Page 89 of I Married Kayog
“Correct, but like I mentioned, Straef is a visionary and always pushing the boundaries of innovation,” I said enthusiastically. “Last year, he graduated with a thesis on an insect native to his world and that can be bred under very precise conditions to extend their otherwise very short lifespan. It turns out that the lumoth can safely eat radioactive and toxic waste and turn them into energy.”
“What?! I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Kateros exclaimed, unsure whether to be excited by that prospect or angry at the possibility that I was playing him for a fool.
“Because he’s in the final stages of developing sustainable breeding farms as well as the conversion technology to turn it into a massive industry. He owns the patent to his discoveries. And his goal is to use these creatures on a large scale to sanitize disaster zones. A discussion between you two could solve or massively reduce the problems you’re currently facing.”
“That… that would definitely be food for thought,” Kateros said before exchanging a look with his daughter.
She, too, was bubbling with excitement. Although Shaya didn’t seem particularly keen on meeting Straef on a romantic level, she was very eager to discuss ways to save her family business, and definitely to face off against a worthy opponent in a game of Five Kings. She had no reason to think I could effectively know when two people were soulmates. But that would only be the added bonus.
However, it was the thrilled emotions emanating from my mate that reclaimed my attention.
“I wasn’t aware of these lumoths,” Linsea said pensively. “But if you do enter into such a collaboration, the UPO has many support programs catering to any effort towards environmental protection and especially toxic waste reduction.”
“Really?” Kateros said, perking up even as the two brothers tensed. “Such as what?”
“There is potential financial support if the project is deemed beneficial and sustainable,” Linsea said. “But there are also other forms of assistance that can be offered, such as logistics, some equipment, and even the services of highly qualified experts for a short period of time at absolutely no cost to you. The UPO is devoted to environmental protection for both developing and member planets. As it sounds like this project is entering the early stages of deployment, anyone participating in the trial run could benefit from greater support than usual. I highly recommend that you look into it. And feel free to reach out to me for guidance or assistance during the process.”
“I’m definitely interested in investigating the matter,” Kateros said eagerly. “I guess I will get to talk to your Daigan once he begins his courtship of my daughter.”
I repressed the urge to laugh, further compounded by the dismay from the two brothers. Once this project took off the ground, Kateros and Straef stood to make insane profits. Having partnered with Kateros first would have granted the brothers access to the wealth that might flow from this.
“I will promptly make the introductions,” I said with a smile. “Do not fret, my dear Shaya. Once you meet him, you will thank me. When it comes to matching soulmates, I’m never wrong.”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” she replied politely, although with a sliver of hope.
“We will look into this Straef and his innovative venture as well,” Taylor interjected. “If this information is accurate, then maybe we should revisit potential collaborations.”
“Maybe,” Kateros replied politely.
But I already knew that once he got the confirmation that all my statements were true, Kateros would no longer want anything to do with Taylor. You didn’t do business with people like him unless you were desperate.
This moment marked a radical shift in my understanding of my role and the impact I could have. Granted, such beneficial matches would likely be few and far between. But every single one would be a massive victory. And if only for the pride and joy emanating from my mate right this instant, it would all be worthwhile.
Chapter 21
Linsea
Iwas flying high, living my best life with the most amazing male. Three months after the symposium, I couldn’t stop poking fun at him for how silly he had been in his belief that people would snub him. Sure, the occasional idiots like Taylor and his brother approached him with a haughty demeanor. But many members of the less advanced species—without actually falling into the primitive category—were greatly pleased to see a service catering to other groups than just theelite.
More importantly, they were blown away by his personality. My husband was smart, knowledgeable, insightful, charismatic, and genuinely passionate about improving other people’s lives, especially those deemed weird or freaky. You couldn’t fake that.
Colin had been extremely clever by requesting all this early socializing for Kayog. His reputation grew quickly, in no small part due to that extremely lucky pairing between the Daigan and Stornian. The amazing information he shared regarding the lumoths benefited my own career.
I became the main negotiator between the UPO and Straef regarding all the ways his research could be further funded. Needless to say that Kateros was over the moon when he received the grant I helped them secure for the trial run of the program. Countless other people came knocking at both our doors hoping for the same type of windfall. Obviously, we didn’t have any magic trick to dish out such beneficial outcomes to the masses. It still opened many doors for us.
Simultaneously, Colin had not been playing by saying our public relations and marketing department would go all out for the official launch of the Prime Mating Agency. They had the coolest and wildest ads playing in a loop with a countdown to the registration site opening.
And the day it did, the site crashed within ten minutes from too many simultaneous signup requests. It shouldn’t have been surprising to the extent that the clever ads from the UPO essentially guaranteed that any match would be a perfect one. That resonated with those desperate for love.
Due to the insane numbers of candidates, Kayog went straight to a fair format. Candidates within a given region were chosen lottery style from the pool of applicants to come to the three-day fair in their sector. Each candidate only got a ten-minute one-on-one meeting with my mate. An assistant recorded those meetings and entered all the information thus gathered in a database.
But Kayog didn’t need it.
Although he didn’t possess the traditional eidetic memory, my mate never forgot a person’s name or face. They were literally carved into his memory. Despite the limited time afforded for each meeting, people absolutely loved him. Kayog had a way of making you feel like no one but you mattered whenever you were together. His entire focus was on you. Hemade you feel understood, respected, and like he truly cared about helping you find happiness.
And he absolutely did.
Although he was no longer part of a band, I often felt like I was married to a rock star always on the road while touring. To the candidates, that’s exactly what he was. And that became even truer once he started making matches.
