Conan: I've been linked to the tech tree system.

At the Mouri Detective Agency, Ran and Kazuha were happily drinking tea and chatting, looking just like sisters.

Kogoro Mouri sat helplessly in the boss's chair, resting his chin on his hand. Conan sat next to Ran in the same posture, creating a rather similar atmosphere.

"Kazuha." Hattori Heiji waved as he entered.

This wasn't his first time visiting the Mouri Detective Agency; coming here felt like coming home.

"Mori-senpai." Toru Tono politely followed him in.

"Yo." Kogoro Mouri greeted him listlessly, then said, "I'm here to talk to you, Kobe. You show up so abruptly, saying you have some case to take you to Fukui... I'm very busy."

"Well, well." Hattori Heiji waved his hand. "You won't lose anything. I'll pay for the travel expenses."

"It's a deal, let's go!"

Kogoro Mouri is no longer sleepy.

Hello.

Conan rolled his dead fish eyes.

I can't stand this good-for-nothing uncle anymore.

Chapter 156 Mermaid Island

"Mermaids... In fact, most of the 'mermaids' that people have seen are actually herbivores of the order Sirenia called 'dugongs'."

Tohno Toru leaned on the railing of the ship bound for Mermaid Island, enjoying the sea breeze, and answered the curious question from Kazuha Ran: "It's said that when dugong mothers nurse, they float their upper bodies above the water, resembling a human breastfeeding and holding their baby. The sailors on the ship, seeing this from a distance, mistook it for a mother nursing, hence the legend of the 'mermaid.'"

"I see." Xiaolan nodded. "Does Tousang also study mermaids?"

"Not really, I just happened to hear about it." Tono smiled gently and waved his hand. "Actually, you should ask Haibara about this. After all, she has a PhD in biology and knows much more than I do."

"Eh? Is that so?" Kazuha heard about this for the first time, and pulled Ran to whisper to Shiho Miyano, who was looking at the sea with a cold expression not far away.

After dismissing the chattering high school girl who had gone out on a trip, Hattori Heiji approached again.

"Do you remember the client I told you about, Kadokawa Saori?" he asked in a low voice.

"How to say?"

“The letter he sent had a phone number on it, and I called to confirm, but no one answered.” Hattori Heiji frowned.

"The first time I called, the call was cut off the moment it connected, and the second time I couldn't get through."

"And the sounds coming from the other end of the phone... besides the waves, there was also a woman's moaning, which was extremely eerie."

Hattori Heiji spoke slowly, creating an unusually terrifying atmosphere.

"Huh? Heiji, are you telling a ghost story?"

Kazuha, who was standing nearby, heard some words like "groaning" and "weird" and came closer.

"Haha, it's just that we're talking about clients." Hattori Heiji scratched his head. "Maybe it was a mermaid who sent us the request."

"Wow, really?"

Ha ha.

Conan rolled his eyes like a dead fish.

Of course it's fake. Mermaids only exist in myths and legends, right?

-----------------

The salty sea breeze, carrying damp moisture, hit us in the face, and the ferry made a dull thud as it docked.

Toru Tono gazed at the pier shrouded in a thin mist. The wooden pier creaked in the waves, and a brand-new sign that read "Welcome to American Island" stood on the shore, seemingly newly installed.

Once ashore, many tourists were still following guides holding small flags, indicating that the tourism industry here is quite developed, and most of the islanders probably work in tourism-related jobs.

Toru Tono took a deep breath and then gently exhaled, the fresh air filling his chest.

"Where do we go now?"

He asked a question, albeit tentatively.

"Since we're mainly here for the commission... let's go to the post office first and ask about Ms. Kadokawa Saori, who wrote the letter?" Hattori Heiji's baseball cap was tilted to one side, still very concerned about the letter.

"Then go take a look first."

Others had no objections either.

......

"Huh? You mean Ms. Kadokawa Saori is currently missing?" Kogoro Mouri looked at the post office worker with a dangerously receding hairline, his face full of shock.

"Yes, it seems she hasn't been to work for about three days."

The uncle said this.

The island is small, with a small permanent population. Everyone on the island knows each other to some extent, and they usually talk about everyday things with great interest, such as whose child is going to school or whose family has made money.

So the uncle who worked at the post office had some idea about where the monsho saori had gone.

"Counting back three days from now?" Hattori Heiji frowned in thought. "Wouldn't that be exactly the time the letter arrived home?"

"The neighbors are all wondering if she took a boat to the mainland for a trip."

The post office uncle clearly had no idea how terrifying the famous detective from Tokyo could be; for someone to be questioned like that, disappearance was practically synonymous with death.

"Mr. Kobayashi, is it time to go?"

Two women, around the same age as the man, called out to him from behind.

“Hai, I’m coming right away.” He turned back to reply, then turned back again. “Sorry, I still have to go and prepare for the celebration.”

"What celebration?" Kogoro asked again.

"Today is the day of our island's annual dugong festival. If you want to know anything else, go ask the owner of the souvenir shop on the corner. I won't keep you company."

"Ok."

Kogoro Mouri led a few people out of the post office and walked outside.

Toru Tono and Shiho Miyano were trailing behind. He turned around and asked in a low voice, "When you came here with Gin and Vodka last time, did you also attend that festival?"

“…I see, that’s why you specifically asked me to come.” Shiho Miyano said, somewhat puzzled. “But that was a long time ago, how did you know?”

"Well, didn't I say I'm omnipotent?"

Tohru Tono shrugged in response.

"Really? This is the persona you've created for yourself?"

"Tsk, so have you discovered any supernatural events?" Tohru Tohno was too lazy to argue with her anymore.

"We didn't see any supernatural events, but we did discover the truth about so-called 'immortality'." Shiho Miyano's expression was a half-smile. "It's just another trick they pulled to make money, and it made us come all this way for nothing."

“That’s true.”

While they were chatting, the group had already entered a local products shop that was supposedly run by a weaving company.

The items sold here are mostly related to mermaids, and are named after the marine creature "dugong," which is almost closely associated with mermaids. There are also many photos of dugongs hanging on the walls.

Mermaid amulets, mermaid suspender clips, mermaid pies... basically, they're using mermaids as a mainstream IP to create and sell all sorts of merchandise.

While the so-called "mermaid" attracts tourists, it's unknown how much GDP it generates for the island. If the mermaid IP were gone, most of the island's residents would probably lose their jobs.

The island has a small geographical area and no core industries... so the only option left is to venture inland.

Kogoro Mouri went to ask the landlady about Saori Kanojo, while Ran, Conan, Heiji, and Kazuha looked around on either side. Toru Tono suddenly remembered something.

"Speaking of which, if the organization would send people to investigate even the so-called 'immortality' legends circulating on such a small island with a 'better safe than sorry' attitude... have you ever heard of a gem called 'Pandora'?"

This was a question he had had for a long time: if the "Animal Organization" that Kaito Kuroba was fighting against was also seeking a way to achieve immortality, then they were actually competitors with the Black Organization.

Given this, is there some connection or conflict between the two?

Chapter 157 Stealing the Youth?

"Are you talking about Pandora, the gem that supposedly grants immortality?"

To Tono's surprise, Shiho Miyano actually knew about this.

"Yes, it's the gem that Phantom Thief Kid has been searching for."

"I see, so Kaito Kid has been stealing things for that reason." Shiho Miyano nodded thoughtfully. "But in the end, he won't find anything."

"From what you're saying, the organization once tracked down the whereabouts of that gem?"

“Of course, compared to this Mermaid Island, that thing is slightly more credible, so the organization will naturally have some ideas about it.” Shiho Miyano said in a matter-of-fact tone, “But we haven’t found anything either. After all, compared to this Mermaid Island, gems that can reflect a beautiful light under the moonlight are much harder to find.”

"So, the organization isn't actually looking for 'Pandora' anymore?"

“Of course, the organization doesn’t have the time to go to such lengths for a legend.” Shiho Miyano scoffed dismissively. “Although I’m reluctant to admit it, compared to other wealthy people who place all their hopes on it, the organization’s research has already yielded results, and there have even been examples of people like that child who have regained their youth.”

Her gaze subtly swept over Conan, who stood beside Ran, constantly and helplessly saying "Hai hai".

"The organization doesn't care; they only send people to look for these legendary things as a chance."

“That makes sense,” Tono said knowingly.

"Dugong's Arrow?"

At this moment, Kogoro Mouri also obtained crucial information from the landlady.

"Yes, those are amulets for longevity. Every year, three are awarded to residents who participate in the annual dugong festival."

The proprietress, her face already showing wrinkles, looked somewhat worried: "Saori accidentally lost the arrow she received at last year's festival, so she's been very scared for a week now, fearing that the mermaid will come looking for revenge."

The proprietress's expression turned terrifying.

"Huh? There are no mermaids in this world!" As a materialistic detective, Kogoro Mouri, regardless of his detective skills, naturally did not believe in these supernatural things.

“Mermaids might actually exist, right?” Toru Tono had a different opinion. “After all, you can’t be sure if there are really mermaids disguised as dugongs in the sea.”

he said with a smile.

After all, there are supernatural red magicians like Koizumi Akako... so what's the big deal about having a few more mermaids?

In the world of Detective Conan, he would believe you if you told him that there was a Tomie in some corner who could keep splitting.

"This handsome guy is right, mermaids really do exist."