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

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Irving. Perhaps I shouldn't say this, as I was already acquainted with the name Washington Irving before I met you. Your 'Sketch Book' is written with great interest."


Arthur greeted Irving with a smile on his face.


Although he was not the first American Arthur had met, Washington Irving was evidently much more famous in Britain than Samuel Colt.


Both "Blackwood's," which Disraeli detested, and "The Gentleman's Magazine," representing London taste, had published feature articles about this representative of American literature.


Sir Walter Scott, the leader of British historical literature, and Coleridge, representing the Lake Poets, had both lavished praise on the works of Washington Irving.


Even Oxford University had joined in the fray to exploit his popularity, conferring upon him an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree, a symbol of the highest honor at Oxford.


Chapter 301 Shooting Incident