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

On the brilliant blue waters of the English Channel, the Beagle's bow cleaved through the waves, pushed by the wind.


Colonel Fitzroy, holding a monocular, observed the surroundings and ordered the helmsman, "Hard to port. Take the weather gauge first; no rush to close the distance."


Under his command, the Beagle quickly turned its hull to face north.


Immediately after, Colonel Fitzroy loudly commanded the deck crew, "Gunners, musketeers, load your ammunition! Quartermaster, how many Congreve rockets do we have on board this time?"


The quartermaster shouted back, "Reporting, sir, we prepared two hundred for this naval exercise!"


"Good! Don't you all dare skimp, bring them all out! Set up the rocket launchers first; if the situation changes later, fire two rounds of cannon shots. After closing in to one hundred fifty yards, blast them with rockets! We must fire all two hundred rockets within eight minutes!"


Chapter 68 Barbary Pirates Attack!