Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Moreover, during the Warring States period, some warriors would go to secluded streets to ambush civilians in order to practice their swordsmanship."

Ikeba Shizuka continued, her voice lowering slightly.

“My grandfather’s old books record that in the early Edo period, there was a samurai who killed seven civilians in a month in order to test the sharpness of a new sword. In the end, he was only fined a small amount of his salary by the lord.”

After hearing this, Lingzi frowned deeply.

She looked again at the samurai waving their swords and showing off their prowess on the street. The stag antler helmet that she had thought was cool just now looked ferocious. The slashing movements were no longer majestic, but instead full of bloody meaning.

"I... I suddenly feel like they're not handsome at all anymore." The little girl pouted and leaned closer to Lin Xiuyi, seeking a sense of security.

Lin Xiuyi gently patted her back: "Actually, every era has its own limitations. We cannot use today's moral standards to criticize the ancients, but we also cannot ignore these cruel facts just because it is history."

"This parade showcases the majesty of the warriors, but we should also remember that those lives that were trampled upon were once living, breathing human beings."

Just then, the parade came up in front of them.

The leading samurai seemed to recognize Ikenami Shizuka, and nodded slightly to her.

Ikeba Shizuka snapped out of her daze and politely returned the greeting, but the smile on her face had faded considerably.

As the samurai swung their swords, Reiko instinctively hid behind Hayashi Hideichi, unable to watch any longer.

As the procession gradually moved away, the drumbeats grew softer and softer. Lin Xiuyi suddenly suggested, "Let's not talk about these unhappy things anymore. Let's go see the Terracotta Warriors. Maybe we'll see something even more formidable than the warriors."

He wanted to use world-class cultural relics to divert everyone's attention and dispel the somber atmosphere at the scene.

When Lingzi heard the words "Terracotta Warriors," her eyes lit up again.

Ikeba Shizuka nodded as well: "Let's go, the exhibition hall isn't far from here, and there shouldn't be many people there now."

……

After waiting on the street for a while, the group met up with Kogoro Mouri and Ruri and arrived at the Osaka Exhibition Hall together.

Pushing open the heavy glass door, a scent mingled with the fragrance of wood and the dust of history wafts out.

The exhibition hall features a high ceiling, with a glass dome at the top that allows natural light to pour down, illuminating every exhibit inside.

The signboard at the entrance clearly indicates the layout of the exhibition areas: the first floor is the ancient Osaka cultural relics area and the modern industrial exhibition area, the second floor is the temporary special exhibition area, and the Terracotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang from China are placed in a separate exhibition hall at the back of the first floor and displayed separately as a highlight of this festival.

This place is like a miniature time capsule of Osaka, containing ancient artifacts that carry the city's memories, such as ceramics from the Edo period, textile machinery from the Meiji period, and account books and letters that tell the story of the trade between Naniwa and Osaka.

There are also industrial creations that represent modern Osaka's pride, such as sophisticated electronic components, shimmering chemical fibers, and miniature Shinkansen models.

The exhibits were dazzling and spanned across time, quickly attracting everyone's attention.

"Wow, this bottle is so beautiful!" As soon as she entered the ancient artifacts area, Lingzi was attracted by a celadon porcelain bottle in the display case.

It was a celadon porcelain piece from the Edo period, with a panoramic view of Osaka Castle painted on the body, the brushstrokes delicate and the colors bright.

The soft lighting from the display case cast a warm glow on the porcelain vase.

Ikenami Shizuka stepped forward and introduced: "This is porcelain made in Osaka during the mid-Edo period. It was mainly used by nobles at the time, and very few of them survive."

Midori Orikasa's gaze was drawn to a samurai sword in a nearby display case. The sword's scabbard was wrapped with a dark blue rope, and the hilt was inlaid with a bronze cherry blossom pattern. Despite being over a hundred years old, it still gleamed with a chilling light.

"This is a samurai sword from the Genna era, crafted by the famous Okada Masamune."

Ikeba Shizuka pointed to the introduction on the display board and said,

"Look at the wear marks on the scabbard. It must have been used in actual combat, not as a ceremonial knife."

Yukiko also came over, examining the pattern on the scabbard while muttering, "The way this knot is tied is very special; I can use it in clothing design later."

The modern industrial exhibition area presents a completely different scene.

The booth displayed the latest cameras, precision mechanical watches, and machine models produced by local Osaka companies.

Kogoro Mouri stared at the new camera on the display stand, not moving an inch for a long time.

Liuli stood helplessly to the side, still holding the unfinished takoyaki in her hand.

"What's so interesting about cameras?" Liuli couldn't help but complain. "We came to see cultural relics, not to buy electronics!"

"Every man's dream is to take pictures of beautiful women..."

Kogoro Mouri was halfway through his sentence when he saw Ruri raise her eyebrows, so he quickly changed his mind.

"I must have misremembered. Every man's dream should be to take pictures of his beautiful girlfriend."

These words immediately made Liuli beam with joy: "You're smart to know what's good for you."

Yukiko and Chikage Tomizawa were interested in the textiles in the corner of the exhibition area.

The exhibition displays kimono fabrics from the Edo period to the present day, including exquisite Yuzen dyeing, gorgeous Nishijin weaving, and printed fabrics made with modern techniques.

"The color scheme of this Yuzen dye is so unique, it uses a gradient of cherry blossom pink."

Yukiko gently stroked the glass of the display case, her eyes filled with admiration.

Chikage Tomizawa took out her camera and carefully photographed the pattern on the fabric, seemingly recording something.

The dazzling array of exhibits quickly dispelled the heavy emotions that had arisen from the samurai parade, and the atmosphere gradually warmed up as everyone toured and discussed the exhibits.

Before they knew it, the group had reached the back of the exhibition hall.

Before even getting close to the independent exhibition hall, one could hear exclamations of surprise coming from ahead, mixed with the clicking of camera shutters.

Peering through the gaps in the crowd, one could see a circular booth surrounded by black railings, packed with tourists in layers, with flashes of light constantly flashing in the exhibition hall like twinkling stars.

"There are so many people," Tomizawa Chikage said, standing on tiptoe and looking at the impenetrable wall of people. "It seems we can only be patient and slowly squeeze in."

As she had predicted, Lin Xiuyi and her group had to join the slowly moving queue, inching forward with the crowd.

After a difficult "trek," they finally broke through the densest crowd and arrived at the front of the booth, where they could face the world-renowned treasure without any obstruction.

When the complete Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang came into view, everyone held their breath in unison. Even the most boisterous Kogoro Mouri abandoned his nonchalant demeanor, his eyes filled with awe. (End of Chapter)