After sending the intel to Song Yingwen, Yang Yi receives a payment of 30,000 Conch Coins.He then checks the world channel. About eight hours ago, a player asking for help appeared in the chat. He had also encountered the Collector. His ID is familiar; it's the same player who was selling off large quantities of wood the other night. He had tried to trade eight times, but all were rejected, so he posted in the chat to see if anyone could help him. Most of the replies, however, were from trolls just looking for a laugh. There were suggestions to give the Collector a pile of shit, to grab its stuff and run, to offer it his dominant hand, his ship, even to do a handstand and offer it the Earth… most of it useless advice.Yang Yi scrolls up, looking for the cause ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) of the incident. He finds that this person also saw the Collector on the coast and was subsequently asked to trade, a situation almost identical to his own. For the same event to happen twice, there must be a pattern. Comparing the two encounters, Yang Yi finds two common points: they both made a large amount of Conch Coins in a short period of time, and they both encountered the Collector at night while collecting wood.This might be the Collector's trigger mechanism.Once a player makes a large sum of money quickly, they attract the Collector. And the player's line of sight is the invitation. The moment a player sees it, it boards their ship and demands a trade. If this is the case, the Collector might have appeared several nights ago, but Yang Yi never saw it, so the trade wasn't triggered."Looks like even making money has its risks…" he mutters.He scrolls down, looking at the pictures and item information the player posted. The Collector he encountered seems to be a different one. Although it also wears a black robe, it's much shorter, less than half a meter tall. Under the robe is a skeleton; a lustrous skull and white, bony hands are visible, but there's no soul-fire within. This suggests the skeleton is also being manipulated by some kind of thread, though none are visible in the photo.Yang Yi looks at the trade items offered. There are two: an Intermediate Abyss Soulstone, and a golden treasure chest covered in coral and barnacles.[Name: Sunken Golden Treasure Chest][Description: A surprise is hidden inside, but many are unwilling to open it.]"A sunken treasure chest, and a high-quality one at that." Yang Yi knows this type of chest. It most likely contains a monster. Even if it doesn't, opening it will be dangerous. And for it to be displayed alongside a top-tier item means its value is no less, and possibly even higher.He skims to the end of the log. Someone had suggested asking the Collector what it wanted, to make the trade go smoother. The advice was taken. And then… nothing. The player never sent another message. Only when others messaged him and found his account deleted was his death confirmed."Looks like there are some forbidden words you can't say during the trade. Or maybe it's related to the Collector's personality," Yang Yi speculates. He glances at the golden coin in his hand, the Keepsake of Satisfaction left by the Collector of Rarities. Considering the risks, it's best not to summon it unless he's fully prepared. He puts the coin away.He steps out of the captain's cabin. The Nyxstar is stopped, the twilight curtain deployed, rendering it invisible. The sea is calm. After confirming it's safe, he eats a loaf of black bread, then deactivates the curtain and sets a course for the Bountiful Sea.He takes out the Intermediate Craftsman's Inscription Stone and uses it on the Serpent's Tooth, upgrading its quality to top-tier.[Name: Flame Serpent's Tooth (Degraded)][Type: Treasure][Quality: Top-tier][Description: A serpentine dagger infused with the power of fire. It will ignite wounds, causing burning damage.Can release its fire power in a single burst to ignite a large area.Cooldown: 24 hours.During the cooldown, it cannot ignite objects upon being thrust, but it remains sharp.]He's a little disappointed there's no new skill, but the area of effect for the flame burst is larger, and the cooldown is halved. Plus, it can now ignite wounds. Not bad.He puts the dagger away and starts fishing. Three hours later, he's caught eleven fish, a bottle of fresh water, and three Eyeball Fruits. The catch rate is ridiculously high compared to the last safe zone.Suddenly, he reels in something strange. It's a brightly colored, umbrella-shaped mushroom with white spots, and a chunk is missing, as if bitten. The moment it breaks the water's surface, it emits an intoxicating, mouth-watering aroma.[Name: Delicious Mushroom][Description: A large, delicious mushroom. Non-toxic. So tasty, it's impossible to stop eating. It's delicious no matter how you eat it.]"Delicious…" The word sets off alarm bells in Yang Yi's mind. He knows how dangerous "delicious" can be.Footsteps approach. It's Suna. "You caught that?" she asks."Yeah. It's called a Delicious Mushroom." He sends her the info, and she immediately snatches it from him."Let me see!""Just don't you dare eat it!""I would never eat a test subject!"Despite her words, her mouth is already starting to water. The mushroom's aroma is just that potent. She takes it and heads for the lab. Yang Yi follows close behind, not because he's worried she'll eat it, but because he's ready to start making some crystal weapons. They'd discussed it earlier; to make precise molds, they need sample weapons to copy, otherwise they can only make basic geometric shapes.

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