Daily Spy Life in the Detective Conan World

Chapter 11 Taxes: A Challenge for Heroes

The group headed to the village office.

"Ania, your dog is so well-behaved, I want to have one too."

The village chief's daughter is a year older than Conan and Anya, which can be seen from their height.

“Hehe, Bond is Anya’s darling!” Anya said, then tightened her grip on Bond.

She just heard what Mikami Suzu was thinking: this guy actually wants to buy her family's Bond!
Absolutely not.

Then she casually pushed Conan in front of her, making him face Mikami Rin.

Conan was pondering the matter of the 'ghost ship' when Anya's push almost made him lose his balance.

Meanwhile, Mikami Takeo, who was seated in the main seat, seemed to have made up his mind and spoke in a deep voice, "Mr. Mori, actually, besides the speech, there are some things I need to ask you for your wisdom on."

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be related to the 1 billion yen worth of gold that went missing from the Ryujin-go, right?"

Kogoro Mouri is unreliable most of the time, but he does understand human relationships.

When the village chief first took them to see the Dragon God Ship, he actually had a guess, but since the other party didn't say it out loud, he naturally wouldn't meddle.

"As expected of a master detective, my little schemes couldn't escape your discerning eyes. I do need your help to find that gold." Takeo Mikami rubbed his bald head and continued with a smile, "The ship was within a kilometer of the island before it sank, so the missing gold should also be within that range."

“Even if that gold is found, it doesn’t belong to Shikishima, right? After all, it wasn’t Shikishima’s property to begin with.” With that, Natsukawa picked up a piece of salmon and put it in his mouth.

"That makes sense, but the gold has been submerged in the sea for many years. If it is found now, apart from the portion handed over to the state, our island can keep one-tenth of it."

Xia Chuan smiled and said, "What does this have to do with us? What will Detective Mouri get out of it?"

Kogoro Mouri was very pleased that Natsukawa had spoken up for him. It was not appropriate for him to ask such a question, so it was more suitable for an outsider like Natsukawa to ask it.

I heard that my neighbor is currently unemployed, and I wonder if he would be willing to be my Watson.

but
Forget it.

The current workload is actually quite unstable, and often it's a problem to even eat. If I hire an assistant, I might not be able to afford food at all.

Mikami Takeo's slightly chubby face broke into a smile, his eyes narrowing into slits. "If we find it, Shikishima is willing to pay one percent of the gold, which is ten million yen, as a commission fee!"

"Fifteen million!" Anya's sudden words startled everyone.

"I want fifteen million!"

Anya confirmed this again.

"Uh, this one...this child."

Mikami Takeo was a little annoyed. Who was this kid? He had just revealed his price range.

But he didn't know what to say, so he could only look at Xia Chuan, who was probably Kogoro Mouri's assistant or manager, and was the one who had been talking to him just now.

Throughout the ordeal, Xia Chuan kept observing Mikami Takeo's expression and noticed that although he seemed somewhat hesitant, he didn't appear to be angry.

In other words, it seems that the other party can accept 15 million.

"Village Chief Mikami, let's make it 15 million, one price."

"This"

"Village Chief Mikami, if we investigate this matter ourselves, what will happen if we find out..."

Xia Chuan didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was obvious.

"Fine!"

"Hahaha, good, good, good! Let's have a toast, Village Chief Mikami!"

Kogoro Mouri laughed so hard his jaw almost dropped. Without even taking a glass, he boldly picked up the bottle and clinked glasses with Natsukawa and Mikami Takeo.

Xia Chuan is quite something! He easily raised the price by fifty percent.

This kid is getting better and better to look at.

"In that case, Kinoshita, please explain the situation to Mr. Mori again, so that Mr. Mori can resolve this matter more quickly."

Kinoshita Goro nodded upon hearing this. "The incident occurred seven years ago on a typhoon night. About one kilometer offshore from Shikishima, the Ryujin had a problem with its hull and kept sending out distress signals. However, when we went out to sea to rescue it, the Ryujin's distress signals suddenly stopped. The sea was vast and it was during a typhoon, so the ship would move with the wind and waves. This time, the distress call failed, and we did not find the Ryujin."

"It wasn't until the next morning that we found the boat owner's body on the shore of Shiki Island."

Kinoshita Goro sighed, "Forget about gold nuggets, we haven't even found the wreckage of the Ryujin."

"So, this ship doesn't belong to Shikijima, then how did you all know there was gold hidden on board?" Kogoro Mouri's question struck a chord with Natsukawa, and Conan also looked up.

Both of them were very concerned about this issue.

"Actually, the ship owner was a company boss who was about to be arrested by the police because he was evading taxes. So he converted all his funds into gold bars in advance and wanted to leave Japan on the Dragon God. However, he was unlucky. A typhoon happened to pass through on the day he left, which led to all the subsequent events."

Tax evasion?

Xia Chuan's lips twitched.

It's this thing again. Taxes are really harmful!

This guy and the brewery are in the same boat.

The word "tax" has stumped countless "heroes and strongmen."

"No problem, leave this to me, the great detective Kogoro Mouri! Come on, let's have a drink!"

Everyone was having a great time, except for Conan, who kept thinking while fiddling with his chin. Natsukawa watched for a long time and wondered if Conan would never grow a beard if things continued like this.

The village office was very lively in the afternoon.

The island has a small population, with only about a hundred households and a total population of just over three hundred.

Because the residents had been informed in advance, the village office's meeting hall was already packed with people at this time. Some were there to join in the fun, while others were there to see the celebrity.

Kogoro Mouri, who has appeared in newspapers multiple times, is somewhat of a celebrity in the Kanto region, or at least that's what many people think.

Another group consisted of insiders who knew the village chief's true intentions in hiring the detective.

"Huh, where are Anya and Conan?" Ran asked, somewhat puzzled.

Xia Chuan shook his head and looked at Bond. Bond also shook his head.

"I do not know!"

Xiao Lan was a little embarrassed. What was wrong with Xia Chuan? Why was he asking Bond? What did a dog like him know?

"Don't let Bond's appearance fool you; he's no ordinary dog."

Xiao Lan was surprised and cast an inquiring glance at her.

"He is a Great Pyrenees that is over a meter long, a breed that is rare worldwide."

Okay, Xiaolan smiled helplessly and continued looking for the child.

"Bring Bond along, dogs have a keen sense of smell."

Xia Chuan kicked Bond's butt.

"But."

"Wang Wang Wang!"

Bond's shout interrupted Xiaolan, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Wang!"

"Alright, you go with Bond to find Anya and Conan. I'll take care of Uncle Mori."

Natsukawa spoke with a hint of alcohol on his breath, but he was clearly not drunk yet. He patted Kogoro Mouri next to him.

He was truly drunk, and Xia Chuan had to support him all the way here.

Uncle Mori weighs at least 150 pounds, and with the alcohol he's been drinking, he's even heavier. Xia Chuan supported him the whole way, which eventually sobered him up.

"Mr. Natsukawa, Mr. Mori still has a speech to give later," said Takeo Mikami with some concern.

Xia Chuan smiled and said, "Damn it, wasn't this all given to me by you?"

"It's alright. Your main purpose isn't to give a speech, is it? You can just go through the motions later."

Also.

Takeo Mikami nodded; his goal was indeed not to give a speech.

Soon, Ran returned with Conan, and Anya climbed onto Bond's back again.

Where did you guys just go?

Conan never disappears without a trace. If he goes missing, it must be because he's looking for clues. Natsukawa firmly believed this and asked the question when the time was right.

"There's a naval archive next to the village office; we just went there."

"The navy is so pitiful. The villagers were really wicked. They actually drove the navy into a cave and killed them all." Anya said indignantly, using her hands and feet to treat Bond as a punching bag. However, she obviously didn't use much force, and Bond's eyes were closed in comfort.

"I heard that there was a murder case involving a naval ghost a few years ago. Father, Anya is so scared."

"It's all just hearsay." Conan remained calm, though his expression was somewhat serious, suggesting he was only trying to comfort Anya.

Xia Chuan nodded thoughtfully, "Then I'll go check it out too. Uncle Mori should be fine."

After saying that, he lifted Anya off Bond's back again. "Ania, you need to learn to walk on your own. Don't always bother Bond. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Father. Please don't scold me (￢_￢)."

It seemed he hadn't listened, but there was nothing Xia Chuan could do.

It's truly disheartening that a top-tier spy can't handle a mere child.

"Eat peanuts!"

Xia Chuan unleashed his ultimate move—pulling some peanuts out of his pocket.

"Okay! Father, I'll be good and walk by myself!"

The speech was ready, the audience was full, and on stage... Kogoro Mouri staggered to the podium.

Is this really okay?

This must be the Naval Archives!
Xia Chuan had already slipped out; he had no interest in listening to Uncle Mori's speech, which was expected to last for an unknown period.

The archive's door was a sliding door with no lock, and Natsukawa easily pushed it open.

Inside, there were many naval items, nautical charts and some things that looked like comics hanging on the walls. On the left side of the door was a majestic suit of armor, and the display cases on the table were piled high with ornaments.

However, these are not things that Xia Chuan needs to pay attention to.

He walked toward a map.

This map appears to be a topographical map of Shikijima. There's a cross marked on it, and next to it is the text: "Naval Cave!"

This should be the place, right?

This cave must hold some secret; perhaps the ten billion yen gold nugget is hidden here.

As for the Dragon God...

Judging from the topographic map of Shikijima, the location of this naval cave should be a cliff, so it is perfectly normal for there to be a cave at the bottom of the cliff.

After all, this is the world of Detective Conan, so the reasoning methods have to be imaginative.

However, this also explains why Xia Chuan previously found friction marks on the railings of the Ryujin-go.

It's likely that the Ryujin had been moored inside a naval cave for some time, and its appearance outside this time is probably related to the typhoon that recently passed through.

Because the typhoon was so strong, the waves forced the ships out of the naval cave.

After thinking all this through, Xia Chuan didn't plan to go directly to the naval cave; he still wanted to check out the watchtower.

He felt spied on in the morning, which made him uneasy. He needed to find out for sure no matter what.

"Tourism turned into crime solving, it's unpleasant."

(End of this chapter)