Shadow of great britain

Today's weather is obviously not as good as yesterday. The sky is foggy, there is an annoying drizzle on the streets, and there is a bone-deep moisture everywhere.

If it were the past, Arthur would have pointed at God and cursed before going out.

But now, he doesn't care, not at all.

Well, at least, that's what he said.

An ordinary pub in the East End of London, where the all-night carnival had just ended.

The waiter didn't even have time to clean the wine stains and oil stains on the table. The lame table with half a leg missing was occupied by two new guests.

One of the two guests was a weirdo Kuo Shao with a pipe in his mouth, a sailor hat, bloomers, and big-toe shoes.

As for the other one, it's even stranger.

Another guest had an unopened bottle of wine hanging in his left hand, a 90% new pipe in his right hand, and a lively mixed-haired rabbit tied with a hemp rope to his shoulder. In his trouser pocket, he also had a pair of rabbits he had just bought from the store. Playing cards.

He stared straight at the waitress until her face turned red and hot, then he politely asked: "Madam, can I marry you?"

Seeing the situation, the weirdo finally couldn't bear it anymore and cursed loudly.

"Arthur! What the hell are you doing? You don't look like a gangster at all, but like a fool! Damn you, that handsome face of yours is really blind! Have you forgotten what I just said? Did I teach you this? Get out of the way, I’ll do it!”

After saying that, the weirdo Kuo Shao personally walked up to the waitress to demonstrate for Arthur.

His playful eyes looked back and forth between the other person's chest and face. He lifted the other person's chin with his fingertips, and then said in a flirtatious tone: "Little girl, are you interested in playing with me?"

"Go play with your mother, you bastard!"

There was a crisp snap.

Elder had a clearly visible slap mark on the left side of his face.

The waitress pinched her waist and pointed at Elder's nose and cursed angrily: "You have offended the wrong person! How dare you come to trouble me? Haven't you heard about your grandma's Chili Penny from the drunkards nearby?" 's name?"

Elder squatted on the ground covering the left side of his face, screaming in pain.

"Fuck! She's a bitch, why are her hands so strong?"

Arthur glanced at the tray filled with beer glasses in the waitress's hand and shrugged innocently.

"I think a person who can hold twelve pints of beer in one hand, even if she is a petite and lovely lady, is not going to be any less strong."

"Shut up, Arthur!"

"You don't seem to be any better than me. At least I didn't get beaten."

"Am I not setting an example for you?"

"Mistake demonstration?"

Arthur's words made Elder almost out of breath.

He held it in for a long time before he said, "Arthur."

"What's wrong?"

"It's really unfair of you to study history."

Arthur was very impressed by his words. He nodded and said, "I think so too."

"If you come to study classical literature, you will become a great literary giant sooner or later. Shelley? Byron? Neither of them is worthy of carrying your shoes. You are the real master of satirical literature."

"Elder, you are really commended." Arthur said modestly: "I usually think that I can just keep pace with them, not much beyond."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. But the premise is that you must be serious about what you said before."

Elder raised his hands: "Okay, okay, I surrender. Let's sit down and have something to eat. You called me out early in the morning despite the rain. You didn't come all the way to quarrel with me, right?" "

"That's not the case. I just want to ask you about your future arrangements. Do I really not have to do anything before setting sail?"

Elder leaned back on the seat and put one leg on the table, almost knocking over the oil lamp.

"That's not the case. Although the Royal Navy's management during the break is loose, since this is your first time on board, you should be given some basic training.

For example, it teaches you how to use a sextant to identify the heading, what kind of wind blows in which sea area in which season, and lets you understand the basic structure inside and outside the cabin, and so on.

But that doesn't matter. After all, most of the life is left to the sailors and officers after getting on the ship. As long as you don't learn too badly, that's it.

Because after you finish studying, the Navy Department may conduct a few simple assessments on you.

If you fail the assessment, you will be in big trouble. "

Arthur ordered a bowl of mashed potatoes. As he ate, he asked: "This sounds quite formal. Why is it different from the situation you described to me before? Are you saying that the Royal Navy is a corrupt and nepotistic organization?" A serious garbage organization with rigid management regulations?”

Eldren rolled his eyes and said: "Unfortunately, Arthur. Although the Royal Navy is a garbage organization, I have to admit that it does have some advantages."

"for example?"

"For example, the Royal Navy's officer selection mechanism."

"Didn't you say that most of the people selected are from well-connected families? By the way, I almost forgot, your uncle is a rear admiral of the Royal Navy.

In that case, why don't you get an officer? Navy Captain Elder, listen to this title, he is so handsome. "

Elder snatched the wine from Arthur's side, pulled out the cork with his hands, and took a sip.

He scolded: "You're so handsome! What's so cool about a naval captain? This is just the lowest rank among formal naval officers."

Arthur joked: "It's cooler than Inspector Arthur, right?"

"That's true." Elder laughed loudly: "But now you are no longer Inspector Arthur, but naturalist Arthur."

"You haven't told me why you don't want to be an officer."

"Of course it's because I'm older. If I really made up my mind to go into the navy, then I should go to the naval school when I was twelve years old. After one year of training at the school, I would be a cadet I went to the ship as a trainee for six years. During these six years, I had to do basically all the work on the ship. Arthur, do you think this is like a human life? "

Arthur thought for a while and responded: "It is indeed quite hard. But if you can become an officer, it will be worth the six years of hard work. You will be fine after you get through this period."

"Oh! Arthur, what are you thinking? After six years of service, you may not necessarily become a naval officer. Some people can't even become an acting second lieutenant after six years of service.

And the most important thing is that all military cadets must return to the Admiralty to take exams after six years of probation. Only those who pass the exam can be promoted to become regular officers of the Royal Navy. Those who fail can wait to change careers and join the merchant navy.

The passing rate for that exam is appallingly low. If you don’t have any means at home, even if your means are slightly softer, don’t even think about passing it. "

Arthur asked: "If that's the case, why do you still say this is the advantage of the Royal Navy?"

Elder took another sip of wine. At this time, he had drank half of Arthur's bottle of wine.

"Although you need to rely on connections to pass this exam, you can't do it if you don't have some skills. What's more, even if the person who passes the exam is not good, he has been working on the ship for six years since he was a teenager. This is much better than those real losers who are pampering themselves on the shore."

Arthur was still a little skeptical: "Is there no one with connections who can be tough enough not to take this test?"

Elder shook his head solemnly: "This is one of the rare advantages of the Royal Navy. Do you know Prince William? He is the son of the king, but he must also work on the ship for six years and then pass the exam before he can be awarded the title. The Admiralty Department They are usually so stiff that they look like medieval antiques, but this is the only thing I approve of them.”

"Then why didn't you go to naval school? Isn't your uncle a rear admiral?"

Elder rolled his eyes and said: "How did I know that he would become a rear admiral later? He was only a colonel when I was twelve years old. If I had known that he would climb so fast, I wouldn't have Stubborn."