Unmarried young dies could only have their fiips touched lightly by a gentleman’s forehead; married women, oher hand, should receive a gentlemanly kiss on the back of the hand.

  Charlot Meburg had heard that this senior had once been engaged, but the e was annulled for reasons known to all. Now, still single, Charlot opted for a forehead touch to her fiips—a gesture of refined courtesy befitting a gentleman.

  Menielman lowered her void said, “e work under me.”

  Charlot’s expression subtly showed resistance, and he asked in a low voice, “A demotion and transfer?”

  His indignant question was actually a strategy—advang by retreating.

  For lower-ranking civil servants like clerks, promotions typically occurred every three years. However, if transferred to a new post, the promotion timeline would reset.

  Within the imperial gover, there was a saying: “A transfer without a promotion is equivalent to a demotion.”

  Menielman gave a cold snort and asked, “When is your promotion due?”

  Charlot responded without hesitation, “In a month and a half, I should be promoted to Third-css Civil Servant.”

  Charlot’s graduation from Sheffield Uy was genuine, and that degree had secured him a position in the tral gover’s office as a clerk with a high sary. However, as someone from a mert family with no political es, he had spent two years in the office without any additional promotions, waiting in line and following protocol for adva.

  As a transmigrator, Charlot possessed ce and audacity far exceeding the natives of this world. g to already have a slightly higher rank and asserting he would soon rise further was nothing short of bold—practically reckless.

  Menielman rang a small bell in the room. Shortly after, a middle-aged officer entered. Menielman poi Charlot and said, “Trahis man to Kilmainham Prison as the Chief Clerk of my office.”

  Having ied the memories of his predecessor, Charlot had already been shocked by the corruption and darkness of the imperial bureaucracy. But when this corruption beed him personally, turning him into a beneficiary of istic office politics, his outward expression was one of surprise, while internally, he was eted—any thought of resistance dissolved pletely.

  Charlot had initially believed that the senior’s promise of a Sed-css Civil Servant rank, along with the assurance of future promotions, was already an incredible deal. If she were to directly grant him the title of Third-css Civil Servant, it would be a signifit leap forward. But to his astonishment, Menielman offered him the position of Chief Clerk.

  The Empire’s bureaucratic system was exceedingly intricate, divided into fifty-three tiers.

  Clerks, the most numerous type of gover employee, ranged from First-css Civil Servants at the 41st tier to Fifth-css Civil Servants at the 37th tier, the ceiling of their career progression. Beyond that, further adva required a ge in position, with Chief Clerk being the most on path.

  Both a First-css Chief Clerk and a Fifth-css Civil Servant were at the 37th tier, but their futures diverged sharply. The former enjoyed a bright path forward, while the tter saw no further prospects.

  Charlot, leaping from a First-css Civil Servant at the 41st tier to a First-css Chief Clerk at the 37th tier, seemingly rose only four levels. Yet in truth, this included an implicit cross-tier promotion, amounting to a leap of five levels.

  As an aside, it took Mrs. Aldegonde, who held the ultimate authority over her office, twenty-one long years to climb from an Assistant Clerk at the 45th tier to a Fifth-css Civil Servant at the 37th tier. Uo secure a position transfer, she would most likely hold that post until retirement.

  Charlot wao say something grand, such as, “I vow to serve my senior to the death.” Or perhaps, “I pay my respects to my lord and beor.” Even the cssic, “After wandering through two lives across two worlds without finding a true leader, if Senior does not abandon me, I would gdly call you my adopted mother.” But sidering the cultural text of this world, he regretfully dismissed these thoughts and instead smiled politely, saying, “I will rely on yuidance, Senior Menielman.”

  Menielman gave a slight nod and said, “You must be exhausted today. Go home a. Move to the prison tomorrow. You’ll o work overtime in the ing days, so be sure t enough personal items.”

  Charlot didn’t mind.

  Overtime?

  As if he hadn’t worked overtime in his previous life.

  His high sath teacher hadn’t faced a 9-9-6 work schedule, but staying up te grading papers was a routine part of the job. The workload was just as intense.

  Seeing that Menielman had nothing further to add, Charlot left the offid exited Kilmainham Prison in a hurry.

  There were no public carriages that stopped on demand in the Marne District.

  Charlot had to walk to another district before entering a public carriage. He hailed it auro his residen the Alexander District.

  Though the Alexander District was far less prestigious than Val-de-Vas, it was still one of the top seven districts in Strasb, home primarily to affluent merts. The area was quite bustling, with several rge shoppiers and markets.

  Charlot rented an apartment in the Alexander District.

  The apartment, built by the Savings Union and he Savings Union Apartments, catered specifically to single young people with a certain level of savings. The living ditions were excellent, and the provided services were highly prehensive.

  This was Charlot’s “first” visit to the apartment. The st time he had e here, he had been a different person altogether.

  Feigning familiarity despite his apprehension, Charlot ehe apartment building.

  The elderly doorman smiled kindly at him without asking any questions.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Charlot climbed to the sed floor. Being on a low street-fag floor made the apartment slightly noisier but also a bit cheaper.

  He unlocked the door and pushed it open, shaking his head at the sight before him.

  The room was quite messy. The previous owner had not been a tidy person.

  Besides the haphazardly scattered men’s clothing, there were also some disordered women’s garments.

  Acc to his memories, these beloo different women, though their appearances and names were now blurry.

  Charlot tidied up casually, separating the men’s clothes from the women’s. He po wash “his” clothes the m and throw out everything that didn’t belong to “him.”

  Colpsing onto a rattan chair in the room, Charlot suddenly felt emotionally overwhelmed. He didn’t want to speak, didn’t want to move—he just wao sit quietly for a moment.

  He had transmigrated into this strange and unfamiliar world, taking on a new identity.

  This was a world where gods existed.

  And he was undeniably a heretic.

  Charlot Meburg lived every minute fearing that a stranger might suddenly appear oreet, cry out in the name of the gods to punish him, drag him to a stake, douse him in oil, a him abze.

  Oh, and then there were the evil gods!

  His predecessor had died summoning one of those.

  In this world, every one of them was a “danger.”

  Even the slightest mistake in handling things could lead to spiritual ination, turning him into a monster—or worse, wiping him out entirely.

  The weight on Charlot’s shoulders was beyond words.

  Today marked his first day back from vacation and his attempt at a new life.

  He had chosen to adapt to this world rather than fight it.

  And today, he had achieved an exceptionally promising beginning.

  A beginning that even exceeded his own expectations.