Daytime, the third day.A second player appeared in the chat channel, selling a large amount of wood.Although the price hadn’t dropped much yet, where there was a second, there would soon be a third.It was predictable that the wood market would slowly decline — and with it, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° profits.After all, with such a large player base spread across such a wide area, it was only natural that some lucky players leaving the Extreme Winter Sea would encounter islands.And Yang Yi wasn’t the only one with the skill to locate islands.But he no longer cared. Today, he and Suna had moved every single tree on their island down to the shoreline.All that was left was to sell.Roughly two thousand trees — converted, that was 24,322 units of wood.That much wood couldn’t possibly fit aboard the Nyxstar, unless they filled the ship’s cabin with raw logs — which would take up far too much space.So from daylight onward, Yang Yi began selling wood.As he sold, he also grabbed more logs from the shore to replenish his stockpile.By nightfall, he still had over ten thousand units of wood unsold, and more than three thousand logs still lying on the beach, waiting to be collected.By then, a third major wood seller had appeared.That player had chosen to cut trees at night, joining the ranks of those earning conch coins through lumber trade.Competition wasn’t yet fierce, and prices hadn’t dropped much — 27 conch coins per unit.By the time the price plummeted, Yang Yi would already be done selling.Early morning, the fourth day.Yang Yi sold off every last bit of wood stored in his ship’s hold.Now he planned to gather the remaining logs onshore and sell them all in one go.But at night, it was hard to accurately pick up logs along the coast under nothing but moonlight.So he brought the ship closer to the island and lit three campfires along the deck’s railings for illumination.With the flames flickering, the work became much easier.Yang Yi was tired — after all, he’d been working all day, and his energy stat was down to less than 40.He lit the three campfires and was about to start hauling up the logs.But just as he laid a hand on the helm, ready to begin, he suddenly froze.On the shore stood a tall, gaunt figure — nearly three meters high, draped in a tattered black robe.Yang Yi could swear that just moments ago, when he’d stepped out of the captain’s cabin, there had been no one there. He had even scanned the area with his Third Eye!So what the hell was that black silhouette?[Eerie figure detected. Your sanity -10.]Yang Yi’s drowsiness vanished instantly. He drew his flintlock pistol and tore off the eyepatch from his left eye.The next instant — just as he turned his Third Eye toward it — the figure was already aboard the ship, standing right in front of him.The speed stunned Yang Yi. Every nerve screamed with alarm.Then a system message appeared:[The Collector has sensed value.An invitation has been extended.The Collector wishes to trade with you.]“The Collector!?”Yang Yi’s eyes widened. He had no memory of ever summoning the Collector.Could it have been Suna — had she bought and used that strange item called Collector’s Contract?That thought flashed through his mind.Faced with such an uncanny being, Yang Yi didn’t attack immediately. Its speed was too great — even point-blank, he couldn’t be sure of hitting it.Cold sweat slicked his palm on the gun.The Collector slowly sat down, extending a withered arm from beneath the robe.The hand looked human, but the fingers were abnormally long — each a full size larger than normal.Then it began rummaging inside its robe, pulling things out one by one and placing them before Yang Yi, as if setting up a vendor’s stall.Yang Yi didn’t move rashly. He shut his right eye and examined the being through the Third Eye.Its face was hidden deep within the hood — even the firelight couldn’t penetrate it.But when Yang Yi used the Third Eye, the darkness peeled away — and he saw that inside the robe was nothing at all.[You discover the robe is empty. Your sanity -20.]The Collector seemed to notice Yang Yi’s gaze. It lifted its head, showing that empty hood, staring straight at him before resuming its rummaging.Yang Yi’s body tensed; his mind raced for a plan.Then, through the Third Eye, he saw something odd — countless thin threads ran across the robe, even connecting to its arms and fingers.Those threads converged behind the Collector, merging into a single line that stretched into the sea...Could it be that this Collector was merely a puppet, its true body lurking in the ocean depths?[Shocking revelation. Your sanity -20.]At that moment, the Collector seemed to finish preparing.After rummaging for a while, it produced three items, laying them before Yang Yi — one of which stood over two meters tall. How it had fit inside the robe was anyone’s guess.[The Collector has presented trade goods.You have ten trade opportunities.If no trade is completed, the Collector will force one to occur.(Note: There are many types of Collectors, each with different preferences.)]“Trade?”Yang Yi understood.It wanted to barter — item for item.The towering black figure, even sitting, was as tall as Yang Yi — and it nodded, as though it understood him.Taking a deep breath, Yang Yi steadied himself and asked,“Can I take a look at the items?”The Collector nodded and gestured for him to proceed.Yang Yi touched them one by one: first, a somewhat familiar-looking stone, and a glowing azure potion.[Name: Intermediate Craftsman’s Engraving Stone]Type: ConsumableQuality: EpicDescription: Enhances a piece of equipment. Raises any item below Rare to Rare, or any Rare item to Epic quality.Your treasure will be reforged by the hands of a master craftsman, becoming extraordinarily powerful.[Name: Ultra Magic Elixir]Type: ConsumableQuality: EpicDescription: Restores 30 mana upon consumption. Mana continues to regenerate over time and can temporarily exceed your maximum limit.Warning: If excess mana is not expended in time, spontaneous explosion may occur.Both were top-grade items... then what about the last one?Yang Yi turned to the left.There stood a suit of full plate armor, scarred and pitted by age, its surface covered in scratches and patches of rust — as if it had seen countless battles.Dark red spikes protruded across its surface like rusted nails, giving it a grim, menacing appearance.[Name: Armor of the Lost Penitent]Type: RelicQuality: EpicDescription: Once worn by a penitent knight of the Radiant Church. The original wearer betrayed their faith, and the armor became tainted by immense hatred.It possesses a will of its own and can act independently.Penitent’s Armor: Issued to penitents of the Radiant Church. Cannot be removed by the wearer.After examining the three items, Yang Yi realized every single one was incredibly valuable.If he could secure even one, it would be well worth the trade.But how to trade?He had no idea yet.One thing, however, was certain — if no deal was struck and the forced trade began, something very bad was bound to happen.

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