Dimensional Hotel

Chapter 84: Registration

The first line on the form read like this:

“If the individual belongs to a long-living species (average lifespan of 1000 years or more), fill out the age as a percentage, and write the average lifespan of the species in the provided space. If the individual’s species lacks a concept of gender, leave the gender field blank. If the individual cannot use a pen, or has special identifying traits like pheromone-based markers, a staff member will assist in sampling or filling in the details. For other special cases, see the appendix and have a staff member approve with a signature.”

Then came a series of disclaimers, summed up in one line: “The Special Affairs Bureau understands that all sorts of strange beings come here. We’ve tried to account for the many different forms of life and their taboos. If you still feel offended, take it up with the Council.”

Yu Sheng sat there staring at the long list of disclaimers and filling instructions for quite a while. It wasn’t until he turned to the second page that he found the sections for name, gender, age, and address. He looked up at the young woman sitting beside him, Xu Wen Wen.

“This definitely isn’t the form ordinary people fill out to register their IDs in Boundary City, is it?”

“Of course not,” Wen Wen replied, nodding quickly. “The forms for regular citizens are much simpler. This one is meant for ‘guests’ who need to stay in the Borderland long-term but aren’t human. The ID cards we’ll prepare for the two ladies after this will also be special versions—they look almost like regular IDs, but the information inside can only be read by specific departments using special devices. If they run into trouble later, this ID is their way to get help or receive preferential treatment.”

“Do you often deal with these kinds of… cases?” Yu Sheng asked, a bit curious.

Wen Wen smiled. “Definitely fewer than regular citizen registrations, but we get a few thousand to ten thousand new files a year. The Borderland is always attracting ‘travelers’ from different places who want to stay for all sorts of reasons.”

Yu Sheng listened carefully, feeling a strange sense of connection forming inside him. This odd form, with all its strange details, suddenly gave him a deeper sense of the bizarre world beyond the ordinary—the bustling, chaotic Borderland.

Beside him, Irene was struggling to fill out her form. She was using a ballpoint pen that looked enormous in her tiny hands. The A4-sized form was nearly half her height, but she worked on it with determination, not asking for help. She seemed almost excited.

Yu Sheng turned back to his own form and carefully wrote down “Foxy” in the name field. But then, he got stuck on the next question.

“Uh, Benefactor?” Foxy looked up at him, curiosity in her golden eyes.

“Um… how old are you?” Yu Sheng asked awkwardly, looking at the young fox girl. Then he realized something was off. “Wait, no—what’s the average lifespan of your species? And, um, does your ‘one year’ mean the same as a Borderland ‘year’?”

Foxy tilted her head, her fluffy silver ears twitching in the air, looking puzzled. After a few seconds, she hesitantly replied, “I’m about two hundred years old, I think? We become adults at one hundred and eighty, but I don’t really know how long we live. My parents always said that when we don’t want to live anymore, we return to the Great Dao, but they said that’s not dying—it’s becoming part of the celestial beings.”

Yu Sheng sighed and turned to the clerk, Wen Wen, for help.

Wen Wen pointed at the age field. “Just write, ‘Exceptionally long-lived.\'”

“Wait, I can do that?” Yu Sheng asked, surprised.

Wen Wen nodded earnestly. “If you think that’s not formal enough, you could also write ‘unknown.’ There are many who fill it in that way every year. Some species live exceptionally long without a fixed concept of lifespan. Others go through rapid life cycles, with years marked by generations rather than individual years. They can’t figure out their own ages.”

Yu Sheng opened his mouth, then looked at the next section. “Uh… place of origin—what do I put if I don’t know?”

“Just write ‘outside the Borderland,\'” Wen Wen replied, still serious. “If they’re from outside and their exact origin isn’t clear, we classify them like that.”

Yu Sheng blinked, feeling a bit stunned. “And… species?”

Wen Wen pointed again. “Tick the box for ‘see appendix’ and flip to the last page. You’ll find a list to choose from.”

Yu Sheng flipped to the end of the stack of forms, his eyes widening at the many tiny options waiting to be ticked off. He immediately noticed a line that read, “If your species has morphing characteristics, select ‘Mimicry Class.’ If your species isn’t listed, write ‘to be added,’ and we’ll create a new category for you.”

Yu Sheng looked up at Wen Wen, impressed. “Your job must be… complicated.”

“Not too bad. I’m actually in logistics. The Special Records Department handles these directly, and they’re really busy. None of them have much hair left,” she said, pointing at a category. “How about choosing this one—’Beast Spirit or Humanoid Shapeshifter’?”

Yu Sheng looked over and frowned slightly. “Why not ‘Celestial Spirit or Anomalous Being’? It seems fitting too…”

“Beast Spirits get a discount on subway tickets. And her tail seems more like a Beast Spirit,” Wen Wen explained casually. “But it’s no big deal. If you prefer something else, you can pick from the ‘Humanoid’ category. Most people don’t bother digging too deep.”

Yu Sheng continued filling out the form, glancing over at Irene. He saw the little doll earnestly ticking off “Advanced Doll or Alchemical Humanoid,” and writing “from Alice’s Little House” in the notes section.

It took a long time, but the forms were finally complete.

Honestly, this wasn’t any easier than helping Little Red Riding Hood with her homework. The forms were filled with all sorts of strange, complicated sections. Without Wen Wen’s explanations, Yu Sheng would never have guessed half those terms would be used in an identity registration. It was no wonder they needed a Bureau staff member present to assist. If he had to do this alone, he’d be stuck all day just on “cognitive type” and “neural evolution classification.”

On the other hand, the forms were surprisingly flexible. For many sections that couldn’t be filled in properly, Yu Sheng simply followed Wen Wen’s advice and wrote things like “unknown,” “random,” or “any.” By the end, he started doubting the Bureau’s professionalism a bit.

“You really don’t need to worry,” Wen Wen reassured him, seeing his uncertainty. “These forms are designed to be as adaptable as possible. Usually, if an ‘outsider’ can fill in even a quarter of the information, it’s enough to accurately describe their origin, purpose, and personal traits. We don’t expect a registration form to fully bind outsiders. The Borderland’s stability relies on a vast and efficient management system.”

As she spoke, she placed a small device on the table. “Next, we’ll collect biometric information. Since both of you are humanoid, we’ll start with fingerprints.”

Irene raised her hand. “I don’t have fingerprints.”

Wen Wen paused. “…Then blood—no, dolls don’t have blood. Hair, maybe? Although I think dolls dislike that… How about scraping some surface fragments, maybe from your arm?”

Irene sighed. “If you scrape it, it’ll just turn into lotus root powder.”

Wen Wen blinked. “…What?”

“It’s a long story,” Yu Sheng said, covering his face. “Her current body is temporary. You probably shouldn’t collect anything—it won’t be useful anyway. It’s all made from supermarket materials.”

“Well… alright. The director did say to be flexible,” Wen Wen said, her expression complicated. She glanced over the completed forms, then sighed and looked at Irene. “Miss Irene, in the ‘standard form or appearance’ section, you can’t just write ‘pretty.’ It should be ‘humanoid’… You know what, I’ll rewrite this page for you. I just need your signature at the end. Also, both of you get ready. I’ll take your pictures in a moment. Miss Foxy, can you hide your ears?”

Foxy casually plucked her ears off and stuffed them into her tail.

“Uh… what?!” Wen Wen stared, her mouth open in shock.

A second later, she realized just how ridiculous the scene was and turned to Yu Sheng. “Mr. Yu, she, she just…”

“Take it easy,” Yu Sheng said, nodding calmly. He had expected this reaction. “You work at the Special Affairs Bureau. You should keep an open mind.”

Wen Wen took a deep breath, working hard to calm herself. Finally, she managed to control her expression. She pulled out another stack of forms and handed them to Yu Sheng. “Here’s the registration paperwork you need. Until the ladies’ IDs are ready, you can fill this out in the meantime.”

Yu Sheng felt a rush of excitement and quickly took the printed pages. “Registration Form for Independent Operating Organizations/Groups/Offices in the Borderland.”

A smile spread across his face.

Finally, it was time.