After Morin's modifications, the Black Pearl had become a true magic ship.
At full speed on the sea, if he hadn't reinforced the hull and added weight, it would have felt like it might lift off like a speedboat.
With that speed, Morin reached the location Tia Dalma described in just a few days.
The limitation of this era was simple.
Treasure maps were mostly terrain descriptions.
If you wanted to find something-
You either needed a special tool.
Or luck.
The special tool was, naturally, the compass in Jack's hand.
An item that was practically a bug.
As long as the user had a clear goal, it would point the way.
Jack had only seen a rough image of the island from Tia Dalma.
By visualizing it and knowing it was a sea island, the compass gave a direction.
Morin still didn't understand the principle.
His last inspection found only a mind-reading spell.
The rest made no sense to him.
"Boss, we're almost there," Jack said, the title coming naturally now.
"Alright. I'll go alone," Morin nodded. "You don't need to follow."
Morin never ruled out ulterior motives.
Especially with allies.
Precaution was basic.
If Tia Dalma had set a trap, ordinary people would only get in the way.
Better to keep them far from trouble.
Under the crew's watchful eyes, Morin walked to the edge of the ship and jumped.
They rushed over.
Morin landed steadily on the sea's surface.
He took out an unfamiliar object and adjusted it.
With every step, ice formed beneath his feet.
Thin.
Transient.
Melting less than a second after he stepped off.
He walked straight toward the island.
The waves rose and fell.
Morin didn't waver.
The object he'd taken out was a smart robot.
He'd made a few on a whim back in the Pacific Rim world.
Kept them ever since.
Now they were useful.
He had many such items.
His system space was large.
If something might be useful someday, he kept it.
With enough worlds, there was always a moment.
Soon, the setup was complete.
The thin ice beneath his feet thickened.
Enough counterforce.
Morin leaped onto the island.
While walking, Morin had activated stealth.
In that state, his weight dropped to an absurd level.
That was why the ice could support him.
As for invisibility-
He could now control the spell precisely.
Why use all of it?
Otherwise, who would he show off to?
Just habit.
Not intentional.
But jumping was different.
The force was too great.
Magic wasn't unscientific.
It followed rules.
People just didn't understand them.
Action and reaction were equal.
Newton could rest easy.
After landing, Morin looked around and frowned.
Then he headed in the direction Tia Dalma had indicated.
In the sea behind him, a small wandering fish watched his retreating figure.
A cold glint flashed in its dull eyes.
Moments later, Morin stopped.
A dilapidated palace stood before him.
Temple-like.
Not tall.
Almost swallowed by trees.
Neglected.
Roots split tiles and stone.
Walls cracked and collapsed.
Ruins.
Yet the carvings told another story.
Norse patterns.
Godly workmanship.
Given the scale and age-
This wasn't human-made.
"It's here?" Morin frowned.
No magic fluctuations.
And Tia Dalma had said it was a cave.
Hidden?
He wouldn't rush this.
Morin set the robot down and sent it inside.
One pass.
Nothing.
The palace was small.
Empty.
The carvings would be priceless in a museum.
To Morin, they were rocks.
"...."
He thought for a moment.
Then took out the totem.
A ring-shaped object.
The hole was just right.
Eyeball-sized.
Wait.
Eyeball?
Morin almost raised it to his eye.
Then stopped.
He placed it in front of the robot's camera instead.
Optical imaging was optical imaging.
No difference.
And there it was.
Golden light.
Like Eagle Vision.
Highlighting a location.
Why hadn't he seen it earlier?
Anti-detection material?
Concealment magic?
This wasn't his field.
He stayed cautious.
Sent the robot to search.
Carefully.
A slot appeared.
Perfect fit.
As the robot placed the totem inside-
A powerful magic fluctuation surged.
The ground split open.
Stone stairs descended into darkness.
Morin sent the robot down.
It wasn't wheeled.
Humanoid.
Terrain didn't matter.
The robot reached the bottom without incident.
And then-
"That's it?"
An hour later, Morin stared at the neatly stacked magic books the robot had brought out.
He'd expected something.
Destruction.
Prohibitions.
Fakes.
Instead-
Everything was real.
Was he wrong about Tia Dalma?
"...You're not coming out?" Morin said aloud.
Silence.
"Then I'm taking them."
He raised an eyebrow.
With a wave, the books vanished into his system space.
If he could take them, he would.
Then he left.
Moments later, a crab crawled from the sand.
Eyes only.
Watching.
"How... is that possible?"
Far away, Tia Dalma stared into her crystal ball.
"A steel giant... Hephaestus's creation?"
When Morin fought the Kraken, the Demonic Sky-Slaying Blade armor had shaken her.
Only a god could make something like that.
So who was Morin?
Hephaestus had never been known for such a creation.
But that only reinforced her belief.
Something that strong would be hidden.
It made sense.
So she agreed to Morin's terms.
To learn who he was.
When she heard his request, she "understood."
He wanted to find the other gods.
The reason was obvious.
After "understanding," she sent him to the island.
The cave's prohibition was absolute.
Anything powered by magic would be annihilated.
Only a mortal could take the books.
And Morin would never let a mortal touch his things.
When Morin arrived alone, she was certain.
The fish she controlled watched him closely.
Then he took out a steel robot.
Her certainty solidified.
Hephaestus's work.
Useless.
The moment it entered, it would be destroyed.
And then-
The robot walked in.
And out.
Book by book.
If the crab had a jaw, it would've dropped.
Tia Dalma already had.
How?
That thing wasn't magical?
So intricate.
So flexible.
Had Hephaestus found a way to animate creations without magic?
She was lost.
"...Or is the prohibition broken?"
She sent the crab inside.
The beam of magic struck instantly.
Dust.
It wasn't broken.
She sent another crab.
Same result.
"What is going on?!"
Tia Dalma stood abruptly.
Confusion.
Fear.
Even gods feared the unknown.
"So."
A voice spoke.
The image shifted.
Morin's face filled the crystal ball.
He was holding a crab leg, shaking it slightly.
"Madam Tia Dalma."
"If I hadn't been careful, I really would've fallen for that."
"...."
She reacted instantly.
There were questions she needed answered.
Morin set the crab down and turned.
A water-formed figure stood behind him.
"Who are you?" Tia Dalma asked coldly.
"A mechanic. An IRS agent. A Templar. A magician. A police officer. A mecha designer. A pub owner. A ten-year veteran."
Morin tilted his head.
"What do you want to ask?"
"I'm just a normal human being."
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