“Hmm…” Charles frowned as he looked at the artifact in his hand.

  This artifact traded intelligence for size, making it hard to determine whether it was good or bad. If one lacked even basic cognition, then immense strength would be of no use. Moreover, after increasing in size, his three other artifacts would become unusable, and in the balance of things, his overall power might even decrease.

  Quickly, Charles realized the artifact's greatest utility: “I may not be able to use it, but I can give it to my crew.”

  The upcoming adventures would only grow more dangerous; relying solely on his own strength wouldn't suffice. The crew aboard the Narwhal needed to enhance their abilities across the board to avoid dragging everyone down.

  A particular crew member’s muscular build flashed through his mind, and Charles immediately found a new owner for the artifact. Ignoring the lingering pain in his body, he threw off the covers and made his way outside.

  Thirty minutes later, Charles stood on the deck, shouting at the four-meter-tall chief engineer, James: “James, put the artifact down! On the ground!”

  Curious crew members gathered around, eager to see what was happening. James, now enormous, plopped down on the deck, causing the entire Narwhal to shake. After a few seconds, he finally released his grip, allowing the purple pyramid to fall to the deck.

  “The drop in intelligence is greater than I imagined,” Charles muttered, observing the purple pyramid in his hand.

  After testing it, he realized that while the physical growth made one extraordinarily powerful, the significant drop in intelligence was deadly. Someone would need to constantly direct James, or else the dim-witted engineer would just stand there, idly playing with his fingers.

  “Captain, can I try that?” a curious crew member named Deep asked, accompanied by a group of sailors.

  After a moment’s thought, Charles tossed the pyramid over. “You all try it and see who’s most suited for it.”

  Suddenly, the deck was filled with cheers and laughter as the crew treated the artifact like a toy. Charles didn’t stop them; moments like this were rare on the open sea.

  After giving a few instructions, he headed towards his cabin, feeling the familiar sting of pain in his wounds.

  Time passed quickly at sea, and Charles’s corrosive wounds healed rapidly. Any minor mishaps were expertly handled by his crew. For once, he was able to enjoy the privileges of being captain.

  When the lighthouse of Coral Island came into view, the cheers from the crew nearly capsized the Narwhal. They had survived once again.

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  As the ship docked, the crew rushed to collect their rewards before bolting off to release their pent-up excitement.

  Charles, holding the remaining two artifacts, intended to head towards the Explorer’s Association. He wanted to see if any other captains had clues about their potential uses or dangers.

  Just as he was about to disembark, he spotted Lily surrounded by a group of brown mice on the dock.

  Walking over, he noticed she hadn’t left, her ears drooping sadly.

  “Why haven’t you gone?” he asked.

  Lily jumped at his voice and turned around in a panic. “Mr. Charles.”

  “Why are you standing here? Don’t you want to go home?” He lifted her by the tail.

  “But I’ve turned into a mouse. Will my mother recognize me? Will she chase me away with a broom?” Lily asked, looking pitiful.

  Charles understood her fear; after such a drastic change, it was normal for a child to feel scared. “Don’t worry. No parent would stop loving their daughter, even if she turned into a mouse. They wouldn’t reject you.”

  “Really??” Lily’s ears perked up.

  “Really, truly,” Charles said, looking at the little mouse and feeling a pang of affection, reminiscent of his own sister.

  Lily began to shake with excitement. “Mr. Charles, you’re right! My mother won’t forget me. I’ve been gone for so long; she must miss me terribly!”

  Charles set her down and prepared to leave, but Lily clung to his finger. “Mr. Charles, can you take me home?”

  He was about to refuse when he saw the pleading look on her tiny face. Sighing, he relented. “Alright, I’ll take you home.”

  It was a small act of kindness for a girl who had turned into a mouse and didn’t know if she could ever return to her original form.

  Soon, a peculiar scene unfolded at Coral Island’s Pier 3: a man with black eyes was parading through the streets, accompanied by a large group of mice.

  After Charles paid four times the fare and assured the driver that the mice wouldn’t chew on the seats, they finally found a steam car willing to take them.

  Lily’s home was nearly an hour’s drive from the port, and as they got closer, her excitement grew.

  She must be so happy now, Charles thought, a hint of envy in his eyes as he glanced at the little white mouse on his lap. Would I ever have a day like this?

  “Sir, we’ve arrived. Just around the corner to the left is Dr. Oliver’s house. He has a lovely little girl, so you’d better not bring these mice near her; they might scare her.”

  Lily, unable to contain her excitement, jumped from the car before it had even stopped, sprinting ahead with the mice in tow.

  As she reached the corner, her small body suddenly froze as if struck by lightning.

  “Hmm?” Noticing something was off, Charles approached her.

  At the top left of the corner stood an elegant two-story villa. In the front yard, a gentle mother was having tea and chatting with her daughter.

  The girl looked about eleven or twelve and bore a resemblance to Hermione from the first Harry Potter movie. Yet, a spark of intelligence in her eyes hinted that she would grow into an even more enchanting beauty than her mother.

  “Lily, do you have a sister or a younger sibling at home?” Charles hesitated to ask, noticing that the mother didn’t seem to be grieving any loss.

  His question snapped Lily out of her stupor, and she screamed in despair. “Ahhh!! That Lily is a fake! I’m my mother’s daughter! She must be a witch from a story! She turned me into a mouse and stole my mother’s love! I’m going to bite her to death!!”

  With that, Lily charged toward the distant figure, her claws bared.

  Charles raised his left hand, the one with the ring, and caught Lily mid-air. “Calm down!”

  Seeing the white mouse trapped, the other mice turned and bared their teeth, their eyes gleaming with menace.

  Just as Charles’s other hand moved toward the clown mask, Lily halted the mice’s attack, suspended in the air, crying loudly. “Waaah, Mr. Charles, I can’t go home! My mother doesn’t want me… What should I do??”