"And those beasts penned up in the enclosures—are they all real?" Emma asked. "All real," Edric replied as he continued driving, his gaze steady on the road. "Emma," he said, "the interiors of these buildings are constructed with spatial stone. You can think of the entire tower as a miniature forest. Our offices are spread throughout that 'forest.' "The beasts we raise here are extraordinarily rare. The energy within their beast cores is far purer than most. "We don't just hunt them—we study them, experimenting with therian methods to accelerate their breeding cycles." Emma finally understood. No wonder she had never seen such creatures before. "What about those herbs?" she asked. "Are you cultivating them?"Edric shook his head. "Herbs can't be cultivated. Even if you force them to grow, the results are nothing like the originals. "We keep them here for their fruit. Some are distributed as rewards to the Alliance staff; others are custom orders from the Central Planet. Once the fruits ripen, they're harvested and sent to the clients who reserved them." Emma was taken aback. She hadn't expected the Hunter Alliance to manage such an extensive enterprise. "Emma, I'll take you to my office," Edric said. His office turned out to be the largest in the entire Alliance. Rare herbs surrounded the area, and countless beasts—species Emma had never even heard of—roamed freely. At the center of it all stood a vast timber house sprawling over ten thousand square feet. She couldn't identify the kind of wood used, but it radiated luxury.The building shimmered beneath a green energy shield—a type Emma had never seen before. It was far more advanced than the low-tier shield protecting the villa she'd stayed in earlier. As their Gravicar approached, the barrier opened a narrow slit on its own, allowing them entry. "Emma, I usually live here," Edric explained. "But I also have an estate on A1. I know some females don't enjoy environments like this. Once you've finished exploring, I can take you to the estate to rest." "No, no—I love it here," Emma said quickly. And she truly did. The place was incredible. They stepped out of the car, and as soon as they entered the house, an advanced, hyper-realistic smart robot glided toward Emma. "Honorable Ms. Tibarn," it said, "welcome home. A male named Corvin Draemont is outside requesting to meet you. Would you like to meet him?""Is it… talking to me?" Emma asked, glancing at Edric in confusion. He nodded. "Yes. I already transferred all permissions to you before we arrived. Emma, this is your place now." Emma stared at him, deeply moved. Edric made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time—complete safety. From the very beginning, he had been open and sincere with her, never hiding his intentions. Overwhelmed, she threw her arms around his waist. "Edric, you're the best." Color rose to his cheeks. He lowered his head, hesitated for a heartbeat, then brushed a gentle kiss against her cheek. "Emma, you're the best too," he said softly. "When I first got the Beastmate System notification, I was terrified. I thought the Beast God might pair me with a female who would look down on a cold-blooded therian—someone who couldn't stand me."But you didn't. You accepted me completely and treated me with kindness. "Meeting you has been the greatest blessing of my life." Edric knew Emma had always lived alone and that the closest person to her was Laura—a female who treated her mate well. So Emma didn't fully understand how most females treated theirs. And when he kissed her just now—she hadn't gotten angry. Instead, she had lit up, her eyes curving like crescent moons, so bright and endearing it almost hurt to look at her. He wanted to kiss her again. "Honorable Ms. Tibarn," the smart robot interrupted, its voice crisp, "Corvin Draemont has requested to see you once more. Would you like to meet him?" The moment shattered. Edric, still flushed, turned to Emma. "Emma, do you know Corvin?" She blinked, trying to recall the name. After a moment's thought, she opened her lightcore, scrolled through her suitor list, and nodded. "He's one of my suitors," she explained. "But he transferred money to me a while back to request a dissolution." "Then why is he here now?" Edric asked, frowning. "I don't know," Emma admitted. "I have only just arrived at the Hunter Alliance. How could he already know I'm here? Don't tell me he's one of your Alliance members?" Edric shook his head. "No, he isn't. Corvin is a renowned mecha master within the Empire. He designed every high-end battleship used by the Empire Army right now. Same goes for advanced mecha and Gravicar models—his creations." He paused, his tone darkening slightly. "He's a once-in-a-millennium genius. Wherever he goes, the Empire government assigns the most powerful Etherians to protect him."