The Shadow of Great Britain

"I genuinely appreciate your eager help," Arthur said, "but that's not what I meant by changing the way I live."

"Not what you meant?" Agares exclaimed, "Then what do you mean?"

Arthur didn't answer his question but instead waved his hat and yelled towards a man in a coat who was bargaining with a street vendor: "Eld, over here!"

Eld, having heard Arthur's shout, cursed under his breath and complained briefly to the vendor before hurrying over to Arthur.

"Hey, Arthur. The weather is nasty today, and I'm in a foul mood, but seeing you cheers me up a bit."

Arthur asked, "What were you arguing about with the vendor just now?"

Unable to contain himself, Eld blurted out, "Arthur, you have no idea how bloody rude that jerk was! He sold me four oysters, and three of them were rotten, yet he demanded four pennies for them. It's outright robbery! If you hadn't called me, I'd definitely have ended up brawling with him!"

Arthur calmly said, "Eld, if you really had started a fight, it would have put me in a difficult position. I just finished dealing with two brawling drunks."

"Screw it, I'll just avoid you if I end up fighting," Eld replied.

Eld took out a pipe from his pocket, stuffed it with tobacco from a tin he pulled from his chest pocket, and lit it with a match.

He took a strong puff and exhaled rings of smoke, finally feeling a bit calmer.

Eld then said, "Forget about that. How about that matter I asked you about the other day? Instead of staying in this shithole, why not join me on my ship? We really need a well-educated naturalist like you to travel the world with me. It would be an easy and pleasant life, you could double your salary, and who knows, you might even meet some exotic ladies. Why not go for it?"

He pulled out another pipe from his pocket, filled it with tobacco, didn't bother to ask if Arthur wanted it, and just put it in his mouth, lighting it for him.

While Eld was busy with his hands, he didn't stop talking either.

"Arthur, you really need to think about this. Continuing in the Greater London Police Department offers no future. I hear that most of the police they recruit are unemployed textile workers or farmers from the northeast, and even the Irish can get in.

We might not be recognized as graduates of the University of London, but that's because those bastards from Oxford and Cambridge are pulling strings with the archbishops behind the scenes. If you compare knowledge, we are much better than them.

Yet here we are, outstanding individuals who can't get a degree certificate just because our school admits non-Anglicans. Is there anything more fucked up than that?"

Arthur took a puff of the pipe and said, "Of course, there is."

"Like what?"

"Like I know a guy from a wealthy, prestigious family. He professes Anglicanism himself and even has an uncle who is a vice-admiral in the Royal Navy, yet he insisted on studying at the University of London. He talks about making his own way in the world, but in the end, he still had to rely on his uncle's connections to make a living on a ship."

Upon hearing this, Eld burst into laughter. He punched Arthur's shoulder and said, "Arthur, that was really cutting! I didn't see it clearly before, but now I do. We're all swimming in a cesspool. If you think you can't see the shit, it's not because the environment has improved, it's because you've dived right into it."

Arthur fell silent upon hearing this.

Eld asked, "Arthur, why aren't you talking?"

"Eld, I really can't even imagine," Arthur replied.

"What's happened?"

Arthur sighed, "You actually graduated from classical literature."

Eld laughed heartily, "That comes down to your lack of understanding of classical literature."

Nero once said, "Regardless of gender, no one's body is chaste; most people just cleverly disguise their ugliness."

Although he was a bastard raised by a whore, he wasn't wrong in this statement.

Because for a literary man, regardless of gender, no literate's mouth is clean, and most of them don't even bother to disguise it. And I, too, eagerly hope to become one of them."

But let's not talk about this; what have you finally decided? Are you coming aboard our ship or not?"

Arthur nodded, "This time, I owe you one. I've grown quite tired of my current job, and a change of job would be beneficial for me and for the world."

The previously bored and drifting Agares, upon hearing this, suddenly became furious, a pitchfork appearing out of nowhere, which he pointed at Arthur's back, roaring.

"Arthur! But this has no benefits for me! I am a Devil, a Devil! Do you plan to have me drift at sea with you watching whales mate for the next few years!"

Obviously, Eld couldn't hear Agares's complaints. He exclaimed excitedly, "So, you've agreed?"

Arthur nodded, "I can't think of a reason to refuse."

"Great! Then it's settled."

Eld whistled happily, "You'll definitely do better than that guy who graduated from Cambridge!"

"The Cambridge graduate?" Arthur asked, "Do you have another candidate?"

"Not exactly another candidate per se, but he was originally going to come aboard as the chaplain. However, if we can't find a suitable naturalist, the captain said that guy could fill in the gap. After all, before going to Cambridge to study theology, he did study medicine at the University of Edinburgh for a few years."

Arthur then asked, "When do you plan to set sail?"

Eld said, "That depends on the monsoon directions. If the Navy Department pushes us, we might leave in September. If they're not in a hurry, then it would have to wait until winter."

"But don't worry about the salary issue from April until we set sail. Once you confirm your position, even the time spent on shore will be compensated at half the usual rate, which is still more than what you make at the Greater London Police Department."

Arthur said self-deprecatingly, "Of course, I'm not worried about the salary. Even factory workers earn more than I do. I still don't understand why the Royal Navy is organizing a global scientific expedition. From what I've learnt, it doesn't seem like the folks at the Navy Department are exactly keen on dedicating themselves to science."

Eld waved his hand dismissively, "A scientific survey? That's just a pretense."

"The Navy Department doesn't care about scientific research. Our main orders are to survey and map the important sea charts of South America, study the sea conditions and political forces near the Pacific and Indian Archipelago, and provide intelligence support for the future operations of the Royal Navy in this region."

"But since the rebels in the North American colonies insist on enforcing the Monroe Doctrine, refusing Great Britain and other European nations from interfering in American affairs, we can only don ourselves with a scientific expedition facade to avoid conflict with them."

"After all, we didn't get much from the two wars of independence against them, so keeping up appearances and maintaining harmony is necessary."

"All in all, if the naturalist can produce some scientific results, great; if not, it's not a big deal. Apart from enduring the choppy seas and the narrow quarters of the Beagle, there aren't many other downsides."

"Arthur, you are my best friend. I would scam my uncle but not you!"