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

Chapter 285 The Detective Who Is Greater Than God (Seeking Monthly Tickets at the End of the Month)
In this dazzling silence, the clock hanging on the wall behind the Baron, with its meshing golden gears, sounded like the whispers of mice in the wall.

Standing in front of the nameplate that reads "Conan Edogawa," and on the table covered with a pristine white tablecloth and set with gleaming silver tableware.

Conan Edogawa suddenly fell into a dreamlike trance.

Is everything I'm seeing now real?
Is this the incredible, indistinguishable magic trick of Phantom Thief Kid?

Is this the prison woven by the organization called "Science Frontier" using its technology to alter memories and illusions?
Or perhaps, it was a trap set by the villain named "Karasuma Renya," whom Hattori Heiji mentioned not long ago.
The boundary between reality and illusion becomes somewhat blurred at this moment.

—Like the moon's reflection on the water.

The eyes of the famous detectives around him flashed with extraordinary sharpness or profound insight.

However, Conan couldn't immediately distinguish between the real and fake "Kogoro Mouri" and "Ran Mouri," two figures he was extremely familiar with.

Their eyes flashed with the impatience or worry that Conan was familiar with, but now they looked like stereotypical figures engraved on the background.

It resembles a bionic doll operating under some kind of complex mechanism.

Now, these intertwined and complex gazes are trapped in this empty, plain-like space, reflecting the cold light from the crystal chandelier overhead onto the glazed surface of the ceramic teaware and the gleaming silver tableware.

And it was thrown at itself.

Now, everything about this restaurant.

Their existence, or their very existence, transforms into information that can be understood and accepted by the detective, passing through the gate of the god's eyes and falling into the trap of reasoning.

Now, this eerie villa nestled deep in the mountains is like a universe frozen in crystal, dazzling and even chilling.

All the luxury, the bizarre, and the absurd are not meant to cater to guests, but rather to declare this fact to [Conan Edogawa]—

Everything here is worthy of His glory!
And so the detective's instincts were awakened.

Faced with this dreamlike scene, Conan stood motionless in his place.

He has now deduced the first potentially crucial clue:

Those waiting gazes, this silent stillness...

All things seek only one extremely simple yet perplexing thing—to sit on the mahogany chair behind them.

Conan became one of only two people in the restaurant who were still "standing".

The bumpy drive here and the grogginess I felt when I woke up from my coma this morning have disappeared.

The dormant mind awakens like spring thunder, and those active thoughts involuntarily transform into diligent farmers, beginning to irrigate the boundless forest of reasoning.

And the seed of clues buried deep in his mind began to sprout and grow vigorously in his mind.

Even "Conan Edogawa" felt that—

he……

I saw myself running through the woods as Conan Edogawa.

In my own right, I crossed the endless mountain range of mysteries and traversed the ravines filled with hints and illusions.

I then happily ran into that...that woodland.

Deep within this woodland lies a forest composed of three types of trees: [Confusion], [Mystery], and [Case].

But I feel that nothing is greater than the field of [reasoning]—I think it is more magnificent than God, towering and piercing the universe itself.

I looked up at the sky, but at the same time I looked down at the sky.

Looking at the moonlight hanging over the treetops at night, I saw the crows nesting in the rather thick "mystery".

—My Hu Jin and Mu Ning.

My messengers who unify the past and the future carry in their mouths a fruit woven from illusion and reality.

I reached out my hand, intending to gently remove the "truth".

Thus, no matter how flawed or bizarre everything may be, things that were originally unrelated begin to connect, forming a chaotic and intricate network.

When they face me, they begin to become clear.

Everything that may seem illogical will now be filled in by my thoughts:

"From the first second I walked into the restaurant."

"No, they were there the moment I saw those glowing dots representing these detectives on the watch radar."

The other detectives I face, who belong to "me," or the two who are disguised as Kogoro Mouri or Ran Mouri.

I know that one of them must be Kidd, and the other must be Kidd's assistant.

But that doesn't matter in the context of my current situation.

"And because they're already sitting in their chairs—that shows that Kidd, GSSRA, or the scientific frontier doesn't matter."

Everything I see about "me" tells me—

The key to everything is those who can stand with me.

That character belonged to the mystery novel my father wrote called "The Baron of the Night".

It was the person now playing him, or the person behind that role, who orchestrated everything I am seeing.

And that person was—

"Conan?"

Ran Mouri's genuine concern interrupted my thoughts, jolting me awake from my dreamlike daze.

but I know.

I am very close to the truth.

……

Now, for some reason, Conan Edogawa has already figured out the whole situation.

In fact, everything happening around us is both real and illusory.

The truth lies in the sounds made, the gazes directed at you, and the actions taken...

But this is not because I unknowingly fell into some kind of illusion or trap.

Because what is illusory are those things that are just as real.

Because it was a certain necessary condition that bound the phantom thief or other detectives, even rendering the "code" that Hattori Heiji told him useless.

It's as if there's some inviolable rule within the villa, which, like a heavy hammer, nails everyone to their chairs.

Those famous detectives who should have been free to act, think, and solve puzzles are now like actors in a theater.

They can only perform pre-set actions under the director's direction—they are no longer the protagonists in other stories.

But if one wants to find out what exactly happened before arriving at the Twilight Villa...

Conan glanced at "Dark Baron".

Now, we could only sit down as the person hidden behind that eerie mask "said".

Conan even felt that he was very likely unable to use any force.

Since everyone around, including the phantom thief, had no choice but to sit in their seats according to his "instructions".

Everything indicates that "Dark Baron" has already gained the necessary confidence.

Yes, instructions.

—The letters laid out on the table say it all.

Conan glanced at the tablecloth on Ran Mouri's side out of the corner of his eye.

The food laid out on the white tablecloth was not bread or similar items.

Aside from the cup of black tea, there was a stack of letters, the edges of which strangely reflected the faint glow of the chandelier.

It's like having the detectives present use knives and forks to cut out those words and stuff them into their mouths to fill their bellies.

As Conan looked further into the distance at Kogoro Mouri, he noticed that everyone's first page contained only one sentence.

"Please follow the instructions and take your seats. Do not leave. The tea party will begin once all the guests have arrived."

And he, Conan Edogawa, was clearly the last guest.

When Conan turned his head, snapping out of his daze in that non-existent time, and looked at the things laid out on his desk—

There was no letter paper in front of his seat.

Besides the same cup of black tea, there was only a deck of cards.

It lay quietly in the center of the plate, seemingly a symbol of some kind of choice.

Conan couldn't help but start to think about the Baron's intentions.

He orchestrated the actions of others as if they were following a script, while giving himself a deck of cards.

Does this foreshadow anything?

Is he saying he represents "the person outside the script"?

Or is it that he is in the best control precisely because he has no script?
Conan could see a demonic raven image printed on the back of the card, its wings spread as if it were about to burst out of the card.

This deck of cards must have been custom-made by the Karasuma Renya family in the distant past, as the black raven family crest can be seen everywhere in this restaurant.

Perhaps something else was written on it as well, he thought.

Conan reached out and flipped over the first card of the deck of cards.

—This is a Joker card.

But this clown is different from the usual comical ones:
He wore a jet-black crown, and the colorful robes he should have worn were also completely dyed black.

Even the clown's eyes were painted black, making his bright smile look empty and eerie.

The word "Demon" was written in the top left corner of the card.

That is, a demon.

……

"Now that all the guests have arrived..."

The Dark Baron finally spoke, and the sudden sound from beneath his mask made everyone in the room look up.

"Then the tea party should begin."

"You must all be wondering why I went to such great lengths to invite you all to this secluded villa and use it as the stage for our game."

"First, please carefully turn to the second page of the letter in your hands."

His voice was sometimes deep and sometimes like that of a storyteller telling a fairy tale.

"Don't worry, you absolutely don't need to worry about your secrets being exposed to others."

"Crash-"

A soft rustling sound of turning pages of paper filled the restaurant.

Conan tilted his head slightly and looked at Ran Mouri.

Her slightly furrowed brows now held a hint of "due" curiosity in her calm gaze.

She picked up the silver spoon that was next to the tea set and read her discovery aloud to the others.

"There's a bird with a very big beak up there."

Ran Mouri's voice was somewhere between sounding completely unafraid and trying to mask a hint of fear.

"The whole pattern looks chilling."

This statement sounds rather strange.

"That must be a crow, right?"

Kogoro Mouri also picked up a spoon.

Meanwhile, the old man, Senma Kazuyo, sitting to the side, seemed to have realized something.

"This pattern should be..."

"exactly."

The baron then recited the news, which everyone already knew, in a chanting tone. "This is the crest of the family of Karasuma Renya, the wealthy man who died under mysterious circumstances about half a century ago!"

"And forty years ago, it was in this villa belonging to Karasuma Renya that a horrific tragedy occurred."

……

The restaurant's chandelier swayed silently, casting blurry, leaping shadows below.

Senma Kazuyo's gaze immediately overlapped with that shadow.

But she remained calm at that moment.

However, the Great Blessing is slightly different—

He had long sensed the fate that was about to befall him.

Even though he already understood what he was about to face, his hands holding the letter still trembled slightly.

Even when Conan was trying to decipher what was written on other people's letters.

This poor detective, trying to escape his fate, quietly turned to the third page he shouldn't have.

This "puppet" on the stage will willingly throw himself into the net of fate before being smashed.

Conan didn't notice him at all.

Besides memorizing every word the Baron said.

Conan frowned as he looked at the letter that appeared as Ran Mouri turned the page.

—You never need to worry about your secrets being revealed to others.

Just as the Baron said.

The second page is completely different from the first page.

Or rather, the reason why the edges of the paper glow is that, except for the first page which is made of ordinary white paper, the other pages seem to be coated with a polarizing film.

When illuminated by light, except at a certain angle, the letter paper appears to others as having moiré patterns.

When Conan turned his head to try to see what was written on the paper, he could only see the distorted light and shadow that shifted and changed as his gaze moved.

The Baron's voice continued, his tone unhurried, as calm and patient as a guide in this villa.

"And that was a bloody and brutal conflict—"

"As you all have seen, there are large amounts of bloodstains scattered throughout this mansion in various forms."

He paused, and a white light flashed beneath his mask.

"That's right. Forty years ago, after the famous tycoon Karasuma Renya passed away at the age of 99, it was in this villa he left behind that an unknown organizer held a memorial service for him."

“Countless political and economic celebrities were invited, but in reality, they all knew the true purpose of the banquet.”

"That was actually an auction of the artworks collected by Karasuma Renya during his lifetime."

"A total of 333 items have been prepared for the auction, which is expected to last for three days and three nights."

Immediately afterwards, his tone suddenly turned somber.

"But on the very next night, during that stormy night, two travelers, soaking wet, suddenly appeared outside the villa."

"We lost our way because of this storm."

The two travelers, soaked to the bone by the storm and suffering from the cold and wind, pleaded with the guard at the door with their trembling lips.

"I just want to stay here until the storm is over."

"Initially, the auctioneer sternly refused their request, but when the two men showed her two packs of cigarette-like objects—"

The Baron's tone turned strange, as if it were the beginning of a ghost story.

"But the organizer's attitude changed; I don't know why they changed their minds."

"In fact, the organizers invited the two travelers to distribute the 'cigarettes' to everyone present."

"As a result, everyone present was persuaded by them, and soon the hall was filled with a thick smell of smoke."

"That is—?" Kogoro Mouri couldn't help but exclaim.

"It's a hallucinogen similar to marijuana."

Conan already knew what kind of story this person was going to tell.

……

The Baron, however, seemed oblivious to everyone else's voices, and simply continued his story slowly.

His voice was as if he had witnessed everything that happened that night.

"When the venue was filled with thick smoke, people fell into a kind of intoxicated state, and suddenly a demonic figure appeared in the room."

"The person who had just managed to bid on the collection dropped the treasure in his hand and fled the mansion as soon as he saw him, running wildly outwards."

"There was another woman who covered her face with her hands, weeping sadly, praying to the devil as if she were begging for someone to come."

"And the guard at the door, after seeing the only auctioneer who escaped disappear outside, actually closed the gate of the mansion."

"He went mad, stabbing the gap under his visor with his spear, as if the blood could bring some kind of triumphant pleasure, and he revealed an incredulous smile."

"And in the end, all those who remained in the castle began to fight over the works of art, and even began to kill each other with the famous swords and knives that had been auctioned off."

The entire venue had essentially become a—

The baron paused almost imperceptibly, and even let out a sigh that no one could hear.

"A living hell."

"Finally, after this nightmarish night, only six guests remained in a coma at the auction."

"And the two travelers, carrying all the treasure, disappeared in the storm."

Kogoro Mouri found it "strange": "But why have I never heard of such an important case before?"

Da Shang Zhu Shan closed his eyes—

He has made up his mind.

He gently placed the stack of letters on the dining table, as if he already knew their contents by heart.

"The problem probably lies among those guests, because they were all prominent figures in the political and economic circles at the time."

“Yes,” Chima Kazuyo, sitting next to him, nodded. “After all, if others knew that in the end everyone was tricked by two guys of unknown origin…”

Hakuba Saguru chimed in, "Instead of wasting time investigating the case, it's better to cover it up and pretend it never happened."

"In this way, the reputation of the deceased can be preserved."

“I think those two guys probably already anticipated this ending,” Harufumi Mogi chimed in.

The detectives then "confirmed" the conclusions drawn from this part of the reasoning.

As they were talking, Aki Ishihara pushed open the door and began to pour tea for everyone present.

The steaming hot black tea releases white vapor, creating an atmosphere that seems to be overflowing with the aroma of tea.

The baron finally revealed his purpose.

This time, his tone was unusually impassioned, carrying an uncontrollable fervor.

"Now you understand why I chose this place as the stage for this game."

"My goal is to make you detectives reenact the tragedy that happened forty years ago."

"I believe you have all read the letter that was written specifically for you."

He paused, as if giving the others time to think about their final decision.

“I have found the most needed treasure for each of you.”

"Only one of you can obtain what you need, and leave with the sin of murdering others and a precious treasure."

"However, considering the sheer size of this villa, and the prospect of witnessing your fratricidal tragedy here..."

"I have included some information on the letter so that you can exchange messages with each other."

"And I'll give you one more hint."

He slowly recited the curse-like verses, his voice echoing as if from some past or future, from the mournful tolling of the dead:

"The two travelers, hurrying along, looked up at the celestial phenomena that night."

The demon descended upon the castle.

The king abducted the treasure and fled.

The princess wept as she poured out the Holy Grail, praying for divine mercy.
The soldier, exhausted, drew his sword and committed suicide.

The earth changed color.

He spoke slowly and deliberately, and each word he uttered made the atmosphere in the restaurant even heavier and more oppressive.

Conan's heart sank suddenly.

This short poem is a microcosm of what he just described about what happened at the villa forty years ago.

"Stop joking!"

—It's Ikumi Gunda.

“We can certainly exchange written information with each other.”

"Since you've hidden the treasure in the annex, we can work together to find it based on the clues written there—"

But it was as if they had anticipated her thoughts.

"Of course, but because I want to witness your ugly infighting firsthand."

"Now, you have already been deceived by the magic I have used!"

"There's no way to escape now!"

He just finished speaking.

"Crack!"

With the sound of some mechanism being activated, a thin, almost imperceptible line sprang up from under the dining chair.

This was an extremely thin yet strong rope, which bound everyone present to that chair that seemed to be welded to the ground.

"Ah!" Ran Mouri was the first to scream.

"Damn it! What is this?"

Kogoro Mouri immediately tried to get off the chair.

But then he discovered that the rope was like spider silk, binding him tighter and tighter as he struggled.

"Quick! Get your hands free first!"

He instinctively gave instructions, immediately reminding the others to give themselves enough space to move around.

The figure who remained standing upright behind the dining table, in front of the clock on the back wall, ignored everyone's struggles.

His voice suddenly rose, as if announcing the opening of a grand feast.

"Now, turn to the last, third page of your scripts!"

"When one of you lets out the first death groan—this sinful detective game begins!"

……

I hope to finish writing the fifth pointer tomorrow.

However, it seems that unless everyone can accept the crazy skips and the riddles, or even the outline-style writing that goes straight to the ending, it will be difficult to achieve this.

Otherwise, I can't guarantee whether the Conan world will be finished this month, but I've written up to the point where the sixth pointer is almost over, so it shouldn't be a big problem.

As you can see, many perspectives have been skipped entirely; the author has really tried their best to speed things up.

I'm so sorry QAQ.

(End of this chapter)