Oritis in the world of Detective Conan

"Let me go! I want to witness that those shadows, those ghosts, they will all appear!" The cartographer struggled hard, trying to get back to the deck.

The taxidermist called over to a few sailors and held the cartographer. "Ms. Cartographer, this is just an ordinary storm. We'll resume our fishing operations after the storm passes. Please put aside your unrealistic imagination. No scholar here would agree with you."

The meteorologist also frowned. "Ghost? That's pure nonsense! I don't know why that gentleman allowed such a superstitious person on board."

"No, you guys, my father didn't lie!" The cartographer burst into tears. She struggled to break free from the sailors' restraints and ran to the corner of the banquet hall, covering her face and crying.

The sailors had already guarded the door of the banquet hall, and they conveyed the captain's order: "No one can leave until the storm is over."

Conan approached the cartographer cautiously: "Big sister, are you okay?"

"Oh, little brother. You are not here to persuade me to give up those ideas, are you?" The cartographer is now quite wary of other people.

"Of course not. I want to ask about something else. For example, did the engineer come into your room?"

"Why do you ask this question? I haven't communicated with him privately. Apart from working hours, I have always stayed in my room and have not seen anyone."

"And they all hate me! Look at the way they look at me... Father is right. It's those on the ship who should be wary."

"Has anyone been following you?"

"I don't know, but I have this feeling. Maybe it's people, or maybe it's those 'ghosts'. I would rather it's the 'ghosts' that are following me than those hideous people on the ship."

"I have no interest in the rest of the people on this ship. It was only that gentleman who found me, who found me amidst the mockery of those mediocre people, and offered me an olive branch."

"Even if other people are hostile to me and put me in danger, I still think it's worth it."

Hearing the cartographer mention "that gentleman" again, Conan couldn't help but ask again: "Who is that gentleman specifically?"

"He was a kind and generous man, a gentleman! He provided me with a lot of information to help me complete the nautical chart I had drawn twenty-five years ago. Before that, I had no way to prove the authenticity of my father's story because I only had half of the chart and some fragments."

Conan wanted to ask more, but the cartographer suddenly said: "Little brother, it's a good habit to restrain your curiosity when facing other people's secrets. In any case, I only care about my own problems."

Seeing that he could no longer obtain useful information from the cartographer, Conan had no choice but to turn around and return to the group.

After a while, the driver walked into the banquet hall and announced that the storm had passed and normal fishing operations could continue. The scientific researchers present left one after another.

Back on deck, the sky was still gloomy and the sea was covered with a thin layer of mist.

"A-choo!" Conan sneezed because of the cold wind.

"Are you okay, Conan?" The novelist came over and showed concern for him.

"It's okay. The sea breeze is getting really cold now."

Okiya Subaru explained: "We just experienced a storm, and the wind is carrying a lot of moisture. It would be better for you to go back and have a bowl of hot soup."

The taxidermist was directing the staff to dump the marine life that had just been salvaged onto the deck and show it to the mercenaries.

"Behold, sir, the form of these creatures! We are drawing nigh unto the waters of Oceanus."

"The catch this time is much larger than before."

"Of course. A lot of plankton gathered in this sea area, attracting seabirds and various fish to feed on them. We seized the opportunity to start fishing."

Kaito Kidd popped up from the side and said, "She's right. We can see flocks of hunting birds in the cabin these days."

The documentary reporter on the ship was also there and showed Conan the photos she had taken: a group of seabirds were flying towards the left side of the picture, and the taxidermist was standing on the deck, seemingly attracted by the flock of birds.

The composer noticed that among the creatures caught were quite a few jellyfish, most of which had been broken or lost their vitality, and their remains were emitting blue-purple bioluminescence.

The composer curiously reached out to touch the glowing jellyfish, but was accidentally stung by their tentacles. He suddenly felt a sharp pain, dizziness, and a distortion of the scene before his eyes.

"Frederick!" The novelist noticed the composer's face turning even paler.

The taxidermist stepped forward to examine the composer. "It's fortunately not serious. You should be more careful when handling the creatures here. The algae in this area seem to carry trace amounts of toxins. These toxins will accumulate in the bodies of predators, poisoning anyone who comes into contact with them."

"Frederick, are you okay? You've been in a bad mood since we got on the ship. Are you seasick?" The novelist was concerned about the composer.

The composer shook his head and held onto the railing. "No, I'm fine. I think it's just my old neurasthenia. If there were any problems with my body, I would immediately seek medical advice from the taxidermist."

The cartographer was a little uneasy. She stepped over the sea creatures that covered the ground, grabbed the railing and looked out to sea: "The storm is coming again. The 'curse' will not stop. I can already feel the gaze of those 'ghosts'. We can't go back..."

"Stop your alarmist talk!" The taxidermist stopped the cartographer from muttering.

The sailors came to the deck to report their latest observations, saying another storm was approaching. The taxidermist quickly sorted and organized the caught marine life and directed the crew to tie everything down.

"Alas, the closer we get to Oceanus, the more extreme and changeable the climate at sea becomes. Thick fog and storms become quite frequent." The taxidermist was somewhat helpless.

"Maybe there's some kind of magnetic field affecting the environment." The composer leaned on the railing and panted, his face terribly pale.

The novelist frowned. “You really should take a break.”

In order to prepare for the coming storm, everyone returned to the banquet hall. However, this time the storm was quite severe, and the plates fell to the ground, and the food rolled all over the floor. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the pilot asked all passengers to return to the cabin.

"Hello, detective." On the way back to the cabin, Kaito Kid called Conan.

"Guess what I found in that taxidermist lady's room?"

Kidd showed the photos he had taken: a large number of well-made biological specimens, each of which seemed to be wrapped in gift specifications and piled on the floor of the cabin.

"Are you sure your target is one of these specimens?"

"I'm afraid not even a single one. Most of these specimens are corals, shells, and algae, and my commission letter requested a 'most unique' biological specimen. I don't think it has yet appeared."

On the way back to the cabin, Conan met a documentary reporter who was dizzy and muttering words like "ghost" and "secret language". She was a little unconscious. Conan quickly called several crew members to come and help.

Back in the cabin, Conan felt the rocking of the ship and the constant noise, unable to sleep. Was the taxidermist really Oletus's "new friend"? What were the "curse" and "ghost" the cartographer mentioned? The mysteries of this voyage were piling up.

Conan felt a strange whispering sound in his ears, so he had to cover himself with the quilt and try to fall asleep quickly.