Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 712 Offshore Trusts (Second Update)

Even as winter approaches, the manor's meticulously manicured gardens maintain their excellent appearance.

Maintaining a large garden in its perfect state is no easy feat, requiring not only substantial maintenance costs but also impeccable taste and the right plant selection. Salomon was very pleased with the work of the Crawford family's butler and gardener. At Laura's urging, the old butler, who had served three generations of the Crawford family, finally agreed to help the sorcerer repair the walled garden and greenhouse that had been neglected for decades. This butler was a thoroughly Englishman who insisted that gardening was a way of expressing the owner's taste. In gratitude, he gifted Salomon several books published by the Royal Horticultural Society, entrusting the sorcerer to pass them on to Diana, and expressed regret that he could not personally instruct the housekeeper on how to select and style plants.

The old steward did not alter the appearance of the 125 acres of land adjacent to the Thames. Instead, he directed the engineering team to clear the weeds and shrubs on the forest trails to the bare minimum and cut down the newly grown saplings so that it could be used by horseback riders to the forest clearings in the early morning or evening.

"I'm sorry, I made this decision on my own initiative," the old butler said without any apology, insisting that the leaf-strewn forest path would enhance the manor owner's aesthetic sense.

“I must protest the revised plan submitted by your butler. She’s too young to understand the importance of gardening.” The old butler frowned, gesturing to the front yard. He was extremely pleased with the newly erected marble sculpture of a young girl, but not so much with the four foundation stones at the entrance to the front yard. “I think placing anti-aircraft missile turrets in the front yard is an extremely foolish decision, and there shouldn’t be landmines and electrified barbed wire along the riverbank either; it’s a spoilsport. My opinions on the construction plans go beyond that, sir. You should understand what I’m talking about.”

"Perhaps my safety is more important to Diana than the view," Salomon shrugged.

Diana and Tita devised an extremely stringent security plan for the estate, aiming to transform it into a fortified stronghold. They planned to replace the main driveway gate, originally intended to deter uninvited guests, with two heavy steel gates, erect searchlights on either side for nighttime reconnaissance, and install sentry machine gun turrets on the reinforced front wall. Furthermore, they intended to place anti-aircraft missile turrets on marble bases in the front yard, and if possible, construct a bunker, convert a clearing in the woods into a military camp, and widen the woodland path into a road wide enough for tanks—if Salomon hadn't rejected the plan, they would already be digging up the front garden and installing heavy machine guns with calibers the size of a human head inside the bunker.

However, Salomon still agreed to Dinah and Tita's plan to build a secret passage.

The construction team will build a tunnel beneath the manor, leading directly to a clearing on the riverbank. At the end of the tunnel is a hidden underground helipad where an assault transport boat will be docked. If anyone attempts to attack the manor, heavily armed gunboats, motorcycle-equipped sorority patrols, and bio-modified hounds will be more than enough to handle most of the problem. Even if that fails, a heavy tank hidden beneath the front yard fountain will crush any illusions the enemy may have.

The old butler looked at Salomon with the eyes of someone looking at a fool. He still couldn't understand why anyone would think that an anti-aircraft rocket tower was more suitable as a landscape feature than a marble sculpture. "This is not something you would use to welcome guests, sir."

"That's what I thought too. But considering that the guests I deal with are no ordinary people, I think Diana's consideration is also very reasonable." Salomon shook the old butler's hand. "Thank you for your help, sir. The gunboat will take you back to Croft Estate later, where our chef will prepare a delicious French dinner for you and your wife."

"Your housekeeper still needs to learn. It's not just about managing household chores; managing family assets is also a course in itself. If you need family trust services, I can recommend the trust fund currently serving the Croft family." This was a sound suggestion; many wealthy individuals use this method to mitigate risk. But Salomon knew this wasn't what he wanted to say.

The old butler hesitated for a moment before returning to the main topic, "There's another matter, namely Duchess Crawford... that is, Laura. When will she be able to finish her work and return to England? Since Anna's disappearance, many matters concerning the Crawford family have required her decision. Now that she is a duchess, she needs to meet with the Queen."

Salomon pursed his lips; he had almost forgotten Anna and her brother Constantine, who were still imprisoned.

Since handing over the task of uncovering Trinity's secrets to the intelligence department, he had never inquired about the progress, let alone personally interrogated the two men. The files on Trinity didn't bear the "High-Level Confidential" stamp, so he didn't bother to examine them. At most, they were related to international financial organizations and Jewish conglomerates, making them similar to the Knights Templar before their destruction, with ideologies nearly identical to the Albi Crusades. Ultimately, Trinity was a mortal organization hidden behind the scenes, unable to pose a threat to the Immortal City with its advanced weaponry; at most, they touched the surface of the magical world, not worth his time and effort.

"She's still busy cooperating with us to dismantle the Trinity organization's stronghold," Salomon offered a plausible excuse. "Almost all the media outlets that slander the Crawford family are Trinity's properties. We're using financial means—well, some less honorable means—to acquire those media outlets and make them our mouthpieces to clear Sir Richard Crawford's name. Soon, we'll be embarking on another adventure. Perhaps after that mission, she'll have the idea of ​​returning to the manor."

"You are the Duchess's adventure partner, and I hope you can change her mind," he said. "Although I cannot ascertain your background, I can deduce something from those renovation plans. Your wealth and power are enough to change many things. Lord Richard once mentioned the Holy Trinity to me, and according to my investigation, his death is inextricably linked to that organization. I have been unable to tell the Duchess about this because I feared she would act too impulsively. But now that she has begun to confront that organization, I would like to request your protection of the Duchess's safety; she is the last remaining member of the Croft family."

"I can't do that, old steward. You haven't seen her smash her axe into someone's skull," the sorcerer said with a wry smile. "I can guarantee that her fighting power is enough to deal with most mortals, and almost no one can hurt her."

The old butler was not satisfied with Salomon's answer. In his eyes, Laura Crawford was still a little girl who ran rampant around the manor, climbing up and down, the girl who was lost and helpless after Richard's death; she could never do something like smashing a climbing axe into someone's head.

The sorcerer had no intention of revealing Anna and Constantine's true identities to the old butler; otherwise, he would feel guilty for having served the woman who led to the downfall of the Crawford family. Laura felt the same way, which is why the old butler was still unaware that Anna was a member of the Holy Trinity.

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(End of this chapter)