Darkstone Code-Chapter 965 - 963: It’s Just a Smoke, Isn’t It?
"Sir, this is your experience voucher, please keep it safe."
A store clerk in a maid outfit held a golden tray in her hand, with a row of cards placed inside it. She picked one up and handed it to the gentleman who had gotten up at six o’clock to line up.
The clerk’s respectful and reverent attitude towards him made him extremely delighted, with a slight sense of nervousness.
The Federation is a country that pursues both spiritual and physical freedom. In this country, a person can die poor, yet they would never do things that degrade themselves against their will.
At least, most people are like this, and the more they are at the lower levels, the more this is the case.
Someone once commented on the different classes of people in the Federation, and their final opinion was unanimous: the backbone of the lower class is stronger!
This isn’t merely about human bones but a spirit of integrity. Some might make desperate and pessimistic decisions at the end of their road, whereas people in the upper class would immediately change their stance upon sensing danger.
This is also why in the Federation, it’s rare for people to use honorifics; the charter states that everyone is equal, so why should I regard you as inferior?
When the pretty clerk used honorifics, he genuinely felt a sense of satisfaction and joy.
Watching the clerk turn towards the next passerby in line waiting to experience, he wished time could linger here a bit longer.
Luckily, she handed him a small card, and his gaze fixed upon it.
This was a matte black card with a smooth, gold-edged layer on the outside, unlike ordinary business or name cards where the inner texture fibers are visible.
This design looks more refined.
A golden cross star spanned the entire card, with a number at the bottom—he was number thirty-nine.
The card felt somewhat heavy, and suddenly, someone ahead in line exclaimed, "Oh my, is this... gold?"
Soon the entire line became somewhat restless. Someone mentioned that this weighty card used real gold. The man who started queuing at six weighed the card in his hand—at the very least, he couldn’t determine exactly how heavy it was, but it definitely had substance.
Quickly, there was some disturbance at the back of the queue; apparently, today’s experience opportunity had ended.
The Black Gold Venerable experience voucher is only issued two hundred times a day. The items available for experience in the store total two hundred, so those who exceed this number can only wait until tomorrow.
The commotion lasted only a short while, under the watchful eyes of several soldiers clad in combat gear, wielding standard rifles, with a chest badge of a black triangle with golden fractures—those people dared not cause further trouble.
This is security from Darkstone Security, one of the country’s first security firms.
Last month’s final hearings concluded that starting from June, the Federation Government will issue thirty licenses to civilians, allowing holders to establish armed security firms—
Note that armed security firms are hired enterprises that complete predetermined goals via military actions and do not include ordinary security companies.
Simultaneously, Congress performed more detailed work on these matters, information not necessary for ordinary citizens to know.
They only know that sometimes, Darkstone Security personnel can be scarier than government officials.
Unexpectedly, those who caused the disturbance didn’t leave; instead, they continued to queue, even calling for food and books—they planned to wait the entire day!
"They’re all crazy..." muttered the man who got up at six o’clock, tightly clutching the card in his hand as if it were very important.
Meanwhile, some approached to inquire whether those with cards were willing to sell their cards and opportunities, offering a high price of a hundred dollars.
If the card is pure gold, it might be worth fifty to sixty dollars; adding on the value of queuing, it’s not low.
However, no one agreed, and the price kept rising. Someone decided to give up the opportunity at three hundred dollars, while others persisted to the end, like the man who woke up at six.
He only had time today, needing to work tomorrow. Missing it this time, who knows how long he’d wait next?
The line slowly moved forward, sparking curiosity; if it’s merely cigarette experiences, why not let everyone in directly and give each person a pack to finish?
Why did those who entered take so long, coming out with emotions in their eyes that others couldn’t comprehend?
Various curiosities fueled people’s anticipation, including the man who got up at six. He waited until after ten before it was finally his turn.
Led by two female clerks, he entered the hall.
Calling it a hall, rather it’s like a winding "S" shaped corridor, adorned with paintings, where the two clerks softly introduced some unknown stories about Black Gold Venerable to him alone.
For instance, this new sub-brand was personally designed by Mr. Lynch, including the ideas Mr. Lynch wished to convey through the brand and image design.
There were also some other interesting little stories.
The entire process wasn’t long, around seven to eight minutes, accompanied by normal walking speed—explanations given while walking, not boring at all, making the man who got up at six hope the corridor could be longer.
This way, he could spend a few more minutes with the two pretty and cute ladies beside him.
At the end, he saw the true hall: luxurious, noble, with pure white floor and wall tiles combined with lighting, making it seem as if one were standing in the sky, treading on cotton!
In the gaps between the tiles, there was a sparkle of silver light. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he guessed it should be silver.
The current price of silver is not cheap, over a dozen dollars an ounce, and it’s said to be increasing.
Looking at the silver light in every tile gap here, even without anyone mentioning, he knew for sure that it was silver.
Since even the card used gold, then having some silver cast into the floor as decoration suddenly seemed acceptable.
Exquisite, sacred!
Led by two female shop assistants, he arrived at the counter in the center of the hall.
Inside the oval-shaped counter were two beautiful women dressed in pure white clothes, with some white feathers adorning their heads.
Prompted by the shop assistant beside him, he showed his card. Then the shop assistant behind the counter brought out a tray from somewhere underneath.
It contained some things he couldn’t quite understand.
"You must take good care of your card; only two thousand will be issued nationwide for this experience event. You’re lucky to have gotten one, and it’s a very early number."
"In the future, no matter what events we hold, you can participate for free and enjoy priority access."
"Every quarter or year, when we launch new products, a dedicated person will deliver free samples to you, and we hope you can provide positive feedback; it’s very important!"
The female shop assistant repeatedly advised, "We don’t recognize people, only cards. If you ever feel like letting go, you can hand it directly to us, and we will pay you a thousand dollars!"
Mr. Passerby, who thought getting up early at six was a bit excessive, was stunned, and he tightly and carefully clutched the card in his hand, "I won’t, I won’t give it to anyone."
The female shop assistant smiled regretfully, one of them holding the tray while the other led him into a small room at the edge of the hall.
The style inside was the same as outside, with some paintings on the walls, making it seem even more like being in the sky.
Inside, there was a lounge chair covered in plenty of pure white cotton. With the help of the two female shop assistants, he lay down on it, feeling like lying on a cloud, extremely comfortable.
Soothing music suddenly began, and the light dimmed slightly, causing the white walls to appear somewhat blue.
Or maybe it was blue all along, only previously concealed by the light.
"Please close your eyes, distinguished guest..."
Mr. Passerby, who now didn’t find getting up early at six too much, obediently closed his eyes, and then a pair of hands pressed on his scalp, kneading forcefully yet perfectly.
This made him extremely comfortable, as if he’d never felt such comfort before... perhaps only in the womb.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, his face felt cool suddenly. He opened his eyes and saw a small spray bottle spritzing something on his face.
"This is a natural plant essence extracted from the primeval forests of Nagariel; it effectively alleviates your facial dehydration issue, keeping your skin refreshed all day."
"Now that your entire body is relaxed, next, you can try our new cigarette and experience the enjoyment it brings you like never before..."
The lounge chair gently rocked, slowly adjusting to an upright position, turning reclining into reclined sitting.
The female shop assistant who massaged him began pressing on his temples. If making a sound wasn’t too embarrassing, he would have moaned for a while.
The shop assistant beside him took out a small, individually wrapped item from the tray, looking like hard fruit candy, only longer than regular fruit candy.
She used a delicate pair of scissors to cut open the packaging and pulled out a cigarette with a filter tip.
He felt a bit experienced, although he wondered if this was overly ceremonial, he still very much enjoyed everything happening now.
The shop assistant lightly flicked the cigarette, catching any stray bits in a small tray, then handed it to him.
"Do I smoke it now?" he asked.
The shop assistant smiled and nodded, picking up a small oil lamp from the tray.
It looked like a small, palm-sized teapot made of pure gold, with a piece of wick extending from the spout.
The shop assistant first lit it with a lighter, then held it so Mr. Passerby, thankful for waking up at six, could light his cigarette.
She also took the opportunity to explain, "Matches and lighters release too many chemicals during use, affecting the taste."
"But this contains camel oil, which not only doesn’t impair the flavor when smoking but also offers some enhancement."
