"You're Huang Tao, right? You violated the Temporal Management Bureau regulations by traveling without a license. Come with us!"
Roselle, also known as Huang Tao, heard the man in the black suit speak. He froze in disbelief, completely stunned. 'What? Temporal Management Bureau? Unauthorized time travel? Wait, wait... Does this Temporal Management Bureau really exist?'
'No, hold on, the point is that I broke the law. Damn, while others begin their transmigration journey as overpowered protagonists, am I really about to start mine by going to jail?' At this moment, Roselle almost cursed. He looked at the two people in front of him, his mind racing with thoughts. Then he shouted, "I'm innocent! I don't even know how I transmigrated. Even if it's unauthorized, it's not my fault, right?"
As Roselle shouted, he was actually being cautious, raising his voice on purpose.
His original body's memories told him that he was a minor noble, so there should be maids in this manor. Roselle's plan was to alert others in the hopes of making the Temporal Management Bureau agents hesitant.
However, to Roselle's disappointment, even though he shouted loudly, there was no response from outside. It was obvious that no one had heard his sudden outburst.
"Stop trying to be clever. This space has been sealed by me; no one can hear anything from inside," the man in black sunglasses said with a smile, seemingly aware of Roselle's little trick.
"Ahem... You misunderstood, sir. I was just too agitated, that's why I shouted," Roselle's heart sank, but as a seasoned adult who had worked in society for several years, he remained calm and coughed lightly.
"Let's pretend that's the case," the black-suited man said with a smile.
Roselle's heart sank further. He couldn't help but glance at the man in the black suit, then at the man in the white suit and sunglasses, who had remained silent. After thinking for a moment, Roselle forced a laugh and asked, "So, agents of the Temporal Management Bureau, you said I violated regulations by unauthorized time travel. How do you plan to deal with me?"
"Greg, recite the regulations of the Temporal Management Bureau for him," Lynn elbowed Klein.
Klein: ... 'Wait, does the Temporal Management Bureau even have regulations? You never told me about this!'
Klein felt a bit flustered, but as someone who could play the Fool and endure Lynn's antics, he kept his expression composed and said seriously, "The Temporal Management Bureau typically sentences unauthorized time travelers to between one hundred and one hundred fifty years in prison."
'One hundred years?' Roselle was dumbfounded. He struggled to speak, "Would people not age during their prison time?"
"Of course not. It's prison, not a gift of immortality," Lynn said with a smile, "A hundred years in prison is exactly a hundred years. It's not that heavy a sentence. For many long-lived beings, a hundred years is nothing. I've always thought this punishment was too light, but alas, it's what the Director decided, and I'm just a small employee who can't change it." He even sounded regretful.
Meanwhile, Klein was already using his Clown ability to control his facial expressions, fearing he would burst into laughter.
On the other hand, Roselle wasn't laughing at all. For so-called long-lived beings, a hundred years might indeed be nothing, but for him, a normal human with a lifespan of around a hundred years, this was devastating!
"However, your situation is even more special than typical unauthorized Transmigrators..."
At that moment, Roselle suddenly heard the man in black sunglasses speak, giving him a glimmer of hope. The man continued, "Your unauthorized transmigration conveniently avoided the disaster that destroyed Civilization E. I suspect you deliberately violated the law to escape your original fate, which increases the severity of your crime." Lynn adjusted his sunglasses, his tone growing colder. "For your situation, the punishment is doubled."
Roselle immediately felt his heart sink, but then he reacted, staring at Lynn in disbelief, "Wait, are you saying that the civilization I came from was destroyed?"
"You didn't know? Civilization E was destroyed More than 10,000 years ago. The era you're in now is the one that arose from the ruins of Civilization E," Lynn didn't hesitate to reveal this truth, which would have left any transmigrator in shock. Beside him, Klein glanced at him, worried that it might be too much.
'Telling Roselle that Earth had already been destroyed seemed a bit harsh, doesn't it?' Klein subtly signaled Lynn with his eyes.
Lynn winked back, reassuring him. 'Don't worry, better to rip off the band-aid quickly. I'll sweeten the deal soon, and he won't break down.'
Roselle didn't notice the interaction between the two Temporal Management Bureau agents, nor was he in the mood to care. He was already in a state of shock.
When he first opened his eyes, he had been excited about transmigrating, thinking he could enjoy his new life and eventually find a way back home. But now, Roselle was overwhelmed by sorrow.
'The Earth's civilization had been destroyed. Everything I know is gone, even... even my parents...'
Roselle didn't dare to dwell on it. The thought was too painful, making him feel dizzy for a moment.
"So, I was lucky, after all. Although I transmigrated and might be imprisoned, at least I survived..." Roselle forced a smile that looked worse than crying, his voice trembling.
Just then, he heard the black-suited man say, "It seems you didn't intentionally violate the law. For cases like yours, there are provisions that allow you to make up for your mistakes in other ways, avoiding a prison sentence."
But that wasn't the key point. The key point was that Roselle then heard the man laugh and say, "If you perform well, an accidental transmigrator like you can apply to become a D-Class employee of the Bureau. D-Class employees enjoy certain benefits, including the ability to bring their family members from their original time period, allowing them to enjoy the benefits of time travel as well."
Roselle's eyes widened as he looked at Lynn, asking for confirmation, "Are you saying that if I become a Bureau employee, I can bring my parents from the past? But didn't you say Earth Civilization was already destroyed..."
"We're the Temporal Management Bureau. For us, rescuing your parents just before the disaster isn't difficult." Lynn adjusted his sunglasses, smiling as he looked at Roselle, "So, what's your choice?"
"Would you rather serve 200 years in prison or work to make amends and someday become an employee of the Temporal Management Bureau?"
As a skilled boss, Lynn knew that instead of forcing an employee to work endlessly, it was better to offer an irresistible incentive to keep them motivated.
(End of Chapter)
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