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 outskirts of Liverpool, a gentle breeze swept across the fields, bringing with it waves of greenish turnips.


Since the 18th century when Britain initiated the agricultural revolution, turnips had been introduced to Britain as a high-yield crop. Although initially bestowed with the expectation of becoming the new generation sugar-producing crop, turnips fell out of favor as soon as Francis Blake discovered that beets contained 8% more sugar than turnips.


However, on the other hand, this fall from grace actually facilitated the widespread cultivation of turnips, as their new uses were swiftly discovered.


This high-yield crop, which grows in autumn and matures in late winter, filled the fallow period in the crop rotation system excellently. Although it could not become the best sugar-producing crop, it was nonetheless an excellent fodder for livestock.


If one were to merely recount this story, it would seem like a rather ordinary case of agricultural breeding.


Chapter 286: How Much is a Police Inspector's Life Worth? (7K2)