floating among the clouds.
In this world, Greece was dozens of times larger than its counterpart on Blue Star, and Athens was similarly vast.
Su Ye withdrew his gaze and calmly met Lavens’ eyes. “I will resolve my parents’ debt,” he said slowly.
Lavens immediately noticed the difference between “resolve” and “repay.” For some reason, a flicker of unease rose in his chest. But as his eyes swept over Su Ye’s youthful face and recalled how easily he had nearly frightened the boy to death, a cold smirk curled his lips.
“Old Corro, how does this brat plan to repay the debt?” Lavens asked.
The deceptively honest-looking Corro stepped forward and bowed. “Master Lavens, he’ll probably just run to his parents’ acquaintances, kowtow, and beg for money like a stray dog.”
Su Ye clenched his jaw, his hatred for Corro boiling uncontrollably.
“I’ll give you a chance to borrow the money,” Lavens said.
“I’ll gather enough by tomorrow,” Su Ye declared firmly.
“Oh?” The centipede-like scar on Lavens’ face twitched.
In a flash, Lavens stepped forward, his skin suddenly taking on a metallic bronze sheen, as if his entire body had been cast in bronze.
Before Su Ye could react, Lavens’ right hand shot out like an eagle’s talon, seizing his throat and lifting him into the air.
“Ghk—!”
Dangling midair, Su Ye gasped for breath, his mind reeling. He instinctively thrashed, legs kicking wildly, hands clawing at Lavens’ grip.
But Lavens’ fingers were like iron clamps, unyielding against Su Ye’s desperate scratches. Not even a mark was left on the bronze-like skin.
Su Ye’s eyes bulged, his face turning purple. His struggles weakened.
Darkness crept in. Fear spread. He felt an overwhelming despair—death had come.
I don’t want to die! Su Ye screamed inwardly. But the only response was deeper darkness, an endless silence.
His eyelids fluttered shut…
“Master Lavens, don’t kill him…” Corro stammered nervously.
“Hmph.”
Lavens released his grip.
Thud.
Su Ye crumpled to the ground, coughing violently, sucking in air like a broken bellows.
“Sounds like a donkey braying,” Lavens remarked with a smirk before turning away.
The centipede scar on his face seemed to writhe.
The four burly men hastily stepped aside, clearing a path.
“I’ll return by dawn,” Lavens announced, striding out.
Corro bent down, his eyes crinkling into a kindly smile. “Just give up the house. Otherwise, tomorrow, the slums will have one more corpse picked clean by stray dogs.” With that, he left, chuckling.
Su Ye sat slumped on the ground, arms trembling, fingers digging into the dirt. His teeth ground together so hard they might shatter.
After a long silence, murmurs came from the neighbors outside.
Su Ye took a deep breath, forcing down his grief and fury. He stood, dusted himself off, and walked to the door.
Seeing the pitying faces of his neighbors—many wanting to help but powerless—Su Ye forced a weak smile. “I need time to think. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this. Please, go back to your own affairs.”
He nodded once, ignoring their reactions, and shut the door.
The neighbors stared at the closed door for a while before shaking their heads.
“What a shame… such a good boy,” someone muttered as the crowd dispersed.
Su Ye leaned against the door, memories flooding his mind—so many that he couldn’t tell dream from reality.
After a while, he frowned, realizing his thoughts were spiraling. Instinctively, his thumb and forefinger tapped twice. He straightened his posture, lifted his chin, and took a deep breath. Then, he asked himself the famous Larkin Question:
“What is the most important thing I should do right now?”
With that clarity, he pushed aside the chaos and began analyzing methodically.
- Our family had no feud with Lavens. Even the debt was something he bought after my parents’ death. The original lender even sent someone to apologize. So, his real target is our house—because it’s tied to Athenian residency rights.
- But why go to such lengths to take it from me?
- Setting aside his motives, the truth is: We’re metics, not citizens. I’m weak, and my parents’ connections were modest. Those friendly to us can’t oppose Lavens. Rumors say he secretly runs a bandit group, backed by nobility.
- But that’s not the full picture…
- Why did Corro survive the ambush that killed my parents?
- Why betray us? Was he involved in their deaths?
- Uncle Figo warned that Lavens usually avoids extreme actions in Athens—yet this time, even his pleas failed. At the time, I didn’t understand, but now I see it: Lavens has another goal, one worth killing for.
- The man who sold the debt to Lavens sent food as an apology, but his words were odd: ‘He hadn’t expected things to go this way.’ At first, it seemed like guilt over the debt transfer—but now, it sounds like he discovered worse consequences.
- Also, during Lavens’ first visit, he pretended to search for valuables but was clearly hunting for something else. Today, he searched again.
- Could my parents’ deaths be tied to some object?
Su Ye reached a conclusion.
Even if I surrender the house, Lavens will still kill me. I have two choices: flee or find a way to oppose him.
He quickly ruled out the first option.
Lavens will have me watched. I can’t leave Athens. So, I must find a force to counter him—survive first. If that fails, then I’ll plan an escape.
With that, Su Ye walked deeper into the house.
His home was a typical ancient Greek dwelling—made of mudbrick and rubble, painted gray-white. Unlike nobles, most Greeks cared little for aesthetics. The walls were pockmarked with uneven holes, exposing patches of mortar and mismatched stones.
The front door opened to a small courtyard, its centerpiece an empty black-and-white marble pedestal meant for a statue.
To the right was a wall separating the house from a narrow alley. To the left stood storage rooms, a front hall, and bedrooms.
Ahead were Ionic-style columns, their rough-hewn surfaces pale and unfinished. Beyond them lay the living quarters, kitchen, and bathhouse.
A standard Athenian home.
Except everything inside was now overturned, ransacked, and in disarray.
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