Purgatory Artist
Chapter 553: Working Meal

Chapter 553: Working Meal

The soul retained its appearance from life.

He had a thick beard, graying hair, wore glasses, and was dressed in a hospital gown.

The blinding white light gradually faded.

The soul opened its eyes and looked at the three saintly beings in the passage.

"Ah... it’s you again," he muttered.

Liu Ping saw a new line appear on his interface:

’[Target has awakened fragments of past-life memories. Evaluation upgraded by one tier.]’

The other two were also staring into the void.

Clearly, everyone had noticed the change in circumstances.

"Mortal, you remember your previous arrival at the gates of heaven, do you not?" the three-meter-tall figure said solemnly.

The soul pondered for a moment before replying, "Yes, I remember arriving at the gates of heaven countless times but never being allowed to enter."

The towering figure spoke with authority, "That is because you have not yet become a being of truth, goodness, and beauty. Thus, you cannot enter heaven."

The soul said, "Looking back, I have done my utmost to benefit the world. Is that still not enough to enter heaven?"

"You are only slightly lacking."

"...I have lived enough. I do not wish to experience the sorrows of love and separation again, nor the pain and tragedies beyond my control. If I cannot enter heaven, please show me another path."

As soon as the words were spoken—

Liu Ping noticed two more lines on his interface:

’[Warning: This soul has awakened past-life wisdom.]’

’ [Warning: This soul has developed independent consciousness and is on the verge of breaking free from control.]’

’[Immediately find a way to reincarnate it, or forced reincarnation will be initiated, and your salaries will be deducted.]’

Liu Ping saw his two "colleagues" shudder.

Deduct salaries... Is it that terrifying?

A new line suddenly appeared on the interface:

’[408721, I recall you wrote this soul’s life script. Can you help?]’

Liu Ping stared at the words, suddenly remembering a conversation he’d had with the man who tried to kill Dalia—

"The way you speak makes it sound like my entire existence was designed."

"That is the truth, but you performed exceptionally well within the script. You could be considered an outstanding fruit."

If he had truly deceived everything here, then he should be able to access relevant information!

Liu Ping focused on the interface and thought, Retrieve the life script for this individual.

A book instantly appeared on the interface.

On its cover was written:

[Current Soul’s Next Life Main Experiences (Unfinished) (Editable at Any Time)]

"Begin editing," Liu Ping said.

The book opened, revealing a few hastily scribbled pages.

Liu Ping skimmed through them rapidly.

This life is utterly uninspiring!

Might as well rewrite it.

Without hesitation, he quickly drafted an entirely new life based on the prompts from the Heroic Spirit UI.

"Can I show this to him?" Liu Ping asked inwardly.

A line of burning text appeared:

[Yes. You have the authority. Simply think of the target’s life and say ’Materialize.’]

"Materialize," Liu Ping said.

Poof!

A book appeared in his hand.

"Take a look. This contains all the major experiences of your next life."

The book flew across the distance and landed in the soul’s hands.

The soul hesitated briefly before opening it and reading.

"What? I’ll be the king of a nation? With one queen, four royal concubines, eight consorts, and thirty-six maids in waiting?" he exclaimed in shock.

"You will have endless land and subjects to care for. That is your final life’s mission," Liu Ping said.

The soul continued flipping through the book, reading aloud, "’Defeat neighboring nations, establish a powerful kingdom, be hailed as an unparalleled emperor, seek out immortal sages, and have the potential to ascend to immortality in broad daylight...’ Wait, ’ascend to immortality’—that doesn’t sound like something from our sacred heaven."

He looked up at Liu Ping in confusion.

The other two "angels" also turned to Liu Ping.

Liu Ping straightened his expression and said solemnly, "Actually, it’s our term. Those shameless outsiders stole it, and because you failed to protect our culture, they ended up claiming it as their own. Now, our culture has become theirs."

"That is indeed our failing," the soul said remorsefully.

"Go. Your mission is not yet complete, so you must undergo one final reincarnation," Liu Ping said.

"Another rebirth?" The soul sighed wearily.

It glanced at the life script in its hands and suddenly felt less resistant.

"Fine. This is the last time. Send me on my way," the soul said.

The three of them exhaled in relief.

The towering "angel" softened his voice and said gently, "You see a white passageway radiating a soothing light that heals all your weariness... You are about to return to the mortal world to fulfill your mission."

The soul transformed into a streak of light, shooting backward along the passageway and soon vanishing from sight.

A melodious voice announced:

’[Today’s work is complete.]’

Two lines of text appeared simultaneously on their interfaces:

’[Product quality upgraded by one tier.]’

’[Bonus increased by 100.]’

’[Designer and Scriptwriter #408721 successfully persuaded a high-tier soul to reincarnate. Merit increased by 20.]’

Liu Ping smiled, checking his total merit points on the interface—

Only 20 points in total?

What happened to this guy’s previous merits?

He opened the interface and scrolled through the records, finally finding an entry:

’[Personally bid farewell to a rare character. Merit spent: 1,000 points.]’

So meeting Dalia had cost him all his merits!

And he’d been killed for it.

It seemed #408721 was just an ordinary worker after all.

Liu Ping pondered this thoughtfully.

"A hundred bucks! Fantastic! I’m treating you two to dinner and drinks as thanks for helping me handle that stubborn soul!" the towering figure said cheerfully.

"Let’s go. I’m exhausted after today—my back and legs are killing me," the shorter one groaned, rubbing his shoulders.

"Let’s go," Liu Ping agreed.

As soon as he spoke—

A door slowly materialized behind them, bearing three words:

’[Locker Room.]’

The three of them filed in, walking down the passage until they reached a massive room filled with lockers.

The three-meter-tall figure stopped at a locker labeled #408720 and pressed a button.

A beam of light scanned his body.

The spiked Nightmare’s Embrace he wore detached and vanished.

His true form was revealed—a tree-like being composed of countless intertwining branches.

The shorter one also removed his Nightmare’s Embrace, revealing himself as a bald dwarf.

He was slightly plump, wearing a checkered shirt, and stood only waist-high to Liu Ping. His red beard was streaked with paint, giving him a somewhat comical appearance.

His number was #408719.

"My beard?" He noticed Liu Ping’s gaze and sighed, spreading his hands. "Damn it, I told those idiots in the character design department that their spray engravers were garbage, but they never improve."

"Yeah, they never improve," Liu Ping echoed, removing his own Nightmare’s Embrace and storing it in the locker.

"Transport the three of us to the Corpse Summit Restaurant," the tree-man said.

They vanished instantly.

A moment later—

Liu Ping found himself in a restaurant with a panoramic view.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see an endless void of darkness outside, where a corpse as vast as a mountain range lay stretched out.

The corpse wore a radiant, holy robe. Though motionless, it exuded an aura that evoked both reverence and warmth.

The dwarf glanced outside and sighed, "No matter how many times I see it, it’s still awe-inspiring, isn’t it?"

"Of course," Liu Ping replied.

The tree-man added, "Every time I see the corpse of God, I feel like I’m dreaming."

For a moment, none of them spoke.

A gentle voice broke the silence:

"Gentlemen, what would you like to order?"

"Alright, let’s eat," the tree-man said.

"Let’s go," the dwarf said, forcing himself to turn away from the corpse.

Liu Ping took a step back, his gaze lingering on the colossal body.

He noticed a line of text suddenly appearing above it:

[Corpse: The Omniscient and Omnipotent Lord.]

Meanwhile.

In another world.

A baby was born.

He opened his eyes in his swaddling clothes, calmly observing his surroundings.

A man wearing a crown cradled him, his face beaming with joy.

...Good.

It seems that person was telling the truth. In this life, I am destined to be an unparalleled emperor.

But what did that last passage in the book mean?

He silently recalled the words that had appeared on the final page:

’[Do not touch the Occult.]’

’[I repeat: Do not touch the Occult!]’

’[Wait for me to find you!]’