Chapter 425: God
Conan bit down hard on his plastic straw, his eyes widening slightly behind his oversized glasses. Beelzebul. It was yet another name of a supposed deity. His mind raced, instantly drawing parallels to occult lore. The name sounded strikingly similar to Baal, the demon who ranked first among the legendary Seventy-Two Pillars of Solomon.
In esoteric texts, the entity known as Baal was intrinsically linked to storms and lightning. If the 'Beelzebul' Natsume casually mentioned was indeed the Electro Archon, the connection was far too precise to be a mere coincidence.
The pieces began snapping into place. Back in Osaka, Conan had witnessed localized, unnatural lightning strikes annihilating the area around the Takahashi Residence. Shortly after, that terrifying woman named Raiden had cleaved through the air with a single strike of purple lightning, instantly killing the head of the Takahashi family.
Everything revolved around the element of lightning. Even Raiden Ei's surname, 'Raiden', literally translated to thunder and lightning. Conan's analytical mind churned. He strongly suspected that the 'Electro Archon' Natsume spoke of was none other than Raiden Ei herself.
Of course, Conan, a staunch man of science, absolutely refused to believe that actual, literal gods walked the earth.
Therefore, the only logical deduction was that the title of 'Electro Archon' functioned as an inherited mantle. Whoever held this position likely used highly advanced, classified technology to simulate magical powers—tricking the gullible masses into revering them as divine beings. The Anemo Archon, Barbatos, and the Dendro Archon, Buer, undoubtedly operated under the exact same principle.
But just how many of these 'Gods' did the Teyvat Organization harbor?
Counting them off, Conan already knew of three core figures worshipped by the organization's members: Barbatos of Anemo, Buer of Dendro, and Beelzebul of Electro.
Then there was the Hydro Archon, Furina. He had encountered that name during the life-or-death 'Cocoon' virtual reality game. In demonology, Furina corresponded to the fortieth entity among Solomon's pillars, perfectly matching the naming convention of the Teyvat Organization's upper echelon. Conan chewed on his lower lip. He severely doubted this was a simple coincidence.
If it wasn't a coincidence, the implications were staggering. It meant the Teyvat Organization had heavily interfered with the catastrophic incident at the 'Cocoon' press conference. They must have established a hidden connection with the artificial intelligence, Noah's Ark, long before the event even began.
, a glaring inconsistency gnawed at him. Why did only some members of the Teyvat Organization possess those glowing elemental gems known as Visions?
Raiden Ei didn't carry a Vision, yet she was highly likely the Electro Archon. The child, Nahida, also lacked one for reasons unknown, and her true standing within the organization remained a mystery. Then there was Zhongli, who possessed something called a 'Gnosis'. But what on earth was a Gnosis?
And finally... Natsume. She practically lived with the Teyvat Organization, fought alongside them, and involved herself in every major and minor incident surrounding their members. Was she truly just an outsider as she claimed?
Across the table, Amuro casually wiped down a coffee cup, though his sharp mind was running through similar deductions.
While the undercover agent didn't possess Conan's encyclopedic knowledge of the Anemo and Dendro Archons' specific names, Amuro had his own intelligence network. He had thoroughly investigated the aftermath of the Sindora Company press conference—a company that Ningguang had swiftly and ruthlessly acquired. Naturally, the name of the Hydro Archon, Furina, had crossed his desk.
The moment that intel reached him, Amuro had grown deeply suspicious. Had Ningguang been targeting Noah's Ark from the very beginning, carefully laying out a web of plans to seize the advanced AI?
There were even lingering doubts within the intelligence community about whether Noah's Ark had truly self-destructed that day.
Yet, these were nothing more than baseless speculations. The Jade Chamber possessed an ironclad mountain of evidence proving that Noah's Ark had been completely erased. No matter which of his multiple identities he used, Amuro found himself hitting a brick wall. Further investigation was impossible.
Back at the table, Natsume's thrilling adventure story finally drew to a close, leaving Ran and Sonoko leaning forward, completely enthralled and hungry for more details.
Breaking the spell, they suddenly realized that the spread of cakes and sandwiches they had ordered was reduced to nothing but crumbs.
Natsume glanced at the empty porcelain plates, then offered Amuro a polite, appreciative smile as she prepared to leave.
Before standing up, she turned her attention to Cointreau. The man currently known as Morikawa had been sitting quietly near the edge of the group, observing the lively chatter with a calm, detached demeanor. Natsume clapped her hands together, extending a bright, enthusiastic invitation. "Morikawa, do you have any plans for the afternoon? We're heading to the mall next. You should come with us! The more, the merrier, right?"
Cointreau blinked, genuinely caught off guard by the sudden inclusion. A fleeting look of regret crossed his refined features. He opened his mouth to politely decline, but his gaze flicked over to Conan. The little detective was practically glued to Ran's side, his face scrunched up in an expression of intense, territorial resistance. Amused, Cointreau raised a single brow. The words on his tongue shifted instantly. "If it wouldn't be an imposition, I would be delighted to join you ladies."
Conan's eye twitched. He was violently opposed to letting a high-ranking member of the Black Organization anywhere near Ran. Sure, Cointreau likely already knew Conan's true identity and was keeping it a secret from the Organization for his own mysterious reasons. And yes, the man hadn't shown any overt malice toward him yet.
But this was a ruthless criminal syndicate. Who knew when Cointreau's mood might sour? It was infinitely safer to keep Ran as far away from him as humanly possible.
Watching the little boy's face contort into a mask of pure, conflicted agony, Cointreau let out a soft chuckle. He decided to spare the kid's blood pressure. "Unfortunately, I just remembered a prior engagement I must attend to. I'll have to pass this time."
Natsume shot Cointreau a deeply knowing, slightly gloomy look before her expression smoothed into a perfectly gentle smile. "What a shame. I honestly thought you had absolutely nothing better to do, considering you sat here listening to my stories for so long. But if you have business, we won't keep you."
Pivoting on her heel, she waved to the others. "Ran, Sonoko, Conan, let's head out. We shouldn't delay Mr. Morikawa any further."
Conan stared at her back. 'Was it just my imagination?' For a split second, the tone of Natsume's voice had sounded strangely sharp, almost laced with a hidden warning. He scratched the back of his head, his brow furrowed in thought, but he couldn't quite decipher the subtext.
Cointreau, however, felt a distinct, icy chill radiate from Natsume's gentle smile. He subtly averted his gaze, clearing his throat. He had originally come to Café Poirot specifically to discuss matters with Bourbon. He couldn't exactly abandon his fellow operative to go window shopping with Natsume's entourage.
'Sigh,' Cointreau lamented inwardly, mourning his lost afternoon of leisure.
With a flurry of cheerful goodbyes, Natsume and her group pushed through the glass doors, the little bell chiming brightly overhead. They strolled down the sunlit pavement toward the shopping district, leaving the two undercover Black Organization members behind in the cafe.
As they stepped outside, Conan cast one final, lingering glance over his shoulder through the glass window. He stared at Bourbon and Cointreau, a heavy sense of regret settling in his chest.
He let out a quiet sigh. If only Ran had let him stay behind. While he desperately wanted to keep her away from the Black Organization, Conan himself needed to get closer to them. He needed to extract more information, to peel back the layers of their dark syndicate.
Inside Café Poirot, the lively atmosphere vanished the moment Natsume's group disappeared down the street. The interior settled into a heavy, muted silence. The afternoon rush had passed, leaving the shop sparsely populated and distinctly desolate.
Amuro dropped his cheerful waiter persona in an instant. His eyes hardened as he turned to face Cointreau. "Alright. The unrelated civilians are gone. Let's get down to business."
Meanwhile, a few blocks away, Natsume was walking alongside Ran when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, casually swiping open a new text message. As she read the contents, her eyes lit up with genuine surprise and excitement.
"Ran, Sonoko!" Natsume called out, holding up her screen. "Ningguang just messaged me. She's partnering up with Mr. Jirokichi Suzuki to host a massive jewelry exhibition, and she's invited us to the opening! She said the Jade Chamber will be providing some incredibly rare and special gemstones for the event."
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