Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1447 The Croft Family Story (First Update)

He did not object to his historians' love of adventure.

Laura Crawford always manages to uncover the truth and guide him to where he needs to be. Even though the military operation in Paititi remains a huge, indelible deficit on paper, the overall investment in Miss Crawford far outweighs the returns. The only drawback is that Latveria cannot collect this fee from the world, but this does not prevent it from continuing to support Laura Crawford's activities.

If it weren't for the fact that the Mars and Latvinia spacecraft were so conspicuous, and the Western world's extreme vigilance towards Latvinia, Laura Crawford would likely have acquired an armed void spacecraft to replace her inefficient Gulfstream G650 for daily flights.

Everyone except the Emperor attended the champagne reception. Winston, the Croft family's old butler, naturally helped arrange the schedule with the estate's head butler, Diana, and then waited to be summoned outside the third drawing room. Although Winston came to the estate as a guest, he still did not miss any opportunity to serve the Croft family and the De Monet heir, although his old legs and trembling arms could not handle too much service work.

Diana deeply respected Winston, a veteran in the housekeeping industry, and believed she could learn a great deal from him. This attitude influenced the other sorority members as well. Although Winston remained wary of the girls who openly carried weapons, the humility displayed by these initially arrogant bomb-wielding girls somewhat mitigated their hostility.

"Miss Crawford."

Amon handed Winston a tray laden with documents; the guards had initially thought his aging muscles and bones wouldn't be able to support the weight of the papers. Having just finished a small bottle of champagne and ended her conversation with witches, sorceresses, and the mentally ill about movies and history, she shared a photo of herself wearing a pharaoh's crown made of colorful cardboard on her birthday. However, what interested her more were the letters that her butler, Winston, had produced.

Evidence suggests that her father, Richard Crawford, visited XZ, possibly Kamar-Taj, and sought information about the rite of immortality. However, she has not found any records of his visit to Kamar-Taj. Perhaps from the moment Richard Crawford found Kamar-Taj, through the hands of its owner, Laura Crawford and Kamar-Taj were destined to reunite, to atone for the loss of her mother, Emilia Crawford (formerly known as de Monet), who died alone in a plane crash in the snow.

But more importantly, she wanted to show everyone at the party her father, Richard Crawford's, book on immortality, *The Truth Behind the Myth*, recounting the romantic story of her parents' meeting and the tragedy of their trip to XZ. For her, this was not only an opportunity to share a story, but also a process of reaffirming her beliefs. She planned to add to the book the method of immortality her father had discovered—Richard Crawford had spent a long time trying to understand immortality, but had almost forgotten the simplest answer: genes. Emilia Crawford's pregnancy made the man obsessed with immortality truly realize the truth—Laura Crawford planned to revise the book, adding the truth she had learned through her adventures over the years, something her father would be very proud of.

However, she did not mention a certain journal she found in the manor. That secret journal, written by Richard Crawford, recorded that he had used the knowledge he had gained (possibly from Kamar-Taj) to perform a resurrection ritual on his wife, Emilia. The ritual, as expected, failed, and Richard Crawford gained nothing except for lightning in the air and a pocket watch that inexplicably stopped.

Emilia Crawford's remains were buried in the catacombs of Crawford Estate, the entrance to which Salomon, who had funded Laura Crawford's adventures, had once seen. Though difficult to accept, Laura Crawford forced herself to read the news reports of her mother, Emilia, who had been injured in a plane crash, mustered the courage to leave letters for her husband and daughter, and then faced death alone in the desolate mountains.

Bayonetta, Joan of Arc, and Wanda all loved the story and praised Emilia's courage in facing death calmly. But Laura Crawford's thoughts were still preoccupied with the last question she had posed to the Emperor. She didn't know how long Salomon had lived, but everyone assumed he was only in his twenties and a fellow Oxford classmate of her father, Richard Crawford. This clearly contradicted the information Jacob had provided; from Jacob's perspective, he had known the Emperor for over a thousand years, and he couldn't possibly be that young. She had already set foot on Kamar-Taj, and now, like her father, she faced a new unsolved mystery. So far, she hadn't found any relevant clues; perhaps she would have an opportunity once she was allowed to return to Kamar-Taj.

"This is the command of our Lord; He wishes to hand over the management of the Paititi Reconstruction Foundation to you."

Amon stood beside the high-backed armchair where Laura Crawford sat, waiting for Winston to slowly make his move. Winston needed at least eight small steps to keep up with each of Amon's steps, a pace so slow that the guards couldn't help but sigh. But to maintain decorum, Amon couldn't possibly lift Winston and place him beside Laura Crawford's chair. "Don't worry, our chosen professional manager is very reliable," Amon said. "You only need to be listed as a manager. From any perspective, this is a tax-deductible charitable foundation, which my lord believes will greatly improve your financial situation."

"It's so cold outside, I thought I was locked in the refrigerator again."

“I don’t do that anymore, Winston.” Laura Crawford blushed instantly; recounting her childhood pranks in front of others was always so embarrassing. At that time, her mother had just passed away, and her father, Richard Crawford, was often away for work. Winston was the only one who could properly care for her. Once, after a tantrum, she set a trap and locked Winston in the freezer until her governess arrived and released him. Sometimes, Laura Crawford would find it unbelievable to recall her anger from that time. “At least I don’t do it now,” she reiterated, then looked up at Amon. “Thank your master for me…”

"I suggest you don't refuse, Ms. Crawford."

Armon finally waited until Winston approached him, then slowly took out a document and handed it to Laura Crawford. It was an unsigned legal document; once she signed it, she would receive an additional monthly asset on top of the Crawford family trust fund.

"This is not charity, but a request. He wants you to oversee the foundation's funds to ensure that all money is used for the reconstruction and aid of the Paititi people." A serious expression appeared on the guard's usually icy face. "They have protected this world for generations and deserve a reward. He does not want to see all those who have sacrificed for the survival of humanity die in obscurity; He must compensate the Paititi for their losses. This funding comes from the estate, not Latveria, so there's no need to worry about anyone tracing it back to the Balkans."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)