The Shadow of Great Britain

At a small tavern by the docks, Arthur and his companions were presented with a simple meal, some stewed fruit, a plate of freshly baked, steaming bread, along with some warmed-up smoked meat and a pot of coffee.

Eld and Darwin exchanged some basic information about the Beagle and also made sure to go over subsequent precautions and itinerary arrangements.

The conversation didn't last long before the three of them quickly diverted it to other subjects.

Between the laughter, it didn't take long for everyone to become familiar. The friendship of young people always comes this fast.

Eld asked in a straightforward manner, "I heard that you come from a medical family, that your father and grandfather were both surgeons?"

Holding his teacup, Darwin took a sip of the coffee and nodded, "Yes, our family has a clinic in Shropshire's Shrewsbury, which has been open for fifty or sixty years and has a bit of a reputation locally. My father originally planned for me to take over the family business, so he sent me to study medicine at Edinburgh University previously."

Arthur grabbed a piece of bread, tore it up, and stuffed some of the smoked meat into it before taking a gentle bite.

While eating, he asked, "So why did you end up going to Cambridge to study theology? Cambridge is not bad, but Edinburgh is not far behind! David Hume, Adam Smith, Thomas Bayes, these are all notable figures who graduated from Edinburgh University. It's a pity you transferred to Cambridge; otherwise, Edinburgh University would have another famous alumnus."

Upon hearing this, Darwin quickly waved his hand dismissively, "Arthur, you're giving me too much credit. I'm far inferior compared to the individuals you mentioned. I only dare to look up to them, not to place myself alongside them."

Eld chimed in with one hand on the back of his chair, nodding in disagreement with Arthur.

"Exactly! Arthur, what are you talking about? How can you say Edinburgh University is not much worse than Cambridge? Edinburgh is definitely much stronger than Cambridge! Only fools would go to Cambridge!"

At this, Darwin visibly paused for a moment.

Eld, realizing his faux pas, quickly clarified, "Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean to attack your alma mater. At the very least, Cambridge is still slightly better than Oxford. If you take ten Oxford graduates and line them up for a firing squad, not one of them would die unjustly. With Cambridge, however, shooting ten could possibly result in one or two innocent casualties."

Arthur joked, "Eld, you can't kill like that. If we follow your standard for execution, there would hardly be anyone left in Parliament, as seventy to eighty percent of the members are Oxbridge graduates."

Eld slammed his fist down on the table, "Really? That's fantastic, the fewer of them, the brighter Britain's future."

Confused, Darwin asked, "Why do you have such strong opinions about Oxford and Cambridge?"

Arthur couldn't help but laugh, "Charles, we really can't help it. Who asked these two schools to keep instigating Parliament not to grant us a teaching charter?

You might not be aware, but even though the University of London has been established for four years, it still hasn't received the Royal Charter to this day.

Look at Eld, he's got an Admiral uncle watching over him, and yet he's still only able to be a cartographer on a ship. Unless you promote his uncle to Admiral on the spot, his resentment won't be so easy to dismiss."

Embarrassed, Darwin touched the back of his head, "Is that so? I didn't know it was so complicated."

Arthur then asked, "Speaking of which, you still haven't told us why you later transferred to Cambridge."

Darwin replied, "I completed one term at Edinburgh University, and during the holidays, I helped out at my family's clinic, but I really couldn't stand the bloody scenes during surgery. You might not know how agonizing it is to saw off a patient's necrotic leg; it's a scene I can never forget for the rest of my life..."

Shivering, Darwin continued, "After that surgery, I never wanted to help out at the clinic again.

Instead of surgery, I preferred hunting, collecting minerals, and specimens of fauna and flora, but my father considered these interests utterly unproductive.

Regardless, he finally realized that I wasn't cut out to be a surgeon. He thought I was too idle and timid, whereas my mother believed my aversion to surgery was a reflection of a kind heart."

"So, in the end, my family unanimously decided to send me to Cambridge to study theology. On one hand, it would correct my thinking, and on the other, it would be consistent with my kind-heartedness."

The most important thing was that my family thought the job of a priest was very respectable, with quite a good income."

Arthur asked, "So after you finished your theological studies, were your thoughts corrected?"

"Corrected?"

Darwin rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively, "To hell with that! I had no problem to begin with, what was there to correct?

My family wanted me to study theology, and I followed their arrangement. But as for changing my hobbies, not a chance!

Shortly after starting at the university, I joined the school's Plinian Society, a group of natural history enthusiasts. Our leader was Professor Robert Grant, a well-known Lamarckian. He took great care of me and guided me a lot. Later on, I had the fortune to join their research group.

In Cambridge, I spent all the time outside of class studying natural history.

Once, I even followed the research team to Firth of Forth, where we studied the life cycles of marine animals in the intertidal zone.

After the activities ended, I also published a paper in the Plinian Society about a common black substance found in oyster shells. Do you know? That black substance isn't some mysterious creature, but the eggs of a leech."

Eld had been leisurely rocking his chair, but upon hearing this, his expression changed drastically, and he covered his mouth.

He cursed, "Fuck! Charles, why the hell did you have to tell me that?"

Darwin scratched his head, puzzled, "What's the matter?"

Arthur explained with a laugh, "You don't know, Eld is very fond of eating oysters, especially the leech eggs in them. He always tells me that they have a springy texture, like eating pudding."

Eld covered his mouth, angrily saying, "Arthur! Shut the fuck up, I'm going to throw up!"

Arthur shrugged, "Eld, I've always told you to eat less of that stuff, it's neither clean nor sanitary."

With that, Arthur stood up and signaled to the waiter, "Do you have oysters here? Remember to remove the eggs."

Darwin also consoled, "Eld, it's okay to eat a bit occasionally. The stuff isn't poisonous."

But Eld wasn't in the mood to listen to the persuasion; he just felt unwell all over.

He leaned over the table and complained, "It's not about whether it's poisonous or not, it's just disgusting. Charles, only the French could swallow leech eggs, after all, they even eat snails."

Seeing him like this, Arthur lost the will to tease him further.

So he turned to Darwin and asked, "By the way, you said you're a follower of Professor Grant, a Lamarckian, but I've heard Lamarckians argue that life continuously evolves. Yet you're also a priest, and priests usually say humans are God's creation. What's your take on this?"

Upon hearing this, Darwin couldn't help but put down the bread in his hand. He made the sign of the cross over his chest and then whispered to Arthur.

"I am a devout believer, I believe in God."

"Is that so?" Arthur sounded somewhat disappointed.

But immediately after, Darwin leaned closer to Arthur, "But the priests' words, they're all bullshit!"