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

By merely sharing a box of tobacco, Arthur quickly became close friends with two military officers.


The three of them chatted and gossiped, ranging from the customs and people of England to the snow-covered fields of Russia, and eventually, due to professional resonance, they couldn't help but bitterly criticize their clueless superiors and their unsuitable placements.


Through the trivial conversation, Arthur finally formed a vague basic impression of this great Eastern European power.


Previously, Arthur's understanding of 19th-century Russia was limited to a few outstanding literary figures and the criticized serfdom and obscure administrative system targeted by those figures.


As for his understanding of the mysterious organization known as the Russian Imperial Chancellery, it was even more limited to a few sporadic pieces of information.


But now, the concept had become a bit clearer.


Chapter 171: The Old Gentleman from Austria (4K)