The Ninth Heaven Management’s Promotion Department for Transmigrating Souls is at its full capacity today.
The vast expanse of tables that seem to have no distinct beginning or end was divided into cubicles with glass partitions on the front where the staff and the client would talk about business, along with the sets of incredibly advanced processors and well-trained personnel, operated the entire scheme peacefully as usual. The clacking and clicking of keys may be heard harmoniously mingling within the soft whispers and hubhub of individuals completing activities in each cubicle.
Souls with their respected systems kept pouring in. They entered from a wall-less moon gate made up of stacked stones and bricks with a sizzle of spirit energy floating in the midpoint where souls appear as if teleporting. The area is being guarded by two people, each of whom is positioned in the left and right sides.
These two guards, known as the Hell Guards, are dressed in black and white respectively. The white-clothed guard wore a horse mask and has a long white hair extending to its waist, while the other wore an ox mask with a golden ring clamped on its nose and twisted grey horns on its head.
Both are dressed in elegant robes embedded with gold and silver that give off an air of nobility. Nevertheless, they wore masks that are enough to terrify children to death. Though, those who have been in this place knows how kind these ancient beings are.
The Hell Guards are responsible for keeping order in the place, as well as handing out priority numbers to the souls so they can know when it is their turn to approach the counter.
The center of the moon gate flashed lightly before a soul walked out. The black guard with the ox mask inspected the soul before sending them to the white guard with the horse mask who handed them out a priority number. The new soul thanked the Hell Guards respectfully, then prattled with its system as they walk through the huge 「Waiting Room」.
The Waiting Room – it is a dimensionless place where everyone is always ‘waiting’.
The souls remembered it as a place where there is a long row of navy-blue cantilever chairs aligned infinitely. Some of the chairs are occupied, but most of them are empty. Anyone can sit everywhere and could take as many chairs as possible. Some souls would use it as a bed where they lay sideways while scrolling unto their phones while some would sit and groups and chat.
Anyway, there are many chairs. Nobody ever heard of someone who has nothing to sit.
Souls that had maintained their most basic humanoid form moved peacefully about. Despite their overwhelming amount, the souls never bump against one another. While there are souls doing their transactions to the counters, most of them who are still ‘in the line’ are either seated or idly wandering around.
The Ninth Heaven offers rather upscale accommodations that keep the souls from getting bored as they wait for their turn. Recreational areas are constructed that has the same infinite capacity to fulfill everyone’s needs and wants.
This includes a gaming area that is divided into sections based on the type of game played: arcade games, virtual games, physical sport, game boards, and even casino games are present. There are game competitions daily, making it the most popular leisure area in the Waiting Room.
There is also a music room filled with every type of musical instrument imaginable. This extends beyond just percussion instruments to encompass other technologically-related instruments like music editors and other such things. Souls that likes to sing and jam can be found frequenting this place.
Beside the music area is the movie area where large cinemas were place side by side showing whatever movies that can be played. If nobody wanted a public cinema, one could avail a private booth where the souls could access trillions of movies from the million of hundreds of worlds with an automatic subtitle function. Of course, snack areas cannot be excluded. Although souls do not necessarily have to eat, it won’t be watching a movie without a popcorn and soda at hand.
If nobody wanted to do intense exercise or lazy in the movie section, they could go the bath areas that has many natural springs, swimming pools, beaches, and even private tubs. If one loved to do some extreme sports, they could go water rafting to simulated rivers or go down to the dangerously long water slides.
Of course, the free limitless super-fast internet browsing was available to anyone who merely wanted to lounge on the Waiting Room’s dreary seats. Though, most of these people who chose this kind of ‘entertainment’ are those with priority numbers that are close to be served.
These accommodations are essentially acceptable since the waiting period takes at least five hundred years.
The steady inflow of souls is also a manifestation of those souls concluding their business. Since then, the speaker has been announcing the priority numbers that would be processed at various counters. The card numbers will also be shown in a translucent blue-green holographic screen to aid with the souls’ navigation.
The summoned souls, who has been standing around doing nothing, immediately get up and rushed towards their respective counters.
After nearly nine hundred years of waiting, Jin Wei’s name was finally called. He winced, feeling a little dazed by the abrupt disturbance, and then amusingly leaped out of his chair. He has been engrossed in the nth season of a dog-blood drama from dimension X so much that he failed to notice the blinking of his priority card.
In many cases, those who have been waiting for a long time will not notice when the speaker calls their name or when their priority cards begin to blink. It is mostly due to being inattentive due to doing some stuff like playing games or watching movies. Participating in leisure activities is one way to pass the time on the dull days for individuals who have at least a thousand lifetimes to live, thus bringing their attention away from their priority cards.
After all, someone would undoubtedly go crazy if they spent a hundred years staring at their cards.
Though, nobody wanted to miss their transaction. The Ninth Heaven staff added a feature to the priority cards that shocks the handlers to attract their attention since if they missed the chance, they have to get another priority card and fall back in line. Waiting for centuries is never a joke thus the souls appreciated this ‘electrocuting’ function.
The system, who was also fully engaged in surfing, saw the flash and promptly stopped what it was doing. System and soul left no time for hesitation and went to their designated counter.
The personnel handling the affairs of the fourth counter did not look up to face the customer. Instead, 'it' only gestured Jin Wei to swipe his card onto the scanner. Jin Wei is already very familiar with the process so he already knows the protocol and easily swiped his card in one move.
The internet connection of the Ninth Heaven is very fast that the information quickly connected after the moment of transaction.
At first, the staff is just merely facing the screen and typing at a speed of above a hundred WPM. Its visage, which lacked any signs of irritation or impatience, was merely assessing the soul’s information. Nobody talked, the atmosphere filled with the quick succession of taps from the keyboard.
Jin Wei cast a stark glance in the direction of the staff member’s angelic demeanor – it wasn’t a demeanor since the staff is indeed an angel. The large wings that is shrouded with a light glow with tiny glowing particles condensing seems to be forced in a tight shut within the small partition, instead of having it spread wide with glory and pride.
Just watching it made Jin Wei think that the area inside the cubicle must be suffocating.
Now, thinking about it, even though it is a normal thing to see angels in Ninth Heaven, surely, they won't be working on the Promotion Department, right? If anything, else, shouldn’t they be working on the ‘Reincarnation Pool’ or on staying on the ‘Children’s Lounge’ where most of them are often found?
The system seems to understand its host's thoughts and also agreed. The system that is made up of a silver ball with two bat-like wings and a pointed twin tail flew around Jin Wei before landing on his head. Two large circular eyes blinked at the same time, watching the personnel process their transaction.
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