For an unmarried woman, a man should only touch her fingertips with his forehead; for a married woman, a man should gently kiss the back of her hand.
Charlotte had heard that this senior had once been engaged, but due to a well-known reason, the engagement was broken, and she remains single to this day. Touching her fingertips with his forehead was the appropriate gesture to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor.
Meniherman softly said, "Transfer him to my team."
Charlotte showed a slight resistance and asked in a low voice, "A demotion?"
His resentful question was actually a strategic move to advance by retreating.
Typically, a low-level government clerk like him is promoted every three years, but if transferred to a new position, the promotion timeline resets.
There's a saying in the imperial government: "A transfer without a promotion is equivalent to a demotion."
Meniherman coldly snorted and asked, "When is your next promotion?"
Without hesitation, Charlotte replied, "In a month and a half, I should be promoted to Grade 3 Clerk."
It was true that Charlotte graduated from Sheffield University and entered the Central Government Office as a clerk with a high salary. However, coming from a merchant family, he had no connections in the bureaucracy, and after two years in the Central Government Office, he hadn't received any additional promotion opportunities. He had to wait for promotions in due course.
As a transmigrator, Charlotte's boldness far exceeded that of the natives of this world. He subtly elevated his position by a level and indicated that he would soon be promoted again, which was incredibly audacious.
Meniherman rang the room's bell, and a middle-aged officer soon entered. She pointed at Charlotte and said, "Transfer this person to Kilmainham Prison as the Head Clerk of my office."
After merging with the original owner's memories, Charlotte had been surprised by the corruption and darkness of the imperial bureaucracy. But when corruption fell into his lap, making him a beneficiary of backroom deals, he was outwardly shocked but inwardly thrilled, with no intention of resisting.
Charlotte had initially thought that if this senior offered him a Grade 2 Clerk position with the promise of future promotion, it would be a great gain. If she directly gave him a Grade 3 Clerk position, it would be an extraordinary promotion. He never expected Meniherman to offer him the position of Head Clerk.
The imperial bureaucratic system is quite complex, divided into fifty-three ranks.
As the most numerous government employees, clerks range from Grade 1 Clerks at Rank 41 to Grade 5 Clerks at Rank 37. Beyond this, further promotion requires a change in position, and becoming a Head Clerk is the most common choice for clerks seeking a new role.
A Grade 1 Head Clerk and a Grade 5 Clerk are both at Rank 37 in the imperial bureaucracy, but their career prospects are entirely different: the former has a bright future, while the latter faces a dead end.
Charlotte had been promoted from a Rank 41 Grade 1 Clerk to a Rank 37 Grade 1 Head Clerk. Though it seemed like only a four-rank promotion, it was actually a five-rank leap, including a crossing of class boundaries.
To add context, it took Mrs. Aldegonde, the head of an office, twenty-one long years to climb from a Rank 45 Assistant to a Rank 37 Grade 5 Clerk. Since she had not transitioned to a new role, Mrs. Aldegonde would likely remain in this position until retirement.
Charlotte wanted to say, "I'm willing to serve you to the death, Senior," or perhaps, "Greetings to my lord Senior," or even the classic line, "I've wandered half my life, crossed two worlds, and have yet to meet a wise lord. If you don't mind, I'd like to pledge myself to you as my adoptive mother." But considering the cultural differences between the two worlds, he reluctantly abandoned these thoughts and instead smiled politely, saying, "I look forward to your guidance, Senior Meniherman."
Meniherman nodded slightly and said, "You've had a tiring day; go home and rest. Move to the prison tomorrow, and remember to bring enough personal belongings for the next few days of overtime work."
Charlotte didn't mind.
Overtime?
As if he hadn't done that in his previous life.
As a high school math teacher, there was no '996' work schedule, but staying up late to grade papers was a common occurrence. The workload was not light by any means.
Seeing that Meniherman had nothing else to say, Charlotte left the office and quickly departed Kilmainham Prison.
There are no public carriages in the Marn District that stop on demand.
Charlotte had to walk to another district before finding a public carriage, hailing it to return to his residence in the Alexandria District.
Although the Alexandria District was not as prestigious as the Val-de-Vaz District, it was still one of the top seven districts in the imperial capital of Strasbourg, primarily inhabited by wealthy merchants. The area was quite prosperous, with several large shopping malls and markets.
Charlotte rented an apartment in the Alexandria District.
The apartment was built by the Savings Union and was called the Savings Union Apartments, specifically provided for young singles with a certain amount of savings. The living environment was excellent, and the services offered were quite comprehensive.
This was Charlotte's "first" visit to the Savings Union Apartments; the last time he came, he was still someone else.
Charlotte seemed familiar with the place, but in reality, he was quite nervous as he entered the building.
The friendly concierge smiled at him without questioning his identity.
Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief and went up to the second floor. Because the lower floors facing the street were relatively noisy, the rent was slightly cheaper.
He unlocked the door, pushed it open, and couldn't help but shake his head.
The room was quite messy; the previous owner was not a tidy person.
In addition to the scattered men's clothing, there were also some women's clothes strewn about the room.
According to his memories, these clothes belonged to different women, but their faces and names were now blurred.
Charlotte casually tidied up, separating the men's clothes from the women's, planning to take "his" clothes to be washed first thing in the morning and throw away those that didn't belong to "him."
Sitting in a wicker chair in the room, Charlotte suddenly felt emotionally overwhelmed. He didn't want to say anything, didn't want to do anything—he just wanted to sit quietly for a while.
He had inexplicably transmigrated, taken on a new identity, and arrived in a completely unfamiliar world.
This is a world with gods.
He's undoubtedly an outsider to this faith.
Charlotte Mecklenburg constantly feared that at any moment, a stranger might jump out on the street, shout that they were here to punish him on behalf of the gods, and then burn him at the stake.
Oh, and there are also evil gods!
His predecessor died summoning an evil god.
Every deity in this world is a "danger."
A slight misstep could result in spiritual corruption, turning into a monster, or even complete annihilation.
The weight of this burden on him was indescribable.
Today was Charlotte's first day back from vacation and also his first day trying out his new life.
He chose to integrate into this world rather than resist it.
This day had an exceptionally good start.
This beginning even exceeded Charlotte's own expectations.