The Pirated Onmyoji of the Detective World

Next, Yuya Aragaki read aloud the contents of the stone lantern that the Junior Detective League children had found: "The Nioh Cave is located between the Sun Wheel and the Jade Gate, a place where the elders gather in a place of extreme prosperity and splendor, and the Nioh Stone is located there."

Upon seeing this, the members of the Junior Detective Club immediately gathered around with great interest.

Chapter 715 Hawaii didn't teach this.

“Those who are not afraid of the wrath of the King of Benevolence, who hold a stone larger than the palm of their hand in their palm, and who recognize the eternal truth that will be remembered for all time, are you, Kichiemon Sansui?”

"Sanshui!?"

After Aragaki Yu recounted all the contents of the stone lantern, Mitsuhiko, who had gathered around, seemed quite excited.

Seeing his friends looking at him because of his startled reaction, he felt quite embarrassed, but couldn't hide his pride as he showed off his knowledge to them, "Sansui Kichiemon, I remember he was the puppeteer who continuously funded the pro-shogunate ronin during the late Edo period."

Although Ayumi Yoshida didn't know what a mechanical doll maker was, she immediately became excited when she associated it with dolls. "Ah? Mechanical dolls, that's amazing!"

At this moment, she even began to fantasize that in this mansion, the man named Misui Kichiemon might be hiding countless precious dolls.

Ai Haibara, who was standing to the side, seemed to see through Ayumi's fantasy and smiled as she enlightened her, saying, "So-called mechanical dolls are dolls that can imitate human actions and behaviors by relying on automatic mechanical devices composed of mechanisms and gears."

"Oh, I see!" Ayumi tilted her head upon hearing this, then seemed to recall seeing a similar doll somewhere before. "I remember now, I once saw a doll that would serve us tea, and it wasn't just that. After we finished drinking the tea and put the cups back, it would put them back the way they came!"

"What! Is it really true?" Upon hearing Ayumi's description, Genta's eyes widened in disbelief. "Isn't this being remotely controlled by someone?"

"No way! Even if no one controls it remotely, it will move on its own!" Ayumi glared at Genta, annoyed.

"Then tell me, how did it get delivered here and then taken back?"

"This... I don't know either..."

“Ayumi is right.” Seeing that Ayumi and Genta seemed about to start arguing, Aragaki Yu quickly interjected to stop them. “The tea-serving doll that Ayumi mentioned is indeed a doll that can move on its own using gears and mechanisms. It is also known as a ‘tea-serving boy’ and is one of the representative zashiki dolls among mechanical dolls.”

"Besides zashiki dolls, I think you've seen many other kinds of mechanical dolls too!" Seeing the children looking at him, Aragaki Yu didn't keep them in suspense and continued to introduce them, "For example, there are stage dolls that appear in Kabuki and other stage performances, which can make various movements and expressions through complex mechanical devices and ingenious designs. There are also float dolls that are usually placed on floats for display at various festivals or celebrations, and so on."

Speaking of this, Yuu Aragaki subconsciously thought of Akako Koizumi's enormous war puppet, which was a combat doll composed of automated mechanical devices and magic.

As for the knowledge mentioned above, it was something that Koizumi Akako casually shared with him when introducing her war puppets, and unexpectedly it actually came in handy.

After Aragaki Yu finished speaking, apart from the Detective Boys looking at him with admiration, Haibara Ai's eyes were also filled with surprise and astonishment.

I never expected that Yu Aragaki would know so much about such obscure and little-known facts.

Conan was no exception. After turning his gaze away from Yuu Aragaki, he couldn't help but think to himself, "Goodness, my own dad never taught me anything like this in Hawaii."

Conan didn't know much about mechanical dolls, but he had heard a lot about Misui Kichiemon. "The mechanical dolls made by this Misui Kichiemon are indeed lifelike and are highly sought after by high-ranking officials and nobles. As a result, he quickly became a wealthy man and was known as Mechanical Kichiemon."

"Could it be that the Niou doll, made by this master mechanic, is hidden in this mansion?"

The Detective Boys quickly made contact with the matter of Niou and excitedly looked at the mansion not far away.

"Do not."

Conan shook his head; he didn't think so.

He didn't believe that a mechanical doll could be hidden away like a treasure for over a hundred years.

If that were really the case, it would probably have become as dilapidated as this house long ago.

The next second, amidst the disappointed expressions of the Junior Detective League, Conan suddenly laughed, "I think the treasure should be this part of Nioh."

"Huh?" The children looked a little confused.

"The Cave of the Benevolent King is located between the Sun Wheel and the Heart of the Ninja, a place where all the elders gather in a time of great prosperity and splendor, and the Stone of the Benevolent King is situated within it."

Conan glanced at the stone lantern and repeated what Aragaki Yu had just said.

When he noticed the smile on Aragaki Yu's face when he heard him say those words, he knew that Aragaki Yu probably already guessed what the treasure was.

"We just can't understand these words!"

"Conan, what does this mean?"

Hearing Conan repeat these obscure words, the bewildered Junior Detective League couldn't help but complain.

Meanwhile, Ai Haibara stood silently to the side with her arms crossed. She glanced at Conan, then at Yuu Aragaki, and couldn't help but close her eyes and chuckle softly.

She probably already knows what the treasure hidden in this place is.

"Simply put, the place where Nioh sleeps is closest to the sun, and many old people gather there, making it very lively. The Nioh Stone is located there."

"..."

After Conan finished speaking, the members of the Junior Detective League looked at each other and couldn't help but stare at each other in bewilderment.

Although they could understand each word Conan said individually, they couldn't understand what he was saying at all when they put them together.

"But what exactly is the Nioh Stone?" Mitsuhiko couldn't help but ask.

"Could it really be a stone?" Genta guessed based on the literal meaning of the words.

Conan chuckled and stopped being mysterious. "The so-called Nioh refers to the Vajra Warrior, and his stone is a diamond."

"A diamond?"

Several children, and they didn't even know this unfamiliar term.

Seeing the children's confused expressions, Ai Haibara finally spoke up softly and gave them a hint: "When diamond is translated into English, it means the king of gemstones, that is, diamond."

"Diamond... diamond!?"

Unlike before, the Junior Detective Club members jumped up from their seats instantly.

Chapter 716 The Stone of the King

"Yes, it's said that diamonds were introduced to Japan around the end of the Edo period, so the timing matches up." Seeing how interested the Junior Detective League members were in diamonds, Ai Haibara couldn't help but add a sentence to confirm her earlier statement.

Moreover, looking into her sparkling eyes, Yuu Aragaki knew that she was definitely very interested in diamonds.

However, Aragaki Yuu wasn't particularly interested in diamonds.

If it weren't for the fact that he hadn't seen Kaito Kuroba for a long time and didn't know if he could squeeze anything out of him, he wouldn't have made this trip.

After all, diamonds are not easy to cash out, even if you get your hands on them.

It's not good value for money!

At the same time, Mitsuhiko thought of a very useful clue, "Now that you mention it, I also remember that a TV program mentioned finding a very strange map in Misui Kichiemon's warehouse!"

Following Mitsuhiko's words, Conan analyzed the body of Mr. Tamai and said, "I think Mr. Tamai must have seen the map on TV, determined the location of this mansion, and found those stone lanterns here."

"As a result, he had a falling out with someone he thought was a good partner and could trust, and ended up being killed by that good partner."

Ai Haibara's tone was calm, as if she were used to this kind of situation.

"Hmm, I think that's how it should be."

"Please wait a moment, there should be a follow-up to this text!" Mitsuhiko looked at the stone lantern and suddenly remembered that when Aragaki Yu was reciting the text in the stone lantern earlier, there seemed to be a second half to the story.

“Yes, that’s the important part!” Conan nodded. “Those who are not afraid of the wrath of the King of Kings, who will hold a stone larger than their fist in their palms…”

At this point, Conan visibly froze.

The thought that this treasure might be a precious gemstone brought back the image of the mysterious Phantom Thief Kid to his mind.

……

"Hmph, I see. It seems this really is the beginning of diamond-cutting-diamonds!"

After hearing Conan's speculation about the possible appearance of Kaito Kid, Ai Haibara couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at Conan's excited expression.

"Diamond-cut diamond...? What does that mean?" Ayumi asked Ai, puzzled, not understanding the question.

"This is a Belgian proverb. When you want to cut a hard diamond, you need a diamond, right? So this is how it is used to describe a battle between two wise or equally matched people, whether it is a calm or fierce one."

Ai Haibara explained something to the Detective Boys, but after she finished speaking, her gaze couldn't help but fall on Yuu Aragaki.

Seeing this, Aragaki Yu simply smiled and shrugged at her.

He had no interest in capturing Phantom Thief Kid.

Of course, he didn't want to become part of the love-hate relationship between the brothers Shinichi Kudo and Kaito Kuroba.

Besides, if Conan were to actually clash with Kaito Kid right now, who knows which side he'd choose to side with.

……

The sky was overcast, and it started to rain.

"Alright, since it's starting to rain anyway, let's take shelter from the rain and go inside to check it out."

This time, it wasn't just the Junior Detective League kids; Conan, inspired by Kaito Kid, even volunteered to go inside the house.

"Huh!?" The Junior Detective League members were clearly taken aback by Conan's attitude today, but then they couldn't help but cheer excitedly, "So, the treasure hunt is about to begin!"

"Don't get me wrong, we're just waiting for the doctor to bring the police here."

Of course, Conan didn't forget to give the children a warning.

Yuu Aragaki, however, had a different opinion on this.

Normally, given that Professor Agasa went out to call the police alone this time, even if he wasn't lost, he would still be unable to get back in time due to the torrential rain.

The police will have absolutely no way to get to this place until the incident here is resolved.

"Let's go, but you can't wander off."