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 Thames River today, a variety of transport ships are still jam-packed as usual, but the water traffic conditions are noticeably worse than normal.


The cause of the congestion is starkly obvious; one only needs to look eastward to know who is really to blame for the crowding on the river.


That culprit is none other than the Old London Bridge, boasting 19 arches and standing over the Thames River for more than six hundred years, a stone bridge rebuilt in 1209 that holds the living memories of several generations of Londoners.


As one of the strangest structures in all of Europe, the Old London Bridge is not merely a passage for Londoners to traverse between the banks of the river. Its design is asymmetrical, and even its 19 arches vary in size. Strangely enough, the bridge also bristles with various shops, residential buildings, a small church, and a gatehouse displaying the heads of traitors.


Chapter 215 The Elegant Connoisseur of the 19th Century (5K6)