Ke Xue World: The Confrontation between Black and Red

Perhaps it was because of the thick clouds that Karasuma Sonobu felt even cooler than the previous few days as soon as he went out.

Looking up at the sky that was covered by clouds, there was only a deep sky. Karasuma Sonobu, who had already reached the center of the lake, suddenly stopped, straightened his clothes, and walked slowly towards the three-story attic not far away. go.

It looks like it's going to rain tonight.

After passing through the guests who gathered in twos and threes to raise glasses, Detective Hakuba and Hattori Heiji, who were led by their respective fathers to meet a circle of people, finally returned to their small circle of detectives.

Hakuba Tan, who was wearing an elegant white suit, looked very suitable for the high-class dinner at the moment. Hattori Heiji, who was wearing a dark gray suit, impatiently tugged on the tie of the same color at the collar.

As people who also received invitations from Tulip, Hattori Heiji and others came to investigate the case as detectives, but they also had the qualifications to come to the third floor of the attic and participate in this real upper-class party.

Many guests actually complained about this, but since the real top figures had no objections, they could only pretend they didn't see it.

The detectives who knew that they were not in the same circle as these guests gathered loosely in a corner. Mouri Kogoro, who always loved fine wine, was wearing a dark blue suit and clearly had a wine glass in his hand, but until now he had not. Entered the mouth.

Iwazuki Quichiro, who was leaning against the wall, looked at Mouri Kogoro, and then stepped forward with a wine glass:

"Detective Mouri, I'm Iwazuki Koichiro, I have long admired your name of sleeping Kogoro."

"Ah hahaha, where is it?"

Listening to the detective junior's praise for being such a capable junior, Mouri Kogoro's mouth was modest, but his face was full of smiles.

Conan, who was holding the juice, glanced at Uncle Mouri, who was being flattered by Quichiro Iwazuki, and gradually walked to the side. He began to brag about his past experience in solving crimes, and looked at the stairs.

As the main venue for this gathering, this loft built in the middle of the lake is a completely wooden building.

Different from the first and second floors, the third floor of this loft was originally built for viewing parties. Therefore, after stepping up the stairs to the third floor, what you see is an unobstructed wide space and you can enjoy the lake and mountains in all directions. , window in an ancient garden.

Except for tables, chairs, benches, bonsai screens and other furnishings, there is no obstruction in the middle.

All necessary spaces for the venue, such as lounges and changing rooms, have been moved to the second floor.

The purpose is to give guests the best viewing experience.

At present, the guests have arrived one after another, and only when the top few people arrive, this top-notch feast will officially begin.

Muto Hiroko and Ichihara Yoshi, who came on stage as the final stage, walked up the wooden stairs to the third floor one after another. As soon as they appeared, they were noticed by the other guests.

Following the pace of the two, the guests along the road stepped aside to make way for a passage. Some guests with insufficient status did not even dare to say hello. They could only bend down to salute and watch the two disappear behind the screen.

Although this loft only has three floors, it covers a large area. Even if it accommodates sixty or seventy guests, it is still not crowded at all.

More than a dozen half-person-high screens divided the entire third floor into several areas. After Muto Hiroko and Ichihara Yoshi sat down, they could only see their faint reflections through the screens.

Compared to the other areas, the number of people in this area is undoubtedly the smallest.

However, those sitting inside were the most powerful among the guests present.

After Karasuma Sonobu and the rest of the group greeted Muto Hiroko and Ichihara Yoshi, they sat down quietly.

Apart from occasionally taking a sip of tea, he did not participate in this conversation where every word contained important information.

Among them, Karasuma Sonobu was of high status, but he was the youngest, so he could only listen quietly when it came to seniority.

Everyone sitting here also understood that the reason why the Karasuma family asked this boy to come here this time was because they wanted him to show his face in front of them.

Tell them that the next head of the Karasuma family is this boy.

Therefore, the others understood Karasuma Sonobu's silence very well, but they did not ignore his existence because of this, but secretly observed his every move.

Karasuma Sonobu, who had been dressed casually in the previous two days, was not only dressed neatly today in a low-key and luxurious black kimono with the crest of the Karasuma family printed on it, woven with gold and silver, but also neatly matched with a haori.

The posture is upright and the expression is calm.

However, he seemed to be listening carefully to the conversation of these top figures, but in fact he was paying a lot of attention to what was going on around him.

On the other side, Mouri Kogoro, who had a pleasant chat with Quichiro Iwazuki and walked to a corner by the window without realizing it, suddenly noticed that his current location was a bit remote.

Just when he realized this and was about to turn around and go back, Iwazuki Quichiro's words stopped him in his tracks.

"Mr. Mori must have arrived in a hurry, so he probably didn't notice the scent that was still on his body even after changing his clothes.

And this fragrance is exactly the same as an agarwood that Mr. Miyazawa has always liked. "

Seeing Mouri Kogoro's face turn cold, Iwazuki Koichiro apologized:

"Ah, I'm sorry for revealing this, but I have something I want to confirm with Mr. Mori.

May I ask, has Mr. Mori ever seen a threatening letter from Mr. Miyazawa? "

Under the gaze of Moori Kogoro, Iwazuki Koichiro added:

"A threatening letter sent specifically to Mr. Miyazawa and signed with Hatoyama."

Mouri Kogoro was silent, but he had already responded.

After receiving the reply, Quichiro Iwazuki was no longer as enthusiastic as before. He very wisely found an excuse to leave.

But before leaving, looking at this senior figure in the detective world, Koichiro Iwazuki whispered:

"Mr. Mori, my admiration for you is not fake, but this admiration is not because you are the famous detective Sleeping Kogoro."

Hearing this, Mouri Kogoro, who originally had an ugly face, showed a trace of doubt, and then seemed to recall something. In an instant, he returned to his usual expression, holding the wine glass in his hand and returning to his previous position.

Not long after, the time quietly came to eight o'clock in the evening.

As the three receptionists holding brown wooden boxes walked to the small makeshift stage in the center of the venue, the venue began to become quiet.

The guests who were originally chatting together in small groups took their seats nearby and focused their attention on the upcoming auction.

The receptionists who were walking among the guests, carrying drinks and drinks, also retreated to corners where they would not affect the guests' sight.

The auctioneer in purple furred sleeves walked up to the round stage holding a folding fan. He first bowed and then clapped his hands. The lights on the third floor instantly dimmed.

At this moment, everyone, including Detective Baima and others, focused their attention on the beautiful auctioneer standing on the central circular platform with the best lighting.

Taking advantage of his short stature, Conan quickly rushed to the vicinity of the round platform.

Hagiwara Kenji, who was always paying attention to what was going on upstairs, noticed that the lights at the stairway had become dim and that the footsteps no longer sounded, and he immediately doubled down on his vigilance.

Not only Hagiwara Kenji, but also everyone guarding the second floor.

Outside the attic, under the calm lake, the time bomb with the red light of the countdown waiting meticulously for the countdown to end.

Further away, a flexible figure shuttled among the trees, followed the path, and entered a Japanese house near the center of the lake.

On the horizon, even at night, the clouds, as dark as ink and thicker and thicker, are very eye-catching.

The cool breeze of summer seems to be blowing more and more.

However, most of the guests on the third floor were paying attention to the auction items, and few looked out the window.

Two brown wooden boxes have been opened, and one contains an emerald necklace with a long history, a rich global history, and several golden owners.

The chain is made up of natural sea pearls that are as big as the size of a fingertip and are perfectly round and in good condition. They look very noble.

In the second wooden box, there was a rolled up piece of old parchment.

In the auctioneer's lotus, this parchment has a glorious history that is not inferior to that of the emerald and pearl necklace. Of course, the most important thing is that there is also a treasure map engraved on this parchment.

It is said that as long as you find the location of the treasure, you will receive a mysterious gift.

Compared to the first emerald and pearl necklace, which went unnoticed, this second piece of parchment, which seemed very ethereal, attracted a lot of attention.

Conan noticed that after the interested guests raised their numbers, the auctioneer did not call out Mr./Ms.'s bid like the auctioneers he had seen before. Instead, he used the folding fan in his hand to call out Mr./Ms. Tap the palm of your hand.

After all the interested guests have raised their placards, the receptionist in kimono will walk to the guests who raised their placards with paper and pen. Then the guests will take the paper and pen, write a series of numbers on the paper, and then put the The pen and paper were returned to the receptionist.

Not long after, a piece of paper will appear in the auctioneer's hand. Then, in front of all the guests, the auctioneer will announce that the lot belongs to Mr. No. 38, and give Mr. No. 38's price.

This auction ceremony is so strange. If you want to get a higher price, shouldn't you use bidding?

Why is it like anonymous bidding?

Karasuma Sonobu looked at the number plate in his hand. On the light golden number plate, one had to look carefully to see an extremely small number on the handle of the number plate.

Under the dim lights, the auction that should have been lively was extremely quiet here.

After the bidding for the second lot was over, the tightly closed third brown wooden box was finally opened, revealing the contents inside.

An amber bead.

It was half the size of an adult's fist, but it was very dull and dull. Compared with the brilliant emerald and pearl necklace in the first box, it looked like a slow-selling toy in a street merchandise store.

There is no comparison at all.

Because he was so close, Conan was able to take a closer look at the dusty unknown bead. He just started to wonder why this thing was the last lot on the stage, when he heard the auctioneer's introduction. A word appeared that was particularly familiar to him.

"This thousand-year-old jade has been enshrined in major shrines in Kyoto and has enjoyed thousands of years of incense..."

Thousand-year-old jade? ? ?