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

London, a restaurant near Oxford Street, decorated predominantly in York yellow hues.


Arthur sat at the dining table, handing over several bottles of wine from his personal bag to the restaurant waiter, as though he was opening a treasure chest.


"Please open all these bottles for me."


The waiter, glancing at the labels on the bottles, politely asked, "Sir, are you sure? It seems a bit wasteful to open so many bottles if there are only two of you."


Arthur merely smiled and replied, "Don't worry, if we don't finish, someone will take care of what's left."


The Red Devil leaned in, inspecting the labels, and mumbled, "Johnnie Walker and Chivas? There probably isn't better whiskey than these two from Scotland. They taste better mixed with black and green tea, but I personally prefer to add lemon juice and ginger water. It would be even better with some ice cubes. However, I don't know if you humans are accustomed to such flavors."


Chapter 317: Napoleon, France and the Russian Court