As a First Rank Clerk Chief in the Fars Empire and a thirty-seventh-grade civil servant, Charles had stepped into the empire's elite class, though he belonged to the lowest tier of the elite.
In Kilmainham Prison, except for Menilman, no one could give him orders, nor could anyone hold him accountable for being late or leaving early.
Charles stepped out of Kilmainham Prison and unexpectedly saw a familiar carriage; the little face peering out from the carriage window was even more familiar to him.
Charles was slightly surprised and greeted her, "Miss Annie! What are you doing here?"
Anne Brittany's pretty face was full of smiles as she cheerily said, "I just happened to be passing by. Mister Mecklen, you're off work so early today, do you have other matters to attend to?"
Anne Brittany felt a little anxious; she had arrived quite early but didn't know how to find an excuse to enter the empire's prison, as her family had no relatives inside.
Charles smiled faintly and said, "I just left work early; there's nothing much to do today."
Anne Brittany immediately said, "I'm actually going to a private gathering and am short a gentleman companion. I wonder if Mister Mecklen might assist?"
Charles was not a fool; the excuse of "just happening to pass by" was truly worn out.
This was the first time in either of his lives that he had encountered such a situation.
Being pursued by a girl! And a standard beauty with wealth at that.
Anne Brittany was impeccable in appearance, figure, demeanor, scholarship, upbringing, and even family background.
Faced with the choice between returning to Sheffield University and going on a date with Anne Brittany, Charles hesitated for a moment before decisively making his choice and accepting, "It is a great honor to be invited by you, Miss Annie."
At the same time, he thought to himself, "The matter of writing to my brother needs to be brought forward on my schedule."
Charles got into Anne's carriage and left Kilmainham Prison.
The private gathering Anne Brittany was going to attend was the University of Georgia Black Moon Era year thirty-three aficionados' assembly.
In the Old Continent, almost every country had this custom; various social small groups were very popular. Lower-class people would have knitting clubs, laundry clubs, mainly for the purpose of securing work, while slightly wealthier families would join book clubs, cooking clubs, to expand their networks.
University aficionados' assemblies like this were already high-end social gatherings; after all, the Fars Empire had only four universities, each university a place blessed by God, every student a favored child of the heavens, with promising jobs and limitless futures after graduation.
The venue for this gathering was the home of a young lady named Berrida. She was a university classmate of Anne Brittany, and their relationship was neither bad nor particularly close. At any other time, Anne would have refused such a gathering, as she did not enjoy boisterous events.
This time, it was for Charles that she accepted the invitation. After all, it took a lot of courage to ask a gentleman out alone, and such a gathering seemed less abrupt.
Charles was concerned about his "future." He did not want to be devoured by the Labyrinth nor to see Kahnstan again, so he also continued to cultivate Bloody Glory while in the carriage, maintaining his training state. Golden Runes flickered in and out of sight at his heart, where the Bloody Vortex was located. Having faced the Blood Clan Evil God Kahnstan twice, his Blood Banquet Meditation Technique had made rapid progress and achieved minimal results. When the carriage stopped, he opened his eyes and felt that Bloody Glory had advanced a little further.
Anne had been observing Charles the entire trip. She keenly noticed that he was in a state of cultivation, which surprised and impressed her.
"Many people stop exploring the Transcendent after graduation because the path is so difficult, but Charles still has the heart to strive. His future achievements must be limitless."
"If he could become a High-Level Transcendent, between us..."
"There would be many more possibilities."
Miss Annie thought to this point, and her pretty face couldn't help but blush once again.
Charles suddenly opened his eyes and saw Anne Brittany with a slight blush on her face, radiantly beautiful, and instantly his eyes lit up, but he tactfully said nothing.
Anne truly felt a bit shy, she slightly lowered her head, allowing Charles to dismount the carriage first, then extended her small hand for him to help her down.
A butler saw the two guests arriving, raised his hand to signal, and servants immediately helped open the large gate for them.
Though Berrina's father also held a position in the Empire and had an honorary title, he was merely a minor noble and couldn't be compared with the Brittany Family at all.
Anne's arrival delighted the young lady, who personally came out to receive her. She saw Anne's hand looped through Charles's arm and was slightly surprised.
At school, Anne was known as a cold beauty, never dating any boys nor showing any false pretenses to the opposite sex; this was the first time she saw the young lady of the Brittany family being so intimate with a male of her age.
Berrina covered half of her face with a small fan, partly to avoid letting any inappropriate expressions show that might displease Anne, and partly to maintain her graceful demeanor. She chuckled and said, "Anne, everyone has been waiting for you for a long time."
"Could this gentleman perhaps introduce himself?"
Anne smiled modestly and said, "Mister Charles Mecklen, graduated from Sheffield University, currently employed at Kilmainham Prison, Clerk Chief." She walked arm-in-arm with Berrina toward the living room.
In such a public setting, it was necessary to be clear about one's identity; one couldn't be overly modest, but having Charles introduce himself would obviously not be as fitting as Anne doing it for him.
The time Charles introduced himself to Anne, he didn't emphasize his civil position but highlighted being a First Rank Transcendent in order to be more credible to the other party. Now the scene had changed, and Anne adjusted the details of the introduction, concealing his Transcendent identity and emphasizing his civil position instead.
Berrina's pretty face showed a slight change in color, and even the small fan in her hand couldn't hide her surprise as she asked in a low voice, "You're a Clerk Chief?"
If Charles had introduced himself as a Clerk Chief, Berrina would never have believed him and would have thought she encountered a swindler.
Two or three years after graduating from university, almost all in government roles were First Order clerks, with a few from families with a strong background perhaps advancing earlier to become Second Order clerks. A Clerk Chief at such a rank was rather alarming; only those from great noble families could have such rapid promotion.
The gap between a First Order clerk and a Clerk Chief was not to be underestimated; from the fortieth down to the highest thirty-seventh rank, including a rare opportunity for a job transfer, represented at least a decade or more of promotion and hard work, a threshold many civil servants might never cross in their lifetime.
This change in status was not just about a salary three-point-six times higher; it brought with it recognition, position, benefits, welfare, power, and so much more.
Berrina's father was only two ranks higher than Charles in the government's civil servant hierarchy.
Anne smiled and answered, "Yes, Mister Mecklen recently purchased a house for less than two hundred Aegeus."
Berrina could no longer question it; being able to purchase such a house worth two hundred Aegeus indicated that Charles's salary was far beyond that of a First Order clerk.
Charles sighed inwardly, knowing this was the Empire, filled with snobbery, class discrimination, contempt, privilege, wealth, and corruption...
He would still need to adapt for a while.