Chapter 273: Cracking the Code
The next day dawned over London. Far away from the unfolding events in Osaka, Conan Edogawa was still immersed in the thrill and anxiety of cracking the cryptic code. However, due to the previous day's unexpected circumstances, he was still in the body of Kudo Shinichi.
The temporary APTX4869 antidote was a ticking clock, and with no way of knowing when its effects would wear off, he couldn't risk running around the city. He was confined to the hotel room with Dr. Agasa, tethered to a laptop as he scoured the internet for information.
As for Ran, she seemed to be suffering from an acute case of shyness. The day after Shinichi's confession, she was far too embarrassed to face him directly, so she took her father out to search for clues on their own.
Of course, they weren't the only ones on the case. After learning about the situation, Lyney and Lynette had offered their assistance, splitting up from Ran and her father to cover more ground.
The first line of the code was: A booming bell wakes me from my slumber.
Shinichi had already solved this part yesterday; it pointed directly to Big Ben. But Ran's sudden appearance had thrown him off, and he hadn't had the chance to search the area for the next clue left by the culprit.
Fortunately, a call from Lyney saved him the trouble.
The magician and his assistant had also deduced that the first line referred to Big Ben, making it their first destination of the day. Just as they'd expected, they found a manhole cover tied with a rope, dangling in the water by the bridge. Etched onto its surface was the letter 'A'.
'If the weight is gone from the riverbank, then something must have been sunk into the river. There can be no mistake in such a judgment.'
The moment he heard the news, the line from The Valley of Fear flashed in Conan's mind. It was a classic Sherlock Holmes quote. That had to be the key. The other lines of the code must also be linked to Holmes's famous sayings, which would in turn lead to the hidden letters.
The second line of the code was: I am a long-nosed Magician living in a castle.
He couldn't immediately place which building this corresponded to, so he decided to skip it for the time being.
The third line read: My appetizer is a hard-boiled egg as cold as a corpse.
By asking passersby, Ran located a building shaped like a hard-boiled egg—London City Hall. Near the landmark, she discovered a display of numerous dolls. She suddenly recalled something Shinichi had once told her during a case: Except for the head, everything else is just an accessory.
Acting on instinct, she decisively pulled the head off one of the dolls. Just as she'd suspected, she found the letter 'T' engraved on its neck.
Next was the fourth line: Finally, it will be enough to eat all the pickles.
Ran and Kogoro Mouri successfully found a building colloquially known for its pickle-like shape. With a hint from Conan over the phone, they discovered the letter 'N' on a pen covered in scratches.
Shortly after, Ran ran into the world-famous tennis player Minerva Glass and her younger brother, Apollo. She learned from the boy that Conan had been calling himself Sherlock Holmes's apprentice, a claim that made Kogoro Mouri curl his lip in disdain.
It was at that exact moment that the temporary antidote's effects abruptly wore off. A wave of heat and agonizing pain washed over him, and Kudo Shinichi reverted to his child form.
Left with no other choice, Conan had Ran ask Apollo for help. As a local, the boy would surely be more familiar with London's unique architecture.
Apollo happily agreed. His sister, Minerva, had to attend to something and couldn't join them, so she entrusted her younger brother to Ran and the others' care.
The fifth line of the code was: Oh, I should order a cake in advance to celebrate.
Following Apollo's tip, the group found a building renowned for its tiered structure resembling a wedding cake—St. Bride's Church.
"Lyney, Lynette, you found this place too?!" Ran shouted in surprise, spotting two familiar figures not far ahead.
Hearing her voice, Lyney turned, his face breaking into a welcoming smile. "Yes, we did. I'd heard that the traditional wedding cake was originally designed with this very church as its prototype. So, when the code mentioned a cake, St. Bride's naturally came to mind."
"Mm-hmm," Lynette nodded, clapping her hands together softly. "Big Brother's reasoning skills are just as impressive as his magic."
"Sister, that's a bit of an exaggeration," Lyney chuckled, though his eyes sparkled with pride.
"Big Sister Ran, who are they?" Apollo asked, tugging curiously at the hem of Ran's sleeve.
Before Ran could explain, Lyney crouched down to the boy's eye level. With a flick of his wrist, he produced a whimsically shaped cat doll from his top hat and handed it to Apollo.
"I am the magician, Lyney," he introduced himself smoothly, "and this is my sister and assistant, Lynette. It's a pleasure to meet you, little friend."
Apollo stared at the doll in his hand, his eyes wide with wonder, before introducing himself with a serious expression.
"Glass?" Lyney repeated Apollo's surname, his curiosity piqued. "Could it be that you're the younger brother of the Queen of the Grass Court—the famous tennis player, Minerva Glass?"
Apollo nodded, looking surprised.
Just as he was about to speak, Ran beat him to it, asking the question on his mind. "Eh! Lyney, how did you guess that? Just from his last name?"
"It was hard to miss, really," Lyney said, standing up and spreading his hands in a gesture of mock helplessness. "The Wimbledon Championships have been the talk of the town lately. When I heard the name Glass, I immediately thought of the star player, Miss Minerva Glass."
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