The Fox of France

Chapter 250: Paulina's Journey

The decision to release the mischievous troublemaker was final. Joseph returned to his laboratory, while Napoleon and Lucien boarded a carriage back to Paris.

"Joseph is truly...remarkably cunning," Napoleon suddenly remarked.

"Indeed. If we could persuade my sister and Paulina to go together, it would relieve us of much post-incident work. It's mainly your fault, Napoleon. Your suggestion was so hesitant, it raised his suspicions. Blame it all on you, Napoleon!" Lucien grumbled.

"That suggestion should have come from you. You're the professional deceiver!"

"It's precisely because I'm a professional that I couldn't be the one to suggest it. Joseph is so cunning, and I specialize in such matters. If I had proposed it, he would have seen right through me. In the end... it's Joseph's cunning that's the issue!"

"You're right. It's not our incompetence; it's really Joseph's cunning!" The brothers quickly reached an agreement on this matter.

As for convincing the troublemaker, it was a simple task. Lucien had only just initiated the conversation when Paulina immediately said, "Sure, I'm bored anyway. Can I go alone?"

"I'll arrange for a few people to accompany you," Lucien replied. Sending the troublemaker alone would be too much trouble.

"Get ready; tomorrow I'll take you somewhere for a special training session. After all, we need to prepare since you're going abroad," Lucien said.

"Shut up. We're not sending you to Louisiana!" After saying this, Lucien paused for a moment and continued, "But, there is some basic weapon training. Surprisingly, London doesn't have the best security."

"Oh, by the way, can I bring someone along?"

"Anyone except my sister is fine," Lucien replied.

A week later, the tall and slender Paulina, dressed in men's hunting attire, exuded a confident air. She even brought a petite and graceful female companion. They were accompanied by a group of burly bodyguards as they boarded a ship bound for England in Calais. In their wake, there were a dozen luggage porters and a few empty-handed servants.

Just as Paulina stepped onto the ship, Captain Denis approached.

"Mr. Crystelle, welcome aboard. Would you like to see your cabin?" Denis asked courteously.

"You can take my servants to see it. As for me, I'll walk on this deck. Don't bother me unless it's necessary," Paulina replied in a deliberately deeper voice, but it still sounded somewhat tender, as if she hadn't completely finished her voice change.

Captain Denis didn't know who this "Mr. Crystelle" really was, but judging by his demeanor and the fact that he had chartered the entire ship, he figured that "Mr. Crystelle" must come from a wealthy and influential family. In the now-stable France, wealth equated to status.

"Emma, I remember you always had a dream. You wanted to stand at the front of a ship, spread your arms, and feel like you were soaring, right? Now's your chance. Let's go to the bow," he said, encouraging her.

Then, Paulina turned and noticed her four-wheeled carriage being securely fastened, lifted by a crane, and carried to the deck. She furrowed her brows and told the people nearby, "Anderson, make them work faster. I don't want to stay at the harbor waiting for them until it gets dark."

Since "Mr. Crystelle" was dissatisfied, the pace of loading and preparations clearly picked up. Half an hour later, the ship departed from Calais.

"Mr. Crystelle" wasn't a stranger to sea travel, but Emma, his companion, had never been on a sea voyage. So "Mr. Crystelle" used this opportunity to show off a bit in front of her and eventually took Emma to the ship's bow.

"Emma, do you see that statue?" "Mr. Crystelle" pointed to the figurehead at the bow and prodded, "Let's climb up there..."

Two days later, the ship arrived in London. "Mr. Crystelle" disembarked, hopped into his luxurious four-wheeled carriage brought all the way from France, and headed straight for the small country house that Lucien had arranged on the outskirts of London for her.

"Mr. Crystelle" rested there for a day and, the following day, set off on a whirlwind tour of London with his companion, all the while beginning to write articles for the literary section of the "Science of Truth Journal."

The "Science of Truth Journal" had a good reputation in most areas, but its literary section was an exception. This section often published articles from individuals who fancied themselves as great writers, though in reality, their works were no better than essays by talented middle school students.

However, these individuals typically had money, status, or both, and they believed themselves to be literary geniuses. The journal's editors couldn't afford to offend these contributors, so they published their works. As a result, the literary section of the "Science of Truth Journal" had a reputation not much better than the literary section of "The Sun" newspaper.

This situation, fortunately, was limited to the French version of the "Science of Truth Journal" at least up to that point. The German and English versions hadn't faced such issues yet, mainly because the individuals who made the editors of the French version uneasy were primarily French writers.

However, this luck came to an end. After a day of gallivanting around London, "Mr. Crystelle" handed over the first part of her "London Journal" to the editors of the "Science of Truth Journal." These editors immediately worked overnight to translate it into English, polish it, edit it, and even create new content. Once "Mr. Crystelle" left the UK, her journal was ready for serialization in the "Science of Truth Journal."

To be honest, the quality of Paulina's journal was slightly better than that of an above-average middle school essay. However, after the editors' efforts, the quality improved, especially in the English version, which ended up surpassing the French version.

But these matters were of no concern to "Mr. Crystelle" now. She was busy causing havoc everywhere.

The next day, "Mr. Crystelle" had a verbal confrontation with the London police over their excessive use of violence against beggars. Her bodyguards intervened, preventing her from experimenting with a recently acquired skill on one of the officers.

On the third day, "Mr. Crystelle" visited a charitable hospital run by the Church of England and donated 500 pounds. However, a dispute erupted between her and the hospital's doctors over various medical techniques and procedures. "Mr. Crystelle" even had her entourage demonstrate the correct medical procedures to them. However, from the hospital's director down to the nurses, everyone thought that this French child was utterly insane. Nevertheless, her money wasn't rejected.

In the following days, "Mr. Crystelle" visited several more hospitals, made donations, and promoted what she claimed were the correct medical procedures.

"Really, The Lancet has been advocating these techniques for a while now! Why are you Britons so behind?" Arrogant "Mr. Crystelle" even spoke rudely to James, the director of the "Charity Hospital," who was also a member of the British Medical Association.

James couldn't tolerate this insult and retorted, "We have indeed seen the articles in The Lancet, but we consider them to lack any scientific basis. The Lancet elevates superstitions of a bunch of barbarians to gospel. It's a disgrace to the reputation of scientific journals."

And so, "Mr. Crystelle" and Dr. James engaged in a heated discussion about the standards of discerning truth. They finally reached an agreement on one thing: "That guy is a fool."

A week later, "Mr. Crystelle" finally left the UK. Shortly after her departure, her journal, "Paulina's Travels," began serialization in the "Science of Truth Journal."

In the English version of the "Science of Truth Journal," Paulina used the pen name she had always used: Crystelle. Right from the first part of her journal, she began writing about her experiences in London, disguised as a man. In the first part of her journal, she highly praised England's achievements in science and literature, expressing sincere admiration.

A French woman writing a journal while dressed as a man—it was intriguing to say the least. Even before considering the content of the journal, this fact alone was enough to pique the interest of many readers. Moreover, in the first part of her journal, she spoke highly of England's contributions to the progress of human civilization. This naturally made English readers more intrigued, as people tend to enjoy hearing compliments. In fact, in the future, some countries' media even preferred to deliberately invite foreigners to praise their nation in order to reminisce about the golden era.

However, the subsequent content began to leave certain English readers dissatisfied. Firstly, there were detailed descriptions of England's vast wealth disparity. Crystelle meticulously depicted the extravagant lifestyles of the wealthy in England and the shocking poverty of the lower classes. She dramatically portrayed the double standards exhibited by the English police when dealing with the wealthy and the destitute. She subtly implied her French pride.

This journal became a subject of debate. Some agreed with Crystelle that she was right, highlighting the unfairness of England's system, with the common people consistently getting the short end of the stick. Others believed it was a malicious attack on England. While they acknowledged the wealth gap, they argued that it was an issue shared with France. Furthermore, they contended that compared to the French, the English people enjoyed greater freedom—freedom to accumulate wealth and freedom to go bankrupt.

"We have much more freedom than the French," these individuals claimed.

....

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