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

Chapter 296 Spirals, Parallelism, Contradiction—Two Most Important Sacrifices
Now, faced with Conan's threat, the tavern fell into an eerie silence.

Ignoring Ai Haibara, who was pointing a gun at him, Colonel Moran turned his gaze to the center of the hall and then made a gesture.

Several men in black who had been mixed in with the gamblers and drinkers stood up one by one and quietly moved toward the back hall.

With the threat of four or five new guns, Ran Mouri, who had previously repelled several people, was forced to slowly retreat towards the open private room in the back hall, along with Sonoko Suzuki.

Conan noticed something as well.

He even saw more men in black emerge from the kitchen or behind the counter through small doors, almost filling the entire tavern.

Conan's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat; he knew that his side had very few chips left.

Moreover, it now seems that Colonel Moran is certain that he won't dare to make a move.

As we all know, the most important thing in negotiations is to convince the other party that your bottom line is truly untouchable.

"I must demonstrate my bargaining power."

As this thought flashed through his mind, a resolute look appeared on Conan's face. He raised the bottle of red wine high and then smashed it on the table.

Just three seconds before the bottle was about to smash against the edge of the table, Colonel Moran spoke.

"What do you want to talk about?"

The bottle stopped in mid-air immediately, and Conan breathed a sigh of relief; his gamble had paid off.

Conan made his request: "We need to see Professor Moriarty."

Colonel Moran narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to adjust the cufflinks on his sleeve.

He was actually thinking about something else right now—

He remembered clearly that the group of children had come in through the back door.

But the key point is that this is Professor Moriarty's tavern, a stronghold where underground forces gather.

The back door of the tavern has always been guarded by people he personally arranged.

So, how exactly did they get in?
Did they solve it?

Colonel Moran glanced at the child in front of him and the two women who had been forced into the back room by several pistols.

It doesn't look like it...

If they didn't solve it, then there's only one possibility: the professor himself...

“Speak,” Ai Haibara’s voice broke the silence.

She gripped her revolver, the muzzle pointed directly at Colonel Moran. "Tell me, where is Professor Moriarty?"

Moran did not answer; he simply stared coldly at the little girl in front of him, a chilling, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.

If he's not mistaken, this was all part of the professor's plan.

And so, in this tense moment—

The back door creaked open.

He was a middle-aged man in a black uniform and gray-brown gloves. His face was hidden under a black top hat, and he looked like a nobleman's butler.

The man seemed completely unfazed by what was happening before him; his gaze swept over the crowd, his tone polite and calm:
"Professor Moriarty would like to meet you all."

However, the moment those words were spoken, Ai Haibara's expression suddenly changed.

Her hand trembled, and the revolver she had been holding firmly fell to the ground with a "thud".

This scene took everyone by surprise.

Even the man standing at the door paused slightly.

The instant Ai Haibara bent down to pick up the silver pistol, Colonel Moran instinctively lunged forward.

He deftly snatched the pistol and then stood up.

Colonel Moran looked at the abbreviations engraved on the side of the pistol with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He now understood why the professor had said those things.

He then softly uttered the name.

"Sherlock Holmes..."

But just as he was about to say something, the butler standing at the door acted as if nothing had happened.

He simply bowed slightly: "Please move aside, the professor is waiting for you in the carriage."

Moran gritted his teeth; he simply didn't understand.

"Wait! You—" he was about to speak.

The butler's eyes flashed coldly as he glanced at the chess piece: "Do you also intend to defy Professor Moriarty's will?"

Colonel Moran's face darkened, and after a long while, he turned his head away and ultimately said nothing more.

So, in this extremely strange atmosphere, Conan held the unopened bottle of wine in both hands and quietly stepped towards the back door.

At the same time, he signaled for everyone to follow.

As the group walked out the back door, a black carriage was quietly parked by the roadside in the previously deserted red-brick alley.

Professor Moriarty had been waiting there for quite some time.

Conan quietly slowed his pace, positioning himself alongside Ai Haibara.

He didn't know why she had suddenly dropped the gun: "Hey, Haibara, what's wrong with you just now?"

"I just……"

Ai Haibara's voice lowered for a moment, then quickly regained its composure, and she made up a random excuse.

"My wrist is just a little sore; that gun was too heavy."

She spoke casually, but Conan keenly noticed her lowered eyelids and the unnatural expression on her face for a moment.

In reality, Ai Haibara's mind is in complete turmoil.

She actually sensed the presence of the organization from the butler who was leading the way, who should have been played by Professor Moriarty!

But...shouldn't the Black Organization have been destroyed?

Why can I sense that aura?

And that unsuccessful attempt she just made—

She tried to defy historical inertia and prevent Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta from being eliminated, and she succeeded for the time being.

However, attempts to change the ownership of the pistol failed.

Whether all attempts succeed or all attempts fail, it's all within Ai Haibara's expectations, but it's like a positive and a negative outcome...

Ai Haibara's heart sank.

"Does this mean that Ayumi and the others won't be of any use at all, and that they'll be eliminated anyway..."

For Conan, after Ai Haibara subconsciously concealed her reason, he proactively and considerately attributed it to the fact that Ai Haibara actually didn't dare to fire the gun.

"Really... if you don't dare to fire, why did you say those things so confidently before..."

Conan mentally criticized Ai Haibara's somewhat awkward and contradictory behavior, but then he felt excited and thrilled.

"I'm going to see Professor Moriarty!"

He felt no fear at all; instead, a strange excitement surged within him.

—It was the excitement of about to meet one's idol.

And... another emotion and thought.

……

Amidst the curious gazes of the crowd, the steward walked to the carriage.

He bowed slightly and said in a low voice, "Professor, I have brought them."

It was a black two-wheeled carriage, and beneath the already drawn curtain, a tall, thin figure almost blended into the darkness inside.

"Thank you for your hard work." A steady voice came from inside the car.

Then an old man with a pale face, like a plaster statue, leaned out, his deep-set eyes gleaming with a cold light.

— Just like in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

The cold light finally landed on the bottle of red wine in Conan's hand.

"Child, give me that bottle of wine."

"Okay!" For some reason, Conan's voice now sounded crisp and cute.

He stepped forward and handed the bottle to the car door.

The butler, who was standing nearby, reached out and took the bottle of wine from Conan.

However, Conan's gaze froze for a moment.

The butler was even wearing a pair of exquisitely crafted deerskin gloves, and Conan could even faintly smell a delicate cologne.

"To be able to contend with Colonel Moran and even gain the upper hand, truly worthy of being Holmes's apprentice," a voice came from inside the carriage. "So, what brings you here?"

Conan didn't answer. Instead, he tilted his head and looked seriously into the carriage: "The one we're looking for is the real Professor Moriarty."

The air paused for a moment.

"what do you mean--"

Amidst the surprised gazes of the others, Conan pointed to the butler who was carrying a glass of red wine and heading towards the back seat of the carriage.

"I think this must be the professor's attempt, right? Because the real professor was there from the beginning, wasn't he?"

Conan explained, "Colonel Moran just used honorifics when he was facing him. And there's only one person who could make him do that."

"And I've heard that the professor is a fashionable old man who likes to use natural cologne. As for what you just said, you must have been using ventriloquism, Professor."

There was a two-second silence in the carriage before the butler, who was dressed as Moriarty, stepped off the train and took the bottle of red wine from the "butler's" hand.

A soft sigh came from the figure whose back was turned.

Karasuma Renya turned his head; this was the first time he had seen Conan Edogawa up close.

How did a child manage to do all this?
Thinking of the role he would soon be playing, Karasuma Renya suppressed an urge to confront Him.

He then proceeded as planned, asking, "So, what do you want from me?"

Without hesitation, Conan replied, "Jack the Ripper, wasn't he released by you to create terror and destabilize London?"

“You’re only half right.” Karasuma Renya gave a somewhat eerie smile. “When I met him, he was just a homeless child abandoned by his mother.”

“But I saw his ‘talent’—so I personally trained him into a top-notch assassin.”

Xiaolan couldn't help but ask, "So why would he target unarmed women?"

Karasuma Renya was silent for a moment, then his tone suddenly lowered:

"Because—after he stole that—that thing from me, he was no longer under my control."

"He has become a more dangerous presence than I imagined."

Conan looked up abruptly: "It's a pointer, isn't it?!"

The professor's voice carried a subtle emotion; he neither admitted nor denied it, but simply spoke to himself.

"Since you want to capture him, I'll assist you."

"Assistance?" Conan looked up in surprise, and the others also subconsciously looked at the notorious criminal.

“That’s right.” Moriarty nodded slightly. “Since he obeyed me before, he should still obey if I give him an order.”

"I will put an ad in tomorrow's Times for him; you'll know once you read tomorrow's paper."

“However,” he paused, his gaze sweeping over Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, Genta, and Sonoko Suzuki who were still standing there, “you should also offer something in exchange.”

Moriarty looked up and pointed to the four people standing in the crowd—

Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, Genta, and Sonoko Suzuki, who is wearing a gorgeous dress.

“A duke’s daughter, plus three of Holmes’s assistants…that’s a fair deal.”

"We will not agree to this—!"

Conan's voice was interrupted as soon as it started.

"Okay! I agree—"

The voices of the three children rang out in unison, followed by Sonoko Suzuki's.

"I'm not afraid! If you dare lay a hand on me, my father—"

Karasuma Renya gave a gentle smile.

"Don't worry, I'm just inviting you to have a cup of tea."

His gaze swept towards Conan, a threatening glint in his eyes.

"After all, the stolen items are very valuable, and I would be very disappointed if you secretly hid them away."

Ran assumed a fighting stance, then hesitantly asked Conan in a low voice, "Conan, do we really have to say yes...?"

Conan paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over his companions.

"Don't worry! I'll protect them!"

Sonoko made an encouraging gesture towards Conan, "Besides, as long as we catch that Ripper in the end, isn't that all that matters?"

"I will definitely catch that criminal."

Conan made a promise to the other children, and then he looked at Professor Moriarty, who was boarding the carriage.

"Please...pay close attention to the Reichenbach Falls three years from now."

Moriarty raised an eyebrow slightly.

He did not respond, but instead boarded the carriage with the other four "hostages".

However, Karasuma Renya has begun to have a dilemma—

In this damn world where justice is guaranteed to prevail, getting a promise from a detective is far better than threatening him.

Reichenbach Falls three years later?

Is this the opportunity that Yusaku Kudo was talking about?
Conan himself was also taken aback for a moment.

Why should I remind him to be careful?

Then the boy who liked Sherlock Holmes felt somewhat relieved.

I think it's about how much I like this villain, roughly the same as how much I like Sherlock Holmes. And this sentence is like some invisible switch.

Conan's words surprised Ran as well.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered that afternoon at Dorobiga Park, on that roller coaster that was stopped at the top.

Shinichi once said something to her...

Which line was it again?

She tried to search her memory, but her mind was a blur.

That sentence now seems so distant.

But Ran Mouri subconsciously felt that this sentence was very important.

……

"call--"

Seeing Ran Mouri deep in thought on the screen, Professor Agasa in the Cocoon System control room finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The real, unofficial Professor Agasa did not enter the timeline of 1888; he entered his "mask."

Now, he looked at the data on the screen next to him, which had risen to 67%.

"In this way, the final method for everyone to exit the cocoon system has been prepared."

"Dr. Bai, what's the situation with the [ritual cycle structure] now?"

Bai Zichen glanced at the image displayed on the time display device:
In the pure white void of Universe One, where the boundaries of time and space have been lost, leaving only boundless radiance.

The historical momentum of "The Phantom of Baker Street" became more solidified with the elimination of Ayumi and others, and with Ran Mouri's memories.

Those "causes" that constitute this point in time.

Every choice that Conan Edogawa made in the past, and every case he experienced, began to solidify anew.

Those cartoonish, dazzling lights reconstituted into an extremely thin, almost invisible golden thread.

Moreover, it was as if it were being gently touched by an invisible hand.

This timeline, which currently appears linear, stable, and unchangeable, is actually undergoing a subtle shift in its "past" and "future."

No—to be precise, it's closing.

The "Star Tower Case," which should never have existed, suddenly lit up in the empty, pure white universe, radiating its own white light.

Its pure white color, the same as the pale sun, seemed to be afraid of being discovered by some force. It cautiously concealed its presence and slowly approached the beginning and end of this timeline.

Then--

It subtly draws the "effect" and "cause" of the sixth pointer case closer to each other.

It attempts to weave a closed loop—

A Möbius strip that transcends cycles and fate.

Bai Zichen projected the image, which was mixed with a little golden light, and responded to Professor Agasa with some pleasure.

"Yes, we should be able to succeed."

His voice carried a hint of barely concealed amusement.

"Akami Miyano and Ms. Miyano have arrived at the initial time point."

"Representative Daejeon has begun to establish the boundaries of science. The Bureau of Historical Narrative Manipulation has detected related hidden clues in the timeline before 1994."

"The arrangements made to various governments, as well as the covert establishment of GSSRA, also went smoothly."

"The existence of the alliance and the unalterable causal logic in the six [ritual cases] can be naturally resolved in a way that 'conforms to the logic of 20th-century reality'."

"The [History Cover-up System] has begun to operate normally, and we can now begin to extricate ourselves from the causal chain of 'Universe One'."

Bai Zichen paused for a moment, then reminded Dr. Agasa not to lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains.

"Doctor, I understand how you feel, but due to that child's special circumstances—"

Dr. Agasa interrupted Bai Zichen's latest attempt at persuasion:
"I understand. If Shinichi doesn't figure it out by the end, I will disconnect the Cocoon System at the last minute."

Bai Zichen also understood that this decision was not so easy to make now.

"Well, then I won't say any more."

As the projection disappeared in front of him, Professor Agasa let out a heavy sigh.

"Shinichi..."

If given another choice, the old man would even prefer to take his place.

But he had no choice.

Then, Professor Agasa looked at the children on the screen whose eyes had become filled with sympathy under Moriarty's words.

Karasuma Renya tried again to secretly "influence" the children to help him escape his suffering.

However, he was clearly about to miscalculate again.

The [Historical Progression and Concealment System] is now available thanks to the solidification of [Historical Inertia] in The Phantom of Baker Street.

Professor Agasa then retrieved the "RSI-derived anomaly structures" from the system that Conan Edogawa recognized in "Universe 2".

Then, he gently clicked on the [Timeline Disguise] option.

Furthermore, the "exit option" originally built into the "Cocoon System" and the "ending" of "historical inertia" are applied to the children who are about to agree to Karasuma Renya's conditions.

For Karasuma Renya, the children in front of him in his secluded apartment hideout were as if they had been "refreshed".

Their bodies suddenly assumed a "hit" posture, and then that familiar rainbow color lit up their bodies.

As he watched the children disappear before him, Karasuma Renya's face darkened.

He even lost his composure and swept all the teaware on the table in front of him onto the floor.

Then he roared out that name that deserved to be torn to pieces:
"Damn it... CYZ Alliance!"

It is obvious that we can see—

"Saving Shinichi Kudo" and "Saving the rest of the Conan universe" are actually two completely different goals.

Moreover, the difficulty level is completely different.

After all, it seems that the task of saving the "others" of the "Detective Conan Universe" besides "Conan Edogawa" is almost complete.

……

In fact, during that eternal time when the Star Viewing Tower was hanging upside down at the top.

[Conan Edogawa] is worried about his almost infinitely expanding certain... certain trait.

—This detective did not want to call this state of affairs beyond his control his power.

"Lin Sheng, have you ever thought about this: what if all the trajectories are inherently unchangeable?"

Conan then juxtaposed his own trajectory after the Alliance's emergence with the "plot" that Lin Sheng himself was familiar with.

"After all, if you look at it from my perspective, it really seems like nothing has really changed."

The "case" that was supposed to happen still happened;

The expected "change of mindset" still occurred.
Even those who were supposed to die died as expected, while those who should have lived did not pass away.

"Furthermore, Lin Sheng, did you notice that it was immediately after you actually tried to create this case called 'Star Tower' that my discovery of the 'truth' began?"

"This shows that the discovery of the truth, or rather, the universe directly reminding me of the truth through a mechanism, actually has preconditions."

So, in order to verify that guess.

Conan Edogawa then did something that shocked the entire Conan Universe-001.

That is "the death of Yusaku Kudo".

The result is now known to everyone.

The result was equally unexpected.

The universe is much "weak" than we imagine.

It's almost as if it's saying—if you do it again, I'll just die right in front of "you".

This is in contrast to the near destruction of the universe caused by the Alliance's initial flawed experiment.

This is really bizarre.

This universe—it seems both resilient and fragile, powerful and weak, omnipotent and yet constrained at every turn.

Lin Sheng and the detective who has now become the "Seven Chapters of Ke Jun" had many discussions together about the remaining information and complex phenomena.

To be honest, they haven't reached a definite conclusion in their discussions.

But it was only after that that Lin Sheng and Conan began to realize that the "universe" in the "Shell Universe" might not refer to the universe they lived in.

Of course, this fact has now been confirmed as Conan Edogawa has created another universe within his dreams.

But since the "Shell Universe" seems to be just a coping mechanism...

At that time, Conan Edogawa put forward his own idea.

"Perhaps we can try to fool this mechanism."

However, some things cannot be changed.

For example, from "The Death of Yusaku Kudo", two points remain very clear.

"First, cases are an indispensable element of the universe."

"Secondly, the inertia of history cannot be changed in the final analysis."

Moreover, this is not subject to the will of [Conan Edogawa] himself.

It is even possible that what He originally intended to do was to maintain this development—whether under the so-called "shell universe" mechanism or for other reasons.

Furthermore, Conan has given this phenomenon a deeper understanding.

Why does such a mechanism exist?
"But if there is something difficult to deal with outside the shell, then all of this makes sense."

This is also why, in Lin Sheng and Conan's plan, [Edogawa Conan] must not touch the [truth].

"If I actively gain control of this universe by [breaking the rules]."

Conan's expression darkened. "Then we obviously can't use the [Shell] mechanism."

"We must even consider whether this 'shell' could be peeled away... and what the consequences would be..."

So, is there a choice between having both?
Is there a way to allow everything to develop according to the "inertia of history" while also allowing everyone to freely choose their own future?
Yes, yes...

There happens to be one such method.

This is also why it was specifically stated in the plan that Lin Sheng and Conan discussed that it was necessary to have [Edogawa Conan] try to send him a universe.

This is also the origin of the design called the "History Advancement and Concealment System" that Shigenobu Hitomi saw in that "Management Manual".

Just as Lin Sheng has repeatedly emphasized:

"The real key is not whether the child gets the sixth pointer."

However, from 1994 until the end of the real story, Conan Edogawa knows nothing.

He could even possess the [Conan Universe Narrative Engine], but he couldn't learn the [truth] related to him.

He could even use it—before he was shown using it in [Detective Conan Universe-001].

This is also why Professor Agasa said that Conan only has one chance.

The structure and characteristics of a dual timeline are the best way to get rid of, or rather, escape.

"The universe seems to place more emphasis on the presentation of the [story timeline]."

"What if we could make the story timeline behave exactly the same as before, by taking advantage of the constancy of the CYZ effect?"

Lin Sheng thought the plan was very feasible and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, as can be seen from the dual timeline loop mechanism, the real timeline is the one that is skipped and overwritten."

"In that case, we just need to peel it off directly and make sure that Conan Edogawa is unaware of its existence."

The second universe has already been completed for the Alliance.

Because [Conan Edogawa] couldn't possibly realize that there was a problem with the timeline, right?
"The reason why the universe initially chose to cover and cover each other is ultimately because Conan believes that time cannot be changed, and there is only one such time."

—And now the Alliance has two universes.

Of course, there is a downside to doing it this way.

As mentioned before, due to the correspondence between the two timelines, this is a universe that only has the past.

Therefore, for the second universe, also known as the "Alliance" universe, to have a possible future.

The [Time Fixation and Cosmic Event Propulsion System] was born.

Of course, this system was actually a side project created just to "save Conan".

After all, "Universe 2" was originally designed to move towards the past.

But without a doubt, it is the key to whether Conan Edogawa or Shinichi Kudo has a chance to break free from the "Detective Conan" universe.

The crucial element of the loop structure required for this system to function successfully is—

Conan Edogawa must be able to do so without thinking at all.

Based solely on hints and clues from others, they act like puppets, completing one link in the chain of their causal logic.

Of course, he has now become vaguely aware of this without even realizing it.

We must always remember one thing.

Everything that happens in the Sixth Pointer case is, in theory, "part" of what Conan Edogawa was thinking.

Just like what just happened—

Conan has now begun to actively find a "suitable" reason to explain Ai Haibara's behavior, Professor Moriarty's abnormal behavior, and his own behavior.

after all--

To ensure success, the league's hints to him have frankly become unnecessary.

The success rate has now risen to 67%.

This sacred ceremony is finally about to be completed.

(End of this chapter)