Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!-Chapter 157: The method

Yuel turned to look at Vincent and Jasper.

"It’s not that I can’t give you any," he said lazily. "But Nix already said he’d trade equipment for mine. What are you two offering in exchange?"

If they wanted his flowers, that was fine. They just had to pay for them.

Jasper spoke first. "Anything the Hunter Alliance has—if you’ve got your eye on it, it’s yours."

Yuel nodded, then shifted his gaze to Vincent.

"Your Highness?"

Vincent let out a quiet sigh. "Go on. What do you want?"

He already knew—if he wanted to pluck something from Yuel, he’d have to bleed a little himself.

Yuel had been waiting for exactly that sentence.

"My people said your men recently finished developing a barren planet beyond the frontier. I hear the environment is perfect for use as a training ground. Split half of it with me."

Vincent’s expression darkened.

That wasteland had taken two full years of manpower and resources to stabilize and convert. And Yuel wanted half with a single sentence?

Why not just rob him outright?

"You’ve got quite the imagination," Vincent said coolly.

Yuel stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"Don’t refuse so quickly, Your Highness. I won’t be paying in just a few flowers. For the next two years, whenever you need leaves, you’ll have as many as you want. And as for flowers—I’ll provide some every month. You won’t be losing out. How about it?"

His leaves and blossoms grew in proportion to his strengthening abilities.

In the past, most of them had been sold. He had his own forces to maintain—feeding a power base wasn’t cheap.

Now that he had Rory, naturally she came first. Whatever she didn’t use, he could sell.

And selling to family wasn’t so bad.

After all, Yuel’s leaves and flowers were far more effective than any standard healing agent.

Vincent hesitated briefly before nodding.

"As expected, no one ever profits in a deal with you."

Yuel snorted.

"You’ll absolutely come out ahead this time. In the past, I wouldn’t even have considered making this kind of trade with you."

They might have held equal rank and fought side by side many times, but before Rory, they had never been close.

Without her, Yuel would never have dared sell his leaves and flowers to Vincent.

One bad disagreement, and Vincent might report him in a heartbeat.

Yuel might not be spotless—but Vincent was no saint either.

He was perfectly capable of such a move.

Vincent narrowed his eyes.

"Deal."

Was that vine hollow inside? It seemed full of nothing but schemes.

***

Jasper and Nix headed to prepare dinner.

Rory went to Xarion’s room to soothe him.

He had slept the entire day.

When she entered, he was still lying inside his ice crystal coffin, eyes closed, as lifeless as ever.

Rory leaned over to examine him.

His long lashes cast faint shadows over pallid skin. His features were sharp and elegant, like a sculpture carved from cold jade—beautiful, yet devoid of warmth. Only the slight furrow between his brows hinted at lingering frost that refused to melt.

"Xarion?" she called softly.

At the sound of her voice, his eyes slowly opened.

"Female Master."

His gaze, usually dull and heavy with deathly stillness, sharpened slightly when it met hers.

He shifted, intending to sit up.

Rory stopped him. "I’m here to soothe you. Stay lying down."

He nodded obediently, placing his hands back at his sides.

Rory pressed her fingertip lightly to the center of his brow and sent her spiritual power flowing into his mental sea.

With the experience from the previous sessions, she was much more adept at shaping her spiritual energy this time.

She even added small horns to the little snake construct in his mind, turning it into a tiny flood dragon.

The little flood dragon was stronger than the snake, devouring more of the ice spikes embedded in his mental landscape than before.

When it finally shattered from the strain, Rory withdrew her energy and looked down at him.

Xarion opened his eyes again. The usual lifelessness had faded slightly, replaced by the faintest glimmer of light.

"How do you feel?" she asked. "Is it better than before?"

He nodded. "It’s more comfortable than the previous times."

Relief softened her expression.

"I feel like I’ll break through to Rank Six in a few days. When my spiritual power increases, I may be able to clear the ice spikes faster."

"Thank you, Female Master."

He studied her quietly. A loose strand of hair had fallen against her cheek.

Without thinking, he lifted his hand. His cool fingertips brushed her skin as he tucked the strand gently behind her ear.

"Your hair was messy," he said softly.

His voice remained cold and low—but there was a trace of tenderness beneath it.

Heat crept to the tips of Rory’s ears. She instinctively touched the spot he’d brushed.

The chill from his fingers had already faded, leaving behind an unexpected warmth.

"Thank you," she said quickly, rising to her feet. "I’m going to dinner. If you’re not hungry, just keep resting."

Inside her mind, she was screaming.

How had such a simple gesture flustered her so easily?

She had faced battles and storms—why was she blushing over that?

Xarion watched her retreating figure thoughtfully, then glanced at his own hand.

Had he moved too suddenly?

Were his fingers too cold?

He slowly climbed out of the ice crystal coffin and looked down at it in silence.

***

In the kitchen, Nix looked up in surprise when Xarion entered.

"You actually came to the kitchen on your own? That’s shocking."

He plated the last dish, washed his hands, and walked over.

He took out the leaves Yuel had given them and handed a bundle over.

"Yuel gave these to us. His Highness Prince Vincent told me to pass yours along when you woke up."

Xarion accepted the leaves. He didn’t particularly need them—but he wouldn’t reject the gesture.

After putting them away, he took out a tenth-Rank insect core and handed it to Nix.

"Help me with something."

Nix stared at the core in shock. A tenth-Rank insect core was extremely valuable.

Was Xarion asking him to kill someone? 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"What do you need?" Nix asked warily. "I won’t help you kill anyone unless they’re truly wicked and deserve it."

Xarion blinked slowly. "You’re overthinking."

This one’s imagination is impressive, he thought.

"I want you to help me redecorate my room and... myself." He paused. "Use the method Yuel taught you."

He produced two more tenth-Rank insect cores and placed them in Nix’s hand.

"If it’s not enough, I can add more."

"That’s more than enough!" Nix exclaimed quickly—though he only accepted one core.

He hesitated. "You’re sure you want me to use Yuel’s method?"

The method Yuel taught him was specifically for pleasing Rory.

Would that even count as a proper "re-decor" after he was done?

Nix eyed Xarion suspiciously. "Why do you suddenly want to change?"

Xarion answered simply. "To sleep better."

Nix fell silent. He had a strong feeling Xarion didn’t fully understand what Yuel’s method involved.

Trying to be helpful, he said carefully, "Xarion, the method Yuel taught me—it’s meant to charm the Female Master. It’s not exactly—"

"I know," Xarion interrupted. He had come precisely because of the Female Master. "You just tell me what he told you."

He didn’t entirely trust Yuel. That vine had far too many tricks. But Nix was honest; he wouldn’t scheme against him.

Nix scratched his head.

He had never once suspected Xarion of competing for Rory’s affection. Since arriving, the wolf had done nothing but sleep or contemplate death.

Still... redecorating using that method?

How on earth was he supposed to set that up?