"I suppose they could be considered the seniors of our Junior Detective League, right?"
Mitsuhiko glanced at Haibara. He decided it was best not to dwell on such heavy thoughts for now—they needed to get inside and see what they could find.
Mrs. Hudson led the group into Sherlock Holmes's private quarters. The room was a labyrinth of towering bookshelves, cluttered desks, and various scientific apparatuses used for chemical experiments.
"It looks exactly like it does on TV!"
While the others were still caught in a state of awe, Conan took the opportunity to hop onto Holmes's famous armchair. He sat back, clasped his hands together in front of his face, and assumed a look of deep, analytical concentration.
For a fleeting second, Ran felt a sense of vertigo, as if she were seeing the shadow of Shinichi sitting right there.
"He looks quite a lot like Mr. Holmes, doesn't he?"
Mrs. Hudson stood in the doorway, a playful smile on her face as she watched Conan. "Mr. Holmes always strikes that exact pose when he's deep in thought. Everyone, please make yourselves comfortable while I go and prepare some tea."
With that, she turned and left the room.
"Does anyone else feel like we've seen the person in this photo somewhere before?" Mitsuhiko asked, looking up at a framed photograph on the mantle.
"Even though he has hair, that is definitely Dr. Agasa's face!" Ayumi recognized him instantly.
It seemed the Professor had taken the liberty of designing himself into one of the lead roles. Dr. Agasa was clearly Dr. Watson. As for the man standing beside him—though he lacked a mustache and glasses—it was undeniably Yusaku Kudo.
"Hey, we don't exactly have time to just sit around here, do we?"
Moroboshi Hideki, seeing how relaxed the group had become, couldn't help but speak up.
"But Moroboshi, what are we supposed to do?" Kikukawa Seiichiro asked, sounding lost. He didn't know these stories and had no sense of direction. Like the other elite children, he was instinctively following Moroboshi's lead.
"The kid with the glasses must know something." Moroboshi shoved his hands into his pockets and looked toward Conan.
"Since this is Holmes's home, he must have collected files regarding Jack the Ripper," the Great Detective said, jumping down from the chair. In a key location like this, even if the primary NPC was absent, there had to be some other utility for the players. "Let's split up and search!"
"Okay! I'll check this side!" Kikukawa Seiichiro was the first to respond, walking eagerly toward a nearby bookshelf.
The other second- and third-generation elites watched him in stunned silence. Since when had Kikukawa become such a cooperative, friendly person?
In truth, ever since the Professor's communication was cut, the bridge collapsed, and Conan and Ran had pulled him back from the brink of death, a subtle shift had occurred within Kikukawa's heart. It was a change he likely hadn't even noticed himself...
If the "Repairman" had been there to witness this, he probably would have laughed out loud. He had managed to turn a literal Witch into someone neither black nor white; handling a few pampered brats was child's play.
"Ruth, we've been sailing for so long without running into a single enemy... are you sure we haven't taken a wrong turn?"
Tsuneo held a monocular telescope, scanning the horizon with a look of profound boredom. They had been at sea for three days, and he hadn't even had the chance to fire a single cannon.
Ruth was currently cradling a six-year-old toddler, appearing to be in the middle of mediating a squabble among the children. With over twenty kids on board, small frictions were inevitable.
"Captain, you've asked me that eight times today..." Ruth looked at his Captain with a gaze full of silent resentment. I spend all day looking after children and drawing up nautical charts, and I still have to answer the same question over and over again.
"Uncle Ruth, come help me! I can't get this knot right!" a group of children nearby shouted. They were struggling with a length of rope.
"Coming!"
Ruth had officially transitioned into the role of the ship's "Nanny-in-Chief."
"He's a kind soul, isn't he?" Genta looked up at the black pirate flag, then back at Ruth, who was running across the deck with the kids. A strange feeling washed over him. No matter how he looked at it, this didn't feel like a pirate crew—it felt more like a floating amusement park.
"Yeah, he's a strange one," Tsuneo replied, watching the sailor's back.
According to the game's setting, the NPC Ruth was supposed to be an adventure-loving "good guy," but the level of enthusiasm he showed while playing with the children was unnatural.
There was only one explanation.
This fellow had been "possessed" without anyone realizing it. It was highly likely that Noah's Ark had partitioned a segment of its consciousness to participate in the game personally. If that was the case, even if no one cleared the game, the AI likely wouldn't have the heart to kill these children.
Still, the idea of the AI choosing self-destruction was a waste. He needed to find a way to prevent that.
"Brother Tsuneo, what are you thinking about?" Genta asked, noticing the Captain's peculiar smile.
"Vice-Captain, go check if dinner is ready!"
Tsuneo gave Genta a light rap on the head. Watch your tone; we're playing a game here!
"Ow... I wonder how Conan and the others are doing," Genta said, rubbing his head.
Compared to their situation—where they were at sea with plenty to eat and drink and no need to worry about "nutritional balance"—the London world seemed far more dangerous. Facing Jack the Ripper sounded terrifying.
"They won't actually die, so don't worry about it. For us, we need to speed things up," Tsuneo said, pulling out the sea chart Ruth had given him.
He couldn't make heads or tails of the navigation lines, but certain key locations were clearly marked.
"We clear the game once we find the ultimate treasure, right?" Genta asked, leaning in to look at the map.
"Yeah. But our ship isn't big enough yet, and we don't have enough cannons." Tsuneo had consulted Ruth on this. The pirate crews that dominated the Seventh Sea didn't operate as single vessels; they led entire fleets of warships.
From the First Sea to the Seventh Sea, the game was structured as a series of hurdles, with enemies growing progressively stronger. Relying on just the Surrey wouldn't be enough. To finish the game quickly and solve their firepower deficiency, there was only one solution.
"Robbery?"
Genta watched as the Repairman pointed his finger at an island marked with a large, red exclamation point.
The information Ruth had written there was simple: Devil's Island. A gathering place for the most notorious pirates in the sea. Do not approach.
"And here," Tsuneo said, pointing to the next location.
"This one doesn't look as scary as Devil's Island?" Genta noted. There were no special warning labels.
"Exactly. And look at the size of it—it looks absolutely filthy rich," Tsuneo nodded.
He couldn't tell the exact scale, but the location didn't look like an island anymore; it was more like a small continent.
"The Kingdom of Seris?!"
"Captain, have you lost your mind?!"
Ruth had appeared out of nowhere, leaning in like a startled rabbit. "Do you have any idea what a Kingdom's warship looks like?! If this evil-looking pirate ship of ours gets anywhere near them, we'll be torn to shreds by their firepower in seconds!"
"With a cowardly heart like that, you can go sit at the kids' table when we eat," Tsuneo said, waving him away.
After taking down the Surrey pirates and leveling up three times, Tsuneo's HP had already surpassed 7,000. Floating around at sea for months would be a bore. Wiping out Devil's Island and plundering a Kingdom was the only logical way forward.
"Aren't you also sitting at the table with the kids...?" Ruth muttered under his breath.
[Chapter End]
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