My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 1 Selling Oysters on the Titanic

"Ma'am, a raw oyster costs only a penny if..."

Seeing the elegant lady in front of him walk away without looking back, Jules put down the oysters in his hand and sighed.

After traveling back in time and becoming Jules, a man with the same name in the novel, he thought he could escape the fate of selling oysters, but he unexpectedly took this path to avoid debt.

"When I pass the exam to work for the British Tax Office, I'll hang all these vampires from the street lamps." He thought indignantly.

Before this, he had started a business relying on his knowledge that was ahead of his time and had successfully earned his first pot of gold. However, he was robbed by the damned capitalists who used their power to seize his wealth and he was left with nothing but a mountain of debt.

What made him even more angry was that he lost his patent!

This made Yule more determined in his idea - if he had taken the civil service exam in his previous life, he had to take it in this life as well!
Being in debt does not affect his application. As long as he passes the exam before the debt deadline, the debt is equivalent to not being in debt!

He had studied the civil service examinations of the British Empire, and they were all leftovers from his previous exams.

As a professional test-taker, he is 90% confident that he will pass the exam.

The only problem was, he couldn't even afford the entry fee.

After selling oysters for a while without any customers, Jules sighed and decided to walk around on the deck to relax.

The moist sea breeze blew past his ears, even briefly drowning out the roar of the steam.

He closed his eyes and quietly felt this violent yet peaceful moment.

He didn't know the name of the ship because he had sneaked aboard when the dock manager wasn't paying attention.

At that time, he only needed a quick observation to determine that most of the people on this ship must be rich!
So he slid up with the oysters.

Although business is not as booming as expected, it is at least much better than usual.

There were bursts of noise coming from the room. When Jules turned around, he saw many gentlemen and ladies walking side by side, chatting happily.

Although people were coming and going, no one thought there was anything wrong with having an extra oyster seller on the ship.

"Tsk, I really envy them. It's different to have a good father."

Jules sighed, opened his arms and welcomed the storm of nature.

But if you get closer, you can hear his vague whispers amid the whistling wind:

"Tobacco brings in £20 million in tax revenue each year and provides 10,000 jobs in the tobacco industry. The 30,000 people who die from tobacco each year save the Ministry of Health and Human Services £7 million in medical expenses..."

These are all required test points for the tax bureau's civil service examination, and he doesn't want to miss any opportunity to pass.

Suddenly, a wave hit and the boat shook slightly.

Although the amplitude was small, it still made many noble ladies exclaim in surprise.

Although some of the gentlemen were also frightened, they saw that the ladies were still in shock, so they pretended to be calm and comforted the beauties beside them.

At this moment, Jules vaguely heard a conversation that caught his attention:

"Ruth, are you okay?"

"It's okay, Jack... I feel safe with you by my side."

This name sounds familiar. Are they the male and female protagonists of Titanic?

He turned his head with interest, wanting to see what the couple with the same name looked like.

But this sight left him dumbfounded.

The lady is standing on the bow of the deck with her arms open, embracing the sunset in front of her, while the gentleman is hugging her from behind, and there is infinite romance and joy between the two.

Jules's brain suddenly stopped working.

Isn't this the classic composition of Titanic? What did it do to me?
He calmly picked up the oyster bag beside him, pretending to sell oysters, but actually observing the surrounding environment.

After a while, Jules walked behind Jack and Rose and said with a smile:

"Gentleman, would you please buy your fairest lady an oyster? It will only cost a penny."

Jack smiled and said:
"Oysters? Would you like some, Ruth?"

Ruth gave a playful smile and nodded.

"Give me one." Jack fumbled in his thin pocket and barely took out two pennies. He put one back and handed the other to Jules.

"Oh, thank you for your generosity in this..."

Jules pretended to have forgotten the name of the ship, frowned and began to think.

Jack reminded at the right time:

"Titanic."

Jules suddenly realized:

"Oh yes! On this Titanic, your generosity only highlights your handsomeness and the beauty of this lady!"

After saying these auspicious words, he lowered his head, skillfully pried open the oyster shell for Ruth, and handed it to her.

Although the two people behind him started talking sweetly again, Jules was in no mood to pay attention. Oh my God! Why did he do Titanic? Is this scene wrong?

He looked at the steam structure of the Titanic, his brows furrowed.

Logically speaking, Titanic shouldn't be from this era, so why would I appear on it?

It is understandable that I traveled through time and space to become Jules, but it is very wrong that Jules and the Titanic appeared at the same time.

When Maupassant, who wrote Jules Verne, died, the blueprint of the Titanic probably hadn't even appeared yet!
At this moment, a faint reminder sounded from my ears:

[Capturing the Sixth Historical Fragment: The Sinking of the Titanic]

[Sixth Historical Fragment: The Sinking of the Titanic]

[In order to complete the sacrificial ritual, the esotericists planned the sinking of the great ship, praying for the God of Hours to look upon it.]

[Objective: Find the secret cultists and stop them before the ship sinks]

[Reward: Ritual Card "Feast of Raging Waves"]

[Secret History Integration Degree: 0%]

[Hint: There are hidden elements in the fragments. When the secret history integration degree reaches 100%, it means the exploration is complete.]

[Every time history turns, the fragments will be lost further until they completely collapse]

[Current number of losses: 0/5]

Huh? Jules' eyes widened.

Isn't this right? Why is the occult here?

He suddenly felt a little confused - should he still take the exam for the tax bureau?
[Would you like to enter? Yes/No]

[Once you enter, your existence will disappear briefly in this history and return after a period of time]

After hesitating for a while, Jules decided to wait and see.

What if this Titanic of history doesn’t sink?
Besides, I'm just an ordinary person, going in to fight against the esotericists? That would be courting death!
He thought for a moment and opened the information on the ritual card [Feast of the Raging Waves].

[Effect: Tier 3 Ritual Card, can be used to advance to Tier 3 in the "Feaster" sequence]

[Introduction: The sea is calm, the sea is gentle, the sea roars, the sea is calm. I know the waves have always feasted like this—it must be so.]

Therefore, supernatural powers really do exist in this world...

Yule took a few deep breaths, quickly calmed down, and accepted the fact.

After all, isn’t his time travel itself the greatest transcendence?
What he is more concerned about now is how long the Titanic under his feet can last.

If his guess was correct, the sinking of the Titanic was also instigated by the secretive cultists - he would lose his life if he was the first to stand out.

Now, all I can do is pray that it sinks slower.

Hearing the faint sounds of panic from the sailors in the cabin, Jules could only sigh:
"What is supposed to come has come..."

Because he was mentally prepared, he was not as panicked as the people around him.

However, something unexpected happened to him.

Unlike the Titanic in our memory, where gentlemen and ladies escaped to the lifeboats in batches, the lifeboats disappeared for some reason.

What made his heart skip a beat was that all the people who sank into the water did not even make any struggle, but instead showed expressions of peace like babies at the same time.

It was as if they did not sink to the bottom of the sea, but returned to their mother's arms, and the surging sea water was the amniotic fluid that nourished them.

Jules desperately grasped the tilted railing to prevent himself from sliding down due to gravity, and his body gradually became a little cold:

"They want to sacrifice everyone and leave no one alive..."

If you hesitate any longer, something bad will happen.

He didn't want to gamble whether he would still be conscious after sinking into the water.

[Would you like to enter? Yes/No]

[Once you enter, your existence will disappear briefly in this history and return after a period of time]

"Yes!"

As his thoughts came to an end, the scene before him gradually began to distort.

The pitch-black sea surface deformed, reorganized, and finally froze in the dark and cramped cabin.

In a trance, he seemed to hear whispers from the depths of his dream:
History is the scar of time, and its rhythm can make reality bleed.

　The Mystery of the Oyster

　　The passionate atmosphere, the sharp edge, the ravine of desire, the white and tender fresh flesh. Through it, perhaps we can get a glimpse of the mystery of oysters.

　　—Librarian’s Note: This esoteric biography is now commonly known as My Uncle Jules.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)