The First Magic World War

Charles quietly hid in the corner, listening to the people in the room discuss grandly. Nearly everyone was consciously or unconsciously showing off their status, so he quickly realized that everyone in the room held a higher rank than he did.

Being able to reach the rank of Twenty-Ninth Grade First Level Clerical Chief within two to three years after graduation was already quite an achievement for the young talent, but this position was still considered low level in the room.

Charles silently listened to the people in the room bragging, boasting, and jabbering...

He didn't know if anyone had informed the Augusladin High Priest of his arrival, but he was patient. After all, many things in this world were beyond human efforts. As a mere human, he should know when to worry and when to forgive himself.

The affairs that the Augusladin High Priest plotted were well beyond his authority to interfere; he just needed to go with the flow.

Charles silently practiced Bloody Glory. Perhaps it was the atmosphere of the Foreign Minister's residence that aided him; his cultivation felt divinely assisted and progressed slightly faster than usual.

Charles had just brought seven Bloody Vortexes to halfway completion when he heard someone loudly shout, "Lucavaro District Patrolling Army commander, Westwind Knights' Commander, Lucavaro District Administration Bureau Chief, Twenty-Ninth Grade First Level Clerical Chief Charles Mecklen, please come with me."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the room, Charles left the waiting room and followed a servant through many twists and turns to a very quiet reception room.

He saw a young official, probably around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, dressed meticulously, holding a cup of coffee as if snatching a leisure moment amid busyness. Judging purely by age, Charles guessed that the man was not the Foreign Minister but must hold a high position, and he hurriedly introduced himself politely.

The young official nodded and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll cut to the chase. Charles Mecklen, are you willing to take on a diplomatic mission to the Inglima Empire?"

Charles answered, "I am willing."

The young official nodded, took a document, and was about to sign his name. Charles, quick on his feet, swiftly handed him a wallet, saying, "You dropped this."

The young official leisurely opened the wallet, glanced at the Fu Er bills inside, suddenly smiled, took another document, and said, "I heard you fought a battle at Mostar Fortress with Lady Southseraph?"

Charles humbly said, "Just a trivial matter, all for the Empire, for the Emperor."

The young official slightly smiled, signed his name on the new document, stamped it, and handed it to Charles, saying, "First go to the Central Government Office, submit this document, and then go home to await further instructions."

Although Charles felt that the young official was not busy—an air of leisure as he drank his coffee—he still tactfully hurried to take his leave.

The young official put the wallet into his pocket and continued to drink his coffee leisurely. This was his routine. Since Charles was more perceptive than others, he exchanged the document to shorten his "ordeal" by a few years.

After leaving the Foreign Minister's residence, Charles, familiar with the procedures, went to the Central Government Office. After visiting several departments, his new title became: Lucavaro District Patrolling Army commander, Westwind Knights' Commander, Lucavaro District Administration Bureau Chief, Fars Empire's Special Envoy Plenipotentiary for War to the Inglima Empire, Twenty-Eighth Grade Second Level Clerical Chief Charles Mecklen!

The document Charles received at the Foreign Minister's residence differed from the one he was originally supposed to receive only in the last line—initially, there was no change in his ranked position.

The young official who took the bribe saved him several years. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Moreover, this change of position had nothing to do with Charles's merits; it was a normal promotion due to accumulation, and it didn't affect the part concerning his military rewards.

Charles had received his new identity document, and as he was about to leave the Central Government Office, he saw several former colleagues, who were chatting loudly, led by one who looked radiant and triumphant.

Someone caught sight of Charles and couldn't help but call out, "Charles, what brings you back here again?"

Charles smiled and replied, "I'm here for some job reassignments."

The radiant-faced colleague said, "Edgar mentioned that you had come back once before. How come after going to prison, you stopped staying in touch with your old colleagues? You never reach out to us when you return!"

"I've just been promoted to a second-level clerk, a bit later than Edgar, but I've finally caught up with this promotion wave and was about to invite my colleagues to celebrate. How about it? Join us!"

"Oh, oh, oh, what did you just say? Are you handling some job assignments? Can I help you at all?"

Charles smiled and said, "I've just finished dealing with that."

A female colleague, with some slight freckles and not an unattractive appearance, couldn't help but say, "Charles, are you finally leaving the prison? Which door did you use? Are you returning to Val de Vaz District, or still out in the fifteenth district?"

Charles vaguely remembered this female colleague; he had once invited her to dinner during his time at the Central Government Office, but they hadn't had the chance to delve deeper into their relationship before his unfortunate incident, and their relationship was rather innocuous.

Charles Mecklen, a graduate of Sheffield University, was strikingly handsome, which made him quite popular among women. While he had faced some "stumbles" professionally, if he could be transferred back to Val de Vaz District, this female colleague felt he still deserved another chance.

Charles laughed and said, "No, farther than that."

The female colleague instantly lost interest, and the other colleagues also greeted him but not too warmly.

This was akin to the Middle Ages of the Old Continent, not the info-saturated Earth, and although Charles had shown remarkable performance in a few battles within the Behemoth Duchy, the Behemoth Duchy was not the main battlefield of the Empire. His exploits were rarely reported in the newspapers, and Charles had never had the chance to make the papers, so his colleagues still were unaware of his significant rise in status!

Charles exchanged brief pleasantries with them but had no interest in showing off in front of his former colleagues, considering such petty bragging unworthy.

He declined to dine with his old colleagues and had just left the Central Government Office when Madam Nancy arrived, driving a carriage to pick up her master.

Although Charles preferred to keep a lower profile, he could not pretend not to recognize Madam Nancy and confidently stepped into the carriage, waving goodbye to his colleagues.

Several colleagues witnessed Charles getting into a private carriage and were slightly surprised. The woman who had spoken earlier couldn't help but say, "Did Charles actually buy a carriage?"

The recently promoted colleague, sounding a bit sour, said, "Miss Lucavaro, you must have noticed that it's just an old second-hand carriage, not a brand-new one, and the horses are the most cost-effective kind."

The female colleague pondered for a moment, then laughed and said, "Let's not talk about him anymore; today we are celebrating your promotion." She decided to put Charles out of her mind, for if he couldn't return to work in Val de Vaz District, he wasn't worth another chance.