The "Mountain Whale" in Uchii Tatsuo's mouth does not refer to the legendary creature that lives in South America and floats in the Andes Mountains. In Japan, "Mountain Whale" is a euphemism for wild boar.

Kiyomi Ruri is well aware of this because her mother sometimes refers to pork as "Mountain Whale meat," which is a habit she developed since childhood.

Japan has had several "meat prohibition" periods, with various regulations. For example, those who eat lamb or rabbit meat must be confined for five days, those who eat pork or mutton must reflect for two months, and eating dog meat is a serious offense that can result in being hanged and beaten. Eating beef is even more heinous, and only nobles can barely satisfy their cravings.

At that time, beef was considered a type of traditional Chinese medicine, and nobles ate beef for medicinal purposes. It was a case of "the higher-ups have policies, and the lower-downs have countermeasures."

Because of this unfortunate "meat prohibition," domestic pigs in Japan were forced to become extinct. Even if hunters managed to kill wild boars, they couldn't sell the meat easily. So they gave the wild boar meat a different name, "Mountain Whale meat," and sold it by setting up stalls. When asked, they would say it was whale from the mountains, which would put the buyers at ease.

Of course, mountain fish can be eaten, and there is no prohibition against eating fish.

Of course, there is another interpretation of "Mountain Whale," which refers to wild boars being the kings of the mountains, just as whales are the kings of the sea.

Wild boars are actually very fierce. When they go mad, they can be even more ferocious than bears. They charge recklessly, with sharp fangs that can cause injury with a graze and death with a stab. They are also equipped with natural armor that is impervious to knives and guns. Their vitality is extremely tenacious, and even if their intestines are dragging, they can run for a whole day and are not easily killed. It was only when humans developed firearms that they could hunt wild boars. Without firearms, humans would not be able to chase after wild boars, as wild boars can chase after a group of people. Even if a person has a hunting rifle, it is best not to provoke them. They are one of the most dangerous game animals in the mountains, and the likelihood of accidents is extremely high. It is not surprising if someone loses their life.

In many parts of Japan, wild boars are considered the "mountain gods" of the area. After all, in ancient times, it was very difficult to kill a wild boar with bamboo arrows or spears. Wild boars also do not value fixed territories and often wander out of the deep mountains and into human fields, causing damage. According to the Japanese character, they naturally have to offer prayers to appease them and dare not call them by their name directly. They have to address them as "Mountain Whale Lord."

Kiyomi Ruri understood the meaning of "Mountain Whale" and also understood that Nanahara Takeshi was testing Uchii Tatsuo. Not caring about these matters, she curiously asked when they went out, "What does it mean when you said that the 'Chong Island Four Branches Scroll' suddenly appeared in Hirayano?"

Nanahara Takeshi was repeatedly looking at the photos of the "Chong Island Four Branches Scroll" and casually said, "Didn't he say that it appeared here because of the opening of Edo?"

"Can you explain in detail?" Kiyomi Ruri knew what the "opening of Edo" meant. She was not absent-minded in humanities subjects, but she had only studied until the first year of high school and her knowledge was not comprehensive. She was very curious.

Nanahara Takeshi absentmindedly explained, "At the end of the anti-shogunate movement, the Tokugawa Shogunate surrendered without a fight when Edo was opened. The city was peacefully opened without bloodshed or a siege. However, not everyone was willing to surrender. Some people, under the name of the 'Tokugawa Defection Group,' fled to Hokkaido and established the Ezo Republic.

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These people didn't come to establish a country empty-handed. They either raised funds, stole, or looted. They took away a lot of wealth from Edo, and the 'Chong Island Four Branches Scroll,' which was originally collected by the Tokugawa Shogunate, probably disappeared during that time. However, Edo was chaotic at that time, with frequent arson and fires, which led to confusion about whether the 'Chong Island Four Branches Scroll' was burned, stolen, or taken away.

So it is reasonable for these four paintings to appear in Hirayano. Most likely, they arrived in Hokkaido during that time and were lost to the public or were simply privately kept by someone who fled to Hokkaido. It can be considered a form of inheritance in a different sense."

Kiyomi Ruri understood and sighed as she looked at the photos on the promotional page. "So, it turns out that these few paintings have such a legendary story. Then they are not fakes?"

Nanahara Takeshi nodded gently. "At least I didn't see any problems. From a historical perspective, it is reasonable to find them as lost treasures."

Kiyomi Ruri's curiosity was satisfied, and she felt very pleased both inside and out. She also said with some envy, "So, these four scrolls, or rather, these four famous paintings, are worth 200 million yen?"

200 million yen, that is a huge sum of money. She couldn't even imagine how big a pile it would be if it were in 500 yen coins. If she had 200 million yen, the first thing she would do is hang Nanahara Takeshi up and beat him. After beating him, she would give him money, and after giving him money, she would hang him up again. Then, she would let him be her assistant, washing dishes, shining shoes, and cooking for her.

Nanahara Takeshi also had a bit of drool, wishing he could travel through time and pick up these overlooked treasures. He regretfully said, "It's not just 200 million yen. At that time, the monkey was already dead, and Ichinose Hajime was no longer afraid of being beheaded. Although he still settled on Chong Island, he had renewed contact with old friends. When several people visited him, he proudly showed them these paintings. Some of the notes left by those people mentioned that they saw drafts, some saw one or two of the paintings, and some saw the completed works. Calculating the time..."

He briefly recalled and combined the contents of the notes from those people. "He spent two years completing the work in the ninth and tenth years of Keicho, and he died in the snow at the end of the tenth year of Keicho. The 'Chong Island Four Branches Scroll' is his final work, and its collection value is even higher. Even if it is sold for 200 million yen, I would still buy it, even if it is more. This price is equivalent to picking it up for free.

If it were a normal auction, it would be easy to sell for over 300 million yen. With good pre-sale publicity and a lively atmosphere at the venue, attracting interested wealthy buyers, it is possible to sell for over 400 million yen. This type of art with very limited supply and no possibility of depreciation, and with stable appreciation, is something that insurance companies would love. They wouldn't mind paying a premium for it, and they especially like to push up the prices of these types of artworks."

400 million yen...

Kiyomi Ruri couldn't help but daydream even more. If she had 400 million yen, with Nanahara Takeshi's greedy nature, she could make him walk on his hands for the rest of his life, right? He wouldn't bully her for no reason and would definitely have a smiling face 24 hours a day. He would serve her and wash dishes, shine shoes, and cook for her.

As she imagined Nanahara Takeshi following her like a dog, there was a light applause from the side. A middle-aged man in his thirties praised, "So this is Nanahara-kōhai. I didn't expect you to have such a deep understanding of the art industry. No wonder you became a special consultant for the police station."

Nakano Eri and Kiyomi Ruri immediately looked over, and Kiyomi Ruri cautiously asked, "Who are you?"

The middle-aged man smiled cheerfully. "I am Hiradate Kazuo. Director Uchii asked me to wait here and assist in the police investigation."

He had that typical Japanese service industry enthusiasm. He had purposely stood in the corridor to wait and happened to overhear Nanahara Takeshi's words. Nakano Eri and Kiyomi Ruri quickly thanked him and politely said, "Sorry for the interruption."

Hiradate Kazuo then invited them into an office, served them tea, and Kiyomi Ruri continued with the previous topic curiously, asking, "Can it really be auctioned for 400 million yen?"

Hiradate Kazuo smiled modestly. "We will do our best to make the art treasures reflect their true value and status. But the auction result is still uncertain at the moment. We can only say that there is a great hope."

Damn, these four worthless scrolls can really be sold for 400 million yen. Kiyomi Ruri decided that when she got home, she would go through her family's warehouse. She vaguely remembered that there were some worthless scrolls there. If there were some ancient paintings inside, she would be set.

But she hadn't forgotten about the case and still held onto the last hope that it was a fake. She tentatively asked, "During the public exhibition, were there any experts who appraised it? Did anyone raise any objections?"

Hiradate Kazuo laughed helplessly. "Director Uchii has staked his fortune and reputation on this. How could we take such a big business lightly? We have conducted repeated appraisals before accepting it. We have analyzed everything from pigments to paper to painting styles. Three appraisers did not raise any doubts. Especially, we not only accepted these four works, but that household also had many old items passed down from the Tokugawa vassals, which we also accepted. They are all genuine.

Speaking of which, it was a bit lucky. Director Uchii initially saw that household selling old items at a stall and discovered a broken sword with the Tokugawa family crest. That's why he was curious and went to their house to investigate. He accidentally discovered the 'Chong Island Four Branches Scroll,' and there is no possibility of forgery."

Nanahara Takeshi seemed to be deep in thought, finding this scheme somewhat familiar. But Kiyomi Ruri had completely given up hope. She said with a heavy heart, "Hiradate-san, I heard that you and Director Uchii were together on the night Matsunai-san was killed?"

"Yes, I'm curious why you keep asking this question." Hiradate Kazuo complained subtly and smiled, "The public exhibition had a good response from the beginning, attracting a lot of attention. Some people have even inquired about the price privately. After the museum closed that day, Director Uchii was very happy and invited me to have a drink to celebrate and discuss the preparations for the auction. So I went with him.

We went to Shibamoto-ya first and had a glass of beer and a few bottles of sake. Then the director felt a bit tired and invited me to go to Wankawa-ya for a bath and a massage to relax. We took a nap for a while, and when we came out, he seemed a bit tipsy. I sent him back home, but he still wanted to chat and asked Mrs. Uchii to order takeout. Since I live alone and had nothing to do, I accompanied him to continue drinking and chatting. In the end, we drank too much, and I fell asleep in the guest room of his house."

Nanahara Takeshi interjected with a smile, "Do you remember the time when you rested?"

"It was around ten o'clock..." Hiradate Kazuo smiled, "I was a bit drunk at that time and didn't pay attention to the time. But when I sent him home, it was 9:07, so I can guarantee that I was with him from nine to ten o'clock. We also drank a lot of alcohol during that time, and he didn't even go to the bathroom once. It is completely impossible for him to have gone out and killed someone. You guys are really overthinking it."

Nanahara Takeshi smiled and asked, "9:07? Why do you remember the time so clearly?"

Hiradate Kazuo didn't mind and said nonchalantly, "After getting out of the taxi, Director Uchii felt a bit dizzy and was afraid that Mrs. Uchii would blame him for coming back too late. He casually asked me what time it was, and I glanced at my watch, so I remember."

After a pause, he said more directly, "Director Uchii and Matsunai-san hardly had any interaction. I really can't understand why he would be on the suspect list. He had no reason to treat Matsunai-san like that..."

Nanahara Takeshi nodded thoughtfully and said, "Indeed, I also can't figure out his motive if he killed Matsunai-san."

Hiradate Kazuo was taken aback, and Nanahara Takeshi immediately smiled and said, "I mean, if he did kill Matsunai-san, I can't think of a reason why he would do it."

Hiradate Kazuo was relieved, and then he said, "Director Uchii couldn't have done such a thing. He treats people very well."

Nanahara Takeshi smiled and said, "It's evident. He has good personal cultivation. By the way, when Mrs. Uchii ordered takeout, where did she order it from? Did the takeout arrive?"

"Of course." Hiradate Kazuo recalled and smiled, "It arrived in about fifteen or sixteen minutes. It was a lamb meat cuisine bento from Yudama-ya. It was hot and delicious, and it was a perfect dish to go with alcohol. I ate a lot."

Kiyomi Ruri flipped through her small notebook and quickly found the information about Yudama-ya mentioned in the police briefing. The police had already asked them during the initial investigation, and it was true that Yudama-ya received a takeout order from Mrs. Uchii at around 9:01 PM on the night of the incident, and they did send it to Mrs. Uchii at the Uchii residence. Combined with Hiradate Kazuo's testimony, it could be proven that Uchii Tatsuo did not have the opportunity to commit the crime. He couldn't have done it. Could it be that the "Hunter's Deduction" had failed, and the real culprit was someone else?

Kiyomi Ruri felt very worried and looked at Nanahara Takeshi with concerned eyes.