Chapter 15 In the Distant Past and Future

On the banks of the Thames River, Arthur, wearing a disheveled white shirt and holding a bottle of alcohol, stared blankly at the rubbish-littered Thames and the setting sun in the west.

Agares's figure floated beside him, with the Red Devil pinching his nose in disgust and complaining to Arthur.

"Damn it! How long do you plan to sit in this place? The smell here is almost catching up to the dung field where Baal feeds!"

Arthur tilted his head back and took a swig of alcohol, then asked, "Who is Baal?"

"You don't know Baal? Maybe you'll understand if I use another name. You must recognize Beelzebub, right? That's Baal's alternate name."

"Are you talking about that guy who controls flies?"

"Oh, Arthur, your response is just to my liking."

Agares burst out laughing, "Exactly, the Lord of Flies! Yet such a disgraceful devil gets to rule Hell. Whereas a gentlemanly devil like me, cultured, knowledgeable, a connoisseur of music, fluent in many foreign languages, is exiled to the Mortal World. Isn't it laughable?"

Arthur ran his fingers through his messy hair, "No wonder you've ended up here, it seems you antagonized Baal."

Agares placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder, "Exactly. Just like Scotland Yard can't accommodate a talent like you, Hell has no place for a genius like me. We're birds of a feather, my little bro."

After speaking, he pointed to the bottle in Arthur's hand, "Give me a swig too."

Arthur looked around to make sure no one was watching him before pushing the bottle towards Agares.

"Be careful, don't let anyone else see."

Agares lifted the bottle and drained it in one gulp, then let out a loud, satisfied burp.

"This alcohol isn't very good! Back when I followed King Solomon into Jerusalem..."

"Stop talking about King Solomon, my ears are about to grow calluses from hearing it."

Arthur asked, "After living for so long, don't you have any other stories you can tell me? Surely, after King Solomon's time, you must have done something meaningful?"

Agitated, Agares retorted, "Not done anything meaningful? When I followed King Solomon into Jerusalem, I completed all the work I needed for this lifetime."

Concerned that Arthur might not believe him, he even reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of colorful orbs.

Pointing at the orbs, he said, "Arthur, do you see what these are? These are Souls, all accumulated from that time. Otherwise, with your poor work efficiency, I would have starved to death years ago."

Arthur gazed at the expressionless faces on the surface of the orbs and sighed helplessly, "So you have so much reserve food. Then why do you keep pushing me every day to find Souls for you?"

"Arthur, I am a Devil! My pleasure lies in torment, not eating.

These Souls have been tormented by me for over a thousand years, they are fearless now, making it almost boring for me to even play with them.

Unless I'm direly hungry, I usually can't be bothered to even take them out for a look.

And even if we're talking about eating, I would rather pick fresh food. Would you eat rotten food?"

"A Devil, and still so picky, no wonder you can't find a suitable Contractor."

"Arthur, you mustn't disrespect my profession, it's a very ancient trade. In our business, we go by the motto 'a thousand years without a single customer, then dine for a thousand years upon opening.' Even if I don't find a Contractor, I can't just pick anyone haphazardly; better none than just any."

"Then you might have chosen the wrong person this time, I've got no interest in invading Jerusalem."

"Then what do you want to do?"

Arthur leaned on the railing, looking at the sunset on the horizon, and sighed, "I want to go home."

"We could leave right now! Yorkshire isn't that far from London."

"No, Agares, you don't understand, I come from the future."

Agares furrowed his brows in thought for a while, then asked, "Is this today's attempt at a joke?"

Arthur shook his head, "No, the joke comes later."

"Then keep going, I'm all ears."

Arthur looked at the barges on the Thames and began, "In the future, the entire Royal Navy has only 97 ships left."

"Oh, that's really bad."

"But that's not the worst part."

"What's the worst part then?"

"The worst part is that the French have 98."

Agares burst into laughter upon hearing this, laughing so hard he could hardly catch his breath.

"Arthur, you must be mad. Didn't the Royal Navy completely destroy the French naval forces in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805? How long would it take for them to have that many ships? A hundred years?"

Arthur swayed the bottle, allowing the last few drops of liquid to reach his lips, "A hundred years? Two hundred years!"

Seeing that Arthur was still in the mood for jokes, Agares finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Arthur, you really are unpredictable. Just a moment ago, I thought you were about to jump into the river and end it all. But, after all this fuss, it turns out you're totally fine."

"Who says I'm fine, I've got issues, I'm in a rush to get to the future. I've had enough of this cesspool."

"Is the future any good?"

"The future can't be worse than the present!"

Arthur, carrying a bottle, threw it far into the Thames River.

Splash!

Black waves churned on the surface of the river, and a foul stench assaulted the senses along with the ripples.

Agares quickly pinched his nose and cursed, "Arthur! I must give you a piece of advice! If you fucking know the cesspool stinks, then don't stir it with a bottle!"

Arthur dusted off his hands, got up from the railing, and said, "That's my pleasure."

"You really don't take advice well." Agares floated around him, "You've already resigned, so what shall we do tomorrow? Got any plans?"

Arthur answered offhandedly, "Smoke, drink, and maybe go to the market to buy a rabbit to keep at home."

"Are you also going to marry some random woman you find on the street?"

"I'll think about that depending on the situation."

Agares blocked Arthur's path with hands on his hips, "Arthur, this isn't a plan. You're just blatantly opposing Scotland Yard's internal regulations."

Arthur paused upon hearing this.

He stroked his chin, pondering for a while, then asked, "Agares."

"What is it?"

"Teach me how to do something bad."

"Oh, my dear Arthur." Agares let out a hehehe laugh, rubbing his hands and saying, "You must have misunderstood me, I never teach people to do bad things."

"But aren't you the Devil?"

"Devil is just a nickname given by believers of other faiths, they also call me Satan.

You know? In ancient Hebrew, the meaning of Satan is merely 'adversary', but people later personified it.

In the earliest times, any deity of a different religion could be referred to as Satan.

In the distant past, I too was the supreme deity worshipped by some. Do you think I would teach my followers to do bad things? They were good to me, so of course, I wouldn't harm them."

Arthur became curious upon hearing this, as he had always maintained a strong interest in the realms of the unknown.

He asked, "So what did you teach them?"

Agares squinted with a smile, "I didn't really teach them anything. I thought they were all good people, so I just told them to follow their hearts and gave them what they wanted.

Whether it was wealth or power, I gave them whatever they desired.

I always trusted them to use these gifts for good.

But you know, the outcome disappointed me.

That's why I took their souls, as punishment for their misdeeds.

I've always believed what I'm doing is good, not bad.

I made beggars rich overnight, allowing them to live a dignified life.

I made the homeless become kings, to have lots of children, to feel what it's like to have a family.

Did I do anything wrong?

Arthur, the ones who are truly bad are not me, but those blinded by power and wealth.

You can look at yourself, you too have received help from me, but have you committed any wrongdoings?

You punished the university professor who sexually assaulted his student, saved a child's life; you've done many good things with the help I gave you.

In the hands of a good person, the same things are good; in the hands of a bad person, they are bad.

Think about how those people in the court looked at you today, in their hearts you are a savior, their god.

Arthur, for a social group to function, they need a god, otherwise, there's no basis for anything.

And you, you already have what it takes to become that god."

Arthur stared at Agares's smiling face for a long while before speaking, "Agares, you're trying to hoodwink me again."

"How could that be, Arthur." Agares's smile was brimming with sincerity, "I'm genuinely trying to help you!"

Arthur patted his shoulder, "Still, thanks for today. For the matter of Mrs. Peel, I owe you one soul. When I find a suitable target, I will make my move."

"Oh, my dear Arthur."

Agares, with a half-meter-long tongue, licked his withered lips, his drool nearly soaking Arthur's shoes, "But haven't you already found your target?"