Bathed in the warm sunlight, cat king of the north began discussing with Zhao Yao his responsibilities as the cat king of Jiangmen City.
Actually, there was nothing much required of Zhao Yao. It was simply a title for a figurehead. The day to day management of the city still laid in the hands of the four cat kings.
Furthermore, it was significantly less bureaucratic over at the four cat kings' side as compared to the government. Their only goal was to maintain social stability and to facilitate the dissemination of intel on dissidents. They would assist the government in taking care of apostles or supercats that were uncooperative.
Even though Yue Shan did not accede to the throne as planned, the headless horseman's display of power had lent much credence to this title itself. It was a silver lining behind the entire misadventure.
The only thing that worried cat king of the north was the headless horseman's wild ambitions. He feared deeply that Zhao Yao would leverage on this opportunity to spread his sphere of influence.
However, he realized that his worries were uncalled for after his discussion with Zhao Yao.
Zhao Yao asked, "Will I get paid for my role as cat king of Jiangmen City?"
This question caught cat king of the north by surprise as he struggled to reply, "Erm … no…"
Zhao Yao immediately retorted, "So I'll be doing all this for nothing? This is preposterous. What you are doing is going directly against the labor law. I'm informing that you I expect to get paid when I'm asked to attend various functions in this capacity. Also, all payments must be made in cash."
Cat king of the north tried to pacify him, "But it is an utmost honor to be named the cat king of Jiangmen City!"
"Honor does not feed my stomach." Zhao Yao replied with a curl of his lips, "Shouldn't I have some subordinates working under me? Can I instruct the other cat kings to do my bidding?"
"Theoretically speaking, no." Cat king of the north shook his head violently before continuing, "However, we can help you add the title of cat king in your account on the cat web."
Zhao Yao was somewhat confused by his reply and clarified, "What's the point of that?"
Cat king of the north hesitated before replying, "More people will take note of your words?"
Zhao Yao rolled his eyes instantly.
Even though he was rather disappointed that he would not be able to enjoy any privilege as the cat king, Zhao Yao was rather relieved that no additional responsibilities awaited him. Just the thought of it caused his lips to curl into a smile. Anyway, his objective was just to win Fortune Cat which would accelerate his experience growth and strengthen his true power.
Cat king of the north was similarly pleased with the headless horseman's response. From the looks of it, he was not the ruthless ambition apostle he imagined him to be. Now, they could even use the astounding result of the competition as a springboard to inject stability in the underground world of superpower.
"I bet the participants of the competition will become our best spokesperson."
After cat king of the north took his leave, Zhao Yao focused his attention back to Matcha and began his brainwashing, in order to lure him to go after some female cats.
However, Matcha remained completely indifferent to Zhao Yao's words. After all the talking, he simply stared at Zhao Yao and said, "What's the point of going after all these country bumpkins? I want to meet Diana when I get home. You promised me her hand in marriage if I become the cat king!"
Roly Poly eavesdropped on the conversation and slid Matcha a condescending glare, "Hmph, his head is completely contaminated with lust. How can he ever match up to me? However, I feel left out being invisible all day. Has Zhao Yao forgotten about me already?"
Zhao Yao's forehead creased together when Matcha's words rang in his head, "No, I need to attract Matcha's attention to this important mission." Instantly, he grabbed Matcha by his neck before bringing him away.
"Meow! Zhao Yao, what are you trying to do?"
Matcha struggled with all his might but it was futile. Every timefreeze would culminate in a fruitless struggle before landing right back in Zhao Yao's hands. Matcha was no match for Zhao Yao since they shared the exact same ability.
Zhao Yao dangled Matcha by his neck and comforted him, "Alright, just stop struggling. I'm trying to help you get laid."
Matcha's heart softened when he heard those enticing words. The pushes and shovels grew weaker but he continued exclaiming, "No! I don't want to get laid! I want to preserve my purity for Diana!"
Zhao Yao had known Matcha since the day he was born and knew exactly what he was like. A bone-chilling scream coupled with a feeble struggle just meant that he did not mean his words. With that, Zhao Yao brought Matcha into the cabins in search of a female cat.
Zhao Yao swung the door open into the third-floor cabin. Suddenly, everyone stood rooted to their spot with the cabin developed in pin-drop silence. All eyes were focused on Zhao Yao and no one had any idea what he was planning to do.
This was the power of influence that came along with absolute strength. No one dared to even lift a finger with the headless horseman's arrival.
A moment of silence ensued since Zhao Yao's arrival before his lips parted, "Erm … is anyone's cat interested in breeding a new batch of kittens? I can provide a male cat for free!"
Anger seared through Matcha when he heard those demeaning words and began meowing at the top of his voice, "You call that getting me laid? You are just humiliating me in front of everyone! Quick! Let me down right now!"
However, everyone's eyes lit up when they heard those seemingly ridiculous words.
Everyone had witnessed for themselves just how strong the headless horseman was. The opportunity to breed with his supercat was simply a godsend!
The world of supercats was still a nascent field in the midst of development and no one knew whether superpowers were hereditary if supercats bred together. However, this was a valuable opportunity which came once in a lifetime.
Hence, an amazing scene happened. Throngs of apostles swarmed towards Zhao Yao and asked, "Dear headless horseman, how do you find this female cat here?"
Even though the bulk of the contestants were stray supercats, many cat kings were domestic supercats belonging to apostles like Liu Yun, Xiao Yu, and Zhao Yao.
Matcha's struggles grew weaker and weaker when the crowd of apostles surrounded them and began to sell their supercats. Images of pedigree female cats drowning him in affection began to flood in his mind.
However, supercat breeding was vastly different from a conventional cat breeding. With their human-like intelligence, the success of the breeding not only hinged on the apostles' approval but also depended on the cat's inclinations.
Furthermore, Zhao Yao's mission required all female cats to develop a liking for Matcha.
Hence, Zhao Yao threw his hands in the air to get all their attention, "Everyone, do not get too excited. You can never force anything or anyone into a relationship. Thus, I would like you to bring your cats forward to allow them to interact and engage. A fulfilling relationship requires two committed partners."
The apostles scurried all over the place and brought their precious supercats to meet Matcha for this widely-anticipated blind date assembly.
Xiao Yu stared wide-eyed at this bewildering scene and asked, "What the hell are you trying to do?"
"I am trying to help my cat find his soul partner." Zhao Yao replied sternly, "He is old enough to start his own family already."
Ten minutes later, Matcha sat on an imposing chair with a smug expression. He stared at the orange cat in front of him with a look of disdain before slamming his snow-white paws against the table and roared, "Where is my light? I need to switch off the light in order to eliminate this contestant!"
"F*ck you! Do you actually take this as If You Are The One?" Zhao Yao slammed his hands against his head before reminding him, "Engage in a meaningful conversation and leave a good impression on these girls."
Matcha then greeted her with a wide grin before asking, "Hi, may I know what your name is? What do you do or a living? How old are you?"