Jack didn't wait. He started transforming. His muscles bulked. His skin turned a deep, reddish black. Within a second, he had entered his rakshasa incarnation. A three meter tall hulking creature with flaming armor.
With a grunt of effort, he swung his [Judgement Warhammer] into the... wooden wall. Not bothering to deal with the metal door. The wooden wall had no chance against the hammer and the monstrous strength. It broke apart in just a swing.
Jack used his hammer several more times though. Just to make a hole big enough for him to pass.
Inside, the vault was filled with the spoils worthy of a high-ranking nobleman. Chests of gold coins were stacked against the walls. There were crates filled with exquisite artworks. Golden statues from the New Continent. Paintings that seemed so vivid and lifelike. And boxes of rare gemstones that glowed with their own internal light.
But Jack ignored those for the moment.
"Dear, look!" Reina pointed to a velvet-lined pedestal at the back. The exact same things Jack were observing. Four artifacts sat there. Pulsing with distinct magical signatures.
Jack swept his gaze over them. His [Eyes of Judgement] were activated again. Information panel appeared once more in his vision.
He looked at the first object. His vision informed him that it was a [Tiara of Charm]. It was made of enchanted silver and set with a single, massive pink diamond. It felt like it was humming a soft, seductive tune.
Jack took note of its enchantment. It could significantly increase the wearer's feminine charisma and eloquence. An impressive tool for a female diplomat or a con artist. Pretty useless for him, but one of the female crew members could use it. And, he might get a useful spellcard from it later.
He moved his attention to he second treasure. It was a pretty standard [Bracelet of Protection]. Thick. Made of enchanted gold and copper. And engraved with geometric patterns.
Jack could feel the density of the air around it. Like the other protection types of equipment, it could generate a powerful force shield. This one should be capable of creating a strong enough shield to withstand high-caliber steamrune slugs or magical projectiles. A useful one.
The third was a [Ring of Water Bending]. A decorative ring made of mostly blue coral. It was beautiful in color, yet plain in shape.
Its ability was definitely very beneficial for most people. Especially sailors. A power to control water, even if it was just within a five-meter radius, was extremely incredible. And in sea, it would be even more useful.
Jack looked at the fourth object. It was an [Earring of Danger Sense]. A small, jagged piece of obsidian hanging from a silver hook.
It would vibrate to warn its wearer whenever it sensed immediate physical or mental threats. A pretty great item for others. Not so much for Jack. Rune had a similar, or even better function.
"Alright! Let's take everything." Jack commanded. And then, with a mischievous grin, he added... "Just leave a few coins for whoever came here after us."
Jack took his small mirror out and activated his [Mythical Mirror Realm] power. He started 'transporting' all of the treasures here to his Mirror Mansion. The other three helped handing him the precious objects.
...
A few minutes later...
"Alright! It's time to leave." Jack commanded. His Rakshasa form receding back into his human appearance within a second. "The other captains will be sending boarding parties soon to rob this place. Let's get out of here."
Outside, massive explosions were still rocking the sea. One of the masts of the Great Victory had been hit by a lucky shot from the Lady Oceania. The battle was peaking.
"Reina, get them back to the Silent Mermaid." Jack said. "I'll do one last sweep before returning."
"Be careful, Dear." Reina said. She grabbed Leon and Chloe, who was still clutching the Kirin, and they vanished in a grey puff of smoke.
Jack stood alone in the almost empty vault for a moment. He checked the other cabins in the sinking ship.
He found a couple more survivors with neutral karma signatures in one of the cabin. Immediately, he placed the two unconscious survivors to his Mirror Mansion.
There were no other important points to notice in the ship. He looked at the water that was beginning to pour through the floorboards. It was time to leave.
Jack moved out to the deck. He used his [Mysterious Anomaly] again to cloak himself in invisibility. However, he didn't use his [Chains of Vengeance] this time.
Instead, he took his [Steamrune Hoverboard] and jumped on it. Unseen by other people, he drifted up over the decks. Maneuvering over cannon balls and explosion, he soared into the early evening air.
Below him, the Gilded Swan was slowly sinking. Its bow had gradually dipped lower into the dark water. It would still take some time before it was completely under the water.
Jack controlled his hoverboard back toward the Silent Mermaid. As he reached the deck, his personal invisibility disappeared. The invisibility field of the ghost ship took over. It rippled as he passed through it.
Baroness Artheim was waiting on the quarterdeck. The other crew members, including Reina, Chloe, and Leon were also there.
The baroness looked at Jack. Then at the baby Kirin in Chloe's arms. And finally at the pile of treasures Jack began to unload from his Mirror Mansion.
"You're quite the efficient looter, Captain!" Baroness Artheim said. A small, impressed smile playing on her lips.
"I prefer the term 'emergency salvage operator'." Jack replied bluntly. Then, he commanded Ned through the internal communication system. "Ned! Get us away from here. Back to the route to Orchard Island."
"Aye, Captain!" Ned's voice immediately responded.
"Baroness, please lead the others to organize the loots." Jack continued giving instructions. "Separate twenty percent of the coins for the Earl and the surviving sailors. We shouldn't leave them completely penniless. We'll divide the rest equally for each crew member."
He turned to the other crew members. "Don, Prepare dinner. Chloe, take care of the kirin. Serene and Autumn... you two come with me and Reina to the Mirror Mansion. We need to stabilize the survivors while keeping them unconscious."
After dividing the task, Jack took Reina and the two healers to take care of the survivors.
As the three women took care of the lucky, unconscious survivors, Jack spent some time to use the power of his secondary class, the Treasure Hunter. He manifested four tangible spellcards from the four artifacts he still kept in the Mirror Mansion.
The first spellcard he acquired was the [Royal Dignity]. It was a tarot-like card with a drawing of a shining crown.
It was a blessing type of spellcard. Designed to temporarily boost one's charisma. The effect would be strong enough to rival the charisma of a true king. But it didn't last for long. Only for at most five minutes.
Then, the second one was the plain [Force Shield]. Another tarot-like card that had a drawing of a shimmering crystal shield.
It was a supportive, conjuration type of spellcards. Designed to summon a circular force shield that would protect the target until its durability was exhausted. This was a plain, functional spellcard. Practical in many situations.
From the [Ring of Water Bending], Jack manifested another excellent spellcard, the [Water Serpent] spellcard. It had the drawing of a serpent made purely of water.
Contrary to the [Force Shield], this one was an offensive, conjuration type of spellcards. Its main function was to summon a great amount of water that would turn into a serpent form. The serpent made of water could move like a living snake and turn into a high pressure water attack to destroy the target.
Finally, there was the [Danger Sense Boost]. A tarot-like card with a drawing of a man's head emitting a ripple of waves.
This was another blessing type of spellcards. When it was activated on a target, the target's danger sense and survivability rose sharply for about twenty hours.
At first, Jack thought it was just an alright spellcard. Pretty redundant for him, but might be useful for another crew member. But then he saw its cooldown and mana consumption which was practically... close to nothing.
He immediately realized that the card was... broken. He could practically buff all of his crew members with [Danger Sense Boost] forever, without being running out of time or mana.
Jack took the four artifacts and looked at Reina and the healer siblings. They were still taking care of the injured patients.
He waited until they were done, then he took them back to the ship.
The Silent Mermaid had moved quite far away from the sea battle site. The three battling ships hadn't determined the winner. None seemed to be willing to close in to the immobilized Gilded Swan.
"Ned!" Jack called out to the current navigator through the communication system. "Leave the control room for a while. Come here! Everyone, gather around."
"Aye, Captain!" Ned's voice responded quickly.
Once everyone gathered in the quarter-deck, Jack took out the four artifacts and showed them to everyone.
"This time, the artifacts we gained aren't dangerous. This one is [Tiara of Charm]..." He explained the treasured artifacts one by one.
Once he was done explaining, Jack took out a pair of dice.
"Anyone who wants the treasure can roll this pair of dice." Jack said. "The biggest roll gets the treasure. But once you get one, you can't roll anymore until everyone gets the share."
He looked at Chloe. "Chloe, you've gained the greatest treasure this time. The kirin. So, you're out. I've acquired enough benefits myself, so I won't join. Everyone else is free to roll for any of these four artifacts."
Jack looked at the crew members. They looked shocked at the way Jack choose to share the unique spoils. But they seemed to be excited too.
"Is it alright to do it like this?" Serene asked hesitantly.
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Of course it is alright."
"I wouldn't share any dangerous artifacts. That's why we didn't do it for the previous loots." Jack gave further explanation. "But, safe-keeping safe, useful artifacts, especially the mystic equipment like these ones, is pretty dumb. They are designed to be used, not to be kept in dusty warehouse."
"But, we didn't do anything." Serene said.
"What do you mean you didn't do anything?" Jack asked back in surprise. "You took care of the injured survivors, didn't you?"
"My sister means... we weren't the ones that went to the ship and got the treasures." Autumn clarified.
"Of course you didn't go there." Jack responded quickly. "You are healers. Everyone here has their specific role. You two, Argust, Don... Unless there is no other choice, you will never go for such missions. But, it doesn't mean that your roles aren't important."
He looked at the others and continued. "Each of us is a team member with specific role. So, it is only fair when everyone get their shares."
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