Become a Phantom Thief from the Comic World

"If '20', '3' and '4' are regarded as Latin alphabetical numbers, that means they must be replaced with the corresponding letters first, and then substituted into Roman numerals... Huh? That's wrong!"

Just halfway through following the inspiration, the joy on Dick's face suddenly stopped, "If we interpret it according to the alphabetical numbers, then 3 is C which is equal to one hundred, 4 is D which is equal to five hundred, but 20 is T. Not in the basic symbols of Roman numerals."

Hearing this, Barbara's eyes flashed and she said meaningfully.

"Polytheism based on Roman mythology has been gradually replaced by Christianity since the time of Emperor Constantine, and has become the afterglow of ancient Rome. The two symbols of ancient Roman culture, Mars and Caesar, appear on the notice letter. Then In fact, it is Kaitou Kidd who reminds us to use the knowledge of ancient Rome to interpret it."

"The numbers must be replaced with ancient Roman numerals, and the letters must also be replaced with letters from the ancient Roman period!"

In ancient Rome, the three letters J, U, and W did not exist!

In other words, number 20 on the alphabet is not a 'T', but a 'V'!

Bringing in Roman numerals, its true meaning is the number 5.

20乘3等于4，即V乘C等于D，5乘100等于500，完美贴切。

At this moment, Dick suddenly became enlightened and his thoughts suddenly became more active.

"If 20 multiplied by 3 equals 4,

Then I will come at a time that does not exist,

When Mars passed his tenth day and night,

Following the guidance of Caesar,

Come and worship the blood-stained dragon eggs. "

"If the first sentence means Roman numerals, the non-existent time in the second sentence refers to zero, because there is no zero in Roman numerals!"

Without any further explanation from Barbara, Dick figured out the meaning of the latter sentence.

"Taking the first three sentences together, Kaito Kidd's action time is midnight on March 3th, which is midnight on March 11th!"

At this point, Dick's brows wrinkled again.

"Then what is Caesar's guidance?"

"I actually didn't understand this sentence. If this sentence is just to guide us to focus on the knowledge related to ancient Rome, it would be a bit unnecessary. After all, mentioning Mars can also play the same role."

As soon as he said this, Dick nodded. He also felt that the sentence was more than just a reminder.

"but--"

Barbara suddenly changed the subject.

"After coming to the Natural History Museum, I probably understood what he meant."

In the ancient Rome special exhibition hall, Barbara looked at a sculpture of Julius Caesar in front of her, with a vague light flashing in her eyes.

This sculpture of Julius Caesar seems to be waving his hand towards the enemy while leading his army on an expedition.

If Barbara remembers correctly, the direction the sculpture's hand is pointing should be the Jungle Pavilion on the east side of the cultural relics pavilion where the 'Dragon Egg Ruby Necklace' is located.

"You mean that Caesar's guidance is just a literal guidance. Kaitou Kidd will launch an operation in the Jungle Pavilion at midnight on March 3th?"

After listening to Barbara's narration, Dick asked doubtfully.

"I know, it's a bit too straightforward, but at least for now, this is the only explanation that makes sense. I haven't found any other 'Caesar's guidance' here."

Barbara shook her head and sighed.

"Well, it seems that there is no other way to solve the puzzle anyway. In short, the time is absolutely correct."

After thinking for a long time, this was really the only explanation. Dick nodded and agreed with Barbara's idea.

At this point, the two of them have interpreted all the contents of Kidd's notice letter.

After discussing some details of follow-up arrangements, Dick cut off the call with Barbara.

At this moment, Dick suddenly heard someone calling him in front of him.

"Hey! Dick! Dick! Come to your senses quickly, Mrs. Anderson is coming to find you!"

I saw Dean in front of him whispering his name, and at the same time, all the students in the class looked at him with gloating eyes.

Dick's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly realized that something was wrong.

"It seems that you have finally woken up, Mr. Grayson. I have called you four times, but you have not responded at all. I have to doubt whether your study attitude is correct..."

A rich middle-aged woman's voice sounded from the side.

Dick's expression suddenly froze. He raised his head and saw Mrs. Anderson's gloomy face.

Mrs. Anderson is their math teacher and has a bad temper.

Dick secretly thought something was wrong. He was so focused on discussing the notice letter with Barbara that he didn't even hear his name being called.

"Can you give me a reasonable explanation, Mr. Grayson?"

Mrs. Anderson asked word by word, her eyes full of oppression.

Cold sweat broke out on Dick's face, and he forced a smile and said: "Uh...Mrs. Anderson, I...I was just listening to your lecture with fascination, and a few seconds ago I was still immersed in the ocean of mathematical knowledge. "

Mrs. Anderson looked into his eyes expressionlessly.

"What you said can only lie to yourself and not to anyone else. I think I have to confiscate your headphones now, and if you get distracted next time, I will have to talk to Mr. Wayne about your education. .”

After saying that, Mrs. Anderson took off Dick's headphones without saying a word and turned back to the podium.

Chapter 46: Who has the best riddle technology

Puff!

Hee hee hee hee hee hee!

As Mrs. Anderson left, Dick heard a burst of laughter around him.

He knew that the students around him were gloating that their headphones had been taken away.

Fortunately, I had just turned off the call with Barbara before, otherwise things would have been in big trouble.

Of course, it was precisely because the call had ended, otherwise Dick would not have let Mrs. Anderson take away the earphones.

With Dick's reflexes, he could take off the headphones before Mrs. Anderson touched them.

But now there is no need for that. If the headphones are taken away, just take them away. It is not a big deal.

"Hey, what did you just listen to that made you so fascinated?"

At this time, Dean, who was sitting in front, quietly turned around and asked.

"...Nothing, just a few new rock songs, nothing special."

Dick touched the back of his head and laughed.

"Really? This is the first time I know you like rock music."

Dean glanced at Dick with a normal expression and warned: "Be careful, Mrs. Anderson has already set her sights on you."

After saying that, he turned around and sat upright.

No one noticed that there was a chewing gum-like object in Dean's hand.

That's right, when Mrs. Anderson took away Dick's headphones, Dean used lightning speed to quietly retrieve the bug stuck on the back of the table.

He overheard almost the entire conversation that Dick had just had. From the moment his identity was suspected to the warning letter being cracked, Dean already knew everything.

The only flaw was that it was impossible to determine who Dick was calling because he couldn't hear Barbara's voice.

Anyway, it must be one of Batman's gang, either the old butler Alfred, or the Batgirl whose true identity is not yet known.

"In short, they have begun to suspect that I am Kaitou Kidd, and Dick's suspicion of me is very low, which means that the person who spoke to Dick is the one who really suspected my existence."

"But they should have no evidence to identify me, and it's just speculation. Otherwise, Dick's attitude wouldn't be what it is now."

Dean thought to himself.

"In the next actions, they will definitely find ways to test me..."

-

Meanwhile, deep within Arkham Asylum.

There is a "ward" that is tightly locked with a heavy iron door, and high-strength iron bars are added to the windows.

Two men, one tall, one short, one fat and one thin, sat facing each other.

The tall, thin man put his hands flat on the table, was tightly restrained by a pair of handcuffs, and was wearing an orange hospital gown.

Obviously, he should be some mentally ill criminal locked up here.

What is strange is that there is no number written on the hospital gown, but an unknown "question mark" symbol painted on it.

Opposite the tall and thin man sat a short, fat man with a pointed and long nose, wearing a tuxedo and holding an umbrella and a cane in his hand.

There is only one person with this image in Gotham City.

The Penguin, Oswald Cobblepot.

Under the flickering lights in the "ward", the faces of the two people were looming, looking eerie and terrifying.

An indescribable chill surrounded the entire space, making the two fully armed "nurses" guarding the door and playing seductively in police uniforms stand on end.

"How's it going? Do you have an idea, Nygma?"

After a long time, Penguin was the first to speak. The name he said made every Gothamite's face change drastically and they became silent.

Edward Nygma, 1.86 meters tall and 35 years old, is a super criminal with severe mental illness. He is extremely narcissistic about his own intelligence and especially likes to use his super high IQ to play with others.

But compared to his real name, he prefers others to call him - The Riddler.

Not long ago, the Penguin went to Arkham Asylum to "visit" the Riddler. Originally, the hospital did not want the equally notorious Penguin to come in.

However, the relevant government documents are all available, so the hospital has no reason to keep people out. However, only the penguins are allowed to enter by themselves, and they are not allowed to bring anything with them.

At the same time, he also asked two prison guards... ah no, two nurses to accompany him, never leaving.

When the Penguin and the Riddler met, he asked the latter a few questions, hoping that the Riddler could help him unlock the secrets.

Yes, that's the warning letter from Kidd. You can't bring anything into Arkham, so Penguin can only ask the Riddler orally.

The Penguin forced Mrs. Chandler to hold an exhibition just to seek revenge on Kidd. As long as he knew the time of Kidd's action, he could set up a dragnet in advance and kill Kidd on the spot as soon as he appeared.

There's just one problem - Kaitou Kidd's teaser letter is too difficult to decipher.

Barbara was able to decipher the notice letter largely because she happened to recall the book Dean read that day and was inspired.

Otherwise, it is very likely that Barbara's current progress will not be any faster than Dick's, and she will always stay at the sentence "Mars spent the tenth day and night."

For most people, without key hints, it is almost impossible to think of how to interpret the trailer, and Penguin is no exception.

However, Penguin is not worried about being unable to unlock the notice letter, because he has his own method.

If you can't think of it yourself, let others think of it.

So Penguin approached the Riddler. In his opinion, there was no one in the world who understood riddles better than this guy.

At this moment, Penguin was waiting expectantly for the Riddler's answer.

"...Interesting, this puzzle is interesting, I like it! Who came up with it?"

The Riddler closed his eyes and meditated, and his face gradually showed a morbid joy, just like a child who got his favorite toy.

Penguin didn't understand his joy, nor did he want to understand. He just wanted to know what the notice letter meant.

"It pleases me that you like the gift I have brought you, old friend, so please tell me that you have solved the mystery."

"Ha~"

Hearing this, the Riddler suddenly changed his expression and sneered disdainfully: "What I say is interesting is that the way the puzzle is designed makes me feel fresh, not because I find it difficult!"

"In fact, if you evaluate it in terms of difficulty, in my eyes this is not a qualified riddle at all."

"The time is midnight on March 3th, and the location...if it's at the Natural History Museum as you said, and I remember correctly, it's the Jungle Exhibition Hall."

The Riddler told Penguin all the answers in one breath.

"I won't go into the inference process in the middle, Oswald. Anyway, you definitely don't care."

Penguin grinned and said: "You are still as smart as ever. I only need the result, the process is not important."

"It's nice to see you today, old friend, but visiting time is coming up and I have to go now."

"and many more!"