It is blue under normal conditions, but only when it is burned by flames will it show a strange crimson light.
Since he was a child, Kuroba Kaito has heard from his father Kuroba Toichi that this is an artificial gemstone made by James Hopper for his granddaughter, and it is not a real natural gemstone.
Kuroba Kaito has always believed in this.
But it wasn't until Qin Zhibo personally took off the disguise covering this gem some time ago that Kuroba Kaito became aware of this "white lie" that spanned ten years between father and son.
It is exactly the stone of life that the zoo organization dreams of - Pandora.
And Pandora is just a pseudonym made up by later generations.
Its true origin is the jewel in the crown of the Black Pharaoh Nevron Ka thousands of years ago.
This treasure is an important tool to fulfill the prophecy of Nevren Ka's reincarnation.
This gem has been cursed since the death of Nevren Ka——
No matter in any era, this gem must be bathed in the admiration of the world, otherwise its existence will be directly announced to those who can make good use of its own value.
For this reason, the old leader of the Hobo Thaumaturgy Troupe made up a lie to deceive the world, until now...
Kuroba Kaito looked at the breathtaking blue light in the black box, and the hand he wanted to reach out to touch suddenly stopped.
He has handled more than a dozen super-large gems, and he can get his hands on them without any scruples every time.
But this time, when I learned the true meaning of this gem, I felt a little timid in my heart.
This may be a stone that can determine the fate of mankind...
Kuroba Kaito retracted his hand and put the lid back on.
"I see……"
"It seems I have to be more serious this time."
Judy Hooper put the box containing the gems back into the box. After all, she would only wear the gemstone brooch when she performed.
Then she turned back and asked, "What magic tricks are you going to perform today?"
Judy Hooper's words also made Kuroba Kaito put his mind back to today's performance.
Speaking of which, this is also the first time he has stood on the stage as a real magician instead of a phantom thief.
"Um……"
Kuroba Kaito held his chin, pondered and said, "If it were a regular magic show, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to beat the world's number one illusionist..."
Kuroba Kaito had seen Spider's genjutsu in Japan, and it was indeed a unique performance in the world.
Although he had some great magic ideas, due to the limitations of the venue and props, there was no time to prepare in just one morning.
unless……
"Let me fulfill one of mankind's simplest wishes today~"
Kuroba Kaito's signature confident smile appeared on his lips.
…
On the other side, Qin Zhibo took a two-hour bus ride to the University of Brightchester.
Entering the university campus, Qin Zhibo was shocked by what he saw.
The University of Bristol during the day is completely different from the University of Bristol at night.
During the day, the campus is full of students walking on the roads, creating a positive and uplifting scene.
However, Qin Zhibo was not in the mood for sightseeing and went directly to the Blychester Institute of Astronomy.
On the outer wall of the research institute, Qin Zhibo saw the graffiti of the sea he saw the night before.
The lower part of the graffiti is a sea, with a full moon on the sea.
But if you look carefully, you can see that there is a huge, somewhat funny face on the "full moon".
Especially that one eye, it's terrifyingly huge.
This is exactly the scene described in the diary Kaito Kuroba got from Ingalls' drawer.
What does this mean?
Qin Zhibo stared at the wall and thought for two seconds. After getting no results, he turned around and got down to business.
But after pressing the doorbell next to him, there was no response from the building.
Qin Zhibo guessed that a murder had just occurred in the institute yesterday, and the murderer had not been caught. None of the other researchers were in the mood or had the guts to come to work.
A few hundred yuan a month, what kind of life are you playing with?
Qin Zhibo had no choice but to call the number of the person in charge of the institute written on the sign on the door.
Toot, toot...
After a few seconds, the call was connected.
Qin Zhibo revealed his purpose and his identity was the assistant of the Japanese detective who came to investigate the case yesterday.
The purpose of obtaining planetary orbit data is to determine whether key clues to solving the case may be hidden in these data.
The person in charge of the research institute did not doubt Qin Zhibo’s identity and purpose, but...
"Planet orbit data for Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus?"
"But our research institute does not have these data..."
"What?" Qin Zhibo was surprised and quickly asked: "But the research conducted by Ingalls during his lifetime, didn't the data source come from your institute? After all, he was a researcher at your institute..."
The person in charge calmly denied: "The research topic currently being conducted by our institute is not within the solar system, so there is no need to monitor the orbits of planets in the solar system."
"So when I learned that Ingalls was conducting that kind of research, I was also surprised where he got his data..."
The person in charge's words made Qin Zhibo frown slightly, and an unknown premonition came to his mind.
"I understand, thank you for your cooperation."
"fine……"
After hanging up the phone in his hand, Qin Zhibo fell into deep thought.
If the data that Ingalls used to conduct his research were not obtained from the astronomical institute where he worked, then they could only have been obtained from other sources.
Combined with the fact that "Elena Sera" played by Bermod has visited the institute once, it can only mean that...
The data was given to him by Belmode!
Ingalls once disclosed his theory on his personal blog, but due to lack of data support, he has been unable to conduct research and confirm it.
Belmode discovered that blog article, so he conducted an in-depth investigation into Ingalls' identity and background, and approached him under the guise of Elena's identity.
She provided Ingels with the data necessary for the research and allowed him to complete the research within a limited period of time in a form of cooperation.
And when the research is over, the insider, Ingalls, will naturally be silenced.
This model is very familiar to Qin Zhibo.
This is exactly the model of cooperation between Taku Itakura and the organization.
In other words, the organization has actually begun to secretly pay attention to the prophesied "return time of the stars"?
They set a trap and used Ingalls' personal dream as bait, which actually served as a wedding dress for the organization's plan.
And since Belmode chose to kill Ingalls, it means...
Ingalls has achieved the final results of his research!
Qin Zhibo's face was shaken, and he immediately formulated a second plan in his head.
Now that Ingalls has finished his research, he doesn't have to get the data and then let Hiroki Sawada do the calculations.
Just ask Ingalls himself!
Although Ingalls is dead, one of his personal skills happens to be a mediumship, which allows him to communicate with the souls of the deceased.
Thinking of this, Qin Zhibo quickly left the Institute of Astronomy and returned to the town of Brightchester.
Yellow paper and cinnabar are required to practice mediumship.
Qin Zhibo usually carries this kind of thing with him, but in order to reduce unnecessary trouble when going through the security check, he didn't bring it to the UK.
Yellow paper is okay, as long as it is yellow paper...
Cinnabar, I’m afraid it’s not easy to get in the UK, right?
Cinnabar, also known as cinnabar and ghost cinnabar, is an important prop for drawing spells.
This thing must not be replaced with ordinary red paint, otherwise it will lose its effectiveness.
If you were in China, it would be easier to buy.
But this is the UK and a remote town. It might be a bit unrealistic to buy this kind of thing.
The chemical component of cinnabar is mercury sulfide. Even if it is prepared by chemical methods, the result is usually black mercury sulfide.
To write spells, red mercury sulfide must be used.
Qin Zhibo thought about it and decided to try his luck near the University of Brightchester first.
It would be best if you can buy it.
If you can't buy it, you'll be in trouble...
…
Arriving at the stationery store closest to the main entrance of Brightchester University, Qin Zhibo walked in.
Although it is a stationery store, Qin Zhibo only came here with the idea of trying his luck.
Anyway, it’s just a matter of asking.
"Boss, do you sell cinnabar here?"
The boss who was sitting behind the counter reading the newspaper saw the customer and immediately stood up to greet him with a smile.
"some!"
"The store has 92, 95 and 98. Which one do you want?"
Upon hearing the boss's words, Qin Zhibo didn't know whether he should be happy or surprised.
I'm glad that a place like this actually sells cinnabar.
Surprised, what's going on with the 92, 95, and 98? Did the boss mishear it and thought he was here to buy gasoline?
"Well, I'm here to buy cinnabar..."
The boss nodded affirmatively, with a smile on his face, "Of course, I know, so which one of these three do you want to buy?"
"Is there any difference?" Qin Zhibo asked.
"Of course, these three types represent different sand contents. The higher the sand content, the better the effect of the spell will be~"
The boss rubbed his palms together, "So the prices of the three types are different... Which one do you want?"
Listening to the boss's explanation, Qin Zhibo's eyes became even more incredible.
Did you hear wrongly?
Is what this boss just said... a spell?
What is the identity of the stationery store owner in front of me?
At this time, the boss also noticed that something was wrong with today's guest, and the smile on his face softened a little, "Don't tell me you are not from the University of Brightchester?"
Qin Zhibo's brain also reacted quickly, and he quickly put on a surprised expression, "How could it be? In fact, I only came to buy it from you after being introduced by a friend..."
"Look, I even brought the money~"
Qin Zhibo took out his wallet, which was bulging and seemed to contain a lot of money.
The boss didn't ask any more questions. Anyway, he just wanted to make money. Whether he was a student of that university or not had nothing to do with him.
As long as you make money, that's all.
"now it's right!"
"Almost all the students in Brightchester come to buy cinnabar from me. As long as they have used it, they say it's good. After two visits, the good reputation spreads..."
Seeing that the boss might be an expert in this field, Qin Zhibo stopped fussing and said directly: "Besides the 98, is there anything with better results?"
"Like 100?"
Upon hearing Qin Zhibo's request, the boss's eyes suddenly became mysterious.
He glanced at the door of the store, and after making sure that no one was there, he whispered nervously.
"Yes, yes..."
"But you have to pay more."
…
Under the leadership of the boss, Qin Zhibo walked to a warehouse-like place behind the store.
Under his nose, the boss took out a small box with a cloth bag inside.
When you open it, you will find red cinnabar powder.
"Five pounds per gram, how much do you want?"
Upon hearing the price, Qin Zhibo was immediately shocked and almost cursed.
You are a profiteer!
What stuff is priced in grams and pounds?
Although the better cinnabar is also sold by the gram, when converted into pounds, it only costs about 2 pounds.
The boss seemed to notice Qin Zhibo's strange expression and explained with a smile: "The cinnabar here is different from those in the world..."
"This kind of cinnabar is specially used to write spells. The success rate and effect of spell casting can be greatly improved."
"As for the source...this is a commercial secret and it is difficult to disclose it."
"But don't worry, I'm not a one-shot shop here. If I dare to lie to people, I will be cursed and die even if I escape to the ends of the earth."
"How's that? How many do you need?"
The boss swore his own life just to give his products some credibility.
The key point is that for Qin Zhibo, now is indeed not the time to care about money.
"2 grams..."
"No, let's stick to 3 grams."
…
By the time Qin Zhibo walked out of the stationery store, he already had 3 grams of cinnabar and yellow paper on his body.
Yellow paper is the kind of yellow paper specially used for drawing charms. It is also recommended by stationery store owners and is twice as expensive as normal yellow paper.
Qin Zhibo looked back at the stationery store and then at the students coming in and out of the gate of Brightchester University.
So, do students at this university need to use these things regularly?
Is this university established to train magicians, cultists, conjurers and the like?
In the modern sense, these can be regarded as mystics or religion.
But the scale is enough to affect the business projects of surrounding stores, which shows that there are definitely not a few people who are curious about this kind of thing.
No wonder this school night is a bit creepy...
Qin Zhibo shook his head, retracted his thoughts, and quickly found a place to make spells.
The process of making a charm is not difficult.
Use cinnabar and water to prepare the pigment, use the pigment to draw a specific pattern on the yellow paper, and you're done.
Next is casting.
Since Ingalls died not long ago, and Qin Zhibo had a conversation with Ingalls before his death, the success rate of this channeling is as high as...