"First, regarding Sky Island, it is essentially a massive chunk composed of various chunks at different stages."
"Each chunk has a different range of activity, and their status, environment, and resources all vary."
"The closer you get to the center, the higher the status, the better the environment, and the more abundant the resources."
"Likewise, extremely powerful creatures exist there, though I cannot describe them in detail."
Galen Yu nodded in understanding.
He had already surmised that Sky Island was a massive chunk.
Having seen the outskirts previously, he could also guess that status increased as one approached the center.
"I've seen Barrier Blocks up there. Since every chunk is partitioned, does that mean those are places only small-scale chunks can access?"
Recalling his previous encounter, Galen Yu inquired.
He wondered if the differences between chunk levels were related to this.
"You actually know about Barrier Blocks?"
The Black Mage cast a surprised glance at Galen Yu and nodded.
"That is correct. Those are the barriers between chunks."
Thick barriers existed between every layer of chunks.
Higher tiers required specific restrictions to descend to the lower levels, and those on the bottom levels found it difficult to ascend before ranking up.
Based on chunk levels, Sky Island was divided from the interior to the exterior, ranging from Large Chunks down to Miniature Chunks.
"While other creatures exist, the Small Chunks are currently dominated by dragons."
"Little thrall, if you are lucky enough to rank up, you're in for a real treat!"
A faint, mischievous smirk played on the Black Mage's lips as he looked at Galen Yu with a hint of pity.
It seemed the reason he called him a 'little thrall' was related to the dragons within the Small Chunks.
Furthermore, based on the description, the Ender Dragon didn't breathe fire or frost. It had to be a different kind of dragon.
Several mod descriptions that fit that criteria immediately surfaced in Galen Yu's mind.
'If it really is that mod...'
The game was about to get a lot more interesting!
Thinking this, he questioned the Black Mage once more.
"What is the specific relationship between thralls and these dragons?"
This time, the Black Mage didn't speak. Instead, he looked off into the distance.
He rubbed his withered gray fingers together, clearly hinting at something.
"Information is also a commodity. I gave you those first few for free."
"If you want to know more, heh heh."
The Black Mage held up five fingers and grinned.
"Fifty emeralds!"
Fifty emeralds for a single piece of info?
That was nearly a stack. It was steep, but barely acceptable.
Just as Galen Yu was about to check his backpack to see if he could scrape enough together, the Black Mage's tone shifted.
"It's not fifty emeralds per message—it's fifty emeralds per character!"
Galen Yu froze on the spot.
A single character was worth fifty emeralds?
If people didn't know better, they'd think he was selling gold rather than information.
Even outside the screen, Fries was bewildered.
"Isn't that way too expensive?"
In the Parkour Civilization, information was a standard form of trade, so the concept wasn't unusual.
But even then, thirty to fifty emeralds for an entire message was considered highway robbery.
Gathering emeralds wasn't easy; it required luck, skill, and back-breaking labor.
Fifty emeralds a character? Was the information made of gold, or was the Black Mage's gray mouth lined with it?
"Are you certain you want fifty emeralds per character?" Galen Yu asked again, thinking he had misheard.
He truly wanted to know about Sky Island, and spending some emeralds was a fine trade for preparation.
But in this case, he was clearly being played for a fool.
The length of a message depended entirely on the Black Mage's mouth. Five hundred emeralds would only buy ten characters.
If the guy intentionally dragged it out with nonsense, Galen Yu would be the world's biggest sucker.
Besides, the info wasn't some top-secret mystery; he could find out for himself with enough exploration after reaching the Small Chunk tier.
And yet, this guy had the nerve to ask for fifty per character?
Thinking back to Zane Wu, who gave him a full set of diamond gear for a dozen gold ingots...
Galen Yu was convinced that despite the big talk, this guy was a profiteer at heart!
A profiteer through and through!
He even began to doubt the man's identity. Aside from the name 'Black Mage' being somewhat credible, the claims about 'potions worth a thousand gold' and 'Chunk Lords begging for commissions' were likely lies.
If he were truly that powerful, how did he end up locked in an obsidian cage?
"No money? You're a pauper?"
Seeing that Galen Yu wasn't trading, the Black Mage tsked.
"I thought anyone who could make it here would have some resources. You can't even produce a single emerald?"
"I need to prepare to leave. We shall meet again if fate allows!"
His face soured instantly, and he didn't bother sparing Galen Yu another glance.
As he turned to leave, Galen Yu blocked his path.
"Wait, Master Mage, don't be in such a hurry."
Seeing Galen Yu's smile, the Black Mage snorted.
"What? You want to bargain? No way. Even if a Large Chunk Lord came personally, this is my price!"
"No, no, no. You've got it all wrong."
Not bargaining? Did that mean he was going to pay the emeralds?
The corners of his withered mouth curled up again, and the Black Mage was about to speak.
Suddenly, his vision went dark. He felt his body being restricted by something, rendered unable to move.
"Wait... what did you do? A Wooden Boat?"
"How do you know about Wooden Boats!"
As he was forcibly sucked into the boat, the Black Mage's expression shifted drastically.
"Let me go! Curse these chunk restrictions! Where are you taking me?!"
"How do you know about Wooden Boats!"
Forcibly sucked into the boat, the Black Mage's expression shifted drastically.
"Let me go! Curse these chunk restrictions! Where are you taking me?!"
Ignoring the Black Mage's screams, Galen Yu rowed out of the Ancient City.
Dragging the boat behind him, he headed back toward his own chunk.
He had originally come out to grind kills for his SlashBlade; meeting the Black Mage was purely accidental.
Since he couldn't take him as a thrall, making a friend would have been nice, but who would have thought...
This guy was a profiteer!
The thing Galen Yu hated most was a profiteer!
When dealing with such people, ordinary methods wouldn't do; they required severe punishment!
"I am the distinguished Black Mage! You'd best let me go!"
"Don't think a Wooden Boat makes you invincible! That only works on low-level creatures with no self-awareness!"
"I can get off this boat whenever I want! You have officially angered a Mage!"
He shouted fiercely, but it was all bark and no bite.
In reality, he couldn't budge an inch within the boat, completely helpless against Galen Yu's movements.
"You said you can get off whenever you want, so why haven't you?"
At this question, the Black Mage's gray cheeks flushed a faint red.
"It's... it's all because of the chunk restrictions! Don't think my black magic can't reach you just because you're at the front of the boat!"
So after all that talk, he still couldn't get out.
"I think I should teach you how to treat your savior."
Galen Yu continued on, ignoring the yelling. The Black Mage's gray face was turning black with rage.
He had been trapped in that obsidian cage for so long, and just when he finally got teleported to a Miniature Chunk and met a silly kid who could help him see the light of day...
He thought that since the boy had just entered Chunk Civilization and didn't understand the world, he would be easy to bluff.
Who knew the kid wouldn't play ball? He hadn't managed to swindle a single emerald.
Potions and magic—no one knew their exact value anyway. As long as he bragged about his status, tricking these newcomers should have been incredibly simple.
He had even planned to use the dragon topic to highlight the power of his potions, but he hadn't said it yet because Galen Yu's reaction was so flat.
He thought the kid was a clueless brat, but now it turned out the boy knew how to use Wooden Boats to freeze mobs?
He hadn't earned a single cent and had managed to get himself kidnapped instead. The Black Mage felt sick to his stomach.
[Support the story with Reviews, Power Stones, and Comments—they mean a lot and keep me going! 30+ chapters waiting on patreon.com/elite_reads]