It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Upon seeing Li Cheng's appearance, Annie patted her chest and declared with great confidence, "We're such good friends now, just tell me what's on your mind, I'll take care of it."

Although he's a bit silly, he's still very loyal... A warm feeling welled up in Li Cheng's heart.

Just as his impression of this guy was starting to improve slightly, Annie suddenly seemed to have a screw loose. She looked around to make sure no one was watching, then suddenly scratched her butt.

After secretly scratching herself, she remarked, "My butt is numb from sitting all afternoon."

Li Cheng: ?

Yeah, he's still pretty silly.

Li Cheng silently withdrew his gaze and stared blankly ahead.

"By the way, what's wrong with you? Tell me about it."

Anne remembered this again and pressed for details.

Li Cheng first dodged her hand as she slapped him aside, and casually said, "It's nothing, I just realized I haven't done anything until it's almost time for school to start."

"What hasn't been touched at all? Do you have summer homework?" Annie wondered.

Summer homework? What an apt metaphor! And today happens to be the 31st...

Li Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then gave a much more relaxed smile: "That's right, and I'm just about to finish this...summer homework."

......

In my previous life, there were probably three reasons why the Great Fire of London was out of control. Coincidentally, these three reasons correspond to the three elements of favorable timing, location, and human factors.

1. The weather: a long-awaited period of continuous dry weather.

There's nothing you can do about it; you just have to accept your bad luck. However, Britain is close to the Atlantic Ocean and located in the westerly wind belt, with a temperate maritime climate, so extremely dry weather is very rare.

2. The location is advantageous, with a series of narrow wooden houses.

This can be seen in the streets where Lavoisier lived. Due to the early Stuart dynasty's policy of restricting the expansion of London's urban area, the streets in the slums were narrow, with haphazard construction and buildings mainly made of wood, and flammable and explosive materials were stored haphazardly.

This improved after the fire, with the main building structures in London being converted to stone, and the City of London itself lifting its restrictions on expansion.

3. Human factors and the government's slow response.

The then Mayor of London received news of the fire early in the morning, but he didn't care because it was Sunday and he wasn't in the mood to work... Well, perhaps he got along well with Anne's tutor.

In addition, the government's slow response to the fact that Chancellor Clarton was forced to flee abroad in 1667 was not unrelated to this.

After confirming the three points of the fire, Li Cheng began to prepare for both possibilities.

Rather than searching aimlessly, it's better to have a backup plan.

First, inform Roy to immediately draw workers from his soap factory the next morning, paying them an extra month's salary, but they will have to be scattered throughout London for the next few nights.

If a fire does occur, notify the mayor immediately to minimize the damage...

"I had a dream."

"Dream???"

"Yes, a dream."

At the entrance of an apartment building near the soap factory, Li Cheng explained to Roy with a serious expression, "I dreamed that there would be a huge fire in London the day after tomorrow. Whether out of reassurance or a sense of responsibility, I need to take action."

"...Okay, you're the boss, you call the shots."

Although he couldn't understand Li Cheng's thought process, Roy still agreed.

He rubbed his increasingly prominent forehead, looking somewhat troubled, and asked for the next step. "So, what kind of pretext should we use to urge the mayor to act swiftly?"

Li Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Well, for such a small matter, let's do it in Viscount Stoller's name first, or in Her Highness Veronica's name if that doesn't work."

"What if they don't believe me?"

"Then let's put it in gold coins. I don't think the mayor will refuse to pay extra overtime."

Of course, the price is that I will report him to Veronique in my letter... Li Cheng silently added to himself.

......

After setting up his backup plan, Li Cheng began to think of a way to find that damned, unknown bakery.

Finding this bakery in the vast city of London without knowing its location or exact address is like searching for a needle in a haystack. But if we reverse the process and work backwards from the known impending fire, it becomes much easier.

221 Baker Street.

Li Cheng sat at his desk, with a newly acquired map of London in front of him.

It was already late at night, but he had no intention of sleeping. Instead, he stared intently at the map in front of him, muttering to himself.

"The bakery must have been located far from the upscale area, because if it had been in the upscale area, the fire would have attracted attention and action would have been taken from the beginning, preventing it from becoming a large fire later."

The noble district on the map is circled and marked with an "X".

Then Li Cheng's gaze fell on Westminster Palace, which is located in the northwest.

"It wouldn't be near the palace either. If the mayor's house were burned down, the enraged Charles II would surely send him to the gallows on the spot, and no ignorant noble or minister would dare to step forward to stop it."

"Taking into account the westerly winds that blow over the lower reaches of the UK year-round, we can boldly exclude everything west of the Royal Palace."

Just as Li Cheng was about to put pen to paper and cross out the area west of the palace, his gaze suddenly fell on an obstacle that people could pass through but fire could hardly cross. The pen he was about to put down hovered in mid-air.

"No, this is not right."

He denied this, saying, "We also need to consider the Thames... With the Thames blocking the way, the fire couldn't possibly spread over there. In other words, it could also be from the southwest, not necessarily east of Westminster Palace."

He almost overlooked such an important detail... Li Cheng realized that he was still not rational or calm enough.

"Calm down, calm down..."

Li Cheng reminded himself to continue thinking: "The fire spreads due to the wind, aided by the southwest or northwest wind."

"If it's a southwest wind, the fire should start on the north bank. Considering Westminster Palace is also on the north bank, the fire would likely be in the northeast. But if it's a northwest wind, the entire south bank could be affected..."

Is it a southwest wind or a northwest wind?

Chapter Fifty-Four: Do you know about the pagoda? It's incredibly powerful.

Northwest wind or southwest wind?

Li Cheng racked his brains for a long time, but couldn't come to a conclusion. He could only stare blankly at the map, letting time slip away. Until a knock on the door woke him from his daze.

Knock knock knock—

"Please come in," Li Cheng called out.

Instead of Freya, it was Newton in his pajamas who walked in.

She rubbed her eyes with her little hands, still looking a bit sleepy. Her long golden hair was casually draped over her shoulders, making her figure appear even smaller. She wore a pair of slippers on her feet, and just standing there, she was so cute that you just wanted to hug her.

"Why aren't you asleep yet, it's so late?" Newton mumbled.

She yawned as she spoke.

He looks just like a little kid... Li Cheng thought to himself, and blurted out, "Adults can stay up a little later."

The mere mention of this instantly woke Newton from his drowsiness.

"Are you stupid? I'm not a little kid anymore, I'm already 16!"

The 1.5-meter-tall Newton hated being treated like a child. She shuffled up to Li Cheng in her slippers, proudly puffing out her chest: "See! I'm not a little kid anymore!"

[Due to unforeseen circumstances, 91 characters have been omitted here.]

[30 characters omitted here]

Li Cheng turned back with a heavy heart, his gaze returning to the map of London, pondering whether it should be a northwest wind or a southwest wind.

"Hum~"

Unexpectedly, Newton took this silence as tacit agreement, and she couldn't help but curl up her lips into a smug smile.

But adults don't dwell on small victories forever, so Newton's smile faded, and he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Let's do something big," Li Cheng said.

"What important matter?" Newton asked.

"A very, very important event."

Li Cheng confidently spouted nonsense, "You know what a pagoda is? It's an incredibly powerful thing. There's a saying that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. After I finish this great deed, I'll have a lot of pagodas, and I'll share some with you then."

Although he still didn't quite understand what a pagoda was, Newton nodded in satisfaction, but soon became dissatisfied with this state of mind.

She frowned, thought for a moment, and said very seriously, "I want to help."

Li Cheng casually replied, "No need."

Adults are capable of doing things themselves, so Newton decided to do it himself as well.

Suddenly, Li Cheng felt a slight weight on his shoulders, and at the same time, a warm breath was blowing on his neck, making him feel a little itchy.

He had no choice but to move the wooden chair forward a bit, and then said, "Really, it's not necessary. Just wait for the pagoda."

Then he fell into thought again.

Bakery... West Wind... Thames River... Aristocratic District...

Li Cheng tried to combine several keywords in his mind in various ways, but he could never find the right answer—it was as if something very important was missing.

"What exactly is missing?"

Li Cheng murmured, his finger tracing the lines of the map.

Newton was furious to be completely ignored.

Looking at Li Cheng's silent back, she couldn't help but recall how, back in Lincolnshire, Li Cheng would often come to her, tell her stories, and occasionally pull her out some fun little gadgets to play with.

But since arriving in London, this person has become a different person. He never consults her about anything and is always out alone, busy with something.

Sometimes I'm curious and want to ask him what he's doing, but I always get brushed off. It's like... it's like I'm no longer needed.

wrong!

Wait a minute! This isn't right!

Why do you have to act like I need him so much?

I was the one who took him in when he was homeless; he should be grateful to me! Now he's making me angry instead!

Newton, who had been somewhat dejected, suddenly became annoyed, and at the same time, a surge of inexplicable anger welled up in his heart.