"No matter how dark the night, the morning always comes."
- Lulu (Final Fantasy X)
...
"Dick, do you really believe that a diamond can kill people?"
After listening to Dick's complete explanation, Dean's eyebrows furrowed tightly.
"To be honest, I don't believe it at all."
Dick responded without hesitation.
"The 'Hope Diamond' has been quietly lying in the Smithsonian Museum for decades, and it has been borrowed out for exhibitions many times. I find it hard to believe that no one has touched it during all those years. But the truth is that since the "Hope Diamond" was given to the center, there have been no bad luck or deaths until today."
"Moreover, both Lily and Kim are here, and no one knows better than them whether the curse of the 'Hope Diamond' is real or just a marketing trick."
"You're right, I also don't really believe in this kind of made-up legend. The accident with the employee was probably just that—an accident."
Dean nodded to show that he agreed, but deep down was still worried.
He wasn't as confident as Dick and firmly believed that the 'Hope Diamond' had no curse.
In fact, Dean had always believed that the 'Hope Diamond' was a real cursed gem, but he only dared to consider it because he had a system that allowed him to avoid bad luck in different ways.
What really bothered Dean was actually Mr. Orpheus' mysterious little box.
Why did the accident only happen late last night, and yet Mr. Opheus already had a protective curse item with him today?
Isn't that a bit too fast?
Where did he get that from?
What did he do to get it?
Why does he say that this box can protect against bad luck?
If Mr. Orpheus just took a random transparent box to stabilize the museum staff's behavior, it is possible, but Dean couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
'Mr. Orpheus seems like a friendly person with no temper, but now it seems that he might be hiding some secrets..."
Dean looked at Henry, who was confronting Lily and thought about it.
Henry's gaze was relentless as he spoke to Lily.
"Lily, no matter what you say today, I won't change my mind. Even if, as you say, the curse doesn't exist, the word has already spread in the exhibition hall. Everyone on staff is afraid that they could be hurt in the next accident. I have to calm them down."
"Perhaps the color of the box does indeed affect the appearance of the diamond from the outside, and gemology experts might not be happy, but the exhibition is not only for experts. It's for ordinary people who have never seen the famous 'Hope Diamond' before!"
"They won't care about the diamond's slightly dark color or even whether the diamonds inside are real or fake. They just want to see what this famous 'Hope Diamond' actually looks like!"
"I don't think adding a box outside the diamond goes against the original purpose of the exhibition."
At this moment, Kim interjected, "I believe Mr. Orpheus's thinking is reasonable. Lily, it's very important that every visitor can see every feature of the diamond, but it's even more important that everyone and the diamond stay safe. You shouldn't worry too much about this."
"Then why not use a colorless transparent box as the container? Why did you use a blue-tinted one?"
Lily accepted Kim's persuasion and no longer fought over the box but instead asked about the color.
"Because this is the only color available. Do you think I wouldn't have used a colorless one if I could?"
Henry answered with a question.
Lily was at a loss for words and reluctantly agreed to Henry's arrangement.
Since both the box and the diamond were already frozen inside the ice block, it wouldn't be possible to melt the ice now.
Dean and Dick, who had seen the whole argument at the entrance, left the exhibition hall quietly and went to a place that was empty.
"Hey, Dean."
Dick suddenly poked Dean's arm and asked, "Why do you think Lily is so against putting the diamond in the box?"
"She already said it, didn't she? She wants to display the diamonds as perfectly as possible, and she also believes the curse is fake, so adding a box would be unnecessary."
Dean answered without hesitation.
"I don't think it's that simple."
Dick shook his head.
"Lily is a special security expert, and her planning is likely to focus on the protection of the diamonds, and the exhibition result would be the smallest of her concerns. The one who should be worried about that is Kim."
"But in the end, Lily spoke on behalf of Kim."
Hearing Dick's explanation, Dean suddenly realized and his eyes narrowed, "Are you saying..."
"That's right. I suspect something is off about Lily's identity."
Dick turned to look at the exhibition hall, making sure no one noticed them, then continued, "Either she's using a fake identity or someone is impersonating her."
"And that person could very well be the Phantom Thief!"
Dean was shocked, but quickly regained his calm and said firmly, "Lily could be the Phantom Thief? We need to tell Commissioner Gordon about this immediately..."
"Wait! Don't say anything yet!"
Dick quickly covered Dean's mouth.
"They are coming out."
They saw Lily, Kim, and Henry walking out of the exhibition hall.
Dick carefully watched as the three of them walked away before lowering his hand.
"We're just guessing at this point. We don't have any evidence to prove that Lily is being impersonated, so we can't tell Commissioner Gordon yet. We need to gather evidence first."
"How do we gather evidence?"
Dean asked eagerly.
"Just do as I say. I have a task for you."
Dick whispered to him, "I'll give you a transmitter and a bug. You'll find the opportunity to plant these on Lily."
"Don't worry about using these devices. It's important for our investigation."
Dick reassured.
"You're a skilled magician; I believe you're just as good as Phantom Thief."
Dick had confidence in Dean's abilities, but Dean hesitated, "What if I get caught? If she really is the Phantom Thief, I'll be in danger."
"Well... I have a simple solution for that. You can do it in a crowded place, and even if she notices, she won't make a move immediately. Just call for help from the security guards on the spot."
"Wow, you've thought it through. So, what's your task?"
Dean asked.
"Don't forget what day it is. Lily may or may not be the Phantom Thief, so we can't just focus on her."
Dick said seriously, "Your task is just to hide the transmitter and bug on her. Barbara and I will go to Wayne Tower to see if Phantom Thief will show up there."
"Okay, then let's split up."
Dean nodded and agreed with Dick's plan.
...
A/N: If we reach 1, 600 power stones today, I will release an additional chapter tomorrow.
patreon.com/Sothisq
You can find up to 20 advance chapters at my patreon.