Baima stood there in confusion.
Seeing her dazed expression, Garfield finally dropped the teasing and got serious, for once.
"The Ancient One has handed you over to me." Flicking his tail with faux solemnity.
"From now on, I'm your master. King Garfield. Understand?"
The innocent Baima, pure-hearted and wide-eyed, nodded with a delighted smile.
She didn't hesitate, just turned and ran off to prepare her things.
"…!" Pandora.
Not long after, Garfield escorted Baima to the Ancient One to formally say goodbye.
The Ancient One appeared to be meditating, or perhaps just pretending to look busy. Garfield, utterly shameless, padded forward and rubbed affectionately against her leg.
"Master, I'm taking Baima away now. Meow~"
The Ancient One gently scratched his soft orange head. "Alright. Stay safe. If you run into danger, call for help."
"Got it!"
Ah, having a powerful thigh to cling to… truly, the high life.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
New York
Morning sunlight poured into the apartment. Queenie was humming in the kitchen, preparing breakfast with practiced grace.
Tina had just finished freshening up and was walking toward the dining table when…
Whoosh!
The portal opened.
In strutted Garfield with Baima in tow.
Tina's instincts kicked in the moment she laid eyes on the unfamiliar girl.
She reached for her wand reflexively, but then saw Garfield lounging in Baima's arms, purring with utter contentment.
Tina's resentment flared. "…Queenie. Your orange cat is about to betray you."
Queenie turned, confused, and spotted the duo. Her mind-reading kicked in automatically, probing the girl's thoughts.
'Is this Lord Garfield's maid? She's so pretty!'
'Will Lord Garfield dislike me because I'm not smart or strong enough?'
'Why is that older sister staring at me like she wants to duel?'
Snap!
Queenie's telepathy short-circuited.
"Huh?" She blinked. "My powers… failed?"
She met a mental match?
Garfield gave Baima a nod, and she gently set him down on the dining table like a royal cushion.
He stretched, yawned, and introduced everyone with his usual flair.
"This is Baima, my subordinate. That's Tina, and this here is Queenie, my chief maid."
Baima's eyes sparkled.
Chief maid?! Such a high status!
She bowed respectfully. "Nice to meet you, Miss Queenie."
"I'm Baima, a mage from Kamar-Taj. The Sorcerer Supreme sent me to train under his majesty, Garfield. I hope I'm not imposing."
Queenie melted on the spot.
Such a polite, lovely little girl! Without hesitation, she hugged Baima warmly.
"Aww, you're too cute! Don't listen to Garfield. I'm not some chief maid… just call me sister, okay?"
"Okay… Sister Queenie!"
"Sister Baima!"
Just like that, they were attached at the hip. Sisters from the start.
Meanwhile…
Tina folded her arms and glared at Garfield like he'd stolen national secrets.
"Garfield. If you dare break Queenie's heart, I will make you pay. No second chances."
"Meow meow meow??" Garfield tilted his head innocently.
But the barrage had already lit up like fireworks.
"Look at that! Another girl deceived by this orange cat!"
"Garfield got called out by Goddess Tina!"
"One paw on Queenie's boat, one paw on Baima's… Busted!"
"How many more girls has he sweet-talked?!"
"Truly the pinnacle of cat life."
"Someone check if he has a harem contract."
"Where's your donation link?! Take our money already!"
"We want to fund your downfall… AND your rise!"
Garfield "…"
"What the hell is with all the screen swiping?"
Garfield narrowed his eyes at the barrage of comments and virtual gifts flying across the live stream.
After thinking for a second, he rolled his eyes and made a grand declaration.
"Hmph. I don't care about money! I have plenty already. Maybe I'll even lick it."
He paused, flicked his tail, and snorted. "Actually, no. That's beneath me."
"I am an emperor."
With a contemptuous glance at the camera, Garfield reached out a paw and ended the live stream.
(‵′)凸
The audience screen went black.
On the other side of the feed, in a sleek conference room filled with screens, chaos ensued.
A collection of entertainment titans sat frozen in awkward silence: the R brothers, David, the heads of Marvel and DC, plus a lineup of professors and film industry experts.
"…What just happened?" Someone muttered.
"Was that… a movie?"
Someone broke the silence. "So… what's everyone's opinion on that clip?"
"Maybe… maybe the old man in heaven is bored and decided to play director?"
"That's completely irresponsible to say!" snapped another. "You're not taking this seriously."
"Why don't you worry about your own dark and broody DC universe?"
"Can you two shut up?" The Marvel rep sighed. "Is it possible we're dealing with some kind of digital deity? Some internet god creating high-level simulations?"
"It could be." Another expert chimed in.
"The scenes do recycle parts of existing films, but the broadcasts are always different, always evolving…"
"I say we stop overthinking it."
"The live streams have boosted our old film sales like crazy. Let's just ride the wave and cash in."
"Agreed."
Everyone nodded in relief… except the DC executive, who looked thoroughly annoyed.
Garfield had roasted DC on stream, refused to give them camera time, and mocked their aesthetic.
"If we could just pay for some exposure, DC is willing to offer double…"
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
After dinner, Tina left for the Ministry of Magic to report in.
Garfield, meanwhile, took Queenie and Baima out to finalize some "practical" matters. First on the list: getting Baima half a legal identity.
It was the early 20th century… no internet, no biometrics. Just paperwork and magic.
Garfield simply cast a Soul Charm. Done in minutes.
While he was at it, he registered two businesses, an exorcism shop and a gold store.
Queenie initially tried to talk him out of it, wary of the Ministry's strict regulations about wizarding activity among No-Majs.
But ultimately, she gave up. Garfield wasn't exactly someone you could control.
Besides, most wizards dabbling in the Muggle world bent the rules anyway.
"You think the Ministry's gonna confiscate our wands?" Garfield scoffed.
"Please. There's a little trick called wandless casting in this world."
When it came to naming his new empire.
High Claw Gold Store
High Claw Exorcist
Eventually, they'd all be part of the High Claw Group, marked by a regal cat paw print. This universe would know the brand of Garfield the Great.
History would remember his name.
A purrfect plan.
After securing all the paperwork, Garfield scouted locations for the store. Eventually, he settled on Queens, New York.
And just because he could, he threw down a fortune and bought up a massive chunk of Wall Street real estate.
Why?
Because he had money. That's the kind of cat he was.
Queenie was initially nervous about the expense, her practical instincts kicking in, until Garfield casually tossed several chunky, glittering cat-paw-shaped gold bricks onto the table from his magical pocket.
Queenie stared…
"Garfield… where did you get all this gold?! It's real! Don't tell me you robbed a bank?!"
Bingo.
Women's sixth sense really was terrifying.
Before Garfield could respond, Pandora popped up, rolling her eyes in disdain.
"Wow, seductive and shameless. I have just one thing to say… prepare to be hunted by the magical world. Hehehe~"
"Please," Garfield replied, flipping his paw.
"I've got powerful connections. Worst case, I hole up in Kamar-Taj. What are they gonna do, break in?"
"And if that fails?" Pandora asked, amused.
"We go to Asgard."
"Pfft."
Their usual back-and-forth ended, and Garfield smoothly turned to Tina, who had returned just in time.
Putting on his most majestic voice, he declared.
"I am His Majesty Garfield the First. How dare you accuse me of such things? Do I look like a broke, scruffy alley cat!?"
"…?" Tina stared at him, unimpressed.
Queenie, on the other hand, nodded seriously.
Garfield glanced away, ears twitching in mild embarrassment.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Phantom your way through a treasure trove of chapters waiting on P@treon!
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