Conan: Rice Flower Spring

Chapter 360, Section 354: An Outsider with the Surname Mamiya
Lin Longma actually has a lot of experience when it comes to finding treasure.

From the gold of Shikishima to the Golden Mansion of Twilight Villa, and even the Egg of Memories made by Kiichi Kosaka, these can all be considered treasures.

No matter what kind of treasure it is, Lin Longma knew what he was looking for before making any initial investments in the treasure hunt.

For example, Shikishima.

Ogami Shuzen has already investigated and found out that the missing Ryujin-go was carrying a batch of gold around Shikijima.

What is the approximate value of gold, and how much would it be worth today? Also, what are Lin Longma's initial investments in his treasure hunt—how much investment does he need to make to acquire a certain amount of gold?

The trip to Shikishima was unexpectedly successful, and the spoils met expectations. This was a successful treasure hunt.

As for the treasure hunt at Twilight Villa, Lin Longma didn't know what treasures were hidden inside at the beginning.

The initial investment required to launch the Twilight Villa Treasure Hunt is also considerable.

But this investment is quite substantial, clearly aimed at the two detectives, Oogami Shuzen and Senma Kōdai.

Although the initial investment in purchasing the Twilight Villa was substantial for Lin Longma, it was not unacceptable.

Most importantly, because the previous owner of the villa was eager to sell, Lin Longma was able to buy it at a great price.

Even if we don't find the Karasuma family's treasure in the end, it's still a worthwhile purchase of this castle—being associated with the Karasuma conglomerate, this castle won't be hard to sell.

Lin Longma himself possesses the ability to sell the castle and find it a new owner.

Ultimately, the treasure hunt at Twilight Villa was a sure-fire way to make money.

It's simply a matter of earning more or less.

But the treasure of the Mamiya family is not like that.

The only known information about this treasure comes from a dying wish of Lord Mamiya.

The contents of the treasure are unknown, its value is unknown, and even the mystery surrounding the treasure is something everyone has guessed.

The chessboard in the courtyard that the old man had instructed the gardener to make.
Putting everything else aside, if the treasure is the castle itself, then wouldn't that imposter pretending to be the old lady be in big trouble?
If this person can get plastic surgery to look like an old lady, it means that he has no power at all and may not even have any accomplices.

Otherwise, which young person would have the means to have plastic surgery to look like a seventy or eighty-year-old woman?

Lin Longma had already guessed that the old woman was a criminal who had disguised herself through plastic surgery.

Why plastic surgery instead of disguise?

Firstly, although there are quite a few people in Ryoma Hayashi who know how to disguise themselves (Kaito Kuroba, Vermouth, Yukiko Kudo), this skill is still quite rare.

Just because Lin Longma has met several people who know how to disguise himself doesn't mean that this skill is commonplace, right?
Kaito Kuroba, Vermouth, and Yukiko Kudo seem to have no connection whatsoever.

But in reality, the relationship between these three people is quite complex.

After all, Vermouth and Yukiko Kudo learned their disguise skills from Kaito Kuroba's father.

Ultimately, there is only one school of disguise techniques that has "stepped into the spotlight" currently circulating in the market, and that is the Kuroba School of Disguise.

There's no way that Kuroba Toichi's apprentice would pretend to be an old woman for four years straight, just for a vague "treasure".

To be honest, if Lord Mamiya's treasure is this castle, wouldn't the person disguised as an old lady have blown it up?
If someone can live in a villa nestled in the mountains and act like an old lady for four years, they're either being hunted down by someone outside or they're genuinely poor.

The person who dressed up as an old lady clearly belongs to the latter possibility.

As we all know, the price of a castle is determined by many factors, such as its maintenance, the condition of the building itself, and even its historical significance and the passage of time. In short, the annual maintenance of a castle alone costs a fortune.

If this castle isn't maintained regularly, it will be difficult to sell it—ultimately, it's because the castle doesn't have much of a story.

After all, not all castles can be like Twilight Villa, which has a dedicated clientele that prefers them.

The more Lin Longma thought about it, the more curious he became about the person pretending to be an old lady. What kind of genius was she to do something so brainless?
Where in this world are there so many treasures for people to find?

"Let's go back." Although there was an entrance at the top of the steps, Lin Longma still planned to return the way he came.

After walking for more than ten minutes, the group returned to the place where they had entered the secret passage.

Opening the secret passage's access door, one could see Bai Shi pacing back and forth at the entrance.

"Big brother?"

"It's safe down there, but we've discovered something interesting." Lin Longma said to Baishi, then sent someone to fetch Mamiya Mitsuru.

A moment later, Mamiya Mitsuru hurriedly arrived at Ryoma Hayashi's place with a cheerful stride.

"President Lin, could it be that we've already found something about the treasure?" How long has it been? Just an afternoon?

Lin Longma actually sent someone to find him so quickly. There are obviously only two possible outcomes.

Either Lin Longma wasn't putting in the effort and was just giving him a perfunctory answer, or Lin Longma found an important clue in such a short time!

Between the two possibilities, Miyamoto prefers to believe the latter, but if it is the former, there is nothing he can do.

After all, he originally intended to take advantage of Lin Longma and get a little "freebie".

If someone doesn't want to be taken advantage of, he can't force them to search for the treasure three times.

Of course, even if Mamiya Mitsuru was being treated perfunctorily, he wouldn't spend any money. This is called "not releasing the hawk until you see the rabbit," and as the adopted son-in-law of the Mamiya family, Mamiya Mitsuru has never been a good-for-nothing.

On the contrary, he was more insightful than anyone else in the family.

"There hasn't been any progress on the treasure hunt. After all, as I told you before, treasure hunting is not really within our company's business scope."

Lin Longma's words caused Mamiya Mitsuru's expression to change slightly. Could it be that Lin Longma and the others were planning to leave?
"However, we did make some unexpected discoveries in the castle. I think you'll be interested in these discoveries, Mr. Mamiya."

Lin Longma made an inviting gesture, signaling for Jian Gongman to follow him.

The two returned to the spot where Lin Longma had entered the secret passage. Lin Longma stood facing the wall and asked Mamiya Mitsuru curiously:

"Speaking of which, Mr. Mamiya has lived in this castle for four years. Did you know that there is a secret passage inside the castle that no one knows about?"

"What? A secret passage?" Mamiya Mitsuru's bewildered expression seemed genuine. Mainly, it didn't concern him with his deceased wife or the household steward.

And then there's the old lady in the family; nobody told him there was another secret passage system inside the castle!

No, so I really am an outsider!

Lin Longma could tell from Mamiya Mitsuru's expression that he knew nothing, so he smiled and said to him, "Then welcome to the other side of the castle, Mr. Mamiya."

Lin Longma reached for the activation mechanism on the wall, which was disguised as a corridor lamp. With a click, the movable door panel opened, revealing a dark passageway.

(End of this chapter)