Shadow of great britain

36 Lancaster Gate, opposite Hyde Park, Bayswater, West End, London.

Through the gaps in the maple leaves and the glass of the white bay window, you can see a man wearing a brand new tuxedo sitting at a desk on the second floor reading a document in his hand.

A gust of wind blew open, opening the ajar windows and blowing up the scattered brown paper bags and stacks of documents and old news clippings on the table.

Arthur didn't look up. He just pinched it with two fingers and pulled back the document bag that was about to fly out along the edge of the window.

He stood up and closed the window again, and the Red Devil, who came back from his walk, finally saw the titles of several documents on the table clearly.

Amelia Stewart, Sarah Villiers, Emily Cowper, Maria Molyneux Sefton, Clementine Drummond Burrell, Te Lesa Esterhazy, Dorothea Levine.

Perhaps this large number of dazzling names will make people confused, but if they are converted into common names of people in the social circle, these seemingly ordinary names will be given rich and colorful meanings in an instant.

They are Viscountess Castlereagh, Countess of Jersey, Countess of Cowper, Countess of Sefton, Countess of Drummond-Burrell, Princess Esterhazy and Countess of Leven.

These are the identities and names of the seven main patrons of the social club 'Olmark Restaurant', which controls access to London's top social circles.

In the past, Arthur would only need less than half a page to fill in such personal identification information, but for these seven ladies, even a full page might not be enough to describe their titles and social relationships.

Take Amelia Stewart, Viscountess Castlereagh, for example. This lady was born into the wealthy Hobart family of England.

Her father was John Hobart, the second Earl of Buckinghamshire, and her brother Robert Hobart served as Secretary of State to the Governor of Ireland and Governor of Delhi in British India. After returning to the country in 1812, he was promoted to the Colonial Affairs Office. One of the three members of the Indian Governing Council.

Her husband is Robert Stewart, who holds the two noble titles of Marquess of Londonderry and Viscount Castlereagh.

Viscount Castlereagh is a prominent politician in British history. During his decades-long political career, he has served as Ireland's Chief Secretary, Secretary of State for War and Colonial Affairs, and Foreign Secretary.

Domestically, Viscount Castlereagh participated in promoting the "Irish Union Act", which officially incorporated Ireland into the territory of the United Kingdom.

Externally, Viscount Castlereagh successfully promoted the Four-Power Alliance of Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia, laying a solid foundation for the future victory in the Battle of Waterloo. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, he exerted his influence to promote the signing of the Treaty of Paris, and led the process of the Congress of Vienna on behalf of Britain, setting the framework of the European Coordination System for European countries.

But unfortunately, maybe there is too much pressure accumulated over the years.

Or perhaps it was because during the Peterloo Massacre in 1819, he had supported the bloody repressive policies of Lord Sidmouth, the then Home Secretary, which led to public opinion and liberal literati such as Shelley and Byron to attack him. , Viscount Castlereagh soon suffered from severe mental illness and eventually committed suicide by slitting his throat with a letter opener.

Although her husband's death greatly reduced Mrs. Castlereagh's influence in the social circle, the prestige she had accumulated over the years allowed her to still hold a seat on the Allmark Club's patroness committee.

Among the seven hostesses, in addition to the local ones like Lady Castlereagh, there are also foreign ones like Princess Esterhazy and Countess Leven.

It can be seen from Princess Esterhazy's title that she comes from a noble family. She is a member of the extremely wealthy German princely family "Thun-Taxsis", and her husband Austrian The minister to Britain, Paul Anton Esterházy, was a prince of the Austrian Empire.

As for Mrs. Leven, although her background is not as good as Princess Esterhazy, she cannot be underestimated.

Mrs. Leven's husband is Count Leven, a member of the Russian royal family who serves as the Russian Empire's ambassador to the United Kingdom, and her father is even more of a heavyweight.

Because Mrs. Levine’s father is exactly that: a good friend of Russian Tsar Alexander I, a German-born Tsarist general with meritorious service in the anti-French war, an iron fist of feudalism that suppressed the Decembrist uprising, and a man who could only dispatch Cossack cavalry without tanks. The Commander of the Gendarmerie, the ostensibly Director of the Third Department of the Russian Empire's Imperial Office, the great ingenuity who secretly assisted the Tsar in establishing the rule of police agents, the guiding light of Scotland Yard, the French military and police shouting invincibility, the senior citizen of Chun Doo-hwan, Pinochet's leader, the Russian Imperial Cavalry General Count Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf, had always believed that monitoring thoughts was troublesome, so it was better to directly eliminate the body.

As the saying goes, I am a hero and my son is a good man, and my mother is a beautiful woman.

Mrs. Levin not only fully inherited her mother's fine bloodline, but also ended up with a delicate and beautiful face. Moreover, he is better than his predecessor and has inherited his father's expertise in spy work.

As a well-known courtesan in London's upper class, Mrs. Leven made full use of her appearance and status advantages. Not only did she successfully become the first foreign patron of the Allmark Club since its founding in 1765, but as a German-Russian , she also quite faithfully included the German waltz as a dance option at the Allmark Club.

When her husband stays in London, Mrs. Leven can fulfill her duties as a good wife and mother excellently. When Earl Leven is out, she will come from time to time with Austrian Prime Minister Metternich and Viscount Palmerston who come to London on business. A little extra spice in a boring life.

And she also relied on her close relationships with these most important politicians in Europe to obtain a lot of "unexpected intelligence" for Russia. Within the Russian court, she was considered at least as important politically as her ambassadorial husband, and at times even more important.

Even the current Tsar Nicholas I often exchanged letters with her and sought her advice on some issues. The Tsar's attention also highlighted her influence in the diplomatic community.

Arthur flipped through the personal information of the seven ladies one by one, as well as the tidbits and past experiences about them cut from various old newspapers. After watching it for a while, he finally couldn't help but marveled.

"If Elder hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that there were so many women who shouldn't be underestimated in little London. Especially this Mrs. Leven, who is full of mysterious aura. It seems that El The street tabloids that De usually reads are not completely useless. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be able to determine how many politicians maintain a close relationship with Mrs. Levine that exceeds the normal social distance."

When the red devil heard this, the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes were full of malice. He smiled and asked: "Arthur, are you sure? This woman is far more complicated than what you see in the newspaper. I advise you to It's better to stay away from her, otherwise she will eat him up in the end and you will be so stupid that you don't know what happened.

I admit that you are a very capable human male, but Mrs. Levine's methods are far tougher than you think. Finally, I will give you another truth. Competent women are always good at discovering the weaknesses of capable men.

Especially when it comes to conspiracy abilities, men and women are not at the same level of thought when it comes to manipulating this matter. When it comes to conspiracy matters, women are many times more dangerous than men. "

When Arthur heard this, he raised his head and leaned on the chair: "Why does what you said sound familiar to me? It's like I've seen it somewhere..."

He frowned and thought for a while, then snapped his fingers, looked back at the Red Devil and said, "Agares, how can you plagiarize sentences from Alexander's book? This is not for him to improve "The Count of Monte Cristo" Style, some short inspirational sentences that you jot down in your notebook?"

When the red devil heard this, he shook his finger in dissatisfaction: "Arthur, you must first know where Alexander's inspiration comes from. Providing inspiration for writers is also one of my abilities as a devil."

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but squeeze out a breath from his nose: "Huh, really? I think you want to leave a name in history, right? You should also be able to see that there is something extraordinary in that fat man's soul, so you Can't help but put something of your own into his pen? Agares, I really don't know, it turns out that the devil also has this kind of vanity."

But the Red Devil didn't pay any attention to Arthur's sarcasm. Instead, he regarded it as a compliment.

Agares pushed up his glasses proudly: "Arthur, don't forget, the devil is a collection of desires. So, do you want to find a chance to play at the Allmark Club? With all due respect, Blue Stocking Club Although the ladies have a different academic flair, if you want to stand out, you still have to find a chance to squeeze into the Allmark Club."

When Arthur heard this, he glanced at him and said, "Agares, as soon as you get carried away, you will leak out all your hidden thoughts. Didn't you just advise me to leave Mrs. Levin?" Farther away? Now you’re trying to get me to squeeze into the Allmark Club again?”

The red devil smiled evilly and rubbed his hands: "Oh! My dear Arthur, you don't understand. Whether I am persuading you to go or not to go, I am always thinking about you. I am worried about persuading you not to go. You fall into the colorful pomegranate skirts of those mature ladies, thus ruining your reputation and ruining your normal life.

But I advise you to go because I think that everyone is always a little curious. Although ladies are scary, if they take a fancy to you, not only will you be on the road to promotion in the future, even if you don’t want to work hard at all, those ladies will see your handsome little face and strong figure. Yes, it’s not impossible to agree to it! "

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help curling his lips: "Agares."

The red devil smiled and said, "What's wrong?"

"Fortunately, I signed a contract with you. If Elder hears what you just said, sooner or later he will have to be deceived out of his pants by you."

Unexpectedly, when Agares heard this, he was not proud but ashamed. He frowned and shook his finger sarcastically: "Arthur, you can question my bad intentions, but you can't question my choice of partners." His vision and ability. With all due respect, among the seventy-two demons, the only one who can urinate with Elder is Asmodeus' lustful nature.

It is true that I want the soul of the contractor, but if it is Elder who signs the contract with me, I am afraid that his soul will eventually fall into the hands of Mrs. Leven. I have no interest in helping the contractor find a woman to redeem the mortgaged soul. "

Arthur smoothed back the hair hanging in front of his eyes and put it behind his head, revealing his hairline which was lower than the general British standard.

"Now I know that your requirements are higher than those of the Department of Classical Literature at the University of London. It seems that it is indeed a miracle that Elder can receive education in this life."

Agares then asked: "So, Arthur, are you interested in the Allmark Club?"

Arthur took a breath, stared at the red devil's sparkling red eyes and said, "It seems there are indeed a lot of good things that interest you! This is the first time I've seen you so active."

The red devil smiled evilly: "Oh! My dear Arthur, aren't you interested?"

Arthur nodded and said: "Of course I'm interested. However, not everyone can go to this high-end club located on King Street. According to the information I learned, although there is a very unique dance held there every Wednesday night. , but the Allmac Club has been a very private organization since its founding in 1765.

Only those who have the approval of a committee of seven female patrons and pay an annual membership fee of 10 guineas are eligible to enter there. In addition, I still have to learn all the weird rules there.

So, now, although I can squeeze in the financial resources, getting the consent of the Female Patron Committee is not something that can be done with just a few cases. "

When the red devil heard this, he was filled with joy and showed a proud expression as if his conspiracy had succeeded.

"Oh! My dear Arthur, have you forgotten who you are? You are Professor Agares' most proud villain apprentice. As long as you want anything, I can satisfy you conditionally."

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but frowned and said: "Agares, conditional satisfaction is not satisfied, it is a normal transaction. So, being the apprentice of the most knowledgeable professor in hell, in the end, you will still take advantage of the situation." Not any cheaper.

Hmm... Now I seem to almost understand why you were easily driven out of hell by Barr. Maybe it's because you are too stingy that when Baal kicked you out, other devils were unwilling to help you. "

When Agares heard this, he couldn't help but push up his glasses: "Arthur, you have to understand that even Britain's Apprenticeship Ethics and Education Act only guarantees apprentices' right to education for two hours a day. I still have to continue working honestly for ten hours. Compared to your bill, I am willing to deal with you on an equal footing, which is very worthy of recognition."

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Arthur stood up and stared at the red devil without saying a word. He just sighed.

The red devil was puzzled by him, and he asked: "Why are you sighing?"

Arthur looked at him with a complicated expression and said, "Agares."

The red devil frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Arthur patted his shadow and sighed at the ceiling: "Capitalism has harmed you!"

After saying this, he locked all the documents on the table into the drawer, and then left the room with big steps.

Agares was stunned for a while before he realized what was going on. He angrily yelled at Arthur's back: "Arthur! The soul that lives here with me, you asked me to calculate the interest for you, I Even if I negotiate a business deal with you, you won’t be happy even if you pay a shilling. What I signed with you is an equal soul trading contract, not a fucking contract to sell myself as a serf to Tsarist Russia!”

There should be another chapter later