Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!-Chapter 59: Not open to negotiation

After Jasper finished speaking, his eyes drifted back to Rory. His expression remained composed, carefully neutral, yet a faint tension threaded its way into his voice, as though the words he was about to say carried more weight than he cared to admit.

"Rory," he said at last, lowering his tone, "Sylas Ruan will probably come looking for you soon." He paused, watching her closely. "Do you... want to see him?"

Rory didn’t hesitate, not even for a heartbeat. She shook her head, firm and decisive, the movement sharp enough to end the question outright.

"We already finalized the dissolution," she replied coolly. Her voice was flat, stripped of sentiment. "Why would I waste time meeting him now?"

Unbidden, a fleeting image crossed her mind: a tall blond man, bloodied and stubbornly upright, whom she had dragged out of danger in the dead of night. The memory flickered like a half-remembered dream, then vanished before it could settle, leaving no trace of longing behind.

"He already compensated me for saving his life," she continued, her tone steady. "And the bond is over. Completely. There’s nothing left tying us together. No obligations. No connection." She lifted her chin slightly. "There’s absolutely no reason to meet."

Compared to reopening old wounds or dredging up broken ties, the Interstellar Hunter Alliance shone like a promise—clean, challenging, and filled with possibility. It was a future she had chosen for herself.

Her eyes brightened as she turned back to Jasper, a spark of unmistakable excitement breaking through her earlier detachment. "Didn’t you promise to take me to the Interstellar Hunter Alliance?" she asked, already half-rising from her seat. "I’ll start packing now. We leave in thirty minutes."

Finally.

She was finally leaving Veridan City.

The thought alone made her chest flutter with excitement. Back when she traveled alone, she never dared to go far—danger lurked everywhere, and she had no one to rely on but herself. Now, with Jasper at her side, the vast interstellar no longer felt threatening. It felt open. Inviting. Full of possibilities.

Just imagining it made her smile.

"Cheep—cheep!"

A small black blur tumbled down the stairs, bumping and rolling more times than could reasonably be counted before finally regaining its footing. Burnt Dumpling had clearly overheard the words "Interstellar Hunter Alliance."

Flapping its stubby wings, scrambling with all its might, it barreled straight toward Rory’s feet.

"Cheep!"

If you’re going to the Interstellar Hunter Alliance, take me and Yuel too!

"Burnt Dumpling?" Rory laughed as she felt something tug insistently at her leg. She bent down and scooped him up. "You want to come with me?"

"Cheep!"

He nodded so hard his entire body bobbed, then tilted his head and used his beak to draw a short horizontal line across her palm.

"Cheep!"

Where’s Yuel?

Rory paused, realization slowly dawning.

She had placed Yuel in the inner pocket of her combat suit earlier, before returning to her room. Burnt Dumpling clearly hoped she had taken proper care of him.

Jasper watched the little creature snuggle shamelessly against Rory and had to suppress the sudden, irrational urge to swallow it whole.

Plenty of birds in the Empire were intelligent.

But this one was far too ugly—and far too bold—to be acting like this in front of her.

Rory, blissfully unaware of Jasper’s inner turmoil, focused instead on Burnt Dumpling pecking careful horizontal and vertical lines into her palm. At first, she didn’t understand. Then memory struck her.

The stick.

The charred stick she had pulled from his body the very first time they met.

"Burnt Dumpling," she said slowly, eyes widening, "you want that stick back, don’t you?"

Burnt Dumpling nodded so violently it was a miracle he didn’t tip over.

"Cheep-cheep!"

Yes! Where’s Yuel?

Rory smacked her forehead in horror. "Oh no... I think I tossed it into the washer with my clothes."

Kather froze in her hands, stunned into complete silence.

Jasper blinked, utterly confused. "Rory... what stick?"

There was no time to explain. Hugging Burnt Dumpling close, Rory rushed to retrieve her combat suit. The smart household robot had already washed, dried, and neatly stored it away. The washer spun with merciless force—there was no guarantee the stick had survived intact.

She pulled the suit free and carefully opened the pocket.

The good news: the stick hadn’t snapped.

The bad news: it was badly bent.

Guilt washed over her as she placed it gently in front of Burnt Dumpling.

"I’m really sorry," she said softly. "I bent your stick."

Kather stared at what had once been straight—now crooked, warped, and incredibly pitiful. Slowly, he lifted his sooty wings and covered his face.

Jasper frowned, staring at the bent stick. Something about it felt strangely familiar, though he couldn’t quite place why. Seeing Rory’s apologetic expression, he offered cautiously, "Do you want me to try straightening it?"

Burnt Dumpling exploded into action before Rory could respond.

His feathers puffed out like a tiny hedgehog as he threw himself over the stick, glaring at Jasper with fierce determination.

"Cheep!"

He has bad intentions!

Yuel would definitely snap in half the moment that man touches him! 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Seeing the tiny creature’s intense resistance, Rory shook her head helplessly. "Never mind. If it breaks, that would be even worse."

She had meant well, but Burnt Dumpling was clearly not open to negotiation.

Clutching the bent stick in his beak, Burnt Dumpling marched across the table to the small potted plant Rory kept in the far right corner. He hopped into the soil, dug out the little wildflower without ceremony, and planted the blackened stick firmly in its place.

Then, using his head, he nudged the pot toward Rory.

Jasper stared at the palm-sized pot now holding a charred, crooked stick instead of a flower. His mouth twitched.

"That thing is literally burnt," he said dryly. "Can it even grow?"

Rory doubted it too—but seeing how reverently Burnt Dumpling treated it, she couldn’t bring herself to say a word.

The poor wildflower had simply... been sacrificed.

"If Burnt Dumpling wants to grow it," she said gently, "then we’ll let him grow it."

After all, the pot itself was nearly worthless.

One star coin could buy five just like it.