The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 256: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor (Seeking monthly votes)
Now, the joyful sounds of the children inside the house make the villa seem... somewhat "lively and bustling".

Professor Agasa has just handed over the detective gear he made for the Junior Detective League to these children.

Now, Genta Kojima is filled with excitement for the upcoming activities.

"Yay! We're going camping on Moonshadow Island!"

He shouted, then solemnly brought his mouth to the Junior Detective League badge pinned to his chest and lowered his voice.

"The objective of this operation is to find the treasure on Moonshadow Island!"

Ayumi and Mitsuhiko immediately became equally excited, "Yay! Treasure! Treasure!"

Finally, the three of them turned their gaze to Ai Haibara, who stood there coldly and motionless.

Ai Haibara coldly rejected their offer: "No, I will not act with you."

"What are you doing..."

Yuan Tai reluctantly scratched his head, his words tinged with complaint.

"Even though Ai-chan is a child!"

Ayumi Yoshida's voice rang out from the living room, "Can we go treasure hunting together?"

"That's why I won't act with you."

Ai Haibara was somewhat exasperated by this childlike, unrestrained way of thinking.

"I remember you three were talking about helping Conan solve the case on the phone just now."

Ai Haibara did indeed deliberately involve these three children.

In her opinion, all she had to do after arriving on the island was hand over the three children to Conan to "take care of".

This is a win-win situation.

With Conan using Dr. Agasa's protective gear, Ai Haibara had no worries about the safety of the three children.

In this way, one can avoid the trouble that might arise from involving adults.

At the same time, after handing the children over to Conan, she also has more time to carry out her revenge.

"Well……"

Ai Haibara's words prompted the three children to begin recalling their past, and they belatedly realized their original purpose.

"Oh right, it seems we also have to help Conan solve cases!"

"Then let's help Conan solve the case first!"

Ayumi immediately changed her mind, and Genta and Mitsuhiko followed suit.

"Yes! Let's help Conan solve the case first!"

"Because we are—" the three children shouted in unison, "The Junior Detective League!"

Behind them, Professor Agasa was packing his things.

He had just used the last bit of time to go to the basement and download almost all the plans from the [Cycle Computer].

He's even playing two roles right now.

Beneath that mask, Professor Agasa's expression was equally serious.

Moreover, those open eyes indicate—

He was awake.

……

During the time that Ai Haibara communicated with Conan and the Detective Boys, and during the time when the three children arrived at the villa.

Dr. Agasa then went to the underground laboratory and used the [Cyclic Computer] one last time.

After all, he couldn't possibly move the villa to Moonshadow Island.

Dr. Agasa could only try to confirm as many details of the plan as possible in an attempt to increase his side's chances of winning.

“We have already communicated with GSSRA, and that disguised tanker fully loaded with supplies will reserve five seats for you.”

As the liaison remaining within GSSRA at the scientific frontier, Yuko Shimizu reported the results of her operation to Dr. Agasa.

"A special task force of the Phantom Knights has also boarded the ship, and your identification code has been given to them in advance."

"There are four two-person teams in total. They will take the opportunity to contact you after you arrive on the island."

"At the same time, your Beetle will be transported to the dock along with the tanker after you board the ship. We have already asked the security company responsible for Science Frontier to handle this matter."

"Great, I'll send over the plan for the next 'week'."

After confirming in his mind that there were no major oversights in the plan, Dr. Agasa sent the "Beihana Town Schedule" for the coming week to [Panoramic Monitoring].

Dr. Agasa knows this very well.

If, after Conan leaves, he too, able to use the "Lens Group" and the [Loop Computer], leaves the city...

The city will soon fall if the efforts of "ordinary people" are not relied upon.

He truly hadn't expected that some of the remaining "black market" transactions were still in operation.

This could have been done by Karasuma Renya, or it could simply be due to subconscious fluctuations in [Edogawa Conan]—

After all, there's no doubt that they all wanted Professor Agasa and Ai Haibara to stay.

One was simply hoping to weaken the Alliance's available forces, and the other was hoping that Ai Haibara would stay away from the pointer, waiting for him to reach the bet ahead of time.

Therefore, it is necessary to make use of those detectives who have also become more important due to the rise in the cosmic RSI background value.

Characters like Hakuba Saguru, or other named detectives from "Detective Conan," will soon be "invited" by GSSRA to this "city of sin."

Dr. Agasa does not expect them to completely suppress the city's "power".

As long as they can cooperate with GSSRA to control the death rate and prevent the "case effect" from spreading, that's enough.

After doing all this, he sent a message to the mask "in front of" him.

What are the children's RSI values?

Mask glanced at the numbers displayed on his glasses, sighed, paused for a moment, and a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes.

While packing Conan's skateboard into his backpack, he sent a message to Professor Agasa.

"Close to 113."

“Very good,” Dr. Agasa sent a final message to the Science Frontier before leaving the villa, “The backup plan to prevent the children from boarding the ship has been cancelled, and everything is proceeding as planned.”

Dr. Agasa's earlier statement about having a "group ticket for five people" was undoubtedly intentional.

After all, with shipping routes blocked, how could an oil tanker suddenly appear and happen to be heading towards Moonshadow Island?

He had originally prepared that group ticket for five people on Saturday, in case anything unexpected happened.

Kogoro Mouri, Ran Mouri, Conan, Ai Haibara, and himself make a total of five people.

If the operation on Tsukikage Island doesn't go smoothly, and if Asai Narumi's letter doesn't reach the office, the ship will depart no later than Sunday night.

"However, some unexpected things still happened."

Thinking of this, Dr. Agasa's heart sank, because the three tickets attached to the letter were completely unexpected.

……

According to the original plan, after Kogoro Mouri received the letter from Tsukikage Island, he would find that the tickets were sold out.

Then, after adding the element of "unable to get through to Heiji Hattori's phone," Conan will remind Kogoro Mouri to call GSSRA for help.

And of course, Dr. Agasa himself will answer that phone call.

He and Ai Haibara will "coincidentally" meet Kogoro Mouri on the ship, and naturally, they will join the investigation into the case.

However, Conan and his friends set off ahead of time.

In other words, there must be some kind of force interfering.

Because, after Conan sent a text message to Ai Haibara, Professor Agasa used the excuse that he forgot to turn off the alcohol lamp and went to the underground laboratory to check it with the "lens assembly".

The ship that Conan and his friends boarded was not registered with GSSRA or the Science Frontier.

"It wasn't GSSRA, but the Black Organization's operation ended as early as Friday. Vermouth and the others have already landed on the island..."

This is one of the rare instances where Professor Agasa couldn't guess who was behind this.

Therefore, given the unknown circumstances, he even had to include the Junior Detective League in his plan.

He also remembered the conclusions from the research team:

"The effect of a persona can transcend timelines and may even extend to the universe."

After the RSI values ​​of the three Junior Detective League members also rose by nearly 10 points, Dr. Agasa became convinced that they might be the "safest" people on this journey.

"After all, children always have some privileges, even in detective stories."

Of course, the mask did not agree with itself doing this at first.

But just like every time before, Dr. Agasa easily convinced himself.

……

At Moon Shadow Island Wharf, the sound of the diesel engines of the small boats gradually subsided.

Kogoro Mori strode confidently forward and stood firmly on the fishing pier, which was completely disproportionate to the size of Tsukikage Island.

"Ah, what a beautiful view!"

Ran's voice came from behind him, causing Kogoro, who was standing by the dock railing, to pause.

He then racked his brains to unleash his artistic talents, reciting a haiku with great passion:
"Moonlight and the Blue Sea"
A cool breeze gently caressed the pier.

Fishing boats bobbing on the waves

Immediately afterward, under Conan's somewhat speechless gaze, Kogoro Mouri burst into smug laughter at his "masterpiece."

"Ah! If I hadn't chosen to become a detective, perhaps I could have become one too—"

"Uncle Mori!"

Conan's lips twitched. He interrupted the detective's self-praise and, somewhat speechless, put on a childlike, innocent smile.

"The village office on this kind of small island probably closes down very early every day because there aren't many people there!"

As he spoke, Conan held up the wristwatch on his wrist.

"And it's almost five o'clock already, isn't it?"

"Huh? Is this also an island?"

Xiao Lan followed behind them, dragging her suitcase. She looked around at the dock where her group had just arrived and made a slightly surprised sound.

"I feel like this dock is almost as big as the cargo port in Beika Town!"

In Xiaolan's eyes, the entire dock looked like a magnificent naval base.

Fishing boats of all sizes were moored at the dock, their flags fluttering in the sea breeze.

The most eye-catching were two enormous vessels: a large oil tanker and a medical cruise ship.

They were quietly moored in two berths, each about fifty meters wide, their towering hulls even occupying half the sky in the direction Xiaolan was looking.

In fact, the approach bridge where one of the oil tankers was docked was seven or eight meters wide, almost as wide as the dock of the small boat that Xiaolan and the others boarded to the island.

Yes, the reason why Kogoro Mouri and his crew were able to stand on the dock chatting so easily was because there were so many people disembarking.

Therefore, to save time, they found another small boat and were taken from the stern to a less busy small dock to the island.

"This is because this port was not originally a fishing port."

A weak yet stubborn female voice quietly rang out in the sea breeze.

Hearing the voice, Kogoro Mouri turned his head and his eyes lit up immediately. "Beautiful—beautiful woman!"

The visitor was indeed a beautiful woman.

She leaned against the dock railing, her somewhat thin shoulders wrapped in a faded blue blouse, which made her look rather delicate.

It resembles a reed drooping in the wind on the coast, yet unbroken.

Her clothing said it all—

This is a fisherwoman.

The sea breeze lifted her somewhat dry and fine hair, revealing her pale and fragile face, and fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

Only those eyes, with their astonishing clarity and brightness, gazed straight at the distant horizon.

It revealed a stunning radiance, even highlighting a unique beauty in that somewhat sickly figure.

However, as the saying goes, Kogoro Mouri's lustful nature is well-known.

The moment the word "beautiful woman" left his lips, Kogoro was struck by a merciless, heavy punch—

"Oh!"

Like in an animated film, with the sonic boom of his fist, he collapsed onto the dock floor, raising a small cloud of dust around him.

Ran Mouri stepped forward, her face showing a slightly embarrassed and apologetic expression because of her father's remarks.

"sorry--"

"Just call me Ruozi."

Chiba Wakako smiled as she watched Kogoro sway as he got up, leaning against the dock railing.

"This must be Mr. Kogoro Mouri."

She then turned her gaze back to the distant sea, but her voice softened.

"I've heard of the name of the sleeping detective."

"Sister Ruozi, you just said that this port... wasn't originally a fishing port?"

Conan ran up to Chiba Wakako, looked up, and expressed a childlike, innocent question, as well as a well-hidden wariness.

"But I remember that the information said this port has always been owned by Moonshadow Island Fishing Grounds?"

The question posed by the child in front of her, and the child himself, made Chiba Wakako's expression somewhat gloomy.

“That happened a long time ago,” she said softly.

"Indeed... earlier than you think."

Another voice broke in; it was Taguchi Aoto, the lean old man who had just brought Kogoro Mouri and the others to this dock.

With some effort, he wrapped the boat's cable around the wooden stake, which was covered in more salt and moss from being unused for so long.

"I heard people talk about this place a long time ago, when I was young. It was probably a naval base." "It was built during the war and was very sturdy. But later, because of some things, the soldiers withdrew, and the villagers who stayed behind gradually renovated it into what it is now."

He pointed to the other side of the coastline, to those strange, bluish-gray reefs that looked like octopus tentacles.

"I remember when I was little, we could find pieces of iron from what was supposedly a stranded submarine in that rocky area!"

"I also got beaten up by my grandfather."

Taguchi Sōjin's tone revealed the kind of reminiscence and nagging often found in old people. His gaze seemed to transcend time, looking at the old ruins submerged in the damp mist.

"Back then, people said that the ghosts of the dead soldiers were still wandering around that rocky area."

A look of sorrow crossed his face. "Back then, a child also went missing there."

"It's said that he could have gotten into Tokyo University, but because of this incident, sigh—"

"At that time, the whole village carried torches and searched along that coast for a long time."

Conan memorized all the information that Taguchi Aoto described, information that couldn't be found online.

Kogoro Mouri yawned, already feeling a bit bored.

Ran Mouri's eyes revealed a hint of sympathy as the old man described and sighed.

"what!"

Suddenly, Taguchi Aoto seemed to remember something. He looked at Chiba Wakako with a hint of worry in his voice.

“I’m telling you, Ruozi, you don’t actually need to come every day.”

"Didn't that kid Xianren send a message a few days ago saying that he found a big salvage job?"

Taguchi Aoto took out the money that Mouri Kogoro had just paid him, counted out half of it, and stuffed it into Chiba Wakako's hand.

"Uncle...I can't..."

"Take it, this old body of mine can only take on odd jobs like this!"

Taguchi Aoto interrupted Wakako, glancing back at the old ship that was tightly moored to the dock, a ship that had been with him for decades.

"If you ask me, you should rent out this dock. That old man's reputation still resounds throughout the village!"

The old man's tone carried a hint of the hearty banter of an old fisherman.

"Otherwise, that young man from out of town wouldn't have been able to marry you, would he?"

“Even at my age, I can still get some work every time I go out from this dock! That kid has some luck.”

"Look at me, this time, besides seeing people off, I actually managed to get a tour guide job!"

But Chiba Wakako forcefully shoved the money back into her hand.

“Actually, the wise man already wired the money yesterday,” she hesitated for a moment, then continued, “and the money was just enough.”

"Oh! That's wonderful news!"

Taguchi Aoto looked even happier than Chiba Wakako, and his beard trembled slightly with excitement.

"Then your illness can be cured! Isn't Dr. Asai from Tokyo? Let her recommend one to you..."

"Okay, I'll go find her in a bit," Chiba Wakako replied with a forced smile.

Conan, standing to the side, frowned. He had noticed long ago that Chiba Wakako had a health problem.

But why does Miss Wakako seem unhappy even though she has raised enough money?

Thinking this, Conan asked his question in a cute, "Ah-leh-leh" tone.

"Huh? Wakako-neechan, why do you look so unhappy?"

"Perhaps it's because Miss Wakako's husband hasn't returned yet."

Ran Mouri's voice caused several people around her to turn around and look at her in surprise.

"I think Miss Wakako must want to share her joy with Mr. Kento."

Ran Mouri's gaze fell on the railing where Wakako Chiba had just leaned against—

The somewhat smooth surface of the handrail stood out starkly against the surrounding handrails, which were already covered with a bit of moss.

It's clear that Chiba Wakako has been doing this for a long time.

For some reason, Ran Mouri could really understand Wakako Chiba's thoughts.

"That's not it, of course I'm happy, it's just..."

Chiba Wakako looked at Kogoro Mouri, whose eyes were darting around, and spoke softly.

"Actually... my illness is probably incurable."

"But the wise man had traveled to many places and consulted many doctors before, and then one day he told me that he had found a very famous doctor."

Chiba Wakako's eyes glistened in the sea breeze. She paused, then spoke with a slight sob in her voice.

"The medicine I need to take to keep moving is very expensive, but the wise man insists that I must maintain it..."

"So, I originally planned to finish the last box of medicine and then—"

Chiba Wakako didn't continue, and everyone understood what she meant.

"Mr. Mori, you must help me! Cough cough—"

She became agitated and even started coughing violently.

"Miss Wakako, please speak. If I can, I will definitely help."

The frivolous look on his face had vanished, and Kogoro Mouri's eyes revealed an unprecedented seriousness.

Chiba Wakako nodded gratefully, and under the worried gazes of everyone around her, she spoke softly.

"That's right, Kento transferred 3600 million yen two days ago, and then we haven't heard from him since."

"So, I'd like to offer some of it as a commission fee, and ask Detective Mouri for help..."

"He told me he went to Beika Town," Chiba Wakako told Kogoro Mouri the name. "His name is—"

The name silenced the air for a moment.

"I will definitely help you find him."

That's all Kogoro Mouri could say.

He lowered his head slightly, and even Conan lowered his head; they didn't know how to tell the woman in front of them.

Kento Oi, whom she spoke of—

He is currently in prison for a murder committed for financial gain.

Taguchi Sōjin was a wise old man.

He had already gleaned something from the huge sum of money Chiba Wakako mentioned and from Detective Mouri's reaction.

He spoke up to break the somewhat strange and stiff atmosphere, so as to prevent Chiba Wakako from noticing anything amiss.

"So, Mr. Mori, what brings you to Moonshadow Island this time...?"

"what!"

Kogoro Mouri also wanted to change the subject as soon as possible, so he took out the letter from his pocket.

"A man named Keiji Aso has commissioned me to investigate—"

"Keiji Aso?!"

Taguchi Aoto never expected the topic to shift to this point, which surprised him somewhat.

"That pianist?" Chiba Wakako's brows furrowed slightly in surprise. "I remember he passed away a long time ago!"

Taguchi Aoto nodded, a look of disbelief even appearing on his face.

“Wakako is right. If you are really talking about the pianist Keiji Aso, he died more than ten years ago.”

"I remember it clearly, it was a full moon night twelve years ago."

"That day, after he finished his concert at the village mansion, he went back home and suddenly locked himself and his family inside, and then set it on fire."

"According to people at the time, he first killed his wife and children with a knife, and then, as if possessed, repeatedly played a tune in the flames!"

Conan had come to his senses and looked at Aoi Taguchi.

"Uncle, is that piece of music called 'Moonlight'?"

"Hmm, how did you know?"

Taguchi Aoto confirmed Conan's question, "It's Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata'."

"So, there must have been something strange about that case back then."

Kogoro Mouri stroked his beard; he still remembered the contents of that letter of authorization:

On the next full moon night, shadows will begin to disappear again on Moonshadow Island. Please investigate—Keiji Aso.

"In other words, the client wanted to use this name to tell us that there might be another reason for what happened back then."

Conan glanced at Uncle Mori in front of him with some surprise. He was a little surprised that Uncle Mori had reacted so quickly this time.

"Full Moon Night, Moonlight, Keiji Aso. It seems the client's request is quite clear."

Kogoro Mouri looked up, deciding to use solving the case as an excuse to avoid the request he had just made to Chiba Wakako.

"In any case, let's go to the village office and see if there are any records from that time."

……

In the overlapping forests of Moonshadow Island.

"Heiji Hattori! Are you guys ready over there?!"

Meng Han roared, slashing fiercely at the oncoming wave of fire with the bayonet in his hand, which was coated with the CYZ effect.

These fireworks are not just simple high temperatures.

It hissed and writhed in the night like a living creature, as if some awakened beast was trying to devour him.

He used almost all his strength to hack and slash as he barely managed to retreat.

Those dazzling flames swayed like stars in the dark forest.

However, the winds they bring are no longer cool sea breezes, but foehn winds mixed with ashes and scorching whispers.

"I urgently need a CYZ effect boost!"

If it weren't for the protective suit he was wearing with its heat regulation core, he would have long since turned into dust carried away by the wind, just like those GSSRA soldiers.

Even so, it wasn't just the flames that were attacking.

The flames flickered in the night, casting fragmented light and shadow on the ground, the sky, and every corner of space, causing everything to distort.

The entire space seemed alive, driving those "cases" toward it with malice.

Meng Han could even see the shadows of the dead soldiers still lingering in the forest.

Their silhouettes, like afterimages, were imprinted in the blue flames, as if they were still struggling to carry out some impossible command.

These are the traces left by a group of GSSRA soldiers; they must have gone to great lengths to get in.

Meng Han couldn't even imagine how he could break into the front and middle part of this forest without being able to control the thermal motion of matter.

At that time, GSSRA only had 20th-century weapons.

"If you can't deploy the node by now!" he roared into the communicator, "we'll have to evacuate—evacuate now!!"

"Support is here! Ten seconds left!"

For the first time, Hattori Heiji prayed to God that time would pass quickly.

He looked up at the shooting star in the sky.

A point of light is falling from beside the full moon; it is the Alliance-supported time node device, a transport module known as the "Moonmark".

But that look of joy didn't last more than a few seconds, and the next moment—

A pillar of fire shot up from the ground and crashed into the sky.

"boom--!"

"*Damn it, Karasuma Renya!" Before Hattori Heiji could react, Abel Waters immediately grabbed the communicator.

"Captain! Let's evacuate! This operation has failed! There's no way to restore the road to normal; even if you reach the center, you won't be able to get back!"

Heiji Hattori had never been so eager to execute a criminal outright; he immediately switched to another line.

"At the dock! Hai'an! Haven't your troops located that missile submarine yet?"

"[Story Timeline] From Karasuma Renya's side, we are completely unable to break through that [historical inertia]!"

"It's too difficult to break into their territory!"

"Reporting to the front-line command post in Redfire Village!" the GSSRA liaison, or rather, the alliance member, said urgently.

"The execution layer's command is that these two time points must not be missed before the 'door' is opened."

“We don’t have enough CYZ effect equipment right now. The current equipment must be used for security work at the docks and castles.”

"We're a whole timeline apart from you! The redundant supplies for the forest war zone have already been delivered; you'll have to send your own people there—"

"Damn it!" Hattori Heiji cursed and hung up the phone.

Go into this forest and bring the things out?

This is no different from courting death.

However, he soon had no time to argue with the rear command post.

Meng Han's alarm sounded throughout the entire defensive line surrounding the forest.

The burning wind that swept through the forest tried to push that forest of flames further outward.

"I activated the circulation device to save my life!"

Meng Han's voice came through the radio channel again, but at this moment, his breathing was extremely disordered.

"Prepare to engage the enemy! They're coming after us!"

At the point where the foehn wind is strongest, the heat regulator immediately activates at full power, creating a safe area where one can barely stand.

The flames writhed like a tide at the edge of the forest.

Distance from Keiji Aso's Burning Mansion

Twenty kilometers remaining.

(End of this chapter)