【Li An Adolf — Chief of Section Three, Imperial Evaluation Department】
Li An looked at the golden nameplate in his hand.
The plaque, signifying his status as a Seventh-Rank official, lay casually on his empty desk.
Even though he had been promoted, for some reason, an indescribable sense of unease welled up inside him.
“Should I...”
“Just close my eyes and run for it?”
The moment the thought surfaced, he shot it down himself.
No.
He had drawn far too much attention now.
If he ran away at a time like this, he would probably be targeted by the Imperial Hounds by tomorrow.
When that happened, forget escaping—he wouldn't even have a chance to hide.
So...
His only strategy remained unchanged.
Prove his incompetence.
Then get fired by the empire.
“Fine.”
“In that case...”
“Whatever comes my way, I must mess it up.”
Li An made up his mind in secret.
However...
One day passed.
Two days passed.
A week passed.
Even a month passed.
...
Nothing happened at all.
That was just how life was for imperial civil servants.
Sometimes they were run off their feet.
But other times...
They were so idle it made them question reality.
Li An even went out of his way to ask his superior.
“Minister.”
“Do I have any tasks lately?”
“Tasks?”
The minister was taken aback.
Then he waved his hand dismissively.
“Don't worry.”
“Work will be handed to you soon enough.”
“Just wait patiently for now.”
And so...
This wait lasted a full month.
Surprisingly...
Throughout the entire month, Li An still had no work whatsoever.
“Today's meal wasn't bad.”
In the empty office...
Li An finished his takeout sandwich.
He sat back in his chair, staring blankly out the window.
Because he was so bored, he had even started cultivating an interest in gardening recently.
A small potted plant sat in the corner of the office.
“It finally sprouted today.”
“Looks like the fertilizer worked well.”
Li An carefully changed the soil for the plant.
Then he earnestly recorded its growth progress.
“Grow quickly.”
“Try to grow tall and strong.”
After finishing his notes...
He suddenly sank into deep thought.
“...”
“Please.”
“Give me some work.”
If one were to summarize Li An's life over the past month, it would be:
Eat.
Use the bathroom.
Sit in the office and stare into space.
Water the plant.
Then off work to sleep.
This kind of life...
To others, it might seem like paradise.
But for Li An...
It felt like waiting for death.
He always felt his safety was merely temporary.
Once changes occurred in the empire, he definitely wouldn't be able to escape.
“I can't take this anymore.”
Li An stood up.
“I must apply for a departmental transfer.”
Just as he was preparing to act, the office door was suddenly pushed open.
“Excuse me, Section Chief Li An.”
The person who walked in was someone entirely unexpected.
—Kane.
Section Chief of Section One in the Evaluation Department.
A Fourth-Rank official.
He was also the true core figure of the entire Evaluation Department.
Section One of the Evaluation Department carried almost all of the most critical evaluation tasks in the empire.
And Kane...
It was precisely through his own abilities that he had climbed step-by-step to his current position.
In contrast...
Li An, as the chief of Section Three...
Seemed more like a lucky newcomer who had been abruptly promoted.
A figurehead without any foundation.
Subconsciously, Li An wanted to stand up and greet him.
But he paused mid-motion.
Wait.
What was his current identity?
A young newcomer whose rank had suddenly soared.
If he acted too normally, he wouldn't look like an arrogant, incompetent fool.
Furthermore...
If he deliberately put on an arrogant posture...
Perhaps it would make Kane despise him.
Then he would be sidelined.
And ultimately lose his value.
That way...
He would be one step closer to getting fired.
Thinking of this, Li An instantly entered character.
“Entering another department's office without prior notice...”
“That doesn't seem very polite.”
Kane froze for a moment, then scratched his head with a smile.
“Ah...”
“My apologies.”
Li An leaned back in his chair, his tone cold.
“If you plan on visiting in the future...”
“I hope you notify me in advance.”
“So, what brings you here today?”
Perfect.
This attitude...
Was arrogant to the absolute extreme.
Li An even felt he could enter the empire's "Most Annoying Official" competition.
Sure enough.
The gentle smile on Kane's face froze instantly.
“...”
Success.
“I have a job here that I would like to hand over to Section Chief Li An,” Kane said.
“It's a land evaluation task.”
“Considering your talent in evaluation, I believe you are extremely suitable for it.”
“Of course, it doesn't matter if you decline.”
A job?
Li An's heart jolted.
How long had it been?
How long had it been since anyone had given him work?
On the surface, however...
He had to maintain his arrogance.
Thus...
Li An suppressed his inner excitement.
In as calm a tone as possible, he said:
“Fine, I accept.”
“Oh?”
Kane was somewhat surprised.
“In that case, I will have someone deliver the relevant materials right away.”
Li An didn't look at him.
He merely lowered his head, pretending to read a document, and gave a faint nod.
Throughout the entire process...
He strove to act like an arrogant upstart.
Not until Kane left...
“Is he gone?”
After confirming Kane had thoroughly departed, Li An instantly slumped into his chair.
“Phew...”
That was a good performance.
Not only had he successfully obtained a task, but he had also put on a grand display of arrogance.
If next...
This project failed...
Then...
He shouldn't be far from getting fired.
“Hehe.”
“Hehehe...”
The work of the Evaluation Department was actually quite simple.
The empire needed to evaluate everything that could be evaluated.
Land.
Items.
Resources.
Even...
People.
“Did you see Li An Adolf?”
“I did.”
Kane took off his coat.
His secretary naturally took it and hung it up for him.
“I heard he's just a lucky newcomer,” the secretary said.
Kane shook his head gently.
“That is merely the jealousy of the incompetent.”
No matter who Kane faced, he maintained a warm, friendly smile.
In most people's eyes, a slightly chubby, gentle middle-aged man easily made people let down their guard.
And that was precisely his advantage.
Only when people relaxed...
Would they reveal their true side.
“He didn't let down his guard because of my status or my smile.”
“In fact...”
“He was observing me with vigilant eyes the entire time.”
“A young man in his twenties who actually dares to size me up like that. How interesting~”
Unlike what Li An had imagined, Kane was not angry at all.
On the contrary, the Evaluation Department was currently corrupt to the extreme.
There were too few truly capable people.
Those incompetent fools were merely squandering the empire's resources.
However...
“Li An Adolf...”
“Is a genuine gem.”
Kane was able to become Section Chief of Section One not because of background, but because of strength.
His judgment...
Had never been wrong.
“How on earth can I mess this up?”
Li An opened the report sent by Kane.
Title:
《Imperial Tourism Area Development Evaluation》
Content:
“In recent years, with the increase in foreign tourists, the empire plans to build new tourism areas.”
“Please select the most suitable location to develop tourism from the following candidate sites.”
Simply put...
It was land evaluation.
Deciding where to establish a tourist attraction.
In the report...
There were three candidate sites in total.
First:
Ancient Ruins.
Possesses a vast amount of historical artifacts.
If a museum is constructed, it should attract a large number of tourists.
Second:
Rocky Canyon.
Possesses massive cliffs and waterfalls.
The natural scenery is extremely magnificent.
Third:
Desolate Plain.
Has nothing at all.
However...
Transportation is convenient, making it suitable for carriage travel.
A simple summary:
At first glance, the third option was clearly a rejected proposal.
The report even subtly implied:
“Please choose between the first and second options.”
“Looks like...”
“This will be my first official field trip.”
Li An gave it serious thought for a few weeks, then personally went to inspect the three sites.
The Ancient Ruins...
Indeed possessed value that would fascinate scholars and artists.
Building a museum here could bring high future revenue.
And the Rocky Canyon...
Even though Li An had seen many scenic spots, he had to admit...
The natural landscape here was breathtaking.
The massive cliffs made one feel tiny before them.
As for the last one...
The Desolate Plain.
“...”
It truly had nothing.
The only merit was convenient transportation.
In the end...
Li An made his decision.
The report was submitted.
“The Desolate Plain?”
The minister frowned.
“Are you sure?”
“I'm sure.”
Li An nodded.
“Very well.”
“I trust your judgment.”
“However, let me remind you.”
“The committee is paying close attention to this project.”
“If it fails...”
“Your position might be affected.”
Hearing these words, Li An almost laughed out loud.
This was the best news he had heard in a long time.
If the plan succeeded, he was doomed.
If the plan failed, he would be fired.
No matter how you looked at it...
It was a perfect outcome.
A few months later.
Barba Empire Administrative Hall.
“Have you heard?”
“The Section Chief of Section Three made a huge mistake.”
“He actually built a tourist spot on the Desolate Plain.”
“There's nothing there at all.”
“Has he lost his mind?”
“Looks like his streak of good luck has finally run out.”
“Tsk.”
“He'll probably be demoted soon.”
Walking down the corridor, Li An listened to the surrounding discussions with a satisfied smile on his face.
As expected...
His choice was correct.
The tourism area on the Desolate Plain had virtually no tourists.
It was losing money every single day.
His reputation was plummeting rapidly.
Following this trend, being asked to resign was only a matter of time.
Thus...
Li An started packing up his office belongings in advance, preparing to welcome the happiest moment of his life.
Yet right at that moment, the office door was suddenly slammed open.
“HOT SPRINGS!!!!!!”
“A NATURAL HOT SPRING!!!!!!”
“...”
Li An froze.
The person who burst in was his former colleague from Section Four.
Sushia.
She had recently been transferred to Section Three.
Out of breath, her face was flushed with excitement.
“Section Chief Li An!”
“On the Desolate Plain...”
“A hot spring appeared!!!”
“It's packed with tourists right now!”
“Did you predict this long ago?!”
“?”
Li An looked utterly bewildered.
“What are you talking about?”
“A hot spring appeared on the Desolate Plain?”
“How is that possible?”
“Why?”
Upon receiving the news, Li An personally traveled to the Desolate Plain.
And then...
Fell completely silent.
Before his eyes...
A massive hot spring was continuously gushing forth.
White steam rose into the air.
Countless foreign tourists were enjoying themselves inside.
“Oh my goodness.”
“The empire's hot springs are truly extraordinary.”
“I feel like my very soul is being healed.”
“I heard that drinking a cup of imperial milk after soaking in the hot spring feels just like entering paradise.”
“Is this for real?”
Li An stood there, his mind completely blank.
“No...”
“This...”
“How is this possible?”
Just then, a voice came from behind him.
“I knew it all along.”
Kane had also arrived here.
His eyes were filled with deep admiration.
“Li An.”
“Your foresight...”
“Even I cannot match.”
The next day.
Imperial Announcement.
《Li An Adolf Promoted to Sixth-Rank Official for Discovering a Natural Hot Spring》
The familiar gold-bordered appointment letter was delivered into Li An's hands once again.
He stared at the document and fell into silence.
“...”
“Here it comes again.”
“This familiar promotion notice.”
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