RISE OF EROS

The next day, everyone woke up early. Well, Aki and Zany did, since Andrew and Oliver didn't sleep, as they were on guard duty. It is true that there were no signs of threats from anyone, but still, they weren't close enough to the Pixoy family to be that trusting.

Although Aki and Zany slept like rocks, it was mostly because they knew Oliver would be keeping watch, but Andrew couldn't be as relaxed as they were. They quickly showered, and just as they finished getting ready, a knock was heard at the door.

Oliver answered, and there stood the same vampire butler who had guided Andrew the previous day from Zaros's study to the dining room. "Good morning. The duke invites you to breakfast," he said politely.

Although he knew they wouldn't refuse, Oliver didn't answer; instead, he consulted with Andrew. Shortly after, Andrew came to the door, and as Oliver had thought, he accepted the invitation to breakfast.

The vampire butler guided them back to the dining room, but this time only Damon and Abigale were there. When they saw Andrew's group arrive, they stood up and greeted them with respect.

"How was your night?" Damon asked, to which Andrew replied, "Wonderful, thank you for the hospitality." Although that wasn't entirely true—since he hadn't slept—it couldn't be denied that the room they were given was luxurious and cozy. At least Aki and Zany had enjoyed it.

"Well, no need to stand, let's sit down and eat. The food is already on its way," Abigale intervened. Accepting her words, everyone sat at the table. As if they were waiting for them to sit, the doors of the room opened, and several vampires entered, pushing carts just like during the previous night's dinner.

To be honest, the breakfasts in this world weren't to Andrew's liking, as they always consisted of various types of bread, some smoked meats with unappetizing cheeses, or porridges made from something similar to oats.

More specifically, breakfasts in this world weren't regular meals, and that's why the inhabitants didn't put much effort into them. Despite eating three meals a day, the important ones were lunch and dinner, making breakfast the least elaborate.

Andrew wasn't very excited for this reason, but when the dishes were uncovered, he was surprised. Everyone present could see Andrew's eyes light up like stars.

Damon, thinking Andrew was surprised by the food that wasn't common in other parts of the continent, smiled and said, "It's a collection of typical products from the surrounding countries; I doubt you'll find them elsewhere."

Although Damon was right, Andrew wasn't surprised by that. He was stunned by how familiar this food looked. Surprisingly, it was scrambled eggs, with what seemed like bacon, and mashed potatoes with melted cheese on top.

Even the drinks were special. The cold drink appeared to be orange juice—it at least looked and tasted similar—and the hot drink was surprisingly coffee. The most incredible thing was that in this world, it was also called coffee.

Excited, Andrew began eating. Everything looked familiar, resembling what he had seen on Earth, but he knew that in this world, animals like chickens, cows, and pigs didn't exist.

Although they had counterparts, they weren't as easy to raise, and their products weren't the same. So, even though this breakfast looked like what he ate on Earth, he wanted to check its taste.

After the first bite, not only Andrew gasped in surprise, but his wives and even Oliver reacted. "This is delicious," Aki commented cheerfully, and Zany nodded in agreement like a bird pecking at rice.

"Hahaha, I'm glad you like it. This is common in Cannes, though it's expensive," Abigale said with joy, encouraging them to continue eating. Andrew didn't comment; he simply kept devouring as much as he could.

Even his wives were surprised to see him so excited about eating. Andrew had lost all sense of decorum and etiquette, as the taste was so nostalgic that he wanted to eat as much as he could.

No matter how much he wanted to eat and how delicious the food was, he had to finish at some point. After the waiters cleared the plates, tea was served, and they all stayed at the table talking. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Being a coffee lover, Andrew preferred a second cup instead of tea, surprising everyone, especially Damon and Abigale, as they also liked the dark beverage.

It seemed that vampires had a special fondness for coffee. It wasn't as powerful as blood, but if they had to choose a second option, it would be coffee. This wasn't unique to the Pixoy family, but something that dated back to ancient times.

Even in the heyday of the Lost Continent, before the Fallen God appeared, vampires had vast coffee plantations, and they still do today, though not as many as before.

"I was surprised to see young Andrew lose control over the food," Damon said jokingly, slightly embarrassing Andrew. Before he could respond, Damon added, "Also, I didn't expect you to like coffee. For most people, it's a bit bitter."

Andrew smiled and made something up, "A long time ago, I tried a similar drink that I really liked, but I never knew what it was called. Also, it's true that it's bitter, but I like the flavor. However, you can mix it with sugar or milk to make it less bitter."

Damon and Abigale were surprised by his comment. They looked at Andrew with some curiosity, and Abigale broke the silence, "I understand the sugar part, but how did you come up with the milk?".

Now it was Andrew's turn to be surprised, as he didn't understand the question, "What's so strange about adding milk to coffee?", he thought, but still answered, "Well, the sweetness of the milk reduces the bitterness, making it more like tea."

As if they'd had a revelation, Abigale and Damon called a servant to bring milk. Seeing them so eager, Andrew was confused. He didn't think that coffee with milk was such a big deal, but apparently, he was wrong.

When they mixed the two drinks and tasted them, they were surprised by the unique flavor. Aki and Zany, who weren't fans of coffee's bitterness, also tried the coffee with milk and liked it.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Andrew asked, "I see you're very excited, but this isn't a big discovery. Why so much surprise?" Damon looked at him strangely and replied, "How is this not a big discovery?"

"Huh?" Andrew looked confused. Damon, seeing his reaction, guessed what he was thinking and explained, "You may not believe it, but it really is a big discovery." In disbelief, Andrew asked, "Has no one really thought of mixing those drinks?"

Abigale and Damon just shook their heads. Andrew was stunned by this revelation, but at that moment, Fluffy spoke to him, "Master, this world places great importance on symbolism, and colors are part of that. It's not that people aren't adventurous or don't experiment, but few would mix black and white this way."

Andrew didn't fully understand what Fluffy was explaining, so his divine beast continued, "In simple terms, the minds of the inhabitants of this world are almost programmed. Black and white are opposites, so the idea of combining them is hard to come by."

Now that he understood, Andrew could only smile bitterly, as he had never thought something like this existed in this world. Despite everything, he didn't dwell on it much and continued chatting with Damon and Abigale.

After tasting such a breakfast, Andrew wouldn't be able to go back to the bland breakfasts from before, so he had to learn everything about the products used.

It turned out that the eggs came from a strange firebird—not exactly a domestic animal—but they had managed to tame it to some extent. However, the care of the birds and their eggs was special, and not even Damon knew the details.

The bacon came from a long-haired boar, but it required special preparation to make it juicy and not tough. The potatoes were common, but the cheese was made from the milk of a mountain goat raised by dwarves.

In short, all the products were premium but not difficult to find, just expensive. Still, Andrew was willing to spend money to enjoy these delicacies, so he took note of everything.

What he didn't know was that Aki and Zany were more attentive than he was. These two might have been muscleheads, but they were still Andrew's wives, so they paid close attention.

They'd be foolish not to notice how much their husband enjoyed the breakfast, so they burned all this into their minds to tell Candice, Carolina, and Victoria—the merchants of the group of wives—so they could obtain these items.

Even though Andrew could get them on his own and with his money, Aki and Zany thought it would be a better gift if they were the ones to do it. After discussing the food, they moved on to talk about the establishment that Damon was planning to give to Andrew.

Andrew tried to refuse again, but Damon wouldn't allow it, and there was no way to argue. After resting from the meal, Damon took Andrew and the others to the pleasure house, Los Lirios, to check its condition.

When the owner saw Damon accompanying Andrew, he immediately showed respect and gave them a detailed tour. This establishment met Andrew's needs, but he didn't like the attention he was attracting due to Damon's presence.

Despite everything, Andrew understood that this was Damon's way of telling everyone that they were under protection. Although uncomfortable, Andrew appreciated the gesture, as it would allow him to do business without trouble, on the contrary as he had done everywhere else he'd been.