Chapter 712: Offshore Trust (Second Change)
Even with the approach of winter, the manicured gardens on the estate still maintain a good appearance.
For a large garden, it is not easy to keep it perfect. It not only requires high maintenance costs, but also requires full taste and correct vegetation selection. Salomon was very satisfied with the fruits of the labor of the Crawford family's butler and gardener. It was only after Laura's pleading that the old butler who had served the Crawford family for three generations agreed to help the mystic renovate the walled garden and greenhouse that hadn't been taken care of for decades. For this reason, he donated several books published by the Royal Horticultural Society to Salomon, entrusted the mystic to deliver them to Dinah, and expressed regret for not being able to teach the housekeeper how to choose vegetation and the shape of vegetation.
The old butler did not change the appearance of the 125 acres of land adjacent to the Thames River, but directed the engineering team to clean up the weeds and shrubs on the forest trails to the minimum, and cut down new saplings for riding to the forest clearing in the early morning or evening.
"I'm sorry, I decided this matter on my own initiative." The old butler said unapologetically, he insisted that the forest path sprinkled with fallen leaves would help improve the aesthetic level of the manor owner.
"I have to protest the revision plan submitted by your housekeeper. She is too young to understand the importance of gardening." The old housekeeper frowned and pointed to the front yard. He was very satisfied with the newly erected marble sculpture in the shape of a girl, but he didn't like the four cornerstones at the intersection of the front yard. "I think it's an extremely stupid decision to place an anti-aircraft missile tower in the front yard. Landmines and electrified barbed wire should not be placed on the riverside. This is a damage to the beauty. My opinion on the construction map is not limited to this, sir. You should understand what I'm talking about."
"Perhaps for Dinah, my safety is more important than the sight." Salomon shrugged.
Dinah and Tita made an extremely strict security plan for the manor, trying to turn the manor into a fortress that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. They planned to replace the iron gate of the main driveway, which was originally used to block uninvited guests, with two thick steel gates, and then erected two searchlights on both sides of the gate for nighttime detection, and placed sentry machine gun towers on the steel-reinforced front wall. Not only that, they plan to place an anti-aircraft missile tower on the marble base in the front yard. If possible, they also want to build a bunker, arrange the clearing in the forest as a military camp, and widen the path in the forest to a road that can pass through tanks.
But Salomon still agreed to Dinah and Tita's plan to build a secret passage.
The engineering team will build a tunnel directly under the manor to the riverside clearing. At the end of the tunnel is a hidden underground landing pad, where an assault transport boat is docked. If anyone were to attack the estate, gunboats with powerful guns, motorcycle-armed Sisterhood patrols, and bio-modified hounds would be enough to solve most problems. Even if the time comes and the enemy cannot be repelled, a heavy tank hidden under the fountain in the front yard will crush all enemy illusions.
The old butler looked at Salomon with the eyes of a fool. He still couldn't understand why some people thought that the anti-aircraft rocket tower was more suitable for landscape than the marble sculpture. "It's not something to greet guests, sir."
"I think so too. But considering that the guests I interact with are not ordinary people, I think Dinah's consideration is reasonable." Salomon shook the hand of the old housekeeper, "Thank you for your help, sir. The gunboat will send you back to the Croft Manor later, and our chef will prepare a delicious French dinner for you and your wife."
"Your housekeeper still needs to learn. Not only housekeeping, but also how to manage family property. If you need family trust business, I can recommend you the trust fund that is currently serving the Crawford family." This is a pertinent suggestion, and many rich people use this method to avoid risks. But Salomon knew that wasn't what he wanted to say.
The old butler hesitated for a while before returning to the topic, "There is another matter, that is Lady Crawford... that is, Laura. When will she finish her work and return to England? After Anna disappeared, many matters of the Crawford family need to be decided by her. She is now the Countess, and she needs to meet the Queen."
Salomon flattened his mouth, he almost forgot about Anna and her younger brother Constantine who are still in prison.
Since he handed over the work of unearthing the details of the Holy Trinity to the intelligence department, he never asked about the progress, let alone interrogated the two men himself. The dossier about the Holy Trinity didn’t have a [High-Level Confidentiality] seal, so he didn’t bother to check it. At most, it was related to the international financial organization and the Jewish consortium. At worst, it was similar to the Knights Templar before its destruction. 【Holy Trinity】In the final analysis, it is still a mortal organization hidden behind the scenes. It cannot pose a threat to the Immortal City with high-tech weapons and equipment. At most, it touches the fur of the magic world.
"She is still busy cooperating with us in eradicating the stronghold of the [Holy Trinity] organization." Salomon found a more plausible excuse, "The media that usually slander the Crawford family are almost all properties of the [Holy Trinity]. We are using financial means—well, there are some methods that are not so fair—to acquire those media, let them become our mouthpiece, and clear the reputation of Sir Richard Crawford. Soon, we will set off again for another adventure. Maybe after that mission, she I have the idea of returning to the manor."
"You are the duo's adventure partner, and I hope you can change the duo's mind." He said, "Although I can't find out your background information, I can infer one or two from those decoration plans. Whether it is your wealth or your power, it is enough to change many things. Master Richard once mentioned [Holy Trinity] to me. According to my investigation, Master Richard's death is inseparable from that organization. I have been unable to tell the duchess about this because I am worried that she will be too impulsive. But now she has begun to face That organization, so I would like to ask you to protect the safety of the Countess, she is the last member of the Crawford family."
"I can't do that, old housekeeper, you haven't seen her knock a climbing pick into someone's skull." The mystic smiled wryly, "I can guarantee that her combat 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, Lara Croft was still a little girl running rampant and climbing up and down the manor, the girl who was helpless after Richard's death, and there was no way for her to drive a climbing pick into someone's head.
The mystic did not intend to tell the real identity of Anna and Constantine to the old butler, otherwise he would blame himself for serving the woman who caused the destruction of the Crawford family. Laura thought the same way, so the old butler didn't know that Anna was from [Holy Trinity] until now.
Ask for a ticket!
