Jack's gaze fell back to the [Mysterious Fish Box]. It was still sitting innocently on the table. Unexpectedly, the third prize of a mundane fishing competition was this great.

"About the box, Dear..." Reina said. "Can your Treasure Hunter ability generate any spellcard from it?”

Jack's eyes lit up. "You're right, Love! This box is an artifact. I completely forgot this little fact. Let's see then."

He reached out. Placing his fingers gently on the [Mysterious Fish Box]. He focused his Treasure Hunter's inherent trait. Calling for a manifested inspiration from the treasure.

The box seemed to hum. A faint golden glow emanated from its vivid fish carving. The light quickly coalesced. Drawing itself into a single, shimmering tarot-like card that floated in the air.

He flipped it over and activated his [Eyes of Judgement]...

[Spell Card: Forceful Trout Morph]

[Type: Curse, Alteration]

[Effect: Forcefully turns the target into a common trout. The transformed fish could not speak or use any power. The duration of the transformation usage depends on the caster and the target's overall power.]

[Requirement: Caster must possess a minimum Mysticism of 20.]

[Cooldown: 10 minutes per use.]

Jack stared at the card. Then burst into a wide, satisfied grin.

"What is it, Dear?" Reina asked.

Jack didn't hide anything and told her all the information shown by his [Eyes of Judgement].

"A common trout? Seriously?" Leon asked with an open mouth.

Reina leaned over. Her lips twitched. "Turning the target into a common trout? Not even a particularly impressive fish? Just a common trout? Really?"

"It's brilliant." Baroness Artheim exclaimed. "That should be the more absurd version of the [Forceful Frog Morph] spell, shouldn't it? The grimoire spell that some advanced mystic scholars can cast?"

"Except, instead of a land-dwelling amphibian, it's a tiny, helpless, freshwater fish!" Jack replied. "It's more devastating, isn't it? A trout would be completely helpless on land after all. Imagine turning a rampaging demon into a little trout. Or a pompous pirate captain into a flopping fish on his ship's floor."

The absurdity of it caused a ripple of suppressed laughter through the crew.

"And the fish would be unable to speak or use any power." Reina added. "That's a complete incapacitation. Though I imagine a powerful enough foe might resist or break free instantly. Just like the case of the [Forceful Frog Morph]."

"Indeed." Jack agreed. "But it's still a game-changer for many situations. This is far more useful than what I anticipated from a prize for a mundane fishing competition."

"True." Leon agreed. "Who would expect it would lead us to a way to convert unwanted artifacts into currency for this... strange Glitch fellow. And now, the captain even got a spell that turns enemies into raw food materials. This expedition is off to a truly bizarre direction."

Jack looked at the [Mysterious Fish Box] again.

"Bizarre, but productive, isn't it?" Jack corrected. "Now, let's try to convert some of the sealed artifacts we acquired before. Wait a moment."

He reached into his [Spatial Backpack] and pulled out a small, wooden-rimmed mirror. It looked like an ordinary hand mirror. And it was indeed an ordinary mirror. But, it had reflective surface. Enough for what he needed.

Jack activated his [Mythical Mirror Realm] power. The surface of the glass rippled like water caught in a storm.

He pushed himself into the ripple. His body dissolved into the reflection. In a heartbeat, he was no longer in the wooden main cabin of the Ocean Wanderer. He was now in his Mirror Mansion. A silent, yet beautiful sanctuary that existed in the Mirror Realm.

He walked with purpose toward the mansion's underground vault. This was where he kept the things too dangerous to be left in the open world. The cursed remnants of what he acquired in his past adventures.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Jack reached the heavy metal doors of the vault and swung them open. Inside, the artifacts were placed in separated boxes. Each radiated its own brand of malice or corrupted power.

He moved quickly. Gathering the items.

First, the [Undeath Brazier]. A malicious artifact carrying dangerous undeath energy. He acquired it from the Undeath Sect members, during the case of the cursed stone statue in Lonestone Museum. He wanted to re-forge it but hadn't really had time to do so.

Second, the [Blood Oath Coin]. Now that he had aided the Sapphire City in destroying the ghost ship Lonely Queen that it could summon, the coin was no longer dangerous. But as a consequence, it was now practically useless.

Third, the [Soulcatcher Bell]. The malicious bell was again acquired from the Undeath Sect's scheme. This one was also related to the Lonely Queen assault on Sapphire City.

Fourth, the [Aberrant Anchor]. Another corrupted item. This one was also involved in the pirate ghost ship case. But this one was the relic from the Purity Cult.

Fifth and sixth, the [Bone Dagger-Flute] and the [Golden Greed Flute]. The loots Jack had taken from the Devil Piper of Golden Haven during the Devil Conclave's case. They were not too sinister, but they were still devil-touched. Too dangerous to be used normally. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The next four items were from the current expedition. Three were from the pirate ship, Dragon Queen. The [Idol of the Insane Goddess]. The [Artificial Dragon Heart]. And the [Azure Devil Claw].

And the final one was from the ship graveyard within the Grim Spirit Sea. The [Unholy Urn].

All of these objects were problematic. Objects that would be best to be left alone or be sealed to the end of the world.

Jack had prepared himself to permanently seal them in the vault of his Mirror Mansion. But he had a different option now.

He took a spare, empty [Spatial Bag] from the same vault and put them in. Then, he hauled it back through the mirror.

When he stepped back into the cabin and took out the problematic artifacts, the temperature seemed to suddenly drop. The crew members flinched. Feeling the uncomfortable chill being emitted from many of the items.

"That's quite a collection of nightmares you've got there, Captain." Leon muttered. His eyes were narrowed as he observed each spooky item.

"They were nuisance." Jack replied bluntly. "And they were indeed taking up space."

He turned toward the [Mysterious Fish Box]. The box was small. About as big as shoe box. But Jack didn't hesitate.

He picked up the [Undeath Brazier], which was much bigger that the size of the box's opening. As he lowered it, the space inside the box seemed to stretch. The brazier slid inside effortlessly. As if falling into an abyss.

Clink!

A couple of small, bone-like tokens popped out of a slot on the side. It featured a crude carving of a trout.

Jack continued. He fed the box the [Idol of the Insane Goddess] and the [Artificial Dragon Heart]. These were high-tier artifacts. For each of these, the box spat out four tokens.

The [Aberrant Anchor], the [Soulcatcher Bell], and the [Unholy Urn] each yielded three tokens.

The [Azure Devil Claw], like the [Undeath Brazier], produced two tokens each.

The [Blood Oath Coin], the [Bone Dagger-Flute], and the [Golden Greed Flute] only produced one token each.

By the time he was done, the cabin smelled less like a graveyard and more like a bone carving shop. Jack counted the tokens. Twenty-four. A good haul for a pile of cursed junk. He swept them into his [Spatial Belt].

"Now..." Jack said. "Let's see if the cat keeps his word."

He cleared his throat and spoke the name the creature had given him. It was a mouthful of syllables that felt like they were trying to escape his mouth in the wrong order.

"Glitcherimistionodon!" He slowly pronounced it.

The air in the cabin flickered. It was like a bad film reel jumping. Then, the cat appeared.

It was sitting on the table. Its checkered shawl draped neatly over its shoulders. Its tail twitched in a way that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Moving through the table rather than over it.

"You called?" The cat said. Its nasal voice sounded like two different people talking at the same time. One a fraction of second behind the other. "So? Are you ready for a trade?"

"I want the [Hot Birdie Feather]." Jack said as a test. Pulling out two tokens. "The one that says fire no longer burns you."

Glitch smiled. Showing its sharp feline teeth. It suddenly pawed at the air. A small, messy, static-filled portal opened next to it. The cat dipped its paw inside. It rummaged for a moment, and then pulled out a feather.

Its color was brilliant red. Shifting into orange and gold at the tips. It didn't just look hot. It radiated a gentle, soothing heat that made the cabin feel warmer.

Jack tossed the two tokens and took the feather. His [Eyes of Judgement] flickered as he appraise it.

[Object: Phoenix Feather]

[Type: Consumable]

[Source: Millennium Phoenix]

[Effect: Grants [Normal Fire Immunity] trait and [Lesser Fire Control] ability.]

[Description: A primary flight feather from an otherworld phoenix that has lived through more than ten centennial cycles of rebirth. It contains a slight trace of the essence of fire. Once absorbed, the user's affinity to fire will be significantly improved.]

[Note: It can only be consumed once per individual.]

"How many more of these do you have?" Jack asked with sparkling eyes. This one was definitely useful.

"Two." Glitch replied. His eyes were flickering from green to purple. "The nest was very high, and the bird was very angry. Taking more won't be wise."

"I'll take both then." Jack said. Handing over four more tokens.

Glitch produced two more feathers. Jack pocketed them. Three feathers meant three more members in the crew that would be enhanced. For their adventure, this could be a massive tactical advantage.

"Next..." Jack said. "Let me see the..."

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