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

Chapter 342 The Manifestation of Reasoning (Seeking monthly votes!)

It was like a piercing alarm that blared throughout the city before some great disaster was about to strike.

Or perhaps, it is the heavy, solemn sound of a bugle that was blown atop the city wall at the start of an ancient war.

The sky grew gloomy.

It even darkened at an extremely fast speed.

The sky, which had been able to let in a little bit of the sunset's light, was now surrounded by rapidly moving clouds.

The air currents began to accelerate.

At first, it could only create ripples on the banks of the Weiyuan River.

Then, it was as if countless blowers were constantly pushing air from the outskirts of the city inwards.

The once docile airflow became restless.

In the distance, on the beach, the ocean waves begin to roll, eventually crashing fiercely and persistently against the sand and stones under the howling winds.

time--

The most beautiful of all things.

It's about to accelerate.

……

"Weather warning! According to observatory data, a strong cold front is meeting warm air rising along the mountainsides in Fukayama Town, and tonight..."

The broadcast, slowed down and sped up three times, rang out on television sets in every household and in shops that were still open.

Street loudspeakers began broadcasting routes to the nearest shelter or information about nearby shelters.

Police officers, their faces hidden behind protective masks and goggles, began to block off various streets around the Tohsaka mansion.

Those blue and white police cars, with their red lights flashing intermittently in the darkness, moved about as if they didn't exist.

These symbols of justice, fighting against evil, arrive with unparalleled precision at the side of every passerby in need of help.

These people, who were panicked by the sudden disaster, were led to the entrance of the refuge, where the indicator lights, which symbolized safety, emitted a warm, soft yellow light.

A rescued person, soaking wet and huddled in the back seat of a police car; a believer praying to heaven because of the terrible weather; or an office worker complaining and cursing because they are worried about whether they can go to work tomorrow...

The water droplets dripping from the hem of clothes, the prayers silently recited in one's heart, and even the spittle that scatters in the air because of curses.

At this moment, everything tries to speed up the passing of this day with a sacred number.

Those chosen ones, slowed down by the entanglements woven by the Alliance, are now moving forward at a "normal" pace.

And the culprit behind all this is now standing quietly beside the [Leap Terminal], which emits a buzzing sound of magic being extracted and bursts out with an unprecedented blue light.

At this moment, no one would feel contempt because of his childlike size or his unrefined children's suit.

The magicians who were fortunate enough to witness this miraculous scene couldn't help but stop recording the data.

Let the relevant equipment monitor it.

When the “source” of everything decides to reveal His power, at this moment, even looking away is a desecration.

"The sun and moon alternate, yet it is not in accordance with reason—the art of riding the white horse of time."

Like a deduction about the world, like a statement about the future.

A child's voice rang out—

The terminal connecting to the earth's veins is entangled with the history of that planet.

That inevitable future, with its myriad details, is now gently revealed to the universe itself.

……

"Hmm, accelerating to three times should be just right."

With a familiar voice, an unreal, phantom appeared in the executive hall.

Hasegawa Tsuki, looking worried, immediately stood up from her chair.

"Commander Kudo!"

She ran up to the child's phantom image, her voice tense and anxious.

"How are you feeling? Is there anything you can't handle—"

"Don't worry, don't worry!"

Conan waved his hand, his face completely calm and without any hint of his true feelings.

"It's just being trapped inside the [Jump Terminal] and acting as an energy device... I'm used to it."

"Eh--?!!"

"Moon, this matter is quite complicated. In short, it's not the first or second time he's been 'jailed'."

"Well, since you're not in this universe right now anyway, if you're interested, you can look up some information related to the Star Tower."

Although he was still saddened by his superior's sacrifice, Hasegawa Tsuki calmed down after being persuaded by the detective's few words.

Conan had already jumped back onto the chair. He stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"In short, I really didn't expect that the [Spirit Origin] would actually have the function of anchoring 'authenticity'."

Conan thought his clone would be just as powerful as himself.

"It seems that the magic of getting the Holy Grail for free is indeed impossible."

"So, are you now solely responsible for the time flow rate of the entire [Fuyuki City]?"

"Hmm." Conan nodded. "Fortunately, because we avoided those beings with magical powers, we only 'deduced' the future of ordinary people, so the pressure wasn't too great."

"In addition to the 'one second' borrowed from the [Inherent Time Control], and the role of the earth's veins in recording history, the world has not corrected us."

This is obvious.

After all, this is an "acceleration" of time rather than a "leap".

Conan did not interfere with the future of those people whose background history was recorded due to "historical inertia".

He simply wanted to prevent other forces from disrupting the alliance's plans tonight, and decided that the moment Assassin stepped down, the day would immediately come to an end.

As for how to obtain that "one step ahead" in the future before anything even happens...

Faced with Hasegawa Tsuki's doubts, the detective smiled smugly.

"After all, I can consider myself a detective..."

—Wouldn't it be enough to just deduce the actions of every ordinary person in this city every three seconds?
That inherent skill called "Manifestation of Reasoning" is not just for show.

Perhaps this is the wonder of time.

Given the current instantaneous output of the league, it's impossible to predict the future up to midnight tonight.

But if you divide it into "parts" of time points—

Predicting actions in the "fourth second" from the "first second" and actions in the "fifth second" from the "second second"...

"In this way, whoever wants to challenge the historical momentum tonight will be in our 'past'."

"And because their 'future' has already been anchored, they are destined to fail."

Conan looked up to the side and saw each node marked on the projection due to the different flow of time.

"Now, it all depends on whether the other side will make a move."

……

Meanwhile, Conan was talking to Hasegawa Tsuki.

Fuyuki City Shinto Police Station.

Eri Kuin, who has become a local police inspector, is simultaneously talking to Conan's projection.

"Eri, still no trace of Emiya Shirou?"

The head of the Reality Intervention Department of the Alliance-type Moon Division nodded solemnly.

She reached out and lightly touched her glasses, and a projected blue light appeared in the air from the frame.

Some striking red dots were either moving or stationary on that map.

"Based on the RSI fluctuation chart drawn by the 'Horizon Probe,' I have confirmed all the figures mentioned in the 'Historical Inertia.'"

"In addition to the seven master-servant pairs, the McKinsey couple, Taiga Fujimura, and others that Webber Velvet came into contact with have all been found in Fuyuki City."

"The existence of Rin Tohsaka and Aoi Tohsaka was also confirmed through Tokiomi Tohsaka's phone line."

A hint of self-reproach and apology was evident in Yongli Jiuyin's voice.

"But I'm very sorry, among all the targets, we still haven't found that child who will be named [Emiya Shirou] in the future."

"Even with the help of the police database and the storm allowing officers to check all children aged 4 to 7, they still couldn't find them."

"Well, I see."

Conan stared thoughtfully at the target node on the map.

According to the plan, during this ceremony, after finding the participants of the "Fifth World War", the Alliance will use about one micro-string to confirm their existence, especially the presence of [Emiya Shirou].

But unfortunately—

This tiny string should be more than enough.

……

It's probably because the League of Legends was immediately faced with a "starter village" with a difficulty level that could be described as hell.

Whether it's Lin Sheng, Conan, or the entire alliance's combat style, they are all highly distinctive due to the characteristics of this universe.

For example——

They all tend to focus on the "ending".

By anchoring and confirming the final future as the way that is most beneficial to the alliance, all past disadvantages can be erased.

Therefore, the detective had actually been eyeing the child from the very beginning.

He was even more important than everyone else in this struggle.

It can only be said that this is because the CYZ effect is really limited.

The Conan Edogawa of the [Type-Moon Universe-001] is much more hardworking than his current self in the [This Universe].

—He has learned all the knowledge left in TDD by the Narrative Department and, based on their conclusions, is trying to make further inferences.

Just like...

What if the RSI anomaly in this "universe" has not actually occurred yet?
It's important to understand that in this universe, the Alliance's final solution to avoid Conan's rampant and unpredictable anomalies was to travel to a point in time before he began to affect the universe.

What if this "universe" is actually the "Fate/stay night" universe?

Of course, this possibility seems extremely slim at present.

However, with a slight change in the logic, it can be well explained why there was no real anomaly in the RSI value at the beginning.

"Because, if the Fourth Holy Grail War is an ensemble drama without a true core..."

Conan's gaze fixed on the "No such person found" record, and he slowly spoke:
"Then the core of the Fifth Shinobi World War is undoubtedly that child named Emiya Shirou."

Hasegawa Tsuki was somewhat puzzled.

"Commander Kudo, even if [Emiya Shirou] is truly an RSI anomaly in this [universe], in the timeline of the Fourth Shinobi World War, he's just someone who knows nothing—"

“The moon.” Conan interrupted Hasegawa Tsuki’s question.

He paused, seemingly hesitant about whether or not to reveal the difference.

Considering that Hasegawa Tsuki is indeed now an "Executive Councilor," the detective finally decided to speak up.

"It seems... you've confused 'history' with [historical inertia]." Undoubtedly, "history" and [historical inertia] are completely different things.

This was proven during the time when the [universe] truly attempted to interfere with [Detective Conan].

Just like Conan has been struggling with whether the "universe" that Hasegawa Tsuki came to is the "Fate/Zero" universe or the "Fate/stay night" universe.

Or perhaps, it is actually the [Fate/Grand Order universe].

The so-called "Type-Moon Universe-001" is merely an unidentified abbreviation and there is absolutely no truth to the existence of a "universe" named "Type-Moon".

Conan retrieved the data from the database of the swarm civilization called "Zeldaen Organic Organization," which had a record in this universe and was the first to discover the wonderful uses of "cyanide."

A magnificent and unfalsified timeline, a history far longer and more magnificent than human history itself.

From the first vague awareness of the power of "cooperation", to the first stretch of the tentacles of "consciousness" toward the sky, to the first witnessing of the wisdom of "not being one".

Then came the first expansion, the first war, the first time a galaxy was brought under his control, and the first time a galaxy was filled with life.

Conan turned around, and his gaze held a real sense of oppression, a pressure that others could hardly bear.

He asked the question that would make her understand the difference between the two, right there in Hasegawa's trembling eyes.

"Moon, aren't these all history?"

Before Hasegawa could respond, a sigh filled with emotion echoed throughout the hall.

"These... are just background."

"Whether it's Gaia, Alaya, or the so-called Chaldea, or even the 'Awakened One' and 'God' described in the documents as transcendent beings..."

Conan lowered his head, his gaze shifting to the six-hand watch on his left wrist, and sighed again.

He then repeated that statement once again.

"These... are just background."

"What's the difference between these so-called powerful beings who can pluck stars from the sky and seize the moon, and the extraordinary civilizations in this universe?"

It's just a difference in the length of the sentences.

Conan looked at Hasegawa Tsuki, and seeing her equally downcast expression, explained:
“The descriptions of ‘magic’ in the database can indeed easily lead to misunderstandings.”

"But by analogy, they are more like narratives about things like the history of technological development in this universe."

"The core is everything; the real RSI value anomaly, not its derivatives or derivatives of derivatives, is the key."

This is also why Conan isn't too worried about those so-called powerful individuals—

Even judging from Merlin's performance, there may be a rampant "destruction phenomenon" in this "universe".

Or perhaps, it's a possibility that doesn't exist within the "historical inertia," the so-called parallel universe.

As long as we can find the core of this Type-Moon universe.

No matter how powerful they are, they can be easily brought back to their original trajectory by utilizing the "inertia of history".

"Because—if they didn't do that in the context of historical inertia, then no matter how powerful and omnipotent they are described in the text, they simply couldn't do it."

Surprisingly, Hasegawa Tsuki quickly adjusted her mindset.

"I understand."

She nodded slightly, took a deep breath to calm herself, and then asked a question:

"However, now that the existence of the [cutting mechanism] has been confirmed."

"So, logically speaking, this [universe] should be located within the Fate/Grand Order universe, right?"

"【Clipping mechanism】? Moon, inferences require evidence."

Conan smiled.

He could tell that Hasegawa Tsuki was still somewhat limited by the "settings" in those databases.

"Did Chaldea personnel, or more precisely, high RSI value targets, inform us about this so-called 'trimming'?"

"The only thing whose RSI value is confirmed to have exceeded 150 seems to be... the Throne of Heroes, right?"

At this moment, the detective's smile had a mysterious quality to it.

"It seems that someone has... hidden [Emiya Shirou] away."

……

Yes, unlike in the past when monitoring relied on ley lines, magic, or rough RSI fluctuations.

This intervention was precisely targeted at every low RSI value target.

It's like using the process of elimination.

Because the CYZ effect spread across the entire city is extremely weak.

Conversely, those unaffected and remaining "existences" are undoubtedly those "registered" in the "historical inertia".

"Therefore... this should be the [universe] of the World War V timeline."

Conan then gave his own conclusion.

"In this way, it becomes clear why the person behind the scenes gives us a sense of 'cutting'."

At that moment, Conan spoke to both Eiri Kuin and Hasegawa Tsuki.

"No matter what commotion we cause in World War IV, it's merely an insignificant part of the historical inertia—"

"As long as the truth can be told to Emiya Shirou in the end, the rest of them will disappear due to the correction of historical inertia, wouldn't that be good?"

"Therefore, it is quite simple and clear why Gilgamesh reacted most violently to the Alliance's intervention."

"Because—they are people who lived to the Fifth Holy Grail War, and they even held considerable influence."

Conan paused, trying to find a way to verify whether his guess was correct.

Should we try to recruit all the children in the entire new city into the alliance under the name of the school?
"I have a feeling it will clash with [Alaya]..."

The detective shook his head slightly and finally gave up on the idea.

"It's even possible that [Emiya Shirou] is hiding [Alaya].

Furthermore, if the "historical inertia" is the fifth war rather than the fourth.

The facts would then contradict the Alliance's interference with [Illya] and [Matou Sakura].

Why is it so easy for the Alliance to interfere with the Einzbern and Matou families?
And then there's Merlin's interference with Artoria, and Kiritsugu Emiya's suddenly rising RSI value...

Although these strange contradictions can all be explained by the fact that the "core" [Emiya Shirou] has not yet appeared, or may even have been influenced by someone.

Considering that the key right now is to ensure the survival of the alliance, Conan brought his wandering thoughts back to the present.

"In short, whether it's a parallel universe structure centered on [Fujimaru Ritsuka] or one centered on [Emiya Shirou], there's not much difference for us now."

"The truth will be revealed once we come into contact with other parallel universes."

Conan paused, then continued:

"Therefore, the most important thing now is to determine whether the historical inertia of the Fifth Holy Grail War truly does not exist."

or--

I recall Hasegawa Tsuki's inexplicable arrival in this "universe".

Conan then confronts this greatest confusion within himself.

Is this really just a shell?

If the historical inertia of the Fifth Holy Grail War truly does not exist.

Why does it exhibit the same characteristics?
……

In short, let's begin with our first attempt to probe Artoria.

When Hisahi Maiya and Kiritsugu Emiya returned to the inn, they were setting up the familiars to monitor the Tohsaka residence again, as instructed by the Alliance.

Accompanied by a flow of magical energy emanating from that magic book.

Under Kiritsugu's still somewhat cautious gaze, Hisayu Maiya opened it and turned to one of the pages.

Looking at the pure white page in Maiya's hand, Kiritsugu Emiya paused for a second before asking a question:

"Maimi, what are the instructions over there—?"

Hisayu Maiya first gave a location.

Then, a hint of apology appeared in her tone.

"Kiritsugu, I can't tell you because of that number, but you need to contact Saber and Irisviel to go to that place."

Kiritsugu remained silent for "one second" again.

Having already located the coordinates from his memory within that "one second"—which were actually not far from the Tohsaka family's residence—he didn't say anything more.

He stood up and made a phone call to Irisviel using his somewhat bulky mobile phone.

"Alice, I need you to go to this place with Saber right now, um—"

Kiritsugu looked up at Maiya, and after receiving a few gestures from her, continued speaking.

"Yes, there might be a battle, but don't worry, Maiya will come to meet you first, and then go there."

"Maiya will be the main force for this test, and you and Saber will be responsible for backing up the team."

Irisviel's surprised voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Huh? What if we encounter other Servants?!"

At this moment, Kiritsugu Emiya was completely unaware of his plans for the future.

But just like always, he spoke coldly, like that machine that pursues "justice".

"Don't worry, I have a plan."

This man seemed truly heartless; in fact, he even told himself—

Using Maimi to test the true strength of that alliance was undoubtedly a very advantageous exchange.

However, when Kiritsugu Emiya saw that Maiya Hisau really didn't take any weapons and was just carrying that "shorthand notebook" as she was about to leave the room...

He lowered his eyes and spoke in a tone devoid of any emotion:
"Maimi, are you confident?"

She paused for a moment, her back to the man.

Maiya didn't make a sound; she made a gesture for Kiritsugu to "look outside."

Then, as if to demonstrate the power of the Alliance to Kiritsugu.

With a burst of magical light symbolizing the [Spellboard Leap], Maiya vanished into thin air.

……

"Shh-"

As the curtains were drawn back, Kiritsugu Emiya's eyes widened.

Beyond that layer of sky, still bathed in the glow of the setting sun, which was exceptionally beautiful.

It's as if there was a deliberately left opening.

Another layer of gray sky, carrying light imbued with the CYZ effect, rushed straight in.

At this moment, the man felt completely at ease.

"Yeah, what am I thinking about..."

Kiritsugu Emiya shook his head with a slight chuckle.

"This is—the power to manipulate time."

(End of this chapter)