Chapter 3614-3626 [Kidd's Mermaid Smoke]
Before Kidd could even process the villain's wisdom his father had given him, the next line was already out.
Kuroba Toichi's voice slowly said, "Another type of troublesome audience member is one with an excessively strong curiosity. Such people will not quietly watch magic; on the contrary, in order to figure out the mechanisms and principles behind the magic, they will not hesitate to interfere with the performance."
“A boundless curiosity…” Kidd muttered, “Is he referring to those detectives?”
Jiang Xia's image first appeared in his mind, but he quickly realized something was wrong.
"That strange detective who's so popular with monsters never seems to be curious about my methods. Even when the police bring me to the scene, he just watches listlessly and dozes off most of the time... Damn it, why isn't he curious!"
Kidd slammed his hand on the table in anger, his hand aching from the impact. He then tried to console himself: "Maybe it's because Jiang Xia knows too many monsters and has seen too many things beyond common sense, that he's not interested in ordinary magic? Speaking of which, I remember that detective had a magical smoke that could conjure wings; it must have been given to him by the Mist Tengu..."
As he pondered this, Kidd reached into his pocket and pulled out a wisp of smoke.
Hehe, he has one too.
This was given to him by the Tengu last time.
He had previously folded this thing and stored it in a small box, but now that he had taken it out, it quickly swelled up into a small fog ball.
"Suzuki Jirokichi said he placed that gold statue inlaid with jewels on the very top of the museum. Should I use this puff of smoke, flap my wings, fly over to the jewel, and just take it?"
Kidd was eager to try it, but after much deliberation, he finally shook his head regretfully: "I remember when Brother Tengu gave it to me, he said it might not be able to fly..."
If this is a defective product that can't take off when it matters, then it will probably put on a spectacular and embarrassing spectacle in front of all the media.
...Forget it, we can't tarnish the reputation of Phantom Thief Kid. Let's think of a safer way.
Kidd composed himself, carefully stuffed the puff of smoke back into the box, closed it again, and then looked at the record his father had left behind.
"'A persistent, inquisitive viewer'—that description sounds more like that annoying bespectacled brat than Jiang Xia," Kaito Kuroba thought to himself. "Or perhaps, a shrunken Shinichi Kudo?"
Although he had already clashed with Conan a few times, Kid still pricked up his ears, wanting to hear how his dad usually dealt with this kind of person—would he just knock him out with a stick and throw him in a corner?
Soon, Toichi Kuroba's answer flowed from the record: "To deal with this kind of person, try not to be bound by theory. You have to demonstrate a magical effect that is impossible to achieve according to common sense... You have to demonstrate a magical effect that is impossible to achieve according to common sense... You have to demonstrate a magical effect that is impossible to achieve according to common sense..."
Kidd: "???"
He walked over and patted the machine: "Seriously? Why does it always break down at times like this? Can't you let me finish listening?"
The machine was uncooperative; instead of improving with this tapping method, it grunted and stopped broadcasting altogether.
Kidd slapped it again, then withdrew his hand speechlessly: "Forget it, I'll go to the vicinity of the museum first and see if there's any terrain I can use."
...
After walking for a while, Kaito Kuroba suddenly noticed a large crowd gathered on the street ahead.
He was taken aback. His first thought was: Had those detectives been strolling around this area? Had there been a murder in the store?
Carefully moving closer, Kaito Kuroba glanced into the crowd and realized he was overthinking things: the person surrounded was a television shop. Several televisions were displayed in the window, all playing the same program.
The guests on the show were discussing excitedly: "I wonder if Kidd will accept this challenge."
"I don't think so. The opponent is the Suzuki Group. If they take the next step, the risk they would be taking is too great."
"But Kidd's thieving skills are so superb that he might be able to withstand the other side's security system."
"I think the chances of him accepting the challenge are about 50/50."
The citizens gathered around the TV scoffed, "Half and half? I'd say 100%! When has Kidd ever been afraid of a challenge?"
"Exactly! But how does Kidd plan to steal it? I've been to that museum; the roof is very pointed and narrow. Once inside, the Suzuki family can be trapped like turtles in a jar."
Kidd, who was quietly passing by: "..." Stop talking, stop talking, I'm under so much pressure.
...
While a phantom thief was busy surveying the terrain.
On the other side.
Jiang Xia sat in the Amuro Detective Agency, poured himself a cup of tea, and while waiting for the scalding tea to cool down, he leaned back in his chair and shifted his attention to the Snow Cat, who was waiting in a nearby alley.
The Fog Dog isn't very useful during the day; it's too conspicuous when flying in the sky and can't blend into the night as smoothly as it does at night.
Fortunately, he had his black cat—a cat in crowded places, and a black panther in places no one could see him. Before long, he found his way to Kidd's house and jumped onto the windowsill in a flash.
Unfortunately, no one was home.
After thinking for a moment, Black Panther turned and went to a nearby tavern. If he remembered correctly, this was the hideout of Terai Kinosuke and Kid.
The bar wasn't open in the morning. Jiang Xia drove his Black Panther close to the window and suddenly met the gaze of an old face.
Just as Terai Kinosuke was about to leave, he looked at the black panther outside the window with a look of disbelief. He frantically raised his hand, patted himself down, and then took out an unopened box of nitroglycerin pills.
The leopard glanced at him disdainfully: "..." What! Not only did he not take a picture with such a handsome leopard, but he also touched the medicine. He has no taste.
He shook his head, left the ordinary old man without an energy core, and turned to leave.
...
I made this special trip not only because I had nothing better to do, but also because Jiang Xia reminded me of something.
—His puff of smoke that could turn into a mermaid seems to still be in Kidd's possession, unused.
Putting aside the fact that Kidd is terrified of fish, mermaids can't fly in the sky.
If this phantom thief had a flash of inspiration and incorporated that cloud of smoke into his theft plan... the headlines the next day would probably explode again.
"Also, I should grab some magic cores while I'm at it, since Kidd doesn't need magic power to steal things anyway..."
Conversely, if he accumulates too much magic power, it will be troublesome if he hastily uses magic in front of everyone.
Although Conan's strong materialistic views can make sense of things, what if the detective is shocked and discovers that magic really exists in the world, which makes him waver in his efforts to solve the case? Wouldn't the ghosts and murderous aura be at risk of diminishing?
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Xia drove the Leopard towards the Suzuki family's museum.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com