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

Tohno pondered for a moment, deciding not to make any rash moves.

After all, if you go out and play with Death without gaining anything, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

“Hmm.” Kogoro Mouri nodded. “In that case, the situation is still unclear... but the only thing that is certain is that the murderer has taken Naoko’s dugong arrow.”

"Eh? The murderer took the dugong arrow?"

Kazuha is strange.

"It seems that Saori disappeared after she mentioned that her dugong arrow was missing."

As Shimabukuro Kimie spoke with concern, the phrase "missing" could often be interpreted as a euphemism for death.

"Could she also be...?"

“Yes, perhaps she has already been murdered.” Hattori Heiji added in a heavy tone.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy when the plump woman, who had been standing to the side, suddenly spoke up in confusion: "What? You're talking about Saori?"

“I saw her near the people and waterfall yesterday morning,” she recalled.

"Huh?" Conan and Hattori were both surprised.

“Me too, I saw her wandering through the nearby forest from afar,” the older man behind him also testified.

"Are you sure what you're seeing is the real Saori?" Hattori Heiji asked to confirm.

"There's no mistake, Saori is the only one on the island who has dyed her hair and wears glasses."

"And she usually wears blue clothes." The two confirmed this one after the other, seemingly quite certain.

However, this distinctive style of dressing is not only easily recognized, but also extremely easy to imitate.

Hattori Heiji hadn't considered this point yet, and after nodding, he continued his reasoning:

"So, Saori must be trying to escape someone's pursuit, which is why she can't appear in front of everyone openly."

"Mr. Kadomyoshi, do you know why?" Kogoro Mouri suddenly realized that the man in front of him, who was reeking of alcohol, was actually Kadomyoshi Saori's father.

"Who knows? That child never tells me anything." Menxie Mouzang said about his daughter, but his face had an indifferent expression. "I just hope she doesn't become a mermaid like that girl who died."

He wasn't speaking like a human being.

"Mermaid? What do you mean by that?"

Kogoro Mouri, who also has a daughter, frowned slightly, feeling a bit unwell, but still continued to ask.

"You don't know? She's the legendary Yaobikuni."

Menxie Mouzang said, "They are the ones who specifically eat the mermaid meat that hangs on the net."

"Mermaid?"

Hearing the legend of the mermaid again, and considering the current situation, Toyama Kazuha suddenly recalled the mermaid legend about the Dugong's Arrow that the old woman had told her last night.

"Once you let go, the monsters will build a nest on you. If you are a woman, you will enter the water and become a mermaid who cannot speak."

The words of the longevity woman echoed in my ears, lingering there.

Kazuha shrank back.

"He Ye?" Xiao Lan looked at her with concern, but didn't know how to comfort her.

In this light, it turns out that not drawing the Dugong Arrow number was actually lucky?

Chapter 166 Methods to Satisfy a Curious Detective

The Fukui Prefectural Police's searchlights cast pale beams in the darkness as officers huddled together, working diligently to make up for the progress lost due to the storm's inability to reach the island.

"In any case, let's go find Ms. Saori as soon as it's light," Kogoro Mouri said, noticing the increasingly tense atmosphere created by the mermaid legend.

Heiji Hattori walked up to Kazuha Toyama with a serious expression and said, "Kazuha, please don't leave my side."

His words were rarely serious.

Kazuha, who was initially trembling with fear as the legend of the mermaid gradually came true, looked up in surprise upon hearing this and gazed at Hattori Heiji's profile.

A blush gradually appeared on her tender face.

......

After inspecting the scene, the Fukui Prefectural Police also launched an investigation into whether those currently participating in the vigil had attempted to steal Naoko's Dugong Arrow.

However, the only two people with arrows in their bodies were Motokyo Muzou and Toyama Kazuha, who were drawn at the Dugong Festival, and they couldn't find any useful clues at all.

Despite the murder, the chef at the Ebihara family still prepared a lavish meal for the guests who came to keep vigil, so that those who were still able to eat and drink wouldn't have made a wasted trip.

Among them, Kogoro Mouri, who was originally quite serious, was the most exaggerated. He raised his throat and poured alcohol into his mouth without refusing any, showing a posture of getting himself completely drunk.

Hattori Heiji looked speechlessly at the uncle who looked no different from Kadokawa Muzo, and decided to give up on him. He quietly pulled Conan and Tohno Toru to his side.

"Hey, Tono, Kudo." He glanced at Ran and Kazuha huddled together on his left, whispering amongst themselves, then at Shiho Miyano sitting next to Tono on his right, seemingly uninterested in their conversation and drinking by herself. He lowered his voice, "Have you figured something out?"

This case is very difficult, and he has no clue what to do.

“I have absolutely no clue.” Conan sighed. “All I can say right now is that Ms. Kotobuki, Ms. Naoko, and Ms. Saori, whose whereabouts are unknown, all believe in the power of the legendary long-lived woman who ate mermaid flesh, which is why they are so obsessed with the Dugong’s Arrow. I don’t know anything else.”

"Well, I think so too..." Hattori sighed as well, then looked at Tohno Toru, who was just drinking tea, and said, "Tohno, why don't you seem worried at all? If you have any ideas, don't keep them to yourself! Can you share them with us?"

Hattori Heiji launched a verbal and written attack against him.

“Yeah, we’re a team.” Conan also started talking, using English words he’d picked up from somewhere. “Your way of thinking is always a little different from ours… If we work together to deduce what you say, we might be able to find clues we haven’t discovered before.”

"..." Tohru Tono put down his teacup and sighed.

If he wanted to talk, he would have gone to solve the case long ago. Why would he be wasting his time here with you guys?

We're just waiting for a mission!

However, since Conan and Heiji have already brought it up, it wouldn't make sense for him not to reveal anything.

So he pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's follow Conan's line of thought... Don't you guys think that there's something off about Saori Kadokawa, Tomi Ebihara, and Naoko Kuroe?"

"Something's not right?" Hattori Heiji was taken aback.

"You mean..." Conan thought for a moment, then realized something, "like I just said, they inexplicably have a deep belief in the power of mermaids?"

“That’s right.” Tohru Tohru nodded approvingly. “If everyone on the island believed in the mermaid legend so much that they were influenced by what they heard and believed it too, that would be one thing… But actually, we’ve explored the whole island, and the owner of that souvenir shop, Rokuro, the guests who participated in the vigil, and even their playmate and shrine maiden, Kimie Shimabukuro, didn’t really believe in the mermaid legend.”

"Especially the shrine maiden Shimabukuro Kimie. Logically speaking, as a shrine maiden, she should know a lot of inside information. Moreover, she was the deceased's childhood friend. It's impossible that she wouldn't share the mermaid story with them... So why do they treat the mermaid so differently?"

"Hmm..." Hattori Heiji thought for a moment, "You mean, there must be some reason behind their deep belief in the power of mermaids that hasn't surfaced yet?"

“That’s right.” Tohno nodded. “They have unwavering faith in this mermaid because they have heard reliable sources say or even personally experienced mermaid ‘manifestations’. That’s why they believe that mermaids must exist. This has even caused a disagreement with Shimabukuro Kimie, who should be the most knowledgeable about mermaids.”

"If that's the case...!" Conan continued his thought process, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "The most recent incident might be the mermaid 'appearance,' wasn't it the fire that was reported on the TV station three years ago?"

Conan looked up abruptly and exchanged a glance with Heiji Hattori: "Could it be that the two deceased and the missing Ms. Monkyo are all related to that fire?" they said in unison.

Thinking of this, the two could no longer sit still and hurriedly got up to subtly inquire about the events of three years ago from the guests present.

Tohno Toru watched the two of them bustling around and silently returned to his seat.

Let them do whatever they want. Arson is a secret that can only belong to their small group. Even Shimabukuro Kimie might not have told them herself, so how could anyone else know?

They're so impatient; they'll become quiet after asking a few people and not getting an answer.

Shiho Miyano was also puzzled to see him come back so quickly and sit down to drink tea.

"They didn't bombard you with questions?"

"Well... I just threw out a question that's hard to verify and that's it." Tohru Tono shrugged.

Shiho Miyano chuckled and said, "Send them away? You really think they're children?"

"Isn't that right? In Japan, high school students are still minors, right? I'm an adult."

This doesn't even include his age from his previous life. Although he seems to be affected by the hormones in this body and behaves very much in line with his age, Tohno Toru considers himself to be very calm and composed.

"Oh, so you're an 'adult'?" Shiho Miyano emphasized the three words, her words filled with sarcasm.

Tohru Tohru raised an eyebrow, remembering that although Shiho Miyano had long been a corporate slave, she was still just an 18-year-old minor. Just as he was about to join in the mockery, she interrupted him again.

"Speaking of which, you should have already found the murderer, right?"

As someone who understands the truth about the old woman and knows that Kimie Shimabukuro is the "person behind" the old woman, Shiho Miyano can make a rough guess by combining the characteristics of the three deceased.

Given her condition, Tohru Tohno, with her even stronger reasoning abilities, must have already, as usual, been able to identify the murderer.

But why did he hesitate this time?

Shiho Miyano looked at Kimie Shimabukuro, who was wearing a black suit and standing behind the open paper door, gazing at the drizzling rain outside.

Chapter 167 The Unexpected System Task

"Oh, it's really difficult."

Hattori rubbed his head and sat back down in his original position.

"If only we knew who bought which number last night," Hattori Heiji said, looking helpless.

After receiving Toru Tohno's advice, Conan and Heiji Hattori went around asking around with great interest, but no one seemed to think, or had heard of, that there was another hidden story behind the fire three years ago.

Both of them stared at the table with heavy hearts.

Unexpectedly, Shimabukuro Kimie, who had been listening to Hattori Heiji's sigh, suddenly turned to look at him.

"This is easy."

"Huh?" Conan and Heiji both looked at her with hopeful eyes.

“Because I write down everyone for each number on the roster.” Shimabukuro Kimie said, standing up. “In that case, after we’re done here, let’s go take a look at that roster, shall we?”

"Of course!"

Conan and Hattori both readily agreed.

"Is Tono-nii going?" Conan suddenly turned around and asked him.

And his eyes were twitching, a blatant hint.

"..." Tohno Toru really wanted to ask him if his eyes were twitching, but it wasn't very interesting to always prank Conan.

So he simply replied, "I'll pass."