This is also the fundamental reason why Charlotte dared to lie openly. To check the information on an imperial bureaucrat, one would need to specifically browse through the archives, which is a laborious task in the Faris Empire, where index searches haven't been widely implemented. No one could expose his lie on the spot.
Charlotte also didn't believe anyone would later check the archives just to catch him as a "parasite." Doing so would offend too many people, and the entire bureaucratic system would resist "correcting mistakes."
Charlotte first returned to the Central Government Office, stopping along the way to buy some bagels for breakfast. Unfortunately, there were no street vendors selling fresh cow or goat milk throughout the Faris Empire, or it would have been perfect.
While eating a bagel, Charlotte pushed open the office door and presented the transfer order he received yesterday to Mrs. Aldegonde.
Mrs. Aldegonde was quite surprised and, in a rare show of concern, asked, "The working environment and promotion opportunities at Kilmainham Prison are not as good as those at the Central Government Office. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Charlotte shrugged helplessly and said, "If I had a way to refuse, I would have done so already!"
Mrs. Aldegonde sighed and signed her name.
The colleagues in the office all had schadenfreude expressions, with several secretly thinking, "It's a good thing Charlotte got the transfer; otherwise, the unlucky person sent to Kilmainham Prison might have been me."
The transfer order did not specify Charlotte's specific position at Kilmainham Prison.
Charlotte had no intention of bragging about it.
That would be a childish move, only bringing trouble and hindrance to his career.
He quickly left the office where he had worked for two years and visited the personnel department. In less than an hour, he completed all the formalities, left the Central Government Office, and hailed a public carriage straight to Kilmainham Prison.
Visiting the empire's oldest prison for the second time, Charlotte was now quite familiar with the process.
With the help of Secretary Pascal, he quickly completed his induction and became a Grade 37 imperial bureaucrat, the Chief Clerk of the Warden's Office at Kilmainham Prison.
As a former Grade 41 imperial clerk, Charlotte's weekly salary was one florin and seventy centimes.
Promoted to Grade 37 Chief Clerk, his weekly salary rose to six florins and fifteen centimes, about 3.6 times the previous amount.
Converted to Earth currency, it was equivalent to a monthly salary of nearly fifty thousand yuan, placing him in the high-income "gold-collar" group.
After completing the job-related tasks, Charlotte thanked Secretary Pascal and politely asked, "Where should I work?"
He certainly couldn't share an office with Miss Meniherman; that would be against the rules.
As Chief Clerk, he was theoretically entitled to his own office, and Charlotte was looking forward to his new working environment.
Secretary Pascal smiled and said, "You still need to collect the prison guard's equipment, including a pistol, baton, and sword. Although you're a clerk, you're also part of the prison military, and you might face threats and combat, so these items are essential."
Charlotte couldn't help but ask, "Are violent incidents common at Kilmainham Prison?"
Secretary Pascal smiled slightly and said, "The last violent incident in the prison occurred before Lady Black Moon's era. However, please do not refuse the weapons."
Charlotte smiled slightly and replied, "I do not refuse weapons."
He had been transferred from the completely safe Central Government Office to a prison under the control of the state's violent apparatus, so carrying weapons was inevitable.
Of course, Charlotte didn't think he would encounter any danger here; there weren't many places in the empire safer than Kilmainham Prison.
He followed Secretary Pascal to the armory.
A middle-aged soldier with a bushy beard grumbled, "Another newcomer?"
Secretary Pascal replied, "The Chief Clerk personally selected by the Warden."
The middle-aged soldier with the bushy beard chuckled and said, "Well, let's take care of this little guy!"
"Follow me."
Secretary Pascal said, "My work here is done. Good luck. Your office is next to the Warden's, and your name is on the door."
Charlotte quickly turned around, gave a polite smile, and said goodbye to Secretary Pascal, watching her leave.
The middle-aged soldier with the bushy beard waited a moment and then asked, "Do you want standard-issue weapons or something special?"
Charlotte raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's the difference?"
The middle-aged soldier with the bushy beard replied, "The armory has some confiscated weapons, which are of slightly higher quality than the standard-issue ones."
Charlotte asked, "Can I choose for myself?"
The middle-aged soldier with the bushy beard laughed and said, "Suit yourself!"
He led Charlotte into the armory, pointed with his hand, and said, "These are the standard-issue weapons, and the small room at the end is where the confiscated items are stored."
The implication was obvious—the small room held extraordinary weapons.
In this world, there are gods, magical creatures, forbidden ancient artifacts, giants, shamans, vampires, magic, battle qi, alchemy, as well as extraordinary individuals and extraordinary items.
The armory of Kilmainham Prison's guard force certainly wouldn't have any particularly exquisite extraordinary weapons. The best items must have long been taken by those in power, but the remaining items were still quite valuable and not easily obtainable outside.
Since crossing over, Charlotte had yet to see an extraordinary item. According to his memories, every extraordinary item was extremely expensive.
For example, the most common and cheapest magical lamps used for lighting on the market cost twelve écus, far beyond his salary's purchasing power.
Combat-ready extraordinary weapons often cost over one hundred écus, roughly equivalent to more than two million yuan, the price of an average apartment in a medium-sized city.
Unless he came into a large sum of "extra income," Charlotte would never be tempted to buy such an expensive luxury item in his lifetime.
The weapon racks outside were filled with various firearms.
This world's firearm manufacturing technology has developed rapidly, with the performance of gunpowder weapons approaching that of Earth during World War I, and their design even surpassing that of the early 2000s on Earth.
The empire does not have a police force as a violent institution; all tasks that would typically be handled by police are performed by the military, and the soldiers serving in prisons are officially known as the prison military.
The standard-issue pistol for the prison military is officially called the Magnum Revolver, with a capacity of eighteen rounds and excellent close-quarters performance. There is also a shotgun-like short gun called the Thunderbolt Blunderbuss, loaded with explosive rounds, which is a favorite "close-combat heavy weapon" among the prison military.