"Okay." Emma nodded and ignored Damian, heading to the kitchen to grab a few things before finding Laura. After watching her leave, Damian went upstairs to pick a room on the second floor. There were four rooms. Drake had already claimed the largest, so Damian chose the one closest to the stairs leading to the third floor. He pushed the door open and frowned at the plain interior. He had to keep up the act—pretending to be broke and useless—so no redecorating. The only consolation was that the room was clean. He could manage it for now. The real priority was to get all of Emma's other male matches here as quickly as possible. The sooner he scammed them out of their star coins, the sooner he could return to Central Planet. Every extra day on this dump of a planet felt like torture.After checking the room, he made his way to Drake's bedroom. This is where Emma's first match is—time to collect a little favor. He rapped on the door. Inside, Drake lounged lazily on the bed, absorbing the energy of the Rank 8 beast core. The moment Damian arrived at the villa, Drake's mental power tracked him. Every step, every move—Drake knew it all. Few knew Damian's true identity, since he never appeared in public. Yet, as a lord of one of the three territories allied with NexusPrime Tech, Drake had met him before. Damian was the new star lord of the Ashenflame Fox from Central Planet—the Interstellar Empire's money guy. And now, unexpectedly, he was also one of Emma's matches. Creak!The door opened automatically. Damian started to speak, but froze. On the massive beast core bed lay Drake—also a match for Emma. His eyes widened, and his voice caught in his throat. Drake's casual gaze landed on him. "Mr. Voss, do you need something?" Hard to tell if Emma's luck is good or bad—ending up matched with Drake feels like a gamble. Damian wiped sweat from his brow and forced a polite smile. "I just wanted to greet the other matches. Didn't expect you'd be here. Sorry to disturb your training." D*mn it, and I run straight into someone impossible to mess with.What terrible luck! Drakonids are usually lazy, doing nothing but hoarding treasures and sleeping on them. They're strong—on par with the Aurelias—but most stay holed up in the Thalassian Palace.Then comes Drake. He doesn't like to sleep. Every day, he's either training to ascend or grabbing territory, expanding the Drakonids' domain. He's already Rank 11. Of the original four major territories, three belong to the Drakonids. The last one, the Frostveil, is still untouched—only because a peak Rank 10 Wolf King showed up, and with the Beast God's blessing, Drake hasn't claimed it yet. This person throws a fit at the slightest provocation, showing no regard for reason at all.He's a total lunatic! Drake's forces had seized Damian's shipments to the territories. If the two elders from Central Planet hadn't mediated, and if Damian hadn't promised perks, NexusPrime Tech would've never entered the territories. At least the profits were decent. Even after giving Drake all those concessions, Damian hadn't lost out. "Didn't expect you to be a match for Emma too. What a coincidence." Damian stayed at the doorway, cautious. Things had just gotten complicated. Drake knew who he was—if he told Emma, she'd never agree to end their match. Drake scanned Damian, clearly annoyed at the forced smile. He preferred strength over scheming beasts. "Cut the flattery. Just tell me what you want." His lazy voice carried cold impatience. Damian had dealt with Drake before and was familiar with his style. He inhaled deeply and spoke sincerely. "Mr. Smith, let's make a deal. Besides you and me, there are seven other matches for Emma who haven't arrived yet." "I know Drakonids are fiercely possessive, especially you. With your strength, you could dominate the entire interstellar. I'm guessing you won't want to share your mate with other males." Drakonids weren't just possessive—they were insatiable in that regard. There had even been cases where a Drakonid killed off other matches just to keep their mate for themselves.