Sorcerer’s Handbook

“Legal illegal behavior?”

The people in the Barista of the Institute looked puzzled. Someone asked, “Aren’t those two antonyms? A coin that’s both heads and tails? A person who’s both male and female?”

“Are you discriminating against me!” A person of androgynous appearance slammed the table and stood up, “Are you mocking intersex individuals in public!? Intersexuality is the new mainstream culture, able to enjoy the benefits of both genders. This is clearly the most perfect state, how are there still stubbornly outdated individuals like you in this day and age—“

“I’m sorry, I misspoke. I sincerely apologize for causing you any harm.” The former quickly apologized.

Lorens scratched the scales on his face, turning his head to ask Boss Snake, “Boss Snake, do you know what this ‘legal illegal behavior’ he’s talking about is?”

“Sss… I can guess.”

“Oh? Do tell?”

At this moment, Boss Snake smiled, suddenly asking, ” Sss, Lorens, have you gotten used to life at the Institute? How’s the lab?”

“Very good,” Lorens casually responded, “The research is also progressing smoothly, lately we’ve had more than enough materials. The more materials we have, the faster Necromancy progresses. Wait, Boss Snake, don’t change the subject. What is ‘legal illegal behavior’?”

” Sss… Look at the screen, someone’s about to speak.” contemporary romance

Lorens looked at the screen, a strange feeling stirring within him.

He felt that Boss Snake was unwilling to continue the conversation with him.

And this unwillingness, he was very familiar with.

Like when he passed the high school entrance exam, and his human classmates asked him why he worked part-time after school instead of going back to the Foster Home to study or play. At that time, Lorens did not want to answer that question, because he knew that humans could not understand his predicament.

Different backgrounds, different environments, and no amount of explanation would do any good.

But here, everyone could understand each other, because they all had abandoned their lower-race identities to become something more noble…

Wait, was Boss Snake of the sacred bloodline?

He had always squinted, and it seemed had never seen his blood eyes…

At this moment, the voice that came from the screen interrupted Lorens’ thoughts.

“City Public Examination in 1659, Xilang District Market Supervision Bureau Operator Recruitment.”

The speaker was still Edmund Menken. He endured the burning pain on his skin and gritted his teeth to say, “Fernand Snow wanted his classmate to get this position, but his classmate’s abilities were not sufficient to pass the examination for such a popular post. So, he devised a method.”

“First, he found a scholar who was fully qualified and even exceeded the standards in all aspects, instructed the scholar to take the Operator examination, and get the position. Meanwhile, the classmate also took the test, but naturally failed.”

“After working for a month, the scholar voluntarily resigned.”

“So, Fernand Snow’s classmate just like that entered the Supervision Bureau.”

Menken continued, “Of course, this was Fernand Snow’s approach when he was still a councilor. Once he became the secretary to the mayor, it was no longer necessary to go through such trouble. He would determine the job requirements according to his own candidates. For example, if his candidate was a human, male, 30 years old, with a series of restrictions…the position would naturally fall into their hands, and the procedure was completely legal and compliant.”

“While the Government Affairs Hall is a must-pass for entry, the specific screening requirements are held by each department. As long as you can form a political alliance with the heads of each department, you can easily mobilize a vast amount of energy.” He looked at the ogre, “Half of the members of the Forest Gallery entered the Government Affairs Hall system in this way. Many Operators succumbed to Fernand Snow’s threats or incentives, becoming Fernand Snow’s accomplices.”

Meunken pondered for a moment, then added, “Oh, some might not know. The Forest Gallery is a gallery opened by Fernand Snow, filled with what he considers his masterpieces. Members of their faction typically choose to gather in the gallery, hence the Fenan Xue Faction is also known as the Forest Gallery.”

Fernand Snow coldly responded, “Isn’t it the same with your Eternal Wine Club, occupying an eighth of the positions in the Government Affairs Hall?”

An eighth might not sound like much, but if distributed across various departments, especially with a few department heads included, it becomes a significant intelligence network and political force. Andrei, considered a strong contender for the mayorship, was a prime example of the Eternal Wine Club’s ability to rival the Forest Gallery.

Thud!

With a muffled sound, the stone pillar beneath Fernand Snow suddenly began to twist. The moonlight illuminating the pillar danced like a snake, transforming into ferocious chains that coiled upward towards Fernand Snow!

Fernand Snow did not need to open a screen to know that this anomaly was because the citizens had cast their votes for him.

The Ogre’s mind was racing, but he maintained calm on his face, “You make it sound as if I initiated this ‘tradition’. Long ago, this has already become an unspoken, unbreakable ‘rule’ everyone has adhered to.”

“Not joining a faction means you can’t obtain a good ‘starter job’. If you want a promotion, you not only need a recommendation from the department head but also the favor of the upper-level leaders. The ‘push from below, pull from above’ is the only path upward. If you do not join a faction, even if you happen to become a government official, all that awaits you is a lifetime of basic assignments.”

“All the council members and politicians here are both beneficiaries of the factions and accomplices in maintaining their existence. Besides the Eternal Wine Club and the Forest Gallery, the Government Affairs Hall has many smaller factions, like spider webs. If you want to climb up, you must climb the web. This is the rule of the power game.”

“All of this is nothing more than the very common, everyday whims of power.”

In a bar in a lower district, a middle-aged beastman patron suddenly covered his face and sobbed uncontrollably. His tears and snot dripped into his drink, he cried so ugly.

He remembered the public examination thirteen years ago. He had ranked second in the interviews, while the first place was taken by an elf scholar who outshone him in every aspect.

In a subordinate apartment of the Caimon City Food and Nutrition Bureau, a man in his forties sank into a soft chair with a bucket of chips. He watched the screen, adjusted his glasses, reminisced about his ambitious days post-college, followed by more than two decades of stagnation and silence, feeling a bit gloomy.

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