Chasing Time

“Next, we have the most noble recipient of the Order of the Garter, the Grand Cross of Saint Michael and Saint George, the Grand Cross of the Bath, the Victoria Cross and the lower grades of Knighthood, the leader of the anti-colonial movement, the bell-ringer of the East India Company, the hero of the Crimean War, a Fellow of the Royal Society, a lifelong dear friend of literary giants such as Dickens and Great Dumas, a steadfast supporter of scientific luminaries like Faraday and Darwin, having served as assistant under-secretary, deputy under-secretary, and permanent under-secretary in departments of the Home Office and the Navy Department of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the inaugural Cabinet Secretary and head of the civil service, the first graduate and most distinguished alumnus of our school. Please welcome Sir Arthur Hastings to deliver a speech on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the University of London.”
Arthur's gaze swept across the crowd before him, looking at the young faces and murmured, “Agares, what do you think I should say?”
The Red Devil's wraith hovered behind him, saliva almost dribbling from the corner of his mouth, “Look at these ignorant souls; they still worship you as a hero. Why not say something they'd like to hear?”
Arthur took a deep breath and let out a deafening roar, “Oxford is a bunch of whores' bastards!”
“Oh!!!!”
The audience erupted into thunderous applause.
“Cambridge is the same!” he added immediately.
The applause grew even more fervent...
(The protagonist, possessed by a devil, travels through 19th-century Britain in a world without magic)

The Shadow of Great Britain

Under Adam's guidance, Arthur and the others arrived at the Crow's Nest area, located deep within St Giles Church district.


Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Dickens jot down a few lines in the notebook he was carrying.


—The streets were muddy and nearly impassable, the narrow and dark alleys filled with the stench of excrement and vomiting. There were a few small shops, but the shelves were sparsely stocked; it seemed that their only product was the group of children begging at the doorstep.


—Though the sun had just risen, they were already forced to crawl around the entrance, and cries from babies could occasionally be heard from inside the houses.


—The place was completely desolate, it seemed that only the tavern's business was still decent, rowdy with some of the lower-class Irishmen's shouting.


Chapter 18 Robin Hood Robin Hood, open the door