"Pandora Gem??!!" Liu A'dou's eyes widened. He didn't expect that after all this time, the gem's trail would come looking for him.
"You know about it?"
"I've heard it's a miracle stone that grants immortality."
Hippolyta laughed. "There's even a legend like that? Then it must've really ended up in the outside world."
'Uh… I heard that in another universe,' Liu A'dou thought.
Suddenly, the queen looked at him seriously. "Kaitou Kid, can I ask you a favor?"
Liu A'dou wasn't surprised she knew his identity. He also had a good guess what she wanted. "You want me to find the Pandora Gem?"
"Yes. It's been far too long since a baby was born on Themyscira." In human terms, it was population aging. The warrior women aged slowly, but they still aged. And just like when Ares attacked last time, they had lost many fighters. The Amazons desperately needed new blood.
Liu A'dou thought about it. "But I don't know where the gem is. Do you have any clues?"
Hippolyta said, "A hundred years ago, during the rainy season, sea levels rose, and an aquatic tribe snuck onto Themyscira. I went to the Kingdom of Atlantis to investigate. They told me the gem had shown up—but disappeared again quickly. The last place both the sea tribe and the gem were seen was in the United Kingdom."
"That's it?"
"That's all. I searched with the Queen of Atlantis, but we found nothing. Back then, Europe was in chaos, wars everywhere. The search was eventually dropped."
That must've been during World War I. So long ago… When he'd looked up info about the gem himself, he hadn't found any trace of the Pandora Gem either. It was either buried or being kept under tight security. "Then what does the gem look like?"
"It's hard to describe—and you don't need to. It's the most beautiful gem in the world. The moment you see it, you'll know it's the Pandora Gem," the queen said with certainty.
"…" Liu A'dou had once stolen a Pandora Gem in the detective world—it wasn't that amazing. 'One look and you'll know'? Sounds exaggerated. Still, Hippolyta wouldn't lie.
"I understand. I'll do my best to find it." This wasn't a matter of stealing—it was a matter of finding. If it couldn't be found, even Kaitou Kid couldn't do anything.
"Thank you." What Hippolyta really needed was to use the gem to appease Hera's anger and grow the Amazon warrior population.
After staying on Themyscira for 3 weeks, Liu A'dou and his family finally left. Kara, however, stayed behind to keep training until Superman deemed her ready.
Ada returned to work. Liu A'dou took their daughter and began a long treasure hunt.
The Pandora Gem had been stolen during World War I. The thief was from an aquatic tribe, and the gem vanished in the United Kingdom. There were practically no leads. So Liu A'dou started investigating families that rose to power during World War I. Maybe they had profited from the gem. But it didn't go well—no one would flaunt something that valuable.
He dug through every scrap of information and still found nothing useful. Finally, Liu A'dou decided to try divination. He'd use his not-so-reliable magic and see if luck was on his side.
Divination was Liu A'dou's go-to method whenever he hit a dead end, but he wasn't too hopeful. If even Goddess Hera couldn't locate the gem, what could his half-baked magic do? Still, it was worth a try.
He pulled out a large cauldron, tossed in all kinds of animal and plant parts, and started boiling them. The steam would form images—visions.
He strapped Nono to his back, then stirred the thick brew with both hands as more smoke rose. "Come on, show me where the Pandora Gem is!"
Back in the detective world, he'd never once successfully divined the location of the Pandora Gem. But maybe this time would be different. After all, he was in a different universe now.
Smoke curled and drifted, like a dragon churning inside. But it wouldn't gather. If it didn't gather, it wouldn't form an image. And without an image—no vision.
It looked like asking directly where the gem was had failed again. "Then tell me how I can find the gem," Liu A'dou changed the question, hoping the divination would work this time.
Stirring, stirring. More smoke poured out and drifted around, swirling toward Nono. The adorable little princess reached out with her chubby hands to grab the intangible smoke, only for it to scatter in her fingers, making her giggle with delight.
Still no result. Liu A'dou gave up. 'Yeah, divination is always unreliable.'
But just as he was ready to call it quits, he suddenly felt a faint energy ripple from behind him. It was weak, but the smoke instantly amplified it. The mist suddenly surged like it had received a command, swirling rapidly before coming together in a dense cloud.
Liu A'dou's eyes widened. He was certain his daughter had unknowingly triggered the divination. In the smoke, a massive palace appeared—grand and majestic. He had no memory of it, and it definitely didn't exist in any known human history. Was it hidden in some secret realm? Liu A'dou quickly sketched the shape of the palace. After just 10 seconds, the smoke dispersed completely—gone without a trace.
"My little princess, you're amazing!" Liu A'dou lifted Nono into the air, laughing with joy.
In truth, because Nono often attracted female spirits, her body had become unique—adaptable to any kind of energy system. Even after her "account reset," her natural talent remained. She had unintentionally helped complete the divination magic.
But discovering the clue was only the first step toward finding the gem. Liu A'dou drew the castle on a sheet of white paper and studied it closely. He'd never seen it before.
He asked around, even checking with Superman and Batman, but no one recognized it. Not even a single hint. Hippolyta confirmed that the style wasn't Atlantean. It looked more like Northern European architecture.
Of course Liu A'dou knew it looked Norse, but even Asgard didn't have a castle like this. His gut told him the palace was still on Earth. So he flew to Northern Europe and tracked down a famous local historian. But the historian said only the great god Odin would have such a grand palace.
What nonsense. Liu A'dou didn't believe that for a second. He'd met Odin before—drank with Thor, ridden their celestial steeds, and even visited Asgard. He could confirm: that palace wasn't in Asgard.
Still, now that he thought about it… maybe Odin really did know where that palace was. Too bad Liu A'dou had no way of asking him.
"Damn divination," Liu A'dou muttered, frustrated. For the first time in his career, he was truly stumped. How could a place this magnificent be completely untraceable?
"Sir, you look very tired. Since you're here in beautiful Iceland, why not take a break and enjoy nature?" The restaurant owner greeted him warmly, chatting up Liu A'dou, who was dressed like a tourist.
"I'm fine." His daughter was asleep back at the inn, and he'd just stepped out for dinner. But his Microcosmos remained connected to Nono. A parent without Microcosmos wouldn't be advised to leave their child alone in a hotel room.
"Huh?" The owner suddenly made a puzzled sound.
Liu A'dou followed his gaze. The man was staring at the sketch of the castle lying casually on the table. Hope flared in Liu A'dou's chest. "Boss, do you recognize this castle?"
"Sure! Isn't this the themed castle from that new Disneyland they're building?"
"…What??"
"No mistake. My son works there. He said they're building a giant new castle in the U.S.," the owner said. "He even sent me a postcard of it—it looks just like that."
…
Liu A'dou was defeated. He'd overthought everything. Who'd have guessed it was just a damn theme park building? He'd imagined it was some legendary relic from a mythological realm.
He'd lost. Completely. Liu A'dou sat in stunned silence, staring blankly at the clouds drifting past the window. Right now, all he wanted… was some peace.