Chapter 380: Illusion and Hypnosis
"By the way, I still don't know who this guest you are waiting for is, President Ningguang?" Toru Amuro asked. He had keenly observed the subtle shift in posture among the Jade Chamber executives, noting the unusual tension surrounding this upcoming arrival.
Ningguang offered a polite, measured smile. "It is the world-famous illusionist, Gunter von Goldberg II. He contacted Ganyu a few days ago, expressing a strong desire to pay our company a visit."
Off to the side, Conan took a slow, steadying breath. He forced the lingering shock down into the depths of his mind, compartmentalizing his chaotic emotions. Right now, he needed to focus entirely on the bizarre case Sonoko had dragged them here to investigate.
Catching the tail end of the conversation, the young detective completely ignored Amuro's towering presence. He trotted forward, tugging lightly at the hem of Ningguang's elegant dress. "But why?" he asked, pitching his voice into an innocent, childish curiosity. "President Ningguang, the Jade Chamber is a high-tech company, right? That doesn't have anything to do with magic tricks. Why would an illusionist suddenly want to come here?"
'And since when was illusionist a recognized profession in this world anyway?' he added mentally.
Ningguang looked down at the boy, her crimson eyes calm and unreadable. "According to his message, it stems from the technical support we provided for the recent idol competition over in Osaka. Our illusionist friend apparently saw the photos and video clips uploaded by the audience. He praised our holographic projection technology, claiming it was practically magic, and insisted on seeing it with his own eyes."
Conan blinked, his childish facade slipping for a fraction of a second. 'Just for that?'he thought, his skepticism flaring.'And what exactly makes his illusions so special?'
Slipping away from the group's immediate circle, Conan pulled out his smartphone. His thumbs flew across the screen as he typed in the name Gunter von Goldberg II. The search results were surprisingly sparse. The articles merely echoed Ningguang's statement, describing him as a globally renowned illusionist currently conducting a tour across Japan.
A few reviews stood out. They claimed that during his live shows, the man could instantly transform a barren stage into a sprawling field of lush green grass, or make ordinary children sprout wings and fly through the air like angels. Countless audience members described the experience as intoxicating, likening it to stepping into a beautiful, waking dream. Yet, despite the glowing praise, there was a glaring anomaly. Not a single video clip of his actual performances existed anywhere on the internet.
Conan narrowed his eyes at the screen. If those enthusiastic reviewers were not lying, then this so-called magical performance had to rely on psychological manipulation. Mass hypnosis was the only logical explanation. The complete absence of photographic or video evidence only cemented his theory; cameras could not be hypnotized.
"Does this Mr. Gunter use hypnosis?"
Conan snapped his head up. Toru Amuro was standing nearby, his own phone in hand, having clearly reached the exact same conclusion from the digital breadcrumbs.
'As expected of the Black Organization's intelligence expert, Bourbon,' Conan thought, recalling the codename Shuichi Akai had recently disclosed to him. The man's ability to process and analyze data was terrifyingly fast. The contrast between Amuro and a certain nominal mentor was painfully stark. Conan shot a deadpan, speechless glare toward Kogoro Mouri. The older detective was currently scratching his head, staring at Amuro with a deeply puzzled expression, loudly demanding to know how the younger man had come up with such a ridiculous theory.
Ningguang frowned, a subtle crease forming between her brows. "Given the circumstances, that does appear to be the case. To speak plainly, while he did not state it outright, my intuition as a merchant tells a different story. I can vaguely sense a distinct undercurrent of hostility from him regarding our company's products. Specifically, whenever our holographic projection technology was mentioned, he exhibited an indescribable sense of repulsion."
She crossed her arms, her posture radiating quiet authority. "This is precisely why I chose to personally receive our esteemed guest today. If the man truly possesses advanced hypnosis techniques, I refuse to let him have unnecessary contact with my employees."
"It sounds like this guy is coming here with ill intent!" Kogoro stroked his mustache, attempting to mold his features into a serious, professional scowl.
"Ah!" A sudden flash of inspiration struck Sonoko as the pieces clicked together in her mind. She remembered the severe trouble the Jade Chamber executives were currently dealing with. Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait a minute! Could the recent string of attacks on your employees be related to this illusionist?!"
Ganyu nodded gently, her lilac eyes clouded with worry. "We do harbor that suspicion. The timing of his arrival and the attacks is simply too coincidental to ignore."
"Then why on earth would you agree to his visit?" Ran asked, her voice laced with genuine confusion. "If you know he might be dangerous, couldn't you just refuse him entry?"
"Because we prefer to seize the initiative rather than cower behind passive defenses," Keqing interjected, her voice crisp and resolute. She adjusted her stance, projecting absolute confidence. "If we do not give him an opening to act, how are we supposed to expose his flaws and catch him in the act?"
"President Ningguang, he is here," Ganyu announced softly. She had spotted a tall young man stepping through the grand glass doors of the company lobby. He possessed long, striking blonde hair and a pair of unnervingly sharp eyes that immediately began scanning the room.
At Ganyu's quiet warning, the group immediately ceased their discussion. A heavy silence fell over the lobby as every pair of eyes turned toward the entrance.
Gunter von Goldberg II paused, momentarily stunned by the sheer number of people waiting near the reception area. He quickly recovered, stretching his lips into a wide, theatrical smile as he approached Ningguang. "President Ningguang, you are far too polite! Not only did you gather such a large crowd to welcome me, but you even graced me with your personal presence. Do I really command that much prestige? Haha!"
Ningguang offered a flawless, businesslike smile. "Mr. Gunter, you misunderstand the situation." She gestured gracefully toward Kogoro and the rest of the group, introducing them to the illusionist. "This is the great detective, Kogoro Mouri, accompanied by his family and associates. I commissioned them to investigate a few internal matters for the company. The timing today is merely a coincidence; they just happened to be here when you arrived."
'The great detective, Kogoro Mouri.'
Hearing that specific name, Gunter felt a sudden, involuntary tightening in his chest.
The man had become incredibly famous in recent months. The media constantly praised him for assisting the Tokyo Metropolitan Police in solving a string of impossibly difficult cases. Even someone like Gunter, who had only been operating in Japan for a short period, had heard the booming legends surrounding the sleeping detective.
However, the tension bled out of his shoulders just as quickly as it had arrived. He stared at Kogoro, taking in the man's silly, vacant grin and sloppy posture. The detective did not look the least bit intelligent. Gunter mentally scoffed, concluding that the glowing news reports were nothing more than sensationalized media exaggeration.
As for the rest of the entourage, Gunter covertly sized them up one by one. The group consisted entirely of young women and a literal child. The only other adult male in the vicinity looked like nothing more than a pretty boy—no, a tanned pretty boy who belonged on a fashion runway rather than a crime scene. A wave of arrogant dismissal washed over the illusionist. There was absolutely no need to take any of these amateurs seriously.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]