Dolores did not bring anyone with her; she merely brought a list.In theory, Charlot had to take the list and personally retrieve these individuals from their assigned departments.

  After all, this city patrol guard unit might be sent to the front lines, and nobody was willing to join voluntarily.

  Charlot gnced at the list briefly and then tossed the matter aside.

  Dolores was full of curiosity about Charlot. She knew this man was her cousin's subordinate, Annie's boyfriend, a humble nobody, an opportunist who had climbed the social dder...

  As for Charlot's Transcendent identity and his recent, impressive battlefield achievements, Dolores was not particurly interested. The Soumet family cked neither high-ranking Transcendents nor talented young geniuses.

  If not for being a woman and unable to obtain full family sponsorship, Dolores had the confidence that she could already advance to mid-tier Transcendent at her age—perhaps even touch the edges of high-tier within a few years.

  Typically, among university students and young graduates, low-tier Transcendents were common. In contrast, mid-tier Transcendents were more prevalent among quasi-middle-aged individuals in their thirties. Most high-tier Transcendents were men in their forties or fifties.

  Every Transcendent path required time and tempering. Only a handful of rare geniuses could progress faster, but such occurrences were never part of the pns of mere mortals.

  Taking a small sip of coffee, Dolores said, “There’s one more thing! We need to go together to the Central Government Office to register the Free Knights Order.”

  Charlot, having spent two years at the Central Government Office, knew the bureaucratic processes well. He said, “Then let’s leave now. Any ter, and I’m afraid they’ll stop working.”

  Dolores, still holding her coffee cup, gracefully exited the office.

  Charlot watched as Dolores climbed into her carriage, leaving him no choice but to follow.

  Inside the carriage, Dolores occupied the small study space. She casually pulled a book from the shelf and began leafing through it slowly. Understanding his pce, Charlot remained silent and only gave Mrs. Nancy the appropriate address.

  The carriage arrived at the Central Government Office, and the two stepped down and walked in shoulder to shoulder. As Charlot returned to his former workpce, a slight nostalgia washed over him. He silently thought, "I hope I don’t run into any acquaintances. It would be difficult to expin my current position as the 34th-ranked Chief Clerk and the city patrol guard Head Overseer of the Lukavaro District."

  But fate was not on his side. Just as Charlot entered the Central Government Office, he saw a former colleague, Mr. Edgar, beaming with satisfaction as he walked out, nearly brushing past Charlot.

  Charlot stepped aside slightly, intending to avoid him, but Edgar’s sharp eyes recognized his old colleague. He excimed, “Is that Mr. Mecklenburg? I heard you went to prison. What a pity—your promotion track had to restart from scratch, and you missed this round of advancements.”

  With a polite nod toward Charlot, Edgar then turned to Dolores with a gleaming smile and said, “Are you friends with Charlot? He’s a good man—just unlucky, having missed his promotion. Now he’ll have to wait another three years.”

  “I’m a second-css civil servant here at the Central Government Office. I might even be promoted to third-css soon.”

  As the Laurel Goddess of Gorgias University, Dolores’s beauty far exceeded the aesthetic limits of any government office. Edgar, eager to impress, began spinning fantasies in his head—imagining Dolores admiring him, abandoning Charlot, and falling into his embrace.

  Charlot, unable to bear his former colleague’s peacock-like dispy, interrupted, saying, “We’re here to take care of some business. If we don’t hurry, the office will close for the day. As you know, the Central Government Office never waits for anyone.”

  There was even a longstanding joke about the Central Government Office. Once, a frontline soldier arrived with a writ demanding a shipment of weapons. Unfortunately, it was closing time. A bureaucrat arrogantly said, “Even war cannot interfere with our closing hours,” and kicked the soldier out to go enjoy afternoon tea.

  The ending of the story was grim. That frontline unit, unable to obtain their supplies, was utterly annihited, causing the loss of an entire frontline.

  The arrogant bureaucrat was subsequently hanged for dereliction of duty.

  Nevertheless, the story had spread far and wide, and nearly every Central Government Office bureaucrat would often quip, “Even war cannot interfere with our closing hours.”

  Edgar could only watch helplessly as Charlot and Dolores walked away. Yet, he couldn’t resist shouting after them, “Beautiful dy, may I know your name?”

  Dolores didn’t even gnce back. Once they had walked far enough, she muttered under her breath, “Are there no female clerks in your Central Government Office? Why does he act like he’s never seen a woman before?”

  Charlot chuckled, “Of course, he’s never seen someone as beautiful as you. Even I don’t get to see such beauty very often.”

  Dolores fshed a sly smile and asked a pointed question: “Who’s prettier—me or Annie?”

  Charlot immediately countered without hesitation: “There’s an old saying in the New Continent: In the eyes of a man in love, no woman can compare to his beloved.”

  Dolores burst out ughing. “How come I’ve never heard of that saying?”

  Charlot shrugged without expining. It was a line he’d fabricated, borrowing the wisdom of Earth.

  The two soon arrived at the Military Knights Department of the Central Government Office. For Charlot, navigating his former workpce was second nature. He quickly noticed that the dozens of staffers in the Knights Department were already rexed, chatting and joking, as they prepared to leave for the day. Acting swiftly, Charlot approached a particurly quiet middle-aged man, handed him a flor banknote, and said, “We’re from the Lukavaro District city patrol guards, seeking to reorganize as the Free Knights Order. What’s the procedure?”

  The middle-aged man pinched the flor banknote and replied, “I can handle it. Do you have the required documents?”

  Charlot handed over the paperwork that Dolores had brought. The man reviewed the documents carefully and said, “I’ll also need both of your identification papers and the application document for the Knights Order. The document must include the name of the Knights Order, its base, and the governing jurisdiction…”

  Charlot answered each question. As for the Knights Order’s name, he unhesitatingly decred, “West Wind Knights Order.” After all, Annie Bretagne was the West Wind Goddess of Gorgias University.

  Although the former Laurel Goddess was standing right beside him, Charlot knew better than to name the order after her. If he dared to suggest something like “Laurel Knights Order,” he might remain a single toad for the rest of his life.

  Dolores did not object. Instead, she leaned in close and whispered softly into Charlot’s ear, “You owe me a favor for this.”

  Charlot shrugged, acknowledging the debt. Owing the Soumet family’s young dy a favor was a badge of honor in itself.

  As the registration process neared its end, the middle-aged man casually asked, “What’s the registration duration?”

  Charlot’s eyes lit up immediately, a single thought echoing in his mind: That flor was well spent.

  Lowering his voice to a whisper, Charlot replied coolly, “Nine hundred and ninety-nine years!”