Marcus shot a look at the few vivid red fruits in the container, then, doing exactly as Emma had told him, tucked them away. After that, he pulled up his lightcore interface and strode off in search of Lucien. Once she saw Marcus put the fruit out of sight, Emma finally exhaled. The frantic pounding in her chest eased, and over her heart, Lucien's beast mark cooled, no longer scorching hot. That only cemented her suspicion—those fruits were shady. Marcus quickly tracked Lucien down in the command room. Emma had just parted her lips to speak when her lightcore display flickered. A new notification popped up—from the Beastmate Matching System Consort Pavilion. Emma tapped it open. The Beastmate Matching System wrote, 'Greetings, Ms. Emma Tibarn. Congratulations. You have been chosen by the system for a one-time match. You may report to the Consort Pavilion before 5 p.m. today to complete the matching process.If the match is successful, the system will reward you with two Beast God's Fruit, one level twelve beast core, and a box of holy medicine. If you decline, you will receive no reward. Do you accept this match?' Emma stared, stunned. Did I just hit the lottery? Beast God's Fruit, a level twelve beast core, and a box of holy medicine—each item alone was enough to make her eyes burn with greed. What was there to think about? She agreed immediately. Whatever male the system lined up for her was secondary. The loot was what mattered. There was no universe where she'd say no to that. The Beastmate Matching System responded, 'Your decision has been recorded. Please arrive at the Consort Pavilion before 5 p.m. today to proceed with the match.' "What's going on, Emma?" Lucien noticed how fixated she was on her lightcore and spoke up first. At the sound of his voice, Emma lifted her head. "I just got a notice from the Beastmate Matching System…" She turned the screen so Lucien and Marcus could see. Marcus' brows drew together, his expression turning grim. "Since when does the Beastmate Matching System do promos like this? Why have I never heard of it?" Lucien scanned the message in detail, then told Marcus, "The Beastmate Matching System has never rolled out this kind of deal for males. Of course you haven't heard a thing. "I have heard a few Aurelian females mention they got a similar offer, but the rewards were nowhere near this level." Beast God's Fruit, a level twelve beast core, plus a box of holy medicine—any one of those was a rare treasure. Lucien was pretty sure the Beast God was worried Emma might say no, so it stacked the rewards high. Which led to the real question: what kind of beast was the Beast God planning to pair with his dear Emma, that it felt the need to bait her with a pile like this? Don't tell me it is going to be another disaster case like Marcus."Ms. Tibarn, did you accept the match?" Marcus cut in abruptly. Emma nodded. "Yeah, I did. I mean, that much treasure just for saying yes? How could I not?" Marcus had figured as much. Lucien's mouth curved. "Emma made the right call. We can't let that kind of treasure slip away. As for the matched male—if you like him, keep him. If not, you can always file for dissolution." Even if the system chose her, it didn't mean she was chained to the partner it picked. Just like a standard match, she could dissolve it anytime. "Right, Lucien—Lily had the medic send you a few fruits earlier…" With the match issue settled, Emma's tone shifted. She signaled Marcus to take the container out and show Lucien. "The moment I saw these, this wave of anxiety slammed into me, and my beast mark just kept heating up. Once Marcus sealed them away, it stopped." She met Lucien's gaze, voice level. "Lucien, I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with these fruits. And something's off with Lily and Dahlia too. Especially Dahlia—she gives me a really bad vibe. You need to be on guard around her…"Lucien studied the fruit inside the container, then nodded to Emma. "Understood, Emma. I'll assign people to watch them, and I'll stay alert myself." Emma paused, thinking it through. "Lucien, I'm starting to wonder if Dahlia is even a normal human female." If these fruits really were tampered with, then Dahlia and Lily were clearly targeting Lucien. What exactly were they trying to do to him? As the thought snapped into place, Emma leaned closer. "Lucien, how about we do this…" … In the recovery pod, Lily waited, and waited. Time crawled. Lucien still didn't appear. Growing anxious, she turned to Dahlia. "Dahlia, why hasn't Lucien come to see me yet? Don't tell me the medicine you gave me doesn't work?" "Impossible," Dahlia shot back instantly. She had absolute faith in her concoction. No issue there. "Then, why isn't he here?" Lily pushed.Dahlia mulled it over for a moment before responding.