"I want to try talisman crafting." Baroness Artheim admitted. But then she sighed. "But we're lacking two of the necessary ingredients. Agarwood incense for the ritual. And red cinnabar for the inscription ink."
"It won't be hard to get them in Grandmoon Island." Jack replied. "The Grandmoon City is the greatest trading hub in this part of the sea, isn't it?"
"You're right." The baroness agreed.
Jack looked at her directly. "So, before arriving there, the Rockman plates then?"
"That's the plan." She adjusted a loose strand of her hair. "I'll finish the [Tome of Arcane Talisman Craft] first. Then I'll start on the ancient records. No sense wasting time."
"Good plan." Jack said. "I'll get them to you once the tome is out of the way."
The Baroness gave a curt nod and moved away. Seemingly already planning her next research phase.
Jack watched her go. Then he felt a familiar presence beside him. Reina. She held two objects in her hands. Both were wrapped in dark cloth.
"Here, Dear!" Reina said in calm voice.
She unwrapped the cloth. Revealing the grotesque forms of the [Rat King Heart] and the [Crystal Lich Skull]. The strangely-sculpted dark heart pulsed faintly. A disturbing, semi-organic throb. The skull, on the other hand, was crystalline and translucent. Quite beautiful, although it seemed to creepily stare with hollow eyes. Both radiated an oppressive aura. A gloomy pressure of dark magic.
Jack felt a flicker of discomfort. These were the loots left behind by the escaping Duke Starlight. Valuable, but not exactly items he wanted to keep.
He took them from her. "Thanks, Love."
The two were artifacts. And he had his way to generate power from artifacts. Jack focused his intent. Activating his innate Treasure Hunter power.
Energy surged from him, channeling into the hands that hold the two cursed artifacts. The [Rat King Heart] shimmered, and the [Crystal Lich Skull] followed suit. Both generated two ominous-looking spellcards. One with were-rat drawing and the other one with skeletal undead drawing.
Jack activated his [Judgement Eyes]. The cards were...
[Spell Card: Were-rat Transformation]
[Type: Curse]
[Effect: Forces target into temporary were-rat form. Target gains feral instincts, enhanced senses, and great physical combat abilities. But he/she loses human reasoning and is tortuted by unending hunger.]
[Requirement: Usable by any transcendent. Caster must possess a minimum Mysticism of 30.]
[Maximum Duration: 3 days]
[Cooldown: 1 hour per use]
[Drawback: It slightly twists the user's mental state to ruthlessness and ferocity for every use.]
And...
[Spell Card: Undead Resurrection]
[Type: Necromancy]
[Effect: Reanimates a dead body into a controllable undead servant. Quality of undead depends on the initial body and caster's power. Lasts until destroyed or dispelled.]
[Requirement: Usable by any transcendent. Caster must possess a minimum Mysticism of 60.]
[Cooldown: 1 hour per use]
[Drawback: It significantly generates negative karma to the user and taints the user's mystical energy with undead corruption.]
Jack looked at the two spellcards. He had no intention of ever using either. They were tools of desperation. Generating more trouble than solving the problem. He valued his mental state and karma a lot.
Besides, cursing the targets to such transformation would be... pointless. If they were unforgivable evil craps, directly killing them was more sensible. Or, if he needed to disable them, turning them into a fish with his [Forceful Trout Morph] would be more fun.
As for raising mindless corpses? A dirty, ugly undead. Also, the stench... No thanks. He preferred recruiting living, breathing, capable individuals.
He immediately placed the cards in a sealed part of his [Spatial Belt]. And then, he put down his [Spatial Backpack] and reached for his [Mysterious Fish Box]. A shoe-box-size container that was decorated with fish carving.
He opened it. Revealing an empty, shimmering interior. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed both the [Rat King Heart] and the [Crystal Lich Skull] inside.
The box expanded to accommodate both items. Its inside glowed slightly. Both items slid inside effortlessly. As if falling into an abyss.
Clink! Clink!
The cursed items were gone, converted without a trace of their malefic influence. Small, bone-like tokens popped out of a slot on the side. Each featured a crude carving of a trout.
There were nine of them. Eight were the familiar bone-white tokens. Smooth and cool to the touch. The ninth, however, was different.
It shimmered with a soft, undeniable golden hue. Radiating a faint warmth. Jack picked it up. His curiosity piqued. A golden token. That was new. It felt denser, more potent than the others.
He closed the box. Securing the tokens. Time for a trade.
He moved to the main cabin. Rune and Reina followed him. Only Aella and Mirella were in the cabin. The others were not there.
Jack didn't wait. He didn't need the whole crew to conduct a trade with the glitchy merchant. He spoke the summoning name. Clear and resonant across the deck of the Silent Mermaid. Letting the strange syllables roll off his tongue.
"Glitcherimistionodon!" He called.
The air shimmered. Not exactly a ripple, but a sudden, jarring distortion. Like reality itself had glitched. A tear opened, strange and not exactly clear.
From it stepped Glitch, the weird black cat. Its fur seemed to absorb the light. Its eyes were slightly glowing. Observing everything and nothing at once. It wore its signature checkered scarf. Somehow it was perfectly draped despite the lack of any visible means of support.
It regarded Jack with an unnervingly still gaze. A faint, almost imperceptible static discharge crackled around its whiskers. Its tail twitched then settled into a slow, deliberate sway.
"Yo, Human!" Glitch greeted. Its voice sounded like two voices speaking at once. One deep, one high-pitched. "I heard the call of the tokens. What's on the menu today?"
"Trade, of course." Jack said bluntly. "The list is still the same, isn't it?"
"Yup..." The cat responded. "It will refresh next... Well, let's see... Ah, yeah. It will refresh the day after tomorrow in your time. Don't worry, the trade-list scroll I gave you will update automatically."
"So, what do you need today?" It continued. "Ah, I'll remind you again, alright? No bargaining."
"Your choice." Jack replied. "You are missing the fun of it though. Anyway, I'm not the only one trading today."
He turned to Reina. "Love? You want to exchange your tokens?"
Reina stepped forward. Two bone-white tokens were in her hand. "I'll take the [Gleaming Star Shard]." She said as she calmly threw the two tokens to Glitch.
Glitch stared at the thrown tokens, which disappeared as they were about to reach it. Its eyes seemed to flicker. With another weird distortion of space and a brief flicker of static, a small spherical object appeared.
It pulsed with a gleaming, silvery light. Almost like a captured star shard. Radiating a faint, cool energy.
"A [Gleaming Star Shard]. One of the only two pieces I have." Glitch stated as it tossed the object to Reina. "Here it is."
Reina took it. Her fingers tracing its smooth surface. Jack, next to her, immediately activated his [Eyes of Judgement] on the object. The item's true nature revealed itself instantly.
[Object: Fairy Owl Eye]
[Type: Consumable]
[Source: Fairy Owl]
[Effect: Grants [Night Vision] and [Rapid Thinking] ability.]
[Description: A crystallized eyeball from an otherworld Fairy Owl, one of the creatures known for their wisdom and unparalleled nocturnal hunting prowess within the deepest, most shadowed forests. When consumed, it integrates into the user's mystic perception, granting the ability to see perfectly in total darkness. Additionally, it fundamentally enhances cognitive processes, allowing for faster problem-solving and quicker combat analysis.]
[Note: It can only be consumed once per individual.]
Nearby, Aella, who had been listening intently, tugged at Jack's sleeve. Her small face was alight with curiosity. She had known the cat from the crew members' stories. And the idea of trading tokens for power clearly fascinated her.
Jack looked at Aella. "You want to trade too, Kid?"
Aella nodded. Her eyes were obviously very eager. She held out two bone-white tokens. Clutched tightly in her small fist.
Jack smiled. "Go ahead."
Glitch's head tilted. Its sparkling eyes focused on Aella. Its tail was twitching in a glitchy zig-zag. "A little faewitch. Cool! Haven't seen one for a while. So, what do you want to trade?"
"A [Sparky Critter Fang]." Aella said decisively. She had heard about it from Reina and Autumn.
Another ripple in space, and a jagged, white fang appeared. Crackling with faint static. It seemed to vibrate with a subtle, electric energy.
"A [Sparky Critter Fang]!" Glitch announced. "Two tokens, please."
Aella tossed the tokens and curiously took the fang. It felt warm in her hand. A faint tingle running up her arm. Like a tiny electric current.
Jack didn't appraise it. He knew it would grant her [Lightning Spark] mystic spell and [Quick Reflex] trait. The first one wasn't that big deal for Aella. But [Quick Reflex] would give her tremendous advantage in combat.
Jack stepped forward. Tossing his eight bone-white tokens. "Alright, Glitch... I'll take the last [Gleaming Star Shard] you have and three more [Sparky Critter Fangs]."
Glitch processed the exchange. Another [Fairy Owl Eye] and three [Lightning Wolf Fangs appeared. Popping into existence from nowhere.
Jack picked them up. The [Fairy Owl Eye] pulsed softly. Radiating the same silvery light as Reina's. The Fangs crackled with their faint electrical energy. Jack stored them carefully in a pouch. Deciding to let the crew members to roll for them later.
Now, only the golden token remained in Jack's hand. Glitch's glitchy eyes were fixed on it. A low purr was rumbling in its chest. A distorted hum of satisfaction.
"Ah..." Glitch hummed. "The rare, unique golden token. I knew you would acquire one eventually. I have here an item of equivalent rarity. Something quite extraordinary. Do you want to trade?"
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