"It might even be the ruins of a prehistoric civilization known as 'Atlantis'!"
"Ah, that..."
Before Wada could answer, he was interrupted by Mr. Itsuki next to him.
"I never expected that a professor of archaeology would be so incompetent!"
Those familiar with Mr. Itsuki, including Kindaichi, looked at this usually easygoing and kind man in surprise and spoke in a sharp tone.
"What prehistoric civilization? There's no legitimate written record of that stuff. It's just something to fool kids who love fantasy novels!"
"As for that underwater ruin in Okinawa, it was heavily publicized and reported for a while, but then it just faded away, didn't it?"
"I heard that the Lanze Ocean Group has taken over the development and wants to build a marine park or something. I think they're just using the 'ruins' as a gimmick."
"If it were a genuine historical site, we'd be too busy protecting it to develop it into an amusement park, wouldn't you agree?"
He spoke while looking at Hazuki Mogami provocatively, until the female professor turned pale with anger at his retort and turned to leave, at which point he let out a smug sigh.
"You... what you said makes sense..." Helpless, Wada could only weakly agree.
"To be honest, I first heard about the 'Deep Blue' ruins in Okinawa not 3 years ago, but 4 years ago. At that time, the discoverer and the investor in the development were not the Lanze Group."
"Out of curiosity, I followed the trend and invested a lot, only to lose everything. I heard that the developer also went bankrupt..."
Mr. Itsuki, who had been speaking recklessly and only intended to target Mogami Hazuki, unexpectedly hurt an ally. He could only sigh and pat Wada on the shoulder to comfort him.
Watching these people's aimless conversation with a cold eye, Yoruichi Toyama did not join in.
He had no interest in either treasure hunting or history.
His sole purpose in coming here was to prevent the murder from happening.
To prevent someone as vibrant as Hazuki Mogami, who so clearly expresses her likes and dislikes, from becoming a victim of that selfish murderer.
Of course, it would be even better if we could lend her and Mr. Itsuki a hand as well.
While everyone on the boat was lost in their own thoughts, the cruise ship pulled into the pier at Amakusa Island.
They were greeted by a boy who was about the same age as Kindaichi, but had a handsome face and long hair.
"I am a resident of this island and also your tour guide for this trip."
The boy spoke in a melodious voice, like a clear spring, while bowing to the crowd.
"My name is Tendo Shiro."
The name, which was very similar to that of Amakusa Shiro, immediately caught the attention of the entire treasure-hunting team.
For a moment, everyone forgot about the friction and fatigue of the journey, and were as excited as if they were about to start digging for treasure.
Even if it was a gimmick deliberately set up by the organizers, Toyama Yoru thought to himself that this treasure hunt was becoming more and more mysterious.
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