After jumping over the turbulent 1830 in the world and London, the wheels of history were covered with mud and water and entered 1831 with smoke and dust.

New year, new weather.

In the early morning, Arthur walked the streets of London, looking up to the east.

There are more factory chimneys in London, horse-drawn carriages are beginning to be accepted by citizens as a fashionable new means of transport, and not far away London Bridge railway station, which has just been approved by Parliament for construction, is in full swing.

Arthur stood on the edge of the street with an umbrella, the black-gray raindrops slanting against his white gloves, the cold north wind hanging on his face, and a breath of hot air would soon turn into a white mist.

Open public carriages with a capacity of seven or eight people passed by one after another, crowded with company employees and skilled craftsmen who were more than superior to the top, and some of them had no seats, so they had to lie on the armrests of the carriages, half hanging outside.

But even then, they don't care, because everyone assumes that life in London will definitely change in the new year, based on the life experience passed down from their ancestors over the past few decades.

And as it turned out, they would be right.

Since moving away from the Middle Ages, the idea of time has gradually taken root in the hearts and minds of Londoners through the way of work.

Pocket watches were no longer an ornament used by the upper class to show their status, and their practical value led to an increase in the number of people who owned them among the middle class.

Even among the poor, there are many people with a keen sense of business who have everything they have to buy a pocket watch.

Perhaps for those who are not short of money, a pocket watch is just an inconspicuous gadget, but for the poor of London, a punctual pocket watch is a symbol of job opportunity.

Right now, a profession called window knockers is thriving in the slums of the East End.

The name "Window Knocker" may sound like a blur, but if it is called a wake-up service, it may be easier for future generations to understand.

Every morning at 5 a.m., people knocking on windows will haunt all corners of the East District with a long bamboo pole in hand, knocking on the windows from door to door, reminding the sleeping workers that whether you like it or not, this damn day is about to begin.

The wake-up call is priced at a pence at a time, and although it is not particularly cheap for a family of workers earning two or three shillings a day, it is more cost-effective than paying a penny for being deducted for tardiness.

Arthur leaned against the corner of the alley with his pipe in his mouth, and from time to time he spat out a puff of smoke in front of him.

The Red Devil was with him, lying outside the glass window, looking back and forth at the store's dazzling array of goods, wondering what it would take to get Arthur to agree to buy him some fashionable novelties.

Suddenly, a familiar figure in a tuxedo uniform appeared on the corner of the street.

The little police officer, who had just joined the work not long ago, rubbed his frozen and stiff fingers, took out a briefcase from the leather bag he was carrying, and handed it over.

"Chief, Sheriff Tony asked me to give this to you."

Arthur took the briefcase and casually asked, "What is it?" ”

"Sheriff Tony said it was sent to the hall by the General Post Office, so I guess it might be a letter."

Arthur opened the briefcase, and as the little police officer had said, it was indeed two letters, but the address was unusually far away, and the letter came from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Arthur couldn't help but smile on his face when he saw the letterhead: "It's been so long, I thought the two of them died at sea, and there was no news at all." Now I am finally relieved. ”

When the little officer heard Arthur's words, he only felt a little inexplicable, but he was not good at inquiring about other people's private affairs, so he could only ask: "Director, we have fenced off the house as planned, are we going to prepare to break in?" ”

Arthur waved his hand: "Don't worry, now the suspect can't escape, let him get a good night's sleep before sending him to prison for prison meals." I can also take advantage of this opportunity to see how my old friends are doing in a foreign country. ”

When the little officer heard this, he just nodded, and then whistled at the back of the street.

As soon as the whistle sounded, it immediately attracted a few eyes from the end of the street.

I saw the little police officer wave at them, and the guys who had already put their hands in the pockets of their coats and were about to pull out their guns pouted again, and then yawned and leaned against the corner.

The moment Arthur unfolded the letter and his eyes fell on the envelope, Darwin's voice seemed to ring in his ears.

Dear Arthur,

By the time you read the letter, it would be two months from now, but given Britain's poor postal system, I'm inclined to think it might be longer.

As you know, the Admiralty considered the crew to be ready to go to sea because of the excellent performance of the crew of the Beagle in pursuit on the high seas. Coupled with the impact of the monsoon change at the end of last year, the Berger's plan to go to sea was finally brought forward after a collective agreement.

Since our departure from Plymouth Harbour in British Britain in December, we have crossed the Cape Verde Islands in Africa via the English Channel and Tenerife in Spain, where we intend to cross the Atlantic after a short resupply.

In the process, we encountered a series of adverse weather and sea conditions, and we returned twice along the way, but thanks to the persistence of Colonel Fitzroy and the concerted efforts of the crew, we finally managed to cross the Atlantic on our third voyage and officially arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a week ago.

Speaking of which, I have to mention to you an interesting incident, during the second return voyage, we encountered waves more than ten meters high on a stormy day. At one point, Elder was hit on the deck by the waves, but thankfully, God thought Heaven was noisy enough to summon him to serve at once.

The boy clung to the trawl by the side of the boat the moment before he was washed overboard, but unfortunately, all the pornographic magazines that Eldrei had lived on were confiscated by the sea.

The creature was hanging from the Beagle's trawl net and yelling at the raging dark Atlantic, while behind him were the rolling waves and the white lightning nets as thick as a giant python.

O my God! It is a pity that the paints and brushes of our painters on board were washed into the sea at that time, otherwise this painting would have become a monumental masterpiece if it had been sent back to London, and I even thought of the name of the painting when I was hugging it on the mast. What do you think of "The Monkey and the Sea"?

Hahaha, I'm still not joking, if I let Elder know, he'll have to run to pick my hair again. I've been eating too much rotten food on the ship these days, and my hair loss is much worse than usual. Of course, Elder is also responsible for my hair loss.

Thankfully, you didn't come to the ship to be a naturalist, or you would have understood what it was like to have seventy or eighty men crammed into a small boat. It's better when you have a job to do, but when you don't have a job to do, they can really come up with any fucking game for you.

When everyone first got on the boat, it was relatively normal, and at that time, playing cards was still gambling money, gambling cans or something. But a month later, gambling money and canned gambling were no longer enough for them, and the idiots began to compete to pull out hair and leg hair. Elder was unlucky for a while, and his entire leg was pulled bare, like a Greek marble column.

However, although the days on the ship were quite boring, it was quite interesting during the scientific expedition when the ship was docked. We just went on our first expedition to the Amazon jungle last week, and we saw many fascinating landscapes and plants that we have never seen before in Europe. Maybe the next time I write to you, I can consider sending you some scientific specimens of my own making.

Well...... Actually, there is another thing that I don't know whether to talk about or not. When we were surveying the waters off Argentina, we found six different species of birds on two adjacent islands, and God's creation is amazing, isn't it? Hehe, maybe I'm thinking a little too much, I always think it's a little too weird.

Either way, may God bless you, Arthur. Perhaps what you are doing now needs God's care more than the scientific expedition of the Beagle.

Your friend, Charles Darwin.

Painted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 25, 1831.

Arthur looked at the letter in his hand, and only a smile could not stop hanging on his face.

He muttered, "Charles, this is where it goes." But you're right, maybe I need God's blessing more now, only he will bless me, and when you return from your voyage, I will have enough strength to bless you. ”

After Arthur said this, he turned the next page of the letter.

This time, however, before his eyes could fall on the letter, a chattering monkey sounded in his ears.

First to Oxford, then to Cambridge, and finally to my best friend Mr. Arthur Hastings and my beloved alma mater:

Call! It's finally out to sea, and now I'm going to let everyone see what the strength of the Royal Navy is! It's only been a few years, and I'll be grateful for this experience in the last days of my life! Arthur, look, when I get back to London, you may be calling me Sir Held!

……

Damn it! Arthur, although I know that the fate of the Royal Navy is to die at sea, is my fate coming too soon?

It's really a bitch-raised Atlantic, and you weren't there when Lao Tzu was about to be washed into the sea, so you probably don't know how high the waves are on that donkey day, wave after wave, just like a fucking mad dog.

I used to be jealous of the old captains of the Royal Navy, why did they earn so many pounds after decades at sea?

But now it looks like all that money was worth his life. The Admiralty doesn't know to give us a big ship, and the Beagle looks like an ant in the face of those big waves! It had only been a few months since he went to sea, and almost everyone on board was injured, even Lao Tzu's leg was seriously injured.

Fuck, I've been drinking all the light beer on the boat for the past two days, and I don't even know what to do tonight.

……

Two days ago when I was in Cape Verde, I traded a poker for a tusk with a local native, and I thought I was making a lot of money, but now it seems that it was the stupidest trade I have ever made in my life. I didn't even have to play cards at night, and I was about to go crazy with this life.

……

Hahaha, the ivory was sold by me in Bahia, and I knew I was a genius! Arthur, when I return to London after my voyage, perhaps your Scotland Yard should consider making me the head of purchasing.

……

Fuck it! Arthur, I let two bitches cheat in Rio de Janeiro! I didn't get a penny of the money from selling the ivory! Damn, I thought Cactus Jump was an exclusive service in London, why is there such an industry in Brazil? Fuck, don't let me get my hands on those little bastards, or I'm going to make them look good. Alas, Arthur, if only you were in Brazil, you would be able to help me get my money back.

……

Arthur, I'm me! Today I saw a twenty-foot python in the Amazon jungle, I used to think that Greek mythology was a lie, but now it seems that Medusa's son may be alive in the Amazon rainforest. Do you think if I brought one of these things back to London, would anyone pay a premium for it?

……

Arthur, I think I have to give you a word of advice, Medusa's children and grandchildren don't seem to have a good temper in general. Maybe I should have brought Alexander with me when I set out. I guess I swallowed it in one bite of my small body, but Alexander's size might be able to struggle for a while. Do you think there is a possibility that Alexander agreed to be tied to a tree by me as bait, and after capturing Medusa, I will split the account with him, what do you think?

……

Hahaha, those fools actually said that there are cannibals in the Amazon jungle, what age are they, and some people believe this kind of lie.

……

Arthur's gaze swept over Elder's letterhead, this top student of the Department of Classics was obviously not as logical as Darwin, and wrote exactly what he wanted to do according to his own interests, although he did not inherit the rigor of the classical school, but he was quite romantic.

But what worries Arthur the most is that the position where Elder has stopped writing is very worrying.

According to the usual logical order and law of cause and effect in his writing, something must have happened after Elder had finished laughing at the cannibals.

The only question now is whether cannibals prefer barbecue or sashimi, and whether the top student at the University of London will go to heaven or hell in the future.

Arthur shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

Although he didn't mind praying for Elder twice, if something really happened, Elder would probably have already digested it by this time.

He took the letterhead in his arms, put away his umbrella, and braved the early morning mist to walk to the houses at the end of the street.

When the plainclothes detectives on standby saw him coming, they pressed their hands on the flintlock pistols in their arms.

I heard only a few knocks on the door.

The door of the house at the end of the street was opened, and a middle-aged man wearing slippers and pajamas with slightly puffy eyes appeared behind the door.

Arthur glanced at his size and asked, "Is Mr. Bernie Harrison?" ”

The man was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then nodded slowly.

Arthur pulled out a pale yellow piece of paper from his bosom and showed it in front of him.

"Arthur Hastings, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Greater London Metropolitan Police, I hereby announce that you have been formally arrested for a felony of murder and attempting to bribe a coroner to alter the results of the post-mortem on suspicion of a felony murder offence by a search warrant produced by the local magistrate's court in London. You have the right to remain silent until the results of the Royal Society's secondary toxicity test on the corpse are available, but everything you say will be used as evidence in court. ”

(End of chapter)