shadow of britain

Chapter 3 Piercing Scotland Yard
After parting from Elder, Arthur walked slowly towards Scotland Yard along the usual patrol road.

He turned a blind eye to the hawkers who were occupying the road on both sides of the road. Only when the shop owners strongly protested, he would politely persuade the hawkers to leave.

This is the philosophy of life that Arthur only learned after working in Scotland Yard for half a year.

The law and order area under the responsibility of the Greater London Metropolitan Police has the world's largest population of 150 million, and one tenth of these 150 million people are directly or indirectly engaged in mobile retail business.

The prisons around London were already overcrowded, so it was impossible for Arthur to put everyone in prison.

And even though the ships of the Royal Navy can travel all over the world, defeat the Armada of the Dutch and the Spaniards, and beat Napoleon's fleet to shame in the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy is also unable to exile all London peddlers to Australia.

To catch or not to catch, Arthur will always face this kind of embarrassing choice in the past six months.

Fortunately, from now on, he will never have to face this kind of predicament again.

Agares drooped his head like a defeated rooster, and he followed Arthur step by step, showing no energy at all.

Arthur also found that his friend was not in the right mood, so he asked, "Agares, what's wrong with you? Look at your stinky face, you look like a defeated Frenchman."

"Arthur! You want me to accompany you to watch whales at sea, what expression do you want me to put on? Am I going to laugh?"

After saying this, Agares ran to a small fish stall and squatted down. He looked at the half-dead herring with bubbles on the table with a look of disgust, and then sighed while covering his forehead.

"How many virtues have I accumulated to bring me to this situation? In the next few years, I can only eat with this ugly, slimy little thing?"

Far from having any sympathy for Agares' complaints, Arthur tried his best to correct the devil's wrong values.

"Agares, you are disrespecting the history of this country by saying that. For a long time in the past, the Royal Navy has been supported by the ugly little things in your mouth.

In order to implement the mercantilism policy and encourage the development of fishing and shipbuilding, Henry VII issued the "Fish Eating Act", which mandated that fish must be eaten during Lent and fasting days every year.

During the time of Elizabeth I, the scope of fish-eating days was expanded to three days a week.Eating fish is the responsibility and obligation of every subject under the rule of a king. "

Agares was so angry that he conjured three torches out of nowhere, and while jumping his feet, he performed acrobatics like a circus clown playing balls to provoke Arthur.

"Use the laws of Britain to kill the duke of hell, Arthur, you are such a powerful official! I just don't want to eat, what can you do to me?"

Arthur shrugged his shoulders: "According to the law, if you don't eat according to the regulations on the fish eating day, the lightest punishment is six hours of shackles, but your attitude is extremely serious, so I advocate a ten-day prison sentence. However, that is all in the past. Now you like to eat or not, no one cares about you."

"No one cares about me? Then why are you mentioning this?"

Arthur replied seriously: "Because you just called me an excellent graduate of the University of London this morning, so I intend to show you my excellent academic qualities. Although this thing is usually in the Metropolitan Police Department I can’t use it in daily work, but in order not to disappoint you, the main sponsor, I think I have to give you some explanation.”

"I don't need you to give me this kind of explanation! If you really want to give me an explanation, then use your nimble little brain and think of other ways out besides floating in the sea."

"Unfortunately, Agares, it was too late. If you had honestly sent me to Oxford or Cambridge, or if I hadn't encountered a recession when I graduated, maybe I had other options.

But now, I have only one way to go to sea.Agares, this is all your fault. "

"Oh! My dear Arthur." Agares begged in a low voice: "If I apologize now, is there still time?"

Arthur pointed to the police badge on his hat and asked: "If an apology is useful, what do you need the police for?"

"Damn! Then you are determined? If that's the case, why don't you take off your disgusting clothes? Isn't this week's salary already paid?"

Arthur said: "This is called prudence at the beginning and the end, and stand on the last post. As long as I have not formally submitted my resignation, then I will still be a member of the London Metropolitan Police."

"Oh, Arthur..." Agares picked up a handkerchief and pretended to wipe away his tears: "I almost believed your nonsense. What are you going to do, you wicked little bastard?"

Arthur glanced at him: "I've been disgusted by this place for half a year, did I just leave so lightly?"

"Oh! That's right!" The devil smiled excitedly. "What are you going to do? Burn down Scotland Yard, or stab your fucking boss with a knife?"

"neither."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to stab Scotland Yard right through and put fire in my boss' ass."

"Isn't it all the same?"

"No, Agares, you don't understand, it's not the same at all."

Arthur stopped suddenly, and he was standing at the intersection of a street full of pedestrians.

Behind him is the noisy, dirty, and rotten East End of London.

But the world in front of him has completely changed.

Row upon row of neat houses and clean streets, with Gothic spiers, magnificent medieval buildings and exquisitely designed modern houses blend together, gorgeous reliefs and dark and strange fences set off each other, and there are gorgeous decorations everywhere near the Parliament Square. Carriages and well-dressed gentlemen and ladies.

The essence of the entire United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is condensed in an area less than three miles away. On the east side is the London Parliament Building representing the national legislature, on the north side is the Whitehall Street with many administrative agencies, and on the west side is the Supreme Court of Great Britain. To the south are Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church, which symbolize the Anglican Church.

All this contrasted with the dark and sordid scene behind it, which was dazzling.

And Arthur's destination today is also located here.

His gaze drifted north through the dense crowd.

4 Whitehall Street – Headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, London.

(End of this chapter)