36 Lancaster Gate, Bayswater District, London.

Arthur sat at home with two machines at his disposal, a wire tape recorder playing recordings and a gramophone for burning records.

The Red Devil stood behind Arthur, his scarlet fangs almost close to Arthur's ear, and he licked his tongue lightly, drooling onto Arthur's shiny epaulettes.

"Arthur, what are you afraid of? Wouldn't it be nice to take this recording directly to Parliament? Why do you have to use a gramophone for so many backups? You should know that with this recording, the Whigs will be able to defeat the Tories in public opinion, and you, as their right-hand man, will definitely be rewarded with a bone. Now that you've climbed to this position, don't you want to go higher and see the most amazing scenery? ”

Arthur glanced at him, just brushed the gloves that were stained with too much plastic wax: "Agareth, is it your advice to go all the way to the dark?" Or rather, you just did it on purpose. If you had left a way out for yourself on the other side of heaven, you would not have been cast out of hell by Barr and left to be in the world and amused with me all day long. ”

Agareth didn't get angry when he heard this, he just clasped his hands together and smiled: "Don't always be so mean, Arthur, I'm doing this for your good, why do you give away so much credit?" ”

When Arthur heard this, he just picked up his teacup and took a sip: "For my good, I haven't heard such familiar words for a long time." Then I'll thank you for your kindness, Agareth, but you know, humans are rebellious, and I can only thank you for your kindness. ”

Agareth asked, "Oh, my dear Arthur, look what you are talking about." What about your ideals, what about your beliefs, and after all that has happened, are you still not interested in climbing to the top of the slippery bar of British politics? ”

When Arthur heard this, he just smiled: "Agareth, ideals and beliefs are something that everyone will have. But if, as you say, one day I climb to the top of that slippery bar, I will never die for the sake of my so-called faith. ”

The Red Devil pinched his chin and asked, "Then why is that?" ”

Arthur put down his teacup and said, "It's simple, because I'm afraid I'm wrong." I have no interest in conducting scientific experiments with the public in Great Britain, haven't we talked about it before? At most, he will be a king, not a god. But everyone knows that kings make mistakes, and only God can be absolutely right. I'm not God, so I can't always be right, so I'm not going to experiment, and if somebody has to do it, it's better not to happen right under my nose. That's why I'm arresting the doctors who used the corpses for violating the rules, and the guys didn't get the consent of the deceased before doing the experiments. ”

When the Red Devil heard this, he just smiled and raised his eyebrows: "Don't you like philosophy very much?" Then you should know that there is a Hegel in Germany, and you are arguing against his sentence that "the so-called fear of error is actually a fear of truth"? ”

"Hegel?"

When Arthur heard this, he just shook his head helplessly: "I have great respect for Mr. Hegel, and I want to wish him a long life, only then can he see with his own eyes what truth can come out of the German land in the future, and I bet it will be a big surprise." But maybe he will like that thing, after all, he worships God when he is young, and when he matures, he begins to worship the country again, is it true that the Germans can't live without a thing?

Why didn't he make up a National Bible, and add some religious stories, just like what is written in the Bible—a paradise full of love, peace, beauty, and happiness, free from pain and trouble, with many beautiful flowers and fragrant trees, and a vast grassland. There was no sickness, no poverty, no pain, not even crying. There is a tree of life in the center of the golden street in Paradise City, which continues to bear abundant fruit throughout the year, and the leaves on the tree can heal all people, and there is no need to look for a cure for disease, every disease can be cured.

By the way, I think it is quite appropriate to tear down all the churches in Germany and turn them into state churches. The only problem now is that I don't know if God minds if there are multiple gods called 'rational nations' who steal business with him. Oh, by the way, you devil must not mind. ”

The Red Devil covered his mouth and smirked, "Oh! Arthur, so aggressive! But why are you so hostile to him? ”

Arthur didn't answer directly, but asked rhetorically, "You are the devil, so you should know better than me." I've wanted to ask you for a long time, will you go to heaven after you die if you suffer on earth and believe in faith? ”

Hearing this, Agareth only smiled, and he did not answer either yes or no.

Arthur asked, "Will you go to hell when you die?" ”

Agareth remained silent smiling.

Seeing him like this, Arthur just held his teacup and pouted: "I know, so what is the purpose of setting up two bloated bureaucrats, heaven and hell?" I now seriously suspect that you have been made redundant by Barr, and that you used to be a supernumerary like Officer Scotland Yard, right? ”

When Agareth heard this, he immediately became angry, as if someone had stepped on his tail: "Arthur! We're talking about philosophy now! ”

When Arthur saw him like this, he probably had a bottom in his heart, and he reassured: "But your existence is not useless, you have at least proved that the Bible is not made up." After all, the state church of Hegel is better than you, and the stories in the Bible are quite interesting, but that's about it. ”

The Red Devil's eyes widened, and the sparks in his nostrils erupted for a long time, and then he calmed down and asked another question: "Arthur, about heaven and hell, I will explain it to you slowly later." But you have to tell me first, isn't it to your liking what Germans like to worship? You are a king in Britain, and you can be a god when you go there! ”

When Arthur heard this, he just took a sip of tea and said: "Agares, don't mess with my bad ideas, if you go to Germany, I'm afraid I can't do it to God or something." I feared that I would be crucified in Berlin instead, and while the quality of the uniforms at Scotland Yard was decent, it was too much to be placed as a relic in a museum. ”

Hearing this, Agareth only shook his head slightly, and then asked, "Then let's turn back to Hegel first." ”

Arthur replied: "There is nothing to discuss in Mr. Hegel's theory, and if he is right, and the state is rational, what is the matter with this recording before me?" ”

When Agareth heard this, he couldn't help but grin a little, revealing rows of sharp little white teeth and laughing.

He snapped his fingers and conjured a doctor's hat that fastened over Arthur's head, and he couldn't wait to hold his head and kiss him.

"Oh! O my dear Arthur! Professor Agareth must congratulate you, you bastard has finally graduated! You finally understand what the hell is going on, those guys are nothing big at all, they are just eating in this trough. Parliamentarians, cabinets, prime ministers, everyone eats their own food, and if they don't eat it, it only means that their claws are not long enough for the time being. Everybody's eating anyway, so why don't you go up and take a bite? ”

Arthur held his chin with one hand: "Because when you do things in Britain, you still have to talk about some rules." This is a bipartisan affair and has nothing to do with Scotland Yard, and it shouldn't be related. This political balance is not easy to come by, and it is not in anyone's interest to break it. Britain is not Russia, and stroke is used as a cause of death from time to time. As the Greeks used to say, remember the lesson of Daedalus and avoid the fate of Icarus.

I'm not interested in experimenting here. And I have not forgotten the discipline that Monsieur Talleyrand gave me. Barbarism is only two steps away from civilization, and it roams around civilization. As soon as you relax, it will come back again. If there is a civilized way to solve the problem, why should I be a barbarian?

In the end, most of those who engaged in intelligence work did not end well. If I were to take the lead in attacking the opposition with inappropriate intelligence, how would the Police Intelligence Bureau gain a foothold in the future? The Whigs are not happy to have gained in this place, on the contrary, if they are to step down one day, they will definitely dissolve our small organization at the first time. Agareth, you're a learned devil, and you know what I mean. ”

When Agareth heard this, he couldn't help but applaud Arthur.

"Smart, calm, and even beginning to understand the world. Arthur, you little villain is really getting more and more mixed, and my expectations for you are indeed not wrong. However, have you ever thought that there is another way to solve the problem? You should know that there are many ways to solve each math problem, and the derivation process is different, and the difficulty of understanding is naturally different. Way, the way is the key to the work, and those who will only bury their heads in the work are just blindfolded donkeys. Arthur, I'm sure you have the ability to seize the moment and the artistry to show success. Or maybe you can give a little soul. ”

When Arthur heard this, he wanted to pull Agareth to talk a few more words, but this time the Red Devil didn't know if he was angry before, or if he was shrewd.

As soon as the words fell, he turned into a wisp of dust and went away with the wind, Arthur looked up, and the windowsill was covered with a thick layer of dust, and there was a line of words written on the dust - today and tomorrow will be off, and overtime service needs to charge two extra souls.

Arthur just took out his pocket watch and glanced at it: "Half past five in the afternoon, this should be considered an early departure, right?" The devil is a freelance profession, and he really lives willfully. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door outside.

Arthur stood up and opened the door, and said without thinking, "Alexander......"

But before he finished his words, his brows furrowed first: "Huh? ”

It's no wonder that Arthur is puzzled, because it is not a fat French man who has recently indulged in commenting on London's restaurants, nor is it a suspect in destroying the city's appearance who puts up marriage advertisements everywhere, but a moving lady with a small parasol.

Fiona put away the parasol, handed it to the younger brother who followed her, and said with a slight salute on the hem of her skirt: "Mr. Hastings, why does your expression look so disappointed?" It makes me so sad, don't I look better than that fat Frenchman? ”

"Not really." Arthur replied, "I just thought you made a special trip to fish him out of the Thames." ”

Fiona shook her finger, "No, no, Mr. Hastings, you haven't paid me yet, so let him soak in the river first." Then again, can you bear to see such a petite and fragile lady standing outside the door? ”

Arthur looked around for a moment, then moved out of the way and said, "I am not in the habit of turning down ladies, but I must make it clear beforehand that I do not offer opium tincture here." ”

When Fiona heard this, she just glanced at him and snorted softly: "It's long time coming." ”

"What about coffee?"

"It's too bitter."

"Black tea?"

"Drink only Ceylon."

"Carbonated water?"

"Drink the hiccups, the lady doesn't think about it."

Arthur slammed the door shut: "You're here to find fault, right?" ”

"Oh! Mr. Hastings, can't you just be a little more gentlemanly? ”

Fiona covered her mouth with a lace glove, and took a pretending sadness to step back, looking at the comfortable chair that she had already picked the most, and leaned down: "I have brought you a terrible news, is this how you treat meritorious service?" ”

"Not really." Arthur picked up the teapot and brewed it again: "I just gave a small house to the meritorious service of the bureau this morning, if you are interested, I can also prepare one for you." ”

However, Fiona was obviously not as easy to deceive as Wheatstone, and she clutched her chest and said bitterly, "It doesn't sound like a good thing." Don't you have a more direct reward? For example...... Tickets or something......"

Arthur put the teapot back on the coffee table and said, "Fiona, don't gasp when you speak, it's not that you don't know what the consequences of playing this game with me will be, just like when we first met, and you will definitely be the unlucky one in the end." ”

When Fiona heard this, she pulled her skirt down in disbelief: "Mr. Hastings, do you want to pull out a gun again?" ”

Before the words fell, a snap was heard, and there was a flintlock pistol on the table in an instant, Arthur picked up the teacup and nodded slightly: "That's smart, you guessed it." ”

"Take it back, take it back!"

Fiona shuddered: "Damn! Where the hell did you learn this, you are so athletic, why don't you go to street black boxing? I recently opened a boxing ring in the East End, and I'm short of someone like you who can fight! ”

"You're coming to me to talk about this?"

"Of course not!" Fiona said angrily, "I'm so scared of you that I've forgotten what I'm doing. We caught a gringo at the pier at noon today. ”

"Oh." Arthur nodded, "I knew that Alexander must have fallen into your hands." When he wakes up, you just let him go, he is such an adult, he should know the way home. ”

Fiona put one hand on her chest and pressed her thumping heart, and replied, "It's not that fat man!" It's other gringos, an artilleryman! ”

"Artillery?" Arthur pinched his chin and pondered, "That's Alexander." ”

"He is a relative of the emperor!"

"The Emperor's relatives?" Arthur thought for a moment: "There are not many emperors in the world, the Romanovs of Russia?" Or Habsburg-Lorraine, Austria? The bourbons of Brazil? It can't be Aixin Jueluo, right? ”

Fiona clasped her hands around and sulked in the sofa chair: "It's from the front of the court!" ”

"Before?" Arthur thought for a long time, and then hesitated and asked, "Surname Zhu?" No, there is no crooked neck tree in London! ”

Fiona gave him a blank look: "Mr. Hastings, you are in such a state of mind that you don't have a preface to say, and you actually tell me that you don't hide opium tincture at home?" His surname was Bonaparte, that Bonaparte of Napoleon! If you don't want to, I'll have him drowned in the Thames right now. Anyway, he came here smuggling, and he didn't even have a passport to enter the country, so it wasn't a big deal if he died. ”

"Bonaparte?" As soon as Arthur heard this surname, he immediately became interested: "How old is he, and besides, have you figured out where he came from?" ”

Fiona said disdainfully: "A young man about your age, but far more understanding than you, my girl casually praised him, and let him tell the truth." He said that he had attended a military school in Switzerland, and after graduating he had gone to Italy to participate in the charcoal revolt in Rome, but the revolt was brutally suppressed by the Papal States and Austrian troops. He was wanted in all the countries of the Apennine Peninsula, and in order to return safely to Switzerland, he had to leave the country by sea via London and return to Switzerland by way of London.

He disembarked from London's West India Docks this morning, thinking of having a meal nearby and leaving after a few days. But the breath of the fat sheep released from his body made my men focus on him from the beginning. What happened later, you can probably imagine, after experiencing a classic plot, he was arrested. It's a pity that this kid didn't have much money on him at all, so we gave him a little bit of a ruthless and forced him to find an acquaintance to raise money, and as a result, he vomited out all the things about his surname Bonaparte.

At first, everyone didn't believe it, but he said that his uncle lived in London, and he copied his uncle's address for us. As a result, we checked, and it was really right. We definitely don't dare to decide this kind of thing casually, that's why we thought of coming to you......"

The more Fiona spoke, the more she felt unconfident.

In fact, although she said that she brought a surprise to Arthur, she actually knew very well that this was a hot potato.

The people of the Bonaparte family fell into their hands, and they could not let go or kill, but could only come to Arthur to give them peace.

When Arthur heard this, he also understood the little ninety-nine in Fiona's heart.

He asked, "What is the full name of that Bonaparte?" ”

Fiona hurriedly replied: "Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte. ”

Although Arthur had already guessed in his heart, when he heard this, he couldn't help but take a breath: "You really caught an emperor for me and came back!" Who says women are inferior to men, Fiona, you know? You little brothers of Cambrigie are almost ready to be with the Duke of Wellington. ”

Fiona was in despair when she heard this, and she begged bitterly, "Honey, help me figure it out, for I'll give you back all the hundred pounds I took from you." ”

When Arthur heard this, he thought for a moment, but just sighed and said, "That's it, leave this matter to me." ”

(End of chapter)