Doctor of Science's Journey into Another World

Chapter 737 The Truth About Promotion Quotas

"Oh, Duncan, you're just in time," Old Sean touched his glowing Mediterranean sea and handed over a pipe. "I have to go out for something now. Can you help me deliver the commander's pipe? He left it here when he came to my office last time."

Duncan's eyes lit up immediately when he heard this, and he quickly took the pipe handed over by Old Sean with great joy, as if he was looking at some treasure, "Okay, no problem, Old Sean, don't worry, I'll send it to the commander right away!"

After saying goodbye to old Sean, Duncan immediately trotted to the top floor of the government office. Under normal circumstances, he would not be qualified to go to the commander's office. To be precise, he could not see the commander for a month.

"Haha, that's what I said. Good things always happen when I come to the government office. Today is really my lucky day. Next time, I must treat Old Sean to a drink..."

When he reached the stairs to the upper floor, two tall and strong soldiers stopped Duncan, "Who are you? You are not allowed to enter the commander's office without permission."

"Move aside, I'm here to give the commander a pipe. If I delay the commander's smoking and affect the commander's ability to refresh his mind, can you afford the responsibility?"

Duncan's stern question obviously intimidated the two soldiers. They all knew that the commander was a heavy smoker and had a strange temper. Therefore, they did not dare to take responsibility, but they did not dare to let Duncan go either.

A soldier said with some embarrassment: "The commander is in a meeting with another officer, so it's not convenient for him to see you. Please give us the pipe..."

"What a joke! This is something that old Sean told me personally. Old Sean, do you know him? He is the commander's uncle, the administrator in charge of personnel transfers. Be careful that he fires you!"

In the end, both soldiers were frightened by Duncan, so they had to let him go, but asked Duncan to wait at the door of the office first and not disturb the commander's meeting.

Duncan readily agreed. He was not a fool. What if the commander was holding an important meeting? It would be troublesome if he knocked on the door suddenly. Therefore, he planned to wait on the bench at the door of the office.

After sitting on the bench, Duncan was a little dazed. He couldn't even remember when was the last time he came to the commander's office, so he paid more attention to the pipe in his hand.

Duncan believed that this might be his chance to change his destiny, so he immediately took out a small mirror and began to tidy up his appearance.

"Commander, you promised my mother that I could join the queue for one thousand gold coins, and the promotion quota at the end of this year should belong to me..."

The office door was only half-closed, and angry voices soon came out from inside. Duncan, who was waiting on the bench at the door, heard it clearly.

Originally he wanted to sit farther away, after all, eavesdropping is not a good idea, but some key words quickly attracted Duncan.

Promotion quota? One thousand gold coins? Cutting in line?

Every key word made Duncan lose his concentration. He was about to stand up but sat down again. Not only that, he moved closer to the door, stretched his neck and listened attentively.

"Hey, calm down, little Sam. Don't forget that I am your commander. Talking to me in this tone is a serious violation of discipline. I have the right to impose a heavy punishment directly and make you a pathetic Vanguard soldier."

Facing the commander's threat, Sam was not afraid, but warned him instead: "Humph, I have been in the Vanguard Army camp for a whole year. You have received the money and you should do the job. Otherwise, according to the terms of the contract, you should pay three times the penalty and return the three thousand gold coins to my mother!"

Duncan, who was outside the door, was a little surprised when he heard this. He recognized Sam's voice. It was the new training officer who came last spring. He was less than 20 years old and seemed to have been sentenced here for causing trouble after drinking.

"Haha," the commander laughed intriguingly, then he took out a stack of documents from the cabinet, tapped the table with his fingers and said slowly: "Sam, look carefully, I promised to give you a promotion quota, and I also promised to help you jump the queue, but I didn't say it would be this year."

"You, you are playing a word game, aren't you? If my mother knew about this, she would definitely not let it go. This is simply a scam..."

"Sam, you are really impatient, but don't be impatient. You came here because of your bad temper. A year has passed and you still don't know how to change. Even if you leave the Vanguard, you will come back soon."

"Humph, you're talking as if I can get out. According to what you just said, I don't know how many years I have to wait for the promotion quota. It's simply a long time away!"

Duncan, who was outside the door, frowned as he listened. He finally understood that the commander was openly selling promotion spots, and the price seemed to be around one thousand gold coins, which was a sky-high price for Duncan.

The monthly salary of a training officer was only three gold coins. Even if Duncan did not eat or drink, he would have to save for decades. This was assuming that he did not die in battle. With this in mind, Duncan felt deeply desperate and his future was bleak.

He finally understood why some officers in the Vanguard Army were so lazy and had no ambition to make progress. It turned out that they had no money and no background like himself. It was impossible for them to get promotion and they would never be able to leave the cage of the Vanguard Army.

"hateful!"

The more Duncan thought about it, the angrier he became. The pipe in his hand, which he regarded as a treasure, was even deformed. He immediately stood up and left angrily.

But soon, the commander's words made him stop again.

"Sam, you should know that I'm just a businessman. Whoever pays more can get a promotion from me. It's the same as the bail in the Knight Guard. The officer who jumped the queue this year paid a full 1500 gold coins!"

"...I, I will write to my mother and ask her to increase the money. Commander, anything that can be solved with money is fine. My mother will definitely give you the most satisfactory offer. I only hope that the promotion quota this year can be..."

"No, no, no," the commander's tone suddenly became intriguing, pointing to the signature on another contract, "I'm not afraid to tell you that the person who jumped the queue this year is also well-off like you, but he comes from a much more prominent background than you."

"He is...Galen who just came last month?!"

"You are just the youngest son of an earl, while Galen is the grandson of a marquis in the ancient city of Kotje. He even has a chance to inherit the title. How can you compare with him? Some things cannot be solved with money alone."

"But, but I came here first..."

"Be patient and wait. There is no first come first served for promotion quotas. You cut in line and you squeezed out other people's positions, while Galen cut in line and squeezed out your position. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be your turn next year."

Duncan outside the door was stunned. Garen was the training officer who lived in the same dormitory with him. Duncan was responsible for taking care of him when he was transferred here last month. The two lived in the same dormitory and had a good relationship, even calling each other brothers.

But Garen never thought that he would spend 1500 gold coins to buy this year's promotion spot. He kept Duncan completely in the dark and even praised Duncan's efforts on weekdays, and hypocritically wished that he could get the promotion spot as soon as possible.

It turned out that Galen knew everything a long time ago. He knew that Duncan would never get a promotion. He knew that Duncan's efforts had been meaningless. He knew that Duncan's ambition was just a desperate struggle.

Galen knew it all along!

No, not only that, everyone in the government office knows it.

Brad knew it, Jenny knew it, and old Sean knew it too. Duncan was like a clown playing with the ways of the world and was a complete fool.

The pipe in Duncan's hand slipped to the ground, his chest, which had been held high, slumped, and he walked down the stairs with lifeless eyes. He did not intend to wait for the commander to finish the meeting. Anyway, flattery was not as valuable as a gold coin.

He will never get a chance to be promoted.

"Hey, aren't you going to give the Commander a pipe?"

The knight guarding the stairs looked at Duncan in confusion, but the latter did not reply. Instead, he continued to walk downstairs dejectedly. He seemed to be drained of all his energy and spirit, like a walking corpse without a soul.