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

Chapter 318 The Tip of the Iceberg of the Mastermind (Seeking monthly votes at the end of the month!)

Perhaps because the first night was a full moon, around four o'clock in the morning on the second day, the moonlight was still incredibly bright, as if it refused to dissipate.

Even the customs building near the dock seemed to be covered with a layer of silver foil, displaying a peculiar silvery hue.

In the distance, the Weiyuan River widens near its estuary, with shimmering waves and a faint sea breeze wafting towards the shore.

Perhaps in the summer, there will be parents with children or couples camping in tents along those riverbanks.

But now it's winter, and at night the temperature is around two degrees Celsius, the damp sea breeze can make anyone feel like they're being stung by ice spikes when they breathe.

Most of the fish that roam the area are hibernating or have reduced their activity, making it unlikely that even dedicated anglers would come to this remote spot now.

However, these difficulties obviously pose no problem for magicians.

This is especially true for Hisau Maiya, who frequently appears alongside Kiritsugu on various dangerous battlefields and often takes the enemy's head "among ten thousand troops."

In fact, both bright daylight and quiet environments are ideal for operating in the dark.

Tonight, as Maiya checked the surrounding area, she could even see the Fuyuki Bridge in the distance out of the corner of her eye.

The heavy metal beams, reflecting a dark red hue under the lights, flashed frequently like a malfunctioning red light, obscured by the large trucks passing by on the bridge, as if warning that it was best to stop passing.

However, there is obviously no need to be overly cautious about the bridge a hundred meters away.

Maimi's gaze only swept over the "red light" in the distance before shifting away.

Standing by the railing under an old street lamp, she used her fingernail to simply draw three possible paths on the map of the customs office's interior.

"Goods inspection area, bonded warehouse, and detained goods warehouse...?"

Having memorized the three key locations and routes, Mami took out a lighter from her pocket.

The folded map quickly curled up and charred on the leaping flames.

Maiya watched as the map turned into embers and drifted to the ground. She stomped on them, crushing the flakes of gray and black dust together.

Now, everything has vanished without a trace.

Immediately following, a whistle, as natural as a real bird song, grew louder and louder, and the shadow of a bat in the night sky responded to the call, hanging upside down under the street lamp under Wu Mi's control.

Although, in order to maintain secrecy and finish the battle quickly, Maiya did not use any barriers or spells to cover herself.

But as Kiritsugu's assistant, she never relaxed her basic vigilance.

Unfortunately, Hisayu Maiya had already missed her last chance to discover the clues.

If she were to observe the frequency of the lights flashing on the bridge more closely, she would be surprised to find that they were like a metronome, steady and continuous.

That was actually the alliance's construction company that was in charge.

Every driver sitting in the driver's seat turns the steering wheel and presses the accelerator or brake at a mechanical and fixed frequency.

—They're practically like dolls produced on an assembly line.

……

But now, after having the bat familiar confirm that there were no traces of pedestrians around,

Maimi gave it the instruction to monitor the customs entrance.

Immediately afterwards, she gripped the door frame with both hands, exerted a slight force with her fingertips, and leaped up like a shadow in the night.

With a very soft "thud" as it landed, it had quietly crossed the fence and stepped into this empty, gray and white area.

Based on the map in her mind, she quickly crossed the parking lot full of trucks and arrived at the back door of the cargo inspection area near the dock.

The fact that the back door wasn't locked wasn't too surprising.

After all, there is a wall and a gate outside the dock and customs office to prevent illegal intruders, while this back door is actually set up for the daily passage of staff.

Internal defenses are often the weakest.

But the moment she stepped into the inspection area, Mami's gaze quickly shifted to the northwest corner of the warehouse, which was the duty room located at the front of the inspection station.

The room, which should have been lit, was now dark.

"Is there not even anyone on duty?"

A subtle sense of surprise rose in Maimi's heart.

However, to prevent any potential accidents, she still did not use a flashlight to check the shelves.

In fact, the temporary notice that "the item could not be delivered" was actually delivered about two hours earlier.

Maiya didn't even have time to determine exactly where Kiritsugu's weapon was in the transit process.

Fortunately, things with "magic" are easily distinguished from ordinary things in the eyes of magicians.

More importantly, as a ceremonial garment made from Kiritsugu's ribs, it is impossible to escape his personal connection.

Mami took a pointer out of her pocket, squinted, and used the dim light in the warehouse to discern its direction.

This device was created in the past to quickly pinpoint her and Kiritsugu's location when facing magicians who could use techniques such as creating "barriers" or interfering with magnetic fields.

One end of the pointer is wrapped with enchanted hair, which can provide guidance based on the characteristics of its magic circuit.

Unfortunately, those three warehouses were aligned in a line, located in the direction the pointer was pointing.

Following the pointer's direction, Maiya quickly searched the shelves for the items.

"No magic...no magic...still no magic..."

The road has come to an end.

Looking at the bulky warehouse entrance in front of her, Wu Mi first glanced down to confirm that the spell on the pointer was working properly.

Then she quickly ran towards the back door again.

Next up is the bonded supervision warehouse.

The second warehouse yielded results that were still different from what was expected—but it wasn't entirely a complete failure.

Hisayu Maiya did indeed find a magical item.

But that wasn't Kiritsugu's Mystic Code; it was a magical item that looked like a grimoire.

Logically, faced with this unexpected situation, Maiya should have remained vigilant, left immediately, and headed to the warehouse where the confiscated items were stored.

But when she saw the destination list posted on the shelves and on the packaging, she changed her mind.

"To: Kenneth El-Mello Archibald".

"Destination: Hyatt Regency Fuyuki, B32 floor".

It belongs to the monarch from the Clock Tower.

Wu Mi's eyes narrowed, and she memorized this valuable information in her mind.

As she was about to continue searching the next shelf, she suddenly realized—

That magic book must contain information about Kenneth.

He hesitated for a moment, then his gaze returned to the book that emitted a faint magical aura.

If it records the techniques Kenneth was skilled at using, or some important medium of communication...

Perhaps this book will be crucial to the situation that follows.

As for whether this magic book was some kind of trap, Maiya quickly ruled it out after thinking about it.

First, the Clock Tower monarch mentioned in the intelligence report, Kenneth El-Melloi, although arrogant and conceited, is not good at scheming and plotting.

At least, he's not the kind of magician who would set traps for uncertain targets in the logistics and distribution of his own supplies.

not to mention--

My actions this time were entirely impulsive.

According to the original plan, such an unexpected matter should be decided after Kiritsugu and he meet.

From a temporal perspective, the goods in the bonded supervision warehouse are simply placed there because customs formalities have not yet been completed.

This magic book should disappear after dawn, when the staff takes inventory, and eventually end up in the hands of that monarch.

In other words, the timing doesn't match either.

If someone were truly behind this and wanted to set a trap, they would have chosen to place this book next to Kiritsugu's equipment.

No, he didn't need to use those methods at all; he could have just set a trap on the weapon that Kiritsugu needed to obtain.

"unless--"

An absurd, almost laughable hypothesis popped into her mind, making Wu Mi chuckle softly.

"Unless someone understands my behavior patterns and way of thinking better than I do."

She shook her head, dismissing the thought.

……

Things were certainly not as Maiya had guessed.

Conan didn't even use Future Sight.

The alliance simply monitored her entire operation and, based on her mental model, devised a plan that perfectly aligned with her psychological expectations.

And so, just as the alliance had predicted.

In the end, Maiya simply took the magic book.

The fact that the spellbook was taken without any counter-spell or trap further confirmed her judgment.

This is indeed Kenneth's item.

After all, since the monarch entrusted ordinary people to deliver it to his stronghold, the book obviously needed to be moved by ordinary people in the process.

Therefore, he would certainly not set up a spell that could harm ordinary people who could transfer his power.

As long as I don't touch it or activate it with magic, I'm safe.

With that thought in mind, Maiya carefully placed the book in the waist pouch beside her.

Just then, a weary voice suddenly rang out from outside the warehouse's roller shutter door.

"Sigh—I never thought I'd have to start work at four o'clock today."

Immediately afterwards, with a soft "click" as the door hinges turned, a melancholy blue sky, carrying light, shone in.

"Overtime...overtime, when will it ever end?"

It's already four o'clock?!
Damn it, I wasted too much time.

According to the schedule Kiritsugu sent, he has one hour left before he arrives in Fuyuki.

Urged on by a faint sense of urgency, Wuya bent down and lay prone in the shadow of the shelf.

Just as the two elongated figures turned around, she silently slid towards the warehouse door.

Her nimble figure disappeared like mist into the faint morning light outside.

Only one warehouse, or rather, one building, is missing.

Compared to the previous two warehouses, the place where the seized items were located was more like a small house—which obviously made the search work much easier.

The only regret was that a thick, clumsy padlock hung outside the brand-new metal door.

Given that some of the detained items stored inside are potentially dangerous, the glass windows are obviously also connected to an anti-theft system.

—However, it's obvious that no one would install any safety measures on the roof.

“Roborare”.

As soon as she finished reciting a short incantation, Wuya took out a small dagger from her pouch and, as easily as cutting butter, sliced ​​open the metal roof.

With the sky gradually brightening, she even saved herself the trouble of searching.

The "God of Luck" had smiled upon her once; the familiar safe containing Kiritsugu's Mystic Code was located just below the opening.

Both the pointer and her magical perception told Maimi that her judgment was correct.

She didn't waste a single second.

As the grappling hook nimbly descended onto the handle of the safe, a few seconds later, the box containing the Contender and the Origin Bomb was silently hoisted up and placed in my hand.

Mission accomplished. And the journey back was even smoother.

In this city close to five in the morning, motorcycles can move freely on the streets.

At the alley entrance, he skillfully concealed the motorcycle with a worn-out raincoat, and changed into the clothes he had hidden when he left.

Hisayu Maiya easily returned to her room at the hotel the same way she came.

She first checked that the spell she had left behind had not been triggered, and the monitoring she had set up showed that everything was normal.

Then there's the contents of the suitcase.

—Twelve bullets, and the Contender magic gun, intact.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Then his gaze fell on the package on the other side, which was the magic book.

Do you want to confirm the details now?

"If it's just the relevant magic books, there shouldn't be too much of a problem."

After going over the thoughts in her mind, Maiya finally decided to check the contents of the document before Kiritsugu arrived.

As Kiritsugu's tool, she needed to remove some obstacles for him and organize more clues before he arrived.

Carefully unpack the package sealed with kraft paper.

What came into view was a faint shimmering silver light.

The magic book with a cover featuring a flowing "∞" shaped embossing made Maiya's breath catch in her throat.

"Hermesian sect? Ein Sof Aur? Or θλημα:?"

Several directions came to mind, but none of them were clearly simple symbols.

It seems that the monarch from the Clock Tower was very well prepared.

Maimi was even somewhat glad that she had taken the risk.

So she put on gloves and then used mechanical tweezers to open the cover of the magic book.

The pupils contracted as if they had seen something unbelievable.

The contents written on the title page, the information it indicates, the results it reveals...

The book did not force her.

There was no spell guidance, no mind manipulation or anything like that.

Hisayuu Maiya, the woman's fingertips trembling slightly, touched the bottom page of that paper with a determined look in her eyes.

Then, she used her magic to sign her name.

……

New magic/spiritual structure features have been recorded.
Source of magic: Hisayuu Maiya.
A mechanical and clear notification sound rang out in the [Execution Level] council hall.

Conan, who was discussing the next steps regarding Illya with Hasegawa Tsuki, slightly raised his head.

"...Then, let TDD conduct a detailed analysis based on the data downloaded from the Einzbern family."

"At the same time, have Ilya cooperate with Raymond as much as possible to conduct a preliminary mapping of the 'Command Seals' within her body."

"A more detailed analysis will be assigned to Weber through relevant tasks after he wakes up today."

He paused, then continued, "At the same time, get Kariya moving too. Have him tell Zouken after he's been tested that if he wants to regain his youth, he must immediately join the analysis of the Holy Grail System regarding 'Heroic Spirit Summoning' and the 'Root' section."

That's about it for this part.

After briefly concluding the previous phase of the task arrangements, Conan immediately began the next phase of the plan.

He instructed the central control system to project the RSI value changes of [Kuyu Maiya] recorded in the magic book.

The changes are similar to those of Weber, with only slight variations.

Conan's eyes revealed a knowing look.

"As expected, the suppressive force of the [Type-Moon Universe] does not actually possess any likes or dislikes or clear consciousness."

"Then, the Alaya-vijnana must indeed be just a repressive force constructed by the collective unconscious of humankind."

In fact, to get a definitive answer, Conan even conducted three cross-verifications.

"The [Wave] group, the [Hiyu Maiya] group, and then—"

He projected the RSI value test results of Fuyuki City after the "crime rate" decreased.

"【Ryunosuke Amusei】This group."

Conan looked at Hasegawa Tsuki.

“Moon, look, although Ryunosuke Amusei’s RSI value fluctuated before we stopped those murders, there were no new developments that provided the murderer with so-called ‘materials’.”

This is also why, after analyzing it, Conan felt more and more that the character design of this "universe" might be more effective than "historical inertia."

At that moment, Hasegawa Tsuki immediately understood what her superior meant.

"You mean, [Alaya] stopped Ryunosuke Uryu from continuing the serial killings according to [historical inertia]?"

“It’s not necessarily about stopping him.” Conan didn’t immediately draw a conclusion on this point, “because we are still following the ‘historical inertia’ and releasing the reports of his murders to the public.”

Under Hasegawa Tsuki's questioning gaze, the detective then stated the facts he had deduced:

"But one thing is certain: given Weber's abnormal effects, he will be driven towards the fate of being recognized as a 'subject' by Iskandar."

"Based on the information of [Ryunosuke Uryu], after he identified those false deaths, real humans should have voluntarily come to him to be killed."

But in reality, this did not happen.

"Therefore, considering that the RSI background value of this universe is still greater than 100, it is clearly the behavior of the [Alaya]."

Even immediately after that, Conan made a slightly risky attempt to test the waters by changing the control of Fuyuki City.

During this period, the entire Fuyuki City Police Department seemed to have gained supernatural insight, even as if they could foresee the future. Preventing or apprehending suspects before crimes occur was part of this test.

"Such a change could not possibly be unknown to the Alaya consciousness, which is part of the 'collective unconscious of humanity'—"

Conan's expression turned serious for a moment. He pulled up the values ​​that Hasegawa Tsuki had measured before he was summoned and turned to look at her.

"After all, Moon, you previously measured RSI values ​​of over 100 on everyone, and this phenomenon just happens to correspond to the conclusion."

"And if we consider all of humanity, the more than five billion RSI values ​​exceeding one hundred, as the RSI value of the individual [Alaya]..."

Thinking about this, Conan felt a little heavy-hearted.

Although the increase in RSI values ​​is obviously not a simple addition, it must still be a rather large number.

Furthermore, Conan also remembers the changes that Hasegawa Tsuki had caused in the "universe".

In retrospect, it was clearly some kind of influence from the Alaya consciousness.

……

Hasegawa Tsuki, on the other hand, showed her optimistic side.

"Wouldn't that mean our operation will go very smoothly?"

"If [Alaya] is willing to stand against those magicians who cause death and chaos because of its mission to protect humanity, our actions might be rewarded—"

"Moon, have you ever thought about this?"

Conan interrupted her, his calm voice sounding strangely cold and sinister.

"In this universe, in the context of Alaya, are we—as members of 'humanity'?"

“We appear to be being helped by [Alaya], but it simply hasn't discovered us at all.”

“Once it becomes aware of our presence, it will no longer be ‘assistance’ but ‘removal of foreign objects’.”

Hasegawa Tsuki was speechless for a moment.

Conan's voice continued: "This is also why we should only recruit people who originally had a 'persona' in this 'universe,' and why we cannot recruit a large number of people as members of the Alliance."

"For Alaya, those who are brought under the jurisdiction of the alliance are obviously equivalent to being dead."

"Or, its anomalous effects could also be split and act independently—that would be even worse."

Conan thought for a moment and added, "The kind of practice that Hades Raymond did, treating grimoires as sacred objects and never letting them out of his sight, is extremely rare."

“Ordinary people don’t have magic circuits. Once they return to the outside world, Alaya may be able to detect information about the Alliance from their presence.”

and many more……

So, was it really Alaya that Hasegawa noticed the moon at the very beginning?

She's not a human being from this "universe".

A vague inspiration flashed through the detective's mind.

Conan immediately rewound his timeline to that moment, and after repeatedly pondering it, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Immediately following Conan's thought, a 3D projection of the entire Fuyuki City appeared in front of the two of them.

"The ley lines, which are the magical nodes related to [Gaia], must be avoided."

Some areas on the projection disappeared as Conan's voice rang out.

"Remove locations related to [historical inertia], such as Fuyuki Bridge, Fuyuki Church on the southern hills, residential areas in the eastern part of the city, Mount Enzo, and the castle in the western part of the city."

"Remove the city center of Fuyuki City."

The projected image suddenly looked like a watermelon with its center hollowed out, surrounded by worm-eaten holes, and the west side looked as if a piece had been sliced ​​off by a sharp blade.

Conan marked the three most suitable points.

"Moon, you are in charge of establishing shelters in these three locations during this period."

"At the same time, the infiltration of the Self-Defense Forces and the government system must be carried out in parallel—continue to place puppets to ensure that human resources are under control."

He paused and then said:

"When necessary, you are allowed to use the reconstruction device to directly repair the three-piece protective structure."

"As for the follow-up work, just let TDD and the puppet modify the relevant government documents and procedures."

Conan's gaze gradually calmed down.

"In the following days, I will cause the [Leap Terminal] to generate vibrations, gradually increasing in size, along the coast of Fuyuki City."

"Moon, you are responsible for arranging for personnel to go to the shelter in advance to conduct evacuation drills based on the relevant data."

Sensing the weight in his tone, Hasegawa Tsuki nodded without hesitation.

"I understand, I'll make arrangements right away."

She strode out of the lobby and headed to the control room to discuss more detailed rules with TDD.

……

After she left, Conan was left standing alone in the vast space.

His gaze lingered on the "Environmental RSI Index" data for a long time.

He finally found it.

That third path that might prevent this universe from being distorted and ensure the success of the alliance.
To be honest, Conan felt he should have thought of this sooner.

Regardless of who or what was behind the actions that targeted Hasegawa Tsuki.

Clearly, that was already a breach of the established rules.

Even more so considering that it was this [universe] that strangely "invited" them here.

"Perhaps... maybe the mechanism that the other side fears the most is the [shell]."

However, despite saying that, Conan had already raised his guard to the highest level.

"So, it's someone who at least understands the nature of the [Shell]..."

(End of this chapter)