The Shadow of Great Britain

The weather today obviously wasn't as good as yesterday, with a foggy sky and pesky drizzle drifting through the streets, everywhere pervaded by a bone-penetrating dampness.

If it had been any other day, Arthur would have surely cursed at the heavens before stepping out.

But now, he didn't care, not one bit.

Well, at least that's what he said.

An utterly ordinary pub in the East End of London, where the all-night revelry had just ended not long ago.

The waitstaff hadn't even had the time to clean up the alcohol stains and grease on the tables when a wobbly table, missing half a leg, was taken over by two new patrons.

One of the patrons, with a pipe in his mouth, a sailor's hat on his head, wearing lantern trousers and big-toe shoes, was an eccentric and well-off young man.

As for the other, he was even stranger.

The other patron had an unopened bottle of wine in his left hand, a pipe that was ninety percent new in his right, a live, hopping mixed-breed rabbit tied to his shoulder with hemp rope, and a deck of playing cards freshly bought from the store tucked in his pocket.

His eyes were fixed on the waitress, staring until her cheeks turned red and hot, then he politely inquired, "Miss, would you marry me?"

The eccentric young man couldn't stand it any longer and burst out swearing.

"Arthur! What the hell are you doing? You don't look like a hooligan at all, more like a bloody idiot! Bloody hell, such a handsome face wasted! Have you forgotten what I just taught you? Step aside, let me do it!"

Having said that, the eccentric young man himself approached the waitress to show Arthur how it's done.

His teasing gaze wandered between her chest and face, he lifted her chin with his fingertips, and then spoke with a frivolous tone, "Babe, interested in having some fun with me?"

"Go find your mother to play with, you bastard!"

A crisp slap resonated.

Eld's left cheek now sported a clearly visible handprint.

The waitress, hands on her hips, pointed at Eld's nose and berated, "You messed with the wrong person! You dare to mess with me, do you have no idea about the reputation of your granny 'Chili Penny' from the drunkards around here?"

Eld covered his left cheek and crouched on the ground, hollering in pain.

"Shit! Why's a woman got such a strong slap?"

Arthur glanced at the tray full of beer mugs in the waitress's hand and shrugged innocently.

"I think a person who can lift twelve pints of beer with one hand, even if she's a dainty and adorable lady, her strength is unlikely to be small."

"Shut up, Arthur!"

"You don't seem to be much stronger than me, at least I didn't get slapped."

"Weren't I showing you how it's done?"

"A bad example?"

Arthur's remark nearly left Eld gasping for breath.

He held it in for a long time before finally speaking, "Arthur."

"What is it?"

"You really wasted your talents by studying history."

Arthur quite liked that statement and nodded, "I think so too."

"If you'd studied classic literature, you would have become a great writer. Shelley? Byron? They're not even fit to carry your shoes. You are the real master of satirical literature."

"Eld, that's too much praise," Arthur said modestly, "I usually consider myself on par with them, not much more."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. But that's assuming you were serious about what you said earlier."

Eld raised both hands, "Alright, alright, I surrender. Let's just sit down and eat something. You wouldn't have called me out here early in the rain just to pick a fight with me, would you?"

"That wasn't my intention; I wanted to ask about your plans going forward. Surely I don't have nothing to do before setting sail?"

Eld leaned back in his seat, throwing one leg over the table, almost knocking over the oil lamp.

"It's not entirely true that you have nothing to do. Even though the Royal Navy's management is relaxed during downtime, as it's your first time aboard, they will likely provide you with some basic training.

Like how to use the sextant to navigate, what kind of winds blow in which seas during what seasons, and give you an understanding of the basic structure of the ship's interior and exterior. Roughly that kind of stuff."

But none of that really matters. After all, most of the work once onboard is left to the sailors and officers. You just need to avoid learning too poorly."

After you complete your training, the Navy Department might give you a few simple assessments."

If you fail those, then you'll be in big trouble."

Arthur ordered a bowl of mashed potatoes, and while eating, he asked, "This all sounds quite formal. Why is it different from what you told me before? Didn't you say the Royal Navy is a trashy organization replete with corruption, rampant nepotism, and rigid management?"

Eld rolled his eyes and said, "Unfortunately, Arthur, even though the Royal Navy is a trashy organization, I must admit it does have its merits."

"Such as?"

"For instance, the selection mechanism for Royal Navy officers."

"Didn't you say that most of those selected are through connections? Oh right, I almost forgot; your uncle is a rear admiral in the Royal Navy.

So why not get yourself an officer post? Lieutenant Eld of the Royal Navy, just listen to that title, dripping with handsomeness."

Eld grabbed the wine beside Arthur, roughly popped off the cork with his hand, and took a swig directly from the bottle.

He cursed, "Handsome, my ass! What's so handsome about being a lieutenant? It's just the lowest formal officer rank in the Navy."

Arthur teased, "Still cooler than Patrol Officer Arthur, wouldn't you say?"

"That's true," laughed Eld heartily. "But you're no longer Patrol Officer Arthur, you're now Naturalist Arthur."

"You still haven't told me why you didn't become an officer."

"Because I'm past the age for that. If I really had set my mind on pursuing a career in the Navy, I should have gone to the Naval Academy when I was twelve. After a year of training there, I'd need to serve as a cadet on a ship for six years. During that time, I'd have to do all kinds of work on the ship. Arthur, does that sound like a life a person should have?"

After thinking for a moment, Arthur responded, "It does sound quite tough. But if it leads to an officer position, the hardship for six years might be worth it. Just get through that period, and you're set."

"Oh! What are you thinking of, Arthur? Completing those six years doesn't guarantee becoming an officer; some people serve for six years and can't even attain the rank of acting sub-lieutenant.

Moreover, the crucial part is, all cadets must return to the Navy Department and pass an exam after their six years of apprenticeship to become formal officers in the Royal Navy; those who fail will just have to switch to commercial shipping."

The pass rate for that examination is infuriatingly low. If you don't have a bit of influence in your family, or even if it's just slightly insufficient, forget about passing."

Arthur asked, "If that's the case, why did you still say it's a merit of the Royal Navy?"

Eld took another sip of wine, by now he had drunk half of Arthur's bottle.

"Even though you need connections to pass the exam, you won't make it without some ability either. Besides, no matter how incompetent the ones who pass are, they've still spent a good six years working on a ship since their teens, which is much better than those pampered onshore who are pure waste."

Arthur remained skeptical, "Aren't there people whose connections are strong enough to bypass the exam?"

Eld shook his head seriously, "That's where the few merits of the Royal Navy come into play. Do you know Prince William? Even though he's the King's son, he still had to serve six years on a ship and then pass the exam to earn his rank. The Navy Department is usually as rigid as a medieval antique, but this is one thing I do acknowledge about them."

"Then why didn't you go to the Naval Academy? Isn't your uncle a rear admiral?"

Eld rolled his eyes and said, "How was I supposed to know he would become a rear admiral later on? Back when I was twelve, he was just a colonel. If I'd known he would climb the ranks so quickly, I wouldn't have been so stubborn back then."