Anime, but the Phantom Thieves of Heart

Following the appearance of this strange statue, a strange figure attacked their 'Guardian'. Their original territory was then overrun by tall trees, and the Pixies also appeared. The 'Guardian', badly injured in the previous battle, had to go into hiding, and they migrated away from their home...

As for the 'weird statue' and 'weird man' that Lan Ke was most concerned about, the other party said he had no idea.

After all, she had only been born for a few years, and she had only heard these things from the elders of the clan, so she didn't know the specific details.

"But since you, Krupokru, were born not long ago, and the Fairy Kingdom has been around for over two hundred years, you probably don't know about things like 'secret passages'..."

Having said this, Lan Ke paused unconsciously.

After all, if he remembered correctly, the 'Palace' should be a collection of twisted human desires, but this 'Palace' has existed for more than two hundred years. Doesn't that mean that 'Roswaal Z. Mezas' has lived for more than two hundred years?

After all, Lan Ke had locked onto the palace through the name 'Roswaal Z. Mezas'.

But the other party's information clearly shows that he is only in his thirties this year.

There are more doubts.

Lan Ke suspected that it might be related to what Pixie called the 'familiar feeling'.

But unfortunately, there was too little information, and he couldn't even come up with a reasonable guess.

But while Lan Ke was thinking, 'Krupo Kru' took a long time to muster up the courage.

"Well...if it's about entering the 'Fairy Country', I know how to get in!"

Looking at Lan Ke's surprised expression, 'Krupo Krupo' hesitated for a long time before Lan Ke understood the reason.

It turns out that although she seems a little shy, she is actually very playful. Even though her tribesmen have warned her to stay away from here, she still sneaked through a small path and ran into the "Fairy Kingdom" to play.

Fortunately, this place is just right for Lan Ke and his group to pass through...

Chapter 80: Could it be that he is possessed by some evil spirit?

Under the guidance of 'Krupo Krupo', Lan Ke and Shirou Emiya came to the roots of a huge tree.

It seems that the growth of trees crushed a stone, and due to rain erosion and soil erosion, a hole was opened on the wall of the "Fairy Kingdom".

You should know that there are Pixies patrolling on the branches that can be climbed over, but not underground.

but------

'Can we really squeeze into this place?'

Looking at the narrow gap in front of him that was just enough to squeeze into by turning sideways, Lan Ke was full of doubts.

But looking at 'Krupo Krupo' who was already standing inside and waving at him, Lan Ke couldn't help but sigh, took off his iconic bird-beak mask and followed.

Seeing this, Emiya Shirou followed suit, took off his helmet-like "personality mask" and followed closely behind.

With the help of 'Krupo Krupo', Lan Ke and his friends began to try to invade the 'Fairy Kingdom'.

The situation of the other parties is more delicate.

For example, Kudo Shinichi is currently sitting in the "library" writing furiously.

Of course he wasn't doing homework. After all, Neon's homework load wasn't that heavy. Although he didn't finish it all at school like Lan Ke did, he wouldn't leave it for traveling either. What he was writing furiously at this moment was a string of strange graphic codes.

It's a coincidence.

Because Mao Lilan and Suzuki Sonoko went to visit jewelry and cultural relics, Kudo Shinichi, who was bored, simply went to the library for a stroll, and then he "happened" to see a book that recorded the "local legend" of the previous "Count".

This material is not a published book, but the notes of a folklorist, but for some reason it was included in the library.

As the 'Count' said, although the 'legend' told by Suzuki Sonoko is the most widely circulated version, there are actually many other versions.

For example, the 'Fairy Princess' and the 'Snow Fairy' were not actually from the same place, and they even fought over territory.

For example, although the 'Fairy Princess' and the 'Snow Fairy' are not from the same place, she comes to seek shelter from the 'Snow Fairy'.

There are also many theories about the "evil magician". Some say he wants to possess the power of the "Fairy Princess", some say he covets the Fairy Princess's beauty, and some say he wants to use the "Fairy Princess" to conquer the world...

In short, there are so many different versions that it is impossible to determine which one is the most original.

In this regard, Kudo Shinichi was quite convinced that this was just the inference made by the owner of the notebook.

According to the other party, the so-called "Fairy Princess" and "Snow Fairy" are likely to refer to people from the south and the local "Ainu people", and as for the "Evil Magician", it may refer to foreign invaders.

The so-called 'legends' actually reflect the changes in the local historical process.

If that's all Shinichi Kudo read, he would probably just treat it as an interesting story and forget about it.

But he discovered a strange 'code' recorded in the notes.

It is not a common text code, but a strange pattern composed of graphics and numbers.

Kudo Shinichi's instinct told him that this was a 'puzzle'.

He had nothing to do and without even thinking for a second, he decisively chose the latter between "finding a female companion to visit the villa" and "decrypting the code".

As the saying goes, 'hard work pays off', he soon analyzed that the patterns might be maps. He then found a local map in the library, and based on those graphics, he found corresponding landmarks on the ancient map.

"Comparing ancient maps with modern maps..."

Kudo Shinichi raised his right hand and pointed at a point on the phone screen!

“Right here!!”

Silence undoubtedly needs to be maintained in the 'library'. Fortunately, there were no other unrelated people in the library except Kudo Shinichi at this time, so no one would come out to protest. It's just that he was the only one having fun alone and he could still have so much fun... Should I say that he is worthy of being Kudo Shinichi?

However, after cracking the 'graphic password', a new problem arose, that is, those numbers were not used.

But in fact the answer is very simple. With a new destination and a puzzle that has not been solved, the problem corresponding to this number should be at the location marked by the 'graphic password'!

After checking the map and feeling that the place was not too far, Kudo Shinichi hesitated for a second and then decided to set off decisively.

Fortunately, the 'puzzle' had not yet been fully revealed to him. His remaining sanity made him send a message to his childhood sweetheart before leaving, telling her that he would be away for a while.

Then he happily chose to set off.

However, he did not notice that after he left, a strange "black shadow" walked out from the corner of the library. The other party looked at Kudo Shinichi's back, showing his white teeth, and followed him silently.

Under the guidance of the "locals", Lan Ke finally entered the "hall"; Kudo Shinichi found a strange code and cracked it; so what were Josuke Higashikata and Toshio Utsumi, the police chiefs, doing?

"Senior, is it really okay for us to just be here to monitor?"

In the woods outside the 'Mezas Residence', Josuke Higashikata complained to Toshio Utsumi with some helplessness.

In fact, he was quite respectful of his "senior" Toshio Utsumi. After all, he was a good person with good abilities. He even almost caught the "Cat's Eye" at the beginning. The most important thing was that he also approved of his hairstyle.

But in late spring in Hokkaido, even though there was sunshine in the afternoon, the temperature was still not high. Especially since they had to hide in the woods to hide themselves, there was no chance of getting any sun. When the north wind blew, Josuke Higashikata felt the cold wind blowing into his clothes.

Utsumi Toshio, who was holding a telescope and taking over the shift with Higashikata Josuke to monitor the "Mezas Residence", was quite helpless about this, but he did not look back and just spoke to comfort him.

"Don't worry, I've encountered some 'victims' who were unwilling to cooperate before. They didn't allow us to directly protect the 'target', so we could only set up control from the perimeter."

"Although the situation this time is different, in order to prevent being discovered, we can only deploy control on the periphery, so the situation is not much worse."

"We only need a small group to guard the area around the villa, and the rest to guard the main traffic roads. Those 'Phantom Thieves' will basically be unable to evacuate or get rid of us using conventional means..."

Toshio Utsumi's words were not just comfort, but rather a word of experience.

Although Josuke Higashikata was skeptical about this, he chose to follow Utsumi Toshio's advice after seeing his confident expression. After all, he was a complete novice in catching phantom thieves.

However, just as the two were chatting, a sound suddenly came from the headphones that were in 'silent' mode.

"Inspector Touhou, someone is leaving the Metzas Residence through the back door!"

Josuke Higashikata, who had just finished his shift and was leaning against a tree trunk with his arms folded to rest, suddenly had his eyes light up.

“Who is it?!”

Although the 'Mezas Family' is not as wealthy as the Suzuki Family, they live in their current villa simply because it is their 'ancestral home'. However, the land they own is not limited to this. The entire nearby hilltop is the private territory of the 'Mezas Family'.

Therefore, supplies are usually delivered on a regular basis every day by suppliers at the foot of the mountain. If there is anything that needs to be purchased suddenly, servants or maids will be sent to drive and buy it.

But Higashikata Josuke knew that if only the maid or attendant left, his subordinates would definitely not break the 'silence' requirement and communicate directly with him.

As expected, the name the other party said next made Josuke Higashikata stunned for a moment.

"It's 'Kudo Shinichi'!"

Because the 'Metzas Family' was holding a banquet, almost all the wealthy and political families in Hokkaido came to attend. The number was so large that even Josuke Higashikata couldn't remember them all.

But when it comes to 'Kudo Shinichi', he reacts instantly.

After all, he will never forget everyone who has laughed at his hairstyle.

The only problem is——————

"Kudo Shinichi? Why did he come to Hokkaido?"

If Josuke Higashikata remembers correctly, Kudo Shinichi should have no relatives or friends living in Hokkaido, right?

It’s a pity that his subordinates did not give him the information he needed this time.

After all, this time, because they were worried that the local police would tip off the "suspect", Josuke Higashikata didn't even inform the local police station. Strictly speaking, their current actions were "overstepping their authority".

In other words, it was only because Ginzo Nakamori was willing to take the blame for them afterwards that they were able to move freely.

But since they are taking the blame after the fact, they naturally cannot get any local intelligence support at the moment.

Although he didn't know the reason, Higashikata Josuke couldn't help but frown slightly.

His impression of Kudo Shinichi was too deep.

Not only did this guy mock his hairstyle when they first met, but also because several of their meetings were related to the 'case'.

The first was the "Mysterious Serial Disappearance of Girls"; the second was the "Zawa Yuezhi Shooting Case"; and the third was the "Phantom Thief Serial Heart Stealing Case."

At the moment, in order to find clues about the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts', they were setting up surveillance in advance near the homes of the targets where the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' might steal hearts, and they unexpectedly met them again?

Once, twice, and three times are coincidences, but it can’t be a coincidence four times, right?

It can't be that the other party is just unlucky or possessed by some evil creature, right?

He almost instinctively reached for the notebook on his chest.

The notebook with the cover inherited from his grandfather recorded the information about the suspects of the "Phantom Thieves of Hearts" after the last investigation, and among them, Kudo Shinichi was one of the main suspects.

After all, young people with a strong sense of justice may indeed choose to use "lynching" when they encounter certain criminals in a fit of rage.

A sense of justice, knowledge of crime, sufficient intelligence, and repeated appearances at crime scenes...

Josuke Higashikata didn't waste any words and gave the order directly.

"Senior Utsumi, please continue to monitor. I want to follow and see..."

Although Josuke Higashikata didn't say a word, Utsumi Toshio, who often caught phantom thieves, still understood his subtext.

Without any nonsense, he nodded.

"Just leave it to me on site. Do you need someone else to help you?"

"No, I'm just suspicious. There's no need to arrest him. 'The monk may escape, but the temple cannot.' If my suspicion is true, we'll talk about it later."

At this moment, Higashikata Josuke's eyes seemed to be glowing...

Chapter 81 'Side Quest: Great Fairy Parker'

It's as if there's an invisible hand in this world, pulling everyone in one direction...

No, maybe it would be more appropriate to say that there is something somewhere that attracts everyone, so all talents gather there unconsciously.

Among all of them, Lan Ke and his team made the fastest progress.

At this time, they had already entered the "Fairy Kingdom" under the leadership of "Krupo Kru".

“Ghost Rider!!”

"Oh oh oh!!"

Shirou Emiya has become more and more accustomed to commanding the "Personality Mask" to fight.

There is no need for too many words. At the command, the 'Ghost Rider' twists the handle and crashes into the enemy in front of him. And unlike ordinary attacks, as long as the 'Ghost Rider' does not let go of the handle, the 'Soul Chariot' will continue to move forward.

In terms of game terms, the seemingly simple collision actually achieves the effect of AOE.

However, it was also because of this that the 'Ghost Rider' wielding the chain in his hand was unable to finish off the enemy accurately. More than half of the Pixies were knocked off balance by the 'Soul Chariot' and tried to escape in panic.

But at this moment, a black figure suddenly appeared from the side.

Facing the cute Pixie, he pulled the trigger without any hesitation to finish her off.

"Ahhh!!"