“Name?”After taking the statue, the Collector used its withered hand to scratch a few words on the deck, asking Yang Yi.But Yang Yi had never even thought about naming the statue, so he could only come up with something on the spot.After more than ten seconds, he replied, “Let’s call it the Blasphemer.”The Collector nodded, tucked the statue beneath its robe, then rose to its feet.It extended its right hand—apparently wanting to shake hands.Yang Yi accepted without hesitation and reached out his own hand.By now, Yang Yi had already figured out the nature of the Collector. Later, he could compile the information and sell it to Song Yingwen.The Collector seemed to be a being that abided by trading rules—one capable of conducting fair exchanges.As long ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) as the transaction proceeded smoothly, it showed virtually no hostility.Moreover, they were polite, clearly of considerable intelligence.But the logs had mentioned that there were many kinds of Collectors, each with different preferences. So this particular one might just be of the milder sort.Good thing it hadn’t attacked on sight—otherwise, the consequences would’ve been disastrous.The Collector was now shaking Yang Yi’s hand cordially.Off to the side, though, Suna kept staring at the Collector’s hand, feeling that it looked somehow familiar.When the handshake ended, the Collector slightly bowed, performing a precise and formal old-fashioned gesture toward Yang Yi.【Trade complete. The Collector is very satisfied with this transaction and has left behind a Contract Item.】The moment the notification appeared in the log, the Collector turned into a streak of shadow and vanished before their eyes.It was so fast it looked like teleportation—almost as if it simply ceased to exist.Only Yang Yi, using the Third Eye, could see more clearly: the Collector had been yanked away by a line trailing from its back——as if a fisherman had reeled in a hook.That line, coming from the sea, pulled both robe and figure straight into the ocean, producing a barely audible splash.From then on, the Collector was gone without a trace. But all the traded goods it had laid out were still there.Even in the spot where it had stood remained a golden medal—or rather, an oversized gold coin.Yang Yi swept the area with the Third Eye once more, confirming there was no danger before putting his eyepatch back on and picking up the coin.【Name: Satisfied Contract Item of a Rare Collector】【Type: Consumable】【Quality: Supreme】【Description: A coin from a lost civilization, used by a Rare Collector as a contract token. A golden one signifies satisfaction.At night, toss this item into the sea, and the Collector will return with better goods to trade. (The Collector may appear on any night within the following week—do not neglect the invitation.)Note: A satisfied contract may attract other Collectors. Be sure to prepare sufficient trade items.Rare Collector: This Collector enjoys collecting little-known items. If a trade fails, it may seize the trader instead. The longer that trader remains in its collection and is hidden away, the greater their value grows.】“A satisfied contract item... and a supreme-quality one?”Yang Yi was surprised—but also a little uneasy.Because the Collector wasn’t as “benevolent” as it appeared. If a trade failed, it might simply turn hostile and take you instead.That way it wouldn’t even need to pay—just freeload you whole...“Attract other Collectors, huh...”Yang Yi noted the warning.That meant the next Collector might not be the same one.If he wanted to test their preferences again and offer suitable trade goods, the risk would be enormous—but if successful, the rewards might surpass even supreme-tier items.Risk and profit always came hand in hand!Yang Yi shared the item’s details with Suna.But she had already crouched down, picking through the traded goods. Her target was a bottle of blue super mana potion. She even unscrewed the lid, fanned it a few times, sniffed, then frowned.“How is it?” Yang Yi asked.“Smells awful. Want a whiff?” Suna handed it over.Yang Yi didn’t even need to fan it—the stench reached him instantly, his sharpened sense of smell picking it up right away.“Like rotting meat... What the hell is this thing made of?”“Needs testing to know for sure.”Suna closed the lid tightly to prevent evaporation and stored it in her magic pouch.“Oh, right. Did you smell any fishy scent coming from that Collector?” she asked.“No.”Yang Yi’s nose was sharp, but he hadn’t caught anything unpleasant.“I think his hand came from a fishman—or something similar.The webbing between the fingers was cut off, so it looked almost human. But it resembled the hand of the small fishman specimen in my lab. Remove the scales and webbing, enlarge it, and...”Suna paused, recalling the details.“And that statue—it was you—”Before she could finish, Yang Yi suddenly moved.He pulled Suna close and raised his flintlock, aiming ahead.“What—”Suna was about to ask, but when she turned, she understood.Because the Lost Armor of the Penitent——it was moving.The helmet rotated, its barred visor focusing on Yang Yi and Suna, exuding a suffocating pressure.It stood nearly 2.3 meters tall—a full suit of armor so large that only the strongest humans could ever wear it.“What kind of mechanism is this?”Suna wasn’t frightened—if anything, she was curious about how the armor could move.Yang Yi, however, didn’t relax, finger on the trigger. Even if it meant damaging the armor, that didn’t matter now.Because this thing could very well attack—or kill.Fortunately, the Penitent’s Armor didn’t strike. It merely adjusted its stance, turning to face them directly.Then, it crouched down slightly—and the spikes covering its surface began to extend, as though growing from within.Their tips were reddish-brown, like rust, but the rest was pitch black.The armor itself was covered in scratches and filth, as if it had soaked in mud for years. Once-bright silver had turned mottled and grimy, stained with something that looked disturbingly like blood.Clack!The armor’s chestplate opened—revealing a skeleton inside.Without the armor to hold it together, the bones collapsed into a pile on the ground like discarded trash.That must have been its previous wearer.Judging from the remains, the person wasn’t tall—maybe 1.6 meters—and was missing a hand and a foot.An incomplete, unimposing body—yet capable of using such a massive 2.3-meter armor. Strange indeed.The bones were pitch black, as if soaked in ink.Suna wanted to pick one up for examination but restrained herself, aware of the risk.Yang Yi’s expression turned grim as he studied the armor.He realized that the spikes inside—were for the wearer.Once you put on the armor and closed it, those black spikes would pierce your flesh, turning you into a human pincushion.No wonder it couldn’t be taken off...Calling it armor was generous—it was a torture device, more like an iron maiden.Only a true masochistic lunatic would ever put on something like that.Now, the armor’s chest cavity was open, half-squatting—as if inviting someone in.Yang Yi narrowed his eyes, watching for several seconds. Seeing no further movement, he slowly approached with gun raised.“Wait, you can’t wear that thing!” Suna called out.She, too, had realized something was off—Because she’d spotted countless tiny puncture holes all over those blackened bones!But Yang Yi ignored her and kept walking toward the armor.

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