Soon, Buck ran over, dragging an iron crowbar thicker than his thigh, while Billy carried a giant axe specifically used for cutting ropes.
"I'll go first!"
Buck inserted the tip of the crowbar into the box's only gap, which was the keyhole, then put his entire weight onto it.
"Creak..."
A teeth-grinding sound of metal twisting rang out.
That solid iron crowbar bent at an exaggerated angle.
But the the heart's chest didn't even have a scratch.
"Get up, I'll do it!"
Billy spat, swung the giant axe in a wide arc, and brought it down with a whoosh!
"Clang!"
Sparks flew.
Billy's body was jolted back by a huge recoil, and the web between his thumb and forefinger split open.
A chip had broken off the finely forged steel axe.
On the deck, silence fell once more, like death.
"I... what the..."
Jack Sparrow's jaw nearly hit the ground.
He knew this box was evil, but he didn't expect it to be this evil!
Roger's face had completely darkened.
He felt his authority was being openly challenged by a broken wooden box!
Could he tolerate this?
"Hector!"
"Here! Captain!"
"Push the smallest six-pound cannon over here!"
Roger said through gritted teeth.
"Point the muzzle at it! Blast it for me!"
Hector's body stiffened.
The Captain... he's lost it.
Firing a cannon on the deck?
And at such an evil thing?
"What are you waiting for! Execute the order!"
"Yes!"
Soon, a small cannon was pushed over by several pirates, scrambling.
Its muzzle was pressed tightly against the surface of the the heart's chest.
All the pirates hid far away, only peeking out their heads to watch the spectacle.
"Fire!"
Roger personally picked up the torch.
"Boom!"
A loud bang.
Dense black smoke, accompanied by fire, spewed forth.
The entire the explorer shook violently.
The smoke cleared.
The the heart's chest lay quietly in its original spot, unharmed.
But the deck beneath it, made of ironwood composite material and just reinforced, had a basin-sized hole blown into it.
On the deck, there was dead silence.
Only Roger's heartfelt exclamation echoed clearly in everyone's ears.
"Newton's coffin lid, it really can't be held down now."
"Damn it!"
Roger furiously threw the torch to the ground, stomping his feet in anger.
Roger took a deep breath, then another deep breath.
He felt that if he stayed with this broken box for another second, he would have a heart attack.
He walked to the the heart's chest, taking one last look at the culprit that had made him lose face.
"I've had enough; you swallow it now. I need to prepare to skip class."
"Alright! Boss, just you watch!"
Roger placed his hand on the cold, hard surface of the the heart's chest.
The next second.
The originally unremarkable wooden box suddenly erupted with a golden light even more dazzling than the previous silver light!
Under everyone's horrified gaze, the the heart's chest was not decomposed, not torn apart, but... melted!
It was like a stick of butter thrown into a furnace, rapidly softening, deforming, turning into a puddle of golden liquid, continuously being absorbed by the explorer!
When the golden light dissipated, only a dark red heart, still vigorously "thumping, thumping," remained on the ground.
And a series of system prompts, like firecrackers on New Year's, rang through Roger's mind.
"Ding! Successfully devoured the legendary holy relic 'the heart's chest'! Energy level judged: Epic!"
"Congratulations, Host! Your pirate tech tree has successfully unlocked the next stage!"
"Welcome to... the Age of Steam and Steel!"
"The modern tech tree has been fully unlocked!"
"New ship components available: 'Alchemical Steam Hybrid Engine,' 'Keel Stabilizer,' 'Ironclad Hull Modification Plan'..."
"New weapon systems available: 'Armstrong Revolving Breech-loading Cannon,' 'Gatling Rotary Machine Gun,' 'Naval Mine'..."
Roger's breathing instantly stopped.
He stared blankly at the golden, shimmering new tech tree before him, visible only to him.
Steam engine?
Ironclad ship?
Gatling?!
Davy Jones's heart was still bouncing on the deck.
But Roger no longer cared at all.
In his eyes, there were only those lines of text glowing with the brilliance of the Industrial Revolution.
He felt like he wasn't just sailing a pirate ship.
He was about to lead an invincible armada to give the medieval pirates a practical lesson in what the Industrial Revolution was all about!
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