“Sir Li An, as a Ninth-Rank Imperial Civil Servant, leaving your post without permission... you wouldn't happen to be a spy for an enemy nation, would you?”
“O-Of course not! I was just asking for a friend! Just asking!”
“Please carry on, I'll be going now!”
Remembering how, just two days ago, merely beating around the bush to ask the Imperial Personnel Department how to resign had nearly gotten him branded a traitor, Li An felt a wave of helplessness.
“Sigh...”
Letting out another sigh, Li An reflected that, as a Ninth-Rank Imperial Official, his daily commute was sheer torment.
On rainy days, the air was muggy and damp, making his entire body feel uncomfortable. On foggy days, his vision was obstructed, leaving him unable to see the road ahead. As for clear, sunny days...
Those were even worse.
Because the weather was so pleasant that it made him not want to go to work at all.
“If only I could take a carriage...”
Watching a carriage speed past him, Li An could not help feeling a pang of envy.
In this world, magic-driven carriages were symbols of wealth and status.
Generally speaking, only wealthy merchants, nobles, or imperial officials of the Fifth Rank and above were qualified to ride in such conveyances.
Of course, there were also officials who enjoyed the perk of imperial-provided carriages.
Unfortunately...
Li An met none of those criteria.
So today, he still had to rely on his own two feet, dutifully trudging toward his workplace.
“Boss, the usual.”
Passing by the bakery he visited every day, Li An bought freshly baked bread and fresh milk.
Taking a bite of the bread, the crisp crust and rich, buttery aroma burst across his palate.
“As expected, bread baked with magic is so much better than what I had in my past life,” Li An could not help sighing in appreciation.
In his past life, bread had been expensive and tasted thoroughly mediocre.
Unlike this world, where despite the backward technology, the presence of magic and natural ingredients made many foods far more delicious.
Taking a sip of milk to soothe his parched throat, Li An fell into deep thought as he walked.
Before he knew it, he had arrived at his workplace.
—The Barba Empire Administrative Hall.
This building was entirely worthy of the title "Core Institution of the Empire."
Even someone who knew nothing about architecture could see its sheer luxury.
Colossal stone pillars, exquisite carvings, walls embedded with magic crystals...
It was as if the entire edifice was proclaiming to the world:
There is an awful lot of money here.
Even though Li An felt the style was somewhat ostentatious.
“What time is it now?”
He looked up at the colossal clock above the hall.
That clock was said to be a precious piece crafted specifically by the Magic Tower; the manufacturing cost alone was enough to bankrupt a capitalist.
“Nine ten...”
Li An's body instinctively froze.
The workday began at—
Nine o'clock sharp.
However, he did not enter the office right away.
No.
He couldn't go in yet.
He had to stall.
The later, the better.
And so, Li An began to take a leisurely stroll around the Administrative Hall.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Until he checked the time again.
Nine seventeen.
“That should do it.”
He finally headed toward his department.
Yet...
It was still too early.
The Imperial Evaluation Department, Section Four.
“Oh, Li An, you're the first one here again!”
As soon as he entered the office, a middle-aged official greeted him with a beaming smile. “You truly are the most diligent official in our Evaluation Department!”
The corner of Li An's mouth twitched slightly.
Diligent?
What a joke.
These people wouldn't even trickle in until after nine thirty.
Even though work was clearly scheduled for nine o'clock.
Some of them even reeked of alcohol, having clearly partied too hard the night before and overslept.
This was the reality of the empire.
In this not-yet-fully-developed magical world, the bureaucratic system was still in an extremely primitive stage.
However...
Precisely because of this, the empire's problems were growing worse by the day.
“Come to think of it...” An older official nearby suddenly rubbed his nose. “The results for this month's Model Civil Servant should be announced by now, right?”
As he spoke, he walked toward a picture frame on the office wall.
A massive portrait hung there.
Inscribed upon it was:
—August Model Civil Servant: Li An Adolf.
Li An's eyes lit up.
Finally.
It could finally be taken down.
Seeing his own face hanging on the wall every day at work was nothing short of psychological torture.
He let out a long breath.
“Phew...”
Yet in the very next second, the older official did not take down the portrait.
Instead, he said with a smile: “Congratulations, Li An! By unanimous decision, the Model Civil Servant of September is you once again!”
Click.
Li An's expression froze.
A new portrait was hung in its place.
—September Model Civil Servant: Li An Adolf.
“...”
“Congratulations!”
“Li An, you really are the hope of our department!”
“Incredible!”
Resounding applause filled the office.
Looking at his excited colleagues, Li An felt only a surge of despair.
These lunatics... The empire will be ruined by you people sooner or later. And then everyone will be executed.
He made up his mind in silence.
He had to get out of here.
However...
Resigning?
It wasn't that simple.
“Did you hear?”
“A while ago, an official said he couldn't keep working and ran away in secret.”
“What happened to him?”
“The Emperor's Hounds dragged him back.”
“I heard that not only was he executed, but his entire family was wiped out as well.”
“What a shame. I actually quite liked him.”
“His skills were decent; his escape skills were just too poor.”
In the office, the officials casually discussed the runaway's fate as if chatting about the weather.
Here, people fleeing the imperial civil service were not uncommon.
Many people even secretly rooted for them.
However...
The vast majority ended up captured and put to death in horrifyingly brutal ways.
The so-called "Hounds" referred to an intelligence department answering directly to the Emperor.
Armed with the supreme authority granted by the Emperor, they could monitor and investigate any imperial official.
Thus, once one became an imperial civil servant, there were only three ordinary ways to leave:
Retirement.
Death.
Or dismissal due to gross negligence.
The first option?
Impossible.
Officials who safely lived until retirement were few and far between.
Furthermore, Li An knew the future.
This empire was not far from descent into chaos.
It wouldn't last until his retirement.
The second option?
Accidental death?
Not worth considering.
So...
The only viable method was the third option.
—Getting fired.
“It's about time. Let's take a break, everyone.”
The section chief pulled out a feather pillow from who-knows-where.
And then...
In less than a minute, he slumped over his desk and fell fast asleep.
Snores reverberated throughout the entire office.
Li An looked around, trying to find a single normal person.
None.
Every single one had drifted off to dreamland.
“...”
Utterly hopeless.
This wasn't working at all.
Among the people here, there wasn't even a single person awake.
What was even more terrifying was that even acting like this, they could still comfortably keep their posts in the imperial bureaucracy!
Just how can I get myself fired?
Li An sank into thought.
It was not until the afternoon that Section Four of the Evaluation Department finally took on a semblance of a working atmosphere.
However, the nature of their work was also completely absurd.
Unlike Section One, which handled major affairs, Section Four was primarily responsible for labeling and cataloging antiques, and reviewing state subsidy applications submitted by young entrepreneurs.
“Hahahaha!” An official holding an application burst into laughter. “This guy actually wants to teach trolls to speak and then put them to work in construction? Has he lost his mind?”
Someone beside him chimed in, “At least it's more sensible than the guy who wanted to farm using goblin feces.”
Laughter instantly filled the office.
Li An could only laugh along.
Through long-term observation, he had discovered a pattern.
These people didn't care in the slightest whether a plan was reasonable.
What truly determined the outcome was who submitted it.
If the applicant had a powerful family or connections behind them, even the most absurd proposal would be approved.
The section chief had once told him:
“Li An! You're still young! You don't understand how this world works. To make your way out here, you need power and background. What good is talent? Even if you're a one-in-ten-thousand genius, in an empire of hundreds of millions, they're a dime a dozen. But if someone has strong backing, even if their venture fails, they'll have the connections and opportunities to make a comeback. Naturally, their chances of success are higher. Besides, as the one who approved their project, I might even reap some benefits. It's all reasonable judgment. Take this one, for instance—this is a proposal from the heir to the Berger family. For a proposal from a prominent family like this, you don't even need to look to make a decision: Approved.”
Faced with the section chief's lecturing, Li An had nothing to say.
Finally, toward evening, confronted with the mountain of application documents, the section chief sighed.
“I'll leave the rest to you.”
With that, he used his authority to leave work early.
Li An stared at his departing figure, falling into silence.
Actually, even if he approved the wrong proposal, as a low-ranking official, he wasn't qualified to shoulder real responsibility.
If imperial funds were squandered, he might end up being the scapegoat, and in severe cases, he could even be dismissed.
Wait...
Squandering imperial funds?
Getting fired?
A thought suddenly flashed through Li An's mind.
He began flipping through the documents on the desk, and soon, an utterly fantastical proposal caught his eye.
Title:
《Improving Magic Stone Production Efficiency Using New Materials》
Content:
“Currently, the empire's production methods for magic stones are extremely inefficient and exorbitant in cost, leaving substantial room for improvement. By utilizing novel materials and alchemical techniques, magic stone output can be dramatically increased. Although the initial investment is substantial, future returns will far exceed the costs. Therefore, the following improvement plan is proposed...”
The subsequent content spanned dozens of pages.
All kinds of technical jargon.
Alchemical formulas.
Complex theories.
A layman couldn't understand it at all.
Yet after studying it for a moment, Li An reached a conclusion:
Pure fantasy.
An absolute fraud.
The reason was simple.
The empire spared no expense when it came to developing magic stones. If some nobody who came out of nowhere could massively boost magic stone efficiency, the royal alchemists might as well slit their own throats and depart this mortal coil.
Viewed from that angle, the document looked all the more suspicious.
It was far too complicated.
So convoluted it resembled a meticulously packaged scam.
Furthermore, if this alchemist truly possessed such profound expertise, why hadn't he submitted it to Section One, which handled core projects?
Why send it to Section Four of all places?
This place was notorious for corruption and incompetence.
And looking at the applicant—a minor alchemist with zero background.
What was this if not a scam?
Reject it.
It had to be rejected.
However...
Li An stayed his hand.
Then, he picked up the stamp.
Thwack!
He brought it down.
《Improving Magic Stone Production Efficiency Using New Materials》
Status:
【Approved】
Approver:
Li An Adolf.
Li An nervously glanced around.
Nobody was paying attention.
Excellent.
Afterward, he sneaked into the office of the section chief, who had already left to enjoy some horseback riding.
He slipped the application, which required a massive sum of funding, into the pile of approved documents.
Done.
Next, the fraudster would take the empire's money.
And he himself would become an incompetent official who couldn't even spot an obvious scam.
“If I'm lucky, I'll be fired. If I'm not lucky, at least my reputation will be thoroughly ruined. After that, I just need to pull it off once or twice more...”
“Hehehe—”
“Please, Mr. Fraudster. Help me get out of here.”
Three days later.
Imperial Daily.
Front-page headline.
A massive, colorful banner headline:
《World-Shaking Innovation! Magic Stone Improvement a Success!》
“Imperial court alchemists project that the new technology will increase magic stone production efficiency by at least threefold! Alchemist Tai, the driving force behind this revolutionary technology, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Evaluation Department for approving his bold proposal...”
Holding the newspaper, Li An froze in place.
“...”
“Are you kidding me?”
“It actually worked?!”
He slowly lowered his head, staring at the newspaper's contents.
Then, he let out a scream of despair:
“Holy shit!”
“No way! Bro! You actually knew what you were doing?!”
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