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

Hearst nodded and said, "For the expansion of the docks in recent years, we have already applied to issue 90,000 British Pounds in city development bonds. Now, if we want to issue new debt, it will be difficult to persuade the Treasury and Public Works Committee to loosen their purse strings."


Upon hearing this, Arthur's brows furrowed even more, and his fingertips tapped the coffee table, "Why is the Treasury so strict with local debt? Liverpool only released 100,000 British Pounds; isn't that too little?"


Not participating in the conversation thus far, young Gladstone suddenly spoke up: "The reason behind this is quite simple, yet also very complex. First of all, it's because Britain's current total debt is already very large. Mr. Hasting, do you know how much Britain's national debt totals right now?"


Chapter 294: The £200,000 Deal_3