Leo listened to the fairy delve into the intricacies of military ranks and promotions. While the subject didn't captivate him as much as the earlier revelations, he still managed to grasp the key points amidst the fairy's animated explanations.
The most significant detail was the structure of the first five years of military service—a period universally recognized as automatic promotion years.
Regardless of a cadet's performance, competence, or battlefield achievements, every soldier ascended five ranks during this time. These promotions came with increased pay scales and, most notably, the administration of the Genetic Correction Serum as a reward for their commitment and perseverance.
The fairy emphasized a critical statistic: 70% of cadets voluntarily left the military after completing this five-year milestone.
The reasons were clear and practical. During those five years, soldiers incurred zero housing or food expenses, allowing them to save substantial sums of money.
More importantly, they received genetic correction therapy, a procedure so rare and prohibitively expensive in civilian markets that it was practically unattainable outside military service.
Equipped with their savings and genetically optimized bodies, many former cadets transitioned smoothly into careers as adventurers, mercenaries, or specialized guild operatives.
The wealth of guilds scattered across the universe eagerly welcomed these individuals, valuing their discipline, adherence to orders, and teamwork-oriented mindset—traits deeply ingrained through military training.
However, despite their physical and mental conditioning, these ex-cadets often lacked real combat experience. Their deployments during the initial five years primarily revolved around asset protection, riot control, and logistical oversight—roles with low mortality rates and relatively comfortable conditions.
Yet, this structure served an essential purpose for the military. It acted as a filtering mechanism, allowing commanders to identify exceptional talent among the recruits. Those who demonstrated outstanding skills, strategic acumen, or leadership qualities were fast-tracked into prestigious career paths, often bypassing the slow climb through mid-level ranks.
In essence, the first five years of military service were not just a career foundation but also a launchpad. For some, it was a gateway to freedom, wealth, and independence. For others, it marked the beginning of distinguished military careers, carved out through merit and perseverance.
The fairy emphasised on how Leo had to strive for excellence in case he did want to continue in the military post the first five years, as the first significant pay-bump only arrived at the sixth promotion, when one was promoted to the role of 'Squad Captain'.
From the rank of Squad Captain onwards, all promotions were based on merit, and it usually took one 30-35 years serving the military with an exemplary record to be promoted to the rank of 'Major'.
Ranks beyond Major, depended purely on one's track record, ability to handle meetings with politicians and Gods, and a hell lot of luck.
On average the youngest 'General' in the military, even those of the lowest rank were 60-70 years of age, having served the military for over 50 years, while all the top-most Generals were over 100 years of age and powerhouses in their own right.
For Leo, all this was not important right now, however, in-case he did encounter a military man in the future, it was good to know what their journey must have been like, to get a feel for their character and importance.
"Lastly, let's talk about your food and lodging in the military, and the culture we promote at the universal military—" The fairy said, as the last topic that she touched was the socially accepted customs of the universe.
There she explained how sexuality had nothing to do with reproduction, and how it was acceptable in the military to have partners of any species, gender, race and sex.
Leo almost had a deja vu listening to the fairy repeating sentences such as "Any discrimination on the bases of race, gender, species or sex will result in the cadet being subjected to the martial court" as these were the sentences he was used to hearing back on Earth.
It was funny how there was no discrimination in the universal military on bases of skin color, which was prevalent on Earth, as apparently when one's species itself was considered weak and pathetic, it did not matter if one was a white human or a dark skinned one.
However, despite the lecture on how all relationships were acceptable, Leo felt no urge to open his rear-end for exploration, as although 75% of all military recruits swung both ways, Leo knew in his heart that he only had the hots for Amanda.
"There are three main holidays that we celebrate universe wide in a calendar year and they are…." The fairy began, as the last topic she touched was culture and how there were 3 main holidays in the universe, observed on every planet regardless of whether it was ecological or technological.
It was something interesting to know, but once again Leo tossed it to the back of his mind, as the automatic recorded message reached its end, with the fairy waving him goodbye.
[Do you want to replay the message? You can replay it one more time.]
The machine asked, as Leo pressed yes, just to watch all that information play out once again, with him focusing on minute details this time that he might have missed during the first run.
At the end, the device powered down automatically and after a series of static noises, a burned disc was ejected out of the main machine and a smoky smell enveloped Leo's entire bedroom.
"The military does not take any chances with their information machines eh?" Leo chuckled, as he disconnected the modular connectors to his head and organised the information he had just learnt.
In many ways, what he learnt today was invaluable, as it could help him better negotiate his deal with any clan/ guild that wished to recruit him upon landing.
However, in other ways he was still slightly disappointed with the information he gained today, as he expected much more.
The universe he was heading into felt vast and incomprehensible, filled with layers of complexity he had never imagined.
With every new piece of information he uncovered, the weight of his ignorance grew heavier.
This new universe wasn't just different from Earth—it was an entirely alien reality, governed by rules, cultures, and technologies beyond anything he had ever known and that made Leo both excited and nervous for his future.