"Never expected to find spider silk this nice so far away from the southern continent. I wonder if they migrated" Misty says admiring the find with a finger.

"Spider silk huh?" Silva says, equally impressed with the fabric. "It’s shiny."

"Mhm, and it takes dyes really well. It’s every tailors dream fabric."

"Oh? Are you going to make clothes?"

"What? I’m a dragon, of course not. I’m going to use it as bed-sheets. I was just making small talk. Don’t over-think things." Misty says with a laugh.

Although saying as much Silva couldn’t help but wonder if that was really the truth. She clearly made the clothes she was currently wearing so there is no doubt she has some skills in sewing.

Purchasing a mattress and decorative headboard proved cheaper than Silva expected. Misty chose a duck-feather-stuft bed and a simple wood bed frame carved with the appearance of dragon scales. Had there not been such a bed Misty would have probably chosen a Gold or Silver adorned frame. But the dragon scales suited her more, even if it was cheaper.

The furniture dealer, although somewhat confused about the delivery location, accepted without a hint of hesitation once he spotted the bank’s rating on his account in the ledger. Anyone above a C rating should be accommodated to the utmost level. And Silva, having never spent a single coin possessed an S rating.

Misty also chose a set of table and chairs. The table was a pale wood with a split down the center in order to lengthen it if needed. It could extend to nearly twenty feet with all leaves installed.

The seller happily agreed to add the load to the cart without an additional charge.

Deciding to next shop for ingredients the two departed downtown.

The roads in this area were much more crowded. Carts and hand-drawn wagons crisscrossed each-other. A few alleys were turned to makeshift markets, yet there was still a sense of organization. Each shop kept within its boundary and the area was clean and inviting.

Misty spotted a fruit hanging from a stand and happily plucked a handful of them handing the elderly woman a handful of copper coins in exchange. She tossed one to Silva and placed the rest in a small pouch she carried.

Sniffing at the fruit carefully Silva took a bite and squinted at the sour flavor. "Woah!"

"Hehe, It’s really good for cooking though. You should try it with fish." Both Misty and the old shop keeper laugh at the reaction.

Silva couldn’t help but agree with the thought. Though as they walked through the market he couldn’t help thinking back to the suggestion. "Do dragons cook?"

"Ah. Nope, when I was a dragon I would catch a large fish and eat it in a grove that grew these fruits. Between bites of meat I would chew one. That’s how I got the idea."

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"You eat it raw?" Silva asks curiously.

"Mhm, before I could use fire magic I did."

"Was raw fish tasty?"

"It's not particularly different. Red dragons endlessly brag about the superiority of cooked food so I decided to learn it. But honestly I never paid much attention to the taste… Other than supplementing flavor with the sour fruits."

Silva had never worked with fish before. Bear could catch them without a problem but carrying them back was difficult. Fish are fleshy and soft and in the grasp of Bear’s jaws they tend to fall apart. To date, Silva had never actually seen the nearby river. His water supply was still the small puddle hundreds of yards from his home.

"Look, look." Misty shouts gripping at Silva’s coat sleeve.

Following her finger he spotted a fish twice the size of his head. The bald shop-keep instantly knew he had a sale when he saw the girls excitement. Drawing the two in he began to brag about the fish endlessly.

Obviously the river couldn’t support fish of this size and fishing without permit is a crime so the only way to support a fish market in a town like this is with fish farming.

The bald shop-keep owned three of the twenty artificial lakes within the cities limits. Two grew long eel-like fish while the last grew the behemoth's that sat atop ice on the top shelf of the small stand.

The largest of the large fish sold for over a hundred coins. The cheapest was sixty five.

"Pudge is one of the highest delicacies in some foreign countries. Its fat content is extremely high and these were fed a diet of mainly corn and grains which makes the fat extremely delicious." The shop-keep boasted poking at the fish and demonstrating the rapid rebound. "I personally guarantee any meal you make with it will be a feast unlike any you have ever tasted."

Silva glanced at Misty who nodded in confirmation of his words.

"That’s a good fish, you should get it." Philips voice from behind also agrees assuring him of his decision.

"Alright, I’ll buy… Wait… Philip?" Silva says turning his head to gauge weather it might have been an auditory hallucination.

"My people said you were in town so I came to see what you were doing. You could have come visit you know!" Philip lightly pouts. "But I suppose this is a worthwhile detour for you. Oh right I finished preparing some good candidates for you. I can have them assemble. Hold on one moment."

The king whispered some words to a guard beside him causing him to run off towards the castle.

"Ah, right the maid. Here, hold this." Silva says, paying the bald shop-keep the hundred coin rod and handing the fish to Misty.

With that he ran off as fast as possible.

Misty and Philip exchange a glance.

"Huh…" Misty says looking at the fish and the direction Silva had ran.

"Perhaps he doesn’t want a maid?"

"Ah… Right. We did kind of force that on him." Misty nods understanding her own culpability in the matter. Her joke about dragon breath really seemed to put a bit of pressure on him.

"Well when he meets them he will change his mind. They are all extremely eager. When I explained to my staff that a good friend of mine was interested in hiring we had many volunteers. They are all good girls. All of them are extremely loyal." Philip says with a hint of fatherly pride. "But where do you suppose he ran off to?"

"Ah, its no issue. I can track him."

"Track…?"

"His smell is rather unique. I locked onto it firmly when asleep in his bed."

"You… I… I see." Philip says widening his eyes and leaving the topic as quickly as possible with blushed cheeks.