This was too good an opportunity—she wasn't about to let it slip by. Laura wasn't surprised by Emma's answer. "I knew you'd go." Back in the day, if she'd known Chitinids were nearby, Laura wouldn't have told her. Yet things were different now. Emma had a partner, and even if she ran into Chitinids, he would protect her. She wasn't alone anymore. Thinking of Emma's match, Laura smiled and asked, "So, your matches should all be here by now. How's it going with them?" Emma sighed. "Guess I'm unlucky. Only two showed up, two broke it off, and the rest? No word at all. I can only bring one Rank 5 match with me this time." Drake definitely wasn't coming. The only one left was Damian, who still didn't know what was going on. Judging by him, she'd likely have to rely on herself anyway."What?" Laura stared at her, shocked. "They actually broke it off with you and didn't even contact you? Are those guys insane?" Emma nodded, disappointed. "Maybe they think I'm too weak—a Rank 4 Etherian." Laura was furious. "Seriously, the Beast God must've spoiled them. How dare they treat you like this!" "Don't worry, Emma. If they don't contact you, break it off yourself. In three months, the Beast God will match you with nine better matches." The Beastmate System's rules were clear: if a female successfully matches with more than five males the first time, she has to wait three years to match again. However, if the first match fails and she breaks off five or more out of nine, she can try again in a month. Emma wasn't in a rush. If this attempt failed, she'd just wait until she reached Rank 5 before matching again. Higher tiers meant stronger, more visually appealing matches. "Don't worry, Laura. I'm fine. If they lose a great female like me, that's their loss." … After sorting out departure time and gear, Emma didn't overstay her welcome. She handed Laura some homemade fruit wine and hurried off. Instead of going straight home, she stopped downtown to pick up gear. By the time she returned, it was 4 p.m. Drake hadn't left his room all day. Damian was sprawled on the couch, bored, scrolling through his device while waiting. Ding dong! The front door opened, and Damian jumped up, running to her. Seeing Emma, he grinned like a doting husband waiting for her wife. "Ms. Tibarn, you're finally back! I've been waiting forever!""Do you need something?" Emma asked. Didn't I tell him to rest in his room? Damian scratched his stomach, embarrassed. "Ms. Tibarn, I'm starving. I gave all my star coins to a friend to get here. Now I have none to buy nutrient fluid." Now that he was here, Emma couldn't just ignore him. If he kept asking for nutrient fluid daily, she'd get fed up and probably break the match herself. Ah—nutrient fluid. Emma generously pulled five packs from her storage band and handed them to him. "Here." These were the cheapest packs in the Interstellar Empire, twenty each. She didn't mind giving them away. Damian could have as many as he wanted. "Ms. Tibarn, you actually drink these?" Damian stared at the packs in disbelief. Even beasts wouldn't touch this stuff. And she's giving them to me?She nodded. "Yep. When I first arrived in the Interstellar Empire, I had no money. All my star coins went to buying beast cores, so this was all I could afford." Damian's mouth twitched. These packs were made by NexusPrime Tech using the nastiest beast organs—stuff nobody wanted. Cheap and plentiful, they were common for low-income Subtherian. He couldn't believe Emma had been so broke that she had to drink this. Seeing his conflicted expression, she urged, "Aren't you hungry? Drink up! I know it tastes bad, but I'm broke. You'll just have to make do for now."