Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 311 Novelist Level 4
weekend.

Gao Mo's collection of short stories, "Kindaichi Boy," has been officially released and is available in bookstores across the country through the University Library.

Considering that he was being guided by Yusaku Kudo, Gao Mo didn't associate himself with the "Kindaichi" persona and planned to leave that for later.

However, thanks to the popularity built up beforehand, the sales performance on the first day was quite good, and according to the editorial department, it met the standards of a typical bestseller.

Gao Mo felt alright; he didn't have too many expectations for his first book.

He will only become more and more amazing, instead of relying on just one book for his entire life. The idea of ​​him reaching his peak right from the start will not happen to him.

The good news is that the number of stars in the note projection is also increasing rapidly.

He used to think that star count was related to fame, but now he finds it is linked to emotions.

In the past two days, "Domoto Ichi" has provided him with a lot more stars.

Before I knew it, the storage pool had reached 900 stars.

After glancing at the bustling bookstore across the street, Gao Mo gathered his thoughts and turned his gaze to the editor of the university, Ida, who had invited him to meet at the coffee shop.

Despite it being their first meeting, the other person fit his profile perfectly; his early bald head and Professor Agasa's were a good match.

Sitting next to the editor was the friend who needed help, a bespectacled man who looked more like a rigid teacher.

"Hello, I'm Koji Takarada, the deputy editor-in-chief of the Kodansha Publishing House," the bespectacled man said excitedly, standing up. "I'm extremely grateful that Mr. Kindaichi could come and help..."

"Don't get too excited yet."

Gao Mo lightly tapped the desktop with his finger.

“I have a general understanding of the situation. As the editor Yamanouchi, you have become one of the heirs to that huge fortune, but there is a condition attached to inheriting the estate, right?”

He recognized the man; he was the bespectacled man who had been served by the girl in his dream.

“That’s right, to be precise, we are candidates for the inheritance,” Koji Takarada sat back down. “There are five of us in total, including myself. We are all good friends of Professor Yamanouchi. We formed an amateur band together and kept in touch quite often…”

As instructed by Professor Yamanouchi, we need to solve a puzzle game to determine who is eligible to inherit the estate. If Detective Kindaichi can help me obtain the inheritance, I am willing to pay... one-tenth of my fortune.

"One-tenth?" the editor next to me exclaimed softly.

Yamanouchi Tsunesei's estate is worth billions, with a trust fee of at least several hundred million, which even tempted him.

However, he knew his own limitations; if he had that ability, his friend would have contacted him directly.

"Can we ask someone for help?" Gao Mo raised an eyebrow as well.

Even though making money isn't difficult for him now, he still can't ignore the hundreds of millions in commission fees.

“Everyone can find helpers,” Koji Takarada shook his head. “We candidates are all avid fans of mystery novels, but compared to them, I’m really not good at solving puzzles.”

“I understand.” Gao Mo winked at Professor Agasa, who was traveling with him.

The slow-witted PhD student quickly produced a copy of the contract.

"I will try my best to help you get the inheritance, but I can't guarantee that I will succeed. If there are no problems, let's write the contract first." Gao Mo acted decisively.

“Of course, no problem,” Koji Takarada said hesitantly, holding his pen. “However, as instructed by Professor Yamanouchi, we must go to his villa in Hokkaido, solve the mystery within the allotted time, and find the person who will inherit the hidden will.”

"I know."

Gao Mo took the contract written by Takarada Koji.

However, he still felt that this commission was not so simple.

Would Tsuneo Yamanouchi really be so kind as to leave his inheritance to a few "good friends"?
Since Yusaku Kudo said the other person wasn't a good person, he must be right.

Moreover, the Yamanouchi Tsuneo in that dream is also quite problematic.

"The doctor is my agent, so he should be able to go too, right?"

“Of course,” Koji Takarada said with a smile, much more relaxed. “Mr. Kindaichi can bring his whole family with him, it’s fine, the villa is big enough anyway.”

"By the way, do you have information on the other candidates?" Gao Mo then asked.

"Ah, yes, yes," Koji Takarada hurriedly pulled a paper document from his briefcase. "We weren't actually that familiar with each other before, so I collected some additional information."

This deputy editor-in-chief doesn't seem as honest and upright as he appears.

Gao Mo took the document with a somewhat meaningful look, glanced at it briefly, and read through all the contents.

The other four candidates include a mystery novel critic, a mystery novelist, a mystery novel illustrator, and a 17-year-old high school detective, who is noted as being Yamanouchi's former neighbor.

It's really strange. Apart from the fact that they are all mystery enthusiasts, he really can't think of any reason why Yamanouchi would bring these people together.

Especially that mystery novel critic, Tadashi Kami, an arrogant 50-year-old man with a terrible reputation in the industry; even as a newcomer, he had been ridiculed and slandered by this guy.

They are more like critics than commentators, gaining popularity through criticism.

"Did this Shinmei Tadashi also criticize Yamanouchi Tsuneo?"

“Yes,” Koji Takarada scratched his head. “It even caused my teacher to miss out on a major award. It’s a pity, really. Even though he was a bestselling author, my teacher couldn’t compare to Ms. Umezon, who was a student. Ms. Umezon’s debut novel won an award.”

"Umezuno Kaoru?"

The mystery novelist among the candidates is Kaoru Umezono.

Aside from his debut work, which was decent, he hasn't had any good works since then, and his reputation is not good. He has been suspected many times that his debut work was not his own.

The illustrator, Yuzuki Ryoumu, is much more normal; she is an extremely beautiful long-haired woman.

However, the information also states that he had caused trouble before by drawing the answers to puzzles in the illustrations without authorization, which caused a great deal of trouble.

Something's definitely not right. Gao Mo stroked his chin and turned to Takarada Koji: "What's your relationship with Yamanouchi Tsunehito?"

“Of course it’s great,” Koji Takarada affirmed. “I’ve always been in charge of the teacher. Our relationship is like family. Once he said he was going to Hokkaido to gather materials, and I accompanied him there overnight. I suffered quite a bit.”

"is it?"

Gao Mo's eyes were indifferent.

No matter what tricks Yamanouchi Tsunesei is playing, this trip to Hokkaido is inevitable.

It wasn't a waste of his time either.

Consider it a research trip.

"Do you have a way to get your hands on Yamanouchi's posthumous works?"

“I’m afraid that won’t work,” Koji Takarada shook his head repeatedly. “It seems that the teacher has given the manuscript to an agent, and I don’t even know who the agent is.”

"so be it."

Gao Mo felt that he couldn't get any more information out of this person, and the other party might not be willing to talk.

Separated from the two editors, Professor Agasa, who was following along, finally couldn't help but ask, "Amo, should I come along too?"

"Of course, it would be too inconvenient to go alone, and I can't completely trust you to go alone."

"What about Ai?"

"Let's see if Ai goes or not."

Gao Mo took out his vibrating phone.

The magic troupe, whom I hadn't contacted in a long time, suddenly called.

“Boss Kido, Toyama Haruki has disappeared. There was only a note left in his room saying that he didn’t have time… I’ll send you the photo.”

"No time left?"

Gao Mo frowned as he received the image.

After Gao Yuanyao disguised himself as "Yuuichi Toyama" and joined the Kido Magic Troupe, he rarely paid attention to him anymore. The last time was when the other party said in an online chat room that he was looking for prey.

What does "I don't have time" mean?
Gao Mo switched accounts and logged into the online chat room, where he found that Gao Yuanyao had posted a photo of a villa in the lake, with the location showing as Hokkaido.

"Lucia's Mansion... isn't that just Yamanouchi's villa?"

After subconsciously looking around and not finding anything unusual, Gao Mo was a little unsure of what was going on.

Is Takato Yoichi testing him, trying to find out the true identity of "Shadow"... or has something else happened?

This guy is the key figure who holds the Grim Reaper's rules in check.

Our current peaceful life, with its occasional minor crises, is all thanks to Gao Yuanyao for not becoming a Death Agent.

"What's wrong?" Professor Agasa asked anxiously.

"It's nothing, it's just that some things can't be as perfect as I imagine."

A glint appeared in Gao Mo's eyes.

He now has another reason to go to Hokkaido.

Career advancement also needs to be accelerated.

He will be more confident in dealing with Death Agent only after advancing to the 4th rank.

[Novelist Level 4]

Before he could even finish thinking about how the novelist had reached level 4, Gao Mo didn't hold back on the stars and instantly leveled up by deducting 40 stars.

[Talent: Deception.]

I unlocked a core talent for writing detective novels.

He originally intended to prioritize romance over scheming, but now he's made up for a weakness he had.

However, the next level, Novelist Level 5, will be a bit troublesome.

Gao Mo's eyes narrowed slightly.

Not only do you need to be a level 5 writer, but you also need to become a famous mystery novelist.

What constitutes "famous"... that standard is a bit vague.

If it's about winning a mystery novel award, he can't guarantee he'll win; it would take too long.

If it's just about gaining fame, he already has a certain level of recognition thanks to the success of his debut work.

"This commission is an opportunity."

Gao Mo quickly calmed down.

First, leverage Yamanouchi Tsunesei's popularity to boost his own fame; if that's not enough, then use the "Kindaichi" persona to deliver the final blow.

As for how to improve writing skills, discovering talent is one aspect, but the main thing is to read and write more.

Having already read through the Kudo family's collection of books, all that's needed is for him to write more.

(End of this chapter)