The World of the Great Detective

Chapter 2: World of the Great Detective

"Main Quest I: [Search]. Quest completion reward: 500 Source Points. No penalty for failure."

"Quest Objective: Locate the Detective Agency and enter it within seventy-two hours."

"Main Quest II: Unlocks after completing Main Quest I."

Quest Hint: "Detective agencies in the World of the Great Detective are as numerous as ox hairs; you must find the correct Detective Agency to complete the mission!"

Quest Hint: "After accepting this quest, you may find ways to ask the police for help. Surely, they must know who the great detectives are!"

Hint: "You can earn the following achievements in this world (including this world and its extended worlds)."

"Drunkard: You must drink at least 50 beers at the Detective Agency."

"Beauty Killer: You must engage in sexual relations with at least one woman. (This cannot be based on monetary transactions, violence, or similar acts; it must be with the other party's full consent to be valid.)"

"..."

"You lack the Contribution Points to probe other achievements below."

"Obtaining relevant achievements will unlock corresponding titles."

"Every adventurer can possess multiple titles, but only one can be equipped at a time. Titles come with various special effects. In most cases, you cannot change titles once you enter combat."

"Warning: From the moment you accept this quest, you may face immense danger. Death within the Space is true death. Likewise, behind great risks, there will inevitably be great opportunities. Adventurers must not reveal the existence of the Space to any plot characters, whether actively or passively."

"Supplementary Note: This scenario is a peaceful scenario; adventurers will not drop any items upon being killed. The digital character information module is enabled simultaneously. Adventurers can check their personal attributes at any time via the Space Mark. Your appearance has undergone special processing and will automatically restore when you return to the real world. You may also adjust your appearance settings within the Space. If you have any questions, you may silently recite them in your heart to query the Space Mark; if your clearance is sufficient, you will receive an answer."

Lin Maoxian listened to this long list of introductions, summoned his character panel, and checked his attributes.

ID: 258

Strength: 9, Agility: 12, Stamina: 7.5, Intelligence: 7.5, Charisma: 9, Perception: 10.5, Willpower: 10.5

Health: 75, recovers 7.5 points per minute

Energy: 75, recovers 7.5 points per minute

Attack: 9

Defense: 7.5

Resistance to Abnormal Status: 10.5%

His attributes were indeed half again as high as when he last checked. He felt his body was much better than before; clenching his fists, he felt more powerful, and even his thinking seemed much clearer. As for the quest—finding the Detective Agency and entering it—though he didn't know how to go about it, given the "easy" difficulty rating, it shouldn't be too hard.

"Adventurer teleporting..."

Before he could react, he suddenly lost consciousness.

Ring-ring! Ring-ring!

Lin Maoxian was awakened by the noisy ringing of a telephone. He quickly scanned his surroundings; it was a Japanese-style room. He walked to the table and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Good day. I am the front desk clerk at the hotel. Is this the gentleman in Room 258? A package has arrived for you."

"My package? Alright, please have someone bring it up."

"Certainly. Sorry to bother you. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"Hmm... help me prepare a map."

"Understood. It is my pleasure to serve you. Goodbye!"

He hung up and carefully examined his surroundings. It was a Japanese-style hotel room. On the table sat a television, and beneath it was an old-fashioned VCR. Aside from a wardrobe, there was nothing else. He turned on the TV, but the screen displayed an Action Mask cartoon. He flipped through several channels, but they were all cartoons or soap operas; there wasn't a shred of useful information.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Hello, I'm from Hakuba Express Company. I'm here to deliver a package. Is anyone there?"

Lin Maoxian went to open the door and saw the courier, a young man of about twenty-four or twenty-five.

"Hello, are you Mr. 258? This is your package. Please sign for it here." The young man handed him a pen.

Lin Maoxian took the pen and signed his name where indicated.

"Hello, my surname is Lin. I'm from China and just arrived. I was wondering, do you know of any great detectives?" Lin Maoxian returned the pen, taking the opportunity to ask about his quest.

"Hello, Mr. Lin. My name is Ikeda. As far as I know in Tokyo, there is the high school detective Kudo Shinichi, known as the Sherlock Holmes of the Heisei era, though I haven't heard news of him for quite some time. Then there is Mouri Kogoro, who has recently risen to fame. He is called the 'Sleeping Kogoro' because it is said he looks like he is sleeping while solving cases. Those are the two in Tokyo. I hear there is also a young great detective in the Kanto region." Ikeda took the pen back and thought for a moment before speaking.

"I see. Thank you, Mr. Ikeda. What you just said is a great help to me."

"Not at all. I am honored to be of assistance. If there is nothing else, I shall be going. I still have other deliveries to make."

"Go ahead, then. Thanks again for your help. Goodbye!" Lin Maoxian watched Ikeda leave, took the package into the room, and closed the door. He opened the package to find identity documents like a visa and passport.

It seems the Space is quite thoughtful! Based on what Mr. Ikeda said, I must be in the world of Detective Conan. The great detective I need to find must be him. He lives at the Mouri Detective Agency, so as long as I find that place, Main Quest I should be complete. But there's no rush. The more pressing matter is to get some money. I shouldn't do anything illegal; being discovered in the World of the Great Detective might be troublesome. Fortunately, I still have this jade pendant on me. Selling it should fetch a large sum. This jade was a fine piece, supposedly from the Ming Dynasty. Someone had once offered a high price for it, but he had politely refused because he liked it so much. After a moment's thought, he took the passport and documents, tucked them away, and headed toward the hotel front desk.

The receptionist was a young, pretty woman, and she was holding a map.

"Hello, is the map I requested ready?"

"Good day, sir. Here is the map you asked for." The receptionist handed it over.

Lin Maoxian took the map, looked at the addresses displayed on it, pointed to a spot, and asked the receptionist, "Do you know where the Detective Agency of the great detective Mouri Kogoro is located?"

The receptionist tapped a finger against her head, looking up in a thoughtful pose before saying, "Mouri Detective Agency, the office of the Sleeping Kogoro? I only know it's over in Beika Town, but I'm afraid I don't know the specific address. I'm really sorry!"

Lin Maoxian looked at the adorable receptionist and said, "It's alright, I should be thanking you instead. By the way, do you know of any famous jade shops in Beika Town?"

"A jade shop! The most famous one around there is the 'Jade Pavilion'."

"Alright, thank you for your help, Miss. I don't need this map anymore, so I'll return it to you." He handed the map back to the receptionist, turned around, and walked toward the hotel entrance.

"Take care, and we look forward to your next visit!"

Walking down the street, he watched the passing vehicles and hailed a taxi.

"Driver, please take me to the Jade Pavilion in Beika Town."

Half an hour later, the car pulled up in front of a building.

After getting out, Lin Maoxian glanced at the greeters on either side and walked inside.

"Hello, I am Guangya Taizi. Is there anything I can help you with?" Guangya Taizi stepped forward with a smile to greet him. This customer was Chinese and dressed quite decently; he was likely a tourist in Japan, and coming to the Jade Pavilion probably meant he wanted to buy some jade as a souvenir. Perhaps she could close this sale, and her commission record would see another entry.

Looking at the beautiful woman smiling at him, Lin Maoxian smiled back. "Hello. I heard that your shop is quite famous in the Beika Town area. I wanted to ask, do you purchase jade here? I have a piece of antique jade I'd like to sell."

Guangya Taizi felt as if her heart had been struck by a heavy hammer. She had just assumed he was here to buy jade, but she hadn't expected him to be here to sell it instead. Her sales record would be missing an entry after all. However, her professional training kept a smile on her face as she replied, "Yes, we do. We have a department specifically for purchasing jade. Please wait a moment, and I will go call the manager."

"Alright, go ahead."

Before long, Guangya Taizi returned, leading a short, stout middle-aged man.

"Hello, I am Inoue Nakao. I heard from Guangya that you are interested in patronizing our humble shop," Inoue Nakao said with a smile to the young man before him. Antique jade was a valuable commodity; if it were a top-tier piece, it could easily be worth tens of millions. The young man in front of him looked at most twenty-five or twenty-six; how much social experience could he have, and how could he possibly discern what was truly antique jade? If he didn't ruthlessly drive the price down and make a killing, he feared even Amaterasu wouldn't be able to watch.

Looking at the fake smile on the short, fat man's face, Lin Maoxian knew from years of experience that he was planning to take advantage of his youth to lowball the price. However, he was afraid the man was being far too presumptuous. Dealing with a mere old man like this? That was something he could handle with ease.