Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

Longye opened the door, walked to the mailbox in front of the house, and reached out to open it.

There was indeed a letter inside, and the front of the letter read:

—TO: Mr. Tatsuno Takeda

On the back of the letter, a name was clearly written—Teiji Moriya.

The moment he saw the name, Longye immediately thought of this character.

Isn't this the bomb-crazy maniac?

He remembered that this person seemed to be an architect who was passionate about symmetrical architecture and considered symmetrical structures to be beautiful.

This fanaticism has reached a pathological level.

However, he had designed a number of buildings without symmetrical structures in his early years, and he always kept this in mind.

Seeing an opportunity, he personally stole the gunpowder from the gunpowder depot.

Then one by one, those “asymmetrical” buildings were destroyed.

Based on his eccentric persistence, Longye thought this guy was someone special.

However, he believes that this guy would be better off becoming a criminal than an architect.

He wasn't a physically strong young man to begin with, and this was actually his first time taking action.

It's unbelievable that they could steal such a large amount of gunpowder from a heavily guarded gunpowder depot.

Afterwards, he was even able to make bombs himself and outsmart the police.

To be honest, for a first-time offender, such a level of action and intelligence is enough to make him stand out from most criminals.

Longye shook his head and walked into the living room with the letter and the invitation inside.

Xiaolan also walked over curiously, took the letter from Longye's hand, and slowly read its contents aloud.

"—I apologize for sending you this letter so abruptly. I heard you bought the Mihara Art Museum, and I would very much like to meet and talk with someone as passionate about art as you. I will be hosting an afternoon tea at my humble abode at 3:30 pm on April 29th, if you are available…"

After reading it aloud, Xiaolan asked curiously, "Longye, have you ever heard of this Moriya Teiji?"

"Hmm, he seems to be an architect."

"Wow, I've never seen what an architect's house looks like before!"

"Since you're interested, Xiaolan, let's go take a look!"

"Okay!"

—"Ring ring"

Just then, the phone in the living room rang.

Longye stepped forward and answered the phone.

"Hey? Kudo? You haven't called me in ages~ So, what's up?"

"You received it too? Okay, we'll help you persuade Uncle Mori."

"..."

Chapter 80 On the Extraction of Surplus Value

After Longye hung up the phone, Xiaolan asked curiously, "Who called?"

"That guy Kudo. He said he also received an invitation from Teiji Moriya, but he couldn't go because of something."

"He has already sent the invitation to the Mori Detective Agency. He wants Uncle Mori and Conan to attend this tea party hosted by Teiji Moriya on his behalf."

But he was worried that Uncle Mori wouldn't agree, so he wanted to ask us to persuade Uncle Mori.

"Oh, is that so? But why does he want my dad and Conan to go in his place?" Ran put her hand to her mouth, puzzled.

"I don't know, maybe Uncle Mori's reputation as a famous detective has already reached his ears?"

"Is that so? By the way, Ryūno, shouldn't we dress more formally for this kind of occasion?"

"That's right, you reminded me. Since we don't have anything planned for today, let's go to the mall and buy some clothes!"

"I've been wanting to take you to try on some pretty dresses for ages!"

"Great! I've been wanting to take you to try on a suit for a while now!"

……

November 29st

Three o'clock in the afternoon

Outside the Moriya Mansion

Ryuno and his group, dressed formally, got out of the taxi.

Tatsuno and Uncle Mori each handed their invitations to the gatekeeper and then walked through the gate.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, everyone was drawn to the grand mansion with its distinctly English style.

Uncle Mori glanced at Tatsuno and the others, then coughed lightly, put his hands on his hips, and said, "It really is traditional 17th-century British architecture from the orthodox Stuart dynasty!"

Upon hearing his explanation, the others looked at him in surprise.

Even Ryūno was taken aback, never expecting that Uncle Mori was actually so knowledgeable and unassuming.

Xiao Lan went straight to the point and asked, "Dad, I didn't know you knew so much about architecture!"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Mori closed his eyes and proudly said, "Hahaha, people used to call your dad a walking library!"

"Take a closer look at the left and right sides. If you split it in the middle, aren't both sides the same?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaolan opened her arms wide and exclaimed in delight, "That's absolutely right! The garden and the buildings are symmetrical!"

Wow! This is the first time I've ever seen such a beautiful courtyard!

Seeing his daughter's excited expression, Uncle Mori continued, "Professor Mori spent his entire high school years in England. That's why he's so fascinated by this kind of ancient... oh, classical symmetrical architecture!"

Just as Uncle Mori paused, Tatsuno and Conan behind him clearly saw the cheat sheet hidden behind Uncle Mori and smiled helplessly.

Yes, it's still that familiar Uncle Mori!

Now I feel much more at ease.

……

Moriya Teiji walked over to the group and said with a smile, "It is my honor to receive your praise. Hello everyone, I am Moriya Teiji."

"Hello, my name is Takeda Tatsuno."

"Hello, my name is Ran Mouri. These two are my father, Kogoro Mouri, and Conan Edogawa."

After hearing the introductions, Moriya Teiji looked at Takeda Tatsuno in surprise, stepped forward, shook hands, and said, "I originally thought that Mr. Takeda, who bought the art museum, would be a middle-aged man. I didn't expect you to be so young, hahaha!"

At this moment, Kogoro Mouri, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment, then stared wide-eyed and shouted, "What?! Kid, you actually bought an art museum? How come I didn't know?"

Conan, standing to the side, also looked at Takeda in surprise. He hadn't expected that Takeda would be so rich.

Ryūno smiled and exchanged pleasantries with Moriya Teiji, then gestured to introduce the people behind him.

"This Ran Mouri came with me. And this is the famous detective Kogoro Mouri, and Conan, who is staying at his house. They came in place of Shinichi Kudo, who apparently had something to do and couldn't make it."

Hearing this, Teiji Moriya put his hand to his mouth, thought for a moment, and then said, "Mr. Kudo can't come..."

Uncle Mori, who was standing to the side, was immediately displeased to see that Professor Mori was paying so much attention to Shinichi Kudo and neglecting himself, the famous detective.

She seemed to have sensed his emotions.

The next moment, Teiji Moriya extended his hand to Kogoro Mouri and said with a smile, "You must be the famous Detective Mouri. I often see you on TV."

After exchanging pleasantries, Teiji Moriya led the group to the backyard where afternoon tea was being held.

Many of the guests in the backyard were familiar faces from television.

Musicians, models, company presidents, entertainers…

Upon seeing these people, Uncle Mori's walking posture immediately became more formal.

After leading Longye and the others over, Moriya Teiji smiled and said, "Come on, please don't be shy. Feel free to spend your afternoon here."

Ran and Ryūno stepped forward, each picked up a cookie from the table, and started tasting it.

"Delicious!" x2

Hearing their comments, Professor Moriya smiled and said, "Since it's a formal afternoon tea, we should naturally serve our guests handmade pastries."

"If you like it, then all the effort I put in yesterday was worth it!"

Upon hearing Professor Moriya's words, the reporter standing nearby immediately walked up to him and exclaimed in surprise, "Professor, I didn't know you could cook!"

"I'm single, and all the food here was made by me. That's just how I am; I don't feel comfortable if I don't cook it myself!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd came over and praised, "So that's how it is! It's because of your spirit that those beautiful buildings came into being, right?!"

"..."

Looking at Moriya Teiji, who was talking boastfully to everyone, Ryūno thought that this guy was indeed a talent.

Architectural design, pastry making, stealing explosives, making bombs, and conducting controlled demolitions of buildings he designed…

Logically speaking, it's said that different professions are like different worlds.

But Professor Moriya managed to do all of these seemingly unrelated industries and things well with his own hands.

This guy may be a bit morbid, but he is indeed a genius.

If a certain person who wears a little black hat and insists on doing everything himself were to learn about his deeds...

Perhaps, he will immediately extend an olive branch to Professor Moriya and invite him to join the organization.

By the way, Xiaolan seems to really like the courtyard he designed. Otherwise…

Just as Ryūno was lost in thought, Moriya Teiji suddenly spoke to Mōri Kōgōrō, "Since the famous detective is here, I'd like to ask you a question, is that alright?"

Upon hearing the words "famous detective," Kogoro Mouri immediately stood up straight and straightened his clothes: "Please speak!"

Seeing that Kogoro Mouri had agreed to his request, Teiji Moriya immediately took out a stack of papers from his jacket pocket and distributed them to all the guests present.

After accepting the riddle, Tatsuno glanced at Ran beside him. She seemed to really admire the garden designed by Teiji Moriya…

Since that's the case, before Moriya Teiji is arrested, it should be possible to have him take some time to help design the garden of the new house, right?