Three days later.
Having successfully advanced to Tier Four, Rory left the training room in her villa in rather high spirits. She headed straight back to her bedroom, took a quick, refreshing shower, and changed into clean clothes.
Then she hopped into her red hovercar and sped toward the Astrium Female Matching Center, her heart fluttering at the mere thought of what was awaiting her.
The moment she walked out of the training room earlier, she had already received a system notification from the Astrium Female Matching Center.
[Esteemed Female Roanna Smith, System Notification:]
[You have officially reached the age of twenty-three today. Please proceed to the Astrium Female Matching Center in Veridan City before 5:00 PM to undergo partner matching.]
[Friendly reminder: Failure to arrive on time will result in a penalty of 10,000 star coins per day, which will be automatically deducted from your account.]
She had timed her breakthrough perfectly.
A deduction of star coins?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible. She would never let herself lose so much money!
Ten minutes later.
The hovercar came to a smooth stop in front of the Astrium Female Matching Center. The large, white stone building towered over her like a sun-lit mountain, its long, narrow windows shimmering under the lights as if dusted with star powder.
After stepping out, Rory parked the vehicle in her ring and walked briskly inside, feeling even more excited now.
She owned three spatial rings: one for preserving mutant beast materials, one for valuables, and one exclusively for her hovercar.
"Esteemed Female Roanna Smith, your identity and rank information have been successfully recorded."
The staff member announced the moment Rory made eye contact with him.
"The system will now collect a drop of your blood. Please place your finger here."
Looking at the instrument the staff member presented, Rory followed the instructions and placed her finger directly on it.
It took only three seconds.
She felt nothing at all—not even a prick. When she withdrew her finger, there wasn't so much as a pinhole left behind.
"Esteemed Female Roanna Smith, you are now a Tier Four ability user. The Beast God System will match you with nine compatible partners."
"Their ranks will generally fall around Tier Five, Six, or Seven. In special cases, Tier Eight, Nine, or even Tier Ten matches may occur. Are you aware of this?"
"Tier Nine… or even Tier Ten males?!" Rory exclaimed in shock, her eyes widening.
"Yes," the staff member replied calmly. "It's rare, but it does happen."
"What if their rank is too high and I can't soothe them?" Rory asked, feeling slightly worried now.
She didn't mind—higher rank usually meant better looks.
She was more worried that they might mind. After all, the higher the rank, the more pride those beastmen possessed.
"There's no need to worry," the staff member explained patiently. "After matching, you and your partners will have a three-month bonding period."
"If within those three months you are unable to soothe them, or they choose not to form a bond with you, you may apply to the Beast God System to dissolve the match."
The staff member paused before adding, "It's fair to both you and your matched partners."
Rory nodded in understanding.
The Beast God System essentially provided a three-month trial marriage period.
If it worked, they stayed together. If not, they parted ways.
It all seemed surprisingly humane.
Most of Rory's time had been spent in the forests—hunting mutant beasts, harvesting beast cores, advancing her rank, and earning star coins.
She hadn't paid much attention to these finer details before. Now, it all seemed but a daunting chore.
She nodded after a long pause. "Alright, I understand."
The staff member continued, "Once you and your partners successfully form bonds within three months, you will receive the Beast God's blessing."
"The system will grant you one million star coins."
"Additionally, all assets belonging to your partners will be transferred under your name."
What? It was actually that good of a deal?
If the system matched her with a wealthy elite, then wouldn't she become rich overnight?
Keeping her expression composed, Rory nodded calmly, struggling to keep her emotions in check. "Understood."
Even though most of these rules were common knowledge, the formal procedures still had to be completed.
The staff member went on, "Esteemed Female Roanna Smith, after forming bonds, you will hold absolute authority over your partners.
They will benefit from your soothing, and from the effort you put into helping them advance.
In return, they must remain loyal, cherish you, place you above all else, and work to strengthen your power.
After bonding, betrayal is forbidden. Should any partner harm or betray you, all you need to do is cut through their beast mark—the Beast God will personally deliver divine punishment."
Rory nodded again. She already knew this.
The staff member smiled politely. "We will now proceed with partner matching. In five minutes, the matching results will be sent to your light-brain."
"The partners assigned by the Beast God System all have clean records.
"For the first three months after initial matching, both parties will only be able to see each other's names, ages, and contact information.
"All other permissions will only be unlocked after a successful bond is formed."
So she wouldn't know their identities, professions, or assets—only their names and ages.
It was like opening blind boxes.
It was not ideal, but Rory still found it oddly exciting.
Ding!
A notification chime sounded from her light-brain.
She opened it, and a message from the Matching Center popped up immediately.
[Esteemed Female Roanna Smith:]
[Your nine partners have been successfully matched.
The Beast God System has now added their light-brain accounts to your contact list.]
So the system added them directly?
Rory glanced at her contact list.
She had only five friends on her light-brain.