chapter 131

The room in [Game Night] lit up again.

Lu Li narrowed his eyes slightly to adjust to the light.

Bosi said, “Look at me.”

Lu Li raised his head.

He didn’t know what device Bosi had used, but somehow a photo had been taken and sent to him online.

Lu Li stared at his own slightly blank expression in the picture-and at the pretty Neck Collar around his neck.

The Neck Collar fit perfectly.

The inside was soft; no matter how he moved, he didn’t feel any foreign object at all.

Bosi reminded him calmly, “You can send it to your friends to have a look.”

Tell them to stop wasting their time knitting those scarves.

Lu Li sent the photo, then picked up the Collar he’d been clutching all this time, the one that belonged to Paopao. “A little cat in the Instance died. He shouldn’t have died. There are still people alive waiting for him… Do you have a way?”

“That’s not anything difficult.” Bosi said a term: “River Styx Reincarnation.”

He handed Lu Li a spare Black Robe of his own.

“Put it on. I’ll take you to see it.”

–

River Styx Office Building.

There were three doors here, and behind each door stood a different building.

One door had: This Way to Reincarnation.

One door had: Voice and Video.

One door had: Transactions and Communication (Entry with Reincarnation Permit Only).

The three-legged little cat walked through the first door and saw that this was Building A.

In the lobby, hundreds of long lines all existed for the same purpose: to obtain a Reincarnation Permit.

The kitten spent several hours waiting his turn.

From behind the glass window, the Receptionist asked without even lifting their head, “What service are you here for?”

A firm voice came from under the desk. “I want to Reincarnate!”

The Receptionist stood up and looked down through the glass, finally seeing a one-legged Tabby Kitten climbing up onto the chair.

“How much Spirit Money do you have?”

The kitten sat properly. The fur on his forehead was stuck together with sweat from working all day. “I have five hundred.”

“Not enough.”

The Receptionist sighed. “With that amount, all you can do is go to Building B through the second door to make a call.”

“Five hundred is a long way from your goal.” The Receptionist didn’t treat him any differently because he had little money, just told him a cruel fact.

“And even if you save enough, that would only get you one Reincarnation Permit. See Building C all the way at the end? That’s where you choose your Reincarnation world, race, and Appearance. Every option has to be exchanged for with Spirit Money.”

“If you don’t care about which world you go to or what you look like, and just want to live one more life, you can choose Random. Random is free.”

“I want to look exactly like I did in my last life,” the kitten muttered. “Does that cost a lot?”

The reception chair lit up with a red light.

“You’re not handling any service, so you can’t chat,” the Receptionist said. “Your time is up. Come back when you have money.”

The kitten left, utterly dejected. Following the directions the Receptionist had given, he found Building B.

There were hundreds of long lines here as well.

The kitten carefully read the large notices pasted on the wall:

One voice call to a designated recipient: 500 (10 seconds).

One video call: 1500 (10 seconds).

Additional fees apply based on call duration.

The kitten waited in line for two hours before reaching the glass window.

Watching the balance he’d worked all day for drop to zero in an instant, he nervously clung to this one chance. “I want to call my mom.”

From behind the glass, the Receptionist said, “Describe the other party in detail so we can locate them.”

“If the description isn’t specific, the success rate is only ten percent.”
The little cat had memorized all of this. He fluently recited his mother’s name, phone number, and home address.

A sheet of paper slid out from under the glass window.

“Voice and Video are both delivered in the form of a dream. Please be aware.”

“Recording starts now. Ten seconds.”

The little cat stared at the recording device. His lips twitched nervously. The counter began to tick down, and he immediately seized the time and shouted:

[I’ve been doing really well lately, working hard at my job to save money.]

[Once I’ve saved enough money for Reincarnation, I’ll come find you.]

[Mom, don’t forget me.]

[Or maybe… you don’t have to remember me so clearly, because even if I Reincarnate, I won’t be able to look exactly the same as I did in my last life.]

[I’m Paopao.]

“Time’s up.” The Receptionist looked at him, a little surprised. “You talk pretty fast.”

–

The next day, the little cat switched to a new job and earned 700. Then he came back to line up at Building A.

“Hello, I forgot to ask yesterday.”

“How much does Reincarnation cost?”

Today’s Receptionist was a young female Wraith. She stared uncertainly at the little cat’s three legs and asked, “Are you Paopao?”

Paopao was puzzled. “You know me?”

The Receptionist’s tone softened. She took out a card. “Reincarnation costs five million. You also have to take this card and collect inspection stamps from all nine districts before you can exchange it for a Reincarnation Permit.”

“Paopao, how much Spirit Money do you have?”

The number was too shocking. The light in Paopao’s eyes dimmed considerably. “More than yesterday, but still only 700.”

The Receptionist pulled out a blank card, stamped it with her own seal, and pushed it to Paopao under the glass.

Pushed along with it were several large-denomination Spirit Money notes.

“I have a hundred thousand here. Take it. Don’t pay it back.”

To receive a Reincarnation Permit, you had to pass three tiers of screening across nine districts.

The Receptionist glanced back at the sections behind her and said regretfully, “There are still eight districts left. You can get past my district, but how are you going to make it through the rest?”

“Oh, right…”

An idea struck her. She opened the Live Stream Room:

[Fellow Ghosts in the Live Stream Room, I need help! Is there anyone working in the Nether River offices under Lord Evil God Carlo, specifically in Building A?

I’m in District One of Building A. I just met Paopao. He doesn’t have enough money on him, only a bit over a hundred thousand. I let him pass the Initial Screening, but once he goes further in, he’ll definitely be audited, and he still needs eight more stamps! I know a few people in the beginner districts who might be able to think of something.

Any Ghost Friend handling the Intermediate Districts that check good deeds in life, or the Advanced Districts that check bad deeds in life, can you lend a hand?]

[Come to District Two and look for Receptionist No. 4. I just settled 200,000 from the Streamer’s Live Stream Room. I’ve got money.]

[District Three, No. 12.]

[District Four, No. 36.]

…

[District Nine, No. 3. I’ve got 1.5 million.]

[I’m in District Nine too, on the day shift. If Paopao comes over during the shift change upstairs, he can look for No. 89. I can cover the amount those upstairs mentioned.]

[Nice, nice, nice, every district’s got a ghost ready to receive him. Are you all slacking off at work to hold a team-building event here or what? If Lord Carlo finds out, all your wages are getting docked.]

[Let him dock them, it’s fine. What if Paopao’s Reincarnation ends up just a little short of the Spirit Money I’ve got on hand? I don’t want to do something I’ll regret later.]

Paopao was guided along and pushed into District Two. The young lady Wraith who had given him the card pointed the way for him:

“Go further in.”

“Head to District Two and look for No. 4.”

“You have enough money now, Paopao. Everyone’s going to take you in.”