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Late Afternoon - Late Winter : Ampelos

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"..And here is your meal, sir." *Tap* Gently setting a large metal plate with a huge, charred slab of meat, a few different stacks of mushrooms, and a large, glossy blue object, the waitress, a quite stunning, violet-scaled girl bowed her head before looking up at me.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, but we are indeed out of piotita.

To compensate, we'd like to give you this," Motioning toward the glossy bread-shaped piece on the plate, she was quick to elaborate.

"It's the specialty of this establishment called mana mints! "

-Mana mint?- Looking at it, I tilted my head a bit. -Seems like it could be interesting...- "Alright, well thanks for checking."

"No worries! Please enjoy your meal! If you need anything, please just ring the bell!" Giving one final bow, she, as well as the two waitresses tending to Krystallo and Hera, quickly stood back up before their way out.

"What a bummer." -I was hoping they'd have some...-

"Yeah, it's not too surprising though." Looking down at her food, Hera used her aura to pop a few mushrooms in her mouth before turning to look out the suite's window at the endless blizzard ripping by. "The blizzard has knocked out all trade, even on the high-end."

"Mmm..." Rustling her feathers as a chill passed down her back from, Krystallo let out a satisfied groan.

"At least they still had these mushrooms..

." Quickly popping another two red and blue mushrooms in her mouth, a drowsy look washed over her face.

"I thought you were exaggerating when you said they were good. .."

Smiling, Hera turned back toward us. "Of course!

Everything this place sells is mana-infused.

Even if you're the most powerful family in the world, you won't eat this stuff often.

" Finally lowering her head and taking a bite of her charred steak, her expression melted.

"Mmm... No matter how many times I get it, it just hits the spot. .."

Seeing them both fall into euphoria after trying theirs, I looked down at my own stuff for a moment before popping a teal mushroom in my mouth first, not really sure what to expect.

-So the waitress said to start with a teal mushroom, then a red and a blue one.

..- Finally crushing it against the roof of my mouth, a huge amount of juice exploded from it, coating my tongue with a really refreshing taste. -Not bad...-

But all it was was a palate cleanser.

Picking up the red and blue ones, as Hera and Krystallo had, I popped them into my mouth, this time having some proper expectations.

But they were instantly blown out of the water. "Oh..." Closing my eyes as I crushed the mushrooms, what could only be described as bliss washed through me. "That... That is good..."

"Hmhm~," Letting out a pleased, smug chuckle, Hera looked over at me. "Try the meat. It's even better."

-Really?- Somewhat lethargically opening my eyes, trying to process the wash of flavor still coursing through my mouth, I reached down and bit off a chunk of the black charred meat.

*Shik* "Oh damn..." Tasting the unbelievably fatty, juicy meat trapped inside the incredible charred and seasoned crust, I closed my eyes, and took a moment to enjoy the warmth of the fireplace while the sounds of the blizzard outside echoed with the crackling of wood.

I honestly had no words.

After savoring it until I had sucked all the juices out, I popped a few more mushrooms in before taking another bite of steak.

"Damn..." I couldn't hold back my voice.

"You know.. I thought you were crazy when you said this place was actually worth the money.

.." Thinking back to the receptionist saying it'd be a platinum per person, I wanted to scoff.

"I might actually become a regular here. .."

"Haha, I told you it was good. Did you not believe me after I said it had been here since I was young?"

"Mmm... I just didn't think of what it took for a restaurant to survive the collapse of draconic society." Taking another bite and falling into bliss, we all ate in silence for a moment, savoring the incredible blend of flavors until our plates were clean.

After some more idle conversation and praise for the food, Hera ordered some sweets as dessert while idle asking the waitresses about the functions of the city, checking in on how things had changed since the blizzard, but even after some deeper probing, we didn't find much we didn't expect.

"Since the blizzard, the number of missing dragons has skyrocketed, but we don't know if that's really odd, since they could just think they can weather the storm and get lost."

"Right..." -Hmm...- "Do you know where we can go to get a list of missing people and where they were last seen?"

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Nodding, the waitress motioned out the window.

"The Knight facility up the road is the central hub for all reports like that.

If you have clearance, you can get it from them, and if not.

.." Quieting down, she quickly looked around to make sure no one else was nearby before leaning in.

"In the eastern district, there is an underground intelligence group.

As far as I've been told, they can find out just about anything as long as you have the money. "

-Oh? That might be something to look into...- But as I looked up at Hera, she seemed like she already knew.

And confirming it, she moved on rather quickly. "What about the Akomi Kai family? Have they been doing anything odd?"

"Not really, although they have turned out to be quite the party animals this year." Chuckling as she covered her mouth with a smile, she quickly bowed again before taking her leave. "In any case, I apologize. I shouldn't have been so informal with guests."

"No worries, please enjoy your evening. If we need anything, we will call you back."

Bowing, she spread her wings and raised her tail. "Of course! I will be ready whenever you need me!" *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Click*

Watching her finally walk out and close the door, Krystallo immediately raised her head from her curled-up position. "Isn't the Akomi Kai family supposed to be a bunch of hermit researchers? Why in the world would they throw a part for the festival?"

"That's a good question..." Hera was quick to agree. "If I had to wager a guess, I'd say it's because of their youngest son. I haven't been keeping my eye on them lately but I heard some people talking about them on the streets."

-Oh?- "What's up with their son?"

"He's been known to wander and had rather regularly gotten caught up in some suspicious activities, even going back as far as that half-breed coup before you saved me.

If you two aren't opposed to it, I'd like to check that out after we head by the Tower of Natural Magic, the weather spire we flew over.

At least assuming we don't need to go take care of things immediately. "

"Sounds like a plan, then. Is there anything else you want to do before that?" Looking at Krystallo, she immediately shook her head with a look of excitement.

This would be her first proper investigation into the world Hera and I lived in, so she was clearly quite excited, even if a bit anxious. -But this is a good starting point...-

As far as Hera and I were aware, we likely wouldn't find much we didn't already know, but it would go to expose some of the connections the criminal underground has to Krystallo. -It might not be a bad idea to swing to the eastern district and show her the information group as well.-

But after popping the absolutely delicious mana mint and leaving the restaurant, Hera seemed to agree.

However, she also had things to add.

Through some previous investigations, Hera had found a number of smaller noble families with fuzzy backgrounds popping up around the city she wanted to check out.

In her words, "During the festival is the best time to trespass without trespassing.

" And with my aura alone, we'd be able to sniff out any trouble, regardless of how well it was hidden.

So, we had things planned out. Given that everything went according to plan, we'd have a fun, but busy month ahead of us where we could enjoy the festival and work a bit on the side at the same time.

But, as things always did, it didn't take long for us to find.. an odd addition.

"Uh-AAH!" *Flutter-THUMP* Tripping over my tail as we turned into the weather spire's entrance, I looked back to see a girl around Krystallo's size, picking up books and papers in a panic before resituating the glasses on her snout with her wing. "I-I-I apologize, sir! I was in a bit of a rush!"

She was completely feathered, with a spotty blend of whites and greys and almost pearlescent white horns similar to what Krystallo used to have. "No need to apologize. Are you alright?"

Nodding somewhat fervently, she tidied herself before turning toward us. "I am, but I need to get inside quickly, if you could..."

-Ah...- Stepping to the side, I gave her room to pass before probing a bit. "What is the rush?"

"I-I'm a researcher working as a data analyst for the tower here, and I found something odd about the data from the storm today.

It shouldn't be anything the public needs to worry about, but I do need to report it.

" Squeezing by, she seemed pretty nervous.

"Please ask the news desk in the building over if you are looking for updates on the storm! "

Watching her run into the spire, eventually disappearing behind a large door, I paused.

"Hm?" Hera seemed to find it odd. "What's up? You notice something about her?"

Squinting my eyes a bit, I watched her run through the spire with my aura before eventually shaking my head. "Something about her just seemed.. familiar."

"Like from your old memories, or-"

"No, no, I mean like her appearance. Her figure is really similar to Krystallo, isn't it?" Although there were certainly differences, her genetic template was exceedingly similar. "Krystallo, has Mother ever had you meet her brothers?"

She immediately shook her head. "Mom said she hasn't spoken to them in decades. Since well before she had us."

-I see...- "Well, then maybe I'm just overthinking it..." -The composition of her feathers is way different.. so...- "In any case, let's head in and see what they know about where this monster of a storm is coming from, shall we?"