Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!-Chapter 27: Worthless trinket

Jasper replied promptly, his tone gentle and attentive.

"Alright, Female Master. Focus on your training and don’t push yourself too hard." After a brief pause, he added, "When you head out to hunt, send me your location. I’ll make my way to Veridan City and meet you there as soon as I arrive."

Standing a short distance away, several of Jasper’s subordinates exchanged baffled looks as they caught sight of the expression on his face.

The cold-blooded commander—once feared across battlefields—was smiling like an infatuated youth.

One of them leaned closer and whispered incredulously, "What kind of mate did the boss get matched with? Look at him... smiling like he’s fallen headfirst into love. Is this really the same ruthless lunatic we used to follow?"

Another snorted softly. "Same man, different state of mind. It’s like some unseen beast ran off with his brain and never brought it back."

Jasper shot them a sharp glare that instantly silenced the murmurs, though he didn’t bother reprimanding them further. What could a pair of unmated males possibly understand? If he didn’t behave gently and obediently in front of her, how else would Rory ever grow fond of him?

Closing his conversation with Rory, Jasper opened another interface on his light-brain and sent a message to Dax.

"Buddy," he typed, "did you deliver the gift to the Female Master for me?"

At that very moment, Dax was sulking alone in his room, irritation simmering just beneath the surface. When Jasper’s message appeared, he scoffed openly. A gift again? That fool only knew how to grovel for female favor. Did he truly believe throwing money and trinkets around would secure her affection?

Dax’s thoughts turned dark and cynical.

Females like her are fickle. She might smile at you today and accept your offerings, but tomorrow she’ll take the same gifts and use them to please another male. You’ll be left with nothing—used, humiliated, and forgotten.

When no reply came, Jasper sent another message, urgency creeping into his words.

"Hey, are you there?"

With an annoyed sigh, Dax finally activated his light-brain and responded curtly.

"I’m here. I have the gift. But the Female Master is still in the training room. I can’t give it to her yet. Once she’s finished, I’ll make sure it reaches her immediately."

Jasper nodded in satisfaction as he read the reply.

"Thanks, buddy. I appreciate it."

Almost immediately, Dax’s interface chimed with a transfer notification—five million star coins. His sour expression softened just a fraction as he stared at the number.

"At least he knows how to show gratitude," Dax muttered under his breath.

Rory didn’t emerge from the training room until evening fell. This time, the results were unmistakable. With enough fifth-tier beast cores fueling her growth, her strength had surged noticeably, energy flowing through her veins with renewed clarity and force.

After the next hunt, she planned to enter a period of secluded training. She was confident—no, certain—that she could advance to Rank Five within a month.

This was her greatest secret. Unlike most Etherians within the Interstellar Beast World, Rory faced no bottlenecks in advancement. As long as she possessed enough beast or insect cores, she could continuously absorb their energy and break through ranks with frightening speed.

Leaving the training room, she took a quick shower and downed a tube of nutrient fluid. It was late, and she lacked the energy to cook. Once finished, she stepped out of her room, intending to head toward Paros’s quarters to provide mental comfort.

"Female Master."

Dax, who had been waiting on the second floor, stepped forward and blocked her path.

Rory’s eyes sharpened instantly. "What is it?"

Dax held out an exquisitely crafted red gift box, its surface gleaming under the corridor lights. "This is a gift from Jasper. He asked me to deliver it to you."

Rory frowned slightly. A gift from Jasper... delivered by Dax? That alone felt strange. She accepted the box, her expression calm but unreadable. "Are you close with Jasper? If this was meant for me, why didn’t he send it directly to my residence?"

Dax’s face twisted into an embarrassed, almost reluctant expression. "He said he’s terrible at choosing gifts for females, so he asked me to help. I picked several options, but in the end..." He gestured helplessly at the box in her hands. "He chose this."

"Go on," he urged. "Open it."

Rory lowered her gaze to the box. After a moment’s thought, she lifted the lid.

Inside lay a necklace—a fine gold chain adorned with a teardrop-shaped gemstone, deep violet-black in color. It shimmered subtly, reminiscent of the obsidian sheen of an ophidian’s tail—the very one Jasper had shown her the day before. To her surprise, she found herself liking it quite a lot.

Dax stared at the necklace and released an exaggerated sigh. "Female Master, please don’t be upset with Jasper. He’s probably short on credits and couldn’t afford anything better. That’s why he gave you this... rather worthless trinket, made from discarded ore."

So that was his angle. Rory wasn’t surprised. Dax would never deliver something for Jasper out of kindness alone. And after the staggering amount of star coins Jasper had transferred the day before, the idea that he was broke was laughable.

Still, one question lingered. Why would Jasper let Dax choose a gift for him at all? Jasper was obedient to a fault. Had this fox deliberately misled him?

When Rory remained silent, her gaze fixed on the necklace, Dax pressed harder.

"I warned him," Dax continued smoothly. "I told him giving you something this cheap would be insulting. But he didn’t care. It’s obvious he doesn’t truly value you."

He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Female Master, I know this must upset you. Give me the necklace—I’ll dispose of it for you."

Any high-ranking Etherian would scoff at such an item, but in the lower-tier markets of Starlight Prime Tech, it would still fetch a respectable price.

"That won’t be necessary."

To Dax’s complete shock, Rory lifted the necklace from the box, her eyes bright with unmistakable delight. Without hesitation, she fastened it around her neck, the violet-black gemstone resting perfectly against her skin.

Dax froze. Is she being serious right now?