Ran stared at the necklace in shock.
Such a beautiful ornament—was it really made of glass?
No.
This was definitely not just a glass bead.
Conan had touched it earlier. It lacked the cold chill of ordinary glass, yet he still couldn't determine what material it was made from.
"Ah-le-le? That's strange—Xiangling-neesan also has a similar bead at her waist!" Conan suddenly pointed toward Xiangling, who had just returned with the soup and sat down beside them. "Did you and Sister Lisa buy them from the same place?"
Everyone's gaze turned to the ornament hanging at Xiangling's waist.
Ran said, "You're right. Even though the shape and color are different, they really do look alike."
Kogoro waved it off. "Those kinds of glass beads are everywhere. It's probably just a coincidence."
Seeing their interest in the Vision-like ornament at her waist, Xiangling unhooked it and handed it to Ran with a smile.
"It's probably just a coincidence. This kind of thing is pretty common," she said. "I've never met Miss Lisa before either. But since you're, um, Natsuyu's friends, that makes you my friends too! Remember to visit often—I'll cook lots of delicious food for you."
She smiled brightly as she invited Lisa.
"Mm~ I will," Lisa replied playfully. "Then I'll look forward to Chef Xiangling's amazing cooking."
Conan stared at the ornament in his hand in disbelief.
Not again… she doesn't care about it either?
Something he had thought would take great effort to obtain had ended up in his hands so easily that he felt completely at a loss.
Xiangling's bead was square, framed in a tilted diamond shape. Its color was a blazing crimson, like fire itself, and the symbol inside also resembled abstract flames. Whether it was imagination or not, the bead even felt faintly warm to the touch.
So the bead's color corresponded to the symbol within.
Red—fire.
Then…
Conan looked at Lisa's necklace.
Purple… lightning?
No, he still couldn't be certain.
And what about the frames around the beads—what did they mean? Why were they different?
Had Xiangling and Lisa really never met before?
Were they lying?
No… the unfamiliarity between them earlier hadn't felt fake.
Then what was Natsuyu's relationship to them?
She didn't have one of these ornaments. Was she just coincidentally acquainted with them?
Ah—there were too few clues. He couldn't draw any conclusions at all.
Seeing Conan struggling in thought, Lisa smiled with interest. Xiangling, meanwhile, paid no attention at all and simply urged Natsuyu and Mr. Mouri to eat before the food got cold.
After looking for a while, Ran returned the ornaments to both Xiangling and Lisa.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, the Mouri family and Natsuyu said their goodbyes.
Conan noticed that Lisa wasn't preparing to leave.
"Sister Lisa, aren't you going?"
"My home is quite far," Lisa replied. "So I'll stay here for the night. It's a good chance to chat with my new friends."
She bent down and smiled as she patted Conan's head.
"Little detective, are you satisfied with that explanation?"
"Haha, I was just asking," Conan said—
Thump!
He clutched his head and shot an aggrieved look at the man who had just punched him.
"Brat, why do you ask so many questions?" Kogoro scolded. "Miss Lisa can sleep wherever she likes!"
Then he turned to her with a grin. "Miss Lisa, you're also welcome to visit my detective agency anytime—if you ever need help—ah! Ran, wait! We haven't even said goodbye yet!"
Before he could finish, Ran dragged him away.
After bidding farewell to Natsuyu and the others, she hauled her father off, with Conan trailing behind reluctantly.
Damn it… I really want to know what they're going to talk about. It definitely won't be just casual chatting.
Installing a listening device on his glasses in front of everyone was impossible right now. This time, he'd have to let it go.
There would be another chance.
He just hoped it had nothing to do with the men in black who had shrunk him.
Meanwhile…
"All right, the outsiders are gone. Traveler—what did you want to discuss?"
The moment Conan and the others disappeared from view, Xiangling closed the door and impatiently turned to Natsuyu.
"Ahem. Naturally, we're here to discuss the future development plan of our organization."
Natsuyu pulled over a chair and sat down, motioning for Xiangling and Lisa to sit as well. She cleared her throat, her expression serious.
Xiangling scratched her head. "What organi—oh! The Teyvat Organization."
"Oh? Did you just forget about it?" Lisa teased mischievously, catching the first few words.
Under Natsuyu's mournful gaze, Xiangling looked embarrassed.
"Sorry, Traveler. It's just… the organization barely has any members right now. It's only us, plus Alhaitham, and we can't really do much. After a while… I kind of forgot."
Then she suddenly remembered something.
"Speaking of Alhaitham—Traveler, have you seen him recently?"
Natsuyu sighed. "No. I messaged him, but he didn't say what he's working on. Still, he should be fine."
She looked helpless.
"I can't control him anyway—he has to move freely. Don't worry, Alhaitham knows what he's doing. I'll tell him what we decide today later."
Elsewhere…
The very man who "knew what he was doing" was currently using stolen access privileges to infiltrate Sherry's laboratory, searching for data on replicating APTX4869.
No one in the organization had noticed him.
After joining the organization, Alhaitham quickly produced a research breakthrough to avoid being sent on missions.
He developed a side-effect-free stamina enhancement agent.
When consumed during injury or crisis, it could rapidly restore strength, reinforce the body, and unleash hidden potential for a short period—an invaluable aid for operatives in dangerous work.
Most importantly, it had no lasting side effects.
Only temporary weakness in the limbs after use—so timing was crucial.
Because this result aligned with the organization's goals—and because no one expected such a famous scholar to serve as a spy—Alhaitham was quickly granted a codename:
Bordeaux.
He became the fastest member in the organization to receive one.
Today was the second day since he obtained his codename.
The drug APTX4869 was the true fuse of this entire story.
Everything began with it.
Thus, obtaining its data would become a powerful bargaining chip for future confrontations—whether with the organization or the protagonists.
Alhaitham never fought battles he couldn't win.
Before making his move, gathering as many cards as possible was absolutely necessary.