Conan Rick's Investigator

"Humanity's most primitive worship is fire. When primitive humans first began to gain wisdom, they discovered that fire was a sacred object that could drive away darkness and create warmth. However, once it ignited, it would soar into the sky and devour all evil.

People danced in front of the fire to inherit the fiery emotion towards the flame, and expressed their affection and awe towards the flame. From that time on, humans began to "worship fire".

In the 6th century BC, Zarathustra, the first high priest of Zoroastrianism, established a complete Zoroastrian church system. In less than two hundred years, Zoroastrianism became the state religion of the ancient Persian Empire.

The main god worshipped by our sect is the wise and noble Ahura Mazda.

She is the omniscient and omnipotent creator of the universe. It is the Lord God who created the material world we are familiar with and created flame, the "infinite light".

Although we often see flames in our daily lives, only the 'holy fire' maintained by Zoroastrianism is the 'fire of truth' created by the Lord Ahura Mazda.

Only the 'Fire of Truth' has the power to purify everything and crush all evil spirits. It will never be extinguished and is an existence of absolute goodness and justice.

We call this 'fire of truth' 'Kthugya'.

Cthugha is a living flame created by the Creator, and all the "holy fires" in this world are her offspring.

The main body of Cthugha is located on the star Fomalhaut, 25 light-years away from Earth. This was done intentionally by the Creator to prevent the blazing fire of truth from burning our bodies.

In the seasonal calendar proposed by Zuluzhi, Fomalhaut, Aldebaran, Antares, and Regulus are collectively referred to as the four royal planets.

The four royal planets appear and rule the sky for several months each year, representing the different seasons of the year.

The appearance of Fomalhaut signifies autumn, and by the way... today is the first day that Fomalhaut 'rules' the night sky."

Xiumu Feiyan introduced Zoroastrianism fluently, and his fingers did not forget to flip through the church reading material on the coffee table. On it was a color-printed conceptual map of the planet Beiluo Shimen.

However, Qin Zhibo was not very interested in the stories of these "Lord Gods" and "The Fire of Truth - Cthugha", and even felt a little resistant to them deep down.

When mentioning Aldebaran, one of the four royal planets, Qin Zhibo's mind unconsciously thought of the King in Yellow - Hastur.

Under that yellow robe lies the real king!

While Qin Zhibo was distracted, Koizumi Hongzi, who was sitting next to him, was listening to Kuchiki Feiyan's explanation with great interest.

Moreover, the name "Kthugya"...

"Wait a minute, I think I've read the name 'Ktugueya' in a book at home..." Koizumi Hongzi said suddenly.

This suddenly made Kuchiki Hien's tone calm, and he looked at Koizumi Hongzi excitedly, "Really? Then it seems you really are destined to be with our sect!"

"Crimson hair, fiery red clothes... If there's a chance in the future, I can recommend you to the High Priest to become the Holy Maiden of the Zoroastrianism! You'll be revered by everyone!"

Listening to what Kuchiki Hien said, Koizumi Hongzi proudly covered the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed out loud.

“Oh ho ho ho ho—”

……

Next, Xiumu Feiyan introduced the basic religious rituals of Zoroastrians.

Since the believers recruited in Japan are not residents of the original site, customs such as new birth ceremonies, purification ceremonies, and wedding customs can be exempted.

"The only thing we Zoroastrians have to do now is to 'pass on the fire'."

"Passing fire?"

Qin Zhibo repeated it doubtfully, which made Xiumu Feiyan look somewhat dissatisfied.

But this look was fleeting, and Xiu Mu Fei Yan began to explain.

"To pass on the fire is to pass on the 'holy fire'. The holy fire is the fire of truth, the living flame - the offspring of Cthugha, and the object of worship for us Zoroastrians.

The living flame that symbolizes light is far away on the star Fomalhaut. We can obtain the same protection from the invasion of evil gods by worshiping his descendants.

However, the torch relay in our Zoroastrianism is not like the torch relay in the Olympics. What we need is a torch relay ceremony that is perfectly timed.

When this ritual is completed, the holy flame of Cthugha will naturally descend here and ignite the fire altar..."

Xiumu Feiyan's words came to an abrupt end, and the church textbook in his hand was closed as he turned to the last page.

"You two, this is roughly the situation of our Zoroastrianism."

"Our faith is bright and pure, and our church members are all law-abiding citizens. There is no need to worry about this."

"Besides that, once we successfully pass on the Fire, this place will officially become one of the Zoroastrianism's branches around the world. In the future, no matter where you two travel, there will be over 20 believers with you, providing all kinds of support."

"spread……"

"What do you think?"

Kuchiki Hien looked at Qin Zhibo and Koizumi Hongzi earnestly, and his eyes conveyed the meaning of "I want you".

As if attracted by the "holy maiden" promised by Kuchiki Hien, Koizumi Hongzi was about to agree when she was held down by Qin Zhibo next to her.

"Let us think about this matter again..."

Xiumu Feiyan didn't give up and began to make big promises. "Although the 'fire transmission' hasn't taken place yet, as long as the fire transmission is successful, the two of you will become senior believers, able to view and worship the sacred fire on your own, and even pass on the fire..."

"correct!"

"Do you want to pass on the fire?"

His tone became increasingly stronger.

Noticing this change, Qin Zhibo did not stop and quietly grabbed Koizumi Hongzi's hand.

"Um……"

"Next time definitely!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Zhibo pulled Koizumi Hongzi and opened the door to leave.

Xiu Mu Fei Yan, who was sitting in the same place, stared at the backs of the two for a long time, his eyes gradually becoming gloomy.

Chapter 480 Chance Encounter

At the door of the "Crematorium", Qin Zhibo and Koizumi Hongzi pushed the door open and walked out.

"Why don't you let me join that Zoroastrianism?" Koizumi Hongzi turned her head and asked angrily.

Qin Zhibo thought for a moment and asked, "Then why do you want to join Zoroastrianism?"

"That's easy. As long as I become the 'Saint' of Zoroastrianism, I can also gain loyal believers."

Koizumi Hongzi's words were not complete. The purpose of gaining loyal believers was also to give back to the Red Magic Clan.

Currently, the Red Magic Clan lacks a legitimate head of the family. As the heir, he is weak and has only a housekeeper under him. He can only make a living by relying on the family's accumulated capital.

But if he could recruit believers and followers from Zoroastrianism, and wait until he officially came of age and was promoted to the head of the Red Magic Clan, he would have a greater chance of making a comeback and making a name for himself in the "Witch's Gathering".

With her invincible charm that can capture men, Koizumi Akako is very confident about becoming a "saint" and her future.

Qin Zhibo only guessed the superficial meaning of Koizumi Hongzi's desire to join Zoroastrianism, and explained it in reverse, "Have you heard of 'painting a big cake'?"

Koizumi Hongzi shook her head in confusion.

"Paying a rosy promise is to make unrealistic promises, use sweet talk to make people believe them, and then serve them."

"The man just gave us a brief introduction to the history of Zoroastrianism, without any other concrete details. Did you actually see the 20 followers he mentioned?"

"It's even impossible to tell whether he's a genuine Zoroastrian priest. After all, this place has only just been established, and there's no Zoroastrianism in Japan before. No one can tell the real thing from the fake."

Persian Zoroastrianism reminded Qin Zhibo of the Ming Cult in martial arts novels, which originated from the Persian Manichaeism.

But even in the novel, the Manichaeans knew to issue a Holy Fire Order to the leader of the Ming Cult, which was similar to an official authorization letter.

It is hard to convince people that Xiumu Feiyan can represent orthodox Zoroastrianism just by talking, let alone other conditions.

Qin Zhibo's explanation made Koizumi Hongzi gradually calm down and no longer pursue the matter.

The worried Qin Zhibo breathed a sigh of relief and looked back to see if there were any Zoroastrians chasing him.

not at all……

Qin Zhibo certainly would not forget that his purpose of coming here was only to investigate the arsonist, so there was no need for him to have too much involvement with Zoroastrianism, or even join it.

After all, catching an arsonist only takes a short time, but if you join such a sect, it may cause some trouble for your detective identity.

However, judging from what Kuchiki Hien said, the Zoroastrianism in Japan was established not long ago, there has been no transmission of the fire, and there should not be many believers.

If the arsonist is one of them, it should be easier to find out.

As long as we stay near here and pay close attention to the current members of the Zoroastrianism, we should be able to find the answer...

Qin Zhibo looked around, trying to find a suitable place to hide, when he suddenly saw some familiar figures at the intersection.

……

In front of the railings at the intersection, Sato Miwako clasped her hands together with a sad expression, squatting in front of a small vase of flowers placed next to the railings and bowing her head in mourning.

The Junior Detective Team, Takagi Wataru, and Shiratori Jinsaburo were standing not far away, watching everything silently.

"What on earth is Officer Sato doing? Aren't you supposed to take us to the place where Ayumi saw the arsonist yesterday to collect evidence?"

"Why did you stop here suddenly?"

There was a hint of impatience on Kojima Genta's face, because Sato had promised to take the Junior Detective Team to eat cake after the evidence collection work was completed.

"Shh-"

Ayumi made a shushing gesture and looked at Sato Miwako with sympathy. "Can't you see the sadness on Officer Sato's face? He must be mourning someone who has passed away, right?"

Ayumi's words gave a hint to Shiratori Renzaburo who was standing beside him. After a flash of inspiration, he made a gesture of clapping his fist with his palm to show that he had figured something out.

"That's it, I know..."

"Today is the anniversary of the death of Officer Sato's father, Officer Sato Masayoshi."

Shiratori Renzaburo checked the date again in his mind and confirmed, "Yes, that's right, it's today."

"Eighteen years ago today, Officer Sato's father was killed at this very intersection while chasing a robber and murderer."

"This intersection..." As a newcomer in the police force, it is normal for Takagi Shigeru, who is standing on the other side of the police car, to have some doubts.

"Yes, it was raining heavily that day, and Officer Sato Masayoshi was hit by a truck while chasing a robber here."

"When the ambulance arrived at the scene, Officer Sato breathed his last in the car, watched by his family, and passed away..."

As Shiratori Jinzaburo explained, the Junior Detectives standing nearby listened attentively, looking at Sato Miwako with even more sympathy.

Just as this silent atmosphere was filled with a hint of sadness, a voice came from behind everyone.

"I see. Was the case solved then?"

Everyone looked back in surprise and found that it was Qin Zhibo, with a crimson girl beside him.

"Mr. Qin? Why are you here?"

Shiratori Jinzaburo's face was a little surprised, but he was actually stealing glances at Koizumi Akako next to him.

Although it's not the short hair style she was destined to have, it's still very beautiful, and exudes a very natural and noble temperament...

This kind of noble temperament cannot be faked. This girl's identity must be extraordinary...

As a policeman from a prominent family, Shiratori Jinzaburo saw in a second that Koizumi Akako was not an ordinary person, but even if he racked his brains, he could not guess that Koizumi Akako was a worldview tearer.

Qin Zhibo glanced at Koizumi Hongzi next to him. In order not to expose the Nine Angels Organization behind him, he did not say that he was here to investigate Zoroastrianism.

"We're here for shopping..."

After hearing this, everyone except Conan was even more surprised?

Takagi Wataru was the more outspoken one. He looked at Koizumi Akiko next to him and asked, "Who is this..."

Before Koizumi Hongzi could say something shameful like "slave" or "master", Qin Zhibo quickly responded, "She is my friend's daughter. I am helping to take care of her."

These words made Koizumi Hongzi a little angry. She felt that Qin Zhibo was being lowered for no reason. She secretly patted the back of his hand, but did not say much.

"By the way, has the case of Officer Sato's father, which you mentioned, been solved yet?"

Facing Qin Zhibo's question, Shiratori Renzaburo shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, no. That case has become a cold case, and it's called..."

Shiratori Jinzaburo couldn't remember a little, which prompted Conan to start the science popularization mode.

"Sorrowful and thoughtful man..."

"The detective who was hit by the truck kept shouting 'Chou Si Lang' to the fleeing robber, so the police named this case the 'Chou Si Lang Incident.'"

"Of course, despite laying a tight net, the statute of limitations expired three years ago due to the death of the detective who held key information..."

After saying this, Conan saw the unhappy look of Haibara Ai next to him, and immediately realized that he was exposing his true identity again. He quickly explained that he heard it from Kogoro Mouri.

Kogoro Mouri is not here today, so Conan has developed a new excuse.