Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

Driven by industries such as electronics, security, and automobiles, it is no exaggeration to say that the prospects for the optical manufacturing industry are very promising.

According to what Senior Jingtang said, it seems that the Jingtang family is currently experiencing some financial difficulties...

Who doesn't want more money in their pocket?

Thinking of this, Longye said, "Senior Jingdang, let's go take a look together. Maybe we really can find treasure~"

Just then, the shop assistant...

Seeing the 槺拘〕阋桓鋈硕俗耪饷炊喽鞴矗,±剂⒙砩锨鞍锩Α�

After placing the juice on the table, [the text abruptly shifts to a seemingly unrelated anecdote about someone eating fruit and a drink].

Seeing this, Xiaolan looked at Kangju with concern and said, "Miss Kangju, you're working too hard all by yourself..."

"Don't worry, Xiaolan, someone has already passed the interview here. Soon, I won't be the only one running the shop anymore."

"Really?" Xiao Lan immediately put on a show of flattery.

Hearing their conversation, Longye thought for a moment and then curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

In his memory, this shop, for a long time, only sold [unclear - possibly a type of food].

Later, the store did hire a new employee, and that employee's name was—Toru Amuro.

Chapter 280 When eating crabs, probably no one will say anything, right?

After everyone finished their juice, they followed Senior Jingtang to the Jingtang family mansion by taxi.

Upon entering the mansion, the members of the Junior Detective League couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"This place looks like a park!"

"Is this all part of their courtyard? No wonder the Kyoudo family is so incredibly wealthy!"

"..."

As they approached the Jingtang family's residence, a tall, black tower standing straight on the ground appeared before them.

The tower is dark black and has no entrance or windows at all.

Noticing everyone's gaze, Senior Mirror Hall gestured and introduced, "This is the 'Dark Tower' you've all heard of~ Occasionally, bursts of laughter of unknown origin can be heard coming from the top of that tower!"

Seeing the fear on the faces of several members of the Detective Club, Senior Kagami immediately smiled and waved her hand, continuing:

“This tower was built by my grandfather, Seitaro Kyodo, 40 years ago. He was very passionate about architecture and also set up many traps in this house.”

Conan looked up at the Black Tower, lost in thought for a moment.

Since the person who built this tower had a fondness for architecture and mechanisms, the entrance to this black tower might be hidden inside the Kagami family's residence.

Just then, Senior Jingtang's tone suddenly became somewhat low.

"However, my father is currently planning to sell the tower and the land here..."

"This courtyard is going to be sold too?" Xiaolan looked at Senior Jingtang in surprise.

"Yes, that's right. Once we sell it, we won't be able to go treasure hunting anymore. That's why my stepmother is so anxious."

Just as everyone was feeling sad about the incident, a loud argument came from inside the house.

"No way! You sold the treasure so easily!"

"This is no longer the time for you to be willful! This is our last chance to revitalize the Jingtang family. I don't have the energy to deal with your ridiculous dreams!"

"..."

Although Longye and his group were still some distance from the mansion, the argument inside the house was clearly audible to everyone.

Senior Jingtang looked down at the Junior Detective Club members and said helplessly, "They've always been like that. I'm sorry to have made you see something so embarrassing."

"No, adults have their own difficulties." Mitsuhiko nodded with his eyes closed.

“That’s right, my parents often argue over trivial things too, it’s nothing at all.” Genta nodded casually.

Seeing this, Longye and Xiaolan exchanged a glance, surprised that they could give such a high-EQ answer.

Senior Jingtang smiled and said, "I didn't expect to be comforted by you guys! Never mind them, let's go check out the tower first~"

"Oh!" X3

Upon arriving at the foot of the Black Tower, the group looked up at the tower and sighed in admiration.

Although we had a vague sense of it when we looked at it before, it wasn't until we got closer that we truly felt the height of the black tower.

Judging by appearance, this black tower is at least ten meters tall.

After getting up close to the Black Tower, Mitsuhiko and his two friends excitedly ran around it, preparing to search for the location of the "hidden" entrance.

Conan looked up at Senior Kagami and asked, "Senior Kagami, has your father ever mentioned anything about the treasure or this Black Tower?"

Senior Jingtang thought for a moment, then lowered her head and replied, "Absolutely not~ But it's related to my father marrying into the family. My deceased mother must have heard about it from my grandfather..."

"Oh, right! There's one more person you might know, Mr. Nagase! He used to be my grandfather's assistant, and he lived in a house not far from ours."

Not long after, Mitsuhiko and the others returned dejectedly.

They had circled the Black Tower countless times, but still hadn't found the hidden entrance.

Yuan Tai even felt a little dizzy from looking down and up for so long.

Seeing the three of them looking disappointed, Senior Jingtang immediately encouraged them, "Don't be discouraged, you've only just arrived, right? Just take your time looking!"

After she finished speaking, she led everyone to the "green walkway" surrounding the mansion.

Looking at the mansion surrounded by green grass and flower walls, Xiaolan couldn't help but exclaim, "There are so many green plants, it's so beautiful!"

"After all, my grandpa really likes green plants! But to be honest, it costs a lot of money every year just to maintain these flowers and plants! This is one of the reasons why our family is getting poorer and poorer~" Senior Jingtang said with a smile.

After saying that, Senior Jingtang seemed to realize that what she said was a bit too "realistic" for the members of the Junior Detective League in front of her.

So she leaned against a nearby courtyard lamp, then turned and pointed to the side, chuckling softly, "Come on, now look at the Black Tower through that archway~"

When everyone turned their heads, they were horrified to find that the black tower in the distance had been completely reversed.

The spire is below, and the body of the tower is above.

Seeing the horrified looks on Mitsuhiko and the others' faces, Conan laughed and said, "Someone put a lens in the middle of the archway, so the Black Tower you see is reversed."

Upon hearing this, Senior Mirror immediately reached out and patted Conan's head, exclaiming in surprise, "Little brother, you're so smart! You're right, this was a trap set up by my grandfather back then!"

Amidst the curious gazes of the crowd, Senior Jingtang stepped on the mechanism on the base of the courtyard lamp.

With a clicking sound, a lens slowly fell from the center of the courtyard gate.

The Black Tower's original appearance was revealed to everyone.

This magical scene immediately piqued the curiosity of Mitsuhiko and the others. The three of them quickly ran to the courtyard gate and began to examine the "lens".

Just then, a mature woman's voice came from not far away.

"Wow, Nanami, it's so lively here!"

Upon seeing the visitors, Senior Kagami immediately responded, "Ah, Mom. These two are my juniors from high school: Ran Mouri and Tatsuno Takeda~"

After speaking, Senior Kagami looked at Ryuno and the other two and introduced them, "This is my mother, Ms. Momoe~"

Kagami Momoe observed Ryūno and Koran.

Upon seeing Longye's handsome appearance and masculine physique, a subtle glint flashed in her eyes.

"Thank you both for taking care of my daughter~"

"I'm so sorry to bother you all at once," Xiaolan said apologetically, glancing at the Junior Detective Club not far away.

Hearing this, Kyodo Momoe waved her hand, patted Ran and Ryūno on the shoulder, and chuckled, "Don't worry about it, just enjoy your visit. If you need anything, just let us know~"

After seeing her stepmother's attitude, Senior Jingtang frowned in confusion.

She always felt that Miss Momochi treated Ran and Ryūno better than she treated other guests.

However, she didn't think much of it and instead asked, "Mom, weren't you talking to my brother about something? Did you find any clues?"

Kagami Momochi turned her head and recalled, "He only said something about a blue button, but he himself didn't understand what it meant."

"Really? It looks the same as always."

After saying goodbye, Kagami Momochi and the others headed towards the back of the mansion.

Chapter 281 Is the You in the Mirror Really You?

As she walked past Longye and the others, they smelled a strong perfume scent.

Watching Kagami Momoe's retreating figure, Conan asked, "Kagami-neechan, where does this corridor lead?"

"There's a right-angle bend ahead that leads to a warehouse not far from the main building. It used to be a dedicated warehouse for miso, soy sauce, and sake, but now it's just an ordinary warehouse," Senior Kagami explained, looking towards the end of the corridor.

same moment

As Kyodo Momochi was about to reach the warehouse entrance, she suddenly saw an unexpected figure and instinctively stopped in her tracks.

"Nagase? What's he doing at the warehouse?"

In her memory, Nagase had never been here before; usually, she or someone else was responsible for taking things from the warehouse.

Could it be that there's some secret here?!

Thinking of this, Jingtang Taozhi quietly followed behind him, preparing to find out what was going on.

……

Jingtang Family Residence

Ryūno and the others followed Kagami-senpai to a room with a small kitchen, where they met her brother, Kagami-senpai.

While cooking, Kagami Tsutomu chatted with the members of the Junior Detective League.

"Oh? You've come here treasure hunting? That must be hard work~ So, have you found anything?"

Upon hearing this, Mitsuhiko immediately replied loudly, "Yes! We believe that if there really is treasure, it should be inside that tower!"

“That’s right, a tower without windows and doors is too suspicious,” Ayumi nodded in agreement.

"Haha, you're right, but we haven't found a way in yet." Jingtang Qin wiped his hands with a cloth after chopping the vegetables and chuckled.

Longye and the others looked at Jingtang Qin with confusion, blinking their eyes.

Although the senior's brother also mentioned the treasure, he didn't seem to care much about it.