Daily Spy Life in the Detective Conan World

Chapter 253 The Self-Righteous Intellectual

Turn the old-fashioned F-key to open the hidden window in front, and a beautiful forest view under the afterglow of the setting sun will appear before your eyes.

The forest is lush and vibrant, and the orange sunset casts a striking contrast on the green forest, creating a unique and beautiful scene.

Flocks of birds roamed above the lake, and occasionally a fish would leap out of the water only to be snatched away by a bird that had been waiting for its chance.

This beautiful scenery is a gift that old man left to his descendants.

But human nature is unpredictable; behind a beautiful landscape lies the loss of more than a dozen lives.

Even in death, the old man could never have imagined that his dying words would cause a fifteen-year tragedy for the Mamiya family.

His wife and daughter were brutally murdered, and his daughter's stone tower was labeled a forbidden place. The entire Mamiya family was essentially defunct.

"Therefore, when making a will in the future, it is best to make your point clear. Sometimes, making things too complicated is not necessarily a good thing."

Xia Chuan shook his head and watched the entire sunset process before going down to meet up with Conan and the others.

It's dinnertime. After dinner, I still need to deal with the secret passage.

Since the incident with the Gale Fairy Bandit Group, he no longer fully believed in the plot, so he didn't immediately expose that Mamiya Shiro was someone else in disguise, just to avoid alerting the enemy.

She might have accomplices; that's not impossible.

Four years ago, a fire killed fifteen people, including Takato Mamiya's mother. Natsukawa felt that Mamiya Dai alone might not be able to accomplish all of this.

In short, we should remain skeptical.

There are six children with me, and I can't be afraid to put them in danger.

At the dinner table, three generations of the Mamiya family were supposed to be together, but only three remained: the adopted son-in-law, Mamiya Mitsuru; the matriarch, Mamiya Shiro, was even a fake; and only Mamiya Nobleman truly carried the Mamiya bloodline—a somewhat tragic situation.
At the dinner table, Lady Mamiya frequently glanced at her stepfather, her hostility evident in her eyes.

"Professor Agasa, you've been wandering around the castle all afternoon. Have you found anything?"

Mamiya Mitsuru didn't care about his stepson's attitude at all, focusing all his attention on the treasure, his eyes fixed intently on Professor Agasa.

The mystery that has kept him up at night for four years—can this brilliant scientist provide the answer today?

Mamiya Norito and Mamiya Shiro glanced at each other, both wanting to know the answer, especially Mamiya Shiro, whose gaze was even more intense than Mamiya Mitsuru's.

Fortunately, the reflection in her glasses helped to conceal her embarrassment.

Moreover, there was something she was very confused about.

why?

These people clearly discovered and even opened the secret passage, but instead of going down to check the situation, they didn't even tell them.

Are these outsiders really here for the treasure as well?
She was planning to wait until the enemy entered, then use their familiarity with the terrain to ambush them one by one and kill them all.

But these people weren't falling for the trap at all, which was a bit of a headache.

"Uh, this one."

Professor Agasa's eyes darted around. He had spent the whole afternoon following Conan and the others. Although he had discovered several places that might be secret passages, he couldn't figure out the so-called mystery at all!

So, what exactly is the connection between the secret passage and chess?
Conan seems to have figured out the secret behind that chess set, but he didn't tell him. Otherwise, he could have used his exceptional intelligence at this moment.

"Didn't you solve this mystery either?" Mamiya was extremely disappointed. It seemed that he would have to go to Tokyo to find Kogoro Mouri to come and take a look at the mystery at dawn tomorrow. Only a great detective like him could solve the mystery left by his father-in-law.

"No, Professor Agasa just finds this puzzle a bit difficult. After all, you haven't solved it in over a decade, so it's unrealistic for Professor Agasa to solve it in just one afternoon, isn't it? Relax, the answer will come, and the treasure will definitely be found, but it will take some time."

Xia Chuan helped out of the predicament.

The others nodded in agreement.

Indeed, even scientists cannot solve the mystery in an afternoon; if they did, they would look foolish.

"In that case, let's get some rest tonight and hopefully Professor Agasa can solve this mystery tomorrow."

Mamiya Mitsuru had no interest in the lavish feast; all he wanted was an answer. Hearing Natsukawa's explanation, he could only nod. "If you have any questions, feel free to come and ask me anytime."

After saying that, Mamiya Mitsuru elegantly wiped his mouth, got up and left.

"By the way, has Mr. Mamiya always been like this?" Conan asked curiously. This guy was a bit suspicious, but the person blocking the door shouldn't be him.

Regardless of whether the other party had time to run to the secret passage to block the door, just looking at their surprise and delight upon hearing about the secret passage, it was definitely not an act.

Nobleman Mamiya did not answer, but Mamiya Shiro sneered: "Hmph, this guy only became our adopted son-in-law because he coveted our castle and the treasure left by the old man. He didn't admit it before, but now he's finally showing his true colors."

"Alright, Grandma, let's not talk about this anymore." Noble Lady Mamiya rubbed her eyes, knowing that family scandals shouldn't be aired in public.

"Okay, I'm full. Judging by the time, my daughter should be back soon. When she gets back, I'll have her come to my room to find me."

"Okay, okay, Grandma."

"I'm sorry, my grandmother became like this after my mother's accident. Her memory is a bit confused, and she's not quite lucid. Please excuse her." Noble Lady Mamiya sighed. This grandmother of hers could be quite worrying at times.

Natsukawa Shizuka watches Mamiya's performance.

In reality, Mamiya Shiro's acting was quite clumsy. Although her expressions and movements were convincing, they did not fit the feeling of an eighty-year-old woman.

However, I heard that both Mamiya Mitsuru and Mamiya Nobleman only returned around the time of the fire four years ago, so they may not know much about Mamiya Shiro, which is why the other party was able to keep it a secret for so long.

but
Xia Chuan suddenly discovered a key point.

The fact that these two people didn't find it can be explained, but what about the others?

There might have been servants who worked here before the fire; surely they couldn't have been completely unaware of it?

Things are getting interesting; there are definitely accomplices among the servants of the Mamiya family!

"It's alright, every family has its own problems." Xia Chuan waved his hand to show his understanding.

The guests were still eating when two of the hosts ran away, showing a complete lack of hospitality. Nobleman Mamiya seemed to realize his poor hospitality and said with a forced smile, "Everyone, please eat quickly. Our chef is an excellent cook and will definitely satisfy you."

“By the way, Mr. Noble, I have a question for you,” Conan interjected, “Who is the most knowledgeable person in the Mamiya family?”

"Knowledgeable? If we're talking about knowledgeable people, I'm probably the only one left in the family now." This wasn't just Noble Mamiya boasting.

He was an international student, attending one of the top universities in the United States. Although he majored in fine arts, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he had the highest level of general education.

When her maternal grandmother was young, she was just an ordinary college student. Her stepfather had a little money, but he was a nouveau riche who had never attended college. Now, the entire Mamiya family lives off some company shares left by her maternal grandfather.

"what?"

Conan's beady eyes.

He believed that Mamiya Nobleman was knowledgeable, but he estimated that the other party's maternal grandfather was only a few years old when he died. How could he possibly be called an intellectual at that time?

wrong!

Conan suddenly realized that Takato Mamiya was referring to the present, which shouldn't include the Mamiya family members who had died over the years. "Mr. Takato, the Mamiya family members I'm referring to include your biological father, mother, and maternal grandfather."

"Hmm?" Mamiya Noble narrowed his eyes, paused in his cutting motion with his knife and fork, and sensed that this problem was not simple.

He glanced at Professor Agasa, then at Natsukawa.

Could it be that these two people have already solved the mystery, and the answer to the mystery is related to someone with extensive knowledge?

If we're talking about being knowledgeable, my father, mother, and maternal grandfather all seem to be very knowledgeable. I heard that my father was even my grandfather's disciple.

So, the most knowledgeable person must be my maternal grandfather, right?

"If that's the case, then the most knowledgeable person in our family should be my maternal grandfather. This castle and our family business were all built from scratch by my maternal grandfather."

Dr. Agasa, is this question related to the puzzle of chess?
Have you solved it yet?

He suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up, asking excitedly.

"."

Dr. Agasa blinked, then mumbled "Aba aba" for a long time without saying a word.

"I understand. It seems you haven't completely solved this mystery either, but that's alright. I believe you can find the answer."

I am the only heir of the Mamiya family. If Professor Agasa solves the mystery, please tell me immediately!

Lady Mamiya bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, completing the bow in one smooth motion with a serious and focused gaze.

Mamiya Nobleman clearly misunderstood, thinking that Professor Agasa was being deliberately profound, or that the mystery had not been fully solved, or that his extensive knowledge was related to the problem-solving approach in chess, but had not been fully solved.

"I understand, I will definitely tell you as soon as possible!"

Professor Agasa was puzzled, but what was so difficult about nodding? Besides, with Shinichi's intelligence, this case would definitely be a piece of cake.

The group chatted for a few more minutes, and the dinner came to a perfect end once the children had finished eating.

"Have you already guessed it?" Ai Haibara whispered to Conan on the way back to their room.

"almost."

Conan turned to ask, "Uncle Natsukawa, have you solved this chess puzzle yet?"

"what?"

"Haven't you done it yet? You were gone for so long this afternoon, weren't you trying to solve the puzzle?"

Conan felt that Natsukawa might have found another way of thinking. He must have discovered something from another angle when they parted ways in the afternoon, which might be related to the secret passage.

If Xia Chuan could exchange information with him, perhaps the secret of this treasure could be solved more quickly.

"No, I heard Tian Yanshengnan say that there is a lake behind the castle, and I've been fishing by the lake all afternoon."

Although fishing was a lie, he did look at the lake for a long time, so he wasn't entirely lying.

Are you serious?

"Hmm, I'll leave this mystery to your Junior Detective Club. I'm here on vacation." Xia Chuan muttered to himself.

Okay, never mind.

Conan rolled his eyes, then asked, "So when are we going to explore the secret passage?"

Now Conan has learned his lesson and knows to bring Natsukawa along on adventures.

As the saying goes, the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Conan is eager to solve the case but doesn't want to die, so it's safer to wait for Natsukawa to join him.

He looked down and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It appeared to be a hand-drawn floor plan of the castle, with several areas marked in different colors.

“These colored dots are possible entrances to secret passages. Parts of the walls of this castle contain secret passages, some on the second floor and some on the third floor, but I suspect they all eventually connect to the underground.”

Conan stomped hard on the ground. Although it was solid, Conan firmly believed that there must be an unknown and mysterious space beneath his feet.

"Therefore, there must be a large basement underground. The so-called treasure is very likely in the basement. I think the answer to the chess puzzle is related to something in the basement."

Conan thinks that the so-called "something" is probably something like his grandfather's belongings.

The answer to the riddle is: [The self-righteous intellectual]

The person who created the riddle is himself, and he is incredibly knowledgeable about this ancient castle. So, if you go down to the basement and find some of the old man's belongings, you should be able to solve the mystery.

Conan spoke eloquently, and Xia Chuan nodded repeatedly before saying, "We'll go down and take a look when it's late at night and everyone's asleep."

After saying that, Xia Chuan looked at Professor Agasa and said, "Professor Agasa, please look after the children for a while. Conan and I will go down and check on the situation."

“Father, Anya wants to go too.”

Anya's camera was already eagerly waiting, and the three members of the Junior Detective Club were also looking at Xia Chuan with expectant eyes.

But Xia Chuan wasn't going to give them a chance; the situation below was still unclear, and taking care of a child was quite troublesome.

It's alright if it's just Mamiya Shiro alone, but if the other side has accomplices, things will be difficult.

"You can't go, it's too dangerous down there! Especially Anya, keep an eye on her!"

“No problem.” Ai Haibara nodded, confirming the plan.

"Seriously, why can Conan do that?" Genta muttered, somewhat dissatisfied.

In the dead of night, in the room where the clock served as a mechanism, Natsukawa stood at the door with Conan and Bond.

Why bring Bond?

"Because Anya and the others also wanted to know what was in the secret passage and the basement."

Xia Chuan pointed to the camera fixed above Bond's head, "That way they can see the video later and won't insist on coming down with us. Besides, with Bond there, they might be able to smell something."

Don't let Bond's seemingly dull appearance fool you; he's quite intelligent and might even protect you.

"."

Conan remained silent, feeling that Anya had gotten the camera for him, and that as a high school student, even if he shrunk, he didn't need a dog to protect him!
I haven't even asked Anya how she discovered the secret passage. Could it be that she, like me, also discovered the problem by observing the distance between the windows?

However, Anya has never shown any talent for deduction and solving cases.

"never mind."

Conan cleared his mind and followed Natsukawa into the secret door.

(Starting tomorrow, I'll be writing 10,000 words a day with two updates; please vote with monthly tickets.)
(End of this chapter)