Chapter 881: Shimmering Stars and Rotten (Part 26) (Patreon)

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Peter vigorously shook his head, then forcefully closed his eyes until his eyebrows and eyelids formed a straight line. When he reopened his eyes, the tears clinging to his eyelashes had blurred into sparkling halos.

Peter noticed that his arm waved in front of his eyes, but it took him a few seconds to regain control over his body. The next moment, he leaped up, assuming a defensive posture, but realized that his Spider-Sense wasn't tingling.

The faces of the three individuals in front of him were familiar, people who should have long been dead: Nick Fury, Coulson, and Dr. Dora.

Stranger still, each of them had a halo above their heads, emitting a bright light.

For a moment, Peter felt like his brain had stopped working, and he looked down at his hands, finding them no different from his memories.

He opened his mouth and noticed a slight delay in his voice. When he tried to stand straight, he found himself floating up, leaving Peter wide-eyed in shock, only to be ensnared by a web used for catching insects.

The three individuals with halos above their heads immediately approached. Nick spoke first, "I knew it, even Spider-Man, when they first arrive here, they tend to fly. I did the same thing, right?"

Coulson looked at Peter and said, "Honestly, I lost that bet. I thought Spider-Man had better coordination and wouldn't make such a mistake."

Dr. Dora pushed her glasses up and remarked, "Instead of making bets here, why don't you help in the laboratory? Let's go."

After speaking, Dr. Dora began to walk, and Schiller removed the web, allowing Peter to stand. Peter turned to Schiller and asked, "Dr. Schiller, what's going on here? Am I dead? Is this Heaven? But... why are you here?"

"This is indeed Heaven," Schiller replied in a calm tone, "but I've put my halo to other uses, so I don't quite look like an angel."

"But... but you're not dead, are you? Weren't you in Washington? Oh, my God, Doctor, did you sacrifice yourself too?" Peter's mind was still in a state of confusion as he regained consciousness, unable to fully grasp the current situation.

Schiller walked up, put his arm around Peter's shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, you're a guest from afar. Let us introduce you to the place where you'll be living next—Heaven."

Peter, still bewildered, followed Schiller out of the brightly lit area and into a beautiful sanctuary.

The sanctuary was incredibly spacious, and as they walked inside, they looked like tiny specks, like dust in the vastness of space. On both sides of the golden sanctuary, six huge statues stood, each adorned with different patterns of flags. In the center of the sanctuary, there was a fountain, and in the front was a door.

Peter's mind gradually cleared, and he recalled, "Wait a minute, this is Heaven? But... why does the decor resemble Kamar-Taj a bit?"

"That's your imagination," Schiller immediately replied. He quickened his pace, leading Peter to the door. After opening it, they stepped into a square.

The stone-paved road exuded a natural feel, with tall bushes adorned with blooming roses, vines, and various types of creepers, along with butterflies and dragonflies fluttering about.

Robust stone pillars stood on either side of the road, supporting metal pergolas adorned with numerous plants, all in full bloom.

As they walked along the dappled path, they reached the center of the square—a large garden centered around a fountain. Well-trimmed bushes radiated outwards from the fountain, dividing the square into several sections.

As they passed by the fountain, Peter glanced at the statues on top of it. These were not the usual small angel or goddess statues commonly seen in New York. Instead, they depicted a sailing ship conquering the waves.

Peter pondered for a moment and remarked, "Why does this have a Nordic feel? Isn't this kind of statue typically used by seafaring cultures?"

Schiller reached out and turned Peter's head in another direction, saying, "It's just a decoration. Let's keep moving this way."

Peter wanted to look back, but Schiller had already led him around a corner, and they continued down the path. Peter then saw a fascinating structure—an enormous pyramid, with its lower half firmly grounded while the upper part appeared to float.

The pyramid's upper section featured a colossal statue of a lion-headed figure, but it seemed to be hovering. Peter rubbed his eyes, thinking he might be hallucinating.

Upon reaching the door of the pyramid, Peter opened his mouth wide, looking up at the colossal lion-headed figure. He exclaimed, "I've always wanted to visit Egypt, but I never expected the Sphinx to be this huge!"

"Hello, newcomer, I am indeed this large," the lion-headed figure spoke.

Peter jumped in surprise, hovering in mid-air again. Schiller had to use his web to catch him once more, cautioning, "Peter, until you get used to this Soul state, don't fly around recklessly, or you might collide with a pegasus."

"Oops, I'm sorry," Peter instinctively apologized, but then he exclaimed, "But!!! Why is the Sphinx talking?"

"I'll ask you, can Spider fly?" Schiller looked at him and asked.

Peter shook his head instinctively, and Schiller continued, "You've already flown, so why can't the Sphinx talk?"

"Sphinx, please help us open the door; our newcomer needs to register," Schiller waved his hand toward the Sphinx.

The Sphinx nodded with a smile. With a rumble, the door at the base of the pyramid opened. As Peter stepped inside, he realized it was nothing like the narrow corridor he had expected but instead a vast hall.

Persian-style carpets stretched from the entrance to the end of the hall, supported by twelve pillars, each adorned with rows of candles that cast a mysterious atmosphere as they flickered.

One low table after another was neatly arranged between the pillars. Peter noticed many humanoid beings with black dog heads moving between these tables, speaking in a language he couldn't understand, yet he somehow grasped their meaning.

"Egyptian Pantheon Resurrection one! Tomorrow at 2 PM, come for registration! Lord Anubis said this one is his relative, so be polite during the reception..."

"Asgard Hall of Heroes Resurrection two, oh wait, it's just one now. Someone couldn't make it. Who's going to attend? No volunteers? Well, even if you don't like dealing with those warriors, it's still your job..."

"Heaven one! Let me see... this afternoon, oh, it's now. Where is the receptionist? Is he late again?"

"Lately, there have been too many Heaven reservations. The first-time Resurrection for that human had too dark a complexion, so they took him to Lord Amphis. But let's not make the same mistake; human Souls are fragile, and it would be a disaster if they were damaged."

"Peter Parker! Is Peter Parker here?! Human Peter Parker! Are you dead? What's going on? Why haven't you died yet? You're late again..."

"Peter Parker is here," Schiller raised his hand and called out. The dog-headed being, who had been scanning the surroundings for a target, saw Schiller and immediately approached. He said, "Lord Angel, is this the new Angel, Peter Parker? Follow me; let's register first, then we'll go to the nearby temple to get your supplies."

Peter felt like his brain had turned into mush, and he couldn't think anymore. The thoughts that had just cleared up upon awakening were once again in chaos. The situation in front of him was entirely beyond his understanding.

He could only follow Schiller step by step, entering a side door of the temple, leading to another room.

Behind a desk sat a gigantic hippopotamus. At the moment, her plump hands were holding a feather pen and writing. When she heard the door open, she let out a gasp.

"Oh my, Schiller! You finally arrived! I was just about to ask you, with all these months of Heaven's Resurrections, do you really have enough slots to accommodate them?"

"Don't forget, human Souls are different from our divine Souls. Yours are much more fragile, and staying here for too long might make reintegration into your body difficult."

"Thank you for your concern, goddess. In fact, they haven't filled up all my Resurrection slots yet. After all, Heaven's Resurrection service has just begun, unlike you, who have been accumulating slots for tens of thousands of years and still haven't used them all, so it seems crowded."

"Oh, don't remind me!" The hippo goddess let out a mournful groan. She continued, "Anubis just told me that he miscalculated a batch from three thousand years ago. Our slots are even more nervous now!"

"Hey, is this Peter Parker?" The hippo goddess grinned widely, welcoming him and grabbing Peter's arm. She said with a smile, "You must be a great young man. When Schiller mentioned you earlier, I knew you had to be a good child..."

"Come over, child. I need to register you. How old are you this year? Where do you go to school?... New York University? Oh my! You must be an excellent student, right? I have a son who also goes to New York University..."

"What? You live not far from Midtown Forest Street? My daughter lives there too! Do you have a girlfriend? She must be a good girl. Let me see your Soul..."

"Amun Ra! Why is your Soul so lively? Let me check your moral compass... Oh my, oh my, there are truly kind people in this world. Come, child, come and sit down, fill out this form..."

The hippo goddess led Peter to her desk, and after he sat down, she handed him a form, saying, "Don't be nervous, take your time. I'll get you some snacks..."

After saying that, she smiled at Schiller nearby, and Schiller smiled back. The atmosphere between them was like a father taking his child to school for the first time and meeting the future teacher.

Peter's movements were a bit stiff, and when he saw the form, his expression became even stiffer because the first question on the form was, "How did you die?"

Continuing down the form, the second question was the time of death, followed by the God of faith, the appointment time for Resurrection, expected lifespan after Resurrection, and so on.

Peter's hand holding the pen trembled slightly. However, Schiller came over, tilted the paper slightly, and pointed to the things on it. He said, "I'll teach you how to fill it out. First, fill in the time of death truthfully. For the God of faith, just write 'God.' You're probably a Protestant, so that's fine..."

"For the appointment time of Resurrection... write 'immediate.' For the expected lifespan after Resurrection, you can write anything; it doesn't matter..."

"Soul activity was just tested, right? So write 'excellent' there. You don't need to fill out the moral compass; instead, write a few sentences summarizing your life..."

"No need to start from elementary school; mainly write about your achievements. This is for Resurrection application, but because Heaven's slots are more abundant, you don't need to queue. Just write casually..."

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 882: The Radiant Stars of Rotten (Part 27)