The Shadow of Great Britain

But Arthur and Louis happened to arrive a step late, so the two unlucky ones could only stand at the entrance and patiently watch the first act of "Demon Rob."

Their absence did not dampen the enthusiasm of the guests watching the play. When Arthur opened the box door during the intermission, he found this group talking fervently.

The Great Dumas curiously questioned Giuseppe, who was smoking a pipe: "So, you mean to say that in Egypt, even an ordinary soldier would have several servants?"

"That's right."

Giuseppe, with his legs crossed, boldly recounted his experiences encountered during his travels in Egypt: "Almost everyone in Egypt has servants. In France, if you have ten servants, people will jump out to say you are extravagant and wasteful. Before Louis Philippe became King, all his attendants, including guards, gardeners, and servants, did not exceed 400 people in total. Yet everyone still thought he had too many attendants. This highlights the differences between Paris and Egypt. In Egypt, anyone with a bit of status would keep many servants."

At this point, Giuseppe also spoke about an old friend he met in Egypt: "When I was in Alexandria, I had dealings with the Port Director there. He was among the first batch of students Egypt sent to study in France. Do you know how he views France...oh, no, to be precise, how he views Paris?"

Giuseppe's words immediately piqued the interest of all the French people present: "What views do Arabs have on Paris?"

Giuseppe laughed heartily: "Although he likes the modern life of Paris very much, he also thinks there are some terrifying aspects of Paris."

"What do you mean?" As a patriot, the Great Dumas had difficulty tolerating attacks on France, questioning every criticism to the end.

Giuseppe gave an example: "For instance, that guy thinks Parisians don't believe in any religion at all."

"Don't believe in religion?! My God, that's truly a funny joke!"

The Great Dumas always scoffed at religion, but at this moment, he inexplicably felt a peculiar competitive spirit of the French.

"Louis VII participated in the Second Crusade, he crossed Asia Minor, helping to strengthen the defenses of the Principality of Antioch. Philip II, along with England's 'Lionheart' King Richard and Holy Roman Empire Emperor 'Barbarossa' Frederick I jointly led the Third Crusade and completed the siege of Acre. Louis IX took part in the Eighth and Ninth Crusades and died of disease in Tunisia during the Ninth Crusade."

"Giuseppe, I bet you, you probably encountered a fraud. The Port Director you mentioned never studied in France, maybe he's not even Egyptian. If he really were an Egyptian Muslim, he'd definitely know France is a Catholic country. When it comes to faith, none are more devout than the French."

Giuseppe did not refute the Great Dumas's point; he just talked about the Egyptian Port Director's views.

"Alexander, I understand your point. But he thinks that although France is a Catholic country, most people are merely Christians in name. He believes you don't really believe in Catholic teachings, nor do you practice worship often. He observed during his studies, in France, priests are only respected in churches and by those coming to churches; in most cases, no one cares about them, as if they were enemies of light and knowledge. When Lent comes, apart from some priests and former members of the Bourbon Family, households continue eating meat. Parisians disdain Lent and never consider practicing it."

As Giuseppe spoke, Arthur at the door made a bit of noise, took off his hat and tossed it onto the coffee table, comfortably sat down on the sofa.

Arthur picked up a small round fan someone left on the table, fanning himself while speaking: "If there were doubts before, but after the Port Director said those words, I think his study experience should not be questioned. He not only studied in Paris, but his observation was remarkably keen, arriving at the same viewpoint as me. In my opinion, the Pope should not nitpick about Protestant countries like Britain, his anger should have been directed at the half-hearted France."

The Great Dumas retorted defiantly: "If France is as bad as that Egyptian said, why hasn't the Pope launched a holy war against France, instead of once calling on followers to fight against Britain?"

"Isn't the answer simple?"

Arthur poured himself a glass of sparkling water from the glass jug on the table: "Because the Papal States are too far from Britain, and too close to France. Plus, Parisians' temper is always like the local weather, clearly it's twenty-four degrees during the day, but drops drastically to twelve degrees at night. If the Pope launches a holy war against this fickle neighbor, the Crusaders might not even be fully assembled before the French Army arrives under the walls of the Vatican. As for Britain, although the Royal Navy is equally capable, we can't sail ships onto land after crossing the Mediterranean, can we? Come on, Alexander, Britons have always lacked imaginative creativity, so we can't manage the kind of land navigation the Ottomans did."