Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1446 A Gentle Lie (Second Update)

"Not now, Miss Crawford."

"You're calling me Miss Crawford now? Wow, you're even colder than I imagined. Don't worry, I don't intend to pry into your secrets. I just wanted to ask if your library has any books I can't borrow," Laura Crawford said with a laugh. The champagne reception after dinner was very relaxed, and the female archaeologist didn't want to immerse herself completely in the atmosphere. She knew she didn't have a superhuman physique, and excessive indulgence would only make her skills and body too bloated. After dinner, she barely managed to push past the sorority maids blocking her way and walked side by side with Salomon in the corridor. "I don't want the knowledge I acquire to be nothing but lies."

"You want to know how many immortals are influencing history?"

“That’s right. Jacob received the divine source and lived for over a thousand years. He founded a completely new sect, established a lost city, and even influenced, to some extent, the Mongol conquest of the Duchy of Rus’.” Laura Crawford quickened her pace to catch up with the tall, robust figure ahead. Aristotle’s marble statue stood beside the corridor, alongside many other wise men, their backs to the dark Oxfordshire night sky. All the wise men stared at the archaeologist and the emperor with pale, lifeless eyes. “If a person has lived from the time of Cescillo to the present, then she has had long enough time to do things that affect the entire world. The job of archaeologists is to understand the truth, to let future generations know the past and present, and to learn from experience. I don’t want to be deceived, and no archaeologist wants to be deceived.”

She was thrilled. Richard Crawford, whose father had been investigating the secrets of immortality, had come closest to the answer at the Divine Source. In Paititi, she had witnessed the limits of supernatural power, where the entire planet was but a speck of dust beneath the feet of monsters fed on supernatural energy, and Kamar-Taj was a wall of flesh and blood that held them back.

"How could I possibly ignore the fact that there is a group of people living among humanity, guiding human development!"

On the other side of the corridor stood not wise men, but warriors. Compared to the wise men who left behind written records and wisdom in history, these warriors seemed utterly unfamiliar, yet she still recognized a few of them. Unparalleled carving depicted a banner fluttering in the breeze, exquisite plate armor, a longsword, and soft feminine features—this was Joan of Arc. Ancient armor, a single-handed sword and spear embedded in the corpse, a longbow in hand, and horses' hooves crushing marble and steel—this was Huo Qubing…

Laura Crawford understood the martial spirit of the estate. She had seen the maids don power armor and train with firearms and melee weapons more than once—a definition she didn't believe was accurate. She had witnessed the roar of chainsaw weapons, their sharp, serrated blades spinning at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye, leaving a trail of dim, reddish light in the darkness—all warriors under the Emperor's command faced inhuman enemies. She had seen it in Paititi in the South American rainforest; only the high-temperature chainsaws capable of slicing through armor could cut through those supernatural scales, flesh, and bones.

The emperor and the witch had warned her that it was the source of the universe's destruction, and that they would use human flesh and blood to stop its corruption. Ghosts, witchcraft, or whatever—Laura Crawford still felt uneasy recalling the close encounters in the Kamar-Taj library. It felt like inflammation in her respiratory and digestive systems, lesions churning inside her body, a nauseating sensation.

"You won't be deceived, Laura." His tone was somewhat serious. "But I want to make it clear to you that it's not the immortals who guide history, but history that guides the immortals. You've misunderstood cause and effect; your thinking is still stuck in the religious mindset of expecting prophets to guide humanity. God was created by humans, and history was also created by humans; it has little to do with the so-called immortals."

"Are you planning to show me the history of those immortals?"

"No," Salomon shook his head. Dinner had been quite relaxing for him, but good times are always fleeting. Hammurabi and Amun, the Janissaries who had been waiting for some time, silently joined the procession as it passed by. Their tall, broad figures and heavy armor did not hinder their gentle, silent movements. The Emperor very naturally took a document and then pressed his ring against the signature area. Laura briefly glanced at the contents of the document; it seemed to be about a plan for the installation of mid-course missile defense equipment.

"You can't see that part of history for now."

"That's called deception, or concealment."

“Unless you can sign a contract to seal away a portion of your knowledge, like the high-level books in the Kamar-Taj Library. I allowed you entry because much of the knowledge in the library cannot be accessed without high-level authorization.” The Emperor handed the signed document to the Royal Guard. He wasn't offended by Laura Crawford's tone, but continued in a gentle voice. “Knowledge is a weapon, and it must be in the hands of the right people. Imagine what our world would be like today if the Third Reich had acquired the knowledge to build nuclear bombs through someone other than Oppenheimer during World War II?” he said. “Or perhaps Quetzalcoatl. Can you imagine the Earth's magnetic poles reversing?”

"You treat the history of the immortals as a nuclear bomb."

"The history of the Eternals contains the secrets of the origin of life. It tells us how amino acids in seawater spontaneously undergo entropy reduction to form the most primitive genes, and about the evolutionary process that led to the absence of intelligent races. I believe in free will, and I hope others will believe in free will as well. This is an indispensable courage for the future of the human race."

The emperor looked down at Laura Crawford.

"Yes, it's a lie. Some histories must be forgotten, and some existences must be denied. When the vast majority of humanity truly steps out of the atmosphere and realizes the immensity and grandeur of the universe, it's hard not to lose our drive. I hope humanity believes in its own abilities and courage, rather than praying for aliens or gods to descend from somewhere. I know this is difficult because the masses are not all rational and need proper guidance and education. I believe that humanity's potential can conquer the void where even death vanishes, and one day we will be able to do so. But before that, we need to establish the right mindset and draw courage from within ourselves."

"A beneficial lie," Laura Crawford said. "Now that Trinity has been destroyed, do you know what my article is all about?"

"I'm sorry for your unpublishable works, Laura. I've read them, and I must admit that every article you've written is valuable." The Emperor's tone was surprisingly gentle, completely devoid of the disgust and murderous intent he had displayed at the dinner table when discussing the Eternals. Perhaps part of this was because his subordinates had blocked the publication of Laura Crawford's research on the feathered serpent worship of South America. He didn't explain how he filled the political and financial void left by the death of Trinity, but Laura Crawford knew the methods. He was remarkably tolerant of anyone who could bring a positive impact to the human race, even Tony Stark.

"I believe that one day humanity will be able to muster the courage and ability to face this terrible universe. At that time, every word you write will be an important document for humanity to understand its own origins and maintain the identity of all humans in outer space colonies with the human race."

"I have one last question," Laura Crawford said, "How long have you lived?"

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)