Chapter 50

"So, Mr. Zhongli, are you planning to debut as an idol?"

News Conference

"Zhongli? An idol? Pfft—" Paimon burst out laughing before her face filled with anticipation. "It's hard to imagine that scene, but why do I suddenly really want to see it?"

Yin Kong's eyes were likewise full of curiosity.

It was worth mentioning that before crossing over, although he had pulled the old man's signature weapon, [Vortex Vanquisher], what he usually carried was a magical girl wand ([Maid of the Dead]).

And the moment Zhongli performing was mentioned, an image immediately surfaced uncontrollably in Yin Kong's mind: Zhongli and Neuvillette transformed into a yellow and blue pair of Toothlesses, dancing together to hypnotically catchy music.

Fortunately, Zhongli could not sense Yin Kong's thoughts. He merely chuckled and said:

"Traveler, you know me well. Taking the stage to perform is not something suited to me.

"Besides, with your connections, you can surely find a deity more suited to such matters than I am."

Just as the Geo Archon had said before, for now, it was enough for him to help Yin Kong unlock the many functions of the Statue of the Seven.

Though Paimon looked regretful upon hearing Zhongli say that, she still said:

"All right. Since you don't like it, Zhongli, we won't force you."

Zhongli smiled.

"It is not that I dislike it. If it were only the Traveler or old friends and close companions, I naturally would not mind making a modest display."

Yin Kong's eyes lit up, and he asked delightedly:

"Really?"

"Of course." Zhongli smiled faintly and explained, "When have I ever deceived either of you?"

Paimon immediately waved her little fists, brimming with anticipation.

"Then Zhongli, I want to see it right now! Yin Kong does too, right?"

Naturally, Yin Kong nodded again and again.

As for the Statue of the Seven, what did a lousy chunk of rock matter compared to watching the Geo Archon perform in person?

"Paimon is certainly straightforward." Facing the eager gazes of one large and one small, Zhongli simply laughed. "Unfortunately, performances require inspiration as well. Especially one for the Traveler—if it is not a work I am pleased with, I cannot bring myself to present it."

"Ohhh." Paimon nodded as if she understood, then pressed on, "Then Zhongli, when will you get inspiration?"

Zhongli answered:

"That will depend on fate."

Unfortunately, no matter how Paimon pressed him afterward, the Geo Archon only smiled and said the time had not yet come, refusing to reveal even the slightest hint.

Seeing this, Yin Kong had no doubt that if Zhongli enjoyed fishing, he would definitely be a top-tier expert at it.

Unfortunately, he hated seafood.

"But since it is Zhongli's promise, let us wait for it with great anticipation."

After they finished discussing serious matters, everyone's attention finally returned to the Statue of the Seven.

"Oh, right, Zhongli." Paimon suddenly remembered something, pinching her chin with her right hand as she thought. "Since this isn't the Teyvat Continent anymore, can you still collect the power of faith normally?"

What if the humans of this world did not produce any special power even if they believed in a deity?

Zhongli explained:

"Rest assured, you two. I have already tested it. In terms of the power of faith, the creatures of this world do differ slightly from the residents of Teyvat, but there is no fundamental difference."

Paimon asked in surprise:

"You already tested it?"

Yin Kong's heart stirred, and he guessed:

"Could it have been those Imperial Coins we gave away earlier?"

Zhongli nodded.

"As expected of the Traveler. You are indeed clever. Judging by the results, those Imperial Coins have worked unexpectedly well. At least a hundred people have prayed to them."

"A hundred people? Where did they come from?" Paimon looked utterly confused as she recalled, "If I remember correctly, didn't we only give out four Imperial Coins in total?"

This time, even Yin Kong was completely baffled.

In the end, Zhongli was the one who cleared up their confusion.

"I imagine it was thanks to those two officers.

"If I am not mistaken, the legend of Painted Skin must already be widely circulating through the local Metropolitan Police Department."

Yin Kong and Paimon exchanged a glance. Then Paimon spread her hands, saying incredulously:

"No way. The police should be equivalent to this city's Knights of Favonius—no, they are probably more like the Thirty People Corps. But they are actually this timid?"

Yin Kong had told her the story of Painted Skin, and she had even seen the [Chameleon Witch] who had been the culprit with her own eyes, yet she had only been nervous at the time.

Looking back on it now, she felt no fear at all.

"It has not reached the point of fear." Zhongli gently shook his head and explained, "When people encounter danger that cannot be explained by common sense, they instinctively seek the protection of the gods. I can sense that among those who prayed, the vast majority merely held the attitude of believing it was better to trust that it existed than not. They are far from devout."

Of course, that was more than enough for him to test whether the power of faith existed.

Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.

Just as the three were discussing the urban legends that might be circulating within the Metropolitan Police Department, Takagi and Sato arrived at the agency as well.

"This is Mr. Shikanoin Heizou?" Takagi froze when he saw Little Deer, blurting out, "He's way too young!"

If Yin Kong's youth was still within the bounds of normal understanding, then Little Deer and Kazuha's height and appearance easily gave people the mistaken impression that they were underage.

Of course, when Kazuha ate aboard The Alcor, he really could only sit at the children's table.

Although this was a world that produced high-school detective prodigies in abundance, the danger of this incident was ultimately no trivial matter, and Takagi could not help but feel concerned. "Mr. Yin Kong, are you sure you want Mr. Shikanoin to step into the spotlight and draw those criminals' attention?"

Using an underage boy as bait—if anything went wrong, they would be in serious trouble.

Sato also frowned. "Yeah, Yin Kong. Are you sure this gentleman is an even better fighter than you?"

No matter how she looked at him, he seemed like the frail, pretty type of boy who might get abducted by strange older sisters or creepy aunties just walking alone at night.

"Officers, I can guarantee on the reputation of the entire Cunning Rabbit House that Heizou is not only long past adulthood, but his strength is absolutely dependable. Against three little thugs like yesterday's, taking on twenty or thirty alone would be effortless for him."

That was clearly a conservative estimate.

Although Little Deer had only been raised to level ten, and his equipment and artifacts were practically unbearable to look at, his combat power had long surpassed that of ordinary people by far.

At the very least, only a "Pistol Realm" powerhouse like Ran could qualify as a threat to him.

"Alright. Since it's your guarantee, Yin Kong, naturally we believe you."

Although Sato still found it somewhat hard to believe, she no longer questioned it. Instead, she quickly took out a set of documents and explained, "The higher-ups are very pleased that the missing Maple Leaf Gold Coins were recovered so quickly, and they were already planning to hold a press conference. Inspector Megure remembered your suggestion, Yin Kong, and wanted to invite Mr. Shikanoin to attend as well, so he could give a detailed account of the entire case-solving process."

They had come early, naturally, to coordinate their stories with Yin Kong and Little Deer in advance, as well as explain the things they needed to pay attention to at the press conference.

Otherwise, if their descriptions of the case contradicted each other later, wouldn't that be terribly awkward?

"The situation outside has worsened again."

With Little Deer's abilities, a mere press conference was naturally no challenge.

After tidying up, Yin Kong told Aoyama Nanami that she could go rest for the time being and only needed to come by again before seven that evening. Then, he took Paimon out once more.

"Can you see it?"

Sure enough, the moment they left the radiation range of the Teleport Waypoint, they ran into a long-armed ghost swinging its own head around like a flail.

Paimon was so frightened that she practically pressed herself against Yin Kong's head. Only after Yin Kong rubbed the little one's cheeks did she slowly relax again.

"But at this rate, this place will completely return to how it was before in a week at most, right?"

Even Yin Kong could not help but feel deeply resistant when he recalled the sight of demons and ghosts everywhere.

Honestly, with the size of his current team—

Of course, the main reason was that Old Man Zhong's combat strength meant they no longer really needed to worry about minor demons and monsters below level fifty.

The only problem was that these bizarre creatures were even more numerous than wild hilichurls and Fatui.

If Yin Kong acted carelessly, it would easily trigger a chain reaction and draw in a massive horde of monsters, possibly even endangering innocent passersby.

It would be great if there were a way to lure all the demons and ghosts nearby to an uninhabited place, then wipe them out in one fell swoop.

From the [Chameleon Witch], Yin Kong had learned that there was another kind of person in this world with a special constitution: [Sacrificial Persons], who were born able to see these demons and monsters.

Moreover, their flesh and blood held an extremely strong attraction for these creatures.

Unfortunately, Yin Kong had yet to encounter such a person. Otherwise, he might have been able to make use of them somehow.

He sighed regretfully and casually opened the map.

Without lighting up a Statue of the Seven, the entire map was naturally pitch-black.

The only three places with any light were the apartment's temporary waypoint, the Bone-Eating Well at Higurashi Shrine that represented the Spiral Abyss, and the dungeon marker on Conan.

"Wait, is Conan on a train or a plane?"

Yin Kong immediately noticed that Conan and the dungeon attached to him were moving away from Tokyo at a rapid speed.

What was more, in the same location as the dungeon, there was also a conspicuous exclamation mark representing a World Quest—

[Detective Story], Act Two: [The Reappearance of the Black Organization].

Had he—run into the main storyline of Conan's plot?

It had been less than three days, and he had encountered the Black Organization again?

Yin Kong was not entirely sure, but since there were Primogems to be earned, he naturally had to go lend a hand.

"Come out, Young Barbatos."

After walking into an empty dark alley, Yin Kong summoned the adorable magical kitty as well.

Soon, amid the magical kitty's "meows," the colors of Yin Kong and Paimon rapidly faded until they became almost transparent.

Although a careful observer might still have noticed faint ripples in the air, like those on the surface of water, it was enough to handle most situations.

This was naturally Young Barbatos's ability as well, though with its power, it could only help Yin Kong and Paimon remain invisible for a very short time.

After confirming there were no further flaws, Yin Kong immediately opened Conan's instance and chose to teleport.

On the Shinkansen, Conan, who had been obediently eating his boxed meal, suddenly jolted.

The former high school detective only felt as though something strange had suddenly been unreasonably forced into his body, only to be expelled again an instant later.

Seeing Conan suddenly choke, his face turning red as he could not utter a word, Ran hurriedly patted his chest, finally helping him cough up the rice ball lodged in his throat.

"Are you alright, Conan?"

In stark contrast to Ran's concerned expression, her father, Mori Kogoro, who was shaving, said with schadenfreude:

"A brat is a brat. You can even choke yourself while eating."

Naturally, Conan paid no attention to the mockery from his future father-in-law. Clutching his chest, he looked around suspiciously.

"What was that feeling just now...?"

Yet aside from the ordinary passengers around him, he could not spot anyone suspicious.

Strange. Could it be a side effect of that drug?

Conan was a little nervous. After all, reverting to childhood was already strange enough; bizarre side effects did not seem impossible to understand.

Meanwhile, Yin Kong and Paimon, having dispelled their invisibility in the restroom, openly entered the carriage.

Watching the scenery constantly changing outside the window, Paimon could not help but marvel.

"Wow, so this is a real train? It really is way, way faster than the one we rode in the fairy-tale world."

Yin Kong smiled and explained: