"Heh… hehehe…"
Conan gave a strained, nervous laugh as he ducked behind Tsuneo's legs, using the older man as a human shield to escape Ikumi Kyosuke's piercing gaze and relentless questioning. I'm just a little kid! I don't know the first thing about bombs or forensics!
"As for the bomb theory, the lab should be able to provide a definitive answer once the fragments are processed, right?" Tsuneo asked, looking toward Inspector Otaki.
Whether these were indeed remnants of an explosive device was something only the forensics department could confirm.
"Yes," Inspector Otaki nodded, though he couldn't help but cast a wary glance at their group. These guests from Beika Town… they're certainly an eccentric bunch.
"Aside from the plastic fragments, he was also pointing toward the sky right before he died…"
Ikumi Kyosuke shifted her umbrella, looking up into the pitch-black void of the night. Stars, the moon, heavy clouds, or just the falling rain? Or perhaps he was pointing back at the very tower from which he fell?
"If Mr. Kato wanted to signify the rain, it might actually have a very specific meaning," Heiji mused, his expression shifting into his trademark detective's focus.
The "specific meaning" he referred to was a famous piece of Osaka Castle lore: the Dragon and Tiger Stones. Located to the left and right of the Sakuramon Gate, these stones were said to guard the Main Tower. Legend had it that whenever it rained, the silhouettes of a crouching tiger and a coiled dragon would emerge on their surfaces.
As Heiji finished explaining the legend, everyone's attention shifted to the scorched scroll, which currently showed nothing but the single kanji for "Dragon."
"Inspector Otaki, let me borrow that for a second!"
Heiji didn't wait for permission. He snatched the scroll from the inspector's hand and held it out, exposing it directly to the downpour.
"Hey! That's crucial evidence—!"
Both Otaki and Kogoro Mouri lunged forward to stop him, but they froze as the parchment began to soak. Under the influence of the rainwater, the scroll's true face began to emerge. Faint ink strokes and illustrations started to bleed through the wet paper.
"It seems the legends might actually be grounded in reality," Tsuneo remarked, leaning in to get a closer look.
Of course, only someone with Heiji's "special privileges" in Osaka would dare to potentially ruin evidence like this.
Conan nodded silently, his gaze drifting back toward the silhouette of the Main Tower. If this is true, then Toyotomi Hideyoshi's legendary treasure might actually be hidden somewhere nearby.
Once the detectives had finished their preliminary inspection, the forensics team moved in to take photographs and secure the findings. The investigation at the site was winding down; the body of Yuji Kato—the man who had been playing the role of the Great Unifier—was covered with a white sheet and wheeled away.
"What?"
"You already know what Hideyoshi's treasure is?" Kogoro Mouri asked, holding his umbrella with a look of pure confusion. To him, the scroll didn't look like it held anything particularly world-shaking.
"There's little doubt left. This conclusion is largely thanks to the ceramic shard found on Mr. Kato," Heiji said, holding up the evidence bag.
The interior of the irregular fragment was dusted with a fine, unmistakable layer of gold powder.
"That's true," Inspector Otaki noted, examining it closely.
"But how does that make it a 'massive treasure'?" Kogoro shrugged, unimpressed. Even if the shard came from a gold-plated ceramic vessel, it wasn't even half the size of a palm. How much could it possibly be worth?
"The answer lies within the scroll," Heiji said, pulling the document back out.
Tsuneo watched him, speechless. This guy's pockets are basically a mobile evidence locker. He just keeps stuffing things in there…
"The scroll was likely treated with a special process—covered with multiple layers of thin paper that only become transparent when wet," Ikumi Kyosuke explained to Ran and Kazuha.
Her internal reaction was similar to Tsuneo's. She could only conclude that being the son of the Commissioner had its perks; the forensics team was already packing up, yet they hadn't even tried to take the evidence back from him.
"Most of the writing was burnt away, and what's left doesn't form coherent sentences," Inspector Otaki pointed out, having studied it earlier. "And what about this drawing on the left? What is that supposed to be?"
Kogoro Mouri knitted his brows. To the right of the "Dragon" character, the text was a mess of charcoal and ash. However, the illustration on the left had survived relatively intact.
The curved lines looked familiar.
"That shape… is it a gourd?" Ran asked curiously.
"As far as I know, the gourd was the Ma-jirushi—the battle standard—that the Taiko used in war, right?" Kazuha added, nodding.
"If that's the case, then this ceramic shard might have been part of a gourd-shaped vessel?"
"Could it be that the gourd was filled with gold?"
Ran and Kazuha looked at each other, convinced they had stumbled onto the secret.
"That would make sense, but look at the dimensions in this diagram," Kogoro countered, shaking his head. "The height is only one shaku (approx. 33cm) and the widest point is four sun (approx. 12cm). A gourd that small wouldn't be worth much, even if you filled it to the brim with gold."
To an average person, it would be a windfall, but for a legendary treasure belonging to Toyotomi Hideyoshi? It seemed underwhelming.
"Oh? Have you all forgotten?"
Heiji let out a confident smirk. Suddenly, he, Conan, and Ikumi Kyosuke were all wearing the exact same "detective's smile."
"Heh…" Tsuneo let out a dry chuckle. He had seen this before at the Sunset Manor—a group of detectives smiling in unison at a culprit. It was an eerie, unsettling sight.
"Speaking of which, we have to consider Hideyoshi's habits," Ikumi Kyosuke said, tilting her umbrella as she looked down at Conan. "Little boy, did you learn about this in school?"
"Yup! I've read about it," Conan chirped, nodding vigorously. He saw no reason to hide common historical knowledge. "Every time he won a battle, he would add a small gourd to his golden battle standard!"
"Exactly," Heiji grinned. "That is what history calls the Sennari Hyotan."
"The… the Thousand Gourds!" Kogoro's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Could it be?!" Inspector Otaki stared at the tiny ceramic fragment in realization.
"Exactly. If there really are a thousand of these gold-dusted gourds, the monetary value would be staggering. And that's without even considering their historical significance. They would be priceless," Heiji explained.
He paused, his voice turning serious. "Thirteen years ago, a charred body was found with one. Recently, another victim was found with one. And now, Mr. Kato. It seems all three were chasing this treasure, only to be struck down by someone who wanted it all for themselves."
Heiji turned his head, his eyes narrowing as he looked toward the four members of the tour group standing silently in the rain.
"But there's one thing I don't get," Inspector Otaki scratched his head. "The Superintendent and Chief Toyama… they knew these shards were related to a treasure just by looking at them. But back then, they hadn't found a scroll like this yet, had they?"
"It was likely the shape of the fragments," Kazuha offered. "Now that I think about it, the piece my dad showed me in the car looked exactly like the neck of a gourd. And it had that number written on it—848."
The Thousand Gourds, numbered one to one thousand. If that was the case, the mysterious number on the shard finally made perfect sense.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 30 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"