Chapter 110: Dissolution
"Ah... so satisfying," Genta exclaimed, leaning back in his chair and patting his full stomach with a contented sigh.
"Yeah," Mitsuhiko added, looking a little puzzled. "I don't know if it's because we're in a game, but even though I ate a lot, I don't feel that stuffed."
Emori nodded in agreement. "Hmm, I feel like I could still eat a little more."
"Should we get some dessert, then?" Kikukawa suggested. "We still have some money left over."
A muscle in Conan's cheek twitched. He quickly cut them off. "No. We can't waste any more time. We need to focus on solving the case."
Moroboshi sided with Conan, turning to give his two friends a stern look. "Exactly. You two need to stop thinking about food. Clearing the game is what's important."
"Right—" Emori and Kikukawa replied in unison, shrinking slightly under his gaze.
Seeing that he finally had everyone's attention, Conan began to lay out the facts. "Based on what the Steambird reporter told us and the physical evidence found at the Falling Shadow Pavilion, we have the following clues. One: the missing maidens all come from different backgrounds, with no discernible connection between them. Two: almost all of them were alone when they disappeared. Three: the disappearances happened incredibly fast. Sometimes, a person would vanish in the blink of an eye, leaving almost no eyewitnesses. Four: a puddle of water was left at every location where a maiden went missing, and glass fragments were found at several of the scenes. The current speculation is that these were some kind of liquid container. That's all we have for now."
"There are so few clues," Genta grumbled. "What can we even figure out from that?"
Conan was also a bit stumped. The clues were indeed sparse, and since he hadn't been to the crime scenes himself, he couldn't be sure if something crucial had been overlooked.
Natsume stroked her chin, her expression thoughtful. After a moment, she asked, "Does everyone remember the prophecy we overheard while we were scouting the port?"
"Of course," Moroboshi replied immediately. "I'm the one who told everyone about it. The prophecy goes: The people of Fontaine are born with sin. The waters of their nation will rise until all are submerged. They will dissolve into the water, leaving only the Hydro Archon to weep upon her throne."
"Wait..." After reciting the words, a sudden realization dawned on Moroboshi's face. "Dissolve in the water... Could it be? Were all those missing maidens dissolved by water?! Is that why there's a puddle left at every scene?!"
Emori and Kikukawa's eyes widened. "Wow, that makes perfect sense! Moroboshi, you're amazing for figuring that out!"
"Hold on," Conan interjected, his brow furrowed. "How could a person be dissolved by water? That's impossible."
"Why is it impossible, Conan?" Natsume countered, a faint smile on her lips. "You're lacking imagination. We're in a game. Anything can happen."
"That's right, Conan," Ayumi chimed in. "You can't always think about things like they are in real life."
Conan's expression went blank, his eyes turning into simple, wide dots. 'Oh, right. We're in a game.'
He sighed internally. This game was so realistic that he kept forgetting it wasn't reality. Still, if the victims were indeed being dissolved, it would explain the puddles of water and glass fragments. It would also explain how they could vanish so quickly, with almost no one noticing—they were simply gone in an instant.
It also connected everything back to the prophecy. No wonder the main quest had directed them to solve the Maiden Disappearance Case first.
However, there was one thing Conan couldn't wrap his head around. Why were all the victims young women? According to the prophecy, all people of Fontaine would dissolve, which should include men. So why had only maidens gone missing so far?
, the water capable of dissolving a person couldn't be ordinary water; otherwise, people would be dissolving during their daily lives. The nature of this mysterious liquid was another critical question.
Conan voiced his doubts to the group.
Moroboshi thought for a moment before offering a theory. "Could it be that the criminal hates women? Or maybe some girl did something to hurt the murderer, so he became a psychopath and wants to take revenge on all females?"
He had made a bold leap in logic, but after a moment of consideration, Haibara spoke up from the side. "It's possible. With a deranged killer like that, there's no telling what goes on in their mind."
Although they had made some progress, the scarcity of clues left everyone feeling uncertain about their next move.
"Then let's go to the Fountain of Lucine," Natsume suggested, breaking the silence. "Fontaine is the Nation of Hydro. Both the prophecy and the case are tied to water, which means water itself is a key clue. I asked around earlier—the Fountain of Lucine is the convergence point of all water systems in Fontaine. We might find something new there. Since we're out of leads, what do you say we check it out?"
Ran nodded in agreement. "Hmm... I think that's a good idea." She glanced at Conan and the others, her voice softening as she offered a comforting word. "Don't be too anxious. There are so many of us; we'll definitely find a way."
Looking at Ran's gentle smile, the anxiety that had been tightening its grip on Conan's heart began to loosen. He decided to change his approach and think with a gamer's mindset. 'That's right. If the game developers created this map, it must be related to the completion conditions. We definitely need to investigate it.'
A different worry crossed Ayumi's mind. "If the murderer has a way to dissolve people into water, does that mean Ran and Natsume are in danger?"
"That shouldn't be the case," Moroboshi reassured her. "The prophecy refers to the people of Fontaine. That means only they should be affected by the water. We aren't from Fontaine, so we should be fine."
Emori scratched his head, looking confused. "Moroboshi, how do you know we aren't from Fontaine? What if the game's setting defines us as people of Fontaine?"
Moroboshi lightly rapped his knuckles on Emori's head. "Did you forget?" he said, exasperated. "When we first arrived here and met the Hydro Archon, she addressed us as 'Outlanders.' Doesn't that prove we aren't from Fontaine? How could you forget something so important!"
Realization dawned on Emori and Kikukawa's faces. "Ohh, right! Hehe, we didn't notice that."
"How could you not notice something so important!" Moroboshi continued to lecture them.
While the trio was occupied, Genta leaned over to Conan and muttered under his breath, "Conan, this Moroboshi guy is a little intense. Besides, how is anyone supposed to remember a single word someone said offhandedly? I didn't remember it either..."
The corner of Conan's mouth twitched.
'Please,'he thought,'Moroboshi is completely right. And you're complaining about him when you couldn't even remember it yourself.'
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