Grand Voyage : Surviving on a Ghost Ship

Chapter 128 - Uninvited Trade

Day Three – Daytime.

A second player appeared in the chat channel, selling wood in large quantities.

Although wood prices hadn’t plummeted yet, where there’s a second, there will be a third.

It was foreseeable that the price of wood would gradually decline, and with it, the profit.

After all, with such a vast player base spread across a wide area, it was only natural that some lucky ones emerging from the Extreme Winter Sea would encounter islands like him.

Moreover, Yang Yi was certainly not the only one with the skill to search for islands.

However, he was no longer concerned. That day, he and Suna had finished moving all the trees on the island to the coast.

All that remained was to sell them.

Nearly two thousand trees, converted into wood units.

Such an amount of wood was too much for the Nightmare Star to hold unless he stored the logs in the cargo hold, which would take up far too much space.

So, from daytime onwards, Yang Yi focused on selling wood.

While selling, he continued to use the grappling hook to retrieve logs from the shoreline, replenishing his inventory.

By nighttime, over ten thousand units of wood remained unsold, with more than three thousand logs still piled on the shore, waiting to be collected.

By that time, a third player had started selling wood in bulk.

The player had chosen to cut trees at night, joining the growing ranks of those profiting from wood sales.

The competition wasn’t fierce yet, and prices hadn’t dropped much — 27 Shell Coins per unit.

By the time the prices crashed, Yang Yi would have already sold everything!

Day Four – Early Morning.

Yang Yi had completely sold out all the wood stored in the ship’s hold.

Determined to finish the job, he resolved to collect and sell every last log from the coast.

At night, it was difficult to accurately retrieve logs from the shoreline using only moonlight.

So, Yang Yi sailed closer to the island and lit three bonfires along the ship’s railing for better visibility.

It made the retrieval process much easier.

Yang Yi was feeling drowsy, after working tirelessly all day, his energy levels had dropped to below 40.

He lit the three bonfires and prepared to haul in the remaining logs.

But just as he placed his hands on the ship’s wheel, ready to operate the grappling hook, he suddenly noticed a tall, slender figure standing on the shore.

Nearly three metres tall, it was draped in a tattered black robe.

Yang Yi could swear that when he left the captain’s quarters just moments before, there had been no one there! He had checked with his Third Eye!

So, what exactly was this black figure?

?Mysterious figure sighted. Sanity -10?

All traces of sleepiness vanished from Yang Yi’s mind.

He immediately pulled out his flintlock gun and removed the eyepatch from his left eye.

In the next instant, just as he used his Third Eye to observe the figure, it had already appeared on the ship, standing right in front of him.

Its speed caught Yang Yi completely off guard, and alarm bells rang in his mind.

At the same time, a system notification appeared.

?The Collector has sensed value and, upon receiving an invitation, has decided to trade with you.?

“The Collector?!”

Yang Yi’s eyes widened.

He had no memory of ever inviting the Collector.

Could it have been Suna? Had she purchased and used the eerie artifact known as the Collector’s Contract?

The thought flashed through his mind.

Faced with such an uncanny being, Yang Yi refrained from attacking immediately.

Its speed was terrifyingly fast, even at a close range, he wasn’t confident he could land a guaranteed hit.

His palm, gripping the gun, was already slick with sweat.

On the other side, the Collector slowly sat down and extended a withered arm from beneath its robe.

Although it appeared human, its fingers were unusually long, and its hands were noticeably larger than an average person's.

Then, the Collector began to pull objects from within its robes, carefully laying them out before Yang Yi as if setting up a stall.

Yang Yi dared not act rashly.

Closing his right eye, he used his Third Eye to scrutinise the Collector.

Its face was hidden beneath its hood, impervious even to firelight.

Only when Yang Yi used his Third Eye did he penetrate the darkness, only to find that beneath the robe, there was… nothing.

?You have discovered that the robe is empty. Sanity -20?

The Collector seemed to notice Yang Yi’s gaze.

It lifted its hood, its empty void staring back at him before continuing to lay out its wares.

Yang Yi’s body was tense, his mind racing for a strategy.

Then, suddenly. With his Third Eye, he noticed something peculiar.

Fine threads extended from the robe, countless strands, connecting even to its arms and fingers.

These threads trailed behind the Collector, converging into a single thick strand that disappeared into the ocean…

Could it be that the Collector was merely a puppet, and its true body was something lurking beneath the sea?

?A shocking revelation. Sanity -20?

By that time, it seemed that the Collector had finished preparing.

After rummaging around in its robe for a long while, it finally pulled out three items and placed them before Yang Yi. One of the items was so large that it stood over two metres tall, and how it had fit into the black robe was a mystery.

?The Collector has offered items for trade. You have ten trading opportunities. If no trade is completed, the Collector will force a trade.

PS: The Collector comes in many varieties, each with different preferences.?

“A trade?” Yang Yi understood.

The Collector wanted to trade items with him, exchanging one thing for another.

The tall, black figure, which was as high as Yang Yi when seated, nodded, seemingly understanding his words.

Taking a deep breath, Yang Yi calmed himself and asked,

“Can I take a look at these items?”

The Collector nodded and gestured for him to proceed.

Yang Yi touched each item in turn. The first was a stone that looked somewhat familiar, followed by a vial of glowing, azure-blue potion.

?Name: Mid-tier Artisan Inscription Stone?

?Type: Consumable?

?Quality: Premium?

?Description: Enhances an item, increasing its quality. Items below Rare quality will be upgraded to Rare, and Rare items will be upgraded to Premium. Your item will become extraordinarily powerful, as if reshaped by an exceptional artisan.?

?Name: Super Magic Potion?

?Type: Consumable?

?Quality: Premium?

?Description: Consuming this restores 30 magic essence points, with a continuous recovery effect. It can even exceed the magic essence cap. However, if excess magic essence is not consumed in time, it may explode.?

To his surprise, all the items were of Premium quality... Was the one on the left also the same?

Yang Yi looked towards the left.

There, standing, was a full suit of plate armour, covered in the marks of time. It had many scratches and was heavily worn, suggesting it had seen many battles.

Its surface was riddled with dark red protrusions, like rusted nails, making it look fearsome and intimidating.

?Name: Lost Penitent’s Armour?

?Type: Relic?

?Quality: Premium?

?Description: A suit of armour belonging to a Penitent of the Glorious Church, but the original owner betrayed their faith. The armour has been tainted by powerful hatred and now possesses self-awareness, allowing it to move independently.

Penitent’s Armour: Given by the Glorious Church to those seeking atonement, the armour is a walking prison that cannot be removed by its wearer.?

After examining the three items, Yang Yi found them to be extraordinary treasures.

If he could actually trade for them, it would definitely be worth it.

But how would the trade work?

Yang Yi had no idea.

However, he was certain of one thing: if the trade was not completed, and the forced trade occurred, something unpleasant would happen.

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