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

The Great Dumas didn't stand on ceremony with Arthur as he deftly fished out a tobacco tin from Arthur's pocket and filled his pipe: "Your private secretary is about to patrol Saint Helena Island, aren't you going to intervene? If he goes to Napoleon's exile location, who will accompany you to Hanover for your appointment?"


Arthur replied with a smile: "It's no big deal, bringing back Napoleon's coffin clearly takes precedence over going to Hanover with me. Besides, my stay in Hanover won't be long—once the new constitution passes, I'll have to head to St. Petersburg."


The Great Dumas raised an eyebrow and lit his pipe: "You're going to Russia? Arthur, you're braver than I imagined."


The Great Dumas took a drag and said: "I thought you planned to endure the Liverpool affair, but I didn't expect you to plan to go directly to Petersburg to settle with the Tsar. For being so bold, do you need me to teach you how to make explosives?"


Chapter 44: Assassinating the King and Killing the Emperor_2