The fragrance of catnip lingered in the main hall of the main tower of the Uthar Holy Temple. Great Elder Atal sat cross-legged on a spacious stone chair. Around him, there were many cats dozing lazily, their moist noses wrinkling from time to time.
The scent of catnip in the air was indiscernible to humans but for the cats, it was the ultimate enjoyment.
On both sides of the hall, there were all kinds of cats either standing or lying down. The variety of cats would definitely amaze catologists. There were black, white, gray, orange, variegated, tiger-striped, and so on. There were leopard cats, Manx cats, Angora cats, short-haired cats, Scottish Fold cats …
It was the sheer number of cats that caused the Zoogs who were like criminals in the middle of the hall to shiver uncontrollably.
The Zoog Lucky was captured as well. Of course, the evil Zoog who was beaten black and blue was also among them.
Gu Jun, Wu Shiyu and the other 12 earthlings stood at the back of the hall near the door.
"Meow, the Zoogs started a war for no reason." An old raccoon said, "They destroyed the hard-won and long-lasting peace between our two clans. They tried to destroy our shrine and burn down the whole of Ulthar. Their sin is unforgivable! "
"What sin …" The Elder Zoog still wanted to defend his tribe, "But it wasn't burned down. There were no casualties among the Zoogs, the cats and the humans …"
The evil Zoog slapped the ground, "No, leader, there were casualties, I'm injured, I'm injured …"
"That's not an injury." The Elder Zoog looked at the tribesman, "It's just a normal scratch from playing with a cat. Don't be ridiculous."
The evil Zoog's eyes widened. He was covered in blood and even his ears were missing a few pieces …
The Elder Zoog maintained his composure as he continued to slap the ground. "Lucky said there's a human festival called April Fools. That's what we Zoogs mean today, it's just a joke! We've been dealing with the black merchants for so many years, how could we not know how evil they are? Would we be tricked by them? No, we bought inferior gunpowder, it's just a joke … "
However, the Elder Zoog's slapping gradually stopped and he did not say anything else.
Because the eyes of the surrounding cats became more and more unfriendly, even those cats who were napping and enjoying the fragrance also opened their eyes.
"Illusions and lies are ultimately not true," Great Elder Atal said slowly.
That profound demeanor was indeed exactly like the Great Elder that Gu Jun had mentioned many times.
"Our joke … might have gone too far …" The Elder Zoog patted his stomach. "It has caused some negative effects, it has scared the cats and citizens of Ulthar. As an apology, the Zoogs will offer 1000 hens, 1000 quails and 1000 pheasants as compensation."
But the cats in the hall were unmoved, and their gazes continued to become fierce.
"Do you think we're Zoogs?" the old raccoon asked.
The Elder Zoog stammered, "Then from now on, the annual tribute will have one more … two more … three more."
Be it Evil Zoog, Lucky or the other Zoogs, they slapped their hands and wailed. Life was already hard enough, now the tribute would increase exponentially. What was the Zoogs supposed to eat in the future?
Lucky saw the Elder Zoog was going to increase the number while Gu Jun and the rest listened quietly.
After all, he was a Zoog who cared about his tribe. He could not help but hug Gu Jun's leg, the leader of Tian Xuan's team. He slapped his leg with tears and snot running down his face.
"Doctor Gu, please do me a favor and help me … We've been to the House of Worm together, used the golden aloe together, risked our lives together at Mo Bei … You don't want to see us Zoogs being torn apart, you don't want to see a large number of young Zoogs living on the streets and begging for a living, you don't want to see that …"
Lucky tried to bring up the past. He knew humans were sentimental creatures and this nightmare man had a soft side to him.
"Just now, you were planning to burn all of us to death." Gu Jun said.
Lucky turned to Wu Shiyu with a pleading look but Wu Shiyu merely tilted his head. He was right.
"That plan has nothing to do with me, my mission was to bring you all here …" Lucky said bitterly, "Some of my brethren are too used to a hard life, they don't know what a good life is like. That's why they want to solve their problems through violence. Doctor Gu, I will definitely support you, please say something."
Gu Jun felt it was about time. Under the watchful eyes of the living beings in the temple, he stood up and voiced out the human side's mediation proposal.
"The Zoogs will continue to pay tribute to the cats but the tribute will be paid by the humans. The tribute will be limited to hens, quails and pheasants …"
He had just started when Old Raccoon wagged his tail and said, "We've already grown tired of hens, quails and pheasants. If we want to eat them, we can catch them ourselves. If the humans want to pay the tribute for the Zoogs, then we'll pay the catnip. I believe this thing won't disappear even if we bring it here, it'll be perfect for the tribute. "
Come to think of it, most of the items that the team brought over had disappeared. Even the medical items that were usually left behind were the same.
The cat toys would also disappear but the catnip was still there. Not a single one of them was missing.
Gu Jun looked at his teammates and they all agreed with his suggestion. Catnip was cheaper and easier to transport than the hens.
Yu Chi thought about it and started to panic. Catnip was a precious treasure! Just like ancient silk and tea, it could be used as a hard currency for the cats in Dreamlands, provided the supply was monopolized by the humans from Earth.
Yu Chi almost pounced on the catnip that the team had brought with them. He could not let the cats and the Zoogs steal them away.
The roots, stems and seeds would have to be removed, they could only bring the leaves …
"Okay, the humans will give the cats catnip as a tribute." Gu Jun agreed first before turning to the Elder Zoog who seemed to be plotting something. "In exchange, the Zoogs will provide the humans with information and send their members to Earth to work for us."
"That's fair." The Great Atal added, "But the deeper the connection between your world and Dreamlands, there will be unforeseen consequences."
Before the team departed, the higher-ups from both worlds had considered this problem. Now they had to take the initiative.
At that moment, the Ancestral Patriarchs grumbled among themselves. They all felt that this deal was a good one. They would not have to pay tribute in the future, and the food would be kept. As for providing information to the humans and working for them, if they did not put in any effort, slacked off, and stayed out of the way … what could the humans do?
With this in mind, the Elder Zoog slapped his forehead seriously.
From then on, the Zoogs would be on the same side as the humans from Earth.
"Meow …" Old Li reminded Gu Jun's group, "These Zoogs are very cunning, they might not be willing to work hard after taking your things."
"That is possible." Gu Jun raised his voice for the Zoogs to hear, "We humans are loyal to our friends but not to our enemies. If you do not contribute, we will not provide even half a catnip to the Dreamlands cats anymore. This is all the Zoogs' fault. "
The cats, who were originally lazy and did not participate in the negotiations, were all angry, and their dissatisfied meows formed a sound wave like an ocean storm.
'Are you kidding me? What does the conflict between you humans and the Zoogs have to do with us cats? '
"You won't even sell?" Old Li asked. The normal way was to resume the Zoogs' tribute and trade between the humans and the cats, right?
"No." Gu Jun shook his head, "Blame the Zoogs for not contributing."
Was it a better choice to form an alliance with the cats? Gu Jun and the higher-ups had considered this. The cats' power was unknown, they had a god they worshiped, they were more powerful but they were not as cooperative as the Zoogs. Furthermore, Gu Jun had probed them before, and the cat tribe did not show the slightest interest.
"If you give us catnip," Old Li said, "We will give you wine."
"No." Gu Jun shook his head firmly, "The catnip we give you is actually a tribute from the Zoogs."
This time, the Elder Zoog's expression changed again.
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